Guiding Comprehension

Sequence • Literal

When does Alexander claim he was rich?

The narrator says that he used to be rich last Sunday.

then… use the skill and strategy instruction on
p. 71.

If… students are unable to determine the sequence of events,

Sequence

Cause and Effect • Literal

Why do Grandma Betty and Grandpa Louie give a dollar to Alexander and each of his brothers?

Alexander and his brothers like money.

Predict • Inferential

Why do you think Alexander says he was rich last Sunday and not now?

Possible response: He spends all the money his grandparents give him.

SKILLS

STRATEGIES IN CONTEXT

Sequence

TEACH

Explain to students that sequence is the order in which events happen in a story. Tell students to pay attention as they read what happens first, next, and last.
Help students understand that authors often indicate sequence by including clue words and phrases such as first, then, finally, and at last.
Model identifying the sequence of events on p. 71.

MODEL As I read this page
I need to pay attention to
the sequence of events. In
other words, I need to find out
the order of the events. The first
sentence tells me that the first thing
that happened was that Alexander's
grandparents came to visit from New Jersey. The remaining sentences
are mostly about the gifts the
grandparents brought. I do not know
who first received a present, but at
least I know that the presents were
given after the grandparents arrived
from New Jersey.

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

Have students reread p. 70. Ask which of the following words from the page can be used to indicate sequence:

a)	fair
b)	soon
c)	most

"Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday"
by Judith Viorst

Student Edition
Unit 1, pp. 68–81

Realistic fiction is a made-up story that could really happen. Do you know anyone like Alexander?

I'm Alexander and for some reason, I just can't hold on to money. The only things in my pockets are a few bus tokens. My brothers, Anthony and Nick, are the opposite. They always seem to have more money than they need. It is totally unfair that they can hold on to their money as my money disappears without a trace.

On Sunday, Grandma and Grandpa came to visit. They gave each of us a dollar. Well, I was rich, not rich enough to pay for college, of course. But I did have one whole dollar, and I had a plan. I planned on saving it because I wanted to buy a walkie-talkie.

As you know, plans do not always work out. Dad and I went downtown and I bought some bubble gum. That cost me fifteen cents, or three nickels. The clerk gave me three quarters and a dime in change.

Later I bet my brothers that I could do some amazing tricks like jumping from the top of the stairs without falling. Wrong! I even bet my Mom that she couldn't guess which hand held a marble. She guessed right, and now I was out another fifteen cents. I was down to 70 cents. That's just seven dimes.

Well, my brothers thought this was a good time to tease me. I had a few choice words to say to them, but I should not have said them. Dad fined me for those words, and I was out another ten cents. That was just my first fine of the day.

All day long, money slipped through my fingers. It cost me more than ten cents to borrow a snake from my friend Eddie. Then I went to a garage sale. Who could resist a one-eyed stuffed animal or a deck of cards with only two cards missing?

That's when I knew I had to put the rest of that dollar away or I would have nothing left to save. Oops! It was too late. My dollar had vanished. I looked everywhere for more money but found none. I guess it is just how my life is supposed to be. I will be spending it with nothing but bus tokens in my pockets though once I was rich.

From Alexander, Who Use to Be Rich Last Sunday. Text copyright © 1978 by Judith Viorst. Reprinted with permission of Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division. All rights reserved.



	Close
	Sequence If students have trouble listing the sequence of events, provide them with a copy of a time line (Graphic Organizer 22) to help them organize the events on pp. 70–71. Critical Thinking Point out this phrase on p. 71: "Mom says it isn't nice to say this—we like money." Have students suggest Mom's implication. (People think someone who likes money is greedy or not very nice.) Then ask students to elaborate on various attitudes people have about money. Access Content Direct students' attention to the word lox on p. 71. Pronounce the word and ask volunteers to suggest definitions. Some volunteers may suggest definitions that have something to do with the word locks. Explain that some words sound the same but have different meanings. In these cases, students must choose the meaning that makes sense in the context of their reading.

"Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday"by Judith Viorst

"Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday"
by Judith Viorst