Cliff Hanger
Vocabulary:
belay – being tied to a person or a rock with a rope for safety
descent – a trip down into or from something, such as a mountain
harness – a set of straps that can attach to a safety rope
ledge – a shelf rock
rappel – to come down a cliff by sliding down a rope
trekked – made a slow and difficult journey on foot
Spelling Words (Short Vowels):
mix milk smell head
friend
class thick send thin
last
left stick belay
descent harness
ledge rappel trekked empty
glance
The Ballad of Mulan
Vocabulary:
armor – body covering, often of metal, worn for protection in battle
comrades – companions who share one’s activities
endured – put up with or lasted through
farewell - goodbye
triumphant - successful
troops - soldiers
victorious – having won by defeating another
Spelling Words (More Short Vowels):
pond luck drop lot
rub
does drum sock hunt
crop
shut won armor
comrades endured
farewell triumphant troops
victorious dodge
Lost and Found
Vocabulary:
directions – lines or paths along which someone or something goes, lies, or
points
rumpled – wrinkled or creased
situations – sets of conditions at certain moments in time
unusual – not usual, common, or ordinary
visible – able to be seen
worried – concerned or anxious
Spelling Words (Vowel-Consonant-e Pattern):
smoke huge save life
wide
come mine grade smile
note
cube love rumpled situations
worried
visible unusual directions escape
slope
Unit 1 Review
Vocabulary:
Radio Rescue:
ferocious – fierce powerful
hurricane – an ocean-born storm with violent winds and heavy rains
distress – serious danger or trouble
transmitting – sending signals by radio or wire
raise – to contact by radio
acknowledged – received and made a reply to
relaying – passing or sending along
Sybil Ludington’s Midnight Ride:
route – way or path
trot – movement that is faster than a walk and slower than a run
urged – pushed onward
reins – straps a rider uses to guide an animal
Spelling Words:
last mix stick lot
sock
hunt wide grade thick
send
class pond luck drum
save
cube smile left smell
thin
drop shut huge note
life
Focus on Poetry
Vocabulary:
beats – pulses that are the basic units of rhythm, used in both poetry and
music
lines – rows of words printed or written across a page or column
pattern – a combination of features, actions, or events that are repeated in
a
recognizable arrangement
rhyme – to agree or correspond in sound
rhythm – a series of pulses that repeat in a regular order
stanzas – groups of lines that make up divisions of a poem
Spelling Words (More Short and Long Vowels):
stand rest plate clock
white
stuff spoke bend frame
twist
June mile beats lines
pattern
rhyme rhythm stanzas liquid
decide
The Keeping Quilt
Vocabulary:
border – a part that forms the outside edge of something
gathering – a coming together of people
needles – small, thin tools used for sewing
scraps – leftover bits of cloth
sewn – fastened with stitches, using a needle and thread
threaded – passed tread through the eye of a needle
Spelling Words (More Long Vowel Spellings):
paint clay feel leave
neighbor
eight seem speak paid
lay
need weigh border
gathering needles
scraps sewn threaded needle
crayon
Grandma’s Records
Vocabulary:
conga – a tall, narrow drum with one head that is played by beating with the
hands
percussion – the striking together of two things to create sound; a family of
musical
instruments played by being struck or shaken
performing – presenting something, such as music or acting, before an audience
record – a grooved disc that can be played on a phonograph
salsa – a style of Latin American dance music that mixes African, Cuban,
jazz, and rock music
theater – a building where plays, movies, or concerts are presented
Spelling Words (Long “O” Sound):
coach blow float hold
sew
though sold soap row
own
both most conga
percussion salsa
performing record theater
tomorrow program
The Talking Cloth
Vocabulary:
collector – a person who gathers things or has a collection
collection – a group of objects with something in common
flourish – a dramatic waving motion; a showy way of doing something
royalty – members of a royal family, such as kings, queens, princesses, or
princes
embroidered – decorated by sewing designs with thread or yarn
symbols – designs that stand for other things or ideas
wealth – plenty of money or other valuable things
