Level R/40
Teacher’s Guide
Skills and Strategies
Genre: Biography
Pocahontas
Squanto
Anchor Comprehension Strategies
• Compare and contrast
• Evaluate point of view
Genre Study
• Recognize genre features
• Analyze genre texts
• Make text-to-text genre connections
Tier Two Vocabulary
• See book’s glossary
Word Study
• Multiple meanings
Fluency
• Read with anticipation and mood
Writing
• Writer’s tools: Direct quotes
• Write a biography using writing-process
steps
Unit at a Glance
Day 1
Prepare to Read
Day 4
Reread “Squanto”*
Day 2
Read “Pocahontas”*
Day 5
Literature Circle Discussion/
Reinforce Skills*
Day 3
Read “Squanto”*
Days 6–15
Write a biography using the writingprocess steps on page 10
*While you are meeting with small groups, other students can:
• read independently from your classroom library
• reflect on their learning in reading response journals
• engage in literacy workstations
B
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Day 1
Prepare to Read
Build Genre Background
• Write the word genre on chart paper. Ask: Who
can explain what the word genre means? Allow
responses. Say: The word genre means “a kind
of something.” Some people make movies. Other
people take photographs. Movies and photography
are two kinds, or genres, of visual art. Each genre
has its own characteristics that we can use to identify
it. In the same way, we can identify literary genres
by their characteristics. As readers, we use what we
know about genres to help us comprehend what
we read. Recognizing the genre helps us know what
to expect. As writers, we use what we know about
genres to help us develop and organize our ideas.
• Ask: Who can name some literary genres? Let’s make
a list. Allow responses. Post the list on the classroom
wall as an anchor chart.
• Draw a concept web on chart paper or the
chalkboard. Write Biography in the center circle
of the web.
• Say: Biography is one example of a literary genre.
Think of any biographies you know. How would you
define what a biography is?
• Turn and Talk. Ask students to turn and talk to a
classmate and jot down any features of a biography
they can think of. Then bring students together
and ask them to share their ideas. Record them
on the group web. Reinforce the concept that all
biographies have certain common features.
Introduce the Book
• Distribute a copy of the book to each student. Read
the title aloud. Ask students to tell what they see on
the cover and table of contents.
• Ask students to turn to pages 2–3. Say: This week
we are going to read biographies that will help us
learn about this genre. First we’re going to focus
on this genre as readers. Then we’re going to study
biographies from a writer’s perspective. Our goal this
week is to really understand this genre.
• Ask a student to read aloud the text on pages 2–3
while others follow along. Invite a different student
to read the web on page 3.
• Point to your Biography web on chart paper. Say:
Let’s compare our initial ideas about biographies
with what we just read. What new features of this
genre did you learn? Allow responses. Add new
information to the class web.
• Post this chart in your classroom during your
biography unit. Say: As we read biographies this
week, we will come back to this anchor chart. We
2
will look for how these features appear in each
biography we read.
• Ask students to turn to pages 4–5. Say: The biogra­
phies in this book are about Native Americans who
lived among early American settlers. Let’s read about
early colonial communities.
• Have a student read aloud the background
information while others follow along.
• Say: Native Americans assisted distressed settlers in
both the Jamestown and Plymouth colonies. What
can you infer, or tell, from this? Allow responses.
Prompt students to understand that Native Americans
were vital to the colonies’ survival.
Introduce the Tools Writers Use: Direct Quotes
• Read aloud “Tools Writers Use” on page 5.
• Say: Many biographers use direct quotes. By
including the actual words people say, writers help
readers feel as though they are “there” when the
action occurs. Direct quotes also show what people
are like and give readers insight into their thoughts,
feelings, and relationships. Let’s practice identifying
direct quotes so we can recognize them in the
biographies we read.
• Distribute BLM 1 (Direct Quotes). Read aloud
sentence 1 with students.
• Model Identifying Direct Quotes: The first
sentence introduces a direct quote with the words
The captain said. These words identify who is
speaking and are set off with a comma. The speaker’s
exact words are enclosed in quotation marks. This
direct quote creates an image of a group of colonists
standing on shore after crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
• Ask students to work with a partner or in small
groups to identify the direct quotes in the remaining
sentences, describe the scene in which they imagine
each direct quote is spoken, and write their own pair
of direct quotes.
• Bring the groups together to share their findings.
• Ask the groups to read one of the sentence pairs
they completed. Use the examples to build students’
understanding of how and why writers use direct
quotes. Remind students that direct quotes can help
readers better understand and draw conclusions
about both the subject and the author of the
biography.
• Ask groups to hand in their sentences. Transfer
student-written sentences to chart paper, title the
page “Direct Quotes,” and post it as an anchor
chart in your classroom.
©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: 978-1-4509-0019-5
biographies of two native americans
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Day 2
