1. By:Maria Cristina Brusca
On the Pampas
By:Maria Cristina Brusca
Genre: Autobiography
Author’s Purpose: Inform, Entertain
Skill: Generalizing

2. Summary
  One summer, María goes by herself to her grandparents' ranch on the Argentine pampas.  The first thing she sees when she arrives is her cousin, Susanita, on her very own horse.  María gets her own horse, Pampita, and she and Susanita ride everywhere together.  María also learns how to lasso a calf, herd cattle, and separate the cows from the calves - just like a regular gaucho, or cowboy.

3. “I lived with my family. . .”
Genre: Autobiography
An autobiography tells about a real person’s life and is written by the person who lived it.
It is written in the first person.
“I lived with my family. . .”
It can tell about a person’s whole life or only part of it.

4. Comprehension Skill: Generalizing
Sometimes as you read, you are given ideas about several things or people.
when you make a statement about all of them together, you are making a generalization.
A valid generalization is accurate.
A faulty generalization is not accurate.

5. Generalization Generalization
Susanita and I did everything together that summer
Susanita was always ready for an adventure.
Supporting Fact
She was the one who showed me how to take care of horses.
She used to swim in the creek holding on to La Baya’s mane.

6. Comprehension Skill Review – Context Clues
When you see unfamiliar words, use context clues, or words around the unfamiliar word, to figure out its meaning.
The context may give a definition or an explanation.
Example: Animals that eat other animals are called predators
Sometimes a synonym is used as a context clue.
Example: Komodo dragons are carnivores, or meat-eaters.
You can also find the meaning of an unknown word by looking for information in picture clues, dictionaries, or explanations.

7. Practice Context Clues
Sentence
But she rode so well the gauchos called her La Gauchita-”The Little Gaucho.”
Meaning
The Little Gaucho
How I Know
The author explains the meaning right away.
We would gallop to the general store.
store that sells many different kinds of things
The picture shows many things sold there.
They would make carbonado, a thick stew made of corn and peaches.
a thick stew made of corn and peaches
The author defines the word in the same sentence.

8. Vocabulary Skill: Homophones
Words that are pronounced the same but spelled differently are called homophones.
reins and rains dear and deer
Homophones also have different meanings.
The understand the difference, look for clues in the surrounding words and sentences.
Click on the title to practice this skill.

9. Weekly Fluency Check - Read with Appropriate Phrasing (pg. 297d)
Students should read with appropriate phrasing, for example, using appositives to make reading clearer and more conversational.
Often, appositives are used to define something in a story which is unfamiliar to readers, or unique to a story. It keeps the flow and focus of the story moving along.
Go to pages , beginning with “I grew up. . .”

10. Say It!
brand
bridles
calves
corral
initials
manes
reins
herd

11. More Words to Know
gauchos
gourd
vaccinate

12. gauchos
cowboys of the South American pampas

13. gourd
a fruit that grows on a vine and whose shell is used for cups, bowls, and so on

14. vaccinate
to give medicine to protect from disease

15. More Good Stuff
Reading Test
Spelling Test

16. brand
to mark by burning skin with a hot iron

17. bridle
a part of a horse harness that fits on the horse's head

18. calves
young cows or bulls

19. corral
a structure in which horses are kept

20. herd
a group of animals of one kind

21. initials
first letters of names

22. manes
long heavy hair on horses' necks

23. reins
straps fastened to the bridle

24. I put the horse back in the corral.

25. I put the horse back in the corral.

26. She brushed the horse’s mane.

27. She brushed the horse’s mane.

28. I took one of the bridles and
Put in on the horse’s head.

29. I took one of the bridles and put in on the horse’s head.

30. I hopped on the horse and grabbed the reins.

31. I hopped on the horse and grabbed the reins.

32. The herd of cattle was in my way.

33. The herd of cattle was in my way.

34. The cow had two calves.

35. The cow had two calves.

36. I got to help grandpa brand the horses.

37. I got to help grandpa brand the horses.

38. The cows had the owners’ initials.

39. The cows had the owners’ initials.

40. Spelling Words Adding -ed and -ing
chased
worried
dried
robbed
slipped
happened
opened
danced
studied
stopped

41. Spelling Words Adding -ed and -ing
worrying
drying
robbing
stopping
slipping
happening
opening
dancing
studying
chasing

42. This Week’s Word Wall Words
Click and type your own words for this week:

43. Let’s review our spelling words
Let’s review our spelling words. Watch carefully because they will flash on the screen for just a moment. We will clap as we spell the word..

44. smaller

45. GREAT JOB!