EP Second Reader This course is available in book form.

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Course Description:

Students will grow in their reading ability by reading poetry, short stories, and full-length novels. Students will practice retelling and summarizing stories, as well as reading aloud in front of audiences. They will demonstrate comprehension through reading response questions. Vocabulary will be introduced from the literature and practiced for retention.

Reading List (included for free in the online lessons; no need to purchase separately):

Poetry by Walter de la Mare, James Riley, Christina Rossetti

Books: The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk and The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad by Thorton W. Burgess; The Bobbsey Twins at Snow Lodge, Hope

Short stories: Beatrice Potter stories, Fifty Famous Stories, and a variety of other short stories

Lesson 1

Welcome to your first day of school! I wanted to give you one important reminder before you begin. Many of your lessons below have an internet link for you to click on. When you go to the different internet pages for your lessons, please DO NOT click on anything else on that page except what the directions tell you to. DO NOT click on any advertisements or games. DO NOT click on anything that takes you to a different website. Just stay focused on your lesson and then close that window and you should be right back here for the next lesson. Okay?

  1. If you didn't get here through My EP Assignments, I suggest you go there and create an account. There is an offline version of this course if you are interested in a workbook. Scroll up for the link.
  2. Listen to Horton Hatches an Egg by Dr. Seuss. Horton has to be very patient, but he is rewarded in the end. Learning takes a long time just like hatching an egg, but there is a great reward for your patience in the end! (If the video disappears, here's another.)
  3. While you are listening, you could draw a picture of the story.
  4. What did you think of Horton?
  5. What did you think of Maisy?
  6. What did you think of what came out of the egg?
  7. This is the end of your work for this course for your first day. You are allowed to move at your own pace (this is homeschooling), but it's intended you complete one lesson a day.

Lesson 2

  1. Listen to some poems by Mother Goose.
  2. The first poem, "Curly locks, curly locks," is about a man asking a woman (with curly hair) to marry him. He promises her that she won't have to work. What does he say that she'll do? (Answer)
  3. The next poem is about two sisters arguing. What are they arguing about? (Answer)
  4. The next poem is a description of a pair of tongs. (It's very short, just two lines.)
  5. The last poem is the most famous. What happens? (Answer)

Lesson 3

  1. Listen to poems by Mother Goose.
  2. What is the little boy doing in the first poem? (Answer)
  3. What is he supposed to be doing? (Answer)
  4. To be "single" means you are not married.
  5. What lesson does the last poem teach? (Answer)

Lesson 4

  1. Listen to poems by Mother Goose.
  2. This first poem doesn't make any sense! What does it say he burned his mouth on? (Answer)
  3. What is happening in the second poem? (Answer)
  4. The last poem is not very nice, but the Bible does say that those who marry will have troubles, both husbandsand wives.

Lesson 5

  1. Listen to these two poems by Mother Goose.
  2. Draw a picture about one of these poems or tell someone about what happens in both of them.

Lesson 6

  1. Read poems 04, 05, and 06 by Walter de la Mare. You can watch Mr. G reading the poems and talking about them in this video.
  2. Why is Tim so tired? (Answers)
  3. What does he think is so ugly in "I can't Abear"? (Answers) (Here is a picture of a butcher shop.)
  4. What do you think it means that he can't "abear" the butcher shop? (Answers)
  5. What happened in "Some One"? (Answers)

Lesson 7

  1. Read poems 08, 10, and 11 by Walter de la Mare. You can watch Mr. G reading the poems and talking about them in this video.
  2. This is a picture of Banbury cakes in poem 08. Do you know what a cupboard is? (hint: What words do you see in cupboard?)
  3. What is "The Cupboard" about? (Answers)
  4. What is "The Window" about? (Answers)
  5. The widow in number 11 may not have a lot of money, but why is she not really poor? (hint: second to last line) (Answers)
  6. There is a long list in this poem of different kinds of weeds. Usually you think that weeds are for pulling and throwing away, but weeds can have a lot of uses and can even be eaten. Here are a few pictures of some of the things listed. Comfrey Hawksbit Clover
  7. Can you find any of those where you live?

Lesson 8

  1. Read poems 16 and 19 by Walter de la Mare. You can watch Mr. G reading the poems and talking about them in this video.
  2. What animals does he say can't see him? (answer: mole, bat, barn owl)
  3. In fact moles can see, they just see very poorly. Bats can see, but they can't see well in the dark, which is when they like to fly. Owls can see by day, but they are usually asleep because they like to be out at night as well. His science isn't the best in this poem!
  4. "Summer Evening" paints a word picture. Can you picture the scene? Draw the picture he describes in this poem.

