“Feline Shenanigans” Week 26 Fourth Grade

Einstein – Champion of the World (Fiction, Level 14, Stage 3) by Alan Trussell-Cullens

Our family has been talking about getting a cat lately. We haven’t had any furry pets since our kids were born, and they’ve always wanted either a dog or a cat (as most kids do). So we’ve been trying to work out just how much cost and responsibility is involved, especially for a family like us that travels all the time. And then this week we met Einstein – a cat that earned the title “Champion of the World” in a rather funny way, and it started us thinking just how much fun a cat could really be. With animal characters named Napoleon, Christmas Dinner, and Bird Brain, this story was entertaining from beginning to end, which always helps my fourth grader engage in the learning activities in the Guided Lesson.

 

The activity I want to highlight this week is the list of writing activities. Each day after we completed the reading and book discussion the book was removed, and the student was asked to use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, grammar and usage as he answered one of the following questions: Think about and write about which part of today’s story was funny or surprising to you; Think about and write about a time when you or a friend had an unusual experience with an animal, similar to the experiences with Napoleon and Einstein in the book; and Think about and write a paragraph about why Einstein should be or should not be called a champion. Through these writing prompts Elijah was able to take the story from the text and not only comprehend it but also digest and process it on his own terms, which is a skill he needs in order to become a great writer one day.

 

For more information about the AlphaSkills Read with Sarah curriculum and our family, see the AlphaSkills Blog Introduction.