Guiding Comprehension

Draw Conclusions • Critical

Why do you think the Secret Service agents do not want Amelia and Eleanor to fly to Baltimore?

Possible response: The flight hasn't been approved in advance. They're supposed to keep the First Lady safe and probably think an unexpected night flight is too risky or dangerous.

Visualize • Inferential

Question the Author How does the author help you visualize the sights seen from the airplane?

Possible response: She uses colorful, descriptive words and phrases, such as glistened and soft golden halo.

Story Structure • Inferential

What can you tell about the structure of this story so far? Give examples.

Possible response: The story tells what happens in a clear sequence of events. First, Amelia joins Eleanor Roosevelt and others for dinner. Then, Amelia and Eleanor decide to take an airplane ride, go to the airport, get on a small plane, and fly away over the city.

then… use
the skill and
strategy
instruction on
p. 571.

If… students have difficulty describing the story structure and sequence,

Story Structure

SKILLS

STRATEGIES IN CONTEXT

Sequence
Story Structure

TEACH

Remind students stories can be organized in different ways. Most fiction stories are organized as a sequence of events in the order in which they happen. Good readers pay attention to a story's structure and follow the sequence of events.
Model how to analyze story structure.

MODEL Let's think about how the author has organized this story. Is there a problem the characters try to solve? No, I don't see that. What I notice is the author describing what happened one night. First, the women got dressed. Then, they attended a White House dinner. Next, they went up in an airplane together. The events are being described in the order in which they happened. This author is using a sequence of events to organize the story.

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

Have students list the sequence of events using the Story Sequence B chart. To assess, ask questions about whether a specific event happened before, after, or at the same time as another event.

Confirm Predictions Have students read the predictions they wrote at the beginning of the story. (See p. 564.) Have them tell whether their predictions were accurate and write a new prediction.

If you want to teach this selection in two sessions, stop here.

"Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride"
by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Student Edition
Unit 5, pp. 564–575

Historical fiction is set in the past, with characters based on real people who lived at the time. As you read this Snapshot, think about the two main characters.

Eleanor and Amelia were friends. Both were outspoken and daring. Eleanor found out that Amelia was going to be in town, so she invited Amelia and her husband to dinner at her house. That is not unusual. But Eleanor's husband was President Franklin Roosevelt, and the house they lived in was the White House. And Amelia was Amelia Earhart, the famous aviator. She was the first woman to fly a plane solo across the Atlantic Ocean. When these two women got together, something exciting would surely happen.
Amelia dressed for dinner. She put on high-heeled shoes, an evening gown, and long white evening gloves. They were very different from the clothes she wore when she was flying. People wondered why she flew. She always said, "It's fun!" She liked feeling independent. And she always felt that way in the cockpit.
At the same time, Eleanor was getting ready. She too was dressing up. Finally she pulled on her evening gloves. They were very different from those she wore when she was driving. She had just gotten a new car. She could not wait to drive it. Some people thought the First Lady should not drive herself. But she said, "It's practical!" And she too liked feeling independent.
The evening was beautiful, brisk, and without a cloud in the sky. The Red Room looked elegant. Someone said that Eleanor had just received her license as a student pilot. Amelia had encouraged Eleanor to do it. She promised to teach Eleanor how to fly.
Everyone asked what it was like to fly at night. Amelia was one of the few people at that time who had ever done it. Eleanor asked what Washington looked like. Amelia said she would have to see for herself. Suddenly Amelia said, "We should go now! It's a beautiful night to fly!"
The Secret Service men did not like the idea. But Eleanor wanted to go. So they took the two women to the airport. Amelia slipped into the pilot's seat, her long gloves still on. Eleanor sat in the passenger's seat. She said it was funny to see a pilot in a white dress and high-heeled shoes. Amelia laughed.
As they rose above Washington, Amelia turned off the lights inside the plane. There it was! The Potomac River glittered in the moonlight. The capitol dome looked as if it had a halo. The monuments looked like toys. Eleanor was thrilled.
When they got back to the White House, the two women slipped back outside. Next thing anyone knew, they were in Eleanor's new car. They drove around Washington and saw the sights closer up. This time Amelia was thrilled.
Then they headed back to the White House for dessert.

Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Illustrations by Brian Selznick, Scholastic, Inc., 1999.



	Close
	Extend Language Point out exaggerations, such as you can see forever and back in no time (p. 570, paragraph 1). Have students give the literal and idiomatic definitions. Explain that authors often use exaggerations to make conversations humorous or more lively. Sequence/Story Structure Have students work in pairs to write each story event so far on a self-sticking note. They can place the notes in order, directly on the story pages, numbering each one sequentially. PRACTICE LESSON VOCABULARY Students respond orally yes or no to each of the following questions and provide a reason for each answer. Possible reasons are given. Is an outspoken person shy? (No; an outspoken person says what he or she thinks.) Are you likely to find an aviator in a plane? (Yes; an aviator is a pilot.) When you do something solo, do you have a partner? (No; you do it alone.) BUILD CONCEPT VOCABULARY Review previous concept words. Ask if students have come across any words today in their reading that they would like to add to the Women at Work Concept Web, such as aviator.

"Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride"by Pam Muñoz Ryan

"Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride"
by Pam Muñoz Ryan