LESSON 12 TEACHER’S GUIDE
Keeping Safe in an Earthquake
by Kaye Gager
Fountas-Pinnell Level O
Nonfiction
Selection Summary
Earthquakes can strike at any time. It is important to know what to
do when one occurs. This book helps readers understand the safety
precautions needed to survive an earthquake.
Number of Words: 949
Characteristics of the Text
Genre
Text Structure
Content
Themes and Ideas
Language and
Literary Features
Sentence Complexity
Vocabulary
Words
Illustrations
Book and Print Features
• Nonfiction
• Third-person narrative
• Photographs or text/graphic features on most pages
• Safety precautions
• Protecting yourself during and after an earthquake
• Creating a plan in case of an earthquake
• Being prepared for an earthquake is necessary.
• Staying calm and remembering the safety plan is the best way to overcome an emergency.
• Descriptive language
• A mix of short and complex sentences
• Safety precaution-related terms, such as safety standards, disaster kit, cover, prepared
• Multisyllable words, such as electricity, emergency, constructed
• Full-color photographs with captions
• Twelve pages of text, photographs on most pages
• Captions
• Checklist
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly
permitted by federal copyright law.
Permission is hereby granted to individual teachers using the corresponding (discipline) Leveled Readers to photocopy student worksheets from this publication
in classroom quantities for instructional use and not for resale. Requests for information on other matters regarding duplication of this work should be
addressed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, Attn: Contracts, Copyrights, and Licensing, 9400 SouthPark Center Loop, Orlando, Florida 32819.
Printed in the U.S.A.
978-0-547-30804-3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 0940 15 14 13 12 11 10 09
If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company retains title to the materials and
they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited.
Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format.
4_308043_BL_VRTG_L012_KeepingSafeEarthquake.indd 1
11/4/09 10:01:32 AM
Keeping Safe in an Earthquake
by Kaye Gager
Build Background
Help students use their knowledge of being prepared for emergencies to visualize
the selection. Build interest by asking questions such as the following: What type of
emergencies could happen in your area? Do you and your family have a safety plan?
What type of safety drills do you do here at school? Read the title and author and talk about
the cover photograph. Explain many places around the world experience earthquakes.
Introduce the Text
Guide students through the text, noting important ideas and nonfiction features. Help with
unfamiliar language so they can read the text successfully. Give special attention to target
vocabulary. Here are some suggestions:
Page 3: Explain that this is a book that tells readers how to prepare for and handle
an earthquake. Have students look at the picture. Point out that captions can give
clues about information in the text. Suggested Language: During an earthquake,
rubble can come down quickly, crushing things on the ground.
Page 4: Read the caption. Tell students that there are many earthquakes in the San
Francisco, California area. Point out San Francisco on a map for students.
Pages 5–6: Read the caption on page 6. Discuss with students the importance of
having properly constructed buildings that can survive an earthquake. Discuss the
photo on page 6. Ask: Do you think this building was built with metal braces or
timbers? Why or why not?
Page 9: Point out the checklist of ways to be prepared in case of an emergency.
Now turn back to the beginning of the selection and read about how to stay safe in
an earthquake.
Target Vocabulary
crushing – smashing or
squashing something, p. 3
rubble – broken or crumbled
material from a destroyed
building, p. 3
timbers – large pieces of wood
used for building, p. 5
debris – pieces of broken things,
p. 10
slab – a broad, flat piece of
something, p. 4
possessions – items that a
person owns, p. 12
tenement – low-quality apartment
building, p. 5
wreckage – what is left after
something has been ruined,
p. 11
constructed – built, p. 5
Grade 4
2
trembles – shakes, p. 4
Lesson 12: Keeping Safe in an Earthquake
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
4_308043_BL_VRTG_L012_KeepingSafeEarthquake.indd 2
11/4/09 10:02:19 AM
Read
Have students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their
understanding of the text as needed.
Remind students to use the Visualize Strategy
imagine what it would be like to experience an earthquake.
as they read, and to
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite students to share their personal responses to the selection.
