Fountas-Pinnell Level RTall TaleSelection SummaryA boy named Whisper arrives in Galveston, Texas, 150 years ago. He uses his impossibly powerful lungs to speed sailing ships acrossthe ocean. With the arrival of the steamship, ship captains no longer need Whisper. However, he fi nds a way to use his talent to save many lives.
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Characteristics of the Text Genre • Tall tale
Text Structure • Third-person continuous narrativeContent • Sailing ships and the arrival of the steamship
• Facing adversity• Weather and hurricanes, including the 1900 Galveston, Texas, storm
Themes and Ideas • It feels good to do useful work.• It’s a pleasure to do what you love to do.
Language and Literary Features
• Exaggeration
Sentence Complexity • A mix of short and complex sentences• Dashes, exclamations, quotations, italics
Vocabulary • Many sailing and weather terms, some of which may not be familiar: swabbed, cargo, typhoon
Words • Many multisyllable words some of them challenging, such as memorable, menacing, unfathomable
Illustrations • Color illustrations help readers visualize Whisper’s talentsBook and Print Features • Twelve pages of text, illustrations on every page
mobbed – crowded around and jostled or annoyed, p. 14
stampeding – fl eeing in a headlong rush, p. 4
swabbed – cleaned, p. 6
unfathomable – diffi cult or impossible to understand, p. 4
Whisper by Michael Sandler
Build BackgroundHelp students use their knowledge about tall tales to understand Whisper and how he changes. Build interest by asking questions such as the following: Have you ever sailed aboard a ship? Would you like to work as a sailor? Why or why not? Read the title and author’s name and talk about the cover illustration. Tell students that this story is a tall tale about a boy named Whisper who has a powerful set of lungs.
Introduce the TextGuide students through the text, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Here are some suggestions:
Page 3: Read the the beginning of the third paragraph:Suggested language: Roaring through the city streets came the loudest noise anyone had ever heard. Somebody was howling. Ask: What do you think this story is going to be about?
Page 4: It turns out Whisper was being dropped off at school and was crying because he didn’t want his mother to leave. Ask: Why does Whisper’s mom fi nds his howling unfathomable ?
Page 7: The text says the sailing ship Whisper was on was stuck when conditions changed. Ask: What conditions would the ship need to move?
Page 11: Have students look at the illustration. Ask: What kinds of ships are shown?
Page 12: The text says the hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas, in 1900 was one of the deadliest ever. Ask: What makes someone say something is the deadliest?
Now go back to the beginning and read to fi nd what happens to Whisper.
ReadHave students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their problem solving and fl uency as needed.
Remind students to use the Infer/Predict Strategy , and to predict what will happen next as they read. Tell them to pay attention to what Whisper says, does, and thinks.
Discuss and Revisit the TextPersonal ResponseInvite students to share their personal responses to the book. Suggested language: Have you ever been misjudged the way Whisper was? What happened? How did Whisper feel before his ability to fi ll sailing ships’ sails with wind made him famous?
Ways of ThinkingAs you discuss the text, help students understand these points:
Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text
• Whisper’s powerful lungs help him to become an important member of the crew and save his shipmates.
• Later, Whisper’s lungs turn him into a hero when he saves Galveston from a hurricane, but he is not happy with the fame.
• Doing what you love to do is a good thing.
• Things change over time.
• It feels good to be able to help people.
• The tall tale is told as if the narrator is part of the story.
• The hero is larger than life because he is stronger than real people.
• The author includes interesting details about ships and weather to hold his readers’ attention.
Choices for Further Support• Fluency Invite students to choose a passage from the text to act out. Remind them to
stress certain words and phrases to exaggerate the ridiculousness of the situation.
• Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion, revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go back to the text to support their ideas.
• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words and word parts, using examples from the text. Remind students that learning common suffi xes found in words such as biggest, exception, lowly, and powerful can help them discern the meaning of the new word, but that it should also be confi rmed by looking up the word in a dictionary.
Writing about ReadingCritical ThinkingHave students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 5.9.
RespondingHave students complete the activities at the back of the book, using their Reader’s Notebook. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the comprehension skill.
Target Comprehension Skill Remind students that they should explore how
Whisper grows and changes throughout the story, and pay attention to how the author develops this character. Model how to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:
Think Aloud
Whisper blows cow-sized bubbles. This action shows how useful he is. Whisper tells the captain that there’s no need to hand over the gold and cargo to pirates. These words also show how useful he is. This action and these words help you understand Whisper’s useful character.
Practice the SkillEncourage students to share other examples from the book of thoughts, words, and actions that are keys to Whisper’s character.
Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the TextHave students write a response to the writing prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understanding.
Assessment Prompts• What will most likely happen to Whisper? Why?
• The main purpose of the selection is to ____________________________________.
• In the last paragraph of page 4, what does the word stampeding mean?
English Language DevelopmentReading Support Pair advanced and intermediate readers to read the story softly, or have students listen to the audio or online recordings. Remind them that Whisper’s lungs make him a hero once again when he saves the city of Galveston from a hurricane.
Cognates The story includes many cognates. Point out the English words and their Spanish equivalents: family (familia), ocean (océano), giant (gigante).
Oral Language DevelopmentCheck student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’ English profi ciency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.
Beginning/Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/ Advanced
Speaker 1: What ship did Whisper work on?
Speaker 2: Pearl of the Sea
Speaker 1: What animals did Whisper embarrass by blowing water spouts?
Speaker 2: whales
Speaker 1: What did Whisper blow up to scare off the pirates?
Speaker 2: a typhoon
Speaker 1: How did Whisper show off in the schoolyard?
Speaker 2: He blew cow-sized bubbles.
Speaker 1: Why did Whisper avoid the crew when he had a cold?
Speaker 2: He blew sailors into the water when he sneezed.
Speaker 1: How did the arrival of the steamship change Whisper’s life?
Speaker 2: His lung power was no longer needed to blow the sails. Instead of a star, Whisper became just another sailor.
Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in two or three paragraphs.
Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal knowledge to reach new understandings.
On page 14, Whisper gets a taste of fame. The author writes, “Maybe it was just too much. Whisper didn’t seem to enjoy this newfound fame.” How does Whisper handle all the unwanted attention? Why do you think he reacted this way? Is his action in keeping with his character as you know it? Why or why not?
