For students reading at Literacy Level R/40, including: Grade 4 readers Grade 5 8+ students reading below level English-language learners at TESOL Level 5 Science Level R/40 Skills & Strategies Comprehension Strategies Identify Main Idea and Supporting Details Summarize Information Use Graphic Features to Interpret Information Use Text Features To Locate Information Metacognitive Strategy Ask questions Vocabulary Develop academic content vocabulary Phonics/Word Study Recognize comparatives Grammar and Usage Use the possessive pronoun their Fluency Read smoothly with minimal breaks Bridges Theme: Ancient Civilizations Alexander the Great (Level R/40) (Level R/40) Ancient Rome (Level Q/40) Social Studies Big Idea Readers will learn about the Mycenaean culture, the growth of the city-states, and the Golden Age and fall of ancient Greece. 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
Prepare to Read Build Comprehension Pictures To Think About Hand out books. Read the title aloud. Ask students to tell what they see on the cover. Tell students that the ancient Greeks developed ideas and ways of living that still affect us today. Have students turn to the page titled Pictures To Think About. Tell them they will use information on these pages to help recall and add to what they already know about ancient Greece. Use the map in the center to remind students that Greece is a peninsula with seas and many islands around it. On the board, create a chart with two columns labeled What is it? and What do I know about it? Have students make a copy on paper. Ask partners to study each photograph, starting with the top picture on the left-hand page and moving clockwise. Have students complete as much of the chart as they can on their own and then share their ideas with the class. Use the sample chart below to help them fill in any missing information. Invite students to find each photograph in the book and read its caption. Words To Think About Have students turn to the Words To Think About spread. Ask them to study the word map for architecture and think of other characteristics and examples to add. Then read the third paragraph on page 4 and ask: What characteristics and examples can you add now? What do you think the word architecture means? (different styles or ways of building) Ask students to study the word bench for democracy. Explain that this word is made up of two word parts from the Greek language. Read the word parts aloud for students. Say: Put the word parts together: people rule, or rule by people. Then read the first paragraph on page 2 and ask: What do you think the word democracy means? (rule, or government, by the people) Ask students to study the word pedestal for citizen and think of other answers. Then read the second paragraph on page 10 and ask: What information can we add now? What do you think the word citizen means? (a person born in a city or country who has certain rights) Remind students that good readers use their own knowledge and the text to figure out the meanings of words. Pictures To Think About Photograph What is it? What do I know about it? 1 athletes ancient Greece had Olympic games 2 giant wooden horse Trojan soldiers hid inside 3 public gathering place people could talk, read, and relax 4 ancient soldiers marched to war 2 Copyright 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: 978-1-4108-8685-9 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Before Reading Preview the Book Turn to the Table of Contents. Explain that in years b.c., the numbers get smaller, not larger, as years go by, so these chapter headings are in chronological order. Ask student partners to discuss what they think they will learn while reading this book. Turn to the Index. Explain that an index lists the topics in alphabetical order and the pages they are found on. Ask students to find the word Minotaur in the Index and then again on the correct page in the book. Set Learning Goals Pair students and ask them to generate a learning-goal statement about the book s topic, such as I want to learn what life was like in ancient Greece. Have pairs share their statements with the group. Post the learning-goal statements on the board in the classroom. Build Vocabulary for Comprehension Write the words architecture, democracy, and citizen on the board. Remind students they have already discussed these three important words. Tell them you will now share additional words they will need to know, adding acropolis, agora, archaeologist, city-state, civilization, culture, epic, gymnasium, historian, noble, philosophy, ruins, and temple to the list on the board. Read each word and ask students to pronounce it. Model how to sort the words on a threecolumn chart labeled Know, Think I Know, and Do Not Know. Say: I know the word temple. I will write temple in the first column. I do not know the word agora. I will write agora in the last column. I have heard of the word culture, but I do not know much about the word. I will write culture in the center column. Ask students to make their own charts and sort the words according to their current understanding of each one. Explain that as they learn more about the words, they can move them to different columns. Know Think I Know Do Not Know temple culture agora Introduction Ask students to turn to the Introduction on pages 2 and 3. Explain that an introduction tells what a book is about. Ask students to discuss what they see in the photographs and why they think the author put these here. Invite students to read the Introduction silently. Then say: Page 3 lists four things you will learn about ancient Greece. Which of the four items interests you more? Why? Turn to a partner and discuss your answers. After partners confer, invite them to share their thinking with the group. Text and Graphic Features Use this table to help students see how text and graphic features provide extra information to readers. Chapter Feature Prompts Answers 1 sidebar (p. 7) What does the sidebar add to what we already know about Homer? We learn the names and topics of his popular epics and that people still read them to learn about ancient Greece. 