Henry and Mudge and the Starry Night

by Cynthia RylantIllustrations by: Sucie Stevenson

What can we discover by exploring nature?

Day 1 Warm-Up

We can learn about animals everywhere in the world.

We can learn how stars move in the sky.

What else can we discover exploring nature?

Day 1 Warm-Up

• Did Iris and Walter explore nature?• What do you think Iris and Walter discovered?• What have astronauts discovered by exploring

nature?

Day 1 Amazing WordsGalaxy

A galaxy is a huge group of stars. Earth and the sun are part of a big galaxy.

On a clear night you can see a galaxy of stars.Scientist say there are lots of galaxies besides

the one we are in.

Day 1 Amazing Words

TranquilTranquil is how you feel when you are very calm

and peaceful.Looking at the stars makes me feel tranquil.

A warm summer night seems tranquil.What is something that makes you feel tranquil.

Day 1 Amazing Words

WildlifeAnimals and plants that live wild outdoors are

called wildlife.There are many kinds of wildlife in the forest.We saw many kinds of wildlife when we went

camping.The word wildlife is a compound word, a word

made up of 2 smaller words- wild and life.

Tranquil Night

• What type of wildlife would you find in your neighborhood?

• How would you travel to a galaxy, and what would you see?

• What time of day do you feel the most tranquil?

Phonics: Consonant Blends

back wing• Both of these words end with two consonants

that stand for one sound.• Today we’ll learn about consonant letter

whose sounds are blended together in words.• When we read these words, we don’t say the

individual sounds, we blend the sounds together to make new sounds.

Let’s make some words

Begin with the word raft.Add a c to the beginning. What is the new word?

CraftChange ft to mp. What is the new word?

CrampChange cr to st. What is the new word?

stamp

Let’s make some words

Change mp to nd. What is the new word?stand

Change st to br. What is the new word?brand

Change r to l and the a to o. What is the new word?

blond

Can you read these word?

• Dwell• Jump• Mask• Plug• Smile• Strong• Scrub• spring

• Scrape• Split• Stink• track• Stung• Flex• drank

Station Time

Building Background

• Let’s look at pages 68 and 69. Tell me what you see here.

• Do you see a nighttime sky and several different animals?

• What do you think these animals have in common?

• What about all the stars in the background? Have you ever see so many stars where you live?

Build Background

• Describe the background photograph using the word galaxy.

• How would you spend a tranquil evening?• Which pictures show wildlife that live where

you live?• What can we discover by exploring nature?• What other things do you think we can

discover by exploring nature?

Character and Setting

• Characters are the people or animals in stories• Authors describe their characters. They tell

what the characters look like, how they act, and how they think.

• They also tell about the setting or where the story takes place.

• Knowing about characters and setting can help a reader better understand a story.

Just a Little Patience

• Angie is a character in this story. • As I read, I look for clues that tell me what she

is like. She is excited about seeing animals and impatient when she and her father don’t see any right away.

• I also look for clues about the setting. The characters are hiking in a forest and by the sea, so those places are the setting.

Just a Little Patience

• What is Angie’s father like?• How are Angie and her father alike and

different?• What are some things that tell you what the

setting is?

Iris and Walter

• Who are the main characters in this story?• What is Iris like?• What is Walter like?• What is the setting of the story?• When you read ANY story, you should identify

the characters and setting in the story and pay attention to what the characters are like.

Day 1 Wrap-Up• Band, street, fist, and clean are all words that

contain consonant blends.• All of your spelling words this week contain

consonant blends.• Who did we say were the characters in Iris

and Walter?• When and where did the story take place?• Tomorrow we will read about a family that

explores nature by going camping.

Day 2 Warm-Up

Today we will read about a boy and his dog who explore nature on a camping trip.

What do people do when they camp?

Day 2 Amazing Words

UnderneathIf you put a book under you chair, you can say

the book is underneath your chair.My socks are underneath my pajamas in the top

drawer.In my lunchbox I have an apple underneath my

sandwich.

In the Forest

• What time of year do you think the antlers of the bull moose fall off?

• What makes you think so?• How do some new ferns grow?• Why do you think the ermie changes its coat

from dark in the summer to white in the winter?

• What is one thing the bark of a birch tree has been used for?

Consonant Blends

MaskThis word contains the consonant blend sk.

Let’s practice reading some words with consonant blends!

Consonant Blends

TwinStrictPest

CreptBriskPlant

PlumpCrustSpaceSolingStressClose

Nature’s Creatures

Can you find words with consonant blends in our song today?

Creatures flock crowsBlack Bluebird screechingGray croaking Frogssnakes stretched

Consonant Blends

• Let’s sort some words with consonant blends.

-and -ump -ace -ide

Character and Setting• Reminder: Characters are the people or

animals in a story.• Authors describe the characters and tell how

they look, how they act, and what kind of people they are.

• Setting is when and where the story takes place

• As you read, ask yourself who the characters are in the story and where the story takes place.

Monitor and Fix-Up

• Sometimes when you are reading, you may have questions.

• When that happens, you should keep reading to see if you can discover the answers.

• Do you keep reading when you come to a word or phrase you don’t know?

• When you can’t figure out what is happening in the story, do you read on to understand?

Building Background

What do all of these things have in common with one another?

What are some other things you might need if you were to go camping?

Build Background

• In the story we are about to read, a boy named Henry and his dog, Mudge, go camping with Henry’s parents.

• We’ll find out what they take when they go camping on a tranquil night underneath the stars.

High Frequency Words

• Let’s look at page 70 and 71.• These are not words that you can blend easily

so they are words you just have to know how to read.

• Let’s see if you can read some other high frequency words

High Frequency Words

• About• Bear• Beautiful• Build• Couldn’t• Father• good

• Green• Home• Love• Mother• Pulling• Saw• straight

Selection Words

• Shivered- shook with fear• Drooled- let saliva run from the mouth• Lanterns- lights inside containers that can be

carried• Snuggled- cuddled together

Station Time

Let’s Talk about Henry and Mudge• How is sleeping in a tent different from

sleeping when you’re at home? How is it the same?

• Why do you think the author put those three little dots in the last sentence?

• Would you like to go camping like Henry, Mudge, and Henry’s parent’s did? Why or why not?

• If Henry and Mudge camped in the desert, how would the story change?

Day 2 Wrap-Up

My mother and father took me camping. I was afraid we would see a bear. I couldn’t believe that my mom could build a fire. We went straight home after we camped.

Remember that when you have a problem understanding a word or what’s happening in the story, sometimes you can figure it out by reading on.

Tomorrow we’ll hear about forest animals.

Day 3 Warm-Up

There are many things to learn about the forest.

Some animals and plants look different close-up and far away.

What else can we discover by exploring nature in the forest?

In the Forest

• Remember that in many non-fiction books, you will find a glossary- a dictionary of words that are in the book, listed in alphabetical order.

Day 3 Amazing Words

IdentifyWhen you identify something, you tell what it is.

The tags on a dogs collar identify the dog’s owner.

I put my name on my lunchbox to identify it.

In the Forest

• How could you identify a bull moose?• How can a male moth identify a female moth?• What else do you think you might learn by

exploring nature in the forest?

Long Vowel Review

Begin with the word mineChange the i to a. What is the new word?

ManeChange the m to l. What is the new word?

LaneChange the a to o. What is the new word?

lone

Long Vowel Review

Change the l to t. What is the new word?tone

Change the o to u. What is the new word?tune

Change the tu to fi. What is the new word?fine

High Frequency Word Practice

One day a baby ____ cub wanted to climb a tree. “I’d ___ to climb up, but I’m afraid I’ll slip and fall,” said the cub. His ___ said she had a great idea. “Why don’t you ask your ____ to make a ladder?” she said. “You can even help him ___ it. Then you can climb ____ up the tree in no time!” “No, I ____, “ cried the cub. “I will get hurt.” “You will never know what you can do until you try” mother bear said gently.

• Bear• Build• Couldn’t• Father• Mother• love• straight

Vocabulary: Synonyms• Synonyms are words that have the same or

almost the same meaning.• Little and small are example of synonyms.• Let’s look at the words loud and giggled on

page 79.• What would be a synonym for loud?• What would be a synonym for giggled?• What about for shivered, lanterns, and

snuggled?

