After the animals take great risks to stand up for Roz, she still has to make the decision to leave the island. When pressed with the return of RECOs, Roz’s strength and ability to do the right thing for the safety of the island is admirable. 

As Roz jets away into the unknown, the story ends and we have more questions than answers. This type of ending where the character or characters are left with a shocking revelation at the end of a story is called a cliffhanger. Cliffhangers often leave the reader wanting to find out more. Are you a fan of a cliffhanger ending? Why or why not? 

The End for now…

YOU DID IT! 

Thank you for taking part in our Whole School Read. We hope this literacy initiative created some cozy rituals of reading together. Carving out time to share and discuss the story together benefits both comprehension of the text and gives opportunities for connection. Not sure what to read next?

Here are some options:

When three RECOS arrive at the island, we can sense the stark contrast between Roz who we have seen evolve and grow and the new “sparkly,” combat robots. How has Roz changed since her arrival at the island? Roz has grown mentally, physically and emotionally through out the story in many ways. How have you changed since the start of the school year?

Optional activity: Chapter 73 ends at an exhilarating moment in the story, Roz has used her power of camouflage to disappear amongst the seaweed, this allows Roz to grasp the rifle without RECO 1 noticing. Use your imagination to create an end to the story from this point on. 

Roz makes the statement, "perhaps I am simply meant to help others” (Brown, p. 192) when considering her purpose on the island. At the beginning of the story, Roz needs help from the animals to survive and eventually she is able to return support to others. When Roz loses her foot, she again needs assistance from the beavers. It is courageous to ask for help at trying times; share a time when it was tricky for you to ask for help but someone was able to support you.

Optional Activity: Brightbill returns home and shares all his stories about his journey south. Watch this Bird migration video to find out the main reason why birds migrate. 

Big shifts take place in the story as Brightbill migrates with the other geese and winter visits the island. When Roz questions “how bad can winter be?” in an attempt to reassure Brightbill; Peter Brown is foreshadowing a difficult, frigid winter for Roz and the rest of the animals. Foreshadowing is a narrative device that hints at events to come. Luckily for some of the animals, Roz’s “Nest” offers a secure and welcoming shelter that allows them to survive the bitterly cold nights.

Optional STEM challenge: Brightbill learned to be a clever flier from studying the flight techniques of other birds alongside his mother. If you are interested in designing a paper airplane that glides fast and far, check out this Kids vs. Science video.

You will need 8.5 x 11 paper and scissors to create paper airplanes, here are some designs to try out. 

Click here to copy and paste the text into Google Translate.

Throughout the school our love for Roz can be seen; this wonderful Robot Valentine holder was created by a Kindergarten student from Lochside Elementary. 

Thank you for sending in your name suggestions for the gosling. From Jarrod to BrightPINK, we had some creative names sent our way. 

From Brightbill's first swim turning into an encounter with Rockmouth, Chapter 35 ended with great relief. Thank goodness for Roz's forest connections.

On page 104, Roz faces a difficult decision. Peter Brown creates a scene that I could visualize in my head:

“The robot was terribly conflicted. Part of her knew she had to help her son, but another part knew she had to stay out of deep water. Her body lurched forward and then backward, again and again as she struggled to make a decision.” (Brown, p. 104) 

Think a time when you had a difficult decision to make. What helped you in finding a decision that worked? Share with your child how you have made big decisions in the past.

Optional Activity: Write a poem about a character in "The Wild Robot." You could write the poem on Roz, Brightbill, Chitchat, one of the bears or any other character. It could be an acrostic, free verse, cinquain or a new form of poetry you'd like to try. Click here to learn more about different poetic forms. Bring in the poem to Mrs. Molloy and it will be displayed at school.

Click here to copy and paste the text into Google Translate.

Readers are always making connections while they read.  Sometimes they connect the story to themselves, to other books they've read or to the world around them. While reading "The Wild Robot" stop and share connections that you make with the text.

Text to Text Connection: A book can’t mention a runt without a clear connection to Wilbur from “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White popping into my mind. Fern and Wilbur had a strong relationship that made Wilbur grow in size and confidence. In "The Wild Robot," Loudwing talks about the newly hatched gosling being a runt, I can imagine Roz will do whatever it takes to help Brightbill flourish. Did you make this text-to-text connection?

Text to Self Connection: "If you are wanting friends, plant a garden", says Mr. Beaver. In your time spent Beyond the Fence and in the courtyard at Lochside, how do you agree or disagree with Mr. Beaver?

Optional Activity: If you were to name Roz’s gosling, what would you name it? Bring in your idea to Mrs. Molloy and she will display all your creative ideas.

The stick insect teaches Roz an important lesson, what other animals do you know that use this lesson for survival?

Use National Geographic Kids to find out at least one other animal that uses camouflage to protect itself from predators. 

Username: 63loc Password: library 

Optional Activity: Roz has made a mistake and damaged the goose nest, write an apology from Roz to the goose egg.

Click here to copy and paste the text into Google Translate.

How does Roz survive the mud flow and the bear attack? Why is Roz especially good at adapting? 

Tell a story about a time when you have needed to adapt to a new situation, what worked and what didn’t?

Optional Activity: As we learn more about the island setting, draw, build or mold to show what you know about the island so far. 

Everyone reads at their own pace, let this be a guide that can be altered to meet your family needs. Some weeks will be busy and you may have less time, we acknowledge this, just take each page at a time. 

Click here to check out the Chapter Guide for the next twelve weeks.

Before we begin the book, take a look at the questions below to get your curious mind thinking about the "The Wild Robot."

Imagine you were stranded on an island far away from civilization. What five things would you bring with you? Share your list or pictures of these items with a family member. 

Want to read more, Wonderopolis has an article on this topic. 

Write down or have an adult scribe for you, as many wonders as you can about robots. Bring them in to Mrs. Molloy from January 8-12 and she will be displaying them in the school.