Summary
Anna is feeling homesick. Marsha helps her by listening to her talk about her family.
Anna: Hello! Washington, D.C. has many beautiful parks. In fact, this park remindsme of my home very far away.
Marsha: Anna, here's your coffee.
Anna: Thanks, Marsha.
Marsha: What's wrong?
Anna: I'm thinking about my family. I'm feeling homesick.
Marsha: Do you want to talk about it?
Anna: Sure! I have some photos.
Marsha: Yes. Yes, you do!
Anna: Photos really help.
Anna: This is my mother and this is my father. They are rodeo clowns.
Marsha: What do rodeo clowns do?
Anna: They make jokes at a rodeo. They make people laugh.
Marsha: That-That';s very different.
Marsha: Who is that woman in the picture?
Anna: That is my Aunt Lavender. She is my mom's sister. She loves gardening and makes spoons.
Marsha: She makes spoons?
Anna: Of course.
Marsha: That, too, is very different.
Anna: Oh! This is my Uncle John. He is my father's brother.
Marsha: What does Uncle John do?
Anna: He's a chicken farmer. And makes guitars. He's awesome, and I'm his favorite niece.
Marsha: Who are they?
Anna: They are my cousins. They are my Uncle John's daughter and son.
Marsha: What do they do?
Anna: They raise sheep and make sweaters.
Marsha: Yeah, that's not a surprise.
Marsha: Thanks for showing me your family photos. Your family is very different.
Anna: I do feel better. Thanks for listening. I have many more photos!
Marsha: Yeah. Yeah, you do.
Anna: Washington, DC is my new home. But I like remembering my old home, too.
Anna's Family Tree
This is a family tree. Anna tells Marsha about her parents.
Her mother and father are rodeo clowns.
Her father's parents are from Italy. These grandparents speak Italian.
Anna's mother's parents live in California. These grandparents have a farm and raise horses.
Anna's mother's sister is Aunt Lavender. She loves gardening.
Anna's father has a brother. His name is John. Uncle John makes guitars.
Uncle John has a daughter and a son. They are Anna's cousins. They raise sheep.
Anna's brother has two children. They are Anna's niece and nephew.
New Words
clown - n. someone who often does funny things to make people laugh
different - adj. not ordinary or common; unusual
feel - v. used to describe or ask about someone's physical or mental state
garden – v. to work in a garden; to take care of the plants in a garden
guitar - n. a musical instrument that is held against the front of your body and that has usually six strings which are played with your fingers or with a pick
homesick - adj. sad because you are away from your family and home
joke - n. something said or done to cause laughter
laugh - v. to show that you are happy or that you think something is funny by smiling and making a sound from your throat
make - v. to build, create, or produce (something) by work or effort
park - n. piece of public land in or near a city that is kept free of houses and other buildings and can be used for pleasure and exercise
photo (photograph) - n. a picture made by a camera
raise - v. to keep and take care of (animals or crops)
remind - v. to cause (someone) to remember something
rodeo - n. an event in which people compete at riding horses and bulls, catching animals with ropes, etc.
sheep - n. an animal with a thick woolly coat that is often raised for meat or for its wool and skin
spoon - n. an eating or cooking tool that has a small shallow bowl attached to a handle
sweater - n. a warm usually knitted piece of clothing for the upper part of your body
Family Relationships
aunt - n. the sister of your father or mother or the wife of your uncle
brother - n. a boy or man who has one or both of the same parents as you
cousin - n. a child of your uncle or aunt
daughter - n. a female child
family - n. a group of people who are related to each other
father - n. a male parent
mother - n. a female parent
nephew - n. the son of your brother or sister
niece - n. a daughter of your brother or sister
sister - n. a girl or woman who has one or both of the same parents as you
son - n. a male child
uncle - n. the brother of your father or mother or the husband of your aunt