Before Reading
Name
Date
Direct Quotes
Directions: Read each sentence. Underline each direct quote. Describe the
scene you imagine in which the words were spoken.
1. T hecaptainsaid,“Letusgivethanksforoursafejourneyto
thisnewland.”
Possible answer: The entire group of colonists stands on shore.
2. “ Wewilltreatthesestrangersasfriendsaslongasthey
keeppeacewithus,”declaredthechief.
Possible answer: A Native American chief speaks to leaders of the tribe in
a council around a fire.
3. Thecolonistasked,“Haveyoubroughtfursandfoodto
tradetoday?”
Possible answer: A colonist trades with a Native American girl in a
colonial settlement.
4. “Iwillmarryyou,JohnRolfe,”Pocahontasreplied,“andI
hopeonedaytoseethisbeautifulEng-Landyoucallhome.”
Possible answer: In private, Pocahontas replies to John Rolfe’s proposal
of marriage.
5. “DearFather,”thecolonistwrote.“Wehavesurviveda
terriblewinterthankstothegenerosityofourIndianfriends.”
Possible answer: A tired, pale colonist writes a letter home by lamplight.
Directions: Write two sentences that include direct quotes. Make the
sentences part of a conversation between a colonist and a Native American.
6. ________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
7. ________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
BiographiEs of two nativE amEriCans
BLm 1
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Reflect and Review
• Turn and Talk. Write one or more of the following
questions on chart paper.
What are some literary genres besides biography?
What can you tell me about one of these genres?
What did you learn today about the biography
genre?
What are some ways direct quotes help a writer
communicate ideas about the subject of a biography?
Ask partners or small groups to discuss their ideas
and report them back to the whole group as a way
to summarize the day’s learning.
Management Tips
• Throughout the week, you may wish to use
some of the Reflect and Review questions as
prompts for reader response journal entries in
addition to Turn and Talk activities.
• Have students create genre study folders. Keep
blackline masters, notes, small-group writing,
and checklists in the folders.
• Create anchor charts by writing whole-group
discussion notes and mini-lessons on chart
paper. Hang charts in the room where students
can see them.
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Y06619_G4_TG_Pocahontas_Rev8.indd 3
Introduce “Pocahontas”
• Reread the Biography anchor chart or the web on
page 3 to review the features of a biography.
• Ask students to turn to page 6. Ask: Based on
the title and illustration, what type of person do
you predict this biography will be about? Allow
responses.
• Invite students to scan the text and look for the
boldfaced words (meal, sound, ransom, trip).
Say: As you read, pay attention to these words. If
you don’t know what they mean, try to use clues
in the surrounding text to help you define them.
We’ll come back to these words after we read.
Set a Purpose for Reading
• Ask students to read the biography, focusing on
the genre elements they noted on their anchor
chart. They should also look for examples of
direct quotes and think about how the authors’
use of quotes helps readers better understand the
people in the biography.
Read “Pocahontas”
• Place students in groups based on their reading
levels. Ask students to read the biography silently,
whisper-read, or read with a partner.
• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor
their understanding of the text and their use of
fix-up strategies.
Management Tip
Ask students to place self-stick notes in the
margins where they notice direct quotes or
features of the genre.
After Reading
Build Comprehension: Compare and Contrast
• Lead a student discussion using the “Analyze
the Subject” questions on page 13. Then, use
the following steps to provide explicit modeling
of how to compare and contrast elements in a
biography.
• Explain: We learned yesterday that a biography
tells about a person’s family, childhood, and
personality as well as the important people,
places, and events in his or her life. In a biography
like “Pocahontas” that portrays two cultures, you
can compare and contrast how members of each
culture act and react. Noting the similarities and
differences between the cultures can help you
understand the difficulties and conflicts involved.
biographies of two native americans
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Day 2 (cont.)
• Distribute copies of BLM 2 (Compare and Contrast)
and/or draw a chart like the one below.
Views and Values Native Americans
Colonists
Survival
live off the land; hunt; trade with Native
raise corn, beans,
Americans; hunt; fish
squash
Adaptation
Pocahontas helps
colonists get food,
furs; teaches skills for
living in new land
trade objects for food;
learn Native American
customs
Relationships
Pocahontas kidnapped
by colonists, studies
Christianity, marries
John Rolfe, travels to
England, meets English
queen and king
kidnap Native
Americans for
ransom; offer to
trade Pocahontas for
captured Englishmen;
Rolfe marries
Pocahontas; on good
terms with Native
Americans for several
years; eventually took
lands from Native
Americans
• Model: When I compare and contrast two cultures in
a biography, I study their encounters. How do they
act? How do they treat one another? These clues
suggest the views and values of each culture. I also
consider how the cultures adapt to one another and
find common ground. For example, when Pocahontas
shows the new settlers how to plant crops and hunt,
John Smith gives her credit for saving the colony.
Though their cultures are very different, the Native
