LESSON 20 TEACHER’S GUIDE
El Camino Real
by Hilary Peterson
Fountas-Pinnell Level S
Humorous Fiction
Selection Summary
El Camino Real, the Royal Road, is a street in Teresa’s town. After her
grandfather tells a story about kings, queens, and nobles that once
lived on the street, Teresa assigns royal roles to people along the
road. Although the results are disastrous, people appreciate Teresa’s
imagination.
Number of Words: 2,361
Characteristics of the Text
Genre
Text Structure
Content
Themes and Ideas
Language and
Literary Features
Sentence Complexity
Vocabulary
Words
Illustrations
Book and Print Features
• Humorous fiction
• Third-person continuous narrative
• No chapters or headings
• Constellations
• Royalty
• Imagination
• Imagination is a wonderful gift.
• Imagination can go too far.
• Assigned dialogue
• Some figurative language (glittered like great sprays of dazzling diamonds flung across
velvet)
• Some longer (15+ words), complex sentence structures, including dialogue
• Questions in dialogue
• Full range of punctuation including dashes, ellipses, parentheses, italics and capitals used
for emphasis
• Terms related to astronomy: constellations, Ursa Major, Big Dipper, Cassiopeia
• Terms related to royalty: lords, ladies, knights, court jester, subjects
• Words that may be challenging to decode, such as realm, curtseyed, plagued
• Some Spanish words
• Stylized illustrations that support the text
• Seventeen pages of text, with illustrations on most pages
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
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El Camino Real
by Hilary Peterson
Build Background
Help students use their knowledge about imagination to visualize the text. Build interest
by asking a question such as the following: Why is imagination a wonderful thing? Read
the title and explain that El Camino Real is Spanish for “the royal road.” Read the title and
author and point out features of the cover illustration that offer clues that the story will be
humorous fiction.
Introduce the Text
Guide students through the text, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar
language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Here are some
suggestions:
Pages 2–3: Explain that this story is about Teresa and her younger sister, Clara,
and how Teresa uses her imagination.
Suggested language: Turn to page 3. Here is a picture of Teresa and Clara. What
are they looking at? Can you identify the constellation that they see?
Page 5: Explain that the girls’ grandfather is telling them a story about the road
named El Camino Real. Then read the sentence near the bottom of the page: “She
had almost believed that El Camino Real was a royal road.” Ask: What might you
predict about the story from this sentence?
Pages 6–7: Draw attention to the illustrations on these two pages. Ask: What
details are realistic? What details show what Teresa imagines?
Page 10: Explain that Teresa gathered neighborhood children and told them about
a ferocious dragon that plagued the kingdom. What might a dragon do to plague a
kingdom?
Now turn back to the beginning and read to find out about Teresa and her
imagination.
Target Vocabulary
antique – an object made many
years ago, p. 8
exploits – brave or daring actions,
p. 10
faithful – loyal, p. 10
ignorance – a lack of knowledge
or awareness of important
things, p. 3
noble – honest, brave, and
unselfish, p. 4
pierced – poked a hole in, p. 9
Grade 5
2
plagued – constantly bothered by
something, p. 10
quests – journeys undertaken in
order to find something, p. 6
thrust – to push in forcefully, p. 9
transformed – totally changed, p. 3
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Read
Have students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud.
Support their understanding of the text as needed.
Remind students to use the Question Strategy
questions about the characters and story events as they read.
and to think of
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite students to share their personal responses to the story.
Suggested language: Do you think Teresa is a likeable character? Why or why not?
Ways of Thinking
As you discuss the text, help students understand these points:
Thinking Within the Text
Thinking Beyond the Text
Thinking About the Text
• Teresa imagines that El Camino
Real is still a “royal road.”
• Imagination is a wonderful gift.
• Stylistic illustrations add to the
creative spirit of the story.
• Teresa and her sister pretend to
turn people along the road into
royal rulers and subjects.
• If used unwisely, imagination can
lead to trouble.
• The main character sometimes
talks as if she were speaking to
royalty.
• In spite of some unfortunate
results, people appreciate
Teresa’s imagination.
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Choices for Further Support
• Fluency Invite students to take the role of one of the characters and read and act out
the dialogue on page 14, or use this part for readers’ theater. Ask students to think
about the characters in this part of the story—are they happy or sad; are they having
fun or are they being serious? Have the students try to imitate the character’s voice
when they read.
• Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion,
revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go
back to the text to support their ideas.
• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with hyphenated compound words,
using examples from the text. Remind students that some adjectives are hyphenated
compound words. Have students note the placement of the hyphen in the adjective
silver-colored (p. 6). Ask the students to find other hyphenated adjectives in the story.
(oval-shaped, p. 9; make-believe, p. 10)
Grade 5
3
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Writing about Reading
Critical Thinking
Have students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 20.8.
Responding
Have students complete the activities at the back of the book, using their Reader’s
Notebook. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding
of the comprehension skill.
Target Comprehension Skill
Understanding Characters
Remind students that they can understand a
character by looking for details of the character’s thoughts, actions, and words. Model
how to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:
Think Aloud
Teresa decides to treat everyone like royalty. You can add that thought
to the first column. Teresa places a crown on Clara’s head and declares
her to be a princess. You can add that to the Actions column and to the
Words column. These details suggest that Teresa has a big imagination.
Practice the Skill
Have students share examples of another story in which details help them make inferences
about characters.
Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the Text
Have students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they
think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understandings.
Assessment Prompts
• Why do you think the author begins the book with the description of Teresa and Clara
looking at constellations?
• On page 9, what does the butcher say that shows he has a sense of humor?
• What sentences on page 10 show that Clara is developing her imagination?
Grade 5
4
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English Language Development
Reading Support Check regularly on students’ oral reading to determine accuracy,
fluency, and comprehension.
Vocabulary Students will need to understand terms related to royalty and a royal
society. Familiarize students with the meaning of royal, lords, ladies, knights, servants,
court jester, and loyal subjects.
Oral Language Development
Check student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’
English proficiency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.
Beginning/Early Intermediate
Intermediate
Early Advanced/ Advanced
Speaker 1: What does El Camino Real
mean?
Speaker 1: What happens when Teresa
puts a crown on the crossing guard’s
head?
Speaker 1: Teresa admits that she
let her imagination “run away.”
What does “run away” mean in
this context?
Speaker 2: the royal road
Speaker 2: The guard falls onto her
chair.
Speaker 1: Where does Teresa get the
idea that royal subjects live along the
road?
Speaker 1: What happens when Teresa
puts a helmet on the butcher’s head?
Speaker 2: from her grandfather’s story
Speaker 2: It gets stuck. She has to slide
it off with butter.
Speaker 1: What does Clara
accidentally do in the bakery?
Speaker 2: Teresa’s imagination
gets out of control. Because of
her imagination, the crossing
guard fell, a helmet got stuck
on the butcher’s head, and the
baker’s wedding cake was ruined.
Speaker 2: knocks over a cake
Lesson 20
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 20.8
Date
Critical Thinking
El Camino Real
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions. Possible responses shown.
Responding
1. Think within the text What advice does Teresa give Clara when
they are looking at the stars?
Understanding Characters
What do Teresa and Clara have in common? How
are they different? Copy and complete the chart
below to answer the questions.
TARGET SKILL
to look at things creatively
2. Think within the text What title does Marva suggest for herself?
Crossing Guard Queen
3. Think beyond the text Is there such a thing as being too
Thoughts
Actions
thinks in
imaginative ways
sees a mermaid
among the stars
Words
imaginative? Do Teresa and Clara use their imagination too much?
They are using their imagination too much if they stop paying
?
attention to what’s going on around them.
4. Think about the text Why do you think the author has the
grandfather give advice about using imagination wisely?
The author makes the grandfather a good role model for balancing
imagination with reality.
Write About It
Making Connections Have you ever played a game like Teresa and Clara’s?
Explain the make-believe game you played, or see if you could make one up.
Text to World In El Camino Real, Teresa creates a
fantasy story about the main street in her town.
Think of another real place that people might
tell fantasy stories about. Write two paragraphs
describing that place and explaining how it might
spark people’s imaginations.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Critical Thinking
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10
Grade 5, Unit 4: What’s Your Story?
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5
3/23/09 11:32:37 AM
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Name
Date
El Camino Real
Thinking Beyond the Text
Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in two paragraphs.
Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal
knowledge to reach new understandings.
Teresa made people in her community—the crossing guard, the butcher,
the baker—into royal rulers and subjects. Do you think it is good that Teresa
has such a vivid imagination? Why or why not? Do you think her
imagination will continue to grow in the future? Why or why not?
Grade 5
6
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Lesson 20
Name
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 20.8
Critical Thinking
El Camino Real
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions.
1. Think within the text What advice does Teresa give Clara when
they are looking at the stars?
2. Think within the text What title does Marva suggest for herself?
3. Think beyond the text Is there such a thing as being too
imaginative? Do Teresa and Clara use their imagination too much?
4. Think about the text Why do you think the author has the
grandfather give advice about using imagination wisely?
Making Connections Have you ever played a game like Teresa and Clara’s?
Explain the make-believe game you played, or see if you could make one up.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Grade 5
7
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Student
Lesson 20
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 20.12
El Camino Real • LEVEL S
page
8
El Camino Real
Running Record Form
Selection Text
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Total SelfCorrections
Teresa daydreamed her way through the morning. In art class,
she created an illustrated chart in which she assigned every
person in the class a role in her royal realm. Some of her
classmates became knights or servants. Others became lords
or ladies. There were even musicians and a court jester.
In social studies class, she imagined that the map of the
United States was an antique map of neighboring kingdoms.
When her teacher, Mr. Wells, asked her to name the capital of
Minnesota, she answered, “Verily, sir, I do not know this
Minnesota.”
Mr. Wells was not amused.
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/99 × 100)
%
Read word correctly
Code
✓
cat
Repeated word,
sentence, or phrase
®
Omission
—
cat
cat
Grade 5
Behavior
Error
0
0
Substitution
Code
cut
cat
1
Self-corrects
cut sc
cat
0
Insertion
the
1
cat
Error
1414331
Behavior
ˆ
Word told
1
8
T
cat
1
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