You
I
Norby, uh-huh, it's Mandy. I come in. Uh-huh
Will you help me with my homework?
Come on Norby, please. I helped you build your hacking mat
What do you want me to do?
Just read this book and tell me what it's about so I can answer questions at school tomorrow
Why can't you read it yourself cuz you're older?
You're a better reader than I am
So you can be a good reader too, but I can't do it for you. You've got to do it for yourself
How?
Well when you're reading something you have to keep thinking you think about what you're reading and about what you already know
You just make sure you understand what you're reading about
Mm-hmm. What is it? Uh, it's a landing light for this sergeant
Who's that?
Holy hoo shh
My child, you must hurry to the land of Mosheust that evil genius
Forzaal has concocted his worst plot yet. There is not a moment to lose
Where did you get that?
Last Christmas my second remember
Sure
Anyway, I'm going to go over to Jason's for a little while. Tell how I'll be back for dinner, okay?
Okay
Oh
Thunder and lightning trumpets and drums readers rejoice a storyload comes
Oh
Oh Castle
Where are we?
It's a long story.
This is a land called Mojust, and I have to try and save it to people from an evil story
lord named Torzuo.
It's kind of like a wizard of reading.
There's someone behind that bookcase.
Torbate, can we go home now?
Shh, can't you read?
Oh my, oh my, you found me?
I can't help.
Wait a minute.
You're not a Torzuo?
Or would you send a frontest story lord at your service, and this is my assistant, Mandy.
At your service.
Well, this is a relief.
My name is Marion.
I'm the librarian.
How can we help you, Marion?
Well, you might bring these children back to life.
Looks like the work of Torzuo, if I'm not mistaken.
You most certainly aren't.
He has been coming here every day, giving our children a reading test to see if they knew
how to understand what they're reading.
If the children can't answer the question, you can see what happens.
Is he coming today?
I'm afraid so.
In fact, I thought you two were him and his loads from the chauffeur.
I bet I could answer his questions, but he knows me.
He'd zap me just like he'd zap the other kids.
Only you had someone he didn't know.
I think we could beat him at his own care.
No way!
Come on, Norby.
You're a better reader than I am.
Don't you remember what I was just telling you about how to be a good reader?
Uh-uh.
Well, listen, because it's up to you to save these kids.
I just had a reading class on this the other day.
Today, we're going to review what we know about being good readers.
We're going to use this book.
Gavin spends the night.
Before we begin, who can tell us what we should do first?
Angie?
Try to guess what the story is about.
Good.
How do we do that?
By working at the picture on the cover, reading the title, and thinking about them.
Very good.
Now, who can tell us what they think this story is going to be about?
Jason?
I think this is about a boy who spends the night at a friend's house because it fits
the title and the picture.
Do you all agree?
Yes, Angie.
There's something else I do before starting to read.
What's that?
I think of what I already know about what it's like sleeping over at a friend.
Then I'll understand the story better when I read it.
Very good.
We think before we read, don't we?
Yes, Norbert?
I don't just think before I read a story.
I keep thinking the whole time.
Good for you, Norbert.
It's very important, too.
Norbert, can you show us how you keep thinking while you're reading?
Well, look on page 13 here.
It says, we were having a great pillow fight.
All of a sudden, my pillow slid out of its case and flew across the room.
It headed for the lamp like a heat-seeking missile.
Crash!
Uh-oh, said Zachary.
Then there was a loud knock at the door.
Now, if I was reading this story, I would stop here and try to predict what would happen
next.
Like, they were having a pillow fight, and they knocked the lamp over.
How do you know they knocked the lamp over?
I don't see that written anywhere.
Well, it says it flew towards the lamp, and then it says, Crash, and you can see it in
the picture.
Well, good for you, Norbert.
What do you think will happen next?
So anyway, the parents probably heard it, and the loud knock at the door is probably one
of them coming to see what's going on.
That's what would happen at my house.
Let's find out.
Angie, will you read for us?
We closed our eyes tight and pretended to be asleep.
The door opened.
Well, well, well said Zachary's father, everyone's asleep.
It looks like we've been invaded by flying pillows from outer space.
Thank you, Angie.
Good for you, Norbert.
You thought about what you read, and about what you know, and you guessed who was at
the door.
Did you all think it was going to be one of the parents?
Good.
Yes, Jason?
On the page before, I didn't understand what his seeking missile was.
What do we do when we are reading something, and we don't understand?
Yes, Norbert?
You stop and look for clues, reread the page, look at the pictures, read ahead, and try
to figure it out.
Or you can ask someone, or if it's a word you don't understand, you could look it up
in the dictionary.
Excellent.
Jason, can you find a clue about a heat seeking missile on page 13?
Well, a missile looks like a rocket, a xenomod TV, anybody else?
We could look it up in the dictionary.
Well, it says it headed for the lamp like a heat seeking missile, and they have to get
hot when they're on.
So maybe it's a missile that hits things that are hot.
Good thinking, Norbert.
That's about right.
And I'm very proud of all of you.
If you can keep doing the things that we have talked about today while you're reading, you're
going to become very good readers indeed.
But remember.
But remember, you have to make the effort.
No one else can do it for you.
Can you remember all that, Mandy?
Mm-hmm.
Think before you read, and think while you read.
Oh, I'm afraid those laws arrived.
We'd better hide.
Good luck, Mandy.
And now it's same as his royal badness, the one and only for Zul.
Milpret?
Shh.
Huh?
Can't you read?
Sorry.
Aha.
Look.
Another pint-sized victim for us.
Little girl, do you know who I am?
A big, that scary man?
So much for the friendly approach.
Here.
Have you ever seen this book before?
Mm, no.
Good.
Since you're such a smart little girl, I won't zap you like I zapped your friends here.
If you can tell me what the story is about.
Hmm.
Think before you read.
I think that's important.
Looks like a giraffe.
Well?
Mm, I think the sound gets a giraffe for a new pet.
A lucky guest.
It wasn't luck.
I figured it out by the title and the picture on the cover.
Oh.
I see.
Well, if you're so smart, then read that page and tell me what happens next.
We've got her now.
Hahaha.
Hmm.
Think.
Wow.
You read.
Poor giraffe.
She hit her head on low palm tree branches.
On the doorways into the sultan's palace, everything.
The sultan looked out of the window at the men building the new royal zoo.
Suddenly, he noticed their hats.
He had an idea.
Called the royal hatmaker.
He cried.
The giraffe's head hurts.
I think that's important.
And the sultan sees men wearing hard hats.
Time's up.
I think the sultan gets a hard hat for the giraffe.
Well, she did it.
She got it right.
It was easy.
I just looked for clues and the words and the pictures.
I lose again.
You.
I should have known.
I don't believe you've been introduced to my sister.
Sister?
Milk breath.
Get me on in here.
Shhh.
Huh?
Can't you read?