Genre: L Teacher’S Guide Atlantis El Dorado · modeling of how to evaluate author’s purpose in a legend. • Explain: We learned yesterday that a legend is an adventure story

1 Two Legends AbouT LosT PLAces ©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLCB e n c h m a r k e d u c a t i o n c o m p a n y

Skills and Strategies

Anchor Comprehension Strategies• Evaluate author’s purpose• Analyze text structure and

organization

Genre Study• Recognize genre features• Analyze genre texts• Make text-to-text genre connections

Tier Two Vocabulary• See book’s glossary

Word Study• Emotion words

Fluency• Read with prosody: phrasing

Writing• Writer’s tools: Alliteration• Write a legend using writing-process

steps

Atlantis

El Dorado

Teacher’S Guide

Level W/60

Unit at a Glance

Day 1 Prepare to Read Day 4 Reread “El Dorado: The City of Gold”*

Day 2 Read “Atlantis: Land of Sunken Dreams”*

Day 5 Literature Circle Discussion/Reinforce Skills*

Day 3 Read “El Dorado: The City of Gold”*

Days 6–15 Write a legend using the writing-process steps on page 10

*While you are meeting with small groups, other students can:• read independently from your classroom library• reflect on their learning in reading response journals• engage in literacy workstations

Genre: Legends

2 Two Legends AbouT LosT PLAces ©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

• Ask students to turn to pages 5–7. Say: The legends in this book tell about two places that may or may not have actually existed. Let’s read about these legendary places—Atlantis and El Dorado.

• Have two students read aloud the background information while others follow along.

• Say: Atlantis and El Dorado may never have really existed, yet through the centuries historians and explorers have tried to figure out where they are located. What can you infer, or tell, from this? Allow responses. Prompt students to understand that many people are fascinated by the stories of both places and want to believe that they were real.

Introduce the Tools for Readers and Writers: Alliteration• Read aloud “Alliteration” on page 4. • Say: Many writers use alliteration. This technique

lets them not only use sounds poetically but also emphasize certain details in their writing. The legends in this book include examples of alliteration. Let’s practice identifying alliteration so we can recognize it in the legends we read.

• Distribute BLM 1 (Alliteration). Read aloud sentence 1 with students.

• Model Identifying Alliteration: The first sentence describes the Greek god Poseidon creating Atlantis. The writer repeats the /p/ sound at the beginning and in the middle of words in the sentence—Poseidon, perfect, paradise, people, happy. The repetition gives the sentence a pleasing, upbeat sound that readers then connect with their mental image of Atlantis. The alliteration makes also the description more vivid.

• Ask students to work with a partner or in small groups to identify the examples of alliteration in the remaining sentences, extend two sentences using alliteration, and write their own sentences using alliteration.

• Bring the groups together to share their findings.• Ask the groups to read one of the sentences

they wrote. Use the examples to build students’ understanding of how and why writers use alliteration. Remind them that alliteration grabs readers’ attention and adds emphasis to descriptions of the people, places, and events in a legend.

• Ask the groups to hand in their sentences. Transfer student-completed and student-written sentences to chart paper, title the page “Alliteration,” and post it as an anchor chart in your classroom.

Prepare to ReadBuild Genre Background• Write the word genre on chart paper. Ask: Who

can explain what the word genre means? Allow responses. Say: The word genre means “a kind of something.” Just as there are different kinds of animals, there are different kinds, or genres, of literature. Each kind of animal has certain characteristics we can use to identify it. So does each genre of literature. When we read, we pay attention to the genre because recognizing the genre helps us anticipate what the author will do or what we will learn. When we write, we use our knowledge of genres to help us develop and organize our ideas.

• Ask: Who can name some literary genres? Let’s make a list. Allow responses. Post the list on the classroom wall as an anchor chart.

• Draw a concept web on chart paper or the chalk-board. Write Legends in the center circle of the web.

• Say: Legends are one example of a literary genre. Think of any legends you know. How would you define what a legend is?

• Turn and Talk. Ask students to turn and talk to a classmate and jot down any features of a legend they can think of. Then bring students together and ask them to share their ideas. Record them on the group web. Reinforce the concept that all legends have certain common features.

