Southwest Children's Literature

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Dig, Wait, Listen: A Desert Toad's Tale

After the students listened to the book, they worked in groups to create their own stories based on an assigned desert animal. They began the process by brainstorming words that they they could include to demonstrate onomatopeia and alliteration in their stories.

 
This is the brainstorm web of the Quail.
This is the brinstorm web of the Kangaroo Rat.

 



QUAIL

Once upon a time in the Sonoran Desert I saw a small sweet splendid shy quail. It splished splashed and swished in a little puddle by a saguaro. It said, "chirp, chip, cleek, and cheep." It was cuddly and cute. It hipped and hopped over to me.


The End

 

KANGAROO RAT

The Kangaroo Rat left tiny tracks on the ground. The timid terrified tiny rat tap tippy tappy tap. Hops through the desert. The kangaroo rat has tiny tiny teny wiskers. The kangaroo rat has teny tiny paws.


JAVELINA

One day when smelly Sam the javelina was snorting around for food he sniffed a strange scent He clunked toward the smell then suddenly smelly silly Sam snorted when when he saw a slimy slithery snake! He got spooked. He hammer his hooves and he squeak wah wah all the way home

RATTLESNAKE

SSSSS!
The stripey scaly slippery snake slithered across the sand silently. The scary snake found a mouse scampering around. The scary snake snuck up on the mouse and ratteld his rattle and it sounded like this. rrrrrrr. Then the mouse screamed eeekk! Then scampered swiftly away. Then the snake made a horrible hissing sound and then went back to his scary spooky house under ground.


COYOTE

The clever coyote was searching for cookie crumbs. He was curious to see if they were on the kitchen table. The cute curious clever coyote found the cookie crumbs. The cute coyote was so happy he went "yip yip yip."

SCORPION

Once there was a scary sneaky scorpion searching for small insects. He skittered across the sand then he saw some small spiders. He snuck up by one stupid spider and the spider said "Hello" the sly scorpion stung him in the stomach. Tisk-Tisk went the stinger!

OWL

Notice the nice noisy nocternal owl now hear him flap his wing woosh woosh woosh he hears another owl say whoo whoo thay fly together in the moonlitght then they sun comes up and they went to sleep.

BAT

One night a bat was up on a hill. And suddenly a wolf disturbed the bat. The bat was so mad that the bat scared the wolf away. Swoosh splataater slience. The bat fell into a puddle. He tried to fly off but he was drenched. The bat was very scared. The bat fat found his family.

 

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