Contents Introducing Go Facts Readers 2 Using Go Facts Readers Level 2 3 Models for Nonfiction Writing 4 Nonfiction Elements in Go Facts Readers 5 Go Facts Readers Level 2 Overview 6 Family set 8 Families Help Each Other 8 Let’s Eat! 10 Clothes 12 My Family Tree 14 Animals Around Us set 16 Spiders 16 City, Farm and Sea 18 In the Garden 20 Make a Zoo 22 Toys set 24 Let’s Pretend 24 Toys and Games 26 My Toys 28 Drums and Shakers 30 Assessment Checklist and Student Award 32 Teaching Guide GO FACTS readers Level 2
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ContentsIntroducing Go Facts Readers 2Using Go Facts Readers Level 2 3Models for Nonfiction Writing 4Nonfiction Elements in Go Facts Readers 5Go Facts Readers Level 2 Overview 6
Family set 8Families Help Each Other 8Let’s Eat! 10Clothes 12My Family Tree 14
Animals Around Us set 16Spiders 16City, Farm and Sea 18In the Garden 20Make a Zoo 22
Toys set 24Let’s Pretend 24Toys and Games 26My Toys 28Drums and Shakers 30
Assessment Checklist and Student Award 32
Teaching GuideGO FACTS readers Level 2
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The Reading and Writing Link"Across evaluations of beginning reading programs, emphasis on writingactivities is repeatedly shown to result in special gains in readingachievement."Marilyn J. Adams Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning About Print,Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1990.
Go Facts readers introduce nonfiction features using a structured approach. Theycontain simple, accurate and easy-to-read examples of nonfiction, with each bookconcentrating on a specific factual structure or skill. At this beginning level, studentsare encouraged to develop strategies such as classifying, labelling and findingconnections — all essential skills for understanding nonfiction. The text in each bookthen provides a model for student writing through activities provided in the Linking toWriting lessons. The Go Facts series has been developed to foster this reading and writing link.
Learning About NonfictionImportant differences in structure, content and purpose mark fiction and nonfiction —narrative and information text. Nonfiction text is often unfamiliar to young readers but,as we read nonfiction to learn, it is important for students to learn how to understandits structures. Students need to be exposed to a variety of nonfiction texts and to betaught different strategies for comprehending it.
One of the main features of nonfiction is that information is grouped together underchapters or headings. The ability to group information together needs to be learnt andis a major underlying theme in all the Go Facts readers. Many nonfiction readingbooks at this level are simply a random series of facts with few organising structures toaid student comprehension. All Go Facts readers include a contents page and chapterheadings to familiarise students with the structures of nonfiction. These structures helpstudents to look for similarities and differences, to compare and contrast, and to makeconnections to their own experience. This makes the reading experience memorableand the text easier to understand.
Writing Workshop in a Comprehensive Literacy ProgramIn a comprehensive literacy program, daily writing is as important as daily reading.During the reading block, students learn reading skills so that they can constructmeaning from a wide range of texts. In the writing block, students develop the abilityto organise their ideas and to express them in print. Just as with guided readinglessons, guided writing lessons allow the teacher to give explicit instruction in targetedskills and strategies. The lessons in this guide provide strong teacher support, includingdetailed notes showing how to model a variety of reading and writing skills andstrategies.
Introducing Go Facts Readers
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Go Facts integrates science and society and environment with reading andwriting. The books are ideal for use in the literacy program, or during a thematicunit about one of the topics in the series.
There are three strands to the series — Science and Technology, My World(Society and Environment) and a mixture of the two, the Animal World. Eachstrand begins with the child's directly experienced world, and then moves outgradually to the wider world as you move up the reading levels. Level 2 is thesecond of four levels of carefully graded readers.
Reading the Nonfiction Text
Grouping: small groupsPacing: 15–20 minute sessions. Some may take two days to complete theworksheet and share.
The reading lessons in this guide are suitable for small groups and fit easilyinto the guided reading component of the reading block. The lessons teacheffective reading strategies for processing nonfiction texts. The teacherintroduces the text and the teaching points before students readindependently. The lessons encourage oral participation from students, whichprovides further teaching opportunities. At the end of each lesson students cancomplete a worksheet or other activity.
Using the Writing Nonfiction Lesson Notes
Grouping: small groups or whole classPacing: One or two sessions of 15–20 minutes.
By following each reading lesson with a lesson in writing nonfiction, studentslearn to use the structures modelled in the Go Facts books in their own writing.By the end of the series students will have worked on a variety of purposefulwriting activities.
The teacher models a writing strategy by thinking aloud while writing. Studentsparticipate by telling the teacher what to write, or by helping plan and writesome of the text. Each lesson has a worksheet or other writing activity.
The Writing Nonfiction lessons are suitable for small groups or the whole class.They encompass the guided and independent writing and investigationcomponents of the writing block. They could also be used over a two-dayperiod, teaching the strategy on day one and then having students apply thestrategy and share their work on day two.
AssessmentSuggestions for informal assessment appear throughout the reading and writinglessons. Page 32 provides an assessment checklist rubric, as well as a meritcertificate. Teachers can photocopy one page per student and record eachstudent's progress in reading and writing nonfiction texts.
Using Go Facts Readers Level 2
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The books in Go Facts Readers Level 2 are good models for students' own beginningnonfiction writing. Using them, teachers can provide opportunities for students to writesimple texts on familiar topics. By actively linking students' reading and writing activities,young readers are supported in their attempts to learn the structures and conventions ofnonfiction writing. The Go Facts Level 2 Big Book My Family Tree can be a useful modelin many of these lessons.
Through modelled, shared and interactive writing activities, teachers can introduce anddemonstrate writing as a means of constructing messages and representing ideas andinformation. The four different titles in each set demonstrate how written texts areconstructed and used for different purposes.
Models for Nonfiction Writing
Contents PageThe colour-coded contentspage links to page headingsfor easy navigation. This isan important tool to usebefore reading the text. Thecontents page provides agood opportunity tofamiliarise students with theideas and some of theunfamiliar words that theywill soon be reading.
