Reading Comprehension

Chester Cricket finds a picnic basket full of delicious things to eat, so he hops in for a quick meal - and then becomes trapped as a bag of roast beef sandwiches is set in on top of him! By the time he gets free Chester discovers he is far away from his country home in Connecticut, and is lost, alone, and afraid amidst the hustle and bustle of a New York City subway station. Chester is found by Mario Bellini, a young boy whose family runs a small newsstand. Although his mother protests, Mario's father allows him to keep the cricket in the newsstand. Chester quickly makes friends with Tucker, a mouse, and Harry, and cat, who spend their days scrounging through the garbage of the subway. Tucker and Harry decide to help Chester make the best of his situation and introduce him to city life. Soon, with the help of all his friends, Chester begins to enjoy himself and his 'adventure.' Mario has been told that crickets bring good luck, but when Chester accidently eats half of a two-dollar bill, and Tucker nearly burns the newsstand to the ground, Mama Bellini believes the cricket has brought them bad luck. Chester vows to repay the Bellinis for their kindness and the trouble he's caused, but all he has to offer is the music he makes by rubbing his wings together. Chester's musical talent, however, catches the ear of a music teacher who writes about it in the newspaper. before long the Bellinis' newsstand has more customers than ever thanks to Chester's beautiful music. Interactive CD-rom.

The second component of Hewitt's junior high Lightning Lit series which covers reading and composition at the eigth-grade level. Each of the twelve chapters includes reading classical material as well as applying a literary lesson. Students read six full novels plus six shorter pieces taken from the book, Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children by Harold Bloom. This Student Guide consists of the lessons which cover author's purpose, setting, vivid language in poetry, writing about culture, details in writing, character development, figurative language, conflict, symbolism, humor, meter in poetry, and writing a literary analysis. Mini-lessons cover taking notes, rewriting in your own words, free verse and ballad, rewriting your own words, citing sources, bibliography, fun poems, genre fiction, sentence structure, and more. The workbook (sold separately) gives students the chance to practice the skills and concepts learned in the lessons along with composition skills, thinking skills (e.g., differentiating fact from opinion, identifying bias), and grammar review (e.g., capitalization, pronouns and antecedent). Book-length works are sold separately. The Teacher's Guide is also needed since it includes answers to comprehension questions and the workbook pages, a teaching schedule, extra teaching help for the lessons, help in choosing appropriate writing exercises, and discussion questions. Recommendations: Although this is listed as an eighth grade text, students cannot be easily boxed into grades. A seventh grader who is a strong reader and likes writing would be able to do well with this course. This course can also work for the ninth grader who needs to work at the foundations of composition. Books (in addition to Bloom's Stories and Poems) include: Treasure Island, A Day of Pleasure, A Christmas Carol, The Hobbit, My Family and Other Animals, and To Kill a Mockingbird. New paperback, 2nd Edition.

When Deacon Fuller sends his misbehaving boy, Tommy, home early from church, Tommy accidentally discovers a family of runaway slaves hidden in his barn. Big Jeff and his family have escaped and are fleeing to Canada where they can be free. Tommy learns that his father has hidden them and is part of the Underground Railroad, a group dedicated to helping runaway slaves to freedom. Tommy helps his father hide Big Jeff, Vinnie, Little Jeff, and baby Pearl in the hay wagon and take them to the river, following the route of the drinking gourd, a constellation in the northern sky pointing the way to freedom. While his father goes for the boat, a slave search party approaches and Tommy must think quickly to save them. He tells the men, who recognize him from church, that he is running away because he is afraid of being punished. The men laugh and ride away without searching the wagon. Later that evening, when Big Jeff and his family had been sent on their way toward freedom, Tommy and his father discuss obeying the law and the true value of a man. Setting: Southeastern US 1851 Guide: 25 pages, 7 sections

Tom Sawyer is one of the most popular protagonists in the history of American literature. Although Tom resides in a small, ordinary Missouri town, his daring exploits land him in the center of many thrilling adventures. Tom lives with his Aunt Polly, an elderly woman who dearly loves her nephew but struggles to control her mischievous charge. Tom loathes going to school or church. He would rather spend time immersed in fictional plots or romancing Becky Thatcher, the new girl in town. Tom envies the life of Huckleberry Finn, the town outcast. Huck, homeless and essentially an orphan, can do whatever he pleases and doesn't have to obey anyone. While testing a wart-removal cure in the town graveyard, Tom and Huck witness the brutal murder of Dr. Robinson. Both Tom and Huck wrestle with feelings of guilt when the wrong man, Muff Potter, is prosecuted for the crime. However, the boys initially hide their shared knowledge out of fear of retribution from the guilty party, Injun Joe. Bothered by his conscience and the "unjust" treatment he receives at home, Tom plots an escape from his gloomy existence. Tom, his friend Joe Harper, and Huckleberry Finn run away to a nearby island where they decide to become pirates. The residents of St. Petersburg are convinced that the boys must have drowned in the Mississippi River and grief consumes the entire village. Tom's dramatic plan to walk into his own funeral causes him to become the focal point of community life. The normally quiet town is brought to life again during Muff Potter's murder trial. Tom remains deeply troubled that an innocent man may face the ultimate punishment for the act and eventually makes a significant decision at great personal cost. Though still worried that Injun Joe may seek revenge, Tom and Huck become distracted from their concern with a new exploit: they decide to search for buried treasure. But when an unexpected encounter with Injun Joe reveals a vast treasure, the two boys set aside their fears and focus their efforts on claiming Injun Joe's amazing treasure for themselves.