• Have students look at the fourth paragraph on page 7 and find two words with the variant vowel oo. Students will find good and food.
• Have students read the sentences out loud. How is the oo pronounced in good? In food? Explain that the variant vowel oo can be pronounced as short or long /u/.
• Have students look for other oo words on the page spread. They will find hooray, cookies, and soon.
• Have students use highlighters or colored markers to go through the book and mark any oo words. If they like, they can use one color to mark words pronounced as short /u/, and another to mark those pronounced with long /u/. Which pronunciation is more common? Tell students that when they come to an unfamiliar word that has the variant vowel oo, they will need to try both sounds to see which makes sense. 

Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage
Identify and Correctly Capitalize Proper Nouns

• Remind students that nouns name people, places, things, and ideas. Have students turn to page 4 and name all the nouns (Speedy Legs, firecrackers, Fluffy Tail, sky rockets, Floppy Ears, fountains, Independence Day, Snubby Nose)
• Have students highlight all of the nouns on page 4 that are capitalized. Ask them why they think those nouns have capital letters.
• Explain that when a noun names a specific person, place, or thing, it is called a proper noun. Proper nouns are usually names of one form or another. Have students brainstorm all the categories of words that require proper nouns, such as first names, last names, holidays, months, countries, cities, specific land forms, etc.
• Hand out Worksheet 2. Explain that students are to read the sentences. The nouns in the sentences are missing their first letters. In the space provided, students should write a capital letter in front of the proper nouns and a lowercase letter in front of the regular nouns. The letter is written below each word in parentheses. 

Fluency

• Allow students to read Independence Day independently or with a partner. Partners can take turns reading from the book.
• Have students take the book home to read with parents, caregivers, siblings, or friends.