The Horned Toad Prince By Jackie Mims Hopkins Illustrated by Michael Austin

Study Skills  Genre: Modern Fairy Tale  Comprehension Skill: Author’s purpose  Comprehension Strategy: Story Structure  Comprehension Review Skill: Sequence  Vocabulary: Context clues

GenreGenre: Modern Fairy Tales Genre  In modern fairy tales the characters and events are magical.  Modern fairy tales are set in modern or present day times.  Modern fairy tales are similar to regular fairy tales but are set in the present.

Summary On the windy prairies of the Southwest, Reba Jo meets a horned toad who makes a deal with her. When Reba Jo doesn’t hold up to her end of the bargain, the horned toad is offended and asks for a simple kiss. That kiss unlocks a magical spell and the ugly toad becomes a prince!

Comprehension Skill  Author’s Purpose is the author’s reason or reasons for writing this story.  Authors don’t usually tell you this. You have to figure the reasons out.  It might be to inform or teach, to entertain, to express their feelings, and to persuade or convince you.

Comprehension Review Skill Sequence  Sequence is the order of the events that occur in a story.  You can determine the order of events by clue words such as first and next, in the beginning, then, following, after, and finally.  Some story events may occur at the same time.  Other clue words to indicate sequence might be in the beginning, then, following, after, and finally.  Other story events, such as flashbacks, are told out of order.

Vocabulary Skill – Context Clues When you see unfamiliar words, use context clues, or words around the unfamiliar word, to figure out its meaning. The context may give a definition or an explanation. Example: Animals that eat other animals are called predators. Sometimes a synonym is used as a context clue. Example: Komodo dragons are carnivores, or meat-eaters.

Research/Study Skill – illustration/caption/label  An illustration can be a photograph, drawing, or diagram.  A caption is the text that tells about the illustration. It is usually found below or next to the illustration.  A label is a word or phrase that names part of the illustration.

Research/Study Skill – illustration/caption/label  What is the purpose of an illustration?  How does and illustration help you better understand the text?  How do the captions or labels help you understand the illustrations?

Question of the Week #1  What is unique about the landscape of the Southwest?

Question #2  In what ways is the Southwestern setting important to The Horned Toad Prince?

Question #3 Question #3  What important lesson did Prince Maximillian teach Reba Jo?

Question #4 Question #4  How is the horned lizard suited to life in the Sonoran desert?

Vocabulary Words bargain bargain favor favor lassoed lassoed offended offended prairie prairie riverbed riverbed shrieked shrieked

More Words to Know  sassy  twang  corral  suspiciously  frontier  rodeo

Review Questions 1.How can you tell the setting of this story is a desert? 2.What does “a peck of trouble” mean in this story? 3.Why does the author describe how Reba Jo spent her time? 4.What is the most important thing Reba Jo learns?

Review Questions 1.Why did the author write this story? 2.Why does Reba Jo do 3 favors for the toad? 3.Why does she want to stay near the riverbed at the beginning of the story?

Fun Stuff  More Information More Information More Information  Vocabulary Quiz Vocabulary Quiz Vocabulary Quiz

bargain  An agreement to trade or exchange; deal

favor  act of kindness

lassoed  roped; caught with a long rope that has a loop on the end

offended  hurt the feelings of someone: made angry

prairie  large area of level or rolling land with grass, but few or no trees

riverbed  channel in which a river flows or used to flow

shrieked  made a loud, sharp, shrill sound

sassy  rude; lively; spirited

twang  to make a sharp, ringing sound

suspiciously  without trust, doubtfully

corral  pen for horses, cattle, etc.

frontier  the farthest part of a settled country, where the wilds begin

rodeo  a contest or exhibition of skill in roping cattle, riding horses and bulls, etc.

The sassy little girl was rude.

The teacher shrieked when she saw the snake!

The Dollar Tree has a lot of great bargains.

Would you do me a favor?

We saw fish in the riverbed.

The boy was offended because I did not like his shirt.

What type of Native Americans would live on a prairie.

What type of Native Americans would live on a prairie?

The cowboy lassoed a calf.

The bell made a sharp twang sound.

The angry dog was foaming at the mouth and behaving very suspiciously.

Spelling Words Long e prairie prairie calorie calorie honey honey valley valley money money finally movie country empty city

Long e rookie rookie hockey hockey collie collie breezy breezy jury jury balcony steady alley trolley misty

CHALLENGE  frequency  parsley  journey  chimney  attorney

Let’s review our Spelling words. Watch carefully because they will flash on the screen for just a moment. We can clap as we spell the word, or we might just practice reading the words.

prairie

calorie

honey

valley

money

finally

movie

country

empty

city

rookie

hockey

collie

breezy

jury

balcony

steady

alley

trolley

misty

GREAT JOB Princes and Princesses!