Quick viewing(Text Mode)

Chris Van Allsburg

Chris Van Allsburg

Chris Van Allsburg

ONLINE RESOURCES PACKET

AuthorStudy Grade 4 Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. The publisher hereby grants permission to reproduce these pages, in part or in whole, for classroom use only, the number not to exceed the number of students in each class. Notice of copyright must appear on all copies. For information regarding permissions, write to Pearson Curriculum Group Rights & Permissions, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458.

ISBN 13: 978-0-66364-176-5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 14 13 12 11 10 Resources

ASSESSMENT AND PROGRESS MONITORING Monitoring Student Progress Reading Passage from Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg (Pre-Assessment Prompt) Reading Passage from Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg (Post-Assessment Prompt) Rubric: Elements to Include in an Informative or Explanatory Text

LESSON RESOURCES Lesson 1: Things We Notice and Things We Wonder about Chris Van Allsburg Books Lesson 3: Chris Van Allsburg—Biography Chris Van Allsburg—Facts Lesson 4: Chris Van Allsburg—Publishing Timeline Connective Words and Phrases for Linking Ideas Checkpoint 1: Reader’s Notebook Entry Lesson 5: Attributes of Books by Chris Van Allsburg Lesson 6: Character Analysis Lesson 7: Character Traits Lesson 8: Checkpoint 2: Reader’s Notebook Entry Lesson 11: Checkpoint 3: Reader’s Notebook Entry Model for Checkpoint 3: In-depth Description of a Setting Lesson 16: Checkpoint 4: Reader’s Notebook Entry Model for Checkpoint 4: In-depth Description of an Event Lesson 17: Venn Diagram

Monitoring Student Progress 1/3

Monitoring Student Progress

Student Name/I.D. Number

Pre-Assessment Introduce the topic clearly Group related information in paragraphs or sections Include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because) Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary Provide a concluding statement or section Week 1 Introduce the topic clearly Group related information in paragraphs or sections Include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because) Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary Provide a concluding statement or section

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Monitoring Student Progress 2/3

Monitoring Student Progress

Student Name/I.D. Number

Week 2 Introduce the topic clearly Group related information in paragraphs or sections Include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because) Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary Provide a concluding statement or section Week 3 Introduce the topic clearly Group related information in paragraphs or sections Include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because) Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary Provide a concluding statement or section

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Monitoring Student Progress 3/3

Monitoring Student Progress

Student Name/I.D. Number

Week 4 Introduce the topic clearly Group related information in paragraphs or sections Include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because) Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary Provide a concluding statement or section Post-Assessment Introduce the topic clearly Group related information in paragraphs or sections Include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because) Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary Provide a concluding statement or section

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Pre-Assessment 1/1

Writing an Informative or Explanatory Text

Sometimes authors write about events that are true. Sometimes they write about things that could not happen in real life.

A modern fantasy is a story that seems as if it could be true, but has some happenings that could not occur in real life.

Read the passage from the beginning of Just A Dream by Chris Van Allsburg.

Is there anything in this passage that makes you think this book could be a fantasy?

Write an informative or explanatory text to examine this topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Explain your thinking by introducing your idea and using facts, details, and examples from the text to support your thinking. Be sure to link ideas together.

Think carefully about the words you will choose to inform your reader of your thinking.

Be sure to end your writing with a concluding statement or section related to your explanation.

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Pre-Assessment 1/2

Reading Passage from Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg

As usual, Walter stopped at the bakery on his way home from school. He bought one large jelly-filled doughnut. He took the pastry from its bag, eating quickly as he walked along. He licked the red jelly from his fingers. Then he crumpled up the empty bag and threw it at a fire hydrant.

At home Walter saw Rose, the little girl next door, watering a tree that had just been planted. “It’s my birthday present,” she said proudly. Walter couldn’t understand why anyone would want a tree for a present. His own birthday was just a few days away, “And I’m not getting some dumb plant,” he told Rose.

After dinner Walter took out the trash. Three cans stood next to the garage. One was for bottles, one for cans, and one for everything else. As usual, Walter dumped everything into one can. He was too busy to sort through garbage, especially when there was something good on television.

