Good Neighbours

After school one winter day, Jack's mother told him to go out and play in the snow. "But it's so cold outside, Mother!" Jack said. "Put on your coat and your hat and your mittens," his mother said. "You can build a snowman before your father comes home." "I'm going to need a carrot for the nose," Jack said. "And I'll need some things for the snowman's hat and face." Jack got a bucket and collected everything he needed to decorate his snowman. His mother promised she would watch him build the snowman from the window.

Outside, in his front yard, Jack started with a very small ball of snow. He got on his knees and rolled the snow into a big ball. At another window, someone else was watching Jack play. It was his new neighbour Naoko. Naoko asked her mother if she could go outside and help Jack build his snowman. "It's very cold outside. Are you sure you want to go out and play?" her mother asked. "Yes, Mother!" Naoko said. "I will wear my coat and my hat

and my mittens." Naoko's mother helped her put on her winter clothes and promised to watch her from the window. "You can play until your father comes home," her mother said.

Naoko ran outside to Jack's yard and asked if she could help him finish his snowman. "Yes, please help me," Jack said. "My father will be home from work very soon." "Okay. What can I do?" Naoko asked. "I built my snowman's body with two snowballs. I need to roll one more for my snowman's head." "But snowmen only have two snowballs. One is for the body and one is for the head, " Naoko said. "No, snowmen always have three snowballs," Jack said. "I don't think I need you to help me after all." Jack picked up some snow and made it into a small snowball. He got on his knees and rolled the snow away from Naoko to make the snowman's head.

Naoko walked into her own yard and began to build her own snowman.

"I don't want to build a snowman with Jack anyway," she thought to herself. "I'm going to make my own." Naoko rolled two big balls of snow and put them on top of each other. When she finished that she took off her hat and scarf and decorated the snowman. Lastly, she found some sticks and pine cones and made her snowman's eyes and mouth and arms. Her mother clapped from the window.

Jack made a hat for his snowman with his bucket. He used his mother's sewing buttons for the eyes and mouth. Lastly, he added a carrot for the snowman's nose. After he finished, Jack's mother smiled and pointed. His father was driving up the street.

Suddenly a terrible thing happened. The head fell off Jack's snowman and crashed to the ground! "Oh no! My snowman fell apart," Jack said, "and my father is almost home!" Naoko heard Jack's cry and ran over to his yard to see what the problem was. "I'll help you roll another snowball," Naoko said. "If we do it together we can finish it before your father gets home." Together, Jack and Naoko rolled a new snowball. They shaped it with their mittens until it was round. Then they lifted it up

onto the snowman's body and decorated it with the carrot and bucket and buttons. "We finished it just in time," Jack said. "Thank you for your help." "You're welcome. I like your snowman better," Naoko said. "Mine doesn't have a nose."

Jack walked over to look at Naoko's snowman. He loved the pine cone eyes and mouth and the sticks for arms, but he knew it wasn't finished. Jack ran back to his snowman and pulled the carrot out. He broke it into two pieces and gave half to Naoko. "Hurry," Jack said. "Your snowman needs a nose and your father is driving up the street too." "Thank you," Naoko said. "You're welcome," Jack said. "I think our snowmen make good neighbours."

Good Neighbours Quiz

A. Do you understand what the words in the story mean?
Match the vocabulary with the definitions: a finish 1 to turn over and over

b mittens c help d neighbour e bucket f yard g roll h decorate i build j window

2 to make by putting things together 3 glass that you can see out of 4 to add something attractive 5 a person who lives beside you 6 a container with a handle 7 to make a job easier for another person 8 an area of land around a house 9 warm coverings for your hands 1 to complete or come to the end of an activity 0

Grammar note A noun is a person, place or thing (example: father, Hawaii, car). A verb is an action word (example: run, sing, jump). Which words in the vocabulary list above are nouns? Which words are verbs? nouns: __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ verbs: __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ Note The verbs in the vocabulary list above are in the present tense (now or every day). Example: I help my mother do the dishes. Some of the verbs in the story are in the past tense (before now). Example: I helped my mother do the dishes yesterday. Look for the verbs below in the story. How do you write them in the past tense? present help roll build decorate finish past helped _________ _ _________ _ _________ _ _________ _

B. Do you understand how to use the words from the story?

Fill in the blanks: 1. Naoko _______________ Jack fix his snowman. a. b. c. d. helped decorate build yard

2. Jack _______________ his snowman with a carrot. a. b. c. d. rolled help decorated bucket

3. Jack and Naoko are new _______________. a. b. c. d. mittens yard neighbours finished

4. Naoko's snowman is in her _______________. a. b. c. d. window bucket yard built

5. The children _______________ the snow into a ball. a. b. c. d. rolled yard decorate mittens

C. Do you understand what the story is about?

Answer the comprehension questions: 1. What time of year is it in this story? a. b. c. d. winter summer spring fall

2. Who tells Naoko she can play outside? a. b. c. d. her mother Jack her father the snowman

3. Who are Jack and Naoko? a. b. c. d. They are best friends. They are new neighbours. They are brother and sister. They are mother and father.

