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

Theme: Animal AdaptationsScience Concept: Animals have adaptations that help them survive in their environment.

Fiction

Anchor Comprehension StrategyAnalyze Story Elements •

Phonemic AwarenessBlend onset and rime •

PhonicsDigraphs ea, ee • e

VocabularyWords for animal features •

Grammar/Word StudyDescribing words •

SummaryA young beaver learns about some of her •special adaptations.

skills & strategies

Bitsy the BeaverLevel H/13

Before Reading....

Build Background Knowledge •Showstudentsapictureofabeaver.Makeawebontheboardwiththe

phrasewhat beavers look like inthecentercircle.Havepairsofstudentstelleachotherwhattheyobserveorknowaboutbeavers’featuresandthensharetheirideaswiththegroup.Recordtheirideasontheweb.

Model Asking Questions•Displaythebookcover.Say:When I read, I ask myself questions about

what I am reading. This helps me understand and focus on what I am reading. Looking at the beaver’s tail in this picture makes me wonder why a beaver has such a flat tail.

•Record“whyabeaverhasaflattail”onachartlabeled“IWonder.”

•Askstudentsifthepicturemakesthemwonderaboutanythingandrecordtheirquestions.

Preview the Book•Previeweachpageinthebook,includingthetitlepage,andask

studentstodescribewhattheyseeinthepicture.Expandontheiranswerstomodelthevocabularyinthebook.Forexample,onpage4,youmightsay:Yes, Bitsy is sitting on top of a dam. Dams are made with mud and branches. What do you think they are doing to the dam?

•Addany“IWonder”questionsstudentshavetothechart,forexample,“whatadamisfor.”

Model Reading Strategies•Pointoutthewordpond onpage3andreadthesentenceinwhichit

appears.Ask:What strategies could you use to read this word?

•Suggestthefollowingstrategiesasyouthinkaloud:You could use what you know about letters and sounds. You could recognize that pstands for /p/,ostands for /o/,and the nd blend at the end of words makes the /nd/. You could also use picture clues to predict what the word means and then reread the sentence to see if that meaning makes sense.

Set a Purpose for Reading•AskstudentstoreadthebooktolearnaboutBitsyandtoseeifthey

haveanyother“IWonder”questionsastheyread.

2 Bitsy the Beaver

Build Background KnowledgePair English-language learners with native speakers to share their ideas about beaver's features.

Build Vocabulary and Language Patterns Use a picture of a beaver to point out a beavers’ features. Write the words feet, back, teeth, and tail on self-stick notes, and have students match each word to the correct body part on the beaver. If students have difficulty matching the words to the picture, ask them to point to their own bodies as you read each body part (except tail). Add other body parts, such as head, neck, eyes, ears, mouth, and legs.

Reinforce the language pattern “made for” that students will encounter in the book. Ask them what part of their body walks. Respond with the sentence pattern: Your legs were made for walking. Record the sentence on a chart. Model the sentence pattern using other body parts and actions, such as arms/holding, eyes/seeing, and hands/grabbing. Have students repeat each sentence.

Copyright © 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: 978-1-4108-1412-8

Small-Group Reading Lesson

SuPPoRt tiPS for English-Language Learnersell

sharp teeth

furry

What beavers look like

big tails

3© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

During Reading....Ï

Monitor Student Reading •Havestudentsputself-sticknotesnexttowordstheyhavetroublewith.

•Observestudentsastheywhisper-read.Interveneasnecessarytoguidethemtouseappropriatestrategiestoreaddifficultwords.

After Reading....Ï

Reflect on Reading Strategies •Askstudentswhethertheythoughtofanynew“IWonder”questions

astheyread.Remindthemthataskingquestionsastheyreadwillhelpthembetterunderstandwhattheyread.

•Askstudentstosharewordstheyfounddifficulttoread.Askthemhowtheywereabletoreadthewords.Reinforcedecodingstrategiesbymodelinghowtodecodewordstheyfounddifficult.

Discuss Concepts•AskstudentswhattheylearnedaboutBitsy.Havethemreadaloudthe

partsinthebookthatgavethemnewinformationaboutbeavers.

•AssignpairsofstudentsoneofthefollowingitemsandhavethemtellhowitisimportanttoBitsy:pond,dam,mud,frontfeet,frontteeth,trees,branches,tail.

•Refertothelistof“IWonder”questions.Helpstudentsdeterminewhetherallthequestionshavebeenanswered.Ifsomehavenotbeenanswered,askstudentshowtheymightfindtheanswers.

Extend Concepts•Remindstudentsthatbeavershavefeaturesthathelpthemlivein

pondsandwoods.Explainthatanimalshavefeaturescalledadaptationsthathelpthemsurviveintheirenvironments.

•Displaypicturesofadesert,theArctic,andtheocean.Ask:What is a desert like? RepeatthequestionfortheArcticandtheocean.

•Challengestudentstopredictwhatfeaturesanimalsmightneedtoliveintheseenvironments.Displaypicturesofacamel,apolarbear,andasharkandsay:A camel can store a lot of water. This helps the camel live in the ___. Afterstudentschoosethedesert,matchthepicturesofthecamelandthedesert.

Bitsy the Beaver

To check a student’s reading strategies, ask the student to read a section of the text aloud to you while other students are whisper reading. Note whether the student is using visual, structure, and meaning cues to self-correct and/or make sense of the text.

Reflect on Reading Strategies Note the words English-language learners are having difficulty with. Ask them to define or use words to help you determine whether their problems relate to unfamiliar vocabulary or syntax.

If students have read Hiding in the Sea, ask:• Beavers’ bodies are suited to

swimming away fast when there is danger. How does the leafy sea dragon’s body help it stay safe from danger? (The color and shape of its body make it look like the seaweed in which it lives. This helps it hide.)

• A beaver uses its big, flat tail to slap the water when there is danger. What body part does the deep-sea anglerfish use to stay safe? (The bright light that dangles from its front keeps the rest of its body hidden in the dark.)

MAKE FiCtion-to-FACt™ ConCEPt ConnECtionS

SuPPoRt tiPS for English-Language Learnersell

ASSESSMEnt tiP

Build Comprehension: DiFFEREntiAtE FAntASY AnD REALitYModel •Showapictureofarealbearandapictureofabearinastory,

preferablyonethatiswearingclothesandtalkingorusingutensilstoeat.Askstudentswhichbearismake-believe,whichisreal,andhowtheycantellthedifference.

•Say:When we read a book, we need to know whether the people, places, and things in the book are real or make-believe. In this book, the beavers do things that real beavers do, but they also do things that real beavers can’t do. Let’s make a list of what is real and what is make-believe in the story.

Practice

•Distributecopiesofthe "Fantasy or Reality?" blacklinemaster.Guidestudentstonameonethinginthestorythatismake-believe.Forexample,ask:What is Mama Beaver doing on page 2? She is talking to Bitsy. Do real beavers talk? No, that’s something in the story that is make-believe. HavestudentswriteBeavers talk inthefirstcolumn.

•Guidestudentstonameonethinginthestorythatisreal.Forexample,ask:Where do Mama Beaver and Bitsy live? They live in a pond. Do real beavers live in a pond? Yes, that’s something in the story that is real. HavestudentswriteBeavers live in ponds inthesecondcolumn.

Apply

•Havestudentscompletethechartbyrecordingotherthingsinthestorythataremake-believeandreal.

•Havestudentssharetheirideaswiththegroup.

4 Bitsy the Beaver © 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Model Before discussing the concept of fantasy and reality, introduce the vocabulary real and make-believe. Ask a boy to stand in front of the group. Point to the boy and say: José is a real boy. Show a picture of a boy in a fictional story and say: This is a make-believe boy. Real people can only do real things. Can José clap his hands? Yes, he can. That is something real people can do. Can José fly? No, he can’t. That is something only make-believe people in stories can do.

Practice and Apply If English-language learners have trouble identifying fantastic and realistic elements in the story, offer examples and help students decide whether each example is make-believe or real before they write it on their blackline masters.

Observe whether students understand the difference between fantasy and reality. Note whether they are able to distinguish the fantastic elements from the realistic elements in the story. If students have difficulty, you might want to provide additional modeling using familiar fiction and nonfiction stories.

Small-Group Reading Lesson

SuPPoRt tiPS for English-Language Learnersell

ASSESSMEnt tiPthings in the Story

that Are Make-Believe

Beavers talk.

Beavers walk on two legs.

Beavers smile.

Beavers frown.

Beavers wave.

things in the Story that Are Real

Beavers live in ponds.

Beavers swim.

Beavers build and fix dams.

Beavers have big front teeth.

Beavers cut down trees.

Beavers have big, flat tails.

5© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Writing Mini-Lesson: using Describing Words•Rereadpage2whilestudentsfollowalong.Askthemtolistenfor

describingwords,orwordsthattellaboutsomething.

•Involvestudentsinadiscussionaboutdescribingwordsbyaskingthefollowingquestions:

What words does the author use to describe Bitsy the Beaver? (alwayshappy)

What do these describing words tell you about Bitsy? (Sheisexcitedandreadytogotowork.Sheishelpfulandlikesbeingwithhermom.)

Do you think these describing words are a good choice? Why or why not? (StudentsmaysaythattheyareagoodchoicebecausetheygivereadersanideaofwhatBitsyislike.)

What words would you use to describe Bitsy? (Studentsmaysuggestbrown, small, cute, nice.)

•Useotherfictionbookstoshowhowwritersusedescribingwordsinfictionalstories.Readpassageswithdescribingwordsfromseveralbookstostudents.Discusseachpassage,askingstudentstotellwhatthedescribingwordsare,whytheythinktheauthorusedthosewords,andwhetherthosewordsarethebestchoices.

•Writephraseswithdescribingwordsfromtheexamplesonchartpapertoserveasmodelsforstudents.

Link to Journal WritingHavestudentsfindapieceoffictionwritingintheirjournals.Havethemlookathowtheyusedescribingwordsintheirwritinganddecidewhethertheyshouldaddmoredescribingwordsorchangeanyoftheirdescribingwords.Ifstudentsdon’thaveapieceoffictionwritingintheirjournal,askthemtobeginanewpieceofwritinginwhichtheytrytousedescriptivelanguage.

Read aloud sections of Bitsy the Beaver using appropriate phrasing, intonation, and expression to model fluent reading. Have pairs of students take turns reading the pages of the book to each other.

Have students read the take-home version of Bitsy the Beaver to family members. Suggest that they talk about things in the story that are make-believe and things that are real.

REREAD FoR FLuEnCY

As students review their piece of writing, have them ask themselves:• Did I use good describing

words?• Are the describing words in the

right places?• Can I think of better describing

words to use?

Bitsy the Beaver

ConnECt to hoME

WRiting ChECKLiSt

2Louis Pasteur

6 Bitsy the Beaver © 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Phonemic Awareness: Blend onset and Rime•Havestudentslistenasyousaythewordpond, segmentingtheonset

andrime:/p/ /ond/. Havestudentsrepeattheonsetandrimeandthenblendthemtogethertosaytheword:/p/ /ond/, /pond/, pond.

•Repeatwithotherwordsfromthebook,suchaswork, dam, mud, feet, teeth, tail, andswim.

Phonics: Digraphs ea, ee•Writethewordbeaver ontheboard.Askstudentstolistentoand

identifythefirstvowelsoundintheword.Askthemwhatlettersstandforthatvowelsound.Underlinethelettersea andexplainthatsometimestheseletterstogetherstandforthelonge sound.

•Writethewordfeet. Pointoutthatthiswordalsohasthelonge sound.Askstudentswhatlettersstandforthelonge soundinthisword.Underlinethelettersee. Explainthatbothea andee canstandforthelonge sound.

•Writethewordsready, learned, andmeant inaseparatelist.Saythewordswithstudents.Pointoutthatthelettersea inthesewordsdonotstandforthelonge sound.

•Challengestudentstolookthroughthebookandfindotherwordsthatcontainalonge digraph:keep, needs, teeth, tree, deep.

Vocabulary: Words for Animal Features•Askstudentstolookthroughthebookandfindwordsthatname

animalfeatures:feet, teeth, tail, back. Writethewordsinalist.Readeachwordandhavestudentspointtothatbodypartononeofthebeavers.

•Askstudentstobrainstormotherwordsforanimalfeaturesthatarenotinthebook:snout, beak, wings,fur, feathers, paws, horns, trunk, mane, andsoon.Addthesewordstothelist.

grammar/Word Study: Describing Words•Writethephrasebig, flat tail ontheboard.Underlinethewordsbig

andflat andexplaintostudentsthatthesearedescribingwords;theydescribe,ortellabout,thetailbytellingwhatthetaillookslike.

•Continuewiththefollowingphrasesfromthebook:small, front feet; big, front teeth; loud noise; deep water. Askstudentstoidentifythedescribingwordorwordsineachphrase.

•Distributecopiesofthe "Describing Words" blacklinemaster.Havestudentsusethedescribingwordsinthewordbanktocompletethephrasessothattheydescribethepicturesshown.

Phonics Write the digraphs ea and ee on the board to remind students what they are looking for. Suggest that when they find a word, they say it out loud as they listen for the long e sound. If they have trouble deciding if the word has the long e sound, ask them to listen as you say the word and then tell you if they hear the long e sound.

Vocabulary If students need help with the vocabulary, repeat the first activity in Build Vocabulary and Language Patterns on page 2 before asking students to find the words in the book.

To help students with their brainstorming, show them pictures of other animals, such as a dog and a bird, and ask them what features these animals have.

Word Study Show students a small red ball. Ask them what words they might use to describe, or tell about, the ball. If they need help thinking of describing words, say: This ball is small. This ball is round. This ball is red. This is a small round red ball. What words did I use to describe this ball?

Skills Bank

SuPPoRt tiPS for English-Language Learnersell

name _______________________________________________________ Date ___________________

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Fantasy or Reality?

things in the Story that Are Make-Believe

things in the Story that Are Real

Skills Bank

8Bitsy the Beaver

©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Build ComprehensionAnALYzE StoRY ELEMEntS

Explain• Createanoverheadtransparencyofthegraphicorganizer“BitsytheBeaver”ordrawitontheboard.Say:The people or animals that a story is about are the characters. The time and place in which a story happens is the setting. The events that happen in the beginning, middle, and end of a story are the plot. When we think about the characters, setting, and plot in a story, we are analyzing story elements.

Model• Say:Let’s start by analyzing the first story element. We will look at the characters in BitsytheBeaver. To analyze characters, I need to ask myself whom this story is about. Take a picture walk through the story and identify the animals in each picture. Say: I see that the characters in this story are Bitsy, Mama Beaver, and Papa Beaver. In the Character box on the graphic organizer, write Bitsy, Mama Beaver, Papa Beaver. Then say: We know who the characters are. Now we need to analyze them, or tell about who they are and why they act the way they do. I think the Beavers are hardworking animals that like to spend time together. Record this information in the Character box on the graphic organizer.

guide• Say:Now let’s analyze another story element: setting. Where does the story take place? (Allowtimeforstudentstorespond,assistingifneeded.)Yes, the story takes place in the river in which the Beavers live. When does it take place? Look through the story for clues.(Againallowtimeforstudentstorespond.)I see clues, such as the moon and an owl in the sky. On page 14, I read, “The night turned into day.” I think that means that most of the story takes place during the night, when the Beavers are active. Then they sleep during the day. This is the time of the story.RecordthisinformationintheSettingboxonthegraphicorganizer.

Apply• Remindstudentsthatthethirdstoryelementisplot,orwhathappensatthebeginning,inthemiddle,andattheendofthestory.Askstudentstoworkwithapartnertoanalyzetheplotofthestory.Aftereachpartnershipshares,recordtheirideasonthegraphicorganizer.Finally,readthecompletedgraphicorganizeraloudandinvitestudentstoecho-read.

name _______________________________________________________ Date __________________

©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLCBitsy the Beaver

Bitsy the BeaverAnalyze Story Elements

Character

Plot — End

Plot — Middle

Plot — Beginning

Setting

Notes

Bitsy the Beaver©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC10

Notes

11©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLCBitsy the Beaver

name _______________________________________________________ Date ___________________

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Describing Words huge flat happy

small sad long

Directions: Have students complete each phrase with the describing word from the word bank that makes the most sense.

_________________ tail

________________ neck

_________________ ant

_________________boy

_________________ girl

_____________elephant