Before Reading

Preview the Selection

Read the Literary Tools section on page 900. Then, discuss how authors create a setting. What kinds of details must they include to capture setting? Discuss your answers with the rest of the class. Draw in your notebook a cluster chart with the center circle labeled Setting. As you read, you will fill in details about the setting and work to visualize the settings from the story.

During Reading

Visualize

1. Close your eyes and visualize the story as your teacher reads aloud the first six paragraphs. Then, record the striking details and descriptions of the setting in your chart. In your own words, identify the setting, including both the time and place.

2. Work with a partner to read aloud the rest of the story. As your partner reads aloud, close your eyes and picture the characters and the setting. Continue to visualize as you read aloud. When you switch readers, pause to record the striking details of the setting in your chart. Note anything that changes your ideas about the setting.

Fix-Up Idea: Use Guided Reading Questions

If you have difficulty applying the reading strategy, use the Guided Reading Questions to focus your attention on the important details in the text. First, read a Guided Reading Question and then read the story until you find the answer. Record your answer. Then, continue the process. Review your answers and form visualizations of the characters and setting from the information. Continue applying the reading strategy as needed.

After Reading

Describe Setting and Discuss Its Effects

After you finish reading the selection, choose one of the main settings of the story and write a complete description of your visualization of it. Use your cluster chart to complete the description. When you finish, share your description with a partner. Then discuss the following questions: What is surprising about the setting? What effect does the setting have on your perception of human civilization?