A Recipe for Disaster

Social-Emotional Learning: social awareness (appreciating diversity); responsible decision-making (identifying problems, solving problems)

inference, text features, vocabulary, key idea, visual literacy, problem and solution, character, figurative language, making connections, narrative writing

Preview Text Features/Take a Quiz (10 minutes)

• We are thrilled to offer for the first time in Storyworks 3 a graphic novel-style story. Newbery Medal winner Jerry Craft wrote and drew the story.

• Ask students to look at page 16. Direct their attention to the title, subtitle, and Meet the Author! panel. Ask students how this story looks different from other fiction stories they’ve read. Have students make a prediction about what the story will be about.

• To acquaint students with the foods mentioned in the story, invite them to take the online quiz “Test Your Food Knowledge!” Emphasize that this quiz is just for fun.

Introduce Vocabulary (15 minutes)

• We have highlighted in bold four terms that may be challenging and defined them on the page: cultures, represents, heritage, and generations [Note: Point out that the word generations is used in this story to refer to something that’s been part of a family for many years.] 

• Preview these terms by projecting or distributing our Vocabulary Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) and completing it as a class. You may also play our Vocabulary Slideshow, where images help students with comprehension.

• Additional Vocabulary Support: This story revolves around a girl’s struggle to choose one dish that represents her mixed heritage. On page 17, her classmates share the names of dishes they will bring to a class celebration. Our bonus vocabulary Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) will help students explore these dishes and where they come from.

Set a Purpose for Reading (5 minutes)

• Graphic novels have increasingly been used in the classroom over the past decade. Like traditional prose, they offer opportunities to think about literary elements like character, plot, and theme. The visual presentation can make a story more accessible and engaging, while also challenging readers to make inferences based on what they see—or don’t see. Our Can’t Miss Teaching Extras, at Storyworks 3 Digital, provide links to resources for teaching graphic novels.

• Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read and Think and Write boxes on pages 16 and 21. These prompts and the Skill Builders support the story’s featured skill, inference. Remind students to keep in mind the Think and Read prompt as they read the story.

Reading and Unpacking the Text

• First Read: Read the story as a class or have students follow along as they listen to the Editor Read-Aloud.

• Have students identify story details and vocabulary they don’t understand. 

• Second Read: Project, distribute, or assign the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions (available in your Resources tab). Discuss them as a class, rereading sentences or passages as necessary. (Alternatively, assign all or part of the Learning Journey Slideshow, which contains the questions—along with other activities from this lesson plan and a link to the story.)

• Pair each student with a partner to discuss the Critical-Thinking Questions. Then ask pairs to share their answers with the class.

Close-Reading Questions (30 minutes)

1. On page 16, what assignment does Liz’s teacher give to the class? (key idea) Liz’s teacher tells the students to bring in a food that shows something about their families’ culture or history.
2. In the panel at the top of page 17, how do you think Liz feels? How does the drawing help you figure this out? (inference/visual literacy) Liz probably feels stressed. In the picture, her face looks sad and she appears to be thinking. Her classmates’ words are all around her head. It looks like what they’re saying is adding to her stress. 
3. Read the panels on the bottom of page 17. What problem does Liz face? (identifying a problem) Liz doesn’t know what dish to bring to represent her family. Her mom is Chinese American, and her dad is Mexican American. She doesn’t want to hurt the feelings of either by choosing a favorite recipe from the other one’s culture.
4. Based on pages 18 and 19, what are Liz’s parents like? (character) Liz’s parents are nice. They’re supportive of Liz and of each other. In the images, they look friendly. 
5. Look at the panels on pages 19-20 that are labeled “Friday night” through “Sunday afternoon.” What do they show you about how Liz deals with her problem of deciding what dish to choose? (inference/visual literacy) The panels show Liz worrying all weekend about what to do. She thinks about what dish to bring while she’s in bed, playing soccer, and sitting around her house. Finally, she has a great idea.
6. How does Liz finally solve her problem? (problem and solution) Liz works with her parents to create a new dish that represents both her Chinese and Mexican heritages. 
7. What does Liz name her new dish? Why does she choose this name? (key idea) Liz names her new dish “burri-tons.” The name is a combination of burritos and wontons, the two dishes she put together to make her new recipe. 

Critical-Thinking Question (10 minutes)

1. The phrase “a recipe for disaster” is used to say that something has all the right parts (or ingredients) to create a problem. Why do you think this story is titled “A Recipe for Disaster”? (figurative language/text features) The story was probably given this title because it’s about choosing a recipe for a class assignment. Also, at first the assignment creates a problem for Liz. She can’t decide what dish to choose. In the end, it’s not really a “recipe for disaster” because Liz figures out how to solve her problem in a way that feels good for everyone. 

2. If you were in Liz’s class, what food would you make for the assignment? Explain your choice. (making connections) Answers will vary.

Responsible Decision-Making

Liz, the main character in the story, thinks that she has to select between two choices. She finds this difficult because she doesn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Ask: Can you think of a time when you had to make a difficult choice between two things (or two people)? How did you feel? What did you do?

Featured Skill: Inference

• Distribute or digitally assign the Inference Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) and have students complete it in class or for homework.  Show the short video “What Is an Inference?” to review and reinforce how to use this skill.

• Ask students to write a response to the prompt in the Think and Write box on page 21. Remind them to use the pronoun I since the letter is written from Liz’s point of view.

• Our Learning Journey Slideshow (available in your Resources tab) is designed to make your life easier. Have students move through at their own pace or assign smaller chunks for different days. You can also customize the slideshow to your liking.

• Direct students to our Create Your Own Graphic Story templates (available in your Resources tab) and ask them to create an additional scene for the story or to make up their own graphic short story.