Ready Steady Read Together
Refugee: Fiction Lesson 3
What do you think you know?
What?
Who?
Why?
Where?
How?
When?
Book Talk: Let's explore this illustration.
Explore
What do you know and think?
People had even broken into the Havana Zoo and eaten the animals, and cats like this little kitten had ended up on dinner tables.
How might this extract link to the illustration?
Explore
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Today's Question(s)
A) How does the text show that food was scarce for Isabel and other people in Cuba?
B) What challenges did the Cuban people face after the Soviet Union collapsed?
Explore
Let me read today's text
Explore
Isabel
Just Outside Havana, Cuba – 1994
It took only two tries to get the scrawny calico kitten to come out from under the pink cinderblock house and eat from Isabel Fernandez’s hand. The cat was hungry, just like everyone else in Cuba, and its belly quickly won out over its fear.
The cat was so tiny it could only nibble at the beans. Its tummy purred like an outboard motor, and it butted its head against Isabel’s hand in between bites.
“You’re not much to look at, are you, kitty?” Isabel said. Its fur was scraggly and dull, and Isabel could feel the cat’s bones through its skin. The kitten wasn’t too different from her, Isabel realised: thin, hungry, and in need of a bath. Isabel was eleven years old, and all lanky arms and legs.
The kitten gobbled up the last of the beans and mewed pitifully. Isabel wished she had something else to give it, but this food was already more than she could spare. Her lunch hadn’t been much bigger than the cat’s – just a few beans and a small pile of white rice. There had been rationing and food coupon books back when Isabel was little. But a few years ago, in 1989, the Soviet Union had fallen, and Cuba had hit rock bottom. Cuba was a communist country, like Russia had been, and for decades the Soviets had been buying Cuba’s sugar for eleven times the price and sending the little island food and gasoline and medicine for free.
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
But when the Soviet Union went away, so did all their support. Most of the farms in Cuba grew only sugarcane. With no one to overpay for it, the cane fields dried up, the sugar refineries closed, and people lost their jobs. Without Russia’s gas, they couldn’t run the tractors to change the fields over to food, and without the extra food, the Cuban people began to starve. All the cows and pigs and sheep had been slaughtered and eaten. People had even broken into the Havana Zoo and eaten the animals, and cats like this little kitten had ended up on dinner tables. But nobody was going to eat this cat. “You’ll just be our little secret,” Isabel whispered.
“Hey, Isabel!” Iván said, making her jump. The cat skittered away underneath the house.
Iván was a year older than Isabel and lived next door. He and Isabel had been friends as long as she could remember.
“Iván!” his father called from next door. “I need your help in the shed.”
Iván climbed to his feet. “I have to go. We’re building…a doghouse,” he said, before sprinting away.
Isabel shook her head. Iván thought he was being sneaky, but Isabel knew exactly what he and his father were building in their shed, and it wasn’t a doghouse. It was a boat. A boat to sail to the United States.
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Vocabulary
Explore
Hover for definitions!
rationing and food coupon books
more than she could spare
pitifully
sugarcane / sugar refineries
rock bottom
slaughtered
Explore
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
I will model the first.
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
pitifully
Explore
Find Read Talk
The kitten wasn’t too different from her, Isabel realised: thin, hungry, and in need of a bath. Isabel was eleven years old, and all lanky arms and legs. The kitten gobbled up the last of the beans and mewed pitifully. Isabel wished she had something else to give it, but this food was already more than she could spare.
Reveal Vocabulary
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Your turn
pitifully
more than she could spare
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
rationing and food coupon books
rock bottom
sugarcane / sugar refineries
slaughtered
Use your text
Explore
Vocabulary Check & Re-read
Explore
Reveal Vocabulary
Isabel
Just Outside Havana, Cuba – 1994
It took only two tries to get the scrawny calico kitten to come out from under the pink cinderblock house and eat from Isabel Fernandez’s hand. The cat was hungry, just like everyone else in Cuba, and its belly quickly won out over its fear.
The cat was so tiny it could only nibble at the beans. Its tummy purred like an outboard motor, and it butted its head against Isabel’s hand in between bites.
“You’re not much to look at, are you, kitty?” Isabel said. Its fur was scraggly and dull, and Isabel could feel the cat’s bones through its skin. The kitten wasn’t too different from her, Isabel realised: thin, hungry, and in need of a bath. Isabel was eleven years old, and all lanky arms and legs.
