Wild Dog Den: Storytime and Social Skills for Fans of Foxes, Coyotes and Wolves
This ongoing class for learners who love wild dogs such as foxes, coyotes and wolves is a social emotional skills class/book club hybrid with a healthy dose of laughter, creative drama and problem solving mixed in.
Meredith J. Berlin
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(432)
What's included
1 live meeting
25 mins in-class hours per weekClass Experience
The relaxed atmosphere of this class make it a great opportunity for learners to get to know new friends with a common interest. There is plenty of time allowed for sharing knowledge, showing drawings or pages from favorite books, or showing peers a wild dog stuffed animal or toy. In addition, each week's story includes a social skill to explore as we act out part of the story or give advice to the characters. Each day of class includes: -Friendly greeting and introduction -Warm up game or activity -Opportunity for learners to share a "show and tell" item, fun fact, joke or a page of a book related to wild dogs -Read a book or hear a story that includes a fox, coyote, wolf or other wild dog -Identify the problem or conflict in the book and suggest solutions -Explore a social skill through discussion and/or practice as a character from the story -Closing discussion, game or question to think about Stories we will explore each week: 2023: September 5: "Fox and the Jumping Contest" by Corey R. Tabor September 12: "Coyote and the Laughing Butterflies" by Harriet Peck Taylor September 19: "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf", by John Scieszka September 26: "What Will I Do Without You?" by Sally Grindley & Penny Dann October 3: "Wolf in the Snow" by Matthew Cordell October 10: "Turtle's Race with Wolf", a Seminole tale retold by James Bruchac& Joseph Bruchac, Ph.D. October 16: "Little Fox and the Wild Imagination," written by Jorma Taccone with art by Dan Santat October 23: No class Oct 30: "The Little Wolves," written by Svenja Herrmann, illustrations by Jozef Wilkon Nov 6: "Pinduli," by Janell Cannon November 13: "Fox at Night" by Corey R. Tabor Nov 20: "Dingo" by Claire Saxby, illustrated by Tannya Harricks Nov 27: Wild Dogs and Canines! by Martin Kratt and Chris Kratt Dec 4: "Little Fox in the Forest" by Stephanie Graegin Dec 11: "The Hyena Scientist" text by Sy Montgomery, photography by Nic Bishop 2022: Week of May 1: "How to Find a Fox" by Nilah Magruder Week of May 8: "No Matter What" by Debi Gliori Week of May 15: "Shake the Tree" by Chiara Vignocchi Week of May 22: "Coyote and the Laughing Butterflies" by Harriet Peck Taylor Week of May 29: "Coyote in Love: The Story of Crater Lake", Retold and Illustrated by Mindy Dwyer Week of June 6: "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by A. Wolf", by John Scieszka Week of June 13: "Fox the Tiger" and "Fox at Night" by Corey R. Tabot Week of June 20: "Pinduli" by Janell Cannon SUMMER BREAK FROM THIS CLASS Week of August 15: "Lone Wolf" by Sarah Kurpiel Week of August 22: "Wolf in the Snow" by Matthew Cordell Week of August 29: "The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig" by Eugene Trivizas and Helen Oxenbury Week of Sept. 6: "Little Wolf's First Howling" by Laura McGee Kvasnosky & Kate Harvey McGee Week of Sept. 12: "What Will I Do Without You?" by Sally Grindley & Penny Dann Week of Sept. 19: "Fox: A Circle of Life Story" by Isabel Thomas Week of Sept. 26: "Fox and the Jumping Contest" by Corey R. Tabor Week of Oct. 3: "Apples for Little Fox" by Ekaterina Trukhan Week of October 10: "Little Fox" by Edward Van de Vendel and Marije Tolman
Other Details
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined April, 2020
5.0
432reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Hello! My name is Meredith. My favorite thing to do is CREATE in community, and that includes collaborating with my community of learners here on Outschool. I love providing students with tools to communicate effectively and tell stories through writing, acting, movement, improvisation, drawing and design. I feel inspired as I watch their skills grow during our work together. I enjoy using my imagination and 30 years of teaching experience to plan each new class and customize the curriculum to match my students' interests and learning goals. Working in partnership with families and students is important to me, because as a parent I know how much it means to have a teacher take the time to really get to know my child and help them get the most out of an educational experience.
PLEASE NOTE: For most of July and August of 2023 I will be taking a break from teaching any live online classes. I look forward to seeing you in late August or September!
When I'm not teaching you can find me acting, directing or writing plays and books.
Some of my favorite acting roles include a monster, a fairy, a movie star and a queen.
I also like to play with my cat, draw, dance and take long walks by the lake near my home in Seattle, Washington, USA.
I grew up in New York City and received my BA at Yale College. I have performed and taught in many towns and cities in the United States. Some of my most inspiring experiences have been my years with Living Stage in Washington, DC and at Seattle Children's Theatre. I have also written a chapter book: "The Ghostlight Kids Get Hooked," an adventure that takes place backstage in a theater.
I would say the skill that most defines me as a teacher is listening carefully to what each student has to offer and weaving that into the direction a class is taking, whether that means centering a story on students' suggestions or recalibrating a lesson plan on the spot. My oldest child (now an adult) is neurodivergent, and I find that my experiences with my child and other ND students has made me a good partner for learners with a wide range of learning styles.
In addition to teaching creative drama, acting and Improv I have taught Math, Language Arts, Health Ed concepts and Science concepts to small groups of learners. I have training in trauma informed practices as well as techniques for teaching Social Emotional Learning through the Arts. I have experience leading friendship groups and community service projects.
I have been teaching for over 30 years and every day is a new, exciting adventure. I learn as much as I teach!Reviews
Live Group Class
$8
weekly1x per week
25 min
Completed by 11 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 4-7
2-6 learners per class
