Day One Day Two

Day Three Day Four

Vocabulary Words

• obviously• recalled• merriment• tangled• gnawing• miserable• cover• circumstances

obviously

obviously- in a way that is easy to see

Obviously a baby should not try to drive an automobile.

You can obviously see that the cat is fed well because of how healthy she looks.

recalled

recalled- past tense of recall: to remember

Mother recalled the time when she was a child and a boy in her class lost his front tooth during recess.

Have you recalled the number of people that were in the boat yet?

merriment

merriment- fun

The children were delighted, and their merriment at the birthday party was very evident by their laughter and cheerfulness.

The people laughed in merriment at the clowns actions.

tangled

tangled- past tense of tangle: to get caught in something that holds back or blocks such as strings

The kitten had tangled the ball of yarn.

The boy’s shoe laces were tangled, so he had to fix them before he could tie his shoes.

gnawing

gnawing- a form of gnaw: to chew

I saw a mouse gnawing on the box of Jello in the cupboard.

I wonder if we have a mouse in the house. I can hear something gnawing on the wood in the walls.

miserable

miserable- very unhappy

A sick child is often miserable.

He was miserable waiting outside in the freezing weather.

cover

cover- something that would be good to hide behind

We can take cover in the cave.

The pioneers took cover behind their wagons when they were afraid of being attacked.

circumstances

circumstances- plural of circumstance: the way things are at the moment

The place, weather, and other circumstances made the picnic a great success.

Even though you fell and hurt your knee, under the circumstances, I think you did well in the race.

Concept Vocabulary- conscience

• Conscience means “a sense of right and wrong.”

• Let your conscience be your guide.• What do you think that phrase means?• When a friend asks you to do something

that you are not sure is okay, how can you use your conscience to help make the right decision?

Identify the common structure in the following

words.

These words have the suffix -y.

The suffix -y means “full of” or “having.”

Words with this suffix are adjectives.

Identify the base word for each word.

silvery

furry

shiny

sunny

silver

fur

shine

sun

Define each word based on its suffix and root.

silvery

furry

shiny

sunny

having a silver color

full of fur

full of shine

full of sun

Identify the common structure in the following

words.

These words have the suffixes -ful and -less added.

The suffix -ful means “full of.”.

The suffix -less means “without.”

Words with these suffix are adjectives

Identify the base word for each word.

powerful

plentiful

pitiless

bottomless

power

plenty

pity

bottom

Define each word based on its suffix and root.

powerful

plentiful

pitiless

bottomless

full of power

full of plenty (abundant)

without pity

without a bottom (unending)

Activating Prior Knowledge

How fast do you think a mouse can travel?

What do you know about crows?

What are farmyard cats like?

How do animals take medicine when they are sick?

How can animals communicate with one another?

Use your journal to record your thoughts.

Background InformationAlthough this story is fantasy, it is based on real animal behavior.

Cats prey on mice, birds, and other small animals.

Crows are attracted to shiny objects, and they will use a variety of materials to build their nests including yarn, plastic strips, string, paper, and aluminum foil.

Clues Problems Wonderings

How does this selection relate to the theme Risk and Consequences?

What clues can you find about the story? Look for unfamiliar words, concepts, or ideas.

What risks did Mrs. Frisby take? Why did she take the risks?

Today we will read the first half of the story. We will read pages 70 -75

We will finish the story tomorrow.

Words to know…

treacherous- full of dangerThe walk through the jungle was a treacherous journey.route- way or roadThe couple took the quickest route to the hospital.

Pages 70-71

Making Connections

Making connections between the text and what we already know helps us understand a story better. We know that a mouse is small and helpless against a larger animal such as foxes and weasels. I would not want to walk through the woods in the dark. I can understand why Mrs. Frisby is afraid

1

Something to think about…

• Think about the risk that Mrs. Frisby has taken to bring her son Timothy some medicine and the risks she still faces. Let’s take a minute to compare Mrs. Frisby’s situation to Karana’s and the Crafts’.

• Thought:• Karana and the Crafts took risks to

save themselves, but Mrs. Frisby took risks to save her son.

