The Writing on the Wall Tia's Bad Day - Realistic Fiction S

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The Writing on the Wall Tia's Bad Day - Realistic Fiction S
B   R   I   D   G   E   S       E   D   I   T   I   O   N

                                Realistic Fiction
                    ™

    The Writing on
       the Wall
                            {
    Tia’s Bad Day

                                by Dina Anastasio and Amanda Jenkins

®
The Writing on the Wall Tia's Bad Day - Realistic Fiction S
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Level: J/18*
                                                                                  ™
                                                                                                                       The Writing on
LITERARY ANALYSIS                                  The Readers’ & Writers’ Genre Workshop
• Respond to and interpret text
• Make text-to-text connections
                                                   series includes eleven fiction and nonfiction
                                                   genres. There are two titles with multiple stories
                                                   for each genre.
                                                                                                                          the Wall
• Analyze the genre                                                                                                                    by Dina Anastasio
READING SKILLS                                                                                                                     illustrated by Lyn Boyer
Comprehension                                      How to use this book
• Analyze character                                1. Learn about the genre by reading pages 2–3.
                                                      Get background information about the stories
                                                                                                                                                         {
Word Study
                                                      on pages 4–5.
• Antonyms
Tier Two Vocabulary
  (see Glossary)
                                                   2. Read the realistic fiction stories for enjoyment.
                                                   3. Reread the stories and answer the questions
                                                                                                                         Tia’s Bad Day
WRITING SKILLS                                        on pages 13 and 21.                                                            by Amanda Jenkins
Writer’s Tools                                     4. Reread the last story. Pay attention to the                               illustrated by Shawn Byous
• Personification                                     comments in the margins. See how an author
Writer’s Craft                                        writes realistic fiction.
• How to write realistic fiction                   5. Follow the steps on pages 22–23 to write

THEME CONNECTIONS
                                                      your own realistic fiction story.                             TWO R EALISTIC F ICTION STORIES
                                                   6. Complete the activity on the inside back
• Family and Friends

                                                                                                                                         Table of Contents
                                                      cover. Answer the follow-up questions.

                                                                                                                   Focus on the Genre: Realistic Fiction . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

                                                                                                                   Meet the Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

                                                                                                                   The Writing on the Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
*The reading level assigned to this
text is based on the genre examples
only. “Focus on the Genre,”“Reread,”

                                                                                                                   Tia’s Bad Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
and “Writer’s Craft” features were not
leveled. These sections are intended
for read-aloud or shared reading.
                                                   Credits

                                                                                                                   The Writer’s Craft: Realistic Fiction . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
                                                   Project Editor: Jeffrey B. Fuerst
Benchmark Education Company                        Creative Director: Laurie Berger
                                                   Senior Art Director: Glenn Davis

                                                                                                                   Glossary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
629 Fifth Avenue • Pelham, NY • 10803
                                                   Director of Photography: Doug Schneider
©2009 Benchmark Education Company, LLC.            Photo Editor: Diane French

                                                                                                                   Make Connections Across Texts . . . Inside Back Cover
All rights reserved. No part of this publication   English Language Arts Advisor: Donna Schmeltekopf Clark
may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopy, recording, or any             Illustrations: Lyn Boyer; Shawn Byous
information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher.
                                                   For information about ordering, call Toll-Free 1-877-236-2465
ISBN: 978-1-60859-641-6                            or visit our Web site: www.benchmarkeducation.com.
The Writing on the Wall Tia's Bad Day - Realistic Fiction S
{
    FOCUS   ON THE      GENRE

                                                                                                                   At least one
                                                                      The story takes

    Realistic Fiction                                                   place in an
                                                                     authentic setting.
                                                                                                                 character deals
                                                                                                                 with a conflict
                                                                                                                 (self, others, or
                                                                                                                      nature).

                                                                                           Features of
      What is realistic fiction?
         Realistic fiction features characters and plots that
      could actually happen in everyday life. The settings are                            Realistic
      authentic—they are based on familiar places such as
      a home, school, office, or farm. The stories involve
      some type of conflict, or problem. The conflict can
                                                                                           Fiction
      be something a character faces within himself, an issue                                    {
      between characters, or a problem between a character
      and nature.                                                      The characters                            The story is told
                                                                      are like people                           from a first-person
      What is the purpose of realistic fiction?                       you might meet                              or third-person
         Realistic fiction shows how people grow and learn,             in real life.                              point of view.
      deal with successes and failures, make decisions, build
      relationships, and solve problems. In addition to making
      readers think and wonder, realistic fiction is entertaining.
      Most of us enjoy “escaping” into someone else’s life for
      a while.
                                                                     Who tells the story in realistic fiction?
      How do you read realistic fiction?                                Authors usually write realistic fiction in one of
          First, note the title. The title will give you a clue      two ways. In the first-person point of view, one of the
      about an important character or conflict in the story.         characters tells the story as it happens to him or her,
      As you read, pay attention to the thoughts, feelings,          using words such as I, me, my, mine, we, us, and
      and actions of the main characters. Note how the               our. In the third-person point of view, a narrator tells
      characters change from the beginning of the story to           the story, using words such as he, she, they, their,
      the end. Ask yourself: What moves this character to            and the proper names of the characters.
      action? Can I learn something from his or her struggles?

2                                                                                                                                     3
The Writing on the Wall Tia's Bad Day - Realistic Fiction S
{
                                                         Oak Street Kids                                Tools Writers Use

      {       Meet the {                                 Five kids couldn’t be more different
                                                         than Jalissa, Jamal, Brooke, Luke,
                                                                                                        Personification
                                                                                                        Look at the word

             Characters                                  and Tia. But they have some things
                                                         in common, too! They all live in the
                                                                                                        personification (per-sah-
                                                                                                        nuh-fih-KAY-shun). You
                                                                                                        will see the word person
                                                         Oak Street Apartments. They all have           in it. Personification
                                                         parents who work during the day.               means “giving human
    Cave Adventures                  Linda, 12, is a     They are in the same afterschool               characteristics to animals or
                                     big talker with     “club” run by the manager of the               objects.” In these stories,
    Summer has finally arrived.                                                                         objects are described as if
                                     big ideas. She      apartment building, Ms. Tilly. That’s
    Linda and her brother Jake                                                                          they had human abilities.
                                     loves technology    why the Oak Street Kids have made
    have been coming to the          and gadgets, and
    same cabin on this rocky                             a deal: They will always stick
                                     hates that the
    beach since they were little.                        together and help one another.
                                     cabins do not get
    Their friend Maria is back       TV reception or
    for her second summer.           the Internet.
    Cai is new to the seacoast.
    This summer promises new
    adventures since Linda and       Jake, 11, is a
    Jake’s dad recently discovered   smart boy who
    a hidden cave.                   enjoys playing
                                     tricks and          Jalissa, 10, likes      Jamal, 10, is calm         Brooke, 11, can
                                     shooting hoops
                                                         drama and excitement,   and easygoing, the         always be counted
                                     on the basket
                                                         and is Jamal’s twin     opposite of his twin       on to organize and
     Maria, 10, is                   outside the
                                                         sister.                 sister.                    take charge.
     an only child.                  cabin.
     She lives with
     her divorced
                                     Cai, 11, is
     mother. She
     likes to bake
     and cook, and                   spending the
     usually has her                 summer with
     nose in a book.                 his grandma.                                                         Ms. Tilly is the
                                     He likes to
                                                                                                          no-nonsense manager
                                     swim, fish, and
                                                                                                          of the Oak Street
                                     play with his       Luke, 11, may not       Tia, 9, loves every      Apartments and takes
                                     dog Tucker.         be a top student, but   kind of sport.           care of the kids after
                                                         he’s loyal and fun.                              school.
4                                                                                                                                  5
The Writing on the Wall Tia's Bad Day - Realistic Fiction S
{ Cave    Adventures {
                                                            A sad look came over my mother’s face. When
           The Writing                                   I saw that look, I remembered. This was our
                                                         special morning. Mom and I planned it weeks ago.

           on the Wall                                   We even put a list of things to do on the fridge.
                                                           Things to Do During Maria and Mom’s
                                                           Morning at the Beach
                                                              1. Have a breakfast picnic on the big rock.
                                                              2. Find two shells that match perfectly.
                                                              3. Make a beautiful sketch in the sand
                                                                 with our bare feet.
                                                              4. Play Follow the Leader while we’re
                                                                 jumping the waves near the shore.

                                                            The screen door creaked awake. Then the door
                                                         protested the disturbance by closing with a loud
                                                         CLAP! against the doorframe.
                                                         Jake rushed inside.
                                                            Jake was wearing a
                                                         pajama top. His red hair
                                                         was a mess. His jeans were
                                                         covered with gray dust.

     M       y mother and I were in the kitchen. She
             was braiding my hair. I heard my friend
     Jake outside the cabin. He called, “Maria! I have
                                                         “How odd,” I thought.
                                                            “Today is no ordinary
                                                         day,” my mother told
     something to tell you!” It sounded important.       Jake. She cleaned the
        “Mom, are you done yet?” I asked. I was          table. “Today is a very
     getting antsy.                                      special day. Maria and
        Mom tied the last braid. She used a rubber       I are spending the
     band. Then she patted the top of my head.           morning together on
     “You’re done,” she smiled. “But don’t forget.”      the beach . . . just the
        “Forget what?” I asked her.                      two of us.”
 6                                                                                                           7
The Writing on the Wall Tia's Bad Day - Realistic Fiction S
THE WRITING   ON THE   WALL                                                                        THE WRITING   ON THE   WALL

         Mom left the kitchen. Then she poked her head             Maybe I could make them both happy. The cave
      back in. She said, “Don’t forget, dear.” She looked       wasn’t far from my cabin. I could run there and
      worried. Maybe she thought I might go with Jake.          back. I could be back before my mother came
      Well, I did want to go with Jake. But I wouldn’t          downstairs. She would not know I left.
      do that to my mom.                                           “Hurry,” I told Jake as I ran out the door.
         My mother left the room. Then Jake said, “You          I leaped down the porch steps.
      have to come to the cave, Maria! Right now! I have
      to show you something amazing!”
         I tried to act like I was uninterested. But I must
      admit that I was curious. Jake’s father had found
      the cave a week ago. Jake loved it there. Linda, Cai,
      and I all loved the cave, too. It was our own private
      place. We were going to meet there later.
         “You can show me the surprise later,” I said.
      “This morning is my time with my mom.”
         “It won’t take long,” Jake begged. “I promise.”
         Was Jake playing a trick on me? He loved to
      play tricks. I liked Jake’s tricks most of the time.
      They never hurt anyone. They never made anyone
      feel sad or look bad.
         Jake begged again. “Please come with me now.”             The rays from the morning sun beamed into
         I heard Mom walking back and forth upstairs.           the cave. The rays lit up the walls inside. “Okay,”
      She was getting ready for our special morning. She        I said. “Show me.” I was beginning to worry. What
      was whistling. She sounded very happy.                    if Mom went downstairs to pack our picnic basket?
         I didn’t want to hurt my mother’s feelings. I didn’t   She would not know where to find me.
      want to hurt Jake’s feelings, either. Plus, I really         We went inside. Jake pointed to the cave wall.
      wanted to see what Jake had found.                        “Look!” He pointed to something carved in the
                                                                wall. “It’s a stick figure of a girl.” The girl had
                                                                her arms in the air.
  8                                                                                                                       9
The Writing on the Wall Tia's Bad Day - Realistic Fiction S
THE WRITING   ON THE   WALL                                                                     THE WRITING   ON THE   WALL

