The Tortoise and the Hare the Lion and the Mouse the Ant and The
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TEACHER ’S GUIDE : FABLES ™ Reading Objectives • Comprehension: Analyze character; Make judgments The Tortoise and the Hare • Tier Two Vocabulary: See book’s Glossary • Word study: Synonyms • Analyze the genre The Lion and the Mouse • Respond to and interpret texts • Make text-to-text connections • Fluency: Read with dramatic expression The Ant and the Grasshopper Writing Objectives • Writer’s tools: Personification • Write a fable using writing-process steps Related Resources • Comprehension Question Cards • Comprehension Power Tool Flip Chart • Using Genre Models to Teach Writing • Town Mouse and Country Mouse; Belling the Cat; The Dog and the Wolf Level N/30 Level J/18 (Levels P/38 and K/20 ) Genre Workshop titles are designed to accommodate a combination of whole- and small-group instruction. Use the suggested timetable below to help you manage your 90-minute literacy block. You may also conduct the entire lesson within small-group reading time by adjusting the length of time needed per group. Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Days 6–15 Whole Group Prepare Before Reading Before Reading Before Reading Before Reading Write a fable. (25 minutes) to Read Use the Small Group #1* Read “The Tortoise Read “The Lion Read “The Ant and Reread “The Ant timetable (15 minutes) and the Hare” and the Mouse” the Grasshopper” and the and daily Grasshopper” suggestions provided. Small Group #2* Read “The Tortoise Read “The Lion Read “The Ant and Reread “The Ant (15 minutes) and the Hare” and the Mouse” the Grasshopper” and the Grasshopper” Small Group #3* Read “The Tortoise Read “The Lion Read “The Ant and Reread “The Ant (15 minutes) and the Hare” and the Mouse” the Grasshopper” and the Grasshopper” Whole Group After Reading After Reading After Reading After Reading (20 minutes) *Select the appropriate text to meet the range of needs and reading levels of your students. While you are meeting with small groups, other students can do the following: • Reread the text with a partner to practice fluency or read independently from your classroom library • Reflect on their learning in reading response journals • Engage in literacy workstations or meet with literature circles/discussion groups B ENCHMARK E DUCATION C OMPANY Day 1 Day 2 Prepare to Read • Post this chart in your classroom during your fables Before Reading Build Genre Background unit. Say: As we read fables this week, we will come Introduce “The Tortoise and the Hare” back to this anchor chart. We will look for how these • Write the word genre on chart paper. Say: Who features appear in each fable we read. • Reread the fables anchor chart or the web on page 3 can explain what the word genre means? (Allow • Ask students to turn to pages 4– 5. Say: The fables in to review the features of a fable. time for responses.) The word genre means “a kind this book are based on stories by Aesop. Let’s read • Ask students to turn to page 6. Ask: Based on the of something. ” How many of you like to watch about Aesop. title and illustrations, what do you predict this fable action movies? How many of you prefer comedies? • Have a student read aloud the biographical might be about? Allow time for responses. Comedies and action movies are genres, or kinds, of information while others follow along. • Invite students to scan the text and look for the movies. All action movies share certain characteristics. • Say: Aesop first told these fables more than 2,000 boldfaced words ( boasted , swift, snoozing ). Say: All comedies have some features in common , too. As years ago. People are still reading them today. As you read, pay attention to these words. If you readers and writers, we focus on genres of literature. What can you infer, or tell, from this? Allow time don’t know what they mean, try to use clues in the As readers, we pay attention to the genre to help for responses. Prompt students to understand that surrounding text to help you define them. We’ll us comprehend. Recognizing the genre helps us the lessons, or morals, in Aesop’s fables are still come back to these words after we read. anticipate what will happen or what we will learn. relevant to people today. Set a Purpose for Reading As writers, we use our knowledge of genre to help Introduce the Tools Writers Use: Personification • Ask students to read the fable to focus on the genre us develop and organize our ideas. • Read aloud “Tools Writers Use” on page 5. elements they noted on their anchor chart. They • Ask: Who can name some literary genres? Let’s make should also look for examples of personification and a list. Allow time for responses. Post the list on the • Say: Many writers use personification. This