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TEACHER's GUIDE Trailblazer Vol TEACHER'S GUIDE Trailblazer Vol. 16 No. 6 In This Guide This guide contains language arts and science lessons for articles in this issue of ExplorEr TrailblazEr. Explorer Magazine ExplorEr classroom magazines are specifically written for each grade, 2-5. Through great storytelling and stunning photographs, the ExplorEr magazines develop literacy skills and teach standards- based science content. The ExplorEr magazines strive to offer a variety of reading experiences for students with different ability levels in the same class. Thus, all articles have been measured using the Lexile® Framework for Reading. Some articles will be easier to read than others, but all articles in ExplorEr TrailblazEr will be within the 350-750L range. ExplorEr is part of NaTioNal GEoGraphic ExplorEr's Education program. For more resources, visit the "For Teachers" tab on ExplorEr's website, natgeo.org/ explorermag-resources. Your Subscription Includes: • Magazines • Classroom Posters • Projectable Magazine • Interactive Whiteboard Lesson • Teacher’s Guide • App (additional subscription required) National Geographic Explorer, Trailblazer Page 1 Vol. 16 No. 6 Quest for the Quetzal Explorer LANGUAGE ARTS 600L Objectives READ • Students will predict definitions and then write Inform students that the purpose of this article is sentences to better understand unfamiliar words. to introduce readers to quetzal, a beautiful bird that • Students will identify recognize sentences that lives in Central America. describe cause/effect relationships in the text. Explain to students that writers use several different Resources strategies to make logical connections in a text. • Vocabulary Assessment Master (page 6) Good readers always search for these connections • Language Arts Assessment Master (page 7) when they read. One common strategy to look for is Summary cause-and-effect. • The article “Quest for the Quetzal” introduces readers to the resplendent quetzal, a beautiful bird Display pages 2-3 of the projectable edition. Read once revered by ancient civilizations. Now, the bird aloud the headline and text. Then model how to struggles to survive in a changing world. identify an example of cause-and-effect. Say: Sometimes when you read, you find a simple cause- BUILD VOCABULARY AND CONCEPTS and-effect statement. One thing caused another thing to happen. And other times, you realize you've found • Aztec one part of the relationship but not the other. For • culture example, the headline tells us that we are going to read • Mayan about the quetzal, which the photo shows us is a type of bird. The text says the bird needs our help. What we Give each student a copy of the Vocabulary don't know is why the bird needs our help. Whatever Assessment Master. Point out to students that they that cause is, it's the other half of this cause-and- may have heard some or all of these words before. effect relationship. There might even be more than one cause. This bird could need our help for many different Using that background knowledge as a base, reasons. instruct students to predict and write a definition for each word. Then have them write a sentence using Give each student a copy of the Language Arts each word, based on the definitions they wrote. Assessment Master. Have students read the article on their own. As they read, instruct students to Display the Wordwise feature on page 8 of the record a cause-and-effect statements from each projectable magazine. Review the definitions as a section of the article. Then have students complete a class. Have students add these definitions to their sentence telling why quetzals need our help. worksheets. Instruct them to write new sentences, using each word as it is defined in the article. Invite volunteers to read aloud the before and after sentences they wrote for each word. As a class, examine how new knowledge contributed to students' understanding of each word. National Geographic Explorer, Trailblazer Page 2 Vol. 16 No. 6 Quest for the Quetzal Explorer LANGUAGE ARTS TURN AND TALK WRITE AND ASSESS Have students turn and talk to discuss what they You may want students to write about what they learned about quetzals. Ask: What do quetzals look learned to assess understanding. Encourage like? (Their necks, backs, and wings have a green students to reflect upon what they read and how it metal sheen. They have golden-green feathers affected their ideas about the topic. on their heads that form a spiky crest. They have red feathers on their chests. Males have two long • Why does the writer call the quetzal Central tail feathers.) Where do quetzals live? (throughout America's most beautiful bird? Central America) What are quetzals like? (They are cautious birds.) How do you know? (When danger is • How are male quetzals different from the females? near, they turn their bodies to hide their red chests from