Unit of Literature- "All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury
Judi Becker
Pre Reading Activity
Aim of activity: to provide background to better understand the short
story and to encourage student involvement in the topic of the text
Estimated time: 1 lesson
Description of Activity:
Students will divide into pairs and read/ skim three articles, one about
the author (Ray Bradbury), one about the genre (science fiction) and one
about the setting of the story (Venus). They will answer the questions on
the attached worksheet. When the worksheets have been completed,
each group will present a very short oral presentation to the rest of the
class on what they learned.
About Ray Bradbury
(adapted from raybradbury.com)
Ray Bradbury, American novelist, short story writer, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and
poet, was born August 22, 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois. He graduated from a Los Angeles high
school in 1938. Although his formal education ended there, he became a "student of life,"
selling newspapers on L.A. street corners from 1938 to 1942, spending his nights in the
public library and his days at the typewriter. He became a full-time writer in 1943, and
contributed numerous short stories to periodicals before publishing a collection of them,
Dark Carnival, in 1947.
His reputation as a writer of courage and vision was established with the publication of The
Martian Chronicles in 1950, which describes the first attempts of Earth people to conquer
and colonize Mars, and the unintended consequences. Next came The Illustrated Man and
then, in 1953, Fahrenheit 451, which many consider to be Bradbury's masterpiece, a
scathing indictment of censorship set in a future world where the written word is forbidden.
In an attempt to salvage their history and culture, a group of rebels memorize entire works
of literature and philosophy as their books are burned by the totalitarian state. Other works
include The October Country, Dandelion Wine, A Medicine for Melancholy, Something
Wicked This Way Comes, I Sing the Body Electric!, Quicker Than the Eye, and Driving Blind. In
all, Bradbury has published more than thirty books, close to 600 short stories, and numerous
poems, essays, and plays. His short stories have appeared in more than 1,000 school
curriculum "recommended reading" anthologies.
Ray Bradbury's work has been included in four Best American Short Story collections. He has
been awarded the O. Henry Memorial Award, the Benjamin Franklin Award, the World
Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction
Writers of America, the PEN Center USA West Lifetime Achievement Award, among others.
In November 2000, the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to
American Letters was conferred upon Mr. Bradbury at the 2000 National Book Awards
Ceremony in New York City.
Ray Bradbury was nominated for an Academy Award (for his animated film Icarus
Montgolfier Wright), and has won an Emmy Award (for his teleplay of The Halloween Tree).
He adapted sixty-five of his stories for television's Ray Bradbury Theater. He was the creative
consultant on the United States Pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair. In 1982 he
created the interior metaphors for the Spaceship Earth display at Epcot Center, Disney
World, and later contributed to the conception of the Orbitron space ride at Euro-Disney,
France.
Married since 1947, Mr. Bradbury and his wife Maggie lived in Los Angeles with their
numerous cats. Together, they raised four daughters and had eight grandchildren. Sadly,
Maggie passed away in November of 2003 and Ray died in June of 2012.
On the occasion of his 80th birthday in August 2000, Bradbury said, "The great fun in my life
has been getting up every morning and rushing to the typewriter because some new idea
has hit me. The feeling I have every day is very much the same as it was when I was twelve.
In any event, here I am, eighty years old, feeling no different, full of a great sense of joy, and
glad for the long life that has been allowed me."
Definition of Science Fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction in which the stories
often tell about science and technology of the future.
It is important to note that science fiction has a
relationship with the principles of science—these
stories involve partially true-partially fictitious laws or
theories of science. It should not be completely
unbelievable, because it then ventures into the
genre fantasy.
The plot creates situations different from those of both
the present day and the known past. Science fiction
texts also include a human element, explaining what
effect new discoveries, happenings and scientific
developments will have on us in the future.
Science fiction texts are often set in the future, in
space, on a different world, or in a different universe
or dimension.
Early pioneers of the genre of science fiction are H. G.
Wells (The War of the Worlds) and Jules Verne (20,000
Leagues Under The Sea).
Some well-known 20th century science fiction texts
include 1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by
Alduous Huxley,and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. In
addition, the four most-popular and well-recognized
20th century authors are Isaac Asimov, author of the
Foundation trilogy and his robot series, Arthur C. Clarke
famous for 2001, a Space Odyssey;Ray Bradbury,
known for his Martian Chronicles, and Robert
Heinlein, author of Stranger in a Strange Land and The
Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.
Taken from read.write.think
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the sun and is the second brightest object in the
night sky after the moon. Named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty,
Venus is the second largest planet and is sometimes referred to as the Earth's
sister planet due to their similar size and mass.
A day on Venus lasts longer than a year:
It takes 243 Earth days to rotate once on its axis. The planet’s orbit around the Sun
takes 225 Earth days, compared to the Earth’s 365.
