Teacher s Guide. Level F/10 How Raven Became Black and Owl Got Its Spots. Fiction

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1 Level F/10 How Raven Became Black Teacher s Guide Skills & Strategies Anchor Comprehension Strategy Make Inferences Phonemic Awareness Medial sounds Phonics Digraph th Concept Vocabulary Similes Grammar/Word Study Comparatives Summary This Native American folktale tells the story of how Raven and Owl got their color and spots Fiction Small Group Rea Small Group Reading Lesson Skills Bank Reproducible Activities 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

2 Small Group Reading Lesson Title: Characters: Events: ell Folktales Little Red Riding Hood Little Red Riding Hood, the Wolf, Grandmother, Woodcutter 1. Little Red Riding Hood goes through the forest to visit her grandmother. 2. Wolf dresses up like grandmother and tries to trick Little Red Riding Hood. 3. Woodcutter saves Little Red Riding Hood. Support Tips for English-Language Learners Build Background Knowledge If English-language learners are not familiar with the folktale students suggest, read the story to them and make sure they have a sense of the characters, setting, and events in the folktale. Point out the pictures of the characters when brainstorming characters and events. Build Vocabulary and Language Patterns As students preview the book, discuss the phrase did not get along on page 3. Explain that when people get along, they work and play well together, but when they do not get along, they fight and argue. Discuss with students why even when two people are friends, they sometimes do not get along. Then say: Sometimes Raven did not get along with Owl. Sometimes Owl did not get along with Raven. Have students repeat the sentences. Before Reading Build Background Knowledge Help students recall a familiar folktale, preferably one that features animals as the main characters. As a group, retell the folktale. Have students brainstorm a list of the characters and events in this folktale and in any other folktales they have heard or read. Record their ideas on a chart titled Folktales. Discuss what they would expect to find when they read a folktale. Model Making Text-to-Text Connections Display the title page and read the title and the phrase below the title. Say: I have read folktales before. I know that sometimes folktales explain how things in nature came to be. For example, I read a folk tale that tells how the sky came to be blue. I should be able to use what I know about folktales to help me read and understand this story. Ask students if the cover and title remind them of any stories they have read before. Preview the Book Preview each page in the book, asking students to describe what they see and to make connections to other stories they have read. Model making text-to-text connections. Say: I remember reading a Native American folktale that explains how the earth came to be. It says that the animals made the earth on a turtle s back for people to live on. That folktale had animals in it, too. Introduce language you feel may be difficult for students. For example, on page 3, you might point to the birds in the picture and ask: Which bird is a raven? Which bird is an owl? Do they look different from the ravens and owls you know? How? Model Reading Strategies Point out the word everywhere on page 15 and ask students what strategies they could use to read the word. Suggest the following strategies as you think aloud: You could divide the compound word into its two smaller words: every/where. Then you could sound out each smaller word, 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 this folktale explains. Remind them to use what they already know about folktales to help them as they read. 2 How Raven Became Black. 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:

3 Assessment Tip During Reading 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 Reflect on Reading Strategies Ask students to share how other folktales they have read were like this folktale. Reinforce that connecting a new story to other similar stories they have read will help them understand the new book better. 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. Discuss Concepts Talk with students about folktales and why people create and pass down folktales. Ask: Why do you think people tell folktales? Why do you like to read folktales? What can you learn about a group of people by reading their folktales? Have students compare this Native American folktale with a folktale they are familiar with that has a European or an African background, for example, the folktale they discussed earlier. Have them point out features that are the same and different. Ask: What does each folktale explain? How does the folktale explain that? Why do you think these stories are important to the people who make them? Extend Concepts Say: Some folktales, like this one about the raven and the owl, try to explain why some animals look the way they do. Have students brainstorm animals with interesting or unusual features, such as elephants, giraffes, zebras, peacocks, and kangaroos. Have pairs of students choose an animal and make up their own folktale about why the animal looks the way it does. Have the pairs share their stories with the group. ell 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/or meaning cues to self-correct and make sense of the text. 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. Make Fiction-to-Fact Concept Connections If students have read Mask Making Around the World, ask: Do you think Raven and Owl would be good characters for masks? Why or why not? (Yes, because animals are good subjects for masks; these animals are important characters in some Native American cultures and the people might want to have masks of the characters to help tell stories about the characters.) The book Mask Making Around the World says that masks help us learn about people. How do stories like the one about Raven and Owl help us learn about people? (The stories tell us things about the people who made up the stories. For example, this story tells us that Native Americans observed animals closely and that animals were important in their culture.) How Raven Became Black 3

