1 School 1 Book
Bridges Elementary
A Boy Called Bat
Hey Bridges,
We are excited for you and your family to be part of our first-ever One School, One Book shared reading. Bridges is thrilled to provide one free copy of the book A Boy Called Bat by Elana K Arnold to each family in our school. The youngest sibling will receive a copy of the book for their family to enjoy.
Over the next six weeks, we ask that you and your family read this book each evening. Our goals are to help families enjoy the fun of sharing a book together and to get the whole school community talking about the same book. A schedule is attached to this to help everyone stay on track. Each week will have different chapters to read or listen to, and some optional activities and discussion questions. Read the chapters aloud as a family, or there is an audio option for each chapter read by one of the teachers at Bridges Elementary. The links to those videos will be shared in the school newsletter and an email to each family.
After each chapter, we also provide you with optional discussion questions and activities if you and your child choose. These build great comprehension and vocabulary skills and are just plain fun.
The story is written at a third-grade level and includes vocabulary that will be above the level of our younger students. That’s okay. Building rich vocabulary and the tale of friendship and care will delight all ages.
We hope you will continue reading stories aloud to your child after this activity. Spending just 15-20 minutes per night reading with your student will make a huge difference in their success at school. ENJOY!
A Boy Called Bat Book Trailor
A Message from the Author
Reading Schedule
Below you will find the six-week reading schedule. If you and your family prefer to listen to a staff member reading it aloud, please click on each chapter link. The discussion questions and activities are below. ENJOY!
Week of March 20: Chapters 1-4
- Chapter 1 After School (Mrs. Breunig)
- Chapter 2 Bat’s Cave (Mrs. Baldwin)
- Chapter 3 No Vanilla Yogurt (Mrs. Steinmetz)
- Chapter 4 Is It a… (Mrs. Wipperfurth)
Week of March 27: Chapters 5-8
- Chapter 5 A Tiny Pink Nose (Mrs. Steinmetz)
- Chapter 6 Skunk Lunch (Ms. Sandy)
- Chapter 7 Every-Other Fridays (Mrs. Schartner)
- Chapter 8 Sixteen Eyelets (Mrs. Yarnell)
Week of April 3: Chapters 9-13
- Chapter 9 Open-Door Babycakes Policy (Ms. Amanda)
- Chapter 10 A Very Long Day (Ms. Noel)
- Chapter 11 Apartment 2A (Miss Schaeffer)
- Chapter 12 Finally (Mrs. Volp)
- Chapter 13 What’s in a Name (Ms. Susie)
Week of April 10: Chapters 14-18
- Chapter 14 Sleeping Arrangements (Mrs. Ducke)
- Chapter 15 Dr. Jerry Dragoo (Ms. Ringstad)
- Chapter 16 A Correspondence (Mrs. Thompson)
- Chapter 17 At the Clinic (Mrs. Thompson)
- Chapter 18 Dinner Date (Mrs. Breunig)
Week of April 17: Chapters 19-22
- Chapter 19 A Blessing of Sorts (Mrs. Considine)
- Chapter 20 Problems (Mr. Wright)
- Chapter 21 Organizational Systems (Mr. Rich)
- Chapter 22 Baseball and Braiding (Mrs. J)
Week of April 24: Chapters 23-26
- Chapter 23 Windows (Ms. Alissa)
- Chapter 24 A Reply (Mr. Berahn)
- Chapter 25 Houseguests (Mrs. Teague)
- Chapter 26 How to Know Someone (Mrs. Larson)
Chapters 1-4
List three characters from the book and write one or two words to describe each character.
Why do people call the main character Bat? Do you have a special nickname that your family or friends call you?
Bat talks about his room and how he feels really good and safe there. What is a place that makes you feel good and safe?
Do you think Bat is happy about having the baby skunk (kit) at his house? What is your text evidence?
Who do you think is right, Bat, when he says, “you don’t have to say please to get someone to do their job” or Janie, when she replies, “you do if you want them to do it well.” Why do you think what you think?
Why is Bat so anxious about his mom coming home late and angry that she didn’t bring home more vanilla yogurt? What might be going on inside him to cause all of these strong feelings? What things cause strong feelings and upset you?
Other Activities:
Bat likes to have an after school snack. Tell about your favorite snack after school. You may choose to draw a picture of it, describe it, list the steps necessary to make it, or make it and take a picture of it.
Draw Bat as a superhero describing his superpowers and how he makes the world a better place.
Write a song, rap, poem or skit about Bat.
Write or draw about a place where you are completely comfortable. What are your six favorite things about this place.