Suggested language: What important safety precautions did you learn to take during an
earthquake? How can you use some of the safety plans that you read about?
Ways of Thinking
As you discuss the text, help students understand these points:
Thinking Within the Text
Thinking Beyond the Text
Thinking About the Text
• It is important to instill safety
precautions for all types of
emergencies.
• Being prepared for an earthquake
is necessary.
• The graphic and text features
provide additional information
not included in the text.
• Protecting yourself during and
after an earthquake requires
staying calm.
• Staying calm and remembering
the safety plan is the best way to
overcome an emergency.
• Captions help to explain the
photos.
• The photos contain a lot of visual
information.
• Creating a plan in case of an
earthquake is necessary in order
to be prepared.
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Choices for Further Support
• Fluency Invite students to participate in choral reading. Remind students to pay
careful attention to phrasing and punctuation, and to use appropriate tone, pitch, and
volume as they read different sections of the text.
• Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion,
revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go
back to the text to support their ideas.
• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words and word parts, using
examples from the text. Explain to students that adding the suffixes –ed, -ing, and –ity
to root words changes the meaning and creates a new word. Examples from the text
include constructed (p. 5), meeting (p. 7), and electricity (p. 13). Ask students to find
other examples of words with suffixes in the text.
Grade 4
3
Lesson 12: Keeping Safe in an Earthquake
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
4_308043_BL_VRTG_L012_KeepingSafeEarthquake.indd 3
11/4/09 10:01:55 AM
Writing about Reading
Vocabulary Practice
Have students complete the Vocabulary questions on BLM 12.1.
Responding
Have students use their Reader’s Notebook to complete the vocabulary activities on
page 15. Remind them to answer the Word Teaser on page 16. (Answer: rubble)
Reading Nonfiction
Nonfiction Features:
Photos and Text Clues Remind students that nonfiction has many features to help
readers find and understand important information. Photos and text clues are two of these
features. Explain that photos, like those in this selection, often add information that is not
in the text. Have students look again at the photo on page 6. Ask what information they
can learn from the photo (what can happen to a building during an earthquake). Then have
students choose another photo in the book and tell what they can learn from it.
Text clues are another important source of information. They are verbal clues that signal
importance, such as In less than a minute, In just 30 seconds, and Luckily. Have students
find these text clues in the book and make a classroom chart. How many text clues can
they find? Suggest that students add text clues to the chart from their reading throughout
the year.
Writing Prompt: Thinking About the Text
Have students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when
they think about the text, they reflect back on the text. They should notice and evaluate
language, genre, literary devices, and how the text is organized.
Assessment Prompts
• What words or images in the book help the reader understand what rubble means?
• What is the main purpose of the selection?
• What can readers tell about the staying safe during earthquakes from reading this
selection?
Grade 4
4
Lesson 12: Keeping Safe in an Earthquake
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
4_308043_BL_VRTG_L012_KeepingSafeEarthquake.indd 4
11/4/09 10:02:09 AM
English Language Development
Reading Support Pair beginning and intermediate readers to read the text softly, or
have students listen to the audio or online recordings. Or have beginning speakers read
the captions.
Cognates The text includes many cognates. Explain the English word and its Spanish
equivalent: debris (detrito), possessions (posesiónes), and trembles (temblar).
Oral Language Development
Check student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’
English proficiency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.
Beginning/Early Intermediate
Intermediate
Early Advanced/ Advanced
Speaker 1: What is this selection
about?
Speaker 1: Why is it important to have a
family meeting place?
Speaker 2: staying safe in earthquakes
Speaker 2: After an emergency, families
need to have a place to meet so
everyone stays safe.
Speaker 1: What are the most
important things to remember
when an earthquake begins?
Speaker 1: What is Earthquake
Country?
Speaker 2: the area around San
Francisco where a lot of earthquakes
occur
Speaker 2: Remember to drop,
cover, and hold on. You should
also try not to panic.
Speaker 1: Why should you stay away
from windows during an earthquake?
Speaker 2: The windows could break
and fall on you.
Lesson 12
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 12.1
Date
Target Vocabulary
Keeping Safe in
an Earthquake
Target Vocabulary
Using the Target Vocabulary words, fill in the crossword puzzle
below. Possible responses shown
P
W
O S
S
E
S
N
G
S
I
O N S
N
C R U S
L
H I
D
A
E
B
E
T
C
R
T
T
B
K
U
E
I
R
A
C
N
G
T
R E
E
E
M
E
D
E
R U B B L
N
S
I
M
M B L
Vocabulary
trembles
possessions
tenement
crushing
debris
constructed
wreckage
rubble
timbers
slab
C
E S
E
T
Across
Down
2. things you own
1. built
5. smashing
3. flat piece
9. shakes
4. leftover pieces of something
ruined
10. broken stones
6. pieces of broken things
7. run-down apartment
building
8. heavy beams of wood
Target Vocabulary
3
Grade 4, Unit 3: Natural Encounters
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
03_4_246246RTXEAN_L12_FR.indd 1
Grade 4
5
11/26/09 9:25:49 AM
Lesson 12: Keeping Safe in an Earthquake
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
First Pass
4_308043_BL_VRTG_L12_KeepingSafeEarthquake.indd 5
1/12/10 5:27:24 PM
Name
Date
Keeping Safe in an Earthquake
Thinking About the Text
Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in one or two
paragraphs.
Remember that when you think about the text, you reflect back on the text.
You notice and evaluate language, genre, literary devices, and how the text
is organized.
After reading this text, do you think you could stay safe in an earthquake?
Did the author include enough information? Is the the information organized
and explained clearly? Are the nonfiction features well-chosen? Support
your opinion with examples from the text.
Grade 4
6
Lesson 12: Keeping Safe in an Earthquake
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
4_308043_BL_VRTG_L012_KeepingSafeEarthquake.indd 6
7/28/09 5:54:27 PM
Lesson 12
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 12.1
Date
Target Vocabulary
Keeping Safe in
an Earthquake
Target Vocabulary
Using the Target Vocabulary words, fill in the crossword puzzle
below.
Vocabulary
trembles
possessions
tenement
crushing
debris
constructed
wreckage
rubble
timbers
slab
Across
Down
2. things you own
1. built
5. smashing
3. flat piece
9. shakes
4. leftover pieces of something
ruined
10. broken stones
6. pieces of broken things
7. run-down apartment
building
8. heavy beams of wood
Grade 4
7
Lesson 12: Keeping Safe in an Earthquake
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
4_308043_BL_VRTG_L12_KeepingSafeEarthquake.indd 7
1/12/10 5:27:47 PM
Student
Lesson 12
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 12.23
Keeping Safe in an Earthquake
• LEVEL O
page
Keeping Safe in an
Earthquake
Running Record Form
Selection Text
3
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Total SelfCorrections
You are sitting in class, about to take a test. Suddenly the
classroom starts to shake. You dive under the table. Books are
flying everywhere. Desks race across the floor. Materials on
the shelves rattle and some drop onto the floor. Papers are
strewn everywhere. In less than a minute, the shaking is over,
but your classroom looks like a crushing pile of rubble.
People who live in San Francisco, California, and other
4
nearby areas are often faced with a similar situation. They live
in an area that some call Earthquake Country.
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/92 × 100)
%
Read word correctly
Code
✓
cat
Repeated word,
sentence, or phrase
®
Omission
—
cat
cat
Grade 4
Behavior
Error
0
0
Substitution
Code
cut
cat
1
Self-corrects
cut sc
cat
0
Insertion
the
1
cat
Error
1414207
Behavior
ˆ
Word told
1
8
T
cat
1
Lesson 12: Keeping Safe in an Earthquake
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
4_308043_BL_VRTG_L012_KeepingSafeEarthquake.indd 8
7/28/09 5:54:29 PM