My Rows and Piles of Coins

Preview Text Features/Build Background Knowledge  (15 minutes)  

• Instruct students to look at pages 16-17. Direct their attention to the title, subtitle, and illustration. Ask them to describe the illustration and predict what the story will be about. 
  

• Direct students to the Before Reading box on page 17. Look at the map together, then read aloud the text in the box. Ask students to repeat the four terms defined in the box. 

• As a class, view the Background Builder Slideshow to introduce important details students will encounter in the story.

Introduce Vocabulary (15 minutes)

• We have highlighted in bold six words that may be challenging and defined each on the bottom of the page on which it appears: wheelbarrow, determined, errands, wobbled, precious, and astonishing.
  
• Preview these terms by projecting or distributing our Vocabulary Skill Builder and completing it as a class. You may also play our Vocabulary Slideshow, with audio and images that help students with pronunciation and comprehension.

Set a Purpose for Reading (5 minutes)

• Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read box on page 17 and the Think and Write box on page 21. These prompts and the Skill Builders support the story’s featured skill, setting.

Reading and Unpacking the Text

• First read: Read the story as a class or have students follow along as they listen to the 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. Discuss them as a class, rereading sentences or passages as necessary. (Alternatively, assign all or part of the Learning Journey Slide Deck, which contains the questions as well as 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 the pairs to share their answers with the class.

• Follow up with the SEL Focus activity.

Close-Reading Questions (30 minutes)

• Read the first section and study the images on pages 16-17. This story takes place in Tanzania, a country in East Africa. What details show that the story takes place somewhere other than the United States? (setting, text features, visual literacy) You can tell the story takes place somewhere other than the United States because the author writes “in our village in Tanzania” In the first sentence. Also, the coins in Saruni’s hand don’t look like U.S. money. There are maps showing Africa and the country of Tanzania. Saruni goes to an outdoor market to buy things. In the United States, most people buy things at stores. Also, some of the foods that Saruni sees at the market, such as chapati and sambusa, would be unusual to find in most American stores. 
• How does Saruni react to seeing the bicycles in the market? What decision does he make? (inference) Saruni is filled with excitement when he sees the bicycles—especially the one that is red and blue. He decides to add the money that Yeyo gave him to his secret money box to save up and buy that bicycle. 
• Look at the final six lines of the first section. Think about why the author arranged the lines this way. What do they look like? Why do you think the author repeats these lines throughout the story? (author’s craft) The lines look like the rows and piles of coins that Saruni is stacking up. The author repeats these lines to show that each time Saruni adds money to his secret money box, he is counting the rows and piles of coins and thinking about what he plans to buy.
• Read the next section. Explain what Saruni means when he says that soon he would be “like a cheetah on wheels.” (interpreting text, figurative language) Cheetahs are very fast. When Saruni says that he’ll be “like a cheetah on wheels,” he means that after more practice, he’ll be able to ride the bike quickly.
• Read “Heavier and Heavier.” Why did Saruni and his family stop going to the market in March? (setting, cause and effect) Heavy rains started up in March and stopped in June. These rains made the ground too muddy to go to the market.
• Read “The Richest Boy in the World.” How has Saruni’s bike riding improved over the course of the story? What does this tell you about him? (character) Saruni has gotten much better at riding his father’s bike. He even learns to ride “while carrying more and more items.” This tells you that he’s a determined person who doesn’t give up on something just because it’s difficult. It also tells you how much he wants to help his parents.
• Compare how Saruni feels as he’s going to the place that sells bicycles with how he feels when he leaves. (compare and contrast) When Saruni is on his way to buy a bicycle at the market, you can tell he’s excited. He runs into the crowd at the market and feels like “the richest boy in the world,” like he can buy anything. He feels proud when he tells the seller how much money he has. When Saruni finds out he doesn’t have enough money to buy the bicycle, you can tell that he is unhappy and disappointed. He walks away with his head down. 
• Why did Saruni’s parents give him back his money box? (theme) Saruni’s parents returned the box because they wanted to reward him for helping the family. They wanted to show him that they appreciate his thinking of his family and being selfless.
  

Critical-Thinking Question (10 minutes)

• What details in the story show that Saruni is someone who cares about his family and wants to help them? (character, supporting details) Saruni carries items to the market and helps Yeyo there. He is saving his money to buy a bicycle (and later a cart) so his mother doesn’t have to carry so much. While saving money, he practices riding his father’s bicycle so he can carry more market items. He thinks about how happy his mother will be when he uses his bicycle to help her. Also, Saruni does chores at home.

Selflessness/Concern for Others

In this story, Saruni acts selflessly when he thinks of his family's needs over his own. Explain that being “selfless” is the opposite of being “selfish.” As a class, come up with ways that people can be selfless. Let your students know that small selfless acts count too, such as sharing a treat with your brother, letting your friend choose which game you’ll play, or asking to help out with a chore at home. Challenge students to do a selfless act over the next week. Ask them to pay attention to how it made them feel afterward.

Featured Skill: Setting

• Distribute or digitally assign the Setting Skill Builder and have students complete it in class or for homework.  

• Ask students to write a response to the prompt in the Think and Write box on
  page 21.