“Two Days in May” by Harriet Peck Taylor

1. “Two Days in May”by Harriet Peck Taylor Theme 4

2. Genre: Realistic Fiction • A realistic story is about realistic (could happen in real life, but they aren’t real) people, things, and events. • The plot-including events, problem, solution-is made up (fictional). • This story is based on a real incident.

3. Summary Sonia and her father, together with a group of their neighbors, launch a peaceful protest to help five deer that have wandered into the city in search of food.

4. Background Information • Deer are wild animals that eat grasses and berries to survive. As more and more buildings and roads are being built, the deer have fewer places to live and find food.

5. Key Concept protecting animals

6. Key Vocabulary • appreciate • grazing • population • starve • surrounding • territory • wander

7. appreciate to enjoy and understand

8. grazing eating growing plants

9. population relating to the number of people or animals living in a certain place

10. starve to suffer or die from not having enough food

11. surrounding on all sides of

12. territory an area of land

13. wander to move from place to place without reason

14. Monitor and Clarify • You will use this strategy while you arereading to make sure you are understanding what you read. • If something doesn’t make sense: • look back • reread • read ahead

15. Strategy Focus: Monitor and Clarify Let’s try it! Read pages 73-78. Who are the main characters so far? ~or~ Why is Papa taking charge of this problem?

16. Comprehension Skill Focus: Making a Judgement • When you make a judgement, you are deciding if the choices the characters made were the right ones. • Most judgements are based on our own values and belief system.

17. Graphic Organizer Fill in the organizer with details from the story. Problem: The deer are in the city. Do you agree with how the characters solve the problem? Yes, when…. No, when... _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________

18. Meet the Author Harriet Peck Taylor is both a writer and an artist. Her special interests are animals and Native American folklore. As a result, her children's books are often Native American folktales about animals. Since college, Harriet Peck Taylor has been an artist. Her batik artwork is shown in galleries as well as in public locations. She has done the art for greeting cards, T-shirts, wallpaper, fabrics, and CD covers. This author/illustrator loves the outdoors. On hikes in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, her two dogs often walk with her. For a while, a young coyote would follow them on their walks. It would sometimes stop to howl, and Harriet Peck Taylor began to howl back. Their "chats" went on for several months. Once, the coyote even got near enough to touch noses with the dogs! Tracking animals is one of Harriet Peck Taylor's hobbies. She never bothers the animals, but watches them simply for the joy it brings her. She tracks bears in summer and fall, and mountain lions and other animals in winter. "The snow always has a story to tell," she says. (from www.eduplace.com)

19. Link to Houghton Mifflin If you enjoyed reading “Two Days in May” and would like to check out some more information and activities, click below to go to www.eduplace.com, Houghton Mifflin’s web site. Click Here!