"A Picnic in October" by Eve Bunting (Plot Analysis) - Sarah Green | Library

Instructions

This Formative is a student paced exit ticket containing questions over the class read aloud, "A Picnic in October" by Eve Bunting. The questions assesses 5th grade level TEKS over setting, context clues, figurative language, character conflict, and text evidence 
Objective - Readers closely analyze a realistic fiction text in order to better understand the author's choices in developing the plot. Readers use text evidence to support their claims.

10

In the beginning, how does the setting of the cold and windy October day affect Tony, the narrator of "A Picnic in October"?

10

What does grandma mean about the Statue of Liberty when she says that "she understands all languages" in the following lines from the text?

"When I came from the old country," Grandma says, "I came out here and I said, 'Thank you Lady Liberty. Thank you for taking me in.' I spoke in Italian, of course, but she understands all languages. This is America! I am here and I am part of it.

10

Based on the words that Grandma speaks to Lady Liberty in the story, what can you infer about her?

10

What conclusion can you draw about the meaning of the word uppity in the following lines from the story? (see the lines from the text above)
Grandma begins to recite the famous words, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.." She recites these words here on Lady Liberty's birthday every single year, it's not much wonder she knows them by heart.

Rosa does too. She's very uppity about it.

10

While their immigration stories come from different backgrounds and time periods, Grandma and the immigrants that Tony encounters have in common that:

10

What lines from the text support your answer from question 5- the question above?

10

In the line, "Lady Liberty gazes down on us with her calm, old eyes," how does the author use figurative language to describe Lady Liberty's eyes?

10

Which sentence from the story best describes the main conflict (problem) in the text?

10

Fill in the blanks with the correct choice to create a summary of "A Picnic in October" by Eve Bunting
Tony wanted to understand why his family had a ___________  in October and questioned the ______________ . But his family, led by Grandma, valued the celebration of America, immigration, and the values _______________  by Lady Liberty, so they continued the tradition. Then they all gathered on Liberty Island to celebrate and express ______________ to Lady Liberty. Tony's encounter with a family of new _______________ helped him finally understand the importance of the celebration.