The show that Walter was so eager to watch was about a boy who lived in the future. The boy flew around in a tiny airplane that he parked on the roof of his house. He had a robot and a small machine that could make any kind of food with the push of a button.

Walter went to bed wishing he lived in the future. He couldn’t wait to have his own tiny plane, a robot to take out the trash, and a machine that could make jelly doughnuts by the thousands. When he fell asleep, his wish came true. That night Walter’s bed traveled to . . . the future.

Walter woke up in the middle of a huge dump. A bulldozer was pushing a heap of bulging trash bags toward him. “Stop!” he yelled.

The man driving the bulldozer put his machine in neutral. “Oh, sorry,” he said. “Didn’t see you.”

Walter looked at the distant mountains of trash and saw half-buried houses. “Do people live here?” he asked.

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Pre-Assessment 2/2

Reading Passage from Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg

“Not anymore,” answered the man.

A few feet from the bed was a rusty old street sign that read FLORAL AVENUE. “Oh no,” gasped Walter. He lived on Floral Avenue.

The driver revved up his bulldozer. “Well,” he shouted, “back to work!”

Walter pulled the covers over his head. This can’t be the future, he thought. I’m sure it’s just a dream. He went back to sleep. But not for long . . . Walter’s bed returned to the present. He was safe in his room again, but he felt terrible. The future he’d seen was not what he’d expected. Robots and little airplanes didn’t seem very important now. He looked out his window at the trees and lawns in the early morning light, then jumped out of bed.

He ran outside and down the block, still in his pajamas. He found the empty jelly doughnut bag he’d thrown at the fire hydrant the day before. Then Walter went back home and, before the sun came up, sorted all the trash by the garage.

Excerpt from Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg. Copyright © 1990 by Chris Van Allsburg. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Post-Assessment 1/1

Writing an Informative or Explanatory Text

We have been studying the works of Chris Van Allsburg. Read the passage from the ending of Just A Dream by Chris Van Allsburg.

Consider all the books we have read by Chris Van Allsburg. Explain how this passage is similar to or different from his other work.

Explain your thinking by introducing your idea and using facts, details, and examples from the passage to support your thinking. Be sure to link ideas together.

Think carefully about the words you choose to inform your reader of your thinking. Be sure to end your writing with a concluding statement or section related to your explanation.

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Post-Assessment 1/1

Reading Passage from Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg

A few days later, on Walter’s birthday, all his friends came over for cake and ice cream. They loved his new toys: the laser gun set, electric yo-yo, and inflatable dinosaurs. “My best present,” Walter told them, “is outside.” Then he showed them the gift that he’d picked out that morning—a tree.

After the party, Walter and his dad planted the birthday present. When he went to bed, Walter looked out his window. He could see his tree and the tree Rose had planted on her birthday. He liked the way they looked, side by side. Then he went to sleep, but not for long, because that night Walter’s bed took him away again.

When Walter woke up, his bed was standing in the shade of two tall trees. The sky was blue. Laundry hanging from a clothesline flapped in the breeze. A man pushed an old motorless lawn mower. This isn’t the future, Walter thought. It’s the past.

“Good morning,” the man said. “You’ve found a nice place to sleep.”

“Yes, I have,” Walter agreed. There was something very peaceful about the huge trees next to his bed.

The man looked up at the rustling leaves. “My great-grandmother planted one of these trees,” he said, “when she was a little girl.”

Walter looked up at the leaves too, and realized where his bed had taken him. This was the future, after all, a different kind of future. There were still no robots or tiny airplanes. There weren’t even any clothes dryers or gas- powered lawn mowers. Walter lay back and smiled. “I like it here,” he told the man, then drifted off to sleep in the shade of the two giant trees—the trees he and Rose had planted so many years ago.

Excerpt from Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg. Copyright ©1990 by Chris Van Allsburg. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Rubric: Elements to Include in an Informative or Explanatory Text 1/1

Rubric: Elements to Include in an Informative or Explanatory Text

Element Yes No

Introduce the topic clearly

Group related information in paragraphs or sections

Use formatting, headings, and illustrations to help the reader

Develop your topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, and examples

Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases like: for example, also, and because.

