Connect Reading and Writing

Vocabulary

  • available

  • perfect

  • plan

  • problem

  • secret

  • statue

  • village

  • worries

Critical Thinking

  • 1. SUM IT UP Make a Character Description Chart for Shu Fa. List things that she does, including how she solves the problem. What do her actions say about her? Discuss your ideas with a partner.

    Character Description Chart
    What Shu Fa DoesWhat It Shows About Her
    carries water

  • 2. Infer Most legends are set in the past. How can you tell that what happens in Shu Fa’s village takes place long ago? Find details in the story.

  • 3. Interpret Explain the title. What is secret about water in this story?

  • 4. Analyze What is the Voice of the Mountain like? Describe this character, based on the dialogue.

Reading Fluency

Expression Read the passage on page 571 to a partner. Assess your fluency.

  • 1. I read

    • a. great

    • b. OK

    • c. not very well

  • 2. What I did best in my reading was _____.

Reading Strategy

Monitor Your Reading

Tell a partner one place where you clarified the meaning of the text. How did rereading or reading on help you?

Vocabulary Review

Oral Review Read the paragraph aloud. Add the vocabulary words.

I live in a _____ where we eat a lot of fish. Fish are always _____ from the lake. No one ever _____ about hunger! To honor the fish, artists carved a large _____. They wanted to keep it a _____, so they didn’t tell anyone. Then the artists had a _____ to solve: Where should they put the statue? They thought about it and decided on a _____. They found a _____ setting! The statue will sit in the lake!

Written Review Write a sentence to go with each illustration in “The Secret Water.” Tell about the characters and the village. Use five vocabulary words.

Illustration of a pen icon Write About the Guiding Question

Explore Earth’s Resources

Reread the selection. When is it OK to take an available resource from somebody to help others? Support your idea with examples from the text.