LESSON 13 TEACHER’S GUIDE Amazing Birds of Antarctica · LESSON 13 TEACHER’S GUIDE Amazing Birds of Antarctica by Joanne Mattern Fountas-Pinnell Level O Narrative Nonfiction Selection

Number of Words: 759

L E S S O N 1 3 T E A C H E R ’ S G U I D E

Amazing Birds of Antarctica by Joanne Mattern

Fountas-Pinnell Level ONarrative NonfictionSelection SummaryAntarctica is home to many types of birds. Penguins, snow petrels, blue-eyed shags, the albatross, and the skua make the frozen area of the Antarctic their home.

Characteristics of the Text Genre • Narrative nonfi ction

Text Structure • Second-person narrative organized in eight chapters• Each chapter describes a different type of bird that can be found in Antarctica.• Descriptions and photographs help reader visualize the type of bird being discussed.

Content • Factual information about birds of Antarctica• Climate and terrain of Antarctica

Themes and Ideas • The birds found in Antarctica are fascinating creatures. • Different types of birds can have very similar characteristics.• Birds in Antarctica must adapt to their surroundings in order to survive.

Language and Literary Features

• Upbeat, conversational language (Welcome to Antartica!, Look at the bright blue eyes on this bird!, Don’t worry.)

• Chapter titles and content distinguish singular features and behaviors of the various birds (penguins, power and nesting habits; the blue-eyed shag, fi shing frenzies; the albatross, the years it spends in the air; etc.)

Sentence Complexity • A mix of short and complex sentences• Exclamations

Vocabulary • Some common words not defi ned in text, such as fl ippers, seaweed, and nestingWords • Some contractions, such as don’t and doesn’t

• Multisyllable words: continent, Emperor penguin, stranded• Primarily one-syllable words

Illustrations • Photographs with captions• Map to show location

Book and Print Features • Twelve pages of text with illustrations on most pages• Chapter headings on most pages• Table of contents, glossary, captions

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

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Permission is hereby granted to individual teachers using the corresponding (discipline) Leveled Readers to photocopy student worksheets from this publication in classroom quantities for instructional use and not for resale. Requests for information on other matters regarding duplication of this work should be addressed to Houghton Miffl in Harcourt Publishing Company, Attn: Contracts, Copyrights, and Licensing, 9400 SouthPark Center Loop, Orlando, Florida 32819. Printed in the U.S.A. 978-0-547-30523-3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 0940 15 14 13 12 11 10 09

If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Miffl in Harcourt Publishing Company retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited.

Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format.

4_305233_BL_LRTG_L13_AmazingBirds.indd 1 11/4/09 11:26:51 PM

Amazing Birds of Antarctica by Joanne Mattern

Build BackgroundHelp students use their knowledge of birds to visualize the story. Build interest by asking a question such as the following: What do you think birds would need to live in a very cold place? Read the title and author and talk about the bird on the cover. Note the various graphic features in the story. Point out the table of contents and the glossary. Tell students that this story is narrative nonfi ction, so the birds and places in the story are real.

Introduce the TextGuide students through the text, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Here are some suggestions:

Page 4: Suggested language: Look at page 4. This page tells that penguins have wings, but they cannot fl y. Ask: Why do you think penguins have wings but cannot fl y?

Page 5: Point out the word huddle in the second-to-last line. Explain that the cold conditions in Antarctica force the penguins to huddle together to stay warm. Ask: Why does it help to huddle together? What other animals huddle together?

Pages 9: Explain that the blue-eyed shag displays a bright-colored growth on its beak that helps it fi nd a mate. What do you do when you display something?

Pages 11: Explain that unlike the penguin, the albratross spends most of its life in the air. Ask: What can you tell about the albatross by looking at the picture?

Now go back to the beginning to read about how these birds survive in such a cold climate.

alert – to be wide awake and paying attention

concluded – to have made a decision or formed an opinion

display – something shown publicly, p. 9

fractured – broken into pieces graceful – something that moves

smoothly and with ease, p. 4huddle – when people or animals

crowd together, p. 5standards – rules used for

judging or measuring

stranded – to be unable to leave a place, p. 7

vision – an idea of what something could be like in the future

weariness – to be very tired

Target Vocabulary

2 Lesson 13: Amazing Birds of Antarctica Grade 4© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

4_305233_BL_LRTG_L13_AmazingBirds.indd 24_305233_BL_LRTG_L13_AmazingBirds.indd 2 7/28/09 4:43:44 PM7/28/09 4:43:44 PM

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 Summarize Strategy and to think of the most important parts of the text as they read.

Discuss and Revisit the Text Personal ResponseInvite students to share their personal responses to the book. Suggested language: What is the most fascinating thing you learned about the birds of Antarctica? Which bird was your favorite? Explain the reason for your choice.

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

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

• The birds of Antarctica have to adapt to their surroundings.

• All of the birds found in the Antarctic eat fi sh as part of their diet.

• Antarctic birds are similar in many ways.

• Fascinating animals can be found all over the world.

• Learning about different types of animals can help people learn about the world around them.

• The photographs give a clearer understanding of features of the birds.

• The author includes lots of descriptions to help the reader visualize the text.

• The similarities and differences help the reader make comparisons.

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

Choices for Further Support• Fluency Lead students in a choral reading of a section from the text, and demonstrate

paying attention to punctuation while reading. Remind students to pay attention to phrasing and pausing.

