Artic Explorer: The Story of Matthew Henson

1. Artic Explorer: The Story of Matthew Henson By Jeri Ferris Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 4: Survival Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary http://www.opencourtresources.com

2. Genre: Biography Here are the elements of a biography: • written about a real person • contain important information about the person’s life (details how the person talks, feels, and thinks about things) • may span the person’s whole life, or it may tell about only an important part of the person’s life (told in chronological order—in the order events occurred in time) • focuses on the most important events in the person’s life, describing achievements or talents Fourth Grade Open Court Unit 4: Survival Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

3. Build Background What do you already know about the arctic climate and the dangers a first-time explorer might face? Matthew Henson • born in 1866 in Washington, DC • began working on a sailing ship at age 14 • --learned navigation skills, carpentry, & mechanics • --studied books in the captain’s library • Inuit Facts • ate raw meat (warm or frozen), explaining why they smell like walruses, seals, and blubber. • did not take daily baths (mothers washed babies the way a cat would wash her kittens) Henson, Peary, & 4 Inuits • worked for Lieutenant Robert E. Peary after the captain died • --went on an expedition to cross Greenland’s ice cap (this selection) • --goal achieved on April 6, 1909 WHY??? Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 4: Survival Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

4. Word Knowledge The following words are plural forms of words that end with –s, -x, -ch, or –ss. walruses foxes stitches bosses walrus fox stitch boss What are the singular forms of each word? What has been added to make each word plural? Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 4: Survival Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

5. Word Knowledge What do the following words have in common? Greenland Eskimos August Henson They each begin with a _______________________ letter. capital They are called ___________________ nouns. proper Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 4: Survival Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

6. Word Knowledge Each word contains the prefix in-, im-, or un-, which means not. inexperienced impossible independent unfriendly experience possible dependent friend not possible not experienced not dependent not friendly Determine the base word for each word. What do the following words mean? unhappy not happy imperfect not perfect incomplete not complete Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 4: Survival Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

7. Word Knowledge These words from “Arctic Explorer: The Story of Matthew Henson” are compound words. handshake moonlight lifetime understand hand + shake moon + light life + time under + stand brain_________ head_________ news_________ storm What words can be used to complete these compound words? ache Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 4: Survival Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary paper

8. Word Knowledge The startled walruses poked their heads out of the water. What are the two plural nouns in this sentence? Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 4: Survival Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

9. Word Knowledge On June 21 Matt saw Greenland for the first time. Identify the proper nouns in this sentence. Robert Peary, 1891 Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 4: Survival Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

10. Word Knowledge They did find some unfriendly walruses. describes adjective What are you looking at? What are you? What part of speech is “unfriendly”? Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 4: Survival Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

11. Word Knowledge My grandfather has seen many changes in his lifetimes. What are the two compound words in this sentence? Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 4: Survival Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

12. ex pe di tion expedition arc tic arctic gla ciers glaciers Vocabulary con stel la tion constellation in su la tion insulation Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 4: Survival Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

13. expedition Before he made the famous expedition, he went on several trips to the arctic region with Robert Peary. Vocabulary Astronauts go on an expedition to find out more about space. expedition (noun)—a journey made to accomplish something Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 4: Survival Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

14. arctic “It was in June 1891,” Matt Henson wrote, “that I started on my first trip to the Arctic regions.” Vocabulary The trip to Greenland was Matthew Henson’s first arctic journey. arctic (adjective)—having to do with the north pole Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 4: Survival Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

15. glaciers Matt saw glaciers that looked like thick flowing cream, frozen into white walls. Glaciers, huge, slow-moving masses of ice, can cause damage to large ships. Vocabulary glaciers (noun)—large, slow-moving masses of ice Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 4: Survival Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

16. constellation While he watched the stars, the Eskimos explained that the constellation he called the Pleiades was really a team of dogs chasing a polar bear. Vocabulary The Little Dipper is a constellation, a group of fixed stars that has a name. constellation (noun)—a group of fixed stars having a name Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 4: Survival Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

17. insulation Even though, Matt always covered the inside of his boots with soft dried moss for insulation, his heel froze. Vocabulary Insulation is used in houses to make sure they don’t lose heat. insulation (noun)—a material that keeps heat from being lost Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 4: Survival Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary