Characteristics of the Text Genre • Realistic fi ction
Text Structure • Third-person narrative organized sequentially• Simple, straightforward plot
Content • Growing plants• Patience• Learning from a parent
Themes and Ideas • It’s important to take good care of plants.• Hard work brings good results.• Patience is important.
Language and Literary Features
• Two major characters• Setting important in plot• Dialogue assigned to different characters.
Sentence Complexity • A mix of short and complex sentences with clauses and phrases• Questions in dialogue• Exclamations
Vocabulary • Different words used to assign dialogue• New vocabulary and content-specifi c words (cherry tomatoes, salads, plant, stick, garden,
patient) • Some target vocabulary highlighted in text
Words • All parts of speech• Mostly one- and two-syllable words
Illustrations • Softly colored drawings support and extend the text.Book and Print Features • Nine pages of text with illustrations on all pages
• Some sentences turn over several lines.• Labels name characters and things in many illustrations.
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
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Number of Words: 294
L E S S O N 2 3 T E A C H E R ’ S G U I D E
Len’s Tomato Plantby Boris Neyman
Fountas-Pinnell Level IRealistic FictionSelection SummaryLen helps his mother plant cherry tomato plants in their garden. He learns to grow plants --- and to be patient. In the end, he is thrilled that his hard work was worth it and his tomatoes taste so sweet.
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Len’s Tomato Plant by Boris Neyman
Build BackgroundRead the title and author with the children and talk about what is happening in the cover illustration. Ask them what they think the boy in the illustration is doing. Encourage children to use their knowledge of growing plants to think about the story. Ask questions such as the following: Have you ever helped to grow plants in school, at home, or in a community garden? What happened? What did you enjoy the most about growing plants?
Front-Load Vocabulary Some everyday words may be unfamiliar to English learners. Before reading, check understanding of the following words: garden, cherry tomatoes, dirt, stick, heavy, patient, path, sick, wrong, salad.
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 story is about a little boy named Len who grows a cherry tomato plant. Explain that the pictures in this book have labels that name people and things. Suggested language: Turn to page 2. Look at the picture. Are Len and his mother in their house or in their garden? The fi rst two sentences read: Len ran out of the house. Len ran into the garden. Say house. What letter would you expect to see fi rst in house? Find the word house and put your fi nger under it.
Page 3: Turn to page 3 and look at the picture. Len is looking at a cherry tomato plant. Have you ever eaten a cherry tomato? Cherry tomatoes are so small, Len can pop them in his mouth. Can you show me how Len would pop a cherry tomato into his mouth?
Page 4: Turn to page 4. The book says that Len and his mother worked in the garden together. Say together. What letter would you expect to see fi rst in together? Find the word together and put your fi nger under it. Look at the picture. Do you see the label? The label can help you understand the picture and the story. The label says: dirt. Len’s mother tells him he needs to dig a hole and put the plant in the hole. The last thing he needs to do is to cover the roots with dirt.
Page 6: Call attention to the illustration and read the label. Now what is Len doing in the garden? Len went out to put water on his plant. Len asks: “Where are my cherry tomatoes?” Why do you think there are no tomatoes on the plant yet?
Now go back to the beginning and read to fi nd out more about Len’s tomato plant.
again
along
began
boy
father
house
nothing
together
Words to Know
2 Lesson 23: Len’s Tomato PlantGrade 1© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
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ReadAs 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 story. Begin by asking what they liked best about the story, or what they found interesting.Suggested language: What do you think Len learned by planting tomatoes with his mother? How do you think he felt at the end of the story? How would you feel?
Ways of ThinkingAs you discuss the text, make sure children understand these teaching points:
Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text
• Len helps his mother plant cherry tomato plants.
• Len learns how to take care of the plants.
• Len picks the tomatoes and makes a salad for his parents.
• Hard work can be fun.
• It’s important to be patient when growing plants.
• The pictures show what the plants look like as they grow tall.
• The author includes lots of details that make the story interesting.
• Len and his mother talk the way people do in real life.
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Choices for SupportFluencyHave children read a passage from the text and demonstrate that they can quickly and automatically solve most words in a way that supports fl uency.