3 table (p. 22) 1. What does this table show? 2. Why do you think the author included this information? 1. the ancient Greeks gods and goddesses 2. Learning about the ancient Greeks beliefs helps us understand their culture. 4 illustration (pp. 26 27) 1. Why do you think the author included this illustration? It depicts the soldiers as strong, well-armed, and organized, supporting the fact that they conquered ancient Greece. 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC 3
Chapter 1 Before Reading Build Vocabulary for Comprehension Write archaeologists, ruins, temples, culture, civilization, and epic on the board. Guide students to see that archaeologists is described on page 2. Say: The author gives us clues to help us define archaeologists. Help students find the clues (dig up ruins of ancient Greek cities, have found many temples and palaces) and define archaeologists. Repeat the process with temples on page 2, culture on page 3, and civilization and architecture on page 4. Ask students to find the word ruins on page 2. Say: The author uses a synonym to define ruins. What is the synonym? (remains) Point out that the comma and the word or after ruins helps readers identify the synonym. Repeat the process for epic on page 7. Model Monitor-Reading Strategy: Ask Questions Say: One way to make sure I understand what I read is to ask myself questions. I find answers to many of my questions in the book. Other times I ask an expert or do some research. Use a real-life example of asking questions. Explain that today students will ask questions about tricky words in Chapter 1. Read the sidebar titled The Minotaur on page 5 aloud as students follow along. Say: The author says the Minotaur was a monster in a Greek myth. What could the word myth mean? Now I see that a myth tells a sequence of events, so it must be a story. I found the answer in the text. Set Purpose for Reading Ask students to read pages 4 7 silently, jot down questions in their journals about unfamiliar words or phrases, and look for answers in the text. Tell students they will also read to answer the question How did the ancient Greek civilization begin? During Reading Observe and Prompt Reading Strategies As students read, watch as they record questions and look for answers. Document who is and is not using this monitor-reading strategy. Take note of students who have difficulty. After Reading Discuss the Reading Ask students to share the questions they asked as they read and the answers they found in the text. Have students answer How did the ancient Greek civilization begin? To focus on text and graphic features for Chapter 1, use the sidebar prompt from the chart on page 3 of this guide. Use the Bridges: Comprehension Question Card for textdependent questions that refer to this section. Review Vocabulary Ask students to restate the descriptions given for the words archaeologists, civilization, culture, and temples and the synonyms given for ruins and epic. Ask students to locate the words on their vocabulary charts and decide if they want to move any to another column. Summarize Information Explain that a summary gives the key ideas from a book. Have students turn to Chapter 1. As a group, decide on the key ideas and have one or two students write the information on chart paper or the board. (Greek civilization began with the Mycenaean culture around 2000 b.c. A dark age descended around 1200 b.c., but the Greeks began to recover around 800 b.c. About that time, the poet Homer wrote epics.) Keep the key ideas posted. Say: After we select the key ideas from the rest of the book, we will write a summary together. 4 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Chapters 2 and 3 Before Reading Build Vocabulary for Comprehension Write acropolis, agora, gymnasium, city-state, nobles, and philosophy on the board. Guide students to see that acropolis is directly defined on page 9. Say: The author uses the words was called to let us know he is defining the word. Ask students to define acropolis using the text. Repeat the process for gymnasium on page 9. Have students locate the word agora on page 9. Say: The author defines agora with a synonym. What is the synonym? (marketplace) Repeat the process with nobles on page 11. Guide students to see that city-state is described on page 10. Help students find the clues (little countries, own customs and laws, kings ruled) and define city-state. Repeat the process with philosophy on page 19. Guide Monitor-Reading Strategy: Ask Questions Remind students that they can ask themselves questions about tricky words while they read and look for the answers in the text. Explain that readers can also ask other kinds of questions. Say: Sometimes we want to know who did something or what happened. Sometimes we want to know when, how, or where