LESSON 22 TEACHER’S GUIDE
Galileo
by Tony Pucci
Fountas-Pinnell Level W
Narrative Nonfiction
Selection Summary
Regarded as one of the founders of both modern science and modern
astronomy, Galileo Galilei lived over 400 years ago. At that time, the
Church strictly controlled how people thought about the universe.
Galileo used scientific thinking to challenge the Church’s ideas about
science and the universe. This caused him great trouble, but today
many of Galileo’s theories are accepted as scientific fact.
Number of Words: 2,592
Characteristics of the Text
Genre
Text Structure
Content
Themes and Ideas
Language and
Literary Features
Sentence Complexity
Vocabulary
Words
Illustrations
Book and Print Features
• Narrative nonfiction
• Third-person narrative
• Section titles build suspense leading up to Galileo’s trial.
• Important events in the life of Galileo
• Theories of Galileo
• Work of other early astronomers
• Proposing and defending unpopular ideas can have both positive and negative
consequences.
• Good ideas stand the test of time.
• Concise summaries of Galileo’s achievements and historical context
• Figurative language
• Informal language used to convey Galileo’s impact
• Mostly simple sentences, some with introductory phrases
• Combination of declarative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences
• Many terms related to science and academia some of which might not be familiar to
English language learners, such as: experiment, gravity, professor, university. Cultural
references such as: huge hit (p. 9)
• Multisyllable target vocabulary: conditions, decrepit, frustration
• Captions and labels support illustrated material
• Photographs from modern astronomy underscore Galileo’s scientific conclusions
• Seventeen pages of text, including timeline and sidebars
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
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Galileo
by Tony Pucci
Build Background
Help students use their knowledge of astronomy and earth science to understand the
selection. Build interest by asking questions such as the following: What did people believe
about the solar system before the telescope was invented? Read the title and author and
talk about the cover illustration. Tell students that this selection is narrative nonfiction that
contains facts about the life, times, and work of Galileo.
Frontload Vocabulary
Some everyday terms may be unfamiliar to English learners. Before reading, check
understanding of the following words: theory, belief, facts, objections, trial, house arrest.
Introduce the Text
Guide students through the text, reading the captions, noting important ideas, and helping
with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Call their
attention to any important labels. Here are some suggestions:
Page 4: Direct students’ attention to the illustration. Read the caption and the
label. Explain that Aristotle lived a long time before Galileo. Suggested language:
Aristotle and Galileo were both great thinkers. What might you expect to find out
when you read the selection?
Pages 6–7: Show students the photograph and read the labels and the caption.
Ask: What is the lens of a telescope made of? What does this instrument allow
people to do? Have students locate the word barren on page 7. Read the sentence
aloud. Ask: Is the moon a barren place, a place where nothing grows?
Page 9: Read aloud the second heading on page 9: “Galileo’s Split with the Church
Widens.” A split is a separation between two things or people. Ask: What does this
heading suggest is going to happen between the Church and Galileo?
Now turn back to the beginning of the text to learn about Galileo and his life and
his contributions to science.
Target Vocabulary
arose – appeared or formed,
p. 11
barren – unable to grow plants or
produce crops, p. 7
use, p. 16
elusive – hard to catch or
achieve, p. 10
conditions – current
circumstances, or how things
seem to be, p. 5
frustration – feeling of anger,
annoyance, or helplessness
often caused by being unable
to accomplish a goal, p. 5
decrepit – worn out or broken
down due to old age or hard
harsh – severe and unpleasant or
rough, p. 12
Grade 6
2
instinct – natural, rather than
learned, feelings and ideas,
p. 7
lurched – made a sudden,
unexpected movement, p. 6
vertical – upright; running
straight up and down, p. 6
Lesson 22: Galileo
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Read
Have students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their
understanding of the selection as needed.
Remind students to use the Monitor/Clarify Strategy
and clarify anything unclear in the text as they read.
and to monitor
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite students to share their personal responses to the text.
Suggested language: If you were Galileo, how would you feel about being put on trial for
your ideas?
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
• Galileo Galilei made many
contributions to science and
astronomy.
• Following multiple interests, in
spite of opposition, can lead
to new and important kinds of
thinking and discoveries.
• The text condenses the events
of Galileo’s life into short,
straightforward sections.
• Church leaders disagreed
with Galileo’s conclusions and
eventually imprisoned him.
• The work that Galileo began over
400 years ago serves as part
of the foundation for modern
scientific work.
• Testing ideas and theories is
an important part of being a
scientist.
• The author uses insets to
provide information about other
influential but less famous
scientists.
• The diagram of the solar
systems aids readers in
understanding Copernicus’s and
Galileo’s conclusions.
© 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 demonstrate phrased
fluent reading. Remind them to adjust their phrasing while reading text without
punctuation, such as the timeline on page 14.
• 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. Remind students that some words contain Greek roots. For
example, philosopher is derived from the Greek word sophus, meaning “wise.” Other
words related to this root include philosophical and philosophy.
Grade 6
3
Lesson 22: Galileo
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Writing about Reading
Critical Thinking
Have students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 22.10.
