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	A Trip to Countryside             “Dean! It’s getting late!” I heard my mom scream at me as I brushed my teeth. I wish she had never planned this trip. I wish I didn’t have to go anywhere!           The trip is too long. I always, always, fall asleep in the car. Why doesn’t our family from the countryside ever come visit us in the city? They can stay with us for a few days. What’s the big deal? The countryside is boring. There’s nothing special to do.           Mom says that this weekend will be special, that I won’t get bored, that the trip will be shorter, that I’ll learn to love the countryside. She says that Dad was brought up in that area, that he will be proud of me if I learn about the place where he grew up.           “Dean, please, hurry up!” she yell again. But I’ve just finished packing my stuff into my book bag!           I have a lot of toys in my book bag to carry with me wherever I go: lego block, video games, coloring books, and puzzles. I even carry a notebook, in case I’m bored and I get the urge to draw.           Mom says she’s proud of my drawing. She tells me that Dad is a great artist.           I’ve never seen any of his drawings. I guess he draws the things everybody draws, like people and houses and highways with lot of cars. I usually draw tall buildings covered with black and white pigeons. I like to draw our neighbor’s house, with his rooster on the roof and a milk cow in the yard. Dad has never seen my drawings. I have not seen him in years. Why would he care? He’s never with me.           “Dean! What do I have to do to get into the car?” I walk slowly, very slowly, toward the car. She starts the car, and we head to the highway. The trip is only beginning. As she drives, I look at the streets. The streetlights are still on at dawn. There are some rays of light to the east. The sun is coming up. I’m beginning to feel bored.           I asked Mom, “Mom, if we are going to the countryside, where do we live?” She answers, “We live in the city.” I look through the window at all the things that surround us when we go to the supermarket, to school, to the hospital, and to the mall. Far away, I can see green mountains are like sleepy giants.           Time has gone by, and I hadn’t realized that we were approaching the countryside. It’s raining, and there’s fog over the road. The streetlights are on. Otherwise, Mom wouldn’t be able to drive. I thank whoever turned them on. I’m scared.
Page 10   Now, I see lots of trees and little flowers along the side of the road. Sometimes I look up at the sky to see the gray clouds over us. I even spotted an airplane way, way up high. I wish I weren’t her. Why can’t we go to the beach? “Dean , why don’t you open your window? It’s cooler outside. Can you smell the flowers and the trees?” I’m so mad that I answer back that all I can smell is the cows.  Mom kisses my hand. Then she says, “Why don’t you try drawing pictures of the countryside? It will be something different.” I look outside. But what will I draw? Plant?           It has stopped raining. The fog is disappearing. Things look normal now. I can see houses, chickens, cows, and flowers. Sometimes, a car drives by us. People always greet us with a smile.           We are approaching our family’s house. As we get closer, I cannot control my frown. But there’s a rainbow over the mountain, and I can see the beach from here!           Mom says that Dad used to dream of living next to the beach. He moved to the city instead. Who knows? Maybe we will live next to the beach some day. Mom is always saying that he will come back in Ma. Who cares?           On the other side of the road, I can see the city far away. I wish I could see our house and the trees, the streetlights, my school, my friends. I miss them already!           “Dean, please, stop daydreaming,” Mom says as she opens the door. I step out of the car and I walk angrily toward my family’s house. It is on the of a mountain. Then Mom says, “Dean, do you know what the date is today?” I answer, “Of course, it is May 7.” Suddenly, someone opens the door and comes out of the house. I look up to see who it is. I cannot believe my eyes. I yell, “Dad!”   Marcela Pagan (Puerto Rico)   Questions   1. What does the boy likes to do? __________________________________________________________________ 2. Where does the boy lives? __________________________________________________________________ 3. Where is he going? __________________________________________________________________ 4. Who does he sees at the end of the story? __________________________________________________________________   1) Circle where the boy in the story lives with a blue crayon. Circle where he’s going with a red crayon.  Then write two sentences    to explain what the difference between the two places is.   a) The countryside. b) The city. c) The beach.   2) Select the correct answer that shows the problem in the story.   a) The boy does not want to go to countryside. b) The boy wants to go to the mountains. c) The boy wants to see his father.   3) Put the events in the story in order.   ___ The mother and her son go the countryside. ___ The mother and her son leave the city. ___ The boy sees his father again. ___ The boy packs his toys in his book bag.   4) Mention what you know about the boy’s dad.   a) He lives in the country. b) He lives in the city. c) He lives by the beach. d) He likes the beach. e) He likes to draw. f) He is gone a lot.   5) Write a sentence to explain where the boy’s dad might have been. Letters and Sounds   When two vowels appear together in a word, they usually stand for one sound. They are called vowel pairs. The vowel pairs ai, ay, ee, and ea each usually stand for one sound.      Example: beach, airplane, highway, tree   6) Circle the words that have ea. Then read them out loud.   a) beach b) rainbow c) dream d) teeth e) day   7) Circle the words that names have ee.