Use precise language and domain- specific vocabulary to explain your topic

Include a concluding statement or section about the information presented

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Lesson 1 • Introducing the Author Study 1/1

Things We Notice and Things We Wonder about Chris Van Allsburg Books

Things We Notice Things We Wonder • The characters and items in the • I wonder if Chris Van Allsburg always illustrations all look very real. illustrates in black and white. • The illustrations are all in black and white. • I wonder what is bizarre or eerie about The Garden of Abdul Gasazi. • Some of the illustrations look a little scary (the boy running through the gate and • I wonder if the topiary bushes are down the dark path, the illustration of the important to the story. big house, the picture of the man opening • I wonder if the man in the pictures is the door for the boy, the man and boy in Abdul Gasazi. the dark room). • I wonder why the man wears the unusual • Many illustrations show movement or clothes and hat. action (the boy and dog running, the boy running through a gate and down a dark • I wonder if the emotions revealed in path, the dog running down steps while the pictures help me know about the the boy falls down the steps, the boy characters. tipping his hat to the man, the duck flying • I wonder if the dog is important to the with the hat while the boy tries to run story. after it). • I wonder if the boy’s hat is important to • Many illustrations show emotions or the story. feelings of the characters (amazement as the small boy views the large house, • I wonder if Chris Van Allsburg ever writes confusion as the boy holds out his hands chapter books. in an “I don’t know” pose, bewilderment • I wonder where Chris Van Allsburg got the on the face of the boy as he chases after idea for this story. the flying duck, despair as the boy heads for the house with his hand on his head). • I wonder if all his stories are surreal. • The text on each page is short and centered in the middle of the page. • There are no chapters. • The sentences are not very long. • There is some dialogue throughout the text. • The text and the illustrations are always on opposite pages.

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Lesson 3 • Learning about Chris Van Allsburg 1/1

Chris Van Allsburg—Biography

1. Chris Van Allsburg began his life on June 18, 1949, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He lived with his parents and older sister. When he was a boy, Chris loved to draw, but he enjoyed many other things as well. He liked to build model cars and boats, ride his go-cart, and play sports.

2. He spent all his growing-up years in Grand Rapids and attended college at the University of Michigan, where he earned an art degree. He also studied sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design and began his career as a sculptor in Rhode Island in 1975.

3. That same year, Chris married Lisa Morrison, whom he had met four years earlier. Lisa was an art teacher. During this time, Chris used his time in the evenings sketching pictures rather than watching TV. Lisa thought his pictures were great and asked an author and friend to look at them. The friend, David Macauley, was so impressed with the drawings that he recommended Chris to his own editor. In a very short time, Chris’s first book, The Garden of Abdul Gasazi was published. That first book was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book in 1980.

4. Following the success of The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, Chris published a new book almost every year until 1995. During that time, was awarded the in 1981 and received the award in 1985. In 2002, he published , a follow-up tale to Jumanji. In 2006, Probuditi was published. Chris has also partnered with author to illustrate a few other books, such as Swan Lake and . He has won many awards for his work. His books Jumanji and The Polar Express have been made into popular feature films.

5. Chris and his wife Lisa have two daughters, Sophia and Anna. They live in Providence, Rhode Island, where Chris continues to explore many ideas for stories.

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Lesson 3 • Learning about Chris Van Allsburg 1/1

Chris Van Allsburg—Facts

From previous observations • An important fact about Chris Van Allsburg is that he is an author and illustrator. • An important fact about Chris Van Allsburg is that he has written more than 15 books. • An important fact about Chris Van Allsburg is that his illustrations look real. • An important fact about Chris Van Allsburg is that his stories sometimes have impossible happenings.

From reading the biography, Paragraph 1 • An important fact about Chris Van Allsburg is that he was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on June 18, 1949. • An important fact about Chris Van Allsburg is that he liked to draw and do other things when he was a boy. • An important fact about Chris Van Allsburg is that he enjoyed building model cars and boats when he was young.

From Paragraph 2 • An important fact about Chris Van Allsburg is that he earned an art degree from the University of Michigan. • An important fact about Chris Van Allsburg is that he began his career as a sculptor.

From Paragraph 3 • An important fact about Chris Van Allsburg is that he is married to Lisa, an art teacher. • An important fact about Chris Van Allsburg is that his first book,The Garden of Abdul Gasazi, was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book.

