B e n c h m a r k e d u c a t i o n c o m p a n y
Teacher’s Guide
• Small Group Reading Lesson • Skills Bank • Reproducible Activities
science
anchor comprehension strategy
Summarize Information •
Phonics �Variant�vowel�/âr/�phonograms��•�Consonant�+�le��•
Content VocabularyWords�about�ants��•
Grammar/Word StudyComparatives��•
Science Big IdeaAnts�have�a�unique�life�cycle,���•working�habits,�and�anatomy.
skills & strategies
AntsLevel J/18
01630_TG.indd 1 11/16/10 4:13:30 PM
2Ants
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Day 1
Activate Prior KnowledgeShow students the cover of the book and read the title. Ask:
• What do you see in the photograph on the cover?
• What do you think the ants are doing?
• Do you think these ants are really that big? How do you know?
Involve students in a discussion about ants and what they already know about these insects. Distribute copies of the graphic organizer “K-W-L” (left). Have students work in pairs to record in the “K” column the facts they know about ants. Then have them write in the “W” column at least two questions they would like to answer about ants. When they have completed the first two columns, have students share their information. Tell them that they will try to find the answers to their questions as they read the book.
Preview the BookGive each student a copy of the book. Have students turn to the table of contents. Ask:
• What can you learn about a book from its table of contents?
• What page would you go to if you wanted to read about the life cycle of ants? Let’s go to this page.
• What does the diagram on page 11 show? How does it help you understand an ant’s life cycle?
Point out the word pupa on page 11. Have students turn to the glossary on page 16 and find the word. Read the definition together. Remind students that the glossary defines key words used in the text. Some students may benefit from a discussion of the words in the glossary prior to reading the book. You may want to read through the words and their definitions with students and answer any questions they may have.
Point out the index at the bottom of the page. Ask:
• What is the purpose of the index in this book?
• On what pages can I find out about soldier ants?
• On what pages can I find out about the queen ant? Let’s turn to these pages to see what we can find.
Small Group Reading Lesson
K–W–L
What I Know What I Wantto Know
What I Learned
Ants are tiny.
Ants live in an ant hill.
Ants can sting.
Ants have six legs.
What kinds of ants are there?
What is an ant’s home like?
Do ants talk?
Do ants have a family?
01630_TG.indd 2 11/16/10 4:13:30 PM
3© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
VIsuAL Cues• Look at the initial letters.• Break the word into syllables and sound out each part.
• Look for familiar chunks within the word.
• Think about what sound the vowel makes in the word.
struCture Cues• Think about whether the words in the sentence sound right.
MeAnIng Cues• Think about what makes sense in the sentence.
• Look at the pictures to confirm the word.Remind students that they can use the glossary at the end of the book to check any words that are printed in bold type.
set a Purpose for reading: Chapter 1, pp. 2–4Have students turn to page 2 and read the heading. Say: Let’s read the first chapter silently to find out what ants are. When we finish reading, we’ll see if we can add any information to our K-W-L charts. Monitor students’ reading and provide support as necessary.
Monitor reading strategiesBefore reADIng • Use the cues provided to remind students that they can apply different strategies to identify unfamiliar words.
DurIng reADIng • Observe students as they read the book. Take note of how they are problem-solving on text. Guide, or prompt, individual students who cannot problem-solve independently.
After reADIng • Discuss words that gave students difficulty and the strategies they used to work them out. Reinforce good reading behaviors you observed by saying:
• I noticed, [student’s name], that you used the glossary at the end of the book to help you. That’s a good reading strategy.
• When we worked together to sound out the word insects, you chunked it into parts to sound it out. That’s what good readers do.
You may wish to select activities from the Skills Bank (pp. 9–10) that will develop students’ reading strategies.
Repeat this monitoring process each time students read a new section of the book.
Build ComprehensionAsK AnD AnsWer QuestIons
Help students review their purpose for reading the chapter. Encourage them to use information from the text and their background experience to answer some or all of the following questions.
• What did you learn about ants from this chapter? (They are small insects that live all over the earth. They have bodies with three parts—head, thorax, abdomen—and an outside skeleton. pp. 2–4) (Locate facts/Interpret graphics/Summarize information)
• Look at your K-W-L chart. What can you write in the “L” column? (Answers will vary.) (Locate facts)
• How is an ant’s skeleton different from yours? (It is on the outside; ours is on the inside.) (Compare and contrast)
Ants
Small Group Reading Lesson
01630_TG.indd 3 11/16/10 4:13:30 PM
4Ants
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
set a Purpose for reading: Chapters 2–3, pp. 5–9Have students turn to pages 5 and 7 and read the headings. Say: Let’s read these chapters silently to learn about the jobs that ants do in their colonies. When we finish reading, we will see if we can add any information to our K-W-L charts. Monitor students’ reading and provide support as necessary.
