How I Spent My Summer Vacation Working with Words Lesson Links

By Mark Teague 
 

Working with Words using the Month By Month Phonics for Third Grade 

Guess The Covered Word using the text box on page 16. 

A Trip to the Ranch 

In my imagination, cowboys cook over fires after the long days of riding horses. Last summer when summer was out, I went on vacation. On a visit to my uncle’s ranch, I saw cowboys herd cattle, find a lost calf, and fix a fence. As the sun sank in the west, the cowboys did cook over the fire. But I felt lucky – I saw what their job is really like!  
 
 

How I Spent My Summer Vacation  FIRST READING

By Mark Teague 

Before reading pages 18-21 

Comprehension Strategy – Visualizing 

Students will form pictures in their minds to enhance and clarify their understanding of a story. 

Ask students to close their eyes and imagine they are inside a restaurant. Have them share what they smell, see, taste, and hear around them. Tell students that when they read, they can form similar kinds of pictures in their mind to help them visualize scenes. 

During reading

Read pages 18-21 

Reread page 18 and look at the chalkboard.

Why is the scene behind him changing? 

Reread page 19

What do you visualize in your mind when you read this page? 

Reread page 20

In this picture, what is especially strange or funny? Why?

What might the boy be seeing, hearing, tasting, or smelling? 

Reread page 21 and look closely at the picture.

What do you think the boy sees, hears, smells, and tastes? 

After reading

After reading each page, discuss the answers to each question.

What do you think the boy sees and hears when he imagines the train?

 
How I Spent My Summer Vacation  FIRST READING

By Mark Teague 

Before reading pages 22-25 

Skill Strategy – Sequencing

The students will keep track of, identify, and understand the chronological order of events in a story.  

Who Mixed Up Our Sentences?

Guided Reading the Four Blocks Way, chapter 13, pages 126-127. 

Show these sentences from pages 22-25. 

• I said not to worry.

• I thought for a minute, then I told him, “Okay.”

• But they carried me off to their cow camp instead.

• Our old cowboy quit.

• The Cattle Boss growled, as he told me to sit, we need a new cowboy.

• I wouldn’t be long.

• So what do you say?

• Then I wrote to Aunt Fern, so she’d know where I’d gone.

• I’m trying to get to my aunt’s house,” I said.

• We could sure use your help.

Work to achieve a consensus among the students as to what sentence should be first. Number the sentence with a one that the majority of students say is first.  

Continue sentence by sentence until consensus is achieved as to the correct order of all the sentences.  

During reading

Open your books and read pages 22-25. 

After reading

Compare the book with what the class thought. Lead the group to evaluate and correct their performance.

I said not to worry.  

I thought for a minute, then I told him, “Okay.” 

But they carried me off to their cow camp instead. 

Our old cowboy quit. 

The Cattle Boss growled, as he told me to sit, we need a new cowboy.  

I wouldn’t be long. 

So what do you say? 

Then I wrote to Aunt Fern, so she’d know where I’d gone. 

I’m trying to get to my aunt’s house,” I said. 

We could sure use your help. 
How I Spent My Summer Vacation  FIRST READING

By Mark Teague 

Before reading pages 26-36 
 

Skill Strategy – Sequencing

The students will keep track of, identify, and understand the chronological order of events in a story.  

Review what has happened so far in the story. 

Review and make a list of sequence words. 

During reading

While you are reading, pay attention to the events in the rest of the story. Make a list of what the events are in order that they happen. 

After reading

Compare event lists. Make a class list of the events. 
 
 

Writing connected to Reading

• Imagine that you are Wallace from How I Spent My Summer Vacation. What would you tell your parents about your trip when you returned home? Use sequence words.
• Write sentences explaining your favorite game or sport. Use clue words to show the sequence of steps.
• Tell what happens when Wallace faces the cattle stampede. Describe the events in order. Use sequence words.
• Tell what most likely happens at Wallace’s show and tell. Use sequence words.