Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
Level D/6
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle Teacher’s Guide For students reading at Literacy Level D/6, including: •• English-language learners •• Students reading below grade level •• K–1 emergent readers
Skills & Strategies
Anchor Comprehension Strategy
•• Identify sequence of events
Metacognitive Strategy
•• Make connections
Vocabulary
Theme: Plants
•• Recognize high-frequency words •• Develop Tier Two vocabulary •• Develop Tier Three vocabulary
•• A Plant Has Needs (A/1) •• A Plant Has Parts (C/4) •• The Birthday Flowers (C/4) •• A Seed Needs Help (E/8) •• Garden Lunch (E/8)
Grammar and Language Development
•• R ecognize the sentence structure The ____ will ____. •• Use articles a and the
Phonemic Awareness
•• Listen for initial /s/
Phonics
Science Big Idea:
Fluency
Readers learn about the life cycle of a tree from seed, to big tree, to new seeds and trees.
•• Use middle-letter cues to solve words •• Recognize words with initial “s” •• Read smoothly with minimal breaks
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 • How Does a Cactus Grow? (G/11) • All About Trees (G/12) • Do Plants Grow Under Water? (I/15) • What Are the Parts of a Tree? (I/16) • Honeybees Help Flowers (K/20) • The Bee Puzzle (K/20) • How Do Trees Grow? (M/28) Fluency and Language Development • Every Tree Has a Life Cycle Audio CD Comprehension Resources • Every Tree Has a Life Cycle question card • Power Tool Flip Chart for Teachers • Student Bookmark • Identify Sequence of Events poster Assessment • Early Explorers Overview & Assessment Handbook • Grade K or Grade 1 Comprehension Strategy Assessment Book
Make Connections and Build Background •U se Art Give each student a pencil and sheet of paper. Say: We will read a book about how a tree grows. Trees have different parts. Sketch a tree with a trunk, branches, leaves, and roots. Show your drawing to the group and name the parts. Then invite each student to sketch another kind of tree to share with the group. •U se a Graphic Organizer Draw a two-column chart with the headings I think a tree . . . and A tree . . . . Say: People grow and change. First we are babies, then children, then
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Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
adults. Trees grow and change, too. Ask students how they think a tree grows and changes. Write their ideas in the first column of the prediction chart. Then read each idea and ask students to echo-read. I think a tree . . .
A tree . . .
makes branches and leaves gets tall gets big around drops leaves in fall makes new leaves in spring
Introduce the Book •G ive each student a copy of the book. Remind students they will read about the life cycle of trees. 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.”) • Cover Graphic Feature Say: The cover of the book has a cycle diagram. A cycle diagram shows how different events are connected. What does this cycle diagram show? (how a tree grows) •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. © 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Pages
Text and Graphic Features
Words to Discuss
English/Spanish Cognates
Cover
title, author, cycle diagram
1
title, author, photo
2–3
photos
plant, roots, seed, stem
4–5
photo
tree, plant, grow
plant/la planta
6–7
photos
seed, ground, roots
in/en
8–9
photo
stem, leaves
10–11
photos
seedling
12–13
photo
flowers
14–15
photo
16
photo
Sentence Structures
The ____ will ____.
© 2008 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. ISBN: 978-1-60437-472-8
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
3
Before Reading (continued) •P age 4 Spanish Cognate Ask: Does plant sound like a word you know in Spanish? (Allow time for students to respond.) The English word plant sounds like the Spanish word la planta. Plant and la planta mean the same thing. What is a plant you have seen? (Allow time for students to respond.) Write the word plant on the board and ask students to locate it on page 4 in the book. •P age 11 Sentence Structure Write The ____ will ____ on the board. Read the sentence structure aloud and ask students to repeat it several times. Say: We use this sentence structure to tell what will happen. Model using the sentence structure to tell about predictable future events, such as The recess bell will ring and The sun will set tonight. 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 11? Frame the first sentence. Let’s read the sentence together. Repeat for the second sentence.