DiagramsVisual literacy is animportant elementin all the books.
LabelsStudents can see howlabels are a clear andconcise way to namephotos or parts of anillustration.
TablesThe final page is a table, labelleddiagram, procedure or timeline. Theyreinforce vocabulary development andcontent knowledge, and can be usedas a comprehension tool to checkstudents' understanding of the text.
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Go Facts Readers include many important nonfiction text features. These include:• table of contents • headings • photographs and diagrams • labels.
The language features in the text include:• generalised descriptions• written in present tense• nouns, adjectives and verbs used to name and describe a topic.
Familiar ThemesEach set of Go Facts Readers has four books on a theme. The topics in this setare familiar, allowing students to use their existing knowledge to make sense ofthe text.
Table of Contents and Chapter HeadingsGo Facts Readers include a contents page and chapter headings. These twoessential features are important navigation tools to help students findinformation in nonfiction texts. These can be modelled using the Go Facts Level 2 Big Book My Family Tree.
Nonfiction StructuresEach text focuses on one nonfiction structural feature. These are informationreport; labels; factual recounts; and procedural text. This allows lessons to befocused on a specific skill and enables students to understand that nonfictionbooks can present information in different ways. Across the 12 books eachstructural feature is revisited three times, as repetition helps students to gainconfidence and greater understanding of the feature.
Nonfiction Elements in Go Facts Readers
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Go Facts Readers Level 2 Overview
My WorldSociety andEnvironment
Family
Student BooksFeatures
Teaching GuideNonfiction
Guided Readingand Writing
Information Report(describing actions)Table of ContentsHeadingsPhotos Captions
Sentence structures:My ____ helps me. Hehelps me to ___.I help my ___.Text structures:Singular and pluralpronouns — I, me,our, we Worksheet 1: Sentence Puzzle
Report with Labels(Labelling anddescribing breakfast,lunch and dinnerfoods.)Table of ContentsHeadingsPhotos LabelsTable
Sentence structures:Some people eat ____for ___. What do youlike to eat for ___?Text structures:Compare andcontrast, labels,exclamation markWorksheet 2: My Lunch
Factual Recount(How clothes wornreflect changes in theweather.)Table of ContentsHeadingsPhotos LabelsWeek daysChart
Sentence structures:Monday was a ___day. It was ___. I wore___.Text structures:Singular and pluralpronouns — I, me,our, we Worksheet 3: Our Weather Chart
Procedure(How to draw a familytree.)Table of ContentsHeadingsPhotos Labelled diagram
Sentence structures:This is my ___.This is my family treenow.Text structures:Family relationshipsBuilding a diagramWorksheet 4: My Family
RR 4 Word count 118
RR 4 Word count 102
RR 5 Word count 119
The AnimalWorld
Animals Around Us
Student BooksFeatures
Information Report(A simple, structuredreport on spiders.)Table of ContentsHeadingsPhotos CaptionsDiagrammaticrecount
RR 6 Word count 74
RR 5 Word count 130
RR 5 Word count 115
RR 6 Word count 93 RR 4 Word count 103
Report with Labels(Different animalslive in differentenvironments.)Table of ContentsHeadingsPhotos LabelsTable
Factual Recount(Describing animalsseen in differentparts of the gardenover a period of fivedays.)Table of ContentsHeadingsPhotosWeekdays
Procedure(How to make modelanimals out of avariety of materials.)Table of ContentsHeadingsPhotos TableAlso available as a
Big Book
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Teaching GuideNonfiction
Guided Readingand Writing
Student BooksFeatures
Teaching GuideNonfiction
Guided Readingand Writing
Information Report(Children pretend:they build, theywonder and perform.)Table of ContentsHeadingsPhotos Table
Sentence structures:We can ___. Now we can ___.Text structures:Headings groupcertain activitiestogether, contractionsWorksheet 9: Let's Pretend
Report with Labels(Grouping toysaccording toattributes such assoft, float, havewheels.)Table of ContentsHeadingsPhotos Labels
Sentence structures:Some toys are ___.You can ___ thembecause ___.Text structures:Headings group typesof toys together.Worksheet 10: My Toy
Factual Recount(Recount of toysplayed with atdifferent ages.)Table of ContentsHeadingsPhotos LabelsTimeline
Sentence structures:When I was ___ , Iplayed with toys.Text structures:Recount, past tense,timelineWorksheet 11: Toy Timeline
Procedure(How to make rhythminstruments such asshakers and handclappers.)Table of ContentsHeadingsPhotos Table
Sentence structures:You will need __.Sentences beginningwith verbs: put, cut,glue, clap, print, flap. Text structures:List of materials,step-by-step procedure Worksheet 12: Make an Instrument
RR 4 Word count 91
RR 5 Word count 135
RR 4 Word count 141
RR 6 Word count 124
Sentence structures:Spiders make silk.Many spiders makesilk webs.Text structures:Topic sentences and supportinginformationWorksheet 5: Spiders
Sentence structures:If you live in the ___you can see ___. ___are animals that live___.Text structures:Sort, classify andlabelWorksheet 6: Where do they live?
Sentence structures:On ___ I looked in thegarden. I saw a ___.Text structures:Recount, past tense,positional wordsWorksheet 7: In the Garden
Sentence structures:You can make thingsout of ___. These fishhave stripes.Text structures:Adjectives, verbs4-stage illustratedprocedureWorksheet 8: Write your ownprocedure
Science andTechnology
Toys
Go Facts families help each other
Families Help Each OtherTeaching FocusInformation report
Introducing the TextPrior to the lesson, ask a small group of students tohelp you introduce Go Facts Families Help EachOther. Ask the group to prepare a mime that showsmembers of a family helping each other, for exampletaking shopping from a car to the kitchen. Use anyexample that demonstrates a family helping eachother that is appropriate to the group of students inthe class. At the beginning of the lesson, seat the remainingstudents in the classroom. Introduce the actors andthen ask the class to observe what they see. Whenthe actors have finished, ask students:What were the students doing?Who were they pretending to be?How did they show you this?Who has a different idea?Why do we help people?Why do we help our family?Praise any interpretations given by students, andthen ask the actors to explain what they were doing.Allow students time to discuss other ways thatfamilies can help each other.
