Teacher's Resource - Nelson Education

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