Build ComprehensionAsK AnD AnsWer QuestIons
Help students review their purpose for reading the sections. Encourage them to use information from the text and their background experience to answer some or all of the following questions.
• What jobs do different ants do in their colony? You need to look at several pages in the book for the answer. (queen—lay eggs; worker—dig, get food, look after eggs and baby ants; soldier—protect the colony. pp. 6–9) (Locate facts/Summarize information)
• Look at your K-W-L charts. Are there any questions that you are able to answer after reading these chapters? (Answers will vary.) (Locate facts)
• Why do you think ants live in a colony? (Answers will vary. One possible answer: Since different ants do different jobs, every ant depends on others for some of its needs.) (Make inferences)
Small Group Reading Lesson (continued)
K–W–L
What I Know What I Wantto Know
What I Learned
Ants are tiny.
Ants live in an ant hill.
Ants can sting.
Ants have six legs.
What kinds of ants are there?
What is an ant’s home like?
Do ants have a family?
Why are ants so different in size?
Do ants talk?
Ants are insects with three body parts. They have an outside skeleton. There are 8,000 kinds.
Ants live in a colony. Everyone has a job. The queen lays eggs. Female workers run the colony. Soldiers guard the colony. Size goes with job.
01630_TG.indd 4 11/16/10 4:13:30 PM
5Ants
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Day 2
review Chapters 1–3Have students review what they previously read about ants. Encourage them to use their K-W-L charts to help them. Ask:
• What can you tell me about ants and ant colonies?
• What did you learn about the jobs ants do?
• What are some new words you learned from your reading so far?
set a Purpose for reading: Chapters 4–6, pp. 10–15Have students read the headings on pages 10, 12, and 14. Say: Let’s read these chapters silently to learn about the life of an ant. When we finish reading, we will see if we can add any information to our K-W-L charts. Monitor students’ reading and provide support as necessary.
Build ComprehensionAsK AnD AnsWer QuestIons
Engage students in a discussion about the text. Encourage them to ask questions about what they read. Model how to use background knowledge and experience, as well as information in the text, to answer questions. Ask:
• What did you learn about the life of ants in these chapters? Do you want to add any information to the “L” column of your K-W-L charts? (Ants go through four stages; they use their antennae to smell, touch, and send messages. pp. 11–13) (Locate facts/Summarize information)
• Look at your K-W-L chart. Can you answer any of your questions after reading these chapters? (Answers will vary.) (Locate facts)
• What is the second stage in an ant’s life cycle? How do you think the larva moves? (larva; One possible answer: It could move like a worm) (Interpret graphics/Locate facts/Make inferences)
• What parts of the human body have the same jobs as an ant’s antennae? (the nose and the mouth, throat) (Compare and contrast/Make analogies)
• What is the purpose of an ant farm? (It allows people to study how ants live and work together.) (Draw conclusions)
K–W–L
What I Know What I Wantto Know
What I Learned
Ants are tiny.
Ants live in an ant hill.
Ants can sting.
Ants have six legs.
What kinds of ants are there?
What is an ant’s home like?
Do ants have a family?
Why are ants so different in size?
Do ants talk?
Ants are insects with three body parts. They have an outside skeleton. There are 8,000 kinds.
Ants live in a colony. Everyone has a job. The queen lays eggs. Female workers run the colony. Soldiers guard the colony. Size goes with job.
life cycle stages: egg, larva, pupa, adult
use antennae to smell, touch, talk
We study ants in an ant farm.
01630_TG.indd 5 11/16/10 4:13:30 PM
6Ants
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Build Comprehension: Chapters 1–6AsK AnD AnsWer QuestIons
• What can you add to the “L” column of your K-W-L charts after reading the whole book? (Answers will vary.) (Locate facts)
• How is an ant’s body different from yours? (Students should show an understanding of differences in size, shape, and body parts.) (Summarize information/Compare and contrast)
• If you could talk to an ant, what would you ask? (Answers will vary.) (Use creative thinking)
suMMArIZe InforMAtIon
Model Discuss summarizing the information in a book in order to understand and remember it. Model how to summarize the information on a graphic organizer. Copy the web on the board and show students how to record the important information. Say:
This book contains a lot of information about ants. One way to better understand and remember the information in the book is to summarize it. When I summarize I include only the most important ideas. I can use a summary web like this one to record the information.
I will write “Ants” in the center circle of the web. In this book each chapter begins with an important question. By answering these questions, I can find the most important facts. The first chapter heading asks, “What are ants?” In this chapter I read that ants are insects. I’ll write “insects” at the top of the first circle. What important details did I learn about ants? First I learned that they are small and live in many places around the world. Next I read that they have three body parts and an outside skeleton. I’ll write the key words about these facts in the circle under the word insects. Now let’s do the next chapter together.
Small Group Reading Lesson (continued)
Question typesStudents need to understand that they can use information from various places in the book, as well as background knowledge, to answer different types of questions. These lessons provide four types of questions, designed to give students practice in understanding the relationship between a question and the source of its answer.
• Questions that require students to go to a specific place in the text.
• Questions that require students to integrate information from several sentences, paragraphs, or chapters within the book.
• Questions that require students to combine background knowledge with information from the book.
• Questions that relate to the book topic but require students to use only background knowledge and experience, not information from the book.
Teacher Tip
01630_TG.indd 6 11/16/10 4:13:31 PM
Teacher Tip
7Ants
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
MonitoringComprehension• Are students able to revisit the text to locate specific answers to text-dependent questions? If they are having difficulty, show them how to match the wording of the question to the wording in the text.
• Are students able to find answers to questions that require a search of the text? If they are having difficulty, model how you would search for the answer.
• Can students combine their background knowledge with information from the text to make inferences? If they are having difficulty, model how you would answer the question.
• Are students’ answers to creative questions logical and relevant to the topic?
• Do students’ completed graphic organizers reflect the ability to summarize by condensing information from the text? If students are having difficulty, provide more modeling and guided practice in this skill.
Practice and Apply Distribute copies of the graphic organizer to students. Work through the second chapter together, having students skim to find facts that answer the question “What is an ant colony?” Encourage them to paraphrase information from the text. Model how to paraphrase, if necessary. Provide guidance as students continue with the other chapters until the web is completed.
Ants
ant farms used by people to study ant life
live and work together in
colony
talk, touch, smell with antennae
jobs: soldier guards,
queen lays eggs, workers take
care of everyone
life cycle: egg to larva to pupa to adult
insects: small, live
many places, three body
parts, outside skeleton
summary Web
01630_TG.indd 7 11/16/10 4:13:31 PM
8Ants
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
small group WritingMoDeL tHe WrItIng
Show students how they can use the information on the graphic organizer to write a summary of the book. Point out that they summarized the main ideas of the book on the web and that they can now use those details to help them write a summary of the whole book. Explain that they can expand on the details they wrote in each circle to write paragraphs about the subtopics.
Work on the first paragraph together. Have students suggest sentences that expand on the details in the first three circles about ants. Record their suggestions on the board.
Read aloud the completed paragraph and ask students if they need to clarify any information. Show them how to edit the paragraph. Then work on the other paragraphs. The completed writing might be similar to the following:
“Ants are interesting insects. They are tiny, and they still live all around the world. Like all insects, they have three body parts and an outside skeleton. They live and work together in a colony. Each kind of ant has a job. The queen lays eggs. Worker ants get the food and take care of the eggs and the colony. Soldier ants guard the colony.
“An ant goes through four stages in its life cycle. It begins as an egg. It changes into a larva, then a pupa. The pupa becomes the ant we see running around the picnic table. Ants also have antennae on their heads. They use the antennae to talk to one another and to touch and smell things. How do we know so much about ants? People build ant farms so they can watch how ants live.”
APPLy (InDePenDent WrItIng)
Give each student a blank copy of the graphic organizer. Ask them to think of a nonfiction book they have read (or the group has read). Tell them to write a summary of the book. They should use the graphic organizer to record the most important facts in the book.
Connect to HomeHave students read the take-home version of Ants to family members.
reread for fluencyYou may wish to read sections of the book aloud to students to model fluent reading of the text. Model using appropriate phrasing, intonation, expression, volume, and rate as you read. Some students may benefit from listening to you read a portion of the text and then reading it back to you.
Have students reread Ants with a partner. Have them read the text together and then take turns reading it to each other.
