1-2-3 Come Do Some Bat Activities With Me

Are you familiar with the story Stellaluna, by Jannell Cannon?  It's a personal favorite. 

Don't have the book? Click this LINK for an awesome read aloud on YouTube.  This actress does a wonderful job bringing the story to life.

It's one of our favoirte fall stories, and perfect for practicing the "sequencing & retelling a story" standards.  

It's extremely current for today, especially in our very diverse classrooms.

Children easily identify with Stellaluna as she struggles with trying to fit in, and empathize with the conflicts that happen when people are asked to pretend to be someone that they are not.

While the premise of a bat trying to live with birds is a bit humorous, there is an underlying realization that Stellaluna is happiest when she discovers the joys of simply being herself, a bat.

With that in mind, I created these quick, easy & fun activities that will help your students sequence & retell the story.

You will love the versatility; as you can easily diversify your lessons with the variety of options.

As always, all patterns come in color, so that teachers can quickly & easily make examples to share, as well as black & white for students.

The packet includes:

          A bat craft perfect for teachers & librarians to make & use for a whole group activity, then later put up as an interesting bulletin board.

This is a nice big bat, and is created with two wing patterns, plus a body.

Simply run off the 3, full-page patterns on construction paper, trim & glue together.

Underneath Stellaluns, place the sequencing mat, using the "picture ovals" to sequence & retell the story.

I like to pass out these picture cards before I read the story, then when I get to that part of the story depicted by the picture, the child holding that card comes up to our Stellaluna board and attaches the picture. 

This really helps involve my students, and they absolutely love participating. 

You can attach the pieces with a magnet, Velcro, or a glue dot, or simply a piece of Scotch tape.

I laminate my pieces, so that I can use them each year. 

To solidify the sequence of the story, we retell it using the pictures on the poster. I ask questions like, "What's happening in this picture?"

For further reinforcement, and to give more children a chance, I again pass out the cards and see if they can sequence it.

You can also use the bat as  a whole group sorting activity, where the “picture ovals” are put on “Beginning, Middle & End” of the story mats.

I’ve included  “word labels” for your bat, as well as blank mats to position under the bat.

There is also a colorful pattern with the answers already inside the ovals.

I’ve done this for this activity, as well as the sequencing one. This way you have an answer key if you want to use these as independent center activities after doing them as a whole group.  

For writing practice, I've also included a "Branching Out" worksheet, where students write a few sentences about the beginning, middle & end of the story. 

Besides the large, teachers' bat, I designed a smaller bat craftivity, which is perfect for students.

There are 4 activity options to choose from:

1. Students sequence the picture tiles.

They color, cut & glue them to the ordinal numbered worksheet.

 After students have sequenced the pictures, they add a bat "topper" as well as a bottom bat "hanger".

2. Students can also do the same thing, only with the Beginning, Middle & End worksheet.

As you can see by the photo to your right, there are completed answer keys in both color & black & white.

I did this for the sequencing activity as well.

3. & 4. There’s also a “tracing” option for little ones, as well as several writing prompt activities for older students, such as:

"Did you like the story? What was your favorite part?" or " Would you like to be a bat? Why or why not?"

You could also list interesting bat facts, or write an autumn acrostic poem.

All of these options use the “bat topper” and the bottom “hanger” bat patterns.

To make things easier for younger kiddos, simply have them color, cut & glue on just the "topper" bat.

Completed projects make a cute bulletin board or hallway display.

I’ve included several posters to add extra pizzazz to your decorating.

To check & assess comprehension, there are 3 worksheet options, with answer keys.

All activities can be used individually, as a whole group, or in a language arts center.

Today's featured FREEBIE also has some bats, as well as spiders, leaves, an owl & turkeys.

It's a super-fun, fall matching game.

Students match the 2D shape to its counterpart on the bat, and other cards.

It's a wonderful activity for your math center, or something for early finishers to do.

Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.

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We are having beautiful "Indian summer" weather in the 70s, so it's time to go play outside.

Wishing you non batty & stress free days.

"What we learn to do, we learn by doing." -Aristotle