Grandfather's Journey
Below-Level Reader
Grandpa's
Scrapbook
Unit 1 Week 3
SEQUENCE GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
LESSON VOCABULARY amazed,
bewildered, homeland, longed, sculptures, still, towering
SUMMARY In this book, two of Mark Twain's grandchildren
sit down with him and go through his scrapbook. They
learn about Hannibal, Missouri, Twain's hometown. They
learn about his friends and his adventures. They also
learn about his days as a riverboat pilot.
INTRODUCE THE BOOK
BUILD BACKGROUND Ask students if they have ever talked
with their grandparents about their grandparents' youth.
What did they find out? What was surprising?
PREVIEW/USE ILLUSTRATIONS Have students look at the
illustrations in the book. What can they learn from the
illustrations about what will happen in the story?
Talk with students about their grandparents.
Do they live in this country? Have students talk about
things they love to do with their grandparents.
TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY Have students write each
vocabulary word and its definition on a note card. Have
them find the words in the story. Have them write a
sentence for each word.
TARGET SKILL AND STRATEGY
SEQUENCE Remind students that the
sequence is
the order in which the story's events occur. To better
understand what this means, ask students to write a
short paragraph about what they do each morning to
get ready for school. They should keep the actions in
sequence. Have students read their paragraphs out
loud to the class.
GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS Remind students that
graphic
organizers can be used to organize information. Have
students create a time line of how they spent last
summer. The time line should start on the day school
let out and end the day that school started again.
READ THE BOOK
Use the following questions to support comprehension.
PAGE 7 How wide is the Mississippi River? (about one
mile wide)
PAGE 8 What did Grandpa like to do on the Mississippi
River in the winter?
(go skating)
PAGE 9 Where did Grandpa love to explore? (the caves
along the river)
TALK ABOUT THE BOOK
READER RESPONSE
- young explorer first, steamboat pilot second
- Responses will vary: One picture shows New Orleans,
where people are
playing music in a group. The
second shows St. Louis, Missouri,
according to
the label.
- amazed: verb, adjective; bewildered: verb, adjective;
yearned: verb;
Sentences will vary.
- Responses will vary: homeland: motherland, native
soil; After months
exploring distant islands in the
Pacific, the explorer returned to his
homeland.
sculptures: statues, figures, monuments; My father
loves to
collect sculptures of ancient gods and
goddesses.
RESPONSE OPTIONS
WRITING Have students imagine that they are one of
Mark Twain's
childhood friends. Have students write a
paragraph or two about an
adventure they had together.
CONTENT CONNECTIONS
SOCIAL STUDIES Have students
research the life of Mark Twain.
What
was his childhood like? How many
books
did he write in his lifetime?
Find an interesting Mark
Twain
quotation. Have students share
their results with
the class.
