Illustrations © 2012 by Tad Hills

Rocket Writes a Story • by Tad Hills

RandomHouse.com/kids POS00622146
HowRocketWrites_Poster_BACK.qxp:Layout 1 5/30/12 10:10 AM Page 1

My Story
Write and illustrate your own story about Rocket.
EDUCATOR GUIDE You can use words from Rocket’s word tree or your own.

About the Book

Once Rocket learned to read, it was no surprise that he wanted to write a
story. Students will be delighted to watch Rocket as he follows the steps
in the writing process, just as they do. First Rocket sniffs out new words
for his word tree and finds an inspiring topic for his story. He writes—and
rewrites—every day and even draws pictures to go with his story. Along
the way, his teacher offers encouragement and asks questions to help
Rocket add details to his writing. And best of all, when he is finished,
Rocket shares his writing with a new friend, the owl.

A Note to Teachers
Rocket knows words, but like many beginning readers and writers, he
doesn’t always know how to spell them correctly. The little yellow bird
makes a word tree for Rocket, just as many teachers make word walls
with sight words and vocabulary words in their classrooms. Children can
refer to word walls (or their personal word trees), as Rocket does, to help Grades preK–3 • HC: 978-0-375-87086-6 • GLB: 978-0-375-97086-3
them spell tricky words in their writing. EL: 978-0-307-97491-4
_____________________________________________________________________________
But of course, it is impossible (and impractical!) to include every word a
student may need on a word wall. As a result, children often attempt to Also Available:
spell words using the sounds they hear, which may result in “invented”
spelling. It is important to allow students to use invented spelling so they _____________________________________________________________________________
can get their ideas down on paper and develop a love of writing. If they can
only use words they know how to spell perfectly, then their writing will be
very limited. Correct spelling will come with continued exposure to words _____________________________________________________________________________
in print and some specific spelling instruction.

Pre-Reading Discussion
_____________________________________________________________________________
Reread How Rocket Learned to Read as an introduction to the new book.
Ask the class what else they do with words besides read them. When one
pipes up with spell and/or write, it is time to read Rocket Writes a Story !
Before reading, ask students where they have found words they use _____________________________________________________________________________
in their writing. In the book, Rocket finds new words by exploring the Grades preK–3 • HC: 978-0-375-85899-4 • GLB: 978-0-375-95899-1
EL: 978-0-375-98922-3 • iPad app: 978-0-375-98564-5
world around him. Children, too, write about what they see and hear
in their own lives. _____________________________________________________________________________
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills.

Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills

EDUCATORS: Reproduce this activity sheet for your students.

R O CK E T W RI TE S A S TO RY
WRITTEN A ND ILLUSTRA TED BY TAD HILLS
RHTeachersLibrarians.com

Classroom Activities Word Tree

Going on a Word Hunt
Each student should carry a zip-lock sandwich bag with six 2" x 2" blank word cards and a small pencil. If six word cards are
too much for your little ones, use just three or four. Go on a walk around the school, neighborhood, or classroom to have students
collect words. This technique can be used throughout the year on class trips. For example, if you are going to a pumpkin patch
on an autumn field trip, have the class collect words for the things they see there. This strategy will remind students that they
can write about their experiences.

Growing a Word Tree

Each student should have a word tree! While it would be effective to use a huge word tree as a See
corresponding
word wall in your classroom to remind the class of words they are working on together, each student
activity
will find different words inspiring, so a personal word tree is ideal. sheet!
• Have the class glue one side of their word tree into their writing journal so that when they lift
the sheet, the word tree is revealed.
• Go on a word hunt and let the class choose words they want to include in their writing. Students should write the
word as best they can on the blank side of the card. Remember, their spelling won’t be correct, but they will likely
capture the most obvious sounds.
• Once students have a word, they can bring the card to you. Write the word correctly on the other side of the card.
Encourage them by noting that capturing all the important sounds was great work. Then show them how the word
will look when they see it in books.
• Return from the word hunt with zip-lock bags full of wonderful, glorious words!
• Have students illustrate their words on the side of the card with the correct spelling.
• Have students paste their words on to their very own word tree. By using these words in their own stories, the words will
become familiar to them.

Putting Pencil to Paper

Once the class has their word trees finished, they are ready to write a story. Let them look over their words and decide what
they want to write about. Rocket had many words to choose from, but he decided that writing about the owl was what interested
him most. In Rocket’s story, Owl wanted to meet Rocket, but she was too timid. So she waited until she trusted him and then
went down to meet him. Children can write a similar story with their teacher’s help and support. First they should identify what
they want to write about from their word tree. Then they can come up with a story by loosely following the strategy below.

Everyone has a story to tell. What’s yours?

Story parts Explanation How it worked in Rocket’s story

Somebody Who are you writing about? Owl

Wanted What did he or she want to do? She wanted to meet Rocket.

There is always a problem in a story.

But She was too shy.
What will your character’s problem be?
What did your character do She began to trust Rocket
So
to solve the problem? and went down to meet him.
.

Make the connection for the students between Rocket’s story and what they are going to write. To reinforce the strategy you can
write a simple story using the Somebody-Wanted-But-So structure on an interactive whiteboard or a chalkboard. Sometimes a
structure like this will provide the support a child needs to write. Consider pairing students up to write a story together. Don’t
expect amazing short stories from the class if this is the first time they have been introduced to the elements of a story. In time,
they will write more and will feel more comfortable with the task.

