Monday, September 23
Pages from the Dictionary
Most dictionaries list two guide words at the top of each page: the first and last entries
on that page. If you saw the words “camel to candle” at the top of the page, you would find
all the words between those two entries in alphabetical order. Below are boldface pairs of
guide words like those you might find at the top of a dictionary page. One word on each
list would not appear on the page indicated by the two words given. Circle that word. We’ve
done the first one for you.
1. blouse to blunt:
a. blue
b. blow
c. blot
d. bluff
b. kidney
c. kelp
d. key
b. homonym
c. home
d. hone
b. perspire
c. personal
d. perpetrate
b. adjacent
c. addendum
d. adequate
b. pursue
c. purple
d. purloin
b. discuss
c. discourage
d. disgruntle
b. white
c. whimsy
d. whisper
b. endless
c. empty
d. enable
b. quotation
c. quintet
d. quibble
2. ketchup to kiln:
a. khaki
3. holograph to honest:
a. holler
4. perpetual to pertain:
a. persevere
5. addition to adjust:
a. adjourn
6. puppy to push:
a. puppet
7. disconnect to disgraceful:
a. discreet
8. whimsical to whistle:
a. whirlwind
9. employee to end:
a. enchant
10. quill to quotient:
a. quixotic
Monday, September 23
Plurals
The plural form of a noun is spelled differently than the singular form. When you read,
look to see if a noun is singular or plural.
Type of Plural Examples
Most plural nouns have an s at the end.
books
Nouns that end in sh, ch, x, s, or ss have es at the end for their plural form.
dishes, lunches, boxes, circuses, guesses
Nouns that end in a consonant and y drop the y and have ies at the end for their plural
form.
penny
pennies
A. Study the chart above. Then use it to help you find and circle the plural noun in
each sentence. The first one is done for you.
1. Ming put the dishes on the table.
2. How many peaches did you bring to the picnic?
3. The teacher read two stories aloud.
4. The buses were lined up by the curb.
5. The boys ran into the gym.
6. Kevin put his glasses in a case.
7. The mailboxes are in the lobby.
B. Write the plural form for each word below. Use the chart to help you.
1. berry ________________________
5. match ________________________
2. mess ________________________
6. dog __________________________
3. mix _________________________
7. eyelash _______________________
4. computer _____________________
8. hobby ________________________
Tuesday, September 24
Read the paragraph. Then answer the questions.
About Hippos
The hippopotamus spends a lot of time in water. In
fact, the name of this amazing African animal means
“river horse.” During a hot day, a hippo will spend
hours in rivers and lakes. Only its eyes, ears, and
nostrils can be seen above the water. This helps to keep the hairless animal from getting
sunburned. Although it eats water plants, the hippo goes ashore at night to find larger
plants. If it is the dry season and the water is low, a hippo rolls in mud to cover its huge
body. This way its skin doesn’t dry out.
1. The main idea of this paragraph is
a. a hippopotamus is a water horse.
b. this animal is a plant-eater.
c. hippos live only in Africa.
d. a hippo spends a lot of time in water.
2. A supporting detail is
a. sometimes hippos overturn boats.
b. sunburn is a problem for many animals.
c. a hippo likes to roll in mud.
d. water protects a hippo’s skin from the sun.
3. Which word in the passage is a clue to how the writer feels about hippos?
a. huge
b. hairless
c. amazing
4. From this paragraph, you can conclude that hippos
a. like to hide.
b. have sensitive skin.
c. are lazy.
d. are night creatures.
Tuesday, September 24
Read the paragraph. Then answer the questions.
Olympic Jobs
Everyone knows that thousands of athletes compete in
the Olympic Games and that hundreds of thousands of
visitors attend. But did you know that about 60,000 more
people work to make the Olympics run smoothly? That’s
pretty impressive! Some of these workers are paid, but thousands of others are
volunteers. All of them have to be trained for their job. These workers do everything
from sweeping up litter to escorting competitors to selling tickets to announcing winners.
1. A title that best summarizes this paragraph is
a. How Athletes Compete at the Games.
b. Tips for Visitors to the Olympics.
c. Working as a Ticket Seller.
d. Workers Behind the Olympics.
