"It's going to be one of those days," Marek thought to himself as he looked up at the board labeled DEPARTURES. His flight was delayed. He thought back to how the day had begun. When he woke up, the s

"It's going to be one of those days," Marek thought to himself as he looked up at the board labeled DEPARTURES. His flight was delayed. He thought back to how the day had begun. When he woke up, the sun had been shining brightly and robins that had built a nest outside his window were chirping loudly. He'd jumped out of bed, anxious to start the first day of his vacation. But he'd tripped over the clothes he'd carelessly dropped on the floor the night before and banged his knee on the closet door.

Now he sat at the airport thinking, "I guess I should have known this morning! Maybe it was an omen." He wasn't exactly sure what an omen was, but his mom always said that when things went wrong, so he figured it fit! He pulled his cell from his backpack. Quickly, he sent a text to his mom at work, alerting her that although he should be in the air on the way to his dad's place in Florida, he hadn't left the ground. Next, he sent a message to his dad, so he wouldn't be waiting at the airport in Florida for a flight that didn't come.

When he was finished, Marek went to look for something to eat. He thought about the last time he'd gone on vacation with both Mom and Dad. They'd gone to that new theme park and had a great time. That had been the last time Dad had taken any real time off... Mom insisted he worked too much. Then things changed, and now he was caught between two homes ... the one he shared with Mom and the one we visited to see Dad.

Marek looked out the window and saw that everything was covered in a thick blanket of fog! Just then, he heard an announcement: "Due to the fog, all flights are delayed." Could this be another omen? he wondered.

For hours, Marek and the other passengers waited for news. The fog remained. No flights. Then Marek heard his cell. It was his dad. "Listen, you're still stuck up there and now they're forecasting a hurricane down here. I want you to have a great vacation, so why don't I come up there? ... We can spend some time together, then fly here together next week. I can grab a flight now... They say by the time we get up there, the fog will have lifted and we can land. What do you think?"

"I think it would be great, Dad!" Marek replied, wondering what Mom would think. "Can't wait to see you!"

Marek called his mom, relaying the change in plans. She told him to stay at the airport and she'd come to pick him ... and his dad ... up. Slowly, the fog lifted, and was totally gone when his dad landed and his mom picked them up.

On the way home, Marek noticed that Mom seemed happy to see Dad … and he seemed happy to see her. They laughed and talked about "the old days" all the way home. 

"Maybe Dad was supposed to come here instead of me going there ... maybe this whole thing was an omen. Could it mean they'll get back together?" Marek wondered.

Identifying flashback: 

(Highlight in the story) 

Paraphrase the flashback→ 

Marek thinks back to the last time his mom and dad and him went on a trip together to a theme park. Marek had a good time there, but now his parents are not together anymore. 

Explanation of the flashback:

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Purpose

The main character Marek has a flashback. He is remembering back to the last time his parents and him all went on a trip together since now his parents are not together anymore. This takes place during the rising action of the story. Marek had been alerting his parents that the flight was cancelled and that he would not get to see his dad and his mom would need to pick him up. Marek had something to eat and when he was done he thought back to the trip. This flashback is included to reveal why a conflict matters to Marek. The conflict is that Marek has to go back and forth to see his parents which is challenging at times to do. 

Analysis:

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The flashback in the story contributes to the overall plot by revealing that he has been having the worst day

Explanation Criteria:

Analysis Criteria: 

Flashback

Who is having a flashback?

What is the flashback?

When did this take place? 

What is the purpose (connection to story)?

The flashback in the __________ contributes to the overall plot by…

IF this flashback wasn’t included, THEN... (how would that change things for the reader?)...

This applies to the story because…