The Stranger

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    One day in early fall, while Farmer Bailey is driving his truck, he hears a thump! He thinks he may have run over a deer, but when he gets out to check, he discovers that he has actually run over a man! Farmer Bailey takes him home, where he and his wife, Mrs. Bailey, discover that the stranger’s memory is gone. The stranger stays on the farm and helps with the crop.

    Even though time goes by, the Bailey farm does not experience fall like the rest of the world — instead, it seems to be summer all the time. One day, after seeing geese flying south, the stranger realizes that he must leave. Soon, the leaves on the trees on the Bailey fair start to change color and the air becomes cool. Ever since then, summer lasts a week longer at the Bailey farm than anywhere else.

Activities

  • Apostrophe

    the stranger worksheet
    Length of Activity: 20 minutes
    Directions: Read the sentences.  Each sentence is missing at least one apostrophe.  Edit the sentences by adding the necessary apostrophe(s).

    Autumn Changes

    the stranger autumn changes worksheet
    Length of Activity: 15 minutes
    Directions: In the book The Stranger, by Chris Van Allsburg, the stranger has an impact on the change of the seasons from summer to fall.

    Cause and Effect

    the stranger cause and effect worksheet
    Length of Activity: 20 minutes
    Directions: Can you identify any cause and effect relationships from the book The Stranger?  Use the boxes below to share two cause and effect relationships from the story.

    Character Study

    the stranger character study worksheet
    Length of Activity: 15 minutes
    Directions: Write about the stranger's actions, appearance, who he was at the beginning, and who he was at the end of the story.

    Comprehension Questions

    the stranger questions worksheet
    Length of Activity: 20 minutes
    Directions: When the doctor came to check on the stranger, he took his temperature.  When he left, he did not take his thermometer because he said "It's broken, the mercury is stuck at the bottom."  Answer the following questions.

    Dictionary Worksheet

    the stranger worksheet
    Length of Activity: 30 minutes
    Directions: After reading the story The Stranger, go through the book and select five words you are unfamiliar with.  Write the five words in the spaces below. Write the definitions and also write a sentence of your own using the selected word.

    Incomplete Sentences

    the stranger incomplete sentences worksheet
    Length of Activity: 15 minutes
    Directions: Read the sentences and if they are complete, write a C.  If they are incomplete, write I and correct the sentence.

    Inferences

    the stranger inferences worksheet
    Length of Activity: 15 minutes
    Directions: Make an inference regarding who or what you think the stranger is.  Use information from the story that gives you clues to this information.

    Point of View

    the stranger point of view worksheet
    Length of Activity: 20 minutes
    Directions: In each pair of glasses, explain/define/or show examples of a point of view.  When you are done, identify what point of view The Stranger is written in.

    Pre-reading Activity

    the stranger prereading worksheet
    Length of Activity: 20 minutes
    Directions: Before reading the book, The Stranger, observe the cover, title and the pictures and answer the following questions.

    Simile

    the stranger simile worksheet

    Length of Activity: 25 minutes
    Directions: Read the sentences and write a simile of your own based on the story, The Stranger.

    Story Moral

    the stranger moral worksheet

    Length of Activity: 15 minutes
    Directions: Define the moral of a story.  Then, write the moral of this story.

    Summary

    the stranger summary worksheet
    Length of Activity: 30 minutes
    Directions:Write a summary of the story.  Be sure to include the title, author, setting, main characters, main events, problem and solution.

     

    Word Bank

    the stranger word bank worksheet

    Length of Activity: 15 minutes
    DIrections: Each sentence is missing a word.  Select the correct word from the word bank to complete the sentences.

    Words in Words

    the stranger word in words worksheet
    Length of Activity: 15 minutes
    Directions: Look at the words you have been given.  If you rearrange the letters, how many different words can you create?  You do not have to use all of the letters in the word, but you cannot add any letters.

    Your Stranger

    the stranger worksheet
    Length of Activity: 35 minutes
    Directions: In the story The Stranger by Chris Van Allsburg, Farmer Bailey hit a stranger with is car, and then brought him back to his house.  Imagine your family returned home with a stranger.  Write a story about the events that unfold while the stranger is living with you.