Double Takes Teachers’ Guide
Set A
Sue Brown
Bill Gaynor
Table of Contents
4
How to Use This Book
6
What Are Double Takes?
8
The Features of Double Takes
10
The Read–Research–Respond Road Map
12
Double Takes Overview
14
Using the Internet
16
Using the Teaching Plans
Teaching Plans
Stuck! / Tunnel under the Sea
18–23
Tail Talk and other poems / Animal Messages
24–29
Snow Scare / Water in the Weather
30–35
Travelling to Titan / Voyage to the Giants
36–41
The Legend of Pheidippides / A Marathon Run
42–47
Night Noises / Shapes from Nature
48–53
The Ant and the Grasshopper / Food That Lasts
54–59
A Mouse in the House / Backyard Jungle
60–65
When Foxes Came to Stay / At the Pond
66–71
The Time Capsule / Keeping the Past Alive
72–77
Hidden Treasure / Looking at Letters
78–83
Dinosaur Dig / Animals in Danger
84–89
90
Teaching Research Skills
92
Read–Research–Respond
96
A Balanced Literacy Programme in the Middle and
Upper Primary School Years
100
Guided Reading in the Middle and Upper Primary
School Years
106
Bringing the Student and the Text Together
108
Assessment
113
Assessing Writing (blackline master)
115
Evaluating a Research Project (blackline master)
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How to Use This Book
This guide is designed to be a practical planning and teaching tool – to help assess and identify
the needs of individual students and groups and to teach essential literacy skills, based on the
foundation of guided reading. Skyrider Double Takes give teachers opportunities to introduce
their students to research skills and to guide them as they respond to texts.
This teachers’ guide contains four main sections:
Structure and features – pages 6 to 17
The first section of this guide explains the features
of Double Takes and provides information on ways
to use the books and the dedicated website. There is
an overview that shows the big ideas covered in each
book, the major assignments, and the connections
with other Skyrider resources.
• an assignment for each book that provides
students with the opportunity to research a topic
and make a response to the text;
• a dedicated website that students can use as they
work on the assignment;
• suggestions for providing extra help for English
language learners as they work on the assignment;
• suggestions for further research assignments.
Research skills – pages 90 to 91
This chart lists the key research skills that your
students will need as they work through the
research assignments. Every skill is broken down
into a set of learning outcomes. Use this information
to focus your teaching of research skills.
Teaching plans – pages 18 to 89
Each of the twelve books is supported by a six-page
teaching plan based on the Read–Research–Respond
model. This model is described on page 92. The
teaching plans include:
• an introduction that lists the big ideas that link
the two titles in each book;
• a guided reading lesson plan for each of the two
titles in the book;
• blackline masters for one follow-up activity for
each of the two guided reading lessons;
• suggestions for using the book for research and
response activities;
4
Professional reading – pages 92 to 112
This section provides further information about the
Read–Research–Respond model, including an outline
of the research process and a template to help your
students evaluate their own work. There is also in-depth
information about the essential components of a
balanced literacy programme, including the place of
guided reading in the middle and upper primary
years and suggestions for assessing students’ progress
in reading and writing.
If you want to use Skyrider Double Takes
for guided reading, you could go straight to
the teaching plans that start on page 18.
If you want to use Skyrider
Double Takes as the basis for
student research and response,
use the overview on pages 12
and 13, then turn to the teaching
plans on pages 18 to 89.
To learn more about teaching research
skills, turn to page 90.
To learn more about the
Read–Research–Respond model,
turn to page 92.
To learn more about the components of
a balanced literacy programme, go to
page 96.
For an in-depth discussion of guided
reading in the middle and upper primary
years, turn to page 100.
To look at a variety of reading and writing
assessment techniques that will help you
to identify the needs of individuals or
groups, turn to page 108.
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5
What Are Double Takes?
There are twelve books in Set A Double Takes. Each book contains
two separate but linked titles – one fiction, one non-fiction. There
is also a dedicated web page for each book. Teachers can use
these books in many different ways.
Matching to students’ needs
The titles in the Set A Double Takes represent the
variety of difficulty that it is expected most middle
and upper primary students can cope with. Some
students find that fiction is often easier to read
than non-fiction because it provides a familiar
format. Other students prefer to read non-fiction
and need encouragement to extend the variety of
genres that they read in.
Each Double Take is designed so that the fiction
and non-fiction titles complement each other. The
teaching plans use the fiction text to scaffold
readers into the non-fiction text, but this is only
one way of using the book. Use your knowledge of
your students (including the knowledge and
experiences the students bring to their reading) to
decide which section to use first.
Topics
The twelve Dou
ble Takes book
s at each level
content-area th
cover
emes and topic
s
that will intere
wide variety of
st a
students. The fu
ll-colour photog
illustrations, an
raphs,
d diagrams are
designed to mak
books exciting
e the
and accessible.
6
Guided reading
Each of the two titles in every Double Takes book
can be used for small-group guided reading
instruction. There is a guided reading lesson plan
for both the fiction and non-fiction titles. Each
guided reading lesson plan is supported by a
blackline master of a follow-up activity for
students.
Assignments
and the Inte
Each of the tw
rnet
elve books
has a blackline
and an associat
master
ed web page fo
r a student
assignment. Th
e web page is fu
lly integrated w
the book. The
ith
assignments re
qu
ire your studen
to use key rese
ts
arch skills, and
there are
suggestions for
teaching these
skills. Further
assignments ar
e also included
.
Independent reading
Students who are able to read Double Takes
independently will enjoy their turnover feature and
the combination of fiction and non-fiction. Once a
story has been introduced in a guided reading
lesson, it can become part of a student’s independent
reading repertoire.
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7
The Features of Double Takes
When students read or listen to both fiction and non-fiction texts about one topic or theme,
they are exposed to different perspectives and given multiple points of entry to the meanings
of the texts.
As students read Double Takes, they will meet and benefit from
the following features:
Fiction
Opportunities to:
• develop skills such as inferring and
summarising;
• read poems, humour, sci-fi, fantasy, adventures,
folk tales, mystery, and drama;
• use the texts as prompts and models for their
own writing;
• study plot, character, setting, and theme;
• compare different stories with a similar theme;
• discuss topic-related vocabulary and concepts;
• make connections between fiction and non-fiction texts;
• make links with their own experience.
From When Foxes Came to Stay
by Janice Marriott
Non-fiction
Opportunities to:
• read and research a wide variety of genres, such
as reports, recounts, explanations, letters, and
procedures;
• use a dedicated web page to research a topic;
• develop skills for locating and summarising
information;
• use graphic and text features such as diagrams,
maps, glossaries, charts, and captions;
• follow instructions and procedures;
• use non-fiction text features as models for their
own writing;
• make connections between fiction and
non-fiction texts.
From Water in the Weather
by Pat Quinn
8
From Hidden Treasure
by Pauline Cartwright
Complementary texts
Opportunities to:
• compare and contrast different treatments of a theme
or topic;
• learn how to find facts in fiction and opinions in non-fiction;
• benefit from the supports provided by complementary fiction
and non-fiction texts;
• explore a topic or theme in detail and respond in a
variety of ways.
From Looking at Letters
by John Lockyer
Creative design and illustration
Opportunities to:
• explore a variety of forms of visual communication, such as
photographs, illustrations, maps, charts, cartoons, icons,
advertisements, posters, and diagrams;
• analyse the interaction between words, ideas, and images;
• discuss the use of visual images to convey meaning and
information in fiction and non-fiction;
• explore how illustrations complement text;
• use graphic features as models for their own writing;
• consider the purpose and effectiveness of visual language.
From At the Pond
by Nic Bishop
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9
The Read Research
Road Map
Respond
This road map suggests one way of using Double
Takes. It uses two guided reading lessons for each
book and starts by introducing students to the
fiction text. This is then used to scaffold students
into the non-fiction text. For some readers, it will
be more appropriate to reverse this order or to
offer a choice. Use this road map as a guide only.
Step 1
Preparation
Use the overview on pages 12 and 13 to select a text, based on your knowledge of
your students’ interests and current topics of study as well as your judgement of
their reading, research, and writing needs. Bookmark the Double Takes web address.
Fiction and non-fiction guided reading lesson plans
Step 2
Introduce the big ideas in the fiction text you have chosen by using the guided
reading lesson plan provided. Draw on the students’ own experiences and discuss
the vocabulary and concepts that are specific to the topic. Link the fiction text with the
non-fiction text by using the non-fiction guided reading lesson plan provided.
Step 3
Following up
Ask the students to complete follow-up activities, using the blackline masters to
reinforce or extend skills or concepts.
10
Research assignments and web page
Step 4
Select an assignment from the suggestions given. The major assignment for each
book has an associated web page and is supported by a purposeful blackline
master to help your students organise their research and plan their response. The
students can use the web address that you have bookmarked or added to the “favourites”
menu in advance. This allows them to go quickly to the web page. The assignments are also
supported by information about the specific research skills required.
Tailor your teaching to your students’ needs. You could:
– discuss the selected assignment with the group, review the skills they need, check they
have access to resources, then leave them to work alone or in small groups.
– use the information on pages 90 and 91 to identify and teach the research skills needed by
the students to complete the assignment. They can be taught to large or small groups or in
individual conferences.
– provide extra support for English language learners or other students who need support,
using the listed suggestions for each major assignment.
Step 5
Evaluation
The students complete the read–research–respond assignment using the book, the web
page, and other sources of information. The students can then evaluate their work using
the blackline master on page 115.
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11
Double Takes Overview
Stuck!
Tunnel under
the Sea
Tail Talk and
other poems
Animal
Messages
Snow Scare
Water in the
Weather
Travelling to
Titan
Voyage to
the Giants
The Legend of
Pheidippides
A Marathon
Run
Night Noises
Shapes from
Nature
12
Skyrider
Connections
Big Ideas
Major Assignment
• People use technology to develop more
efficient ways of getting from one place
to another.
• Engineers have developed machinery to
make life easier for people.
• Machinery can malfunction and cause
problems.
The Golden Gate Bridge
The students research the
construction of the Golden Gate
Bridge, using extra information
from the web page. They present
the problems and solutions as a
table and prepare a labelled
diagram of the bridge.
Chapter Book
Bridging the Gap
• There are many reasons why animals need
to communicate with each other.
• Animal messages can be interpreted both
within and between the species.
• People are only able to interpret some
animal messages.
• Speech is only one form of communication.
The Waggle Dance
The students use the poem, nonfiction text, and web page to find
out more about the bee waggle
dance, then write a set of
instructions for other bees to
follow.
Chapter Book
Cat Talk
• In Earth’s environment, water is found in
three states – solid, liquid, and gas.
• Different temperatures cause water to
change form and to behave in specific ways.
• There are a number of ways to measure the
amount of water in the weather.
• Weather is changeable and can be difficult
to predict.
Measuring Rainfall
The students use the book as well
as information from the web page
to explore the ways that people
measure weather. They then
create a scale for measuring
rainfall.
Chapter Book
Measuring the Weather
• People want to learn more about other
planets and the solar system.
• Space travel is challenging because of the
huge distances involved.
• It appears that each planet in our solar
system is unique.
Journey to Jupiter
After reading the fiction and
non-fiction accounts of space
exploration, the students use the
web page to research the Galileo
mission and create a timeline of
the spacecraft’s journey.
Chapter Book
There’s No Place Like
Home
• The modern-day marathon is based on
an event in history.
• Marathons are popular throughout the world.
• People run marathons not only to test their
physical endurance but also for fun.
• Overcoming physical challenges takes
preparation.
A Safe Run
Using the web page for
information and the non-fiction
text as a model for writing, the
students list the safety
considerations of a fun run.
Chapter Book
The Desert Run
• People tell stories to help them understand
what happens in nature.
• Particular shapes convey meanings to certain
groups of people.
• People around the world have always been
inspired to paint and tell stories about
natural phenomena.
Owls from around the World
Using information from the book
and web page, the students
research owl symbolism, then
present their findings as a poster.
Chapter Book
The Shapes of Water
Shared Reading
Suspension Bridges
Shared Reading
Cat Sounds
Shared Reading
The Beaufort Scale
Making a Scale
Shared Reading
Mercury
Shared Reading
Desert Run
Shared Reading
Leaf Patterns
Big Ideas
The Ant and the
Grasshopper
Food That
Lasts
A Mouse in
the House
Backyard
Jungle
When Foxes
Came to Stay
At the Pond
The Time
Capsule
Keeping the
Past Alive
Hidden
Treasure
Looking at
Letters
Dinosaur Dig
Animals in
Danger
Major Assignment
Skyrider
Connections
• Food can be stored or preserved to use in
the future.
• Some foods are seasonal and can be in short
supply at certain times.
• Preserving food involves work, but this will
save time in the future.
• There are many different ways of preserving
food.
Memories
The students use information
from the web page to plan and
conduct an interview with an older
person about food preservation
methods. They can present the
results of this research as a memoir,
a procedure, or a Venn diagram.
Chapter Book
What’s Cooking?
• A variety of animals and insects live in and
around our houses.
• Some animals and insects are helpful and
some are pests.
• Animals and insects need certain conditions
to survive.
Helpful or Harmful?
The students use the book, web
page, and other sources to
complete a chart about common
animals and insects, including
whether they are helpful or
harmful.
Chapter Book
What’s Living at Your
Place?
• All animals need food.
• Animals make their homes in a variety
of habitats.
• Animals depend on other animals and
plants for food.
• Animals, plants, and humans can share
habitats.
Desert Food Chain
The students use information
from the book and web page to
research another habitat and
complete a food chain diagram,
using the non-fiction text as a
model.
Chapter Book
Canoe Diary
• People are interested in learning about
the past.
• Artefacts provide a lot of information about
the past.
• Everything deteriorates with age.
• There are processes that can be used to
conserve artefacts.
Treasures
The students prepare and present
a speech about a personal treasure
and how it could be preserved,
using the book and web page for
further information.
Chapter Book
Down on the Ice
• Letters are an age-old means of
communication.
• Systems for delivering letters have evolved to
become more efficient.
• People write to each other for many reasons,
both formal and informal.
• Electronic communication is replacing
handwritten letters.
Keeping in Touch
The students use information
from the book, web page, and
other sources to prepare a poster
about the different kinds and
purposes of the letters sent by one
person.
Chapter Book
A Letter from Fish Bay
• Many animals and plants are already extinct.
• There are a number of reasons for
extinction.
• Many species today face extinction.
• People need to be aware that their actions
can endanger species.
• People are working in different ways to save
endangered species.
A Safe Place
Using the information from the
book and web page, the students
describe how they would set up
an animal sanctuary in their area.
Chapter Book
Saving the Yellow Eye
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Shared Reading
The Flea
Shared Reading
Ant Traps
13
Using the Internet
The Double Takes series uses the Internet to provide even more
opportunities for your students to learn and use research skills.
Literacy and technology are integrated in an authentic learning
context through a dedicated web page for every student title.
If your students don’t have access to the Internet, the research assignments can
be completed using traditional resources such as the school or public library.
Familiarise yourself with the Double Takes web pages at:
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Read the pages that relate to the books and assignments that you want your
students to use.
Bookmark the web address for Double Takes or save it to the “favourites”
menu. This will ensure that the students’ time on the Internet is clearly
focused.
Check your school’s policy on safe Internet use by students. Some schools
and districts limit the searches that their students can do. The Double Takes
student web pages are self-contained and do not contain links to other sites.
Avoid the overuse of cut-and-paste by students. Train your students to skim
and scan, making notes and taking only the information they need. Read their
work carefully to make sure that they are not simply rewriting the information
they find on a web page. For further information, see page 90.
14
Web Page Connections
F
NF
WEB
F
NF
WEB
F
NF
WEB
F
NF
WEB
F
NF
WEB
F
NF
WEB
Stuck!
Tunnel under the Sea
The Golden Gate Bridge
Tail Talk and other poems
Animal Messages
The Waggle Dance
Snow Scare
Water in the Weather
Measuring Rainfall
Travelling to Titan
Voyage to the Giants
Journey to Jupiter
The Legend of Pheidippides
A Marathon Run
A Safe Run
Night Noises
Shapes from Nature
Owls from around the World
F
NF
WEB
F
NF
WEB
F
NF
WEB
F
NF
WEB
F
NF
WEB
F
NF
WEB
The Ant and the Grasshopper
Food That Lasts
Memories
A Mouse in the House
Backyard Jungle
Helpful or Harmful?
When Foxes Came to Stay
At the Pond
Desert Food Chain
The Time Capsule
Keeping the Past Alive
Treasures
Hidden Letters
Looking at Letters
Keeping in Touch
Dinosaur Dig
Animals in Danger
A Safe Place
15
Using the Teaching Plans
Every Double Takes book is supported by lesson plans, teaching suggestions, and student
activities. These are designed to engage your students with reading, researching, and
responding to texts. A suggested sequence of teaching and learning is outlined in the road
map on page 10. The Read–Research–Respond model is described in more detail on page 92.
Use and adapt the teaching plans to suit your purposes and your students’ needs.
All of the guided reading lesson plans
have the following features:
Introducing the text
Making links to students’ prior knowledge,
introducing new and specialised vocabulary, and giving
students the confidence to begin reading the text
themselves (explicit links are made between the
fiction and non-fiction titles)
Blackline master
Each guided reading lesson plan is supported
by a blackline master of a follow-up activity
Big Ideas
The main ideas that are carried in both
the fiction and non-fiction titles
of the book
Features of the Text
Specific features, supports, and
challenges in the text
Purpose
Reading and discussing the text
Examples of teaching and learning objectives
to guide your lesson planning and
assessment
Sample questions to promote critical thinking and
post-reading discussion to explore students’
responses to the text
Following Up
Stimulating literacy activities to extend and
reinforce skills (one activity in each lesson
plan is accompanied by a
blackline master)
16
Student assignments
These pages give suggestions for ways in which students can use the books for further research. Each book is supported by
one major assignment and a student blackline master together with three other assignments. There are suggestions for
providing extra help for students who are English language learners or who need the assignment to be modified. There is
also a list of the research skills that your students will need to carry out the assignments.
Blackline Master
A blackline master for a student
assignment to accompany each book and
to support students as they research and
respond to the topic
Student Assignment
•
Introduces the research and response
part of the model
•
Lists the skills required for students to
complete the assignment for each book
Extra Help
Suggestions for providing support to
students who are English language
learners or who need task modifications
Other Assignments
Skills
Three more ideas for student assignments
that provide opportunities for students to
carry out research and to respond to the
texts in interesting ways
Lists the essential research skills that
students will need
Web Page
Provides further information for research
17
Stuck!
