LESSON 20 TEACHER’S GUIDE
Donald Quixote
by Frank Wylie
Fountas-Pinnell Level Q
Humorous Fiction
Selection Summary
Sandra’s cousin Donald is a playful, environmentally-conscious art
student. Sandra is delighted when he dresses up as Don Quixote and
takes her along as his sidekick on a quest for adventure. On bicycles,
they explore construction sites that are changing the landscape of
Sandra’s previously rural neighborhood.
Number of Words: 1,300
Characteristics of the Text
Genre
Text Structure
Content
Themes and Ideas
Language and
Literary Features
Sentence Complexity
Vocabulary
Words
Illustrations
Book and Print Features
• Humorous fiction
• Third-person narrative
• Imaginative adventure based on those of Don Quixote
• How overdevelopment changes a neighborhood’s character
• Creativity and imagination go hand in hand.
• Reading books can spark an adventure.
• Too much development destroys the countryside.
• Humorous actions paired with funny dialogue
• Details enrich story and give insight into characters
• A mix of short and complex sentences
• Questions and exclamations
• Some key vocabulary difficult to pronounce: antique, plagued
• Many multisyllable words: eccentric, mural, Brachiosaurus
• Terms related to Don Quixote: armor, knight, maidens, squire
• Lively and colorful depictions of characters and setting
• Captions beneath illustrations
• Thirteen pages of text, most with illustrations
• Pronunciation guide for Rocinante (roh see NAHN teh)
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
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Donald Quixote
by Frank Wiley
Build Background
Tell students that the main character in this story is going to pretend that he is Don
Quixote, a character in a Spanish adventure story. Build interest by asking questions
such as the following: Have you ever wanted to dress up as a character from literature
or history? If so, who? Read the title and author and talk about the cover illustration. Tell
students this is humorous fiction, so they can expect it to be funny.
Introduce the Text
Guide students through the text, noting important ideas and helping with unfamiliar
language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Here are some
suggestions:
Page 3: Explain that this is a story about a visit from Sandra’s older cousin, an art
student who liked to do unusual things.
Page 5: Tell students that Sandra and her cousin Donald like to read about
exploits, or adventures. They read about Don Quixote, who went on a quest, or
journey, looking for something. Ask: What kind of quest do you think Sandra and
Donald will go on?
Page 7: Have students find the words antique in the second paragraph and
then point out the illustration. Ask: Can you find the antique washboard in the
illustration? Hint: Donald is wearing it.
Now, go back to the beginning to read and find out about Sandra and her cousin’s
adventure.
Target Vocabulary
antique – objects made many
years ago, p. 7
exploits – brave or daring
actions, p. 5
faithful – loyal; someone you can
always depend on, p. 8
Grade 5
ignorance – a lack of knowledge
or awareness of important
things
noble – honest, brave, and
unselfish, p. 5
pierced – poked a hole in
2
plagued – constantly bothered,
p. 10
quests – journeys undertaken in
order to find something, p. 5
thrust – to push in forcefully
transformed – totally changed
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Read
Have students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their
understanding of the text as needed.
Remind students to use the Question Strategy
and to think of
questions as they read. Tell them to think about the funny things Sandra and Donald do.
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite students to share their personal responses to the text.
Suggested language: Do you think that Sandra enjoyed going on a quest with Donald?
Why or why not?
Ways of Thinking
As you discuss the text, help students understand these points:
Thinking Within the Text
Thinking Beyond the Text
Thinking About the Text
• Donald is an artist with his own
way of seeing things.
• It can be fun to experience daily
life in a creative, eccentric way.
• Dialogue between Donald and
Sandra is informal and lively.
• Sandra enjoys Donald’s
creativity, but her parents don’t
like the scene he painted on their
fence.
• You can go on quests and
have adventures in your own
neighborhood.
• Illustrations are funny and give
insight into the characters’
personalities and actions.
• The author includes details about
both Don Quixote’s and “Donald
Quixote’s” quests.
• Sandra’s book about Don
Quixote’s quests inspires Donald
to take Sandra on a quest.
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Choices for Further Support
• Fluency Invite students to work in partners to choose two paragraphs of dialogue
between Sandra and Donald for choral reading. Remind them to use expression in
their voices that reflect each character’s personality.
• Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion,
revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go
back to the text to support their ideas.
• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words and word parts, using
examples from the text. Help them recognize and use metaphors that have become
traditional sayings. Explain the meanings of the idioms such as time seemed to fly
(page 4) and Take that! (page 6).
Grade 5
3
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Writing about Reading
Critical Thinking
Have students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 20.7.
Responding
Have students complete the activities at the back of their book, using their Reader’s
Notebook. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the
comprehension skill.
Target Comprehension Skill
Understanding Characters
Remind students that text details explain
why characters act, speak, and think as they do. Model how to add details to the Graphic
Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:
Think Aloud
You can understand Uncle Donald’s character by looking at what he does
and what he says. He pretends that a bicycle is a horse. You can write
that detail in the Actions column. He says “Wait here while I put on my
anti-boredom disguise.” You can write that detail in the Words column.
These details show Uncle Donald has a big imagination.
Practice the Skill
Encourage students to share examples of another book in which they read details that
helped them understand a character’s thoughts, words, and actions.
Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the Text
Have students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they
think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understandings.
Assessment Prompts
• Why does the author begin the story with the description in the first paragraph?
• One idea present on page 4 is
________________________________________________________________.
• The last paragraph on page 11 is mainly about
________________________________________________________________.
Grade 5
4
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English Language Development
Reading Support Pair advanced and intermediate readers to read the story softly, or
have students listen to the audio or online recordings. Remind them that Sandra’s cousin
always has an unusual plan in mind when he comes to visit.
Vocabulary The story contains some vocabulary that may be unfamiliar. Explain
the meanings of eccentric (page 3), mural (page 3), knights (page 5), armor (page 5),
triumphantly (page 9), and indigestion (page 11).
Oral Language Development
Check student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’
English proficiency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.
Beginning/Early Intermediate
Intermediate
Early Advanced/ Advanced
Speaker 1: What is the story about?
Speaker 1: Which character likes to
read?
Speaker 1: Where does Donald
find the parts for his costume?
Speaker 2: Sandra likes to read.
Speaker 2: He finds them in his
cousin’s garage.
Speaker 2: cousins who go on an
adventure
Speaker 1: What are their names?
Speaker 2: Sandra and Donald
Speaker 1: What does Donald wear?
Speaker 1: Which character likes to
paint?
Speaker 1: What name does
Donald call himself?
Speaker 2: Donald likes to paint.
Speaker 2: He calls himself
“Donald Quixote.”
Speaker 2: a funny costume
Lesson 20
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 20.7
Date
Critical Thinking
Responding
Donald Quixote
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions. Possible responses shown.
1. Think within the text If Donald is acting out the part of Don
Understanding Characters
What do Uncle Donald’s thoughts, actions, and
words show about his character? Find details from
the story and add them to the chart below.
TARGET SKILL
Quixote, what role does Sandra play? Who is that person?
She plays Sancho Panza, who is Don Quixote’s neighbor and
friend.
2. Think beyond the text What examples from the story help you
know that cousin Donald is a creative person?
He painted a mural on the fence. He uses his imagination to act
Thoughts
Actions
thinks in
imaginative ways
?
out the Don Quixote story.
Words
3. Think beyond the text Why do you think Donald pretends the
“Wait here while I
put on my antiboredom disguise.”
cranes are giants who have troubled the land?
perhaps because they are being used to destroy the countryside
4. Think about the text What message does the author want readers
to take away from the story?
People can have adventures by fighting for things they believe in.
Write About It
Text to World In Donald Quixote, Donald pretends
construction cranes are giants. Think of another
object in the real world that people might imagine to
be a giant. Write a paragraph describing the object.
Explain what kind of giant it might be.
Making Connections Sandra loves the story of Don Quixote. What is one of
your favorite fictional characters? Why do you like this character?
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
15
Critical Thinking
9
Grade 5, Unit 4: What’s Your Story?
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5
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First Pass
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Name
Date
Donald Quixote
Thinking Beyond the Text
Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in one or two
paragraphs.
Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal
knowledge to reach new understandings.
Donald calls his homemade armor his “anti-boredom” disguise. What do
you think he means by this? Do you think the way Donald approaches
ordinary experiences is a good way to turn them into adventures? Why or
why not? Give examples to support your responses.
Grade 5
6
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Lesson 20
Name
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 20.7
Critical Thinking
Donald Quixote
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions.
1. Think within the text If Donald is acting out the part of Don
Quixote, what role does Sandra play? Who is that person?
2. Think beyond the text What examples from the story help you
know that cousin Donald is a creative person?
3. Think beyond the text Why do you think Donald pretends the
cranes are giants who have troubled the land?
4. Think about the text What message does the author want readers
to take away from the story?
Making Connections Sandra loves the story of Don Quixote. What is one of
your favorite fictional characters? Why do you like this character?
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Grade 5
7
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Student
Lesson 20
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 20.11
Donald Quixote • LEVEL Q
page
6
Donald Quixote
Running Record Form
Selection Text
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Total SelfCorrections
Moments later, Donald disappeared into the garage. Sandra
waited outside. That’s where she was now, trying to guess
what her cousin was up to.
7
Sandra paced up and down, wondering what kind of adventure
Donald had in mind. At last, the garage door rolled open. There
stood “Donald Quixote.”
He had made a suit of armor from things Sandra’s mom had
set aside for a yard sale. Foil covered the shoulder pads of an
old football uniform. On his chest was an antique washboard.
On his head was a football helmet covered with foil. A feather
duster stuck up from the top.
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/102 ×
100)
%
Read word correctly
Code
✓
cat
Repeated word,
sentence, or phrase
®
Omission
—
cat
cat
Grade 5
Behavior
Error
0
0
Substitution
Code
cut
cat
1
Self-corrects
cut sc
cat
0
Insertion
the
1
cat
Error
1414371
Behavior
ˆ
Word told
1
8
T
cat
1
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