Lexile 630L–930L

Build Knowledge Across Texts Close Reading

for ™

10 Topic Strands
Government and Citizenship Character

Communities
Then and Now
Life Science Point of View

Technology and Society Theme

History and Culture Earth Science

Economics Physical Science

Grade 3 • Unit 7

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 Communities
Then and Now Making Meaning with Words
Student Objectives Tips for Text Annotation
I will be able to:
As you read closely for different purposes, remember to annotate the
Word My Definition My Sentence
• Read and analyze fiction and
text. Use the symbols below. Add new symbols in the spaces provided.
narrative nonfiction texts about
communities.
demanding
Symbol Purpose (p. 22)
• Share ideas with my peers.

• Build my vocabulary knowledge. underline Identify a key detail.

diverse
• Write informational, narrative, Star an important idea in the margin.
and opinion texts. (p. 18)

1 2 3 Mark a sequence of events.

gathered
magma Circle a key word or phrase. (p. 28)

?
Mark a question you have about information in
the text. Write your question in the margin. grateful
(p. 9)

! Indicate an idea in the text you find interesting.

Comment on this idea in the margin.
immigrant
(p. 19)

scattered
(p. 23)
Credits
Editor: Jeffrey B. Fuerst Your annotations might look like this.
Contributing Editors: Brett Kelly, Joanne Tangorra
Creative Director: Laurie Berger
Designers: Melody DeJesus, Kathryn DelVecchio-Kempa,
Doug McGredy, Chris Moroch
1 sprawling
Production: Kosta Triantafillis
Director of Photography: Doug Schneider
Photo Assistant: Jackie Friedman (p. 18)
Photo credits: Cover, Back Cover: Jim West / Alamy; Table !
of Contents B, Page 19A: Associated Press; Page 2: Songquan I like the way
Deng / [Link]; Page 3B: Library of Congress; Page
12A: Patrick Poendl / [Link]; Page 12BB: Rolf_52 Cinderella traditions
/ [Link]; Page 17: © John Fedele/Blend Images/ expresses 2
Corbis
herself. (p. 13)
Illustrations: Ayesha Lopez: Pages 7–8; Frank Mayo: Pages
23–29
3
Permissions
Excerpt from How Tia Lola Came To Visit Stay. Copyright
© 2001 by Julia Alvarez. Published by Dell Yearling and in
tucked
hardcover by Alfred A. Knopf Children’s Books, a division of
Random House, New York. By permission of Susan Bergholz ? (p. 22)
Literary Services, New York, NY and Lamy, NM. All rights
reserved. I wonder why
Excerpt from Sarah Plain and Tall copyright © 1985 by Cinderella puts
Patricia Maclachlan. Used by permission of HarperCollins
Publishers
up with her mean
stepsisters?
unpredictable
© Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted (p. 6)
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopy, recording, or any information storage
or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-4900-9195-2

LEXILE® is a trademark of MetaMetrics, Inc., and is registered in the Toll-Free 1-877-236-2465

United States and abroad.
E-book and digital teacher’s guide available at [Link].
[Link]
[Link]
Be n c h m a rk Ed u cati on Com p any
145 Huguenot Street • New Rochelle, NY • 10801

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 Table of Contents

Essential Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Short Read 1
Exploring My Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Short Read 2
A New Life in Vermont.
an excerpt from How Tía Lola Came to Visit Stay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Word Study Read

The Mission District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Build, Reflect, Write . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Extended Read 1
All Kinds of Communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Word Study Read

The Levi Coffin House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Build, Reflect, Write . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Extended Read 2
Sarah and the Chickens.
an excerpt from Sarah, Plain and Tall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Word Study Read

Wind and Wildflowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Build, Reflect, Write . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Support for Collaborative Conversation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Making Meaning with Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover

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 Communities Then and Now

Q uestio
l

n
e ntia

What is a community?
Ess

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 3

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 Short Read 1

Remember Exploring My Community

to annotate by Lisa Benjamin
as you read.
As the sun rises, my little city begins to wake. The 13,679
residents (as of 2013) start their
day. Downtown, construction
Tallahassee
Notes workers repair an old building. St.
N
Meanwhile, off the coast, Augustine

Gu

Atlantic Ocean
fishermen catch shrimp. All

lf o
FLORIDA

fM
around St. Augustine, Florida,

exic
restaurant and hotel workers

o
welcome tourists and other
100 miles
visitors.
St. Augustine is a small city
in the northeastern part
1   That’s what a day is
of Florida.
like in my community.
A community is any place that people call
home. Mine is on the coast of the Atlantic
Ocean. We have beaches and wetland areas.
Today is cool for December: 18 degrees Celsius
(65 degrees Fahrenheit). (I know, lucky me!)
The sun is out, so I am going to take pictures
of my city’s sights.

Some people say the beach is

the best part of the city!

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 Personal Essay

St. Augustine is not just a home for people. Alligators live in the
area, too! Notes

2   I am proud of St. Augustine. It is the oldest

city in the United States, founded in 1565 by
Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. He was an explorer
from Spain.

3   History is
important in my
community. The
local government
does a really great
job of taking
care of the older
buildings because Some buildings were constructed when
tourists come Spanish settlers lived in the city.

here to see them. Keeping the old buildings

in good shape keeps the past alive and makes
sense for business, too.

4   As the sun sets, another day ends in St.

Augustine. I wonder what I will do tomorrow.

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 Short Read 2

A New Life in Vermont

Remember
an excerpt from
to annotate How Tía Lola Came to Visit Stay
as you read. by Julia Alvarez
Miguel’s parents have divorced and Miguel, age ten, his
mother, and his younger sister, Juanita, have moved from
Notes New York City to Vermont. Miguel finds life in Vermont
very different. His aunt, Tía Lola, is coming from the
Dominican Republic to visit. Miguel knows that things are
unpredictable when Tía Lola visits. What will happen when
she comes to Vermont?

1   “Why can’t we just call her Aunt Lola?”

Miguel asks his mother. Tomorrow their aunt
is coming from the Dominican Republic to
visit with them in their new home in Vermont.
Tonight they are unpacking the last of the
kitchen boxes before dinner.

2   “Because she doesn’t know any English,” his

mother explains.

3   “Tía is the word for aunt in Spanish, right,

Mami?” Juanita asks. When their mother’s back
is turned, Juanita beams Miguel a know-it-all
smile.

4   Their mother is gazing sadly at a blue bowl

she has just unpacked. “So you see, Miguel,
if you call her Aunt, she won’t know you’re
talking to her.”

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 Realistic Fiction

Notes
5   That’s fine, Miguel thinks, I won’t have
much to say to her except “¡Adios!” Goodbye!
But he keeps his mouth shut. He knows why
his mother is staring at the blue bowl, and he
doesn’t want to upset her in the middle of a
memory.

6   “So, please, Miguel,” his mother is saying,

“just call her Tía Lola. Okay?”

7   Miguel kind of nods, kind of just jerks his

head to get his hair out of his eyes. It can go
either way.

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 Notes
8   It is the last day of January. Four weeks
ago, during Christmas break, they moved from
New York City into a farmhouse Mami rented
from a Realtor by phone. Miguel and Juanita’s
parents are getting a divorce, and Mami has
been hired to be a counselor in a small college
in Vermont. Papi is a painter who sets up
department store windows at night in the city.

9   Every morning, instead of walking to school

as they used to do in New York City, Miguel
and Juanita wait for the school bus by the
mailbox. It is still dark when they board and
drive down the dirt road, past their neighbor’s
sheep farm to town. It is again dark when
they get home at the end of the day and let
themselves into the chilly house. Mami does
not like the idea of Miguel and Juanita being
alone without an adult, and that in large part
is why she has invited Tía Lola to come for a
visit.

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 Realistic Fiction

Notes
10   Why not ask Papi to come up and stay
with them instead? Miguel wants to suggest. He
doesn’t really understand why his parents can’t
stay married even if they don’t get along. After
all, he doesn’t get along great with his little
sister, but his mother always says, “Juanita’s
your familia, Miguel!” Why can’t she say the
same thing to herself about Papi? But Miguel
doesn’t dare suggest this to her. These days,
Mami bursts out crying at anything. When they
first drove up to the old house with its peeling
white paint, Mami’s eyes filled with tears.

11   “It looks haunted,” Juanita gasped.

12   “It looks like a dump,” Miguel corrected his

little sister. “Even Dracula wouldn’t live here.”
But then, catching a glimpse of his mother’s
sad face, he added quickly, “So you don’t have
to worry about ghosts, Nita!”

13   His mother smiled through her tears,

grateful to him for being a good sport.

14   After some of the boxes have been cleared

away, the family sits down to eat dinner. They
each get to pick the can they want to bring
to the table: Juanita chooses SpaghettiOs, their
mother chooses red beans, and Miguel chooses
a can of Pringles. “Only this one night, so we
can finish getting settled for Tía Lola,” their
mother explains about their peculiar dinner.

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 Informational Social Studies
Word Study Read

The Mission District

Remember 1   Let’s take a trip to the Mission District of
to annotate San Francisco, California! It is a community
as you read. in the center of the city, named for the old
mission there. It is home to many Latinos, who
have been moving there for decades. Today the
Notes Mission District draws visitors from around the
world. Food is a main attraction. In the streets,
the rich scent of Mexican food fills the air.
Restaurants serve traditional tamales and tacos.
Bakers and grocers offer tasty Mexican treats.

2   Special events also draw visitors to the

Mission District. Each year during the first
week of November, the community holds a
cultural festival. As festivalgoers stroll along the
streets, they can see the work of local painters
or sculptors. In May, a large carnival draws
thousands of people. Carnival-goers enjoy food
from street vendors. Musicians, dancers, and
actors entertain the crowds.

3   Yet the Mission District is more than food

and festivals. It’s also a neighborhood. Workers,
business owners, and families make it their
home. At Mission Dolores Park, Latinos gather
to play soccer. While watching the players,
others sip sweet chocolate and discuss current
events. Murals and artwork by and about
Latinos fill outdoor spaces. Shops sell Spanish-
language books. The Mission District is a
thriving community and home to people proud
of their roots.
10

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 BuildReflectWrite
Build Knowledge
Compare and contrast the fictional Vermont community in “A New
Life in Vermont” to the actual community of St. Augustine, Florida, as
described in “Exploring My Community.” Include details about town size,
types of businesses present, and attitudes of the main characters.

Florida vs. Vermont

Life in Florida Life in Vermont

Reflect Writing to Sources

What is a community? Informative/Explanatory

Based on this week’s texts, write down “Exploring My Community,” “How

Tía Lola Came to Visit Stay,” and
new ideas and questions you have about
the Unit 1 text “Working Together”
the essential question. all present different pictures of
what a community is. Write an
essay in which you compare and
contrast these different pictures of
community.

11

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 Extended Read 1
All Kinds of Communities
Remember by Lisa Benjamin
to annotate 1   People across the world live in all kinds of
as you read. communities. A community is the place where
you live. It can be a crowded city, a tiny town,
or a suburb somewhere in between.
Notes
2   Communities across the United States vary
in many ways besides size. Sometimes, it is the
land or the physical environment that makes
the difference. Some communities are in the
middle of the country. Others are on the coasts.
Some communities are cold most of the year.
Others have warm weather year-round. Some
communities are rainy wetlands, while others
are dry deserts.

3   Sometimes, it is the type of jobs that makes

a community different. For instance, many
people in Gloucester, Massachusetts, make
their living catching fish. Eugene, Oregon, is
in an area with forests. Lumber mills are a big
business there.

Millions of people live in this community. Only a few thousand people live in
this community.
12

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 Personal Essay

Notes
4   Sometimes, it is the population, or the
people, that can make a community different.
In some towns, many residents were born and
raised in the area. They have their traditions,
or special ways of doing things. In some cities,
many residents are new. They have come from
all over the world to live there. They bring
their own culture, or way of doing things.

5   However, all communities have one thing in

common. Each one is a place that people call
home.

6   Meet three people from different

communities across the United States. Let them
tell you why their hometowns are special.

Keisha Paul
Gabriel Garcia St. Louis, MO
Los Angeles, CA

Mason Streeter
Farmersville, TX

13

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 Notes
Farmersville, a Rural Community
by Mason Streeter
7   My town,
Farmersville, is in a
Farmersville
rural area of northern
Dallas
Texas. Rural means it TEXAS
is in the country. But Austin
o
Dallas is only thirty- N xic

e
fM
five miles away. We

lf o
Gu
100 miles
can drive there in half
Farmersville is a rural town in
an hour. northern Texas. In 2012, the
population was 3,414 people.
8   As the name of
my town says, we have a lot of farms here.
Farmers have called this place home since
1849. My great-great-great (and maybe one
more great) granddaddy came here then. The
area’s fertile, black soil was perfect for growing
crops. Those first settlers planted cotton,
which became a big part of the area’s economy.
An economy includes all the businesses and
workers in an area.
There are many fields in Farmersville.

14

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 Football and cheerleading are popular in Farmersville.
Notes
9   Cotton was king here until 1925. Then
one farmer planted onions, and that turned
into a bumper crop! Soon, other farmers
planted onions. Onions became so big that the
community started an “Onion Festival” in 1935.
Now we have “Old Time Saturday” once a year.
People dress up, go to the festival, and spend
the day as they would have back in the times
before TV.

10   Today, many people in Farmersville still

work in farming. Onions remain a major crop,
along with cotton and corn. The first Saturday
of each month, farmers from the area sell
their goods at a local market called the Onion
Shed. People come from all over—even big city
Dallas—to buy my community’s fresh-grown
food.

15

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 Notes
St. Louis, a River Community
by Keisha Paul
N
11   The Mississippi
River flows through MISSOURI
the middle of the St.
Jefferson Louis
United States. Many City
communities have
grown along the
banks of this mighty
100 miles
river. St. Louis, in St. Louis is a major city in the
Missouri, is one of eastern part of Missouri.
the biggest. Almost three million people live in
or around this city. I am one of those people!

12   The Mississippi River cuts through the

middle of my city. With such easy access to
water, it’s no wonder many people here enjoy
boating and fishing.
The Gateway Arch is the most famous sight in the city.

16

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 Personal Essay

Notes
13   The Mississippi has affected the community
in other ways, too. It brought many people
into the area, beginning in the 1700s. The river
was also the starting point for people moving
west in the 1800s. That’s how St. Louis got the
nickname “Gateway to the West.” Today, people
call St. Louis the “Gateway City.” Natives like
me prefer the shorter “St. Louie.”

14   The Mississippi River also helped create

businesses. People built factories along the
riverbanks. Also, ships could travel in and
out of the city to deliver goods. As a result,
manufacturing and shipping became two major
industries in the community.

15   Factories still

produce cars and other
products. Ships still
transport oil, coal, and
other goods. Banking,
science, and medicine
are important to the
local economy, too. Factory work is an important part
of the economy in St. Louis.
16   Tourism is another important business.
Visitors come from all over the world to see
the mighty Mississippi and other sights, like
the famous Gateway Arch. Baseball fans from
far and near (like me!) come to watch our
team, the Cardinals. Go Redbirds!

17

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 Notes
Los Angeles, a Diverse N
Community
by Gabriel Garcia Sacramento

Pa
CALIFORNIA
Los Angeles is one

cif
17  

ic
Oc
of the biggest cities in Los

ean
Angeles
the country. More than
100 miles
four million people live
Los Angeles is a large
in the city. About six city in the southern part
million more reside in of California.
the surrounding areas. Many of them work in
creative industries, such as film and television.

