LESSON 21 TEACHER’S GUIDE
Riding with the Pony Express
by Ian Ward
Fountas-Pinnell Level T
Historical Fiction
Selection Summary
Mining for gold with his Uncle Charlie is boring for Ned Benson. He
convinces his uncle to let him apply for work as a Pony Express rider.
Luckily, Ned gets the chance and proves himself a capable rider.
Number of Words: 2,773
Characteristics of the Text
Genre
Text Structure
Content
Themes and Ideas
Language and
Literary Features
Sentence Complexity
Vocabulary
Words
Illustrations
Book and Print Features
• Historical fiction
• Third-person narrative; plot developed through detailed episodes
• Setting described through text and illustrations, including a map
• Mining in Gold Rush–era California
• Responsibilities and challenges of Pony Express riders
• Dangers of the Pony Express route
• Doing work you enjoy
• Working to prove one’s worth and responsibility
• Honesty and courage as important values
• Complex plot creates suspense
• Language specific to 1800s California setting: goldfields, highwaymen
• Figurative language: in no time flat; as big as cherries
• Mix of short and complex sentences
• Wide range of declarative, imperative, and interrogative sentences
• Words and phrases associated with mining for gold: sluice box, prospectors, nuggets
• Words related to horses and riding with the Pony Express: saddle sores, mustangs, spurs
• Spanish words—mochila, cantinas—defined in text
• Multisyllable words: ridiculed, furiously, highwaymen
• Some easy compound words: saddlebag, snowdrifts
• Illustrations reflect the setting, time period, support text, add interest
• Seventeen pages of text with illustrations on approximately half of the pages
• Italics for characters’ thoughts and for emphasis
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
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Riding with the Pony Express
by Ian Ward
Build Background
Have students share what they know about the subject to help them visualize the story.
Build interest by asking a question such as the following: What do you know about the
Pony Express? Read the title and author and talk about the illustration on the cover.
Explain that this is an example of historical fiction that is set in the mid-1800s in California.
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: Have students look at the illustration on page 2. Explain that the main
character, Ned Benson, is pouring water into a sluice box. Suggested language:
Ned works for his Uncle Charlie, prospecting for gold. The text on page 3 says that
Ned likes horses, and that’s one reason he wants to ride for the Pony Express. Ask:
What reasons, besides loving horses, might a boy have for wanting to work on the
Pony Express mail delivery route?
Page 5: Look at the sentence in the middle of the page with the italicized word.
Ned says, “I’m the right size—they want boys with stunted growth like me. Finally,
being small is a factor in my favor.” Why might stunted growth not be a problem
for a Pony Express rider?
Page 6: Explain that the Pony Express rider being helped off his horse has been
shot in the shoulder by highwaymen, which is a name for a type of 19th-century
robber.
Page 9: Have students locate the word pace in the second paragraph and read the
sentence aloud (At this pace, they’d reach Sportsman’s Hall well before noon.).
Ask: What does Ned mean when he says “at this pace”?
Now turn back to the beginning of the story and read to find out what challenges
Ned faces as a young Pony Express rider.
Target Vocabulary
evident – very easy to see or
perceive, p. 6
pace – the rate at which
something is done, p. 9
shuffled – walked without lifting
your feet p. 10
factor – something that brings
about a result, p. 5
salvation – something or
someone that saves or
rescues, p. 5
stunted – growth stopped or
slowed, p. 5
mirage – an image in the distance
that appears to be real, but is
not, p. 15
Grade 5
seep – to pass slowly through
small openings, p. 12
2
undoubtedly – not questioned,
p. 2
vain – no chance of success,
p. 16
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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 Visualize Strategy
as they read. Tell them
to picture in their minds how Ned handles the challenge of being a Pony Express rider.
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite students to share their personal responses to the text.
Suggested language: What did Ned have to do to convince others that he could ride with
the Pony Express? Which of his words or actions do you think were most important?
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
• Ned Benson loves riding horses
and wants to ride with the Pony
Express.
• Believing in yourself and
following your dreams can help
you be successful.
• Chronological order of events
makes the story easy to follow.
• When another rider is injured,
Ned gets the chance to prove
himself as a rider.
• People and animals can form a
strong, successful team.
• Descriptive details help readers
visualize characters, setting, and
events.
• Although the characters and
events are fiction, the details
about the Pony Express are
authentic.
• Ned braves stormy weather and
dodges highwaymen on a ride
from Placerville to Sacramento
to deliver the mail on time.
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Choices for Further Support
• Fluency Invite students to choose a passage from the text for a readers’ theater in
which they demonstrate phrased fluent reading. Remind them to use punctuation to
guide phrasing; to emphasize italicized terms; and to vary tone, pitch, and volume in
giving expression to the different voices in the story.
• 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 words and word parts, using
examples from the text. Point out the word prospectors on page 3. Explain that the
suffix –or has been added to the base word prospect to form prospector, meaning
“one who mines,” or “a miner.” Remind students that looking for base words, suffixes,
and prefixes can help them figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words. Have students
use this strategy for other words in the story, such as undoubtedly (p. 2), dismounted
(p. 10), amazingly (p. 12), and steepest (p. 15).
Grade 5
3
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Writing about Reading
Critical Thinking
Have students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 21.8.
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
Sequence of Events
Remind students that they can use signal words,
dates, and times to help them identify and follow the sequence of events. Model how
to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:
Think Aloud
On the ride from Placerville to Sacramento, Ned travels a muddy, slippery
downhill road. By late afternoon, he is riding a roan stallion and past
the hardest part of the trail when he feels a bullet shot by highwaymen
whistle past his ear. Ned slaps the stallion on the rear, and it races away
at full speed. Getting shot at and escaping from the highwaymen on the
stallion are two more events that happen in sequence after the first event.
Practice the Skill
Have students share their examples of other places in the story where identifying the
sequence of events helped them understand the plot.
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
• What does Ned say on page 5 to convince Uncle Charlie to let him try riding with the
Pony Express?
• Which sentences from page 9 of the story show that Ned is a natural rider?
• What can the reader conclude about the challenges of riding for the Pony Express as
described in this story? Why do you think that?
Grade 5
4
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English Language Development
Reading Support Give English learners a “preview” of the text by holding a brief
small-group discussion with them before reading the text with the entire group. Remind
students that when another Pony Express rider is injured, Ned gets the chance to prove
himself.
Vocabulary The story includes terms that refer to different horses, such as mustangs,
chestnuts, and roans. Explain that a mustang is a type of wild horse, descended from the
horses brought to North America by Spanish soldiers. The terms chestnut and roan refer
to a horse’s coloring.
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: Who is the story about?
Speaker 1: Why does Ned get a chance
to be a Pony Express rider?
Speaker 1: Why does Ned want to
see Uncle Charlie at the end of
the story?
Speaker 2: Ned Benson
Speaker 1: What animals does Ned
like?
Speaker 2: horses
Speaker 1: What do Pony Express
riders carry?
Speaker 2: mail
Speaker 2: Another rider is shot by
highwaymen and can’t ride.
Speaker 2: He wants to tell him
about his adventure while riding
from Placerville to Sacramento.
He wants Uncle Charlie to know
that he can do the job, and that
he likes it.
Speaker 1: What challenges does Ned
face as a Pony Express rider?
Speaker 2: He faces challenges such
as stormy weather, hilly places, and
highwaymen.
Lesson 21
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 21.8
Date
Critical Thinking
Riding with the
Pony Express
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions. Possible responses shown.
1. Think within the text What does Ned want to do instead of
working the goldfields?
ride for the Pony Express
2. Think within the text What happens to Ned after he arrives at
Sportsman’s Hall at 11:15?
Ned gives the station keeper his mochila; the station keeper asks
Ned to go back to Placerville; Ned eats his meal; Ned gets a fresh
horse with a new mochila and rides off.
3. Think beyond the text Why do you think Ned wants to ride with
the Pony Express?
He may want to do something he feels is important or that is more
interesting than working the goldfields.
4. Think about the text Why do you think the author includes the
stories of the other Pony Express riders, such as Sam Hamilton and
Warren Upson?
The stories of those riders’ challenges gives the reader an idea of
how difficult it is to be a Pony Express rider. The stories also set
the story up for Ned’s own struggles to come.
Making Connections Pretend you want to get a job riding with the Pony
Express like Ned. Write a short letter explaining why you want to be one of
their riders.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
10
Critical Thinking
Grade 5, Unit 5: Under Western Skies
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5
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Lesson 21: Riding with the Pony Express
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First Pass
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Name
Date
Riding with the Pony Express
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.
On page 17, after leaving the roan stallion in Sacramento, Ned feels as if he
were leaving a friend. What does this show you about Ned? What kind of
person is Ned? What kind of job do you think Ned might want to have if he
lived today? Use details from the story to explain your answer.
Grade 5
6
Lesson 21: Riding with the Pony Express
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Lesson 21
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 21.8
Date
Critical Thinking
Riding with the
Pony Express
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions.
1. Think within the text What does Ned want to do instead of
working the goldfields?
2. Think within the text What happens to Ned after he arrives at
Sportsman’s Hall at 11:15?
3. Think beyond the text Why do you think Ned wants to ride with
the Pony Express?
4. Think about the text Why do you think the author includes the
stories of the other Pony Express riders, such as Sam Hamilton and
Warren Upson?
Making Connections Pretend you want to get a job riding with the Pony
Express like Ned. Write a short letter explaining why you want to be one of
their riders.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Grade 5
7
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Student
Lesson 21
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 21.12
Riding with the Pony Express
Riding with the Pony
Express
Running Record Form
LEVEL T
page
9
Selection Text
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Total SelfCorrections
As Ned rode, he thought about what lay ahead. He’d read every
news story he could find about the Pony Express. He knew
about the first ride to Sportsman’s Hall by Sam Hamilton.
Nothing stopped him—not rain or sleet, not even having to run
on foot when his horse stumbled on the icy trail. Ned had also
read about Warren Upson, who took that first mail from
Hamilton and plunged through the deep snowdrifts over the
mountains. Ned even knew about “Pony Bob” Haslam, who
rode 380 miles by himself when Indian raids scared off all the
other riders and horses.
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/101 ×
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
1414332
Behavior
ˆ
Word told
1
8
T
cat
1
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