Tunnel under the Sea
This book focuses on the ways people have solved transport problems using
technology.
Big Ideas
Using these two titles, your students can explore and make links between the following big ideas:
• People use technology to develop more efficient ways of getting from one place to another.
• Engineers have developed machinery to make life easier for people.
• People can use their knowledge of technology to overcome problems.
• Machinery can malfunction and cause problems.
• There are procedures to follow when things go wrong with machines.
Fiction
Stuck!
Summary
A boy becomes trapped in the lift of his grandmother’s
apartment building. He stays calm and uses the emergency
phone to call for a rescue team.
Features of the Text
• Narrative text with action and dialogue
by Mandy Hager
Guided Reading Summary
Introducing the text
Talk about how people can get from one part of a building to
another, for example, by using escalators, stairs, and lifts.
– What would you do if you got stuck in a lift? How would you feel?
– What are some structures that help us to get from one place to
another? (bridges, tunnels)
• Character development
Reading and discussing the text
• Fictional first-person recount
Discuss the illustrations on the cover of the book and the
title page. Ask the students to read to the end of page 3.
• Sequence of events
• Theme of problem solving under pressure
Purpose
Stuck! can be used for the following purposes:
• introducing the ideas and vocabulary in the associated
non-fiction title;
• exploring character development;
• determining the author’s purpose;
• discussing problem solving in a narrative text.
– Does this remind you of times when you have ridden in a lift?
– Can you predict what is going to happen? Why do the words and
illustrations make you think that?
Ask the students to read to the end of page 4.
– How are the two boys behaving?
– What do we know about them already?
Ask the students to read to the end of page 7. Discuss how
each character is responding to the situation and how they’re
feeling.
– How has the author given us a picture of each character?
– What would you do if you were stuck in this lift?
– What do you think will happen next?
Ask the students to finish the story.
– What problems did the author include in this story? (lift breakdown,
fear, the relationship between the boys)
– How did the author resolve these problems?
Following Up
The students can:
• discuss the problem-solving skills demonstrated by the main character • make a chart of the emergency procedure for
a similar situation • create a character web using the blackline master on page 20.
18
Non-fiction
Tunnel under the Sea
Summary
How do you get from England to France without using a
plane or a boat? Engineers came up with the idea of digging
a tunnel under the sea. This title examines the many
problems faced in this project and the solutions that the
engineers provided.
Features of the Text
• Photographs and illustrations
• Graphs, cross-sectional diagrams, map
• Captions and labels
• Problem/solution format
• Specialised vocabulary
• Report structure
Purpose
Tunnel under the Sea can be used to introduce and reinforce
the following skills:
S using graphic sources of information;
S
retrieving and classifying information from a text;
S
identifying the problems and solutions in a text.
The Guided Reading Lesson
S Using graphic sources of information
S
Retrieving and classifying information from a text
Introducing the text
Remind the students of the lift in Stuck!
– What other ways has technology been used to help people to get
from one place to another?
– How can technology help people to cross rivers or mountains?
Encourage the students to think about bridges and tunnels.
Using a map of your country, discuss the places where
bridges or tunnels are used or needed.
by John Bonallack
Reading and discussing the text
Show the students the cover of the book and the title page.
– Why do you think a tunnel was built in this particular place?
– What problems would engineers have to overcome to make a tunnel
through land that’s under the sea?
Ask the students to look at the map and photograph on
page 2.
– What can we learn from these?
– Why do you think people would want a tunnel between England
and France?
Look through pages 2 to 5 with the students, discussing the
ideas in the text and the illustrations.
– How does the diagram at the bottom of pages 2 and 3 help you to
understand why a suspension bridge would not be a good solution?
– Why do you think the solution was to build three tunnels?
Ask the students to read to the end of page 9, paying special
attention to the information in the diagrams. Go through
these carefully together to ensure that they understand them.
– How do the diagrams, labels, and fact box on page 6 give you a clear
idea of the tunnel design?
Ask the students to explain the diagram on page 8 in their
own words.
The students can now read the rest of the text silently while
you check their understanding by sitting alongside each
student and asking them to explain the paragraph they are
reading.
Complete the guided reading lesson by discussing how the
tunnel is used today.
– What are the main safety issues associated with the tunnel?
– What would you do if there was an emergency when you were in
the tunnel?
– How many people use the tunnel each year?
– Which fact do you find the most interesting/surprising? Why?
Following Up
The students can:
• make a model of the Channel Tunnel using cardboard tubes • use the glossary to clarify the vocabulary that relates to
special equipment • choose one aspect of the tunnel-building process from the text and describe this orally to the class
• list the problems and solutions the engineers had while the tunnel was being built by completing the blackline master on
page 21.
19
Fiction
Name:
Stuck!
Choose one of the main characters in Stuck!
Make up a name for him and write it in the circle.
Write words that describe the kind of person he is in the boxes around the circle.
S
20
Exploring character development
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
Non-fiction
Name:
Tunnel under the Sea
List the problems that the tunnel builders had.
Write the solutions alongside the problems.
Problems
S
Identifying the problems and solutions in a text
Solutions
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
21
Read
Research
Respond
To complete the following assignments, the students will need to have read both Stuck!
and Tunnel under the Sea. If you have not already introduced these titles in a guided
reading lesson, allow time for the students to read them. Discuss the “big ideas” in the
book, encouraging the students to identify the connections between the fiction and
non-fiction sections.
Student Assignment
The Golden Gate Bridge
During the construction of any bridge or tunnel, there
are problems to be solved. Ask the students to review
the problems and solutions in Tunnel under the Sea. They
can then go to the associated web page to read about the
construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. Using the
blackline master on page 23, the students can present,
in their own words, the problems and solutions
associated with building this bridge.
To access the web page, the students will need to enter
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow and click
on “The Golden Gate Bridge”. This will be easier for
them if you bookmark the web address or add it to the
“favourites” menu in advance.
Skills
To complete this assignment successfully, the students
will need the following research skills:
• categorising information;
• using graphic sources of information;
• using the Internet.
See page 90 for further information about research
skills.
Resources
The resources needed to complete this assignment could
include:
• access to the Internet or to suitable reference books
and magazines;
• the blackline master on page 23;
• the Skyrider Chapter Book Bridging the Gap;
• the Skyrider Shared Reading poster Suspension
Bridges.
22
Extra Help
If you have students who are English language learners
or who need the assignment to be modified, you could:
• organise a mixed-ability group and assign specific
parts of the task to each member;
• write a list of the problems and their solutions and
ask the students to match them;
• make labels of the key vocabulary for the students to
attach to their diagram of the Golden Gate Bridge;
• have the students make a model of the Golden Gate
Bridge and give an oral presentation describing the
problems and solutions they had when they made it.
Other Assignments
Timeline
Ask your students to either draw a timeline to describe
the events during the construction of the Channel
Tunnel or to sequence the key events in Stuck! They
should reread the text and make notes about the main
events before placing them in order.
Poster Presentation
Ask your students to use the library or Internet to
research another tunnel or bridge. They should make
notes about the bridge or tunnel and summarise the key
details before planning a poster. The students can refer
to Tunnel under the Sea for ideas about ways to present
their poster, for example, graphs, cross-sections, or
labelled diagrams. Their poster should also show the
location of the bridge or tunnel on a world map.
News Report
Ask your students to write a newspaper report about an
incident similar to the one in Stuck! Before beginning,
they should examine a variety of newspaper reports and
discuss their main elements, for example, headlines,
introductions, captions, and quotes.
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Name:
The Golden Gate Bridge
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Look at the problems and solutions in Tunnel under the Sea.
Go to www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Click the button for “The Golden Gate Bridge”.
Read about how this bridge was built.
What problems did the bridge builders face?
What were their solutions?
Draw and label the Golden Gate Bridge.
Problem
Solution
Golden Gate Bridge
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
23
Tail Talk and other poems
Animal Messages
This book uses non-fiction text and poems to explore communication
between animals.
Big Ideas
Using these two titles, your students can explore and make links between the following big ideas:
•
•
•
•
There are many reasons why animals need to communicate with each other.
Animal messages can be interpreted both within and between the species.
People are only able to interpret some animal messages.
Speech is only one form of communication.
Fiction
Tail Talk and other poems
by Jill Brasell, Philippa Werry, Hayley MacDuff
Summary
This anthology of poems looks at the ways that animals
communicate with each other and with people.
Guided Reading Summary
Features of the Text
• Variety of rhymes
• Narrative poetry
• Descriptive language used to convey how animals
communicate – waggle, tail’s a flag, rattle
Introducing the text
Look at the cover of the book and discuss the title and
illustration.
– What does it mean when a dog wags its tail? What message is
the dog trying to give?
Discuss links with the students’ own experiences (pets,
zoo visits).
– What other animals might we see in this book?
Reading and discussing the text
Purpose
Tail Talk and other poems can be used for the following
purposes:
• introducing the ideas and vocabulary in the associated
non-fiction title;
Choose one poem to read aloud to the group.
• encouraging students to enjoy reading and listening to
poetry;
– When might a whale want to communicate with other whales or
with other creatures?
• understanding how rhythm and rhyme are used for
poetic effect;
• exploring the author’s use of descriptive language;
• finding factual information in poems.
– How has this animal sent a message?
Discuss the way poems can contain facts.
Ask the students to turn to page 2.
Discuss the different reasons why animals communicate.
Ask the students to read the other poems and to find the
places where the authors have compared the animals with
something else, such as ants “like a long machine”. Explain
that these comparisons are called similes (when one thing is
said to be like another) or metaphors (when one thing is said
to actually be another).
– Can you find any other similes or metaphors in the poems?
– Why do authors use language in this way?
Following Up
The students can:
• recite their choice of poem with fluency and expression • find examples of similes and metaphors in other texts and
discuss them with a group • record animal facts on the blackline master on page 26.
24
Non-fiction
Animal Messages
Summary
Animals don’t communicate in the same way as people, but
they can still find each other, frighten off predators, and
share information about food. They do this in lots of
different ways, often without making a sound!
Features of the Text
• Fact boxes and grids
• Labelled diagrams
• Captioned photographs and illustrations
• Headings and subheadings
• Contents page, glossary, index
• Specialised vocabulary
Purpose
Animal Messages can be used to introduce and reinforce the
following skills:
S using the features of non-fiction such as headings,
glossaries, captions, and grids;
S
locating information using the contents page and index;
S
summarising and retelling information;
S
using the text as a model for writing.
The Guided Reading Lesson
S Using the features of non-fiction such as headings,
glossaries, captions, and grids
S
by Kevin Boon
Reading and discussing the text
Discuss the title of the book and the illustration on the cover.
– What kind of animal is this? What message might it be sending?
Read and discuss the contents page.
– Can you think of any animals that communicate through smell, colour,
or dance? Are they on your chart?
Read the introduction and then look at the grid on page 3.
Discuss the headings and the use of columns. Explain to
the students that grids are a useful way to summarise
information.
– Why has the author presented the information in this way?
– How do you read a grid like this?
– What does the grid tell us about bats and dogs?
Ask the students to read to the end of page 9.
– How else has the information been presented? (captions, diagrams,
photographs, glossary)
Look at the grid on page 8. Compare this with the grid on
page 3. Check the students’ understanding by asking them
questions that they can answer with information from the
grids, for example:
– Why would a jay make a rattling sound?
– What do redshanks do when there is danger?
– How would a stonechat let other birds know that there was a
snake nearby?
Discuss the use of sound to communicate messages.
– What other ways of communicating are there, which haven’t been
written about in this book?
Locating information using the contents page and index
Introducing the text
Use the comparison grid on page 3 to predict what other
kinds of messages may be included in this book.
Look at the charts that the students completed earlier on
the blackline master for Tail Talk and other poems and talk
to them about their pets.
Ask the students to read the rest of the text independently,
confirming or revising their predictions.
– How do you know when your pet is hungry/happy/upset?
– What does it do when it doesn’t want anyone near?
Discuss the glossary and index on page 16.
– What kinds of books usually have a glossary or index?
– What are these two things used for?
– How would you use them as you read the book?
Following Up
The students can:
• use the blackline master on page 27 to complete their own grid, referring to the grid on page 3 of the book as a model
• use the information on page 11 of the book to prepare a small grid about lizards or octopuses • choose one animal
from the book and use the library or Internet to research its habits and habitat.
25
Fiction
Name:
Tail Talk and other poems
Find facts in the poems about some of the animals in Tail Talk and other poems.
Animal
S
26
Finding factual information in poems
Facts
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
Non-fiction
Name:
Animal Messages
Look at the grid on page 3. How do other animals communicate?
Animal
S
Sign
Using the text as a model for writing
Message
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
27
Read • Research
Respond
To complete the following assignments, the students will need to have read both Tail
Talk and other poems and Animal Messages. If you have not already introduced these
titles in a guided reading lesson, allow time for the students to read them. Discuss the
“big ideas” in the book, encouraging the students to identify the connections between
the fiction and non-fiction sections.
Student Assignment
The Waggle Dance
In both Tail Talk and other poems and Animal Messages,
there is an explanation of how bees communicate with
each other. The students can use this information and
the information on the associated web page to write a
set of instructions for doing the waggle dance. They can
then use the blackline master on page 29 to help
sequence the steps for the dance.
To access the web page, the students will need to enter
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow and click
on “The Waggle Dance”. This will be easier for them if
you bookmark the web address or add it to the
“favourites” menu in advance.
Skills
To complete this assignment successfully, the students
will need the following research skills:
• note taking;
• summarising;
• using the Internet.
See page 90 for further information about research
skills.
Resources
The resources needed to complete this assignment could
include:
• access to the Internet or to suitable reference books
and magazines;
• the blackline master on page 29;
• the Skyrider Chapter Book Cat Talk;
• the Skyrider Shared Reading poster Cat Sounds.
28
Extra Help
If you have students who are English language learners
or who need the assignment to be modified, you could:
• pair the students with good readers, who can read
the assignment information aloud;
• provide a partially completed blackline master (first
and last steps) as a model;
• allow the students to teach the waggle dance to
others through actions rather than writing;
• ask the students to draw the steps for the waggle
dance and to label them with brief captions.
Other Assignments
Animal Poem
The students should write and publish their own animal
poem, using the information from the book as well as
from other sources and their own knowledge. They
could use a web to record their ideas and write
descriptive phrases, then turn each new idea into a
verse. When the poem has been revised and edited, the
students can share it with the class.
Messages Grid
Explore various possible responses to animal messages
by extending the grid made for the activity on page 27.
Add an extra column headed Response. Ask the students
to research and record the ways in which other animals
or humans might respond to the messages given by the
animals.
Narrative Writing
Ask the students to use the information in the book as
well as their own personal experience to plan and write
a real or imaginary story about an encounter with an
animal. The story should incorporate all the usual
features of a narrative as well as contain factual
information.
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Name:
The Waggle Dance
• Read the poem “The Waggle Dance”, then look at the fact box on
page 15 of Animal Messages. This gives you information about how
bees send each other messages.
• Go to www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
• Click the button for “The Waggle Dance”.
• Use this information to help you write the steps for the waggle dance in the correct order.
• Ask a friend to read your work. Do you need to change any of the steps?
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
29
Snow Scare
Water in the Weather
This book looks at the weather and the changeable nature of the elements. The fiction
and non-fiction titles contain important information about water and the ways it
appears in different states – solid, liquid, and gas.
Big Ideas
Using these two titles, your students can explore and make links between the following big ideas:
• In Earth’s environment, water is found in three states – solid, liquid, and gas.
• Different temperatures cause water to change form and to behave in specific ways.
• In the environment, water moves in a cyclical way.
• There are a number of ways to measure the amount of water in the weather.
• Weather is changeable and can be difficult to predict.
Fiction
Snow Scare
by Janice Marriott
Summary
A family trip into the mountains becomes dangerous when
the weather changes unexpectedly.
Guided Reading Summary
Features of the Text
• Fictional first-person recount
– Why do people go tramping in the mountains?
– What problems might they face there?
– What would they do to stay safe?
• Orientation, problem, climax, resolution
• Descriptive language
Introducing the text
Ask the students to share any experiences they have of
mountains.
Look at the book’s cover and title and discuss what the
characters might be doing.
• Focus on the problem-solving process and safety
Reading and discussing the text
• Direct speech
Read the first paragraph on page 2 together.
Purpose
Snow Scare can be used for the following purposes:
• introducing the ideas and vocabulary in the associated
non-fiction title;
• making personal connections with the text;
• exploring how the use of language can deepen meaning;
• sequencing the main events;
• exploring the factual information in a fiction text;
• making predictions.
– Which words and phrases tell us where this story is set?
Discuss the way the writer uses both concrete terms
(mountains, cabin) and descriptive and figurative language
(The air was so cold that my nose tingled) to build meaning
and to create pictures in the readers’ minds.
Ask the students to read to the end of page 4.
– What do you predict is going to happen next?
The students can read to the end of page 9. Discuss the
changes in the weather.
– What are some of the things that Dad has been doing to keep
everyone safe?
– What do you think will happen next?
Ask the students to read to the end of the story, then discuss
their predictions.
Following Up
The students can:
• use the blackline master on page 32 to record the sequence of events in the story • write a diary entry for the day in
the mountains, taking one character’s point of view.
30
Non-fiction
Water in the Weather
Summary
Water is in the weather in many ways. Snow, rain, and frost
all look and feel very different from one another – but they
are all water, which is a concept this book explores.
Features of the Text
• Explanation
• Headings and subheadings
• Labelled diagrams
• Scales for measurement
• Information in photographs, diagrams, and fact boxes
• Glossary
• Specialised vocabulary
Purpose
Water in the Weather can be used to introduce and reinforce
the following skills:
S asking questions to deepen understanding;
S
using the features of non-fiction texts to locate
information;
S
identifying the main ideas in a non-fiction text;
S
recording information.
The Guided Reading Lesson
S Asking questions to deepen understanding
S
Using the features of non-fiction texts to locate
information
Introducing the text
Look at the cover of the book and discuss what’s happening
in the photograph. Discuss your students’ knowledge of the
weather and the part water plays in the weather.
Use a KWL chart (What I Know, What I Want to Know,
What I Learnt) to brainstorm their questions about water in
the weather.
by Pat Quinn
As you introduce, read, and discuss this text, note the nonfiction text features and check that the students understand
the ways that the information is formatted.
Spend extra time on the features your students need the
most support with.
