In the Forest
Level D/5
In the Forest Teacher’s Guide For students reading at Literacy Level D/5, including: •• English-language learners •• Students reading below grade level •• K–1 emergent readers
Skills & Strategies
ANCHOR Comprehension STRATEGIES
•• Make predictions •• Draw conclusions
Metacognitive Strategy
Theme: Habitats
•• Visualize
Vocabulary
•• What Can You See in a Desert? (A/1) •• On a Coral Reef (C/3) •• Ponds (E/7)
•• Recognize high-frequency words •• Develop Tier Two vocabulary •• Develop Tier Three vocabulary
Grammar and Language Development
•• Recognize the sentence structures Some ____ are ____ and This ____ is a ____. •• Use the adjectives big and little
Phonemic Awareness
Science Big Idea: Readers learn about plants and animals that live in a forest
•• Listen for short a
Phonics
•• Use middle-letter cues to solve words •• Recognize words with short “a”
Fluency
•• Read with appropriate pitch
Writing
•• Write to a picture prompt
B
e n c h m a r k
E
d u c a t i o n
C
o m p a n y
Before Reading Related Resources The following Benchmark Education resources support this lesson. Other Early Explorers Books • The Arctic (F/10) • Colorful Coral Reefs (G/12) • The Savannas of Africa (H/14) • In a Tropical Rain Forest (I/16) • In the Backyard (K/20) • Polar Habitats (M/28) Fluency and Language Development • In the Forest Audio CD Comprehension Resources • In the Forest question card • Power Tool Flip Chart for Teachers • Student Bookmark Assessment • Early Explorers Overview & Assessment Handbook • Grade K or Grade 1 Comprehension Strategy Assessment Book
Make Connections and Build Background •U se a Photograph Tell students you will read a book about plants and animals that live in the forest. Show students the photo on page 7. Say: I will tell you something that lives in the forest. Many trees live in the forest. Next, ask students to Think/ Pair/Share other plants and animals in the forest.
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In the Forest
•U se a Graphic Organizer Draw a T-chart on the board with the headings Plants and Animals. Read the headings aloud and ask students to help you list the plants and animals they mentioned. Then read each entry on the chart and ask students to echo-read.
Plants
Animals
• trees
• bear
• bushes
• squirrel
• grass
• deer
Introduce the Book •G ive each student a copy of the book. Remind students they will read about plants and animals that live in the forest. Preview the book, encouraging students to interact with the pictures and text on each page as you emphasize the elements from the page 3 chart that will best support their understanding of the book’s language, concepts, and organization. (Items in bold print include sample “teacher talk.”) •C over Graphic Feature Say: The cover has a photograph. Photographs are pictures that show us what the book is about. What does the photograph on the cover show you about the book? Allow time for students to share their ideas.
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Pages
Text and Graphic Features
Words to Discuss
Cover
title, author, photo
1
title, author, photo
2–3
photos
forest, grass, red fox, trees
4–5
photo
forest, home, plants, animals
6–7
photos
trees
8–9
photo
flowers, grass
10–11
photos
birds, woodpecker, hawk
12–13
photos
porcupine, leaves, red fox
14–15
photos
ants, frog
16
photo
English/Spanish Cognates
Sentence Structures
animal/el animal
Some ____ are ____.
flower/la flor
This ____ is a ____.
porcupine/ el puercoespín
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use. No other part of the guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in Canada. ISBN: 978-1-60437-469-8
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
In the Forest
3
Before Reading (continued) •P ages 2–3 Words to Discuss Ask students to point to each photograph as you say its matching label. Repeat the process, inviting students to echoread. After students Think/Pair/Share what they know about each word, fill in any missing details. Say: We will see these words in the book.
•R emind students to use other reading strategies they are learning as well, such as checking the pictures and returning to the beginning of the sentence if something doesn’t sound right.
•P age 4 Spanish Cognate Ask: Does animal sound like a word you know in Spanish? (Allow time for students to respond.) The English word animal sounds like the Spanish word el animal. Animal and el animal mean the same thing. What are some animals you know? (Allow time for students to respond.) Write the word animal on the board and ask students to locate it on page 4 in the book.
•D irect students’ attention to the plants and animals T-chart. Say: Now it’s time to whisper-read the book. Read to learn about plants and animals that live in the forest.
