®
Guided
Reading
InfoPairs
Science
880L/760L
A: Simple Machines Can
Get Complex!
B: Wacky & Wonderful
Rube Goldberg
LITERACY STANDARDS Addressed in This Plan
RI.3.1
MAIN FOCUS Key Ideas & Details Sessions 1, 2, 3
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate
understanding of a text, referring explicitly to
the text as the basis for the answers.
RI.3.4
RI.3.8
MAIN FOCUS Craft & Structure Sessions 2, 3 Determine the meaning of general academic
and domain-specific words and phrases in
a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or
subject area.
Integration of Knowledge & Ideas Session 3 Describe the logical connection between
particular sentences and paragraphs in a text
(e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third
in a sequence).
RI.3.9
MAIN FOCUS Integration of Knowledge & Ideas Session 3 Compare and contrast the most important
points and key details presented in two texts
on the same topic.
RI.3.10 Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity By the end of the year, read and comprehend
informational texts, including history/social
studies, science, and technical texts, at the high
end of the grades 2–3 text complexity band
independently and proficiently.
RF.3.3c Phonics & Word Recognition Session 2 Decode multisyllable words.
SL.3.1c Comprehension & Collaboration Sessions 1, 2
Ask questions to check understanding of
information presented, stay on topic, and link
their comments to the remarks of others.
W.3.8* Research to Build & Present Knowledge Sessions 2, 3
Recall information from experiences or gather
information from provided sources to answer a
question. *Standard adapted from another grade
W.3.10 Range of Writing Write routinely over extended time frames
and shorter time frames for a range of
discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and
audiences.
ISBN 978-1-62889-493-6
Session 1: Text A
PREVIEWING THE TEXT 5 minutes
Ask students to read the title and scan the article. Encourage them to think
about what type of information this article might provide.
efore we read this article, scan it by looking over the title, text, and
B
pictures. Use what you find to get an idea about what we might learn from
this article. Who would like to share his or her thoughts?
We’re going to learn about simple machines. We’re going to learn
about bicycles.
The title gives us a topic to focus on as we read.
Learning Focus
RI.3.1
Students read to ask
questions and answer
using explicit text details.
KEY IDEA
Six types of simple machines
help people do work. When
simple machines work in
combination, they form
complex machines, such
as bicycles.
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READING THE TEXT CLOSELY VOCABULARY
Help students use
RI.3.4
context clues to determine
the meaning of the
word simultaneously.
5 minutes
Explain the learning focus and ask students to read to the end of the third
paragraph. Check to see how they are applying the focus and understanding
the key idea.
s we read, we’ll ask questions and use explicit or stated details in the
A
text to answer. Let’s read the title and then to the end of the third
paragraph. . . . Who can ask a question about the text?
Why is a bicycle a complex machine?
Can someone share an answer?
A bicycle uses two or more simple machines at the same time.
Okay, what simple machines does a bicycle use to move?
A bicycle works with multiple wheels and axles.
et’s read to the end of the fourth paragraph. . . . What other questions do
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you have?
How does a wheel and axle system work?
Who can answer?
A wheel rotates or moves around a fixed point called an axle. The center
of the wheel is the axle. The wheel spins around the axle.
So how does the bike move?
The gears turn the wheels, and each wheel handles part of the work
necessary to move the bike.
o all the parts of a bike work together to make the force needed to move
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the bike.
SL.3.1c DISCUSSION
Collaborative
ELL SUPPORT
RI.3.1 Discussing the Text
Ask questions at students’
language proficiency levels
and provide the following
sentence frame for student
responses:
B: What is ___? Why does
___? Who is ___? Where is
___?
I/A: I want to know what ___
means. I want to learn about
___. I found an answer to my
question. It is ___.
DISCUSSING THE TEXT 10 minutes
Invite students to share what they learned about asking questions and
using text details to answer. Encourage them to listen closely and link their
comments to the remarks of others.
ho’d like to go first? Remember to try to add to your friends’ comments
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and make links to text details.
Does it make a difference whether the wheel is round or square? Well,
the wheel needs to roll, and circles are good at rolling. Look—the squarewheeled bike needs a rounded road for it to roll.
et’s tell what we know about simple machines based on text details and
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our discussion.
There are six different types of simple machines. Some simple machines
work alone, but simple machines can also work together to make
complex machines, such as bicycles.
TEACHER’S
RI.3.1 COMPREHENSION
Ask and Answer Questions
CHOICE COMPREHENSION: ASK & ANSWER QUESTIONS
E-RESOURCE
Summative Assessment Have students use the blackline
master on page 7 to ask and answer questions about “Simple Machines Can
Get Complex!” and look for answers in the text. Review students’ answers
as you evaluate their mastery of the learning focus.
