2. LESSON 1
Pass the mice, please.
DINNERS LONG AGO
Some 1,700–2,500 years ago, wealthy In medieval times, wealthy people
Romans enjoyed a variety of foods. At a served their guests a wide assortment of
dinner party, people were foods. A banquet usually had
served three courses. The first three courses, plus dessert.
course might include salad and The first course might feature
eggs. Or the “starter” course a whole baby pig, eggs in
might be stuffed dormice (a cream sauce, or eel pie. The
dormouse is a type of mouse!), second course would be roast
and bread. The main course meat. This might be deer, ox,
was usually meat. A boar’s chicken, peacock, swan, or
head might be served, or boar’s head. A typical third
chicken, roast peacock, lobster, or fish. course might be liver dumplings or
Some popular items for dessert were frumenty (wheat with eggs, stock, and
fruit, fruit tarts, and cakes made with milk). Dessert would likely be a fruit tart
honey. Wine was served with water, or cherry pudding. Wine, mead, and ale
and sometimes flavored with honey. would be served as well.
Roman dinner parties began in the Seated at long tables, guests usually
late afternoon. They usually lasted shared dishes with each other. The
many hours. People ate while reclining host and the most important guests
on couches where they were served by sat at a high table facing the room.
slaves. From time to time, slaves also These elite guests were given a spoon
brought bowls of water. Why? So guests and napkin. Before they ate, servants
could wash their hands after each tasted the guests’ food to make sure it
course. This was a good idea, since the wasn’t poisoned.
dinner guests ate with their fingers! Medieval people mostly ate with their
Spoons were sometimes used, but as fingers and washed their hands
yet there was no such thing as a fork. between courses. After dining, they
Well-mannered guests burped after often threw bones and scraps of food on
eating, to show they’d enjoyed the meal. the floor for the host’s dogs to eat.
Think about people’s eating habits today.
1. Name three foods that wealthy people are likely to eat in the United States today.
Then name three foods that poor people are likely to eat today.
WEALTHY PEOPLE: POOR PEOPLE:
•_________________________________ •_________________________________
•_________________________________ •_________________________________
•_________________________________ •_________________________________
6 READ•REFLECT•RESPOND

3. LESSON 1: DINNERS LONG AGO
2. Name three customs that were once 3. List five foods mentioned in the
considered good manners but would reading that you’re not likely to
now be very impolite. see on a restaurant menu today.
•_______________________________ •_______________ •_______________
•_______________________________ •_______________ •_______________
•_______________________________ •_______________
Circle a letter or word, fill in the blanks, or write out the answer.
Build your vocabulary. 6. What customs were not shared
by ancient Romans and medieval
1. Belching is the same as diners?
a. attaching. c. burping. _________________________________
b. squeezing. d. belting. _________________________________
_________________________________
2. A wide assortment also means
_________________________________
a. a variety. c. sorted.
b. spread out. d. fully occupied. Recall details.
7. At a medieval dinner, a servant
3. Someone who is well-mannered is
might be expected to
said to be
a. throw bones to the dogs.
a. rude. c. phony.
b. wash his or her hands.
b. polite. d. sincere.
c. taste the guests’ food.
4. Ale is
a. a malt beer. 8. At a Roman dinner party, guests
a. shared dishes with other guests.
b. a type of bird.
b. ate dinner while lying down.
c. honey-flavored water.
c. sat at long tables.
d. a kind of dessert.
Look it up in a reference source.
Compare and contast.
9. What is mead? ___________________
5. What customs were shared by
ancient Romans and medieval _________________________________
diners?
10. What is stock? ___________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________ 11. Which major food group is not
included in the medieval banquet?
_________________________________
_________________________________
READ•REFLECT•RESPOND 7