18   The population of Los Angeles (L.A.) is not

only big. It is also diverse! That means many
different kinds of people live in the community.
More than 200 languages are spoken in L.A.

19   Native Americans were the first people to

make this area their home. Spanish settlers
came in the 1700s. They named this place “Los
Angeles.” (That means “the Angels.”) Since
then, many other groups have moved here.
Why not? The weather here is awesome! It is
sunny and warm year-round.

Los Angeles
is a sprawling
city that covers
a large area.

18

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 Personal Essay

Each May, Los

Angeles holds
Cinco de Mayo
celebrations.

Notes

20   Today, Latinos make up the biggest group.

A lot of Latino residents were born and raised
in L.A.—including me. My family came from
Mexico long ago. Other newer residents have
come from Central America and other places.
As a result, the city has a thriving immigrant
population. Immigrants have brought their
culture to this community and helped make it
a fun place.
Hispanic or
Latino (48.5%) Multiracial (2.5%)
Asian (11.3%)
African
White (28.7%) American (9.0%)

This circle graph shows different groups of people

living in Los Angeles.

21   Throughout the year, “Angelinos” enjoy all

kinds of parades and festivals. For instance,
Cinco de Mayo honors the traditions of Mexico.
The Golden Dragon Parade celebrates the
Chinese New Year. These events reflect the rich
culture in my diverse community.

19

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 Informational Social Studies
Word Study Read
The Levi Coffin House
Remember 1   On a street in what is now Fountain City,
to annotate Indiana, there is a redbrick house. The house
as you read. is old and simple, but it is an important
part of America’s past. The house is the Levi
Coffin House. It was a main stop along the
Underground Railroad.
Notes
2   The Underground Railroad was a network
that helped enslaved people escape to freedom
in the 1800s. The network was called
“underground” because it was secret. It had
“stations,” or safe places, where escapees could
hide. As people passed from one station to
another, they were given shelter and aid. Levi
Coffin was an important part of this network.
Although he knew it was illegal, Coffin began
helping escapees in 1826. He would pay little
heed to the dangers. He opposed slavery, so
he’d take many risks for his beliefs.

3   In 1839, Coffin and his wife moved to the

redbrick house. The house was perfect for their
needs. It had eight rooms, many with two exits.
It had storage places where people could hide,
and a big attic, too. Coffin’s neighbors would
sew new clothes for the escapees to wear. The
escapees ate and slept in safety. Then after
days or weeks, they moved on. It is said that
everyone who hid in Levi Coffin’s house made
it to freedom. Today the Levi Coffin House is a
National Historic Landmark.

20

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 BuildReflectWrite
Build Knowledge
Compare the three communities you read about and then develop an argument
about which one you would want to live in. Include specific facts to support
your opinion.

How Communities Differ

City Farmersville St. Louis Los Angeles

Area of Country

Type of Community/
Size

Businesses

People/Culture

The best place to live is because .

Reflect Writing to Sources

What is a community? Narrative

Based on this week’s texts, write down Imagine that Miguel from “How
Tía Lola Came to Visit Stay,”
new ideas and questions you have about
Lisa Benjamin from “Exploring
the essential question. My Community,” and one of
the students from “All Kinds of
Communities” met up to talk about
their communities. How would
each person describe his or her
community? Write a dramatic scene
in which these characters talk about
their communities. Use details from
each text to help you write your
play.

21

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 Extended Read 2

Remember
Sarah and the Chickens
to annotate an excerpt from Sarah, Plain and Tall
as you read. by Patricia MacLachlan
It is the late 1800s in the newly developed farmland of the
west. Sarah, a young woman from Maine, answers an ad to
become a wife for Jacob, a widower. Caleb and Anna, Jacob’s
Notes
children, fall in love with Sarah. Life on the prairie is
different and demanding, and Sarah misses the sea. Will she
stay longer than the one month to which she has agreed?

1   The dandelions in the fields had gone by,

their heads soft as feathers. The summer roses
were opening.

2   Our neighbors, Matthew and Maggie, came

to help Papa plow up a new field for corn.
Sarah stood with us on the porch, watching
their wagon wind up the road, two horses
pulling it and one tied in back. I remembered
the last time we had stood here alone, Caleb
and I, waiting for Sarah.

3   Sarah’s hair was in thick braids that circled

her head, wild daisies tucked here and there.
Papa had picked them for her.

4   Old Bess and Jack ran along the inside of

the fence, whickering at the new horses.

22

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 Historical Fiction

Notes
5   “Papa needs five horses for the big gang
plow,” Caleb told Sarah. “Prairie grass is hard.”

6   Matthew and Maggie came with their two

children and a sackful of chickens. Maggie
emptied the sack into the yard and three red
banty chickens clucked and scattered.

7   “They are for you,” she told Sarah. “For

eating.”

23

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 Notes
8   Sarah loved the chickens. She clucked back
to them and fed them grain. They followed her,
shuffling and scratching primly in the dirt. I
knew they would not be for eating.

9   The children were young and named Rose

and Violet, after flowers. They hooted and
laughed and chased the chickens, who flew up
to the porch roof, then the dogs, who crept
quietly under the porch. Seal had long ago fled
to the barn to sleep in cool hay.

10   Sarah and Maggie helped hitch the horses

to the plow, then they set up a big table in the
shade of the barn, covering it with a quilt and
a kettle of flowers in the middle. They sat on
the porch while Caleb and Matthew and Papa
began their morning of plowing. I mixed biscuit
dough just inside the door, watching.

24

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 Historical Fiction

Notes
11   “You are lonely, yes?” asked Maggie in her
soft voice.

12   Sarah’s eyes filled with tears. Slowly I stirred

the dough.

13   Maggie reached over and took Sarah’s hand.

14   “I miss the hills of Tennessee sometimes,”

she said.

15   Do not miss the hills, Maggie, I thought.

16   “I miss the sea,” said Sarah.

17   Do not miss the hills. Do not miss the sea.

18   I stirred and stirred the dough.

19   “I miss my brother William,” said Sarah.

“But he is married. The house is hers now.
Not mine any longer. There are three old aunts
who all squawk together like crows at dawn. I
miss them, too.”

20   “There are always things to miss,” said

Maggie. “No matter where you are.”

21   I looked out and saw Papa and Matthew

and Caleb working. Rose and Violet ran in
the fields. I felt something brush my legs and
looked down at Nick, wagging his tail.

25

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 Notes
22   “I would miss you, Nick,” I whispered. “I
would.” I knelt down and scratched his ears. “I
miss Mama.”

23   “I nearly forgot,” said Maggie on the porch.

“I have something more for you.”

I carried the bowl outside and watched

24  

Maggie lift a low wooden box out of the wagon.

25   “Plants,” she said to Sarah. “For your

garden.”

26   “My garden?” Sarah bent down to touch the

plants.

27   “Zinnias and marigolds and wild feverfew,”

said Maggie. “You must have a garden. Wherever
you are.”

28   Sarah smiled. “I had a garden in Maine with

dahlias and columbine. And nasturtiums the
color of the sun when it sets. I don’t know if
nasturtiums would grow here.”

29   “Try,” said Maggie. “You must have a garden.”

30   We planted the flowers by the porch, turning

over the soil and patting it around them, and
watering. Lottie and Nick came to sniff, and the
chickens walked in the dirt, leaving prints. In
the fields, the horses pulled the plow up and
down under the hot summer sun.

26

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 Historical Fiction

Notes
31   Maggie wiped her face, leaving a streak of
dirt.

32   “Soon you can drive your wagon over to

my house and I will give you more. I have
tansy.”

33   Sarah frowned. “I have never driven a

wagon.”

34   “I can teach you,” said Maggie. “And so can

Anna and Caleb. And Jacob.”

