Celebrating Traditions
Theme Two: Houghton Mifflin Reading
Mr. Mills
3rd Grade
What does each of these symbols represent?
Introducing the Theme
What is a “tradition”?
What are some traditions you follow?
Where do these traditions come from?
Brainstorming Traditions
Does your family celebrate any traditions or customs different
than those of our American culture?
Different Family Traditions
Practice Book
Using practice book page 93, describe a
tradition that you celebrate. Think about
the following information to include:
•
•
•
•
•
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When do you celebrate it?
Where do you go?
Who shares the celebration with you?
What do you do to honor the event?
Why do you celebrate that event?
What is your favorite part?
The Keeping Quilt
Patricia Polacco
Border
Quilt-Making Vocabulary
A part that forms the outside edge of something
Gathering
A coming together of people
Needles
Small thin tools used for sewing
Scraps
Leftover bits of cloth
Sewn
Fastened with stitches using a needle and thread
Threaded
Passed thread through the eye of a needle
Matching Vocabulary with Meaning
Write the vocabulary word that best fits the meaning of the picture.
Use the word bank below to help you spell the vocabulary word correctly.
Border Gathering Needles
Scraps Sewn Threaded
Quilting Vocabulary Categorization
We will sort our vocabulary
words by the parts of speech
we are studying in class.
Define the parts of speech:
Noun
Verb
Double click to
open Smart
notebook link
Adjective
Reading Background
Turn to page 158 of your reading book. We
will read about how these words are correctly
used.
Complete practice book page 95 by yourself.
Thinking About the Selection
Why does Anna’s mother start the tradition of the Keeping Quilt?
Compare each daughter to her mother’s wedding. How is each wedding
different and the same?
How do you think Patricia Polacco feels about family? Give examples
from the story.
What does the Keeping Quilt help the family keep?
Why do you think Polacco has drawn only part of each illustration in
color?
Using Our Vocabulary
Rewrite the vocabulary words in the correct category.
Words about Cloth
Border
Words about People
Gathering
Needles
Scraps
Sewn
Threaded
Words about Sewing
Grandpa’s Baseball Card
Gathering
A group of people coming together
Librarian
A person who works in a library
Defense
In sports, the attempts to prevent
the other team for scoring
Career
A long-term occupation or job
Talent
Great ability or a special skill
Sewn
Fastened with stitches using a needle and thread
Word Bank
sewn
Using the Vocabulary
talented
gathering
librarian
defense
career
The _________ helped me find a good book.
Everyone says I have a _________ for singing.
My kimono was hand ________.
When you are in high school you should start thinking
about your future __________.
Every Thanksgiving there is a huge ________ at my
house.
Independent Practice
Complete the vocabulary handout independently.
When you are finished, read
Grandpa’s Baseball Card.
Think About the Selection
Why is the Willie Mays card so important to Carl’s mother and grandfather?
How does Carl feel when he receives the card for his birthday? Why?
What does Carl do to learn about Willie Mays?
Willie Mays Enrichment
Teacher Read Aloud:
“Presidents Day”
• What are some ways the nation honors both
Presidents?
• What other ways is George Washington
honored?
• What are some ways that children celebrate
Presidents Day?
• How do adults honor these two Presidents?
Grandma’s Records
Eric Velasquez
Salsa Music Vocabulary
Salsa
A style of Spanish dance music that mixes
African, Cuban, jazz, and rock.
Conga
A tall, narrow drum with one head that is
played by beating with the hands.
Percussion
Performing
Records
Theater
A family of instruments played by being
struck or shaken.
Presenting something for an audience.
A grooved disc that can be played on a
phonograph.
A building where plays, movies, or concerts
are presented.
Show what you know!
conga
percussion
performing
Practice your Vocabulary
Complete practice book page 115, using
what you now know about our vocabulary.
Other words you will see…
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•
•
•
•
•
•
A neighborhood where many Spanish people live
El Barrio
A type of fast dance music
Merengue
Dominican RepublicA country where people speak Spanish
Nightclubs Clubs that stay open late and have dancing or music
Pigeon peas
A kind of pea grown in warm climates
Bronx
A section of New York City where many people live
Impressive or amazing
Spectacular
Comprehension
What is so special about Grandma’s favorite
song?
What are some things the boy learns from his
grandmother?
Look at the illustration on page 196. Why do
you think this is so different?
What does the author mean when he says
“Grandma wrapped me in her world of music”?
Reading Skill:
Categorizing Information
Sorting details into groups helps us better understand and keep track of what is happening in a story.
The boys experience listening
to music on records
The boys experience listening
to music at a concert
Reading Skill:
Categorizing Information
Practice independently, using page 116 of your practice book.
