Big idea: How do we decide what’s
important?
Essential question: How do you
express that something is important
to you?
Dear Family:
Focus Areas
This week our class will be focusing on how people express
what’s important to them. We will also discuss how finding the
right words helps people express themselves. Students have
been encouraged to bring an item into school that expresses
something about them.
Vocabulary
(Define, Give an example, Ask a question)
barren
•Something that is barren is lifeless and not able to
grow anything.
expression
• Expression is putting thoughts or feelings into words
or actions.
meaningful
• Something meaningful has importance or a purpose.
plumes
•Plumes are big, fluffy feathers or feathery parts.
alliteration
•Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant
sound at the beginning of a group of words.
lyric
•A lyric poem is a short poem that expresses personal
feelings.
meter
• Meter is a repeating pattern of stressed and unstressed
syllables.
stanza
• A stanza is a group of lines in a poem.
Reading skill: theme
Genre: lyric and free verse
Literary elements: stanza & meter
Vocabulary strategy: simile &
metaphor
Writing trait: word choice
Grammar: pronouns and homophones
Spelling: suffixes –ance & -ence
Spelling
Words that end with the suffix
–ance or –ence
List: distance, assistance, importance,
ignorance, ambulance, brilliance,
attendance, balance, persistence,
residence, performance, radiance,
dependence, resistance, substance,
reluctance, disturbance, absence,
appearance, hesitance
Review: creature, measure, rancher
Challenge: vigilance, inference
Here are some extension and enrichment activities that you can do with your child to help reinforce the skills we’ll
be practicing.
Word Workout
•
•
•
Words to Know: simile and metaphor You and your child work together to build sentences using the
vocabulary words. You will start with one word in one sentence, then two words in one sentence, and so on until you
have included all four words in one sentence
Spelling/Phonics: suffixes –ence & -ance You will say a word, and your child will tell you whether the word
ends in -ance or -ence and then spell the whole word. Then your child will make a chart of the words according to their
endings.
Word sorts & Go Fish: suffixes Point out that the spellings for the suffixes –ance and –ence remain consistent
with all words, but writer’s must memorize which suffix to use in particular cases. Pick a card one at a time. Have you
child tell you which pattern it belongs to. Try playing go fish, using the suffixes, syllables, or meanings as the “fish”.
Comprehension: theme
•
In this activity, you and your child recall a TV show, movie, video game, and book and decide what the theme of each
one was.
Word Workout
Words to Know
Let’s see how many of these words we can use in one sentence. First,
we’ll use each word by itself in a sentence. Next we’ll use two different
list words in each sentence. Then we’ll see how many combinations of
three words we can use in one sentence. Finally, we’ll try for the grand
finale—all four words in a single sentence!
plumes
barren
meaningful
expression
Spelling Words
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
These spelling words all end in either -ance or -ence. I’ll say a word
out loud, and you tell me which ending it has. Then spell the word for
me. As we go along, we can make a chart that groups the words by
their endings.
distance
importance
balance
attendance
absence
performance
dependence
substance
disturbance
appearance
assistance
ignorance
brilliance
ambulance
residence
radiance
resistance
reluctance
persistence
hesitance
Challenge:
vigilance
inference
Review:
creature
measure
rancher
Unit 4 • Week 5
99
Comprehension: Theme
Remember the Theme!
Let’s think of a TV show, video game, book, or movie we’ve watched,
played, or read. Write the title in the correct picture. Then think about the
theme of each one. We’ll talk about each one and jot down our ideas.
Video
Game
TV show
Book
Movie
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
100
Unit 4 • Week 5
Copyright © The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
distance
importance
balance
attendance
absence
performance
dependence
substance
disturbance
appearance
assistance
ignorance
brilliance
ambulance
residence
radiance
resistance
reluctance
persistence
hesitance
Spelling Word Cards
Unit 4 • Week 5
61