Student´s Book Unit 1 Journey

Can all mysteries be solved?

This unit is about real-life and make-believe mysteries. You’ll read about strange events, unusual number patterns, mysterious cities, and monster-like creatures. Exploring these mysteries will help you become a better reader. As you explore these mysteries, you will practice the academic and literary language you need to use in school.

“The Case of the Strange Delivery”

Listening and Speaking Description Guessing Game

At the end of this unit, you and your classmates will play a description guessing game.

Writing Descriptive Essay

At the end of this unit, you will write a descriptive essay. To help you do this, you will write two paragraphs: describe a place and an event.

Quick Write

In your notebook, write the words look, hear, and feel. Look around your classroom. What do you see, hear, and feel? Write for five minutes.

View and Respond

Watch the video and answer the questions.

? THE BIG QUESTION

Learning Strategy

What You Will Learn Reading

● Vocabulary Building: Context, dictionary skills, word study

● Reading Strategy:

Preview

● Text Type: Informational Text (Social Studies)

Grammar

● Parts of Speech and Parts of the Sentence

● Single- and MultiWord Prepositions of Location

Writing

● Describe a Place

The pyramid is as tall as this forty-story building. It took 20,000 workers twenty years to build it.

It is made up of more than 2 million blocks of stone. Each block weighs about 2,200 kilograms (5,000 lb.).

The bottom of the pyramid is as big as eight football fields.

Workers

Can all mysteries be solved? You are going to read about a series of real-life mysteries. The first concerns the Egyptian pyramids. Work with a partner. Use your prior knowledge to explore everything you know about pyramids. What do they look like? Where, when, and how were they built? In your notebook, record what you already know.

Use your prior knowledge. Relating what you already know to a new topic will make it easier to understand new meanings in English.

Now look at the picture below. Read the facts about the Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt. Discuss the picture and facts with your partner.

Workers used logs and ramps.

Build Background

“Fact or Fiction?” explores mysterious places, creatures, and events from the past. First, this nonfiction article focuses on the pyramids of Egypt, one of the most puzzling of mysteries. Then it goes on to explore other historical puzzles: What happened to the people of Machu Picchu? Is there really a curse on King Tutankhamen’s tomb? What mysterious creatures live in the depths of the sea? Is there a monster in a lake in Scotland? As you read, think about how you would try to solve one of these mysteries.

used a knotted string as a measurement tool.

Vocabulary

Listening and Speaking: Key Words

Key words are important topic-related vocabulary used routinely in written classroom materials and other texts you will read. Read aloud and listen to these sentences with a partner. Use the context to figure out the meaning of the highlighted words. Use a dictionary to check your answers. Then write each word and its meaning in your notebook.

1. The archaeologist tried to understand the past by digging through the ruins of old buildings.

2. To understand the mysterious ruins, scientists used clues from the soil, statues, and ancient scrolls.

3. People claimed the creature was part human and part horse.

4. The first English colony in America disappeared mysteriously. One day, all the people were gone.

5. The unicorn is a fantasy. It lives only in our imaginations.

6. A church, a temple, and a mosque are sacred buildings.

Practice

Work with a partner to answer these questions. Try to include the key word in your answer. Write the sentences in your notebook.

1. What does an archaeologist do?

2. What clues would the police use to track a bank robber?

3. Which creature scares you the most? Why?

4. Why do you think dinosaurs disappeared millions of years ago?

5. Why do people sometimes like fantasy better than reality?

6. What is something that is sacred to you or someone you know?

Key Words

archaeologist clues creature disappeared fantasy sacred

▲ The unicorn was a popular fantasy during the Middle Ages.

Listening and Speaking: Academic Words

Academic words are important words used routinely in written classroom materials and other texts you will read. Study the purple words and their meanings. You will find these words useful when talking and writing about informational texts. Write each word and its meaning in your notebook, then say the words aloud with a partner. After you read “Fact or Fiction?” try to use these words to respond to the text.

Academic Words

accurate = correct or exact

Archaeologists must collect accurate information when they try to solve mysteries from the past. create = make something exist

The scientist wanted to create a model pyramid to see how it was made. evidence = facts, objects, or signs that make you believe that something exists or is true

survive = continue to live or exist

Practice

Work with a partner to answer these questions. Try to include the purple word in your answer. Write the answers in your notebook.

1. Where could you find accurate information about ancient Egypt?

2. How could you create a model of a pyramid? What materials would you use to make the model?

3. What types of evidence might archaeologists use to figure out why a group of people suddenly died out or vanished?

4. What kinds of things do human beings need in order to survive?

The scientist looked for evidence to prove when the building had been constructed.

No one knows why the animals did not survive after the storm; all of them died.

▲ Although the Inca people died out, they left behind evidence of what their culture was like. One example is this counting necklace.

Word Study: Same Sound, Different Spellings

In English, sometimes the same sound can be spelled in different ways. The only way to figure out the correct spelling is to check the word in a dictionary and memorize it. When you read “Fact or Fiction?” you will come across the words calendar, together, calculator. Say each word aloud with a partner. What sound do you hear in the final syllable of each word? Notice that the final sound /er/ is the same, though the spellings are different.

The sound /er/ can be spelled in different ways when it comes at the end of a word in an unstressed syllable. Study the chart for more examples.

er or sug ar feath er auth or cell ar Decemb er mirr or regul ar pitch er neighb or

Practice

Work with a partner. Copy the chart above into your notebook. Say a word from the chart, and ask your partner to spell it aloud. Then have your partner say the next word. Continue until you can spell all of these words correctly. Then work with your partner to spell the following words: beggar, cracker, doctor, dollar, hammer, and tractor. Add them to the chart under the correct headings.

Preview Reading Strategy

Previewing a text enhances your comprehension of it. When you preview a text, you prepare yourself for the information you are about to learn. To preview, follow these steps:

● Read the title and headings (section titles).

● Try to turn the headings into questions.

● Look at the visuals and read the captions or labels.

● Think about what you already know about the subject.

Before you read “Fact or Fiction?” look at the title, headings, visuals, and captions. Think about what you already know about these subjects. What more would you like to know?

Learning Strategy

To acquire grade-level vocabulary, actively memorize new words and their spellings. To help remember this information, be sure to review it often.

Informational Text

Social Studies

Set a Purpose for Reading Preview the text. What kinds of mysteries do you think the text will present?

Read to find out why some mysteries are so hard to solve.

FACT FICTION? OR

Path to the Stars?

About 4,500 years ago, the pharaoh Cheops and his son and grandson built the three Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. These pyramids were tombs, or places to bury the dead. For thousands of years, people didn’t understand why these three pyramids were grouped together.

Then Belgian engineer Robert Bauval noticed that the shape of the three pyramids was the same as part of a group of stars in the sky called Orion’s Belt. The whole group of stars—Orion—was sacred to the Egyptians. When Cheops died, he was buried in the Great Pyramid of Giza. The Egyptians made a shaft—or hole—in this pyramid. The shaft led from Cheops’s tomb to the sky and the three stars of Orion’s Belt. Scientists believe that the Egyptians built this shaft so that Cheops could fly from the pyramid to Orion. There, he would become a god.

pharaoh, ancient Egyptian ruler engineer, person who plans how to build machines, roads, and so on

▲ The three Pyramids of Giza from high above

▲ This diagram shows the shaft in the pyramid.

▲ The three stars in Orion’s belt

The Secret of the Great Sphinx

A huge statue with the head of a man and the body of a lion stands in Giza, Egypt. Known as the Great Sphinx, it seems to defend the pyramids behind it. Like the pyramids, the Sphinx is made from limestone, which is very common in Egypt. The exact age of the Sphinx remains one of the world’s great mysteries. For thousands of years, wind and sand have eroded this enormous sculpture. Some archaeologists believe that water also damaged the Sphinx many centuries ago. Was the Sphinx once buried at the bottom of the sea? No one knows for sure.

Mysterious Cities

Some ancient cities were abandoned and no one knows why. One of these cities is Machu Picchu, located about 2,440 meters (8,000 ft.) high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. The Inca built Machu Picchu from about 1460 to 1470 c.e. They lived in parts of South America, including what is now Peru. They used stone blocks to make most of the buildings. The blocks fit together perfectly.

In the early 1500s, everyone left the city. No one knows why. Perhaps people died or left because of smallpox, a deadly disease that was brought to the Americas by European explorers and colonists. Machu Picchu was forgotten for hundreds of years. Then, in 1911, the American explorer Hiram Bingham rediscovered it. Today, tourists from all over the world visit this unique city.

statue, shape of a person or animal made of stone, metal, or wood limestone, a type of rock that contains calcium, often used to make buildings eroded, slowly destroyed centuries, periods of 100 years abandoned, left completely behind and not used anymore colonists, people who settle in a new country or area

Before You Go On

1. Why do scientists think that the Egyptians made a shaft in the Great Pyramid?

2. What has happened to the Sphinx over time?

On Your Own

Why do you think people might leave a city forever?

▲ The Sphinx has the head of a man and the body of a lion.

▲ The abandoned city of Machu Picchu—clues of an ancient civilization

Stonehenge

Stonehenge is a mysterious monument of huge stones in England. Ancient peoples built Stonehenge about 5,000 years ago. No one really knows who these people were or why they built this strange circle of rocks.

Some people believe that Stonehenge was a temple to the sun. Other people believe that Stonehenge was a great stone calendar or calculator. They think that the stones were arranged to measure the sun’s movements. For example, the stones may have been used to measure the summer and winter solstices—the longest and shortest days of the year. Perhaps Stonehenge was created to mark the rise of the sun and moon throughout the centuries. How will we ever know for sure?

Island of Giants

Easter Island is a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean, 3,620 kilometers (2,250 mi.) off the coast of Chile. It was named by Dutch explorers who arrived there on Easter Sunday, 1722. The island is covered with nearly 900 large statues, called “moai.” Scientists believe the statues are the gods of the ancient people of Easter Island—the Rapa Nui people. But no one knows for sure. Another mystery is how the Rapa Nui people moved the heavy stones as far as 23 kilometers (14 mi.).

Archaeologists have found wooden tablets with the ancient language of the Rapa Nui people on them. No one knows how to read this language today. So the history of the Rapa Nui people is still a puzzle. Only the great stone statues remain to watch over the island.

monument, something that is built to help people to remember an important person or event temple, holy building calculator, instrument used to figure out mathematical problems Easter Sunday, a special Sunday in March or April when Christians remember Christ’s death and his return to life

▲ Some stones at Stonehenge came from 480 kilometers (300 mi.) away. How people moved them is a mystery.

▲ The Moai have an average height of 4 meters (13 ft.).

Curse of the Pharaoh

Tutankhamen was a pharaoh in ancient Egypt from 1333 to 1324 BCE. When he died, Tutankhamen was buried in a tomb with gold and other treasures.

In 1922, a group led by British archaeologists Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon opened the tomb of Tutankhamen. They found many treasures, including a beautiful gold mask. Some people believed that a message carved in the tomb wall said, “Death will slay with his wings whoever disturbs the peace of the pharaoh.” Lord Carnarvon died soon after opening the tomb. According to one story, Carnarvon’s dog died at the same time at his home in England. Then, five months after Carnarvon died, his younger brother died suddenly.

According to one report, six of the twenty-six people at the opening of Tutankhamen’s tomb died within ten years. However, many other people who were there when the tomb was opened lived to be very old. Was there really a curse? What do you think?

message, piece of information that is communicated in words or signals slay, kill curse, wish that something bad would happen to someone

Before You Go On

1. What is mysterious about Stonehenge and Easter Island?

2. What is the “curse of the pharaoh”?

On Your Own

How do you think Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon felt when they opened the tomb of Tutankhamen? Would you have liked to be there? Why or why not?

▲ Howard Carter and Tutankhamen’s mummy

▲ Tutankhamen’s mask

Terrifying Tentacles

Scientists say that we know more about Mars than we do about the mysteries at the bottom of the ocean. For instance, little is known about giant octopuses and squid. These sea creatures are usually only about 60 to 90 centimeters (2–3 ft.) long. However, there have been reports of giant octopuses and squid with tentacles long enough to pull a ship underwater. In 1753, a man in Norway described seeing a huge sea monster “full of arms.” The man said that the monster looked big enough to crush a large ship. More recently, giant squid have been discovered with tentacles 10 meters (33 ft.) long. Imagine eating calamari rings the size of truck tires!

Scary Monsters

Most people believe that dinosaurs disappeared millions of years ago. However, a few dinosaurs may have survived. The famous Loch Ness monster may be a living dinosaur-like reptile called a plesiosaur.

People first reported seeing the Loch Ness monster in April 1933 when a new road was built on the north shore of Loch Ness, a lake in Scotland. A man and woman saw a huge creature with two black humps swimming across the lake. Then two more people saw a strange animal crossing the road with a sheep in its mouth. There is now a Loch Ness Investigation Bureau, but most scientists believe that the Loch Ness monster is a creature of fantasy

tentacles, long, thin arm-like parts calamari rings, sliced squid, often served fried or in a salad reptile, type of animal, such as a snake or lizard, whose blood changes temperature according to the temperature around it humps, raised parts on the back of an animal

This famous photograph of the Loch Ness monster is not authentic. The photographer tied a plastic head to a toy submarine. ▲

▲ A giant octopus

Bigfoot and the Yeti

In various parts of the world, people have told stories about seeing large ape-like creatures. Different cultures give the creature different names. In the United States, for example, this creature is called Bigfoot or Sasquatch. In Tibet, it is called the yeti.

The first reports of Bigfoot date back to 1811. At that time, a man reported seeing footprints 36 centimeters (14 in.) long. In 1924, another man claimed that Bigfoot had kidnapped him. Each year many people in the United States claim to see Bigfoot. They often report seeing the creature in the forests of the Northwest.

Reports of a huge creature frightened the first European travelers in Tibet. (In Tibet, the word yeti means “man-like creature.”) In 1951, a Mount Everest explorer found giant footprints in the snow.

Do creatures like the yeti and Bigfoot really exist, or are they figments of the imagination? Bernard Heuvelmans (1916–2001), a famous zoologist, believed that the world is full of creatures still unknown to science. What do you think?

various, different figments of the imagination, things imagined to be real that do not exist zoologist, scientist who studies animals

Before You Go On

1. Do most scientists believe that the Loch Ness monster is real or a fantasy?

2. In the United States, where is Bigfoot usually seen?

On Your Own

Do you believe that mysterious animals like the yeti or the Loch Ness monster exist? What is your opinion?

▲ Bigfoot (left) and the yeti (below) look like giant apes. ▲

Comprehension

Did you understand the article? If not, reread it with a partner. Then answer the questions below.

Recall

1. Who built the three Pyramids of Giza?

2. What did the ancient people of Easter Island create?

Comprehend

3. In what ways are the pyramids and the Sphinx different?

4. How are the mysteries of Machu Picchu and Easter Island similar?

Analyze

5. Do you think that the author believes in the Loch Ness monster or Bigfoot? Explain.

6. How do you think the author feels about the mysteries described in “Fact or Fiction?” Give examples that reveal the author’s feelings about four of the subjects.

Connect

7. Would you like to be part of the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau? Why?

8. Do you believe that there are still many creatures unknown to science? Why or why not?

Reading Skill

Make sure you understand different types of sentences. Questions are used routinely in speaking and in written classroom materials to ask for information. They often include words such as who, what, where, why, when, or how.

The dragon shown in this tile is a creature of fantasy. Or is it? ▲

In Your Own Words

Work with a partner. Imagine that you are telling a younger student about “Fact or Fiction?” First make a list of the key topics and main ideas in the article. You may want to use the headings in the article as a guide. Then take turns explaining the information you remember from the article. Try to use some of these words: pharaoh, engineer, centuries, eroded, survive, disappeared, sacred, temple, clues, statues, archaeologists, message, unique, accurate, evidence, humps, creature, and fantasy.

Discussion

Discuss with a partner or in a small group.

1. What might have caused the people of Machu Picchu to disappear?

2. Which place described in “Fact or Fiction?” would you most like to visit? Explain.

Can all mysteries be solved? Which of the mysteries in the selection do you predict will be solved first? Explain.

Read for Fluency

Reading with feeling helps make what you read more interesting. Work with a partner. Choose a paragraph from the reading. Read the paragraph to yourselves. Ask each other how you felt after reading the paragraph. Did you feel happy or sad?

Take turns reading the paragraph aloud to each other with a tone of voice that represents how you felt when you read it the first time. Give each other feedback.

Extension

Archaeologists and scientists examine information, data, and other evidence to learn more about mysteries. Imagine that you are an archaeologist. Go to the library or do research on the internet to find more information about one of the mysteries from “Fact or Fiction?” Then present the new information to the class.

Speaking Skill

Write your important ideas on note cards. Write just a few words in big letters on each card. Use the cards to help you remember your main ideas.

Parts of Speech and Parts of the Sentence

A complete sentence expresses a complete thought and has a subject and a predicate. The subject is who/what the sentence is about and can be a noun or pronoun. The predicate tells about the subject. It contains an action verb or a linking verb. When an action verb is followed by another noun, it is called the object. A linking verb is followed by either a noun or adjective, which describes the subject.

Subject Action Verb Object

Everyone left the city.

Subject Linking Verb Word to Describe Subject

The monster looked big. (predicate adjective)

An adjective describes any noun in a sentence.

The famous Loch Ness Monster is a living dinosaur. [describes subject] A man and a woman saw a huge creature . [describes object]

An adverb describes the action in a sentence. Some adverbs end in -ly, but many do not.

His younger brother died suddenly . [describes how he died]

Practice A

Work with a partner. Circle the subject in each sentence. Underline the verbs. Draw a box around the adjectives.

1. The rocks lay in a big field.

2. They found beautiful treasures.

3. At that time, a man saw footprints.

4. He opened the tomb in 1922.

5. They built the Pyramids in Egypt.

Practice B

Work with a partner. Write two sentences of your own in your notebook. Then label the parts of speech and parts of the sentence.

Grammar Skill

If the subject of a sentence is singular, the noun following the linking verb will also be singular: The creature looked like a giant ape. If the subject is plural, the noun will also be plural: The creatures looked like giant apes

Grammar Check Apply

✔ What must a simple sentence contain?

Work with a partner. Find five sentences from the reading. Copy them into your notebook. Then label the parts of speech and the parts of the sentence.

Single- and Multi-Word Prepositions of Location

Prepositions of location answer the question “Where?” A preposition followed by a noun or noun phrase is called a prepositional phrase.

Single-Word Prepositions of Location

Many single-word prepositions can be used to show a location or place. Use in with a city, state, country, or closed area; use on with a surface; use at with a specific place. Other examples of single-word prepositions are above, across, behind, below, beside, between, near, outside, and under.

The remains of the statues were scattered on the ground . I took lots of pictures at Machu Picchu .

Multi-Word Prepositions of Location

Multi-word prepositions are made up of more than one word but have a single meaning. Examples of multi-word prepositions are next to, away from, out of, on top of, in between, and in front of.

She claimed to see a yeti on top of the mountain. The Loch Ness monster rose out of the water. An ancient mummy was found next to the tomb’s entrance. There is not much space in between each of the tall stones.

Practice A

Complete each sentence with a single-word preposition of location.

1. The statue is a pedestal.

2. She is standing the entrance to the tomb.

3. It’s dark the tombs.

Practice B

Circle the correct multi-word preposition in each sentence.

1. The Sphinx was built next to / next with the pyramid.

2. The giant octopus swam in front on / in front of me.

3. I left my camera on top at / on top of the rocks.

Grammar Skill

Prepositions of location that answer “Where?” usually appear near the end of a sentence or a clause.

Grammar Check

✔ How many words does a multi-word preposition contain?

Apply

Write three things you see. Describe them to a partner, explaining where they are without saying what they are. Use both singleword and multi-word prepositions of location. Example: It’s green and brown. It’s on the table.

Describe a Place

At the end of this unit, you will write a descriptive essay. To do this, you will need to learn some of the skills used in descriptive writing. When writers describe a place, they choose specific details to help readers picture it in their minds. Writers also arrange details in a logical order. For example, details might be arranged from near to far or top to bottom or front to back. This is called spatial order.

Writing Prompt

Write a paragraph that describes a mysterious place. Use spatial order to arrange your details. Include signal words and phrases such as above, below, close up, or in the distance to guide your readers through your place. Be sure to use complete sentences and use the parts of speech and parts of the sentence correctly.

1 Prewrite Begin by choosing a mysterious place.

• Ask yourself which details best describe this place.

• Think about the best way to arrange these details.

• List your ideas in a graphic organizer.

A student named Angelina created this graphic organizer. She plans to describe a pyramid located in Mexico.

Top Middle Bottom

spectacular view ninety-one steps inner temple, statue of jaguar

2 Draft Use your organizer to help you write a first draft.

• Keep in mind your purpose—to describe a place.

• Include details that will help readers picture this place in their minds.

• Use spatial order to arrange details.

3 Revise Read over your draft. Look for places where the writing is unclear or needs improvement. Complete (√) the Writing Checklist to help you identify problems. Then revise your draft, using the editing and proofreading marks listed on page 278.

4 Edit and Proofread Check your work for errors in grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling. Trade papers with a partner to obtain feedback. Edit your final draft in response to feedback from your partner and your teacher.

5 Publish Prepare a clean copy of your final draft. Share your descriptive paragraph with the class. Save your work. You’ll refer to it in the Writing Workshop at the end of the unit.

Here is Angelina’s paragraph about a place that seems mysterious to her. Notice how she arranges details to show clearly what is outside the pyramid and what is inside it.

Organization:

I completed my paragraph by arranging the details in spatial order.

Word Choice: I used signal words in my paragraph.

Conventions: I used parts of speech and parts of sentences correctly.

Chichén Itzá

The ruins of Chichén Itzá are located on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. As you approach the site, the tallest pyramid, Kukulkan, looks intimidating. It is seventy-nine feet high. When you get closer, you can see the ninety-one original steps that you must climb to get to the top. Before climbing, you can enter an inner temple through a narrow passageway on the north side of the pyramid. Inside is a statue of a scarlet jaguar with eyes made of jade that glow green. Then you can go outside and climb up to the top for a spectacular view of the surrounding ruins. When there is an equinox, crowds of people gather below to see a serpent crawling down the pyramid, an illusion created by the shadow of the sun.

climbing, through a the

Prepare to Read

? THE BIG QUESTION

What You Will Learn

Reading

● Vocabulary Building: Literary terms, word study, dictionary skills

● Reading Strategy: Draw Conclusions

● Text Type: Literature (Short Story)

Grammar

● Possessive Nouns, Adjectives, and Pronouns

● Indefinite Pronouns

Writing

● Describe an Event

Can all mysteries be solved? A detective is someone who solves mysteries for a living. A detective’s most important tool is his or her brain. That’s because detectives are problem solvers. But what other tools do they use? Work with a partner. Use your prior knowledge to answer the following questions: How do detectives solve crimes? In your opinion, what is the most important tool they use? Share what you know with the class.

Build Background

“The Case of the Strange Delivery” is a mystery about a girl named Jana who tries to figure out who sent her a pizza and a single rose. Jana uses logic and clues to solve her mystery. People read mystery stories like these because they enjoy trying to figure out the mystery. Mystery stories are often called “whodunit” stories. Look at the word whodunit carefully. It really says, “Who done it?” It means, “Who was responsible?” Readers want to find out who was responsible for the mysterious act. How did Jana solve the mystery? What clues did she use? Read “The Case of the Strange Delivery” to discover “whodunit”!

Learning Strategy

Use your prior knowledge. Relating what you already know to a new topic will make it easier to understand new meanings in English.

▲ Tools detectives use to find fingerprints.

Vocabulary

Learn Literary Words

Writers often use words in new and exciting ways. The author of “The Case of the Strange Delivery” uses idioms and puns to make the story funny and interesting to read. Idioms are expressions that have a meaning that is different from the meanings of the individual words that make them up.

In “The Case of the Strange Delivery,” Jana says she has to put on her thinking cap. There’s really no such thing as a thinking cap—you don’t have to put on any kind of hat or cap to be able to think. What Jana means is that she’d have to use her brain to try to figure something out. The writer uses this idiom to help the reader understand something about what kind of person Jana is.

Many writers also make jokes with words. They use a literary tool called a pun. Puns can be formed in two ways. First, a writer can make a pun by using a word that has two meanings. Second, a writer can make a pun by using words that have the same sound but different meanings.

Here’s an example of a pun that uses a word with two meanings: The man said, “Firefighting sparks my interest.” The pun is on the word spark. As a verb, a spark is something that causes something to start or happen. As a noun, a spark is a small piece of burning material that comes from a fire or is produced by rubbing or hitting two hard objects together.

Practice

Take turns reading and analyzing these idioms and puns with a partner. Identify what each idiom means. Explain the humor in the puns.

Idioms

Bees in her bonnet

Flew off the handle

Literary Words

idioms

puns

A whole new ball game

Puns

What did the triangle say to the circle? You’re so pointless.

The baker stopped making donuts after he got tired of the hole thing.

When a clock is hungry, it goes back for seconds.

Learning Strategy

Idioms are expressions. As you read, notice idioms. Ask for help with any you don’t know. Understanding idioms will help you understand the story.

▲ What does the idiom “a fork in the road” mean?

Listening and Speaking: Academic Words

Study the purple words and their meanings. You will find these words useful when talking and writing about literature. Write each word and its meaning in your notebook, then say the words aloud with a partner. After you read “The Case of the Strange Delivery,” try to use these words to respond to the text.

aware = realizing that something is true, exists, or is happening

Academic Words

Being aware of how criminals act helps detectives solve cases.

Detectives are intelligent , which makes them good problem solvers. motive = the hidden reason that makes someone do something

intelligent = having a high ability to learn, understand, and think about things ➡

The man’s motive for stealing was that he didn’t have any money for food. pursue = chase or follow someone or something to catch him, her, or it

The detective had to pursue the thief from one city to another in order to catch her.

Practice

Work with a partner to answer these questions. Include the purple word in your answer. Write the answers in your notebook.

1. How do you become aware of world events?

2. Why do archaeologists and detectives both have to be intelligent?

3. Why is a motive difficult to prove in some crimes?

4. Is it easier for the police to pursue a suspect by car or on foot? Why?

▲ What motive might this man have for hiding in the shadows?

Word Study: Compound Nouns

A compound noun is made up of more than one word. Some are written as one word, as in airplane or courthouse. Some are written as two words, as in ice cream. Some are written with hyphens between the words, as in sister-in-law. Study the examples in the chart below.

One Word With a Hyphen (-) Two Words

babysitting

thumbs-up fairy tale

rosebush mix-up dining room

New compound nouns are formed in English all the time. Knowing how to divide compound words into their parts helps you spell them and understand what they mean. If you are not sure how to spell a compound noun, check a dictionary. If the compound noun you are looking for is not in a large dictionary, it is spelled as two words.

Practice

Work with a partner. Write two headings in your notebook: Nouns and Compound Nouns. Copy these words into the Nouns column: fire, sun, eye, news. See how many compound words you can form using these nouns (for example, firefly, sunshine, eyelash, newspaper). Write them in the Compound Noun column.

Reading Strategy

Draw Conclusions

Drawing conclusions expands your reading skills by helping you use clues and details in a text to help you figure out what’s going on. Like detectives, good readers use clues to draw conclusions. They put together the clues until they can draw a conclusion. To draw a conclusion, follow these steps:

● Find a passage that is hard to understand.

● Ask yourself, “What do I think the author means?”

● Look for clues in the text, and think about what you already know.

● Draw your conclusion.

Read the story through page 28. Draw a conclusion. Finish reading the story. Was your conclusion correct?

Literature Short Story

Set a Purpose for Reading How does Jana solve the mystery of the strange delivery? What does she use to help her?

The Case of the Strange Delivery

Something happened to me that made me have to put on my thinking cap. The doorbell rang last night, and I found a piping hot pizza and a single white rose waiting for me. I freaked out. The pizza, loaded with extra mushrooms and pineapple, was exactly what I’d been craving. And the rose was white and fragrant, just like the roses in my neighbor’s yard.

It seemed as though someone had been listening to every word I’d said. But who could it be? I clearly had a mystery on my hands. There was no advertising on the pizza box other than the word “Pizza,” making it impossible for me to find out who delivered it to our door. So I made note of anybody who could be a possible suspect. For each person, I knew I’d have to figure out whether they had motive and opportunity. To conclude that someone was guilty, they’d have to have both.

I crossed Kevin, my five-year-old cousin, off the list. I’d been babysitting him all this week after school, but he wouldn’t know how to order a pizza. And he wouldn’t go near the thorny rosebush either.

Suspects

Kevin Mom

Motive Opportunity

none

fragrant, having a pleasant smell opportunity, an occasion when it is possible for you to do something

Reading Skill

To understand the words in boldface, read the definitions at the bottom of the page. Later, use the words in your own sentences.

LITERARY CHECK

What idioms does Jana use on this page?

Next, I analyzed everything I’d done the day the pizza got delivered:

Morning

Mom made eggs and toast. Then she drove me to school. She had an important meeting, and she spent her time in the car telling me all about it. BORING, and definitely not related to the mystery.

At School

When I got to school, there’d been an uproar in the hallway. Kids were running around and chattering excitedly.

“What’s going on?” I asked one kid. “What’s all the commotion about?”

“Oscar escaped!” he said.

Oscar was Jillian’s guinea pig. Jillian had moved out of the country recently and gave Oscar to our sixth-grade class. I knew Oscar well, so I knew that there was no way anyone would find him amid all the noise. Oscar hated noise and hid from it as much as he could. So I went to the office and managed to convince Ms. Stearns to let me say something over the PA system.“Attention everyone,” I said. “This is Jana Chang. If you want to help Oscar, please listen up.” I paused and waited for everybody to quiten down. Ms. Stearns peeked her head out the door and gave me a thumbs-up. “Oscar hates noise. He’ll come out of his hiding place when the halls are quiet. So please go to your classrooms.”

analyzed, examined or thought about something carefully in order to understand it uproar, a lot of noise commotion, noisy excitement and/or confusion amid, in the middle of

Before You Go On

1. Who does Jana rule out?

2. Who hasn’t Jana ruled out? What information is missing?

How do you think Jana came up with the idea to ask everyone to go into their classrooms?

To my surprise, it worked perfectly. Everyone shuffled back to their classrooms. I walked around the halls for a few minutes, peeking into corners and softly calling to Oscar. After about eight minutes, I found him hiding in a stairwell, shivering.

I picked him up and brought him back to our classroom. Everyone cheered. All day, my classmates thanked me. “You’re a hero, Jana!” “Thanks so much, Jana!”

So, at that point, I added “My entire class” and a motive. Maybe they were grateful that I’d saved Oscar.

Suspects

After School

When I got home from school, Kevin was already there with Mom. He’d been sitting at the kitchen table, playing a game on his mother’s tablet.

“Hi, Jana!” He said, giving me a hug. “Can we read a story?”

“Sure,” I said. He picked “The Three Wishes,” a fairy tale about a talking fish that grants someone three wishes.

Afterward, Kevin sat at the kitchen table looking through the book again as I chatted with Mom. I’d told her about the crazy happening at school. Then she told me she was making roast chicken for dinner.

I said, “Mom, let’s get a pizza instead—with lots of mushrooms and pineapple.”

“Not today, Jana,” she said. “I’ve already got dinner planned.”

The Three Wishes

“Let’s go outside,” I suggested to Kevin. He agreed. Kevin ran around the yard, playing soccer by himself. I pointed to my neighbor’s roses. “Look at these roses, Kevin,” I said. “They’re SO cool.” But Kevin ignored me and didn’t even look up. “I wish I could cut one,” I mumbled. “I’d put it in my room.” But I didn’t do it.

After Kevin’s mom had picked him up, I looked back at my chart. If one or more of my classmates were guilty, they’d have had to come to my house and listen at the kitchen window while I was talking to Mom about dinner and then sneak into the backyard when I was looking at the roses. I went outside. The wet, muddy soil would have footprints in it if anyone had been out here. There was nothing there! So, I crossed My entire class off my list.

The only suspect left was Mom. She was the only one who knew about my desire for pizza. But she’d been inside the house when I was muttering to myself about the roses. Could she have come outside, unnoticed, and heard me? Not likely.

Before You Go On

1. Why does Jana cross off her class as suspects?

2. Why does Jana think her mom might be a suspect?

On Your Own

Who do you think delivered the pizza? What would his or her motive be?

guilty, having broken the law or a rule desire, strong hope or wish

And she’d had no motive to get me pizza. She’d already planned dinner. And when the pizza was delivered, she was pretty surprised.

Once I’d told Mom about my day and vowed that I didn’t know who had delivered the pizza, she scratched her head and agreed it was indeed a mystery.

I looked at my list again. No one was left. But I was still feeling pretty suspicious about my classmates, even though I’d already crossed them off. Besides, no matter how I tried to figure it out, the possibilities of how they had done it seemed absurd

•••

After school the next day, Kevin was waiting for me at home. He greeted me at the door with the three wishes book and said, “Read this, please!”

So we did. After we finished, he said, “You get one more wish.”

I wasn’t sure what he meant, but I played along. “Okay. I wish I could go visit Jillian,” I said.

He screwed up his face, thinking hard. “Think of a different wish, Jana,” he said, looking discouraged.

vowed, made a serious promise to yourself or someone else suspicious, feeling like you don’t trust someone absurd, completely unreasonable or silly

The Three Wishes LITERARY CHECK ✔

“Think of an easy wish, like your wishes from yesterday,” Kevin said with a cheeky smile.

“My wishes from yesterday?” I asked. “I wished for pizza, I guess.”

“And a rose,” said Kevin.

“And a . . .,” I repeated, but this time, it finally hit me. “Kevin, you’re the only person who knew I wanted pizza yesterday, and a rose from the neighbor’s garden. But how did you . . .?”

“I told my mom,” he said with a proud little smile. “She did it. And now you have one wish left.”

“I get it now,” I winked. “You’re the talking fish who grants wishes, right?”

“Exactly!” Kevin beamed.

It was a pretty cheesy mystery, I admit. But since it involved pizza, I’m not complaining!

Suspects

Kevin Kevin Mom

Motive Opportunity

none?

wanted to pretend to be a talking fish none was listening to my wishes and asked his mom for help

Find the idiom in the fifth sentence. Did something actually “hit” Jana? Why is the idiom used here?

Can you spot the pun used at the end of this story? What makes it a pun?

Before You Go On

1. Why does Kevin ask Jana to think of a different wish?

2. How did Jana solve the mystery?

My entire class

to say thanks

On Your Own

Do you think that fictional mysteries like this one are easier or harder to solve than real-life mysteries? Explain.

Review and Practice

Reader’s Theater

Act out the following scene between Jana and Kevin:

Jana: You did a great job of tricking me, Kevin. Thanks for the nice surprises.

Kevin: I bet you thought it wasn’t me because I’m only five. But it WAS! My mom helped, but it was my idea to send you your wishes.

Jana: You’re right. I didn’t think it was you at first. You were the first person that I crossed off my list of suspects. I knew you had the motive, but I didn’t think you could do all that by yourself. But now I know that you’re already clever enough to trick me!

Kevin: Well, my mom ordered the pizza. And she asked your neighbor if it was OK if we cut one flower from her rosebush. Your neighbor said “yes”, and then she cut it for me.

Jana: You were smart to ask for help. You know, I’m also really impressed by your listening skills. You heard everything I wished for, even when I thought no one was listening.

Kevin: I may be little, but I have big ears! It felt good to give you your wishes. I wanted to be just like the fish in the book you read me. By the way, can you read it to me one more time?

Comprehension Recall

1. Who was on Jana’s first list of suspects?

2. What was Jana aware of that would cause Oscar to hide?

Comprehend

3. Why did Jana’s classmates not have the opportunity?

4. What were the suspects’ motives? Who had motive and opportunity?

Analyze

5. Why might mystery writers present more than one possible suspect?

6. How can you tell that Jana is a clever detective?

Learning Strategy

Use nonverbal cues, such as gestures and facial expressions, to help express your character’s thoughts and feelings.

Connect

7. Did you figure out who delivered the pizza? At what point in the story?

8. What do you think makes people like to read mysteries? Explain.

Discussion

Discuss with a partner or in a small group.

1. Would you recommend this mystery story to others to read? Explain.

2. Was this an important mystery to solve? What kinds of mysteries do you think really must be solved? Explain. Can all mysteries be solved? The mystery in this story was solved, but not all mysteries can be solved. What’s an example of a mystery you know that hasn’t been solved? Why do you think that is?

Response to Literature

Jana used clues and what she already knew to solve the mystery. Change one or two clues in the story or change the suspects so that the outcome is different. You may want to use a chart like the one below:

Story Title:

Original Clue1/Suspect: New Clue 1/Suspect:

Listening Skill

Do not interrupt your classmates when they are speaking. Save your questions until the speaker is finished.

Original Clue 2/Suspect: New Clue 2/Suspect:

Original Outcome: New Outcome:

When you’re finished writing, narrate or tell your story to a partner. Don’t share the ending! See if your partner can figure out the mystery.

Possessive Nouns, Adjectives, and Pronouns

Possessive nouns show possession or ownership. An apostrophe (’) and an -s are used to show possession. To form possessive nouns:

A singular possessive noun uses ’s neighbor’s yard; mother’s tablet

A plural possessive noun uses an apostrophe only. the students’ guinea pig the suspects’ motives

A possessive proper noun that ends in an - s can use an ’s or just an apostrophe.

Mrs. Stearns’s office OR Mrs. Stearns’ office

Grammar Skill

Make sure the possessive pronoun or possessive adjective agrees in gender (his/ her/hers) and number (singular or plural) with its antecedent, that is, the noun it refers to.

Irregular plural nouns use ’s . children’s books; men’s hats

A possessive adjective refers to a possessive noun. A possessive pronoun refers to the entire phrase.

Possessive Noun Possessive Adjective Possessive Pronoun

It’s Kevin’s book .

It’s Jillian’s guinea pig

It’s the students’ pet

It’s my conclusion .

It’s your idea

It’s his book

It’s her guinea pig

It’s our class .

It’s their pet .

Practice A

➡ It’s mine .

➡ It’s yours

➡ It’s his

➡ It’s hers

➡ It’s ours .

➡ It’s theirs .

Work with a partner. Rewrite the phrases using a possessive noun.

1. the pizza belonging to Jana ➡

2. the tablets belonging to the students ➡

3. the PA system belonging to Mrs. Jones ➡

4. the games belonging to the children ➡

Practice B

Write three of your own phrases that use possessive adjectives or pronouns in your notebook.

Grammar Check

Which possessive adjectives and pronouns are singular? Which are plural?

Apply

Tell your partner about a person or people you know. Make sure you use possessive nouns, adjectives, and pronouns correctly.

Inde nite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns are words that do not name a specific person, place, or thing. Indefinite pronouns are often used to make generalizations.

Indefinite pronouns that begin with every- and some- are for affirmative statements; any- is for questions and negatives; no- is for negative statements. Here is a list of some common indefinite pronouns:

everyone someone anyone no one everybody somebody anybody nobody everything something anything nothing

Use a singular pronoun to refer to an indefinite pronoun if you know the gender of the person. If you don't know the gender of the person, use a plural pronoun to refer to an indefinite pronoun.

Somebody left his footprint in the mud. [if you know the person is male] Somebody left their footprint in the mud. [if you do not know the gender of the person]

Practice A

Work with a partner. Write one of the indefinite pronouns from the box to complete each sentence.

no one somebody everything nothing anything anyone

1. Somebody left an umbrella in the classroom.

2. All the stores were closed. was open.

3. We knocked on the door, but was home.

4. There isn’t to talk to. Everybody’s busy tonight.

5. She finished all her dinner. She ate on her plate.

Practice B

Work with a partner. Circle the correct word or phrase in each sentence.

1. We saw / didn’t see anything in the box.

2. No one was / wasn’t in the room with us.

3. She didn’t see nobody / anybody at the store.

4. I think I forgot something / nothing at home.

Grammar Skill

Indefinite pronouns that begin with no- are already negative. Do not use not with the verb.

Grammar Check

✔When do we use a singular or plural pronoun to refer to an indefinite pronoun?

Apply

Work with a partner. Retell “The Case of the Strange Delivery.” Use indefinite pronouns instead of names. Your partner must guess the people’s names. Then switch roles.

Describe an Event

In this lesson, you will describe an event and tell what happened in chronological, or time, order. You will describe each step of the event in sequence—begin with the first step, follow with the next steps, and end with the last step. Use signal words such as first, next, and then to describe the event.

Writing Prompt

Write a paragraph that describes a real or made-up event that puzzled you. Choose words that will make your writing strong and lively and give your writing “voice.” Try to include some humor, puns, and idioms. Tell each step in sequence. Use possessive nouns, adjectives, and pronouns, as well as indefinite pronouns correctly.

1 Prewrite Begin by brainstorming ideas for your paragraph.

• Choose a mysterious event that will interest your readers.

• Think about the sequence of steps in the event. What happened first, next, and last?

• List your ideas in a graphic organizer.

A student named Anna created this sequence chart. She plans to describe what happened when she hid her sister’s birthday gift.

First: I hid the hula hoop in a shopping bag under a pile of clothes in the closet.

Next: Mom asked Sue to take some old clothes to our local thrift shop.

Then: I went to wrap the gift, but the hoop had vanished.

Finally: A week later, I figured out what happened.

2

Draft Use your organizer to help you write a first draft.

• Keep your purpose in mind—to describe an event.

• Present each step of the event in sequence.

• Use signal words such as first, next, then, and finally.

3 Revise Complete your draft and read it over to see where it needs improvement. Complete (√) the Writing Checklist to help you identify problems. Then revise, using the editing and proofreading marks listed on page 278.

4 Edit and Proofread Check your work for errors in grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling. Trade papers to obtain feedback. Edit your final draft in response to the feedback you receive.

5 Publish Prepare a clean copy of your final draft. Share your descriptive paragraph with the class. Save your work. You’ll need to refer to it in the Writing Workshop at the end of the unit.

Here is Anna’s paragraph about an event that puzzled her. Notice how her writing voice is strong and lively.

Anna Espínola

Organization:

I described each step of the event in sequence.

I arranged events in order and used signal words, such as first, next, then, and finally .

Voice:

My writing has energy and shows my personality.

Conventions:

I used possessive nouns, adjectives, and pronouns, and indefinite pronouns correctly.

The Case of the Missing Hoop

I’m a good detective, but even I had trouble with one case. I bought my sister Sue a striped hula hoop for her birthday this year. First, I hid it in a shopping bag under a pile of old clothes in the closet. Then I decided not to tell anybody because I wanted it to be a big surprise. When Sue’s big day came, Mom asked Sue to take some old clothes to our local thrift shop. Finally, I had a chance to wrap the gift, but the hoop had vanished. I looked everywhere but couldn’t find it. A week later, I solved the mystery. I was passing the thrift store and saw the hoop in the window for $5. When Sue had dropped off the clothes, she had given away the hoop, too, without knowing it. I bought the hoop again, and gave it to her. Boy did I have to jump through hoops for my sister this year!

Link the Readings

Critical Thinking

Look back at the readings in this unit. Think about what they have in common. Both of them tell about mysteries. Yet they do not have the same purpose. The purpose of one reading might be to inform, while the purpose of another might be to entertain. In addition, the content of each reading relates to mysteries differently. Complete the chart below.

Title of Reading Purpose

“Fact or Fiction?”

“The Case of the Strange Delivery”

Discussion

Big Question Link

The character solves the mystery.

Discuss with a partner or in a small group. How does the purpose of “Fact or Fiction?” differ from “The Case of the Strange Delivery”? How do both readings relate to mysteries?

?

Media Literacy & Projects

Work with a partner or in a small group. Choose one of these projects.

1 Create a skit based on “The Case of the Strange Delivery.” Perform it as a play for the class. You may wish to include simple costumes and music, too.

2 Create a scale model of one of the real-life places described in “Fact or Fiction?” For example, you might construct a model of the Great Pyramid at Giza, Stonehenge, or Machu Picchu. Start by establishing your scale (for example, 1 centimeter equals 5 meters or 1 inch equals 10 feet). Then choose a building material and create your model. Write a description of the mystery on an index card to put with the model.

3 Use the internet to find pictures of the creatures described in “Fact or Fiction?” Make a collage and share it with the class. Ask your classmates if they think the pictures are authentic. Then tell them your opinion.

Further Reading

Choose from these reading suggestions. Practice reading silently with increased ease for longer and longer periods.

Chasing Vermeer, Blue Balliett

When a book of unexplainable occurrences brings Petra and Calder together, strange things start to happen.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Konigsburg Hiding in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, a sister and brother spot a beautiful statue. Could it be a work by Michelangelo? Mrs. Frankweiler, the statue’s previous owner, holds the key to the mystery. You Don’t Have A Clue—Latino Mystery Stories for Teens, S. Cortez, ed. This is a collection of eighteen tales featuring teen characters and their real-life issues.

Description Guessing Game

You will describe an object or place and let your classmates guess what it is.

1 Think about It

In this unit, you’ve learned about all kinds of solved and unsolved mysteries. You’ve also learned how to write descriptions. Now you are going to play a guessing game in which you will describe an object or place related to a mystery. Your classmates will act as detectives and try to guess what your object or place is.

In teams, think of objects and places that might be related to a mystery. Write down your ideas.

Work on your own to make a list of objects and places you could describe in this guessing game. Choose one, and don’t tell anyone what it is.

2 Gather and Organize Information

Brainstorm details about the object or place you have chosen. Organize them in a sensory details web.

Research Go to the library, look at pictures, or use the internet to get more information about your object or place. Add the new details to your web.

Order Your Notes Think about how you will describe your object or place to the class. Which details will you include? Write them on separate note cards. Do you want to begin with the most important detail and end with the least important one? Do you want to use spatial order, such as top to bottom or left to right? Select the method of organization that works best with your topic. Put your note cards in that order.

Use Visuals Find or draw a picture of your object or place. You will show it to the class after someone guesses your object or place. Do not show it to anyone now!

▲ Alfred Hitchcock was famous for making mystery movies.

Practice and Present

Use your note cards as an outline, but practice describing your object or place without reading your notes. Ask a friend or family member to listen to your presentation, or record yourself and listen to the recording. Determine where you need to do more work. Keep practicing until you can present your description smoothly and confidently. Try to include enough details so that the audience can guess your object or place, but not so many that you give away the answer too easily. Remember not to let anyone see your visual.

Deliver Your Description Speak loudly enough so that everyone can hear you. Look at people as you speak. Emphasize key details with your voice and gestures. When you’re finished, invite students to guess your topic. After someone guesses correctly, or if no one guesses correctly, show your picture of the object or place.

4 Evaluate the Presentation

A good way to improve your skills as a speaker and listener is by evaluating each presentation you give and hear. Complete (√) the checklist to help you judge your presentation and the presentations of your classmates.

Did the description include lots of sensory details?

Could you picture the object or place that was being described?

Could you hear and understand what the speaker was saying?

Did the speaker engage you and make you curious?

Could the presentation be improved?

Speaking Skills

Be sure you are speaking slowly and clearly. Ask your listeners for feedback. Can they understand all of your words?

Try to stay relaxed and have fun as you give your description.

Listening Skills

Listen for clues to the speaker’s topic. Try to figure out right away if the topic is an object or a place. Then you can get more specific.

Write down key details as you listen. Think about how they relate to objects and places you know.

Writing Workshop

Write a Descriptive Essay

You have learned how to write different descriptive paragraphs. In this workshop, you will write a descriptive essay. An essay is a group of paragraphs about one topic. Most essays include an introduction, two or more body paragraphs, and a conclusion. In a descriptive essay, the writer uses precise words and sensory details to create a vivid impression of someone or something. Details are arranged in the order that best fits the topic: spatial order, time order, or order of importance.

Writing Prompt

1 Prewrite Review your previous work in this unit. Now brainstorm topics for your essay. In your notebook, answer these questions:

• What mysterious and memorable scene amazed me?

• Which sensory details best describe this topic?

• List your ideas in a graphic organizer.

Here’s a word web created by a student named Talia. She plans to describe the Carlsbad Caverns.

Write a five-paragraph descriptive essay about a mysterious and memorable scene that amazed you. Choose a topic that is full of sensory details. For example, you might describe a dazzling fireworks display, a spectacular dinosaur exhibit, a beautiful sunset, or a powerful storm. Remember to use complete sentences in your essay. Use comparison structures correctly. “TheBottomless

Pit”

Use your graphic organizer and the model on page 42 to help you write a first draft.

• Keep your purpose in mind—to describe an amazing scene.

• Choose details that will appeal to the reader’s five senses.

• Arrange details in the order that best fits your topic.

• Use comparison structures correctly.

3 Revise

Read over your draft. Think about how well you have addressed questions of purpose, audience, and form. Your purpose is to describe an amazing scene. Have you chosen a topic that will engage a reader’s interest? Does your essay include an introduction and conclusion? Have you described this amazing scene with specificity and detail?

Keep these questions in mind as you revise your draft. Complete (√) the Writing Checklist below to help you identify additional issues that may need revision. Mark your changes on your draft using the editing and proofreading marks listed on page 278.

Six Traits of Writing Checklist

Ideas: Does my first paragraph introduce my topic?

Organization: Do I present details in a logical order?

Voice: Does my writing show energy and enthusiasm?

Word Choice: Do I use words such as first and next to signal time order, and words such as far and near to signal spatial order?

Sentence Fluency: Do I use complete sentences to express my thoughts?

Conventions: Do I use comparison structures correctly?

Monitor your written language production. Using a writing checklist will help you assess your work. Evaluate your essay to make sure that your message is clear and easy to understand.

Learning Strategy

Here are the revisions Talia plans to make to her first draft.

Carlsbad Caverns

Think about taking an elevator down into another world—a world where there are stalagmites sticking up in front of you and stalactites hanging from above. It’s more cold and damp than the world you just left. Bats fly all around and, if you look hard enough, you might even find the fossil of an ancient sea snail. These are examples of what a traveler might discover on their trip into Carlsbad Caverns.

swoop

Although you can find different rock formations in all caves, the ones in Carlsbad Caverns are particularly special. People have given very funny-sounding names to these different formations because the rocks sometimes look like everyday objects. “Cave Popcorn,”

“Limestone Curtain,” and “Bent Straw,” are just a few of the oddly shaped rocks in these caves.

All the different “rooms” of the caves also have unique names, like “Mystery Room, “Chocolate High,” and “Ballroom Bedroom.” The

Inside this place, Since the explorers

Bottomless Pit got its name when early explorers tossed stones down the hole to see how deep it was. They never heard a sound. Later exploration proved that the pit was only 140 feet deep, but the dirt at the bottom muffled the sound of the falling rocks.

Revised to improve word choice and correct an error in grammar.

Revised to add details.

Nowadays, lots of bats live in Carlsbad caverns. In addition to rock formations, there are living things and traces of other living things found in the caves The presence of ocean fossils reveals that around 250 million years ago the area was a coastline that eventually turned into a limestone layer of rock. In fact, there are sixteen species of bats, but most are Mexican Free-tailed bats.

Carlsbad Caverns are located in the Guadalupe Mountains in Southeast New Mexico. If you are ever in that area, you will definitely want to check out Carlsbad Caverns. They are mysterious and memorable.

Revised to improve organization. Revised to add details and include a comparison.

as a strange land in an amazing dream

4 Edit and Proofread Check your work for errors in grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling. Then trade stories with a partner and complete (√) the Peer Review Checklist below to give each other constructive feedback. Edit your final draft in response to feedback from your partner and your teacher.

Peer Review Checklist

Does the essay describe an amazing scene?

Does it include precise words and vivid sensory details?

Is the writing lively and engaging?

Are verbs and pronoun/antecedents used correctly?

Are comparison structures used correctly?

Could the essay be improved?

Look at the next page to see the changes Talia decided to make to her final draft as a result of her peer review.

Talia Marcus

Carlsbad Caverns

Think about taking an elevator down into another world—a world where there are stalagmites sticking up in front of you and stalactites hanging from above. Inside this place, it’s colder and damper than the world you just left. Bats swoop all around and, if you look hard enough, you might even find the fossil of an ancient sea snail. These are examples of what a traveler might discover on their trip into Carlsbad Caverns.

his or her

Although you can find different rock formations in all caves, the ones in Carlsbad Caverns are particularly special. People have given very funny-sounding names to these different formations because the rocks sometimes look like everyday objects. “Cave Popcorn,” “Limestone Curtain,” and “Bent Straw,” are just a few of the oddly shaped rocks in these caves.

All the different “rooms” of the caves also have unique names, like “Mystery Room, “Chocolate High,” and “Ballroom Bedroom.” The Bottomless Pit got its name when early explorers tossed stones down the hole to see how deep it was. Since the explorers never heard a sound, they figured the pit didn’t have a bottom. Later exploration proved that the pit was only 140 feet deep, but the soft dirt at the bottom muffled the sound of the falling rocks.

In addition to rock formations, there are living things and traces of other living things found in the caves The presence of ocean fossils reveals that around 250 million years ago the area was a coastline that eventually turned into a limestone layer of rock. Nowadays, lots of bats live in Carlsbad caverns. In fact, there are sixteen species of bats, but most are Mexican Free-tailed bats.

Carlsbad Caverns are located in the Guadalupe Mountains in Southeast New Mexico. If you are ever in that area, you will definitely want to check out Carlsbad Caverns. They are as mysterious and memorable as a strange land in an amazing dream.

5 Publish Prepare a clean copy of your final draft. Share your descriptive essay with the class.

Revised to correct an error in grammar.

Revised to correct errors in mechanics.

Revised to correct errors in mechanics.

Test Preparation

Practice

Read the following test sample. Study the tips in the boxes. Work with a partner to answer the questions.

Vacation Planning

Tania and Jill hike every weekend. They have visited many places in New Jersey. This weekend they are planning a trip to Ocean Grove. They want to spend some time at the beach.

Taking Tests

You will often take tests that help show what you know. Study the tips below to help you improve your test-taking skills.

1 What best describes what Tania and Jill like to do?

A Go hiking

B Go to the beach

C Visit cities

D Visit Ocean Grove

2 If Tania and Jill live in Camden, how long will it take them to get to Ocean Grove?

A 1 hour

B 1 hour, 30 minutes

C 77 minutes

D 49 minutes

3 What does driving time mean?

A The time on the clock

B The speed you are driving

C How far away something is

D How long it takes to get somewhere

Tip

Think of an answer to the question before reading the choices. Then look at the answers for one that matches your answer.

Tip

Read all of the answer choices before choosing one.

Solving the Puzzle of Letters and Numbers

Most of us have seen movies in which someone must figure out a code. Sometimes the character has to find a treasure. Other times he or she might have to use the code to save a friend. Often the code uses letters. We can recognize the letters but not the words they spell. They make no sense until we figure out the pattern of the code.

Some American artists even hide coded messages or stories in their work. They like to use them because the codes add a little mystery and fun!

Mike Wilkins, Preamble (1987)

When you look at them one by one, none of the license plates in Mike Wilkins’s Preamble makes much sense. The trick is to read the license plates from left to right, starting in the top left corner. By the end of the first line, you realize that Wilkins is composing the preamble to the United States Constitution. The letters on the first two license plates, WE TH and P PUL, stand for the words “We the People . . . ” LIBBER is part of the word “Liberty.”

The plates are listed in alphabetical order by state, with Alabama first and Wyoming last. Wilkins put the license plates against a large square background.

▲ Mike Wilkins, Preamble, 1987, metal, 96 X 96 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum

The background brings all the license plates together into one work of art. It also highlights the differences in color between the plates.

It took a year for Wilkins to get license plates from all fifty states and the District of Columbia. He had to figure out word and number combinations that worked together to form the preamble. Each state has different laws about the number of letters and numbers that could be used on a plate. Eventually, Wilkins put this rebus (a puzzle that uses letters and numbers) together. This artwork celebrates the way the fifty states and the capital work together to form the United States.

Robert Indiana, Five (1984)

The artist Robert Indiana based Five on a poem called “The Great Figure,” which is about a fire truck. He used objects that people had thrown away, like an old wood beam from a house. He also used a wooden dowel (the pole running through the beam) and two metal wheels to make the sculpture. At the top of the beam, he painted a small number 5 and a larger 5 over a red five-point star. They all come together to form one image.

Indiana’s color choices seem bright when seen against the dull wood beam. He liked to use letters and numbers to make the printed portions of his work look as though they were part of a commercial sign. The red letter L on the very top adds to the idea that there is some mystery or story going on that we must figure out. In the same way that we would read a road sign, we must study how all of the various shapes and colors work with each other to create a “story” or message.

As a boy, Indiana spent a lot of time on the highway. He loved the way road signs play with numbers, letters, and bright colors to capture people’s attention. Think about some of the signs you see every day on streets and highways: STOP, 55 MPH, YIELD.

The best codes and rebuses force you to use old images in new ways. They celebrate the mystery and beauty of shapes and the way those shapes work together when placed in unexpected patterns.

Discuss What You Learned

1. How do both Mike Wilkins and Robert Indiana use codes in their artworks?

2. In what way are both of these artworks related to cars and other kinds of vehicles?

BIG QUESTION

How would you make artwork with a mystery or puzzle? Would you want viewers to be able to solve the mystery or puzzle? Why?

▲ Robert Indiana, Five, 1984, wood beam, 69⅛ x 26¾ x 18½ in., Smithsonian American Art Museum