COURSE PLAN THE MOUSE AND THE MOTORCYCLE

COURSE PLAN THE MOUSE AND THE MOTORCYCLE COURSE PLAN METHODOLOGY: The Mouse and The Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary is represented by the abbreviation. Each weekly assignment is summarized in the first lines of the week s daily course plan. The specific daily assignments are outlined in the following lines indicated by the 1, 2, 3 and 4 abbreviations. The chapter study questions, chapter vocabulary and glossary are located in the Elementary Literature Study Question booklets available for purchase from. Answers should be given in complete written or oral sentences. We suggest reading the weekly written assignment to the student at the beginning of the week. The student should write the assignment down on a note card (to be used as a bookmark) so that he can think about the assignment as he reads. The written assignments are suggested to be started on Thursday after the reading is done and completed by the following Monday. As the teacher, be sure to review the exam now to ensure all concepts are covered with your student as he reads the book. The was first published in 1965, and its popularity inspired two more books. These stories follow adventures of Ralph, a young mouse who lives at Mountain View Inn, as he rides his shiny miniature motorcycle and learns about life through obstacles that come his way. Extra Credit: Read another Ralph books and write your book report on it at the end of the course. Characters: Keith Gridley: boy who becomes friends with Ralph the mouse Mrs. Gridley: Keith s mother who does not want to stay at the hotel Mr. Gridley: Keith s father who drove all the way from Ohio Matt: Mountain View Inn hotel 60-year-old worker Ralph: young mouse who lives in Room 215 Ralph s mother: worrisome, doting mouse mother of Ralph Ralph s father: mouse father who died from aspirin poisoning Uncle Victor: Ralph s uncle who disappeared after falling into wastebasket and is presumed dead Aunt Sissy: Ralph s aunt who thought she was grand because she lived in the bridal suite Margery: maid at the Mountain View Inn hotel who cleaned Keith s room Head Housekeeper: woman in charge of all the maids in the hotel Uncle Lester: Ralph s uncle who had a bad habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time Aunt Dorothy: Ralph s old aunt who thinks riding a motorcycle is foolhardy Aunt Adrienne: Ralph s aunt who was last seen looking at a stocking in a suitcase Betty: kindergarten teacher that catches Ralph in a glass in her hotel room Mary Lou: third grade teacher who sets Ralph outside after Betty finds him in their room Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved 1

COURSE PLAN Notes WEEK 1 Book Weekly Breakdown Goals and Notes for the Week Chapter 1 6 Written Assignment Review the vocabulary words with the student prior to reading. If any are unfamiliar, have the student look up the vocabulary words in the glossary. You may want to have the student write each one in a sentence. Study questions may be completed as the student reads or at the end of the week when reading has been completed. Student Daily Assignments Parent Daily Guidelines 1 2 Chapter 1-2 Chapter 3-4 Have the student read Chapters 1-2 and answer Study Questions. Chapter 1. Keith and his parents arrive at Mountain View Inn hotel in California after travelling for five days from Ohio. Matt the busboy puts them in adjoining rooms. Keith s mother protests about the shabby conditions of the hotel, but decides to stay. Keith inspects his room, finds a knothole, and begins to play cars. He is being watched from the hole. Chapter 2. Ralph, a hungry young mouse, is disappointed by the size of the boy occupying Room 215. A bunch of messy young children would be better. He experiences joy when he finds a toy motorcycle left out by the boy, and decides to ride it. A telephone rings while Ralph is riding, and the mouse forgets to dig his heels into the table for brakes. Ralph and the motorcycle land together in the wastebasket. Have the student read Chapters 3-4 and answer Study Questions. Chapter 3. Ralph tries to use an apple core to escape the wastebasket, but it does not work. He regrets his adventure and wishes he did not take so many risks. He fears dying in the incinerator. Reluctantly, he eats pieces of the apple and falls asleep. Chapter 4. Ralph is awakened by the boy Keith s return to room 215. Keith immediately notices that his motorcycle is missing and begins hunting for it. The boy pulls the motorcycle out of the trash and notices the mouse. Rather than be afraid, he speaks to the mouse and encourages the mouse to talk to him. Keith encourages the mouse to ride the motorcycle again. Ralph rides and learns that he can make the motorcycle move by squeaking engine sounds. Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved 2

