Lesson 18

Day 1

Discuss the meanings of the words.

The prefix over- can mean “above” as in overpass.

The prefix over- can also mean “more than necessary” as in overreact.

Underwater is written as one word both as an adjective (an underwater camera) and as an adverb (I saw two fish underwater.).

Word Parts over-, under-, sub-

Genre – biography tells the story of a person’s life and accomplishments is written by a person other than the subject

You will be listening to a short biography of Janet Evans, a great American swimmer and Olympic athlete.

You should listen to learn about the subject’s life, and to find out why that person is important.

Purpose: To find out about Janet Evans’s life and accomplishments and to learn why she is famous.

Good readers read aloud with appropriate phrasing by pausing between groups of words that go together.

Listening Comprehension

Here, the word design means “planning.” Janet’s mom hadn’t planned to start giving Janet swimming lessons; they had started accidentally.Why do tall swimmers generally have an advantage in races?

Because of their height, they can swim across the pool with fewer strokes.

Why do you think Janet didn’t’ want to race against younger swimmers?

She knew she could swim well enough to race against swimmers her own age.

What does this tell you about Janet’s character?

It shows that she was determined and competitive.

What is noteworthy about Janet Evans?She is a great swimmer, and she never let her

height hold her back from achieving her goals.

Have you ever proved you could do something when other people believed that you couldn’t? What did you prove?

In this week’s story, you will read about another person who doesn’t let his physical limitations keep him from living a very large life.

Have you ever read a folktale or fairy tale that ended with a moral, or message about life?

A story’s message is called its theme.

The setting, characters, and plot of a story work together to reveal a message, or theme.

A story’s theme is not always stated directly.

Readers can usually identify the theme by thinking about what the main character learns.

Another way to figure out the theme is by asking, “What does this story tell you about life?”

Read page 462

Think Aloud: A greedy person might lie and say that the gold or silver ax was his, just to make some money. The woodcutter doesn’t do this, and he is rewarded for his honesty. The story’s theme has to do with the value of honesty.

What happens to a character in a story is often a clue to the story’s theme.

What does the woodcutter do when the fish brings up the gold and silver axes? He says the gold and silver axes do not belong to him.

What do his action show about him? This shows that he is honest.

What is the result of his honesty? He is rewarded with the gold and silver axes.

Do “Try This” on page 463.

Read page 463.

Good readers notice when their understanding breaks down, and they pause to try to clear up their confusion.

When a reader does this, it is called monitoring comprehension.

As you read, you may sometimes misread a word.

This can cause a breakdown in understanding.

Good readers notice when they misunderstand something, and they stop to clear up the confusion, which is called self correcting.

Comprehension Strategy: Monitor Comprehension: Self Correct

If something you read doesn’t make sense, you should stop to self correct. There are different ways of misreading a word.

Think Aloud: The word nimbly is unusual. If you are unsure of its meaning, try looking for context clues that may help explain its meaning. Reading ahead, it says that Tom Thumb climbs a horse’s tail, hurries across its back, and leaps into its ear. Nimbly must mean “in a quick, athletic, or graceful way.”

This week’s story is a fantasy story about a family of giants whose members believe that bigger is better.

Is bigger always better?

When might you need a large car?

When might it be better to have a small car?

When might a tall person have an advantage?

When might a small person have an advantage?

Background Knowledge

A normal sized person who lived in a house built for a family of giants might find even the simplest tasks, such as getting a glass of water, very hard.

A giant’s house would also present certain dangers for a person of normal size, such as the dangers of being lost or stepped on.

Develop Concepts

Why would a farmer want a bountiful harvest?Which could be described as vast – a cattle ranch or a front porch?Name a person you know who has greater than average stature.What might result from a relentless rainstorm?

How have you roused someone in the morning?

Why might you want t resourceful person on your team or in your group?What do you think it means to have good intentions?

What is something a person might do inadvertently?

Why would a giant need to live on a vast estate?

Describe what the giant’s dinner plate might look like with the bountiful foods from his garden?

What effect did the giant’s stature have on people? Why?

Did the townspeople interpret the giant’s intentions correctly? Explain.

What did the giant inadvertently do on a visit to town?

Read page 464.

Why is the rainstorm in the passage described as relentless?

How did the giant show that he was resourceful?

Why did the giant feel that he needed to rouse the townspeople?

Read page 465.

The End!!!

Read the story.

Discuss the story.

Thinking Critically

About the Author and Illustrator

Day 2

The End!!!

Day 3

Compare Hewitt’s stature with that of his parents.

What is one way Hewitt shows he is resourceful?

Why did Hewitt rouse the local fire and rescue squad?

What did Dr. Gargantuan inadvertently do when the Andersons gave him a golden egg?

What does the author mean when she says that Dr. Gargantuan has the best of intentions for Hewitt?

What story event caused Hewitt’s parents an hour of relentless worry?

In what ways do Hewitt’s parents enjoy a bountiful life?

Why does his family’s home seem especially vast to Hewitt?

Vocabulary Review

Some traditional stories explain how something in the natural world came to be.

Pourquoi tales are traditional stories that teach a lesson or explain how something came to be.

Read the title and introduction.

Read to find out what it explains and what lesson it teachers.

