Characters
Choose the character you will play.
Working on a team project at school can be tricky. Explore this theme even further in “The Eclipse Party Disaster.”
Art by Carolyn Ridsdale
Play,
Team Rattlesnake
Can Lia persuade her classmates to protect a misunderstood creature?
By Elise Broach
From the May/June 2025 Issue
Learning Objective: Students will identify what motivates Lia to want to help protect rattlesnakes in her town.
Complexity Factors
Featured Skill:
Character,
Other Key Skills: how a character changes, supporting details, inference, main idea, text features, plot, interpreting text, vocabulary, opinion writing, explanatory writing, narrative writing, speaking, listening, read with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension
Standards
Content-Area Connections
Narrators 1, 2, 3 (N1, N2, N3)
Mr. Rossi, Lia’s father
Lia, a third-grader
Mrs. Chan, Lia’s teacher
Mayor Tuttle, the town mayor
Owen, Scarlett, and Diego, Lia’s classmates
Class, read by all
Dr. Greene, a snake scientist
Citizens 1, 2
Scene 1
Lia’s house in Hidden Woods, Wisconsin
N1: Lia is leaving for school.
N2: She grabs her lunch, looking sad.
Mr. Rossi: Aw, my tuna sandwich isn’t that bad.
Lia: Dad, I haven’t made any new friends since we moved.
Mr. Rossi: You will, it just takes time.
N3: Beep, beep! The bus arrives.
N1: Lia runs outside and almost steps on . . .
N2: . . . a timber rattlesnake!
Mr. Rossi: Careful! If you step on it, it’ll bite you. I’ll call the snake scientists.
Lia: Will they hurt it?
Mr. Rossi: I doubt it.
N3: Lia climbs onto the bus, looking back at the snake.
Scene 2
Mrs. Chan’s classroom, that morning
Mrs. Chan: Hello, class! Today we have a guest—Mayor Tuttle!
Mayor Tuttle: Our town turns 150 this year! I’d like to choose a town mascot to celebrate.
Class: Awesome!
Owen: Like an animal?
Mayor Tuttle: Yes!
Scarlett: Where will it live?
Diego: Who will feed it?
Mayor Tuttle: It’s not a pet. It’ll be a symbol of our town, a local animal. We’ll put its picture on buildings, signs, and T-shirts.
Lia (softly): Cool!
Mayor Tuttle: I’d like your class to come up with two mascots. Then the town will vote to pick one animal.
Mrs. Chan: Can we do it?
Class: YES!
Scene 3
Lia’s yard, after school
domenico scalzo/500px/Getty Images
Did You know?
In 1977, fifth-graders gave New Hampshire leaders an idea for a state insect: the ladybug.
N1: Lia spots the rattlesnake as she steps off the bus.
Lia (quietly): You’re all alone too.
N2: Her father calls from the porch.
Mr. Rossi: Lia, this is Dr. Greene, the snake scientist.
Dr. Greene: Hi! I’m taking this fellow away.
Lia: Will you hurt it?
Dr. Greene: Nope. I’ll release it in the woods, far from people’s homes. It’s terrible when people kill rattlesnakes!
Mr. Rossi: Aren’t they dangerous?
Dr. Greene: Not these guys. They’ll only bite if they’re scared.
N3: Lia notices the zigzag pattern on the snake’s scaly skin.
Lia: It’s so cool!
Dr. Greene: It’s also important. These snakes keep down the number of rodents, like mice and rats.
Lia: Why does that matter?
Dr. Greene: Rodents can carry ticks. And ticks can spread diseases like Lyme disease to people.
Mr. Rossi: So when rattlesnakes eat rodents, there are fewer ticks?
Dr. Greene: That’s right!
Lia: And that helps prevent diseases! I’m glad you’re helping these snakes.
Dr. Greene: I’m trying. But timber rattlesnakes are becoming endangered.
Lia: That’s terrible! Why?
Dr. Greene: People are scared of them. And humans tend to kill animals that scare them.
N1: Dr. Greene gently lifts the snake with tongs and places it into a bucket.
Dr. Greene: I wish there were a way to make people realize how important these rattlesnakes are.
Lia (thoughtfully): Maybe there is . . .
iStockPhoto/Getty Images (Right Kid, Rat, Surprised Kid)
Scene 4
Mrs. Chan’s classroom, the next day
Mrs. Chan: OK, let’s form two teams to come up with ideas for the town mascot.
Owen: I’ll lead Team 1!
Scarlett: And I’ll lead Team 2! Lia, want to join our team?
Lia (softly): Sure.
Diego: I’ll join too!
Scarlett: Wouldn’t a black bear be cute on a T-shirt?
Lia: Or maybe—
Diego: A fox would be even better!
Lia: What about—
Diego: A bobcat?