       “Isn’t it great!” Jake shouted. “I’ll bet it was       I moved toward the cave opening. “I have to go,”
    made thousands of years ago. It’s definitely an        I told Jake.
    ancient carving.”                                         “What about your ancient twin?”
       “Maybe,” I said. I turned on my flashlight. I          “I don’t have an ancient twin,” I said. “I have a
    shined the light at the carving. It did look a lot     modern-day twin. Ancient twins don’t wear rubber
    like ancient cave art. I had seen pictures of cave     bands. And Jake?”
    art in books. The round head had no eyes. It              Jake was shuffling his feet. He was staring at the
    had no nose. It had no mouth. The fingers on           floor of the cave. He looked guilty. I pointed my
    the hands were spread out. The girl had long hair.     light. The floor was covered with gray dust. Jake
    It was in braids. The braids were tied with circles.   was trying to kick away the dust.
    The circles looked like . . . rubber bands?               “The next time you carve ‘ancient’ pictures on the
       “That girl looks like you, Maria!” Jake shouted.    walls, wash the stone dust off your jeans,” I said.
    He stood behind me. His words echoed.                  Then I gave a little laugh.
    The echo must have scared                                                        “You can use my flashlight
    him. He didn’t speak for                                                        if you want to stay here and
    a while. “Maybe you                                                              rework your carving. Maybe
    have an ancient twin,”                                                            you can trick Linda.” I said
    he finally whispered.                                                             good-bye. I ran home.
       I thought about the                                                               Mom was at the kitchen
    girl on the wall. Did I                                                           table. Her back was to the
    really have an ancient                                                            door. Her shoulders seemed
    twin. Did she wear her                                                           to be frowning. That made
    hair in braids like me?                                                          me sad, too. Mom didn’t
    Did she jump waves?                                                             hear me come in. The
    Play Follow the Leader?                                                          empty picnic basket was
    Did she have picnic                                                               on the table. I opened
    breakfasts on the big                                                              the refrigerator. I took
    rock? Did she keep                                                                 out the food we had
    her mother waiting?                                                                made last night.
  10                                                                                                                   11
The Writing on the Wall Tia's Bad Day - Realistic Fiction S
THE WRITING   ON THE   WALL

       I packed the basket. I said, “I’m sorry, Mom. I       Reread the Story
    shouldn’t have left you. Not even for a minute. I
    hope you will accept my apology. I also hope that
                                                             Analyze the Characters, Setting, and Plot
    you will be willing to change our plans. Instead         • Who were the characters in the story?
    of spending the morning together . . . let’s spend the   • Where and when does the story take place?
    whole day together.”                                     • Which character is telling the story?
       Mom didn’t say a word. She just hugged me.            • What was the main character’s problem?
                                                             • What do you think Jake might do next?
    Then she took my hand. We walked away from
    the cabin. We headed to the big rock. This was           Analyze the Tools Writers Use: Personification
    where we liked to watch the waves wash ashore.           Find examples of personification in the story.
                                                             • Did the screen door really wake up? What did the author
       The morning sun followed us, smiling brightly.          mean? (page 7)
                                                             • How did Mom’s shoulders express her feelings? What did
                                                               the author mean? (page 11)
                                                             • How did the morning sun express its feelings? What else
                                                               might the author have said? (page 12)
                                                             Focus on Words: Antonyms
                                                             Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. For
                                                             example, in this story definitely and maybe are antonyms.
                                                             Antonyms can help you define unfamiliar words. Make a
                                                             chart like the one below. Then reread the story to find
                                                             antonyms for the following words.

                                                             Page   Word          Antonym         How do you know?

                                                             7      ordinary

                                                             8      curious

                                                             10     ancient

                                                             10     whispered

  12                                                                                                                     13
The Writing on the Wall Tia's Bad Day - Realistic Fiction S
{ Oak       Street Kids {

