Preview
Copywork
About This Passage
Notice how Rylant gives us emotion in the second sentence and then proves it in the next three — by listing the empty places where Dave used to be. The writing teaches us that the absence of a thing can be louder than its presence.
When Dave the cat was gone, Henry and Mudge felt very sad. The towel closet was shut. The bathtub was empty. The dog toys were still.
Full copywork activity with handwriting lines available in the complete study guide.
Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
In your own words, tell the story of this chapter. What were the most important moments? What made them important — and how do you know?
Discussion Questions
- In chapter 1, Henry's father said the family would only keep the cat until they found its home. In chapter 3, the home is found — and the family is sad about it. Did the family really mean what they said back in chapter 1, or had they secretly changed their minds? What in chapters 1 and 2 makes you think so?
- Some of the people who came to look at the cat were 'very rude' and made fun of it. Why does Cynthia Rylant include the rude people in the story? Without them, would the chapter be less interesting? What do they show us about Dave and the family?
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
speaking or acting in a way that is unkind and hurts others
Item 2
the only one of its kind, different from anything else in the world
Item 3
large paper signs put up in public to give a message
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Critical Thinking
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