· Extend 1 The setting is where and when the story takes place. Think about the setting of one of your favorite nature stories. Think about the details of the setting that you remem

Extend 1

The setting is where and when the story takes place. Think about the setting ofone of your favorite nature stories. Think about the details of the setting that youremember the most.

Write a paragraph describing the setting of the story. Where does the storytake place? When does the story take place? How do the seasons of theyear affect the setting? Explain what you like most about the setting.Include whether or not you would like to visit this place, and why.

Draw a picture showing you and a friend engaged in a fun activity in thesetting. Show your picture to classmates and compare your favoriteoutdoor activities.

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Story Elements

At Home: Have students choose a favorite story anddiscuss the illustrations that show things that areunique to the settings.

Book 4/Unit 1The Lost Lake

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Vocabulary

At Home: Read a poem about nature. Discuss how thepoem reflects your feelings about nature.


2–3

Suppose that you are on a hiking trip with a group of friends. You are keeping ajournal about your trip. Write three journal entries using some of the words in thebox. Use a separate piece of paper if you need more space.

brand-new compass darted mug muttered talker

Name Date Extend 2

Work with a partner. Choose one setting from “The Lost Lake.” Write ashort poem describing either Luke’s or his father’s feelings or reactions tothe setting.

Story Comprehension

Extend 3

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Use Parts of a Book

Suppose you wanted to write a book about favorite vacation spots in yourstate. There are several ways you could organize the information intochapters. One way would be to have a chapter for each region in the state.What are some other ways that the book could be organized?

Use one of the methods of organization to make a sample table ofcontents. Include two or three subheadings in each chapter to identifyplaces, such as specific state parks. Will your book contain a glossary andan index? If so, be sure to include them in your table of contents.

Vacation Fun in My StateTable of Contents

Now, on a separate piece of paper, design a title page for your book.

At Home: Read through the table of contents of a book.List other ways that the book could be organized.


4

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Story Elements

At Home: Have students choose a story and discusshow the story would be affected if one of thecharacters responded differently to a specific situation.


5

Characters are the people in a story. The characters in “The Lost Lake” are Lukeand his father.

Select a situation in the story in which one of the characters might haveacted differently. Write about how the story would be different because ofthe character’s change. Would the outcome of the story change?

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Make Inferences

An inference is a conclusion that you are able to draw after considering the factsin a story and relating them to your personal experience.

Make inferences to answer the following questions.

1. In “The Lost Lake,” Luke’s father was not angry with him for cutting out themagazine pictures. Why do you think that Luke’s father wasn’t angry?

2. Why do you think that Luke and his father did not talk much in the city?

3. Why is it important that Luke’s father had a compass when they went off the

trail?

4. Do you think that Luke’s father was happy at the end of the story? Explain.

5. Do you think that the camping trip brought Luke and his father closer

together? Explain.

6. Do you think that the camping trip was important to Luke? Why do you think

so?

At Home: Have students make and exchange a listof clues. Discuss what they are able to infer fromthe clues.


6

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Multiple-Meaning Words

At Home: Ask the student to think of other multiple-meaning words. Discuss whether the use of the word asa noun or as a verb changes the meaning of the word.


7

Multiple-meaning words are words that have more than one meaning eventhough they are spelled the same way. For example, consider the word bear. Itcan mean a large wild animal: The bear was eating berries in the woods. It canalso mean that you cannot put up with something: He could not bear to hear theloud sirens.

Each of the words below are multiple-meaning words. Write two sentencesfor each word to show different meanings for the word.

1. bottle 3. glasses 5. lie 7. dip2. cooler 4. tire 6. trail 8. stick

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Problem and Solution

The main idea, or plan, of a story is called the plot. The plot may involve aproblem and solution. Solutions to the problem can be simple and predictableor they can be more complicated and different from what you might expect.

Write a story about a problem that you were faced with and what thesolution was.

At Home: Have students retell the story they wrotewith two different solutions to the problem.

Book 4/Unit 1Amelia’s Road

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Vocabulary

At Home: Look at a map of your state. Select severaldestinations and determine how long it would take todrive to each place.


9–10

Write three sentences using two of the vocabulary words in each sentence.

accidental occasions shortcut labored rhythms shutters

Name Date Extend 9

Amelia found a special place beneath the tree at the end of the accidental road.She knew she would have to leave it soon. How did Amelia make herself feelbetter about having to leave?

Describe a place that is special to you.

Story Comprehension

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Use a Glossary

A glossary is like a small dictionary in the back of a book. It explains themeaning of words or phrases used in the book. Glossary entries arealphabetized, and sometimes give the page number where the words orphrases can be found. A sentence from the book using the words orphrases also appears. Use the sample glossary below to answer each ofthe questions.

At Home: Find a glossary in the back of one of yourtextbooks. Explain to someone at home how to usethe glossary.


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labor To work hard. Jasmine had to laborfor two hours on her science report.

la•bor (la� b r) verb. (page 3)

labor union A group of workers organizedto improve wages and working conditions.The labor union demanded better housingconditions for the workers.

la•bor un•ion (la� b r un� y n) noun, plural labor unions. (page 15)

landlord A person who owns and rents out property. The landlord charges $500 per month for the house.

land•lord (land� lôrd) noun, plurallandlords. (page 8)

language The words and grammar that people often use to speak and write to each other. Some of the migrant workers speak the Spanish language.

lang•uage (lang� gwij) noun, plurallanguages. (page 12)

leaflet A sheet of paper giving information.The volunteer handed a leaflet to the worker.

leaf•let (lef� lit) noun, pluralleaflets. (page 36)

long-term To do with a long period of time.The plan was for long-term reform.

long•term (long� tûrm�) adjective. (page 48)

ee

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1. Where in the book would you find a reference to language?

2. If you wanted to add the word landscape to this glossary, between which two

words would you place it?

3. Which words shown are not listed as nouns?

4. What is a leaflet?

5. Which word or phrase refers to an organized group?

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12

Most stories you read include a problem and solution. Some solutionspresent themselves through a sequence of events. Sometimes the maincharacter solves the problem. Other times someone else solves theproblem. Think about the sequence of events that led to the solution ofAmelia’s problem in “Amelia’s Road.”

1. Describe the sequence of events that led Amelia to discover her road.

2. Amelia felt that she had found a home beneath the old tree. Was this a goodsolution to her problem? Explain.

3. How did Amelia decide to make the place around the old tree her home?

4. Who solved Amelia’s problem in the story?

5. Do you think the solution to Amelia’s problem was a long-term solution for

her? Explain.

Name Date Extend 12

At Home: Discuss problems faced by real people andby fictional characters. Compare how different peopleor characters solve similar problems.

Amelia

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Make Inferences

An inference is a conclusion that you draw after considering all the factsand relating them to your own experiences. Inferences can be important ina story because they help you understand a character’s feelings,motivation, and actions. Consider Amelia in “Amelia’s Road.” Then makeinferences to answer these questions.

1. Why do you think Amelia wanted to hurry home on the day she met her

teacher, Mrs. Ramos?

2. Do you think it bothered Amelia that her teacher did not bother to learn her

name last year? Tell why.

3. Why did the teacher this year give name tags?

4. Why did Amelia save her name tag?

5. Why did Amelia bury her treasure box near the old tree?

6. Do you think that Amelia will return to her road? Explain.

At Home: Have students make inferences aboutwhat they will do at school the next day.


13

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Synonyms and Antonyms

At Home: Play a synonym/antonym game. Challengeeach other to think up a synonym or an antonym for agiven word.


14

Synonyms are words that have the same meaning. The words rapid and quickare synonyms. Antonyms are words that have opposite meanings. The wordsweak and strong are antonyms.

There are six pairs of synonyms in the box. Write the pairs of synonyms.

Each word in the first box below has an antonym in the second box. Writeeach word and its antonym.

Write a short story using some of the pairs of synonyms and antonymsfrom your lists. Use a separate piece of paper to write your story.

quiet quick shallow reckless dull

deep cautious noisy bright gradual

shack faithful conquer talk make chatteach shanty create instruct win loyal

Name Date Extend 14

Extend 15

Suppose that you and your family are planning to move far away. Thinkabout a short story you would write about the move. The setting of yourstory—where it takes place—should be your old home. Describe thesetting of your story below.

If you moved, who would you miss the most? Think about how you wouldinclude that person as a character in your story. Describe the characterand what, in particular, you would miss about him or her.

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Story Elements

At Home: Have students write a paragraph aboutwhere they would like to live and why.

Book 4/Unit 1Sarah, Plain and Tall

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Vocabulary

At Home: Discuss how the daily activities of acharacter from “Sarah, Plain and Tall” may be similarto or different from your daily activities.


16–17

Suppose you were playing in a park far from your home when a stormcomes. Think about how you might feel. Use some of the words above towrite about what happened.

eerie overalls reinshuddled pesky squall

Name Date Extend 16

Review “Sarah Plain and Tall.” On the day Sarah drives to town, the othercharacters go about their usual daily activities. What do the othercharacters do while Sarah is gone?

Story Comprehension

Extend 17

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Use a Table of Contents and Headings

Here is the table of contents from a book that recounts the story of afamily’s move west and their adventures. The table of contents containschapter numbers, page numbers, and headings for chapter titles and titlesof sections within each chapter. Use the table of contents to answer thequestions below.

1. What is the title of Chapter 2? What do you think the chapter is about? Tell

why.

2. On what page does Chapter 1 begin? How do you know?

3. How many section headings are there in Chapter 1?

4. Write sample table of content entries for chapter 3. Include in your entries the

chapter title and 3 subheads with page numbers.

At Home: Look through several books at home.Discuss why some of the books have table ofcontents and some do not.


18

Name Date Extend 18

Table of ContentsChapter 1 Preparations

The News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Good-byes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Chapter 2 The JourneyThe Wagon Train . . . . . . . . . 21Fording the River . . . . . . . . . 36A Terrible Storm . . . . . . . . . . 42Crossing Mountains . . . . . . . 50

3

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Story Elements

At Home: Have students look through a book withillustrations. Are the illustrations in color? Discusshow the illustrations enhance the story.


19

Think about Anna and Caleb in “Sarah, Plain and Tall.” Both charactersare afraid that Sarah is not going to come back when she goes to townalone. Why do you think they feel this way? How do Anna and Caleb feelabout Sarah and why? Write a paragraph describing your thoughts. Includedetails to support your thoughts.

Why do you think Sarah wanted to go to town alone? Did you think thatshe might not come back? Explain.

On a piece of paper, illustrate a scene from “Sarah, Plain and Tall.”

Name Date Extend 19

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Most problems have solutions. Often a problem can be solved more easily by working with someone than by working alone. Write about a problem in“Sarah, Plain and Tall” where the characters worked together to solve it.

Suppose your school needs some new art or sports supplies. Think ofways to help your school. Would you try to solve the problem by yourself ortogether with other people? Explain your decision.

At Home: Have students talk about daily problems studentstypically encounter. Discuss which problems are best solvedalone and which problems are better solved with others.


20

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At Home: Make a list of common synonyms andantonyms.


21

Write your own synonyms for the words below.

Write your own antonyms for the words below.

Begin a short story using at least three words from the first box ofsynonyms. Write three sentences. Then rewrite the sentences using theantonym of each word. How does your story change?

hard clean happy gather success

happen party confident hard pursue

Name Date Extend 21

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Main Idea and Supporting Details

Are you good at a sport or other activity? Or have you ever had a funsummer vacation? Choose one of these two topics. Write about the bestpart of the activity or the vacation. Include at least three details to supportyour description.

Suppose you wanted to illustrate the event you wrote about above with onephotograph or a drawing. What details would be important to include?Describe the photo or drawing you would use.

At Home: Have students look through a photo albumor scrapbook. Discuss how the photos help to recallspecial occasions.

Book 4/Unit 1Seal Journey

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Vocabulary

At Home: Have students tell a story for each of theirvocabulary illustrations.


23–24

Draw pictures to illustrate each of the words above. More than one wordcan be illustrated in each picture. Include a label or caption with eachpicture. Use a separate piece of paper if you need more space.

assured jagged nurseryhorizon mature squealed

Name Date Extend 23

Write a brief book review of “Seal Journey.” What is the story about? Didyou like it enough to tell your friends to read it? In the first paragraph, tellwhat “Seal Journey” is about. In the second paragraph, explain whether ornot you liked the story and why. Use another piece of paper if you needmore space.

Story Comprehension

Extend 24

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Use an Index

An index appears at the back of a book. It lists topics that are mentioned inthe book. It is arranged in alphabetical order with the page numbers foreach topic. Use the index below to answer the questions.

1. Why isn’t the letter Q included in the index?

2. Does the index contain more than one reference to prey? Explain.

3. On which page would you find information about seaweed?

4. Where would you look to find out what plankton is?

5. On which pages might you find information on a shark’s diet?

6. Where might you find a reference to spring or summer?

P Spenguin, 39 seal, 16–20, 31, 57plankton, 46, 53 seashore, 83polar bear, 28, 51–53 seasons,polar region, 12, 20–24 fall, 90, 95prey, 15, 35, 43, 62 spring, 72

summer, 85R winter, 60, 62rain, 85, 89 seaweed, 16ringed seal, 61–65 shark, 58–62

At Home: Look at the index at the back of a book.Look up topics that interest you. Compare yourinterests with those of a family member.


25

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At Home: Discuss how photographs are important inmaking people aware of wildlife and their habitats.


26

Think about the details and facts that support the main idea of “SealJourney.” Write about three things that most impressed you in the story,and tell why they impressed you.

Photographs have been important in making people aware of the crueltytoward baby harp seals. Think of an endangered animal that you would liketo protect. State which animal you would protect. Tell why you would dothis, using supporting details and facts.

Name Date Extend 26

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Make Inferences

Use clues in “Seal Journey” to make inferences about the story.

1. Why is a helicopter the only way for Jonah and his father to reach the seal

colony?

2. What type of clothing do you think Jonah and his father wore?

3. What type of supplies do you think that Jonah and his father took along for the

day?

4. Why do you think that a mother seal’s milk is so rich?

5. Do you think that Jonah’s father ever held a baby seal, like his son did?

Explain.

At Home: Have students guess memorable activitiesthe family has participated in together by giving aseries of clues.


27

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At Home: Look through a dictionary. Discuss how torecognize a word with multiple meanings in the dictionaryand how to identify the most common usage of the word.