Vocabulary Growth
Vocabulary growth occurs for young children in the most playful of ways. For example, when they find something they want to
record on a card, they might not know the word for it. They might never have heard an acorn called by that name. They might
not know that a certain flower is called a daisy. By using another word for it, their vocabularies grow by leaps and bounds. Let
them decide which word (“flower” or “daisy”) they want to use in their story. Even if they choose to use “flower” (it is their story,
after all!), they have been exposed to another word, and that is always a good thing!
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills

Special Rocket Words

In Rocket Writes a Story, the little yellow bird gives Rocket a word she thinks he will find useful. Tell the class that you will give R OC K ET WR IT ES A S TO R Y
each of them a special word from the book for their word tree, just like the little yellow bird did for Rocket. Choose words from WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY TAD HILLS
the book that will tickle them, like:
inspire feathers splendid enjoy
breeze
rustle
announce
collection
adventure
brand-new
beautiful
story
Word Hunt
In the squares below, write down the words you learn on your class’s word hunt, and draw a picture to show
chirp present poke listen what each new word means. Then, with an adult’s help, carefully cut out each square and paste it onto your word tree.
smell morning friendly pictures
meadow growled beak perfect
buttercup daytime edge blink


brave ground yellow tricky

These words are NOT meant for students to memorize or sort. They are vocabulary words that they can use when they write
their stories–even if they misspell them initially!

Share Their Work

How nice it would be to have parents in for an author’s chair presentation where the children read their stories aloud! The
evening can begin with a performance of Rocket Writes a Story in a Readers’ Theater format, followed by each student reading
his or her own story. It is great fluency practice for these beginning readers, parents will love to see their little one in the
spotlight, and a lovely home-school connection is made.
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills.

Activities prepared by Joan Kindig, Ed.D., associate professor of reading education at James Madison University EDUCATORS: Reproduce this activity sheet for your students.
HowRocketWrites_Poster_BACK.qxp:Layout 1 5/30/12 10:10 AM Page 1

My Story
Write and illustrate your own story about Rocket.
EDUCATOR GUIDE You can use words from Rocket’s word tree or your own.

About the Book

Once Rocket learned to read, it was no surprise that he wanted to write a
story. Students will be delighted to watch Rocket as he follows the steps
in the writing process, just as they do. First Rocket sniffs out new words
for his word tree and finds an inspiring topic for his story. He writes—and
rewrites—every day and even draws pictures to go with his story. Along
the way, his teacher offers encouragement and asks questions to help
Rocket add details to his writing. And best of all, when he is finished,
Rocket shares his writing with a new friend, the owl.

A Note to Teachers
Rocket knows words, but like many beginning readers and writers, he
doesn’t always know how to spell them correctly. The little yellow bird
makes a word tree for Rocket, just as many teachers make word walls
with sight words and vocabulary words in their classrooms. Children can
refer to word walls (or their personal word trees), as Rocket does, to help Grades preK–3 • HC: 978-0-375-87086-6 • GLB: 978-0-375-97086-3
them spell tricky words in their writing. EL: 978-0-307-97491-4
_____________________________________________________________________________
But of course, it is impossible (and impractical!) to include every word a
student may need on a word wall. As a result, children often attempt to Also Available:
spell words using the sounds they hear, which may result in “invented”
spelling. It is important to allow students to use invented spelling so they _____________________________________________________________________________
can get their ideas down on paper and develop a love of writing. If they can
only use words they know how to spell perfectly, then their writing will be
very limited. Correct spelling will come with continued exposure to words _____________________________________________________________________________
in print and some specific spelling instruction.

Pre-Reading Discussion
_____________________________________________________________________________
Reread How Rocket Learned to Read as an introduction to the new book.
Ask the class what else they do with words besides read them. When one
pipes up with spell and/or write, it is time to read Rocket Writes a Story !
Before reading, ask students where they have found words they use _____________________________________________________________________________
in their writing. In the book, Rocket finds new words by exploring the Grades preK–3 • HC: 978-0-375-85899-4 • GLB: 978-0-375-95899-1
EL: 978-0-375-98922-3 • iPad app: 978-0-375-98564-5
world around him. Children, too, write about what they see and hear
in their own lives. _____________________________________________________________________________
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills.

Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills

EDUCATORS: Reproduce this activity sheet for your students.

R O CK E T W RI TE S A S TO RY
WRITTEN A ND ILLUSTRA TED BY TAD HILLS
RHTeachersLibrarians.com

Classroom Activities Word Tree

Going on a Word Hunt
Each student should carry a zip-lock sandwich bag with six 2" x 2" blank word cards and a small pencil. If six word cards are
too much for your little ones, use just three or four. Go on a walk around the school, neighborhood, or classroom to have students
collect words. This technique can be used throughout the year on class trips. For example, if you are going to a pumpkin patch
on an autumn field trip, have the class collect words for the things they see there. This strategy will remind students that they
can write about their experiences.