Set a Purpose for Reading
•P age 6 Sentence Structure Write Some ____ are ____ on the board. Read the sentence structure aloud and ask students to repeat it several times. Say: We use this sentence structure to describe some things. Model using the sentence structure to tell about the photographs, such as Some trees are tall or Some forests are old. Then assist students in forming their own sentences using the structure. Say: This sentence structure is in the book. Can you find the structure on page 6? Frame the sentence. Let’s read the sentence together.
Rehearse Reading Strategies •S ay: One word in this book is this. Say the word this. What letter do you expect to see in the middle? Allow time for students to respond, assisting as needed. Then ask them to find the word this on page 10. Say: Use middle-letter sounds to help you when you read.
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In the Forest
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During Reading
After Reading
Observe and Prompt Reading Strategies
Use the Graphic Organizer to Summarize
•A fter the supportive introduction, students should be able to read all or most of the book on their own. Observe students as they read. Take note of the graphophonic, syntactic, and semantic cues they use to make sense of the text and self-correct. Prompt individual students who have difficulty problem-solving independently, but be careful not to prompt English-language learners too quickly. They may need more time to process the text as they rely on their first language for comprehension.
•A sk students to think about their reading. Say: Look at our T-chart. Did we read about any of these plants or animals? Put check marks next to any matching responses. Then ask students to name other plants and animals they read about in the book. Add these to the chart and put check marks beside them. Then choral-read the check marked words and ask students to use the graphic organizer to tell a partner about the book.
Cue Source
Prompt
Example
Page
Plants
Animals
• trees ✟
• bear ✟
Graphophonic
Look at the middle letter.
big
6
• bushes
• squirrel
Syntactic
Think about the sentence structure.
This animal is a porcupine.
12
• grass ✟
•w ood pecker ✟
Check the picture.
woodpecker
10
Semantic
• flowers ✟
• hawk ✟ • deer • red fox ✟ • porcupine ✟ • ants ✟ • frog ✟
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In the Forest
5
After Reading (continued)
Reading Strategy Mini-Lesson: Visualize •R eflect Ask: Did you understand what you read? What parts were hard to understand? How did you help yourself? •M odel Say: I want to understand what I read. One way is to visualize what I’m reading. To visualize means to make a picture in my mind. Ask students to turn to pages 4 and 5. Say: I will shut my eyes. I will imagine I am in a forest. I am standing under tall trees. I feel cool in the shade. I see a deer eating grass. I hear a bird chirping. I smell grass and flowers. I touch a bumpy tree trunk. Can you think of other things I might see, smell, hear, or feel? Allow time for students to share their ideas. Say: Visualizing the pages helped me. Now I better understand what a forest is like. •G uide Invite students to read page 10 with you. Ask: What do you see? Can you hear the woodpecker tapping the tree trunk? Can you imagine the woodpecker moving up and down the tree trunk? How do you feel? Allow time for students to share their visualizations. Then invite them to tell how visualizing the scene helped them better understand page 10. •A pply Ask students to read their favorite page to a partner and then visualize it out loud. Observe students as they share their visualizations, providing assistance if needed. See the Early Explorers Overview & Assessment Handbook for an observation chart you can use to assess students’
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In the Forest
understanding of the monitor-reading strategy. Then say: You can visualize any time you read. Remember to visualize to help you understand.
Answer Text-Dependent Questions •E xplain Remind students they can answer questions about books they have read. Say: We answer different types of questions in different ways. I will help you learn how to answer each type. Tell students that today they will practice answering Prove It! questions. Say: The answer to a Prove It! Question is not stated in the book. You have to look for clues and evidence to prove the answer. •M odel Use the first Prove It! question on the question card. Say: I will read the question to figure out what to do: “Write a summary sentence for this book.” The word summary means to tell what the book is about. What other information in the question helps me? (Allow student responses.) Yes, I need to say my summary in one sentence. Model looking through the book. Say: I see that a forest is a home for plants and animals. I see many trees. I see flowers and grass. Many animals live in the forest, such as birds, porcupines, red foxes, ants, frogs, and bears. Now I can summarize the book: Plants and animals live in a forest. The evidence in the book supports my answer. The answer makes sense. •G uide Ask students to answer the other questions on the question card. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart and Student Bookmark to provide
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additional modeling as needed. Remind students to ask themselves: What is the question asking? How can I find the answer? Does my answer make sense? How do I know?
Build Comprehension: Draw Conclusions •E xplain Create an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer on page 12 or draw it on the board. Say: An author can’t give us every bit of information in a book. We figure out some things on our own. We use the author’s words and the photographs for clues. Figuring something out using three or more clues is drawing a conclusion.