American girl and English captain form a friendship.
She is helpful, and he is eager to learn.
• Guide Practice. Work with students to compare and
contrast the Native Americans and colonists depicted
in the biography. Then discuss what each culture
expected and how this changed their relationship
over time.
• Have students keep BLM 2 in their genre studies
folders.
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for
ELA Assessment
• Remind students that when they answer questions
on standardized assessments, they must be able
to support their answers with facts or clues and
evidence directly from the text.
• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small
groups of students to practice answering textdependent comprehension questions.
4
biographies of two native americans
Y06619_G4_TG_Pocahontas_Rev8.indd 4
•S
ay: Today I will help you learn how to answer Find
It! questions. The answer to a Find It! question is
right in the book. You can find the answer in one
place in the text.
• Model. Read the first Find It! question. Say: When
I read the question, I look for important words
that tell me what to look for in the book. What
words in this question do you think will help me?
Allow responses. Say: Yes, I’m looking for the
words Pocahontas and born. On page 8, I read,
“Pocahontas was born in about 1595.” This sentence
answers the question.
• Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to help you develop
other Find It! questions.
Focus on Vocabulary: Multiple-Meaning Words
• Explain/Model: Many words have more than one
meaning. To understand which meaning an author
intends, readers must look at the way the word is
used in the text. For example, draw is a verb that
can mean “to pull together,” as in draw the
curtains; “to make a picture,” as in draw a cartoon;
or “to move,” as in draw near the fireplace.
• Practice. Ask students to think of multiple-meaning
words they already know, such as bear (a large
animal/to support or carry), carp (a kind of fish/to
complain), and mold (a kind of fungus/to form
or shape). List the words and their meanings on
the board.
• Say: The boldfaced words in this biography are
multiple-meaning words. What can you do if you
don’t know which meaning to use? Allow responses.
Say: A dictionary will list the word’s definitions, but
you must look for clues in the text to help you figure
out which meaning the author intends.
• Ask students to work with a partner to complete
the “Focus on Words” activity on page 13 using
BLM 3 (Focus on Multiple-Meaning Words). Explain
that they should decide each word’s meaning using
context clues in the text. Then they should look in
a dictionary to find another meaning the word
can have.
• Transfer Through Oral Language. After students
share their findings, challenge individuals to use the
words with different meanings in new sentences.
Ask other students to listen carefully and tell the
meaning of the word as it is used.
• Ask students to save their work in their genre studies
folders to continue on Days 3 and 4.
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
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Day 3
Page Word
Sentence in
Text
Meaning #1
from Context
Meaning
#2 from
Dictionary
food items
served together
at a given time
and often
shared with
others (noun)
coarsely
ground grain
such as corn
(noun)
6
meal
They ate a
festive meal.
7
sound
to seem to be
He may have
wanted to
(verb)
make what
really happened
sound more
dangerous.
9
ransom The tribesmen
and the
settlers often
kidnapped
one another,
demanding
ransom.
money paid
for the return
of someone
or something
(noun)
to release by
paying a price
(verb)
11
trip
a voyage (noun)
to strike the
foot against
something and
stumble (verb)
Their trip
was basically
a publicity
campaign.
what is or
can be heard
(noun)
Reflect and Review
• Turn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to
reread the “Features of a Biography” web on page 3
and decide whether all of these features are present
in “Pocahontas.” Ask groups to share and support
their findings.
Fluency: Read with Anticipation and Mood
• You may wish to have students reread the biography
with a partner during independent reading time,
focusing on reading expressively. Ask students to
read page 6 with expression that anticipates a violent
act and creates a fearful mood. Encourage students
to discuss what is happening in the text and how
they can use their voices to reflect it, including such
techniques as pitch, volume, pacing, and pausing.
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
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Before Reading
Introduce “Squanto”
• Ask students to turn to page 14. Say: This
biography is written in a different format from
the other biography we read. Notice the notes in
the margin. First, we will read to understand the
biography. Tomorrow, we will read this biography
like a writer and think about how the notes in the
margin can help us can write our own biographies.
• Say: Let’s look at the title, map, and illustrations
of this biography. What type of person do you
predict it will be about?
• Ask students to scan the text and look for the
boldfaced words (reckoned, coast, board,
harvest, spread). Ask: What do you notice
about these words? Why do you think they
appear in boldfaced type? (All of these words
have multiple meanings.)
• Say: As you read, try to figure out the meanings
of these words. Look in the text for clues to help
you decide which meaning the authors intend.
After we read, we will talk about how you used
context clues to determine each word’s meaning.
Set a Purpose for Reading
• Ask students to read the biography, focusing on
