Plant and Animal Partners

Level M/28 Science Teacher s Guide Skills & Strategies Anchor Comprehension Strategy Identify and Supporting Phonics /sk/ spelled sc, sk r-family blends Content Vocabulary Word chains Grammar/Word Study Descriptive words Science Big Idea Plants and animals can have codependent relationships. 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

Small Group Reading Lesson Day 1 Prediction Chart How I think plants and animals can be partners Before Reading Animals eat plants. Plants are homes for animals. Animals spread plants seeds. Plants hide animals. Chapters 1 2 the Whole Book Activate Prior Knowledge Show students the cover of the book and read the title. Ask: What kind of animal do you see? Where do you think it lives? What kind of plant do you see in the picture? Involve students in a discussion about the relationships between plants and animals. Ask how insects, birds, mammals, or sea creatures use plants. Then see if they can think of ways plants might need the animals that eat them or live in them. Distribute copies of the prediction chart, p. 11. Ask students to predict how plants and animals could be partners. Tell students to write their ideas in the first column. Explain that they will return to the charts as they are reading the book. Preview the Book Give each student a copy of the book. Have students turn to the table of contents. Ask: What can you learn about a book from its table of contents? What page would you go to if you wanted to read about insects? Let s turn to that page. What is the purpose of the purple balloons with the white writing in them on page 6? Point out the word pollen in bold type on page 4. Have students turn to the glossary at the back of the book and find the word. Read the definition together. Demonstrate how to use the pronunciation guide to read the word. Some students may benefit from a discussion of the words in the glossary prior to reading the book. You may want to read through the words and their definitions with students and answer any questions they may have. Point out the index at the bottom of the page. Ask: What is the purpose of the index in this book? On what pages can I find out about ants? On what pages can I read about mammals? Let s turn to these pages to see what we can find. 2

Set a Purpose for Reading: Chapters 1 2, pp. 2 5 Have students read the headings on pages 2 and 4. Say: Let s read these chapters silently to find out about food chains and how plants and birds help each other. Monitor students reading and provide support as necessary. Monitoring Reading Strategies before reading Use the cues provided to remind students that they can apply different strategies to identify unfamiliar words. during reading Observe students as they read the book. Take note of how they are problem-solving on text. Guide, or prompt, individual students who cannot problem-solve independently. after reading Discuss words that gave students difficulty and the strategies they used to work them out. Reinforce good reading behaviors you observed by saying: I noticed, [student s name], that you used the glossary to help you figure out some words you didn t know. That is a good strategy. [Student s name], I saw you working out partnerships by breaking it into syllables and sounding out each part. That s what good readers do. You may wish to select activities from the Skills Bank (pp. 9 10) that will develop students reading strategies. Repeat this monitoring process each time students read a new section of the book. Visual Cues Look at the initial letters. Break the word into syllables and sound out each part. Look for familiar chunks within the word. Think about what sound the vowel makes in the word. Structure Cues Think about whether the words in the sentence sound right. Meaning Cues Think about what makes sense in the sentence. Look at the pictures to confirm the word. Remind students that they can use the glossary at the end of the book to check any words that are printed in bold type. Build Comprehension ASK AND ANSWER QUESTIONS Help students review their purpose for reading the chapters. Encourage them to use information from the text and their background experience to answer some or all of the following questions. How do birds help plants? How do plants help birds? (Birds spread plants pollen and seeds. Plants provide food for birds.) (Summarize information) Now that you have read chapters 1 and 2, do you want to revise or add to your predictions? Write in the second column of your charts. (Answers will vary.) (Make predictions) How might a seed begin to grow far away from the plant it came from? (Birds eat seeds in fruit and scatter the seeds in their droppings.) (Identify cause and effect/draw conclusions) Prediction Chart How I think plants and animals can be partners Before Reading Animals eat plants. Plants are homes for animals. Animals spread plants seeds. Plants hide animals. Chapters 1 2 Plants and animals are connected in a food chain. Birds get their food from plants. They help plants by spreading pollen and seeds so new plants grow. the Whole Book 3