What can we figure out from these
clues? Yes, we can conclude that the forest has animals of all sizes. Write this statement in the second Conclusion box.
•A pply Ask students to work with a partner to draw conclusions from pages 12–14. Remind them to use word and picture clues to figure out things the author doesn’t say. After the partnerships share, record their ideas on the graphic organizer. Finally, read the completed graphic organizer aloud and invite students to echo-read.
•M odel Say: Let’s draw a conclusion about In the Forest. On page 4 we read that a forest is a home for plants and animals. On pages 6 and 7 we read that a forest has big and little trees. On page 8 we read that flowers and grass live in the forest. Record this evidence in the first Clues box on the graphic organizer. Then say: Now we need to use the clues to draw a conclusion. We can conclude that many different plants live in the forest. Write this statement in the first Conclusion box. •G uide Say: Now let’s draw another conclusion about the book. I see some tiny animals on page 14. I see some small animals on pages 10, 11, and 15. What animals in the book are mediumsized? What animals in the book are large? Allow time for students to respond, assisting if needed. Record the evidence in the second Clues box on the
graphic organizer. Then ask:
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In the Forest
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After Reading (continued)
for Differentiating Instruction
Home Connection
Write to a Picture Prompt
•G ive students the take-home version of In the Forest to read to family members. Encourage students to work with a friend or family member to draw a forest scene that shows plants and animals. Invite them to bring their drawings to share with the group.
•W rite a Description Tell students they will talk about a picture from the book. Then they will write about the picture. Ask them to turn to page 6. Say: I can describe this picture in my own words: The plants under the giant trees look like soft feathers. Now I will write my idea. Model writing your sentence on the board. Ask students to choose a picture and describe it to a partner. Allow time for students to share their descriptions, providing assistance as needed. Then say: You described a picture in the book. Now write your idea. When you finish, read your writing to a partner.
Reader Response Invite students to respond to the book in a way that is meaningful to them. Model and use think-alouds as needed to scaffold students before they try the activities on their own. • Act out a visit to a forest with a partner. • Tell something you learned about forests. • Tell about another book you have read about forests. • Draw your favorite animal in the book. Tell why you like it. • Write a word that describes each plant and animal. • Write a question you would like to ask the author about forests.
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Mini-Lessons
In the Forest
Phonemic Awareness: Short a •T ell students you will read a sentence from In the Forest. Ask them to listen for words that have short a: You can see grass, too (page 8). Reread the sentence if needed so students can identify the words can and grass. • Say: I will say some words that name forest animals. Some have short a and some do not. Listen carefully. Clap if you hear a word that has short a: ant, deer, mouse, rabbit, bear, badger.
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Phonics: Short “a”
Vocabulary
•A sk students to locate the word can on page 14. Write can on the board and underline the “a” in the middle. Say: I see the letter “a” in the word can. I hear short a in the word can. Slowly draw your finger under the word as you blend the sounds. Then ask students to do the same in their books. Repeat the process with ants on page 14, plants and animals on page 4, and grass on page 8.
•T ier Two Vocabulary Pronounce the word numerous and ask students to repeat it. Say: Numerous means many. A forest has numerous plants. A forest has numerous animals. Discuss specific plants and animals that are numerous in a forest, such as bushes and insects. Then model a sentence, such as We have numerous books in our school library. Invite students to share their own sentences, providing assistance as needed. Ask: What word have we been talking about? Yes—numerous. Let’s try to use the word numerous many times today. We can use the word at school and at home.
•A sk students to brainstorm words with short a. Make a list on the board. Then read each word, inviting students to echo-read. •S ay: I will make up some rhymes. You may call out a word from the list to help me finish each rhyme. I will underline the “a” in the word. Then you will know you guessed correctly. Use simple rhymes such as I know a girl. Her name is Sal. She is my friend. She is my ____ (pal).
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•T ier Three Vocabulary Review the book with students and write the words animal and plant on the board. Then record the words ants, flowers, frogs, grass, hawk, porcupine, red fox, woodpecker, and tree on index cards. Ask students to read the words with you. Mix the word cards and place them facedown on the table. Choose a card, read the word, and model an oral sentence using that word and either animal or plant. Finally, invite students to take turns making their own sentences. Continue the game until each student has had several turns with different word pairs. For additional practice, students may work as a group or in pairs to complete the vocabulary activity on page 11.
