Cannon Elementary School
January 2011 Book of the Month
Brave Irene
By William Steig
BRAVE IRENE is a story about a young girl, named Irene, who helps her mother deliver a package.
The special package is a dress Irene's mother has made for a duchess, who lives in a palace a long
way from Irene's home. When Irene's mother becomes ill, Irene offers to deliver the package on foot,
through wind and snow, to the palace. Irene's journey proves to be very difficult. At one point, Irene
loses the dress and trudges on with the empty box to the palace to explain to the duchess what has
happened. The end of the story finds Irene, the box, and the dress, safe inside the palace. The next
day, Irene is returned, "special delivery", compliments of the duchess' staff, to her home.
Comprehension Connection: Inferring from the Cover and Illustrations as Well as the Text
(Strategies That Work)
Content Objective: I can use pictures and words to predict and infer.
I can confirm or ‘disconfirm’ my predictions and inferences.
Language Objective: Sentence Stem: The picture shows ______ so I think ________.
The text says _______ so I think – know – can conclude
___________.
With picture books, readers can use the illustrations as well as the text to help them infer.
(Predicting is part of inferring.) Emergent readers frequently use picture clues to gain meaning and
developing readers use pictures to enhance meaning.
Introduce the book, Brave Irene, to the class and explain what it means to predict/infer. Explain
that students will practice these skills while enjoying the story. Create a two column chart with the
headings: Picture Inferences and Text Inferences. Before reading, show some of the pictures
from the book allowing students to make predictions about events, character emotions and story
theme. Students should use the sentence stems to ensure a link between the book and thinking.
Record the thinking on the chart. As you begin reading the story aloud to students, stop
occasionally to allow students to make inferences regarding the text. Record this thinking on the
chart as well. After reading the story, explain to students that readers change their thinking based
on information in the text and part of that is confirming or disconfirming their predictions/inferences.
Return to the chart and help students mark each entry with a C for confirmed (based on evidence)
or a D for disconfirmed (based on evidence or lack of evidence).
Vocabulary Connection:
Content Objective: I can figure out what words mean by substituting a word that makes sense.
Language Objective: Sentence stem: Another word for _______ is ________.
Choose several sentences from the text to serve as models. Place text on the document camera
with the vocabulary word concealed. (It is important that the students be able to see the pictures as
they often hold clues to the word meaning.) Ask students for a word that would ‘fit’. Check by
rereading the sentence with the new word and asking if it makes sense (meaning) and sounds right
(structure). Conclude with: So, another word for ____ is ____. Students may decide to add many
of these words to their WINs in the ‘Words for Rent’ section!
Suggested words: managed, ball, fleece-lined, muffler, whirled, cautioned, drove, errand,
wrenched, ill-tempered, trudge, shuffling, advise, plodding, mansion, fury, fret, aristocrats,
landscape
NESWSLETTER BLURB
NOTICIAS LITERARIAS
The Cannon Elementary
January Book of the Month
selection is Brave Irene written
by William Steig.
La selección de libro para
el mes de Noviembre en
la primaria de Cannon es
Valiente Irene, escrito
por William Steig.
Irene is the dressmaker's
daughter. Irene’s mother
isn't feeling so well and
can't possibly deliver the
beautiful ball gown she's
made for the duchess to
wear that very evening.
Irene is determined to get
the gown to the palace on
time, in spite of the fierce
snowstorm that's brewing—
quite an errand for a little
girl!
But, where there's a will,
there's a way, as Irene
journeys to the palace
conquering many obstacles
in order to complete her
mission. Children and
adults alike will find
themselves cheering for
Irene as she forges ahead
overcoming challenges
along the way.
Other books by this author:
Sylvester and the Magic
Pebble
Doctor DeSoto
The Amazing Bone
Amos & Boris
Counselor’s
Corner
Rachel’s
Challenge
Connection:
Goal Setting
Rachel Scott was a
dreamer. She had big
dreams for herself and
Irene es la hija de la
others. In order to
modista. La madre de
accomplish her dreams
Irene no se siente tan
she set goals for herself.
bien y no le es posible
She also set a goal for
entregar el hermoso
the whole world by
vestido de fiesta que ha
challenging us to be kind
hecho para que la
and compassionate to
duquesa lo use esa
others. In the story Brave
misma noche. Irene está
Irene, Irene set a goal for
decidida a llevar el
herself to make it to the
vestido al palacio a
duchess's house and
tiempo, a pesar de la
deliver the ball gown her
feroz tormenta de nieve
mother had made. This
que se avecina – una
was a difficult task for
gran tarea encargo para Irene and she came
una pequeña niña.
across many obstacles
on her way. No matter
what happened she did
Como querer es poder,
not give up. Goals are
not always easy to
Irene en su viaje al
accomplish. Many times
palacio, conquista
when we are trying to
muchos obstáculos a fin
accomplish something
de completar su misión.
Niños y adultos por igual, we struggle just like
se encontrarán animando Irene. A lot of times when
we have to work really
a Irene mientras sigue
adelante la superación de hard for something there
is a great satisfaction that
retos en el camino.
we feel once we
accomplish what we have
Otros libros de este
worked so hard for. A
autor:
goal that is simple rarely
• Sylvester y el
brings us the same
guijarro mágico
satisfaction. Dreams can
be achieved as long as
• Doctor DeSoto
we keep trying just as
• El hueso increíble Irene and Rachel.
• Amos y Boris