Name ______________________________ Leah’s Pony By Elizabeth Friedrich Illustrated by Michael Garland Prediction ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Author’s Purpose inform persuade entertain

Leah’s Pony Focus Skills: To distinguish between facts and opinions To read and understand a historical fiction selection Genre Historical Fiction- a story that is set in the past and portrays people, places, and events that did happen or could have happened. Summary When dust storms devastate the crops, Leah’s family must auction off their livestock and farm equipment to repay a bank loan. Leah saves the family’s farm by selling her pony to buy Papa’s tractor for $1. This inspires the neighbors to bid low and return everything to the family. Reading Strategy Self-Question: The events in this story reflect a certain time in history and you may not know much about it. When reading historical fiction, you may use a strategy called self-questioning to help you understand what you read. This just means to ask yourself questions as you read to clear up confusion.

Show how Leah feels about her pony and tell how you can prove it. fact proof Page 150 Show how Leah feels about her pony and tell how you can prove it. Can Mr. B. prove that I am the best? Is it a fact that Leah has the best pony in the county? Mr. B. thinks so. ____________ Economic Condition the year the corn hardly grew the year the corn grew tall Page 152 Why do you think Papa sells some of the farm animals?

Draw a picture of what Papa did with the bank’s money. Why can’t Papa pay the bank back? It must be better in Oregon. Fact or opinion? Page 154 What does Leah do to try to help solve her family’s problems? Why do you think Leah doesn’t tell Mr. B. how much her family needs money? How do you know Mr. B. buys the pony? Page 156 How does Leah feel when she makes her bid? How do you know?

What does the auctioneer say about the tractor? Fact Opinion Page 158 What do the other bidders do after Leah buys the tractor? Explain why. The other bidders are Would you have liked to have lived in Leah’s town at that time? Why or why not?

Think and Respond How do Leah and her neighbors save the family farm? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Why does Mr. B. give the pony back to Leah? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How do the people at the auction feel about Leah’s bid of one dollar for the tractor? How can you tell? Is Leah the kind of person you would like to have as a friend and neighbor? Explain your answer?

What type of writing is this selection most like? Use the graphic organizer to answer the following questions. Highlight the answers on the organizer. What type of writing is this selection most like? Why does Leah get her pony the year the corn grew tall and straight? Why did things change at Leah’s house the year the corn grew not taller than a man’s thumb? Why does the sky turn black some days? Why does Mama make underwear out of flour sacks for Leah? What does Papa borrow money from the bank to buy? Why are times hard for the farmers? What is the hardest thing for Papa to sell? Why does Leah think Mr. B. might buy her pony? Who is the man in the big hat? When does a penny auction occur? What is a good word to describe Leah’s neighbors? How does Leah plan to keep someone else from buying Papa’s tractor? After Leah bids on the tractor, what do the neighbors do?