LESSON 14 TEACHER’S GUIDE
Battles at Sea
by Carol Domblewski
Fountas-Pinnell Level R
Nonfiction
Selection Summary
During the American Revolution, Britain’s ships ruled the seas. There
was no U.S. Navy. Private ships, or privateers, defended America.
One of these, General Pickering, captained by the resourceful Captain
Haraden, captured a British cutter through a bluff and defeated the
Achilles. Privateers and captains such as Haraden helped Americans
win the war.
Number of Words: 1,386
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
• Third-person narration; two to five paragraphs per page
• Four chapters
• The war at sea during the Revolutionary War
• The role of American privateers during the Revolutionary War
• Courage and resourcefulness can overcome greater strength.
• Privateers fought not just for profit, but for patriotism.
• Vivid action verbs
• Descriptive language
• Mix of simple and complex sentences
• Rhetorical questions
• Names and terms associated with naval history: cutter, brig, frigate, merchant ship,
bondage, privateers
• Multisyllable words: organized, possibly, surrendered
• Context clues for unfamiliar words
• Illustrations, some historic, in support of the text
• Twelve pages of text, nine with illustrations
• Table of contents; four chapter headings
• Captions and sidebars
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
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Battles at Sea
by Carol Domblewski
Build Background
Have students use their knowledge of the navies and battles at sea to visualize the
selection. Build by asking a question such as the following: How could the Americans fight
the British navy when the Americans had no navy of their own? Read the title and author
and talk about the cover illustration. Tell students that there were some very important
battles at sea during the Revolutionary War.
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: Read the chapter heading and the caption. Suggested language: In this
chapter, a British ship, a cutter, is chasing an American ship carrying provisions
and a load of sugar. Ask: What kind of provisions would sailors need to survive a
long sea journey?
Page 5: Have students locate the word bondage. If sailors were taken prisoner and
bound, what do you think their captors would bind them with?
Page 8: Point out that captions can give clues about information in the text. Ask:
What do you think the people in the small boats are doing?
Page 11: Discuss the heading and the caption. Think what is meant by private
property. Privateers were ships that were private property, not part of a navy.
The crew were also called privateers. Ask: Did you know that privateers were
influential in helping America win the Revolutionary War? What kind of
contributions to victory do you think privateers could have made?
Now turn back to the beginning and read about aspects of the Revolutionary War
that most Americans know little about—privateers and the battles at sea.
Target Vocabulary
apprentice – someone learning a
trade, p. 13
bondage – a form of slavery, p. 5
aspects – various parts of a
whole, p. 9
contributions – things given
toward a common purpose,
p. 11
authorities – people who are in
charge, p. 12
dexterity – flexibility and skillful
movement, p. 9
Grade 5
2
influential – having the power to
affect others, p. 11
persuade – to convince, p. 5
provisions – food and supplies,
p. 3
tentative – uncertain, p. 5
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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 Summarize Strategy
and suggest that after
they read a chapter, they pause and summarize what they have just read.
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite students to share their personal responses to the text.
Suggested language: What did you find most interesting or surprising about the General
Pickering and its battles at sea?
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
• America had no navy at the
beginning of the Revolutionary
War.
• Captain Haraden won battles
by outwitting the British and by
being resourceful.
• Illustrations help readers
visualize the ships described in
the text.
• Privateers fought the British navy
during the Revolutionary War.
• Some privateers were patriots
who risked their lives and ships
for the American cause.
• Beginning with a battle
description captures the reader’s
interest in the topic.
• The privateers had the support of
the American people.
• Sidebars supplement the text’s
narrative with fascinating details.
• The General Pickering captured
one British ship and defeated
another.
© 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 to read aloud. Remind them to pause at
punctuation. Suggest that they increase their rate of speaking when they are reading
sections of the text where the level of excitement is high.
• 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 Remind students that some suffixes change a verb into a noun.
Tell students that if they mentally remove the suffix, the verb gives a clue to the
word’s meaning. Examples from the text include freedom (p. 5), temptation (p. 7),
entertainment (p. 9), and government (p. 11).
Grade 5
3
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Writing about Reading
Vocabulary Practice
Have students complete the Vocabulary questions on BLM 14.1.
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: bondage).
