LESSON 11 TEACHER’S GUIDE
Feathered Hunters of the Night
by Carol A. Greenhalgh
Fountas-Pinnell Level Q
Nonfiction
Selection Summary
Owls belong to the group of birds known as raptors, or birds of prey.
Unlike other raptors, owls hunt for their prey at night. They have
special features that enable them to locate and quickly attack their
prey. Various types of owls grow to be different sizes and have some
different features.
Number of Words: 959
Characteristics of the Text
Genre
Text Structure
Content
Themes and Ideas
Language and
Literary Features
Sentence Complexity
Vocabulary
Words
Illustrations
Book and Print Features
• Nonfiction
• Text organized into seven short chapters
• Birds of prey
• Features of owls
• Types of owls
• Owls can be identified by their distinct features.
• Owls have special features to locate and catch their prey at night.
• Owls are excellent hunters.
• Narrator addresses the reader directly: “Let’s look at . . .”
• A mix of short and complex sentences
• Sentences with nouns, verbs, adjectives in series, divided by commas
• Sentences with parenthetical material
• Content-specific terms, mostly defined in the text, such as raptor, talons, facial disc
• Longer descriptive words, adverbs and adjectives, some hyphenated, such as patiently,
biological, yellowish-white, heart-shaped
• Many multisyllable words some of them challenging: arrangement, satellite, noticeable
• Illustrations on most pages
• Twelve pages of text, with easy-to-read chapter headings
• Table of contents
• Features of nonfiction: illustrations with captions, diagram, map, chart, and text box
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
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Feathered Hunters of the Night
by Carol A. Greenhalgh
Build Background
Help students use their knowledge of owls to visualize the selection. Build interest by
asking a question such as the following: What do you know about owls? Read the title and
author and talk about the cover illustration. Tell students that this article describes features
of owls and types of owls.
Introduce the Text
Guide students through the text, noting important ideas, and nonfiction features. Help with
unfamiliar language so they can read the text successfully. Give special attention to target
vocabulary. Here are some suggestions:
Page 3: Point out that captions can give clues about the text. Suggested
language: Look at the caption for the illustration on page 3. Read this sentence: It
doesn’t move a muscle, and it doesn’t utter a sound. How does the sentence help
you understand the meaning of the word utter?
Page 4: Read the caption for the illustration. Explain that nocturnal means of the
night.
Page 6: Tell students one type of owl is the elf owl. This owl, just five inches tall,
has endeared itself to people. What about this owl do you think might appeal to
people?
Page 7: Look at the photo on this page. How would you describe the arrangement
of feathers on the owl’s face?
Page 8: Read the first sentence on this page: Owls have many biological features
that many other birds do not. Ask: What biological features do you see in the
diagram on this page?
Page 13: Read the caption. Tell students that occasionally there is an incident in
which a tiny screech owl attacks.
Now turn back to the beginning and read to find out why owls are such good
hunters.
Target Vocabulary
arrangement – a plan or a way
things are organized, p. 7
endeared – being loved or
valued, p. 6
presence – being in a place,
p. 12
biological – natural or related to
living things, p. 8
hastened – rushed, p. 9
tempted – wanting something,
p. 12
disbelief – refusal to believe
something, p. 13
Grade 4
incident – a separate event or a
single experience, p. 13
pounced – attacked or jumped on
someone or something, p. 12
2
utter – to say something in a
normal tone of voice, p. 3
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Read
Have students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their
understanding of the text as needed.
Remind students to use the Infer/Predict Strategy
to figure out what the author doesn’t directly state.
and to use text clues
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite students to share their personal responses to the selection.
Suggested language: What do you think is most amazing about owls?
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
• Owls are raptors, or bird of prey.
• Owls are amazing creatures, and
some of them are quite beautiful.
• Captions help explain the
illustrations.
• The talons on an owl look
dangerous.
• The illustrations provide a lot of
visual information.
• Owls are nocturnal, or hunt at
night.
• There are different types of owls.
• The text box, chart, and map
provide information that is easy
to read.
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Choices for Further Support
• Fluency Invite students to choral read a passage from the text to read aloud. Suggest
that they try reading a chapter as if they were talking to students at a science museum.
• Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion,
revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go
back to the text to support their ideas.
• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words and word parts, using
examples from the text. Explain to students that adverbs are words that describe a
verb. For example, on page 3, the word patiently describes how an owl sits in a tree,
waiting for an animal to catch and eat. Have students find other adverbs in the article,
such as tightly (p. 5), surprisingly (p. 6), and quickly (p. 6).
Grade 4
3
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Writing about Reading
Vocabulary Practice
Have students complete the Vocabulary questions on BLM 11.1.
