8 TEACHER’S GUIDE The Night Bird

Number of Words: 1,172

L E S S O N 8 T E A C H E R ’ S G U I D E

The Night Birdby Rubí Borgia

Fountas-Pinnell Level QFolktaleSelection SummaryLong ago, a giant bird stole the night away from the Yanomani Indians, and they have lived in continuous daylight ever since. Many years later, Hebewe, the son of the Yanomani chief, goes in search of the Night Bird. He fi nds it, and when he touches its giant chest, the night explodes out of the bird and is restored to the Yanomani people.

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Characteristics of the Text Genre • Folktale

Text Structure • Third person narrative • Text begins with a brief historic introduction that previews the story.• Text ends with a one-sentence summary (moral).

Content • Description and history of the Night Bird (Titirití)• Explanation of how the night was restored to the Yanomani people of Venezuela

Themes and Ideas • Heroes keep calm in the face of danger.• Some people have a destiny to fulfi ll.• It takes courage and determination to help your community in times of danger.• Good can overcome evil.

Language and Literary Features

• Folktale language based in oral tradition• Descriptive details of rainforest setting

Sentence Complexity • Many long, complex sentencesVocabulary • Proper nouns that may be unfamiliar: Yanomani, Venezuela

• Content words, some of which may be unfamiliar: harvest, weapon, poisonous, screech, shrill

Words • Proper names in Yanomani: Hebewe (hey BAY way), Titirití (tee tee ree TEE)Illustrations • Sketch-style drawings with muted colors; one half-page illustration per page

Book and Print Features • Thirteen pages of text with illustrations on each page• Introduction written in italics• Simple map

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

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Expand Your Vocabulary

admired – looked at in wonder and pleasure, p. 9

creature – animal, p. 3explosion – a violent or noisy

outburst, p. 3

poisonous – containing poison or venom, p. 6

signal – a sound or body motion meant to start an action, p. 4

Venezuela – a country in South America, p. 2

weapon – something used to hurt, defeat, or destroy, p. 5

Yanomani – a tribe of American Indian people living in small villages in Venezuela, p. 2

The Night Bird by Rubí Borgia

Build BackgroundHelp students use their knowledge of day and night to visualize the story. Build interest by asking a question such as the following: How would life be different if we didn’t have night and it was light outside all day and all night long? Read the title and author and point out the rainforest setting in the cover illustration. Tell students that this is a folktale, a story often told by the people of a country to explain something in their world.

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

Page 2: Explain that this story about the Night Bird is told by native people of Venezuela called the Yanomani. Help students pronounce both names. Read aloud the introduction at the top of the page. Suggested language: Look at the picture. Notice how the Yanomani Indians are dressed and the houses they use. Is this a hot or cold climate? Do you think these houses have electricity or lights?

Page 6: Point out the illustration on the top of the page and explain that the main character in this story is named Hebewe (hey BAY way). What animals do you see in this picture of Hebewe walking in the jungle? The book says that the snakes are poisonous, so they are very dangerous. Does Hebewe look like he is afraid that the poisonous snakes might bite him and make him sick?

Page 9: Point out the illustration on this page. Does this giant bird look like any real bird you have ever seen? It is huge! How do you think Hebewe feels? Do you think he is safe?

Let’s turn back to the beginning of the story to read about what happened to Hebewe and the Night Bird.

2 Lesson 8: The Night BirdGrade 3© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company


ReadHave students read silently while you listen to individual students read. Support their understanding of the text 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 TextPersonal ResponseInvite students to share their personal responses to the story. Suggested language: Have you ever had to do something by yourself that no one could help you with? How do you think Hebewe felt going into the jungle all by himself to look for the Night Bird?

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

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

• Long ago, Titirití was jealous of the Yanomani chief, and to punish him, it stole the night away from his people.

• Hebewe, the chief’s son, knows that it is his job to return the night to his tribe.

• Hebewe fi nds Titirití, the Night Bird, and heroically takes back the night.

• A leader’s son is expected to behave in a special way, different from the other young people.

• Some people, especially heroes, have a special destiny to fulfi ll.

• Sometimes it takes great courage to help your community when it is in danger.

• Good can overcome evil.

• The poetic description of the Night Bird and the explosion of stars sounds magical and fantastic.

• The story is uninterrupted by chapters, and could be retold orally in a single sitting.

• The author and illustrator show us that Hebewe has a special connection to the jungle creatures; he is protected from dangerous animals, and talks directly to the Night Bird.

© 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 to read aloud. Remind

them to demonstrate appropriate stress on words, pausing, phrasing, and intonation.

• 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. Have students use base words and suffi xes to derive word meaning. For example, two words from the text, beautiful and colorful, end in –ful, which adds the meaning “full of” to the base words beauty and color.



Writing about ReadingCritical ThinkingHave students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 8.9.