The kitten gobbled up the last of the beans and mewed pitifully. Isabel wished she had something else to give it, but this food was already more than she could spare. Her lunch hadn’t been much bigger than the cat’s – just a few beans and a small pile of white rice. There had been rationing and food coupon books back when Isabel was little. But a few years ago, in 1989, the Soviet Union had fallen, and Cuba had hit rock bottom. Cuba was a communist country, like Russia had been, and for decades the Soviets had been buying Cuba’s sugar for eleven times the price and sending the little island food and gasoline and medicine for free.
Teacher Note: Re-read if time allows.
Text from
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Reveal Vocabulary
But when the Soviet Union went away, so did all their support. Most of the farms in Cuba grew only sugarcane. With no one to overpay for it, the cane fields dried up, the sugar refineries closed, and people lost their jobs. Without Russia’s gas, they couldn’t run the tractors to change the fields over to food, and without the extra food, the Cuban people began to starve. All the cows and pigs and sheep had been slaughtered and eaten. People had even broken into the Havana Zoo and eaten the animals, and cats like this little kitten had ended up on dinner tables. But nobody was going to eat this cat. “You’ll just be our little secret,” Isabel whispered.
“Hey, Isabel!” Iván said, making her jump. The cat skittered away underneath the house.
Iván was a year older than Isabel and lived next door. He and Isabel had been friends as long as she could remember.
“Iván!” his father called from next door. “I need your help in the shed.”
Iván climbed to his feet. “I have to go. We’re building…a doghouse,” he said, before sprinting away.
Isabel shook her head. Iván thought he was being sneaky, but Isabel knew exactly what he and his father were building in their shed, and it wasn’t a doghouse. It was a boat. A boat to sail to the United States.
Teacher Note: Re-read if time allows.
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Fluency
Explore
Let me use my reader's voice...
All the cows and pigs and sheep had been slaughtered and eaten. People had even broken into the Havana Zoo and eaten the animals, and cats like this little kitten had ended up on dinner tables.But nobody was going to eat this cat. “You’ll just be our little secret,” Isabel whispered.
What did you notice?
Explore
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
My Turn
Your Turn
Echo Read
All the cows and pigs and sheep had been slaughtered and eaten.
People had even broken into the Havana Zoo and eaten the animals,
and cats like this little kitten had ended up on dinner tables.
But nobody was going to eat this cat.
“You’ll just be our little secret,” Isabel whispered.
Explore
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Sound like a reader!
Stand up!
Choral Read
All the cows and pigs and sheep had been slaughtered and eaten. People had even broken into the Havana Zoo and eaten the animals, and cats like this little kitten had ended up on dinner tables.But nobody was going to eat this cat. “You’ll just be our little secret,” Isabel whispered.
Explore
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Strategy Focus
Explore
Strategy: Read Between the Lines
A) How does the text show that food was scarce for Isabel and other people in Cuba?
Be a detective and look for clues!
Teach
Let me show you
Reveal Text Marks
It took only two tries to get the scrawny calico kitten to come out from under the pink cinderblock house and eat from Isabel Fernandez’s hand. The cat was hungry, just like everyone else in Cuba, and its belly quickly won out over its fear.
A) How does the text show that food was scarce for Isabel and other people in Cuba?
Reveal Explainer
The word ‘scrawny’ and the fact that the frightened kitten came out after ‘only two tries’ shows that it was extremely hungry and desperate for food. The next line tells us that the food shortage affected animals and people. The Cuban people were just as hungry as the starving kitten.
Teach
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Strategy Stop
What else could you use to answer today's question(s)?
Teach
Your Turn
A) How does the text show that food was scarce for Isabel and other people in Cuba?
B) What challenges did the Cuban people face after the Soviet Union collapsed?
Find the answers
Text mark
Explore
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence - the cat was hungry, just like everyone else in Cuba - Isabel could feel the cat’s bones through its skin…the kitten wasn’t too different from her, Isabel realised: thin, hungry, and in need of a bath
widespread hunger
A) How does the text show that food was scarce for Isabel and other people in Cuba?
Text Mark Evidence - this food was already more than she (Isabel) could spare - there had been rationing and food coupons - without the extra food, Cuban people began to starve
food shortage
Text Mark Evidence - all the cows and pigs and sheep had been slaughtered and eaten - people had even broken into the Havana Zoo and eaten the animals - cats like this little kitten had ended up on dinner plates
desperate measures to find food
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence for decades the Soviets had been buying Cuba’s sugar for eleven times the price…with no one to overpay for it, the cane fields dried up, the sugar refineries closed, and people lost their jobs
no money for products / loss of income
B) What challenges did the Cuban people face after the Soviet Union collapsed?
