Level V/60 The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World · • Tell students they are going to read about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Ask if they can name any of the them. Point

B e n c h m a r k e d u c a t i o n c o m p a n y

Themes• Ancient Civilizations• Human Ingenuity• Architecture

Social Studies

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient WorldLevel V/60

Skills & Strategies

Anchor Comprehension Strategies

• Evaluate fact and opinion

Comprehension • Visualize

• Usegraphicfeaturestointerpretinformation

Word Study/Vocabulary • Useknowledgeofwordstructuresto

determinewordmeaning

Social Studies Big Idea • Earlycivilizationsestablishedgeographic,

political,religious,economic,andsocialstructuresthathadenduringeffectsonthedevelopmentoftheworld.

TeACher’S Guide

Page 11: After Reading• Administer Posttest• Synthesize Information: Complete KWHL Chart

D a y

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A c t i v i t i e s

A dd i t i o n a l R e l a t e d R e s o u r c e s

Notable Trade Books for Read-Aloud• Ash, Russell. Great Wonders of

the World. DK Publishing, 2000.• Bentley, Diana. Seven Wonders of

the Ancient World. Oxford University Press, 2002.

• Houle, Michelle M. Gods and Goddesses in Greek Mythology. Enslow Publishers, 2001.

• Woods, Michael B., and Mary B. Woods. Ancient Construction: From Tents to Towers. Lerner Publishing Group, 2000.

Web Site for Content Information• The Seven Wonders of the Ancient

World http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/

This site offers students and teachers a wealth of information compiled by an international team of scholars, led by Alaa K. Ashmawy, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of South Florida. The site includes FAQs, references, and related links, as well as a section called Modern, Natural, and Forgotten Wonders of the World.

C o r e L e s s o n P l a n n i n g G u i d e

Copyright © 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use. No other part of the guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-4108-2582-72

Lesson at a GlanceBefore Reading (page 3)

• Build Background• Introduce the Book• Administer Preassessment

During Reading (pages 4–10)

Introduction–Chapter 1 (pages 4–6)

• Model Metacognitive Strategy: Visualize• Set a Purpose for Reading• Discuss the Reading• Model Comprehension Strategy: Evaluate

Fact and Opinion• Use Knowledge of Word Structures to

Determine Word Meaning: Etymologies

Chapter 2 (pages 7–8)

• Apply Metacognitive Strategy: Visualize• Set a Purpose for Reading• Discuss the Reading• Guide Comprehension Strategy: Evaluate

Fact and Opinion• Use Graphic Features to Interpret

Information: Labeled Diagrams

Chapter 3–Conclusion (pages 9–10)

• Apply Metacognitive Strategy: Visualize• Set a Purpose for Reading• Discuss the Reading• Apply Comprehension Strategy: Evaluate

Fact and Opinion• Use Knowledge of Word Structures to

Determine Word Meaning: Etymologies

After Reading (page 11)

• Administer Posttest• Synthesize Information: Complete KWHL

Chart

Writing Workshop (pages 12–13)

• Model the Writing Process: Write a Paragraph with Facts and Opinions

Blackline Masters (pages 14–16)

• Evaluating Fact and Opinion (page 14)• Use Knowledge of Word Structures:

Etymologies (page 15)• Facts and Opinions (page 16)

Pages 4–6: During Reading: Introduction—Chapter 1• Model Metacognitive Strategy: Visualize• Model Comprehension Strategy: Evaluate Fact and Opinion• Use Knowledge of Word Structures to Determine Word Meaning:

Etymologies

Page 3: Before Reading• Build Background• Introduce the Book• Administer Preassessment

Pages 7–8: During Reading: Chapter 2• Apply Metacognitive Strategy: Visualize• Guide Comprehension Strategy: Evaluate Fact and Opinion• Use Graphic Features to Interpret Information: Labeled Diagrams

Pages 9–10: During Reading: Chapter 3–Conclusion• Apply Metacognitive Strategy: Visualize• Apply Comprehension Strategy: Evaluate Fact and Opinion• Use Knowledge of Word Structures to Determine Word Meaning:

Etymologies

The following five-day lesson plan is just one option for incorporating this teacher’s guide into your daily lesson plans.

