Level E/8
Marta’s Cupcake Problem
Fiction Teacher’s Guide
Skills & Strategies
Anchor Comprehension
Strategies
•• Analyze Story Elements
•• Make Inferences
Phonemic Awareness
•• Identify number of syllables
Phonics
•• Initial, medial, and final n
•• Vowel y
High-Frequency Words
•• ask, know, need, which
Concept Vocabulary
•• Survey friends for preferences
Grammar/Word Study
•• Use quotations marks in dialogue
Summary
•• M
arta wants to celebrate her birthday with her class, but she does not know
which classmates prefer vanilla cupcakes
and which classmates prefer chocolate.
B
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Theme: Gathering Information
Math Concept: We can sort things
that are alike into groups. Then we
can collect and record data about
those things.
e n c h m a r k
E
d u c a t i o n
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o m p a n y
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Small-Group Reading Lesson
Before Reading
Activate Prior Knowledge
Fruits
Oranges
Bananas
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ell
Support Tips
for English-Language Learners
Build Vocabulary and
Language Patterns
Ask students to share details of
favorite parties or family birthday
traditions. Encourage them to
describe a ­typical celebration in
their native culture or country. Help them find words to fit their
descriptions and model sentences
that will describe their celebrations.
• Create a two-column chart on the board with the column headings
Oranges and Bananas (left). Ask each student which fruit he or she
prefers and place a tally for each preference in the appropriate column.
Explain to students that they are going to read about a girl who solved a
problem by using a similar organizer.
Model Making Text-to-Self Connections
• Display the book cover and read the title. Say: This is an interesting title.
I’m not sure what kind of problem Marta could have with cupcakes. I think
she might not be able to decide what kind of cupcakes to buy. Sometimes I
have a hard time deciding what to buy, too. The people in my family like
different kinds of fruit. One person wants oranges and another wants
bananas. I cannot always buy both, so I have to decide which fruit to buy. I
think of reasons why I should buy one fruit instead of another. Then I make
a decision. This is the way I solve my fruit problem.
• Have students identify some decisions they have made, such as deciding
what to eat for lunch or what to wear to school. Ask them to tell how
they made the decision.
Preview the Book
CUES FOR STRATEGIC
READING
Visual Cues
• Look at the beginning letter or
­letters (v in vanilla; fr in friends).
• Look for familiar chunks within the word (day in birthday; every in everybody).
hat do you see on the cover?
W
Who is the girl? What do you think her problem is?
• As students leaf through the book, help them tell you what they think
is happening in the story. For example, say: What is Marta doing in this
picture? She’s writing something on a chart. I think she must be ­asking her
friends about cupcakes. I wonder what they are telling her. Let’s look at more
pictures to see if we can figure out what’s happening.
Structure Cues
Set a Purpose for Reading
• Ask whether the sentence sounds
right.
• Look for language patterns: Which
do you like?
• Have students turn to p. 2 and whisper-read the book. Say: I want you to
read the book to find out what Marta’s problem is and how she solves it.
Monitor students’ reading and provide support when necessary.
Meaning Cues
Review Reading Strategies
• Think about what makes sense in the sentence.
• Look at the pictures to confirm the
meaning of the word.
2
• Read the title of the book and the name of the author. Then have
­students study the picture. Ask:
Marta’s Cupcake Problem
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• Use the cues provided to remind students that they can apply different
strategies to identify unfamiliar words.
Copyright © 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible page 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: 978-1-4108-2679-4
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During Reading
Observe and Prompt Reading Strategies
• Observe students as they read the book. Take note of how they
problem-solve on text. Guide, or prompt, individual students who
cannot problem-solve independently.
AfterReading
Reading
After
Reflect on Reading Strategies
• After students have completed their reading, encourage them to share
the reading strategies they used. Reinforce the good reading behaviors
you noticed by saying:
I noticed, [student’s name], that when you came to the word store, you
slowly sounded out the letters. Then you said them a little faster until the
word sounded right. That was good reading.
[ Student’s name], I noticed that you had to go back and read some
­sentences twice because they didn’t sound right. That’s a good thing to do.
Build Comprehension: Discuss Concepts
•S
ummarize information: What is Marta’s cupcake problem? (She wants
to take cupcakes to school, but she doesn’t know whether her friends
like vanilla or chocolate.)
• Locate facts: How many vanilla cupcakes does Marta take to school?
How many chocolate cupcakes? (12 vanilla; 8 chocolate)
• Identify sequence of events: Put the following three events in the correct
order: 1. Marta buys the cupcakes; 2. Marta makes a chart; 3. Marta asks
her friends what cupcakes they like. (2, 3, 1)
•P
ersonal Response/creative thinking: How can you use a chart like
Marta’s to help you make a decision? (Answers will vary.)