4. LESSON 2
Aye, maties! No quarter given on these ships.
TWO PIRATES
BLACKBEARD at the last moment, one
Blackbeard was born in England in of Maynard’s men cut
the late 1600s. His real name was the pirate’s throat, and
Edward Teach. Teach started out as a Blackbeard was dead.
privateer. People hired privateers to CAPTAIN KIDD
capture pirate ships. As a reward, they William Kidd was born in Scotland in
were given some of the pirates’ loot. 1645. Unlike Blackbeard, Kidd never
Teach was an excellent privateer. He wanted to become a pirate.
was so successful that he was made In 1695, Kidd was hired as a
captain of a captured pirate ship. privateer. But after a year, he’d failed to
Instead of continuing as a privateer, catch a single pirate ship. Although his
though, he decided to become a pirate. heart wasn’t in it, he let his crew attack
He called himself Blackbeard. and loot a ship. But then the crew
Blackbeard was described as a wild- wanted to loot another ship. Furious,
looking man. His eyes were fierce. His Kidd refused. He was so angry that he
huge beard was woven into two long hit one crewman with a bucket. The man
braids, which hung over his ears. died the next day. Now Kidd was afraid
Blackbeard had more than 14 wives, that his men would mutiny. So he let
who all lived in different ports. them capture and loot yet another ship.
Until 1717, Blackbeard attacked ships Soon afterward, Kidd came upon a
off the coast of America. Then a real pirate ship. But when he ordered
privateer named Lt. Robert Maynard his crew to attack, they refused! Some
was hired to hunt him down. Maynard of them even joined the pirates. Captain
accomplished his mission—and the two Kidd gave up and sailed home. Once he
men finally met in a swordfight. reached Scotland, he went on trial for
Blackbeard nearly killed Maynard. But his crimes. Kidd was hanged in 1701.
Think about ships and sailing long ago.
1. What happens when there’s a mutiny on a ship?
_____________________________________________________________________________
2. In what ways would it be easier to rob a ship than a bank? Explain your thinking.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
8 READ•REFLECT•RESPOND

5. LESSON 2: TWO PIRATES
Circle a letter or word, fill in the blanks, or write out the answer.
Identify parts of speech. Recall details.
1. Privateers were given some of the 7. Where did Blackbeard attack ships?
pirate’s loot. __________________________________
In that sentence, the word loot is 8. Was Teach or Kidd the best privateer?
a ( verb / noun ). __________________________________
2. Finally, Kidd let his crew attack 9. Who had a poor relationship with
and loot a ship. his crew, Teach or Kidd?
In that sentence, the word loot is __________________________________
a ( verb / noun ).
10. For what crimes was Kidd hanged?
Draw conclusions. __________________________________
3. Allowing Teach to command Predicting outcomes.
his own ship was
11. Suppose Kidd had found a pirate
a. a reward.
ship right away. What problem
b. a big mistake. might he have avoided?
c. both a and b. __________________________________
__________________________________
4. A good title for Kidd’s story
might be 12. Suppose Blackbeard hadn’t been killed
a. The Reluctant Pirate. by one of Maynard’s men. Is it likely he
would have lived to be an old man?
b. The Savage Pirate.
__________________________________
c. The Successful Privateer. __________________________________
5. Would Blackbeard have been so Look it up in a reference source.
effective as a pirate if he didn’t look
fierce? 13. What was Captain Kidd’s treasure?
__________________________________ __________________________________
__________________________________ __________________________________
__________________________________ __________________________________
6. Why do you think Kidd let his men 14. What did the governor of South
attack the first ship? Carolina allow Blackbeard to do?
__________________________________ __________________________________
__________________________________ __________________________________
__________________________________ __________________________________
READ•REFLECT•RESPOND 9

6. LESSON 3: MOVIE BLOOPERS
Circle a letter or word, fill in the blanks, or write out the answer.
Build your vocabulary. 5. After reading about Ben Hur, you can
conclude that
1. Draw a line from the italicized
a. there were no chariots in ancient
word to its definition.
Rome.
blockbuster questioning b. there were no cars in ancient Rome.
flawless a big hit c. cars weren’t allowed in the Coliseum.
inscription writing
6. After reading about Star Wars: A New
interrogation perfect Hope, you can conclude that the needle
clearly obviously used for interrogation
a. was filled with a deadly drug.
Use context clues.
b. contained a drug that made
2. Continuity means using people talk.
a. the same details in c. was a blooper that wasn’t
every scene. supposed to be a joke.
b. an incorrect weapon.
7. After reading about The Matrix, which
c. a continuous shot with of the following would you conclude is
the camera. a continuity error?
a. Lord of the Rings: Gandalf kicking
3. A blooper is
an electrical wire
a. a poorly prepared actor.
b. The Invisible Man: the invisible man
b. an embarrassing mistake. leaving shoe prints in the snow
c. spilled liquid on a c. Star Wars: storm trooper whacking
movie set. his head
Draw conclusions. Look it up in a reference source.
4. After reading about The Invisible 8. What is a gaffer?
Man, you can conclude that
_________________________________
a. when the invisible man
_________________________________
wore shoes, people couldn’t
see them. _________________________________
b. the invisible man walked 9. What does a key grip do?
around naked all the time. _________________________________
c. the invisible man’s bare _________________________________
footprints should have shown _________________________________
up in the snow.
_________________________________
READ•REFLECT•RESPOND 11