Before ReadingBuild Background • Tell students they are going to read about the Seven Wonders

of the Ancient World. Ask if they can name any of the them. Point out the map that illustrates the Seven Wonders on pages 4–5 of the book.

• Display a KWHL chart as shown.

• Say: One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was the Great Pyramid of Giza. What do you know about the Great Pyramid? Brainstorm with students. Write their ideas in the first column of the chart.

• Ask: What would you like to know about the Great Pyramid? How are you going to find out what you would like to know?

• Have students work in small groups to complete the next two columns of the chart. Then have students share and compare their ideas.

• Save the chart for students to complete after they read the book.

Introduce the Book • Give students a copy of the book. Have them read the table of

contents.

• Ask: How is this book organized? (introduction, three chapters, conclusion) What is each chapter about? (first: history of the Seven Wonders; second: details about the Seven Wonders; third: the Wonders today)

• Point out that Chapter 2 describes each of the Seven Wonders in detail. Have students preview Chapter 2, looking for the sub-heads that tell where the description of each Wonder begins.

• Have pairs of students choose a chapter to skim. Tell each pair to choose one or two boldfaced words and one or two pictures to describe to the group.

Administer Preassessment• Have students take Ongoing Assessment #15 on page 66 in the

Comprehension Strategy Assessment Handbook (Grade 6).

• Score assessments and use the results to determine instruction.

• Keep group assessments in a small-group reading folder. For in-depth analysis, discuss responses with individual students.

Informal Assessment Tips

1. Assess students’ ability to skim.

2. Document informal observations in a folder or notebook.

3. Keep the folder or notebook at the small-group reading table for handy reference.

4. For struggling students, model how to skim text by looking at headings, boldfaced words, pictures, captions, etc.

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC 3

KWhat I know about the Seven Wonders

WWhat I Want to know about the Seven Wonders

HHow I Will Learn about the Seven Wonders

L

What I Learned about the Seven Wonders

During Reading: Introduction–Chapter 1

Model Metacognitive Strategy: Visualize

• Use a real-life example of visualizing while you read. Say: When I read about a building that I’ve never seen, I try to imagine what it looks like. I think of other buildings I’ve seen that might be similar. I try to picture in my mind what it would be like to look up at the building from the outside or walk into it. Visualizing while I read helps me understand how big something is, what it looks like, what color and shape it is, and so on.

Yesterday we previewed the book The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Today we are going to try to visualize what we read in the Introduction and Chapter 1.

• Read pages 2–3 aloud while students follow along. After reading the caption on page 3, say: It’s hard to picture what the Seven Wonders looked like because six of them don’t exist anymore. I see that this picture of the Lighthouse at Alexandria was drawn by someone who had never seen it. He had just read about it. I think he probably used his own prior knowledge to help him visualize.

• After pointing out the time line on the bottom of pages 2–3, say: I can see from this time line that these buildings were all built a long time ago. The time line helps me visualize. The Great Pyramid of Giza was built a long time before any of the others. It’s amazing that it is the only wonder that is still standing!

Set a Purpose for Reading • Ask students to read pages 4–7 silently. Have them picture the

construction of the Seven Wonders, visualizing how they were made and how long it took to make them. Encourage students to draw what they have visualized.

4 © 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Good readers visualize as they read. They use all their senses

to understand what is being described and the time frame

involved. Readers use their prior experiences and the text to

picture what the author has written. Visualizing during

reading keeps readers interested and involved. It helps them

understand the text. If the reader cannot visualize the text,

understanding is impossible. Sometimes good readers draw

pictures as they read to help them visualize.

Content InformationStudents might be interested to learn more about the historian Herodotus.• Herodotus is considered the first

historian and the “father of history.”• He is called the first historian

because of his use of research. He gathered facts and evaluated the evidence for their truth before including them in his history.

• Herodotus was born in Halicarnassus, the site of one of the Seven Wonders, around 484 b.c.

• He traveled to Greece, the Middle East, and North Africa. He was interested not just in kings and wars, but also in the customs and religions of ordinary people.

• The book that Herodotus wrote, called The History, tells the history of the world he knew from its beginnings up to the Greek war with Persia.

Minds-On/ Hands-On Activity1. Discuss the time line on the bot-

tom of pages 2–3. Be sure that students know that “b.c.” years are before the year 1 a.d.

