Introduction. The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Comprehension Lesson 53 Aesop and His Fables TM & Scholastic Inc. All Rights Reserved. Introduction Long ago, before there were books or TV, the storyteller was a special person in a village. People would gather around the storyteller to listen to tales. Often the stories taught lessons about how people should act. One of the greatest storytellers was Aesop. Aesop was born in Greece more than 2,500 years ago. Aesop s stories were told over and over. Later, they were written down in books. One of Aesop s best-known stories, or fables, is The Boy Who Cried Wolf. The Boy Who Cried Wolf A father asked his son to guard their sheep from the dangerous wolves. On the first day, the boy led the sheep up a hill. The sheep grazed in a field. The boy was careful to make sure no wolf came around. On the second day, the boy became bored. Just for fun, he cried out, Wolf! Wolf! The boy s father and some people from the village heard his cries. Then they ran up the hill in the rain to help. But there was no wolf in sight. The sheep were safe. The boy thought this was a humorous joke. His father and the neighbors found no amusement in the trick. The next day, the boy played the same trick. His father and neighbors ran up the hill even faster. Again, there was no wolf. Everyone yelled at the boy for not being truthful. Finally, on the fourth day, a wolf did appear. First, the boy yelled loudly, Wolf! Wolf! The father and neighbors heard the boy s cries. They shook their heads and said, He will not make fools of us again. No one came to help, so the wolf ate all the sheep. 1 RDI Book 1: p. 477 SAM Keyword: Theme Use with page 376. 477

Graphic Organizer Analyze Theme The theme is a story s message about life. To figure out the theme, think about how the characters act and what happens as a result of their behavior. Use this chart to organize your information. Passage: The Author s Message or Theme 436 Use with pages 312 and 313. 1 RDI Book 1: p. 436

Comprehension TM & Scholastic Inc. All Rights Reserved. Lesson 55 Facing Fear I was ten years old when it happened. My Abuela Maria had a stroke and everything changed. I loved the way Abuela was before the stroke. She had taught me the old-style dances. She had a laugh like a little girl. She made amazing green chile stew. This new lady didn t act like my abuela. She looked tired and sad. She could barely speak. She mostly stayed in bed. I wanted my old abuela back. I felt strange around this new lady. Mami would tell me to visit with her. But I was too afraid. Abuela would call out my name when she heard my footsteps, but I pretended not to hear her. I didn t know how to be with her anymore. One afternoon, I thought she was sleeping so I peeked into her room. She was awake. She smiled when she saw me. Then she touched a button on the stereo. The music started. It was our old-time dance song. Dance, José, she said. She sounded terrible. But I got up. At first it felt weird. I held her hands and moved my feet by the bed. Then I saw the light in her eyes. She was happy. It was the old abuela I knew. And I was not afraid any longer. 1 RDI Book 1: p. 479 SAM Keyword: Theme Use with page 378. 479

Practice Comprehension Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Mr. Ames by Tara McCarthy Mr. Ames is known as the Neighborhood Grouch. He never answers when you speak to him. He always has a sort of frown on his face. He lives alone and never seems to have visitors. Mr. Ames is just so unfriendly! said my mom. He s a total drag! said my sister. He s kind of scary, said my kid brother. He s hardly the kind of neighbor I d hoped to have, said my dad. I agreed with all of them, of course. One day, I accidentally threw my Frisbee into Mr. Ames s garden. He was working over there, so I was a little nervous about retrieving the Frisbee. Then Mr. Ames held up the Frisbee. Here s your toy, Sonny, he said. He was smiling slightly. Thanks! I said as I took the Frisbee out of his hand. I m usually pretty good at aiming these things, but a slight breeze can throw them off course. Eh? Eh? said Mr. Ames, awkwardly cupping his hand to his ear. Did you say something? Suddenly I realized that Mr. Ames had a hearing problem! No wonder he didn t reply to neighbors greetings. No wonder he seemed unfriendly he couldn t hear us! That day I not only got my Frisbee back but also stayed to help Mr. Ames set in tomato plants. We communicated just fine through gestures and smiles, and I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with him. My grandfather lives far away, so it was nice having Mr. Ames around instead. So I learned that you can t always rely on other people s opinions. You have to check things out for yourself and form your own ideas. My idea of Mr. Ames is that he s a great guy and a good friend! Copyright Scholastic Inc. Mr. Ames from Narrative Writing by Tara McCarthy. Copyright 1998 by Tara McCarthy. Reprinted by permission of Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved. 378 Use with page 312. 1 RDI Book 1: p. 378

Comprehension Lesson 54 Teamwork TM & Scholastic Inc. All Rights Reserved. an adaptation of The Bundle of Sticks, an Aesop s fable Tryouts were finally over. Coach Harrell checked out his new team. The fact that they were the best players he d seen in years made him hopeful for the season. Coach separated the boys into teams and had them play a half-court game. He was disappointed in what he saw. Damon wouldn t stick to his defensive position. Aaron knocked his own teammate down while running to get a rebound. Not a single player seemed willing to pass. Coach blew his whistle. He had ordered Chinese food for the team, and they sat down together. I want to see how tough you guys are, Coach said. He took the chopsticks out of their packages, bundled them together, and handed them to Damon. Try to snap that, Coach said. The boys laughed as Damon struggled. I ll show you how to do it, Aaron said, grabbing the chopsticks from Damon. The boys watched Aaron get red in the face. Not a single stick broke. Pass them around, Coach said, One chopstick per person. Once each teammate had a stick, Coach said, Ready? Break them. The sound of snapping wood filled the air. Think about what you just saw, Coach said. Let s be like these chopsticks. By sticking together and supporting each other, we can become an unbreakable team. 1 RDI Book 1: p. 481 SAM Keyword: Theme Use with page 377. 481