28

Some words have more than one meaning. Write two short definitions foreach word below. Each definition should present a different meaning of theword. You may use a dictionary.

Suppose you are going to visit the seal colony. Use some of the wordsabove to write your thoughts about the visit.

seal date fan jamband fair file lap

Name Date Extend 28

The solutions to some problems seem obvious or logical. Other problemsmay require more creative solutions. Consider each problem below. Writewhat you think a good solution would be.

1. Jamie has a toothache. What should she do?

2. Carter’s shirt is torn. What should he do?

3. Jamal is tired. What should he do?

4. Sheri is hungry. What should she do?

5. Natalie’s dog is limping. What should she do?

6. Brandon is not very good at soccer. What should he do?

Extend 29M

cGra

w-H

ill S

cho

ol

Div

isio

n


At Home: Have students think about and discusscreative solutions to problems that their family hasmade.

Book 4/Unit 1Open Wide, Don’t Bite!

29

Name Date

Carter should sew the shirt.

Jamal should rest.

Sheri should eat something.

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Vocabulary

At Home: Have students discuss how they take care oftheir teeth and why it’s important.


30–31

Write a short story using each of the vocabulary words.

broad patients reptilesfangs healthy skills

Name Date Extend 30

Dr. Kertesz has both human patients and animal patients. How do youthink the problems of his human patients and animal patients are alike?How do you think they are different?

Story Comprehension

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Use Headings, Captions, and Sidebars

Headings, captions, and sidebars all organize information so that it is easier toread.

At Home: Have students create a sidebar to go withtheir dinosaur picture.


32

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What Did Dinosaurs Eat?

Scientists can tell what foodsdinosaurs ate by studying fossilremains of their teeth. Somedinosaurs were plant-eaters. Others ate meat.

The tyrannosaurus rex had six-inch teethwith saw-like edges to tear into meat.

Duckbilled dinosaurs had

hundreds of teeth. These

teeth pressed together to

form a plate. Duckbills

ground their food between

these plates.

Use the page information above to answer the questions.

1. What is the heading on this page?

2. What does the caption tell you?

3. What might be a good heading for the sidebar?

4. Draw a picture of your favorite kind of dinosaur and write a caption for it.

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At Home: Have students discuss the jobs of differentpeople they know. Talk about whether or not theirjobs directly affect you.


33

Think about “Open Wide, Don’t Bite!” to answer the questions below.

1. What is unusual about the work that Dr. Kertesz does?

2. Where does Dr. Kertesz practice?

3. What are some of the animals that Dr. Kertesz has treated?

4. How is Dr. Kertesz able to treat wild animals?

5. Why do you think the article focuses on Dr. Kertesz?

6. Which supporting detail did you find most interesting in the article?

Dr. Kertesz has an unusual weekend job. Think about an unusual job thatyou would like to do. Write a description of your typical day. Before youwrite, think about your main idea and the kinds of supporting details youwill use.

Name Date Extend 33

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Each word above has multiple meanings. Write the word that fits thedefinitions below.

1. a group of something, such as animals; to put objects in a box

2. to move quickly; to be in charge of something

3. a place where things are sold; to put things away until needed

4. having a curved surface; a single outburst

5. a statement or law; to govern, usually a country

6. sudden and dramatic; having a point or edge that cuts

Write a paragraph about taking care of a pet—your own pet or someoneelse’s. Include some of the words from the box above. Repeat the words inyour writing by using their different meanings.

round run packsharp store rule

At Home: Make up a short list of multiple-meaningwords. Alternate using the words with each of theirmeanings to tell a story.


34

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At Home: Have students make a list of words thathave both a synonym and an antonym.


35

Unscramble each word. Then find its synonym in the box below. On eachline, write the unscrambled word and its synonym.

1. ima 4. kas

2. tavs 5. denm

3. terpdic 6. uhoes

Unscramble the words. Find the antonym for each word in the box below.On each line write the unscrambled word and its antonym.

1. wfe 4. tofs

2. lare 5. rwog

3. ldlu

Choose two words and their antonyms from above. Write a synonym foreach word and its antonym.

imaginary sharp rough many shrink

forecast dwelling immensegoal request repair

Name Date Extend 35

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Unit 1 Vocabulary Review

Descriptive words are important in creating a mood, such as anger,sadness, or happiness. Use at least six of the words in the box to write aparagraph with a specific mood.

Draw an illustration for your paragraph.

darted muttered occasions rhythmspesky eerie squall huddledhorizon squealed healthy broad

At Home: Have students talk about specific wordsthat create strong impressions. Have them writesentences that use the words.

Book 4/Unit 1Unit 1 Vocabulary Review

36

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At Home: Have students write a word on one side ofan index card and its definition on the other side. Quizstudents using the cards.


37

Use the meanings below to help you unscramble each vocabulary word.

Meaning Scrambled Unscrambled

1. unexpectedly dicataclen

2. an instrument for finding directions smopcsa

3. straps attached to a bridle to control a horse sirne

4. a place where babies are looked after reyruns

5. adult or fully grown teamru

6. abilities to do things well liksls

Draw a picture to illustrate each word below.

Name Date Extend 37

reptiles fangs shutters

jagged overalls mug

Extend 38

A prediction is a guess about something that will happen in the future.Use the information in the paragraph below to make predictions about howthe students will do on their spelling test Friday.

Carlos reviewed the spelling words every night. Taylor, Natalie,and Julia formed a study group to quiz each other on the words.Jonathan looked over the spelling list on Monday. Chris played videogames instead of studying.

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Make Predictions

At Home: Have students make predictions aboutevery day events and how they affect their actionsand/or decisions.

Book 4/Unit 2Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World 38

Name Date

Predict who you think will do well on the spelling test.

Predict who you think will not do well on the spelling test.

Predict what you will do to earn a living when you are an adult. Explain how youmade your prediction.

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Vocabulary

At Home: Have students discuss what they think thegood and the more difficult aspects of a cowboy’s lifewould be.

Book 4/Unit 2Justin and the Best

Biscuits in the World39–40

Make your own crossword puzzle using the vocabulary words above.Remember to start with Across clues and then give the Down clues. Thendraw numbered boxes for the answers. Exchange your puzzle with apartner’s puzzle and try to solve it.

Across

Down

festival guilt inspectinglingered pranced resounded

Name Date Extend 39

Review “Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World.” Predict what kind of agrandfather you think that Justin will be. Tell how you used the story tohelp you make your prediction.

Story Comprehension

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Use a Dictionary

If you do not know what a word means, you can use a dictionary to find itsdefinition. You can also use a dictionary to check the spelling of a word, tofind out what part of speech it is, how many syllables the word has, andhow to pronounce it. The dictionary entry may include a sentence thatshows how to use the word or it may tell something about the history of theword. Use the dictionary excerpt below to answer the questions.

1. What part of speech is rodent?

2. How many syllables are in each word?

3. How many meanings are shown for rodeo? Which one is currently used

the most? Explain.

4. What is the meaning of roe?

5. What does the definition of rodeo tell about the history of the word?

ro•dent (ro� d nt) noun a mammal with large front teeth used for gnawing.Rats and squirrels are rodents.

ro•de•o (ro� de o) noun 1. a contest that includes riding broncos and bullsand catching cattle with lassos. Many cowhands took part in the rodeo. 2. acattle roundup. [Rodeo was first used to mean rounding up and countingcattle. From Spanish, rodear, to surround.]

roe (ro) noun the eggs of a fish. Certain kinds of fish roe are eaten as adelicacy.

At Home: Look though a dictionary at home. Discusscommon abbreviations used in the dictionary.


Name Date Extend 41

noun

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Make Predictions

At Home: Have students discuss a favorite story inwhich they were able to predict the outcome. Whatclues led to their prediction?


Biscuits in the World42

Look back at “Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World” to help you answerthe questions.

The first morning that Justin was at his grandfather’s ranch hedid not help prepare breakfast, wash the dishes, or sweep the floor.He also did not have his bed made when his grandfather came intohis room.

1. Predict what you think Justin will do on the second morning of his visit.Explain.

Justin did not like to help with household chores at home. Heconsidered them women’s work.

2. What do you predict Justin will do about household chores when he returnshome? Explain.

Name Date Extend 42

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Form Generalizations

Think about “Justin and the Best Biscuits in the World.” When Justin’sgrandfather showed him how to fold his shirt, Justin was willing to try it on hisown. When his grandfather told him to try to make his bed, Justin did so andfound that it was not very hard to do.Do you think that Justin would have responded with the same willingnessto similar suggestions from his mother at home? You can use the story tohelp you form a generalization, or a general conclusion, about how Justinmight have responded to his mother.

Grandpa told Justin about many African American cowboys. Use the story toform a generalization about the lives of African American cowboys.

At Home: Have students make generalizationsabout what their life will be like years from now.


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Context Clues

At Home: What words do you associate with theAmerican West? Discuss the reasons why.


Biscuits in the World44

Sometimes you can figure out the meaning of a word from its setting and the wayit is used in a sentence. The words above are usually used in a western or ranch-related context.

Read each sentence in the box. Use the context clues in them to help youmatch the words with their meaning’s below.

1. marked to indicate identity or ownership

2. large bundles tied tightly together

3. fastened with a rope

4. a cowboy who tames wild horses

5. to tighten a saddle girth

6. Pouches, usually of leather, hung across a saddle

Use another sheet of paper to draw a picture that illustrates some of thewords above.

He pulled on the leather strap to cinch the saddle.

The bales of hay were stacked on the truck.

They hitched the horses to a post while they had lunch.

They branded the calves with the symbol of the ranch.

The cowboy put his rain gear and a map in the saddlebags.

The wild mustang was calmed by the broncobuster.

cinch saddlebags broncobusterbale hitched branded

Name Date Extend 44

branded

bales

hitched

broncobuster

cinch

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Sequence of Events

Think about a typical day at school. Do you usually have the same subjectat the same time each day? Are recesses and lunch at the same time?Outline a typical day at school. Write each event in the order in which itoccurs during the day. Compare the sequence of events in your schoolday with those of classmates. Discuss any differences.

At Home: Compare and contrast the sequence ofevents on a weekday with the sequence of eventson a Saturday.

Book 4/Unit 2Just a Dream

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Vocabulary

At Home: Have students write about ways they canhelp the environment.


46–47

Make a comic strip in the boxes below. Use the vocabulary words inspeech bubbles or in captions in the comic strip.

bulging crumpled foulhaze shrieking waddled

Name Date Extend 46

In “Just a Dream,” Walter’s dreams highlight environmental problems.Select two of Walter’s dreams that affected you the most. Explain why.

Story Comprehension

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Use a Thesaurus

A thesaurus is a list of synonyms, or words that have the same or nearly thesame meaning. It is usually arranged with words in alphabetical order. Use thethesaurus excerpt below to answer the questions.

1. A thesaurus usually tells what part of speech each entry is. Which words

above are adjectives? adverbs?

2. Write a sentence using an adjective and a sentence using an adverb.

3. There are two listings for event. Why?

4. Write a sentence using a synonym for event.

5. What are two synonyms for everyone?

6. Write a short 4-line poem using both synonyms.

event noun 1. incident, occasion, affair. 2. outcome, result.

eventful adjective 1. busy. 2. significant, important.

eventually adverb finally, at last.

ever adverb 1. always, forever. 2. continuously, constantly.

everyone pronoun everybody, all.

At Home: Have students write a thesaurus entry for a word of theirchoice.


48

Name Date Extend 48

adjectives—eventful; adverb— ever,

Answers will vary.

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Sequence of Events

At Home: Have students design a poster showing thesequence of events leading to the pollution of a park.


49

The sequence of events in a story refers to the order in which the eventsoccurred. Think about the sequence of events in “Just a Dream,” andanswer the questions.

1. At the beginning of the story Walter litters on his way home from school.

What did this tell you about Walter?

2. Why do you think Walter’s dream had so many parts?

3. What types of pollution does Walter dream about?

4. How did the illustrations make Walter’s dream seem more real to you?

Explain.

5. At the beginning of the story Walter thinks that Rose’s tree is a silly birthday

present. By the end of the story, Walter has changed his mind. When do you

think Walter asked for his tree?

6. How do you feel about Walter’s dreams? How do they make you feel about

the environment?

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To form a generalization means to think about something in a generalway. Form generalizations about “Just a Dream” to answer the questionsbelow.

1. Using Walter’s first dream, what generalization can you form about littering?

2. What can you say about most people who like to plant trees?

3. After reading the story, what generalization can you form about pollution?

4. How do you think most people will feel after reading “Just a Dream”?

5. Why do you think the author of “Just a Dream” used dreams to make his points?

At Home: What would you do if clean water did not comeout of your faucet at home? Form a generalization aboutwhat you would do and how it might affect your life.


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Compound Words

At Home: Play a compound word game. Have students think of a compoundword. Tell a partner half of the word and give clues as needed. How manyclues does it take before your partner guesses the word?


51

A compound word is a word that is formed by putting two other words together.For example, the word everyone is made up of the words every and one.

Use the words below to write as many compound words as you can on thelines.

Use some of the compound words that you made to write a story about thefuture.

birth be time dayair high where lightbed side plane every

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Extend 52

In a story a particular action, or cause, can lead to a result, or effect. Thinkabout “Leah’s Pony.” Write a short paragraph discussing an example ofcause and effect. You can look back at the story for help.

Cause and effect can be used to describe a scientific experiment. Think ofa simple experiment you have performed in class or at home. Use causeand effect to write about the experiment.

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Cause and Effect

At Home: Have students tell about how somethingthat happened at school had an effect on their mood.

Book 4/Unit 2Leah’s Pony

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Vocabulary

At Home: Discuss how unpredictable the weather canbe and the long-term effects of different weatherconditions.


53–54

Suppose that you are at an auction and overhear a conversation betweentwo people discussing the auction. Write the dialogue between the twopeople below. Remember to include quotation marks and identify eachspeaker. Use as many of the vocabulary words from the box as you can.

bidding clustered countyglistened overflowing sturdy

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In “Leah’s Pony,” Leah’s parents sell many things even before they havethe auction. Why do you think that they never ask Leah to sell her pony?

Story Comprehension

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Choose Reference Sources

When you want to find information about something, you can check a referencesource. The type of reference source you use depends on the information thatyou need.

