Grade
Skill/Strategy:
5
Unit
5
Week
5
Generalize/Graphic Organizers
Review: To generalize means to make a broad statement or rule that applies to several examples.
Sometimes authors make generalizations in their writing. Clue words such as all, many, and most
can signal generalizations. Active readers pay close attention to these generalizations. If they are
supported by the text or logic, they are valid generalizations. It they are not supported by the text or
by logic, they are faulty generalizations. Active readers often use graphic organizers to help them
understand and remember what they read. Graphic organizers can be used before, during, or after
reading a selection. You can create a graphic organizer like the one above to help you decide
whether an author’s generalizations are valid.
Reading Street, Grade 5, Unit 5, p. 604
Part A: Graphic Organizers
EQ: How can I create a graphic organizer on my own based on a text?
Materials: Reading Street textbooks, blank sheets of white paper
Direct students to pages 600-603 in their Reading Street texts, “Crust, Mantle, and Core”. Read
pages 600-601. Ask: What four parts of the Earth are described on these 2 pages? Show students
how to create a foldable by folding the four corners of the paper to the center of the page.
core
Write the one part of the Earth on each flap. Then, ask students to open each flap and write bulleted
facts on the back of each flap for each part of the Earth. The center square can be used to draw a
diagram illustrating the parts of the Earth.
core:


crust:



3500 km radius
made of solid and liquid
iron and nickel
up to 40 km thick
made of solid rock
temperature increases
as you go deeper
mantle:
 2900 km thick
 rigid solid top, then melted
rock, then solid again
 temperature increases
lithosphere:
 rigid, outer shell of Earth
 includes all of crust and top
of mantle
If there is time, continue to read pages 602-603 and add the definitions for each part of the Earth to
the top flaps. Ask students to create the definition for lithosphere from their notes.
Part B: Generalizations
EQ: How can I tell the difference between a faulty and valid generalization?
Materials: Story and generalizations (attached),
Review: To generalize means to make a broad statement or rule that applies to several examples.
Sometimes authors make generalizations in their writing. Clue words such as all, many, and most
can signal generalizations. Active readers pay close attention to these generalizations. If they are
supported by the text or by logic, they are valid generalizations. If not, they are faulty generalizations.
Reading Street Grade 5, Unit 5, page 604
exuberance
Stake
Sluice box
Buckskin pouch
By the Great Horn Spoon
by Sid Fleischman
In 1849 California Jack and his former servant Praiseworthy have come to make their fortune in the
Gold Rush. They know if they find gold they have to stake their claim—pound wooden stakes in the
four corners of the property to make it legally theirs.
Jack very nearly jumped a foot. "By the Great Horn Spoon!" he yelled. "Look!"
"I see it!"
"Pay dirt!"
And Praiseworthy exclaimed, "Yeller as can be!"
The gold revealed itself like bits of sunlight trapped in the loosened earth. The two partners flung
their hats in the air. In sheer exuberance they clasped arms and swung around and around in the
oblong pit.
"We've done it, Jack, we've done it!" Praiseworthy roared.
"We've struck it rich!"
It was a moment before Jack, in his excitement, realized that Praiseworthy had called him Jack.
Not Master Jack. Just Jack. Plain Jack—the way he'd always wanted it to be! He thought he'd never
stop leaping for joy, but then he fished out a golden lump and beat it with a stone [to test if it were real
gold].
"Flat as a button!"
"Cut some stakes—quick, Jack."
Anything would do. Praiseworthy drew his tattered umbrella from their pack and pounded it into
the ground. It made a fine corner post for their claim. Jack stripped a fallen pine limb with their clasp
knife. Praiseworthy measured out fifty feet, by strides, which would give them plenty of elbow room.
Soon they had the boundaries staked and Jack ran from corner to corner hanging tin cans in place.
They had their claim, legal as could be.
After the first day's washings, Praiseworthy went to Coloma to buy a Long Tom and Jack stayed
behind with the squirrel gun to keep an eye on things. Within twenty-four hours miners had staked
claims everywhere around them. The place quickly got the name of Gravediggers' Hill.
Praiseworthy and Jack worked from morning till night. They carried pay dirt bucket by bucket
down the slope to the sluice box in the river. The hole grew wider and longer. They filled a buckskin
pouch [with gold dust] and tied it off at the top. Hour after hour Praiseworthy swung the pick and day
after day Jack emptied bucket after bucket into the Long Tom. Their fortune grew heavier.
Faulty or Valid Generalization?
In the Old West of the 1800’s, the way to show that a property was yours was to pound wooden
stakes in the four corners of your property. V by text
The wooden stakes could only be made out of real tree branches.
“By the great horn spoon” is a phrase used in the Old West.
A lot of people wore hats in the Old West.
V by logic
V by logic
All people in the Old West threw their hats in the air.
Dirt was used as money in the Old West.
F
Everyone in the Old West had a servant.
F
F
People who came to the Old West were looking for gold.
People in the Old West only hunted for squirrels.
The Long Tom is a kind of candy.
F
V by text
F
F
Once someone found gold, everyone wanted to own property in that area.
You could tell if a rock was gold by pounding it with a stone.
Anywhere you found gold was a good place for a cemetery.
V by text
V by text
F
Part C: Generalizations (Part C and Part D might fit together in one time period.)
Teach: In order to make a generalization, you need to know enough about a topic. If I knew two 5th
grade boys named James and Jack, I could not make a generalization that all 5th grade boys have
names beginning with “J”. I would need to know more 5th grade boys!
This is why it is so important to learn A LOT about a topic before you start to talk like an expert about
the topic. If you have watched one movie about a tornado, you probably do not know everything you
need to know about tornadoes. Ask students to list some topics that they do and do not know enough
about to generalize about them. (Often students think they can speak expertly about anything they
have even heard a little about.)
Practice with these examples:
In 1859, a little Irish fellow by the name of Mattie Collins was mining along the East Fork of Althouse
Creek when he uncovered a huge lump of almost pure gold that became known as the Collins
Nugget. Mattie's find weighed in at a whopping 204 ounces (approximately 17 pounds troy), which he
sold for $3500. At today's gold prices, the Collins Nugget would be worth over $200,000, but typically
a nugget will fetch a significantly higher price.
http://www.western-stories.com/western-stories/oregons-biggest-gold-nugget.html
Can you make a generalization about people from Ireland? no
Can you make a generalization that every person had a piece of gold named after them? no
Can you make a generalization that a lump of gold can be called a nugget? yes, by text
Can you make a generalization that the price of gold has gone up? yes, by text and logic
One of the best known female prospectors was Ellen Elliot Jack of Colorado, who is pictured here in a
photo dated about 1910. Ellen was born in England, but came to the Far West in 1872 after the tragic
death of her husband and children. In addition to mining, she was also an early woman business
owner. Like the men who worked the gold fields, Ellen was one tough cookie. Everywhere she went,
Ellen carried a pick axe and a six gun in her belt and she knew how to use both of them. She was
also said to have a severe scar that was the result of a tomahawk wound she received during a
battle. At the time this photo was taken, she had just written a book about a woman who loses her
husband and becomes a female prospector.
http://www.western-stories.com/western-stories/woman-miners-in-southern-oregon.html
Can we generalize that all people who came to the west were from other countries? no
Can we generalize that you had to be tough to be a prospector? yes, by text and logic
Can we generalize that mostly men worked in the gold mines? yes, by text
Can we generalize that all women in the Old West carried a pick axe and a six gun? no
Part D: Prefixes
teleover a long distance
misbad, wrong, not
subunder, less
telegram
telegraph
telephone
telescope
television
telecast
telecommunication
mistake
misunderstood
mismatch
misinterpret
misconduct
mischief
misfire
submarine
substandard
substation
suburban
subway
subdivision
Ask students to sort the words and write them in the correct column. Then, use the meaning of the
prefixes to discuss what these words might mean. Ask students to use the words in a sentence or to
draw pictures to illustrate these words.
In 1859, a little Irish fellow by the name of Mattie Collins was mining along
the East Fork of Althouse Creek when he uncovered a huge lump of almost
pure gold that became known as the Collins Nugget. Mattie's find weighed in
at a whopping 204 ounces (approximately 17 pounds troy), which he sold for
$3500. At today's gold prices, the Collins Nugget would be worth over
$200,000, but typically a nugget will fetch a significantly higher price.
http://www.western-stories.com/western-stories/oregons-biggest-gold-nugget.html
One of the best known female prospectors was
Ellen Elliot Jack of Colorado, who is pictured
here in a photo dated about 1910. Ellen was
born in England, but came to the Far West in
1872 after the tragic death of her husband and
children. In addition to mining, she was also an
early woman business owner. Like the men who
worked the gold fields, Ellen was one tough
cookie. Everywhere she went, Ellen carried a
pick axe and a six gun in her belt and she knew
how to use both of them. She was also said to
have a severe scar that was the result of a
tomahawk wound she received during a battle.
At the time this photo was taken, she had just
written a book about a woman who loses her
husband and becomes a female prospector.
http://www.western-stories.com/western-stories/woman-minersin-southern-oregon.html
Name ___________________________________________ Date ___________________________
Faulty or Valid Generalization?
A generalization is valid if it can be supported by the text or by logic. A generalization is faulty if it is
not supported and if we do not know enough about the topic to make that generalization.
Directions: After reading “By the Great Horn Spoon” read each statement below. Talk with others
about whether each statement is a valid or faulty generalization. If the statement is valid, decide if
this is based on logic, the text, or both.












In the Old West of the 1800’s, the way to show that a property was yours was to pound
wooden stakes in the four corners of your property.
The wooden stakes could only be made out of real tree branches.
“By the great horn spoon” is a phrase used in the Old West.
All people in the Old West threw their hats in the air.
Dirt was used as money in the Old West.
Everyone in the Old West had a servant.
People who came to the Old West were looking for gold.
People in the Old West only hunted for squirrels.
The Long Tom is a kind of candy.
Once someone found gold, everyone wanted to own property in that area.
You could tell if a rock was gold by pounding it with a stone.
Anywhere you found gold was a good place for a cemetery.
exuberance
Stake
Sluice box
Buckskin pouch
By the Great Horn Spoon
by Sid Fleischman
In 1849 California Jack and his former servant Praiseworthy have come to make their fortune in the
Gold Rush. They know if they find gold they have to stake their claim—pound wooden stakes in the
four corners of the property to make it legally theirs.
Jack very nearly jumped a foot. "By the Great Horn Spoon!" he yelled. "Look!"
"I see it!"
"Pay dirt!"
And Praiseworthy exclaimed, "Yeller as can be!"
The gold revealed itself like bits of sunlight trapped in the loosened earth. The two partners flung
their hats in the air. In sheer exuberance they clasped arms and swung around and around in the
oblong pit.
"We've done it, Jack, we've done it!" Praiseworthy roared.
"We've struck it rich!"
It was a moment before Jack, in his excitement, realized that Praiseworthy had called him Jack.
Not Master Jack. Just Jack. Plain Jack—the way he'd always wanted it to be! He thought he'd never
stop leaping for joy, but then he fished out a golden lump and beat it with a stone [to test if it were real
gold].
"Flat as a button!"
"Cut some stakes—quick, Jack."
Anything would do. Praiseworthy drew his tattered umbrella from their pack and pounded it into
the ground. It made a fine corner post for their claim. Jack stripped a fallen pine limb with their clasp
knife. Praiseworthy measured out fifty feet, by strides, which would give them plenty of elbow room.
Soon they had the boundaries staked and Jack ran from corner to corner hanging tin cans in place.
They had their claim, legal as could be.
After the first day's washings, Praiseworthy went to Coloma to buy a Long Tom and Jack stayed
behind with the squirrel gun to keep an eye on things. Within twenty-four hours miners had staked
claims everywhere around them. The place quickly got the name of Gravediggers' Hill.
Praiseworthy and Jack worked from morning till night. They carried pay dirt bucket by bucket
down the slope to the sluice box in the river. The hole grew wider and longer. They filled a buckskin
pouch [with gold dust] and tied it off at the top. Hour after hour Praiseworthy swung the pick and day
after day Jack emptied bucket after bucket into the Long Tom. Their fortune grew heavier.
teleover a long distance
telegram
subway
suburban
misunderstood
mistake
telegraph
misinterpret
misfire
submarine
mischief
telephone
misconduct
subdivision
telescope
television
substation
mismatch
substandard
telecast
telecommunication
misbad, wrong, not
subunder, less