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Big Cat helps put the love back into reading, while scaffolding students through key reading skills and strategies following the research-based "Gradual Release" Model and supporting all learners.
Engage students with highly interactive and focused instructional Read Alouds, Shared Reading, and small group/guided reading resources. Technology included!
Provide students with access and exposure to a wide variety of text structures from recounts and reports, to plays, narratives, and much more.
Improve comprehension through demonstration and practice of effective comprehension strategies across text types.
The instructional support materials in Big Cat are built around 120 fresh, new leveled books (half fiction, half nonfiction) ranging from Guided Reading Levels A through P with the "just right" ingredients for your classroom: high student appeal, built-in teaching tips for comprehension-focused support, and an embedded reading response summary page to quickly check comprehension and improve speaking and listening skills.
Big Cat Complete Combo Package includes 3 Complete Classroom Packages for Emergent, Early, and Early-Fluent. Each Complete Classroom Package includes:
1 Whole Group Strategy Session Kit:
8 Whole Group Strategy Folders with lesson plans and overhead transparencies
17 Leveled Student Books to correspond with lessons
1 Whole Group CD-ROM with digital texts*
1 Big Book of Rhymes (Emergent and Early levels only)
1 Big Book of Nonfiction (Emergent and Early levels only)
Sturdy Storage Case
1 Small Group Package:
240 books (6 each of 40 titles, 20 fiction and 20 nonfiction)
1 Teachers’ Resource Book
1 Interactive CD-ROM*
NEW 30-minute Implementation DVD
*Get school- or district-wide unlimited access or networking for Big Cat software components for a one-time fee. See More...
General classroom instruction/supplemental
Whole group (read aloud and shared reading)
Small group (guided reading)
Independent
Intervention
RtI – Response to Intervention
Differentiated teaching and learning
After School/Summer School
Classroom Libraries/Bookrooms
Technology Integration
Teacher support materials included with many packages (Assessment and Support Guide, model lessons, reproducible follow-up activities, and suggestions and tips for using each Big Cat component)
Big Cat Getting Started DVD (included with Complete and Combo packages)
Big Cat Implementation Training (online via webinar) - available upon request
Big Cat Implementation Training (onsite with professional consultant) - available with fee upon request
Big Cat Read Aloud Video Clip
Big Cat Shared Reading Video Clip
Big Cat Guided Reading Video Clip
Please visit our Video Archive for short video clips, presentations, and downloads.
FAQs
Q: How long does Big Cat take to implement within my classroom? A: Big Cat can be used as a supplemental resource that is accessed throughout the year to enhance general classroom instruction, or as an intervention or RtI resource that is used in a shorter, more intensive time period. Each Big Cat Whole Group Strategy Sessions folder includes about 45 minutes to 1 hour of instruction (read aloud and shared reading). Each Big Cat leveled book includes a small group/guided reading lesson, which takes approximately 20-30 minutes per lesson. With the Big Cat Complete Classroom Package students also have access to the Big Cat Interactive CD-ROM, which can be used independently or with a small or whole group of students at the teacher’s discretion for any length of time.
Q: What strategies are covered within the Big Cat program? A: Strategies Include: Predicting, Questioning, Making Connections, Using Text Structure & Text Features, Visualizing, Inferring, Determining Important Ideas & Information, and Synthesizing & Summarizing
Q: Do I need an interactive whiteboard to use the Big Cat Whole Group Texts CD-ROM or the Big Cat Interactive CD-ROM? A: No. Although the Big Cat CD-ROMs work nicely with interactive whiteboards, they can also be used separately with a computer and LCD projector. Overhead transparencies are included in Whole Group Strategy Session folders for those classrooms that do not have access to an LCD projector or interactive whiteboard. In addition, the Big Cat Interactive CD-ROM can be installed on individual student workstations for independent practice.
Testimonials
"In the Big Cat program there is a clear focus on current understandings and latest research on the reading and writing process, and improving comprehension." –Noel Ridge Australian and International Educator, Author, and Consultant
"The genres of each text are clearly defined, allowing students to understand the structures and features of texts, improving comprehension." –Noel Ridge Australian and International Educator, Author, and Consultant
"The electronic texts for shared reading allow students and teachers to focus on working out problems together and interacting with the text." –Noel Ridge Australian and International Educator, Author, and Consultant
Funding
Use your STIMULUS Funds to supplement existing programs with Big Cat!
Race to the Top Funds - Contact us to customize a package to support your district's Race to the Top initiatives!
Federal Funding Opportunities:
Title I, part A (Improving Basic Programs)
Title II, part A (Improving Teacher Quality State Grants Program)
Title II, Part A (English Language Acquisition)
Title IV, Part A (Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities)
Title V, Part A (Innovative Programs)
21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC)
IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)
About Us