Reading and Discussing the Text1. Show students the cover of Go Facts Families
Help Each Other. Explain to students that this isan information report about the way people indifferent families help each other. Say:Remember that all families are different. One ofthe families in the book might remind you of yourfamily or you might think they are all very differentfrom your family. Families help each other indifferent ways. All families have different familymembers.
2. Have students turn to the contents page. Remindthem that the contents page tells readers howinformation is arranged in the book. Havestudents look at the pictures and text. Askstudents to read the chapter headings. Remindthem to use the pictures to help them work outwhat the text says. Have students turn to page 2.Make sure each student knows where to find theheading on the page.
3. Discuss the picture with students. Read, or askvolunteers to read, the text. Continue in this wayuntil the end of the book.
4. Ask students if they noticed similarities in how themembers of each family help each other and whathappens in their own family. Ask: Are there anypages that remind you of your own family?Give students more time to revisit the book andencourage them to discuss their ideas.
5. Show students Worksheet 1. Explain that there aresome words missing from the sentences whichthey must fill in. Choose an example from yourfamily and demonstrate for students. Tell studentsto choose one member of their family who helpsthem. They can write this name in the first space.At the beginning of the second sentence, studentsmust write 'she' or 'he', depending on the familymember they have chosen. In the remainingspaces, students should write how that personhelps them. Students should write one word ineach space. Tell students that they might not fillevery space in the second sentence. Next, havestudents read their sentence to themselves andthen cut out each of the words. Students can mixthese up on their table and then rearrange themto form the sentences again. Depending on theability of students, have them swap their puzzlepieces with a friend.
Linking to Writing1. Ask students to think about a time when someone
in their family helped them. Ask them to write arecount about this. Encourage students toillustrate their recount.
2. Students might like to use these recounts as abasis for further mime activities.
3. Ask students to think of ways that they can helpat home. What tasks do their parents ask (nag)them to do? What helpful tasks do they dowithout being asked? Have each student make aposter of four tasks that they perform at hometitled 'I help'. Have students draw a picture andadd a caption to each.
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ReadingName
Date
worksheet 1Information report
Go Facts families help each other
Sentence Puzzle1. Finish the sentences.2. Cut out the words.3. Mix up the words.4. Put the sentence back together again.
Introducing the TextIf possible, bring to school some breakfast foods andutensils. You could bring a box of cereal, a bowl, aslice of bread, a jar of jam and a glass for orangejuice. Display these and ask students to makecomments about what they see. Prompt students torealise that these are foods that some people havefor breakfast. Tell students what you had forbreakfast. On chart paper draw each part of yourbreakfast and write labels to match. Ask students what they had for breakfast. Talk withstudents about the importance of eating breakfast. For the reading activity, collect food items that aresuitable for school lunches. Ensure the lunch itemsreflect the cultural differences in your class. Thesecould include real foods, pictures cut frommagazines or pretend foods made from plastic.Make labels on strips of card to match each fooditem. Make sure the writing activity occurs beforelunchtime.
Reading and Discussing the Text1. Tell students that they are going to read a book
about foods that people eat for breakfast, lunchand dinner. Show them the cover of Go FactsLet's Eat! Ask students to locate and read thetitle. Have students find the exclamation point. Asstudents point to the exclamation point with theirfinger, explain to them that this adds force andexcitement to the way the words are read. Modelreading the title in a variety of ways.
2. Turn to the contents page. Read aloud theheadings and ask students to think about whatthey ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner on theprevious day. Remind students that some familiescall meals by different names. Some families referto dinner as tea. Ask students who speaklanguages other than English what names theygive each meal in their language.
3. Read the chapter called 'Breakfast'. On page 3ask students to point to each of the labels as youread them aloud. Remind students that labels tellthe reader exactly what is in the picture.
4. Allow students time to continue reading the bookindependently. Take less capable students asideand allow them to listen as you read the textaloud. Praise students for making attempts atlocating words on the page, or for using theirfinger to follow the words as they are read.
5. On page 12, show students how to read theinformation in the table. Have them use theirfinger to trace along each row. Invite students toverbalise the information that is portrayed in thetable. Compare what Jack and Gill ate and havechildren talk about the differences.
6. Have students sit in a circle on the floor. In thecentre, place the selection of lunch itemspreviously collected. Ask students to talk aboutwhat they see. Next, show students the labels andask for volunteers to match the words to theitems. More capable students might be challengedto match every label. Beginning readers should bepraised for matching one or two.
Linking to Writing1. Make sure this lesson occurs before lunchtime.
Have students bring their lunch into theclassroom. Emphasise that this is not eating time.Be aware of students who may have little to eat,or who are hesitant to show others the contents oftheir lunch.
2. Show students Worksheet 2. Explain to them thatthey are going to draw their own lunch in thelunch box. Next, they should label each item. Tellstudents to draw arrows leading to each fooditem. At the end of each arrow they can write thename of the food. Encourage students to maketheir own attempts at spelling.
3. Draw a table like on page 12 of Go Facts Let'sEat! with sections for breakfast, lunch and dinner.Photocopy one for each student and have themdraw and label what they ate yesterday.Alternatively have students draw and label theirfavourite foods for each meal.
Introducing the TextHave a range of clothing on display. Examples mightinclude a heavy coat, a pair of shorts and a raincoat.Ask students to discuss what they see. Promptstudents to realise that different types of clothingare worn in different types of weather. Havestudents look at the clothes that they are wearing.Ask them whether they would be in the same clotheson a boiling hot/ freezing cold/ rainy day.
Reading and Discussing the Text1. Have students locate the title on the front cover
of Go Facts Clothes. Remind students of thesound of 'th'. Prompt students to talk about thetype of clothes the children are wearing on thecover. In what sort of weather do people wearthese clothes?
2. Have students turn to the contents page. Tellthem the first chapter heading and then askstudents to predict what the remaining headingswill be. Tell students that this book is a factualrecount. It contains facts about the weather andabout the clothes that children wear on differentdays.
