The Cricket in Times Square


Book Description

After Chester lands, in the Times Square subway station, he makes himself comfortable in a nearby newsstand. There, he has the good fortune to make three new friends: Mario, a little boy whose parents run the falling newsstand, Tucker, a fast-talking Broadway mouse, and Tucker's sidekick, Harry the Cat. The escapades of these four friends in bustling New York City makes for lively listening and humorous entertainment. And somehow, they manage to bring a taste of success to the nearly bankrupt newsstand. Join Chester Cricket and his friends in this classic children's book by George Selden, with illustrations by Garth Williams. The Cricket in Times Square is a 1961 Newbery Honor Book.




The Cricket in Times Square - Literature Kit Gr. 3-4


Book Description

Be uprooted and dropped into a busy and overwhelming city to learn about friendship and belonging. Take all the work out of planning a lesson so there's more time focused on comprehension and engaging hands-on follow-up activities. Do some research on the importance of crickets in the Chinese culture. Compare Chinatown with Times Square by listing three differences. Describe Chester's dream and what he did in response to it. Find the words the author used to represent sounds and explain what sounds they represent. Imagine what it would be like for Harry and Tucker to visit Chester in the country. Get into the 'skin' of Tucker to tell how he would act if he found money in Times Square. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: The Cricket in Times Square is the Newbery Honor-winning story of a cricket who finds himself taken away from his country home and dropped right in the Times Square subway station. Chester Cricket enjoys his home in Connecticut; however, one day he is brought to the city and immediately misses home. While in Times Square, Chester meets Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat, who quickly become friends with the musical insect. Chester is also adopted by Mario, a young boy who's family runs a small newspaper stand in the station. Throughout the story, Chester finds himself amidst many obstacles and struggling to prove he belongs in the big city.




Babe: The Gallant Pig - Literature Kit Gr. 3-4


Book Description

Anyone can overcome their destiny in this story of a pig who saves himself from the table. Great discussion questions engage students to think deeper about the text. Students explore the concept of prejudice and give an example of this from their own experiences. Write sentences using the vocabulary words from the story. Identify statements about Babe herding ducks as true or false. Brainstorm reasons why Farmer Hogget never named his pig. Conduct an interview with Babe for the London Times. Create a trading card for one of the characters in the book. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Everyone is astonished when sheep farmer Hogget brings home a pig from the county fair. Shortly after his arrival, the piglet is adopted by the sheepdog. Destined for the oven, Babe changes that destiny by becoming skilled at the process of sheep-herding. Babe is taken to the Sheepdog Trials, where he astonishes the judges and spectators by excelling at herding the sheep. Babe: The Gallant Pig is a charming story with an unforgettable cast of characters. A number of positive themes run throughout the novel including the dangers of prejudice and stereotyping, leadership styles, and the positive results that can come through hard work, perseverance and courage. Set in rural America, other themes are those of farm life, sheep, sheepdogs, pigs and sheepdog trials.




Sarah, Plain and Tall - Literature Kit Gr. 3-4


Book Description

A unique view on a survival story helps students to value the need for companionship. The comprehension quiz works great as a study guide for a final exam. Students begin by imagining the hardships with living as a pioneer on the American prairies. Answer true or false questions about Sarah's letter to Anna and Caleb. Complete sentences from the story with their missing vocabulary words. Do some investigation to learn about mica, something that Sarah says her dune sparkled with. Use events from the story to inspire a tercet poem. Students imagine interviewing Sarah about her experiences. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: A story filled with wisdom, gentle humor and the practical concerns necessary for a satisfying life. This Newbery Medal-winning story is based on the true adventures of a family living on the vast prairie in the early years of the 20th century. The story begins when Anna and Caleb—missing their mother who died—wish for another woman to make their father laugh again. Sarah responds to an ad, stating she will come by train, wearing a yellow bonnet and that she is plain and tall. And into their lives comes Sarah—with her own needful loneliness and searching—to help them create a whole family. But life on the endless prairie can be hard and unforgiving, taking all a person's strength and courage just to survive.




