Second Grade
3–5
min.
Lesson
Vocabulary
1. Introduce contractions using the following questions:
• What did Alex use as the subject of his e-mail? (What’s up in Egypt.)
• What do you notice about the word What’s?
(It has an apostrophe. It is a contraction.)
2. Draw a T-chart on the chalkboard. Write the word what’s in the first column,
and read it aloud.
3. Write the words what is in the second column and read them aloud.
4. We can contract, or make smaller, the words what is to what’s. We call what’s
a contraction. The apostrophe (point to it) shows where the letter i was.
5. What other contractions do you know? As students give contractions, write
the contractions and their root words on the chart. Talk about which letters
are replaced by an apostrophe.
Contraction
Word
what’s
what is
it’s
it is
I’m
I am
I’ll
I will
he’s
he is
6. Distribute a sheet of manila paper and a marker to partners. Students create
T-charts like the one on the chalkboard. Using the e-mail from Alex, students
locate and write the contractions in the first column and the root words in the
second column. See the diagram for answers.
7. Remind students to look for apostrophes to locate contractions.
Copyright 2006 by Voyager Expanded Learning, L.P.
Vocabulary
1
1
Second Grade
Lesson
(cont.
8. Use Cinderella’s and Sam’s as teaching points. Students may think the words
are contractions for Cinderella is or has, and Sam is or has. Ask students to
read the sentence substituting the root words for the contraction. For example,
The fairy godmother turned Cinderella is old dress into a beautiful gown. Ask:
Does that make sense? (no) Cinderella’s is not a contraction. The apostrophe
shows that the dress belongs to Cinderella—it is Cinderella’s dress. Explain Sam’s
in the same way.
what’s
what is
it’s
it is
he’d
he had
you’re
you are
It’s
It is
he’d
he had
How’s
How is
couldn’t
could not
I’ve
I have
it’s
it is
don’t
do not
we’ve
we have
I’m
I am
What’s
What is
hasn’t
has not
we’re
we are
That’s
That is
I’ll
I will
He’s
He is
Don’t
Do not
I’ve
I have
couldn’t
could not
didn’t
did not
We’re
We are
didn’t
did not
didn’t
did not
we’ll
we will
© Voyager Expanded Learning, L.P.
Vocabulary
2
1
Student Page
To:
CC:
Subject:
Mom
Families of Sam, Dan, and Sid
What’s Up in Egypt
Hi, Mom,
Hello to the families of my friends, also. I hope you’re well. The other Time Trackers and
I are doing fine. How’s your new job going, Mom? Do you like it as well as you thought you
would? I hope it’s keeping you busy while I’m in Egypt. As you know, we’re staying with our
good friend Tut. He’s a great host.
Did you enjoy the story Sam wrote in her e-mail? We sure did. We couldn’t wait to
hear another great Egyptian tale, but Tut said it was our turn to tell a story. Sam wanted
to tell the story of Cinderella. We said OK, because we all know it by heart.
Sam began, “Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl. She lived with her mean
stepmother and two mean stepsisters. They were so mean that they made the girl do all the
housework. They didn’t give her a bed to sleep in. She had to sleep on the floor by the
fireplace. When she awoke in the morning, the ashes, or cinders, from the fire were in her
hair and on her clothes. Her stepfamily made fun of her and called her Cinderella. They called
her Cinderella so often they forgot her real name. Cinderella worked hard and was nice to
her stepfamily, but still they were cruel to her.”
“OK, OK, it’s my turn,” interrupted Sid. "There was a handsome prince in the land. Maybe
he looked like you, Tut. The prince was looking for a wife. He decided to throw a big party
with dancing." (I told Sid, "It’s called a ball." She gave me a look and kept right on talking.)
“The prince invited all the young ladies in the land to come to the ball. The stepsisters made
plans to go. Cinderella knew she couldn’t go. She had no nice clothes, and her stepmother
wanted her to scrub the floors.”
“OK, quit hogging the story.” Dan jumped in. “The night of the ball came. The stepsisters
made Cinderella help them get dressed before she scrubbed the floor. They left for the ball
in a limo.” (“Hey, I don’t remember anything about a limo,” I said. Then, Tut asked, “What’s a
limo?”) “Never mind, OK? The stepsisters went to the ball,” Dan continued. “Cinderella was
home scrubbing floors. She was really bummed out. Suddenly, her fairy godmother appeared.”
(Tut had no idea what a fairy godmother was, so we spent a few minutes explaining.) Dan
went on, “The fairy godmother turned Cinderella’s old dress into a beautiful gown. She turned
a pumpkin into a carriage.” (I whispered to Tut, “That’s sort of like a chariot.”) “She turned
mice and lizards into a driver and servants. Finally, she gave Cinderella a pair of glass slippers
to wear, told her to be home by midnight, and sent her on her way.”
© Voyager Expanded Learning, L.P.
Student Page
(cont.)
“I get to tell the ending, you guys,” I said. “At the ball, the prince was dancing with all
the girls trying to find one he liked. After he saw Cinderella, he danced only with her. They
danced and danced. Suddenly, the clock struck midnight. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom,
boom . . .” (Sid interrupted and told me to quit making the clock strike and tell the story.) I
continued, “Cinderella ran out just in time, but she left one of her glass slippers. The prince
was determined to find her and make her his wife. He traveled all over the kingdom letting
girls put their stinky feet in Cinderella’s slipper.” (“Ugh,” Sid and Sam groaned, “don’t tell it
like that!”) “OK,” I said, “he let a lot of girls try on the slipper, but no one could wear it.
Finally, he came to the last house. It was the house where Cinderella lived. The stepsisters
put their stinky feet . . .” (“No!” Sid and Sam shouted.) “OK, OK. The stepsisters tried on
the glass slipper, but it didn’t fit. The prince was about to give up. He saw Cinderella hiding
by the fireplace. He called her to try on the slipper.”
Sam jumped in. “Please, Alex, can I tell the very last part?” I said it was OK because it
was really Sam’s story. She finished, “Cinderella put her dainty little foot into the slipper, and
it fit like a glove.” (I started to interrupt Sam to tell her it didn’t fit like a glove; it fit like a
slipper!) “The prince knew he’d found his true princess. They soon got married. Because
Cinderella was good and kind, she forgave her stepmother and stepsisters and invited them
to live in the palace. They did and lived happily ever after.”
Tut really liked our story. Can you believe he’d never heard of Cinderella? I bet I’ve
heard it 5,000 times and seen the movie 10 times. But, after all, we’ve time warped to
ancient Egypt. The story of Cinderella hasn’t even been written yet. Maybe Tut will be the
one to write it because we did such a good job telling it.
I wrote the longest e-mail of anyone! I want to be a writer when I grow up. I’ll write
about the adventures I’ve had with Dan, Sid, and Sam. One story I hope to write soon is how
we get home from ancient Egypt. We’re working on it. Hang on, Mom, I know we’ll find out
how to get home soon.
Your loving son,
Alexander
P.S. Check out the rad photo of
the five amigos!
© Voyager Expanded Learning, L.P.