Reading Nonfiction
Nonfiction Features:
Illustrations and Sidebars Remind students that nonfiction has features such as
illustrations and sidebars that help readers understand important information. Illustrations
help readers visualize what the text is describing. This book, for example, illustrates
warships and merchant ships from the 1700s, objects the reader may experience only
through the pages of a book. Illustrations are carefully chosen. They are an important
part of a nonfiction book. Ask students what the illustrations can tell them about how the
General Pickering and other ships of the 1700s were able to move through the water (They
were powered by wind blowing into their sails.) Have students choose a passage from the
text that they feel should be illustrated.
A sidebar is a short article in a box, often at the side of the text. It gives information that
is an interesting sidelight to the text—a fascinating fact, perhaps, that will stick in the
reader’s mind. Have students reread the sidebar on page 9 and then rewrite the caption on
page 8 to include a detail from the sidebar.
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
• Which sentences in the book support the idea that Captain Haraden was resourceful?
• What words on page 5 help the reader understand the meaning of the word tentative?
• Why does the author begin the book with the description of the British ship chasing
the General Pickering?
Grade 5
4
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English Language Development
Reading Support Pair beginning and intermediate readers to read the text softly, or
have students listen to the audio or online recordings. Or have beginning speakers read
the captions.
Vocabulary Tell students that writers often use words to form a picture in the reader’s
mind. If readers think only of the exact meaning of the words rather then what the author
meant, they may be confused. Examples include line the shore (p. 8), crippled the huge
Achilles, and she (the ship) limped off (p. 10).
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 country had the
largest navy?
Speaker 1: What did the Achilles do
when the General Pickering won the
battle?
Speaker 1: What kind of authority
did the United States government
give to privateers?
Speaker 2: The Achilles escaped in the
smoke and haze from the battle.
Speaker 2: Privateers had the
authority to fight back if attacked
and to look for and attack British
ships.
Speaker 2: Britain
Speaker 1: What ships helped the U.S.
navy?
Speaker 2: Privateers
Speaker 1: Why did the U.S. Navy need
the help of privateers?
Speaker 2: There was no U.S. Navy
at first, and later the British burned
warships before they got to sea.
Lesson 14
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 14.1
Date
Target Vocabulary
Battles at Sea
Target Vocabulary
Complete the Web with words that relate to the Target Vocabulary
word in the center. Use one of the related words in a sentence
with the Target Vocabulary word. Then make Webs and write
sentences for five of the other Target Vocabulary words on a
separate sheet of paper. Possible responses shown.
Vocabulary
persuade
influential
bondage
tentative
apprentice
aspects
provisions
contributions
authorities
dexterity
new
study
apprentice:
person learning a trade
learner
inexperienced
Sentence:
As
an apprentice, I get to study with a legendary chef.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Target Vocabulary
3
Grade 5, Unit 3: Revolution!
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5
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Confirming Pages
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Name
Date
Battles at Sea
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.
Why would resourcefulness be an important quality for the captain of a
ship? In what ways was Captain Haraden resourceful? What do you think
would have happened to the General Pickering if it had had a less
resourceful commander? Explain your answer using examples from the text.
Grade 5
6
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Lesson 14
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 14.1
Date
Target Vocabulary
Battles at Sea
Target Vocabulary
Complete the Web with words that relate to the Target Vocabulary
word in the center. Use one of the related words in a sentence
with the Target Vocabulary word. Then make Webs and write
sentences for five of the other Target Vocabulary words on a
separate sheet of paper.
Vocabulary
persuade
influential
bondage
tentative
apprentice
aspects
provisions
contributions
authorities
dexterity
new
study
apprentice:
person learning a trade
Sentence:
_____________________________________________________________________________
Grade 5
7
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Student
Lesson 14
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 14.23
Battles at Sea • LEVEL R
page
Battles at Sea
Running Record Form
Selection Text
3
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Total SelfCorrections
The American ship called General Pickering was deep in
the Atlantic Ocean. Armed with 16 guns, she carried 45 men.
The General Pickering was on her way to a port in Spain. It
was late in the day.
In the hold of the ship were the usual provisions for a long
trip. She also carried a load of sugar. But sugar was not on the
captain’s mind just now.
A huge British cutter was bearing down on his ship.
Captain Haraden knew that meant the British wanted to capture
his ship. The British ship began chasing the General Pickering.
Shots rang out.
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/102 ×
100)
%
Read word correctly
Code
✓
cat
Repeated word,
sentence, or phrase
®
Omission
—
cat
cat
Grade 5
Behavior
Error
0
0
Substitution
Code
cut
cat
1
Self-corrects
cut sc
cat
0
Insertion
the
1
cat
Error
1414146
Behavior
ˆ
Word told
1
8
T
cat
1
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