LESSON 13 TEACHER’S GUIDE
A Visit to Antarctica
by Barbara Weldon
Fountas-Pinnell Level R
Narrative Nonfiction
Selection Summary
Antarctica is the continent that surrounds the South Pole. It is
the coldest place on Earth. The first person to travel there was
Roald Amundsen, an explorer from Norway. Today, Antarctica is
a destination for many different people.
Number of Words: 1,162
Characteristics of the Text
Genre
Text Structure
Content
Themes and Ideas
Language and
Literary Features
Sentence Complexity
Vocabulary
Words
Illustrations
Book and Print Features
• Narrative nonfiction
• Third-person narrative organized into eight chapters
• Each chapter describes an aspect of the history and exploration of Antarctica
• Factual information about the Antarctic
• Description of Antarctic exploration
• Modes of transportation used by Antarctic adventurers
• Antarctica is a wonderful place to visit.
• Antarctica should be cared for to be enjoyed by generations to come.
• Public service has tremendous value.
• Factual information
• Descriptive language, important for understanding setting and characters
• A mix of short and complex sentences
• Multiple items in a series
• Scientific terms, some of which might not be familiar to English language learners, such
as continent, scientist, and equator. Cultural references such as research stations (p. 6).
• Many multisyllable words some of them challenging: explorer, faraway, hemisphere
• Color photographs
• Captions for photos
• Eleven pages of text with easy-to-read chapter headings
• Chapter headings and photographs on most pages
• Table of contents, maps, labels
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
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A Visit to Antarctica
by Barbara Weldon
Build Background
Help students use their knowledge of exploration to visualize the selection. Build interest
by asking a question such as the following: What do you think it would be like to travel
to the Antarctic? Read the title and author and talk about the cover photograph. Note
the various graphic features in the selection. Tell students that this selection is narrative
nonfiction, so the events and people are real.
Frontload Vocabulary
Some everyday words may be unfamiliar to English learners. Before reading, check
understanding of the following words: research, icebergs, and helicopter.
Introduce the Text
Guide students through the text, reading the captions, noting important ideas, and helping
with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Call their
attention to any important labels. Here are some suggestions:
Page 4: Read the caption. Explain that this selection is about people who travel to
Antarctica, both historically and in the present. Suggested language: Look at page
4. This page explains where Antarctica is located and that it is the coldest place on
Earth.
Page 5: Tell students that early explorers were drawn to the Antarctic because it
was one of the last places on Earth that had yet to be discovered.
Page 6: Explain that the conditions in Antarctica in the summer can cause
weariness in some people who travel there. Cultural Support: Explain what a
research station is.
Pages 9–10: Have students look at the photographs and read the captions. Ask:
Can you guess how Emperor penguins stay warm in the harsh conditions of
Antarctica?
Now turn back to the beginning of the selection to read about early and presentday explorations to Antarctica.
Target Vocabulary
alert – to be wide awake and
paying attention, p. 6
fractured – broken into pieces,
p. 13
stranded – unable to leave a
place, p. 8
concluded – made a decision or
formed an opinion, p. 13
graceful – moves smoothly, p. 9
display – shown publicly, p. 9
standards – rules used for
judging or measuring, p. 13
vision – an idea of what
something could be like in the
future, p. 7
Grade 4
huddle – crowd together, p. 9
2
weariness – to be very tired, p. 6
Lesson 13: A Visit to Antarctica
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Read
Have students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their
problem solving and fluency as needed.
Remind students to use the Summarize Strategy
the important parts of the text as they read.
, and to think about
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite students to share their personal responses to the selection.
Suggested language: What factual information did you learn about the Antarctic? If you
were to travel to Antarctica, which method of transportation would you chose? Why?
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
• Roald Amundsen reached the
South Pole before Robert Scott.
• Protecting unique places around
the world takes the dedication of
many.
• The photographs show the
beauty of Antarctica.
• People today are very interested
in traveling to and learning about
Antarctica.
• People must work together to
protect Earth’s treasures.
• Travel to faraway places of the
world can be difficult.
• The author includes lots of
descriptions to help the reader
visualize the text.
• The explanations of modes of
transportations help readers
understand the difficulty of
traveling to the area.
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Choices for Further Support
• Fluency Invite students to choose a passage from the text to demonstrate phrased
fluent reading. Remind students to use punctuation and chunk, or put words together,
in meaningful groups to show them when to pause during reading.
• 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. Remind students that many words have Greek or Latin roots.
The root word ant- in Antarctica comes from the Greek word anti, which means
“opposite.” Antarctica is on the opposite end of the world from the region known as
the Arctic.
Grade 4
3
Lesson 13: A Visit to Antarctica
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Writing about Reading
Critical Thinking
Have students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 13.10.
Responding
Have students complete the activities at the back of the book, using their Reader’s
Notebook. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the
comprehension skill.