From paragraph 4 • An important fact about Chris Van Allsburg is that he publish books almost yearly from 1979 to 1995. • An important fact about Chris Van Allsburg is that he has won two Caldecott Medals, one for Jumanji in 1981 and one for The Polar Express in 1985. • An important fact about Chris Van Allsburg is that two of his books became movies.

From Paragraph 5 • An important fact about Chris Van Allsburg is that he lives in Providence, Rhode Island. • An important fact about Chris Van Allsburg is that he is still thinking of stories to write.

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Lesson 4 • Learning More about Chris Van Allsburg 1/1

Chris Van Allsburg­—Publishing Timeline

1979 The Garden of Abdul Gasazi

1981 Jumanji

1982 Caldecott Medal for Jumanji

1982 Ben’s Dream

1983 The Wreck of the Zephyr

1984 The Mysteries of Harris Burdick

1985 The Polar Express

1986 Caldecott Medal for The Polar Express

1986 The Stranger

1987 The Z Was Zapped

1988

1989 Illustrated Swan Lake by Mark Helprin

1990 Just a Dream

1991 The Wretched Stone

1992 The Widow’s Broom

1993

1993 Illustrated The Veil of Snows by Mark Helprin

1994 The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, Portfolio Ed.

1995 Bad Day at Riverbend

1996 Illustrated A City in Winter by Mark Helprin

2002 Zathura

2006 Probuditi

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Lesson 4 • Learning More about Chris Van Allsburg 1/1

Connective Words and Phrases for Linking Ideas

Connective Words and Phrases for Linking Ideas

Words and Words and Words and Words and Phrases that Show Phrases that Phrases that Phrases that Sequence or Time Order Show Additive Show Causal Show Adversative Relationships Relationships Relationships

• first, second, • when • also • because • however etc. • before • in addition • since • but • next • once • and • as a result • yet • last • at length • furthermore • consequently • nevertheless • finally • at first • besides • on account of • on the contrary • then • formerly • too • for • rather • during • rarely • additionally • then • by contrast • now • usually • as well as • so • otherwise • as • another • likewise • therefore • on the other • while • soon • in the same way • thus hand • already • meanwhile • similarly • hence • even so • recent • in the meantime • like • so that • alternatively • recently • for a minute • in a similar • due to • although • earlier • hour, day, etc. manner • because of • though • later • during the • in that case • until morning, day, • by week, etc. • since • most important • following • ordinarily • soon • to begin with • at the same • generally time • in order to • at last • subsequently • after • immediately • afterward • eventually • previous • concurrently • previously • simultaneously

NOTE TO TEACHER: Connective Words and Phrases. This chart is built over several lessons. Temporal words and phrases are introduced in Lesson 4. The lesson’s focus is on sequence words. Additive connectives are introduced in Lesson 8. Causal connections are introduced in Lesson 11. Adversative connectives are introduced in Lesson 13.

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Lesson 4 • Learning More about Chris Van Allsburg 1/1

Checkpoint 1: Reader’s Notebook Entry

You have been discovering many facts about Chris Van Allsburg’s life. You have constructed a timeline of some of the important events of his life.

Consider what you know about the author’s life. Using the information from the timeline, write to inform a reader about the events of Chris Van Allsburg’s life.

Be sure to introduce your topic clearly and group related information about his life events into paragraphs and sections. Use information from the biographies you have read and from the timeline to develop the topic.

Be sure to use appropriate sequence terms to link ideas and connect the events. Consider using some of the target words you have learned, as well as other precise language. Provide a concluding statement or section to your writing.

