Lou Gehrig
The Luckiest Man
Compiled by Terry Sams, Piedmont
Genre: Biography
Author’s Purpose: Inform
Comprehension Skill:Text Structure
By: David A. Adler
Illustrated by: Terry Widener
Summary
When Lou Gehrig left college to play
baseball with the Yankees, his mother thought he
had ruined his life. Little did she know that he
would go on to play in 2,130 straight games. He
played the game so well that twice he was named
the American League's Most Valuable Player. Then
Lou Gehrig found out he had a fatal illness. In a
speech to his fans, he called himself
the "luckiest man." The Yankees honored
him by retiring his uniform, something
never before done in major league
baseball.
Genre - Biography
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Definition: An informational book that gives an
account of a person’s life or an episode in a
person’s life.
Autobiography:
Definition: A book about a person’s life written by
that person.
Suggestions:
Where Do You Think You’re Going, Christopher
Columbus? By Jean Fritz
What’s the Big Idea, Ben Franklin? By Jean Fritz
Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freeman
Comprehension Skill:
Text Structure
Knowing how a piece of text is organized helps the
reader to make better sense of the information. It
can be organized by patterns such as sequencing,
cause and effect, fact and opinion, compare and
contrast, and main ideas and details.
Nonfiction can also be written in chronological
order, in order of importance, and by problem and
solution.
Can you tell how Lou Gehrig is written?
Comprehension Skill Review:
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing mean to put someone else’s
words into your own words.
When you paraphrase, you should include
all of the important ideas from what you read.
When you write a report about something
you researched, you MUST always put the
ideas into your own words.
Practice Paraphrasing
 Reread the last paragraph on page 397.
Paraphrase this selection.
 Why is it helpful to paraphrase what you
read?
 (It lets you know if you understand what
you are reading)
 It helps you recall, inform, and organize
ideas.
 Use WP 177 for review.
Vocabulary Skill –Context
Clues - Unfamiliar Words
When you read, you may come across
a word you do not know.
To figure out the meaning of the
unfamiliar word, look for clues in the
sentences or paragraph around it.
A clue might be found in specific
details or examples given near the
unknown word.
You can also use a dictionary to clarify
word meanings
Research Skill – Order Form
TE 405j
 An order form is a chart with spaces
to be filled in.
 An order form can be used to
purchase merchandise from a catalog
or to order publications, such as
magazines.
 You might find order forms in print
sources or in electronic form.
 Use PB 179-180
Literary Device – Idioms
TE Pg. 405i
 An idiom is a type of figurative language
that cannot be understood by the ordinary
meanings of words.
 When Lou said, “I don’t have long to go,”
he meant he didn’t have much time to
live, not that he had a distance to travel.
 Often an idiom can be understood by
figuring out what makes sense in context.
http://www.funbrain.com/funbrain/idioms/
http://www.englishdaily626.com/idioms.php
Weekly Fluency Check Read with Appropriate Phrasing
 Model or review ways to read with appropriate
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TE 405d
phrasing, for example, stressing particular words or
phrases in a sentences for emphasis of a point.
In the paragraph below, a reader might stress the
words amazing and consecutive while reading.
By stressing these words, the reader calls attention
to them and emphasis their importance within the
sentences. It makes the story more exciting!
Go to page 391, beginning at the top of the page.
Review Pages 386-393
1. Where was Lou Gehrig born?
2. Who did Lou Gehrig sign to play for
while in college?
3. What is Lou Gehrig’s nickname? How
did he get it?
4. How did Gehrig’s career change in
1938?
5. How are Lou Gehrig’s dreams
different from his mother’s?
Review Pages 394-402
1.Why does Gehrig wipe his
eyes during Appreciation Day?
2.Paraphrase what Gehrig told
his fans on Appreciation Day.
3.Why did the Yankees retire
Lou Gehrig’s number?
4.Why did Gehrig consider
himself lucky?
Writing Assignment
Choose one of the following and write a
paragraph:
 Choose a person you know who is like
Lou Gehrig – a courageous person of
character. Describe why you think
this person is brave.
 Write a paragraph that tells what your
favorite sport is and why you like it.
Good Stuff
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ABC Spelling words
Spelling Hangman
Vocabulary Match
Vocabulary Concentration
Lou Gehrig Field Trip
Meet the Author
Reading Test
Spelling Test
Sites about Lou
Biography and pictures
Hear his speech
http://www.lougehrig.com/about/speech/gehrig.mp3
http://www.lougehrig.com/about/speech.htm
Hall of Fame
Words to Know
convinced
courageous
engineer
gradually
immigrants
More Words to Know!
citizenship
commission
consecutive
prototype
specialists
convinced
caused to believe
courageous
brave
engineer
an expert in engineering
gradually
slowly over a period of
time
immigrants
people who come to a
foreign country to live
citizenship
duties, rights, and
privileges of a citizen
commission
a group of people with
authority to do certain
things
consecutive
one right after another
1, 2, 3, 4, 5. . .
first, second, third, fourth. . .
prototype
first or original type or
model of anything that is
designed or constructed
specialists
people who pursue
particular branches of
study
The officer’s deed
proved to be valiant
and courageous.
The officer’s deed
proved to be valiant
and courageous.
The mayor of New
York City told Lou he
was a prototype of
good sportsmanship
and citizenship.
The mayor of New
York City told Lou he
was a prototype of
good sportsmanship
and citizenship.
Mom convinced her
that his answer was
wrong.
Mom convinced her
that his answer was
wrong.
Gradually, Lou’s
disease got worse.
Gradually, Lou’s
disease got worse.
The immigrants
earned their
citizenship after
studying about
America.
The immigrants
earned their
citizenship after
studying about
America.
The engineer designed
the plans for the train.
The engineer
designed the plans for
the train.
The doctors
were specialists
but they could
not cure Lou.
The doctors
were specialists
but they could
not cure Lou.
The immigrants
came from
southeast Asia.
The immigrants
came from
southeast Asia.
Lou played in
2,130 consecutive
Yankee games.
Lou played in
2,130 consecutive
Yankee games.
The baseball
commission
retired Lou’s
jersey.
The baseball
commission
retired Lou’s
jersey.
This Week’s Word Wall
Words
Click and type your own
words for this week:
Spelling Words –
Easily Confused
set
win
sit
our
off
are
of
than
when
then
Spelling Words –
Easily Confused

quiet
lose

quite
loose

quit
were

whose
we’re

who’s
where
Let’s review our words.
Watch carefully because
they will flash on the screen
for just a moment. We will
clap as we spell the word.
Pay attention to how the
word is used in the
sentence.
set
Please set the table.
who’s
Who’s that standing
by the door?
sit
Go ahead and sit
down.
whose
Whose jacket is this?
off
Sam turned off the
light.
quit
He says he won’t quit
trying.
of
Jack reads a lot of
books.
quiet
This is a quiet
neighborhood.
when
I don’t know when
we will be there.
where
I know where it is.
win
I hope our team will
win.
we’re
I hope we’re going to
have fun.
our
That’s our house.
were
What were you
saying?
are
Are you going to the
party.
then
First I will wash, then
I will dry.
loose
Oops, this button is
loose.
than
I like carrots better
than peas.
lose
He hopes his team
won’t lose.