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Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
Rehearse Reading Strategies •S ay: One word in this book is will. Say the word will. 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 will on page 11. Say: Use middle-letter sounds to help you when you read. •R emind students to use other reading strategies they are learning as well, such as checking the picture and returning to the beginning of the sentence if something doesn’t sound right.
Set a Purpose for Reading
•D irect students’ attention to the prediction chart. Say: Now it’s time to whisper-read the book. Read to learn how a tree grows.
© 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 prediction chart. How does a tree grow and change? Write students’ responses, based on their reading, in the second column of the chart. Choral-read each entry. Then ask students to use the graphic organizer to tell a partner about the book.
Cue Source
Prompt
Example
Page
Graphophonic
Look at the middle letter.
big
11
Syntactic
Think about the sentence structure.
The flowers will make new seeds.
14
Check the picture.
ground
6
Semantic
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
I think a tree . . .
A tree . . .
makes branches and leaves
grows roots from seed
gets tall
grows stem and leaves
gets big around
becomes seedling
drops leaves in fall
grows into big tree
makes new leaves in spring
makes flowers makes new seeds
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
5
After Reading (continued)
Reading Strategy Mini-Lesson: Make Connections
Answer Text-Dependent Questions
•R eflect Ask: Did you understand what you read? What parts were hard to understand? How did you help yourself?
•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 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 Say: I want to understand what I read. One way is to connect the information to what I know about the world. Pages 4 and 5 make me think of a connection. Read the text aloud and then say: The photograph makes me think of some facts I already know about trees. A tree has roots that hold it in the ground. A tree has a strong trunk. Many branches grow from the trunk. Making this connection shows me that trees grow both down and up. •G uide Invite students to read page 6 with you. Ask: What do you already know about seeds? Why do plants make seeds? What happens to seeds? Allow time for students to share their connections. Then invite them to tell how making connections helped them better understand page 6. •A pply Ask students to read their favorite page to a partner and then make a connection to something they know about the world. Observe students as they share their connections, providing assistance if needed. See the Early Explorers Overview & Assessment Handbook for an observation chart you can use to assess students’ understanding of the monitor-reading strategy. Then say: You can make connections any time you read. Remember to make connections to help you understand.
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Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
•M odel Use the first Prove It! question on the question card. Say: I will read the question to figure out what to do: “Seeds are very important. How can you tell?” This question asks me to make an inference. I know because the question asks something that is not explained in the book. I already know that an inference has only one or two clues. What words in the question will help me? (Allow student responses.) Yes, I need to find clues and evidence about why seeds are important. Model looking through the book. Say: On page 7, I read that roots grow from the seed into the ground. On page 16, I read that a seed can make a new tree. These are two ways seeds are important. I have located the clues and evidence I need. The clues support 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 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?
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Build Comprehension: Identify Sequence of Events •E xplain Create an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer on page 12 or draw it on the board. Say: Nonfiction books sometimes tell about events that happen in a certain order, or sequence. •M odel Say: Let’s figure out the sequence of events in Every Tree Has a Life Cycle. We will start at the beginning. Ask students to turn to page 6. Say: We see the word first. First is a cue word that tells what happens at the beginning. Write a seed is on the ground in the top box of the graphic organizer. Ask students to turn to page 7. Say: We see the word then. Then is a cue word that tells what happens after the seed is on the ground. Write roots grow from seed into ground in the second box of the graphic organizer. Ask students to turn to page 8. Say: Now we will read on to see what happens next. We see the word next. Next is a cue word that tells what happens to the seed after the roots begin to grow. A stem grows from the seed, and leaves grow from the stem. Write stem grows from seed and leaves grow from stem in the third box of the graphic organizer.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
•G uide Say: Let’s find out what happens after the stem and leaves appear. Look at page 10. Do you see the cue word now? What happens now? (Allow time for students to respond, assisting if needed.) Yes, the plant grows into a little tree called a seedling. Write plant grows into seedling in the fourth box of the graphic organizer. •A pply Ask students to work with a partner to find the remaining events mentioned in the book. Remind students that a sequence happens in order, so they will need to turn the pages to find each event. After each partnership shares, agree on how to word the entries on the graphic organizer. Finally, read the completed graphic organizer aloud and invite students to echo-read.
