Lesson 23:Len's Tomatoes

2Len raced out of the house andinto the garden.His mother was planting tomatoes.“May I help?” he asked.“Sure! You can take care ofthis cherry tomato plant,” hismother said.

“Cherry tomatoes are littletomatoes,” said his mother.“We put cherry tomatoes inour salads last summer.”“Oh, yes!” said Len. “I canpop cherry tomatoes inmy mouth.”3

Len and his mother workedtogether in the garden.Len began to dig a hole.He put a plant in the hole.Then he covered the rootswith dirt.4

The next day, Len went outto water his plant.“Where are my cherrytomatoes?” he asked.“Len, you have to be patient,”his mother said.But Len was not a patient boy.6

On the third day, Len looked athis plant again.There were still no tomatoes.Every day, Len walked along thegarden path and caredfor his plant.He made sure it had enough water.7

Slowly, the green tomatoesturned red.Len waited until they werebright red.Then he picked his tomatoes.9

10That night, Len made a salad forhis mother and father.Len put all of the cherrytomatoes on top—except for one.He popped that tomatoin his mouth.Hard work sure could taste sweet!

RespondingTARGET SKILL Cause and EffectWhat happens when Len ties astick to the plant? Why does ithappen? Make a chart.Talk About ItText to Text What other storieshave you read about plants?Which of these plants couldLen grow? How could Len growthese plants?11

againalongbeganboyWORDS TO KNOWfatherhousenothingtogetherTARGET SKILL Cause and EffectTell what happens and why.TARGET STRATEGY Monitor/ClarifyFind ways to figure out what doesn’tmake sense.GENRE Realistic fiction is a storythat could happen in real life.12

Level: IDRA: 16Genre:Realistic FictionStrategy:Monitor/ClarifySkill:Cause and EffectWord Count: 2891.5.23HOUGHTON MIFFLINOnline Leveled BooksISBN-13:978-0-547-02892-7ISBN-10:0-547-02892-X1032977