Unit Overview

Message to Adult Mentor

This lesson continues a format that is integrated and includes the reading process (literary and informational), writing, spelling and fluency. You will be asked to read aloud and model book handling, left-right reading, expression and fluency. During Guided Oral Reading, the student will read the story orally and work on reading strategies and respond to literature. Spelling words will be introduced during this lesson and a variety of spelling activities will be assigned. There will be opportunities to make words with magnetic letters and learn word families. Writing instruction will continue with a focus on writing sentences and questions. Since daily writing is key to the reading-writing process, time should be set aside daily for a journal entry. Topics for writing in the journal should be self-selected and drawing a picture to accompany the writing is encouraged. The writing journal will be turned in at the end of the course.

Word Power

Sight Word Scrabble

Fluency

Message to Adult Mentor:

Let’s continue to increase sight word vocabulary. These sentences include common words that appear often in text, which children need to know instantly for their reading. In the following sentences, the focus is on the words, which are high frequency words (sight words). If you notice that the student is having difficulty with these words, please practice them throughout the week.

Read the sentences silently, then aloud to your adult mentor. It is important to be able to recognize high frequency words and reading them should become automatic.

1. My shoes are too small.

2. School will start soon.

3. I have ten fingers.

4. We have gym class today.

5. Let’s play together.

6. Please try to be quiet.

7. The soup is warm.

8. They have been around here before.

9. Sam and Jane both want to buy that slimy long lizard.

10. It is always best to say “please” and “thank you.”

Sight Word Building Fun

Sight Word - Word Search

Now answer questions 1-10.

Spelling

Message to Adult Mentor

Please read the following to student:

In this lesson, you will learn to spell words with the /au/ sound spelled with the dipthongs “ou” and “ow” spelling patterns. With your magnetic letters, make the following words, saying each word as you make it.

1. mouse	6. house
2. cow	7. town
3. sound	8. clown
4. towel	9. pout
5. cloud	10. bounce

Next, the student may choose one or more activities to practice their spelling words each day from the Spelling Menu below!

Unit 30 Spelling Words

Unit 30 Spelling Words
1. mouse	6. house
2. cow	7. town
3. sound	8. clown
4. towel	9. pout
5. cloud	10. bounce

Spelling Menu

Click on SPELLING TRAINING to practice your spelling words. Add each of your spelling words to the list, then complete one the activites below the list.

Click on the link below to print a fun activity to help you practice your spelling words!

Spelling Cootie Catcher

Word Sort ou and ow

Highlight a Word- ow and ou

Reading

Message to Adult Mentor:

Please read this paragraph to the student:

It is time to turn our attention to reading! Throughout this course you have learned about four types of literary genres; Fiction, Non-fiction, Fables, and Poetry. In this unit, you are going to learn about the fifth main literary genre type: Drama.

Discuss the following questions with the student:

• What are your favorite “pretend” games?
• Are you ever in one place while imagining you are somewhere else?
• How is playing pretend different from playing video games or watching TV?
• Have you ever seen a play?
• If so, besides acting, what else goes into creating a play? (Set, props, costumes, sound, light, etc.)

We are going to learn about all the parts of Drama and how to read a play.

What is Drama?

Drama, or play, is a story that is to be performed. The story is told through dialogue, or what the characters say to one another. A play is acted out through scenes that show when and where the action is taking place. A drama can be realistic, with characters acting out a story that could be from real life, either past or present. A drama can also present a fantasy, fable, or folklore. Drama has some of the same story elements as fiction- characters, setting, plot, and theme. However, there are many parts of a drama that make it special and different. Look at the costumes and scenery in this picture. What do you imagine this play is about?

Elements of Drama

Plays share several parts in common. The cast of characters is a list of the characters in the play. Dialogue is the words spoken by the characters; in a drama, a character’s name appears before his or her lines of dialogue. Acts and scenes are the parts of a drama; when the setting or time changes, a new scene begins, and sometimes new characters are introduced. A long play might have several scenes grouped into acts. Stage directions are usually found in parenthesis ( ), and tell what a character is thinking, feeling, or doing on stage.