Introduce the Book• Distribute a copy of the book to each student. Read

the title aloud. Ask students to tell what they see on the cover and table of contents.

• Ask students to turn to pages 2–3. Say: This week we are going to read legends that will help us learn about this genre. First we’re going to focus on this genre as readers. Then we’re going to study legends from a writer’s perspective. Our goal this week is to really understand this genre.

• Ask a student to read aloud the text on pages 2–3 while others follow along. Invite a different student to read the web on page 3.

• Point to your Legends web on chart paper. Say: Let’s compare our initial ideas about legends with what we just read. What new features of this genre did you learn? Allow responses. Add new information to the class web.

• Post this chart in your classroom during your legends unit. Say: As we read legends this week, we will come back to this anchor chart. We will look for how these features appear in each legend we read.

Day 1

©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: 978-1-4509-3058-1

©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC 3Two Legends AbouT LosT PLAces

Reflect and Review • Turn and Talk. Write one or more of the following

questions on chart paper. What is a literary genre, and how can understanding

genres help readers and writers? What did you learn today about the legend genre? How can readers recognize the technique of

alliteration? Ask partners or small groups to discuss their ideas

and report them back to the whole group as a way to summarize the day’s learning.

Management Tips• Throughout the week, you may wish to use

some of the Reflect and Review questions as prompts for reader response journal entries in addition to Turn and Talk activities.

• Have students create genre folders. Keep blackline masters, notes, small-group writing, and checklists in the folders.

• Create anchor charts by writing whole-group discussion notes and mini-lessons on chart paper. Hang charts in the room where students can see them.

Before ReadingIntroduce “Atlantis: Land of Sunken Dreams”• Reread the Legends anchor chart or the web on

page 3 to review the features of a legend.• Ask students to turn to page 8. Ask: Based on the

title, illustrations, and map, what do you predict this legend might be about? Allow responses.

• Invite students to scan the text and look for the boldfaced words (enamored, enthralled, repulsed, relished, dismayed). Say: As you read, pay attention to these words. If you don’t know what they mean, try to use clues in the surrounding text to help you define them. We’ll come back to these words after we read.

Set a Purpose for Reading• Ask students to read the legend, focusing on

the genre elements they noted on their anchor chart. They should also look for examples of alliteration and think about how the author’s use of allit e r a tion helps them understand the changing conditions in Atlantis.

Read “Atlantis: Land of Sunken Dreams”• Place students in groups based on their reading

levels. Ask them to read the legend silently, whisper-read, or read with a partner.

• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor their use of fix-up strategies and their understanding of the text.

Management TipAsk students to place self-stick notes in the margins where they notice examples of alliteration or features of the genre.

After ReadingBuild Comprehension: Evaluate Author’s Purpose• Lead a student discussion using the “Analyze

Characters, Setting, and Plot” and “Focus on Comprehension” questions on page 16. Then, use the following steps to provide explicit modeling of how to evaluate author’s purpose in a legend.

• Explain: We learned yesterday that a legend is an adventure story based on things that are important to a culture. The author of a legend may write different parts to inform, entertain, persuade, express feelings or ideas, or inspire or caution readers. Thinking about the purpose for

Day 2

Name Date

Two Legends AbouT LosT PLAces ©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLCbLM 1

AlliterationDirections: Read each sentence. Underline the words that have alliteration. Circle the letters for the repeating sound or sounds.

1. Poseidon created a perfect paradise where people were happy.

2. The petty actions of the Atlanteans angered Atlas.

3. A massive tsunami submerged the mighty empire.

4. Daring explorers expected to discover El Dorado and its gold.

5. The Spanish searched for the secret city in South America.

6. Many seekers died of heat, fever, and disease on the journey.

Directions: Add to each sentence continuing the alliteration begun in the first part of the sentence.

7. The crowd shouted loudly . Possibleanswer:“Howdowegetoutnow?”

8. We watched the water . Possibleanswer:washinwavesoverthewall

Directions: Write two sentences that include alliteration. Try to use a different kind of alliteration in each sentence.

9. Possibleanswer:Bethbouncedtheballtothebaby,andthebabybounced it

back.

