20 TEACHER’S GUIDE Watch Out! Polar Bears!forms.hmhco.com/.../pdf/journeys/grade/L20_Watch_Out_Polar_Bears_L.pdfLESSON 20 TEACHER’S GUIDE Watch Out! Polar Bears! by ... huge paws

Number of Words: 602

L E S S O N 2 0 T E A C H E R ’ S G U I D E

Watch Out! Polar Bears! by Bo Grayson

Fountas-Pinnell Level LInformational Text Selection SummaryPolar bears’ bodies are built to help them survive in their cold Arctic home. They are protected from the cold by layers of thick fur. Their huge paws and strong legs help them to move easily on ice and snow and to swim well. Their sense of smell, sharp claws, and strong teeth help them in the hunt for their favorite food–seals.

Characteristics of the Text Genre • Informational Text

Text Structure • Nine sections with substantive headings• Each section presents a different category of information about polar bears.

Content • Many facts about polar bears—habitat, parts of body, camoufl age, hunting skills, food• Concepts related to animals hunting for prey

Themes and Ideas • Polar bears’ bodies are made to help them survive in the Arctic.• Polar bears are well equipped to fi nd, catch, and eat prey.

Language and Literary Features

• Description but no fi gurative use of language• Simple, clear language

Sentence Complexity • Parenthetical expressions set off by commas: A bear might also have a home, or shelter, in the snow.

• Both dependent and independent clauses: A polar bear can get overheated when the weather gets warmer in the summer.

Vocabulary • Content-specifi c words introduced: paws, claws, seals• Compound words: overheated, snowshoes

Words • Mostly one- and two-syllable words, with a few three- and four-syllable wordsIllustrations • Photographs with captions that are closely linked with the text

• Inset photographs that provide close-up views• Map showing location of the Arctic• Diagrams showing the parts of a bear’s body and the layers that cover the bear’s body

Book and Print Features • Thirteen pages with text and illustrations on each page© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

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Watch Out! Polar Bears! by Bo Grayson

Build BackgroundHelp students use their knowledge of bears. Build interest by asking questions such as the following: What are some different kinds of bears that you know about? Where do these bears live? Read the title and author and talk about the cover photograph. Invite students to share what they already know about polar bears. Tell students that this book is informational text, so the words and photos will give factual information about the topic.

Introduce the TextGuide students through the text, noting important ideas and helping with unfamiliar language and vocabulary. Here are some suggestions:

Page 2: Explain that this book contains interesting information about polar bears. Suggested language: Look at the section head: “Arctic Home.” What can you tell about the Arctic from the map, the photo, and the caption? What special features do you think polar bears need to help them survive in a place with a cold climate—where the weather is so cold?

Page 3: Have students study the diagram, and read the caption with them. How do you think each of the polar bear’s body parts helps it survive?

Page 5: Draw attention to the diagram and the fur background behind it. This shows a close-up of polar bear fur. How might a layer, or thickness, of fur be helpful? How many layers cover the polar bear’s body?

Page 8: Draw attention to the section head, “Great Swimmers,” and the photograph. Read the caption: Polar bear paws make good paddles. Point out the close-up inset photo of a paw. How could this paw work like a canoe paddle in the water?

Page 14: Draw attention to the fi nal section heading, “Watch Out!” Why do you think that the author is warning readers to watch out?

Now turn back to the beginning of the book and read to fi nd out about polar bears.

climate – the average or typical weather in a particular place, p. 2

colony – a group of people, or the same kind of animals living together

constant – not changinggliding – moving smoothly, with

little effort

layer – n. one thickness of something, p. 5

overheated – too hot to be safe, p. 6

region – an area, division, or district

shelter – n. a place to live or take cover, p. 5

unexpected – something that happens without warning, p. 13

wilderness – a wild area of land where very few people live

Target Vocabulary

2 Lesson 20: Watch Out! Polar Bears! Grade 3© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

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ReadHave students read Watch Out! Polar Bears! silently while you listen to individual students read. Support their problem solving and fl uency as needed.

Remind students to use the Infer/Predict Strategy and to use clues to fi gure out more about the selection.

Discuss and Revisit the Text Personal ResponseInvite students to share their personal responses to the book. Suggested language: What did you learn about polar bears that you didn’t know before? Do you think that polar bears could survive anywhere other than in the Arctic? Why or why not?

Ways of ThinkingAs you discuss the text, help students understand these points:

Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text

• Polar bears live in the cold climate of the Arctic, near the North Pole.

• Polar bears’ bodies are made to help them survive in the Arctic environment.

• Polar bears’ favorite food is seals.

• Animals such as polar bears have special body parts that help them survive in specifi c environments.

• Changes in the environment in which an animal lives can affect its survival.

• The text is organized by topics.

• The captions and labels help describe what is shown in the photos.

• The author includes many details about polar bears and how they are equipped to survive in the Arctic.

• The section headings give a good idea of what information will be covered.

© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

Choices For Further Support• Fluency Invite students to choose a passage from the text and demonstrate phrased

fl uent reading. Remind them to vary their reading speed, slowing down for diffi cult text and speeding up when text is less diffi cult.

• 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. Guide students to change words to create comparatives as in the text—They are taller than the tallest person. Use text words with no spelling changes (thick, warm, strong) and words with spelling changes (icy, easy, huge).