Responding
Have students complete the activities at the back of the book, using their Reader’s
Notebook. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the
comprehension skill.
Target Comprehension Skill
Conclusions and Generalizations
Remind students that they can draw
conclusions and make generalizations about the text as they read. Model how to add
details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:
Think Aloud
The first box states that Galileo saw Saturn’s rings. He saw them using
his improved telescope. On page 8, the text states that Galileo discovered
four moons of Jupiter. Add this detail to the Graphic Organizer. Draw a
conclusion about Galileo’s telescope using these details.
Practice the Skill
Have students share examples of other books they have read in which a brave person
challenges popular beliefs.
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
• How does the illustration on page 11 help the reader understand the selection?
• What is the purpose of this selection?
• What do the people who are described in the sidebars have in common?
Grade 6
4
Lesson 22: Galileo
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English Language Development
Reading Support Pair English-speaking and English language learners so that they
can check their understanding with each other.
Idioms/Vocabulary The selection includes vocabulary and idiomatic usage that might
be unfamiliar to English language learners. Explain to students grades were low, (p. 3),
fines (p. 4), a huge hit (p. 9), and a bad sign (p. 12).
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: Who is this text about?
Speaker 1: What subject was Galileo’s
passion?
Speaker 1: Why did the Church
leaders disagree with Galileo’s
theories about the universe?
Speaker 2: Galileo
Speaker 1: How long ago did he live?
Speaker 2: His passion was math.
Speaker 2: about 400 years ago
Speaker 1: Who first said that the Sun is
the universe’s center?
Speaker 1: What planet did Galileo see
had rings around it?
Speaker 2: Nicholas Copernicus said it.
Speaker 2: The Church leaders
thought that Galileo’s theories
went against the teachings of the
Bible.
Speaker 2: Saturn
Lesson 22
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 22.10
Date
Critical Thinking
Galileo
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions. Possible responses shown.
1. Think within the text Why was the Tower of Pisa the perfect place
for Galileo’s experiment?
The Tower of Pisa was the perfect place for Galileo’s experiment
because it was a tall building.
2. Think within the text Who was Copernicus?
Copernicus was an astronomer who claimed the sun was the
center of the universe.
3. Think beyond the text What effects has Galileo’s work had on us today?
Galileo’s work helped start modern astronomy. Without him,
we would never have landed on the moon, sent a spacecraft to
Jupiter, or understood our place in the universe.
4. Think about the text What would you have done if you were Galileo
and were told not to write about an important discovery you had
made? Explain your answer.
I would have found a way to write about my discovery and to get
the information to people. It is important to understand the world
around us and to challenge ideas that might be wrong.
Making Connections Galileo discovered that doing what a person thinks is
right can sometimes make him or her unpopular. Think of another famous
person who did something unpopular but that he or she thought was right.
Describe what that person did and why. In what ways was that person like
Galileo? Explain.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Critical Thinking
12
Grade 6, Unit 5: Taking Charge of Change
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Grade 6
5
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Lesson 22: Galileo
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Name
Date
Galileo
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.
On page 16, the author states in the sidebar “The Search Goes On” that Jane
Jordan and Jill Tarter are searching for life on other planets by using
powerful telescopes and other means. Do you think that Jordan and Tarter’s
work could—as Galileo’s did—change the way we view the universe? Why
or why not? What do you think Galileo would say about Jordan and Tartar’s
work? Explain your answer, giving examples from the selection.
Grade 6
6
Lesson 22: Galileo
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Lesson 22
Name
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 22.10
Critical Thinking
Galileo
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions.
1. Think within the text Why was the Tower of Pisa the perfect place
for Galileo’s experiment?
2. Think within the text Who was Copernicus?
3. Think beyond the text What effects has Galileo’s work had on us today?
4. Think about the text What would you have done if you were Galileo
and were told not to write about an important discovery you had
made? Explain your answer.
Making Connections Galileo discovered that doing what a person thinks is
right can sometimes make him or her unpopular. Think of another famous
person who did something unpopular but that he or she thought was right.
Describe what that person did and why. In what ways was that person like
Galileo? Explain.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Grade 6
7
Lesson 22: Galileo
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Student
Lesson 22
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 22.14
Galileo • LEVEL W
page
5
Galileo
Running Record Form
Selection Text
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Total SelfCorrections
Suppose someone dropped two balls at the same time.
Aristotle said that gravity made the heavier ball land first. This
seemed to make sense. People accepted this idea, or theory,
as fact.
Galileo was different. He wasn’t sure this idea was really true.
Galileo liked to do experiments. He wanted to prove an idea
was a fact first. Only then would he believe it. Galileo decided
to test Aristotle’s theory about gravity.
The conditions for Galileo’s experiment were simple. First, he
needed to find a tall building. He chose the tower of Pisa.
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/93 × 100)
%
Read word correctly
Code
✓
cat
Repeated word,
sentence, or phrase
®
Omission
—
cat
cat
Grade 6
Behavior
Error
0
0
Substitution
Code
cut
cat
1
Self-corrects
cut sc
cat
0
Insertion
the
1
cat
Error
1414493
Behavior
ˆ
Word told
1
8
T
cat
1
Lesson 22: Galileo
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