The focus of this reading is the text.There will be opportunities in this reading to connect the information in the illustrations to the information in the text. Making these connections will help to add meaning to the text. Remember the inferences you made during the FIRST READING about how the illustration might connect to infinity. Make connections to your inferences from the FIRST READING as you read the text.
*Before you begin to read, review the meaning of infinity: endless space, time, or number.
*Always read the text before you ask the questions.
Pages 1 – 2:
~Did you notice her red shoes when looking at the illustrations?
~Find the sentence in the text that tells you why the girl shivered. (“The sky seemed so huge and cold.”) Think of all of the things that make you shiver.
~How would you answer her questions?
~How would you describe million and billion? Discuss what’s bigger: million or billion. Are million and billion bigger than infinity? What do you wish you had a million of or a billion of?
~Notice how the text gets bigger for million, billion, and infinity. Why might that be?
Pages 3 – 4:
We discover the character’s name: Uma.
~Do you agree with the statement that Charlie makes?
~Do you agree with Uma’s statement, “I thought about trying to write that number down. Even if I lived forever, I would never finish.”?
Pages 5 – 6:
~After hearing how Sam imagines infinity, why do you think the racetrack is in the illustration?
~Trace the infinity symbol. How would you describe the infinity symbol to someone?
Pages 7 – 10:
Read these pages.
~On page 9, what does Uma realize about infinity?
~On page 10, how do you think she is feeling?
Pages 11 – 12:
~How would you answer the questions that Uma asks?
Pages 13 – 14:
~Who is the other person in the illustration besides Uma?
~Would you want to be a certain age for infinity?
Pages 15 – 20:
Read these pages.
~Why is Uma’s head hurting?
~Why does Uma regret asking the music teacher about infinity? How does Ms. Reed’s answer help you understand the illustration?
Pages 21 – 22:
~How do you think that Uma is feeling?
Pages 23 – END:
Read these pages.
~On page 26, the text tells you why Uma’s feelings change. Why is she smiling?
~Can love for someone be as big as infinity?
~On the last page, Uma is under the stars, again. Now the sky does not seem so huge and cold to her. How does Uma think about the sky now? (like a sparkly blanket) Why is Uma comparing the sky to a sparkly blanket?