Because of Winn-Dixie
On-Level Reader
Something to Do
Unit 1 Week 1
SEQUENCE SUMMARIZE
LESSON VOCABULARY grand, memorial,
peculiar, positive, prideful, recalls,
selecting
SUMMARY In this story, the narrator is a boy whose
grandfather comes to live with him and his father. The
grandfather spends most of his days watching TV or sleeping,
so the boy and his father try to find something
for the grandfather to do. One day they discover the
perfect activity.
INTRODUCE THE BOOK
BUILD BACKGROUND Ask students to describe what
they like to do with their grandparents and what their
grandparents do when they are not spending time with
their grandchildren.
This is an excellent topic for students to
describe something they lear
ned to do from an older
relative. Encourage them to bring photographs to their
presentations.
PREVIEW/USE ILLUSTRATIONS Have students look through
all the pictures in the story. Ask: Who is this story
mostly about? Point out that the grandfather appears
more often in the pictures than any other character.
TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY Write the vocabulary words
on the board. Have students work in pairs to find
definitions and parts of speech for the words. Ask
pairs to share their definitions with the class.
TARGET SKILL AND STRATEGY
SEQUENCE Remind students that keeping track
of the
sequence, or order, of events in a story can
help
them understand what happens. Tell them that
sometimes a sequence describes steps in a process.
Suggest that they look for clue words as they read, such
as
while,
then, now, next, after.
SUMMARIZE Remind students
that remembering the
important information in a book can help them keep
track of the main idea in the story. Tell students that
while they read, they might note the activities suggested
to the grandfather.
READ THE BOOK
Use the following questions to support comprehension.
PAGE 4 Why do the boy and his father try so hard to make
Grandpa feel at
home? (They want him to be comfortable
because he is moving from the city
to the country, and he
will probably miss Grandma and his old neighborhood.)
PAGES 5–7 How do the boy and his father go about
finding something for
Grandpa to do? (They buy him
equipment for different activities, such as
walking shoes
and
a pyrography set.)
PAGE 15 What did Grandpa add to the mix after the flour
and lard? (an egg)
TALK ABOUT THE BOOK
READER RESPONSE
- Possible response: Mix together flour, salt, lard, and
an egg; roll out
dough; cut the dough into circles;
spoon in filling; fold and seal the
edges of the circles
with a fork; fry the pies.
- Possible response: walking, pyrography, and making
fried pies
- Possible response:
filling, going, helping, selecting,
enjoying;
Sentences will vary.
- Possible response: hobbies such as walking, golf,
painting, knitting,
and cooking
RESPONSE OPTIONS
WRITING Ask students to think of something they like to
make. Have
them create a chart similar to the one in
question 1 of Reader Response.
Tell students to write
out the steps in making their special item.
CONTENT CONNECTIONS
SOCIAL STUDIES Have students
interview a grandparent. Tell them
to
find
out what life was like when he or she
was a
child.
Invite students to
share brief reports
of their interviews.
