Storyworks
“How to Achieve Your Dreams”
“Hunting a Killer”
- Why has the number of grizzly bears in the U.S. decreased over the past century? How does this affect the way we treat them today? (text evidence)
- Why is there a bear justice system in the U.S.? (main idea)
- What clues led investigators to conclude that the Wapiti sow committed the August 26, 2011, “crime”? (text evidence)
- Do you agree with Gunther’s decision to put down the Wapiti sow? Why or why not? (evaluating solutions)
- What problems are monkeys causing in Delhi? Why are these problems difficult to solve? (problem and solution)
“Good Enough”
- At the beginning of the story, what is Dori trying to hide? Why? What does this tell you about the conflict she feels within herself? (character)
- Dori immediately regrets telling her mom that she wants an Orion shirt. Why? (inference)
- Why is an Orion shirt important to Dori? Find a line in the story that shows this. (text evidence)
- What is the climax, or turning point, of the story – the point where Dori makes a big change? (plot)
- What causes Dori to change? (character)
“The Hunt for Medusa’s Head”
- What does the King want from Danae in Scene 1? How does Perseus respond? What does this tell you about the King? About Perseus? (character)
- Why does the King send Perseus to cut off Medusa’s head? (plot)\
- How do Athena and Hermes help Perseus? How do the nymphs help him? Why do you think the y do this? (theme)
- How does Perseus get the Gray Sisters to tell him how to find Medusa? What does this reveal about him? (inference)
- Which characters have died by the end of the play? What did they have in common? (theme)
“Frankenstein”
- What do you think is the author’s purpose in each piece? (author’s purpose)\
- What caused the creature to become a “true monster”? (main idea)
- Why does the article say the monster would be happy to see people flocking to his movies? (inference)
- What details in the poem show that the character is like Frankenstein? (text evidence)
“Fossils”
- What examples does the poem provide of things that have become fossils? (details)
- What happened to the forests and the mammoth? (details)
- The poet compares fossils to stories. Which words in the poem evoke stories? (word choice)
- In what way is a fossil like a story? (main idea)
Storyworks
“Books, Books, Books, Books”
“The Race Against Death”
- Why was Dr. Curtis concerned with he did not receive his supply of diphtheria medicine? Do you think he would be as concerned today? Why or why not? (inference)
- Why was transportation to Nome during the winter in 1925 nearly impossible? (text evidence)
- Summarize in one or two sentences how the diphtheria medicine got from Nenana to Nome. (summarizing)
- The mushers and sled dogs transported the medicine in even less time that officials had hoped. What does this tell you about the mushers and dogs? (inference)
- What problem did Gunnar Kaasen encounter? How did he overcome it? (problem and solution)
“Parker the Pitcher”
- What details tell you how Leo feels at the beginning of the story? How does this affect how you feel about him? (character/perspective)
- What makes Leo worry about facing Parker? Do you think his fear is justified? (expressing opinion)
- Why does Parker frown and shake her head? What does this tell you about her perspective, or way of seeing the events? (perspective)
- Leo feels great when he gets hit and everyone cheers for him. Does knowing his feeling make you feel happy for him? Explain. (perspective)
- Why does Leo think Parker hit him on purpose? What does he realize in the end? If he faced Parker again in a future game, do you think he would have the same concerns as in this game? (drawing conclusions)
“The Secret Soldier”
- The town crier reads the Declaration of Independence. In your own words, what does the excerpt in the play mean? (interpreting text)
- What is Deborah’s life like when she hears the Declaration of Independence? How do the words affect her? (character)
- Why does Deborah enlist in the army? What traits does she show in Scene 3? (character’s motivation)
- Why doesn’t Deborah tell the French surgeon about her leg wound? (character’s motivation)
- How does General Patterson react to the news that Deborah is a girl? Why does he react this way? (inference)
“Goat Cheese and Big Macs”
- Why has McDonald’s altered its menu in France and other countries? (main idea)
- Aside from the food, how are meals in France different from those in the U.S.? (compare and contrast)
- Why are some people opposed to having McDonald’s in France? (text evidence)
- If you went to France, would you rather try the French food descried in the article or eat at McDonald’s? Explain. (critical thinking)
“Election Day”
- What does this poem mainly describe? (main idea)
- How can you tell that the narrator considers voting important? (inference)
- What does “your voice is heard without a word” mean? (interpreting words and phrases)