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Vocabulary • Reference Sources
Reference Sources 
Predict • Inferential 
Prudy's Problem. See 
VOCABULARY STRATEGY 
MODEL When I come to a word I don't know, I try to figure out what it means, but sometimes this doesn't work. Then I check a dictionary. Right now I want to find the meaning of strain, so I open the dictionary to the s words. Then I start looking for st words, and then str words. I use the guide words to tell me where I should look. When I find the right page, I look until I find the word strain. One definition says it is a verb which means "to stretch tightly." Does this make sense in the sentence? The door started to stretch tightly at the hinges. That makes sense, so that must be what it means!
Student Edition
Unit 2, pp. 202–217
A fantasy includes make-believe events. Look for situations in this Snapshot that could not really happen.
Most kids have a collection of one thing or another. They might collect coins or stamps or toy cars or even string. That's a normal kid thing to do. Prudy and her friends each collected things.
But Prudy was different in one important way. She did not collect just one thing. She collected everything, and her collections filled her bedroom. She had hundreds of stuffed toys and butterflies and other insects. She collected cards and letters and calendars and buttons. She had hats and caps and flowers and mushrooms. She had collections of every imaginable thing!
Her collections created a problem for Prudy, but she did not realize it. Prudy's room was filled with her collections. Prudy's dad was a very tidy person. He called her collections clutter. Her mom did not mind clutter, but she called them a mess. They wanted her to clean up the clutter and mess. Even Prudy had to admit that she had collections everywhere. Her room was so crowded it was hard to get to her desk to feed her hamster. But she would not admit she had a problem.
Then one day on the way home from school she found a shiny silver gum wrapper. She ran home with it, because it would be perfect for her shiny things collection. But when she got to her room, she couldn't get the door open. She tugged and tugged, but it wouldn't budge. The door seemed to be glued shut.
Then Prudy noticed something strange. There was pressure on the walls of her room. Her room was swelling up and getting bigger and bigger. The walls began to strain against the hallway and then to crack. There was a hissing noise, and suddenly the room burst like a huge balloon.
Prudy's collections flew out in all directions! They were scattered far and wide. Now Prudy had an enormous mess on her hands and a really big problem. What could she do to solve this problem?
She couldn't bear to give up any of her collections because she liked them all too much. But where could she put them? Prudy looked around for ideas. Finally she realized what she could do.
Together she and her family and friends built a huge museum. They called it The Prudy Museum of Indescribable Wonderment. In it they gathered all of Prudy's collections and put them on display.
People came from everywhere to see her wonderful collections of just about anything, from salt and pepper shakers with faces to gym socks. Soon Prudy's museum was the most popular place in town.
Now Prudy had a place to keep her collections. Everything was neat and in order. People could see what there was and enjoy it. This was a brilliant way to solve her problem. But one thing hasn't changed. Prudy is still a collector.
(Updated) from Prudy's Problem and How She Solved It by Carey Armstrong-Ellis. Published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Reprinted by permission.
Copyright © Pearson Education.
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 Extend Language Explain to students that we can also use dictionaries to help with syllabication and pronunciation of words. Look up the word strain together. Point out the pronunciation of the word in parentheses next to the word itself. Have students practice saying the word aloud using the pronunciation key. Direct them to a longer word on the same page. Point out the dot(s) in the word that tells them where to divide the word. Have them practice saying the longer word too. Finally, have them use both words in a sentence of their own. 
Museum Collections
If you've ever been to a museum, you may have noticed a
small mechanism in each room or display case. These mechanisms are computers that monitor things such as temperature and humidity in the room or the case in which artifacts are stored. Temperatures that are too high can dry out an object, while temperatures that are too low can cause an object to swell or even split. Too much moisture or not enough moisture in the air can have a similar effect. Often, museums won't let you take photographs either. That is because light can harm objects, especially textiles, such as tapestries or old clothes, which can fade and dry out from too much light. |
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