HomeMy WebLinkAboutRead Aloud Book Gr. 3-Lesson 6Beverly Cleary is a famous writer. She has written many children’s books,
including Ramona the Brave, Ramona the Pest, Henry and Ribsy, and others.
When Mrs. Cleary launched, or started, her literary career, she was a
librarian. The children who came into the library kept asking her, “Where are
the books about kids like us?” At the time, there were no books about regular
American kids. Mrs. Cleary decided she wanted to write books that she could
not fi nd on the bookshelves.
Mrs. Cleary’s fi rst book was about a boy named Henry and his dog, Ribsy.
In the book, Mrs. Cleary wrote about everyday events and made them seem
exciting and wonderful. Children and adults loved it! This encouraged Mrs.
Cleary to write more stories for people to enjoy. In all, she published almost
forty books.
When asked for an explanation for the success of her books, Mrs. Cleary
often talks about her “helper.” Her helper is the part of herself that is still
a child. This inner child helps her make editorial decisions, or decisions that
improve the quality of her writing. She doesn’t make fun of her characters, and
she doesn’t write like a grownup remembering something that happened long
ago. She really tries to think like a child and write from a child’s perspective.
Mrs. Cleary also admits that she likes to write when it rains. She imagines
herself outside on a beautiful day at the park. In her imagination, she stands
in front of an audience of eager kids in the cool shade of an oak tree. Then
she tells them a story.
Children continue to read editions of Mrs. Cleary’s books, which makes
her happy. She has dedicated her life to helping children see that reading
is something fun to do, even when they are not in school. She once received
a letter from a little girl with four brothers and sisters. She said that they
would never let her choose what channel to watch on television, but she could
always choose to go read one of Mrs. Cleary’s books.
Mrs. Cleary recently turned ninety years old. She may not write any more
books, but children will continue to read her stories for years to come.
COMPREHENSION Which words in the passage tell about books and
writing? Why do children enjoy Mrs. Cleary’s books?
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Sonja concentrated on her verbs and adverbs as she worked on her grammar
lesson at school. Everything was going well until her teacher, Ms. Bell, made an
announcement to the class. “For homework tonight,” said Ms. Bell, “I want you
to write the fi rst draft of a story about something strange and unusual. The
story can be real or imagined. Tomorrow, you’ll share your writing with your
partner and begin to make revisions and improvements for a second draft.”
Sonja gulped. Her mind went blank. What strange and unusual thing could
she write about?
When Sonja got home, she went to fi nd her dad. Maybe her dad could help
her think of something strange and unusual. But today, her dad was too busy
taming the family lion in their backyard. “I’ll help you later tonight,” her dad
said as the lion leaped over his head.
Sonja sighed. She wanted to get started on an outline of her ideas right
away. So she went to fi nd her mom. Maybe her mom could help Sonja think
of something strange and unusual. But today, Sonja’s mom was too busy fl ying
around the house in her new rocket suit. “I’ll help you later tonight,” her mom
said as she zipped and zoomed and fl ipped through the air.
Sonja sighed. She wanted to start writing the details and descriptions for
her story before dinnertime. So she went to fi nd her older brother, Paul.
Maybe her older brother could help Sonja think of something strange and
unusual. But today, Paul was too busy trying to turn broccoli into pepperoni.
“I’ll help you later tonight,” Paul said as he stood in his laboratory and mixed
together the foul-smelling ingredients.
Sonja sighed. Nothing was strange or unusual! What could she do? She
wanted to write a manuscript full of lively dialogue and narration. She wanted
her story to be as interesting as the stories she read in magazine publications.
But Sonja knew she had writer’s block. Finally, she decided she would have to
wait for a good idea to come to her. Then, with one fi nal sigh, Sonja went to
the kitchen and got ready to feed her pet dragon, Gus.
COMPREHENSION If you were Sonja, do you think you would have a
hard time coming up with a story idea? Why or why not? Which words
from the story help you think about the process of writing?
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