how his actions change Squanto, affect the world,
and make him memorable. Encourage them to
notice the authors’ use of direct quotes.
Read “Squanto”
• Place students in groups based on their reading
levels. Ask students to read the biography silently,
whisper-read, or read with a partner.
• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor
their understanding of the text and their use of
fix-up strategies.
After Reading
Build Comprehension: Compare and Contrast
• Say: Yesterday we compared and contrasted the
views and values of the Native Americans and
colonists as depicted in “Pocahontas.” Today’s
biography also describes interactions between
the Native Americans and col­o­nists. How do the
attitudes, actions, and expectations of the two
cultures compare in “Squanto”? Record responses
on a whole-group chart like the one here.
• Discuss Comparing and Contrasting Across
Texts. Lead a discussion using the following
questions: How is Pocahontas different than
Squanto? How are they similar? How are
Pocahontas and Squanto alike in the way the
colonists view them? What role does friendship
play in each story? When is this friendship
biographies of two native americans
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Day 3 (cont.)
threatened? Who would have a more difficult time
surviving: a Native American in Europe or a European
colonist in North America? Why? Where have the
authors used direct quotes? How do these quotes
help you better appreciate the actions and characters
of Pocahontas and Squanto?
Views and
Values
Survival
Native Americans
Colonists
live off land; farm fields
of corn, squash, beans
many die until Native
Americans help with
food; trade with Native
Americans
Adaptation
Squanto learns English;
meet with Chief
helps colonists with food, Massasoit, Samoset, and
trading, communication
Squanto to work out a
peace treaty
Relationships
Squanto helpful,
resourceful, well-liked;
later tries to pit Pilgrims
and Wamanoag against
one another to benefit
his own tribe
kidnap Native Americans;
hold harvest feast of
thanks; Bradford careful
not to go to war without
proof, remains loyal to
Squanto
• Transfer Through Oral Language. Pairs of students
give each other meaning clues to a target word.
After each clue, the listener tries to guess the word
until he or she guesses correctly. Then partners use
each target word with two different meanings in a
single sentence.
Page Word
Focus on Vocabulary: Multiple-Meaning Words
• Ask students to work with a partner to complete the
“Focus on Words” activity on page 21 using BLM 3.
Have groups of students share their findings.
6
biographies of two native americans
Y06619_G4_TG_Pocahontas_Rev8.indd 6
Meaning #1
Meaning
from Context #2 from
Dictionary
15
reckoned …he was a force considered,
to be reckoned judged (verb)
with…
found the
number
or value of,
counted (verb)
16
coast
...George
the land beside
Weymouth,
an ocean
sailed along the (noun)
coast…
to slide or ride
without the
use of effort or
power (verb)
17
board
Once on board, on a ship
Hunt tied up
(noun)
Squanto and
the others.
a flat, thin
piece of
wood using in
building (noun)
19
harvest
…Governor
Bradford
arranged
a harvest
celebration…
the gathering
of a crop when
it is ripe (noun,
used as an
adjective)
the result of an
act, process, or
event (noun)
20
spread
…Squanto
spread rumors
among the
settlers.
distributed
(verb)
to put on in a
thin layer (verb)
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA
Assessment
• Use the Comprehension Question Card to practice
answering text-dependent questions.
• Say: Today we will answer Look Closer! questions.
The answer to a Look Closer! question is in the book.
You have to look in more than one place. You find
the different parts of the answer. Then you put the
parts together.
• Model. Read the first Look Closer! question. Say:
This question asks me to identify a stated main idea.
I know because it says, “What sentence best states the
main idea.” Now I need to look for other important
information to find in the book. What information do
you think will help me? Allow responses. Say: Yes, I’m
looking for the sentence that is supported by details in
the second paragraph on page 15. The first sentence
states that the Plymouth colony would have failed
without Squanto’s help. The other sentences describe
ways Squanto helped the colonists. These details all
support the first sentence, so it is the stated main
idea. I looked in several sentences to find the answer.
• Guide Practice. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to
help you develop other Look Closer! questions.
Sentence in
Text
Reflect and Review
• Turn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to
discuss the following questions and report their
ideas to the whole group: How would you describe
Squanto’s character? Which of his traits are
admirable? Which are not? If you could ask Squanto
a question, what would it be? Why would you ask
him that? What action or fact do you think makes
Squanto most important in history?
Fluency: Read with Expression: Anticipation and Mood
• You may wish to have students reread the biography
with a partner during independent reading time.
Have them focus on reading with appropriate
expression. Ask students to discuss the last paragraph
on page 15. What does the name Squanto chose
tell you about his personality? What mood does this
paragraph suggest? Encourage students to read the
paragraph to show an appropriate mood and help
readers anticipate what might happen next.
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
10/10/10 11:02 PM
Day 4
Before Reading
Set a Purpose for Rereading
• Have students turn to page 14. Say: Until now, we