Venus is often called the Earth’s sister planet:
The Earth and Venus are very similar in size with only a 638 km difference in
diameter, Venus having 81.5% of the Earth’s mass. Both also have a central core, a
molten mantle and a crust.
Venus rotates counter-clockwise:
A possible reason might be a collision in the past with an asteroid or other object
that caused the planet to alter its rotational path.
Venus is the second brightest object in the night sky:
Only the Moon is brighter. With a magnitude of between -3.8 to -4.6 Venus is so
bright it can be seen during daytime on a clear day.
Atmospheric pressure on Venus is 92 times greater than the Earth’s:
While its size and mass are similar to Earth, the small asteroids are crushed when
entering its atmosphere, meaning no small craters lie on the surface of the planet.
The pressure felt by a human on the surface would be equivalent to that
experienced deep beneath the sea on Earth.
Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system:
The average surface temperature is 462 °C, and because Venus does not tilt on its
axis, there is no seasonal variation. The dense atmosphere of around 96.5 percent
carbon dioxide traps heat and causes a greenhouse effect.
A detailed study of Venus is currently underway:
In 2006, the Venus Express space shuttle was sent into orbit around Venus by the
European Space Agency, and is sending back information about the planet. Originally
planned to last five hundred Earth days, the mission has been extended several
times. More than 1,000 volcanoes or volcanic centres larger than 20 km have been
found on the surface of Venus.
The Russians sent the first mission to Venus:
The Venera 1 space probe was launched in 1961, but lost contact with base. The USA
also lost their first probe to Venus, Mariner 1, although Mariner 2 was able to take
measurements of the planet in 1962. The Soviet Union’s Venera 3 was the first manmade craft to land on Venus in 1966.
At one point it was thought Venus might be a tropical paradise:
The dense clouds of sulphuric acid surrounding Venus make it impossible to view its
surface from outside its atmosphere. It was only when radio mapping was developed
in the 1960s that scientists were able to observe and measure the extreme
temperatures and hostile environment. It is thought Venus did once have oceans but
these evaporated as the planets temperature increased.
Adapted from spacefacts.com
Worksheet: Pre Reading Activity- "All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury
Name: ________________________
A. With a partner, read "About Ray Bradbury" to learn more about the author.
Answer these questions in writing.
1. Where and when was Ray Bradbury born?
2. Name two of his most famous novels.
3. Write one fact that impressed you about Ray Bradbury.
B. With your partner, read the "Definition of Science Fiction" page and answer
these questions.
1. Write down three characteristics of science fiction.
2. How is science fiction different than fantasy?
3. Write down three well know science fiction authors.
C. With your partner, read about the planet Venus and answer this question.
1. Write down five interesting facts that you didn't know about Venus
before you read this article.
All Summer in a Day
by
Ray Bradbury
No one in the class could remember
a time when there wasn't rain.
“Ready?"
"Ready."
"Now?"
"Soon."
"Do the scientists really know? Will it happen today, will it?"
"Look, look; see for yourself!"
The children pressed to each other like so many roses, so many weeds,
intermixed, peering out for
a look at the hidden sun.
It rained.
It had been raining for seven years; thousands upon thousands of days
compounded and filled from one end to the other with rain, with the drum and
gush of water, with the sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of
storms so heavy they were tidal waves come over the islands. A thousand
forests had been crushed under the rain and grown up a thousand times to be
crushed again. And this was the way life was forever on the planet Venus,
and this was the schoolroom of the children of the rocket men and women
who had come to a raining world to set up civilization and live out their lives.
"It's stopping, it's stopping!"
"Yes, yes!"
Margot stood apart from them, from these children who could never
remember a time when there wasn't rain and rain and rain. They were all nine
years old, and if there had been a day, seven years ago, when the sun came
out for an hour and showed its face to the stunned world, they could not
recall. Sometimes, at night, she heard them stir, in remembrance, and she
knew they were dreaming and remembering gold
or a yellow crayon or a coin large enough to buy the world with. She knew that
they thought they remembered a warmness, like a blushing in the face, in the
body, in the arms and legs and trembling hands. But then they always awoke
to the tatting drum, the endless shaking down of clear bead necklaces upon
the roof, the walk, the gardens, the forests, and their dreams were gone.
All day yesterday they had read in class about the sun. About how like a
lemon it was, and how hot. And they had written small stories or essays or
poems about it:
I think the sun is a flower,
That blooms for just one hour.
That was Margot's poem, read in a quiet voice in the still classroom while the
rain was
falling outside.
"Aw, you didn't write that!" protested one of the boys.
"I did," said Margot. "I did."
"William!" said the teacher.
But that was yesterday. Now the rain was slackening, and the children were
crushed in the great thick windows.
"Where's teacher?"
