L 17 Animals with Fins.indd 5-1 5/07/12 11:09 AM

BLM 1Name: Date:

BLM 2Name: Date:

3 42

After readingFocus on meaning, structure, and visual cues that children found difficult while reading. Discuss strategies and provide opportunities for children to consolidate specific skills. For example, if children had difficulty with the word ‘hedgehogs’, discuss strategies such as sounding out, re-reading, looking at the pictures, or using the sentence content.

Choose from the following activities.

Comprehension • Answering literal questions: As a group, discuss what children

learned about animals with fins and animals with fur. Write the literal question ‘Do little fish have big fins or small fins?’ on the board. Write the children’s answers next to the question. Repeat with other literal questions, such as ‘What type of fur do bats have?’ or ‘How does a lion’s fur help it?’ If children are unsure of the answers, discuss the strategy of answering literal questions by referring back to the text and finding the answers. Have children complete BLM 1 (page 3), answering literal questions.

• Recall: Have children sit in a circle and think of what they learned about animals with fins and animals with fur. Move around the circle, asking each child to share something different that they learned about animals with fins. Repeat for animals with fur. Have children complete BLM 2 (page 4), recording facts about animals with fins and animals with fur.

Phonological awareness/Graphophonics• Find ‘dolphin’ in the text and discuss the digraph ‘ph’. Model

the sound that these letters make together and discuss how it is the same sound as ‘f ’.

• Ask children to find ‘shark’, and talk about the sound made when the letters ‘ar’ are together. Talk about how ‘shark’ can be read by sounding ‘sh-ar-k’. Have children think of and record other ‘ar’ words and underline the ‘ar’ in each word.

• Explain that usually when a word ends with ‘e’, the ‘e’ is silent, and you make a long vowel sound for the previous vowel, instead of a short vowel sound. Find ‘time’ and ‘make’ in the text and have children practice sounding them. Ask them to find other words in the text that use the silent ‘e’ rule.

• As a group, clap the syllables in ‘enormous’. Ask, How many syllables are in this word? Discuss the beginning, middle, and ending sounds in the word. Count the number of syllables in other words from the text.

• Identify ‘about’ and discuss the vowel digraph ‘ou’. Model the sound these letters make together. Ask children to count words with the ‘ou’ digraph in the text. Repeat for ‘brown’ and ‘ow’. Discuss how the digraphs ‘ou’ and ‘ow’ can make the same sound.

• Talk about the strategy of segmenting words into onset and rime. Discuss how ‘spend’ can be sounded as ‘sp-end’. Emphasize the importance of blending the initial consonants.

Repeat for ‘th-ick’. Ask children to identify other words in the text that can be read in this way.

• Explain that homophones are words that sound the same when they are read, but they have different meanings. Have children find ‘to’ and ‘too’ in the text. Support them in discussing the meaning and use of these words by using the context of the sentences. Write the two words in other sentences on the board to model their meanings and uses.

Vocabulary • Visual recognition of high frequency words: ‘color’, ‘hard’,

‘keep’, ‘keeps’, ‘spend’, ‘toward’, ‘warm’, ‘wish’. Ask children to find these words in the text. Write the words on cards (two cards for each word) and play a game such as Concentration.

• Ask children to write the high frequency words in alphabetical order.

Fluency• Discuss the importance of reading smoothly and without

stopping. Demonstrate how to read fluently. Have children practice by reading the text to each other.

Text conventions • Features of the front cover: Ask children to identify the title

and author on the front cover. Explain that the author is the person who wrote the text. Ask, What is the title? Who is the author?

• Features of the back cover: Have children identify the blurb on the back cover. Discuss how we can read the blurb to get an idea of what the text will be about. Ask, Does the blurb match what the text was about?

• Text type—letter: Discuss how this text is a letter written from Nick to his Uncle Jared. Help children to identify the features of the letter.

Writing• Have children write their own letters to family members

or friends explaining what they have been learning about at school. Ensure they include the features of a letter.

English Language Learners• Write ‘Fins’ at the top of a piece of paper and ‘Fur’ at the

top of another. Ask, What animals do we know that have fins/fur? Record the animal names on the appropriate sheet of paper. Choose an animal from each category and ask, How are these animals the same/different? Have children complete BLM 3 (page 5), sorting animal pictures and comparing and contrasting.

Assessment• BLMs 1, 2, and 3 completed• Note the child’s responses, attempts, and reading

behaviors before, during, and after reading • Collect work samples, e.g. BLM 1 could be kept in the

child’s portfolio • Complete Oral Reading Record (page 6)

Engage Literacy © 2013 by Capstone Classroom, a division of Capstone • Animals with Fins, Animals with Fur, EIL: 17 GRL: J. This page may be photocopied for educational use within the purchasing institution.