Pages 486-489

How does Fly’s tiny size help her chase Moose away from the river? Because Fly is so small, Moose cannot see her when she bites him.

That means he has no way to fight back.

What is the main message of this pourquoi tale and how can the message relate to real life? Being large is not as important as being smart or resourceful. In

real life, being clever can help you solve problems.

Why do you think the author wrote a retelling of the pourquoi tale? To teach a lesson and to entertain with a creative explanation for

how things in the natural world came to be.

Page 490 – Comparing Text Questions

Page 491 – WritingRead ChecklistUse Graphic Organizer

Hewitt

A story’s theme is its message, or moral, and a theme may be stated or unstated.

The moral generally does not become clear to readers until the end of the story.

If a story’s theme is unstated, readers can usually figure it out by thinking about what the characters learn.

The setting, characters, and plot in a fiction story work together to reveal the theme.

Theme

Although the author makes the story’s message clear on the last page, she provides clues to the theme throughout the story.

Page 468-469: How can you tell the size will be an important issue in this story? The author mentions size right from the beginning.

Page 476: What near disaster does Hewitt manage to escape? After being trapped in a vat of flour, he is able to crawl out.

Page 479: How does Hewitt’s size help solve a problem? He floats down from the top of a beanstalk and calls a fire and rescue squad to

save his dad.

Page 482: What happens on this page that may lead Hewitt’s parents to change their view about his smallness? Hewitt frees his parents and Dr. Gargantuan from a locked room.

The theme of “Hewitt Anderson’s Great Big Life” is developed bit by bit throughout the story.

You can often figure out an author’s purpose by thinking about the genre.

Authors of nonfiction write to inform readers about real life topics. Sometimes writers include their own opinions about their topic.

Authors of fiction stories write to entertain. Some fiction stories also have a theme.

Sometimes authors write to persuade readers to think or act in a certain way.

Author’s Purpose and Perspective

Perspective can be revealed through the author’s choice of words, by the facts an author includes or leaves out, and by the theme of a story.

Based on the theme of “Hewitt Anderson’s Great Big Life,” you can tell that the author believes that person’s abilities are more important than a person’s physical stature.

Even though the author doesn’t directly state that this is her belief, her perspective is revealed through the story she wrote.

An author’s perspective is the way the author feels about the topic.

Independently Read Story

The End!!!

Day 4

Write the root word on one index card and the prefix on another index card.

Shuffle the cards and place them face down.

Partners take turns turning up two cards at a time.

If the 2 cards for a spelling word, the student spells the word, keeps the pair, and takes another turn.

If a spelling word is not formed, the cares are turned facedown again and it is the other student’s turn.

The game ends when all the cards are gone.

Concentration Game

What vast outdoor area have you visited?

What kinds of foods would you include in a bountiful meal?

Name someone whose stature impresses you.

Why might someone rouse others in a home in the middle of the night?

Describe a time when you were resourceful.

What are your intentions for the summer?

What is something you did inadvertently?

Name something you would search relentlessly for, if you lost it.

Vocabulary Review

For thousands of years, people all over the world have used their imaginations to tell stories.

Traditional stories have many purposes: some explain mysteries of the natural world; others celebrate human qualities; still others teach lessons about how to behave in live.

All traditional stories were first passed down orally from person to person.

Many different versions of the stories exist today.

All traditional stories reflect the values and beliefs of a culture.

Most contain some element of fantasy.

Narrative Forms

Provide examples of each of the following narrative forms.

In this ancient tale, the goddess Athena saves the city of Athens from a terrible plague. myth

In this story, a larger than life lumberjack named Paul Bunyan chops down an entire forest in one day. tall tale

A frog turns into a handsome prince in this make believe story. fairy tale

The Native American story “Coyote Steals the Stars” explains how the Big Dipper came to be. pourquoi tale

“Name that Tale” Game

Buddy Read Story

The End!!!

Day 5

Explain why breaking a word into parts will help students with spelling words.

Connect each root word with its prefix.

over board overboardunder line underline

What exotic food do you wish were bountiful?

Did any of your ancestors travel a vast distance in their lives?

Name a sport in which people of any stature can participate.

Name an event you participated in where the noise was relentless.

What brilliant object outside your window might rouse you at night?

Would you rather be graceful or resourceful? Why?

What might a child with mischievous intentions do?

Is it possible to inadvertently do something mischievous? Why?

Vocabulary Review

Have groups of four students role play a TV news report about the fire and rescue squad’s emergency visit to the Andersons’ estate.

Decide who will play the roles of the reporter, Hewitt, Mr. Anderson, ad a fire and rescue team member.

Begin with an introductory statement that sets the scene, which will be spoken by the reporter.

Write a question for each person being interviewed about the incident.

Decide who will be interviewed first.

Organizing Content

Practice asking and answering questions for the news report.

Use your imagination to add any missing details.

Adjust your pitch and volume to match the role you are playing.

Draw a picture to illustrate how the rescue was accomplished.

Speaking Strategies

Be a courteous audience.

Listen carefully until the entire news report has been delivered.

Jot down any questions you have.

Pay attention to visual aids the speakers present.

Listening Strategies

Listen to the Story

The End!!!