Lesson Plans for MURDOCH'S PATH Level R

Building Skills

Word Work
Synonyms
Reinforce that a synonym is a word that means the same or nearly the same as another word. Tell students that a good way to reinforce vocabulary is to brainstorm synonyms for unfamiliar words. Point out the word fetch on page 5. Ask students to see if they can think of a synonym using the context.
Say and ask: Read the sentence that contains the word fetch. Then read the paragraph. What do we know about Pat's job? How would you describe Pat's job? He gets things for people. Let's use the synonym get in place of the word fetch in the sentence. 

Give out worksheet 2. Ask students to find the listed words in the book (page numbers are provided) and, using the context, try to think of a synonym. Have the students rewrite the sentences from the book using the synonyms. Do their synonyms make sense? 

Grammar
Adverbs formed with -ly
Have students look at the word nearly on page 8. Explain that it is an adverb describing how close the little man came to the ground when he bowed. Have students tell you the root word, near. Explain that near is an adjective that tells the position of a noun. Have volunteers use the word near in an oral sentence, and have them identify the noun that near modifies. Explain that when we add -ly to an adjective, we form an adverb, nearly, that modifies a verb or another adjective. Repeat with the words barely on page 8, hardly on page 10, politely on page 16, and immediately on page 18.

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