4 Small Group Reading Lesson ell Support Tips for English-Language Learners Model Reinforce the concept of making inferences about characters by using people whom students are familiar with, such as the school custodian. Say, for example: When I see, he always smiles and asks me how I am. I can guess from this that he is a friendly person who cares about the school. Practice and Apply Pair English-language learners with native speakers to find and discuss Owl s actions and statements and to make inferences about him based on this information. Point out that they should use their own words when filling in the blackline master. Build Comprehension: MAKE INFERENCES ABOUT CHARACTERS Model Ask: How can we find out what the characters in a story are like? By reading the story! We read what the characters say and what they do. Sometimes the pictures in the story tell us things about the characters. We can use all this information to make guesses about what the characters are like. Model how to make inferences about characters. Show students page 4 and reread the text. Say: Raven says that he is the strongest bird. I think that shows he is proud and likes to brag. It also shows that he does not mind hurting Owl s feelings. Owl probably does not like hearing Raven say this. Practice Distribute copies of the Making Guesses About Characters blackline master. Have students look through the story and tell you what Raven does and says in the story and what they can guess about him, using these clues. Show students how to put this information in the chart. Apply Have students complete the chart by writing what Owl says and does in the story and what they can guess about the character based on the clues. Have students share their ideas with the group. Character What the Character Does and Says in the Story Assessment Tip Raven says he is the strongest bird Observe how students make inferences about the characters in the story. Note whether they locate the characters actions and dialogue and use this information to infer the characters traits. If students have difficulty, you might want to provide additional modeling. makes fun of Owl tricks Owl into helping him out of the mud What I Can Guess About the Character proud likes to brag does not mind hurting Owl s feelings probably does it to annoy Owl annoying does not mind teasing Owl probably does it all the time cannot be trusted knows he can fool Owl probably does it all the time is always a trickster Owl argues with Raven about who is stronger likes to argue quick to take offense gets mad and jumps on Raven helps Raven out of the mud even though he knows Raven can be tricky has a quick temper nice easily fooled swayed by thought of reward 4 How Raven Became Black

5 Writing Mini-Lesson: Using Vivid Details Reread page 2 while students follow along. Point out that the page describes Raven and Owl using a vivid detail: once they were as white as snow. Involve students in a discussion about using vivid details by asking the following questions: How does the detail on page 2 help readers? (It helps readers picture what the characters look like at the beginning of the story. It compares their color to the color of something that readers are familiar with.) What is a vivid detail on page 9? (as black as the night sky) What does this detail do? (Again, it compares the color of the bird to the color of something readers know. It shows how Raven s color has changed from what it was.) What are some other vivid details in the story? (a puddle of black mud; black mud went on Owl s white feathers) Why are these details important in helping readers understand the story? (They emphasize the physical characteristics of the birds that the story is about.) Use other fiction books to show how other writers use vivid details. Discuss with students how the details help readers visualize, or picture in their minds, the characters, settings, and events of the story. Write vivid details from the examples on chart paper to serve as models for students. Writing Checklist As students review their piece of writing, have them ask themselves: Did I use vivid details? Do the details describe the characters, events, and/or settings of the story? Do the details help readers see these parts of the story? Reread for fluency Read aloud sections of How Raven Became Black and Owl Got Its Spots using appropriate phrasing, intonation, and expression to model fluent reading. Then, 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 fiction writing in their journals. Have them look at how they used vivid details to help readers visualize the characters, settings, and events of the story. Have students decide whether they can improve their writing by adding or changing details. If students don t have a piece of fiction writing in their journal, ask them to begin a new piece of writing in which they incorporate vivid details. Connect to home Have students read the take-home version of How Raven Became Black to family members. Suggest that they talk about how and why each bird came to look the way it does. How Raven Became Black 5

