Letters Home

from Yosemite

Compiled by:

Terry Sams PES

Written and Illustrated by:

Lisa Halvorsen

Visit the Author

Terry Sams PES

Summary

Yosemite National

Park is an amazing

place. In one visit,

you can see giant

trees, towering

mountains, and

interesting wildlife.

Study Skills�Genre: Narrative Nonfiction

�Comprehension Skill:

Main Idea

�Comprehension Strategy: �Comprehension Strategy:

Graphic Organizers

�Comprehension Review Skill:

Fact and Opinion

�Vocabulary: Suffixes

Genre: Narrative Nonfiction

� Narrative nonfiction tells the

story of real people, places, or

events. The narrator, or teller of

the story, presents information the story, presents information

in sequence. Notice this

sequence as you read

about Yosemite

National Park.

Comprehension Strategy –

Graphic Organizers�Using a graphic organizer can help

you to understand what you read.

�Examples of graphic organizers

are webs, charts, and diagrams.

�A sequence chart can help you see

the sequence of an article and

often you can fill these charts in as

you read.

Comprehension Skill Review –

Fact and Opinion�A fact is a statement that

can be proved true or false.

�Statements of opinion tell �Statements of opinion tell

about a person’s beliefs,

feelings, or way of thinking

that cannot be proved.

Vocabulary Strategy

Suffixes –ist and -ive�You can use suffixes to help

figure out the meaning of

words. words.

�The suffix –ist can make a word

mean “one who is an expert

in____,” as a biologist, an

expert in biology.

Vocabulary Strategy

Suffixes –ist and -ive

�The suffix -ive can make a

word mean “’tending or word mean “’tending or

inclined to_____,” as in

active, which means tending

to act.”

Question of the Week

�How does Yosemite reflect the reflect the unique qualities of the West?

Review Questions

1. How can you tell this

was written to inform?

2. What is one way Yosemite 2. What is one way Yosemite

is a unique place?

3. What are some impressive

wonders in Yosemite?

Review Questions

1.What is the “time” setting of

this story?

2.How did the author organize

this story? Why do you think this story? Why do you think

she did that?

3.What attraction did the she

go see right after Glacier

Point?

Vocabulary- Say It!

glacier

impressive

naturalistnaturalist

preserve

slopes

species

wilderness

glacier� a great mass of ice moving very slowly down a down a mountain or along a valley

naturalist�a person who studies living things

impressive�able to have a strong effect on the mind or feelings

preserve

�to keep from harm or

change; protect

species�a set of related living things that share certain characteristic and that can be interbred

slopes�and that goes up

and down at an

angle

wilderness�a wild region with

few or no people few or no people

living in it

earthquake�a shaking or shifting motion of Earth’s surface. It is caused by the sudden by the sudden breaking of masses of rock along a fault.

eruptions

�acts or processes of bursting or throwing forththrowing forth

volcano

�opening in Earth’s

crust through which crust through which

steam, ashes, and

lava are forced out

in periods of activity

altitudes

�heights about

Earth’s surface

reservoir�a place where

water is collected water is collected

and stored for

use

Denali Nation

Park in Alaska has

more than 6 more than 6

million miles of

wilderness.

Denali Nation Park

in Alaska has more

than 6 million miles than 6 million miles

of wilderness.

More than 650

species of flowering

plants live in plants live in

Denali!.

More than 650

species of flowering

plants live in plants live in

Denali!.

The park was

established to

preserve the land preserve the land

and the plants

and animals.

The park was

established to

preserve the land preserve the land

and the plants

and animals.

That’s what the

naturalist on the

guided tour told guided tour told

us about this

park.

That’s what the

naturalist on the

guided tour told guided tour told

us about this

park.

We skied up the

lower slopes of

Mt. McKinley.Mt. McKinley.

We skied up the

lower slopes of

Mt. McKinley.Mt. McKinley.

We could see a

giant glacier

looking like a huge looking like a huge

field of ice.

We could see a

giant glacierlooking like a huge looking like a huge

field of ice.

The glacier was a

very impressive sight.

The glacier was a

very impressive sight.

The sequoia tree is

the largest species of

tree in the world.

The sequoia tree is

the largest speciesof tree in the world.

There is less oxygen

as you go up in

altitude.

There is less oxygen

as you go up in

altitude.

The river provides

water to San

Francisco by way Francisco by way

of a reservoir.

The river provides

water to San

Francisco by way Francisco by way

of a reservoir.

The rock formations

were beautiful in the

sunlight.

The rock formationswere beautiful in the

sunlight.

Spelling Words

Long u Sounds

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scooter

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�mood

flute�scooter

�afternoon

�threw

�flute

�huge

�usual

Spelling Words

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�curfew

�duty

humor

�pupil

�excuse

cruel�humor

�confuse

�groove

�cruel

�bruise

�truth

CHALLENGE

�influence

�aluminum

�nutrition�nutrition

�accumulate

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