Chapters 5-8
Discussion Questions:
You’ve learned a bit about Bat in the first four chapters. What have you learned so far? What are some character traits? Do you have anything in common with him?
What type of animal did Bat’s mom bring home? Why did she say he was an orphan?
Bat thinks it’s not worth it to explain his thinking to his sister because she will not understand him. He thinks most people misunderstand him. Why does this seem to be the case?
Share two facts you learned about skunks from Bat.
Bat explains that every-other Friday makes him uncomfortable because they break a pattern. But if it’s every-other Friday, isn’t that a pattern? Doesn’t Bat want to see his dad? What makes you anxious or nervous and why?
What happened with Lucca, Israel, and Bat? Why did Lucca rush off to the bathroom crying? What doesn’t Bat understand?
How does Bat feel about school?
Other Activities:
We know that Bat really likes patterns and does not like when they are broken. Go on a search for mathematical patterns, visual patterns, or musical patterns. Or print and color a pattern. Here is a link to some great pattern coloring sheets if you can’t think of your own. Pattern Coloring Sheets
Bat worries when Mom is late from work one day. What worries you? Create your own worry box or poster.
Chapters 9-13
Discussion Questions:
Share some reasons why Bat thinks Mr. Grayson is a good teacher. Compare him to your teacher. What do they have in common? What is different about them?
What does “unspoken rule” mean? What unspoken rules do you follow? What unspoken rule does Bat follow with Babycakes?
Who are Babycakes most frequent visitors?
How would you describe the relationship between Bat and Janie? How do they feel about each other? What clues from the book led you to think that?
At the end of the chapter, Bat predicts it’s going to be a long weekend. Why does he feel that way?
Describe where Bat’s dad lives.
Other Activities:
Draw what your pet skunk would look like if you had one. A video is linked below are some directions to help
Use Legos, blocks, or anything you have at home to create your own pet. Take or draw a picture of it. Here are a couple examples.
Chapters 14-18
Discussion Questions:
How does Bat try to get his way with his mom? What strategies did he use? What strategies do you use at home to get your way?
Bat sneaks out of bed when he should be sleeping to read about skunks. What do you feel about his decision to do this? Why?
What does Bat learn about skunks? Do they make for good pets? Do you have any pets? How do you care for your pets?
What was Bat going to do at the veterinary clinic today? With whom would he be working?
What does Bat want to be when he grows up? What do you want to do when you get older?
What was the best moment of Bat’s day? Why?
Describe the interaction between Bat & Janie during dinner. Do you think Bat understood how his words affected Janie? Explain.
Other Activities:
Draw or write about what you want to be when you grow up. Talk about or write why you think this.
Think about if you had a pet skunk, what would his habitat or home look like. Use what you know about skunks or do a little more research and design where your skunk would live.
Chapter 19-22
Discussion Questions:
Why did Bat want to thank Janie? Did Janie like what Bat did to thank her? Explain your answer.
If you had been able to help Bat with the surprise what would you have suggested?
How did Mr. Grayson help Bat? Has your teacher ever helped you?
Have you ever had a time when it was hard for you to concentrate in school because your focus was on something else? If so, explain.
Janie explains to their dad that Bat doesn’t have any friends. Is this true? If so, why? If not, who are his friends?
Bat and Janie seem to have a nice time with each other. What is different about how they interact in this chapter? What examples can you share?
What was Bat’s final thought on Every Other Tuesday?
Chapter 23-26
Discussion Questions:
Bat and his mom have a long conversation about eyes. But what does his mom mean when she says, “You can tell a lot about a person by looking into their eyes.” What have you learned by looking into someone’s eyes?
Explain why Mr. Grayson made Bat wait until recess to read the email from Dr. Jerry Dragoo. Have you ever wanted to do something and had to wait to do it?
Israel keeps talking to Bat and asks if he can go to Bat’s house. Is Mr. Grayson right? Does Israel want to be Bat’s friend? How can you tell?
Bat’s mom says that instead of passing Thor onto the animal rescue people the next week that Bat might be able to raise him until it is time for him to be released. Do you think this is a good idea? Why or why not?
Did you enjoy, “A Boy Called Bat?” Why or Why not? Can you relate to Bat in any way? How?
What happens at the candy store that makes Bat sad?
Other Activities:
Bat’s mom says “you can tell a lot about a person by looking into their eyes.” Take a long look into someone’s eyes. What can you see? Create some art to show what you saw in their eyes.
What is your favorite part of the book? Write about or draw a picture of your favorite part.