6 Skills Bank ell Support Tips for English-Language Learners Phonics Provide additional practice with listening for medial sounds. Say pairs of words, such as pig/peg, hot/hut, and fan/fin, and ask students if the words sound the same. Then as you say pig slowly, have students listen for the beginning, middle, and ending sounds. Say the word again and ask them what the middle, or medial, sound is. Phonics If students have difficulty hearing /th/ in words, say pairs of words, such as thick/sick, think/drink, thin/shin, and math/mat, and ask students if they hear /th/ in both words. Then say the pairs of words again and ask students which word has /th/. Concept Vocabulary To reinforce the structure of this kind of simile, write the pattern is as as on the board and fill it in as you point to the blanks and words: A giraffe is as tall as a tree. The shirt is as blue as the sky. The dog is as big as a pony. Once you feel students understand the pattern, pause before the last blank and let them supply an appropriate word. Grammar/Word Study If students have difficulty with the concept of comparative forms, say sets of three sentences, for example, The block is small. This block is smaller than that one. That block is smallest of all. Repeat the sentences, pausing before the -er and -est words to let students supply the words. Phonemic Awareness: Medial sounds Say: Listen as I say three words: fun, bird, mud. Listen to the middle sounds. Say the three words again, emphasizing the middle sounds. Ask: Which two words have the same middle sound? (fun, mud) Say: Fun has /u/ in the middle. Bird has /ûr/. Mud has /u/. Fun and mud have the same sound in the middle. Repeat the activity with the following groups of words: time, trick, white; please, need, help; ground, shook, would; black, went, mad. Phonics: Digraph th Write the word things on the board. Say the word with students. Ask: What is the beginning sound? What letters stand for /th/? Circle th. Write the word both on the board. Ask: Where do you hear /th/ in both? Circle th and point out that words can have /th/ at the beginning or the end. Ask students to find other words in the book that begin with th. (they, the, this, then, and that) Write the words on the board. Point out that th in these words stands for a slightly different sound. Have students say they and things to compare the beginning sounds. Concept Vocabulary: Similes Reread page 2 as students follow along. Ask: What color is snow? What color are the birds? How do you know? The author says the birds color is the same as the color of snow. She compares the birds to something we know snow. This helps us picture what the birds look like. Point out the words as and as and explain that these words are a clue that two things are being compared. Have students reread page 9. Ask: What color is the night sky? What color is Raven? How do you know? The author is comparing Raven s color to the color of the night sky. Grammar/Word Study: Comparatives Reread page 4 as students follow along. Say: Raven thinks he is strong. He thinks he is stronger than Owl. He thinks he is the strongest bird of all. Write the words strong, stronger, and strongest on the board and circle -er and -est. Say: When I use the describing word strong to compare two things, Raven and Owl, I add -er to the end. When I use strong to compare three or more things, Raven to all birds, I add -est to the end. Write the words small, bright, green, and hard on the board. Have students add -er and -est to each describing word and use each new word in an oral sentence. 6 How Raven Became Black

7 Name Date Making Guesses About Characters Character Raven What the Character Does and Says in the Story What I Can Guess About the Character Owl

8 Name Date Comparatives Word -er -est quiet clean tall long cold loud sweet short soft Directions: Have students add -er and -est to the describing words in the first column and write the comparative forms in the second and third columns.