Zoe and the Stray Cat (Fiction Passage)

Start with a minute of talk: What should a family think about before bringing home a stray animal? Then have students read the story on page 1, about 220 words in 5 short paragraphs. Ask them to notice what the characters say, do and feel. The second page asks five questions. Have students mark the sentence that proves each choice, then write the two responses in complete sentences. Check the work with the answer key.

Zoe and the Stray Cat gives 4th grade students a fiction passage of about 220 words about a girl who notices a stray cat near the bus stop and the family that helps her, followed by five questions. The questions practice the theme or lesson of the story, vocabulary in context and cause and effect, and the sheet is aligned to Common Core RL.4.2. An answer key is included.

Zoe and the Stray Cat is a fiction passage of about 220 words about a girl who notices a stray cat near the bus stop and the family that helps her. It is written for 4th grade readers (ages 9-10) and has 5 short paragraphs, so students can read it in one sitting.

Its five questions, three multiple choice and two written, practice vocabulary in context, the theme or lesson of the story and cause and effect. Questions include "What can you tell about Zoe from how she treated the cat" and "What happened because Zoe's family made a sign". The sheet is aligned to Common Core RL.4.2, and the answer key is included so you can check responses quickly.

Try this conversation starter: What should a family think about before bringing home a stray animal? Before reading, ask students to predict what might happen from the title. After reading, have them retell the story in two or three sentences before they answer the questions.

Most students need about 20 minutes for the passage and the questions together. The sheet works at a kitchen table with a parent talking through the written answers, or at a reading center as independent work on the theme or lesson of the story and vocabulary in context.