Engage Literacy © 2013 by Capstone Classroom, a division of Capstone • Animals with Fins, Animals with Fur, EIL: 17 GRL: J. This page may be photocopied for educational use within the purchasing institution.

Main teaching focusComprehension: Answering literal questions.

Other teaching focusComprehension: Recalling information from the text.

Teacher’s noteChildren write the answers to the questions. Then they list some animals that have fins and some animals that have fur.

Answering questions• Use a pencil to write the answers to the questions on the lines.

1 What animal has enormous fins?

_____________________________________________________________

2 How do fins help an animal in the water?

_____________________________________________________________

3 What is an animal that has little fins?

_____________________________________________________________

4 When does fur help keep animals warm?

_____________________________________________________________

5 What is an animal that has very soft fur?

_____________________________________________________________

6 Where do most animals with fur live?

_____________________________________________________________

• List some animals that have fins and some animals that have fur.

Animals with fins Animals with fur

Main teaching focusComprehension: Recalling information from a text.

Other teaching focusComprehension: Comparing and contrasting.

Teacher’s noteChildren recall facts from the text and record them in the ‘Fins’ and ‘Fur’ boxes. Then they draw pictures of animals with fins and animals with fur.

Fins and furYou will need: colored pencils or crayons

• Write facts about animals with fins and animals with fur on the lines.

• Draw some animals with fins and animals with fur in the boxes.

Fins

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

Some animals with fins

Fur

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

Some animals with fur

L 17 Animals with Fins.indd 2-4 5/07/12 11:09 AM

BLM 1Name: Date:

BLM 2Name: Date:

3 42

After readingFocus on meaning, structure, and visual cues that children found difficult while reading. Discuss strategies and provide opportunities for children to consolidate specific skills. For example, if children had difficulty with the word ‘hedgehogs’, discuss strategies such as sounding out, re-reading, looking at the pictures, or using the sentence content.

Choose from the following activities.

Comprehension • Answering literal questions: As a group, discuss what children

learned about animals with fins and animals with fur. Write the literal question ‘Do little fish have big fins or small fins?’ on the board. Write the children’s answers next to the question. Repeat with other literal questions, such as ‘What type of fur do bats have?’ or ‘How does a lion’s fur help it?’ If children are unsure of the answers, discuss the strategy of answering literal questions by referring back to the text and finding the answers. Have children complete BLM 1 (page 3), answering literal questions.

• Recall: Have children sit in a circle and think of what they learned about animals with fins and animals with fur. Move around the circle, asking each child to share something different that they learned about animals with fins. Repeat for animals with fur. Have children complete BLM 2 (page 4), recording facts about animals with fins and animals with fur.

Phonological awareness/Graphophonics• Find ‘dolphin’ in the text and discuss the digraph ‘ph’. Model

the sound that these letters make together and discuss how it is the same sound as ‘f ’.

• Ask children to find ‘shark’, and talk about the sound made when the letters ‘ar’ are together. Talk about how ‘shark’ can be read by sounding ‘sh-ar-k’. Have children think of and record other ‘ar’ words and underline the ‘ar’ in each word.

• Explain that usually when a word ends with ‘e’, the ‘e’ is silent, and you make a long vowel sound for the previous vowel, instead of a short vowel sound. Find ‘time’ and ‘make’ in the text and have children practice sounding them. Ask them to find other words in the text that use the silent ‘e’ rule.

• As a group, clap the syllables in ‘enormous’. Ask, How many syllables are in this word? Discuss the beginning, middle, and ending sounds in the word. Count the number of syllables in other words from the text.

• Identify ‘about’ and discuss the vowel digraph ‘ou’. Model the sound these letters make together. Ask children to count words with the ‘ou’ digraph in the text. Repeat for ‘brown’ and ‘ow’. Discuss how the digraphs ‘ou’ and ‘ow’ can make the same sound.

• Talk about the strategy of segmenting words into onset and rime. Discuss how ‘spend’ can be sounded as ‘sp-end’. Emphasize the importance of blending the initial consonants.

Repeat for ‘th-ick’. Ask children to identify other words in the text that can be read in this way.

• Explain that homophones are words that sound the same when they are read, but they have different meanings. Have children find ‘to’ and ‘too’ in the text. Support them in discussing the meaning and use of these words by using the context of the sentences. Write the two words in other sentences on the board to model their meanings and uses.

Vocabulary • Visual recognition of high frequency words: ‘color’, ‘hard’,

‘keep’, ‘keeps’, ‘spend’, ‘toward’, ‘warm’, ‘wish’. Ask children to find these words in the text. Write the words on cards (two cards for each word) and play a game such as Concentration.

• Ask children to write the high frequency words in alphabetical order.

