Page 107 - SpringBoard_ELA_Grade6_Flipbook

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CTIvITy .16
analyzing a Story
LearNING STraTeGIeS:
Close Reading, Marking the Text, Rereading, Think Aloud, Visualizing, Sketching
About the Author
Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) was a very prolific writer. He wrote nearly five hundred books on a variety of subjects—science, history, literature, medicine, but mainly science fiction. He started writing science fiction stories as a teenager. Always interested in robots, he anticipated the many uses they have today. The movie I, Robot was based on Asimov’s writings about robots and technology. I, Robot was also the title of Asimov’s first book of short stories.
Short Story
my Notes
Learning Targets
• Analyze the theme of a short story.
• Interpret text passages and create images to represent key developments of theme and plot.
Preview
In this activity, you will read a short story and analyze its theme.
Setting a Purpose for Reading
• The short story you are about to read is a science fiction story. Science fiction
is a genre in which the imaginary elements of the story could be scientifically possible. Science fiction differs from fantasy in that it is possible that the story could happen. In some respects, the imaginary elements in the next story have already happened. The story was written in 1951. Think about the developments in technology since that time. IBM introduced the personal computer in August of 1981—30 years after this story was written. As you read the story, underline clues about the setting of the story.
• Circle unknown words and phrases. Try to determine the meaning of the words by using context clues, word parts, or a dictionary.
The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov
1 Margie even wrote about it that night in her diary. On the page headed May 17, 2157, she wrote, “Today, Tommy found a real book!”
2 It was a very old book. Margie’s grandfather once said that when he was a little boy his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed
on paper.
3 They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny
to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to–on a screen, you know. And then, when they turned back to the page before, it had the same words on it that it had had when they read it the first time.
80 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 6
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