Nora's Ark

What elements of historical fiction do you notice on pages 482-483?

• The Flood of 1927, the old farm, and old-fashioned clothes

• They didn't have much money, but there was always plenty to eat.

• They grew and caught their own food.

• They named her Wren.

What clue does the author give to help you figure out what a wren is?

• Grandma is small too.

• She survived the flood in 1927.

• She got her name because she looks like a small bird, so a wren is a small bird.

• I looked small.

Why might the author compare Grandma to granite?

• To say that she is a rock

• To show she is small

• To show that she is like Wren

• To show that she is strong and steady, like a rock

Pages 484-485

Why does Grandma say that she doesn't need a new house?

• She think it is too big.

• She doesn’t need it because she has happily raised a family in her old house.

• She likes a small house.

• The house is gravy.

Pages 484-485

It drummed so loudly on the roof we couldn’t talk.

Why is drummed a stronger word choice than hit?

• Drummed is a stronger word choice because it makes readers think of the loud pounding sound of a drum. This tells me the rain was coming down hard and fast.

• Drummed tells me there was a band.

• Drummed is a sound.

• Drummed is a stronger word choice because a parade has a loud drum.

Fiction text often contains foreshadowing (hints about what will happen later in the story).

On page 483, Wren says it’s good that she and Grandma were tough, because otherwise they wouldn’t have survived the 1927 Flood.

What does this tell you about what will happen in the story?

• Nobody will survive.

• The flood will be dangerous, but Grandma and Wren will survive.

• They did not make it through the flood.

• The flood never happened.

Page 486–487

Grandpa says, “Guess I built this place just in time.” This is an idiom. What does it mean?

• It was 12:00.

• He finished it when he said he would.

• He means that he built the house at exactly the right moment, not too late to be useful.

• The house wasn't finished yet.

What does Grandpa do when the Guthrie boys tell him their heifers are stranded?

• He goes to help them, even though it is dangerous and raining hard.

• He tells them to figure it out.

• He thinks that the heifers are not that important.

• The rain stops in time to save them.

Pages 486-487

What is a theme/lesson we can learn from Grandpa helping the Guthrie boys with their heifers?

• Always be kind.

• Help your neighbors.

• Don't let a flood hurt anyone.

• Always do your best.

Pages 488-489

What can you infer about Mrs. Lafleur and her daughter’s plan to survive the flood, even though it is not directly stated?

• I can infer that they will find somewhere else to stay.

• I can infer that Mrs. Lafleur and her daughter plan to stay at the house with Wren and her grandmother. They no longer have a house and have nowhere else to go

• I can infer that nine inches of rain fell.

• I can infer that they helped their neighbor.