Comprehension Lesson 55 The First Anniversary Based on O. Henry s The Gift of the Magi Anna and Javier had been dating for a year. It was the anniversary of their first date on May 2. That morning, Anna had only $10 to buy Javier a present, and it just wasn t enough. She knew that all he really wanted was a leather phone case that cost $50. Anna fiddled with her long dark hair as she watched her sister study a textbook. Frances was in school to become a hair stylist. I wish you d let me practice on you, Frances joked. I ll let you cut it if you give me $40, Anna said. Twenty minutes later, Anna s hair barely touched her ears. It s a little uneven, Frances said. Maybe my teacher can fix it. Anna didn t even look in the mirror. She pulled on a hat, raced to the store, and bought the phone case. They met, and Javier pulled out his gift first. It was a pair of beautiful gold hair clips that would have made Anna s long hair look amazing. I sold my phone, but it was worth it, Javier said. When Anna pulled off her hat, Javier laughed. I ll save up to buy a new phone, Javier said. And your hair will grow back. Yeah, in a million years, Anna said, smiling. That s okay, Javier said. We ll still be together then. TM & Scholastic Inc. All Rights Reserved. 488 Use with page 378 1 RDI Book 1: p. 488 SAM Keyword: Theme

Practice Comprehension The View From the Top by Rachel Kranz Part 1 Let s review the material we learned in the last unit, the history teacher said. Who can tell us what caused the War of 1812? Mai Lin sat at her desk, staring straight ahead. She hoped the teacher wouldn t call her name. They hadn t studied the war of 1812 at her old school. Alison? the teacher asked instead. Oh, perfect, Mai Lin thought. Of course Alison would have the answer. She seemed to have all the answers. Alison was the most popular girl in school always surrounded by millions of boyfriends, best friends, and hangers-on. She was like a brilliant sun with her own little solar system. Mai Lin wouldn t have minded Alison so much if she had made one or two friends of her own. Her old school had been small and low-key, and a shy person like Mai Lin had a chance there. This new school seemed as big as an airport to Mai Lin, and about as hard to get around in. She still got lost sometimes. Mai Lin frowned as Alison answered the teacher s question. Alison probably never got lost, Mai Lin thought to herself. You could probably put Alison down in the middle of a desert, blindfolded, and within five minutes she d be able to tell you the best way to get home. History class finally ended, and Mai Lin headed for the gym. The class had been playing basketball. Alison, who was as tall and willowy as a tree, excelled. Beside her, Mai Lin felt like a very small and clumsy ant. Part 2 Today, though, the gym teacher pointed to a thick rope hanging from the ceiling. Mai Lin knew what was coming. They d done lots of physical fitness training at her old school. Who s first? the teacher asked. Alison? To Mai Lin s surprise, Alison turned as pale as the moon and shook her head. She s scared, Mai Lin thought. Perfect Alison was scared. Suddenly Mai Lin heard her own voice saying, I ll do it. The teacher nodded, and Mai Lin scrambled effortlessly up the rope. As she reached the top, she glanced down at the girls below. Now it was Alison who appeared like a small ant. Alison looked up, her eyes wide with admiration. Mai Lin clung to the top of the rope for a moment longer. Then she headed down to join the class. 1 RDI Book 1: p. 379 Use with page 313. 379

Comprehension Lesson 54 This Is Not Okay With Me! Riding the bus was the worst part of Corey Wu s day. Shawn always sat in the back. When Corey got on, Shawn would shout, Hello, Corey! The words were harmless, but Shawn made Corey s name sound like an insult. Corey usually found an empty seat next to one of the girls up front. One kid, Jason, always sat by himself. Shawn made him cry almost every day by teasing him. Corey wasn t sure why Shawn didn t like Jason. He was just glad that Shawn picked on Jason and not him. One day, the bus was more full than usual. Only one seat was left, and it was next to Jason. Corey kept standing as the bus pulled into the street. Sit down! the driver yelled. Hey Corey, you re going to get Jason germs! Shawn called out. Some other kids laughed as Corey sat down. Corey felt hot. He didn t know what to say, so he said what he was thinking. In fact, he shouted it. Stop it! he yelled. This is not okay with me. Shawn said, Oh, Corey s sticking up for his new best friend! But he didn t say it as loudly as he usually did. The other kids laughed, but not as loudly as usual. Corey looked at Jason, who was looking straight ahead. But Jason wasn t crying. He was smiling. Corey sat back in his seat and realized that he was smiling too. TM & Scholastic Inc. All Rights Reserved. 478 Use with page 377. 1 RDI Book 1: p. 478 SAM Keyword: Theme