The Houdini Box

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The Houdini Box
Compiled by Terry Sams PES

• by Brian Selznick

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Study Skills

• Genre Historical Fiction
• Comprehension Skill
  Compare and Contrast
• Comprehension Strategy Predict
• Comprehension Review Skill Plot and
  Character
• Vocabulary Synonyms/Antonyms

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Summary
Young Victor wants to be a magician like his
hero, famed escape artist Harry Houdini, but his
attempts at escape end up as disasters. One
Halloween night, he receives a wooden box at
Houdinis house. Victor opens it many years
later and discovers Houdinis secrets.

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Genre Historical Fiction

• Historical fiction has characters and events
  based on real people and events in history. As
  you read, look for historical details.
• (Different PowerPoint on Genre)

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Comprehension Skill Tested Compare and Contrast
TE392

• A Comparison tells how two or more things are
  alike.
• A Contrast tells how they are different
• Clue words such as like or as show comparisons
• Clue words such as but or unlike show contrasts.

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Compare and Contrast PB 153
Special Effects and Magic Tricks Special Effects and Magic Tricks
Alike Different
Both seem real


3. how they work to fool the eye computer vs.
hands
1. Both fool the eye
4. new practice vs. old
2. Both have hard work
5. One is harder to figure out.
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Vocabulary SkillSynonyms and Antonyms TE 394

• When you read, you may come across a word you
  dont know.
• Sometimes the author will use a synonym or an
  antonym as a clue to the meaning of the word.
• Synonyms are words that mean almost the same
  thing.
• Antonyms are words with opposite meanings.

Click on the title to practice this skill.
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Comprehension Strategy Predict TE 407

• Good readers think about what will happen next.
• Patterns in the information in a graph or chart
  can help you predict.

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Question of the WeekTE 392L

• Can you always believe what you see?

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• Why do you think Houdini is able to escape and
  seems to walk through walls, but Victor cannot?

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• Why do people enjoy watching magic tricks so much?

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• What are some things you would and wouldnt like
  about being an illusionist?

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Review Questions

1. How can you tell Houdini and Victor were both
   kind people?
2. Why did Mrs. Houdini cry when she read Victors
   letter?
3. what did Victor try to do after he learned about
   Houdinis tricks?
4. Describe Victors character.

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Review Questions

1. Why didnt Victor tell his wife and son about the
   box?
2. Why did Houdini promise to write Victor a letter?
3. What was important about reading Houdinis
   monument?
4. What was in Houdinis box?
5. When did Victor find Houdinis box?

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Vocabulary - Say It

• appeared
• crumbled
• monument

• vanished
• magician
• escape
• bustling

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More Words to Know

• engraved
• unexplainable
• invisible
• pretending
• judge

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invisible

• Not visible not capable of being seen

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pretending

• making believe

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judge

• form an opinion or estimate about

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appeared

• was seen came in sight

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vanished

• disappeared, especially suddenly

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bustling

• being noisily busy and in a hurry

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monument

• something set up to honor a person or an event.
  A monument may be a building, pillar, arch,
  statue, tomb, or stone.

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monument
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crumbled

• fell to pieces decayed

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magician

• person who entertains by art or skill of
  creating illusions, especially a sleight of hand

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engraved

• cut deeply in carved in carved in an artistic
  way

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unexplainable

• unaccountable without apparent cause or reason

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escape

• to get out and away to get free

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The clothes were invisible to people who were
unfit for their jobs.
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The clothes were invisible to people who were
unfit for their jobs.
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Victor was looking around the huge, bustling
train station when he saw Houdini.
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Victor was looking around the huge, bustling
train station when he saw Houdini.
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The king learned to judge people by their good
work and not how they complimented him.
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The king learned to judge people by their good
work and not how they complimented him.
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The weavers were only pretending to weave cloth .
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The weavers were only pretending to weave cloth .
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The children like Houdini because he could do the
unexplainable.
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The children like Houdini because he could do the
unexplainable.
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Houdini could escape from an iron milk can in
under 20 seconds.
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Houdini could escape from an iron milk
can in under 20 seconds.
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Victor wanted to be a magician when he grew up,
just like Houdini.
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Victor wanted to be a magician when he grew up,
just like Houdini.
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Mrs. Houdini vanished up the staircase into the
library.
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Mrs. Houdini vanished up the staircase into the
library.
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The initials E.W. were engraved on the bottom of
the box.
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The initials E.W. were engraved on the bottom
of the box.
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They found the ball lying in the corner of a dark
monument in the graveyard.
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They found the ball lying in the corner of a dark
monument in the graveyard.
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Two smaller words appeared directly below
Houdini.
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Two smaller words appeared directly below
Houdini.
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The lock was so old that it crumbled when Victor
brushed his hand across it.
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The lock was so old that it crumbled when Victor
brushed his hand across it.
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Spelling Words Contractions

• havent
• whens
• weve
• its
• theyre

• arent
• hadnt
• wheres
• couldnt
• shouldnt

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Spelling Words Contractions

• were
• theres
• wouldnt
• wont
• dont

• wasnt
• heres
• Ive
• doesnt
• youre

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CHALLENGE

• itll
• wholl
• mightve
• mustnt
• wed

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Lets review our Spelling words. Watch carefully
because they will flash on the screen for just a
moment. We can clap as we spell the word, or we
might just practice reading the words.
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dont do not
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wont will not
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wouldnt would not
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theres there is
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were we are
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youre you are
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doesnt does not
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Ive I have
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heres here is
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wasnt was not
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shouldnt should not
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couldnt could not
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wheres where is
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hadnt had not
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arent are not
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theyre they are
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its it is
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weve we have
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whens when is
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havent have not
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itll it will
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wholl who will
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mightve might have
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mustnt must not
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wed we had