A Cat Is: Language Arts/Science
Cats are cute. They can be loving and mysterious. Their fur, soft and downy, makes you want to tickle them. They can be
sneaky, too, and pesky; and they are definitely finicky eaters. There are so many words to describe cats. Make an A to Z list
with your class to list all the words they can think of to describe them. I’ve listed a lot below to help you. (Sorry, I couldn’t
think of descriptions that begin with X. If you think of any, let me know.)
A active, affectionate, alert, athletic, almond-shaped eyes,
B black, brown, bushy-tailed,
C calm, curly hair, curious, cuddly, claws
D domestic, downy-coat
E ears, energetic, even-tempered, eyes, easy-going,
F furry, friendly, fluffy, feline, fussy, finicky
G green-eyed, glossy, golden, gentle, graceful,
H hardy,
I inquisitive, independent
J jumpy
K kitten
L long-haired, lively, loving, litter box, lazy
M mellow, mysterious, meow
N nervous
O orange eyes,
P playful, plush, proud, purr, pets, pesky, picky
Q quiet, queenly
R ruddy, racy, restless
S soft, spotted, short-haired, scary, silky, sleek, sweet, slinky, sneaky
T tail, temperament, tan, tufted ears, tufted toes,
U ugly, upbeat
V velvety
W wild, whiskers, white,
X
Y yellow, yawning
Z zesty, zippy, zappy, zany
Name a Cat: Language Arts/Writing/Science
List breeds of cats: First have children name as many cats as they can think of. Start with the ones from the book That Cat
Can’t Stay. List them on a chart.
Examples:
Calico
Ginger
Tabby
Add others.
Examples:
Persian
Siamese
Main Coon
Himalayan
Manx
Burmese
Construct Acrostic Poems: Then have the children use the list from the lesson above to construct Acrostic Poems. Acrostic
poems use each letter in the topic word as the beginning letter of a new word to describe the topic. See examples below. (Use
this site for more information on writing acrostic poems: Acrostics for Children.)
C ats can be
A thletic
L oveable,
I nquisitive, and
C ute with
O range eyes
C ats are
A ffectionate and
L ively. They can be
I ndependent and
C uddly and sometimes
O rnery
P layful
E nergetic
R are
S hort-haired
I nquisitive
A ffectionate
N ervous
SUGGESTED WEBSITES:
(Although I examined these websites and found them to be very helpful, please use them at your own discretion.)
CFA: For Kids About Cats
Math Cats
Cats and Kids
FUN SITE for CAT NAMES
Cat Breed Descriptions
SUGGESTED BOOKS:
I Always, ALWAYS Get My Way written by Thad Krasnesky; illustrated by David Parkins
Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library! written by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter; illustrated by Steve James
How Many Cats? written by Lauren Thompson; illustrated by Robin Eley
The Best Cat written and illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev
If You Give a Cat a Cupcake written and illustrated by Laura Numeroff
Cats are cute. They can be loving and mysterious. Their fur, soft and downy, makes you want to tickle them. They can be
sneaky, too, and pesky; and they are definitely finicky eaters. There are so many words to describe cats. Make an A to Z list
with your class to list all the words they can think of to describe them. I’ve listed a lot below to help you. (Sorry, I couldn’t
think of descriptions that begin with X. If you think of any, let me know.)
A active, affectionate, alert, athletic, almond-shaped eyes,
B black, brown, bushy-tailed,
C calm, curly hair, curious, cuddly, claws
D domestic, downy-coat
E ears, energetic, even-tempered, eyes, easy-going,
F furry, friendly, fluffy, feline, fussy, finicky
G green-eyed, glossy, golden, gentle, graceful,
H hardy,
I inquisitive, independent
J jumpy
K kitten
L long-haired, lively, loving, litter box, lazy
M mellow, mysterious, meow
N nervous
O orange eyes,
P playful, plush, proud, purr, pets, pesky, picky
Q quiet, queenly
R ruddy, racy, restless
S soft, spotted, short-haired, scary, silky, sleek, sweet, slinky, sneaky
T tail, temperament, tan, tufted ears, tufted toes,
U ugly, upbeat
V velvety
W wild, whiskers, white,
X
Y yellow, yawning
Z zesty, zippy, zappy, zany
Name a Cat: Language Arts/Writing/Science
List breeds of cats: First have children name as many cats as they can think of. Start with the ones from the book That Cat
Can’t Stay. List them on a chart.
Examples:
Calico
Ginger
Tabby
Add others.
Examples:
Persian
Siamese
Main Coon
Himalayan
Manx
Burmese
Construct Acrostic Poems: Then have the children use the list from the lesson above to construct Acrostic Poems. Acrostic
poems use each letter in the topic word as the beginning letter of a new word to describe the topic. See examples below. (Use
this site for more information on writing acrostic poems: Acrostics for Children.)
C ats can be
A thletic
L oveable,
I nquisitive, and
C ute with
O range eyes
C ats are
A ffectionate and
L ively. They can be
I ndependent and
C uddly and sometimes
O rnery
P layful
E nergetic
R are
S hort-haired
I nquisitive
A ffectionate
N ervous
SUGGESTED WEBSITES:
(Although I examined these websites and found them to be very helpful, please use them at your own discretion.)
CFA: For Kids About Cats
Math Cats
Cats and Kids
FUN SITE for CAT NAMES
Cat Breed Descriptions
SUGGESTED BOOKS:
I Always, ALWAYS Get My Way written by Thad Krasnesky; illustrated by David Parkins
Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library! written by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter; illustrated by Steve James
How Many Cats? written by Lauren Thompson; illustrated by Robin Eley
The Best Cat written and illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev
If You Give a Cat a Cupcake written and illustrated by Laura Numeroff
Activity Guide / Lessons Plan by Donna O'Donnell Figurski
| That Cat Can't Stay Written by Thad Krasnesky Illustrated by David Parkins |
| Picture Books That Explore and Illuminate |
