1. Vocabulary

2. The author writes the stories. Author: Tracy West Illustrated by Mary GrandPre The illustrator draws the pictures. Summary: It is a sunny day in Pine Park and the people of the town are out enjoying it. Suddenly things begin disappearing. They soon find out why!

3. Genre – It is a play. A play is a story that can be acted out. Look for: Words that tell the characters’ actions and feelings. A plot divided into scenes.

4. As a child, Tracey West loved reading so much that she decided she wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Tracey West studied journalism at college. She has been a newspaper reporter and a book editor. She likes to collect comic books, grow herbs, and walk in the woods. Now she lives outside of New York City with her husband, her dog, Tisha, and her cat, Elvira. "Reading has been one of my favorite things to do since second grade."

6. caused Cause - made something happen The rain caused puddles.

7. clasp Clasp is a small hook that holds parts together. The clasp on this bracelet is broken.

8. confused Confused - to be uncertain or unclear about something Bob was very confused when he tried to teach himself to speak German.

9. cornered Cornered - to get a person or an animal into a situation or position that is a trap Sam had Max cornered behind the door. Sam Max

10. objects Objects - things that you can see and touch but are not alive The objects in this picture are very old Indian weapons.

11. removes Removes - takes away Lorie removes the dirt from Daisy with the water hose.

12. typical Typical - normal or usual for a kind of thing Alligators are NOT typical pets to have.

13. Say the words. Read the sentence. Fill in the blank.

14. It is _______ for Dad to watch football on Sunday afternoons. confused cornered objects typical clasp caused removes

15. Simba was ________ by the mean hyenas. cornered removes caused confused objects typical clasp

16. The smart bird could lift the _____ on his cage and fly free. confused cornered clasp objects removes typical caused

17. The glue _________ the pictures to stick to the paper. clasp objects typical cornered removes caused confused

18. The monkey was __________ when the wind blew his cap away. caused confused typical clasp objects cornered removes

19. My teacher _________ children from the classroom who refuse to do their work. objects confused caused cornered clasp typical removes

20. How many _________ do you see in this picture? typical clasp caused cornered confused objects removes

21. Match the meaning to the word. 1.caused ___ 2.confused ___ 3.typical__ 4.clasp ___ 5.objects ___ 6.cornered___ 7.removes ____ A.- a small hook that holds parts together B.-to be uncertain or unclear about something C.-to get a person or an animal into situation or position that is a trap D.-things that you can see and touch but are not alive E.- takes away F.- normal or usual for a kind of thing G.- made something happen E D B A C F caused confused typical clasp objects cornered removes G

22. WEBSITES Building Background Reading Skills Test Tutor Other Activities Backyard Birds All About Birds Bird Printouts (click link to printouts) Video: Mynah Bird Kid's Mysteries Online Quiz Bird's Nests Edible Bird's Nests Helping Birds Build A Nest Matching Words

23. More Websites Prefixes games!: Game 1: Prefix Builder Game 2: Prefix Catch Game 3: Constructing Prefixes (matching) Game 4: Prefix and Suffix Machine! Prefixes at Work The Pine Park Mystery Kids' Page

24. Tweaked by Anne Miller