AnyOneCanRead®

The History Of The Earth:

Click this link for WEEKS 20 TO 21

Animals And Habitats:
Click this link for WEEKS 22 TO 24

Fairy Tales:
Click this link for WEEKS 25 TO 27

A New Nation – American Independence:
Click this link for WEEKS 28 TO 31

Frontier Explorers:
Click this link for WEEKS 32 TO 34

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WEEK EIGHTEEN

WEEK EIGHTEEN READING PASSAGES

Lesson 50 – Stories Misc

NEW WORDS: Matt, ahoy, bartender, bomb, change, checked, glasses, goop, growled, inn, limbs, mac, maid, mateys, mug, needs, piece, pirate, pour, pretending, puddle, rim, seats, stamped, treasure, witch

Max The Mess

It was like a bomb. It was a loud “wham!” We all jumped out of our seats. What a noise! It was not fun! My mom, Meg, yelled. Her face turned red. She stamped her foot. She put her hands on her head.

“Max, why did you slam your mug on the table? That makes me so mad! Must you be such a mess? Look! Food is all over. It’s on your place-mat. It got on the map that Matt needs to read. And I see crumbs all over the place. And there are chunks of ham, mint jam, and lamb. And mac-and-cheese. And your half-eaten yam! Gross! Now I just want to gag! Grr!” There was spit on Mom’s lips.

Mom checked out the room. “And look! It’s on every one’s clothes! Pam, Tom, Kim? You have to go up and change. Right now. And Matt? There’s food on the rim of your glasses! Clean that up.”

“And oh, no! Look at Tom-Cat. Poor cat! A piece of yam flew into his milk bowl. So goop is now on each one of his four limbs. And, now the floor is a mix of mess. It looks like a mud puddle full of goop. I bet Tom-Cat could swim in it! Good grief! Now I’ve got to go get the mop. I have to walk up the stairs to get it. Then come back down. Then clean all of this up. Guys, I’m not your maid!”

“Max, you give me no rest! I’m so fed up with you. I’ve never met a boy who can make such a mess! Why do you do it? Do you just hate me? Do you think I’m a witch?”

Max spoke up. “Yum, mom. Great food! I was pretending to be a pirate at an old-time inn. Time to pour me one more glass of milk, bartender! Max then growled, “Ahoy, mateys! Time to go find the treasure!”

He walked out. He stepped in the goop. And he left foot-prints. Mom was fit to be tied! But that’s Max for you!

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Lesson 51 – Poems And Rhymes

NEW WORDS: Joan, London, Monday, Saturday, Thursday, Tuesday, Wednesday, anymore, beyond, bleak, bramble, burnt, castle, clearly, dragonly, east, elegant, everybody, foam, fortress, greedy, greenery, guns, hasn’t, mell, mister, mountain, nobody’s, peeping, pell, picnics, piggie, piggies, pockets, potato, ringed, scalloped, scampered, schoolroom, scratched, sipped, someone’s, straws, tempting, tinted, trough, turret, valleys, wagon, wars, wearing, winter’s, wondrous

Poor Shadow

Everything has a shadow,
A mountain, a bird or a ball.
Only a poor, poor shadow,
Hasn’t a shadow at all!

Poem by Ilo Orleans

The Winds

Mister East gave a feast.
Mister North laid the cloth.
Mister West did his best.
Mister South burnt his mouth,
Eating cold potato.

The Pigs

Piggie Wig and Piggie Wee,
Hungry pigs as pigs could be,
For their dinner had to wait,
Down beyond the barnyard gate.

Piggie Wig and Piggie Wee,
Climbed the barnyard gate to see,
Peeping through the gate so high,
But no dinner could they spy.

Piggie Wig and Piggie Wee,
Got down, sad as pigs could be,
But the gate soon opened wide,
And they scampered forth outside.

Piggie Wig and Piggie Wee,
What was their delight to see?
Dinner ready, not far off,
Such a full and tempting trough!

Piggie Wig and Piggie Wee,
Greedy pigs as pigs could be,
For their dinner ran pell–mell,
In the trough both Piggies fell.

Poem by Emelie Poulsson

Play Days

How many days has my baby to play?
Saturday, Sunday, Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,
Saturday, Sunday, Monday.

We Built A Castle Near The Rocks

We built a castle,
Near the rocks.
We built it out of sand.

Our fortress was,
An ice-cream box,
With turret, tall and grand.

Our men were twigs,
Our guns were straws,
From which we’d sipped at lunch.

We had the very best of wars,
Till someone’s foot,
WENT, CRUNCH!

Poem by Joan Walsh Anglund

Kitty-Cat And Queen

“Kitty-cat, Kitty-cat,
Where have you been?”
“I’ve been to London,
To look at the Queen.”

“Kitty-cat, Kitty-cat,
What did you there?”
“I frightened a little mouse,
Under the chair.”

The Gold-Tinted Dragon

What’s the good of a wagon,
Without a dragon,
To pull you for mile after mile?

An elegant, lean one,
A gold-tinted green one,
Wearing a dragonly smile.

You’ll sweep down the valleys,
You’ll sail up the hills,
Your dragon will shine in the sun.

As you rush by,
The people will cry,
“I wish that my wagon had one!”

Poem by Karla Kuskin

The Man In Our Town

There was a man in our town,
And he was wondrous wise.
He jumped into a bramble bush,
And scratched out both his eyes.

But when he saw his eyes were out,
With all his might and main,
He jumped into another bush,
And scratched ’em in again.

Picnic Day

Sing a song of picnics,
Bread and butter spread,
Greenery all around about,
And cherries overhead!

Poem by Rachel Field

The Clock

There’s a neat little clock,
In the schoolroom it stands,
And it points to the time,
With its two little hands.

And may we, like the clock,
Keep a face clean and bright,
With hands ever ready,
To do what is right.

Home

The sea is ringed around with hills,
And scalloped with white foam.
I’ve filled my pockets full of shells,
And now I’m going home.

Poem by Jean Jaszi

Winter

Cold and raw, the north wind does blow,
Bleak in the morning early.
All the hills are covered with snow,
And winter’s now come, clearly.

Five Years Old

Please, everybody,
Look at me!
Today I’m FIVE years old,
You see!

And after this,
I won’t be four,
Not ever, ever,
Anymore!

I won’t be three,
Or two, or one,
For that was when,
I’d first begun.

Now I’ll be five a while, and then,
I’ll soon be something else, again!

Poem by Marie Louise Allen

Little Jumping Joan

Here I am,
Little jumping Joan,
When nobody’s with me,
I’m always alone.

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Lesson 52 – Fry-Builder

NEW WORDS: Europe, President, State, difficult, direct, direction, discovered, distance, divided, dollars, during, effect, energy, enjoy, entire, equal, especially, exactly, example, exercise, expect, explain, express, fact, factories, famous, farmers, figure, industry, million, opposite, prepared, printed, probably, produce, products, provide, received, record, region, remain, repeated, report, represent, result, return, rule, science, scientists, separate, settled, sentence, several, shown, sign, similar, single, soil, soldiers, sometimes, southern, stretched, students, subject, suddenly, suggested, supply, suppose, surface, symbols, temperature, thousands, thus, tools, total, toward, travel, triangle, tube, type, uncle, understand

She has a super power.

Head to practice.

Are you prepared?

What a great present!

It’s the President!

I printed it out.

You probably should.

Produce twenty of these.

They make bad products.

Take a seat.

Any more questions?

Do this quickly!

They ran a race.

They raised it up.

I’d rather not!

Bob reached for the ball.

Are you ready?

That’s a poor reason.

We received the letter.

Did you record the talk?

What region are you from?

Remain quiet!

I can’t remember.

She repeated it once.

That’s a good report.

Can you represent our school?

Was the result good?

Return this to Dad.

When will the sun rise?

The river is flooding.

Pull up that root.

Climb that rope.

That’s a dumb rule.

Go weigh on the scale.

Is that a science show?

Scientists are smart!

I’ll be a second.

Doesn’t that seem strange?

I want to sell that.

Send this letter.

That makes sense.

I’ll provide some for the party.

He’s in the computer industry.

She’s got a million bucks.

Hot is the opposite of cold.

I sent it.

Write this sentence.

Separate these.

She’s all settled.

I’ll take several.

I’m in good shape.

I shouted, “Watch out!”

Our house was shown today.

That’s a stop sign.

Please keep silent.

My job is difficult.

Please direct me there.

Go in that direction.

Who discovered fire?

It’s a long distance.

I divided these in half.

You should see a doctor.

It’s ten dollars.

He took a nap during the show.

I got up early.

We’re on the east end of town.

Put your plan into effect.

I’ll cook some eggs.

I don’t like either one.

It took lots of energy.

Start the engine!

England is in Europe.

She speaks English.

Did you enjoy that?

I’ve had enough.

He ate an entire cake!

Do two and two equal four?

I’m especially glad to see you.

This should even things out.

Good evening!

I like everyone except her!

Everything will be all right.

That’s exactly what I want.

Give me a better example.

I should get more exercise.

I expect you to be good!

Please explain that.

We took the express train.

Is that a fact?!

Those factories will close.

I love my family.

Batman is famous!

Lots of farmers came to the fair.

I fear you’re right!

That’s a fig tree.

Figure this out.

I finally finished.

She snapped her fingers.

I hurt my foot.

May the Force be with you!

The forest is dark.

Form a straight line.

You can move forward now.

My car is similar.

That’s real simple.

She’s a single mom.

Dad’s at his work site.

Do that slowly.

This soil is dry.

They are Army soldiers.

Solve this problem.

Someone called you.

Something is wrong.

Sometimes I get mad.

He’s from down south.

He’s a southern boy.

That’s a special gift.

Spread out, now.

I live in another State.

What a story!

The stream is cool.

My cat stretched.

My students are smart!

What’s the subject of your talk?

Dad stopped suddenly.

Sugar is sweet.

Mom suggested we go outside.

Summer is hot.

Can you supply us with that many?

I suppose I can.

They landed on the surface.

That’s a surprise!

What do these symbols mean?

We use a different system.

She’s the best teacher!

Let’s team up!

What’s the temperature?

I’ll pass the test!

They keep to themselves.

She’s our third child.

I love this, though you might not.

I saw thousands of them.

Thus, the game was over.

Your cat’s tiny.

I have tools to fix this.

Total it up.

Turn toward the right.

She runs track.

Will you trade that?

I love to travel.

Which shape is a triangle?

Don’t get into trouble!

Open that tube.

What type do you like?

Hello, Uncle Ed!

Do you understand?

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WEEK EIGHTEEN PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

From The Mule

I have a mule that is quite all right.

From Jay Frog

He peered into the pond. WHOA! A trout! A huge trout!

From Space Hawk

You get used to it. Fast. And it’s fun. It’s all good!

Simple to use. They won’t break. They work each time. A child can do it!

From Scott

The chimp hangs from a branch. Then he jumps up on a big red cube and grins at Scott.

Dave checks his lunch bag. “No!” he fumes. “It’s ham. I ate ham all week!”

From The Two Mules

Once, a man went on a trip with two mules.

From Gran

Fuzz was a cute cat who did his best to be safe at all times.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 24) Long-vowel –> single consonant –> silent-E, 3- & 4-letter words, Long-U repeated exposure:

I want to learn how to play the uke.

The Ute Native American people generally live in Utah and West Colorado.

I’ll take just one sugar cube to put in my tea.

I’ll slice up this crispy cuke and put it in the salad.

Mindy, those are really cute new tennis shoes that you have.

That athlete will probably sulk off and fume about his defeat.

We’ve got to disable the fuze on that bomb.

David Hume was a Scottish philosopher and historian in the 1700s.

I think that we have the most stubborn mule in the county!

Could everyone please mute their computer when we start the Zoom call?

That smells so bad that I bet I’d puke if I had to eat it.

If I hear that kitten pule one more time, I’m going to have to put him upstairs for a while.

That guitar player also owns two ukes.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #3, “MOST FREQUENT WORDS”

Someone left their coat on this chair.

Sometimes I dream that I can fly.

When we get to the top of that hill, we then need to head south.

Move the chairs to the walls so that we have more space.

Class, we have a special guest from the zoo.

Who can spell the word, “tough?”

My Dad loves to play sports.

Our cat chased a squirrel for a while.

Make sure that you stand up good and straight.

That is quite a bright star up in the sky.

What state were you born in?

Go slow, step-by-step.

I’ll throw this stick and our dog will fetch it.

I stood still while the nurse gave me my shot.

Who would have thought that the store would be out of milk?

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WEEK NINETEEN

WEEK NINETEEN READING PASSAGES

Lesson 53 – Poems And Rhymes

NEW WORDS: Cinderella, Lucy, Molly, agree, aloud, argument, bachelor, battle, bedtime, bridge, cement, cole, deedle, disappear, doo, doodle, dum, fiddler, fiddlers, fires, fisher, forced, forgot, gallop, grandad’s, grassy, groans, heavens, heroes, highway, kittie, lace, lanes, locket, master’s, merriest, monstrous, month, narrow, poly, powder, rare, rattle, rattles, resolved, rolling, roly, runaway, sawdust, shrieks, silver’s, skeleton, sorrow, soul, splashing, spoiled, streets, tray, twee, tweedle, witch’s, wonderful, woodworm

The Old Woman Under A Hill

There was an old woman,
Lived under a hill,
And if she’s not gone,
She lives there still.

Roly Poly Bowling!

Roll it, bowl it, roll it,
Set the ball a-rolling.
Round and round and round and round,
Roly poly bowling.

Cinderella Ice Cream

Cinderella dressed in green,
Went upstairs to eat ice cream.
Cinderella dressed in lace, and
Went upstairs, to powder her face.

When

When I was a bachelor,
I lived by myself.
And all the bread and cheese I got,
I laid up on the shelf.

The rats and mice,
They made such a strife,
I was forced to go to London,
To find me a wife.

The streets were so bad,
And the lanes were so narrow,
I was forced to bring my wife home,
In a wheelbarrow.

The wheelbarrow broke,
And my wife had a fall.
Down came wheelbarrow,
Little wife and all.

The Month Of May

There are twelve months in all the year,
As I hear many say.
But the merriest month in all the year,
Is the merry month of May!

Windy Nights

Whenever the moon and stars are set,
Whenever the wind is high,
All night long in the dark and wet,
A man goes riding by.
Late in the night, when the fires are out,
Why does he gallop, and gallop about?
Whenever the trees are crying aloud,
And ships are tossed at sea,
By, on the highway, low and loud,
By at the gallop goes he.
By at the gallop he goes, and then,
By he comes back at the gallop again.

Poem by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Bridge

Where goes the bridge?
Up in the air,
All across the water,
To way over there!

Poem by Olive Beaupre Miller

Cock-A-Doodle–Doo

Cock-A-Doodle-do!
My dame has lost her shoe.
My master’s lost his fiddle-stick,
And knows not what to do.

Cock-a-doodle-do!
What is my dame to do?
Till master finds his fiddle-stick,
She’ll dance without her shoe.

Runaway

I think today,
I’ll run away.
My heart is filled with sorrow.

I’ll disappear,
For one whole year,
Or else, come back tomorrow.

Poem by William Wise

Lucy Locket

Lucy Locket lost her pocket,
Kittie Fisher found it.
There was not a penny in it,
But a ribbon round it!

Old King Cole

Old King Cole
Was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he.

He called for his pipe,
And he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three!

And every fiddler,
He had a fine fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he.

“Twee deedle dee,
tweedle dee,”
Went the fiddlers.

Oh, there’s none so rare,
As can compare,
With King Cole and his fiddlers three.

Twinkle Little Bat

Twinkle, twinkle, little bat!
How I wonder what you’re at!
Up above the world you fly,
Like a tea-tray in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle!

Poem by Lewis Carroll

A Well

As round as an apple,
As deep as a cup,
And all the king’s horses,
Can’t fill it up.

Tell Me Little Woodworm

Tell me little woodworm,
Eating through the wood,
Surely all that sawdust,
Can’t do you any good.

Heavens! Little woodworm,
You’ve eaten all the chairs.
So, THAT’S why poor old Grandad’s
Sitting outside on the stairs.

Poem by Spike Milligan

Flying Children

If I could walk for two weeks and a day,
And go where the hills meet the sky,
I think I’d find children who play in the clouds,
And who can really fly!

Coffee And Tea

Molly, my sister,
And I fell out.
And what do you think,
It was all about?

She loved coffee,
And I loved tea,
And that was the reason,
We couldn’t agree.

Knitting

Knitting still, knitting still,
Always knitting with a will.
Red, green, blue. Red, green, blue.
I’ll knit a little coat for you!

Bedtime Story

“Tell me a story,”
Says Witch’s child,
“About the Beast,
So fierce and wild.

About a Ghost,
That shrieks and groans,
A Skeleton,
That rattles bones.

About a Monster,
Crawly-creepy.
Something nice,
To make me sleepy.”

Poem by Lilian Moore

Tweedle-Dum And Tweedle-Dee

Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee,
Resolved to have a battle,
For Tweedle-Dum said Tweedle-Dee,
Had spoiled his nice new rattle.

Just then flew by a monstrous crow,
As big as a truck of cement,
Which frightened both the heroes so,
They quite forgot their argument.

Squirrel In The Rain

The young squirrel’s mother said, “Come out!
See? It’s raining all about!
Wet silver’s falling from a cloud!
It’s raining hard, it’s raining loud!”

The little squirrel ran down the tree.
“It’s splashing rain all over ME!
It’s raining here, it’s raining there!
It’s raining in the trees’ green hair.

It’s raining in the flowers’ faces.
It’s raining in the grassy places.
It’s raining on my tail and nose,
And on my middle, I suppose!

How wonderful of clouds to fly,
And give young squirrels a drink of sky!”

Poem by Frances Frost

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Lesson 54 – 4-Letter Vocab-Builder

NEW WORDS: Alan, Alec, Barb, Bill’s, Coca, Dean, Dirk, Dyke, Eddy, Fido, Hulk, Jake, Jess, Joss, Kane, Kris, Lang, Shaq’s, aahs, afar, angel, apes, ayes, barf, bed’s, beets, bins, blab, blister, bonk, bore, bunk, cafe, camera, car’s, cent, clip, cola, cram, cuke, dada, deli, doe, doom, duty, eggy, etch, exit, fame, fart, fawn, fend, flex, flub, ford, fortune, fuel, gag, gaga, gaps, germ, glee, gnaw, guff, gunk, halo, heel, hero, hobo, homeless, host, icky, iffy, info, initials, jury, keys, kiwi, lamp, lava, lens, oohs, product, salad, screeched, superhero, yourselves

The crowd yelled “oohs” and “aahs.”

Alan, move it!

The apes screeched.

The “ayes” have it!

That food would make me barf.

Don’t blab that to Mom!

She’s a bore.

That cafe has the best coffee.

I don’t own one cent.

Is that a Coca–Cola?

I need some cuke in my salad.

Baby, say “dada” and “mama.”

I had soup at the deli.

“Dirk” sounds like a tough name.

Hi, Mr. Van Dyke.

Eddy called.

Etch your initials on this tree.

I want fame and fortune.

See that doe and her fawn?

Fido, catch this stick!

Don’t flub this up!

That’s a Lady Gaga song.

He’s got gaps between his teeth.

She yelled with glee!

Don’t give me any of your guff!

There’s a blister on my heel.

Is that hobo homeless?

The Hulk is a superhero.

It’s iffy that I can make your party.

Jake, come here.

Stop running, Jess.

Joss moved away.

Dad’s got jury duty.

Kane is a running back.

Where are the keys?

That’s kiwi fruit.

Is that Kris?

Mrs. Lang lives there.

That’s a lava lamp.

Where’s my camera lens?

You’ll see the forest fire from afar.

Alec sat down.

Barb bakes great bread.

Clean the trash bins.

Don’t bonk me on the head!

The top bunk bed’s mine.

Where’s my hair clip?

Cram more into the trunk.

Dean is mean.

This test will doom me.

This French toast is too eggy.

Exit through that door.

Did you just fart?

Fend for yourselves for supper.

Watch him flex his muscles!

Dad loves his Ford truck.

The car’s low on fuel.

Serve her beets, and she’ll gag.

A germ is too small to see.

That dog will gnaw on your shoes.

What’s that gunk in your eye?

Would an angel have a halo?

Shaq’s my hero!

Bill’s dad is a nice host.

Don’t touch that icky stuff!

I need info about that product.

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Lesson 55 – 4-Letter Vocab-Builder

NEW WORDS: Anna, Coke, Dick, France, Glen, Jean, Jeep, Joey, Kaki, Kern, Kirk, Lars, Leet, Mickey, Swedish, aces, acre, arch, axle, bail, bawl, beaver, bide, boar, boy’s, bran, buds, burp, caws, chug, clash, coach, coax, colt, crib, cubs, cuss, dams, defy, dial, disc, downstream, duet, earn, egos, epic, feat, feeder, feud, firm, fizz, flakes, folk, foul, frisky, funk, hazy, hint, hoop, hula, hunk, irks, jacket, jail, jays, jest, jock, kink, knob, kook, lads, lash, laws, lays, laze, leek, lent, lewd, mare, mattress, obey, orders, patiently, soda, tightrope, wheel

Bad guys get put in jail.

Gran drives a Jeep.

That jock wears a letter jacket.

That will put a kink in our plans.

That kook almost ran me over!

Who are those handsome lads?

I bet dad lays down for a nap.

Coach Leet is tough.

You’re too young to see that lewd movie.

Aces are wild!

Gran runs a ten acre farm.

Anna was sick.

My foot has a small arch.

The wheel came off its axle.

Bail that water out of the boat.

That child will bawl all night.

Bide your time patiently.

Steer clear of wild boar in the woods.

How about bran flakes for breakfast?

Ice killed the flower buds.

Those “caws” are from crows.

Chug that soda, and you’ll burp.

Could I coax you to help me?

Look, a mare and her frisky colt.

The baby’s in her crib.

Bear cubs look so cute.

Don’t cuss at me!

You’ll see beaver dams downstream.

You can’t defy orders!

Dial this phone number.

Dick left early.

Do you play disc golf?

They sang a soft duet.

Did you earn much last summer?

They had a clash of egos.

Do you play Epic Mickey?

That was some feat walking that tightrope!

I watch Family Feud.

That’s too firm a mattress.

This Coke has no fizz!

I love folk songs.

Foul ball!!!

Mom’s in a funk.

What’s Glen up to?

It’s hazy outside.

Give me a hint!

I got a hula hoop!

I’d like a hunk of cheese.

That really irks me!

I see jays at the bird feeder.

How’s Jean doing?

Surely you jest!

Joey is my cousin.

Aunt Kaki went to France.

The new boy’s named Kirk Kern.

Turn the door knob.

Don’t lash out at me!

Obey the laws!

Lars is Swedish.

Buy a leek at the grocery.

I forgot that I lent you that.

Let’s laze about for an hour.

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WEEK NINETEEN PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

From Kit’s Pants

Kit had red pants. Kit’s pants got lost at camp.

From Zack And Ann

When it’s hot, it’s fun to fish. Zack sits on a rock and casts.

Ann has a lot of tasks. “Cut the grass !” says Dad. “Scrub the pots !” says Mom.

From Squirrel Nutkin

They got lots of twigs. They made rafts with them. They paddled in the lake.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 25) CVCCC WORDS: “Short-A” repeated exposure:

Do any of these banks give you a free checking account?

That crocodile looks so evil while it basks in the sunlight.

My uncle camps out every summer for two weeks in the wilderness.

Oh, great knight, canst thou slay this dragon?”

Liquors like whiskey can be aged in casks.

For an action movie, this is one of the best casts that has ever been put together.

Losing too many games in a row damps out my enthusiasm for the game.

You’d better get your facts straight!

Dad fasts one day each month and says that it’s good for his health.

Mom gasps every time a car honks at her.

Hadst thou forgotten your oath of loyalty to thy king?

Hank’s glasses fell off of his desk, and the right lens cracked.

Which of these three lamps is the least expensive?

The flavor in this chewing gum lasts for a long time.

Which of these Halloween masks is the scariest?

The masts on all five ships cracked because of the powerful hurricane winds.

I found a dollar bill in my pants pocket.

The pasts of so many immigrant families were fraught with challenges.

There are enough rafts on the cruise ship for every passenger, in case of emergency.

Ramps have been installed at our building to help those who are in wheelchairs.

My cousin rose through the Army ranks to become a general.

That wacko politician rants and raves about crazy things!

That lifetime cigarette smoker rasps when he breathes.

Which of these talcs is the best for babies, to reduce their diaper rash?

Watch how your uncle tamps down the tobacco in his pipe.

At the end of World War two, the Germans ran out of gas for their tanks.

When you finish these three tasks, you can take a break.

I love it when the saxophone player vamps to a jazz tune.

I hate it when my brother yanks things out of my hands.

The Yanks defeated the British in the American Revolution.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #3, “MOST FREQUENT WORDS”

All the stores have big sales right now.

Dad, tell us that story once more!

The new student moved here from New York.

Students, let’s line up for the fire drill.

I think that you need to study more for the big test.

The surface of this desk has lots of stains.

Kim, will you please set the table?

This is taking more time to do than I thought it would.

Mom’s talking on the phone with Mrs. Smith.

I can teach you how to do that.

Dad, I made the golf team at school.

Whew, that test was way too hard!

Thank you for your help!

Those kids got themselves in a big mess.

Though you are twelve now, you are still too young to see that film.

*********

WEEK TWENTY

WEEK TWENTY READING PASSAGES

Lesson 56 – Inf./Deriv. Builder

NEW WORDS: Bibb, Bigfoot, Bobbie’s, Boyd, Em, Fran’s, Jan’s, Jen’s, Ken’s, Kent’s, Liz’s, Moe’s, Quinn’s, Rosie’s, Santa’s, Scot’s, Smith’s, SpongeBob, Stan’s, Wes’s, Zoe’s, alarmed, aunts, aunty, backer, baldy, ballpark, bammed, barked, barnyards, barred, barring, beanpole, beanpoles, bearded, beastie, bedspread, beefy, beepers, beeping, beestings, bellboy, bellboys, bellhop, benched, benches, benching, bid, bighead, bighorn, bigshots, birdbath, birdbaths, birdsong, birdsongs, blackboards, blacked, blacking, blackjack, blacklist, blackmail, blackmails, blacksmiths, blacksnake, blastoffs, blesses, blessing, blinder, blocker, bloomer, blowoff, blowup, bluebell, boarders, boaters, bobs, boiler, boilers, booboo, bookshelves, bookworm, bookworms, boomslang, booted, borer, borers, bossed, bossmen, bossy, bouncer, bouts, bowwow, boyhood, boyish, brat’s, braves, breezy, brightness, card, clambake, corkboard, cowbell, curveball, doorbells, dumbbell, dumbbells, eyeball, fastballs, fixed, flu, fossils, freebee, funky, guidebook, hardball, having, jaybird, kickball, lovebirds, lowball, mothballs, mussel, neaten, noisy, notebooks, oddball, oddballs, pinball, redbrick, rocket, seabeds, sourball, spitballs, stink, sunburned, surfboard, team, team’s, tidbit, tomboy, tugboats

The birdbaths froze.

I got booted out!

Let’s go to their clambake.

They’re as thin as beanpoles.

A boomslang will kill you!

Turn down the brightness.

Blacksmiths are strong.

The boaters got sunburned.

Pick up those spitballs!

Lift those dumbbells.

He’s on my blacklist!

The dog barked, “BOWWOW!”

Gran blesses our meals.

That brat’s a blowoff.

Jen’s tall.

I got three beestings.

Rocket blastoffs are loud.

That’s an oddball thought.

Let’s play kickball.

I love sourball sweets.

Our doorbells don’t work.

Say the blessing.

Blackjack is a card game.

That flower’s a bluebell.

That’s Wes’s car.

Bigfoot isn’t real!

Make a lowball bid.

He bammed on the door.

Jan’s a tomboy.

Mothballs stink!

See my new surfboard?

Bellboys get tips.

She’s benching 80 pounds.

Those guys are bigshots.

Zoe’s a bookworm.

They’re at the ballpark.

The beepers went off!

Stan’s strong!

The float bobs up and down.

She blacked out.

Dad’s 1st job was a bellboy.

That noise alarmed me!

Have the boarders paid?

Ken’s home.

They call him “Baldy.”

Our team’s the Braves.

Don’t you agree?

I love SpongeBob.

See that redbrick house?

He’s bossy!

It’s breezy out.

That bouncer is HUGE!

Kent’s at Scot’s house.

They’re lovebirds.

Boyd threw a curveball.

I’m a strong backer of hers.

We’ll play, barring rain.

Liz’s gone.

Those two had a blowup.

I can’t hit fastballs.

Clean the blackboards.

Santa’s here!

Quinn’s left town.

My eyeball hurts.

Knock down that blocker.

My booboo hurts!

I need new notebooks.

Pops was a bellhop.

Our boiler is noisy.

Will he blackmail me?

He’s a late bloomer.

Those kids are bookworms.

Neaten your bedspread.

This was a freebee.

They’re all oddballs.

My drums have a cowbell.

He’s a beefy kid!

Aren’t those tugboats?

Borers can hurt trees.

Fran’s up there.

Bobby went home.

What pretty birdsong!

That dumbbell is heavy!

She’s as thin as a beanpole.

Pin this to the corkboard.

His boyhood was happy.

Hand me that guidebook.

Let’s play pinball.

Dust the bookshelves.

Paint the benches red.

Buy some Bibb lettuce.

I bet she blackmails him.

Birdsongs are pretty.

That’s the Smith’s dog.

He’s barred from the team.

The borer at work got fixed.

I’m having bouts of flu.

Moe’s sleeping.

Rosie’s next door!

See the bighorn sheep?

He’s fixed 100 boilers!

My cat’s a little beastie!

Bobbie’s in there.

I keep blacking out.

She bossed me all day!

Hi, Aunty Em!

He still has a boyish look.

That’s a loud jaybird.

She’s one of my aunts.

I caught a blacksnake!

He’s playing hardball!

What’s beeping?

I’d like a tidbit more.

Fossils are in seabeds.

Barnyards can smell funky.

That bighead thinks he’s smart!

That horse needs a blinder.

What’s a bearded–mussel?

Fill the birdbath.

Do what the bossmen say!

He’s benched for two games.

*********

Lesson 57 – Inf./Deriv. Builder

NEW WORDS: Bobbie, Bobby’s, Frisbees, James’s, Jerry’s, Jones’s, June’s, Lisa’s, Madge’s, Maine, Nell’s, Nick’s, Poe’s, Tay’s, Vic’s, agrees, all’s, ash, aunt’s, aunties, axed, babied, backing, balder, ballgame, ballgames, ballpoint, ballpoints, barbell, batboy, batboys, bathtubs, beached, bedbug, bedbugs, bedding, bedsheet, bedsheets, bedspreads, beefed, beefless, beefsteak, beeped, beeper, beers, behinds, bellhops, bellied, bellies, bellman, bellmen, bigmouth, bigmouths, bigot, bigots, birdbrain, birdbrained, birdcage, birdcall, birdseed, blackish, blacksmith, blacksnakes, blastoff, blessed, blessings, blinded, blinding, blinds, blinked, blinker, blocked, blocking, bloomers, blowdown, blowholes, blowoffs, blowups, bluebells, bluish, boated, bobsled, boils, booboos, bookcase, booked, bookshelf, booties, booting, bores, bossing, bossman, bouncers, bowled, bowwows, bratwurst, breadbox, bringers, busboy, busboys, chalkboard, clambakes, cornball, crook, dodgeball, doorbell, fastball, footballs, freebees, fry, goofball, goofballs, guidebooks, hairballs, hall, handball, handbells, hire, hires, hotel, hue, ignore, jailbird, jailbirds, jaybirds, laptop’s, meatball, meatballs, messed, pens, problems, rebloom, screwballs, sickbeds, snow’s, snowballed, snowballs, spitball, tidbits, tint, tomboys, trombones, whale, whales, yardbirds, yummy

She throws a mean fastball.

A blowdown blocked the road.

Those are jaybirds.

That’s a ballpoint pen.

Buy some birdseed.

Hire more busboys!

I see a beached whale.

Wash my bedsheet.

Let’s play handball.

Bedbugs creep me out.

Nick’s out back.

Their problems snowballed.

This hotel still hires bellmen.

Nell’s sick.

That crook is a jailbird.

That’s my birdbrain brother.

Our house has two bathtubs.

Eat one more meatball.

The bedsheets are clean.

Are these pens ballpoints?

Those are cute baby booties.

Ready, set, BLASTOFF!

Clean those hairballs.

Blacksnakes aren’t bad.

