Marshall, a seventh grader at Woodridge Academy is sick of Chad, his taunts and threats. Today Chad has declared he will settle things between them once and for all after school. So Marshall takes a "short cut" home, the forbidden woods. Tamaya, a fifth grader, always walks home with him so she follows.
As they wander in the woods (not really a short cut), Tamaya falls into a patch of mud that she describes as "fuzzy mud". Something is growing on it.
They hear someone in the woods. It is Chad. He has pursued them. To defend herself and Marshall, Tamaya throws the mud in Chad's face. They escape.
When Tamaya arrives home to an empty house, she notices that her hand, where the mud was plastered, is starting to blister with a coating of white powder.
A very exciting story!
I could see a teacher having a debate about Biolene after students read the story. Lots of extended learning potential with this book!
Chapters switch from Tamaya's point of view to Marshall's perspective. Some chapters contain hearings and interviews concerning the outbreak. As a result, readers will have to monitor their comprehension and check for understanding.
Strategies: asking questions, character development, inferring, check for understanding
*Highly recommend.
Borrowed from the library.
Guided Reading Level: W (5th and higher)
Grade Level Equivalent: 5th
No comments:
Post a Comment