10. Possibleanswer:Davestatedbravelythatitwasagreatdayforarace.


• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Find It! questions. The answer to a Find It! question is right in the book. You can find the answer in one place in the text.

• Model. Read the first Find It! question. Say: When I read the question, I look for important words that tell me what to look for in the book. What words in this question do you think will help me? Allow responses. Say: Yes, I’m looking for the words ruler and island nation. On page 9, I find the words. Then I read “Their eldest son, Atlas, became the island nation’s ruler. . . .” This sentence answers the question.

• Guide Practice. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to help you develop other Find It! questions.

Focus on Vocabulary: Emotion Words• Explain/Model. Read aloud “Emotion Words” on

page 4. Say: Emotion words describe a person’s feelings. For example, the author says that Atlas was “pleased with the state of things in Atlantis.” The word pleased is an emotion word that describes how Atlas feels. Emotion words can help readers understand not only how the characters feel but how the author feels about the characters and events.

• Practice. Ask students to name emotion words they already know, such as thrilled, miserable, nervous, determined, and confident. List the words on chart paper or the board.

• Say: Let’s find the boldfaced words in this legend. What can you do if you don’t know what these words mean? Allow responses. Say: Besides looking in the glossary or a dictionary, you can look for clues in the text to help you define the unfamiliar word. By studying the situation and thinking about how a person might feel or react, you should be able to figure out what the emotion word means.

• Ask students to work with a partner to complete the “Focus on Words” activity on page 17 using BLM 3 (Focus on Emotion Words). Explain that they should read the sentences around the boldfaced word to figure out the meaning of the emotion word. They should also be able to explain how they determined that the word is an effective choice.

• Transfer Through Oral Language. Ask groups of students to share their findings. Then challenge individual students to use the words in new sentences describing experiences they have had. Ask other students to listen carefully and explain whether or not each word is the most effective choice for that particular situation. Continue until all students have used at least two of the words.

• Ask students to save their work in their genre studies folders to continue on Days 3 and 4.

Day 2 (cont.)each part of the story helps readers determine the author’s overall purpose for writing and evaluate how well he or she achieved that purpose.

• Distribute copies of BLM 2 (Evaluate Author’s Purpose) and/or draw a chart like the one below.

Legend Part Summary Author’s Purpose

first two paragraphs, pages 8–9

Poseidon was the god of seas, storms, and earthquakes. He created an island nation to protect his wife, and his son became its ruler.

to inform readers so that they will understand the legend

description of Atlantis, pages 9–10

Atlantis is marvelous, with wonderful natural resources and kind, respectful people.

to entertain readers with vivid description; to inspire readers with the vision of a peaceful society

description of Atlantis subduing other nations, pages 11–13

Atlanteans feel so superior that they decide to conquer other nations to share their knowledge of paradise and perfection.

to caution readers about what can happen when a nation imposes its will on other nations

description of Atlantis being destroyed, pages 14–15

Atlas realizes that the spirit of the kingdom has been lost and causes a volcano and tsunami to destroy the nation. Atlantis is sunk by its own selfishness.

to inform and caution readers about what can happen when a nation feels superior and becomes selfish

• Model: The first two paragraphs of “Atlantis: Land of Sunken Dreams” explain who Poseidon was and how he came to create Atlantis. What was the author’s purpose in including this part? I think the author wanted inform us of the legend’s background so we can better understand the characters, setting, plot, and lesson of the legend.

• Guide Practice. Work with students to evaluate the author’s purpose for creating important parts of the story. Help them summarize each part of the story to analyze the author’s purpose.

• Have students keep BLM 2 in their genre studies folders.

Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment• Remind students that when they answer questions

on standardized assessments, they must be able to support their answers with facts or clues and evidence directly from the text.

• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small groups of students to practice answering text-dependent comprehension questions.


Page Word Dictionary Definition

Why is it an effective word choice?

8 enamored inflamed with love

indicates how much Poseidon is in love with Cleito

8 enthralled held spellbound; charmed

explains why Poseidon was willing to build an entire nation for Cleito

10 repulsed disgusted; filled with strong aversion

contrasts sharply with how the Atlanteans actually feel about Atlas’s idea

13 relished enjoyed; took great pleasure in

indicates how much the Atlanteans liked their newfound power and wealth

13 dismayed upset, alarmed, or horrified

indicates how Atlas feels about the way his people are behaving

Reflect and Review • Turn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to

reread the “Features of a Legend” web on page 3 and decide whether all of these features are present in “Atlantis: Land of Sunken Dreams.” Ask groups to share and support their findings.

