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