Article
Kaehler, Wolfgang/Superstock
Mini Read,

Wall of Gum

This place is covered with germs—and everyone wants to visit!

By Laine Falk
From the May 2022 Issue
Lexile: 470L
Guided Reading Level: K
DRA Level: 16-18
Featured Skill: Compare Two Texts, Key Details,
Topic: Social Studies,
Common Core Standards
  • RI.2.1 Key details RI.2.4 Vocabulary RI.2.5 Nonfiction text features RI.2.10 Read grade-2-appropriate informational text SL.2 Participate in conversations about grade-2 texts

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Jim McMahon/Mapman®

The wall is in Seattle.

Sometimes you are done chewing a piece of gum, and you really want to stick it somewhere. Maybe you want to stick it under your desk. Maybe you want to stick it on the wall. But you can’t. That’s gross! It’s also against the rules in most places.

But there is one place where it’s not against the rules. A wall
in Seattle, Washington, is covered with gum. The wall is called the Market Theater Gum Wall. You are supposed to stick your old gum there.

(c) Keeweeboy/Dreamstime.com

A boy sticks gum onto the wall.

Why? In 1993, people began sticking their old gum on the wall. At first, the gum was taken off. But more and more people kept sticking their gum there.

Over time, the wall became a place people wanted to go. Now people take pictures of themselves at the wall.

Would you want to visit? And if you did, would you stick your old gum on the wall?

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Activities (6)
Skills Activities
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Activities (6) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities

More About the Article

Social Studies Focus

Geography, U.S. locations

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
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ESSENTIAL QUESTION

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

Reading and discussing “Wall of Gum,” along with the other themed texts in the magazine (the Big Read, “The Day it Rained Meat”; the fiction piece, “House of Worms”; Word Play, “4 Ways to Say ‘Gross’”; Words & Pictures, “Worms!”; and the poetry kit, “Garbage Truck”), will help kids think about this question.

1. BEFORE READING

Preview the Nonfiction Text Features / Visuals (5-10 minutes)

  • Take a look at the nonfiction text features. First, focus on the big photo. Ask kids to share what they notice about the image of the wall. (There is a lot of gum stuck to the wall. Usually, it’s not good to leave your gum someplace other than the trash, but here it is OK. The gum is many different colors.)
  • Can students find the map on page 2? Explain that the wall is in a city called Seattle in a state called Washington.
  • Can students find the caption on the map? A caption is a word or group of words that give information about a picture. What does the caption say? (The wall is in Seattle.)

Introduce Nosey (3 minutes)

  • Point out our dog character, Nosey, on page 3. Ask someone to read her voice bubble.
  • Explain that Nosey pops up throughout Storyworks 2. Not only does she have a long nose to sniff out facts, but she’s also nosy! She’s curious and wants to know about everything. 

2. READ THE ARTICLE (10 minutes)

  • You can read this short article aloud together as a class, in small groups, or individually.

3. AFTER READING

ELA Focus: Quiz (10 minutes)

  • Pass out the quiz for a quick comprehension check.
  • We offer both multiple-choice and written-answer formats for the quiz.

ELA Focus:  Write Key Details to Nosey at [email protected] (20 minutes)

  • It’s time to help Nosey fill out her Fact File! Print out Nosey’s Fact File from the Resources section of our website. Kids can find facts from the article. They can work in small groups or individually. 
  • Each fact box is scaffolded to help kids know what to write.
  • You can also do this as a whole class activity and email their Fact Files to Nosey at
    [email protected]!

Enrich the Learning: Paired Text Opportunities

  • Making text-to-text connections builds knowledge and comprehension. We layer Storyworks 2 with many ways for your students to make connections.
  • Kids can compare texts by using our “Gross-Out Chart” printable.

Text-to-Speech