Use this strategy to get students to make connections to the text. This book gives students many chances to think what will happen next. It is also important to go back and confirm what happened.

Read pages 1-3 and ask students what they think the monster will look like or have them draw the monster.

Read pages 4-5 and ask students if their guess was right. How do they know?

Continue reading each page and asking students if the monster was what they thought it would look like.

Read the first page and then ask students “Why do you think Ethan needs a monster?”

Read pages 2 - 3 and ask students “Do you think a new monster will appear?”

As you read about each monster, you can ask students if they think that monster would be scary and why. You could also ask, “Why didn’t Ethan like these monster?”

When you finish the book ask the students “Why they think Ethan likes Gabe so much?”

This book is great for re reading because the book is very descriptive and has many different characters that use expression. 

Read the first page to the students without any expression before you turn the page ask students if that sounded exciting or boring.

Explain that practicing reading can help you become a better reader because he more you read the smoother your reading is and the better your expression is while reading.

Reread the page with expression and then ask students which version they like better and why.

Have the students’ practice together reading smoothly and with expression.

During sharing, encourage students to reread the pages to their peers using their expressions.

Possible words from the book: Ragged, Scrambled, Substitute, Crouched, Professional, Slithering, Quivered, and Trembled.