Use the descriptions of the reference sources below to answer thequestions.

1. Suppose you wanted to locate a town in northwestern Kansas. Which

reference book would you check?

2. In which reference book could you find information on the origins of ponies

in America?

3. In which reference book(s) could you check the spelling of the word

auctioneer ?

4. In which reference book would you find the population of Kansas?

Almanac: Up to date information about people, places, and events.Atlas: a book of maps.Dictionary: word spellings, meanings, pronunciations, and parts of speech.Encyclopedia: a book that has detailed information on a wide variety ofsubjects.Thesaurus: a book of synonyms.

At Home: Have students list the types of referencebooks they would use for variety of research needs.


55

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atlas

almanac

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Cause and Effect

At Home: Have students recall experiences when theirfamily or school plans were changed because of acause, such as bad weather.


56

Cause and effect can be used to describe several different situations in“Leah’s Pony.” Think about cause and effect to answer the questionsbelow.

1. How does the weather make it possible for Leah to get a pony?

2. How is the weather a cause of the auction?

3. What does Leah do when she learns about the auction, and why?

4. What is the effect of Leah’s bidding at the auction?

5. What caused the neighbors to make low bids at the auction?

6. Do you think that Leah intended for the neighbors to bid low prices at the

auction? Explain.

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Sequence of Events

Think about the sequence of events in “Leah’s Pony.” Were you surprisedwhen Leah sold her pony? Write a paragraph describing the sequence ofevents that made Leah decide to sell her pony.

Leah’s bid at the auction changed the entire course of the auction. Explainhow you know this is true.

At Home: Discuss situations in which your ownactions have been influenced by another person’sactions.


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Context Clues

At Home: Have students explain the context clues in thestory they wrote.


58

Words work together to give meaning to a sentence. If you look closely at howwords are used, you can often figure out the meaning of a word from clues in thesentence. These clues are called context clues.

All the words below can be used in a country or farm-related context. Use asmany of the words as you can to write a short story about what you think a typicalday on a farm would be like. Use context clues in your writing.

Write a title for your story. Try to include a context clue in your title.

cornfields tractor fertilize countycultivate pasture gullies flockwhinny coop drooping galloped

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Make Predictions

Suppose that you and your classmates are getting together to play agame. Two classmates are the captains for the two teams. Predict howyou would feel if you were the last one picked for either team. Explain why.

Now suppose that you are the captain of one of the teams. Write aparagraph describing how you would pick the members of your team.Predict how your team would do with those members on it.

At Home: Have students write a paragraph in whichthey predict whether they will become a betterathlete, writer, or student.

Book 4/Unit 2Baseball Saved Us

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Vocabulary

At Home: Discuss the meaning of the word prejudice. Book 4/Unit 2Baseball Saved Us

60–61

Suppose that you want to recruit some of your friends to play baseball.Write an advertisement that will attract their attention and make them wantto play on your team. Use as many of the vocabulary words from the boxas you can.

crate ditches endlessglinting inning mound

Name Date Extend 60

When the boy in “Baseball Saved Us” returned home, most of his friendsfrom camp went to other places. Tell why.

Why did the boy eat lunch alone when he went back to school? Predicthow you would feel in a similar situation.

Story Comprehension

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Use an Encyclopedia

Encyclopedias are usually a set of books with detailed information on a widevariety of subjects. The books, or volumes, are arranged alphabetically bysubject and usually have an index in a separate volume.

Use the sample set of encyclopedias to answer these questions.

At Home: Have students discuss when they wouldchoose to use an encyclopedia rather than adictionary, thesaurus, or atlas.


62

Name Date Extend 62

1. In which volumes would you look to find out about Pearl Harbor, Hawaii,

during World War II?

2. During World War II, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was President of the United

States. In which volumes might you find a picture of Roosevelt?

3. Suppose you wanted to find out who the Allies were during World War II. In

which volume would you look? What entry would you look up?

4. Suppose you wanted to find out the history of the Little League. In which

volume would you look?

5. Suppose you wanted to research something, but weren’t sure in which

encyclopedia volume to look? Where could you begin your research?

volume

volume 9–H; volume 15–P; volume 21–W–Z

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Make Predictions

At Home: Have students predict whether they will reach a goalimportant to them, then discuss things that might help them focus ona goal and avoid distractions that might interfere with achieving it.


63

In “Baseball Saved Us,” the boy made a home run after seeing the sunglinting off the guard’s glasses. In the game back home, do you think thesun glinting off glasses helped him focus? Do you think the boy made ahome run at the end of the story? Do you think that the glint of the sun onglasses will inspire the boy during other times? How do you think that thechildren at his school will treat the boy after the baseball game describedat the end of the story? Write a paragraph explaining your predictions.Include reasons.

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In “Baseball Saved Us,” some people formed a generalization aboutJapanese Americans. Tell what the generalization was and why you thinkpeople formed it.

Form a generalization about why the boy’s father decided it was importantto have a baseball field at the camp.

Why was baseball so important to the boy after he returned home?

At Home: Have students write a paragraph withgeneralizations on things to remember in order to.


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Compound Words

At Home: Have students list five compound wordsfrom a newspaper, magazine, or story.


65

Baseball is a compound word. It is made up of the words base and ball.Use the words below to make as many compound words as you can. Writethem on the lines.

Suppose that you are a sportscaster for a radio show. You’re going tointerview a famous baseball player. Use some of the compound words youmade above to write questions to ask the player.

any end no timeguard thing in lessfield body day housepark out ball fit

Name Date Extend 65

Extend 66

Have you ever read a story or watched a movie that was set in another time andplace? What things about the characters seemed different to you? Think aboutcause and effect to help you write a description of the different ways of thecharacters. Tell why you think the characters dressed, acted, or behaveddifferently.

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Cause and Effect

At Home: Talk with an adult family member about howhe or she decided what to do to earn a living.

Book 4/Unit 2Will Her Native Language Disappear? 66

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Vocabulary

At Home: Discuss why it is important to preservecultures.

Book 4/Unit 2Will Her Native

Language Disappear?67–68

Language allows us to communicate. Use the vocabulary words to write aparagraph about how you think language and communication mightchange in the next century.

communicate extinct nativebackgrounds generations century

Name Date Extend 67

What are some of the reasons a language may become endangered?Refer to “Will Her Native Language Disappear?” to help you answer.

Story Comprehension

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Conduct an Interview

At Home: Have students listen to an interview.Discuss whether or not the interview was asuccess.


Name Date Extend 69

In an interview usually one person asks another person questions to gaininformation. To conduct a good interview, it is important to plan carefully beforeyou begin. It’s also important to be polite and listen carefully during the interview.Taking notes during it will help you organize what you learn from the interview.

Work with a partner. Suppose you were a talk show host who wanted to doa profile, or a short biography, of a guest. What would you want to know?Write a list of questions on an index card. Then interview your partner inthe role of guest. Take notes on a separate sheet of paper. Use the notesto write a paragraph telling what you found out about your guest.

Questions:

Paragraph:

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At Home: Have students write about a story told to themby an older friend or family member.


Language Disappear?70

When you form generalizations, you use information in the text to help youmake general conclusions about what you read.

Look back at “Will Her Native Language Disappear?” to help you answerthe questions. Why does the Endangered Language Fund print books andmake recordings of endangered languages? Explain how their work isimportant.

Why do you think some young people might not want to speak thelanguage of their older relatives?

Why do you think that it is important to save endangered languages?

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Compound Words

Each of the words above is a compound word. Write the two words thatmake up each word on the lines.

Use picture writing to show the compound words. Make up your own wordsigns for each compound word in the space below. Be sure to label theword signs with the corresponding words.

arrowhead spaceship downpour wildlife sagebrushcampfire racetrack upstairs starfish lighthouse

At Home: Have students write and speak theChoctaw words in “Will Her Native LanguageDisappear?”.


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Context Clues

At Home: Have students read their story and point outcontext clues they’ve used.


Language Disappear?72

You can often figure out the meaning of a word from the way it is used in asentence.

Use as many of the words in the table as you can to write a story. Includecontext clues to help your readers understand the meanings of the words.

ceremony pottery weave harvest huntleather lodge moccasin canoe legend

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Use the words above to answer the questions.

1. Which words are compound words?

2. Which words describe a kind of walking or movement?

3. Which words refer to light on an object or surface?

4. Which words refer to noise or sound?

5. Which word describes a section of a baseball game?

Sometimes we associate pictures in our minds with words. For example,you might think of a dog barking if you hear the word growl. Describe apicture that you might associate with each word below.

6. waddled

7. pranced

8. shrieking

pranced overflowing glistened resounded endlessshrieking waddled backgrounds inning glinting

At Home: Have students see how many ways theycan describe different movements and differentsounds.


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At Home: Work with students to write an alphabetpoem. Highlight a different letter in each line of the poem.


74

Use the words above to write a story in which you use the words inalphabetical order. Have fun with your story. Use as many words as youcan. Continue your story on a separate piece of paper if necessary.

bidding guilt clustered inspectingcrate sturdy county extinctcommunicate lingered native centuryfestival foul generations hazebulging crumpled mound ditches

Name Date Extend 74

Extend 75

A statement in a conversation may be a judgment, or the speaker’sopinion about something. Another statement may be a decision, or whatthe speaker has decided to do. Read each statement below. Then write J ifit is a judgment, D if it is a decision, or N if it is neither a judgment nor adecision.

1. The clothes in that store don’t look good on me.

2. I am going to go to another store.

3. I think this is the best looking sweater in the whole world.

4. I already have a blue sweater.

5. This sweater would look great in red.

6. I will buy this sweater for my cousin.

Write a statement that is a judgment about a store in which you haveshopped.

Write a statement that is a decision about shopping for something youwant to buy.

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Make Judgments and Decisions

At Home: Identify statements made during familyconversations that are judgments or decisions.

Book 4/Unit 3The Hatmaker’s Sign

75

Name Date

J

D

D

J

J

N

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Vocabulary

At Home: Find an ad in a newspaper or magazine.Discuss how it could be changed to be moreeffective.


76–77

Write a paragraph about going shopping, using as many vocabulary wordsfrom the box as you can. Then erase those vocabulary words or coverthem with tape. Exchange paragraphs with a partner and fill in the blanks.

admitted brisk displayingelegantly strolling wharf

Name Date Extend 76

Suppose you were the first person to whom John Thompson showed hisidea for a sign. Make a judgment about how he could change his sign.Then write what you would have told him to change. Explain why he shouldmake that change.

Story Comprehension

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Read Signs

Signs are a quick way to communicate information. Signs often usesymbols, simple drawings that stand for actions, objects, or directions.

Identify each sign and write its meaning on the line below

At Home: Have students record unusual signs thatthey see in their neighborhoods.


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Create a sign that will tell people that no bears are allowed to cross the street.

1.

4.

2.

3.

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At Home: Tell students to share their signs with familymembers and discuss the various judgments.


79

In “The Hatmaker’s Sign,” you read the judgments that several peoplemade about John Thompson’s sign. You also read about John’s decisionsto change the sign after hearing the judgments.

Design a sign to hang on the wall over your bed. It should say somethingabout you. Include your first name, words or pictures that tell what youwant to say, and any other important details.

Show your design to three friends. Ask them if you should make anychanges to your sign. Have them explain. Record your friends’ judgmentsbelow.

Friend 1

Friend 2

Friend 3

Now decide if you will change your sign and, if so, how. Explain yourdecision below. Then make any changes to your sign.

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Summarize

When you don’t have the time to tell a whole story or have the space towrite it all down, you can tell or write a summary of the story. Tosummarize a story, include the main idea of the story and the importantcharacters.

Write a summary of the story Benjamin Franklin told to Thomas Jeffersonin “The Hatmaker’s Sign.” Try not to use more than five sentences.

At Home: Ask students to summarize a book orstory they have read recently to family members.


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Suffixes

At Home: Direct students to create adjectives byadding -ful to nouns and use the adjectives inconversation.


81

Word parts that are added to the end of words, such as -ed and -ing, arecalled suffixes. The suffix -ful means “full of.” When you add -ful to a noun,it forms an adjective. For example, wonderful is an adjective that means“full of wonder.” Add -ful to each noun to create adjectives. Then writesentences using the adjectives you created.

1. thought

2. use

3. sorrow

4. help

5. care

6. joy

7. hope

Name Date Extend 81

useful

sorrowful

helpful

careful

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Fact and Opinion

Some sentences are facts. That is, you can check to prove that they are true.Other sentences are opinions. They tell what a person feels or believes. Youcannot prove that an opinion is true or false.

Read the four sentences below. Choose the sentence that is a fact.Explain your thinking.

1. Leonardo da Vinci is the greatest painter in history.

2. In addition to painting, Leonardo da Vinci drew plans for many inventions.

3. Leonardo da Vinci’s most beautiful painting is Mona Lisa.

4. Some of Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings have too many shadows.

Read the four sentences below. Choose the sentence that is an opinion.Explain your thinking.

5. Pottery is made by shaping and firing clay.

6. Pottery was first made in Egypt and the Near East.

7. The prettiest vases are made on a potter’s wheel.

8. Applying glaze is one way to decorate a piece of pottery.

At Home: Tell students to identify statements madeduring family conversations as facts or opinions.

Book 4/Unit 3Pat Cummings: My Story

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Vocabulary

At Home: Have students write about their interests andwhat they’d like to do for work as an adult.


83–84

1. Which three vocabulary words are you most likely to find in a story aboutdrawing?

2. List four other words you might expect to find in a story about drawing.

exist image inspireloft reference sketch

Name Date Extend 83

Pat Cummings’ interest in drawing began when she was a little girl. Iteventually became her career. Turn Pat’s story into a television interview.Write a list of questions a reporter might ask her. Find sentences from thestory that answer the questions. Share your questions with the class. Taketurns being the reporter and giving the answers.

Story Comprehension

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Read a Flow Chart

The following lists the steps in a flow chart showing how to make a papier-mâché animal step-by-step. The steps are not in the correct order. Writethe letter of each step in the appropriate box in the correct order.

