Miss Tam carefully unfolded a world map and taped it to the wall. Read Well 2 Unit 3 Homework 1 Bird s-eye view. Bird s-eye view, screeched Minnie Bird. 19 22 Miss Tam stared at the world map for a long time. I will go to Africa to see hippos, said Miss Tam. I ll send you postcards, just like Toot sent to Puddle. 30 40 47 54 Chapter 1 1. What is a bird s-eye view? 2. Would you like to travel to Africa to see hippos? What other animals do you think you might see there? I ve listened to my child read the passage, and we ve discussed the questions. Date Signed Optional Second Reading (initial here): Fiction This reading folder belongs to: Please listen to your child read the story for accuracy and expression. You may wish to have your child read a second time to strengthen skills. Note: Numbers are for school use only. 2009 Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved. 25
Practiced Passage Chapter 1 Where to Go? What to See? At exactly :30 a.m., Minnie Bird screeched, Good morning! It had been Miss Tam s habit for 30 years to pop out of bed, put on her slippers, and put on her robe. However, this morning was different. It was not an ordinary day. Miss Tam was not going to work. She had retired. Miss Tam said, I think I will sleep in. As was his habit, Old Scraggly Cat opened one eye and closed it again. 9 1 2 33 41 49 57 2 9 7 Finally, at exactly 7:00 a.m., Minnie Bird screeched: Please wake up! Seeds, please. No, it was not an ordinary day. Miss Tam was sleeping late. Miss Tam opened one eye and smiled. Minnie Bird, what good manners you have. After breakfast, Miss Tam took out Toot and Puddle and 10 books about Africa. It s time to plan my first grand adventure, said Miss Tam. 12 21 28 35 39 45 52 53 0 4 1. Why wasn t it an ordinary day? 2. What does it mean when a person is retired? 3. What is Miss Tam s habit? What is Old Scraggly Cat s habit? 4. Why did Miss Tam think Minnie Bird had good manners? Note: Numbers are for school use only. 2 2009 Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved.
Don t worry. Mr. Moffitt will take good care of you while I am away, said Miss Tam. 15 17 Read Well 2 Unit 3 Homework 2 Soon Miss Tam s new travel bag was packed. With a tear in her eye, she said goodbye. Parting was bittersweet. A day and a half later, a stiff and tired Miss Tam toddled off the plane into a sea of people. She was in Ghana! 24 33 37 4 54 2 Chapter 2 1. Who will take care of Old Scraggly Cat and Minnie Bird while Miss Tam is in Africa? 2. Why did Miss Tam find that saying goodbye to her friends was bittersweet? 3. What do you think a sea of people means? I ve listened to my child read the passage, and we ve discussed the questions. Date Signed Optional Second Reading (initial here): Fiction This reading folder belongs to: Please listen to your child read the story for accuracy and expression. You may wish to have your child read a second time to strengthen skills. Note: Numbers are for school use only. 2009 Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved. 27
Practiced Passage Chapter 2 The Dark Blue Hatpin The next day, Miss Tam went to visit her old friend Mr. Moffitt. Miss Tam put on her sturdy brown walking shoes and walked three blocks to the bus stop. She reached the library in time to have lunch with Mr. Moffitt. It was like old times. 8 20 27 35 43 47 Miss Tam said, I am going to Africa. I will send you postcards. Mr. Moffitt said, Oh my, Miss Tam, Africa is a very big continent. You must go to the country of Ghana. There, my dear friend Kwesi (Kwe-see) will welcome you. He will take you to see amazing things! When Miss Tam got home, she took out a dark blue hatpin and stuck it into the country of Ghana. I am going to Ghana, Minnie Bird. 7 14 21 30 37 43 51 58 7 75 78 Old Scraggly Cat crawled under the couch and pouted. 84 87 1. Why was lunch with Mr. Moffitt like old times? 2. Where is the country of Ghana? 3. How did Old Scraggly Cat feel about Miss Tam s adventure? Note: Numbers are for school use only. 28 2009 Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved.
