Melissa’s Caterpillar

One day, Melissa was playing outside playing tag with her two sisters. “You’re out,
Melissa!” her twin sister Brianna yelled. Melissa plopped herself down on the front stoop.
She sighed as her head sunk down onto her hand. As her eyes glanced glumly toward
the ground, she saw what appeared to be a fuzzy eyebrow. Melissa quickly checked her
face. Nope, her eyebrows were still there! Suddenly, the “eyebrow” began to move! It
wasn’t an eyebrow at all, it was a furry black caterpillar! “Hello little fella!” Melissa said,
as she gently dipped her hands down. The caterpillar made its way from the coarse,
cold concrete up onto Melissa’s soft, warm hand. Melissa stroked the caterpillar’s black
fuzz. She chuckled as its tiny feet scurried across
her fingers. “I need to make you a home!” she said.
Melissa plucked a leaf off a nearby bush and gently
laid the caterpillar on the smooth, glossy surface. She
took off to find supplies for his new home.
Just then, Melissa’s mom yelled from the house.
“Tiny things are taking over!” An army of ants had
invaded the entry way. Her mom trudged down the
hallway. “VROOM!” she fired up the vacuum and
began sucking up the tiny crawling creatures. She
followed their creeping black trail outside, as far as
the vacuum cord would take her. “Take that, little
pests!” Melissa’s mom sneered and returned to
washing the dishes. Soon, Melissa returned armed
with sticks, leaves, and flowers to create a home for her new Caterpillar friend.
However, when she looked down at the leaf, he was gone! “O Caterpillar! Where are
you?” Melissa called. “Little caterpillar, where did you crawl off to?” she said a bit louder.
This caught the attention of her mom inside. “O dear…” her mom muttered. She
dropped the dish in the sink and sprinted to the vacuum. Frantically, she tore open the
bag and sifted through the dusty contents. “No No No No No!” she whispered quietly to
herself. “Ooooo silly caterpillar, there you are!” Melissa’s mom heard from outside. She
peeked through the window to see Melissa scooping up her beloved friend. “You were
just playing hide and seek with me, weren’t you?” Melissa’s mom wiped her forehead.
“Whew…” she whispered to herself and returned to washing the dishes.
Name__________________ Date_____________
Character Inferences, Motivations, and Feelings
Infer
What inference can you _______________________
make about Melissa? Support _______________________
your inference with evidence
_______________________
from the text.
_______________________
“I can infer…. because the
text said….” _______________________

Feelings
Melissa’s mom feels determined _______________________
to get rid of the ants. How does _______________________
this determination affect the _______________________
story?
_______________________
“Melissa’s mom’s determination
_______________________
affects the story because…”
_______________________

Motivations

What motivates Melissa’s mom

to rip through the vacuum bag?
“What motivates Melissa’s mom
is…”