Small Group Reading Lesson (continued)
01630_TG.indd 8 11/16/10 4:13:31 PM
9Ants
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Phonics: Variant vowel /âr/ phonogramsWrite the word care on the board. Have students identify the vowel sound. (/â/) Point out that this is neither a short nor a long vowel sound; when a is followed by r, it has a vowel sound that is neither long nor short. Say the words cat, cane, and care with students to make sure they can hear the difference in the vowel sounds. Then ask students what letters make the vowel sound in care. (are) Explain that -are is one of several /âr/ phonograms.
Ask students to brainstorm words that rhyme with care. Since rhyming words have the same middle and ending sounds, the words students name will all end with /âr/. Write the words they name on the board: for example, bare, chair, dare, bear, fair, pear, hair, fare, swear, hare, mare, pair, tear, pare, rare, wear, stair, scare, square, stare. Give students a set of index cards and have them write one word from the list on each card. Then have them sort the words according to the spelling of the /âr/ phonogram: -are, -air, -ear.
Phonics: Consonant + leWrite the word cycle on the board. Have students say the word slowly, clapping once for each syllable. Ask them how many syllables the word has. (two) Divide the word into syllables: cy/cle. Point to cle and explain that when a word ends with a consonant and the letters le, the consonant + le usually forms the final syllable, and the sounds in the syllable are the consonant sound, a vowel sound called a schwa sound, and the sound /l/. Say the word cycle several times with students, focusing on the sounds in the final syllable. Then write the word simple on the board and have students tell you how to divide it into syllables: sim/ple. Write the following consonant + le words on the board. Have volunteers divide the words into syllables, then take turns saying them with a partner.
tumble giggle
startle bottle
purple circle
beagle apple
uncle turtle
stable drizzle
Skills Bank: Decoding
-are
bare
dare
fare
hare
mare
pare
rare
scare
square
stare
-air
chair
fair
hair
pair
stair
-ear
bear
pear
swear
tear
wear
tum/ble gig/gle
star/tle bot/tle
pur/ple cir/cle
bea/gle ap/ple
un/cle tur/tle
sta/ble driz/
zle
01630_TG.indd 9 11/16/10 4:13:31 PM
© 2003 Benchmark Education Company, LLC10
Content Vocabulary: Words about antsHave students look through the book to find words that name kinds, parts, or stages of ants, such as queen, worker, soldier, colony, egg, larva, pupa, antennae, abdomen, and thorax. Write the words on the board as students name them. Group the words that have something in common, such as egg, larva, and pupa. Discuss each group of words. Have students tell the meaning of each word and what it shows about ants.
Pair students and assign each pair one group of the concept vocabulary words. The pair’s job is to draw a picture that shows something about an ant’s body, life cycle, or colony life and use the words to tell about the picture. Write the headings “Body,” “Life Cycle,” and “Colony Life” on three areas of the board. When partners complete their pictures, have them stand under the appropriate heading and explain what their pictures show about ants.
grammar: ComparativesHave students turn to page 2 and read the first sentence aloud. Ask: What are some of the smallest animals on Earth? (ants) To what are the ants being compared? (to all the other animals on Earth) Then have students turn to page 7 and read the second sentence aloud. Ask: Which ant is bigger than the other ants? (the queen) To what is the queen being compared? (the other ants) Write the words smallest and bigger on the board and underline -est and -er. Explain that when we compare two things, we add -er to the end of the describing word; when we compare three or more things, we add -est.
Write small on the board and use it in an oral sentence, such as Ants are small animals. Next to small, write smaller and use it in an oral sentence: Soldier ants are smaller than the queen ant. Ask students what two things are being compared in the sentence. (soldier ants, queen ant) Write the word smallest next to smaller and Say: Worker ants are smallest of all the ants. Ask students what three or more things are being compared. (worker ants, all other kinds of ants) Write big, bigger, and biggest on the board and have students make up oral sentences using the three words to compare two, then three or more things.
Skills Bank: Decoding (continued)
small smaller smallest
big bigger biggest
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use. No other part of the guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
ISBN# 978-1-4108-0163-0
01630_TG.indd 10 11/16/10 4:13:31 PM
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
name _______________________________________________________ Date ___________________
K–W–L
What I Know What I Wantto Know What I Learned
01630_TG.indd 11 11/16/10 4:13:31 PM
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
name _______________________________________________________ Date __________________
summary Web
01630_TG.indd 12 11/16/10 4:13:31 PM