2. Have pairs of students create a time line going back in history from 2100 a.d. to 450 b.c. Every mark on the time line should equal 100 years. There will be a total of twenty-seven marks.

3. Have students discuss their time lines. Ask: How long is your time line? What did you learn while making your time line? (Possible answer: Events with b.c. dates happened a very long time ago.)

4. Discuss how much further back a time line would have to go to reach 2560 b.c., the year the Egyptians built the Great Pyramid of Giza. (almost twice as far, twen-ty-one more marks) Ask: How many years ago was this pyramid built? (about 4,560 years ago)

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Discuss the Reading • Ask students to describe what they visualized as they read

pages 4–7.

• Have volunteers display and discuss the drawings they made.

Model Comprehension Strategy: Evaluate Fact and Opinion• Tell students that good readers evaluate statements as they

read, asking themselves whether the statements are facts or opinions. Explain that a fact can be proven to be true; an opinion cannot be proven true or false.

• Say: As you read, think about whether the statements you read are facts or opinions. Facts can be proven, by personal observation or by relying on experts. Opinions cannot be proven and often are value judgments. A statement of opinion may include words like good, bad, beautiful, impressive, or amazing. It may also include the words best or worst.

• Stress that opinions are not necessarily bad. An opinion can be well supported with facts and arguments, or it can be poorly supported. Say: Once you identify a statement as an opinion, ask yourself how the author supports that opinion. Is it well supported?

• Hand out the graphic organizer “Evaluating Fact and Opinion” (blackline master, page 14 of this guide). Make a chart-sized copy of it or use a transparency.

• Tell students that as they read, they will complete the first four rows together and the last two rows independently.

• Have students follow along while you show them how to distinguish facts from opinions.

• Read aloud page 5 while students follow along. Say: It is a statement of fact that Herodotus lived and traveled near the Mediterranean Sea. We could prove it by looking at his own writings and the writings of other people who lived there at the same time. This is a fact because it can be proven. But the next sentence cannot be proven. If Herodotus had seen the Great Wall of China and Stonehenge, he might or he might not have decided to include them in his list of Wonders. This is the author’s opinion, because it cannot be proven.

• Say: We will write this statement in the Opinion column: “If he had traveled farther, he might have included other Wonders, such as the Great Wall of China or Stonehenge in England.” We will write in the How Do You Know? column: “cannot be proven since he never traveled there.”

Informal Assessment Tips1. As they read, have students

occasionally close their eyes and visualize the structure being described. Have them draw what they have visual-ized or write a description in their journals or notebooks.

2. In a folder or notebook, jot down what you observe.

3. Watch carefully for students who have difficulty visualizing as they read.

4. Remind students that visualiza-tion will help them understand many things about people, places, and events today and in the past.


Page Number Opinion How Do You Know?

Evaluating Fact and Opinion

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If he had traveled farther, he might have included other wonders, such as the Great Wall of China or Stonehenge in England.

Cannot be proven since he never traveled there

Introduction–Chapter 1


• Continue with page 6. Say: In the first paragraph, it says that people had only simple tools. This is a statement of fact because experts have evidence of the kinds of tools people used back then. But look at this sentence: “That’s part of what made the Wonders so amazing.” The word amazing tells me that this is an opinion. The author is making a judgment about the Seven Wonders. This is an opinion because it states a value judgment.

• Write the statement of opinion in the Opinion column and the reason it is an opinion in the How Do You Know? column. Tell students they will learn more about evaluating facts and opinions as they continue reading The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Use Knowledge of Word Structures to Determine Word Meaning: Etymologies• Have students find the word archaeologists on page 3. Point out

that the word is boldfaced, which means that it is in the glossary. Say: If this word were not in the glossary, you could still use clues to determine its meaning. Do you know any other words with the suffix -ologist? (meteorologist, biologist) The ending -ologist means “scientist of.” It comes from a Greek word, logos, which means “reason.” Now, if you knew that the root archae meant “ancient,” what would you guess an archaeologist is? (a scientist who studies ancient things)

• Draw this word bench on the board:

• Say: A word’s etymology is its history. Knowing the history of a word can help you understand its meaning. If you don’t recognize the word parts from words you already know, you can consult a dictionary to learn about the word’s etymology.

