Guiding Comprehension

If you are teaching the selection in two days, have students draw conclusions about what they have read so far and review the vocabulary.

Vocabulary
• Context Clues

Use context clues to figure out
the meaning of the word steep
on p. 262.

Clues: Snow was piling up on the roof when it was not steep. Meaning: sloping

Facts and Details • Literal

Reread p. 262. Describe what
you think the house looked
like under all that snow.

Responses will vary; check that students understood the meaning
of sagged.

then… use the vocabulary strategy instruction
on p. 263.

If… students have difficulty using context clues,

Context Clues

Whole Group Discuss the Question of the Day.

Group Time
Differentiated Instruction

William's House. See
pp. 250f–250g for the small
group lesson plan.

Reading

Language Arts
Use pp. 271e–271h and
271k–271m.

Whole Group Discuss the
Reader Response questions
on p. 266. Then use p. 271a.

Grouping Options

VOCABULARY STRATEGY

Context Clues

TEACH

Tell students that when we come across a word we don't know, we can use context clues to help us figure it out.
Context clues are the words and sentences around the word.
Model using context clues to figure out the meaning of steep on p. 262.

MODEL When I come across the word steep, I stop to look
at the words and sentences around the word. Sometimes these can help me figure out what the word means. It says William built a new roof. That doesn't tell me much, so I'll have to go back further. William's wife says the roof will cave in because of the snow piled on it. It also says the snow was piling up, so the roof must have been pretty flat. That would explain why William had to build a new roof. Steep must mean sloping.

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

Have students use context clues to define the word bleakest on p. 263. (cold and gray) To assess, have them use the word in a sentence of their own.

"William's House"
by Ginger Howard

Student Edition
Unit 2, pp. 254–265

Historical fiction is a story that takes place in the past. What can you learn about when this story takes place?

William grew up in England, but in 1637 he and his family were living in New England. William needed to build a house for his wife and two sons. He wanted it to be like his father's house in England.
William cut trees and used the wood to make the frame and sides of the house. He used wooden pegs as nails. He built a small stone fireplace in the corner of the house's one room. He then added a thatched roof. Since he didn't have glass for a window, he used scraped animal horn and placed it between slits in the boards.
He made a few pieces of furniture for the home too. He made a table from a packing crate and mattresses from sacks filled with corn husks. He looked at his home and smiled. It did indeed look just like his father's house in England.
That summer was very hot, much hotter than summers in England. The family's food began to spoil. Elizabeth, William's wife, warned that the family had to do something or else they would lose all their food. William dug a cellar and stored their vegetables and barrels of food in the cool underground room.
In late summer, strong winds blew, toppling a tree near the house. Elizabeth warned that the family had to do something or a tree would fall and crush them. William cut down trees to make a clearing around the house.
Fall came, and everything was dry, much drier than in England. Sparks from the fireplace went up the chimney and fell on the dry thatched roof. Elizabeth warned that the family had to do something or the house would burn down. William tore off the thatched roof and put up cedar shingles instead. They would not burn as easily as thatch.
Winter brought a lot of snow, much more snow than in England. The heavy snow weighed down the roof. Elizabeth warned that the family had to do something or the roof would collapse. William and his friends built a steep, peaked roof so snow would slide off.
Winter was also much colder than in England. Elizabeth warned that the family had to do something or they would freeze. William built a bigger fireplace in the center of one wall. It kept them cozy and warm in their new house.
Spring came, and so did a ship from England. On it were William's cousins. When they looked at his house, they asked what kind of house it was.
William looked at it and said, "This is like my father's house-reshaped for New England."
Then he turned to his cousins. "Welcome!" he said, and they all went inside.



	Close
	Context Clues Explain that when we come across a word we don't know, we can use context clues, or the words around the word, to figure out what the word means. Point out the word sagged on p. 262. Direct students' attention to the detail about the snow piling higher and higher on the roof, and William's wife's concern that the roof would cave in, or collapse. Ask students to think about what a roof with lots of heavy snow piled on top would look like. Tell students that to sag is to sink or bend in the middle. Have students find other words they don't know in the selection. Help them use context clues to figure out what they mean. Opportunity Cost Life in seventeenth-century England was much different from life in the colonies. There were cities where people could get milk, eggs, cheese, meat, vegetables, and grains at the markets. Many homes were larger, grander, and more comfortable. People had different jobs. Friends and family were nearby, so there was always company. However, if you didn't come from a wealthy family, it was difficult to get many of the goods available, and life was hard. The New World was seen as a land of opportunity, which was why so many people, like William and his family, came here.

"William's House" by Ginger Howard

"William's House"
by Ginger Howard