The Horned Toad Prince

1. The Horned Toad Prince By Jackie Mims Hopkins Illustrated by Michael Austin

2. Study Skills • Genre: Modern Fairy Tale • Comprehension Skill: Author’s purpose • Comprehension Strategy: Story Structure • Comprehension Review Skill: Sequence • Vocabulary: Context clues

3. Genre: Modern Fairy Tales • In modern fairy tales the characters and events are magical. • Modern fairy tales are set in modern or present day times . • Modern fairy tales are similar to regular fairy tales but are set in the present.

4. Summary On the windy prairies of the Southwest, Reba Jo meets a horned toad who makes a deal with her. When Reba Jo doesn’t hold up to her end of the bargain, the horned toad is offended and asks for a simple kiss. That kiss unlocks a magical spell and the ugly toad becomes a prince!

5. Comprehension Skill • Author’s Purpose is the author’s reason or reasons for writing this story. • Authors don’t usually tell you this. You have to figure the reasons out. • It might be to inform or teach, to entertain, to express their feelings, and to persuade or convince you.

6. Comprehension Review Skill Sequence • Sequenceis the order of the events that occur in a story. • You can determine the order of events by clue words such asfirstandnext, in the beginning, then, following, after,andfinally. • Some story events may occur at the same time. • Other clue words to indicate sequence might be in the beginning, then, following, after, andfinally. • Other story events, such as flashbacks, are told out of order.

7. Vocabulary Skill –Context Clues • When you see unfamiliar words, use context clues, or words around the unfamiliar word, to figure out its meaning. • The context may give a definition or an explanation. • Example: Animals that eat other animals are called predators • Sometimes a synonym is used as a context clue. • Example: Komodo dragons are carnivores, or meat-eaters.

8. Research/Study Skill –illustration/caption/label • An illustration can be a photograph, drawing, or diagram. • A caption is the text that tells about the illustration. It is usually found below or next to the illustration. • A label is a word or phrase that names part of the illustration.

9. Research/Study Skill –illustration/caption/label • What is the purpose of an illustration? • How does and illustration help you better understand the text? • How do the captions or labels help you understand the illustrations?

10. Question of the Week • What is unique about the landscape of the Southwest?

11. Vocabulary - Say It • bargain • favor • lassoed • shrieked • offended • prairie • riverbed

12. bargain An agreement to trade or exchange: deal

13. favor act of kindness

14. lassoed roped; caught with a long rope with a loop on the end

15. offended hurt the feelings of someone: made angry

16. prairie large area of level or rolling land with grass but few or no trees

17. riverbed channel in which a river flows or used to flow

18. shrieked made a loud, sharp, shrill sound

19. The teacher shrieked when she saw the snake!

20. The teacher shrieked when she saw the snake!

21. The Dollar Tree has a lot of great bargains.

22. The Dollar Tree has a lot of great bargains.

23. Would you do me a favor?

24. Would you do me a favor?

25. We saw fish in the riverbed.

26. We saw fish in the riverbed.

27. The boy was offended because I did not like his shirt.

28. The boy was offended because I did not like his shirt.

29. What type of Native Americans would live on a prairie.

30. What type of Native Americans would live on a prairie?

31. The cowboy lassoed a calf.

32. The cowboy lassoed a calf.

33. Day 2-Question of the Day • In what ways is the Southwestern setting important to The Horned Toad Prince?

34. The Horned Toad Princep. 94-95 The author writes “a prairie storm could blow in quicker than a rattlesnake’s strike.” What is the author trying to tell you? Why do you think she uses these words? From what you have read so far, how would you describe Reba Jo? Why do you think Jackie Mims Hopkins wrote this story? How can you tell?

35. The Horned Toad Princep. 96-97 How did Reba Jo’s hat end up in the well? What did Reba Jo do after her hat fell off? What do you think will happen next?

36. The Horned Toad Princep. 98-99 What offer does the horned toad make to Reba Jo? Think about deals you have made with others. Does Reba Jo act the way you act when you make a deal? Explain why or why not. What is the main problem at this point in this story?

37. Day 3-Question of the Day – • What important lesson did Prince Maximillian teach Reba Jo?

38. The Horned Toad Princep. 100-101 What kind of person is Reba Jo’s father? How can you tell? Look for a synonym for bargain on p. 101 and use it to figure out the meaning of bargain. Why does Reba Jo give her chili to the horned toad?

39. The Horned Toad Princep. 102-103 What word would you use to describe the horned toad? Why? Why do you think the author writes, “You know dang well a kiss wasn’t part of this deal, you low-life reptile” instead of “No, I won’t give you a kiss”? What is the author’s purpose for writing this part of the story? How can you tell?

40. The Horned Toad Princep. 104-105 What is caballero? How can you tell? How has Reba Jo’s attitude toward the horned toad changed? Use generalizations about fairy tales to compare and contrast this fairy tale to others you have read.

41. Day 4-Question of the Day - • How is the horned lizard suited to life in the Sonoran desert?

42. Review Questions • How can you tell the setting of this story is a desert? • What does “a peck of trouble” mean in this story? • Why does the author describe how Reba Jo spent her time? • What is the most important thing Reba Jo learns?

43. Review Questions • Why did the author write this story? • Why does Reba Jo do 3 favors for the toad? • Why does she want to stay near the riverbed at the beginning of the story?

44. E-Mail te111g • E-Mail is used every day by people with computers and internet access. • Each person has a specific e-mail address and personal password. • People use e-mail as a quick and easy type of communication. • It is very similar to letters. • You may also e-mail pictures or other fun things.

45. Writing Assignment • All good writing has a purpose. In an invitation, for example, the purpose is to inform. • Please write an e-mail invitation. Remember to inform the reader about an event and ask him or her to attend. (Writing Transparency 4A)

46. Spelling WordsLong e • finally • movie • country • empty • city • prairie • calorie • honey • valley • money

47. Long e • balcony • steady • alley • trolley • misty • rookie • hockey • collie • breezy • jury

48. CHALLENGE • frequency • parsley • journey • chimney • attorney

49. Weekly Fluency Check -Volume of Voice TE 111a • You will need to match your voice volume to the size of the room or group you are reading to. • Go to page 99 and let’s reread like a toad using a small voice when he speaks and increase our volume when we cries out .

50. Literary Device –Dialect TE Pg. 111b • Dialect helps readers gain a sense of how characters from a particular group or region speak. Dialect differs from the standard English in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. • Look at the word “howdy” on page 100 paragraph 3. What do you think it means? • What region do you think the father’s dialect is from? • Let’s list as many different greetings of different dialects as we can.