Lower elementary · Grades K–2
The Cricket in Times Square Homeschool Literature Study Guide
For grades 2 · 5-week family study
by George Selden
Prepared by StudyGuide Pro · Updated
About the book
What this guide helps your family notice
A country cricket lands in a Times Square newsstand and brings music, friendship, and a new kind of attention to the Bellini family.
Why we place this guide in grades 2
The contrast between Connecticut and Times Square gives children a clear way to compare settings, while Chester's music makes the invisible power of art tangible.
Placement reflects the independence, evidence, vocabulary, content, and project expected by this guide. It is a teaching recommendation, not a claim that every child reads at the same pace.
Free sample lesson
Week 1 · A new setting
Read Chapters 1–3
What does Chester notice first about Times Square?
Parent answer guidance
A strong answer should name a specific choice, detail, or line from Chapters 1–3; explain what it shows about a new setting; and make room for a different answer when the child can support it from the story. Prompt once with “What in the chapter makes you think that?” before supplying an interpretation.
Edition-independent chapter map
A 5-week reading schedule
The plan follows chapters or named sections rather than page numbers, so it stays usable across common paperback, hardcover, and ebook editions. If an edition numbers supplemental material differently, match the chapter title or stopping event.
Week 1 · Chapters 1–3
A new setting
What does Chester notice first about Times Square?
Activity: Compare two settings
Week 2 · Chapters 4–6
Unexpected friendship
Why does Tucker help Chester?
Activity: Draw the newsstand
Week 3 · Chapters 7–9
Music and memory
How does music connect Chester to home?
Activity: Collect sound words
Week 4 · Chapters 10–12
A family changes
What changes for Mario's family?
Activity: Write a newsstand notice
Week 5 · Chapters 13–end
Home and return
What does Chester carry home from the city?
Activity: Finish the sound map
Learning objectives and extra prompts
What students will practice
- Use the text to practice setting.
- Use the text to practice character relationships.
- Use the text to practice plot sequence.
- Use the text to practice vocabulary.
More sample questions
- 01How does Chester's sound change the newsstand?
- 02What do Mario and Tucker learn from one another?
- 03How does the city become both strange and welcoming?
Extension activities
- Map Chester's city journey
- Collect sound words
- Write a newsstand notice
Content notes for parents
Know what to expect before you begin.
A cricket is separated from home and faces city dangers; friendship and return provide reassurance.
Children practice: Setting · Character relationships · Plot sequence · Vocabulary
Final reflection
Finish with a final project.
Create a sound-and-setting map showing how Chester changes three places in New York.
Final-project rubric
Four things to look for
01
Understanding
Accurately represents the book’s characters, events, setting, or central ideas.
02
Text evidence
Uses specific moments, details, or language from the reading to support choices.
03
Communication
Explains the project clearly in words suited to the student’s grade band.
04
Reflection
Connects the finished work to a theme, change, question, or insight from the book.
Use the rubric descriptively: beginning, developing, clear, or especially strong. It is answer support for family feedback, not a standardized assessment.
Editorial and worldview note
What kind of guide this is
Written for Christian homeschool families: literary analysis stays grounded in the book, with room for biblical reflection at home. These are literature guides, not Bible curriculum.
Prepared by StudyGuide Pro; reviewed September 1, 2026. Read the editorial method →
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