Fluency: Read with Prosody: Phrasing• You may wish to have students reread the legend

with a partner, focusing on reading with appropriate phrasing. Explain that when we talk or read, we say words in groups, or phrases. Read aloud the first two paragraphs on pages 8–9 and show how you pause between phrases using sense and structure to guide you. Invite students to choose a section to read aloud with phrasing and afterward discuss how they decided which words to group together.

Note Regarding This Teacher’s GuideEach book provides an opportunity for students to focus on an additional comprehension strategy that is typically assessed on state standards. The strategy is introduced on page 4 (the third item in the “Tools for Readers and Writers” section) with text-specific follow-up questions found on the Reread pages. Some Reread sections also introduce an advanced language arts concept or comprehension strategy, such as protagonist/antagonist, perspective, or subtitles, because students at this level should be able to consider more than one comprehension strategy per text.

Before ReadingIntroduce “El Dorado: The City of Gold” • Ask students to turn to page 18. Say: This legend

is written in a different format from the other legend we read. Notice the notes in the margins. First, we will read to understand the legend, focusing on the characters, plot, and historical context. Tomorrow, we will read this legend like a writer and think about how the notes in the margins can help us write our own legends.

• Say: Let’s look at the title and illustrations of this legend. What do you predict it might be about?

• Ask students to scan the text and look for the boldfaced words (astounded, curiosity, avarice, spine-chilling, desperate). Ask: What do you notice about these words? Why do you think they appear in boldfaced type? (All these words describe characters’ emotions or reactions to situations.)

• Say: As you read, try to figure out the meanings of these words. Look for context clues that help you understand how a person might feel or react in that situation. After we read, we will talk about how you used context clues provided by the author.

Set a Purpose for Reading• Ask students to read the legend, focusing on how

the author weaves together historical facts and fictional details. Encourage students to notice the author’s use of alliteration.

Read “El Dorado: The City of Gold”• Place students in groups based on their reading

levels. Ask them to read the legend silently, whisper-read, or read with a partner.

• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor their use of fix-up strategies and their understanding of the text.

After ReadingBuild Comprehension: Evaluate Author’s Purpose• Say: Yesterday we evaluated author’s purpose in

“Atlantis: Land of Sunken Dreams.” The author had specific purposes for creating the characters and events and including details in the story. What is the author’s purpose for each part of today’s legend? Record responses on a whole-group chart like the one below.

• Discuss Author’s Purpose Across Texts. Lead a discussion using the following questions: How are the descriptions in the two legends similar? Which legend has more vivid characters? Why do you think so? How are the lessons taught in the legends similar and different? Where has the

Day 3


answer. • Guide Practice. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to

help you develop other Look Closer! questions.

Focus on Vocabulary: Emotion Words• Ask students to work with a partner to complete the

“Focus on Words” activity on page 29 using BLM 3. Have groups of students share their findings.

• Transfer Through Oral Language. Invite pairs of students to act out a scene that illustrates each emotion using gestures and facial expressions to communicate the emotion without saying the word. Other students should guess the emotion using the correct word.



19 astounded overwhelmed with amazement

shows how strongly Orellana reacted to Pizarro’s story of the Golden Man

20 curiosity interest that spurs inquiry; inquisitiveness

names one of Orellana’s reasons for leading the expedition

20 avarice excessive desire for wealth or gain; greediness

names another of Orellana’s reasons for leading the expedition

21 spine-chilling

eerily frightening to the core

vividly describes the men’s reaction to how quickly and easily the snake kills

22 desperate moved by despair, or lack of hope, to take extreme action

explains why the men were willing to boil and eat their belts

Reflect and Review • Turn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to discuss

the following questions and report their ideas to the whole group. Do you think Orellana’s decision to return to Peru was wise? Give reasons for your opinion. Think of a time in your life when you were determined to accomplish a particular goal. What happened?


with a partner, focusing on reading with phrasing. Ask each pair to choose and copy a paragraph from the legend and mark the phrases. Remind them that we do not read word by word. Instead, we group words in ways that make sense, sound right, and fit the author’s sentence structures. Demonstrate how you would read the first three paragraphs on page 19. Then invite pairs to take turns reading aloud their chosen paragraphs.

