Text-Based Guided Reading Questions

(Pages 1-15)

  1. Why did Nicky feel sad at the beginning of the story? What evidence do you have?
  2. How did the illustrations on page 2 and 4 help you to understand how Nicky feels?
  3. Use the illustration on page 2 to make an inference about where Nicky may have lived.
  4. On page 4, why did the author say, “It looked like a river rat’s workroom, all right…”?What words in the text explain why it looked like a river rat lived there?
  5. On page 6, what are a cane pole and bobber?
  6. Why didn’t Nicky catch any fish? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
  7. On page 10, what did Nicky find floating down the river?
  8. Why do you think the author said, “… it was like finding presents under the Christmas tree?”?
  9. The author said that the animals were acting like they were friends with the raft. Use words from the text to explain why you thing the author used the word friend.(pg. 11)
  10. Why wasn’t Grandma surprised to see the raft?
  11. What did Grandma teach Nicky how to do? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
  12. According to the text what does the word pole mean?
  13. What does the word chore mean?
  14. What other animals are friends with the raft now?
  15. How does Nicky feel now? Use words from the text or illustrations to support your answer.

Answer Key

(Pages 1-15)

  1. Nicky did not want to stay at his grandmother’s for the summer. He wanted to go with his dad to work. Evidence: He complained. He blinked hard to stop the tears.
  2. His facial expression and body language shows that he is unhappy.
  3. He lived in the city.
  4. “Books were scattered everywhere, the walls were cluttered with sketches and stuffed fish and charts of the river… fishing poles hung, a tackle box beneath, and a snorkel and mask.”
  5. They are something to fish with. Some students may have background knowledge to explain that a cane pole is made of bamboo stalk and a bobber (usually red in color) is tied to the fishing line and sits on top of the water to let you know when a fish is biting your bait.
  6. He didn’t fish where his grandmother told him to drop his line. Evidence: The lily pads were too close to shore. I walked to the end of the dock and threw my line out as far as I could.
  7. He found a raft.
  8. Possible answers might include:It was a surprise, like a gift from the river. Removing the leaves and finding the pictures were like opening a present.
  9. They weren’t afraid of it. “The birds swooped down to the raft …and a crane waded through the reed to it... and a turtle swam up from the bottom of the river.”
  10. Possible answers: She already knew about the raft; the raft belonged to her.
  11. To pole the raft
  12. To pole a raft means that you use a pole (not a paddle) to push on the bottom of the river to move you along and get you where you want to go.
  13. A chore is some type of job that you have to do. Earlier in the text Nicky had to stack firewood, clean out the rain gutters, and change the spark plug in the truck. Accept all rational answers. (take out the garbage, clean his room, sweep the porch, clean the bathroom, wash the dishes)
  14. Raccoons, turtles, foxes are listed in the text.
  15. Possible answers might include: He is excited to get to the raft; He is having fun on the raft; He is having an adventure on the river; He is enjoying his grandma’s company and their outings on the raft.