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
7
After Reading (continued)
Mini-Lessons for Differentiating Instruction
Home Connection
Write to a Picture Prompt
•G ive students the take-home version of Every Tree Has a Life Cycle to read to family members. Encourage students to work with a friend or family member to draw a picture of a tree they have seen and write a sentence about the tree’s life cycle. Invite them to bring their pictures to share with the group.
•R etell Tell students they will talk about a picture from the book. Then they will write about the picture. Ask them to turn to page 7. Say: I can use this picture to tell part of the book in my own words: The seed split open. Roots are growing out of the seed. Now I will write my idea. Model writing your sentences on the board. Ask students to choose a picture and tell a partner about it. Allow time for students to share their retellings, providing assistance as needed. Then say: You used a picture to tell part of the book in your own words. 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. • Tell what you wondered as you read the book. • Tell one way trees and people are alike. • Tell about another book you have seen or read about trees. • Draw a picture of a seedling and label its parts. • Write a caption for one of the photographs in the book. • Rate the book with a 1 (don’t like), 2 (okay), or 3 (like a lot). Tell why you chose that rating.
Phonemic Awareness: Initial /s/ •T ell students you will read a sentence from Every Tree Has a Life Cycle. Ask them to listen for a word that begins with /s/: First, a seed is on the ground (page 6). Reread the sentence if needed so students can identify the word seed. Repeat for the first sentence on page 10 (seedling) and the sentence on page 12 (Some). • Say: I will name some things that can help a seed grow. Some begin with /s/ and some do not. Listen carefully. Say “see” if you hear a word that begins with /s/: soil, light, water, sun, soaking, rain.
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Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Phonics: Initial “s”
Vocabulary
•W rite the letter “s” on the board. Then write the words seed (pages 6, 7, 8, 14, 16), seedling (pages 10, 11), and some (pages 8, 12). Ask students to locate the words in the book and frame the letter “s” between their fingers.
•T ier Two Vocabulary Pronounce the word mature and ask students to repeat it. Say: A tree is mature when it is grown. The big tree in the book is mature. A mature tree makes flowers and seeds. Discuss other things that are mature, such as a kitten that has grown into a cat or a baby that has grown into an adult. Then model a sentence, such as Children are not mature enough to drive a car yet. Invite students to share their own sentences, providing assistance as needed. Ask: What word have we been talking about? Yes—mature. Let’s try to use the word mature many times today. We can use the word at school and at home.
•A sk students to brainstorm words that begin with /s/. Acknowledge all correct responses, and list those that begin with “s” on the board. Read each word, inviting students to echo-read. •S ay: I will tell you a riddle. You will guess which word answers the riddle. I will circle the letter “s” in the word. Then you will know you guessed correctly. Model the process using one of the words on the list, such as I shine on Earth. You don’t see me at night. What am I? (sun) Then invite each student to make up a riddle about one of the words and to circle the letter that makes the /s/ sound.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
•T ier Three Vocabulary On the board, draw simple sketches of a seed with roots, a seedling with a stem and leaves, and a tree with flowers. Write the words flower, leaves, roots, stem, seed, seedling, and tree on index cards. Ask students to read the words with you. Hold up the cards one at a time and offer a sentence frame for the word, such as The ____ grow from the seed. Ask student partners to complete the sentence, assisting as needed. Then have a student point to the drawing or part of a drawing that illustrates the word. For additional practice, students may work as a group or in pairs to complete the vocabulary activity on page 11.
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
9
Grammar and Language Development
Fluency: Read Smoothly with Minimal Breaks
Articles a and the
•S ay: We do not pause or stop after each word when we read. Instead, we read smoothly. We blend one word into the next. We pause or stop only when we see punctuation marks. We quickly fix mistakes and move on.