• Use the Comprehension Assessment Tips on p. 4 to evaluate how
students answer different types of questions.
• To practice text-dependent reading strategies, use the Comprehension
Through Deductive Reasoning card for Marta’s Cupcake Problem.
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ell
Support Tips
for English-Language Learners
Make sure students understand two
­common phrasal verbs used in the text.
Say: coming up and went up to. Explain
that when something is coming up, it is
about to happen. When you go up to
someone, you approach them. Model
sentences for students, ­demonstrating
how each phrase is used in colloquial
English. Have students repeat your
sentences to reinforce ­structure and
intonation. Then have ­them use the
phrases in original sentences.
Skills Support tips
Use the Skills Bank
Based on your observations of
­students’ reading behaviors, you may
wish to select activities from the
Skills Bank (pp. 6–7) that will ­develop
students’ reading strategies.

Assessment Tip
Check a student’s reading strategies by
asking him or her to read a page of the text aloud to you while other
­students whisper-read. Note whether
the student is using visual, structure,
and/or meaning cues to self-correct
and to make sense of the text.
Make Fiction-to-Fact™
Concept Connections
If students have read The Class Store, ask:
• How are The Class Store and Marta’s
Cupcake Problem different? (Answers
will vary. Marta’s Cupcake Problem was
mostly about one girl. The Class Store
was about a whole class.)
• How was Marta’s chart different from
the chart in The Class Store? (Marta’s
chart told her which flavor of cupcakes
her friends liked. The chart in The Class
Store told prices of everything for sale.)
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Small-Group Reading Lesson

COMPREHENSION
ASSESSMENT TIPS
Monitor Comprehension
• Are students able to locate
­specific answers to textdependent questions in the text?
If they are having difficulty, show
them how to match the wording
of the question to the wording
in the text.
• Are students able to find answers
to questions that require a
search of the text? If they are
having difficulty, model how you
would search for the answer.
• Can students combine their
background knowledge with
information from the text to
draw conclusions? You may wish
to model how you would answer
the question.
• Are students’ answers to creative
questions logical and relevant to
the topic?
• Do students’ completed graphic
organizers reflect an ability to
infer character traits? If ­necessary,
provide more ­modeling.
• If students are having difficulty,
you might want to provide
­additional modeling.
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Build Comprehension: Make Inferences
Model
• Create an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer “Marta’s
Cupcake Problem” or copy the chart on the board. Then model how to
complete the chart. Use the following think-aloud.
S ometimes you can learn a lot about people just by watching how they act.
Marta’s Cupcake Problem doesn’t tell us what sort of a person Marta is,
but we get a good idea about what she is like. We see what she does in the
story, and we know what kind of person acts that way. Let’s use this graphic
organizer to help us figure out what we know about Marta. The first
­heading is What Marta Is Like. The first word that comes to my mind is
kind. I’m going to write that in column one. The second heading is I Think
So Because. . . . I think she’s kind because she gets cupcakes for ­everyone. I’ll
write that in column two. Let’s think of ­other things to say about Marta.
Practice and Apply
• Guide students as they come up with words to describe Marta and give
reasons for their opinions. Help them understand that the action in
­column two should explain the opinion in column one. If you think
students can complete the chart independently, distribute copies of the
graphic organizer (p. 8) and monitor their work. Allow students time to
share their graphic organizers.
Marta’s Cupcake Problem
What Marta Is Like
I Think So Because . . .
She’s kind.
She gets cupcakes for
everyone.
She’s thoughtful.
She makes sure people
get what they want.
She’s organized.
She makes a chart.
She’s friendly.
She likes her classmates.
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Interactive Writing
• Have students use information from the graphic organizer and their
books to describe Marta’s personality or actions. Say: Let’s think of a
sentence that tells us something about Marta. Our chart will give us
useful information. We can use the book, too. (Possible sentences:
“Marta gave her friends cupcakes” and “Marta was very kind.”)
• Repeat the sentence aloud several times with students so they
­internalize the language pattern. Collaborate with them to write the
sentence on chart paper or on the board, one word at a time. Start by
saying the first word slowly. Ask: What sound do you hear at the
beginning of this word? What other sound do you hear? Let students
write the known sounds in each word; then fill in the remaining
­letters for them. Continue until the sentence is completed.
Write Independently
• Have students write their own sentences based on the story. Encourage
them to articulate words slowly, use spaces between words, and write
known words fluently.
• Conference with students about their sentences. Validate their
­knowledge of known words and letter/sound correspondences by
placing a light check mark above students’ contributions. Praise
­students as you write the message conventionally for them to see.
Reread for Fluency
• Ask students to reread Marta’s Cupcake Problem independently. Then
have them read the story with a partner, alternating reading pages of
text. The student who is listening should point out what is happening
in the photographs.