A. Place the glue-soaked pieces of paper on the wire animal frame to create thebody of the animal.

B. When the paper and glue have dried on the wire frame, paint your animal.

C. Then tear old newspaper into strips.

D. Continue adding glue-soaked paper until the animal shape is completed. Let itdry completely.

E. Moisten the paper strips a few at a time with wallpaper paste or glue.

F. Build a wire frame in the shape of an animal you’d like to create.

Flow Chart For Making a Papier Mâché Animal

At Home: Have students work with older family members to select atask that the student would like to learn how to do. Together, theyshould make a flow chart to help the student learn how to do that task.


85

Name Date Extend 85

F. C

EA

D B

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Fact and Opinion

At Home: Have students read a newspaper article.They should underline two facts and circle twoopinions in the article.


86

In “Pat Cummings: My Story,” the author describes an event in her childhood andthe work she does as an adult. She uses facts and opinions.

Write one or two paragraphs describing an event in your life or yourfavorite thing to do. Include at least two sentences that are facts and twosentences that are opinions. Underline each fact. Circle each opinion.

Name Date Extend 86

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Summarize

When you tell or write a summary of a person’s life, you include importantinformation about that person. You should include details that you think areimportant and interesting to your audience.

On a book jacket or book cover, you can often find a summary of the author’s life.Sometimes there is also a summary of the life of the illustrator or photographer.These summaries include information that would be of interest to the personbuying the book or borrowing the book from the library.

Write a summary of Pat Cummings’ life that could be used on a bookjacket. Try not to use more than four sentences.

At Home: Interview a family member about his orher life. Write a summary of that person’s life.


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Suffixes

At Home: List some other words that have the suffix -fulor -ous. Identify the words in which the base word’sspelling was changed before the suffix was added.


88

The suffixes -ful and -ous both mean “full of.” Before you add -ful or -ousto some nouns, you must change the ending of the nouns. Change eachbase word as shown. The first one has been done for you. Then writesentences using the words you created.

1. Desire – e � ous � desirous

2. plenty – y � i � ful �

3. disaster – e � ous �

4. color � ful �

5. space – e � i � ous �

6. pity – y � i � ful �

7. danger � ous �

Name Date Extend 88

In May I become desirous of summer vacation.

disastrous

colorful

Extend 89

Authors may have more than one purpose for writing a story. They may write topersuade the reader or to affect how the reader thinks about something. Somemay write to describe something to the reader. Others write to inform, or presentfactual information, or to entertain the reader. An author’s point of view is theway he or she feels about the subject matter.

Think about the author’s purpose for writing each selection listed below.Write P if the purpose is to persuade, D if it is to describe, I if it is to inform,or E if it is to entertain. Remember, there may be more than one purpose.

1. directions for building a birdhouse

2. report about the destruction of rain forests

3. letter to a friend about a tour of Washington, D.C.

4. adventure story

5. letter to the editor of a newspaper

Write a sample sentence for each of the following. Be sure to show a pointof view.

6. advertisement for a new restaurant

7. political speech

8. newspaper article about a baseball game

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Author’s Purpose and Point of View

At Home: Have students look in a magazine to find anexample of a selection written for each purpose: topersuade, to describe, to inform, and to entertain.

Book 4/Unit 3Grass Sandals

89

Name Date

I

I

D, E, I

E, I, D

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Vocabulary

At Home: Have students recall something beautifulthey have seen. Discuss how they could convey animage of that thing to someone else.


90–91

Write a poem that includes at least three of the vocabulary words in thebox.

chanted nipped pouchrestless scribbled stitching

Name Date Extend 90

An author may write a selection to persuade, to describe, to inform, or toentertain.

Why do you think Dawnine Spivak wrote “Grass Sandals”? Explain yourthinking.

What do you think Basho’s purpose was for writing haiku? Explain yourthinking.

Story Comprehension

Extend 91

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Use a Map

The map in “Grass Sandals” shows the names and locations of the places Bashovisited. It also has pictures of some things Basho saw on his journey.

Think about how you would show your neighborhood on a map. Which streetsyou would show? Besides your home, what other places would you include?Would you show only street and place names, or would you include somepictures? How would you use color in your map? What kind of map key wouldyou use?

Make a map of your neighborhood. Share your map with classmates.

At Home: Look at a map of your state. Locate aplace you would like to visit. Decide what route youwould follow to get from your home to that place.


92

Name Date Extend 92

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At Home: Read several poems. Decide whether thepurpose of each is to persuade, to describe, toinform, or to entertain.


93

The Japanese poet Basho wrote haiku. A haiku is a three-line poem havingexactly 17 syllables. The first and third lines each have five syllables. The secondline has seven syllables. The lines of a haiku do not rhyme. Look back at thestory for examples.

Choose a topic, write a haiku, and then illustrate it. Share your haiku withclassmates. Have them determine whether the purpose of your haiku is topersuade, to describe, to inform, to entertain, or whether you have severalpurposes.

Name Date Extend 93

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Think about “Grass Sandals.” Read each of the given judgments ordecisions that Basho may have made. Then fill in the blanks with themissing judgments or decisions.

1. Judgment: This banana tree is the most interesting plant near my house.

Decision:

2. Judgment:

Decision: I’m going to walk across Japan.

3. Judgment: I imagine the ocean will feel different than hot springs andstreams.

Decision:

4. Judgment:

Decision: We will have a party and watch the moon.

5. Judgment: The smell of rain is wonderful.

Decision:

At Home: Have students think about a time they felt theneed to do something interesting or different. Discuss whatthey did, how effective it was, and what else they could do.


94

Name Date Extend 94

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Context Clues

At Home: Have students read a story and identify anyunfamiliar words. Then, use words in the same or nearbysentences to figure out the meaning of the words.


95

Context clues can help you figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words.Context clues can be words or phrases in the same sentence or in nearbysentences. Read the context clues in the sentences. Then choose a wordfrom the box to complete each sentence. Then use each word in asentence of your own.

1. Basho rode across a field of .

2. He tied his sandals on with strings that were hisankles.

3. Basho his body low to enter the cave behind thewater.

4. Basho walked through a group of fruit trees. It was a cherry .

5. The mirror image of the moon was in their cups.

clover ducked crisscrossing orchard reflected

Name Date Extend 95

orchard

reflected

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Fact and Opinion

Have you ever tried to persuade someone to change his or her mind aboutsomething? If so, you probably began by stating your opinion. You may thenhave offered facts to support your opinion. Facts can be checked to prove thatthey are true.

Write a persuasive paragraph about your school. Start by stating youropinion. Your opinion may be about something you like about your schoolor something you think should be changed. Then support your opinion. Besure to include facts. Share your paragraph with classmates.

At Home: Talk with students about effective ways tobe persuasive about matters that concern them.

Book 4/Unit 3A Place Called Freedom

96

Name Date Extend 96

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Vocabulary

At Home: Make a list of facts and opinions about yourtown.


97–98

Suppose you and your family lived during the 1800s. You have just movedfrom a town to an area where no one else has settled. Write a letter to yourbest friend in the town, using as many of the vocabulary words as you can.

fretted gourd plantation settlement sunrise weary

Name Date Extend 97

Put yourself in Joshua Starman’s place. You have settled your wife and childrenin Indiana and returned to Tennessee to bring more family members to Indiana.Think about what you would tell your family in Tennessee about the journey orabout life in Indiana.

Story Comprehension

Extend 98

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Read a Line Graph

A line graph shows change over a period of time. The line graph below showsthe number of states in the United States from 1780 to 2000.

Use the line graph to answer these questions.

1. How many states were in the United States in 1900?

2. During which 20-year period were the most states added to the United

States?

3. How did the number of states in the United States change from 1960 to 1980?

How do you know?

Write two questions that can be answered using the line graph. Exchangequestions with a classmate and answer the questions.

Question 1

Question 2

At Home: Make a line graph of high temperatures.Use an outdoor thermometer or the weather reportin the newspaper.


99

Name Date Extend 99

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Fact and Opinion

At Home: Interview a family member or a neighbor tofind out how they came to live in the town in whichyou now live.


100

When news reporters interview people, they ask two kinds of questions. One kindof question can be answered by giving facts. Another kind of question can beanswered by giving opinions.

Work with a partner to conduct an interview of a character in “A PlaceCalled Freedom.” Choose a character. Have one person take the role of anews reporter and the other person take the role of the character.Together, write two fact questions and two opinion questions. Plan how thecharacter will answer the questions. Then present your interview to theclass.

Character

Fact Question 1

Answer

Fact Question 2

Answer

Opinion Question 1

Answer

Opinion Question 2

Answer

Name Date Extend 100

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Summarize

When you summarize a story, you retell the story in a few words. Newspapersuse headlines to catch the reader’s attention and to summarize the content ofarticles in a few words.

Suppose you are a reporter writing a series of newspaper articles aboutthe Starman family’s travels and the settlement of Freedom. Writeheadlines you could use for articles about the events from “A Place CalledFreedom” described below.

1. James and his family pack up for their journey. James’ father says they willfind their way to Indiana by “following the drinking gourd.”

2. The family was helped across the Ohio River by a fisherman they didn’t know.Strangers eventually helped them settle on a farm.

3. The family settled into a cabin before winter. The children attended classestaught by their mother, and enjoyed the food and clothing made by her.

4. During the winter Mr. Starman made several nighttime trips back toTennessee to pick up relatives and lead their way north.

5. Soon there were many people living in the area with many different trades.Then a railroad was built to pass through their settlement.

6. James learns from both his mother and father and tries to decide who hewants to be like when he grows up. Eventually he realizes he can be like themboth.

At Home: Read the headlines of several newspaperarticles. Think about what information the articles maycontain. Then read the articles to check your thinking.


101


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Context Clues

At Home: Have students write their own “fill in theblank” sentences. Have family members use contextclues to guess the correct word to fill in the blank.


102

Context clues are words in a sentence or in nearby sentences that youuse to figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words. Use context clues to fillin the blank in each sentence with one of these words from “A Place CalledFreedom.”

1. Look at how the diamonds are when light shines onthem.

2. My friend me a pencil until I had a chance to go tothe bookstore to buy my own.

3. We my birthday by having a slumber party.

4. It was hard to hold the worm still enough to get it on the fishhook because it

was .

5. Those children are because they did not havepermission to be away from home.

6. I swallowed the rest of my sandwich in one big .

7. Our house remained standing even though atornado passed through our town.

8. Write a sentence using at least two of the unfamiliar words.

celebrated glittery gulp loanedrunaways sturdy wriggly


celebrated

Extend 103

When you read a story, you make judgments and decisions about the story’scharacters.

Suppose you had to make a decision about how you would earn a living as anadult. What facts would you consider? Would you think about the kinds of jobspeople in your town have? Would you think about the kind of training you wouldneed? What opinions would you consider? Would you think about what you enjoydoing most or what others think you do best?

Write a paragraph stating your decision. Explain why you made thatdecision. Tell the facts and opinions you considered.

\

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At Home: Talk with an adult family member about howhe or she decided what to do to earn a living.

Book 4/Unit 3Twisted Trails

103

Name Date

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Vocabulary

At Home: Find out what the mascot is for a local sportsteam. Think about why that mascot may have beenchosen and whether it was a good choice.


104–105

Suppose a walk-through maze has been built in your town. Use as manyvocabulary words as you can to write a commercial advertising the maze.Then present your commercial to your class. Use a separate sheet ofpaper if you need more space.

challenge contained combineentertaining mazes requires


“Twisted Trails” describes two mazes Adrian Fisher built in the shape ofobjects—a car and a submarine. He chose objects that would be of particularinterest to the people living near the mazes.

Write a letter to Fisher suggesting a shape of maze he should create foryour community. Tell him what you would like him to include in the mazebased on what you know about his other mazes.

Story Comprehension

Extend 105

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Read a Diagram

Suppose you are visiting a maze and have been given an old diagram ofthe maze to help you find your way. Write a story about what happened asyou try to follow the diagram. Include an illustration of the diagram.

At Home: Draw a diagram of a maze and have afamily member trace his or her path through themaze with a pencil.


106


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At Home: Choose an event that you or your family hasbeen involved in recently. Plan four ways to tell aboutit: to inform, to persuade, to describe, and to entertain.


107

An author may write a selection to persuade a reader, or to affect how the readerthinks about something. Author’s may also write to describe, to inform, and toentertain the reader.

The author’s main purpose in writing “Twisted Trails” is to inform the readerabout Adrian Fisher and his mazes. Briefly describe a selection the authorcould have written about Adrian Fisher and mazes if the purpose had beento persuade, to describe, or to entertain.

1. If the purpose had been to persuade, the author could have written . . .

2. If the purpose had been to describe, the author could have written . . .

3. If the purpose had been to entertain, the author could have written . . .

Suppose you were a writer assigned to do interviews with people as theyexit one of Adrian Fisher’s mazes. State what your point of view would beand list 2 questions you would ask in your interviews.


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Context Clues

Sometimes you can use context clues, words or phrases in the same ornearby sentences, to help you figure out the meaning of words. Write thegroup of words or sentence from “Twisted Trails” containing context cluesthat would help a reader figure out the meaning of each of these words.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

designs maze pathways pleasure forces professional

At Home: Write a sentence for a word containingcontext clues that could be used to teach themeaning of the word to a family member.


108


Write an adventure story. Using as many of the adjectives above aspossible.

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Suffixes

At Home: Identify words with suffixes in a newspaperor magazine article for a family member.


109

The suffixes -ful and -ous mean “full of.” Add the suffix -ful or -ous to each baseword to create a related adjective. Remember that the base word’s spelling maychange when adding a suffix.


fame

care

color

envy

watch

caution

wonder

courtesy

famous

careful

colorful

envious

watchful

cautious

wonderful

courteous

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Write a story using the vocabulary words below. Continue your story on aseparate piece of paper if necessary.

admitted brisk combine contained existfretted gourd loft mazes nippedpouch reference restless sunrise wharf

At Home: Design a word search using six differentwords that have something in common. Have afamily member try to solve the word search.


110


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At Home: Choose several words from the list above.For each, provide clues to family members until theyare able to figure out the word.


111

Chose six of the words from the list below to make your own crosswordpuzzle. Write brief definitions of the words you choose to fill in the Acrossand Down columns. Remember to number the definitions appropriately.Then use a separate sheet of paper to draw and number the boxes of thepuzzle to match your definitions. Exchange your puzzle with a partner’sand try to solve it.

Across

Down

challenge chanted displaying elegantly entertainingimage inspire plantation requires scribbledsettlement sketch stitching strolling weary


Extend 112

When you compare two things, you tell how they are alike. When you contrasttwo things, you tell how they are different.

Compare and contrast two different animals. Complete the table. Write thename of each animal in the first row. Compare them by writing two ways inwhich the animals are the same. Then contrast them by writing two ways inwhich they are different.

Use the information in your table to write a paragraph describing the twoanimals. Write your paragraph on a separate piece of paper if you needmore space.

Animals

Compare 1. 1.2. 2.

Contrast 1. 1.

2. 2.

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Compare and Contrast

At Home: Select two related household objects.Compare and contrast the objects in as many waysas you can.

Book 4/Unit 4Scruffy

112

Name Date

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Vocabulary

At Home: Have students explain what they would tell ayounger student to prepare him or her for the fourthgrade.


113–114

Write a paragraph for a story about a dangerous situation. Include as manyvocabulary words as you can.

affection climate clinging injury methods threat


Scruffy’s job was to prepare the wolf pups to be adult members of thepack. Think about how the life of an adult wolf compares to the life of apup. What was the most important thing for Scruffy to teach the pups?Explain your thinking.

Story Comprehension

Extend 114

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Read a Bar Graph

Bar graphs are used to display and compare data. The graph below shows thenumber of endangered animal species, or kinds of animals, in the United States.

At Home: Make a bar graph that shows the numbersand kind of animals you see each day for a week.


115


1. How many kinds of snails are endangered?

2. Which group of animals includes almost 70 endangered species?

3. Which group of animals has the most endangered species? What do you think

the cause of this is?

Write two questions that can be answered by reading the bar graph.

Question 1:

Question 2:

15

fish

Mammals

Birds

Reptiles

Frogs, toads, salamanders

Fish

Snails

Clams

Shellfish

Insects

Spiders, mites,scorpions

0 10 20 30 40 50

55

76

14

7

68

15

51

14

20

5

60 70 80

Number of Species

Ani

mal

Gro

up

Endangered Animals in the United States, 1994

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At Home: Have students tell about the importance ofthe roles people have in their families.


116

The author of “Scruffy” compares and contrasts the members of a wolf pack.There is an alpha male, alpha female, or alpha pair. There are also dominantwolves, lower-ranking wolves, and pups. Each type of pack member has certaincharacteristics and roles within the pack.

Choose two members of your household to compare and contrast. Thinkabout their roles within your family and the characteristics that go withthem and write about them. Draw a picture on a separate piece of paperthat illustrates a comparison or a contrast. Write labels and a caption foryour picture.


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Draw Conclusions

When you draw conclusions about something in a story, you make decisionsbased on information given in the story and information from your ownexperiences. The author of “Scruffy” wonders why Scruffy stayed with the pack.Was it because he was the strongest pup or because he was the weakest pup?

Why do you think Scruffy stayed with the pack? Explain how you reachedyour conclusion.

At Home: Name one thing you can learn from eachmember of your family or from your friends.


117


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Prefixes

At Home: Invent some new words by adding dis- to verbsand adjectives. Use the new words in conversation.


118

A prefix is a part added to the beginning of a word that changes the word’smeaning. The prefix dis- means “not” or “the opposite of.” For example, the worddisappear means “the opposite of appear.” Use the prefix dis- and the verb oradjective in each definition below to create a new word. Then write sentencesusing the words you created.

1. not honest

2. opposite of like

3. opposite of obey

4. not similar

5. opposite of agree

6. not loyal

Draw a cartoon in which a character is illustrating one of the words youcreated.


dishonest

dislike

disobey

dissimilar

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Distinguish Between Fact and Nonfact

A fact is a statement that can be checked to prove that it is true. A nonfactis presented like a fact, but it cannot be proven true. That is because itinvolves characters, places, or events that do not exist or information thatis not true. Read each statement below. Then write F if it is a fact or N if itis a nonfact.

1. Squirrels hide nuts before winter begins.

2. Whenever space creatures bowl, you can hear thunder.

3. As soon as Molly left for school, her dolls began to play their favoritegame, which was hide-and-seek.

4. Thunder often occurs in storms when cooler air moves into warmer air.

The sentences below are the beginning of a paragraph. Write two differentendings to the paragraph—one that is fact, and one that is nonfact.

As soon as they finished breakfast, Dave and Ann ran to the pasture. All thehorses were gathered together under the trees.

Fact:

Nonfact:

At Home: Read a fairy tale, myth, or legend. Identifysome nonfacts and change them to present-dayfacts.

Book 4/Unit 4Gluskabe and the Snow Bird

119


F

N

N

F

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Vocabulary

At Home: Share stories of things that your family hasdone during different types of weather.


120–121

Write a paragraph about an adventure in the snow, using as manyvocabulary words from the box as you can. Then erase or cover with tapethose vocabulary words in your paragraph. Exchange paragraphs with apartner and fill in the blanks.

confusion freeze hilltop lodge messenger praised


In “Gluskabe and the Snow Bird,” several events in nature are explained.Choose an event and write about what causes the event to occur in thestory.

Story Comprehension

Extend 121

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Read a Table

When the wind blows, your body can feel colder than the actual temperature ofthe air. This is known as “wind chill.” The table below shows the wind chill forsome actual temperatures and wind speeds measured at miles per hour, or mph.

Wind Chill Chart

*All temperatures are Fahrenheit.

MPH means miles per hour.

Use the table to answer these questions.

1. What would the wind chill be if the actual temperature was 30°F and the wind

was blowing at 20 mph?

2. Suppose the wind chill is �21° and the actual temperature is 20°. About how

hard must the wind be blowing?

3. Does the wind have a greater effect when the temperatures are warmer or

when they are colder? How do you know?

Write a question that can be answered using the table. Exchangequestions with a classmate and answer each other’s question.

Actual Air Temperature*

35° 30° 25° 20° 15° 10° 5° 0°

10 mph 22° 16° 10° 3° �3° �9° �15° �22°

20 mph 12° 10° �3° �10° �17° �24° �31° �39°

30 mph 6° �2° �10° �18° �25° �33° �41° �49°

40 mph 3° �5° �13° �21° �29° �37° �45° �53°

At Home: Find a chart in a newspaper or book. Havestudents ask each other questions that can beanswered using the chart.


122


10°F

When the temperatures are

Speeds

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At Home: Have students practice their storytelling bytelling “Gluskabe and the Snow Bird” to their family.


123

Myths like “Gluskabe and the Snow Bird” are often told and retold many timesbefore they are written down. Storytellers may also add things to or drop thingsfrom stories as they tell them.

Think about how you would tell the story of “Gluskabe and the Snow Bird.”Write what you would add to the story. Include at least one fact and onenonfact. Share your addition to the story with a small group of classmates.


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When you compare and contrast things, you tell how they are alike andhow they are different. In the chart below, write three characteristics forGluskabe and three for Snow Bird. Exchange charts with a classmate, andcomplete the other column in his or her chart. Write “same” if the Skunkhas the same characteristic as Gluskabe, or if Day Eagle has the samecharacteristic as Snow Bird. If the characteristics are different, write themdown.

Snow Bird

1.

2.

3.

Day Eagle

1.

2.

3.

Gluskabe

1.

2.

3.

Skunk

1.

2.

3.

At Home: Have students choose two charactersfrom their favorite movie or book and compare andcontrast them.


124


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Root Words

At Home: Have students write more words containingthe root words on this page.


125

A root word is a word part that can be used to build other words. Knowingthe meanings of these root words can help you understand the meaningsof unfamiliar words. Words with the same root are similar in meaning andspelling. For example, the root word act means “to do” and forms thelonger word action, meaning “the act or process of doing.”

Root Word Meaningact do

mem mindfulang bendmiss send

Study the root chart above. Then write the root of each word below.

Then think of another word containing each root word below, and use it in asentence.

7. act


1. enact

2. mission

3. memorial

4. angular

5. remembrance

6. angle mem

mem

8. mem

Extend 126

To draw a conclusion, you should consider facts, your own experience, andcommon sense.

Read the paragraphs below about manatees. Then write a paragraph inwhich you draw conclusions about the future for manatees. Support yourconclusion with facts from the paragraph or from your own experiences.

In North America, manatees live in the coastal areas, bays, andrivers of Florida. The average manatee weighs about 1,000 poundsand is 10 feet in length. They have two front flippers, no back legs,and a rounded tail. This gentle mammal can eat more than 100pounds of plants each day. Their appetites help to keep waterwaysfrom becoming choked with weeds.

Manatees are endangered animals. Many of their deaths arecaused by humans. Some boaters don’t obey the rules wheremanatees live. As a result, manatees are sometimes victims ofboating accidents. Some people have started organizations toeducate others. They hope to make the waters safer for manatees.

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Draw Conclusions

At Home: Share this information and your conclusionwith your family. Talk about whether they share thesame conclusion and why or why not.

Book 4/Unit 4Meet an Underwater Explorer

126

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Vocabulary

At Home: Talk with your family about places in yourcommunity and state that you could visit to learnmore about ocean life.


127–128

Suppose you went scuba diving. Write a letter to a friend about thisexperience, using as many vocabulary words as you can.

connected endangered haulovercome poisonous sponge


You can draw conclusions about Sylvia Earle from reading “Meet anUnderwater Explorer.” Write two characteristics of Sylvia. How would youcompare and contrast yourself to her? Think of two of your owncharacteristics.

Story Comprehension

Extend 128

Sylvia Earle

1.

2.

Me

1.

2.

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At Home: Share your time line with your family.Have family members share what they rememberabout some of the events on your time line.


129


Read a Time Line

A time line shows events in the past and how they are connected. Make atime line of your life. Be sure to include dates and events. Think about thefollowing events:

• What years will you include?

• When did you start school?

• What are some important things you have done?

• When did you do them?

• Do you have brothers and/or sisters?

• If so, when were they born?

• What are some other important things that have happened to your family ortown?

• When did these things happen?

My Time Line

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Draw Conclusions

At Home: Find a family member or friend who has acareer or job in a field that interests you. Drawconclusions about what they do at work.


130

Read the two conclusions below. List any facts from “Meet an UnderwaterExplorer,” things from your own experience, or common sense that would leadsomeone to draw each conclusion shown below.


Conclusion 1

“I would like to be a marine biologistand a diver.”

Conclusion 2

“I would not like to be a marinebiologist and a diver.”

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“Meet an Underwater Explorer” contains many facts about the ocean andocean life. You have probably read stories or poems that containednonfacts about the ocean and ocean life. Write a short story or a poemabout the ocean or about ocean life. Be sure to include both facts andnonfacts.

At Home: Read your story or poem to your familyand identify the facts and nonfacts you haveincluded.


131


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At Home: Choose several root words listed above. Workwith family members to write as many words containingthese root words as you can.


132


Root Words

A root word is a word part used to build longer words. For example, theword helicopter contains the Greek root word helic, meaning “spiral” andthe root word pteron, meaning “wing”. A helicopter is an aircraft whosewings move in a spiral motion.

Root Word Meaningbio lifemar seadict speak

Study the root chart above. Then write the root of each word below.

1. marina

2. biography

3. contradict

4. dictation

5. biology

6. mariner

bio

Use the clues below to find a new word. Then write a sentence using the new word.

7. sub (“under”) + mar + ine =

8. pre (“before”) + dict =

9. bio + logy (“science”) =

10. auto (“self”) + graph (“write”) =

dict

bio

mar

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Steps in a Process

Many of the things we do involve steps in a process. Sometimes it does notmatter in what order we do the steps. Other times, order is very important. Forinstance, suppose that while getting dressed you tried to put your socks on afteryou had put your shoes on.

Think of something you do that involves more than one step. Make yourown flow chart below. Draw a picture of the steps and number each one.Add captions to explain what is happening in each step.

At Home: Explain what might happen if you tried thesteps in your chart out of order. Compare yoursteps to someone else’s.

Book 4/Unit 4On the Bus with Joanna Cole

133


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Vocabulary

At Home: Talk with family members to find out whatthey like most and least about writing something.


134–135

Suppose your teacher asks you to write a science report. Write what she orhe might direct you to do, using as many vocabulary words as you can.

abandon absorb available original research traditional


Joanna Cole describes the steps she follows to write the Magic School Busbooks. Tell which step you think you would enjoy doing the most. Explainwhy. Then tell which step you would enjoy doing the least. Explain why.

Enjoy the most

Enjoy the least

Story Comprehension

Extend 135

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Follow Directions

When they cook, people often use recipes. A recipe often has two parts. The firstpart lists the ingredients. The second part is a set of directions. It tells what to dowith the ingredients.

Think about your favorite after-school snack. It may be a sandwich, cookedfood, or fruit with yogurt and granola. Make a recipe card for this snack.Name the snack. List the ingredients needed to make it. Then writedirections for preparing the snack. Number the steps in your directions. Besure they are in order.

Snack:

Ingredients:

Directions:

At Home: Read several cookbook recipes to your family.From listening to the ingredients and the directions,have them try to figure out what the recipes are for.


136


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Steps in a Process

At Home: Share your writing steps with friends or family members. Talkabout anything they would do differently and why.


137

In “On the Bus with Joanna Cole” Joanna describes her steps in aprocess for writing the Magic School Bus books. Write one or twoparagraphs describing the steps you follow when you write something—areport, a story, a letter, or a poem. Use words like first, next, then, later,and finally to help the reader follow the order of your steps.

Steps I Use When Writing a .


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In “On the Bus with Joanna Cole,” Joanna mentions that she has written MagicSchool Bus books about the human body, ocean science, the solar system,dinosaurs, Earth, waterworks, and hurricanes. These books contain both factsand nonfacts. Joanna says that she gets some of her suggestions for booksfrom editors.

Suppose that you are an editor. Write a letter to Joanna Cole in which yousuggest a topic for her next book. Tell why you are suggesting this topic.Then suggest two facts and two nonfacts for her to include in the book.

At Home: Make up a story about a day at school inwhich you include facts and nonfacts.


138


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Prefixes

At Home: Make a list of as many words as you can thinkof that contain the prefix dis-. Make another list for theprefix in-. Try to use the words in conversation.


139

Both of the prefixes dis- and in- mean “not” or “the opposite of.” For example,disbelief means “the opposite of belief.” Incapable means “not capable.”

Add the prefix dis- or in- to each word in the box. Then create twocharacters who always disagree with each other. Write dialogue thatshows them arguing. Remember to use quotation marks and identify eachspeaker. Include as many of the new words you formed as possible in yourdialogue.

visible continue correct securecomfort expensive approved


Extend 140

When you compare and contrast things, you tell how they are alike and howthey are different. If you compared and contrasted yourself with your relatives—your parents, aunts, uncles, or grandparents—you would find ways in which youwere the same and ways in which you were different. Characteristics youcompare and contrast might include appearance, interests, and talents.

Compare and contrast yourself with one of your friends or relatives. Writeyour name at the top of one column. Complete the first column by writingfive of your characteristics. Write the other person’s name at the top of thesecond column. Complete the second column by writing “same” or adifferent characteristic for your relative.

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At Home: Share your compare and contrast tableswith family members. Discuss any changes oradditions they recommend.

Book 4/Unit 4Earth’s First Creatures

140

Name Date

My Name:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Friend’s or Relative’s Name:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

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Vocabulary

At Home: Read about and look at pictures of someprehistoric creatures. Think about which animals oftoday they could be related to.


141–142

Suppose that while digging a hole in your yard, you find a fossil of aCambrian creature. Write a short article about your discovery that mightappear in your local newspaper. Use as many vocabulary words as youcan.

ancestors disaster microscope snout spikes weird


Scientists think the Anomalocaris might be an ancestor of today’s crabs and spiders because they have some similar characteristics. Think of an animal that is alive today. Draw a picture below of what you think its Cambrianancestor might have looked like. Write a caption that names the animal today and tells why the creature in your drawing could be its ancestor.

Story Comprehension

Extend 142

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Read a Chart

A chart is a good way to organize information. It is also a good way tocompare similar things to see how they are alike and how they aredifferent. The chart below gives information about some of the largestlakes in the world.

Use the chart to answer the questions.

At Home: Have students choose two animals,research the animals and make a chart using the information that they find.


143


Lake

Lake Superior

Lake Victoria

Lake Huron

Lake Michigan

Lake Tanganyika

Location

North America

Africa

North America

North America

Africa

Square Miles

31,698

26,826

22,999

22,299

12,699

1. Which lake is the smallest?

2. How many of the lakes on the chart are located in North America?

3. What is the name of the largest lake?

4. What is the name of the largest lake in Africa?

5. Which two lakes are closest in size?

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Steps in a Process

At Home: Talk with a friend about things you will learnduring the next two years that will help you prepare formiddle school.


144

“The Earliest Animals” tells us about the simple, tiny life forms that lived beforethe Cambrian period and the animals that came after that time.

You have gone through steps in a process since the day you startedschool. Write three things you have learned since you started school thatmake it possible for you to be the person you are today. Explain why eachchange has been helpful.

1.

2.

3.


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Prefixes

The prefixes dis- and in- mean “not” or “the opposite of.” When a prefix isadded to a root wood, the meaning of the root word changes. For eachword, write a related word that contains the prefix dis- or in-.

digestion organizedcovered convenientplace activecomplete color

Write a story, using as many of the words you created above as possible.You may also draw a picture on separate piece of paper to illustrate yourstory.

At Home: Have students find other words with theprefixes dis- and in- in a newspaper.


145


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At Home: Play a root word game with a family member orfriend. Choose a root word and see who can write themost new words containing the root in 3 minutes.


146


Root Words

Many English words have roots that come from other languages. Newwords are formed by adding suffixes and prefixes to root words. Look atthe meanings of the root words in the chart below.

Root Word Meaningscope seespher circle, globemeter measure

Then write the root of each word below.

Use the clues below to find a new word. Then write a definition for each word.

1. atmosphere

2. diameter

3. telescope

4. spherical

5. stethoscope

6. perimeter

meter

7. hemi (“half”) + sphere =

8. kilo (“thousand”) + meter =

9. micro (“small”) + scope =

10. peri (“all around”) + meter =

spher

scope

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Draw pictures to represent six words from the vocabulary list. Exchangepictures with a classmate and try to identify the word represented by eachpicture.

abandon absorb affection climate connectedfreeze haul hilltop injury microscopepoisonous praised research snout spikes

At Home: Choose several words from thevocabulary list above. Pantomime their meanings,and have family members try to guess the words.


147


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At Home: Make up another crossword puzzle using sixdifferent words from the vocabulary list. Have a familymember try to solve the puzzle.


148

Create a crossword puzzle that includes six words from the vocabulary list.Write a clue for each word. Cover the vocabulary list with a sheet of paper.Exchange puzzles with a partner and try to solve.

Across Crossword

Down

ancestors available clinging confusion disasterendangered lodge messenger methods originalovercome sponge threat traditional weird


Puzzle

Extend 149

The sequence of events is the order in which things happen.

Read the following sentences. Write one thing that might have happenedbefore the event in the sentences, and one thing that might havehappened after.

1. Ellen fell down and skinned her knee.

Before

After

2. The dog slipped out the door.

Before

After

3. Jack’s face lit up in a huge grin.

Before

After

4. A strong wind began to blow.

Before

After

5. Marco rounded third base.

Before

After

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Sequence of Events

At Home: Have students put five of the day’s events inthe correct sequence.

Book 4/Unit 5The Fox and the Guinea Pig

149

Name Date

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Vocabulary

At Home: Have students try to spell the vocabularywords from memory.


150–151

Use the vocabulary words in the box to make up a short story. Write yourstory on a separate sheet of paper. Then draw a picture in the box below toillustrate a detail in your story.

amazement eldest stakedestroyed fowl strewn


Draw three pictures to illustrate three events in “The Fox and the GuineaPig.” You may look back at the story for help. Combine your pictures with apartner’s, and work together to put all six pictures in the correct sequence.

Story Comprehension

Extend 151

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Read Advertisements

Advertisements are notices made to try to convince people to do or buysomething. Because there are many different products, advertisements try tomake their product seem special in some way. It is important to readadvertisements carefully, and to think about what they really say.

Read this advertisement. Write three important things it tells you.

1.

2.

3.

Do you believe the product in the advertisement is everything theadvertisement says it is? Tell why or why not.

Suppose you work for an advertising agency. On a separate sheet ofpaper, design an advertisement for a new sneaker. Be sure to include allthe elements you need to convince people to buy this sneaker.

At Home: Look at advertisements with students.Discuss what the ads are trying to say, and howthey say it.


152


Possible answer: name of the cereal

Possible answer: what the cereal can do

It will boost yourenergy and make yousmarter and stronger!

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Sequence of Events

At Home: Cut out four pictures from a magazine. Havestudents use them to make up a story with abeginning, middle, and an end.


153

All stories have a beginning, middle, and an end. The sequence of events in astory tells what happens first, next, and last.

Make an outline of the main events in “The Fox and the Guinea Pig.” Besure to list the events in their correct sequence.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Work with a partner. Pantomime a scene from “The Fox and the GuineaPig.” Have another pair of students tell whether the scene comes from thebeginning, middle, or end of the story.


Don Emicho lets the fox go.

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Make Inferences

An inference is a conclusion you make using facts or experience.

What can you infer about the fox’s personality from reading “The Fox andthe Guinea Pig”? Write a paragraph that describes what the fox is like.

Suppose the fox escaped from the hole the guinea pig buried him in. Whatdo you think might have happened next? Do you think the fox wouldeventually catch the guinea pig? Explain your thinking.

At Home: Direct students to tell you which facts orexperiences they used to make a specificinference.


154


Sometimes you can figure out what an unfamiliar word means by looking at theother words around it. This is called using the context clues. Ask yourself, “Howis this word used?” “What words are used with it?” The order of the words canalso give you context clues.

Suppose a friend doesn’t know what these vocabulary words mean. Writea sentence or two for each word that provides some context clues to helpyour friend.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

alfalfa headlong sacrifice intruder keeled

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Context Clues

At Home: Choose several unfamiliar words in a newsarticle or story. Have students use context clues tofigure out what the words mean.


155


Answers will vary. Students’ sentences should use vocabulary correctly

Extend 156

Important information is information that helps explain or support the main ideaof a story. Without it, the story might not make sense. Unimportant informationis not necessary to a story, but it can make a story more interesting to read.

Suppose you were describing your bedroom to a friend who had never seen it.What important information would you include? What unimportant informationmight make your description more interesting? Write your description below.

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Important and Unimportant Information

At Home: Direct students to read an article in a newspaperor magazine. Have them list three pieces of importantinformation and three pieces of unimportant information.

Book 4/Unit 5Mom’s Best Friend

156

Name Date

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Vocabulary

At Home: Have students write a paragraph using thevocabulary words on this page.


157–158

Use the correct vocabulary word to fill in the blank in each sentence.

1. Tasha used the to trim the shrubs in the back yard.

2. Josh felt when he saw that he did well on the test.

3. Despite the to chase the cat, the dog sat still.

4. The ambulances’ were so loud, we had to cover our ears.

5. On Saturday mornings, Elena likes to run with herfather.

6. Tim and Jessie were the words that would be ontheir spelling test.

On a separate sheet of paper write two sentences using one of thevocabulary words in each sentence.

clippers errands instinctmemorizing relieved sirens


Leslie’s mother says that taking care of Ursula reminds her of taking careof Leslie and Joel when they were little. Make an inference about what shemeans. What information from “Mom’s Best Friend” are you using to makeyour inference?

Story Comprehension

Extend 158

clippers

relieved

instinct

sirens

errands

memorizing

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Read a Newspaper

Look through several recent newspapers. Use the headlines to help youfind a news article that interests you. Read the article, and use it to answerthese questions:

1. What is the headline of the article?

2. Who wrote the article?

3. Where does the event in the article take place?

4. What is the main idea of the article?

Draw a picture to illustrate the main idea of the news article.

At Home: Have students choose two articles from anewspaper the information in the datelines and how thearticles answer Who? What? When? Where? and Why?


159


Answers will vary.

Answers will vary.

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At Home: Tell students to read a favorite story to afamily member and discuss the important andunimportant information.


160

Read the following paragraph. Find four pieces of unimportant information, and write them in the lines provided below. Then find fourpieces of important information and write them below.

Anita and Juana were fast asleep in their bunk beds. TheirMother was asleep in her room down the hall. The dog, Murphy,slept downstairs in the kitchen. His bed was a plaid flannel pillow in awicker basket. Suddenly, Murphy woke up. He sniffed the air aroundhim. He smelled smoke. Murphy began to bark. He ran up the stairsto wake up the girls and their mother. There were photographs onthe wall near the stairs. Anita, Juana, and their mother jumped out ofbed, put on their shoes and ran out of the house. An electrical firewas burning in the kitchen. Mother called the fire department from aneighbor’s house. The neighbor’s house was brick, with white trim.The fire department came and put out the fire and Murphy was theneighborhood hero.

Unimportant Information

1.

2.

3.

4.

Important Information

1.

2.

3.

4.


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Make Inferences

An inference is a conclusion. Often, you make an inference based on facts youare given. You can also make an inference based on what you know fromexperience. For example, if you see smoke, you can make the inference thatthere is a fire nearby.

Read the following sentences about “Mom’s Best Friend.” What inferencecan you make from each one?

1. I thought that Mom should give Joel obedience training.

2. Mom didn’t ask much about us. All of her questions were about Ursula.

3. Mom didn’t like to depend on other people.

4. After she’d been with us a month, Ursula began to eat all of her food.

At Home: Have students make a list of some of the inferences they madeduring the day and share them with family members. Remind them topresent the facts or experiences they used to make the inferences.


161


Figurative language uses similes or metaphors to create mental pictures. Asimile compares two things using the words like or as. “The water was as cold asice” is a simile. A metaphor compares two things without using like or as. “Thebreeze was a feather, ruffling his hair” is a metaphor. Using figurative language isone way to make writing more interesting.

Choose the correct word from the list below to complete the similes andmetaphors taken from “Mom’s Best Friend.” Then for each write asentence saying the same thing in another way.

1. She crept along the sidewalk like a .

2. Mom’s first day was a .

3. Like I was crazy about this shrimpy new dog.

4. I was just as about you.

Make up your own simile or metaphor, and then use it in a sentence.

cinch magic fallensnail passerby crazy

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Figurative Language

At Home: Tell students to make lists of examples of figurative language and post it on theirrefrigerators. They should have family membersadd to the list.


162


snail

cinch

Extend 163

A prediction is a good guess about what will happen in the future. You can oftenmake predictions based on what you know from experience.

Make a list of predictions about what you will do next Saturday.

On Saturday morning, I will:

1.

2.

3.

In the afternoon, I will:

4.

5.

6.

In the evening, I will:

7.

8.

9.

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Make Predictions

At Home: Have children check their prediction listsand note which predictions were correct.

Book 4/Unit 5The Rajah’s Rice

163

Name Date

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Vocabulary

At Home: Have students choose another story andwrite about how a character does a good deed.


164–165

Suppose you are on vacation in a faraway place. Write a letter to a friendback home using at least four of the vocabulary words above. Be sure toinclude some details about the places you are seeing.

Dear ,

attendants celebration releasedawkwardly knowledge spice


Use what you know from “The Rajah’s Rice” to write about the kind ofperson Chandra is. Then make a prediction about how she might react inthe future if she has to choose between helping herself and helping others.

Story Comprehension

Extend 165

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Follow a Recipe

Dal is the Indian name for lentils, split peas, chick peas, or beans. Dal is also thename of a thick Indian soup or stew made of these ingredients. This recipemakes enough Dal for 6 people.

Rewrite the recipe to show how you would make enough Dal to feed 12people.

DAL1 cups lentils 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds4 cups water 1 cup chopped onion2 dried chilies 1 teaspoon grated ginger root1/4 teaspoon turmeric 1 tablespoon lemon juice1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon garam masala2 tablespoons vegetable oil

At Home: Have students use a recipe. Have familymembers help them measure correctly and followthe steps.


166


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Make Predictions

At Home: Have students make two predictions about afavorite movie or sports personality.


167

Chandra’s unselfish choice in “The Rajah’s Rice” affected her wholevillage. Write a prediction of what you think might have happened ifChandra had chosen jewels instead of rice as her reward.

Suppose you did a big favor for a very important person. This personoffered you any reward you wanted. What would you choose, and why?


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Make Inferences

You can make inferences, or draw conclusions, based on the facts you aregiven in a story.