Visualizing

• If we create images in our minds based on information from the story, we can get a better feeling for the characters and events. We can see Dragon, a big orange cat with sharp fangs, glaring eyes, and a tail that swishes from side to side. He must look gigantic and terrifying to Mrs. Frisby, a small mouse.

2

Words to know…

nervously- uneasilySandy tapped her foot nervously while she was waiting to see the dentist.ineffectively- without resultThe puppy chewed ineffectively on its leash.

Pages 72-75

Making Connections

The description of Mrs. Frisby’s children remind me of my family. If someone in my family needed medicine, I would do whatever I could to get it, even if it meant facing a dangerous situation.

3

While we read, it helps to make predictions about what will happen next. This helps us think about what we already have read. It also makes us want to continue reading to see whether our predictions were confirmed. At this point, Mrs. Frisby has just encountered a serious situation. A crow is tied to the fence. Will she stop to help the crow or hurry home to bring the medicine to her son? Will the cat catch them? I predict that she will stop to help the crow because the story so far tells me that she thinks of others before herself. After all, the only reason she faces danger now is because she is bringing home medicine for her sick son.

4

How do you suppose the crow got tangled up in the string?

Did you know that crows are attracted to and often collect shiny articles? The crow was attracted to the shiny string and that is how he got tangled up in it.

Let’s look at what we’ve read so far.

• Is anyone confused?

• Do you need clarification?

• Can you summarize what you have read so far?

• Does what you are reading make sense to you?

Stop reading for today.

Daily Editing

Correct the following sentences.

Mia and john likes basketbal

Mia and John like basketball.

it rained all day and nite,

It rained all day and night.

Writing: Biography

A biography is a book or an article about a real person written by another person.

Biographies are a type of narrative writing and the sentences within paragraphs move the action of the story.

Some biographies tell only a part of a person’s life and other biographies span a person’s life from birth to death.

Language Arts Handbook p. 122-127

• Let’s read these pages to review how to write a biography.

• In our previous story “Two Tickets to Freedom”, the story does not describe the entire lives of Ellen and William Craft. It only tells about their daring journey from slavery to freedom.

• If I was going to write a biography, I’d want to write about someone who is similar to Ellen or William Craft- someone who took big risks to live as he or she wanted.

Work with your partner to brainstorm ideas about historical figures who took risks and accepted the consequences. Make a list of people and be ready to share your ideas with the class.

Assignment: Write in your journal.

• Chose a person that you might be interested in doing your biography on.

• Explain why you have chosen this person.

• Determine the purpose and audience for your biography.

• angrily• location• promotion• famous• precision• basically• memorable• easily• conclusion• solvable

• erosion• attention• decision• usable• courteous• envious• gracious• luckily• flammable• pollution

Spelling Pretest

• ** wondrous• ** miserable• **terrifically

• angrily• location• promotion• famous• precision• basically• memorable• easily• conclusion• solvable

• erosion• attention• decision• usable• courteous• envious• gracious• luckily• flammable• pollution

Check Your Spelling Pretest

• ** wondrous• ** miserable• **terrifically

Let’s brainstorm some action verbs.Be sure to include both physical and mental verbs.

Did you think of:

running working

strolling hopping

thinking imagined

wondered talks

sleeping help

hoping knitting

yawning plays

Assignment• Create five sentences using the action verbs.

• Trade your paper with your partner. Identify the action words in your partner’s sentences. Discuss with your partner and see if she or he agrees.

• obviously• recalled• merriment• tangled• gnawing• miserable• cover• circumstances

rememberedsnarledsituationunhappyclearlyhidefunchewing

Identify the common structure in the following

words.

These words spelling changes when the suffix -ly is added.

When an adjective ends in -y, the y changes to an i when the suffix -ly is added.

When an adjective ends in -able or -ible, the final le is dropped before adding -ly to form an adverb.

Can you tell me what the suffix -ly means?

in a ______ way

Identify the word that had the suffix -ly added.

weary

angry

probable

invariable

wearily

angrily

probably

invariably

Define each word based on its suffix and root.

in a weary way

in an angry way

in a probable way

in an unchanging way

wearily

angrily

probably

invariably

Assignment

Complete Skills Practice 1 pages 25-26. Practice using suffixes.

