Characteristics of the Text Genre • Informational Text
Text Structure • Descriptive information• Third-person narrative
Content • Characteristics of coral reefs• Variety of animals and plants living in coral reefs
Themes and Ideas • Coral reefs are amazing underwater habitats.• Coral reefs are excellent places for plants and animals to fi nd food and live.• People must work to preserve coral reefs.
Language and Literary Features
• Simple, clear language• Description but no fi gurative use of language
Sentence Complexity • Many adjectives: small, soft, hard, warm, shallow, funny• Many prepositional phrases: in coral reefs, on the inside, in the coral
Vocabulary • Technical vocabulary related to coral reefs and plants and animals living in the reefs: butterfl y fi sh, skeleton, soft body, clownfi sh, lionfi sh
• Some target vocabulary highlighted in textWords • Mostly one to three syllable words supported by the text: animals, fi sh, shallow, danger
• High-frequency words: cold, live, their, waterIllustrations • Photographs support and extend text.
Book and Print Features • Nine pages of text, photographs on every page; labels on most photos• Three to seven lines of text on a page• Many two-line sentences• Labeled diagram of coral• Some objects in pictures are labeled.
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Number of Words: 198
L E S S O N 1 1 T E A C H E R ’ S G U I D E
Life in the Coral Reefsby Erin Spencer
Fountas-Pinnell Level GInformational TextSelection SummaryMany fascinating plants and animals live in underwater habitats called coral reefs. Because these reefs grow in shallow water, the water is warm and a rich source of food for many kinds of fi sh. Readers are introduced to some of the most colorful fi sh in the world. Within the coral, they can hide from the dangers lurking in the ocean.
Build BackgroundHelp children use their knowledge of things that live in the sea to think about the book. Help them anticipate the text with a question like: What kinds of things can you think of that live in the sea?
Front-Load Vocabulary Some everyday words may be unfamiliar to English learners. Before reading, check understanding of the following words: plants, animals, ocean, shallow, warm, soft, hard, hide, danger, fl y, roar, safe, dying, save.
Introduce the TextGuide children through the text, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Call their attention to any labels. Here are some suggestions:
Page 2: Explain that this book tells about places underwater called coral reefs.Suggested language: Turn to page 2 and look at the picture. The fi rst sentence reads: Many plants and animals live in the ocean. Say the word live. What letter would you expect to see fi rst in live? Find the word live and put your fi nger under it. What are some plants and animals you know that live in the ocean?
Page 3: Explain that some pictures in the book have labels to name things. The label in the picture on page 3 says: coral reef. Coral reefs grow in shallow water. The word water starts with the letter w. Point to the word water in the fi rst sentence. The book says that the water in coral reefs is warm, not cold. The word cold begins with the letter c. Can you fi nd the word cold on page 3? Cultural Support: Use a map and show children the location of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, North-East Australia, the largest coral reef in the world.
Pages 4–5: Remind children that information in the pictures can help them read. On page 4 you can see a close-up picture of coral. Tell what you see. How does the diagram on page 5 help you understand what coral is?
Page 8: Turn to page 8 and look at the picture. Point to the label: frogfi sh. Can you see the two smaller words in that name? Put your fi nger under each of them. Can you fi nd the frogfi sh in the picture? Frogfi sh can change their color to hide in coral reefs. The word their begins with the letters th. Find the word their on page 8 and put your fi nger under it.
Now go back to the beginning and read to fi nd out all about coral reefs.
ReadAs the children read, observe them carefully. Guide them as needed, using language that supports their problem-solving ability.
Respond to the TextPersonal ResponseAsk children to share their personal responses to the book. Begin by asking what they liked best about the book, or what they found most interesting.Suggested language: Would you like to visit a coral reef? Why or why not?
Ways of ThinkingAs you discuss the text, help children understand these teaching points:
Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text
• Many plants and animals live in the ocean.
• Coral reefs grow in the ocean and many animals and plants live in them.
• Coral reefs are amazing habitats.
• People need to work at preserving coral reefs or they may disappear.
• The color photographs refl ect the sensory details described in the text.
• The use of labels helps readers learn the names of plants and animals in the sea.
• The writer’s purpose is inform readers about the wealth of life living in coral reefs.
Choices for SupportFluencyAsk children to choose a page of the book to read aloud. Remind them to pay attention to phrasing. By breaking each sentence into natural phrases, readers refl ect the meaning of the sentence.
Phonemic Awareness and Word Work• Compound Words Materials: whiteboards, markers. Write these compound
words from the story on the board: clownfi sh, butterfl y, lionfi sh, frogfi sh. On their whiteboards, have children write the two words that make up each compound word.
• Ending Sounds Say each of the following words one at a time: plant, coral, fi nd, warm, water, deep. Have children repeat each word, and then say the ending sound.
Writing about ReadingCritical ThinkingRead the directions for children on BLM 11.9 and guide them in answering the questions.
RespondingRead aloud the questions at the back of the book and help children complete the activities.
Target Comprehension SkillAuthor’s Purpose
Target Comprehension Skill Explain to children that they can think about the author’s
purpose by fi nding details in a book that show why the author writes a book. Model how to think about the author’s purpose:
Think Aloud
Thinking about why the author wrote this book will help me learn about coral reefs. The author wants me to know about things that live in coral reefs. On page 3, I see a picture of a coral reef. The words on the page gives details about these places. Here’s one: The water is not deep in coral reefs. The water is shallow. Here’s another detail: The water is not cold in coral reefs. The water is warm. These details help me learn about coral reefs.
Practice the SkillHave children choose another book and tell the author’s purpose for writing it.
Writing PromptRead aloud the following prompt. Have children write their response, using the writing prompt on page 6.
Why do people have to work hard to keep coral reefs safe? What would happen if they disappeared? Write what you learned from reading the book.
English Language LearnersReading Support In Introduce the Text (p.2), use pictures, concrete objects, or demonstrations that will help children understand the concepts and ideas in the text. Don’t ask children to read any text they will not understand. You may want to have children use the audio or online recordings.
Oral Language DevelopmentCheck the children’s comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your children’s English profi ciency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the child.
Beginning/ Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/ Advanced
Speaker 1: What do you see on the cover?
Speaker 2: two yellow fi sh
Speaker 1: What is this book about?
Speaker 2: coral reefs
Speaker 1: Where are coral reefs?
Speaker 2: in the ocean
Speaker 1: What lives in coral reefs?
Speaker 2: plants and animals
Speaker 1: Why do animals live there?
Speaker 2: It’s easy to fi nd food in warm, shallow water.
Speaker 1: What is coral?
Speaker 2: It’s an animal.
Speaker 1: Why do fi sh like to live in coral reefs?
Speaker 2: They can hide from danger and it’s easy to fi nd food.
Life in the Coral ReefsWhy do people have to work hard to keep coral reefs safe? What would happen if they disappeared? Write what you learned from reading the book.