predators.) Invite students to share what else • What surprised you about what you read? they learned about quetzals. • Predicting DefinitionsH ave students turn and talk to discuss what they learned about the three vocabulary words. Encourage them to compare their results in small groups. Instruct students to discuss how examining the information they collected impacted their understanding of each term. • Describe Connections After reading the article, remind students that making connections can help them understand what they've just read. One type of connection is the relationship between cause and effect. Invite students to turn and talk to share their Language Arts Assessment Masters in small groups. Instruct students to compare their results. Did each partner identify the same cause-and- effect relationships? If not, do all of their examples make sense? If partners find some examples to be confusing, encourage them to review the article to see where the connection went astray. Rejoin as a class. Discuss how identifying cause-and-effect relationships throughout the article helped students explain why the quetzal needs our help. National Geographic Explorer, Trailblazer Page 3 Vol. 16 No. 6 Quest for the Quetzal Explorer SCIENCE Objectives ENGAGE • Students will recognize the significance of a male Tap Prior Knowledge quetzal's tail feathers. Instruct students to each think of a bird. Invite • Students will understand how a changing habitat volunteers to describe the birds they are thinking affects quetzals. of. Compare and contrast the results. As a class, Resources discuss how all of the birds are alike. Challenge • Content Assessment Master (page 8) students to identify interesting ways that the birds • Comprehension Check (page 9) are different. EXPLORE Science Background Preview the Lesson The resplendent quetzal—one of the five Display pages 2-3 of the projectable magazine. Invite quetzal species—is a colorful bird found in the volunteers to describe the bird they see. Ask: How mountainous tropical forests of Central America. is this bird different from other birds you've seen? Many people consider it to be one of the most (Students will most likely note the bird's bright blue beautiful birds in the world. coloring and its very long tail feathers.) Read aloud the headline. Point out the word quest. Say: A quest The quetzal has metallic green feathers on its is a search. You'd think that a bird that looks like this neck, back, and wings. And its chest feathers would be easy to find. Ask: Why do you think people are bright red. But the tail feathers on the male have to search to find it? Invite students to share their are what really make this bird stand out. During ideas. Tell students that they will learn more about mating season, mature males can grow tail the bird and its plight as they read the article. feathers that are up to a meter long. The quetzal's beauty has not been lost on people. Set a Purpose and Read For thousands of years, the quetzal has held an Have students read the article in order to recognize honored place in Central American culture. Long the significance of a male quetzal's tail feathers ago, it was an important part of both Aztec and and to understand how a changing habitat affects Mayan cultures. Today, it is the national bird of quetzals. Guatemala. But the bird's beauty has also made it a target. Both hunters and collectors have preyed on the bird for its beautiful feathers. Today, the resplendent quetzal may be one of the most threatened birds of its kind. This is chiefly because as people cut trees and clear land for livestock and crops, the bird's natural habitat is disappearing. Restoring habitats or connecting those that still exist can help ensure the survival of this beautiful species. National Geographic Explorer, Trailblazer Page 4 Vol. 16 No. 6 Quest for the Quetzal Explorer SCIENCE EXPLAIN ELABORATE Examine the Quetzal's Tail Feathers Find Out More Display page 5 of the projectable magazine. Read Display pages 6-7 of the projectable magazine. As a aloud the caption and hold up a meter stick to class, review how quetzals have been celebrated in show student just how long the male quetzal's tail Central American cultures throughout time. Divide feathers can grow. Say: Every part of a quetzal's the class into small groups. Instruct groups to body has a purpose. That includes the extra-long tail conduct research. Challenge them to find additional feathers on the male birds. These feathers help the examples that show how quetzals are honored in male bird find a mating partner. Explain to students Central America. that some birds twitch their tail feathers to attract attention. Others use their feathers as part of a Extend Your Thinking About Quetzals dance. Brainstorm ideas about how a male quetzal Remind students that the quetzal is legally protected might use its tail feathers to attract a mate.
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