To lighten up the mood, he startles them all with a loud “Boo!” Just then a cloud bursts and Elmer’s grey colour washes off, making his friends laugh even harder. He enjoys the anonymity and joins the herd only to realise that his friends miss his presence. Once covered in the grey berry juice, he isn’t Elmer anymore, but just another elephant.
ELMER ELEPHANT CRACK
So, one day he sneaks out at the crack of dawn to cover himself with the grey coloured juice of a berry found outside the jungle. He’s lively, cracks jokes, and is well-loved.
ELMER ELEPHANT SKIN
He’s famous and stands out because he’s not grey like the rest of his herd, instead, his skin is a patchwork of bright colours. Every time I read it to my first grader and preschooler, I find Elmer’s story a charming exploration of identity, diversity and acceptance- topics that are close to my heart.Įlmer, the elephant’s story is set in an idyllic jungle, where the animals appear to live in harmony. A few years ago, I chanced upon this endearing piece of children’s literature. Not only is this memory book adorable, but it shows the incredible growth each child made throughout the year! Until then, we use these pages to create a class book called Just like Elmer, We are Special! Our students love looking at their work in this class made book.Given the trajectory of my personal journey, it’s no surprise then that Elmer by David McKee remains an exciting discovery for me. We like to keep these writing pieces to add to our end of the year memory books, which we present to each student on the last day of school.
ELMER ELEPHANT HOW TO
For more information on how to teach interactive writing, read our blog, Interactive Writing: Fun and Engaging for Kindergarten. This writing activity also works great as an interactive writing lesson. Then, depending on your students’ writing abilities, you may want to write some words on the board to for them to copy, or you may have to record their writing. Then have each child share why he/she is special using the sentence stem I am special because… Finally, everyone completes the Elmer the Elephant Writing Activity by writing the sentence and drawing a picture to match. First, review what it means to be unique and what makes Elmer special (his ability to bring laughter and joy to the herd). They bring this elephant back the following week to share with the class and then decorate the halls with an elephant parade! If you don’t like to assign homework, or if you have a student who doesn’t return this assignment, don’t fret, this project can be added to your art center and completed in school.įor a fun writing activity, students can write about what makes them special. This project is for students to take home and decorate however they want. Once the entire class is finished, it’s time to explain the second art project. As the class finishes up, play the animated version of the book for them to come and watch. We love the Hap Palmer song, The Elephant Our kids get up and dance around like elephants before (or after) finishing up their Elmer the Elephant art activity. Note that this activity takes a lot of coloring, so you may want to plan a quick break and have your kids get up and move. You can use crayons, or for a little extra Friday fun, allow your students to use markers. You can find many art activities to go along with this book on Pinterest or Google, but here are 2 of our favorites! As with everything in kindergarten, first model how to color, cut out and glue the patchwork elephant to colorful construction paper. Next, tell your kids it’s time for a beautiful Elmer the Elephant art activity! (Pause for cheering and clapping.) For ideas on how to add text dependent questions and make your read aloud better, read our blog, 3 Steps to Create Meaningful Experiences Through Read Aloud. As a kindergarten team, we would write our questions together on sticky notes, and place them in the book for easy access.
It is helpful to read the book ahead of time and create text dependent questions to complement the book. Ask, What does it mean to be unique? Discuss the meaning of being unique (different, unlike anything else, special, being the only one of its kind, distinctive). Begin the day by reminding students it is FUN Friday! You may want to play some fun music, write a special morning message, do a quick cheer, anything to get your kids excited about the day! Then explain you will be reading an adorable book about an elephant who is unique.
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