Module 7

Tricksters and Tall Tales

HELLO, FAMILY!
Over the next three weeks, our class will build their knowledge about
traditional stories, with a focus on story genres, such as tall tales,
trickster tales, and legends. We will read texts and view videos about
what lessons you can learn from characters in traditional tales.
Children will also write a trickster tale for an imaginary class
story-hour podcast.

BRING IT HOME! Learning fun for the whole family!

Discuss the Topic Explore the Genre Build Vocabulary
Set aside time daily for your child to The genre focus in this module is Use these ideas to help your child
share with you what he or she is traditional stories. Discuss with build a rich vocabulary.
learning. Use these ideas to help your child the characteristics of
The Big Idea Reinforce the topic
build your child’s knowledge about traditional stories, such as they
words trickster, shrewd,
the topic: often teach a lesson and include
exaggeration, and legendary in
characters that are animals or have
• Talk about the ideas your child everyday conversations with your
exaggerated abilities.
has added to the Knowledge child. Use prompts like these:
Map each week. Ask your child to read to you each Name some characters that are
day and make time to read tricksters. Describe something
• Ask about the texts your child is
together. that is legendary.
reading and what he or she has
learned from them. What Does It Mean? Have your
child keep a growing list of the
• Share with your child your own
Critical Vocabulary words. Quiz
questions about the topic, and
each other on their meanings.
work together to find the
answers. Word Hunt Look for words with
the suffixes –ion, –ity, –ty and
prefixes mis–, pre–, dis– in books
and online texts.

Grade 4 Printable: Family Letter 7

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 Decoding
Name

Suffixes –ful, –less, –ness, –ment

> Read each sentence. Choose a word from the word box that correctly
completes each sentence. Write the word on the line.

–ful –less –ness –ment

wasteful spotless weakness treatment

truthful endless dampness enjoyment

cheerful flawless closeness pavement

1. The house was after we cleaned it.

          

2. The little boy skinned his knee on the .

          

3. Grandmother is always when we visit.

          

4. The of the air made me shiver.

          

5. The train seemed as we waited for it to pass.

          

6. When we recycle things we have used, we are not .

          

7. The children got from visiting the zoo.

          

8. The of his mother comforted the crying baby.

          

Grade 4 141 Module 7 • Week 1

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 Dictation
Sentences
7.1

Dictation Sentences: Suffixes -ful,

-less, -ness, -ment
> Directions to the Teacher: Read each boldfaced spelling word aloud, followed
by the sentence, and then repeat the word. Have students write the spelling word.

BASIC 18.    We do not want to be wasteful so we

always recycle.
1.    Fall is a colorful season.
19.    In the story, the penniless pauper found a
2.    Jacklyn has a weakness for cupcakes.
hidden treasure.
3.    She got a lot of enjoyment out of playing
20.    The animal shelter is known for their
video games.
humane treatment of the animals.
4.    There was an endless amount of weeds
to pull!
REVIEW
5.    If you are truthful, people will always
believe you. 21.    If a storm damages our house, we will
6.    My sister and I have a special closeness rebuild it.
with each other. 22.    Our meeting at the library was unplanned.
7.    Alice is always cheerful. 23.    It is dangerous to disobey the school
8.    Our teacher likes us to keep the crossing guard.
classroom spotless. 24.    Because the dog was growling,
9.    What a beautiful day we had for our I distrusted him.
field trip!
10.    The runners were breathless after the race. CHALLENGE
11.    Because of my clumsiness, I usually spill 25.    We spent a delightful day at the history
my milk. museum.
12.    I like to skateboard on the pavement in 26.    For a strong person, it is effortless to pick
front of my house. up something heavy.
13.    The dancers were graceful as they moved 27.    I asked for forgiveness when I broke
across the stage. the lamp.
14.    Jermaine showed an eagerness to help the 28.    I have a dentist appointment tomorrow
teacher put the books away. afternoon.
15.    The dampness of the towels was
unpleasant.
16.    The game was scoreless until the
last quarter.
17.    Did you hear the mayor’s statement on
television?

Grade 4 Printable
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Name Spelling
7.1

Spelling Word Cards: Suffixes –ful, –less,

–ness, –ment

colorful weakness enjoyment

endless truthful closeness

cheerful spotless beautiful

breathless clumsiness pavement

graceful eagerness dampness

scoreless statement wasteful

penniless treatment forgiveness

appointment delightful effortless

Grade 4 Printable
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Name Proofreading
7.1

Proofreading: Suffixes -ful, -less, -ness, -ment

> Read the passage. Circle the best answer to each question.

A Camping Vacation in the Woods

(1) Last fall our family went on a camping trip in the north woods. (2)
We looked forward to sleeping outdoors and following colorfull hiking trails.
(3) “Hold on!” Mom said. (4) “Before we go hiking, we must set up our tent!”
(5) Unfortunately, my egerness almost ended our trip before we even got
started. (6) To be truthful, it really wasn’t my fault. (7) In order to keep our
camp site spotless, I accidently threw out the tent poles! (8) When Mom looked
for them and discovered they were missing, I thought she would be upset.
(9) “No worries!” she said. (10) “We’ll just have to be creative.”

