Symmetry in Our World
Level L/24
Symmetry in Our World Math
Teacher’s Guide Skills & Strategies Anchor Comprehension Strategy
•• Summarize Information Content Vocabulary
•• Words related to symmetry
Grammar/Word Study •• Adjectives •• Verbs in commands
Math Big Idea
•• Many things in the world around us have symmetry.
• Small Group Reading Lesson • Skills Bank • Reproducible Activities
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e n c h m a r k
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d u c a t i o n
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11/17/10 11:42:07 AM
Small Group Reading Lesson Before Reading.... Build Background Knowledge butterflies
circles
Two Sides Alike
flowers
ell
leaves
Support Tips
for English-Language Learners
Build Background Knowledge To help students understand what you mean by the phrase exactly alike, point out specific details of the two sides of the butterfly in the photograph. For example, say: The butterfly has dots around the outside edge of its left wing. It has dots around the outside edge of its right wing. The two sides are exactly alike. Use concrete examples to reinforce the concept. Show two different books and point out what is alike and what is different about the books. Show two sheets of paper and explain that because the two sheets are alike in every single way, they are exactly alike.
Build Vocabulary and Language Patterns As students preview the book and describe what they see, write the words they use on a word web. Model essential vocabulary and language patterns students will encounter in the book: When one side is exactly like the other side, the sides are mirror images. If the sides of an object are mirror images, the object has symmetry; that is, the object is symmetrical.
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• Show students the photograph of the butterfly on the title page. Say: Look at the two sides of the butterfly. They are exactly alike. What are some other things that have two sides that are exactly alike? Have pairs of students discuss their ideas with each other before sharing with the group. Begin a web with Two Sides Alike in the center and write students’ ideas in the outer circles.
Model Asking Questions • Say: Asking myself questions about what I see and read can help me better understand what I am reading. After reading the title of this book, I ask myself, “What is symmetry? What has symmetry?” • Write your questions in a list on chart paper. • Ask students if they have any questions after looking at the cover. Record their questions on the list.
Preview the Book • Review the table of contents with students. Ask them whether the chapter headings make them think of any new questions. Add these to the list. • Preview the photographs in the book, encouraging students to describe what they see. Expand on their answers to model the vocabulary in the book. For example, Say: When we divide something into two equal parts, we call the parts halves. Each part is called a half.
Model Reading Strategies • Point out the word pineapple on page 19 and ask students what strategies they could use to read the word. • Suggest the following strategies as you think aloud: You could use what you know about compound words and divide the word into its two smaller words: pine/apple. You could use what you know about letter/sound relationships to sound out each word. Then you could put the two words together and see if the compound word makes sense in the sentence.
Set a Purpose for Reading • Ask students to read the book to find out what symmetry is and what has symmetry. Remind them to ask themselves questions about what they are reading.
© 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. ISBN: 978-1-4108-1569-9
11/17/10 11:42:07 AM
During Reading....Ï Monitor Student Reading • Have students put self-stick notes next to words they have trouble with. • Observe students as they whisper read. Intervene as necessary to guide them to use appropriate strategies to read difficult words.
After Reading....Ï Reflect on Reading Strategies • Ask students to share any new questions they had as they read. Remind them that asking questions helps them become more involved with what they are reading. • Ask students to share words they found difficult to read, and ask what strategies students used to read them. Use these words, and any words you noticed students having difficulty with, to model appropriate reading strategies. Reinforce that students should always check whether the words they read make sense.
Assessment Tip
To check a student’s reading strategies, ask him or her to read a section of the text aloud to you while other students are whisper reading. Note whether the student is using visual, structure, and meaning cues to self-correct and/or make sense of the text.
ell
Support Tips
for English-Language Learners
Reflect on Reading Strategies Note the words English-language learners are having difficulty with. Ask them to define or use words to help you determine whether their problems relate to unfamiliar vocabulary or syntax.