3. Read pages 2 and 3 aloud to students. Havestudents find the small word 'day' at the end of'Monday'. Ask students to volunteer to read eachof the remaining pages aloud. At the end of eachchapter, ask students to discuss the types ofclothes that they would wear in the same weatherconditions.
4. Bring students' attention to the table on page 12.Explain to them that this table is a summary of theweather and the clothing worn for the last fivedays.
5. Show students Worksheet 3. Explain to them thatthey are going to keep a record of the weather,and the types of clothes they wear, for one weekof school. Ideally, students should begin theworksheet on a Monday. However, it does notmatter if you choose to begin on a different day.Help students find the appropriate day on thetable.
6. Next, explain to students how a key works. Tellstudents that they need to draw a small picture toillustrate each type of weather. Encouragestudents to think of their own pictures rather thancopying exactly what is in Go Facts Clothes. In the
last box, students might like to add another typeof weather particular to their area. Examples mightinclude snowy, humid or cold.
7. Help students to fill in the weather and clothes forthe day. Students can choose to draw or writeabout the clothes they are wearing. Explain tostudents that they are going to complete the tablefor the next four days.
Linking to Writing1. At the end of the five days of recording, have
students choose one of the days to write about.Tell students that they are going to write arecount that will go into a class book. On chartpaper, demonstrate to students how to do this.Say:A recount contains facts about something thatyou have done or seen. We're writing recountsabout the weather and about the clothes we woreon that particular day. I'm going to begin myrecount with a sentence that tells people what dayI'm writing about. I'll write:On WednesdayNext I need to write about the weather on thatday. I'll check Worksheet 3. That's right — when Icheck the key I can see that I've drawn thesymbols for cold and rainy so I'll write:it was a cold and rainy day. Now, what was I wearing? I can check onWorksheet 3. I was wearing my raincoat and jeansand boots. So I can add:I wore my raincoat and my jeans and my boots. Now if I want to add some more information tomake my writing more interesting I could add:These clothes kept me warm and dry.
2. Allow students time to write their own recounts.Encourage students to add pictures and thenstaple all the recounts together to make a bookfor the class library.
Introducing the TextOn chart paper draw a simple version of your ownfamily tree. Use the same format, and if possible thesame colours, as Go Facts My Family Tree. Showthis to students and ask them to explain what theysee. Tell students that it is your family tree. Point toeach family member as you talk about theirrelationship to you. Ask students what they call theirgrandparents, eg. Nonna, Pa, etc. and write a list ofthe different terms used.Ask students: Why do you think this is called a family tree?Can a family tree grow? How?What would happen if I/ my aunt/ wife had a baby?Would the tree grow then?Suggest students ask their parents if they haverecorded their family tree.
Reading and Discussing the Text1. Have students look at the front and back covers
of Go Facts My Family Tree. Read the title andask a student to locate the blurb on the backcover of the book. Read this to students anddiscuss what they think the book will be about.
2. Allow students time to browse through the bookprior to reading it. Observe the interaction theyhave with the text and the diagrams of the familytree. Notice students who are attempting to makesense of the information.
3. Ask students to return to page 2. Read thechapter 'My Family' to students. Say:Can you see how the little girl is making her familytree? She has started by showing us who is in herfamily. Next she has told us who is in her family.There is her brother, and her mum and dad. Thelines show the connections within the family. Herbrother is next to her because he is the samegeneration. Her parents are above her to showthat they are part of an older generation.
4. Continue reading each chapter to students. Makesure that they understand the new additions to thefamily tree at the end of each chapter. Keepreferring to the different levels of the family treeas the different generations of the family.Challenge more capable students by askingquestions such as:
If the mother had a sister, where would she go onthe family tree? What would the girl call her?Where would the mum's parents go? Where willthe new baby go?
5. Tell students that you are going to make a list ofpossible family members. Ask for suggestions.Make a list of family members specific to yourclass. As well as those mentioned in the text, youmight include, for example: foster mother/father,stepmother/father, stepbrother/sister, great-grandparents.
6. Ask for a volunteer to talk about their family. Asthe student talks, construct the family tree on chartpaper. Use the same method as in Go Facts MyFamily Tree. Encourage students to refer to the listof family member words, and add the type offamily member near each name on the family tree.
7. Students who are having difficulties might havethis activity repeated in a small groupenvironment.
Linking to Writing1. On chart paper, make a list of instructions to help
students remember how to make a family tree.Scribe as students make suggestions. Theinstructions could go something like:1. Draw yourself – circles for girls and squares for
boys.2. Draw your brothers and sisters next to you.
Draw a straight line to connect you to yourbrothers and sisters.
3. Draw your parents above you. Use a curvedline to connect them together.
4. Add your aunts and uncles.5. Add your grandparents above your parents. 6. Label each person.
2. Show students Worksheet 4 and explain to themthat they are going to tell people about their ownfamily. First they should tell how many brothersand sisters they have. Then they should write theirnames. Next students should write down theirmother's name, then their father's name. Finally,ask students to draw their family. Remind studentsto include themselves in the illustration.
I have ______________________________________________________ brothers.I have ______________________________________________________ sisters.Their names are _____________________________________________________________________
My mum’s name is ______________________________________________________________
My dad’s name is _________________________________________________________________
Draw your family here.
Go Facts spiders
SpidersTeaching FocusInformation report
Introducing the TextOn chart paper, write the heading 'Spiders'. Say: We are going to write some facts about spiders.We're not going to talk about times that we haveseen spiders, because that would be a recount. Now,I know a fact about spiders. Write and say: Spiderseat insects. Who can tell me another fact aboutspiders?Tell students that this is called brainstorming. Writeeach student's contribution on the chart paper.Explain to students that they are going to read aninformation book about spiders. Say:This information book will tell us more facts aboutspiders. After we have read it, we will be able to addmore facts to our brainstorming page.
Reading and Discussing the Text1. Show students the cover of Go Facts Spiders. Ask
students to talk about the spider they see on thecover. Ask them to describe what it looks like andwhere it is. Next, have students point to the title.Remind students that the title, or the name of abook, starts with a capital letter. Have studentslocate the capital 'S'.
