L  a  G r a n  E n c i c l o p e d i a   I l u s t r a d a  d e l   P r o y e c t o  S a l ó n  H o g a r

Chapter 10: A School on Rails

Read the passage. Then answer questions about the passage below.

 

  Proyecto Salón Hogar

 

  Anne and Jim were visiting Grandpa. They liked the time after supper when they usually sat and talked. Grandpa often

told them stories about the “old days,” when he was a boy. Sometimes his stories were funny. Other times they were sad.
 

   Most of his stories were about how things used to be. “Last week I found a picture of a school I went to when I was a

boy. Let me show it to you.” Grandpa went to his desk and brought back an old faded photograph.
 

Jim looked at it and said, “But, Grandpa, this looks like a train!”


“It was my school for a while,” Grandpa said. “Would you like to hear about it?”


“A school in a train?” asked Anne. “I have to hear about this!” exclaimed Jim.
 

   Grandpa looked at the picture silently for a moment. “When I was a boy, my father worked for the railroad in Canada,” he

began. “His job was to take care of sections of railroad track in remote areas. The workers’ families lived along the tracks

in small groups many miles from other towns or people. There was no school.
 

   Everyone knew this was a problem, but no one knew what to do about it.” “At last someone had an idea. A railroad car

was turned into a schoolroom, and school was brought to us! It stopped at settlements where there were enough children

to attend and stayed for several weeks. Then it moved on to the next settlement.
 

   There was a teacher on the train who taught the lessons.” “Where did the teacher live?” asked Jim. “The teacher lived in

the railroad car! He had a small kitchen with a sink and stove and a living area with a dining room, bedroom, and

bathroom. There was no electricity on the train. A small furnace burned coal to keep the school warm.”
 

  “It doesn’t look like much of a school,” Anne said, looking at the picture again. “In many ways it was just an ordinary

railroad car,” Grandpa said. “It had comfortable cushioned seats and wood-paneled walls lined with windows. However,

they did modify some things.
 

   The seats were turned to face each other, and a table was put in between each pair. At the front of the car were

chalkboards, maps, and a desk for the teacher. Rows of shelves held books and other supplies.” “Our parents didn’t have

to make us go to school. We were happy for the chance to go.
 

 

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       Any child who was able to get to the school car was allowed to attend, so the school car served the children of

loggers, farmers, and miners in the area, too. I had 10 classmates.” “School lasted from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M., with about an

hour for lunch and recess. We learned most of the same lessons as students in regular schools did.
 

   The school car stayed for about six weeks. Then it was pushed back onto the main track, hitched to an engine, and

pulled to the next settlement. While the school car was away, we did homework. When it returned, we were ready to

continue to learn in our school on rails.” “Does it still exist?” Anne asked. “No,” Grandpa answered.
 

  “After a while, things changed. School cars aren’t around any longer. More people moved into the area. New roads were

built, and towns were established. Schoolhouses were erected, too. My family moved to a small town. Other families sent

their children to school in nearby towns. The school car wasn’t needed anymore.”
 

  “Too bad,” Jim muttered. “Oh, it’s probably for the best,” Grandpa added. “There was too much work for one teacher,

and the time between visits was too long. Sometimes the homework was difficult, and no one could help. Still, while it was

around, the school car was a special place for many of us.”
 

  “Do you remember the children in this picture?” Anne asked. “Some of them,” answered Grandpa. “But I remember all of

those cold Canadian winters! After we do the dishes, I’ll tell you all about them.”

 

Questions
 

1) How do Anne and Jim probably feel about the time they spend with Grandpa?

   A. They wish the visits were less frequent.

   B. They like the stories and the visits.

   C. They wish he would stop talking about the past.

   D. They wish that he didn’t ask so many questions.

 

2) The word modify means -

   A. learn

   B. forget

   C. change

   D. waste

 

3) Which sentence in the story best shows the reader that the place where Grandpa lived as a boy was changing?