"She'll be back."
"She'd better hurry, we'll miss it!"
They turned on themselves, like a feverish wheel, all tumbling spokes.
Margot stood alone. She was a very frail girl who looked as if she had been
lost in the rain for years and the rain had washed out the blue from her eyes
and the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair. She was an old
photograph dusted from an album, whitened away, and if she spoke at all her
voice would be a ghost. Now she stood, separate, staring at the rain and the
loud wet world beyond the huge glass.
"What are you looking at?" said William.
Margot said nothing.
"Speak when you're spoken to." He gave her a shove. But she did not move;
rather she let herself be moved only by him and nothing else.
They edged away from her, they would not look at her. She felt them go away.
And this was because she would play no games with them in the echoing
tunnels of the underground city. If they tagged her and ran, she stood blinking
after them and did not follow. When the class sang songs about happiness
and life and games her lips barely moved. Only when they sang about the sun
and the summer did her lips move as she watched the drenched windows.
And then, of course, the biggest crime of all was that she had come here only
five years ago from Earth, and she remembered the sun and the way the sun
was and the sky was when she was four in Ohio. And they, they had been on
Venus all their lives, and they had been only two years old when last the sun
came out and had long since forgotten the color and heat of it and the way it
really was. But Margot remembered.
"It's like a penny," she said once, eyes closed.
"No it's not!" the children cried.
"It's like a fire," she said, "in the stove."
"You're lying, you don't remember!" cried the children.
But she remembered and stood quietly apart from all of them and watched the
patterning windows. And once, a month ago, she had refused to shower in the
school shower rooms, had clutched her hands to her ears and over her head,
screaming the water mustn't touch her head. So after that, dimly, dimly, she
sensed it, she was different and they knew her difference and kept away.
There was talk that her father and mother were taking her back to earth next
year; it seemed vital to her that they do so, though it would mean the loss of
thousands of dollars to her family. And so, the children hated her for all these
reasons of big and little consequence. They hated her pale snow face, her
waiting silence, her thinness, and her possible future.
"Get away!" The boy gave her another push. "What're you waiting for?"
Then, for the first time, she turned and looked at him. And what she was
waiting for was in her eyes.
"Well, don't wait around here!" cried the boy savagely. "You won't see
nothing!"
Her lips moved.
"Nothing!" he cried. "It was all a joke, wasn't it?" He turned to the other
children. "Nothing's happening today. Is it?"
They all blinked at him and then, understanding, laughed and shook their
heads. "Nothing, nothing!"
"Oh, but," Margot whispered, her eyes helpless. "But this is the day, the
scientists predict, they say, they know, the sun. . . ."
"All a joke!" said the boy, and seized her roughly. "Hey, everyone, let's put her
in a closet before teacher comes!"
"No," said Margot, falling back.
They surged about her, caught her up and bore her, protesting, and then
pleading, and then crying, back into a tunnel, a room, a closet, where they
slammed and locked the door. They stood looking at the door and saw it
tremble from her beating and throwing herself against it. They heard her
muffled cries. Then, smiling, they turned and went out and back down the
tunnel, just as the teacher arrived.
"Ready, children?" she glanced at her watch.
"Yes!" said everyone.
"Are we all here?"
"Yes!"
The rain slackened still more.
They crowded to the huge door.
The rain stopped.
It was as if, in the midst of a film, concerning an avalanche, a tornado, a
hurricane, a volcanic eruption, something had, first, gone wrong with the
sound apparatus, thus muffling and finally cutting off all noise, all of the blasts
and repercussions and thunders, and then, second, ripped the film from the
projector and inserted in its place a peaceful tropical slide which did not move
or tremor. The world ground to a standstill. The silence was so immense and
unbelievable that you felt your ears had been stuffed or you had lost your
hearing altogether. The children put their hands to their ears. They stood
apart. The door slid back and the smell of the silent, waiting world came in to
them.
The sun came out.
It was the color of flaming bronze and it was very large. And the sky around it
was a blazing blue tile color. And the jungle burned with sunlight as the
children, released from their spell, rushed out,yelling, into the springtime.
"Now don't go too far," called the teacher after them. "You've only one hour,
you know. You wouldn't want to get caught out!"
But they were running and turning their faces up to the sky and feeling the sun
on their cheeks like a warm iron; they were taking off their jackets and letting
the sun burn their arms.
"Oh, it's better than the sun lamps, isn't it?"
"Much, much better!"
They stopped running and stood in the great jungle that covered Venus, that
grew and never stopped growing, tumultuously, even as you watched it. It was
a nest of octopi, clustering up great arms of flesh-like weed, wavering,
flowering this brief spring. It was the color of rubber and ash, this jungle, from
the many years without sun. It was the color of stones and white cheeses and
ink, and it was the color of the moon.
The children lay out, laughing, on the jungle mattress, and heard it sigh and
squeak under them, resilient and alive. They ran among the trees, they
slipped and fell, they pushed each other, they played hide-and-seek and tag,
but most of all they squinted at the sun until the tears ran down their faces,
they put their hands up to that yellowness and that amazing blueness and
they breathed of the fresh, fresh air and listened and listened to the silence
which suspended them in a blessed sea of no
sound and no motion. They looked at everything and savored everything.
Then, wildly, like animals escaped from their caves, they ran and ran in
shouting circles. They ran for an hour and did not stop running.
And then—
In the midst of their running one of the girls wailed.
Everyone stopped.
The girl, standing in the open, held out her hand.
"Oh, look, look," she said, trembling.
They came slowly to look at her opened palm.
In the center of it, cupped and huge, was a single raindrop.
She began to cry, looking at it.
They glanced quietly at the sky.
"Oh. Oh."
A few cold drops fell on their noses and their cheeks and their mouths. The
sun faded behind a stir of mist. A wind blew cool around them. They turned
and started to walk back toward the underground house, their hands at their
sides, their smiles vanishing away.
A boom of thunder startled them and like leaves before a new hurricane, they
tumbled upon each other and ran. Lightening struck ten miles away, five miles
away, a mile, a half mile. The sky darkened into midnight in a flash.
They stood in the doorway of the underground for a moment until it was
raining hard. Then they closed the door and heard the gigantic sound of the
rain falling in tons and avalanches, everywhere and forever.
"Will it be seven more years?"
"Yes. Seven."
Then one of them gave a little cry.
"Margot!"
"What?"
"She's still in the closet where we locked her."
"Margot."
They stood as if someone had driven them, like so many stakes, into the floor.
They looked at each other and then looked away. They glanced out at the
world that was raining now and raining and raining steadily. They could not
meet each other's glances. Their faces were solemn and pale. They looked at
their hands and feet, their faces down.
"Margot.
One of the girls said, "Well . . .?"
No one moved.
"Go on," whispered the girl.
They walked slowly down the hall in the sound of the cold rain. They turned
through the doorway to the room in the sound of the storm and thunder,
lightning on their faces, blue and terrible. They walked over to the closest door
slowly and stood by it.
Behind the closed door was only silence. They unlocked the door, even more
slowly, and let Margot out.
Teaching Vocabulary and Basic Understanding
Aim: To teach high frequency vocabulary words found in "All Summer in
a Day," to aid the student in keeping track of the plot and basic
understanding of the text.
Estimated time: 2-3 lessons
1. Introduce high frequency vocabulary words that have been
written on the board. Review the words and their meaning. Use
words in sentences orally with the class and have the students
vote if the sentences are true or false. (For example: A soldier in
an elite combat unit in the army is frail.) Then distribute the
vocabulary worksheet for the students to do in pairs.
High frequency vocabulary words: vital, stun, recall, shove, predict,
seize, peaceful, immense, crowded, protested, vanish, frail, blush,
wildly, darken, glance, refuse, crushed, rocket, tunnels.
2.
Read the story aloud to the students. Stop along the way to elicit
information to ensure that they are following the plot and
understanding the basic structure of the story. After completing
the story, distribute the worksheet with the Basic Understanding
Questions for them to complete in pairs and then have them
share their answers with the class.
Vocabulary Exercise- "All Summer in a Day"
Name: __________________
A. Match each word with its antonym (opposite)
1. vital (
)
2. stun (
)
3. recall (
(
4. shove (
)
5. predict (
6. seize (
)
7. peaceful (
8. immense (
9. crowded (
10. blush (
11. protested (
12. vanish (
(
13. wildly (
14. darken (
15. frail (
,
___a. tiny
___b. empty
___c. ignore
___d. unnecessary
___e. violent, noisy
___ f. calm down
___g. lighten
___ h. turn white
___ i. appear
___ j. forget
___ k. strong and healthy
___ l. let go/ loosen
___ m. gently
___ n. leave alone/ pull
___ o. agree
)
,
)
(
)
)
(
(
(
(
B. Fill in the word that best completes each sentence.
1. The men and women travelled in a _______________ to reach Venus.
2. The children were all ______________ together looking out the thick
window.
3. William started fighting with Margot and gave her a _________________.
4. The children often played games in the ________________ under the
ground, but Margot didn't join them.
5. Margot had __________________ to shower; she didn't want the water
to touch her head.
6. The children ran ________________ in the sun, like animals who had
escaped from their caves.
7. The rain started to fall and the children's smiles _________________
8. The children were so ashamed at their behavior, they could not meet
each other's __________________.
shove (
(, glances (
crushed (
(, wildly (
(,
vanished (
( , tunnels (
( , refused (
( , rocket )
(,
.
(
Basic Understanding Questions- "All Summer in a Day"
Name: _______________
1. Where does this story take place? ____________________________________________
2. How long had it been raining when the story takes place? _________________________
3. What did the scientists predict would happen on this day? ________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. Name two reasons why the other children hate Margot.
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
5. Why did Margot's family live on Venus? ________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
6. Why does Margot know more about the sun than the other children in her class?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
7. How does Margot describe the sun in her poem?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
8. What did the children do outside when the sun came out?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
9. Where was Margot while the children were playing outside in the sunshine?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
10. How does this story end?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Explicit Teaching of HOTS and literary terms
Aim of activity :
A. Explicit Teaching of HOTS:
- Distinguishing Different Perspectives, Inferring
B. Explicit teaching of literary terms:
- Metaphor, Simile
Estimated time: 2 lessons
A. Description of activity for explicitly teaching Distinguishing Different
Perspectives:
Distribute worksheet with Rorschach blot and have each student look at
it and write what they see in the blot.
Have class discussion about what each student saw in the blot.
Next, ask the students to fill in how many of their classmates saw the
same thing they did in the picture.
Students fill this in on the worksheet.
After this, elicit why they think many of their classmates saw different
things in the picture?
Students answer this on the worksheet as well.
Explain that everyone seeing the same thing, yet each one seeing it differently
is called having different perspectives. We can see this easily in a visit to an art
museum, where I look at a picture or painting and have different ideas about
what it means than you do.
Discussion: As we mature, we learn that not everyone sees and thinks like we
do. They may have different attitudes or perspectives about the same event
or topic than we do.
For example, imagine having an argument with your parents about curfew.
Your parents feel you should be home by 22:00 so that you will be rested and
alert for school tomorrow. You feel you should be able to stay out till 24:00
because it's important to have down time with your friends and to hang out
with everyone and not have to be different and leave early.
If you understand your parents' way of looking at things, their perspective,
how might you be able to respond that might convince them to give in or to
compromise?
If your parents understand your perspective, what might they be able to
offer?
In literature too, understanding different characters' perspectives, their points
of view or attitude, can help us better understand how or why they act a
certain way. So, we try to distinguish between different perspectives to better
understand the text.
Teaching HOTS- Different Perspectives
Name: _______________________
Rorschach Blots
1. Look at the drawing:
What do you see? ______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
STOP- Wait for class discussion before continuing.
After sharing with our classmates what we saw and hearing what they saw, please answer
the following questions:
1. How many of your classmates saw the same thing as you did in the picture?
________________________________________________________________
2. Why do you think many of your classmates saw different things in the picture?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Everyone seeing the same thing, and yet each one seeing it
differently is called having DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES.
Description of activity for explicitly teaching HOTS of Inferring:
Teacher tells class that they should try to figure out the information not
told explicitly but behind the words or picture they will see or hear and
write it down.
Teacher shows a picture of a man giving flowers to a woman.
Teacher makes an announcement as if she is at the office loudspeaker
calling the name of one of the students to come immediately to the
office.
Have students share what they wrote and why they thought as they did.
Explain to them that they inferred or drew conclusions based on their
own personal experience or background knowledge.
Teacher writes several sentences on the board.
Example: John went running into the street without looking.
Example: When I woke up, there was a big colorful sign and balloons on
my door.
Have students share their inferences about these sentences and what
background knowledge or personal experience helped them assume
what they did.
Teacher writes the definition of Inferring on the board: to assume or
draw a reasonable conclusion using your own background knowledge or
personal experience.
Discussion with class how inferring helps us in our lives and can help us
better understand literature as well. We often infer what a character
was thinking or what their motive was by what he does.
Distribute a short passage of a text. Have students create a table with
three categories: 1. Text
2. Text and Head
3. Head.
Then explain that category one is for questions that can be answered by
locating the words in one sentence in the text. Category two addresses
questions that can be found in the passage but not in one sentence.
Category three answers questions from the reader's head.
Then ask several questions and have the students write the answers in the
correct category, further reinforcing that category three relies on their own
reasonable assumptions.
B. Explicit teaching of literary terms: Metaphor and Simile
There are two ways in which words can have meaning, through their
literal meaning (dictionary definition) and through the associations they
bring to mind. Sometimes words or phrases can build up an image in our
mind without using many words to describe it. These are known as
figures of speech.
The two most important figures of speech are similes and metaphors.
Similes and metaphors are similar. They both describe something using
terms that don't literally refer to that thing. In similes, the description
compares between two things that are not literally alike and in a
metaphor, something is described as if it were another thing.
Teacher writes on the board: "Love is ________________" and ask the
students to think of (and write down) a noun that best explains their
feelings about love. Ask the students to share some of the ideas that
they came up with. Add some famous ones from love songs and poems.
Examples:
"Love is a rose."
"Love is a song that never ends." "Love is a battlefield."
Ask the students to choose the comparison they like best and to write in
their journal what they think it tells us about love.
These are called metaphors, meaning something is described as if it
were another different thing.
Another example:
"Life is a roller coaster." What is this metaphor trying to tell us?
"Their home was a prison." What is this metaphor trying to tell us?
Similes are similar to metaphors as they also use comparisons between
two things that are not similar. But the simile is usually a phrase that
begins with "as" or "like."
For example, "She cried like a baby." How does a baby cry? What does
this simile add- why couldn't we just say "She cried very much."? How
does a mental picture of a crying baby add to our understanding of her
crying?
Another example, "His voice was as sharp as a razor." What does this
simile add? How does a razor add to our understanding of the sharpness
of his voice?
Students fill in the worksheet below about similes and metaphors in "All
Summer in a Day."
Metaphors and Similes in "All Summer in a Day" Name: _________
Read each quote from our story on the left. Then circle whether each
one is a simile or a metaphor and answer the questions on the right.
"But then they always awoke to
Simile or metaphor?
the tatting drum, the endless
What is the rain being compared
shaking down of clear bead
to? How does it make us feel?
necklaces upon the roof…"
"I think the sun is a flower that
blooms for just one hour."
Simile or metaphor?
What is Margot comparing the
sun to? What does Margot feel
about the sun?
1. She was a very frail girl who 1. Simile or metaphor? What does
looked as if she had been lost in
Margot look like?
the rain for years.
2. She was an old photograph
dusted from an album…
2. Simile or metaphor? What sense
3. And if she spoke at all her voice
does an old photograph give us?
would be a ghost.
3. Simile or metaphor? What would
her voice be like? Explain.
"It's like a penny."
"It's like a fire."
Similes or metaphors?
What does Margot mean as she is
describing the sun?
"They were… feeling the sun on
their cheeks like a warm iron."
Simile or metaphor?
What does it add about the
children's experience in the sun?
"Wildly, like animals escaped
Simile or metaphor?
from their caves, they ran and ran What feeling does it add about
in shouting circles."
the children in the sunshine?
"They stood as if someone had
driven them, like so many stakes,
into the floor."
Simile or metaphor?
How did the children feel when
they realized they had forgotten
about Margot?
Analysis and Interpretation Component
Aim of activity: Application of HOTS and literary terms to a text.
Estimated time: 1 lesson
Description of activity:
Review the meaning of different perspectives.
In our story, Both Margot and her classmates live on Venus, a place where it
always rains. Let's look at how Margot and her classmates differ in their
perspectives regarding living there.
Students work in pairs on worksheet to analyze how Margot is affected by life
on Venus and how her classmates are.
After completion of worksheets have students briefly share responses and
vote on how important the sun's one hour appearance is to Margot and to her
classmates.
Different Perspectives- "All Summer in a Day"
Name: _______________
Let's look at how the Margot and her classmates respond to living on Venus.
Working in pairs try to answer as many of these questions as you can.
How is Margot affected by life on Venus?
1. How does she react to the constant rain?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. What is her physical appearance?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3. How does she relate to the other children? Does she have friends?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
4. Does she participate in school activities? Explain.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
5. How is Margot different than the other children?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
6. What possible opportunity does Margot have and how does it make the other
children feel? _____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
How are Margot's classmates affected by life on Venus?
1. How do they react to the constant rain?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. Do the classmates have friends? Explain. ___________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3. Do they participate in school activities?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
4. What do they do in their leisure time?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
5. How do they view living on Venus?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Based on your responses above, on a scale of 1-10, how important is the sun's one hour
appearance for Margot? ___________________
How important is the sun's one hour appearance for the other children? ______________
Different Perspectives- "All Summer in a Day" worksheet- with answers
Let's look at how the Margot and her classmates respond to living on Venus.
Working in pairs try to answer as many of these questions as you can.
How is Margot affected by life on Venus?
1. How does she react to the constant rain? (She withdraws, is quiet, is very passive, is
inactive, has lost most of her passion for life)
2. What is her physical appearance? (frail, weak, colorless, invisible)
3. How does she relate to the other children? Does she have friends? ( She separates
herself from the group and does not join their games. She has no friends.)
4. Does she participate in school activities? Explain. (No, unless they revolve around the sun
and summer)
5. How is Margot different than the other children? (She has experienced the sun until age
four, and has memories and knowledge of what the sun is like)
6. What possible opportunity does Margot have and how does it make the other children
feel? (She may return to Earth and this makes her classmates very jealous)
How are Margot's classmates affected by life on Venus?
