Write the words cat and catnip on the board. Explain that syllables that end with a consonant are called closed syllables.
Say: Notice that the vowel, a, is in the middle of the word cat, closed in by the consonant, t. Is the vowel sound long or short in the word cat? (short) Let’s look at the second word, catnip, and divide it into syllables. A quick way to do this is to put a dot over each of the vowels in the word. I see two consonants between the vowels, so I divide the word between the two consonants. I now have two syllables: cat and nip. Both are closed syllables, because they end with a consonant. What is the vowel sound in the syllable, nip? (short i) Often, vowels in closed syllables are short vowels. I can use this strategy when I am trying to sound out unfamiliar words, and I recognize closed syllables. 

Give out worksheet 2 and explain that you want students to divide the words into syllables using what they know about closed syllables. After they have divided the words, have students check the dictionary to make sure they divided the words right. If the words are correct, they may put a C or a check mark in the dictionary column. If their divisions are not correct, they should put the correct division in the dictionary column. 

Grammar
Prepositions
Say: Prepositions are words that show a relationship between things. They can give us information such as where, when, how, why, and with what. For example, in the sentence, "I’ll do this after lunch," the word after is a preposition that gives us information about when I will do something. In the sentence," Sea anemones hide in shallow crevices." The word in tells me where the sea anemones hide. Let’s look through the text to find more examples of prepositions.
Record a list of the prepositions students find. Talk about the kind of information the prepositions provide and how they link the words in the sentences. 

Word Work
Multiple-syllable words
Students should have access to dictionaries for this activity.
Say: In the dictionary, words are shown divided into syllables. Let’s look up coral to see how it is written: cor·al. The pronunciation of the word follows. The accent mark after the first syllable, cor, tells us how to say the word, with emphasis on /kôr/. Let’s look up multiple-syllable words you highlighted. Once you find a word, write the syllables and add accent marks.
Students can divide up a list of words or do all the words they highlighted. Words can be checked, sorted, and used in sentences. 

Visual Learning
Reading a Cross Section
Have students turn to pages 13 and 14 and look at the cross sections. Ask if they know what a cross section diagram is. Explain to them that a cross section is a drawing of what an object might look like if it were sliced, giving a view of the internal structure. Use an apple to demonstrate how a cross section is created. Show students the whole apple, pointing out the skin, the stem, and the flower at the bottom. Then, slice the apple in half.
Say: From the outside, we can only see a few structures of the apple. But when I cut it in half, we can see the cross section of the apple. It shows how thick the skin is, the texture of the flesh, the core, and where the seeds are held inside. The same thing has been done to these islands in the cross sections. Since coral reefs are under water, a simple drawing would only be able to show the island itself, or the little bits of coral that come above the surface. But if you cut the island in half down the side and show the cross section, we can see the island, the ocean, and where the reef is located in relation to the island. 

Have students practice cross sections. Hand out familiar fruits and vegetables, such as bananas, oranges, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Have each student look at the vegetable and try to remember or imagine how it looks in cross section. From their imaginations, students can draw cross sections. After they finish, help students cut their fruits and vegetables in half. Then they can compare their predicted cross section with the actual cross section.