Teacher Key
Sample Responses for Written Response to Two Bad Ants
- What is the meaning of the word “scout” as it is used in the story? (p. 4 and p. 6)
Claim:
The word scout means one that goes out and looks for things for the group.Evidence:
On page 4, it says that “a scout had returned with a remarkable discovery.” This means that a scout goes out to find things for the group. Later, Van Allsburg says that the other ants followed the scout, so a scout must also lead others to where they need to go.LAFS.3.L.3.4.a
- Van Allsburg is a talented author who chooses his words carefully. Record the senses below that Van Allsburg uses to describe the setting and situation on the below pages.
Page Number / Sense
8 / Hearing
9 / Sight
Also possibly touch( cold drops fell on them)
10 / Sight
11 / Touch
12 / Smell
LAFS.3.L.2.3.a
*Note extension idea: After reading p. 13, have the students write their own descriptive paragraph for the sense of taste!
LAFS.3.W.1.3.b
- Use text evidence to support the following claim:
Claim:
The illustrations and the text on page ten tell two different things.Evidence:
The text says that the ants were at the foot of a mountain and couldn’t see its peak.The illustration shows that the ants are really at a brick wall (or the side of a house).
LAFS.3.RL.2.6, LAFS.3.RL.3.7
- The ants go after crystals, or what Van Allsburg calls a “tasty treasure,” on page 15. Using the text and the illustrations, from your point of view what do you believe these crystals to be? Support your answer with evidence from the text.
Claim:
The crystals are actually sugar.Evidence:
The illustration on page 15 shows that the crystals look like small white grains and are kept in a bowl or special dish. If you look closely at the illustration on page 14, you can also see the letters “GAR”, which is the second half of the word sugar. Finally, on page 5, the queen deemed the crystal the most delicious food she had ever tasted. All of these clues lead me to believe that the tasty treasures must be sugar.LAFS.3.L.3.4.a
- On page 17, Van Allsburg says, “The ants were wide awake when the scoop turned, dropping them from a frightening height.” This statement shows the difference of perspective between the person and the ants. Write to describe each party’s perspective.
Claim:
The ants and the person have different points of view about height.Evidence:
To the ants, the heightwas extremely high and frightening.To the person, the height was very small, probably only a few inches (the height a person scoops sugar out of the canister and drops it in their cup).
LAFS.3.RL.2.6, LAFS.3.RL.3.7
- Whose perspective is the illustration on page 20 drawn to show? Use evidence to explain your reasoning.
Claim:
The illustration on page 20 is drawn to show the ants’ perspective.Evidence:
The illustration shows a very large looking mouth, nose, and stubble. The face looks very large, because it is much larger than the ants. Also, the coffee in the cup looks like a large amount, almost like a lake of coffee. Therefore, the illustration must be showing the perspective of the ants. If it were from the point of view of the person, these features would look much smaller.LAFS.3.RL.2.6, LAFS.3.RL.3.7
- On pages 18 and 19 the text shows the ants’ point of view by saying that they were in a body of water which was a hot brown liquid. From the reader’s point of view, we see that the ants are actually in a cup of coffee. Describe the difference between the ants’ and the reader’s (your) point of view on pages 22 and 23.
Claim:
The ants and I have different points of view about the event on pages 22 and 23.Evidence:
The ants believe that they are in a large open hiding space that gets hotter every second. I can see from the illustrations that the ants are actually in a toaster that is toasting an English Muffin before they are rocketed out of the toaster when the muffin is done cooking.LAFS.3.RL.2.6, LAFS.3.RL.3.7