Comprehension explore “robert’s rockets”...Literature & Comprehension Words to Know Before reading “Robert’s Rockets,” go over Words to Know with students. 1. Read aloud

Literature & Comprehension

supplied•“Robert’s Rockets,”

K12 World: The Science of Inventing, pp. 28–37

•K12 Language Arts Activity Book, pp. LC 249–251

also needed•glue stick•scissors, round-end safety

materials

explore “robert’s rockets”

Big ideas ▶ Comprehension entails an understanding of the organizational patterns

of text. ▶ Repeated rereading leads to increased f luency.

Lesson overview

offline 45 minutes

Get ready Lesson Introduction

Sequence and Chronological Order in Nonfiction Articles

Words to Know

Guided reading Book Walk

“Robert’s Rockets”

reading for meaning Sequence in “Robert’s Rockets”

Main Idea in “Robert’s Rockets”

making Connections Sequence Events in “Robert’s Rockets”

Beyond the Lesson OPTIONAL: Homemade RocketKeywordsmain idea – the most important idea in a paragraph or textsequence – ordertext structure – the organizational pattern of a text, such as cause and effect, compare and contrast, and chronological order

LC 720 Language arts GreenCopyright © 2012, K12 Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in whole or in part, including illustrations, without the express prior written consent of K12 Inc.


offline 45 minutesWork together with students to complete Get Ready, Guided Reading, Reading for Meaning, Making Connections, and Beyond the Lesson activities.

Get Ready

Objectives• Identify organizational

structures of text.

• Identify sequence of events in informational text.

• Build vocabulary through listening, reading, and discussion.

• Use new vocabulary in written and spoken sentences.

• Increase concept and content vocabulary.

Lesson IntroductionPrepare students for reading and discussing “Robert’s Rockets.”

1. Tell students that they are going to reread “Robert’s Rockets.”

2. Explain that before they read the article, you will get ready by discussing how authors of nonfiction can organize articles in the order in which events happened.

Sequence and Chronological Order in Nonfiction ArticlesExplore how authors can organize information in nonfiction texts.

1. Remind students that authors can organize information in an article in different ways. A nonfiction text can be written in sequence, to compare and contrast, or to show problem and solution or cause and effect. For example, we can say that the article “Ben Franklin, American Inventor” is organized by problem and solution, because the article talks about the ideas and inventions that Ben Franklin came up with to solve problems.

2. Explain that a biography, which is a nonfiction text that tells facts about a person’s life, is often written in sequence. This means that it tells about events in the person’s life in the order that the events happened. A signal, or clue, that a biography is organized in sequence is when the author includes dates or mentions years in the text.

3. Tell students that when an article tells the years of important events, we can say that it’s written in sequence. We can also say that it’s written in chronological order, or time order.Say: I’m going to read a paragraph about a famous person.

Thomas Edison was born in 1847. In 1868, Thomas got a patent for his first invention—an electric vote-recording machine. In 1879, he invented the modern light bulb, which changed the world. He invented the first movie camera in 1904. Altogether, Thomas got patents for more than 1,000 inventions. He died in 1931.

▶ What does this paragraph tell us? facts about Thomas Edison; facts about the things Thomas Edison invented

▶ How is the text of the Thomas Edison biography organized? in sequence; in chronological order; in time order

▶ In what year was Thomas Edison born? 1847 ▶ Did Edison invent the light bulb before or after he invented the first movie

camera? before

Literature & Comprehension LC 721Copyright © 2012, K12 Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced in whole or in part, including illustrations, without the express prior written consent of K12 Inc.


Words to KnowBefore reading “Robert’s Rockets,” go over Words to Know with students.

1. Read aloud each word and have students repeat it.

2. Ask students if they know what each word means.

▶ If students know a word’s meaning, have them define it and use it in a sentence.

▶ If students don’t know a word’s meaning, read them the definition and discuss the word with them.

engine – a machine that uses energy from electricity or a fuel such as gasoline to do workfuel – something that is burned to supply heat or power; examples include gasoline, coal, and oilgunpowder – a black powder used in firing guns and making fireworks; it explodes when fire touches itinvent – to think of and make or develop a machine, tool, or process that did not exist beforeinvention – a machine, tool, or process that did not exist beforelaunch – to set in motion; to send offNASA – a U.S. government organization that studies space travel; NASA stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administrationoxygen – a gas that is part of the air; a chemical element

Guided Reading

Objectives• Activate prior knowledge

by previewing text and/or discussing topic.

• Read and listen to a variety of texts for information and pleasure independently or as part of a group.

• Read aloud grade-level text with appropriate expression, accuracy, and rate.

Book WalkPrepare students for reading by taking them on a Book Walk of “Robert’s Rockets.” Scan the article together to revisit the text.

1. Turn to the selection in K12 World: The Science of Inventing.

2. Have students read aloud the title of the article.

3. Have students look at the pictures of the article.

4. Ask the following question to help students think about what they already know about the article. Answers to questions may vary.

▶ Why do you think Robert wanted to make a rocket that could go into space?

▶ What were some of the things Robert did to make his dream of space travel come true?



“Robert’s Rockets”It’s time for students to reread the article.

