LESSON 11 TEACHER’S GUIDE
Fife and Drum Boys
by C.M. Sanchez
Fountas-Pinnell Level S
Historical Fiction
Selection Summary
During the Battle of Saratoga, a young drummer and a fifer perform
important duties for the Continental Army. Their bravery and playing
skills help convey commands to the American troops, leading to
victory.
Number of Words: 1,584
Characteristics of the Text
Genre
Text Structure
Content
Themes and Ideas
Language and
Literary Features
Sentence Complexity
Vocabulary
Words
Illustrations
Book and Print Features
• Historical fiction
• Third-person narrative organized in four short chapters, along with a foreword and an
endnote
• Color illustrations help visualize characters and action
• Revolutionary War Battle of Saratoga
• Fife and drum boys
• Working together to achieve a goal
• Not giving up despite making mistakes
• Volunteers of all ages can make an impact.
• Practice makes perfect.
• Conversational language
• Dialogue
• Historical description
• A mix of short and complex sentences.
• Dashes and exclamations
• Italics for interior thought and emphasis
• Some historical and battle language, with most words explained in the text: redcoats,
muskets, gunpowder
• Multisyllable words formed from base words: representatives, Continental
• Color illustrations support the text.
• Captions for illustrations
• Thirteen pages of text, easy-to-read chapter headings, and illustrations on most pages
• Foreword and endnote
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
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Fife and Drum Boys
by C.M. Sanchez
Build Background
Help students use their historical knowledge of the American Revolution to visualize
the story. Build interest by asking a question such as the following: Why do you think
drummers were needed in battles in the American Revolution? Read the title and author
and talk about the cover illustration. Note the four chapter heads. Tell students that this
story is historical fiction so that while some of the characters are not real, the story is
based on real events.
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: Have students turn to the foreword and read the first paragraph aloud.
Explain that the foreword of a book gives background information for the story that
follows. Explain that the story is set at the time of the Battle of Saratoga, and that
the Continental Army was the Patriot side, fighting against the British.
Page 3: Direct students to the chapter heading. Suggested language: The chapter
heading tells us that someone is reporting for duty. What kind of duties do you
think the drummer might have? Look at the highlighted word. What does it mean
to embark on an adventure?
Page 5: The text says Will has a personal reason that makes the approaching battle
urgent. Ask: What does it mean for something to be urgent?
Pages 6–7: Point out the chapter title and have students look at the illustration on
page 7 and read the caption and first two sentences of text on the page. Ask: What
might the problems of this story be?
Now go back to the beginning and read to find out what happens to Will and to the
Continental Army at the Battle of Saratoga.
Target Vocabulary
bracing – placing oneself against
a support to keep from being
knocked over
conduct – behavior
cramped – small and tightly
packed
Grade 5
distracted – to have one’s
attention drawn away, p. 13
embark – to set out on an
adventure or task, p. 3
shattered – to have broken
suddenly into many smaller
pieces, p. 13
pressing – urgent
surveyed – to have looked over
its parts and features
representatives – people chosen
to speak for others, p. 5
viewpoint – a way of thinking
about something, p. 2
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Read
Have students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their
problem solving and fluency as needed.
Remind students to use the Visualize Strategy
and to use details from
the text to help form pictures in their mind of what they are reading.
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite students to share their personal responses to the book.
Suggested language: Have you ever wondered what battle might be like? What does Will
find out about battle?
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
• Will is eager to play his drum to
convey commands to the army,
but he makes a terrible error.
• It is possible to still have an
important impact despite your
age.
• The dialogue sounds realistic,
the way a 13-year-old boy
actually talks.
• As Will practices with Tom,
he gains confidence for the
upcoming battle.
• The more you practice, the better
you will become at what you’re
trying to do.
• The chapter heads hint at the
upcoming action.
• Will performs well during the
battle but is injured afterward.
The next day he finds out the
Continental Army beat the
British.
• Having a personal reason to fight
for a cause can increase your
urgency.
• The author includes exciting
details about the Battle of
Saratoga to keep readers turning
the pages.
© 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 scene from the text to act out in demonstrating
phrased fluent reading. Remind them to pay attention to punctuation, and to stress
certain words to sound as if the main character, Will, were actually speaking.
• 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 the root -dis often means “to detract
from something.” An example from the text is distracted on page 13. Other examples
include disturb, dissipate, disarm, and discard.
Grade 5
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Writing about Reading
Critical Thinking
Have students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 11.7.
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
Cause and Effect
Remind students that they can ask why something
happened to determine the cause, and ask what happened to determine the effect. Tell
them to pay attention to signal words such as because, so, and since. Model how to add
details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:
Think Aloud
When Will played the wrong drum signals, the company grabbed their
muskets, believing they were under attack. Later, when he played the
correct signals, the company marched into battle. List these two causes
and their effects in the chart.
