Cold Little Duck, Duck, Duck Lesson Plan
Hold a choral reading of the book by Lisa Westbury Peters. Then, make little duck paper bag puppets!
- Grades: PreK–K, 1–2
About this book
Subject Area: Language Arts, Science
Poor little duck arrives before the winter thaw. While she warms herself with thoughts of springtime, the temperature warms up, more ducks arrive, and the ice melts away. Large print makes it easy to use as a classroom read-aloud.
Children will develop language and literacy skills as they use the book to engage in choral reading and dramatization activities.
Ask the children if they know why ducks and other birds fly south to warm places in the wintertime. Encourage the class to think about how the birds know when to return north. Show the book Cold Little Duck, Duck, Duck. Tell the class that the story is about a little duck that returns to the North before the warm weather has arrived.
Booktalk: What Happened?
- Read the story to the class. Follow the reading with a discussion. Invite the students to discuss what happened when the little duck "tucked her head into her feathers to think." Ask them to describe what happened to make the earth warm up and the snow and ice melt.
- Reread the book and invite the class to join in to recite the repeated words. Review the book and point out the pages with the repeated words. Ask the students to notice how the words are all written differently. Encourage the class to think of reasons why the words are written in specific ways.
- Show the pages of the book and point to the words as you read. Invite the children to join in when you point to the repeated words.
- After students become familiar with the text, ask them to think of special sounds or movements that they can do for each group of words. Can they recite the words BRR-ACK BRRR-ACK BRR-ACK and sound like a little duck quacking? What types of motion or sound can they think of when they recite shrink, shrink, shrink or look, look, look?
Little Duck Paper Bag Puppets
- Brown paper lunch bags
- Yellow construction paper
- Markers or crayons
In advance: Use yellow construction paper to make duck beaks and duck feet for the children to glue onto their paper bags.
- Explain that they will use paper bags to make Little Duck puppets. Invite a small group to the art table one at a time. Provide the suggested art materials.
- Show the students how to hold their paper-bag puppet. Explain that the duck beak will go onto the flap of the bag. Children can also glue two duck feet onto their bags.
- Encourage the use markers or crayons to draw Little Duck's eyes and to decorate their duck. Remind them that their duck does not have to look like the little duck in the book. Encourage creativity.
- Invite the class to use their Little Duck puppets to dramatize the story. All the children can use their ducks while engaging in choral reading or one child can use the book to read or retell the story while their classmates act out the scenes.
- Place the book and the puppets in a basket in the dramatic play or library areas to encourage further interactions with the story.
Other Books About Ducks
One Duck Stuck by Phyllis Root
Rhythmic counting book about an increasing number of animals that try to help pull duck stuck in the muck.
Off to School, Baby Duck by Amy Hest
A heartwarming tale about a very nervous baby duck whose loving family helps her to overcome her fear about the first day of school.
Little White Duck by Walt Whippo
Based on the famous 1950's song, this beautifully illustrated book tells the story of the little white duck who is "doing what he oughter."
Other Books by Lisa Westbury Peters
The Sun, the Wind, and the Rain
When the Fly Flew In
Teaching plan written by Risa Young.