Title: Room on the Broom
Author: Julia Donaldson
Illustrator: Axel Scheffler
Publisher: Puffin Books
Language: English
Themes: Halloween, animals, prepositions of places
Age-range: infant-preschool, 4 – 10 years
The witch and her cat are happily flying through the sky on a broomstick when the wind picks up and blows away the witch’s hat, then her bow, and then her wand! Luckily, three helpful animals find the missing items, and all they want in return is a ride on the broom. But is there room on the broom for so many friends? And when disaster strikes, will they be able to save the witch from a hungry dragon?
Culture and Vocabulary:
- common names : the witch, a hat, a braid, a broomstick, a broom, a bow, a wand, a fold, a cloack, French fries, a glint, a feast, a beast, a cauldron, a bone, a spell, seats, a nest, a pool;
- prepositions of places : on the broomstick, through the wind, down, out of bushes, in his jaws, over the fields and the forests, out from a tree, over the reeds and the rivers, through the sky to the back of beyond, out of a pond, over the moors and the mountains, down fell/flew/jumped/climbed, into a bog, into a cloud, near, from out of a ditch, dragon’s inside, out rose;
- nature : wind, the bushes, the fields, the forest, a tree, the ground, the reeds, the rivers, the stormy wind, a pond, the moors, the mountains, a bog, a cloud, the ditch, a lily, a cone, a twig;
- animals : a cat, a dog, a bird, a frog, a dragon;
- adjectives : long, wildly, politely, eagerly, thundering, firmly, stormy, dripping wet, scary, loud, delicious, higher, horrible, tall, dark, sticky, feathered, furred, frightful, terrible, nice, magnificent;
- body parts : her back, paws, jaws, head, tail, ear, beak, eyes, wings, voice, a grin;
- sounds : a croak, a roar, a yowl, a growl, a shriek, phew;
- colours : black, ginger hair, green, dark;
- numbers : once, two, four.
Grammar:
- structure: Down!! cried the witch, and they flew to the ground.
- structure: They searched for the… , but no… could be found.
- structure: He/She it politly… then said…
- structure: I am a dog, as keen as can be / I am a bird as green as can be / I am a frog, as clean as can be / I am a dragon, as mean as can be.
- structure: Is there room on the broom for a… like me?
- structure: « Yes! » cried the witch, so the….
- structure: The witch tapped the broomstick and WHOOSH!! they were gone.
- idiomatic expressions: laughed out loud, shrieked with glee, all of a sudden, I made a mistake;
- possession with ‘s (the witch’s half-broom stick – dragon’s inside);
- past simple: had, was, purred, grinned, sat, wailed, spat, blew, cried, flew, searched, found, bounded, dropped, said, pulled down, clambered on, tapped, flew, wagged, held on, flapped, bent, tied, fluttered on, let go, leaped, dried on, bounded on, jumped, snapped, heard, looked around, drew, planned, rose, started, dripped, squelched, strode, drew back, started, spluttered, spread out, filled up, muttered, clambered on;
- past perfect: they were gone;
- past continuous: they went tumbling, she was stirring;
- futur simple: I’ll have (I will have);
- impérative: find something, throw something in;
- infinitive: to begin, to speak, started to shake, to have;
- modal: could be found, I must fly, I’d (I would) be in that dragon’s inside.
Phonology:
- pronunciation of “ed” in the past simple;
- accents of words and phrases;
- pronunciation of the prepositions of places : through, down, out, over, beyond, inside, into…
Teaching suggestions:
- work on the story narrative elements (characters, setting, initiating event, actions, consequences);
- rewrite the story using other animal names and other objects (the cauldron for example) and using the narrative structure (Down!! cried the witch, and they flew to the ground / They searched for the… , but no… could be found. / He/She it politly… then said / I am a…, as… as can be. / Is there room on the broom for a… like me? / “Yes!” cried the witch, so the…. / The witch tapped the broomstick and WHOOSH!! they were gone.);
- work on the prepositions of places : Where is it? on, under, over, in, beside, through, in front of, between, behind…
Printable Activities and Worksheets “Room on the Broom” – Free Download:
Other activities:
♦ Les Films Dupreau (in French)
♦ Narrative Construction of the Book (in French)
♦ Activities (roomonthebroom website)
♦ Tapuscrit Room on the Broom
“Room on the Broom” Videos in English:
