1. Journal Prompts

2. “Seven Spools of Thread” Write about someone you get along with well. Explain why you get along so well.

3. “Seven Spools of Thread” Write a paragraph to convince your readers why it is important for two people who are on the same team to get along.

4. “Seven Spools of Thread” Imagine that you are one of the seven brothers in the story. Write how you feel about working with your brothers now and why.

5. “Seven Spools of Thread” Suppose you could travel to visit the moon. Write a journal entry describing your time there.

6. “Seven Spools of Thread” What rules could the seven brothers follow to prevent any more quarreling?

7. “Nacho and Lolita” Describe a time you helped solve a problem because of something unique about you.

8. “Nacho and Lolita” Write a short song Nacho may want to sing.

9. “Nacho and Lolita” Describe a sacrifice you once made for a friend or family member.

10. “Nacho and Lolita” Write a poem about Nacho’s town before he planted his feathers and one about the town afterwards.

11. “Nacho and Lolita” The author uses the phrase “papaya sky” to describe the sunset. Why did she do this?

12. “A Solution to Pollution” Describe how you felt after solving a problem you saw.

13. “A Solution to Pollution” Write a letter to your principal explaining why your school should help with coastal cleanup day.

14. “A Solution to Pollution” Think of five messages the kid helpers could spell out on the beach.

15. “A Solution to Pollution” Describe how the Yurcek family worked together to solve a problem.

16. “A Solution to Pollution” Write a plan that your class can follow to solve a problem in your community or school.

17. “Ramona and Her Father” Write a paragraph about your family and how each member plays a different part.

18. “Ramona and Her Father” Pretend you are Ramona. Write a diary entry about how you feel after hearing the news about your father.

19. “Ramona and Her Father” Make a list of why older siblings can be frustrating and make another list of how they can be helpful.

20. “Ramona and Her Father” Write out a plan that Ramona could follow to help her family.

21. “Ramona and Her Father” Write a paragraph describing how your family is unique.

22. “Out of This World! The Ellen Ochoa Story” Make a list of all the jobs you can think of that require teamwork.

23. “Out of This World! The Ellen Ochoa Story” Write a letter to Ellen Ochoa. What questions do you want to ask her? What stories would you want to share?

24. “Out of This World! The Ellen Ochoa Story” Write an article for a newspaper in favor of or against using robots for different jobs.

25. “Out of This World! The Ellen Ochoa Story” Make up a short poem describing a constellation or celestial body.

26. “Out of This World! The Ellen Ochoa Story” Write a paragraph describing what you think is in outer space.