Lesson
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Fiction “Making Music” p. 10
LEXILE AND GUIDED-READING LEVELS ONLINE
SUMMARY
SKILL FOCUS: UNDERSTANDING PLOT
Newbery Honor author Grace Lin has written a warm and
wonderful story just for Storyworks. Sabrina Liu wants to
take piano lessons, but she must show her mom that, this
time, she won’t quit what she starts.
(20 minutes, activity sheet and video available
online)
Distribute our activity sheet “What’s the Plot?” Review what
the different points mean, using the activity sheet and video.
Then have students work in pairs to complete the activity.
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MAIN SKILLS AND TEACHING OBJECTIVES
This lesson will help your students:
•Understand the parts of a story’s plot
•Identify similes in the story
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SETTING A PURPOSE FOR READING:
Understanding plot (10 minutes)
Tell students they will be reading a story about a girl who
learns to play piano. How many of them study piano or
another instrument (or have in the past)? What is frustrating
and rewarding about it? Do they ever want to quit? Then
show our Storyworks video about plot. Draw students’
attention to the Up Close box on page 11, and prompt them
to be on the lookout for the different plot points in the story.
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CRITICAL-THINKING QUESTIONS
(10 minutes, activity sheet available online)
•Why does Sabrina’s mother hesitate when Sabrina says
she wants to take piano lessons? (plot) Sabrina has tried
and given up many activities.
•What effect does hearing “Fly Me to the Moon” have
on Sabrina? How does it present a problem? (character’s
motivation/plot) Hearing the song motivates Sabrina to make
music that is meaningful to her. Her problem is that she must
find a way to practice it, as it’s not what she’s supposed to play.
•What does the paper piano tell you about Sabrina?
(character) The paper piano tells you that she is inventive and
determined. It shows she has changed and decided to stick with
something rather than giving up, as she has in the past.
•What risks does Sabrina take by playing “Fly Me to the
Moon” at the recital? Do you think she did the right
thing? Why or why not? (inference/critical thinking) She
risks making her family and Mr. Wong angry or embarrassed;
she might play badly since she practiced only on her paper
piano. Answers will vary.
•Look at the last paragaph in the left column on page 14.
What words does the author use to describe the music?
What feelings do her words evoke? (mood) The author
uses many movement words: fly, played, skipped, cavorted,
hopping. Students may suggest that these words evoke feelings
of joy and freedom.
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S T O R Y W O R K S
SKILL FOCUS: IDENTIFYING SIMILES
(15 minutes)
Grace Lin creates wonderful images in her story by using
similes. Remind students what a simile is (a comparison
using like or as), and challenge them to be the first to find
10 of them in the story. Then go over the similes they
have found; you might want to project the story on your
whiteboard and call on students to highlight them. As an
extension activity, ask students to draw an illustration for
the story based on one of the sentences with a simile.
WRITING PROMPTS
Personal narrative: Write a paragraph about an activity
that you have tried: music lessons, a sport, a dance class, etc.
What made you want to try it? Explain why you either stuck
with it or gave it up.
Descriptive writing: Follow Grace Lin’s example of
creating great images with similes, and write a description
of something you have done in the past week, using at least
three similes. Use words to help readers see what you saw,
hear what you heard, etc.
WORD NERD’S VOCABULARY
cringing: pulling away from something unpleasant; dreary:
gloomy, miserable; metronome: a device that produces a
steady beat to aid musicians; cavorted: moved about in a
lively way; beckoned: called
Online Resources
Digital Lesson Plan: Understanding Plot—
includes video, interactive-whiteboard activity sheet,
and lesson plan
Activities to print or project:
• Comprehension Quiz—Interactive or
Printable
• Critical-Thinking Questions
• Plot
www.scholastic.com/storyworks