If you’re an elementary teacher, you know the struggle of students tattling. It seems like there are always students coming up to you during a lesson tattling on another student. We are excited to offer teachers a book companion for the book A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue. This book is a great resource to teach students about tattling versus reporting. Not only will this read aloud help manage behaviors in your classroom, you can use it to integrate your academic standards as well. - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
SUMMARY
Joshua is constantly tattling, even when he is not involved in a situation. His tattling has become so bad his classmates and friends don’t want to play with him at recess or sit with him at lunch. Joshua’s mother says if he keeps tattling, he will get tattle tongue. That’s when your tongue turns yellow with purple spots and grows so long it doesn’t fit in your mouth! Fearing he will get Tattle Tongue, Joshua doesn’t tell an adult when Billy the Bully is going to beat up Edith.
That night, Joshua is visited by the Tattle Prince. Joshua learns that he should have told someone about Billy because Edith was in danger. Tattling is when there is a problem you can solve on your own or the problem is none of your business. The Tattle Prince teaches Joshua the rules of tattling. The next day at school, Joshua does not tattle on his classmates and his friend wants to eat with him again!
USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
While this book makes a great resource for managing behaviors in your classroom, it can be used to teach many academic skills as well. Our book companion for A Bad Case of Tattle Tongue has 25 comprehension questions, 30 writing prompts, and ideas for teaching grammar and social emotional learning. Take a peek at some of the topics included below!
- Practice making predictions before and while reading the story.
- Help students to identify the main idea of the story and key details that contribute to the main idea.
- Have students use their descriptive writing skills by describing what a tattle tongue looks like.
- Students can demonstrate their knowledge of tattling by completing informational writing teaching about the topic.
- Teach students about the different types of sentences writers use.
- Review pronouns, adjectives, and prepositions.
- Teach students about the difference between bullying and teasing.
- Discuss problem solving strategies students can use independently.
NO-PREP PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES:
If you are looking for “ready to go” activities for the first day of school, be sure to check out the book companion. With it you’ll receive all of the following resources to align with this specific book:
- comprehension questions
- 30 writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
This book is such a great resource for teaching managing behaviors in their classroom and teaching academic skills. The activities we’ve designed will help you to both! Our worksheets, comprehension questions and writing prompts can be used across various grade levels and differentiated to your students needs. This is a resource you will want to pull out over and over!
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will also love these similar books:
- Quiet Please, Owen McPhee by Julia Cook
- Decibella and Her Six Inch Voice by Julia Cook
- My Mouth is a Volcano by Julia Cook
- The Juice Box Bully by Bob Sornson
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
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