Scaredy Cat

Build Engagement, Preview Vocabulary, Set a Purpose for Reading

• Build engagement and activate understanding of the story’s main character by asking students if they have ever felt nervous about performing or speaking in front of an audience. Ask students what helped them to overcome their fears. If they haven’t yet overcome their fears, ask students to consider what might help them do so.
• Distribute or digitally assign the Vocabulary Skill Builder to preview challenging words. Vocabulary words include astute, feline, lectern, longing, and taunting. Students will be able to add other unfamiliar words from the story as well.
• Invite a volunteer to read aloud the Up Close box on page 11. Point out the questions in the margins and the arrows that connect them to lines in bold in the story. Preview the questions together.

First Read: Get to Know the Text 

• Ask students to read the story independently or in small groups. They can also listen to our Author Read-Aloud, in which author Lauren Magaziner reads the story, enhanced with music and sound effects!

Second Read: Unpack the Text

• Put students in small groups. Ask them to discuss the close-reading questions in the margins of the story. Answers to the questions are below. Go over the critical-thinking questions together as a class.

Close-Reading Questions

1. Why does Freddy crumple the Student Council elections flyer? (character, p. 11) Freddy longs to run for Student Council president, but when he imagines giving a speech in front of his classmates, he is afraid that he will be judged and laughed at. He probably crumples the flyer because he thinks Student Council elections will be an embarrassing or disappointing experience.
2. Why does Ruth think Freddy should run for Student Council president? (key details, p. 11) Ruth thinks Freddy should run for this position because he has great ideas to improve the school, such as improving the slow cafeteria line and having a showcase for after-school clubs.
3. When Freddy’s feet take him to the auditorium, what does this tell us about his feelings toward the election? (inference, p. 11) Freddy’s feet take him to the auditorium even though his brain tells him that he shouldn’t go. This shows us that Freddy feels conflicted about the Student Council elections. Even though he is afraid, some part of him is even more determined to run for class president.
4. How—and why—does Freddy try to avoid being embarrassed? (character, p. 12) Freddy tries to avoid embarrassment because he is afraid of making a fool of himself in front of other people. In Freddy’s words, “it was best to stay invisible.” Instead of taking risks, he decides not to draw attention to himself.
5. In fantasy stories, magical beings often appear in a normal world to help characters change. Why do you think Scaredy Cat visits Freddy? (genre, p. 12) Scaredy Cat probably visits Freddy because he needs her help to overcome his fears and run for Student Council president.
6. What happens when Freddy decides not to run for Student Council president? How is this unusual? (cause and effect, p. 12) When Freddy decides not to run for Student Council president, there is a loud screech and a bright flash of light. Then he is back where he started—in the wings of the theater—as if he never left. This is unusual because without magic, Freddy would have needed to stick with his decision not to run. But with Scaredy Cat’s magic, he has nine lives—or chances—to overcome his fear of running for president.
7. What is the meaning of Scaredy Cat’s question, “Are you a cat on the chase, or a mouse in the hole?” (interpreting text, p. 13) Scaredy Cat’s question asks Freddy to decide if he wants to pursue his goals (like a cat on the chase) or avoid them out of fear (like a mouse in a hole).
8. What does Scaredy Cat want Freddy to understand about taking risks? (theme, p. 13) Scaredy Cat wants Freddy to understand that taking risks isn’t as scary as he thinks. Even if he makes a mistake, there is still good that can come out of trying.
9. A pun is a funny use of a word in a way that makes you think of more than one meaning. What are some puns that Scaredy Cat makes? (figurative language, p. 13) Scaredy Cat makes several puns. On page 12, she says, “You look pawsitively awful”; “Same as you. With my tongue and my meowth”; and “You’ve gotta be kitten me.” On page 13, she says, “That was purrfectly fine!”; “Sounds like you need a better cattitude”; and “I can be very purrsuasive.” On page 14, she says, “You were hissssterical”; “I hate to furever part ways, but our time is up”; and “Purrrrrrfect.”
10. Having nine lives is an element of fantasy. How has it changed the way Freddy feels about speaking in front of an audience? (genre, p. 14) Freddy’s nine lives give him several chances to experience what it would be like to take a risk. In his first life, he gives up before giving his speech. But as his lives go on, he gets a little more comfortable with speaking in front of his classmates and with making mistakes. Over time, he starts to feel confident enough to give a speech and take the risk of running for Student Council president.
11. Has Freddy completely resolved his fears by the end of the story? Why or why not?(inference, p. 14) Freddy has not completely resolved his fears of embarrassment and public speaking by the end of the story. We can tell because his palms were sweaty and his throat was dry when his classmates began to take their seats in the audience. But he has resolved his fears enough to take the risk and run for class president even though it scared him.
12. Write your own question about the lines “Freddy shrugged. He may have lost the election, but he felt like the winner.” (p. 14) Answers will vary.

Critical-Thinking Questions

• What does Scaredy Cat’s magic add to the story? How might the story have been different if Freddy didn’t have Scaredy Cat’s magical help? (genre) Answers will vary but should be similar to: Scaredy Cat’s magic gives Freddy a special chance to overcome his fears of embarrassment and public speaking. The nine lives she gives Freddy allow him to see that taking risks isn’t as scary as he thinks. They also give Freddy—and us—the ability to see nine different ways taking a chance might turn out. If Scaredy Cat weren’t a part of the story, it might have been more difficult for Freddy to change. He might not have eventually run for class president if he hadn’t had nine lives to build his confidence.
• In the story, Freddy is given nine lives to overcome his fear of speaking in front of an audience. If Scaredy Cat could give you nine lives to overcome a fear, what would you use them for? Why? (text to self) Answers will vary.

• Distribute or digitally assign the Genre Skill Builder, which will help students identify the key elements of fantasy in the story.
• Ask students to respond to the writing prompt at the end of the story. When they’re done, you can submit their responses to our writing contest (see page 2 of the magazine for details).