• 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 and word parts, using examples from the text. Remind students that contractions are two words that are joined together to form a shortened version. Write we, are, and we’re on the board. Point out that the apostrophe takes the place of letter a when we and are are joined together to form the word we’re.



Writing about ReadingCritical Thinking Have students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 13.7.

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 SkillCause and Effect

Target Comprehension Skill Remind students that the effect is the result of an

action, or the cause. Model how to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:

Think Aloud

The conditions of the Antarctic are very harsh and cold. This causes the animals there to adapt. One example is the penguin. There are no twigs or branches in Antarctica. Most birds use these types of materials to make their nests. The penguins, however, use rocks to make their nests. So, the cause is that the necessary materials are not available and the effect is that the penguin must adapt.

Practice the SkillEncourage students to share examples of other books that describe the causes and effects of animals adapting to their environment.

Writing Prompt: Thinking About the TextHave students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they think about the text, they refl ect back on the text. They should notice and evaluate language, genre, literary devices, and how the text is organized.

Assessment Prompts• In the last paragraph on page 7, what does the word stranded mean?

• One idea present in this selection is that

________________________________________________________________.

• The main idea of this selection is that __________________________________.



Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text Which two birds mentioned in the book

do not build nests?

2. Think within the text How do penguins stay warm?

3. Think beyond the text What causes albatrosses to eat other

foods besides fi sh and krill?

4. Think about the text The author has divided the book into

sections. Choose a section title from the table of contents.

Do you think the title does a good job describing its section?

Explain your answer.

Making Connections The birds of Antarctica are different from birds that live in warmer areas. They are also alike in some ways. Compare the birds in Antarctica to birds where you live.

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

Amazing Birds of Antarctica

Critical Thinking

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

Grade 4, Unit 3: Natural Encounters9

Lesson 13B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 1 3 . 7

Name Date

The emperor penguin and the skua do not build nests.

A penguin’s blubber and feathers help it stay warm. Penguins also huddle

together.

Albatrosses spend most of their lives in the air. They use a lot of energy � ying

and need a lot of food to stay alive.

“Strange Nest” describes its section well. This section talks about how skuas do

not build nests at all but � ercely defend the eggs they lay on the ground.

Possible responses shown.

09_4_246246RTXEAN_L13_FR.indd 9 11/24/09 6:18:53 PM

First Pass

English Language DevelopmentReading Support Pair advanced and intermediate readers to read the story softly, or have students listen to the audio or online recordings. Remind students that birds in Antarctica are specially adapted to living in a cold, dry climate.

Cognates The story includes some Spanish cognates, or similar words. Point out the English words and their Spanish equivalents: alert (alerta), vision (vision), and graceful (gracioso).

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

Beginning/Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/ Advanced

Speaker 1: Who is telling the story?

Speaker 2: a narrator

Speaker 1: What is one type of bird in the story?

Speaker 2: an albatross

Speaker 1: Where do the birds in the story live?

Speaker 2: in Antarctica

Speaker 1: What do most of the birds in the story eat?

Speaker 2: They eat fi sh and krill.

Speaker 1: Why do some of the birds use rocks to build their nests?

Speaker 2: There aren’t any plants or twigs in Antarctica.

Speaker 1: How is the skua different from the other birds mentioned in the story?

Speaker 2: It doesn’t build a nest. It lays its eggs on the ground.



Amazing Birds of AntarcticaThinking About the Text

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

Remember that when you think about the text, you reflect back on the text. You notice and evaluate language, genre, literary devices, and how the text is organized.

How do the text features in this nonfiction book help you find and learn about birds? Choose three of the text features, such as the table of contents, the map, and the glossary. Explain how each feature helped you learn more about birds.

Name Date



Amazing Birds of Antarctica

Critical Thinking

Lesson 13B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 1 3 . 7

Name Date


Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text Which two birds mentioned in the book

do not build nests?

2. Think within the text How do penguins stay warm?

3. Think beyond the text What causes albatrosses to eat other

foods besides fi sh and krill?

4. Think about the text The author has divided the book into

sections. Choose a section title from the table of contents.

Do you think the title does a good job describing its section?

Explain your answer.

Making Connections The birds of Antarctica are different from birds that live in warmer areas. They are also alike in some ways. Compare the birds in Antarctica to birds where you live.

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.


1413

928

Student Date

Running Record Form

Lesson 13B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 1 3 . 1 1

Amazing Birds of Antarctica Amazing Birds of Antarctica

LEVEL O

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

4

5

Penguins have wings, but they cannot fly. Instead, a penguin’s

wings act like flippers. This makes them great swimmers.

Penguins eat fish and tiny animals called krill.

Penguins have a thick layer of fat under their feathers. This fat

is called blubber, and it helps them stay warm.

A penguin’s feathers also help keep it warm. Soft down

feathers, which keep out the cold, are next to a penguin’s skin.

Its outside feathers are waterproof. This means it can swim all

day without getting cold. Penguins spend so much time in the

water that early explorers thought they were fish!

Comments: Accuracy Rate (# words read correctly/100 ×

100)

%

Total Self- Corrections



Documents

LESSON 13 TEACHER’S GUIDE Amazing Birds of Antarctica · LESSON 13 TEACHER’S GUIDE Amazing Birds of Antarctica by Joanne Mattern Fountas-Pinnell Level O Narrative Nonfiction Selection