   A. They liked the time after supper when they usually sat and talked.

   B. “The teacher lived in the railroad car!”

   C. “While the school car was away, we did homework.”

   D. “New roads were built, and towns were established.”

 

4) The reader can tell that there were probably times in Grandpa’s childhood when he-

   A. lived in a railroad car

   B. traveled with the school car

   C. rode a train to school

   D. was unable to go to school

 

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5) When the school car left for another town, the students-

   A. had to work on the railroad

   B. traveled to another town to go to school

   C. went to a schoolhouse in town

   D. were given assignments to do at home

 

6) What is the most likely reason Grandpa tells Anne and Jim stories about himself?

   A. So they can pass tests at school

   B. So they can laugh at the way things were

   C. So they can learn about his childhood

   D. So they can tell their friends at school

 

7) Which sentence in the story tells the reader that the school on rails was not perfect?

   A. “Everyone knew this was a problem, but no one knew what to do about it.”

   B. “School lasted from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M., with about an hour for lunch and recess.”

   C. “The school car wasn’t needed anymore.”

   D. “There was too much work for one teacher, and the time between visits was too long.”

 

8) From the way Grandpa describes the school-car program, the reader can tell he thinks-

   A. it served a good purpose while it was needed

   B. the school day was much too long

   C. there was too much homework to do

   D. not enough children were able to attend

 

9) How does Grandpa describe the car seating-

   A. how a railroad car was made into a schoolhouse

   B. the school car’s books and supplies

   C. the maps and chalkboards used by the teacher

   D. the seats the students sat on were comfortable

 

10) Why does Grandpa say that it’s probably for the best that the school on rails is no longer around?

   A. He is too old to go to school now.

   B. He didn’t like his teacher very much.

   C. Schools are better the way they are now.

   D. The school didn’t teach the same things regular schools did.

 

11) Why did the school car stay in a settlement for only about six weeks at a time?

   A. It was too cold for the children to attend school in the winter.

   B. The teacher got angry with the students for not attending.

   C. It had to visit many other settlements during the year.

   D. The students needed a long time to do their homework.

 

12) What might be a good title for Grandpa’s story?

   A. An Unusual School

   B. The Schoolhouse in Town

   C. A Very Large School

   D. The School for Grown-Ups

 

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The Slouch in the Couch

 

  It was Saturday morning, time for fun and no school, but homework on week-ends, was my teachers rule. My school

books were stacked, on a table nearby, I wouldn't go near them, and I knew just why. Today was a day, to play and have

fun. Go fishing, play games, and lie in the sun. But mother, she told me, "Now Rick, my young lad, you should have

finished your school work last night", she was sad.
 

   So, I sat on the couch, and I opened a pop, my mom grabbed her car keys, and said, "Got to shop." She said, "I'll be

back soon, get your homework all done", I said, "right away mom", she said, "I love you, son." So I sat all alone, with my

books by my side, with thoughts of my bike, that I'd love to go ride. Now when I'm alone, the house fills with creaks, it

groans and it cracks, it grunts and it squeaks.
 

   I hear all kinds of sounds, from ceiling to floor, but today was a sound, I'd never heard before. It was kind of a whine, and

it sounded real near, I felt kind of strange, I think it was fear. And then the couch shook, the noise was loud, the cushions

flew up, and threw me to the floor. I sat there amazed, I stared at the couch, as I watched there appear, a pink bag that

said "rare". The bag opened slowly, my eyes grew real big, for within that pink bag, sticking up came two twigs.
 

   Now from within this pink bag, grew these twigs that were red, until finally I saw, they were glued to a head. I kept looking

and stared, as I calmed down my fears, you see these were not twigs, they were red fuzzy ears. A head came up slowly, I

saw a small face. The mouth, it was smiling, not a tooth out of place. The face it was orange, with a blue pointed nose, the

eyes were real round, and its hair was in bows.
 