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 SkillConclusions

Target Comprehension Skill Remind students that they can use conclusions to fi gure out

ideas that the author doesn’t state. Model the skill, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:

Think Aloud

The conclusion on page 15 says that Hebewe worked hard to return the night to his tribe. On page 5, it says that he “thought and thought” by his favorite thinking tree to come up with an idea for how to get the night back for his people. This is an example of one story detail that shows how he worked hard to return night to the tribe.

Practice the SkillHave students write two sentences describing another conclusion they can draw about Hebewe. Remind them to include two story details to show how they fi gured out what the author didn’t state.

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• Choose one word from page 9 that means “looked at in wonder and pleasure.”

• What do you think Hebewe’s father meant to say with the “signal” he gave Hebewe on page 4?

• Complete this sentence in your own words: This story was most likely written to

________________________________________________________________.



Read directions to students.

Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text What was making the loud screeching noises in the jungle?

The loud noises were coming from a strange creature called the Night Bird.

2. Think within the text Why didn’t the jungle animals attack Hebewe when he walked by them?

The animals sensed that Hebewe was going to do something very important.

3. Think beyond the text Do you think Hebewe should have taken a weapon with him when he went to fi nd the Night Bird? Why or why not?

Responses will vary.

4. Think about the text Why do you think the Night Bird let Hebewe touch the white feathers on its chest?

The Night Bird trusted Hebewe and knew the young man didn’t want to hurt him.

Making Connections In The Night Bird, Hebewe is a hero. He risks his life to help the people of his tribe. Think of someone you know or have read about who showed great courage. Describe what this person did.

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

Possible responses shown.

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

Name Date

Grade 3, Unit 2: Express Yourself11

Lesson 8B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 8 . 9

The Night Bird

Critical Thinking

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English Language DevelopmentReading Support In Introduce the Text (p.2), use pictures, concrete objects, or demonstrations that will help students understand the concepts and ideas in the text. Don’t ask students to read any text they will not understand.

Vocabulary This story takes place in the past, and includes many past tense English verbs ending in “ed”. The pronunciation of the “-ed” verb ending can be diffi cult for English learners, because it has three possible sounds: /d/, as in lived and called; /t/ as in looked and walked; and /id/, as in nodded and protected. Help students listen for the differences.

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: Point to the Night Bird.

Speaker 2: [points]

Speaker 1: Is the bird good or bad to the people?

Speaker 2: bad

Speaker 1: What is the problem in the beginning of the story?

Speaker 2: There is no night.

Speaker 1: What happened when Hebewe passed by the dangerous jungle animals?

Speaker 2: They didn’t hurt him.

Speaker 1: Why did the Night Bird steal the night from the Yanomani Indians?

Speaker 2: It was jealous of the Yanomani chief and stole the night to punish him.

Speaker 1: Describe the Night Bird.

Speaker 2: It’s black and gray with a white chest and blue feathers on its head.



Name Date

The Night BirdThinking Beyond the Text

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

On page 4, the author says: “Hebewe knew by the signal his father had given him that it was time to separate himself from the other young people in the tribe.” Why do you think Hebewe had to separate himself from the other young people? Why was Hebewe special?


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Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text What was making the loud

screeching noises in the jungle?

2. Think within the text Why didn’t the jungle animals

attack Hebewe when he walked by them?

3. Think beyond the text Do you think Hebewe should

have taken a weapon with him when he went to fi nd the

Night Bird? Why or why not?

4. Think about the text Why do you think the Night Bird

let Hebewe touch the white feathers on its chest?

Making Connections In The Night Bird, Hebewe is a hero. He risks his life to help the people of his tribe. Think of someone you know or have read about who showed great courage. Describe what this person did.

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

Name Date

Lesson 8B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 8 . 9

The Night Bird

Critical Thinking



1414

003Behavior Code Error

Read word correctly ✓cat 0

Repeated word, sentence, or phrase

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Omission —cat 1

Behavior Code Error

Substitution cutcat 1

Self-corrects cut sccat 0

Insertion the

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Word told Tcat 1

page Selection Text Errors Self-Corrections

3 One day, before the harvest began, a group of young people

from the tribe went out to explore the jungle. After a while,

they came to a very quiet place. Suddenly, there was an

explosion of loud screeching noises. The sound was coming

from a strange creature none of them had seen before.

The young people were not ashamed to run away from the

horrible noises. When they got back to their homes, they called

a meeting with the tribe. Everyone was upset when they heard

about the strange creature. The chief listened. He did not give

any advice.

Comments: Accuracy Rate (# words read

correctly/99 × 100)

%

Total Self- Corrections

Student Date Lesson 8

B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 8 . 1 3

The Night BirdRunning Record Form

The Night Bird • LEVEL R



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8 TEACHER’S GUIDE The Night Bird