Let’s start the second half of our story on page 76.

Words to know…• embarrassed- uncomfortable• The driver was embarrassed when he

had to ask for directions.

• capacity- ability• The superhero had the capacity to lift

cars.

Pages 76-77

Making ConnectionsI think I understand Mrs. Frisby a little better, because I can make a connection between her and some people I know- mothers. She talks to the crow like a mother would talk to one of her children. She takes charge and gives the crow orders that she might give to her children. She scolds the crow for picking up the string, but at the same time she feels a motherly urge to calm him and save him.

5

Predicting

Earlier, we predicted that Mrs. Frisby would stop to help the crow because she seems to think of others before herself. Our prediction is confirmed- she stops to help the crow. But the crow is tangled in the string. It’s going to take a long time for Mrs. Frisby to cut through it. I predict that the cat will come before Mrs. Frisby can cut through it. Dragon might get the crow, Mrs. Frisby, or both of them. Mrs. Frisby will not make it home to give the medicine to her son.

6

Making Connections

I know that cats are good hunters. My cat loves to stalk birds in the garden. I know that my cat would never pass up the chance to grab a trapped bird. Mrs. Frisby and the crow are right to be concerned about the cat.

7

Visualizing

We have read a lot of details about where the characters are in relation to one another and their surroundings. It will help to picture these details in our minds so we understand exactly what is going on. We can see Mrs. Frisby and the crow on the ground next to the fence, and Mrs. Frisby is gnawing furiously to set the crow fee. I remember that it is a wire fence, so there is no way that they can hid behind it.

8

We can picture the big, mean orange cat staring at the crow with a gleam in his eye as he moves at a steady pace toward the crow. The crow is looking back at him, trying not to panic. We can picture Mrs. Frisby exposed on the open ground with nowhere to hide from the cat. She and the crow must be feeling a great sense of urgency.

8

Words to know…

scarcely- barely

There was scarcely a scrap of food left after the hungry family left the table.

alarmingly- in a frightening way

The cars on the highway were alarmingly close to one another.

Pages 80-81

Predicting

My second prediction was not confirmed. Mrs. Frisby chews through the string, and they escape in the nick of time- through the air! Mrs. Frisby makes it home to give her son the medicine.

9

Daily EditingCorrect the following sentences.

The last Stretch were the watr balloon dodge?

The last stretch was the water balloon dodge.

Nina and luis runned and duck as the first few balloon flew buy.

Nina and Luis ran and ducked as the first few balloons flew by.

Writing: Prewriting

• When writing, a good writer gets information from multiple sources. Before you start to write, you should categorize things you already know about the topic and think of things you still need to know.

• You must research you subject before you begin with writing. With any fact-based writing, you first should find multiple sources of information about your subject.

• You should also cross-check information you find in one source against what you find in another to ensure your facts are valid.

Sources can include encyclopedias, articles, books, and trustworthy Web sits. Let’s practice writing a bibliography and citing references.

Audience and Purpose• Deciding the audience and purpose for your

biography will determine how you should write. For example, Florence B. Freedman’s biography of the Crafts would be different if she had chosen adults as her audience. Often the purpose of a biography is to inform the audience about the subject’s life. “Sometimes the purpose is to explain, to entertain, to persuade, or a combination of the four.

• Today you need to decide the audience and purpose for your biography.

Work with your partner to...

• Come up with a list of things each of you still needs to know about each of your topics.

• Discuss multiple sources to find the information you still need.

• Remember that most biographies are written in the order in which events occur.

• Start looking for the information you need for your biography.

Create the following chart in your notebook to sort this

week’s spelling words.

• angrily• location• promotion• famous• precision• basically• memorable• easily• conclusion• solvable

• erosion• attention• decision• usable• courteous• envious• gracious• luckily• flammable• pollution

• ** wondrous• ** miserable• **terrifically

Sort the words into the correct category.

angrily

basically

easily

Luckily

*terrifically

location

promotion

attention

pollution

precision

conclusion

erosion

decision

famous

courteous

envious

gracious

*wondrous

memorable

solvable

usable

flammable

*miserable

Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics

The baby was sleeping in his crib.