1. Tell students that “Robert’s Rockets” should now be familiar to them because they have read it before.

2. Explain that they will reread the article aloud to you, and you are there if they need help.

3. If students have trouble reading on their own, offer one of the following levels of support to meet their needs.

▶ Read aloud the article to them. ▶ Read aloud the article as they chime in with you. ▶ Take turns with students and alternate reading aloud each paragraph

or page.

4. Remind students to track with their finger as they read.

5. Tell students that as they read, they should look for dates that signal the order of the events in the article.

Reading for Meaning

Objectives• Identify organizational

structures of text.


• Identify chronological order.• Identify the main idea.

Sequence in “Robert’s Rockets”Check students’ understanding of sequence and chronological order.

▶ When an article has dates or years in it, how is the information probably organized? Possible answers: in sequence, or chronological order; in time order

▶ When Robert was 17 years old, he climbed a cherry tree and got an idea about rockets. Did this happen before or after he studied math and science in college? before How do you know? The article is written in sequence, or chronological order, and climbing the cherry tree comes first.

▶ Did Robert launch a rocket with a new kind of fuel before or after he set off a rocket in a basement? after How do you know? Robert set off the rocket in the basement in 1907, and he launched the rocket that used the new kind of fuel in 1926. So launching the rocket with the new fuel happened after.

▶ Did NASA name a new space f light center for Robert before or after he died? after How do you know? Robert died in 1945, and the new space flight center was named for him in 1959.

▶ What happened in 1969? Astronauts flew to the moon.



Main Idea in “Robert’s Rockets”Check students’ understanding of main idea in nonfiction articles.

1. Remind students that a nonfiction article can have a main idea, which is the most important idea, or message, in the text. The author of an article usually doesn’t directly state the main idea. Readers have to think about the title, topic, and facts of an article to figure out the main idea.

2. Ask students the following questions.

▶ How do you think Robert felt when his rockets didn’t work the way he hoped? Answers will vary.

▶ Why do you think Robert didn’t give up? Guide students to understand that Robert believed in his dream, so he did everything he could to make it come true.

▶ Do you think it was easy for Robert to improve his rockets? Guide students to recognize that Robert worked hard and spent a lot of time working to improve his rockets.

▶ What is the main idea of “Robert’s Rockets”? Possible answers: If you work hard, your dreams can come true; if you believe in yourself, you can make great things happen.

Making Connections

Objectives• Read text to perform a

specific task.


• Identify chronological order.• Demonstrate understanding

through graphic organizers.

Sequence Events in “Robert’s Rockets”Check students’ understanding of the sequence of events in “Robert’s Rockets.” Turn to pages LC 249–251 in K12 Language Arts Activity Book and gather the glue stick and scissors.

1. Remind students that a biography can be organized in sequence. One way that readers can check whether they understand what they read is by telling the sequence of events.

2. Remind students that if an article includes the dates or years when important events happened, we can say that the events are in chronological order.

3. Explain that students will use facts with pictures to show the sequence, or chronological order, of events in “Robert’s Rockets.” They will also practice reading and following simple directions.



4. Have students complete the Activity Book pages, helping them with the instructions as needed.

5. Have students retell the sequence of events using the pictures as a guide.

Refer back to “Robert’s Rockets” if students have trouble recalling the order of events in the article.

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explore “robert’s rockets”sequence events in “robert’s rockets”

Cut out the fact boxes. On page LC 251, glue the facts in the order that they happened.

1926Robert makes a new rocket that uses liquid fuel.

1899Robert has an idea in a cherry tree.

todayRobert is called the “father of rocket science.”

1907Robert sets off a rocket in a basement.

1958The United States starts a space program.

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Beyond the Lesson

Objectives• Make connections with text:

text-to-text, text-to-self, text-to-world.

OPTIONAL: Homemade RocketThis activity is OPTIONAL. It is intended for students who have extra time and would enjoy making a small rocket of their own. Feel free to skip this activity. Note: Students should complete this activity only with adult supervision.

1. Tell students that they can get an idea of how Robert Goddard’s rockets powered with liquid fuel worked by making their own rocket.

2. Go to the NASA website http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/pop-rocket/.



3. Help students gather materials and follow the directions for making a bubble-powered rocket.

4. Find a clear open space and then follow the website directions for launching the bubble-powered rocket. Be sure that all participants wear appropriate eye protection.

5. Ask the following questions.

▶ Robert H. Goddard’s first liquid fuel rocket went up 41 feet. Do you think your rocket went lower or higher than Robert’s rocket? Answers will vary. You may want to give students a general idea of how much 41 feet is by taking 41 steps of approximately one foot each and marking your starting and ending points.

▶ What caused your rocket to go up? The gas bubbles rushed down, which pushed the rocket up. Do you think this is similar to how the liquid fuel in Robert’s rockets worked? Yes

▶ How did you feel when your rocket took off? Answers will vary. ▶ How do you think Robert felt the first time he launched a liquid fuel

rocket? Answers will vary.


Documents

Comprehension explore “robert’s rockets”...Literature & Comprehension Words to Know Before reading “Robert’s Rockets,” go over Words to Know with students. 1. Read aloud