have been thinking about biographies from the
perspective of the reader. Learning the features of
biographies has helped us be critical readers. Now we
are going to put on a different hat. We are going to
reread “Squanto” and think like writers. We’re going
to pay attention to the annotations in the margins.
These annotations will help us understand what the
authors did and why they did it.
Reread “Squanto”
• Place students in groups based on their reading
levels. Ask students to reread the biography silently
or whisper-read.
• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor
their understanding of the text and annotations.
After Reading
Analyze the Mentor Text
• Explain to students that the text they have just read
is a mentor text. A mentor text is a text that teaches.
This text is designed to help them understand what
writers do to write a biography and why they do it.
• Read and discuss each mentor annotation with
students. Encourage them to comment on the
writer’s style, description of events and people in
the subject’s life, and use of literary techniques such
as direct quotes.
Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment
• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small
groups of students to practice answering textdependent questions.
• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Prove
It! questions. The answer to a Prove It! question is
not stated in the book. You have to look for clues
and evidence to prove the answer.
• Model. Read the first Prove It! question. Say:
I will show you how I answer a Prove It! question.
This question asks me to analyze character. I know
because it says, “What clue tells you . . . Bradford felt
grateful.” Now I need to look for other important
information in the question. What information do
you think will help me? Allow responses. Say: Yes,
I need to reread page 20 to find out what Governor
Bradford does for Squanto. I read that Governor
Bradford refuses to give Squanto up to Chief
Massasoit “even though Squanto had lied.” I have
located the clue I need.
• Guide Practice. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to
help you develop other Prove It! questions.
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Y06619_G4_TG_Pocahontas_Rev8.indd 7
Analyze the Writer’s Craft
• Ask students to turn to page 22. Explain: Over
the next few days, you will have the opportunity
to write your own biographies. First, let’s think
about how the authors wrote “Squanto.” When
they developed this biography, they followed
certain steps. You can follow these same steps
to write your own biography.
• Read step 1. Say: The first thing you’ll do
is decide on the person you want to write
about. The biographies we read focus on two
extraordinary Native Americans who befriended
early American colonists and helped them
survive. What other people do we know who
have had an impact on their own or another
culture? Which person would you like to write a
biography about? Why? Allow responses. Write
down students’ ideas on chart paper.
• Read step 2. Say: In the biographies we read,
other people played an important part in the
subjects’ lives. For example, Squanto learned
to speak English from the ships’ captains as he
traveled back and forth to England. As a result,
he was able to communicate with the settlers
in their native language. What other people or
groups were important to our subject’s life? Let’s
make a list of people and groups and record
some examples of their impact. Allow responses.
Write down students’ ideas on chart paper.
• Read step 3. Say: Before you’re ready to write,
you need to list important events in the subject’s
life and the times and places they occurred.
For example, after seeing the hardships the
Pilgrims faced, Squanto immediately set out
to help them. This shows that Squanto was
caring and resourceful. When you write your
biography, choose the events and settings that
best represent your subject. Choose one of the
subjects and some of the people the class has
brainstormed, and work as a group to outline
important settings and events in the subject’s life.
Build Comprehension: Evaluate Point of View
• Explain: Point of view is the way an author
looks upon a subject. This point of view controls
what information is provided and affects readers’
attitude toward the subject. In a biography,
writers try to include primary sources and
direct quotes to give a range of descriptions
and opinions about the subject’s character and
actions. Overall, though, the author decides
what readers will learn about the subject and
attempts to guide their opinions to align with
his or her own.
biographies of two native americans
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Day 4 (cont.)
Day 5
• Model: In “Pocahontas,” the authors include John
Smith’s description about how Pocahontas “took
my head in her arms and laid her own upon it to
save me from death.” They point out that the name
Pocahontas means “playful” or “mischievous” one.
They describe her as high-spirited and warm. These
details make us admire Pocahontas as the authors
clearly do.
• Guide Practice. Invite students to work in small
groups to find other details in “Pocahontas” that
reveal the authors’ point of view toward Pocahontas
and the colonists. Ask the groups to share and
explain how these details affected their attitudes
toward the people in the story. Then invite students
to apply what they have learned about evaluating
point of view in a biography to “Squanto.”
Analyze & Synthesize
Reflect and Review
• Ask and discuss the following questions.
How is reading a biography different from writing
a biography? Do you think it is a good idea for
