Name__________________________________________ Date___________________
Use Synonyms to Determine Word Meaning
Directions: The following passage has four sets of synonyms. For each pair,
write the synonym that you are more familiar with in the left-hand column
of the graphic organizer. Write the synonym that you are less familiar with in
the middle column. Then write the meaning of the less unfamiliar synonym in
the right-hand column.
An Interesting Animal of Africa
One interesting African animal is the wildebeest (WIHL-duhBEEST). This animal is also called a gnu (NOO). It is a large
animal related to sheep and oxen. It has a head like an ox and
long curved horns. Many wildebeest herds live on the Serengeti
Plain. Between June and August, wildebeests migrate, or move.
They are looking for new territories, or areas, in the western
Serengeti. There they will find water and land for grazing, or
feeding. Many people take safaris, or trips, to Africa to see
the wildebeests migrate. They hope to photograph some of the
thousands of migrating wildebeests and zebras. In December or
January, the animals go back to their homes.
More Familiar Synonym
Less Familiar Synonym
Meaning of
Less Familiar Synonym
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Habitats of Africa
Level N/30
Science Teacher’s Guide
Skills & Strategies
Anchor Comprehension
Strategies
• Identify main idea and supporting details
Comprehension
• Retell
• Compare and contrast
• Use text features to locate information
Word Study/Vocabulary
• Use synonyms to determine word meaning
Science Big Idea
• Plants and animals interact with and
depend on their environment to satisfy
their basic needs.
Theme: Habitats
• Habitats of Africa
• Habitats of South America
• Habitats of Australia
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
Core Lesson Planning Guide
This five-day lesson plan shows one way to use the chapter book for explicit strategy instruction.
Activities
D ay
1
Page 3: Prepare to Read
• Build Content Background
• Introduce the Book
Pages 4–6: Model Strategies: Introduction–Chapter 1
2
3
4
5
• Monitor Reading Strategy: Retell
• Comprehension Strategy: Main Idea and Supporting Details
• Use Synonyms to Determine Word Meaning: Synonyms Using , or
Pages 7–8: Guide Strategies: Chapter 2
• Monitor Reading Strategy: Retell
• Comprehension Strategy: Main Idea and Supporting Details
• Use Synonyms to Determine Word Meaning: Synonyms Using , or
Pages 9–10: Apply Strategies: Chapter 3–Conclusion
• Monitor Reading Strategy: Retell
• Comprehension Strategy: Main Idea and Supporting Details
• Use Text Features to Locate Information: Bullets
Page 11: Synthesize Information
• Administer Ongoing Comprehension Assessment
• Compare and Contrast Information
Using Navigators Chapter Books
Explicit Strategy
Instruction
Use the complete guide to model,
guide, and support students as
they apply comprehension and
word-study strategies. Use portions
of the guide to scaffold reading
instruction for students who do
not need modeled instruction.
2
Small-Group Discussions
Independent Reading
Introduce the book and model
strategies. Have the group set a
purpose for reading based on
the introduction. Students read
the book, or parts of the book,
independently. Then have them
use the Small-Group Discussion
Guide as they discuss the book
together.
Have students select titles at
their independent reading levels.
After reading, have students
respond to the text in reader
response journals or notebooks.
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: 978-1-4108-5218-2
Prepare to Read
E nglish L anguage L earners
Build Content Background
•Ask: What do you know about the continent of Africa?
Allow 1–2 minutes for students to write their thoughts.
Have them share their writing with their partners and then
discuss it with the group. Explain that the book is about the
land, plants, and animals of Africa, and help students connect
their thoughts to this topic.
•Draw a 3-column chart as shown. Write the headings Land,
Plants, and Animals on the chart. Have students give details
from their writing about Africa for you to write in each column.
•Review the items on the chart. Have students add facts from
their own knowledge to the chart.
Land
grasslands
Plants
grasses
Display photographs of plants
and animals found in Africa. Have
students name each one.
Display a globe or world map. Have
a volunteer point to the continent
of Africa. Encourage students to say
Africa in their native languages and
then in English.
Write the words desert, rain forest,
and plain on the board. Call on
students to read each habitat name,
say the word for it in their native
language if desired, and describe it
in their own words.
Animals
lions
I nformal
Assessment Tips
Introduce the Book
•Give students a copy of the book.
•Have them read the title and table of contents.
Ask: How is this book organized?
