Based on the story "It Was a Cold, Dark Night" by Tim Hopgood
Start off by looking at the front and back cover to activate children on the topic of the story. Discuss weather, season, time of day and anything you think might be useful to get the children into the story.
Our students already know the names of other animals in the story. If this vocabulary is new to your students, use pictures to elicit their names.
Ask children to sit comfortably in a circle (keeping all due distance) and tell them the story. Telling and NOT reading is very important as it involves you acting it out for them. Interact with your students by asking them questions on the pictures or on the events of the story. Ask them to imagine what happens next.
After telling them the story, you can use the map on pages 14 and 15 to help children re-tell you the events in their own words.
Back to table, ask students to tell you why Ned might be looking for a home. Some good answers might be: it's cold, it's autumn, it's almost winter, it's night, he is sleepy. Introduce the topic of hibernation.
Give students some poster paper, a BW picture of a hedgehog and some leaves. They should also have glue and colours ready to use. Let them be creative by building a poster with Ned in his home.
