The Kitten Story: A Mostly True Tale (2025-2026 Show Me Reader Nominee) : Home

1st, 2nd, 3rd

MO School Library Instructional Standards

K-2:

Innovation: Design: Practice a Design Process:

• Use a process to solve problems, with support.
• Generate ideas, with support.
• Predict an outcome and test it, with support.
• Create a product based on my ideas.

3rd

Innovation: Design: Implement a design process. 

• • Use a process to solve problems.
  • Gather the information I need to learn about a problem.
  • Generate ideas to solve a problem.
  • Predict an outcome and test it.
  • Create a product that demonstrates understanding.

1 class period of 45-60 minutes

This lesson was created by Marlana Howerton from Ezard Elementary School. 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

In this Design a Kitten Carrier STEM activity, students get creative and put their engineering skills to the test! After reading The Kitten Story: A Mostly True Tale by Emily Jenkins, they’ll use a set of given materials—like popsicle sticks, tape, and newspaper—to build a carrier for a kitten cutout. The challenge? The kitten has to fit inside without touching the sides or top, the front has to stay open, and the carrier has to be sturdy enough to walk five feet without the kitten falling over. 

• Book: The Kitten Story: A Mostly True Tale by Emily Jenkins
• Design a Kitten Carrier: STEM Activity Printable - one printable per group (link below)
• Design a Kitten Carrier Rules PNG image (link below) 
• 10 markers
• 10 popsicle sticks
• Tape
• Stapler/staples
• Newspaper
• Bottle glue
• Painters tape to mark a 5 foot line on the floor (or something similar to indicate 5 feet)

Objectives

K-2

• Students will be able to use a process to solve problems, with support.
• Students will be able to generate ideas, with support.
• Students will be able to predict an outcome and test it, with support.
• Students will be able to create a product based on their ideas.

3rd

• Students will be able to use a process to solve problems, with support.
• Students will be able to generate ideas, with support.
• Students will be able to gather the information they need to learn about a problem. 
• Students will be able to predict an outcome and test it. .
• Students will be able to create a product that demonstrates understanding.

I Can Statements

• I can use steps to solve a problem with help.
• I can think of new ideas with help.
• I can make a prediction about what will happen and test it with help.
• I can make something based on my ideas.
• Additional for 3rd: I can gather information I need to learn about a problem. 
• Additional for 3rd: I can create a product that demonstrates understanding. 

Before Reading:

Show the cover of The Kitten Story: A Mostly True Tale and ask students to predict what the book might about. 

• Have you ever had a kitten or a cat?
• Where did you get it from? 
• What is an animal shelter? 
• Have you ever had to carry a pet or seen someone carry a pet? What do you think makes a good pet carrier?

After Reading: 

Discussion: 

• What were some of the obstacles the family faced when trying to get a new kitten? 
• Describe how you would have felt if you got to the house and the shelter animals were no longer there. 
• If your family were to get a new kitten, how would you decide who got to name it?
• How did the mom ultimately decide which kitten to bring home? 

After discussing the story, students will work in groups to plan and design a special kitten carrier for a cutout kitten. 

Go over the materials they will be able to use and the challenge rules. 

Design a Kitten Carrier STEM Activity  

Review Challenge Rules: If possible, project the Design a Kitten Carrier PNG image so students can view the activity rules while working. 

• Color your kitten and add a face. Cut on the dotted lines.
• Use only the given materials to make a kitten carrier.
• The kitten can only touch the bottom of the carrier, not the sides or top.
• Keep the carrier front open so we can see the kitten.
• The kitten must stay standing in the carrier when you walk 5 feet.

Design Phase:

• Encourage students to think about structure and stability.
• Students will discuss the plan to design the carrier with their group before creating anything. 
• Before students begin the build phase, ask them to make predictions about what they think will happen with their carrier based on their initial design. 

Build Phase:

• Using the given materials, students construct their carriers.
• Circulate around the room, asking guiding questions like: How will your carrier keep the kitten from falling? or How can you make it sturdier?

Test & Improve:

• Students place their kitten inside the carrier and walk five feet to test stability. 
• If the carrier fails, students can adjust and improve their design, if there is enough time. 

Observation:

• Did students follow the design rules and test their carrier?  
• Were students actively participating? Did students engage in discussion and problem-solving? 
• Did the carrier successfully hold the kitten and stay upright when walked five feet?

Reflection (Exit Ticket or Discussion):

• What was the hardest part of designing your carrier?
• What would you change if you could rebuild it?
• How does this activity connect to real-life pet care?

Ask students to explain their design choices in drawing, writing or in a short presentation.