COURSE PLAN 3 4 Glossary Sentences Study Questions Written Assignment Other: Chapter 5-6 Written Assignment Assignments Have the student read Chapters 5-6 and answer Study Questions. Chapter 5. Keith agrees to let Ralph take the motorcycle out into the hallway for the night. Ralph speeds up and down the rugs and enjoys the thrill of adventure. His presence surprises his Aunt Sissy and a neighboring dog. At dawn, Ralph returns to Room 215 and discovers that the door that the boy left ajar for him was accidentally blown shut by the wind. Bellboy Matt speaks to the mouse and lets him back in. Ralph speeds toward the underside of Keith s bed and is spied by Mrs. Gridley. Keith hides Ralph in the sleeve of his pajamas and convinces his mother that she saw the motorcycle without a mouse. Chapter 6. Keith scolds Ralph for staying out late with the motorcycle and being caught by his mother. The boy offers to bring Ralph food when he comes back from breakfast. The mouse asks for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Keith passes bits of the sandwich through the mouse hole. Ralph s family shares the meal with him. Keith goes out for the day with his family, and Ralph falls asleep. When he wakes, Ralph decides to have another look at the motorcycle. While he s under the bed, the young maid Margery comes in to clean. The head housekeeper finds her and tells her to be thorough since there has been a report of mice. Margery brings out a vacuum. Student should complete written assignment for Monday. Written Assignment: Find a map of the United States. Trace Keith s family s trip from Ohio to California. Next, find your state on the map, and from there, find a state that would be a fiveday drive from where you live. Write about a place you could visit there. Week 1 Grade Book Include (A) Points Earned (B) Possible Points A/B x100 =% (C) Week 1 Average Add up column C & divide by number of included assignments = % Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved 3

COURSE PLAN Notes WEEK 2 Book Weekly Breakdown Goals and Notes for the Week Chapter 7-12 Written Assignment Review the vocabulary words with the student prior to reading. If any are unfamiliar, have the student look up the vocabulary words in the glossary. You may want to have the student write each one in a sentence. Study questions may be completed as the student reads or at the end of the week when reading has been completed. Student Daily Assignments Parent Daily Guidelines 1 2 Chapters 7-8 Chapters 9-10 Have the student read Chapters 7-8 and answer Study Questions. Chapter 7. Ralph hides under the bed as Margery vacuums Keith s room. Ralph fights not to get sucked in. In desperation, the mouse races his motorcycle out from under the bed and straight into a pile of laundry. He trapped inside a pillowcase with the motorcycle. The dog from down the hall comes in and barks at him. He feels himself being moved with the laundry down the hall. To save himself, he chews his way out of the sheet but cannot make a hole big enough for the motorcycle. He remorsefully leaves the motorcycle behind. Chapter 8. Ralph s mother holds a family for all of the family mice. Aunt, uncles, and cousins arrive. It has been a long time since they had enough food to hold a party. Ralph does not feel like celebrating, because he lost Keith s motorcycle. When family members ask about the machine, Ralph feels ashamed, since he has to tell them he lost it. Keith gives Ralph a helmet he made. Ralph has to tell Keith that he lost the motorcycle. The boy tells the mouse that the motorcycle was his favorite toy. Keith says that he should have known the mouse was not old enough to be trusted with it. Have the student read Chapters 9-10 and answer Study Questions. Chapter 9. Ralph stays out of the mouse hole all night to avoid embarrassing questions from his mother. Keith wakes up and tells Ralph that he is still mad, but not too mad. The boy tells Ralph that he thought about the trouble he got into from time to time and that made him understand that the mouse did not mean to do what he did. Keith tells Ralph he will bring him breakfast. Happily, Ralph returns to the mouse hole and Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved 4

COURSE PLAN 3 4 Glossary Sentences Study Questions Written Assignment Other: Chapter 11-12 Written Assignment Assignments discovers his family is very upset. Uncle Lester has learned that housekeeping found the sheets and towels that Ralph chewed through to escape the hamper. Ralph s family wants to flee the hotel. Ralph convinces them to stay and hide out. Chapter 10. Keith comes back from his family outing. He acts tired and is not hungry. Keith tells Ralph he will still go to dinner so that he can bring the mouse back some food. The boy returns early from dinner with just crackers. Keith tells Ralph that he only had soup for dinner and his parents sent him back up to the room to rest because he was not feeling well. Ralph watches Keith and wonders what will happen to his mouse family if the boy stops eating. Overnight, Keith s parents check on him and discover he has a fever. They search everywhere for aspirin and cannot find any. Ralph realizes what a good friend Keith is and is no longer worried about himself and his mouse family. The mouse is anxious to find an aspirin and help his friend. Have the student read Chapters 11-12 and answer Study Questions. Chapter 11. Ralph bravely announces to his family that he must go on a quest to find aspirin to help Keith. The mouse family begs him to stay. His mother fears for his safety. Ralph says he must get aspirin for Keith and leaves the boy s room to begin his search. Two teachers find Ralph in their room. They consider keeping him and showing him to their students. One of the teachers decides they should let him go safely and puts him on a vine growing just outside the window of their room.chapter 12. Ralph climbs into a ground floor window. Three college-age boys are sleeping. He finds an aspirin in their room and now has to find a way to get it upstairs. He hides the aspirin near the elevator and goes upstairs. Ralph borrows a toy ambulance from Keith and races down the hall to the elevator. He waits for the man who walks the terrier to come. Ralph rides up and down the elevator with them and is able to get the aspirin to Keith. Have the student complete the written assignment, due Monday. Written Assignment: What do Ralph s action show about his character? Week 2 Grade Book Include (A) Points Earned Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved (B) Possible Points A/B x100 =% (C) Week 2 Average Add up column C & divide by number of included assignments = % 5

COURSE PLAN Notes WEEK 3 Book Weekly Breakdown Goals and Notes for the Week Chapter 13 Written Assignment Review Exam Review the vocabulary words with the student prior to reading. If any are unfamiliar, have the student look up the vocabulary words in the glossary. You may want to have the student write each one in a sentence. Study questions may be completed as the student reads or at the end of the week when reading has been completed. Student Daily Assignments Parent Daily Guidelines 1 2 3 4 Chapter 13 Written Assignment Review Exam Have the student read Chapter 13 and answer Study Questions. Chapter 13. Ralph receives a hero s welcome in the mouse hole. His mouse family is very proud of him for being brave and helping Keith. Ralph s mother says he is more grown up now and agrees to let him explore the hotel. Keith s parents let him order room service. The boy orders juice for himself and bacon and toast with jelly for Ralph. Bell boy Matt brings up the tray to Keith and gives him the lost motorcycle toy. Matt tells Keith that it was found with the chewed sheets, and that he had a feeling that a speedy mouse friend of Keith s lost it. Keith offers Ralph a chance to leave with him. When Ralph decides to stay, Keith offers him the motorcycle instead and helps him figure out a place to hide it. Congratulations! You have finished reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle. Now you need to write a nice book report on the story. Work on your book report. Review your paper to make sure everything you have written supports your thesis statement, and the entire paper has a gentle flow from one supported idea to the next. Check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Rewrite the paper neatly if you are writing it in long hand. Extra Credit for the Course: Read one of the other Beverly Cleary Ralph the mouse books. Incorporate information about the second book into your book report. Study for the Exam. Review all your Study Questions, vocabulary, and characters. Exam Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved 6

COURSE PLAN Glossary Sentences Study Questions Book Report Exam: Week 3 Grade Book Assignments Include (A) Points Earned (B) Possible Points A/B x100 =% (C) Week 3 Average Add up column C & divide by number of included assignments = % Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved 7