Responding
Have students use their Reader’s Notebook to complete the vocabulary activities on page
15. Remind them to answer the Word Teaser on page 16 (Answer: presence).
Reading Nonfiction
Nonfiction Features:
Text Boxes and Tables Remind students that nonfiction has many features to help
readers find and understand important information. Text boxes and tables are two of these
features. Explain that a text box, such as the one on page 6, is used to highlight facts and
details about a specific feature. Ask students what the information in this text box is about
(owls’ vision). Point out that the bullets next to each fact help the reader notice and quickly
read the information. Ask students to write down an additional item they would add to this
text box.
Tables are another source of information. The information in a table is easy to read.
Writers use a table to organize several pieces of information in one place. Have students
look again at the table on page 11. Ask them to read the column heads and summarize the
information in the table. (Different types of owls with their sizes, the shape of their facial
discs, and whether or not they have ear tufts.) Then ask students to suggest information
they might include in another column of the chart (what the owls eat, where the owls live,
the color of the owls’ feathers).
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
• What is this selection mainly about?
• What can readers tell about owls from reading the last paragraph on page 6?
• Which words in the first paragraph on page 3 help the reader understand what utter
means?
Grade 4
4
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English Language Development
Reading Support Pair beginning and intermediate readers to read the text softly
aloud, or have students listen to the audio or online recordings. Or have beginning
speakers read the captions.
Vocabulary Support The term birds of prey might be unfamiliar to students. Explain
that the word prey refers to animals that are caught, killed, and eaten by other animals.
Birds of prey are birds that catch, kill, and eat other animals. Remind them
of the other birds of prey mentioned in the text on page 4—eagles, falcons, hawks,
and condors.
Oral Language Development
Check student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’
English proficiency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.
Beginning/Early Intermediate
Intermediate
Early Advanced/ Advanced
Speaker 1: What is this article about?
Speaker 1: Why are owls called
nocturnal raptors?
Speaker 1: How are owls able to
hunt at night?
Speaker 2: They are birds of prey that
hunt at night.
Speaker 2: Owls can see really
well at night. They can hear
sounds because of their facial
disc. This helps them hear small
animals out at night. Owls can
move through the air without
making noise and catch their
preys.
Speaker 2: owls
Speaker 1: What do owls use to catch
their food?
Speaker 2: their feet
Speaker 1: What is special about an
owl’s head?
Speaker 2: An owl’s head can turn
almost all the way around.
Lesson 11
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 11.1
Date
Target Vocabulary
Feathered Hunters
of the Night
Target Vocabulary
Fill in two more examples and non-examples for disbelief. Then
create your own Four-Square Maps for three of the remaining
Target Vocabulary words. Possible responses shown.
Vocabulary
arrangement
biological
disbelief
endeared
hastened
incident
pounced
presence
tempted
utter
Definition
Example
not believing
something or
someone
• unexpected news
a surprised look,
finding a toy you
thought was lost
disbelief
Non-example
Sentence
The mouse looked
up with disbelief as
the other mouse was
grabbed by the owl.
Target Vocabulary
• studying for a test and
getting an “A”
seeing the sun rise in
the morning, finding
something where you left it
3
Grade 4, Unit 3: Natural Encounters
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5
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Lesson 11: Feathered Hunters of the Night
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First Pass
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Name
Date
Feathered Hunters of the Night
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.
The sidebar on page 6 says that owls can see about 100 times better than
humans at night. Think about what an owl might see on a dark night in the
country. Describe what the owl might see and what it might do. Use facts
from the book to support your ideas.
Grade 4
6
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Lesson 11
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 11.1
Date
Target Vocabulary
Feathered Hunters
of the Night
Target Vocabulary
Fill in two more examples and non-examples for disbelief. Then
create your own Four-Square Maps for three of the remaining
Target Vocabulary words.
Vocabulary
arrangement
biological
disbelief
endeared
hastened
incident
pounced
presence
tempted
utter
Definition
Example
not believing
something or
someone
• unexpected news
disbelief
Sentence
Non-example
The mouse looked
up with disbelief as
the other mouse was
grabbed by the owl.
Grade 4
• studying for a test and
getting an “A”
7
Lesson 11: Feathered Hunters of the Night
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Student
Lesson 11
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 11.23
Feathered Hunters of the Night
• LEVEL Q
page
Feathered Hunters of
the Night
Running Record Form
Selection Text
3
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Total SelfCorrections
Only a small sliver of moonlight casts a glow over the dark
hilltop. An owl is perched high in a tree, patiently waiting for its
next meal. It doesn’t move a muscle, and it doesn’t utter a
sound. Suddenly, the owl swoops down and snatches its prey
from the tall grass.
What makes it so easy for an owl to hunt in the dead of
night?
4
Owls are birds of prey, also called raptors. Raptors are
different from other birds because they hunt for food using
their feet. They have excellent vision and sharp, hooked beaks.
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/96 × 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
1414206
Behavior
ˆ
Word told
1
8
T
cat
1
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