Realistic, Action
Filled, Witty, Entrancing and Captivating
The
Secret Chicken Society by Judy Cox and illustrated by Amanda Haley
Published by Holiday
House
Copyright 2012
“A
light tone, clear writing, action, vivid descriptions, and realistic school and
family scenarios earn this book a place on library shelves.” –School Library
Journal
The Secret Chicken Society written
by Judy Cox is a fun and creative story that young readers will relate too.
Daniels teacher Mrs. Lopez was teaching a unit on life cycles and decided that
the class was going to hatch eggs for a science project. The class had to set
up an incubator and turn the eggs daily three times a day for twenty-one days.
When Mrs. Lopez told the class with their parent’s permission the students could
take a chick home, Daniel who loved animals was ecstatic. When the chicks
finally hatched Daniel who thought he was only taking one chick home ended up
with all five and when he finally brought them home no one knew how much
trouble chickens good get into.
Description: Realistic Fiction
Suggested
Delivery: Read aloud for 3-4th Grade
Reading
Level: Lexile Framework- N/A 3-4th
grade
Electronic
Resources:
This
link is Judy Cox’s personal website. The website includes a biography of the
author, a discussion board, books written by the author, and also a parent
teachers section.
This is
a great website for teachers who are thinking about also raising chicks in
their classroom. The website provides a section for getting started, hatching
and raising the chicks, and also how to house and feed the chickens.
Key
Vocabulary: Albumen, Embryo, Membrane, Candle, Incubator, Pip, and Brooder
Teaching
Suggestions:
1. Use
this text to for a science lesson when doing a unit on life cycles.
2. Use this
text to show students the responsibilities of owning and taking care of a pet.
3. Use this
text for a hands on science lesson and hatch your own chicks in the classroom.
Comprehension
Strategies:
Pre-reading-
Before reading the story, as a whole class complete a chart of the pets each
student has. This will help introduce the book because Daniel gets a new pet.
During
Reading- Have the students make predictions about what they think will happen
next in the book. Here are some questions you might ask,
1.
What is going to happen?
2.
What makes you think that?
3.
What clues helped you make that choice?
4.
Why do you think that is going to happen?
Post-
Reading- Have the children participate in a popcorn discussion. Ask them
the following questions.
-What
kind of challenges did the main character Daniel have to deal with?
- Did
you like how Daniel and his siblings created The Secret Chicken Society to
protect Peepers.
-Do you
think that taking care of your own pet is challenging?
Writing
Activity- Have the students create their own journal like Daniel’s Egg
Journal but with a pet they have at home. Have them write what jobs they do to
take care of their pet and other important information they do with their pets.
If a student does not have a pet have them create a journal about a pet that
they would want to have and what steps they would do to take care of their new
pet.
Cox, Judy, and Amanda Haley.
The Secret Chicken Society. New York: Holiday House, 2012. Print.
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