It’s All the Cat’s Fault Lesson Plan for Ages 5

Boy telling an exaggerated story in class, showing imagination and humor

READ

PARENT-TEACHER GUIDE

It's All the Cat's Fault

Average Rating: 0.0

Country: India

Ages: 5–8

Author: Anushka Ravishankar

Publisher: Pratham Books

Illustrator: Priya Kuriyan

Story Source: Story Weaver

About The Story

When a young boy arrives at school without his homework, his teacher asks what happened. He responds with an extraordinary sequence of events that begins with a cat stuck in a tree. A broken ladder, hammering that wakes the baby, confusion spreading through the house, a monkey eating the food, and a greedy dog all eventually leading to the disappearance of his homework.
The escalating explanation captures a familiar childhood experience: children everywhere can be wonderfully ingenious when they need an excuse. Some excuses are plausible, some are charming, and others are pure inventions. The story invites laughter while opening a gentle conversation about truth, responsibility, and the imaginative lives children share across countries and cultures.

Themes

Health & Wellbeing

Sub Themes

Excuses

Cause & Effect

Humour

Shared childhood experiences

Parent-Teacher Guide

Learning Outcome

Recognize that children around the world may have different daily lives but often share familiar feelings and experiences, such as forgetting work, fearing consequences, and inventing excuses.
Identify the cause-and-effect sequence that builds the story and retell its main events in order.
Distinguish between an explanation, an excuse, and a figment of imagination.
Use imagination collaboratively to create a humorous chain of events without ridiculing or blaming others.

Lesson Plan

Before Reading: Discuss creative excuses.
During Reading: Track cause-and-effect and predictions.
After Reading: Explore responsibility and alternative choices
Activities: Sequencing, role-play, silly excuses, responsibility charts.

Activities

The Excuse Chain: Seat children in a circle. Begin with : “I could not finish my homework because a bird flew through my window.” Each child adds one connected event. The new event must follow logically from the one before it. End by reconstructing the whole chain and identifying the cause-and-effect links.
Around the World Same Feeling : Show or name several school settings from different parts of the world. In pairs, children imagine a child in each setting arriving without an assignment. Children could read the story, “My Sister’s Big Day” and based on the setting write made-up and real excuses on why they could not do their homework.
Comic Strip Cause and Effect : Children divide a page into six panels and illustrate six linked events from the story or invent a new chain. Under each panel, they write “Because…” or “So…” to make the connections clear. Invite volunteers to perform their comic strips dramatically.
An Honest Ending : Children write or role-play a new ending in which the boy tells the truth, accepts responsibility, and proposes a solution. The teacher responds with both understanding and a reasonable consequence. Compare how honesty changes the conversation.

Story Discussion Guide

Before reading

Have you ever forgotten something you needed for school? How did you feel?
What is the difference between giving a reason and making an excuse?
Children in many countries are asked to complete work at home. What might be similar or different about their experiences?
What is the funniest excuse you can imagine for unfinished homework? Make it clear that the answer may be completely invented.

During reading

What problem begins the chain of events?
After each event, ask: What happened because of this? What do you predict will happen next?
At what point does the explanation become difficult to believe? Why?
How does the storyteller make each new event connect to the one before it?
Do you think the boy expects his teacher to believe him, or is he enjoying telling the story? What makes you think so?

After reading

Which event was the funniest or most surprising? Explain your choice.
Could any part of the boy’s story have happened? Which parts seem invented?
Why might someone try to cover up a mistake or something they have forgotten instead of telling the truth? What might happen if they tell the truth, and what might happen if they give an excuse?
How could the teacher respond in a way that is both kind and fair?
The boy’s home and circumstances may differ from yours, but which of his feelings or experiences do you recognize?
Do you think children in other parts of the world also invent excuses? What does this suggest about the things children share?
What could the boy say or do next to take responsibility?

Applicable Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 4 Quality Education

Encourages responsible participation in learning and communication between students and teachers.

SDG 16 Peace Justice and Strong Institutions

Introduces honesty, fairness, accountability, and respectful ways of resolving a problem.

Comments

There are no comments