Fluency• Discuss the importance of reading smoothly and without

stopping. Demonstrate how to read fluently. Have children practice by reading the text to each other.

Text conventions • Features of the front cover: Ask children to identify the title

and author on the front cover. Explain that the author is the person who wrote the text. Ask, What is the title? Who is the author?

• Features of the back cover: Have children identify the blurb on the back cover. Discuss how we can read the blurb to get an idea of what the text will be about. Ask, Does the blurb match what the text was about?

• Text type—letter: Discuss how this text is a letter written from Nick to his Uncle Jared. Help children to identify the features of the letter.

Writing• Have children write their own letters to family members

or friends explaining what they have been learning about at school. Ensure they include the features of a letter.

English Language Learners• Write ‘Fins’ at the top of a piece of paper and ‘Fur’ at the

top of another. Ask, What animals do we know that have fins/fur? Record the animal names on the appropriate sheet of paper. Choose an animal from each category and ask, How are these animals the same/different? Have children complete BLM 3 (page 5), sorting animal pictures and comparing and contrasting.

Assessment• BLMs 1, 2, and 3 completed• Note the child’s responses, attempts, and reading

behaviors before, during, and after reading • Collect work samples, e.g. BLM 1 could be kept in the

child’s portfolio • Complete Oral Reading Record (page 6)

Engage Literacy © 2013 by Capstone Classroom, a division of Capstone • Animals with Fins, Animals with Fur, EIL: 17 GRL: J. This page may be photocopied for educational use within the purchasing institution.

Engage Literacy © 2013 by Capstone Classroom, a division of Capstone • Animals with Fins, Animals with Fur, EIL: 17 GRL: J. This page may be photocopied for educational use within the purchasing institution.

Main teaching focusComprehension: Answering literal questions.

Other teaching focusComprehension: Recalling information from the text.

Teacher’s noteChildren write the answers to the questions. Then they list some animals that have fins and some animals that have fur.

Answering questions• Use a pencil to write the answers to the questions on the lines.

1 What animal has enormous fins?

_____________________________________________________________

2 How do fins help an animal in the water?

_____________________________________________________________

3 What is an animal that has little fins?

_____________________________________________________________

4 When does fur help keep animals warm?

_____________________________________________________________

5 What is an animal that has very soft fur?

_____________________________________________________________

6 Where do most animals with fur live?

_____________________________________________________________

• List some animals that have fins and some animals that have fur.

Animals with fins Animals with fur

Main teaching focusComprehension: Recalling information from a text.

Other teaching focusComprehension: Comparing and contrasting.

Teacher’s noteChildren recall facts from the text and record them in the ‘Fins’ and ‘Fur’ boxes. Then they draw pictures of animals with fins and animals with fur.

Fins and furYou will need: colored pencils or crayons

• Write facts about animals with fins and animals with fur on the lines.

• Draw some animals with fins and animals with fur in the boxes.

Fins

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

Some animals with fins

Fur

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

Some animals with fur

L 17 Animals with Fins.indd 2-4 5/07/12 11:09 AM

BLM 1Name: Date:

BLM 2Name: Date:

3 42

After readingFocus on meaning, structure, and visual cues that children found difficult while reading. Discuss strategies and provide opportunities for children to consolidate specific skills. For example, if children had difficulty with the word ‘hedgehogs’, discuss strategies such as sounding out, re-reading, looking at the pictures, or using the sentence content.

Choose from the following activities.

Comprehension • Answering literal questions: As a group, discuss what children

learned about animals with fins and animals with fur. Write the literal question ‘Do little fish have big fins or small fins?’ on the board. Write the children’s answers next to the question. Repeat with other literal questions, such as ‘What type of fur do bats have?’ or ‘How does a lion’s fur help it?’ If children are unsure of the answers, discuss the strategy of answering literal questions by referring back to the text and finding the answers. Have children complete BLM 1 (page 3), answering literal questions.

• Recall: Have children sit in a circle and think of what they learned about animals with fins and animals with fur. Move around the circle, asking each child to share something different that they learned about animals with fins. Repeat for animals with fur. Have children complete BLM 2 (page 4), recording facts about animals with fins and animals with fur.

Phonological awareness/Graphophonics• Find ‘dolphin’ in the text and discuss the digraph ‘ph’. Model

the sound that these letters make together and discuss how it is the same sound as ‘f ’.

• Ask children to find ‘shark’, and talk about the sound made when the letters ‘ar’ are together. Talk about how ‘shark’ can be read by sounding ‘sh-ar-k’. Have children think of and record other ‘ar’ words and underline the ‘ar’ in each word.

