A white house in the shape of a cat
Adriano A. Biondo/Biondopictures.Com
Mini Read,

A Purr-fect School

Why is this school shaped like a cat?

By Meg Richardson
From the October/November 2022 Issue
Lexile: 370L
Guided Reading Level: G
DRA Level: 12
Featured Skill: Key Details,
Topic: Social Studies,
Common Core Standards
  • RI.2.1 Key details RI.2.4 Vocabulary RI.2.5 Nonfiction text features RI.2.10 Read grade-2-appropriate informational text SL.2 Participate in conversations about grade-2 texts
TEKS Standards
  • Social Studies
    (13) Science, technology, and society. The student understands how science and technology have affected life, past and present. The student is expected to: (B) explain how science and technology have affected the ways in which people meet basic needs.

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Some schools are shaped like squares. Some are rectangles. Not this one! 

This school looks like a cat. It is in a country called Germany. 

The cat’s eyes are windows. Its mouth is the door. Its tail is a slide for kids. 

Why is it shaped like a cat? The people who made it wanted kids to feel excited about school. They thought this cat building would make school more fun. 

Courtesy Dog Bark Park Inn/dogbarkpark.com

dog hotel

More Animal Buildings

Exotica/Alamy Stock Photo

fish office

There are other buildings shaped like animals. There is an office that looks like a fish. People work there. 

There is a hotel that looks like a dog. People can sleep there. Dogs can too! 

Which animal building would you want to visit?

Slideshows (1)
Activities (5)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Slideshows (1)
Activities (5) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)

More About the Article

Social Studies Focus

People, places, and environments

Vocabulary

building, office

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

1. BEFORE READING

Preview the Nonfiction Text Features / Visuals (5-10 minutes)

  • Take a look at the nonfiction text features. First, focus on the big photo. Ask kids to share what they notice about the images of the buildings. 
  • Next, look at the labels on the photos. Ask kids to read them.

Preview Vocabulary (5 minutes)

  • Play the online vocabulary slideshow. This story’s featured words are building and office.

Text Preview Bookmarks (5-10 minutes)

  • Our skills page has both fiction and nonfiction options for kids to cut out to help them preview the text. They can use the nonfiction bookmark for this story.

2. READ THE ARTICLE (10 minutes)

  • You can read this short article aloud together as a class, in small groups, or individually.

3. AFTER READING

ELA Focus: Quiz (10 minutes)

  • Pass out the quiz for a quick comprehension check.
  • We offer both multiple-choice and written- answer formats for the quiz.

ELA Focus: Write Key Details to Nosey at [email protected] (20 minutes)

  • It’s time to help Nosey fill out her Fact File! Print out Nosey’s Fact File from the Resources section of our website. Kids can find facts from the article. They can work in small groups or individually.
  • Each fact box is scaffolded to help kids know what to write.
  • You can also do this as a whole class activity and email their Fact Files to Nosey at [email protected]!

ELA Focus: Writing and Labeling (15 minutes)

  • With the “Make Your Own Animal Building” printable, kids can design their own animal- shaped buildings. Then they can write about them and label each part of them.

Independent Learning: Whole Issue Scavenger Hunt (15 minutes)

  • We created a scavenger hunt for several stories in this month’s Storyworks 2, including the mini read. The scavenger hunt can be done by students independently at home or during class time.
  • This is a self-contained group of slides that guide your students on a scavenger hunt through the whole issue. It’s not only fun, it also helps them make text-to-text connections.
  • To find it, look in your Resources section. Scroll down to Activities. You will see it there.

Text-to-Speech