Small Group Reading Lesson (continued) Set a Purpose for Reading: Chapter 3, pp. 6 11 Have students read the heading on page 6. Say: Let s read this chapter silently to learn how plants and insects help each other. Monitor students reading and provide support as necessary. Build Comprehension ASK AND ANSWER QUESTIONS Help students review their purpose for reading the chapter. Encourage them to use information from the text and their background experience to answer some or all of the following questions. How do insects help plants? How do plants help insects? (Insects spread plants pollen, scare off plant pests, provide food for plants, and pollinate plants flowers. Plants provide food and shelter for insects.) (Summarize information) Look at the illustration on page 7. What is the purpose of this illustration? (to show the reader how a bee inadvertently collects pollen as it gathers nectar and transfers that pollen from one flower to another; to make clear the description in the text) (Interpret graphics/draw conclusions) Do you think ants know they are protecting plants when they scare off pests? Why or why not? (Answers will vary. One possible answer: No. They probably fight the pests to protect their food and their homes.) (Make inferences) Day 2 Review Chapters 1, 2, and 3 Have students review what they have read about plant and animal partners. Ask: What can you tell me about plant and animal partners? What did you learn about bees and their importance to plants? What are some new words you learned from your reading so far? 4

Set a Purpose for Reading: Chapters 4 5, pp. 12 18 Have students read the headings on pages 12 and 16. Say: Let s read these chapters silently to learn how plants, mammals, and sea animals help one another. Monitor students reading and provide support as necessary. Build Comprehension ASK AND ANSWER QUESTIONS Engage students in a discussion about the text. Encourage them to ask questions about what they read. Model how to use background knowledge and experience, as well as information in the text, to answer questions. Ask: How do plants help mammals? How do mammals help plants? (Plants provide food for many mammals, and the mammals help the plants grow.) (Summarize information) Why do squirrels plant acorns? (to eat during the winter, p. 13) (Locate facts) How do sea animals help plants? How do plants help sea animals? (Coral polyps give plants a place to live. Plants provide food and grass for sea polyps.) (Summarize information) Zebras and coral polyps both have partnerships with plants. How are those partnerships the same? How are they different? (The zebra and the polyps need plants to live. The zebra eats grass; the polyp shelters its plants.) (Compare and contrast) Which of the three plant and animal partnerships described in Chapter 5 would be most difficult for you to see? Why? (the coral reef; it is underwater and the creatures that live there are very small.) (Draw conclusions) Teacher Tip Question Types Students need to understand that they can use information from various places in the book, as well as background knowledge, to answer different types of questions. These lessons provide four types of questions, designed to give students practice in understanding the relationship between a question and the source of its answer. Questions that require students to go to a specific place in the text. Questions that require students to integrate information from several sentences, paragraphs, or chapters within the book. Questions that require students to combine background knowledge with information from the book. Questions that relate to the book topic but require students to use only background knowledge and experience, not information from the book. 5

Small Group Reading Lesson (continued) Prediction Chart How I think plants and animals can be partners Before Reading Animals eat plants. Plants are homes for animals. Animals spread plants seeds. Plants hide animals. Chapters 1 2 Plants and animals are connected in a food chain. Birds get their food from plants. They help plants by spreading pollen and seeds so new plants grow. the Whole Book Plants and animals are connected in a food chain. Birds get their food from plants. They help plants by spreading pollen and seeds so new plants grow. Zebras and antelopes help grass grow by eating the top parts. Ants protect plants from pests. Flowers need pollen to make seeds. Pollen sticks to bees and is carried to other f lowers. A tiny plant shelters in the coral polyp. The plant helps the polyp live. Build Comprehension: Chapters 1 5 ASK AND ANSWER QUESTIONS What can you write in the third column of your prediction charts after reading the whole book? (Answers will vary.) (Locate facts) Which was the most unusual partnership you learned about? (Answers will vary.) (Compare and contrast) Can you think of plants or animals that are partners with people? Who benefits most from the partnership? (Answers will vary.) (Use creative thinking) IDENTIFY MAIN IDEA AND SUPPORTING DETAILS Model Define for students the concept of a main idea, and explain why identifying the main idea is useful. Model how to pick out the main idea in a chapter. Copy the main ideas/supporting details graphic organizer on the board and show students how to record the important information. Say: Authors explain lots of ideas, but there is almost always some key information or main idea that they want readers to understand. In order to explain their main idea, authors include details to back it up. These are called supporting details. The chart on the board will help us organize the main ideas and supporting details for chapters 1 and 2. Let s start by looking at page 2. This chapter is called How Are Plants and Animals Connected? Let s write the supporting details. Then we ll decide the main idea that these details communicate. This chapter begins by telling us about the food chain. First I ll write Plants and animals need each other for food. in the first box labeled. Then I ll write Food chain shows the connection between plants and animals. But the connection between plants and animals is not only about food. Here on page 3 we have the example of the sloth with green hair. I ll write Algae grow on sloth s hair. and Algae help sloth blend with environment. These details about how plants and animals relate to each other make the point that all living things are connected. I m going to write that as the main idea of Chapter 1 in the first box labeled. Our chart shows how supporting details add up to a main idea. Let s see if you can identify supporting details and the main idea for chapter 2. 6

Practice and Apply Distribute copies of the graphic organizer to students. Work through chapters 2 and 3 with students, having them record the important details. Point out that space is limited. Encourage students to consider which details are most important before writing. Finally, help students agree upon the main idea and a concise way of stating it. s/supporting Topic: Plants and animals need each other for food. Food chain shows the connection between plants and animals. Algae grow on sloth s hair. Algae help sloth blend with environment. Flowers attract birds with nectar and colors. Birds spread pollen for plants. Plants have sweet fruit that birds eat. Birds scatter plant seeds in droppings. Bees gather nectar from f lowers. Bees carry pollen from one f lower to another. Plants give ants food and shelter. Ants scare off pests and provide food. Wasps pollinate the fig s f lowers. All living things are connected. Plants and birds help each other. Plants and insects help each other. Teacher Tip Monitoring Comprehension Are students able to revisit the text to locate specific answers to text-dependent questions? If they are having difficulty, show them how to match the wording of the question to the wording in the text. Are students able to find answers to questions that require a search of the text? If they are having difficulty, model how you would search for the answer. Can students combine their background knowledge with information from the text to draw conclusions and make inferences? If they are having difficulty, model how you would answer the question. Are students answers to creative questions logical and relevant to the topic? Do students completed graphic organizers reflect an ability to identify main idea and supporting details in the chapters? If students are having difficulty, provide more modeling and guided practice in this skill. 7

Small Group Reading Lesson (continued) 8 Walk on sidewalk. Cross at crosswalks or traffic lights. Look both ways. Walk, don t run. Keep to right. Make hand signals. Don t carry passengers. Wear light, bright clothing at night. Wear a helmet. Topic: Road Safety Reread for Fluency You may wish to read sections of the book aloud to students to model fluent reading of the text. Model using appropriate phrasing, intonation, expression, volume, and rate as you read. Some students may benefit from listening to you read a portion of the text and then reading it back to you. Have students reread Plant and Animal Partners with a partner. Have them read the text together and then take turns reading it to each other. Pedestrians need to learn road safety. People riding bicycles must be very careful. Small Group Writing MODEL THE WRITING Show students how they can use the graphic organizer to help them plan their own writing. Once again, copy the graphic organizer on the board. Decide on a familiar topic that doesn t require research and write it in the central circle. The topic might be Road Safety. Tell students that they will need to divide the topic into two parts and decide on the main idea of each part. (For example, Pedestrians have to learn road safety. and People riding bicycles must be very careful. ) Ask: What is the main idea you want the reader to know in each part? What details can you use to support each main idea? Record students suggestions on the board. Tell students they now have a plan for writing: They know what their main ideas are and what details to include. As you work on one paragraph at a time, have students suggest sentences that expand on each main idea. Record their suggestions. Read aloud the completed paragraph and ask students if they need to clarify any information. Show them how to edit the paragraph. Then work on the next paragraph. The completed writing might be similar to the following: Pedestrians have to learn a few important safety lessons. You should always walk on the sidewalk, except when you cross a street. Always try to cross streets at crosswalks or at a traffic light. Look both ways whenever you cross. Never run across the street. Leave plenty of time to walk at your normal pace. People riding bicycles must be very careful. Keep to the right, and make hand signals when you want to turn. Never carry a passenger. At night, use a light and wear bright clothing. Always wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. APPLY (INDEPENDENT WRITING) Give each student a blank copy of the graphic organizer. Tell them that they are to write two paragraphs about an animal, a friend or relative, or a sport. They should use the graphic organizer to plan the main idea of each paragraph and list some details. Point out that they only need to fill in two and s boxes. Connect to Home Have students read the take-home version of Plant and Animal Partners to family members.

