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Teacher Edition<strong>Moving</strong> <strong>Big</strong> <strong>Trees</strong><strong>alphakids</strong>Written byTom AndrewsPhotographed byRob Bodenstaff

Published edition© Eleanor CurtainPublishing 2004Text © Elizabeth GoldingPhotographs© Eleanor CurtainPublishingFirst published 2004Apart from any fair dealing forthe purposes of study, research,criticism or review, aspermitted under the CopyrightAct of Australia, no part of thisbook may be reproduced byany process, or transmitted inany form, without permissionof the copyright owner. Wherecopies of part or the whole ofthis book are made under PartVB of the Copyright Act, thelaw requires that records ofsuch copying be kept and thecopyright owner is entitled toclaim payment.Developed byEleanor Curtain PublishingDesigned byAlexander StittProduction byPublishing SolutionsPrinted in ChinaISBN 0 7253 3286 71 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 904 05 06How to use this bookThe Alphakids Plus teachereditions support teachers as theyguide children’s reading andthinking during one or more guidedreading sessions. Teachers canobserve children as they read andchoose from the given suggestionsto suit individual needs.Before readingSetting the context, front coverand title page:The suggestions help teachers toset the scene and prepare childrenfor reading the book. Prompts helpto determine children’s priorknowledge. Where necessary,background information isprovided. Teachers are encouragedto check that children understandthe vocabulary listed and to discussthe meanings and/or the structuresof these words. Previous experienceswith similar text types may also bediscussed.During readingPredict, Read, Reflect:Questions encourage children toengage with the text by makingpredictions. They then read asection of the text and reflect onwhat they have read. The focus ison the content, language and textfeatures of the book.Observe and support:Prompts help teachers to focus onthe strategies children use as theyread. Teachers can then select fromand adapt the suggestions accordingto the needs of the individual child.The suggestions aim to develop achild’s reading abilities.Interruptions to the child’s readingshould be minimal.After readingA selection of reading and writingactivities:The last pages of the teacher editionprovide follow-up activities andinclude the assessment focus.Selected text features• A flow chart is provided• Captions explain aspects of thephotographs• Technical language is used throughout:low-loading trucks, root ball, crane,harness, special pegs, wires, roadside,trench, base, replantedVocabularyattached, beautiful, building, council,damaged, easier, harness, preparing,several, successfully, underground

Setting the contextHow do you think that you would move a big tree?What machines and tools would you need?<strong>Moving</strong> <strong>Big</strong> <strong>Trees</strong><strong>alphakids</strong><strong>Moving</strong><strong>Big</strong> <strong>Trees</strong>Written byTom AndrewsPhotographed byRob BodenstaffWritten by Tom AndrewsPhotographed by Rob BodenstaffFront coverAsk the children to look at the photo onthe front cover.What is happening? Why is the tree inthe air? What is on the bottom of thetree? Why might the tree need to bemoved?Title pageWhat equipment are they using here?How old do you think the trees might be?

<strong>Moving</strong> <strong>Big</strong> <strong>Trees</strong> Pages 2–5PredictWhen might trees need to be moved?Look at the pictures on pages 4 and 5.How do you think big trees are moved?Read to the end of page 5.ReflectWhy are trees moved? What are the stages of Rob’splan?Look at the caption on page 5. Has Rob done this before?Observe and supportCan the child understand the text at a literal level?Why do trees need to be moved?How will this be done?2

<strong>Moving</strong> <strong>Big</strong> <strong>Trees</strong> Pages 6–7PredictHow will they prepare the trees for the move? Look atthe pictures to help you.What does the sign on the red tape tell us?Read to the end of page 7.ReflectHow did they prepare the trees for the move?Why did they need to dig a trench around the base ofeach tree?Observe and supportDoes the child integrate a range of information tosolve problems when they read?How did you know that word was ‘trench’? What didyou think about?4

The trees would die if they were taken straight out ofthe ground, so Rob and his team spent a few monthspreparing them for the move.First, they dug a narrow trench around the base ofeach tree trunk.The new roots didn’t spread out underground like theold roots, but grew around each other in a big ball.The new roots made the treeseasier to move and look after.Most of the roots were cut when they dug the trench,but soon new roots started to grow.6 75

<strong>Moving</strong> <strong>Big</strong> <strong>Trees</strong> Pages 8–11PredictIt is now three months later and time to move the trees.What equipment will they need to do this?What will they need to do to the trees once they havemoved them?Read to the end of page 11.ReflectHow did they move the trees?Where were the trees stored?What did they have to do to them each day?Observe and supportCan the child provide an opinion about whethertrees should be moved?Do you think that trees should be moved? Why?6