On His Own
Things the boy did at
Grandma’s House
With his Grandma
Enrichment Connections
• Let’s watch and listen to a Hispanic band
playing the merengue.
Miyu and the Cranes for Peace
Vocabulary
• Earthquake
• Stationary
• Festival
• Cranes
• Performers
• Origami
A shaking or trembling of the earth’s crust.
Paper goods and writing supplies.
A celebration or a fair.
Birds with long legs and necks that wade in water.
People who act, sing, or dance.
A Japanese art of folding paper to look like different things
Show what you know!
Earthquake
stationary
festival
Cranes
performers
origami
Comprehension
• How is Miyu able to learn about what life was
like in Japan?
• How do Miyu’s classmates learn origami?
• What is special about the origami cranes?
• Describe some Japanese customs you
learned about in this story?
Additional Enrichment
• We will listen to a traditional
Japanese folktale involving
cranes.
• Remember that folktales are
stories passed down from
generation to generation.
• Think about the message, or
lesson to be learned, in “The
Crane Maiden”.
http://www.unitedstreaming.com/personalized/myContent.cfm?guidFolder=71ea6e65-96ff-4910-aeb09f00ae056668&rand=7074B112-18FE-8925-CCBAD4841C17B625&tabDisplay=myContent
Independent Enrichment
• If you have completed all of your other
work, you may try to make an origami
crane.
• Use the web link and follow the directions.
Good luck!
http://www.monkey.org/~aidan/origami/crane/
Story Telling Trees
Pay close attention to the details in this story. We will need them to answer
questions after reading.
What must a tree be like to be chosen to become a
story-telling tree?
What details show that a totem-pole carving today
is different than in the past?
What details show that raising a totem pole long
ago was hard work?
The Talking Cloth
By Rhonda Mitchell
Cloth from Ghana Vocabulary
Ghana is a country on the continent of Africa. Our vocabulary focuses on
words related to the cloth made in Ghana.
Collection
A group of objects with something in common.
Embroidered
Decorated by sewing designs with thread or yarn.
Royalty
Members of a royal family.
Symbols
Designs that stand for other things or ideas.
Wealth
Plenty of money or other valuable things.
Flourish
A dramatic waving motion or a showy way of doing something
Using the Vocabulary:
collection
flourish
royalty
embroidered
symbols
wealth
Practicing the Vocabulary
• Read the building background for The Talking Cloth on
pages 215 and 215.
• Complete practice book page 130 to show that you
understand the vocabulary.
Thinking about the Story
• Why do you think Aunt Phoebe likes to collect things?
• Why does Amber enjoy visiting Aunt Phoebe?
• How does the Talking Cloth “talk”, and what does it say?
• What does Aunt Phoebe mean when she says that Amber has
grown inside?
Fly-Fishing with Grandpa
Written by Matthew C. Hart
Fly-Fishing Vocabulary
Collection
A group of objects with something in common.
Flies
Fishhooks made to look like insects.
Flourish
An energetic or dramatic waving motion.
Casting
Throwing or flinging
Patience
The ability to put up with trouble or a delay
without complaining.
Concentrate
Paying attention, keeping your thoughts focused.
Using the Vocabulary
Flies
collection
flourish
casting patience concentrate
Working Independently
• Show your understanding and correctly
complete the vocabulary handout.
• Read the story independently.
• Look over the questions on the back page
of the book.
Punxsutawney Phil
Reading Skill Focus
Most informational writing is organized by topic, main
ideas, and supporting details.
The topic is what the writing is about.
The main ideas are the important points or facts.
The supporting details are facts, examples, and information
about the main ideas.
Punxsutawney Phil
As I read aloud, you listen and try to identify
the topic, main ideas, and supporting details.
Topic
Main Idea:
Supporting Details
Main Idea:
Supporting Details
Dancing Rainbows
By Evelyn Clarke Mott
Vocabulary: Native American Dance
People one’s family comes from
People who are older and respected
To show special respect for
Copying what someone does
Admiration or consideration
Applying Vocabulary
Honor
Elders
Respect
Imitating
Ancestors
Building Background
Let’s turn to page 234 of your reading book,
to read and develop a better understanding
of our story.
Pay close attention to our vocabulary words
and make sure you read them correctly.
Show what you have learned, completing page 145 of your practice book.
Vocabulary Review
You should always respect your __________.
You can learn more about your ethnic group by
researching your __________________.
It is important to show ________ to your parents
and teachers.
If you do something heroic, you should be shown
________.
It can be annoying when someone is __________
you.
Think about the Selection
Why do you think Curt respects his grandpa and tries to be
like him?
Why does Andy start a dance group for young Tewas?
How does Curt follow Andy’s advice to “dance with all your
heart”?
