Summary

Twelve people set aside their fears and ride a roller coaster, including one who has never done so before.

Harcourt, Inc

Reading Strategies ~ Strategies That Work by Stephanie Harvey

Previewing and Making Predictions
Look at the cover and read the inside of the jacket to familiarize students with the story.  You may also want to take a picture walk through the book, asking students what they notice in the pictures that might be important in the story- notice characters, setting, characters’ activities, etc.  Consider these questions:

1. Why do you think the author chose the roller coaster to write about instead of another ride?

2. Where do you ride roller coasters?

3. Why do all of the people on the roller coaster have their mouths open?

Reading with a Question in Mind*
Students are often overwhelmed by all of the elements in a story.  Helping them to decide on one important question while reading a passage gives them a focus and helps define the purpose.  The author almost immediately sets the reader up to try and figure out who has never ridden the roller coaster before. 

Who in the story has never ridden the roller coaster before? 

Making Connections
Text to Self connections are made when the reader is reminded of a similar experience they’ve had in their own lives.  This helps them better understand the characters’ motives, thoughts, and feelings.  Discuss the feelings of the characters and the connection students might have using the following questions:

• Have you ever ridden a roller coaster?

• Do you remember the first time you rode a roller coaster?

Text to World
We often hear the expression “My life is like a roller coaster.”  Define a simile and share examples.  Have students create their own page of a book using the prompt  “__________ is like a  roller coaster because__________.  Have them illustrate and share.

Examples of similes: 

Visualizing
This story has very vivid language that describes the roller coaster ride.  Have your students close their eyes and pretend they are on a ride.  Talk them through what they feel and see.   Have them draw a picture of themselves on a roller coaster. 

The following link is real video footage of a roller coaster ride.  Have your students “ride” the roller coaster:  http://www.themeparkreview.com/videos/altontowers_pov.htm 

Inferring Feelings with Kindergartners*
Label index cards with the emotions of a roller coaster ride.  Tape one card with one feeling on it on each student’s back.  The students should not see what the card on their individual backs say. One at a time have the students be the “it” and stand up.  Have the other children give the “it” a clue with statements beginning with “I felt that way when…” 

Summarizing
Create a roller coaster using construction paper shapes.  Have students summarize a ride on a roller coaster by writing a step on each car.
 

Writing Strategies ~ 6+1 Traits of Writing by Ruth Culham

Traits of VOICE / WORD CHOICE / FLUENCY / IDEAS can be the focus of this book discussion.  Make sure to point out how the author uses onomatopoeias (the formation or use of words that imitate the sound associated with the thing or action in question, for example, “hiss” and “buzz” ) to build excitement and anticipation, and then ask students to brain storm onomatopoeias.  Some examples are: whoosh, snip, ribbet, hiss, buzz, crash, whirr, clang, hiss, purr, squeak, mumble, hush, clang, boom, pop, sizzle, beep, roar, woof, bump, bow-wow, ker-plop, wham, swish, slosh, snap, crackle, pow, etc...

Day 1 –HOOK:  Have the students close their eyes and imagine they are on a roller coaster.  What does it feel like?  Are they scared?  Nervous?  Happy?  What does it sound like?  Have students make connections to being on a roller coaster if they can.  Have they ever been on a roller coaster?  Has anyone they know?

Next, give students popcorn and a piece of gum - then give them the Inspiration web template* – EQ: What is an onomatopoeia?  Have them eat the popcorn and describe how it sounds (pop, crunch, smack, etc.) then the same with the gum.  Then read the book Achoo! Bang! Crash! : The Noisy Alphabet  to students.  Finish organizer with things you can do and hear like clap, stomp, etc.  Click here to view a sample organizer.  *If you want your students to work directly in Inspiration, open the program - go to File - Open Template - Language Arts - Onomatopoeia.  The template will open and be ready for use!