That’s Bobby’s bike.

Count your blessings.

It’s on that bookcase.

Pan fry the beefsteak.

Ignore those bigmouths.

That’s a blackbird.

Sweep under the sickbeds.

Pick some bluebells.

He bellied up to the bar.

Bigots aren’t kind.

Bellhops wear funny hats.

Shine the handbells.

We have too many blowups.

Will this plant rebloom?

I need guidebooks on Maine.

Dad got axed at work.

Lift that barbell.

My laptop’s booting up.

We’re quite blessed.

Their kids were late bloomers.

Whales have blowholes.

Each town had a blacksmith.

I like Madge’s dress.

Clean the chalkboard.

Grill the bratwurst.

I’m backing up.

You’re blocking me.

Yummy meatballs!

The stove beeped.

Do that birdcall!

Vic’s at school.

Stop bossing me!

Ring the doorbell.

The snow’s blinding!

Jerry’s upstairs.

That bellman is nice.

That boils me up!

They’re both goofballs.

Have you booked the trip?

I have two booboos.

Our bellies are full.

I don’t like those blowoffs.

Batboys word hard.

This is a beefless meal.

What a cornball joke!

The light blinded me.

Make some snowballs.

He’s balder than me.

Tay’s thin.

Tom’s a busboy.

Work the yardbirds hard!

Clean the birdcage.

Poe’s not here.

That dog bowwows all night.

They’re bringers of bad news.

Let’s play dodgeball.

A bedbug bit me.

I watched three ballgames.

Those girls are tomboys.

I’ll do it, bossman.

That bobsled is fast!

We bowled for two hours.

My aunt’s a bigot.

All’s well here.

Don’t throw that spitball!

They let those jailbirds out.

Let’s eat some freebees.

Are those kids the Jones’s?

Bouncers are tough.

Turn on your blinker.

They boated all day.

She agrees with me.

I love my aunties.

Store this in the breadbox.

They babied their son.

Your beeper went off.

Get to the ballgame.

June’s in the den.

Where’s Bobbie?

You’re so birdbrained!

Lisa’s in the hall.

Close the blinds.

Iron these bedspreads.

I have two footballs.

That’s a beech tree.

You blinked first!

It’s a bluish hue.

That’s James’s coat.

Can I be a batboy?

That bores me.

Sit on your behinds!

Don’t be a goofball.

Wash the bedding.

Put this on the bookshelf.

Those screwballs messed up.

I hate that bigmouth!

These are tidbits of ash.

Let’s throw Frisbees.

It has a blackish tint.

He beefed about the food.

They sell trombones.

Clambakes are fun.

Buy two root beers.

*********

Lesson 58 – Inf./Deriv. Builder

NEW WORDS: ablest, ably, acting, axes, banged, baseballs, beaches, beards, bets, blasted, blinking, boards, booing, boos, brats, bubbled, busted, cabs, cages, calmest, camped, carves, cases, causes, chances, chapped, chases, cheering, chewy, chuckled, chuckling, chunky, circuses, clawed, cleans, clothed, clowning, coating, coldest, cookbook, cookbooks, cookers, corned, corns, corny, cowardly, creamer, crews, crunches, crushed, crushes, cuddles, cuddling, cupping, deals, deeply, dented, dives, dozes, drawer, dreaming, dressings, drizzling, droppers, drown, ducking, dumber, dumping, lawyer, light’s, suit

Candy corns are chewy.

He’s clothed in a suit.

I love you deeply.

We crushed their team.

Open the drawer.

Dad agrees with me.

The storms closed the beaches.

Nail up these boards.

Her kids are brats.

He yells when he dives in.

I dashed home from school.

Mom has 10 cookbooks.

It’s drizzling out there.

These nuts are chunky.

That lawyer works tough cases.

There’s that blasted cat!

She’s cupping the chick in her hand.

I want a cookie cookbook.

You’ve got two chances.

I’ll take black coffee, no creamer.

We camped out last night.

Are those rice cookers?

It’s the coldest day yet.

I banged my knee on the door.

Bill’s at the door.

No one’s in those cabs.

She’s the ablest in our class.

The light’s blinking.

I love when Mom cuddles with me.

You caused me to spill it!

Dad bets the Jets will win.

She chuckled at my joke.

The cat clawed me!

We’re cheering you on!

The candy has a sour coating.

I’m dreaming weird things.

My friends grew long beards.

My lips are chapped.

He carves wood animals.

She cracked the eggs.

Cut the trees with these axes.

The car’s dented.

Their cages are small.

Dad loves corned beef.

Don’t drown!

I’ve never done anything dumber.

Her cat chases dogs.

There’s no dumping in these woods.

I like how she cleans up her mess.

They are booing the ref!

You did that ably!

Where are the eye droppers?

Here are 3 salad dressings.

It’s the calmest day in weeks.

I’m ducking out to go home.

Gather up the baseballs.

The stew bubbled away.

That’s a corny joke!

The boos were loud.

Get me two Orange Crushes.

That causes me to get mad.

You’re acting cowardly.

Stop clowning around!

This crunches when you chew it.

The ships’ crews were ready.

There are hot deals at this store.

I couldn’t help chuckling at her.

Why are you creeping around?

I busted a vase.

Our dog dozes after his lunch.

Mom, I need some cuddling!

I’ve been to 3 circuses!

*********

WEEK TWENTY PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

From Clouds

When the wind stops, you all stand still.

From Miss Madge

She hits her head. “Ow! Ouch! Darn! Yikes! Blast it! Curses!”

From Zack And Ann

The crab runs up. Then it snaps at Zack’s leg.

From Ears Hear

Floors creak. Horns toot. Bells clang.

From Lesson B-56

That brat’s a blowoff.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 26) CCVCC WORDS: “Short-A” repeated exposure:

This restaurant’s food is just too bland for my tastes.

She drew a complete blank when the teacher asked for the answer to the question.

The rocket will blast off in about five minutes.

Is this brand of shoes really any better than most of the others?

Please, mom, don’t have Mrs. Smith and her two brats over for lunch.

We fear that the new dictator will clamp down on free speech.

We finally heard the last clang from the steeple’s church bell.

We heard the sound of a loud clank in the car’s engine.

His speech was so bad that there weren’t many claps from the audience.

Mom has taken up the craft of making costume jewelry.

I can’t go back in the water yet because I have a cramp in my stomach.

We need to crank out the products on the assembly line at a faster pace.

I feel a cold draft when sitting next to that window.

He drank his soda pop fast, and then he let out a huge burp.

The general thinks that there is a weakness in the right flank of the enemy troops.

Mom, how are you supposed to fold the flaps on this package?

Well, to be frank, I really didn’t like that recipe much.

I saw Frank at the movies today.

It’s chilly out, and I’m taking a flask of hot coffee with me to the kids’ soccer game.

Mom said she’d much rather wear flats than high heels.

How does a U.S. dollar compare with a French franc?

Some guys in my dorm are going to check out a few frats this weekend.

An “endocrine gland” secretes substances into your bloodstream.

The Congressman was sentenced to three years in prison due to dealings of graft.

We visited the Grand Hotel on our vacation to Michigan.

If a genie could grant you one big wish, what would it be?

Grant told me his mom got a new job, and they have to move away.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #3, “MOST FREQUENT WORDS”

There must be a thousand bees in that hive.

Who can read me the title of this book?

Together, as a team, we can get this done fast.

Son, bring those tools to me, please.

Look toward the east, and you’ll see the moon.

I love my new toy train set!

Guess what, we can take off the training wheels on my bike!

I hope that I can travel to France one day.

Is it true that you got a new job?

I’m trying as hard as I can to get this to work.

I can understand why you feel that way.

The soup calls for cream, but I’ll be using whole milk.

Dad put on his usual tie for church.

We have a great view of the sea from our room.

Aunt Tay will visit us this spring.

*********

WEEK TWENTY-ONE

WEEK TWENTY-ONE READING PASSAGES

Lesson 59 – Fry-Builder

NEW WORDS: Japanese, Washington, adjective, amount, angle, cents, century, company, compare, compound, conditions, consonant, copy, cotton, decimal, dictionary, division, drawing, elements, entered, equation, experience, factors, fraction, increase, indicate, level, machine, mall, material, melody, method, molecules, necessary, noun, numeral, paragraph, phrase, plural, process, property, radio, rhythm, score, section, solution, solve, statement, substances, suffix, syllables, teacher, terms, tone, underline, unit, usually, valley, value, various, verb, village, vowel, western, wire, within, women, workers, written

Turn to page 255, in Unit Four.

It’s 15 minutes until five.

I don’t usually do that.

Let’s go down to the valley.

My cat eats various things.

There’s a small village.

Can we visit them?

He has a deep voice.

The war is over!

Washington, D.C. is the U.S. Capital.

What should I wear?

I hate bad weather.

Call me once a week.

Her weight has gone down.

I love the wild, wild west!

A western wind is blowing.

It’s up to you whether you do that.

I play to win!

They had a cold winter.

What goes on within his head?

I can’t do without that!

That woman is my mom.

Those women are nice.

We won!

They’re hard workers!

I wouldn’t do that!

Have you written your letter?

I wrote a note to Bob.

You’d better watch yourself!

“Pretty” is an adjective.

I’ll take a small amount.

Draw me a right angle.

I have 50 cents.

It’s the twenty-first century now.

She works for a food company.

Compare these two.

Write a compound sentence.

The road conditions are bad.

Letter A is not a consonant.

I like cotton shirts.

Move your decimal to the left.

That word isn’t in the dictionary.

I’m not good at division.

Your drawing is pretty.

What are the “four elements?”

She entered the room.

Solve this equation.

She’s got lots of experience.

What factors did you think about?

“One-half” is a fraction.

Buy lots of fruit.

Increase the heat.

Does that indicate a problem?

Jin is Japanese.

I got to the second level!

Turn off the machine.

My friends like the mall.

That’s a hard material.

Sing a melody.

What method did you use?

You can’t see molecules with your eyes.

Is that necessary?

“Cow” is a noun.

“Ten” is a numeral.

That’s a long paragraph!

That’s a strange phrase.

More than one is called “plural.”

That process takes a while.

This is my property.

Turn on the radio.

He has good rhythm.

What’s the score?

Move to that section.

Have you found a solution?

Let me make my statement.

What substances are in this rock?

A suffix is at the end of a word.

What’s the sum of five and six?

That word has six syllables!

Do they give their terms in this letter?

Your tone is not nice.

Underline this phrase.

I’m going to the value food store.

“Run” is a verb.

The letter E is a vowel.

Cut that wire.

Are we agreed on that?

Mom is beautiful!

Dogs love bones.

Here’s a good book.

Take a break!

She makes a good case for doing that.

Class, I’m your new teacher.

Copy that for me.

Sit in the corner.

Let’s make a deal.

Drive home.

They got in a fight.

Does the shirt fit?

Buy some fresh food.

We grew corn last year.

He held it in his hand.

She’s a hundred years old!

Put ice in my glass.

I lost my key.

How long have you known that?

Add this to the list.

I like my meat well done.

I need to sleep.

What part of the show did you like?

He’s a rich man.

The ball rolled away.

I’d like the same.

What size shoe do you want?

Don’t make a sound!

Speak to me!

It’s made out of steel.

This wood is thick.

What a pretty view!

How many words can you read?

*********

Lesson 60 – Poems And Rhymes

NEW WORDS: Bessie, Davy, Rupert, Teddy, barrel, bless, boil, bonnet, bonny, broad, crackity, curly, daintiest, dishes, eager, feathery, furly, glistens, hearty, hippity, lingered, mischievous, necktie, peaceable, pouring, quietly, receive, reply, ribbon, rubbing, smelling, snappity, snooks, snuggled, so’s, spoiling, strife, taking, thread, tomorrow, treetop, turtles, twirly, venture, waited, whirly, whisky, woodwork, world’s

Mary Had A Little Lamb

Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.

It followed her to school one day,
That was against the rule.
It made the children laugh and play,
To see a lamb at school.

And so the teacher turned it out,
But still it lingered near,
And waited patiently about,
Till Mary did appear.

“Why does the lamb love Mary so?”
The eager children cry.
“Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,”
The teacher did reply.

Poem by Sarah Josepha Hale

A-Fishing

Row, row! A-fishing we’ll go!
How many fishes, have you, Joe?
One for my father, one for my mother,
One for my sister, one for my brother,
And one for the little fisher boy!

It’s Raining!

It’s raining! It’s raining!
It’s pouring from the sky!
Let’s crawl inside this barrel,
And that will keep us dry!

Dame Trot And Her Cat

Dame Trot and her cat,
Led a peaceable life,
When they were not troubled
With other folks’ strife.

When Dame had her dinner,
Kitty would wait,
And was sure to receive,
A nice piece from her plate.

The Spring Wind

The summer wind,
Is soft and sweet.
The winter wind is strong.
The autumn wind is mischievous,
And sweeps the leaves along.
The wind I love the best,
Comes gently after rain,
Smelling of spring,
And growing things,
Brushing the world,
With feathery wings,
While everything glistens,
And everything sings,
In the spring wing,
After the rain.

Poem by Charlotte Zolotow

The Little Mouse

I have seen you, little mouse,
Running all about the house.
Through the hole your little eye,
In the woodwork, peeping sly,
Hoping soon some crumbs to steal,
To make quite a hearty meal.
Look before you venture out,
See if Kitty is about.
If she’s gone, you’ll quickly run,
To the pantry for some fun,
Round about the dishes creep,
Taking into each a peep,
To choose the daintiest that’s there,
Spoiling things you do not care.

Snooks And Brooks

As Tommy Snooks and Bessie Brooks,
Were walking out one Sunday,
Said Tommy Brooks to Bessie Brooks,
“Tomorrow will be Monday!”

Rupert

Rupert was watching his cows,
In sunshine and in rain.
Berries and berries he ate,
And berries and berries again.

Always he sat on a hill,
And sang a little song.
And he was just as happy,
As the day is long.

Ten Fingers

I have ten little fingers,
And they all belong to me.
I can make them do things.
Would you like to see?

I can shut them up tight,
Or open them wide.
I can put them together,
Or make them all hide.

I can make them jump high.
I can make them jump low.
I can fold them quietly,
And hold them just so.

My Teddy Bear

A teddy bear is nice to hold.
The one I have is getting old.
His paws are almost wearing out,
And so’s his funny, furry snout,
From rubbing on my nose of skin,
And all his fur is pretty thin.
A ribbon and a piece of string,
Make a sort of necktie thing.
His eyes came out, and now instead,
He has some new ones made of thread.
I take him everywhere I go,
And tell him all the things I know.
I like the way he feels at night,
All snuggled up against me tight.

Poem by Margaret Hillert

Jenny At The Fair

Jenny shall have a new bonnet,
And Jenny shall go to the fair,
And Jenny shall have a blue ribbon,
To tie up her bonny brown hair.

Davy Dumpling

Davy Davy Dumpling,
Boil him in the pot.
Sugar him and butter him,
And eat him while he’s hot.

I See The Moon

I see the moon,
And the moon sees me.
God bless the moon,
And God bless me.

When All The World’s Asleep

Where do insects go at night,
When all the world’s asleep?
Where do bugs and butterflies,
And caterpillars creep?

Turtles sleep inside their shells.
The robin has her nest.
Rabbits and the sly old fox,
Have holes where they can rest.

Bears can crawl inside a cave.
The lion has his den.
Cows can sleep inside the barn,
And pigs can use their pen.

But where do bugs and butterflies,
And caterpillars creep,
When everything is dark outside,
And all the world’s asleep?

Poem by Anita E. Posey

The Squirrel

Whisky, frisky,
Hippity hop,
Up he goes,
To the treetop!

Whirly, twirly,
Round and round,
Down he scampers,
To the ground.

Furly, curly,
What a tail!
Tall as a feather,
Broad as a sail!

Where’s his supper?
In the shell,
Snappity, crackity,
Out it fell!

*********

Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view. This lesson is a “READ-ALOUD” Core Knowledge (R) passage that has been rewritten to be at a lower-grade independent reading level complexity than the original, largely by shortening and simplifying sentence structures while maintaining the richness of the text content.)

The Five Senses

Lesson 61 – Part One

NEW WORDS: alarms, automatically, blink, bruises, busy, closely, colored, colorful, controls, corners, ducts, easier, eyeballs, eyebrows, eyelashes, eyelids, flowing, friend’s, greenish, gumball, gumballs, gummy, hairs, happens, inch, iris, irises, marble, means, moist, normal, perfume, poked, protect, protected, protecting, pupil, pupils, release, room’s, seconds, senses, sockets, surrounds, tear, tubes, ways

My Senses Are Amazing

My senses are amazing.
They help me do so much.
My eyes can see, my ears can hear.
My skin and hands can touch.

My senses are amazing.
They make me happy, too.
My tongue can taste the food I eat.
My nose can smell perfume.

My senses are amazing.
They keep me safe from harm.
My nose smells smoke, my skin feels heat.
My ears hear fire alarms.

My senses are amazing.
And now you know them well.
Let’s say all five together now.
Sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell.

The Sense of Sight

People say this sometimes. Have you ever heard it? “Look before you leap!” It means, “be careful.” Think things through before you act. It’s a well-known saying. It makes a lot of sense. Think about it! How might we use our eyes? What do we do before we walk, run, or leap? We look at the ground in front of us! Would we move forward with our eyes closed? Of course not. It would be dangerous. We might trip or fall. That would hurt! Our sense of sight keeps us safe.

Your eyes help protect you. And they protect your body. You won’t bump into things. So, you won’t get bruises. And, you won’t fall. Don’t you look both ways before you cross the street? Surely you do. So, your eyes are busy protecting you. But what’s protecting your eyes? Now read this closely. You’ll learn how body parts work to keep your eyes safe.

This can be hard to see in a mirror. But your eyes are round, like balls. That’s why they’re called eyeballs. They’re as big and round as a normal-sized gumball. Or a marble. They’re each about an inch wide. But they aren’t hard like gumballs. They’re actually squishy! A lot like gummy bears! They’re set into holes in your head. Those are called eye sockets. This way, they won’t get dirty. And they won’t get poked.

What are your eyelids? They’re little pieces of skin. They come down. They cover your eyeballs. That’s when you close your eyes or blink. And you don’t think about this. Your eyes blink automatically. They blink every few seconds. That keeps your eyeballs moist. And you have long hairs on your eyelids. They’re called eyelashes. They help brush away dirt. Then the dirt won’t get in your eyes. And you have eyebrows. They’re hairs above your eyes. They’re important, too. They keep water and sweat from flowing down into your eyeballs.

Tears are important. They protect your eyes, too. But you don’t have to cry. Tears can come without crying! You have tiny tear ducts. (Ducts are like tubes.) They’re in the corners of your eyes. They release the tears. They keep your eyes moist. Have you ever gotten something in your eye? Maybe dust or sand? Maybe small bugs? Tears wash these things out of your eyes.

So, now see what you know about eyes. You have eyelids and eyelashes. You have eyebrows, tear ducts, and eye sockets. All these body parts help you. They work hard to protect your eyes from getting hurt from the outside.

But eyes need to be protected from the inside, too. You’re in luck. Two inside parts of the eye do that. One is the iris. One is the pupil.

Look at your friend’s eye. See the little black dot? It’s right in the middle? It looks like a dot. But it’s a tiny, covered hole. That’s the pupil. And that’s where the light comes into the eye.

Look at your friend’s eyes again. Look around the pupil. Which color do you see? There is a colorful ring there. It surrounds the pupil. It’s the iris. Different people have different-colored irises. There are three most common colors. They’re brown, blue, and green. But there are lots of other shades. You can have gray, or light or dark brown. You can have greenish-blue eyes.

The iris lets light into the pupil. But it controls how much. This is a big deal. You don’t want TOO much light. That can hurt your eyes. Turn down the room’s lights. What happens? Each iris opens up. Your black pupils get bigger. This lets in more light. That makes it easier to see. What about being in the sunlight? Your irises close up around the pupil. Your pupils are now small. So, less light comes in. It doesn’t matter what color your irises are. They have a big job. That’s to control how much light gets into the pupils.

Aren’t eyes cool? Be glad they have all their parts. That’s to keep them safe. They’re always working hard. They help you see the world around you. You can do your part, too! Don’t put things in your eyes that might harm them. Even your fingers! You protect your eyes. Then your eyes do their best to protect you! And listen for this saying. “Look before you leap.” Tell your eyes a quiet, “thank-you.” They just helped to keep you safe!

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WEEK TWENTY-ONE PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

From Oats, Corn, Beans, And Green Peas Grow

Then he stands and takes his ease, stamps his feet, and claps his hand.

From Sam

This is Sam’s bug, King Tut. King Tut hops from plant to plant.

From Squirrel Nutkin

What if you ask him a riddle? He will throw sticks at you! He will stamp his feet.

From Scott

Scott says, “Let the bats sleep.” Just then a bat glides up. It flaps its wings.

From The City Mouse And The Country Mouse

They got to the city. The Country Mouse saw his cousin’s grand mansion. He cried, “Oh, my!”

From Lesson B-58

Her kids are brats.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 26) CCVCC WORDS: “Short-A” repeated exposure … continued:

I just can’t quite grasp what the professor is saying.

I would like some Kraft ranch dressing on my salad, please.

The pirate yelled, “Arrgh, make him walk the plank!”

We’re going to plant a new tree over there by the fence.

If you play a prank on someone, you’d better expect that they’ll get you back and play one on you!

I told dad that my scalp itched, and he looked and found lice in my hair.

I think that scamp took some money from my wallet.

There was scant food to be found during the Pilgrims’ first winter in the New World.

Our cat scats if our next door neighbor’s dog comes over.

The phrase, “Let’s hit the road” is a form of slang for “let’s get going.”

The slant of that roof is unusually steep.

My cousin slaps his hand on his knee every time his favorite team gets a basket.

Make sure that you dust the slats on the Venetian blinds.

Julie snaps her fingers really loudly.

The arrow landed spang on target.

I will never spank you, but I might put you in a timeout.

Our dog and cat are constantly having little spats with each other.

Hmm, this stamp won’t stick to the envelope.

Stand right here while I pay for the groceries.

The old man stank of potent cigar smoke.

The baseball coach kept lots of stats on his players’ performance.

The movie actress wore a swank dress to the Oscars.

The king provided a large tract of land to his favorite knight in return for his loyalty.

My favorite movie is Disney’s “The Lady And The Tramp.”

Hunters sometimes put out traps in the woods.

The guitarist’s out-of-tune instrument had an unpleasant twang to it.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #3, “MOST FREQUENT WORDS”

I think that he has a harsh voice.

I can’t wait to see my friends when we get back.

Watch out for cars while you walk the dog.

I wanted to tell you how much you have helped me.

Trent, your room looks like a war zone; clean it up!

Please help me wash the car.

That big wave was fun to surf on.

I have lost some weight in the last few months.

We get to go out west on our trip.

The back wheel on my bike is messed up.

I don’t care whether you wear your blue or your gray pants.

I ate a whole lot of fruit at lunch.

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WEEK TWENTY-TWO

WEEK TWENTY-TWO READING PASSAGES

The Five Senses

Lesson 62 – Part Two

NEW WORDS: Australia, brain, buildings, copied, covering, door’s, ear, eardrums, earmuffs, echo, figures, frequent, goofy, invisible, listening, lowered, muffled, noises, objects, outdoors, parent, photo, plugs, protects, safety, stereo, surrounding, travels, vibrate, vibrations, volume, whisper

The Sense of Hearing

Do you like rhymes? Try this. “Without ears, no one hears!” Sorry, that was goofy. Your ears take in sounds around you. You might be awake. You could be asleep. You’re talking. You’re listening. You’re walking. You’re swimming. Your ears are at work! Cover your ears. What about now? You’ll still hear sound. Try it! This is not like your eyes. You can close them. Then you can’t see. But you can’t “close your ears!” You can’t turn them off. They hear sound all the time. Listen. Check out how you hear sounds. They get around objects. They come through objects. (Think about a closed door.) Sounds find their way into your ears.

How does sound get in your ear? It travels through the air. It’s called “sound waves.” It’s like waves in the sea. Sound waves move across a space. As they do, they move up and down. And they make noise as they move. But it’s not like waves in the sea. You can see those. Sound waves are invisible. You can’t see them. But they’re all around you. They zoom through the air. They bounce off things. They travel through objects.

What if the door’s closed in your room? Can you hear sounds from the hall? Of course you can. The sound waves come right through the door or wall. Can you hear me talk if you cover your ears with your hands? You can. But the sounds might be lowered. They might be muffled. Sounds lose strength when they pass through things.

Can sound waves pass through everything? No, they can’t. Sometimes, they bounce off of things. Things like mountains or buildings. Have you ever heard an echo? That’s when you hear a sound that you made “come back at you.” It has bounced back off of something.

Look at this photo. It’s a place called Echo Point. It’s in the Blue Mountains of Australia. Someone can give a loud shout from this cliff. The sound waves from their voice head out. They bounce off of the surrounding cliffs. Wait a second or two. Then you hear your voice echo clearly. It feels like someone else was standing on the opposite cliff. And they copied everything you said!

So, sound waves come into your ear? What do they do, then? They bounce off your “eardrums.” They’re inside your ears. They’re kind of like real drums. They get bumped by sound waves. Then, they vibrate back and forth. These vibrations travel inside your ear. Then they head to your brain. Your brain figures out what sound made the vibrations. Your brain helps you describe the sound. Is it loud or quiet? Is it high or low? Your brain helps you “make sense of the sound.”

There’s a frequent way we describe a sound. That’s how loud or quiet it is. This is called the “volume.” (Think about “turning up the volume.” That could be on your radio or stereo.) There’s another way to describe a quiet sound. That’s to say it’s a soft sound. A whisper is a soft sound. You’ve heard a fire alarm in your school. Was it loud or soft? You WANT it to be really loud. That way, people can’t ignore it. It’s loud sound makes you want to run away from it. So, you run outdoors to safety.

You’ve heard a really loud noise. What do you want to do, then? You might throw your hands up to cover your ears. Your brain tells you to do that. Loud noise hurts! Covering them protects them. It keeps your eardrums safe from sound waves that might hurt them. And, you can use ear plugs or earmuffs. Those are good for ear safety. So, protect your ears from loud noises. And oh, NEVER put anything in your ears! Only a parent or doctor should do that. There’s only one thing YOU put in your ears. And that’s sound waves!

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Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view. This lesson is a “READ-ALOUD” Core Knowledge (R) passage that has been rewritten to be at a lower-grade independent reading level complexity than the original, largely by shortening and simplifying sentence structures while maintaining the richness of the text content.)

The Five Senses

Lesson 63 – Part Three

NEW WORDS: allergies, buttery, catches, chocolate, creatures, dangers, extra, further, hitting, hover, huh, humans, identify, inhale, inhales, liking, message, microscope, microscopic, mucus, nostrils, odor, odors, openings, popcorn, receptors, scent, scents, sniffing, snot, stuffy, telling, theater, tissue, traps

The Sense of Smell

Take a deep breath. You “inhale” when you do that. That’s fancy for “breathe in.” Think about each time you inhale. A lot more than air goes up your nose. What else comes into your nose? Thousands of tiny little “molecules.” Molecules are VERY small. They’re WAY too small to see. They’re called odor molecules. (“Odor” is a fancy word for “smell.”) Together, they make up what we call “scents.” The man in this picture inhales. The odor molecules go up his nose. Then he smells the scent of coffee.

Molecules are microscopic. You can’t see them with your eyes. You need a microscope. But they’re everywhere. They’re floating in the air right around you. There are millions of them! Think about things that have a scent. Flowers. Food. Old garbage. They hover around things that have a scent. And what’s the inside of your nose doing? It’s like a big, damp cave. It catches and keeps odor molecules.

You might sniff a flower. Odor molecules rush in. They come through your “nostrils.” These are the two openings in your nose. They go high up inside your nose. They finally reach “smell receptors.” These tell your brain about the molecules you just sniffed. And your brain sends a message back. It tells you the scent you smelled. “That’s a sweet-smelling flower.”

How many kinds of smells and odors are there? Humans can identify between 4,000 and 10,000! Think about that. We can tell the difference between that many smells!

We’re lucky to be able to do that. Of course, no one likes a bad smell! But how about other creatures? Some animals have a better sense of smell than humans. How many of you have a dog? Dogs have 25 times more smell receptors than humans!

Dogs have to sniff really hard. This gets the odor molecules all the way up their nose. There, they meet their smell receptors. Think about a dog walking with its nose to the ground. You can hear it sniffing. People sniff, too. You do it when you want to figure out where a smell is coming from. Or you might want to find out what a smell means. Let’s all inhale and sniff, now.

Did any of you have trouble sniffing? If so, maybe it’s because your nose is stuffed up. What’s a stuffy nose? It means that your nostrils are full of “mucus.” (You might giggle at this. “Mucus” means “snot.” Gross, huh?) You always have some mucus in your nose. There’s also some in other parts of your head. But what happens when you’re sick with a cold? What if you have allergies? Your body makes even more mucus.

Mucus is very important. There can be dirt floating around in the air you breathe. Mucus traps a lot of that dirt. So, it keeps it from going further into your body. If you’re sick, you have extra mucus. It can stuff up your nose. Or it can cause it to run. How does the extra mucus help you? Odor molecules can’t go as high into your nose. Now, they can’t reach the smell receptors. The odor molecules are blocked. They’re stopped by the mucus. For sure, a stuffed-up nose is no fun. And you can’t smell things as well. But now you know there’s a good side to it. You just have to deal with it. It’s time to grab a tissue and blow your nose!

Your sense of smell helps protect you. Think about smoke molecules. They go up your nose to your smell receptors. Your brain knows there’s a fire somewhere. So, you’ll know what to do. You need to get away from the fire? What if you’re not sure you smell smoke? Maybe you only think you do? Be careful! It’s smart to leave the area. Then have a grown-up check to see if there is a fire. Better safe than sorry!

So, your sense of smell can tell you about bad things or dangers. But it can be a lot of fun to sniff. Lots of things smell great. How about chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven? Or buttery popcorn at a movie theater? Think about liking a smell. Try to remember this. Odor molecules are hitting your smell receptors. They’re telling your brain something nice. “Wow, that smells great!”

Lesson 64 – Part Four

NEW WORDS: babies, bitter, chicken’s, desserts, detect, favorite, flavorful, fond, fried, fruits, juices, lemons, melted, melts, moves, neighbor, noses, notices, occur, pickles, pinching, popular, pretzels, pucker, saliva, sizes, squint, tongues, types, weakest

The Sense of Taste

See the boy in this picture? He’s happy. He’s about to taste something yummy and sweet. He knows it ahead of time! But guess what he needs so he can taste it? Just a few bumps on his tongue! Taste is the weakest of the five senses. So, it gets help from another sense. That helps you enjoy the foods you eat. Can you guess which sense is? Keep reading. You’ll find out what sense works with taste. Together, that’s what helps you enjoy the foods you eat.

What’s the first thing you do when you eat food? You open your mouth. You take a bite. You start to chew it. You grind it up with your teeth. You have wet “saliva” (“spit”) inside your mouth. It melts or breaks up the chewed-up food. That makes it easy to swallow. The melted food then moves across your tongue. Then it goes down your throat. And it catches on little bumps on your tongue.

Turn to a neighbor. Look at each other’s tongues. You’ll see the bumps. They’re all over. Those tiny bumps have taste buds in them. They come in all shapes and sizes. They tell your brain that something tastes good or bad. There are over 10,000 taste buds in your mouth!

Certain spots on your tongue have special taste buds. They detect four types of tastes. These are: sweet, salty, bitter, and sour. Fruits and desserts taste sweet. They contain sugar. Most people like sweet tastes. Even babies smile when they taste sugar. Pretzels taste salty. A little salt can make foods more flavorful. Bitter tastes don’t occur as often. Coffee is a good example of a bitter taste. On your first try you may not like it. And with no cream and sugar, you may hate it!

Most people aren’t fond of sour tastes. But some sour things are popular. Lemons and pickles taste sour. Let’s say you eat a sour candy. What kind of face do you make? Most people pucker up. They suck in their lips like fish. Then they squint their eyes. And they wrinkle their noses!

This is also important! Know this about taste and taste buds. Maybe something doesn’t taste as good as your favorite food. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it. It might be healthy for you! Taste buds can be trained. You can learn to like lots of different tastes. Some tastes seem strange or bad at first. But your taste buds get used to them. Before you know it, you’ve learned to like those tastes.

