Cat Tales

Type:

                        FLP Middle Grades – Writing and Dramatization

Age/Group:

                        3^rd to 8^th grade

Time Length:

                        1 class period

Materials Needed:

                        Writing Materials

                        Costume/Makeup

                        T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.

                        Making of Lion King.

National Goals:

                        Goals 1 – 3, 6, & 7.

Objectives:

                        The student will develop creative writing and oral presentation skills

                        Technology: Use Video recording to assist with performance critiques.

Procedure:

                        Has anyone in class ever seen a musical production in a theater or a musical movie, such as The Lion King?  The musical Cats is based on a book of poem’s written for children by a poet, T.S. Eliot.  Share book. If possible take class to library to find some books on cats of all kinds.  Share the books in class.

            Students will write their own Cat Tales.  First, brainstorm together all the different kinds of cats.  House, feral, ocelots, tigers, cheetahs, lions, etc.  Make a list on the board. 

            Ask each child to decide which kind of cat to be.  If more than one child would like to be the same kind of cat, have them team up to create a Cat Tale together.  Have the children create personalities for their cats.  Are they sweet, scary, smart, foolish, young, old, happy, or sad?

            Once your class is ready to write, distribute Worksheet to help them from the onset.  Tell them they are going to right a story about their cat.  The story should be written in the 1^st person.  Explain simile and metaphor.  The story should have a beginning, middle, and end; should include who, what, where, how, and why; and should include a “problem” that the cats must resolve.

            When complete ask for a volunteer to share 1^st.  After sharing session  make a class book of Cat Tales.  Extension is to dramatize the Cat Tales.  They can plan costumes and makeup to look like cats.  Several cats or even the whole class may act out each tale as the author cat reads.  Music can be added as background.

            Technology:  Visit the following sites and pick and animal.  Create a paper on that animal using the Cat Tale worksheet.  Students can include pictures or clipart.

            Http://www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo

            Http://www.mindspring.com/~zoonet

San Diego zoo site: 3,800 animals ( 800 different species)

Zoonet provides a listing of all the real zoo’s and online zoo’s across the world

 

 

Evaluation:

            The students will be graded based on the following Rubric:

 

Writing:	Comments:
Answered all Questions	1   2   3   4
Legible Handwriting	1   2   3   4
Used a Simile	1   2   3   4
Used a Metaphor	1   2   3   4
Sharing:
Volunteered	1   2   3   4
Listening while others share	1   2   3   4
Behavior:
Willingness to Participate	1   2   3   4
Cooperation with classmates	1   2   3   4
Attitude	1   2   3   4
On Task	1   2   3   4
Total Points:

 

CAT TALES

 

Kind of Cat: ________________________  Cat’s Name:__________________________

 

Personality: ________________________ (Sweet, scary, smart, foolish, old, young, happy or sad)

 

1^st Person Story:

Problem: ______________________________________________________________

Include: (Who, What, When, Where, and Why)

 

Beginning          _________________________________________________________

 

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Middle         ____________________________________________________________

 

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End                   _________________________________________________________

 

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