Going West

1
Going West
From Children of the Wild West by Russell Freedman
Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 6 A Changing
America
Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary
2
Genre Expository Text

• The purpose is to share information with the
  reader or to persuade the reader to think or act
  a certain way.

• Facts about real events or real people are
  included.

• Information is presented in a straightforward way.

• Events are presented in the order in which they
  happened.

• Writing may be organized by topics.

• Diagrams, photographs, maps, or other
  illustrations may be included.

Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 6 A Changing
America
Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary
3
Background Knowledge

• Half a million people moved out West in search of
  farmland and gold.

• The Oregon Trail, which cut through Washington,
  Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, and Utah, was
  the only feasible way for pioneers to travel
  across the mountains.

Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 6 A Changing
America
Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary
4
Word Knowledge
The following words are comparative and
superlative adjectives.
maddest
deeper
earlier
youngest
Comparative adjectives describe a comparison of
two things. The er ending is added to an
adjective. What two words are comparative
adjectives?
Superlative adjectives describe the highest
degree or quality of something. The est ending
is added to an adjective to make a superlative.
What two words are superlative adjectives?
The pool is deeper than the Jacuzzi.
The baby is the youngest of the three children.
Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 6 A Changing
America
Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary
5
Word Knowledge
The following words contain the suffix ness,
which means the quality or state of being.
wilderness
darkness
kindness
soreness
state of being kind
state of being wild
state of being sore
state of being dark
Can you name other words with the suffix ness?
Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 6 A Changing
America
Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary
6
Word Knowledge
The following words contain words with the Long e
sound.
creaked
prairie
before
pioneer
_ie
ea
ee
e
What Long e spelling does each word contain?
Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 6 A Changing
America
Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary
7
Word Knowledge
The following words contain the Greek prefix
tele-, which means distant.
telegram
telegraph
telephone
television
What other words have the Greek prefix tele-?
Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 6 A Changing
America
Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary
8
Word Knowledge
The youngest children rode in the wagons.
Identify the verb in this sentence.
Rode is an irregular verb. What is the
present-tense form of rode?
ride
Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 6 A Changing
America
Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary
9
Word Knowledge
Vivid verbs help make a sentence more
interesting. What verb was used in place of
started to make the sentence more interesting?
In the darkness, they had kindled fires and put
on kettles of water.
Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 6 A Changing
America
Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary
10
Word Knowledge
The wagon creaked and groaned.
The word creaked in this sentence is an
onomatopoeia that is, the sound of the word
gives its meaning.
What other examples of onomatopoeia can you think
of? The snakes __________________ . The annoying
flies ______________ around the room.
hissed
buzz
Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 6 A Changing
America
Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary
11
Word Knowledge
People in distant cities used to communicate by
telegraph.
Identify the word with the Greek prefix tele- in
this sentence.
Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 6 A Changing
America
Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary
12
Selection Vocabulary
plod
ding
plodding
parched
parched
stur
dy
sturdy
jolt
ed
jolted
sentries
sen
tries
Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 6 A Changing
America
Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary
13
Selection Vocabulary plodding
The swaying wagons, plodding animals, and
walking people stretched out along the trail
for almost a mile.
The plodding child was always last to get on the
bus.
plodding (adjective)walking in a slow, heavy way
Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 6 A Changing
America
Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary
14
Selection Vocabulary parched
It clogged the boys nose, parched his throat,
and coated his face.
The blazing sun parched the wilting flowers.
parched (verb)made hot and very thirsty
Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 6 A Changing
America
Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary
15
Selection Vocabulary sturdy
The wagon creaked and groaned, but it was still
sturdy.
Is the deck sturdy enough to support this heavy
hot tub?
sturdy (adjective)--strong
Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 6 A Changing
America
Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary
16
Selection Vocabulary jolted
Hanging from a rope was a sealed pail of milk
that bounced steadily as the wagon jolted along.
jolted (verb)moved in a sudden, violent way
The old roller coaster jolted up the slope.
Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 6 A Changing
America
Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary
17
Selection Vocabulary sentries
The pioneers had been up since that morning, when
the sentries started the day by firing their
rifles.
The sentries watched for intruders from the
lookout tower.
sentries (noun)people stationed to keep watch
guards
Fourth Grade, Open Court Unit 6 A Changing
America
Vuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary