Guiding Comprehension

Character • Inferential

Write one adjective that describes Prudy.

Possible response: messy

then… use the skill and strategy instruction
on p. 207.

If… students have difficulty thinking of an adjective to describe Prudy,

Character

Generalize • Critical

What is one generalization we can make about Prudy? Find at least one detail from the story that supports your generalization.

Possible responses: She never throws anything away. Detail: (any of the things she collects)

Facts and Details • Critical

The author tells us the different kinds of things Prudy collects. Why is this important information?

Possible response: It shows that Prudy collects too much, including useless things, and it helps us understand how Prudy's collections are a problem.

SKILLS
STRATEGIES IN CONTEXT

Character

TEACH

Remind students that characters are the people or animals in stories.
Sometimes, authors do not tell us everything about their characters; we have to use clues from the story, such as a
character's words and actions, to understand them. We can also learn about characters from the things other characters say about them.
Model looking at Prudy's actions and the other characters' words to understand her character and come up with an adjective to describe her.

MODEL I read in the first two
pages that Prudy collects too many things. Then I read a
list of the kinds of things she collects. Finally, her father says that she has too much stuff, and it is making him upset. I think Prudy must be a very messy person!

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

Have students write a sentence
describing Prudy. To assess,
check that sentences are an
accurate representation of the
character.
To assess, use Practice Book
3.1, p. 76.

Practice Book 3.1 p. 76

with | without Answers

"Prudy's Problem and How She Solved It"
by Carey Armstrong-Ellis

Student Edition
Unit 2, pp. 202–217

A fantasy includes make-believe events. Look for situations in this Snapshot that could not really happen.

Most kids have a collection of one thing or another. They might collect coins or stamps or toy cars or even string. That's a normal kid thing to do. Prudy and her friends each collected things.
But Prudy was different in one important way. She did not collect just one thing. She collected everything, and her collections filled her bedroom. She had hundreds of stuffed toys and butterflies and other insects. She collected cards and letters and calendars and buttons. She had hats and caps and flowers and mushrooms. She had collections of every imaginable thing!
Her collections created a problem for Prudy, but she did not realize it. Prudy's room was filled with her collections. Prudy's dad was a very tidy person. He called her collections clutter. Her mom did not mind clutter, but she called them a mess. They wanted her to clean up the clutter and mess. Even Prudy had to admit that she had collections everywhere. Her room was so crowded it was hard to get to her desk to feed her hamster. But she would not admit she had a problem.
Then one day on the way home from school she found a shiny silver gum wrapper. She ran home with it, because it would be perfect for her shiny things collection. But when she got to her room, she couldn't get the door open. She tugged and tugged, but it wouldn't budge. The door seemed to be glued shut.
Then Prudy noticed something strange. There was pressure on the walls of her room. Her room was swelling up and getting bigger and bigger. The walls began to strain against the hallway and then to crack. There was a hissing noise, and suddenly the room burst like a huge balloon.
Prudy's collections flew out in all directions! They were scattered far and wide. Now Prudy had an enormous mess on her hands and a really big problem. What could she do to solve this problem?
She couldn't bear to give up any of her collections because she liked them all too much. But where could she put them? Prudy looked around for ideas. Finally she realized what she could do.
Together she and her family and friends built a huge museum. They called it The Prudy Museum of Indescribable Wonderment. In it they gathered all of Prudy's collections and put them on display.
People came from everywhere to see her wonderful collections of just about anything, from salt and pepper shakers with faces to gym socks. Soon Prudy's museum was the most popular place in town.
Now Prudy had a place to keep her collections. Everything was neat and in order. People could see what there was and enjoy it. This was a brilliant way to solve her problem. But one thing hasn't changed. Prudy is still a collector.

(Updated) from Prudy's Problem and How She Solved It by Carey Armstrong-Ellis. Published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Reprinted by permission.



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"Prudy's Problem and How She Solved It"by Carey Armstrong-Ellis

"Prudy's Problem and How She Solved It"
by Carey Armstrong-Ellis