Growing a Word Tree

Each student should have a word tree! While it would be effective to use a huge word tree as a See
corresponding
word wall in your classroom to remind the class of words they are working on together, each student
activity
will find different words inspiring, so a personal word tree is ideal. sheet!
• Have the class glue one side of their word tree into their writing journal so that when they lift
the sheet, the word tree is revealed.
• Go on a word hunt and let the class choose words they want to include in their writing. Students should write the
word as best they can on the blank side of the card. Remember, their spelling won’t be correct, but they will likely
capture the most obvious sounds.
• Once students have a word, they can bring the card to you. Write the word correctly on the other side of the card.
Encourage them by noting that capturing all the important sounds was great work. Then show them how the word
will look when they see it in books.
• Return from the word hunt with zip-lock bags full of wonderful, glorious words!
• Have students illustrate their words on the side of the card with the correct spelling.
• Have students paste their words on to their very own word tree. By using these words in their own stories, the words will
become familiar to them.

Putting Pencil to Paper

Once the class has their word trees finished, they are ready to write a story. Let them look over their words and decide what
they want to write about. Rocket had many words to choose from, but he decided that writing about the owl was what interested
him most. In Rocket’s story, Owl wanted to meet Rocket, but she was too timid. So she waited until she trusted him and then
went down to meet him. Children can write a similar story with their teacher’s help and support. First they should identify what
they want to write about from their word tree. Then they can come up with a story by loosely following the strategy below.

Everyone has a story to tell. What’s yours?

Story parts Explanation How it worked in Rocket’s story

Somebody Who are you writing about? Owl

Wanted What did he or she want to do? She wanted to meet Rocket.

There is always a problem in a story.

But She was too shy.
What will your character’s problem be?
What did your character do She began to trust Rocket
So
to solve the problem? and went down to meet him.
.

Make the connection for the students between Rocket’s story and what they are going to write. To reinforce the strategy you can
write a simple story using the Somebody-Wanted-But-So structure on an interactive whiteboard or a chalkboard. Sometimes a
structure like this will provide the support a child needs to write. Consider pairing students up to write a story together. Don’t
expect amazing short stories from the class if this is the first time they have been introduced to the elements of a story. In time,
they will write more and will feel more comfortable with the task.

Vocabulary Growth
Vocabulary growth occurs for young children in the most playful of ways. For example, when they find something they want to
record on a card, they might not know the word for it. They might never have heard an acorn called by that name. They might
not know that a certain flower is called a daisy. By using another word for it, their vocabularies grow by leaps and bounds. Let
them decide which word (“flower” or “daisy”) they want to use in their story. Even if they choose to use “flower” (it is their story,
after all!), they have been exposed to another word, and that is always a good thing!
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills

Special Rocket Words

In Rocket Writes a Story, the little yellow bird gives Rocket a word she thinks he will find useful. Tell the class that you will give R OC K ET WR IT ES A S TO R Y
each of them a special word from the book for their word tree, just like the little yellow bird did for Rocket. Choose words from WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY TAD HILLS
the book that will tickle them, like:
inspire feathers splendid enjoy
breeze
rustle
announce
collection
adventure
brand-new
beautiful
story
Word Hunt
In the squares below, write down the words you learn on your class’s word hunt, and draw a picture to show
chirp present poke listen what each new word means. Then, with an adult’s help, carefully cut out each square and paste it onto your word tree.
smell morning friendly pictures
meadow growled beak perfect
buttercup daytime edge blink


brave ground yellow tricky

These words are NOT meant for students to memorize or sort. They are vocabulary words that they can use when they write
their stories–even if they misspell them initially!

Share Their Work

How nice it would be to have parents in for an author’s chair presentation where the children read their stories aloud! The
evening can begin with a performance of Rocket Writes a Story in a Readers’ Theater format, followed by each student reading
his or her own story. It is great fluency practice for these beginning readers, parents will love to see their little one in the
spotlight, and a lovely home-school connection is made.
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills.

Activities prepared by Joan Kindig, Ed.D., associate professor of reading education at James Madison University EDUCATORS: Reproduce this activity sheet for your students.
HowRocketWrites_Poster_BACK.qxp:Layout 1 5/30/12 10:10 AM Page 1

My Story
Write and illustrate your own story about Rocket.
EDUCATOR GUIDE You can use words from Rocket’s word tree or your own.

About the Book

Once Rocket learned to read, it was no surprise that he wanted to write a
story. Students will be delighted to watch Rocket as he follows the steps
in the writing process, just as they do. First Rocket sniffs out new words
for his word tree and finds an inspiring topic for his story. He writes—and
rewrites—every day and even draws pictures to go with his story. Along
the way, his teacher offers encouragement and asks questions to help
Rocket add details to his writing. And best of all, when he is finished,
Rocket shares his writing with a new friend, the owl.

A Note to Teachers
Rocket knows words, but like many beginning readers and writers, he
doesn’t always know how to spell them correctly. The little yellow bird
makes a word tree for Rocket, just as many teachers make word walls
with sight words and vocabulary words in their classrooms. Children can
refer to word walls (or their personal word trees), as Rocket does, to help Grades preK–3 • HC: 978-0-375-87086-6 • GLB: 978-0-375-97086-3
them spell tricky words in their writing. EL: 978-0-307-97491-4
_____________________________________________________________________________
But of course, it is impossible (and impractical!) to include every word a
student may need on a word wall. As a result, children often attempt to Also Available:
spell words using the sounds they hear, which may result in “invented”
spelling. It is important to allow students to use invented spelling so they _____________________________________________________________________________
can get their ideas down on paper and develop a love of writing. If they can
only use words they know how to spell perfectly, then their writing will be
very limited. Correct spelling will come with continued exposure to words _____________________________________________________________________________
in print and some specific spelling instruction.

