In "Ruby the Copycat," there are many vocabulary words that younger students may not understand, such as "murmured," "coincidence," "imitate" and recited." Make a list of these words and discuss them in the class. Have children try to guess what the words mean. Give the correct definitions, then have the students try to use the words throughout the next week. Place a sticker on a large chart each time a child uses a vocabulary word correctly.
Allow the students to act out the story during class. Assign roles for the teacher, the narrator, Ruby and Angela. Allow the other students to be the other students in Ruby's class. As the narrator reads the book, the other children should act out the roles. This will make the story more enjoyable and is a fun way for children to release energy during class. Read through the story two or three times with different children cast as the main characters.
Talk about the social and character implications in the story. Discuss how the children would feel in different roles. How would the children feel if someone copied them all of the time? Ask the children why they thought Ruby copied Angela and then Miss Hart. Discuss how it feels to be a part of a new school. Ask the children if they have ever admired someone enough to copy some of their actions or style. Discuss with the class the Shakespeare assertion that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Have the children write down the vocabulary words from the book. Practice the words each day for a week or longer. At the end of the week, give the class a spelling test on the vocabulary words. Use some of the easier words from the story as well, depending on the age of the class. Work with the children after the test to work on some of the commonly misspelled words from the test.