Phonemic Awareness and Word WorkProvide practice as needed with words and sounds, using one of the following activities:• Make New Words Materials: index cards, two boxes. Put index cards with the
infl ectional endings –ing and –ed in one box. Put index cards with the words plant, help, work, cover, walk, and pick in a second box. Ask children to draw one index card from each box and change the verb by adding the infl ectional ending selected.
• Word Wall Materials: words on word wall, index cards. Write the following story words on the word wall: Len, Mother, cherry tomato, plant, garden, worked, water, patient, green, red, water, dirt. Then have children write the words on cards. Have partners build sentences using some of their words, and adding other words. Call on children to read aloud their sentences to the class.
3 Lesson 23: Len’s Tomato PlantGrade 1© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
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Writing About ReadingCritical ThinkingRead the directions for children on BLM 23.10 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 SkillCause and Effect
Target Comprehension Skill Tell children that the effect tells what happens in a story.
The cause tells why it happened. Model how to think about cause and effect:
Think Aloud
In this story I read that Len cared for his plant every day. Finally, he saw small green tomatoes on his plant. Why did Len get tomatoes? Because he took good care of his plant. The effect, or what happened, is the small green tomatoes on his plant.
Practice the SkillHave children share examples of cause and effect in another story they have read.
Writing PromptRead aloud the following prompt. Have children write their response, using the writing prompt on page 6.
Len did a lot of work to grow cherry tomatoes. What do you think was the hardest job? Write about the part you think would be the hardest to do.
4 Lesson 23: Len’s Tomato PlantGrade 1© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
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Read directions to children.
Think About ItWrite an answer to the question. Responses may vary.
1. Why does the story say that Len was not a patient boy?
Len did not want to wait for the
tomatoes to grow. He wanted the
tomatoes right away.Making Connections Think about your favorite
fruit or vegetable. Write some sentences about why
you like it.
12 Grade 1, Unit 5: Watch us Grow
Name
Think About It© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Len’s Tomato PlantThink About It
Lesson 23B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 2 3 . 1 0
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English Language LearnersReading Support Check regularly on children’s oral reading to determine accuracy, fl uency, and comprehension. Have children use the audio or online recording as a model.
Oral Language DevelopmentCheck the children’s comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches their English profi ciency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the child.
Beginning/ Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/ Advanced
Speaker 1: Who is the boy in the story?
Speaker 2: Len
Speaker 1: What does Len plant?
Speaker 2: a cherry tomato plant
Speaker 1: How does the cherry tomato taste?
Speaker 2: good
Speaker 1: What do Len and his mother do together?
Speaker 2: They plant cherry tomatoes in the garden.
Speaker 1: When do cherry tomatoes turn red?
Speaker 2: They turn red when they are ready to eat.
Speaker 1: What does Len do to grow cherry tomatoes?
Speaker 2: He plants his tomato plant, ties the plant to a stick, waters it, and waits.
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Name Date
Len’s Tomato PlantLen did a lot of work to grow cherry tomatoes. What do you think was the hardest job? Write about the part you think would be the hardest to do.
6 Lesson 23: Len’s Tomato PlantGrade 1© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
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Think About ItWrite an answer to the question.
1. Why does the story say that Len was not a patient boy?
Making Connections Think about your favorite
fruit or vegetable. Write some sentences about why
you like it.
Name
Len’s Tomato PlantThink About It
Lesson 23B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 2 3 . 1 0
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1413398
Student Date Lesson 23
B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 2 3 . 1 5
Len’s Tomato PlantRunning Record Form
Len’s Tomato Plant • LEVEL I
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
cat 1
Word told Tcat 1
page Selection Text Errors Self-Corrections
2
3
Len ran out of the house.
Len ran into the garden.
Len wanted to help Mom plant
tomatoes.
“Please let me help,’’ said Len.
Mom said, ‘‘Sure! This tomato
plant is for you.’’
Mom said, ‘‘Cherry tomatoes
are little tomatoes. We put
cherry tomatoes in
our salads.’’
Len said, ‘‘Oh, yes! I like to
put cherry tomatoes in my
Comments: Accuracy Rate (# words read
correctly/63 × 100)
%
Self-Correction Rate
(# errors + # Self-Corrections/ Self-Corrections)
1:
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