Word family tales lin and min are twins in

Two little letters, that’s all that we need To make a whole family of words to read.. Here are some quick and fun ways to use this story to help children learn the word family -in.. Expl

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SCHOLASTIC and WORD FAMILY TALES

and associated designs are trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

Illustrated by Cary Pillo.

Produced by Brown Publishing Network.

ISBN: 0-439-26270-4

Copyright © 2002 by Scholastic Inc.

All rights reserved Printed in the U.S.A.

For Catherine, my twin within

My name is Lindy, but they call me Lin.

My name is Mindy, but they call me Min.

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Each of us is an identical twin.

We have the same nose and we have the same chin.

And when we feel silly,

we have the same grin.

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We’re both kind of tall and a little bit thin.

We each have eleven freckles

on our skin!

We love to go bowling

We both play to win.

And can you believe it—

we knock down the same pin!

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Our town has a parade that we’re always in.

We both twirl batons—

we really make them spin!

Word

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We both have a goldfish with one purple fin.

They’re named after us: Little Lin, Little Min.

But there are ways you can tell which twin is which twin.

Do you really want to know?

Okay, let’s begin.

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Min plays music on the violin and sometimes she wears a dinosaur pin.

And Lin collects shells in a little tin.

She’s a basketball star—she gets it right in!

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Yes, each of us is an identical twin We’re the same outside,

but a bit different in.

And here’s one more fact that really makes us grin—

We both love each other through thick and through thin!

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W ord F amily R iddles

- in

Listen to the riddle sentences Add the right letter

or letters to the -in sound to finish each one

1 My sister looks exactly like me She is my _ in

2 My dad is good at bowling He knocks down

every _ in

3 We thought we saw a shark at sea, but it was

a dolphin’s _ in

4 We put our toys away in a big plastic _ in

5 Many basketball players are tall and _ in

As I march in the parade I make my baton

twirl and _ in

Last time we played against this team we

lost I hope this time that we will _ in

An elephant is huge and has wrinkled _ in

That silly joke really makes me _ in

A mustache grows above the lip A beard

grows on the _ in

Now make up some new riddle sentences using - in

6

7

8

9

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C heer

Give a great holler, a cheer, a yell

For all of the words that we can spell

You’ll find it in win and pin and twin

Two little letters, that’s all that we need

To make a whole family of words to read.

- in

Make a list

of other –in

words Then

use them in

the cheer!

–in

Here are some quick and fun ways to use this

story to help children learn the word family -in.

Explain to children that you are going to read a story that has many words with the -in sound,

made by the letters I and N All these words belong to a group called a word family

Ask children to find the -in word ending at the top of the front cover Review aloud with children the

sound these two letters make together Can they find three words in the title with the -in sound?

Flip over the book and read the story summary on the back cover Ask children to point out the

words they hear with the -in sound Explain that the story you are about to read includes many

more words that end in -in Can they help you find them?

Read aloud the story once for pleasure and enjoy the whimsical illustrations Then reread the

book, emphasizing the -in word ending in the appropriate words Ask children to listen closely

and identify all the words that end in -in (they might raise their hand or clap when they hear one,

or you might choose a volunteer to point to the word on the page) As they do so, make a list on

chart paper of all the -in words

Write each of the words from your list on an unlined index card Use a different color for -in than

the rest of the word Read each word on the cards with children On another reading of the story,

distribute the cards to children and have them hold up their card as their word is read

Pages 14–15 of the book feature 10 riddles with

answers that require a word ending in -in Read each

riddle aloud and have children volunteer answers

Read aloud the cheer on page 16 several times, with

lots of energy and enthusiasm Invite children to join

you in reciting the cheer when they feel ready (you

might even choose a “cheerleader”)

-in

R eading T ips

Other words in the -in family:

bin din kin shin sin

sheepskin snakeskin mandolin Rumpelstiltskin