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Main Idea and Details

• Thetopiciswhataparagraphorarticleisabout.

• Themain ideaisthemostimportantideaaboutthetopic.

• Detailsarepiecesofinformationthatexplainorsupportthemainidea.

Directions Read the following passage. Then complete the diagram with the topic, the main idea, and details from the passage.

The North Star has been and still is an important tool for travelers.

Before navigational instruments were developed, many sailors used the North Star to navigate. Measuring angles between themselves and the star allows people to

determine their location at sea. Hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts still use the North Star to find their way in the wilderness. The North Star is easy to see if you know where to look in the sky. It is quite bright and is the last star in the tail of the Little Dipper.

Detail

4.

Detail

5.

Detail

3.

Topic

1.

Main Idea

2.

Home ActivityYourchildidentifiedthemainideaanddetailsofanonfictionpassage.Workwithyourchildtoidentifythemainideaanddetailsofeachparagraphinanarticleaboutstarsorplanets.

Reader’s and Writer’s Notebook Unit 2 Comprehension 109

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110 Writing Movie Review Reader’s and Writer’s Notebook Unit 2

Writing • Movie Review

Key Features of a Movie Review

•givesanopinionofamovie

• includesaplotsummarywithoutrevealingtheending

•sharesthewriter’sthoughtsandopinions

Apollo 13 grabs you and won’t let go. Nominated for nine Oscars, Apollo 13

deserves credit as one of the best movies of the year for its remarkable acting, ingenious special effects, and thrilling suspense.

Apollo 13 tells the story of the Apollo 13 mission to the moon. The three crew members take off after dismissing the connection between the mission and the unlucky number 13. But during the mission, an explosion in the oxygen tank sends a panel flying off the module, causing an oxygen leak. From that moment on, the specialists at Mission Control in Houston must race against time to find a way for the crew members to repair the module and get back to Earth.

The acting in Apollo 13 is first-rate. Standout performances include Tom Hanks as astronaut Jim Lovell and Ed Harris as Flight Director Gene Kranz. Hanks portrays Lovell as tough but sensitive, and Harris was nominated for an Oscar for best-supporting actor.

The special effects are dynamite. Viewers feel as though they are transported to outer space. The explosion of the oxygen tank is totally believable, drawing the audience into the reality of the danger the astronauts face. Tension builds as each new challenge threatens the lives of the crewmembers. This is truly the must-see movie of the year.

1. What is the author’s opinion of Apollo 13? Underline the sentence that summarizes the author’s opinion.

2. List two details that the author uses to support this opinion.

3. Circle the paragraph that presents a summary of the plot.

Apollo 13, Movie of the Year

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Reader’s and Writer’s Notebook Unit 2 Vocabulary 111

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VocabularyDirections Choose the word from the box that best matches each definition. Write the word on the line.

1. firmly packed together

2. to cave in

3. to hit or strike violently together

4. extremely small units of matter

5. scientists who study the sun, moon, planets, stars, etc.

Directions Choose the word from the box that best matches each clue. Write the word on the line.

6. You might use this word to describe something packed together.

7. You might use this word to describe what two cars do in an accident.

8. You might use this word to describe what a folding chair does.

9. You might use this word to describe the Milky Way.

10. You might use this word to describe specks of dust.

Write a Newspaper ArticleOn a separate sheet of paper, write a newspaper article about the discovery of a new planet. Use as many of the vocabulary words as you can.

Home Activity Your child identified and used vocabulary words from The Universe. Make up a story with your child about outer space. Use as many of the vocabulary words as you can.

Check the Words You Know

astronomers collapse collide compact galaxy particles

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112 Conventions Regular and Irregular Plural Nouns Reader’s and Writer’s Notebook Unit 2

Name

Home Activity Your child learned about regular and irregular plural nouns. With your child, look at labels on food products. Ask him or her to identify regular and irregular plural nouns.

Plural nouns name more than one person, place, or thing.

• Most plural nouns are formed by adding -s. swing/swings animal/animals boy/boys

• Add -es to nouns ending in ch, sh, x, z, s, and ss. fox/foxes bush/bushes church/churches address/addresses

• If a noun ends in a consonant and y, change y to i and add -es. blueberry/blueberries pony/ponies penny/pennies

• Some nouns have irregular plural forms. They change spelling. man/men tooth/teeth child/children foot/feet

• For most nouns that end in f or fe, change f to v and add -es. half/halves wolf/wolves thief/thieves shelf/shelves

• Some nouns have the same singular and plural forms. salmon trout sheep moose deer

• For compound nouns, make only the important word plural. mothers-in-law commanders-in-chief

• When a noun ends in a vowel and o, add -s: video/videos, radio/radios.

• Check a dictionary for plurals of nouns ending in a consonant and o: photo/photos, potato/potatoes, tomato/tomatoes, hero/heroes.

Directions Write the plural form of the noun in parentheses.