2. Turn to the back cover and read the blurb. Weanswered the question with our brainstormingpage.
3. Ask students to turn to the contents page. Readthe chapter headings aloud. Explain to studentsthat each chapter, or section, of the book teachesthem something different about spiders. In the second chapter we can learn about thespider's body and in the fourth chapter we canlearn about the spider's eggs. If you wanted to,you could choose the chapters that interest youand read them first.
4. Start reading the text aloud. Pause at the end ofeach chapter and encourage students to talkabout what they have learnt. Remind studentsthat these are all facts.
5. Let students reread the book independently. Inviteless confident readers to work in a small group.Have them locate high-frequency words on thepage.
6. Turn to page 12. Allow students time to look atthe page on their own. Next, ask students whatthey can see. Praise students who describe eachstage in its correct sequence. Show students howthe numbers help the reader to read the picturesin the correct order. Can everyone see that in thefirst picture the spider has made a shape? Whatshape is it? A triangle.
7. Have each student draw their own spider web,using page 12 as a guide. The class could draw or paint spider webs in preparation for makingtheir own spiders from pipe cleaners after readingGo Facts Make a Zoo.
Linking to Writing1. Refer to the brainstormed list of facts from the
introduction to the lesson. Ask students to recallsome facts that they have learnt since reading Go Facts Spiders. Add these to the list.
2. Show students Worksheet 5. Explain to them thatthey are going to answer some questions aboutspiders. Ask students to refer to Go Facts Spidersbefore writing their answers. Students can refer tothe brainstorming page when adding some morefacts about spiders but praise students who writein their own words.
3. More capable students might use this as a basefrom which to write their own information reportabout spiders. Draw a heading line and thendivide the rest of the page into three sections.Write the following headings in each section:What it looks like; What it eats; Anotherinteresting fact. Photocopy one for each studentand have them write a sentence or two undereach heading.
City, Farm and SeaTeaching FocusReport with labels
Introducing the TextChoose one of the animals represented in Go FactsCity, Farm and Sea. If possible find a toy of thisanimal, or a large photo or use the picture in the Go Facts book. Show this to students and ask:Where might you find this animal? Why does it livethere? Can it live in other places? Why or why not?What other animals live in the same place?Tell students that they are going to read a bookabout some of the places that animals live.
Reading and Discussing the Text1. Show students the front cover of Go Facts City,
Farm and Sea. Ask them to talk about what theysee on the cover. What animal can you see?Where does this animal live? Could it live on afarm or in the city?Next, have students locate the words in the title.Tell students that these are different places. Askstudents to predict what they might say. Havestudents locate the 'c' in city. Tell them that it is asoft 'c' sound and sounds like 's'. Say:The title of this book is City, Farm and Sea. It isan information book so you will learn about placeswhere people live and the animals that they cansee in each of these places.
2. Read the back cover blurb. Have studentsdescribe what animals they have seen near theirhome.
3. Have students turn to the contents page. Tellstudents that this page helps them to findinformation. Explain that there are three chaptersin the book. As you read the chapter headingsaloud, ask students to point to the words and thepage numbers. Talk about the different structures— in the city, on a farm and by the sea, and howthis relates to where people live as well.
3. Have students turn to page 2. Read page 2 and 3aloud to students. Ask students if they have everseen pigeons or sparrows. Ask students why thecity might be a good place for these birds to live.Ask students to name other animals that can livein the city.
4. Continue reading the text aloud. Have studentsvolunteer to read pages if they are able. At theend of each chapter, discuss with students thereasons why animals live in particular places.
5. Have students look at the table on page 12. Showthem how to use their finger to trace along eachrow as they name the animals. Ask for volunteersto verbalise the information in the table.
6. Allow students time to independently read thebook. Monitor the way they interact with the text.
Linking to Writing1. Show students Worksheet 6. Use your finger to
point to the photographs of animals on the left-hand side of the page. Tell students that these aresome of the animals from the book. Have themlabel each animal. Next, read the place names onthe right-hand side of the worksheet. Tell studentsthat they need to draw a line from the animallabel to the place where it lives.
2. Next, ask students to draw or write names ofother animals that live in each of these places, atthe bottom of the page. Encourage them to thinkof animals not included in City, Farm and Sea.
3. Remember that the answers of some studentsmay vary. For example, students living in the citymight see ducks in a park. Or students might liveby the sea and have chickens in their backyard.Accept these variations and ask students todiscuss their responses in small groups.
4. On chart paper, draw three large circles. In eachcircle write one of the chapter headings. Askstudents to think of animals that live in theseplaces. As students make suggestions ask them tocome and write the animal name in the correctcircle. Encourage students to write all the soundsthey can hear. Stress the importance of 'having ago' rather than perfect spelling. Some studentsmight like to refer to the Go Facts text or to wordbanks in the classroom. Praise students for all thecorrect letters in the word. Write the correctspelling underneath each student attempt.
5. Depending on the level that students havereached, this might be a good opportunity to showstudents overlapping circles. Explain that someanimals can be included in more than one circlebecause they live in more than one place.
Introducing the TextShow students a photo of your garden or a gardenthat you have visited. Tell them about the garden.You might say:This is my friend's garden. When I looked in hergarden I saw colourful flowers. They were growing inpots. I saw a snail too. Have you looked in a garden?What did you see? Encourage students to discuss what they have seen indifferent gardens. Explain to them that this is called arecount. A recount is when you remember certainfacts about something that you have done. You canwrite about it or you can talk about it. A recountretells an event in the same order that it happened.
Reading and Discussing the Text1. Show students the front cover of Go Facts In the
Garden. What can they see? Ask students tolocate the title of the book. Have volunteers readthe title out loud. Next, ask these volunteers to tellhow they worked out the words in the title. Promptstudents by saying:Which words were easy to sound out? (in)Which words did you know from other books? (the)Which words could you work out by looking at thefirst letter and then checking to see if you couldfind clues in the picture? (garden)
2. Show students the back cover and ask them whatthey see. Eggs on a leaf. What animal might havelaid these eggs? A butterfly or moth. What animalwill come out of the eggs? Caterpillars.
