Guiding Comprehension

Confirm Predictions

• Inferential

Did the story end as you predicted it?

Responses will vary.

Summarize • Critical

What was Hare's problem? How did he solve it?

Hare and his family had no land or money, and his children were hungry. He and his wife tricked Bear into sharing his land to allow them to grow crops that they could sell. They used the money they made to buy back their land and open a vegetable stand.

Realism and Fantasy • Critical

Text to Text Think of other examples of fantasy you have
read and examples of realistic fiction you have read. List some features of both. How are they similar? How are they
different?

Responses will vary. Students should be able to recognize that fantasies are about things that cannot happen, such as animals that talk, while realistic fiction is about things that could happen, or people who could be real. Students should also recognize that even though a fantasy could never happen, it can still, like realistic fiction, entertain or teach a lesson.

Summarize When students finish reading the selection, provide this prompt: Imagine that you want to tell a friend what Tops and Bottoms is about. In four or five sentences, explain its important points.

STRATEGY SELF-CHECK

Predict

Remind students that good readers preview a selection before they read and think about the author's purpose for writing.
When they finish reading, have them check their predictions and, if necessary, rethink their ideas.
Ask students to think what they thought the author's purpose for writing was and to consider when they started to think she might have another reason for writing.

SELF-CHECK

Students can ask these questions to assess their ability to use the skill and strategy.

What did I think the author's
purpose was before I read?
What do I think the author's
purpose is now?
Can I support my ideas with
details?
To assess, use Practice Book
3.1, p. 87.

then… use the Reteach lesson on
p. 249b.

If… students have difficulty identifying author's purpose,

Author's Purpose

Practice Book 3.1 p. 87

with | without Answers

"Tops & Bottoms"
by Janet Stevens

Student Edition
Unit 2, pp. 228–245

An animal fantasy is a story with animal characters that behave like people. Look for ways that Bear and Hare act like people.

Bear and Hare were neighbors, but their lives were very different. Bear had great wealth and lots of land, but he was lazy and did not plant his fields. Hare was just the opposite. He had no land and was poor. The only things Hare had a lot of were family and energy.
One day Hare had a clever idea. He went to Bear and offered to be business partners. If Bear agreed, Hare would plant Bear's fields, do all the work, and give Bear half the crop. Bear could continue sleeping while Hare worked. This sounded like a truly great idea to Bear, so he agreed.
Hare asked Bear if he wanted the top or bottom of the crops. Bear asked for the tops. Then he went to sleep. Hare and his family got right to work. They planted seeds and made sure the growing plants had water.
When it was time for the harvest, they woke up Bear. "You get the tops and I get the bottoms," Hare said. So he and his family pulled up all the ripe carrots, beets, and radishes. They kept the vegetables and gave Bear the leaves that were on top.
Bear became angry. He said that Hare had cheated him. "Next time I will take the bottoms," he said.
Hare agreed, and he and his family got right to work. They planted seeds and made sure the growing plants had water. Again Bear slept while the crops grew. When it was time for the harvest, Hare went to Bear to wake him up. "You get the bottoms and I get the tops," Hare reminded him. So Hare and his family picked the ripe crops of broccoli, lettuce, and celery. They took the vegetables and gave Bear the roots on the bottom.
Again Bear became very angry and said that Hare had cheated him. "Next time I will take both the tops and the bottoms," he growled.
Hare agreed, and he and his family got right to work. They planted seeds and made sure the growing plants had water. This time Bear was half-awake when it was time for the harvest. Hare and his family were already busily picking the ripe crops of corn. "You get the tops and the bottoms of the cornstalks," Hare said. "We keep the ears of corn, because they are in the middle."
Now Bear was very, very angry. He said that Hare would never cheat him again. But Hare had another clever idea. The Hare family had earned money from the crops they had sold. They would be happy to buy some of Bear's fields.
Bear thought about their offer. He agreed to sell some of his fields.
Now Hare and his family grow crops on their own land, and Bear grows crops on his own land.
Bear learned not to sleep again through a season of planting and harvesting. And though they get along as neighbors, Bear learned another valuable lesson. He would never be partners with Hare again!



	Close
	PRACTICE LESSON VOCABULARY Have students answer true or false to each statement below and change the false statements to true statements. *Someone who cheated* got something by working hard.** (False; someone who cheated got something by acting dishonestly.) Smart is an antonym for clever. (False; smart is a synonym for clever.) Partners work against each other. (False; they work together.) BUILD CONCEPT VOCABULARY Review previous concept words with students. Ask if students have met any words today in their reading or elsewhere that they would like to add to the Concept Web.

"Tops & Bottoms"by Janet Stevens

"Tops & Bottoms"
by Janet Stevens