Text Mark Evidence - for decades the Soviets had been…sending the little island food and gasoline and medicine for free…when the Soviet Union went away, so did all their support - without Russia’s gas, they (Cuban people) couldn’t run the tractors to change the fields over to food
no supply of food / gas / medicine
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Text Mark Evidence in 1989, the Soviet Union had fallen, and Cuba had hit rock bottom
Cuba faced its worst times
Practise & Apply
Quiz Time
Start
Picture Me
Which image is the best match for ‘sugarcane’?
Fill the Gaps
refineries
sugarcane
slaughtered
But when the Soviet Union went away, so did all their support. Most of the farms in Cuba grew only . With no one to overpay for it, the cane fields dried up, the sugar closed, and people lost their jobs. WithoutRussia’s gas, they couldn’t run the tractors to change the fields over to food, and without the extra food, the Cuban people began to starve. All the cows and pigs and sheep had been and eaten.
Click if correct
Discuss then check
Which One's Right?
The kitten gobbled up the last of the beans and mewed pitifully. Isabel wished she had something else to give it, but this food was already more than she could spare.
Which word best describes Isabel’s character based on this extract:
B selfish
A friendly
D stingy
C selfless
Sequence Me
Put these events in the correct order:
A) Isabel promised to keep the kitten safe so it didn’t become someone’s dinner.
B) Isabel shared her beans with the hungry kitten.
C) Iván greeted Isabel, scaring the kitten back under the house.
D) Isabel lured the scrawny calico kitten out from under the house.
Click if correct
Check
Feedback: Who did what well?
FindRead Talk
EchoRead
ChoralRead
ReadingStrategy
Answers & Text Marks
Other...
To be a book lover, you could...
discover new authors.
Reveal
Try books from writers you've never heard of to expand your horizons.
Copyright Notice
This document has been supplied under a CLA Licence with specific terms of use. It is protected by copyright and, save as may be permitted by law, it may not be further copied, stored, re-copied electronically or otherwise shared, even for internal purposes, without the prior further permission of the Rightsholder. Extracts sourced from: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017 Schools must purchase the original text for full content.
sugarcane
refineries
slaughtered
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Transcript
Ready Steady Read Together
Refugee: Fiction Lesson 3
What do you think you know?
What?
Who?
Why?
Where?
How?
When?
Book Talk: Let's explore this illustration.
Explore
What do you know and think?
People had even broken into the Havana Zoo and eaten the animals, and cats like this little kitten had ended up on dinner tables.
How might this extract link to the illustration?
Explore
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Today's Question(s)
A) How does the text show that food was scarce for Isabel and other people in Cuba?
B) What challenges did the Cuban people face after the Soviet Union collapsed?
Explore
Let me read today's text
Explore
Isabel Just Outside Havana, Cuba – 1994
It took only two tries to get the scrawny calico kitten to come out from under the pink cinderblock house and eat from Isabel Fernandez’s hand. The cat was hungry, just like everyone else in Cuba, and its belly quickly won out over its fear. The cat was so tiny it could only nibble at the beans. Its tummy purred like an outboard motor, and it butted its head against Isabel’s hand in between bites. “You’re not much to look at, are you, kitty?” Isabel said. Its fur was scraggly and dull, and Isabel could feel the cat’s bones through its skin. The kitten wasn’t too different from her, Isabel realised: thin, hungry, and in need of a bath. Isabel was eleven years old, and all lanky arms and legs. The kitten gobbled up the last of the beans and mewed pitifully. Isabel wished she had something else to give it, but this food was already more than she could spare. Her lunch hadn’t been much bigger than the cat’s – just a few beans and a small pile of white rice. There had been rationing and food coupon books back when Isabel was little. But a few years ago, in 1989, the Soviet Union had fallen, and Cuba had hit rock bottom. Cuba was a communist country, like Russia had been, and for decades the Soviets had been buying Cuba’s sugar for eleven times the price and sending the little island food and gasoline and medicine for free.
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
But when the Soviet Union went away, so did all their support. Most of the farms in Cuba grew only sugarcane. With no one to overpay for it, the cane fields dried up, the sugar refineries closed, and people lost their jobs. Without Russia’s gas, they couldn’t run the tractors to change the fields over to food, and without the extra food, the Cuban people began to starve. All the cows and pigs and sheep had been slaughtered and eaten. People had even broken into the Havana Zoo and eaten the animals, and cats like this little kitten had ended up on dinner tables. But nobody was going to eat this cat. “You’ll just be our little secret,” Isabel whispered. “Hey, Isabel!” Iván said, making her jump. The cat skittered away underneath the house. Iván was a year older than Isabel and lived next door. He and Isabel had been friends as long as she could remember. “Iván!” his father called from next door. “I need your help in the shed.” Iván climbed to his feet. “I have to go. We’re building…a doghouse,” he said, before sprinting away. Isabel shook her head. Iván thought he was being sneaky, but Isabel knew exactly what he and his father were building in their shed, and it wasn’t a doghouse. It was a boat. A boat to sail to the United States.