Writing about ReadingCritical Thinking Have students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 20.7.

RespondingHave students 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 SkillMain Ideas and Details

Target Comprehension Skill Remind students that they can tell important

ideas and details about a topic. Model the skill, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:

Think Aloud

When I read informational text, I look for the most important information about a topic. Then I try to fi nd details that support or add to the main idea. I know that the main idea often is given fi rst. When I read the section titled “Staying Dry,” I see that the fi rst sentence says: “A polar bear’s fur also helps it to stay dry when it swims.” That’s the most important, or main, idea in this section. The details are that there is oil in the bear’s fur, and this oil keeps the cold water from getting close to the bear’s skin.

Practice the SkillHave students choose one section from the book and write the main idea of the section and two details that support or add to the main idea.

Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the TextHave students 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 what happens in the story.

Assessment Prompts• Find the sentence on page 11 that shows how powerful a polar bear’s nose is.

• What can the reader tell about polar bears from this book?

• On page 8, fi nd the words paddle and paddles. Explain how these words are used in two different ways.



English Language DevelopmentReading 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 Provide assistance with challenging words that are not defi ned directly in the text, such as snowshoes (page 7), paddle/paddles (page 8), and favorite (page 11).

Oral Language DevelopmentCheck student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’ English profi ciency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.

Beginning/Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/ Advanced

Speaker 1: What animals are on the cover?

Speaker 2: polar bears

Speaker 1: Where do polar bears live?

Speaker 2: They live in cold places.

Speaker 1: What are polar bears’ paws like?

Speaker 2: They are big, with sharp claws.

Speaker 1: What are the body layers that keep polar bears warm?

Speaker 2: The four layers are fat, skin, thick fur, and thin fur.

Speaker 1: What body parts help make polar bears great swimmers?

Speaker 2: They have strong legs and skin between the toes on their paws.

Speaker 1: Why do you think the author warns readers to stay far, far away from polar bears and to be happy they’re not seals?

Speaker 2: Polar bears are very big, strong, dangerous animals that could hurt a person. Seals are their favorite food, so a polar bear would attack one if it came close.

Read directions to students.

Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text Where do polar bears live?

in the Arctic, near the North Pole

2. Think within the text How would you describe a polar

bear?

Possible response: They are very large, weighing more than 1,000 pounds and

standing almost 10 feet tall. Their bodies are covered by thick, white fur. They have

huge paws that act like snowshoes.

3. Think about the text Why do you think polar bears live

in the Arctic and not in a jungle?

Possible response: They are suited for life in a cold place. They would be too hot

in the jungle, and they would not fi nd the kind of food they like to eat.

4. Think beyond the text Have you seen a polar bear

at a zoo, in a movie, or on television? Describe that

experience. How is it different from seeing a polar bear

in the wild?

Responses will vary.

Making Connections Think of wild animals that live in your area. How are polar bears similar to and different from those animals?

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

Critical Thinking© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Name Date

Grade 3, Unit 4: Extreme Nature9

Lesson 20B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 2 0 . 7

Watch Out! Polar Bears!

Critical Thinking

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Watch Out! Polar Bears!Thinking Beyond the Text

Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in one or two paragraphs.

The Arctic is getting warmer, and sea ice is melting. How do you think polar bears will be affected by this climate change? Will the special body parts that help them survive the cold help them if the climate warms up? Give at least two reasons to support your thinking.

Name Date



Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text Where do polar bears live?

2. Think within the text How would you describe a polar

bear?

3. Think about the text Why do you think polar bears live

in the Arctic and not in a jungle?

4. Think beyond the text Have you seen a polar bear

at a zoo, in a movie, or on television? Describe that

experience. How is it different from seeing a polar bear in

the wild?

Making Connections Think of wild animals that live in your area. How are polar bears similar to and different from those animals?

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

Name Date

Lesson 20B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 2 0 . 7

Watch Out! Polar Bears!

Critical Thinking



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Student Date Lesson 20

B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 2 0 . 1 1

Watch Out! Polar Bears!Running Record Form

Watch Out! Polar Bears! • LEVEL L


Behavior Code Error

Read word correctly ✓cat 0

Repeated word, sentence, or phrase

®cat

0

Omission —cat 1

Behavior Code Error

Substitution cutcat 1

Self-corrects cut sccat 0

Insertion the

ˆcat 1

Word told Tcat 1

page Selection Text Errors Self-Corrections

7

8

9

A polar bear’s feet help it walk and run on ice and snow. Its

huge paws act like snowshoes. They spread out wide and keep

the bear from falling through ice and snow. A polar bear’s

paws also have tiny bumps. These bumps keep the bear from

slipping on the ice.

Polar bears are great swimmers. They have strong legs that

help them paddle through the Arctic waters.

Polar bears have skin between the toes on their paws. The skin

makes their feet work like paddles in the water.

The bears stretch their long necks to lift their heads above the

water.

Comments: Accuracy Rate (# words read correctly/102 ×

100)

%

Total Self- Corrections


Documents

20 TEACHER’S GUIDE Watch Out! Polar Bears!forms.hmhco.com/.../pdf/journeys/grade/L20_Watch_Out_Polar_Bears_L.pdfLESSON 20 TEACHER’S GUIDE Watch Out! Polar Bears! by ... huge paws