•M odel Explain that authors sometimes use the words a and the to name things. Ask students to read the first sentence on page 10 with you: Now the plant is a seedling. Point out that the author uses the word the so we will look at one plant—the plant in the photograph. Then ask students to read the second sentence with you: A seedling is a little tree. Say: The author uses a so we can think about any seedling. We don’t have to think about the seedling in the photograph. I can use the words a and the, too. Point to classroom objects as you model a and the sentences, such as: We have one clock. The clock is black and white. I have many books on my desk. I will choose a book to read. •G uide Say: Imagine we are in a store. We need a shovel to plant a tree. Will we get a shovel or the shovel? (Allow students time to respond.) Yes, we will get a shovel because the store has many shovels for sale. Now imagine we are planting our tree. Will we get a shovel or the shovel? (Again, allow students time to respond.) Yes, we will get the shovel because we only have one.
•A sk students to turn to page 8. Read the page in a choppy, word-by-word manner. Discuss how this makes the listener feel. Say: Now I will read the words smoothly. The punctuation will show me when to pause or stop. Read the sentences again, pausing at the comma and stopping at the periods. Then invite students to echo-read the page with you. •A sk students to turn to page 10. Choral-read the page with them, reading smoothly and stopping at the periods. • Invite students to take turns rereading Every Tree Has a Life Cycle with a partner. Remind them to read smoothly, pause or stop at punctuation, and quickly fix any mistakes so they can keep on reading.
•A pply Ask student partners to share their own sentences using the words a and the as you write them on the board. Then invite volunteers to explain why a or the fits each sentence.
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Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name:
Date:
Vocabulary Cross out the word or phrase in each row that does not belong.
plant
has no leaves
grows from a seed
has a life cycle
roots
grow from a seed
have flowers
grow into ground
seed
makes a new tree
falls to the ground
has leaves
stem
makes new seeds
makes leaves
grows up from ground
seedling
a little tree
a plant
a big tree
flowers
grow on a tree
make leaves
make new seeds
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
11
Name:
Date:
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
12
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle Teacher’s Guide For students reading at Literacy Level D/6, including: •• English-language learners •• Students reading below grade level •• K–1 emergent readers
Skills & Strategies
Anchor Comprehension Strategy
•• Identify sequence of events
Metacognitive Strategy
•• Make connections
Vocabulary
Theme: Plants
•• Recognize high-frequency words •• Develop Tier Two vocabulary •• Develop Tier Three vocabulary
•• A Plant Has Needs (A/1) •• A Plant Has Parts (C/4) •• The Birthday Flowers (C/4) •• A Seed Needs Help (E/8) •• Garden Lunch (E/8)
Grammar and Language Development
•• R ecognize the sentence structure The ____ will ____. •• Use articles a and the
Phonemic Awareness
•• Listen for initial /s/
Phonics
Science Big Idea:
Fluency
Readers learn about the life cycle of a tree from seed, to big tree, to new seeds and trees.
•• Use middle-letter cues to solve words •• Recognize words with initial “s” •• Read smoothly with minimal breaks
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 • How Does a Cactus Grow? (G/11) • All About Trees (G/12) • Do Plants Grow Under Water? (I/15) • What Are the Parts of a Tree? (I/16) • Honeybees Help Flowers (K/20) • The Bee Puzzle (K/20) • How Do Trees Grow? (M/28) Fluency and Language Development • Every Tree Has a Life Cycle Audio CD Comprehension Resources • Every Tree Has a Life Cycle question card • Power Tool Flip Chart for Teachers • Student Bookmark • Identify Sequence of Events poster Assessment • Early Explorers Overview & Assessment Handbook • Grade K or Grade 1 Comprehension Strategy Assessment Book
Make Connections and Build Background •U se Art Give each student a pencil and sheet of paper. Say: We will read a book about how a tree grows. Trees have different parts. Sketch a tree with a trunk, branches, leaves, and roots. Show your drawing to the group and name the parts. Then invite each student to sketch another kind of tree to share with the group. •U se a Graphic Organizer Draw a two-column chart with the headings I think a tree . . . and A tree . . . . Say: People grow and change. First we are babies, then children, then
2
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
adults. Trees grow and change, too. Ask students how they think a tree grows and changes. Write their ideas in the first column of the prediction chart. Then read each idea and ask students to echo-read. I think a tree . . .
A tree . . .
makes branches and leaves gets tall gets big around drops leaves in fall makes new leaves in spring
Introduce the Book •G ive each student a copy of the book. Remind students they will read about the life cycle of trees. 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.”) • Cover Graphic Feature Say: The cover of the book has a cycle diagram. A cycle diagram shows how different events are connected. What does this cycle diagram show? (how a tree grows) •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. © 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Pages
Text and Graphic Features
Words to Discuss
English/Spanish Cognates
Cover
title, author, cycle diagram
1
title, author, photo
2–3
photos
plant, roots, seed, stem
4–5
photo
tree, plant, grow
plant/la planta
6–7
photos
seed, ground, roots
in/en
8–9
photo
stem, leaves
10–11
photos
seedling
12–13
photo
flowers
14–15
photo
16
photo
Sentence Structures
The ____ will ____.
© 2008 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. ISBN: 978-1-60437-472-8
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
3
Before Reading (continued) •P age 4 Spanish Cognate Ask: Does plant sound like a word you know in Spanish? (Allow time for students to respond.) The English word plant sounds like the Spanish word la planta. Plant and la planta mean the same thing. What is a plant you have seen? (Allow time for students to respond.) Write the word plant on the board and ask students to locate it on page 4 in the book. •P age 11 Sentence Structure Write The ____ will ____ on the board. Read the sentence structure aloud and ask students to repeat it several times. Say: We use this sentence structure to tell what will happen. Model using the sentence structure to tell about predictable future events, such as The recess bell will ring and The sun will set tonight. 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 11? Frame the first sentence. Let’s read the sentence together. Repeat for the second sentence.
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Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
Rehearse Reading Strategies •S ay: One word in this book is will. Say the word will. 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 will on page 11. Say: Use middle-letter sounds to help you when you read. •R emind students to use other reading strategies they are learning as well, such as checking the picture and returning to the beginning of the sentence if something doesn’t sound right.
Set a Purpose for Reading
•D irect students’ attention to the prediction chart. Say: Now it’s time to whisper-read the book. Read to learn how a tree grows.
© 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 prediction chart. How does a tree grow and change? Write students’ responses, based on their reading, in the second column of the chart. Choral-read each entry. Then ask students to use the graphic organizer to tell a partner about the book.
Cue Source
Prompt
Example
Page
Graphophonic
Look at the middle letter.
big
11
Syntactic
Think about the sentence structure.
The flowers will make new seeds.
14
Check the picture.
ground
6
Semantic
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
I think a tree . . .
A tree . . .
makes branches and leaves
grows roots from seed
gets tall
grows stem and leaves
gets big around
becomes seedling
drops leaves in fall
grows into big tree
makes new leaves in spring
makes flowers makes new seeds
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
5
After Reading (continued)
Reading Strategy Mini-Lesson: Make Connections
Answer Text-Dependent Questions
•R eflect Ask: Did you understand what you read? What parts were hard to understand? How did you help yourself?
•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 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 Say: I want to understand what I read. One way is to connect the information to what I know about the world. Pages 4 and 5 make me think of a connection. Read the text aloud and then say: The photograph makes me think of some facts I already know about trees. A tree has roots that hold it in the ground. A tree has a strong trunk. Many branches grow from the trunk. Making this connection shows me that trees grow both down and up. •G uide Invite students to read page 6 with you. Ask: What do you already know about seeds? Why do plants make seeds? What happens to seeds? Allow time for students to share their connections. Then invite them to tell how making connections helped them better understand page 6. •A pply Ask students to read their favorite page to a partner and then make a connection to something they know about the world. Observe students as they share their connections, providing assistance if needed. See the Early Explorers Overview & Assessment Handbook for an observation chart you can use to assess students’ understanding of the monitor-reading strategy. Then say: You can make connections any time you read. Remember to make connections to help you understand.
