Pulley Power Instructional Focus MAKING INFERENCES Making inferences is the process of combining what you already know with new information and clues the writer gives you to draw conclusions. Instructional Approach GUIDED OR INDEPENDENT READING Pulley Power Student Book 4c, p. 47 Guided and Independent Reading Kit Selection available on audio CD. Expectations LANGUAGE Student Book 4c, pages 47 49 Applying Strategies O: Oral R: Reading W: Writing ML: Media Literacy O R R R Demonstrate an understanding of appropriate speaking behaviour in a variety of situations Read a variety of texts literary, graphic, informational from diverse cultures Make inferences using stated and implied ideas from the text as evidence Extend understanding by connecting ideas in texts to their own knowledge and experience, to other texts, and to the world SCIENCE CONNECTION Structures and Mechanisms: Describe, using their observations, the functions of pulley systems and gear systems. About This Selection This richly illustrated informational explanation tells about how single and double pulleys reduce the amount of force needed to do work. The straightforward text and the illustrations make this selection accessible to most students. ACCESSIBILITY Easy Average Challenging ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING Ongoing Observation Students who understand will use what they already know to make inferences use information from the text to make inferences ask himself/herself questions about what the writer hasn t included to make inferences explain how making inferences helps the reader to understand the text Differentiated Instruction If students do not understand, provide extra support in a guided reading lesson (see Differentiated Instruction: Guided Reading, p. 25) If students find this text difficult to read, use a shared reading approach, or choose an alternative selection from your school collection Assessment Demonstration Task, p. 28 Key Assessment Question How did making inferences help you to understand what you read? Assessment Tools BLM 2: Oral Language Tracking Sheet BLM 3: Small-Group Observation Tracking Sheet BLM 4: Self-Assessment Checklist and Personal Goal Setting BLM 5: Strategy Rubric Strip Making Inferences BLM 7: Demonstration Task Pulley Power Reflecting on Your Practice How can I provide opportunities for my students to increase their knowledge in science and social studies? Pulley Power 23
Before ACCESSING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE 1. Tell students that the title of the informational explanation they will be reading is Pulley Power. Encourage them to think about what they already know about pulleys. 2. Using BLM 6: KWHLW Chart, instruct students to record what they know about pulleys in the What Do I Know? section and questions they have about pulleys in the What Do I Want to Learn? section. During INTRODUCING THE TEXT 1. Let students spend a few minutes previewing the informational explanation. Invite them to add to their KWHLW chart. 2. Direct students to Applying Strategies on Student Book page 47 and read it aloud to them. How will using these reminders help you to understand Pulley Power? (help me to think about what I know, and what the writer says and doesn t say, in order to make inferences) READING THE TEXT INDEPENDENTLY 1. Have students read to the end of the informational explanation independently, making inferences to aid comprehension. 2. Provide students with sticky notes to mark places in the text where making inferences helped them to understand what they read. Applying Strategies Making Inferences As you read, remember these ways to help you make inferences and draw conclusions: Think about what you already know. Think about the information the writer has included. Ask yourself questions about what the writer has not included. Written by Terry Jennings Illustrated by Chris Forsey Pulleys are useful because they make it easier to lift things. A pulley is a wheel that has a groove in it and a rope running through the groove. (Sometimes a chain or steel cable is used instead of a rope.) One end of the rope is attached to a heavy object. The object is lifted by pulling down on the other end of the rope. One pulley can be used on its own, or several pulleys can be used together. Pulleys and Work The scientific term work means using force to move an object. For example, imagine you were pushing a car. Your push is the force used to move the object, which is the car. Some machines, such as pulleys, allow you to do work by using less force. When a machine reduces the amount of force needed to do work, we say the machine provides mechanical advantage. 47 Vocabulary additional more advantage something that helps something to succeed cranes large machines with long swinging arms, for lifting and moving very heavy objects distance the space in between two items or places mechanical made or caused by machinery reduce make less or smaller rim an upper or outer edge on or around anything steel iron mixed with carbon so that it is very hard and strong Strategy Tip: Look for little words inside longer words Write the word additional on the board. Is there a part of this word that you know? (add or addition) What do you think the word might mean? (more) Encourage students to use this strategy to figure out unfamiliar words. 24 Nelson Literacy 4 Teacher s Resource: Pulleys and Gears
OR FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHO NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT Reducing Effort One person using a double pulley can lift the same weight as two people using a single pulley. The more pulleys you use, the less force you need to lift an object. 48 Pulleys and Gears About the Author: Terry Jennings Single Pulley One pulley doesn t change the amount of force needed to do a job, but it does change the direction of the force from up to down (from a lift to a pull). It s easier to pull a rope down than to lift something heavy up. pulley Terry Jennings is an award-winning author, freelance photographer, and educational consultant. Terry developed a keen interest in science, geography, and natural history at an early age. His desire to share his knowledge eventually led him to a career in education as a writer and a speaker. As an author, Terry specializes in writing children s books on the natural world, environmental sciences, biology, and general sciences. His books feature practical information and simple, step-by-step experiments that help kids see how science affects them every day. Terry has written more than 220 books and more than 400 articles for a variety of magazines and journals. Terry also writes course books and teacher s guides in science and geography. When Terry isn t working, he loves photography, walking, nature conservation, and gardening. DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION: GUIDED READING 1. Read the first paragraph on page 47 to students. What information has the writer included about what pulleys look like? (a pulley is a wheel that has a groove in it and a rope running through the groove) What information has the writer included about how pulleys work? (they can make it easier to lift things by pulling down on something attached to a heavy object) How does this information help you infer what a pulley looks like? (I know that wheels are round and I ve seen a tire rim that has a groove around it and so I can visualize a rope running through the groove) 2. Say, Think about what you already know about pulleys. What examples of pulleys can you think of that have a rope running through a groove? (sailboats, fishing boats, wishing wells) What examples of pulleys can you think of that have a steel cable running through a groove? (cranes, exercise machines, clotheslines) 3. Say, The writer has told us that one pulley can be used or several pulleys can be used. What questions might you ask yourself about what the writer has not included? (When would you use a single pulley? several pulleys? Why would you use a single pulley? several pulleys?) CONTINUED Pulley Power 25
DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION: GUIDED READING 4. Read the heading Pulleys and Work on Student Book page 47. Instruct students to read the text under it. Think about the work involved in clearing snow off a sidewalk, moving heavy boxes, and pedalling your bike uphill. What kinds of machines can you use to make these jobs easier? (shovel, moving cart, bicycle with different gears) What question might you ask about these machines and pulleys? (Which of these machines might use a pulley to make the work easier?) 5. Tell students to read the section entitled Reducing Effort on page 48. What information has the writer included about pulleys and work? (the more pulleys you have, the easier it is to get the job done) What questions come to mind about double pulleys? (What does a double pulley look like? Why does a double pulley make it easier to lift something? Where have I seen a double pulley used before?) 6. Let students read the section titled Single Pulley on page 48. Can you think of a time when you ve pulled down to raise something up rather than lifting it? (raising a flag) The writer doesn t give an example of pulling an object up by using a single pulley, but an example is provided. What is the example and where do you find it? (a labelled illustration shows workers raising a pile of bricks up to a job site) pulley The grooved rim stops the rope from slipping out. pulley Double Pulley Two pulleys cut in half the amount of force needed, but the rope must be pulled twice as far. Adding additional pulleys would reduce even more the amount of force needed, but the rope would have to be pulled a greater distance. Cranes use pulleys and steel cables to lift and lower heavy loads. Reflect on Strategies: How did making inferences affect the speed of your reading? How did making inferences affect your understanding of the article? Critical Literacy: How do you think this article would change if the writer wanted to sell pulleys to you? 49 Differentiated Instruction: ELL English language learners might be quite adept at making inferences in their first language. However, when using English there are several variables that might interfere with building meaning. Consider this sentence from Pulley Power : One pulley doesn t change the amount of force needed to do a job, but it does change the direction of force from up to down (from a lift to a pull). To make inferences, readers need to understand several concepts: force, direction, up, down, push, and lift. They must understand that doesn t is the shortened form of does not and but is a connective that adds another idea. Readers have to understand that the pronoun it refers to a pulley. When faced with a complex sentence, such as this example, English language learners often get perplexed and resort to reading word by word, forgetting the purpose for reading, and abandoning skills that they might typically use when they read in their first language. You can help by anticipating these types of obstacles and talking about difficult text with students prior to their participation in the lesson with their peers. 26 Nelson Literacy 4 Teacher s Resource: Pulleys and Gears
DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION: GUIDED READING 7. Read the heading Double Pulley on page 49, then ask students to read the text under it. How does the selection provide information about what a double pulley looks like? (through a labelled illustration) What is the advantage of adding additional pulleys? (it reduces the amount of force needed to do work) What doesn t the writer tell you about adding additional pulleys? (doesn t explain how adding additional pulleys reduces the amount of force needed) 8. Have students examine the photograph of the crane and read the accompanying text on page 49. What can you infer about why a chain might be used instead of a rope? (chains are made of metal so a chain is stronger than a rope) After These questions and activities give students the opportunity to share and consolidate their learning about making inferences. You may use BLM 2: Oral Language Tracking Sheet and BLM 3: Small-Group Observation Tracking Sheet to track student progress through the unit. REFLECTING ON THE STRATEGY 1. Read aloud the Strategies question on Student Book page 49 and give students a few minutes to share responses with a partner. Then ask students to share their responses with the class. Possible responses include: it slows down the speed of my reading; it helps me understand the selection better because I am stopping to think about what I know in relationship to what the writer does and doesn t say. 2. Read the Critical Literacy question on page 49 to students and let them respond. Discuss their responses as a class. Look for students to respond that if the writer wanted to sell pulleys the selection would focus on how single and double pulleys can help people save time and effort in their everyday lives instead of an explanation of the two types and how they work. 3. Direct students to return to BLM 6: KWHLW, which they began in the Before activity. Give them time to complete the section What Did I Learn? Invite selected students to share their responses. ORAL: DISCUSSING THE TEXT 1. Name two types of pulleys and draw each one. (single pulley and double pulley) 2. Why do you think the writer chose the title Pulley Power? 3. What does a machine that provides a mechanical advantage do? (it reduces the amount of force needed to do work) 4. Think about a job you do at home. Explain how a pulley Word Study could help you do one of these jobs. 5. Write a rule that explains how force changes as more pulleys are used to lift an object. (as you increase the number of pulleys used to lift an object, the amount of force needed decreases) READING: RESEARCHING QUESTIONS 1. Ask students to research any unanswered questions they wrote on BLM 6 about pulleys in the Before activity. To begin, have students fill out possible sources of information in the section entitled How Will I Find Out? 2. Collect a variety of resources on pulleys for students to use. If students are using the Internet for their research, then direct them to websites that you have pre-selected. Invite them to use these resources to answer the questions they recorded on BLM 6. 3. Gather students together to share their research. As a class, brainstorm some questions students still have about pulleys. These questions can be recorded in the final column of BLM 6 for further research during the unit. Subject-Verb Agreement 1. Show students the following five-step process for checking subject-verb agreement: Identify the subject. Determine whether the subject is singular or plural. Identify the verb. Determine whether the verb is singular or plural. If the subject and the verb are both singular or plural, they agree. If they are not both the same, then change the subject so it agrees with the verb, or vice versa. 2. Ask students to find three examples of subject-verb agreement in the selection, label the subject and the verb, and identify whether both are singular or plural. You may wish to use Word Study Master 3. Pulley Power 27
ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING Checking Progress Demonstration Task Distribute BLM 7: Demonstration Task Pulley Power to students. In the first column, students record questions they have about Pulley Power, based on information that the writer may be implying but not stating directly in the text. In the second column, students record words, phrases, or sentences from Pulley Power that might help them infer answers to their questions. In the third column, they record what they already know about the information they recorded in the second column. In the fourth column, students make inferences or draw conclusions by combining what they know with the writer s clues. Key Assessment Question Students may respond to the Key Assessment Question either in writing or orally in a conference. How did making inferences help you to understand what you read? Record individual progress on BLM 5: Strategy Rubric Strip Making Inferences. Next Steps Use the following resources to give students further opportunities to practise their reading strategies in small groups, independently, or in literature circles. Nelson Literacy Guided and Independent Reading Kit #28 Easy: What Are Pulleys? What Are Gears? #29 Average: Drive Belts #30 Challenging: Two Useful Devices Other Nelson Resources Skyrider Investigations 4: The Great Piano Hoist Move It! Strategy Rubric Strip: Making Inferences A full-size version of this rubric, suitable for recording assessments, is provided on BLM 5. Criteria Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 uses what they already know to make inferences with some uses information from the text to make inferences with some asks himself/herself questions about what the writer hasn t included to make inferences with some explains how making inferences helps the reader to understand the text with some Cross-Curricular Application applies the skills involved in making inferences in other areas of the curriculum with some Student Self-Assessment Encourage students to think back to their learning with What Are Pulleys and Gears? and Pulley Power and reflect on their ability to use and understand making inferences as a reading comprehension strategy. Ask them to describe, while conferencing with you or a peer, how they might have used this strategy in other subject areas. Then direct them to check off the appropriate box on BLM 4: Self-Assessment Checklist and Personal Goal Setting. 28 Nelson Literacy 4 Teacher s Resource: Pulleys and Gears