Text Talk Lesson



Text Talk Lesson

Possum’s Harvest Moon

Written and Illustrated by Anne Hunter

Houghton Mifflin Company, 1996

Compiled by Audrea Little

Fall 2006

RE3030 – Dr. W. Trathen

Text Talk Resources

The necessary outline for Possum’s Harvest Moon as discussed in the Text Talk format is included in this lesson.

Summary

Possum was so amazed by the beautiful harvest moon that he wanted to plan one last, big party before winter, a harvest moon soiree, so that all of his friends could enjoy the scene with him. He was discouraged to find that all of his friends were too busy with their own preparations for winter to come to his party. When he invited each of his forest friends, they each gave a different reason for missing his soiree. Just as Possum decided to gaze at the harvest moon all alone, the big moon rose even higher into the sky. The light was so intense that it seemed to reach into every corner of the forest. The sight was so beautiful it made all the creatures of the forest stop to stare. When the other animals in the forest saw the beautiful moon, they knew they couldn’t miss Possum’s party. They each decided to go to the party. Along the way they spread the news of the party to everyone they knew. Soon, Possum heard all of the forest friends coming his way. When all of the guests had arrived, they had the grandest harvest moon soiree you could imagine. They sang, danced, and ate until they were very tired and then went home for their long winter’s sleep. Possum, still happy from the long evening of the party, curled up and went to sleep in the moonlight.

Focus:

A focus of this story is how Possum’s friends seemed too busy with their own lives to come to his party, but were drawn to the party by the moonlight and ended up having a great time. Another important aspect in the story is friendship and sharing special times together. They animals were able to gather one last time before they each retired for their long winter’s sleep.

Cover

Show the cover and read the title.

1. What do you see on the cover that is part of the title? What is missing? (Possum – but you don’t see the moon)

2. What do you think is going to happen in this story? What makes you think that? (Maybe they will notice the party hat that Possum is wearing.)

Begin reading the story.

Page 1

Read to the end of the page and stop.

1. The story says that Possum awoke on an autumn evening. Autumn is the season between summer and winter. It is a time when grass, trees, and animals prepare for the winter season of rest and sleep. It is also a time when crops are harvested or brought in for the winter. The harvest moon is the full moon that shines during this time of year. What is another word we sometimes use for autumn? (Fall)

2. A soiree is an evening party. So Possum was planning a party for the evening. Why was he planning a party? (To watch the harvest moon.)

3. What time of day is this story happening? How do we know? (Evening or Night. Because the moon is rising.)

4. How do you think Possum is feeling?

(Happy and excited because he is planning a party.)

Show the picture.

Pages 2 - 5

Stop reading at the end of page 5 and show the picture on page 5.

1. Why were the crickets hiding in the leaf pile? (Because they were staying in a warm place. The nights are colder in autumn.)

2. How do you think Possum must be feeling about his friends? (He’s sad because his friends are too busy to come to his party.)

3. Why can’t his friends come to the party? (They are preparing for winter and don’t have time for fun and games.)

Pages 6 – 13

Read pages 6 – 13 stopping at the end of page 13. Show the pictures as you read.

1. Poor possum. No one can come to his party. Who has he asked in this part of the story? (He asked the raccoon, the frogs, and the fireflies.)

2. Could Possum still have the party without any of his friends there? What would it be like? (Of course he could have the party, but it wouldn’t be as much fun. Investigate this with the students) How would it feel to have a party without friends. (Let the students discuss sad)

3. What do you think Possum is going to do since none of his friends can come to the party? (He is just going to watch the harvest moon by himself.)

Pages 14 – 15

Read the text and then show the picture.

1. The moon made all the creatures stop and stare. The word creature means all living things like the animals and bugs in the forest. What creatures have we talked about in this book? (Possum, frogs, mice, fireflies, raccoons, and crickets.)

2. How did seeing the harvest moon make all of the forest creatures feel? (They were amazed at the beauty. It made them want to sing and dance in the moonlight)

3. What do you think the singing and dancing will make the forest creatures think about? (Possum’s soiree.)

Pages 16 – 21

Read pages 16 – 21. Show picture on page 20-21.

1. The story says that “Raccoon rousted his crony, Rabbit.” Rousted means to roughly persuade or coax into doing something. Crony means a close friend that you’ve had for a long time. So raccoon went to his old friend, rabbit, to talk him into going to Possum’s party.

2. One friend told another friend and then another friend about the party. How do you think the animals were feeling? (Excited as the frenzy built and as they hurried to the party.)

3. To gaze at something is to look closely and intently with a feeling of happiness. What were the guests gazing at when they arrived at the party? (The harvest moon because it was so beautiful)

4. What might happen next? Allow the children to explore the idea of getting together with friends and having the party.

Pages 22 – 28

Read the text. Show the picture on page 28 after the questions.

1. What has happened in this part of the story? (They have all gathered for the party – for singing, dancing, and eating before going home for the long winter’s sleep)

2. How are they feeling after the party with all of their friends? (Content and happy – glad that they went to the party)

3. What does Possum do and say after the party? (He curls up under the light of the moon and says goodnight)

Wrap Up

How do we feel when we have our friends close?

Let the students talk about how they feel happy and content and that it’s good to have friends to share good times with.

Do you think Possum would have enjoyed the harvest moon as much by himself? Why?

No, because things are better when shared with friends.

What are some special times we like to share with our friends?

Let the students discuss birthday parties, school events, etc.

How does it make you feel to share something special with a friend?

Vocabulary

Autumn

Gaze

Creature

Autumn: In the story, Possum awoke on an autumn evening to see a beautiful harvest moon shining down on him. Autumn is the season that we sometimes call fall. It is the season between summer and winter. It is the time of year that leaves fall from the trees and a time when grass, other plants and animals get ready for the long winter sleep. Say the word: autumn.

I’m going to name two activities that happen in different seasons. You repeat the thing that normally occurs in autumn.

Going sledding in a deep snow or raking leaves that have fallen in the yard. (raking leaves)

Carving a jack-o-lantern or going swimming on a hot day

The last day of the school term or the first day of the school term

What was our word? Autumn

Gaze: In the story, the guests at the party gaze at the beautiful harvest moon. To gaze at something means to look closely and intently with a good or happy feeling such as gazing at something beautiful that we enjoy looking at. Say the word: gaze.

I am going to name things you might see in your surroundings. You tell me if you would gaze at them or close your eyes tight so you wouldn’t have to see them. If it is something you would gaze at, say “gaze.” If it is something you wouldn’t want to see, close your eyes tight.

A beautiful flower (gaze)

A scary movie (shut eyes)

The view from the top of a mountain (gaze)

The view from your rooftop if you’re afraid of heights (shut eyes)

What was our word? Gaze

Creature: In the story, the sight of the great harvest moon made every tired and busy creature pause to look at it. A creature is any living animal or bug like the animals and bugs that lived in the forest in this story. Say the word: creature.

Let’s practice. I will name an object and you tell me if it is a creature. Say “creature” if the object is a creature. Say “not alive” if the object is not a living creature.

Baseball (not alive)

Butterflies (creature)

Your school desk (not alive)

A spider (creature)

The horses in a barn (creature)

The barn that the horses are in (not alive)

What was our word? Creature

We talked about three words: autumn, gaze, and creature. Let’s think about them some more.

Which of these things would you most likely do in autumn – harvest an apple crop or plant the garden? (harvest apples)

Which of these things would you more likely gaze upon – a spider crawling on the ceiling above you or the stars on a clear night? (The stars)

Which of the following items would be considered a creature – a slithering snake or your bicycle?

(a slithering snake).

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