Owl+and+the+Pussycat

Day 1

 * 1) Preview title (what is a pussycat) and cover. Ask what good readers do before they start to read: they look at the book and make predictions.
 * 2) Sometimes they change predictions: take cover predictions, then have students look at each picture and talk to themselves about what they predict. Have each student share one page.
 * 3) Focus on inferring words meanings. One things good readers do is they use the words in a story to help them figure out the meaning of words they don't know. This story is written like a poem: it rhymes and it has rhythm. It also is kind of old-fashioned, and uses old-fashioned language. So there are lots of words you might not know, but you are going to get to be experts at them by the end of the week.
 * 4) Model with page 3: pea-green (think aloud). Echo read the page.
 * 5) Continue to echo read and have students infer words meanings. Do about half the book today.
 * 6) page 4: note
 * 7) page 7: fowl
 * 8) Connections: What would you take with you in a boat to sea?

Day 2

 * 1) Review how to infer unknown words:
 * 2) think about what makes sense, using evidence from the story
 * 3) plug it in to see if it fits
 * 4) Continue to echo read and infer:
 * 5) wed, page 8
 * 6) Pong-tree, page 9
 * 7) wood, page 10
 * 8) dined, page 13
 * 9) Demonstrate reading with expression and have them practice independently.
 * 10) Is this fiction or non-fiction? We call this "fantasy" because it is very made up and silly and could never happen.

Day 3

 * 1) Today we are going to retell the story in a shorter way. Re-read it and see if you can figure out the most important things that happen so we can tell them together.
 * 2) Review strategies for tricky words.
 * 3) Re-tell together: characters, setting, problem. Model with a think-aloud, then introduce the sequencing worksheet.

Day 4

 * 1) Review expression: punctuation, quotation marks.
 * 2) Do some practicing and performing and work on fluency.