Pre-Reading Discussion
_____________________________________________________________________________
Reread How Rocket Learned to Read as an introduction to the new book.
Ask the class what else they do with words besides read them. When one
pipes up with spell and/or write, it is time to read Rocket Writes a Story !
Before reading, ask students where they have found words they use _____________________________________________________________________________
in their writing. In the book, Rocket finds new words by exploring the Grades preK–3 • HC: 978-0-375-85899-4 • GLB: 978-0-375-95899-1
EL: 978-0-375-98922-3 • iPad app: 978-0-375-98564-5
world around him. Children, too, write about what they see and hear
in their own lives. _____________________________________________________________________________
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills.

Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills

EDUCATORS: Reproduce this activity sheet for your students.

R O CK E T W RI TE S A S TO RY
WRITTEN A ND ILLUSTRA TED BY TAD HILLS
RHTeachersLibrarians.com

Classroom Activities Word Tree

Going on a Word Hunt
Each student should carry a zip-lock sandwich bag with six 2" x 2" blank word cards and a small pencil. If six word cards are
too much for your little ones, use just three or four. Go on a walk around the school, neighborhood, or classroom to have students
collect words. This technique can be used throughout the year on class trips. For example, if you are going to a pumpkin patch
on an autumn field trip, have the class collect words for the things they see there. This strategy will remind students that they
can write about their experiences.

Growing a Word Tree

Each student should have a word tree! While it would be effective to use a huge word tree as a See
corresponding
word wall in your classroom to remind the class of words they are working on together, each student
activity
will find different words inspiring, so a personal word tree is ideal. sheet!
• Have the class glue one side of their word tree into their writing journal so that when they lift
the sheet, the word tree is revealed.
• Go on a word hunt and let the class choose words they want to include in their writing. Students should write the
word as best they can on the blank side of the card. Remember, their spelling won’t be correct, but they will likely
capture the most obvious sounds.
• Once students have a word, they can bring the card to you. Write the word correctly on the other side of the card.
Encourage them by noting that capturing all the important sounds was great work. Then show them how the word
will look when they see it in books.
• Return from the word hunt with zip-lock bags full of wonderful, glorious words!
• Have students illustrate their words on the side of the card with the correct spelling.
• Have students paste their words on to their very own word tree. By using these words in their own stories, the words will
become familiar to them.

Putting Pencil to Paper

Once the class has their word trees finished, they are ready to write a story. Let them look over their words and decide what
they want to write about. Rocket had many words to choose from, but he decided that writing about the owl was what interested
him most. In Rocket’s story, Owl wanted to meet Rocket, but she was too timid. So she waited until she trusted him and then
went down to meet him. Children can write a similar story with their teacher’s help and support. First they should identify what
they want to write about from their word tree. Then they can come up with a story by loosely following the strategy below.

Everyone has a story to tell. What’s yours?

Story parts Explanation How it worked in Rocket’s story

Somebody Who are you writing about? Owl

Wanted What did he or she want to do? She wanted to meet Rocket.

There is always a problem in a story.

But She was too shy.
What will your character’s problem be?
What did your character do She began to trust Rocket
So
to solve the problem? and went down to meet him.
.

Make the connection for the students between Rocket’s story and what they are going to write. To reinforce the strategy you can
write a simple story using the Somebody-Wanted-But-So structure on an interactive whiteboard or a chalkboard. Sometimes a
structure like this will provide the support a child needs to write. Consider pairing students up to write a story together. Don’t
expect amazing short stories from the class if this is the first time they have been introduced to the elements of a story. In time,
they will write more and will feel more comfortable with the task.

Vocabulary Growth
Vocabulary growth occurs for young children in the most playful of ways. For example, when they find something they want to
record on a card, they might not know the word for it. They might never have heard an acorn called by that name. They might
not know that a certain flower is called a daisy. By using another word for it, their vocabularies grow by leaps and bounds. Let
them decide which word (“flower” or “daisy”) they want to use in their story. Even if they choose to use “flower” (it is their story,
after all!), they have been exposed to another word, and that is always a good thing!
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills

Special Rocket Words

In Rocket Writes a Story, the little yellow bird gives Rocket a word she thinks he will find useful. Tell the class that you will give R OC K ET WR IT ES A S TO R Y
each of them a special word from the book for their word tree, just like the little yellow bird did for Rocket. Choose words from WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY TAD HILLS
the book that will tickle them, like:
inspire feathers splendid enjoy
breeze
rustle
announce
collection
adventure
brand-new
beautiful
story
Word Hunt
In the squares below, write down the words you learn on your class’s word hunt, and draw a picture to show
chirp present poke listen what each new word means. Then, with an adult’s help, carefully cut out each square and paste it onto your word tree.
smell morning friendly pictures
meadow growled beak perfect
buttercup daytime edge blink


brave ground yellow tricky

These words are NOT meant for students to memorize or sort. They are vocabulary words that they can use when they write
their stories–even if they misspell them initially!

Share Their Work

How nice it would be to have parents in for an author’s chair presentation where the children read their stories aloud! The
evening can begin with a performance of Rocket Writes a Story in a Readers’ Theater format, followed by each student reading
his or her own story. It is great fluency practice for these beginning readers, parents will love to see their little one in the
spotlight, and a lovely home-school connection is made.
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills.