What is the verb phrase in the sentence above?

was sleeping

Raymond is playing with his best friend Mike.

What is the verb phrase in the sentence above?is playing

• In some sentences, a verb can have more than one word. Usually, the last word is the main verb and the preceding words are helping verbs.

• A helping verb explains or modifies the main verb.

• These words combine to form a verb phrase.

In some cases, the main verb and helping verb are not next to each other; for example:

She could not leave the foolish crow there.

Assignment

Complete Skills Practice 1 page 38. Identifying and using verb phrases. When you have finished, write five original sentences in your journal using verb phrases.

• recalled• miserable• tangled• cover

caught in something that holds back or blocks, such as string

remembered

something that would be good to hide behind

very unhappy

Vocabulary Quiz

• gnawing• circumstance• merriment• obviously• conscience

fun

a sense of right and wrong

in a way that is easy to see

chewing

the way things are at the moment

Vocabulary Quiz

Identify the common structure in the following

words.

These words have the suffix -sion or -tion.

Adding the suffix -tion or -sion changes the spelling of the root word.

Identify the root word for each word.

conclusion

erosion

promotion

pollution

conclude

erode

promote

pollute

What other words can you think of that have the suffix -sion or -tion?

Did you think of:persuasion envisiondecision locationprecision attentioncommotion revisionhesitation revolutionconcession decoration

• Writers show how events are connected through cause-and-effect relationships.

• A cause is a force or influence that produces an effect. It is why something happens.

• An effect is what happens as a consequence of he cause.

• For example, on pages 70-71, Mrs. Frisby considers the low position of the sun in the sky. Because she knows that it will be dark soon, she doesn’t want to take the route through the woods. The fact that night is quickly approaching is the cause; Mrs. Frisby’s decision to avoid the woods is the effect produced by that cause.

• Can you think of other examples of the cause and effects of some of the characters’ actions in the story?

Let’s look at page 72.

The author, Robert C. O’Brien, provides a detailed description of Mrs. Frisby’s children.

How does this description help us understand Mrs. Frisby?

We see how deeply she cares for her children.

Setting and Plot p.74-75The setting and plot are often intertwined. The writer of this story uses the setting to influence and perhaps determine the plot.What setting does the author create? How does it influence what happens in the story?Mrs. Frisby must get home with the medicine. The setting- the farmyard next to the woods- forces her to make a choice and take action. She decides that the farmyard is the safest route.How does the choice that Mrs. Frisby make based on the setting further the plot?Because she chooses to go through the farmyard, she happens upon the crow.

Character and Plot

The plot- events that happen in a story- influences the characters, and vise versa. In this story, as in many stories, the author creates a challenge for the main character that interferes with her reaching her goal. O’Brien creates tension when it is difficult for Mrs. Frisby to succeed. What challenges does the author place before Mrs. Frisby?She has to decide whether to help the crow or go get the medicine.

Authors show what characters are like by telling how they face the challenges put in their way. What does O’Brien want us to know about Mrs. Frisby?

He shows us that she is helpful

What does O’Brien have Mrs. Frisby do the lets us understand her?

She goes to get the medicine and stops to help the crow.

Cause and Effect

Remember that writers show the connection between events by organizing information into cause-and-effect relationships.When we understand these cause-and-effect relationships and how they impact the text, we have a better understanding of the story and its characters.On page 79, Mrs. Frisby tells the crow to fly away as soon as he is free, but he does not. Why does he stay?He stays because Mrs. Frisby is in danger, and he wants to help her because she helped him.

Because of these events, what have we learned about the personalities of Mrs. Frisby and the crow, and how do their personalities determine the outcome of the story?The approaching cat causes Mrs. Frisby to remain calm when she is in danger. The effect is that she is able to untangle the crow before the cat reaches them. This shows that Mrs. Frisby is naturally calm and willing to help others. OR The cause is the crow is able to reward Mrs. Frisby for her loyalty to him by rescuing her from the cat. The effect is she is able to save her life and continue her journey to bring medicine to her son, Timothy. This shows that the crow appreciates kindness and is willing to help others too.