1. What change, if any, should be made in sentence 2?

A. Change colorfull to colorful

B. Change sleeping to slepping
C. Change and to but
D. Make no change

2. What change, if any, should be made in sentence 5?

A. Change got to get

B. Delete the comma
C. Change egerness to eagerness
D. Make no change

> Reread the passage. The passage ends with a problem. What do you think they
could do to hold the tent up? Write two or three sentences offering a solution.
Include one of the spelling words in each sentence.

Grade 4 Printable
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Name Fluency
7.1

Mitzi Mouse
Although Mitzi Mouse was tiny, she was also mighty. When she was
born, her parents knew she was special. Born with nine other siblings,
Mitzi was the first to open her eyes, scramble out of bed, and scurry. Soon
she was traveling upstairs with Mother to forage for food.
On her first trip upstairs, Mitzi collected crumbs until the kitchen 5
was spotless. She filled a backpack twice her size with crumbs and carried
it back all by herself. Mother could carry only a tiny bagful.
One day Mitzi wondered why they were settling for crumbs when
there were huge chunks of cheese and loaves of bread to take. When she
spotted a two-pound hunk of cheese, Mitzi climbed up the cabinets, as 10
graceful as could be, and hauled that cheese back to their den. Boy, did the
mice have a bountiful feast that night!
Mitzi continued to take food and did not worry that the humans
would catch her. She was not only very strong, but she was also quite
quick. They had no chance of catching her. 15
Father, however, was not so quick. One day, a human caught him by
the tail and locked him up in a cage! Mother was beside herself with sadness.
“Don’t worry,” Mitzi said, “I’ll get Father back as soon as possible.”
Then she marched upstairs, found the cage, picked it up over her head,
and marched back down the stairs to their den. The humans watched 20
Mitzi in amazement.
Soon the two families struck a deal. The humans would give the
mice all the food they wanted if Mitzi Mouse would work at their moving
company. The deal brought both families much happiness.

Word Count: 280

Grade 4 Printable
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Name Grammar
4.3.1

Clauses

A clause is a group of words that has a subject and predicate but may or may
not stand alone.
A clause that can stand alone because it is a complete sentence is called an
independent clause.
A clause that cannot stand alone because it is not a complete sentence is called
a dependent clause.

  Independent Clause Dependent Clause

We always buy milk, eggs, and bread when we go to the grocery store.

> Identify the clause in each sentence that is in parentheses.

1.    Since the day was cold and cloudy, we went to the movies. (independent)

2.    We sat in the seats that no one else wanted. (dependent)

3.    After we parked the car, we bought our tickets. (dependent)

4.    The audience cheered when the movie ended. (independent)

5.    The sun was shining when we left the theater. (dependent)

> Revisit a piece of your writing. Edit the draft to make sure clauses are used
correctly.

Grade 4 • Relative Pronouns and Adverbs Printable

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Name Grammar
4.3.2

Relative Pronouns

A relative pronoun stands for a noun and introduces a dependent clause that
tells about the noun. The pronoun refers back to the noun it stands for.

I know the man who works here. (relative pronoun)

> For each sentence, circle the relative pronoun and underline the dependent
clause. Then write the noun this clause describes on the line.

1.    On Saturday, we went to a beach that has white sand.

2.    My friends, who live near a state park, go hiking every weekend.

3.    My favorite author wrote this book, which tells about a kingdom from long ago.

4.    We took Ava, whose family just moved to town, to the library.

5.    Therese went to the movie theater that is near her neighborhood.

> Revisit a piece of your writing. Edit the draft to make sure relative pronouns
are used correctly.

Grade 4 • Relative Pronouns and Adverbs Printable

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Name Grammar
4.3.3

Relative Adverbs

A relative adverb introduces a dependent clause that tells about a place, a

time, or a reason.

This is the path where we’ll begin our journey. (tells about a place)

> Identify the relative adverb in each sentence below.

1.    I am not sure why Tom got so upset.

2.    I will never forget when I saw the concert in Colorado.
3.    Earth Day is the time when we remember to care for our planet.
4.    They planted a garden where the swing set once was.
5.    I can tell you why we celebrate this holiday each year.

> Revisit a piece of your writing. Edit the draft to make sure relative adverbs are
used correctly.

Grade 4 • Relative Pronouns and Adverbs Printable

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Name Grammar
4.6.4

Review Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

A preposition is a word that shows a connection between other words in a

sentence.

A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or a

pronoun. These words and all the words in between them make up the
prepositional phrase.

A prepositional phrase can give more details in a sentence. A prepositional

phrase can tell where, when, or how.

The water gives them relief from the heat. (from the heat is the
prepositional phrase)
Mike sometimes goes swimming after work. (after work is the
prepositional phrase)

>  Identify the prepositional phrase in each sentence.

1.    Dan has a job working on the railroad line.

2.    Skip likes working with cars and motorcycles.
3.    In the summer, she is going to lifeguard.
4.    The shade tree gave the dogs relief from the heat.
5.    It is hot; Anna brought extra water with her.

