Amazing Cats

Objectives:

• Students will be able to recall details about various stories of cats in interesting situations.

• Students will use inference and paraphrasing to answer questions about the reading.

Suggested Grades:

2nd Grade - 3rd Grade - 4th Grade

Lesson Procedure:

Print the reading comprehension passage and questions (see below).

Students should read the passage silently, then answer the questions. Teachers may also use the text as part of a classroom lesson plan.

Lesson Excerpt:

Cats are truly amazing animals. For centuries, people have suspected them of having special powers. In fact, the Egyptian word for cat - "mau" - means "to see." And sure enough, cats seem to be able to "see" or predict things like earthquakes and storms. In China, people have turned to cats for centuries to get clues that an earthquake might be coming. Cats can sense changes in the earth that humans can't feel. If an earthquake is coming, they can feel the vibrations long before the earth shakes, and they will run away from the area where the quake is going to happen. Cats may also be able to tell when a storm is coming. The build up of electricity in the air that happens before a storm effects a cat's brain. Cats will paw at their ears when this happens, and this can be a signal that a storm is coming.

Continued...