Think about…
Sometimes in life, or in books and stories that we
read, unexpected things happen; things we did
not anticipate the twist or surprise in the end.
Write about…
In your journal, briefly explain an event in your
life, in a story, or in book that you read that
turned out unexpectedly or surprised you.
By Ursula Le Guin
• Write your heading in the top right corner of
your story.
• With a black pen or pencil number the
paragraphs. There are 20.
• Write “STOP” after these paragraphs:
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 20
• Take out a colored pen or colored pencil and
write “a hint that something bad is going to
happen” at the top of the story.
• As you read, circle, in one color, “a hint that
something bad is going to happen”
• With your partner, compare notes at each
stopping point.
• Be ready to share what you discussed at the
end of each stopping point.
• Take out a different colored pen or colored
pencil and write “describes the husband” at the
top of the story.
• Revisit the text and underline, in the second
color, anything that “describes the husband”.
• With your partner, compare notes at each
stopping point.
• Be ready to share what you discussed at the
end of each stopping point.
• Take out a third colored pen or colored
pencil and write “Events in the story” at the
top of the page.
• Check with your partner – write in the
margin, in the third color, each event you
encountered as you read the story.
• Be ready to share what you and your
partner wrote in the margins.
After Paragraph 1
What words does the narrator use to describe her husband?
What did you learn about her character?
After Paragraph 5
How has the narrator’s relationship with her husband changed?
After Paragraph 8
What happens between the father and the child?
Why does the narrator scold her child?
After Paragraph 16
What transformation has taken place?
What assumptions had you made about the characters that had
to be changed?
After Paragraph 20
How has the narrator’s feelings changed toward her husband?
SLAM Your Text-based Question
Name______________Class ___ Date _____
Question:
___________________________________________________
• On the pink SLAM
sheet, choose and
write a question
from the previous
slide to SLAM.
• Use the following
slides to guide
your SLAM writing
procedure.
S
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___________________________________________________
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L
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___________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________
A
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________
M
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
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S
STATE part of the
question in your
answer (Restate the
question).
• Include parts of the question with your answer in
the S section of the SLAM worksheet.
L
LOCATE evidence
from the text that will
support your answer.
• When you locate evidence you can quote the
text, paraphrase the text, or summarize the
text. Be sure that this section is a complete
sentence and connects to your S section of the
SLAM.
A
ADD the evidence
using your own
words (In other
• In this section you will analyze the L section of
your SLAM. You will explain the meaning of the
evidence you have collected; why you selected
this evidence.
M
MAKE a meaningful
connection (What
does this mean to
you?).
• When you write your M section of the SLAM,
you will include what this question means to you
and add an example or make a connection to
an experience that is similar.
• Turn in your completed SLAM.