Let’s look at pages 80 & 81.On page 80, what does Mrs. Frisby think about getting into such a dangerous situation with the cat in the first place?If she had not stopped to help the crow, she wouldn’t have drawn attention to herself and might have made it home safely.On page 81, why does the crow tell Mrs. Frisby that she can call on him whenever she needs help?Because she saved his life, he is indebted to her.

Daily EditingCorrect the following sentences.

The race would takes them around cones and threw tunnels’

The race would take them around cones and through tunnels.

nina and Luis maked it around the cones but the tunnels was harder.

Nina and Luis made it around the cones, but the tunnels were harder.

Writing: Drafting

• Biographies are a type of narrative writing.• The sentences within narrative paragraphs move

the action of the story.• Because biographies are written in the order of

events, it is important to use transition words in your paragraphs to show relationships, especially time relationships between ideas.

• Some common transition words include later, the next day, before, next, and after.

Let’s look back at “Two Tickets to Freedom.”

• Make sure you don’t always start your sentences the same way. It becomes boring for the reader. For example. “in 1837, she did this….” “In 1838, this happened…” L

• Lets look at how the author handled the passing of time in “Two Tickets to Freedom”

• “The ferry ride over…”, “After talking with ‘Mr.. Johnson’ for a few minutes…”, “Later on that night…”, “As soon as the train reached the station…”.

Things to Keep in Mind

• When writing a biography be sure that:• Sentences that show time and order are not

too similar in style. Vary sentence beginnings.

• The events of the subject’s life are written in chronological order.

• The biography has detailed descriptions of the person and events.

• The facts of the subject’s life are accurate.

Your biography should begin with a paragraph that captures the reader’s attention, just as you did while writing your realistic fiction story.

Assignment• Work with your partner to discuss

who you are going to write your biography on and why you chose that person.

• Then create an interesting opening paragraph through the use of quotations, questions or descriptions. Use the instructions on Skills Practice 1 page 33 to help you.

• Review your opening paragraph with your partner.

Spelling Changes with Affixes

• Spelling changes are sometimes necessary when adding affixes.

• Let’s review rules for adding affixes.• Change the y to an i when y is preceded by a consonant or

when adding a suffix that begins with a vowel.• Drop the silent e at the end of a root word when adding a

suffix that begins with a vowel.• The suffixes -tion and -sion are used to make the noun forms

of verbs.• -tion is used if the verb ends in t(e), and -sion is used if the

verb ends in s(e) or d(e).

basically

A few words require special changes, such as adding -ally to an adjective that ends in c.

Assignment:

Skills Practice 1 page 35-36.

chicken mouse horse goose

• What word means more than one chicken?• chickens• What word means more than one mouse?• mice• What word means more than one horse?• horses• What word means more than one goose?• geese

Regular Plurals

• A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing, or idea.

• For most nouns, add -s to make them plural.

• For nouns ending in ch,s, sh, x or z, add -es.

• Some words have irregular plural forms.

Irregular Plurals

• Some words have irregular plural forms. These nouns do not follow any rules. Some examples:

• mouse/mice

• foot/feet

• goose/geese

• tooth/teeth

Assignment

Create five sentences using regular and irregular plurals.

Exchange them with your partner. Partners are to identify the plural nouns and identify if they are regular or irregular .They are then to identify what the singular noun would be for each plural noun.

Vocabulary ReviewWhat vocabulary word goes best in the sentence?

1. The audience cheered in _____________ at the antics of the circus performers.

2. Mrs. Frisby was ______________ on the string to get the crow free.

3. Getting the crow free ____________ was not going to be an easy task.

4. The woman took _____________ behind the huge rock.

obviously

gnawing

cover

merriment

merriment

gnawing

obviously

cover

Vocabulary ReviewWhat vocabulary word goes best in the sentence?