(introduction, three chapters, conclusion)
What is the first chapter about? The third chapter?
(the Sahara Desert; the Congo Rain Forest)
•Ask students to turn to page 24 and skim the index. Have
each student select a topic that interests him or her. Suggest
that students watch for that topic as they read the book.
•To introduce Key Words and Text/Graphic Features found in
this book, use the book’s inside front cover.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
original
1. Assess students’ ability to
preview the table of contents
and index.
2. Document informal observations
in a folder or notebook.
3. Keep the folder or notebook at
the small-group reading table for
handy reference.
Meeting
Individual Needs
For students who struggle with
previewing the table of contents and
index, model by locating the title and
beginning page number of Chapter 1
in the table of contents. Then model
looking up desert in the index, asking
students to read the page numbers
listed there.
3
Model Strategies: Introduction–Chapter 1
ABOUT THE STRATEGY
Retell
What? Readers take notes about the
main ideas in their reading and any questions they have about them. These
notes help readers retell what they have
read.
Why?
Retelling helps readers reflect
on what they’ve read. Taking notes
helps readers understand and remember
the main ideas so they can retell the
ideas afterwards.
When?
Good readers make notes
before reading to help set a purpose.
They take notes during reading to help
them understand and remember main
ideas so they can retell them later. They
retell the main ideas after reading to
help them synthesize what they have
read. This strategy may also be used
when returning to the reading after
several days have passed.
How? Good readers look for main
ideas as they read. They also stop when
they have questions about a word or an
idea. They note ideas so they can retell
them and questions so they can answer
them during and after reading.
4
Before Reading
Monitor Reading Strategy: Retell
• Use a real-life example of retelling.
•Say: When I am going to teach a science class, I read the chapter the day before. I write notes for myself about the main points
and important details I want to tell the class. Then when I teach
the lesson, my notes help me remember the main points so that I
can retell them. I can also make notes about words or facts that I
need to find out more about.
•Read pages 2–3 aloud while students follow along. Stop when
you come to important ideas or words that might be challenging to students. Share your thought process aloud with them.
Have students state the main ideas on the pages. Write these
ideas on self-stick notes and place them in the book as students observe. Some ideas that students might discover are:
Africa has three different habitats.
The Sahara is a hot, dry habitat.
The Serengeti Plain is a grasslands habitat.
The Congo Rain Forest is a wet habitat with many plants.
• Use self-stick notes to retell information from pages 2–3.
During Reading
Set a Purpose for Reading
•Ask students to read pages 4–9 silently to find out more
about the Sahara Desert habitat. Have them make notes in
their journal or on self-stick notes about the main ideas they
find and any questions they have. Explain that the notes they
take will help them retell the main ideas of the chapter.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
After Reading
Discuss the Reading
• Say: I found that Chapter 1 describes the land, climate, plants,
and animals of the Sahara Desert.
• Call on students to retell what they have learned about the
land of the Sahara Desert. Suggest that they use the notes
they wrote while reading the chapter. Then have students ask
any questions from their notes about words or ideas they did
not understand. Have other students answer the questions. If
no one knows the answer, help the class find a reference
book with the information.
• Repeat the process. Have students retell facts about the climate and then about the plants and the animals of the Sahara
Desert. Then have them ask questions from their notes on
each topic.
• Have students turn to page 8 and locate the checkpoint.
Explain that rereading is one way to make sure we understand information and to remember more details about what
we read. Have students reread the text to find the answers
to the questions.
• For text-dependent comprehension practice, ask the questions for the Introduction and Chapter 1 found on the
Comprehension Through Deductive Reasoning Card for this
chapter book.
Informal
Assessment Tips
original
1. Watch students as they write
notes about the text and then
retell the text.
2. In a folder or notebook, write
down what you see each student
doing.
3. Students should be taking notes
as they read. Document students
who are and are not using this
monitor reading strategy.
Meeting
Individual Needs
For students who struggle with
this activity, model the strategy again
and remind them that taking notes
helps them understand and remember
the text so they can retell it later.
Rapid readers can make notes of
facts they would like to look up in
other resources later.
Comprehension Strategy: Main Idea and Supporting
Details
• Say: Nonfiction texts usually have a few main ideas. Each main
idea is supported by several details. If I can identify which parts of
the text are main ideas and which are details, I can understand
and remember the text better. I can retell the text by summarizing
the main ideas.
• Pass out the graphic organizer “Identify Main Idea and
Supporting Details” (blackline master, page 14). You may
want to make a chart-size copy of the graphic organizer or
use a transparency.
• Explain that, as students read, they will complete the first
four rows together. The last three rows will be completed
independently.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
5
Introduction–Chapter 1 (continued)
Page Main Idea
4 The desert is
hot and dry.
5–7 Desert animals
have ways to
cope with desert conditions.
Supporting Details
Days are hot;
nights are cold;
sometimes no
rain falls for
many weeks.
Snakes hide
under rocks or
burrow into
sand; scorpions
hide under rocks
during the day
and hunt for
food at night;
camels have
special features
that help them
survive.
Reader Response
What do you think is the most unusual feature, plant, or animal of the
Sahara in Africa? Describe it and tell
why it interests you in a response in
your journal. Then share your
thoughts with a group member.
6
Comprehension Strategy: Main Idea and Details (cont.)
• Have students return to Chapter 1 and follow along as you
model how to identify main idea and details. Write the information on the graphic organizer as you find it.
• Say: As I read, I’ll keep the title of the chapter in mind. I’ll look for
main ideas that describe the land, climate, plants, and animals of the
Sahara Desert.
• Reread page 4 and say: On page 4, I can read about the climate of
the Sahara Desert. The first paragraph gives details about this. The
next two sentences give more details about the climate. Write these
details on the chart. To identify the main idea of this page, I can
summarize these details. The main idea is that the climate of the
Sahara Desert is hot and dry. Write the main idea on the chart.
• Reread page 5 and say: The main idea on this page, the one that
relates to the features of the Sahara Desert, is that desert animals
have special ways to live in desert conditions. The next two pages
and the pictures give details about this idea. Write the main idea
and details in the chart as shown.
• Say: These details answer the question “What special ways do animals have to live in the desert?”
• Tell students they will search for main ideas and supporting
details as they continue reading the book.
Use Synonyms to Determine Word Meaning: Synonyms
Using , or
• Tell students that words or phrases that mean almost the same
thing are called synonyms. If you understand the meaning of
one of the synonyms, you can determine the meaning of the
unfamiliar synonym. Have students turn to page 5 and locate
the word burrow.
• Say: This boldfaced word is in the glossary, but it is also defined
right in the text. Authors use , or to compare two words or phrases
with similar meanings. Burrow means a hiding place. I know
because the author told me by using , or. Because I know the meaning of the term hiding place, I know the meaning of burrow.
• Turn to page 7 and point out the word survive. Tell students that
the author has included a synonym for the word.
Ask: What does this word mean? (live)
How did you identify the synonym?
(by reading the word that follows , or)
• Tell students that they will look for additional synonyms to
help them determine the meanings of unfamiliar words as they
continue reading Habitats of Africa.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Guide Strategies: Chapter 2
Before Reading
Monitor Reading Strategy: Retell
•Remind students that they took notes on main ideas and on
questions they had as they read Chapter 1. Point out to students that writing and retelling about what they have read
can help them understand and remember the facts.
•Turn to page 10 and read the first paragraph as students follow along.
•Say: I read in the Introduction that Africa has three main types of
habitats. This paragraph introduces the second habitat, the grasslands. It tells how it differs from the desert. I’m going to write a
note about that difference. On a self-stick note, write:
Grasslands—warm, but cooler than desert. Place the self-stick
note on the page.
•Explain that as students continue reading, they should use
self-stick notes to make notes about main ideas, especially
ways in which the grasslands differ from the desert. They will
be asked to retell the facts they find at the end of the chapter.
During Reading
Set a Purpose for Reading
• Have students finish reading Chapter 2. Encourage them to
read the chapter to find out more about the land, climate,
plants, and animals of the Serengeti Plain and how it differs
from the Sahara Desert. Encourage them to write main ideas
and questions on self-stick notes or their journals as they
read.
E nglish L anguage L earners
Observe ELL students as they read
the text. If they are not making
notes of main ideas and questions,
they may not be understanding the
text. Ask them to share some of
their notes so you can check their
understanding.
Meeting
Individual Needs
For students who struggle with this
strategy, model again by retelling part
of the text based on self-stick notes.
Then have students read one page and
note the main ideas they find on it.
Have them share the main ideas they
noted and explain how they identified
them.
Rapid readers can make notes on
ways in which the grasslands habitat
differs from the desert habitat.
Encourage them to compare the lands,
climates, plants, and animals of the two
habitats.
After Reading
Discuss the Reading
• Ask students to retell the chapter by sharing some of the
main ideas they wrote about the Serengeti Plain.
• Have students share questions they noted as they read. Invite
the class to answer the questions by recalling the text or
looking up information in a reference book.
• For text-dependent comprehension practice, ask the questions for Chapter 2 found on the Comprehension Through
Deductive Reasoning Card for this chapter book.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
7
Chapter 2 (continued)
Page Main Idea
Supporting Details
10 The Serengeti
The Serengeti
Plain is a grass- has grasses and
lands area.
trees, so it is a
good animal
habitat.
12–13 Many large ani- The animals
mals live on the move in herds
Serengeti Plain. from one place
to another.
Animals become
prey if they get
far from their
herd. Predators
watch and wait,
then spring
quickly to
attack.
Reader Response
Review the information on page 14 about
the acacia and baobab trees. What conclusion can you draw about how important the trees are to the Serengeti Plain?
Write a response in your journal and
share your thoughts with a group member.
Comprehension Strategy:
Main Idea and Supporting Details
• Review the “Main Idea and Supporting Details” graphic organizer, and remind students that the main idea of a paragraph,
page, or chapter is the most important idea that the author
wants the reader to know. Supporting details are facts or
examples that give information about that main idea.
• Have a volunteer read aloud the first paragraph on page 10.
Say: What is the main idea of this paragraph?
(The Serengeti Plain is a grasslands habitat.)
What do you expect the rest of the page to contain?
(supporting details about the land, plants, and animals of the
habitat)
• Say: Each chapter may have several main ideas. Have students
turn to page 12.
• Ask: What is the main idea on this page? What are the idea’s supporting details? Have pairs of students find the main idea and
supporting details on pages 12 and 13. Use the completed
graphic organizer on this page for suggested answers.
Use Synonyms to Determine Word Meaning:
Synonyms Using , or
• Have students turn to page 12 and locate the word herds.
Ask: What is the synonym for this word? (groups)
How do you know this is the synonym?
(It follows , or.)
What does the word herds mean?
(groups of animals that live together)
• For additional practice, have students complete the blackline
master on page 16.
Familiar Synonym
8
Unfamiliar Meaning of
Synonym
Unfamiliar Synonym
move
migrate
areas
territories
move at certain times to a new area
areas of land
feeding
grazing
feeding on land
trips
safaris
trips to see new sights
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Apply Strategies: Chapter 3–Conclusion
Before Reading
Monitor Reading Strategy: Retell
• Remind students that they have been writing notes about main
ideas in Habitats of Africa so they can retell them. They may also
have written notes about questions they had about the text. Point
out that these notes can help them understand and remember
the facts. Then they can retell the facts they have learned.
• Read page 16 aloud while students follow along.
• Say: The main idea of the second paragraph is that the rain forest has
different layers that are home to different animals. I’m going to make a
note about this main idea.The rest of the paragraph gives supporting
details about this idea.The next page also has supporting details about
this idea. Remember, I will use my notes to retell what I have read.
 Teaching Tips
After discussing the reading, have students write a brief summary of the
chapter in their journals. Have them
attach the self-stick notes they wrote
and title the page “Retell.” Use this
page to review retelling throughout the
year.
During Reading
Set a Purpose for Reading
• Have students read the rest of the book silently. Encourage
them to make notes about main ideas and their own questions
as they read. Have them write their questions on self-stick
notes or in their journals.
• Have students look for ways in which the Congo Rain Forest
differs from the Sahara Desert and the Serengeti Plain.
After Reading
Discuss the Reading
• Call on students to retell the facts in the chapter by checking
the main ideas they wrote in their notes.
• Ask: What group of animals lives on the ground and in trees in the
rain forest?
(apes)
What did Jane Goodall study in the rain forest?
(chimpanzees)
What are two big problems in the Congo Rain Forest?
(cutting down trees and hunting)
• Have students turn to page 21 and read the checkpoint. Explain
that stopping to talk about what we have read is another good
way to understand and remember facts. Have students discuss
the answer in small groups.
• For text-dependent comprehension practice, ask the questions
for Chapter 3 found on the Comprehension Through
Deductive Reasoning Card for this chapter book.
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
9
Chapter 3–Conclusion (continued)
Pages Main Idea
Supporting Details
16 The Congo Rain The Rain Forest
Forest is rainy has many plants
and hot.
and animals. It
has three different layers with
different plants
and animals in
each.
Birds and mon17 The canopy is
keys live in the
at the top of
the rain forest; canopy; lizards,
the understory rats, and mice
is in the middle; live in the trees,
the forest floor bushes, and vines
of the understois on the
ry; insects live in
ground.
the small trees,
bushes, and vines
of the forest
floor.
Informal
Assessment Tips
original
1. Watch students as they identify main
ideas and supporting details. Ask
yourself:
How have students progressed with this
strategy? What problems are they still
having?
2. Watch students as they complete the
graphic organizer. Ask yourself:
Who is still struggling with this strategy?
How can I help them?
3. Write down your thoughts in your
folder or notebook. For students
who struggle with identifying main
ideas and supporting details, review
the strategy using the information
from the graphic organizer.
Reader Response
Comprehension Strategy:
Main Ideas and Supporting Details
• Review the graphic organizer that students have been completing. Explain that they will provide the main ideas and supporting
details in Chapter 3 independently or in pairs. They should use
their notes about the main ideas.
• Ask if students have any questions before they begin. Monitor
their work and help them with any difficulty. Discuss students’
responses together.
• For more practice with identifying main ideas and details, have
students complete the blackline master “Main Ideas and
Supporting Details” on page 15.
1. Many people of the Sahara Desert travel from place to place
with herds of animals.
2. The people have goats, sheep, cattle, or camels. They travel
in camel caravans.
3. Large areas of the desert are covered with sand; the oasis
areas are the only places where crops can be grown. The
people must keep traveling to find water and plants for their
animals.
Use Text Features to Locate Information: Bullets
• Have students turn to page 22. Point out the bullets. Explain that
bullets are used to show lists within text. Bullets separate the
items in the list from one another and make each item stand out.
• Say: Sometimes related facts or supporting details are put in list
form for easy reading. For example, page 22 lists the main animals
that live in the different African habitats. A bullet indicates each
description of an animal and its habitat. The bullets make the text
easier to read and understand.
• Ask: Which bulleted item describes the lion?
(the second)
• Say: Describe the habitat that the lion lives on.
(wide grasslands of the Serengeti Plain)
• Have students turn to page 11.
Ask: What are the facts marked by bullets on this page about?
(the acacia and baobab trees)
On pages 20 and 21, the author writes
about how the Congo is in danger. Why
do you think the author includes this
information? Write a response in your
journal and share your thoughts with a
group member.
10
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Synthesize Information
Administer Ongoing Comprehension
Assessment
•Have students take Ongoing Assessment #19 on pages 68–69 in
the Comprehension Strategy Assessment Handbook (Grade 3).
Compare and Contrast Information
• Point out that the book tells how the Sahara Desert, Serengeti
Plain, and Congo Rain Forest habitats are alike and different.
Have students turn to page 10. Read the first paragraph aloud.
• Ask: What is being compared in the last sentence of this paragraph?
(the savanna and the desert)
How are these alike or different?
(The savanna is cooler than the desert.)
• Draw a chart like the one shown below. Explain that the first
column lists the features that are discussed about each habitat.
Students are to fill in facts in the other three columns. For
example, for “Land” under Sahara Desert, they might write “hot
and dry.”
• Have students copy the graphic organizer and complete it using
facts from the chapter book. Then have them use their charts to
answer the following questions.
• Ask: How is the land of the desert and the savanna different?
(Possible answer: The desert is covered with sand dunes; the
savanna is covered with tall grasses and a few trees.)
How is the plant life of the desert and the rain forest different?
(Possible answer: The desert has only a few trees and other
plants. The rain forest has many tall trees and other plants.)
• Have students work in small groups. Have them use their charts
to discuss similarities and differences among the three African
habitats.
Sahara Desert
Serengeti Plain
I nformal
Assessment Tips
original
1. Score assessments and determine if
more instruction is needed for this
strategy.
2. Keep group assessments in a smallgroup reading folder.
3. Look closely at students’ responses.
Ask yourself: Why might this student
have answered the question in this
manner? For in-depth analysis, discuss responses with individual students.
4. If needed, reteach this strategy and
administer the second Ongoing
Assessment #20 on pages 70–71 in
the Comprehension Strategy
Assessment Handbook (Grade 3).
5. Use Ongoing Assessments to document growth over time, for parent/
teacher conferences, or for your
own records.
