This selection is protected by copyright and is not available online. The Selection Snapshot has been provided in its place.
Go to page
DURING READING
Guiding Comprehension
5 Setting • Inferential
At the beginning of the story, the ants were at their home. Where does this part of the story take place?
The ants have left the forest and
are entering a building.
6 Compare and Contrast
• Inferential
How is the building different from the ants’ home?
The familiar smells of dirt, grass, and rotting plants are not in the building. There is no wind and there is a ceiling instead of the sky.
7 Target Skill Vocabulary
 • Word Structure
Reread the first sentence in paragraph 2 on p. 365. How does the suffix -y change the meaning of the word shine?
Shine is a verb that means "to give out light." Dropping the e and adding the suffix -y changes the word shine to shiny. The new word describes how the surface looks.
Monitor Progress
then… use vocabulary strategy instruction on
p. 365.
If… students have difficulty understanding the meaning of the suffix,
Target Skill Word Structure
Target Skill VOCABULARY STRATEGY
 Word Structure
TEACH
  • Explain to students that they can help themselves understand unfamiliar words by using word structure.
  • Remind students that a suffix is a word part that is added to the end of a word. A suffix changes the meaning of the word.
  • Write the word fear on the board and have students identify the meaning of the word. Then add the suffix -less. Have students read the word and tell how the meaning of the word changes with the addition of the suffix.
  • Model using knowledge of word structure to determine the meaning of shiny.
Think Aloud MODEL I recognize the word part shine in the word shiny. I know that it means "to give off light." I see that the suffix -y has been added to the word shine. Adding the suffix changes the meaning of the word. The new word shiny means "bright." Shiny must describe the surface the ants are on. It is bright.
PRACTICE AND ASSESS
Have students use word structure to determine the meaning of glassy on
p. 365. They should recognize the meaning of the base word glass and how the suffix -y changes the meaning of the word from a noun (naming word) to an adjective (describing word).
Two Bad Ants

"Two Bad Ants"
by Chris Van Allsburg

Student Edition
Unit 6, pp. 358–375

An animal fantasy is a story with animal characters that behave like humans. What is unusual about these two ants?

The scout came back to the ant hole carrying a huge, white crystal. The queen ant tasted the sugar. It was sweet and delicious. The discovery of the crystal made her joyful. The scout said that to please her, he would take other ants with him to get more.
The ants prepared for the long journey, and the scout led them through a forest of grass. Then they came to a large mountain of bricks. The line of ants climbed up the wall to a large, rectangular opening and entered a strange place. They crossed a huge shiny land and came to the curved wall of a sugar bowl. Each ant climbed in, picked up a crystal, and headed back out. They would give their crystals to the queen. Their goal was to make her happy. When she was happy, the entire kingdom was happy. Two ants decided to stay behind. They liked the land of the crystals. They ate and ate the sweet-tasting stuff until they could eat no more.
They fell asleep and so were unaware that a huge scoop was digging into the bowl. They ended up on the scoop with some crystals and fell into an ocean of hot, brown water. The scoop stirred and stirred. Finally it stopped, and the ocean was lifted up. Some of the brown water poured into a huge mouth. They had to get out of the water! They climbed the walls of the cup and ran to hide in a slice of bread.
Oh, no! The bread was lifted and dropped into a slot. They saw a red glow, and the slot became very hot. Then they were popped up and into the air. They landed near a fast-running stream of water. They went over to get a drink and cool their feet. But they fell in, and the stream swirled them into a dark hole. Half-eaten food was everywhere. Then a grinding noise began, and the food began to spin and break up. The food bits disappeared as water washed the bits down into pipes below. Finally the spinning stopped.
Tired and sore, the two ants climbed the walls and once again saw light. They saw something else too. A long line of ants was heading toward the sugar bowl. The two ants went to the back of the line and pretended to have been there all along. Each grabbed a crystal and marched with the others back to the ant nest.
The two bad ants were happy to be safe at home again. They had had enough adventure!

(Updated) Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg. Copyright © 1988 by Chris Van Allsburg. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Copyright © Pearson Education.

 
   
Close  
ELL
Activate Prior Knowledge Have students describe what they see in the illustrations on pp. 364–365. Help students use their previous knowledge of buildings and homes to understand the content on the pages. For example, make sure students understand that the "mountain" mentioned in the first sentence on p. 364 is not a real mountain. It is how the ants view the building.