River Rats 6-pack Author: Angie Belcher ISBN: 9780478122862 Copyright Date: 1999 Lesson Plan Blackline Master Grade Level: 4 Reading Level: R Strategy/Skill: Character study, Figurative language, Using graphic sources Genre: Procedure, Recount Theme/Topic: Adventure, Challenge Classification: Nonfiction

Book Summary

This action-packed, first-person narrative takes readers on an emotional roller-coaster ride as two girls roll, dip, and dive their way down whitewater rapids.

Features of the Book

• Colloquial language – go hard, easy stuff, take a break, hang in there
• The metaphors – river rats, chicken seats, spaghetti rafting, Meat Grinder
• Enlarged text integrated with photographs
• The use of verbs – roll, dip, dive, bounce, race, rock, spin, jam, slide, sweep, whip
• The prologue in italics
• Personification of the raft, the river, and the trees
• The blurred and curved images to create a sense of movement
• Present tense to convey immediate events
• Internal and external dialogue

Purpose

River Rats can be used to introduce and reinforce the following skills:

• exploring the features of a personal narrative
• discussing the use of figurative language such as metaphors
• identifying the use of personification
• discussing the impact of visual techniques
• exploring the emotions of the characters

For more information please see our Lesson Plan