Task Rotation for “A Sound of Thunder”
Complete each of these activities on your own sheet of paper; label them as
they’re labeled on the chart. To earn complete credit, thoroughly and completely
explore each activity.
Cause and Effect
In many well-written plots, the author will
show a close relationship between the
events in the story. Often, one action will
cause another. All of these help to build the
conflicts in the rising action of the story.
Create a chain of events that shows which
actions caused specific effects in the story.
The Significance of Cause and Effect
Cause and effect can be just another plot
device, but it can also have deeper meaning
in the story.
Find a passage that shows that causes and
effects are important to the story’s message.
Try to fill in these blanks: Bradbury is
showing that ______________________ can
cause ____________________________.
Climax and Message
A climax is often linked to the message of
the story.
When is the major turning point in this
story? What is revealed here, and why is
this significant to the message of the story?
Technology
There are many science fiction stories
where technology causes problems.
Discuss: What problems did technology
cause in this story?
List any stories or films you can think of
where technology causes major problems.
Why do you think people often write about
this issue?