The BFG - Literature Kit Gr. 3-4


Book Description

Let your heart be warmed by this unlikely tale of friendship and overcoming the odds. Offer a variety of options to review the material, from pre-reading to post-reading activities. Predict what will happen in the story prior to reading the events. Put events in order that they happened when Sophie came up with a plan to stop the giants. Find the synonym that matches the underlined vocabulary word in a sentence. Describe the BFG's movements in the shadows from Sophie's perspective. Students reflect on how the story ends and create their own giant to live in this world. List the characters and ways they were touched by dreams in a Dreamcatcher Graphic Organizer. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: The BFG is an incredible story about man-eating giants and one girl's plan to stop them for good. Sophie is a young orphan girl living in England. One night she is having a hard time sleeping. Deciding to sneak to the window and look out at the dark streets, Sophie sees something strange. An extremely tall man, sneaking about and looking into the upstairs windows of each home he passes. This man suddenly turns and sees Sophie. Attempting to hide under the covers of her bed, Sophie is quickly snatched up and taken to a strange world called Giant Country. There she meets her captor, the Big Friendly Giant. Sophie soon learns the horrifying truth of what happens every night around the world, and soon comes up with a risky plan to save all humans from the giants.




Frindle - Literature Kit Gr. 3-4


Book Description

Make learning about words fun again with a clever tale about a boy who invents a new word for the dictionary. Our resource is ready-made, saving you time when preparing a lesson plan for this novel. Set a purpose for reading by establishing which vocabulary words students are not familiar with. Show your comprehension of the novel with multiple choice questions. In a journal prompt, use your critical thinking skills to predict what career Nick will have when he grows up. Understand the difference between similes and metaphors by writing your own in a writing task. Share your favorite part of the story by drawing a cartoon strip. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Frindle is the story of a clever, time-wasting schemer’s innovative plan to create his own word for the dictionary. Ten-year-old Nick Allen has a reputation for developing ingenious plans that distract teachers. For the first time ever, his diversions fail to create the desired results in Mrs. Granger’s fifth grade language arts class. Instead of distracting her, he ends up with an extra assignment and oral presentation on how new entries are added to the dictionary. Surprisingly, the boring assignment leads to Nick’s most clever idea yet when he decides to create his own new word—frindle. Nick recruits five fellow students to support his efforts in changing the name of pen to frindle. Their insistence on referring to pens as frindles causes a major commotion when Mrs. Granger’s passion for vocabulary and strict emphasis on the correct use of language result in a battle of wills that threatens to disrupt the whole school. Their war of words spreads beyond the school resulting in after-school punishments, a home visit from the principal, national publicity, economic opportunities for local businessmen, and, eventually inclusion in the dictionary.




The Hundred Penny Box - Literature Kit Gr. 3-4


Book Description

Students gain a new sense of respect for age and the treasures that accumulate with it. Helpful outlines of activities makes this resource easy to implement into any classroom. Find facts about the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Draw and color a picture of what the penny box may look like. Students explain the sentence "you worry me to death to play" in their own words. Complete a chart by matching vocabulary words to their meanings. Predict what like will be like for Michael with Aunt Dew for the next few months. Write a story describing Aunt Dew's move to Michael's home in her own point of view. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: The Hundred Penny Box is the Newbery Honor-winning story of a boy and his great-great aunt. Michael has a 100-year-old great-great aunt who keeps an old wooden box full of 100 pennies, one for each year she's been alive. Attached to each penny is a memory of what happened in Michael's aunt's life the year each coin was minted. Born in 1874, her first coin represents the Reconstruction. The 1930 penny represents the death of her husband. Michael enjoys to hear the stories attached to each penny, but soon finds that his great-great aunt is as old and feeble as the box that carries them.




