Gran Reader
Gran Reader
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OTHER
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Gran
Unit 2 Reader
Skills Strand
Grade 1
Core Knowledge Language Arts®
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Gran’s Trips. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The Pet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Wong from Hong Kong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Where is Wong?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
The Swim Meet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
At the Reef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
The Bug Glass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
The Tape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Fuzz and Mel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
The Sweet Shop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
King and Queen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
The Trip West. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Saved by the Bells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Pausing Point (Stories for Assessment and Enrichment)
Splash Dogs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Tex and Rex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Gran’s Mud Run. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Gran’s Trip Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Gran’s Trips
2
3
“Was the trip fun?” Josh asks.
“Which one?” Gran asks. “I
went on three trips!”
“Where to?” asks Josh.
“One was to the Swiss Alps,”
says Gran. “In the Alps, there
were steep cliffs. I went up to the
top of one cliff, but it was slick. I
fell and had to cling to the rocks!”
“No!” says Jen.
“Yes!” says Gran. “Here is a
snap shot.”
4
5
“What was the next trip?” Josh
asks.
“I went to Hong Kong,” says
Gran.
“What is in Hong Kong?”
“Lots of stuff,” says Gran. “In
Hong Kong I met a man who
sings and has wings on his back.”
“No!” says Josh.
“Yes!” says Gran. “Here is a
snap shot.”
6
7
“What was the last trip?” asks
Jen.
“I went to the gulf to swim with
the eels and feed the fish,” says
Gran.
“No!” says Jen.
“Yes!” says Gran. “Here is a
snap shot.”
“Which trip was the best?” Josh
asks.
“This one!” Gran says. “The
one where I get to see Josh and
Jen!”
8
9
The Pet
10
11
“Is this pet big?” asks Josh.
“Well,” says Gran, “he is not big,
but he is long.”
“Has he got teeth?” asks Josh.
“He has fangs!” says Gran.
“What are fangs?” asks Jen.
Just then, the bell rings.
Gran says, “That must be him!”
12
13
Wong from Hong Kong
16
17
Where Is Wong?
18
19
Jen checks the pots and pans.
“He is not in here!” she yells.
“Check in the den.”
20
21
Josh checks the den.
“He is not in here,” he yells. “I
bet he went back to Hong Kong!”
22
23
Just then, Wong peeks up from
a big vase.
“There he is!” says Josh.
Gran runs to Wong and picks
him up. She pets the snake. She is
glad to see him.
24
25
The Swim Meet
26
27
Josh and Jen swim as fast as
they can. They swim and swim. In
no time, they make it to the end.
“Did Josh win?” asks Gran. “Did
Jen win?”
Josh and Jen wave and smile.
They did not win, but they had a
lot of fun!
28
29
At the Reef
30
31
“When I got there I went on a
dive to see the fish and the eels.”
“With Mike?” Josh asks.
“No,” Gran says. “Mike did not
dive with me. He went to hang
glide.”
“Did he like it?” Jen asks.
“Not so much,” Gran says with
a smile.
“Why not?” asks Josh. “It must
be lots of fun to hang glide.”
32
33
“Did he crash?” asks Jen.
“No, no,” says Gran, “but he
did have a bad time. When it
was time to land, he hit a hive of
bees! He got stung ten times.”
“Yikes!” says Jen.
34
35
The Bug Glass
36
37
Gran checks the bug glass.
“It is not so bad,” she says. “We
can fix it with some tape.”
“Josh will still be mad,” Jen says.
“We can make him a snack,”
says Gran. “And we can make
the ants a snack, as well.”
Gran hands Jen some chips
and grapes. “Here,” she says, “Set
those on the big stone in back.”
38
39
Gran yells, ‘‘Snack time!’’
Josh runs in and grabs a
snack. Gran lets him munch on it.
Then she says, ‘‘Jen, take Josh to
the stone.’’
Jen grabs Josh by the hand
and takes him to the stone. He
sees his bug glass. Then he sees
a bunch of ants. He picks up the
glass and stares at the ants.
Josh smiles. ‘‘The ants like those
chips!’’ he says. He hands Jen the
glass. ‘‘Here!’’ he says, ‘‘Take a
peek!’’
40
41
The Tape
42
43
“Gran,” says Jen, ”we can act
like we are in the band and sing
the song!”
“OK,” says Gran. “Run and get
a dress. I will grab those shades I
like.”
Gran and Jen dress up. Then
they sing the song. At the end
they sing, “Pip, pip! Ting a ling a
ling!”
44
45
Fuzz and Mel
46
47
Once there were two cats
named Fuzz and Mel.
Fuzz was a cute cat who did
his best to be safe at all times.
Mel was a brave cat who had a
fast plane.
“Fuzz!” Mel said, “We can take
a ride in my plane!”