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Session 2: Text B
PREVIEWING THE TEXT 5 minutes
Have students read the title and briefly scan the article. Encourage students
to think about what type of information this article might provide.
oday we’re going to read another article about machines that do work.
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Let’s scan the article to get a sense of what we will learn from it. . . . Who
wants to start our conversation?
I think we’re going to read about silly machines.
Learning FOCUSES
RI.3.1, RI.3.4
Students read to ask
questions and answer
using explicit text details.
Students determine
the meaning of general
academic and domainspecific words and phrases.
Can someone add another idea?
Yes, using a pencil sharpener is a much easier way to sharpen a pencil
than the machine in this drawing!
e read some informational texts to learn more about how people use
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machines to make their lives easier. When we read these articles, we’re
often learning about topics we know little about. We may not know much
about simple or complex machines, but we can read to find out more.
READING THE TEXT CLOSELY KEY IDEA
Students learn about Rube
Goldberg and study one of
his inventions for sharpening
a pencil.
5 minutes
Explain the learning focuses for this session. Guide students to ask and
answer questions about academic and domain-specific vocabulary. Check
to see how well students are applying the focuses and comprehending the
information. Then read to the end.
hen an author writes about a science topic, he or she may use words
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or phrases that are unfamiliar to you. You can ask questions about these
words and phrases and then use text details to answer your questions. As
we read, we’re going to look for unfamiliar words or phrases. Let’s read
the first two paragraphs. . . . Who has a question about an unfamiliar word
or phrase?
What’s an “Invention Convention”?
Who can use text details to come up with an idea?
An invention is a machine that does work, like swatting flies. Noah wants
to work with Gordie to make an invention, so maybe a convention is a
place where different pairs share their inventions.
Okay, where can we check whether this definition is a good one?
We can look up both words in a dictionary.
Any other questions?
TEACHER’S Close Reading
CHOICE
E-RESOURCE
Option
Summative
Print the online blackline
master for independent
close reading. Ask students
to read Text B and respond
to the prompts (summarize
author’s message, identify
critical vocabulary, respond
to constructed response
questions) before returning
for a small-group discussion.
VOCABULARY
Help students use
RI.3.4
context clues to determine
the meaning of the phrase
think outside the box.
What does complicated mean?
Who can answer?
The text says that Rube Goldberg’s inventions had lots of steps. Maybe
that’s what complicated means.
Yes. Complicated is the opposite of simple. Now let’s read the rest of the
article and think about how using text clues to understand the vocabulary
helps us understand the text.
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SL.3.1c
DISCUSSION
Collaborative
WORD RECOGNITION/
STUDY
RF.3.3c Point out that
students can break a
multisyllable word into
syllables, one vowel sound
per syllable, to help them
read the word. For example,
write con/ven/tion on the
board. Say the word aloud
and have students echo.
COMPREHENSION SHARE
Use word webs to learn
the meanings of unfamiliar
words and phrases. Write a
word or phrase in the center
circle. Write context clues in
the radiating circles. Then
write a dictionary definition
under the web.
DISCUSSING THE TEXT 10 minutes
Invite students to share what they learned about asking and answering
questions about vocabulary. Encourage them to listen to each other and add
to each other’s ideas.
et’s talk more about unfamiliar words and phrases. Who can ask a
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question about another unfamiliar word or phrase?
What does accomplish mean?
Can anyone use text details to answer?
The text says that the machine has to accomplish whatever it’s supposed
to do. So, if it’s supposed to sharpen a pencil, it has to sharpen a pencil. I
think accomplish means “to complete a job.”
Is whether or not a machine accomplishes a job a good way to judge
whether the machine is useful?
Well, it’s one good way to judge. No one wants a machine that doesn’t
do its job. But there’s a much easier way to sharpen a pencil than to use
the machine in this drawing. So maybe the best way to judge a machine
is whether it accomplishes its job in the simplest way.
et’s talk about how understanding the words and phrases in this text help
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us understand and think about the ideas.
By talking through the meaning of the some of the hard words and
phrases, we also came to understand the ideas. Then we were able to
add some of our own thoughts to the discussion.
Confirm students’ good use of the learning focuses and encourage
them to keep the focuses in mind whenever they read reports or other
informational texts.
e’ve learned that asking questions and using text details to answer can
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help us understand what we’re reading. Remember to use these same
strategies whenever you read other texts like this one.
TEACHER’S
W.3.8*, RI.3.1
WRITING
Gather Information
CHOICE CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE: COLLECT TEXT EVIDENCE
E-RESOURCE
Formative/Summative Assessment Use the blackline master
on page 8 to introduce the constructed response question: What are some
ways to judge whether a machine is useful? Use details from both articles
to support your answer. Have students use self-stick notes to mark places
in the texts that help them answer the question. Point out that the details
they include can come from the illustrations as well as the main texts of both
articles. Review students’ self-stick notes as you evaluate their mastery of
the learning focus.