Discuss Concepts • Ask students to explain what it means if an object is symmetrical or asymmetrical. Have students answer the question and then go back to the book and read aloud the parts that helped them answer the question. • Write the capital letters of the alphabet on index cards. Give two or three of the cards to pairs of students. Have the pairs identify which letters are symmetrical and which are asymmetrical and explain how they know. • Refer to the prereading list of questions. Have students determine whether the questions have been answered. If some have not been answered, ask students how they might find the answers.
Extend Concepts • Review the objects in the book with students and discuss which objects have symmetry and why and which do not. • Give each student a sheet of drawing paper. Have students draw a line down the center of the paper and label one half Symmetry and the other half No Symmetry. • Ask students to find two objects in the classroom, one with symmetry and one without symmetry, and to draw a picture of each object on their paper. Encourage students to find objects that aren’t mentioned in the book. © 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
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Make Fiction-to-Fact™ Concept Connections If students have read Frances the Fairy Dressmaker, ask: • The dressmakers make a symmetrical dress for Lady Abigail because she likes symmetry. Do you think a beautiful dress could be made using asymmetry? Why or why not? (Students may say yes because an asymmetrical dress could be interesting and unusual, or no because they think symmetry makes things more pleasing and beautiful.) • What are some things mentioned or pictured in Symmetry in Our World that might be turned into gloves and earrings for Lady Abigail? (Flowers, pineapples, or snowflakes could be used for these items.)
Symmetry in Our World
3
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Small Group Reading Lesson ell
Support Tips
for English-Language Learners
Model Review with students what a fact is before looking for facts in chapter 1. Remind them that a fact states something that can be proved to be true. As you read aloud each sentence in chapter 1, ask students whether the sentence states a fact. Ask: Does this sentence say something that can be proved to be true?
Practice and Apply If students have difficulty locating facts in the chapters, direct them to specific pages and ask questions that help them focus on the facts the book tells about symmetry, for example: What does the book tell you on page 10 about people’s brains?
Build Comprehension:
SUMMARIZE Information Model Say: One thing we can do to help us remember and understand the facts we read in a book is to summarize them. When we summarize, we pick out the most important ideas and say them in our own words. Read aloud each sentence in the first chapter and together decide whether it tells a fact about symmetry. Write the facts in a list. Then, write a summary that includes the most important ideas in the chapter. For example, When an object has two halves that are exactly alike, the object has symmetry; it is symmetrical. Circles and squares have symmetry. An object that does not have two matching halves does not have symmetry; it is asymmetrical. Practice Distribute copies of the Summarizing blackline master. Read the headings and point out that these are the headings for chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5 in the book. Help students identify facts the book tells about symmetry in the alphabet in chapter 2. Have them write the facts in the Details column. Help students summarize the facts by choosing the most important ones and writing about them in a sentence or two in the Summary column. Apply Have students complete the chart by listing and summarizing facts in chapters 3, 4, and 5. Have students share their ideas with the group.
Summarize Information Can You Find Symmetry in the Alphabet? Details
Assessment Tip
Observe whether students are able to locate facts in the book. Note whether they can summarize the facts by choosing the most important ones and stating them in their own words. If students have difficulty, you might want to provide additional modeling.
Summary
Capital H is a symmetrical letter because its right half is the same as its left half. Capital F is not a symmetrical letter because its sides are not the same. Capital B is a symmetrical letter if you fold it horizontally but asymmetrical if you fold it vertically.
Some letters of the alphabet are symmetrical, and others are not. We can divide the letters in half to see which are and which aren’t.
Do You Have Symmetry? Details
Summary
People’s faces have two eyes, two eyebrows, and two ears, so they would seem to be symmetrical. People’s brains are symmetrical. They have two even parts. People have two kidneys and two lungs. People have one heart and one stomach.
People are symmetrical in some ways and asymmetrical in other ways.
What Is the Line of Symmetry? Details
Summary
You can draw an imaginary line down the center of the Taj Mahal. If you fold a paper shape in half, it makes a line down the center. A symmetrical shape has a line that divides it into two equal halves. The line may be real or imaginary. It is called the line of symmetry.
