Scott Foresman Reading Street

Suggested levels for Guided Reading, DRA,™
Lexile,® and Reading Recovery™ are provided
in the Pearson Scott Foresman Leveling Guide.
Very Special
Birthdays
by Jessica Quilty
illustrated by Nicole Wong
Genre
Narrative
nonfiction
Comprehension
Skills and Strategy
• Draw Conclusions
• Compare and
Contrast
• Summarize
Text Features
• Headings
Scott Foresman Reading Street 2.6.3
ISBN 0-328-13313-2
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Reader Response
Very Special
Birthdays
1. Red eggs mean happiness and new life.
Why do you think red paper around
money means good fortune?
2. Make a chart like the one below. Fill in
Jessica
Quilty
what you by
learned
about
the one-month
andillustrated
sixtieth birthdays.
Use Wong
this chart to
by Nicole
help summarize what happens on those
birthdays.
One-Month
Birthday
Sixtieth Birthday
3. Describe how the basket is used in
each of the following: picnic basket,
basketball, wastebasket.
4. What presents might you take to a
party celebrating a new baby? How
would your presents compare with
those in the story?
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Birthdays Are Special
How do you celebrate your birthday?
Do you have a party and blow out
candles on a cake? Do you get cards and
presents from your family and friends?
People celebrate birthdays in
different ways all over the world. Some
Chinese people celebrate their birthdays
with special traditions.
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photographic material. The publisher deeply regrets any omission and pledges to
correct errors called to its attention in subsequent editions.
Unless otherwise acknowledged, all photographs are the property of Scott Foresman,
a division of Pearson Education.
Photo locators denoted as follows: Top (T), Center (C), Bottom (B), Left (L), Right (R),
Background (Bkgd)
Illustrations by Nicole Wong
ISBN: 0-328-13313-2
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is
protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher
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3
Celebrating a New Baby
Chinese people celebrate a new
baby. Family and friends bring special
presents. They may bring the baby’s
family gifts of food.
They may also bring clothing and
toys decorated with tigers. Many people
from China believe the tigers protect the
baby.
4
The parents have a Red Egg party
when a new baby is one month old.
Aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, and
friends all come to the party.
The parents tell everybody the new
baby’s name. The parents also give red
colored eggs to each guest. Red means
happiness. The eggs mean new life.
5
The baby’s mother collects presents
from friends and family. Some guests
give the baby food. Grandparents may
give the baby jewelry made of silver or
gold.
6
Other guests may give the baby
money wrapped in red paper. Red paper
means a good future. The parents may
save the money in a bank for when the
baby grows up. At night there is a big
dinner for all the guests.
7
First Birthday
Another special tradition happens
when the baby is one year old. The
mother or father holds the baby. The
family gives the baby a basket filled
with different objects and toys.
8
There may be a doll, a truck, a spoon,
or a pen. Everyone watches to see which
object the baby touches first. The family
believes that the object the baby picks
shows what his or her future job will be.
Which object do you think you would
have picked?
9
Birthdays for Children
Sometimes, birthdays are celebrated
with a lunch of special noodles. These
noodles are very long. The long,
unbroken noodles represent a long and
happy life.
10
Family and friends may be invited
to share the lunch for the birthday
celebration. They wish the child a long
life. Guests may still bring gifts of money
wrapped in red paper.
11
Turning Sixty
A Chinese person’s sixtieth birthday is
very important. Everybody shares eggs,
noodles, and candied peaches. Peaches
are another sign of long life.
The Chinese one-month and sixtieth
birthdays are the most important.
What part of these special birthday
celebrations would be your favorite?
Reader Response
1. Red eggs mean happiness and new life.
Why do you think red paper around
money means good fortune?
2. Make a chart like the one below. Fill in
what you learned about the one-month
and sixtieth birthdays. Use this chart to
help summarize what happens on those
birthdays.
One-Month
Birthday
Sixtieth Birthday
3. Describe how the basket is used in
each of the following: picnic basket,
basketball, wastebasket.
4. What presents might you take to a
party celebrating a new baby? How
would your presents compare with
those in the story?
12