something happened. We might find the answer in the book. If not, we can ask an expert or do some research. Read the first paragraph on page 10 aloud and model asking a who, what, when, where, why, or how question about the text, such as Why were Athens and Sparta the most important city-states? After you read the rest of the page, ask: Is the answer on the page? Ask students to point out the answer. Set Purpose for Reading Ask students to read Chapters 2 and 3, jot down questions, and look for answers as they read. Tell students they will also read to answer the questions How were the city-states governed? and What was life like during the Golden Age? During Reading Observe and Prompt Reading Strategies As students read, observe them carefully. For students who struggle with asking questions, model the strategy again. Then read page 15 aloud. Ask students to think of a question to ask about the text, such as Why did Athens and Sparta become enemies? Discuss what they can do to answer the question. After Reading Discuss the Reading Ask students to share questions they asked themselves while reading. Ask: How did asking questions help you understand the Greek city-states and the Golden Age? Have students answer the questions How were the city-states governed? and What was life like during the Golden Age? To focus on text and graphic features for Chapters 2 and 3, use the table prompt from the chart on page 3 of this guide. Read and discuss the checkpoint on page 20. Use the Bridges: Comprehension Question Card for textdependent questions that refer to this section. Review Vocabulary Ask students to restate the direct definitions given for acropolis and gymnasium, the synonyms given for agora and nobles, and the descriptions given for city-state and philosophy. Ask students to decide if they want to move any words to another column on their charts. Summarize Information As a group, decide on the key ideas from Chapter 2 and add them to the Chapter 1 summary. (City-states developed in ancient Greece. Two city-states Athens and Sparta joined to fight Persia. Later, they fought each other.) Repeat the process with Chapter 3. (The mid-400s b.c. was the Golden Age. People developed arts, science, and philosophy, and Greek athletes participated in the Olympic Games.) 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC 5
Chapter 4 and Conclusion Before Reading Build Vocabulary for Comprehension Although no glossary words appear in Chapter 4 or the Conclusion, use this opportunity to introduce an additional content word. Write the word jury on the board. Have students turn to page 28 and locate the word jury. Say: The word jury is not directly defined in the text. However, the author gives us clues to the word s meaning. Read the first paragraph aloud. Say: The author uses words such as democratic, courts, and trial. What is the definition of jury? Guide students to see that jury means people who make a fair decision in a court trial. Apply Monitor-Reading Strategy: Ask Questions Remind students they have asked themselves questions about tricky words and about information in the book. Say: We will continue asking questions about who, what, when, where, why, and how. Read page 25 aloud as students follow along. Say: I want to know what country had grown stronger. I will look for the answer as I keep reading. Then ask students to share their questions about the page. Say: Remember if the answers to your questions are not in the book, you can ask an expert or do some research. Encourage students to ask questions and look for the answers as they finish reading the book. Set Purpose for Reading Ask students to read Chapter 4 and the Conclusion, jot down questions, and look for answers as they read. Tell students they will also read to answer the question Why did the Golden Age of Greece end? During Reading Observe and Prompt Reading Strategies As students read, watch them record questions and answers. Ask yourself Who is still struggling with this strategy? How can I help them? and provide support as needed. After Reading Discuss the Reading Ask students to read their questions aloud and explain how they looked for the answers. Ask: How did asking questions help you understand the fall of ancient Greece? Discuss students responses. Have students answer the question Why did the Golden Age of Greece end? To focus on text and graphic features for Chapter 4, use the illustration prompt from the chart on page 3 of this guide. Read and discuss the checkpoint on page 28. Use the Bridges: Comprehension Question Card for textdependent questions that refer to this section. Review Vocabulary Ask students to restate the description given for jury and their definition of the word. Invite students to add the word to a column on their vocabulary charts. Summarize Information Have students turn to Chapter 4. Ask: What are the key ideas from Chapter 4? (The citystates of Greece fought among themselves and became weaker. The Golden Age came to an end. Philip of Macedonia conquered Greece in 338 b.c.) Tell students they will write a summary of the book later on in the lesson. 6 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
