Boom TownWritten by Sonia Levitin
Illustrated by John Sandford
Skill: Realism and Fantasy
Genre: Historical Fiction
Author’s Purpose:
•boom
•business
•coins
•fetched
•laundry
•mending
•pick
•skillet
•spell
Words to Know
More Words to Know
•bustle
•nuggets
•prospector
•boomhaving fast growth
•businesswork done to
earn a living
•coinsround pieces of
metal used as money
•fetchedwent and got something
•laundrya room or building
where clothes are washed and ironed
•mendingsewing that repairs
a hole or tear
•picka tool with a heavy metal bat pointed at one or both ends, having a long, wooden handle
Skillet
a type of frying pan
Spella period of time
My dad owns his owns business.
My dad owns his own business.
Grandma told me to sit and stay a spell with her.
Grandma told me to sit and stay a spell with her.
The miner used his pick while digging for gold.
The miner used his pick
While digging for gold.
Sally’s mother is great at mending torn jeans.
Sally’s mother is great at mending torn jeans.
The town had a huge boom when many businesses moved west.
The town had a huge boom when many businesses moved west.
Ma uses a skillet to fry bacon for breakfast.
Ma uses a skillet to fry
bacon for breakfast.
Dad is teaching me how to use the washer so I can do my own laundry.
Dad is teaching me how to use the washer so I can do my own laundry.
I use coins to buy gum at the store.
I use coins to buy gum at the store.
Let’s review our words. Watch carefully because they will flash on the screen for just a moment. We will clap as we spell the word.
boom
business
coins
fetched
laundry
mending
pick
skillet
spell
Spelling Words
Review Questions
p.18-231. What state are they going to?
2. Where do they live?
3. Who tells stories about striking it rich?
4. How does the family keep the house clean?
5. Where do the gooseberries grow?
6. Why are Billy, Joe and Ted laughing at Amanda?
Review Questions p.24-35
1. What did the boys hit the pie with?
2. Why does Pa call Amanda “Queen of the Kitchen”?
3. How much did the miners pay Pa for a slide of pie?
4. Who is having a new baby?
5. What does Peddler Pete decide to open up?
6. Name the businesses have opened up so far in the town at the end of the story.
GREAT JOB!GREAT JOB!