• Ask students to find structures on page 6 in the first paragraph. Say: This word comes from a Latin root structura. If you knew that the Latin root means “to build,” what would you know about a structure? (It is something that is built.) Yes, one definition of structure is “a building or something built.”

• Encourage students to look for roots and word parts they know and to use these to decipher the meanings of unfamiliar words as they read The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

archaeologist

definition: a scientist who studies ancient

civilizations archae logos

Greek for Greek for “ancient” “reason”



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“That’s part of what made the wonders so amazing.”


The word amazing shows that it is a value judgment.

Chapter 2

Apply Metacognitive Strategy: Visualize• Remind students about the visualization lesson from yesterday.

Ask them if visualization helped them picture what the author described in the Introduction and Chapter 1. Remind students that visualization helps readers understand and get involved in what they read.

• Say: Visualizing is not just using your sense of sight. You can use all your senses to visualize. You can imagine how something looks, smells, tastes, sounds, and feels. Today we will use all our senses to visualize what we are reading.

• Say: When you read about a place you have never seen, try to picture the place in your mind. Ask yourself, “What does this place look like? What are its surroundings? Can I imagine walking into this building or looking at this statue?” The more you visualize what you read, the more you feel like you’re there. You can imagine smelling, touching, and hearing everything around you. This makes what you read more interesting.

• Have students look at pages 14–15. Read aloud the last para-graph on page 14 and the first paragraph on page 15. Then ask students to imagine they are standing in front of the Statue of Zeus. Ask them the following questions: What colors do you see? What shapes do you see? What is it like to look up at the statue?

How does it feel in the temple? Is it damp or dry? Hot or cool? Who else is there? Is it noisy or quiet? Imagine you are one of the workers spreading oil on the statue. What do you feel? What can you smell?• Tell students that asking questions like these as they read will

help them understand the structures they are reading about.

• Have students practice this strategy as they read Chapter 2.

Set a Purpose for Reading• Have students finish reading Chapter 2 and sketch what they

visualize as they are reading. Ask them to jot down notes about what they might smell, feel, or hear if they were at the site they are reading about.

Discuss the Reading • Ask students to share what they visualized. Have them display

their drawings or read what they have written.

• Ask: What structure was easiest for you to visualize as you read? Which was most difficult to picture? Why do you think that is? Were you able to use any other senses to help you visualize? Which ones? Have students discuss their responses.


Content Information• The ancient Egyptians believed

that their pharaohs became gods when they died and that the pros-perity of the city depended upon how well they treated the pha-raohs after death. Building a pyra-mid for the pharaoh’s body was one of the most important tasks during a pharaoh’s reign.

• We know that Babylon had impressive inner and outer stone walls around the city and a huge tower called a ziggurat. The walls of Babylon are listed by some early writers as one of the Wonders of the Ancient World. The inner walls were ten miles around and fifty feet high. The outer walls were thick enough that two four-horse chariots could run side by side on top.

• The Statue of Zeus was located at the site of the original Olympic Games in ancient Greece. These athletic competitions were held every four years to honor the Greek god Zeus.

Minds-On/ Hands-On Activity

1. Have small groups work together to create a scale model of one of the Seven Wonders.

2. Encourage each group to reread the description of their chosen Wonder and take notes on its dimensions. They will have to reduce all the dimensions equally to create their scale model.

3. Have each group present their model to the class, explaining how they constructed it.

4. Discuss how the structures are similar to and different from each other. Ask: Did any two groups do the same Wonder? How are their interpretations different? Why?

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Chapter 2

Informal Assessment Tips1. Watch students as they work

on the “Evaluating fact and opinion” chart.

2. In your folder, jot down what you observe.

3. Ask yourself: Are students having problems with this strategy? Are students mastering this strategy? If so, how do I know?

4. For struggling students, review the strategy for evaluating facts and opinions. Remind them to look for clue words that help them identify opinions.

Guide Comprehension Strategy: Evaluate Fact and Opinion• Review how to evaluate facts and opinions using the graphic

organizer. Remind students that a statement of fact can be prov-en true or false, but a statement of opinion cannot be proven. Explain that as a group you are going to revisit Chapter 2 to practice this skill.

• Ask students to reread page 13. Together, fill out the next row on the graphic organizer. Ask: What words on this page tell you that you might be reading about opinions? (Possible answer: the words believe, probably, and might) What sentence do you think is a statement of opinion? (Possible answer: “The water might have been lifted to the top by a chain of buckets hauled by work-ers.”) How do you know? (Possible answer: The last paragraph on page 13 says that no one knows for sure how the Gardens worked.) Write student responses on the graphic organizer.

• Follow the same procedure for page 21. Point out the words amazing in the first paragraph and marvel in the quotation at the end of the second paragraph.

Use Graphic Features to Interpret Information: Labeled Diagrams• Explain that labeled diagrams are often used in nonfiction text to

explain how something works or to name its parts. For example, the diagram on page 9 shows what was inside the Great Pyramid of Giza and labels parts of the structure.

• Ask students how many air shafts are shown in the diagram on page 9. (three) Then ask where the king’s mummy was hidden in the pyramid. (in the secret chamber called the king’s chamber) Where do they think the queen’s mummy was buried? (Possible answer: in the queen’s chamber)

• Have students study the diagram and its caption on page 13. Ask: What does this diagram show? (the chain-pump system that irrigated the Hanging Gardens) How would a chain-pump system like this irrigate gardens? (by filling buckets with water at the bottom and emptying them in the garden at the top)

• Point out that labeled diagrams help the reader visualize something explained in the text.




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The water might have been lifted to the top by a chain of buckets.

“Even lying on the ground, it is a marvel.”



There is no evidence for this. The word might is a clue.

The word marvel shows that it is a judgment.


Chapter 3–Conclusion

Apply Metacognitive Strategy: Visualize • Remind students that they have practiced visualizing in several ways.

They have used their imaginations to visualize how ancient struc-tures were made and how long it took to make them. They have visualized how long ago these wonders were made. They have used their senses to visualize each of the Seven Wonders and their surroundings.

• Say: Today we are going to use our prior knowledge—what we already know—to help us visualize as we read.

• Read the second paragraph on page 26 aloud while students follow along. Have them look at the photograph of the Petronas Towers on the page. Ask them these questions:

What skyscrapers have you seen? Have you seen the Empire State Building in New York or Chicago’s Sears Tower?

Does the picture of the Petronas Towers look like other buildings you’ve seen?

What do you already know about skyscrapers?

What would it be like to stand at the base of one of these build-ings and look up at it? What would it be like to work or live in one of these buildings?

Do you think modern skyscrapers are a wonder? Why or why not?

• Say: Using your prior knowledge can help you better visualize what you read. It helps you create a mental image.

• Encourage students to use their prior knowledge to help them visu-alize as they finish reading the book.

Set a Purpose for Reading • Have students read the rest of the book silently. As they read,

encourage them to look for pictures or descriptions of places and things they can visualize, using their prior knowledge and experience. Ask them to draw a picture or write a description in their journals of one of the mental images they created.

Discuss the Reading • Have students share the drawings they have made and the

descriptions they have written. Ask: Were your visualizations different from the pictures or descriptions in the book? If so, how were they different?

• Ask: What did you find most interesting to visualize? How did using your prior knowledge add to your ability to visualize?

Content Information• The Sears Tower, built in 1974,

was the world’s tallest building until the Petronas Towers were built.

• The Petronas Towers are no longer the world’s tallest buildings. That honor now goes to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which is 2,717 feet (828 meters) tall.

• Skyscrapers are often thought to symbolize the greatness of a cul-ture. The Petronas Towers include Islamic architectural features. The design of the Taipei 101 Tower was inspired by traditional Chinese architecture and is said to look like a bamboo shoot.

• After the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, many people thought that tall skyscrapers would not be built anymore because they are a target for terrorists. But there’s a possibility that New York’s World Trade Center will be rebuilt to include a structure that would be 1,776 feet (541 meters) tall, making it taller than the Taipei 101 Tower.

Minds-On/ Hands-On Activity

1. Discuss what structures students have seen that they would consider wonders. Have students work cooperatively to prepare a “Modern Wonders” travel guide, describing each of the wonders they have selected.

2. Tell students to describe their chosen structure in enough detail so that someone else could visualize it.

3. Have students read their descrip-tions to the class. Encourage students to vote for the place they would most like to visit. Have them explain their choice.

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Chapter 3–Conclusion

Apply Comprehension Strategy: Evaluate Fact and Opinion• Review the graphic organizer with students and explain that you

want them to evaluate facts and opinions on pages 26–28. Ask if they have any questions before they begin. Monitor their work and intervene if they are having difficulty.

• Discuss students’ responses together. Refer to the graphic organizer shown here for possible answers. (Student responses may differ from the answers shown.)

• For more practice, have students complete the blackline master “Facts and Opinions” on page 16 of this guide.

Use Knowledge of Word Structures to Determine Word Meaning: Etymologies• Remind students that understanding a word’s history and parts can

help them define the word and remember its meaning.

• Have students turn to page 24 and locate the word scientist in the photo caption. Say: This word comes from a Latin root scientia, which means “knowledge.” Do you know other words that end in -ist? (dentist, artist, etc.) The suffix -ist means “one who is.” How would you define a scientist? (someone who has expert knowledge of one of the sciences) Record this in a word bench if you wish. (See pages 6 and 15 for diagrams of a word bench.)

• Discuss the word collapsed from page 29 in the same way. It comes from two Latin words, col, (“together”) and labi (“to slip”).

• For more practice, have students complete the blackline master “Use Knowledge of Word Structures: Etymologies” on page 15.


Informal Assessment Tips 1. Observe students as they evaluate

facts and opinions. Ask yourself: How have the students progressed with this strategy? What problems are they still having?

2. Watch students as they complete the graphic organizer. Ask yourself: Who is still struggling with this strategy? How can I help them?

3. Jot down your thoughts in your folder or notebook.

1. democracy: government that is run by the people living under it2. audible: loud enough to be heard3. verdict: decision of a jury4. microphone: instrument for making sounds louder5. tripod: three-legged support for a camera or other equipment

Paragraph Opinion How Do You Know?

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Emperor Shih Huang-ti was one of the world’s cruelest tyrants.

The Great Wall of China is an awesome testimony to human ingenuity.

We should pause for a moment of silence and remember all those who suffered and died to construct this wonder.

The words cruelest tyrant show that this is a judgment.

The word awesome shows that this is a judgment.

This is not something that can be proven.



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The water might have been lifted to the top by a chain of buckets.

“Even lying on the ground, it is a marvel.”

The Petronas Towers might be called a wonder.

Rockets and space shuttles could also be called wonders.



There is no evidence for this. The word might is a clue.

The word marvel shows that it is a judgment.

This is a judgment. The word might is a clue.

The word wonders shows that it is a judgment.

After ReadingAdminister Posttest• Have students take Ongoing Assessment #16 on page 68 in the

Comprehension Strategy Assessment Handbook (Grade 6).

Synthesize Information: Complete KWHL Chart• Refer to the KWHL chart students prepared before reading

the book.

• Remind students that the chart shows the facts they initially knew. It also shows questions they wanted answered and some ideas about how to locate the answers. Now they must determine what they actually learned over the course of reading the book.

• Encourage students to look at each of the Seven Wonders in turn and to suggest information they learned from the book that complemented or extended what they already knew. As they recall information, work with them to record the informa-tion in the last column.

• When the chart is complete, have students check to see what questions in the W column were answered with information in the L column. Circle the unanswered questions, and write three more questions at the bottom of the chart. Have students choose one question and locate information to answer it. (They can look back at the H column for suggestions about where the information might be found.) Provide class time for students to share their findings.



1. Score assessments and determine if more instruction is needed for this strategy.

2. Keep group assessments in a small-group reading folder.

3. Look closely at students’ responses. Ask yourself: Why has this student answered the question in this manner? For in-depth analysis, discuss responses with individual students.

4. Use posttests to document growth over time, for parent/teacher conferences, or for your own records.

KWhat I know about the Seven Wonders

WWhat I Want to know about the Seven Wonders

HHow I will Learn about the Seven Wonders

LWhat I Learned about the Seven Wonders

Model the Writing Process: Write a Paragraph with Facts and Opinions• Remind students that as they read The Seven Wonders of the

Ancient World they evaluated statements to determine which ones were opinions. Opinions are judgments or beliefs, and they are often signaled by words, such as best, worst, amazing, and so on.

• Point out that facts are often used to support an opinion. Ask students to recall some facts they read that supported the opinion that the Great Pyramid of Giza is a wonder. (Possible answers: Its great size, the fact that it was built without modern technology, how long it has survived.)

• On chart paper or the board, create a visual map like the one below showing a statement of opinion and some facts that support it.

• Use the writing model to show how the information from the visual map can be used to write a paragraph that uses facts to support an opinion.

• Have students think of a modern structure to write about that they believe is amazing or wonderful. They might want to use one of the structures from their “Modern Wonders” travel guide (see page 9) as the basis for their paragraph.

• Encourage them to organize information in a chart similar to the one shown.

• Have students write a paragraph about the structure they chose. Remind them to use facts to support their opinions.


1. Observe students as they participate in the group writing project. Identify those who might need additional assistance during the writing process. Jot down notes in your journal.

2. During conferences, keep notes on each student’s writing behaviors. Ask yourself: What evidence do I have to support the conclusion that this stu-dent is writing well or poorly? What can I do about it?

3. Have struggling students practice writing sentences containing opinions and facts; then move to short paragraphs.


Writing Workshop

Teaching Tips: Process Writing Steps

1. Have students independently write a first draft using the chart they made to support their opin-ion with facts.

2. After students complete their paragraphs, have them revise and edit with the help of a class-room buddy.

3. Conference with each student following the first revision and editing.

4. Have students make any addi-tional changes and create a final copy of their paragraphs.

5. Finally, invite students to share their paragraphs with a group of other students.

Tallest in North america—1,454 feet

Top of building is in clouds.

From the skydeck, you can see forty to fifty miles.

The Sears Tower is an amazing building.

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

The Sears Tower: A Modern Wonder

The Sears Tower in Chicago is one of the most

amazing buildings in the world. For many years,

this building was the tallest skyscraper in the

world. Today it is still the tallest building in

North America. It stands 1,454 feet tall and has

110 floors. The outside of the building is made of

shiny, black aluminum and bronze-tinted glass

that glistens in the sunlight. Standing at the foot

of the tower, looking up, you feel dizzy! The top

of the building is often in the clouds. Looking

out from the skydeck on the 103rd floor, you can

see all of Chicago. On a clear day, you can see

forty to fifty miles, catching glimpses of

Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin, as well as

other parts of Illinois. What a wonder!

Writing Model


Name ________________________________________ Date __________________



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Name ________________________________________ Date __________________

Use Knowledge of Word Structures: EtymologiesDirections: Look at these word benches. Use the information to determine the meaning of each word. Then check your answers in a dictionary.

1. democracy

definition:

demos kratia Greek for Greek for “the people” “power, rule”

2. audible

definition:

audire ible Latin for suffix meaning “hear” “able to be”

3. verdict

definition:

verus dictum Latin for Latin for

“true” “saying”

5. tripod

definition:

tri pod Greek for Greek for “three” “foot”

4. microphone

definition:

mikros phone Greek for Greek for “small” “sound, voice”

Name ________________________________________ Date __________________


Facts and OpinionsDirections: Identify the opinions in the paragraphs and tell how you know each is an opinion. Complete the chart using information from the passage.

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China was begun by the Emperor Shih Huang-ti in 214 b.c. to protect China’s border from invaders. Emperor Shih Huang-ti was one of the world’s cruelest tyrants. His project to construct the Great Wall required the forced labor of one million people. Peasants, poets, artists, and troublemakers were all forced to march thousands of miles to the isolated frontier region where the wall was being built. Those who tried to run away were buried alive. The Great Wall is sometimes called “The Long Graveyard,” because so many died building it. Often their bodies were buried inside the wall.

Still, the Great Wall of China is an awesome testimony to human ingenuity. It stretches 4,000 miles long and is the longest structure in the world. It was entirely built by hand and is over 2,000 years old. At the top of the wall runs a road so wide that ten soldiers can march on it side by side.

Today countless tourists visit the Great Wall of China. They marvel at its Those who stand on the broad expanse atop the wall, however, should pause for a moment of silence and remember those who suffered and died to construct the wonder.

Paragraph Opinion How Do You Know?

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Documents

Level V/60 The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World · • Tell students they are going to read about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Ask if they can name any of the them. Point