a biographer to read other biographies? Why or
why not?
What new words have you added to your vocabulary
this week? Which is your favorite?
What actions or events in the life of Pocahontas or
Squanto do you find most impressive or inspiring?
Why?
How can you use multiple-meaning words and direct
quotes as a writer?
Fluency: Read with Anticipation and Mood
• You may wish to have students reread the biography
with a partner during independent reading time.
Have them focus on reading with appropriate
expression to portray the mood and a sense of
anticipation. Discuss Squanto’s second kidnapping
and his time in Europe and England, described on
page 17. Then, have students read aloud the first
paragraph to create anticipation about what might
happen to Squanto and the second paragraph to
express an appropriate mood.
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Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for
ELA Assessment
• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small
groups of students to practice answering textdependent questions.
• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer
Take It Apart! questions. To figure out the answer
to a Take It Apart! question, you must think like
the author.
• Model. Read the second Take It Apart! question.
Say: This question asks me to evaluate the authors’
purpose. I know because I must explain why the
authors included a particular graphic feature. Now
I need to look for other important information in
the question. What information do you think will
help me? Allow responses. Say: Yes, I need to look
at the text and map on page 17. The text tells about
Squanto’s travels. The map shows dates and routes
of Squanto’s voyages across the Atlantic. I think the
authors wanted readers to be able to see how and
when Squanto crossed the Atlantic.
• Use the Power Tool Flip Chart to help you develop
other Take It Apart! questions.
Summarize & Make Connections Across Texts
• Engage students in a discussion about the two
biographies in this book. Invite a different student to
summarize each biography. Encourage other students
to add their ideas and details.
• Ask students to turn to the inside back cover of the
book. Say: Good readers think about how literary
works are related. We know, for example, that
both of these biographies share certain features.
They both describe the subject’s early life. They
both include people who were important to the
subject. What else do they have in common? Allow
responses. Say: Today we will think about how the
subjects and settings in both biographies are similar
and different. We will summarize why we think
people should learn about each subject’s life.
• Ask students to work individually or in small groups
to complete BLM 4 (Make Connections Across Texts).
• Class Discussion or Literature Circles. Facilitate a
whole-class discussion or keep students in their small
groups for a literature circle discussion. If you choose
to conduct literature circles, share the rules for good
discussion below. Each group should discuss and
be prepared to share its ideas about the following
prompts.
How are the subjects alike? How are they different?
Which subject do you find more complex and
interesting? What about the person fascinates you?
Which biography do you feel does the best job of
demonstrating the historical importance of the
subject? What details support your opinion?
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
10/10/10 11:02 PM
Day 5 (cont.)
Directions: Fill in the chart. Use it to compare and contrast the two
biographies.
Pocahontas
Squanto
Time/Place
1595–1617 in
Jamestown colony and
England
1585–1623 in
Massachusetts/Rhode
Island, Europe, England,
Canada, and Plymouth
colony
Why People
Should Learn
About Her or
His Life
She may have saved
Captain John Smith’s
life. Her assistance
to the colonists
probably saved them
from starvation. Her
friendship meant peace
instead of war.
His skill in speaking
English and willingness
to teach the Pilgrims
likely saved their lives.
His resilience and
intelligence helped
him survive incredible
ordeals and adventures
far from home.
Rules for Good Discussion
• Pay attention to the person who is talking
and do not interrupt him or her.
• Think about what others are saying so you
can respond and add to their ideas.
• Allow and encourage everyone in the group
to speak.
• Be respectful of everyone’s ideas.
• Tell students that at the end of their discussion, you
will ask them to share the important text-to-text,
text-to-world, and text-to-self connections they have
made.
• While each small group of students discusses the
book, confer with individuals or small groups of
students. You may wish to revisit elements of the
genre, take running records, or model fluent
reading skills.
Reinforce Skills
If time permits, choose from the following activities to
reinforce vocabulary and fluency.
• Have a student from one group pull out a
definition and read it aloud. The student then
identifies the target word it defines and uses the
word in a sentence with this meaning. Tape the
definition to the target word’s circle as a “petal.”
• Rotate through the groups, having students select
a definition, identify the word, use the word
in context, and add another petal to the word
on the chalkboard. Each student who correctly
pairs a word with a meaning and uses the word
appropriately gets a point for his or her team.
When all the petals have been added to the
chalkboard, the team with the most points wins.
Reread for Fluency: Oral Reading Performance
• Discuss with students the events that seemed
most dramatic in the biographies.