6
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
•M odel Use the first Prove It! question on the question card. Say: I will read the question to figure out what to do: “Seeds are very important. How can you tell?” This question asks me to make an inference. I know because the question asks something that is not explained in the book. I already know that an inference has only one or two clues. What words in the question will help me? (Allow student responses.) Yes, I need to find clues and evidence about why seeds are important. Model looking through the book. Say: On page 7, I read that roots grow from the seed into the ground. On page 16, I read that a seed can make a new tree. These are two ways seeds are important. I have located the clues and evidence I need. The clues support 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 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?
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Build Comprehension: Identify Sequence of Events •E xplain Create an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer on page 12 or draw it on the board. Say: Nonfiction books sometimes tell about events that happen in a certain order, or sequence. •M odel Say: Let’s figure out the sequence of events in Every Tree Has a Life Cycle. We will start at the beginning. Ask students to turn to page 6. Say: We see the word first. First is a cue word that tells what happens at the beginning. Write a seed is on the ground in the top box of the graphic organizer. Ask students to turn to page 7. Say: We see the word then. Then is a cue word that tells what happens after the seed is on the ground. Write roots grow from seed into ground in the second box of the graphic organizer. Ask students to turn to page 8. Say: Now we will read on to see what happens next. We see the word next. Next is a cue word that tells what happens to the seed after the roots begin to grow. A stem grows from the seed, and leaves grow from the stem. Write stem grows from seed and leaves grow from stem in the third box of the graphic organizer.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
•G uide Say: Let’s find out what happens after the stem and leaves appear. Look at page 10. Do you see the cue word now? What happens now? (Allow time for students to respond, assisting if needed.) Yes, the plant grows into a little tree called a seedling. Write plant grows into seedling in the fourth box of the graphic organizer. •A pply Ask students to work with a partner to find the remaining events mentioned in the book. Remind students that a sequence happens in order, so they will need to turn the pages to find each event. After each partnership shares, agree on how to word the entries on the graphic organizer. Finally, read the completed graphic organizer aloud and invite students to echo-read.
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
7
After Reading (continued)
Mini-Lessons for Differentiating Instruction
Home Connection
Write to a Picture Prompt
•G ive students the take-home version of Every Tree Has a Life Cycle to read to family members. Encourage students to work with a friend or family member to draw a picture of a tree they have seen and write a sentence about the tree’s life cycle. Invite them to bring their pictures to share with the group.
•R etell Tell students they will talk about a picture from the book. Then they will write about the picture. Ask them to turn to page 7. Say: I can use this picture to tell part of the book in my own words: The seed split open. Roots are growing out of the seed. Now I will write my idea. Model writing your sentences on the board. Ask students to choose a picture and tell a partner about it. Allow time for students to share their retellings, providing assistance as needed. Then say: You used a picture to tell part of the book in your own words. 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. • Tell what you wondered as you read the book. • Tell one way trees and people are alike. • Tell about another book you have seen or read about trees. • Draw a picture of a seedling and label its parts. • Write a caption for one of the photographs in the book. • Rate the book with a 1 (don’t like), 2 (okay), or 3 (like a lot). Tell why you chose that rating.
Phonemic Awareness: Initial /s/ •T ell students you will read a sentence from Every Tree Has a Life Cycle. Ask them to listen for a word that begins with /s/: First, a seed is on the ground (page 6). Reread the sentence if needed so students can identify the word seed. Repeat for the first sentence on page 10 (seedling) and the sentence on page 12 (Some). • Say: I will name some things that can help a seed grow. Some begin with /s/ and some do not. Listen carefully. Say “see” if you hear a word that begins with /s/: soil, light, water, sun, soaking, rain.
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Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Phonics: Initial “s”
Vocabulary
•W rite the letter “s” on the board. Then write the words seed (pages 6, 7, 8, 14, 16), seedling (pages 10, 11), and some (pages 8, 12). Ask students to locate the words in the book and frame the letter “s” between their fingers.
