Tracy Hutchens, Jennifer Lucas,
Cammie Mitchell, Emily Pratt
LAUNCH:
We will introduce our lesson by reading a book called Wagon Wheels by Barbara Brenner. It is a lower level picture book that will introduce each group to the theme of our unit, which is Pioneers of the American West. The students will first examine the cover of the book and make predictions on what they feel it is about. Then we will all read the book together as a class, in order to learn more about Pioneers and how they lived during their time period. This will help the students to gain a interest in the literature circle unit they are about to begin. After reading the book, the students will be given a basic questionnaire to see what they learned from the book.
Wagon Wheels Assessment Questions:
1. Where and when did the story take place?
2. Who is telling the story?
3. Why did the family move from Kentucky to Kansas?
4. Describe the trip from Kentucky to Kansas?
5. Why did Daddy call the land "free dirt"?
6. Why was smoke coming out of the holes in the prairie?
7. How could Daddy help the people of the town?
8. Why does the author put "mean" in italics on page
12?
9. What is a dugout?
10. Describe the winter for the Muldie family.
11. How did the family feel when they first saw the Indians?
12. What did the Indians bring?
13. Why does the author capitalize FOOD on page 26?
14. How did the boys feel about being left alone?
15. How old were the three boys?
16. What instructions did Daddy give the boys before
he left?
17. How would you feel if you were one of the boys?
18. When the boys were out on the prairie picking berries,
where was the smoke coming from?
19. How did they keep safe from the fire?
20. How long was it before the boys heard from their
Dad?
21. How did they get the letter from their dad?
22. What did Dad's letter say?
23. How do you think the boys felt as they left? Why?
24. Why did one boy have to keep watch at night?
25. Why did Willie wake his brother up?
26. Why is breathe in italics on page 53?
27. What did the boys do to get rid of the rattlesnake?
28. How long did it take to get to their Dad?
29. What type of story is this?