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Attributes of Books by Chris Van Allsburg When/Where Happenings Characters/ Impossible Critical Events Traits Title: Lesson 5 • Defining Fantasy 1/2

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Attributes of Books by Chris Van Allsburg Point of View Illustrations Author’s Theme Title:

Lesson 5 • Defining Fantasy 2/2

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Lesson 6 • Analyzing Story Characters: Responsible Book Talk 1/2

Character Analysis

Characters from The Garden of Abdul Gasazi

Others’ Words Thoughts/ or Thoughts Description Actions Dialogue/Talk Feelings about the Character

• Alan Mitz • Dog sits • Apologized • Bruised and • Gasazi laughed • Young boy • Runs after • Politely asked tired after as he walked chasing Fritz away • Wears a cap Fritz that Mr. Gasazi • Takes the give Fritz back • Nervously • Miss Hester warning sign • “Good old climbed stairs said Alan had seriously boy.” to Gasazi’s been tricked house by Gasazi • Searches for • “You really Fritz haven’t • Heart was pounding • Confronts changed that much.” when he Gasazi arrived at door • Worries about • Horrified when Fritz he heard Fritz had been

Boy turned into a duck • Headed for home with tears in his eyes • Approached Miss Hester’s door with a heavy heart • Felt silly after he saw Fritz at Miss Hester’s

• Fritz • Bites people • Fritz barked • Cousin Eunice • Some kind of • Chews with laughter said “Please bull terrier furniture as he galloped leave your dog out of sight at home.”

Dog • White with a • Runs away black spot on • Doesn’t follow his eye directions

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Lesson 6 • Analyzing Story Characters: Responsible Book Talk 2/2

Character Analysis

Characters from The Garden of Abdul Gasazi

Others’ Words Thoughts/ or Thoughts Description Actions Dialogue/Talk Feelings about the Character

• Abdul Gasazi • Hates dogs • “I detest dogs.” • He hates dogs. • Miss Hester • Large middle- • Casts spells on • “I TURN THEM said that aged man dogs INTO DUCKS!” Gasazi tricked Alan. • Dressed in a • Turns dogs bellowed vest, tie, robe into ducks Gasazi. and strange • Is rude hat

Magician • Mustache • Lives in a big house and garden

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Lesson 7 • Inferring and Discussing Character Traits 1/1

Character Traits

NOTE TO TEACHER: Character traits artifact. The Character Traits chart should grow over the course of the study. As traits are identified and terms generated, they should be added to the list. The chart may finally look something like this:

Character Traits A person or character in a story can be:

• responsible • irresponsible • smart • afraid • kind • rude • clever • scared • well-mannered • impolite • mysterious • frightened • brave • sensitive • loyal • angry • courageous • stubborn • funny • mad • honest • strong • witty • sad • mean • thoughtful • humorous • unhappy • sneaky • shy • weak • busy • hard-working • helpful • selfish • foolish • caring • guilty • rebellious • silly • talented • greedy • ignorant • confident • messy • wise • jealous • curious • grumpy • cross • friendly

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Lesson 8 • Describing Characters in Depth 1/1

Checkpoint 2: Reader’s Notebook Entry

Think about the Chris Van Allsburg book that you have read independently. Think about a character in the book—the physical aspects of the character, the character’s actions, words, and feelings. Think about what other characters in the book may have said or thought about the character. Remember the inferences you made about the traits of the character based on the details and examples from the text. Remember the sentence frame that helped you connect the character traits to the evidence from the text.

Write an in-depth description of the character in your Reader’s Notebook, including your inferences about the character’s traits and the specific details in the text, such as the character’s thoughts, words, or actions. Be sure to refer to details and examples in the text when describing the character. You may refer to any charts in the room that you find helpful. You may also use the book to help you be specific about details and examples.

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Lesson 11 • Describing the Setting in Depth 1/1

Checkpoint 3: Reader’s Notebook Entry

Think about the settings you have encountered in the Chris Van Allsburg books you have read. Choose one book that you have read independently or that has been read aloud. Describe the setting in depth, drawing on specific details from the text and from illustrations. Explain how the setting affects the story by reflecting on the following questions:

• When does the story take place? • How does the time progress throughout the story? • Where does the story take place? • What are the different locations that the reader notices in the story? • Is the setting important to the events in this story? Why or why not? • Does the setting move the action in the story? • How does the setting influence, or affect, the characters in the story? • Could the story have happened the same way if it occurred in another time or place? • How does the setting influence the events or happenings of the story?

Write about the setting of the story. Remember to introduce the topic clearly and group information into sections or paragraphs.

Develop your explanation of the setting using facts, details, and other information from the text. Be sure to use appropriate linking words and phrases to connect ideas within categories. Choose your language and vocabulary carefully.

