Tokyo Dreams

Essential Questions: How can details bring a story to life? How do family relationships shape who we are? What do a person’s actions say about them?

Project the Google Slides version of Vocabulary: Definitions and Practice on your whiteboard. Review the definitions and complete the activity as a class. Highlighted words: haste, tactics, tempo, tinny. Audio pronunciations of the words and a read-aloud of the definitions are embedded on the slides. Optionally, print the PDF version or share the slideshow link to your LMS and have students preview the words and complete the activity independently before class.

Project the slideshow Background Builder: Japanese Culture in “Tokyo Dreams,” which provides information about elements of Japanese culture mentioned in the story that may be unfamiliar to American students.

Read the “Spotlight On” box on page 13 or at the top of the digital story page.

For students’ first read, have them follow along as they listen to the audio read-aloud, located in the Resources tab in Teacher View and at the top of the story page in Student View.

Have students reread and annotate the story for descriptive details independently. Here are some symbols you might have them use: 

👀 = sight

👃 = smell

👄 = taste

✋ = touch

👂 = sound

Alternatively, have students complete a double-entry journal during their reread. In their journals or on a piece of paper, have students create a T-chart. In the left-hand column, have them record three to five lines that help bring the story to life. In the right-hand column, have them record their reactions to these lines through questions, comments, connections, or analysis. You can find both a print and a digital version of our Double-Entry Journal handout in the Resources tab. 

Sensory detail examples:

Sight: “It was full of hundreds of crane games, each one flashing colored lights”; “Keiko paused for a moment—a small smile dancing across her lips.”

Smell: n/a

Taste: n/a

Touch: “Keiko pressed her hands against the machine and leaned forward until her breath steamed up the glass”; “It was cold and wet and covered in grime”; “She took hold of the joystick in both hands. Her palms were sweaty.”

Sound: “The machine made a high-pitched sound as it registered the coin, and the music increased in tempo. Its frantic pings matched the rapid beating of her heart.”

Divide students into groups to discuss their annotations or double-entry journals. Then reconvene as a whole group and pose the following questions, some of which may draw on students’ reading responses and group discussions. (If you prefer to have students answer these questions in writing, use the Discussion Questions in the Resources tab.)

1. What is the main conflict in the story? How is it resolved? (conflict) The main conflict is Keiko wanting to win the Doragon plushy, but not having the money to play the crane game. When Keiko finds a coin and is able to play, she grabs Doragon with the claw, but the machine drops it and she does not win. The conflict is resolved when the security guard gives Keiko the plushy anyway.

2. Consider the security guard’s actions throughout the story. What does Keiko assume about him? What is the security guard likely thinking about Keiko? (inference, character) Throughout the story, Keiko says the security guard is always frowning at her and giving stern looks. She assumes he is watching her to make sure she isn’t doing anything wrong. The security guard is likely feeling bad that Keiko comes into the game center every day and watches the Doragon game but doesn’t have enough money to play. He knows how badly she wants Doragon.

3. Based on the story, what can you tell about Keiko’s relationship with her brother? (inference) Based on the story, it’s clear that Keiko has a very close relationship with her brother. She spends day after day planning how to win Doragon. Until the end of the story, we assume that she wants the plushy for herself, but the ending reveals that she wanted it for Akio. She is so excited to give him Doragon once she has it, that she runs all the way home, climbs the stairs two at a time, and rushes into his room. She feels so much joy being able to give him a gift that she knows he will love. When she says, “Lucky you’ve got me, then, isn’t it?,” you can tell she feels a responsibility toward him and is proud to be there for him. When Akio hugs his sister, you can tell he loves and appreciates his sister just as much as she loves him.

Have students use the Featured Skill Activity: Descriptive Writing to help them to respond to the writing prompt on page 14 in the printed magazine and at the bottom of the digital story page:

Think about your favorite place in the world. Write a paragraph about that place, using descriptive language to bring the setting to life.

Alternatively, have students choose a task from the Choice Board, a menu of culminating tasks. (Our Choice Board options include the writing prompt from the magazine, differentiated versions of the writing prompt, and additional creative ways for students to demonstrate their understanding of a story.)