Scaredy Squirrel

Charts show a few of the things that Scaredy Squirrel is scared of: tarantulas, killer bees, and sharks. Bulleted lists demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of never leaving his tree. Timelines with days of the week show the predictability of his life, and other timelines show his daily routine. Step-by-step instructions show his emergency preparedness, and there's even an emergency exit plan included. Of course, an emergency occurs and the squirrel is capable of quite an amazing feat- flying.

English/Language Arts

␣ This book would be excellent to introduce text features: maps, charts, symbols, diagrams, picture representation, print size and color, captions, and others. a. Read the story to the students and point out various aspects of text listed above. Introduce other text features that do not appear in the book and have students create examples of each that would go along with the book idea. Suggested text features are an index, glossary, cut-away, graph, label, boldface type, headings, and picture glossary. b. Using non-fiction books that you check out from the library, have students practice finding text features from the above activity. Have the students create their own booklet (copy attached).

␣ For a lesson in organizing details for a writing topic, students could benefit from the lists that Scaredy is so fond of making. Discuss with your students how brainstorming lists is a key way to plan what they want to include in their writing. Students may take one of the lists and practice writing an interesting, creative paragraph based on the details Scaredy provides.