Atlantis El Dorado
Atlantis El Dorado Atlantis: Land of Sunken Dreams Vocabulary • Use synonyms to determine word meaning: What does the word altercations Level W/60
mean in this book? Let’s look for clues for the meaning of this word on page 9. (Answer: arguments or fights, Clues/Evidence: there were no fights, crimes, or altercations of any kind)
Find It! Level 1 Comprehension • Identify facts and details: Who became the ruler of the island nation? (Atlas, page 9)
• Identify facts and details: Where did the great Atlantean fleet sail? (north, south, east, and west, page 11) knew they were fortunate felt sorry for others
Look Closer! Level 2 Comprehension • Identify main idea statements: What sentence best tells the main idea of the fifth and final paragraph on page 10? (The denizens and citizens of Atlantis knew they had little if any reason to be disagreeable.) grew smug
felt superior
• Identify cause and effect: How is it that the Atlanteans grew smug? Use a cause and effect chart for help in answering the question, (they knew they were fortunate to live in such a paradise; they felt sorry for those who were born elsewhere; they felt superior about their situation, page 11)
Prove It! Level 3 Comprehension • Make predictions: What clue on page 12 tells you that there will probably be more fighting by the Atlanteans? (Clues/Evidence: having awoken their fighting spirits they did not know how to quell that part of their natures)
• Make inferences: Look at page 14. The Atlanteans are probably not going to stop arguing as Altas asks. How do you know this? (Clues/Evidence: The Atlanteans left, continuing to argue as they went on their way)
Take It Apart! Level 4 Comprehension • Analyze text structure and organization: The author uses description to tell some of the things Atlantis had. Find this on page 10. (vast lending libraries, towering buildings, wonderful schools and an impressive university)
• Evaluate author’s purpose: Why did the author probably end the legend by saying that Atlantis was sunk by its own selfishness? (to provide the moral of the legend, page 15)
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El Dorado: The City of Gold Vocabulary • Use description to determine word meaning: What does the word famished mean in this book? Let’s look for clues for the meaning of this word on page 22. (Answer: very hungry, starving, Clues/Evidence: they quickly ran out of food; boiled and chewed their leather belts; ate anything they could find)
men filling canteens
Find It! Level 1 Comprehension • Identify facts and details: Who did Pizarro summon to join him from Spain? (Francisco Orellana, page 19)
• Identify facts and details: What did Orellana and his men build? (two swift, snake rose up
sailing ships, page 21)
Look Closer! Level 2 Comprehension • Identify sequence of events: What happened when the men were filling their crushed man
ten men killed it
canteens with water from the river? Use a sequence of events chart for help in answering the question. (an enormous snake rose up silently out of the grass; it crushed a man; it took ten men with their swords to kill it, page 21)
• Identify cause and effect: What made is possible for the men to sail past the women warriors? Use a cause and effect chart for help in answering the question. (the burning boat separated them from the Amazon’s line of sight, page 26)
Prove It! Level 3 Comprehension • Analyze character: From what he says you can tell that Orellana can be greedy. Find these words. (Clues/Evidence: with a nice reward of my own for my efforts; I will be entitled to some of its riches after all I’ve been through, pages 21 and 27)
• Make inferences: What clue tells you that the villager is not sure that it is a good idea to tell Orellana where the city of gold might be located? (Clues/ Evidence: The villager was silent for a good long while before he answered, pages 23 - 24) Readers’ & Writers’ Genre Workshop ©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. This card may be photocopied for classroom use only. Based on the Comprehension Through Deductive Reasoning Model developed by Margaret Kilgo.
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Take It Apart! Level 4 Comprehension • Analyze text structure and organization: The author uses alliteration to emphasize an action. Find this on page 21. (crushed a man in its constricting coils)
• Identify author’s purpose: Why does the author include the words “for now” at the end of the legend on page 24? (to tell readers that there will probably be more searches for El Dorado, page 27)
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mean in this book? Let’s look for clues for the meaning of this word on page 9. (Answer: arguments or fights, Clues/Evidence: there were no fights, crimes, or altercations of any kind)
Find It! Level 1 Comprehension • Identify facts and details: Who became the ruler of the island nation? (Atlas, page 9)
• Identify facts and details: Where did the great Atlantean fleet sail? (north, south, east, and west, page 11) knew they were fortunate felt sorry for others
Look Closer! Level 2 Comprehension • Identify main idea statements: What sentence best tells the main idea of the fifth and final paragraph on page 10? (The denizens and citizens of Atlantis knew they had little if any reason to be disagreeable.) grew smug
felt superior
• Identify cause and effect: How is it that the Atlanteans grew smug? Use a cause and effect chart for help in answering the question, (they knew they were fortunate to live in such a paradise; they felt sorry for those who were born elsewhere; they felt superior about their situation, page 11)
Prove It! Level 3 Comprehension • Make predictions: What clue on page 12 tells you that there will probably be more fighting by the Atlanteans? (Clues/Evidence: having awoken their fighting spirits they did not know how to quell that part of their natures)
• Make inferences: Look at page 14. The Atlanteans are probably not going to stop arguing as Altas asks. How do you know this? (Clues/Evidence: The Atlanteans left, continuing to argue as they went on their way)
Take It Apart! Level 4 Comprehension • Analyze text structure and organization: The author uses description to tell some of the things Atlantis had. Find this on page 10. (vast lending libraries, towering buildings, wonderful schools and an impressive university)
• Evaluate author’s purpose: Why did the author probably end the legend by saying that Atlantis was sunk by its own selfishness? (to provide the moral of the legend, page 15)
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El Dorado: The City of Gold Vocabulary • Use description to determine word meaning: What does the word famished mean in this book? Let’s look for clues for the meaning of this word on page 22. (Answer: very hungry, starving, Clues/Evidence: they quickly ran out of food; boiled and chewed their leather belts; ate anything they could find)
men filling canteens
Find It! Level 1 Comprehension • Identify facts and details: Who did Pizarro summon to join him from Spain? (Francisco Orellana, page 19)
• Identify facts and details: What did Orellana and his men build? (two swift, snake rose up
sailing ships, page 21)
Look Closer! Level 2 Comprehension • Identify sequence of events: What happened when the men were filling their crushed man
ten men killed it
canteens with water from the river? Use a sequence of events chart for help in answering the question. (an enormous snake rose up silently out of the grass; it crushed a man; it took ten men with their swords to kill it, page 21)
• Identify cause and effect: What made is possible for the men to sail past the women warriors? Use a cause and effect chart for help in answering the question. (the burning boat separated them from the Amazon’s line of sight, page 26)
Prove It! Level 3 Comprehension • Analyze character: From what he says you can tell that Orellana can be greedy. Find these words. (Clues/Evidence: with a nice reward of my own for my efforts; I will be entitled to some of its riches after all I’ve been through, pages 21 and 27)
• Make inferences: What clue tells you that the villager is not sure that it is a good idea to tell Orellana where the city of gold might be located? (Clues/ Evidence: The villager was silent for a good long while before he answered, pages 23 - 24) Readers’ & Writers’ Genre Workshop ©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. This card may be photocopied for classroom use only. Based on the Comprehension Through Deductive Reasoning Model developed by Margaret Kilgo.
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Take It Apart! Level 4 Comprehension • Analyze text structure and organization: The author uses alliteration to emphasize an action. Find this on page 21. (crushed a man in its constricting coils)
• Identify author’s purpose: Why does the author include the words “for now” at the end of the legend on page 24? (to tell readers that there will probably be more searches for El Dorado, page 27)
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