Scarlett: Nah. That’ll look like a regular cat. We need something cool and different.
Lia: How about a timber rattlesnake?
Diego: Ew! Nobody likes icky snakes.
Scarlett: If they bite, you could die from their venom!
N2: Lia sadly sinks back in her chair.
Scene 5
The school library, the next day
Design Pics Inc/Alamy Stock Photo
Did You know?
Students in Montana voted for the grizzly bear as their state animal in 1982.
N3: Mrs. Chan takes the class to the library to research.
N1: Team 2 still hasn’t decided
on an animal.
N2: Lia sits at the edge of the table, not speaking.
Diego: Ugh! We’re never going to agree on a mascot. Lia, what do you think?
Lia (quietly): I still think the rattlesnake.
Diego: But they’re scary!
Scarlett (thoughtfully): Lia, why don’t you tell us more?
N3: Lia smiles and explains what she learned.
Diego: Wow! I did not know all that.
Scarlett: And people are killing the snakes? That’s so sad.
Lia: I know! Rattlesnakes really need us.
Scarlett: And we need them.
Diego: I think we have our animal!
Mrs. Chan: Are both teams ready to present their animals?
Class: Yes!
Owen: Team 1 picked a big, strong moose! It will look cool on signs.
Mrs. Chan: Excellent. Team 2?
Scarlett: We chose an animal that could really use our help.
N1: Scarlett nudges Lia.
Lia (softly): A timber rattlesnake.
N2: The rest of the class stares at Team 2, shocked.
Scene 6
Town Hall, the following week
imageBROKER.com GmbH & Co. KG/Alamy Stock Photo
Did You Know?
New York’s state reptile is a snapping turtle. That’s thanks to students in New York who suggested it in 2006.
N3: It’s moose vs. timber rattlesnake.
Mayor Tuttle: Welcome! Our third-graders spent last week researching animals for a town mascot.
N1: The teams join Mayor Tuttle on stage.
Mayor Tuttle: Team 1?
Owen: We chose . . . a MOOSE!
N2: Everyone claps.
Owen: Moose are super speedy! They can swim faster than an Olympic swimmer.
Citizen 1: Moose are majestic.
Citizen 2: Like our town!
Mayor Tuttle: Team 2?
Lia: Our idea is . . . a timber rattlesnake.
N3: The crowd gasps.
Citizen 1: Aren’t they dangerous?
Citizen 2: I had to kill one in my kitchen!
Scarlett: Tell them, Lia.
Lia: Timber rattlesnakes are key to the environment.
N1: The crowd quiets down.
Lia: They eat mice and rats, and that helps control the tick population.
Citizen 1: Ticks are a real problem here.
Citizen 2: We’ve had many cases of Lyme disease!
Lia: Rattlesnakes are also endangered. If we make them our mascot, people will see how important they are and help keep them safe.
Scarlett: And they don’t bite you if you leave them alone.
N2: Lia smiles at Scarlett.
Mayor Tuttle: Everyone, write your choice on your paper ballot.
N3: The citizens vote and pass their ballots in.
Mrs. Chan: Time to count the votes!
Mayor Tuttle: For the moose, we have . . . 63 votes!
N1: Lia holds her breath.
Mrs. Chan: And for the timber rattlesnake, we have . . . 64 votes!
Mayor Tuttle: The new Hidden Woods mascot is the timber rattlesnake!
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Scene 7
Town Hall, a month later
Shutterstock.com
N2: The class stands in front of a wooden sign.
N3: Lia proudly reads it.
Lia: “Hidden Woods—A Little Town to Watch Out For.”
Dr. Greene: Our mascot is already helping.
Mayor Tuttle: We’ve set up a phone number for people to call to have snakes removed.
Owen: Great job, Lia!
Scarlett: I’m so glad you were on Team Rattlesnake!
Diego: Thanks to you, we know how important these snakes are.
Lia: Can we help with answering phones?
Dr. Greene: Of course. The more help we have, the more snakes we can save.
Class (high-fiving): Let’s save some snakes!
Think and Write
Imagine you’re Lia. Write a journal entry explaining why you helped make timber rattlesnakes the town mascot.
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Can't Miss Teaching Extras
Read the Fiction stories “The Shark Tooth,” “Snow Day Without Snow,” and “The Ghost of Specter Elementary” to continue discussing the positives that can come with moving to a new place (like new friendships and self-confidence!).
Lia learns it’s not always easy to speak up. Read “The Name Jar,” an inspiring story about a girl who finds the courage to be herself.
After reading about Lia’s experience, read “Veronica’s Pack,” a similar story about a shy girl who finds her voice.
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Table of Contents
4. Differentiate and Customize
Striving Readers, Multilingual Learners, Advanced Readers
1. Preparing to Read
Introduce the Text and Preview Text Features
Ask students to predict what this play will be about based on the title, subtitle, and illustration on page 24. Review the predictions after reading.
Ask students to predict what this play will be about based on the title, subtitle, and illustration on page 24. Review the predictions after reading.
Set a Purpose for Reading
- Call on volunteers to read aloud the Think and Read box on page 25 and the Think and Write box on page 29.
- Remind students to keep these prompts in mind while reading the play.
Introduce Featured Skill
Build on the Think and Read prompt by explaining the play’s featured skill: Character’s Motivation. Encourage students to describe what causes Lia to want to help protect rattlesnakes.
Build on the Think and Read prompt by explaining the play’s featured skill: Character’s Motivation. Encourage students to describe what causes Lia to want to help protect rattlesnakes.
Introduce Vocabulary
- Show or assign the Vocabulary Slideshow to preview challenging words. Then assign the Vocabulary Skill Builder before or after reading.
2. Close Reading
Reading and Unpacking the Text
Storyworks 3 plays provide a perfect opportunity for students to build fluency.
Perform the play as a class or have students follow along as they listen to the audio Read-Aloud.
- Project or assign the Close-Reading and Critical-Thinking Questions.
Storyworks 3 plays provide a perfect opportunity for students to build fluency.
Perform the play as a class or have students follow along as they listen to the audio Read-Aloud.
Close-Reading Questions
- Read Scene 1. Why does Lia feel sad as she leaves for school? Lia feels sad as she leaves for school because she hasn’t made any new friends since her family moved. (cause and effect)
- Read Scene 2. What does Mayor Tuttle announce to Mrs. Chan’s class? Mayor Tuttle announces that he wants the class to come up with two mascots for their town. Then the town will vote to pick one of the animals. (main idea)
- Read Scene 3. What details from this scene explain how timber rattlesnakes help people? What does Lia realize at the end of the scene? Timber rattlesnakes eat rodents, like mice and rats, which carry ticks. These ticks can spread diseases, like Lyme disease, to people. Lia realizes that there could be a way to let people know how important these snakes are—make them the town mascot. (supporting details)
- Read Scene 4. Why does Lia stay quiet after Diego and Scarlett say they don’t like her suggestion of the timber rattlesnake? Lia stays quiet after Diego and Scarlett say they don’t like her suggestion because she feels unsure of herself. She doesn’t feel confident. (inference)
- Read Scene 5. What happens after Mrs. Chan asks both teams to present their animals? First Owen announces that Team 1 picked a big, strong moose to be the town mascot. Then Scarlett announces that Team 2 chose an animal that could use people’s help. After Lia says their choice is a timber rattlesnake, the rest of the class is shocked. (plot)
- Read Scene 6. Which part of the story does the illustration on pages 28 and 29 show? The illustration shows Mrs. Chan and Major Tuttle on the stage in the town hall. Mrs. Chan announces that it is time to count the votes for the town mascot. Mayor Tuttle is about to announce the winner. The students on Teams 1 and 2 watch excitedly and nervously as they wait for the result. (text features)
- Read Scene 7. Why does Dr. Greene say “Our mascot is already helping”? Because people are now aware of how the timber rattlesnake helps them, they are calling a special phone number to have the snakes removed. (interpreting text)
Critical-Thinking Questions
- How do Lia’s feelings about starting at a new school change from the beginning of the play to the end? At the beginning of the play Lia feels sad because she hasn’t made any friends since her family moved. After she helps her team understand the importance of protecting timber rattlesnakes, Lia no longer feels lonely. She knows Diego and Scarlett are her friends, and they appreciate her help. Dr. Greene and Mayor Tuttle do too! By the end of the play, Lia feels that she is part of her class and her community. She has also made a difference for timber rattlesnakes and how people feel about them. (how a character changes)
- Read the “Did You Know?” text features throughout the play. What animal or insect would you choose to be the mascot for your community? Include two reasons for your choice. Answers will vary. (connecting to the text)
3. Skill Building and Writing
Featured Skill: Character's Motivation
Distribute or digitally assign the Character's Motivation Skill Builder.
Ask students to write a response to the Think and Write prompt on page 29.
Differentiate and Customize
For Striving Readers
Build fluency and boost confidence with unison reading. Choose a scene, preview challenging words, and then assign students two or three of the characters to read together aloud while you take on the other roles.
For Multilingual Learners
This play includes stage directions in parentheses that instruct readers how a line should be said, such as softly, quietly, thoughtfully, and high-fiving. Help students understand the meanings of these words by modeling the lines aloud. Discuss what the stage directions tell you about how Lia is feeling. Then invite students to read the lines aloud themselves.
For Advanced Readers
Invite students to research an animal that is important to or symbolic of their town. Then have students write a letter to a town leader, explaining why that animal should be the new town mascot. As a bonus, have them include drawings!
Text-to-Speech