After three months, it was time to move the trees.Rob and his team strapped a harness around theroots of each tree. The harness kept the soil and theroots together. This helped the trees to stay alive.The trees were very heavy. A big crane was used tolift each tree out of the ground and onto a truck.8 9The trees were taken on low-loading trucksto a nearby roadside.The team stored the trees safely by the side of theroad for several months.They watered them every day.The root ball of this bigtree is almost as heavy asthe rest of the tree.117

<strong>Moving</strong> <strong>Big</strong> <strong>Trees</strong> Pages 12–13PredictHow do you think the trees will be moved back again?Do you think that this is an easy job?Do you think the trees will survive?Read to the end of page 12.ReflectWhat did they attach to the trees to prevent them fromblowing over in the wind? Why would they need to dothis?Observe and supportCan the child explain what new information theyhave learned from the book?What have you learned about moving big trees?8

After the tunnel was built, the trees were movedback to where they came from.A big hole was dug for each tree. A crane liftedeach tree from the back of a truck and put it inthe hole.12 139

The workers took the harnesses off the roots.They attached special pegs to the roots to keepthe tree in the ground.They also attached wires from the tree trunk tothe ground so that the tree would not blow overin the wind.At first the trees had to be watered every few days.Once the new roots were strong enough to hold thetree in place, the wires were taken down.14 15It will take a few years for the trees to look justlike they did before the tunnel was built.But all the animals, birds and people who enjoythem are very pleased to have them back.1611

After readingBeing a meaning makerEncourage the children to supporttheir answers with evidence fromthe book as they discuss thesequestions:What needs to be done so big treescan be moved?Why would big trees die if they weretaken straight out of the ground?Why does it take so long to movebig trees?Can all big trees be moved? Why?Should people move big trees?Why?Being a code breakerExplore the following languagefeatures:• the blend ‘tr’: tree, trunk, trench,truck• words used to indicate past tense:was, moved, asked, went, made,spent, dug, were, grew, watered,took• language used to indicate order:first, after, then, whenBeing a text userDiscuss the structure of the book.How is this book organised?What comes first?What comes next?Does it matter what order eachpage is written in? Why?Why does the book finish with acomment about people andanimals?Being a text criticWhat did the author need to knowto write this book?How might he have learned aboutmoving big trees?How important are the pictures inthis book?Would the book have been asinteresting without them?12

Responding to textMake models to show thesteps involved in moving abig tree. Children could work insmall groups to make their model.Provide twigs, plasticine, colouredpaper, etc. for the models.Encourage the children to writesigns and captions explaining theirmodels. Have the children comparetheir models to the information inthe book and then share them withthe class.Retell the book as a diary.Discuss what a diary is andhow you make an entry. Encouragechildren to write diary entries foreach step of the process. Share thediary with a friend.Make word lists showing pastand present tense of the sameword. For example:Present tensedigplantPast tensedugplantedDiscuss how different wordschange, e.g. by adding ‘ed’, or bychanging their spelling, such as‘dig’ to ‘dug’.Writing linksShared writingAsk children to share the featuresof a procedural text. List these onthe board. Provide them withdifferent examples of proceduraltexts to help with their list.Independent writingHave the children write their ownprocedural text explaining how tomove a big tree. Display these inthe classroom.Possible assessment focusCan the child:• explain what new information they learned from the book?• recall the sequence of events in the book?• provide an opinion about whether trees should be moved?whole text activity sentence activity word activity

Written by<strong>alphakids</strong><strong>alphakids</strong><strong>alphakids</strong><strong>alphakids</strong>s<strong>Moving</strong> <strong>Big</strong> <strong>Trees</strong> <strong>alphakids</strong>Tom AndrewsTeacherEditionOtherbooksat thislevel<strong>alphakids</strong>TheGiant’s DiaryWritten by Jack Hastings Illustrated by Steve AxelsenPhotographed byRob BodenstaffTopic: PlantsCurriculum link: Science, TechnologyText type: ExplanationReading level: 22Word count: 435Vocabulary: attached, beautiful, building, council,damaged, easier, harness, preparing, several,successfully, undergroundThe BoyWho Wanted to beFamousWritten by Claire Halliday Illustrated by Bettina GuthridgeI Want to Be anAcrobatWritten by Tom AndrewsPhotography by Ross TonkinPossible literacy focusUunderstanding a process explained in the text.Using critical literacy skills to discuss whether alltrees can or should be moved.SocialInsectsWritten by Keith PigdonDragonsWritten by Jenny FeelySummaryThis book explains how a number of very big treeswere moved during the building of a tunnel, caredfor and then replanted after the tunnel was finished.ISBN 0- 7253- 3286- 79 780725 332860<strong>alphakids</strong>