Toad was hopping along the hot desert sand. She was looking for a cool place to get out of the heat. She wanted a home to stay in when the sun was too hot for her bumpy skin. She needed a home that was—
not too hot,
not too hard,
and not too prickly.

She thought about where she would find out about homes that were
not too hot,
not too hard,
and not too prickly.

She knew she could look for one for herself or ask other animals. She decided to ask other animals. So she set off in search of other desert animals to help her find a home that was
not too hot,
not too hard, and
not too prickly.

By and by, she found Javelina scampering in and out of mesquite trees, digging for roots and singing a catchy little tune:

“I’m happy, happy, happy as I can be
because my home of mesquite is just right for me.
“I’m happy, happy, happy as I can be!”

Toad liked that tune and wanted to learn it. She asked Javelina about her home and Javelina told her that it suited her perfectly—it was in a sandy hot place to dig for roots, it had some shade to rest in, but it was nice and hot most of the time. Toad told Javelina that she was looking for a home that was
not too hot,
not too hard, and
not too prickly.

Javelina’s home was too hot. Javelina told Toad to find a home that was cooler and that had more water. Toad then asked Javelina to teach her the song. After a number of practice tries, Toad thought she had the song in her head.

As soon as she hopped out of sight of Javelina, Toad tried to sing the song “I’m happy, happy, happy…” but found that she had forgotten the words. She tried and tried to remember the words to that nice song that Javelina taught her when she saw Lizard and heard him singing the same song, but a little differently:

“I’m happy, happy, happy as I can be
because my home of rock is just right for me.
I’m happy, happy, happy as I can be.”

Toad liked that tune and wanted to learn it. She asked Lizard about his home and Lizard told her that it suited him perfectly: it was in a hard place to take a nice nap in the sun, it had some shade for him to get out of the sun when it got too hot, and it was nice and flat.

Toad told Lizard that she was looking for a home that was
not too hot,
not too hard, and
not too prickly.

Lizard’s home was too hard. Lizard told her to find a home that was softer. Toad then asked Lizard to teach her the song. After a number of practice tries, Toad thought she had the song in her head.

As soon as Toad hopped out of sight of Lizard, she tried to sing the song:

“I’m happy, happy, happy…” but had forgotten the words. Toad tried and tried to remember the words to that nice song that Lizard taught her when she saw Pack Rat and heard him singing the same song, but a little differently:

“I’m happy, happy, happy as I can be
because my home of cactus is just right for me.
I’m happy, happy, happy as I can be.”

Toad liked that tune and wanted to learn it. She asked Pack Rat about her home and pack Rat told her that it suited her perfectly: it had a nice place to store things, it had some holes to sleep in, and it stored water to drink. Toad told Pack Rat that she was looking for a home that was
not too hot,
not too hard, and
not too prickly.

Pack Rat’s home was too prickly. Pack Rat told her to find a home that was smoother. Toad then asked Pack Rat to teach her the song. After a number of practice tries, Toad thought she had the song in her head. As soon as she hopped out of sight of pack Rat, Toad tried to sing the song:

“I’m happy, happy, happy…” but had forgotten the words. This was just too much for Toad. The sun was beating down on her bumpy back, she needed water to drink, and she needed a nice place to rest. To make matters worse, she could not remember the words to that nice song that the other animals kept singing.

“Javelina told me to find a place that was cool and had more water, Lizard told me to find a place that was softer, and Pack Rat told me to find a place that was smoother.”

Toad thought about the nice sand under a yucca plant. She dug and dug in the sand until she had buried herself quite deep. The earth was cool under the yucca plant. There was water to drink in the moisture of the roots. And, there were nice fat worms and grubs to eat as she dug deeper in the sand.

“This is nice! It is
not too hot,
not too hard, and
not too prickly.

I think I have found my home underneath the desert floor, thanks to my friends’ advice.”

“I’m happy, happy, happy as I can be
because my home of sand is just right for me.
I’m happy, happy, happy as I can be.”

Story and song based upon the book, Lizard’s Song by George Shannon (Greenwillow Books, 1981).

INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDE

A Home for Toad: Using Storytelling to Teach the Big6

by Barbara Jansen

Toad was hopping along the hot desert sand looking for a place to get out of the heat. She was looking for a home to stay in when the sun was too hot for her bumpy skin. She needed a home that was not too hot, not too hard, and not too prickly.

The first graders listen intently as the bumpy green toad puppet defines her task. As the story develops, the students sing along with Toad and learn about the homes of various desert animals.

A picture of each animal and its home is placed on a flannel board. The children laugh and clap for Toad when she finally solves her problem. Use a poster to show the Big6 in question form, and explain to the students how Toad uses the process to solve her information problem.

What do I need to do? (Task Definition):
Toad needs a new home that cannot be too hot, too hard, or too prickly.

What can I use to find what I need? (Information Seeking Strategies):
She can either look for a home herself, or ask one of the other desert animals. She decides to ask other desert animals.

Where can I find what I need? (Location & Access):
She walks until she sees Javelina.
She walks until she sees Lizard.
She walks until she sees Pack Rat
She keeps walking until she decides to dig a hole in the sand.

What information can I use? (Use of Information):
• She asks Javelina about his home and decides that it is too hot. Javelina tells her to find a cooler place with more water.
• She asks Lizard about his home and decides that it is too hard. Lizard tells her to find a place that is softer.
• She asks Pack Rat about his home and decides that it is too prickly. Pack Rat tells her to find a smoother home.

How can I put my information together? (Synthesis)
Toad finds that the animals’ homes are not suitable for her and she uses what they tell her to find a home deep in the sand under the yucca plant.

How will I know if I did well? (Evaluation):
Toad knows it is a good home because it is not too hot, not too hard, and not too prickly and she remembers the song.

Following this poster demonstration, the teacher librarian may provide story strips representing each story event to each group of three students. Groups then place the story strips onto chart paper in the Big6 sequence with the assistance of parent helpers. As they do so, students refer to the flannel board to check the order of the animals. In arranging the story strips, students easily understand how Toad had to revisit Big6 #3 and #4 several times before she found a place to live.

After students complete the story strip activity, the teacher and librarian may use the Big6 as they discuss each step of the ensuing desert study with students and their parent helpers. Parents help their groups locate information about a specific desert animal (a physical description and where it lives in the desert). Groups draw a picture of the animal in its habitat for a class book and write a sentence explaining why their animal’s home would or would not be suitable for Toad.

After the student groups and parent helpers complete their desert study, the teacher reads the completed class book to the class and the librarian administers a simple written evaluation instrument for each student to complete. The evaluation instrument requires students to focus on what they learned about the content and the Big6, how well they participated with their parent helper and partner, and their efforts in producing a page for the class book.