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Vocabulary
Explore
Hover for definitions!
rationing and food coupon books
more than she could spare
pitifully
sugarcane / sugar refineries
rock bottom
slaughtered
Explore
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
I will model the first.
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
pitifully
Explore
Find Read Talk
The kitten wasn’t too different from her, Isabel realised: thin, hungry, and in need of a bath. Isabel was eleven years old, and all lanky arms and legs. The kitten gobbled up the last of the beans and mewed pitifully. Isabel wished she had something else to give it, but this food was already more than she could spare.
Reveal Vocabulary
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Your turn
pitifully
more than she could spare
Find the word or phrase Read the sentence Talk about it to a partner
rationing and food coupon books
rock bottom
sugarcane / sugar refineries
slaughtered
Use your text
Explore
Vocabulary Check & Re-read
Explore
Reveal Vocabulary
Isabel Just Outside Havana, Cuba – 1994
It took only two tries to get the scrawny calico kitten to come out from under the pink cinderblock house and eat from Isabel Fernandez’s hand. The cat was hungry, just like everyone else in Cuba, and its belly quickly won out over its fear. The cat was so tiny it could only nibble at the beans. Its tummy purred like an outboard motor, and it butted its head against Isabel’s hand in between bites. “You’re not much to look at, are you, kitty?” Isabel said. Its fur was scraggly and dull, and Isabel could feel the cat’s bones through its skin. The kitten wasn’t too different from her, Isabel realised: thin, hungry, and in need of a bath. Isabel was eleven years old, and all lanky arms and legs. The kitten gobbled up the last of the beans and mewed pitifully. Isabel wished she had something else to give it, but this food was already more than she could spare. Her lunch hadn’t been much bigger than the cat’s – just a few beans and a small pile of white rice. There had been rationing and food coupon books back when Isabel was little. But a few years ago, in 1989, the Soviet Union had fallen, and Cuba had hit rock bottom. Cuba was a communist country, like Russia had been, and for decades the Soviets had been buying Cuba’s sugar for eleven times the price and sending the little island food and gasoline and medicine for free.
Teacher Note: Re-read if time allows.
Text from
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Reveal Vocabulary
But when the Soviet Union went away, so did all their support. Most of the farms in Cuba grew only sugarcane. With no one to overpay for it, the cane fields dried up, the sugar refineries closed, and people lost their jobs. Without Russia’s gas, they couldn’t run the tractors to change the fields over to food, and without the extra food, the Cuban people began to starve. All the cows and pigs and sheep had been slaughtered and eaten. People had even broken into the Havana Zoo and eaten the animals, and cats like this little kitten had ended up on dinner tables. But nobody was going to eat this cat. “You’ll just be our little secret,” Isabel whispered. “Hey, Isabel!” Iván said, making her jump. The cat skittered away underneath the house. Iván was a year older than Isabel and lived next door. He and Isabel had been friends as long as she could remember. “Iván!” his father called from next door. “I need your help in the shed.” Iván climbed to his feet. “I have to go. We’re building…a doghouse,” he said, before sprinting away. Isabel shook her head. Iván thought he was being sneaky, but Isabel knew exactly what he and his father were building in their shed, and it wasn’t a doghouse. It was a boat. A boat to sail to the United States.
Teacher Note: Re-read if time allows.
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Fluency
Explore
Let me use my reader's voice...
All the cows and pigs and sheep had been slaughtered and eaten. People had even broken into the Havana Zoo and eaten the animals, and cats like this little kitten had ended up on dinner tables.But nobody was going to eat this cat. “You’ll just be our little secret,” Isabel whispered.
What did you notice?
Explore
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
My Turn
Your Turn
Echo Read
All the cows and pigs and sheep had been slaughtered and eaten.
People had even broken into the Havana Zoo and eaten the animals,
and cats like this little kitten had ended up on dinner tables.
But nobody was going to eat this cat.
“You’ll just be our little secret,” Isabel whispered.
Explore
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Sound like a reader!
Stand up!
