Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.1 Writing and Reading: Lesson 14 Grade 6

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.2 Warm up: Homonyms Remember: Homonyms are words that sound alike but have different meanings and different spellings. Choose the correct word for each sentence below. Can you explain what each boldfaced word means? A dishonest car salesman (praise, prays, preys) on people who are not knowledgeable about used cars. The bank manager said he would (waive, wave) the service charge since we were old and valued customers. My engagement (ring, wring) has a diamond and two emeralds on it. We wrapped all the gifts in (plain, plane) white tissues and glue gold stars on them. Our teacher encouraged us to (billed, build) on our basic knowledge of geometry to become proficient.

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.3 Multiple Meaning Words Read the first sentence below. Then choose the next sentence that uses the underlined word in the same way as in the original sentence. Can you use context to explain the meanings of the word? The dessert will be the last part of the meal. Melanie was the last one to leave the party. The movie will last for two hours. The surgery could last for eight hours or more.

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.4 Review When you synthesize what you read, you put the content together in your own way to create something new: your own meaning.  Proficient readers monitor their comprehension; that is, they always make sure they understand what they are reading.  A biography is a story of a person’s life. An autobiography is a biography by the same person it is about. When a writer tells a story—whether it is true or fiction—he or she must choose a narrative point of view. [Note: The author and the narrator are not the same!] When a story is told in the first person point of view, the narrator is a character in the story and uses pronouns such as “I,” “we,” “me,” and “us.” When a story is told in third person point of view, the narrator tells someone else’s story and uses pronouns such as “he,” “she,” “him,” “her,” “they,” and “them.” A third person narrator may be able to report the thoughts of one or more characters, or the narrator may be simply an observer.

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.5 More review: The voice trait Writing is much more interesting to readers if there is a real person behind the words. Here are some characteristics of strong voice: This really sounds like me. I’ve been honest and written what I think and feel. Can you feel my commitment to this topic? I want you to experience my writing with me. I know why I’m writing and who my audience is. I bet you’ll want to read this to someone.

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.6 Reading comprehension: Using schema (making connections) and making inferences  We’re going to read a biographical sketch about Butch Cassidy. You may have seen a movie about Butch. You have probably also seen films about other famous outlaws of the Old West. As we read this biography, be sure to connect the text to what you already know about the topic.  Remember that you need to use your own knowledge and experience to make inferences as you read. Be sure to make predictions and draw conclusions about Butch Cassidy as we read this text.

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.7 “Where's Butch?” By Toni Lee Robinson Rustling cattle isn't the most brilliant path to success in the world. Neither is holding up banks or robbing trains. In the Wild West, people who made those choices lived in constant fear and hardship. Besides that, people living outside the law aren't known for long lives. Butch Cassidy might have been a little smarter than the average crook. For most of his outlaw career, he managed to keep from getting caught. He even left behind a little whiff of mystery. Questions about his life and death keep his legend alive even today. Some things about Cassidy's life are well known. He was born April 13, 1866, to a homestead family in central Utah. He was the oldest of thirteen children. His real name was Robert Leroy Parker. He was known to his family as "Roy." In his early teens, the boy left home. He worked on ranches in the central Utah area.

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.8 Parker's first brush with the law came at the age of fourteen. It all started with a pair of holey jeans. In the Wild West, clothing stores weren't popping up on every corner. Roy rode a long way to buy some new britches. When he got there, the store was closed. He relieved his frustration by breaking into the store. He took some jeans. He left a note saying that he would be back later to pay. The store owner wasn't happy with the break-in. Charges were filed based on the information Parker had left in the note. In court, Roy insisted he had done nothing wrong. In the end, he was cleared, even though he had broken into the store. About that time the teenager latched on to a new hero. Mike Cassidy was a rancher who specialized in the shady side of the law. The cattle in Cassidy's herd tended to "wander over" from nearby ranches. Cassidy's men were quick with a loop (lariat to rope stolen cattle). They were even quicker with a branding iron. (Stolen cattle were given new brands, making it appear the stock belonged to the thieves.)

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.9 Young Roy learned all the tricks of the trade from his new friend. He even took on Cassidy's name. A brief stint as a trainee in a butcher shop had already earned him the nickname "Butch." (It was also an Old West term for a borrowed gun.) With the help of his mentor in crime, Parker/Cassidy fell in with other career cattle thieves. Some of the "ranch hands" were handy at other trades, like robbing banks and trains. For Butch, it was all pretty much downhill from there. In the wilds of Wyoming was a rugged stretch of rocky hills. The area was all but impassable. Tucked away behind the high, wild crags was a grassy valley. Along fifty miles of high, sheer rock face, the only way into the valley was by way of a tiny canyon. The area was a natural fortress, an ideal refuge for those dodging the law. The spot was called "Hole in the Wall." A gang of thieves known as the Wild Bunch lived off and on in the refuge. The valley's lonely beauty gave them a place to split up the loot taken from banks, stages, and trains. They fattened stolen stock on its grasses.

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.10 Butch Cassidy became the leader of the Wild Bunch. Other colorful members included Harry Longabaugh (the Sundance Kid), and Harvey Logan (Kid Curry). There were up to fourteen men in all. Every so often, three or four of the group would pull a holdup. Then they would get away by using a few of Butch Cassidy's bright ideas. One effective trick was stashing good, fast horses all along the getaway trail. The bandits would blaze their way out of a heist and ride to an agreed spot. They would trade their worn-out horses for fresh mounts and race on. They easily outran lawmen trying to keep up the chase on exhausted horses. The thieves then would make their way to one of a series of hideouts. The Wild Bunch rode and robbed for several years. Gradually, however, the law became more vengeful. Several of the gang were killed or caught. Butch and the Sundance Kid decided life would be easier in South America. They sailed from New York in 1901, in the company of Etta Place, Harry's girlfriend. The trio landed in Bolivia. They bought a ranch and went straight for awhile.

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.11 Before long, it was reported that two English-speaking desperados were robbing trains and payrolls. The bold crooks riled local lawmen. After the theft of a mine payroll, the two thieves were trailed to a boarding house in San Vicente. A posse surrounded the house and began shooting. In the end, two bodies were discovered in the house. Both had numerous wounds, including one each at point-blank range. The press announced that Butch Cassidy and Harry Longabaugh had killed themselves rather than be captured. The bodies were buried in a local graveyard. Later, however, different stories came to light. A man named William Phillips claimed to have known Butch Cassidy from childhood. Cassidy had faked his death in Bolivia, Phillips insisted. Butch had come home to the U.S. and lived quietly. It was even hinted that he, Phillips, was Cassidy. Phillips died in 1937 in Spokane, Washington. Butch's sister, Lula Parker Betenson, also claimed that Butch had returned. She wrote a book telling the story of Butch's "life after death." Phillips, she said, was not her brother.

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.12 Claims have also come to light of Harry Longabaugh's return from the dead. Some say the Sundance Kid rejoined a wife and children left behind when he joined the Wild Bunch. In 1991, DNA tests proved that the two men buried as Cassidy and Longabaugh couldn‘t have been the outlaws. Still, some experts insist the two died in Bolivia. It's just a matter, they say, of finding the right graves. Researchers are still working to solve the puzzle. Meanwhile, the legend of Butch Cassidy lives on, long after the Old West has vanished in the mists of time.

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.13 Using schema and making inferences Why might being a crook be a miserable life? Describe young Roy Parker's family situation. Do you think his was a happy family? Why or why not? Why was Hole in the Wall the ideal outlaw hideout? Do you think Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid died in Bolivia? Why or why not?

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.14 Vocabulary: Context Clues We’re going to start working on examples as context clues. Writers may include an example of an unfamiliar word in the same sentence or sentences that surround it.

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.15 Your turn Marjoram, such as lavender, can be very soothing and relaxing. Using the example clue, the word marjoram in this sentence means aromatic herb flower candle crayon This summer we needed to move the pigs to their new pen. The old sow stubbornly refused to move. The old aphorism, "pig-headed," sure described her. Using the example clue, the word aphorism in this sentence means saying falsehood forgery untruth

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.16 Larceny, such as stealing a car, can cause you to spend a lot of time in jail. Using the example clue, the word larceny in this sentence means conflict theft murder bravery Biomes on Earth include the plants and animals in the grasslands, the plants and animals in the deserts, and the plants and animals in the rain forests. Using the example clue, the word biomes in this sentence means catastrophes small areas prisons communities

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.17 Break

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.18 Idioms Remember: These are phrases that are part of a language but are not intended to be taken literally. For example, when we say it is raining cats and dogs, we do not mean that cats and dogs are falling from the sky!

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.19 Try one. The judge looked poorly at drunk drivers. When the jury convicted the man, he decided to severely punish him. "Don't worry," he told the victim's family. "I will throw the book at him. He'll never be able to do this again." Throw the book at means ____________. punish severely physically hit someone help someone learn If a student painted graffiti on school lockers and the principal expelled the student, did he throw the book at the student? If a child stole candy at the store, but the parent didn't punish her when she was caught, did the parent throw the book at the child? If you lied and your dad quietly told you that was wrong to do, did he throw the book at you?

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.20 Writing Trait: Word Choice One way that a writer reveals himself or herself in the text is by making word choices that are personal, exactly right, interesting. Here are some characteristics of word choice: This is the best way to say this. My words create mind pictures. I’ve tried new ways to say everyday things. Listen to the power in my verbs. Some of the words and phrases linger in your mind.

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.21 Your turn Choose a more powerful word to replace each of the underlined words in the following paragraph. The big bear stood by the water. He looked at his shadow in the big lake. He thought that he looked nice. He went to take a drink of water. A fish went by. The bear wanted to eat the big fish. He ate up the fish and went away.biglookedbignicewenteatbigatewent

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.22 This week’s assignment Your topic for your next writing assignment is an autobiography or another biography. This time you may make up a person if you wish, or you could write a “biography” of your favorite cartoon or fictional character. For prewriting, first narrow your topic. Choose something interesting about your subject to write about. After you have narrowed the topic, make a list of ideas (not complete sentences) that will demonstrate what is special about your subject. When you have completed your prewriting, write a draft about the person you have chosen. Remember to let your own voice shine through your writing by using interesting and powerful words.

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.23 Submitting Your Homework Please your prewriting and draft to the following addresses within the next four days:

Copyright © Ed2Net Learning, Inc.24 You did a wonderful job today!