Every shape with symmetry has a line of symmetry, which is a real or imaginary line that divides the shape into two equal halves.
Can You Find Symmetry in Nature? Details Butterflies have symmetry. A butterfly’s body is its line of symmetry. Sand dollars have symmetry. Shells may have symmetry. Crabs and clams can have symmetry. Many leaves have symmetry. Bats, tigers, and pineapples have symmetry.
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Summary Many things in nature have symmetry.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
11/17/10 11:42:07 AM
Writing Mini-Lesson: Ask Questions for Effect • Reread page 6 while students follow along. Say: The author began this page with a question. She put another question in the second paragraph. Why do you think she did that? • Involve students in a discussion about using questions for effect by asking the following questions: What questions does the author use in the text on this page? (What about other kinds of shapes? Would the two halves match exactly) Why do you think the author put these questions in the text? (The author hopes that readers will try to answer the questions and then read on to find the answers. This will keep readers involved and interested in the book.)
writing Checklist
As students review their piece of writing, have them ask themselves: • Do I use any questions in my writing? • Do my questions make readers feel involved in my topic? • Did I use a question at the beginning? Should I? • Did I use a question at the end? Should I?
What are some other questions in the text? (Can you figure out which letters have symmetry? What about F? But do your eyes match exactly? and so on) Do you think using the word you in a question in the text is a good idea? Why or why not? (Yes, addressing readers directly makes the topic personal and gets their attention.) • Use other nonfiction books to show how other writers use questions for effect. Discuss with students how the questions help keep readers interested and involved in what they are reading. • Write specific questions from the examples on chart paper to serve as models for students. • After looking at several examples of questions used for effect, have students talk about questions they found especially interesting and explain why they thought so.
Reread for fluency Read aloud sections of Symmetry in Our World using appropriate phrasing, intonation, and expression to model fluent reading. Have pairs of students take turns reading the pages of the book to each other.
Link to Journal Writing Have students find a piece of nonfiction writing in their journals. Have them note whether they used any questions for effect in their writing. If not, have them decide what kinds of questions could get readers more involved in their topic. If students don’t have a piece of nonfiction writing in their journal, ask them to begin a new piece of writing.
Connect to home Have students read the take-home version of Symmetry in Our World to family members. Suggest that they talk about some things in nature and some things made by people that are symmetrical. Have students share their independent writing as well.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
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Symmetry in Our World
5
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Skills Bank ell
Support Tips
for English-Language Learners
Content Vocabulary Pair English-language learners with native speakers to find symmetrical things in the book and to brainstorm additional items for the web. Ask them to explain how they decided whether each thing had symmetry or not.
Grammar/Word Study 1 Point out that adjectives is another name for describing words. Point out objects in the classroom and ask students to describe the objects. Write any adjectives they use on the board along with the nouns they describe. Use the examples to reinforce the function of adjectives. Ask questions that require students to answer with the adjectives they used.
Grammar/Word Study 2 To reinforce the concept of commands, say simple commands, one at a time, for students to follow, such as Stand by your desk. Touch your toes. Pick up the book. After students have performed the appropriate action, ask them how they knew the command was addressed to them, even though you did not say you. Then repeat the command, this time using you.
Content Vocabulary: Words related to symmetry • Begin a web on the board with the phrase Things with Symmetry in the center circle. • Have students suggest words that name symmetrical things for you to write in the outer circles of the web. Remind them that they can begin by looking for things that are mentioned and/or pictured in the book. • Have students brainstorm other things that are symmetrical, such as spiders, airplanes, and oranges. Add their suggestions to the web.
Grammar/Word Study: Adjectives • Reread the first paragraph on page 6 as students follow along. Ask: What word does the writer use to describe the shape? (curvy) What words does the writer use to describe the cloud? (big and fluffy) Explain that curvy, big, and fluffy are describing words, or adjectives. Adjectives are words that tell about, or describe, a person, place, or thing. • Write the phrases curvy shape and big, fluffy cloud on the board. Point out that the adjective curvy describes the noun shape, and the adjectives big and fluffy describe the noun cloud. Explain that adjectives often come before the nouns they describe. • Have pairs of students find some other adjectives in the book (beautiful—page 2; same—page 4; two—page 6; right, symmetrical— page 8; imaginary, real—page 13; many, deep, dark, asymmetrical, brave—page 17). Help them identify the noun or pronoun that each adjective describes.
