The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate Unity Study: Chapter 2.

Continuing the free unit study on The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate today with similies and Chapter 2. If you missed Chapter 1 freebies, you can find them here.

Similies Stories (PDF)

Chapter 2 Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary (PDF)

Character Impressions Through Acrostics (PDF)

For the similies stories, we introduced the concept of similies and then looked through the book to find them. Max found the following ten similies as answers for his worksheet:

1. "Like a tiny baby field mouse" (p.10)- object dangling from bird's beak
2. "Like damp, steaming puppies" (p.2)- how the boys slept at midday
3. "Like a dragon's" (p.9)- grandfather's tuftu eyebrows
4. "Like Christmas ornaments" (p.10)- how the cardinals looked along the lawn
5. "As menacing to the feet as straw stubble" (p. 17)- the dried grass on the lawn
6. "Like a bizarre cross between an otter and a duck" (p.66)- a platypus
7. "Like river sludge" (p.38)- the sediment in the beaker 
8. "Like a miniature fox" (p.41)- the bat
9. "As if it were a child" (p. 45)- referring to leg of soldier cradled in his arms
10. "as if pole-axed" (p.2)- how the tired men fell down on their rope beds

Then we talked about how Calpurnia describes so many things with reference to natural objects and animals- perhaps they were closer to nature in her time. Max also observed that most people don't use expressions about "pole-axes" anymore because we don't use pole-axes.

Our vocabulary words were defined and then Max used them in a few unruly sentences of his own making.

dilapidated: In a state of disrepair or ruin as a result of age or neglect

consternation: Feelings of anxiety or dismay, typically at something unexpected.

malacca: Brown cane that is widely used for walking sticks and umbrella handles.

stupefying: Make (someone) unable to think or feel properly.

He had knocked over the dilapidated umbrella stand, breaking it and several dilapidated umbrellas. The malacca handles and the cloth tops were part of a jumbled pile on top of the baby, Rupert, who had done it all. It was stupefying. I was full of consternation.