3. Turn to the contents page and read the chapterheadings. Discuss how, when scientists observenature, they need to look closely at anenvironment. Have students notice the differentparts of the garden that the author looked at. Canstudents think of any other places that they couldlook at in their gardens or in a park?
4. Have students turn to pages 2 and 3. Ask them todiscuss what they see in the pictures. Remindstudents that the pictures can help them whenthey are reading the words. Read the pages aloud.
5. Allow time for students to read the rest of thebook independently. Help individual students whorequire support.
6. Discuss how the book moves through time fromMonday to Friday. Tell students this is howrecounts are written. A recount describes events inthe same time order as they happened.
7. Show students Worksheet 7. Explain to them thatthey need to draw a picture and then completeeach sentence. Tell students that they should readeach sentence from beginning to end. They cansubstitute 'mmmm' for the blank space. Studentscan use Go Facts In the Garden to complete eachsentence or they can use their own ideas.
Linking to Writing1. Explain to students that you will be writing a
recount of your visit to your friend's garden.2. Begin by writing a plan. Write the following
headings on chart paper, leaving gaps betweeneach one. This will be your scaffold.TitleWhen and Where? What happened next?What happened after that?EndingExplain to students that written recounts follow aplan similar to this one.
3. Now, model how to write a recount using adifferent-coloured pen. The first thing I need is a title. My title is going tobe In Sonia's Garden. I'll write that at the top ofthe page. Next, I'm going to write about when Iwent to visit. I'll write: Last weekend I went toSonia's house. I looked in her garden. Then I needto write about what happened next. I'll write: I sawthree pots. They had pink flowers in them. Next, Ineed to write what happened after that. I'll write: Isaw a snail in one of the pots. At the end of myrecount I'll write: We took the snail and put it in ajar. We didn't want it to eat the flowers.
4. Reread the entire recount to students. Invitestudents to have a go at writing their own recountabout a garden. Put your model recount in aprominent place in the classroom. Providestudents with a copy of the scaffold for their ownuse. Allow them plenty of time to complete theirrecount. Make sure less confident students feelcomfortable to draw some of their recount. Focuson getting students to write/draw a sequence ofevents in time order.
5. Invite all students to share their recounts with theclass. Encourage students to read their recountsaloud. Instead of reading, some students will feelmore comfortable showing their piece of work.
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21
ReadingName
Date
worksheet 7Factual recount
Go Facts in the garden
In the GardenDraw a picture to match your sentence.
I saw a ________________________________ on a rock.
I saw a ________________________________ on a leaf.
I saw a ________________________________ in a flower.
I saw a ________________________________ in the dirt.
Go Facts make a zoo
Make a ZooTeaching FocusProcedure
Introducing the TextYou will need some paper and scissors for thisactivity. Say:I've got some paper and scissors. You can makethings out of paper. Watch me. I'm going to make abutterfly. I'll fold my paper in half. Next, I'll cut outone set of big wings. I'll unfold it and I have abutterfly. What else can you make? Discuss.Prior to the lesson, choose another craft activityfrom Go Facts Make a Zoo. Write a set ofinstructions, writing each instruction on a separatecard. Leave space on each card for students to drawpictures at a later date.For example, use five squares of card:How to make pipe cleaner spiders
Line up four pipe cleaners.
Wrap a black pipe cleaner around the middle of thefour pipe cleaners.
Make the ends of the black pipe cleaner stick out tolook like eyes.
Bend the coloured pipe cleaners so they look like aspider's legs.
Reading and Discussing the Text1. Show students the cover of Go Facts Make a Zoo.
Tell students that this book tells how to makemodel animals. Ask students to discuss timeswhen they have made model animals and whatmaterials they used.
2. Tell students to turn to the contents page. Readthe chapter headings aloud. Ask a volunteer tochoose a chapter that interests them. Locate thepage number and ask everyone to turn to thispage. Read the chapter aloud to students.
3. Ask students to read the entire bookindependently. Some students may work in a smallgroup and listen as an adult reads the text.
4. Allow students time to discuss what they haveread.
5. Have students turn to page 12. Explain that thefour boxes show the four steps that are necessaryto make a striped play dough fish. Tell studentsthat a procedure helps people do or makesomething. It helps people know in what order theyshould do things. Ask students to verbalise what ishappening in each of the steps on page 12.
6. Next, show students the squares of card madepreviously. Have the relevant page of Go FactsMake a Zoo open as reference. Read each step.Have students work out the correct order of thesteps and then number each one. Invite studentsto illustrate the steps and then display them in theclassroom.
7. Allow students free time to make their ownanimals out of paper and glue or pipe cleaners.Label the animals and display in the classroom.
Linking to Writing1. Choose one of the animals that a student has
made. Collect the materials together.2. Show students Worksheet 8. Explain to them that
they are going to write and draw a procedure forthe animal they made in the previous session.Have the student who made the selected animalretell what they did. Help them to clarify theirthinking and to try and make each step as simpleas possible. Scribe and draw this procedure on anenlarged version of the worksheet.
3. Brainstorm a list of verbs (doing words) thatstudents might need for their procedure, eg. stick,glue, cut, roll, twist, make, draw, paint. Keep thislist as a reference. Remind students that eachstep of a procedure should begin with one ofthese words. Students may simply draw eachstage and add a simple verb-subject sentence,such as 'Roll the play dough'.
5. Display the procedures next to the model animalsmade by students. Invite parents to come andview the animals. Encourage parents to askquestions.
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WritingName
Date
worksheet 8Procedure
Go Facts make a zoo
Write your own procedure.Title: How to make a __________________________________________________________
You will need:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Introducing the TextPrior to viewing the text, allow students to spendtime in areas of the classroom, or playground, whichencourage imaginative play. Areas could include apretend shop or kitchen, a dress-up area, the sandpitor a puppet show theatre. Ideally you should dividethe class into groups and allow each group to spenda period of time in each area. You will need chart paper and coloured markers forthe writing activity.
Reading and Discussing the Text1. Show students the cover of Go Facts Let's
Pretend. Ask students to talk about what the boymight be doing on the front cover. Have studentslocate the title. Tell students what the title saysand ask them to find the apostrophe. Explain tostudents:The apostrophe is here because the word let's is acontraction. It is a shorter way of writing 'let us'.When two words are joined, the apostrophe takesthe place of missing letters. Ask students forexamples of other contractions they know. Talk to students about pretending. Ask students:When do you pretend to be someone orsomething else? Why do we do this?What things can help you to pretend to besomeone or something else? (examples might bedress-up clothes, stethoscope, blocks, puppets,masks, imagination)
2. Look at the back cover with students. Say:Have you ever pretended to have a tea party? Haveyou ever been invited to a tea party? The childrenare pretending to pour drinks. What else can youpretend to do when you are having a tea party?
3. Have students turn to the contents page. Readthe chapter headings aloud and ask students toidentify the page number where each chapterbegins. Talk about the heading: 'We Can Wonder'and have students describe what they think itmight mean.
4. Read aloud the chapter 'We Can Build' tostudents. Ask them to locate words from pages 2and 3, which are repeated on pages 4 and 5.Students should recognise 'We', 'can' and thesentence beginning 'Now we can play'. Tellstudents to continue to read the book on their
own. Remind them to look at the pictures to getideas about what the words will say. As studentsread, monitor the way they engage with the text.Beginning readers can be encouraged to discusswhat they see in each picture before attempting toread the text. Encourage students to read in pairsand to help each other.
5. Show students Worksheet 9. Tell them that in thefirst section they need to hunt for all the wordsthat say 'we' and then all the words that say 'can'.Students can circle each of the words. Explain tostudents that these words might look slightlydifferent in various books, on signs or in differentpeople's handwriting, but they are still the sameword. Have students rewrite each word in a varietyof colours.
6. Next, tell students that they are going to thinkabout pretending. Tell them that they are going towrite a new last chapter for Go Facts Let's Pretend.Think about pretending. You are going to usesome of your ideas to write the last chapter ofLet's Pretend. Let's read the beginnings of thesentences – 'We can mmmm. We can mmmm.Now we can mmmm.' Who can suggest someways to finish these sentences?Allow students time to complete their ownworksheet, including drawing a picture to matchtheir new chapter.
Linking to Writing1. On chart paper, write the headings 'I Can Be a
Scientist'. Have students suggest ideas for what ascientist does in their work. Encourage them tothink about how scientists over time have lookedclosely at the natural world. Many early scientistssimply observed and described what theyexperienced through their senses: what they couldsee, hear and feel. To extend their thinking,scientists might pretend to be an insect and try tolearn more about nature by imagining differentthings in their minds, and then testing it in the realworld.
2. Repeat the activity for a creative occupation, suchas painter, sculptor, dancer or musician. Discussthe importance of imagination in all these pursuits.
3. Encourage students to choose their own topic towrite about.
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ReadingName
Date
worksheet 9Information report
Go Facts let’s pretend
Circle the words that say we.
WA
Write we in four different colours.__________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________
Circle the words that say can.
Write can in four different colours.__________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________
Now, write your chapter for Let’s Pretend.We can _______________________ .We can _______________________ .Now we can _______________________
Introducing the TextInvite students to bring a toy from home to school.Encourage them to bring toys that are unbreakableand discourage students from bringing favourite toys(just in case toys are lost or damaged). Alternatively,ask students to draw their favourite toy on paperand refer to this. Invite each student to talk brieflyabout their toy. Ask them to explain what makes itspecial and how they play with it. This can be donein a whole class setting or students can sit in smallgroups and talk about their toy. Encourage studentsto ask questions of their peers. Make a list of thetoys on chart paper. Next, ask each student to writea label for their toy. Write each of the chapter headings onto strips ofcardboard.
Reading and Discussing the Text1. Show students Go Facts Toys and Games. Have
students talk about the picture on the cover. Askstudents to locate each of the words in the title.Have students look at the spelling of the word,'toy'. Remind them that the 'oy' sound is the sameas in words such as boy, joy, Roy and soy.
2. Turn to the back cover and read the blurb. Pointto the rubber duck and ask: Does the rubber duckhave wheels or does it float? What other thingscan toys do? Choose a student and ask them todescribe their own toy.
3. Have students turn to the contents page. Readthe headings out loud. Ask students to turn topage 2 and locate the heading. Tell them that it iswritten in bold letters at the top of the page. Readthis chapter aloud to students.The first chapter of this book is called 'Soft Toys'.Look at the toys in the picture. They have beenlabelled. What do the labels say? Think about thetoys you brought to school. Which of our toyswould belong in this chapter?Use a coloured marker to circle any soft toys onthe list of toys made earlier.
4. Next, read the chapter 'Toys with Wheels' tostudents. Again, bring students' attention to thelabels. Ask students to identify toys brought fromhome that could be included in this group. Circleeach of these on the list with a different-colouredmarker. Repeat for each of the remainingchapters.
5. Allow students time to reread the book. Helpstudents who are having difficulty readingindependently. Remind them to look at thepictures for clues and to say aloud the sounds ofeach of the letters.
6. Next, ask students to sit in a circle. Studentsshould have their toy, along with its label, withthem. Show students the chapter headings thatyou have written onto the strips of card. Ask forvolunteers to read each one. Place these chapterheadings on the floor in the centre of the circle,leaving space between each heading. Tellstudents that they should work out which chaptertheir toy belongs to. They must put their toy, withits label, under the heading. Watch as studentstake it in turns to carry out this task.
7. When each toy, and each group of toys, islabelled, ask students to close their eyes while youremove a small selection of the labels. Next, givethe labels to one of the students and ask them toread each one and replace it in its position. Adaptthe game to make it harder or easier dependingon the ability of students.
Linking to Writing1. Show students Worksheet 10. Ask students to
draw their toy in the space provided. Next, askstudents to think about each part of their toy.Model how to add labels to a picture.
2. Ask students to think about some words thatdescribe their toy. Tell students that these wordsare called adjectives. Have students write a briefdescription of their toy.
