Week 07 - Day 1
Focus: How authors use setting and writing methods to tell stories
Chapter 20: "Denta-ah" - Alex arrives at a major village
Goal: Understand how places and descriptions help tell the story
Setting Details
Author tells us about buildings, people, activities
"The village bustled with activity"
Character Reactions
Author shows what characters think and feel
"Alex felt overwhelmed by the size"
Contrasting Ideas
Author shows differences between things
"Unlike his small village, Denta-ah was huge"
Detailed Descriptions
Author uses specific details to help us see
"Smoke rose from dozens of cooking fires"
"As Alex crested the hill, Denta-ah spread out before him like nothing he had ever seen. The village was enormous—easily ten times larger than the Winten-ah settlement. Hundreds of people moved through the bustling pathways between countless dwellings."
Writing Method: The author uses comparison ("ten times larger") and specific details ("hundreds of people," "countless dwellings") to show us how big and busy Denta-ah is.
This helps us understand Alex's amazement and shows us this is a very important, developed place!
How does the author show us that Alex feels overwhelmed by Denta-ah?
Look for specific words that show Alex's amazement and worry!
Week 07 - Day 2
Focus: Beginning parts, ending parts, types of words, and word meanings
Chapter 21: "Enslaved" - Alex faces difficult times
Goal: Master word tools for better reading
Beginning part meaning "not"
unhappy = not happy
Beginning part meaning "again"
replay = play again
Ending part meaning "without"
hopeless = without hope
Ending part meaning "full of"
hopeful = full of hope
Ending part meaning "in that way"
quickly = in a quick way
Ending part meaning "person who"
teacher = person who teaches
Naming Word
Person, place, thing, or idea
Alex, village, hope
Action Word
What someone or something does
walked, is, worried
Describing Word
Tells about a naming word
worried, big, scary
Word That Tells How
Tells how an action is done
slowly, quickly, carefully
Example: "Alex walked slowly toward the scary building."
walked = verb • slowly = adverb • scary = adjective • building = noun
Word: "unhappy"
Beginning part: un- (means "not")
Main word: happy
Meaning: not happy
A dangerous medical condition where a person's body temperature drops too low because of extreme cold
"Without proper shelter or warm clothing, Alex knew that hypothermia was a real danger in the freezing mountain nights."
Shows the serious physical dangers Alex faces in this primitive time
The state of continuing to live or exist, especially in difficult conditions
"Survival became Alex's only focus as he worked from dawn to dusk, trying to prove his worth to the village leaders."
Shows how Alex's goals have changed from exploring to just staying alive
Feeling or showing extreme worry, sadness, or need; willing to do anything to change a bad situation
"Alex felt desperate as he watched the guards approach, knowing he had nowhere to run and no way to explain who he really was."
Describes Alex's emotional state when he feels trapped and helpless
Extremely tired; having no energy left after hard work or difficult experiences
"By nightfall, Alex was completely exhausted from carrying heavy loads and digging in the hard, frozen ground all day."
Shows the physical toll that life in this time period takes on Alex's body
Week 07 - Day 3
Focus: Understanding how authors build excitement and reveal important information
Chapter 22: "Douglas Winterborne" - Alex meets someone special
Goal: See how authors create surprises and connections
Give us clues but don't tell us everything right away
Show us things that seem familiar to the main character
Finally tell us the important information at the perfect moment
Show how the main character feels about the surprise
"When Douglas spoke, Alex's eyes widened. The man was speaking perfect English—modern English, not the broken dialect of this time period."
The author uses the setting to create both problems and solutions for Alex!
Week 07 - Day 4
Focus: Written analysis of setting and character development
Task: Respond to prompts about how authors use places and people
Goal: Support ideas with strong details from the text
Each supporting detail needs evidence from the text AND your explanation of why it matters!
How does the author use descriptions of Denta-ah to show how different this world is from Alex's modern world?
What details from Chapter 22 prove that Douglas Winterborne is from the same time period as Alex?