4. What was the problem with Jack's snowman? a. b. c. d. It lost its nose. It was too cold. It had no hat. Its head fell off.

5. What does Jack share with Naoko? a. b. c. d. his window a carrot his mittens his pine cones

Too Tiny for Tea Marty Mckay was already five years old, but he was still the baby of the family. "Can I have some tea too?" Marty asked his mother. She drank her tea from a beautiful cup and stirred it with a silver spoon. "No, Marty. You're too young to drink tea."

"But, why?" Marty asked. "Because your fingers are too tiny to hold the cup. And tea is too hot for you, baby." "I'm not a baby," Marty said. "I'm five and a half." Marty went out to the yard. His brother Ralph was playing basketball. "Can I play too?" Marty asked. Ralph bounced the ball up and and down under Marty's nose and then threw it into the basket. "No Marty, you're too young to play basketball." "But, why?" Marty asked. "Because the basket is too high for you to reach. And the ball is too big for your tiny baby hands," Ralph said. "I'm not a baby," Marty said. "I'm five and three quarters." Marty went into the kitchen. His sister Jane was getting ready to ride her bicycle to the candy store. "Can I go to the store to buy candy?" Marty asked Jane. He could feel the wind in his hair and the candy on his tongue. "No, you're too young to go to the store," Jane said. "But why?" Marty asked. "Because the store is too far for you to ride to. And your baby

bike is too slow." "I'm not a baby," Marty said. "I'm nearly six." "Six?" Jane laughed. "You just turned five!" Marty sat on the grass and watched his sister ride away on her bike. He started to cry. Marty's father was washing the car. He heard a tiny cry and went to find out what was wrong. "Why are you crying?" Marty's father asked. "Because I'm too tiny to do anything. I wish I weren't the youngest one." "Be careful what you wish for," his father said. Just then, Marty's mother came out to bring Marty's dad his tea. She patted her belly and smiled. "We're going to have another baby," his mother said. "And that means you're going to be a big brother," his father said. "But, I'm too tiny to be a big brother," Marty said. "I'm just a baby!"

Too Tiny for Tea Quiz

A. Do you understand what the words in the story mean?

Match the vocabulary with the definitions: a b c d e f g h i j beautiful stirred basket tongue bike patted belly spoon to reach yard 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 the body part that tastes food another word for stomach to be able to touch or grab something an area out front or out back of a house touched with a soft up and down motion short for bicycle mixed used to stir or bring food to the mouth very pretty, nice looking a net with a hole at the top and bottom

Grammar Too is a word that means more than enough. Use: too + adjective Examples: I am too tired. I don't have enough energy. This hat is too small. I need a bigger hat. It's too cold outside. I don't want to play outside until it's warmer. Look at the following sentences. Can you write the problems? You aren't tall enough to reach the shelf. He has to be older to go on this ride. I didn't have enough time to call you. You might burn your tongue on the soup. Jenna needs a smaller bike. You are too short. He is _______ _______ . I was _______ _______. The soup is _______ _______. The bicycle is _______ _______ for Jenna.

B. Do you understand how to use the words from the story?

Fill in the blanks:

1. Marty's mother __________ her tea with a silver spoon. a. b. c. d. drank ate stirred cooked

2. Marty's brother is throwing his ball into a __________ . a. b. c. d. baby cup bike basket

3. When Marty thinks about candy he can taste it on his__________. a. b. c. d. shoes teeth tongue wind

4. Marty's mother__________ her belly after she told her son about the baby. a. b. c. d. careful patted smiled found

5. Jane thinks Marty's bike is too__________ . a. b. c. d. fast tiny old young

C. Do you understand what the story is about?

Answer the comprehension questions: 1. How old is Marty? a. b. c. d. almost 5 5 almost 6 7

2. What is Marty's brother doing in the story? a. going to the store b. washing the car

c. cutting the grass d. playing basketball 3. What does Marty wish? a. b. c. d. That he was younger That he was a baby That he wasn't the youngest That he was shorter

4. What does Marty's mother bring to Marty's father? a. b. c. d. a ball a baby a bicycle a cup of tea

5. What does Marty's mother tell Marty? a. b. c. d. She is feeling better. He is going to grow soon. He is going to be a big brother. They are going to go shopping.