Explore all 5 lessons from your Journeys 2017 textbook with vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and comprehension.
A humorous story about a delivery man who must carry a mysterious, impossibly heavy package up thirty flights of stairs to Mrs. Jewls' classroom at Wayside School.
Louis was out on the playground picking up trash. He frowned at the messy schoolyard. He initially thought, "Well, I'm not going to pick it up! It wasn't my job to pick up garbage," as he was only supposed to pass out balls during lunch and recess. However, he loved all the children at Wayside School and didn't want them playing on a dirty playground, so he began cleaning it up.
While he was picking up the litter, a large truck drove into the parking lot, honking its horn twice, then twice more. Louis ran to the truck and whispered, "Quiet! Children are trying to learn in there!"
A short man with big, bushy hair stepped out of the truck and said, "I have a package for somebody named Mrs. Jewls."
Louis offered to take it, but the man insisted he had to give it directly to Mrs. Jewls. Louis, knowing how much the children disliked being interrupted while working, told the man, "I'm Mrs. Jewls."
Although the man pointed out that Louis had just said he wasn't, Louis replied, "I changed my mind."
The man then got the package out of the back of the truck and gave it to Louis, saying, "Here you go, Mrs. Jewls." Louis grunted; it was a very heavy package with the word FRAGILE printed on every side. He had to be careful not to drop it. The package was so big that Louis couldn't see where he was going. He knew the way to Mrs. Jewls's class by heart: straight up. Wayside School was thirty stories high, with only one room on each story, and Mrs. Jewls's class was at the very top. He pushed through the school door and started up the stairs, as there was no elevator.
The box was pressed against Louis's face, squashing his nose. He huffed and groaned, continuing up the stairs despite his sore arms and legs, thinking, "This package might be important. I have to deliver it to Mrs. Jewls right away."
Around the fifteenth floor, he could smell Miss Mush cooking her specialty mushrooms in the cafeteria and considered stopping for some on his way back. He kept going. He stepped easily from the eighteenth story to the twentieth, as there was no nineteenth story (Miss Zarves taught the class on the nineteenth story, but there was no Miss Zarves).
By the twenty-fifth floor, his fingers were going numb. The heavy weight was getting disturbing. He shifted the box and tried to catch his breath.
At last, he struggled up the final step to the thirtieth story and knocked on Mrs. Jewls's door with his head.
Mrs. Jewls was teaching her class about gravity when she heard the knock and called, "Come in."
Louis gasped, "I can't open the door. My hands are full. I have a package for you."
Mrs. Jewls asked the class, "Who wants to open the door for Louis?" All the children raised their hands, as they loved to be interrupted when they were working. Mrs. Jewls, wanting to be fair, decided they would have a spelling bee, and the winner would get to open the door.
Louis complained that the package was heavy and he was tired, hoping they would hurry up.
Eventually, John won the spelling bee and opened the door. Louis stumbled inside and collapsed onto the floor, the package landing beside him.
"Oh, Louis! Thank you so much!" she said. "You are so kind. It was such a courtesy to carry it all the way up here."
Mrs. Jewls asked, "Where do you want it, Louis?" She then opened the box, revealing a brand-new computer.
The children were not enthusiastic. They thought a new computer would be sinister—it would make them learn faster, which meant more work.
But Mrs. Jewls smiled sincerely. "Don't worry," she told the class. "It will help us with what we are studying right now."
Mrs. Jewls then pushed the computer out the window to demonstrate gravity. They all watched it fall and smash against the sidewalk.
She thanked Louis, saying, "I've been trying to teach them about gravity all morning. We had been using pencils and pieces of paper, but the computer was a lot quicker!"
This week's spelling words focus on short vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u). Click any word to hear it!
Every sentence has two main parts:
The subject tells who or what the sentence is about.
The predicate tells what the subject does or is.
The delivery man carried the heavy package up the stairs.
Subject = The delivery man | Predicate = carried the heavy package up the stairs
1. Where does the story A Package for Mrs. Jewls take place?
2. What does "collapsed" mean?
3. What is the simple subject in: "The tall delivery man carried the box."?
4. Why was the package so heavy for the delivery man?
5. What is the theme of this story?
6. What does "hauling" mean?
A mystery story where students use clues, evidence, and logic to solve a puzzle involving a royal family.
Althea was thrilled to be back at Camp Katahdin for the summer. She loved the outdoors, the lake, and all the activities. But this year, she had a new tent mate named Rena. Rena was a bit… different.
On the very first day, Rena arrived carrying a luxurious silk pillow and several heavy trunks. She seemed completely out of place in the rustic woods. "Who brings a silk pillow to sleep in a tent?" Althea wondered.
