1. One scientific method for solving problems is as follows: 1) select an area for research, 2) define the problem, 3) gather data, 4) organize and test data, 5) formulate a hypothesis, 6) test the hypothesis, and 7) accept or reject the hypothesis. Although this specific method may not have been the model the teacher had in mind, this process seems applicable to the way the children discover the solution in the book. Show how the villagers use each step in this process to bring storks to Shora.

2. Consult some nonfiction books about storks. How would an ornithologist—a scientist who studies birds—view the events in The Wheel on the School? How accurate is the information about storks? Consider, too, the superstition that storks bring luck.

3. The story begins on a Friday and concludes the following Friday. Explain what happens on each day and discuss...