Use until green book is in bookstore (pages 1 - 5)
Unit 1 – Elements of a story
This unit will help you read and understand important elements in stories. A biography is a true
story of someone’s life. This biography of George Washington Carver starts when he is a child and ends
when he dies. Each chapter in this biography tells a story about part of George Washington Carver’s life.
Unit 1 objectives
In this unit, you will learn to
1. understand the words for the different elements of a story
2. find the setting
3. find the main characters
4. find the important parts of a plot
5. use strategies to remember and arrange the important parts of the story in order
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General vocabulary for Unit 1
Word, Part-of-speech, Definition
biography (noun C) story of someone’s life
characters (noun C) the people in a story
plot (noun C) important things that happen in a story
setting (noun C) time(s) and place(s) in a story
location (noun C) where things happen in a story
time (noun C) when things happen in a story
Study Notes
Practicing general vocabulary for Unit 1
Directions: Select a vocabulary item from above to use in the blanks.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
One of the most important ______________ in this biography is George Washington Carver.
The __________ in this biography is 19th and 20th century United States.
The 19th and 20th centuries are the _____________ in this biography.
The United States is the ________________ in this biography.
What happens in George Washington Carver’s life is the ________________ in the story.
You will read a ______________ of George Washington Carver.
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Chapter 1- Vocabulary
Word, Sentence, Part-of-speech
captured – Robbers captured Mary. (verb T)
cot - He ran to a cot where a little boy was sleeping. (noun C)
deal - "It's a deal," he said. (noun C)
galloping - The horses were galloping fast. (verb I)
go after - Bentley would go after stolen slaves. (verb phrase)
hooves - Horses' hooves were beating on the road. (noun C)
plantation – Many slaves worked on a large plantation. (noun C)
property – A slave could not own property. (noun U)
robbers - Robbers came at night and stole slaves. (noun C)
sign - The man found no sign of the girl. (noun C)
slave – Before the Civil War, people in the southern states owned slaves. (noun C)
slavery - Slavery was allowed in southern Missouri. (noun U)
stable -Moses Carver went to the stable to get the horse. (noun C)
stole - Robbers came at night and stole slaves. (verb T)
suddenly - Suddenly he heard a sound outside. (adv)
timberland - I will give you forty acres of my best timberland. (noun U)
trail - "I followed their trail into Arkansas," the man told Moses and his wife. (noun C)
Study Notes
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Reading Activity 1: George Washington Carver (Chapter 1, pages 5-10)
Directions: Write short answers. Do not copy sentences or phrases from the text.
1. Characters: Who are four important people in this chapter? (Tell who is free and who is a
slave.)
a.
b
c.
d.
2. Setting: Where does this chapter happen?
3. Setting: When do the events in this chapter happen?
4. Plot: What are 4 important things that Moses Carver does in this chapter? (Put them in
order.)
a.
b
c.
d.
5. Plot: What are 4 important things that Mary does in this chapter? (Put them in order.)
a.
b
c.
d.
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Practicing vocabulary for Chapter 1
Directions: Tell the part-of-speech of each underlined item in these sentences from Chapter 1. Then find
the correct vocabulary item.
Vocabulary Items
Example:
n(C) A George Washington Carver is the
most important character in this
biography.
____ ____ Before the Civil War, people in the
southern states owned slaves.
Meanings
A. person in a story
B. where something happens in a story
C. when something happens in a story
1. area with many trees for wood
2. caught and kept (someone) as a prisoner
____ ____ A slave could not own property.
____ ____ Many slaves worked on a large
plantation.
____ ____ Suddenly he heard a sound outside.
____ ____ Robbers came at night and stole
slaves.
3. farm
4. follow (someone) to catch (them)
5. humans who are owned by someone (Owners
could buy and sell these people like animals.)
6. land, animals, homes, and other things
7. marks that have been left by someone
____ ____ Robbers captured Mary.
____ ____ Bentley would go after stolen
slaves.
____ ____ I will give you forty acres of my
best timberland.
8. people who steal money or property
9. quickly without warning (unexpectedly)
10. something showing that a person or animal
has been in a place
11. the system of owning humans as property
____ ____ Bentley followed the robbers’ trail
into Arkansas.
12. what happens in a story
____ ____ He found no sign of Mary.
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