Chocolate Fever - Literature Kit Gr. 3-4


Book Description

Explain the importance of healthy eating with this strange tale of overindulgence. Use this resource for multiple activities for use with independent reading groups. Design a character chart that details Henry and his relationship with his family. Connect words from the chapter to their meaning. Students explain what they already know about germs and how they spread, prior to reading the chapter. Step into Henry's shoes and imagine what it would be like to be scared and confused at the hospital. Put events from the chapter in the order that they happen when Henry escapes from the hospital and runs into a gang of bullies. Conduct an interview with a classmate to find out how your thoughts of the novel differ. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Chocolate Fever tells the story of a young boy's strange illness caused by his unusual eating habits. Henry Green loves chocolate. He eats it all the time and on everything. He enjoys chocolate syrup on his mashed potatoes, chocolate sprinkles on his buttered noodles, and cocoa dusted on canned peaches, pears and applesauce. The best part is, he never gains weight, gets a cavity or ruins his skin. Until now. One day at school, Henry notices chocolate-smelling brown spots all over his body. A trip to the hospital finds that Henry's spots are made of 100% pure chocolate, causing the doctor to diagnose him with 'chocolate fever'. Afraid, Henry decides to run away. He runs right into some bullies. Henry gets away by convincing them that his illness is a highly contagious and deadly disease. Henry's adventures continue as he wonders whether he will ever be cured of his 'chocolate fever'.




Charlotte's Web - Literature Kit Gr. 3-4


Book Description

Step out on a farm and learn the true meaning of friendship among the animals. Use a variety of true or false, fill-in-the-blank and multiple choice questions to check comprehension. Sequence events from the story in the order that they happened. Students share their opinions on the lifespan of animals on a farm. Write the vocabulary word from the book next to its meaning. Write the name of the character next to their quote from the novel. Describe how Wilbur tried to make himself look 'radiant'. Predict what Charlotte's 'masterpiece' will be. Describe Templeton's character using examples from the book. Complete a Spider Web Map to list the main ideas of the story. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Charlotte’s Web is a magical story about childhood, friendship, and loyalty. An eight-year-old girl named Fern saves the life of a newborn piglet named Wilbur and the adventure begins. Soon, Wilbur and the other animals in the barn cellar are a great part of Fern’s life. Wilbur notices that everyone in the barn is busy except him. He becomes lonely and sad. A sweet voice comes out of the darkness of the barn cellar and says, “I’ll be a friend to you.” The voice belongs to a small gray spider named Charlotte A. Cavatica. Charlotte turns out to be a wonderful friend. She listens to Wilbur and enjoys his child-like ways. Soon he finds out what might happen to him when the cold weather comes. Charlotte promises to find a way to save his life. Through the wondrous writings in her web, Charlotte does save Wilbur’s life. And because he is her true friend, Wilbur saves Charlotte’s future.




Little House on the Prairie - Literature Kit Gr. 3-4


Book Description

Find out what life on the prairie was really like with this retelling of actual events. The thorough and comprehensive questions are great for small group work. Students put themselves in Laura's shoes as she experiences the hardships of living on the prairie. Test student comprehension of key vocabulary words found in the novel. Students explore what they learn about life on the prairie, particularly with how Pa builds the log cabin. Challenge students to describe Laura's surroundings while living on the prairie. Reenact your favorite scene from the novel in small groups. Complete a story map graphic organizer, following the events that take place during Laura's time on the prairie. Aligned to your State Standards and written to Bloom's Taxonomy, additional crossword, word search, comprehension quiz and answer key are also included. About the Novel: Little House on the Prairie follows one family's journey to a new home and new beginnings. Laura lives in a house in the Big Woods. But the area is becoming too crowded. Her father decides to uproot and move out to the prairies, where the land is vast and plentiful. On their journey, the family must cross two great rivers before the ice melts. They camp out alone with very little between them and their harsh environment. Soon they arrive on the prairie and choose a place to settle. But their hardships don't end there. While they build their new log cabin and get used to their surroundings, the family must survive illness, fires, wolves, and an increasing native population. As they finally settle in and prepare to plant their first crop, the family's year living on the prairie comes to an end. Little House on the Prairie is an educational story about what life was like in the American Midwest during the 19th century.