7. LESSON 4
If you had lived 200 years ago, what job would you be doing?
JOBS IN VICTORIAN ENGLAND
In the 1800s, there were many jobs bootlaces or laces for corsets. A few
that don’t exist today. Here are just a street sellers had stalls or carts with
few of them: warmers for coffee, and hot pudding
• A cheap-jack sold small, inexpensive or fish.
hardware items and objects such as • A pieman sold all sorts of pies. Some
knife sharpeners. Cheap-jacks were were made of fruit, such as apple,
usually good talkers. Everyone who gooseberry, or currants. Some were
passed by listened to their lively sales meat or fish—often beef, mutton, or eel.
pitch. They were a common sight at Occasionally, people were suspicious
fairs. about what sort of meat went into the
• A costermonger sold fruit, vegetables, seller’s pies. Sometimes, passers-by
and fish. He sold his wares from a stall would jeer at a pieman, calling out,
or a cart on wheels. If his “store” was “Mee-yow” and “Bow-wow.”
on wheels, he walked • A ratcatcher was a poor
along the streets. As he boy who earned good
walked, he called out money by ridding a house
flattering descriptions of of rats. Sometimes he used
his products. arsenic to poison rats. But
• Most street sellers couldn’t usually, he would use a
afford a stall or cart, so ferret and a terrier. The
they sold only what they ferret would chase the
could carry. Orange girls, rodents out of their holes,
for example, sold oranges. where the terrier could kill
Other poor people sold them.
Think about modern life and jobs.
1. People still worry about what might be in our food. Give an example of today’s
concerns about food.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
2. Many of today’s jobs might not exist in the future. Why?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
12 READ•REFLECT•RESPOND

8. LESSON 4: JOBS IN VICTORIAN ENGLAND
Circle a letter or word, fill in the blanks, or write out the answer.
Build your vocabulary. Draw conclusions.
1. If you jeer at people, you 7. What sort of person would not make a
a. call out to them. good cheap-jack?
____________________________________
b. swear at them.
____________________________________
c. make fun of them.
8. What sort of person might enjoy being
2. Mutton is a ratcatcher?
a. a large, curly mustache. ____________________________________
b. the meat of an ____________________________________
adult sheep.
9. What were people implying when they
c. a type of muffin. jeered at the pieman?
____________________________________
3. If you have wares, you have
____________________________________
a. lots of hardware.
b. things to sell. 10. Why did a ratcatcher need a ferret?
Why not just send his dog after the rat?
c. warmers for coffee.
____________________________________
4. A terrier is a ____________________________________
a. small, lively dog.
Another way to say it.
b. rat-catching tool.
11. A common sight is
c. clever weasel.
a. something you see often.
5. A stall is a b. something you seldom observe.
a. booth display of things c. a popular view.
for sale.
b. a small cart on wheels. 12. Ridding a house of rats means
c. a small store in a big a. plugging up rat holes.
building. b. feeding rats to ferrets.
c. eliminating rats from the house.
6. A ferret is a
a. type of rat-killing poison.
Look it up in a reference source.
b. long, thin animal related
to a weasel. 13. The word “Victorian” refers to the
reign of Queen Victoria. How long
c. sturdy dog with was she England’s queen?
strong jaws.
____________________________________
READ•REFLECT•RESPOND 13

9. LESSON 5: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Circle a letter or word, fill in the blanks, or write out the answer.
Build your vocabulary. 7. On what do both letters agree?
Recognize antonyms (words with opposite _________________________________
meanings).
Another way to say it.
1. hysterical 3. unprovoked
8. I can’t believe all the hysteria
a. reasonable a. angered
about pit bulls.
b. insane b. innocent a. I can’t understand why people
c. sensational c. annoying don’t like pit bulls.
b. People aren’t thinking
2. ban 4. aggressive reasonably about pit bulls.
a. forbid a. friendly
c. I can’t believe what people are
b. allow b. sweet saying about my pits.
c. punish c. gentle
9. Another young life cut short by
a pit bull attack!
Recognize the main idea.
a. A young person has been
5. What event inspired both letters? killed by a pit bull.
a. The mayor said people b. Life is too short to be attacked
were not allowed to own by a pit bull.
pit bulls.
c. Pit bulls attack only young
b. A young person made a people.
pit bull angry.
c. A young person was killed 10. We must not condemn all pit bulls.
by a pit bull. a. We must not believe all
pit bulls are dangerous.
Compare and contrast. b. We must not put pit bulls
6. Describe two significant differences to death.
between letter 1 and letter 2. c. News stories about pit bulls
• ________________________________ are untrue.
________________________________
________________________________ Fact or opinion? Write F or O.
________________________________ 11. ____ People can get hysterical
about pit bulls.
• ________________________________
12. ____ No one should own these
________________________________
dangerous animals.
________________________________
13. ____ My pit, Jessie, has never
________________________________
harmed anyone.
READ•REFLECT•RESPOND 15

10. LESSON 6
Homes have changed a lot in 80 years.
DIFFERENT TIMES, DIFFERENT HOMES
In the 1850s, many people moved In the 1930s, middle-class people
from rural to urban areas. They migrated lived in houses with several rooms.
to cities to work in factories. These homes had water
Most of these people lived taps, electricity, and large
in large buildings. Often, a windows to let in plenty of
whole family lived in a light and air. People also
single, crowded room. They had machines that made
used coal for cooking and housework easier, such
heating their rooms. Light as vacuum cleaners, gas
came from candles or gas and electric stoves, and
lamps. People got water small refrigerators. Electric
from pumps in the street boilers quickly heated
and lugged it home in water for washing dishes
buckets. Most all chores and clothes. People who
were done by hand—not could afford it even had
machines. Clothes were washing machines and
washed by hand. Floors telephones.
were swept with a broom. There were also new
Rugs were beaten with a sources of entertainment.
paddle to remove the dust. Gramophones, that had to
For entertainment, most people read. be wound up before they could operate,
Sometimes they played guessing games played records. Radios, too, had now
such as charades. become widely available.
Think about homes in today’s world.
1. Name four electronic devices we use for entertainment today.
•__________________________________ •__________________________________
•__________________________________ •__________________________________
2. Think about very poor people in this country and other countries. What are some
basic conveniences their homes may not have? List at least four items.
•__________________________________ •__________________________________
•__________________________________ •__________________________________
16 READ•REFLECT•RESPOND

11. LESSON 6: DIFFERENT TIMES, DIFFERENT HOMES
Circle a letter or word, fill in the blanks, or write out the answer.
Build your vocabulary. 10. If you owned a refrigerator, you
a. could store all your food
1. They migrated to cities to work in factories.
in one place.
a. wandered without direction
b. wouldn’t have to buy food
b. moved from one area to settle every day.
in another
c. wouldn’t have to cook
c. put in a change of address food at all.
with the post office
2. Sometimes they played charades. 11. In the 1850s, if you wanted to
take a warm bath, you had to
a. telepathic card tricks
a. heat up water on the stove.
b. indoor version of hide and seek
b. take a bath at the pump.
c. game where one player acts out a
word for the other players to guess c. wait for a warm rain.
12. Since clothes dryers hadn’t yet
Recall details. been invented,
3. Name one 1850s form of entertainment a. clothes dried out as people
that still exists today. wore them.
____________________________________ b. people ironed their clothes
to dry them.
4. In the 1850s, where did people get their
drinking water? c. people hung their clothes
on a line.
____________________________________
13. In the 1850s, how could people
5. What did electric boilers do? listen to music?
____________________________________ a. They attended concerts or
made their own music.
Match synonyms.
b. Until the gramophone was
6. ____ lugged a. tasks
invented, they didn’t listen
7. ____ chores b. faucet to music.
8. ____ tap c. carried c. They hummed to themselves.
Make inferences.
Look it up in a reference source.
9. Why were houses in the 1930s safer
than those in the 1850s? 14. Who was president of the United
States in 1850? In 1930?
a. Coal was used to heat their houses.
b. Electricity took the place of candles. IN 1850: _________________________
c. Large windows let in daylight. IN 1930: _________________________
READ•REFLECT•RESPOND 17