Choral Read
All the cows and pigs and sheep had been slaughtered and eaten. People had even broken into the Havana Zoo and eaten the animals, and cats like this little kitten had ended up on dinner tables.But nobody was going to eat this cat. “You’ll just be our little secret,” Isabel whispered.
Explore
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Strategy Focus
Explore
Strategy: Read Between the Lines
A) How does the text show that food was scarce for Isabel and other people in Cuba?
Be a detective and look for clues!
Teach
Let me show you
Reveal Text Marks
It took only two tries to get the scrawny calico kitten to come out from under the pink cinderblock house and eat from Isabel Fernandez’s hand. The cat was hungry, just like everyone else in Cuba, and its belly quickly won out over its fear.
A) How does the text show that food was scarce for Isabel and other people in Cuba?
Reveal Explainer
The word ‘scrawny’ and the fact that the frightened kitten came out after ‘only two tries’ shows that it was extremely hungry and desperate for food. The next line tells us that the food shortage affected animals and people. The Cuban people were just as hungry as the starving kitten.
Teach
From: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017. Licensed under CLA. Do not copy or share.
Strategy Stop
What else could you use to answer today's question(s)?
Teach
Your Turn
A) How does the text show that food was scarce for Isabel and other people in Cuba?
B) What challenges did the Cuban people face after the Soviet Union collapsed?
Find the answers
Text mark
Explore
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence - the cat was hungry, just like everyone else in Cuba - Isabel could feel the cat’s bones through its skin…the kitten wasn’t too different from her, Isabel realised: thin, hungry, and in need of a bath
widespread hunger
A) How does the text show that food was scarce for Isabel and other people in Cuba?
Text Mark Evidence - this food was already more than she (Isabel) could spare - there had been rationing and food coupons - without the extra food, Cuban people began to starve
food shortage
Text Mark Evidence - all the cows and pigs and sheep had been slaughtered and eaten - people had even broken into the Havana Zoo and eaten the animals - cats like this little kitten had ended up on dinner plates
desperate measures to find food
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Acceptable Answers
Text Mark Evidence for decades the Soviets had been buying Cuba’s sugar for eleven times the price…with no one to overpay for it, the cane fields dried up, the sugar refineries closed, and people lost their jobs
no money for products / loss of income
B) What challenges did the Cuban people face after the Soviet Union collapsed?
Text Mark Evidence - for decades the Soviets had been…sending the little island food and gasoline and medicine for free…when the Soviet Union went away, so did all their support - without Russia’s gas, they (Cuban people) couldn’t run the tractors to change the fields over to food
no supply of food / gas / medicine
Click on the evidence to reveal acceptable answers
Text Mark Evidence in 1989, the Soviet Union had fallen, and Cuba had hit rock bottom
Cuba faced its worst times
Practise & Apply
Quiz Time
Start
Picture Me
Which image is the best match for ‘sugarcane’?
Fill the Gaps
refineries
sugarcane
slaughtered
But when the Soviet Union went away, so did all their support. Most of the farms in Cuba grew only . With no one to overpay for it, the cane fields dried up, the sugar closed, and people lost their jobs. WithoutRussia’s gas, they couldn’t run the tractors to change the fields over to food, and without the extra food, the Cuban people began to starve. All the cows and pigs and sheep had been and eaten.
Click if correct
Discuss then check
Which One's Right?
The kitten gobbled up the last of the beans and mewed pitifully. Isabel wished she had something else to give it, but this food was already more than she could spare.
Which word best describes Isabel’s character based on this extract:
B selfish
A friendly
D stingy
C selfless
Sequence Me
Put these events in the correct order:
A) Isabel promised to keep the kitten safe so it didn’t become someone’s dinner.
B) Isabel shared her beans with the hungry kitten.
C) Iván greeted Isabel, scaring the kitten back under the house.
D) Isabel lured the scrawny calico kitten out from under the house.
Click if correct
Check
Feedback: Who did what well?
FindRead Talk
EchoRead
ChoralRead
ReadingStrategy
Answers & Text Marks
Other...
To be a book lover, you could...
discover new authors.
Reveal
Try books from writers you've never heard of to expand your horizons.
Copyright Notice
This document has been supplied under a CLA Licence with specific terms of use. It is protected by copyright and, save as may be permitted by law, it may not be further copied, stored, re-copied electronically or otherwise shared, even for internal purposes, without the prior further permission of the Rightsholder. Extracts sourced from: Refugee by Alan Gratz © 2017 Schools must purchase the original text for full content.
sugarcane
refineries
slaughtered