Login
Join

Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources for The Happy Day

The cover for The Happy Day Lesson Plans and Teaching Resources
Download
Preview
Buy the book
Watch a Read-Aloud

Use The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss to strengthen your students' comprehension skills, build their vocabulary, and help them understand how words work.

Ruth Krauss's sweet and joyful story about the coming of Spring is sure to entertain every reader in your room. Black and white illustrations complement the simple story about curious woodland animals who wake from their winter's sleep to a mysterious scent in the air. While reading this award-winning picture book, readers will gather clues to try to solve the intriguing mystery while practicing asking questions, determining importance, synthesizing, understanding text structure, and visualizing.
Print resources
Preview
Buy the book
Watch a Read-Aloud

Explore lesson plans and activities to help you teach with The Happy Day in the drop down below.

The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Asking Questions with The Happy Day

Why would animals wake up, sniff, and run during the winter? Tap into your readers' natural curiosity with Ruth Krauss' The Happy Day paired with this mini lesson focused on asking questions.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.1.1,RL.1.10,RF.1.1,RF.1.2,SL.1.1b,SL.1.2,SL.1.3,W.1.5,W.1.8,L.1.6
TEKS Alignment
1.7D,1.13E,1.13D,1.13A,1.10E,1.8C,1.8B,1.7F,1.7E,1.1A,1.7C,1.7B,1.6I,1.6E,1.6B,1.6A,1.1D,1.1C
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Determining Importance with The Happy Day

Something important is happening in The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss. Animals awake from their winter's sleep, sniff, and run. What could be causing this behavior? Readers will have fun picking up important clues as they anticipate a surprise ending.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.1.1,RL.1.2,RL.1.10,RF.1.1,RF.1.2,SL.1.1b,SL.1.2,SL.1.3,W.1.5,W.1.8,L.1.6
TEKS Alignment
1.7E,1.13E,1.13D,1.10E,1.10A,1.9C,1.8C,1.8B,1.8A,1.7F,1.1A,1.7D,1.7C,1.7B,1.6I,1.6G,1.6E,1.6A,1.1D,1.1C
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Synthesizing with The Happy Day

The limited text and award-winning illustrations in The Happy Day push readers to synthesize what they know about woodland creatures with the information presented in the text and illustrations. This mini lesson focused on synthesizing will help guide student thinking as they read.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.1.1,RL.1.2,RL.1.3,RL.1.4,RL.1.6,RL.1.7,RL.1.9,RL.1.10,RF.1.1,RF.1.2,SL.1.1b,SL.1.2,SL.1.3,W.1.5,W.1.8,L.1.6
TEKS Alignment
1.7B,1.13E,1.13D,1.9C,1.8C,1.8B,1.8A,1.7F,1.7E,1.7D,1.7C,1.1A,1.7A,1.6I,1.6H,1.6G,1.6F,1.6E,1.6B,1.6A,1.1D,1.1C
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Understanding Text Structure with The Happy Day

What is causing all of the animals to leave their warm and cozy winter homes and run outside in the snow? Curious readers will wonder as they identify the text structure of cause and effect to reveal the answer.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.1.1,RL.1.6,RL.1.7,RL.1.10,RF.1.1,RF.1.2,SL.1.1b,SL.1.2,SL.1.3,SL.1.5,W.1.5,W.1.8,L.1.6
TEKS Alignment
1.7E,1.13E,1.13D,1.10E,1.10D,1.10C,1.10B,1.9C,1.8C,1.8B,1.8A,1.7F,1.1A,1.7D,1.7C,1.7B,1.6I,1.6G,1.6E,1.6D,1.6A,1.1D,1.1C
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Visualizing with The Happy Day

What is making the animals sniff and run? Readers are pulled into the story as they visualize different possibilities. Imagining themselves as part of the story will help readers comprehend the storyline and remember the bright ending.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
RL.1.3,RL.1.4,RL.1.7,RL.1.10,RF.1.1,RF.1.2,SL.1.1b,SL.1.2,SL.1.3,SL.1.5,W.1.5,W.1.8,L.1.6
TEKS Alignment
1.7E,1.13E,1.13D,1.10E,1.10D,1.10C,1.9C,1.8D,1.8B,1.7F,1.1A,1.7D,1.7C,1.7B,1.6I,1.6E,1.6D,1.6A,1.1C
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Diphthongs with The Happy Day

This word work lesson plan and set of teaching resources use The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss as a springboard for instruction focused on diphthongs.

By anchoring word study to the text, students will benefit from seeing how -ow letter combination is used inside of the text before engaging in both guided and independent practice with diphthongs.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
RF.1.3,RF.1.4
TEKS Alignment
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Vocabulary Connections with The Happy Day

This set of vocabulary development resources for The Happy Day highlights the words that are most important for students to know and understand while reading the book. Through engaging in fun word games, matching words to definitions and pictures, and practicing how to categorize words, students will develop the vocabulary necessary to comprehend this story and many others.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
L.1.4a,L.1.5c,L.1.6
TEKS Alignment
1.7F,1.3A,1.3B,1.3C,1.3D
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Comprehension Assessment with The Happy Day

Use this Common Core aligned comprehension assessment to evaluate students' comprehension of The Happy Day.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Running Record with The Happy Day

Use this Running Record to assess oral reading fluency with The Happy Day. Track meaning, structure, and visual accuracy using the first 100 words of the text to determine whether or not this book is a good fit for the readers in your classroom.

Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Cause and Effect Matching with The Happy Day

Read The Happy Day then have some fun matching cause and effect sentences from the book. By using these cause and effect cards, students will demonstrate both their comprehension of the text and their understanding of cause and effect relationships in hands-on and interactive way.

This resource includes matching/sorting cards and a sorting mat for four cause and effect sentences in The Happy Day. Each cause card is marked with a square and each effect card is marked with a circle, making it easy to support students who struggle with matching cause and effect relationships.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Cause and Effect Sentence Stems with The Happy Day

Understanding cause and effect is a key comprehension and language skill. The text structure of The Happy Day includes several examples of cause and effect relationships, making it easy to use as a springboard for modeling or independent practice.

This simple resource includes four sentence stems. Each sentence stem presents an effect. Students will use what they know about the book to fill in the cause of the effect.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print
The first page of Asking Questions with A Bad Case of Stripes

Writing with The Happy Day

The BookPagez extension activities are a great way to push student engagement beyond the pages of the text. Try using this activity with early finishers, with students who show a deeper connection with the text, or as a center activity.
Common Core State Standards Alignment
TEKS Alignment
Print
Preview PDF
Preview Digital
Preview Digital
Print

Asking Questions with The Happy Day (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
Print

Determining Importance with The Happy Day (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
Print

Synthesizing with The Happy Day (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
Print

Understanding Text Structure with The Happy Day (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
Print

Visualizing with The Happy Day (Spanish)

  • Student Practice Page and Answer Key
  • Reader's Notebook Prompt
  • Graphic Organizer
Print

Writing with The Happy Day (Spanish)

Worksheet
Print

Get Full Access to the Entire Library of Resources when You Join Today!

You don’t need another curriculum—you need smart, supportive tools that build on the stories already in your classroom. BookPagez delivers research-aligned lessons, assessments, and digital tools to make your read-alouds, centers, and guided work more meaningful, more efficient, and more fun.
  • Teach with the favorite children’s books already on your shelf
  • Receive new, research-based materials every week
  • Tap into Digital Classroom for centers, assignments, and monitoring
  • Reclaim your evenings—planning is streamlined & ready to go
  • Stay organized with your personal file cabinet + dashboard
JOIN NOW!
30 Day Risk-Free Guarantee, Cancel Anytime

About the Book

The cover for the book The Happy Day
Title: The Happy Day
Author: Ruth Krauss
Genre: Fantasy
Themes: Award Winners, Spring
ISBN: 9780060233969
Publisher's Summary:
The Happy Day by Ruth Krauss is a joyful picture book that captures the wonder of nature's small surprises and the universal excitement of discovery. Set in a quiet, snowy forest, the story follows a group of woodland animals—field mice, bears, snails, squirrels, and groundhogs—as they awaken from their winter slumber. As the animals stir and begin to explore, each is drawn by an irresistible scent, leading them through the snow-covered woods. The animals gather together, united by curiosity and anticipation, until they find the source: the first flower of spring blooming in the snow. The simple, repetitive text and expressive illustrations work together to build a sense of communal joy and anticipation, making the arrival of the flower feel like a shared celebration.

This book is particularly effective for early elementary classrooms, where it can inspire lessons about the changing seasons, the value of patience, and the beauty found in nature's smallest gifts. Its minimal text and rhythmic repetition also lend themselves well to language arts activities, such as exploring diction, pattern, and prediction. The Happy Day offers opportunities for students to discuss the emotions of the animals, connect with the idea of "little treasures," and reflect on the importance of noticing and appreciating small wonders in everyday life. With its gentle message and uplifting tone, The Happy Day remains a classic choice for read-alouds and thematic units about spring, happiness, and nature.
Resources
Browse by Book Title Browse Classroom Resources Use the Resource Wizard Teacher Guides Digital Classroom Guides
Customer Service
Get Samples Contact Us Frequently Asked Questions Purchase Orders Login
About Us
Our Story Become a Member
Fine Print
Terms of Use Subscriber Agreement Privacy Policy Refund Policy Disclaimer Digital Resource User Agreement Student Privacy Policy Trademark and Copyright Notice
Content and Downloadable content Copyright ©2010-2025 Thinking Tree Enterprises, LLC. All other trademarks, service marks and trade names referenced on this site are the property of their respective owners. Please see our Terms of Use.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
©BookPagez.com 2010 - 2023
Search by Grade Level
Search by Reading Level
Search by Theme

Reset

Let’s Book Your 30-Minute Clarity Call
Select a day and time that works for you.
[ssa_booking type=clarity-call]

Resource Downloading disabled

Your ability to download resources is currently disabled. Please contact us at support@bookpagez.com

Oops!  It looks Like You're Getting Carried Away. 

When you joined BookPagez, you agreed to follow our Terms of Use. Based on your download activty, it looks like you've gotten carried away.

You are allowed to download resources to use in your classroom for the duration of your subscription. You are not allowed to bulk download resources. In other words, it's against the rules to download all (or most) of the resources. That's stealing, and it's not nice.

Please check your email for a message from us. Reply to the email and let us know what's going on so we can reactivate your account.
In order to continue, please indicate that you agree with the terms above

Get instant access to this resource plus thousands more when you join today.

  • Teach with the best books
  • Always have access to new resources (published every month!)
  • Get full access to Digital Classroom
  • Finally have time to "fit it all in" with super efficient lesson plans
  • Enjoy fast planning tools and stay organized with your personal file cabinet and dashboard
Save 50% for a Limited Time
Get Started
Already a member? Login here.