Day 3 (cont.)author used alliteration? How do these examples of alliteration help you better appreciate the characters, settings, and plots?


dialogue, pages 19–20

Pizarro asks his cousin Orellana to take soldiers to find El Dorado and claim it for Spain.

to inform readers of the background of the legend

descriptions of the men’s hardships, pages 21–26

A huge snake kills a man; the men run out of food; many die from eating toxic plants; they are attacked by Amazons.

to entertain readers with vivid description; to caution readers about what can happen when one country tries to conquer another for its riches

illustrations on pages 21, 24–25, 26

The illustrations show a huge snake crushing a man in its coils, Amazon warriors attacking the Spaniards with arrows and spears, and using a burning ship as a shield.

to support the descriptions in the text; to make the descriptions easier to understand; to emphasize the dangers of the journey

description of Orellana’s failure to find El Dorado and his tragic last journey, page 27

Orellana makes a second trip to Peru to find El Dorado, but storms, sickness, and Amazon attacks kill most of the adventurers, including Orellana.

to inform readers of the history of one attempt to exploit the riches of another culture; to caution readers about the consequences of greed

Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment • Use the Comprehension Question Card to practice

answering text-dependent questions.• Say: Today we will learn how to answer Look Closer!

questions. The answer to a Look Closer! question is in the book. You have to look in more than one place, though. You find the different parts of the answer. Then you put the parts together to answer the question.

• Model. Read the second Look Closer! question. Say: This question asks me to identify a cause and effect. I know because it asks, “What made it possible . . .?” Now I need to look for other important information to find in the book. What information do you think will help me? Allow responses. Say: Yes, I’m looking for why the men could sail past the women warriors. On page 26, I read that Orellana had his men set the damaged boat on fire and put it between their other boat and the women warriors. This kept the warriors from being able to see the Spaniards and shoot arrows at them. I have found the answer in the book. I looked in several sentences to find the


Before ReadingSet a Purpose for Rereading• Have students turn to page 18. Say: Until now,

we have been thinking about legends from the perspective of the reader. Learning the features of legends has helped us be critical readers. Now we are going to put on a different hat. We are going to reread “El Dorado: The City of Gold” and think like writers. We’re going to pay attention to the annotations in the margins. These annotations will help us understand what the author did and why he did it.

Reread “El Dorado: The City of Gold”• Place students in groups based on their reading

levels. Ask them to reread the legend silently or whisper-read.

• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor their use of fix-up strategies and their understanding of the text and annotations.

After ReadingAnalyze the Mentor Text• Explain to students that the text they have just

read is a mentor text. A mentor text is a text that teaches. This text is designed to help them understand what writers do to write a legend and why they do it.

• Read and discuss each mentor annotation with students. Encourage them to comment on the writer’s style, use of historical facts and fictional details, and use of literary techniques such as alliteration.

Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment • Use the Comprehension Question Card with small

groups of students to practice answering text-dependent questions.

• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Prove It! questions. The answer to a Prove It! question is not stated in the book. You have to look for clues and evidence to prove the answer.

• Model. Read the first Prove It! question. Say: This question asks me to analyze a character. I know because I must find evidence to support a stated trait. Now I need to look for other important information in the question. What information do you think will help me? Allow responses. Say: Yes, I need to find out what Orellana says that shows he can be greedy. On page 21, Orellana mentions getting a nice reward of his own for his efforts.

Day 4


• Model: After describing the characters and setting, the author describes the historical events in sequence, or the order in which they occurred. For example, Atlanteans started out perfectly content, then began conquering other nations, and finally ended up losing their peace and happiness. At the end, the author describes how Atlas destroyed the island. Each event follows logically from the event before.

• Guide Practice. On the board, list some of the ways in which text may be structured, such as cause and effect, sequence of events, compare and contrast, problem and solution, and description. Have small groups of students analyze “El Dorado: The City of Gold” to describe the author’s organization. After groups share, discuss why the author chose these types of text structures for the legend.

Reflect and Review • Ask and discuss the following questions.

How is reading a legend different from writing a legend? How is it similar? What new words have you added to your vocabulary this week? Which do you think you will use most often? Why? Which character would you like to meet? Why? How can you use emotion words and alliteration to improve your writing?


with a partner, focusing on reading with phrasing. Ask students to discuss what they learned about Francisco Orellana’s first search for El Dorado. Then have pairs of students take turns reading the last two paragraphs on page 27 aloud. Remind them to read with phrases using sense and structure to guide them to help listeners understand the meaning of the passage.

On page 27, he says, “I will be entitled to some of its riches after all I’ve been through.” I have located the clues I need.

• Guide Practice. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to help you develop other Prove It! questions.

Analyze the Writer’s Craft• Ask students to turn to page 30. Explain: Over the

next few days, you will have the opportunity to write your own legends. First, let’s think about how the author wrote “El Dorado: The City of Gold.” When he developed this legend, he followed certain steps. You can follow these same steps to write your own legends.

• Read step 1. Say: The first thing you’ll do is research legends and find one you want to retell. The legends we read originated in two different ages and cultures. What legend would you like to research and retell? For example, the King Arthur legend developed in England in the Middle Ages. What other legends could we research? Allow responses. Write down students’ ideas on chart paper.

• Read step 2. Say: In each legend we read, the main character is powerful and has amazing adventures. Other characters help show the main character’s traits by opposing or helping the character. For example, the Amazons finally defeated Orellana despite his power and resources. Who could our characters be? Let’s make a list of heroic legendary characters and other characters who help or oppose them. Allow responses. Write down students’ ideas on chart paper.

• Read step 3. Say: Before you’re ready to write, you need a setting and plot. The legend you retell will be set in a definite time and place. For example, “El Dorado: The City of Gold” is set in Peru in the sixteenth century. Each event in the plot contributes to showing the legendary character’s skills and traits. When you write your legend, think about the setting of the original story. What plot, or actions, must you tell to show the legendary character’s strengths? Choose one of the legends and some of the characters the class has brainstormed, and work as a group to construct a possible setting and plot.

Build Comprehension: Analyze Text Structure and Organization• Explain: Authors organize texts in the way that

makes the most sense and shows the relationships most clearly. For example, in “Atlantis: Land of Sunken Dreams,” the author begins with a description of the god Poseidon and his family. Then the author describes Atlantis and its marvels. The descriptions are logically organized, progressing from the history of the gods to the history of Atlantis. Together, the descriptions give readers the background they need to understand the events that follow.

Day 4 (cont.) Day 5


• While each small group of students discusses the book, confer with individual or small groups of students. You may wish to revisit elements of the genre, take running records, or model fluent reading skills.

Directions: Use the chart to compare and contrast the two legends.

Atlantis: Land of Sunken Dreams

El Dorado: The City of Gold

Time/Location

Thousands of years ago in Atlantis, an island nation near Greece

1500s in Peru

Main Character(s)

Poseidon, Cleito, Atlas, Argus, Castor, and other Atlanteans

Francisco Pizarro, Francisco Orellana, Spanish soldiers, Peruvian villagers, Amazons

Situation The citizens of Atlantis are perfectly happy until they decide to impose their way of life on other nations.

Pizarro sends Orellana to find the fabled city of gold, El Dorado. Orellana and his men face many hardships in their quest.

Amazing Event

Atlas causes a volcano and tsunami to strike Atlantis.

The Amazons fire a continuous stream of arrows and spears at the men and their ships.

Ending The empire of Atlantis sinks into the sea, destroyed by Atlas and its own selfishness.

After his first failure, Orellana returns to search for El Dorado and dies in the attempt. A survivor indicates that the search for El Dorado will continue.

Rules for Good Discussion• Pay attention to the person who is talking

and do not interrupt him or her.

• Think about what others are saying so you can respond and add to their ideas.

• Allow and encourage everyone in the group to speak.

• Be respectful of everyone’s ideas.

Reinforce SkillsIf time permits, choose from the following activities to reinforce vocabulary and fluency.

