Teachers'
Guides and Lesson Plans for the "Abby & Tess: Pet-Sitters" SeriesSisters Abby and Tess love animals, but live in a no-pets-allowed
building ... so they start a pet-sitting business. Here are a few suggestions
for classroom discussions and activities based on the first two titles in
the series:
Goldfish Don't Take Bubble Baths and
Lizards Don't Wear Lip Gloss, for readers ages
7 – 9 (grades 2 - 4).
The
“Abby and Tess Pet-Sitters” series touches upon themes such as relationships,
rules, responsibilities, anger, problem-solving, imagination, creating your
own business, and perseverance.
Goldfish Don't Take Bubble BathsRambunctious Tess is always acting like a dog and older
sister Abby can't stand it anymore. But disaster really hits when they team
up to look after two adorable goldfish. In the end, Abby saves the day and
Tess saves Abby. This is the first book in a funny and heart-warming series
about sisters who decide to go into the pet-sitting business.
New VocabularyRunt
Batch
Stomping
Whined
Mournful
Embarrassing
Concentrate
Canine
Unique
Insecure
Comprehension: Q- What kind of store do Abby and Tess walk past on their way home from
school?
A- Supermarket
B- Pet store
C- Bookstore
Q- Why is Abby sometimes embarrassed by Tess?
A- Tess thinks she's a dog.
B- Tess wears a funny green and fuchsia hat.
C- Tess snorts when she giggles.
Q-What kind of bath does Tess's mother offer to give her?
A- A milk bath
B- A flea bath with extra bubbles
C- A bath with oatmeal flakes
Q-If Abby's family can save enough money, what will they buy?
A- A new computer
B- A year's worth of dog bones for Tess
C- A nice house with a yard
Q- What family rule must Abby and Tess always follow?
A- They must always walk to school together.
B- They must read together at bedtime.
C- They must help make blueberry pancakes on Saturday mornings.
Answers: B, A, B, C, A
Discussion Questions: What does "hard work always pays off" really mean?
Have you ever wanted something badly enough that you really had to persevere
to get it? How did you go about doing this?
ANGER: What's the best way to handle it? Did Abby handle her anger well?
How has a sibling or one of your friends embarrassed you?
How did you deal with your embarrassment?
What is the most embarrassing thing you've ever done or said?
If you were Abby how would you solve your problems with Tess?
Fun Class Projects: Language Arts: Divide students into teams of two. Students must describe
what makes the other student special. (Ex: Alex draws really well. Leah
loves to help her mother take care of her baby brother. Sabrina can skip
more pepper than anyone in the class. Samson can add, subtract, multiply
and divide without any help.) Students can write a paragraph or two about
the person they are describing, and then draw a picture of this person.
Without putting a name on the page the rest of the class must guess who
is being described.
Science Class: Tess sure loves bubbles. Why not have the kids create their
own bubbles and wands. Great end-of-year activity to do in the school yard.
How to make bubbles: Mix 3 parts water to 1 part dish washing liquid.
Put into a shallow tray (aluminum pie plate)
How to make wands: Twist one end of a pipe cleaner into a loop. (The size of the loop will
effect the size of the bubble.)
Dip wand into bubble mixture and then wave it (slowly) through the air to
create a bubble.
Ask your students to figure out if big or small loops work best.
Or, to create lots of mini bubbles tape together 3 or 4 straws, dip in bubbles
and blow gently through the straws.
Lizards Don't Wear Lip Gloss In their first official pet-sitting job Abby and Tess confront Angus, a
lizard that hisses and bites. When Angus disappears, Tess is in the doghouse.
New VocabularyGnawing
Yipped
Croon
Dewlap
Confrontational (non-confrontational)
Reptile
Anticipation
Chameleon
Veterinarian
Vivarium
Tantalizing
Toxic (non-toxic)
Scampered
Dawdled
There are several examples of
onomatopoeia and
alliteration in this story. Why not use this opportunity to introduce these concepts.
Examples of onomatopoeia are: squeak pg.33, yipped pg.1, thud pg. 33,34,69,
yelped pg. 13, 20, zapped pg. 20, woof pg. 55,85,86,90, whir pg 24,43, buzz
pg. 24,33, thump pg. 24,43
Examples of alliteration are: We're responsible and reliable and our rates
are reasonable. pg. 2, Feel like some of my famous purple-polka-dot pancakes
? pg. 37, Tantalizing tangerine. Pg. 28,86
Comprehension: How well have your students understood the story?
Q: Why should the lid be kept on the vivarium at all times?
A: Because Angus is an excellent climber and might escape.
Q: What kind of lizard is Angus?
A: Angus is a green anole.
Q: Why should Abby and Tess use the water in the misting bottle as opposed
to water from the tap to mist the plants?
A: Water straight from the tap contains chemicals. Mr. Maggioli always lets
the water sit overnight to let the chemicals sink to the bottom.
Q: What can happen to an anole if it is under too much stress?
A: Their tails can drop off.
Q: When Abby checks her book on lizards does it say that they are confrontational
or non-confrontational ?
A: They are supposed to be non-confrontational.
Fun Class Projects: "The glass tank looked very much the same as Mrs. Wilson's aquarium, but
instead of containing water, it held earth and rocks and living, growing
plants.
"It looks like a jungle in there," Abby said.
Mr. Maggioli nodded approvingly. "Oh yes, very good. That's exactly what
it is. A vivarium. A miniature jungle. The perfect environment for Angus."
Science Class: Lizards Don't Wear Lip Gloss can serve as
the perfect lead-in to a section on reptiles!
Create a vivarium for reptiles to live in. If you're not particularly fond
of reptiles in your classroom how about creating a terrarium and monitoring
the amount of water it needs weekly and the progress of the plants? The
measured amount of water needed can them be charted on a graph.
Get your students to research all the care needed by lizards: how often
do they have to be fed, what do they eat, what should their living environment
include. Bring a lizard in as class pet and have the students be responsible
for its care.
Other Activities: In art class have each student create a poster which will advertise a business
they would like to run. (babysitting, lemonade stand, giving ballet lessons,
dog walking, snow shoveling.)
In language arts class have the students write up the text for these posters.
Arrange for the students to look at magazines to seek inspiration.
In math class have students work on the budget they might need for their
business.
Ex: Start each student off with a $10 (play money) loan. What would they
have to purchase to get their business going. How many customers would it
take to repay the loan and how many additional customers would be needed
to make a profit. Would the income cover further expenses the business would
have to make to keep it running? If all the lemonade was sold would there
be enough money to pay back the loan and purchase additional lemons, sugar,
cups etc.?
Perhaps their "business" ideas could be put into action at the next school
fair or gathering. For this age level it might be wise to have the students
work in teams. Create business that would bring some money into the class
and that money could then be donated to a charity decided upon by the entire
class or be used to purchase a class pet. Perhaps a lizard – and don't forget
the crickets (yum, yum)!
