LESSON 6 TEACHER’S GUIDE
Racecar Bob in Panama
by James Wolf
Fountas-Pinnell Level Q
Humorous Fiction
Selection Summary
Racecar Bob is bored until he and his crew take part in a race from
Rapid City to the Panama Canal. To win, they must find palindromes
at each stop along the way. They meet each challenge by working as a
team and they win the race.
Number of Words: 1,021
Characteristics of the Text
Genre
Text Structure
Content
Themes and Ideas
Language and
Literary Features
Sentence Complexity
Vocabulary
Words
Illustrations
Book and Print Features
• Humorous fiction
• Organized into humorous episodes that mentally challenge Bob and his crew with
palindromes to be solved
• Organized chronologically
• Car race between Rapid City and the Panama Canal
• Challenging palindromes to solve
• A good challenge relieves boredom.
• A challenge can be both physical and mental.
• Word games are entertaining.
• Several examples of word, phrase, and sentence palindromes, such as Bob; no lemon, no
melon; and Ma handed Edna ham.
• Frequent dialogue between Bob and his crew
• Several long sentences with dashes, colons, and semicolons
• Split dialogue
• Several content words that might not be familiar: mechanic, challenge, reverse,
instructions, navigator, terrain
• Compound words such as sunshine, mailbox, lunchtime
• Several Spanish place names, such as Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Tres Rios, and a
Spanish phrase, jamón dulce
• Humorous art of race locations
• Illustrations support the text, showing scenery changing with the geography
• Thirteen pages of text, illustrations on every page
• Maps clarify story events and locations
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
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Racecar Bob in Panama
by James Wolf
Build Background
Ask students what it means to be bored. Build interest by asking questions like the
following: Do you ever get tired of doing the same thing over and over? What do you
do when you feel that way? Read the title and author’s name and talk about the cover
illustration. Tell students that this story is humorous fiction, so it is meant to be funny and
entertaining.
Introduce the Text
Guide students through the text, noting important ideas and helping with unfamiliar
language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Here are some
suggestions:
Page 2: Explain that this is a story about a man named Racecar Bob.
Suggested language: Look at page 2. This is a picture of Bob resting in a
hammock. A hammock is fun to swing on, but do you think Bob looks happy? Bob
has won a lot of races, but now he is bored. What do you think he needs to cheer
up? He needs a special challenge.
Page 3: Point out Bob and his friend Lisa. Lisa is telling Bob about a special race.
It is called the Panama Challenge because the cars go from the United States all
the way to Panama in Central America.
Page 5: Explain that the racers will have to travel through several countries and
collect some palindromes along the way. The name Bob is a palindrome. So
is the word toot and the number 1991. Can you guess what a palindrome is?
A palindrome is a word, a phrase, or a sentence that reads the same in both
directions. Now look at the map. This is the route Racecar Bob will take. He will
start at the top of the map.
Now let’s read the story. We’ll collect some palindromes along with Bob and his
crew and find out whether they win the Panama Challenge.
Expand Your Vocabulary
cashier - an employee of a store
or restaurant who receives and
records payments made by
customers, p. 9
hammock – a swinging couch or
bed, p. 3
reveal - to make known what has
been concealed, p. 10
navigator - one that navigates,
p. 4
terrain – the surface features of
an area of land, p. 4
destination - a place which is the
goal of a journey, p. 9
palindrome - a word, phrase, or
sentence that reads the same
backward or forward, p. 5
Grade 3
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Read
Have students read Racecar Bob in Panama silently while you listen to individual students
read. Support their problem solving and fluency as needed.
Remind students to use the Question Strategy
questions before, during, and after their reading.
and to ask themselves
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite students to share their personal responses to the book.
Suggested language: Did you guess any of the palindromes before Racecar Bob did?
Which palindrome was your favorite? 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
• Racecar Bob is bored.
• People get bored by doing the
same thing over and over.
• The story challenges the reader
to figure out palindromes.
• Meeting a new challenge can
make boredom disappear.
• Maps help the reader visualize
the race.
• Word games can be fun and
challenging.
• The illustrations of Bob and his
crew and the funny palindromes
add to the humor of the story.
• Hannah tells him about the
Panama Challenge, a race to
the Panama Canal collecting
palindromes along the way.
• Bob and his crew win the race by
becoming the first team to meet
the challenge.
• Bob realizes that he isn’t bored
anymore.
© 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 act out. Point out that
the characters show a range of emotions, such as boredom, puzzlement, excitement,
and joy. Remind them to read in a way that shows the emotions expressed in the
passage.
• Comprehension Based on your observations of 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. Tell students that pages 6 and 10 have palindromes not
pointed out in the story. Challenge students to find them: Fred Derf, Lisa B. Basil.
Grade 3
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Writing about Reading
Critical Thinking
Have students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 6.9.
