Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming - Teaching Ideas

This is a super cute book about Mr. McGreely and his garden. He has always wanted a garden so he finally decides to plant one. But to his dismay 3 pesky bunnies keep getting in and eating his vegetables. Have fun reading this Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! good tale about Mr. McGreely and the 3 sneaky bunnies.

This book offers many opportunities for teaching skills and strategies, listed below is everything I think you could use this book for. Take a look and hopefully I have given you the info or ideas you needed to help you plan.

Reading level: 2.6

Theme: spring, gardening, perseverance

Genre: animal stories

Suggested Vocabulary: by golly, hoed, sowed, gnawed, hurdle, trench, twitch

Reading skills and strategies:

• asking questions - {possible questions at beginning} Why is the book called Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!? {possible questions in middle} I wonder why he never planted a garden till now? Why do the bunnies keep eating Mr. McGreely vegetables? What is a trench? Why doesn't Mr. McGreely just catch the bunnies instead? How come the bunnies couldn't get in the last time? {possible questions at end} Is Mr. McGreely happy at the end? How did the bunnies get in?
• author's point of view - third person point of view
• author's purpose - entertain{evidence} the author uses repetitive sentences, phrases and words like muncha, muncha, muncha. The author describes the bunnies is silly ways, like, "flop-ears" and "puff-tails". The illustrator drew the bunnies with shirts on. All of these things were done to entertain me.
• beginning, middle, end - {most important event from beginning} Mr. McGreely planted a garden. {most important event from middle} the rabbits kept coming to the garden and eating the vegetables and Mr. McGreely kept getting mad. {most important event from end} Mr. McGreely thought he built the perfect wall to keep out the bunnies but they actually snuck into the garden in the basket that Mr. McGreely carried into the garden.
• cause and effect - Why did Mr. McGreely want to have a garden? because he wanted to get his hands dirty and eat all the yummy vegetables. Why did he build a small wire fence around his garden? because the bunnies came in and ate his veggies. Why did Mr. McGreely build a tall wood wall? because the bunnies got in a second time. Why was Mr. McGreely furious? because the bunnies got in through the deep trench, over the wall and wire fence to eat his veggies.  Why did Mr. McGreely build such a high wall? because he wanted to keep the bunnies out once and for all. Why was Mr. McGreely so happy? because the bunnies couldn't get in the enormous wall. Why was Mr. McGreely not so happy at the end? because the bunnies snuck into the garden in the basket that Mr. McGreely carried into the garden.
• characterization - describe Mr. McGreely, describe the bunnies {looks like, feelings, thoughts, character}
• classify & categorize - categorize things that can grow in a garden and things that cannot.
• compare & contrast - compare and contrast Mr. McGreely to the bunnies.
• connections - {possible text-to-self connections} having your own garden. Having an animal eat your veggies from your garden. Trying to stop the animals from eating your veggies. {possible text-to-text connections} Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! can be connected to How Groundhog's Garden Grew by Lynne Cherry because in both books veggies are being stolen from a garden.
• main idea & details - {main idea} Mr. McGreely wants to eat veggies from his garden {details} He plants a garden. He puts a fence, a wall, a trench and a castle around the garden to keep the bunnies out. Mr. McGreely picks the veggies from his garden and reaches in his basket to find something to eat.
• plot - the turning point in the story is when Mr. McGreely builds the castle around his garden and the bunnies cannot get in.
• problem & solution - {problem} Mr. McGreely wants a garden but the bunnies keep eating his veggies. {solution} Mr. McGreely builds a series of fences and walls to keep the bunnies out, and the last one finally works...sort of.
• sequencing - Mr. McGreely plants a garden. The bunnies come and eat from his garden. Mr. McGreely puts up a wire fence. The bunnies hop over the wire fence. Mr. McGreely builds a wall. The bunnies tunnel under the wall. Mr. McGreely digs a trench. The bunnies swim through the trench. Mr. McGreely builds a castle around his garden. The bunnies can't get in. Mr. McGreely climbs into his garden and picks some veggies. He reaches into the basket to get something to eat. He finds the bunnies in his basket eating his carrots!
• story elements - list title, author, character's, setting, beginning, middle, end, or problem & solution.
• strong thought - students may have many strong thoughts throughout the story as they see the bunnies sitting and watching Mr. McGreely build his fences.
• summarize - {someone}Mr. McGreely {wanted}wanted a garden {but} but the bunnies kept eating his veggies {so} so he built a series of walls and trenches to keep them out. {then}He was {finally}finally successful with the last castle, until he climbed into the garden with the bunnies in his basket...those sneaky bunnies!

I love this book so much and my daughter created such cute art for it I just had to make a teaching packet to go with it. Below is a little preview of what is included.

Happy reading!

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