              Tia’s Bad Day                                         “I believe you, Tia,” said Ms. Parsons. “I’ll let you
                                                                 turn it in tomorrow. But I have to record a zero for
                                                                 today. Bring in the homework. Then I’ll erase the zero.”
                                                                    Tia never got a zero before, not even for a second.
                                                                 Now she knew that it was going to be a bad day.
                                                                 Another bad thing happened
                                                                 at lunchtime.
                                                                    “Rats!” Tia said.
                                                                 “I forgot my lunch,
                                                                 too!” She knew she
                                                                 wouldn’t go hungry.
                                                                 The cafeteria lady
The author is
using the third-
person point of
view. A narrator
                   T      ia knew that it was going to be a
                          bad day. First she overslept. So she
                   had to rush. She raced down the stairs.
                                                                 would give her a free
                                                                 sandwich. But the
                                                                 free sandwich was
explains the       Jamal, Jalissa, Brooke, and Luke were         always peanut butter.
problem in the
first paragraph.
                   waiting for her.                              Yuck! Peanut butter
It is a conflict       “Sorry I’m late again,” Tia said.         was gooey. It stuck to
that the main          “That’s okay,” Jamal replied. “We can     the roof of her mouth. Tia only managed to eat half
character, Tia,
is having with     still make it to school on time. But          of her sandwich. Then her tongue refused to touch
herself.           hurry. No dawdling!”                          any more of it.
                       They ran all the way. Tia slid into          “This has been a very bad day,” she told the other
                   her seat. Then she heard a ding! The          Oak Street kids that afternoon. They walked home
                   late bell rang.                               from school together.
Tia’s problem          Soon it was time for math class.             “Be glad that you can get that zero erased,” Brooke
develops. Will     “Oh, no!” said Tia. She tapped her            said. “My teacher won’t take late work at all.”
Ms. Parsons let
Tia turn in her
                   forehead. “I was rushing this morning,           “I like peanut butter,” Luke said. He sighed.
math homework      Ms. Parsons. I left my work at home!          “I wish I forgot my lunch.”
a day late?        But I did it. I promise I did!”
14                                                                                                                     15
The Writing on the Wall Tia's Bad Day - Realistic Fiction S
TIA’S BAD DAY                                                                                                        TIA’S BAD DAY

 Readers can tell          Back at the apartments, the kids
 that this story is     opened their backpacks. The building
 realistic fiction
 because the author     manager, Ms. Tilly, watched the kids
 uses familiar          after school. Ms. Tilly had a rule: no
 settings that
 readers can relate
                        playing until homework was done.
 to: a school and          Brooke worked on a book report.
 an apartment           Luke corrected his math test. Jamal
 complex.
                        studied spelling. Jalissa did a worksheet.
                        Everyone but Tia had homework.
                           Tia got her football. She wanted to
                        practice her forward pass. She couldn’t
                        throw a football to herself. So she sat
                        in a chair. She waited for one of the
                        other kids to finish. Sitting around
                        was boring. Tia was glad when Jalissa           Tia and Luke went outside. They
                        put her worksheet away.                      went to the apartment courtyard. Tia
                           “Will you play football with me?”         knew they’d have to be careful with
                        Tia asked.                                   the football. Flowerpots and wind chimes
 Another way to            “Sorry, but no,” Jalissa said. She        decorated the patios. One careless throw
 tell that this is      pulled out three bottles of fingernail       could mean broken glass or pottery.
 realistic fiction is
 that the kids in       polish. “I’m leading my class in the            They had made three tosses when            The author uses
 the story are like     Pledge of Allegiance. So I’m going           Luke said, “I’m hungry. Let’s get a snack.”   both description
 many kids you                                                                                                     and dialogue to
                        to paint my fingernails red, white,             “No!” said Tia. “Let’s keep playing.”      develop the
 know—they hang
 out together and       and blue!”                                      “But I’m starving,” Luke protested.        characters and
 put up with one                                                                                                   their relationships.
                           Tia slumped in her chair. “What           “I want a peanut butter sandwich!” He
 another’s quirks.
                        an awful day,” she said to herself.          turned and started across the courtyard.
                           “I’m done!” Luke called out. He              “This is the worst day ever!”
                        banged his math book shut. Luke              Tia shouted.
                        spent as little time as possible on             Tia saw Brooke, Jamal, and Jalissa.
                        homework. “I’ll play with you, Tia.”         They were coming out to play now.
  16                                                                                                                           17
TIA’S BAD DAY                                                                                                   TIA’S BAD DAY