1. How do they react to the constant rain? (They are accustomed to it and view it as the usual)
2. Do the children have friends? (Yes, they seem to live a pretty regular life, just underground)
3. Do they participate in school activities? (Yes, they sing and play games, and do schoolwork
together)
4. What do they do in their leisure time? (They play games underground.)
5. How do they view living on Venus? (They have grown used to the life there and while they
are very excited to see and experience the one hour of sun, they had been surviving just
fine until now)
Based on your responses above, on a scale of 1-10, how important is the sun's one hour
appearance for Margot? For the other children?
Possible answer- For Margot- 10. The appearance of the sun is vital to Margot's existence. Her
whole being is very much dependent on the warmth and brightness of the sun. Her current
situation on Venus, her hatred of water, her lack of energy, her being separate from the rest of the
class, are all very much tied to her environment and the constant rain.
For the other children- 3. The other children don't quite know what they are missing in their lives.
They have heard about the sun, they have read and sung about it, but being that they have never
experienced it, they are not truly lacking it in their lives. Of course, once they have even the very
brief experience of the sun, this will change.
Additional HOTS questions (with answers):
1. How does Margot react to the constant rain? Bring an example. (Margot hates the
constant rain and greatly misses the sun. This makes her so unhappy that she never
joins the children for games.)
2. Why did the other children hate Margot? (They hate her because she remembers
the sun and they don't. Also, she may be returning to Earth soon. She also views
herself differently than the others and doesn't join them for games.)
3. Was Margot a happy child? Explain. (Margot was a very unhappy child. She had no
friends and hated living on Venus.)
4. Why did the children run like animals freed from a cage when the sun came out?
(They felt a freedom and joy that they had not experienced for many years).
5. How do the children feel when they remember what they have done to Margot?
(They feel ashamed, guilty and embarrassed. They feel pained and can't even look at
each other's faces because of their guilt. )
6. What does the author mean when he writes that the rain had washed the blue from
Margot's eyes, the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair? (She was not
really alive. She was a shadow of her former self. Not having sunshine and not
living on earth took all of the joy out of her.)
7. Margot writes in her poem: "I think the sun is a flower that blooms for just one
hour." Is that a simile or a metaphor? What does Margot feel about the sun? (
metaphor. Margot views the sun as something cheerful, happy, brings joy to her,
but only lasts a short time like a flower)
8. Extended HOTS question: Why did William and his friends lock Margot in the
closet? What thinking skill did you use and how did you use it. (William and his
friends hated Margot because she had experienced the sun and might soon again
experience the sun if she returns to earth. This was a way of getting even with herthey would get to experience the sun now and she wouldn't since she would be
locked in the closet. I used the thinking skill of inferring. I inferred that William and
his friends hate Margot and are jealous of her, because she knew firsthand about
the sun and they didn't. That's why William claims she didn't write the poem about
the sun. I deduced that the consequences would be that they would want to punish
her and have her miss out on the sun, while they would have the opportunity to
enjoy the sun.)
9. Extended HOTS question: How do you think William and the other children will
treat Margot after this experience? What thinking skill did you use and how did you
use it?
(Thinking skill: Inferring. I think William and the other children will treat
Margot nicely from now on and be sensitive to her needs. I infer this from
their reaction when they remembered that they had locked her in the closet.
They were so ashamed and could not meet each other's glances. Their faces
were pale and they stood looking down at their hands and feet. I think they
will want to make up for such a big mistake by being kind to Margot in the
future.)
Bridging Text and Context
Aim of Activity: To encourage students to understand the connections between the text and
the theme of bullying from another source
Estimated time: 15-20 minutes
Description of Activity:
Show enlarged photo on screen.
Ask students: How does this picture connect to the story we read? Bring in examples from
the story.
Have classroom discussion regarding bullying in schools and how that applies to this story.
Possible answer:
This picture shows a girl being singled out by other children and being blamed or bullied by
the group. The child looks vulnerable and the children seem threatening, as if the next step
will involve violence against her. The girl seems to be in a defensive position, trying to
protect herself from the bullying. This connects to the story because Margot too was singled
out by her classmates and bullied in various ways, leading to a major injustice done against
her. William shoves her twice and is rude to her. He taunts her with, "Speak when you're
spoken to," and claims she is lying about the sun. He plays a practical joke on her at her
expense, by telling her "Nothing's happening today," when the sun was making a short
appearance for the first time in seven years. Finally, William and the other children, throw
Margot into the closet and lock her in there, causing her to miss the greatly anticipated
appearance of the sun.
Post Reading Component
Aim of activity: To offer the students the opportunity to connect their
own experience with the text and to encourage their introspection, selfexpression and creativity.
Estimated time: 1 lesson
Description of Activity:
1. What do you think happened after Margot was released from the
closet? The author leaves this open ended. Write a new ending to
the story.
