Question as You Read to Monitor Comprehension Read The Tale of Peter Rabbit for your students. Pause to reflect with the following questions.
- Can you recall Peter’s siblings named?
- Where did they live?
- Where did Mrs. Rabbit say her children could visit while she was gone?
- Why do you think Mrs. Rabbit mentioned Mr. Rabbit had been placed in a pie?
- Which items did Peter lose in the garden?
- What are some of the problems Peter faced while in Mr. MacGregor’s garden?
- What did Mr. MacGregor do with Peter’s items?
- Did Peter tell his mother what he had done?
Recognizing Conflict and Suspense Also, as you read, emphasize the suspenseful moments in the story by stating “Oh, no!” or “Oh my!” After a couple of tries, listen to see if students can pick up on when to make the exclamation. At the end of the story, ask why they made the exclamation—because they were imitating you or because something suspenseful had happened? Because every story has problems and because those problems often go from bad to worse, suspense is created in the story.
Recognize, Write, and Pronounce Vocabulary Choose a selection of sight words from the book. Write them on index cards using colorful markers. Cut the words into pieces and ask students to reassemble the cards. Once the puzzle is complete, pronounce the words. Add to the fun by writing the words on carrot cut-outs. You can also cut words to introduce word blends found in the story. Scaffold this activity by providing a handout with the words so students can practice writing the sight words.
Reflect and Respond After reading, challenge students to infer and draw their own conclusions from the following questions based on the story.
- How was Peter different from his siblings?
- Why do you think Peter disobeyed his mother?
- How do you know Peter regretted his decision to visit Mr. McGregor’s garden?
- If this was the second pair he had, what do you think happened to the first pair of shoes and jacket Peter owned?
- What lessons did Peter learn from his day in Mr. McGregor’s garden?
- How would you change the story?
Visualizing Setting/Cause and Effect Draw a map of Mr. MacGregor’s garden. Make a game of the picture by drawing complications into the picture, such as the fence, a fox, Mr. MacGregor’s shovel, or Mrs. MacGregor and her pot. Have students create a paper rabbit puppet to hop through the garden and explain the consequences of hopping in one direction or another. Use a graphic organizer to demonstrate actions have consequences.
Characterization and Building Vocabulary Increase student vocabulary by helping them list words to describe Peter’s behavior. Post the words around a picture of Peter. Sort negative traits from positive traits. If some words are synonymous, pair them together so students can visualize the connection between the words.