                       Tia was too mad to stop herself. She        Mr. Morgan stepped onto the patio.       Here the author
                    kicked the football angrily.                He looked at the mess and said, “Boy,       presents another
                                                                                                            conflict to keep
                       PONK! The ball jumped off her foot.      you sure did! But most of the flowers       readers engaged.
                    It shot toward a hanging pot of red         will be all right if I replant them         Will Mr. Morgan
                                                                                                            be angry at Tia
                    flowers. CRASH! The pot shattered. Dirt     quickly. I just need to make room           for breaking his
 The author uses    and flowers flew everywhere. Broken         in these other pots.”                       flowerpot?
 personification    pieces of pottery hit the ground and           “M-may I help you?” Tia said. She
 to describe what
 happens to the
                    danced off in all directions.               was still a little scared.
 pieces of the         Luke turned around. “Whoa!” he              “Sure,” said Mr. Morgan.
 pot after they     said, wide-eyed.                               “We’ll help, too,” Brooke decided.       The author develops
 hit the ground.
                       “Those are Mr. Morgan’s flowers!”        “Jalissa and I will pick up the broken      the characters’
                                                                                                            personalities and
                    Jamal said.                                 pieces. Jamal, you and Luke sweep up        their relationships
                       “Those were Mr. Morgan’s flowers,”       the dirt.”                                  by showing how
                                                                                                            they work together
                    Luke corrected.                                They all went to work.                   to help a friend.
                       The five kids went over to look             “I’m sorry that I destroyed your pot,”
                    at the damage. “The poor things!”           Tia told Mr. Morgan. She handed him
                    said Jalissa. The limp blossoms made        a flower. Soil was clinging to its roots.
                    her sad.                                       Mr. Morgan put the red flower next
                       “I can’t tell Mr. Morgan!” Tia wailed.   to a yellow one. “That’s a negative
                    “He’ll be very mad!”                        way of looking at it,” he told Tia.
                       “You have to tell him,” said Brooke.     “Let’s look at the positive side. No
                       “Don’t worry,” Jamal told Tia. “We’ll    one was hurt. And you didn’t break
                    come with you.”                             my window!”
                       Tia knew that they were right.              “I’ll save my allowance,” Tia told
                    “Let’s get it over with,” she said.         him. “I’ll buy you a new pot.”
                    Tia was shaking as she knocked on              “Thank you for the offer,” said
                    Mr. Morgan’s door.                          Mr. Morgan. “But I think the flowers
                       The door opened. Tia said in a           look better this way. The pots are
                    rush, “I’m sorry, Mr. Morgan but I—         fuller. They are more colorful.”
                    I broke one of your flowerpots.”
  18                                                                                                                     19
TIA’S BAD DAY

                          Ten minutes ago Tia was in a bad         Reread the Story
                       mood. Many bad things had happened
                       that day. Now she felt good.
                                                                   Analyze the Characters, Setting, and Plot
 The main character       “The only thing that’s different,” she   • Who were the characters in the story?
 solves the problem    thought, “is that now I’m thinking          • Where and when does the story take place?
 she is having with
 herself. Tia learns   about good things. Mr. Morgan is being      • Is the story written in the first-person point of view or
 that attitude is      nice to me. My friends are helping me.        the third-person point of view? How do you know?
 often determined                                                  • What was the main character’s problem?
 by what we pay
                       I am a lucky girl.”                         • What relationships does the main character have with the
 attention to.            At first, the replanted flowers            other characters? How do those relationships affect the
 Readers can enjoy     sagged a little. But as Mr. Morgan            outcome of the story?
 the humor in the
 story, and can        watered them, they perked up. They          Analyze the Tools Writers Use: Personification
 also relate to        turned their faces to the sun.              Find examples of personification in this story when:
 the ending.
                          “You know what, Mr. Morgan?” Tia         • Tia can only eat half of her sandwich. (page 15)
                       said. “I think this bad day is going to     • Tia angrily punts the football. (page 18)
                                                                   • Broken pieces of pottery hit the ground. (page 18)
                       end up being pretty fantastic!”             • Mr. Morgan waters the replanted flowers. (page 20)
                                                                   Focus on Words: Antonyms
                                                                   Make a chart like the one below. Then look for antonyms
                                                                   in the story to help you understand the following words.

                                                                   Page   Word           Antonym         How do you know?
                                                                   14     dawdling
                                                                   15     record
                                                                   17     careful
                                                                   19     negative
                                                                   20     sagged
                                                                   20     fantastic

  20                                                                                                                             21
THE WRITER’S CRAFT
      How does an author write
                                                                                     2. Brainstorm Characters
                                                                                         Writers ask these questions:

      Realistic                                                                          • What kind of person will my main character be?
                                                                                           What are his or her traits? Interests?
                                                                                         • What things are important to my main character?

