Standards Correlations

R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.6, R.7, W.3, SL.1, SL.2, L.4, L.6

Learning Objective

Students will analyze how a character changes as she faces a decision with major consequences.

Key Skills

inference, text features, vocabulary, setting, critical thinking, key details, compare and contrast, character, interpreting text, author’s craft, plot, making connections, narrative writing

Complexity Factors

Levels of Meaning: The story explores themes of loss and personal growth.

 

Structure: The story is chronological and is told from the first-person perspective.

 

Language: The language is conversational. Some figurative language is used.

 

Knowledge Demands: Some familiarity with science fiction as a genre will aid comprehension. Also, Albert Einstein is a theme throughout the story.

Levels

Lexile: 500L-600L 

Guided Reading Level: V 

DRA Level: 50

Lesson Plan: The Message

Essential Questions

  • What do we have to consider when making difficult decisions? 
  • How do we deal with the loss of loved ones?

Literature Connection

  • Novel: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
  • Novel: The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera 

1. Preparing to Read 

Preview Text Features (5 minutes)

Guide students to locate the story. Then preview text features with the following prompts:

  • Read the story’s title and subtitle and look closely at the illustration. Where do you think Astra is standing in the illustration? What does she see out the window of the room she’s in? Answers will vary. Sample answer: Astra seems to be standing in a spaceship, in a room where plants are grown. Out the window, we can see a planet from a distance.
  • Skim through the story and look at the side bubbles that contain questions. Read the headers, such as “Author’s Craft” and “Word Choice.” Are there any skills you’re not familiar with? Answers will vary. 

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Direct students’ attention to the vocabulary box. Read the words (pioneer, habitable, hardy, jagged, contaminated) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

  • Before students start to read, set a purpose for reading by telling them that they will make inferences about “The Message.” Explain that making an inference means figuring out something that isn’t directly stated by using clues from the text. (. (You may also consider showing our video “Skills in Action: What Is an Inference?”)

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

  • Read the story aloud to the class. Stop at sentences in bold and have students answer the questions in the margins. (Sample answers are below.)
  • After each section, ask students to summarize what happened.
  • Afterward, discuss the critical-thinking questions.

Answers to the Close-Reading Questions (30 minutes)

  • Setting (p. 15) The story takes place in  the 2300s—about 300 years from now.
  • Critical Thinking (p. 15) They may have called the ship Vida because they hoped it would carry them to a new life or because the ship represents the survival of the human race. 
  • Inference (p. 15) Students should infer that a holo is a device for digital reading, a more advanced version of a tablet or smartphone. 
  • Vocabulary (p. 16) Students should infer that a hab pod is the area in which people live.
  • Key Details (p. 16) These lines help you understand that forgetfulness like Astra’s can be really harmful on the Vida, and she knows it.
  • Compare and Contrast (p. 16) Astra feels insecure around her parents—like she’s not good enough. She gives examples of times when her forgetfulness caused problems. But around Oma she felt comfortable. It seems like Astra used to get lost in the moment when she was with Oma, chatting and daydreaming about space and science.
  • Character (p. 17) These lines reveal that Astra does not see herself as the brilliant person she is. She’s shocked that her friend thinks she’s the smartest person on the ship.
  • Interpreting Text (p. 17) Oma meant that Astra should always trust herself, even if her opinion is unpopular. Astra is likely thinking about Oma’s advice because she feels Oma understood her best. Astra may think that her parents, like Rio, will refuse to even consider that she should follow the instructions from the woman in the message.
  • Author’s Craft (p. 18) We learn in these lines that Astra has blue eyes. In Part 3, we learned that the woman in the holo message also has blue eyes. This is a clue that the woman in the holo might be Astra from the future. (Students might not make this connection at this point in the story. If they don’t, encourage them to keep the question in mind as they continue reading and try to answer it at the end of the story.)
  • Plot (p. 18) Astra is going to destroy the ag pod. She has finally decided to listen to the woman from the holo message. 
  • Character (p. 18) Astra seems to feel regretful in this moment. She apologizes to Oma for going through with the plan that will destroy her plants. Her hands are shaking as she opens the safety system keypad, which tells us she’s also nervous. She may not be entirely convinced that she’s doing the right thing.
  • Knowledge Builder (p. 19) Examples of parasites include fleas, lice, mites, and flatworms.
  • Inference (p. 19) Astra realizes that she herself is the woman in the holo—a few years in the future. This tells her that she will succeed in finding a way to travel back through time or at least send messages through time. That is how her older self was able to send her current self the message.
  • Character (p. 19) Answers will vary, but students are likely to say that saving the people on the ship will help Astra gain confidence. Other people may have more respect and admiration for her and put more trust in her.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  • What would be exciting or rewarding about being a traveler on the Vida? What would be challenging? (making connections) Students might say that it would be exciting to be among the first people to live on another planet and rewarding to help build a new society. Challenges would include spending a long time on the ship, dealing with unknowns, and knowing that mistakes could have major consequences.
  • Should humans work toward finding another planet to live on? Why or why not? (critical thinking) Some students might say yes, because climate change and overpopulation threaten Earth; in order to survive, we may need to go to other planets. Others may say no—we should devote all our efforts to saving Earth.

3. Skill Building and Writing

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Send Yourself a Message

Put yourself in older Astra’s shoes by making a video for your younger self.

What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you were younger? Think of one thing you’d tell your younger self if you could travel back in time. Then make a video for your younger self. In the video, explain:

  • How far back in time you plan to travel. (How old is the version of yourself that will get this message?)
  • What you want your younger self to know. (Examples: “Don’t eat that burger! You’ll get sick!” or “Not getting a part in the play hurts now, but soon you’ll be too busy playing soccer to care.”)
  • What you hope will result from this message. (Explain how you hope your younger self will feel or behave differently after getting the message. Maybe you’d like your younger self to be happier, be more careful, study harder, or try new things.)

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Unpack figurative language to make the text more accessible.

The story contains some phrases that might be unfamiliar to multilingual learners. After the first read, go over the meanings of the expressions in these sentences below. Explain that the meanings aren’t literal and might need to be figured out.

  • “Rio is the golden child of the Vida.” (Ask, “What do you think golden child means? What might a popular, athletic star student have in common with gold?”)
  • “People put their survival in my parents’ hands.” (Ask, “When an item is in your hands, who is responsible for that item? Who is taking care of it?”) 
  • “But I think we all wondered whether I’d snuck onto the ship from another planet.” (Ask, “Would someone from another planet be just like everyone else, or would they be different?”)
  •  “The next 15 seconds lasted 15 years.” (Ask, “What can make a short time seem much longer?”) 
  • “‘Planting these would have wiped out all plant life on Rubin 23V,’” Mom said. “‘We would have starved to death.’” (Ask, “What do you think wiped out means? What happens when you wipe away a spill?”)

Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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