Level 7 Reading Strategies for Literature CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES, Inc.
Table of Contents Lesson 1........................................... 2 Strategy: Paint a Picture Reading: Yoshiko and the Snow Cranes by Judy Cox Lesson 2........................................... 6 Strategy: Put Yourself in My Shoes Reading: I, Earthling by Bruce Coville Lesson 3.......................................... 10 Strategy: Make Good Guesses Reading: Tails of the Bronx by Jill Pinkwater Lesson 4.......................................... 14 Strategy: Become a Storyteller Reading: Tell Me a Story: Thor Lesson 5.......................................... 18 Strategy: Figure Out What Happens Reading: The Fox and the Stork by Aesop Lesson 6.......................................... 22 Strategy: Use Good Judgment Reading: Nathan s Dilemma by K.T. Lund Lesson 7.......................................... 26 Strategy: Put Things in Order Reading: Alice s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Lesson 8.......................................... 30 Strategy: Determine What Happens and Why Reading: How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin by Rudyard Kipling Lesson 9.......................................... 34 Strategy: Sort Out Likenesses and Differences Reading: Going Home by Nicholasa Mohr Lesson 10......................................... 38 Strategy: Spin a Character Web Reading: The Talking Earth by Jean Craighead George Lesson 11......................................... 42 Strategy: Make a Story Map Reading: The Gorgon s Head by Nathaniel Hawthorne Page
Lesson 7 Strategy: Put Things in Order Every day of our lives, we do things in a certain order. We wake up, get dressed, and leave our homes. During the day, we have a schedule of things we do first, second, and so on. When we tell about the order in which things happen, we relate a sequence of events. Sometimes one event leads to another. For example, suppose you are at the supermarket buying some fresh, juicy oranges. After you grab an orange from the bottom of the pile, an avalanche of oranges begins tumbling down and rolling across the floor. Just then, a store manager setting up a display steps on one of the oranges. He falls onto the display, sending boxes of cookies into the cart of a passing shopper. You can show the order of events by putting them in a sequence chart. Sequence is the order in which things happen. A sequence is often a chain of related events. You can use a sequence chart to show the order of events. Look at the sequence chart below. It shows some of the events described above. Write the last event that happened. Event 1 You pick out oranges at the supermarket. Event 2 Event 3 Event 4 You start an avalanche of oranges tumbling and rolling across the floor. The store manager setting up a display steps on one of the oranges. When you read, you can make a sequence chart to remember the sequence of events. When you make a sequence chart recall the events that happened. think about the order in which they happened. list them on the chart, showing how one event led to another. 26
Exploring the Strategy Writers sometimes use certain time words or time phrases as clues to a sequence of events. Some of these words and phrases are first, next, then, finally, all of a sudden, before long, and after a while. Look for clue words and phrases like these in the paragraph below. One day a rather peaceful vacation with my uncle in Colorado turned into a wild adventure. It was the day my uncle, sister, and I went on a rafting trip. The people at the Rocky Mountain Rafting Company provided us with all the necessary equipment. After putting on our life jackets and getting into the raft, we started paddling down the river. Before long, the river started to get rough. The strong currents tossed our raft around for several minutes. All of a sudden, we heard a strange hissing noise and realized that our raft was losing air. We couldn t find where the problem was, so we started paddling frantically. Soon we were in calm water again, and we were able to paddle to the riverbank. We finally were rescued by some people in another raft. Recall the events that happened. Now use what you know about sequence to fill in the chart below. Think about the order in which the events happened. Look for clue words to help you figure out the order of events. List the events on the chart, showing how one event led to another. Event 1 Event 2 Event 3 The three people put on their life jackets, got into the raft, and started paddling down the river. Event 4 Event 5 27
Studying the Strategy Here is an excerpt from Alice s Adventures in Wonderland. When you read this selection, think about the sequence of events that author Lewis Carroll describes. Alice s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll In this classic fantasy, a young girl named Alice follows a talking White Rabbit, who is carrying a pocket watch, down a rabbit hole. When she finally reaches the bottom, she finds herself in the middle of a long hall lit by a row of lamps. She finds a tiny golden key that fits a little door hidden behind a curtain. She opens the door and sees beyond it a wonderful garden. She wishes she were small enough to fit through the tiny door that leads into the garden. When she finds a bottle labeled DRINK ME and drinks the contents, something odd happens. W hat a curious feeling! said Alice. I must be shutting up like a telescope! And so it was indeed: she was now only ten inches high, and her face brightened up at the thought that she was now the right size for going through the little door into that lovely garden. First, however, she waited for a few minutes to see if she was going to shrink any further: she felt a little nervous about this; for it might end, you know, said Alice to herself, in my going out altogether, like a candle. I wonder what I should be like then? And she tried to fancy what the flame of a candle looks like after the candle is blown out, for she could not remember ever having seen such a thing. After a while, finding that nothing more happened, she decided on going into the garden at once; but, alas for poor Alice! When she got to the door, she found she had forgotten the little golden key, and when she went back to the table for it, she found she could not possibly reach it: she could see it quite plainly through the glass, and she tried her best to climb up one of the legs of the table, but it was too slippery; and when she had tired herself out with trying, the poor little thing sat down and cried. Come, there s no use in crying like that! said Alice to herself, rather sharply. I advise you to leave off this minute! She generally gave herself very good advice (though she very seldom followed it).... Soon her eye fell on a little glass box that was lying under the table: she opened it, and found in it a very small cake, on which the words EAT ME were beautifully marked in currants. Well, I ll eat it, said Alice, and if it makes me grow larger, I can reach the key; and if it makes me grow smaller, I can creep under the door: so either way I ll get into the garden, and I don t care which happens! She ate a little bit, and said anxiously to herself, Which way? Which way?, holding her hand on the top of her head to feel which way it was 28
growing; and she was quite surprised to find that she remained the same size. To be sure, this is what generally happens when one eats cake; but Alice had got so much into the way of expecting nothing but out-of-the-way things to happen, that it seemed quite dull and stupid for life to go on in the common way. So she set to work, and very soon finished off the cake. Using the Strategy Use the sequence chart below to record what happened to Alice. Show the events in the order in which they happened. The first event has been recorded for you. Event 1 Alice shrank to the height of ten inches. Event 2 Event 3 Event 4 Event 5 Event 6 Event 7 Beyond the Story Think of a day that turned into an adventure for you. Perhaps you got lost in an unfamiliar place or went to a scary movie with a group of friends. Choose an experience that has five or more events in it. Then make a sequence chart to record the events. Use the sequence chart as a guide to write a short story about your adventure. 29