Station Time

Day 3 Wrap-Up

• Who are the characters in the story?• What is the setting of the story?• Tomorrow we will read about some people

who think stars make pictures in the night sky.

Day 4 Warm-Up

How do stars make pictures in the sky?

You can see some star pictures during autumn and some others before the fall season.

Insects Are My Life

• How did Henry and Mudge explore nature?• Let’s read about a girl who explores nature,

specifically she likes to explore bugs.

Day 4 Amazing Words

DetectiveA detective is a person who tries to solve a

mystery or figure out a problemYou are a word detective when you figure out

what a word means.A police detective figures out who is responsible

for a crimeThe word detect means to discover or find out.

Day 4 Amazing Words

FascinatingSomething that is fascinating is very interesting

We read about a girl who found insects fascinating.

I read a fascinating book about elephants.

Day 4 Amazing Words

SlimySomething slimy feels slippery and gooey when

you touch it.Some people think snakes feel slimy but they

really don’t.The mud at the bottom of the river felt slimy on

my feet.

Insects Are My Life

• If you could take a journey anywhere to explore nature, where would you go?

• What kind of wildlife likes to dart around or investigate everything?

• What is the most enormous creature you have ever seen with your own eyes?

Insects Are My Life• Amanda used a detective kit to look closely at

bugs. What do you think might be in a detective kit?

• Why do you think so?• Why might a magnifying glass be in a

detective kit?• What did Amanda men when she said ,

“Insects are fascinating?”• What makes you think that both Amanda and

her brother want to discover things by exploring nature

Can you read these sentences?• The strap on the backpack broke and books

went everywhere.• Who was brave enough to live and work in the

wide open West?• Machines help dump and spread piles of rocks.• We will bake bread for our snack.• The wind was strong enough to make the kite

move.• The wise woman just went on a trip around the

world.

Station Time

How to be a good classroom speaker!

Good classroom speakers….1.Speak slowly and carefully2.Sit up straight, and in listening position3.Raise your hand and wait to be called on4.Speak loudly enough so you can be heard by

everyone.5.Take turns. If you’ve already had a chance to

speak, let someone else have a turn.

Day 4 Wrap-Up

• How does the article about constellations help you understand what Henry and his parents saw on the starry night?

• Henry and his parents saw stars when they went camping. Are stars a part of nature? How do you know?

• Tomorrow we will hear more about Amanda Frankenstein, the girl who loves bugs.

Day 5 Warm-Up

This week we read about exploring nature.Henry and Mudge found wildlife and a galaxy of

stars.If they looked underneath rocks, could they

identify fascinating insects?

Day 5 Warm-Up

• What might you see in the sky on a tranquil night when you were on a camping trip?

• What might you see in the woods on a camping trip?

• If you were a wildlife detective, how would you identify slimy worms you found underneath rocks?

Insects Are My Life• What was Amanda discovering by exploring

nature?• Amanda and her brother Andrew are two

characters in the story how have different points of view about insects.

• What was Amanda’s?• What was Andrew’s?• Why do you suppose they had such different

points of view?

Consonant Blend Review

• The green frog is small.• Did you slip on the stone step?• We will fly to the state of Florida.• This tree is the last one we will plant.

High Frequency Word Review

My _____ is the greatest dad.I ____ him with all my heart.My _____ is the greatest mom.We will never be apart.

I ____ ask for better folks.To help me ____ or bake or sew.They help me keep my bedroom _____,And give me a big ____ hug, you know!

• Bear• Build• Couldn’t• Father• Mother• Love• straight

Station Time

Wrap-Up the Week• What can we discover by exploring nature?• Henry and Mudge discovered many things

about nature when they were camping. What kinds of wildlife do you suppose they might have discovered if they had camped in the desert instead of in the woods near a lake?

• If Henry and Mudge had camped in the desert on a tranquil night, could they have seen stars and galaxies? Why do you think that?

• What might they identify in the desert if they looked underneath a rock?