Stepping Stones are our short term literacy plans for teachers which introduce our text-based mastery approach to writing. Hermelin is a type of cheese from the Czech Republic. Can you find out more about this country and write a report about it? At the end of the story, Hermelin and Emily work together to solve crimes. Can you think of ways that animals help humans to achieve different tasks? This was a fun and endearing read which has the versatility to be used throughout the key stages, particularly because the depth and detail of Grey’s illustrations allows for so much exploration at any age. There is a montage-like overlapping to her pictures which is not only creative, but which perfectly builds the anticipation and drama surrounding the events on Offley Street. This is so entertaining, and she recreates the typically punchy crime story in a way that feels familiar, yet is presented in an inventive way requiring a high level of participation from the reader.

Each plan comprises 15 sessions to teach a small number of key writing skills from the national curriculum. Throughout the unit of work, pupils are given the opportunity to repeatedly practise these skills through meaningful short pieces of writing linked to the text. This builds towards a final extended writing task in which pupils can apply the skills with confidence and independence. SR: 712626], Hardcover, [EAN: 9780385754330], Knopf Books for Young Readers, Knopf Books for Young Readers, Book, [PU: Knopf Books for Young Readers], 2014-08-05, Knopf Books for Young R… More... Hermelin, who is a compassionate mouse, feels sorry for all these people who have lost something that is dear to them. They need help and he decides that he is the perfect person for the job. Some people think that mice are ‘pests’. Can you create a new story about a pest that becomes a hero?

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It’s a terrible thing for Hermelin to be so cruelly misjudged, especially when the mouse’s single aim is to help the hapless people of Offley Street. urn:lcp:hermelindetectiv0000grey:epub:dace9ecb-8c0c-49ae-8404-591e082215d8 Foldoutcount 0 Identifier hermelindetectiv0000grey Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t21d0dq43 Invoice 1652 Isbn 0385754337 Look at the collection of books and notes in Hermelin’s attic. How many different kinds of text can you think of? Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2020-01-24 09:05:48 Boxid IA1765421 Camera USB PTP Class Camera Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier

One morning Hermelin walks past the Offley Street notice board and he sees that is covered with notices. Seven of the eight notices were written by people who have lost something. Imogen Splotts has lost her tedd bear, Captain Potts has lost his cat, and Emily, who lives in Hermelin’s house at No.33, has lost her notebook. Other residents have lost a bag, reading glasses, a goldfish, and a diamond bracelet. This unit of work is based on Hermelin: The Detective Mouse by Mini Grey. Hermelin is the most helpful, yet smallest resident of Offley Street, always helping his neighbours solve their mysteries.

Hermelin is a mouse who lives in the attic of Number 33 Offley Street. His attic is filled with books and boxes and a typewriter that Hermelin uses to write with. When Hermelin notices that the Offley Street Notices board is filled with people missing things, he knows just what he has to do. So he starts working as a mouse detective and solving the mysteries of Offley Street. He does this by noticing things and then leaving typed notes for the people to help them find their missing items. Then when tragedy almost strikes the youngest person on Offley Street, Hermelin is the one to save the day! Soon everyone wants to know exactly who this Hermelin person is, so they invite him to a thank you party in his honor. He just isn’t quite what they were expecting… The dictionary definition of ‘mouse’ shows that Hermelin is a ‘pest’. What other creatures are thought of as pests? Hermelin is a natural-born detective. So when he discovers the street’s notice board plastered with despairing announcements of lost this or possibly stolen that, he’s on the case. The mouse easily locates Mrs. Mattison’s handbag behind some lettuce in her fridge. He finds Bobo the teddy bear, too, dropped from an attic window into Capt. Potts’ cooling lemon-meringue pie. As he solves each mystery, he leaves an explanatory note signed “Hermelin.” But who is Hermelin? The baffled villagers lure the mysterious hero with a thank-you party at Bosher’s sausage shop. When the little mouse shows up for his big moment, however, the terrified party-givers scream “MOUSE!” How could such a benevolent mouse-detective be perceived as a disease-spreading pest? Hermelin spirals into a full-blown identity crisis, brilliantly captured in nightmarish, comic-book–style panels. All ends well when a girl named Emily sees Hermelin for who he really is. Comical visual details abound, and each stamp-sized window of the Offley Street townhomes is a story in miniature, evoking all the wonder and delight of an advent calendar. Use relative clauses beginning with who, which, where, when, whose, that or an omitted relative pronoun

The drawings were quite cute and we were conflicted about which ones to redraw! Ultimately he liked the one with Hermelin's new friend! Hermelin has some binoculars. How do these work? Can you describe how we are able to see things? How do our eyes work? Look at the foods in your lunch box (or on your dinner menu). What do the ingredients come from? Could you plot these on a map? How might they travel around the world to reach your table? Hermelin is a rodent that lives on Osprey street and spends all his time observing his neighbors so that when things go missing he is able to solve the case. But there is one resident that may be observing Hermelin! What will he do when he's found out? Hermelin looks for the definition of ‘mouse’ in the dictionary. Could you use a dictionary to find the meanings of unfamiliar words? Could you write your own dictionary definitions for different words?

At the end of the story, there is a piece of paper in the typewriter. Can you write a story about ‘The Mystery of the Missing Moggies’?

Write your own newspaper article (or create a radio / video report) about the dramatic rescue of Baby McMumbo. Hermelin sees the words ‘unclean’, ‘unhygienic’ and ‘unwanted’ in the dictionary definition for ‘mouse’. Can you think of other words with the prefix ‘un-‘? Could you make a poster / chart that shows words with other prefixes.Perhaps my favourite of Mini Grey’s works, with lovely themes of acceptance and courage. The residents of Offley Street have found that their possessions are going missing, but help is at hand from an unknown detective… Hermelin the mouse. Wanting to thank and find out the identity of their helper, Hermelin is invited to a party- but the reception received is not that which he had expected!