      Fiction? {                                                                           What does he or she want?
                                                                                         • What other characters will be important to my story?
                                                                                           How will each one help or hinder the main character?
                                                                                         • How will the characters change? What will they learn
      Reread “Tia’s Bad Day” and think about what Amanda Jenkins                           about life?
      did to write this story. How did she develop it? How can you,
      as a writer, develop your own story?                                          3. Brainstorm Setting and Plot
                                                                                         Writers ask these questions:
                                                                                         • Where does my story take place? How will I
        1. Decide on a Problem                                                             describe the setting?
              Remember: The characters in realistic fiction face the                     • What is the problem, or situation?
              same problems that you might face. In “Tia’s Bad Day,”
                                                                                         • What events happen? How does the story end?
              the problem is a girl who becomes gloomy and cranky
              when everything seems to go wrong.                                         • Will my readers be entertained? Will they learn something?

                                                                                  Setting      Oak Street Apartments

     Character Tia                     Ms. Parsons           Mr. Morgan
                                                                                  Problem of   A girl is upset because everything about her
                                                                                  the Story    day is going wrong.
     Traits     responsible; moody     organized; fair       forgiving; a good    Story        1. The girl oversleeps and is almost late for school.
                                                             problem solver       Events       2. She forgets her math homework and lunch.
                                                                                               3. She becomes angry at her friends, kicks a football
                                                                                                  into her neighbor’s patio, and breaks one of
     Examples   She feels bad when     She wants students    He doesn’t want                      his flowerpots.
                she almost makes       to turn in to their   Tia to feel bad      Solution     The teacher gives the girl an extra day to bring in
                her friends late for   homework on time,     about the flowers,   to the       her homework. The cafeteria lady gives her a peanut
                school, but gets       but has a back-up     and proposes a       Problem      butter sandwich to eat. The neighbor accepts her
                upset with them        system in case        plan to save them.                help in cleaning up the mess and repotting the plant.
                when they won’t        someone forgets.                                        The girl decides the day will be good after all.
                play with her.

22                                                                                                                                                      23
Glossary                                                 Make Connections Across Texts
                                                              Complete a graphic organizer like the one below.
     ancient     (ANE-shunt) very old (page 10)

     careful     (KAIR-ful) cautious (page 17)                Story                The Writing on the Wall     Tia’s Bad Day

     curious     (KYER-ee-us) interested in investigating     Point of View
                 new things (page 8)                          Setting

     dawdling    (DAU-duh-ling) wasting time (page 14)        Main Characters
                                                              Problem
     fantastic   (fan-TAS-tik) excellent (page 20)
                                                              Solution
     negative    (NEH-guh-tiv) lacking positivity (page 19)

     ordinary    (OR-dih-nair-ee) routine; normal (page 7)    Analyzing the Stories
                                                              Use your graphic organizer to help you answer these questions.
     record      (rih-KORD) to make a written note            • What connections can you make to the settings in the stories?
                 (page 15)                                    • What connections can you make to the problems in the stories?
                                                              • Have you ever acted like a character in one of the stories?
     sagged      (SAGD) drooped (page 20)                       Explain.
                                                              • Which characters are alike? Which characters are different? How?
     whispered (WIS-perd) spoke very softly, especially so    • How are the stories’ endings alike? How are they different?
               as not to be heard (page 10)                   • What could readers learn from these stories?

                             {
24
GENRE: Realistic Fiction Level: J/18

Two Realistic             Enjoy all of these   Fables
Fiction Stories           Fiction Readers’
Could the ancient         & Writers’ Genre
carving on the cave       Workshop titles.
wall really be Maria’s
twin? Tia’s day goes
from bad to worse
when she breaks Mr.
Morgan’s flowerpots.      Fairy Tales          Pourquoi Tales
What will happen
next? Read this book
to find out.

                          Tall Tales           Historical Fiction

Dina Anastasio
writes stories, poems,
and games. She lives in
New York City, but her
favorite place is the
seacoast of Maine.

Amanda Jenkins            Trickster Tales      Realistic Fiction
is an award-winning
author of young
adult novels, as well
as numerous books
for students in the
elementary and
middle grades. She
lives in Texas.

              BENCHMARK EDUCATION COMPANY
          ®
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