three historical communities of north america...of north america social studies skills &...

B e n c h m a r k e d u c a t i o n c o m p a n y

Theme: Communities• Three Ancient Communities

• The Community of Washington, D.C.• Three Historical Communities

of North America

Social Studies

Skills & Strategies

Three Historical Communities of North AmericaLevel P/38

Anchor Comprehension Strategies

• Make inferences

Comprehension • Summarizeandsynthesize

• Compareandcontrast

• Usetextfeaturestolocateinformation

Word Study/Vocabulary • Usecontextcluestodetermineword

meaning:directdefinitions

Social Studies Big Idea • Theinhabitantsofearlycommunities

helpedformthepolitical,economic,religious,cultural,andsocialcharacterofcontemporarysociety.

TeACHer’S Guide

Synthesize Information • Administer Ongoing Comprehension Assessment

• Compare and Contrast Information

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A c t i v i t i e s

Using Navigators Chapter Books

Explicit Strategy InstructionUse the complete guide to model, guide, and support students as they apply comprehension and word-study strategies. Use portions of the guide to scaffold reading instruction for students who do not need modeled instruction.

Small-Group DiscussionIntroduce the book and model strategies. Have the group set a purpose for reading based on the introduction. Students read the book, or parts of the book, independently. Then have them use the Small-Group Discussion Guide as they discuss the book together.

Independent ReadingHave students select titles at their independent reading levels. After reading, have students respond to the text in reader response journals or notebooks.

Core Lesson Planning Guide

Copyright © 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use. No other part of the guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-4108-5239-72

Pages 4–6: Model Strategies: Introduction–Chapter 1• Monitor Reading Strategy: Stop/Think/Write

• Comprehension Strategy: Make Inferences

• Use Context Clues to Determine Word Meaning: Direct Definitions

Page 3: Prepare to Read• Build Content Background

• Introduce the Book

Pages 7–8: Guide Strategies: Chapter 2• Monitor Reading Strategy: Stop/Think/Write


• Use Text Features to Locate Information: Sidebars

Pages 9–10: Apply Strategies: Chapter 3–Conclusion• Monitor Reading Strategy: Stop/Think/Write


• Use Context Clues to Determine Word Meaning: Direct Definitions

This five-day lesson plan shows one way to use the chapter book for explicit strategy instruction.

Build Content Background • Tell students to imagine that they are hiking in a remote area

when they find the ruins of a city. It is built two hundred feet high into the side of a tall cliff. Ask students to close their eyes and visualize the city and the people who once lived there.

• Ask: What do you see? What does the city look like? What kinds of buildings does it have? How do the people get to the city? How do they get around in the city?

• Write students’ answers and ideas on chart paper. You may need to ask additional questions. Ask: How did the people build this city? What tools do you think they had? Why do you think they built it so high? What happened to the people? Why don’t they live in the city anymore?

• When students have finished, review and discuss their answers and ideas.

• Tell students that they have just explored how archaeologists probably felt and reacted when they first came across cliff dwellings in the southwestern United States.

Introduce the Book • Give students a copy of the book.

• Have them read the title and skim the table of contents. Point out that here the word historical means “in the past.” Ask: What three historical communities are discussed in this book? (Mesa Verde, Jamestown, Plymouth) What do you know about any of these historical communities? Encourage students to share their knowledge.

• Have students choose a chapter. Ask them to look at the pictures in the chapter, choose a picture they think is interesting, and explain to the group why they think that.

• To introduce Key Words and Text/Graphic Features found in this book, use the book’s inside front cover.

Informal Assessment Tips

1. Assess students’ ability to skim for interesting pictures and to offer reasonable explanations for their choices.

2. Document your observations in a folder or notebook.

3. Keep the folder or notebook at the small-group reading table for use during reading sessions.

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC 3

Meeting Individual Needs

For students who struggle with skimming for pictures, model the process, using the first chapter. Comment on each picture, tell which one you choose, and explain why you chose that one over the others.

Display a world map or globe, and have students point to North America. Invite them to say the name of this continent in their native languages.

Help students locate Mesa Verde, Jamestown, and Plymouth on the map or globe. Write the three names on self-stick notes, and have volunteers place the notes in the correct places. Ask students to compare and contrast the locations of the three communities.

This five-day lesson plan shows one way to use the chapter book for explicit strategy instruction.

Prepare to Readnglish anguage earnersE L L

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The buildings are stacked on top of one another.The people use ladders to get from one building to another.

Before ReadingMoNIToR ReADING STRATeGy: SToP/ThINk/wRITe

• Say: Good readers think while they read and stop to write key ideas about the text they are reading. Stopping, thinking, and writing can help you better remember what you read.

• Use a real-life example of stopping to think and write. Say: I recently read an article about the archaeologists who

studied Mesa Verde. The article contained many facts that I wanted to remember. As I read the article, I stopped to write down facts about each archaeologist. By stopping to think and write, I knew I would better remember the information from the article.

• Read pages 2–3 aloud while students follow along. Anticipate words and ideas in the text that might cause students to stop and think. Stop and think as you read, and share your thought process aloud. Write your ideas on self-stick notes and place them in the book as students observe.

Say: One thing the Introduction tells me is that the Anasazi lived in the southwestern United States a thousand years ago. I want to remember this fact, so I will stop and write it on a self-stick note. I’ll place this note on the page where I found the information.

During Reading SeT A PuRPoSe FoR ReADING

• Ask students to read pages 4–9 silently. Have them practice stopping to think and write as they read. Tell them to write any facts or main ideas they want to remember in their reading journal or on self-stick notes.

4 © 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

ABOUT THE STRATEGY Stop/Think/write

what? Good readers stop and think about what they are reading as they are reading. Then they write down their thoughts. Because this strategy is so simple, many readers forget to use it. Remind students that stopping, thinking, and writing is the beginning step to using all other monitor reading strategies.

why? When readers stop and think, they are able to make connections, ask questions, visualize, make inferences, determine what is important and what is not, and synthesize information. When readers write down their thoughts or write about their thoughts and how those thoughts apply to them, they clarify their thinking and keep track of their thoughts.

when? Good readers stop, think, and write about what they are reading during and after reading.

how? Good readers stop and think about the text. They keep track of their thoughts in a journal or on self-stick notes. After reading, they reflect on their thoughts and synthesize information.

Model Strategies: Introduction–Chapter 1

After Reading DISCuSS The ReADING

• Have students share the notes they took while reading. Ask them to tell facts or main ideas from Chapter 1 that they wrote down during reading.

• Discuss with students how stopping to think and write can help them remember information from the text.

• Ask students to recall the questions they posed before reading. Discuss which questions were answered and where the answers were found. Ask: What did Anasazi women do? (They ground corn, cooked, and made beautiful pottery.)

• For text-dependent comprehension practice, ask the questions for the Introduction and Chapter 1 found on the Comprehension Through Deductive Reasoning Card for this chapter book.

CoMPReheNSIoN STRATeGy: MAke INFeReNCeS

• Say: Writers can’t tell readers everything about a topic. Good readers have to “read between the lines.” They have to take what writers say and go one step farther. Good readers think about what other things might be happening. They make inferences and they write these inferences in a journal or on self-stick notes. For example, as I read page 5, I wonder why the Anasazi stopped building pithouses and began building pueblos. The writer doesn’t tell me, but I can look at the pictures and infer, or guess, that because the pithouses were small, dark, and isolated, the Anasazi may have wanted more room, light, and social interaction, so they switched to building above-ground houses.

• Pass out the graphic organizer “Make Inferences” (blackline master, page 14). You may want to make a chart-size copy of the graphic organizer or use a transparency.

• Explain that, as students read, they will complete the first four rows together. They will complete the last two rows in pairs or independently.


1. Check to see that students are stopping to think and write notes as they read.

2. In a folder or notebook, jot down what you see each student doing.

3. Students should be writing key points and details from the text as they read. Document students who are and are not using the stop/think/write strategy.



For students who struggle with stopping to think and write, suggest that they pause at the end of each paragraph, scan the paragraph for what they think is the most important idea, and write that idea on a self-stick note or in their journal.

Rapid readers can organize the notes they have written during reading according to topics in their journals.

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Introduction–Chapter 1 (continued)


Comprehension Strategy: Make Inferences (cont.)• Have students return to Chapter 1 and follow along as you

read page 8 aloud and say: The author explains that Anasazi men held important events in the kiva, but only men were allowed in the kiva; children and women were not. I’ll write this information in the Clues/Facts column of the graphic organizer. What inference could I make from this? I could infer that women and children were not as important in Anasazi society as men were. I’ll write this in the Inference column.

