Beatrix Potter

LESSON 18 TEACHER’S GUIDE Beatrix Potter by Mary Reid Fountas-Pinnell Level K Biography Selection Summary This biography tells the life story of children’s author and illustrator, Beatrix Potter. The simply written narrative focuses on the development of her writing and drawing skills. The mix of historical photographs and drawings will delight young readers. Number of Words: 314 Characteristics of the Text Genre • Biography Text Structure • Third-person factual narrative • Major events presented in chronological order Content • Potter’s early interest in animals and drawing • Development of Peter Rabbit stories • Potter’s life in the country and love of nature Themes and Ideas • Infl uences on a writer’s life • Writer’s relationship with her readers • Interest in natural world Language and • Third-person narrative Literary Features • Figurative language (Her drawings had stories to tell!) Sentence Complexity • Some complex sentences with clauses • Multiple items in a series with exclamation for emphasis (She also had a frog, a lizard, and a bat!) Vocabulary • Names of animals and name of country (England) Words • Irregular verbs in past tense (taught, drew, wrote) • Some content words might be unfamiliar (protected, builders, factories, national). Illustrations • Many black-and-white period photographs • Original drawings by Beatrix Potter extend content. Book and Print Features • Nine pages of text, easy-to-read captions, and illustrations on every page • No paragraphs – each sentence begins on a new line. © 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. 978-0-547-30305-5 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. 2_303055_BL_LRTG_L18_BeatrixPotter.indd 1 11/3/09 11:29:09 PM Beatrix Potter by Mary Reid Build Background Help children use their knowledge of Beatrix Potter’s books. Build interest by asking questions such as the following: Have you read a story about Peter Rabbit or another animal character? What did you enjoy most about it? Read the title and author and talk about the cover picture. Tell children that this is a book about the life of a real person. Introduce the Text Guide children through the text, noting important ideas and helping with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so that they can read the text successfully. Here are some suggestions: Pages 2 – 3: Explain that Beatrix Potter was born long ago in England. Point to England on a class map. She wrote and illustrated many books for children. Suggested language: On page 2 you can see a picture of Beatrix Potter when she was older. But on page 3 you can see a photograph of her as a young girl. She always loved nature. Her family lived in the country during the summer and Beatrix had many pets there. Why do you think she liked writing about animals in her books? Page 4: Explain that Beatrix Potter taught herself to draw things she saw in nature. Look at one of the drawings she made as a young girl. How do you think she taught herself to draw? Page 5: When she grew up, Potter wrote a story for a sick child about the rabbits on this page. Can you read the rabbits’ names? The names are written in Potter’s own handwriting. Page 6: Explain that other children loved the story about the rabbit named Peter Rabbit so Potter wrote more stories about him. Her readers began to wonder what happened to Peter Rabbit so Potter kept writing more stories about him! Now turn back to the beginning of the book and read to fi nd out how how Beatrix Potter became a famous writer. Target Vocabulary accepted – agreed to something grand – large, special, or prize – an award for winning a express – v. show what you are important contest, p. 9 feeling or thinking pretend – to imagine, or make- taught – told or showed what to fl uttering – moves with small, believe, that something is real, do, p. 4 quick movements p. 9 wonder – v. try to understand more about something, p. 6 Grade 2 2 Lesson 18: Beatrix Potter © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company 22_303055_BL_LRTG_L18_BeatrixPotter.indd_303055_BL_LRTG_L18_BeatrixPotter.indd 2 77/30/09/30/09 88:52:35:52:35 AAMM Read Have children read silently while you listen to individual children read. Support their problem solving and fl uency as needed. Remind children to use the Analyze/Evaluate Strategy and to tell how they feel about the book as they read and why. Discuss and Revisit the Text Personal Response Invite children to share their personal responses to the book. Suggested language: What was the most interesting thing you learned about Beatrix Potter’s life? Ways of Thinking As you discuss the text, help children understand these points: Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text • Beatrix Potter fi rst drew the • A love and understanding of • Photographs can help readers natural world when she was a nature can change your life. better understand a book. child. • Drawings can bring stories to life • The author’s attitude about her • She wrote and illustrated “The for readers. subject is that Potter was a Tale of Peter Rabbit” for a sick beloved children’s book writer. • You can teach yourself new child. skills. • Using original drawings helps • When she became successful, readers visualize important she bought a country home with information. a farm. © 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H. Choices for Further Support • Fluency Invite children to choose a passage from the text to read aloud in small groups. Remind them to use rising and falling tones in a way that is related to text meaning and punctuation, paying special attention to sentences that end in exclamation marks. • Comprehension Based on your observations of the children’s reading and discussion, revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind children 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. Work with children to divide the following words from the book into two and three syllables: country (p. 2); lizard (p.3), rabbits (p. 3), pictures (p. 5), animals (p. 8), factories (p. 10), national (p. 10). Grade 2 3 Lesson 18: Beatrix Potter © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company 2_303055_BL_LRTG_L18_BeatrixPotter.indd 3 12/21/09 6:57:00 PM Writing about Reading Critical Thinking Have children complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 18.7. Responding Have children complete the activities at the back of the book. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the comprehension skill. Target Comprehension Skill Understanding Characters Remind children that they can use details in the book to help them better understand a person’s thoughts, feelings, and actions. Model the skill, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below: Think Aloud To learn more about Beatrix Potter, I’m going to pay careful attention to details in the book. On page 2 the writer says that Beatrix loved the country. On page 3 I fi nd out that she had many pets, such as rabbits, a frog, a lizard, and a bat. All these details help me understand how much Beatrix Potter loved the world of nature. Practice the Skill Have children fi nd another detail in the book that tells them something important about Beatrix Potter. Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the Text Have children write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they think beyond the text, they use what they know and their own experience to think about the information in the book. Assessment Prompts • Which words on page 7 help readers understand the meaning of the word perfect? • What are three words that best describe Beatrix Potter? Grade 2 4 Lesson 18: Beatrix Potter © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company 2_303055_BL_LRTG_L18_BeatrixPotter.indd 4 11/3/09 11:29:23 PM English Language Development Reading Support Pair English-speaking and English language learners and have them make a list of all the animals mentioned in this book (rabbits, frog, lizard, bat, caterpillars, pigs, sheep). Then be sure English language learners can describe what each animal looks like. Cultural Support Explain that a national park, discussed on page 10, is a large park that is protected by the government of a country. Oral Language Development Check children’s comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches their English profi ciency level.

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