As a class, we are reading Beverly Cleary's, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, and loving it! We've enjoyed reading about the spunky main character, a mouse named Ralph, who rides his motorcycle through many adventures in the novel. As an extension to our literacy unit, the students created houses for Ralph using all recycled materials from their homes. They wrote a letter to Ralph, persuading him to travel from California to The Woodlands to live in their mouse house. We had such fun with this family project!
The kids were excited to see the creativity of their peers and I was amazed at what clever items were used to make Ralph's house a home for him. Way to go guys!
Students were encouraged to work on this project independently, using parents and siblings as "consultants" only. I was so proud of their ingenuity and resourcefulness.
This is a house fit for a king! I was impressed by the ways that the students personalized their houses to show the things they've learned about our main character. Many kids included a garage for Ralph's motorcycle and a kitchen where he could make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for himself. Ralph would be lucky to live in any of their homes!
Each student presented their mouse house and letter to their classmates. They described the unique features of their home as well as interesting recycled materials that were used to create it. I'm always proud to watch the kids speak about their hard work and stand in front of their peers to make a presentation. They are becoming so confident and well-spoken!
The letters to Ralph were my favorite part of the project. The kids were quite persuasive and I was reminded about how wonderful our community in The Woodlands really is! Ralph would make a perfect citizen and we welcome a visit from him anytime!
Our Mouse Houses and letters are on display in our school's library for other students to see. I'm so proud!
