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Date:
Grade: 2
Poetic Form & Word Study • The Cunning Cat
“A cunning cat, all rolled in a ball,
Lay on a mat in an oaken hall.
‘If the little mice peep, they’ll think I’m asleep;’
So she lay on the mat in the oaken hall.”
Lay on a mat in an oaken hall.
‘If the little mice peep, they’ll think I’m asleep;’
So she lay on the mat in the oaken hall.”
Poetic Focus: Stanza rhyme • Internal dialogue • Onomatopoeia • Irregular past tense verbs.
1
Poem Recitation & Rhyme Analysis
Read the second stanza aloud with clear expression, noticing the musical rhythm and rhyming sounds:
“Nibble, nibble, nibble! went the little mice,
And they licked their paws, and said, ‘It’s nice!’
When up sprang the cat from off the mat,
And caught them all in her cruel claws.”
And they licked their paws, and said, ‘It’s nice!’
When up sprang the cat from off the mat,
And caught them all in her cruel claws.”
1. Rhyming Pairs: Write two rhyming pairs from the poem: ball & ; mice &
2. Pretended Sleep: Why did the cunning cat curl tightly like a ball on the mat?
The cat curled up so the mice would think:
2
Master Word Bank & Irregular Verbs
The poem uses vivid sensory words and irregular past tense verbs. Select words from the bank:
mice
claws
sprang
caught
paws
asleep
little
licked
oaken
rolled
nibble
cunning
1. Past Tense: The verb spring becomes ; catch becomes
2. Adjectives: Describe the hall: made of wood ; Describe the cat: clever and
3. Sentence: Use sprang or caught in an original sentence about the cat:
3
Sound Words & Exact Speech
Examine how the author creates lively sound effects and records exact spoken words.
1. Onomatopoeia: Which repeated word mimics the chewing sound of the mice?
2. Direct Speech: Copy the exact words spoken by the mice inside quotation marks: