The provided source materials focus exclusively on free educational resources related to the children's book The Mitten by Jan Brett. These resources are designed for educators, parents, and caregivers seeking printable activities, lesson plans, and classroom tools to complement the story. The available materials include retelling kits, sequencing exercises, character sorting activities, and craft templates. Access to these freebies typically requires visiting specific educational websites, some of which may necessitate free membership registration. The content is primarily targeted at early childhood and elementary education levels, covering themes such as winter, forest animals, and ordinal numbers.
Available Free Resources
Several websites offer complimentary downloadable materials for The Mitten. These resources are created by educators and publishers to support literacy development and thematic instruction. The following is a summary of the types of freebies available based on the source data.
- KinderReaders provides a free reproducible guided reading book for The Mitten. This resource is part of their KinderReaders series, which offers leveled books (including wordless versions) aligned with common Kindergarten themes such as Winter, Jan Brett, Forest Animals, and Mittens. The freebie is available as an individual title download while the full KinderReaders site is under preparation.
- The Wise Owl Factory offers a free printable PDF work page for The Mitten, accessible to free members in their free member area. This resource includes two versions of the story and name tags for a classroom skit activity. The site also references free coloring pages, videos, and online games available on Jan Brett’s official author page. The Wise Owl Factory's printable is designed to facilitate a silent skit where children act out the story as it is read aloud.
- Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) hosts a variety of free resources for The Mitten from multiple creators. Examples include:
- A retell activity set featuring animals in color and blackline versions, with options to assemble a retell kit using a paper bag mitten or character sequence cards with ordinal words.
- A cut-and-paste activity where students place animals on a mitten as the story is read, along with coloring pages and comprehension questions with visual answer choices.
- A kindergarten activity pack containing a cut-and-paste retell, a character sorting activity, and printing practice.
- An emergent reader and resource pack, as well as a "Write the Room" activity.
- TeachWithMe.com features a 24-page Language Arts Mitten packet designed to cover various educational standards. This packet includes sequencing practice, a "beginning-middle-end" graphic organizer, a worksheet for labeling parts of a book, and pocket chart cards for characters, setting, and events. The site also mentions a mitten paper plate pocket craft.
- FirstGradeBlueSkies.com shares a mini-unit that includes picture cards for reviewing story order, a labeling activity ("Label It The Mitten Pack"), and stamps for recreating story order on sentence strips. The post also references external resources such as a spinner game from Swamp Frog First Graders and an animal sorting activity from Pre-K Pages.
- ASpoonfulofLearning.com references a Mitten Unit that includes activities for retelling the story and may be combined with Martin Luther King Day themes.
Access and Eligibility
Access to these free educational materials varies by source:
- Direct Download: Some resources, such as those on Teachers Pay Teachers, TeachWithMe, and FirstGradeBlueSkies, appear to be available for direct download without registration.
- Membership Required: The Wise Owl Factory requires users to log in as free members or join the free membership area to access the printable PDF.
- Temporary Availability: The KinderReaders freebie is noted as being available while the full site is "preparing for launch," suggesting it may be a limited-time offer or subject to change.
- External Links: Several sources reference content on Jan Brett’s official website, which offers free coloring pages, videos, and online games. These are considered authoritative sources for author-specific materials.
Usage in Educational Settings
The freebies are designed for use in early childhood (Preschool, Kindergarten) and elementary (Grades 1-2) classrooms. Common instructional uses include:
- Story Retelling: Using printable animals and mitten templates to physically retell the sequence of the story.
- Sequencing and Ordinal Numbers: Arranging character cards in the correct order of appearance and identifying first, second, third, etc.
- Literacy Centers: Setting up pocket chart activities for character, setting, and event sorting.
- Art and Craft: Creating paper plate mitten pockets or decorating printable mittens.
- Comprehension: Answering questions about the story using visual supports.
- Dramatic Play: Acting out the story using name tags and skit instructions.
Content Themes and Educational Standards
The resources align with common early literacy standards, focusing on sequencing, character identification, and retelling. Themes explored in the materials include Winter, Forest Animals, and the cultural origin of the story (Ukrainian folk tale). The activities support skills in reading comprehension, fine motor development (cutting, pasting, printing), and oral language expression.
Conclusion
The available source material documents a collection of free, educator-created resources for The Mitten by Jan Brett. These materials are accessible through various educational websites and blogs, with some requiring free membership registration. The freebies primarily consist of printable PDFs designed for classroom use, covering literacy skills such as sequencing, retelling, and character sorting. While the provided sources confirm the existence and general nature of these resources, specific availability dates or expiration terms are not detailed in the chunks. Users interested in these materials should visit the listed websites directly for the most current download links and access instructions.