Sadako+Resources


 * Sadako and the Thousand Cranes**

Making Inferences 1: Good Luck Signs – 3 points a. (p. 9) What did Sadako’s mother mean when she said, “Sadako had learned to run before she could walk?” (Sadako loves to run so much that she would rather run back home from school than walk) b. (p. 10) What does it mean to rush like a whirlwind? (to move in a great hurry) c. (p. 14) Why did Sadako consider finding a spider as a good luck sign? (She was feeling very good and cheerful that day. Anything that would come her way could be considered a good luck sign.) 2: Peace Day – 3 points a. (p. 15) What do you think the author meant when she wrote: “Sadako was sure that they would always be as close as two pine needles on the same twig”? (Sadako and Chizuko will be best friends for a long time) b. (p. 18) Describe in your own words what Sadako had seen and felt when she said “There was the flash of a million suns. Then the heat prickled my eyes like needles”. (The light coming from the explosion was too bright and too hot that it hurt her eyes too much.) c. (p. 20) What do you think the tradition of launching paper lanterns with lit candles to the Ohta River mean? (it means that the family members want to remember their dead relative and give respect to them.) 3: Sadako’s Secret – 1 points a. (p. 24-26) Why do you think Sadako kept the dizziness to herself? (So that her family and friend will not worry about her.) 4: A Secret No Longer – 2 points a. (29-30) Why did Sadako have to stay in the hospital? What does she have? How do you know? (She needed to be treated for Leukemia. She overheard her mother saying it and when she asked her father if she had it, it took him a while to answer the question. His answer was not related to the question.) b. (p.32) What happened to the people who came to the hospital and never came out? (They die.) 5: The Golden Crane – 1 point a. (p. 39) What picture does the poem “Out of colored paper, cranes come flying into our house” create in the reader’s minds? (Folded colored paper cranes are used to decorate the house or hospital in this case.) 6: Kenji – 3 points a. (p. 41) Why are Sadako’s paper cranes look better now than before? (She’s had enough practice to be able to fold them perfectly.) b. (p. 41) Describe how one would feel when his bones are on fire and to go into deep blackness? (His body is very painful and he would pass out because of too much pain.) c. (p. 44) Why did Kenji say” Even the Gods can’t help me now?” ( He knows he was going to die. He could read the charts and know that his blood count is not good.) 7: Hundreds of Wishes – 3 points a. (p.48) How does the weather compare to what Sadako was feeling? (She feels very sad and gloomy) b. (p. 49) Why was Sadako feeling like a turtle? (She was too weak to move fast or even eat) c. (p. 51) Mrs. Sasaki whispered a poem that she used to say when Sadako was little: “O flock of heavenly cranes, cover my child with your wings” What do you think this poem means? Why did Mrs. Sasaki recite it? (It means Mras. Sasaki is asking for the gods to take care of her daughter. She recited it so that Sadako will be protected from danger or pain.) 8: Last Days – 2 points a. (p. 55) Why did Mrs. Sasaki react negatively to what Mr. Sasaki said, “Oba Chan’s spirit must be pleased to see how ladylike her granddaughter has become.” (She wants Sadako to be back to her normal cheerful self. b. (p. 59) Why did Sadako think that her mother’s slippers make a special sound? (Because the sound is very much familiar to her and it comes from someone she loves.) 9: Racing with the Wind – 2 points  a. (p. 60) Why was avoiding to think about death like trying to stop the rain from falling? Because whenever Sadako try to think of something else, the thought of death cmes back to her. b. (p. 63) How do you compare Sadako to the cranes at the end of the story? (When she died, her spirit was as free as the birds.) Scores:  18-20 = 4  15-17 = 3  12-14 = 2  0-11= 1