In the Forest
9
Grammar and Language Development
Fluency: Read with Appropriate Pitch
Adjectives big and little
•S ay: We do not read every word at the same pitch. We change our pitch to match what we are reading about. Use a low pitch to say: We might read some parts with a low pitch. Then use a high pitch to say: We might read other parts with a high pitch. Finally, use a normal voice to say: We read the rest of the book with a normal pitch, like this.
•M odel Explain that authors sometimes use describing words when they write. Say: Adjectives are words that describe nouns. Some adjectives describe size. I see an adjective on page 6: “Some trees are big.” The word big describes the size of the trees. Point to objects in the classroom to support the concept of big as you model oral sentences, such as: The windows are big. The door is big. The teacher’s desk is big. •G uide Invite students to read page 7 aloud. Ask: Which word is an adjective? (little) Why is little an adjective? (Little describes the size of the trees.) •A pply Pair students. Ask them to make up sentences with the words big and little. As they share their sentences with the group, write them on the board and underline the adjectives.
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In the Forest
•A sk students to turn to pages 6 and 7. First, read the pages in a normal voice. Ask students if they think the sentence about the big trees and the sentence about the little trees should have the same pitch. Then read the page again using a lower pitch for the first one and a higher pitch for the second. Ask students to echo-read. •A sk students to turn to page 13. Invite them to say the sentences in a high pitch and then in a low pitch to see which they like better. Then choralread the page with students. • Invite students to take turns rereading In the Forest with a partner. Remind them to change their pitch to match what they are reading.
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Name:
Date:
Vocabulary Read each sentence. Then draw a circle around Yes or No.
1. Some trees are big.
Yes
No
2. A hawk is a bird.
Yes
No
3. A porcupine eats frogs.
Yes
No
4. A forest has woodpeckers.
Yes
No
5. Ants live in the forest.
Yes
No
6. Leaves are animals.
Yes
No
7. A red fox eats big animals.
Yes
No
8. Grass and flowers are plants.
Yes
No
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In the Forest
11
Name:
Date:
In the Forest
Clues
12
In the Forest
Conclusion
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Skills Bank Build Comprehension Make Predictions ••Explain Create an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer “In the Forest” or draw it on the board. Say: We make predictions before we read a book and while we read. Then we check our predictions. Making predictions helps us pay close attention to our reading. ••Model Say: Let’s think about a prediction someone might make before reading In the Forest. Display the covers of In the Forest and Fox in the Forest. Say: I see that Fox in the Forest has illustrations, while In the Forest has photographs. I remember that Fox in the Forest was fiction, or a story that is not real. Because it has photos, I think In the Forest will be a nonfiction text, or a book that tells about real events or places. I predict that this book will be a nonfiction book about things in the forest. Write this in the first Prediction box on the graphic organizer. Then say: We check the prediction by beginning to read the book. Take a picture walk through the first few pages. Say: We can mark Yes because the prediction is correct. Draw a check mark in the Yes column. ••Guide Say: Now let’s think about another prediction. What might someone predict about the photograph on page 5? (Allow time for students to respond, assisting if needed.) Yes, readers might think that a forest is a place where deer live. Write the page number and prediction in the second row of the graphic organizer. Say: We check the prediction by reading the book. Read page 4 aloud. Then say: We can’t mark Yes because the prediction is not correct. This page is not just about deer. It is about many plants and animals that live in the forest. Write this statement in the first No box on the graphic organizer. ••Apply Ask students to work with a partner to think of other predictions readers might make based on the photographs. After each partnership shares, record some of the predictions and results on the graphic organizer. Finally, read the completed graphic organizer aloud and invite students to echo-read.
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In the Forest
13
Name _______________________________________________________ Date __________________
In the Forest [B-head] Make Predictions Answers will vary. Possible answers:
Prediction Before reading the book someone might predict …
Yes
No
The book is a nonfiction book about things in the forest. On page _____, someone might predict … 5
A forest is a place where many plants and animals live.
A forest is a place where deer live. On page ________, 6 and 7 someone might predict …
A forest has trees of many sizes. On page _____, someone might predict … 9
A forest has flowers and grass.
A forest has weeds. On page ___________, 10 and 11 someone might predict …
A forest has different kinds of birds. On page ___________, 14 and 15 someone might predict … A forest has logs and leaves.
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In the Forest
[anno: A forest has ants and frogs.]