After Reading Build Comprehension Identify Main Ideas and Supporting Details Model Say: Nonfiction books have main ideas. Sometimes a main idea is stated in a chapter title or a paragraph topic sentence. The author then uses supporting details to give us more information. Other times we must put details together to figure out the main idea. I notice in the first paragraph on page 2 the author says ancient Greece is still a big part of your life today. This is a stated main idea. Draw a chart on the board with three columns labeled Page, Main Idea, and Supporting Details and ask students to create similar charts on paper. Record information for the stated main idea from the first paragraph on page 2 while students do the same. Guide Help students use the details in the second paragraph on page 2 to determine the unstated main idea. Record their responses on your chart as students do the same. Have students reread the first paragraph on page 10. Say: The author says Greek cities were not like cities today. Let s write this stated main idea on our charts. What details support this idea? Record students responses in the appropriate columns while they do the same. Apply Reread the chart and then explain that student partners will find the unstated main idea and supporting details on page 14 and stated main idea and supporting details on page 23. Ask students if they have any questions before they begin. Monitor their work and intervene if they have difficulty. If students find a main idea that differs from the sample, be sure it is supported by details in the text. Review the completed graphic organizer. Shared Writing Summarize the Book Say: We have selected key ideas from each chapter. Now we will work together to write a summary of the entire book. Review the key ideas recorded on chart paper, and then ask: How can we summarize the book in our own words? Ask one or two students to serve as scribes as the class forms summary sentences. Sample Summary for Greek civilization began around 2000 b.c. Much later, city-states developed. During the Golden Age, the Greeks pursued art, science, and philosophy. However, warfare between the city-states of Athens and Sparta ended the Golden Age, and King Philip II of Macedonia conquered Greece in the 300s b.c. Main Idea and Supporting Details Page Main Idea Supporting Details 2 is still a big part of your life today. 2 Knowledge about the ancient Greeks comes from several sources. ancient Greeks started the Olympics first to have democracy names for some things come from Greek words study things they left behind read works of their writers dig up ruins of their cities, temples, and palaces 10 Greek cities were not like cities today. more like little countries had own customs and laws ruled by kings 14 The two chief city-states in Greece were Athens and Sparta. 23 The (Olympic) games were very important to the Greeks. Athens beat Persians at sea both grew stronger and more powerful Sparta beat Persians on land other city-states wanted their protection stopped fighting wars during games lasted a long time about 600 years 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC 7
Intervention Support for Struggling Readers and ELLs Phonics/Word Study Comparatives Ask students to locate the word larger on page 8. Write larger on the board. Say: Authors sometimes compare two things by putting -er at the end of an adjective. The adjective larger compares the groups at one point in history with earlier groups. Then ask students to locate the word highest on page 9. Write highest on the board. Say: Authors sometimes compare three or more things by putting -est at the end of an adjective. The adjective highest compares all the hills in the city. Invite students to read the last sentence on page 14 aloud. Ask: How many things are being compared? (two) How do you know? (The adjective stronger has -er at the end.) What two things are being compared? (Athens and Sparta at this point in history to Athens and Sparta earlier) Ask student partners to locate other comparatives in the book on pages 5 (biggest), 9 (bigger), 15 (greatest), and 24 (strongest). Invite them to choose one of the words, determine whether it compares two or more than two things, and use it in an oral sentence. See SpiralUp Phonics Skill Bag #24 from BEC for more in-depth instruction. Invite student partners to write a their sentence about a group of people, such as a class, team, club, or family. Have pairs exchange sentences and identify the group of people and what belongs to the group. Fluency Read Smoothly with Minimal Breaks Say: As good readers, we do not pause or stop between words. 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. Ask students to turn to page 11. Read the third paragraph in a choppy, word-by-word manner. Say: Now I will read the words smoothly. The punctuation will show me when to pause or stop. Read the paragraph again, pausing or stopping only at punctuation marks. Have students read the paragraph aloud as modeled. Invite students to read a self-selected page to a partner. Remind them to read smoothly, pause or stop at punctuation, and quickly fix any mistakes so they can keep on reading. Grammar and Usage Possessive Pronoun their Say: Authors can use the word their to show that something belongs to more than one person. Ask students to read the first sentence on page 8 with you: During the Dark Age, the Greeks left their cities. Say: The word their refers to the Greeks. The cities belonged to the Greeks. Ask students to find others example of their on pages 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 14, 22, and 26. For each sentence, ask: What group of people is the author talking about? What belongs to the people? 8 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC