Koko Communicates
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LESSON 11 TEACHER’S GUIDE Koko Communicates by Justin Marciniak Fountas-Pinnell Level O Narrative Nonfiction Selection Summary Koko the gorilla was taught to “speak” an astonishing 1,000-plus words in sign language by Penny, her human caregiver. Koko signs her thoughts, feelings, and even made-up insults. She has two gorilla friends who also sign, and a kitten she named “Smoke.” Number of Words: 822 Characteristics of the Text Genre • Narrative nonfi ction Text Structure • Third-person narrative in fi ve chronological sections Content • Koko and gorilla behavior; teaching Koko sign language • American Sign Language • Koko’s life and her human and animal companions Themes and Ideas • Animals and people can learn from each other. • Animals can think, feel, communicate, invent, and learn. • Animals and their human caregivers develop close bonds. Language and • Informal narrative between gorillas Literary Features • Narrative presents most information in chronological fashion Sentence Complexity • Mix of complex sentences and simple sentences • Items in a series • Words in quotation marks, dashes, italics, parentheses Vocabulary • Words and phrases associated with zoos and biologists: western lowland gorilla, biological, assistants, researchers Words • Multisyllable words, such as communicates, university, disciplined, biological • Hyphenated words, such as one-year-old, three-year-old, hide-and-seek, reddish-orange Illustrations • Photographs with captions, charts, sidebars Book and Print Features • Twelve pages of text, most with illustrations • Table of contents • Chart of common signs © 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H. Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Permission is hereby granted to individual teachers using the corresponding (discipline) Leveled Readers to photocopy student worksheets from this publication in classroom quantities for instructional use and not for resale. Requests for information on other matters regarding duplication of this work should be addressed to Houghton Miffl in Harcourt Publishing Company, Attn: Contracts, Copyrights, and Licensing, 9400 SouthPark Center Loop, Orlando, Florida 32819. Printed in the U.S.A. 978-0-547-30521-9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 0940 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Miffl in Harcourt Publishing Company retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited. Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format. 4_305219_BL_LRTG_L11_KoKoCommunicates.indd 1 12/17/09 11:19:51 AM Koko Communicates by Justin Marciniak Build Background Help students use their knowledge about gorillas and sign language to visualize the text. Build interest by asking a question such as the following: Do you think it would be possible to communicate with a gorilla with sign language? Why or why not? Read the title and author and talk about the cover photograph. Tell students that this is narrative nonfi ction, the amazing true account of a gorilla, Koko, and her human caregiver. Introduce the Text Guide 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 3: Ask students to study the picture and read its caption. Suggested language: This picture introduces us to one-year-old Koko and her caretaker, Penny Patterson. Why do they both have their fi ngers to their lips? Penny felt a sense of disbelief the fi rst time Koko made the sign for food. Ask: What does it mean that Penny felt disbelief? Page 4: Have students read the heading, chart, and photograph caption. Encourage them to try the fi rst few signs shown on page 4. Ask: How do you think Koko could use signs to express how she feels? Page 12: Ask students to preview this section by reading the heading and information accompanying the photographs. Koko treated her kitten like her own biological child. Ask: Why isn’t Koko’s kitten her own biological child? Now go back to the beginning and read to fi nd out how Koko came to communicate with humans and some of the many things humans have learned from Koko about gorillas. Target Vocabulary arrangement – a plan or a way someone presence – that she or he is things are organized, p. 7 hastened – rushed there, p. 7 biological – natural or related to incident – a separate event or a tempted – to be affected by living things, p. 12 single experience, p. 5 wanting something disbelief – the refusal to believe pounced – having attacked or utter – to say something in a something, p. 3 jumped on something or normal tone of voice endeared – loved or valued by someone Grade 4 2 Lesson 11: Koko Communicates © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company 4_305219_BL_LRTG_L11_KoKoCommunicates.indd 2 12/17/09 11:20:51 AM Read Have students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their understanding of the text as needed. Remind students to use the Infer/Predict Strategy as they read by thinking about what the text suggests, or hints at, and making predictions about what will happen. Discuss and Revisit the Text Personal Response Invite students to share their personal responses to the selection. Suggested language: What did you fi nd most fascinating about Koko? What did you learn about gorillas and their communication skills? Ways of Thinking As you discuss the text, help students understand these points: Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text • Koko’s caretaker taught her • Animals have ways of • Authentic photographs help many words in sign language. communicating with humans. readers visualize the narrative and infer additional details. • Koko used sign language to • Animals and humans learn from communicate her thoughts, each other. • Facts are grouped logically in feelings, and wants. chronological order and are • Gorillas are capable of presented as a narrative. • Koko put words together to experiencing “human” emotions. create new words she needed. • Charts and sidebars supply related facts and engage readers. © 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H. Choices for Further Support • Fluency Lead students in choral reading. Remind them that the selection is a true story and suggest that they read it as if they are reading the selection to a younger child, with expression. • 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. Tell students that the prefi xes dis- and un- are added to base words to give them opposite meanings. Have students tell the meaning of each word and identify its base word: disbelief (page 3), unexpected (page 10). Grade 4 3 Lesson 11: Koko Communicates © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company 4_305219_BL_LRTG_L11_KoKoCommunicates.indd 3 11/4/09 11:24:47 PM Writing about Reading Critical Thinking Have students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 11.7. Responding Have 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 Skill Fact and Opinion Remind students that a fact can be proven. An opinion is what someone thinks or believes is true. Model how to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below: Think Aloud Page 5 says that Koko was born on July 4, 1971. That is a fact about Koko. It can be proved. When Koko insulted Michael, he responded by signing that Koko was a “stink bad squash gorilla.” That is Michael’s opinion. It can’t be proven. Practice the Skill Encourage students to share facts they know about gorillas and their opinions about gorillas and whether or not it is a good idea to teach them to communicate with people. Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the Text Have 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 • Which words on page 8 help the reader understand what siblings means? • One idea present in this selection is that ________________________________________________________________. • The author organizes the text by ________________________________________________________________. Grade 4 4 Lesson 11: Koko Communicates © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company 4_305219_BL_LRTG_L11_KoKoCommunicates.indd 4 12/17/09 11:23:17 AM English Language Development Reading Support Give English learners a “preview” of the text by holding a brief small-group discussion with them before reading the text with the entire group. Vocabulary Remind students that short words are often combined to form a compound