SECOND READING: TEXT AND VOCABULARY – KING ARTHUR’S VERY GREAT GRANDSON
The focus of this reading is to read the story and talk about new vocabulary. There will be opportunities in this reading to connect the information in the illustrations to the information in the text.
Mr. Kraegel uses sophisticated vocabulary as he explains six-year-old Henry’s search for adventure. You’ll be using information from both the illustrations and the text to help infer the meaning of some of his word choices.
*Read the pages before you ask the questions.
Pages 1 – 4:
~Why might Henry wake up early and eat a big breakfast? (possible inference: His search for adventure might take all day, and he might need energy.)
~On page 2, trusty: reliable, dependable.
~On page 3, lurking: hidden in a place and waiting.
~What can we infer about Henry as he searches for the Dragon? (brave)
Pages 5 – 8:
There are quite a few new words and phrases on page 5:
~vile: unpleasant, repulsive. Why would Henry insult the Dragon by calling him a repulsive worm?
~knight: a mounted soldier of high rank, usually serving a ruler
~of King Arthur’s blood: a relative of King Arthur’s
~uttermost: to the greatest degree
~Why do you think that everything that Henry said is in BOLD CAPITAL letters? What is he saying to the dragon? Practice saying it the way that Henry says it.
~Why do you think that the dragon blew out smoke rings?
Pages 9 – 12:
~On page 9, straightaway: immediately. Why is Henry rushing to do battle with the Cyclops?
~Why aren’t the Cyclops and Henry engaged in rough battle?
Pages 13 – 16:
~Practice shouting what Henry says to the Cyclops.
There are quite a few new words and phrases on page 13:
~aplenty: enough, generous amounts
~commence: begin, start
~arms: weapons
~physical peril: danger that could result in injury
~On page 13, Henry is still looking for rough adventure and physical peril. The illustrator does not show his face. If you could see Henry’s face, what expression might be on it?
Page 17 – 18:
~On page 17, Henry yells his challenge at the Griffin. Say his challenge as he might.
There are quite a few new works and phrases on page 17:
~grim: stern, harsh
~massive: extremely large
~opponent: a person on the opposite side of a battle
~unsheathe: to pull a sword out of its covering
~ado: busy activity
~formidable: great strength and power
~How can you describe Henry as a person? What evidence from the story helps you describe him?
Pages 19 – 22:
~Would you describe the Griffin as grim or formidable? Explain your answer.
Pages 23 – 28:
~On page 23, roiling: greatly disturbed, chaos
~On page 27, esteemed: highly respected and admired. Would you hold Henry in high esteem?
~Is Knuckles proving himself to be trusty?
Pages 29 – END:
~On page 29, subdued: controlled
~On page 29, dismayed: disappointed
~Are any of the monsters terrible? Explain your answer.
~Do you think Henry is satisfied with the results of his search for adventure? Explain your answer.