Fountas-Pinnell Level UBiographySelection SummaryLouise Arner Boyd, 20th century heiress, chose Arctic exploration over parties. Moved by her fi rst sight of the Arctic Ocean, Boyd trained for months for her fi rst expedition. After setting several world records, Boyd concluded nearly thirty years of exploration as a true pioneer who defi ed social conventions to live a rich, full life.
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Characteristics of the Text Genre • Biography
Text Structure • Third-person narrative organized in four chapters• Biographical information on Louise Arner Boyd
Content • Personal fulfi llment and social conventions• Biographical information on Louise Arner Boyd• Artic exploration; glaciers
Themes and Ideas • Gender should not prevent people from fulfi lling their dreams. • Thought, planning, and preparation are key ingredients of any successful undertaking.• Sometimes people must take risks to achieve greatness.
Language and Literary Features
• Conversational language• Direct address of reader in introduction • Figurative language: All on board held their breath.
Sentence Complexity • Words such as then, fi rst, later, and eventually, help the reader sequence events.• Appositives, italics, and quotation marks• A blend of simple and complex sentences
Vocabulary • Many glacier-related terms, some of which might not be familiar to English language learners, such as moraine, drumlin, esker, kettle, boulders. Cultural references such as hobbies (p. 3).
Words • Multisyllable target vocabulary: culmination, durable, equivalent, participantsIllustrations • Color photos and precise diagrams support information in the text
Book and Print Features • Seventeen pages of text, including an index of people, places, and terms• Table of contents; index; timeline
expanse – a vast, open area, p. 4frigid – extremely cold, p. 4
participants – ones who take part in an activity, p. 10
prime – to prepare or make ready, p. 5
sacrifi ced – gave up for the sake of someone else, p. 7
Explorer of Glaciers by Dan Rosen
Build BackgroundHelp students use their knowledge about exploration to visualize the selection. Build interest by asking a question such as the following: What do you know about glaciers or the Arctic? Read the title and author and talk about the cover illustration. Tell students that this selection is a biography, so the author writes about the life of a real person.
Frontload VocabularySome everyday words may be unfamiliar to English learners. Before reading, check understanding of the following words: California, ranch, U.S. War Department, Great Lakes.
Introduce the TextGuide students through the text, reading the captions, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Call their attention to any important labels. Here are some suggestions:
Pages 2–3: Have students look at the table of contents. Explain that this is a biography about Louise Arner Boyd, who explored the Arctic Circle in the early to mid-1900s. Notice that page 3 is the author’s introduction to the text. Ask: What do you think Chapter 3 is about?
Page 4: Have students read the sentence with the highlighted words. Suggested Language: Which word gives a clue to the meaning of expanse? An expanse is a vast, open area. What would a frigid ocean be?
Page 6: Read the second sentence on the page. Her fi rst trip to the Arctic was the culmination of months of training. Ask: What type of training might you need to explore the Arctic?
Page 7: Explain that Boyd sacrificed her own exploration plans to help fi nd the people from another expedition. What can you deduce about Louise from her actions?
Now turn back to the beginning of the biography and read to fi nd out about Louise Arner Boyd’s amazing life and about the glaciers of the North and South Poles.
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 Monitor/Clarify Strategy and to fi nd ways to fi gure out parts of the selection that aren’t making sense.
Discuss and Revisit the TextPersonal ResponseInvite students to share their personal responses to the biography.Suggested language: Why do you think Louise Arner Boyd felt so strongly about exploring the unknown?
Ways of ThinkingAs you discuss the text, help students understand these points:
Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text
• Born in 1887, Louise Boyd inherits a fortune as a young woman.
• Louise conducts many expeditions to the Arctic.
• Louise’s knowledge and skills help the U.S. government during World War II.
• It’s okay to be different from others.
• Careful preparation helps people succeed.
• Gender and other people’s expectations shouldn’t limit what you do with your life.
• Photos help the reader picture the era in which Louise lived, the work she did, and the risks she took.
• The language sounds conversational, as if someone were talking about Louise’s life.
• The author includes scientifi c details to show readers why they should help protect glaciers.
Choices for Further Support• Fluency Invite students to choose a passage from the text to use for a readers’
theater. Remind them to read or say phrases, rather than individual words, in lengthy sentences so that their reading or speaking sounds seamless and natural.
• 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 English words often have Latin roots. For example, the word glacier (page 3) comes from the Latin word glacies, meaning “ice.” Sometimes English words are a combination of Latin words. The word equivalent (page 14), for example, is formed from two Latin words: æquus (equal) and valere (to be well or worth).
Writing about ReadingCritical ThinkingHave students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 13.10.
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 SkillMain Ideas and Details
Target Comprehension Skill Remind students that they can use supporting
details to identify important ideas. Model how to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:
Think Aloud
An important idea is that Louise Boyd was a unique woman because she was an explorer. Louise was bored by things other wealthy women of her time liked, such as parties and the opera. Instead, she explored the Arctic. List this detail to support the main idea that Louise Boyd was an explorer.
Practice the SkillHave students share examples of other details that support the main idea in the text.
Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the TextHave students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understandings.
Assessment Prompts• What are two sentences in the fi rst part of the book that support the idea that Louise
Boyd was an organized person?
• What is the meaning of deduced on page 11?
• What are some of the effects that glaciers had on the land in the United States?
English Language DevelopmentReading Support Check regularly on students’ oral reading to determine accuracy, fl uency, and comprehension.
Cognates The text contains English words that have similar structure in Spanish. For example, the word glacier in Spanish is glaciar. Similarly, explorador is the Spanish word for explorer. Invite students to identify other English-Spanish cognates in the book.
Oral Language DevelopmentCheck student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’ English profi ciency. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.
Beginning/Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/ Advanced
Speaker 1: Whose life does the book describe?
Speaker 2: Louise Arner Boyd
Speaker 1: When and where was Louise born?
Speaker 2: California in 1887
Speaker 1: Why was Louise wealthy?
Speaker 2: Louise was wealthy because she inherited her family’s fortune and investment business.
Speaker 1: Who helped Louise get ready for her fi rst Arctic expedition?
Speaker 2: An expert on the Arctic instructed her about the area. Also, a scientist taught her how to collect plant specimens in the Arctic.
Speaker 1: How were Louise’s fi rst and second Arctic trips different?
Speaker 2: On her fi rst trip to the Arctic, Louise invited friends to go along. On her second trip, she invited scientists. She took photos on her fi rst trip and explored the Arctic on her second. Also, Louise completed her fi rst trip; her second was postponed to search for missing explorers.
Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in one or two paragraphs.
Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal knowledge to reach new understandings.
On page 4, the narrator says that Louise Arner Boyd “did not care what other people thought.” What does he mean by this statement? What does it reveal about her character? Explain your answer, giving examples from the biography.
