Kittens (STAAR Passage - 3rd Grade)

The description in lines 9 through 12 helps the reader picture —

• what a kitten’s fur looks like

• which kitten the mother cat is worried about

• where the mother cat keeps her kittens

• how the mother cat moves a kitten

In the poem‚ the mother cat wants her kittens to learn to feel comfortable —

• in the snow

• around other animals

• when she picks them up

• when the speaker is near them

Which lines from the poem rhyme?

• weeks ago

  when everything outside was snow.

• and carried it

  outside to see

• and then our dog

  decided he

• and one by one

  they took them out

Read line 21 from the poem.

The poet includes this line to emphasize that the mother cat —

• knows it will snow again soon

• has had a bad experience in the winter

• wants her kittens to explore new things

• thinks her kittens will like the snow

How are the stanzas in the poem alike?

• They tell the speaker’s feelings about the mother cat.

• They have the same number of lines.

• They focus on a problem the mother cat tries to solve.

• They repeat important words.

The speaker most likely thinks the mother cat’s actions are —

• brave

• confusing

• annoying

• wise

How can the reader tell that this is a narrative poem?

• The poem contains words that appeal to the senses.

• The speaker of the poem shares his or her feelings.

• The poem has lines that make the reader laugh.

• The events described in the poem tell a story.

The mother cat takes her kittens outside because —

• the dog arrives

• the kittens grow up

• the sun comes out

• winter is over