Teacher's Resource - Nelson Education
Teacher's Resource - Nelson Education
Teacher's Resource - Nelson Education
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5. Direct students’ attention to the<br />
captioned illustration on page 44.<br />
Ask:<br />
• Why do you think some living<br />
things are shown with a<br />
magnifying glass (you can’t see<br />
them without it)<br />
Clarify the meaning of<br />
“bacteria” and “protists” (see<br />
Vocabulary box).<br />
6. Instruct students to read<br />
page 45. Ask:<br />
• What are two ways in which<br />
dead material disappears in<br />
the forest (eaten by insects,<br />
worms, and other creatures;<br />
broken down by bacteria, protists,<br />
and funguses)<br />
7. Ask students to read the sticky<br />
note on page 45 and share their<br />
experiences of seeing a dead<br />
bird or squirrel. Ask:<br />
• How can connecting your<br />
reading to personal<br />
experience help you to<br />
visualize (remembering<br />
something helps me form a picture<br />
in my mind)<br />
• What happens if you have no<br />
personal experience to draw<br />
on (it’s hard to visualize)<br />
After<br />
These questions and activities give<br />
students the opportunity to share<br />
and consolidate their learning about<br />
visualizing. You may use BLM 2:<br />
Oral Language Tracking Sheet and<br />
BLM 3: Small-Group Observation<br />
Tracking Sheet to track student<br />
progress through the unit.<br />
REFLECTING ON THE STRATEGY<br />
1. Have students reread the title.<br />
Ask:<br />
• Now that you’ve read this<br />
article, what do you think the<br />
title means (many creatures live<br />
in the rotten log)<br />
• How can a dead tree be both<br />
“dead and alive” (the tree has<br />
died, but other living things<br />
depend on it)<br />
2. Revisit the strategies for<br />
visualizing. Ask:<br />
• Why is it helpful to visualize as<br />
you read (understand better,<br />
remember better, notice when I’m<br />
not understanding)<br />
• What did you notice about<br />
your reading when you were<br />
visualizing (slowed down, reread<br />
parts, noticed words I didn’t<br />
know)<br />
ORAL LANGUAGE: DISCUSSING<br />
THE TEXT<br />
1. Ask students to tell a partner<br />
what recyclers do in the forest.<br />
(they break down material and<br />
return it to the soil)<br />
2. Why do you think they are<br />
called recyclers (they reuse dead<br />
material)<br />
3. Invite partners to discuss how<br />
life in a forest would be<br />
different if there were no<br />
recyclers. (many creatures would<br />
have nowhere to live; old trees would<br />
pile up; new trees would have<br />
nowhere to grow)<br />
4. Ask students how their<br />
understanding of the article<br />
might change if it had photos<br />
instead of illustrations. (photos<br />
would make it easier to visualize so<br />
it would be easier to understand)<br />
Word Study<br />
WRITING/REPRESENTING: WHAT<br />
AM I<br />
1. Invite students to write a brief<br />
descriptive passage about an<br />
object or animal of their choice.<br />
In small groups, have each<br />
student read his/her description<br />
aloud and have the other group<br />
members identify the subject.<br />
2. Give students an opportunity to<br />
provide feedback for each other<br />
using prompts such as “a part<br />
that I could really visualize ...” or<br />
“a part I had a hard time<br />
visualizing ... .” Students could<br />
use the feedback to make their<br />
descriptions more detailed.<br />
Have students store their<br />
descriptions in their writing<br />
folders.<br />
READING/VIEWING: RESEARCH<br />
ANIMALS AND HABITATS<br />
1. Let students read a variety of<br />
texts about animals and their<br />
habitats. Have them make notes<br />
and highlight the language in<br />
these texts that helps the reader<br />
visualize.<br />
2. Have students select two strong<br />
examples and post them to<br />
share with other students.<br />
3. Tell students to store the notes<br />
in their writing folders as they<br />
will need them for a writing<br />
activity in the upcoming lesson<br />
on “In a Rainforest.”<br />
Understanding Antonyms<br />
1. Refer to “Life in a Rotting Log.” Ask:<br />
• What was the mystery (tree was both dead and alive)<br />
• What kind of words are these<br />
If necessary, explain the term antonym (a word that means the opposite<br />
of another word).<br />
2. List the following words from the article: on, easy, began, under, down,<br />
inside, full, slowly, disappear, last, without. Ask students to suggest<br />
antonyms for each one.<br />
3. Ask students to store the list of antonyms and use them in their writing.<br />
You may use Word Study Master 1.<br />
20 <strong>Nelson</strong> Literacy 4 Teacher’s <strong>Resource</strong>: Habitats and Communities<br />
NEL