ASSIGNMENTS ANSWER KEY WEEK 1 Written Assignment: Answers will vary. Student can use online map programs, or physical maps to generate answers to geography questions. Assignment should encourage children to think about the world around them. WEEK 2 Written Assignment: Answers will vary but can include that Ralph the mouse is very brave. He cares a lot about his friend, and this shows because he is taking a dangerous risk moving around the hotel floors to look for aspirin for Keith. Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved 8

EXAM Grade: /70 Part I. Identify. Give a description of each character. (2 points each) 1. Keith 2. Mrs. Gridley 3. Mr. Gridley 4. Matt 5. Ralph 6. Ralph s mother 7. Ralph s father 8. Aunt Sissy 9. Margery 10. Uncle Lester Part II. Short Answer. Answer in complete sentences, giving as much detail as possible. (2 points each) 1. What are two threats to the survival of Ralph s family at Mountain View Inn? 2. How do Keith and Ralph first meet? 3. What are two reasons that Ralph does not go home with Keith at the end of the story? 4. What are two ways that Keith is kind to Ralph? 5. How and why does Ralph help save Keith when the boy gets sick? Part III. Essay. The essay should be at least one full paragraph with plenty of examples from the story. (30 points) In one part of the story, Keith tells Ralph that he forgives the mouse because I get into messes myself. What are some messes that Ralph gets himself into in the story and how does he get out of them? Describe at least three. Part IV. Vocabulary. Use each word in a sentence. (2 points each) 1. devour 2. timid 3. pilfer 4. pandemonium 5. bewildered Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved 9

EXAM ANSWER KEY Part I. Identify. Give a description and brief character analysis of each of these characters. (2 points each) 1.Keith: boy who comes from Ohio to stay at Mountain View Inn and befriends Ralph the mouse. 2.Mrs. Gridley: Keith s mother who does not want to stay at the inn. 3.Mr. Gridley: Keith s father who is tired of driving and does not mind the inn. 4.Matt: the old bell boy who understands what the mice say and helps them. 5.Ralph: a young mouse who lives at the Mountain View Inn. 6.Ralph s mother: a worrisome mouse mother who is always afraid for Ralph. 7.Ralph s father: died from aspirin poisioning. 8.Aunt Sissy: Ralph s aunt who thinks she is grand because she lives in the bridal suite. 9.Margery: cleaning girl at the Mountain View Inn who almost sucks Ralph into a vacuum. 10.Uncle Lester: Ralph s uncle who has a talent for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Part II. Short Answer. Answer in complete sentences, giving as much detail as possible. (2 points each) 1. Two threats are lack of food and elimination by the housekeeping staff. 2. Keith saves Ralph from a wastebasket after the mouse accidentally drives the toy motorcycle into it. 3. Answers will vary but can include that Ralph will miss his family and his freedom. If he lives with Keith, Ralph will have to stay in a cage. 4. Answers will vary but can include that Keith always shares his food with Ralph and lets Ralph use his motorcycle. 5. Ralph finds aspirin to bring down Keith s fever and takes it to him. He thinks that Keith has been a good friend and wants to repay his kindness by helping him. Part III: Essay. The essay should be at least one full paragraph with plenty of examples from the story. (30 points) Answers will vary. Some examples are: Ralph falls into the wastebasket after driving the motorcycle off the table, and Keith finds him and gets him out. Ralph becomes locked out of the room after staying out too late, and Matt the bellboy lets him in. Ralph is caught by two teachers from Kansas who put him outside, and Ralph climbs in a ground floor window to get back in. Ralph hides under Keith s bed and almost gets sucked into a vaccum, so he drives into a pillowcase and has to chew his way out. Part IV: Vocabulary. Use each word in a sentence. (2 points each 1..Devour: to swallow up greedily 2. Timid: lacking courage or self confidence 3. Pilfer: to steal an item 4. Pandemonium: wild uproar or noise 5. Bewildered: confused Copyright 2016 All Rights Reserved 10