Characteristics of the Textforms.hmhco.com/assets/pdf/journeys/grade/L03_a_better_plan_S.pdfthe cover illustration. Tell students that this story is realistic ﬁ ction, so the characters

Number of Words: 2,617

L E S S O N 3 T E A C H E R ’ S G U I D E

A Better Planby August Gaudino

Fountas-Pinnell Level SRealistic FictionSelection SummaryWhen fi fth-graders are given the opportunity to present an idea to the school board about how to improve their school, ideas abound. When put to a student vote, two ideas come out on top. At the urging of their teacher, students fi nd a way to merge both ideas and create a win-win situation for all.

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

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Characteristics of the Text Genre • Realistic Fiction

Text Structure • Third-person narrative• Problem-solution

Content • Voting process• School improvement plan

Themes and Ideas • Helping others • Sports and fi tness• The value of compromising

Language and Literary Features

• Dialogue• Questions and exclamations in dialogue

Sentence Complexity • Dashes, ellipses, and exclamation points• Simple and complex sentences

Vocabulary • Terms related to the voting process: debate, issue, argument, tie• Sports equipment words, some of which might not be familiar to English learners, such

as jerseys and puck. Cultural references such as T-ball and Four-Square (p. 17).• Use of idiom: having a heart (p. 14)

Words • Multisyllable target vocabulary: decorated, gradually, hesitated, infl ated• Compound words such as laptop and online

Illustrations • Color illustrations with captionsBook and Print Features • Seventeen pages of text with illustrations on most pages

• Words italicized for emphasis and characters’ thoughts© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

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Expand Your Vocabulary

beckoned – signaled with the movement of a hand, p. 8

debate – a formal public discussion about issues, p. 2

decorated – had things added to it to make it more attractive, p. 4

gradually – done slowly over a period of time, p. 14

hesitated – paused, p. 10infl ated – fi lled and expanded

with air or another gas, p. 6prodded – poked, p. 5

scanned – looked at something closely, p. 14

shaken – emotionally upset, p. 11stalled – unexpectedly came to a

stop, p. 11

A Better Plan by August Gaudino

Build BackgroundHave students use their knowledge of school life and voting to visualize the selection. Build interest by asking questions such as the following: Have you ever been asked to vote for something? How did you decide how to vote? Read the title and author and talk about the cover illustration. Tell students that this story is realistic fi ction, so the characters will probably act like real people.

Frontload VocabularySome everyday words may be unfamiliar to English learners. Before reading, check understanding of the following words: challenge, issue, improve, equipment, laptop, supporters.

Page 2: Read the heading. Explain that story begins in a fi fth grade classroom. Suggested language: Fifth grade students have been invited to present ideas about how their school could be improved, and then debate, or explain, their points of view. Why might that be a challenge?

Pages 4–5: Read the caption. One of Yadira’s friends says they need an issue, or something that people are concerned about. What issues do you think students might be concerned about?

Page 9: Read the caption. Why might students want laptop computers? Why would they be an improvement over other styles of computers?

Page 11: Read the caption. Before Yadira presented the ideas to the class, she was a little shaken. Ask: Why would she be nervous?

Page 17: Read the game names on the last line of the page. Cultural Support: Explain that T-ball is an easy version of baseball, played by young children. Four-square is game in which players bounce a ball in four numbered squares.

Now turn to the beginning to learn how students decided to improve their school.

2 Lesson 3: A Better PlanGrade 5© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

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ReadHave students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their understanding of the text as needed.

Remind students to use the Infer/Predict Strategy and to use text clues to fi gure out what the author means or what might happen in the future.

Discuss and Revisit the TextPersonal ResponseInvite students to share their personal responses to the story. Suggested language: Yadira and Robbie made good suggestions of ways to improve their school. Which suggestion would you have voted for? Why?

Ways of ThinkingAs you discuss the text, help students understand these points:

Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text

• Yadira feels the best way to improve their school is to create an after-school program for families with working parents.

• Robbie feels that new sports equipment would improve the health and safety of students.

• The class fi nds a way to combine both ideas.

• It is important to think beyond one’s own needs and fi nd ways to help others.

• Sports and physical exercise are an important part of the school day.

• A compromise can be an effective way to resolve differences.

• Color illustrations add to the enjoyment of the story.

• Realistic dialogue makes the characters believable.

© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

Choices for Further Support• Fluency Invite students to choose a passage from the text to act out for a readers’

theater. Remind them to pay close attention to punctuation and to link words in meaningful groups as they read aloud.

• Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion, revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go back to the text to support their ideas.

• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words that have medial double consonant spelling patterns. Many languages do not use double consonants, so students learning English may fi nd these challenging to spell. Use examples in the text such as issue, suggestions, lettuce, shuffl ed, nodded, and supporters.



Writing about ReadingCritical ThinkingHave students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 3.10.

RespondingHave students complete the activities at the back of the book, using their Reader’s Notebook. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the comprehension skill.

