UNIT 1 READING 1 "CHASSING VERMEER"

This story is about a sixth-grade student named Petra who has an unusual school assignment. Her teacher asks everyone to find something at home that they think could be a piece of art. Then they need to write a description of it without saying what it is. One day, Petra finds a book in a giveaway box. It contains stories about strange events that have happened around the world.
Many of the stories and illustrations are about wild animals falling mysteriously from the sky. She is amazed by the book and the ideas expressed in it. She decides that the book is a work of art, and she writes an interesting description of it.


Literary Words

• characters: people or animals in a novel or
short story
• character traits: the qualities or traits of the
characters in a story

Academic Words

identify

 = recognize and name someone or something

 

individual = a person, not a group


occur = happen

physical = relating to the body or to other things you can see, touch, smell, feel, or taste


theory = an explanation that may
or may not be true
 

Word Study: Prefi xes un-, dis-

A prefix is a word part added to the beginning of a word that changes 

the word’s meaning. Knowing the meanings of prefixes can help you

figure out the meanings of many words you read and hear.
The prefixes un- and dis- occur often in English. 
Un- can mean 

“not” or “the opposite of.” 

Dis- can mean “not,” “outside of,” or “the

opposite of.”