Reinforce Vocabulary: Which Emotion Is It?• Place students in small groups. Ask group

members to write each glossary word on a scrap of paper and put them in a box.

Analyze & SynthesizePractice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment • Use the Comprehension Question Card with small

groups of students to practice answering text-dependent questions.

• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Take It Apart! questions. To figure out the answer to a Take It Apart! question, you must think like the author.

• Model: Read the first Take It Apart! question. Say: This question asks me to analyze text structure and organization. I know because I must find an example of a specific structure, alliteration. Now I need to look for other important information in the question. What information do you think will help me? Allow responses. Say: Yes, I need to look for a description of an action on page 21. I find alliteration when the author describes what the snake did: “crushed a man in its constricting coils.” Thinking about the text structure helped me figure out the answer.

• Guide Practice: Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to help you develop other Take It Apart! questions.

Summarize & Make Connections Across Texts• Engage students in a discussion about the two

legends in this book. Invite a different student to summarize each legend. Encourage other students to add their ideas and details.

• Ask students to turn to the inside back cover of the book. Say: Good readers think about how literary works are related. We know, for example, that both of these legends share certain features. They both describe the accomplishments of an individual. They both have a lesson. What else do they have in common? Allow responses. Say: Today we will think about the elements of both legends and what we can learn from them.

• Ask students to work individually or in small groups to complete BLM 4 (Make Connections Across Texts).

• Class Discussion or Literature Circles. Facilitate a whole-class discussion or keep students in their small groups for a literature circle discussion. If you choose to conduct literature circles, share the rules for good discussion below. Each group should discuss and be prepared to share its ideas about the following prompts. Which characters are most alike, and how are they alike? Which setting do you find most interesting? Why? Which legend’s lesson do you find most useful? Why?

• Tell students that at the end of their discussion, you will ask them to share the important text-to-text, text-to-world, and text-to-self connections they have made.

Day 5 (cont.)

10Two Legends AbouT LosT PLAces ©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

• The first student chooses a word and describes a character or situation in a way that shows that emotion without using the actual word. For example, the student might tell about King Midas’s love of gold to illustrate avarice. The person to the student’s right guesses the word being presented. That person then chooses the next word and describes a character or situation to illustrate it. Continue until all students have presented at least one word.

Reread for Fluency: Oral Reading Performance• Discuss with students the tragic endings of the

legends. • Say: Both legends end in tragedy. When you read

the legends aloud, you can demonstrate your understanding of the tragic endings through your expression. This helps your listeners appreciate the emotions of the endings more and better understand the stories.

• Invite individual students to read the endings of the legends with expression that helps listeners understand the tragic mood.

• Encourage students to have fun with their readings and to make them as dramatic as possible.

• As a whole class, discuss each reader’s interpre tation. Think about alternate ways to interpret the events.

Review Writer’s Tools: Alliteration• Ask students to look for other examples of

alliteration in titles from your classroom library or the school’s library. Each student should select one title at his or her independent reading level. Ask students to read pages specifically to find an example of alliteration.

• Invite students to share their examples with the class. Encourage students to discuss how the alliteration helps them better visualize characters and settings or affects the mood and rhythm of the spoken word. Point out that not all students will have found examples in the books they chose. Alliteration is not a tool all writers use all of the time.

Write a Legend• Use the suggested daily schedule to guide

students through the writing-process steps. Allow approximately 45 to 60 minutes per day. As students work independently, circulate around the room and monitor student progress. Confer with individual students to discuss their ideas and help them move forward. Use the explicit mini-lessons, conferencing strategies, and assessment rubrics in Using Genre Models to Teach Writing for additional support.

• Before students begin planning their legends, pass out copies of BLM 5 (Legend Checklist). Review the characteristics and conventions of writing that will be assessed. Tell students that they will use this checklist when they complete their drafts.

• This daily plan incorporates the generally accepted six traits of writing as they pertain to legends.

Days 6–7: Plan • Ask students to use BLM 6 (Legend Planning Guide)

to brainstorm the famous figure or event, characters, setting, and plot for their legends.

• Encourage students to refer to the “Features of a Legend” web on page 3 and to the steps in “The Writer’s Craft” on pages 30–31 of the book.