Activities prepared by Joan Kindig, Ed.D., associate professor of reading education at James Madison University EDUCATORS: Reproduce this activity sheet for your students.
HowRocketWrites_Poster_BACK.qxp:Layout 1 5/30/12 10:10 AM Page 1

My Story
Write and illustrate your own story about Rocket.
EDUCATOR GUIDE You can use words from Rocket’s word tree or your own.

About the Book

Once Rocket learned to read, it was no surprise that he wanted to write a
story. Students will be delighted to watch Rocket as he follows the steps
in the writing process, just as they do. First Rocket sniffs out new words
for his word tree and finds an inspiring topic for his story. He writes—and
rewrites—every day and even draws pictures to go with his story. Along
the way, his teacher offers encouragement and asks questions to help
Rocket add details to his writing. And best of all, when he is finished,
Rocket shares his writing with a new friend, the owl.

A Note to Teachers
Rocket knows words, but like many beginning readers and writers, he
doesn’t always know how to spell them correctly. The little yellow bird
makes a word tree for Rocket, just as many teachers make word walls
with sight words and vocabulary words in their classrooms. Children can
refer to word walls (or their personal word trees), as Rocket does, to help Grades preK–3 • HC: 978-0-375-87086-6 • GLB: 978-0-375-97086-3
them spell tricky words in their writing. EL: 978-0-307-97491-4
_____________________________________________________________________________
But of course, it is impossible (and impractical!) to include every word a
student may need on a word wall. As a result, children often attempt to Also Available:
spell words using the sounds they hear, which may result in “invented”
spelling. It is important to allow students to use invented spelling so they _____________________________________________________________________________
can get their ideas down on paper and develop a love of writing. If they can
only use words they know how to spell perfectly, then their writing will be
very limited. Correct spelling will come with continued exposure to words _____________________________________________________________________________
in print and some specific spelling instruction.

Pre-Reading Discussion
_____________________________________________________________________________
Reread How Rocket Learned to Read as an introduction to the new book.
Ask the class what else they do with words besides read them. When one
pipes up with spell and/or write, it is time to read Rocket Writes a Story !
Before reading, ask students where they have found words they use _____________________________________________________________________________
in their writing. In the book, Rocket finds new words by exploring the Grades preK–3 • HC: 978-0-375-85899-4 • GLB: 978-0-375-95899-1
EL: 978-0-375-98922-3 • iPad app: 978-0-375-98564-5
world around him. Children, too, write about what they see and hear
in their own lives. _____________________________________________________________________________
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills.

Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills

EDUCATORS: Reproduce this activity sheet for your students.

R O CK E T W RI TE S A S TO RY
WRITTEN A ND ILLUSTRA TED BY TAD HILLS
RHTeachersLibrarians.com

Classroom Activities Word Tree

Going on a Word Hunt
Each student should carry a zip-lock sandwich bag with six 2" x 2" blank word cards and a small pencil. If six word cards are
too much for your little ones, use just three or four. Go on a walk around the school, neighborhood, or classroom to have students
collect words. This technique can be used throughout the year on class trips. For example, if you are going to a pumpkin patch
on an autumn field trip, have the class collect words for the things they see there. This strategy will remind students that they
can write about their experiences.

Growing a Word Tree

Each student should have a word tree! While it would be effective to use a huge word tree as a See
corresponding
word wall in your classroom to remind the class of words they are working on together, each student
activity
will find different words inspiring, so a personal word tree is ideal. sheet!
• Have the class glue one side of their word tree into their writing journal so that when they lift
the sheet, the word tree is revealed.
• Go on a word hunt and let the class choose words they want to include in their writing. Students should write the
word as best they can on the blank side of the card. Remember, their spelling won’t be correct, but they will likely
capture the most obvious sounds.
• Once students have a word, they can bring the card to you. Write the word correctly on the other side of the card.
Encourage them by noting that capturing all the important sounds was great work. Then show them how the word
will look when they see it in books.
• Return from the word hunt with zip-lock bags full of wonderful, glorious words!
• Have students illustrate their words on the side of the card with the correct spelling.
• Have students paste their words on to their very own word tree. By using these words in their own stories, the words will
become familiar to them.

Putting Pencil to Paper

Once the class has their word trees finished, they are ready to write a story. Let them look over their words and decide what
they want to write about. Rocket had many words to choose from, but he decided that writing about the owl was what interested
him most. In Rocket’s story, Owl wanted to meet Rocket, but she was too timid. So she waited until she trusted him and then
went down to meet him. Children can write a similar story with their teacher’s help and support. First they should identify what
they want to write about from their word tree. Then they can come up with a story by loosely following the strategy below.

Everyone has a story to tell. What’s yours?

Story parts Explanation How it worked in Rocket’s story

Somebody Who are you writing about? Owl

Wanted What did he or she want to do? She wanted to meet Rocket.

There is always a problem in a story.

But She was too shy.
What will your character’s problem be?
What did your character do She began to trust Rocket
So
to solve the problem? and went down to meet him.
.

Make the connection for the students between Rocket’s story and what they are going to write. To reinforce the strategy you can
write a simple story using the Somebody-Wanted-But-So structure on an interactive whiteboard or a chalkboard. Sometimes a
structure like this will provide the support a child needs to write. Consider pairing students up to write a story together. Don’t
expect amazing short stories from the class if this is the first time they have been introduced to the elements of a story. In time,
they will write more and will feel more comfortable with the task.

Vocabulary Growth
Vocabulary growth occurs for young children in the most playful of ways. For example, when they find something they want to
record on a card, they might not know the word for it. They might never have heard an acorn called by that name. They might
not know that a certain flower is called a daisy. By using another word for it, their vocabularies grow by leaps and bounds. Let
them decide which word (“flower” or “daisy”) they want to use in their story. Even if they choose to use “flower” (it is their story,
after all!), they have been exposed to another word, and that is always a good thing!
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills

Special Rocket Words

In Rocket Writes a Story, the little yellow bird gives Rocket a word she thinks he will find useful. Tell the class that you will give R OC K ET WR IT ES A S TO R Y
each of them a special word from the book for their word tree, just like the little yellow bird did for Rocket. Choose words from WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY TAD HILLS
the book that will tickle them, like:
inspire feathers splendid enjoy
breeze
rustle
announce
collection
adventure
brand-new
beautiful
story
Word Hunt
In the squares below, write down the words you learn on your class’s word hunt, and draw a picture to show
chirp present poke listen what each new word means. Then, with an adult’s help, carefully cut out each square and paste it onto your word tree.
smell morning friendly pictures
meadow growled beak perfect
buttercup daytime edge blink


brave ground yellow tricky

These words are NOT meant for students to memorize or sort. They are vocabulary words that they can use when they write
their stories–even if they misspell them initially!

Share Their Work

How nice it would be to have parents in for an author’s chair presentation where the children read their stories aloud! The
evening can begin with a performance of Rocket Writes a Story in a Readers’ Theater format, followed by each student reading
his or her own story. It is great fluency practice for these beginning readers, parents will love to see their little one in the
spotlight, and a lovely home-school connection is made.
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills.

Activities prepared by Joan Kindig, Ed.D., associate professor of reading education at James Madison University EDUCATORS: Reproduce this activity sheet for your students.
HowRocketWrites_Poster_BACK.qxp:Layout 1 5/30/12 10:42 AM Page 1

My Story
Write and illustrate your own story about Rocket.
EDUCATOR GUIDE You can use words from Rocket’s word tree or your own.

About the Book

Once Rocket learned to read, it was no surprise that he wanted to write a
story. Students will be delighted to watch Rocket as he follows the steps
in the writing process, just as they do. First Rocket sniffs out new words
for his word tree and finds an inspiring topic for his story. He writes—and
rewrites—every day and even draws pictures to go with his story. Along
the way, his teacher offers encouragement and asks questions to help
Rocket add details to his writing. And best of all, when he is finished,
Rocket shares his writing with a new friend, the owl.

A Note to Teachers
Rocket knows words, but like many beginning readers and writers, he
doesn’t always know how to spell them correctly. The little yellow bird
makes a word tree for Rocket, just as many teachers make word walls
with sight words and vocabulary words in their classrooms. Children can
refer to word walls (or their personal word trees), as Rocket does, to help Grades preK–3 • HC: 978-0-375-87086-6 • GLB: 978-0-375-97086-3
them spell tricky words in their writing. EL: 978-0-307-97491-4
_____________________________________________________________________________
But of course, it is impossible (and impractical!) to include every word a
student may need on a word wall. As a result, children often attempt to Also Available:
spell words using the sounds they hear, which may result in “invented”
spelling. It is important to allow students to use invented spelling so they _____________________________________________________________________________
can get their ideas down on paper and develop a love of writing. If they can
only use words they know how to spell perfectly, then their writing will be
very limited. Correct spelling will come with continued exposure to words _____________________________________________________________________________
in print and some specific spelling instruction.

Pre-Reading Discussion
_____________________________________________________________________________
Reread How Rocket Learned to Read as an introduction to the new book.
Ask the class what else they do with words besides read them. When one
pipes up with spell and/or write, it is time to read Rocket Writes a Story !
Before reading, ask students where they have found words they use _____________________________________________________________________________
in their writing. In the book, Rocket finds new words by exploring the Grades preK–3 • HC: 978-0-375-85899-4 • GLB: 978-0-375-95899-1
EL: 978-0-375-98922-3 • iPad app: 978-0-375-98564-5
world around him. Children, too, write about what they see and hear
in their own lives. _____________________________________________________________________________
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills.

Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills

EDUCATORS: Reproduce this activity sheet for your students.

R O CK E T W RI TE S A S TO RY
WRITTEN A ND ILLUSTRA TED BY TAD HILLS
RHTeachersLibrarians.com

Classroom Activities Word Tree

Going on a Word Hunt
Each student should carry a zip-lock sandwich bag with six 2" x 2" blank word cards and a small pencil. If six word cards are
too much for your little ones, use just three or four. Go on a walk around the school, neighborhood, or classroom to have students
collect words. This technique can be used throughout the year on class trips. For example, if you are going to a pumpkin patch
on an autumn field trip, have the class collect words for the things they see there. This strategy will remind students that they
can write about their experiences.

Growing a Word Tree

Each student should have a word tree! While it would be effective to use a huge word tree as a See
corresponding
word wall in your classroom to remind the class of words they are working on together, each student
activity
will find different words inspiring, so a personal word tree is ideal. sheet!
• Have the class glue one side of their word tree into their writing journal so that when they lift
the sheet, the word tree is revealed.
• Go on a word hunt and let the class choose words they want to include in their writing. Students should write the
word as best they can on the blank side of the card. Remember, their spelling won’t be correct, but they will likely
capture the most obvious sounds.
• Once students have a word, they can bring the card to you. Write the word correctly on the other side of the card.
Encourage them by noting that capturing all the important sounds was great work. Then show them how the word
will look when they see it in books.
• Return from the word hunt with zip-lock bags full of wonderful, glorious words!
• Have students illustrate their words on the side of the card with the correct spelling.
• Have students paste their words on to their very own word tree. By using these words in their own stories, the words will
become familiar to them.

