Lesson Plans for The Cricket in Times Square

Day 1

Vocabulary Word of the Day  - scrounging

scrounging - scrounge  'skraunj   - to get as needed by or as if by foraging, scavenging, or borrowing - to search about and turn up something needed from whatever source is available.

Page 1   -  And when he wasn't collecting, "scrounging" as he called it, or sleeping, he liked to sit at the opening of the drain pipe and watch the world go by - at least as much of the world as hurried through the Times Square subway station.

Read Chapter 1 "Tucker" pages 1-7.

Compound Word Puzzles

Portals

• pages 8-9 Compound Words

Make a cricket from a clothes pin OR cricket mask.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/alienempire/multimedia/cricket_BW.pdf

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Day 2

Vocabulary Word of the Day  - quality

quality kwŏl'ĭ-tē - high grade; superiority; excellence

page 15 Papa was very proud that his newsstand carried all of what he called the "quality magazines".

Read Chapter 2 "Mario" pages 9-17. Take comprehension quiz.

Portals

• page 10 Adding Endings

• page 11 (orally with response cards) on Syllables

English Lesson 1 Contractions using NOT

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Day 3

Vocabulary Word of the Day  - logical

logical  lŏj'ĭ-kəl   -  reasonable; to be expected

Page 22 - "I hopped down from the stump and went off toward the smell," said Chester.

     "Very logical," said Tucker Mouse, munching with his cheeks full.

Read Chapter 3 "Chester" pages 18-26.

Portals

• page 12 Base Words

• page 13-14 (orally with response cards) Where When How

English Lesson 2 Contractions with pronouns

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Day 4

Vocabulary Word of the Day  - acquaintance

acquaintance   &-'kwAn-t^&n(t)s   - the state of being acquainted: personal knowledge; knowing firsthand.

Page 1   -  "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance," said Harry Cat in a silky voice.

Read Chapter 4  "Harry Cat" pages 27-34. Take comprehension quiz.

Portals

• page 16 (orally with response cards) Fact and Opinion

English Lesson 3 Plural Nouns - adding -s or -es

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Day 5

Vocabulary Words of the Day  - enchanting & thesaurus

enchanting -  enchant   /in-'chant/ - to influence by or as if by charms and incantation

Page 39 - "How delightful!" said Mr. Smedley. "What an enchanting little creature."

thesaurus - a dictionary of synonyms and antonyms

Worksheet found in student packet page 19 Practice with this week's vocabulary words.

Read Chapter 5 "Sunday Morning" pages 35-41. Take comprehension quiz.

Portals

• page 17 Sequencing Events

• page 18 Synonyms

Make a strawberry soda the way Mickey made it. Page 38 - Mickey took a table spoon and put a drop of strawberry syrup into it. They he added a drop of cream, a squirt of soda water and a dip of ice cream about as big as your fingernail. That is how you make a cricket's strawberry soda.

English Lesson 4 Plural Nouns - nouns ending with consonant plus y

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Day 6

Vocabulary Word of the Day  - pagoda

pagoda /p&-'gO-d&/   -  a Far Eastern tower usually with roofs curving upward at the division of each of several stories and erected as a temple or memorial

Page 46 - He was carrying a cricket cage in the shape of a pagoda. There were seven tiers to it, each one a little smaller than the one below, and it ended in a slender spire.

Read Chapter 6 "Sai Fong" pages 43-51. Take comprehension quiz.

Portals

• page 19-20 Classifying Words

Enjoy eating a Chinese Fortune the way Mario did.

Mario went to China Town to buy a cricket cage. Build your own cricket cage.  Mulan Print Center - saved on a disc.

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Day 7

Vocabulary Word of the Day  - luxury

luxury  - Something expensive or hard to obtain

Page 56 - "Do you want to sleep in the cage?" asked Chester.

     "Oh-could I!" exclaimed the mouse. His idea of luxury was to spend a night in such surroundings.

Read Chapter 7 "The Cricket Cage" pages 53-60. Take comprehension quiz.

Portals

• page 22 Antonyms
• page 23 Determining Feelings

English Lesson 5 Plural Nouns - words that end with f, ff, or fe

Money Chart Activity

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Day 8

Vocabulary Word of the Day - furiously

furiously - furious /'fyur-E-&s/   - marked by noise, excitement, activity, or rapidity
fiercely, frantically, frenziedly

Page 62 - Chester shook the silver bell furiously; it rang like a fire alarm.

Read Chapter 8 "Tucker's Life Savings" pages 61-73. Take comprehension quiz.

