C A N D L E W I C K P R E S S T E AC H E R S ’ G U I D E

THE ROCK FROM THE SKY

by Jon Klassen
ABOUT THE BOOK
Look up! Here comes The Rock from the Sky, a meditation
on the workings of friendship, fate, shared futuristic visions,
and that funny feeling you get when there’s something off
somewhere, but you just can’t put your finger on it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jon Klassen is the creator of the #1 New York Times
bestseller I Want My Hat Back, which was named a Theodor
Seuss Geisel Honor Book, a New York Times Book Review
Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year, and a Publishers
Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year. He returned with
another hat and another thief in This Is Not My Hat, which
won the Caldecott Medal and became a New York Times
bestseller. The hat trilogy finished with We Found a Hat in
2016. He is also the illustrator of House Held Up by Trees,
a picture book written by Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Ted
Kooser, as well as Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett.

Jon Klassen has worked as an illustrator for feature

animated films, music videos, and editorial pieces. Originally
from Niagara Falls, Ontario, he now lives in Los Angeles.
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1562-5
Also available as an e-book

Common Core
Connections
This guide consists of discussion opportu- The Common Core State Standards and Ratios and Proportional Relationships
nities and classroom extension activities Next Generation Science Standard that CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6-7.RPA
that can be used when reading, teaching, can be addressed using the discussion
or discussing The Rock from the Sky. questions and activities in this guide are: Earth’s Systems

This text allows the readers to think about Anchor Standards for Reading NGSS.MS-ESS2-2
literary components such as character- For more information on specific standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.1
ization, mood, themes, predictions, and for your grade level, visit the Common
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.2
author’s choice. There are also opportuni- Core website at www.corestandards.org
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.3
ties for activities about ratios and meteors. or Next Generation Science Standards at
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.5
The discussion opportunities and class- https://www.nextgenscience.org/.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.10
room extension activities in this guide are
designed to be used in any grades as these Anchor Standards for Speaking and
texts are read as a whole group, as a small Listening
group, or independently. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.1
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.6

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Use these questions for whole group discussion, reading check-ins, or writing prompts
with The Rock from the Sky.

1. L
 ook at the characters’ eyes throughout the book. What emotions did Jon Klassen
portray just with their eyes? How did he do it?

2. Where do you think the rock came from? What evidence in the text supports your
answer?

3. How does the mood change throughout the book?

4. D
 o you think the turtle is a good friend? The armadillo? The snake? Explain your
thinking.

5. In the fifth chapter, how do you think the turtle feels about the armadillo and the
snake? Why do you think that?

6. Do you think this book has a lesson? If so, what is the lesson of the book? If not,
explain why you think this.

7. Why do you think the snake doesn’t speak?

8. In an interview (https://www.candlewick.com/book_files/1536215627.ban.1.pdf),

Jon Klassen said that after he finished the first story, he thought, “Well, that’s too
short for a book. It doesn’t feel complete yet.” He added, “And it turns out it took four
more stories to make it feel complete.” Do you agree or disagree? Would the book
have felt complete after the first chapter only? Explain your answer.

9. In the interview at the link above, when asked about his favorite character from his
books, Jon Klassen shared that he keeps going back to the turtle (turtles have now
appeared in three of his books). He said, “Turtles are vulnerable and passive, but
they are also defined, pretty literally, by their ability to completely withdraw. I guess I
relate to a lot of that.” What animal do you relate to and why?

• Extension: If Jon Klassen had put your animal in this story, how would it have
acted? How would it have changed the story?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
Use these activities to extend students’ learning with The Rock from the Sky.

PREDICTION
Each chapter has a title and an initial illustration. At the beginning of each chapter, complete a
prediction for the chapter (this can be done as a class, in pairs, or individually).
• When done with the chapter, complete a summary of the chapter.
• Finally, do a prediction check. Was the initial prediction correct or incorrect? Explain.

PREDICTION SUMMARY PREDICTION CHECK

BE AN ILLUSTRATOR
Have students draw an animal with a hat in its favorite spot.

• Then ask your students: What could go wrong? Have them draw a second picture that shows
what happens.
• Finally, ask: What would happen in the future? What type of alien would visit your future?
Have them draw a third picture showing this.

READERS’ THEATER
Readers’ theater is a strategy for developing fluency and prosody. To ensure that fluency has
been modeled, make sure to have read aloud The Rock from the Sky before taking part in this
activity.
• First, group students in groups of three.
• Each group should be assigned a different section of the book.
• Have each group rewrite their section of The Rock from the Sky as a script.
• Within the group, ask the members to assign roles.
• Now allow students to practice their script within their groups.
• Finally, have students perform for their peers.
o Extension: After all trios have performed, as a class compare and contrast everyone’s
depictions of the characters and dialogue.
o Extension: Move from readers’ theater into a play! Add costumes, sets, etc. Then perform
each chapter for an audience.

THE CHARACTERS
Let’s look more closely at each of our characters. Have students use their words, actions,
body language, and expressions to complete the following character chart for the turtle and
armadillo.
o Extension: Have your students complete a character chart for the snake using their
imagination.

The Rock from the Sky • Teachers’ Guide • www.candlewick.com • page 3

Name

ABOUT A CHARACTER

Likes Thoughts Fears

Dislikes CHARACTER ILLUSTRATION Positive character traits

Behavior Negative character traits

Is this how you would How is this character different from you? How is this character like
assume this type of you?
animal would be like?
Why or why not?

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REFLECTION
To help students make a connection to the book, pose one (or more) of the following
reflection prompts.

• Where is your favorite spot? Draw yourself sitting in your favorite spot. Then write an
explanation of your favorite spot and why you love it.

• Do you ever just “have a feeling” about something, like the armadillo does? These are called
premonitions. Write about a time you’ve had a premonition, then draw an illustration of it.

• When was a time you needed help? Draw an illustration of what happened, then write an
explanation.

• What is your favorite time of day? Write about it and why you love it and add an illustration.

• Who is someone you have been jealous of? Write about the situation and add an illustration.

• Have you ever been betrayed by someone? Share what happened and draw an illustration
of the situation.

RATIOS
How big is that rock? Use this activity with your students to answer this question.

• To figure out how big the rock is, we’ll have to first figure out the ratio from illustration to
real life.

• We’re going to use a three-banded armadillo and a red-footed tortoise for this activity as
they both live in similar habitats and seem to match the comparable sizes of the characters.

• A three-banded armadillo is about 12 inches long and a red-footed tortoise can grow to be
about 16 inches long.

• Measure their size in The Rock from the Sky to determine the ratio.

o Using the spread where the rock initially falls, the armadillo is 1.1 inches long
and the turtle is 1.4 inches long.

o Both of these have a ratio of about 9:100.

• Using this same ratio, how big would the real rock be if the illustration of it is about
6.5 inches tall?

o Also use this ratio to determine how long the snake would be.

o Now research snakes from the same region as the three-banded armadillo and
red-footed tortoise to determine what type of snake it could be.

o Extension question: Why were the three-banded armadillo and red-footed

tortoise used for this equation rather than other armadillos or turtles?

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METEORS
In an interview (https://www.candlewick.com/book_files/1536215627.ban.1.pdf),
Jon Klassen shared that the rock falling from the sky was in fact a meteor.

Share with students that once the meteor hits Earth, it is called a meteorite. Use these
resources from NASA and Space.com to introduce meteor showers and meteorites:
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/meteor-shower/en/
https://www.space.com/42636-meteorites.html

Most meteors that enter the Earth’s atmosphere either disintegrate before hitting Earth or are
pulverized when they do hit Earth and make a crater.

• Extension: The National Informal STEM Education Network has a lesson

titled “Craters” that has a multitude of activities exploring how craters are made.
If you want to extend your students’ learning about craters, visit
https://www.nisenet.org/catalog/exploring-solar-system-craters for these activities.

Some meteorites do survive, though! Visit this Business Insider article about the biggest
meteorites that have survived:
https://www.businessinsider.com/biggest-meteorites-space-junk-crashed-earth-2017-2

Group students into six groups and assign one of the large meteorites to each group. Have
the groups prepare a small presentation about their meteorite.

• They should research the meteorite’s makeup and size and where it landed.

• The presentation may be digital or on poster board.

• When finished, have the groups share their presentations with the rest of the class.

This guide was created by Kellee Moye, a middle school teacher-librarian in Orlando, Florida. She is a
coauthor of the blog Unleashing Readers, the author of various teaching guides, the chair of the 2014
Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award committee, a cochair of the 2020–2021 Schneider Family Book
Award committee, and a member of NCTE, ALAN, ALA, and YALSA.

The Rock from the Sky • Teachers’ Guide • www.candlewick.com • page 6