1. Open Court Vocabulary for
“The Story of the Three Whales”
Power Point by Mary Ann Hammond
Christa McAuliffe Elementary

2. Word Knowledge

3. weeks feed three freeze
leaping meat weakest lead
nights bright plight light
ice mile life slide
pitch-black sea-bed
ice-poles front-page
broken cabin lemon dragon

4. 1. Polar bears stalked the ice, waiting patiently for a feast of whale-meat.
2. The last mile of the car ride seemed to take all night.
3. The lock on the cabin door was broken.

5. weeks feed three freeze leaping meat weakest lead
Word Knowledge
weeks feed three freeze
leaping meat weakest lead
nights bright plight light
ice mile life slide
pitch-black sea-bed
ice-poles front-page
broken cabin lemon dragon

6. Build Background Genre: True Adventure
Characters and objects in the story are real.
The story is about an exciting event that really happened.
It contains true facts.
The story has a lot of action and suspense, or excitement.

7. Build Information
Can you think of any other True Adventure stories?

8. Build Background Animals have instincts and feelings just like people.
Why do birds fly south in the winter?

9. Whales are air-breathing animals.
Build Background
Whales are air-breathing animals.

10. Build Background
See the Intro with Focus Questions Powerpoint

11. lurk
( hang around )
The sharks lurk in a dark, underwater cave waiting to eat fish that swim by.

12. Whales must surface or they will die.
(come to the top of the water to breathe)
Whales must surface or they will die.

13. The man and woman trudged slowly through the snow.
( walked very slowly )
The man and woman trudged slowly through the snow.

14. The whales hard plight made people want to help.
(trouble)
The whales hard plight made people want to help.

15. The soccer team seemed invincible, because they had never been beaten.
undefeated
The soccer team seemed invincible, because they had never been beaten.

16. ordeal
(suffering)
It was quite an ordeal when the man’s air conditioning quit working on a really hot day!

17. lurk
( hang around )

18. plight
(trouble)

19. trudged
( walked very slowly )

20. ordeal
(suffering)

21. invincible
undefeated

22. lurk
( hang around )

23. surface
(come to the top of the water to breathe)

24. lurk
plight
surface
invincible
ordeal
trudged

25. Comprehension Strategies Good Readers…
Asking Questions
Good readers ask questions that may prepare them for what they will learn
“I wonder why that happened…”
“Why did…”
Monitor and Clarify
STOP and reread to determine the meaning of words and more difficult ideas or passages.
“Wait a minute! I didn’t understand that. Let me stop and reread for clarity.”
“I am confused by that. I need to clarify.
Summarize
Keep track of what you have read and focus on important details
“At the beginning of the story…”
“Then…”

26. The Story of Three Whales
Clues
Page ___-
Problems
Page ___-
Wonderings
Page ___-