• Say: At different periods in their lives,
Pocahontas and Squanto experienced fear, anger,
joy, and sadness. When you read the biographies
aloud, you can demonstrate your understanding
of these emotions through your expression. This
helps your listeners appreciate the impact of key
events and better understand the subjects.
• Invite individual students to read a section of one
of the biographies with expression that helps
listeners understand what the subject is feeling
or the importance of an event.
• Encourage students to have fun with their
readings and to make them as dramatic as
possible.
• Invite students to share what they liked about
each reader’s interpretation and what they would
add to increase its dramatic impact.
Review Writer’s Tools: Direct Quotes
• Ask students to look for other examples of direct
quotes in titles from your classroom library or
the school’s library. Each student should select
one title at his or her independent reading level.
Ask students to read pages specifically to find an
example of direct quotes.
• Invite students to share their examples with the
class. Encourage students to discuss how the
direct quotes give them a sense of what the
subject or character was like. Point out that not
all students will have found examples in the
books they chose. Direct quotes are not a tool all
writers use all of the time.
Reinforce Vocabulary: Pick a Petal
• Place students in small groups and have each group
write as many definitions as they can think of for
each target word, one per line. Then ask students to
cut the definitions apart, fold them, and place them
in a box.
• Write the target words on the chalkboard, leaving
space around them. Circle each word.
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Days 6–15
Write a Biography
• Use the suggested daily schedule to guide students
through the steps of process writing. Allow
approximately 45 to 60 minutes per day. As students
work independently, circulate around the room and
monitor student progress. Confer with individual
students to discuss their ideas and help them move
forward. Use the explicit mini-lessons, conferencing
strategies, and assessment rubrics in Using Genre
Models to Teach Writing for additional support.
• Before students begin planning their biographies,
pass out copies of BLM 5 (Biography Checklist).
Review the characteristics and conventions of writing
that will be assessed. Tell students that they will use
this checklist when they complete their drafts.
• This daily plan incorporates the generally accepted
six traits of writing as they pertain to biographies.
Days 6–7: Plan
• Ask students to use BLM 6 (Biography Planning
Guide) to brainstorm the subject (person) for their
biography and the important people, places, and
events in the subject’s life.
• Encourage students to refer to the “Features of a
Biography” web on page 3 and to the steps in “The
Writer’s Craft” on pages 22–23 of the book.
• Confer with individual students and focus on their
ideas. Did students begin their biography with a
strong “hook”? Did students include facts about the
subject and quotes from or about the subject?
Days 8–9: Draft
• Tell students that they will be using their completed
Biography Planning Guides to begin drafting their
biographies.
• Say: Remember, when writers draft their ideas,
they focus on getting their ideas on paper. They
can cross things out and make mistakes in spelling.
What’s important is to focus on the person’s early
life and his or her accomplishments. You will have an
opportunity to make corrections and improvements
later.
• Confer with students as they complete their drafts.
Use the Biography Checklist to draw students’
attention to characteristics of the biography genre
that they may have overlooked. Did students include
important facts about the subject’s life? Does the
biography clearly portray the person’s impact on the
world? Does it have a strong voice? Will the voice
keep readers interested?
• Pair students for peer conferencing.
• Remind students to use the Biography Checklist as
they edit and revise their biographies independently.
• Confer with students focusing on sentence fluency,
word choice, and conventions. Did students include
both long and short sentences? Do the sentences
read smoothly? Have students used interesting words
and phrases? Did they use direct quotes? Did they
use appropriate spelling, punctuation, and grammar?
• You may want students to continue their editing and
revision at home.
Days 12–13: Create Final Draft and Illustrations
• Ask students to rewrite or type a final draft of their
biographies.
• Invite students to illustrate their final drafts with one
or more drawings that depict specific events detailed
in their biographies.
• Confer with students about their publishing plans
and deadlines.
Days 14–15: Publish and Share
• Explain: Authors work long and hard to develop
their works. You have worked very hard. And one
of the great joys of writing is when you can share
it with others. Authors do this in many ways. They
publish their books so that people can buy them.
They make their work available on the Internet. They
hold readings. We can share our writing, too.
• Use one or more of the ideas below for sharing
students’ work.
Make a class display of students’ completed
biographies.
Hold a class reading in which students can read their
biographies to one another and/or to parents.
Create a binder of all the biographies and loan it to
the library so that other students can read them.
Create a binder of all the biographies for your
classroom library.
Name
Date
Title:
Biography Checklist
Features of the Genre Checklist
Yes
No
2.Mybiographyislogicallysequenced.




