A Walk in the Desert

Name

talk  talks lift  lifting drop  dropped smile  smiling

14517_033b
14517_033a 14517_033c

Use the word in ( ) to finish each sentence. 

Add -s, -ed, or -ing to make a word.  
Write the new word on the line.

1. Jen Dad. (hug)

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2. Mom good-by. (wave)

3. Jen and Mom their bikes and helmets.

(grab)
© Pearson Education, Inc., 2

4. This is an day. (excite)

5. Jen and Mom are going . (swim)

Home Activity  Your child wrote words that ended with -s, -­­­ ed, or -ing, such as talks, dropped, lifting, and
smiling. Create sentences for your child like those above. Ask your child to complete each sentence by
writing a word that ends with -s, -ed, or -ing.

 Phonics  Inflected Endings -s, -ed, -ing  37

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 A Walk in the Desert
Name
Write the correct word from the box below each clue.

animals  early  eyes  full  warm  water

1. no more can fit 2. between hot and cold

3. dolphins and birds 4. at the very beginning

5. used for seeing 6. ocean or sea

© Pearson Education, Inc., 2

Home Activity  Your child learned the words animals, early, eyes, full, warm, and water. Make a “word
file” box for your child out of a shoebox. Provide scraps of paper or index cards to write and illustrate new
words.

38  High-Frequency Words  

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 A Walk in the Desert
Name
Read the story and look at the picture. Follow the directions below.
Bottlenose Dolphin
Bottlenose dolphins are sea ear
dorsal fin
blowhole
animals. They can swim fast and melon
dive deep. A dolphin can hold
its breath under the water for a
short time. When out of the water,
a dolphin breathes through a beak
eye flipper

blowhole on the top of its head. fluke

1. Write the sentence from the story that tells the main idea.

2. Write three details that tell about the main idea.

© Pearson Education, Inc., 2

Home Activity  Your child identified the main idea and supporting details of a story and interpreted
information from a diagram. Find a Web site or book that gives facts about an octopus and includes a
diagram. Ask your child to identify details about the body of an octopus.
 Comprehension  Main Idea and Details  39

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 A Walk in the Desert
Name

My City Neighborhood

In my neighborhood, all the houses are tall and close

together. Each house has three apartments. The apartments
are stacked on top of each other. The apartments share the
same front door. People sit on their brick front steps. Friendly
neighbors call out to each other. Girls and boys play games.
Jump ropes slap on the sidewalk.
A narrow alley runs between the houses. What lives here?
Cats do. Why do they live here? Mice live here.
Behind each house is a tiny square yard. Kids play there. In
winter, they make snow forts. In summer, they play catch.

Key Features of a Brief Report

• The report is a short informational article.

• Facts and details tell about a real-life topic.

• Information is presented in an organized way.

© Pearson Education, Inc., 2

40  Writing  Brief Report

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 A Walk in the Desert
Name

Inflected Endings
Spelling Words
talked talking dropped dropping excited exciting
lifted lifting hugged hugging smiled smiling

Write the list word to finish each sentence.

1. Kris is ___ her new kitten. 1.

2. Are you very ___ about the game? 2.

3. Dad ___ when he heard the joke. 3.

4. You are ___ your plate. 4.

5. She ___ the baby into the cart. 5.

6. They ___ about the book. 6.

Write the list words that fit the clues.

It has an -ed ending. It has a double consonant.
© Pearson Education, Inc., 2

7. 8.

It has an -ing ending. An e was dropped from the base word.

9. 10.

Home Activity  Your child wrote words that end with -ed or -ing. Say and spell a list word that has an -ed
ending. Ask your child to spell the corresponding -ing word.

 Spelling  Inflected Endings  41

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 A Walk in the Desert
Name
Write the words in alphabetical order. If the words begin with the
same letter, look at the second letters. If the first two letters are the
same, look at the third letters.

1. from, for, four

2. best, because, better

3. man, make, more

4. will, with, win

5. are, arm, ark, an

© Pearson Education, Inc., 2

6. go, gone, give, get

Home Activity  Your child learned to put words in alphabetical order by looking at the second and third
letters. Have your child write the names of everyone in your family in alphabetical order.

42  Vocabulary Skill 

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 A Walk in the Desert
Name

Declarative and Interrogative Sentences

A declarative sentence is a statement that tells something. A
statement ends with a period (.).
It is a very hot day.
An interrogative sentence is a sentence that asks something. It
is a question. A question ends with a question mark (?).
Where are we?
All statements and questions begin with capital letters.

