Fourth Grade Rats Questions
1) Third Grade Angels is a prequel to Fourth Grade Rats, written 21 years later. Do you think Jerry Spinelli had any idea he would write Third Grade Angels when he wrote Fourth Grade Rats? Should he write Fifth Grade Monkeys or Second Grade Cats, if he does another?
2) Does your school have any myths about what the grades are like or what it means to grow up from grade to grade? This chant was really at JS’s school.
3) Do you think Joey is a good friend?
4) What does “being a baby” mean to you?
5) Do grownups cry? Men? Women? Do they cry when they get hurt or see a sad movie? Is it part of growing up to stop crying like Joey says? What about being scared? What about having teddy bears? (Any other examples from the text?)
6) Is it fair for big kids to get things from little kids? What if big kids did it to you when you were little?
7) Do you have a version of Sud’s “bath”?
8) “If Joey was right, growing up didn’t just happen to you – you had to work at it. And that, according to Joey, meant being a rat.” (p 35 in the 2012 ed.) How does growing up happen? “It’s kind of funny. As soon as you stopped trying to be a man, you became one…” (p 131 in 2012 edition.)
9) What does this story take place? Does it feel like now? What are the differences?
10) What do you carry to lunch? Are brown paper bags still something kids carry or is that something from a more wasteful time.
11) What do you do when people laugh at you? What did Suds do? What did his mom say?
12) Who set the mouse trap? Is that fair?
13) Is Judy a nice girl? Why does Suds have a crush on her?
14) If you were to draw a picture of a moment in this book, what would you draw?
15) Does Suds change by the end of the book?
16) Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not...and how would you change it?
17) If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask?
2) Does your school have any myths about what the grades are like or what it means to grow up from grade to grade? This chant was really at JS’s school.
3) Do you think Joey is a good friend?
4) What does “being a baby” mean to you?
5) Do grownups cry? Men? Women? Do they cry when they get hurt or see a sad movie? Is it part of growing up to stop crying like Joey says? What about being scared? What about having teddy bears? (Any other examples from the text?)
6) Is it fair for big kids to get things from little kids? What if big kids did it to you when you were little?
7) Do you have a version of Sud’s “bath”?
8) “If Joey was right, growing up didn’t just happen to you – you had to work at it. And that, according to Joey, meant being a rat.” (p 35 in the 2012 ed.) How does growing up happen? “It’s kind of funny. As soon as you stopped trying to be a man, you became one…” (p 131 in 2012 edition.)
9) What does this story take place? Does it feel like now? What are the differences?
10) What do you carry to lunch? Are brown paper bags still something kids carry or is that something from a more wasteful time.
11) What do you do when people laugh at you? What did Suds do? What did his mom say?
12) Who set the mouse trap? Is that fair?
13) Is Judy a nice girl? Why does Suds have a crush on her?
14) If you were to draw a picture of a moment in this book, what would you draw?
15) Does Suds change by the end of the book?
16) Is the ending satisfying? If so, why? If not, why not...and how would you change it?
17) If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask?