Story Telling
The Keeping Quilt
Written and Illustrated
By Patricia Polacco
Patricia Polacco holding baby in real Keeping Quilt
Objectives
This week you will:
Practice recognizing prefixes mis-, and suffixes –ing and –ed,
added to a base word.
Practice recognizing words with the long /e/ sound
Practice recognizing the /kw/ and /skw/sounds spelled qu_
and squ_
Use comprehension strategies :
Monitoring and adjusting reading speed and predicting
Use comprehension skills : fact and opinion
Write a mystery narrative
Practice using capitalization correctly
Practice recognizing words with foreign origins
Word Knowledge Day 1
understand understanding misunderstanding
celebrate celebrated celebration celebrity
 What do these words have in common?
– They have a base word with an affix. Let’s
underline the affixes.
Word Knowledge Day 1
scrapped scraped stripped striped pinned pined

What do you notice about these words?
– These are base words with an affix –ed.
When you add –ed to a base word with a
short vowel you double the final consonant
and add –ed.
 When you add –ed to a base word with a long
vowel you just add –ed.

Word Knowledge Day 1
piece belief field shield handkerchief
 Do you see any spelling patterns in these
words?
– They all have the long /e/ sound spelled ie.
quilt
 This word is found in our selection and has
the /kw/ sound spelled qu_.
Word Knowledge Day 1
In New York City her father’s work was
hauling things on a wagon, and the rest of
the family made artificial flowers all day.
 Everyone was in a hurry, and it was so
crowded, not like in backhome Russia.
 To show he wanted to be her husband, he
gave Anna a gold coin, a dried flower, and a
piece of rock salt, all tied into a linen
handkerchief.

– Circle any words with an affix or long /e/ sound.
Word Knowledge Day 1
A quilt is made from pieces of fabric sewn
together.
 Which word has the /kw/ sound spelled qu_?

Build Background
Activate prior knowledge
 We are going to read a story called “The
Keeping Quilt” it’s about a special quilt that
gets passed down from generation to
generation.
 Do you have any stories or family heirlooms?
 Does anyone have a story or item that has
been passed down?

Background Information
The Keeping Quilt is a true story. The
author’s family came to America from
another country.
 In the Jewish tradition, the Sabbath is
Saturday rather than Sunday. Many Jews
begin Sabbath at sundown on Friday evening.
 The quilt in the story was passed down from
many generations in the author’s family.

Preview and Prepare
Reading 2.6




Let’s read the focus
questions, title and author
together.
Now let’s look at the first
page or two for clues,
problems or wonderings.
Clues:
Unusual clothes




Problems
backhome
Wonderings
Why so many scarves?
Student Observation
Clues
unusual clothes
Problems
Wonderings
backhome
Why so many scarves?
hauling
flavor
artificial
handkerchief
bouquet
The Keeping Quilt
Selection Vocabulary
hauling
pulling or moving
with force
In New York City her father’s work was hauling
things on a wagon, and the rest of the family
made artificial flowers all day.
The boys are busy hauling firewood inside so
we can make a fire in the fireplace before
dinner.
artificial
made by people,
not natural
In New York City her father’s work was
hauling things on a wagon, and the rest
of the family made artificial flowers all
day.
The bowl of artificial fruit looked almost as
good as real fruit.
handkerchief
cloth used to
wipe the nose
or face
To show he wanted to be her husband, he
gave Anna a gold coin, a dried flower, and
a piece of rock salt, all tied into a linen
handkerchief.
My aunt has a silk handkerchief with her
initials stitched on one corner.
flavor
a particular taste
The gold was for wealth, the flower for love,
and the salt so their lives would have
flavor.
The flavor of the soup was spicy and
delicious.
bouquet
a bunch of flowers
My mother wore a suit, but in her bouquet
were gold, bread, and salt.
Sally picked daisies and clover to make a
bouquet of flowers for her mother.
“The Keeping Quilt”
Draw a line from the word to it’s definition and it’s
picture
bouquet, flavor, hauling, artificial, handkerchief
made by people, not natural
a particular taste
cloth used to wipe the nose or face
a bunch of flowers
pulling or moving with force
First Read
Student Anthology
Reading 1.3, Listen/Speak 1.9
We are going to read “The Keeping Quilt”
pages158-163.
 While we are reading we will use these
comprehension strategies:
 Monitoring and Adjusting Reading Speed
 Predicting