Put a period at the end if the sentence is a statement.

Put a question mark at the end if the sentence is a question.

1. Do you like the desert _____

2. It is dry in the desert _____

3. Why is it dry in the desert _____

4. What makes a desert hot _____

© Pearson Education, Inc., 2

5. The saguaro cactus is a tall plant _____

6. Lizards like the hot sun _____

Home Activity  Your child learned about statements and questions. Choose one of your child’s favorite
books. Point to a sentence and ask your child whether the sentence is a statement or a question. Ask your
child to tell you why.

 Conventions Declarative and Interrogative Sentences  43

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 A Walk in the Desert
Name

Web

© Pearson Education, Inc., 2

Home Activity  Your child is learning to write stories, poems, brief reports, nonfiction paragraphs, letters,
and other products this year. Ask what your child is writing this week.

44  Writing  Plan

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 A Walk in the Desert
Name
Look at the title page, table of contents, and picture dictionary.
Write the answer to each question.

Desert Plants Table of Contents

Chapter 1
Cacti.................. 3 Picture Dictionary
Cactus

Chapter 2
Sagebrush........ 15 Sagebrush

Desert Lily

by Moe Jave Chapter 3

illustrated by Desert Lily......... 25
Ben Arid

1. In which chapter would you

find information about cacti?

2. On what page does

Chapter 2 begin?

3. Who drew the pictures

in this book?

4. Look at the title page.

© Pearson Education, Inc., 2

What is the book about?

5. What is this? Where did you find the picture?

Home Activity  Your child learned about parts of a book. With your child, look at a nonfiction book. Look at
the title page and table of contents together. Ask your child to find the author’s name and identify chapter
titles. Then find a picture dictionary to find the correct words for pictures.

 Research  Parts of a Book  45

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 A Walk in the Desert
Name

Inflected Endings
Read about Tara’s problem. Circle three Spelling Words
spelling mistakes. Write the words correctly. talked lifted
Cross out the incorrect end mark and rewrite
talking lifting
the sentence.
dropped hugged
My friend talked to me about taking swiming dropping hugging
lessons. I smileed and thought it would be excited smiled
exciteing, but now I am scared. Shall I quit. exciting smiling

Frequently
Misspelled
1. Words

scared
2.
swimming
3.

4.

Circle the word that is spelled correctly. Write it.

5. smiling 6. droping © Pearson Education, Inc., 2

smileing dropping
7. huged 8. talking
hugged talkking
9. lifted 10. dropped
liftted droped
Home Activity  Your child identified misspelled words that end with -ed or -ing. Ask your child to explain
how the base word changes when -ing is added to smile or excite. (The final e is dropped.)

46  Spelling  Inflected Endings

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 A Walk in the Desert
Name
Write the correct word from the box to finish each sentence.

animals  harsh  early  eyes 

full  warm  water

1. Some men go fishing

in the morning.

2. They do not need trade winds to move their boat across

the .

3. The climate is not .

4. At first, the day may be and sunny.

5. The men can spot sea resting on large rocks.

© Pearson Education, Inc., 2

6. They like the seals with their cute faces and big .

7. Later, the sky is of dark clouds, and the

force of the wind rocks the boat.

Home Activity  Your child completed sentences using high-frequency and story words learned this week.
Go to the library and check out books about animals, weather, and jobs pertaining to the sea. Remind your
child to look for these high-frequency or story words as he or she reads.

 High-Frequency Words/Story Words  47

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 A Walk in the Desert
Name

Declarative and Interrogative Sentences

Mark the letter of the correct sentence in each group.

1.  A The desert is hot and dry?

 B the desert is hot and dry.
 C The desert is hot and dry.

2.  A Some plants live in the desert?

 B Some plants live in the desert.
 C some plants live in the desert.

3.  A Which animals live in the desert.

 B Which animals live in the desert?
 C which animals live in the desert.

4.  A the jackrabbit can run fast.

 B the jackrabbit can run fast?
 C The jackrabbit can run fast.

5.  A How does a hawk find food.

 B How does a hawk find food?
 C how does a hawk find food? © Pearson Education, Inc., 2

6.  A A desert tortoise has a hard shell.

 B A desert tortoise has a hard shell?
 C a desert tortoise has a hard shell.

Home Activity  Your child prepared for taking tests on statements and questions. As you watch television
with your child, have him or her point out statements and questions that occur in dialogue.

48  Conventions Declarative and Interrogative Sentences

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