P. 10

“This rain is long and cold and gray, yet sleeping roots are fed this way.”  

“Trees and bushes, nearly bare of leaves, now chains of raindrops wear along each twig.”

P. 8

After reading the first stanza ask students, “What is the wailing sound of wind around?” 

In the second stanza, stop and ask, “What are bare, dead boughs? What does sway against my pane mean?”

Sometimes, when we sound out a word, it doesn’t sound quite right or doesn’t make sense in the sentence. That’s a clue to try a different sound.

One tricky sound is the letter "i" because it can be short (like in "bit") or long (like in "bite"). If a word doesn’t sound right, flip the "i" sound and try again.

Here’s how:

1. Say the word with a short "i" sound first.
2. If it doesn’t sound right, try the long "i" sound.
3. Check if the word makes sense in the sentence!

For example:

• Pinging — If you say pin-ging and it sounds wrong, try ping-ing instead.
• Tonight — If you say ton-ick-t, try to-night (long "i").
• Brittle — If you say brite-l, try brit-tle (short "i").

Other words in this text: stinging, bright, blinking, sunwinking, noonwind, clinking

P. 26

“long muggy hanging day” 
“raindrops started so sparse”

P. 14

pinging rain 
stinging sleet 
ice-bearing trees