Portals

• page 25-26 Inferences

TCAP Coach Lesson 15 Inferences

English Lesson 6 Plural Nouns - irregular nouns

This could be a math activity. - In Chapter 8 you learn about Tucker Mouse's life savings. He has collected:

2 half dollars
5 quarters
2 dimes
6 nickels
18 pennies

Using these coins only, list all the possible ways that Tucker could pay back the $2.00. Use the chart below to help you. An example has been done for you.

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Day 9

Vocabulary Words of the Day  - luscious & possessive nouns

luscious  /'l&-sh&s/  -   having a delicious taste or smell

Page 79 The pieces of roasted duck were swimming in a luscious, sweet sauce.

possessive nouns - a noun that shows ownership to someone or something

Read Chapter 9 "The Chinese Dinner" pages 75-83. Take comprehension quiz.

Portals

• page 28-29 Main Idea

English Lesson 7 Singular Possessives

Have a Chinese dinner. Decorated the room with Chinese lanterns and fans. Order take out from a local Chinese restaurant. Eat with chopsticks.

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Day 10

Vocabulary Words of the Day - insulated & cause/effect 

insulated - insulate /'in(t)-s&-"lAt/ - to separate from conducting bodies by means of nonconductors so as to prevent transfer of electricity, heat, or sound

Page 85 - . . . There, " he went on with especial pride, "it is happening I have a heart-proof, insulated bag saved up for just such an occasion.

cause/effect  - the relationship between two things when one thing makes something else happen

Worksheet found in student packet page 20 Vocabulary Practice for Week 2

Read Chapter 10 "The Dinner Party" pages 84-95. Take comprehension quiz.

Portals

• page 30-31 Meaning Through Context

• page 32 Cause and Effect

English Lesson 8 Plural Possessives

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Day 11

Vocabulary Word of the Day - subsided

subsided  -   subside   /s&b-'sId/   - to let oneself settle down
 

Page 99 - He saw that Chester was in his cage, though, and decided that it would be best to keep quiet until Mama's outburst of grief had subsided.

Read Chapter 11 "The Jinx" pages 97-105. Take comprehension quiz.

Portals

• pages 33-34 Special Meanings

English Lesson 9 Plural Possessives

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Day 12

Vocabulary Word of the Day  - illustrious

illustrious   /i-'l&s-trE-&s/   - notably or brilliantly outstanding because of dignity or achievements or actions

Page 116 I urge -- I implore! -- every man, woman, and child who has music in his soul not to miss one of his illustrious -- nay, his glorious -- concerts!

Read Chapter 12 "Mr. Smedley" pages  107-116. Take comprehension quiz.

English Lesson 10 Comparative and Superlative Adjectives with -er & -est

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Day 13

Vocabulary Word of the Day  - entomologists

entomologist  /"en-t&-'mä-l&-jist/   entomology - a branch of zoology that deals with insects

Page 129 "You should take him to a bug doctor," said Mama. "What do you call them?"

     "Entomologist," said Mario, holding the leaf for Chester to nibble.

Read Chapter 13 "Fame" pages 118-129. Take comprehension quiz.

Portals

• pages 38-39 Choosing Correct Meaning
• pages 40-41 Making an Outline

TCAP Coach Lesson 4 Multiple Meaning Words

English Lesson 11 Comparative and Superlative Adjectives with more & most

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Day 14

Vocabulary Word of the Day  - ambling

ambling  /'am--b(&-)li[ng]/ - walking slowing

Page 131  - Harry followed him, ambling silently along, as always

Read Chapter 14 "Orpheus" pages  131-140. Take comprehension quiz.

Note to tell students:   Orpheus was believed to be one of the chief poets and musicians of old, and the inventor of the lyre. With his music and singing, he could charm wild beasts, coax the trees and rocks into dance and even reroute the course of rivers.

English Lesson 12 Irregular Comparative and Superlative Adjectives

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Day 15

Vocabulary Words  of the Day  - smidgin & analogy

smidgin  /'smi-j&n/   - a small amount

Page 141 - For dessert there was a Hershey bar -- a smidgin from one corner for Chester and the rest for Mario.

analogy - .  a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based; a comparison of two different things that are alike in some way

Worksheet found in student packet page 21 Vocabulary Practice for Week 3

Worksheet found in student packet page 22 Analogy Worksheet

Read Chapter 14 "Grand Central Station" pages 141-151. Take comprehension quiz.

Take AR Quiz

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Day 16

Before watching the movie ask these questions:

• What problems might a screenwriter have in adapting this book into a movie?

Watch the animated video of The Cricket in Times Square and have the students compare and contrast the two.

English Test

Vocabulary Test

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