Make the most of your spring read alouds with Suzanne Lang's Grumpy Monkey Spring Fever! This low-prep, high-engagement sequencing and retelling lesson and book companion is designed for primary students and is packed with differentiated activities, hands-on retelling cards, comprehension tools, and writing prompts, this resource helps you teach key literacy skills in a fun, meaningful way.

Students will practice sequencing events, retelling the story, and writing about Jim's spring fever using structured, differentiated materials that support every learner.

🔍 Preview available! See differentiated options, sample pages, and book companion activities before purchasing.

What’s Included:
Sequencing & Retelling Tools

• Beginning–Middle–End organizers (with draw + label option)
• Event sequencing organizer
• Printable parts for whole-group retelling
• Retelling cards (3 versions: text-only, image-only, text + image)
• Cut-and-paste sequencing sets (3 versions)
• Transition word and story element cards

Assessment

• 4 differentiated written retelling options
• Final writing prompt: Think: What happened when Jim caught spring fever? Write: Retell the story from beginning to end. Include key events in Grumpy Monkey Spring Fever.
• Retelling rubric included

Teacher Materials

• Lesson plan with skill rationale/teacher language
• Guided stopping points with text-dependent questions, scaffolding questions, and expected student responses
• Question sticky notes
• Essential question and learning target visuals

Book Companion Activities
Vocabulary

• Vocabulary word cards (5 from the story + 4 blank)
• Infer vocabulary meaning and context clues graphic organizer
• Vocabulary activity options
• Photographs representing each vocabulary word

Comprehension

• Multiple Choice Quiz (6 questions on story events)
• WH-question cut-and-paste comprehension page
• Story Elements (2 versions)
• Problem and Solution (2 versions)
• Describe how Jim changes from beginning to end
• Cause and Effect (2 differentiated versions + large hands-on version)
• Fiction passage with cut-and-paste comprehension activity

Foundational Skills

• Write the Room (8 picture/word cards with 3 recording sheet options)
• Count syllables with story-themed words
• Build new words using letters in “spring fever”
• Sentence Scramble

Writing & Connections

• “What did Jim think about spring?” writing prompt (2 versions)
• “My favorite part of the story…” writing prompt (2 versions)
• Give advice to Jim (write and illustrate “do” and “do not”)
• Write a letter to Jim (2 versions)
• Text-to-self connections (2 options)

Craft & Extras

• Grumpy Monkey Spring Fever Writing Craft (3 options)
• Coloring pages

Nonfiction Reading

• Nonfiction passage about spring
• 3 differentiated levels
• 3 comprehension questions (main idea, right there, think-and-search)

Thank you for checking out this lesson plan! Please let me know if you have any questions before purchasing.

Other resources you may love:

Spring Nonfiction

Spring Writing Crafts

Earth Day Writing Crafts

Don't Touch that Flower

Bear Wants More

Spring Stinks

When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree

The Very Impatient Caterpillar

Chicks and Salsa

**************************************************************************************
After purchasing, you can receive TpT credits towards future purchases! Just leave feedback on this item and you will earn 4 credits to save you money on future downloads on TpT!
**************************************************************************************

★★Let's connect! Find and follow me on...★★
Instagram
Pinterest
TpT