35   Sarah turned to me.

36   “Can you?” she asked. “Can you drive a

wagon?”

37   I nodded.

38   “And Caleb?”

39   “Yes.”

27

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 Notes
40   “In Maine,” said Sarah, “I would walk to
town.”

41   “Here it is different,” said Maggie. “Here you

will drive.”

42   Way off in the sky, clouds gathered.

Matthew and Papa and Caleb came in from
the fields, their work done. We all ate in the
shade.

43   “We are glad you are here,” said Matthew to

Sarah. “A new friend. Maggie misses her friends
sometimes.”

44   Sarah nodded. “There is always something

to miss, no matter where you are,” she said,
smiling at Maggie.

28

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 Historical Fiction

45   Rose and Violet fell asleep in the grass, Notes

their bellies full of meat and greens and
biscuits. And when it was time to go, Papa and
Matthew lifted them into the wagon to sleep
on blankets.

46   Sarah walked slowly behind the wagon for a

long time, waving, watching it disappear. Caleb
and I ran to bring her back, the chickens
running wildly behind us.

47   “What shall we name them?” asked Sarah,

laughing as the chickens followed us into the
house.

48   I smiled. I was right. The chickens would

not be for eating.

49   And then Papa came, just before the rain,

bringing Sarah the first roses of summer.

29

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 Memoir
Word Study Read
Wind and Wildflowers
1   The tall grass is gently waving in the wind.
Remember I can see colorful wildflowers peeking out
to annotate between the stalks. Spring is beautiful on the
as you read. prairie. It almost makes me forget about the
awful winter that just passed.

2   It was my first winter on the prairie. Father

Notes
and Uncle Paul had come out here before
Mother and me. They built a sod house for us
to live in. Some neighbors lent them a plow
so they could cut bricks of prairie grass, roots
and all. They needed about 3,000 bricks! They
stacked the sod bricks to form walls. Even the
roof of the house was made from sod. When
Mother and I arrived, the small “soddy” house
was ready for us. And when cold weather came,
it was surprisingly warm inside. A neighbor,
Mrs. Jacobs, taught Mother how to gather cow
chips and burn them for heat. Then, when
the snow began to fall, Mother called on Mrs.
Jacobs and her daughters. She made sure the
family had enough food. Neighbors do that for
each other out here.

3   The ground is finally thawing now, and

summer will soon be here. If we’re lucky, we’ll
get the rain we need for our crops. But hot
weather also brings storms, and maybe even a
tornado or two. The wind never stops blowing!
It is not easy to live here. Yet, when I pause
to gaze out at the prairie at dawn, I know this
place has captured my heart.

30

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 BuildReflectWrite
Build Knowledge
Answer questions 1–4 below to help organize your thoughts about Sarah’s
move from Maine to the farm on the western prairie.

Sarah’s Thoughts on Community

1. W
 hat type of community has Sarah moved 2. W
 hat type of community did Sarah move
to? from?

3. H
 ow are the communities similar? How are 4. What are Sarah’s opinions about each?
they different?

Reflect Writing to Sources

What is a community? Opinion

Based on this week’s texts, write down In “Exploring My Community,”

“How Tía Lola Came to Visit Stay,”
new ideas and questions you have about
“Sarah and the Chickens,” and the
the essential question. Unit 1 text “Working Together,”
you have learned about different
types of communities. Which of
these communities would you prefer
to visit? Write an opinion essay
in which you use details from the
texts to explain your choice.

31

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 Support for Collaborative Conversation
Discussion Prompts
Share a new idea or opinion . . .
I think that _____.
Group Roles
I notice that _____. Discussion Facilitator:
Your role is to guide the
My opinion is _____.
group discussion and make
An important event was when _____. sure that everyone has the
chance to participate.
Gain the floor . . .
I would like to add _____. Scribe:
Your job is to record the
Excuse me for interrupting, but _____. ideas and comments your
That made me think of _____. group members share.

Build on a peer’s idea or opinion . . . Timekeeper:

You will keep track of how
I also think that _____.
much time has passed and
In addition, _____. help keep the discussion
moving along.
Another idea is _____.

Encourager:
Express agreement with a peer’s idea . . . Your role is to motivate
I agree with [Name] because _____. and support your group
I agree that _____. members.
I think that is important because _____.

Respectfully express disagreement . . .

I disagree with [Name] because _____.
I understand your point of view, but I think _____.
Have you considered that _____?

Ask a clarifying question . . .

What did you mean when you said _____?
Are you saying that _____?
Can you explain what you mean by _____?

Clarify for others . . .

I meant that _____.
I am trying to say that _____.

32

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 Communities
Then and Now Making Meaning with Words
Student Objectives Tips for Text Annotation
I will be able to:
As you read closely for different purposes, remember to annotate the
Word My Definition My Sentence
• Read and analyze fiction and
text. Use the symbols below. Add new symbols in the spaces provided.
narrative nonfiction texts about
communities.
demanding
Symbol Purpose (p. 22)
• Share ideas with my peers.

• Build my vocabulary knowledge. underline Identify a key detail.

diverse
• Write informational, narrative, Star an important idea in the margin.
and opinion texts. (p. 18)

1 2 3 Mark a sequence of events.

gathered
magma Circle a key word or phrase. (p. 28)

?
Mark a question you have about information in
the text. Write your question in the margin. grateful
(p. 9)

! Indicate an idea in the text you find interesting.

Comment on this idea in the margin.
immigrant
(p. 19)

scattered
(p. 23)
Credits
Editor: Jeffrey B. Fuerst Your annotations might look like this.
Contributing Editors: Brett Kelly, Joanne Tangorra
Creative Director: Laurie Berger
Designers: Melody DeJesus, Kathryn DelVecchio-Kempa,
Doug McGredy, Chris Moroch
1 sprawling
Production: Kosta Triantafillis
Director of Photography: Doug Schneider
Photo Assistant: Jackie Friedman (p. 18)
Photo credits: Cover, Back Cover: Jim West / Alamy; Table !
of Contents B, Page 19A: Associated Press; Page 2: Songquan I like the way
Deng / [Link]; Page 3B: Library of Congress; Page
12A: Patrick Poendl / [Link]; Page 12BB: Rolf_52 Cinderella traditions
/ [Link]; Page 17: © John Fedele/Blend Images/ expresses 2
Corbis
herself. (p. 13)
Illustrations: Ayesha Lopez: Pages 7–8; Frank Mayo: Pages
23–29
3
Permissions
Excerpt from How Tia Lola Came To Visit Stay. Copyright
© 2001 by Julia Alvarez. Published by Dell Yearling and in
tucked
hardcover by Alfred A. Knopf Children’s Books, a division of
Random House, New York. By permission of Susan Bergholz ? (p. 22)
Literary Services, New York, NY and Lamy, NM. All rights
reserved. I wonder why
Excerpt from Sarah Plain and Tall copyright © 1985 by Cinderella puts
Patricia Maclachlan. Used by permission of HarperCollins
Publishers
up with her mean
stepsisters?
unpredictable
© Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted (p. 6)
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopy, recording, or any information storage
or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-4900-9195-2

LEXILE® is a trademark of MetaMetrics, Inc., and is registered in the Toll-Free 1-877-236-2465

United States and abroad.
E-book and digital teacher’s guide available at [Link].
[Link]
[Link]
Be n c h m a rk Ed u cati on Com p any
145 Huguenot Street • New Rochelle, NY • 10801

Y16037_CV.indd 3-4 2/14/19 2:17 PM

 Lexile 630L–930L

Build Knowledge Across Texts Close Reading

for ™

10 Topic Strands
Government and Citizenship Character

Communities
Then and Now
Life Science Point of View

Technology and Society Theme

History and Culture Earth Science

Economics Physical Science

Grade 3 • Unit 7

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