E nglish L anguage L earners
Help students complete the compare/contrast chart. For example,
point out the feature Land and the
heading Sahara Desert. Ask students
to describe what the land in the
Sahara is like. Then have them
locate the page on which this information can be found. Continue for
each part of the chart.
Congo
Rain Forest
Land
Climate
Plants
Animals
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
11
Reading/Writing Connections
Write a Personal Response
Teaching Tips
Transfer personal response prompts to
large chart paper and hang it in the
room. Students can refer to the list
throughout the year.
Scoring Rubric
4
The prompt is well developed.
There is strong evidence of focus,
organization, voice, and correct
conventions.
3
The prompt is developed. There
is adequate evidence of focus,
organization, voice, and correct
conventions.
2
The prompt is somewhat developed. There is minimal evidence
of focus, organization, voice, and
correct conventions.
1
The prompt is weakly developed.
There is little evidence of focus,
organization, voice, and correct
conventions.
Invite students to respond to the book in a way that is meaningful to them. The prompts below provide a variety of alternatives.
• Which habitat in the book is your own habitat most like?
How are the two habitats alike and different? (text-to-self)
• What was your favorite part of the book? Why? (personal
response)
• How are the facts in this book important to your life? (make
connections)
• What topics in this book did you find most difficult to understand? (self-monitor)
• What facts in this book do you think everyone should learn
about? (synthesize information)
• If you had to rate this book on a scale of 1–10, what would
you rate it? Explain why. (evaluate)
• What general lesson does this book teach you about the
world? (text-to-world)
• Compare this book about Africa to books you have read
about other places. (text-to-text/compare)
Write to a Text Prompt
Use the prompt below as a timed writing activity. Students have a
maximum of one hour to draft, revise, and edit a response. Use
the rubric provided in the sidebar to score students’ writing.
What problems would people have living in each
habitat of Africa? Which habitat would be most
comfortable for people? Use facts from the book to
support your answer.
Write to a Picture Prompt
Use the following picture prompt to develop students’ visual
writing abilities.
Look at the picture on page 21. In what ways do you
think chimpanzees are similar to humans? Write a
response in your journal and share your thoughts with a
group member. Use details from the picture in your
answer.
12
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Date____________
Small-Group Discussion Guide
Directions: Use this sheet to talk about the book.
Rules for a
Good Discussion:
1. Be prepared.
Word Study:
Write words you did not know. Discuss the
meanings with your group. Use the text to clarify
the meanings.
2. P
ay attention to
the person who is
talking and do not
interrupt him or her.
3. T
hink about what
others are saying so
you can respond.
4. Use inside voices.
5. L et everyone in
the group have a
turn to speak.
Questions:
Write two or three questions you had while reading
this book. Discuss the questions and answers.
6. B
e respectful of
everyone’s ideas.
Adapted from Guiding Readers and
Writers, Irene C. Fountas & Gay Su
Pinnell (Heinemann Publishing Co.,
2001).
Ways to Make
Connections
Make Connections:
Write three connections you made with the text.
Discuss them with your group.
Text-to-Self:
This reminds me of a
time when I . . .
Text-to-World: What’s
going on in this book
is like what’s happening right now in . . .
Text-to-Text:
This book reminds me
of another book I
read called . . . . It was
about . . .
Adapted from Literature Circles, Harvey Daniels (Stenhouse Publishing Co., 1994).
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name__________________________________________ Date____________________
Identify Main Idea and Supporting Details
Page
Main Idea
Supporting Details
4
5–7
10
12–13
16
17
20–21
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Name__________________________________________ Date____________________
Identify Main Idea and Supporting Details
Directions: Read the passage. Then answer the questions that follow.
The People of the Sahara
Fewer than two million people live in the Sahara. This is a
very small population for such a large area. Some large areas
of sand dunes have no villages where people live all year. Most
settlements are located in the desert oases. Few of these have
more than 2,000 people. People can grow dates, wheat, and
barley there.
Most people who live in the Sahara are nomads. This means
they travel all year. They tend herds of goats, sheep, cattle, and
camels. They go from place to place. They look for places with
water and plants to feed their animals. The nomads ride camels.
Other camels carry their supplies. They often travel in long lines
of camels called caravans.
1. What is the main idea of the second paragraph? Write it as
a sentence.
2. What are two details that support the main idea of the
second paragraph?
3. Why are many of the people of the Sahara nomads?
© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC