1. Prior Class Reading: up to and including Chapter Twenty Five
Boy in the Tower
Lesson Seven
Prior Class Reading: up to and including Chapter Twenty Five
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2. Taken from The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg
What does the word eerie mean?
What is growing out of the book?
What sort of story do you think the girl is reading and what is your evidence?
Why do you think this illustrator has used black and white for this illustration?
Taken from The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg
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3. Make up three of your own retrieval questions and one interpret.
She has made a discovery about what was killing people. She’d found something in their throats. It was so, so small that we would not be able to see it if we only used our eyes. She had discovered them using a special microscope.
She called them spores.
Boy in the Tower, Page
Read the text about germination and reproduction available at to answer these questions:
CHALLENGE:
Make up three of your own retrieval questions and one interpret.
What are spores?
What types of plants have spores?
Why are spores important to plants?
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4. Which picture most accurately depicts what a Blucher looks like
Which picture most accurately depicts what a Blucher looks like? What is your evidence?
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5. Read pages 121-124. Try to retrieve as many facts about The Bluchers as you can. Make a list.
Some facts you may have found:
They have deadly spores
They are called Bluchers
They are shiny
The top is shaped like a sunflower seed and is the size of fist
They are a blue/silver colour
They feed on buildings
The colour seems to move
They release enzymes
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6. Imagine the government produced an information leaflet
Your Task
Imagine the government produced an information leaflet
informing people about the Bluchers. You are tasked with creating the leaflet. Include the following information.
What are bluchers?
Appearance
Dangers to the public
Feeding
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