2. Pretend you are the school guidance counselor. You have been
asked to help out in Margot and William's class the day following
the sun's appearance and Margot's missing out. Create a class
activity that will allow the children to share their feelings and
begin the healing process after the difficult bullying activity that
took place.
3. When the students remembered that they had locked Margot in
the closet, they were very ashamed. What would they say to each
other after school, later that day? Create the conversation
between William and another classmate using the SMS generator.
Link: http://www.classtools.net/SMS/
Summative Assignment - "All Summer in a Day" (for a four point class)
Answers written in italics in parenthesis
LOTS Questions (45 points)
1. Where does this story take place? (on the planet Venus)
2. What did the scientists think would happen on the day that the story takes
place? (They thought the sun would come out for one hour)
3. Why does Margot know more about the sun than the other children in her
class? (Margot moved to Venus only five years ago from Earth and still
remembers the sun.)
4. How does this story end? (The story ends with Margot being let out of the
closet where she had been locked up by her classmates.)
5. Why did Margot's family live on Venus? (They were scientists studying life on
Venus.)
6. What is the meaning of the word predict? ("But this is the day, the scientists
predict, they say, they know, the sun…") (answer: b)
a. confuse b. say what will happen c. do an experiment d. destroy
7. What is the meaning of the word vital? ( "It seemed vital to her that her
father and mother take her back to earth the next year.") (answer: a)
a. necessary b. silly
c. empty d. noisy
8. What is the meaning of the word frail? ( "She was a very frail girl.")
a. nice b. strong
c. weak
d. hungry (answer: c)
9. What is the meaning of the word seized? ("It's all a joke!" said the boy and
seized her roughly.")
a. hugged
b. jumped
c. laughed
d. pulled (answer: d)
HOTS Questions (40 points)
10. How do the children feel when they remember what they have done to
Margot? (They feel ashamed, guilty and embarrassed. They feel pained and
can't even look at each other's faces because of their guilt. )
11. Why did the other children hate Margot? (They hate her because she
remembers the sun and they don't. Also, she may be returning to Earth soon.
She also views herself differently than the others and doesn't join them for
games.)
12. Why did the children run like animals freed from a cage when the sun came
out? (They felt a freedom, joy and warmth that they had not experienced for
many years).
13. Margot writes in her poem: "I think the sun is a flower that blooms for just
one hour." Is that a simile or a metaphor? What does Margot feel about the
sun? (metaphor. Margot views the sun as something cheerful, happy, brings
joy to her, but only lasts a short time like a flower)
Extended HOTS question
14. How do you think William and the other children will treat Margot after this
experience? What thinking skill did you use and how did you use it?
(Thinking skill: Inferring. I think William and the other children will treat
Margot nicely from now on and be sensitive to her needs. I infer this from
their reaction when they remembered that they had locked her in the closet.
They were so ashamed and could not meet each other's glances. Their faces
were pale and they stood looking down at their hands and feet. I think they
will want to make up for such a big mistake by being kind to Margot in the
future.)
Bridging Question (15 points)
Stanislaw Lem was a famous Polish science fiction writer who died in
2006. His most famous novel Solaris (published in 1961) has been made
into a feature film. In that book he writes,
“Man has gone out to explore other worlds and other civilizations
without having explored his own labyrinth of dark passages and secret
chambers, and without finding what lies behind doorways that he
himself has sealed.”
How does this quote connect to the short story "All Summer in a Day"?
Include examples from the text.
Possible answer:
Stanislaw Lem points out that while humankind is busy exploring outer
space, the more significant exploration should be of man's behavior on
earth. Before taking on the unknown in other worlds, it would be fitting
to find out more about the problems and issues in our own world and to
help solve them.
This quote is connected to "All Summer in a Day" because the story
takes place in the context of an experiment of humans living on Venus.
These scientists are grappling with exploring another planet and human
survival outside of earth. At the same time, a very poignant and human
problem is taking place in a classroom far below the rainy surface, the
bullying and victimizing of one child. Margot is being victimized by
William and his friends, stronger children who take pleasure in bullying
the weaker, isolated victim. This bullying problem is an example of issues
that happen in our society that are hidden away, ignored or not
adequately dealt with, while the more exciting and adventurous
experiments in outer space receive far greater attention.
Poem pouch- "All Summer in a Day"
Judi Becker
1. Picture of the sun
2. Picture of rain
3. Picture of Venus
4. A drum
5. Clear bead necklaces
6. An old faded photograph of a young girl
7. Picture of tunnels
8. Cotton balls (to stuff ears with)
9. A picture of a bright blue sky
10. A picture of stakes hammered into the floor
11.A yellow crayon
12.A penny (or an enlarged photo of one)
13.A picture of animals running wildly