Page 2 – fact box and the use of percentages
Pages 3 and 6 – charts
Page 4 – water cycle diagram
Page 5 – glossary word in bold
Pages 9, 10, and 15 – magnifications
Pages 12 and 13 – scales
Using these features often involves making inferences.
For example, to understand the water cycle diagram on page
4, the students need to make inferences about the parts of
the diagram that represent the land and sea. Make sure that
the students are aware of the purpose of the diagram before
expecting them to understand the use of the arrows and the
key.
Reading and discussing the text
Ask the students to read to the end of page 7.
– How does water form into clouds?
Go back to page 4 and discuss the water cycle diagram to
confirm the students’ explanations. Ask the students
questions to confirm their understanding.
– Which kinds of clouds usually warn us of rain?
– What other kinds of weather would you expect if you saw these clouds?
Ask the students to read to the end of page 11, then discuss
the different ways that water can freeze.
– What can we add to our KWL chart?
Use the KWL chart to confirm the students’ prior knowledge,
to record any new questions, and to add new information
from their reading.
Discuss the two scales on pages 12 and 13.
– How is the information about measuring snow presented?
Review the kinds of information in the text boxes throughout
the text.
– Why is this information presented in boxes? Why has the author
included them?
Following Up
The students can:
• compare a week’s weather in their area with that of a different region or country • look at the symbols used on weather
maps and design different ones • find picture books that are set in different climates and compare the effects these
climates have on the settings • use the blackline master on page 33 to make observations about the changing states of
water.
31
Fiction
Name:
Snow Scare
What happened in the story? List the main events in order.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
S
32
Sequencing the main events
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
Non-fiction
Name:
Water in the Weather
Place an ice cube on a small, clean dish. Write the time you do this in the first box
and describe what you see. You can draw as well as use words.
Do this again every hour (or whenever you can) until the dish is empty.
Time
S
Recording information
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
33
Read
Research
Respond
To complete the following assignments, the students will need to have read both
Snow Scare and Water in the Weather. If you have not already introduced these titles
in a guided reading lesson, allow time for the students to read them. Discuss the
“big ideas” in the book, encouraging the students to identify the connections
between the fiction and non-fiction sections.
Student Assignment
Measuring Rainfall
How do meteorologists measure weather such as rain,
wind, and temperature? Using the blackline master on
page 35, the students can use the information on pages
12 and 13 of Water in the Weather and its associated web
page to create their own scale for measuring rainfall.
To access the web page, the students will need to enter
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow and click
on “Measuring Rainfall”. This will be easier for them if
you bookmark the web address or add it to the
“favourites” menu in advance.
Skills
To complete this assignment successfully, the students
will need the following research skills:
• using graphic sources of information;
• scanning and skimming;
• categorising information;
• using the Internet.
See page 90 for further information about research
skills.
Resources
The resources needed to complete this assignment could
include:
• access to the Internet or to suitable reference books
and magazines;
• the blackline master on page 35;
• the Skyrider Chapter Book Measuring the Weather;
• the Skyrider Shared Reading posters The Beaufort
Scale and Making a Scale.
34
Extra Help
If you have students who are English language learners
or who need the assignment to be modified, you could:
• provide the students with a scale for measuring rain
that they can complete;
• ask the students to make a simple rain gauge to
collect and measure rainfall over a week and to
report their findings to the group (see the Skyrider
Chapter Book Measuring the Weather, pages 24 to 25,
for instructions);
• tell the students to compare the weather in their
home countries with the local weather, using a
vocabulary list that you have compiled for support.
Other Assignments
Cloud Watch
Ask your students to make a chart to record how often
the different kinds of cloud discussed in Water in the
Weather appear in the sky over a week. They should
record the kinds of cloud they observe along with the
temperature and rainfall to see how particular weather
patterns relate to cloud types.
Safety Poster
Ask your students to reread Snow Scare and to list the
things that Dad did to keep everyone safe. Then they
should use this list to prepare a poster about tramping
safety. Their poster should include details about
checking the weather conditions, the necessary
equipment, and what to do in an emergency. They
should check all the facts and make sure that the poster
could be understood by someone who knows very little
about tramping in the mountains.
The Ranger’s Story
Ask your students to write about the events in Snow
Scare from the mountain varietyr’s point of view. They
should include descriptions of the weather, using Water
in the Weather as a source of information.
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Name:
Measuring Rainfall
• Look at the diagrams on pages 12 and 13 of Water in the Weather.
They show how to measure snowfall.
• Go to www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
• Click the button for “Measuring Rainfall”.
• Use this information to help you to draw a scale for measuring rainfall.
• Show the scale to a friend before you make your final copy. Is the scale clear
and easy to read? Does it make sense?
• Explain your work to the class.
Description
Scale
Example
The purpose of this scale is to:
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
35
Travelling to Titan
Voyage to the Giants
This book focuses on space travel and the exploration of our solar system. The fiction
title is a play about a family travelling to Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. The nonfiction title is a report about Voyager II and its journey to Jupiter and the outer
planets. Together, these can be used to discuss space travel now and in the future.
Big Ideas
Using these two titles, your students can explore and make links between the following big ideas:
• People want to learn more about other planets and the solar system.
• Space travel is challenging because of the huge distances involved.
• Scientific research has helped us to understand how to use gravity and computers to explore space.
• It appears that each planet in our solar system is unique.
Fiction
Travelling to Titan
Summary
Kate and Zac are travelling with their family by spacecraft
to live on Titan, one of the moons of Saturn. When they
discover mice on the spaceship, Zac has the answer – he
has smuggled his cat, Smoky, on board.
Features of the Text
• Plot, characters, setting
• Descriptions of each scene
• Character list
by John Parker
Guided Reading Summary
Introducing the text
Look at the cover of the book and discuss the title.
– Where might Titan be? How might you get there?
Draw on the students’ knowledge of space exploration.
Look at the first two pages of the text. Discuss the format of
the play – the list of characters, the description of the scene,
and the way the text is laid out.
– Have you ever been in a play? What character did you play?
• Play script conventions, such as italics for directions
Reading and discussing the text
• Factual information about space travel and the solar
system
Look at the illustration of the characters on page 2. Discuss their
clothes, who they might be, and what they might be doing.
Purpose
Travelling to Titan can be used for the following purposes:
• introducing the ideas and vocabulary in the associated
non-fiction title;
Ask the students to read to the end of page 4.
• exploring the conventions and language of drama;
• practising reading aloud with pace and expression.
– What have you learnt about the planets so far?
– What are the characters telling us about space travel?
Now ask the students to read to the end of page 8. Discuss
the plot so far and ask the students to predict what may
happen next.
– What might the problem be?
– What do you think will happen to the cat?
Ask the students to read to the end of the story.
– What have you learnt about space travel?
– What kinds of space travel are possible these days?
Following Up
The students can:
• perform the play to the class, assigning characters and discussing why particular students should take specific roles
• rewrite a section of the play as a narrative, using the blackline master on page 38.
36
Non-fiction
Voyage to the Giants
by John Bonallack
Summary
In August 1977, the spacecraft Voyager II left Earth to
explore the giant planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and
Neptune. For over ten years, it sent back valuable
information and photographs to scientists on Earth. Now,
in the 21st century, Voyager II has left our solar system, but
it is still sending back signals and has travelled farther than
any modern spacecraft.
Reading and discussing the text
Features of the Text
• Labelled photographs and diagrams
– What planets are in our solar system?
– What problems do scientists face when they try to find out more about
other planets?
Discuss what the students know about the solar system, with
specific reference to such things as the distance between
Earth and the Sun, temperature, etc.
– What challenges might a spacecraft encounter when travelling to these
planets?
Ask the students to read pages 2 and 3 to locate any facts
that could be added to the KWL chart.
• Fact boxes
• Timeline
• Contents page, glossary, index
Discuss the illustrated diagram on pages 4 and 5. Ensure that
the students understand the concept of the slingshot effect.
You may wish to try this as an activity later in the lesson.
• Specialised vocabulary – probe, gravity, slingshot effect
• Graphic at the foot of each page spread
Purpose
Voyage to the Giants can be used to introduce and reinforce
the following skills:
S using prior knowledge to make predictions;
S
questioning the text;
S
locating the main ideas;
S
finding and recording information.
The Guided Reading Lesson
S
Using prior knowledge to make predictions
S
Questioning the text
Ask the students to read pages 6 to 9.
– What problem did Voyager II face? How was it overcome?
– What facts about “the giants” have you found on these pages?
– What have you learnt about Jupiter’s moons?
Ask the students to read pages 10 to 13. When they have
finished, discuss some of the information that was sent back
by Voyager II about Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
– What challenges did the scientists on Earth face?
– Why was it hard to keep Voyager II on the right path?
Ask the students to read the final two pages of the text and to
predict what may happen to Voyager II in the future.
Introducing the text
Discuss the title of the book.
– Which planets do you think the author is referring to as “the giants”?
Use a KWL chart (What I Know, What I Want to Know,
What I Learnt) to record the things that the students
already know and want to find out about space travel. Refer
them back to the play, Travelling to Titan, as a source of
ideas for this task.
Following Up
The students can:
• return to the text to help them to complete the blackline master on page 39, showing the discoveries made by Voyager II
• identify some of the problems and solutions from the voyage and collate these onto a group wall chart to display in
the classroom.
37
Fiction
Name:
Travelling to Titan
Select one page from the play.
Rewrite the page as a narrative with dialogue. You can use the words from the play
for the dialogue.
Page chosen:
Setting:
Characters:
The story so far:
What happens next?
S
38
Exploring the conventions and language of drama
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
Non-fiction
Name:
Voyage to the Giants
List the discoveries that are described in the book. Write the page number to show
where you found the information.
Discovery
S
Finding and recording information
Page
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
39
Read
Research
Respond
To complete the following assignments, the students will need to have read both
Travelling to Titan and Voyage to the Giants. If you have not already introduced these
titles in a guided reading lesson, allow time for the students to read them. Discuss the
“big ideas” in the book, encouraging the students to identify the connections between
the fiction and non-fiction sections.
Student Assignment
Journey to Jupiter
Ask the students to discuss the timeline on page 15 of
Voyage to the Giants showing the planets that Voyager II
visited. Using the blackline master on page 41, the
students can use the information and ideas from the
book and its associated web page to create their own
timeline for the spacecraft Galileo.
To access the web page, the students will need to enter
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow and click
on “Journey to Jupiter”. This will be easier for them if
you bookmark the web address or add it to the
“favourites” menu in advance.
Skills
To complete this assignment successfully, the students
will need the following research skills:
• comparing and contrasting information;
• categorising information;
• using the Internet.
See page 90 for further information about research
skills.
Resources
The resources needed to complete this assignment could
include:
• access to the Internet or to suitable reference books
and magazines;
• the blackline master on page 41;
• the Skyrider Chapter Book There’s No Place Like
Home;
• the Skyrider Shared Reading poster Mercury.
40
Extra Help
If you have students who are English language learners
or who need the assignment to be modified, you could:
• provide the information required on sentence strips
for the students to arvariety in chronological order
and to stick onto the timeline;
• write the key dates onto the timeline and ask the
students to find and enter the information that
matches each date;
• provide the students with extra practice with the key
vocabulary of this book, including word cards to
match with pictures of the planets and stars.
Other Assignments
Mind Mapping
Ask your students to read or perform the play Travelling
to Titan. Afterwards, they should make a mind map of all
the problems that a family travelling to another planet
might face, both during the journey and on arrival. They
should suggest at least one solution for each problem
identified.
Charting Information
Ask your students to choose one of the planets that
Voyager II passed by. They should use reference books
and the Internet to create a fact file about that planet.
Their categories of information should include:
– length of day;
– distance from the Sun;
– time taken to orbit the Sun;
– temperatures during the day and at night;
– diameter;
– atmosphere.
Compare and Contrast
Ask your students to compare a day in the life of a family
on Earth and on Titan. They should say how their lives
would be different or the same. They can present the
information on a Venn diagram under the headings Same
and Different.
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Name:
Journey to Jupiter
• Look at the timeline on page 14 of Voyage to the Giants.
• Go to www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
• Click the button for “Journey to Jupiter”. It has information about the
journey of a spacecraft called Galileo.
• Use this information to help you to draw a timeline showing when Galileo passed
each planet.
• Show your timeline to a friend. Is it in the right order? Is it clear and easy to read?
• Now edit your work and make a final copy.
Galileo Timeline
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
41
The Legend of Pheidippides
A Marathon Run
This book looks at the historical and contemporary aspects of long-distance running.
The fiction title is a legend that tells how the Greek runner Pheidippides ran from the
town of Marathon to Athens. The non-fiction title focuses on the origins of the
modern-day marathon, comparing the London and New York marathons and giving
instructions for organising a “mara-fun”.
Big Ideas
Using these two titles, your students can explore and make links between the following big ideas:
• The modern-day marathon is based on an event in history.
• Marathons are popular throughout the world.
• People run marathons not only to test their physical endurance but also for fun.
• Overcoming physical challenges takes preparation.
Fiction
The Legend of Pheidippides
Summary
A seriously wounded young runner is sent to Athens to
inform the Athenians about the outcome of a battle
between the Greeks and Persians at Marathon.
Features of the Text
• Recount of a legend
• Narrative
• Setting, plot, characters, sequence of events
• Map with enlargement and scale
Purpose
The Legend of Pheidippides can be used for the following
purposes:
• introducing the ideas and vocabulary in the associated
non-fiction title;
• identifying the features of a legend;
• exploring narrative structure and character
development.
by David Hill
Guided Reading Summary
Introducing the text
Ask the students what they know about legends.
– What are legends usually about?
– Why might people create and retell legends?
Ask the students what they know about marathons.
– Can you name any famous marathons?
– How do you think marathons started?
Reading and discussing the text
Ask the students to read to the end of page 5.
– What have you noticed about the way this legend is written?
Ask the students to read to the end of page 7.
–
–
–
–
What do you predict is going to happen next?
What can you say about Pheidippides’ character?
Why do you think a legend has grown up around this event?
What do you know about the setting in which the story takes place?
Ask the students to read to the end of the book, including
the maps.
– Can you add anything more about Pheidippides’ character?
– Were your predictions about the story correct?
– How do the maps help you to understand the story?
Revisit your earlier discussion about what you might expect
to find when reading legends.
Following Up
The students can:
• use the blackline master on page 44 to record the information about Pheidippides • write their own legends based on
a recent event.
42
Non-fiction
A Marathon Run
by Pat Quinn
Summary
The legend of Pheidippides’ run from Marathon to Athens
has led to a number of modern marathons. For serious
runners, the training is very difficult and the competition
intense. This text describes some of the famous marathons
and introduces some of the fastest runners. It also gives
instructions for organising a fun run.
Ask the students to suggest ways in which they can keep
track of the information they find as they are reading.
Features of the Text
• Report
Direct the students to the table of contents.
• Procedural text
Ask the students to read to the end of page 4.
• Fact boxes
– What have you learnt?
– Can you answer question two yet?
• Maps and keys
• Tables
• Bullet points
Purpose
A Marathon Run can be used to introduce and reinforce the
following skills:
S using questions to focus reading;
As you introduce and work through the text with the
students, alert them to the specific features of this book that
will help them to find the information they need.
Reading and discussing the text
– Where are we likely to find answers to the first question on the chart?
The students can now read to the end of page 7.
Look at the maps on pages 6 and 7 and talk about the
information they contain that can help to answer some of
the questions.
– Where do marathons take place?
– What can you tell me now about the kinds of courses used for
marathons?
S
summarising and synthesising information;
Discuss the table on page 8.
S
using the features of non-fiction texts to locate
information.
– How do we read this table? What do the numbers mean?
– Why are the times written in this way?
The Guided Reading Lesson
S Using questions to focus reading
S
Summarising and synthesising information
Introducing the text
Ask the students what they know or remember from their
previous reading about marathons. Explain to them that
the aim of this lesson is to find specific information about
marathons and marathon runners in the text. Write the
following focus questions on chart paper:
1. How did the modern marathon start?
2. How long are marathons?
3. Where are marathons run today?
4. What kinds of courses are there?
5. How do people prepare for marathons?
Ask the students to explain parts of the table in their own
words to make sure that they understand how to extract
information from it. This could be done by asking individual
students to respond to specific questions, such as:
– What was the fastest women’s time in the New York Marathon in
1998? What was the fastest women’s time in 1996?
– Which marathon is fastest to run – New York or London?
– The text says that the times do not always get faster each year. Can
you find a year when the time was slower than the previous year?
Before resuming the reading, ask the students if they know
the names of any marathon runners and talk about the ways
people could prepare for a marathon.
Ask the students to read the rest of the book before
discussing the last focus question.
Following Up
The students can:
• use the blackline master on page 45 to complete the chart comparing the marathon runners mentioned in the text
• complete the mara-fun activity on page 12 of the book • write their responses to the focus questions • plan a training
schedule for a marathon, starting nine months before the race.
43
Fiction
Name:
The Legend of Pheidippides
Write words and sentences in the boxes to describe Pheidippides, based on what you
have learnt about him in the text.
S
44
Identifying the features of a legend
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
Non-fiction
Name:
A Marathon Run
Find the information in A Marathon Run to complete the chart.
Name
Country
Year
Event
Frank
Shorter
Khalid
Khannouchi
Grete
Waitz
Liz
McColgan
• What was Liz McColgan’s winning time for the London
Marathon? ______________________________________________
S
Summarising and synthesising information
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
45
Read
Research
Respond
To complete the following assignments, the students will need to have read both
The Legend of Pheidippides and A Marathon Run. If you have not already introduced
these titles in a guided reading lesson, allow time for the students to read them.
Discuss the “big ideas” in the book, encouraging the students to identify the
connections between the fiction and non-fiction sections.
Student Assignment
A Safe Run
Ask the students to reread pages 12 to 15 of A Marathon
Run. They should use this information as well as that on
the book’s associated web page to make a list of the
safety considerations for a fun run. The blackline master
on page 47 should be used for this exercise.
To access the web page, the students will need to enter
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow and click
on “A Safe Run”. This will be easier for them if you
bookmark the web address or add it to the “favourites”
menu in advance.
Skills
To complete this assignment successfully, the students
will need the following research skills:
• using graphic sources of information;
• scanning and skimming;
• note taking;
• using the Internet.
See page 90 for further information about research
skills.
Resources
The resources needed to complete this assignment could
include:
• access to the Internet or to suitable reference books
and magazines;
• the blackline master on page 47;
• the Skyrider Chapter Book The Desert Run;
• the Skyrider Shared Reading poster Desert Run.
46
Extra Help
If you have students who are English language learners
or who need the assignment to be modified, you could:
• reinforce the vocabulary that is associated with a
marathon by providing the students with the words
on cards and the opportunity to practise using the
vocabulary in context;
• provide a list of the main safety considerations for a
fun run for the students to illustrate and then make
into a poster;
• pair students and ask them to share the responsibility
for reading the information and writing it as bullet
points.
Other Assignments
Timeline
Ask your students to make a flow chart or timeline
of the events that happened to Pheidippides during his
two runs.
Newspaper Report
Ask your students to write a newspaper article that
profiles an imaginary runner who has won the New York
or London marathon. They should include information
about the runner’s preparations for the marathon, their
previous experience, any problems they encountered
while competing in the marathon, and how they felt
after having won the race. They should also include a
reference to the history of the marathon.
Poem
Ask your students to reread The Legend of Pheidippides
and to note the thoughts and feelings they imagine they
would have had if they had run the route. They should
then read “Training for a Marathon” on page 11 of
A Marathon Run and use this information and their
notes to write a poem that conveys the challenge of
running a marathon.
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Name:
A Safe Run
• Read the information about organising your own fun run on pages
12 to 15 of A Marathon Run.
• Go to www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
• Click the button for “A Safe Run”.
• Use this information to help you to answer the question below.
• Use bullets to make a list of points.
• Share your list with a friend. Can they add any more ideas?
How will you keep the race safe?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
47
Night Noises
Shapes from Nature
This book explores the shapes that are found in nature and how people’s artwork and
creative writing explain these natural phenomena.
Big Ideas
Using these two titles, your students can explore and make links between the following big ideas:
• People tell stories to help them understand what happens in nature.
• Particular shapes convey meanings to certain groups of people.
• People around the world have always been inspired to paint and tell stories about natural phenomena.
Fiction
Night Noises
Summary
While staying with his grandad, John becomes frightened
by an owl tapping a branch against his window. Grandad
shows John the owl and tells him the story about how the
owl got its feathers.
Features of the Text
• Myth within a realistic narrative
• Information about owls
• Interaction between the characters
• Style of the illustration for the myth
Purpose
Night Noises can be used for the following purposes:
• introducing the ideas and vocabulary in the associated
non-fiction title;
• making personal connections with the text;
• discussing the purposes behind myths;
• exploring dialogue.
by Feana Tu‘akoi
Guided Reading Summary
Introducing the text
– Have you ever been frightened by noises in the night?
Look at the cover of the book and discuss the title and
illustration.
– What might make the “night noises” in this story?
Reading and discussing the text
Ask the students to read to the end of page 5.
– What kinds of night noises might you hear in the country?
– What do you think could be frightening John?
– What clues does the author give us about the noises?
The students can now read to the end of page 7 to confirm
or review their predictions.
On page 7, Grandad talks about the screech owls of Puerto
Rico. Ask the students to read to the end of page 11.
– Why does Grandad have that mask?
– What does he mean when he says it has one feather from each bird?
– What kind of story do you think Grandad is going to tell?
Discuss the students’ predictions about the noises that are
scaring John in the story.
–
–
–
–
Why do owls only come out at night?
Do you know any other animals that come out at night?
Why do you think people made up the story about the owls?
Do you know any other myths that explain how an animal came to be
the way it is?
Following Up
The students can:
• research and present another myth that involves birds • make a flow diagram of the events in the story to illustrate
how the story moves backwards and forwards in time • use the blackline master on page 50 to write an imaginary
conversation between a bird and the owl when the owl refuses to give the feathers back.
48
Non-fiction
Shapes from Nature
Summary
This non-fiction text contains stories from around the world
that explain phenomena related to the Sun and to birds.
Features of the Text
• Explanations about birds and the Sun that appear in
stories and art
by Adrienne Jansen
As you introduce, read, and discuss this text, note the nonfiction features it contains and check that the students
understand this information and how it is presented. Also
ensure that the students understand how to connect written
and graphic information. Note that the illustrations in this
book supplement the text by providing images that cannot be
described easily in words.
• Illustrations that support the text
Reading and discussing the text
• Text boxes to explain specific stories
Ask the students to read the first two pages.
• Tables
• Illustrated procedure
– Have you heard other stories like these?
• Glossary and index
Look at pages 4 to 6 and talk about the shapes that appear in
these stories.
Purpose
Shapes from Nature can be used to introduce and reinforce
the following skills:
S gathering information from written and visual texts;
Look at the subheadings and discuss where these stories
come from.
S
following the instructions in procedural text;
S
exploring symbolism;
S
understanding the features of a non-fiction text.
The Guided Reading Lesson
S Gathering information from written and visual texts
S
Following the instructions in procedural text
Introducing the text
Refer the students to the title of the book and discuss what
the book’s content may be.
– What kinds of shapes can you see in nature?
Explain to them that shapes from nature are used by people
in different ways, for example, a traditional mask might be
inspired by an animal shape.
Look at the contents page to see if any of the shapes you
have discussed with the students are included in the book.
– What do these shapes have in common?
– Why are stories about the Sun found all around the world?
– Why are some of the words written in bold type?
Read the table on page 8.
– What does this tell us about how people around the world think about
the Sun?
– How could we add the information about the Chinese and South
American sun images to the table?
Ask the students to read pages 9 to 11 to find information
about bird stories from around the world. Ask individual
students to retell the stories in their own words to check that
they have understood the text.
Look at the bird shapes on pages 12 and 13.
– What information could you add to the table at the bottom of
page 13?
Read the instructions on pages 14 and 15 with the students.
– How would you follow these instructions?
Check that the students understand the instructions by
getting them to restate them in their own words.
Turn to page 16 and look at the index. Discuss how the
index would be useful if the students wanted to find specific
information.
– What information can you find about wings using the index?
Following Up
The students can:
• research frequently used symbols and use the blackline master on page 51 to display the information that they find
• follow the instructions on pages 14 and 15 of the book to make a thunderbird.
49
Fiction
Name:
Night Noises
What do you think the birds said to Owl?
What did Owl say to them?
Write a conversation between Owl and one of the birds.
S
50
Exploring dialogue
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
Non-fiction
Name:
Shapes from Nature
What other shapes have become well-known symbols?
Clue: Think about the signs you see around you every day on the street.
Name
S
Exploring symbolism
Symbol
Meaning
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
51
Read
Research
Respond
To complete the following assignments, the students will need to have read both Night
Noises and Shapes from Nature. If you have not already introduced these titles in a
guided reading lesson, allow time for the students to read them. Discuss the “big
ideas” in the book, encouraging the students to identify the connections between the
fiction and non-fiction sections.
Student Assignment
Owls from around the World
Many shapes that occur in nature have different
meanings for different cultures. On pages 8 and 13 of
Shapes from Nature, grids are used to show the different
cultural significance of the Sun and of birds. Using the
blackline master on page 53, the students can gather
ideas and information from the book and the associated
web page to complete the grid about owls. They can
then use this information to make a poster.
To access the web page, the students will need to enter
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow and click
on “Owls from around the World”. This will be easier
for them if you bookmark the web address or add it to
the “favourites” menu in advance.
Skills
To complete this assignment successfully, the students
will need the following research skills:
• categorising information;
• scanning and skimming;
• using graphic information;
• using the Internet.
See page 90 for further information about research
skills.
Resources
The resources needed to complete this assignment could
include:
• access to the Internet or to suitable reference books
and magazines;
Extra Help
If you have students who are English language learners
or who need the assignment to be modified, you could:
• complete part of the grid on the blackline master in
advance to reduce the amount of writing required;
• print the web page out and highlight the key
information that is needed for the grid;
• prepare a set of paired cards containing the
information (meaning, country) from the web page.
The students can sort, match, and then record the
information on the grid.
Other Assignments
Myth Map
The students can use a world map to locate the countries
of origin for the stories in Shapes from Nature. They
should use a key to identify each country. As the
students read and explore more myths and legends, they
can add each new story’s country of origin to the map.
Make a Thunderbird
Ask the students to follow the instructions on pages 14
and 15 of the book to make a thunderbird. They can
then give a short oral presentation about how they made
the model and why the symbol of the thunderbird is
important to the Navajo.
Symbol Grid
The students can identify the symbols that are in
common usage today, such as a love heart, smiley face,
peace sign, dove, and so on, and discuss their meanings.
They should use the grids on pages 8 and 13 of the
book as a model for recording the information.
• the blackline master on page 53;
• the Skyrider Chapter Book The Shapes of Water;
• the Skyrider Shared Reading poster Leaf Patterns.
52
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Name:
Owls from around the World
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Read Night Noises again.
Look at the grids on pages 8 and 13 of Shapes from Nature.
Go to www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Click the button for “Owls from around the World”.
Read about owls and what the owl shape means to different cultures.
Use this information to help you to complete the grid below.
Use the grid to make a poster to share with the class.
Symbol
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
Place
Meaning
53
The Ant and the Grasshopper
Food That Lasts
This book focuses on the ways that food can be stored to keep its nutritional value.
The well-known fable about the ant and the grasshopper looks at the benefits of
storing seasonal food. The non-fiction title examines the different ways food has been
preserved through the ages.
Big Ideas
Using these two titles, your students can explore and make links between the following big ideas:
• Food can be stored or preserved to use in the future.
• Some foods are seasonal and can be in short supply at certain times.
• Preserving food involves work, but this will save time in the future.
• There are many different ways of preserving food.
Fiction
The Ant and the Grasshopper
Summary
This fable is about a hard-working ant who preserves food
for the winter and an idle grasshopper who lazes in the
sun. The moral of the story is that hard work, working
together, and perseverance pay off.
Features of the Text
• Fable with a moral
• Narrative using animal characters
• Direct speech
• Animal sounds in italics
Purpose
The Ant and the Grasshopper can be used for the following
purposes:
• introducing the ideas and vocabulary in the associated
non-fiction title;
by Brian Birchall
Guided Reading Summary
Introducing the text
Discuss fables with the students.
– Do you know any fables?
– What are fables usually about?
– What kinds of messages do they usually have in them?
Ask the students what they know about food preservation.
– Why would you need to preserve food?
– What are some of the ways you can preserve food?
Reading and discussing the text
Ask the students to read to the end of page 3.
– What do you think will happen next?
– What have you learnt so far about the two characters?
The students can now read to the end of page 5.
– How do you think Ant will carry the corn home?
– How will Ant store it for the winter?
• exploring the genre of fables;
Ask the students to read to the end of page 9.
• making predictions;
– What do we know about the two characters now?
– Who do you think Ant will get to help her?
– What do you think will happen to Ant and Grasshopper when the
winter comes?
• discussing the importance of sequence in a narrative;
• exploring character development.
The students can now read to the end of the book.
– What is the message of this fable?
Following Up
The students can:
• choose a part of the story to rewrite as a play script and act it out for the class • compare the characters of the ant and
the grasshopper using the blackline master on page 56 • find and record compound words in the story.
54
Non-fiction
Food That Lasts
Summary
This non-fiction text describes the various ways that food
has been preserved from ancient times to the present day.
Features of the Text
• Explanation
• Bold text for glossary words
• Photographs and illustrations
• Captions and labels
• Fact box summary
by Donna Malane
Reading and discussing the text
As you work through the text with the students, point out
the specific non-fiction features that will help them to source
the information that they need to find (contents page,
headings, labels, captions, glossary, index).
Ask the students to think about the reasons people preserve
food, which were discussed earlier. Then ask them to read
pages 2 and 3.
– Why do people preserve food?
– What causes food to go bad? What are the effects of this?
• Procedure
Ask the students to read to the end of page 10 to learn about
the methods of preserving food.
Purpose
Food That Lasts can be used to introduce and reinforce the
following skills:
S reading to find specific information;
– How do the methods of preserving food in the past compare with
today’s methods?
– Why are they different?
S
using the contents page, headings, glossary, and index;
S
studying cause and effect;
S
following a procedure.
Ask the students to read to the end of the book, thinking
about the problems associated with preserving food.
The Guided Reading Lesson
S Reading to find specific information
S
Using the contents page, headings, glossary, and index
Introducing the text
Ask the students to think back to their reading of The Ant
and the Grasshopper and to recall what they already know
about preserving food.
– What are the ways that people preserve food?
– What would happen to most food if it wasn’t preserved?
Tell the students that the specific purpose of reading this
text is to learn about preserving food. Ask them to think
about one or more of the following questions as they read:
–
–
–
–
What are the reasons for preserving food?
How have people preserved food in the past?
How do they preserve it today?
Are there any problems with the methods used for preserving food?
Following Up
The students can:
• chart the cause and effect relationships in the text using the blackline master on page 57 • use the procedure described on
page 11 of the book to grow mould • examine a variety of supermarket foods and discuss the ways they have been preserved.
55
Fiction
Name:
The Ant and the Grasshopper
In what ways are the ant and the grasshopper different?
Compare them on this chart.
Ant
S
56
Exploring character development
Grasshopper
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
Non-fiction
Name:
Food That Lasts
How does food go bad? How can we preserve food?
Complete the diagram to show how food changes.
Food goes
bad
Food is
preserved
S
Studying cause and effect
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
57
Read
Research -
Respond
To complete the following assignments, the students will need to have read both The
Ant and the Grasshopper and Food That Lasts. If you have not already introduced these
titles in a guided reading lesson, allow time for the students to read them. Discuss the
“big ideas” in the book, encouraging the students to identify the connections between
the fiction and non-fiction sections.
Student Assignment
Memories
Ask the students to interview an older person to find
out how they (or their parents or grandparents)
preserved food, for example, using an icebox, pickling,
and bottling. The students can use the blackline master
on page 59 and the associated web page to formulate
questions for their interview. They should then present
the information from their interview using one of the
formats listed on their assignment sheet – a memoir,
procedure, or Venn diagram.
To access the web page, the students will need to enter
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow and click
on “Memories”. This will be easier for them if you
bookmark the web address or add it to the “favourites”
menu in advance.
Skills
To complete this assignment successfully, the students
will need the following research skills:
• comparing and contrasting information;
• developing guiding questions;
• using the Internet.
See page 90 for further information about research
skills.
Resources
The resources needed to complete this assignment could
include:
• access to the Internet or to suitable reference books
and magazines;
Extra Help
If you have students who are English language learners
or who need the assignment to be modified, you could:
• work with the students to help them prepare their
interview questions;
• allow the students to present a procedure orally,
using real items to demonstrate a method of preserving.
Other Assignments
Procedural Writing
Ask the students to choose one of the methods of
preserving that is mentioned in the text and to make a
poster showing the steps involved. They can use Food
That Lasts for presentation ideas.
Oral Report
The students can choose one method of preserving food
and use the library or Internet to research the topic and
gather further information. From their notes, they can
write bullet points and use them to make an oral
presentation to the class.
Narrative Writing
Ask the students to reread The Ant and the Grasshopper
and to then research other animals that store food for
the winter. They can use what they have learnt about the
animals’ habits to write an imaginative story or short
play script to read or perform to the class.
• a tape recorder;
• the blackline master on page 59;
• the Skyrider Chapter Book What’s Cooking?
58
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Name:
Memories
• Read Food That Lasts again.
• Choose someone you know, such as a parent or grandparent, to ask
how food was preserved when they were young.
• Go to www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
• Click the button for “Memories”.
• Use the information to help you to write questions for your interview.
Preserving Food
Question 1.
Question 2.
Question 3.
Question 4.
Present the answers to your questions in one of the following ways:
A Memoir
Imagine that you are the person you interviewed. Explain how food was prepared
when you were young.
A Procedure
Write down the steps for one of the ways food was preserved in the past.
A Venn Diagram
Compare the way a food used to be preserved with the way it’s preserved today.
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
59
A Mouse in the House
Backyard Jungle
This book is about the creatures that live in and around our homes. The fiction title is
about the problems that arise when a mouse is discovered living in a family’s home.
The non-fiction title explores the variety of animals and insects that can be found in
your “backyard jungle”.
Big Ideas
Using these two titles, your students can explore and make links between the following big ideas:
• A variety of animals and insects live in and around our houses.
• Some animals and insects are helpful and some are pests.
• Animals and insects need certain conditions to survive.
Fiction
A Mouse in the House
Summary
A visiting mouse saves a young girl from having to wear the
new sneakers she dislikes. In return, the girl helps the
mouse to escape the mousetraps her mother has hidden
around the house.
Features of the Text
• Realistic fiction
• Direct speech
by Jane Buxton
Guided Reading Summary
Introducing the text
Ask the students to share any experiences of having mice in
their homes.
–
–
–
–
–
Does anyone have a pet mouse?
Has anyone had mice in their home that weren’t pets?
What kinds of problems do mice cause?
Can mice ever be helpful?
What can we do to keep mice away from our homes?
• Problem-solving focus
Reading and discussing the text
• Information about animal behaviour
Ask the students to read to the end of page 3.
Purpose
A Mouse in the House can be used for the following
purposes:
• introducing the ideas and vocabulary in the associated
non-fiction title;
Ask the students to read to the end of page 4. Tell them to
continue making, checking, and revising their predictions as
they read.
• making predictions;
• identifying the problems and solutions in a narrative.
– What do you think Jamie will do about her new sneakers?
– Think about the title of the book. Does that change your prediction?
– Were your predictions correct?
– How do you think Jamie will feel about having a mouse in her house?
– Will she help to get rid of the mouse? Why/why not?
Ask the students to read to the end of page 11.
– Did Jamie do what you thought she would?
– What do you think she will do next?
Ask the students to read the rest of the story.
– Was your prediction correct?
– How else could the problem have been solved?
– How do predictions help us to understand a story as we read it?
Following Up
The students can:
• use the blackline master on page 62 to list the problems that arise in the story and how each one is resolved • make a
poster to be read by mice advertising the features of a house they would find appealing.
60
Non-fiction
Backyard Jungle
by Bruce Chapman
Summary
Many animals and insects live in and around our homes.
Some of these creatures are more helpful to us than others.
Reading and discussing the text
Features of the Text
• Headings and subheadings
Look at the chart on page 3 together.
• Labelled illustrations and diagrams
• Fact files and charts
• Photographs (including close-ups)
• Activity with instructions
Purpose
Backyard Jungle can be used to introduce and reinforce the
following skills:
S exploring and using the features of non-fiction texts;
S
using prior knowledge;
S
summarising and synthesising information.
The Guided Reading Lesson
S Exploring and using the features of non-fiction texts
Ask the students to read the first page.
– What animals and insects live near you?
– Do any of the creatures on this chart live near you?
– What would you add to this chart?
– Where exactly do these creatures live?
Look at pages 4 and 5 together.
– Are these the places you thought the creatures would live?
– Are any of the places different? Why do you think that is?
Ask the students to read pages 6 to 9. Remind them to use
the photographs to help them understand the text.
–
–
–
–
How are earthworms and bees helpful to us?
Why are some of the words on these pages in bold?
Do you know what these words mean?
How can you find out?
The students can now read page 10.
– Can you think of some ways in which animals might adapt to their
surroundings?
Look at the food chain on page 11 together.
– What does this tell us about cats, birds, insects, and plants?
Introducing the text
Refer the students to the title of the book.
– What does the title make you think of?
– What kinds of creatures might you find in a backyard jungle?
– How does thinking about the title of a book help us before we read?
Look at the contents page together and discuss the students’
expectations of the text.
As you introduce, read, and discuss this text, draw the
students’ attention to the non-fiction features. Check that
they understand the information and how it is presented.
Spend time discussing the features that are unfamiliar.
The students may also need support to identify what they
should read first, how they should interpret the information,
and how the graphic features support the text.
Now look at the food web and encourage the students to use
it to answer the following questions:
– What happens when a wild cat eats a bird?
– What do slugs eat? What are they eaten by?
When the students have finished reading the book, discuss
the index.
– Why do non-fiction books often have an index?
– How do we use an index?
Help the students to use the index to find some information
in the story. Encourage them to use the index when they
read other non-fiction texts.
Following Up
The students can:
• use the index in the book to complete the web about birds on the blackline master on page 63 • complete the
experiment described on page 14 of the book and chart what they find over several days • select four creatures in the
book and list the helpful and harmful behaviour of each one.
61
Fiction
Name:
A Mouse in the House
What are the problems in this story?
How are they solved?
Problem
S
62
Identifying the problems and solutions in a narrative
Solution
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
Non-fiction
Name:
Backyard Jungle
What can you learn about birds from this text? Use the index to help you find
information. Write your bird facts on the web below.
Birds
S
Summarising and synthesising information
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
63
Read
Research
Respond
To complete the following assignments, the students will need to have read both
A Mouse in the House and Backyard Jungle. If you have not already introduced these
titles in a guided reading lesson, allow time for the students to read them. Discuss the
“big ideas” in the book, encouraging the students to identify the connections between
the fiction and non-fiction sections.
Student Assignment
Helpful or Harmful?
Ask the students to reread pages 6 to 9 of Backyard
Jungle, which look at animal pests and animal helpers.
Remind them of the problem in A Mouse in the House.
Using the blackline master on page 65, the students
should gather information from the book and its
associated web page to make charts about the
commonly found animals and insects, including where
they live, what they eat, and whether they are helpful or
harmful to people.
To access the web page, the students will need to enter
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow and click
on “Helpful or Harmful?” This will be easier for them if
you bookmark the web address or add it to the
“favourites” menu in advance.
Skills
To complete this assignment successfully, the students
will need the following research skills:
• scanning and skimming;
• categorising information;
• distinguishing between fact and opinion;
• using the Internet.
See page 90 for further information about research
skills.
Resources
The resources needed to complete this assignment could
include:
• access to the Internet or to suitable reference books
and magazines;
Extra Help
If you have students who are English language learners
or who need the assignment to be modified, you could:
• partially complete the chart for the students;
• ask the students to work in pairs, with one student
taking responsibility for finding information about
helpful animals and the other taking responsibility
for finding out about harmful animals;
• provide extra discussion time to go over the concepts
of “helpful” and “harmful”, using examples from the
book and listing key vocabulary.
Other Assignments
Food Web
Ask the students to read page 11 of Backyard Jungle and
to discuss the food chain and food web diagrams with a
partner. They should then look in other non-fiction texts
to find information to make similar diagrams about
other groups of animals.
Narrative Writing
The students should reread A Mouse in the House to
identify the factual information about mice. They can
then choose another animal or insect, research some
information about it, and use the information to write an
imaginative story about what a family does when it finds
an unwelcome “house guest”.
Fact Files
Ask the students to look at the fact files in Backyard
Jungle. They should use a similar format to these fact
files to explain the features of some other backyard
creatures.
• the blackline master on page 65;
• the Skyrider Chapter Book What’s Living at Your Place?;
• the Skyrider Shared Reading poster The Flea and the
graphic organiser Life Cycles.
64
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Name:
Helpful or Harmful?
• Reread pages 6 to 9 of Backyard Jungle. They introduce you to some
animal pests and animal helpers.
• Go to www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
• Click the button for “Helpful or Harmful?”
• Use this information to help you to complete the chart below.
Name:
Name:
Habitat:
Habitat:
Food:
Food:
Helpful/harmful:
Helpful/harmful:
Name:
Name:
Habitat:
Habitat:
Food:
Food:
Helpful/harmful:
Helpful/harmful:
Name:
Name:
Habitat:
Habitat:
Food:
Food:
Helpful/harmful:
Helpful/harmful:
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
65
When Foxes Came to Stay
At the Pond
In this book, the relationships between animals and their environments are explored
in two different settings. In the fiction title, students learn about a family of foxes in search of food. At the Pond is a
non-fiction report about the connections between different animals and plants that live in and around a pond.
Big Ideas
Using these two titles, your students can explore and make links between the following big ideas:
• All animals need food.
• Animals make their homes in a variety of habitats.
• Animals depend on other animals and plants for food.
• Animals, plants, and humans can share habitats.
Fiction
When Foxes Came to Stay
Summary
When a family of foxes makes a den near their house, Jenna
and Kyle decide to watch and protect them. Not everyone
in the household wants to help the foxes, though!
Features of the Text
• Realistic fiction
by Janice Marriott
Guided Reading Summary
Introducing the text
Ask the students if they have ever had a wild animal such as
a squirrel or a fox try to live in their home.
– What do we mean by “a wild animal”?
– What kinds of wild animals live in your neighbourhood?
– Have you ever tried to tame a wild animal?
• Problem and solution
Reading and discussing the text
• Direct speech
Tell the students to read to the end of page 5 and to then
make predictions about the problem that this story will be
about.
• Factual information about foxes
• Descriptive writing and a poem
Purpose
When Foxes Came to Stay can be used for the following
purposes:
• introducing the ideas and vocabulary in the associated
non-fiction title;
– What do you think Jenna and Kyle will want to do about the fox? Why?
– What do you think their mother will want to do? Why?
– Why has the fox come into the garden?
Discuss the descriptive language used in the text. Ask the
students to make a note of this as they continue to read the
story.
• exploring the use of descriptive language;
Ask the students to read to the end of page 11.
• identifying the problems and solutions in a narrative;
– Were you right about the problem in this story?
– How will it be resolved?
– What are the children using to help solve the problem? (facts about foxes)
• finding factual information in fiction texts;
• making inferences.
Ask the students to read to the end of the story.
– What different endings could this story have had?
Ask the students to compare Jenna’s poem with the
descriptive language they noted as they read the story.
Following Up
The students can:
• use the blackline master on page 68 to explore alternative endings for the story • list words and phrases to describe
another animal, then write a short poem about it • rewrite the story from a different point of view, such as that of the
children’s mother or the mother fox.
66
Non-fiction
At the Pond
by Nic Bishop
Summary
All kinds of animals and insects live in, on, and around the
pond described in this text. Different areas of the pond
provide the animals that live there with food and shelter.
Reading and discussing the text
Features of the Text
• Report
Look at page 3 together and discuss the food chain.
• Headings and sub-headings
• Close-up photographs with captions
• Food chain diagram
• Contents page, glossary, index
Purpose
At the Pond can be used to introduce and reinforce the
following skills:
S synthesising information from the text and graphic
features;
Read the introduction together.
– What might a “habitat” be?
– Why would the various parts of the pond be different from each other?
– Why is the heron at the top of this food chain?
– What other animals might live in a pond? Where would they fit on the
food chain?
Ask the students to read to the end of page 7.
– Why do you think muskrats live near the pond?
– Why would snakes be visitors?
– What parts of the pond does each animal use?
The students can now read to the end of page 11.
–
–
–
–
Have you read about any animals that you didn’t know about?
What do these animals do in the pond?
Look at the chart on page 11. What is a baby dragonfly called?
How could we find out more about dragonflies?
S
using a glossary and an index to build understanding;
Ask the students to read to the end of the text.
S
summarising information.
– Why has the author written about breathing underwater?
– How does this information help us to understand the pond habitat?
– How do the scavengers at the bottom of the pond help the food
chain?
– What have you learnt about food chains in the pond habitat?
– Where did you find this information in the text?
The Guided Reading Lesson
S Synthesising information from the text and graphic
features
S
Summarising information
Introducing the text
Discuss the cover of the book and the table of contents.
– What is a food chain?
– What kinds of animals live in or beside a pond?
– What would they eat?
As you introduce, read, and discuss the text, note the
non-fiction text features and discuss with the students how
these features help us to make sense of a topic and to
deepen our understanding.
Following Up
The students can:
• use the blackline master on page 69 to summarise the information about the animals in the text • research other
habitats, such as the forest or rocky shore • use information from the text to write a paragraph about the lives of frogs.
67
Fiction
Name:
When Foxes Came to Stay
When foxes moved into Jenna and Kyle’s garden, the children used what they knew
about foxes to move them back to the bush. Think about other ways this story might
have ended.
If Mum had found the foxes …
If Jenna and Kyle had kept the foxes as pets …
If …
S
68
Making inferences
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
Non-fiction
Name:
At the Pond
Who lives at the pond? Where in the pond do they live? What do they eat?
Use the information in the book to complete this chart.
Animal
Habitat
Food
water bug
worm
tadpole
swan
muskrat
dragonfly
S
Summarising information
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
69
Read
Research
Respond
To complete the following assignments, the students will need to have read both When
Foxes Came to Stay and At the Pond. If you have not already introduced these titles in a
guided reading lesson, allow time for the students to read them. Discuss the “big
ideas” in the book, encouraging the students to identify the connections between the
fiction and non-fiction sections.
Student Assignment
Desert Food Chain
Ask the students to look at the explanation and example
of the food chain on page 3 of At the Pond. Using the
blackline master on page 71, they can gather ideas and
information from the book and the associated web page
to complete a food chain for a desert habitat.
To access the web page, the students will need to enter
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow and click
on “Desert Food Chain”. This will be easier for them if
you bookmark the web address or add it to the
“favourites” menu in advance.
Skills
To complete this assignment successfully, the students
will need the following research skills:
• finding information from a variety of sources;
• scanning and skimming;
• summarising information;
• using the Internet.
See page 90 for further information about research
skills.
Resources
The resources needed to complete this assignment could
include:
• access to the Internet or to suitable reference books
and magazines;
• the blackline master on page 71;
• the Skyrider Chapter Book Canoe Diary;
Extra Help
If you have students who are English language learners
or who need the assignment to be modified, you could:
• partially complete the food chain and write keywords
for the students to use to find more information;
• compile a vocabulary list from the web page and
pre-teach this to the students before they begin
the assignment;
• write the information needed for the food chain on
sentence strips for the students to arvariety in order
before they copy or stick them onto their chart.
Other Assignments
Habitat Poster
Ask your students to reread When Foxes Came to Stay.
They should make notes about the foxes’ habitat and
the food that they eat. They could make further notes
about foxes, using books from the library or the Internet.
The students can then make a poster to display
this information.
Persuasive Letter
Ask your students to imagine that a developer wants
to drain a pond in their neighbourhood to build new
houses. They should write a letter to the developer
explaining why they think this will have a negative
effect on the environment.
Point of View
Ask your students to research an animal of their choice
and to make notes about its habitat, food, and predators.
They should use their notes to write a description of
these things from the animal’s point of view.
• the Skyrider Shared Reading poster Ant Traps.
70
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Name:
Desert Food Chain
•
•
•
•
•
•
Look at the food chain on page 3 of At the Pond.
Go to www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Click the button for “Desert Food Chain”.
Use this information to create your own food chain below.
Ask a friend to check your work.
Do you need to change any part of your food chain?
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
71
The Time Capsule
Keeping the Past Alive
This book is about keeping history alive through the preservation of artefacts. In The
Time Capsule, a class finds a box of special treasures left by school children in 1950. The non-fiction title
explains the processes of deterioration and conservation that affect personal treasures and items in museums.
Big Ideas
Using these two titles, your students can explore and make links between the following big ideas:
• People are interested in learning about the past.
• Artefacts provide a lot of information about the past.
• Everything deteriorates with age.
• There are processes that can be used to conserve artefacts.
Fiction
The Time Capsule
by Karen Anderson
Summary
When an old classroom is demolished, a time capsule is
discovered that contains items from 1950.
Make sure that the students understand the concept of a
time capsule.
Features of the Text
• First-person narrative
Tell the students to read to the end of page 3 to find out
what happens when the old classroom is pulled down.
• Recount from the past within the story
• Key events set in different times
Purpose
The Time Capsule can be used for the following purposes:
• introducing the ideas and vocabulary in the associated
non-fiction title;
• locating information in a text;
Reading and discussing the text
– What might be in the box?
– How old do you think it is?
Ask the students to read to the end of page 4.
– What is written on the paper?
– What else do you think the box might contain?
Ask the students to read to the end of page 8.
– Who are the main characters in this story?
– Why has Tyler become important in the story?
– Why have they gone to see Tyler’s grandad?
• responding to text;
• sequencing the main events.
Guided Reading Summary
Introducing the text
Look at the cover of the book and discuss what the title
might mean.
– Have you ever seen a time capsule or put anything into one?
– What do you think its purpose might be?
Ask the students to predict what might happen in the rest of
the story. Discuss their responses. Tell them to read to the
end of the story to find out.
–
–
–
–
Why did Tyler and the narrator write a story for the time capsule?
How does it connect Tyler to the past?
What things would you like to find in a time capsule? Why?
How do you think children in the future would respond to finding a
time capsule?
Following Up
The students can:
• use the blackline master on page 74 to record the sequence of events in the story • make a list of the things that they
would put in a time capsule and explain why they have chosen them.
72
Non-fiction
Keeping the Past Alive
Summary
Preserving treasures from the past is not easy. Even without
use, many items will deteriorate over time unless they
receive special care. This text explains the processes of
deterioration, preservation, and conservation.
by Michael Keith
As you introduce, read, and discuss this text, note the nonfiction text features and check that your students understand
the information and how it is formatted. Spend time on the
features your students need the most support with. Features
to note include fact boxes, tables, bullet points, the glossary,
and the index.
Features of the Text
• Headings and sub-headings
Reading and discussing the text
• Bullet points
– What might happen to these things as they get old?
Look at the photographs on pages 2 and 3 together.
• Photographs with captions
• Tables
• Specialised vocabulary
• Contents page, glossary, index
Purpose
Keeping the Past Alive can be used to introduce and reinforce
the following skills:
S finding and interpreting information;
S
synthesising information;
S
making personal connections with the text;
S
using the text as a model for writing.
The Guided Reading Lesson
S Finding and interpreting information
S
Synthesising information
Tell the students to read to the end of page 5.
– Can you explain this information in your own words?
– What about very old things such as fossils – why haven’t they been
broken down?
Tell the students to read to the end of page 7 to find the
answer to this question.
Ask the students what they know about how people preserve
things. Then ask them to read to the end of page 11.
– What have you learnt about conservators?
– What do they need to be good at?
Ask the students to read the tables on pages 12, 14, and 15.
– What do you have to protect your treasures from if you want to keep
them for a long time?
– What kinds of things do people want to keep?
– What could someone in the future learn from finding one of the items
listed on pages 14 and 15?
– Why would anyone keep these things?
Introducing the text
Introduce the students to the concept of treasures.
– What treasures do you have?
– Why are they special to you?
– Do you have treasures you’d like to keep forever? Will they
last forever?
– What could you do to help them last?
Read the title of the book and the contents page together.
– What information do you expect to find on this page?
Following Up
The students can:
• write instructions for making and storing a class time capsule • complete the blackline master on page 75 to record
their treasures • imagine that they live in the year 2050 and describe their response to finding objects from the
year 2000.
73
Fiction
Name:
The Time Capsule
What was the sequence of events that this story describes? Write the events in order,
then imagine that you are discovering the capsule fifty years from now.
1. In the past
2. Recently
(1950s)
(when the classroom was pulled down)
3. Then
(talking to Tyler’s grandad)
4. Next
(making a new time capsule)
5. In the future
S
74
Sequencing the main events
(fifty years from now)
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
Non-fiction
Name:
Keeping the Past Alive
List the treasures that you would like to keep forever. You can include items that you
had when you were younger and any items that you wished you had kept.
Explain why you want to keep them and how you would preserve them.
Item
S
Reason
Making personal connections with the text
Preserving
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
75
Read
Research
Respond
To complete the following assignments, the students will need to have read both The
Time Capsule and Keeping the Past Alive. If you have not already introduced these titles
in a guided reading lesson, allow time for the students to read them. Discuss the “big
ideas” in the book, encouraging the students to identify the connections between the
fiction and non-fiction sections.
Student Assignment
Treasures
Ask the students to prepare a speech about a family
or personal treasure. In their speech, they should
give information about the origin of the item, why it
is precious, how it will deteriorate, how it could be
preserved, and what it might tell people in the future.
They can use the information in Keeping the Past Alive
and on the associated web page to complete the
blackline master on page 77.
To access the web page, the students will need to enter
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow and click
on “Treasures”. This will be easier for them if you
bookmark the web address or add it to the “favourites”
menu in advance.
Skills
To complete this assignment successfully, the students
will need the following research skills:
• finding information from a variety of sources;
• scanning and skimming;
• note taking;
• using the Internet.
See page 90 for further information about research
skills.
Resources
The resources needed to complete this assignment
include:
• access to the Internet or to suitable reference books
and magazines;
Extra Help
If you have students who are English language learners
or who need the assignment to be modified, you could:
• work with the students as they prepare to write their
speech, helping them to choose a treasure and
providing any difficult vocabulary that they will need
when they begin to write;
• bring one of your own treasures to school to discuss
and make notes about;
• provide a blank audiotape and ask the students to
record the information instead of writing a speech.
Other Assignments
Explanation
Ask your students to reread The Time Capsule. They
should make careful notes about this text, recording
details about the setting and the timing of the events.
They should then use the information from Keeping the
Past Alive to explain how the items that the children
found in The Time Capsule remained in good condition.
Interview
Ask your students to interview someone about an old
item that they have. They should find out where it came
from and discuss how it might be preserved.
Museum Research
Ask your students to select one item in a local museum.
They should use a variety of research methods to find
out as much as possible about the item – what it is,
where it came from, and how it has been preserved.
• the blackline master on page 77;
• the Skyrider Chapter Book Down on the Ice.
76
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Name:
Treasures
•
•
•
•
•
•
Look at the tables on pages 14 and 15 of Keeping the Past Alive.
Go to www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Click the button for “Treasures”.
Choose a treasure that you or your family own.
Record information about the treasure on the table below.
Use this information to write a speech about the treasure.
What is your treasure?
Where did it come from?
Why is it precious?
How could it be damaged?
How could you keep it safe?
What could people in the future learn from this treasure?
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
77
Hidden Treasure
Looking at Letters
This book is about the place of written communication in our lives. The stories
explore both formal and informal writing in contemporary and historical contexts.
The fiction title is about a letter that contains an unsolved riddle from the past.
Looking at Letters is an explanation of the history of letter writing and the postal service.
Big Ideas
Using these two titles, your students can explore and make links between the following big ideas:
• Letters are an age-old means of communication.
• Systems for delivering letters have evolved to become more efficient.
• People write to each other for many reasons, both formal and informal.
• There are established conventions for different kinds of communication.
• Electronic communication is replacing handwritten letters.
Fiction
Hidden Treasure
Summary
Karen finds a letter in an old book at her grandparents’
house. A riddle in the letter takes Karen and her brother
Toby on an exciting hunt for treasure from the past.
Features of the Text
• Third-person narrative
by Pauline Cartwright
Guided Reading Summary
Introducing the text
Ask the students if they have ever been on a treasure hunt.
Discuss the things that they found.
– Why do people hide treasure?
– What kinds of things are likely to be hidden?
– Where are some good places for hiding treasure?
• Sequence of events
Reading and discussing the text
• Rhyming riddle with clues
Ask the students to read to the middle of page 5.
• Dialogue
– What have you learnt about these characters?
– What is a riddle? How would you solve one?
Purpose
Hidden Treasure can be used for the following purposes:
• introducing the ideas and vocabulary in the associated
non-fiction title;
• reading and interpreting riddles;
• making and supporting opinions;
• using prior knowledge.
The students can now read to the end of page 7.
–
–
–
–
Where do you think the treasure is hidden?
What is the treasure?
Will it be old or new?
What do you think it will look like?
Ask the students to read to the end of the story to confirm
whether their predictions were correct.
Following Up
The students can:
• use the blackline master on page 80 to record information about the characters in the story • write a riddle about
imaginary treasure for the rest of the class to solve.
78
Non-fiction
Looking at Letters
Summary
Throughout history, people have written letters for a variety
of purposes. This text examines different kinds of letters
and gives information about the development of the postal
service.
Features of the Text
• Facsimiles of letters and envelopes
by John Lockyer
Reading and discussing the text
Read the title of the book together and then look at the
contents page.
– What information do you think you might find on these pages?
– Do you recognise all the kinds of letters listed here?
Discuss the different kinds of letters and predict when they
are used.
• Procedural text
Ask the students to read to the end of page 6 to find some
historical information about letter writing.
• Timeline
– Who wrote some of the first letters? How?
– What have you learnt about the postal system?
• Headings and sub-headings
• Contents page, glossary, index
Purpose
Looking at Letters can be used to introduce and reinforce the
following skills:
S identifying the features of letters;
S
reading and interpreting timelines;
S
reading specialised vocabulary.
The Guided Reading Lesson
S Identifying the features of letters
S
Reading and interpreting timelines
Introducing the text
As you introduce, read, and discuss this text, note the nonfiction text features and check that the students understand the
information and how it is formatted. Spend time on the
features your students need the most support with.
Pages 3 and 6 – fact boxes
Pages 9, 10, 11, and 12 – sample letters and envelopes
Pages 9, 11, and 13 – various fonts
Page 16 – glossary and index
Refer the students to page 14 to identify how the author has
recorded this information.
Ask the students to read to the end of page 7.
– Do you think the postal systems of today are better than those
of the past?
– What are some of the problems with delivering mail?
– Can you think of any improvements that could be made?
Ask the students to read pages 9 to 12. When they have
finished, compare and contrast the features of personal and
business letters.
– In what ways are personal and business letters the same? How are
they different?
– What do you notice about the envelope on page 10? Would the
address be written differently for a business letter?
Discuss any new information that the students are finding in
the text.
Ask the students to read to the end of the text. Spend some
time discussing the glossary and index when they have
finished reading.
– Which words are in the glossary? Why?
– How would you find information about the Pony Express in this book?
Discuss with the students the times they have written or
received letters.
– What was your letter about?
– Do you like receiving letters? Why/why not?
Following Up
The students can:
• write a letter to a friend using a quill or a nib and ink pen, making sure that the letter is set out and addressed
correctly • use the blackline master on page 81 to compare different kinds of letters • collect letters from home and
school (making sure that they have permission to use them) and glue them into a scrapbook or onto a poster, explaining
the purpose and features of each letter on a label beside it.
79
Fiction
Name:
Hidden Treasure
What did you learn about the people in this story?
List the characters and write a brief description of each one.
(Don’t forget Grandma’s dad!)
Character
S
80
Making and supporting opinions
Description
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
Non-fiction
Name:
Looking at Letters
Use the information in the text and examples of real letters to complete this
comparison chart.
Kind of letter
S
Identifying the features of letters
Features
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
81
Read
Research
Respond
To complete the following assignments, the students will need to have read both
Hidden Treasure and Looking at Letters. If you have not already introduced these titles
in a guided reading lesson, allow time for the students to read them. Discuss the “big
ideas” in the book, encouraging the students to identify the connections between the
fiction and non-fiction sections.
Student Assignment
Keeping in Touch
Why do people write letters and notes? Ask the students
to reread Hidden Treasure and Looking at Letters and to
make notes about this question. They could also
interview someone they know to ask about the different
kinds of letters that person writes. The students should
then use their notes from their reading and/or interview
and the information on the associated web page to
complete the blackline master on page 83. They can
present this information on a poster.
To access the web page, the students will need to enter
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow and click
on “Keeping in Touch”. This will be easier for them if
you bookmark the web address or add it to the
“favourites” menu in advance.
Skills
To complete this assignment successfully, the students
will need the following research skills:
• finding information from a variety of sources;
• note taking;
• using the Internet.
See page 90 for further information about research
skills.
Resources
The resources needed to complete this assignment could
include:
• access to the Internet or to suitable reference books
and magazines;
Extra Help
If you have students who are English language learners
or who need the assignment to be modified, you could:
• provide examples of written communication to
discuss with the students and help them to identify
the key vocabulary associated with letters to list on
a chart;
• pair the students with a more fluent reader who can
read the diary entries on the web page aloud and
then assist with completing the chart.
Other Assignments
Postal Report
Ask the student to choose one of the headings from
Looking at Letters – The First Letters, Getting It There,
Fast Mail. They should then use this heading as the title
for a report that gives further information about the topic.
Compare and Contrast
The students can use the information in Looking at
Letters together with information from other non-fiction
sources to compare and contrast old and new postal
delivery services. They can then explain how the letter
in Hidden Treasure might have been delivered from
Australia to Grandma’s house.
Explanation
Ask the students to reread “The Path of a Letter” on page
13 of Looking at Letters. Without looking at the page
again, they should explain the procedure to a friend in
their own words, making sure that they retell the steps
in the correct order.
• the blackline master on page 83;
• the Skyrider Chapter Book A Letter from Fish Bay;
• the Double Takes web page “Memories”, which
contains guidelines for conducting an interview.
82
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Name:
Keeping in Touch
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Reread Hidden Treasure and Looking at Letters.
Make notes about why people write letters.
Now interview an adult about the different kinds of letters they write.
Go to www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Click the button for “Keeping in Touch”.
Look at the diary. What letters or notes has this person written?
Use your information to complete the chart below.
When you have finished the chart, make a poster to display your research.
Kind of Letter
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
Purpose
83
Dinosaur Dig
Animals in Danger
This book looks at extinct and endangered animals. The fiction title will prompt
students to think about reasons for extinction and the information scientists have
gathered about dinosaurs from studying fossils. The non-fiction title considers
various reasons for extinction and the measures that are being taken to help endangered species.
Big Ideas
Using these two titles, your students can explore and make links between the following big ideas:
• Many animals and plants are already extinct.
• There are a number of reasons for extinction.
• Many species today face extinction.
• People need to be aware that their actions can endanger species.
• People are working in different ways to save endangered species.
Fiction
Dinosaur Dig
Summary
A scientist goes on a dinosaur dig in Montana to study the
remains of T. Rex. Her two children make an interesting
discovery, too!
Features of the Text
• First-person narrative
• Direct speech
by Karen Anderson
Guided Reading Summary
Introducing the text
Ask the students what they know about dinosaurs.
– How do we know so much about dinosaurs?
– What kinds of people study dinosaurs?
– Where do they do this? How?
Reading and discussing the text
• Factual information
Read the title page and the first page of the story aloud to
the students. Discuss the characters and setting and ask the
students if they can predict the plot.
Purpose
Dinosaur Dig can be used for the following purposes:
Ask the students to read to the end of page 6.
• Riddle with clues
• introducing the ideas and vocabulary in the associated
non-fiction title;
• making predictions;
• developing a sequence of events;
• locating and interpreting information.
– Who do you think the footprint belongs to?
– What do you think will happen next?
– What do you think will happen next?
The students can now read to the end of page 9.
– Read the messages that Kim and her brother found. Why do you think
the messages are there?
– Do you think Kim and her brother are working them out correctly?
Why/why not?
– What does the last clue mean?
– What do you think they will find next?
When the students have finished reading the story, ask them
to compare their predictions about the story’s outcome.
Following Up
The students can:
• list the facts about dinosaurs in the text • list the events in the story in the correct order • use the blackline master
on page 86 to work out the dinosaur clues.
84
Non-fiction
Animals in Danger
Summary
This non-fiction text describes some animals that are
endangered, the most important reasons why, and the
measures that are being taken to protect them.
Features of the Text
• Report
• Contents page, glossary, index
• Bullet points
• Tables
• Footnote
• Headings and sub-headings
• Case studies
• Labelled diagrams and illustrations
by Bill O’Brien
Reading and discussing the text
As you work through the text with the students, remind
them of the non-fiction features that will help them to find
the information they need (headings and sub-headings, bold
text, index, glossary).
Examine the contents page together and discuss the kind of
information the students are likely to find in the book.
Ask the students to read to the end of page 3. Discuss their
answers to the first question on the board. Look at the way
the information has been presented in the table and check
that the students know how to read and interpret it.
– Why do you think these animals are extinct?
– What do you think happened to them?
The students can now read to the end of page 7.
– Were your predictions correct?
Purpose
Animals in Danger can be used to introduce and reinforce
the following skills:
S using questions to focus reading;
S
using graphic features to find information;
S
exploring cause and effect.
The Guided Reading Lesson
S Using questions to focus reading
S
Using graphic features to find information
Introducing the text
Remind the students of Dinosaur Dig and discuss what they
know about dinosaurs.
– What other animals are extinct?
– Do you know of any animals that are in danger of becoming extinct?
Ask the students to explain three main causes of extinction in
their own words.
– How do people’s actions change an animal’s habitat? Can you find the
example on page 6?
Discuss the table on page 8 together. Point out the asterisk
beside “Rhinoceros”.
– What does this asterisk mean? Why has the author used it?
– How else do we use animal products? Are these uses likely to
endanger the animals? Why/why not?
Ask the students to read to the end of page 11 and then
discuss the diagram with them. Ask them questions to ensure
that they understand the concepts in this section.
The students can now read to the end of the book, thinking
about the last question on the board as they read. Encourage
them to discuss their responses with each other.
Explain to the students that they are going to read about
animals that are endangered. Write the following focus
questions on the board:
1. What animals are already extinct?
2. Why are some animals extinct or endangered?
3. How have people contributed to this situation?
4. What are people doing to prevent more animals from
becoming extinct?
Following Up
The students can:
• complete the blackline master on page 87 to show some cause-and-effect relationships • find out more about local
conservation efforts and make a brief presentation about them to the class • use the library or Internet to research an
extinct animal.
85
Fiction
Name:
Dinosaur Dig
Write the meanings for the clues in your own words.
“More than one track makes a track.”
“Track the tracks to find the answer.”
“This saur’s teeth are like a builder’s saw.”
“This dinosaur had two short ones. They are parts of a tree.”
“It happens to ships at sea. It’s the last part of my name.”
S
86
Locating and interpreting information
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
Non-fiction
Name:
Animals in Danger
Use the information in the text to complete this chart.
Animal
Cause
Effect
dinosaur
buffalo
Norwegian
lake fish
Bengal tiger
rainforest
animals
turtle
coral reef fish
S
Exploring cause and effect
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
87
Read
Research
Respond
To complete the following assignments, the students will need to have read both
Dinosaur Dig and Animals in Danger. If you have not already introduced these titles in
a guided reading lesson, allow time for the students to read them. Discuss the “big
ideas” in the book, encouraging the students to identify the connections between the
fiction and non-fiction sections.
Student Assignment
A Safe Place
Ask the students to reread Animals in Danger to take
notes about animal sanctuaries. Using the blackline
master on page 89, the students can use their notes from
the book and the associated web page to describe how
they would set up an animal sanctuary in their local
area.
To access the web page, the students will need to enter
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow and click
on “A Safe Place”. This will be easier for them if you
bookmark the web address or add it to the “favourites”
menu in advance.
Skills
To complete this assignment successfully, the students
will need the following research skills:
• finding information from a variety of sources;
• scanning and skimming;
• summarising information;
• using the Internet.
See page 90 for further information about research
skills.
Resources
The resources needed to complete this assignment could
include:
• access to the Internet or to suitable reference books
and magazines;
• the blackline master on page 89;
Extra Help
If you have students who are English language learners
or who need the assignment to be modified, you could:
• provide more material (reference books, magazine
articles, newspaper reports) about animal sanctuaries
for the students to look through;
• ask the students to draw their sanctuary and to then
explain it orally to a partner who can help to write
labels to explain the drawing;
• provide a list of the vocabulary that is relevant to this
topic and help the students to become familiar with
the words and their meanings.
Other Assignments
Debate
Ask the students to prepare for a debate about the
cutting down of the rainforests or about any of the
topical issues mentioned in Animals in Danger.
They should organise themselves into teams before
researching and writing their arguments. Remind them
to back up their arguments with facts.
Poster Display
The students can design a poster that shows ways of
protecting the environment on three levels – personal
(What can I do?), local (What can we do?), and global
(What can governments do?).
Newspaper Report
Ask the students to write a newspaper report about
an animal in their local area that is endangered because
of pollution.
• the Skyrider Chapter Book Saving the Yellow Eye.
88
www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Name:
A Safe Place
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Read Animals in Danger again.
Make notes about animal sanctuaries.
Go to www.skyriderforkids.com/doubletakes/yellow
Click the button for “A Safe Place”.
Read about animals that are kept safe in a sanctuary.
Choose a local place to plan your own sanctuary.
Explain how you would keep the animals safe.
Safety Features
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only..
Reason
89
Teaching Research Skills
As students read, research, and respond to texts, they will need to develop a reliable set of
research skills. Students learn these skills best in the context of a real research project, such as
the Double Takes assignments, or in projects that they have set for themselves based on their
own interests.
The chart below will help you to identify the specific skills that you may need to teach or reinforce. The skills are
organised according to the different stages of research, that is, deciding on the research focus, finding
information, extracting information, and recording information. The final stage (presentation) is not covered
here. You can teach these research skills during brief working conferences with individual students, to small
groups of students, or as mini-lessons with the whole class. A particular skill could become the teaching focus of
a research project and be reinforced and assessed in a subsequent project.
You can find more information about planning a research project on pages 92 to 95.
Decide
Skills
Students should be learning to:
Identifying a purpose
• Make and maintain a list of topics and questions that interest them, to be kept in their writing
notebooks
• Rank the list to identify the most promising topics
• Use mind mapping, tree diagrams, brainstorming, etc., to explore the scope of a topic
• Identify a purpose for researching the topic they have selected and have a particular audience
in mind
• Use their purpose to limit the scope of their research
• Use practical considerations, such as the time and resources available, to further focus the research
Developing guiding
questions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
90
Brainstorm all the questions they would like answers to
Use who, what, when, how, why, and “so what” questions
Sort their questions into categories (see below)
Limit the number of categories by deleting any that do not directly relate to the purpose of the
research
Limit the number of questions within each category by deciding which questions they will be
able to answer on their own and which they will need help with
Distinguish between open and closed questions and understand that open questions yield more
information
Identify a focused, manageable list of questions to guide their research
Use this list to guide all stages of the research project
Skills
Finding information from
a variety of sources
• Understand the benefits of using multiple sources of information
• Identify and use the full variety of information sources available (libraries, museums,
organisations, people, community groups)
• Use library skills (indexes, catalogues, navigating the library, alphabet skills)
• Use reference materials from print and other media
• Maintain their research purpose as they search for answers to their guiding questions
• Take notes as they find the information they need and keep careful records of their sources
(see below)
• Categorise the information that they find (see below)
Using the Internet
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Scanning and skimming
• Identify the keywords, key phrases, and key images
• Use keywords to recognise the main idea of a passage or topic
• Scan a large quantity of information quickly, searching for the keywords, key phrases, and key
images
• Use headings, subheadings, captions, and labels to guide scanning
• Skim-read specific passages to find the keywords
Using graphic sources of
information
• Extract and interpret information from graphic features, such as labelled diagrams, charts,
graphs, maps, photographs, and illustrations
Comparing and
contrasting information
• Evaluate the information they have found by comparing it with information from another
source
Distinguishing between
fact and opinion
• Check the accuracy and currency of information
• Apply “tests of proof”, such as observable facts, scientific evidence, and verification by experts
• Identify the point of view of the writer and detect bias
Note taking
• Use keywords (nouns and verbs), short phrases, abbreviations, and quick diagrams to record
only the main ideas and the most important information
• Use a system, such as index cards, to categorise notes under headings or sources
• Use sticky notes to mark relevant pages
• Use a highlighter pen sparingly on photocopied material
• Use a coding system to categorise information into different aspects of the research
Summarising information
• Sort through their notes to reduce a large amount of information to the most important facts,
opinions, and details
Categorising information
• Use a system such as coding, index cards, or charts to categorise the information during the
research
• Use their guiding questions to form categories on which headings and sub-headings can be based
Find
Extract
Record
Students should be learning to:
Understand the purpose and use of keywords
Use the conventions of searching, such as the use of quotation marks, +, and “not”
Discriminate between relevant and irrelevant information
Be selective when choosing sources, checking for accuracy if necessary
Maintain their focus without being distracted by other sites
Use the bookmark or favourites function to keep track of useful sites
Take notes rather than printing large sections of text
91
Read
Research
Respond
The following is a model for reading, researching, and responding to texts, using paired fiction
and non-fiction titles.
Non-fiction texts are generally written for different
purposes to fiction texts, and they need to be read in
different ways. The reader’s task is to understand
what is written or shown graphically in a non-fiction
text and to find and use this information for various
purposes.
The task of the teacher is to:
• recognise the challenges that non-fiction texts
present;
• support students as they master more complex
non-fiction features;
• guide students as they learn to use specific
research skills in their reading and writing.
Reading fiction and
non-fiction
Most children learn to read using narrative fiction.
In their first years at school, they usually read far
fewer non-fiction than fiction texts and are therefore
not as familiar with the structure and vocabulary of
non-fiction. However, as students move through the
years in primary school, assessment in literacy and
the content areas increasingly assumes that they are
competent non-fiction readers. Much of students’
learning at high school and beyond is dependent on
reading and understanding the information in
textbooks.
Teachers should not assume that the skilled readers
of narrative texts can read non-fiction texts as
effectively. Reading non-fiction often requires the
use of additional strategies and understandings.
Teachers need to be aware of these so that they can
consciously model and teach them.
92
As readers encounter increasingly complex stories
and structures in fiction, they must search beyond
the surface of the plot to make thoughtful, critical
responses.
The task of the teacher is to:
• help students to understand how stories, characters,
meanings, and themes develop;
• guide students as they explore a wide variety of
genres;
• encourage and challenge students to think critically
about what they read;
• develop strong connections between what their
students read and what they write.
Matching fiction and
non-fiction texts for a
purpose
When students read or listen to both fiction and
non-fiction texts about one topic or theme, they are
exposed to different perspectives and given multiple
points of entry to the meanings of the texts. They
learn to appreciate the different purposes for which
texts are written and encounter the big ideas,
vocabulary, and concepts of a topic in a variety of
genres and formats. Using a variety of texts also allows
the teacher to cater for a variety of student needs.
For example:
You could introduce a study of spiders by reading
some tales about Anansi, the clever spider of African
folklore, and Charlotte’s Web aloud to your class over
several weeks. At the end of this study, your students
will have:
• become familiar with some of the characteristics of
spiders and their life cycle;
• had the opportunity to relate their own experiences
of spiders to that of the characters in Charlotte’s
Web;
• had their appetites whetted for more factual
information about spiders.
You can build on this knowledge and interest to
encourage and support your students’ reading of
non-fiction texts, such as reference books, articles,
and information on the Internet.
Read
The Read–Research–Respond model matches fiction
and non-fiction texts at a similar level to support
student learning. By using the guided reading
approach with each text, you can:
• use both fiction and non-fiction text to introduce
the big ideas and vocabulary of a topic;
• establish connections with the students’ own
knowledge, experiences, and interests;
• select the learning objectives that match your
students’ needs and will help them to gain and
practise the skills they must have to meet
curriculum objectives;
• scaffold the students’ reading from the fiction
guided reading lesson into a subsequent nonfiction lesson or vice versa, depending on your
students’ interests;
• show your students how they can use both fiction
and non-fiction text to find and synthesise
information;
• show your students how to find content other
than facts in non-fiction texts;
• compare and contrast the style, purpose, and
content of the two matched texts;
• create an interest in and a momentum for reading.
By demonstrating the use of reading skills and strategies
in these lessons, you provide further support for
your students as they gain the confidence to read
and write fiction and non-fiction text independently.
Research
To make efficient and effective use of the information
in non-fiction texts, readers must be able to use the
strategies of selecting, locating, using, and
presenting information as well as reflecting on it.
Research skills are acquired most effectively in a real
context, and there are specific skills you can teach
your students in the context of a purposeful
research assignment. Use your knowledge of your
students’ needs to make decisions about when and
how to teach these skills. Sometimes you may want
to teach a skill to a group or the whole class. At
other times, it will be more effective to teach a skill
to an individual student by conferring with them as
they carry out research.
The chart on pages 90 and 91 will help you identify
the particular skills that you may need to teach or
reinforce. These essential research skills relate to
curriculum objectives.
93
Research purpose
When students are asked to carry out research,
they require a valid purpose. As they begin to use
their research skills, it is sensible to focus their
purpose of study. This reduces the risk of students
being overwhelmed by the enormity of a broad
topic or defeated by a lack of resource materials if
their chosen topic is too specific. Using a clear
process will alert you to the skills you need to
teach your students and the resources that you
should make available to them.
The following questions can form the basis of a
discussion when you decide with your students on
the purpose of and process for a research task:
What do you need to know?
What do you already know?
What questions do you have about the topic?
Where can you find the information you need?
What do you need to record?
How are you going to present your findings?
How will you evaluate your research?
A “pathfinder” is another way of helping your
students to plan their research project. Students
can write their own pathfinder with the necessary
variations, depending on the nature of their research
and the process they intend to use. The following
is an example of one student’s pathfinder.*
Pathfinder
1. Once I have decided on my topic, I will
brainstorm the topic, then write some
questions I want to find the answers to.
2. These are the places I might find
information: public library, Internet, Mum,
science teacher.
3. I will find resources on my topic and
skim-read to see how useful each one is.
4. I will make notes about anything useful and
record where I found the information (name
of book, page number, website).
5. I will decide how I want to present my
information, then make my first draft.
6. I will ask a friend to check my draft.
7. I will check to make sure all my questions
have been answered.
8. When I am satisfied with my draft, I will
make a good copy of my presentation.
9. I will evaluate my own work. What parts
was I satisfied with? What parts would I do
differently next time? Did I answer all my
questions?
Things I will need help with:
• using the Internet
• skim-reading
• note taking
• presentation styles.
*Adapted from Reading for Life, page 137
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Respond
Evaluating research assignments
There are many different ways in which students can
respond to text. Recording the results of research
that has been triggered by reading is a powerful way
to respond to a text. A research project can provide
an excellent reason for returning to a text and going
beyond the first reading. Fiction and non-fiction
texts can also be used as models for student writing.
They provide examples of many different text types
and graphic features that students can make their
own.
Your students need to know whether or not they
have achieved their research purpose. You can
help them to stay on track by conferring with
individuals as they carry out their research. An
evaluation form such as that on page 115 can be
used by your students to evaluate their own
work. They can do this individually, in pairs, or
in small groups. Use the information these
evaluations provide to assess your students and
to influence your next teaching objectives.
As the teacher, your role is to ensure that your
students have the skills they need to select information
wisely and to synthesise the information they gather.
Too often, research projects are merely a cut-andpaste exercise in which students find and copy
information from easily accessed sources. The Internet
has become another source of ready-made information
– yet it can be a great time-waster. By setting clear
purposes for research, carefully teaching skills in
context, and using the appropriate presentation
options, you can help your students to carry out and
present research that is truly theirs.
It is just as important that you evaluate your own
teaching by asking yourself questions, such as:
Further information about responding
to fiction and non-fiction texts can
be found in Reading for Life, pages
96 to 141.
• Did I set the scene adequately?
• Did I select appropriate teaching purposes or
objectives?
• Were the texts I chose a good match to my
purposes and my students’ needs?
• Did I provide enough resources for my
students?
• Did the students achieve the learning goals
I set?
• What would have made my teaching more
effective?
• Can my students apply the skills they have
learnt to other projects?
• How could I ensure greater engagement and
participation next time?
For materials and lesson plans to
teach specific reading and writing
strategies, see the Skyrider Shared
Reading packages, which contain
texts and graphic organisers to
support the reading and writing
of non-fiction.
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Literacy Programme
AAin Balanced
the Middle and Upper
Primary School Years
Skyrider is a valuable addition to a balanced literacy programme in the middle and upper
primary years. Skyrider resources can be read aloud or shared with small groups or the whole
class. They provide a variety of formats and genres for guided reading and a wide selection for
independent reader choice. Students will use both fiction and non-fiction texts as models for
their own writing.
During the school day, you and your students will be
involved in a variety of reading and writing activities.
A balanced literacy programme at any level will
provide many opportunities for reading and writing to,
with, and by your students. Each of the following
approaches offers unique opportunities to develop
students’ skills and assess their learning needs.
Reading Aloud
A comprehensive literacy programme includes
reading aloud to students at all levels. Reading
aloud:
• allows students to relax and enjoy a good story;
• gives students access to texts they cannot yet read
successfully for themselves;
• should include fiction and non-fiction;
• introduces new writers;
• builds understandings and expectations about
different kinds of texts;
• helps to develop listening comprehension;
• models reading aloud with fluency;
• introduces new vocabulary and ideas;
• exposes students to a wide variety of writing styles
and genres;
• can be done by the teacher or a fluent student;
• highlights all of the rewards that reading can bring.
When a text is read aloud, all students can
have access to and enjoy the text, regardless
of their reading ability. The lengths of the
texts in Skyrider are suitable for reading to
students at a single sitting or over several
sessions.
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Shared Reading
“For older students, shared reading
provides support to make more difficult
texts accessible to all students in a group
or class”.
Reading for Life, page 72
In shared reading, the students and teacher read a
text together. The teacher takes the lead in reading,
with the students following in an active way. In the
early years, this is usually done with a big book, a
poem card, or a text the teacher has enlarged for a
particular purpose. With older students, you can use
enlarged posters with the whole class or individual
copies of small books with a group. You can also
enlarge a diagram or a section of text that you want
to focus on.
Shared reading:
• gives teachers the opportunity to model the skills
and strategies that are important to students –
thinking critically about language and layout,
discussing the author’s intent, contrasting and
comparing author and illustrator styles;
• allows for a high degree of interaction and sharing
of ideas, opinions, and interpretations;
• provides a setting in which the life experiences and
skills of a variety of students can be shared;
• lets students join in with reading challenging texts
as the teacher models;
• helps readers to overcome new challenges in
content-area texts – concepts, vocabulary, and
graphics;
• is particularly relevant when introducing a new
topic or a difficult concept to a group or the class;
• helps to familiarise less able readers with text
structures;
• helps those whose first language is not English to
feel more confident about reading independently.
Guided Reading
The aim of a guided reading session is to
help the student to take control of the first
reading of a text. As students meet new
challenges, they grow in confidence and
build new reading skills and strategies.
To do this, the teacher usually works with a small
group of readers of similar ability. There is an initial
orientation to the topic and discussion of possible
challenges in the text, such as new vocabulary. The
students then read the text themselves as the teacher
observes, supports, and assesses their progress and
future needs.
Guided reading:
• is a valuable approach in the middle and upper
primary years, where students are meeting the
challenge of more complex narratives and contentarea texts;
• encourages students to take control of the first
reading, to give critical response, and to talk about
meaning and messages in the text;
• provides a setting for instructional teaching of
skills, strategies, language concepts, and new
vocabulary;
• gives the teacher and students the opportunity to
explore the features of a variety of texts together;
• provides a supportive setting where students feel
confident to meet new challenges.
Use the shared approach to
introduce a topic where vocabulary
or concepts are new to students.
O For a more detailed explanation
of guided reading, turn to page 100
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Independent Reading
Skyrider resources have been designed to
provide quality materials for students to
enjoy and benefit from independently.
There is a wide variety of challenges in
high-interest settings – titles that your
students won’t want to put down.
Independent reading:
• gives the reader the opportunity to develop tastes
and preferences;
• develops fluency through rereading;
• challenges the reader to solve a variety of
problems independently;
• encourages the practice and further development
of skills;
• develops confidence through building up reading
“mileage”.
Reading and Writing
“Talking and listening are two sides of the
act of communication. Reading and
writing are as closely linked. Readers use
their own knowledge and experience to
construct meaning from text; writers to
construct meaning in text. To communicate
successfully, children need to read like
writers and write like readers”.
Dancing with the Pen, page 10
“Independent reading is central to
successful reading development. To
become lifelong readers, students need to
choose to read, select their own material,
and share what they have read”.
Reading for Life, page 89
98
Reading and writing go hand in hand. In their
efforts to write text that others can understand,
children learn more about making sense of what
they read themselves. Writing to, with, and by
students is an essential part of a balanced literacy
programme. Your planning should give students the
chance to express themselves through writing about
their daily experiences and using the different genres
they meet in their reading as models. Encourage
your students to write in many ways – poems,
stories, plays, lists, descriptions, book reports, daily
journals, letters, posters, and invitations.
Literature Circles
Literature circles are small groups of students who
meet to discuss a story, a poem, a book, or an article
of their own choice. A key aspect is that the groups
are always student-led, although teachers initially
play an important role in management, preparing
the students, and facilitating group dynamics.
Literature circles allow for collaborative learning
based on independent reading. The groups formed
are temporary and based on interest rather than
ability, and it is the students, not the teacher, who
initiate the discussion topics.
The Skyrider series offers a wide variety of
fiction and non-fiction texts suitable for
literature circles.
Non-fiction texts offer students models of new ways
to present information. For example:
• drawing and labelling diagrams;
• writing sets of instructions;
• using graphs and grids;
• presenting a process as a flow diagram or a
numbered sequence.
Such activities help students to increase their
repertoire of writing skills and lay the way for future
achievements in reading and writing in science,
maths, social studies, and other programmes.
Students need to feel that their efforts to
record are valued. Give them the
opportunity to read their work to you and to
the class and display their writing for others
to read at their leisure.
It is important that students see you writing in many
ways. The notes you write, the messages you send
home to parents and family, and the daily writing
you do as part of your teaching – all of these forms
of writing are effective opportunities to provide
good examples for your students.
Well-structured literature circles in classrooms give
students a non-threatening opportunity to interact
around books and ideas. The basic structure allows
all students to participate and have specific
responsibilities. Students generally respond well to
the preparation tasks, and the potential for followup activities is huge.
O A similar approach to literature
circles is reciprocal teaching. For
further information, see Reading for
Life, page 87.
99
Reading in the
GGuided
Middle and Upper
Primary School Years
For students, guided reading is just as essential in the middle and upper years as it has been in
their early years of schooling. It is the heart of a balanced literacy programme at any level of the
school, providing the setting for teaching skills and assessing reading behaviour.
Why Guided Reading?
In guided reading, a teacher works with a small
group of students, helping them to develop and use
a variety of skills and strategies to read a text
themselves. Groups can be based on students’
interests, experiences, and ability, but they need to
change from time to time as students develop and as
the teacher recognises the different needs of
individual students.
In Years 3 to 6, guided reading allows you to review
and reinforce basic skills and strategies as well as
introduce students to the higher level skills involved
in critical thinking, exploring language, conducting
research, and processing information. This is
especially important as students in Year 3 begin to
read narratives that are longer and more complex. As
well, guided reading with non-fiction texts will help
to develop skills needed in maths, science, and social
studies, such as:
• classifying and ordering;
• interpreting maps and diagrams;
• skimming text for information;
• using headings and contents pages;
• using reference books and new technologies to find
meanings for new terms and specialist vocabulary.
In the early years, this approach provides a secure
setting for the teaching of the alphabet and new
vocabulary. It also allows for instruction in the basic
skills and strategies that students need to make
meaning in their early encounters with print, such as
using letter–sound relationships, rereading when
meaning is lost, self-correcting, and predicting and
confirming. All teachers know from experience that
students progress at different rates, and for some,
practice and reinforcement of these basic skills will
continue to be important beyond their early years
at school.
As students move through the early years, there is a lessening of emphasis on basic skills.
However, at every level, students meet new challenges in their literacy learning – challenges
that need support and encouragement from teachers and explicit teaching of skills
in reading and writing.
100
The Guided Reading Lesson
The key elements in a guided reading lesson
involve:
• choosing a text and a purpose for the reading;
• introducing the text;
• reading the text and encouraging the students to
respond;
• revisiting the text – following up as appropriate
with related activities that build on the learning.
A purpose for reading
This is important for a successful and meaningful
session. Usually, you will choose a particular text
because it is just right for your students’ next step in
learning – it may fit with a current theme of study
or have features that allow you to teach specific
skills and strategies that you have noted groups or
individuals need help with. The text will offer
challenges but also the supports that the students
need. It may simply be that you know they will
enjoy the text and that it will help to highlight the
rewards that reading can bring.
To complement these suggested purposes, you will
have your own ideas to add, based on the needs and
experiences of your students. In setting a purpose
for reading, think about ways of making links to the
students’ current writing needs and follow these up
with meaningful writing activities where appropriate.
Introducing the text
This involves giving the students the confidence to
begin reading the text themselves with your help. It’s
the time to gain their interest, find out what they
already know about the topic, and answer any
questions they have. Making links to the knowledge
students already have will give them the best chance
of a successful and rewarding reading. Don’t take
every challenge from the story! Readers grow
through meeting manageable challenges. If you have
chosen the text because it fits with a current theme
of study, some of this scene setting may have been
done in the days before the lesson as part of the
class’s exploration of the topic. Setting the scene
immediately prior to the reading should be short
and snappy – no more than five minutes.
The purposes listed in the teaching plans provided
in this guide are based on the teaching of higher
level skills, such as:
• determining the author’s underlying message or
theme;
• drawing conclusions and providing the supporting
evidence;
• distinguishing fact from opinion;
• locating and summarising information;
• organising ideas using conceptual maps, timelines,
and grids;
• distinguishing the main idea from supporting
details.
• comparing and contrasting texts.
By this time, the students should:
• have a sense of expectation and anticipation;
• have made some predictions about the text and
what they might learn from it;
• have some knowledge to deal with the difficulties
they may encounter;
• be familiar with any new vocabulary or unusual
features of the text;
• be eager to read!
101
Reading and discussing the text
When you can see that the students feel confident,
it’s time for them to read and respond to the text!
For longer texts, such as chapter books, choose part
of the text for them to read to themselves. This will
usually be the first one or two chapters. It could be
more or less, depending on your purpose.
“Listen in” during the silent reading, giving
help where you can see a student having
difficulty.
Students should feel free to ask for help as they
need it. Encourage them to use other references,
such as a dictionary or thesaurus. Keep a clipboard
or notebook with you to make notes of the
students’ reading behaviour and any problems they
may have. You can go back to these after the
reading or as part of a mini-lesson at a later time.
