Langston Hughes: A Poet’s Life

Chapter 2

Learning Goals

In this chapter, you will learn to:

  • Read sight words and functional words
  • Read words with blends
  • Read simple texts
  • Use context clues to figure out words
  • Identify main ideas, characters, and events from a reading
  • Use end punctuation
  • Write complete sentences

Talk About It

  • Have you seen any movies about slavery?
  • What do you know about what life was like for a slave?
  • How do you think Langston’s family got free from slavery? Make a guess.

Picture Dictionary
 slave long female-822215_640
slave long wrote
construction-659898_640 children-585730_640 gentleman-152768_640
labor children husband
house-435618_640 helmet-158268_640 https://pixabay.com/en/hand-hands-shaking-hands-man-hand-861275/
sold safety respect
bride-312158_640
marry
Put the above words in alphabetical order.

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.
Make a sentence using one of the above words.

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Ask your instructor to check your work.

Word Skills

Word Patterns

A consonant is any letter that is not a vowel. For example, the letters b, c, d, f, g, h, and j are consonants. A blend is when two consonants go together and each consonant makes a sound.

The letters dr in drip are a blend.

https://pixabay.com/en/water-drip-drop-blue-macro-90781/

Practice reading these words.
club

sled

swim

stop

drill

 belt

gift

list

mask

jump

milk

nest
Match each word to a picture.
box-25203_640 gift-575400_640 basketball-147657_640
1. _____________ 2. _____________ 3. _____________
belt-139757_640 card-157402_640 mask-308328_640
4. _____________ 5. _____________ 6. _____________
sledge-145993_640 drill-309997_640 swimmer-309596_640
7. _____________ 8. _____________ 9. _____________
birds-nest-788680_640 clipboard-311168_640 stop-sign-37020_640-2
10. _____________ 11. _____________ 12. _____________
Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.
Read each sentence. Then cover it up. Try to write it. Use upper case letters correctly. Use periods and question marks correctly.

a. The gift was a big sled.
_______________________________________________

b. There is a nest in the tree.
_______________________________________________

c. Milk is on my list.
_______________________________________________

d. Do not jump on the bed.
_______________________________________________

e. Stop the car.
_______________________________________________

You will see these words in the story. They all have a blend.

Langston from long black
work slaves part sold
respect great grandmother free

Use Your Reading Skills

Listen to Chapter 2. Then read Chapter 2 in BC Reads: Adult Literacy Fundamental English – Reader 2. As you read each sentence, ask yourself, “Does that make sense?” Go back and read the sentence again if it does not make sense.


Check Your Understanding

1. Are these sentences true or false? Circle true or false.
a. Langston Hughes was from Canada.

b. Langston Hughes was a slave.

c. Lucy Langston was a slave.

d. Lucy Langston was set free by her owner.

e. Lucy Langston married the white man who was her owner.

 true          false

true          false

true          false

true          false

true          false

2. Read the first line of the poem, “I am the one who labored as a slave.” What do you think “labored” means?

a. sang

b. worked

c. played

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Writing

Grammar Rule

A sentence can be a question or a statement.

A question asks for information. It ends with a question mark.

Do you like my shoes?  – YES

Do you like my shoes  – NO

Do you like my shoes.  – NO

Questions can begin with words like do, did, can, are, is, and will.

An order tells someone what to do. An order ends with a period.

Make your bed.  – YES

Make your bed  – NO

Is each sentence a question or an order? Put a question mark at the end of the questions. Put a period at the end of the orders.

1. Pass the milk

2. Did you get me a gift

3. Will you join our club

4. Can I use your drill

5. Do you have a sled

6. Make a list before you shop

7. Stop yelling at me

8. Is this her belt

9. Are we there yet

10. Swim to the end of the pool

Check your work with the Answer Key at the end of this chapter.

Writing Task

Your instructor will read you a poem called “The Dream Keeper.” Think of the dreams you have. You may have dreams for:

  • Your job
  • Your body
  • Your mind
  • Your family
  • Your friends
  • The world

Write a sentence about each dream. Begin each sentence with an upper case letter. End each sentence with a period or question mark.

Answer Key
Picture Dictionary
children husband labor
long marry respect
safety slave sold
wrote
Word Skills
QUESTION ANSWER
 1 milk
2 gift
3 jump
4 belt
5 club
6 mask
7 sled
8 drill
9 swim
10 nest
11 list
12 stop
Check Your Understanding
QUESTION  ANSWER
1a false
1b false
1c true
1d true
1e false
2 b. worked
Writing
QUESTION ANSWER
1 Pass the milk.
2 Did you get me a gift?
3 Will you join our club?
4 Can I use your drill?
5 Do you have a sled?
6 Make a list before you shop.
7 Stop yelling at me.
8 Is this her belt?
9 Are we there yet?
10 Swim to the end of the pool.

Attributions

See the Attributions page near the end of this book.

License

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BC Reads: Adult Literacy Fundamental English - Course Pack 2 Copyright © 2015 by Shantel Ivits is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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