• Confer with individual students and focus on their ideas. Did students begin by researching a legend from a specific country or culture? Did they develop the legendary character through the events of the plot?

Days 8–9: Draft • Tell students that they will be using their completed

Legend Planning Guides to begin drafting their legends.

• Say: Remember that when writers draft their ideas, they focus on getting their ideas on paper. They

Days 6–15

Name Date


Title:

Features of the Genre Checklist Yes No 1. My legend has a strong lead. 2. My legend is told in first or third person. 3. My legend has a basis in historical fact. 4. My legend focuses on one individual and his/her

accomplishments or powers. 5. My legend includes a miraculous event. 6. My legend contains a moral or lesson embedded

in the story. 7. My legend takes place in the context of particular place and

its history, creating a connection with a culture. 8. I tell the problem at the beginning of my legend. 9. I have 3 to 5 main events in my legend. 10. My legend has a solution to the problem. 11. I used figurative language in my legend.

Quality Writing Checklist Yes No I looked for and corrected . . .

• run-on sentences • sentence fragments • subject/verb agreement • correct verb tense • punctuation • capitalization • spelling • indented paragraphs

Legend Checklist

Name Date


Legend Planning GuideDirections: Use the steps below to plan your own legend.

1. Research legends and decide on one to retell.

2. Identify and develop characters.

Characters Traits, Special Skills, Effect on PlotCharacter 1:

Character 2:

Character 3:

3. “Rethink” setting and plot.

Setting

Problem

Events

Solution

Name Date


AlliterationDirections: Read each sentence. Underline the words that have alliteration. Circle the letters for the repeating sound or sounds. Print your answers for your teacher.

1. Poseidon created a perfect paradise where people were happy.

2. The petty actions of the Atlanteans angered Atlas.

3. A massive tsunami submerged the mighty empire.

4. Daring explorers expected to discover El Dorado and its gold.

5. The Spanish searched for the secret city in South America.

6. Many seekers died of heat, fever, and disease on the journey.

Directions: Add to each sentence continuing the alliteration begun in the first part of the sentence.

7. The crowd shouted loudly .

8. We watched the water .

Directions: Write two sentences that include alliteration. Try to use a different kind of alliteration in each sentence.

9.

10.

Name Date


Evaluate Author’s PurposeDirections: Use the charts below to evaluate author’s purpose in the legends.

Atlantis: Land of Sunken Dream




Name Date


Focus on Emotion WordsDirections: Reread each legend. Define each emotion word below. Then explain why it is an effective word choice.



8 enamored

8 enthralled

10 repulsed

12 relished

13 dismayed



19 astounded

20 curiosity

20 avarice

21 spine-chilling

22 desperate

Name Date


Make Connections Across TextsDirections: Use the chart to compare and contrast the two legends.

Atlantis: Land of Sunken Dreams


Time/Location

Main Character(s)

Situation

Amazing Event

Ending

Name Date


Title:

Features of the Genre Checklist Yes No

1. My legend has a strong lead. 2. My legend is told in first or third person. 3. My legend has a basis in historical fact. 4. My legend focuses on one individual and his/her

accomplishments or powers. 5. My legend includes a miraculous event. 6. My legend contains a moral or lesson embedded

in the story. 7. My legend takes place in the context of particular place and

its history, creating a connection with a culture. 8. I tell the problem at the beginning of my legend. 9. I have 3 to 5 main events in my legend. 10. My legend has a solution to the problem. 11. I used figurative language in my legend.

Quality Writing Checklist Yes No

I looked for and corrected . . .

• run-on sentences • sentence fragments • subject/verb agreement • correct verb tense • punctuation • capitalization • spelling • indented paragraphs

Legend Checklist

Name Date


Legend Planning GuideDirections: Use the steps below to plan your own legend.

1. Research legends and decide on one to retell.

2. Identify and develop characters.

Characters Traits, Special Skills, Effect on PlotCharacter 1:

Character 2:

Character 3:

3. “Rethink” setting and plot.

Setting

Problem

Events

Solution

Documents

Genre: L Teacher’S Guide Atlantis El Dorado · modeling of how to evaluate author’s purpose in a legend. • Explain: We learned yesterday that a legend is an adventure story