You have five senses. They are sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Taste helps you enjoy your food. Smell helps you enjoy your food, too. Your senses of taste and smell work together. They help you figure out what your food tastes like. Let’s take a nice piece of fried chicken. You bring it up to your mouth to eat. You start smelling it before you take a bite. You keep smelling it as you chew! By themselves, your taste buds might not tell it’s chicken. They can just tell that it’s a little salty. And that it’s not sweet, sour, or bitter. But your nose sniffs in the chicken’s odor molecules. It sends the brain even more details. It notices tastes from the oil, the meat, and the juices!

This boy doesn’t like his medicine. Do this the next time you have to taste something you don’t like. Try to hold your nose. See how well you can still taste it. What you’ve put in your mouth moves across your taste buds. But the taste won’t be as strong if you are pinching your nose. That’s because you’ve closed off your nostrils. You’ve blocked the odor molecules. They can’t reach the smell receptors. You need the extra help from your sense of smell. Without smell, you can’t taste things as well.

Think about what happens when you have a cold. Your food doesn’t taste as good as normal. That’s because your nose is blocked. It’s filled with mucus. So, your sense of smell can’t help your sense of taste. What if your nose is REALLY stuffed up? You may not be able to taste your food at all!

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WEEK TWENTY-TWO PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

From Kitchen Tale

The bat hit the wall. SPLAT! He fell flat.

From Jack Sprat

Jack Sprat could eat no fat. His wife could eat no lean.

+++

From Is He Me?

His hair is black. Mine is red.

From An Old Man Of Ware

When they asked, “Does it trot?” He said, “No. Not a lot.

From The Swing

I look down on the grass, so green.

From Wee Boy Blue

He lies on a hay stack, he’s gone fast to sleep.

From Brad The Bad Lad

I know a bad lad, a high school grad, who likes to wear plaid.

From Jay Frog

He had a bug sandwich. Bread, gnats, ants, flies. “Yum !”

From Zack And Ann

The crab runs up. Then it snaps at Zack’s leg.

The bug was on Zack’s chin. Zack went to smack the bug.

Dan must fix up his ship. The ship has a big crack in its mast.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 27) CCCVC WORDS: “Short-A” repeated exposure:

I think that poor scrag is a feral cat.

Scram, you bumblebee, you’re scaring me!

I just need a scrap of paper to write this down.

I heard a big “SPLAT!” and a bird had pooped on dad’s head.

Activity 28) OTHER C&V WORDS: “Short-A” repeated exposure, also including silent letters:

I have a lot of angst about the test That I’ve got to take on Monday.

I asked mom if we could go to a movie, and she said, “yes.”

My two aunts are both really good singers.

Have you ever seen cats riding on the backs of dogs?

The mama cow is expected to calve some time in the next couple of days.

A “caste system” is when some people in society are considered “better” than others, based on the family that they were born in.

Boss, I faxed that letter just like you asked me to.

It was quite a gaffe when our speaker let out a loud burp in the middle of his speech.

We land big sports fish like marlin by using sharp gaffs.

I surely hope that no one ever hacks into my computer!

I think this is too big a serving, so how about we halve this piece of cake?

Grandpa said that when he was a kid he and his friends used to play a game called jacks.

I’m afraid that your book report lacks clarity about the main character’s fatal flaw.

I’m going to take a time-lapse photo of the stars tonight.

Our neighbors the Macks just got a golden retriever puppy.

The workers in that factory staged a walkout en masse.

When you print these photos, I’d like them to have a matte finish.

A nappe is a big chunk of rock that has been created by Earth movements.

Have you ever noticed how Dad packs the car with lightning speed?

The shoes on those racks over there are the ones that are on sale.

Can you help me bring in those sacks of Christmas presents from the car?

Let me put this salve on your cut so that it won’t get infected.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #3, “MOST FREQUENT WORDS”

Whose scarf is this on the coat rack?

Let this wasp out the window.

I could not have done that without your help!

Those women are all in my book group.

I wonder what’s in that gift box.

Mom called and said that she’d be working late.

Who would think to write a tall tale where a frog turns into a prince?

I’ll say it; you were right, and I was wrong.

Yeah, I’d love hot dogs cooked on the grill.

No, I have not seen that show yet.

I saw a huge snake at the zoo.

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WEEK TWENTY-THREE

WEEK TWENTY-THREE READING PASSAGES

The Five Senses

Lesson 65 – Part Five

NEW WORDS: areas, body’s, bottoms, bumpy, burned, clothing, complex, contains, dull, endings, excited, feelings, fingertip, fingertips, hurting, injury, itch, itches, itchy, likely, memory, messages, needles, nerve, nerves, partly, paying, react, rough, sensation, sensitive, snowball, texture, thanks, throughout, ticklish, warning, web, wires

The Sense of Touch

You can feel things. That’s the sense of touch. You use it all the time. It happens whether you know it or not. You’re using your sense of touch right now. Your body knows you’re sitting on something hard or soft. Your body knows if you’re cold or warm.

Remember this. Every sense has its own body part. You see with your eyes. You hear with your ears. You smell with your nose. You taste with your tongue. But what do you use for the sense of touch? Did you guess hands or fingers. You’d be partly right. Your hands are what you use most to touch things. But you can touch with every part of your body! You heard it right. Every body part that has skin has the sense of touch.

You’ve jumped into a cold pool on a hot day. You hit the water. Splash! Right then, you get a cool, shivery feeling. It’s all over your body. The skin on your back, legs, and arms is all touching the water.

How is your skin able to feel? It contains nerves. Nerves are like tiny wires. They’re running through your whole body. They carry messages to your brain. Think about when you get close to a fire. The nerves send a message to the brain. “Something feels hot.” Think about making a snowball. But you don’t have gloves on. The nerves send a message. “Something feels cold.”

You can feel with every part of your body. But some body parts have more nerves than other parts. The nerves are right beneath the skin. So, you feel more with those parts. We call those parts “more sensitive.” Your fingertips are very sensitive. That makes them good for feeling things. Each fingertip has about 100 nerve endings. And you likely have some ticklish spots. Are the bottoms of your feet ticklish? Those are also sensitive areas.

Your sense of touch can feel the “texture” of things. Texture can mean soft and hard, wet and dry. It can mean smooth, bumpy, and rough. A feather is soft, but a rock is hard. What about knives and needles and scissors? What word do we use to describe their feel? Sharp. And what if something isn’t sharp? We say it’s dull, or smooth.

Your sense of touch helps to protect you. It helps to keep you safe and healthy. Thanks to your amazing brain. Thanks to the complex web of nerves throughout your body. Your body has learned to react to certain types of feelings. Think about touching something that was too hot. You’ll remember and will never do that again. That’s because it hurt! You have a memory of the burning sensation you felt. This helps to protect you from hurting yourself again. Humans’ sense of touch has protected them for a very long time. Think about when they first discovered fire. They had to learn not to get burned. A bad burn can be very dangerous!

Sometimes you’re ready to go outside and play. But then someone calls you back inside. They say, “Put on a coat!” Would you go outside in the snow wearing only a T-shirt? Then all the nerve endings under your skin would become excited. They’d be quite sensitive. You’d feel cold. You’d need to put on extra clothing. A coat and hat and mittens would keep you warm. That way, your skin doesn’t feel so cold.

Nobody likes to get a mosquito bite. You feel an itch when you’re bitten. The nerves in your skin make you feel itchy. Think about when you feel pain. Maybe it’s from a bee sting, or an injury. This is your body’s way of warning you. “Be more careful next time,” your brain tells you!

How many things can you feel right now? How many things are you touching? “Touch” is a lot like your other senses. Your sense of touch is always ready to work. And you probably don’t even think about most of the things you touch or feel during the day. But your nerves are paying attention. And they’ll let you know if something hurts, tickles, or itches.

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Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view. This lesson is a “READ-ALOUD” Core Knowledge (R) passage that has been rewritten to be at a lower-grade independent reading level complexity than the original, largely by shortening and simplifying sentence structures while maintaining the richness of the text content.)

The Five Senses

Lesson 66 – Part Six

NEW WORDS: Braille, Presidents, Ray’s, Sundays, ability, accomplish, blackberries, blindness, challenge, completely, concerts, countryside, develop, disability, disease, exploring, eyesight, happier, independently, jukebox, lessons, letters, local, musician, nearly, opportunity, pebbles, piano, pitched, player, powerful, ray, recognize, records, remarkable, restaurant, saxophone, sighted, singer, soaked, songwriter, sounded, spite, sponges, streams, succeed, succeeded, successful, sway, tapped, teachers, terrible, totally, writing

Ray Charles

Ray Charles was world-famous. He was a piano player, singer, and songwriter. People all over the world recognize his face. And they love the wonderful songs he wrote. He was a remarkable musician. But there’s something more amazing. He became a musician after he became totally blind.

Ray Charles was born with normal eyesight. He grew up playing and doing all the things other kids did. He liked exploring the countryside with his brother. He pitched pebbles into streams. He picked juicy blackberries. But he loved music more than anything else. He loved to sing in church on Sundays. He also liked going to a local restaurant. There, they had a jukebox. That’s a big machine that plays music. Ray would listen to the jukebox for hours on end.

But things changed when Ray was six years old. He became very sick. He had a terrible eye disease. His mother took him to a doctor. He told her that the disease would cause Ray to lose his sight. He would become blind. By age seven, Ray was totally blind. What’s it like to be completely blind? You see no colors, no shapes, no light — nothing. Turn out the lights. Shut your eyes. That’s what the world looked like to Ray.

His mother wanted him to be successful in life. His blindness would be a challenge. She sent him to a special school. It was for blind children. Ray worked hard to learn and succeed in school. The teachers showed him ways he could learn to live independently. This would be without much help from others. He could be successful, even with his blindness.

It might surprise you to know this. Blind people can do most of the things that sighted people can do. How do they accomplish this? They learn to use their other senses really well. And it helps more if they go to a school for blind students. Blind people learn to read with their fingers. They use a kind of writing called Braille. There are raised dots on a page. These dots represent letters and words. One can read by feeling the dots with their fingers.

Ray’s favorite part of school was music lessons. His other senses helped him become a remarkable musician. Ray once told someone this. “My eyes are my disability. But my ears are my opportunity.” He succeeded in spite of his blindness. Mr. Charles felt lucky that he was able to hear!

Ray used his senses of hearing and touch. By doing that, he learned to play the piano. There are eighty-eight keys on a piano. Each key, when tapped, makes a different sound. For most people, it takes a long time to learn to play the piano well. But Ray learned to play the piano quickly. He also learned to play the saxophone and other instruments.

His love of music was stronger than his blindness. He once told someone this. “My ears were sponges. They soaked it all up.” He meant that his ears were able to hear a new song just once. Then he would be able to remember it. He could play it the same way he had heard it just once! His strong sense of hearing helped him develop a powerful ability. He heard which notes sounded good together. In school, he learned to write his own songs. School was nearly over for him. He knew then that he wanted to be a musician.

Over the years, Ray became world famous. He made many records of his songs. He gave concerts all over the world. He even met a few Presidents of the U.S! He almost always had a wide smile on his face. He looked happy when he played. He would stomp his feet to the beat of the music. He would sway back and forth. It was like the music was throughout his body. Nothing made Ray Charles happier than playing music. He once said this. “Music to me is part of me. I look at music the same as I look at my blood and my breath. It’s something I have to have.”

Lesson 67 – Part Seven

NEW WORDS: Anne, Anne’s, Helen, Helen’s, Keller, Ms., Sullivan, amazed, anger, behaving, books, bury, challenges, college, communicate, communication, confusing, connections, darkness, deaf, deafness, determined, dinnertime, discouraged, else’s, everyone’s, frightening, frustration, fumbled, grades, graduated, groped, guide, happen, hired, imagine, impaired, learning, literally, memories, overcame, parents, person, person’s, pointed, remembered, remembers, sensations, signing, silence, speeches, spelled, supported, teaching, toys, uses, writer

Helen Keller

Close your eyes. You’re sitting in a dark room. There are no windows. Earmuffs are covering your ears. You can’t hear a thing. You can’t see. You can’t hear anything or anyone. You can’t talk, either. Now imagine this. You’ve got to stand up and move around this dark and silent room. You can use only your hands and feet to guide you. How would you feel if you had to stay in this room? You’d likely feel startled and frightened by everything, and everyone, who touched you. You’d probably feel sorry for yourself. You’d feel quite frustrated. Maybe even discouraged. You couldn’t tell anyone what you were thinking. And you couldn’t tell them what you needed.

Well, this can happen to some people. That’s what life was like for a girl named Helen Keller. She was born a long time ago. It was over 150 years ago. When she was a baby, she caught a bad disease. It made her lose both her eyesight and her hearing. Helen Keller was blind and deaf. She was like this for the rest of her life. She had to live in a world of total darkness and silence.

Life was hard for Helen as she grew up. She was frustrated and angry a lot. And she was not just blind and deaf. She was not able to talk or communicate with other people, either. She felt sorry for herself. She was often mean to others. Some children tried to play with her. Helen might break their toys. One time she locked her mother in a room. Her mom couldn’t get out. Things were rough at dinnertime. Helen walked around the table sniffing everyone’s food. She might smell something she liked on someone else’s plate. Then she would grab it and gobble it up!

Helen felt her way through the world. She groped and fumbled through the silent darkness. Her senses of touch, smell, and taste were her only connections to the outside world. As a grown-up, she remembered those days. Here’s what she said. “I literally thought with my body.” The only memories she had from those years were sensations. She remembers what she did when she was really upset. She used to run outside. She would bury her hot face in the cool leaves and grass. She let her sense of smell guide her. She would make her way through the garden. She could smell, and then find, the roses and violets that calmed her down.

Helen’s mom and dad loved her very much. But she could not understand the world around her. So, she seemed disobedient and hard to control. Things changed when she was six. Her parents hired a special teacher. Her name was Anne Sullivan. She was to take care of Helen at home. Anne came to stay with the family. She knew that Helen was behaving badly out of frustration and anger. But she knew that Helen could break out of her dark world. She would have to learn to communicate with others. But how would she do this? Anne knew Helen would need to learn a lot of words.

Anne knew that Helen had never learned what a word was. That’s because Helen couldn’t hear or talk. She started teaching Helen words. She did this by using her finger. She would “write and spell” them on the palm of Helen’s hand. Helen might splash her hand with water. Sullivan would take Helen’s other hand. Then she spelled out the letters in the word water. “W-A-T-E-R.” Then Helen pointed to herself. Anne spelled out the letters in the word Helen. “H-E-L-E-N.”

To Helen, learning from Anne was a great thing for her. It was like being born a second time. Suddenly, the world was not such a confusing, frightening place. Helen Keller later said this. “I had been a little ghost in a no-world. Now I knew my name. I was a person. I could understand people. I could make them understand me.”

Helen finally had a way to tell people what she was thinking. When she wanted to speak to Anne, she wrote words on Anne’s hand. But it took a long time to spell out a whole sentence. Later, Anne taught Helen sign language. She was then able to communicate more easily.

Sign language is a special kind of language. A person uses only their hands and fingers. They make signs for letters and words. People use sign language to speak to deaf people. Today, we call deafness “being hearing-impaired.” For Helen, though, there was an extra challenge. Not being able to see made signing communication harder. She had to feel the other person’s hand. That was while they were making the signs. Only then could she know what they were saying.

Helen truly loved learning. So, Anne knew that she would love reading. Helen left home. She went to a special school for blind children. Anne went with her. Helen learned to read books in Braille. That’s the special kind of print that uses raised dots on the page. Helen was able to read the words. She felt them with her fingertips. At school, she made a lot of friends. And, she got good grades. She was determined to succeed. Anne really supported her. Helen graduated from both high school and college!

Later in her life, Helen became a famous writer and speaker. In her books and speeches, she told the remarkable story of her life. People were impressed that Ms. Keller never gave up. They were amazed that she overcame the challenges of being both deaf and blind.

*********

WEEK TWENTY-THREE PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

From Sam

Sam sits in Miss Mack’s class. The kids will print till class ends.

Miss Mack has the class print. The kids print “black cat.”

From The Elephant Carries A Big Trunk

The elephant carries a great big trunk. He never packs it with clothes.

From Snap Shots

The cat can smell the fish. It can press on the glass.

From Peter Rabbit

He was caught by the buttons on his coat. It was a blue coat. It had brass buttons.

From Squirrel Nutkin

They went to Owl Island. They had sacks. There, they planned to get lots of nuts.

From Gran

“Josh will still be mad,” Jen says.

“We can make him a snack,” says Gran.

Gran, Tex, and the kids are at a track. Gran is all set to drive in a Mud Run.

From Why Flies Buzz

The crocodile was mad. Its tail went, “swack! swack! swack!”

From The Crazies

One aunt’s Gracie, one aunt’s Stacey.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 28) OTHER C&V WORDS: “Short-A” repeated exposure, also including silent letters … continued:

Post these notes on the corkboard with these tacks.

Because the British taxed the colonists without representation, they staged the Boston Tea Party.

We need to replace this valve in your car’s engine.

I had my eyebrows waxed this morning.

That baby yacks away in her own invented language.

Oh no, a black cat crossed my path, and that means bad luck.

Fort Bragg, in North Carolina, is one of the largest military installations in the world.

The President has called for a meeting with the military brass.

The glass made a loud clack when she slammed it on the counter.

I learned how to crack open an egg today.

I am offended by that guy’s crass comments.

The aircraft had to dodge the flack being fired at them by the enemy.

Roberta Flack is famous for the tune “Killing Me Softly With His Song.”

Uh-oh, this glass has a chip on the lip.

It’s buggy out today, and gnats keep flying up my nostrils!

Son, your chore for today is to mow the grass.

I think that she was born with a knack for being musical.

That’s a pretty plaid shirt that you’ve got on.

We should probably let up a bit and give this rope a little slack.

You’re going to really smack your lips when you taste how good this is.

Mom gave me a banana for a snack today.

Honey, I need you to wash this stack of dishes, please.

Hey guys, the boss has called an emergency staff meeting.

Did you hear about the train that came off the track downtown today?

With a hard whack to his opponent’s face, the boxer knocked him down.

I hate it when my little brother whaps me on the head.

Their dad’s crazy behavior drove their family to wrack and ruin.

I’d like a couple of turkey sandwich wraps.

The author was all wrapt up in finishing the final chapter of his new novel.

*********

WEEK TWENTY-FOUR

WEEK TWENTY-FOUR READING PASSAGES

Lesson 68 – Stories Misc

NEW WORDS: Abe, Florida, Florida’s, Kentucky, Louisville, added, alligator, alligators, background, beast’s, bush’s, cardinals, cawed, cell, chose, closer, clubs, confusion, crazy, curve, curved, escapes, fairway, flapped, flee, gator, gator’s, gators, hardest, knelt, mascot, massive, par, players, practice, pro, razor, rustled, stalked, sudden, swoosh, tee, thing’s, twelfth, warmed, wildcat

What A Golf Round!

It was a great day for a golf round. The sky was blue. It was warm. The breeze was light. Abe had played the first nine holes. His score was good. He was now on the twelfth hole. It was a tough one! There were a lot of sand traps.

Abe liked to play alone. That way he could go slow. He could practice his swing a lot. He did this before he’d hit the ball. No one was there to rush him. But today was not a good day to be alone! He was about to find out why!

He was on the tee. He had to think hard. How should he play this hole? It was the hardest hole on the course! It was a long par five. It had a big curve to the right at 230-yards out. There was a big sand trap on the left side. That was at the 200-yard mark. A wide creek lined the right side of the hole. It went all the way to the green.

Should he hit with a wood? Not smart! The fairway was not that wide. The rough on each side was deep. So Abe chose his 2-iron. His odds were better with that club. He often hit it straight.

He warmed up. He took three practice swings. Then, “SWOOSH!” He hit the ball hard. But, OH, NO! The ball was high in the air. But it had curved to the right. “No, no, no! Not there!” he cried. “Darn it! I hate it when I slice a shot!” The ball dropped right into the creek. “SPLASH!” This was at 190-yards out.

He was SO mad. That was a bad swing. Now he’d get a poor score on this hole. Oh well, you can’t stay mad long with golf. You have to put your chin up. Then you try to fix the mess that you put yourself into.

He walked to the creek. He found the ball. He used a club to pull the ball close to water’s edge. He knelt to pick it up. But he heard a loud sound. It was in a big bush. It was right next to the creek. There was a lot of movement. The bush’s leaves rustled.

All of a sudden, SURPRISE! A head popped out from the bush. WHAT? NO WAY!! It had a long snout. It had big, evil eyes. And it had HUGE, SHARP TEETH! And it began to move toward Abe!

Abe was in shock. Was he going crazy? It was! But it just could not be! But it was. Abe was being stalked by an ALLIGATOR!!

It opened its mouth wide. It showed off its razor sharp teeth. It came all the way out from the bush. Now Abe could see its size. It was six feet long! In his mind, he talked to himself. “If I don’t flee, FAST, I’ll be this gator’s lunch!”

Abe dropped his clubs. He ran like the wind. But that darned beast could move fast! It came after him. It would not stop or slow down. And it was getting closer. Abe looked back when he had run 100 yards. The gator was now just ten feet from him. He did not know what else he could do! And he was out of breath!

LUCK! Only luck could save him. That mean gator was about to make Abe into a snack. But then the luck came.

A lot of crows were up in the sky. They saw the scene below them. We cannot know “crow talk.” But we do know that crows are VERY smart. So, they came as a team to help poor Abe.

They all flew down, like the speed of light. There were ten of them. And they were massive crows! They flapped and flapped their wings at the gator’s head. That gator had to stop its chase. It could not see! It tried to bite them. But the crows were way too fast for him. And they cawed loudly. It added to the beast’s confusion.

Abe ran fast. He was free from the danger. He was now a long way from that wild scene. Just then, he saw two golf players. They were on the path, on a golf cart. Abe waved his arms. He called out, “HELP! HELP!”

They picked him up. He was now safe on the cart. They all drove down to the scene. They helped the brave crows. They chased the gator back into the woods.

Of course, they had to shut down the course. No more play for the rest of that day! The golf pro called for help. A bunch of men went into the woods to hunt the gator down.

Abe got home. That’s when it hit him. He yelled this to his mom. “This is Kentucky. There are no alligators in this State! It’s too far north. It’s too cold. They can’t live here. How could there have been a gator in the woods?”

Well, he found out how the next day. The morning paper came. There was a big story on the front page. It read, “Alligator Escapes Louisville Zoo! Brave Young Man Runs From It To Safety.”

And right there was a picture of Abe. Right on the front page! There he was! It was a shot of him. The gator and the crows were in the background. Abe hadn’t known this. One of the men on the golf cart had a camera on his cell phone. He got a good shot of Abe.

Well, one thing’s for sure. If there’s one college that Abe will NEVER go to, it’s Florida. Why? Just like Louisville chose the mascot “CARDINALS,” Florida’s mascot is the “GATORS.” NO THANKS! And Abe would much rather be a Kentucky “WILDCAT!”

*********

Lesson 69 – Inf./Deriv. Builder

NEW WORDS: Beth’s, Bo’s, Charles’s, Chip’s, Drew’s, Sue’s, Thor’s, abler, answering, bars, basement, baths, begins, blackest, boarded, booking, bosses, bounces, bowed, bravest, breaded, breads, breaking, breezed, breezing, browner, buffet, busting, busts, bys, canned, carved, catnaps, checkers, cheery, chilling, chipper, chooses, choosing, chore, cleaners, clowned, clucks, coldly, coloring, costing, could’ves, crashed, creaks, creamers, curbs, curse, damper, dances, dashing, deepest, dentist, desks, dinners, docks, dragging, drawers, drawings, dreamers, dries, drilled, drowning, drownings, dryers, ducked, eyed, flocks, grandma’s, hair’s, pork, shirt’s, should’ves, storm, tennis, tooth, tux, twin, vanilla, would’ves

Dad loves catnaps.

Mom boarded the plane.

That was my last chore.

That joke busts me up!

That was a chilling film.

Firemen are busting down the door.

The storm hurt the docks.

My dog hates baths.

How’s the breaded pork chop?

Beth’s in there.

Clean out the drawers.

Line up the desks.

Thor’s the bravest superhero.

The dentist drilled my tooth.

Say your good-bys.

Won’t that be costing too much?

My hair’s browner than yours.

It’s the blackest night in months.

The buffet has lots of breads.

The waves are breaking hard.

That shirt’s at the cleaners.

Dad carved the ham.

He clucks like a chicken.

That’s a curse word!

Our bosses are nice.

Our floor creaks badly.

We lost, so, Coach talked about our would’ves, could’ves, and should’ves.

Drew’s my twin brother.

Those two are dreamers.

I love your drawings!

Our school has 3 dances a year.

The singer bowed to the crowd.

His speech is dragging on.

I bet Mom chooses vanilla.

Chip’s home!

That’s Charles’s dog.

Bo’s my uncle.

I sold 5 clothes dryers today.

They clowned around too much.

It’s damper in the basement.

She bounces the ball well.

Are these canned pears?

I like our church dinners.

Flocks of birds are breezing by.

She eyed me coldly.

She loves candy bars.

He’s in a chipper mood.

I need food coloring.

That was a cheery “hello.”

I need two coffee creamers.

Grandma’s drowning us with love.

She breezed through the test.

He kept driving on the curbs.

That’s a dashing tux!

The pond is deepest here.

I’m answering the phone.

I’m booking our trip.

I’ll wear it when it dries out.

I ducked when the bird flew at me.

Let’s play checkers.

I’m choosing to start a diet.

You got the answers right!

We’ve had no drownings in 10 years.

Sue’s abler at tennis than Jane.

He’s covering up a crime.

We crashed Bob’s party.

Gran loves babies.

It begins in an hour.

*********

Lesson 70 – Inf./Deriv. Builder

NEW WORDS: Brad’s, Fido’s, Rover, Tanya, Todd’s, actor, actors, agreeing, bands, batting, bays, bean, beeps, bending, bibs, biscuit, blasts, boarding, booed, bows, bratty, bravely, braver, breaths, breezes, brownest, bunches, bunching, burner, caged, caked, calming, calmly, caps, cares, causing, chaps, chilled, chins, chomped, classy, clucked, clues, cooed, cooing, cooker, cooks, coolers, crabby, cracker, creams, crunched, crunching, darting, dashes, deeper, don’ts, dos, dozing, drizzles, drooling, dropper, droppings, drowns, drummed, dryer, drying, duckies, dumbest, dumped, dusters, junk, meatloaf, pointy, towel’s, umpire

The cat is dozing.

The dove cooed.

Salt chaps my lips.

Brad’s my cousin.

Is that a dove cooing?

She’s a classy lady.

Fido’s crunching on a bone.

I dumped that into the trash.

Are those rabbit droppings?

She sat down calmly.

I want the brownest jacket.

Bob creams Bill in tennis.

Give me some clues.

There are light breezes outside.

He cares about his baby sister.

Bring the coolers over here.

It’s loud when a rocket blasts off.

I hate playing ball when it drizzles.

Mom’s in a crabby mood.

The new kid is bratty.

I ate the last baked bean.

We sail into bays that are deep.

Rover chomped on his dog biscuit.

The crowd booed the umpire.

No one’s braver than Tanya.

Get the clothes out of the dryer.

The hen clucked loudly.

The lines to the ride are bunching up.

I’m agreeing with you this time.

All of these bands are great.

Did I turn off the oven burner?

He’s calming down now.

My flower bloomed.

Ted finally chilled out.

I need the eye dropper.

Their chins are pointy.

Bending that will make it break.

Todd’s a good actor.

Put the caps on your toothpaste.

I want an animal cracker.

She bravely jumped off the high dive.

I bought a new rice cooker.

Fireflies are darting around the yard.

Take some deep breaths.

I’ll be batting third.

Dad drowns donuts in his coffee.

Mom beeps at other cars a lot.

Have you learned the dos and don’ts about this?

The baby likes rubber duckies.

When will we be boarding the train?

The water’s deeper over there.

Pete drummed a loud beat.

Sis is in two clubs at school.

She has pretty bows in her hair.

I crunched on my popcorn.

That’s the dumbest thing I’ve heard.

The baby will drool on you.

Those dusters need washing.

I hope Mom cooks meatloaf.

Will snow be causing school to close?

Good actors can fake-cry.

I’m drooling to have some cake.

She runs the 100- and 200- yard dashes.

Our house has bunches of junk.

None of the bibs are washed.

The towel’s drying out.

You have mud caked on your shoes!

I feel sorry for a caged pet.

*********

WEEK TWENTY-FOUR PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

From Kit

Kit helps Max get up. Max helps Jen get up.

From Zack And Ann

The ship has a big crack in its mast. It has dents, which Dan must fix.

From Sam

Max yelps at the cat. This is Sam’s cat, Tim.

From Scott

The kids run to the dock. They can swim well, but, to be safe, they slip on life vests.

From Lesson B-56

Kent’s at Scot’s house.

From The Five Senses

You have wet “saliva” (“spit”) inside your mouth. It melts or breaks up the chewed-up food.

From Gran

When the plane lands, Gran rents a van and drives the kids to the ranch.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 29) CVCCC WORDS: “Short-E” repeated exposure:

Which of these belts would look best with this suit?

Sally bests me every time that we have a tennis match.

Our family is descended from a group of Celts who lived in Ireland.

I love this delft china that you have on your dining room table.

On my trip to Europe this summer, one of my stops will be Delft, Netherlands.

Where did these dents in the car come from?!

Students, please return to your desks quietly.

Of these various felts, which color do you prefer?

Watch how dad bends his knees, and not at his waist, when he stoops and hefts a heavy box.

It helps to take a few deep breaths when you’re in a situation when you’re nervous.

Hemps are plants that can be refined to make paper, rope, textiles, paint, and a number of other things.

Surely mom jests when she says that she and the cat can talk to each other!

There are 30 different kinds of kelps, which are brown algae seaweeds.

Our friends the Kemps just had their first baby.

Take two immediate lefts from here, and you will dead-end into the boat ramp.

Ice melts at 33 degrees Fahrenheit.

It’s that time of year when the birds are building their nests again.

The trapper brought many beaver pelts to the trading post.

Termites are pests that eat the wood in your house!

My sister rents a small apartment in Manhattan.

Mom always rests while the baby’s taking a nap.

Different sects of the same religion can often have strong disagreements with each other.

The Seine river in France flows through the middle of Paris.

We need to hire more temps to work in the shipping warehouse during the Christmas holidays.

That piece of chocolate cake is going to tempt me to cheat on my diet.

We can pitch our tents in this area of the campsite.

Mrs. Murphy always gives her class challenging tests.

Dad always texts us if he’s going to be home late from work.

Let’s close the car’s vents so that we don’t have to inhale the exhaust from that old car in front of us.

This dance is so formal that we even need to wear our suit vests.

Look at all of these welts that I’ve gotten from chigger bites!

Our friends the Wests just put their house on the market to sell it.

Our cat always yelps when we try to cut her nails.

This recipe calls for the zests of both a lemon and an orange.

*********

WEEK TWENTY-FIVE

WEEK TWENTY-FIVE READING PASSAGES

Lesson 71 – Inf./Deriv. Builder

NEW WORDS: Parker, buzzers, downstairs, hogging, homework, hopes, houseboat, houseboats, hunter, insides, jumper, keeping, kingfisher, kingfishers, layer, layers, leader, longed, longs, lords, lovely, loving, lucking, manly, marking, might’ve, movers, moving, naming, neater, neatest, nicer, nightlight, nightlights, older, oldest, outfoxed, outsides, oxen, parks, petting, picking, piglet, piglets, pigpen, pigpens, pinker, pinkest, pinkeye, pipes, playrooms, pleases, pleasing, plugging, prayed, praying, prays, pricking, prickly, rained, rainfall, ratted, ratting, redder, reddest, rider, rooms, rowboat, rowboats, rower, rowers, rowing, shuts, string’s

Pat longs to see Bob.

She shuts her eyes when she prays.

The hunter saw a fox.

He moves in funny ways.

Tom’s hogging all the cake!

Do your homework.

I was hoping I’d get that.

She’s got on a blue jumper.

He parks here each day.

Hand me one of those pens.

I like petting your cat.

She’s picking out a hat.

Keep on keeping on!

The cake has five layers.

Take me to your leader.

I don’t know why she lets him do that.

I got a letter from Jill.

That bad guy lies a lot.

Min lives in that house.

This string’s longer than that one.

The King shouted at his Lords.

She’s a loving cat.

Tom just keeps lucking out.

Ma makes great cakes.

Mark is a manly child.

You might’ve been bit!

We’re moving away from here.

I think I’ll be naming my dog “Tom.”

This room is neater than that one.

Min is nicer than Jin.

Which nights are good for you?

Have the buzzers gone off?

Mom, turn on my nightlight.

Are the playrooms neat?

Pat is older than Jill.

