The Very Cranky Bear: Vocabulary Mat has been designed to accompany a whole class reading of the picture book The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland. This handy resource is ideal for students to refer to when completing written responses and literacy activities related to the story.

With both colour and black and white options available, the Vocabulary Mat can be used as part of a classroom display or printed and glued into students’ workbooks for easy reference. It provides targeted vocabulary that will support students in building rich, descriptive language and deepening their understanding of the text.

Whether used during modelled, shared or independent writing tasks, this versatile mat encourages students to incorporate story-related vocabulary into their own writing, reinforcing word knowledge and promoting confident language use.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Build vocabulary knowledge linked to a familiar text
• ✅ Promote accurate and expressive language use in writing
• ✅ Support oral and written responses to literature
• ✅ Encourage confident use of descriptive and text-based vocabulary
• ✅ Reinforce comprehension through repeated exposure to key words

What’s Included:

• Vocabulary mat in colour
• Vocabulary mat in black and white

Materials Needed:

• Printed The Very Cranky Bear: Vocabulary Mat (colour or black and white)
• Glue (if students are adding the mat to their writing books)
• Blu-tack or pins (if creating a classroom display)

How to Use:

1. Read The Very Cranky Bear with your class.
2. Introduce the Vocabulary Mat and discuss the key words included.
3. Print and distribute the mat to students to use as a reference tool during writing tasks.
4. Encourage students to use the vocabulary to support descriptive writing, oral retells, or responses to literature.
5. Use the mat to reinforce key vocabulary throughout your literacy unit.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Use during modelled, shared and independent writing tasks linked to The Very Cranky Bear.
• 💡 Display in the classroom as a visual reference to support vocabulary development.
• 💡 Glue into students’ writing books to encourage ongoing use of key story vocabulary.
• 💡 Include as a support tool in Literacy Rotations or small group writing sessions.

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Laminate class display versions of the Vocabulary Mat for durability.
• 💛 Highlight key words on the mat during reading sessions to promote active vocabulary building.
• 💛 Encourage students to add their own additional words to the mat as they deepen their understanding of the text.
• 💛 Use the mat to prompt oral retelling and rich classroom discussions about the story.

The Very Cranky Bear: Vocabulary Mat is a simple but powerful tool to support vocabulary development and enrich students’ oral and written responses to this much-loved text.

Check out more amazing resources related to The Very Cranky Bear in our The Very Cranky Bear PACKAGE.

Available in our basic fun font and all Australian state fonts.