Althea, being a big fan of reading mysteries, decided to investigate. She thought there was something very mysterious about Rena's behavior.
The next morning, Althea observed Rena carefully. Rena refused to eat the camp's powdered eggs and instead snacked on delicate pastries she brought from home. Later, during the canoe race on the camp's lake, Rena actually knew how to steer the canoe perfectly, calling out rowing terms with an air of authority.
Althea was getting more suspicious. She remembered the old fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea. Could Rena be royalty? Althea devised a plan to test her theory. While Rena was out, Althea slipped a small, hard peanut under the bottom of Rena's stacked camp mattresses.
The following morning, Rena woke up rubbing her back. "I hardly slept a wink," she complained. "It felt like I was sleeping on a boulder!"
Althea gasped. It was exactly like the fairy tale! This was crucial evidence.
As the camp weeks went on, the girls grew closer. They competed together in the camp's grand tournament. Rena turned out to be amazing at horse jumping and even surprised everyone during the softball game.
One evening, as Rena was packing her things, a small wooden box fell open. Inside was a golden disc necklace. Althea looked closely and saw the imprint of a regal lion on it—the crest of a royal family.
"Rena... are you a princess?" Althea asked, deciding to finally interrogate her.
Before Rena could answer, Gerard, a tall, serious man in a suit, arrived at their tent. He was Rena's royal escort, coming to take her home.
"It is time to go, Your Highness," Gerard said smoothly.
Rena smiled sheepishly at Althea. The mystery was solved. She wasn't just a regular camper; she was a real princess after all! Althea couldn't wait to tell her friends back home about her royal summer.
This week focuses on long vowel patterns (VCe, vowel teams). Click to hear!
General names for people, places, or things: city, teacher, book
Specific names (always capitalized): New York, Mrs. Jewls, Harry Potter
Things you can't touch or see: love, freedom, honesty, courage
Groups of people/things: a team of players, a flock of birds
1. In A Royal Mystery, what do the girls discover about themselves?
2. What does "investigate" mean?
3. Which is an abstract noun?
4. What is a motive?
5. What does "crucial" mean?
6. What kind of noun is "New York"?
A realistic fiction story about two girls running for class president, exploring themes of competition, friendship, and leadership.
The election for fifth-grade class president was heating up. Miata Ramirez and her best friend Anna were running together. Their main opponent was Rudy Herrera, who was funny, loud, and very popular.
On the day of the big debate, the entire fifth grade gathered in the cafeteria. Miata felt nervous, but she smoothed her skirt and walked to the microphone. She wanted to represent her class well.
"If I am elected," Miata began, speaking clearly, "I promise to clean up our school. I want to get rid of the graffiti on the walls. I also want to use our class funds to buy flowers and plant them around the school grounds. We need to make our campus beautiful!"
There was some polite clapping. Miata felt proud of her serious campaign promises.
Then it was Rudy's turn. He bounced up to the microphone, wearing a giant, goofy smile.
"Hey everyone!" Rudy shouted. The crowd cheered instantly. "If I'm president, I'm going to ask the principal for longer recess! And not just that—I want ice cream day every day in the cafeteria!"
The cafeteria erupted in loud cheers and stomping feet. Rudy's speech was short, funny, and full of promises that sounded impossible, but the kids loved it.
Miata sank in her seat. How could she convince the class to vote for flowers and cleaning when Rudy was offering extra recess and ice cream?
After school, Miata went home feeling discouraged. She sat at the kitchen table and looked through an old family scrapbook with her mother. She saw pictures of a trip to Mexico when she was five, and it reminded her of her family's hard work and strong values.
Just then, her father came home from work. He had a playful grin on his face. He held out his hand, hiding something, and pretended that a gnarled index finger he found at work was coming alive to tickle her. Miata laughed out loud, feeling the warmth of her family.
As she smiled, Miata realized something important. Rudy might be funny, and he might win the ballot. But she had stood up for what she believed in. Trying to make the school a better, cleaner place was a good goal, whether she won the election or not. She had run a campaign she could be proud of.
Words with the vowel sounds heard in out and jaw. Click to hear!
Miata ran for class president.
Has a subject AND a predicate. Expresses a complete thought.
Running for class president.
Missing a subject! Who is running? This is NOT a complete sentence.
Miata made a speech she won the election.
Two complete sentences smashed together without a conjunction or punctuation!
