Unit 5Week 1

Whole Group

Weekly Focus Question

• How are geography and economy connected in the Midwest?

Week 1, Day 1

Theme Reader Unit Opener p. 253:

The title of this unit is America’s Heartland. What do you think of when you hear the word heartland?

(Think, Pair, Share with your neighbor.)

If you were talking to someone who wasn’t from the midwest, what would you tell them life is like in America’s Heartland?What do the photos on pp 254-255 show you about the culture and the activites people do here?What does the photograph on pp. 256-257 tell you about the theme, America’s Heartland

Midwest.htm

Theme Question•What makes the Central Region special?

Focus Question for Week 1

How are geography and economy connected in the Midwest?

Look at the map on p. 259•What do you know about this place?

What do you think it would be like to live here?What do you know about farmers and farming? Do you think you would like to be a farmer? Why?

• Have you seen a river large enough to carry a boat as big as this barge

• Why might people send boats this big up and down a river?

Theme Vocabulary

Knowing these words will help you answer the Theme and Focus Questions.

•Basin•Landform•Transport•flourish

Basinp. 258

• A basin is all the land that is drained by a river and the streams that run into that river.

• Example: Streams flow through the basin and drain into the river.

Does water drain into a basin or out of it?

Landformp. 260

• A landform is a natural feature of the land.• Example: Mountains and valleys are typs of

landforms.

What are some other examples of landforms?

Transportp. 263

• To transport means “to carry or bring from one place to another.”

• Cars, trains, and planes transport both people and things.

How do you transport your books to and from school?

Flourishp. 268

• To flourish means “to grow or develop strongly.”

• When there is enough sunlight and rain, a garden will flourish.

What is an antonym for flourish?

PREPARETO

READ

Build Background-Theme reader pp 256-264

• The Central Region is made up of 20 states in the middle of the country.

• Landforms help people earn a living. • Farming, shipping, mining, and tourism are all

ways people earn a living from the land.• People use rivers and lakes to transport things

to other parts of the country and world.

Preview and Predict pp. 256-264

• I notice we’ll be reading about the Midwest. I’m not sure exactly which states make up the Midwest, so I’ll look at the map on page 260 labeled “Midwest Region.” I can see that the Midwest is part of the Central Region.

• Let’s look at the chapter titles, subheads, maps, photographs, captions, and highlighted words

• What ideas are familiar or interesting to you and what do you think you might learn?

Set Purposes• Setting a purpose before reading helps readers focus their

attention.• One of our purpose is to find answers to the Theme

Question: What makes the Central Region special?• You can set your own purpose for reading in addition to

this.Example: As I read today, I want to find answers to the

Theme Questions: What makes the Central Region special? I also want to learn more about the interesting places in the Midwest, such as Mount Rushmore on p. 260.

Read Togetherpp 258-259

(Students follow along as I read)

• The first paragraph says that the Central Region is between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. I can see both mountain ranges on the map on p. 259. It’s interesting how these huge landforms divide the country into different areas.

• The map shows that the Central Region is divided into 2 parts: the Midwest and the South Central Region. I wonder if they’re very different.

• Finish reading chapter 1 together.

pp. 260-261

• Look at the photograph of Mount Rushmore on p. 260. It si one of the country’s most famous landmarks. That is one way the Central Region is special. How do you think the Mississippi River, pictured on p. 261, makes the region special?

pp. 262-263

• On these pages, we read more about the geography of the Midwest. What are some different ways that people in the region use the land to make a living?

p. 264

• The author tells about manufacturing in the Midwest. How do people in the Midwest use its natural resources to make it a center for manufacturing.

Respond

• What parts of the selection stood out to you? Why?

• What is something new you learned?• Did anything you read surprise you?

Author’s Purpose

In A Tour of the Central Region . . .• What do you think the author’s purpose was in

writing this selection?

• As the audience, do you think the author is achieving her purpose? Why or why not?

Spelling and PhonicsK, ng, kw sounds

1. risky2. electric3. topic4. blank5. blanket6. question7. pocket8. monkey

9. picnic10. junk11. equal12. public13. banker14. mistake15. attack16. earthquake

Review Words

17. spied18. families

Frequently Misspelled Words

19. before20. knew

Underline the letters that make the k sound: k, c, ck

• risky • topic•pocket

blanket• Words spelled with nk have the ng

sound.• Circle the letters that form the ng

sound.

Question•Qu makes the kw sound.

Practice/ApplySort your spelling words using the 3-Column Chart.

“k”Sound “ng” Sound “kw” Sound

Risky Blanket question

Fluency(Introduce and Model)

• Look at the fluency selection “Homestead Act Signed,” on Practice Companion p. 6.

• Throughout the week you will practice reading the article with fluency.

• Imagine a time when parts of the country were unsettled.

• What do you think it meant to get land for free simply by being the first to claim it?

Let’s review these words:

• homestead• unsettled• ambitious• abundance• untapped• accommodating• Cultivate

Listen as I read the passage around. Pay attention to how I pause at punctuation. Listen to my expression and pacing.

• Did you enjoy the reading? Why or why not?

• Would you have rushed to claim a piece of land? Why or why not?

• Let’s try an echo reading and a choral reading of the passage.

Wrap Up (after small groups)

• What things did you learn while reading about the geography and economy of the Central Region?

• Use the theme and other vocabulary as you share.• I’d like to hear from students from all the groups.• Share your thoughts on how what you’ve read

connects to your personal experiences.

Daily Writing

• Write about landforms and waterways of the Central Region.

• Describe ways that the economy depends on these geographical features.

• When you have computer time, you can go to the Story Starter from your student Home Page.

Remember:

• You are responsible for your learning. It is helpful to be aware of how well you understand what your are reading, writing, talking, and thinking about in class.

• You may reflect on your reading and learning by using your Personal Reading Logs and Daily Progress sheets.