Schema: people who sell things with commercials on TV; a fox is the character telling the story so what is our usual stereotype of a fox in a story-usually a bad guy? What preconceived ideas do we have about salesmen or telephone marketers who call and try to get us to buy something?
Persuasion: This book [...]
Schema: Marines, miracles
Author’s purpose: The author is sharing his journey with Nubs because it is a miracle that he was able to get the dog from there back to his home in San Diego.
Because Nubs did not give up on finding Major Dennis, the effect is that Major Dennis did not give up on him.
Characterization: [...]
Schema: sheep, wool, sweaters, cloaks, the invisible cloak in the Harry Potter stories
Text-to-Text Connections: These two books make a big connection in that they both talk about how wool is used to create a garment. Charlie shares more technical information about the process. Red Berry shows how the words used to create fabric can [...]
Schema: origami, making a wish
Author’s Purpose: to share the experience of learning about Christmas in Japan.
Mental Images: The mother describes the lights and trees in California to her son.
Organizational Strategy: Flashback: the book begins with the narrator telling the reader that he had not been back to the pond since he was not old enough [...]
Schema: Three Little other stories, food
Text-to-text connection: The Three Little Pigs, Texas town of Laredo, the Spanish terms, Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto.
Sequencing: In both stories, the events follow a similar sequence, with the third house in each one being the strongest
Compare and Contrast: How is the ending of this story different from that [...]
Schema: Frankenstein, Halloween, having a new baby in the family
Point of View: The story is told from a monster family’s point of view. From the parents’ point of view, Frankie is the scariest of all of the family.
Voice: The voice of the book is that of the monster parents until the end. Then we can [...]
Schema: mice, food, snacks
Text-to-Self Connections: quiet sounds, stuffed toys, bedtime snacks;
using brown sugar packed in a measuring cup, the mouse stacks the forms up to build a sandcastle like structure. Have you ever packed sand in a cup to build a sandcastle?
Condiments: olives, pickles, catsup–What is your favorite?
Bubble bath in a cup–Have you ever [...]
Schema: playing outside, rain
Text-to-self connections: What do you like to do outside?
Compare and Contrast: Things to do when it is raining with things to do when it is sunny outside
Point of View: Seeing a problem from someone else’s point of view helped Piggie. He is upset that it is raining, but when he sees how [...]
Schema: riding the school bus, bus drivers
Text-to-self connections: begging parents for something you want
Point of View: Who’s POV are we listening to as we read this book? How does this POV differ from the bus driver’s POV?
Mental Images: Make a mental image of the pigeon driving the bus when you get to the Vroom-Vroom [...]
Schema: the original 3 Little Pigs story
Point of View: This story is from the wolf’s point of view, and the original one is from the pig’s point of view.
The 3 little pigs steal their materials is this story. The straw is taken from cows, the sticks from birds, and the house from chickens.
Cause and Effect: [...]