technique helps make their writing unique and interesting. think about how the author’s use of personification classroom wall as an anchor chart . helps them understand the characters. • Draw a concept web on chart paper or the board. Aesop’s fables are filled with personification. Let’s Write Fable in the center circle of the web. practice identifying personification so we can notice Read “The Tortoise and the Hare” • Say: Fables are one example of a literary genre. it in the fables we read. • Distribute BLM 1 ( Personification). Read aloud • Place students in groups of three or four based on Think of any fables you know. How would you define their reading levels. Ask students to read the fable what a fable is? sentence 1 with students. Reflect and Review • Model Identifying Personification: Can a rabbit silently or to whisper -read. If students need more • Turn and Talk: Ask students to turn and talk to a • Turn and Talk: Write one or more of the following support, you may have them read with a partner . classmate and jot down any features of a fable they really be “upset”? I don’t think so. Being upset is questions on chart paper: a human emotion. The author of this sentence is • Observe students as they stop and think about the can think of. Then bring students together and ask What is a literary genre, and how can understanding fable. Confer briefly with individual students to them to share their ideas. Record them on the group treating Rabbit and Deer like people. Notice how genres help readers and writers? the animals speak to each other in quotations. And monitor their use of fix-up strategies and their web. Reinforce the concept that all fables have What did you learn today about the fable genre? understanding of the text. certain common features. Rabbit tells Deer, “I will not be your friend any more. ” How can readers recognize the technique of Introduce the Book In real life, rabbits and deer are not friends. The personification? author has given human characteristics to these Ask partners or small groups to discuss their ideas Management Tip • Distribute the appropriate-level book (N/30 or J/18) animals. and report them back to the whole group as a way Ask students to place self-stick notes in the margins to each student. Read the title aloud. Ask students to • Ask students to work with a partner or in small to summarize the day’s learning . where they notice examples of personification or tell what they see on the cover and table of contents. groups to identify the examples of personification in features of the genre when they are reading. • Ask students to turn to pages 2–3. Say: This week we the remaining sentences, and to write one or more are going to read fables that will help us learn about sentences of their own showing personification. this genre. First we’re going to focus on this genre • Bring the groups together to share their findings. After Reading as readers. Then we’re going to study fables from a Point out that writers show personification in many Management Tips writer’s perspective. Our goal this week is to really ways—through dialogue, actions, feeling, and Build Comprehension: Analyze Character understand this genre. thoughts. • Throughout the week, you may wish to use some • Ask a student to read aloud the text on page 2 while • Ask each group to read one or more sentences they of the reflect and review questions as prompts • Lead a student discussion using the “Analyze the others follow along. Invite a different student to read wrote. Use the examples to build their understanding for reader response journal entries in addition to Characters” questions on page 9, or use the the web on page 3. of how and why writers use personification. Remind turn and talk activities. following steps to provide explicit modeling of how to analyze characters in a fable. • Point to your fables web on chart paper. Say: Let’s students that how an author uses personification • Have students create genre study folders. Keep • Explain: We learned yesterday that fables contain compare our initial ideas about fables with what can help the reader understand, make connections, blackline masters, notes, small-group writing, and a moral, or lesson. The writer uses the characters, we just read. What new features of this genre did visualize, and make inferences about the characters, checklists in the folders. you learn? Allow time for responses. Add new plot, and moral of a fable. setting, and plot to convey, or tell, this moral. When information to the class web. • Ask groups to hand in their sentences. Transfer • Create anchor charts by writing whole-group you read a fable, you need to pay close attention to student-written sentences to chart paper, title the discussion notes and mini-lessons on chart the characters.