River Rescue

Enid lived in the jungle with her family and friends. Her home
12 had tall green trees, cool blue streams, and bright and beautiful
23 flowers. It had enough tasty, fresh fruit to last forever.
33 The only thing Enid loved and adored more than her jungle
44 home was reading. She read stories about fish. She read stories
55 about dogs. She read stories about castles in France. Sometimes
65 her friends told her that she read too much.
74 "Enid! You always have your trunk in a book! Your eyes will
86 start to ache if you read too much," her friend Mabel would say.
99 "Come swimming instead."
102 "I'll swim later. I'm reading about a girl with ruby red
113 slippers."
114 Every evening after dinner, Enid would try to read her favorite
125 stories to her friends. They would listen for a little while, but one of
139 them would always say, "Hearing stories isn't fun! Let's go play!"
150 Enid kept reading. She hoped she would inspire her friends to
161 read.
162 One day, after a heavy rain, Enid was trying to read a story
175 about a beaver building a dam. In the middle of chapter 12, she
188 heard a cry for help.
193 Books are a good way to become educated. However, even
203 Enid would put a book down if someone needed her help.
214 "Help!" said the small, meek voice. It came from the river's edge.
226 "I know that voice!" said Enid. "It's my friend Mabel!"
 Enid ran toward Mabel's voice. When she reached the river's
edge she was surprised and shocked by what she saw. The usually
calm, flat, clear water was now dark and swirling with splashing
white waves. On the other shore on the opposite side of the river
was tiny Mabel.
"Enid. What can we do?" asked her friend Harold. "We were
about to play in the river like we always do. Mabel was on the
other side of the river about to pick some fruit for lunch. Then it
happened! The river got deeper
and wider all of a sudden. It was
magic."
"It wasn't magic," said Enid.
"It is a flood. I read about it.
Sometimes when it rains too much
like it did today, rivers can swell
and get bigger without a warning."
"What can we do to help
Mabel?" asked Harold. "Did you
also read about something to help
when rivers get too big?"
Enid thought about her book about the beaver's dam. "Yes! We
can build a dam. A dam is like a wall in the river. It slows down
the water. When it slows down, Mabel can cross back to us safely."
"How do we make a dam?" asked Harold.
"Like this," said Enid. She rolled round, gray stones toward
the river, slowly building a wall in the water. Her friends began
helping her, assisting Enid in building the dam. Soon, it was
complete and the water slowed. Mabel was able to cross back.
After that day, Enid's friends were satisfied to read books with
her and listen to her stories.
A. Reread the passage and answer the questions.

1. What do Enid's actions in the first half of the story tell you about her?

2. Why do you think Enid wants her friends to read and listen to
stories?

3. A character's actions make the events in a story happen. If Enid did

not like reading, how would the story be different?
 celebrate pride disappointment remind

precious tradition courage symbols

Finish each sentence using the vocabulary word provided.

1. (tradition) Our family gets together for _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

2. (celebrate) After the girl won the spelling contest, _ _ _ _ _ _ __

3. (courage) He won a badge of honor _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

4. (disappointment) When I didn't get to see my friend, _ _ _ _ __

5. (symbols) Shaking hands and hugging are _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

6. (pride) My mom was so happy for me _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

7. (remind) I always forget my lunch _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

8. (precious) This photo of my grandfather _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

 Giving Thanks
Tom was happy because it was the last day before
10 Thanksgiving weekend. He grabbed his lunch from his kitchen
19 table and went to school. In the lunchroom after morning classes,
30 he sat next to Ana, a new student from India. He had never talked
44 to her before.
47 "Are you excited for the long weekend?" he asked.
56 "Of course," she said. "But why do we have these days off?"
68 "Thanksgiving, of course!" Tom said. "Do you know what it is?"
79 "No, we don't have it where I am from," she said.

90 Thanksgiving in America
93 "Oh, Thanksgiving is so much fun," Tom said. "We get to
104 spend precious time with family and friends. First, we have a big
116 feast with turkey, mashed potatoes, and pie. After the feast, I go
128 outside and play football with my brothers."
135 "But why do you have this tradition?" she asked.
144 "It's to remind everyone to give thanks for our food and
155 everything from the past year," he said. "I learned in Ms. Boone's
167 class that the first Thanksgiving was way back in 1621 between
178 the English Colonists and Native Americans."
Thanksgiving in India
"Wow, that sounds great," said Ana. "In my country we also
give thanks. We do it in a different way."
"Really?" Tom said. "How?"
"I am from a place in India called Tamil Nadu," she said. "In
January, we celebrate something called Pongal."
"Pongal? What does that mean?" Tom asked.
"It's an Indian dish," she said. "During the Pongal festival,
food is cooked in pots until it boils and spills over. It is a symbol
of good times for us."
"Wow," Tom said. "How do
you celebrate?"
"First, we give thanks to
the rain and sun for help with
farming. We even thank the
cattle," said Ana. "Then we throw
away old things and wear new
clothes. We eat food and spend
time with family."
Sharing traditions
"I thought that the
United States was the only country that had a holiday like
Thanksgiving," Tom said. "I guess I was wrong."
"Yes, there are many types of harvest festivals all over the
world where people give thanks for food and crops," she said.
"I guess we all have a lot to be thankful for," he said, and they
both agreed.
A. Reread the passage and answer the questions.