Lesson 9

  1. Read poems 20 and 39 by Walter de la Mare. You can listen to Mr. G reading and talking about these poems in this video.
  2. What is the oak's "green crest"? (hint: What part of the oak tree is green?)
  3. Where are the star's thrones set? (hint: Where are the stars?)
  4. What words in this poem rhyme? (Answers)
  5. In number 39, what sounds does the woman hear now that she is old and there is no longer music and singing in her house? (Answers)

Lesson 10

  1. 1. Choose one of these books to listen to:
    • Sophie's Masterpiece
    • Stellaluna
    • Harry the Dirty Dog
    • The Rainbow Fish
    • The Tooth
    • Guji Guji
    • Romeow and Drooliet
    • A Bad Case of Stripes

Lesson 11

  1. You are going to listen to a poem called "When the Frost is on the Pumpkin," by James Riley. Here's the text if you want to read along, but first read the notes below and look at the picture.
    • The line that is repeated in this poem is, "When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock."
    • Pumpkin is spelled punkin on purpose. Say it the way it is written. The poem is written with a sort of accent. That's how the farmer speaks.
    • Fodder is feed for animals. Here is grain in shocks. The grain has all been harvested, collected. It's ready to feed the animals.
    • What time of year is it when the harvest is all collected and there is frost on the pumpkin? (answer: It's the end of fall.)
  2. How does the poet feel about the end of harvest? (Answers)
  3. What are some lines that show how he feels? (Answers)

Lesson 12

  1. Read poems 01 through 04 by Christina Rossetti. You can listen to Mr. G reading and talking about these poems.
  2. In the first two poems, what is she describing? (Answers)
  3. In poem 03, where are the two places she digs for flowers? (Answers)
  4. Where will the flowers grow and where will flowers never grow? (Answers)
  5. Here is a picture of a linnet in poem 04.
  6. What story does the bird tell? (Answers)

Lesson 13

  1. Read poems 08, 09 and 10 by Christina Rossetti. You can listen to Mr. G reading and talking about these poems.
  2. The picture I showed you on Lesson 12 is of a linnet on a bough, a tree branch. The poem talks about two linnets, two birds. One is outside in a tree and one is in a cage. The poet asks which one is luckier. What is the poet's answer? (Answers)
  3. Poem 09 is about rainbows. When it says "bow," it is talking about a rainbow. What does it say you need in order to have a rainbow? (Answers)
  4. Poem 10 talks about violets. Here is a picture of violets. Turf means the ground or grass. The poet smells something sweet. The wind blows the smell her way. At the end of the poem she says that violets make the turf sweet. What does that mean? (Answers)

Lesson 14

  1. Read poems 16, 17 and 18 by Christina Rossetti. You can listen to Mr. G reading and talking about the poems.
  2. In poem 16 she describes how a flint rock just looks like a rock, but it really has a special purpose.
  3. Here is a picture of what happens when you strike flint rock. What words in the poem describe this picture? (Answers)
  4. There are many things and people in this world that look ordinary, but serve a special purpose.
  5. In poem 17, it says that even the coldest May brings what? (Answers)
  6. When it is summer in the USA, it is winter in Australia. The USA is in the north, what we call the northern hemisphere, and Australia is in the south or southern hemisphere. Also, you know that the sun rises and sets at different times everyday.
  7. In the summer in the USA the days are long, the sun gets up early and goes down late, so the nights are shorter. At the same time in Australia the opposite is happening. So when the days are long, the nights are short; and when the days are short, the nights are long. Right?
  8. The lark is known for singing in the morning, so when the sun is up early, the lark can sing for hours and hours.
  9. The nightingale is known for singing at night. The poem says that even though the nights are long, they seem short because of the nightingale's singing. Does that mean she likes or doesn't like the nightingale's song? (Answers)
  10. Here is a singing lark and a singing nightingale.

Vocabulary

  1. Admire means to think well of someone or something, to have a good opinion of something, to respect someone.

Lesson 15

  1. Read poems 20, 21 and 22 by Christina Rossetti. You can listen to Mr. G reading and talking about the poems.
  2. What is poem 20 about? (Answers)
  3. Draw a picture of the caterpillar in the poem.
  4. What is the poet feeling in the first stanza (section) of poem 21? (Answers)
    • A stanza is a section of a poem. There's a space between each stanza.
  5. What is the poet feeling at the end of the second stanza? (Answers)
  6. What words rhyme in poem 22? (Answers)

