The playful exaggerations in Judi Barrett’s classic—pancakes the size of houses, storms of hamburgers, and rivers of orange juice—make it an ideal text for helping students practice the skill of determining importance. As they read, children learn to distinguish the humorous details that add flavor from the key events and characters that drive the story forward. With guidance, they come to see that the most important ideas center on the townspeople’s problems, the choices they make, and the resolution that brings Grandpa’s story to a close.
This resource provides everything you need to bring that thinking to life in the classroom. A step-by-step comprehension strategy lesson plan is paired with before-reading activities to build background and vocabulary, while guided questions and answer keys support close reading. Reflection tools such as Strategy Slips and graphic organizers help students track their learning, and the included extension project—a creative postcard from Chewandswallow—gives them a chance to highlight the three most important facts they’ve discovered in a playful, memorable way.
Use Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett to strengthen your students' comprehension skills, build their vocabulary, and help them understand how words work.
