410
Talk About It
These dogs are taking a
bus ride. Where do you
think they are going?
Find out more about dogs
at www.macmillanmh.com
411
Vocabulary
neglected
misunderstood
appreciated
risks
bluffing
Word Parts
desperate
endured
by Liam Engell
obedience
Prefixes are added to the
beginning of words and
change their meanings.
mis- = “badly” or “wrongly”
misunderstood = “wrongly
understood”
W
e got back from the grocery
store and found the house a mess. I had
neglected to close the bathroom door
again, and our Saint Bernard, Bernie,
had left chewed toilet paper all over the
house. Bernie was happily jumping up
and running in circles. He had no idea
that what he had done while we were
away was not appreciated.
Bernie had already chewed Mom’s
favorite handbag and my new pair of
shoes. Mom was also concerned that
Bernie jumped up on people when I took
him out for walks. She didn’t want to take
risks with the little kids on the block, and
I couldn’t blame her.
412
Vocabulary and Comprehension
Mom said that if Bernie didn’t start
“I’ve had it with this puppy,” Mom
behaving, we couldn’t keep him, and I
said in a tired voice. “I’m just about out
knew Mom wasn’t bluffing. I could tell
of patience, Lin.”
she wasn’t kidding. Her message was
“I know, Mom,” I said, “you’ve
clear, so there was no way it could be
endured Bernie’s chewing and messes
misunderstood, And now Bernie was in
for three months now. But I’ve never
trouble again.
had a pet before. If I’m not training
I was desperate. If I didn’t think of
him the right way, then it’s not
something really fast, I was going to
Bernie’s fault. Can we try taking him to
lose my dog!
obedience school?” I asked.
Then I had a really wonderful idea.
And that’s just what we did.
It meant I would have to give
up watching some of my
favorite TV shows to spend
more time with Bernie. In
the end, though, if I could
keep him, it was worth a try.
Just then, Mom finished
putting the groceries away.
She came into the living
room and saw the mess.
Reread for
Comprehension
Generate Questions
Draw Conclusions Authors don’t always tell
everything that happens. Readers have to use
what they already know and what the author
does tell to draw conclusions. As you draw
conclusions, ask yourself questions, such as,
“Are there clues that support my conclusion?”
BSfb1ZcSa
1]\QZcaW]\
A Conclusions Chart can help you analyze
what you read. Reread the selection to draw
conclusions about the ending of the story.
413
Comprehension
Genre
A Fantasy is a story about
characters and settings that
could not exist in real life.
Generate Questions
Draw Conclusions As
you read, fill in your
Conclusions Chart.
BSfb1ZcSa
1]\QZcaW]\
Read to Find Out
How close to reality is the
picture Ike is painting in his
letters to Mrs. LaRue?
414
Dear
Mrs. LaRue
Main Selection
Letters from Obedience School
Written and Illustrated by
Mark Teague
e
t
t
e
z
a
r/G
te
s
i
g
e
ity R
T
C
t
r
o
n
he S
S
R
E
T
N
E
G
O
D
L
A
C
O
L
L
O
O
H
C
S
E
C
N
E
I
D
E
B
O
September 30
in 1953, the
Established
history of
a
s
a
h
y
m
e
Acad
es.
h such issu
it
w
g
n
li
a
e
d
wit’s end!”
“I’m at my
,
. “I love Ike
e
u
R
a
L
.
s
r
said M
he’s quite
id
a
fr
a
m
I’
t
bu
t
ls food righ
a
e
t
s
e
H
.
d
spoile
n counter,
e
h
c
it
k
e
h
t
off
hbor’s cats,
ig
e
n
e
h
t
s
chase
y,
ver I’m awa
e
n
e
h
w
ls
w
ho
hile I was
w
k
e
e
w
t
s
and la
”
e street he
e
u
crossing th
“Ike LaR
tore
e down and
st of
li
m
g
d
n
e
ll
lo
u
a
p
g
t!
Citin
el’s hair coa
,
m
s
a
m
c
t
le
s
b
e
o
b
r
p
y
l
m
e
behaviora
w what els
o
n
k
’t
t
n
n
o
e
d
id
t
es
I jus
Snort City r
e
u
. LaR
to do!”
Gertrude R
,
g
o
d
r
e
h
d
cials were
e
ll
ffi
o
o
r
l
n
o
e
o
h
y
c
a
S
d
.
yester
eiler
omment . .
c
r
tw
fo
ro
B
le
r
b
o
a
Ig
il
unava
Ike, in the
.
y
m
e
d
Canine Aca
415
Dear Mrs.
LaRue,
October 1
How could
you do this
school! Yo
to me? Th
is is a PRIS
u should s
e
ON, not a
e
the other
Mrs. LaRu
dogs. The
e! I do not
y are BAD
fit in. Even
I am very
DOGS,
the journe
unhappy a
y
h
e
n
r
d
e
may need
was a hor
I get home
ror.
something
. Please co
t
o
m
c
e
h
e
r
w
ig
ht away!
on when
Sincerely,
Ike
416
417
418
October 2
t
ow, you migh
,
n
e
k
u
u
R
o
a
Y
L
.
?
ie
rs
p
M
icken
Dear
e
about the ch
t
e
s
p
e, don’t eat th
u
Ik
y
“
ll
,
a
id
re
a
u
s
o
e
y
v
a
h
Were
cult?
me. You could
been so diffi
h
e
it
v
a
w
h
it
t
a
d
e
th
s
s
ould
have discu
for dinner.” W
it
g
in
v
a
s
m
I’
ngs.
chicken pie.
t of hard feeli
lo
a
d
I should be
te
y
n
a
e
s
v
u
re
o
p
Y
e
.
v
d
a
eate
It would h
horribly mistr
g
in
e
you aware
b
re
m
A
a
.
I
,
y
rm
a
te
s
e
to
th
ugh
Needless
in
be here thro
ll
I’
t
a
w long that is
th
o
t
h
p
e
w
c
o
c
n
a
k
d
u
n
o
a
oy
patient
MONTHS? D
O
W
T
ts
s
la
that the term
dog years?
Sincerely,
Ike
ons
Draw Conclusi
draw
sion can you
What conclu
rs?
om his lette
about Ike fr
419
October 3
ue,
Hibbins’ cats.
e
th
t
u
o
b
a
s
Dear Mrs. LaR
n
ptio
ome misconce
s
p
u
r
a
s makes them
le
c
in
b
to
ib
H
.
rs
I’d like
M
gels
out
ly the little an
rd
a
h
re
a
ey were doing
y
th
e
t
th
a
h
w
w
First,
o
n
bit
uld I k
were being a
ond, how sho
y
c
e
e
S
h
.
T
e
?
b
ry
to
a
u
t
n
u
o
of Ja
sed to
e in the middle
p
a
c
s
e
cried and refu
re
y
fi
e
e
th
y
a
on th
w
e
k, th
whole
sick for three
, don’t you thin
c
y
ti
ll
a
a
m
re
ra
re
d
e
lo
w
e
m
e they
hard to believ
’s
It
?
n
w
o
d
e
com
know cats.
days, but you
Your dog,
Ike
420
421
October 4
ue,
my
Dear Mrs. LaR
here. The way
d
n
u
ro
a
n
o
s
e what goe
ers
You should se
dike, barks ord
n
lo
K
s
is
M
,
N
st
n WARDE
erform the mo
p
to
teach — I mea
d
e
rc
fo
m
ay after day I’
roll over,” all
“
d
n
a
”
it
is shocking. D
s
“
s
a
won’t
sks. Today it w
’s ridiculous. I
It
meaningless ta
r.
e
v
o
ll
ro
tly refused to
d.