Putting Pencil to Paper

Once the class has their word trees finished, they are ready to write a story. Let them look over their words and decide what
they want to write about. Rocket had many words to choose from, but he decided that writing about the owl was what interested
him most. In Rocket’s story, Owl wanted to meet Rocket, but she was too timid. So she waited until she trusted him and then
went down to meet him. Children can write a similar story with their teacher’s help and support. First they should identify what
they want to write about from their word tree. Then they can come up with a story by loosely following the strategy below.

Everyone has a story to tell. What’s yours?

Story parts Explanation How it worked in Rocket’s story

Somebody Who are you writing about? Owl

Wanted What did he or she want to do? She wanted to meet Rocket.

There is always a problem in a story.

But She was too shy.
What will your character’s problem be?
What did your character do She began to trust Rocket
So
to solve the problem? and went down to meet him.
.

Make the connection for the students between Rocket’s story and what they are going to write. To reinforce the strategy you can
write a simple story using the Somebody-Wanted-But-So structure on an interactive whiteboard or a chalkboard. Sometimes a
structure like this will provide the support a child needs to write. Consider pairing students up to write a story together. Don’t
expect amazing short stories from the class if this is the first time they have been introduced to the elements of a story. In time,
they will write more and will feel more comfortable with the task.

Vocabulary Growth
Vocabulary growth occurs for young children in the most playful of ways. For example, when they find something they want to
record on a card, they might not know the word for it. They might never have heard an acorn called by that name. They might
not know that a certain flower is called a daisy. By using another word for it, their vocabularies grow by leaps and bounds. Let
them decide which word (“flower” or “daisy”) they want to use in their story. Even if they choose to use “flower” (it is their story,
after all!), they have been exposed to another word, and that is always a good thing!
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills

Special Rocket Words

In Rocket Writes a Story, the little yellow bird gives Rocket a word she thinks he will find useful. Tell the class that you will give R OC K ET WR IT ES A S TO R Y
each of them a special word from the book for their word tree, just like the little yellow bird did for Rocket. Choose words from WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY TAD HILLS
the book that will tickle them, like:
inspire feathers splendid enjoy
breeze
rustle
announce
collection
adventure
brand-new
beautiful
story
Word Hunt
In the squares below, write down the words you learn on your class’s word hunt, and draw a picture to show
chirp present poke listen what each new word means. Then, with an adult’s help, carefully cut out each square and paste it onto your word tree.
smell morning friendly pictures
meadow growled beak perfect
buttercup daytime edge blink


brave ground yellow tricky

These words are NOT meant for students to memorize or sort. They are vocabulary words that they can use when they write
their stories–even if they misspell them initially!

Share Their Work

How nice it would be to have parents in for an author’s chair presentation where the children read their stories aloud! The
evening can begin with a performance of Rocket Writes a Story in a Readers’ Theater format, followed by each student reading
his or her own story. It is great fluency practice for these beginning readers, parents will love to see their little one in the
spotlight, and a lovely home-school connection is made.
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills.

Activities prepared by Joan Kindig, Ed.D., associate professor of reading education at James Madison University EDUCATORS: Reproduce this activity sheet for your students.
HowRocketWrites_Poster_BACK.qxp:Layout 1 5/30/12 10:42 AM Page 1

My Story
Write and illustrate your own story about Rocket.
EDUCATOR GUIDE You can use words from Rocket’s word tree or your own.

About the Book

Once Rocket learned to read, it was no surprise that he wanted to write a
story. Students will be delighted to watch Rocket as he follows the steps
in the writing process, just as they do. First Rocket sniffs out new words
for his word tree and finds an inspiring topic for his story. He writes—and
rewrites—every day and even draws pictures to go with his story. Along
the way, his teacher offers encouragement and asks questions to help
Rocket add details to his writing. And best of all, when he is finished,
Rocket shares his writing with a new friend, the owl.

A Note to Teachers
Rocket knows words, but like many beginning readers and writers, he
doesn’t always know how to spell them correctly. The little yellow bird
makes a word tree for Rocket, just as many teachers make word walls
with sight words and vocabulary words in their classrooms. Children can
refer to word walls (or their personal word trees), as Rocket does, to help Grades preK–3 • HC: 978-0-375-87086-6 • GLB: 978-0-375-97086-3
them spell tricky words in their writing. EL: 978-0-307-97491-4
_____________________________________________________________________________
But of course, it is impossible (and impractical!) to include every word a
student may need on a word wall. As a result, children often attempt to Also Available:
spell words using the sounds they hear, which may result in “invented”
spelling. It is important to allow students to use invented spelling so they _____________________________________________________________________________
can get their ideas down on paper and develop a love of writing. If they can
only use words they know how to spell perfectly, then their writing will be
very limited. Correct spelling will come with continued exposure to words _____________________________________________________________________________
in print and some specific spelling instruction.