“Um,” Fuzz said, “well . . . the
thing is . . . I like to be safe . . .
and I am not . . .”
“It is safe,” Mel said. “Jump in!”
48
49
The plane went up, up, up.
A duck came up next to the
plane.
“What a swell duck!” said Fuzz.
“And what a swell plane ride!
Why was I so scared of a plane
ride?”
50
51
Just then, Mel made the plane
zip from side to side.
Fuzz did not like that. It did not
feel safe to him.
Then Mel made the plane dive.
‘‘ZZZZZZZZZZZZ!’’ went the
plane as it dove.
‘‘Stop!’’ said Fuzz, as he held
on to the side of the plane. ‘‘Not
safe! Not safe!’’
52
53
Mel set the plane back on the
land.
Fuzz felt sick. He had the
shakes.
“Ug,” he said. “That’s the last
time I ride in a plane with Mel.”
54
55
The Sweet Shop
56
57
“Was it fun?” Josh asks.
“Some of it was fun,” says
Gran. “But it was not all fun and
games. I had to sweep and pick
up. And I had to wipe off the
cake case.”
“Can you still make cakes?”
asks Jen.
“You bet I can!” says Gran. “Do
you want to make one?”
58
59
King and Queen
60
61
Once there was a queen who
felt sad. All she did was sulk and
mope.
The king felt sad that his wife
was so sad. He made eggs to
cheer up the queen. But the
queen said the eggs had a bad
smell.
62
63
The king made a cake. But the
queen did not like it.
The king made gum drops. But
the queen did not like them.
By this time, the king was not
sad. He was mad. He went back
to the stove and made a pot of
green slop.
64
65
‘‘There!’’ the king said. ‘‘This
slop is not fit to feed to pigs! The
queen will hate it. But so what?”
The king piled some slop on a
plate. Then he gave the plate to
the queen.
The queen had a bite.
‘‘Mmmm!’’ she said. ‘‘This is the
best!’’
66
67
“Did she like the green slop?”
Jen asks.
“Yep!” says Gran.
“That was an odd tale!” says
Jen.
“Odd but fun!” says Josh.
Gran tucks the kids in. Then
Josh and Jen drift off to sleep.
68
69
The Trip West
70
71
‘‘Well,’’ says Gran, ‘‘What if you
kids came on the trip with me?
Your mom and dad said I can
take you with me, if you would
like.’’
‘‘Yes!’’ the kids yell. ‘‘Take us with
you! Take us with you!’’
Josh and Jen pack their bags.
They get in a cab with Gran.
Then they get on a plane.
72
73
‘‘Will we be safe on this plane?’’
Jen asks.
‘‘Yes,’’ says Gran. ‘‘This will be a
safe plane ride, not like the one
Fuzz had with Mel.’’
When the plane lands, Gran
rents a van and drives the kids to
the ranch.
Tex is there to greet them. He
is a big man with a big hat. He
shakes hands with Josh and Jen.
Then he hugs Gran.
74
75
At the ranch there is a mule
with packs on his back and bells
on his neck.
“That is Sam,” says Tex. “He has
all the camp stuff in his pack.”
“Will we get to camp?” asks
Jen.
Tex nods. “Yup. He has your
tent on his back!”
Josh and Jen run to Sam. They
pet the mule. Sam shakes and his
bells ring.
The kids smile.
76
77
Saved by the Bells
80
81
Splash Dogs
84
85
“This time,” Tex says, “keep a
hand on Buck and see if Pup will
jump.”
Gran grabs Buck and hugs
him. Tex chucks the stick in the
lake. This time, Pup runs and
makes the jump. Splash!
Josh and Jen cheer and clap.
Pup pops up and swims back
to the land. But what has he got
in his teeth?
“Is that the stick?” Josh asks.
“No!” yells Jen. “Pup has a fish!”
86
87
Tex and Rex
88
89
“Gran,” Jen asks, “is Tex mad at
us?”
“Mad?” Gran asks. “Why?”
“He seems odd,” says Jen. “I
said we went to the creek and he
just smiled.”
“And I said there were deer
tracks at the creek and all he did
was nod,” says Josh.
“It was Tex, but he did not act
like Tex,” says Jen.
90
91
Just then, Gran grins. “We
need to take a trip to the shed,”
she says.
When Gran and the kids get to
the shed, they see Tex. Then they
see the man in the black hat.
Jen stares at Tex and says, “If
you are Tex, then who is that?”
“Kids,” says Gran with a big
smile, “meet Rex. Rex and Tex are
twins!”
92
93
Gran’s Mud Run
94
95
Gran drives five laps. Then she
gets stuck in deep mud.
The red truck speeds by. Then
the black one zips past. Gran
rocks the truck. It hops from the
trench.
Gran steps on the gas. With
three laps left, she zips past the
black truck.
With one lap left, Gran is just
in back of the red truck. The red
truck slings lots of mud on Gran’s
truck. Gran can not see much,
but she steps on the gas.
96
97
The red truck and Gran’s
green truck cross the line side by
side.
Gran hops from the truck and
yells, “Did I win?”
“Yes!” the kids yell.
Gran wipes off some mud and
asks, “What is my prize?”
A man runs up with the prize.
He hands Gran a tire brush, a big
box of rags, and some truck wax.
“Just what I need!” says Gran.
98
99
Gran’s Trip Home
100
101
“See here?” she says. “We are
here. I will ride my bike to Three
Mile Gulch, which is here on my
map. It will take me a week to get
there.”
“A week!” says Josh.
Gran nods.
“I will use my rope to cross the
gulch,” Gran says. “Then I will hike
up to Pine Hill. It’s just nine miles.”
“Nine miles!” says Josh.
102
103
“Then I will be close to home,”
says Gran. “It is just ten miles
from Pine Hill to my home.”
“Ten miles!” says Jen.
“You kids have got one heck of
a Gran!” says Tex.
As Gran sets off, the kids wave.
Gran waves back. “See you in
six weeks!” she yells.
104
105
About this Book
This book has been created for use by students learning to read with the Core
Knowledge Reading Program. Readability levels are suitable for early readers. The
book has also been carefully leveled in terms of its “code load,” or the number of
spellings used in the stories.
The English writing system is complex. It uses more than 200 spellings to stand
for 40-odd sounds. Many sounds can be spelled several different ways, and many
spellings can be pronounced several different ways. This book has been designed
to make early reading experiences simpler and more productive by using a subset
of the available spellings. It uses only spellings that students have been taught to
sound out as part of their phonics lessons, plus a handful of Tricky Words, which
have also been deliberately introduced in the lessons. This means that the stories
will be 100% decodable if they are assigned at the proper time.
As the students move through the program, they learn new spellings and the
“code load” in the decodable Readers increases gradually. The code load graphic
on this page indicates the number of spellings students are expected to know
in order to read the first story of the book and the number of spellings students
are expected to know in order to read the final stories in the book. The columns
on the inside back cover list the specific spellings and Tricky Words students are
expected to recognize at the beginning of this Reader. The bullets at the bottom
of the inside back cover identify spellings, Tricky Words, and other topics that are
introduced gradually in the unit this Reader accompanies.
President
Linda Bevilacqua
Acknowledgments
These materials are the result of the work, advice, and encouragement of numerous individuals over many years. Some of those singled out here already
know the depth of our gratitude; others may be surprised to find themselves thanked publicly for help they gave quietly and generously for the sake of
the enterprise alone. To helpers named and unnamed we are deeply grateful.
We would like to extend special recognition to Program Directors Matthew Davis and Souzanne Wright who were instrumental to the early
development of this program.
Schools
We are truly grateful to the teachers, students, and administrators of the following schools for their willingness to field test these materials and for
their invaluable advice: Capitol View Elementary, Challenge Foundation Academy (IN), Community Academy Public Charter School, Lake Lure Classical
Academy, Lepanto Elementary School, New Holland Core Knowledge Academy, Paramount School of Excellence, Pioneer Challenge Foundation
Academy, New York City PS 26R (The Carteret School), PS 30X (Wilton School), PS 50X (Clara Barton School), PS 96Q, PS 102X (Joseph O. Loretan),
PS 104Q (The Bays Water), PS 214K (Michael Friedsam), PS 223Q (Lyndon B. Johnson School), PS 308K (Clara Cardwell), PS 333Q (Goldie Maple Academy),
Sequoyah Elementary School, South Shore Charter Public School, Spartanburg Charter School, Steed Elementary School, Thomas Jefferson Classical
Academy, Three Oaks Elementary, West Manor Elementary.
And a special thanks to the CKLA Pilot Coordinators Anita Henderson, Yasmin Lugo-Hernandez, and Susan Smith, whose suggestions and day-to-day
support to teachers using these materials in their classrooms was critical.
Credits
Every effort has been taken to trace and acknowledge copyrights. The editors tender their apologies for any accidental infringement
where copyright has proved untraceable. They would be pleased to insert the appropriate acknowledgment in any subsequent edition
of this publication. Trademarks and trade names are shown in this publication for illustrative purposes only and are the property of their
respective owners. The references to trademarks and trade names given herein do not affect their validity.
All photographs are used under license from Shutterstock, Inc. unless otherwise noted.
Writers Illustrators
Kristy Dempsey All illustrations by Apryl Stott
Code Knowledge assumed at the beginning of this Reader:
Skills Strand
grade 1