Journeys Lesson 12- Tops and Bottoms

This week we'll explore the question "Why is it important to grow food crops?" In the trickster tale Tops and Bottoms, students will read about how two clever and hard working hares win back some lost land by tricking a lazy and greedy bear.

Home Connection Activities!

When Do They Grow? Talk to your child about fruits and vegetables that only grow during certain seasons. Discuss which vegetables are popular during the fall in most regions of the United States, such as acorn squash or pumpkins.

Vocabulary on the Go See how many of this week's Target Vocabulary words you and your child can use in one sentence.

risky, grunted, profit, crops, plucked, scowled, tugged, hollered

Gardens for All - Talk to your child about victory gardens, which were gardens planted by the public during the two world wars to help offset food shortages. Have your child research wartime victory gardens and write a short paragraph comparing and contrasting them with the community gardens of today.

Vocabulary

Build Background: Agriculture

The business of agriculture includes growing, harvesting, and selling crops. Vegetables are common crops. All over the world, people grow thousands of different kinds of vegetables. Some vegetables, like lettuce, are leafy. You eat the part of the plant that grows above the ground. Other vegetables, like carrots, are roots. You eat the part that grows under the ground. There are even fruit vegetables, such as tomatoes and cucumbers. In Tops and Bottoms, you'll find out why knowing about vegetables is a smart way to do business.

Read the Story: "Tops and Bottoms"

GENRE

Trickster Tale is an imaginary story in which one character tricks another. As you read, look for:

animals that act like people
humorous events
a lesson or moral about life

Read "Tops and Bottoms" on page 431 in your Journeys Textbook

Click for Story Comprehension Questions

Continue your discussion of Tops and Bottoms by answering these questions

What does the illustrations on page 433 tell you about Hare and his family that is not in the text?
What does the phrase put their heads together mean?
You know that you are reading a trickster tale. Which character do you think is planning a trick and why?

Target Skill: Theme

As you read Tops and Bottoms, notice what the characters do and what happens as a result. What message about life can you learn from the story? That message is the theme.