My Rows and Piles of Coins
Below-Level Reader
E-Pals
Unit 1 Week 5
CHARACTER AND SETTING STORY STRUCTURE
LESSON VOCABULARY arranged, bundles, dangerously, errands, excitedly, steady, unwrapped, wobbled
SUMMARY This is a book about two friends from very different cultures and how they keep in touch via e-mail.
INTRODUCE THE BOOK
BUILD BACKGROUND Ask students if they have had a pen pal. Discuss how students from other countries might differ and how they might be similar to students in the United States.
PREVIEW/USE ILLUSTRATIONS Ask students to look over the map and illustrations. Discuss with students what information they have gained about the book by looking at the art.
TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY Review the meanings of vocabulary words with students. Review the meanings of the suffixes and endings. Have students tell the base word, the suffix, or ending added for each word.
TARGET SKILL AND STRATEGY
CHARACTER AND SETTING Remind students that
characters are the persons whom the story is about, and
setting is where the actions take place. Ask students to write down the different characters and settings that they encounter while reading.
STORY STRUCTURE Remind students that
story structure is how a story is organized, and that a story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Ask students to identify the beginning, middle, and end of
E-Pals as they read.
Have students write three different sentences. One sentence will describe the beginning of the story, one will describe the middle, and the last will describe the end. Discuss their summaries.
READ THE BOOK
Use the following questions to support comprehension.
PAGES 4–5 What are the two main settings in this book? (Tanzania
and Colorado)
PAGE 6 What is similar about Tanzania and Colorado? (Possible
responses: Soccer is enjoyed in both places; both have wildlife.)
PAGES 10–11 How is Molly going to try and make Juma's visit fun?
(Juma wants to see grizzlies and Molly's father is going to take them
to the mountains to look for wildlife.)
TALK ABOUT THE BOOK
READER RESPONSE
- Possible responses: Juma is friendly and generous. He e-mails Molly
and sends her a carved giraffe; he plays soccer and is athletic; he is
responsible because he helps his father. The settings are Tanzania
and Colorado.
- Molly writes to Juma about the giraffe. Juma writes about his father's
tour and soccer. Molly writes about American sports and the Fourth
of July. Juma writes about a baby zebra.
- Excitedly means with "strong, lively feelings." Dangerously means
"not safely."
- Responses will vary.
RESPONSE OPTIONS
WRITING Discuss with students what interests them about Juma and Molly.
Then ask them to write e-mails to both Juma and Molly. Read e-mails out
loud in class.
CONTENT CONNECTIONS
SOCIAL STUDIES Suggest that students research countries they are interested in. Students may use encyclopedias or the Internet.
L.R. TOC
PrintResources
