Guiding Comprehension

Author's Craft • Inferential

Question the Author Why do you think the author wrote, "The money jar in our kitchen looked ready to bust" instead of simply "The money jar was full"?

Possible response: The author uses vivid language to make the sentence more dramatic and interesting.

Realism/Fantasy • Critical

Read the second paragraph on
p. 33. Why is this paragraph the kind of writing you would expect to find in a realistic story?

The paragraph is typical of the writing found in a realistic story because everything could have happened.

then… use the skill and strategy instruction on
p. 33.

If… students are unable to determine if the paragraph is part of a realistic story or a fantasy,

Realism/Fantasy

Reading Signs

Have students read the signs that are posted throughout the selection. What information do these signs give? (Names or types of shops) Have students find signs displaying different types of shops. If they have difficulty with the meaning of any signs, they can use a dictionary or the Internet to find out more.

SKILLS

STRATEGIES IN CONTEXT

Realism/Fantasy Activate/Use Prior Knowledge

TEACH

Review with students the definitions for a realistic story (tells about events that could happen) and fantasy (tells about events that could not happen).
Remind students that realistic stories and fantasies are similar in that both are "made up."
Model how to compare prior knowledge to the elements of a realistic story found on
pp. 32–33.

MODEL Which clues on p. 33 tell me I am reading a realistic story? In order to find out, I will test whether the things in the story are like things in real life. First of all, Mr. Hooper builds a bank. I think it makes sense to build a bank; the town is growing fast and, just like us, people there need a place to put their money. I notice that one street is called "Bank Street" and another is "Main Street." Those street names are similar to ones in our town. Even though this story is made up, it is not a fantasy. Everything in the story tells about something that could have happened. That's why Boom Town is an example of a realistic story.

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

Have students explain how a realistic story can be similar to a fantasy. (Both are made up.) Then have students reread p. 32 and explain why the details on this page would be found in a realistic story. (All the details on p. 32 could have really happened.)

"Boom Town!"
by Sonia Levitin

Student Edition
Unit 1, pp. 16–35

Historical fiction is a made-up story that takes place in the past. Can you tell when this Selection Snapshot took place? What clues can you use?

A stagecoach carried Ma, my brothers, Baby Betsy, and me, Amanda, to California. Pa was already here. He was working in the gold fields. Every day he swung a pick and panned for gold. Ma said that she wasn't going to raise her family in a gold field. So we lived in town, and Dad stayed in the fields.

Town was little more than a couple of cabins. It was a small, lonely place. Every day was the same. I fetched water and helped clean and cook. I helped with the mending. We always had something that needed to be sewed. We worked hard all week. But we all looked forward to the weekend. That's when Pa came home.

One day I had a hankering for pie. Now, we didn't have a proper oven or pie tins. But I found a skillet. I put the pie in that old frying pan and baked it in the wood stove. Pa really liked it. He took some back to the fields. Guess what happened. The next weekend Pa came home with coins. He did not strike gold. He had sold pieces of my pie! Soon we had a business going. I made pies, and Pa sold them.

One day, a peddler stopped by. I bought some pie tins and a bucket. I told the peddler that people in town needed lots of things. We didn't have a store. So he opened one. He did real well too.

Then one day a man came to town looking for someone to wash his clothes. But our town did not have a laundry. I told him he could make a lot of money if he opened one. And that's just what he did.

Then a cowboy came by. He was tired and wanted to rest for a spell. He needed a place to keep his horse. But we didn't have a stable in town. I told him he should open one. And that's just what he did.

Well, more and more people came to town. Soon the town had a hotel and a cafe. Then a bank opened. The town even built a school. Pa took over my pie business. Now he stays in town baking pies. I help him when I'm not in school. Our town is no longer a small, lonely place. It's a lively boom town!



	Close
	Fluency The first paragraph on p. 32 contains words and phrases that may be difficult for some students to comprehend. Read the paragraph with students, pausing to explain any unfamiliar words or phrases.

"Boom Town!"by Sonia Levitin

"Boom Town!"
by Sonia Levitin