Introducing the TextTalk to students about a favourite toy that youremember from your own childhood. Talk about whatit looked like, how you played with it, who gave it toyou and what made it special. Say:Think about the toys you play with now. How arethey different to the toys you played with as a baby?Why do children of different ages play with differenttypes of toys? Why do some toys have labels onthem that say, 'Suitable for 3 years and up'?
Reading and Discussing the Text1. Tell students that you have a book which shows
the toys that one child has played with throughouthis life. Show them the cover of Go Facts MyToys. Read the title. Tell students that this is afactual recount. It tells them about the toys achild has played with at different ages. The toys inthe book might be similar to those that students inthe class remember or they might be verydifferent.
2. Turn to the contents page. Remind students thatthe contents page helps them find out howinformation is arranged in the book. This book isarranged in chapters according to the age of thechild. If students wish to find information aboutthe toys the child played with when he was three,they could turn to page 6. Question studentsabout other chapters to ensure they understandhow to locate chapter headings and pagenumbers.
3. Start reading the text to students. Ask forvolunteers to read aloud sections of the text. Havestudents make comments about the types of toysthe child played with at different stages of theirlife. Draw students' attention to the word 'played'.Remind them that 'ed' on the end of a word refersto something that has already happened. It issomething in the past. Tell students that this iscalled past tense.
4. Have students refer to the timeline on page 12.Explain to them that a timeline is one way ofincluding a lot of information in a small space.Have students use their finger to trace down theages at the left-hand side of the page. Next, havestudents identify the toys that were played with ateach age.
5. Show students Worksheet 11. Explain to themthat they are going to create their own timeline.Tell students to read the words down the left-handside of the page. The page is broken into sections.Each section refers to an age. Students shouldread the age and then draw a toy they rememberplaying with at this age. In the next column,students should write the name of the toy.
Linking to Writing1. Tell students that they are going to write their own
recount about a toy they have played with in thepast.
2. On chart paper, write the following questions:When?What?Who?How?Tell students that these words will remind themthat their recounts should answer each of thesequestions: When did they get the toy?What type of toy was it?Who gave it to them?How did they play with it?
3. Have students write a recount. Allow time forstudents to illustrate their recount. Scribe for lessconfident writers.
4. Challenge more capable students to locate wordsin their recount that demonstrate it is written inpast tense.
Introducing the TextCollect together materials to make the shaker in GoFacts Drums and Shakers. It's safer to use plasticjars or containers as they won't break if dropped.Have these materials on display and tell students towatch as you put them together to make a shaker. Ifyou're worried about the lid coming off, stick themon with colourful tape. As you make the shaker, askstudents to talk about times when they have madetheir own musical instruments. Have studentsdiscuss the types of materials they used and thetypes of sounds the instruments made. For the reading activity, make a copy of the handclapper procedure. Write each instruction on aseparate strip of card. Write each of the materialsneeded on separate strips as well. For the writing activity, you will need to collect craftmaterials suitable for making musical instruments.Also collect scissors, glue, tape and string.
Reading and Discussing the Text1. Tell students that when they are making
something it is helpful to follow a procedure. Say:A procedure is a list of instructions that tells youhow to make something. We follow procedureswhen we are cooking. They are called recipes.Procedures tell us all the things we need to collectbefore we start making something. Then they tellus how to put all the parts together. Before I madethe shaker, I read a procedure. It was in a bookcalled Go Facts Drums and Shakers. Show students the cover.
2. Allow students time to browse through the book.Ask for volunteers to suggest how the chaptershave been arranged in the text. Some studentsmight recognise that there are two procedures inthe book.
3. Begin by asking students to discuss everythingthey see in the pictures on pages 2 and 3. Readthe text to students. Have students locate thewords 'you' and 'can' on these pages. Practise asimple rhythm with the class, slapping thighs andclapping. Does all music have a rhythm?
4. Turn to page 4. Explain to students that this is theprocedure that helped you make the shaker. Firstwe are told what materials we need to collect. Itshows us that we will need rice or dried beans orsmall pasta shapes, and jars. Next we find outwhat we need to do. We use the pictures and thewords to help us. First we put somerice/pasta/dried beans in the container. Then weput the lid on and then we give it a shake. Theorder of the instructions is very important.
5. Read the rest of the text to students. Allow themtime to read the text independently.
6. Show students the strips of card with theinstructions for how to make a hand clapper. Tellstudents that these are instructions from the textand it is their job to put the instructions in thecorrect order. As a class group, allow time foreach student to read the instructions and putthem in the correct order. Students can checktheir work by revisiting the text.
Linking to Writing1. Tell students that they are going to make their
own instrument from craft materials. Invitestudents to be creative and to use the materials intheir own way.
2. When students have finished making theirinstrument, show them Worksheet 12. Explain tothem that they are going to write a procedure totell others how to make the instrument.
3. Brainstorm a list of verbs that students will need towrite their procedures.
4. Students can draw and label each of the itemsthey used. Remind students to include glue ortape, if it’s needed. Then model how to use thelist of verbs as a starting point, so that eachinstruction begins with a verb. Finally, encouragestudents to draw and label their instrument.
3. Allow students time to form their own band andpractise making music.
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WritingName
Date
worksheet 12Procedure
Go Facts drums and shakers
Procedure: How to make a ____________________________________________
Things you need:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dependent Developing IndependentGo Facts Family• Cut sentences into individual words,
then reform original sentences _____________________________________________________• Draw and label contents of a lunch box _____________________________________________________• Complete a weekly diary with key _____________________________________________________• Identify members of family _____________________________________________________
Go Facts Animals Around Us _____________________________________________________• Identify facts about spiders _____________________________________________________• Match an animal to the place where it lives _____________________________________________________• Complete a cloze passage _____________________________________________________• Write steps in a procedure _____________________________________________________
Go Facts Toys _____________________________________________________• Locate the correct spelling of words _____________________________________________________• Draw and label parts of a toy, and write a description _____________________________________________________• Create a timeline showing toys played with
at different ages _____________________________________________________• Complete a procedure showing how to make an instrument