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Notes
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In the Forest
15
Notes
16
In the Forest
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
In the Forest Teacher’s Guide For students reading at Literacy Level D/5, including: •• English-language learners •• Students reading below grade level •• K–1 emergent readers
Skills & Strategies
ANCHOR Comprehension STRATEGIES
•• Make predictions •• Draw conclusions
Metacognitive Strategy
Theme: Habitats
•• Visualize
Vocabulary
•• What Can You See in a Desert? (A/1) •• On a Coral Reef (C/3) •• Ponds (E/7)
•• Recognize high-frequency words •• Develop Tier Two vocabulary •• Develop Tier Three vocabulary
Grammar and Language Development
•• Recognize the sentence structures Some ____ are ____ and This ____ is a ____. •• Use the adjectives big and little
Phonemic Awareness
Science Big Idea: Readers learn about plants and animals that live in a forest
•• Listen for short a
Phonics
•• Use middle-letter cues to solve words •• Recognize words with short “a”
Fluency
•• Read with appropriate pitch
Writing
•• Write to a picture prompt
B
e n c h m a r k
E
d u c a t i o n
C
o m p a n y
Before Reading Related Resources The following Benchmark Education resources support this lesson. Other Early Explorers Books • The Arctic (F/10) • Colorful Coral Reefs (G/12) • The Savannas of Africa (H/14) • In a Tropical Rain Forest (I/16) • In the Backyard (K/20) • Polar Habitats (M/28) Fluency and Language Development • In the Forest Audio CD Comprehension Resources • In the Forest question card • Power Tool Flip Chart for Teachers • Student Bookmark Assessment • Early Explorers Overview & Assessment Handbook • Grade K or Grade 1 Comprehension Strategy Assessment Book
Make Connections and Build Background •U se a Photograph Tell students you will read a book about plants and animals that live in the forest. Show students the photo on page 7. Say: I will tell you something that lives in the forest. Many trees live in the forest. Next, ask students to Think/ Pair/Share other plants and animals in the forest.
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In the Forest
•U se a Graphic Organizer Draw a T-chart on the board with the headings Plants and Animals. Read the headings aloud and ask students to help you list the plants and animals they mentioned. Then read each entry on the chart and ask students to echo-read.
Plants
Animals
• trees
• bear
• bushes
• squirrel
• grass
• deer
Introduce the Book •G ive each student a copy of the book. Remind students they will read about plants and animals that live in the forest. Preview the book, encouraging students to interact with the pictures and text on each page as you emphasize the elements from the page 3 chart that will best support their understanding of the book’s language, concepts, and organization. (Items in bold print include sample “teacher talk.”) •C over Graphic Feature Say: The cover has a photograph. Photographs are pictures that show us what the book is about. What does the photograph on the cover show you about the book? Allow time for students to share their ideas.
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Pages
Text and Graphic Features
Words to Discuss
Cover
title, author, photo
1
title, author, photo
2–3
photos
forest, grass, red fox, trees
4–5
photo
forest, home, plants, animals
6–7
photos
trees
8–9
photo
flowers, grass
10–11
photos
birds, woodpecker, hawk
12–13
photos
porcupine, leaves, red fox
14–15
photos
ants, frog
16
photo
English/Spanish Cognates
Sentence Structures
animal/el animal
Some ____ are ____.
flower/la flor
This ____ is a ____.
porcupine/ el puercoespín
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use. No other part of the guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in Canada. ISBN: 978-1-60437-469-8
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
In the Forest
3
Before Reading (continued) •P ages 2–3 Words to Discuss Ask students to point to each photograph as you say its matching label. Repeat the process, inviting students to echoread. After students Think/Pair/Share what they know about each word, fill in any missing details. Say: We will see these words in the book.
•R emind students to use other reading strategies they are learning as well, such as checking the pictures and returning to the beginning of the sentence if something doesn’t sound right.
•P age 4 Spanish Cognate Ask: Does animal sound like a word you know in Spanish? (Allow time for students to respond.) The English word animal sounds like the Spanish word el animal. Animal and el animal mean the same thing. What are some animals you know? (Allow time for students to respond.) Write the word animal on the board and ask students to locate it on page 4 in the book.
•D irect students’ attention to the plants and animals T-chart. Say: Now it’s time to whisper-read the book. Read to learn about plants and animals that live in the forest.
