Read the Prereading information on page 785.Then close your eyes and think of things you see and hear at night. What kinds of sounds and shapes are in your room at night? What do you see when you are outside alone in your back yard? What other nighttime sights and sounds can you think of? Why are things scarier at night?
1. Listen as your teacher reads the first page of the selection aloud. As you listen, think about your own experiences with nighttime sounds.
2. Continue reading the selection on your own. Try to envision the images the narrator describes. The next section of the story is about garbage. Your visions will not be pretty! Try to involve all of your senses in your images.
If you are having a difficult time imagining what the narrator describes, try writing things onto a Graphic Organizer like the one on page 785. Keep track of three of the narrator’s nighttime experiences and how the narrator reacted.
Use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast your nighttime experiences with those of the author. On the left side of your diagram, list your own fears and experiences. On the right side of your diagram, fill in the narrator’s fears and experiences. In the middle, list experiences you both share.