Surprising Letter from Best Friend

1. Question of the Day When has someone or something surprised you? I was surprised when ______________________. Write one or two sentences telling what happened and why you were surprised. Remember that exclamation marks are used go show excitement. T398 Oral Language

2. Read Aloud Today we are going read a poem “The Letter”. Why might we read or listen to a poem? We might read a poem for enjoyment or to listen to rhyming words. As you listen to the poem you should imagine how you would feel in this situation. T 399 Transparency R79

3. The Letter I looked in the mailbox. What did I see? A letter was sitting, addressed just to me. I never received a letter before. So I grabbed it and ran inside the front door. I opened it, my head like a drum. I looked at the end. Who was it from? There at the bottom was the name “May”- My very best friend who had just moved away. She liked her new teacher, whose name was Miss Wu, And she said that she missed me- “I want to see you.” I read my first letter again and again, And answered it back, right there and then. T399 Transparency R79

4. Discuss the Poem What do you think the girls feeling were about receiving the letter? As you tell me what her feelings were think about your own experiences to explain your point. T 399 Transparency R79

5. Remember that words often have groups of letters that stand for one sound. Consonant Digraphskn, gn, wr, gh Each of these words has a letter combination that stands for one sound. knee wrinkle tough gnaw What sound do you hear in each? • The gh can also stand for the/g/ . • When it comes at the end of a word or syllable, though, it often stands for /f/. T400 phonics

6. PRACTICE / APPLY Who can come up and circle the kn, gn, wr, and gh letter combinations in each of these words and then say the word for us? • knit • sign • wrist • cough T 400

7. Independent Practice In your notebook write the words from this list that have the kn, gn, wr, and gh. • title 10. giant • rattle 11. judge • saddle 12. hotel • gnat 13. seven • knighgt 14. broken • wrench 15. taken • rough • edge • police T 400

8. Identify Sounds Now look at the words you wrote in your notebook. Remember that a single letter usually stands for the sound represented by the letter combinations in these words. You will just have to memorize these spellings for these words with these letter combinations. T 400

9. PlotComprehension: Review Remember that a plot is what happens in the story. The important events make up the plot. The plot often includes a problem that must be solved or a goal the characters must achieve. The characters try to solve the problem or reach the goal. T 402

10. Practice/Apply Look on page 433 in your text and tell me what problem or goal the characters have. They have to offer advice to the children who wrote to the magazine. Let’s look at the important events which are: receiving each letter and giving each piece of advice. Do the characters solve the problem or reach their goal ? What is your reason for your answer? Yes, because the characters have advice for every letter they chose and they think the next issue of the magazine will be the best one yet. T 402

11. Use Context CluesComprehension: Review Remember that context clues can help readers figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words. To find the meaning of a new word, readers should look at the sentence in which that words appears. You might find a synonym or the definition for the word or you may find clues that can help you figure out the meaning from what you have read. T 403

12. Practice/Apply Guided Practice: Read this sentence and tell me what you think drenched means. On our way to school we got drenched by a heavy rainstorm. Can you tell me the clue in the sentence that was helpful? The clue was that there was a heavy rainstorm and this helps me know drenched probably means soaking wet. T 403

13. Independent Practice Copy this sentence in your notebook and write what you think sage means. Then underline the context clues that helped you figure out the meaning. I discuss problems with my mom because she is wise and solves them with sage advice. Sage means wise and I know this because it says she is wise, solves them, and advice and all of these words are clues and helps me know what sage means. T403

14. Readers’ Theater Read Together: “Ask the Experts” Genre: Remember that “Ask the Experts” is a script about an advice column. An advice column takes questions from its readers and offers advice to answer them. Have any of you ever asked a friend or family member for advice or read an advice column in a magazine. Preview What kind of advice was offered and do you know if the advice was followed? T404

15. Readers’ Theater Read Together: “Ask the Experts” Now lets talk about reading with expression and intonation. Good readers use their voices to show changes in action or characters’ feelings. Remember that one way to show action or feelings is the rise and fall of a reader’s voice, also know as intonation. Focus on Fluency T404

16. Readers’ Theater Read Together: “Ask the Experts” Oral Reading: Now we are going to practice reading the different parts in the Readers’ Theater script. I want you to concentrate on reading with the appropriate intonation and expression in your voice. When you make mistakes, you should first correct your errors and then continue reading. Read Together T404

17. Robust Vocabulary Can anyone tell me about a thunderstorm you have experienced before we read the Read-Aloud “Thunder Cake”? Teach/Model T405 Read from Anthology “Thunder Cake” p 54

18. Build Robust Vocabulary luscious    something that appeals to your senses, such as your sense of taste shudder   trembling from fear or from being cold expertise   when someone knows a lot about a particular topic or skill correspondence    when you are communicating in writing The low, rumbling sound of thunder makes the windows shudder in their panes. Which sound is more likely to make you shudder-a loud crashing noise or the sound of a fountain? The boy picked three luscious tomatoes for dinner. Would you think a slice of melon or a slice of onion is luscious? T405 Vocabulary Transparency R102

19. Build Robust Vocabulary luscious    something that appeals to your senses, such as your sense of taste shudder   trembling from fear or from being cold expertise   when someone knows a lot about a particular topic or skill correspondence    when you are communicating in writing What might make a person shudder? Imagine one of those things has happened. How would you look? What do you think is the most luscious food? What would you do or say if you had just eaten some of that food? T405 Vocabulary Transparency R102

20. GRAMMAR Review: Singular and Plural Pronouns A noun names a person, place, or thing and a pronoun takes the place of a noun. A singular pronoun takes the place of a singular noun, and a plural pronoun takes the place of a plural noun. I them we us you her they he him she it S P P P S P S S P S S S Who can tell me the pronouns that replace singular nouns, and then plural nouns. You can be singular or plural, depending on whether it replaces the name of one person or two or more people. T 406

21. Practice/Apply The mail carrier gave Melissa’s letter to _______ her We told Raven and Darnell that _______ could join us. they What pronouns would you use in these sentences? Now write two sentences that include pronouns, but leave a blank line for the pronoun. Then you will exchange your sentences with a partner and you will complete each other’s sentences. T 406

22. DOL Write and correct each sentence. • james wore they coat • all the boys and girls need his books? T 406

23. Writing Revise Sentence Fluency Your sentences should be varied and flow easily from one to the next. Voice Every writer has his or her own voice. Writers choose words to make their feelings clear and to make the reader feel the same way. T 407

24. Writing Revise Revise For Sentence Fluency and Voice I want you to look at one of your writing pieces and see whether changing a statement to a question or an exclamation would make your writing more interesting. Keep in mind that sentences of different lengths also make writing more interesting to the reader. As you are reading over your piece make sure your sentences flow from one to the next. If there is a connection between two ideas, perhaps you should add a transition word or phrase such as however, but, or for instance. T 407

25. Writing Revise Writing Prompt Use Dialogue in Realistic Writing Today you are going to write about something that has actually happened to you today. You will need to include at least one sentence of dialogue in your writing. I will start conferencing with a few of you after you have been given a few minutes to start your writing. T 407