Grandfather’s
Journey
Compiled by:
Terry Sams PES and
Jocelyn Romines
1994 Caldecott Medal Winner
Written and Illustrated by:
Allen Say
Visit the Author
Summary
A young Japanese man
leaves his home in Japan to
explore North America. He
falls in love with the amazing
sights of the new land, but
eventually misses his home.
He moves his new family back
to Japan but always thinks and
shares stories of North America
with his family.
Study Skills
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Comprehension Skill:
Sequence
• Comprehension Strategy:
Graphic Organizers
• Comprehension Review
Skill: Main Idea
• Vocabulary:
Dictionary/Glossary
Genre: Historical Fiction
• Historical Fiction is set in the past.
It is a story in which some of the
details are factual but in which
others are made up or are loosely
based on history. Look for the
factual details as you read.
Click on Genre to learn more about
different genres and Realistic Fiction.
Comprehension SkillSequence TE 66/67 and 87b
• Sequence means the order in which things
happen.
• Dates, times, and clue words such as first,
then, next, and last can help you
understand the order of events.
• Sometimes two or more events happen at
the same time. Words such as meanwhile
and during can show this.
Comprehension Strategy –
Graphic Organizers TE 66
• Using a graphic organizer can help you to
understand what you read.
• Examples of graphic organizers are webs,
charts, and diagrams.
• A sequence chart can help you see the
sequence of an article and often you can
fill these charts in as you read.
Comprehension Skill Review –
Main Idea and Details
TE 75
• Main idea is an important point
about the story’s topic
• Supporting details give more
information about a main idea.
Vocabulary Strategy
Dictionary / Glossary
Te 79/87c
• Some words have more than
one meaning
• Sometimes readers need to
check a dictionary or glossary
to find the meaning that
makes sense for the sentence.
Question of the Week
TE 66m
•What can we
learn about the
United States as
we travel?
Day 2 - Question of the
Day –
•Why do you think
traveling in the United
States made the
grandfather long to
see more?
Day 3 - Question of the Day
– Pg.
•What do you think the
author of Grandfather’s
Journey would say are
some positive and
negative effects of
moving to a new place?
Day 4 - Question of the
Day - Review
•What kind of travel
information can you find
using online reference
sources?
Weekly Fluency Check Fluency TE 87a
● Often text has many
statements of facts and
details, you will use a slower
tempo and rate to help
listeners understand it better.
● Practice reading page 81
using appropriate tempo and
rate.
Research/Study Skill –
Electronic Media TE 87L
• Electronic media includes
any resources that require
electricity
• There are two types of
electronic media, computer
and non-computer sources.
Research/Study Skill –
Electronic Media TE 87L
• Computer sources: CD-ROMs,
DVDs, and the Internet (including
online sources such as Web sties,
encyclopedia, newspapers, and so
on).
• Non-computer sources:
audiotapes, videotapes, DVDs,
films, filmstrips, television shows,
and the radio.
Literary Device –
Paraphrase TE Pg. 87b
• Paraphrasing is putting something in
your own words.
• Paraphrasing should keep the ideas
and meaning of the original text, but
be simpler to read.
• A paraphrase should not include the
reader’s opinions.
Review Questions
1.Why was grandfather
amazed by the sights in NA?
2.How can you tell grandfather
liked traveling through NA?
3.Why are songbirds important
to grandfather?
4.What is the main idea of this
story?
Fun Stuff
• Skills Review
• Webquest
• More Fun Stuff
• Japan for Kids
Vocabulary- Say It!
amazed
bewildered
towering
longed
still
homeland
sculptures
More Words to Know
seacoast
steamship
coast
route
lush
route
• way to go; road
lush
•having thick
growth; covered
with growing things
coast
•land along the
sea; seashore
amazed
•surprised greatly;
struck with sudden
wonder; astounded
towering
•very high
still
•to make or
become calm or
quiet
bewildered
•completely
confused; puzzled
homeland
•country that is your
home; your native
land
sculptures
•works of art
created by carving,
modeling, casting,
etc.
longed
•wished very
much; desired
greatly
steamship
•ship moved by
engines that work by
the action of steam
under pressure
seacoast
•land along the
sea; seaboard
Full of hope, they
left their
homeland.
Full of hope, they
left their
homeland.
The English
language and the
new mix of customs
in America
bewildered them.
The English language
and the new mix of
customs in America
bewildered them.
Deserts with
rocks like
enormous
sculptures
amazed them.
Deserts with
rocks like
enormous
sculptures
amazed them.
Towering
buildings called
skyscrapers
soared into the
sky.
Towering buildings
called skyscrapers
soared into the sky.
The new
Americans longed
for the sights and
people they had
left behind.
The new
Americans longed
for the sights and
people they had
left behind.
Having a better life
did not still their
feelings for their
homeland.
Having a better life
did not still their
feelings for their
homeland.
They seemed like
sculptures that
symbolized the power
and promise of the
new land.
They seemed like
sculptures that
symbolized the power
and promise of the
new land.
He stood on the
seacoast and
watched the waves
come in.
He stood on the
seacoast and
watched the waves
come in.
Early Americans
traveled the rivers by
steamships.
Early Americans
traveled the rivers by
steamships.
Seagulls can be
spotted along the
coast.
Seagulls can be
spotted along the
coast.
What is the quickest
route for you to take
home?
What is the quickest
route for you to take
home?
Postcard TE 87g-h
• A postcard is a brief
message, with a picture on
one side, sent by mail to
friends or family.
• Often a post card gives
detail about a place you
are visiting on vacation
and describes your feelings
about being there.
Writing Assignment
• Pretend that you are on
vacation. Write a postcard to
a friend or family member
describing where you are.
The place can be real or
imaginary.
Spelling Words
Long e and o
sweet
each
three
least
freedom
below
throat
float
foam
flown
Spelling Words
Long e and o
greet
season
croak
shallow
eagle
indeed
rainbow
grown
seaweed
hollow
CHALLENGE
•Halloween
•speedometer
•underneath
•seacoast
•cocoa
This Week’s Word Wall Words
Click and type your own
words for this week:
Let’s review our Spelling
words. Watch carefully
because they will flash on the
screen for just a moment. We
can clap as we spell the word,
or we might just practice
reading the words.
sweet
each
three
least
freedom
below
throat
float
foam
flown
greet
season
croak
shallow
eagle
indeed
rainbow
grown
seaweed
hollow
GREAT JOB!