Because of Winn-Dixie
Advanced-Level Reader
The Story
of Libraries
Unit 1 Week 1
SEQUENCE SUMMARIZE
LESSON VOCABULARY codex, grand,
memorial, peculiar, positive, prideful,
selecting, volume
SUMMARY This nonfiction book presents the history of
libraries, from early collections of clay tablets to modern
libraries. Featured are Benjamin Franklin and Andrew
Carnegie, two important people in the creation of modern libraries.
INTRODUCE THE BOOK
BUILD BACKGROUND Draw a word web on the board
with the word library at the center. Ask students to
brainstorm all the words that come to mind when they
think of libraries.
PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES Have students skim
the text, looking at the title, pictures, captions, and
headings. Ask the students to brainstorm a list of facts
they expect to learn about libraries from the selection,
and write their predictions on the board.
TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY Divide students into two
groups. Have one group find synonyms for each word,
and direct the other group to find antonyms. Invite
students to share what they found.
TARGET SKILL AND STRATEGY
SEQUENCE Remind students that keeping track of the
sequence, or order, of events in a book can help them
understand the facts that are presented. Suggest that
they look for clue words such as
first, next, then, last.
SUMMARIZE Remind students that
summarizing, or remembering the important facts in a book, can
help them keep track of information. Recommend that
students make a mental summary of information in
each section while reading.
Pair students to do some extra research on
Benjamin Franklin and Andrew Carnegie—especially
if students are not familiar with these figures in
U.S. history.
READ THE BOOK
Use the following questions to support comprehension.
PAGE 8 What happened to libraries after the fall of the
Roman Empire?
(Muslims preserved libraries, which
continued to thrive in the East.)
PAGES 8–9 How was the codex important in making
books look like they
do today? (The codex gave books
the shape we know today.)
PAGES 10–12 What prompted the Junto to form a lending
library? (The
members needed books to write their essays,
but not all members could
afford to buy books.)
TALK ABOUT THE BOOK
READER RESPONSE
- Clay tablets created near Nippur; Royal Library at
Alexandria founded;
Trajan's library founded; movable
type invented by Gutenberg
- Possible response: Andrew Carnegie was born in
1835 in Scotland; he
started school in 1843; he
became a messenger and private investor; he
used
his money to create free libraries and other buildings.
- Possible response: odd, strange, special
- Possible response: The tall columns and the scrolls
are different from
the library at my school.
RESPONSE OPTIONS
WRITING Many libraries have procedures for borrowing
books, using
computers, or behaving in a respectful
manner. Have students write
paragraphs in which they
describe the steps for one of these activities.
CONTENT CONNECTIONS
SOCIAL STUDIES Divide students into
groups. Have each group research
one of the famous libraries mentioned
in the
book that is not described in
detail. Ask each group
to write a
description of its library.
