Close Call, A 6-pack Author: Anna Kenna ISBN: 9780478122763 Copyright Date: 1999 Lesson Plan Blackline Master Grade Level: 4 Reading Level: P Strategy/Skill: Writer's craft, Vocabulary and word study, Making predictions, Figurative language, Character study Genre: Realistic Fiction Theme/Topic: Pets, Humor, Family Classification: Fiction

Book Summary

When Harry “borrows” his father’s cell phone for the day, the result is a sequence of events involving Harry, his father, and Harry’s pet rat.  Despite
Harry’s mistake, the story shows that there is a strong bond between him and his father and that Harry learns from his actions.

Features of the Book

• The pun in the title
• The use of metaphor in the opening paragraph
• The third person point of view
• The range of verbs – spooned, dangled, swung, flipped, blurted, lunged, thundered
• Alliteration – clatter of cutlery and crockery
• Informal language – c’mon, see ya, yeah, bye

Purpose

A Close Call can be used to introduce and reinforce the following skills:

• exploring how the author sets the scene and introduces characters
• predicting outcomes of characters’ actions
• discussing how characters change as the result of experience
• examining the use of metaphor
• investigating the use of verbs

For more information please see our Lesson Plan