1. In Off and Running, who are the two candidates for class president?
2. What does "convince" mean?
3. What is a fragment?
4. How are Miata and Rudy different in their campaign speeches?
5. What does "represent" mean?
6. What lesson does Miata learn at the end of the story?
An informational text celebrating the sport of Double Dutch jump rope — its history, techniques, competitions, and cultural significance.
The Snazzy Steppers were no ordinary jump rope team. Averaging thirteen years old, these girls from Central Islip, New York, were precisely tuned athletes. They practiced their routines in total, intense silence, moving together with the uniform grace of rowers in a boat. They were champions, ranked fifth in the world.
Their journey began with Coach Rocket. Eight years prior, he was a teacher who felt frustrated by the lack of positive activities for kids at his public school. Watching kids jump rope during recess, he was mesmerized by the rhythm, the call-and-response chants, and the athletic movement. He decided to learn the game himself.
Coach Rocket didn't just teach the girls how to jump; he wrote songs to help them demonstrate the proper technique. The girls had to learn to jump between two ropes turning in opposite directions—a true challenge.
But the Snazzy Steppers didn't start out as winners. At their very first major competition in Harlem, they faced teams that were faster, bolder, smoother, and sassier than they were. The Snazzy Steppers were completely pulverized.
They went home without a single trophy. That defeat ripped their confidence to pieces.
"We realized we had a lot to learn," one of the girls admitted.
Instead of giving up, they practiced harder. They learned that Double Dutch wasn't just a playground game; it was a sport that required immense discipline, teamwork, and sisterhood. They added handstands, backflips, and lightning-fast footwork to their routines.
When they returned to jump in future years, they weren't just participating—they were dominating. Watching the Snazzy Steppers perform their high-speed, acrobatic jumps was truly impressive. They proved that with dedication and a shared rhythm, a team could rise from the very bottom to the top of the world.
Compound words are made by joining two smaller words together. Click to hear!
An adjective is a word that describes a noun. It tells what kind, how many, or which one.
The incredible team performed a difficult routine.
Three girls jumped over two ropes.
That team won first place.
When using multiple adjectives: number → opinion → size → age → color → origin → material
Two beautiful long new red ropes.
1. In Double Dutch, what team is the story about?
2. What does "precisely" mean?
3. What is an adjective?
4. What happened at the Snazzy Steppers' first competition?
5. What does "demonstrate" mean?
6. What is the main idea of Double Dutch?
A personal narrative written as diary entries, following Elisa as she experiences the challenges and joys of growing up.
March 25
Today is the saddest day of my life. My father told me to turn off the lights and go to sleep,
but I couldn't. I just moved to the United States from Puerto Rico. I am ten years old, and
everything here feels so different and scary.
I feel so anxious all the time. I can read and write in English pretty well, but when people speak to me, they talk so fast! I can hardly understand them. My brother Francisco is not shy at all. He accompanied our neighbors outside and made friends immediately. He told me I should watch English TV to practice, even if it's boring, but I feel too frustrated.
April 4
To cheer myself up, I looked at a small token I brought from Puerto
Rico. It's a little squirrel figurine my grandmother bought me. I remembered when I visited her
in the country. We heard scratching on the roof and I was scared it was mice. But it was two
playful squirrels! It was an immense relief, and such a beautiful spectacle to watch
them play, since we don't have squirrels in the city.
April 15
Today, something interesting happened. I met a new student named José. He is from Guatemala. He
sat quietly and just drew pictures in his notebook. He had sad, dark eyes. I thought he would
talk to me, but he just smiled. Still, I felt less alone.
Later in English class, the teacher called on me. I didn't understand what she said, and my classmates started giggling. It was sheer terror. I felt like the other students were my opponents instead of my friends.
But then, José and I figured something out. He grew up speaking English so he could speak and understand perfectly, but he struggled with spelling, reading, and writing. I had the exact opposite problem! We decided to "join forces." I would help him with writing, and he would help me practice listening and speaking.
We practiced every day. The teacher was so impressed by how much we both improved.
As I write this tonight, I feel different. I'm not the sad girl from my first entry. I think I'm going to like this school after all!
Words ending with the /j/ sound (spelled -ge, -dge) and /s/ sound (spelled -ce, -se). Click to hear!
A possessive noun shows ownership. We use an apostrophe (') to show possession.
Add 's to singular nouns: Elisa's diary, the girl's backpack
Add ' after the s: the students' desks, the dogs' bones
Add 's to irregular plurals: the children's toys, the women's group
1. In Elisa's Diary, where did Elisa move from?
2. What does "anxious" mean?
3. Which is the correct possessive form? "The ____ homework was on the desk."
4. How did Elisa and José help each other?
5. What does "frustrated" mean?
6. What is the theme of Elisa's Diary?