Fourth Grade Rats guide - Talented Teaching Blog



Fourth
Grade
Rats


by
Jerry
Spinelli







Name:______________________________________________
Number:________










Before
we
read…


Read
the

blurb
on

the
back
of

the
book.


Draw
a

picture
of

how
you

visualize
a

fourth

grade
rat.











Write
four
sentences
to
describe
a
fourth
grade
rat.

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Write
three
things
that
you
predict
will
happen
to
Suds
in
this
book.


1._______________________________________________________________________________________________


2._______________________________________________________________________________________________


3._______________________________________________________________________________________________


Reread
this
part
of
the
blurb:

“Suds
knows
that
now
that
he’s
in
the
fourth
grade,
he’s

supposed
to
be
a
rat.
But
whenever
he
tries
to
act
like
one
something
goes
wrong.
Can

Suds’s
friend
Joey
teach
him
to
toughen
up…or
will
Suds
remain
a
fourth
grade
wimp.”


Suds
is
having
trouble
fitting
in
the
fourth
grade.
Make
a
text
–to‐self
connection
about
a

time
that
you
had
trouble
fitting
in
with
everyone
else.



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Book
Background


Title:________________________________________________________________________________________


Author:
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Genre________________________________________________________________________________________


Setting

 Description




 


 


 




 


























































Important
 External
Features

 Internal
Features

 Other
important

Characters

 (What
you
can
see
from
the
 details
to
remember

(What
you
know
about

outside)
 them
on
the
inside)
 





 


 


 


 


 


 


 





 


 


 


 


 


 






















































































Chapter
1:
Rats
Don’t




Vocabulary


Word
 Copy
the
sentence
where
you
found
the
 What
do
you
think
the
word

means?

word

To scream or yell
howled
 “I howled. As loud as I could”

(p2)


snickering


(p3)



bulged

(p5)


smirking

(p6)


wagging

(p7)





Joey
is
always
telling
Suds
things
that
Rats
don’t
do.
Make
a
list
of
all
the
things
Joey
says

rats
don’t
do.


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Write
facts
that
you
know
about
Joey
and
Suds.
You
should
think
of
5
facts
for
each
boy.













































































































Joey



















 
 
 
























Suds








Chapter
2:
Real
Meat




Word
 Copy
the
sentence
where
you
found
the
 What
do
you
think
the
word

means?

word


big‐shot


(p
7)


chomping



(p
9)


physical

(p
9)

squirmy

(p
11)

glum


(p
11)

swiped


(p
11)




How
does
Mrs.
Simms
make
Suds
feel?
Why
does
she
make
him
feel
that
way?

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At
the
end
of
chapter
2,
Joey
write
s
a
note.
What
did
the
note
say?

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Make
an
inference.
Why
do
you
think
Joey
gave
Suds
that
note?

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Chapter
3:
Number
One





Word
 Copy
the
sentence
where
you
found
the
 What
do
you
think
the
word

means?

word


plunk



(p
13)


feistier


(p
14)


bolted


(p
14)


rotten


(p
16)




Make
a
text
to
world
connection.
On
page
13
it
says:


“We
were
going
to
powwow
at
the
tire
swings.”

Where
do
you
know
the
word
powwow
from?
What
does
powwow
mean
in
the
book?

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Suds
and
Joey
have
different
opinions
about
being
rats.
Fill
in
the
table
below.


Joey
wants
to
be
a
rat
because:
 Suds
is
nervous
about
being
a
rat
because:






















































Chapter
4:
Zippernose
and
Bubba


Word
 Copy
the
sentence
where
you
found
the
 What
do
you
think
the
word

means?

word


slumped


(p
19)


stroked

(p
20)


puckered

(p
22)



baring


(p
23)


screeched

(p
24)


rodent


(p
24)






Visualize
Suds.
What
do
you
think

he
looks
like?
Draw
a
picture
here.

Use
information
from
the
book.





Write
a
caption
for
your
picture
here:

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________________________________________________


Suds
is
starting
to
change
at
the
end
of
chapter
4.
What
does
he
do
that
shows
character

change?


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Chapter
5:
You’re
Not
Funny


Word
 Copy
the
sentence
where
you
found
the
 What
do
you
think
the
word

means?

word


cornered


(p
25)


sneered


(p
25)


shriveled

(p
26)


dull
(p

30)


charged

(p
30)





Make
an
inference.
Who
do
you
think
called
Suds
at
the
end
of
Chapter
5?


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Write
a
prediction
paragraph.
What
do
you
think
is
going
to
happen
next?

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Chapter
6:

Joey
Becomes
a
Man


Word
 Copy
the
sentence
where
you
found
the
 What
do
you
think
the
word

means?

word


snarled
(p


31)





squealing


(p
31)


nominated

(p
32)


cruising


(p
32)


gawking


(p
33)


convulsions

(p
33)


swarmed

(p
33)


visible


(p
35)



cooed


(p
37)


screeched

(p
38)


traitor


(p
39)


What
does
it
mean
to
take
care
of
Number
One?
What
is
Joey
doing
to
take
care
of
Number
One?

