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Number of Words: 913
Characteristics of the Text Genre • Informational text
Text Structure • Third-person narrative in seven chapters, with information organized by plant species• Text and pictures work together to present facts.
Content • Location of redwood forests• Characteristics of various trees• Resources trees provide to animals and people
Themes and Ideas • The redwood forest is home to a variety of trees and wildlife.• Tree bark, nuts, and berries are part of the food chain.• People, animals, and plants are connected.
Language and Literary Features
• Clear language with conversational tone• Exclamations amplify important information
Vocabulary • Technical words related to trees and plants, such as conifer, spores, nutrients• Context helps defi ne some vocabulary words: the forests get moisture from the rain
Words • Pronunciation in text for some terms: conifer (KAHN-uh-fur)• Compound words, such as gooseberries, huckleberries, redwood
Illustrations • Color photographs, a map, and charts support the textBook and Print Features • Twelve pages of text, with illustrations on most pages; captions and labels
• Table of contents, chapter title with each new text segment• Sidebar, chart, diagram, and map
Fountas-Pinnell Level OInformational TextSelection SummaryRedwoods are the largest of the many kinds of trees and plants that grow in a redwood forest. Each is connected to other plants and animals and has its own special role in the food chain.
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civilized – of a society that is advanced and has reasonable laws
continent – one of the main landmasses of Earth
customs – the traditions and common ways of behaving in a society
dense – with parts packed together closely, p. 3
evaporate – to change from liquid to gas
independent – not reliant, p. 13 moisture – tiny drops of water in
the air or on a surface, p. 4
opportunities – chances for a person to do something
resources – an available supply of something that can be used when needed, p. 6
shallow – not deep, p. 13
Target Vocabulary
Plants of the Redwood Forest by Joanne Mattern
Build BackgroundHelp students use their knowledge about forests to visualize the text. Build interest by asking questions such as the following: Have you ever walked in a forest? What attracted your attention? Read the title and author and talk about the cover photograph. Tell students this is an informational text, so they will fi nd many facts and examples about trees and plants in the Redwood forest of California.
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 2: Remind students that informational books list chapter headings in a table of contents.Suggested language: Read the table of contents. Notice the fi rst chapter title: “A Wet and Wonderful World.” What do you think you will learn about in the fi rst chapter?
Page 3: Have students read aloud the sentence with the highlighted word. Point out the space between the trees in the picture. Ask: What do you think dense means?
Page 4: Draw students’ attention to the map and the map caption and key. Say: The map shows redwood forests in California. Ask: According to the key at the top of the map, what do the dark green and light green colors stand for?
Page 5: Have students fi nd the word conifer and its pronunciation in paragraph 2. Ask them to read the complete sentence aloud.
Page 13: Call attention to the word independent in the third paragraph. Explain that Leather ferns are not independent. They grow on another plant and are dependent on that other plant. What is the meaning of independent?
Now turn back to the beginning and read to fi nd out about redwood forests and the special trees and plants that grow there.
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 use text clues as they read. Have them share details they notice that let them make connections and understand the plants of the redwood forest.
Discuss and Revisit the TextPersonal ResponseInvite students to share their personal responses to the text. Suggested language: What was the most surprising thing you learned about redwood forests? What tree or plant did you fi nd especially odd or interesting? Why?
Ways of ThinkingAs you discuss the text, help students understand these points:
Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text
• Redwoods and other trees and plants supply food and habitats for animals and birds.
• Trees supply lumber for humans. Needles from fi r trees can be boiled for tea.
• Each tree and plant has its own kind of leaf, seed, fl ower, or berry.
• Trees, plants, animals, and people are all interdependent.
• Plants, animals, and people are linked in a food chain.
• Photographs, maps, and charts aid visualization and comprehension.
• Chapter headings guide readers through the text.
• Illustrations frame page design highlight and reinforce content.
Choices for Further Support• Fluency Invite students to choose a passage from the text and demonstrate phrased
fl uent reading. Remind them to use any cues provided by parentheses, exclamations, or dashes to make their reading livelier and to convey the author’s meaning clearly.
• 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 longer words are often formed from shorter, familiar words. Examples include: redwood, gooseberries, blackberries, and huckleberries.
Writing about ReadingCritical ThinkingHave students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 23.7.
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 SkillText and Graphic Features
Target Comprehension Skill Remind students that in informational books,
text and graphic features help the reader organize information and picture what the text describes. Model how to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:
Think Aloud
The map on page 4, shows where redwood forests are located along the Pacifi c coast. The diagram on page 9 shows the parts of a plant. The purpose of these graphic features is to aid understanding.
Practice the SkillEncourage students to share examples of another book that uses text and graphics features to illustrate the text or supply new information.
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• One purpose of the author’s in writing this text is to _________________________.
• The “Drink Up!” sidebar on page 6 tells about _____________________________.
The plant bud uses the water from the roots and food produced in the leaves, and
it grows into a fl ower.
Redwood forest are very wet, and ferns need a lot of moisture to grow.
I know about poison ivy, which can make you itch if you touch it.
I think graphic features can explain certain ideas and facts more clearly than
regular text can.
Possible responses shown.
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English Language DevelopmentReading Support Pair advanced and intermediate readers to read the selection softly, or have students listen to the audio or online recordings. Remind them that each of the plants of the redwood forest has its own kind of leaf, seed, fl ower, or berry.
Vocabulary Explain that common names of many plants tell about the plant’s appearance or characteristics. Examples: black oak trees (page 7) have black trunks; the leaves of stinging nettle plants (page 11) are covered with hairs that sting and scratch.
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: What is the selection about?
Speaker 2: redwood forests
Speaker 1: Where are most located?
Speaker 2: Northern California
Speaker 1: What is the title of the second chapter in the table of contents?
Speaker 2: the Douglas Fir
Speaker 1: Look at the map and tell the name of the national park.
Speaker 2: It is Redwood National Park.
Speaker 1: What animals like to eat huckleberries?
Speaker 2: Deer, elk, chipmunks, bears, and birds all eat huckleberries.
Speaker 1: Which plants in the forest do not grow from seeds, and how do they grow?
Speaker 2: Ferns do not grow from seeds. They grow from spores on the bottom of their leaves.
Speaker 1: Where do conifer seeds grow?
Speaker 2: They grow inside the cones that grow on conifer trees.
Plants of the Redwood ForestThinking About the Text
Think about the question below. Then write your answer in one or two paragraphs.
Remember, 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.
The author opens the book by welcoming you to the redwood forest. She ends the book by reminding you that the forest is filled with many plants besides redwoods, each having a special role. What do you notice about the chart on page 14? How is the content on the chart organized? Why is the end of the book an appropriate location for this chart? How does it help you understand the plants of the redwood forest?
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