•T ier Two Vocabulary Pronounce the word mature and ask students to repeat it. Say: A tree is mature when it is grown. The big tree in the book is mature. A mature tree makes flowers and seeds. Discuss other things that are mature, such as a kitten that has grown into a cat or a baby that has grown into an adult. Then model a sentence, such as Children are not mature enough to drive a car yet. Invite students to share their own sentences, providing assistance as needed. Ask: What word have we been talking about? Yes—mature. Let’s try to use the word mature many times today. We can use the word at school and at home.
•A sk students to brainstorm words that begin with /s/. Acknowledge all correct responses, and list those that begin with “s” on the board. Read each word, inviting students to echo-read. •S ay: I will tell you a riddle. You will guess which word answers the riddle. I will circle the letter “s” in the word. Then you will know you guessed correctly. Model the process using one of the words on the list, such as I shine on Earth. You don’t see me at night. What am I? (sun) Then invite each student to make up a riddle about one of the words and to circle the letter that makes the /s/ sound.
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•T ier Three Vocabulary On the board, draw simple sketches of a seed with roots, a seedling with a stem and leaves, and a tree with flowers. Write the words flower, leaves, roots, stem, seed, seedling, and tree on index cards. Ask students to read the words with you. Hold up the cards one at a time and offer a sentence frame for the word, such as The ____ grow from the seed. Ask student partners to complete the sentence, assisting as needed. Then have a student point to the drawing or part of a drawing that illustrates the word. For additional practice, students may work as a group or in pairs to complete the vocabulary activity on page 11.
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
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Grammar and Language Development
Fluency: Read Smoothly with Minimal Breaks
Articles a and the
•S ay: We do not pause or stop after each word when we read. Instead, we read smoothly. We blend one word into the next. We pause or stop only when we see punctuation marks. We quickly fix mistakes and move on.
•M odel Explain that authors sometimes use the words a and the to name things. Ask students to read the first sentence on page 10 with you: Now the plant is a seedling. Point out that the author uses the word the so we will look at one plant—the plant in the photograph. Then ask students to read the second sentence with you: A seedling is a little tree. Say: The author uses a so we can think about any seedling. We don’t have to think about the seedling in the photograph. I can use the words a and the, too. Point to classroom objects as you model a and the sentences, such as: We have one clock. The clock is black and white. I have many books on my desk. I will choose a book to read. •G uide Say: Imagine we are in a store. We need a shovel to plant a tree. Will we get a shovel or the shovel? (Allow students time to respond.) Yes, we will get a shovel because the store has many shovels for sale. Now imagine we are planting our tree. Will we get a shovel or the shovel? (Again, allow students time to respond.) Yes, we will get the shovel because we only have one.
•A sk students to turn to page 8. Read the page in a choppy, word-by-word manner. Discuss how this makes the listener feel. Say: Now I will read the words smoothly. The punctuation will show me when to pause or stop. Read the sentences again, pausing at the comma and stopping at the periods. Then invite students to echo-read the page with you. •A sk students to turn to page 10. Choral-read the page with them, reading smoothly and stopping at the periods. • Invite students to take turns rereading Every Tree Has a Life Cycle with a partner. Remind them to read smoothly, pause or stop at punctuation, and quickly fix any mistakes so they can keep on reading.
•A pply Ask student partners to share their own sentences using the words a and the as you write them on the board. Then invite volunteers to explain why a or the fits each sentence.
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Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name:
Date:
Vocabulary Cross out the word or phrase in each row that does not belong.
plant
has no leaves
grows from a seed
has a life cycle
roots
grow from a seed
have flowers
grow into ground
seed
makes a new tree
falls to the ground
has leaves
stem
makes new seeds
makes leaves
grows up from ground
seedling
a little tree
a plant
a big tree
flowers
grow on a tree
make leaves
make new seeds
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
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Name:
Date:
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
12
Every Tree Has a Life Cycle
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
