Hey, Little Ant

Hey, Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose is a great picture book to share with your students when teaching point of view or opinion writing. I want to share several activities you can pair with this book.

About the Book

What would you do if the ant you were about to step on looked up and started talking? Would you stop and listen? What if your friends saw you hesitate? That’s what happens in this funny, thought-provoking book. Originally a song by a father-daughter team, this conversation between two creatures, large and small, is bound to inspire important discussions. It might even answer that classic childhood question: To squish or not to squish?

If you don’t already have a copy of this book in your school or classroom library, you can find it on Amazon.

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Hey, Little Ant Writing Craft

At the end of the story, the authors leave the fate of the ant up to the reader. To squish, or not to squish? Students will form an opinion using text evidence. They can use this graphic organizer organizer to record their ideas. I have also included a set of sentence starters to help younger writers get their thoughts on paper.

Once students have written a paragraph, they can add a kid craft as a writing topper. The glasses are optional.

Hey Little Ant Activities

This book companion also has a large focus on comprehension. This resource has 12 comprehension questions to help guide the discussion as you read the book. Students can also respond to these questions in writing.

Hey, Little Ant is a great story for discussing point of view. While reading the book, students can record the reasons the boy wants to squish the ant as well as reasons the ant doesn’t deserve to be squished.

Once students have completed the Point of View activity, they will be ready to complete this “Who Said That?” activity. There are six statement cards. Students will cut and glue them below the character in the story who said those words.

You’ll also find several options for students to either retell or summarize the story. Because many students can relate to this story, I have included an option for making connections, too.

If you choose not to do the writing craft, your students can take a poll to determine how many students would choose to squish or save the ant. I have also included a book review page.

To extend their learning, students can research more about ants on their own. I have included several graphic organizers for them to collect their information. You can pick and choose the pages that work best for your students.

Hey, Little Ant Digital Activities

With many classrooms going digital, I decided to add some digital options to this book companion. In addition to the printable PDF, you will find a Slides link that can be used with Google Classroom. I have also included a fillable student PDF. Please note: the digital options do not include the writing craft.