What fun! exclaimed Miss Tam. She quickly took off her old shoes and put on her new African footwear. 5 19 Read Well 2 Unit 3 Homework 3 The streets were filled with people. Women carried big baskets full of things on their heads. One woman walked by with a big bowl of eggs perfectly balanced on her head. 25 32 39 47 50 Chapter 3 When Miss Tam got to her hotel room, she tried walking with her book bag on her head. She dropped it six times. It wasn t as easy as it looked! 57 4 72 80 1. Describe what bargaining is. 2. Have you ever tried to balance something on your head? Is it easy or hard? I ve listened to my child read the passage, and we ve discussed the questions. Date Signed Optional Second Reading (initial here): Fiction This reading folder belongs to: Please listen to your child read the story for accuracy and expression. You may wish to have your child read a second time to strengthen skills. Note: Numbers are for school use only. 2009 Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved. 29
Practiced Passage Chapter 3 The Market The air was hot and still. Miss Tam was in Ghana! A tall thin man held up a paper that said Miss Tam. It was Mr. Moffitt s friend Kwesi. Miss Tam walked over to Kwesi. Kwesi said, Akwaaba (ah-kwah-bah), welcome. 8 18 2 32 35 38 40 Miss Tam held out her hand. She was careful to shake Kwesi s hand with her right hand. Miss Tam had learned that in Ghana it was good manners to use your right hand but an insult to shake someone s hand with your left. Soon they were driving slowly in Kwesi s van. Miss Tam saw white buildings and palm trees from the window. She saw people in Western clothes and people in brightly printed African clothes. 7 14 21 29 38 43 48 55 1 7 73 75 We must go to the market, Kwesi said. There, you can see the food and crafts of my people. 82 90 94 At the market, Miss Tam was amazed by all the colors! As was the custom, Miss Tam bargained for a colorful skirt, a blue shirt, and African sandals. 101 109 11 122 1. How did Miss Tam recognize Kwesi? 2. What does akwaaba mean? 1. What is the custom about shaking hands in Ghana? 2. What was the custom at the market? Note: Numbers are for school use only. 30 2009 Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved.
Suddenly Kwesi shouted, Look! There! Big gray lumps sat in the water. The guide said, Hippos seem friendly, but they can be very mean. We must stay back. To stay cool, the hippos waded in the mud and the water. The guide said, There used to be many hippos in Ghana. Now there are only a few hundred hippos because they have lost their habitat. If we are not careful, there will be no more hippos in Ghana. 4 12 18 27 28 34 42 49 57 3 71 78 Read Well 2 Unit 3 Homework 4 Chapter 4 Kwesi and Miss Tam agreed that it would be very sad if there were no more hippos in Ghana. 85 94 97 Fiction 1. Why do hippos wade in mud and water? 2. How do you think hippos lost their habitat? I ve listened to my child read the passage, and we ve discussed the questions. Date Signed Optional Second Reading (initial here): This reading folder belongs to: Please listen to your child read the story for accuracy and expression. You may wish to have your child read a second time to strengthen skills. Note: Numbers are for school use only. 2009 Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved. 31
Practiced Passage Chapter 4 Hippos on the River That evening, Miss Tam ate a rice dish filled with meat, onions, tomatoes, and peppers. Rice in Ghana was different from the red beans and rice Miss Tam ate at home. Kwesi arrived early the next morning. What do you want to see today? he asked. 7 19 2 31 37 45 4 After driving for many hours, Kwesi and Miss Tam arrived at the wildlife park. They hired a guide and rented a boat. They set off down the river to see some hippos. As they traveled on the river, Miss Tam looked into the forest. She spotted monkeys and colorful birds in the trees. 21 30 32 39 4 53 Miss Tam took Toot and Puddle from her bag and said, I want to see hippos. 53 2 Kwesi laughed. Miss Tam, I have never seen a hippo in Ghana! We will both have an adventure. We can go to a wildlife park where wildlife is protected. We might see the only hippos left in Ghana. 8 7 85 91 99 100 1. Why was seeing hippos an adventure for both Miss Tam and Kwesi? 2. Why do you think wildlife needs to be protected? Note: Numbers are for school use only. 32 1. Why did Kwesi and Miss Tam have to hire a guide and boat? 2. What did Miss Tam see in the forest? 2009 Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved.
