1. Before, During, and After Reading Skills
“A Sound of Thunder”
By Ray Bradbury
Before, During, and After Reading Skills

2. How does the setting play an important role in the main conflict?
Literary Response
“A Sound of Thunder”
Read the text carefully and note the way the author uses the setting to advance the main conflict in the story.
How does the setting play an important role in the main conflict?
Explain your thoughts and ideas and use evidence from the text to support your response.

3. Pre-Reading Skills
What skills and techniques have we used BEFORE reading a text?
Which skills and techniques do you think could help you the most?
Use a few of them now!!!
3:00 Minutes

4. Pre-Reading Skills Preparing to Read Page
Literary & Reading Focus Terms & Skills
Writing Focus’
Vocabulary
Author Biography
Build Background
Preview the Selection
Read with a Purpose
Preview: Artwork, illustrations, maps, charts, graphs, headings & subheadings, bold/color/highlighted/underlined/italicized font
Applying Your Skills – the questions/activities at the end of a selection

5. During Reading Skills
What skills and techniques have we used DURING the reading of a text?
Which skills and techniques do you think could help you the most?

6. Complete the reading chart as you read the text.
During Reading Skills
Complete the reading chart as you read the text.
Apply the “tricks” that will best help you to understand the text completely.
Good Luck!!!

7. After Reading Skills
What do you predict we will do after reading this text selection?
What information did you use to draw that conclusion?
What would you prefer we do, if the choice were yours?

8. Applying Your Skills – Page 89
Respond to the following questions using text details to fully explain your answers.
Vocabulary Check 5-7
Literary Focus 8, 9, 10, 11, and 13

9. Applying Your Skills – Page 89
Literary Focus
8. Interpret – Might the title of the story have more than one meaning? Explain.
The title could reflect the sound of the gun fired at the dinosaur or the gun fired at Eckels. It could also symbolize the great change that occurs as the result of his actions during the safari.

10. Applying Your Skills – Page 89
Literary Focus
9. Interpret – What is the significance of the misspellings in the Time Safari, Inc. sign that Eckels sees at the end of the story?
The misspellings show that the world has changed since the group left. Eckels stepping on the flower has caused subtle changes to our in the present time.

11. Applying Your Skills – Page 89
Literary Focus
10. Evaluate – Are there any flaws in Bradbury’s logic in the telling of this story? If so, do those flaws lessen your enjoyment of the story? Explain.
One flaw might be the death of a dinosaur in a slightly different location or time could also have serious consequences, but the story is still enjoyable.

12. Applying Your Skills – Page 89
Literary Focus
11. Interpret – What do you think is Bradbury’s PURPOSE for telling this story? What THEME, or idea about life, is he trying to convey? Explain.
Bradbury’s story has a serious theme regarding the potential negative effects of one person’s actions.

13. Applying Your Skills – Page 89
Literary Focus
12. Identify – When the characters travel between the present and the past, how does the setting change? When they cross back into the present, what further change has taken place?
The setting changes form an office to a jungle; when they cross back, the present has changed in numerous subtle ways.

14. Applying Your Skills – Page 89
Literary Focus
13. Analyze – Which scene do you think is the climax of the story? Explain.
The climax occurs when Eckels realizes that he has changed the present.

15. Applying Your Skills – Page 89
Literary Focus
14. Analyze – What does Bradbury do to build suspense as the story leads to its climax?
He builds details through foreshadowing and descriptive details about the settings.