Author & Text

Author Laura Joffe Numeroff was born in 1953.

Author Laura Joffe Numeroff was born in 1953.
Date
July 14
Calendar Activity Type
Author & Text

Event Description

Circle this date on your calendar! Picture book author Laura Joffe Numeroff was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1953. Her books, such as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and If You Give a Moose a Muffin, rely on circular plot structure to tell their stories.

Classroom Activity

Because of their circular plot structure, Numeroff's books are natural resources for classroom activities on cause and effect and making predictions. Using one of Numeroff's books as a model, students can use the circle plot structure as a culminating project for nearly any unit of study. For instance, consider such project titles as the following:

  • If You Tax Our Tea, for a unit on colonial America
  • If You Recycle an Aluminum Can, for a unit on the process of recycling
  • If You Visit a Rainforest, for a unit on the plants and animals in a rainforest

The online Circle Plot Diagram can help students gather their ideas, and then they can publish their work with the ReadWriteThink Printing Press.

Websites

Laura Numeroff: Kidsreads

Find a biography and full bibliography on this site.

Circle of Stories

This PBS website uses documentary film, photography, artwork, and music to honor and explore Native American storytelling, including the importance of circles and cycles in Native American stories.

Author Study: Laura Numeroff

This page offers links for teachers to resources related to Laura Numeroff and her books. Included are links to biographical information about Numeroff, as well as lesson plans and activities for several of her books.

Related Resources

Grades
K - 2
|
Lesson Plan
Integrating Language Arts: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
This lesson integrates reading, writing, listening, and speaking to boost students' comprehension skills. Students explore Laura Joffe Numeroff 's If You Give a Mouse a Cookie using a variety of techniques, beginning with a picture walk and ending with the creation and publication of their own versions of the text.
Grades
3 - 5
|
Lesson Plan
|
Standard Lesson
Using Prediction as a Prereading Strategy
Students learn about and apply the prediction strategy while reading a trade book. They use response journals to record questions and responses based on prereading predictions.
Grades
3 - 5
|
Lesson Plan
|
Standard Lesson
Unwinding A Circular Plot: Prediction Strategies in Reading and Writing
Students use graphic organizers to explore plot in circular stories while focusing on prediction and sequencing. After exploring the features of circular plot stories, students write their own stories.
Grades
K - 2
|
Lesson Plan
|
Standard Lesson
Getting the ig in Pig: Helping Children Discover Onset and Rime
Students will need their language-building hard hats as they construct words using onset and rime, building vocabulary and phonics comprehension.
Grades
2 - 4
|
Lesson Plan
Engaging With Cause-and-Effect Relationships Through Creating Comic Strips
Students demonstrate their knowledge of cause-and-effect relationships by creating original comic strips and sharing their completed work in an oral presentation format.