A Sound of ThunderRay Bradbury

Christine Wells

Short Stories: Learning Outcomes

In this unit you will:

1. Read at least 2 short stories – A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury and one of your choice.

2. Explore various aspects of the text by completing activities that are based on Gardner’s Intelligences and Bloom’s Taxonomy.

3. Reflect on the work that you are doing by blogging.

4. Create your own activities matrix.

ThinkingUsing

language, text and symbols

Managing selfParticipating

and contributing

GatheringProcessingApplying

Read!

You can download a copy of the story from the Ultranet.

Gathering

Theme: Actions and Consequences

Even though Eckels is warned about the consequences of straying off the path, he still panics and goes astray. He discovers that he has killed a butterfly. The consequences are that the future is changed in several ways:

1. The sign advertising the time safari is different.

2. A different president has been elected, one that most people did not originally approve of.

3. Eckels is shot by Mr Travis who is angry with him and the changes that have occurred.

ThinkingUsing

language, text and symbols

Managing self

Gathering

Theme essay planning questions

1. Explain how Eckels first knows that things have changed when he gets back to 2055.

2. Record the wording of the original sign and then the changed one.

3. Record a quote which shows that a different president has been elected.

4. Explain what Eckels wants to do when he finds out that things have changed.

5. What is the ultimate consequence of his actions? Include a quote to support your answer.

ThinkingUsing language, text and symbols

Managing selfParticipating and

contributing

GatheringProcessing

Author’s intentionBradbury’s intention is to make the

reader think about the possible consequences of their own actions. The metal path is a metaphor for the straight and narrow path that we should stay on in our own lives in order to have a positive outcome in our own lives.

Bradbury shows us that not sticking to the path or panicking and losing your common sense can have dire consequences, even resulting in death.

ThinkingUsing language, text and symbols

Managing selfParticipating and

contributing

GatheringProcessing

Blog Reflection Questions

1. Explain what you did today and what you learnt.

2. In what ways did you help your group? Is there anything that you need to do to help out more.

3. Explain where you are getting the information you need from. Include links.

4. Evaluate how well you are doing. What worked? What do you need to improve?

5. Describe what you will work on next time.

6. Describe a time in your own life where you have gone off track. What happened and what were the consequences

7. Discuss why it is important to learn from our mistakes. Include an example.

Instructions: • Questions 1-5 can be answered each period.• Questions 6 -7 only need to be answered once.• For each question you need to write 4-5 sentences to answer it.

Your choice Read The Veldt.

Either: Create your own activity matrix for the story. You also need to complete the activities.

Or: Complete the activity cards.

You have 5 periods to complete the work.

ThinkingRelating to others

Using language, text and symbols

Managing selfParticipating and

contributing

GatheringProcessingApplying

Activity Matrix Guidelines

1. Download the template from the Ultranet.

2. Create activities: You will need to have at least one activity in each column and at least one activity in each row.

3. You may create similar activities as the ones in the ‘A Sound of Thunder’ matrix.

4. You must have activities that add up to a minimum of 150 points.

5. Your group must also complete each activity that you create.

Essay 2Choose ONE of these topics to answer

In your essay you can discuss ONE or TWO short written texts.

Describe an important idea in the text/s. Explain how this idea was shown in the text, and what the reader could learn from it.

OR

Describe important moments in the text/s you have studied and explain why these moments were important.

OR

Describe an important character in each text. Explain what you learnt from the words and/or actions of this character.

OR

Describe how language features gave you a clearer understanding of an important character.

You need to write a minimum of 300 words.

 

ThinkingUsing language, text

and symbolsManaging self

ProcessingApplying