Practice Literary Elements: Name Protagonist and Hyperbole The main character in a story is called the protagonist. Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration to make a point or create a sense of drama. Read the passage below. Then answer the questions that follow. Devin was amazed by what he saw when he jumped into the water. Through his mask, he could see different kinds of fish flitting around the coral. “There must be a million of them,” he thought to himself. Some shimmered so brightly that they must have been made of silver. Others were bright blue, red, and yellow. It was as if a museum full of paintings had been turned into fish and let loose among the coral. To his left he could see his sister Brianna swimming near a big fan- shaped piece of coral. He motioned toward the surface, and they both swam up and stuck their heads out. “Is this great or what?” Devin asked. “Yeah!” said Brianna. “I’m going to spend my whole vacation out here.” 1. Who is the story’s protagonist? What are two examples of hyperbole from the story? 2. 3. © Macmillan /McGraw-Hill Use hyperbole to create your own description of a coral reef. 4. At Home: Together with the student, take turns using At Home in the Coral Reef 144 Grade 4/Unit 4 hyperbole to describe things in your home.
Practice Name Vocabulary Strategy: Descriptions Context clues can help readers determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word. Sometimes writers will provide context clues through a description that makes the meaning of a word clearer. Example: My uncle could never eat clams or oysters because he was allergic to mollusks. You can use the context clues clams and oysters to figure out the meaning of the word mollusks. Underline the context clues that describe the word in dark type. Then write the word’s definition. 1. I saw all kinds of marine life swimming underwater at the aquarium. Definition: 2. After the earthquake, there were a few smaller tremors that shook the ground. Definition: 3. Some fish feed on plankton because these tiny plants and animals are very nutritious. Definition: 4. To put out the fire, the man doused the flames with a bucket of water. Definition: 5. The captain pulled the rudder hard to the left to steer the ship away © Macmillan /McGraw-Hill from the rocks. Definition: 6. The brilliant sunshine streamed in through the window and lit up the room. Definition: At Home: Choose two other words. Then ask the student to At Home in the Coral Reef write a sentence that includes descriptive context clues for Grade 4/Unit 4 145 each one.
Practice Name Phonics: Words with /ô/ The underlined letters in the following words show you different ways to spell the /ô/ sound: bald, stalk, straw, caught. Notice that in bald you pronounce the l, but that in stalk you do not. Read the list of words below. Then sort the words into two columns. The left column is for words with the /ô/ sound. The right column is for other words. laws catch malt bows sale wall band talking wail mall strawberry taught Words with /ô/ Other Words © Macmillan /McGraw-Hill At Home: Ask the student to identify four other words with At Home in the Coral Reef 146 Grade 4/Unit 4 the /ô/ sound.