Set a Purpose for Reading
•P age 6 Sentence Structure Write Some ____ are ____ on the board. Read the sentence structure aloud and ask students to repeat it several times. Say: We use this sentence structure to describe some things. Model using the sentence structure to tell about the photographs, such as Some trees are tall or Some forests are old. Then assist students in forming their own sentences using the structure. Say: This sentence structure is in the book. Can you find the structure on page 6? Frame the sentence. Let’s read the sentence together.
Rehearse Reading Strategies •S ay: One word in this book is this. Say the word this. What letter do you expect to see in the middle? Allow time for students to respond, assisting as needed. Then ask them to find the word this on page 10. Say: Use middle-letter sounds to help you when you read.
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In the Forest
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
During Reading
After Reading
Observe and Prompt Reading Strategies
Use the Graphic Organizer to Summarize
•A fter the supportive introduction, students should be able to read all or most of the book on their own. Observe students as they read. Take note of the graphophonic, syntactic, and semantic cues they use to make sense of the text and self-correct. Prompt individual students who have difficulty problem-solving independently, but be careful not to prompt English-language learners too quickly. They may need more time to process the text as they rely on their first language for comprehension.
•A sk students to think about their reading. Say: Look at our T-chart. Did we read about any of these plants or animals? Put check marks next to any matching responses. Then ask students to name other plants and animals they read about in the book. Add these to the chart and put check marks beside them. Then choral-read the check marked words and ask students to use the graphic organizer to tell a partner about the book.
Cue Source
Prompt
Example
Page
Plants
Animals
• trees ✟
• bear ✟
Graphophonic
Look at the middle letter.
big
6
• bushes
• squirrel
Syntactic
Think about the sentence structure.
This animal is a porcupine.
12
• grass ✟
•w ood pecker ✟
Check the picture.
woodpecker
10
Semantic
• flowers ✟
• hawk ✟ • deer • red fox ✟ • porcupine ✟ • ants ✟ • frog ✟
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In the Forest
5
After Reading (continued)
Reading Strategy Mini-Lesson: Visualize •R eflect Ask: Did you understand what you read? What parts were hard to understand? How did you help yourself? •M odel Say: I want to understand what I read. One way is to visualize what I’m reading. To visualize means to make a picture in my mind. Ask students to turn to pages 4 and 5. Say: I will shut my eyes. I will imagine I am in a forest. I am standing under tall trees. I feel cool in the shade. I see a deer eating grass. I hear a bird chirping. I smell grass and flowers. I touch a bumpy tree trunk. Can you think of other things I might see, smell, hear, or feel? Allow time for students to share their ideas. Say: Visualizing the pages helped me. Now I better understand what a forest is like. •G uide Invite students to read page 10 with you. Ask: What do you see? Can you hear the woodpecker tapping the tree trunk? Can you imagine the woodpecker moving up and down the tree trunk? How do you feel? Allow time for students to share their visualizations. Then invite them to tell how visualizing the scene helped them better understand page 10. •A pply Ask students to read their favorite page to a partner and then visualize it out loud. Observe students as they share their visualizations, providing assistance if needed. See the Early Explorers Overview & Assessment Handbook for an observation chart you can use to assess students’
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In the Forest
understanding of the monitor-reading strategy. Then say: You can visualize any time you read. Remember to visualize to help you understand.
Answer Text-Dependent Questions •E xplain Remind students they can answer questions about books they have read. Say: We answer different types of questions in different ways. I will help you learn how to answer each type. Tell students that today they will practice answering Prove It! questions. Say: The answer to a Prove It! Question is not stated in the book. You have to look for clues and evidence to prove the answer. •M odel Use the first Prove It! question on the question card. Say: I will read the question to figure out what to do: “Write a summary sentence for this book.” The word summary means to tell what the book is about. What other information in the question helps me? (Allow student responses.) Yes, I need to say my summary in one sentence. Model looking through the book. Say: I see that a forest is a home for plants and animals. I see many trees. I see flowers and grass. Many animals live in the forest, such as birds, porcupines, red foxes, ants, frogs, and bears. Now I can summarize the book: Plants and animals live in a forest. The evidence in the book supports my answer. The answer makes sense. •G uide Ask students to answer the other questions on the question card. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart and Student Bookmark to provide
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additional modeling as needed. Remind students to ask themselves: What is the question asking? How can I find the answer? Does my answer make sense? How do I know?
Build Comprehension: Draw Conclusions •E xplain Create an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer on page 12 or draw it on the board. Say: An author can’t give us every bit of information in a book. We figure out some things on our own. We use the author’s words and the photographs for clues. Figuring something out using three or more clues is drawing a conclusion.
