Save That Mump!

Helping others

Features of graphic novels

The big question of this issue of Storyworks 2 is: What makes something gross?

• Reading and discussing “Save That Mump!,” along with the other gross-themed texts in the magazine (the Big Read, “The Invasion of Brood X;” and the Paired Texts, “What’s That Smell?”) should give kids insight into what makes certain things gross.
• Through the above stories, students will discuss: What makes something gross? What do you think is gross? Do different people find different things gross? When can gross be good?
• This story also stands on its own. It’s not only fun, but it also gives kids great experience reading and thinking about graphic novels as a literary form.

Choose a Video (We have two!) (10 minutes)

• You have two choices for a video with this story.

1. Watch “The Big Question: What Makes Something Gross?” (This video also goes with other stories in this month’s Storyworks 2.) 

• Before your students watch, ask them to think about: “What makes something gross?”
• Watch the video.
• After watching, ask the question again. Write students’ ideas on chart paper.

2. “What’s in a Comic?”

• Our second video teaches kids about the features of a comic.
• Before watching, tell kids to look out for four features they might find in a comic.
• After watching, ask for kids’ help to fill out a list of comic features on chart paper. The features mentioned in the video are: panels, speech bubbles, thought bubbles, and onomatopoeia.
• Tell kids to look for those features in the mini graphic novel. They can fill in our “Comic Features Hunt” skills sheet after reading.

Set a Purpose for Reading (5 minutes)

• Open your magazines to “Save That Mump!” Ask kids: What kind of story is this? (a comic, or a mini graphic novel)
• Next, read the Think and Read prompt on page 13: “As you read, pay attention to all of the gross things the kids have to do. Why do you think the kids do them, even though they are yucky?” Encourage children to think about this prompt as they read.

• Kids can read this story individually, in small groups, or as a class.
• As they read, ask kids to note when the kids look grossed out.

Extend the Story With an Activity (20 minutes)

• Kids can “finish” the story with the “What Happens Next?” printable. They’ll fill in the voice bubbles for the characters and create their own comic panel.
• This activity works in the skill of making inferences.

Assessment: Quiz (10 minutes)

• Pass out the quiz to assess comprehension of the article.
• We also offer a lower-level quiz.
• Both quizzes are now available in multiple-choice and written-answer formats.

ELA Focus: Comic Features Hunt (10-15 minutes)

• Pass out the Comic Feature Hunt printable.
• Kids can use the mini graphic novel to fill it out and learn about the different features of comics/ graphic novels.

Enrich the Learning: Paired Text Opportunities (time amount varies)

Making text-to-text connections builds knowledge and comprehension. We layer Storyworks 2 with many ways for your students to make connections.

Pairable Texts Big Read, “The Invasion of Brood X” (pages 6-11); and Paired Texts, “What’s That Smell?” (pages 18-21)

• These texts also ask questions similar to those posed in the Mini Graphic Novel. What makes something gross? How can different people find different things gross?
• Kids can compare the grossness in the texts using our “Gross-Out Chart” printable. How are the texts alike, and how are they different?

NEW! Special Lesson for Independent Learning While Remote (30-40 minutes)

• We created a brand-new resource to make it easy for your students to do an independent remote lesson with the Mini Graphic Novel.
• Look in your Resources section for the “Slide Lesson.” It’s a self-contained group of slides that walk your students through the Mini Graphic Novel.
• This easy-to-use group of Google Slides walks your students through watching the video “What Makes Something Gross?” and then answering a question about it, reading the story independently, answering three questions after reading, and then doing our “What Happens Next?” inference page.
• It’s a simple way to take the resources we have already created and put them in one place so you don’t have to create anything new!