Front Desk by Kelly Yang: Part 3

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

This lesson concludes our novel study for Front Desk by Kelly Yang.

If you have not read the book while completing the first two Related Lessons, found in the right-hand sidebar, please do so first.

• Did the story end how you thought it would?

Let's finish filling out the Story Map. (You can find another blank version under Downloadable Resources in the right-hand sidebar if needed.)

If you've been adding details to your character journal and listing the important events on your story map, the only thing left to do is fill out the conclusion.

Fill in this final section of your Story Map with one to two sentences describing how the story ends.

On possible response is:

Mia doesn't win the essay contest, but she does convince friends, distant relatives, and previous guests to invest in the Calavista so that the Tangs may take over ownership of the hotel when Mr. Yao is forced to sell.

You may have written something similar, or you might have included other details. That's okay! This is a type of summary.

Summarizing is an important skill for demonstrating reading comprehension. Summarizing is when you boil down a story to only its most important parts in a brief, clear way.

Now that you've read the entire story, think about how you would write the summary on the back cover of the book.

Think about back covers you've read before. They tell the reader just enough about the story to get them interested without giving away what happens in the end. It is written in a style to entice (this means attract) readers.

Now is your chance to write a back cover summary!

Think about the whole story and write a brief, one- or two-paragraph summary for the back cover of Front Desk.

• Did you know that writing back cover text can be part of a job?

Text like what appears on the back cover of books or on other materials that goes out with books to promote them to potential readers is called copy, and people who write it are called copywriters.

Optional Extension

After you finish your back cover copy, draw a new front cover for the book!

Think about all the details the original cover of Front Desk includes that gives hints about the story. (You can follow the link to goodreads if you want to see it again.)

• What details would you want to include?
• How do you visualize the front desk at the Calavista?

Now is your chance to bring it to life!

When you're ready, move on to the Got It? section to check your comprehension and recall of Front Desk.