A Train to Somewhere Genre: Historical Fiction Author’s Purpose: Inform, Express Skill: Sequence By: Eve Bunting Compiled by Terry Sams, PESTerry Sams

Summary From the time she was left at the orphanage in New York City, Marianne had expected her mother to come back for her. When Marianne boards the train that will take her and thirteen other orphans to the Midwest, she hopes her mother will be there waiting to claim her. But doubt creeps in, and she begins to wonder if anyone will want her.

Genre: Historical Fiction Historical FictionHistorical Fiction Historical fiction is realistic fiction that takes place in the past. The author makes up the characters and events, but they seem real. The setting is important and the problems and events are based on things that really did or could have happened during the time period.

Comprehension Skill Review – Sequence Comprehension Skill Review – Sequence TE 67a 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 story events, such as flashbacks, are told out of order.

Comprehension Skill Review – Cause and Effect TE 67b Cause and Effect Cause and Effect An effect is something that happens. A cause explains why it happens. Writing may include clue words such as because, in order to, so, and as a result to link causes and effects. If these words are missing, readers need to think about cause-and-effect relationships on their own.

Practice Cause and Effect TE 67b Cause Marianne’s mother could not care for her. People in the Midwest wanted children to adopt. Effect

Vocabulary Skill Review : Antonyms Antonyms Words with opposite meanings are called antonyms. You can often figure out the meaning of an unknown word by finding a clue in the words around it. Sometimes the clue is an antonym. Sometimes you need to use a dictionary to find out a meaning. Click on the title to practice this skill.

Research Skill – Research Process TE 67j You begin a research project by asking yourself questions about your topic. Then you find resources such as encyclopedias, to help answer these questions. As you gather information, you can ask new questions. Summarize the information you find by taking notes or writing outlines. Then organize your information into a report.

Literary Device – Dialogue TE 67i The conversation of two or more people in a story is called dialogue. Quotation marks go around the words. “Are these the orphans,” he asks. Dialogue helps move the story forward. Dialogue helps the reader understand about the characters and events.

Weekly Fluency Check - Read with Appropriate Phrasing TE 67d ● Students should read with attention to punctuation, for example, pausing with commas and raising the voice at the end of a question. ● Go to page 48, beginning with “This is our train...”

Review Pages Pgs. 49 – 53 1.Why do Nora and Marianne want to pretend they are sisters? 2.Why is it important to change into their good clothes? 3.What does Marianne remember about her mother and the past? 4.When did the event that Marianne remembers take place?

Review Pages Pgs. 54 – 65 1.What has happened to each of the children who left the train so far? 2.How do you think Marianne feels when the train reaches Somewhere? 3.Why does the woman give her an apple? 4.How does the story end?

Writing Assignment Choose one of the following and write a paragraph Suppose your family was planning to adopt a child. Draw a cartoon showing how you would help the child learn and grow. Include dialogue in speech bubbles. Write a newspaper announcement about the arrival of an orphan train in your town.

Fun Stuff Learn more about the Orphan Trains See an ad for orphans. (scroll down) Making cookies Skill Practice ABC Order Practice Vocabulary Practice Reading Test Spelling Test

Say It! adopt atlas carriage couple misery platform

More Words to Know agent locomotive orphans placing-out

carriage – a four-wheeled vehicle that is pulled or pushed

atlas – a book of maps

platform – a raised level surface

misery - great suffering or unhappiness

couple – a man and a woman who are married or engaged

adopt – to take a child of other parents and bring it up as your own (or sometimes a pet)

agent – a person or company having the authority to act for another.

placing-out – a system of caring for dependent children by placing them in private families rather than orphanages

orphans – children whose parents are dead

locomotive – an engine that moves from place to place under its own power

The orphans were going on the train in hopes of a placing-out.

She wanted to adopt the puppy from the animal shelter.

The locomotive was powered by a steam engine.

I looked at the atlas to find our location.

I looked at the atlas to find our location.

There are 14 orphans on the Orphan Train.

The mother pushed the carriage across the busy street.

The couple has been together for many years.

The couple has been together for many years.

She described her misery to me and it made me sad also.

She described her misery to me and it made me sad also.

We patiently waited on the platform for the train to arrive.

Miss Randolph acted as an agent for the orphanage.

This Week’s Word Wall Words Click and type your own words for this week:

Spelling Words Words with short e and long e them went donkey fence money engine hockey contest honey speak

Spelling Words Words with short e and long e monkey reason valley least season steal tr ea t credit beat alley

Let’s review our spelling words. Watch carefully because they will flash on the screen for just a moment. We will clap as we spell the word.

them

went

donkey

fence

credit

alley

engine

hockey

contest

speak

monkey

reason

honey

beat

valley

least

season

treat

steal

money

GREAT JOB!