HAMSTER MAGIC, A Stepping Stone Book
by Lynne Jonell
The Willow family has just moved to a huge, inviting country home nestled atop a wooded hill and overlooking a flowing stream. It should be the perfect place for four active children for a year while their father works on an important job for a year and their mother finally has a chance to paint pictures. The youngest sibling, Celia, is tired of being the littlest, the one who is blamed for everything. Now she is being blamed for letting Hammy, their hamster, out of its cage to run away. But she didn't. All she did was to try to teach him to open his cage door and then be grateful enough to say, "Thank you."
When Celia hears a tiny voice squeaking. "Lemme out! Lemme out!" coming from inside a suitcase under the stairs, she finds the lost Hammy, and now she knows that Hammy can talk. Getting him to talk for her brothers and sister was another problem, though. When he finally agrees to talk to keep from being put back into his cage, he tries to bribe his way to freedom by offering to grant one magical wish. Four kids. One wish. As they try to decide on the one wish, Celia carelessly wishes that she were big. Wish granted! She becomes a big ... hamster! What happens next is a series of hysterical events that will keep you laughing and guessing what will happen.
Hamster Magic is a perfect read-aloud for grades 1-2 and a terrific fantasy for third and fourth graders. The Kids Wings unit multiplies the fun and provides interaction through puzzles, group projects, an original readers theater script, problem solving that builds skills, and a Jeopardy-type game for the whole class to enjoy at the end. Hamster Magic will be a favorite addition to your home or school library!
This Kids Wings Literature Guide was written by Kids Wings Associate Z.J. Humbach and Suzy Red and comes to you in PowerPoint and PDF formats for excellence in printing and projection.
The Activities in this unit include:
* Before and After Reading Discussion Cards
* Readers' Theater Script for 6 Voices
* Studying Hamsters, A KWL Chart
* Chapter 1, Pages 1-13, Vocabulary, A Quick Write, Predict-Read-Confirm
* You're the Illustrator!
* Chapter 2, Pages 14-31, Vocabulary, A Quick Write, Predict-Read-Confirm
* Comprehension Check-up for Chapter 2: Multiple Choice and Short Answer Questions
* Prewriting: If I Had a Pet …
* Draw a Picture of You and Your Pet
* Stationery for Your Writing
* Chapter 3, Pages 32-51: Vocabulary, A Quick Write, Predict-Read-Confirm
* Words to Pictures, Visualizing the Text, Chapter 3
* Wishful Thinking, Short Answers
* Decode the Secret Message
* Chapter 4. Pages 52-68: Vocabulary, A Quick Write, Predict-Read-Confirm
* Summarizing the Events, Chapter 4
* Lost in the Woods, A Maze
* Chapter 5, Pages 69-86: Vocabulary, A Quick Write, Predict-Read-Confirm
* Chapters 6 and 7: Pages 87-105, Predict-Read-Confirm, Quick Writes
* Think About Math! Chapters 6 and 7
* Hamster Math, Chapters 6 and 7
* Crossing Hamster Magic Vocabulary
* My Letter to the Author
* * A 53-Page Jeopardy-Type Game*
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