What about other books to connect to this story?  Stringbean’s Trip to the Shining Sea.  This story is a great introduction as the main character goes on a trip and writes to everyone back home.  Show, Don’t Tell is a great teacher resource to help teachers lead into Roller Coaster and expressive writing

Day 2 - Read the story Roller Coaster to students. Discuss onomatopoeia.  Explain how onomatopoeia, alongside the matching pictures in Roller Coaster, is used to help the readers visualize and develop a picture of the setting in their minds - again make connections if you can.  Pick a line from the story and ask students to stop and visualize that one part OR give students an Inspiration Web to fill out after reading the story about how the story made them feel, what they heard, and how the sounds reflected certain scenes, etc.  This book’s wonderfully vivid illustrations suggest certain sounds that readers can picture, and almost hear, as they enjoy the story so the web and discussions will come naturally.  Discuss how good word choice can make a story even better. Ask some questions: What about the words helped you feel the story? What about the onomatopoeias helped you visualize the story and what the characters were feeling and doing?  Did you ever have to wait for something and then when you could have it, you didn’t want?

Onomatopoeia Graphic Organizer
Click here for a printable organizer 

RAFTS

R—Role of the writer (Who or what are you?)
A—Audience for the writer (To whom or what are you   writing?)
F—Format of the writing (What form will your writing assume?)
T—Topic + a strong verb (What are you writing about?)

Putting a RAFT together—
1.  Establish your topic by considering what important ideas or information you want students to show that they can process through their writing.
2.  Determine the role of the writer and the audience for whom the writing is intended.
3.  Determine the format that will best allow the writer to communicate the information (letter, speech, advice column, diary, script, news article, speech, travel brochure, thank you note, editorial, instructions, book review, obituary etc.).
4.  Determine the structure/form of the writing by adding a strong verb to the topic (persuade, explain, sequence, compare and contrast, describe, etc.).

Suggestions:
1.  Consider tying a writing mini-lesson to your RAFT assignment. Consider your assignment and determine which one of the 6 traits of writing is a good fit for the lesson: ideas, organization, voice, sentence fluency, word choice, and conventions
2.  Structure your assessment of the writing to show student knowledge of the topic and the writing trait you are stressing.
3.  The RAFT provides the outline of the assignment. Teachers should feel free to add any other guidelines to the assignment as they see fit (i.e., write three paragraphs, define an ecosystem, begin with an introduction of yourself, include a drawing, etc.).

• RAFT - Letter

• RAFT - Personal Narrative

• Take your students on a math-filled roller coaster ride when you have them solve these brain teasers!

It’s important to show good character everywhere we go, even when we’re at an amusement park.  When we have to wait in line to ride a roller coaster, we must show respect to others and be courteous to those around us.  That means we are careful not to push those in front of us, try to break in line, or say rude things to others in line.  We should be cheerful, even if it is hot and we are tired.  We must be self-confident and courageous to ride a frightening ride like a roller coaster.  All of this involves using wisdom in deciding if the roller coaster is a good choice for us to ride and self-control before and during the ride.
 

• Click on this link to read a great interview with the author about the book, Roller Coaster.  In the interview (4th question), Frazee describes the process she used to create the characters in the book.  After reading the segment to your class, have the students select one of the passengers on the coaster.  Then have them look for that same passenger on each page of the book to try to discover the "telling details" of their character.

• Don't miss the Reading Rainbow video titled Archibald Frisby (PRO 153.4 ARC), the story of a camper who gets his friends involved in the love of science.  In the video, LaVar Burton takes a ride on a roller coaster and then figures out how it works!

• Want to find out the real truth on which seat is scariest on a roller coaster - the front or the back?  Then check out this link to The Physics of Amusement Parks to learn the force behind a roller coaster!

• Students at the intermediate level can design a roller coaster online and then check out the safety and fun rating!

• Students at all levels will enjoy this Build Your Own Coaster website!

• Check out this Roller Coaster game that allows students to build a track with immediate feedback on whether it will work or not!

• Watch this video from Dragonfly TV of two students trying to figure out what makes a roller coaster the most exciting.

• Why don’t you fall out when a roller coaster goes upside down?  Travel to this Library of Congress Every Day Mystery website to find out the answer!

• Check out this new feature from Cobb Virtual Library in World Book Online!  Type in roller coaster as your search term.  Click on the first article in the Results List.  Then click on  View Performance Standards to find the Georgia Standards that correlate to this article!  And don't miss the video featured in the article for an elementary explanation of the way a roller coaster works!

• Looking for some information about roller coasters for your students that is the correct Lexile level?  Go back to the Cobb Virtual Library homepage and this time check out the GALILEO website!  Click on SIRS Discoverer - type roller coaster in the search box and click Search.  The results list can be sorted by Lexile level!