The Day the Worms Moved In

Science: space travel, sea turtles, conservation

Social-Emotional Learning: self-awareness (identifying assets, sense of purpose); self-management (stress management, planning and organizing); responsible decision-making (identifying solutions)

text features, vocabulary, author’s craft, main idea, character, supporting details, mood, narrative writing

Preview Text Features

(10 minutes)

• Ask students to look at pages 16-17. Direct their attention to the title, subtitle, and illustration. What is the main character, Naya, doing? Based on the illustration, how do you think she feels? Have students make a prediction about what the message from space might be.

• Then direct students to study the illustration on page 21 and describe what they see. Ask if they notice anything similar between what Naya is holding and what’s on the big TV screen. Compare this illustration of Naya with the one on page 17. 

• Explain that part of this story takes place in Florida. Point to Florida on a map [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Florida]. 

• Inform students that sea turtles are a part of this story—and that sea turtles in Florida are in danger of extinction. [https://conserveturtles.org/information-about-sea-turtles-their-habitats-and
  -threats-to-their-survival/]. Explain that there are organizations working to conserve sea turtle habitats.

Introduce Vocabulary

(15 minutes)

• We have highlighted in bold six words that may be challenging and defined them on the page: launch, mission, quivering, passionate, impressive, and erupted.

• Preview these terms by projecting or distributing our Vocabulary Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) and completing it as a class. You may also play our Vocabulary Slideshow, in which audio and images help students with pronunciation and comprehension.

• Additional Vocabulary Support: Two characters in this story are referred to as Abuelo and Abuela. Explain to your students that in Spanish, the word abuelo means “grandfather” and abuela means “grandmother.”

Set a Purpose for Reading

(5 minutes)

• Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read and Think and Write boxes on pages 16 and 21. These prompts and the Skill Builders support the story’s featured skill, how a character changes.

• Remind students to look for clues as they read that help them identify how Naya changes from the beginning to the end of the story.

Reading and Unpacking the Text

• First read: Read the story as a class or have students follow along as they listen to the Editor Read-Aloud.

• Have students identify story details and vocabulary they don’t understand. 

• Second read: Project, distribute, or assign the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions (available in your Resources tab). Discuss them as a class, rereading sentences or passages as necessary. (Alternatively, assign all or part of the Learning Journey Slide Deck, which contains the questions—along with other activities from this lesson plan and a link to the story. Find it in your Resources tab.)

• Pair each student with a partner to discuss the Critical-Thinking Questions. Then ask pairs to share their answers with the class.

Close-Reading Questions (30 minutes)

1. Read the first section. Why do you think the author begins this story by saying, “It was a day like no other”? (author’s craft) The story takes place on a very special day for Naya’s family. They are nervously waiting to watch Naya’s mother, an astronaut, blast off into space. Beginning the story this way makes readers want to find out why this day is unlike any other and what will happen.
2. What advice does Abuelo give Naya in this section of the story? (main idea) He tells her that when she’s scared, she should take a deep breath, just like a sea turtle coming up for air. Then she should slowly let it out and face whatever is bothering her.
3. Read “A Hero.” What is Naya’s response when Abuelo tells her that her “mother is very proud” of her? (character) She doesn’t believe him. Naya feels that she has done nothing special that would make her mother proud. 
4. Read “Really Into Sea Turtles.” Why does JJ say to Naya, “Guess you’re really into turtles”? (supporting details) He notices all the sea turtles in her bedroom. There are sea turtle posters on the wall, a small collection of stuffed turtles on a rocking chair, and books about ocean animals on the bookshelves. Her desk lamp has sparkly pink turtles on it.
5. How does Naya feel about her passion for sea turtles in this section of the story? (how a character changes) She puts herself down for having so many sea turtle decorations in her bedroom. She imagines that JJ thinks it’s babyish and her Mom probably thinks it’s silly.
6. Read “Pretty Impressive.” How do Naya’s feelings about herself begin to change in this section of the story? (how a character changes) Naya begins to feel more self-confident and proud of herself. After JJ tells her that he thinks she’s pretty impressive, she sits a little taller in her chair. She had never thought of herself as impressive before.
7. Read “A Sea Turtle in Space.” In the first two paragraphs of the section, the mood (or feeling) is serious and a bit tense as the house goes quiet and everyone watches the launch. What does the mood change to when the family starts shouting “THREE . . . TWO . . . ONE . . . LIFTOFF!”? How can you tell? (mood/supporting details) The mood changes to one of happiness and excitement. Naya and her family cheer as they watch her mother inside the spacecraft. Abuelo shouts with pride, “That’s my daughter!” Naya jumps up and down with excitement.
8. When Naya sees the toy sea turtle floating in the space capsule, she realizes that it’s a “special message” from her mother. What is the special message? (main idea) Her mother is celebrating Naya’s passion for helping sea turtles. She’s letting Naya know how proud she is of Naya and her accomplishments.

Critical-Thinking Question (10 minutes)

1. How does Naya change from the beginning of the story to the end? (how a character changes) In the beginning of the story, Naya puts herself down. She doesn’t think that her successful mother, who has achieved so much, could be proud of her. By the end of the story Naya has learned to be proud of her passion for helping sea turtles and the environment. She understands that her passion for helping sea turtles is just as important as her mother’s passion for space travel.

What Are You Passionate About?

Naya, the main character in the story, comes to understand that what she’s passionate about (sea turtles) is part of what makes her special. Explain that there are many ways to show your passion: You might really enjoy drawing, know a lot about vehicles, take pride in being a good friend, spend hours reading about sharks, or volunteer on weekends to pick up litter. Ask: What are your passions? What do you enjoy learning about or doing? How does your passion help you feel special?

Featured Skill: How a Character Changes

• Distribute or digitally assign the How a Character Changes Skill Builder (available in your Resources tab) and have students complete it in class or for homework.  
  
• Ask students to write a response to the prompt in the Think and Write box on page 21. Remind them to use the pronoun I since the journal entry is written from Naya’s point of view.

• Our Learning Journey Slide Deck (available in your Resources tab) is designed to make your life easier. Have students move through at their own pace or assign smaller chunks for different days. You can also customize the Slide Deck to your liking.
  

• Our new Choice Board (available in your Resources tab) is perfect for remote learning. It offers nine varied activities for students to choose from. Students can do one activity or as many as they like, working at their own pace. Most of the activities on the Choice Board can be done away from a computer.