What does Andy mean when he says, “A Tewa never dances for
himself. He dances for all things and people?
How does Andy teacher younger family members about the past?
What are some ways you learn about the past?
Identifying the Organization
Topic:
Main Idea:
Supporting Details
Main Idea:
Supporting Details
Main Idea:
Supporting Details
Dancing Rainbows Extension
Use electronic media to learn more about
the look, sounds, and feel of a Native
American dance ritual.
http://www.unitedstreaming.com/search/assetDetail.cfm?guidAssetID=4AB2CCB633D9-4EBB-A34D-4E37223109C5
Drum Dancers
An Inuit Story
Drum Dancers Vocabulary
Dim or quiet
A person who drives a dogsled
Older and respected members of a group
To mover faster or speed up
Applying the Vocabulary
faint musher elder quickens
Think about the Story
• Why might Father believe that Nanuq’s name is a
fitting one for him?
• What does Nanuq do to help Aputik?
• Why do the people of the village come together in
the snowhouse?
• Would you like to live in a village like Nanuq’s?
Explain your answer.
Organization of the Story
Topic
Main Idea
Supporting Details
Main Idea
Supporting Details
A Friendly Letter
Things to Consider
Why do people write friendly letters?
When have you received a letter?
Who sent it and why did they?
When have you written a letter?
Why did you write the letter?
What are the parts to a letter?
• How does a letter begin?
• What information is included in a letter?
• How does a letter end?
Let’s Learn Online!
We will use this website to aid our learning:
http://esd.iu5.org/LessonPlans/LetterWriting/
lettermain.htm
Applying Your Learning
Using the information we have learned about
the five parts to a letter, you will write your
own letter.
First we need to identify who we are writing to,
as well as the purpose for our letter.
Then you can follow the 5 steps to finish your
letter!
Addressing your Envelope
Your Name
Your Street Address
City, State, Zip code
Name of Person you are Writing To
Street Address
City, State, Zip code
Paired Stories
We will read two stories to prepare for our theme two
tests. We will review and practice the following reading
skills:
• Author’s Viewpoint
• Noting Details
• Categorize and Classify
• Topic, Main Idea, and Supporting Details
Miss Rumphius
Story and pictures by Barbara Cooney
Vocabulary
Flowers that opened up or blossomed
Flowers of a certain type that grow in a
cone-shaped cluster
Amounts that each equal 32 quarts
Points of high land that stick out into a
body of water
Small valleys
Matching Vocabulary with Meaning
Write the vocabulary word that best fits the meaning of the picture.
Use the word bank below to help you spell the vocabulary word correctly.
bushels
headlands
lupines
bloomed
hollows
Miss Rumphius Video Reading: Borrowed from United Streaming
Click on the Screen to Start Video
Author’s Viewpoint
• How is Andy, the grandfather in Dancing
Rainbows, like Miss Rumphius’ grandfather?
• How do the authors in both stories seem to feel
about grandfathers?
• In The Keeping Quilt, the beautiful quilt
comforts Anna when she is sick. When Miss
Rumphius’ back hurts, what comforts her?
• How do you think the authors of Miss Rumphius
and The Keeping Quilt feel about beautiful
things?
Noting Details
• Compare the illustration on page 267 of Miss
Rumphius with the illustration on page 245 of
Dancing Rainbows. What are Miss Rumphius and
Andy both doing?
• How are their actions different?
• What furry animal do you see on page 271? Was
this animal on any earlier pages?
• Why are there more and more lupines each year?
Critical Thinking
• What is the tradition that is passed down in this
story?
• Do you think Miss Rumphius had a happy life?
Explain your reasoning.
• How is Alice like Curt from Dancing Rainbows?
• Based on the selections we have read in this
theme, how do you think most families feel about
traditions?
Celebrating Chinese New Year
Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith
Vocabulary
togetherness
People who throw a party
Complicated and carefully planned
A large, fancy meal
A cook
Matching Vocabulary with Meaning
Write the vocabulary word that best fits the meaning of the picture.
Use the word bank below to help you spell the vocabulary word correctly.
unity
chef
elaborate
hosts
feast
Noting Details
• Compare the photo on page 275 with
the illustration on page 176-177 of The
Keeping Quilt. What similarities do you
notice between the two families?
• What differences do you notice?
• What two details explain why Ryan’s
father is the person who prepares the
food for the feast?
Think and Compare
• Both Miss Rumphius and Chinese New Year tell
about traditions that are passed along. How are
these traditions alike and how are they different?
• How do traditions help younger people and older
people feel closer? Use examples from the theme.
• Both Miss Rumphius and Aunt Phoebe from The
Talking Cloth share beautiful things with other
people. Why do you think they do this?
Celebrating Traditions
Theme Skills Test
Theme Test