Flying Saucer

The big question of this issue of Storyworks 2 is: What is a mystery?

• Reading and discussing “Flying Saucer” along with the other themed texts in the magazine (the fiction story, “Mystery in the Woods;” and the Big Read, “Alien Mystery,” will help kids think about this question.

Show “The Big Question” Video (10 minutes)

• Watch “The Big Question: What Is a Mystery?” (This video also goes with other stories in this month’s Storyworks 2.)
• Before your students watch, ask them to think about the question “What Is a Mystery?”
• Watch the video.

Preview Vocabulary (2 minutes)

• Play the online vocabulary slideshow. This poem’s featured words are UFO, mystery, private eye, detective, and spy.

Preview the Poem (10 minutes)

• You can read the poem to the class first to model fluency and get kids familiar with the language. You can also click the Read Aloud button at the top of the digital issue to hear it read aloud by a professional voice actor.
• Read the poem chorally as a class.
• Then call on volunteers to read sections of the poem aloud.

Discuss the Poem (10-15 minutes)

• Ask: “What is the poem about?” (The poem is about seeing a mysterious object in the sky.)
• Point out that the poem has words that rhyme. Ask: “What are some words that rhyme in this poem?” (sky, by, spy, and why)

ELA Focus: Shape Poem Writing (15 minutes)

• Using the printable “Shape Poem Templates,” ask students to write their own shape poems. There is a template for kids to write their own flying saucer poems. Other options include a cat poem, an ice cream poem, a car poem, and more!

ELA Focus: Phonics (15 minutes)

• Using the printable “Make a Word Ladder,” help kids strengthen their reading skills with a fun activity.

Enrich the Learning: Paired Text Opportunities (time amount varies)

• Making text-to-text connections builds knowledge and comprehension. We layer Storyworks 2 with many ways for your students to make connections.
• Pairable Texts The Big Read, “Alien Mystery” (pages 6-11), and the fiction, “Mystery in the Woods” (pages 24-29).
• These texts ask questions similar to those posed in the poem. What is a mystery? How do we solve mysteries?
• Kids can compare the the texts by using our “Mystery Chart” printable. How are the texts alike, and how are they different?

Whole Issue Scavenger Hunt (15 minutes)

• We created a scavenger hunt for several stories in this month’s Storyworks 2, including this piece. The scavenger hunt can be done by students independently at home or during class time.
• This is a self-contained group of slides that guide your students on a scavenger hunt through the whole issue. It’s not only fun, it also helps them make text-to-text connections.