What can we figure out from these
clues? Yes, we can conclude that the forest has animals of all sizes. Write this statement in the second Conclusion box.
•A pply Ask students to work with a partner to draw conclusions from pages 12–14. Remind them to use word and picture clues to figure out things the author doesn’t say. After the partnerships share, record their ideas on the graphic organizer. Finally, read the completed graphic organizer aloud and invite students to echo-read.
•M odel Say: Let’s draw a conclusion about In the Forest. On page 4 we read that a forest is a home for plants and animals. On pages 6 and 7 we read that a forest has big and little trees. On page 8 we read that flowers and grass live in the forest. Record this evidence in the first Clues box on the graphic organizer. Then say: Now we need to use the clues to draw a conclusion. We can conclude that many different plants live in the forest. Write this statement in the first Conclusion box. •G uide Say: Now let’s draw another conclusion about the book. I see some tiny animals on page 14. I see some small animals on pages 10, 11, and 15. What animals in the book are mediumsized? What animals in the book are large? Allow time for students to respond, assisting if needed. Record the evidence in the second Clues box on the
graphic organizer. Then ask:
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In the Forest
7
After Reading (continued)
for Differentiating Instruction
Home Connection
Write to a Picture Prompt
•G ive students the take-home version of In the Forest to read to family members. Encourage students to work with a friend or family member to draw a forest scene that shows plants and animals. Invite them to bring their drawings to share with the group.
•W rite a Description Tell students they will talk about a picture from the book. Then they will write about the picture. Ask them to turn to page 6. Say: I can describe this picture in my own words: The plants under the giant trees look like soft feathers. Now I will write my idea. Model writing your sentence on the board. Ask students to choose a picture and describe it to a partner. Allow time for students to share their descriptions, providing assistance as needed. Then say: You described a picture in the book. Now write your idea. When you finish, read your writing to a partner.
Reader Response Invite students to respond to the book in a way that is meaningful to them. Model and use think-alouds as needed to scaffold students before they try the activities on their own. • Act out a visit to a forest with a partner. • Tell something you learned about forests. • Tell about another book you have read about forests. • Draw your favorite animal in the book. Tell why you like it. • Write a word that describes each plant and animal. • Write a question you would like to ask the author about forests.
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Mini-Lessons
In the Forest
Phonemic Awareness: Short a •T ell students you will read a sentence from In the Forest. Ask them to listen for words that have short a: You can see grass, too (page 8). Reread the sentence if needed so students can identify the words can and grass. • Say: I will say some words that name forest animals. Some have short a and some do not. Listen carefully. Clap if you hear a word that has short a: ant, deer, mouse, rabbit, bear, badger.
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Phonics: Short “a”
Vocabulary
•A sk students to locate the word can on page 14. Write can on the board and underline the “a” in the middle. Say: I see the letter “a” in the word can. I hear short a in the word can. Slowly draw your finger under the word as you blend the sounds. Then ask students to do the same in their books. Repeat the process with ants on page 14, plants and animals on page 4, and grass on page 8.
•T ier Two Vocabulary Pronounce the word numerous and ask students to repeat it. Say: Numerous means many. A forest has numerous plants. A forest has numerous animals. Discuss specific plants and animals that are numerous in a forest, such as bushes and insects. Then model a sentence, such as We have numerous books in our school library. Invite students to share their own sentences, providing assistance as needed. Ask: What word have we been talking about? Yes—numerous. Let’s try to use the word numerous many times today. We can use the word at school and at home.
•A sk students to brainstorm words with short a. Make a list on the board. Then read each word, inviting students to echo-read. •S ay: I will make up some rhymes. You may call out a word from the list to help me finish each rhyme. I will underline the “a” in the word. Then you will know you guessed correctly. Use simple rhymes such as I know a girl. Her name is Sal. She is my friend. She is my ____ (pal).
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•T ier Three Vocabulary Review the book with students and write the words animal and plant on the board. Then record the words ants, flowers, frogs, grass, hawk, porcupine, red fox, woodpecker, and tree on index cards. Ask students to read the words with you. Mix the word cards and place them facedown on the table. Choose a card, read the word, and model an oral sentence using that word and either animal or plant. Finally, invite students to take turns making their own sentences. Continue the game until each student has had several turns with different word pairs. For additional practice, students may work as a group or in pairs to complete the vocabulary activity on page 11.