In “The Rajah’s Rice,” the doctors that looked at the sick elephants were unableto cure them. Why couldn’t the doctors cure the elephants? What can you inferabout the doctors and about why Chandra was able to cure the elephants?

Would you guess that the doctors felt the same way about the elephantsas Chandra did? Explain why.

At Home: Direct students to write about what factsor experiences they used to make a specificinference.


168


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Context Clues

At Home: Have students choose a newspaper article orstory and find unfamiliar words. Then have them usecontext clues to figure out what the words mean.


169

Sometimes you can figure out what an unfamiliar word means by looking at theother words around it. This is called using the context of a word. Ask yourself,“How is this word used?” “What words are used with it?” Context clues give youhints about a word or a series of words.

Each of the words below is found in “The Rajah’s Rice.” Tell what contextclues helped you decide what each word means, and then write yourdefinition.

Word Context Clues Definition

Rajah

paddies

felled

peddler

egrets

incense


Extend 170

The sequence of events means the order in which a series of events happens.

Think about yesterday. What happened? Who did you see? What did youdo? Write down eight events that happened yesterday in the correctsequence.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

On a separate sheet of paper draw a picture to illustrate one of the eventson your list.

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Sequence of Events

At Home: List the events of your day out of sequence.Have someone put the events in the correctsequence.

Book 4/Unit 5Yeh-Shen

170

Name Date

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Vocabulary

At Home: Have students write a paragraph that usesall of the vocabulary words.


171–172

Write a sentence using each of the vocabulary words above. Then erasethe vocabulary words or cover them with tape. Trade papers with a partner,and fill in the blanks.

beloved bid desireheaved marveled permit


Think about what you know about the different characters in “Yeh-Shen.”Choose one character. Write one thing that might have happened to him orher before the story began. Write two things that might have happened tohim or her after the story ends.

1.

2.

3.

Story Comprehension

Extend 172

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Read E-mail

At Home: Have students work in pairs. Invite eachstudent to pretend to be a character from a book andhave them write E-mail messages to each other.


173


E-mail is a quick and easy way to send messages to people all over the world. It ismuch faster than regular mail and less expensive than a long distance phone call.

Read the E-mail below and then write a reply.

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Sequence of Events

At Home: Summarize a familiar story with the eventsout of sequence. Have other students retell the storywith the events in the correct sequence.


174

All stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end. The sequence of events in astory leads a reader from the beginning, through the middle, to the end.

Write a brief retelling of another fairy tale, or write one of your own. Be surethat your story has a beginning, middle, and end, and that all the events inthe story are in the correct sequence. When you are finished, read yourstory to the class.


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Make Predictions

A prediction is a good guess about what will happen in the future. You can makepredictions based on information you are given or what you know fromexperience.

Read the sentence or sentences carefully. Make a prediction about whatmight have happened next.

1. Maria and Max had the chicken pox. Lara, who had never had chicken pox,

spent the afternoon at their house.

2. So many thoughtless people threw trash in the pond that the water was

murky.

3. Ling didn’t study for her spelling test.

4. Jasmine and her sister went to the park to play soccer, but the field was

crowded with older children.

5. Robin was late for her violin lesson.

6. José asked his mother if he could go outside to play, but the sky was dark.

7. Sometimes Tanya and Tyra, who are identical twins, like to dress alike.

At Home: Direct students to tell what facts orexperience they used to make specific predictions.


175


Ling didn’t do well on her spelling

Robin didn’t get to play her song all

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Figurative Language

At Home: Have students point out examples of figurativelanguage in stories or articles.


176

Figurative language uses similes or metaphors to create mental pictures.A simile compares two things using the words like or as. “The water was ascold as ice” is a simile. A metaphor compares two things without using thewords like or as. “The breeze was a feather, ruffling his hair” is a metaphor.Using figurative language is one way to make writing more interesting.

Use each word in a sentence that contains figurative language. Eachsentence should contain either a simile or a metaphor. Be creative!

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

crafty chores pond spring festival slipper


Extend 177

Important information is information that helps explain or support the main ideaof a story. Without it, the story might not make sense. Unimportant informationis not necessary to a story, but it can add color and makes a story moreinteresting to read.

Write a paragraph about some things we should do to protect theenvironment. Explain why you do these things and how they help theenvironment. Underline the information you think is most important in yourparagraph. Share your ideas with the rest of the class.

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At Home: Find a newspaper or magazine article onan environmental issue. Have students underlineimportant information.

Book 4/Unit 5Can We Rescue the Reefs?

177

Name Date

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Vocabulary

At Home: Have students make a prediction based on anews article they have read.


178–179

Suppose you went snorkeling while vacationing on a tropical island. Writea letter to a friend, using the vocabulary words above. Describe what yousaw underwater.

Dear ,

From,

coral damage loosenedpercent reefs ton


Write down three important pieces of information about why reefs aredisappearing. For help you may look back at the article. On a separatesheet, predict whether or not people will be able to stop damaging thereefs. Explain why or why not.

1.

2.

3.

Story Comprehension

Extend 179

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Use the Telephone Directory

Use this sample yellow pages to answer the questions.

1. What number would you call if you wanted a tour in a glass-bottomed boat?

2. Where is Yazzy’s Yachts located?

3. Which boat repair place is on Beach Street?

4. What is the street address of Ocean Adventure?

5. Write a Yellow Pages listing for a company that sells rowboats.

At Home: Have students create Yellow Pageslistings for businesses that might exist in anundersea world.


180


432 Ocean Avenue

Boats

Boats For All 15 Newport St. ...................... 555-1212

Yazzy’s Yachts 432 Ocean Av. ...................... 555-8721

Boat Repair

Cap’s Boat Repair 90 Marina St. ......................... 555-4877

Surfside Inc. 123 Beach St. ....................... 555-0033

Boat Tours

Glass Bottom Tours 34 Tourist Av. ........................ 555-9494

Ocean Adventure 261 Waves St. ....................... 555-8368

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Make Predictions

At Home: Have students make two predictions basedon a news article about an environmental issue.


181

A prediction is a logical guess about what will happen in the future. You canmake predictions based on information you are given or what you know fromexperience.

Think about endangered animals and other environmental issues. Writethree predictions about what will happen to these animals or to theenvironment if people don’t change some of their practices.

1.

2.

3.

Design a poster to illustrate one of your predictions. Be sure to tell peoplewhat they can do to keep your prediction from coming true. Show yourposter to the class and explain the issue you chose to illustrate.


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Figurative Language

Figurative language uses similes or metaphors to create mental pictures. Asimile compares two things using the words like or as. “The coral shines like ajewel” is a simile. A metaphor compares two things without using like or as. “Thecoral was a jewel, shining beneath the sea” is a metaphor. Using figurativelanguage is one way to make writing more interesting.

Read the sentences below. Then rewrite them, using figurative language toexpress the ideas more creatively.

1. The day was very cold.

2. Sasha’s eyes were dark brown.

3. Richard was very hungry.

4. The loud noise startled Marisa.

5. Chiyo could run very fast.

6. Jack felt grouchy when he got up today.

At Home: Have a conversation with students inwhich figurative language is used.

Book 4/Unit 5Can We Rescue The Reefs?

182


Sometimes you can figure out what an unfamiliar word means by looking at theother words around or near it. This is called using context clues. Ask yourself,“How is this word used? What words that I know are used with it?” Context cluesgive you hints about a word or a series of words.

Write a word or phrase that would work as a context clue for each of thewords above. Then write a sentence that uses each of the words correctly.

Context Clues:

1. Harbor:

2. Overgrown:

3. Brilliant:

4. Shorelines:

Sentences:

1.

2.

3.

4.

harbor overgrownbrilliant shorelines

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Context Clues

At Home: Have students use context clues to figureout two unfamiliar words in a reference book articleabout the environment.


183


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Vocabulary Review

Make a word search puzzle using the vocabulary words below. Fill the boxbelow with letters. Hide the words by presenting them forward, backward,top to bottom, bottom to top, and diagonally.

Word Search

amazement instinct awkwardly marveledloosened relieved destroyed stakestrewn errands attendants tonreefs

At Home: Have students write a story using sixof the vocabulary words.


184


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Vocabulary Review

At Home: Have students define one of the words bywriting a poem about it.


185

Write two or three poems using the vocabulary words in the box. Use asmany words as you can in your poems.

eldest clippers sirens fowl desirecoral heaved celebration spice bidbeloved permit damage percent knowledge


Extend 186

One of the first things we learn as children is cause and effect. If you drop achina plate, it will break. If you kick a sand castle, it will crumble. Later, we learnthat if we don’t study, we may not do well in school. If we treat someone unkindly,we may hurt their feelings.

A cause is something that produces an effect, or a result. Make a list ofcauses and effects that occur during your day.

Cause EffectExample:

I threw the baseball too close to the house. The ball broke a window.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

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Cause and Effect

At Home: Have students identify causes and effects innewspaper articles.

Book 4/Unit 6Teammates

186

Name Date

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Vocabulary

At Home: Have students name the effects of one oftheir actions today.


187–188

Write a sentence using each vocabulary word. Then read your sentencesaloud to a partner, leaving out the vocabulary word. Have your partnerchoose the correct word to complete the sentence. Then fill in yourpartner’s sentences.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

circulated launched opponentsextraordinary organizations teammate


Think about Pee Wee Reese’s courageous and kind acts in “Teammates.”Write about how his actions may have affected others.

Story Comprehension

Extend 188

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Use the Card Catalog: Subject Card

A card catalog helps you find books in the library. You can look up books in thecard catalog by author, title, or subject. Subject cards help you find books bytopic. For example, if you were interested in reading about Jackie Robinson, youwould look for his name on a subject card.

Subject Card

At Home: Have students tell you how they wouldfind other books by the same author and otherbooks about baseball.


189


ROBINSON, JACKIE

J796.35709 Author

Title

Publisher

Number of pages Illustrator

Summary

Use the information in the paragraph below to fill in the subject card.

Peter Golenbock wrote “Teammates,” a story about the racialprejudice that baseball-great Jackie Robinson experienced when hejoined the Brooklyn Dodgers as the first African American to playbaseball in the major leagues. The book also depicts the supportRobinson received from white teammate Pee Wee Reese.“Teammates” was published in San Diego by Harcourt, Brace,Jovanovich in 1990. There are 32 pages in the book, which wasillustrated by Paul Bacon. You can find “Teammates” in theJ796.35709 section of the library.

Peter Golenbock

Teammates

Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich

32 Paul Bacon

Possible answer: Racial prejudice experienced by

the first African American to play in the major leagues.

Teammate Pee Wee Reese helped Robinson fight the

prejudice.

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Cause and Effect

At Home: Have students tell about a time they stood upfor something they believed in.


190

As you read the story “Teammates,” you will see that each thing that happened toJackie Robinson caused him to do something else. Sometimes those effectsbecome causes themselves.

For example:

Fill in the missing causes and effects. Refer to the story “Teammates” tohelp you.

Cause Effect

1. At spring training, JackieRobinson was mobbed byAfrican American fans.

2. Jackie Robinson faced abuseand hostility throughout the baseball season.

3. Jackie Robinson had to live byhimself while on the road.

4. Pee Wee Reese decided to takea stand.

5. Pee Wee put his arm aroundRobinson and stood next to him.

Effect: Jackie Robinson vowsnot to give up.

Effect: Many of JackieRobinson’s new teammatestreat him cruelly.

Effect: Mr. Rickey askedJackie Robinson to join theDodgers. This becomesanother cause.

Cause: Branch Rickeywanted to find the bestbaseball player he could.


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We make many judgments and decisions every day. Some are so easy wemake them automatically. Others are more difficult and require careful thought.

Read the sentences or paragraphs below. Write what decision you wouldmake in each situation. Be sure to explain your thinking.

1. You see two classmates teasing and scaring a younger child on theplayground.

2. You promise you will rake the yard before dinner. You are halfway done whenyour best friend rides up on her bicycle and asks you to go for a ride.

3. A friend tells a joke that makes fun of certain people. It makes youuncomfortable.

4. You really want to buy a new baseball glove. You have saved $10 so far. Youare invited to go to the video arcade for the afternoon. You know you’ll spendat least $5 there, but it sounds like fun.

At Home: Have students keep a list of some of thedecisions they have to make in one day.


191


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Context Clues

At Home: Have students use context clues to figure out twounfamiliar words in a news article about an athlete.


192

Sometimes you can determine what an unfamiliar word means by looking at thewords around it. Context clues give you hints about the meaning of a word or aseries of words.

Find the following words in the story “Teammates.” Tell which context clueshelped you understand what each word means. Then write your definition.

Word Context Clues Definitions

leagues

prejudice

racial

segregation

apathetic

audible


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Many different kinds of problems and solutions exist. Different peoplemay often choose different solutions for the same problem.

Read each problem below. Write your solution. Then compare yoursolutions with a partner. How are the solutions the same? How are theydifferent?

1. It’s your first day at a new school. At lunch time, the cafeteria is crowded with

unfamiliar faces. What would you do?

2. You have three homework assignments tonight, and you have to study fortomorrow’s spelling test. You feel overwhelmed. What would you do?

3. You and four friends are going to a movie. Your mother is driving all of you.Another friend asks to join you, but there is no more room in the car. Whatwould you do?

4. You and two classmates are working on a project that has four parts to it. Howdo you divide the work in a way that is fair to everyone?

At Home: Have students talk about a problem atschool and how it could be solved.

Book 4/Unit 6The Malachite Palace

193


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Vocabulary

At Home: Have students talk about decisions theymade today.


194–195

Work with a partner. Each of you choose three words from the vocabulary list andwrite down the definitions. Then make up false definitions for each of your threewords. Read your partner both definitions for each word, and have him or herguess which is correct.

cultured feeble fragrance mingled resembled scampered


After feeling lonely and frustrated for a long time, the princess in the story “TheMalachite Palace” solved her problem for herself. What kinds of judgments ordecisions did the princess make in order to solve her problem?

Story Comprehension

Extend 195

A card catalog helps you find books in the library. Subject cards help you findbooks by subject. Author cards help you find books written by a certain author.Title cards help you find books by title. The card catalog is arrangedalphabetically. The call number in the upper left-hand corner of the card tells youwhere to find the book on the library shelves.

Title CardFill in the title card with the information listed below.