1. The balls of yarn are all ________ up.

2. She ___________ her mother telling her to do her best on the test.

3. Under the ____________, they did a great job.

4. The small, wet kitten looked ___________.

circumstances

miserable

tangled

recalled

tangled

recalled

circumstances

miserable

Word Structure Activity5-10 minutes

• Form a small group.• Brainstorm a list of words with the suffix

-ful or -less.• Create a short definition of each word.• Meet with another group. Read the

definition to one of your words to the other group. Challenge the other group to identify the word.

Comprehension Check• Why is Mrs. Frisby taking this treacherous

journey?• Her son is ill and needs medicine.• How does Timothy take care of his sister

Cynthia?• He helps her find things she loses, and he tells

her stories when she is sick in bed.• Why is the crow acting so strangely when Mrs.

Frisby first sees him?• He is tied to the fence by a string.

Comprehension Check• What does Mrs. Frisby decide to do about the crow

and why?• She decides to try to free him, because otherwise he

will be killed by the cat.• How does Mrs. Frisby free the crow?• She cuts the crow free by gnawing on the string that

is tangled on the fence.• Why does the crow say that he is in debt to Mrs.

Frisby?• Because she risks her life to save him.

Comprehension Check• Why does Mrs. Frisby risk helping the crow?• The crow is tied to the fence, and she knows the cat will

get him if she does not set him free.• What possible consequence does Mrs. Frisby face by

helping the crow?• She could get caught by the cat.• What is an example of an element of fantasy in the story?• The animals have human traits. The name “Mrs. Frisby

suggest that mice get married. The mouse and the crow talk to each other.

Daily EditingCorrect the following sentences.

There classmates was armed and ready on the sidelines,

Their classmates were armed and ready on the sidelines.

Nina and Luis taked off with for other pears of students?

Nina and Luis took off with four other pairs of students.

Writing: Revising

• Remember the following as you write your biography:

• Sentences showing time and order should vary in sentence beginnings.

• The events of the subject’s life are written in chronological order.

• The biography includes detailed descriptions of the person and events.

• The facts of the person’s life are accurate.

Bibliography Review

Correct the bibliography entry below.

Carl Smith. “George Washington’s childhood.”Presidential magazine July 2003: 25-37.

Smith, Carl “George Washington’s Childhood.” Presidential Magazine July 2003 25-37.

Assignment

Finish writing your biography.Revise your biography using the checklist on Skills Practice 1 page 34.Don’t forget to include a bibliography in your final version. The final version of your biography is due on Monday.

Spelling Review

_________, they need to sell the lawnmower.

What is the spelling word that means “in a basic way”?

basically

Copy the sentence into your journal putting basically where it belongs in the sentence.

Complete Skills Practuce 1 oages 35-36.

Identify the root word and prefix for the following Spelling Words

• angrily • promotion• precision• erosion• attention• luckily• flammable• solvable• envious• easily

• angry + ly • promote + (t)ion• precise + (s)ion• erode + (s)ion• attend + (t)ion• lucky + ly• flame + able• solve + able• envy + ous• easy + ly

Study Skills: Taking Notes

• Note taking is a helpful method to collect and organize information from reference materials.

• Before you can take any notes, you must browse the source you are using.

• If you find information you might use, you should read more slowly.

Taking Notes

• Make subject headings, and use them to organize your notes.

• Include only the most important information on your topic.

• Write notes in your own words.• Keep your notes short. Use abbreviations

and key phrases that you will recognize. Example w/ = with, w/o = without, & = and

Viewing Pictures for Information

• We look at pictures for information in the same way that we read words for information. Illustrations are added to text to give the reader more information than the words alone can provide. When you read a story, you should look at the illustrations to get more information about the characters, places, and ideas in the story.

Let’s look at the illustrations in the story.

• How do the illustrations help us understand the situations presented by the words?

• We get a much better idea of what the setting is- how the farm is set up and, therefore, what Mrs. Frisby is facing.

• Assignment: Draw an illustration you would add to the story “Mrs. Frisby and the Crow”. Be ready to explain why you chose that illustration and what your illustration would tell the reader.