Conclude your writing with a statement or section about the setting you choose to describe.

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Lesson 11 • Describing the Setting in Depth 1/1

Model for Checkpoint 3: In-depth Description of a Setting

One of the settings in the book The Wretched Stone is significant to the story because it is the place where the characters in the book found something “quite extraordinary.” The ship’s crew landed on a small island on June 6, according to the Captain’s Log. The Captain described the island as strange because there were lots of plants, but no fruit. Also, there were no animals on the island. The air smelled sweet at first, but became very stinky after a while. Although there was a spring, the ships crew could not drink, since the text says that the water was “too bitter to drink.”

All of these strange details are important because the “extraordinary something” that the crew found changed everything about the ship, the crew, and the voyage. It made the crew turn into lazy apes, instead of the hard-working, book-reading crew that began the trip. That extraordinary something turned out to be some sort of magical rock. The crew should have been cautious about bringing anything back from the island because of all the strange things they found there.

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Lesson 16 • Describing Critical Events in Depth 1/1

Checkpoint 4: Reader’s Notebook Entry

Choose a Chris Van Allsburg book that you have read independently or one that has been read in class. Remember that a modern fantasy is a story that involves magic or mystery, including events that could not really happen.

Think about the events of the story that may have contributed to the fantasy. Explain at least one event that was mysterious or could not really happen.

Be sure to use concrete details, quotations, and examples from the text. Use precise language to explain and describe the event and to discuss what makes the event mysterious or magical.

Be sure to link ideas using appropriate words and phrases. Conclude your writing with a statement or section that is related to the information in your writing.

Following your conclusion, you may include an illustration that would support your readers’ understanding of the event.

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Lesson 16 • Describing Critical Events in Depth 1/1

Model for Checkpoint 4: In-depth Description of an Event

In the book The Sweetest Fig, an important event is when Monsieur Bibot finds himself standing outside a café wearing nothing but his underwear. In his embarrassment he runs to hide, but notices that no one is paying any attention to him, since everyone is watching the famous Eiffel Tower droop over like it was made of soft rubber. It was this event that caused Bibot to remember that he had had this exact experience in a dream the night before, the night he had eaten the first fig before bedtime! Then he recalled the words of the old lady who had paid him with the figs. “These figs are very special,” the woman whispered. “They can make your dreams come true.” It was then that Bibot knew that the old woman had told the truth. He began planning and scheming to use the second fig to become the richest man in the world.

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Venn Diagram The Wreck of the Zephyr ______. The Wreck of the Zephyr The Wreck of the Zephyr Main character with narrator asking about Story begins the wrecked is a boy Event involves a flying boat boat Event involves the boat crashing and and The Wretched Stone The Wretched Stone Settings on boats, Narrated by an mysterious near water Stories 1 observer point of st Include Both events person view

Main characters are the ship’s Captain’s Log Story told as are different because are alike because ______. entries crew Lesson 17 • Event involves a magic stone The Wretched Stone with the Captain Comparing and Contrasting the 1st day of Story begins recording voyage the crew turning Event involves into apes 1/1

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Frontloading Lesson 2 • Setting the Stage for Responsible Conversations 1/1

Phrases to Use in a Responsible Conversation

“I want to talk about...”

“I have something to add,...”

“I hava a different opinion,...”

“I know that because...”

“I also noticed...”

“I’m confused...”

“What is your evidence?”

“So are you saying...?”

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Frontloading Lesson 5 • Co-constructing an Informative/Explanatory Text 1/1

Comparing and Contrasting

Comparing and Contrasting The Stranger and The Wretched Stone Compare–Similarities Contrast–Differences

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Frontloading Lesson 4 • Building Background Knowledge and Analyzing 1/3 a Character’s Experience Eiffel Tower

© iStockphoto, Mlenny Photography

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Frontloading Lesson 4 • Building Background Knowledge and Analyzing 2/3 a Character’s Experience Map of France

© David Monniaux

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved. Frontloading Lesson 4 • Building Background Knowledge and Analyzing 3/3 a Character’s Experience Figs

Figs are often dried or pressed into jellies and spreads, but many people consider fresh, ripe figs true delicacies

© iStockphoto, Ivan Mateev

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.