Undercover Birthday/Trapped in a Basketball (feat. Rachel Dratch and Will Swenson)
Illustration by Camilla Franklin
In the story “Undercover Birthday” by a 9 year-old from Ohio named Isaiah, a spy throws an unusually secretive birthday party. Birthday parties are typically in public places full of loud singing and bright balloons--an “Undercover Birthday” is much more stealthy. This lesson takes inspiration from the story and challenges students to describe a normal setting in a mysterious and secretive way worthy of a secret agent. Writers will pick a public place, and use sensory details to convey the “where” and the “what” in order for the reader to correctly guess the location and discover their “mission.” The result is a fun guessing game that motivates writers to pen detailed descriptions, and encourages readers to practice the skill of inference based on details in the text.
Listen to the episode then scroll down for a Teacher Guide and Activity Guide.
In the story “Undercover Birthday” by a 9 year-old from Ohio named Isaiah, a spy throws an unusually secretive birthday party. Birthday parties are typically in public places full of loud singing and bright balloons--an “Undercover Birthday” is much more stealthy. This lesson takes inspiration from the story and challenges students to describe a normal setting in a mysterious and secretive way worthy of a secret agent. Writers will pick a public place, and use sensory details to convey the “where” and the “what” in order for the reader to correctly guess the location and discover their “mission.” The result is a fun guessing game that motivates writers to pen detailed descriptions, and encourages readers to practice the skill of inference based on details in the text.