I’ll be praying for you.

Mom longed to be with Dad.

She hopes she can make it.

I’m jumping as high as I can.

Are the movers done with these boxes?

I think I kept that.

Can you layer my hair?

Don’t get in the longest line.

Kim is a lovely child.

I’m marking that down.

Who moved this box?

I have the neatest room in the house.

Where can I buy some nightlights?

Kim is the oldest girl here.

We prayed all night.

Bob outfoxed Tom.

Do you see those four oxen?

Is that Mark Parker?

They live on a houseboat.

It’ll be a rainy day!

That feels prickly!

Jill is a fast rower.

What a small piglet!

Oh no, I have pinkeye!

Please go outside.

Your room’s like a pigpen!

The pipes are stopped up.

It pleases me that you did that.

My shirt is pinker than yours.

Blow off the outsides of those boxes.

They’re playing downstairs.

I’m plugging in the light.

A kingfisher has a big head.

Something in my shirt is pricking me.

She puts her hat on like this.

It rained a lot.

Min runs fast.

Tom ratted on me!

Your car is redder than my dad’s.

She’s a good horse rider.

All the rooms are dark.

She is rowing the boat hard!

That’s an old rowboat!

The houseboats are neatly in a row.

Ma Pig has four piglets.

I don’t like going into pigpens.

I have the pinkest car around.

It has a pleasing look to it.

Come inside now.

Blow out the insides of those boxes.

We played upstairs.

Kingfishers are cool to see.

Mark prays each night.

I pricked my toe on a pin.

We get lots of rainfall here.

I’ll be ratting on Joe for doing that!

That’s the reddest bird I’ve seen.

The horse riders see a fox!

Those rowers are here when the sun comes up.

There are five rowboats you can pick from.

*********

Lesson 72 – Poems and Rhymes
Beatrix Potter’s Favorite Poems

(Many are ones that she wrote herself!)

NEW WORDS: Appley, Dapply, Tabitha, Tiggy, Twitchit, Winkle, Winkle’s, abode, afloat, amiable, apron’s, biscuits, blame, bleach, breakfasts, brushed, buys, buzzing, cheerful, civil, coats, dewy, dines, expressed, fears, footed, frills, gentle, grey, harmless, hatched, heather, herbivorous, herrings, horrible, ironing, kindly, lest, lice, mushrooms, oppressed, peat, peculiarly, raspberry, rusty, sheets, sighing, silently, slated, somebody’s, sporty, spotted, superior, terror, threads, tradesman’s, trots, tubs, weevil, whispering, who’ll, wore, wring

The Monster

There once was a large spotted weevil,
Whose looks were peculiarly evil.
But his looks were to blame,
He was perfectly tame,
Herbivorous, harmless, and civil!

The Mushrooms

Silent we seem,
We stand in a ring,
All day long,
And never do a thing!

But loud we get,
We wake up at night,
We hop and we dance,
In the merry moon-light!

The Amiable Guinea-Pig

There once was an amiable Guinea-pig,
Who brushed back his hair like a fancy wig.
He wore a sweet tie,
As blue as the sky,
And his whiskers and buttons were very big.

Pig Robinson Crusoe

Poor Pig Robinson Crusoe!
Oh, how in the world,
Could they do so?

They have set him afloat,
In a horrible boat,
Oh, poor Pig Robinson Crusoe!

Kitty Butcher

I’m a little “Kitty Butcher,”
With a sporty little cart.

My manners are superior,
And my apron’s clean and smart.

My Billy-goat can trot a race,
With any tradesman’s van.

Then kindly do not call me,
Common “Cat’s-meat Man!”

Busy Buzzing Bumble-Bee

Busy buzzing,
Bumble-Bee!
Fill up your honey-bags,
Bring them to me!

Humming and sighing,
With lazy wing,
Where are you flying?
What song do you sing?

Who’ll buy my honey-pots?
Buy them? Who’ll buy?
Sweet heather honey,
Come weigh them and try!

Honey-bag, honey-pot,
Home came she!
Nobody buys,
From a big Bumble Bee!

There Was An Old Snail With A Nest

There was an old snail with a nest,
Who with very great terror expressed,
Lest the wood-lice all ’round,
In the cracks under-ground,
Should eat up her eggs in that nest!

Her days and her nights were oppressed,
But soon all her fears were at rest,
For eleven young snails,
With extremely short tails,
Hatched out of the eggs in that nest.

Mrs. Tiggy–Winkle’s Ironing Song

Lily-white and clean, oh!
With little frills between, oh!
Smooth and hot,
Red rusty spot,
Never here be seen, oh!

When The Dew Falls Silently

When the dew falls silently,
And stars begin to twinkle,
Underneath the hollow tree,
Peeps poor Tiggy-Winkle.

Where the whispering waters pass,
Her little cans twinkle,
Up and down the dewy grass,
Trots poor Tiggy-Winkle.

Old Mother Goose And Her Flat-Footed Daughter

Old Mother Goose,
And her flat-footed daughter,
Live on a hill,
Near a fine spring of water.

Their grey–slated cottage,
Is seen from the road,
Bench, tubs, doorway, chimney,
A cheerful abode.

The peat smoke puffs up,
From the fire as we pass,
See, the blankets and sheets,
Spread to bleach on the grass.

And when the sun shines,
And the west wind blows high,
They’ll wring out their washing,
And hang it to dry.

Appley Dapply

Appley Dapply,
A little brown mouse,
Goes to the cupboard,
In somebody’s house.

In somebody’s cupboard,
There’s everything nice,
Cake, cheese, jam, biscuits,
All charming for mice!

Appley Dapply,
Has little sharp eyes,
And Appley Dapply,
Is SO fond of pies!

Tabitha Twitchit

Tabitha Twitchit,
Is grown so fine,
She lies in bed,
Until half past nine.

She breakfasts on muffins,
And eggs and ham,
And dines on red-herrings,
And raspberry jam!!

Three Little Mice

Three little mice,
Sat down to spin.
Kitty passed by,
And she peeped in.

“What are you at,
My fine little men?”
“We’re making coats,
For gentle-men.”

“Shall I come in,
And cut off your threads?”
“Oh, no! Miss Kitty.
You’d bite off our heads!”

*********

Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

Kate’s Book

Lesson 73 – Part One

NEW WORDS: Kate, Kate’s, Nan, Spanish, artist, batch, cheered, date, dates, expert, hikes, hundreds, minted, pointing, shimmer, sixteen, skipper, switched, yippee

A Letter from Kate

I’m Kate Skipper, and this is my book! This book tells what I did last summer when I was nine. My mom and dad took me to visit with my Nan. Nan is my mom’s mom. She is an artist, and she has a cabin out in the West.

At the start of my time with Nan, I was sad. It seemed like it would be a boring summer. But in the end, I had a lot of fun. I made this book to tell you all the fun stuff I did last summer. When I finished it, Nan made the art. You have the book we made in your hands. I hope you like it!

In the Cave

When I went to visit with Nan, I was sad. I missed Mom and Dad. But Nan cheered me up and made things fun.

Nan took me on hikes. The land I saw in the West was not at all like the land I am used to. Where I am from, things are green in the summer, and there are lots of trees. Out in the West, there are hills and red rocks, but not a lot of trees. In some spots, you can hike for a mile and not see one tree!

Once, Nan and I were on a hike, when it started to storm. Nan and I went into a cave so that we would not get wet.

As we were standing there, I saw something shimmer in the dark. “Nan,” I said, pointing at the spot, “what’s that?”

“Well,” said Nan, “let’s have a look.”

We looked and saw something stuck in a crack in the rock. I grabbed it. “It’s a coin!” I said.

“Well, I’ll be!” said Nan.

I said, “What sort of coin is it?”

Nan said, “I can’t tell. It looks like it could be made of silver.”

Then she said, “I have a pal, Jack, who is an expert on coins. We can bring it to him tomorrow, and he will tell us what sort of coin it is.” I dropped the coin in my pocket, and we went on with our hike.

The Coin Shop

Nan drove us to the coin shop. The man in the coin shop was a pal of hers. His name was Jack. “Jack,” Nan said, “this is Kate Skipper. I’m Kate’s nan. She’s out here for the summer. We went for a hike, and Kate found a coin in a cave.”

“Well, Miss Skipper,” Jack said, “let’s have a look at it!” I handed him the coin. Jack set it under a looking glass and switched on a lamp. “Let’s see,” he said. “It’s got some scratches on it. But I can tell that it’s a Spanish coin. It’s made of silver, too.”

“When was it made?” asked Nan.

“There’s no date on the coin,” said Jack. “But I’ll bet it dates back to the sixteen–hundreds. The Spanish minted a big batch of coins like this one back then.”

“Goodness!” said Nan.

“Is that a long time back in the past?” I asked.

“Yes,” said Jack. “Let me run and fetch my book on Spanish coins.” When Jack came back, he said, “There’s just one thing I need you to tell me, Miss Skipper.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Are there a lot of coins like this one in that cave?”

“No,” I said, “we found just this one.”

“That’s a shame,” Jack said.

“Why?” I asked.

“If there were a lot of coins, you and your Nan would be rich!” said Jack. “I could sell a coin like this for three hundred bucks!”

“Three hundred bucks?” said Nan. Jack nodded.

“Yippee!” I shouted. “I’m rich!”

*********

WEEK TWENTY-FIVE PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

Sam The Sneak

Sam the Sneak bought a broom, ate a pear, and went to the moon, swept it clean, did paint it red, came back to Earth, and went to bed.

From Zack And Ann

Dan nods and steps on the gas. Dan zips past a van.

From Nice Thought

I’m sure we should all feel as blest as kings.

From Seth

Then, at last, Pat spots Chip. Chip hid in Pat’s hat and slept.

From The Flop-Flip Kids

They had lots of good cheer. But they did not save up. They spent it all.

He went in to his house. Then they crept to the window. They could hear him from there.

From Boy In The Hay

A calf came out and smelt like a trout, and the young boy would not stay.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 30) CCVCC WORDS: “Short-E” repeated exposure:

I am blest to have really great grandparents.

My friend Brent is on the debate team.

I think Bret’s around here somewhere.

When you learn to read music, you have to understand both the bass and treble clefs.

That doctor knows how to do surgery to repair a cleft palate.

He crept up slowly behind his brother’s back, and then yelled, “BOO!”

That surfer is riding the crest of that big wave.

Mom usually buys Crest toothpaste for us to brush our teeth with.

Gross, there are coffee dregs at the bottom of my cup.

Many early humanoids dwelt in caves.

My older sister frets about the tiniest things.

I’ll make the tartar sauce while mom preps the fish for frying.

I slept very well last night.

It was a hot day, and the athlete smelt of heavy sweat.

I’m pulling together the specs for the next house that we’re going to build.

Spelt flour is made from one of the earliest cultivated forms of wheat.

I think I’m going to spend more time exercising.

I spent last night at a sleepover with Polly.

Could you help me by scraping the snow off of the steps?

I swept out the garage, just like you asked me to.

*********

WEEK TWENTY-SIX

WEEK TWENTY-SIX READING PASSAGES

Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

Kate’s Book

Lesson 74 – Part Two

NEW WORDS: Bart, Jack’s, Nan’s, badlands, camping, campsite, charged, crime, drawn, dresser, excuse, farming, farmland, gents, granddad, lanterns, legend, munched, offer, offered, outlaw, outlaws, planes, robbed, robber, robbers, robbing, shaped, shared, stagecoach, strongbox, tents, theft, unpack

You Never Can Tell

Jack said that he could sell the coin that I found for three hundred bucks. But I kept it and took it back to Nan’s cabin. We got a snack from the kitchen and then started to chat.

“Can I see the coin?” Nan asked. I stretched out my arm and gave it to her. “If this coin had lips,” Nan said, “what would it tell us? Would it tell us who left it in that cave, and why he or she was there? What magic tale could it tell us?”

“I wish it would,” I said. “What is the legend of this coin?

I stared at the coin for a bit. “Could it be that a robber hid it there?” I asked. “Did they have robbers back then?”

“You bet they did,” said Nan. “But why would the robber hide just one coin? It seems like he would hide a large batch of coins.”

“Perhaps he did not have a large batch,” I said. “Perhaps this was all he stole.”

“If that’s all he stole,” said Nan, “then he was not such a good robber!”

“Nan,” I said, “there’s no such thing as a good robber!” Nan smiled and nodded.

After a bit I said, “If this coin costs three hundred bucks, a robber would feel like he had to hide it.”

“Well,” Nan said . “Spanish coins like this one are rare, so Jack can sell them for a lot of cash. But back when this coin was made, it was not rare. There were a lot of coins just like this one. Back then, this coin was sort of like a dime.”

I took a dime out of my pocket and said, “So if I keep this dime for a long time, until it gets rare, and there are not a lot of them left, will it be a three hundred buck dime?”

“It could happen,” said Nan. “You never can tell!”

The Offer

I was sitting in the kitchen, scratching a large bug bite on my leg, when Nan came in. “I just spoke with Jack,” she said. “He made us an offer.”

“What sort of offer?”

“He offered to take us camping with him and Max.”

“Who is Max?

“Max is nine, like you. Jack is his granddad.”

“What would we do?” I asked.

“Well, we would hike, look at rocks, cook lunch and dinner outside, look at the stars, and sleep in a tent.”

“Gee,” I said, “that sounds like fun! When can we start?”

“Tomorrow morning!” Nan said.

The Campsite

Jack came and picked us up in his truck. We drove to a campsite in the Badlands. “Nan,” I said, “what’s up with that name — the Badlands?”

“Well,” said Nan, “legend has it that a long time back, farmers came out here looking for farmland. When they saw all of the rocks and sand and stone, they said, ‘This is bad land! We can’t plant crops here!’ And the name Badlands just sort of stuck.”

“It’s bad land for farming,” said Jack. “But it’s good land for camping!”

When we got to the campsite, we had to unpack sleeping bags, tents, lanterns, matches, and lots of food. We lugged it all to the campsite. Jack chose a spot to set up camp. Max and I helped set up the tents. It took us a long time. For dinner, we had hot dogs. We stuck them on sticks and held them in the fire. My hot dog got all black because I left it in there too long. Max gave me one of his. That was when I said to myself, “Max is OK!”

Jack’s Tale

After dinner, we munched on some ginger snaps. Then Jack shared an outlaw tale. “This happened out here in the West a long time back,” said Jack, “in an age when there were no cars and no planes. Back then, if you had to send a letter, you sent it by stagecoach. The stagecoach was sort of like a car, but it was drawn by horses. There was a place where men could sit inside. But the man who drove the stagecoach sat outside, up on top.”

“The man who drove the stagecoach kept the strongbox next to him. The strongbox was a locked box where he kept the cash. Sometimes outlaws would rob the stagecoach. Those outlaws were bad men. But there was one who some said was a bit better than the rest. His name was Bart.”

“Bart was a sharp dresser. He did his robbing in a jacket and a black top hat. He had the best manners you ever saw. When he robbed, he did not yell and shout at the men he was robbing. Not Bart! He tipped his hat.”

“Then he said, ‘Excuse me, gents. Would you be so fine as to pass down the strongbox with the cash in it?’”

“No!” said Nan.

“Yes!” said Jack. “It’s not just a legend. It’s a fact. You can look it up!”

“Did they catch him?” Max asked.

“Nope,” said Jack, “he came back and robbed the stagecoach lots of times.”

“Did they ever catch him?” I asked.

“Yes, after a long hunt, they nabbed him. They charged him with theft, and locked him up for a long time. He did his time. Then they let him back out.”

“Then what happened?” I asked.

Jack said, “Bart shaped up in the end. When they let him out, he said he was finished with crime.”

“That’s cool!” said Max.

*********

Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

Kate’s Book

Lesson 75 – Part Three

NEW WORDS: Fitch, betting, biggest, charge, clatter, coolest, extinct, flipped, fork, hoisted, hugged, jeepers, lantern, larger, preserved, raccoons, reptile, scram, tests, wiped

The Visit

After telling us the tale, Jack said, “It’s time to pack up the food.” We stuffed the food into a large pack with a rope on it. Jack tossed the rope up into a tree and hoisted the food pack up so that it was hanging ten feet off of the ground.

“Paw-paw,” said Max, “why do we have to keep the food up in the tree?”

“Because it will keep the food safe from foxes and raccoons that would like to snack on it,” Jack said. After that, we crawled into the tents, flipped off our lanterns, and went to sleep. Nan and I slept well, until a loud clatter outside woke us up.

“What was that?” I asked.

“I can’t tell,” said Nan, as she hugged me close to her.

Jack ran outside with his lantern and yelled, “Get out of here! Scram! Get lost!” When we went out, we saw Jack and Max standing there. Jack had his lantern.

“Jack,” Nan asked, “who came to visit?”

“I did not see it,” said Jack, “but I’m betting it was a fox who was looking for some scraps of food . He bumped into the pots and pans. The clatter of the pots and pans must have scared him off.”

“Is that why we hoisted the food pack up in the tree?” Max asked.

“That’s why!” said Jack.

The Hike

The next morning, we went on a hike. After a bit, we stopped for lunch. When Max finished his lunch, he asked, “Can Kate and I look for rocks?”

Jack said, “OK.”

“Kate,” Max said to me, “bring your fork. We can use it to dig up rocks.”

I grabbed my fork, and we went off to look for rocks. Max pointed at a bump on the side of a cliff and said, “Let’s dig that rock out!”

The rock did not look all that large. But when we started digging, we soon saw that it was larger than it had seemed. After a bit, Max said, “Gee! It must be two feet long! We need to keep scratching in order to carve it out of the side of the cliff.”

We went on scratching with our forks. “Let’s tug on it!” Max said. “I bet we can get it out by ourselves.” We grabbed and tugged it. It popped out. But so did a big cloud of sand and dust. Max and I fell down. Once the dust and sand had drifted off, I saw Max standing there with the thing in his hand. “It’s not a rock!” he yelled. “It’s a bone!” It was the biggest bone I had ever seen. It was three feet long!

Jack and Nan came running. “Goodness!” said Nan. “That is one large bone! Where did you get it?” Max pointed to the spot where we found it.

Jack set the bone on the ground. Then he took a picture of the bone and said, “We need to get an expert to look at this bone and tell us what sort of bone it is.”

The Bone Man

The next morning, Jack said, “I just had a chat with a man from Western State College. His name is Ron Fitch, and he is an expert on bones. He has written lots of books. If we bring him the bone, he can tell us what sort of bone it is.”

“He’s a bone man?” asked Max.

“Yep,” said Jack.

We got into the truck. Jack said that I was in charge of the bone. I wrapped it up and set it on my lap. When we got to the college, we gave the bone man the bone. When he saw it, he broke into a big grin. The bone man bent down and said, “I could be wrong, but it looks like you’ve found something big here! I have to do some tests, but I’ll bet this is a bone of a T. Rex.”

“Sweet!” yelled Max.

“What’s a T. Rex?” I asked.

Max looked at me like I was from Mars. “Kate!” he said, “T. Rex is like the coolest, biggest reptile of all time!”

The bone man went and got a book. He pointed to a large picture of a T. Rex. “Jeepers,” I said, “he is big! Why have I never seen a T. Rex like this at the zoo?”

The bone man smiled. So did Nan and Jack. “You can’t see a T. Rex at the zoo,” the bone man said. “They were all wiped out a long time back in the past. The T. Rex is extinct. All that’s left of them today are bones preserved in the ground. And there are not a lot of bones. That’s why it’s such a cool thing that you found this bone preserved in the side of the cliff!”

*********


Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

Kate’s Book

Lesson 76 – Part Four

NEW WORDS: Fletcher, Roger, brushes, bummer, charging, cracking, dentists, diggers, expose, helpers, muttered, plaster, progress, scoop, scraped, shoot, solved, sticking, thrilled, wrap, wreck, wrist

Two Good Things and One Bad Thing

The next week, Nan said, “I just spoke with Ron Fitch, the bone man. I’ve got three things to tell you. Two of them are good things that you will like. One is a bad thing that you will not like.”

“Tell me one of the good things,” I said.

“Mister Fitch got the tests back. The bone that you and Max found is a T. Rex bone!”

“Yippee!” I shouted. “I am glad that is solved. Max will be so thrilled that he has a T. Rex bone!”

“Well,” said Nan, “that brings me to the bad thing.”

“What is it?” I asked, scratching my wrist. “The bad thing is that you and Max will not get to keep the bone for yourselves.”

“Why not? Did we do something wrong?”

“Well,” Nan said, “it’s because you found the bone in a State Park. There is a law that says that you can’t dig up bones in state parks and keep them for yourself.”

“Bummer!” I said. “So who gets to keep it?”

“The state. Mister Fitch and his helpers will keep the bone and dig up the rest of the bones, too. And that brings me to the last thing.”

“This is a good thing?”

“Yes.”

“Tell me!”

“They would like you and Max to visit them when they are digging up the bones. And they would like the two of you to pick out a name for the T. Rex that you found.”

“Cool!” I said.

The Big Dig

When we went back to the cliff, the bone man was there with some helpers. They had scraped the side of the cliff to expose a lot of the T.Rex. “So, will you dig out all of the bones here on site?” asked Nan.

“No,” said the bone man, “the next step will be to carve this cliff into large blocks of rock. Then we will wrap the blocks up in plaster. The plaster will keep the bones from cracking. Then we will use a large crane to set the blocks on trucks. Then the trucks will take them to my lab. Once the blocks are there, we will start digging the bones out of the blocks.”

“What sort of tools do you use for that?” asked Nan.

“We use tools a lot like the ones dentists use on teeth — brushes and sharp picks.”

“Kate and I used forks!” said Max.

“How long will it take to carve all of the bones out of the rocks?” Jack asked.

“Well,” said the bone man, “we’ve got a lot to do. It will take some time, because we have to be careful not to wreck the bones.”

“Will you be finished by the end of the summer?” I asked.

“No,” said the bone man. “You and Max will have to visit next summer, and perhaps the summer after that. Then we can catch up on our digging progress!”

“So,” said the bone man, “have you picked out a name for this T. Rex?”

“Yes, I’ve picked one,” I said. All of the diggers stopped digging and looked at me. I said, “This T. Rex will be named Max, or if you like, T. Max!” All of the men cheered. Max smiled.

The Scoop

After we named the T. Rex, some men came charging up to us. “Can we shoot some film of you for TV?” one of them asked. “It would be a big scoop for us.” Nan and Jack said it was OK.

The men set up a bunch of stuff to shoot the film. Then one of them started counting down from ten. He said, “Three, two, one!” Then he pointed at us. The TV man spoke into a mike. He said, “This is Roger Fletcher. I’m standing here in the Badlands, where two children have found the bones of a T. Rex.”

The man bent down to Max and stuck the mike under his nose. He said, “What’s your name?”

Max looked like he was scared of the mike. He jumped back a bit. Then he muttered, “I’m Max.”

“And you?”

I said, “I’m Kate.” Then I waved.

“Max,” said the man, “where did you spot the bone?”

Max said, “It was sticking out of the side of a cliff.”

“Kate, could you tell it was a bone when you saw it?”

“No,” I said, “it looked like a rock.”

“What did you use to dig it out?”

“We used our forks!” said Max.

“Forks!” said the man. “That’s cool. Could I get a close-up of the two of you with your forks?” Someone ran and got us two forks. We held them up and smiled until the man said, “Cut!” And that was the end of that.

*********


Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

Kate’s Book

Lesson 77 – Part Five

NEW WORDS: bender, goof, printer, publish, speller, spelling, staff, wishes

We Are TV Stars

We drove back to Nan’s cabin and got there just in time to see ourselves on TV. The TV man said, “This is Roger Fletcher. I’m standing here in the Badlands, where two children have found the bones of a T. Rex.”

Then Max and I saw ourselves on TV. “Woo-hoo!” I shouted. “We are TV stars!” Then came the part where the TV man asked Max his name, and Max looked like he was scared of the mike.

“Max, you goof!” I said. “Why did you jump back like that?” Max just shrugged.

Next, the TV man asked me my name. I said, “I’m Kate.” Then I waved.

“Max,” said the TV man, “where did you spot the bone?”

Max said, “It was sticking out of the side of a cliff.”

“What did you use to dig it out?”

“We used our forks!” said Max. Then we saw the close-up of Max and me with our forks.

“So there you have it!” said the TV man. “I’m Roger Fletcher, with a tale of two children, two forks, and one large T. Rex!”

Nan’s Book

Max and I and the T. Rex were on TV six times. I was glad when it came to an end. After you smile and wave a fork six times, it gets to be less fun. One morning, Nan handed me a book and said, “Let’s drive to the book shop.”

“Nan,” I said, “why do you need to get a book at the book shop when you have this one?”

“I just finished that one,” Nan said. “I liked it a lot. And it just so happens that the man who wrote it will be at the book shop today. I’d like to meet him.” In the car, I looked at the book. It said “Dust Up, by Stan Bender.”

“What sort of book is this?” I asked.

“It’s a western,” said Nan.

“What’s a western?”

“It’s a book set out here in the West.”

“Is there an outlaw in the book like Bart?”

“There’s an outlaw,” said Nan, “but he’s not like Bart.”

“Why not?”

“He has bad manners!” said Nan.

I looked at the last page and saw the page number: 305. “Yikes!” I said. “This is a long book!”

“It is,” said Nan. “But it felt short to me because I liked it so much. I was sad when I got to the end!” I started to look inside the book, but just then Nan said, “Here we are!”

The Book Shop

In the book shop, there was a big stack of books. Next to the books sat Stan Bender, the man who wrote the books. He had a pen in his hand, and a big smile on his lips. “You’d smile, too, if your book was selling as well as his is!” Nan said.

Nan and I went and stood in line to meet Stan Bender. Nan shook hands with him and said, “I’ve got twelve of your books. This one was your best book yet!”

The man smiled and said, “That’s sweet of you! I hope you will pick up my next one, too!”

“I will!” said Nan.

Then the man wrote, “Best wishes, Stan Bender,” in Nan’s book.

“Mister Bender,” I asked, “how hard was it to write that book?”

“Well,” he said, “this one was not all that hard. The last one I did was a lot harder.”

As we got back in the car, I said, “Nan, I’d like to write a book.”

“What sort of book would it be?” Nan asked. “Well,” I said, “Max and I found the T. Rex.”

“Yes, you did,” said Nan.

“And you and I found that coin.”

“Yes,” said Nan.

“And we are out here in the West.”

“Yes.”

“So it could be a bones and coins and western sort of book.”

“Why not?” said Nan. “If you write it, I will make the pictures.”

I said, “Shake on it!” Then we shook hands.

We Make a Book

When we got back to Nan’s, I started to write the book. I wrote down all of the cool stuff that happened to me out West. The hardest part was getting started. Once I got started, it went fast. Nan helped me pick out good words. Sometimes when you write, you have to write things two or three times to get all of the best words, and get them in the best order.

Max helped me out, too. He said, “I can help you with spelling. I am the best speller in my class.” Max looked at what I had written and fixed a lot of spelling mistakes that I had made. When I had written the words, Nan got out her brush and started to make the art. It took her a long time. She sent the pictures to me three weeks after I went home.

My dad took me and my book to a pal of his, to see if he would publish the book. The man looked at it and said, “This is well-written! Children out there will like this book. I’d like to print it!”

I was so glad, I shouted, “Yippee!” The man and his staff got the book all set to publish. Then they sent it to a printer.

*********

WEEK TWENTY-SIX PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

From Big

Now I can catch and throw a ball, and spell CAT, DOG, and PIG.

From My Nose

It does not breathe. It does not smell. It does not feel at all quite well.

From Five Chicks

One jumps, one pecks, one sings, “Cheep!”

From Cats And Dogs

For dogs chase cats, and cats chase rats. I guess they think it’s fun.

From Cold Snow

What can be done? Let’s all throw ’round some crumbs of bread.

From Zack And Ann

Ann went to Gwen’s Dress Shop. The shop had a red dress.

From Two Bad Mice

Now the mice were out of their minds. Each one’s face was red. Sweat came down their heads.

From The Flop-Flip Kids

Then they heard foot steps! Uh, oh! Mr. Gregg. He did not see them.

From Snap Shots

The cat can smell the fish. It can press on the glass.

From Peter Rabbit

Of course, that makes sense. He had been scared all day! And he had run a LOT!

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 31) OTHER C&V WORDS: “Short-E” repeated exposure, also including silent letters:

My sister was the “belle of the ball” at this year’s prom.

Belle Starr was a famous female outlaw who was often associated with Frank and Jesse James.

I was not dealt one good hand of cards in tonight’s bridge game.

The pirate captain yelled, “Swab the decks, mateys!”

Dad was pleased when Mom said that she’d paid off all of our credit card debts.

The customer service rep said, “I’d be happy to delve into your complaint, ma’am.”

On this brutally hot summer day, the air will be dense and smoggy.

Mardi Gras is one of the biggest fetes in America.

The wizard hexed his opponent and left him powerless.

Dad just about kecks every time he has to change the baby’s diaper.

The teacher leant over to look at the student’s colorful drawing.

The pro leapt up high and slam-dunked the basketball.

You do understand what I meant, I hope.

That woodpecker pecks at the tree very loudly.

Cinderella was the most beautiful young lady in the realm of the king.

That guy seems really book-smart, but he doesn’t seem to have much common sense.

What verb tense should I use in this sentence?

We were completely vexed at how the magician pulled off his tricks.

Yecch, what is that awful rotten egg smell coming from?

Our minister is going to bless the congregation’s pets today.

I think I want my turkey sandwich on rye bread today.

My favorite dessert is creme brulee.

To spice the salad up a bit, I’m adding some pungent cress.

I dread having to take that science test on Friday.

Honey, you need to stop hoarding and it’s time for you to throw out all that dreck of yours in the basement.

*********

WEEK TWENTY-SEVEN

WEEK TWENTY-SEVEN READING PASSAGES

Stories Misc

The Early Adventures of Redd, the Eventual Downtown Cat

Lesson 78 – Part One

NEW WORDS: Egypt, Mick, Redd, Redd’s, adventures, advice, altercation, amusing, apex, beaten, chatted, chestnut, classes, companion, conjures, downtown, dwelling, enjoyed, eventual, exhibit, fantastic, feline, growth, ideal, loads, math, meowing, mindset, nearby, numbers, overflowing, owner, quench, rainforest, removing, resides, risen, rumors, simply, smelly, soggy, spend, superb, tabby, teamwork, thirst, tummies, uber, ugly, urban, weighs

Redd is from the big city. His urban dwelling is downtown. That’s not where he started his life! But that’s where his life is now. And he loves being there!

He resides at Main and Market streets. That’s in Louisville, Kentucky. (That’s the home of the Kentucky Derby!) He loves fish. Any kind of fish! But he hates one thing about them. Removing the bones is a real pain.

Redd is a tabby with dark chestnut fur. He’s quite big. He weighs twelve pounds! And he’s five years old.

He likes to play. He finds amusing things in trash cans. He conjures up cool games with them.

Redd has loads of friends. His best buddy is his brother. He’s named “Tex.” Tex is older. And we hate to tell you this. But Tex is a bit “beaten up.”

It happened two years ago. He got in an altercation with a dog. He thinks the dog was a boxer. Poor Tex lost one eye. So, he is pretty ugly to look at. The eye has become white. And it’s also half-closed.

But Tex is a joyful cat. He doesn’t let his bad eye get him down. He tells great jokes and riddles. He makes folks laugh. He has a growth mindset!

Another companion is Mick. This feline is uber-smart. When Redd needs help, he runs to see Mick. Mick gives superb advice. And he’s a fantastic teacher.

How does Mick know so much? It’s because he once lived in a school. He liked to sit in the classes with the children! He liked math the best. He can now add numbers very well. He keeps a count of all the mice he has chased in the last five years. He thinks that he’s run after close to fifty of them!

Redd’s friends are his family. Most days, they spend a bunch of time together. And they exhibit great teamwork when hunting for food.

Last night was an ideal example. They waited at the back of a store. The owner came out the back door. He had to throw out some fish. They were getting a bit old for people to eat them. But they were still fine for cats! They like smelly fish!

All the friends enjoyed this feast. They went home with full tummies. Redd ate a whole trout! It was one of his best meals ever. “Yummy!” he kept meowing.

The next morning came. The sun had risen. And it was a fine day. Redd had some milk to drink. (A nice lady puts a bowl out for him each day.) He sat down to clean his fur. Mick came over. They both said “hi.” They gave each other a high-five. They chatted for a while. What would they accomplish during the day?

Mick had heard rumors about Redd’s first year of life. It wasn’t like most cats’ first year! He asked Redd to tell him that story. Redd was pleased to say, “yes.”

Redd the cat was born in a rainforest! He did not like all the rain. But that’s just the way it was. Water was all around you.

Water was at the apex of the trees. The ground was always soggy. The lake near him was always full. The nearby river was nearly overflowing. And that was a big river. As big as the Nile, in Egypt!

It was simply wet all year long. There was one good thing about that. Redd could always quench his thirst. Water was easy to find!

*********

Stories Misc

The Early Adventures of Redd, the Eventual Downtown Cat

Lesson 79 – Part Two

NEW WORDS: arrive, awaiting, bachelor’s, bigwig, bizarre, buddies, camps, choices, conversation, creature, curious, cushy, experiences, gushed, gym, haul, honored, humorous, instance, intriguing, invited, journey, lasted, leathery, lounge, marvelous, okay, painted, polite, puked, responded, ribbit, soundly, surprising, toucan, traveled, trek, tunes, twice, views, violet, yowled

Redd did not dwell in a house there. He lived in the body of a big tree! It was cooler in there. The room was big and clean. And he liked to lounge about and hear the rain fall.

He had modern art on the walls. So, the room was interesting. He had a big window, too. He had good views of the moon. He slept soundly in his cushy bed each night.

Redd had lots of buddies there, too. Bob the Toucan visited each Friday. He’d arrive in the morning. He’d sing great music to Redd. Redd liked to dance to the tunes!

Bob brought a new food for Redd last Friday. It was a prickly pear. Redd took a big bite. Then he spit it out! “Bob, that’s too sour and tart! That’s not a cat-friendly food!”

Redd did not understand how birds ate what they did! Redd had some bird-seed once. Later that day, he got REALLY sick. He puked it all up! He said, “Bob, I’m going to stick to fish, thank you!”

One week, Redd traveled to meet a friend of Bob’s. He was named John. There were no trains in the rainforest. So, it was a long walk. The trip lasted three days! But it was worth it. He had a marvelous time with John the Bear!

John’s home was in a cave. He had set it up well. It was a great bachelor’s pad! It had a T.V. and a small gym. There were colorful pictures on the walls. And there was a wonderful smell of honey in the air!

John was quite humorous. He liked “human food.” So, he would watch their camps. He’d sneak in while the people were out walking. He’d bring back quite a haul! So, Redd got to try more new foods!

There were many new choices. Redd tried cookies, eggs, corn, and milk.

He jumped for joy after he tried the milk. It was as good as fish! He did have to use a bowl to drink it out of. But that was okay. He said, “Please John. May I have some more? Thank you very much!”

Redd was happy that week-end. He knew that he’d made a new friend. John said, “why don’t you come to see me every three months?”

Redd didn’t think twice. “Yes!” he yowled. They said, “good bye.” Redd started back on his long trek home.

The second day of his journey back was surprising. He heard a really weird noise. It was about noon. He’d never heard that noise! He had to know what it was!

He followed the sound. Soon, he came to a door. It was another tree home. It was much like his own. But the door was painted bright violet. That was bold! A sign said, “Fred the Frog.”

Remember, Redd was still really young. He had many new experiences awaiting him. For instance, he did not yet know what “Frog” meant!

All at once, the door flew open. Out walked an old creature. He had dark green, leathery skin.

Redd began a conversation. “Good day, sir. I heard a bizarre sound. Did you make that intriguing noise?”

Fred said, “You mean this one?” Then he opened his mouth wide. Out came a deep, loud, “RIBBIT!”

Redd screeched, “That’s it! That is WAY COOL! I can’t make that kind of noise.”

Fred responded. “Why, thank you. I like to make extremely loud frog noises. That’s to keep the other frogs around here on alert. I make sure they know that I’M the king. And they are NOT!”

Redd gushed. “Wow! I am so honored to meet you. You must be quite a bigwig! My name is Redd.”

They both talked a while. Redd told Fred that he’d never seen a frog. Fred told Redd that he’d never seen a cat. Fred was very polite. But more than that, he was curious about cats. He invited Redd to spend two nights with him. Redd was about to make another dear friend!

*********

Lesson 80 – Space Hawk: Story Keeper

NEW WORDS: Dr., amounts, apartment, bead, building, bungalow, cabin, chimes, condo, cottage, curled, dismal, dorm, dormitory, dreadful, finished, fixes, gobs, habitation, household, instrument, keeper, languages, least, lodging, longest, meaning, mega, messes, miserable, misses, organ, palace, pathetic, piles, pitiful, questioned, residence, servings, share, shelter, stories, stream, synonyms, ton, tons, tune, wilder, wretched, writes

Dr. Gregg Brown is in our crew. He’s a word nut. And a great guy! Kind. Caring. Friendly. Funny. We love “Doc Syn.”

Why that name? “Doc Syn?” He’s smart with languages. SCARY smart! We need his help! All the time. Some times, our “TALKER” messes up with Alien words. He fixes that. At least most times.

He also writes our stories. He writes better than we can. His stories show what we are learning! He never misses a thing. He uses cool words. And his tales are fun to read.

So. Here’s why he’s “Doc Syn.” He says a word. Then he yells out a bunch more. “Synonyms!” More words that mean the same as the first word. Or close in meaning. “Syn” is short for “synonyms.”

The first time I heard him, it was crazy! World K666. He said, “These people eat a TON of food. Each day! TONS! LOTS! PILES! GOBS! HUGE AMOUNTS! LARGE SERVINGS! MEGA-POUNDS! MOUNTAINS! BOAT LOADS!”

Next time was wilder. World Y717. “Look at the size of that HOUSE! HOME! FLAT! CONDO! TOWN HOUSE! DWELLING! COTTAGE! BUILDING! SHELTER! DORM! CABIN! PALACE! APARTMENT! TIME SHARE! RESIDENCE! BUNGALOW! HOUSEHOLD! MANSION! LODGING! HABITATION! DORMITORY!”

His brain is always going. Words just fly out. He can’t help it. I questioned him. “Doc Syn. Why do you do that?”

His mouth curled into a wide grin. “Well. I love words. I’m a nut case. And English has so many choices!”

I asked, “What is your longest stream?”

His smile got bigger. “This happens here and there. I shout out more than twenty synonyms! In a row!”

“No way!” I said. “Is it hard?”

He said, “No! Not at all. Not for me. Look! Each person has gifts. One. Two. Three. Maybe more. Words are my gift. That’s just me! ‘Doc Syn’ fits my gifts. I know YOUR gift, Chuck. Music. Right?”

I agreed. He kept on. “Poor me. I can’t keep a tune. I can’t play an instrument. SAD! SORRY! PITIFUL! DREADFUL! DISMAL! PATHETIC! MISERABLE! WRETCHED! I stink at music!” I laughed loudly. “Music is not my gift. But you pick up even Alien music fast. Good for you!”

I said, “Thanks Doc. That means a lot. And back at you! I learn so many new words from YOU! Keep it up!”

Doc said, “That’s a sure thing. I can’t help it.”

I finished our talk. “Doc. You put me in a music mood. I’ll go practice. Hmm. The colored-rocks-organ from C121? Or the crystal-bead–chimes from P007?”

*********

Lesson 81 – Space Hawk: No Pets!

NEW WORDS: Guinea, Holly’s, barns, buffalo, confused, donkey, explained, faces, flight, form, forms, goose, hamster, hedgehog, hooray, humanoids, iguana, kidding, landing, laps, mammals, mod, orbit, parrot, planet, reptiles, showing, solar, system, useless

Hi there, Chuck here (NOT CHUCK-CHUCK!) Hooray, we got to the blue giant star! You know, that’s where Max said to go.

He had said, “Let’s check out this solar system. Any worlds? Any life? I hope we find some Aliens to meet!”

We found nine worlds, one with human-like life. There’s a big word for human-like life: “Humanoids!” We went into orbit, and we talked to them. They said, “Come on down.” They wanted to meet us, and we wanted to meet them. We called the planet World Q333. We flew down in the MOD (more on the MOD later!) It was an easy flight with a smooth landing.

Doc Syn is our best talker. Of course, he came with us. He asked the Aliens about THEIR pets. They got funny looks on their faces. “Pets?” they asked. “What are pets?”

Doc explained. “You know, little animals. They aren’t human. They live with you, and you play with them. They are fun, and they bring you joy.”

The Aliens looked confused, so they talked to us. “We do not know about that. There’s nothing like that here.”

Doc asked more questions. “Do you have any animals? They’re not human. Do you have any bugs? They’re also not human.”

The TALKER was working, but these words meant nothing to the Aliens. This is where we needed Doc Syn! Doc said, “We have many life forms. Humans are only one kind of life form. Do you have other life forms?”

Their people answered, “We don’t know ‘other life forms.’ What does that mean? There are only humans here. Show us what’s on Earth!!”

This was wild, because Q333 had only humans! No bugs, no reptiles, no mammals. No birds, no fish, just humans! Doc said, “Let’s show them a bunch of Earth life forms. Boot up HOLLY!”

Doc said, “HOLLY. Farm animals.” The show began. “This is a pig. A cow. A horse. A goose. A sheep. A goat. An ox. A hog. A mule. A donkey. A pony. A buffalo.”

The Aliens loved HOLLY’s show! They laughed. “What is behind their legs?”

Doc explained “tails.” The Aliens laughed! They said, “You must be kidding! What good is a tail? It looks useless to us!” We didn’t have a good answer for them!

Then they asked more. “Are these farm animals your ‘pets’?”

Doc said, “Not really. These stay outside. And in barns. Pets are in our houses. HOLLY! Start showing pets. Here is a cat. A dog. A hamster. A guinea pig. An iguana. A hedgehog. A parrot. Show them sleeping with us. Show them in our laps.”

The Aliens could not believe this. They liked the idea. But they kept laughing. “Your world is funny to us. But we love to learn, just like you! Show us more ‘life forms.'”

*********

WEEK TWENTY-SEVEN PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

From I Saw A Ship A-Sailing

The four-and-twenty sailors that stood between the decks, were four-and-twenty white mice, with chains about their necks.

From The Man Of Bombay

When a bird called a snipe flew away with his pipe, that vexed the fat man of Bombay.

From Gran

“What a swell duck!” said Fuzz. “And what a swell plane ride!”

From May-Belle Milks The Cow

Tick-tock, five o’clock! May-Belle milks the cow.

From Scott

The kite zips up. It rides on the wind. It shines in the sun. The wind lifts it up till it is just a speck.

From The Lion And The Mouse

The lion meant to eat the mouse. But the wee mouse cried out. “Please set me free.”

I See The Moon

I see the moon, and the moon sees me. God bless the moon, and God bless me.

From The Five Senses

The odor molecules go up his nose. Then he smells the scent of coffee.

From What A Golf Round

He found the ball. He used a club to pull the ball close to water’s edge. He knelt to pick it up.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 31) OTHER C&V WORDS: “Short-E” repeated exposure, also including silent letters … continued:

Should I wear a floral print or a solid color dress to the party?

You can’t dwell on mistakes that you’ve made, and you have to move on with your life.

The Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812 between the U.S. and Great Britain.

John Glenn was a famous astronaut and a U.S. Senator.

Our biology teacher, Mrs. Gregg, had us dissect a frog today.

I bet that you can’t guess what I’m holding behind my back!

I need to change the sheets on the beds in the guest room.

The candidate’s stream of boorish comments was the death knell for his campaign.

The elderly lady knelt at the alter to offer up a silent prayer.

The Congresswoman was interviewed thihs morning on Meet The Press.

To my nose, that awful perfume has a cloying over-sweet scent to it.

I’m afraid that awful smell is coming from your shoes.

I hate it when there’s even one speck of dust on my computer screen.

The Corporate Operating Officer came to the event in the Chairman’s stead.

Did you know that the reason you sweat is to try to cool down your skin temperature?

That’s swell of you to invite me to your birthday party.

The tread on your car’s tires is getting dangerously low.

A whelk is a type of sea snail that is actually edible.

The mama kitty and her whelp keep me company these days.

I hope this movie trailer whets Dad’s appetite for the next Avengers film.

Okay, son, drive VERY carefully and don’t wreck our car!

The boy was able to wrest his toy back from the bully who took it from him.

*********

WEEK TWENTY-EIGHT

WEEK TWENTY-EIGHT READING PASSAGES

Lesson 82 – Pattern-Builder Poems

NEW WORDS: Casey, Crissy, Dag, Gracie, Graham, Lacey, Lance, Macy, Missy, Missy’s, Stacey, Stacey’s, Tracy, Vance, advance, bled, brag, chance, clam, cleaned, crazies, drab, enhanced, fig, flab, glance, hissy, jab, kissy, lab, lamb, ma’am, mint, nab, nag, outdance, pinched, prance, prissy, racy, rag, ragtag, romance, sag, sassy, scab, seat, sis, sissy, snag, soiled, spacey, spam, stab, stag, stance, tag, trance, wag, wham, yam

Jam On Ham And Lamb

I am Sam.
I love jam, on my ham.
Fig jam.
And on my lamb?
Mint jam.
Think I’m nuts?
Well, yes, I am!
Do you know Pam?
Or Graham?
They like jam on a yam.
Worse, they like jam on a clam!
And it gets worse than that!
They like to wham jam on their Spam!!
YUCK! No ma’am!
For me, just jam on ham and lamb.
It’s as good as a grand slam!

Crab In A Cab

My dad took a cab,
To go to his drab work lab.
He sat in the seat,
And he felt a jab.
No! More like a stab!
“OUCH!” yelled he.
“I sat on a crab!”
It went under the front seat.
“I’ll nab that crab!”
But when he went to grab the crab,
It pinched him where he had some flab,
So he bled a bit,
And now he’ll have a scab!

Rag In A Bag

“Hi there, friend Dag,
What’s in that bag?”
“A quite soiled rag!
Of this, I can’t brag.
It cleaned an old nag.
If your dog smells it, he’ll gag.
He’ll run to that flag,
He’ll zig, and he’ll zag,
He’ll run as fast as a stag.
His long tail will sag,
On the ground, it will drag,
For hours, not a wag!
AND, he won’t play tag.
So, your dog you should snag,
Take him far from here,
And keep him quite, quite clear,
From my ragged, ragtag, rag in a bag.”

The Crazies

I know Lacey,
Her sis is Tracy,
One aunt’s Gracie,
One aunt’s Stacey,
Stacey’s kind of spacey,
Her son is Casey,
Their last name’s Macy,
Their jokes are racy,
They’re all kind of crazy.
Their best friend is Crissy,
She often has a hissy,
She calls her cat “Missy,”
Missy’s kind of prissy,
Gets all kissy-kissy,
Is also kind of sissy,
And some times a bit sassy!

A Dance Romance

Just by chance,
I got a glance,
In advance,
Of two men at a dance.
Both are from France.
One is named Lance.
His brother’s named Vance.
They take a good stance,
And then they prance,
They put me in a trance,
Their dance is so enhanced.
I can’t outdance either of them.
Maybe I shall romance one of them!

*********

Lesson 83 – 3-Letter Vocab-Builder

NEW WORDS: Al, Alf, Ali, Amy, Ava, Bea, Bec, Bev, Cal, Del, Dom, Edy, Eli, German, Reg, Ron, Roy, Roz, Sol, Stu, Tal, Tye, Uma, Val, Vin, Viv, Wim, ads, aha, aim, ape, aw, bah, bap, beg, bin, bop, brr, cob, hoping, oat, ohh, pee, rah, ram, raw, ref, rib, rob, sec, sex, sh, shh, sip, ski, sub, sum, tab, tap, toss, ugh, war, won, woo, ya, yay, yea, yeh, yip, yo

The horse ate each oat in this bag.

Give me that rag with the oil can.

Ohh, that is SO cool!

What do I owe you?

You don’t need to pay me.

You’re such a sweet pea!

Mom, I’ve got to pee!

Yum, that was the best pie!

Rah, Rah, Go Team!

A ram is a man-sheep.

Don’t eat that raw!

Good, a ray of sun!

That ref made a bad call!

Should we name the dog Reg or Rex?

The boxer was hit hard in a rib.

The ball came off the rim.

Don’t rip my shirt!

Rob let the fish rot in his car.

I need to rub that pen mark off my hand.

That shirt is too big and will sag on me.

I’ll be there in just a sec.

What sex is this baby cat?

Sh, I don’t want you to say a thing.

I’ll have a sip of tea.

Hi Sis, how are you doing?

I’m hoping for snow, so we can go to ski.

I know you’re sad, but please don’t sob.

A nice man was our sub in class today.

Vin, what is the sum of two and six?

Close that tab on your computer.

I feel a tad bit sick, Viv.

I know a German guy named “Wim.”

Tag, you’re it!

Tap your foot to the beat.

Watch out for that wet tar on the road.

That weighs a ton!

That’s a sweet tot.

Let’s play tug of war.

Ugh, I just can’t do this right.

Uh, I don’t know what you mean.

Ron, wad that up and toss it out.

Why won’t he wag his tail?

I have wax in my ear, Roy.

That is a cool spider web.

Roz, do you think we can win?

Can I have a yam to eat tonight?

All that dog does is yap, yap, yap!

Yay, you did it, Sid!

Yeh, I bought a new car.

Yo, how ya‘ doing, Sol?

Ben likes looking at ads for cars.

Stu says, “Bah, hum-bug!” when he’s mad.

Are you going to bop me on the head?

Shh, let Tal sing her song.

Um, I shouldn’t have said that, Tex.

Woo-Hoo, that’s great that you won, Tye!

Yea, you got the job, Uma!

Why does your dog yip so much, Val?

Abe, here’s an ad for a boxer pup.

Alf, can you add two and four?

What’s your age, Amy?

Yup, Ava did a great job, all right.

Look Bea, I knew that long ago.

Aha, there it is, Bec!

Aim straight, Ali!

Al saw a bear cub.

Look Bev, there’s an ape climbing a tree.

Bud has a hairy arm.

Her art work makes me laugh.

Hey Cal, we have an ash tree.

Aw, don’t get mad, Dag!

Dom, don’t bap me on the head!

Dad’s at the bar, with Del.

I beg you not to do that, Edy.

Aunt Em said, “Put this corn cob in the bin.”

Brr, it’s cold out here, Eli!

*********

Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

The Job Hunt

Lesson 84 – Part One

NEW WORDS: Bronx, Brooklyn, Frisbee, Gunter, Kurt, Kurt’s, Lynn, Sheryl, bikes, burst, drummer’s, drummers, fare, fuss, glanced, hesitated, nineteen, opening, prospect, shorts, slacks, slapped, soccer, stooped, subway, sweeping, tigers, waving

Morning

It was morning. Kurt Gunter was in the kitchen with his big sister, Kim. Kurt placed some butter on his toast. Kim glanced at the paper and ate some toast. Kurt was seven. His sister Kim was nineteen. She was home from college for the summer. “What are you doing?” Kurt asked.

“I’m looking in today’s paper at the Job Opening ads,” Kim said.

“Why?”

“I need a summer job,” Kim explained.

“Why do you need a job?”

“So I can make some cash.”

“What will you do with your cash?” asked Kurt.

“I’ll save most of it,” said Kim. “But I’ll spend some on things I need, like clothing. And I would like to get a bike.”

“You can get a bike if you get a job?”

“Yes.”

Kurt sat thinking of how much fun it would be to ride bikes with Kim. “Cool! So, what sort of job will you get?” Kurt asked.

“I can’t tell. That’s why I’m looking at the paper.”

Kurt ate some toast. Then he asked, “Should I get a job, too?”

Kim smiled. “You are just seven,” she said. “You don’t need to get a job yet. You should be having fun.”

“But I would like one!” Kurt wailed.

“I’ll tell you what,” Kim said. “You can help me look for a job. If you see a job you like, then you can get that job when you are my age.”

“That sounds good!” Kurt said. When she finished reading the ads, Kim went and got dressed. She dressed in her best slacks and a crisp white shirt. “Why are you all dressed up?” asked Kurt.

“It helps to dress up when you go looking for a job,” Kim explained.

“Should I dress up, too?”

“Just slip on a pair of nice shorts,” she told him.

Kurt ran off and got a pair of shorts. “Would you say this pair of shorts is nice?” he asked.

“Those will do,” said Kim. Then Kim went to see her mom.

“All set for the job hunt?” Mrs. Gunter asked with a smile. Kim nodded.

“You look nice. Did you check to see if it will rain?”

“It’s not going to rain, but it’s going to be hot.”

“Okay. Here’s a fare card for the subway,” said Mrs. Gunter. “And here’s some cash to pay for lunch and snacks. Call me if there’s a problem.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Kim said.

Kurt burst into the room. “Mom, I’m going to get a job, too!” he shouted.

Mrs. Gunter said, “Your job is first to do what Kim says and then to be good while she looks for a job.”

“Yes, Mom,” said Kurt.

Then Mrs. Gunter spoke to Kim. “Keep your chin up. Use your best manners. Smile. And let them see how smart you are. That will help you get a job.”

As they went out, Kurt asked, “Where are we going?”

Kim said, “Just stay with me.”

Brooklyn

Kim took Kurt by the hand and the two of them set off so that Kim could look for a job. It was a summer morning in Brooklyn. There were lots of cars on the streets. There were people walking here and there. A man was sweeping the street outside his shop.

Kim and Kurt walked until they got to Prospect Park. Kurt looked into the park as they went past. He saw people playing Frisbee. He saw people on bikes. He saw a man playing fetch with his dog. He saw soccer players on their way to a game. He saw runners on their way to the gym.

“Can we stop and play?” asked Kurt.

“No,” Kim said. “I have to get a job.”

Kurt slumped a bit to let Kim see that he was sad, but he kept walking. “Kim,” he said after a bit, “will having a job make you a grown-up?”

“Well, sort of,” said Kim. “I’m in college. I think that makes me part kid and part grown-up.”

“Will you still have time to play with me?”

“Yes!” Kim said, rubbing Kurt’s arm. “We will have lots of time to play. I’ll get a part-time job, one that is not too hard. That way, I will not be too tired when I get home. Then we can play.”

“You should get a job at the Bronx Zoo!” Kurt said. “Then you can play with the snakes and tigers.”

Kim said. “I don’t think so. I don’t like snakes. But we can visit the zoo later this summer. After I get a job, I will have cash to do fun things like that.” Just then Kim saw two old pals waving at her. “Lynn!” she yelled. “Sheryl! What’s up?”

Lynn and Sheryl crossed the street. “Hi, Kim!” said Lynn. “Are you home from college for the summer?”

“Yes,” said Kim. “It’s good to be back here in Brooklyn!” Kim slapped hands with her pals. Then she said, “You two have met Kurt, haven’t you?”

Lynn and Sheryl nodded. Lynn stooped down to look at Kurt and said, “Hi, big man! Would you like to come with us? We are going over to Drummer’s Grove to see the drummers.”

“Drummer’s Grove?” Kurt said. “Can we go, Kim? Can we? Can we? Can we?” Kim hesitated. She needed to get started on her job hunt. But she wanted Kurt to have fun, too. If she dragged him off without seeing the drummers, there was a chance he would get mad and fuss all day. That would not be much fun.

“Okay,” she said at last. “But just for a bit. I need to get started with my job hunt.”

*********

Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

The Job Hunt

Lesson 85 – Part Two

NEW WORDS: Dwight, Dwight’s, bongo, bulb, chatting, drumming, gulp, hiring, honking, jackhammer, lamps, poster, pounded, pounding, price, sells, shifting, shouting, soaking, systems, taken, traffic, voices

Drummer’s Grove

Brooklyn was home to all kinds of sounds. Kim and Kurt were used to lots of them. There were the sounds of traffic. Cars and trucks and buses went zipping by all the time, honking their horns and playing loud music on their sound systems.

There were also the sounds of voices — people shouting and chatting and singing. There were dogs barking, and even the sounds of tools that people used as part of their jobs — like a jackhammer digging a hole in the street.

This day, Kim and Kurt were soaking up the sounds in Drummer’s Grove with Kim’s pals, Lynn and Sheryl. Drummer’s Grove is a place in Prospect Park where people gather to play drums. Some of them play steel drums. Some play bongo drums. Some of them hit the drums with sticks. Some of them slap the drums with their bare hands.

Kurt liked the sounds in Drummer’s Grove. He jumped up and down and did a dance. Kim, Lynn, and Sheryl all smiled.

“Is drumming a job?” Kurt asked Kim.

“It is for some people,” Kim said. “But here I think they drum just for fun.”

“I can see why,” Kurt said. “It looks like a lot of fun!”

“Would you like to take a shot at it?” Lynn asked.

“Do you think they would let me play?” asked Kurt.

“You won’t know unless you ask,” said Kim. “All they can say is no.”

Kurt jumped at the chance. He went up to a drummer, pointed at his drum and said, “Would you mind if I took a turn to play?” The drummer was kind and let Kurt have a chance. Kurt pounded on the drum and tapped his foot like he was going wild! He did his best to keep up with the rest of the drummers. He liked drumming. He got the hang of it fast. But soon he felt pain in his hands from pounding so much.

“Thanks,” Kurt told the man as he gave him back the drum, “but you had better take the drum back. It’s hard on my hands.”

“If you do it a lot, your hands will get used to it,” the drummer told him.

Kurt went back to where Kim, Lynn, and Sheryl were standing. “You are a good drummer,” Lynn told him.

“Tell Kim to get you a drum as a gift after she gets a job!” said Sheryl.

“If we don’t get going soon, I’ll never find a job!” said Kim. “Let’s go, Kurt.”

“Good luck with your job hunt,” Lynn said.

“See you later!” Kim said. She waved to Lynn and Sheryl. Kurt waved to the drummers.

Dwight’s Lights

Kim and Kurt walked down the street. Kurt stopped to look at a poster. Kim yanked on his arm. “Let’s go,” she said. “We can’t stop till I find myself a job!”

Kim spotted the poster. It was hanging in a shop named Dwight’s Lights. In big, bold letters, it said “Dwight is hiring!” Kim led Kurt into the shop. Inside the shop there were hundreds of lights and lamps. And all of them were on.

“Yikes,” said Kurt, “it’s bright in here!”

Just then a man came charging up. He had a big smile and a necktie with a light bulb on it. He started shouting at Kim and Kurt. “Yes!” said the man. “It’s bright at Dwight’s Lights! In fact, it’s never night at Dwight’s Lights! Dwight likes it bright! I’m Dwight! Yes, I am the Man of Light! Dwight’s got big lights! Dwight’s got small lights! Dwight’s got tall lights! Dwight’s got short lights! Dwight’s got bright lights and brighter lights! Dwight’s got lights that shut off when you clap your hands! Dwight sells all kinds of light — except sunlight. Har, har, har!”

The man seemed to think this was the best joke of all time. But still he did not stop shouting. “Yes, Dwight’s lights are out of sight. And Dwight’s price is without fail the right price! So don’t think twice! Get a light at Dwight’s! Yes, Miss, if you need a lamp or a light for your dorm room, you came to the right place! It’s Dwight’s place!” At last, the man stopped for a gulp of air.

“Um,” said Kim. “I don’t need a light. I just need a job. I saw the poster outside. Are you still hiring?”

When Kim said, “I don’t need a light,” the man’s face fell and he let out a sigh.

“Job?” he said, shifting into a quiet voice. “We filled the job. Is the poster still up?” He looked at the poster. “We should have taken this poster down,” he said. “The job opening was filled last week.” Then he walked off.

Kim and Kurt went back out. “Kim,” said Kurt, “Dwight was an odd man.”

“Indeed, he was,” said Kim.

Kurt did a bit of thinking. Then he said, “I think perhaps it’s best that you did not get that job.”

“I think you might be right,” said Kim.

*********

WEEK TWENTY-EIGHT PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

From Zack And Ann

The bad crab snaps at Dad. Dad lifts up his legs.

From Two Bad Mice

Their eyes popped out. Their paws were bunched like fists. They screamed.

From Sam

The kids will print till class ends. Then the bell will ring.

Sam’s mom hands him his pack. Sam slips the pack on his back.

From Birthdays

Think of all the gifts you’d get, and all the songs you’d hear.

From May-Belle Milks The Cow

May-Belle milks as fast as she can, as fast as she can, can, can.

From The Evening Is Coming

The evening is coming. The sun sinks to rest.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 32) CVCCC WORDS: “Short-I” repeated exposure:

I bet that he bilks the government and doesn’t pay all the taxes that he should pay.

Don’t forget to grab those compact discs to listen to in the car on our trip.

In early computers, we had to store data on “floppy disks,” not on flash drives.

Those finks down the street surprised us with a barrage of snowballs!

When he put both fists up, I ran from him.

I got great gifts for my birthday.

I need some hints on how to do this math problem.

I don’t understand how he lifts up something this heavy.

I bet that my sister jilts her new boyfriend within a month.

What kind of high-jinks has that troublesome kid been up to lately?

Going to church on Sundays almost always lifts my spirits.

This music’s odd lilts make it challenging to dance to.

That poor dog limps, because he has one bad leg.

Class, please read the articles at these two Internet links for tonight’s homework.

That child lisps a little bit when she pronounces certain words.

Kids, have you written out your Christmas wish-lists?

Which of these flavored milks tastes the best?

Minks are in the family of minks, otters, weasels, and ferrets.

Can I have one of those breath mints?

Mom uses this spray bottle when she mists the plants with water.

Here are five shades of pinks that you can choose from to select your fabric.

There are two different ice skating rinks in our city.

You should never take risks when you are driving.

While Mom sifts the flour, I’ll beat the eggs.

That clothing store imports only the highest-quality silks from China.

In our science class, we’re studying samples of silts from rivers that flood, like the Nile in Egypt.

It’s so cold that the pipes to the sinks have frozen up.

When I blow this dog whistle, Rover tilts his head and looks funny.

We’re going to tinct this barrel of dye with an indigo color.

You have a choice of three different tints for your car windows.

When a potted plant wilts, it’s time to water it!

Wilt’s older brother is going to be a marine.

Coach said, “Guys, we can’t be wimps in today’s game; you’ve got to block and tackle hard!”

Grandpa winks at me a lot.

There are only a few wisps of cirrus clouds in today’s very clear skies.

Small levels of zincs can be found in meats, fish, fowl, eggs, and dairy products.

*********

WEEK TWENTY-NINE

WEEK TWENTY-NINE READING PASSAGES

Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

The Job Hunt

Lesson 86 – Part Three

NEW WORDS: Alberto, accent, backs, biceps, clenched, counter, curls, gelato, jammed, jogging, leaving, lime, quit, quits, quitter, shelves, sooner, staring, strengthen, timing, tiring, triceps, winner

The Gym

After leaving Dwight’s Lights, Kim stopped for a moment to think about where she should try next to find a job. “Mom’s pals, Tom and Beth, run a gym that is nearby. I might have a chance getting a job at their gym, so let’s go!”

On the way to the gym, Kim explained to Kurt that a gym is a place where people go to exercise and get in shape. She explained that people pay to be members of a gym. Kurt had never visited a gym. The gym seemed odd to him. He stood staring at a man who was jogging in place.

“He keeps running,” said Kurt, “but he is still in the same place!”

“It’s kind of like the wheel that rat of yours likes to run on,” said Kim. “It lets him run in place.”

“He’s not a rat,” said Kurt. “He’s a hamster!” Kurt kept on looking at the man jogging in place. “Why not just run in the park?” he asked.

“Some people think the gym is fun, just like you think the park is fun,” Kim said.

“All the people here are working hard,” Kurt said. “Why do they pay to work so hard?”

“It makes them feel good and strong after they have finished,” Kim said.

Just then Tom and Beth came over to see them. “Hi, Kim! Hi, Kurt!” said Beth. “It’s good to see you. What brings you here?”

Kim said, “I’m looking for a summer job. I stopped to see if you need help. Are you hiring?”

“We just hired someone for a job in the snack bar,” Beth said, pointing over to the counter. “People like to have a cool drink and a snack when they finish in the gym.”

“That looks like a good job,” said Kim. “I wish I had gotten here sooner.”

“Bad timing,” said Beth. “We don’t need more help right now. But you will find a job somewhere else.”

Tom took Kurt and Kim to see the rest of the gym. Kurt pointed at a man who was doing curls. “What’s he doing?” Kurt asked.

“He’s doing curls,” Tom explained. “Would you like to do some curls?” Kurt nodded. “Here,” Tom said. “Use this one. Lift it up. That will strengthen your biceps — the tops of your arms. Then let it down. That will strengthen your triceps — the backs of your arms.”

Kurt did five or six curls. Then he clenched his arm and yelled, “I am the man of steel!” Kim just smiled at Kurt.

Kim spoke to Beth and Tom. “Well, I suppose we should go,” she said. “Thank you for meeting with me.”

“No problem,” said Tom.

“Good luck with the job hunt,” said Beth. “We will send word to you if we need help here.”