>  Revisit a piece of your writing. Edit the draft to make sure that your

prepositional phrases are written correctly.

Grade 4 • Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases Printable

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Name Grammar
4.3.5

Connect to Writing: Using Relative

Pronouns and Adverbs
> Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question.
Read the following paragraph about getting a new aquarium. Look for any revisions
that should be made. Then answer the questions that follow.

(1) That was the day. (2) The new fish arrived. (3) The fish were put in
the large aquarium, where they could swim all around. (4) The fish hid under
the coral arch, which provided safety. (5) Later, they swam to the surface.
(6) Their food was scattered there on the water.

1. How can you combine sentences 1 and 2 using relative pronouns and adverbs to
show how ideas are connected?

A. That was the day new fish arrived.

B. That was the day the new fish arrived.
C. That was the day when the new fish arrived.
D. That was the day we got new fish.

2. How can you combine sentences 5 and 6 using relative pronouns and adverbs to
show how ideas are connected?

A. L ater, they swam to the surface, where their food was scattered on the
water.
B. Later, they swam to the surface, their food was there.
C. Later, they swam to the surface and ate their food.
D. Later, they swam to the surface to eat their food.

> Write about a pet you have or a pet you’d like to have. Be sure to use relative
pronouns and adverbs to connect your ideas.

Grade 4 • Relative Pronouns and Adverbs Printable

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 MODULE
7

A Cool Cat
WEEK 1

by Lynn Frankel

I had wanted a dog since, well, since I

knew the word dog. “Too much work, Kai,”
my parents always said to me. Still, I kept
asking.
My best friend Miguel had a big dog
named Pluto. Pluto was kind of bad. He
ate the furniture. He bit people! Even so,
Miguel took him everywhere. That Pluto

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was a true companion.

READ & RESPOND Characters

How was Pluto a companion to Miguel?

146
 On my ninth birthday, I thought my dream
had finally come true. My dad came home with
a big cardboard box.
It was from the pet store! Dad reached in
and lifted out a tiny orange ball of fur.
“Meow,” it said.
I tried to hide my disappointment. A cat?
What good is a cat? The furry thing looked
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up at me. What could I do? I named him Toby.

READ & RESPOND Figurative Language

What sensory language does the author use on this page? What do
those words help you understand?

147
 Toby didn’t walk me to school like Miguel’s
dog did. He wouldn’t fetch a stick either.
“Well, what does he do?” Miguel asked.
He slept on my bed with me every night, for
one thing. When I was sad, he rubbed against

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my face. Toby was fun, too. We went all over the
neighborhood together. We were inseparable.
On my next birthday, I didn’t even ask for a dog.

READ & RESPOND Characters

How did Kai change between his ninth and tenth birthdays?

148
 A few days after my party,
Miguel had a bad accident.
One of his legs and his hip
were badly hurt. Miguel was
in the hospital for a long time.
He really suffered.
When I went to see him,
Miguel seemed sad. He said he
hated being in bed all the time.
I think he was scared, too. He
wouldn’t say so.
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Miguel did keep saying how

much he missed Pluto. That’s
when I first got the idea.

READ & RESPOND Characters

Do you think Miguel was scared? Explain.

149
 My Dad and I talked to Tanya. She was the nurse
who took care of Miguel. Tanya said Pluto was too
big and rowdy for a visit. He might hurt someone.
“Still, we love having animal visitors,” Tanya
explained. “They can
help sick people get
well faster. Just petting
an animal can make
people feel less worried
or less lonely.” I knew
that was true.
“Hey! What about
Toby?” I asked. We all

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agreed that Toby would
be a good visitor.

READ & RESPOND Characters

Why is Toby a better hospital visitor than Pluto?

150
 The next day, Dad and I took Toby to visit
Miguel. He was lying in bed just staring
at the wall. Before I could
even say “Hi” to Miguel, Toby had jumped
onto his bed.
“What?” Miguel started. “Your cat? I don’t
even like cats.”
I decided to give Miguel some time alone
with Toby. Maybe he would change his mind.
Maybe they would form a bond.
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READ & RESPOND Characters

How is Miguel feeling when Kai arrives? Explain.

151
 When I came back, Miguel was
nowhere in sight. Neither was Toby.
“Hey, we’re over here!” Miguel
shouted. He was speeding down the hall
in his wheelchair. Toby was riding on
his shoulder!
Other kids gathered around. Toby
purred and nuzzled Miguel’s neck. “He’s
pretty cool, for a cat,” he said, giving Toby
one last belly rub.
“You see,” Tanya said. “Sometimes
affection is the best medicine.”

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READ & RESPOND Idioms, Adages, and Proverbs

Reread the last sentence. What do you think this adage means?

152
 Reread and Respond
1 How is Toby a good companion? Hint
Clues you can
use are on almost
every page!

2 How are Toby and Pluto alike? How are they Hint
different? For clues, see pages
146 and 148.
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3 How does Toby’s visit affect Miguel? Hint

For clues, see pages
149, 151, and 152.

4 Do you think animals can help sick or sad people Hint

feel better? Explain. Your answers to
questions 1 and 3
might help you.

153