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Session 3: Texts A and B
REFLECTING ON THE TEXTS 5 minutes
Ask students to reflect on what they learned about their reading work over
the past sessions. Invite them to review and reflect on both articles.
et’s think about what we’ve learned and practiced in our reading to help
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us ask and answer questions.
We asked questions about text details and about unfamiliar words and
phrases. Then we answered using other text details.
e also thought about how learning the meanings of new words helps us
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understand new ideas. Who can remind us what the first article is about?
There are six types of simple machines that help people do work. When
simple machines work together, they make complex machines, such as the
wheel and axle system on bikes.
Learning FOCUSES
RI.3.1, RI.3.4, RI.3.9
Students read to ask
questions and answer
using explicit text details.
They determine the
meaning of general
academic and domainspecific words and
phrases. Finally, students
compare and contrast the
most important points
and key details presented
in two texts on the
same topic.
How about the second article?
Rube Goldberg created complicated inventions to do simple tasks,
like nineteen steps for sharpening a pencil! He drew cartoons of these
inventions to help people think about science in different ways.
CROSS-TEXT ANALYSIS 5 minutes
Encourage students to draw on the specific information they identified in
each article to compare and contrast the two texts.
et’s think and talk about how the two articles share ideas that are
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the same.
Both articles show how simple machines work. A bicycle is a series
of wheels and axles. The pencil sharpener uses a system of pulleys
and levers.
Now let’s discuss how the two articles share ideas that are different.
The bicycle does its work in the easiest way possible, while the pencil
sharpener does not.
hen I read two texts on the same topic, I use information from both
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sources to help me understand the topic better.
Guide students to synthesize the information from the articles. The analysis
should lead them to make connections and come to new understandings
based on ideas from both texts.
et’s think about how the two articles together helped you understand this
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topic more deeply. Turn and talk with a partner about what you learned
from the two texts together. . . . Let’s hear what you decided.
VOCABULARY
Discuss with
RI.3.4
students the vocabulary
used to describe types of
simple machines. A pulley is
a simple machine that uses
a grooved wheel and a rope
to move a load. A lever is
a solid bar that rests on a
support to move a load. A
wedge has a slanted side
and a sharp point that cuts
things apart. An inclined
plane is a slanted surface
that connects higher and
lower levels. A screw is an
inclined plane wrapped
around a pole that holds
things together or lifts
a load. A wheel and axle is
a lever that moves around a
fixed point on a wheel.
We think that the two articles together helped us understand that simple
machines can do work alone, like the lever in a seesaw. Simple machines
can also do work together, like the wheels and axles in a bicycle.
hese are good connections. These articles also helped me think about
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how simple is probably better when building and using machines.
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RI.3.8 INTEGRATION
Describe Connections
INTEGRATING THE LEARNING 10 minutes
Guide students to integrate information from both articles and concisely
state the big ideas learned across both texts.
emember how we asked and answered questions about each article?
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Well now we are going to try to ask questions and answer using both
articles, and we’ll think about the big ideas across both. Let’s also think
about how different sentences and paragraphs are connected and how
they show cause-and-effect relationships or a sequence of events. Take
turns asking and answering questions with a partner. . . . Who would like
to share?
I asked my partner if Rube Goldberg’s pencil sharpener is a simple or
complex machine. My partner answered that the pencil sharpener is a
complex machine because it uses several pulleys and a lever at the same
time to accomplish its task.
Have students reflect on the strategies they learned for gaining the key
ideas from multiple texts.
et’s review what strategies helped us deepen our understanding of
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both texts.
We asked questions about text details and unfamiliar words and phrases.
Then we answered using other text details. We also combined ideas
from two texts to understand one topic.
emember that these strategies will be helpful whenever you read other
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informational texts on your own.
W.3.8*, RI.3.1 WRITING
Respond to Question
TEACHER’S
CHOICE CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE: WRITE TO SOURCE
E-RESOURCE
Formative/Summative Assessment Have students use the
blackline master on page 8 to write a response to the question: What are
some ways to judge whether a machine is useful? Use details from both
articles to support your answer. Tell students that they can use their
self-stick notes to help them write their answer.
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Name
Date
Comprehension: Ask and Answer
Questions
Use this chart to ask questions about the article “Simple Machines
Can Get Complex!” and to look for answers in the text. Be sure to write the
number of the page where you found the answer.
Question 1
Answer I Found
Page _____
Question 2
Answer I Found
© Mondo Publishing
Page _____
Score:
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Name
Date
Constructed Response:
Write to Source
What are some ways to judge whether a machine
is useful? Use details from both articles to support
your answer.
REMEMBER:
• Think about the question carefully.
• State the standards you will judge machines by.
• Give examples from both texts to explain these standards.
• Say whether each example is a useful machine.
© Mondo Publishing
• Proofread your work to revise and edit.
Score:
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