Skills Bank: Decoding Phonics: /sk/ spelled sc, sk Write the words scatter and skeleton on the board. Say the words with students. Ask: What sound do you hear at the beginning of both words? (/sk/) Point out that the /s/ and /k/ sounds combine to make a blended sound, /sk/. Ask: What letters make the /sk/ sound in each word? (sc in scatter, sk in skeleton) Circle sc and sk and explain that both letter patterns can spell the /sk/ sound. Give pairs of students dictionaries. Have the pairs make a list of words that begin with /sk/ spelled sc or sk, such as scare, scale, scan, score, scoop, scarf, sketch, skin, skim, skip, skirt, and sky. Then have one pair say one of its words and ask another pair to identify whether /sk/ is spelled sc or sk in the word. The pair that answers writes the word under the heading sc or sk on the board. sc scatter scare scale scan sk skeleton sketch skin skim Phonics: r-family blends Write br, dr, fr, gr, pr, and tr in a row on the board. Point out that these are some r-family blends. Have students copy the headings on their papers and then look through the text of their books (not the captions or boxes) and find at least one word that begins with each r blend. (brightly, breathing, droppings, fruits, grow, ground, grass, provide, produce, trees) Have volunteers write the words under the headings on the board. Read the words together. Point out that /r/ often combines with other consonant sounds to make blended sounds. Then assign each student one of the six r blends and give students 10 minutes to brainstorm as many words as they can that begin with their r blend. When time is up, let students take turns coming to the board and writing their words under the appropriate headings to make a master list of r-blend words. Make sure students do not repeat any words already on the lists. br dr fr brightly droppings fruits breathing dream freeze bread drive frown gr pr tr grow provide trees ground produce trade grass practice trial 9

Skills Bank: Decoding (continued) Content Vocabulary: Word chains Review with students the concept of the food chain on page 2 of the book. Point out how each item on the Arctic tundra food chain links to the next. Explain that words also can form chains, linked by their relationships. Write on the board the following chain: fruits seeds birds droppings plants. Help students understand how these words are related. Then write the following words on the board. bees, pollinate, pollen, nectar, flower. Work with students to agree on a logical order in which to arrange these words. Explain that there may be more than one solution. Suggest that students try to use the words in an oral explanation. If their explanation makes sense, then the order in which the words appeared can be a chain. One possible solution is flower nectar bees pollen pollinate. (Flowers make nectar, which attracts bees. The bees carry pollen to other flowers and help pollinate them.) Give students another set of words from their reading to arrange in a logical order: oak trees, acorn, seedlings, bury, squirrels. (Possible answer: squirrels oak trees bury seedlings acorn) Then ask students to look for other chains of four to six words based on information in the book. Have them write their words in random order on the board. Ask the rest of the group to create word chains from these word groups. brightly colored petals sweet-smelling nectar perfumed scents Grammar: Descriptive words Have students read page 4 of the book. Read the second sentence aloud. Ask students what words the author uses to describe petals, nectar, and scents. (brightly colored, sweet-smelling, perfumed) Write the three descriptive phrases on the board and underline the adjectives. Point out that vivid descriptive terms such as these help readers better visualize what is being described. Read the sentence aloud without the three descriptive terms. Discuss with students the difference in the description. Then write the following paragraph on the board. Have students think of vivid words they can add to describe all the underlined nouns: for example, One cold, dark night. Let students offer their suggestions aloud, or ask them to write the paragraph on their papers, adding their descriptive words. One night I slept in the woods alone. The trees scared me. So did the noises. At midnight I thought I saw a shape on the branch of a tree. I ran along a path and tripped over a stone. 10. 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: 978-1-4108-0194-4

Name Date Prediction Chart How I think plants and animals can be partners Before Reading Chapters 1 2 the Whole Book

Name Date s/supporting Topic: