The MOUSE - Sentence-Building Exercise 2 - Lesson Materials and Teaching Steps

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Hazel

A guided sentence-building lesson using a mouse photograph and student graphic organizers to elicit meaningful sentences. Learners identify the animal, describe what it can do, what it has, and what it likes, while the instructor models complete grammatical responses and prompts students to reference circle-in-circle charts. The routine supports accurate copying to individual charts, writing names and dates, and recording answers under Can, Has, and Likes, with reinforcement and brief transitions for classroom management.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryForms

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

Materials

Before the Lesson

Teaching the Lesson

The MOUSE Sentence-Building Exercise 2 3 Materials: photograph of mouse, students’ circle-in-circle charts and branch organizers, lined paper, tape, completed circle-in-circle chart on chart paper (from Lesson 35 sentence-building exercise), two pieces of blank chart paper, dry-erase marker, watercolor marker Before the Lesson: 1. At [http://fhautism.com/arc.html](http://fhautism.com/arc.html), find the circle-in-circle chart, branch organizer, and lined paper. Print one of each for each student, plus a few extras. 2. On the blank chart paper, draw the lined paper and branch organizer. 3. On the board, hang the completed circle-in-circle chart on chart paper (from Lesson 35 sentence-building exercise) and blank branch organizer. 4. Write the date on the board. Teaching the Lesson 1. Gather the children in a circle. Hold up the photograph of the mouse. Ask: “What animal is this?” If no one can identify the animal, ask an aide to answer, or answer the question yourself. 2. Ask: “What can the mouse do?” If no one answers, prompt the students to look atthe circle-in-circle chart on the board. If no one answers, ask an aide to answer, or answer the question yourself. Possible answers include run, jump, chew. Students may come up with different answers. Ask the question several times, and allow different children to answer. 3. Ask: “What does the mouse have? If no one answers, prompt the students to look atthe circle-in-circle chart on the board. If no one answers, ask an aide to answer, or answer the question yourself. Possible answers include a long tail, two ears, teeth. Autism & Reading Comprehension 149 © 2011 by Joseph Porter, M.Ed. Future Horizons, Inc. Students may come up with different answers. Ask the question several times, and allow different children to answer. 4. Ask: “What does the mouse like? If no one answers, prompt the students to look atthe circle-in-circle chart on the board. If no one answers, ask an aide to answer, or answer the question yourself. Possible answers include cheese, fruit, seeds. Students may come up with different answers. Ask the question several times, and allow different children to answer. 5. Praise students and pass out reinforcers. 6. The children return to their desks. Pass out pencils and blank graphic organizers. On each desk, tape a circle-in-circle chart on the left and the branch organizer on the right. 7. Say: “Write your name on your paper.” Make sure everyone writes his or her name. Then say: “Write the date. It is on the board.” Make sure everyone writes the date. 8. Say: “Copy the words from the circle-in-circle chart on the board onto your circle-incircle chart.” They do not have to copy all of the words at first. 9. Say: “Now we will do the branch organizer.” On the branch organizer on the board, write “Mouse” on the top line and “Can,” “Has,” and “Likes” on the three spaces under the top line. Say: “Copy the words onto your charts.” 10. Ask: “What can the mouse do?” Point to the words on the circle-in-circle chart. Encourage students to look at their own chart. If no one answers, ask an aide to answer, or answer the question yourself. Ask the question several times, and allow different children to answer. If someone uses a nonsensical word, e.g.,“seeds,” say the whole sentence. Say:“The mouse can seeds? Does that make sense? Let’s look back in the circle and find something the mouse can do.” 11. Write students’ answers on the branch organizer on the board. For each answer, say: “Write (the answer) under the word ‘Can’ on your branch organizer.” As you use words from the circle-in-circle chart, you may choose to cover up the words with a sticky note or leave them all showing. 150 Autism & Reading Comprehension © 2011 by Joseph Porter, M.Ed. Future Horizons, Inc. 12. For each word that students write, say the whole sentence, e.g.,“The mouse can chew.” As you say each word of the sentence, point to the corresponding wo

FAQs

What materials are needed for Sentence-Building Exercise 2?

A mouse photograph, students’ circle-in-circle charts and branch organizers, lined paper, tape, completed charts for the board, extra blank chart paper, and dry-erase and watercolor markers.

How do students complete their charts during the lesson?

Students tape a circle-in-circle chart and a branch organizer on their desks, copy relevant words from the board chart, and then write answers under Can, Has, and Likes on the branch organizer.

What should the instructor do if a student gives a nonsensical word or response?

The instructor repeats the whole target sentence, checks whether it makes sense, then guides students to look back at the circle chart to find something the mouse can do, has, or likes.

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by Hazel