Mouse's First Valentine Writing Lesson Plan

Teach Elementary Students How to Use Adjectives and Write Directions

Feb 7, 2009 Renee Carver

Use the picture book Mouse's First Valentine to teach elementary students how to use adjectives and write a series of directions for how to make a Valentine.

In this elementary writing lesson plan, teachers use Lauren Thompson's trade picture book Mouse's First Valentine [Simon & Schuster, 2002] to provide students with good examples of how to use adjectives to describe what different objects look like. Students can then use the book's description of the steps Mouse's sister Minka follows to construct a Valentine for Mouse to write their own set of illustrated directions for how to make a Valentine for a loved one.

How to Introduce and Share Mouse's First Valentine with Elementary Students

Begin by checking students' prior knowledge about Valentines. Ask students to discuss what a Valentine is, why people make and give other people Valentines, and what kinds of materials people use to make Valentines. Next, display the cover of the book. Ask students to describe what they see and use this information to predict what the book might be about.

Then, read the book to students. Pause after each time Mouse wonders, "What could it be?" Have students use text and picture clues to predict what Minka has found each time. At the end of the book, check students predictions about the book's plot.

Teach How to Recognize and Use Adjectives

Remind students that an adjective is a word that tells about somebody or something. Often, adjectives tell what something looks or feels like. Note that using adjectives helps a reader or listener picture more clearly what a writer is describing.

Skim through the book and have students identify the adjectives used to describe the materials Minka gathers:

smooth and rosy (red paper)
white and holey (lace)
shiny and curly (ribbon)
sticky and goopy (paste)

Work with students to identify what exactly each adjective tells about its subject. For example, smooth tells how the paper feels, while rosy tells what it looks like. Invite students to brainstorm other adjectives that could be used to describe each of the Valentine-making materials. For example, the ribbon might also be described as pink.

Teach How to Write a Set of Illustrated Directions

Note that one way to explain how to do something to someone is to write and illustrate a series of instructions that show the steps in a process. Skim through the book and have students identify the steps Minka follows to make a Valentine for Mouse. Help students infer what the unstated first step is:

Gather your Valentine-making materials.
Fold the paper here.
Brush the paste there.
Smooth the lace here.
Tie the ribbons there.

Discuss the parts of each step from 2 through 5. Note that each step starts with a descriptive verb and tells which materials to use for that step. Point out that the words here and there are vague and that the steps could be made clearer if they were accompanied by simple diagrams that show exactly where the paper is to be folded or the paste is to be brushed.

Brainstorm with students a list of Valentine-making materials and vivid adjectives that could be used to tell about each of these materials. Then provide students with sheets of paper and colored pencils. Have them pick some materials they would want to use to make a Valentine and then write a set of illustrated directions explaining how to use these materials to make a Valentine for a loved one. Remind students to break the process down into simple steps, start each step with a descriptive verb, and be clear in the diagrams about what the Valentine maker is to do.

Once students are done, collect all the sheets of paper. Bind them together and publish a class book entitled How to Make a Valentine. Put the book in the class reading center for everyone to share and enjoy.

Using this elementary writing lesson plan to show students how the author of Mouse's First Valentine uses adjectives and writes a series of steps describing a process provides students with a good writing model to follow. Having students use what they have learned to create their own descriptive set of steps gives them practical experience upon which they can draw for future writing projects.

Teachers searching for other Valentine's Day elementary writing lesson plans can use Kevin Henkes's Lilly's Chocolate Heart [HarperFestival, 2004] to teach elementary students how to write with prepositions and adjectives.

The copyright of the article Mouse's First Valentine Writing Lesson Plan in Primary School is owned by Renee Carver. Permission to republish Mouse's First Valentine Writing Lesson Plan in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Use Red Paper to Make a Valentine