Where Is White Rabbit?

by Susan Devereux illustrated by Matt Hunkin

Book Summary The Guided Reading Lesson Things are going missing at Ramona’s house – her S Making connections between own experiences and white rabbit, her brother’s sweater, and her mom’s the text gardening glove. Ramona and her brother set out to S Recognizing the structural features of a text, for solve the mystery. example, theme, plot, setting, characters S Paraphrasing and summarizing information Features of the Book • Direct speech • New clues revealed throughout the plot Materials needed • Third-person narrative • A copy of the text for each child and one for • Mystery the teacher • A dry-erase board or chart paper and markers Word Study Opportunities • Optional: the blackline master and a pencil for • Compound words – bedroom, footprints, lookout each child • Contractions – can’t, don’t, he’s, she’d, they’ll, we’ll, where’s Introducing the text • Verb endings “ed” and “ing” – asked, checked, peered; Read the title of the story and the names of the author boring, digging, gardening, missing and illustrator together. – Have you ever lost or mislaid a favorite toy? – What happened? Purpose – How did you feel? Where Is White Rabbit? can be used to introduce and reinforce the following standards-related skills: Read the blurb on the back cover together. S making connections between own experiences and – What is Ramona doing in the illustration on the back cover? the text; – What things go missing at your house? – Where are they usually found? S recognizing the structural features of a text, for example, theme, plot, setting, characters; – What does “solve the mystery” mean? S paraphrasing and summarizing information; Reading and discussing the text Ph S exploring the digraph “ch”; ✎ S writing a letter. This can be taken over two days. If your group can read the book with less support, adjust the lesson plan accordingly.

Day One Read the contents page together. Discuss the meaning of “Clue” and “On the Lookout.” Ask the children to read pages 3 and 4 silently. – What are Ramona and Luis talking about?

68 The children can now read to the end of the chapter Revisiting the Text silently. Write the headings Characters, Setting, Plot, and The activities below can be used immediately after Clues on chart paper and explain each heading. the guided reading lesson or during later reading – Who are the characters in this story? sessions as mini-lessons or individual activities. – Where is the story set? – What has happened so far in the story? Ph S Exploring the digraph “ch” – What clue have the children found? Write the children’s answers under the appropriate Write “porch” on the board. Circle the digraph “ch” headings on the chart. and have the students say the word aloud. – Can you find other words in chapter one that have “ch” Ask the children to read page 10 to find out why in them? Ramona is looking so sad. On the board, list the children’s suggestions, circling – Has this ever happened to you? the digraph (porch, checked, couch, searched, – What do you think Ramona should do? checking). Discuss the way “ch” is made from two letters that make one sound – a digraph. Ask the The children can now read to the end of the chapter to children to reread the book to look for “ch” words. find out what the next clue is. Add the new words to the list, noting the position of – What was the new clue? the digraph and reinforcing the learning by asking – What is a “stray cat”? the children to say each word aloud. – What new settings or characters can we add to the chart? S Recognizing the structural features of a text, for – What happened in this chapter? example, theme, plot, setting, characters Write the children’s ideas under the appropriate headings on the chart. Refer to the chart that was begun on Day One. Add information to the chart if it is incomplete. Discuss Day Two the role that each of the characters plays in the story. Use the chart from Day One to recall the plot so far. Explain that every character in a story should have a Discuss the different roles that the characters have in purpose and be important to the plot. Discuss the the story. different stages of the story’s plot development – What do you think the children should do next? (setting the scene, clues that make us want to read on, a solution to the mystery). Ask the children to read pages 18 to 23 silently. – Do you think this was a good story? Why? – What did Ramona find? – What did Luis mean by “It’ll be just like the movies”? ✎ S Writing a letter Add the new clue to the chart. Discuss how the plot has developed and the fact that each chapter has – What could Ramona and Luis do or say to persuade contained new information about the mystery. Explain Mom to let them keep one of the kittens? that this is the high point in the story – the reader has Use the children’s ideas to write a letter from Ramona lots of clues but doesn’t know how the story will end. and Luis to their mom, asking to keep a kitten. This is called suspense. B The children can complete the blackline master Look at the illustrations on pages 24 and 25 together. on page 95. – Why are Ramona and Luis interested in the cat? Ask the children to read pages 24 and 25 to see if their predictions were correct.

They can now read the rest of the book. When they have finished reading, briefly discuss how the story ends. – Do you think Mom’s decision was a good one? Why?

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