A story map is an outline of characters, setting, and plot events in a story. List the elements of plot with the class, and discuss which elements you think are most important. The selection you are about to read contains two connected stories. Review the story map that you will fill out in the During Reading activity.
1. Follow along in the text as your teacher reads aloud the first page. Answer the following questions: When does the story take place? Where does the story take place? What is the Ruum programmed to collect? What is the “third planet” in our solar system? Use your answers to fill in the first story map.
2. Continue reading the story on your own. Stop periodically to fill in the second story map. You can continue the story map on a separate sheet of paper if necessary.
If you have difficulty identifying the main events to include in your story map, try using the Guided Reading Questions. Read the question and then read the surrounding text. Identify the answer to the question in the text. Decide whether the answer provides key information and where it fits in the story map. Then, record the information in the story map. Continue using the Fix-Up Idea throughout your reading.
Review your story maps and your answers to the questions posed in the During Reading activity. Then, with a small group, record your answers to the following questions: How are the two stories connected? How did the Ruum manage to collect dinosaurs when they no longer exist on Earth? Identify the irony in Walt’s comment, “I figure you lost over ten pounds.”