from The Big Waveby Pearl S. Buck

illustrated by Yoriko ItoOpen Court, Fourth GradeUnit 4: SurvivalVuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary http://www.opencourtresources.com

Open Court, Fourth GradeUnit 4: SurvivalVuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

Here are the elements of a realistic fiction:

•characters behave as people or animals do in real life

•setting of the story is a real place or could be a real place

•events in the story could happen in real life

Open Court, Fourth GradeUnit 4: SurvivalVuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

What do you know about earthquakes?

Volcanoes? Tidal waves?

The father in the story smokes a pipe. During this time period, people were unaware of the dangers of smoking. We have learned much since then.

A tidal wave is a very high ocean wave that can be caused by high winds or an earthquake.

Surviving a physical disaster is followed by an emotional trauma, which is also difficult to survive.

Pearl S. Buck lived at one time in a little Japanese house on a hillside above the sea, overlooking a small fishing village on the beach below. One summer a big wave came up and washed the village away. The book The Big Wave grew out of her memory of this event…she pointed out that the story of Jiya and Kino “may be said to be a true one.”

Open Court, Fourth GradeUnit 4: SurvivalVuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

These words are pairs of synonyms.

giant big weep cry

Name another synonym that fits with each pair.

Open Court, Fourth GradeUnit 4: SurvivalVuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

These words contain the suffix –ful. What does this suffix mean?

joyful playful delightful wonderful

What is the base word of each word?What does each word mean with the suffix?

joy play delight wonder

full of full of full of full of

Open Court, Fourth GradeUnit 4: SurvivalVuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

danger village gingerThese words have the /j/ sound.gentle

How is the /j/ spelled in each word?

Open Court, Fourth GradeUnit 4: SurvivalVuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

sobbing clapping petting

These words contain final consonants that have been doubled before the addition of the endings –ing and –ed. shopping

How would each of the following words change by adding –ing or –ed?trap hug lob

trap hug lob

p

p

g

g

b

b

ing

ed

inging

ed ed

Open Court, Fourth GradeUnit 4: SurvivalVuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

The big wave came, but it went away.

What is the present-tense form of each verb?

What are the two verbs in this sentence?

These words are irregular past-tense verbs.

come go

Open Court, Fourth GradeUnit 4: SurvivalVuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

We must feel again how wonderful life is.

What is the subject of this sentence?What part of speech is it?

pronoun

Open Court, Fourth GradeUnit 4: SurvivalVuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

Heat a little rice soup and put some ginger in it.

What kind of sentence is this?

imperative interrogative exclamatorydeclarative

What is the subject of this sentence?

The sentence gives a command.

“you”

Open Court, Fourth GradeUnit 4: SurvivalVuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

My friend was sobbing after he hurt his leg.

Which word contains a final consonant that has been doubled?

What is the base word before adding the –ing?

Open Court, Fourth GradeUnit 4: SurvivalVuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

tid tidal

wreck age wreckage

un con unconscious

sor row sorrowfully

un for tu unfortunate

al

scious

ful ly

nate

Open Court, Fourth GradeUnit 4: SurvivalVuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

When a distant volcano erupts, it causes a tidal wave.

The tidal wave caused massive destruction to the village.

tidal (adjective)—have to do with the rise and fall of the sea

Open Court, Fourth GradeUnit 4: SurvivalVuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

Upon the beach where the village stood not a house remained, no wreckage of wood or fallen stone wall.

The sailors could find no wreckage of the ship that was lost at sea.

wreckage (noun)—the remains of something that has been destroyed

Open Court, Fourth GradeUnit 4: SurvivalVuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

Kino felt him slip to the ground. He was unconscious.

Although the patient was unconscious, his family still talked to him.

unconscious (adjective)—not being physically or mentally aware of what is happening

Open Court, Fourth GradeUnit 4: SurvivalVuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

“I don’t think Jiya can ever be happy again,” Kino said sorrowfully.

Sonia sorrowfully waved good-bye to her friend for the last time.

sorrowfully (adverb)—in a way that shows grief or sadness

Open Court, Fourth GradeUnit 4: SurvivalVuthny Prak, Palmetto Elementary

unfortunate (adjective)—unlucky

“Father, are we not very unfortunate people to live in Japan?”

It was unfortunate that they missed the start of the game.