Target Comprehension Skill
Conclusions and Generalizations
Remind students that they can use text
details to help them draw conclusions about Antarctica. They can then use these details
to fill in a graphic organizer. Model how to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a
“Think Aloud” like the one below:
Think Aloud
On page 8, the text states that people should use a travel company if
they want to visit Antarctica. The text also states that many people visit
Antarctica. This is a key detail that explains that people see Antarctica
as an interesting place to visit. Include this detail in a chart that will help
draw a conclusion about why people travel to Antarctica.
Practice the Skill
Have students share an example of another selection in which the text explained what you
might see if you traveled to a faraway place.
Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the Text
Have students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they
think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understandings.
Assessment Prompts
• Complete the following sentence in your own words: One idea present in the selection
is that
________________________________________________________________.
• The first paragraph on page 8 is mostly about
________________________________________________________________.
• Which sentences from pages 13 and 14 show that people are concerned for
Antarctica’s future?
Grade 4
4
Lesson 13: A Visit to Antarctica
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English Language Development
Reading Support Pair English-speaking and English language learners so that they
can check their understanding with each other.
Cognates The text includes many cognates. Point out the English words and their
Spanish equivalents: alert (alerta), map (mapa), vision (visión), and visit (visita).
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 the selection about?
Speaker 1: Why do most people travel to
Antarctica in the summer months?
Speaker 1: How did
environmentalists help save
Antarctica?
Speaker 2: Antarctica
Speaker 1: How do people travel there?
Speaker 2: by ship or plane
Speaker 1: What do people see there?
Speaker 2: wildlife and icebergs
Speaker 2: In the summer, the ice
begins to break up.
Speaker 1: Why is a tour operator or
travel agent the best person to plan a
trip to Antarctica?
Speaker 2: They organized a plan
and let the public know what
was happening. They demanded
that all scientists meet certain
environmental standards.
Speaker 2: He or she will arrange a
complete schedule and you won’t get
stranded.
Lesson 13
BLACKLINE MASTER 13.10
Name
Date
Critical Thinking
A Visit to Antarctica
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions. Possible responses shown.
1. Think within the text What do scientists do at research
stations in Antarctica?
They study weather and the wildlife, and do other scientific research there.
2. Think within the text What effect does the Antarctic summer
have on tourism?
It is warmer during the summer, so the ice melts a bit and cruise ships and boats
can pass more safely.
3. Think beyond the text Would you want to visit Antarctica?
Why or why not?
I would like to visit Antarctica because the author describes it as very beautiful
and interesting. I also like the idea of going somewhere that not many other
people have been!
4. Think about the text The author includes details about how
tourists can visit Antarctica. Do they make you want to visit
Antarctica? Explain your answer.
The author gives helpful details about what to see and how to get to Antarctica,
so now a trip seems both possible and interesting. Before, I thought visiting
Antarctica was something only scientists and explorers could do.
Making Connections There are lots of penguins and sea animals in
Antarctica. These animals live well in cold weather. What are some other
animals that can live in the cold, but do not live in Antarctica?
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Critical Thinking
12
Grade 4, Unit 3: Natural Encounters
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5
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Lesson 13: A Visit to Antarctica
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Name
Date
A Visit to Antarctica
Thinking Beyond the Text
Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in one or two
paragraphs.
Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal
knowledge to reach new understandings.
On page 11, the author points out that tour companies hire naturalists and
wildlife experts as guides. What do naturalists and experts do? How do you
think these people help the tourists receive a better understanding of the
area? Explain your answer, giving examples from the text.
Grade 4
6
Lesson 13: A Visit to Antarctica
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Lesson 13
BLACKLINE MASTER 13.10
Name
Date
Critical Thinking
A Visit to Antarctica
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions.
1. Think within the text What do scientists do at research
stations in Antarctica?
2. Think within the text What effect does the Antarctic summer
have on tourism?
3. Think beyond the text Would you want to visit Antarctica?
Why or why not?
4. Think about the text The author includes details about how
tourists can visit Antarctica. Do they make you want to visit
Antarctica? Explain your answer.
Making Connections There are lots of penguins and sea animals in
Antarctica. These animals live well in cold weather. What are some other
animals that can live in the cold, but do not live in Antarctica?
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Grade 4
7
Lesson 13: A Visit to Antarctica
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Student
Lesson 13
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 13.14
A Visit to Antarctica • LEVEL R
page
13
A Visit to Antarctica
Running Record Form
Selection Text
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Total SelfCorrections
In the 1970s and 1980s, people who wanted to protect nature
began to worry about Antarctica. They were upset because
people dumped waste in the areas around the research
stations. In Antarctica, the cold, dry air does not let some
kinds of trash rust or rot away. That means it stays there
forever.
People who cared about nature concluded that this waste
fractured, or broke up, the area’s beauty. They knew they had
to fix Antarctica before others could hurt it even more. These
people made a plan. First, they told people about their worries.
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/95 × 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
1413982
Behavior
ˆ
Word told
1
8
T
cat
1
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