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What
happens
to
Joey
that
Suds
thinks
makes
him
into
a
man?

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At
the
end
of
the
chapter,
Suds
is
jealous
of
Joey.
Why
is
Suds
jealous?
Can
you
make
a
connection?

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Visualize
one
scene
from
this
chapter.
Sketch
that
scene
here

Write
a
caption
for
your
illustration:
___________________________________________________________________________________


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Chapter
7:
Trashing
Joey’s
Room


Word
 Copy
the
sentence
where
you
found
the
 What
do
you
think
the
word

means?

word


stunned


(p
42)


violent
(p

44)


disgusted

(p
46)


rattled
off

(p
46)



innocent

(p
47)


On
page
44,
Suds
tells
Joey:


“the
only
thing
about
you
that’s
turning
rat
is
your
brain.”


What
does
he
mean?


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Make
an
inference.
Why
do
you
think
Suds
decides
to
let
Joey
teach
him
how
to
be
a
rat
at

the
end
of
chapter
7?


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Chapter
8:
Training
Camp


Word
 Copy
the
sentence
where
you
found
the
 What
do
you
think
the
word

means?

word


bawling


(p
49)


cassette


(p
49)


steered
(p

51)

conditions

(p
51)

window

sill
(p
53)

shingles

(p
51)


obey


(p
51)

hack

(p
55)


What
five
things
does
Joey
do
to
teach
Suds
to
be
a
rat?

1.______________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.______________________________________________________________________________________________________

3.______________________________________________________________________________________________________

4.______________________________________________________________________________________________________

5.______________________________________________________________________________________________________





Write
a
summary
of
Suds’s
training.
Does
Suds
pass
any
of
Joey’s
tests?

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Chapter
9:
You
Want
a
Rat?


Word
 Copy
the
sentence
where
you
found
the
 What
do
you
think
the
word


word
 means?


slunk



(p
58)


swipe



(p
59)


spasms



(p
60)


unconscious


(p
60)



pried



(p
60)


heaved



(p
60)





At
the
end
of
chapter
9,
Suds
screams:



“Okay,
you
want
a
rat,
you
got
a
rat!”



What
does
that
mean?
What
do
you
predict
will
happen
next?
Write
a
prediction


paragraph.



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Make
a
connection.
Suds
and
Zippermouth
don’t
always
get
along.
Can
you
make
a

connection
with
the
way
Suds
feels
about
his
relationship
with
his
sister.


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Chapter
10:
No!


Word
 Copy
the
sentence
where
you
found
the
 What
do
you
think
the
word

means?

word


rampage


(p
61)


snatched



(p
61)


pounced


(p
62)


plucked


(p
62)


recovered

(p
63)



daze
(p
63)


swatted


(p
66)


mobbed


(p
66)





Make
a
list
of
all
the
rat
things
that
Suds
does





- snatched a Twinkie from a little kid______________________________________________

- ____________________________________________________________________________________________

- ____________________________________________________________________________________________

- ____________________________________________________________________________________________

- ____________________________________________________________________________________________

- ____________________________________________________________________________________________

- ____________________________________________________________________________________________


Why
does
Judy
start
to
like
Suds?


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Chapter
11:
What’s
Wrong
with
Joey


Word
 Copy
the
sentence
where
you
found
the
 What
do
you
think
the
word

means?

word


nudged



(p
67)


lively



(p
68)


snicker‐
snort
(p
68)





Make
an
inference.
Joey
suddenly
stopped
acting
like
a
rat.
Why
do
you
think
he
changed

his
behavior?

What
do
you
think
is
wrong
with
Joey?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________


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Make
an
inference.
How
do
you
think
Suds
feels
about
the
way
that
Joey
is
acting?

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Chapter
12:
Me
and
Judy
Billings


Word
 Copy
the
sentence
where
you
found
the
 What
do
you
think
the
word

means?

word


anxious



(p
71)


screeched

(p
71)


huffed


(p
71)


slumped


(p
71)


thimble


(p
72)


outgrow


(p
72)


scrunched

(p
74)


appeared

(p
75)


blubbered

(p
76)


sniveled

(p
76)


mussed

(p
77)



shenanigans

(p
78)


confession

(p
78)





What
is
your
opinion:
Do
you
think
that
Joey
should
have
apologized
to
Suds?
Is
it
Joey’s

fault
that
Suds
started
acting
like
a
rat?

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Make
a
prediction.
What
do
you
think
Joey
will
confess
to
his
mother?

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Chapter
13:
Confession


Word
 Copy
the
sentence
where
you
found
the
 What
do
you
think
the
word


word
 means?


ripsnorter



(p
80)


dumbfounded


(p
81)


quivering


(p
81)


blurry
(p
81)


admitting


(p
82)


Make
a
connection.
Suds’s
mom
helped
him
feel
better.
Think
about
a
time
that
you
helped
someone
feel

better
or
when
someone
else
made
you
feel
better.


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Draw
a
comic
strip
of
Suds’s
conversation
with
his
mom.
Be
sure
to
include
what
they
say
to
each
other.

You
can
use
your
own
words.