Target Comprehension SkillCompare and Contrast

Target Comprehension Skill Remind students that when readers compare and

contrast, they examine how two or more details or ideas are alike and different. Model how to add details to the Graphic Organizer using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:

Think Aloud

Robbie was a natural leader. Even though he had not prepared materials for his speech, he was sure that people would like his idea to buy sports equipment. Add “confi dent” under his name. Yadira wasn’t sure that students would like her idea. She prepared materials, but was nervous to present her idea. Add “not confi dent” under her name.

Practice the SkillHave students share examples of characters that can be compared and contrasted in other stories they have read.

Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the TextHave students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understandings.

Assessment Prompts• Which sentences on page 6 show that Yadira’s mother appreciates her help?

• How do you think Yadira feels about Alvin’s suggestion on page 17?

• What is an important message in this story?



Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text What does each group want?

2. Think within the text When does Yadira come up with the idea of

an after-school program?

3. Think beyond the text Compare and contrast the different ideas

the students have. Which issue would you choose, and why?

4. Think about the text Why does the author end the selection with

Mrs. Blaine smiling instead of telling who will be presenting?

Making Connections The fifth graders have a chance to improve something in their school. Write about an idea that you have to make your school better.

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

12

A Better PlanCritical Thinking

Critical Thinking© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Lesson 3B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 3 . 1 0

Grade 5, Unit 1: School Spirit!

Name Date

a laptop; better equipment; an after-school program

when she discusses it with her mother after school

Some of the ideas might be fun but are not serious, practical, or

needed, such as an arcade in the gym. Other ideas have some

practical value, such as laptop computers for everyone.

Sometimes it is more interesting to have readers guess at an

ending.

Possible responses shown.

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First Pass

English Language DevelopmentReading Support Pair advanced and intermediate readers to read the story softly, or have students listen to audio or online recordings. Remind students that this story is about students’ suggestions for improving their school.

Idioms This story includes an idiom that might be unfamiliar to students. Point out that Yadira says that she wants her school to be known for having a heart. This means that she wants her school to be remembered for its generosity and kindness.

Oral Language DevelopmentCheck student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’ English profi ciency. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.

Beginning/Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/ Advanced

Speaker 1: What did Robbie want to buy to improve the school?

Speaker 2: sports equipment

Speaker 1: What was Yadira’s idea?

Speaker 2: an after-school program

Speaker 1: What was Alvin’s suggestion?

Speaker 2: begin an after-school program that teaches sports to little kids

Speaker 1: What was Yadira’s idea to improve the school?

Speaker 2: She wanted to begin an after-school program for young children.

Speaker 1: What was Alvin’s suggestion at the end of the story?

Speaker 2: He suggested an after-school program that featured sports.

Speaker 1: Why did Yadira think an after-school program was a good idea?

Speaker 2: She had to babysit twins in her family after school when her mother was at work.

Speaker 1: How did Yadira fi nd out if parents would use an after-school program?

Speaker 2: She sent out emails.



Name Date

A Better PlanThinking Beyond the Text

Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in one or two paragraphs.

Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal knowledge to reach new understandings.

Imagine that you had to write an ad to get parents to enroll their children in the after-school program at Emerson School. What would you tell parents about the program? What would children learn there? Use story details to support your ideas.



Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text What does each group want?

2. Think within the text When does Yadira come up with the idea of

an after-school program?

3. Think beyond the text Compare and contrast the different ideas

the students have. Which issue would you choose, and why?

4. Think about the text Why does the author end the selection with

Mrs. Blaine smiling instead of telling who will be presenting?

Making Connections The fifth graders have a chance to improve something in their school. Write about an idea that you have to make your school better.

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

A Better PlanCritical Thinking

Lesson 3B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 3 . 1 0

Name Date



1414

379

Student Date Lesson 3

B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 3 . 1 4

A Better PlanRunning Record Form

A Better Plan • LEVEL S


Behavior Code Error

Read word correctly ✓cat 0

Repeated word, sentence, or phrase

®cat

0

Omission —cat 1

Behavior Code Error

Substitution cutcat 1

Self-corrects cut sccat 0

Insertion the

ˆcat 1

Word told Tcat 1

page Selection Text Errors Self-Corrections

18 Mrs. Blaine took a final vote. The combined idea won by a lot

of votes. The students also agreed that tutoring would be part

of the program. There was only one thing left to do. The class

had to decide who would present the idea to the school board.

Several people voted for Alvin. It was his idea, after all. But

Alvin said he would be too nervous. He’d rather have Robbie

or Yadira do it. “Let’s vote on it!” someone called out.

Ben said that the vote would probably be the same as before.

The vote would be split between Robbie and Yadira.

Comments: Accuracy Rate (# words read correctly/104 ×

100)

%

Total Self- Corrections


Documents

Characteristics of the Textforms.hmhco.com/assets/pdf/journeys/grade/L03_a_better_plan_S.pdfthe cover illustration. Tell students that this story is realistic ﬁ ction, so the characters