   It jumped from the bag, to the table and stood, it had a long tail, and wore shoes made of wood. Its size was three feet,

an old suit it did wear, and it picked up the pink bag, with the sign saying, "rare". I couldn't believe, this thing came from

my couch, and then the thing spoke, it said, "Hi, I'm a Slouch. From the world of the Magical Couch I have climbed, I've

come for a visit, I hope you don't mind."
 

   I still couldn't talk, I was glued to my seat, then the Slouch spoke again, "Say, what's there to eat? We Slouches, are one

of a kind, that's our breed, we hide in all couches, we take what we need. We eat anything, and love lazy kids, we joke all

the time, and steal old trash can lids." I asked, "What do you want?", he gave me strange looks, then noticed the stack of

my homework school books.
 

   He smacked his blue lips, as my school books he grabbed, then ran out the door, with the lunch he had nabbed. I yelled,

"Come back here Slouch!", as I jumped to my feet, and ran out the door, and onto the street. "Come back with my school

books, that's homework, not food", but the Slouch only laughed, he was being quite rude. Now Mildred McGee, was a

neighbor of mine, but I called her Milly, we got along fine.
 

   The Slouch passed her house, and when I grew near, I yelled, "Milly please help", "Milly help me out here!!" Milly opened

her window, "I'll help if I can", then asked, "What is the matter?", I yelled as I ran. "A Slouch from my couch, stole all of my

books, don't ask any questions, don't give me those looks." So Milly, she followed, a silence was heard, she was truly a

friend, never questioned my word.
 

 

 

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   We chased after the Slouch, to the stores he did run, and now that old Slouch, was about to have fun. Mr. Brubaker

owned, the best, "sweet" shop in town, he loved to make candies, and twice won a crown. The Slouch entered Brubaker's

shop with a crash, and was running so fast, he knocked over the trash.
 

   The Slouch picked up candies and sweets as he fled, and as he ran out, he laughed and he said, "We Slouches eat

anything, yes we all do, but lazy kids school books are best, this is true". He ran out the back of the small candy store, with

Milly and I close behind, through the door. The alley was at the back door of the shop, and as I ran out, I yelled, "Hey

Slouch, you stop!!"
 

But he didn't listen, he'd just laugh then he'd say, "Keep chasing me all, you'll be running all day." But then that old Slouch

had a bit of bad luck. He ran right in front of a red Fire Truck. The truck honked its horn and the Slouch almost fell, he

tripped on the curb, and he gave out a yell.


But he jumped right back up, and his step didn't sag, the only thing was, he had dropped the pink

bag. I stopped at the bag as the Slouch ran away, and I thought, maybe now, I can make that Slouch

pay.

 
   But before I could even, think that one tiny thought, the bag, it self-opened, and smell good it did not.

It had the bad odor, of a dirty old sock, and then a creature popped out, and said, "Hi, I'm a Grock!" Milly she jumped

screaming, "Rick, what is that?" I said, "That is a Grock", and it looked rather fat. It was two shades of blue and much

smaller than a Slouch, with no tail at all, and was far from a grouch.  


   The Grock, it was nice, and it looked pretty cute, it had very small ears, and was wearing a suit. It said, "Hi, I'm Grock

One, and you're chasing a Slouch, we keep Slouches in line, when they climb out of the couch.

 
   But, if a Slouch meets a lazy boy or a girl, then there will be trouble, up here in your world". I said, "Well then, Grock One,

this may be very true, but this Slouch stole my school books, what am I to do"? Grock One sat and thought, then he finally

yelled, "Yes", then he looked in my eyes, "I'll get you out of this mess"!!
 

   He jumped from the bag and yelled, "Calling all Grocks"!! "Grock two and Grock Three, I need all of my flock"! I was

took by surprise, "Grock One, are there more"?, he just smiled as he called out, Grock 194. The Grocks filled the

sidewalk, all colors and tops, some hair were combed neat, while others were mops.


Grock One took command, as he said to his breed, "There's a Slouch on the loose, and this world must be freed"!!

