There Will Come Soft Rains

By: Ray Bradbury

Previewing Texts

1. Preview the text by reading the captions. What do you predict this story will be
about?

2. Fill out the first two boxes of the K-W- L Chart below. Write down what you know about
the topic in Box 1. Write down what you want to find out in Box 2. When you finish
reading the story, write what you learned or discovered in Box 3.

What I KNOW now What I WANT to find out What I LEARNED

Box 1 Box 2 Box 3

1. 1. 1.

2. 2. 2.

3. 3. 3.

4. 4. 4.
 Pre-reading Vocabulary

Directions: Write the definition next to each of the following words. Next, write a
sentence that properly uses each word in context.

1. Silhouette:

2. Paranoia:

3. Tremulous:

4. Perish:

5. Cringe:

6. Quiver:

7. Oblivious:
 Questions For Thought

Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Be sure to

proofread your answers and be prepared to share.

1. What is the setting of the story?

2. What are some of things that the house does automatically?

3. We discover that this is the last house standing in the city. At night, the house
gives off a radioactive glow. What do you suppose might have happened?

4. What is on the west side of the house? Who can we infer the people are?

5. How is the house described? How is it like a character?

6. Describe what the house is like during 4:30. What types of images are being used
to create a powerful setting?

7. What happens at 5:00? What are some of the things that we can tell about the
family that used to live here?
8. The poem by Sara Teasdale says that nobody would mind if mankind perished.
How is this idea related to the story?

9. What happens at 10:00? How does the house respond? What “emotion” does the
house seem to express?

10. Why is the fire characterized as being “clever?”

Critical Thinking

Directions: In Ray Bradbury’s “There Will Come Soft Rains,” we are given one
possible setting for what the year 2026 will be like. What do you believe the
year 2026 will be like? Compare and contrast your opinions with Bradbury’s
interpretation.