Fountas-Pinnell Level ONonfictionSelection SummaryIt takes the effort of many people to improve a community. There are different ways everyone can help make their community better. Young people can work together with adults to make a difference.
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Characteristics of the Text Genre • Nonfi ction
Text Structure • Third-person narrative divided into seven short chaptersContent • Community teamwork
• Community projects• Fundraising
Themes and Ideas • There are many different ways to improve your community.• People must work together to make a difference.
Language and Literary Features
• Conversational language • Descriptive language
Sentence Complexity • A mix of short and complex sentences• Many sentences begin with introductory clauses such as All over the United States• Quotes
Vocabulary • Some computer terms, many of which should be familiar: Internet, Web page, e-mailWords • Multisyllable words, such as littered, important, organizations
Illustrations • Color photographs• Diagram
Book and Print Features • Twelve pages of text• One full photo page, photographs on most pages with text
assist – to help someone, p. 7burglaries – when people break
into buildings and steal things, p. 5
favor – an act of kindness, p. 11
innocent – to do nothing wrong, p. 14
misjudged – to form an incorrect idea, p. 7
prior – before, p. 11regretfully – to be sorry, p. 8
scheme – a plan to get something done, p. 4
speculated – made guesses, p. 14
suspect – to surmise to be true or probable, p. 5
Community Teamwork by Joanne Mattern
Build BackgroundHelp students use their knowledge of their community to visualize the selection. Build interest by asking questions such as the following: What improvements are needed in your community? How do you think you could help in making those improvements? Read the title and author and talk about the cover photograph. Explain that teamwork is very important in making a difference in a community.
Introduce the TextGuide students through the text, noting important ideas and nonfi ction features. Help with unfamiliar language so they can read the text successfully. Give special attention to target vocabulary. Here are some suggestions:
Page 2: Explain that this selection is about how people in a community can work together to make their community a better place.Suggested language: Turn to page 2 of this book. This is the table of contents. The table of contents tells us what the different chapters of the book will be about. Look at the fi rst chapter. The title of the fi rst chapter is “People Power.” Ask: What do you think this title means?
Page 5: Explain that people often suspect that there is a problem in their community.
Page 7: When a community problem has been detected, people should try to fi nd a way to assist in fi nding a solution.
Page 9–10: Point out that the selection contains some technical vocabulary, such as Internet, e-mail, and Web page.
Pages 11–14: Explain to students that each new project completed in a community must start with a plan. There are many steps that must take place prior to starting any new project. Point to the picture on page 14 and tell students that they can work as a team to help their community. The author speculates that everyone can contribute to raise money for a project.
Now turn back to the beginning of the selection and read to fi nd out how teamwork can make a difference in a community.
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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 Analyze/Evaluate Strategy and to ask questions to analyze and evaluate the text’s meaning.
Discuss and Revisit the TextPersonal ResponseInvite students to share their personal responses to the selection.Suggested language: Did the book give you any ideas on how to help your community? What information did you fi nd the most interesting?
Ways of ThinkingAs you discuss the text, help students understand these points:
Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text
• It takes teamwork to make a difference in a community.
• There are many ways to complete community projects.
• Fundraising is a very common way to fi nd the money to complete a community project.
• There are many different ways to improve your community.
• People must work together to make a difference.
• The diagram helps reader to visualize one aspect of the text.
Choices for Further Support• Fluency Invite students to participate in choral reading. Suggest that they try to read
in a tone, at a volume, and with an expression that would be appropriate if they were giving a presentation at a city council or a town hall meeting.
• 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 to form the plural form of some words that end in –y, they must drop the –y and add –ies, as in community / communities. Provide other examples, such as sanctuary, baby, and fairy.
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Writing about ReadingVocabulary PracticeHave students complete the Vocabulary questions on BLM 4.1.
RespondingHave students use their Reader’s Notebook to complete the vocabulary activities on page 15. Remind them to answer the Word Teaser on page 16. (Answer: misjudged)
Reading Nonfi ctionNonfiction Features: Table of Contents and Diagrams Remind students that nonfi ction has many features to help readers fi nd and understand important information. A table of contents and diagrams are two of these features. Explain that a table of contents tells readers what the chapters of the book will be about. Have students browse the table of contents in this book before reading the book as a good way to preview the book before reading the main text.
Diagrams are another important source of information. They often help the reader visualize the information that is provided in the text more clearly. Have students look at the diagram on page 9. Ask what information they can learn from the diagram (How one computer can send out messages to many other computers). Then have students fi nd a section or detail of text in the book that could be further explained with some type of diagram.
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 is the main idea of page 4?
• This selection is mostly about ___________________________________________.
• What words help readers understand the meaning of the word schemes on page 4?
English Language DevelopmentReading Support Pair beginning and intermediate readers to read the text softly, or have students listen to the audio or online recordings. Remind students that this selection shows how working together can improve communities.
Cognates The text includes many cognates. Explain the English word and its Spanish equivalent: assist (asistir), favor (favor), innocent (inocente), and speculated (especular).
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 a community?
Speaker 2: where you live
Speaker 1: What is fundraising?
Speaker 2: a way to raise money
Speaker 1: What does every community project start with?
Speaker 2: Every community project starts with an idea.
Speaker 1: What is the most important part of any project?
Speaker 2: Fundraising is the most important part of any project.
Speaker 1: What does KaBOOM! provide to communities?
Speaker 2: KaBOOM! is an organization that provides guidance and information to communities on how to build playgrounds.
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 14, the author says “When individuals join together, they are no longer small and helpless.” Community teamwork makes people feel powerful and makes important improvements. Why don’t more people get involved in community work? What do you think could be done to get more people involved? What would you say to persuade them?
