CONTENTS
Interview
“Backstage with Chris and Casey” . . . . . . . . 144
Build Fluency
• Read with accuracy.
• Use punctuation marks to help read a sentence.
Build Vocabulary
• Read, write, and learn the meanings of new words.
Review Vocabulary
• Read theme vocabulary words in a different context.
Fable
“The Cracked Chinese Jug” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
by Carolyn Han • illustrated by Christine Joy Pratt
Read Ahead
• Review how to read ahead to find more information.
Use Story Structure
• Review how to use the way stories are arranged to
understand what you read.
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’ The a t
s
r
e
d
W
Re a
E RV I E
er
I NT
Re a ding Fic t ion
FABLE
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versions
rehearse
mandatory
criticize
immerse
dialogue
Reading for Fluency
When you read a script aloud,
• read carefully so that you
make as few mistakes as
possible.
• group words that go together
to make your reading sound
natural.
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Roles
Chris
Casey
Director
Actor
Designer
Crew Leader
Setting: Backstage in a large theater
Chris: We are backstage at the play Sleeping Beauty. The play
will open tonight to a sold-out audience.
Casey: We are delighted to be interviewing some of the cast and
crew of Sleeping Beauty. We have many questions for them.
Let’s get started!
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Chris: Welcome, Director. Would you please start by telling us
what a director does?
Director: Being a director takes an enormous amount of work.
My job is to put the whole show together. I have been
working on Sleeping Beauty for almost six months. Tonight,
we will perform for an audience for the first time.
Chris: How did you get started on this play?
Director: First, I chose the script. There are
many versions of Sleeping Beauty. I chose
the one that I thought told the story in the
most interesting way.
Chris: What did you do after you had a script?
Director: I found actors, designers, and
crew members.
Casey: Did your job become
easier after you had people
to help you?
Director: I hired great
people, but the hard
part had just begun.
Putting on a play is
a lot of work. We
needed to rehearse
every day. We have
had mandatory
rehearsals every day
for more than two
months.
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Flue ncy Tip
When you read large
sections of text, be sure
not to skip over any
words. Read the section
to yourself before you
read it aloud.
Chris: What happens at a rehearsal?
Director: The actors practice their parts again and
again. Part of my job is to pay attention to their
acting. Then I give them tips on how they can
make the performance better.
Casey: That sounds interesting. What is the hardest
part of being a director?
Director: Good question. It is difficult to criticize an
actor’s work. I try to do it gently. I don’t want to
hurt the actor’s feelings. I just want to show him
or her a better way to do things.
Chris: That does sound difficult.
Director: It is, but the hardest part of directing is
taking a good play and making it into a great
play. This takes a lot of work from everyone,
especially the actors.
Chris: What does an actor do besides say lines?
Actor: I can answer this question for you. Reading
and learning lines is just a small part of an
actor’s job.
Casey: I thought so. Please tell me more about
your job.
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Flue ncy Tip
Actor: Acting is a lot of work. For example, to
play Sleeping Beauty, I had to do a lot
of work ahead of time. I watched and
read many versions of the story.
Chris: That sounds like fun!
Actor: It was, but I didn’t read the
stories just to enjoy them. I paid
attention to how Sleeping Beauty
acted in each one. After I got the
script for this production, I practiced
reading the lines in different ways.
Casey: How did you decide which way to
use?
Actor: My director was a big help. He
suggested that I play Sleeping Beauty
as a heroic character. Now I use a bold,
brave-sounding voice to read my lines.
Chris: How else do you make your character
special?
Actor: I practice reading my lines so that
they sound natural. Of course, I wouldn’t
be Sleeping Beauty without my glorious
costume!
Casey: That leads us to our next guest, the
designer. Are you responsible for all the
costumes?
Try reading aloud as if
you were speaking to a
group of your friends.
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Designer: That’s right. I work with a team that
makes costumes for our production. I love to
draw, so I really enjoy creating costumes.
Chris: Do you design anything else?
Designer: Oh, yes. I want to immerse our audience in the world
of Sleeping Beauty. To do this, I design the sets to look real.
Casey: You must be very busy!
Designer: I am! I help the director with the lights, sound
effects, and music. Then I work with the crew leader to make
our ideas come to life.
Casey: I’m impressed. How did you learn about design?
Designer: I went to an art
school. I like to read about
famous artists and designers.
I get ideas by going to plays
and museums. I learn about
design all the time just by
looking at the world around me!
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Flue ncy Tip
Chris: Crew Leader, I just heard a bit about your
To sound natural, group
job from the designer.
words that go together
instead of reading one
Crew Leader: That’s right. My team and I help all
word at a time.
the people in the show do their jobs. We make
sure that things go smoothly.
Casey: What are some of the jobs that you do?
Crew Leader: My biggest job is to run the soundboard. The
soundboard controls all the sound in the show. I make sure
that the audience can hear the dialogue and the music.
Chris: It would be hard to understand the play without your
help!
Crew Leader: The amount of work isn’t a burden to me. I just
need to pay careful attention to what is happening onstage. I
need to be able to fix any problem quickly so that the show is
not ruined by a problem with the sound.
Casey: Thank you all so much for your time. I know you have a
lot to do to prepare for the opening tonight.
Chris: We have one more question for each of you to answer
before you go. What would you tell someone who
dreams of being in your shoes one day? Crew
Leader, let’s start with you.
Crew Leader: Anyone who wants to be a crew
leader must be able to pay attention to details
and solve problems quickly.
Casey: What advice would you give, Director?
Director: A director must get along well with
people. When you respect others, it is easier to
work with them.
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Chris: Great advice, Director. What would you say,
Actor?
Actor: To become good at what I do, I had to work hard for
many years. I take my job very seriously, and I practice.
Anyone who wants to do my job would need to do the same.
Casey: Finally, Designer, what advice would you give?
Designer: I would tell the person to be creative. It is important
to study and read about great artists. It is also important to
have your own ideas and share them with the world.
Chris: Thank you again for telling about your jobs.
Casey: Good luck, and thanks for joining us backstage!
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Lesson 20
Comprehension Strategies
Bridge to Content-Area Reading Fables are
brief stories that are used to teach valuable lessons.
The notes on page 153 show some of the features
of a fable. Scan the pages for this information each
time you read a fable.
Review the Focus Strategies
You can also use the strategies you learned in this
theme to help you read fables.
Monitor Comprehension — Read Ahead
If you have trouble understanding what you have read, try
reading ahead. You may find information that explains what
was difficult to understand.
Use Story Structure
Use what you know about how stories are arranged to help
you understand what you read. Think about the characters,
setting, problem, and solution of the story.
As you read “The Cracked Chinese Jug” on pages
153-154, think about where and how to use the
comprehension strategies.
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TITLE:
The title may give you clues about
the characters and setting.
ILLUSTRATIONS:
Use the illustrations to help
you understand the setting of
the fable.
by Carolyn Han
BEGINNING, MIDDLE, AND END:
A fable has a clear beginning,
middle and end.
MORAL:
The moral of the story is the
lesson. The moral is found at the
end of the story.
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Apply the Strategies Read the fable “The Cracked
Chinese Jug”. As you read, stop and think about how
you are using comprehension strategies.
Each morning Han Han fetched
water for his village from the river.
He placed a bamboo shoulder pole
across his back and put the empty
by Carolyn Han
jugs on either side.
When Han Han returned to the
village, he had one and a half jugs of water. One clay jug had a tiny crack,
and some of its water had leaked out.
The perfect jug was proud of itself. It had carried a full load of water.
But the imperfect jug was embarrassed. It had done only half of the work.
One day the cracked jug could stand it no longer. “I’m a failure,” it
cried. “Why do I have a crack?”
Ignoring the jug’s cry, Han Han carefully filled both jugs with water at
the river. By the time they reached the village, the cracked jug was again
only half full. “Why don’t you throw me away?” asked the broken jug.
Han Han smiled at the jugs and put them on the shelf.
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d
Stop an Think
How could you use story structure to help you understand
the story? Why might you read ahead?
The next morning when Han Han placed the jugs on the ends
of his shoulder pole, he said to the broken one, “For months, I’ve
heard you complain.”
“I’m ashamed of myself,” answered the cracked jug. “I’m
worthless.”
“Today when we return to the village, I want you to look along
the path,” said Han Han.
It was the first time the broken jug noticed the flowers. The
colorful flowers made the cracked jug very happy. But then it
remembered its crack and the leaking water, and again it felt sad.
“What did you think of the flowers?” asked Han Han.
“They’re pretty,” replied the jug. “They’re only growing on my
side of the path.”
“That’s right,” said Han Han. “For
months you’ve watered the wildflower
seeds. Your ‘failure,’ as you call it, has
changed our village and made it more
beautiful.”
“Then all that time I felt
useless,” said the cracked jug, “my flaw
was really my most valuable part!”
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