Transcript Letters Home from Yosemite Written and Illustrated by: Lisa Halvorsen

Letters Home
from Yosemite
Written and Illustrated by:
Lisa Halvorsen
Visit the Author
Summary
Yosemite National
Park is an amazing
place. In one visit,
you can see giant
trees, towering
mountains, and
interesting wildlife.
Study Skills
 Genre:
Narrative Nonfiction
 Comprehension Skill:
Main Idea
 Comprehension Strategy:
Graphic Organizers
 Comprehension Review Skill:
Fact and Opinion
 Vocabulary: Suffixes
Genre: Narrative Nonfiction

Narrative nonfiction tells the
story of real people, places, or
events. The narrator, or teller of
the story, presents information
in sequence. Notice this
sequence as you read
about Yosemite
National Park.
Comprehension Strategy –
Graphic Organizers TE 112
 Using
a graphic organizer can help
you to understand what you read.
 Examples of graphic organizers
are webs, charts, and diagrams.
 A sequence chart can help you see
the sequence of an article and
often you can fill these charts in as
you read.
Comprehension Skill Review –
Fact and Opinion TE 125
A fact is a statement that
can be proved true or false.
Statements of opinion tell
about a person’s beliefs,
feelings, or way of thinking
that cannot be proved.
Vocabulary Strategy
Suffixes –ist and -ive Te 114
 You
can use suffixes to help
figure out the meaning of
words.
 The suffix –ist can make a word
mean “one who is an expert
in____,” as a biologist, an
expert in biology.
Vocabulary Strategy
Suffixes –ist and -ive
The
Te 114
suffix -ive can make a
word mean “’tending or
inclined to_____,” as in
active, which means tending
to act.”
Question of the Week
TE 66m
How
does
Yosemite
reflect the
unique
qualities of the
West?
Vocabulary- Say It!
glacier
impressive
naturalist
preserve
slopes
species
wilderness
glacier
a
great mass of ice
moving very slowly
down a
mountain
or along a
valley
naturalist
a
person who
studies living things
impressive
able
to have a strong
effect on the mind or
feelings
preserve
to
keep from harm or
change; protect
species
a
set of related living things
that share certain characteristic
and that can be interbred
slopes
and
that goes up
and down at an
angle
wilderness
a
wild region with
few or no people
living in it
Denali Nation
Park in Alaska has
more than 6
million miles of
wilderness.
Denali Nation Park
in Alaska has more
than 6 million miles
of wilderness.
More than 650
species of flowering
plants live in
Denali!.
More than 650
species of flowering
plants live in
Denali!.
The park was
established to
preserve the land
and the plants
and animals.
The park was
established to
preserve the land
and the plants
and animals.
That’s what the
naturalist on the
guided tour told
us about this
park.
That’s what the
naturalist on the
guided tour told
us about this
park.
We skied up the
lower slopes of
Mt. McKinley.
We skied up the
lower slopes of
Mt. McKinley.
We could see a
giant glacier
looking like a huge
field of ice.
We could see a
giant glacier
looking like a huge
field of ice.
The glacier was a
very impressive sight.
The glacier was a
very impressive sight.
The sequoia tree is
the largest species of
tree in the world.
The sequoia tree is
the largest species
of tree in the world.
Day 2 - Question of the Day
Why
did
Congress
establish
Yosemite
as a national
park?
Letters Home from Yosemite
p. 118-119
 Reread
p. 119, paragraph 2. What is the
main idea and one supporting detail?
 Based on what you have read, what can
you conclude about the author? Give
reasons to support your answer.
Letters Home from Yosemite
p. 120-121
 How
is a visit to Yosemite today
different from when the first tourists
arrived? How is it similar?
 Use word structure to identify the base
word for impressive on p. 121 and then
give its meaning.
Letters Home from Yosemite
p. 122-123
 Determine
the main idea and
supporting details on p. 122, paragraph
1.
 Why do you think the author includes
the names of several giant sequoias on
p. 122?
Day 3 - Question of the Day –
How
does the
author support
her opinion
that Yosemite
is “one of the
most awesome
places on
Earth?
Letters Home from Yosemite
p. 124-125
 Which
sentences in the first paragraph
under the heading Glacier Point are
statements of opinion? How can you
tell?
 The photograph on p. 125 shows El
Capitan. Use it to draw a conclusion
about the people who climb El Capitan?
Letters Home from Yosemite
p. 126-127
 What
does the author mean that “all
together” Yosemite Falls are the
highest in North America?
 What causes more water to go over
Yosemite Falls in the spring and early
summer than near the end of summer?
 What important ideas and details have
you learned about the physical features
of Yosemite?
Day 4 - Question of the
Day - Review
What
might
prompt
someone to
write a song
like “This
Land is your
Land?
Review Questions
1. How can you tell this
was written to inform?
2. What is one way Yosemite
is a unique place?
3. What are some impressive
wonders in Yosemite?
Review Questions
1.What is the “time” setting of
this story?
2.How did the author organize
this story? Why do you think
she did that?
3.What attraction did the author
go see right after Glacier
Point?
Postcard
A
TE 87g-h
postcard is a brief message,
with a picture on one side, sent
by mail to friends or family.
 Often a post card gives detail
about a place you are visiting on
vacation and describes your
feelings about being there.
Writing Assignment
Pretend
that you are on
vacation. Write a postcard
to a friend or family member
describing where you are.
The place can be real or
imaginary.
Spelling Words
Long u Sounds
cruise
juice
smooth
mood
scooter
afternoon
flute
huge
threw
usual
Spelling Words
Long u sounds
curfew
duty
pupil
excuse
humor
confuse
cruel
bruise
groove
truth
CHALLENGE
influence
aluminum
nutrition
accumulate
igloo
Weekly Fluency Check Phrasing TE 133a
● Phrasing helps to keep related
words group together.
Phrasing makes sentences
easier to understand.
● Practice reading page 120
using groups of words in
phrases to make it easier to
understand.
Research/Study Skill –
Print Sources TE 133L
 Print
sources include textbooks,
trade books, encyclopedias,
dictionaries, almanacs, atlases,
magazines, newspapers,
newsletters, pamphlets and other
printed sources.
 Think
about the purpose of each
source when doing research.
Research/Study Skill –
Print Sources TE 133L
 To
find information in a print
source, think about its
organization.
 The
table of contents, index, or
headings show what information
the sources includes and how it
is organized.
Research/Study Skill –
Print Sources TE 133L
As
the teacher shows you
several types of print
sources, decide what the
purpose of each is.
How
is it organized?
Fun Stuff
 Yosemite
for Kids
 Photographs of Yosemite
 Spelling List