3.Mybiographyincludestheperson’sdate
andplaceofbirth.


4.Mybiographyincludesimportantevents
fromtheperson’slife.


5.Mybiographyincludespeoplewhohave
influencedtheperson.
1.Mybiographyhasastronglead.


7.Mybiographyquotestheperson.




8.Mybiographyquotespeoplewhoknew
orknowtheperson.


6.Mybiographydescribestheperson’s
personality.
9.Mybiographyexplainswhytheperson
isworthyofabiography.
10.Mybiographyhasastrongending.
Quality Writing Checklist
• Based on your observations of students’ writing,
select appropriate mini-lessons from Using Genre
Models to Teach Writing.
10
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

No
















Ilookedforandcorrected...
•run-onsentences
•sentencefragments
•subject/verbagreement
•correctverbtense
•punctuation
•capitalization
•spelling
•indentedparagraphs
BiographiEs of two nativE amEriCans
Days 10–11: Edit and Revise


Yes
BLm 5
Name
Date
Biography Planning Guide
Directions: Use the steps below to plan your own biography.
1.Decideonsomeonetowriteabout.
2.Decidewhoelseneedstobeinthebiography.
Person or Group
Impact on Subject’s Life
Family
Members:
Friends:
Heroes:
Others:
3.Recalleventsandsettings.
Setting
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
Important Events That Occurred
Setting#1:
Setting#2:
Setting#3:
BiographiEs of two nativE amEriCans
BLm 6
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC
10/10/10 11:02 PM
Name
Date
Direct Quotes
Directions: Read each sentence. Underline each direct quote. Describe the
scene you imagine in which the words were spoken.
1. The captain said, “Let us give thanks for our safe journey to this new land.”
_______________________________________________________________
2. “We will treat these white men as friends as long as they keep peace with us,” declared the chief.
_______________________________________________________________
3. The colonist asked, “Have you brought furs and food to trade today?” _______________________________________________________________
4. “I will marry you, John Rolfe,” Pocahontas replied, “and I hope one day to see this beautiful Eng-Land you call home.”
_______________________________________________________________
5. “Dear Father,” the colonist wrote. “We have survived a terrible winter thanks to the generosity of our Indian friends.”
_______________________________________________________________
Directions: Write two sentences that include direct quotes. Make the
sentences part of a conversation between a colonist and a Native American.
6. _ ______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
7. ________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
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Name
Date
Compare and Contrast
Directions: Use the charts below to compare and contrast the Native
Americans and colonists as depicted in the two biographies.
Views and
Values
Native
Americans
Colonists
Survival
Pocahontas
Adaptation
Relationships
Survival
Squanto
Adaptation
Relationships
biographies of two
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Name
Date
Focus on
Multiple-Meaning Words
Directions: Use context clues to figure out the meaning of each word
below as used in the text. Then find another meaning for each word in
a dictionary.
Page
Word
6
meal
7
sound
9
ransom
11
trip
Page
Word
15
reckoned
16
coast
17
board
19
harvest
20
spread
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Sentence
in Text
Meaning #1 Meaning #2
from Context from Dictionary
Sentence
in Text
Meaning #1 Meaning #2
from Context from Dictionary
blm 3
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Name
Date
Make Connections Across Texts
Directions: Fill in the chart. Use it to compare and contrast the two
biographies.
Pocahontas
Squanto
Time/Place
Why People
Should Learn
About Her or
His Life
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Name
Date
Title:
Biography Checklist
Features of the Genre Checklist
Yes
No
2. My biography is logically sequenced.




3. My biography includes the person’s date and place of birth.


4. My biography includes important events from the person’s life.


5. My biography includes people who have influenced the person.


7. My biography quotes the person.




8. My biography quotes people who knew or know the person.






Yes
No
















1. My biography has a strong lead.
6. My biography describes the person’s personality.
9. My biography explains why the person is worthy of a biography.
10. My biography has a strong ending.
Quality Writing Checklist
I looked for and corrected . . .
• run-on sentences
• sentence fragments
• subject/verb agreement
• correct verb tense • punctuation
• capitalization
• spelling
• indented paragraphs
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Name
Date
Biography Planning Guide
Directions: Use the steps below to plan your own biography.
1. Decide on someone to write about.
2. Decide who else needs to be in the biography.
Person or Group
Impact on Subject’s Life
Family Members:
Friends:
Heroes:
Others:
3. Recall events and settings.
Setting
Important Events That Occurred
Setting #1:
Setting #2:
Setting #3:
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