Lesson 16

  1. Read poems 24 and 25 by Christina Rossetti. You can listen to Mr. G reading and talking about the poems.
  2. These poem teach. What is taught in poem 24? (Answers)
  3. What do you think is being taught in poem 25? (hint: You would know if you lived in England.) (Answers)

Vocabulary

  1. Use the poem to try to figure out the answers. Which is worth the most – pound, shilling or pence? The least? (At the time the poem was written, these are what were used in England for money.)
    • What will you give me for my pound?
    • Full twenty shillings round.
    • What will you give me for my shilling?
    • Twelve pence to give I'm willing.
    • What will you give me for my penny?
    • Four farthings, just so many.
  2. Then look at the money from other countries.
    • British pounds, shillings and pence
    • European Union countries use Euros and Cents
    • South Africa uses Rand and Cents
    • Australia and Canada use their own types of dollars.

Lesson 17* (Note that an asterisk * indicates that there is a worksheet on this lesson)

  1. Read poems 26, 27 and 28 by Christina Rossetti. You can listen to Mr. G reading and talking about the poems.
  2. How many cherries did their family eat? (answer: 1+1+2+6 = 10)
  3. *Make a calendar page based on this poem for whatever month it is right now. Example: It says that February is dripping wet, so you would write February at the top and draw rain drops and puddles. Make sure to add in the date numbers in the right boxes.

Lesson 18

  1. Read poems 29 and 34 by Christina Rossetti. You can listen to Mr. G reading and talking about the poems.
  2. Both of these poems are about different uses of words. For example, the peacock has eyes but can't see with them. Here is a picture of peacock feathers that look like eyes.
  3. The poet is observant (pays attention to what's around her). I know you don't understand everything she points out, but find one thing she observes in each poem and explain what it means to a parent or older sibling and then draw a picture of it. Example: The head of a pin is the top round part, but of course it doesn't have hair. You could draw a human head on the top of a pokey pin.

Lesson 19

  1. Read poems 38, 39 and 40 by Christina Rossetti. You can listen to Mr. G reading and talking about the poems.
  2. Poem 40: If you don't know what a ferry is, what clues are there in the poem to help you guess what it is? (answer: "across the water" and "boatman") What is a ferry? (Answers)
  3. How much does a ferry ride cost in this poem? (Answers)
  4. Poem 39: What does it mean that the milk is coming when the cows come home? (Answers)
  5. Here are pictures of drake, brake (thicket) and rushy lake. Look at the pictures and read the poem again. Now can you picture what it's talking about?
  6. Poem 38: What is happening in this poem? First, what is a swallow? (look for clues in the poem like "fly away")
  7. When does the swallow leave and fly away? (Answers)
  8. When does the swallow come home? (Answers)
  9. What is happening in this poem? (Answers)

Lesson 20

  1. Read poems 45, 46 and 47 by Christina Rossetti. You can listen to Mr. G reading and talking about these poems.
  2. What does the poet compare to a boat sailing? (Answers)
  3. What does the poet compare to a bridge? (If you don't know, use the clues. What bow looks like a bridge from the earth to the sky?) (Answers)
  4. What is the message of poem 46? (Answers)
  5. What is the message of poem 47? (Answers)

Lesson 21*

  1. Read "The City Zoo." You can also listen to it. It mentions the sport rugby.It's similar to football and is played in Britain. The story mentions a scrum. It's not really important, but here is a video showing what a scrum is in the sport, rugby. Also, an accountant is someone who keeps track of the money for a business; and when the hippo is wallowing in the mud it just means he's lying down and relaxing in the mud.
  2. What problem did the zoo have? How did they solve the problem? Tell a parent or older sibling. (Answers)
  3. What kind of person was the zookeeper? (hint: look at the beginning of the story) (Answers)

Vocabulary*

  1. *Print out 4 vocabulary worksheets.
  2. Word list: tirelessly, disrepair, contented, slumber, intently, exasperated, gleam, wallow , bulge, demolish, emulate
  3. Click on disrepair and read the definition.
  4. Fill in a vocabulary worksheet page for tirelessly and contented. Do only these words. The remaining words will be completed in future lessons.
  5. The words are in the order they are found in the story. Try to spot them. NOTE: the word may look a little different in the story, maybe wallowing instead of wallow, for example, but it is the same word.
  6. Write a definition for each word. You can click on each word above to see the definitions. You don't have to write out everything in the definition, just write what helps you understand what the word means. Example for gleam: shine. That's enough if it helps you know what gleam means.
  7. Draw a picture for each word.

Lesson 22

  1. Read "The City Zoo." You can also listen to it.

Vocabulary

  1. Word list: tirelessly, disrepair, contented, slumber, intently, exasperated, gleam, wallow , bulge, demolish, emulate
  2. Click on intently and read the definition.
  3. Fill in a vocabulary worksheet page for slumber and exasperated. Do only these words. The remaining words will be completed in future lessons.
  4. The words are in the order they are found in the story. Try to spot them. NOTE: the word may look a little different in the story, maybe wallowing instead of wallow, but it is the same word.
  5. Write a definition for each word. You can click on each word above to see the definitions. You don't have to write out everything in the definition, just write what helps you understand what the word means. Example for gleam: shine. That's enough if it helps you know what gleam means.
  6. Draw a picture for each word.

Lesson 23

  1. Read "The City Zoo." You can also listen to it.

Vocabulary

  1. Word list: tirelessly, disrepair, contented, slumber, intently, exasperated, gleam, wallow , bulge, demolish, emulate
  2. Click on wallow and read the definition.
  3. Fill in a vocabulary worksheet page for gleam and bulge. Do only these words. The remaining words will be completed in a future lesson.
  4. The words are in the order they are found in the story. Try to spot them. NOTE: the word may look a little different in the story, maybe wallowing instead of wallow, but it is the same word.
  5. Write a definition for each word. You can click on each word above to see the definitions. You don't have to write out everything in the definition, just write what helps you understand what the word means. Example for gleam: shine. That's enough if it helps you know what gleam means.
  6. Draw a picture for each word.

Lesson 24

  1. Read "The City Zoo." You can also listen to it.

Vocabulary

  1. Word list: tirelessly, disrepair, contented, slumber, intently, exasperated, gleam, wallow , bulge, demolish, emulate
  2. Fill in a vocabulary worksheet page for demolish and emulate.
  3. The words are in the order they are found in the story. Try to spot them. NOTE: the word may look a little different in the story, maybe wallowing instead of wallow, but it is the same word.
  4. Write a definition for each word. You can click on each word above to see the definitions. You don't have to write out everything in the definition, just write what helps you understand what the word means. Example for gleam: shine. That's enough if it helps you know what gleam means.
  5. Draw a picture for each word.

Lesson 26

  1. We're going to start a new book.What is it called? Who wrote it? (Answers)
  2. Read chapter 1. Here's the audio link if you'd like to listen.
  3. What happened in chapter 1? Tell someone. Tell them who the chapter was about and what that person did.

Lesson 29

  1. Read chapter 4. (Audio)
  2. What does Peter wish he could do? (Answers)

Vocabulary

  1. Envy means to be jealous of.

Lesson 30

  1. Read chapter 5. (Audio)
  2. How does Mr. Toad make his song? (Answers)
  3. Tell someone what happened in this chapter.

Lesson 35

  1. Read chapter 10. (Audio)
  2. Tell someone what happened in this chapter.

Lesson 36

  1. Read chapter 11. (Audio)
  2. Tell someone what happened in this chapter.

Vocabulary

  1. Do you remember the definitions?
  2. Do you remember what envy means? (answer: to be jealous of)

Lesson 37

  1. Read chapter 12. (Audio)
  2. What makes Mr. Toad's tongue so wonderful? (Answers)
  3. Why does Peter think Mr. Toad's tongue is attached in the wrong place? (Answers)

Lesson 38

  1. Read chapter 13. (Audio)
  2. Tell someone what happened in this chapter.
  3. Can you escape? Here are the words that might help you escape: observe, envy, bulge, wallow, admire, intent, slumber, gleam, repair

Lesson 39

  1. Read chapter 14. (Audio)
  2. Look for the word indignant in the beginning of today's reading.
  3. Look for the word hastily at the end of today's reading.
  4. indignant means feeling angered or annoyed
  5. hastily means doing something in a hurry
  6. It's time to act. Say this line indignantly, "I can't believe you did that!" Say it like you are really annoyed!
  7. Now say it with envy, like you are really jealous that they got to do that great thing. "I can't believe you did that!"
  8. Now say it hastily, really fast! If that's too hard, you can do something hastily. Picking up things from the floor would be a great thing to do hastily. 🙂

Lesson 41

  1. Read chapter 16. (Audio)
  2. Why do you think Old Mr. Toad turns pale and leaves at the end of the chapter? (hint: It has to do with who Jimmy saw that day.) (Answers)

Vocabulary

  1. To amble means to walk slowly.
  2. If you are smug, it means you have too much pride in yourself.
  3. Anxious means worried.

Lesson 44

  1. Read chapter 19. (Audio)

Vocabulary

  1. Scorn means thinking that someone or something is worthless or despicable.
  2. Feeble means not having physical strength.
  3. Who was feeble in this chapter? (hint: He was feeble because he was so scared.) (Answers)

Lesson 45

  1. Read chapter 20. (Audio)
  2. Tell someone what happens in this chapter.

Lesson 46*

  1. Read chapter 21. (Audio)
  2. Tell someone what happens in this chapter.

Vocabulary *

  1. *Play charades. Go through the list below and act out your vocabulary words. Give this list (Old Mr. Toad vocabulary) to the person watching and they can guess which word you are acting out. (Print it out front and back and hold onto it in your binder. You'll need it in a few days.)
    • Amble (walk like you are relaxed and taking your time)
    • Feeble (act like you have no strength left in your body at all)
    • Scorn (act like you want nothing to do with something)
    • Smug (turn up your nose like you think you are more important than everyone else)
    • Hastily (act like you are in a big hurry)
    • Indignant (stomp your foot like you are really angry and annoyed with someone)
    • Envy (touch something that someone else has and then pout like you want it)
    • Anxious (act like you are really worried, bite your nails, walk back and forth, shake your head, make your face look worried)
  2. Play this vocabulary game with the words you have learned from your book.

Lesson 48

  1. Read chapter 23. (Audio)
  2. Tell someone what happens at the end of the story.

Lesson 49*

  1. *Fill in this book report form. (If that doesn't open, it's the first download on this page – the one that's a red open book.)
  2. You could save this for your portfolio.

Lesson 50

Vocabulary

  1. Either read this story to someone and ask someone else to act it out as you read, or ask someone to read the story and you act it out. Or, you could both take turns acting it out. I used boys but you could read it as Jacqueline and Johanna and use feminine pronouns if you like. (Read off the screen or use the printed version on the Old Mr. Toad vocabulary sheet from Lesson 46.)
  • Jack ambled down the street, humming a song, smiling in the sun. He was on his way to his friend's house for a birthday party. Suddenly he stopped. He had forgotten a present! Now he started feeling very anxious. What was he going to do? He decided he better go get a present. He hastily returned home and searched for a present. He didn't know what else to do, so he grabbed his stack of baseball cards and put them in a paper bag. He ran out of the house and down the street. He was huffing and puffing and had to sit because he was so feeble from running so fast so far. Joe was already at the party.
  • (The actor has to be Joe now.) Joe took one look at Jack's bag and felt very smug. "That's your present?" he said scornfully. "What? Did you bring him your lunch?"
  • (Now the actor can be Jack again.) Jack was indignant. He knew it wasn't the best looking present, but he still thought it was a good present.
  • (Now the actor can be JOE.) Soon their friend started opening presents. He opened Joe's first. It turned out that their friend already had one. Joe was upset that he wasn't more excited about it. He opened Jack's bag last. His eyes grew wide. He jumped up and started saying how great it was. He couldn't believe Jack had given him so many. Jack was really happy he had brought them, but Joe was envious that Jack had brought the best present.

Lesson 55

  1. "The Three Little Pigs."You can read along. You can also pause it and read each page yourself first.

Lesson 56*

  1. *"The Clever Owl" – Print page 2. Read page 1. Check your answers on page 3.

Lesson 57*

  1. *"Peanut"– Print page 2. Read page 1. Check your answers on page 3.

Lesson 58*

  1. *"Old Socks"– Print page 2. Read page 1. Check your answers on page 3.
  2. You could save this in your portfolio.

Lesson 59*

  1. *"Baby Sister" – Print page 2. Read page 1. Check your answers on page 3.

Lesson 60

  1. Scroll down. Read the two stories and answer the questions. Print your answers when you are done or have a parent check your answers while they are on the screen. Don't lose your answers! (Answers)

Lesson 61

  1. You are starting a new book today, The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk, by Thornton Burgess. I think this will be the last book you will read by this author for school, but he wrote 170 books, so if you like to read them, your parents can help you search for more to read on the computer.
  2. Read chapter 1 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  3. Who were all of the characters in this chapter? (Answers)

Lesson 62

  1. Read chapter 2 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. Do you remember who is sleeping in the barrel?  (Audio)
  2. What is the "problem with thoughtlessness?" (hint: The answer is in the very last sentence of the first paragraph-or section-of the chapter.) (Answers)
  3. So, what is the opposite? What does thoughtfulness do? (hint: It's the opposite of thoughtlessness.) (Answers)
  4. Talk with your parents about how you can be thoughtful of them.

Lesson 63

  1. Read chapter 3 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk.(Audio)
  2. Why did Peter Rabbit become afraid? (answer: He thinks he might have killed Jimmy Skunk.)

