Family PicturesGenre: Autobiography

Author’s Purpose: Express, Inform

Skill: Discovering Author’s Purpose

By: Carmen Lomas Garza

Compiled by Terry Sams, PES

Summary While growing up in a Texas

town near the Mexican border, Carmen Lomas Garza dreamed of becoming an artist.  Now her colorful art paints a vivid picture of this time in her life - from hitting piñatas at birthday parties to making tamales in her parents' kitchen, with everyone pitching in.

Genre: Autobiography• Autobiography – when a

person writes a book about themselves. A biography is book written by another person about someone else.

Comprehension Skill• Author’s Purpose is the author’s

reason or reasons for writing this story.

• Authors don’t usually tell you this. You have to figure the reasons out.

• It might be to inform or teach, to entertain, to express their feelings, and to persuade or convince you.

Comprehension Skill Review: Fact and Opinion TE 109b

Fact and Opinion Practice

•Statements that can be proved as true or false are facts.

•Statements that give Judgments or beliefs are opinions.

Practice Fact and Opinion TE 109b

Sentence Fact Opinion How I know

“The pictures are all painted from my memories of growing up.”

The author’s brother was not very good at picking oranges.

Nopal cactuses grow in Texas.

Vocabulary Skill Review:Synonyms

• Words with similar meanings are called synonyms.

• You can often figure out the meaning of an unknown word by finding a synonym in the words or sentences around it.

• Use a thesaurus or synonym finder to help understand the meanings.

Click Here to practice synonyms

Literary Devices – Point of View TE 109i

• Point of view is how an author decides to tell a story.

• The author chooses a narrator and then tells the story through that person.

• In first-person point of view, the narrator is a character in the story who uses I or we.

• In third-person point of view, it is told by a narrator who is not a character in the story and uses words such as he, she, it,

and they.

Research Skill – Outlines TE 109j

• An outline can help you organize information you read.

• Outlining helps you remember important points and understand what you read.

• Outlining information can also help you prepare for tests.

Practice OutlinesSchool (Topic)

I. Building (Main Idea)A. (Details)B.C.

II. PeopleA.B.

C.

Weekly Fluency Check -Read with Accuracy TE 109d

● Students should read with accuracy by practicing difficult words so reading is smooth.

● Family Pictures is written in vignettes, or small scenes, so students can quickly read over any passages to determine the pronunciation of words that they might have trouble reading.

● Students should practice difficult words before going back for a final read.

● Go to page 99, beginning at the top of the page.

1. What is the genre of the story?

2. What did the author do at Grandmother’s house?

3. What are the steps in preparing nopal cactus for a meal?

1.What did the author dream of becoming when she grew up?

2.Who does the author feel most grateful for helping her make her dreams come true?

1. What was a frightening experience for the author?

2.What are the steps in preparing tamales?

3.Why did the author write this story? (author’s purpose)

Writing Assignment

Choose one of the following and write a paragraph:

• Recall a scene from a happy time with your family. Visualize as many details as you can. Write a description of this family picture.

• Design a pillowcase that shows your dreams for the future. Write a brief paragraph about your design.

Fun Stuff

• Vocabulary Match UP• Spelling Hangman • Spelling Words in ABC Order • On Line Reading Test • On Line Spelling Test

Other Good Stuff• Author’s Purpose • More Fun Practice• Why Make Tamales?• Cooking with Cactus

Say It!• scene

• border• future• laundry

• handkerchief

• memories• inspired• involved

More Words to Know

cornmeal

tamales

pier

border – a boundary

or edge of a country or

state

scene

– a view or picture

future

– what is to come (time)

memories

– all that a person remembers

handkerchief – a soft piece of cloth used for wiping the face, nose, and so on

laundry

– clothes to be (or that have been) washed

inspired – encouraged someone to do something good

involved – absorbed

in; included (busy or occupied)

tamales – food

made with corn

meal, meat,

and red peppers

cornmeal – coarsely-ground dried corn – We make cornbread with cornmeal.

pier – a structure

built over water to

walk on

I have fond memories of my grandmother.

I have fond memories of my grandmother.

I crossed the border into Mexico.

I crossed the border into Mexico.

Will you wash the dirty laundry?

Will you wash the dirty laundry?

Susan went to law school to have a better future.

Susan went to law school to have a better future.

I was inspired to be a teacher by my 4th grade teacher.

I was inspired to be a teacher by my 4th grade teacher.

Do you remember the scene from the movie?

Do you remember the scene from the movie?

The boys were involved in their chores and did not hear the doorbell.

The boys were involved in their chores and did not hear the doorbell.

The outside of the tamales were made with cornmeal.

The outside of the tamales were made with cornmeal.

We used cornmeal to make our cornbread.

We used cornmeal to make our cornbread.

The pier was damaged in the storm.

The pier was damaged in the storm.

I bought a yellow handkerchief.

I bought a yellow handkerchief.

Spelling Words - Long Vowels a, i, o

•stole•remote•smoke•drove•broke

•whole•arrive•invite•decide•hide

Spelling Words - •station

•danger•April•vacation•cable

•bacon•wild•behind•pint•lion

This Week’s Word Wall WordsThis Week’s Word Wall Words

Click and type your own words for this week:

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

danger

April

vacation

cable

bacon

wild

behind

pint

lion

hide

decide

invite

arrive

whole

broke

drove

smoke

remote

stole

station

GREAT JOB Amigos!