Guiding Comprehension

Sequence • Inferential

Reread p. 25, paragraph 2. List in order the main events that happen in this paragraph.

First, Opal shows Winn-Dixie how to look in the window. Then Opal goes inside the library. Then Miss Franny Block sees the dog at the window and thinks he is a bear.

then… use the skill and strategy instruction
on p. 25.

If… students are unable to determine the sequence,

Sequence

Draw Conclusions • Inferential

Why do you think Miss Franny Block is sitting on the floor behind her desk?

She is hiding or simply dropped to the floor in fear because she thinks she saw a bear at the window.

SKILLS

STRATEGIES IN CONTEXT

Sequence

TEACH

Remind students that it is important to keep track of the sequence, or order, of events in a story.
Point out that when the sequence is hard to follow, it helps to visualize what is happening. Picturing the events mentally may help students figure out the order in which they happen.
Model finding the sequence of events on p. 25, paragraph 2.

MODEL I read in the first sentence that Opal goes into the library. But Winn-Dixie can't go in, so she shows him how to look through a window. I try to picture what is happening. Opal probably showed her dog the window before she went in the library. Opal goes in and then Miss Franny sees the dog at the window.

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

Have students reread p. 25, paragraph 3. Ask them to list what happens first, next, and last. (First Opal looks for books, then she hears a scream, and last she runs to the front of the library and sees Miss Franny sitting on the floor.)

Narration

Explain that narration is the
recounting of events by a narrator,
or storyteller. Have students read
the first paragraph on p. 25 and
discuss who is the narrator in the story. (Opal) Point out the pronoun
I and explain that this story is narrated in the first-person. This means story events are told from the point of view of one of the characters.

"Because of Winn-Dixie"
by Kate DiCamillo

Student Edition
Unit 1, pp. 22–33

This Snapshot is realistic fiction. It is about characters and events that are like people and events in real life.

Opal Buloni and her father, a preacher, have recently moved to a small town in Florida. Opal's mother has died, and Opal misses her. Soon after they arrive, Opal rescues a big, scruffy dog. She names him Winn-Dixie, after the grocery store where she found him. She convinces her father to let her keep him. She is lonesome.
Winn-Dixie goes everywhere with Opal. He even goes to the Herman W. Block Memorial Library. Opal spends many hours inside reading. She teaches Winn-Dixie to stand on his hind legs and watch her through the window. She gets to know Miss Franny Block, the tiny, old librarian.
One day, while Opal is selecting a book, Miss Franny screams. Opal finds her sitting on the floor behind her desk. She has just seen a bear at the window! Opal tells her that she is positive that it was Winn-Dixie, her dog. Miss Franny breaks a rule and lets him come inside.
Then she begins to tell a story. She recalls Florida when it was wild and woolly. She says she doesn't want to appear prideful, but her daddy was a very rich man. When she was about Opal's age, he gave her her own library. One day she was reading when she saw a shadow. She didn't look up until she noticed a strong, peculiar smell. Then she saw a huge bear right in front of her. She was scared but decided to fight. She threw a big book at the bear, and it went away. But it took the book, she says. And for years she was teased that a bear was somewhere reading a book. Miss Franny stops and says that this was long ago. Most of her friends are gone now.
Miss Franny looks at Winn-Dixie. He sits up and shows her his teeth. She thinks he is smiling at her. Opal says that's one of his talents. She says that maybe she and Miss Franny and Winn-Dixie can all be friends. Miss Franny says that would be grand.
Just then Amanda Wilkinson walks in. She asks for a difficult book to read. She brags that she is an advanced reader. Then she asks why a dog is in the library. Miss Franny looks at Opal and winks. Opal knows that she has made a friend.



	Close
	Extend Language Use the first paragraph on p. 24 to clarify that Winn-Dixie is the name of a grocery store chain in the southeastern United States and also the name of the dog in the story. Opal's full name is India Opal Buloni, but she is known by her middle name. The setting is Naomi, Florida. Naomi can also be the first name for a girl. Sequence Remind students that a time line like the one on p. 18 is a good graphic organizer to use to keep track of the sequence in a story. Begin a time line with students to put the main events in the story in order. Have students add more main events as they continue reading. European Influence Opal has just moved to a small town in Florida. Many groups of people have settled in Florida over the years. Native Americans were the first settlers, having lived in the area for at least 10,000 years. Florida is also the location of the first permanent European settlement in the United States. Spaniards founded the city of St. Augustine in 1565. Florida was under Spanish rule until 1821 when it became a United States territory. Florida became a state in 1845. Many ethnic groups now live in the state, but the influence of Spanish culture on Florida is significant. It is reflected in the names, food, and architecture of the state.

"Because of Winn-Dixie"by Kate DiCamillo

"Because of Winn-Dixie"
by Kate DiCamillo