pulling or moving with
force
made by people
rather than nature
Monitor and Adjust Reading Speed
•I’m not sure what the writer means by “backhome.”
It’s written as one word. That seems strange. I need
to slow down while I read to understand what the
author is trying to say here.
•Okay, now I see that the narrator’s family moved
from Russia to New York. They found their new
home very different from life in Russia. Russia is
what the narrator means by “backhome.”
a head scarf shaped like a triangle
Monitoring and Adjusting Reading
Speed
•I see a word that I don’t understand here—
babushka. Maybe if I slow down my reading
speed and look at the illustrations while I
read I can figure it out.
•The story tells me that the little girl liked to
throw her babushka in the air. In the
picture, the girl is throwing something in the
air. It must be her babushka. In the picture
all the women and girls are wearing big
scarves on their heads. I guess that’s what a
babushka is.
a bread, which is
often braided, made
with eggs. Challah is
eaten on the Jewish
theSabbath.
state of being poor
a cloth use to wipe the
nose or face
Monitoring and
Adjusting
taste
or specificReading
quality
Speed
•There’s a lot of information here in this list.
Let’s slow down our reading speed and see
what becomes clearer.
•Who would like to tella us
what they
covering
thatfound?
stands
like a tent above the
bride and groom in a
Jewish wedding
a bunch of flowers
Predicting
•What will happen to the quilt now?
•I’ll think carefully about what I’ve read so
far in the story and what I can learn from
the story’s pictures.
•I know that the quilt is used on special
occasions, like a wedding and the birth of a
baby.
•I predict the narrator will use the quilt at
her wedding and when her child is born.
•After I finish reading the story I’ll check to
see if my prediction came true.
Confirming Predictions
•My prediction was confirmed. The
narrator/author, Patricia Polacco, did use the
quilt at her wedding and again as a blanket for
her baby daughter, Traci Denise.
Discussing Strategy Use
Reading 2.4
What questions did you ask as you were
reading?
 What predictions did you make?
 How did you adjust your reading speed?

Investigating Concepts
Beyond the Text

We are going to do pages 122 and 123 of our
Inquiry Journals.
English Language
Conventions
Eng. Lang. Conv. 1.7







Mechanics: Capitalization
We are going to read pages 275-277 in our Language
Arts Handbook to learn about the rules of
capitalization.
Grandpa and I cooked Grandma a big dinner for
their anniversary.
Proper nouns: Grandpa Grandma Pronoun: I
Principal Angel-Martin took the Queen Elizabeth II
across the Atlantic Ocean.
Person’s title: Principal Proper nouns: AngelMartin, Queen Elizabeth II; Name of Ocean:
Atlantic Ocean
Let’s do pages 150-151 in our Comprehension and
Language Arts Skills workbook.
Spelling
challah
Eng. Lang. Conv. 1.8

This week we are learning words with the
spelling pattern qu and squ pronounced /kw/
and /skw/
– The word from our selection that containHuppa
this
spelling pattern is:
Babushka

quilt
– Let’s take our Spelling Pretest

Vocabulary Skill Words
babushka challah huppa handkerchief bouquet
Writing Process Strategies
Writing 2.0



Writing A Mystery
Let’s read pages 130-133 of our Language Arts
Handbooks to learn about writing a mystery.
Let’s think of some ideas for a mystery that have a
family storytelling theme like:
– missing homework
– unsigned card
– a tree that has started to grow where no one planted it
Formal Assessment
Characters and setting are clear. (2 points)
 The clues lead to the solution. (2 points)
 The solution makes sense. (2 points)
 Suspense or surprise was used. (2 points)
 Words are spelled correctly. (1 point)
 Paragraphs are indented. (1 point)

Developing Oral Language
understand understanding misunderstanding
celebrate celebrated celebration celebrity
scrapped scraped stripped striped pinned pined
piece belief field shield handkerchief
quilt
 Let’s make clues for these words and have the other
students guess what the word is.
Second Read
Student Anthology
Reading 2.6
We are going to read “The Keeping Quilt”
pages158-163.
 While we are reading we will use these
comprehension skills:
 Fact and Opinion