In the Forest
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Grammar and Language Development
Fluency: Read with Appropriate Pitch
Adjectives big and little
•S ay: We do not read every word at the same pitch. We change our pitch to match what we are reading about. Use a low pitch to say: We might read some parts with a low pitch. Then use a high pitch to say: We might read other parts with a high pitch. Finally, use a normal voice to say: We read the rest of the book with a normal pitch, like this.
•M odel Explain that authors sometimes use describing words when they write. Say: Adjectives are words that describe nouns. Some adjectives describe size. I see an adjective on page 6: “Some trees are big.” The word big describes the size of the trees. Point to objects in the classroom to support the concept of big as you model oral sentences, such as: The windows are big. The door is big. The teacher’s desk is big. •G uide Invite students to read page 7 aloud. Ask: Which word is an adjective? (little) Why is little an adjective? (Little describes the size of the trees.) •A pply Pair students. Ask them to make up sentences with the words big and little. As they share their sentences with the group, write them on the board and underline the adjectives.
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In the Forest
•A sk students to turn to pages 6 and 7. First, read the pages in a normal voice. Ask students if they think the sentence about the big trees and the sentence about the little trees should have the same pitch. Then read the page again using a lower pitch for the first one and a higher pitch for the second. Ask students to echo-read. •A sk students to turn to page 13. Invite them to say the sentences in a high pitch and then in a low pitch to see which they like better. Then choralread the page with students. • Invite students to take turns rereading In the Forest with a partner. Remind them to change their pitch to match what they are reading.
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Name:
Date:
Vocabulary Read each sentence. Then draw a circle around Yes or No.
1. Some trees are big.
Yes
No
2. A hawk is a bird.
Yes
No
3. A porcupine eats frogs.
Yes
No
4. A forest has woodpeckers.
Yes
No
5. Ants live in the forest.
Yes
No
6. Leaves are animals.
Yes
No
7. A red fox eats big animals.
Yes
No
8. Grass and flowers are plants.
Yes
No
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In the Forest
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Name:
Date:
In the Forest
Clues
12
In the Forest
Conclusion
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Skills Bank Build Comprehension Make Predictions ••Explain Create an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer “In the Forest” or draw it on the board. Say: We make predictions before we read a book and while we read. Then we check our predictions. Making predictions helps us pay close attention to our reading. ••Model Say: Let’s think about a prediction someone might make before reading In the Forest. Display the covers of In the Forest and Fox in the Forest. Say: I see that Fox in the Forest has illustrations, while In the Forest has photographs. I remember that Fox in the Forest was fiction, or a story that is not real. Because it has photos, I think In the Forest will be a nonfiction text, or a book that tells about real events or places. I predict that this book will be a nonfiction book about things in the forest. Write this in the first Prediction box on the graphic organizer. Then say: We check the prediction by beginning to read the book. Take a picture walk through the first few pages. Say: We can mark Yes because the prediction is correct. Draw a check mark in the Yes column. ••Guide Say: Now let’s think about another prediction. What might someone predict about the photograph on page 5? (Allow time for students to respond, assisting if needed.) Yes, readers might think that a forest is a place where deer live. Write the page number and prediction in the second row of the graphic organizer. Say: We check the prediction by reading the book. Read page 4 aloud. Then say: We can’t mark Yes because the prediction is not correct. This page is not just about deer. It is about many plants and animals that live in the forest. Write this statement in the first No box on the graphic organizer. ••Apply Ask students to work with a partner to think of other predictions readers might make based on the photographs. After each partnership shares, record some of the predictions and results on the graphic organizer. Finally, read the completed graphic organizer aloud and invite students to echo-read.
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In the Forest
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Name _______________________________________________________ Date __________________
In the Forest [B-head] Make Predictions Answers will vary. Possible answers:
Prediction Before reading the book someone might predict …
Yes
No
The book is a nonfiction book about things in the forest. On page _____, someone might predict … 5
A forest is a place where many plants and animals live.
A forest is a place where deer live. On page ________, 6 and 7 someone might predict …
A forest has trees of many sizes. On page _____, someone might predict … 9
A forest has flowers and grass.
A forest has weeds. On page ___________, 10 and 11 someone might predict …
A forest has different kinds of birds. On page ___________, 14 and 15 someone might predict … A forest has logs and leaves.
14
In the Forest
[anno: A forest has ants and frogs.]
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Notes
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In the Forest
15
Notes
16
In the Forest
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