2. In this paragraph, the word volunteers means
a. litter sweepers.
b. unpaid workers.
c. competitors.
d. athletic winners.
3. From this paragraph, you can conclude that
a. the Olympics are a lot of fun.
b. Olympic workers are paid well.
c. running the Olympics is a big job.
d. most Olympic visitors help out.
4. Reread the paragraph. Write a sentence that is an opinion from the paragraph.
(Remember an opinion is what someone thinks and it can’t be proven.)
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Wednesday, September 25
Plurals
The plural form of a noun is spelled differently than the singular form. When you read,
look to see if a noun is singular or plural.
Type of Plural Examples
Most plural nouns have an s at the end.
books
Nouns that end in sh, ch, x, s, or ss have es at the end for their plural form.
dishes, lunches, boxes, circuses, guesses
Nouns that end in a consonant and y drop the y and have ies at the end for their plural
form.
penny
pennies
Circle the word that best tells about each picture.
1.
2.
3.
a. puppy
a. bush
a. fixes
b. poppy
b. brush
b. foxes
c. puppies
c. brushes
c. fox
Circle the correct word to complete each sentence.
1. Noah played several _____ on the piano.
2. The girls planned to go to the _____ on Saturday.
melody
melodies
beach
beaches
3. There were three _____ to the accident.
witness
witnesses
4. People pay state and federal _____ in April.
tax
taxes
5. The flowers were in a large _____.
basket
baskets
Wednesday, September 25
There are two main kinds of nouns: proper nouns and common nouns. A proper noun names
a particular person, place or thing and begins with a capital letter. A common noun names a
class of things.
Examples:
Proper Nouns
Common Nouns
Mississippi River
river
Florida
state
North America
continent
Underline the common nouns and circle the proper nouns in each sentence. The first
one is done for you.
1. The Empire State Building is a very tall building located in New York.
2. That mouse is laughing at the monkey.
3. Old Yeller is my favorite book.
4. Alex waxed his new car.
5. The boys bicycled across Ohio.
6. Allen made French toast for everyone.
7. The White House is the home of the President.
8. Dr. Johnson gave the baby a shot.
9. Philadelphia is a city in Pennsylvania.
10. Michael was excited about his new skateboard.
11. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.
12. The boy waited for the bus.
13. Susan said that she finished her work.
14. I can only see three books on Marsha’s desk.
Thursday, September 26
Read the paragraph. Answer the questions.
What’s the secret of a winning cyclist? Skill, daring, and good preparation do make a
difference, of course, but another answer is technology. Since bicycle races are often
very close, riders need every advantage they can get. For instance, a racer might wear a
suit designed so that it has no creases or wrinkles to affect the airflow. Special racing
shoes are covered with a seamless silver fabric for the same reason. Aerodynamic brakes
and a bike frame made to cut through the air effectively are also part of a racer’s
equipment.
Choose the answer that best completes each sentence.
1. From this paragraph you can conclude that
a. cyclists like to look good when racing.
b. many riders wear the wrong kind of clothing.
c. air resistance affects a rider’s speed.
d. some riders don’t spend enough time training.
2. From the paragraph you cannot tell
a. what materials are used in making racing bikes.
b. that riders need every advantage they can get.
c. that bicycle races are often very close.
d. that riders must have skill to win a race.
Thursday, September 26
Read the paragraph. Answer the questions.
Elephants don’t usually dress up, but some clothing designers thought that these large
animals could be quite fashionable. So the designers made some oversize outfits such as
tweed suits, a cloak, and some dresses. They even included gigantic earrings and shoes.
The designers had to use stepladders to get their models dressed, but the elephants were
very well behaved. When all was ready, a photographer took pictures for a fashion
magazine. The money the elephants made from their modeling was donated to some
elephant causes.
Choose the answer that best completes each sentence.
1. From this paragraph you can conclude that
a. elephants enjoy reading fashion magazines.
b. the clothing designers wanted to get attention.
c. many people bought the elephant clothes.
d. the elephants often work as fashion models.
2. From the paragraph you cannot tell
a. how the elephants’ earnings were used.
b. why the designers made elephant clothes.
c. what color clothes the elephants modeled.
d. how the elephants acted when they were dressed.