Hello everyone!
Welcome back.
I am your reading coach, Minhee Teacher.
Today, we are opening a super exciting book together.
It is the very first book in a famous series: Lost Treasure of
the Emerald Eye, Part 1, titled The Map and the Promise.
Today, let us put on our movie director hats.
When we read a book, we are not just looking at black letters on
a white page.
We are actually filming a movie right inside our minds.
So, let us look through our camera lens and see how our story
begins.
If we zoom out and look at our storyboard, we can see this first
part in three simple scenes.
In scene one, we see a very busy, messy morning.
Our main character, Geronimo Stilton, is running super late.
He is not a brave, muscular superhero.
He is a quiet mouse who loves his office, his work, and a
peaceful life.
In scene two, the door flies open.
His energetic sister, Thea, bursts into the room.
She is holding a mysterious, dusty map that she says leads to a
giant treasure called the Emerald Eye.
In scene three, we see the big decision.
Geronimo says no way, this is crazy!
But after some talking, he makes a promise.
He agrees to go on the trip.
Now, let us zoom in our camera for a close-up on the key moment.
Look at Geronimo's face.
He is shouting, "Putrid cheese puffs!" Putrid means smelly and
rotten.
Can you picture that?
He is so stressed out that he compares his morning to smelly,
rotten cheese puffs!
He does not want a wild adventure.
He just wants a normal, quiet Monday.
But then, look at Thea's eyes.
They are shining with excitement.
Geronimo tells her that a treasure hunt is ridiculous.
Ridiculous means something is so silly or hard to believe that
it is almost funny.
He thinks searching for hidden treasure is like wearing socks on
your ears.
But look closely at Geronimo's heart.
He loves his sister, and he feels responsible for her.
He knows he cannot let her go alone.
So, even though he is worried, he takes a deep breath and makes
a promise.
Why does this setup matter for our movie?
Let us explain it simply.
Geronimo wants a quiet day.
Thea brings a big adventure.
A promise pushes Geronimo into the story.
If Geronimo were a fearless warrior who loved danger, the story
would not be very exciting.
We love Geronimo because he is just like us.
He gets nervous, he grumbles, and he worries about his busy
schedule.
But he still takes action.
Sometimes, we do not start an adventure because we are one
hundred percent ready.
We start because of a promise, because we care about someone, or
because of a tiny spark of curiosity.
Geronimo is not ready, but he takes the first step anyway.
That is what makes him a real hero, and that is how our story
gets moving.
To help us direct this scene, let us master three important
words from our script.
Our first word is late.
This means not on time.
Imagine waking up, looking at the clock, and realizing school
starts in five minutes.
That feeling of rushing is being late.
Our second word is ridiculous.
Say it with me: ri-di-cu-lous.
It means very silly or hard to believe.
If someone tells you that pigs can fly, you can say, that is
ridiculous!
Geronimo thinks the treasure map is ridiculous, but it turns out
to be very real.
Our third word is promise.
A promise is something you say you will definitely do.
It is not a joke, and you cannot easily break it.
Once Geronimo makes a promise to Thea, his quiet Monday is
officially over.
Now, let us practice our actor voices with some shadowing.
I will say a short sentence, and I want you to repeat it right
after me with lots of energy.
Are you ready?
Let us begin.
Geronimo is late again.
Thea has a mysterious map.
The map may lead to treasure.
Geronimo thinks the plan is ridiculous.
A promise begins the adventure.
You did an amazing job!
Your voices sound like real movie actors.
To wrap up our lesson today, I want to leave you with one
reflection question to think about.
Is there something you promised to do, even though you felt a
little scared or busy?
How did you feel after you did it?
Think about your own life adventures, and I will see you in our
next reading lesson.
Happy reading, everyone!