• Explain that usually when a word ends with ‘e’, the ‘e’ is silent, and you make a long vowel sound for the previous vowel, instead of a short vowel sound. Find ‘time’ and ‘make’ in the text and have children practice sounding them. Ask them to find other words in the text that use the silent ‘e’ rule.

• As a group, clap the syllables in ‘enormous’. Ask, How many syllables are in this word? Discuss the beginning, middle, and ending sounds in the word. Count the number of syllables in other words from the text.

• Identify ‘about’ and discuss the vowel digraph ‘ou’. Model the sound these letters make together. Ask children to count words with the ‘ou’ digraph in the text. Repeat for ‘brown’ and ‘ow’. Discuss how the digraphs ‘ou’ and ‘ow’ can make the same sound.

• Talk about the strategy of segmenting words into onset and rime. Discuss how ‘spend’ can be sounded as ‘sp-end’. Emphasize the importance of blending the initial consonants.

Repeat for ‘th-ick’. Ask children to identify other words in the text that can be read in this way.

• Explain that homophones are words that sound the same when they are read, but they have different meanings. Have children find ‘to’ and ‘too’ in the text. Support them in discussing the meaning and use of these words by using the context of the sentences. Write the two words in other sentences on the board to model their meanings and uses.

Vocabulary • Visual recognition of high frequency words: ‘color’, ‘hard’,

‘keep’, ‘keeps’, ‘spend’, ‘toward’, ‘warm’, ‘wish’. Ask children to find these words in the text. Write the words on cards (two cards for each word) and play a game such as Concentration.

• Ask children to write the high frequency words in alphabetical order.

Fluency• Discuss the importance of reading smoothly and without

stopping. Demonstrate how to read fluently. Have children practice by reading the text to each other.

Text conventions • Features of the front cover: Ask children to identify the title

and author on the front cover. Explain that the author is the person who wrote the text. Ask, What is the title? Who is the author?

• Features of the back cover: Have children identify the blurb on the back cover. Discuss how we can read the blurb to get an idea of what the text will be about. Ask, Does the blurb match what the text was about?

• Text type—letter: Discuss how this text is a letter written from Nick to his Uncle Jared. Help children to identify the features of the letter.

Writing• Have children write their own letters to family members

or friends explaining what they have been learning about at school. Ensure they include the features of a letter.

English Language Learners• Write ‘Fins’ at the top of a piece of paper and ‘Fur’ at the

top of another. Ask, What animals do we know that have fins/fur? Record the animal names on the appropriate sheet of paper. Choose an animal from each category and ask, How are these animals the same/different? Have children complete BLM 3 (page 5), sorting animal pictures and comparing and contrasting.

Assessment• BLMs 1, 2, and 3 completed• Note the child’s responses, attempts, and reading

behaviors before, during, and after reading • Collect work samples, e.g. BLM 1 could be kept in the

child’s portfolio • Complete Oral Reading Record (page 6)

Engage Literacy © 2013 by Capstone Classroom, a division of Capstone • Animals with Fins, Animals with Fur, EIL: 17 GRL: J. This page may be photocopied for educational use within the purchasing institution.

Engage Literacy © 2013 by Capstone Classroom, a division of Capstone • Animals with Fins, Animals with Fur, EIL: 17 GRL: J. This page may be photocopied for educational use within the purchasing institution.

Main teaching focusComprehension: Answering literal questions.

Other teaching focusComprehension: Recalling information from the text.

Teacher’s noteChildren write the answers to the questions. Then they list some animals that have fins and some animals that have fur.

Answering questions• Use a pencil to write the answers to the questions on the lines.

1 What animal has enormous fins?

_____________________________________________________________

2 How do fins help an animal in the water?

_____________________________________________________________

3 What is an animal that has little fins?

_____________________________________________________________

4 When does fur help keep animals warm?

_____________________________________________________________

5 What is an animal that has very soft fur?

_____________________________________________________________

6 Where do most animals with fur live?

_____________________________________________________________

• List some animals that have fins and some animals that have fur.

Animals with fins Animals with fur

Main teaching focusComprehension: Recalling information from a text.

Other teaching focusComprehension: Comparing and contrasting.

Teacher’s noteChildren recall facts from the text and record them in the ‘Fins’ and ‘Fur’ boxes. Then they draw pictures of animals with fins and animals with fur.

Fins and furYou will need: colored pencils or crayons

• Write facts about animals with fins and animals with fur on the lines.

• Draw some animals with fins and animals with fur in the boxes.

Fins

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

Some animals with fins

Fur

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

___________________________

Some animals with fur

L 17 Animals with Fins.indd 2-4 5/07/12 11:09 AM

L 17 Animals with Fins.indd 5-1 5/07/12 11:09 AM

L 17 Animals with Fins.indd 5-1 5/07/12 11:09 AM