Excitement *Marcy does not feel a connection to her hometown. *She thinks her town lacks excitement. *She enjoys reading books more than being a part of her town. *She enjoys volunteering at the local library because she can keep to herself. No one talks to her at work.

*Things change for the residents of Morganville because they live along the Mississippi and it has been raining continuously. *One of the town’s levees is in danger of breaking which would cause wide-spread flooding. *Everyone is asked to go to the high school to help fill sandbags. *She goes to the help the members of her community and gains a sense “belonging” to her town.

Points to remember One theme of this story is: “You can’t always judge a book-or town by its cover.” * Marcy seems to prefer the world of books to the real world. When her brother enters her room and she is reading it takes a moment for her to come back to “reality.”

*The setting is important to the plot. The story takes place in a town on the Mississippi. *The rising action of the plot occurs when her brother enters Marcy’s room and tells her the levee might break. *The story happens in the 21st century: In which year could this story take place? A) 1893 B) 1973 C) 1993 D) 2003 *An example of foreshadowing in this story is: the librarian says that the levees are leaking above town.

The Texas Bat Woman Amanda Lollar came upon a helpless bat and nursed it back to health. This was the beginning of a long fascination to help bats. She founded the Bat World Sanctuary which is a refuge for injured bats. Later she bought a empty building in town which became known as the Wild Sanctuary. It is now a stop-over location for migrating bats and a place where bats give birth to their pups. Her goal is to return injured bats back to the wild as soon as possible.

*Her goal is to educate the public about bats and how they benefit humans and nature. *How does a bat benefit humans and nature?

Benefits of bats Eating harmful insects. Pollinate plants and distribute seeds REMEMBER: A generalization is a broad statement that applies to many situations. Ex: Most peppers are hot. This passage is an example of an informational article. The author’s purpose was to inform.

Vocabulary The orphaned kitten looked so pitiful. “pitiful” means characterized by pity My dad built and strong and durable coffee table. What does the word “durable” mean? “Oh Halee, you’re just being dramatic.” What part of speech is the word dramatic? She heard the principal’s voice blaring through a loudspeaker. Part of speech? What is the suffix in reaction?

He had a novel idea for the surprise party. What does the word novel mean? He deliberately tore my homework into pieces. What is the meaning of deliberately? “Five hundred female bats annually give birth to their pups.” Part of speech? Sam Walton is the founder of Wal-Mart. What does the word “founder” mean? After going to the haunted house I walked home in the dark very gingerly. Gingerly- meaning?