When the old woman was done, Kwesi said, The storyteller asked the children what they learned from her story. 12 18 19 Read Well 2 Unit 3 Homework 5 A small boy said, It is important to be honest. It is important to work hard, another boy said. 27 29 35 38 Chapter 5 A girl said, It is important to respect others. 4 47 Miss Tam s days in Ghana flew by. At the airport, Kwesi smiled and said, I have a present for you. I wrote down the Anansi story so you can share it with the children in Montgomery. 54 2 71 80 83 With a tear in her eye, Miss Tam thanked Kwesi. 91 93 1 What lessons did the children learn from the storyteller? 2. Why did Miss Tam have a tear in her eye as she was leaving? I ve listened to my child read the passage, and we ve discussed the questions. Date Signed Optional Second Reading (initial here): Fiction This reading folder belongs to: Please listen to your child read the story for accuracy and expression. You may wish to have your child read a second time to strengthen skills. Note: Numbers are for school use only. 2009 Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved. 33
Modified Practiced Passage Chapter 5 A Village Story Soon it was time to go back. Kwesi said they would stop in a village to listen to a storyteller. Miss Tam could hardly wait. In the village, Miss Tam sat under a tree with some kids and the old woman storyteller. The storyteller looked up at the sky and began to tell the story. The tale had been passed from mother to daughter and father to son. There were no books and no pictures to look at. 8 17 24 25 33 41 47 55 1 8 7 78 As the old woman spoke, drummers played a different song for each animal and person in the story. Miss Tam listened carefully. The words and songs were beautiful. Kwesi whispered, The story is about a spider named Anansi. Miss Tam had read stories about this trickster to the children in Montgomery. Just like the children in Montgomery, the African children listened carefully and respectfully. 20 2 28 33 39 4 52 58 3 4 1. How did the storyteller learn the story? 2. What is a trickster? Note: Numbers are for school use only. 34 2009 Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved.
A Hippo s Food During the day, adult hippos walk on the river bottom and munch on underwater plants. At night, hippos leave the water and graze on grass near the river. Hippos eat only plants. Hippos are herbivores. 3 9 1 22 30 37 38 Read Well 2 Unit 3 Homework The River Horse Watch Out! Hippos are dangerous animals. They have long sharp teeth and big mouths. You could probably stand in a hippo s mouth when it s wide open! Hippos run faster than most people, so watch out. Don t get too close to a hippo! 40 45 52 59 73 80 Nonfiction 1. What do hippos eat? What kind of animal are they? 2. Would it be a good idea to try to pet a hippo? Why or why not? I ve listened to my child read the passage, and we ve discussed the questions. Date Signed Optional Second Reading (initial here): This reading folder belongs to: Please listen to your child read the story for accuracy and expression. You may wish to have your child read a second time to strengthen skills. Note: Numbers are for school use only. 2009 Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved. 35
Modified Practiced Passage The River Horse What am I? I m as big as one small car but can weigh as much as two cars. Two of my teeth can grow to 20 inches long. I breathe air, but I was born underwater. And even though I can t swim, I spend all day in the water. What am I? I am the amazing hippopotamus. 9 18 27 35 41 49 5 57 A Hippo s Size Hippopotamus is a big word that means river horse. Hippos are much bigger than horses, though. They are only four to five feet high, but they can weigh more than your family s car! A Hippo s Habitat Hippos live in Africa. They used to live all over the southern part of the continent. They lived wherever there was a river or lake and grass to eat. Now there are not so many hippos. They live mostly in wildlife parks, where they are protected from hunting. 3 9 15 21 30 3 39 45 54 59 9 77 84 87 Hippos live where it is hot. They spend all day in the water to keep cool. Often only the tips of their noses, ears, and eyes stick out of the water. 94 103 111 118 The amazing hippopotamus! 1. What are some interesting facts about hippos? 1 What does the word hippopotamus mean? 2. Where do hippos live? 3 Why do hippos spend a lot of their time in water? Note: Numbers are for school use only. 3 2009 Sopris West Educational Services. All rights reserved.