day long. I fla
RELY punishe
E
V
E
S
s
a
w
I
e
ss the street
ro
c
do it. Of cours
u
o
y
lp
e
h
ing: Who will
d habit of not
a
b
And another th
a
e
v
a
h
u
o
y
you.
y? You know
es I’ve saved
m
while I’m awa
ti
e
th
ll
a
f
o
ays. Think
must say you
I
.
y
a
looking both w
w
y
n
a
,
e
as that one tim
about the tiny
n
o
d
n
a
n
Well, there w
o
g
lainin
!
grateful, comp
ry
e
v
’t
, you need me
n
is
re
t
e
in
w
o
p
e
th
t
y old coat. Bu
rip in your ratt
Yours,
Ike
422
Dear Mrs. L
aRue,
October 5
The GUARD
S here are a
ll caught up
dog” thing.
in this “goo
I hear it con
d dog, bad
stantly: “Go
dog, Ike.” Is
od dog, Ike
it really so g
. Don’t be a
ood to sit st
Neverthele
bad
ill like a lum
ss, I refuse
mox all day
to be broke
?
n!
Miss Klond
ike has taken
my typewrite
other dogs. D
r. She claims
oes anybody c
it disturbs th
a
r
e
t
h
a
t
e
t
Yours,
he other dogs
disturb ME?
Ike
423
Dear Mrs. La
R
ue,
October 6
Were the neig
hbors really
complaining
to imagine. F
about my ho
irst, I didn’t
wling? It is h
howl that mu
so you would
ard
ch. You were
n’t know, but
a
w
a
y
t
t
r
hose nights,
ust me, it wa
let’s recall th
s quite mode
at these are
r
ate. Second
the same ne
waking ME u
,
ighbors who
p in the midd
a
r
e
c
le
o
n
o
stantly
f the afterno
I say we all h
on with their
ave to learn
to get along
loud vacuum
.
ing.
My life here c
ontinues to
be a nightma
goes on in th
re. You would
e cafeteria.
n’t believe wh
Sincerely,
at
Ike
P.S. I don’t w
ant to alarm
you, but the
my mind!
thought of e
scape has cr
ossed
424
October 7
aw, causing
p
y
,
m
e
u
in
R
d
a
e
L
.
rt
a
rs
t
It s
Dear M
I am terribly ill.
t
u
b
,
is
ly eat dinner
h
t
re
a
u
b
o
y
ld
ll
u
e
o
t
c
o
I
t
t
e
a
th
I hat
Finally, I had
felt queasy, so
l.
I
w
r
o
e
h
t
a
d
L
n
.
a
y
n
a
a
d
o
ll
to m
ng
me to limp a
). Then I began
y
v
ra
g
y
d anything wro
n
m
fi
m
’t
u
n
y
a
e
c
h
e
t
h
r
t
fo
a
.
s th
(except
e home at once
r. Wilfrey claim
D
m
.
o
t
c
e
t
v
s
e
u
h
t
m
I
o
.
t
e
eas
to be taken
ve an awful dis
a
h
I
in
a
rt
e
c
m
with me, but I a
,
Honestly yours
Ike
ons
Draw Conclusi
sion can you
What conclu
Ike’s illness?
draw about
425
426
October 8
d that you
e
is
r
p
r
u
s
le
tt
Rue,
e
. Still, I’m a li
d
r
a
c
Dear Mrs. La
ll
e
y wise to tak
w
ll
a
t
e
e
r
g
it
ly
e
is
v
t
lo
u
,b
r the
Wilfrey says
r.
Thank you fo
D
t
a
h
w
w
o
you know.
me. I kn
,
t
e
e
s
g
p
e
la
m
e
r
rk.
o
c
a
e
’t
v
didn
ave in the pa
could ha
I
h
?
o
h
t
lt
d
a
e
e
s
h
u
e
’s
e
sw
ld
risks with on
the fine time
ll
a
t
ball? You wou
u
o
is
b
n
a
n
k
e
t
in
h
a
t
g
I
n
,
e
d
alo
With fall her
when it lande
u would bring
e
o
c
y
n
s
o
e
r
im
fo
t
t
e
p
m
ce
ow so
ow I miss
ERY TIME, ex
h
V
,
E
h
Remember h
A
it
.
e
d
v
a
ie
e
r
t
t
s
in
I would re
back a stick
u
o
y
t
h
throw it and
g
u
o
r
b
nasty and I
in something
those days.
Yours truly,
!
e my tiny cell
id
s
in
k
c
u
t
s
e
Ike
is for me to b
it
l
u
f
w
a
w
o
h
P.S. Imagine
tty sick.
e
r
p
l
e
fe
l
il
t
s
427
P.P.S. I
October 9
a
,
d to attempt
e
e
u
id
R
c
a
e
L
d
.
s
e
r
v
a
M
h
r
I
e.
Dea
y a very good
his I will be gon
ll
t
a
d
a
re
re
m
a
u
I
o
y
e
c
e
in
,s
By the tim
ppreciated!
s come to this
a
a
h
e
b
it
o
y
t
r
r
t
o
o
s
n
m
is
! I’
it
daring escape
oice. How sad
h
c
o
n
e
— or even
m
e
m
ft
o
le
h
u
a
o
t
y
u
ly
o
k
h
n
wit
dog, but fra
town to town
w. I will try
la
m
t
o
u
fr
o
r
e
e
t
d
n
ra
a
e
p
w
s
ll
the life of a de
From now on I’
is
h
c
u
S
of hardship
.
ly
fe
e
li
k
y
li
m
t
s
h
o
it
m
w
,
n
d
o
any dog foo
time as I carry
o
t
e
im
t
m
o
fr
u
to write to yo
and danger.
itive,
Your lonely fug
Ike
428
The Snor
t City Reg
ister/Gaz
ette
Oct obe r 10
LARUE ESCAP
ES DOGGY DE
Former Snort
T
City resident
E
NTION
Ike
LaRue escap
v
is
ibly upset Ge
ed last night
rt
from
the dormitory
at the Igor B
rotweiler
Canine Acad
emy. The do
g is
described as
“toothy” by
local
police. His cu
rrent wherea
bouts
are unknown
.
“To be hone
st, I thought
he
was bluffing
when he told
me he
was plannin
g to escape,”
said a
rude R. LaRu
e,
the dog’s ow
ner. “Ike ten
d
s to be a
bit melodram
atic, you kno
w. Now I
can only pra
y that he’ll c
ome back.”
Asked if she
would return
Ike to
Brotweiler A
cademy, Mrs
. LaRue
said that she
would have
to wait
and see. “He
’s a good dog
basically,
but he can b
e difficult. . .
.”
429
October 11 —
Dear Mrs. LaR
Somewhere in
ue,
America
I continue to s
uffer horribly a
s I roam this ba
Who knows wh
rren wasteland
ere my wanderi
.
ngs will take m
someplace wit
e now? Hopefu
h yummy food!
lly to
Remember the
to make for me
special treats
? I miss them.
you used
I miss our nice,
But mostly, I m
c
o
m
fy apartment.
iss you!
Your sad dog,
Ike
P.S. I even miss
the Hibbins’ ca
ts, in a way.
430
till Somewhere
S
—
2
1
r
e
b
o
Oct
ue,
dog. You would
”
y
ra
t
“s
Dear Mrs. LaR
a
r
fo
and cruel place
d to return
e
rd
a
id
h
c
e
a
d
is
e
v
d
a
rl
h
o
I
w
o
.S
The
e.
ery I’ve endured
is
m
e
h
risk I must tak
t
a
e
v
is
e
li
t
e
a
b
h
t
ly
t
e
u
rc
b
,
a
sc
gain
to lock me up a
You may not
.
u
ry
o
t
y
y
t
a
u
m
o
b
u
a
o
Y
y
.
rr
home
han myself, I wo
t
re
o
m
n
e
v
e
,
ly
And frank
u need a dog!
o
y
t
u
b
,
e
u
R
a
L
know it, Mrs.
tood friend,
Your misunders
Ike
431
432
te
t
e
z
a
G
/
r
e
t
s
i
g
e
The Snort City R
Oct obe r 13
HERO DOG SAVES OWNER!
Ike LaRue, until recently a
student at the Igor Brotweiler
Canine Academy, returned to
Snort City yesterday in dramatic
fashion. In fact he arrived just
in time to rescue his owner,
Gertrude R. LaRue of Second
Avenue, from an oncoming truck.
Mrs. LaRue had made the trip
downtown to purchase a new
camel’s hair coat. Apparently she
neglected to look both ways
before stepping out into traffic.
The daring rescue was
witnessed by several onlookers,
including patrolman Newton
Smitzer. “He rolled right across
two lanes of traffic to get at
her,” said Smitzer. “It was really
something. I haven’t seen
rolling like that since I left the
police academy.”
433
Mrs. LaRue w
as unhurt in
the
incident, tho
ugh her coat
was badly
torn. “I don’t
care about th
at,” she
said. “I’m jus
t happy to ha
ve my
Ike back hom
e where he b
elongs!”
434
LaRue said s
he plans to th
row
a big party fo
r the dog. “A
ll the
neighbors w
ill be there, a
nd I’m
going to serv
e Ike’s favori
te
dishes. . . .”
it to
t he
ll be
. . . I’
wa
can’t
the
taste
ie. .
p
n
e
k
. .”
chic
“
435
Write Home About
Mark Teague
Mark Teague says that this story is one of
his favorites. He had lots of fun pretending he was
Ike and writing from a dog’s point of view. Mark
based Ike on two dogs he and his brother had.
One dog loved to eat, the other dog liked to play
tricks. Now Mark has cats. He put them in this
story, too. Mark gets ideas for many of his books
from things he did as a boy. Then he adds a twist
or two to make his stories really funny.
Other books by Mark Teague
Find out more about Mark Teague
at www.macmillanmh.com
Write About It
Ike makes his letters to
Mrs. LaRue very dramatic
so that he can get her
attention. What is the most
dramatic thing you have ever
done to get attention?
436
Comprehension Check
Summarize
Summarize Dear Mrs. LaRue. Include the most important events.
Be sure to tell who is writing the letters and why.
BSfb1ZcSa
1]\QZcaW]\
Think and Compare
1. Do you think Mrs. LaRue misunderstood
Ike? Why or why not? Review your
Conclusions Chart to organize clues and
answer the question. Generate Questions:
Draw Conclusions
2. Look again at pages 420–421 of Dear Mrs. LaRue. Why do you
think the cats were on the fire escape in January? Use story
details in your answer. Analyze
3. If you were Mrs. LaRue, would you believe what Ike said in his
letters? Why or why not? Apply
4. Sometimes people exaggerate a lot, the way Ike does. Why do
you think people do this? Analyze
5. Read “Puppy Trouble” on pages 412–413. Compare it with
Dear Mrs. LaRue. Which story is a fantasy, and which is
realistic? How can you tell? Use details from both selections in
your answer. Reading/Writing Across Texts
437
Science
Genre
News Stories give
up-to-date information
about world events.
Text Feature
Line Graphs show changes
over time.
Content Vocabulary
intelligent
impressive
demonstrated
exposure
phrases
DOG AMAZES SCIENTISTS!
Rico the border collie has a knack for learning words.
by Kim Christopher
GERMANY – A border collie named
Rico is amazing scientists with his
knowledge of human language.
Rico recognizes at least 200 words
and quickly learns and remembers
even more.
Rico began his training when
he was ten months old. His owner,
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Susanne Baus, put toys in different
places and had Rico fetch them
by name. She rewarded Rico with
food or by playing with him. Rico
continued to learn more and more
new words. Scientists first noticed
Rico when he showed off his talent
on a popular German game show.
Science
Border collies are intelligent
medium-sized dogs that have a lot
of energy and are easily trained.
They like to stay busy, and they
like to please their owners.
Even though nine-year-old
Rico knows 200 words, he doesn’t
know as many words as even
the average two-year-old person
does. Human nine-year-olds
know thousands and thousands
of words, and they learn about
ten new words a day. Still, Rico’s
ability to find objects by name is so
impressive that scientists wanted
to study him.
Number of Words a Child Understands
Reading a Line Graph
This graph shows how many words a child understands
at different ages.
Age in Years
5
4
3
2
1
0
200
400
600
800
1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000
Number of Words Known
2200
2400
2600
2800
3000
Humans have the ability to learn words far faster than
even the smartest dog.
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Scientists learned a lot about
Rico as they watched him fetch
familiar toys by name. Then Rico
demonstrated something amazing.
He showed scientists that he could
pick out toys he had never seen
before by name! Scientists put
some familiar toys in a room. They
added a new toy. Rico’s owner
asked him to fetch the new toy.
Most of the time in these tests,
Rico picked out the right toy.
Scientists think that Rico
connects new words to new things.
Since Rico already knows the
names of old toys, he knows he
should pick out a new toy when he
hears a new word.
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Rico can also remember the
name of a new toy after just one
exposure, or experience, with that
toy. This shows scientists that even
though animals are unable to talk,
they can understand words. Rico’s
vocabulary seems to be as large
as that of animals that have been
trained in language. Those animals
include apes, sea lions, dolphins,
and parrots.
Most dog owners will tell you
that their pets are very smart. But
just how smart is Rico? Is he an
outstanding dog in a breed known
to be very intelligent? Or is Rico a
“dog genius”?
Scientists are now studying Rico
to learn more. They want to know
if Rico can understand phrases
such as “put the toy in the box.”
Rico’s owner thinks that he can.
The answers to questions about
Rico’s intelligence are still to come.
The outcome of the study will be
interesting to both scientists and
dog owners all over the world.
Connect and Compare
1. Look at the line graph on page 439. About how many words
does a 4-year-old understand? Reading a Line Graph
2. If you were a scientist, what other animals would you test for
language skills? How would you do that? Synthesize
3. Think about this article and Dear Mrs. LaRue. What do
you think Rico would say if he wrote a letter to his owner?
Reading/Writing Across Texts
Science Activity
Research border collies. Report to the class where this
breed originated and what it does best.
Find out more about border collies at
www.macmillanmh.com
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Writing
Organization
An explanation should start
with a topic sentence and
explain the parts of the
solution in sequence order.
Write About
Solving a
Problem
Keep That Collar On
by Tammy G.
I started with a
topic sentence.
I had a problem with
my dog. I explained
how I solved it.
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Our dog, Daisy, always used to slip
out of her collar and run away. When she
started to do this, we would chase her
down and scold her.
My family discussed how to solve the
problem. We listed different ideas we had.
We crossed out the ideas that wouldn’t
work, like my brother’s idea that we
should stop taking Daisy for walks.
Then we chose the best one.
We got a stretchy
collar, so it
would stay on
Daisy better.
The problem
was solved!
Explanatory Writing
Your Turn
Write one or two paragraphs
to explain how you solved
a problem. Begin by stating
the problem. Then list the
steps you took to solve it. Be
sure to include important and
interesting details. Use the
Writer’s Checklist to check
your writing.
Writer¢s Checklist
Ideas and Content: Did I clearly describe the problem
and how I solved it?
Organization: Did I begin with a topic sentence and
then explain the steps I took to solve the problem?
Voice: Can the reader tell that I care about this topic?
Word Choice: Did I choose words that are precise?
Sentence Fluency: Does my writing sound choppy
when I read it aloud? Can I join some sentences to
improve the flow of my writing?
Conventions: Do pronouns and their antecedents
agree? Did I check my spelling?
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