Grammar/Word Study: Verbs in commands • Reread the second sentence on page 6. Say: Look at the second sentence. It begins with a verb. Why? What is the subject of the sentence? Explain that the sentence begins with a verb because it is a command; it tells the reader to do something. Also, a command does not have a stated subject; the subject is always understood to be you: (You) take a crayon or pencil. • Ask students to find another command on the page and to identify the verb and subject. • Have pairs of students find other commands in the book and write each command’s verb and subject. (There are additional commands on pages 5, 9, 12, and 13.)
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© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
11/17/10 11:42:08 AM
Name _______________________________________________________ Date ___________________
Summarize Information Can You Find Symmetry in the Alphabet? Details
Summary
Do You Have Symmetry? Details
Summary
What Is the Line of Symmetry? Details
Summary
Can You Find Symmetry in Nature? Details
Summary
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
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Name _______________________________________________________ Date ___________________
Adjectives Anna worked at her big, square desk. Icy white snowflakes fell from the sky. Large yellow buses brought students to the new school. A silver airplane sat on the empty runway. The bright star shone in the dark sky. Sandy slipped on the wet, slick floor. Dad drove a fancy blue car home. Mom served hot, spicy soup. Mike’s sore feet liked the soft rug. The happy girls played in the dry brown leaves.
1. ___________________________
12. ___________________________
2. ___________________________
13. ___________________________
3. ___________________________
14. ___________________________
4. ___________________________
15. ___________________________
5. ___________________________
16. ___________________________
6. ___________________________
17. ___________________________
7. ___________________________
18. ___________________________
8. ___________________________
19. ___________________________
9. ___________________________
20. ___________________________
10. ___________________________
21. ___________________________
11. ___________________________
22. ___________________________
Directions: Have students circle the adjectives in the sentences. Then have them write each adjective and the noun it describes on a line.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
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Symmetry in Our World Math
Teacher’s Guide Skills & Strategies Anchor Comprehension Strategy
•• Summarize Information Content Vocabulary
•• Words related to symmetry
Grammar/Word Study •• Adjectives •• Verbs in commands
Math Big Idea
•• Many things in the world around us have symmetry.
• Small Group Reading Lesson • Skills Bank • Reproducible Activities
B
15692_TG.indd 1
e n c h m a r k
E
d u c a t i o n
C
o m p a n y
11/17/10 11:42:07 AM
Small Group Reading Lesson Before Reading.... Build Background Knowledge butterflies
circles
Two Sides Alike
flowers
ell
leaves
Support Tips
for English-Language Learners
Build Background Knowledge To help students understand what you mean by the phrase exactly alike, point out specific details of the two sides of the butterfly in the photograph. For example, say: The butterfly has dots around the outside edge of its left wing. It has dots around the outside edge of its right wing. The two sides are exactly alike. Use concrete examples to reinforce the concept. Show two different books and point out what is alike and what is different about the books. Show two sheets of paper and explain that because the two sheets are alike in every single way, they are exactly alike.
Build Vocabulary and Language Patterns As students preview the book and describe what they see, write the words they use on a word web. Model essential vocabulary and language patterns students will encounter in the book: When one side is exactly like the other side, the sides are mirror images. If the sides of an object are mirror images, the object has symmetry; that is, the object is symmetrical.
2
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• Show students the photograph of the butterfly on the title page. Say: Look at the two sides of the butterfly. They are exactly alike. What are some other things that have two sides that are exactly alike? Have pairs of students discuss their ideas with each other before sharing with the group. Begin a web with Two Sides Alike in the center and write students’ ideas in the outer circles.