1. In paragraph six, what is the first thing that Tom does on

Thanksgiving?

2. What is the next thing that Tom does on Thanksgiving?

3. In the passage, find another example of sequence under the head

Thanksgiving in India. What is the first thing that happens in this
example?
 Joseph Bruchac
Growing Up Near Mountains
4 Joseph Bruchac grew up in the mountains of New York. He
15 lived with his grandmother and grandfather. Young Joseph loved
24 to go with his grandfather everywhere he went. His grandfather
34 showed him how to walk softly through the woods and how to
46 fish in the lakes and rivers.
52 As a child, Joseph spent time working in his grandparents'
62 store. When he made mistakes, his grandfather would never shout
72 or yell at him. Instead, he would talk to Joseph about what had
85 happened. That way Joseph could know how to do better the next
97 time. During the winter, farmers would come to the store. They
108 would sit around the stove and tell Joseph stories.
117 While growing up, Joseph loved to read and write. Joseph's
127 grandmother kept bookshelves in the house full of books. There
137 was always plenty to read. He liked to read storybooks about
148 animals. He also liked reading poetry. He even wrote some
158 poems of his own! One time, he wrote a poem for his teacher.
171 She was very proud.
Abenaki Storyteller
Joseph's grandfather was an Abenaki Native American, Joseph
became interested in stories told by the Abenaki. When he was
in college, Joseph would sometimes visit Native American elders.
He would listen to them tell stories, These stories were fun to
listen to. But they also taught great lessons about life. Later,
Joseph started to have children of his own. He wrote down the
stories he heard. Then he read them to his two sons. Soon after
that, Joseph began to write children's books. These books told the
stories of the Abenaki and other Native American peoples.

Helping Others Abenaki Indian tribes

Adirondack Mountain •
In the fourth grade, Joseph's
R
teacher told him, "Whatever
you want to do, you should do
it." Joseph wanted to write and
help others, And that's just what
he did. First, he began to write
Saratoga
stories. These stories taught Springs, NY
children about being kind. They
also taught children to care for Map of Joseph Bruchac's homeland
the Earth. Then, Joseph went to
schools all over the United States. He read his stories to children.
Now, Joseph helps other writers share their stories.
Today, Joseph spends time in his garden. He has gardens all
around his house. The inside of his house is full of many plants.
Joseph has been all over the world. But he still lives in the
hometown where he grew up, "It is a place I love," says Joseph.
He still likes to walk through the woods and mountains. Every
day he gets ideas for brand-new stories.
A. Reread the passage and answer the questions.

1. What happened during the winter at Joseph's grandparents' store?

2. What happened next after Joseph read stories to his sons?

3. Reread the fifth paragraph. What did Joseph do after he began to

write stories?
 Keith Little
During World War II, I was a
soldier and fought battles in the
Marshall Islands and on Iwo Jima v?JJapan l

in the Pacific Ocean. I was one of

the Navajo code talkers. The code
Q, lwo Jima
1P
talkers used the language of the
Navajo people to send messages to qD
the troops. The enemy didn't know
this language and couldn't read our
~ 0
OPhilippines
code. Our work helped the United
Map of the Philippine Sea
States win many battles. After the
war, I taught people about Navajo language and culture.

Answer the questions about the text.

1. How do you know this text is an autobiography?

2. What text features does the text include?

3. What information does the map give you?

Underline the compound word in each sentence. Then write its
definition. Use a dictionary to help you.

1. His grandfather showed him how to walk softly through the woods.

2. He liked to read storybooks about animals.

3. There were plenty of bookshelves in the house full of books.

4. But he still lives in the hometown where he grew up.

 design simple investigation encouraged
substitutes quality examine solution

Use a word from the box to answer each question. Then use the
word in a sentence.

