LESSON 2 TEACHER’S GUIDE
Lauren Helps Sammy
by David Martz
Fountas-Pinnell Level M
Fantasy
Selection Summary
Lauren Otter is a lawyer whose love of play seems to distract her
from her job. At the trial of Sammy Seal, who is accused of stealing
100 clams from the bank where he works, Lauren does a back flip.
She tricks the witness Mr. Shark into imitating her, and the stolen
clams fall out of his pocket.
Number of Words: 823
Characteristics of the Text
Genre
Text Structure
Content
Themes and Ideas
Language and
Literary Features
Sentence Complexity
Vocabulary
Words
Illustrations
Book and Print Features
• Fantasy
• Third person narrative
• First three pages introduce main character’s qualities and story problem.
• Time shift to earlier event
• Sea creatures
• Job of lawyer and courtroom trial
• Animals are linked with qualities (playful otter, greedy shark).
• Justice and honesty are valued.
• It is possible to play and work at the same time.
• Puns and word play, such as Lauren Otter (law and order), shell phone, office pool, clams
(slang for dollars), and a loan officer named Shark
• Variety in sentence length and complexity
• Dialogue with two or three speakers, each named
• Full range of punctuation
• Multiple-meaning words used for humor, such as shark and clams
• Target vocabulary highlighted in text
• Justice-related terms, some of which might not be familiar to English language learners:
lawyer, arrested, trial, judge, jury, witness stand
• Mostly one- and two-syllable words, some longer
• Drawings convey lively, humorous tone of story
• Thirteen pages with art on every spread; some full pages of text or art
• Captions and labels that provide additional information and clarify text
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
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Lauren Helps Sammy
by David Martz
Build Background
Ask what a lawyer does to help people. Explain that a client is a person whom a lawyer
helps. Read the title and author, and talk about the cover illustration. Have students
identify the otter, shark, and walrus, and tell what role each seems to be playing in the
scene. Remind students that a fantasy often has animals that talk and act like people.
Front-Load Vocabulary Some everyday words may be unfamiliar to English
learners. Before reading, check understanding of the following words: lawyer, arrested,
judge, back flip, hero, jury, witness stand.
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 2: Tell students that this story is about a lawyer who happens to be a sea
otter named Lauren Otter and what happens when she tries to help a friend. Be
sure students understand the meaning of lawyer and sea otter.
Suggested language: Turn to page 2 and read the caption under the illustration.
The picture shows Lauren Otter floating in her pool. I’ll read the first two
sentences: Lauren Otter was a lawyer. But Lauren wasn’t one of those lawyers who
work hard. What can you tell right from the start about Lauren Otter?
Pages 4–5: Read the caption and explain that Lauren Otter is talking to a character
named Sammy Seal, who is in jail. Look at the third paragraph. Sammy says: “The
police arrested me this morning. They say I stole 100 clams from the bank.” What
are clams? Would an honest person steal clams?
Pages 6–7: Explain that a lawyer is trying how to prove that the arrested person is
not guilty of the crime, or of doing something wrong.
Page 10: Read the caption under the illustration and the labels. Point out that Mr.
Shark is showing a photo of Sammy Seal taking the 100 clams and that a murmur
goes through the animals watching. How do you talk in a murmur?
Now turn back to the beginning of the story and read to find out what happens at
the trial of Sammy Seal.
Target Vocabulary
convinced – someone agreed
with something, p. 7
guilty – a person who did
something wrong, p. 7
honest – truthful, p. 4
jury – the group of people who
Grade 3
murmur – n. the sound of people
speaking very softly, p. 10
stand – n. the place where a
witness in a trial sits while
being questioned, p. 9
pointed – used a finger or
other object to show where
something was, p. 14
trial – a meeting in court to
decide if someone has broken
the law, p. 8
make the decision in a trial, p. 8
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Read
Have students read Lauren Helps Sammy silently while you listen to individual students
read. Support their problem solving and fluency as needed.
Remind students to use the Infer/Predict Strategy
figure out more about the story as they read.
and use clues to
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite students to share their personal responses to the story.
Suggested language: If you needed a lawyer, would you hire Lauren Otter? Why or
why not?
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
• The lawyer Lauren Otter is
always playing, even in the
courtroom.
• It is possible to solve a problem
and be playful at the same time.
• Word play adds humor to the
story.
• Animal characters in fantasies
sometimes have some of the
qualities of real-life animals.
• The author uses Lauren’s silly
behaviors to keep the story
moving and make readers
wonder whether she will pay
attention to the problem that
needs solving.
• Mr. Shark has accused Sammy
Seal of stealing 100 clams from
the bank where they work.
• Lauren Otter dares Mr. Shark
to imitate her back flip, and the
clams fall out of his jacket when
he takes the dare.
© 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 read aloud. Remind them
to vary their voices to sound like the narrator or the characters.
• 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 the common endings –ed and –ing can
be added to a base word, sometimes with a spelling change. Have students identify
and write the base word in each of these words from pages 2–4 of Lauren Helps
Sammy: floated, swimming, answered, scared, joking, arrested, worked.
Grade 3
3
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Writing about Reading
Critical Thinking
Have students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 2.10.
Responding
Have students complete the activities at the back of the book. Use the instruction below as
needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the comprehension skill.
Target Comprehension Skill
Conclusions
Tell students that they can put together details in the story to
figure out ideas that the author doesn’t tell them directly. Model the skill, using a “Think
Aloud” like the one below:
Think Aloud
On page 2, Lauren Otter is swimming in her pool instead of working.
On page 6, she tries to pay attention to Sammy Seal, but she keeps
thinking about swinging from the bars of the jail. On page 8, everyone in
the courtroom is quiet, except for Lauren Otter, who is sliding across a
bench. I can use those details to draw a conclusion about Lauren Otter:
she has trouble focusing on her work!
Practice the Skill
Have students write a sentence that states their conclusion about another character from
the story.
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 what they know and their own experience to think about
what happens in the story.
Assessment Prompts
• Why is Sammy Seal scared at the beginning of the story?
• Tell one word that best describes Lauren Otter. Use evidence from the story to support
your thinking.
• In the last paragraph on page 14, find the word that means “someone who has done a
great deed.”
Grade 3
4
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English Language Development
Reading Support In Introduce the Text (p.2), use pictures, concrete objects, or
demonstrations that will help children understand the concepts and ideas in the text. Don’t
ask children to read any text they will not understand. Or have students use the audio or
online recordings.
Cultural Support For students not familiar with the system of justice in the United
States, provide a brief explanation. Explain that anyone accused of a crime is entitled to a
lawyer to defend him or her. If the matter comes before a trial, information is presented
by both sides to a judge who rules over the court and a jury of people chosen to hear the
case.
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: Who is the lawyer in the
story?
Speaker 1: The bank cameras took a
photo. What does the photo show?
Speaker 1: How does Lauren Otter
trick Mr. Shark?
Speaker 2: Lauren Otter
Speaker 2: It shows Sammy Seal taking
the clams.
Speaker 2: She does a back flip
and dares Mr. Shark to do one
too. When he does a back flip,
the stolen clams fall from his
jacket.
Speaker 1: Who is in jail?
Speaker 2: Sammy Seal
Speaker 1: Who stole the clams?
Speaker 2: Mr. Shark
Speaker 1: What really happened to the
clams?
Speaker 2: Mr. Shark stole them and hid
them in his jacket.
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Lesson 2
Name
Date
Critical Thinking
BLACKLINE MASTER 2.10
Lauren Helps Sammy
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions. Possible responses shown.
1. Think within the text
work?
How does Lauren feel about her
She thinks that having fun is more important than working.
2. Think within the text
story?
What is Sammy’s problem in the
Mr. Shark says that Sammy has stolen clams from the bank.
3. Think beyond the text Do you think Lauren should
work more and play less? Explain your answer.
Responses will vary.
4. Think about the text How does having fun help
Lauren send Mr. Shark to jail?
Lauren does a back flip off the judge’s desk. Then she gets
Mr. Shark to do a back flip, and the clams fall out of his jacket.
Making Connections In Lauren Helps Sammy, Mr. Shark blames
Sammy for something Sammy did not do. Think of another
character you have read about who is blamed for something he or
she did not do. Briefly tell what happens in the story.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Read directions to students.
Critical Thinking
12
Grade 3, Unit 1: Good Citizens
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Grade 3
5
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Name
Date
Lauren Helps Sammy
Thinking Beyond the Text
Imagine you are a newspaper reporter. You are reporting on Sammy Seal’s
trial. Write a news report. Describe what happens at the trial. Use details
from the story in your news report.
Grade 3
6
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Lesson 2
Name
Date
Critical Thinking
BLACKLINE MASTER 2.10
Lauren Helps Sammy
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions.
1. Think within the text
work?
How does Lauren feel about her
2. Think within the text
story?
What is Sammy’s problem in the
3. Think beyond the text Do you think Lauren should
work more and play less? Explain your answer.
4. Think about the text How does having fun help
Lauren send Mr. Shark to jail?
Making Connections In Lauren Helps Sammy, Mr. Shark
blames Sammy for something Sammy did not do. Think of another
character you have read about who is blamed for something he or
she did not do. Briefly tell what happens in the story.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Grade 3
7
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Student
Lesson 2
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 2.14
Lauren Helps Sammy • LEVEL M
page
2
Lauren Helps Sammy
Running Record Form
Selection Text
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Total SelfCorrections
Lauren Otter was a lawyer. But Lauren wasn’t one of those
lawyers who work hard. Lauren thought having fun was more
important than working hard.
So when Lauren’s shell phone rang one Monday morning, she
didn’t answer it. She was swimming in her office pool.
3
The shell phone rang and rang. Finally, Lauren got out of the
pool.
“I guess even otters have to work sometimes,” Lauren said.
4
Lauren answered the phone. She heard a scared voice. It was
Lauren’s friend Sammy Seal.
“Lauren, I need your help!” Sammy said. “I’m in the Rocky
Beach Jail. The police will not let me go!”
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/103 ×
100)
%
Read word correctly
Code
✓
cat
Repeated word,
sentence, or phrase
®
Omission
—
cat
cat
Grade 3
Behavior
Error
0
0
Substitution
Code
cut
cat
1
Self-corrects
cut sc
cat
0
Insertion
the
1
cat
Error
1414158
Behavior
ˆ
Word told
1
8
T
cat
1
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