Mr. Pants: Slacks, Camera, Action!



Last updated Monday, April 19, 2021

Author: Scott McCormick
Illustrator: R. H. Lazzell
Date of Publication: 2015
ISBN: 0803740093
Grade Level: 3rd    (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Mar. 2021

Synopsis: Mr. Pants only has a few hours to make a movie with his sisters if they’re going to win the filmmaking contest and get a trip to Hawaii. Why do dumb things like chores and tea parties always get in the way? With a little creative thinking, and a big dose of goofball personality, the cats get their debut film done just in the nick of time.

Note to readers:
•  This is a comic book style chapter book with 8 chapters.
•  The intro is pages 4-16 (as printed) and will be seen again in Ch. 7. Ch. 1 starts on page 10 (as marked by Reading to Kids), page 17 (as printed).

Discussion topics for before reading:
•  Who do you think Mr. Pants is?
•  Have you seen a top hat before?
•  Have you made a movie of some sort with your friends or family?

Vocabulary

•  Riboflavin – known as vitamin B2, is a vitamin found in food and used as a dietary supplement. It is required by the body for cellular respiration.
•  Determination – firmness of purpose; resoluteness.
•  Asteroid – a small rocky body orbiting the sun. They range in size from nearly 600 miles across to dust particles.
•  Lair – a secret or private place in which a person, especially a criminal or enemy takes refuge. Also, it’s a place where a wild animal, especially a fierce or dangerous one, lives.
•  Arsenal – a collection of weapons and military equipment store by a country, person, or group. An array of resources available for a certain purpose.

Discussion topics for during/after reading:
•  Do you have any favorite card games?
•  Do you have chores at home? Do you have a Chore Chart listing your chores?
•  Have you entered a contest before?
•  Do you like to read before going to bed?
•  Have you tried tea before? Did you like it?
•  Have you participated in water balloon fight before?
•  What would you do with the prize money if you won the film contest?

Craft ideas:
•  Using the Zoom whiteboard together with the kids, create a thank you card for the Water Buffalo Club, then take a screen shot of it and email it to info@readingtokids.org! Reading to Kids received a special, three-year grant from the Water Buffalo Club and we would like to share our sincere thanks by sending them digital thank you cards designed by our reading club participants.

You can incorporate their logo by downloading it from http://readingtokids.org/Friends/Organizations/WBC_logo_for_email.png. Read about using the Zoom whiteboard in the last pages of our Zoom Training Guide. You can learn how to take a screenshot at https://www.pcmag.com/news/how-to-take-a-screenshot-on-any-device.
•  Origami Throwing Star. Please refer to Pinterest Page for instructions. To start, students will need one square piece of paper cut in half..
•  Draw one or two panels of a comic book about what you like to do for fun. Please refer to Pinterest page for sample layouts.

Special activities:
•  The Lucky Band created a special video for Reading to Kids to share at our March 13, 2021 reading clubs! Volunteers for those clubs will receive the link to that YouTube video in their email reminder on Friday, March 12, 2021, along with directions on how to share a YouTube video on Zoom.
•  Since it is music month, a fun activity might be to encourage the students to create Zoom drum circle together. Just about any surface can be made into a drum, pencils can be drum sticks, etc. Makeshift maracas can be made out of almost anything, too, such as a half-empty bottle of vitamins, a few coins in a Tupperware container, etc. If a kid has to be quiet then he or she can drum on a pillow.
•  Jimmy Fallon, Sesame Street & The Roots Sing "Sesame Street" Theme (w/ Classroom Instruments): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHogg7pJI_M
•  Ringo Starr, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots Sing "Yellow Submarine" (Classroom Instruments): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIg3kxeOZMA

*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions. You can use them, but you don't have to use them. You can expand upon them, or add your own twist. Remember, though, that the focus of your time should not be on the development and execution of a craft; the focus should be on the read-aloud and the enjoyment of the book!