Now, Milly and I had stopped chasing the Slouch.
 

   So, where should we look, for the Slouch from the couch. The Grocks, all spread out, to search everywhere, but a

needle in a haystack would be better odds here. I thought and I thought, as I walked down the street, I stared at the

sidewalk, and down at my feet. Then, suddenly, Milly and I stopped real quickly. We looked at each other, this Slouch

wasn't slick!
 

   She said, "Know what I think?", I said, "Yep, in my mind, a creature of habit, is easy to find". So we started our search,

until we found what we sought, Mr. Lu's furniture shop, where the couch had been bought. I screamed, "Calling all Grocks,

come here to our site, Mr. Lu's furniture shop, is open all night". Now if I were a Slouch, getting ready to eat, and want to

enjoy, my evening treat.

 

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   Then I would search for, my favorite place, somewhere I'd call home, a room to embrace. I looked in the store and was

feeling quite tall, as I stared at a couch, that sat against the back wall. I said, "Grock One it's time, to show me your stuff",

so he called all his Grocks, and that couch they did rough.
 

   The stuffing flew, they tore up that new couch, then Grock One yelled out, "We got us a Slouch"!! I walked in with Milly,

the Slouch was at ease, and Milly said, "Rick, you sure did not tease". "I thought you were joking, about your old couch,

but now I can see, there in fact is a Slouch". I walked to the Slouch, he kept giving me looks.
 

   I said, "All right now Slouch, give me back my school books". He handed me all of my books with no fight, my English

book though, he had taken a bite. I handed Grock One the pink bag with a grin, and all of the Grocks, they jumped right

back in! I then asked Grock One, "Your mystery please share, just what's with this bag, with the sign that says "Rare"?”
 

   Grock One he replied, "This bag is a door, to the World of The Magical Couch, and much more". Well, I was confused,

didn't know what to think, so I said, "sure you're right", and gave him a wink. I turned, and I left the Slouch right where he

sat, with Grock One and the bag, thinking, well that was that.
 

   Now, it's been a while since, this story took place, and life has been easy, no worries to face. But on week-ends my

homework is done Friday night. On Saturdays and Sundays there's no homework in sight. And a Slouch never ever, will

lead me on a chase. For the Slouch in the couch took me for my last race!
 

FLOCK - A large group of certain animals that live and eat together.
 

GROUCH - To be in a bad mood. Always complaining about something.
 

SAG - To lose firmness or strength. Weakened through weariness, age, etc...
 

ODOR - Any smell, good or bad.
 

LOCAL - A place which is within a certain area.
 

NABBED - A slang word meaning to take or seize suddenly.
 

RUDE - A lack of consideration. Having no respect or manners. To be impolite.
 

NOTICED - To see something, or pay attention to something.
 

EMBRACE - To accept readily.
 

SEARCH - To look for. To try to find something.

 

 

 

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Correct the misspelled words or write correct.
 

1) thankks   ________________

2) benfit      ________________

3) never      ________________

4) mistery    ________________

5) bicicle     ________________

 

 


Directions: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate choice - their, there, or they're.
 

1) Unable to tolerate the dust one moment longer, Elizabeth spent the afternoon cleaning the living room tables and

shelves. Now __________ slippery with furniture polish, glowing in the sunlight that spills through the open window.
 

2) "Oh, no! _________ are lima beans on my plate!" screamed Noel before he fainted with a thud on the dining room

floor.
 

3) Nothing makes Diane’s cat Big Toe Joe happier than a laundry basket full of fresh warm towels. _________ he will

sleep, purring in contentment and shedding long white hair on the clean terry cloth.
 

4) Mrs. O'Shea spent the day steam cleaning the living room floor. Now her children can hardly find the kitchen without

__________ trail of dirty footprints leading the way.
 

5) Dolly hates dogs more than snakes or cockroaches. She believes that canines are loathsome creatures because

_________ only goal in life is to kill her front lawn with urine.
 

6) Behind the sofa _________ is a collection of desiccated broccoli spears that Simon, the family cocker spaniel, carries

away for Noel, who cannot stomach the vegetable.
 