Model Asking Questions • Say: Asking myself questions about what I see and read can help me better understand what I am reading. After reading the title of this book, I ask myself, “What is symmetry? What has symmetry?” • Write your questions in a list on chart paper. • Ask students if they have any questions after looking at the cover. Record their questions on the list.
Preview the Book • Review the table of contents with students. Ask them whether the chapter headings make them think of any new questions. Add these to the list. • Preview the photographs in the book, encouraging students to describe what they see. Expand on their answers to model the vocabulary in the book. For example, Say: When we divide something into two equal parts, we call the parts halves. Each part is called a half.
Model Reading Strategies • Point out the word pineapple on page 19 and ask students what strategies they could use to read the word. • Suggest the following strategies as you think aloud: You could use what you know about compound words and divide the word into its two smaller words: pine/apple. You could use what you know about letter/sound relationships to sound out each word. Then you could put the two words together and see if the compound word makes sense in the sentence.
Set a Purpose for Reading • Ask students to read the book to find out what symmetry is and what has symmetry. Remind them to ask themselves questions about what they are reading.
© 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. ISBN: 978-1-4108-1569-9
11/17/10 11:42:07 AM
During Reading....Ï Monitor Student Reading • Have students put self-stick notes next to words they have trouble with. • Observe students as they whisper read. Intervene as necessary to guide them to use appropriate strategies to read difficult words.
After Reading....Ï Reflect on Reading Strategies • Ask students to share any new questions they had as they read. Remind them that asking questions helps them become more involved with what they are reading. • Ask students to share words they found difficult to read, and ask what strategies students used to read them. Use these words, and any words you noticed students having difficulty with, to model appropriate reading strategies. Reinforce that students should always check whether the words they read make sense.
Assessment Tip
To check a student’s reading strategies, ask him or her to read a section of the text aloud to you while other students are whisper reading. Note whether the student is using visual, structure, and meaning cues to self-correct and/or make sense of the text.
ell
Support Tips
for English-Language Learners
Reflect on Reading Strategies Note the words English-language learners are having difficulty with. Ask them to define or use words to help you determine whether their problems relate to unfamiliar vocabulary or syntax.
Discuss Concepts • Ask students to explain what it means if an object is symmetrical or asymmetrical. Have students answer the question and then go back to the book and read aloud the parts that helped them answer the question. • Write the capital letters of the alphabet on index cards. Give two or three of the cards to pairs of students. Have the pairs identify which letters are symmetrical and which are asymmetrical and explain how they know. • Refer to the prereading list of questions. Have students determine whether the questions have been answered. If some have not been answered, ask students how they might find the answers.
Extend Concepts • Review the objects in the book with students and discuss which objects have symmetry and why and which do not. • Give each student a sheet of drawing paper. Have students draw a line down the center of the paper and label one half Symmetry and the other half No Symmetry. • Ask students to find two objects in the classroom, one with symmetry and one without symmetry, and to draw a picture of each object on their paper. Encourage students to find objects that aren’t mentioned in the book. © 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
15692_TG.indd 3
Make Fiction-to-Fact™ Concept Connections If students have read Frances the Fairy Dressmaker, ask: • The dressmakers make a symmetrical dress for Lady Abigail because she likes symmetry. Do you think a beautiful dress could be made using asymmetry? Why or why not? (Students may say yes because an asymmetrical dress could be interesting and unusual, or no because they think symmetry makes things more pleasing and beautiful.) • What are some things mentioned or pictured in Symmetry in Our World that might be turned into gloves and earrings for Lady Abigail? (Flowers, pineapples, or snowflakes could be used for these items.)
Symmetry in Our World
3
11/17/10 11:42:07 AM
Small Group Reading Lesson ell
Support Tips
for English-Language Learners
Model Review with students what a fact is before looking for facts in chapter 1. Remind them that a fact states something that can be proved to be true. As you read aloud each sentence in chapter 1, ask students whether the sentence states a fact. Ask: Does this sentence say something that can be proved to be true?
Practice and Apply If students have difficulty locating facts in the chapters, direct them to specific pages and ask questions that help them focus on the facts the book tells about symmetry, for example: What does the book tell you on page 10 about people’s brains?
Build Comprehension:
SUMMARIZE Information Model Say: One thing we can do to help us remember and understand the facts we read in a book is to summarize them. When we summarize, we pick out the most important ideas and say them in our own words. Read aloud each sentence in the first chapter and together decide whether it tells a fact about symmetry. Write the facts in a list. Then, write a summary that includes the most important ideas in the chapter. For example, When an object has two halves that are exactly alike, the object has symmetry; it is symmetrical. Circles and squares have symmetry. An object that does not have two matching halves does not have symmetry; it is asymmetrical. Practice Distribute copies of the Summarizing blackline master. Read the headings and point out that these are the headings for chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5 in the book. Help students identify facts the book tells about symmetry in the alphabet in chapter 2. Have them write the facts in the Details column. Help students summarize the facts by choosing the most important ones and writing about them in a sentence or two in the Summary column. Apply Have students complete the chart by listing and summarizing facts in chapters 3, 4, and 5. Have students share their ideas with the group.
Summarize Information Can You Find Symmetry in the Alphabet? Details
Assessment Tip
Observe whether students are able to locate facts in the book. Note whether they can summarize the facts by choosing the most important ones and stating them in their own words. If students have difficulty, you might want to provide additional modeling.
Summary
Capital H is a symmetrical letter because its right half is the same as its left half. Capital F is not a symmetrical letter because its sides are not the same. Capital B is a symmetrical letter if you fold it horizontally but asymmetrical if you fold it vertically.
Some letters of the alphabet are symmetrical, and others are not. We can divide the letters in half to see which are and which aren’t.
Do You Have Symmetry? Details
Summary
People’s faces have two eyes, two eyebrows, and two ears, so they would seem to be symmetrical. People’s brains are symmetrical. They have two even parts. People have two kidneys and two lungs. People have one heart and one stomach.
People are symmetrical in some ways and asymmetrical in other ways.
What Is the Line of Symmetry? Details
Summary
You can draw an imaginary line down the center of the Taj Mahal. If you fold a paper shape in half, it makes a line down the center. A symmetrical shape has a line that divides it into two equal halves. The line may be real or imaginary. It is called the line of symmetry.
Every shape with symmetry has a line of symmetry, which is a real or imaginary line that divides the shape into two equal halves.
Can You Find Symmetry in Nature? Details Butterflies have symmetry. A butterfly’s body is its line of symmetry. Sand dollars have symmetry. Shells may have symmetry. Crabs and clams can have symmetry. Many leaves have symmetry. Bats, tigers, and pineapples have symmetry.
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Summary Many things in nature have symmetry.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
11/17/10 11:42:07 AM
Writing Mini-Lesson: Ask Questions for Effect • Reread page 6 while students follow along. Say: The author began this page with a question. She put another question in the second paragraph. Why do you think she did that? • Involve students in a discussion about using questions for effect by asking the following questions: What questions does the author use in the text on this page? (What about other kinds of shapes? Would the two halves match exactly) Why do you think the author put these questions in the text? (The author hopes that readers will try to answer the questions and then read on to find the answers. This will keep readers involved and interested in the book.)
writing Checklist
As students review their piece of writing, have them ask themselves: • Do I use any questions in my writing? • Do my questions make readers feel involved in my topic? • Did I use a question at the beginning? Should I? • Did I use a question at the end? Should I?
What are some other questions in the text? (Can you figure out which letters have symmetry? What about F? But do your eyes match exactly? and so on) Do you think using the word you in a question in the text is a good idea? Why or why not? (Yes, addressing readers directly makes the topic personal and gets their attention.) • Use other nonfiction books to show how other writers use questions for effect. Discuss with students how the questions help keep readers interested and involved in what they are reading. • Write specific questions from the examples on chart paper to serve as models for students. • After looking at several examples of questions used for effect, have students talk about questions they found especially interesting and explain why they thought so.
Reread for fluency Read aloud sections of Symmetry in Our World using appropriate phrasing, intonation, and expression to model fluent reading. Have pairs of students take turns reading the pages of the book to each other.
