Build Background

• Pose the question "Is it okay to tease kids at school?" Have students share their thoughts with a partner and then with the group.
• Ask students if they have ever been embarrassed by either something someone in their family did, or something they did themselves. Have volunteers share their experiences.

Preview the Book

Introduce the Strategy: Ask and answer questions

• Give students a copy of the book and have them preview the front and back covers and read the title. Have students discuss what they see on the covers and offer ideas as to what kind of book this is and what it might be about.
• Pair students, and have one partner ask a question that comes to mind about the cover information. The other partner should try to answer the question using the information available. The partners then trade places. You may wish to model asking questions for students,
• Think aloud: I wonder who Harold is. Is Harold a dummy, or is he a person that is not very smart? I know it’s a good idea to question the text as I preview it and as I read. This helps me be active and involved in the reading.
• Have students preview the rest of the book, looking at the illustrations, thinking of questions that come to mind based on the pictures, and making predictions about the book.

Introduce the Vocabulary

• Remind students of the strategies they can use to work out words they don’t know. Students can use what they know about letter and sound correspondences, they can look for base words, prefixes, and suffixes, and they can use the context to work out unfamiliar words.
• Model how to apply word-attack strategies. Point out a word in bold, such as customized on page 8. Point out that students might recognize the suffix -ize and look for the base word, custom. Read the sentence and ask if this helps them figure out the meaning. Remind them that sometimes they have to read beyond the sentence to get the meaning of the word. Have them read to the end of the paragraph with you, and then discuss the meaning of the word using the context clues.
• For additional teaching tips on word-attack strategies, click here.

Set the Purpose

• Have students read to find out if the questions they asked their partners could be answered.

Student Reading

• Guide the reading: Have students read chapter one.
• When they have finished reading, pair students and have them take turns asking and answering questions that come to mind about what might be happening in the story.
• If necessary, model asking questions about the chapter: I think the wig stand is going to be used for the head, but what she will use for the body? I wonder if the kids will tease Ermaline even more now.
• Tell students to read the rest of the book, taking note of any questions that come to mind as they read.

    Tell students to make a small question mark in their books beside any word they do not understand or cannot pronounce. These can be addressed in the discussion that follows.

Reflect on Reading Strategies

• Ask students what words they marked in their books. Use this opportunity to model how they could read these words using word-attack strategies and context clues.
• Have students share any other questions that came to mind while they were reading. Discuss how questioning the text when reading helps keep the reader actively involved in the meaning-making process.

Comprehension: Analyze character

• Discuss how a good story has strong characters that readers can visualize in their minds. Remind students that they can learn what characters are like by what they say, by what they do, and by what others say about them.
• Check for understanding: Reread the first two paragraphs on page 4 with students. Ask them what they can tell about Ermaline from these paragraphs. Ask whether the information comes from what she says, what others say, what she does, or a mixture of these.
• Discussion: Ask students what they think about Ermaline and her mother. Ask whether the two characters are like any people they know in real life. Encourage students to think of words they could use to describe the characters. Have them justify their ideas by finding evidence in the text.
• Independent practice: Give students the Characterization worksheet. Have students describe either Ermaline or her mother. When students have finished, have them share their responses. If students disagree about the characters, have them justify their responses by pointing out clues in the text. Remind students that readers bring their own experiences to the stories they read. Often, reactions to the characters and the plot are influenced by personal feelings.
• Extend the discussion:

    Have students use the last page of the book to write why they would or would not like to have Ermaline as a friend.

Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage: Use commas to set off clauses and phrases

• Point out the first sentence on page 6. Point out how a comma is used to set off the first words of the sentence. Explain that introductory phrases are often followed by a comma. The phrases can be as short as one or two words, or as long as the introductory phrase that starts the next sentence on the page.
• Point out the clause on page 15: If I could afford a leather jacket. Explain that this group of words is called a clause because it has its own subject and verb: I could afford. Explain that introductory clauses are also usually followed by a comma to set them apart from the rest of the sentence.
• Have students practice using commas on the Commas worksheet.

Vocabulary: Use suffix -ment to make new words

• Write the word embarrassment on the board. Ask students what the base word of embarrassment is. When they say the base word, write it on the board.
• Tell students that embarrass is a verb, and when we add the suffix -ment, we create a noun. Have volunteers use the verb and noun forms of the word in oral sentences.
• Provide another example by writing the verb amaze on the board. Have a volunteer use it in an oral sentence. Reinforce that the word is used as a verb in the sentence. Add the suffix -ment and have a volunteer use it in a sentence. Reinforce that the word is used as a noun in the sentence.
• Give students the Suffixes worksheet for more practice.

Vocabulary: Use synomyms

• Give students the Synonyms worksheet. Have students read through the words and discuss the meaning of each word. If necessary, have them refer to the glossary at the end of the book. Then have them demonstrate their understanding of the words by rewriting each sentences using a synonym.

Independent Reading

• Allow students to read their books independently or with a partner. Partners can take turns reading pages of the book.

Home Connection

• Give students their books to take home to read with parents, caregivers, siblings, or friends.

Writing

• Have students write a newspaper report about Harold’s encounter with the car thief. To help them get started, write who, what, where, when, and why on the board. Have students orally respond to each of the questions while you record a brief response next to each word.
• Remind students that newspaper reports are usually written in past tense and provide only the most important details of the event. Students can use the notes on the board to help them write their article.

Monitor students to determine if they can:

• describe the characters based on text information.
• create nouns by adding the suffix -ment.
• use commas correctly to set off clauses and phrases in sentences.
• find synonyms for the content vocabulary words.