Connect to Home
• Have students read the take-home version of Marta’s Cupcake Problem
to family members. Encourage students to ask friends and family for
their cupcake preferences. Suggest that they record this information
on a cupcake chart of their own.
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√ √√√ √√ √ √√ √√√√
√√√√√√
Mata gav hr frenz cupcak.
Marta gave her friends cupcakes.
FLUENCY
SUPPORT TIPS
Model Fluency
• Read sections of the book aloud
to students to model fluent
­reading of the text.
• Model using appropriate phrasing,
intonation, volume, expressions,
and rate.
• Have students listen to you read a
portion of the text and then have
them read it back to you.
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Skills Bank
Mar/ta’s Cup/cake
Prob/lem
Phonemic Awareness: Number of Syllables
• Read the title of the book aloud, clapping for each syllable: Mar/ta’s
Cup/cake Prob/lem. Say: Did you hear how each of those words has two
separate sound parts? See if you can say and clap Marta’s Cupcake
Problem with me. Explain that every word has at least one sound part,
or syllable; some have many.
• Say happy, vanilla, and some. Invite volunteers to say the words slowly
with you. Help them to clap out the syllables. Provide additional
­practice; say: names, birthday, store, coming, and liked.
Phonics: Initial, Medial, and Final n
n ot pla n
• Say: not and plan. Ask students to listen for /n/. Ask: Can you hear
which of these words starts with the /n/ sound and which word ends with
the /n/ sound? Say the words again. Then write not and plan on the
board, circling the n’s. Point out that often /n/ occurs in the
middle of a word. Write v­ anilla on the board and ask students to say
the word, listening for /n/.
/n/
Beginning n
Middle n
Ending n
nap
pansy
fin
near
honor
upon
neck
Canada
tin
• Ask students to stand up. Say: I’m going to say some words with the /n/
sound in them. If the /n/ sound is at the beginning of the word, clap your
hands once. If it’s at the end of the word, raise both hands. If the /n/ sound
is in the middle, turn all the way around. Quiz students with a medley of
words. Say: nap, fin, near, pansy, neck, honor, Canada, upon, and tin.
• Make a chart on the board, and ask students to help you complete the
chart by telling where /n/ is in each word from the ­previous activity.
Dad and I read a story.
A new family lives there.
Phonics: Vowel y
• Write the word happy on _the board and invite volunteers to read it
slowly. Say: I hear a long / e / sound at the end of the word, but I don’t see
the letter e. Can you show me which letter is making that sound?
_
• Lead students to understand that the letter y makes / e / at the end of
many familiar words. Ask them to supply you with words for the
following clues. Say: a big town (city); an infant (baby); a group of people
who live with and care for each other (family); something that might be
read to you at night (story).
• Write the words on the board as students come
_ up with them. Help
students generate more words that end with /e / but contain y. Have
them choose one word to use in a written sentence.
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High-Frequency Word Vocabulary
• Write the high-frequency words know, ask, which, and need on the
board and have students spell and repeat them in unison.
ask
• Put students in groups of three or four. Give each group a set of four
cards with one of the high-frequency words printed on each card.
Students should take turns drawing a card and using the word in an
oral sentence.
know
• Have students repeat the process two or three times. If they draw the
same word twice, they should think of another sentence. Invite groups
to share their favorite sentences with the class.
which
need
Vocabulary: Survey Friends for Preferences
• Invite a volunteer to the front of the room and give him or her a
choice of pictures, books, games, or other classroom objects. Ask:
Which do you like best? Let the students make a decision, then say: We
often have to ask people what they like, and there are several ways of
asking. Let’s look at a few of these ways.
What is your
favorite _____?
• Go around the class asking students questions regarding colors,
games, TV shows, months, or food. Vary your wording. For example,
use the following forms:
What ____ do you like best?
What is your favorite ____?
Tell me your favorite____.
Which do you prefer, ____ or____?
• Write the words that indicate preferences on the board: favorite,
prefer, like best. Invite volunteers to use these words as they practice
surveying their classmates.
Grammar/Word Study:
Quotation Marks in Dialogue
• Draw a set of quotation marks on the board. Say: Did you notice these
little marks when you read the book? Let’s look for them now.
• Have students turn to p. 2 and ask them to find the quotation marks.
Invite volunteers to read the words inside the quotation marks. Ask
­students what they notice about these words. If they do not
immediately understand that the marks indicate direct speech, have
them turn to the next page and read the dialogue. Say: These ­little marks
are called ­quotation marks, and they tell me when someone is speaking.
“”
• Ask a student a simple question, such as, What’s the weather like? Say
the answer and write it on the board using ­quotation marks: He said,
“It’s raining.”
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Name _______________________________________________________ Date __________________
Marta’s Cupcake Problem
What Marta Is Like
I Think So Because . . .
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