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Build vocabulary by finding words related to the lesson concept. |
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Listen to compare and contrast details. |
this week's Leveled Readers. See pp. 146f–146g 
| 1. | How do Souci, Shane, and the others' feelings about Minna's coat change after they hear her stories? (Possible responses: First they made fun of Minna's coat; after they hear the stories, they decide that her coat is special.) Compare and Contrast |
| 2. | What makes Minna's coat special? (Possible response: It is special because it is made of rags that tell a story.) Draw Conclusions |
That morning I walked to school looking down at all the different colored pieces of cloth in my coat. All the stories the Quilting Mothers had told me about the rags and who they belonged to, I knew by heart. I had ended up choosing the most worn pieces for my coat because the best stories went with them. I was still looking down and repeating each story to myself when I bumped into Clyde outside the schoolyard. "Hey, Rag-Coat!" he said, and all the others laughed. Before I knew it, Souci, Lottie, and Clyde were dancing around me singing, "Rag-Coat! Rag-Coat!"Lottie said, "Look, it's even dirty with soot!" and she poked her finger into my papa's cloth!Then Souci said, "Hey, Minna, you were better off with no coat than with that old, ragged thing.""Maybe you're right!" I yelled. "If I had no coat, then I never would have come to school!" I broke through their circle and ran away from them, far into the woods.I found an old log and sat on it for a long time, too angry to cry. I just stared across the fields Papa used to gaze at. "Oh, Papa, I wish you were here," I said, and then I couldn't help but cry. I cried for Papa, and I cried for Quilting Mothers, who had wasted their time. I was crying so hard I rocked that old log.Then all at once I stopped because I felt something warm and familiar. The feed bag inside my coat made me feel like Papa's arms were around me again. I could almost hear him say, "Minna, people only need people, and nothing else. Don't you forget that."I jumped off the log, wiped the tears from my cheeks, and brushed the leaves off my coat. "I won't forget it, Papa," I said, and I headed back to school.When I walked into the schoolroom, Miss Campbell looked up, surprised. "Why, Minna," she said, "I was told you ran home sick."Souci jumped up, her face all red. "That's not true, Miss Campbell," she blurted out. "We lied to you. Minna left because we made fun of her old coat.""I'll tell her, Souci," I said. "It's not an old coat. It's a new coat.""But it's just a bunch of old rags," said Lottie."It is not just a bunch of old rags!" I said. "My coat is full of stories, stories about everybody here."They all looked at me, real puzzled."Don't you see? These are all your rags!" They still seemed puzzled.So I showed them. "Look, Shane, here is that blanket of yours that your mama's sister gave her the night you were born. The midwife said you wouldn't live but three days because you were so small. But your mama wrapped you upcontinued on TR1 