A fact is a statement that can
be proven to be true.
An opinion is a statement
that can be supported but not
proven to be true.
Fact
In New York City her
fathers work was
hauling things on a
wagon, and the rest of
the family made
artificial flowers all day.
Opinion
It (the quilt) will be
like having the
family in backhome
Russia dance around
us at night.
Fact
Opinion
The family ate
challah and chicken
soup.
The gold was for
wealth, the flower
for love, and the
salt so their lives
would have flavor.
The quilt was the
tablecloth.
Married you’ll be
someday.
Carle and George
moved to a farm in
Michigan and GreatGramma Anna came to
live with them.
Fact
Mary Ellen took the
quilt with her.
At my wedding to
Enzo-Mario, men and
women danced
together.
Opinion
Someday Traci
Denise will leave
and take the quilt
with her.
Checking Comprehension
Reading 2.3, 2.4. 2.6

Why is the story called “The Keeping Quilt”?
– The quilt keeps those memories alive.

Why do you think the quilt is so important to
members of the narrator’s family?
– It’s been a part of the family celebrations for many years.

Does the quilt remind you of any other type of
storytelling you read in this unit?
– Carving the pole passes family history also.

Why is it helpful for the writer to tell the story
herself in the first person?
– It makes the story more personal.
Discussing the Selection
Reading 2.2, 2.3, 3.1; Listen Speak 1.3
Let’s use handing off to answer these
questions:
 Who made the quilt and why?
 What was the quilt used for?
 Why did the family keep the quilt so long?
 Why is the selection called “The Keeping
Quilt”?

Theme Connections
Reading 2.3

In your response journals, answer the following
questions using complete sentences.
– Why did Anna’s mother want to make a quilt with old
clothes?
– How was the family story passed down in “The Keeping
Quilt”?
– What are the different ways that stories were handed
down in the other selections in this unit?
– Do you have a quilt or another special item at home that
is meaningful to you? What story does it tell?
– Think about how “The Keeping Quilt” adds to what you
know about storytelling.
– Fill out the top part of Inquiry Journal page 110.
Investigation


Concept
Would anyone like to
add something to our
concept board?


Question
Would anyone like to
add something to our
question board?
Supporting the Reading
Comprehension Skills: Fact and Opinion
 Let’s do pages 148-149 in our
Comprehension and Language Arts Skills
Opinion:
workbook.

There
should be no
war.
Fact: There’s snow
on the ground.
Spelling
Eng. Lang. Conv. 1.8

The /kw/ and /skw/
sounds
–
–
–
–
–
–

quiet
squish
squat
question
quick
squint
Draw a line from the word
to it’s spelling pattern
/kw/ and /skw/.
/kw/
spelled
qu
 /skw/
squ
spelled
Vocabulary
Reading 1.6, 1.7

Words with foreign origin
– Babushka


Babushka is word from the Russian language.
Let’s look at the pictures in “The Keeping Quilt” to
find clues about what a babushka is.
– Dress, quilt, scraps of clothing.



A babushka is a scarf that women wear in their heads.
The ending –shka has a foreign origin.
We’re going to do page 118 and 119 of our Spelling
and Vocabulary Skills workbook.
English Language
Conventions
Eng. Lang. Conv. 1.7


Capitalization
Let’s review pages 275-277 of our Language Arts Handbook.
– Richard M. Nixon was America’s thirty-seventh president.

Proper noun: Richard Nixon
country: America
Period in Initals: M. Name of
– The Columbia River flows into the Pacific Ocean.

Names of rivers: Columbia River
Names of Oceans: Pacific Ocean
– Most people on the team climbing the Andes spoke Spanish or
English.

Name of mountains: Andes Name of languages: Spanish, English
– Female jazz musicians like Tiny Davis don’t get enough recognition.

Proper noun: Tiny Davis
Writing Process Strategies
Writing 2.1a, 2.1b

Writing a mystery
– We’re going to read page 131 of our Language
Arts Handbook to learn about suspense and
surprise.
– Now, let’s do page 152-153 of our
Comprehension and Language Arts workbooks
to practice what we just learned.
– Let’s use page 98 of our Writer’s workbook to
pre-write our mystery.
Word Knowledge Day 3
understand understanding misunderstanding
celebrate celebrated celebration celebrity
 What do these words have in common?
– They have a base word with an affix. Let’s
underline the affixes.
Word Knowledge Day 3
scrapped scraped stripped striped pinned pined

What do you notice about these words?
– These are base words with an affix –ed.
When you add –ed to a base word with a
short vowel you double the final consonant
and add –ed.
 When you add –ed to a base word with a long
vowel you just add –ed.

Word Knowledge Day 3
piece belief field shield handkerchief
 Do you see any spelling patterns in these
words?
– They all have the long /e/ sound spelled ie.
quilt
 This word is found in our selection and has
the /kw/ sound spelled qu_.
Word Knowledge Day 3
In New York City her father’s work was
hauling things on a wagon, and the rest of
the family made artificial flowers all day.
 Everyone was in a hurry, and it was so
crowded, not like in backhome Russia.
 To show he wanted to be her husband, he
gave Anna a gold coin, a dried flower, and a
piece of rock salt, all tied into a linen
handkerchief.

– Circle any words with an affix or long /e/ sound.
Word Knowledge Day 3
A quilt is made from pieces of fabric sewn
together.
 Which word has the /kw/ sound spelled qu_?

Meet the Author/Illustrator
This is the real quilt.




Let’s look on page 164 to meet
the author/ illustrator of “The
Keeping Quilt”
“The Keeping Quilt“ is a true
story. Explain how people can
tell stories from an object such
as a quilt.
Patricia Polacco loved listening
to her family tell stories, but with
each retelling the stories gained a
little more “oomph”. Why do
you think storytellers do this
when retelling a story?
Why do you think Patricia
Polacco would want to preserve
this story for her daughter, just
as her mother had done?
Theme: Storytelling
Selection Vocabulary
The Keeping Quilt
hauling
In New York City her father’s work was hauling
things on a wagon, and the rest of the family
made artificial flowers all day.
The boys are busy hauling firewood inside so
we can make a fire in the fireplace before
dinner.
Hauling: pulling or moving with force
CONTEXT CLUES
artificial
In New York City her father’s work was
hauling things on a wagon, and the rest
of the family made artificial flowers all
day.
The bowl of artificial fruit looked almost as
good as real fruit.
Artificial: made by people, not natural
CONTEXT CLUES
handkerchief
To show he wanted to be her husband, he
gave Anna a gold coin, a dried flower, and
a piece of rock salt, all tied into a linen
handkerchief.
My aunt has a silk handkerchief with her
initials stitched on one corner.
Handkerchief: cloth used to wipe the nose
or face
CONTEXT CLUES
flavor
The gold was for wealth, the flower for love,
and the salt so their lives would have
flavor.
The flavor of the soup was spicy and
delicious.
Flavor: a particular taste
CONTEXT CLUES
bouquet
My mother wore a suit, but in her bouquet
were gold, bread, and salt.
Sally picked daisies and clover to make a
bouquet of flowers for her mother.
Bouquet: a bunch of flowers
CONTEXT CLUES
“The Keeping Quilt”
Draw a line from the word to it’s definition and it’s
picture
bouquet, flavor, hauling, artificial, handkerchief
made by people, not natural
a particular taste
cloth used to wipe the nose or face
a bunch of flowers
pulling or moving with force
View Fine Art
Soc. St. REPV2
Let’s look on page 157 of our Open Court
books to view fine art.
 Would anyone like to comment on any
feelings you have when you look at this fine
art?

Investigation
Reading 2.6
Needs and Plans Phase
 What materials will you need to do your
investigation?
 How much time will you need to conduct
your investigation?

Spelling
Eng. Lang. Conv. 1.8 Listen/Speak 1.3
These words have the /kw/ and /skw/
sounds:
 Quack squeak
squawk
 Now let’s do page 120 in our Spelling and
Vocabulary Skills workbook.

Vocabulary
Reading 1.6, 1.7

Words with Foreign Origns
– Challah

The family ate challah and chicken soup. (pg. 160)
– Do you see any clues that tell you what challah might be?

Ate, chicken soup
– Challah: braided or twisted bread eaten by Jews on the Sabbath.
– This word comes from the Hebrew or yiddish language.
English Language
Conventions Rule
Eng. Lang. Covn. 1.7



Capitalization
Let’s review pages 150
and 151 of our
Comprehension and
Language Arts Skills
workbook for the rules
of capitalization.
Let’s make the longest
sentence we can using
as many rules as we
can.
Proper
Nouns
Example
The White
House is
big.
Pronoun I I went to
the Library.
People’s
F.D.R. was
elected 3
Initials
times
Words used Have you
as names
called
Grandma?
Writing Process

Let’s do page 99 of our
Writer's Workbook to
learn about drafting a
mystery.
Beginning
Introduction Development
of characters and setting
Middle
Problem /conflict
Suspense/ surprise
End
Reveal solution
or solve problem
General Review Day 4
understand understanding misunderstanding
celebrate celebrated celebration celebrity
scrapped scraped stripped striped pinned pined
piece belief field shield handkerchief
quilt
General Review Day 4
In New York City her father’s work was
hauling things on a wagon, and the rest of
the family made artificial flowers all day.
 Everyone was in a hurry, and it was so
crowded, not like in backhome Russia.
 To show he wanted to be her husband, he
gave Anna a gold coin, a dried flower, and a
piece of rock salt, all tied into a linen
handkerchief.
 A quilt is made from pieces of fabric sewn
together.

hauling
flavor
artificial
handkerchief
bouquet
The Keeping Quilt
Selection Vocabulary
hauling
pulling or moving
with force
In New York City her father’s work was hauling
things on a wagon, and the rest of the family
made artificial flowers all day.
The boys are busy hauling firewood inside so
we can make a fire in the fireplace before
dinner.
artificial
made by people,
not natural
In New York City her father’s work was
hauling things on a wagon, and the rest
of the family made artificial flowers all
day.
The bowl of artificial fruit looked almost as
good as real fruit.
handkerchief
cloth used to
wipe the nose
or face
To show he wanted to be her husband, he
gave Anna a gold coin, a dried flower, and
a piece of rock salt, all tied into a linen
handkerchief.
My aunt has a silk handkerchief with her
initials stitched on one corner.
flavor
a particular taste
The gold was for wealth, the flower for love,
and the salt so their lives would have
flavor.
The flavor of the soup was spicy and
delicious.
bouquet
a bunch of flowers
My mother wore a suit, but in her bouquet
were gold, bread, and salt.
Sally picked daisies and clover to make a
bouquet of flowers for her mother.
Literary Elements
Reading 3.6


Author’s Point of View
Let’s look through the
selection to find clues
about the author's
point of view.
1st person: The
action is happening.
3rd person: The
action is being
watched.
1st Person
3rd Person
I, me, our,
we, us,
mine,
They, he,
she, her, his,
the girl, the
boy,
Social Studies Connection
Soc. St. 3.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3.3
Local History
 The Keeping Quilt is about a family from
Russia.
 Where can you go to find out about your
history?
 What was Fontana like 100 years ago? 50
years ago? 10 years ago?

Citrus Industry
California Speedway
Kaiser Steel
Investigation
Reading 2.1; Soc. St. CST4

.





Where did Anna live first?
How did do you know?
Where did Anna live last?
How do you know?
Is New York closer to
Russia or Michigan? How
do you know?
In what direction was Anna
going to if she took the
most direct route when she
moved from Russia to New
York?
What ocean did Anna cross
to get to New York?
Spelling
Eng. Lang. Conv. 1.8
The /kw/ and /skw/ Sounds
 We’re going to do page 121 of our Spelling
and Vocabulary Skills workbook.
 Circle the /kw/ and /skw/ sound in these
words:

– Quit quack quick quiet quite squid squint
squirt square squeak question squeeze
squirrel quality quilt
Vocabulary
Reading 1.6

Words with Foreign Origins
– Huppa

“Under the wedding huppa, Anna and Sasha promised
each other love and understanding.”pg.160
– What are some clues about the word?
 Wedding, under
– A huppa is a cloth used in a Jewish wedding
ceremony.
English Language
Conventions
Listen/Speak 1.3

Interacting: Asking Questions
– When you are interacting, talking to, another
person it is important to ask questions when you
don’t understand.
– It is also important to answer a question
thoughtfully.

Let’s practice with a partner.
Writing Process Strategies
Writing 1.4

Lang. Arts Tran 21
Let’s read page 100 of our Writer’s
Workbook, on revising a mystery.
– Make sure the problem is clearly stated.
– Make sure the clues lead to the solution.
– The solution must make sense with the problem
and the clues.

We're going to revise our mysteries using the
checklist on page 100.
General Review Day 4
understand understanding misunderstanding
celebrate celebrated celebration celebrity
scrapped scraped stripped striped pinned pined
piece belief field shield handkerchief
quilt
General Review Day 5
In New York City her father’s work was
hauling things on a wagon, and the rest of
the time family made artificial flowers all day.
 Everyone was in a hurry, and it was so
crowded, not like in backhome Russia.
 To show he wanted to be her husband, he
gave Anna a gold coin, a dried flower, and a
piece of rock salt, all tied into a linen
handkerchief.
 A quilt in made from pieces of fabric sewn
together.

Spelling
Eng. Lang. Conv. 1.8
The /kw/ and /skw/ Sounds
 Circle the /kw/ and /skw/ sound in these
words:

– Quit quack quick quiet quite squid squint
squirt square squeak question squeeze
squirrel quality quilt
Theme: Storytelling
Reading 1.6, 1.7
Selection Vocabulary
The Keeping Quilt
hauling
In New York City her father’s work was hauling
things on a wagon, and the rest of the family
made artificial flowers all day.
The boys are busy hauling firewood inside so
we can make a fire in the fireplace before
dinner.
Hauling: pulling or moving with force
CONTEXT CLUES
artificial
In New York City her father’s work was
hauling things on a wagon, and the rest
of the family made artificial flowers all
day.
The bowl of artificial fruit looked almost as
good as real fruit.
Artificial: made by people, not natural
CONTEXT CLUES
handkerchief
To show he wanted to be her husband, he
gave Anna a gold coin, a dried flower, and
a piece of rock salt, all tied into a linen
handkerchief.
My aunt has a silk handkerchief with her
initials stitched on one corner.
Handkerchief: cloth used to wipe the nose
or face
CONTEXT CLUES
flavor
The gold was for wealth, the flower for love,
and the salt so their lives would have
flavor.
The flavor of the soup was spicy and
delicious.
Flavor: a particular taste
CONTEXT CLUES
bouquet
My mother wore a suit, but her bouquet
were gold, bread, and salt.
Sally picked daisies and clover to make a
bouquet of flowers for her mother.
Bouquet: a bunch of flowers
CONTEXT CLUES
“The Keeping Quilt”
Draw a line from the word to it’s definition and it’s
picture
bouquet, flavor, hauling, artificial, handkerchief
made by people, not natural
a particular taste
cloth used to wipe the nose or face
a bunch of flowers
pulling or moving with force
Listening
Listen/Speak 1.9, 1.4 Reading 3.4

We’re going to listen to “The Keeping Quilt”
and “Aunt Sue’s Stories” on CD.
– Did you notice any repetition in the poem?
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Aunt Sue, Black Slaves, mingle themselves, knows, the
dark faced child
Langston Hughes a
famous Black poet
Assessments
Let’s take our weekly assessments:
 Spelling
 Vocabulary
 Reading Comprehension
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Investigation
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Concept
Would anyone like to
add something to our
concept board?
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Question
Would anyone like to
add something to our
question board?
English Language
Conventions
Writing 1.2
Uppercase Cursive Letters L and D
LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
DD
 Labor Day celebrates working people.
 Like
Left
Ladies
Love
 Dirt
Dropping Dress
Dried
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Writing Process Strategies
Writing 1.2
Editing/Proofreading and Publishing
 Writing a Mystery
 Let’s read page 101 of our Writer's
Workbook, on how to Edit and Proofread
our mysteries.
 Let’s carefully check and fix our work.
 We’re going to publish our mysteries on a
clean sheet of paper.
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Formal Assessment
Characters and setting are clear. (2 points)
 The clues lead to the solution. (2 points)
 The solution makes sense. (2 points)
 Suspense or surprise was used. (2 points)
 Words are spelled correctly. (1 point)
 Paragraphs are indented. (1 point)
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