Three+Pebbles+and+a+Song

Author: Eileen Spinelli Illustrator: S. D. Schindler
 * //Three Pebbles and a Song//**

The snow is coming and the mice are industriously scurrying about to gather what they can to help the family through the winter. Everyone except Moses! Easily distracted and curious about the world about him, he acquires a dance, a song and three pebbles for juggling. Moses provides the relief from winter boredom! Annotation from Virginia State Reading Association http://www.vsra.org/VRC/primary_annotations08.htm

Themes:
 * Helping family
 * Special talents
 * Seasons
 * Hibernation

Curricular Connections/Activities:


 * Preparing for Winter/Hibernation—Talk about how different animals prepare for winter. Students could complete a short research assignment on another animal that changes its activities or hibernates. (Science 1.4. 1.7,2.7)
 * Compare //Three Pebbles and a Song// to the fable “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” with a grasshopper who contributes nothing and also to Leo Lioni’s book //Frederick// about a mouse who collects words and colors for the long winter. (Oral Language K.3, 1.3, 2.3 Reading K.8, 1.9, 2.8)
 * Resources / Needs and Wants—Brainstorm a list of needs and wants during a long winter. What were the families wants and needs? What resources did they need (natural, human, capital)? What things were essential to the family? What things made life better, but were not essential? (Economic K.7, 1.7, 1.8, 2.7)
 * Seasons activity - Divide students into groups of four. Assign each of the four students one season. Discuss the characteristics of each season. Have the students all draw a picture of the same scene as it might appear during their individually assigned season, showing how it changes from one season to the next. An alternative would be to have students make collages from magazine photographs that are suggestive of different seasons. (Science K.9, 1.7, 2.7)
 * Identify the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and “touches” of each of the four seasons. Engage students in a discussion about the senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Help students understand that scientists use their senses to help them learn and identify similarities and differences. Use a table or other graphic organizer to have students identify the sensory characteristics of each season. Ask students what kinds of sounds they hear in winter, spring, summer, fall. What colors and shapes do they think of when they think about each season? Are there foods or tastes that they associate with a season? How do things smell? Encourage the use of sensory descriptors (i.e. taste – sweet, sour, bitter, etc.). (Science K.2, K.9, 1.7, 2.7) [[file:Three_Pebbles_Senses_by_Seasons.pdf]]
 * Use descriptive words effectively - Onomonopeai – discuss the meaning with the students. Have them think of other descriptive words in the same category. (Writing 1.12)
 * Special Talents—Identify the special talents that you bring to your family or class. (Oral Language; K.3, Reading 1.9, 2.8)

Related Resources:
 * //unitedstreaming™ resources//
 * [|Four Seasons, The] (15:00) From the snow of winter to the first flowers of spring, children see the wonder and magic of our changing seasons and the patterns of life. Students witness how changes in climate and weather affect their lives. They understand that weather changes seasonally, affecting the earth and the people who live on the earth. (K-4)
 * [|Seasons] (17:30) Children join puppets Digger and Splat on an exciting "magic toy box" ride through the seasons and find out exactly what happens in spring, summer, autumn, and winter. On the way, viewers will meet many more amazing characters: there's Didi, Lula, Bookworm, and Robofact - not to mention the birds and the bees! (K-2)
 * [|Magical Mother Nature: The Four Seasons] (15:28) From the snows of winter to the first flowers of spring, from joyous summer days to cool autumn nights, children see the wonder and magic of our changing seasons. Youngsters will gain a better understanding of how important the changing of the seasons are to their world. They will see that weather changes occur each season and how these changes affect their lives and community. Animals and plants have to adapt to each season and this aspect of seasonal change is also explored. Best of all, each season brings its own special holidays. Beautiful imagery captures all this wonder and magic.
 * [|Aesop's Fables - The Grasshopper and the Ants] (2:46) A favorite from the Greek master of fables brimming with colorful animation, lively music, and poetry. After the fable, the viewer is given the moral of the story. The Grasshopper dances and plays the summer away, only to learn the folly of his ways. Students learn that "When you need your daily bread, it's always best to plan ahead."
 * [|All About Families] (10:00) This lively, upbeat presentation helps primary level students understand what a family is, and shows the family as an important part of every person’s life. Students see that families work together, play together, learn from each other, celebrate together, and help one another.
 * Author’s website http://eileenspinelli.com/heart_002.htmhttp://eileenspinelli.com/heart_002.htmhttp://eileenspinelli.com/heart_002.htm