Passage Picker

Section 1 p. 1-33

Second Passage

1. Page 3 par. 1

2. First two words, “He is,” and last two words are “Mother’s Choice.”

3. Informative type of passage.

4. It is an informative passage because it is describing the town that Donald lives in. For instance, the passage says “brick-and-hoagie town,” “city of one million,” and “fenced in walls.”

5. How does this passage inform you of the town Donald lives in?

If informs me of the town Donald lives in by describing how many people are in the town, what kind of houses are in the town, and how the houses are assembled.

6. The author included this passage in the book to help set up the setting of the book. Also Spinelli wanted us to understand what kind of background Donald comes from.

Third Passage

1. Page 17 par. 2.

2. First two words, “She reaches,” and last two words are “Coming aboard.”

3. Fun type of passage.

4. It is a fun passage because the teacher is getting the class excited to write and you can feel the enthusiasm she has for learning in this paragraph.

5. How would you show this teacher you cared about learning to read? I would smile and jump right on her train for learning to show I could not wait to learn.

6. The author included this passage to show how much fun learning can be and to show teachers who really care. Learning does not have to be boring and slow, but rather it can be exciting and uplifting.

Fourth Passage

1. Page 21 par. 3.

2. First two words, “And then,” and the last two words are “is his.”

3. Sad and controversial type of passage.

4. It is a sad and controversial passage because older students are stealing Donald’s hat and playing with it and stomping it on the ground.

5. How would you feel if that was your hat? I would be very sad and mad. I would probably start crying.

6. The author included this passage so we can see how it feels to get treated badly and so we can see how bullying can affect us as an individual.

Back