Read the Prereading page carefully. Look at the art and pull quotes in this story. Based on what you have read and seen, what do you expect the story will be about? What do you think the characters will be like? Begin to make pictures in your head about the characters in the story.
Continue Making Mind Pictures
1. Listen as your teacher reads the beginning of the story. Pay attention to sensory details. As you listen, try to picture Zebra. What does he look like? How does he move? What sounds does he make as he runs? What does his neighborhood smell like? How would it feel to have the wind rush across your neck? Make mind pictures that include these sensory details.
2. Continue making mind pictures as you read the rest of the story on your own. Make mind pictures of the school, the neighborhood the school is in, John Wilson, Andrea, and Mrs. English. What do these people look like? How do they sound?
Refocus on the section of the story that takes place in the art class (pages 16–19). Reread this section. Think about the kinds of activities Zebra and the other students do in the class. What suggestions does John Wilson have for “seeing” things in a new way? Try to follow his advice as you look at people or things in your classroom. Then try to “see” Zebra and John Wilson in the art class.
When you have finished reading, make some quick sketches or write a description of what you saw in your mind pictures. With a few of your classmates, share your sketches and describe in your own words the mind pictures. Compare the ways you saw the characters.