What is the cure forUNHAPPINESS?

What helps you through sad times? Is it talking to another person? Is it listening to music by yourself? Everyone deals with unhappiness in his or her own way. In “What Do Fish Have to Do with Anything?” a young boy searches for a cure to the unhappiness he sees all around him

Quickwrite With a partner, brainstorm a list of strategies that can help people overcome unhappiness. You may use the list shown to get started.

1. Focus on good things.

2. Write down feelings.

3.

Text Analysis: Theme and SymbolA symbol is a person, place, or thing that stands for something beyond itself. A dove is a well-known symbol for peace. To find symbols in a story, try the following:

Look for people, places, things, or actions that the writer emphasizes or mentions over and over. Think about whether any repeated symbol might be a clue to identifying the overall theme of the story. Keep the title in mind, because it may contain clues.

As you read “What Do Fish Have to Do with Anything?” ask yourself what is being used as a symbol.

Practice—Theme and Symbol

Pair up and identify symbols displayed in the school or classroom and explain their significance.

Why is a smiley face a

symbol of happiness?

What are some other symbols or happiness and unhappiness?

READING SKILL: MAKE INFERENCESAn inference is a logical guess based on clues in the text plus your own knowledge. One clue that may help you understand the theme of a story is cultural context. The cultural context of a story refers to the social problems, traditions, and values that may have influenced the author and writing. As you read the story, record each inference you make in an equation such as the one shown.

Details or

Evidence from

the story

What I know from

Reading or

Experience

Inference+ =

VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT

Match each word in Column A with the word in Column B that is closest in meaning.

Column A

1. contemplate

2. inevitably

3. preoccupied

4. retort

5. threshold

6. urgency

Column A

a. unavoidably

b. distracted

c. reply

d. necessity

e. consider

f. entrance

Author Online

Early Challenges

Avi Wortis has written over 30 books for children and young adults, but he had to overcome a huge challenge to do so. As a Boy, Avi had trouble spelling. But he loved reading—anything from comic books to history. He later found out that he had a learning disability which caused him to reverse letters and misspell words. Although that affected his ability to write, Avi was determined to be a writer. He had no intention of giving up.His advice: “Don’t be satisfied with answers others give you. Reason things out for yourself. Work to get answers on your own.”