Spelling Words (Three Letter Clusters):
spring knee throw patch
strong
wrap three watch street
know
spread write collector
collection flourish
royalty embroidered symbols wealth
strength
Dancing Rainbows
Vocabulary:
ancestors – people one’s family comes from
elders – people who are older and often wise, respected leaders in a group
honor – to show special respect for
imitating – copying what someone does
respect – admiration or consideration
Spelling Words (Long “i” Sound):
wild bright die sight
child
pie fight lie tight
tie
might mind ancestors elders
honor
imitating respect design delight
high
Unit 2 Review
Vocabulary:
Miss Rumphius:
bloomed – had flowers that open up; blossomed
lupines – flowers of a certain type that grow in cone-shaped clusters
bushels – amounts that each equal 32 quarts
headlands – points of high land that stick out into a body of water
hollows – small valleys
Celebrating Chinese New Year:
unity – togetherness
hosts – people who hold a party
elaborate – complicated and carefully planned
feast – a large, fancy meal
chef – a cook
Spelling Words (Long Vowel Sounds):
speak feel seem most
both
know street lie need
paint
hold float three spread
mind
might lay leave own
row
wrap patch tie wild
bright
Focus on Genre – Trickster Tales
Vocabulary:
boastfulness – being full of praise for oneself, one’s belongings, or one’s
actions
clever - smart
culture – the customs, beliefs, and ways of living that belong to a people
folktale – a traditional story handed down from one generation to the next
greediness – being filled with selfish desire for more than what one needs
mischief – bad behavior
qualities – features that make a person or thing special
trickster – a character who plays tricks or pranks on others
Spelling Words (/oi/ Sound):
join joy boil noise
spoil
choice soil point foil
voice
coil broil boastfulness clever
culture
folktale greediness mischief
qualities trickster
Dogzilla
Vocabulary:
colossal – very big; enormous
creature – a living being; especially an animal
heroic – very brave or daring
horrifying – causing much fear
monstrous – extremely large; enormous
terrifying – causing much fear
tremendous – very great, large, or powerful
Spelling Words (/ou/ and /ô/ Sounds):
clown lawn talk sound
cloth
would also mouth crown
soft
count law colossal
creature heroic
horrifying monstrous terrifying
tremendous bounce
The Mysterious Giant of Barletta
Vocabulary:
giant – a huge, strong, imaginary creature that looks like a human being
mysterious – very hard to explain or understand
pedestal – a base or support for a column or a statue
square – a rectangle having four equal sides; an open area where two or more
streets come
together, often in the center of a town
statue – an image, often of a person or an animal, usually made of stone,
metal, or wood
weakling – a person lacking strength or character
Spelling Words (Vowel + /r/):
girl clear her turn
dark
work smart word hurt
serve
north third giant
mysterious pedestal
square statue weakling
tornado scurried
Raising Dragons
Vocabulary:
appetite – the desire for food; hunger
chores – small jobs usually done on a regular schedule
harvested – picked or gathered
hitched – tied on or fastened by a knot, ring, or hook
plow – to break up and turn over dirt so that seeds can be planted
sown – scattered or planted
tended – looked after; took care of
Spelling Words (/j/, /k/, and /kw/ Sounds):
Large gym skin quick
picnic
Judge park jeans crack
orange
Second squeeze appetite chores
harvested
hitched plow sown tended
courage
The Garden of Abdul Gasazi
Vocabulary:
awesome – causing a feeling of wonder, fear, and respect
convinced – made to do, believe, or feel certain about something
disappeared – passed out of sight; vanished
discovered – found; learned
incredible – too unlikely to be believed; astonishing or amazing
impossible – not able to happen or exist
Spelling Words (Homophones):
hear here new knew
its
it’s our hour there
their
they’re awesome convinced disappeared
incredible
discovered impossible to too
two
Unit 3 Review
Vocabulary:
Fugitives on Four Legs:
fleeing – running away
escapade – an adventurous escape
sanctuary – a safe place set aside for animals to live in
wallow – roll around happily in something, enjoy something a lot
Dinosaur Bob and His Adventure with the Family Lazardo:
safari – a trip to see wild animals
rendition – a performance of a song
liner – a large passenger ship
berth – a place to sleep on a ship
serenade – a musical performance that honors someone
menace – a danger
Spelling Words (Review Words):
sound crown word her
crack
orange hear our also
girl
dark clear squeeze second
here
new soft turn north
skin
gym jeans hour knew
lawn
Nights of the Pufflings
Vocabulary:
ashore: on or to the shore (from the water)
burrows: holes or tunnels dug in the ground by small animals
instinctively: acting on an inner feeling: doing without thinking
launching: throwing; sending forcefully upward
stranded: left in a helpless or difficult position
uninhabited: having no people living there
venture: to set out to do something even though it might be dangerous
Spelling Words (Vowel + r sound in hair):
hair care chair pair
bear
where scare air pear
bare
fair share ashore
burrows venture
instinctively launching stranded
uninhabited farewell
Seal Surfer
Vocabulary:
basked: rested in pleasant warmth
buffeted: struck powerfully, blown about
horizon: the line where the sky seems to meet the sea or Earth
quay: a dock where ships are loaded and unloaded
surf: to ride on waves, often on a surfboard
swell: a long wave that moves without breaking
swooped: moved with a sudden, sweeping motion
Spelling Words (Added Endings):
cared babies chopped saving
carried
fixing hurried joking
grinning smiled
wrapped parties basked buffeted
horizon
quay surf swell
swooped moving
Two Days in May
Vocabulary:
appreciate: to enjoy and understand
grazing: eating growing plants
population: relating to the number of people or animals living in a certain
place
starve: to suffer or die from not having enough food
surrounding: on all sides of
territory: an area of land
wander: to move from place to place without having a special destination
Spelling Words (Prefixes and Suffixes):
helper unfair friendly
unhappy remake
careful hopeful unlike retell
sadly
farmer unhurt appreciate
grazing population
starve surrounding territory wander
silently
Unit 4 Review
Vocabulary:
Alejandro’s Gift:
companion: friend
refresh: to make like new again
cherished: well loved
furrows: long, narrow grooves cut in the ground
dwellers: people or animals who live in a place
drudgery; hard, boring, or unpleasant work
shunned: avoided on purpose
The Living Desert:
saguaro: a kind of tall cactus
environment: the place where animals, plants, or people live
moisture: wetness
tenants: people or animals who live in a place
behavior: the way a person or animal acts
cope: deal with
Spelling Words (Review words):
pair unhurt grinning air
smiled
sadly care retell babies
bear
unlike cared scare
hopeful parties
pear remake chopped bare
unhappy
joking chair friendly
carried helper
Focus on Biography
Vocabulary:
biography: a person’s life story
facts: things that are true
events: things that happen
sequence: one thing following after another
research: careful study of a subject
Spelling Words (Changing Final y):
puppies flies stories skies
driest
candies pennies cried ponies
bunnies
happier funniest biography facts
sequence
events research easier
busiest libraries
Across the Wide Dark Sea
Vocabulary:
anchor: a heavy metal hook attached to a ship and dropped overboard to hold
the ship in place
cramped: crowded; not enough room to move about
journey: a trip from one place to another
seeping: slowly leaking; oozing
settlement: a small community in a new place
survive: to stay alive; to hold up or withstand
weary: tired; needing rest
Spelling Words (Vowel Sounds in tooth/cook):
tooth chew grew cook
shoe
blue boot flew shook
balloon
drew spoon anchor
cramped journey
seeping settlement survive weary
loose
Yummi and Halmoni’s Trip
Vocabulary:
bustling: full of activity; busy
custom: a tradition; a way of doing something that many people follow
foreigners: people who come from another country or place
passport: a government document that allows a person to travel in foreign
countries
sightseeing: visiting interesting places; touring
skyscrapers: very tall buildings
vendor: someone who sells something
Spelling Words (Vowel Sound in bought):
caught thought bought laugh
through
enough fought daughter taught
brought
ought cough bustling custom
foreigners
passport sightseeing skyscrapers vendor
sought
Trapped by the Ice!
Vocabulary:
barren: having little plant or animal life
crevasse: deep hole or crack
deserted: empty; not lived in, or having few or no people
floes: large sheets of floating ice
grueling: very tiring
impassable: not able to be crossed or traveled through
perilous: very dangerous
terrain: land, ground, or earth
Spelling Words (VCCV Pattern):
Monday sudden until forget
happen
follow dollar window hello
market
pretty order barren
crevasse deserted
floes grueling impassable
perilous terrain
Unit 5 Review
Vocabulary:
The Island-below-the-Star
harpoons: spears used to hunt
seaworthy: safe for sailing in
calabashes: large, round bowls made from a gourd
awe: a feeling of wonder and respect
hull: the body of a boat
roiling: moving roughly in many directions
A Wild Ride
territory: 1. land controlled by a certain group; 2. a part of the United
States that is not a state
slogging: moving slowly
newsreel: a short movie about recent news
Spelling Words (Review words):
grew daughter until cook
ought
forget balloon caught dollar
boot
window taught flew brought
hello
tooth Monday pretty chew
sudden
order spoon thought happen
bought
Focus on Fairy Tales
Vocabulary:
folktale: a traditional story handed down by the people of a country or
region from one
generation to the next
fairy: a tiny imaginary being in human form who has magical powers
hero: the main male character in a story, poem, or play
heroine: the main female character in a story, poem, or play
culture: the customs, beliefs, and ways of living that belong to a people
Spelling Words (The / s / Sound in face):
face city pencil place
center
dance race circle nice
once
princess circus folktale fairy
hero
heroine culture silence excitement
chase
Pepita Talks Twice
Vocabulary:
language: spoken or written human speech
Spanish: a language
enchiladas: tortillas rolled around a filling, then covered with spicy sauce
salsa: a spice sauce usually made with tomatoes, onions, and peppers
tortilla: a round, flat bread made of corn, from Mexico and Central America
tamales: cornmeal dough wrapped in a corn husk or leaf around a filling and
steamed
tacos: tortillas folded around a filling such as ground meat or cheese
Spelling Words (Words Ending with /er/ & /le/):
summer winter little October
travel
color apple able
November ever
later purple language
Spanish salsa
enchiladas tortilla tamales tacos
mumble
Poppa’s New Pants
Vocabulary:
draped: hung loosely in folds
fabric: cloth
hem: to fold back and sew down the edges
mended: repaired by sewing
pattern: a repeated design or decoration
plaid: a pattern of stripes that cross each other
rustling: quick, soft, fluttering sound
Spelling Words (Words Beginning with a & be):
begin again around before
away
about alive because ahead
between
behind ago draped fabric
hem
mended pattern plaid rustling
awhile
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Vocabulary:
ceaseless: not stopping; constant
companionable: friendly
discouraged: having little hope or enthusiasm
dismal: gloomy; miserable
dreary: gloomy; bleak; dull
exhausted: very tired
pelting: beating against again and again
sullenly: in a bad-humored way; not happily; gloomily
Spelling Words ( Contractions):
I’m he’s aren’t
couldn’t won’t
o’clock wouldn’t weren’t she’s
wasn’t
I’d shouldn’t ceaseless
companionable dismal
discouraged dreary exhausted
pelting sullenly
Unit 6 Review
Vocabulary:
Helen Keller:
miraculously: amazingly
condemned: doomed
frustrated: discouraged and upset
communicate: exchange ideas by talking, writing, or other methods
restored: brought back
Prairie School:
sod: mixture of grass and soil
fetch: bring
fidgeted: moved around restlessly
prairie: flat, grassy land with few trees
hauling: carrying
trunks: sturdy boxes for storing things
Spelling Words (Review words):
little again summer alive
purple
around I’m able
wouldn’t ago
ever before aren’t I’d
because
he’s away couldn’t
November shouldn’t
apple about behind wasn’t
later
