Fountas-Pinnell Level SRealistic FictionSelection SummaryQuentin dreads the idea of playing jazz songs at his grandfather’s birthday party. Although his brother Marcus is also reluctant, he comes up with a plan to learn how to play the music. After a frustrating start, Quentin practices and fi nally understands how to play jazz. The brothers’ performance gets rave reviews at the party.
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Characteristics of the Text Genre • Realistic fi ction
Text Structure • Third-person continous narrative • Single plot with detailed episodes
Content • Jazz• Music practice and performance• Celebrating a birthday
Themes and Ideas • Once you understand how to do something, it can become enjoyable.• Coming up with a realistic plan can help you achieve a goal.
Language and Literary Features
• Conversational language • Descriptive language important to understanding characters• Figurative language: room erupted; fi ngers fl y over the piano keys; eyes welled up
Sentence Complexity • Complex sentences including dialogue and embedded clauses and phrases• Sentences with parenthetical material• Questions in dialogue
Vocabulary • Many music terms, some of which might not be familiar, such as lyrics, soloWords • Many compound words, such as keyboard, background, download
• Words with affi xes Illustrations • Realistic drawings add interest.
concerned – worried, p. 6feast – a very large meal, p. 10glorious – wonderful, p. 11model – worthy of imitation, p. 3
ruined – destroyed, p. 9 schedule – a planned program of
events, p. 6smeared – blurred or spread
around, p. 11
streak – move quickly, p. 7studio – a workshop for an artist,
p. 2yanked – pulled hard or jerked,
p. 9
Gramps’ Favorite Gift by Tanisha Carr
Build BackgroundHelp students use their knowledge of music to visualize the story. Build interest by asking a question such as the following: What kind of music do you like to play or listen to? Read the title and author and talk about the cover illustration. Tell students that this story is realistic fi ction, so the characters will likely act like real people and the events could take place in real life.
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 2: Have students look at the illustration. Explain that according to the text, it shows two boys who are brothers and musicians, Quentin and Marcus. The text says that Quentin, who carries the saxophone, is dreading his mother’s assignment. Ask: What does it mean to dread something?
Page 3: Read the second sentence on page 3. He was Quentin’s brother and a model student. Ask: What makes a model student?
Page 5: Explain that the boys’ mother said that their grandfather’s favorite music when he was young was jazz. Then have students read the third sentence on page 5: Marcus understood the music a little better, but it wasn’t his style. Ask: What does it mean for a type of music not to be your style? What do you think the problem of this story might be?
Now go back to the beginning of the story to fi nd out what Quentin and Marcus do to make Gramps’ favorite gift.
ReadHave students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their understanding of the text as needed.
Remind students to use the Visualize Strategy and to use details from the text to form pictures in their mind of what they read.
Discuss and Revisit the TextPersonal ResponseInvite students to share their personal responses to the story. Suggested language: Have you ever had to tackle a really tough assignment? What makes their mother’s assignment such a challenge for Quentin and Marcus?
Ways of ThinkingAs you discuss the text, help students understand these points:
Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text
• Quentin dreads learning to play jazz songs for his grandfather’s birthday celebration.
• Quentin learns about jazz, and how to play it, by practicing with Marcus.
• Quentin and Marcus give an outstanding jazz performance at the party.
• Learning about something can help you learn how to do it.
• Working as a team can make achieving a goal more fun and successful.
• The illustrations make the characters and events more real.
• The language sounds very realistic, the way family members really talk.
• The author includes several details about jazz music to make the story more interesting.
Choices for Further Support• Fluency Invite students to choose a passage from the text to act out. Remind them to
pay attention to punctuation, and to use appropriate tone, pitch, and volume as they read the thoughts or words of different characters.
• 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. Have students defi ne the word conversation based on its use on page 4. Ask students if they can name some words that share a root with conversation (e.g., convert, conversion).
Writing about ReadingCritical ThinkingHave students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 8.8.
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 can learn more
about a character from his thoughts, words, and actions. Model how to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:
Think Aloud
When fi rst trying to learn jazz, Quentin hears his mistakes and gets frustrated. That is an action that shows his character. After the brothers decide to listen to the jazz song on the laptop, Quentin says he’s starting to really appreciate the song. Those are words that help you understand his character.
Practice the SkillEncourage students to share their examples of another story in which a character’s thoughts, words, and actions help explain his or her attitudes or beliefs.
Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the TextHave students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understandings.
Assessment Prompts• One idea present in this story is that
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 students that this story is about two brothers learning to work together to give their grandfather a special gift.
Idioms The story includes idioms that might be unfamiliar. Explain the meaning of expressions such as yanked…back on its heels and fell right back into the original beat on page 9.
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 do Quentin and Marcus both like?
Speaker 2: music
Speaker 1: What kind of music do they learn to play?
Speaker 2: jazz
Speaker 1: What was Gramps’ favorite gift?
Speaker 2: jazz songs
Speaker 1: Why does Quentin dread playing jazz songs?
Speaker 2: He doesn’t know anything about jazz or how to play it.
Speaker 1: Why does Marcus download jazz music onto his computer?
Speaker 2: He wants to listen to it to help him learn how to play it.
Speaker 1: Why does Mom want the boys to learn to play jazz?
Speaker 2: She wants them to play Gramps’ favorite songs at his birthday party. She also wants them to learn about, and enjoy, jazz music.
4_305639_OL_LRTG_L08_GrampsFavGift.indd 5 1/12/10 1:25:14 AM
Name Date
Gramps’ Favorite Gift Thinking Beyond the Text
Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in two paragraphs.
Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal knowledge to reach new understandings.
On page 8, when Quentin was tired and frustrated, he suggests: “Let’s listen to the record again.” Why do you think he suggests they listen to the record again? How does it help them to play the music? How do you think listening to music can help someone learn to play music better? Support your answers with examples from the text.
