Happy Birthday Dr King!

1. KNOWLEDGE - Why is Jamal's grandfather so unhappy that Jamal fought to sit at the back of the bus? Give details.

2. ANALYZING - What does Jamal learn from talking with his grandfather? How is he different after the talk?

3. GENERATING - How does Jamal use what he learns from his grandfather in his skit? Explain.

4. INTEGRATING - Jamal says he did something "really stupid that turned out to be stupendous instead." What does he mean?

5. EVALUATING - What would you like to do for a school celebration of Dr. King's birthday? Be specific.

6. CONNECTIONS - Who do you think are the heroes in this story? What makes them heroic?

The Last Dragon

1. KNOWLEDGE - Give examples from the story of how Great Aunt helps Peter with his dragon.

2. ANALYZING - Why do Great Aunt's neighbors help Peter?

3. GENERATING - What does Peter mean when he sdays, "There's something about this dragon?"

4. GENERATING - Would this story be different if one person had repaired Peter's entire dragon? Explain.

5. EVALUATING - How does Peter change because of his experience fixing the dragon? Be specific.

6. CONNECTIONS - Compare Peter's experiences away from home with the experiences of another character in this theme.

Marven of the Great North Woods

1. KNOWLEDGE - Why is Marven so good at adjusting to life in the loggin camp? What problems does he solve there?

2. ANALYZING - What does Marven think of Jean Louis at first? How and why does his opinion change?

3. GENERATING - What do you think Marven will miss about the logging camp when he returns home? Be specific.

4. INTEGRATING - How do you think Marven's experience in the great north woods might have changed him?

5. EVALUATING - If you had to spend the winter at the logging camp, what would you worry about? What would you look forward to?

6. CONNECTIONS - Both Maria Isabel and Marven have problems getting used to a new place. Compare their experiences.

My Name is Maria Isabel

1. KNOWLEDGE - How does writing the essay help Maria Isabel?

2. GENERATING - Why do you think Maria Isabel feels that she is "caught in a sticky, troublesome spider's web of her own"?

3. GENERATING - Maria Isabel doesn't tell her parents that she is upset. Why do you think she keeps her feelings to herself?

4. INTEGRATING - Why is Charlotte's Web so important to Maria Isabel?

5. EVALUATING - If you had a difficult problem, would you solve it the way Maria Isabel did or a different way? Explain.

6. CONNECTIONS - What does this selection teach you abou t solving problems?

The Borrowers & Lord of the Fleas

1. ORGANIZING - What makes "The Borrowers" and "Lord of the Fleas" so amazing? Compare the two stories.


2. ANALYZING - Which stories in this theme are fantasies? For each story, list qualities that support your answer.

3. INTEGRATING - Name four tiny items the Clocks might borrow from you. What might they do with them?

4. EVALUATING - "Lord of the Fleas" shows that real like can be amazing. List two things you think are amazing in real life. Explain.

5. EVALUATING - What selection in this theme is the most amazing? Explain.

Heat Wave!

1. KNOWLEDGE - Many scenes in the story exaggerate an ordinary event until it becomes amazing. Give examples.

2. ANALYZING - What qualities make the girl so good at fighting the heat wave? Use details from the story.

3. GENERATING - If the farm had been out of lettuce seeds, how else could the girl have defeated the heat wave?

4. INTEGRATING - How is the heat wave like a character in the story? If the heat wave could talk, what would it say?

5. EVALUATING - Should the girl have told her neighbors why they had such an early snowfall? Why or why not?

6. CONNECTIONS - What do you think would happen if the stranger from Chris VAl Allsburg's story were at the farm during the heat wave attack?

Watch a Movie Version

View one of the many film versions of Cinderella. How does the movie compare to the story Cendrillon. Which version do you like better? Why?

Cendrillon

1. ORGANIZING - At what point in time is Cendrillon's godmother tellling the story? How do you know this?

2. ANALYZING - Which story events could happen in real life? Which amazing events could never happen in real life?

3. GENERATING - Why does Cendrillon want to wear her own clothes when Paul puts the slipper on her foot?

4. GENERATING - How would this story have been different if Cendrillon had left the ball on time?

5. INTEGRATING - Why do you think the Cinderella story, in all its different versions, is so popular all over the world?

6. CONNECTIONS - Which story do you think is more amazing, Cendrillon or The Stranger? Give reasons for you answer.

Post a Review (The Stranger)

Would you like to share your opinion of The Stranger? Write a review of the book.

The Stranger

1. KNOWLEDGE - What are the first few clues that tell you that something is unusual about the stranger?

2. ANALYZING - What is the Bailey family like? Use details from the story to support your description.

3. GENERATING - The stranger feel something is "terribly wrong" when he sees green leaves on the trees. What do you think is wrong?

4. GENERATING - Who do you think the stranger is? List three clues that help you guess his identity.

5. INTEGRATING - If the stranger stayed for a while where you live, what effect might he have on the climate?

6. CONNECTIONS - What does Chris Van Allsburg do to make this story mysterious and amazing?

Focus on Plays/Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

1. ORGANIZING How is the play different from a fictional story, such as the ones you have already read in Journeys or American Stories? What features do they share?

2. ANALYZING In what ways does a play remind you of movies you of movies or television shows?

3. GENERATING How would the play have been different if a character other than Peter had narrated it. Explain.

4. INTEGRATING Why are stage directions so important in a play? Give examples of how stage directions helped you better understand "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing."

5. EVALUATING If you could play a character in "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" who would you choose? Why?

Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride/Duke Ellington

1. ORGANIZING - Compare the different ways the authors of "Amelia and Elenor Go for a Ride" and "Duke Ellington" tell their stories.

2. ANALYZING - What qualities do Duke Ellington and Amelia Earhart have in common? How do they each show these qualities in what they love to do?

3. ANALYZING - How are Duke Ellington and John Stetson alike? What qualities helped each man reach his goals?

4. GENERATING - Why do you think "Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride" and "Duke Ellington" are included in this theme?

5. EVALUATING - Which selection in this theme best describes your idea of what it means to be an American? Explain your answer.

A VERY IMPORTANT DAY

1. KNOWLEDGE - How do you know that becoming American citizens means a lot to these families?

2. ANALYZING - Why do you think the people in the story react differently to snow? Use details from the story.

3. GENERATING - Why do you think the author waits until the end of the story to show the importance of this day?

4. INTEGRATING - Why does the author write about so many different families, instead of focusing on just one?

5. EVALUATING - Why was Bailong's gift to Yujin (Page 266) a good choice on this particular day?

6. CONNECTIONS - Tanya's family reunion is an important day for her. If she and Yujin could discuss their very important days, what do you think they would say?

Boss of the Plain

1. KNOWLEDGE - How did Stetson's poor health change his life?

2. ANALYZING - What character traits made John Stetson a good inventor? What made him a good businessman?

3. GENERTING - What were some of John Stetson's failures? What do yoiu think he learned from them?

4. GENERATING - Why do you think John Stetson named his hat Boss of the Plains? What would you have named it?

5. INTEGRATING - The Boss of the Plains hat is still being made today. Why do you think it was a success in the Old West? Why do you think it's still popular?

6. CONNECTIONS - John Stetson and Tomas Rivera used their imaginations in different ways. How is imagination important to each of them?

Tomas and the Library Lady

1. ORGANIZING Before Tomas meets the library lady, his grandfather is the storyteller. Why does this change after Tomas starts visiting the library?

2. ANALYZING How would you describe the library lady? What kind of person is she?

3. GENERATING How do you think Tomas feels when he first sees the library? Use details from the story.

4. INTEGRATING Tomas and the library lady become friends. What do you think they learn from each other?

5. EVALUATING What does Tomas enjoy most about reading books? Tell about your favorite books and why you like it.

6. CONNECTIONS Tomas Rivera grew up to be a successful educator and writer. Why do you think the author of this book chose to write about this time in Tomas Rivera's life?

By the Shores of Silver Lake

1. KNOWLEDGE Laura "sees out loud" for Mary, but Mary also notices on her own. Give examples of how Mary observes her surroundings.

2. ANALYZING How is Ma feeling about the family's trip?

3. GENERATING How do you think Laura and Mary feel about each other? What clues does the story give?

4. INTEGRATING Summarize Laura's train ride.

5. EVALUATING If you were traveling during Laura's time, would you rather go by horse and wagon, or by train? Why?

6. CONNECTIONS Laura is excited and nervous before her train trip. Compare her feelings with the way another character in this theme feels at the beginning of a journey.

Finding the Titanic

1. ORGANIZING In this selection, Ballard tells two stories that take place at different times. How does he keep the two stories separate?

2. GENERATING What conditions made the TITANIC especially hard to find? Use details from the story.

3. INTEGRATING Summarize why Robert Ballard was so determined to find the TITANIC.

4. INTEGRATING Why do you think people are still fascinated today by the TITANIC?

5. EVALUATING How would you feel if you were on the TITANIC like Ruth Becker, or with Ballard's crew? Explain your answer.

6. CONNECTION Both Ruth Becker and Grandfather in Grandfather's Journey took trips that changed their lives. Compare how they felt as they looked back on their journeys.

Grandfather's Journey

1. KNOWLEDGE Why was Allen Say's grandfather so impressed by what he saw on his first trip to North America? Use details from the story.

2. ANALYZING How are the journeys that Allen Say and his grandfather take similar? How are they different?

3. ANALYZING Why do you think Allen Say wanted to tell the story of his grandfather's journey?

4. GENERATING If you were seeing North America for the first time, what would impress you the most? Why?

5. INTEGRATING Why did Grandfather keep songbirds in North America and in Japan? Why did he stop?

6. CONNECTIONS How do the settings in Grandfather's Journey and Akiak play an important part in each journey? Be sure to give examples.

AKIAK

Think About the Selection:
1.KNOWLEDGE What qualities make Akiak such a good lead dog? Give reasons for your answer.
2. ANALYZING The author tells the story by breaking it down into days. Why do you think he chose to do that?
3. GENERATING How do you think Mick feels when she sends Akiak home on Day Four? Would you have made the same decision?
4. GENERATING One man helps Akiak by opening a door for her. Why do you think he did that?
5. EVALUATING Did Akiak really win the race? Give reasons for your answer.
6. CONNECTIONS Why is this particular journey so important to Akiak and Mick?