Art by Gary Hanna

The Space Rock

A rock worth millions of dollars landed in one family’s yard. Would they keep all the money for themselves, or would they help others with it?

By Roland Smith

From the Special Preview Issue

Lexile: 500L

Guided Reading Level: L

DRA Level: 20-24

Ready to try Storyworks 2?

First issue free. Cancel anytime.

video (1)

Slideshows (1)

Activities (4)

Social-Emotional Learning Focus

Heroes; generosity; community

Essential Question

The essential question of this Storyworks 2 is: What makes a hero?

Reading and discussing “The Space Rock,” along with the other hero-themed texts in the magazine (the nonfiction article “The Dog That Saved a Town,” the mini graphic “The Playground Monster,” and the poem “Hero”), should give kids great insight into what it means to be a hero in the world.

Through the above genres, students will discuss:

What traits do heroes have?
How do heroes act?
What does it mean to be a good person?

“The Space Rock” also stands on its own. It uses a high-interest hook (a giant meteorite crashing into a family’s yard) to get kids thinking about generosity and the importance of community.

1. Before Reading

Watch a Video (10 minutes)

This video also goes with other stories in this month’s Storyworks 2. You have total flexibility on which article/story you want to watch it with.
Tell your students they are going to watch a video about heroes. As they watch, ask them to think about: “Do all heroes have capes and superpowers? What are some words we can use to describe heroes?”
Watch the video “What Is a Hero?”
After watching, ask the questions again. Write students’ ideas on chart paper.

Preview Vocabulary (3 minutes)

Play the online vocabulary slideshow. This issue’s featured words are ghost town, tongue-tied, gash, meteorite, and broke.

Preview the First Page/ Set a Purpose for Reading (5-10 minutes)

Now tell students they are going to read a fictional story. Tell them it connects to the video they watched about heroes.
Open your magazines to “The Space Rock.” Preview the art on the opening pages.
Ask: What could be going on in this picture?
The title of the story can give us a clue. (Answers will vary.)
Next, read the Think and Read prompt on page 24: “As you read, think about whether there is a hero in this story. Who would it be, and why?” Encourage children to think about this prompt as they read.

2. Read the Story (10 minutes)

Kids can read this story individually, in small groups, or even as a whole class.
Check comprehension as you read the story with the Pause and Think questions, pausing to ask each question. These questions help check basic comprehension as you go along.
You can also point out our character Nosey on page 27. Nosey gives kids some extra information about meteorites.

3. After Reading: Focus on ELA Skills

ELA Focus: Vocabulary (15 minutes)

Use the Word Work printable to deepen students’ understanding of the vocabulary words ghost town, tongue-tied, gash, and broke.

Assessment: Quiz (10 minutes)

Pass out the Quiz skills sheet to review concepts from the issue and assess students’ proficiency on key fiction reading skills.

Extension Activity: Community Service Award (10 minutes)

Pass out our “Community Service Award” template. This is a fun way to test students’ big-picture comprehension of how the family in the story helped their community. It also reinforces the story’s social-emotional themes of generosity and community-building.

Enrich the Learning: Paired Text Opportunities (time amount varies)

Making text-to-text connections builds knowledge and comprehension. We purposefully layer Storyworks 2 with many ways for you and your students to make connections and enrich the lesson.

Paired Texts 1 and 2 Nonfiction: The Dog That Saved a Town (pages 6-11) and Mini Graphic: The Playground Monster (pages 14-17)

These stories ask a similar question to that of “The Space Rock.”
Who are the heroes in these stories? Why are they heroes?
Kids can compare the heroic actions of the family in “The Space Rock” with those of Balto in “The Dog That Saved a Town” and the kids in “The Playground Monster” using our “Do a Hero Chart” online printable. How are the heroes alike and different?
Making these comparisons can deepen kids’ understanding of what it means to be a hero.

Art by Gary Hanna

The Space Rock

A rock worth millions of dollars landed in one family’s yard. Would they keep all the money for themselves, or would they help others with it?

By Roland Smith

From the Special Preview Issue

Lexile: 500L

Guided Reading Level: L

DRA Level: 20-24

Ready to try Storyworks 2?

First issue free. Cancel anytime.

Multimedia

video (1)

The Big Question: What Is a Hero?

Do all heroes have capes and superpowers? What are some words we can use to describe heroes?

Story

The Big Question: What Is a Hero?

Do all heroes have capes and superpowers? What are some words we can use to describe heroes?

Slideshows (1)

Slideshow

<p>Our interactive vocabulary slideshows help unlock challenging vocabulary words with great visual and audio support.</p>

Story

Slideshow

Our interactive vocabulary slideshows help unlock challenging vocabulary words with great visual and audio support.

Launch Slideshow

Activities (0)

Quiz

Story

Quiz

On Level

Word Work

Story

Word Work

On Level

Do a Hero Chart

Story

Do a Hero Chart

On Level

Community Service Award

Story

Community Service Award

On Level

More About the Article

Heroes; generosity; community

Essential Question

The essential question of this Storyworks 2 is: What makes a hero?

Through the above genres, students will discuss:

What traits do heroes have?
How do heroes act?
What does it mean to be a good person?

“The Space Rock” also stands on its own. It uses a high-interest hook (a giant meteorite crashing into a family’s yard) to get kids thinking about generosity and the importance of community.

1. Before Reading

Watch a Video (10 minutes)

This video also goes with other stories in this month’s Storyworks 2. You have total flexibility on which article/story you want to watch it with.
Tell your students they are going to watch a video about heroes. As they watch, ask them to think about: “Do all heroes have capes and superpowers? What are some words we can use to describe heroes?”
Watch the video “What Is a Hero?”
After watching, ask the questions again. Write students’ ideas on chart paper.

Preview Vocabulary (3 minutes)

Play the online vocabulary slideshow. This issue’s featured words are ghost town, tongue-tied, gash, meteorite, and broke.

Preview the First Page/ Set a Purpose for Reading (5-10 minutes)

Now tell students they are going to read a fictional story. Tell them it connects to the video they watched about heroes.
Open your magazines to “The Space Rock.” Preview the art on the opening pages.
Ask: What could be going on in this picture?
The title of the story can give us a clue. (Answers will vary.)
Next, read the Think and Read prompt on page 24: “As you read, think about whether there is a hero in this story. Who would it be, and why?” Encourage children to think about this prompt as they read.

2. Read the Story (10 minutes)

Kids can read this story individually, in small groups, or even as a whole class.
Check comprehension as you read the story with the Pause and Think questions, pausing to ask each question. These questions help check basic comprehension as you go along.
You can also point out our character Nosey on page 27. Nosey gives kids some extra information about meteorites.

3. After Reading: Focus on ELA Skills

ELA Focus: Vocabulary (15 minutes)

Use the Word Work printable to deepen students’ understanding of the vocabulary words ghost town, tongue-tied, gash, and broke.

Assessment: Quiz (10 minutes)

Pass out the Quiz skills sheet to review concepts from the issue and assess students’ proficiency on key fiction reading skills.

Extension Activity: Community Service Award (10 minutes)

Pass out our “Community Service Award” template. This is a fun way to test students’ big-picture comprehension of how the family in the story helped their community. It also reinforces the story’s social-emotional themes of generosity and community-building.

Enrich the Learning: Paired Text Opportunities (time amount varies)

Making text-to-text connections builds knowledge and comprehension. We purposefully layer Storyworks 2 with many ways for you and your students to make connections and enrich the lesson.

Paired Texts 1 and 2 Nonfiction: The Dog That Saved a Town (pages 6-11) and Mini Graphic: The Playground Monster (pages 14-17)

These stories ask a similar question to that of “The Space Rock.”
Who are the heroes in these stories? Why are they heroes?
Kids can compare the heroic actions of the family in “The Space Rock” with those of Balto in “The Dog That Saved a Town” and the kids in “The Playground Monster” using our “Do a Hero Chart” online printable. How are the heroes alike and different?
Making these comparisons can deepen kids’ understanding of what it means to be a hero.