Lesson 64

  1. Read chapter 4 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk.(Audio)
  2. Who did Jimmy blame for rolling the barrel? (Answers)
  3. What did Jimmy Skunk do to him? (Answers)
  4. Jimmy Skunk walked away "with a great deal of dignity." Dignity means he had honor and respect. He was sure he had done the right thing.
  5. Try walking "with a great deal of dignity."

Lesson 65

  1. Read chapter 5 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  2. Suspicion means a feeling or belief that someone is guilty or that a certain thought is true
  3. Finish this sentence: I have a suspicion that… (You don't have to write it. Just say it.) Here's an example: I have a suspicion that Andrew has gotten into the cookie jar.

Lesson 66

  1. Read chapter 6 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  2. What do you think it means that he "smarted all over"? Use the story to help you figure it out. Here is the sentence it is from: He ached and smarted all over. This is at the end of the chapter. What had just happened? (Answers)

Lesson 67

  1. Read chapter 7 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  2. What is Sammy Jay's suspicion? (Answers)

Lesson 68

  1. Read chapter 8 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  2. Tell someone about the chapter.

Vocabulary

  1. In this chapter it says that Jimmy Skunk is shrewd. It means that he's clever and smart.
  2. Jimmy thinks maybe he did Reddy an injustice. That means he thinks maybe he wasn't fair to Reddy when he sprayed him.

Lesson 69

  1. Read chapter 9 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  2. Tell someone about the chapter.

Vocabulary

  1. Jimmy Skunk was smiling as he ambled towards the old house of Johnny Chuck.
  2. How was Jimmy Skunk walking towards Johnny Chuck's old house? Demonstrate.

Lesson 70

  1. Read chapter 10 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  2. How did Peter try to get out of Johnny Chuck's house? (Answers)
  3. What did Jimmy Skunk say to Peter to get him back? (Answers)
  4. Tell someone the story of the book so far.

Lesson 71

  1. Read chapter 11 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  2. What does it mean that Jimmy Skunk "kept his word"? (Answers)

Lesson 72

  1. Here is a sentence from the chapter:
    • Unc' Billy grinned. "Good mo'nin', Brer Skunk," he replied. "I can't rightly say I have. I had it on my mind to ask yo' the same thing."
    • The apostrophes are replacing missing letters. Yo' is you, for instance. Unc' is uncle. Mo'nin' is morning.
    • Here is what it says: Uncle Billy grinned. "Good morning, Brother Skunk," he replied. "I can't rightly say I have. I had it on my mind to ask you the same thing."
    • He speaks with a kind of accent. He's what we call a country bumpkin; it's like in the poem about the frost on the "punkin."
    • Do a little acting. Read the sentence out loud like Unc' Billy would.
    • Anytime you aren't sure what he is saying, read it out loud to help you figure it out.
  2. Read chapter 12 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  3. What happened in the chapter?

Lesson 73

  1. Read chapter 13 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  2. Jimmy Skunk can spray a stinky perfume. Who else has a "weapon" to keep others from attacking him? (Answers)

Vocabulary

  1. defense – when you stop an attacker
  2. offense – when you attack
  3. What does the sentence below mean?
    • Prickly Porky and I are armed for defence, but we never use our weapons for offence. (Answers)

Lesson 74

  1. Read chapter 14 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  2. What are two different views about eggs? (Answers)

Lesson 75

  1. Read chapter 15 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  2. What are Jimmy Skunk and Uncle Billy both thinking about? (Answers)
  3. Do you think they are going to get the eggs?

Lesson 76

  1. Read chapter 16 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  2. Why does Uncle Billy want Jimmy to go first? (Answers)
  3. Why does Jimmy want Uncle Billy to go first? (Answers)

Vocabulary

  1. Play this vocabulary review game. Choose one of the games. When you get a right answer, you get to play!

Lesson 78

  1. Read chapter 18 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  2. Why did they have bad tempers? (Why were they in a bad mood?) (hint: It tells you in the last paragraph, at the very end of the chapter.) (Answers)

Lesson 79

  1. Read chapter 19 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  2. Why do you think Jimmy Skunk is not afraid of Farmer Brown's boy? (Answers)

Lesson 80

  1. Read chapter 20 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  2. Tell someone about the chapter.

Vocabulary

  1. impudent – not showing respect to someone who deserves respect
  2. acquaintance –– someone you know, but not really well
  3. Tell someone these words and what they mean.

Lesson 81

  1. Read chapter 21 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  2. Tell someone about the chapter.

Vocabulary

  1. Farmer Brown's boy says to Uncle Billy, "Never lose your temper over trifles."
  2. The word trifle (say it try-full) appears at the end as well:
    • It had seemed a trifle, kicking that egg out of that nest, but see what the results were. Truly, little things often are not so little as they seem.
  3. The last sentence is our clue as to what trifle means. It calls them "little things."
  4. What do you think trifle means? Does it mean things that are small? No, that's not it. What do you think those sentences are saying? (Answers)
  5. Play the vocabulary review game. Choose any game you would like to play.
  6. If you want, you could take a screen shot and save this in your portfolio.

Lesson 82

  1. Read chapter 22 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  2. What trick did Uncle Billy do to try and get out of trouble? (Answers)
  3. Did he fool Farmer Brown's boy? Did he think the possum was dead? (Answers)

Lesson 83

  1. Read chapter 23 of The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk. (Audio)
  2. How did Farmer Brown's boy get Uncle Billy to stop pretending? (Answers)

Lesson 85*

  1. *Complete a book review for The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk or another book you recently read.
  2. Save this in your portfolio.

Lesson 91

  1. The new book you will begin reading is calledFifty Famous Stories.
  2. Here is the link if your parent wants to download it.
  3. Here is the link for you to read the first story.
  4. Here's the link if you'd like to listen to someone read the story to you as you read along in your book.
  5. What country is Alfred the king of? (Answers)
  6. Who was his army fighting against? (Answers)
  7. When King Alfred fled from a battle, where did he end up? (Answers)
  8. What did King Alfred forget to do? (Answers)
  9. What was the lady's reaction? (Answers)

Lesson 92

  1. Read the second story about the beggar. If you want to listen, click here.
  2. Tell the story to someone.

Lesson 93

  1. Read the story about the seashore. If you want to listen, click here.
  2. Tell the story to someone.

Lesson 94

  1. Read about William. If you want to listen, click here.
  2. Tell the story to someone.

Lesson 95

  1. Read about the white ship . If you want to listen, click here.
  2. Tell someone about the story.

Lesson 97

  1. Read "A Story of Robin Hood." If you want to listen, click here.
  2. In front of an audience (can be your family on the couch), tell them the story and read to them (out loud) the poem at the end of the story.

Lesson 106

  1. Read about Sir Walter Raleigh. The "leigh" part of the name is pronounced LEE. Listen
  2. Tell someone about the story. Where did he travel to from England? (Answers)

Lesson 107

  1. Read about Pocahontas. Listen
  2. Tell someone about Pocahontas. What brave thing did she do to save a man's life? (Answers)

Lesson 110

  1. Read about William Tell. A tyrant is a bad leader who acts mean and makes everyone do whatever he wants. Listen
  2. Tell someone about the story. What test of his skill did Tell have to perform? (Answers)

Lesson 111

  1. Read the story of "The Bell of Atri." Listen (HINT: If you read the questions now, before the story, then it will help you find and remember the answers.)
  2. Who rang the bell? Did he really ring it to let people know he had been wronged? (Answers)
  3. What had been done wrong to him and how was it fixed? (Answers)

Lesson 117 (You could "print screen" the vocabulary exercise for your portfolio.)

  1. Read about Julius Caesar. Listen
  2. He was a ruler where? (Answers)

Vocabulary

  1. Do you remember these words?

Lesson 119

  1. Read about two friends. Listen
  2. Damon offered to be in prison instead of his friend and to even take his punishment of death if Pythias didn't come back from visiting his family.
  3. What did the tyrant do when he saw how faithful and trusting the friends were? (Answers)

Lesson 120

  1. Read "A Laconic Answer." Go to this page and click on the little speaker next to the word, laconic, to hear how to say it. Listen
  2. What is a laconic answer? (Answers)
  3. At dinner tell all the big people in your home what a laconic answer is and they will be impressed.

Lesson 123

  1. Read about Socrates. You can listen to how his name is said on this page. It starts with "sock." Listen
  2. Find Greece on the map. Alexander the Great was in Greece too (before he conquered other areas as well). (hint: It's toward the bottom. It's a little hard to read. Look for the GRE…)

Lesson 125

  1. This is your reading assignment, but it's writing. Forgive me, okay? Did you know that the best way to become a better writer is to read good writing?
  2. Write the fifty-first famous story. You could write anything, but a lot of these stories are about real life people from history. Is there anyone you learned about in history that you could tell a story about? You can type your story. It can be short, but tell the story.

Lesson 126

  1. Read "Doctor Goldsmith." Listen
  2. What was the "medicine?" (Answers)
  3. It says that Doctor Goldsmith gave all his "ready money," all the money he had ready. What do you think that means? ("I don't know" is not an answer. It's okay to be wrong, but it's not okay to not try.) (Answers)

Lesson 127

  1. Read "The Kingdoms." In this story it talks about the vegetable kingdom, mineral kingdom and the animal kingdom. Kingdom is a word that is used to describe the whole collection each type of thing. Listen
  2. When the king says, "so be it", he means amen, please let it be so. What kingdom does the king want to belong to? (Answers)

Vocabulary

  1. Play a vocab game one more time.

Lesson 132

  1. Read the first half of this story. Listen till 8:23
  2. A venture is what they called the goods people bought and sent on a ship to be sold wherever it went. You could earn money, or it might get lost at sea. It was a risk, a kind of adventure.
  3. How much did he buy the cat for? (Answers)
  4. What was the boy's venture? (Answers)

Lesson 136

  1. You are going to start reading a new book, The Bobbsey Twins at Snow Lodge. You've been reading lots of short stories. Let's read a whole, big book together. Pay attention to my reading directions each lesson.
  2. Note: This has been edited somewhat from the original to adapt the language some for modern readers. The servant's dialect is still there, but it has been modified to make it a little easier.
  3. Read the first half of chapter 1. (Audio – write down the time that you stop)
  4. Bobbsey is the last name of the twins' family. What are the names of the twins? (Answers)
  5. Who are older and who are younger? (Answers)
  6. Who is Snap? (Answers)

Lesson 140

  1. Read chapter 3. (Audio) While you read, picture in your mind what is happening. Make a movie of the book in your mind. It will help you remember what is happening.
  2. What's the big snowball? (Answers)
  3. Who do you think made the enormous snowball?

Lesson 141

  1. Read chapter 4. (Audio)
  2. Who is accused of playing the trick? (Answers)
  3. Do you think he did it? Why or why not? (Answers)
  4. Anytime you are reading something long and start to forget what's happening and feel confused, you need to STOP. Go back to what you remember and start from there.

Lesson 142

  1. Read chapter 5. (Audio) If you come to a word you don't know, sound it out and say it out loud. Read the sentence again with the word in it and then keep going. Usually it will explain, or you can figure out what it is. You can also look for clues like how the characters are feeling. Are they happy or upset about what's happening?
  2. Who played the trick? (Answers)

Lesson 143

  1. Read the first half of chapter 6. (Audio – write down where you stop today)
  2. Their cook has a big accent. Read what she says out loud to help you figure out what she is saying.
  3. What is happening in this chapter?

Lesson 144

  1. Read the second half of chapter 6. (Audio – start where you stopped on Lesson 143)
  2. Who is going to tell the children about Snow Lodge? (Answers)
  3. Why does he "almost wish" Snow Lodge had burned down? (Answers)
  4. What do you think might have been Mr. Carford's trouble? (Answers)

Lesson 145

  1. Read chapter 7. (Audio)
  2. Who owned Snow Lodge? (Answers)
  3. Who is Henry Burdoch? (Answers)
  4. When did Mr. Carford leave Snow Lodge? (Answers)
  5. Draw a picture of Snow Lodge. It's described in a couple paragraphs starting with Mr. Carford saying, "Oh, it's just fine there!"

Lesson 146

  1. Read chapter 8. (Audio)
  2. What does Mr. Carford give the Bobbsey twins at the very, very end of the chapter? (Answers)

Lesson 153

  1. Read the first half of chapter 14 . (Audio – write down where you stop today)
  2. Tell someone about what's happening.
  3. What do you think is going to happen?

Lesson 155

  1. Read chapter 15. (Audio)
  2. Who do you think pushed the snowball over on them?

Lesson 158

  1. Read the second half of chapter 17. (Audio – start where you stopped on Lesson 157)
  2. Tell someone what is happening in the story. What was this chapter about?

Lesson 159

  1. Read chapter 18. (Audio)
  2. Who do you think was throwing snowballs at the end of the chapter?

Lesson 164

  1. Finish the book! (Audio)
  2. How does the book end?

Lesson 166

  1. Listen to a story.

Lesson 167

  1. Listen to a story.

Lesson 168

  1. Listen to a story.

Lesson 169

  1. Listen to a story.

Lesson 170

  1. Listen to a story.

Lesson 171

  1. Listen to a story.

Lesson 172

  1. Listen to a story.

Lesson 173

  1. Listen to a story.

Lesson 174

  1. Listen to a story.

Lesson 175

  1. Listen to a story.

Lesson 176

  1. Listen to a story.

Lesson 177

  1. Listen to a story.

Lesson 178

  1. Listen to a story.

Lesson 179

  1. Listen to a story.

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Summer School

  1. Read another Bobbsey Twins book.

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