Reading Educator’S Guide10

Reading Educator’s Guide10 Lexile Level 900L – 1050L Preface Spot On Reading Educator’s Guide provides educators with the necessary support to help learners engage with the texts and hone their reading skills. Each story is accompanied by • Pre-reading discussion ideas to get readers to talk about themes or ideas related to the text they are about to read; • Answers to the whilst-reading questions; • Strategies focused on specific reading skills to guide readers and develop their comprehension skills; • Comprehension Notes to guide learners through the comprehension practices should they encounter difficulties; • Answers to the comprehension practices; • Extension activities to get learners thinking beyond the text. Contents lexile 1 Space Junk 4 910L 2 Snuggle Time 6 920L 3 Weather Signs and Rhymes 8 940L 4 Granddaddy 10 950L 5 Taking His Best Shots 12 960L 6 Drilling in the Ocean Floor 14 980L 7 The Seal Is a Sneaky Swimmer 16 1000L 8 Learning to Speak Bear 18 1020L 9 Hubble Opens Our Eyes 20 1040L 10 Big Night at the Vernal Pool 22 1050L 1 Space Junk (Pages 4–7) Lexile: 910L Reading Skills: Identifying the Main Ideas and Details; Identifying Cause and Effect; Identifying Problem and Solution Pre-reading Ask readers if they know what “junk” is. Explain that this refers to anything that is considered useless or of little value. Have them think about whether they have anything they would think is junk at home then get them to share their thoughts. Whilst-reading Questions Help readers understand the text better by asking these following questions. • What did the astronaut drop? Answer: He dropped a large vise while he was on a space walk. • What does the image created by the European Space Agency show? Answer: It shows that space junk has formed a cloud around Earth. • What does the U.S. Space Command do about space junk? Answer: It tracks 9,800 of the largest pieces and notifies all space agencies when any of these are on a collision course with a space station, shuttle, or satellite. Reading Skills 1. Identifying the Main Ideas and Details Have readers identify the main ideas in the story. Help them to see that the story is about how space junk is created, the danger it poses, and what certain entities are doing to reduce it. Then, get readers to identify the details that support each of the main ideas. 2. Identifying Cause and Effect • Have readers think about why space junk has accumulated in space. Get them to identify the reasons presented in the text, such as the space race that resulted in many satellites and rockets going up into space, the increasing use of satellites, the explosion of rockets in space, as well as the loss of various items in space by astronauts and so on. • Then ask readers to think of the effect of having so much debris in space. Ask them what kind of danger space junk poses and what kind of damage it can do. Ask them to cite examples from the text, such as the damage caused to the Mir space station or the damage caused by a speck of white paint to the space shuttle. Help them to understand that it is not just the size of the object but also the speed at which the object is traveling. Since everything in space travels very fast, even small objects are dangerous. 3. Identifying Problem and Solution Remind readers of the problems posed by space junk. Then have them identify the current solution as well as some of the long-term solutions mentioned, such as, the tracking of space junk, the designing of rockets that fall back toward Earth and burn up in the atmosphere, as well as the removal of satellites no longer in use. 4 Space Junk Comprehension Notes (Pages 8–9) 1. Have readers look at the first paragraph on page 4 for the answer. 2. Refer readers to the last paragraph on page 5 to find the articles. 3. Remind readers what a danger space junk poses to anyone or anything in space. Help them to understand that the vise in space could still cause damage in future. 4. Direct readers’ attention to the examples of space junk on pages 5 and 6 and help them to infer from these what space junk is. 5. Have readers look at the section entitled “Collisions in Space” to understand why space junk is dangerous. 6. Get readers to look at the second and fourth paragraphs on page 6 then help them craft an explanation using the information provided. 7. Refer readers to the second paragraph on page 5 and the last paragraph on page 7. Help them to understand that rockets are used to launch satellites, after which they float in space and are in danger of exploding due to unused fuel. If they fall back to Earth, they would burn up in the atmosphere. 8. Encourage readers to think about what they can do to prevent more litter in space. Discuss the issue with them before they attempt the question. Answers (Pages 8–9) 1. collision course; tool 2. Any two of the following: glove, camera, toothbrush, comb, power screwdriver 3. damage; spacecraft 4. Space junk is any kind/type of debris or rubbish orbiting in space. 5. It can cause damage to spacecraft or harm astronauts. 6. Small objects can cause a lot of damage when they are traveling at great speeds and hit a surface. 7. It would burn up in the atmosphere instead of float around in space. 8. Accept all reasonable answers. Extension Activity Get readers to do some research into space junk and have them present their findings. Encourage them to discover what others might be doing to prevent space litter or reduce what is already out there. Discuss their own ideas on this subject. Space Junk 5 2 Snuggle Time (Pages 10–11) Lexile: 920L Reading Skills: Identifying the Main Idea; Inferring; Understanding Words Pre-reading Ask readers what “snuggle” means. Explain that it means to get into a warm and comfortable position. Point to the title and have them guess what the story might be about. Whilst-reading Questions Use the following questions to help readers understand the story better as they read it aloud. • Who cuddles the chicks? Answer: The mother hens do. • Where do the foals sleep? Answer: They sleep in the meadow, beneath the sky. Reading Skills 1. Identifying the Main Idea Ask readers what the main idea of the story is. Help them to see that the story gives them a snapshot of children — human and animal — with their mothers and how safe and protected the children feel. Guide them to understand that the main idea is about motherly love. 2. Inferring Use the following prompts to help readers think about how the writer conveys the idea of safety and security. • Where are the young children in relation to their mothers? • Who protects the young animals? • How does the smile on the boy’s face tell you how he is feeling? • How does the woman make the boy feel safe? • What does the cat’s action tell you about its surroundings? 3. Understanding Words • Remind readers that rhyming words have same sound endings. Have them read the story out loud again, emphasizing the words that rhyme with each other e.g. hens and begins, shed and bed, sky and by, do and too. Ask them to think of more words that rhyme with these. • Have readers think about the words “cuddle”, “cozy”, “snuggle”, and “hug”. Guide them to understand that all four words give the impression of warmth and comfort and they are used in the story to show how the youngsters feel when around their mothers and reinforce the idea of motherly love. 6 Snuggle Time Comprehension Notes (Pages 12–13) 1. Have readers look at the first three pictures and their accompanying text for the answer. 2. Get readers to look at the picture in the activity and the text on page 11. Help them understand that the boy is hugging his mother. 3. Refer readers to the last picture of the story and point to the book on the bed. Guide them to understand that it is night (there is a full moon through the window) and the boy is getting ready for bed. 4. Get readers to read the text again and help them to notice words such as “cuddle”, “cozy”, “close by”, “snuggling”, and “hug”. Guide them to understand that these give a sense of security and the presence of the mothers make the youngsters feels safe. 5. Have readers look at the text at the top of page 11 and help them understand that the secure feeling comes from having the mother near by, regardless of where they might be. 6. Refer readers to the picture of the cat and point out that the cat is cleaning itself. Help them understand that this means that it feels safe and comfortable around the two humans. 7. Get readers to look at the expression on the boy’s face and point out that he looks happy. Encourage readers to think about why he feels this way. Have them notice that mother and child are hugging each other and ask them how this would make them feel. 8. Have readers look at all the pictures and read the text again. Guide them to understand that this is the writer’s way of showing maternal love, regardless of the species. Answers (Pages 12–13) 1. mothers 2.

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