Before they read, reinforce the sense of purpose by
asking them to take note of some aspect of the story
or illustration as they read. This shouldn’t be a
barrier to the reading; it should simply sharpen the
students’ awareness of some aspect of the text or
begin to focus them on something you want to
follow up after the reading.
Some examples might be:
• As you read this story, think about how the main
character changes through the story. We’ll talk about
this in a little while.
• Notice how the illustrator has used the expressions on
the characters’ faces to add to the humour of the story.
• Think about the different ways in which facts and
figures are shown.
102
Suggest meaningful activities for fast
finishers. For example, they could:
• find part of the story that they really like
and be prepared to tell you why;
• draw a flow diagram showing the steps in
a procedural text;
• find and list words that describe the main
character;
• sketch out a quick storyline for what they
have read so far.
When all of the group have finished reading,
encourage them to respond in their own ways. Use
the questions you set as a starting point for this.
Your aim is to get the reader to react to the text – to
get beneath the surface of the text, to explore the
language and illustrations, and to think critically
about what they have read. This could involve the
students in:
• clarifying and commenting on new vocabulary;
• reading and interpreting diagrams and graphs;
• separating fact from opinion;
• talking about why the author wrote the story in a
particular way;
• taking note of ways the characters develop;
• rereading and discussing an interesting or
challenging section of the text;
• discussing their feelings about the events or
characters;
• comparing parts of the text with their own real
experiences;
• contrasting the writing style with those of other
texts by the same author and different authors;
• arguing for or against a particular issue in the text;
• participating in a genre study.
The students can then finish the text
independently as you take a session with another
group. They might also take the book home to
share with family or read it as part of their
independent reading in the days following.
Following up
From what you have observed during and after
the reading, you may see the need to:
• revisit the text to explore the students’
responses further;
• take a mini-lesson on some part of the grammar
or vocabulary;
• practise and reinforce one of the skills or
strategies you wanted to focus on by using the
text.
This could happen in the days following the
lesson and involve the students in independent
or group activities to extend and add meaning to
their learning. It is important that these activities
arise from what you have learnt about the students’
needs. The students should see a clear purpose for
them.
Make sure that every reader has the chance to
express their feelings or opinions.
Much of the success for flexible working arrangements lies in having a classroom environment
that is warm and stimulating and where students and their work will be respected.
Co-operation is encouraged, contributions are respected, and diverse backgrounds and
experience are recognised and affirmed.
103
If you are not yet confident about running several groups simultaneously, try having the rest
of the class working on a single activity while you take the guided reading lesson or other
instructional session with a group.
Classroom Management
Taking groups of students for guided reading does
not mean an upheaval in classroom practice. Think
of it as an extension of what you do now. Many of
the activities already taking place in your classroom
can be used as the basis of a management plan, for
example, literature circles, buddy or paired
reading, shared reading, using computers, and
writing corners.
During the first six weeks or so of the school year,
train your students in:
• moving about the classroom;
• keeping within appropriate noise levels;
• locating, using, and replacing materials and
equipment;
• showing courtesy to each other, especially when
moving about;
• taking responsibility for their own learning tasks;
• recognising when and how to ask for help;
• knowing what to do when a task is finished.
The important thing is for you to feel confident
that purposeful learning is taking place during
group work, not just when the students are
interacting with the teacher. While you are taking a
guided reading lesson, other students may work in
groups, in pairs, or individually on other activities.
The following are examples.
Independent reading
Students can practise selecting materials and
thinking about the reasons for their choices.
Reading matter should include magazines,
newspapers, and other material besides books of
many kinds.
Students need the opportunity to learn and practise
such routines. The most effective way to encourage
this is to model them yourself, in your own
activities and in working with the students. Build
the expectation that they can and should work
independently. They don’t have to be working
directly with their teacher in order to learn. This
will allow you to focus for uninterrupted periods of
time (15–20 minutes) on specific learning needs of
individuals and groups of students.
O Useful information on grouping
can be found in Flexible Grouping in
Reading: Practical Ways to Help
Students Become Better Readers by
Michael Opitz, Scholastic, 1998.
104
Independent writing
Literature circles, book talks
This may be at the computer or with pen and paper.
Writing activities can be creative writing or writing
for a particular purpose that you have set. Often it
will be a follow-up to a text used in guided reading.
In this already-familiar activity, students conduct
their own session and learn valuable skills as they
appoint a discussion director and contribute to the
discussion.
Research or study tasks
This may involve a teacher-set task using an
expository text or some form of reference material.
The learning is enhanced if the subject matter relates
to content-area learning in maths, social studies, or
science.
Computer time
Sessions at the computer may be for students’ own
writing. They could involve using the Internet, a
CD-ROM, or other software for building skills,
solving problems, gaining information, or other
purposes relevant to their literacy learning.
Speaking and listening skills and
other activities
Students may work individually with audiotapes,
work in pairs, read aloud in turn, or do a group play
reading in a corner of the classroom. Some of the
many possibilities include drama, role play, skits,
artwork, or making an audiotape or videotape. Many
activities will arise out of the books students have
been reading.
O Further information and suggested
activities can be found in Reading
for Life, pages 87–89.
105
B
Bringing the Student
and the Text Together
Throughout the middle and upper primary school years, students will be taking more
responsibility for their reading choices. They will not be relying on supports such as repetition,
consistent language patterns, and illustrations that are a close match to the text. However, many
students still need reinforcement and practice so that they can use basic skills and strategies
confidently and independently.
Characteristics of Learners
and Texts
Being aware of the general characteristics of
learners in Years 3 to 6, as well as of the specific
needs and interests of your own students, will help
you to:
• provide a variety of texts with the appropriate
balance of supports and challenges so that good
skills teaching can take place;
• identify books that your students will enjoy and
benefit from to ensure their continued growth as
readers.
Within each year level, there will be a cross section
of students with a variety of abilities. It is unlikely
that a student could be effectively matched against
all of the points listed below. However, this variety
of characteristics of learners and books is a good
guide.
Attitudes and understandings
The student:
• expects to meet more complex challenges but is
growing in confidence to overcome them;
• understands that taking risks and making
approximations are an essential part of reading;
• selects and reads independently for enjoyment
from a variety of texts, both fiction and
non-fiction;
• is eager to extend reading interests and requests
new titles by favourite authors;
• expects to discover new meaning on further or
repeated reading of a text;
106
• knows that authors and illustrators have different
voices and styles;
• knows that texts are constructed for different
purposes and audiences, and this is reflected in
their own writing;
• does not expect to agree with everything that is
written and can formulate their own opinions and
points of view.
Skills and behaviours
The student:
• is learning how to skim and scan text, make notes,
and summarise information;
• maintains meaning over longer and more complex
texts;
• can use a table of contents, index, and glossary
with confidence;
• can access information using the library, a
database, or the Internet;
• becomes increasingly skilled at coping with
information presented in ways other than narrative;
• uses a growing variety of texts as models for their
own writing;
• demonstrates a growing knowledge of the structure
of language and how it works;
• can comment on aspects of narrative, such as plot,
characters, setting, and theme;
• can adjust reading pace to accommodate purpose,
style, and difficulty of material;
• reads poetry and drama aloud with expression;
• shows a growing confidence in talking about books
and authors and can deliver reports, retellings, and
summaries confidently.
Characteristics of texts
From the middle and upper primary years, students
should be reading books that have:
• texts that are longer and increasingly more
challenging across the four year levels;
• a rich and varied vocabulary with greater use of
technical terms, descriptive language, and
colloquial speech;
• storylines with complex concepts and themes
requiring the reader to think critically;
• more complex plot and character development
within narratives;
• a growing variety of genres, including
informational texts with strong content-area links;
• text layouts offering multiple sources of
information – graphs, tables, picture captions,
tables of contents, glossaries, indexes;
• examples of the creative use of text and illustration
for information and effect;
• illustrations that enhance the text, providing some
detail but leaving more to the reader’s imagination
than at earlier reading stages.
From Animals in Danger
by Bill O’Brien
From Travelling to Titan
by John Parker
From Night Noises
by Feana Tu‘akoi
Further suggestions on choosing
books for your students can be found
in Reading for Life, chapter 5,
Knowing the Approaches.
107
A
Assessment
Effective assessment involves making informed judgments about your students’ present
progress and future needs and then planning the next part of their learning. It’s about helping
students to take their next steps – moving from where they are to where they need to be.
The Assessment Cycle
Using effective assessment will allow you to:
• discover what students know and the variety of
skills and strategies they are using in their
learning;
• identify the next steps in a student’s learning;
• plan for early intervention where problems are
persistent;
• decide on the resources or techniques that match
the current needs of an individual or group;
• keep track of the progress of an individual or
group over time;
• give individuals or groups feedback, involving
them in the planning/assessment cycle;
• encourage students to reflect on their reading and
writing to see the progress they have made;
108
• see where a teaching session or activity has failed
to meet the objectives you began with;
• make changes in the physical environment to help
your students feel more comfortable and confident;
• monitor your own teaching practice;
• gather material for reporting to parents and school
administrators;
• set goals for teacher development and school
policy.
The assessment cycle, as shown in the diagram
below, will help you to identify the skills and
strategies students need in order to grow as readers
and writers and to meet school and curriculum
objectives.
Kinds of Assessment
Throughout a typical school day, you will be
assessing for a number of reasons, using some of the
techniques mentioned below. If it is to provide an
accurate picture of students’ learning, assessment
needs to feel like a natural part of their day.
Observation, anecdotes, and
checklists
Throughout the day, take note of the ways in which
students interact with each other and of their work
habits, preferences, opinions, comments, likes, and
dislikes. Be aware of the choices they make when
they have free time – what they read and the games
and activities they choose. Keep a note of these
observations in a notebook with a section for each
student. This will allow you to see patterns
developing and help you identify your students’
educational and social needs.
Running records
“Running records can be an excellent
method of monitoring reading
development with older students who are
still learning to use strategies
independently”.
Reading for Life, page 62
In a running record, a teacher carefully observes the
student reading a selected passage of text and makes
accurate notes of reading behaviour. The teacher is a
neutral observer, using a consistent code to record
the reader’s responses. By analysing the record of
reading, the teacher can determine which skills are
being used effectively to solve meaning-related
problems and which skills need reinforcement.
Using running records can provide information on:
• strategies students use to build meaning;
• how readers process information;
• how readers use different sources of information to
solve unfamiliar words;
• whether the difficulty level of a text is appropriate;
• a student’s willingness to take risks;
• how students integrate strategies during
independent reading;
• whether students are choosing appropriate text
levels for independent reading;
• students’ progress over time.
O Use the suggestions under
“Purpose” in the lesson plans
to help you to set assessment
objectives for your guided
reading lesson.
O For detailed information on using
running records with students in the
early and middle years and beyond,
refer to Reading for Life, pages
56–63.
109
Student conferences
One-on-one or small-group conferences are informal
discussions between you and your students. They
offer the chance to get to know students better –
their abilities and needs, their attitudes, interests,
preferences, and so on.
Listening to an informal retelling of a section of a
text or asking the student to describe a process or
series of events from a text in the correct sequence
will give you valuable insights into a student’s level
of comprehension and their ability to articulate.
During conferences, ask questions that provide
models that students can use in self-assessment.
Why do you think the author used a diagram to show
this information about Hoodoos?
Do you think that this story about a heat wave would be
just as funny without the illustrations? Why?
Why did you choose to read another story by Janice
Marriott?
Why are some of the words in this story in bold text?
Also, encourage students to set goals and monitor
their own progress. The objectives you agree on
should allow students to gather information that
tells them of their successes and their needs.
As you use Skyrider books in a guided reading setting and observe students making choices for
independent reading, note the skills and strategies that they are using effectively and those that
need further work. Use these notes as part of your planning.
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Assessing writing
Collecting and analysing students’ writing several
times throughout the year enables a teacher to
plan to meet their instructional needs. It is also
an effective way to show students and their parents
the progress that has been made through the year.
The criteria shown below can be discussed with your
class and displayed as a way of making everyone
aware of your expectations. Examples of work that
meets the criteria can also be discussed and
displayed.
Conventions of writing are used appropriately
Is the spelling accurate? Has the writer used such
conventions as paragraphing, capitalisation, and
punctuation?
There is evidence of revising, editing, and
checking
Has the writer reshaped or rewritten to improve the
flow or meaning of the text? Have they corrected
spelling or punctuation? Have they checked the
accuracy of any facts?
Collect writing samples
Set a specific writing task. Using the template
provided on page 114, allow the students about half
an hour to write independently. Encourage them to
read over their finished work and to
make any corrections or improvements. It is not
recommended that you use work that the students
have completed at home because you need to be
sure that the writing is the students’ own work. Over
the course of the year, collect writing in a variety of
genres or styles, both fiction and non-fiction.
When a student has completed a piece of writing,
read it through carefully and score it according to
the criteria below. These criteria cover both the
content and the form of the writing. Enter the scores
on the writing sample.
You may wish to photocopy and laminate the criteria
using the photocopy master on page 113.
The writing is interesting
Does the writing hold the interest of the reader?
Is it worth reading?
The writing is clear and coherent
Does the writing make sense? Can the reader follow the
writer’s train of thought?
Scoring
4
3
2
1
Total Score
17–20 excellent
13–16 competent
10–12 fair
below 10 of concern
–
–
–
–
always
mostly
sometimes
seldom or never
The total score you record will be an overall
indication of how the student performed on this
writing task. More importantly, the score you
allocate for each section should direct your attention
to the student’s specific needs. These needs should
be considered alongside the student’s reading
assessment as you plan for individual, group, and
whole-class teaching.
The writing sample you have collected and analysed
is an indication of the student’s strengths and needs
at a particular point in time. You should use this
information to plan your next steps in teaching,
realising that ongoing assessment is needed to show
how a student progresses and how their needs
change.
The ideas are well organised
Is the writing well structured? Does it have a sequence of
ideas? Does it have a beginning and an ending?
111
Using Assessment
Information
What do you do with the assessment information
you have collected? You use it to plan for your
students’ future learning and to adjust and improve
your teaching techniques. As you assess the
effectiveness of your planning, the objectives chosen,
the materials used, and the students’ reactions, the
cycle of planning, teaching, and assessment
continues, resulting in improved performance.
A useful thing to do with the assessment information
you collect is to build a profile of each student.
Using Skyrider books in a guided reading
setting will give you many opportunities to
gather important assessment information to
plan your students’ next steps in learning.
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Include artwork, writing, book reports, selfassessment, and notes from conferences, as well as
the more formal results of tests and running
records. A successful profile will be a positive
reflection of the student’s progress throughout the
year, showing how, together, you have set
objectives, faced challenges, and made adjustments
to learning where necessary. It should be something
that both students and teacher are proud to share
with peers, family, other teachers, and school
administrators. At the beginning of the next school
year, these profiles will be a mine of information for
your students’ new teachers.
O A detailed account of interpreting
and using assessment information
can be found in Reading for Life,
chapter 4, Knowing the Learner.
Blackline master
Assessing Writing
1. The writing is interesting
Does the writing hold the interest of the reader?
Is it worth reading?
2. The writing is clear and coherent
Does the writing make sense? Can the reader follow
the writer’s train of thought?
Always
Mostly
Sometimes
Seldom
or Never
4
3
2
1
4
3
2
1
4
3
2
1
4
3
2
1
4
3
2
1
3. The ideas are well organised
Is the writing well structured? Does it have a
sequence of ideas? Does it have a beginning
and an ending?
4. Conventions of writing are used
appropriately
Is the spelling accurate? Has the writer used such
conventions as paragraphing, capitalisation, and
punctuation?
5. There is evidence of revising,
editing, and checking
Has the writer reshaped or rewritten to improve the
flow or meaning of the text? Have they corrected
spelling or punctuation? Have they checked the
accuracy of any facts?
17–20 excellent
13–16 competent
10–12 fair
below 10 of concern
Total score
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
113
Blackline master
Writing Sample
Name
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
114
Year
1
Date
2
3
4
5
TOTAL
Blackline master
Evaluating a Research Project
Name
Year
Project title
Think about these statements and decide how well you have achieved
your research purpose.
1.
I have learnt a lot more about the topic.
2.
My questions were answered.
3.
I put the research into my own words.
4.
I have learnt skills that I will be able to
use by myself next time.
5.
I presented my ideas effectively to others.
6.
I would do things differently next time.
7.
I want to find out more about this topic.
8.
I enjoyed this assignment.
9.
I found these parts difficult:
10. I liked these parts best:
Skyrider Double Takes – Set A
Copyright © Learning Media Limited 2004
This sheet can be photocopied for classroom use only.
115
Acknowledgments
Learning Media wishes to thank the following people for their contributions to this teachers’ guide:
Consultants to the publisher:
Dr Jane Seibert, Literacy Consultant, for review of students’ texts and of the professional reading section; Ro
Griffiths, Literacy Consultant in New Zealand and the United States of America, for the sections on guided
reading and assessment; teachers, staff developers, and literacy consultants in California, Florida, New York, and
Texas for their valuable feedback on the original concept
Dr Trevor McDonald, Christine Thornley, and Cherry Bertanees of Otago University, Dunedin, New Zealand, for
their assistance with the teaching plans.
Permission to quote excerpts from the following is gratefully acknowledged:
W.R.A.P. – An Informal Writing and Reading Assessment Profile copyright © Ro Griffiths (Wellington, New Zealand:
Learning Media Limited, 2001); Dancing with the Pen copyright © Learning Media Limited 1997; Reading for Life
copyright © Learning Media Limited 1997
The photographs on the cover and pages 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 92, 93, 94, 101, 102 (right), and 104 (right) by Matt
Grace copyright © Learning Media Limited 2002; those on pages 96, 98, 99 (left) by Jamie Lean copyright ©
Learning Media Limited 1999; those on pages 97, 103 (right), and 119 (top left) copyright © Tom Dubanowich
Photography 2000; those on pages 99 (right), 102 (left), 104 (left), and 108 (left) by David Hamilton copyright
© Learning Media Limited 2001; that on page 105 (right) by David Kawashima copyright © Learning Media
Limited 1999; and those on pages 108 (right), 110, and 112 by Rob and Sas Becker copyright © Learning Media
Limited 2000
Copyright information for all other photographs, illustrations, diagrams, page spreads, and book covers
reproduced in this guide can be found on the information pages of the Set A Skyrider Double Takes student
titles.
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