Pre-Reading Discussion
_____________________________________________________________________________
Reread How Rocket Learned to Read as an introduction to the new book.
Ask the class what else they do with words besides read them. When one
pipes up with spell and/or write, it is time to read Rocket Writes a Story !
Before reading, ask students where they have found words they use _____________________________________________________________________________
in their writing. In the book, Rocket finds new words by exploring the Grades preK–3 • HC: 978-0-375-85899-4 • GLB: 978-0-375-95899-1
EL: 978-0-375-98922-3 • iPad app: 978-0-375-98564-5
world around him. Children, too, write about what they see and hear
in their own lives. _____________________________________________________________________________
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills.

Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills

EDUCATORS: Reproduce this activity sheet for your students.

R O CK E T W RI TE S A S TO RY
WRITTEN A ND ILLUSTRA TED BY TAD HILLS
RHTeachersLibrarians.com

Classroom Activities Word Tree

Going on a Word Hunt
Each student should carry a zip-lock sandwich bag with six 2" x 2" blank word cards and a small pencil. If six word cards are
too much for your little ones, use just three or four. Go on a walk around the school, neighborhood, or classroom to have students
collect words. This technique can be used throughout the year on class trips. For example, if you are going to a pumpkin patch
on an autumn field trip, have the class collect words for the things they see there. This strategy will remind students that they
can write about their experiences.

Growing a Word Tree

Each student should have a word tree! While it would be effective to use a huge word tree as a See
corresponding
word wall in your classroom to remind the class of words they are working on together, each student
activity
will find different words inspiring, so a personal word tree is ideal. sheet!
• Have the class glue one side of their word tree into their writing journal so that when they lift
the sheet, the word tree is revealed.
• Go on a word hunt and let the class choose words they want to include in their writing. Students should write the
word as best they can on the blank side of the card. Remember, their spelling won’t be correct, but they will likely
capture the most obvious sounds.
• Once students have a word, they can bring the card to you. Write the word correctly on the other side of the card.
Encourage them by noting that capturing all the important sounds was great work. Then show them how the word
will look when they see it in books.
• Return from the word hunt with zip-lock bags full of wonderful, glorious words!
• Have students illustrate their words on the side of the card with the correct spelling.
• Have students paste their words on to their very own word tree. By using these words in their own stories, the words will
become familiar to them.

Putting Pencil to Paper

Once the class has their word trees finished, they are ready to write a story. Let them look over their words and decide what
they want to write about. Rocket had many words to choose from, but he decided that writing about the owl was what interested
him most. In Rocket’s story, Owl wanted to meet Rocket, but she was too timid. So she waited until she trusted him and then
went down to meet him. Children can write a similar story with their teacher’s help and support. First they should identify what
they want to write about from their word tree. Then they can come up with a story by loosely following the strategy below.

Everyone has a story to tell. What’s yours?

Story parts Explanation How it worked in Rocket’s story

Somebody Who are you writing about? Owl

Wanted What did he or she want to do? She wanted to meet Rocket.

There is always a problem in a story.

But She was too shy.
What will your character’s problem be?
What did your character do She began to trust Rocket
So
to solve the problem? and went down to meet him.
.

Make the connection for the students between Rocket’s story and what they are going to write. To reinforce the strategy you can
write a simple story using the Somebody-Wanted-But-So structure on an interactive whiteboard or a chalkboard. Sometimes a
structure like this will provide the support a child needs to write. Consider pairing students up to write a story together. Don’t
expect amazing short stories from the class if this is the first time they have been introduced to the elements of a story. In time,
they will write more and will feel more comfortable with the task.

Vocabulary Growth
Vocabulary growth occurs for young children in the most playful of ways. For example, when they find something they want to
record on a card, they might not know the word for it. They might never have heard an acorn called by that name. They might
not know that a certain flower is called a daisy. By using another word for it, their vocabularies grow by leaps and bounds. Let
them decide which word (“flower” or “daisy”) they want to use in their story. Even if they choose to use “flower” (it is their story,
after all!), they have been exposed to another word, and that is always a good thing!
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills

Special Rocket Words

In Rocket Writes a Story, the little yellow bird gives Rocket a word she thinks he will find useful. Tell the class that you will give R OC K ET WR IT ES A S TO R Y
each of them a special word from the book for their word tree, just like the little yellow bird did for Rocket. Choose words from WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY TAD HILLS
the book that will tickle them, like:
inspire feathers splendid enjoy
breeze
rustle
announce
collection
adventure
brand-new
beautiful
story
Word Hunt
In the squares below, write down the words you learn on your class’s word hunt, and draw a picture to show
chirp present poke listen what each new word means. Then, with an adult’s help, carefully cut out each square and paste it onto your word tree.
smell morning friendly pictures
meadow growled beak perfect
buttercup daytime edge blink


brave ground yellow tricky

These words are NOT meant for students to memorize or sort. They are vocabulary words that they can use when they write
their stories–even if they misspell them initially!

Share Their Work

How nice it would be to have parents in for an author’s chair presentation where the children read their stories aloud! The
evening can begin with a performance of Rocket Writes a Story in a Readers’ Theater format, followed by each student reading
his or her own story. It is great fluency practice for these beginning readers, parents will love to see their little one in the
spotlight, and a lovely home-school connection is made.
Illustration © 2012 by Tad Hills.

Activities prepared by Joan Kindig, Ed.D., associate professor of reading education at James Madison University EDUCATORS: Reproduce this activity sheet for your students.