Harcourt Storytown (2nd Grade)
Story 1: Arthur’s Reading Race by Marc Brown
Summary: Arthur doesn’t believe that his little sister can really read, so he challenges her to read ten words and offers a reward of ice cream if she does.
Supplements: Reading with Your Fingers , Puppy Mudge Find a Friend (Rylant), Duck on a Bike (Shannon), Clown Fish (Lindeen)
Spelling:
1. flag
2. fin
3. ran
4. has
5. fill
6. sat
7. list
8. sit
9. bag
10. win
11. picnic
12. plastic
13. rabbit
14. fabric
15. napkin
Robust Vocabulary:
1. ignore – to refuse to pay attention to something
2. dangerous – something is likely to cause harm or injury
3. style –a certain way of doing something
4. passion – to do something with energy and strong feelings
5. challenge –to ask someone to be in a contest
6. underestimate – to think that something will be easier than it really is
7. proficient – when you are very good at doing something
8. heed – to listen to a warning and use it help you do something
Words to Know:
1. prove – to show that something is true
“Prove it,” said Arthur.
2. sign – a public notice giving information
Arthur pointed to a sign.
3. already – before now
“I already know how to read,” said D.W.
4. eight – the whole number that comes after seven and before nine
“You only read eight words.”
5. police – the people whose job is to keep order, make sure the law is obeyed, and stop any crimes that are being committed.
“And you better keep off the grass or the police will get you.”
Story 2: Frog and Toad All Year by Arnold Lobel
Summary: Best friends Frog and Toad each plan to surprise the other by sneaking over to the other’s house to rake leaves.
Supplement: Life as a Frog (Victoria Parker)
Spelling:
1. not
2. best
3. run
4. job
5. bed
6. spot
7. get
8. mud
9. ten
10. duck
11. helmet
12. puppet
13. rotten
14. subject
15. contest
Robust Vocabulary:
1. edge – if you are at the edge of something, you are at the border, or side
2. ventured – you went some place new
3. described – you told about something
4. hesitate – you pause, or wait, before doing something
5. anonymous – you wouldn’t use your own name
6. unselfish – you share with others
7. satisfied – you feel happy with the way things are
8. neighborly – you are friendly to people who live near you
Words to Know:
1. covered – to put something over something else
These messy leaves have covered everything.
2. everything – each and every thing
She swept the floor and dusted everything in the house.
3. guess – to give an answer that may be right but that you cannot be sure of
He will never guess who raked his leaves.
4. through – in one side and out the other
Toad ran through the high grass.
5. woods – an area of thickly growing trees
Frog ran through the woods.
Story 3: Henry and Mudge: The First Book by Cynthia Rylant
Summary: Henry, an only child on a street with no other children, finds companionship with his extra large and lovable dog Mudge.
Supplement: Dogs (Chute)
Spelling:
1. same
2. kite
3. home
4. plate
5. ride
6. rope
7. race
8. rule
9. broke
10. tune
11. mistake
12. bedtime
13. homemade
14. classmate
15. notepad
Robust Vocabulary:
1. blockades – if something prevents you from getting into a place
2. soaked – when a cloth takes in water and becomes wet
3. misplaced – when something is in the wrong place
4. principles – the things you believe about what is right and what is wrong
5. deny – when you don’t give someone something that they’ve asked for
6. consider – when you think very carefully about an idea
7. opinionated – when you have strong feelings about something
8. bulk – when you talk about the size and weight of a large object
Words to Know:
1. children – young boys or girls
Then they looked at their street with no children.
2. different – not the same
“I want to live on a different street,” he told his parents.
3. ears – the part of the body used for hearing
“And no pointed ears.”
4. finally – last chance
He finally stopped growing.
5. hundred – the whole number, written 100, that is equal to 10 x 10
He weighed one hundred eighty pounds.
6. short – less than average length, height, distance, or time
“Not a short one,” he said.
Story 4: Dogs by Jennifer Blizin Gillis
Summary: Children will learn about caring for a dog as a pet.
Supplement: Animals Have Special Jobs
Spelling:
1. see
2. please
3. need
4. deal
5. sleep
6. mean
7. green
8. clean
9. keep
10. eat
11. teapot
12. beehive
13. seaweed
14. peanut
15. mealtime
Robust Vocabulary:
1. disability – if something stops you from doing something that most people can do
2. position – when you describe the way that a person or thing stands, sits, or lies down
3. attached – you feel very close to a person or thing
4. assistance – when you help someone or something
5. depend – you need a person or thing
6. responsibility – there is something you have to do or take care of
7. frisky – very lively and playful
8. affinity – you naturally like something
Words to Know:
1. bicycle – a vehicle with two wheels that you ride by steering with handlebars and by pedaling
Now my puppy is a dog. It weighs as much as a bicycle.
2. exercise – physical activity that you do to keep fit and healthy
Playing is good exercise for dogs.
3. sometimes – now and then; at some times but not at others
Sometimes my dog sleeps in my room.
4. special – different or unusual
It sleeps on a special dog bed.
5. sugar – a sweet substance that is used in foods and drinks
It weighed as much as a big bag or sugar.
Story 5: Neighborhood News (Readers’ Theater)
Summary: A children’s news program reports on local events around the town.
Supplement: Friendliness
Spelling:
1. has
2. win
3. spot
4. best
5. mud
6. same
7. broke
8. rule
9. clean
10. sleep
Robust Vocabulary:
1. flutters – if something flies or moves in a light and quick way
2. selected – if you have chosen a particular thing.
3. announced – when someone gives new information to a group of people
4. career – a job for which someone might get training or go to school
5. penalty – when someone gets a punishment for doing something wrong
6. location – a place
7. excitable – if people or animals get worked up easily
8. positive – when you are sure about something
Words to Know:
1. already – before now
We’ve already gotten back more than a hundred books.
2. eight – the whole number that comes after seven and before nine
We have eight minutes to finish!
3. everything – each and every thing
We’re the news program that tells you everything you need to know about where you live
4. finally – last chance
The day of the big soccer game is finally here.
5. guess – to give an answer that may be right but that you cannot be sure of
There’s no need to guess what to wear.
6. hundred – the whole number, written 100, that is equal to 10 x 10
We’ve already gotten back more than a hundred books.
7. prove – to show that something is true
We want to prove that we’re the best.
8. sometimes – now and then
Sometimes they kick the ball so hard that it sails all the way down the field!
9. special – different or unusual
I’ll buy a special treat for you!
10. through – in one side and out the other
It’s going to be sunny and warm through the weekend.
Story 6: Winners Never Quit! by Mia Hamm
Summary: Young Mia Hamm loves to play soccer, but quits when she can’t make a goal. Her brothers and sisters help to teach her a valuable lesson about good sportsmanship.
Supplement: Two Races (Kimmel), Duck on a Bike (Shannon), Treasure Map (Murphy), Cradles in the Trees (Brennan)
Spelling:
1. pie
2. high
3. tie
4. light
5. lie
6. night
7. bright
8. right
9. might
10. tight
11. weeknight
12. lightning
13. sightsee
14. nightstand
15. sunlight
Robust Vocabulary:
1. techniques – when you practice routines or methods to help you do something.
2. specially – if something has been made just for you
3. struggle – you try extra hard to do something
4. traction – when you walk up a hill or across some ice, traction keeps you from sliding
5. agile – you can move quickly and easily
6. spectator – when you go to watch a game or show
7. competitive – you try hard to win or to be the best
8. worthwhile – you think something is important
Words to Know:
1. brother – a boy or man who has the same parents as another person
“Too bad, Mia,” her brother Garrett said.
2. caught – grabbed hold of something moving through the air
And Lovdy caught it.
3. cheer – to shout encouragement or approval
Everybody on the team would cheer.
4. learn – to gain knowledge or a skill
“If you can’t learn to lose, you can’t play.”
5. lose – to be beaten or defeated in a game
She’d rather quit than lose.
6. straight – not bent or not curved
She’d kick the ball straight into the net.
Story 7: Gus and Grandpa and the Two-Wheeled Bike by Claudia Mills
Summary: Gus has trouble learning to ride a bike without training wheels until his Grandpa devises a plan to help him.
Supplement: No Helmet? Pay Up!
Spelling:
1. pay
2. mail
3. paint
4. day
5. rain
6. stay
7. sail
8. way
9. train
10. tray
11. mailbox
12. highway
13. daytime
14. raindrop
15. crayon
Robust Vocabulary:
1. rickety – it is old and shaky
2. rattling – it is making short knocking sounds
3. prying – you are opening it with a crowbar or other tool
4. impatiently – you are upset that you have to wait
5. romp – you move around playfully
6. defeated – if you feel like you have lost
7. jubilant – when you feel joyful and happy
8. master – you learn how to do it well
Words to Know:
1. coming – moving toward a place
“How’s the bike riding coming along?” Grandpa asked.
2. curve – to bend or turn gently and continuously
When Gus turned around a curve, his bike turned with him.
3. idea – a thought, a plan, or an opinion
“I have an idea,” Grandpa said.
4. knee – the joint between your upper and lower leg that you bend when you walk
He had a dinosaur bandage on the right knee.
5. laughed – you made a sound to show that you think something is funny
Gus laughed.
6. million – a very large number; a thousand thousands
Gus rode around the parking lot with Grandpa a million times.
7. world – the earth
There was nothing in the world as wonderful as riding a bike without training wheels.
Story 8: The Great Ball Game: A Muskogee Story by Joseph Bruchac
Summary: In this pourquoi tale, the animals with wings and the animals with teeth argue over which group is better. They decide to settle their argument by playing a ball game.
Supplement: The Bat (Douglas Florian)
Spelling:
1. car
2. art
3. barn
4. start
5. farm
6. card
7. yarn
8. part
9. dark
10. hard
11. barnyard
12. starlight
13. carpet
14. artist
15. market
Robust Vocabulary:
1. clutched – you held it tightly
2. clambered – you climbed with both hands and feet
3. clumsy – when you trip or fall, or when you can’t move easily
4. ached – you felt sore or were in pain
5. feud – you have a big argument
6. superior – you are the best
7. refuse – you don’t want something
8. insult – you say something mean
Words to Know:
1. accept – to agree with something
“The side that loses will have to accept the penalty given by the other side.”
2. ago – before now, or in the past
Long ago, the Birds and Animals had a great argument.
3. clear – easy to understand
Soon it became clear that the Birds had the advantage.
4. fair – reasonable and just
“It would not be fair,” he said.
5. half – one of two equal parts of something
“You Birds,” Bat said, “must leave this land for half of each year.”
6. though – in spite of the fact that; however, nevertheless
Crane and Hawk, though, were even swifter.
Story 9: Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
Summary: Farmer Brown’s cows learn to type and begin to leave notes for him.
Supplement: Rock – a – Bye Cows (Sam Curtis)
Spelling:
1. boat
2. snow
3. coat
4. grow
5. float
6. own
7. low
8. load
9. soak
10. bowl
11. yellow
12. snowflake
13. sailboat
14. carload
15. window
Robust Vocabulary:
1. brisk – when you walk in a quick and lively way
2. strutted – you walked like you were the most important person in the world
3. gobbled – you quickly gulped your food