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
Sequence of Events
Remind students that in a story, things happen in
a certain order. Keeping track of when things happen will help them understand a story.
Model the skill, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:
Think Aloud
Look at the chart on page 15. At the beginning of the story, Racecar Bob
and his team find a palindrome in Nebraska. That part is filled in at the
top of the chart. Next, they arrived in Mexico. I need to go back to the
story to page 10 to find the palindrome they solved there. Then I can fill
in the second box on the chart with Too Hot to Hoot.
Practice the Skill
Have students tell the sequence of events of a story they have recently read in the
classroom.
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
• What is the first page of the story mostly about?
• Which words on page 8 help the reader know the meaning of despair?
• How is Bob different at the end of the story?
Grade 3
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English Language Development
Reading Support Pair advanced and intermediate readers to read aloud a few
paragraphs of Racecar Bob in Panama. Remind them to read with expression to show the
characters’ emotions.
Cultural Support Ask Spanish-speakers in the class to explain the meanings of
Spanish place names in the story: Tres Rios and Jamón Dulce—Three Rivers and
Sweet Ham.
Oral Language Development
Check student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’
English proficiency. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.
Beginning/Early Intermediate
Intermediate
Early Advanced/ Advanced
Speaker 1: What is the name of the
main character in the story?
Speaker 1: Where does the race end?
Speaker 1: What is a palindrome?
Speaker 2: at the Panama Canal
Speaker 2: A palindrome is a
word, phrase, or sentence
that reads the same in both
directions.
Speaker 2: Racecar Bob
Speaker 1: How does Bob feel at the
beginning of the story?
Speaker 2: He feels bored.
Speaker 1: What event does Hannah
tell Bob about?
Speaker 1: What does the team have to
do to win the race?
Speaker 2: They have to race from Rapid
City to the Panama Canal, and solve
palindromes at each stop.
Speaker 1: What makes Bob
stop feeling bored by the end
of the story?
Speaker 2: He stops feeling
bored because he met a difficult
challenge and won the race.
Speaker 2: She tells him about a race.
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Lesson 6
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 6.9
Date
Critical Thinking
Racecar Bob in Panama
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions. Possible responses shown.
1. Think within the text What two things must drivers do
to win the Panama Challenge?
drive from Rapid City to the Panama Canal; collect palindromes
2. Think within the text What does Racecar Bob finally
understand at the end of the race?
He understands palindromes.
3. Think beyond the text Do you think Racecar Bob
should get all the credit for winning the race? Explain
your answer.
No, because Otto and Hannah figured out most of the palindromes, and
Lisa helped navigate.
4. Think about the text What are two techniques the
author uses to keep readers interested in the story?
He uses palindromes; he uses unusual settings and situations
throughout the story.
Making Connections Racecar Bob and his crew use clues to solve
a kind of puzzle, step by step. Describe another story you have read
or game you have played in which you have had to solve one part of
the puzzle before you can go on to the next step.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Read directions to students.
11
Critical Thinking
Grade 3, Unit 2: Express Yourself
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Grade 3
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Name
Date
Racecar Bob in Panama
Thinking Beyond the Text
Think about the question below. Then write your answer in one or two
paragraphs.
Racecar Bob is feeling bored at the beginning of the story. He’s tired of
doing the same old thing. What do you think made his life more
interesting—the race, the palindromes, or both? Give reasons to explain
your opinion.
Grade 3
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Lesson 6
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 6.9
Date
Critical Thinking
Racecar Bob in Panama
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions.
1. Think within the text What two things must drivers do
to win the Panama Challenge?
2. Think within the text What does Racecar Bob finally
understand at the end of the race?
3. Think beyond the text Do you think Racecar Bob
should get all the credit for winning the race? Explain
your answer.
4. Think about the text What are two techniques the
author uses to keep readers interested in the story?
Making Connections Racecar Bob and his crew use clues to solve
a kind of puzzle, step by step. Describe another story you have read
or game you have played in which you have had to solve one part of
the puzzle before you can go on to the next step.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Grade 3
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Student
Lesson 6
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 6.13
Racecar Bob in Panama • LEVEL Q
page
3
Selection Text
Racecar Bob in Panama
Running Record Form
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Total SelfCorrections
Bob had nearly fallen asleep in his hammock for a nap when
Hannah, his chief mechanic, arrived.
“Bob, do I have some news for you,” Hannah shouted. “There’s
a big race coming up, maybe the biggest ever!”
“Big race, big deal,” Bob said. “I’m bored with racing; maybe
I’ll take up golf instead.”
“But this race is different, Bob,” Hannah said with a grin. “It’s
the Panama Challenge—a race from Rapid City to the Panama
Canal. Every other race team has failed the challenge, and
we’re the only team left.”
Bob scrambled out of his hammock.
4
“Panama is my kind of challenge!” he shouted.
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/105 ×
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
1413991
Behavior
ˆ
Word told
1
8
T
cat
1
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