Practice the Skill
Encourage students to share their examples of another story in which one character
makes an embarrassing mistake that causes a problem.
Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the Text
Have students write a response to the writing prompt on page 6. Remind them that when
they think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understanding.
Assessment Prompts
• What can the reader conclude about the important roles that a drummer and fifer
play?
• Tom helps restore Will’s confidence to show that
________________________________________________________________.
• Which sentences on pages 12 and 13 show Will’s determination?
Grade 5
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English Language Development
Reading Support Pair advanced and intermediate readers to read the story softly, or
have students listen to the audio or online recordings. Remind them that after making a
mistake, Will practices to get ready for the battle.
Cognates The story includes many cognates. Point out the English words and their
Spanish equivalents: representatives (representativos), battle (batalla), and independence
(independencia).
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 musical instrument
does Will play?
Speaker 1: Instead of breakfast, where
did Will’s command send the soldiers?
Speaker 2: the drum
Speaker 2: It sent them to the battlefield.
Speaker 1: Why did Tom tell
Will that they would be playing
“Yankee Doodle” soon?
Speaker 1: Where did the battle take
place?
Speaker 1: Why was Will concerned
about his father?
Speaker 2: Saratoga, New York
Speaker 2: His father could be thrown
in jail for handing out anti-British
pamphlets.
Speaker 1: What did Tom give Will to
eat?
Speaker 2: He believed that the
British soldiers were getting
weaker and that the Continental
Army would be victorious. The
boys would play the song to
celebrate.
Speaker 2: fire cake
Lesson 11
Name
Date
Critical Thinking
Responding
BLACKLINE MASTER 11.7
Fife and Drum Boys
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions. Possible responses shown.
1. Think within the text What did Will fear might result from a British
Cause and Effect What
happens when Captain Crawford tells Will to
wake up the company? Copy and complete the
chart below.
TARGET SKILL
victory at Saratoga?
He was afraid his father might be arrested and hanged as a traitor.
2. Think within the text How did Tom help Will?
He comforted and looked after Will.
Cause
?
Cause
Captain Crawford
tells Will Stone
to play a drum
signal to wake the
company and call
them to breakfast.
Cause
Will accidentally
drums the signal
for “We’re under
attack!”
3. Think beyond the text What do you think Will learned about
completing important jobs?
He learned that if you stick with something, you can get better at
it, and thus can make an important contribution.
4. Think about the text Why do you think the author chose to tell the
Effect
?
story of the Battle of Saratoga from the point of view of a thirteenyear-old boy?
The author wanted the target audience of young people to be able
Write About It
to identify with Will. This would help readers better visualize the
battle and its impact.
Text to Self Will starts his career as an army drummer
by making a mistake. He recovers from his mistake
and performs well in battle. Think about a time when
you made a mistake and then recovered from it.
Write a paragraph that explains what happened.
Making Connections Will was determined not to make another mistake after
his embarassing moment. Describe a time when you were embarassed, but
were still determined to do something.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
15
9
Critical Thinking
Grade 5, Unit 3: Revolution!
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Name
Date
Fife and Drum Boys
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.
At the beginning of the story, Will is nervous about playing the drum for the
first time in battle. What do you think he learns from the experience of being
in a battle? What advice do you think he might give to someone facing his or
her first battle?
Grade 5
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Lesson 11
BLACKLINE MASTER 11.7
Name
Date
Critical Thinking
Fife and Drum Boys
Critical Thinking
Read and answer the questions.
1. Think within the text What did Will fear might result from a British
victory at Saratoga?
2. Think within the text How did Tom help Will?
3. Think beyond the text What do you think Will learned about
completing important jobs?
4. Think about the text Why do you think the author chose to tell the
story of the Battle of Saratoga from the point of view of a thirteenyear-old boy?
Making Connections Will was determined not to make another mistake after
his embarassing moment. Describe a time when you were embarassed, but
were still determined to do something.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Grade 5
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Student
Lesson 11
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 11.11
Fife and Drum Boys • LEVEL S
page
7
Fife and Drum Boys
Running Record Form
Selection Text
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Total SelfCorrections
Will gasped in horror. In his nervousness, he had played the
wrong command! He’d sent the soldiers running for the
battlefield instead of to the breakfast table.
Captain Crawford quickly called the men to come back. Then
he strode toward Will.
“What were you thinking, boy?” the captain demanded. “We
face the enemy in hours. In battle, your drum is the very voice
and tongue of the commander! Much depends on you. There
must be no more mistakes.” He glared down at Will. Then he
briskly walked away.
Will’s face burned with embarrassment. What a terrible start to
his army service!
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/101 ×
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
1414319
Behavior
ˆ
Word told
1
8
T
cat
1
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