“Why don’t you go see Alberto at the corner market?” added Tom. “He may have a job for you. Plus, he’s one of the nicest men I ever met.”

The Corner Market

“Can we quit looking for a job and go back to the park to see the drummers?” Kurt asked.

“Are you kidding?” Kim said. “I just started looking. And you know what Mom says: A winner never quits, and a quitter never wins. The corner market is just up the block. Let’s try them and see if they have a job for me.”

Kurt and Kim found the corner market. A bell rang as they went inside. There were all kinds of things for sale in the market. The walls and shelves were jammed with boxes and bags and cans.

“May I help you?” asked the man at the counter. He was a nice-looking man with gray hair and glasses. He spoke with an accent.

“Are you Alberto?” asked Kim.

“Yes, I am.”

“Nice to meet you,” said Kim. She shook his hand. “I’m trying to find a summer job. Beth and Tom at the gym suggested that I come to see you.”

“I wish I had a job for you,” Alberto said with a shrug. “You seem like a nice kid. But it is bad timing. I just hired someone last week. But I’ll keep you in mind for the next time.”

“Okay,” said Kim. “Would you call me if something opens up? My name and number are written on this card.”

Kim was all set to go. Then she felt a tug on her arm. “Kim,” said Kurt, “all this job hunting is tiring me out. I could use a snack.”

“Okay,” said Kim. “What would you like?”

Kurt said, “I would like a lime gelato.” Kim paid Alberto for the gelato.

“I was hoping you might pay me,” Kim said to Alberto with a smile. “But look how things ended up — with me paying you!” The man smiled and handed Kim some coins in return.

*********


Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

The Job Hunt

Lesson 87 – Part Four

NEW WORDS: Clark, Manhattan, agent, banker, bankers, banks, booths, borrow, breathing, cleaning, creaking, crosses, diner, dreamed, fees, fries, given, handing, hmmm, jabbed, loan, loans, marked, midnight, milkshake, milkshakes, ordered, packed, pancakes, platform, roads, saving, slowed, squashed, squeaking, stools, strap, swayed, tasting, underground, waiters, waitress, waitresses, whispered

The Diner

The next place Kim went to look for a job was a diner. “I’ll just drop off my name and number and then we can go on to the next place,” she said.

“No, no,” said Kurt. “I don’t think you should do that.”

“Why not?” said Kim.

“You would not like to take a job in a diner without tasting the food to find out if it’s good.”

“Hmmm. I think that you would like to test the food at the diner, Mister Gelato!” Kurt nodded. They went in. The place was packed. All the booths were taken. There were people sitting on most of the stools. A waitress passed by with a huge tray piled high with dishes. It was quite a sight.

“There’s a spot at the counter over there,” said Kim. “Let’s grab it.”

Kurt and Kim waited. After five minutes a waitress came by. “Hi,” said Kim. “I would like to ask if you are hiring.”

“And I would like to ask if the milkshakes here are good,” said Kurt.

“You won’t find a better milkshake in all of Brooklyn,” said the waitress. “Would you like to try one?”

Kurt nodded. He ordered a hot dog, fries, and a milkshake. “I’ll just have coffee and pancakes,” said Kim.

“Okay,” said the waitress. “I’ll check with the boss to see if he’s hiring.”

“Did you just order pancakes for lunch?” Kurt asked. Kim nodded. “That seems odd,” said Kurt.

“No, it’s not,” said Kim. “You can get pancakes all day long in a diner.”

“If you say so,” said Kurt.

“So, what kinds of jobs do they have in a diner?” Kurt asked.

“They have the waiters and waitresses. They take orders and bring food,” Kim explained. “There are people back in the kitchen, too. There is a cook and someone to clean the dishes.”

The boss came over. “So, you would like a summer job?” he asked Kim.

“Yes.”

“Can you cook?” he asked. “I need a cook in the morning. And I need someone to clean dishes at night.”

“I’m not going to lie,” Kim told the man. “I’m not the best cook. But I don’t mind cleaning dishes.”

“Well, to clean dishes, you would stay until midnight or one A.M. sometimes.”

“That’s late for me,” said Kim. “That might not be the best job for me. But thank you for your time.”

“Thank you, too,” said the boss.

The Subway

When Kim and Kurt were finished eating, Kim paid for the meal and left a tip for the waitress. Then they went out of the diner. “We need to get on the subway and go into Manhattan,” she said.

“Manhattan?” Kurt said with a loud sigh. “This job hunt will take all day!”

“It won’t take that long. I’m just having no luck here in Brooklyn. Maybe I can find a job in Manhattan.” They walked to the subway stop. Kim got out the fare card her mom had given her.

“Which train will we take?” Kurt asked.

“The Number 3 train.”

Kim pointed to a map on the wall. She showed Kurt a red line on the map. “We will ride from here in Brooklyn over to Manhattan, and all the way up to Times Square.”

Kurt pointed at the spot on the map that marked the East River. “Will we get to see the river?”

“No,” said Kim. “The subway goes under the river. That’s why it’s named a subway. “Sub” means “under.” A subway is a train that goes under things like rivers and roads. It travels underground.”

Kurt and Kim waited on the platform for the subway train. Soon, Kurt could hear the sound of the train as it got closer. There was a gust of air. The train rolled up to the platform and stopped. The people inside the subway train were packed in tight. There were no seats, so Kim reached up and grabbed a strap. Kurt held on tight to Kim’s leg.

The train started off with a jerk. All the people swayed from side to side. Kurt could hear the train squeaking and creaking. Soon, the train slowed down. A voice came over the speaker, “This is Clark Street. Next stop is Wall Street.”

“Where are we?” Kurt asked Kim.

“This is the last stop in Brooklyn,” Kim explained. “Next, the subway crosses over to Manhattan.”

“Then can we get off? I’m so squashed I’m having a hard time breathing.”

“Hang in there,” Kim said. “Some people will get off as soon as we get to Manhattan.” Kim was right. The next stop was Wall Street. Lots of people got off the train. At last, Kurt and Kim got seats on the train.

“This is much better!” Kurt said.

Wall Street

At the Wall Street stop a man got on the train. He had on black pants, a black jacket, a crisp white shirt, and a red necktie. He was holding a black case. He looked sharp. Kurt jabbed Kim with his elbow and whispered, “What do you think his job is? Do you think he is a spy or a secret agent?”

“I don’t know,” Kim said. “He might be a banker who has a job in a bank on Wall Street.”

“What’s a bank?”

“A bank is a place where you can keep your cash so it is safe. The bank keeps your cash until you need it and they pay you a bit for saving your cash with them. Since not everyone needs their cash at the same time, the bank has extra cash that they can use to make loans to people who need cash.”

“What’s a loan?”

“When you get a loan from a bank, the bank lets you borrow some of the cash that it has, and you make a deal to pay the cash back later, plus some fees that the bank adds in.”

“You mean you have to pay back more cash than the cash you borrow?”

“That’s right.”

“Why not just use the cash you’ve got?” Kurt asked.

“Well, if you have a lot of cash, you might not need to get a loan. But let’s say you plan to open your own store. You would need a lot of cash before you even opened the store! You might not have all of this cash on your own, so you might need a loan to get started.”

Kurt dreamed of a store he might like to open and of a banker handing him a big bag of cash. Then he dreamed that he might even like to be a banker himself. “Do bankers get paid a lot?” Kurt asked.

“Some of them do.”

“So why don’t you get a job at a bank?”

“Most banks won’t hire you unless you have finished two or three years of college. I have just finished one year.”

“So it’s a hard job to get?” Kim nodded.

*********

Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

The Job Hunt

Lesson 88 – Part Five

NEW WORDS: Hester, aster, bakery, bases, basic, batted, caller, calling, checking, cleaner, cranberry, cupcakes, daydream, daydreamed, displayed, dreamer, driver, fans, florist, former, freshly, goods, helper, inning, larkspur, leading, lifelong, muffin, ninth, posters, recipe, rounding, shaking, sighed, sights, skyscrapers, spaceship, spoken, stretch, strike, tallest, throngs, treats

The Daydream

The subway train went on past Wall Street, going north. Kim looked at the Job Opening ads in the paper. Kurt looked up at the posters that were hanging on the walls of the train. One of them was a poster of two star baseball players. The players seemed to smile down at Kurt, as if to say, “This is the life, man!”

Kurt stared at the poster and daydreamed. He could hear a man speaking. The man was calling out the play-by-play for a baseball game.

“Two out in the ninth inning,” the man said. “The home team is down by two runs. So, Mark, it looks like it’s all up to Kurt Gunter at this point.”

“Well, James,” said a different voice, “Kurt Gunter has had such a good year. As you know, the former spaceship pilot and race car driver is leading the team in hits, home runs, and runs batted in. He has hit the ball so well this year that most fans I’ve spoken with think he’s the bee’s knees! In fact, I had a caller on my show, Sports Yap, last week who told me he thinks Gunter should make twice what they pay him.”

“So Gunter steps up to the plate. Here’s the pitch. It’s a strike. The fans are mad. They don’t like the call. They think it was a ball. But Gunter himself seems not to mind. He steps back into the box. Here’s the pitch. Gunter swings.” Smack!

“Look out, Mark! He got a bit of that one! It’s a long fly ball to the left. It’s going, it’s going. It’s out of here! Kurt Gunter has hit a home run! Home run by Gunter! We win! We win!”

“James, I’m telling you, that’s why Kurt Gunter is a rich man!”

“Gunter is rounding the bases. He tips his hat to the fans. The fans are going wild! They are shouting, ‘Kurt! Kurt! Kurt!'” Just then Kurt looked up. Kim was shaking him and saying, “Kurt, Kurt, Kurt! This is our stop!”

The Florist

Kim led Kurt up the stairs from the subway underground to the street. Kurt was tired from his subway ride, but the sights and sounds of Manhattan woke him up. He sensed the rush of hundreds of cars and trucks. He looked up at the tall buildings. Some of the tallest skyscrapers seemed to stretch up to the clouds. He looked at the throngs of people on the streets. Kim grabbed his hand and led him down the street.

“Let’s go,” Kim said. “I told the florist I would be there by two.” Soon they reached the florist shop.

The shop owner was thin, old, and had gray hair. She did not smile. She said, “My name is Hester. I own this shop.” She had a mean look on her face.

“Hi, I’m Kim. The ad in the paper says you are hiring a helper.”

“You got that right,” said Hester. “Have you ever had a job ringing up people and taking their cash?”

“No, but I think I would be good at it. I’m good at math!”

“Have you ever had a job at a florist shop?” Hester asked.

“No. But it sounds like fun.”

“Can you tell larkspur from aster?”

“No, but you could teach me.”

“Is it your lifelong dream to have a job as a florist?” Hester asked.

“Well, I don’t think so,” said Kim. “At this point, I don’t know what I want to do for the rest of my life. I’m just trying to find a summer job. Then I will go back to college in the fall.”

Old Hester sighed. “Well, that was the wrong thing to say,” she said. “I need someone who will stay. You may be bright. But I won’t hire someone who will leave at the end of summer.”

“Okay. Thank you for your time!” said Kim with a cheerful voice.

Later, when they were back outside, Kurt said, “That florist was kind of mean.”

“At least I know that’s not the right job for me!” Kim said.

The Bakery

Kurt followed Kim as they made their way down the street, checking in all the shops. Then he saw something way up high. “Look at him!” Kurt said, pointing up at a store. There was a window cleaner high up on the side and he sat on a platform. The platform was hanging by long ropes.

“He clearly has no fear of high places,” said Kim. “That is not the job for me.”

“I think it would be fun,” said Kurt. “Think of all the stuff you could see from way up there!”

“I would rather see the sights from inside the store,” Kim said. “Let’s keep going. It’s getting late.”

Suddenly, Kurt smelled something that made his tummy thunder. The smell of freshly baked goods filled the air. “We must go in there!” Kurt said. It was a bakery. The baked goods were displayed in a big glass case. There were cakes and cupcakes. There were rolls and muffins. There were sticky buns and other yummy treats.

Kim asked if they had a job opening. “Maybe,” said the baker. “The boss is out. Fill out these forms. She will call you later if she has a job.”

“This place is making me hungry,” Kurt said.

“Here, you can have this muffin,” said the baker. “It’s a day old, but it’s perfectly fine. It’s a cranberry muffin.”

Kurt bit into the muffin. “It’s so tasty!” he said. “It’s tart, but also sweet. What’s in it?”

“All muffins start out with the same basic recipe,” the man said. “You need flour, eggs, cream, and butter. The tart taste is from the cranberry. That’s all I can tell you! The rest of the recipe is a secret.”

“Why is it a secret?” Kurt asked.

“If I told people how to make muffins like that one, then they would not need to come here to get one.”

As they left the bakery, Kurt whispered to Kim, “If you get a job here, maybe they’ll teach you the secret recipe. Then we can open our own bakery.”

“So, you are going to be a baker now?” Kim said with a smile. “You are quite a dreamer, Kurt.”

*********

WEEK TWENTY-NINE PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

From The Swing

How do you like to go up in a swing, up in the air so blue?

From A Drink

When I climb up to get a drink, it does not work the way you think.

From Space Hawk

Follow SPACE HAWK on its trips. Have fun with the crew!

From Lesson A-55

Bring that to me.

From Zack And Ann

Zack’s dad flips the hot dogs. Zack sets a hot dog on a bun.

“No!” yells Ann. “That will sting!”

“It will sting,” says Dad, “but it will help.”

From Sam

The crab gets mad at Chad. The crab snips at Chad’s hands.

From Squirrel Nutkin

The squirrel has a name. He’s “Nutkin.” He has a brother. His name is “Twink.”

From Gran

“I went up to the top of one cliff, but it was slick. I fell and had to cling to the rocks!”

Gran tucks the kids in. Then Josh and Jen drift off to sleep.

From Goldilocks And The Three Bears

It was a clear, brisk morning. Papa Bear was in the mood to cook.

From The Five Senses

(Your eyelids) cover your eyeballs. That’s when you close your eyes or blink.

+++

From Scott

The plane picks up speed. By the time it gets to the end of the strip, it lifts up.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 33) CCVCC WORDS: “Short-I” repeated exposure:

The Good Year blimp will be flying over our stadium in today’s game.

Let’s have a staring contest to see who will blink first.

Could those blips on the radar possibly be a UFO?!

The quarterback correctly guessed that the defense would blitz on the next play.

I’ll bring the soft drinks and chips to the picnic.

The scene at the harbor was at the brink of a disaster as the gale force winds hit landfall.

I’d love a brisk glass of iced tea with lemon, please.

If it weren’t for the Brits in 60s/70s rock n’ roll, American blues music might have never had a rebirth.

This cheap version of plastic food wrap doesn’t cling well to a plate or bowl.

She put the tea cup back on the plate with a loud “clink.”

Clint Eastwood is one of my favorite movie directors.

Close up the bags of ships with these clips.

There’s a handwritten note that’s clipt to this article.

All of these lawyers’ rules that we’ve got at work really put a crimp in my selling style.

Yum, this is a really crisp, sweet apple.

It’s okay to stop the boat here and let it drift while we fish.

I need a drink of water, please.

This leaky faucet drips all night long.

Watch how I fling my Frisbee into the air, and my dog will catch it in his mouth.

The Boy Scout showed us how to start a fire with flint and some small twigs.

I love how mom flips a pancake by tossing it into the air.

That celebrity actress flits around to lots of charity events.

When I went to visit a friend in jail, an officer had to frisk me to make sure that I didn’t have any weapons or drugs.

My Uncle Fritz played cello in the Berlin Symphony Orchestra.

This blasted DVD player is on the fritz again; can we get a new one?

In a glint of light, Harry Potter disappeared from the scene.

Let’s glitz up the hotel’s lobby for the Christmas season.

Before the night’s over, that crook is going to try to grift everyone in the bar!

He grips the baseball bat so hard it’s like he’s trying to squeeze water out of it.

Now that he’s an author, he regards his odd life experiences as grist to the mill.

I’m from the South, and I love to have buttered grits for breakfast.

Gustav Klimt was an Austrian painter who lived from 1862-1918.

One of TV’s funniest characters was Colonel Klink in the show “Hogan’s Heroes.”

Mom likes to plink a cow bell to let us know that it’s time for dinner.

Good grief, she’s going to primp up her poodle for the State Fair dog show.

Please print your name on this line.

There’s no need to skimp on the gravy for your biscuits.

A skink ran across her bare toes and I thought she was going to have a heart attack.

When my daughter is in a good mood, she skips all the way home from the park.

Skip’s dad is a police officer.

There were some hilarious skits on this weekend’s Saturday Night Live.

David launched a rock at Goliath’s head from his sling.

Poor Ted is going to slink out of here after the boss blasts him.

Before Granny leaves to go home, she slips a five-dollar bill into my back pocket.

Let’s put some slits in your Halloween ghost costume so that you can see where you’re going.

She snips paper into cool shapes with these scissors.

Uh-oh, my sister is getting into one of her snits about mom not letting her wear make-up yet.

Have you heard the saying, “Don’t cry over spilt milk?”

It’s gross how a camel spits on you if you get too close.

A spitz is a stocky dog with a thick coat of fur.

Mark Spitz is one of history’s most successful Olympic swimmers.

My favorite dessert is a banana split.

The clown lost a stilt and couldn’t perform in today’s circus event.

I got a painful bee sting today.

If you are sprayed by a skunk, you will stink for days.

My dad did a four-year stint in the Navy when he was younger.

Those rapids become really swift after lots of rain.

Come on, son; swing that bat hard and hit a homer!

We went on two great trips this past summer.

Can you help me twist the lid off of this jar?

Mom, do I HAVE to invite those two twits to my birthday party?

That politician is ‘twixt a rock and a hard place.

Activity 34) CCCVC WORDS: “Short-I” repeated exposure:

My favorite dessert is a banana split.

Let me put a big sprig of rosemary on your plate to go with your lamb chop.

Where I go for my yoga class is located in a strip mall.

*********

WEEK THIRTY

WEEK THIRTY READING PASSAGES

Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

The Job Hunt

Lesson 89 – Part Six

NEW WORDS: Fremont, Jeannie, Quan, auto, banging, blouse, bookstore, carts, cavity, ditty, drilling, dusty, eagerly, exclaimed, focus, gloomy, golly, grease, grocer, inventory, item, jars, jolly, jotted, kidney, peace, pinto, precisely, quantities, quantity, register, roasted, smiley, solving, spicy, task, traced, yapping

Keeping It Up

“Where to next?” asked Kurt.

“Let’s just go and see what we find,” Kim said. They passed a place called Jack’s Auto Shop. It was a loud place. There were men banging and drilling. One man in the auto shop was lying under a car. One man was looking under the hood of a cab.

“Do you think you can get a job in there?” asked Kurt.

“No way,” Kim said. “I can’t fix cars.”

“I think it looks like my kind of job,” said Kurt. “You get to use lots of cool tools. And you get to mess up your clothing with grease! That’s perfect!”

As they went on, they passed lots of carts selling food. One of the cart men was selling roasted peanuts. Kurt caught a whiff of the spicy peanuts and started tugging on Kim’s blouse. “Those nuts smell so good!” he said. “Can I have some?”

“Kurt!” Kim exclaimed. “You just had a cranberry muffin from the bakery!”

“But I need a snack for energy!”

“Fine,” Kim said. She got Kurt some peanuts.

Kim went into a music shop. The music in the shop was so loud she had to scream, “Do you have a job opening?” The boss yelled no. Kim tried a clothing shop. There were no jobs. She spoke to the owner of a bookstore. He was not hiring. She went into a shop that sold baby clothing. “We can’t help you,” said the ladies at the desk. “Good luck.”

After a bit, Kim and Kurt came to a candy shop. “That’s the place to get a job!” Kurt said cheerfully.

“If I can’t get a job, I can at least get a cavity,” said Kim. She went in and got some sweets for herself and Kurt. Then she and Kurt flopped down on a bench. Kim was hot and tired. She was starting to think she might never find a job. She sighed and set her chin on her hand.

“Don’t be so gloomy,” Kurt said. “You know what mom says: a quitter never wins, and a winner never quits.”

Kim smiled. “You are right, Kurt. Thanks for saying that,” she said. “I’ll keep trying.”

The Grocery

Not far from the shops Kim had just visited, Kurt spotted a big grocery store.

“Look!” Kurt exclaimed. “There is a poster on the window, Kim. It says ‘Job Opening’.”

Kim went inside and asked to speak to the boss. “Hi, I’m Kim, and this is Kurt. We saw your Job Opening ad in the window.”

“Nice to meet you,” said the grocer. “My name is Mr. Fremont. I own this grocery store.” Mr. Fremont was a large, jolly-looking man. Kim liked the look of him. She had a feeling he would be a kind boss.

“Have you ever had a job?” asked Mr. Fremont.

“No,” said Kim. “But I can sweep and I can mop. I can help unpack boxes. I’m good at math, so I can help with the cash register. Just show me what to do!”

Mr. Fremont smiled. “Well, Jeannie here is helping me take inventory at the moment,” he said.

“What sort of food is inventory?” asked Kurt. “Is it yummy?”

Mr. Fremont was going to reply, but Kim cut in. “Inventory is not a food, you silly goof. Inventory means they are counting all the goods in the shop. They need to know precisely how many of each item they have. Then they will know how many they need to order.”

“It sounds like you know a lot about how to run a grocery store,” said Mr. Fremont.

“I know some,” Kim said cheerfully. “You can teach me the rest quickly. I’m good with details and problem solving.”

“Well, Miss Kim,” said Mr. Fremont, “I have taken a liking to you. You seem bright. But would you mind if I gave you one or two tests to see what you can do?”

“No problem!” Kim said.

“I would like a job, too,” Kurt said.

“And I would like to hire you,” said Mr. Fremont. “But I can’t. You are a child and the law says I can’t hire children.”

“Too bad,” said Kurt. “I’m a good counter, too.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Mr. Fremont said. “I have a small task for your sister. You watch her and let me know if she makes a mistake. Okay?”

“Okay,” said Kurt.

Inventory

Mr. Fremont showed Kim how to take inventory. It seemed like it would be very easy to do. “Just count the cans and write down the quantity for each one,” said Mr. Fremont.

“What’s quantity mean?” asked Kurt.

“A quantity is a number,” Kim explained. “When you write down a quantity, you write down how many of the thing you have.” Kim counted the cans of peas. “One, two, three …”

“How many are there?” Kurt asked eagerly.

“Hush!” said Kim. “You made me lose count. I have to start over!” Kim counted the cans of peas. Then she counted the cans of beans.

“There are so many kinds of beans!” Kurt said. “There must be a hundred kinds. I see baked beans, butter beans, pinto beans, green beans, white beans, and kidney beans.”

Every time Kurt said something, Kim lost count. “Kurt, I need some peace and quiet here, if you don’t mind. This is not quite as easy as it looks. If you keep yapping, I will never get the quantities right.”

Kurt sat quietly for a while and Kim counted everything carefully. Kurt lay down on his tummy. “Golly,” he said, “somebody needs to sweep under these shelves. It’s very dusty under there.” He traced a smiley face in the dust.

“Hush, Kurt! If you will just sit there quietly, then I can count these cans and maybe we can go do something fun. I need to focus on the counting.” Kim counted cans of cherries and jars of jelly while Kurt sat quietly. At last, she finished. “Let’s go find Mr. Fremont,” she said. They found him at his desk.

“I saw Kim work, Mr. Fremont,” Kurt said. “She counted everything carefully, and I think she got the quan–ditty just right.”

“Quantity,” said Kim, “with a ‘t’.” Mr. Fremont looked at the numbers Kim had jotted down.

“You did a fine job!” he said. “I counted those cans before lunch today. So I know how many there are. Your count is the same as my count. That means you have passed this test! There is just one test left.”

“OK,” said Kim. “Let’s do it!”

*********


Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

The Job Hunt

Lesson 90 – Part Seven

NEW WORDS: Fremont’s, adding, clapped, finding, firemen, hooo, meanwhile, multiplied, papers, peanut, sales, selected, shopping, sidewalk, tally, tallying, tax, warehouse, whooooo

The Tally

Mr. Fremont led Kim to the cash register. “Let’s pretend you already have a job here,” he said.

“Okay,” said Kim.

Mr. Fremont went and got some things from the shelves and plopped them into a shopping basket. He selected a jar of peanut butter, a bag of cookies, and a key lime pie. Then he set the basket on the counter next to Kim.

“Can you tally up the cost of all this food?”

“You bet!” said Kim cheerfully. “Do you want me to use the cash register?”

“No,” said Mr. Fremont. “I want to see if you can do it without the cash register. Let’s pretend the cash register is broken. So you have to add up the tally all by yourself.”

That sounded hard to Kurt. He looked at Kim to see if she looked scared. She did not. “No problem,” said Kim. Kim got a sheet of paper and a pen. She wrote down the cost of each item. Then she added it up carefully. When she finished, she said, “Mr. Fremont, should I add the sales tax on top of this?”

Kurt looked at Mr. Fremont and saw him break into a big grin. Mr. Fremont’s grin seemed to stretch from ear to ear. Kurt could not tell why he was so happy. “Yes,” Mr. Fremont said. “We must add in the sales tax.”

“What is sales tax?” Kurt asked.

Mr. Fremont explained, “It’s a tax we have to pay to the state to help pay for roads and firemen and that sort of thing.”

Meanwhile Kim had finished adding in the tax. When she was finished, Mr. Fremont checked her numbers.

“Wow!” said Mr. Fremont. “You added and multiplied perfectly!” He held out a hand for Kim to shake and said, “You’ve got yourself a job!”

“For real?” said Kim.

“For real!” said Mr. Fremont. “You can start next week.” Kurt clapped his hands.

“I’m so excited!” Kim said.

“Well, you should be proud of yourself,” said Mr. Fremont. “It’s never easy to find a job.”

“You got that right!” Kurt said, sighing loudly. “It took us all day!”

“Just one day?” Mr. Fremont asked. “I’m impressed. Sometimes it takes a lot longer.”

“I suppose I got lucky,” replied Kim.

“Luck is finding a dime on the ground,” Mr. Fremont said. “Getting a job is not luck. You had to visit a lot of places and talk to a lot of people. And you had to pass the tests I gave you.”

Mr. Fremont showed Kim the rest of the store and the warehouse. Then he had her fill out some papers. Mr. Fremont handed Kim twenty bucks for the time she had spent taking inventory and tallying up the costs. Then the two of them shook hands. “Be here at nine o’clock sharp. Don’t be late!”

“You can count on me, Mr. Fremont. I will be here, on time, every day.”

Kim and Kurt went outside. Kurt said, “Way to go, big sis!” They slapped hands and did a dance on the sidewalk.

Kim got out her cell phone and called her mom, who was at work. “Mom,” she said, “I got a job!”

“Whooooo–hooo!” said her mom.

*********

Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

The Job Hunt

Lesson 91 – Part Eight

NEW WORDS: States, United, address, battery, beaming, celebrate, decides, drivers, driving, hail, hailed, liberty, license, listed, lower, offers, paycheck, priceless, railing, reminds, rushing, safely, shooting, sides, statue, stores, subs, torch, torches, weaving, welded, welding

The Visit

Kim was happy that she had found herself a summer job. “Let’s go and visit Mom,” she said. “She will be finished teaching by the time we get there.” Mrs. Gunter was a math teacher. She taught at a college in lower Manhattan.

Kim held up a hand to hail a cab. A yellow cab screeched to a stop on the side of the street. Kurt and Kim hopped in. “Where to?” asked the driver. Kim told him the address. The cab went shooting off. Wind came rushing in the windows as the cab sped past stores on both sides.

Kurt hung on tight. It was a crazy ride. The cab man was weaving in and out of traffic. Kurt thought they might crash. Part of him was frightened. But part of him found driving at that speed exciting. It was like riding in a race car. “Do you have a license to drive?” Kurt called to the driver.

“Yes. All cab drivers must have a license,” the driver said.

“And they teach you to drive like this?”

“No, no,” said the driver. “It takes years and years of driving to become an expert like me!” They made it safely. Kim paid the driver and gave him a tip. She and Kurt went in to see their mom.

Mrs. Gunter gave Kim a big hug. Kurt snuck in between them so he could be part of the hug, too. Then Kim told her mom how they had spent the day. Kim listed the places they had visited. She explained what had happened with Tom and Beth, with Alberto at the Corner Market, with Dwight, the Man of Light, with Hester the Florist, and, at last, with Mr. Fremont. She told her mom how she had used math to help her get the job at the grocery.

By the end of the story, Mrs. Gunter was beaming. “You see,” she said. “I told you math would help you out one day. You thought I was crazy.”

“You were right,” said Kim. “Mr. Fremont was really impressed that I could add up the tally without the cash register and also add in the sales tax.”

“Good for you!” said her mom. “I’m so proud of you!”

“I never dreamed I would have a job in a grocery,” added Kim, “but I think it’s going to be a good job for me.”

“It may not be the job of your dreams,” said her mom. “But it’s a job. The next job you get can be better. And the next one can be even better. If you study hard in college, you will have a chance to get the job of your dreams some day. Until then, just do a good job and save as much of your paycheck as you can.”

“I will,” said Kim.

“Let’s do something fun!” said Kurt.

“I know!” said their mom. “Let’s celebrate Kim’s new job by getting some subs and snacks and going down to Battery Park for a picnic. Are you two hungry for dinner?”

“You bet!” said Kurt.

“This is crazy!” Kim said. “Mom, all day, Kurt ate and ate. Each time I got him a snack, I said, that’s the end of that. But he was still hungry.”

“Well, he’s a strong, growing child,” said Mrs. Gunter. “And he was busy all day.”

“That’s right!” said Kurt.

They went to a sub shop nearby. Mrs. Gunter ordered a sub for each of them, plus some snacks and drinks. Then Mrs. Gunter hailed a cab. The three of them got in. The cab took them down the West Side Highway. It dropped them off in Battery Park, on the south end of Manhattan.

Battery Park

As the sun went down, Mrs. Gunter, Kim, and Kurt had a picnic in Battery Park. Kim was all set to relax. She was tired after her long day of job hunting.

After the picnic, Kurt went to the railing and pointed at the Statue of Liberty. “Why is the Statue of Liberty holding up an ice cream cone?” he asked.

Kim smiled. “Kurt! That’s not an ice cream cone! It’s a torch!”

“What’s a torch?”

“A torch is a stick with fire on one end,” said Kim.

“Fire is cool!” said Kurt.

“A torch is what they used in the old days when there were no lights,” Mrs. Gunter explained.

“I’ll bet Dwight, the Man of Light sells torches!” said Kurt.

Kim smiled. “And since it’s Dwight,” she said, “I’ll bet the price is right!”

Mrs. Gunter explained, “The Statue of Liberty was given to the United States by France.”

“You mean it was a gift?” Kurt asked. Mrs. Gunter nodded. “Man,” he said, “that’s one big present! They must have needed a big box to gift wrap it.”

“I think they sent it over here in parts and then welded the parts back together to make the statue.”

“Welding is cool!” said Kurt.

“There are cooler things in life than welding,” said Mrs. Gunter.

“Like what?” said Kurt.

“Like being free,” said Mrs. Gunter. “People here in the United States are free. Mr. Fremont is free to hire Kim or not hire her. And Kim is free to take the job he offers her or not. Later on, if Kim decides to try to find a different job, she is free to do it. If we decide to pack up our stuff and leave Brooklyn, we are free to do it. Also, we are free to say what we feel like saying. That’s what liberty means. It means being free to do what you wish, say what you wish, and think what you wish. Do you understand?” Kurt nodded.

Mrs. Gunter went on, “The Statue of Liberty reminds us that we are free. It reminds us that liberty is a priceless thing.”

Kurt looked back at the Statue of Liberty. He was thinking of all the things he was free to be when he got bigger: a baseball player, a shop owner, a banker, a baker, a race car driver, a spaceship driver. “I see what you mean,” he said. “Liberty is even cooler than welding.”

Kurt helped Kim and his mom clean up the picnic. They tossed their trash into a trash can. Then they went to the subway stop to catch a train back to Brooklyn.

*********

WEEK THIRTY PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

From Zack And Ann

When it’s hot, it’s fun to grill. Zack’s dad gets the hot dogs.

From Space Hawk

“Yes! We took snap shots. We counted four hundred colors. All mixed up.”

From The Flop-Flip Kids

It DID weigh a lot. He dragged it a bit. He did not know it was now a trick!

From The Old Woman From France

But they were so stiff, she sent them home in a sniff, this sprightly old woman from France.

From The Goops

And the Goops, they lick their knives. They spill their broth on the tablecloth. Oh, they lead disgusting lives!

From Lesson B-19

Let’s build a tree house.

From Happy Winter, Steamy Tub

I rinse the soap off, scrub some more, drip puddles on the bathroom floor.

From Gran

I went up to the top of one cliff, but it was slick. I fell and had to cling to the rocks!”

From Scott

The kids get in the plane. They click on their belts. Then their dad takes off.

“Let’s take a ride in my skiff,” says Scott.

“What’s a skiff?” asks Ling.

From Lesson B-56

The borer at work got fixed.

From Old Mother Goose And Her Flat-Footed Daughter

And when the sun shines, and the west wind blows high, they’ll wring out their washing, and hang it to dry.

From Kate’s Book

“What is it?” I asked, scratching my wrist.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 35) OTHER C&V WORDS: “Short-I” repeated exposure, including silents:

The medieval king asked his commander, “What didst happen at the battle scene today?”

Thank goodness, the plumber fixed the singing toilet today.

I bet that those country hicks will have trouble getting around the city.

Ally kicks the ball with her left foot.

That mama kitty sometimes licks her kittens’ fur to help them groom themselves.

In the midst of the huge crowd, she sighted her husband.

If miffs me when he’s talking and gets that smirk of his on his face.

I think that all of the school’s baseball mitts are in that duffle bag.

Dad nicks himself shaving quite often.

Mom nixed my request to have a sleepover at our house this weekend.

That’s one of my top movie picks of all time.

In that huge warehouse, whiskey is in barrels stacked up on what are called “ricks.”

Wow, that guitarist just played some lightning fast riffs!

I tend to always rinse the dishes before I put them into the dishwasher.

I got to pan for gold using a large sieve.

Gross, I found two large, engorged ticks on the dog.

My younger twin brothers are always having tiffs with each other about something.

The wicks on all of these candles have burned down to nubs.

That couple is enjoying newlywed marital bliss.

Take a look at that pretty red brick house.

We’re going to build a small summer house on this lot.

That actress has built quite a following on Twitter.

The rock climber finally reached the top of the challenging cliff.

Ouch, I’ve got this nasty crick in my neck.

The dentist has to drill a little on my tooth before putting in the filling.

I’ll flick that crumb onto the floor and the dog will eat it.

I’m going to frizz up my hair to go along with my zombie Halloween costume.

Hot dog, Dad’s starting up the grill to fix steaks for dinner.

In the Middle Ages, a guild was an association of merchants or artisans.

Most of the jury thought that the defendant had a strong look of guilt on his face.

I love to watch how easily Grandma knits a little sweater for a toddler.

A large part of a penguin’s diet is eating krill.

The nurse will prick your finger to get a small blood sample.

That overly sheltered little girl is such a priss!

I’m going to take the skiff out into the lake to see if I can catch any blue gill.

She has amazing skill as a tennis player.

It was common in the 50s for young men to slick back their hair.

Let me snick that loose thread, and then this shirt will be good to go.

Take a sniff of this delicious sauce that I’m making.

Mom said, I’m going to go spiff up my make-up before we go out to dinner.”

The oil spill just off the coast is not going to be good for the marine animals.

Throw the stick and see if Fido will fetch it and bring it back to you.

My back is always a bit stiff when I get out of bed in the morning.

We can’t cut the cat’s nails because she won’t hold still.

I can’t believe that our pigs will eat that swill that we feed them.

I’d love an extra slice of Swiss cheese on my sandwich.

We opened the door and the kids yelled, “TRICK OR TREAT!”

That birdsong has an unusual trill to it.

I think that your new twill suit is quite handsome.

A whiff of cigar smoke almost makes me nauseous.

While mom whips the cream, I’ll get the dessert plates.

Get me the whisk so that I can beat the eggs for scrambling them.

The game of “whist” was an early version of today’s card game “bridge,” but there was no bidding.

Wring out this rag before you use it to wipe off the counters.

A century ago, a teacher might whack you on the wrist with a ruler if she was mad at you.

*********

WEEK THIRTY-ONE

WEEK THIRTY-ONE READING PASSAGES

Lesson 92 – Poems And Rhymes

NEW WORDS: Bessy, Charley, Charley’s, Earth’s, Surrey, abroad, arriving, bananas, bloom, bosom, bound, breast, chasing, curving, darling, diller, dollar, dresses, elephant’s, fireside, flit, frisking, girlfriend, goslings, grasshopper, greeting, hammer, honeybunch, hurrying, hushabye, intimately, lain, leafy, lickety, millpond, nail, poems, pressed, pushing, racing, raindrops, scholar, scurrying, settling, shepherd, shepherd’s, sliding, snuggle, softly, somebody, squiggling, summer’s, swerving, tearing, thousand, tiniest, toothpaste, toothsome, tulips, tumble, umbrella, umbrellas, whisking, whizzing, wiggling, worrying

The Old Woman Of Surrey

There was an old woman in Surrey,
Who was morn, noon, and night in a hurry,
Called her husband a fool,
Drove the children to school,
The worrying old woman of Surrey.

Fish

Look at them flit, lickety–split.
Wiggling, squiggling, swerving, curving.
Hurrying, scurrying, chasing, racing.
Whizzing, whisking, flying, frisking.

Tearing around,
With a leap and a bound,
But none of them making the
Tiniest, tiniest, tiniest, tiniest sound.

Poem By Mary Ann Hoberman

Ride Away

Ride away, ride away,
Johnny shall ride,
And he shall have kitty-cat,
Tied to one side.

He shall have little dog,
Tied to the other,
And Johnny shall ride,
To see his grandmother.

A Diller, A Dollar

A diller, a dollar,
A ten o’clock scholar,
What makes you come so soon?
You used to come at ten o’clock,
But now you come at noon!

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

Teddy Bear,
Teddy Bear,
Turn around.

Teddy Bear,
Teddy Bear,
Touch the ground.

Teddy Bear,
Teddy Bear,
Show your shoe.

Teddy Bear,
Teddy Bear,
That will do.

Teddy Bear,
Teddy Bear,
Go upstairs.

Teddy Bear,
Teddy Bear,
Say your prayers.

Teddy Bear,
Teddy Bear,
Turn out the light.

Teddy Bear,
Teddy Bear,
Say good night.

Tumbling

In jumping and tumbling,
We spend the whole day,
Till night by arriving,
Has finished our play.

What, then? One and all,
There’s no more to be said,
As we tumbled all day,
So we tumble to bed.

Hushabye My Darling

Hushabye my darling,
Don’t you make a peep.
Little creatures everywhere,
Are settling down to sleep.

Fishes in the millpond,
Goslings in the barn,
Kitten by the fireside,
Baby in my arms.

Listen to the raindrops,
Singing you to sleep.
Hushabye my darling,
Don’t you make a peep.

Poem By Clyde Watson

There’s Music In A Hammer

There’s music in a hammer.
There’s music in a nail.
There’s music in a kitty cat,
When you step upon her tail.

An Autumn Greeting

“Come,” said the Wind to the Leaves one day.
“Come over the meadow and we will play.
Put on your dresses of red and gold.
For summer is gone and the days grow cold.”

Charley

Charley’s neat, and Charley’s sweet,
Charley, he’s a dandy.
Every time he goes to town,
He gives his girlfriend candy!

Under The Ground

What is under the grass,
Way down in the ground,
Where everything is cool and wet,
With darkness all around?

Little pink worms live there.
Ants and brown bugs creep,
Softly round the stones and rocks,
Where roots are pushing deep.

Do they hear us walking,
On the grass above their heads,
Hear us running over,
While they snuggle in their beds?

Poem By Rhoda W. Bacmeister

Three Children On The Ice

Three children sliding on the ice,
Upon a summer’s day,
As it fell out, they all fell in,
The rest, they ran away.

Oh, had these children been at school,
Or sliding on dry ground,
Ten thousand dollars is my bet,
That they would not have drowned.

You parents who have children dear,
And you, too, who have none,
If you would keep them safe abroad,
Then keep them safe at home.

Trees

I think that I shall never see,
A poem as lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed,
Against the Earth’s sweet flowing breast.

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray.
A tree that may in summer wear,
A nest of robins in her hair.

Upon whose bosom snow has lain,
Who intimately live with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Poem By Sergeant Joyce Kilmer

Way Down South

Way down South,
Where bananas grow,
A grasshopper stepped,
On an elephant’s toe.

The elephant said,
With tears in his eyes,
“Pick on somebody,
Who’s your own size.”

Umbrellas

Umbrellas bloom,
Along our street,
Like flowers on a stem.

And almost everyone
I meet,
Is holding one of them.

Under my umbrella-top,
Splashing through the town,
I wonder why the tulips
Hold umbrellas
Up-side-down!

Poem By Barbara Juster Esbensen

Tommy Snooks

As Tommy Snooks and Bessy Brooks,
Were walking out one Sunday,
Says Tommy Snooks to Bessy Brooks,
“Will you marry me on Monday?”

Little Peter

Little Peter, the shepherd boy,
Sings to the sheep in the meadow green,
But when the hungry wolf comes out,
The shepherd’s dog goes after him!

Toothsome

No need to squeeze out half a tube
Of toothpaste, honeybunch,
Unless you plan to use it in
A sandwich for your lunch?

Poem By Norah Smaridge

*********

Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

Bedtime Tales

Lesson 93 – Part One

NEW WORDS: blackness, chest, fumed, glinting, gramp, lass, moral, patted, pitch, planning, plopped, selling, shrugged, slumped, spilt, splashed, yanked, zing

Mike’s Bedtime

Mike had his jet plane in his left hand. “Zip! Zing!” he yelled. “Take that, T. Rex!”

Just then, his dad came in and said, “Mike, it’s bedtime.”

“But, Dad,” Mike said, “I’m seven! Can’t I sit up a bit?”

Mike’s dad said, “Not if the sun is down and the street lamp is on. Then, it’s bedtime.”

Mike said, “But, if the street lamp is off, it’s not bedtime yet!” Mike ran to check on the lamp and the sun. He yanked back the drapes. The sun had set. It was pitch black. The street lamp was glinting in the blackness. It was bedtime.

“Ug!” Mike said. He slumped and let his chin drop on his chest.

“Bedtime!” said his dad.

Mike limped to his bed and plopped down on it. He made a face that said, “I wish it was not bedtime!”

Mike’s dad smiled. “What if I tell you a bedtime tale?” he asked. “Would that help?” Mike did not think it would help much. He shrugged. “When I was a kid,” his dad said, “your Gramp would tell me bedtime tales. I liked them. I’ll bet I can still tell a lot of them.”

“OK,” said Mike, “I would like one bedtime tale.” Mike’s dad sat down on the bed and patted Mike on the back of the neck. “This is a bedtime tale your Gramp liked to tell me,” he said.

The Milk

Mike’s dad was getting set to tell a bedtime tale. He said, “The name of this bedtime tale is The Milk.” Once upon a time, a lass named Jane set off from home to sell a bucket of milk. As she went, she was thinking of the cash she would get from selling the milk.

“I have big plans. I will sell this milk,” she said, “and I will use the cash to get a hen. I hope my hen will make lots of eggs. Then I will sell those eggs and use the cash to get a cute piglet. I will take care of the piglet and let him munch on pig slop till he gets nice and plump.”

“Then I will sell the pig and get a nice dress that I can dance in, and . . .” But just as she was thinking of the dress, she tripped on a stone, and the bucket fell with a crash. The milk splashed on the path. Jane made a face and fumed at the spilt milk.

Moral: Take one step at a time.

“Is that the end?” asked Mike.

“That’s it,” said his dad.

“What a shame!” said Mike. “She had such big plans!”

Mike’s dad nodded. “You can make plans, but planning by itself will not make things happen.”

Mike sat thinking a bit. Then he said, “Dad, that bedtime tale was not bad. But it was sad. Next time would you tell a fun tale?”

“Yes,” said his dad. “Next time.”

*********

Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

Bedtime Tales

Lesson 94 – Part Two

NEW WORDS: Jim, Jim’s, Pete, Pete’s, boots, bragging, compete, drifted, drooled, ending, fixing, goodness, handed, hitched, limes, nabbed, rubbed, tipped, tricked, vest

The Jumping Frog

“Dad,” Mike said, “you said we could have a fun bedtime tale this time. Have you got one that’s fun?”

“Yes,” said his dad. “I’ve got one I think you will like. It’s a tale my dad used to like to tell. It takes place in the West, a long time back in the past. The name of the tale is The Jumping Frog.” Once there was a man named Big Jim who had a frog. Big Jim held the frog up and made a speech.

“This here is the best jumping frog in the land!” he said. “This frog has speed. It can jump three feet at once. You think your frog can jump? I’ll bet he can’t jump like my frog! In fact, I got ten bucks says there’s not a frog in the land can jump as fast as this frog. This frog hops like the wind. This frog . . .”

Well, Big Jim would have kept on bragging, but, just then, a man in a black vest got up and spoke. “My name is Pete. I’m not from here,” said the man. “And I do not have a frog. But if I did, I would take the bet and race your frog.”

“Well, shucks,” said Big Jim. “That’s not a problem. Here, take my frog. I’ll run down to the stream and catch you a frog, so we each have a frog to compete in the race.” Big Jim handed his frog to Pete. Then he ran off to the stream.

Mike’s dad was not finished telling the tale, but Mike had drifted off to sleep. He gave Mike a kiss and hoped he would have sweet dreams.

The Frog Race

“Dad,” Mike said when he woke up, “what happened with the jumping frog? I missed the end of the tale. I was sleeping.”

“I did not tell it to the end,” said his dad. “When you drifted off to sleep, I stopped.”

“Oh, tell the ending!” said Mike.

Mike’s dad picked up the tale where he had left off. Big Jim handed his frog to Pete and ran off to the stream. Pete held Big Jim’s frog in his hand. Pete looked at the frog. Then Pete reached into his pocket and got a pile of limes. Yum — Big Jim’s frog drooled.

The frog ate the whole pile of limes from Pete’s hand! Then Pete set the frog down. While Pete was feeding the frog limes, Big Jim was down at the stream. He tossed off his boots and went frog hunting. At last he nabbed a nice green frog. He ran back and handed the frog to Pete.

“There’s your frog!” said Jim. “Just set him down there next to my frog. Then we will let them compete to see which one of them is the fastest!” Pete set his frog down.

“All set?” said Jim.

“All set,” said the man.

Then Jim yelled, “Jump, frogs, jump!”

Pete gave the two frogs a tap to get them jumping. His frog hopped off nice and quick. But Jim’s frog just sat there. Once he hitched up his legs like he was fixing to jump. But it was no use. With all those limes in him, he was planted there just as solid as a rock. His tummy was full!

Pete’s frog hopped and hopped till it got to the finish line. “Fine race!” said Pete. He took Jim’s ten bucks and slipped the cash in his pocket. Then Pete tipped his hat and set off.

Well, Big Jim was stunned. “What happened to my frog?” he said. “I hope he’s not sick.” He bent down and picked up the frog and rubbed his tummy. “Goodness!” said Jim. “He must have had a big lunch! I think Pete tricked me! He fed my frog too much to eat!” Jim said.

Big Jim let out a whoop. His face got red. Jim ran to catch Pete. But it was no use. Pete had run off. Pete had tricked Big Jim!

*********

WEEK THIRTY-ONE PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

From Zack And Ann

“This one costs six bucks.” Zack hands the man the cash.

+++

From Fierce Bad Rabbit

Then watch this! He gets to the bench. He drops his gun.

From Zack And Ann

Zack spots a crab on the sand. The crab runs up.

From Seth

Seth can stomp and romp and stand on his hands.

From Sam

Sam spots a fan on the rug. Sam flops on the rug and naps.

Sam’s mom rings the bell. The bus stops at the next stop.

From Squirrel Nutkin

He and his troops came roaring up the land! The King of Scots, with all his might.

From Scott

“Well,” his mom says, “if you add the cake mix, then Meg gets to frost the cake.”

From Lesson B-56

Kent’s at Scot’s house.

From When The Dew Falls Silently

Up and down the dewy grass, trots poor Tiggy-Winkle.

From Kate’s Book

This is bad land! We can’t plant crops here!” And the name Badlands just sort of stuck.

From The Job Hunt

“You should get a job at the Bronx Zoo!” Kurt said.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 36) CVCCC WORDS: “Short-O” repeated exposure:

My baby brother bonks me on the head all the time, and I HATE it!

In this scene, the hero conks the burglar on the head with a huge dictionary.

I’m afraid this costs too much for us to afford right now.

Which of these print fonts should we use when we create our newsletter?

My grandpa golfs at nine o’clock in the morning every Saturday.

Dad honks his horn if the people in front of him are driving too slowly.

That golfer lofts his short iron shots very high.

It zonks me out if I have to stay outside a long time on a very hot day.

Activity 37) CCVCC WORDS: “Short-O” repeated exposure:

Throughout history, different sets of nations have tended to form trading blocs with their allies.

My mom dyes her hair blond.

Let’s hope that this sparkling water on a rag blots up this ink spill.

Listen to that huge ox clomp across the roadway.

Can you hear that boxer clonk his fists against the punching bag?

Did you know pouring orange juice into milk clots the milk?

The crocs in our zoo totally creep me out!

The farmer is outside harvesting his crops.

I see some drops of rain on the front window.

The farmer said, “Let’s rent the croft at the far edge of our property to a tenant.”

I loved the movie “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.”

I’m going to wear my flip-flops to the beach.

Please cut this big frond off of this fern plant.

I need to scrape the frost off of the car windows.

The dog licked up the remaining globs of gravy from the dirty frying pan.

The rock that I threw went “plonk” when it hit the water in the lake.

My son plops his dirty clothes down in the middle of the floor every day.

In this part of the movie, the criminal plots how he is going to rob the bank.

Dr. Robinson was one of my favorite profs when I was in college.

This fork is missing one prong.

The stage props for the school play are back in that closet.

Scot’s dog is a Dalmatian.

Do you think that the Scots will take another vote about seceding from the U.K?

I hate how our son slops around in puddles every time that we get a big rain.

These food and drink machines have slots for both coins and paper bills.

I can’t stand those kids down the street; they’re a couple of little snots!

Mom, Spot’s chasing the cat again!

Honey, how did you get these black spots on your new white dress?

I will stomp out of the room if I can’t have a cookie for a snack.

Dad always stops the car before we drive across a railroad track.

The boxer yelled to his opponent, “I’m gonna tromp you in our match today!”

I prefer riding a horse when it just trots along slowly.

Activity 38) CCCVC WORDS: “Short-O” repeated exposure:

Strom Thurmond was still serving in the U.S. Senate on his 100th birthday!!

The barber rubbed the razor up and down on the strop to sharpen it.

*********

WEEK THIRTY-TWO

WEEK THIRTY-TWO READING PASSAGES

Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

Bedtime Tales

Lesson 95 – Part Three

NEW WORDS: bounded, cheeks, gasp, hedgehog’s, huffing, involves, join, lookout, male, outlined, perfect, puckered, puffing, spikes, stern, sundown, sunrise, temper, wits

The Hare and the Hedgehog

Mike and his dad sat on the bed. “Did you like the tale of The Jumping Frog?” Mike’s dad asked.

“Yes,” said Mike. “I liked how Pete tricked Jim by feeding his frog the limes!”

“Then I think you will like this next tale, as well. It involves a trick, too. The name of this one is The Hare and the Hedgehog.”

“What’s a hare?”

“It’s like a rabbit.”

“OK. Tell it!”

Once there was a hare who was proud of his speed. He liked to brag. “I’m so fast!” he said. “I am the fastest! No one is as fast as me!” Well, the hedgehog got sick of all this bragging. He set himself to thinking how he could trick the hare and get him to stop bragging all the time. The hedgehog made a plan. He went to the hare and said, “Let’s race!”

The hare smiled. “You and I?” he said. “Is this a joke? What would be the point? Those legs of yours are like stumps. It must take you from sunrise until sundown to hike a mile!”

“Will you join me in a race?” said the hedgehog.

“I will join you!” said the hare.

“Good,” said the hedgehog. “We will race south from this fence up to the house on the hill. But I can’t race till I have my lunch. I’ll be back at one.” Then the hedgehog went home and spoke to his wife. “Wife,” he said, “at one I will run a race with the hare.”

“What?” said his wife. She frowned and asked, “Are you out of your wits? He’s so fast! You can’t hope to win a race with him.”

“Trust me,” said the hedgehog. “I have a plan.”

“What’s his plan?” asked Mike.

“I will tell you next time,” said his dad.

“Well, rats!” said Mike. “It was just getting good! I wish you could just tell me now.”

“Next time,” said his dad.

How the Hedgehog Tricked the Hare

“Where was it I left off?” asked Mike’s dad.

“The hedgehog was telling his wife the plan to trick the hare,” said Mike.

“Got it!” said his dad. The hedgehog made a map of his plan. He pointed to the map and outlined his plan to trick the hare. “The hare and I will race from down by the fence up to the house on the hill,” the hedgehog said to his wife. “I need you to stand next to the house. Stand in a spot where the hare can’t see you. And be on the lookout, my dear!”

The hedgehog’s wife nodded and said, “Your map is clear. I will be there.”

The hedgehog went on, “When the hare gets close, you must pop out and shout, ‘There you are! What took you so long?’ But when you do this, make your voice deep and stern like my voice. The hare can’t tell one hedgehog from the next. If you sound like me, he will think you are me. And he will think that he has lost the race!”

“What a clever plan!” said his wife. “It’s perfect!” She puckered up and kissed him on one of his cheeks, where he had no spikes. The hedgehog handed his wife the map.

After his meal, the hedgehog went to the fence. His wife went up to the house on the hill. The hedgehog and the hare lined up. “All set?” said the hare.

“All set,” said the hedgehog.

“Run!” said the hare. The hare bounded off. He was a fast and powerful runner. In a flash, he ran down the hill, past the well, and up to the house.

When he got to the top of the hill, there was a hedgehog standing next to the house. It was the hedgehog’s wife, but she spoke in a deep, stern voice like a male hedgehog. “There you are!” she said. “What took you so long?”

The hare was stunned. “It can’t be!” he said. “How did you get here so fast? I will race you back to the fence!”

And so the hare ran back past the well and up the hill until he got back to the fence. And what did he see when he got there? A hedgehog! This time it was the male hedgehog. The hedgehog said, “There you are! What took you so long?”

“No, no, no!” screamed the hare. The hare lost his temper. “It can’t be. It can’t be. I am faster. I will race you back to the house! You can’t beat me!”

So the hare ran back up the hill, past the well, and up to the house. And what did he see when he got there? A hedgehog! This time it was the hedgehog’s wife. In a deep, stern voice, she said, “There you are! What took you so long?”

The hare ran to the fence and back ten times. But it was the same all ten times. At last, he was so tired out that he fell on the ground next to the male hedgehog. He could not stop huffing and puffing. He frowned and said, with a gasp, “I feel weak. You are faster and better than me!” The hedgehog just smiled.

*********


Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

Bedtime Tales

Lesson 96 – Part Four

NEW WORDS: clucking, grilling, nearer, pancake, plowing, porch, scooped, snorted, squinted, zoomed

The Pancake, Part One

“Did you enjoy the tale of the hedgehog and the hare?” asked Mike’s dad.

“Yes, I liked it,” said Mike. “The hedgehog came up with a good trick.”

“The tale I’d like to tell you next has a trick in it, too.”

“Cool!” said Mike. “Is there a hedgehog in it?”

“Nope,” said his dad. “But there is a pancake in it!”

“A pancake?”

“Yep.”

“Neat! Tell it!”

“But the sun has not set yet! The street lamp is not on yet!”

“Please! I would like to hear it! Will you tell the pancake tale!”

Once upon a time there was a mom who had six kids. One morning, the mom was grilling a pancake for the kids. The kids looked at the pancake. They got out their forks and started licking their lips. The pancake looked back at the kids. He was scared. He feared the kids would eat him. When the mom was not looking, the pancake jumped out of the pan and ran off. The pancake ran out of the house.

“Stop, pancake!” shouted the mom from the porch.

“Stop, pancake!” shouted the six kids.

All seven of them chased the pancake as he ran out of the yard. But the pancake was too fast. He outran them all. The pancake ran north on a foot path. He zoomed past a barn and two farmers who were plowing the ground.

“Why are you running, pancake?” the farmers asked.

The pancake shouted, “I’ve outrun a mom and six kids, and I can outrun you, too! I’m too fast and too smart for you.”

“You think so?” said the farmers. They started running. But the pancake was too fast. He outran the farmers.

Just then Mike’s sister Ann came in. She was just three. She had on her gown for bed. “Dad,” she said, “will you tell it to me, too?”

“Yes, I will,” said her dad. “You can sit up here with Mike and hear the rest of the tale.”

The Pancake, Part Two

“Let’s see,” said Mike’s dad. “Where did I stop?”

“The pancake was running,” said Mike. “He had just outrun the two farmers.”

“OK,” said Mike’s dad. “Let’s start there.”

The pancake ran on until, by and by, he ran past a pig. “Why are you running, pancake?” the pig asked.

The pancake shouted, “I’ve outrun a mom, six kids, and two farmers, and I can outrun you, too! I am too fast and too smart for you.”

“You think so?” said the pig. Then it snorted and started running. The pig chased the pancake. But the pancake was too fast.

The pancake ran on until, by and by, he ran past a hen. “Why are you running, pancake?” the hen asked.

The pancake shouted, “I’ve outrun a mom, six kids, two farmers, and a pig, and I can outrun you, too! I am too fast and too smart for you.”

“You think so?” said the hen. Then she set off, clucking as she ran. The hen chased the pancake. But the pancake was too fast.

The pancake went on until, by and by, he ran past a fox. “Why are you running, pancake?” the fox asked.

The pancake said, “I’ve outrun a mom, six kids, two farmers, a pig, and a hen, and I can outrun you, too! I am too fast and too smart for you!”

The fox did not get up. He just sat there and said, “What was that you said? I could not quite make it out.”

The pancake stopped running and yelled, “I’ve outrun a mom, six kids, two farmers, a pig, and a hen, and I can outrun you, too! I am too fast and too smart for you!”

The fox squinted and said, “What was that you said? I still could not quite hear you. Why do you stand so far off? Stand nearer to me so I can hear you.”

The pancake ran up near to the fox. Then he shouted at the top of his lungs: “I’VE OUTRUN A MOM, SIX KIDS, TWO FARMERS, A PIG, AND A HEN, AND I CAN OUTRUN YOU, TOO! I AM TOO FAST AND TOO SMART FOR YOU!”

“You think so?” said the fox. “I think you made a mistake and got a bit too close.” Then he scooped the pancake into his mouth and ate it for dinner. And that was the end of the pancake. And that is the end of the tale.

*********

Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

Bedtime Tales

Lesson 97 – Part Five

NEW WORDS: clapping, footprints, joints, mistakes, panfer, panther, sounding, tricking, trickster

The Panther

Mike and Ann ran in. “Dad,” said Mike, “Please tell us a bedtime tale!”

“Yes,” said Ann, clapping her hands. “Tell us a pancake tale.”

“I would if I could,” said their dad. “But I can’t.”

“Why not?” asked Mike.

“As far as I can tell, there is just one pancake tale.”

“Oh, no!” said Mike. “Now I’m in a sad mood.”

“Let’s sit down on Mike’s bed,” said their dad. “I’ll see if I can think of a good bedtime tale that you will enjoy. Would you kids like a tale that has a panther in it?”

“What’s a panfer?” Ann asked. Since she was just three, sometimes when she said “th” it came out sounding like “f.”

“It’s panther,” said Mike with a smile.

“Panfer!” said Ann.

“Ug!” said Mike.

“Mike,” said their dad. “Don’t be mean. Be nice to your sister. She’s just three. When you were her age, you made mistakes, too.”

“I did?”

Their dad nodded. Then he spoke to Ann. “A panther is a huge black cat that has sharp teeth.”

“Tell it!” said Ann. “Tell the panfer tale!”

“OK,” said their dad. “The name of this tale is The Panther.” Once there was a panther who could no longer hunt. His legs were just too tired. His joints were just too stiff. So he went in his cave and sat down near the mouth of the cave. The panther still had to get food to eat. But how could he get food without hunting? At last he came up with a plan.

Soon, an owl came up to the mouth of the cave. “How are you feeling, Panther?” the owl asked.

“Not so well,” said the panther. “I am sick and can’t leave my cave. Will you visit me in my cave? When someone is sick, it is so nice to have a pal visit.” The owl went in for a visit. He stepped inside. But he did not step out.

Next a hare came hopping by. “How are you feeling, Panther?” the hare asked.

“Not so well,” said the panther. “I am sick. Will you visit me in my cave? When someone is sick, it is so nice to have a pal visit.” The hare went inside the cave for a visit. He hopped inside. But he did not hop out.

Next a fox ran up. “How are you feeling, Panther?” the fox asked.

“Not so well,” said the panther. “I am sick. Will you visit me in my cave? When someone is sick, it is so nice to have a pal visit.”

“Thanks,” said the fox, “but no thanks!”

“Why not?” asked the panther.

“You can’t fool me,” said the fox. “I see lots of footprints going into your cave, but there are no footprints going out of it.”

Moral: Be careful who you trust.

“What a clever fox,” said Mike.

“I don’t understand,” shouted Ann. “What happened?”

“It seems that Mike is as smart as the fox,” said the dad. “Perhaps he can tell you the reason the fox said ‘No thanks!’ to the panther.”

“The fox is smart,” Mike said. “He tricked the pancake and could tell that the panther was tricking him. You can’t trick a trickster like the fox!”

*********

WEEK THIRTY-TWO PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

From Sing Sang Song Sung

He sings his song, it’s way too long, I start to cry, I know that’s wrong.

From Hot Cross Buns

One a dime, two a dime. Hot cross buns!

From Zack And Ann

Then Dan gets a mask. The mask will help block the dust.

From Space Hawk

“All are good friends of Earth! Knock on wood. We hope this keeps up!”

From The Flop-Flip Kids

Ben and Fran stuffed the sack. With big things. Rocks. Squash. Those kinds of things.

From The Picnic

The sand was warm. We didn’t wear hats or shoes or socks. Waves came curling up the beach.

From May-Belle Milks The Cow

Tick-tock, five o’clock! May-Belle milks the cow.

From Scott

This is Scott Green. Scott is ten. Scott’s dad keeps a pig in a pen.

From Lesson B-52

Solve this problem.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 39) OTHER C&V WORDS: “Short-O” repeated exposure, including silents:

I saw the robin fly into that copse of dogwood trees.

Our uncle always bows and doffs his hat in a rather formal manner when he greets you.

The sly crook foxed the detective, and he got away and escaped.

I’ll bet that she hocks some of her jewelry at a pawn shop in order to get some quick cash.

Those two jocks aren’t just great athletes, but they get all-As in their classes, as well.

On our Scotland vacation, I got great photos of some of their lovely lochs.

John Locke was a 17th century scholar who wrote a lot about political theory.

I forgot which keys go with those locks.

Her big sister mocks her if she has a temper tantrum.

Make sure that you don’t run the lawn mower over those rocks!

Mom, these two pairs of socks have big holes in them.

Dr. Watson said, “Don’t worry; Sherlock Holmes will solve this crime!”

My best friend lives just a block from our house.

Dr. Brock gave me my flu shot yesterday.

The clock has stopped, so I guess that it needs a new battery.

That crooked politician’s speech last night was a crock of bold-face lies.

Make sure that you look both ways before you cross the street.

A very loud flock of geese flew overhead.

Kids, make sure that you floss your teeth after you brush them.

It was a chilly spring day, and Grandma put on a frock before going on her daily walk.

In your speech today, make sure that you don’t gloss over that important point that I want you to emphasize.

Did you just hear a knock on the door?

Blast it, I can’t untie these knots in my shoelaces.

That golf pro’s championship wins are nothing to scoff at.

That bully Scott got sent to the Principal TWICE today!

Put on this smock, and you’ll stay warmer on this windy day.

I’m sorry, but our store does not stock this car part that you’re looking for.

We heard a big “WHOMP!” when the teenager started to play whac-a-mole.

After receiving a huge series of whops to the face, the boxer fell to the mat.

You were right, and I was wrong.

*********

WEEK THIRTY-THREE

WEEK THIRTY-THREE READING PASSAGES

Bedtime Tales

Lesson 98 – Part Six

NEW WORDS: hunger, indeed, pang, pounced, tugged

Cat and Mouse Keep House

“Dad,” said Mike, “can you tell us a bedtime tale that has a trick in it?”

“A trickster tale?” asked the dad.

“Yes!” shouted the kids with one voice.

“OK,” said the dad. “The name of this tale is Cat and Mouse Keep House.”

Once, a cat and a mouse set up house. “We must get some food for the winter,” said the mouse.

