1. A Kitten By Eleanor Farjean Included: The poem and rigorous question set activities promoting higher level-thinking development

2. Tier 1 Poem Jacob’s Ladder Goals & Objectives Habits of Mind

3. A Kitten He's nothing much but fur And two round eyes of blue, He has a giant purr And a midget mew. He darts and pats the air, He starts and cocks his ear, When there is nothing there For him to see and hear. He runs around in rings, But why we cannot tell; With sideways leaps he springs At things invisible – Then half-way through a leap His startled eyeballs close, And he drops off to sleep With one paw on his nose.

4. Students will be able: Ladder B B1: Details - To list specific details or recall facts related to the text or generate a list of ideas about a specific topic or character. B2: Classifications - To categorize different aspects of the text or identify and sort categories from a list of topics or details. B3: Generalizations - To make general statements about a reading and/or idea within the reading, using data to support their statements. Ladder D D1: Paraphrasing—To restate lines read using their own words. D2: Summarizing—To provide a synopsis of text sections. D3: Creative Synthesis—To create something new using what they have learned from the reading and their synopsis. Ladder F F1: Understanding Words – to identify and explain the meaning of figurative language or new vocabulary within the context of a story or poem. F2: Thinking About Words – to analyze the use of words within the context as related to the theme of a text. F3: Playing With Words – to accurately apply figurative language and new vocabulary to newly created contexts.

5. Habits of Mind Working Interdependently Thinking about Thinking (metacognition) Innovating, Creating, Imagining Refer to Jacob’s Ladder Story Table for Ladder B, D, & F Thinking Questions.

6. Tier 2 Rigor (Discussion) High Level Strategies with Ladder B, D, & F Questions

7. Discussion Strategies: Think-Pair-Share, Write-around, Sequencing pictures, Role Play, Journaling Choose 3 of 4 questions below to complete. B1: What are the interesting observations the poet makes about the antics of the kitten? Make a list of the different ones she records. B2: What other kittenish behavior have you observed? Can you add them to your list in B1? How would you classify or categorize the behaviors. D1: Distinguish what kitten act is the funniest in the poem. Create a picture to illustrate the behavior. F1: Identify the pattern of rhyming in the poem. Look at the end of each line and see what word at the end rhymes with.

8. Tier 3 Rigor (Discussion) High Level Strategies with Ladder B, D, & F Questions

9. Discussion Strategies: Think-Pair-Share, Write-around, Sequencing pictures, Role Play, Journaling Choose 2 of 3 questions below to complete. B3: How would you define a kitten? Provide an overall definition based on the kitten behaviors in the poem. D2: What do you think this poem is about? Write or (dictate) a short summary of it. F2: What is the effect of rhyme on how you relate to the poem?

10. Tier 4 Reflections/Relevance

11. Choose one of the ideas to complete. Be creative. 1. Create a poem about another animal that describes its defining behaviors. What words are good for describing behavior? Make a list and select the best ones for your own poem. Try to use the rhyming approach seen in this poem. 2. Create a list of rhyming words that describe an animal and their behavior. Use one of the project ideas below to show and organize your list Optional project strategies: Role Play; Create a Puppet Show; Charts, Posters, Flyers, Brochures: Create dialogue for 2 people, Picture Dictionary.