Scott Foresman Reading Street

	Build vocabulary by finding words related to the lesson concept.
	Listen and visualize.

certainty freedom from doubt

honestly in a truthful way

victims those badly treated or taken advantage of

then… review the lesson concept. Place
the words on the
web and provide
additional words
for practice,
such as harmful
and honest-to-
goodness.

If… students are unable to place words on the web,

Check Vocabulary

Grouping Options

Reading

Whole Group

Introduce and discuss the
Question of the Week. Then
use pp. 174l–176b.

Group Time

Differentiated Instruction

this week’s Leveled
Readers. See pp. 174f–174g
for the small group lesson
plan.

Whole Group
Use p. 197a.

Language Arts
Use pp. 197e–197h and 197k–197m.

Set Purpose

Have students visualize characters and events in the story as you read. After you read, discuss briefly what they "saw."

Creative Response

Have students work with partners to improvise the conversations they think Libby may have had with her friends when she apologized for being so truthful the day before. Drama

Activate Prior Knowledge Before students listen to the Read Aloud, have them share their ideas about truths and lies, particularly what is the truth and what is a lie, and what happens when we lie.

Access Content Before reading, share this summary: Libby is a young girl who gets caught in a lie and decides to only tell the truth from then on, but her decision has some effects she didn't expect.

Homework Send home this week's Family Times newsletter.

Build Concepts

FLUENCY

MODEL CHARACTERIZATION As you read "The Honest-to-Goodness Truth,"

change your voice for each character. For example, when you read Libby's dialogue,
use a young girl's voice, excited and a little hurried (but not so hurried that students
can't follow what you are reading).

LISTENING COMPREHENSION

After reading "The Honest-to-Goodness Truth," use the following questions to assess
listening comprehension.

What do you think Libby's face must have looked like when her mother
caught her in her lie? (Possible response: Her mouth was trembling, her face
was red, her eyes were full of tears; she looked miserable.) Visualize
Libby decided to tell the truth about everything. What was one effect of her
decision? (Possible response: She made all her friends mad at her.) Cause
and Effect

BUILD CONCEPT VOCABULARY

Start a web to build concepts and vocabulary related to this week's lesson and the
unit theme.

Draw a Right and Wrong Concept Web.
Read the sentence with the word certainty again. Ask students to pronounce
certainty and discuss its meaning.
Place certainty in an oval attached to Telling the Truth. Explain that certainty is
related to this concept. Read the sentences in which honestly and victims appear.
Have students pronounce the words, place them on the web, and provide reasons.
Brainstorm additional words and categories for the web. Keep the web on
display and add words throughout the week.

Libby hurried out the door and down the porch steps. "Did you feed
and water Ol' Boss?" Mama called from her sewing room window.

Libby stopped at the gate. "Yes, Mama," she answered. She was surprised at how easy the lie slid out of her mouth, like it was greased with warm butter.

Mama stopped sewing Virginia Washington's wedding dress and came outside. Libby dropped her head and wouldn't look in her mother's eyes. "Are you sure?" Mama asked real stern-like.

Libby's stomach felt like she'd swallowed a handful of chicken feathers. Her eyes commenced to fill with water and her bottom lip quivered. Then, taking a deep breath and gulping hard, she owned up to her lie. "I was gon' do it soon as I got back from jumping rope with Ruthie Mae."

Libby felt a lot better, even though Mama punished her double. For not tending to Ol' Boss, Libby couldn't go play with Ruthie Mae. And for lying, she had to stay on the porch the rest of the day. It was the first time Libby had lied to Mama, and as far as she was concerned it was gon' be the last.

"From now on, only the truth," she decided.

The next morning, Libby joined a group of friends on the way to school.

"Did you do your geography homework?" Willie asked Libby.

"It was easy," she answered.

"Not for me." Willie shook his head. "I didn't understand it, so I didn't do it."

First thing in class, Libby started waving her hand. "Me, Miz Jackson, me, me, me, Miz Jackson!" When the teacher called on her, Libby announced, "Willie don't got his geography homework."

"Doesn't have his homework," corrected Miz Jackson.

"No, ma'am, he don't." Libby was pleased with herself.

Willie gave her an ugly look. "Why'd you tell on me?" he whispered as he headed to Miz Jackson's desk to explain.

With certainty she whispered back, "All I did was tell it like it is. So there!" And she folded her hands neatly in her lap.

Before lunchtime, Libby had told a lot of truths. By the time school was out, hardly anyone would talk to her.

"Why are y'all mad at me?" Libby asked as her classmates started home without her.

Before Libby knew it, she was in front of Miz Tusselbury's vine-covered cottage. The woman was in her rocking chair, gliding back and forward and fanning herself with a hand-folded fan. "How-do, Libby Louise," she called in her singsong voice. "What's that sad look you wearing on such a pretty day?"

Continued on TR1

By Patricia C. McKissack