Point of View

The point of view in a drama refers to how a narrator or a character in a story responds to or feels about something. When you read, your point of view might be different from the narrator’s or characters point of view. Dialogue can help you learn about a character’s point of view. How a character speaks and what a character says helps you understand the events of the story as the character experiences them. The narrator’s point of view is that of an observer of the events taking place.

JACK: (excitedly) Mother, you will be so proud of me! I’ve traded our cow for some magic beans!

NARRATOR: Jack’s poor mother could not hide her disappointment when Jack opened his hand to show her the three magic beans.

When reading a drama, you can think about your own point of view and how it relates to the characters and the events taking place. You can ask yourself questions such as “What would I do in that situation?” “How would that make me feel?”

NARRATOR: Long ago, a boy named Jack lived with his mother at the edge of the woods. One day the mother looked in the cupboard and found it empty.

MOTHER: Jack, we must sell our brown and white cow. It is the only way to get enough money for food. Please take her to the market now.

JACK: Yes, Mother, I’ll do as you ask.

NARRATOR: Jack walked to town with the cow and soon met a man on the road.

MAN: That’s a fine looking cow! I’d like to buy her. I’ll gladly give you these three magic beans as payment.

JACK: (peering thoughtfully at the beans) I bet magic beans would give us all the food we would ever need!

MAN: You’re right about that. You’ll never be hungry again.

NARRATOR: So Jack traded the cow for the magic beans.

Pick a character from the scene above. What can you learn about that character’s point of view from the dialogue?

How is your point of view similar to that of Jack? How is it different? What would you have done if you had been offered magic beans for your cow? Discuss your answers with your mentor.

Now answer questions 11-15.

Close Reading

Message to Adult Mentor

Print “A Long Winter”

Read the following to the student:

You are now going to do a close reading of the play “A Long Winter.” First, you are going to begin by reading silently to yourself. As you read, it is important that you underline with your pencil or use your highlighter to find important ideas as you read. After you have read the play, talk to your mentor about what you have highlighted.

Message to Adult Mentor

Step 3: During the second reading of the story, you are going to read aloud. It is important that you read clearly and model left-right reading, expression and fluency.

After reading, discuss the following questions with your student:

1. Who are the main characters in this drama?

2. How long has the sun been gone?

3. What did the animals decide to do at the meeting?

4. What did the animals see inside the tipi?

5. What word means a place where a lot of people live together?

For the final reading, it is your turn to read aloud! You are going to read “A Long Winter”aloud to your mentor. During the reading, it is important to remember what to do if you come to a word that is tricky for you.

Message to Adult Mentor

As the student reads, if the student comes to a word that they do not know, lead them through the decoding strategies. You may also encourage the student to pause and talk about parts of the story. After the student is finished reading, ask about the characters in the story and encourage the student to orally retell what has happened.

Now answer questions 16-25.

Writing about Reading

In your writing journal, describe Mother Bear, Mouse, and the Little Bears using descriptive adjectives to write Super Sentences!

If you forget how to write a Super Sentence, the template above can help you get started!

Remember, good writers reread what they write and check to see if it makes sense, if there are capital letters at the beginning of each sentence and punctuation at the end of each sentence. One more thing good writers do is check for spacing between their words. Please reread your paragraph to check for these important things. Add to your paragraph or make changes if your need to. It is also helpful to let someone else, like your mentor, read your paragraph to check for the same things.

When you are finished, read the paragraph aloud to your mentor!

Writing- Grammar

Combining Sentences

Message to Adult Mentor

Read the following to the student and discuss:

We can combine two or more sentences into a single sentences using a conjunction. Sentences can be combined if they share a subject, a predicate, or if they are similar. A conjunction is a word that is used to connect sentences, phrases, or words. Writers will often use conjunctions to combine two short sentences into on longer sentence. We are going to be using the conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. When your new sentence has two complete sentences, use a comma before the conjunction. Once two complete sentences are combined using a comma and a conjunction, this is called a compound sentence.

We can combine two or more sentences into a single sentences using a conjunction. Sentences can be combined if they share a subject, a predicate, or if they are similar. A conjunction is a word that is used to connect sentences, phrases, or words. Writers will often use conjunctions to combine two short sentences into on longer sentence. We are going to be using the conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. When your new sentence has two complete sentences, use a comma before the conjunction. The chart below shows a great way to remember the conjunctions, FAN BOYS.

When combining sentences, follow these four easy steps!

1. Read the sentences.

2. Ask yourself: Which conjunction should I combine the sentences with?

a. And? –addition to

b. Or? – choice

c. But? – contrast/ difference/ opposite

3. Combine sentences with a comma and a conjunction.

4. Think: I combined the sentences with _________ because…

Let’s try a few examples! Read the sentences. Put the two sentences together to form a compound sentence. Discuss your answers with your mentor.

1. I was thirsty. I drank some water.

2. I like ice cream. I don’t like milk.

3. I am leaving at 3:00. I will pick you up at 3:30.

4. He went shopping. He stopped at the bank.

5. I wanted to fly a kite. The wind was not blowing.

Combining Sentences Practice

Combining Sentences Worksheet

Combining Sentences Task Cards Game

Now answer questions 26-35.

Spelling Test

Message to Adult Mentor

Please feel free to use the sentences below or create your own!

Read the following instruction to student:

Now it is time to take your spelling test. Number your writing paper to ten. Your adult mentor will read the screen and say each spelling word as you write them. Then, read the sentence provided. You will send your paper to the VLA Teacher to be checked. Please send it on Friday.

SPELLING TEST
1.	mouse	The mouse quickly scurried across the floor.
2.	house	My house is the brown one on the corner.
3.	cow	The cow jumped over the moon.
4.	town	The whole town arrived at the meeting to discuss the opening of the waterpark.
5.	sound	The sound coming from the room was sharp and loud.
6.	clown	The clown made balloon animals to entertain the children.
7.	towel	Please place your towel on the rack once you dry off.
8.	pout	Please don’t pout when you do not get your way.
9.	cloud	The gray cloud hovered over the house all day.
10.	bounce	How high can you bounce on your trampoline?

Now it is time to take your spelling test! Number your writing paper to ten. Your adult mentor will read the screen and say each spelling word as you write them. Then, read the sentence provided. You will send your paper to the VLA Teacher to be checked. Please send it on Friday.

Now answer question 36.

Cursive Writing

It’s that time again. Yes, time to practice writing some new upper case cursive letters. Look below to see what’s in store for you today.

We will start with the cursive letter “E.”

Look carefully at the following animated cursive “E.”

With your mentor’s help, read the chart below. It tells you exactly how to form the cursive “E.”

Next, look at the animated “E” again. As you look at it, trace the strokes in the air. Do this 5 times, or more, if you would like.

Next, practice writing the letter on paper. Click on this link PDF File to retrieve and print a worksheet for practice. You will send this sheet to your VLA Teacher on Friday.

Now answer questions 37.

Let’s move on to the cursive letter “H.”

Look carefully at the following animated cursive “H.”

With your mentor’s help, read the chart below. It tells you exactly how to form the cursive “H.”

Next, look at the animated “H” again. As you look at it, trace the strokes in the air. Do this 5 times, or more, if you would like.

Next, practice writing the letter on paper. Click on this link PDF File to retrieve and print a worksheet for practice. You will send this sheet to your VLA Teacher on Friday.

Now answer questions 38.

Let’s move on to the cursive letter “K.”

Look carefully at the following animated cursive “K."

With your mentor’s help, read the chart below. It tells exactly how to form the cursive “K.”

Next, look at the animated “K” again. As you look at it, trace the strokes in the air. Do this 5 times, or more, if you would like.

Next, practice writing the letter on paper. Click on this link PDF File to retrieve and print a worksheet for practice. You will send this sheet to your VLA Teacher on Friday.

Now answer questions 39.

Let’s move on to the cursive letter “N.”

Look carefully at the following animated cursive “N.”

With your mentor’s help, read the chart below. It tells exactly how to form the cursive “N.”

Next, look at the animated “N” again. As you look at it, trace the strokes in the air. Do this 5 times, or more, if you would like.

Next, practice writing the letter on paper. Click on this link PDF File to retrieve and print a worksheet for practice. You will send this sheet to your VLA Teacher on Friday.

Now answer questions 40.