Although Room on the Broom doesn’t mention Halloween, the main character is a witch, so it fits in nicely with your October read-alouds.
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Summary
There are several problems in this story and the animal characters that appear and offer to help, quickly become friends and join the broomstick ride. Students will enjoy the repetitive rhyming text.
Read Aloud Questions
Before Reading
- Does the witch look friendly or scary?
- Why do you think the author chose this title for the story?
- Who do you think might ride on the broom?
During Reading
- What words does the witch use to bring the broom to the ground and to make it fly?
- Do you know what a cauldron is?
- What do you think the animals will choose to add to the cauldron?
After Reading
- How did they get away from the dragon?
- How were the broom improvements helpful?
- Do you think if another animal came along the witch would let them ride? Why?
Connecting Standards to Room on the Broom
Story Elements
This story works well for practicing identifying story elements because there are different settings, several characters, and multiple problems and solutions within the story.
Procedural Writing
Have students brainstorm and design their own better than a broom contraption. Then have them write instructions on how to build it. This could be a whole class, partner, or individual activity.
Rhyming
This book is filled with rhymes! You can have students go on a rhyme hunt to find them in the story. You can write the rhyming pairs on index cards and make a Rhyming Concentration game for a literacy center.
More Ideas for this Story!
You can visit the author, Julia Donaldson’s website to learn more about her the books she has written. Julia has also written some plays for children to perform. You can purchase the Room on the Broom play for your class to perform from her store. Whenever Julia puts on a show of one of her books, she writes two or three songs to go with it. Her husband Malcolm plays the guitar while she sings. While you’re there, check out some of her free song videos too.
If you’re looking for more activities for this book, check out the Learning Through Literature book companion in the Resource Ranch store.
Resource Ranch
Rhonda is the author of Resource Ranch. Most of her classroom experience has been in early elementary. She has also taught Title I Reading, ESL, and gifted students. She is certified as a Texas teacher in grades 1-8 and as a K-12 librarian.
