Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade and 3rd Grade
MO School Library Instructional Standards: (K-2) Reading Engagement. Connect. Recognize connections through reading. Identify a connection between myself and what I am reading.
AASL III.D.1 Actively contributing to group discussions.
AASL V.A.1 Learners develop and satisfy personal curiosity by reading variety and multiple formats.
Core Standards Addressed:
Fiction 2.A.2
Visual Arts Cn10A.2
one 60-minute class period or two 30-minute class periods (could extend to an additional class period if needed)
This lesson was created by Becky Grisham from Gainesville Elementary School.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This lesson is designed to help students understand the importance of communication and compromise in relationships. After listening to a read aloud of the book Hamsters Make Terrible Roommates by Cheryl Klein, students will participate in a post reading discussion about communication and compromise as it relates to the story and then create a ‘Thank You’ card from Henry (Hamster) to Marvin (Hamster). This lesson will also help students to connect with one of the 2024-2025 Missouri Show Me Readers Award Nominees.
Hamsters Make Terrible Roommates by Cheryl Klein
Pencils, crayons, markers, colored pencils
White paper or construction paper
Optional: sample ‘Thank You’ cards to show as examples
Hamsters Make Terrible Roommates by Students will make a connection between their own experiences and the experiences of the characters in the story.
Students will engage in a post reading discussion about the importance of communication and compromise in relationships and share examples from the story.
Students will create a ‘Thank You’ card highlighting one example of compromise from the story.
Before Reading:
-Introduce the book Hamsters Make Terrible Roommates by Cheryl Klein
-Ask students if they know what the word compromise means.
-Discuss the word compromise.
-Read the title again and have students predict what they think the story will be about.
During Reading:
-Read Hamsters Make Terrible Roommates by Cheryl Klein aloud to the class.
-Pause at key points in the story to talk about:
-the differences between Henry and Marvin (as they happen in the story)
-things that Henry and Marvin could each do differently to help their situation
-what happens between the roommates when they start communicating with each other and compromising
After Reading:
-Ask students if they can relate to what Henry and Marvin are feeling in the story. Allow students to share examples if they would like to.
-Lead a class discussion about the importance of communication and compromise in relationships.
-Discuss what Henry and Marvin’s relationship was like at the beginning of the story.
-How did Henry and Marvin’s relationship change once they actually started communicating?
-What were some of the things that Henry and Marvin compromised on in order to improve their roommate relationship?
-After the group discussion, have each student create a ‘Thank You’ card from Henry to Marvin:
-Provide guidance on folding the given paper in half to form a card with a front, inside, and back.
-Instruct students to include the words 'Thank You, Marvin!' on the front of the card and the words 'From: Henry' on the inside of the card.
Informally evaluate students during the read aloud discussion and the class discussion to check for understanding.
Evaluate the ‘Thank You’ cards to see if students highlighted at least one example of compromise mentioned at the end of the story when creating their card.
Provide a basic ‘Thank You’ card template for students to use with wording and have students add the illustrations. A 'Thank You' card template is linked below.
Allow students to work with a partner to create the ‘Thank You’ card.