• Read page 9 aloud and say: The author says that no one knows why the Anasazi abandoned their homes. I know that archaeologists have carefully studied Anasazi ruins. I can infer that they did not find anything that explains what happened to the Anasazi. Complete the second row of the graphic organizer, using this information to fill in both columns.

• Tell students that they will make inferences as they read Three Historical Communities of North America.

use Context Clues to Determine word Meaning: Direct Definitions• Read aloud the sentence containing the word traditions on

page 4. Explain that the author gives a direct definition to help the reader understand the meaning of the word. Say: In this sentence, the word traditions is followed by a comma and the words which are. These words tell me that the next words will define the word traditions. The next words are ways of living and doing things. That is the definition of traditions. The author tells me right in the sentence that traditions are ways of living and doing things.

• Call students’ attention to the word pueblos on page 5. Say: In this sentence, the word pueblos is followed by a comma and the words which are. Once again, these words are a clue that the rest of the sentence will define the word pueblos. Pueblos are groups of homes around an open area.

• Tell students that they will use context clues to determine the meanings of unknown words as they read Three Historical Communities of North America.

Reader Response

Imagine that you are an Anasazi child. What would a typical day be like for you? Write a response in your journal and share your thoughts with a group member.

Men were more impor-tant in Anasazi society than children and women were.

Archaeologists have not found anything in the ruins that explains exactly what happened to the Anasazi.

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Men spent a lot of time in the kiva. They held important events there. They shared stories and celebrated their beliefs. Only men were allowed in the kiva; children and women were not.

No one knows why the Anasazi left their cliff dwellings. Archaeologists have carefully studied Anasazi ruins.

Page Clues/Facts Inference

Before ReadingMonitor Reading Strategy: Stop/Think/write• Have student review the notes they made for Chapter 1 on

their self-stick notes or in their journals. Ask them to give examples of facts and main ideas they recorded from the first chapter.

• Tell students they will continue to practice the strategy of stopping to think and write as they read Chapter 2. Say: When we stop to think and write during reading, we pause to record important ideas from the text. Think about what you want to remember from these chapters as you read, and stop to write on your self-stick notes or in your journal.

• Read page 10 aloud as students follow along. Ask: What is this page about? (English settlers coming to North America to start a colony) Encourage students to write down the important facts about the English settlers on self-stick notes or in their journals before they continue reading.

During Reading Set a Purpose for Reading • Tell students to read pages 11–13 silently. Remind them to

stop, think, and write as they read and to write facts and main ideas in their journals or on self-stick notes to attach to the text pages.

After Reading Discuss the Reading • Have students give examples of notes they made while

reading. Ask them to explain why they thought these facts or main ideas were important to remember.

• Ask students to share notes they made about the settlers’ early problems. Ask: What problems did the settlers have? (not enough food, heat, bugs, sickness, Native American attacks)

• Have students turn to page 12 and find the checkpoint. Explain that talking about what we read is one way to understand and remember the information. Have students talk about the prompt.

• For text-dependent comprehension practice, ask the questions for Chapter 2 found on the Comprehension Through Deductive Reasoning Card for this chapter book.


Allow ELL students to copy main ideas directly out of the text rather than paraphrasing. Monitor them to see that they are able to determine the main ideas and key details in the text. If students are unsure of what to write, model the strategy for them again.


For students who struggle with this strategy, model it again. Then suggest that they stop at the end of each paragraph, think about the most important idea in the paragraph, and write that idea as a note. Encourage them to find details that support the idea that they can also write as notes.

Rapid readers can organize their notes and rewrite them in outline format. Show an outline and tell students that this is another way to record main ideas and important details in a text. Explain that an outline presents ideas in the same order as they appear in the text.

Guide Strategies: Chapter 2

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Chapter 2 (continued)

Reader Response

Reread the description of the place where the settlers built Jamestown. Do you think they should have picked another place? If so, where and why? Write a response in your journal and share your thoughts with a group member.

Comprehension Strategy: Make Inferences• Review the “Make Inferences” graphic organizer, and remind

students that when they make inferences, they go beyond what an author says and infer, or guess, additional ideas.

• Have students reread page 10. Say: The author says that the settlers planned to start a colony, look for gold and other goods to sell, and find a route to the Pacific Ocean. Let’s write this information in the Clues/Facts column. What inference could we make from these clues? The settlers thought they were going to have a good life and make money in Jamestown. Let’s write this in the Inference column.

• Have students look for clues and facts and make inferences based on the clues and facts, using the text on page 12. Provide support for students who are struggling with this strategy.

• Use the graphic organizer on this page for suggested answers. If students make an inference different from that on the graphic organizer, make sure the inference is supported by clues and facts in the text.

use Text Features to Locate Information: Sidebars• Explain to students that authors use sidebars to give additional

information that does not appear in the main text. Sidebars are used in many different kinds of publications, from magazines to textbooks.

• Have students turn to pages 12–13 and find the sidebar. Point out that the sidebar is a box with the title “Jamestown Artifacts.”

• Ask students to explain what additional information the author gives in this sidebar. Ask: What is the sidebar about? How are the photographs impor-tant to the sidebar? (The sidebar is about the many objects archaeologists have found that were used by the Jamestown settlers. The photo-graphs show readers what some of these objects look like.)

• Remind students to read the sidebars throughout the text for additional information that is related to the topic of each chap-ter. Encourage them to note how the accompanying pictures support the sidebars.


The settlers thought they were going to have a good life and make money in Jamestown.

Life in Jamestown got better because women came to the colony.

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The settlers planned to start a colony, look for gold and other goods to sell, and find a route to the Pacific Ocean.

Some women had come to Jamestown. They helped the colo-ny grow. They planted small gardens with beets, carrots, and other foods.



Apply Strategies: Chapter 3–Conclusion

Before ReadingMonitor Reading Strategy: Stop/Think/write• Have students look at their self-stick notes or in their journals

to review the notes they took yesterday. Remind them that stopping to think and write during reading is one way to remember important details from the text.

• Read pages 14–15 aloud as students follow along. Say: The Pilgrims had reasons for going to North America. Let’s stop and write about these reasons to help us better remember why the Pilgrims traveled to a new land.

• Remind students that because authors put important words in boldfaced type, these words indicate key ideas. Encourage stu-dents to stop, think, and write notes about the boldfaced words that appear in Chapter 3.

During ReadingSet a Purpose for Reading• Have students read the rest of the book silently. Tell them to

place their self-stick notes in the text at the places where they stopped to write facts or main ideas they wanted to remember.

• Discuss the pictures on page 22 as suggested in the text. You might also ask students to stop and think about the pictures and write their ideas on self-stick notes or in their journal.

After ReadingDiscuss the Reading• Have students share their notes for each chapter with the group.

Ask them to explain why they chose to record particular details.

• Discuss with students things that were important to the Pilgrims. Ask: Why was the meeting house important to the Pilgrims? (They used it as their church and as a place to meet and talk about community business.)

• Have students turn to page 21 and find the checkpoint. Explain that researching to find out more about a subject will help them better understand the text. Have students report their findings.

• For text-dependent comprehension practice, ask the questions for Chapter 3 found on the Comprehension Through Deductive Reasoning Card for this chapter book.

Teaching Tips

After discussing the reading, have stu-dents remove the self-stick notes from their books and place the notes in their journals on a page titled “Stop/Think/Write.” Use this page through-out the year to review the practice of stopping to think and write.

Comprehension Strategy: Make Inferences• Review the graphic organizer that students have been completing.

Explain that they will make inferences about Chapter 3 in pairs or independently. Students should identify clues and facts and make inferences based on these, using the text on pages 17 and 18.

• Ask students if they have any questions before they begin. Monitor their work and intervene if they are having difficulty. If students make inferences different from those on the graphic organizer, make sure the inferences are supported by clues and facts in the text. Discuss students’ responses together.

• For more practice with making inferences, have students com-plete the blackline master “Make Inferences” on page 15.

use Context Clues to Determine

word Meaning: Direct Definitions• Remind students that sometimes the author tells them the defini-

tion of an unfamiliar word in the words or sentences surrounding the word. Have students find the word governor on page 15. Say: In this sentence, the definition of governor comes before the word. The definition is signaled by the word called, which comes right before governor. By going back to the beginning of the sentence, I find out that the definition of governor is “colony’s leader.”

• Have students find the word colonists on page 16. Ask them what the definition of the word is (“settlers”) and how they fig-ured out that a definition was being given. (The clue word called appears before the word colonists.)

• For additional practice, have students complete the blackline master on page 16.

Chapter 3–Conclusion (continued)



1. Watch students as they make infer-ences. Ask yourself: How have students progressed with this strategy? What problems are they still having?

2. Watch students as they complete the graphic organizer. Ask yourself: Who is still struggling with this strategy? How can I help them?

3. Jot down your thoughts in your folder or notebook. For students who strug-gle with making inferences, review the strategy using the Comprehension Strategy Poster: Make Inferences.

1. meal tiny bits of corn made by grinding the corn between two rocks

2. metate a large flat stone slab on which Anasazi women placed corn to grind it

3. mano a small flat stone that Anasazi women used to grind corn against a metate

4. ollas water jars made of clay and painted with stains

Reader Response

Reread pages 16–17. Why did the Pilgrims have to make so many of the things they needed? Write a response in your journal and share your thoughts with a group member.

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Possible inference: The top of Mesa Verde would be a good place to grow crops.

Possible inference: The settlers picked a bad place to build Jamestown.

Possible inference: The Pilgrims were determined to get to North America.

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Trees growing there; gets more sun, rain, and snow; has better soil

Had malaria-carrying mos-quitoes; salty, muddy river water unfit to drink; unfriendly Native Americans

Had to turn back twice; too many people on one ship

Passage Clues/Facts Inference

The Pilgrims made do with what was available to them in their new home.

The colonists knew how important it was for them to work together; cooperation would help the colony survive.

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Massachusetts had rocky soil. The colonists couldn’t have big farms. However, they grew corn and other crops anyway.

The colonists lived and worked near one anoth-er. They helped one another with chores. They attended church together. They met in the meetinghouse to discuss communi-ty business.


Administer ongoing Comprehension Assessment• Have students take Ongoing Assessment #23 on pages 76–77 in

the Comprehension Strategy Assessment Handbook (Grade 3).

Compare and Contrast Information• Point out that the book tells about three historical

communities—Mesa Verde, Jamestown, and Plymouth. Students can use the text to tell how these communities are alike and different. Have students turn to pages 10–11. Read the first two paragraphs aloud. Ask: When did the English settlers start Jamestown? (1607) Have students turn to page 14. Read the first paragraph aloud. Ask: When did the Pilgrims start Plymouth? (1620) Which community began earlier—Jamestown or Plymouth? (Jamestown began before Plymouth.)

• Draw a chart like the one shown below. Explain that the first column lists topics that are discussed about each community. Students are to fill in facts in the other three columns. For example, for When? under Mesa Verde, they might write more than a thousand years ago or a.d. 550–1200.

• Have students copy the graphic organizer and complete it using facts from the chapter book. Then have them use their charts to answer the following questions. Ask: What activities did all three communities have in common? (Possible answer: The people in the three communities built homes, farmed, hunted, and traded.) How was the location of Mesa Verde different from the locations of Jamestown and Plymouth? (Possible answer: Mesa Verde was located in the southwestern United States in an area that was dry and hot. Jamestown and Plymouth were located on the east coast of the United States. Jamestown was hot and swampy. Plymouth was cold and rocky.)

• Have students work in small groups and use their charts to discuss similarities and differences among the three historical communities in North America.



1. Score assessments and determine if more instruction is needed for this strategy.

2. Keep group assessments in a small-group reading folder.

3. Look closely at students’ responses. Ask yourself: Why might this student have answered the question in this manner? For in-depth analysis, discuss responses with individual students.

4. If needed, reteach this strategy and administer the second ongoing assessment #24 on pages 78–79 in the Comprehension Strategy Assessment Handbook (Grade 3).

5. Use ongoing assessments to document growth over time, for parent/teacher conferences, or for your own records.

Help students complete the compare/contrast chart. For example, point out the topic Problems and the heading Jamestown. Ask students What problems did the settlers in Jamestown have? Have students locate the page on which the answer to this question can be found. (page 11) Let them suggest what to write in that box. Continue in the same way for other parts of the chart.

Synthesize Information

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Mesa Verde Jamestown PlymouthWho?When?Where?ActivitiesProblems

write a Personal ResponseInvite students to respond to the book in a way that is meaningful to them. The prompts below provide a variety of alternatives.

• Think about the communities in this book. How do they remind you of your community? (text-to-self)

• What should people remember when they explore new places and meet new people? (text-to-world)

• Did any parts of this book confuse you? If so, what did you do? (self-monitor)

• What did you think about as you read about the daily lives of the people in these three communities? (make connections)

• How did you feel as you read about what these people had to do to survive? Why did you feel that way? (personal response)

• Did you like this book? Why or why not? (evaluate)

• What big ideas do you think the author wants you to remember? (synthesize information)

• Compare this book to other books about communities that you have read. (text-to-text/compare)

write to a Text PromptUse the prompt below as a timed writing activity. Students have a maximum of one hour to draft, revise, and edit a response. Use the rubric provided in the sidebar to score students’ writing.

write to a Picture Prompt

Use the following picture prompt to develop students’ visual writing abilities.

Reading/Writing Connections

Teaching Tips

Transfer personal response prompts to a large piece of chart paper and hang it in the room. Students can refer to the list throughout the year.

The prompt is well developed. There is strong evidence of focus, organization, voice, and correct conventions.

The prompt is developed. There is adequate evidence of focus, organization, voice, and correct conventions.

The prompt is somewhat developed. There is minimal evidence of focus, organization, voice, and correct conventions.

The prompt is weakly developed. There is little evidence of focus, organization, voice, and correct conventions.

Scoring Rubric

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Which of the three communities—Mesa Verde, Jamestown, or Plymouth—can you imagine yourself living in? Use information from the book to support your answer.

Look at the picture on page 7. Imagine that you are the first person to see the Cliff Palace since the Anasazi left it. How would you describe it to others? Write a response in your journal and share your thoughts with a group member. Use details from the picture to support your answer.


© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Date _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Directions: Use this sheet to talk about the book.

word Study: Write words you did not know. Discuss the meanings with your group. Use the text to clarify the meanings.

Questions:Write two to three questions you had while reading this book. Discuss the questions and answers.

Make Connections:Write three connections you made with the text. Discuss them with your group.

Adapted from Literature Circles, Harvey Daniels (Stenhouse Publishing Co., 1994).

Rules for a Good Discussion:1. Be prepared.

2. Pay attention to the person who is talking and do not interrupt him or her.

3. Think about what others are saying so you can respond.

4. Use inside voices.

5. Let everyone in the group have a turn to speak.

6. Be respectful of everyone’s ideas.

Adapted from Guiding Readers and Writers, Irene C. Fountas & Gay Su Pinnell (Heinemann Publishing Co., 2001).

ways to Make ConnectionsText-to-Self: This reminds me of a time when I. . .

Text-to-world: What’s going on in this book is like what’s happening right now in. . .

Text-to-Text: This book reminds me of another book I read called . . . . It was about . . .

Small-Group Discussion Guide


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Clues/Facts Inference

Make Inferences


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Make InferencesDirections: Make an inference based on the clues and facts in each passage. Complete the graphic organizer using information from the passages.

1. Unlike the land around it, Mesa Verde is covered with green

trees. In the summer, the mesa is cooler than the valleys. In

the winter, it is warmer. The top of the mesa slopes south, so

it gets more sun. It also gets more rain and snow. Because it

gets more sun and water, the mesa has better soil.

2. The settlers built Jamestown on low, marshy land. Mosquitoes

gave them a disease called malaria. They had no fresh water.

The James River was salty and muddy. When they drank the

river water, the settlers got sick. They couldn’t leave the fort

to fish, hunt, or farm because the Native Americans would

attack them.

3. The Pilgrims sailed from England in two ships. They turned

back twice because one ship was leaking. It had to be left

behind. When the Mayflower set sail the third time, it was

carrying twice as many people as it was built to hold. It was

also a month late. The Pilgrims would arrive in North America

in time for winter.

Passage

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Clues/Facts Inference

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use Context Clues to Determine word Meanings: Direct Definitions

Directions: Read the passage. Look for direct definitions of the boldfaced words. Complete the exercise at the bottom of the page.

Directions: Write the definitions of the boldfaced words. Use the passage to help you.

1. meal

2. metate

3. mano

4. ollas

Cooks and Potters

Corn was an important food for the Anasazi. First, Anasazi

women had to grind the corn into tiny bits called meal. They

placed the corn on a large flat stone slab called a metate. Then

they crushed the corn with a smaller flat stone called a mano.

The women used the corn meal to make a flat bread, which

they baked over a fire. They also rolled the corn meal into

small balls to boil in soups or stews.

Anasazi women made two kinds of pottery. Cups, bowls,

ladles, and water jars called ollas were pottery used for eating.

The women painted this pottery with stains made from berry

juices. Pottery used for cooking was not painted. Instead, the

women pinched the clay. The pinch marks made the surfaces

of the cooking pots rough. The rough surfaces made the pots

easier to hold.

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