Contents

Sequence
Plot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266
00
Learn about the beginning, middle, and end of a story.
Word Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00
Words to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Click, Clack, Moo:
Learn to read and write high-frequency words.
Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
Rock-a-Bye
by Doreen Cronin Cows from Boys’ Life magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
illustrated by Betsy Lewin

Connections . . . . .of. .fiction.

• Learn the features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00
• Use story structure to help you understand a story.
Test Prep: Reading and Writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00
Rock-a-Bye Cows from Boys’ Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
Read about a way some farmers make their cows
more comfortable.

Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
• Compare texts.
• Review phonics skills.
• Reread for fluency.
• Write a thank-you note.

264

RXENL08ASE21_T2LP09 264
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 10/6/06 11:09:48 AM
 Fic t ion

M a g a zine A r t icle

265

RXENL08ASE21_T2LP09 265
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 10/16/06 4:34:54 PM
 Plot
Remember that every story has characters, a
setting, and a plot. The plot is what happens in a
story.
In the beginning of most stories, the
setting and characters are given. The
beginning also tells the story’s problem.
The middle tells how the characters try
to solve the problem. The end tells how
they solved it. Most stories are told in the order
in which events happen.

Beginning

Middle

End

266

RXENL08ASE21_T2FS09 266
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 10/18/06 4:43:38 PM
 Read the story below. Think about the plot.
What is the story’s problem?
Tip Types
Before dinner, Len typed an e-mail to his
friend Austin. Len’s dog, Tip, watched him type.

Then the doorbell rang. Len forgot to send

the e-mail. He got up to answer the bell.

After dinner, Len went back to send his

e-mail. Tip was at the computer, trying to type.

“Get down, Tip! Dogs can’t type!” said Len. Then Len
laughed. Tip pushed the button that sent the e-mail.

Beginning
www.harcourtschool.com/storytown
• Len types an e-mail to his friend. Tip watches.
•

Middle
• Len eats dinner.
• Len returns to his computer.

End

Try This
Look back at the story. What happens at the end? How
is the problem solved?
267

RXENL08ASE21_T2FS09 267
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 10/18/06 5:02:03 PM
 High-Frequency Words

The Cat’s Surprise

Lia couldn’t believe her ears.
believe
Her cat, Effie, had just barked.
impossible “That’s impossible ,” thought Lia.
It’s early in the morning. Maybe
early
I’m dreaming.”
brought
Later Lia’s friend Tara came
enough over. Lia said, “I think Effie can
understand bark.”

quite “That’s impossible,” said Tara.

Lia brought Effie into the
room. The cat looked at the girls
and meowed.
“See! I told you cats can’t
bark,” said Tara.

268

RXENL08ASE21_T2WP09 268
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 10/11/06 11:09:04 AM
 “It’s bad enough that my cat
barks. Now my friend doesn’t
believe me!” cried Lia.
Just then the cat barked.
“Woof, woof!”
Tara’s mouth fell open.
“Your cat really does bark,”
she said. “I wonder why.”
“No one can understand
me when I meow,” said
Effie. “Now I see that
you don’t understand the
barks, either. I guess I will
just have to talk to you.”
A talking cat! That was
quite a surprise!

www.harcourtschool.com/storytown

269

RXENL08ASE21_T2WP09 269
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 10/11/06 11:11:14 AM
 Fic t ion

Genre Study
Fiction is a story that is
made up. Look for
• characters and a setting.
• a plot with a beginning,
a middle, and an end.

Characters Setting

Beginning

Middle

End

Comprehension
Strategy
Use Stor y Structure Think
about what happens at the
beginning, middle, and end.

270

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 270
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:10:46 PM
 CLICK, CLACK, MOO
Cows Th t T pe
by Doreen Cronin pictures by Betsy Lewin

271

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 271
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:11:04 PM
 Farmer Brown has a problem.
His cows like to type. All day
long he hears
Click, clack, moo.
Click, clack, moo.
Clickety, clack, moo.

At first, he couldn’t believe his

ears. Cows that type? Impossible!
Click, clack, moo.
Click, clack, moo.
Clickety, clack, moo.

272

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 272
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:11:15 PM
 273

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 273
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:11:29 PM
 Then he couldn’t believe his eyes.

274

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 274
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:11:48 PM
 Dear Farmer Brown,

The barn is very cold

at night. We’d like some
electric blankets.

Sincerely,
The Cows

275

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 275
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:12:11 PM
 It was bad enough the cows had
found the old typewriter in the barn.
Now they wanted electric blankets!
“No way,” said Farmer Brown. “No
electric blankets.”
So the cows went on strike. They
left a note on the barn door.

276

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 276
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:12:26 PM
 Sorry.
We’re closed.
No milk today.

277

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 277
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 10/3/06 10:14:05 AM
 “No milk today!” cried Farmer
Brown. In the background, he heard the
cows busy at work:
Click, clack, moo.
Click, clack, moo.
Clickety, clack, moo.

278

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 278
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 10/3/06 10:29:50 AM
 279

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 279
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:13:05 PM
 The next day, he got another note:

Dear Farmer Brown,

The hens are cold

too. They’d like
electric blankets.

Sincerely,
The Cows

280

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 280
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:13:16 PM
 281

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 281
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:13:31 PM
 The cows were growing impatient
with the farmer. They left a new
note on the barn door.

Closed.
No milk.
No eggs.

282

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 282
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:13:43 PM
 “No eggs!” cried Farmer Brown.
In the background he heard them.
Click, clack, moo.
Click, clack, moo.
Clickety, clack, moo.
“Cows that type. Hens on strike!
Whoever heard of such a thing?
How can I run a farm with no
milk and no eggs!” Farmer
Brown was furious.

283

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 283
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:13:58 PM
 Farmer Brown got out his own typewriter.

Dear Cows and Hens:

There will be no electric

blankets. You are cows and hens.
I demand milk and eggs.

Sincerely,
Farmer Brown

284

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 284
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:14:09 PM
 285

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 285
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:14:24 PM
 286

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 286
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:14:34 PM
 Duck was a neutral party, so he
brought the ultimatum to the cows.

The cows held an emergency meeting.

All the animals gathered around the
barn to snoop, but none of them
could understand Moo.
All night long,
Farmer Brown waited
for an answer.

287

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 287
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:14:47 PM
 Duck knocked on the door early
the next morning. He handed Farmer
Brown a note:

288

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 288
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 10/3/06 10:33:56 AM
 Dear Farmer Brown,
We will exchange our typewriter
for electric blankets. Leave them
outside the barn door and we will
send Duck over with the typewriter.
Sincerely,
The Cows
289

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 289
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:15:10 PM
 Farmer Brown decided that this
was a good deal.

290

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 290
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 9/13/06 2:15:20 PM
 He left the blankets next to the barn
door and waited for Duck to come
with the typewriter.

291

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 291
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 10/3/06 1:14:53 PM
 The next morning he got a note:

Dear Farmer Brown,

The pond is quite boring.
We’d like a diving board.
Sincerely,
The Ducks

Click, clack, quack.

Click, clack, quack.
Clickety, clack, quack.

292

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 292
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 10/3/06 1:31:06 PM
 Think Critic ll
1 How do the cows use the typewriter at the
beginning of the story? How do they use
it at the end? PLOT

2 How does the agreement between Farmer

Brown and the Cows solve Farmer Brown’s
problem? DRAW CONCLUSIONS

3 How do the ducks get the typewriter?

IMPORTANT DETAILS

4 How do you know that this story is fiction?

FICTION/NONFICTION

5 WRITE What do you think will

happen next? Use details from
the story to support your
answer. SHORT RESPONSE

293

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 293
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 10/3/06 2:19:30 PM
 Meet the Author

Doreen Cronin
When Doreen Cronin was
growing up, her father told her
funny stories that made her
laugh. Years later, she woke up
in the middle of the night with
the idea for “Click, Clack, Moo:
Cows That Type.” Her own story
made her laugh, just as her
father’s stories had long ago.

294

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 294
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 10/3/06 2:19:44 PM
 Meet the Illustrator

Betsy Lewin
Betsy Lewin is the illustrator
of many books for children.
She lives in New York with her
husband and two cats, who
don’t type.

www.harcourtschool.com/storytown

295

RXENL08ASE21_T2AS09.indd 295
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 10/12/06 1:19:21 PM
 Science

M a g a zine A r t icle

by Sam Curtis

Afte good night’s sleep on nice, soft

matt ess, Bessie is e dy to get to wo k. The only
thing is, Bessie’s ob is m king milk. She is cow.

The people who own he think th t by

putting cow matt ess in he st ll, she will be
mo e comfo t ble. They think this will put
mo e milk on you t ble.

296
 297

RXENL08ASE21_T2CS09.indd 297
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 10/3/06 11:21:52 AM
 “A cow matt ess looks like n i mattress
th t you would go c mping with, only it is bigge ,”
s ys Joe Schambow. He sells the $86 to $100 cow
matt esses. “And the matt esses e filled with
ubbe inste d of i .”
Just s you have bette d y t school fte
good night’s sleep, the ide is that the cows will
h ve bette d y t wo k with mo e comfo t ble
beds. The people who m ke the matt esses s y the
cows feel bette , e t mo e, m ke mo e milk, nd
live longe .

298
 M . Sch mbow s ys st lls with matt esses usu lly
h ve cows sleeping in them.

“And the e e othe cows w iting in line to

use them,” he dds.

Joe B nt, f me in Wisconsin, s ys he is sold

on the ide of cow matt esses. “Since I’ve been
using the matt esses, my cows’ feet lmost neve
hu t,” he says. “And th t is going to help them
m ke mo e milk.”

299
 Comparing Texts
How are the cows on Farmer Brown’s
farm different from the cows in
“Rock-a-Bye Cows”?

The cows used a typewriter to type notes.

How do you write a note?

What are some reasons people write notes?

Phonics
Make Sentences oa ow
Work with a partner to goat snow
load bowl
think of words in which
oa and ow stand for the
long o sound. Write each word in a chart. Then take
turns using the words in sentences. How many long
o words can you use in one sentence?

300

RXENL08ASE21_T2CN09 300
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 10/19/06 11:14:00 AM
 Read with a Partner

Look back at the story. Talk with a

classmate about how the characters
feel. Then take turns reading two
pages at a time. As you read, use your
voice to show how the characters feel.

Write a Thank-You Note

Imagine that you are one of the cows and you want
to thank Farmer Brown. Write
a thank-you note to him. Share
your note with a classmate. Sentence Flu ency
✔ I begin my se
ntences in
different way
s.
Dear Farmer Brown, ✔ I use bo th shor
t and long
I want to thank sentences.
you for ✔ I thank the pe
rson I am
writing to.

301

RXENL08ASE21_T2CN09 301
FLORIDA IMAGING PDF_READING NL 10/19/06 11:14:38 AM