1. They tuned their (radio) to the shuttle liftoff.

2. How many (mystery) does our universe hold?

3. My brother likes to read about space (hero).

4. Casey had model rockets on all of his (shelf).

5. Space telescopes are able to transmit amazing (image).

6. Ian packed his astronomy books in (box).

7. Mrs. Peck divided the class into (half).

8. All of the (chairman) met at the space summit.

9. Alan has seen three space shuttle (launch).

10. Ellen searched three (library) for books on quasars.

Regular and Irregular Plural Nouns

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Reader’s and Writer’s Notebook Unit 2 Spelling Multisyllabic Words 1 113

Home Activity Your child used list words to finish sentences. Select two or three words from the list and ask your child how to count the syllables in those words.

Multisyllabic Words I

Finish the Sentences Use a list word to finish each sentence. Write the word on the line.

1. The network news ___ reported about the big forest fire.

2. I’m feeling ___ today because I didn’t get enough sleep.

3. One of my favorite vegetables is ___.

4. I’m scared of spiders, so I’m sure a ___ would terrify me.

5. I like to use my ___ to multiply large numbers.

6. That was the silliest, most ___ movie I’ve ever seen.

7. The problem with some ___ flavors is that they taste bitter.

8. Pessimistic is the opposite of ___.

9. A ___ plant has pink, red, or white flowers.

10. My mom belongs to a charitable ___.

11. Everyone in town is ___ about our team winning the championship.

12. It is not recommended to watch television and do your homework ___.

13. Your grades are ___, but you could do better.

14. That fellow is dressed like a ___ gentleman.

15. I used an ___ to learn about the Roman Empire.

16. My taking the test early is a ___.

17. Our football team is very ___.

18. I bought ___ servings of applesauce.

19. The graph shows ___ growth.

20. The kitten gets into trouble because of her ___.

1. ___________________

2. ___________________

3. ___________________

4. ___________________

5. ___________________

6. ___________________

7. ___________________

8. ___________________

9. ___________________

10. ___________________

11. ___________________

12. ___________________

13. ___________________

14. ___________________

15. ___________________

16. ___________________

17. ___________________

18. ___________________

19. ___________________

20. ___________________

Spelling Words

possibility linear ridiculous artificial calculatorcompetitive curiosity organization individual encyclopediapeony tarantula correspondent cauliflower optimisticenthusiastic sophisticated satisfactory irritable simultaneously

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114 Writing Reader’s and Writer’s Notebook Unit 2

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Vocabulary • Greek and Latin Roots

• ManywordsinEnglisharebasedonGreek and Latin roots.Sometimesyoucanusethese rootstofigureoutthemeaningofanunfamiliarword.

• TheGreekrootastro-means“star.”TheGreekrootgeo-means“earth.”TheGreekroot-ology means“thestudyof.”TheGreekwordnautesmeans“sailor.”TheLatinwordspiritusmeans“soul,courage,vigor.”TheLatinroot-mitmeans“send.”TheLatinprefixtrans-means“across,over.”

Directions Read the following passage. Then answer the questions below.

Until astronauts can safely visit Mars, we are able to familiarize ourselves

with “the red planet” from images sent to Earth by satellites and from the Mars exploration rovers, Spirit and Opportunity.

The two rovers are clever robots that function like geologists on the surface of Mars. As the rovers move over Mars’s surface, they take pictures and transmit them back to Earth. The pictures are of hills and valleys, rocks and boulders,

and even particles of sand. An important discovery made by the rovers is that Mars probably had water on its surface a very long time ago.

It won’t be long before the two rovers wear out. There is no way to return them to Earth to be fixed. Even though they won’t last forever, Spirit and Opportunity have helped us know more about the galaxy beyond our own planet.

1. What can you tell about the meaning of astronaut from its Greek roots?

2. How do you think the definition of spiritus relates to the rover named Spirit?

3. What do the Latin prefix and root in transmit tell you about the word’s meaning?

4. Based on the meanings of the Greek roots of the word, what do you think the Mars rovers do to function as geologists?

5. Write as many words as you can think of that use the root astro-. If you cannot think of any words by yourself, use the dictionary for help.

Home Activity YourchildidentifiedandusedGreekandLatinrootstounderstandnewwordsinapassage.WorkwithyourchildtoidentifyunfamiliarwordsinanarticlebyexaminingtheirGreekorLatinroots.

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116 Research and Study Skills Reader’s and Writer’s Notebook Unit 2

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Skim and Scan

• To scan is to move one’s eyes quickly down the page, seeking specific words and phrases. Scanning is used to find out if a resource will answer a reader’s questions. Once a reader has scanned a document, he or she might go back and skim it.

• To skim a document is to read the first and last paragraphs as well as using headings, summaries, and other organizers as you move down the page. Skimming is used to quickly identify the main idea. You might also read the first sentence of each paragraph.

Directions Scan the phone book entries. Then answer the questions below.

ICE & ICE CUBESKen’s Locker2001 S. Maplewood Dr. .............555-9001

Mack’s Ice of Homewood319 E. Harvey Ave. ....................555-0902

ICE SKATING RINKSSee Skating Rinks and Parks

ILLUSTRATORSSee Artists, Commercial

IMPORTERSSafari Imports938 W. River Dr. ......................555-3434

INCOME TAX PREPARATIONSee Accountants, Certified Public; Accountants, Public; Tax Preparation Services

IN-HOME CARE SERVICESSee Home Health Care and Services

1. What do you need to do if you want to find an illustrator?

2. What do you have to do to find the number and address of the nearest ice skating rink?

3. Where can you buy ice on Harvey Ave.?

4. Where would you go if you wanted to buy a gift imported from another country?

5. Can you find the phone number for a Certified Public Accountant on this page? Where would you look?

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Reader’s and Writer’s Notebook Unit 2 Research and Study Skills 117

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Home Activity Your child learned about scanning and skimming to help find a main idea or information. Look at a newspaper or magazine with your child and have him or her skim it to find the main idea. Then ask your child to scan it for a particular piece of information.

Directions Skim the passage by reading the headings and the first sentence of each paragraph. Then answer the questions below.

MERCURY

Mercury is the second smallest of the planets. It is not much larger than our moon. It even looks like our moon. At night Mercury can only be seen for a brief time before sunrise and after sunset. Because it is so close to the sun, its temperatures soar to more than 800 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mercury has many craters like our moon. It has a huge basin called the Caloris Basin. It was formed when a meteorite crashed into it billions of years ago.

VENUS

Venus is similar in size to Earth. It is very bright and is seen as a morning star and an evening star. Venus is so bright because it is covered with clouds that reflect the sunlight very well.

Venus comes closer to Earth than any other planet. Its atmosphere is very different than Earth’s.

6. Which two planets is this passage about? How can you tell?

7. Will this passage help you answer questions about Pluto? Why or why not?

8. Will this passage help you answer questions about Earth? Explain.

9. If you were looking for information about craters, would this passage help? Explain.

10. If you needed to find information to compare the sizes of Venus and Mercury, would this passage help you? Explain.

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118 Spelling Multisyllabic Words 1 Reader’s and Writer’s Notebook Unit 2

Home Activity Your child identified misspelled words. Ask your child to think of a word from the list with five syllables, spell it, and use that word in a sentence.

Multisyllabic Words IProofread an Article Circle six spelling errors in this article. Write the words correctly. Then find a run-on sentence. Write it correctly.

Blueberries

A few indivijual studies show that blueberries are rich in antioxidants. These chemicals suggest the possability of preventing heart attacks, they may improve your eyesight, prevent brain impairment, and improve memory. If you want to be optemistic about your health, become enthuseastic about beutiful blueberry recipes. And remember, try not to use artaficial ingredients when you cook.

1. ________________ 2. _________________

3. ________________ 4. _________________

5. ________________ 6. _________________

7. ______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

Proofread Words Circle the word that is spelled correctly. Write it.

8. peony peonie

9. lineare linear

10. ridikulous ridiculous

11. tarantula taranteula

12. cauliflour cauliflower

13. calculater calculator

14. competitive competive

15. cureosity curiosity

Frequently Misspelled

Words

business beautiful

8. _____________________

9. _____________________

10. _____________________

11. _____________________

12. _____________________

13. _____________________

14. _____________________

15. _____________________

possibilitylinearridiculousartificialcalculatorcompetitivecuriosityorganizationindividualencyclopedia

peonytarantulacorrespondentcaulifloweroptimisticenthusiasticsophisticatedsatisfactoryirritablesimultaneously

Spelling Words

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Reader’s and Writer’s Notebook Unit 2 Conventions Regular and Irregular Plural Nouns 119

Home Activity Your child prepared for taking tests on regular and irregular plural nouns. Have your child make flash cards with singular and plural forms of nouns on opposite sides. Use the cards to help him or her learn plural forms.

Regular and Irregular Plural Nouns

Directions Read the passage. Then read each question. Circle the letter of the correct answer.

Best Birthday Presents(1) The new toy store in town features many exciting products for children.

(2) Before their birthday partys, many parents give their children time to write wish lists. (3) Lots of children consider their hobbies. (4) Do they love to collect different stuffed animals? (5) If so, the jungle monkies, fluffy sheep, and unusual donkeys get a lot of interest. (6) Some of the stuffed animals can walk, but they require batteries. (7) Many older children ask for videos and DVDs. (8) Their new favorites include funny movies about ten moose that live in Montana and an animated film about swordfish.

1 How many plural nouns are in sentence 1?

A 0

B 1

C 2

D 3

2 What change, if any, should be made in sentence 2?

A Change partys to parties

B Change parents to parentes

C Change lists to lists’

D Make no change

3 In sentence 3, hobbies is which type of noun?

A Collective

B Regular plural

C Irregular plural

D Proper

4 What change, if any, should be made in sentence 5?

A Change donkeys to donkies

B Change monkies to monkeys

C Change sheep to sheeps

D Make no change

5 What are the irregular plural nouns in this paragraph?

A products, parents, lists, hobbies

B lots, videos, animals, donkeys

C batteries, movies, favorites, moose

D children, sheep, moose, swordfish

The Universe

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