Article
Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images; Derek French/Shutterstock (Deflated); Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy’s, Inc. (Bluey)
Nonfiction,

Pop Goes Bluey!

Could the big balloon be fixed by Thanksgiving?

By Meg Richardson
From the October/November 2025 Issue

Learning Objective: Children will identify the problem and solution in a nonfiction story about the Bluey balloon popping.

Lexiles: 340L
Featured Skill: Key Details,
Topic: Social Studies,
Common Core Standards
  • RF.1.1 Features of print RF1.3 Decoding RI.1.1 Key details RI.1.3 Connecting information RI.1.4 Vocabulary RI.1.5 Text features RI.1.6 Distinguish between information from words and images RI.1.7 Use visuals RI.1.9 Compare texts SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative discussions with peers and adults SL.1.2 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud
TEKS Standards
  • Social Studies
    (14) Culture. The student understands the importance of family and community beliefs, language, and traditions. The student is expected to: (A) describe and explain the importance of beliefs, language, and traditions of families and communities.

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Big Thanksgiving Parade

Every year on Thanksgiving, there is a big parade. It has big balloons in it. Last year, there was a big balloon problem.

Blowing Up Bluey

It was time to blow  up the Bluey balloon. She got bigger and bigger. Then she popped! There was a hole in her paw.

Could she be fixed? 

Hooray for Bluey! 

Hooray!

Workers had to rush to fix her paw.
They did it! Bluey got to fly in the parade.   

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Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
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More About the Article

English Language Arts Focus

Problem and solution

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Implementation

  • Whole group
  • Small group

Pairings and Text Connections

  • From the Storyworks 1 archive: “Word Play: One Big Baby Yoda” (October/November 2023)
  • Suggested book: Balloons Over Broadway: The Inspiring True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade by Melissa Sweet

Before-Reading Resources

  • Video: Making Macy’s Parade Balloons (5 minutes) Learn about how Thanksgiving Day parade balloons are made.

Suggested Reading Focus

Problem and solution/prediction (20 minutes)

  • Before reading this article, have children do a picture walk. What do they think it will be about? What do they think will happen?
  • Read the first two sections aloud while students follow along in their magazines. Before reading the third section (Hooray for Bluey!), ask students what the problem was. Then ask them to predict, or guess, what the solution will be. Explain that the solution is how the problem is fixed.
  • Then read the last section. Have students share with a partner how the problem was fixed. Was it what they expected to happen?

After-Reading Skills Practice

  • Skills: grammar; comprehension (15 minutes)

Text-to-Speech