Langston Hughes: A Poet’s Life
Chapter 4
Learning Goals
In this chapter, you will learn to:
- Read sight words and functional words
- Read the digraphs ch, sh, and th
- Read simple texts
- Identify main ideas, characters, and events from a reading
- Use upper case letters for proper nouns
- Write complete sentences
- Write a short paragraph
Talk About It
- Do you know any stories about your family from a long time ago?
- How is it helpful to know stories about where you come from?
- Make a guess about who took care of Langston when he was a kid.
Picture Dictionary |
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| lawyer | racism | stories |
| proud | crystal | stair |
| splinter | board | carpet |
Put the above words in alphabetical order.
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Make a sentence using one of the above words.
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Word Skills
Word Patterns
A digraph is when two letters make one sound. The letters ch, sh, and th are digraphs.
The letters ch make a /ch/ sound like in chin.
The letters sh make a /sh/ sound like in ship.
The letters th make a /th/ sound like in thumb.
Practice reading the words.
| ch | sh | th |
| chip | rash | thin |
| chat | dish | math |
| rich | shop | path |
| chop | wish | thug |
| such | fish | moth |
| much | shed | bath |
Read each sentence. Then cover it up. Try to write it. Use upper case letters correctly. Use periods and question marks correctly.
a. I need to chop this log.
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b. The cop got the thug.
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c. I wish to be good at math.
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d. Why is there a fish in the bath?
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e. You can have the last chip.
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You will see these words in the story. They all have digraphs.
| they | the | these | Charles | she |
Use Your Reading Skills
Listen to the Chapter 4. Then read Chapter 4 in BC Reads: Adult Literacy Fundamental English – Reader 2. If you see a word you do not know, look in a big dictionary to find the meaning.
Check Your Understanding
1. Who was Langston’s dad?
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2. When was Langston born?
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3. Why did James leave the USA?
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4. Who took care of Langston?
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5. What made Langston proud of who he was?
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Read the poem with a partner. Talk about these questions.
6. The mother in the poem says her life has been like a staircase. What do the stairs look like? What do you think this says about her life?
7. Can you find a word in the poem that rhymes with stair?
Writing
Grammar Rule
Begin a person’s name with an upper case letter.
Meet my friend, Al. – YES
Meet my friend, al. – NO
Begin the name of a place with an upper case letter.
We are going to China. – YES
We are going to china. – NO
Use upper case letters where needed.
1. we will stay with beth in japan.
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2. have you been to iran?
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3. i grew up in kenya.
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4. tash and sam had a baby.
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5. did you hear meg got a new job?
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6. tim took a trip to finland.
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7. bill moved to toronto.
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8. i want to lie by the sea in mexico.
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9. you got a call from seth.
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10. my dog is named huck.
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Writing Task
Complete these sentences to make a paragraph about your childhood.
- I grew up in…
- I liked to play…
- I was good at…
- I wanted to be a … when I grew up.
- I was encouraged by…
Remember:
– Use an upper case letter to begin each sentence.
– Use an upper case letter for the word I.
– Use an upper case letter for the names of people and places.
– End each sentence with a period or question mark.
– You may wish to type your paragraph on a computer.
Answer Key |
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| Picture Dictionary | ||||||||||
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| Word Skills | ||||||||||
| QUESTION | ANSWER | |||||||||
| 1 | dish | |||||||||
| 2 | bath | |||||||||
| 3 | chop | |||||||||
| 4 | rich | |||||||||
| 5 | thug | |||||||||
| 6 | fish | |||||||||
| 7 | shed | |||||||||
| 8 | chip | |||||||||
| 9 | moth | |||||||||
| Check Your Understanding | ||||||||||
| QUESTION | ANSWER | |||||||||
| 1 | Langston’s dad was James Hughes. | |||||||||
| 2 | Langston was born in 1902. | |||||||||
| 3 | James left the USA because he was fed up with racism. He was not allowed to work as a lawyer because he was black. | |||||||||
| 4 | Langston’s grandmother, Mary, took care of him. | |||||||||
| 5 | Mary’s stories made Langston proud of who he was. | |||||||||
| 6 | The stairs have tacks, splinters, boards torn up, and no carpet. This tells us that the mother was poor and her life was hard. | |||||||||
| 7 | Bare rhymes with stair. | |||||||||
| Writing | ||||||||||
| QUESTION | ANSWER | |||||||||
| 1 | We will stay with Beth in Japan. | |||||||||
| 2 | Have you been to Iran? | |||||||||
| 3 | I grew up in Kenya. | |||||||||
| 4 | Tash and Sam had a baby. | |||||||||
| 5 | Did you hear Meg got a new job? | |||||||||
| 6 | Tim took a trip to Finland. | |||||||||
| 7 | Bill moved to Toronto. | |||||||||
| 8 | I want to lie by the sea in Mexico. | |||||||||
| 9 | You got a call from Seth. | |||||||||
| 10 | My dog is named Huck. |
Attributions
See the Attributions page near the end of this book.