1. What is another word for a careful search for something?

2. How might you describe a product that is well made? _ _ _ _ _ __

3. What word might describe an answer to a problem? _ _ _ _ _ __

4. What would you be doing if you were to create a plan? _ _ _ _ __

5. When you inspect something closely, what do you do? _ _ _ _ __

6. What is another word for given hope to do something? _ _ _ _ __

7. What do you call things that take the place of other things?

8. What is another word for easy? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

 Victor Ochoa's New Idea
Have you ever made something that no one else had made
11 before? It is not an easy thing to do. People who make something
24 new are called inventors. They look around and see what can
35 be made better and then they do it! Victor Ochoa was one of
48 those people. He made many things. One of them was a flying
60 machine. Victor looked at birds to get his ideas. He wanted to
72 learn everything about how birds flew.

78 Many Jobs
80 Victor was born in Mexico in 1850 and grew up in Texas. He
93 lived all over the United States. He loved to work with writers.
105 He wrote for newspapers. He even started two new papers. He
116 worked hard and never gave up, no matter how hard the job was.

129 A New Plane

132 Victor's mind was a motor that never turned off. He was
143 always thinking of new ways to make life better. In 1908, he was
156 thinking about the way that birds fly. He thought that he could
168 make a plane that flew like a bird. So he set to work.
 The center of the plane was made of two bikes set next to each
other. It looked a little like a car. It had a small motor that sat
between the two bikes. The back was shaped like a bird's tail.
The wings were made of canvas and steel pipes. What made this
plane different was that the wings could be folded down just like
a bird's wings. This was so it could be put in a small shed or
barn. This way, everyone could keep a plane at a house or on a
farm.
Victor started a company that would make this new plane. He
asked the Navy to use his new plane. He wrote the Navy a letter
telling them why he thought his plane would be just what they
needed. He worked very hard to make his plane work. He worked
on it for over twenty years. No
one knows if it ever flew.

Other New Ideas

Victor did not let this problem
keep him from making other
things. Making new things from ;£
new ideas was the blood in his Victor Ochoa's plane was made of two
bikes.
veins. He made a new pen that
held its own ink. Another thing he came up with was a motor that
worked both forward and backward.

Never Give Up
Victor was a spinning top. He was always making new things.
He wanted to help other people with his ideas. Not all of his
ideas worked. No one who tries something new is successful
every time, though. The important part is to keep trying. Victor
Ochoa was someone who never stopped trying.
A. Reread the passage and answer the questions.

1. What was the cause of Victor's actions in the third paragraph?

2. What effect did this cause have on Victor?

3. What kinds of things did Victor invent to make life better?

 George Crum's Potato Chip
George Crum was born in Thinly slice
1822. Later on in life, he became @~4!7. potato
the chef at Moon's Lake House
in Saratoga, New York. One
Brush with
day in 1853, a customer ordered
butter on tray
french-fried potatoes but sent
them back to the kitchen. He
said they were too thick and Bake at 500° F
soft. Annoyed, Crum sliced for 20 minutes
some potatoes very thin and
fried them crispy. They were
great! George Crum had invented the potato chip.

Answer the questions about the text.

1. How do you know this text is a biography?

2. What text feature does this text include?

3. What does the diagram show you? What title would you give this
diagram?

4. How can you tell that the events in the text are in the order that they
happened?
A. Read each sentence from the passage. Then write what two
things are being compared in the metaphor on the lines.

1. Victor's mind was a motor that never turned off.

2. Making new things from new ideas was the blood in his veins.

3. Victor was a spinning top.

B. Reread the passage. Use what you have learned to write two
metaphors based on the life of Victor Ochoa.

1. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

2. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 national grand carved clues
landmark massive monument traces

Use the context clues in each sentence to help you decide which
vocabulary word fits best in the blank.

The art museum was one of Phoebe's favorite places to visit. It was a
________ and an important historical site. In fact, it housed so
many great works of art it was considered a ________ treasure
by most people. Each time she visited this museum, she smiled. There was
always a ________ adventure or story around every corner.

Phoebe loved to visit the sculpture garden. There were dolphins,

people, and other creatures ________ out of stone and marble. It
impressed her that someone could carefully cut such shapes out of rock.
She loved to see new paintings on display. Some were no bigger
than her notebook. However, some were so ________ that she
wondered how one person could have painted them!
Today, Phoebe was eager to see a ________ that was on
loan from another museum. The memorial was over three hundred years
old and had been found in Italy. Historians felt that the piece provided
________ about a little-known artist. It also told a story about
life in a small Italian village hundreds of years ago.
As she walked to the exhibit, Phoebe wondered if years from
now someone would be looking at one of her own paintings to find
________ or evidence about what life used to be like. The
thought made her want to create a new painting when she returned home!