Link to Journal Writing Have students find a piece of nonfiction writing in their journals. Have them note whether they used any questions for effect in their writing. If not, have them decide what kinds of questions could get readers more involved in their topic. If students don’t have a piece of nonfiction writing in their journal, ask them to begin a new piece of writing.
Connect to home Have students read the take-home version of Symmetry in Our World to family members. Suggest that they talk about some things in nature and some things made by people that are symmetrical. Have students share their independent writing as well.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
15692_TG.indd 5
Symmetry in Our World
5
11/17/10 11:42:08 AM
Skills Bank ell
Support Tips
for English-Language Learners
Content Vocabulary Pair English-language learners with native speakers to find symmetrical things in the book and to brainstorm additional items for the web. Ask them to explain how they decided whether each thing had symmetry or not.
Grammar/Word Study 1 Point out that adjectives is another name for describing words. Point out objects in the classroom and ask students to describe the objects. Write any adjectives they use on the board along with the nouns they describe. Use the examples to reinforce the function of adjectives. Ask questions that require students to answer with the adjectives they used.
Grammar/Word Study 2 To reinforce the concept of commands, say simple commands, one at a time, for students to follow, such as Stand by your desk. Touch your toes. Pick up the book. After students have performed the appropriate action, ask them how they knew the command was addressed to them, even though you did not say you. Then repeat the command, this time using you.
Content Vocabulary: Words related to symmetry • Begin a web on the board with the phrase Things with Symmetry in the center circle. • Have students suggest words that name symmetrical things for you to write in the outer circles of the web. Remind them that they can begin by looking for things that are mentioned and/or pictured in the book. • Have students brainstorm other things that are symmetrical, such as spiders, airplanes, and oranges. Add their suggestions to the web.
Grammar/Word Study: Adjectives • Reread the first paragraph on page 6 as students follow along. Ask: What word does the writer use to describe the shape? (curvy) What words does the writer use to describe the cloud? (big and fluffy) Explain that curvy, big, and fluffy are describing words, or adjectives. Adjectives are words that tell about, or describe, a person, place, or thing. • Write the phrases curvy shape and big, fluffy cloud on the board. Point out that the adjective curvy describes the noun shape, and the adjectives big and fluffy describe the noun cloud. Explain that adjectives often come before the nouns they describe. • Have pairs of students find some other adjectives in the book (beautiful—page 2; same—page 4; two—page 6; right, symmetrical— page 8; imaginary, real—page 13; many, deep, dark, asymmetrical, brave—page 17). Help them identify the noun or pronoun that each adjective describes.
Grammar/Word Study: Verbs in commands • Reread the second sentence on page 6. Say: Look at the second sentence. It begins with a verb. Why? What is the subject of the sentence? Explain that the sentence begins with a verb because it is a command; it tells the reader to do something. Also, a command does not have a stated subject; the subject is always understood to be you: (You) take a crayon or pencil. • Ask students to find another command on the page and to identify the verb and subject. • Have pairs of students find other commands in the book and write each command’s verb and subject. (There are additional commands on pages 5, 9, 12, and 13.)
6
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© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
11/17/10 11:42:08 AM
Name _______________________________________________________ Date ___________________
Summarize Information Can You Find Symmetry in the Alphabet? Details
Summary
Do You Have Symmetry? Details
Summary
What Is the Line of Symmetry? Details
Summary
Can You Find Symmetry in Nature? Details
Summary
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
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Name _______________________________________________________ Date ___________________
Adjectives Anna worked at her big, square desk. Icy white snowflakes fell from the sky. Large yellow buses brought students to the new school. A silver airplane sat on the empty runway. The bright star shone in the dark sky. Sandy slipped on the wet, slick floor. Dad drove a fancy blue car home. Mom served hot, spicy soup. Mike’s sore feet liked the soft rug. The happy girls played in the dry brown leaves.
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Directions: Have students circle the adjectives in the sentences. Then have them write each adjective and the noun it describes on a line.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
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