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

Teacher’s Guide

• Small Group Reading Lesson • Skills Bank • Reproducible Activity

science 

Anchor Comprehension StrategyCompare and Contrast •

Phonemic Awareness�Segment�onset�and�rime��•

Phonics �Vowel�sound�/oo/��•Digraph�ck��•

High-Frequency Wordschange,�hard,�move��•

Concept Vocabulary �Words�about�rocks��•

Grammar/Word Study�Descriptive�words��•

Science Big IdeaThere�are�three�groups�of�rocks.�Each����•group�forms�differently.

skills & strategies

RocksLevel H/14

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2Rocks

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Before Reading

Activate Prior KnowledgeEncourage students to draw on prior knowledge and build background for reading the text. Create an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer “How Are Rocks Formed?” (left) or copy the organizer on chart paper, leaving the columns blank. Ask students to predict how rocks are made. Write their predictions in the “Before Reading” column. Inform them that they will come back to the graphic organizer when they have finished reading the book.

Preview the BookRead the title and names of the authors to students. Ask:

• What do you see on the cover?

• How do you think the rocks on the cover were made?

Show students the table of contents. Ask:

• What does the table of contents tell us about what we will learn in the book?

• What page would you go to if you wanted to find out how rocks are made?

Preview the photographs in the book with the students, reinforcing the language used in the text. For example, say: What kinds of rocks do you see in these pictures? How do you think these rocks were made?

Set a Purpose for ReadingHave students turn to page 2 and read the book silently. Say: I want you to see whether our predictions about how rocks are made are correct. Monitor students’ reading and provide support when necessary.

Review Reading StrategiesUse the cues provided to remind students that they can apply different strategies to identify unfamiliar words.

Small Group Reading Lesson

ViSuAl CueS• Look at the initial consonants.

(w in wind; th in these)• Look for familiar chunks

within the word. (lay in layers; hard in harden)

• Break the word into syllables and sound out each part. (ig/ne/ous, met/a/mor/phic)

StRuCtuRe CueS• Think about whether the

sentence sounds right.• Look for repeated language

patterns. “Look at …” “Some rocks …”)

MeAning CueS• Think about what makes

sense in the sentence.• Look at the pictures to

con firm the meaning of the word.

How Are Rocks Formed?We Predict

Before Reading

How are rocks formed?Rocks are made by volcanoes.

Rocks are made from dirt.

Rocks are made from minerals.

Rocks are made from heat deep down inside Earth.

After Reading

What the book tells us Metamorphic rocks are made from other rocks that change.

Igneous rocks are made from melted rocks that cool and harden.

Sedimentary rocks are made from layers of sediment.

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3© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Observe and Prompt Reading StrategiesObserve students as they read the book. Take note of how they are problem-solving on text. Guide, or prompt, individual students who cannot problem-solve independently.

Reflect on Reading StrategiesAfter students have completed their reading, encourage them to discuss the reading strategies they used. Reinforce the good reading behaviors you noticed by saying:

• I noticed, [student’s name], that when you came to a word you didn’t know, you went back and reread the sentence. Did this help you figure out the word?

• [Student’s name], I saw you try to sound out the word metamorphic. You broke the word into syllables and used what you know about letter sounds to sound out the word, one syllable at a time. That was good reading.

Build ComprehensionASK And AnSWeR QueStiOnS

Help students review the text content and relate it to what they already know by asking some or all of the following questions.

• What did we learn about how rocks are made? Let’s write this in the “After Reading” column of our graphic organizer. (Metamorphic rocks are made from rocks that change, p. 9; igneous rocks are made from melted rocks that cool and harden, pp. 10–11; sedimentary rocks are made from layers of sediment that are pressed together, pp. 12–15) (Locate facts)

• Let’s compare our predictions about how rocks are made to what we learned in the book. Which of our predictions is correct? (Answers will reflect information throughout the book. Students should find evidence for their answers in the text.) (Compare and contrast)

• Why do you think some rocks are smooth and round? Use your own ideas and what you learned from the book. (Answers will vary. One possible answer: They were in a river, and the water has worn away their rough edges.) (Make inferences)

• Which kind of rock do you think is most beautiful or most interesting? (Answers will vary.) (Use creative thinking)

Rocks

Teacher Tipusing the Skills BankBased on your observations of students’ reading behaviors, you may wish to select activities from the Skills Bank (pp. 6–7) that will develop students’ reading strategies.

Question typesStudents need to understand that they can use information from various places in the book, as well as background knowledge, to answer different types of questions. These lessons provide four types of ques  tions, designed to give students practice in understanding the relationship between a question and the source of its answer.

•  Questions that require students to go to a specific place in the book. 

•  Questions that require students to integrate information from several sentences, paragraphs, or chapters within the book.

•  Questions that require students to combine background knowledge with information from the book. 

•  Questions that relate to the book topic but require students to use only background knowledge and experience, not information from the book.

After Reading

During Reading

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© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Build ComprehensionCOMPARe And COntRASt

Model Create an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer or copy it on the board. Explain how a Venn diagram is used to compare and contrast two or more things. Tell students that they will use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast different kinds of rocks. Model how to record similarities and differences on the diagram. Use the following think-aloud.

When I read about different kinds of things, I can better understand what I read if I compare and contrast things and then organize my comparisons on a diagram. On this kind of diagram, I can write how two things are similar in the space where the two circles overlap. I can write how each thing is different in the outer part of the circles. This helps me compare, or see how two things are alike, and contrast, or see how two things are different.

I will compare different kinds of rocks. Each circle on the chart represents one type. I will write the things the rocks have in common in the area where the circles overlap. I learned that igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks are made by heat. I will write this where the circles overlap. What other similarities and differences can we find? Let’s fill in the rest of the diagram together.

Practice and Apply Model for students where to record the similarities and differences on the diagram. Guide students as they identify similarities and differences between two types of rocks. If you think students can complete the organizer independently, distribute copies and monitor their work. Encourage students to practice comparing sedimentary rocks to one of the other two kinds they read about. Allow time for students to share their recorded information.

Teacher TipMonitoringComprehension•  Are students able to revisit 

the text to locate specific answers to text-dependent questions? If they are having difficulty, show them how to use the photographs to help them locate answers.

•  Are students able to find answers to questions that require a search of the text? If they are having difficulty, model how you would search for the answer.

•  Can students combine their background knowledge with information from the text to make inferences? If they are having difficulty, model how you would answer the question.

•  Are students’ answers to creative questions logical and relevant to the topic?

•  Do students’ completed graphic organizers reflect an ability to compare and contrast information in text? If students are having difficulty, provide more modeling.

Small Group Reading Lesson (continued)

Both___________Igneous______________________ Metamorphic

______________________

Comparing Rocks

basalt

granite

made from melted rock

pink marble

schist

made from other rocks

made by heat

Compare and Contrast

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5Rocks

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Small group WritingUse the graphic organizer completed during the Build Comprehension segment of the lesson to help students review the similarities and differences between different kinds of rocks. Use the information on the organizer to help students write a group paragraph that compares and contrasts how igneous and metamorphic rocks are made. Remind students that authors carefully plan their writing in advance to ensure that the reader can follow and understand the information presented in the text. Use the following writing steps.

• Review the information on the Venn diagram comparing how the types of rocks are made.

• Encourage students to use the information to create sentences comparing the kinds of rocks. Record students’ sentences on the board.

• Read through the sentences, encouraging students to suggest ways to make the writing clearer or more detailed.

Write independentlyTell students that they will now use a Venn diagram to write their own paragraph comparing and contrasting two things of their choosing. Use the following writing steps.

• Distribute copies of the blank graphic organizer.

• Help students decide on a topic to compare and contrast, such as different natural features or seasons.

• Have them write similarities and differences between their two subjects. Monitor students’ work to make sure they understand how to use the Venn diagram.

• Ask students to expand on the details and create sentences about their topic for their written paragraphs.

• Tell students that they can work with a partner to edit their paragraphs.

Reread for FluencyYou may wish to read sections of the book aloud to students to model fluent reading of the text. Model using appropriate phrasing, intonation, expression, volume, and rate as you read. Some students may benefit from listening to you read a portion of the text and then reading it back  to you. 

Have students reread Rocks with a partner. Students should read the book once, with one student reading the text and the partner reading the captions. Have them read the book again, this time switching roles.

Connect to HomeHave students read the take-home version of Rocks to family members. Encourage students to share their written  paragraphs.

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© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Phonemic Awareness: Segment onset and rimeTell students that they are going to play a guessing game. You will say a word, segmenting the onset and rime. Students should blend the two parts and guess what the word is. Say the word small by segmenting the onset and rime: /sm/ /ôl/. Then give students the following words, one by one, while they blend the onset and rime and guess the words: hard, smooth, them, sort, heat, cool, wind, kind, bottom, river.

Phonics: Vowel sound /oo– / Write the word smooth on the board. Have students read the word and identify the vowel sound. (/oo– /) Point out that the letters oo make this sound. Write the words group and new on the board. Have students identify the vowel sound and what letters make the vowel sound in each word. (/oo– /, ou, ew) Have students look through familiar books to find other examples of words that have the /oo– / sound.

Phonics: digraph ckWrite the word rock on the board. Repeat the word, segmenting each sound: /r/ /o/ /k/. Ask students what letters make the /k/ sound. (ck) Have a volunteer come to the board and circle the letters ck. Have students look through familiar books for more words that end with the ck digraph. When they have completed their lists, have them write one of their words on the board, read the word, and then circle the ck.

Skills Bank

smoo th

group

n ew

sti ck

clo ck

ba ck

chi ck

li ck

wre ck

che ck

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High-Frequency Word VocabularyWrite the words change, hard, and move on the board. Read them with students. Have students copy each word on an index card. Say a sentence using one of the words, but do not say the high-frequency word. Ask students to hold up the card with the word that will complete the sentence. For example, say: Wind can _____ rocks, ____ rocks do not break easily or Will you please _____? Students can take turns making up their own sentences, leaving out the high-frequency word, and asking other students to hold up the card with the missing word.

Content Vocabulary: Words about rocksAsk students to brainstorm words that are associated with rocks. Have them review the book or their Venn diagram. List the words students suggest on the board: for example, igneous, marble, basalt, granite, and sandstone. Assign one or two words to pairs of students and have them write sentences using each of the words. Encourage them to write factual sentences based on the information in the book. Invite students to share their sentences with one another.

grammar/Word Study: descriptive wordsWrite the word hard on the board and then direct students to page 4 to find and read the sentence in which hard is used. Talk about how the word hard provides a description of what the rock is like. Have students work in pairs to find and record other describing words and the pages on which they are found. When students have finished, have them share the words they found. Have them tell what the words describe and what information they provide.

change

hard

move

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# 978-1-4108-0148-7

igneous

marble

basalt

granite

sandstone

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© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

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