• 26 Pages

• After the dragon burns down the kingdom and captures Prince Ronald,Princess Elizabeth uses her wits to outsmart the dragon and rescue the prince.

• Toronto: Annick Press, 1980

• Illus. by Michael Martchenko

• JL M

• Musch, Robert N.

• The Paper Bag Princess

7. When would you find this card helpful?

Call Number:

1.

Title 2.

Author 3.

Summary: 4.

Publisher/Date: 5.

Number of Pages/Illustrations: 6.

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Use the Card Catalog: Author and Title Cards

At Home: Have students tell how other cards in thecard catalog have information organized differently.


196


JL M

The Paper Bag Princess

Musch, Robert N

After a dragon burns down the kingdom

and captures Prince Ronald, Princess

Elizabeth uses her wits to outsmart the

dragon and rescue the prince.

Toronto: Annick Press, 1980

26 pages; illus. by Michael Martchenko

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At Home: Have students talk about how a problem athome was solved creatively.


197

The princess in the story “The Malachite Palace” used her imagination to find asolution for the problem of the captured bird’s loneliness. By experimenting withtools she had never used, she found a way to make his cage into a home fromwhich the bird could come and go as it pleased.

Suppose your school needs a new playground, but it cannot afford to buyexpensive equipment. Think about how you might solve this problem, anddesign the playground so that it meets the needs of all the students in yourschool. Write about your plan for the new playground and why you think itwill work.


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Cause and Effect

As you read the story “The Malachite Palace,” you can see that each event has acause. What happened is the effect. However, sometimes an effect can causesomething else to happen.

For example,

Refer to the story to help you fill in the table with missing causes and effects.

Effect5.

Effect/CauseThe Princess filled the empty cagewith seeds.

Effect/CauseThe Princess opens cage door.

Effect/Cause4.

Effect/CauseThe Princess sees childrenpeeking through the fence.

Effect/Cause3.

Effect/CauseThe Princess put the cage on thebalcony.

Effect/Cause2.

Effect/CauseThe bird stopped singing.

Cause1.

Effect/CauseThe bird flew into the room.

EffectThe bird was captured.

Effect/CauseShe opened her window.

CauseThe princess heard a “tap, tap,tap” at her window.

At Home: Have students talk about the effects ofone of their actions today.


198


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At Home: Have students find synonyms and antonymsfor five words.


199

Synonyms are words whose meanings are the same. Antonyms are wordswhose meanings are opposite.

Example: happy/joyful (synonyms)happy/sad (antonyms)

Are the pairs of words below synonyms or antonyms? Write S for synonymor A for antonym on the line.

1. ignorant/educated

2. feeble/weak

Write a synonym for each word below:

3. governess

4. scampered

5. ill-mannered

6. warble

7. longing

Write an antonym for each word below:

8. ornate

9. rare

10. brighter

11. rude

12. confidently

Write a paragraph using as many of the synonyms and antonyms aspossible.


A

S

teacher

ran

desire

common

darker

Extend 200

We are always making choices. Making choices requires us to makejudgements and decisions about what we want to do. Different people mightmake different decisions about the same choice.

Read the problems below. Write the decision you would make in each situation.Compare your decisions with a partner’s. How are they alike? How are theydifferent?

1. You have arranged to celebrate your birthday party on the same day as theart fair at school. Many of your friends are taking part in the fair.

2. You promised your mother you would practice the piano before dinner. Youhave just started practicing when your best friend calls and asks you to comeover.

3. You studied hard for a test. A classmate who didn’t study asks you on the dayof the test to help him study very quickly.

4. You really want to join the tennis team at school, but you’re not sure you are agood enough player.

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At Home: Have students tell about how they decidewhat books to read or what movies to see.

Book 4/Unit 6The Toothpaste Millionaire

200

Name Date

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Vocabulary

At Home: Have students read their advertisementsaloud.


201–202

Write an advertisement for a new product using as many of the vocabularywords as you can.

brilliant commercials expensive gallon ingredient successful


What do you think was the most important decision Rufus made in “TheToothpaste Millionaire”? What caused him to make the decision? Whatwas the effect of Rufus’ decision? Explain.

Story Comprehension

Extend 202

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Use an Online Library Catalog

Most libraries have their catalog on a computer. You can choose to search thecatalog by subject, title, or author. Use an author search when you want to findmore works by a specific author.

At Home: Have students do an author search on anonline catalog.


203


Study the screens above to answer these questions

1. What is the title of the book found?

2. Where and when was the book published?

3. Where can you find this book?

4. What other information does the screen tell you?

5. What subjects might this book be listed under?

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At Home: Talk about a decision students made today.How could they have made it differently? What mighthave happened differently?


204

Everyone looks at problems differently. People bring their own values andexperiences with them when they make judgments and decisions.

Suppose that you were Rufus in “The Toothpaste Millionaire.” Choose onedecision in the story that you would make differently. Explain your choice,and tell why you would do things in a different way. How does your choiceaffect the outcome of the story?


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In the story “Toothpaste Millionaire,” Rufus had a problem: The bank turned himdown for a loan. What was the solution to Rufus’ problem? He asked an adult toapproach the bank for the loan.

Suppose your class wants to raise money for a class trip. Think of a way tosolve the problem. List the steps in your solution clearly. Try to persuadeyour teachers and classmates that your solution will work. Be convincing!

At Home: Have students tell how they might solve aproblem they are having at home or at school.


205


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At Home: Choose three words from a magazine ornewspaper article. Have students name a synonym andantonym for each.


206


Examples: Brilliant and bright are synonyms.Downturn and upturn are antonyms.

Write a synonym and antonym for each word below. Then write a paragraphusing the synonyms and antonyms. Draw a picture to illustrate a detail from yourparagraph.

Word Synonym Antonym

1. successful

2. sterilized

3. portable

4. expensive

5. fantastic

6. celebrity


doing well

clean

moveable

costly

wonderful

star

failing

dirty

not movable

cheap

ordinary

unknown

Compare:

1.

2.

3.

Contrast:

1.

2.

3.

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To compare is to look at two or more things and tell how they are they same. Tocontrast is to look at two or more things and tell how they are different.

Compare and contrast a horse and a camel. Write three ways the animals arethe same and three ways they are different.

At Home: Have students compare and contrastthemselves with other members of the family.

Book 4/Unit 6Whales

207


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Vocabulary

At Home: Have students compare two rooms in thehouse or apartment.

Book 4/Unit 6Whales

208–209

Suppose you went on a whale-watching trip with your family. Using at leastfour of the vocabulary words above, write a diary entry about what yousaw.

Dear Diary,

identify mammals marine pods preserve related


Write a paragraph comparing and contrasting two of the types of whalesmentioned in the story. Look back at “Whales” for help.

Story Comprehension

Extend 209

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Use an Encyclopedia Index

The best way to quickly find a subject in an encyclopedia is to use theencyclopedia index. This is the last book, or volume, in the set. It lists all theencyclopedia entries in alphabetical order, and tells you in which volume and onwhat pages you will find the information you are looking for.

Think of two topics that interest you. Find your topics in an encyclopediaindex and then answer the questions below.

1. What are your two topics?

2. Where will you find information on your topics in the encyclopedia?

3. What entries did you find for each topic?

4. Which topic has more information in the encyclopedia?

5. List some additional information—charts, graphs, maps, tables, and so on—

that are available for your topics.

6. On which topic would you rather write a report? Explain your choice.

At Home: Have students look up subjects in anencyclopedia index and tell where they would find theinformation in the encyclopedia.

Book 4/Unit 6Whales

210


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At Home: Have students compare and contrast themselves as theywere at the age of 6 with themselves today.

Book 4/Unit 6Whales

211

Comparing two or more things tells how the things are alike.

Example: Whales and dolphins are both sea creatures.

Contrasting two or more things tells how the things are different.

Example: Whales are mammals, and sharks are fish.

Think about yourself and a friend. How are you alike? How are youdifferent? Write a paragraph that compares and contrasts the two of you.Then draw a picture of yourself and your friend.


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The Makah live in the state of Washington. This Native American group has beentrying to bring back their ancient tradition of whale hunting. The United Statesgovernment has decided to allow Makah people to hunt up to 20 gray whalesover a five year period, however protesters are afraid that this will pave the wayfor whale hunting all over the world.

Suppose you were the one who had to decide whether Makah should beallowed to hunt gray whales or not. Use your judgment. What decisionwould you make and why? Be sure to explain your thinking. Be convincing!

At Home: Have students tell about difficult decisionsthey have made recently. Why were the decisionshard to make?

Book 4/Unit 6Whales

212


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Context Clues

At Home: Read an article about animals. Have studentsuse context clues to figure out three unfamiliar words.

Book 4/Unit 6Whales

213

Sometimes you can figure out what an unfamiliar word means by looking at thewords around it. This is called using context clues. Context clues give you hintsabout a word or a series of words. These clues are especially important forsubjects, such as marine biology or medicine, that have a specialized vocabulary.

Find the following words in the story “Whales.” Tell which context clueshelped you understand what each word means, and then write yourdefinition.

Word Context Clues Definition

1. blow hole

2. frayed

3. sediment

4. skim

5. filter

6. migration


Extend 214

A cause is something that produces an effect, or a result. Work with a partner.Write down causes. Trade lists with your partner and write down the effects.

Cause Effect

Example:I was caught in the rain without a raincoat. I got soaking wet.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Draw two illustrations, one showing the first cause and the other the lasteffect.

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Cause and Effect

At Home: Have students come up with differenteffects for each of the causes they have written.

Book 4/Unit 6Saving the Everglades

214

Name Date

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Vocabulary

At Home: Think about how your family’s behavioraffects the environment. Plan how you might changeyour behavior to help the environment.


215–216

Work with a partner. Each of you choose three words from the vocabularylist and write down the definitions. Read your definitions to your partner.Have him or her guess the words.

compares importance instance lurk soggy wildlife


Human interference and pollution are causing the Everglades to disappear.Write about the causes of the problem. What are the effects of humanbehavior on the situation? What decisions are being made in order to solvethe problem?

Story Comprehension

Extend 216

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Use the Internet

Using the Internet is a good way to find information about many different topics.Once you find a home page on a particular subject, you can usually move intoother files by clicking on the topic of your choice.

At Home: Have students look up a subject they areinterested in on the Internet and share theirinformation with family members.


217


Use the screens above to answer these questions.

1. What is the name of this website?

2. What would you click to find out about where alligators live?

3. What would you click to learn more about the feeding habits of an alligator?

4. Is it true or false that alligators can grow to be 12 feet long and weigh

550 pounds?

5. About how long do alligators live?

6. Which button would you click on the All About Alligator home page, and why?

All About Alligators

Habitats

true

Back Forward Stop Refresh Home Search Mail Favroites Larger Smaller

Address

Back Forward Stop Refresh Home Search Mail Favroites Larger Smaller

Address

Welcome toAll About Alligators

Did you know that the alligator is the state reptile of Florida?Want to learn more about alligators?Just point and click.

• Alligators and their Cousins • Habitat• Family Life • Favorite Foods

• True Stories and Tall Tales• Alligators and You–

Safety First

True Stories and Tall Tales

Tall Tale: An adult alligator can be over 20 feet long and weigh more than ton–that's over 2,000 pounds

Alligator Facts:

An adult alligator can grow to 12 feet in length and weigh asmuch as 550 pounds. Their lifeexpectancy is 50 to 60 years.

Welcome toAll About Alligators

Did you know that the alligator is the Floridastate reptile?Do you want to learn more about alligators?Just point and click.

• Alligators and their Cousins • Habitat• Family Life • Favorite Foods

• Alligator Facts• Alligators and You—

Safety First

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At Home: Have students compare and contrast twoanimals that live in their region.


218

Comparing two or more things tells how the things are alike.

Example: Alligators and crocodiles are both reptiles.

Contrasting two or more things tells how the things are different.

Example: Alligators have broader snouts than crocodiles.

Compare and contrast an environmental issue in your community to thedisappearance of the Everglades. Do some research on your topic on theInternet or in newspapers. How are the issues alike? How are theydifferent? How are the solutions to your environmental problem and theproblem of the Everglades alike? How are they different? Write yourfindings in the appropriate section of the chart below.


Community Issue Everglades

Co

ntr

asts

Co

mp

aris

on

s

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Context Clues

Context clues in a sentence can give you hints about the meaning of anunfamiliar word or a series of words. You can also look at the meaning of anentire passage to figure out words you don’t know.

Write a sentence for each word below. Provide context clues for the words.Exchange sentences with a partner. Have them locate the context clues foreach word in your sentences.

1. canals:

2. dikes:

3. egrets:

4. engineers:

5. swampland:

6. wildlife:

canals dikes egrets engineers swampland wildlife

At Home: Read an article on an environmentalissue. Have students use context clues todetermine the meanings of unfamiliar words.


219


The rain came so hard that soon the water overflowed the tall

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At Home: Have students replace words in a magazinearticle with synonyms and antonyms.


220


Are these pairs of words synonyms or antonyms? Write S or A on the line.

1. surface/depth

2. threatened/protected

3. rescuing/saving

Write two synonyms for each word below:

4. soggy

5. dikes

6. stable

Write two antonyms for each word below:

7. native

8. winding

9. flood

10. broader

Write a poem using as many of the synonyms as possible.


A

A

S

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Vocabulary Review

Play a matching game with the vocabulary words below and their definitions.Make a copy of this page. Cut out each word box. Then write its definition on a separate index card or strip of paper. Turn the cards or paper face down,and scramble. Arrange in four rows of four cards. Turn over two cards at atime. Try to match each word with its definition. Keep any matches you make.

At Home: Have students use each vocabulary wordin a sentence.


221


extraordinary

marine

organizations

scampered

feeble

resembled

portable

instance

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Vocabulary Review

At Home: Have students choose three vocabularywords to use in a paragraph.


222

Choose 10 words. Scramble the letters for each word, and write thescrambled words on a separate sheet of paper. Exchange scrambledwords with a partner.

1. 6.

2. 7.

3. 8.

4. 9.

5. 10.

Use each word in a sentence on the lines below.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

brilliant circulated compares cultured gallonidentify ingredient lurk mingled opponentspods soggy sterilized stockholdersuccessful teammate toothpaste wildlife


Documents

· Extend 1 The setting is where and when the story takes place. Think about the setting of one of your favorite nature stories. Think about the details of the setting that you remem