Hocked gems financing him, our hero defied the scornful laughter. "Think of it as an egg, not a table," he said. Then three sturdy sisters sought proof, forging over vast calmness, and sometimes over turbulent peaks and valleys, until at last welcome winged creatures appeared, signifying monumental success.
1. What are the hocked gems?
I believe that hocked gems are things that the hero has stolen. I think this because I know that hocked means stolen. I also think that they are valuable because of my previous knowledge of gems and the fact that he is using them to finance him, or pay his way so to speak.
2. What should we think of as an egg and not a table?
I think that we should think of these stolen items and the process by which the hero got them as an egg. I think the writer has chosen to use the word egg because it is fragile and easily breakable. A table however, would be sturdy and hard to break.
3. Who are the three sturdy sisters?
The sisters are people who are related in some way to the hero. They are either on his side or support him. They stay with him even when times are tough.
4. What kind of winged creatures appeared?
I believe that the winged creatures are some sort of bird that has come down to the characters. I also believe the winged creatures could also be some sort of airplane or helicopter.
When reading this passage with students it would be important to activate their schema of previous knowledge and related context knowledge. This would be important because it will give them some sense of where the story is taking place and the characters that are being described. It would also be important to note the use of vocabulary in the passage. Many of these words are strong synonyms for other words they might have heard before.
If the children's schema and the text do not match you could maybe explain the passage to them in words that they would understand or could relate to. Then, they could read the passage again and gain an understanding of what the meaning is. If you give them something they are familiar with to reference, they might have a better chance of reading the passage successfully.
Like everything else in reading, there should be a balance in what kinds of texts children read. Children should have the opportunity to read things that interest them and allow them to pull from their schema. But they should also have the opportunity to be challenged and read things they are unfamiliar with and have never pulled from before. Students need access to all types of texts in order to be successful, lifelong readers.
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