7) The knives in Roseanne's kitchen are encrusted with bits of brownie and smears of dried mustard. _________ is no

way a doctor would ever consider operating with any instrument that Roseanne had washed!
 

8) Bentley, our neighbor's basset hound, has toenails that are so long that ________ curled like macaroni noodles at the

ends of his paws.
 

9) Noel carefully sliced each Brussels sprout in half, carefully scrutinizing the heart of the little cabbage. He always worries

that ________ might be a worm buried in the middle.
 

10) Casey and Tamara had plenty of privacy for kissing because _________ were six sheets drying on the clothesline in

the backyard.

 
 

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Literature: The Setting of a Story

The setting of a story is the time and place in which the story takes place. It is where and when the characters develop the action of the story.

  

 

 

 

 

 

   Examples: Robert is spending time with his son. The action is this picture takes place outside.

 

Write a paragraph describing the setting of the story "The Slouch in the Couch".

   __________________________________________________________________________________________

   __________________________________________________________________________________________

   __________________________________________________________________________________________

   __________________________________________________________________________________________


Write a paragraph describing the setting of where you are right now.

   __________________________________________________________________________________________

   __________________________________________________________________________________________

   __________________________________________________________________________________________

   __________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Vocabulary: Cardinal Numbers

The numbers that we use to count with are called cardinal numbers. They are also called counting numbers. In mathematics, a cardinal number is one way to measure the size of a set. They indicate quantity, not sequence.

   Examples: one, two, three, four


This table presents the written forms of some cardinal numbers.

   0 - zero
   1 - one
   2 - two
   3 - three
 10 - ten
 11 - eleven
 12 - twelve
 13 - thirteen
 14 - fourteen
 15 - fifteen
 20 - twenty
 21 - twenty-one
 22 - twenty-two
 30 - thirty
 40 - forty
 50 - fifty
100 - one hundred
101 - one hundred one
200 - two hundred
201 - two hundred one
1000 - one thousand
10,000 - ten thousand
100,000 - one hundred thousand
1,000,000 - one million


Finish the series using cardinal numbers.

   1. ten, twenty, _________________, _________________

   2. one hundred, ____________________, one hundred two, _____________________

   3. one thousand, ____________________, three thousand, _____________________

   4. twenty-one, ____________________, ____________________, twenty-four

   5. two hundred, four hundred, six hundred, ____________________

   6. one thousand, one thousand one, ______________________

   7. one million, two million, three million, ______________________

 
 

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Ordinal Numbers

Ordinal numbers are used as adjectives that describe the numerical position or sequence in a set of objects. In mathematics, ordinal numbers are used to express the position in an ordered sequence.

   Examples: first, second, third, fourth


This table presents the written forms of some ordinal numbers.

   1st - first
   2nd - second
   3rd - third
   4th - fourth
   5th - fifth
   6th - sixth
   7th - seventh
   8th - eighth
   9th - ninth
 10th - tenth
 11th - eleventh
 12th - twelfth
 13th - thirteenth
 14th - fourteenth
 15th - fifteenth
 16th - sixteenth
 17th - seventeenth
 18th - eighteenth
 19th - nineteenth
 20th - twentieth
 30th - thirtieth
 40th - fortieth
 50th - fiftieth
 60th - sixtieth
 70th - seventieth
 72nd - seventy-second
 80th - eightieth
 83rd - eighty-third
 90th - ninetieth
 99th - ninety-ninth


Write O for ordinal numbers and C for cardinal numbers. Then write out the number.

   __ 1. eighteen      _____

   __ 2. twenty          _____

   __ 3. seventy        _____

   __ 4. sixteenth      _____

   __ 5. second        _____

   __ 6. fortieth         _____

   __ 7. thirty-first     _____

   __ 8. ninety          _____
 

   __   9. thirteenth            _____

   __ 10. thirty-one            _____

   __ 11. forty-four             _____

   __ 12. one hundred       _____

   __ 13. fourteen              _____

   __ 14. fifty-fourth            _____

   __ 15. sixteen                _____

   __ 16. ninth                    _____
 

 

Grammar: The Simple Past Tense

The simple past tense of a verb shows an action or condition has already happened.

   Examples: traveled, danced, visited


Read the sentences and write the simple past tense verbs.

   ________________ 1. The dog barked all night long.

   ________________ 2. Janet walked to school in the morning.

   ________________ 3. You opened the door.

   ________________ 4. My mother stayed awake all night.

   ________________ 5. I called you an hour ago.



Regular Verbs

Most verbs follow a regular pattern in the simple past tense. These verbs are called regular verbs. The following rules allow you to form the simple past tense of a regular verb.

- The simple past tense is generally formed by adding ed to the verb.

   Example: travel + ed = traveled

- If the verb ends with an e, just add a d.

   Example: dance + d = danced

- When a one-syllable verb ends with a consonant, double the consonant and add ed.

   Example: nap + p + ed = napped

- When a verb ends with a y preceded by a consonant, change the y to an i and add ed.

   Example: cry = cri + ed = cried
 

 
 

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Irregular Verbs

Verbs that do not follow the usual pattern in the simple past tense are called irregular verbs. To use this correctly, you have to memorize them. Here is a list of some irregular verbs.

awake: awoke
bite: bit
buy: bought
do: did
eat: ate
fight: fought
get: got
have: had
let: let
put: put
run: ran
sleep: slept
be: was, were
break: broke
catch: caught
draw: drew
fall: fell
find: found
give: gave
hear: heard
lose: lost
read: read
say: said
stand: stood
bear: bore
bring: brought
choose: chose
drive: drove
feed: fed
fly: flew
go: went
know: knew
made: made
ride: rode
see: saw
take: took
begin: began
build: built
come: came
drink: drank
feel: felt
forget: forgot
grow: grew
leave: left
meet: met
ring: rang
sing: sang
write: wrote


Finish the sentences using verbs in simple past tense and use the irregular verbs in parenthesis.

   1. I __________ (make) the cake.

   2. Yesterday he __________ (write) a letter.

   3. She __________ (read) the book yesterday.

   4. The dog __________ (bite) his leg.

   5. You __________ (bring) a cake!

   6. They __________ (sing) an hour ago.

   7. The phone __________ (ring) for an hour.

   8. We __________ (meet) at school.



Writing: The Closing Sentence of a Paragraph

The closing sentence is the last sentence of a paragraph. It restates or summarizes the main idea of the paragraph. To write a closing sentence, summarize the main idea using new words.

   Example: [Topic sentence] Traditions help to convey the history and feelings of a people to younger generations.
                     [Closing sentence] So, traditions are a way of teaching others about the values of a culture.




Writing a Paragraph about Your Favorite Tradition

Drafting

Brainstorm about, make an idea cluster about, or list the traditions you have observed. Use your favorite.

Write a paragraph in your notebook explaining why the tradition you chose is your favorite.

 

Editing

Reread your paragraph. Compare the topic sentence and the closing sentence to make sure they complement each other. Eliminate or replace unnecessary words.

 

Proofreading

Ask a classmate to read your paragraph and to revise it for grammatical or spelling errors. After he or she has revised it, ask him or her to discuss the errors with you. Copy the revised version of your paragraph on the lines below.

   __________________________________________________________________________________________

   __________________________________________________________________________________________

   __________________________________________________________________________________________

   __________________________________________________________________________________________

   __________________________________________________________________________________________

   __________________________________________________________________________________________

   __________________________________________________________________________________________


Draw a picture to illustrate your favorite tradition on a piece of paper. Share your paragraph and picture with the class.

 

 

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