“Yes,” said the cat. “We must indeed.” So, the two of them went out and got a jar of jam.

“Where can we hide this jar of jam to keep it safe?” asked the cat.

“Let’s hide it in the house next door,” said the cat. “No one is in that house.”

“Yes,” said the mouse. “The old house next door is just the place!” So, the cat and the mouse hid the jar of jam in a dark corner of the house next door. They said that they would let it sit there until winter came.

A week passed. The cat felt a pang of hunger. He started thinking of the jar of jam. What if he went and had just a bit of jam for a snack? There would still be a lot left. The cat made a plan to trick the mouse.

“Mouse,” said the cat, “I must run off for a bit. Will you keep the house while I am out?” The cat ran to the house next door and got out the jar. He started licking the jam. He licked and licked. When he stopped there was just a bit of jam left. Then he ran back home.

A week passed. This time it was the mouse who felt a pang of hunger. “The cat is napping,” he said to himself. “I think I will visit the house and get myself a snack. I will just have a bit of the jam. What’s the harm in that? There will still be a lot left.”

The mouse ran to the house next door. When he got there, what did he see? A jar with no jam! The cat had tricked him. The mouse was mad. He ran back and woke up the cat. “You tricked me!” said the mouse.

“Did I?” said the cat.

“You ate the jam we said we would save for winter! You had it for a snack!” the mouse yelled.

“Yes!” said the cat. “I could have you for a snack!” But the mouse was too mad to stop.

“You tricked me!” he shouted. “Now we have no jam! Now we … ” But he did not have time to finish his sentence. The cat pounced on the mouse and made an end of him.

Moral: Be careful who you trust.

“What do you think is the point of the tale?” asked the dad. “Is there a point?”

Mike said, “I think that the point is that mice should not keep house with cats.”

“I like that!” said the dad. “My dad used to tell me that tale when I was a kid. He said the point of it was: Be careful who you trust.”

Then the dad got up and tugged on the drapes. “Look there!” he said. “It’s dark outside. The street lamp is on. The tale is finished. It’s time for bed.”

*********

Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

The Cat Bandit

Lesson 99 – Part One

NEW WORDS: Bing, Hank, bandit, belt, dotted, magnet, nugget, resting, seventh, sink, sprang, swung, tong, tongs, tugging, whiff, wishing, zipping

The Hot Dog

Mom had a hot dog. She left the hot dog on a shelf in the den. The hot dog sent up a smell. The smell drifted and drifted. The cat bandit sat on the deck, wishing he had a snack. Then the hot dog smell hit him. Such a smell! Sniff, sniff, sniff! The cat bandit ran in the den. He spotted the hot dog up on the shelf.

He got up on a bench. Then he sprang up on the TV set. Then, with a big jump, he sprang up and landed on the shelf. Then — munch, munch, munch — the cat bandit had himself a picnic lunch.

The Chicken Nugget

Hank set his dish in the sink. He left a big chicken nugget on the dish. The nugget was still hot. The smell of chicken drifted up from the sink. It drifted into the den. The cat bandit was napping in the den. But he was sniffing as he slept. Sniff, sniff, sniff! The cat bandit sprang up. He ran in and spotted the nugget in the sink.

He sat a bit, thinking up a plan. Then he went to the closet and got a bunch of boxes. He set up a box. Then he set a big box next to that box. Then he set the biggest box next to the sink. The cat bandit set off running. He ran up the boxes, hopping from box to box. Then — munch, munch, munch — that was the end of the chicken nugget.

The Snack Mix

Beth left a basket of snack mix on a shelf. The cat bandit spotted the snack mix. He felt he had to get it. But how? He sat thinking. Then he got up and ran off to the deck. The cat bandit got the grilling tongs Dad kept next to the gas grill. He set the tongs up on the rug. Then he went and got a bunch of rocks. He set the rocks on the rug.

He got a rock and set it down on the top tong. He set his leg on the top tong to press it down. Then he let the tong spring up. Swish! The rock went zipping off. Bing! The rock hit the shelf.

But it did not hit the basket with the snack mix. The bandit set a rock on the tongs and shot it. Swish, bing! Swish, bing! Swish, bing! The bandit shot six rocks. But the rocks did not hit the basket of snack mix.

At last — swish, smack! The seventh rock hit the basket. The basket fell down. It landed on the rug. The rug was dotted with snack mix. Then — chomp, chomp, chomp — that was the end of the snack mix.

The Ham

Mom left a pink ham sitting in a big black pan. The cat bandit was resting on a quilt when he got a whiff of the ham. What was that smell? It was ham! Where was the ham? The cat bandit set off, sniffing as he went. He went on sniffing until he spotted the ham. But the ham was up on top.

How was he to get it down? That was the problem. The cat bandit ran to the closet and got a belt. Then he ran to the shed and got a strong magnet. He stuck the magnet on the end of the belt. The magnet stuck to the belt. Then the cat bandit swung the belt. Clang! The magnet on the end of the belt hit the pan. It stuck to the pan.

In a flash, the cat bandit was tugging on the belt. Tug, tug, tug! Yank, yank, yank! At last, the pan slid off. It fell down and landed with a clang. Then — munch, munch, munch — that was the end of the ham.

*********

Core Knowledge (R) Independent Reading

(Review guidelines for publishing Core Knowledge (R) materials at the bottom of this page-view.)

The Cat Bandit

Lesson 100 – Part Two

NEW WORDS: clicked, flashing, glinted, lenses, plank, sensed, slash, tilted, whiz

The Fish

Once Mom hung a fish up on a string. The cat bandit was scratching himself when he got a whiff of the fish. Quick as a flash, he ran into the kitchen. The bandit spotted the fish hanging on the string. He sat down to think up a plan to get the fish. The cat bandit ran and got Mom’s glasses. He set the glasses on a bench that was in the sun.

The sun shone on the two lenses of the glasses. The lenses glinted in the sun. The bandit slid the glasses a bit to the left. He slid the glasses until one of the lenses sent hot sun flashing onto the string. Then he sat.

The sun from the glasses shone on the string. The string got hot. The wax on the string melted. Then, rip! The fish fell. Then — munch, munch, munch — that was the end of the fish.

The Milk

Once Beth left a glass of milk on the deck. The cat bandit spotted it. It was up where he could not get it. The bandit was sad. But then he spotted a string that ran from the shed to the deck. Mom had hung wet socks, wet pants, and a wet jacket on the string. The bandit grinned.

The cat bandit went and got Dad’s belt. Then he got up on top of the shed. He swung the belt on top of the string. Then he held on to the belt and jumped off the shed. Whiz! The bandit went zipping off on the string. Pop, pop, pop! He knocked the socks off the string. Pop, pop, pop! He knocked the pants off the string. Thwack! He knocked the jacket off the string.

At last the bandit went zipping past the milk. As he went past, he kicked the cup with his leg. The cup fell on the deck with a crash. The bandit landed on the deck. Then — lap, lap, lap — that was the end of the milk.

The Chips

Once Mom left a big bag of chips on the top shelf in the kitchen. “The cat will not get them up there,” she said. But it was not long until the cat bandit was up to his tricks. He got a log, a plank, and a big rock. He set the rock on the bench. He set the log on the rug next to the bench. He set the plank on top of the log. Then the bandit sat on one end of the plank.

He slid the rock off the bench. The rock fell and landed on one end of the plank. Smack! The end of the plank where the rock fell went down fast. But the end of the plank the cat bandit was sitting on popped up, and the cat bandit popped up with it.

Whiz! The cat bandit went zipping up. The cat bandit did a flip and landed on top of the shelf. Slash! The bandit cut a big gash in the bag. Then — crunch, crunch, crunch — that was the end of the chips.

The Catfish

Dad went fishing and got a big catfish. He left the catfish in a bucket. Then he locked the bucket in the shed. “There!” he said as he clicked the lock shut. “This lock will stop the cat!”

The tempting smell of fish drifted in the wind. The cat bandit sensed that there was a fish in the shed. He went to visit. The shed was locked up. But that did not stop him! He went and got a belt. He hitched the end of the belt to the lock and tugged on it. But the lock held and the shed just sat there.

The cat bandit went and got a dog. The cat and the dog tugged on the belt. But still the shed just sat there. The cat bandit went and got a pig. The cat, the dog, and the pig tugged on the belt. That did it. The shed tilted to the left. Wham! The shed fell with a crash. Then — munch, munch, munch — that was the end of the catfish.

*********

WEEK THIRTY-THREE PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

From Five Chicks

One jumps, one pecks, one sings, “Cheep!”

From Kit

Kit has mumps. Kit is in bed. Kit can’t get up.

Kit’s pal Fred gulps his milk. Fast Fred gulps and gulps.

From Two Bad Mice

She sweeps the floors. She puts the dust in a dust pan. She dumps it in the fire-place.

From Seth

Seth’s sled went fast. Seth held on. Seth hit bumps, but did not stop.

From Lesson B-2

Dad hunts at night.

From The Tree And The Reeds

The tree was brave. It stood up a long time. But the gusts of wind were too strong.

From The Five Senses

Tears can come without crying! You have tiny tear ducts. (Ducts are like tubes.)

From Lesson B-69

That joke busts me up!

+++

From The Mule

Your mule’s not as bad, I hope, I trust.

From To Hear My Song

“Mew – mew,” cries the cat. “Grunt – grunt,” goes the hog.

From Space Hawk

“Yep!” I said. “They waddled. They were plump.

From Deer Don’t Huff

Deer don’t huff or hoot or howl. They do not grump. They do not growl.

From The Elephant Carries A Big Trunk

The elephant carries a great big trunk. He never packs it with clothes.

From Squirrel Nutkin

Then he sat on a tree stump. He played marbles. He watched Brown’s door.

They snuck the honey from a bumble-bee’s nest. That was at the tip-top of a hill. And no one was stung!

From The Cat Bandit

The magnet stuck to the belt. Then the cat bandit swung the belt. Clang!

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 40) CVCCC WORDS: “Short-U” repeated exposure:

That tennis pro bulks up on carbs the night before a match.

Drive carefully, as there are some huge bumps in the road for the next couple of miles.

The sergeant surveyed how the men had made up their bunks, and he was satisfied.

I bet that the batter bunts the ball this time around.

I hope that the author busts out of his writer’s block some time soon!

My son has finally grown out of joining bizarre cults, and he now leads a normal life.

The service technician cleaned out the vents and air ducts in the office today.

My uncle is always searching for usable car parts in the various dumps around the city.

I love the way that pro dunks the basketball.

Kirsten Dunst is an American actress who has received many acting awards.

It’s hard to believe with today’s warm temperatures that four dusks ago we had snow on the ground.

Mom’s a clean freak, and she dusts the furniture once a week.

My older sister is in one of her weird funks right now, because she got jilted by her boyfriend.

I have been sailing in both the gulfs of Mexico and Alaska.

Tom gulps down tons of ice water when he gets home from football practice.

Today’s weather forecast says that we’re going to have huge gusts of wind.

A colony of camels that each had three humps was discovered in the Middle East in 2019.

I’m going to cut up some big hunks of cheese to have to snack on for the party.

Did you know that the female lion hunts for their food the most?

Watch how dad husks the corn so that we can have corn on the cob.

Our new kitten jumps up in the air when I’m bringing him a bowl of food.

I hope that your dad junks most of that useless stuff in the garage.

I’ll take two lumps of sugar for my tea, please.

The gambler had two lunks who stayed around him to be his bodyguards.

My aunt lusts after anything that’s chocolate.

That guy is a card-counter, and will mulct you in a game of poker.

I think that I had the mumps when I was four or five years old.

The humid dungeon of this castle holds the musts of centuries.

This juice recipe says that you will combine the pulps of oranges and limes.

I like how he pumps his fist every time he scores a touchdown.

Those two teenagers are just punks, and they get into lots of trouble.

That kicker punts the football as far as fifty yards sometimes.

Okay kids, please calm down and get your rumps into your seats.

That mama kitty seems to have an entire litter of runts.

This brand of refrigerator rusts too easily in the humid, salty air of South Florida.

I bet that my little brother sulks off if Mom says that he can’t stay up past 9:00.

Our kitty lost a few tufts of hair in a fight with the neighbor’s cat.

I hate poachers who kill elephants for their tusks!

Activity 41) CCVCC WORDS: “Short-U” repeated exposure:

The detective thinks that the victim was murdered with a blunt instrument.

The new boss is often brusk with his employees.

Can you please pull up that clump of weeds in the garden?

The toddler clung to his mom as they crossed the street.

Mom deposited the heavy shopping bag on the counter with a loud “clunk.”

I heard a loud “crump” from our dog as he gnawed a bone in half.

Drat, I burned the crust on the rhubarb pie.

I had drunk so much water that we had to stop at two filling stations in an hour to use the rest room.

I was so tired that I had to flump onto the sofa and rest for a few minutes.

Dad hit a really bad golf shot and then flung his golf club into the pond.

Have you studied hard enough to not flunk this test?

My aunt was seven days into a bad flu bug, lying in bed, and looking like a pitiful frump.

Steer clear of your brother, cause he’s being a grump today.

It scared me when the gorilla let out a loud grunt.

That poor klutz playing in the outfield couldn’t catch a fly ball if his life depended on it.

I think I’ve cooked up quite a plump, juicy turkey for Thanksgiving.

*********

WEEK THIRTY-FOUR

WEEK THIRTY-FOUR READING PASSAGES

Lesson 101 – Stories Misc

The First Snow

NEW WORDS: Sparky, afternoon, angels, bedroom, buried, cancer, clearing, collar, cures, drifts, driveway, flake, forts, freezer, guessed, hockey, icy, living, placing, skating, skiing, sledded, snowman’s, snowmen, throwing, thrown, weekend

James had not seen snow before. Well, he HAD seen it in pictures. But he’d never felt the ice cold flakes in his own hands.

He’d never thrown a snowball. He’d never tried to catch a snow flake on his tongue. He’d never built a snowman. He’d never put a snowball into the freezer. So, he couldn’t bring it back out, some time in the middle of the summer.

He’d never snuck up behind his Dad, snow in hand. It would be fun to drop chunks of snow down his Dad’s shirt collar. Then he would screech, “Surprise!”

There was so much “snow fun” that he had missed in his ten years of life, so far. But James and his family had lived too deep in the South for it to snow. It just didn’t get cold enough. But this would change in the new school year.

His Mom had just landed a great new job. She would help to find more cures for cancer. So, they had moved way North for the new job. It would snow a LOT there. He could count on that, every winter!

James would learn about new things to do, where the weather is much colder. Things like ice fishing and cross-country skiing. Things like snow-boarding, ice skating, and hockey. This would all be great fun for James.

Ten weeks had gone by in the school year. Finally, a big snow was coming. It was a Thursday afternoon. The first large flakes filled the sky. It was about four o’clock. James was getting his homework done for the day.

He couldn’t believe his eyes! He thought he was seeing giant magic popcorn puffs. They were going to cover everything in a thick, white quilt. James guessed that millions of snow flakes were coming down!

James went to bed around nine-thirty. There were already a good six inches of snow on the ground. He woke up early the next day. Light, icy flakes were still coming down.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Or what he was NOT seeing! Now there was only white. He couldn’t see a road, a bush, a branch, or a car. There was only one clear thing in view. That was the tree trunks in the woods.

His Mom came into his bedroom. She said, “James, there’s now over a foot of snow on the ground! Up north, they’re good at clearing snow from the roads. But this storm was even too much for them. The school buses aren’t safe to ride in weather like this. So guess what? School is closed for today! You’ll get a long weekend!”

It was James’s first snow day! And it was a magical day. He played with snowmen, snow forts, and snowballs. He sledded down steep hills. He fell in the snow and made snow angels with his arms and legs. He also got to watch his cat, Sparky, try to keep from getting buried in the tall snow drifts.

It was late in the day on Friday. James was placing a carrot on his third snowman’s face. This one now had a long, thin nose. His Dad drove up the driveway. He was coming home from work a bit early.

His Dad got out of his car. James yelled to him, “Living up north is so much fun! I’m so happy that you and Mom brought us here!” James turned around. But then he felt a snowball hit the back of his coat. He and his Dad started laughing. Then they had fun throwing snowballs at each other, until it was time for dinner!

*********

Lesson 102 – Short / Long (Vowel) Reflex-Builder

NEW WORDS: Dade, Don, Gabe, Gavin, Hal, Janice, Lonnie, Lou, Mal, McCabe, Moore, Nam, Ned, Rick, Talbot, Viet, Walter, Whit, athlete, bade, bass, beater, behave, bony, bother, butt, butte, cards, comb, comfort, country’s, criminal, dike, director, dome, driven, drone, duke, fib, fiber, fort, gab, glove, guard, guava, hale, hatching, heaven’s, hiked, juice, kin, lack, leak, lonely, male, minute, mull, mute, mutt, mystery, pale, polish, pose, positive, prom, quake, routine, shale, she’d, shin, stain, stale, stallion’s, steak, tack, tank, teens, teethe, towed, twine, vice, waiter, waste, weary

Hale Hal yelled from the hall, “Stop!”

Mal is the only male here.

Dean is in the den.

We saw a country hick on our hike.

Mack, what will you make?

Does a duck quack in an Earth-quake?

It’s hot in our hotel.

The kid on 1st base likes sea bass.

I was polite, and his face lit up.

For heaven’s sake, that sack is heavy!

Stan had a stain on his shirt.

That dog that can’t bark is a “mute mutt.”

I felt bad when we bade Gran good-bye.

Polish this pole.

Will the golf pro be at our prom?

Pay the train fare, or you won’t get far.

Have you learned to behave?

Set these on the seat.

Is Lonnie lonely?

Shall I ask if this rock is shale?

I can’t tell whether she likes the weather.

She’d likely be in the shed.

Is the fuel tank full?

They towed his car from down town.

The dog’s collar is a red color.

I ate at 7:00.

Did you take my thumb tack?

Face that fact!

Can I have a candy cane?

I’d like to lick the spoon.

What does Ned need?

I lack the lace needed to sew this dress.

Is Tim like that all the time?

Sid is on our side.

That was a super supper!

This map will take us to the maple trees.

Will will do it in a while.

Show me the shower leak.

I wonder where that bee has been.

Dad showed us how to use this.

My dear, it’s a mystery.

This egg beater works better.

Mrs. Moore asked for more.

Gabe, you gab too much.

Let’s sit for a minute at the site.

Yes, please, that would be pleasant.

Let’s roam around the room.

Vic ran for Vice-Chair.

We got a new goat.

Deal the cards, dear.

That made the maid mad.

She told a fib about eating enough fiber.

Get rid of the trash, then we’ll take a ride.

Snip her hair, and she’ll snipe at you.

I’m weary of wearing this.

Don’t do that, Don.

Don’t stare at that film star.

Whit has on a white shirt.

That country’s name is Viet Nam.

Dick, that dike is a sea wall.

Waiter, bring some water to Walter.

He’s putting on his glove before putting the golf ball.

This leak will flood our floor.

Has she met me?

Are you cooking your steak rare?

There’s no comfort in our fort.

I’m positive that’s a good pose.

That bear cub has an ice cube.

Don’t panic, Janice is nice.

That monster is the best beast in the movie.

My pal has pale skin.

Rick loves rice.

Gavin gave me a huge hug.

Duke has a pet duck.

She has made a hasty decision.

Pete got a pet.

Ned will need some more.

Bake the chicken on its back.

We will get wet.

Come let me comb your hair.

Tim is on time.

Put one on my plate.

Mr. Butt hiked up to the butte.

When I dove off the side, a dove flew by.

Tal and Talbot tell great tall tales.

Who are those ten teens there?

She ran out into the rain.

Later, I’ll hide where he hid.

I hope I see a kangaroo hop.

Close the closet door.

Babies teethe when they get their teeth.

Tell her to come here.

There’s stale food in the stallion’s stall.

Do not rip up that note.

Dad is from Dade County.

Hover the drone over Rover.

I’ll mull over buying a mule.

I was about to throw out that waste.

After my shoe shine, I bumped my shin.

Bring those twin rolls of twine.

Both of them bother me.

He’s driven to be a race driver.

Mr. McCabe drives a cab.

What will the doe do next?

My kin folk are kind.

That Director is in dire trouble.

What crime is that criminal hatching?

Bonny is bony and skinny.

Let that athlete help you!

Taking that route is my routine.

Dom took a photo of the dome.

That guard likes guava juice.

Though he’s wrong, he thought through it carefully.

Lou is loud.

We’re not sure where you were?

He took Dad’s tools.

*********

Lesson 103 – Stories Misc

The Witch Barber

NEW WORDS: Greg, Kenny, Sears, William, barber, blips, cackled, canal, catalog, chain, circled, clippers, dentist’s, egads, greater, grit, haircut, horror, lizard, minor, monkeys, morphed, ordeal, passes, peaceful, pliers, shearings, shriek, sixty, ticks, torture, towels, warts, wuss

The Witch Barber

Oh no, egads, here we go. It’s that time again, the once-a-month horror! “Oh, William, the pain, the pain!”

I’d watch my Mom set up the horror. She’d put the two old gray towels down. She’d use the same ones, month after month. They were in the middle of the den floor. My heart began to pound, and it would now beat two times its normal speed.

I heard the call. It was more like a shriek. “Kenny, please get the orange chair! It’s time for a haircut!”

I’d rather walk the plank. Where could I hide? No, that wouldn’t be worth it. Mom and Dad would not let me get away with any monkey business. I had to behave. I’d just have to grit my teeth and let it happen. Sometimes life is just a bear.

Boy, did Mom and Dad watch the money. We could do this at home. Why would we pay for it some place else. Why pay a barber? Yeah, sure, SHE could cut our hair herself, or so she thought. “Cut” is a poor word for it. It was more like “chop and pull.” The word “torture” came to mind. And I was just six years old!

I dragged it out and moved like a snail. But the clock ticks on. I had to do it, and I sat in the chair. I actually slumped into the chair. And it was just like every month. My kind, very pretty mother morphed into a witch. Her skin turned green. She became lizard-like. Warts grew on her nose. Her fingers turned into bones. And her teeth went black. She cackled, and those creepy flying monkeys circled the room, in flight! “Kenny, sit up straight!”

And there were the clippers of death. The witch clippers. Those old, dull witch clippers. They didn’t cut our hair. They PULLED our hair. They TUGGED at our hair! She could have gotten the pliers. She could have pulled our hairs out one by one. That would have been no worse!

Those awful clippers started up. What did I hear? Not a soft, gentle hum in my ears. It was more like a chain saw! I wanted to yell, “TIMBER!”

I shut my eyes. I took a deep breath. Surprise! Nothing bad for sixty seconds. But then, “OUCH!” Here it comes. Then, “OUCH” again, over and over! When would this end!?

I glanced around. I tried to find something in the room to take my mind off of it. The Christmas tree was lit up and pretty. Greg and I had gone over the Sears Christmas catalog. We had told Mom and Dad about all the toys that we might like this year. I was almost peaceful.

But then again, “OUCH!”

This went on for nine minutes. But it seemed like five hours. FIVE LONG, SLOW HOURS!

But time passes. The ordeal was finally over. There was only one joy that I could get out of it. That was to call out to my brother. “Greg, guess what? It’s YOUR turn!!!!!”

Many long years have passed. And now I’m bald. But life has taught me about far worse things than hair pulling! Those shearings had really been nothing at all. They had been just minor blips of pain. I had been SUCH a little wuss.

For, in later years, I would learn of a far greater horror.

THE DENTIST’S CHAIR. AND THE ROOT CANAL!!!!!! AHH!!!

*********

WEEK THIRTY-FOUR PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

From Zack And Ann

Ann has a lot of tasks. “Cut the grass !” says Dad. “Scrub the pots !” says Mom.

From Nuts For Donuts

It’s from the shell of a nut that I found in the woods where I happened to strut.

+++

From A Small Talk

But all I heard was, “Cluck! Cluck! Cluck!”

From Old Pig

She walked all ’round, said, “Oink! Oink! Oink!” While the young ones said, “Wee! Wee!”

From Five Wee Ducks

Five wee ducks that I once knew, fat ones, thin ones, tall ones, too.

From Miss Madge

Well! Mouse has snuck out! He has run from her. He’s fast!

From Jay Frog

Jay got to his good place. He stuck his pole in the mud. He then tied the boat to it.

From Zack And Ann

“Is it a truck?” Zack said. “No ,” Mom said. “It’s not a truck.”

From Space Hawk

“Chuck! Pluck out a feather! Poor Chuck-Chuck. He has to suck his thumb!”

From Sam

“That’s the bus!” Sam yells. Sam’s mom huffs and puffs. “Stop the bus!” Sam yells.

From Snap Shots

“That is where Mom shops,” said Nat. “That shop has all the best stuff!”

From Gran

Gran tucks the kids in. Then Josh and Jen drift off to sleep.

From Kate’s Book

“I could sell a coin like this for three hundred bucks!”

From The Job Hunt

Mrs. Gunter gave Kim a big hug. Kurt snuck in between them so he could be part of the hug, too.

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 41) CCVCC WORDS: “Short-U” repeated exposure … continued:

Ben tried skipping a rock on the pond’s surface, but it just went into the water with a loud “plunk.”

I wish that the neighbor behind us wouldn’t always skulk around our back fence and spy on us.

Our poor bloodhound was sprayed by a skunk today.

Son, it’s not good for your posture to slump in a chair all day.

David slung a big rock at Goliath from slingshot.

My older brother slunk in through his open window because he’d stayed out later than he was supposed to.

My grandpa still has tons of spunk, even though he’s 95 years old!

Be careful that you don’t trip on that small tree stump.

Ouch, a bee just stung me on my right leg.

The rotten egg stunk to high heaven!

The teacher barked, “Tommy, if you ever pull a stunt like that again, you’re going straight to the Principal.”

She swung around when I yelled “boo” behind her back.

In card games, a certain “suit” (hearts, spades, diamonds, or clubs) can take the other three suits if they are the “trump” cards.

President Trump was the first sitting President in 28 years to not win their reelection attempt.

Did you know that an elephant’s trunk has forty thousand muscles in it?

Son, you should trust my advice on this!

Activity 42) CCCVC WORDS: “Short-U” repeated exposure:

You’ll have to scrub the burned food in this pot really hard.

Can you strum your guitar a little more quietly, please?

Watch Dick strut about now that he has won the debate tournament.

Activity 43) OTHER C&V WORDS: “Short-U” repeated exposure, including silents:

Is there a chance that you could lend me five bucks?

That shoeshine man really buffs your shoes to a crystal clear shine.

Mom made an awesome looking bundt cake for dessert tonight.

When I was young, I got bused all the way across town to go to my schools.

The mean coach yelled, “Get your butts in gear and do three laps around the track!”

Uh-oh, I seem to have splashed mud on my pants cuffs.

I’ve become disorganized, and I need to get my ducks in a row.

The drill sergeant yelled to his men, “Get off of your duffs, because we’re going on a night march!”

I bet that mean old wolf huffs and puffs about blowing my house down.

If Tim lucks out, he’ll get everything that he asked for this Christmas.

If Peg muffs up catching that fly ball, then we’re going to lose the softball game.

Look at those mutts trying to get into that trash can.

A strong slapshot can send hockey pucks at over 100 miles per hour.

When I was a kid, my favorite cereal was Cocoa Puffs.

The nurse said, “Your pulse rate is right at the normal average, at 80 beats per minute.”

If that golf pro putts the ball into the hole, he’ll win the tournament!

Huge rucks of high school athletes dream to be sports pros, but few ever get there.

My cousin Brian still sucks his thumb.

Mom or Dad tucks us into bed every night.

Mom, I ate up every crumb on my plate!

Honey, could you please fluff up the pillows on the couch?

I love the story “The Three Billy Gots Gruff.”

It’s okay for the little boy to pluck the strings on my guitar.

Let’s use this plumb-line to make sure that we’ve centered the wood correctly here.

Be careful to not scuff up your shiny brand new shoes.

Even though that skull is made of plaster, it still looks scary to me!

The boxer was dazed by a hard left to the chin, but his coach told him to sluff it off and to get back into the ring.

Sammy snuck an extra cookie into his lunch box.

I need to snuff out all of the candles before I head to bed.

Dad, that wasn’t your greatest parking job, and the car’s still stuck out into traffic.

Son, please go through all of that stuff in your closet and get rid of half of it!

The first toy that I can remember enjoying was my yellow Tonka dump truck.

The wrestler brought his opponent to the mat with a loud “WHUMP!”

Dad, I’ve wrung all of the water out of these rags that I can.

When I was young, I remember always dreaming about becoming an astronaut.

Click here to go to Module C BY WEEKS 1 to 17

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AnyOneCanRead®

Lesson 50 – Stories Misc

Lesson 51 – Poems And Rhymes

Lesson 52 – Fry-Builder

Activity 24) Long-vowel –> single consonant –> silent-E, 3- & 4-letter words, Long-U repeated exposure:

WEEK NINETEEN

WEEK NINETEEN READING PASSAGES

Lesson 53 – Poems And Rhymes

Lesson 54 – 4-Letter Vocab-Builder

Lesson 55 – 4-Letter Vocab-Builder

Activity 25) CVCCC WORDS: “Short-A” repeated exposure:

WEEK TWENTY

WEEK TWENTY READING PASSAGES

Lesson 56 – Inf./Deriv. Builder

Lesson 57 – Inf./Deriv. Builder

Lesson 58 – Inf./Deriv. Builder

Activity 26) CCVCC WORDS: “Short-A” repeated exposure:

WEEK TWENTY-ONE

WEEK TWENTY-ONE READING PASSAGES

Lesson 59 – Fry-Builder

Lesson 60 – Poems And Rhymes

Lesson 61 – Part One

Activity 26) CCVCC WORDS: “Short-A” repeated exposure … continued:

WEEK TWENTY-TWO READING PASSAGES

Lesson 62 – Part Two

Lesson 63 – Part Three

Lesson 64 – Part Four

Activity 27) CCCVC WORDS: “Short-A” repeated exposure:

Activity 28) OTHER C&V WORDS: “Short-A” repeated exposure, also including silent letters:

WEEK TWENTY-THREE

WEEK TWENTY-THREE READING PASSAGES

Lesson 65 – Part Five

Lesson 66 – Part Six

Lesson 67 – Part Seven

Activity 28) OTHER C&V WORDS: “Short-A” repeated exposure, also including silent letters … continued:

WEEK TWENTY-FOUR

WEEK TWENTY-FOUR READING PASSAGES

Lesson 68 – Stories Misc

Lesson 69 – Inf./Deriv. Builder

Lesson 70 – Inf./Deriv. Builder

Activity 29) CVCCC WORDS: “Short-E” repeated exposure:

WEEK TWENTY-FIVE

WEEK TWENTY-FIVE READING PASSAGES

Lesson 71 – Inf./Deriv. Builder

Lesson 72 – Poems and Rhymes Beatrix Potter’s Favorite Poems

Lesson 73 – Part One

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 30) CCVCC WORDS: “Short-E” repeated exposure:

Lesson 74 – Part Two

Lesson 75 – Part Three

Lesson 76 – Part Four

Lesson 77 – Part Five

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 31) OTHER C&V WORDS: “Short-E” repeated exposure, also including silent letters:

WEEK TWENTY-SEVEN

Lesson 78 – Part One

Lesson 79 – Part Two

Lesson 80 – Space Hawk: Story Keeper

Lesson 81 – Space Hawk: No Pets!

Activity 31) OTHER C&V WORDS: “Short-E” repeated exposure, also including silent letters … continued:

WEEK TWENTY-EIGHT

Lesson 82 – Pattern-Builder Poems

Lesson 83 – 3-Letter Vocab-Builder

Lesson 84 – Part One

Lesson 85 – Part Two

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 32) CVCCC WORDS: “Short-I” repeated exposure:

WEEK TWENTY-NINE

Lesson 86 – Part Three

Lesson 87 – Part Four

Lesson 88 – Part Five

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 33) CCVCC WORDS: “Short-I” repeated exposure:

Activity 34) CCCVC WORDS: “Short-I” repeated exposure:

WEEK THIRTY

Lesson 89 – Part Six

Lesson 90 – Part Seven

Lesson 91 – Part Eight

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #2, “SCOPE AND SEQUENCE”

Activity 35) OTHER C&V WORDS: “Short-I” repeated exposure, including silents:

Lesson 72 – Poems and Rhymes
Beatrix Potter’s Favorite Poems

WEEK THIRTY-THREE PHONICS READ-ALONGS

FROM AOCR PHONICS ACTIVITY #1, ABOVE READING PASSAGES

Lesson 101 – Stories Misc

The First Snow

Lesson 103 – Stories Misc

The Witch Barber