Scott Foresman Reading Street

William's House
Group Time

for Fluency

Use Decodable Reader 10.

Word Study/Phonics

LESSON VOCABULARY Use p. 252b to review the meanings of barrels, cellar, cleaning, pegs, spoil, and steep. Students can blend all of the words. Have individuals practice reading word cards.

DECODING MULTISYLLABIC WORDS Write and say the word windier. Then model how to decode a word with a suffix when the spelling of the base word has changed. I see the suffix -er at the end of the word. So I cover the suffix and see the base: windi. I know that the spelling of a base word can change when a suffix is added. The base was windy, and the y changed to i, but it still has the same long e sound. So I can blend the whole word: win di er; windier. It means "more windy."

Use the Multisyllabic Word routine on p. DI•1 to help students read these other words from William's House: upright, clapboards, fashioned, translucent, embers, smolder, shingles, and bleakest. Be sure students understand the meanings of words such as fashioned, translucent, smolder, and bleakest.

William's House, pp. 254–261

BEFORE READING Yesterday we read about how people built houses, farmed, and lived in colonial New England. Today we will read about one man who built a house that was just right for New England.

Using the Picture Walk routine on p. DI•1, guide students through the text, asking questions such as those listed below. Then read the question on
p. 255. Together, set a purpose for reading.

p. 256 This picture shows a family building a house. What material is it being made of? (wood) Why do you think they are using wood?

p. 259 What is the man doing in this picture? (carrying barrels underground.)

DURING READING Follow the Guiding Comprehension routine on
pp. 256–261. Have students read along with you while tracking the print or
do a choral reading of the selection. Stop every two pages to ask what has happened so far. Prompt as necessary.

Where and when did this story take place?
What problem happened during the hot summer?

AFTER READING What has happened in the story so far? What do you think may happen next? Reread passages as needed.

Extend Vocabulary

CONTEXT CLUES Choose and read a sentence or passage containing a difficult word defined in context, such as this passage
on p. 16 of the Leveled Reader Houses: Past and Present: “. . . these homes were sturdy. They lasted until the settlers could have lumber shipped to them to build a log cabin.” What does the word sturdy mean? (strong) How did you figure out the word’s meaning? (I looked at the sentences around it. In the next sentence, it says that the homes lasted, so I figured they must have been strong.) Discuss how using context clues like this can be helpful, and remind students to use context clues to figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words as they read William’s House.

William’s House, pp. 254–261

BEFORE READING In Houses: Past and Present, you read how colonists in America built houses using the materials at hand. Today you will read a story about one colonial family in particular and the house that they built. As you read, think about how the characters adapted their house to their surroundings.

Have students write their predictions about the selection in their Strategy Response Logs (p. 254). Remind them to check and revise their predictions as they read.

CRITICAL THINKING/CREATIVE THINKING Have students read
pp. 254–261 independently. Encourage them to think critically and creatively. For example, ask:

How do the climate and environment affect how William builds his house?
What words would you use to describe William?
What do you predict will happen in the fall and winter?

AFTER READING Have partners discuss the selection and share their Strategy Response Log entries. Then ask them to imagine they are William and write a journal entry for a day he spent building his house. Encourage them to add details about what William did and how he felt.