Day
Read Aloud
“Speed Swimmers”
7
Key Idea The fastest-swimming animals have body shapes that are designed
for speed. A sailfish, the fastest swimmer, has a huge back fin that acts like a sail.
An orca, the second fastest, has muscles down its back that move its tail up and
down. A blue shark, the third fastest, has a long, sleek, tapered body.
Learning Focus
RI.2.1*
Students listen closely to ask and answer questions about key details in a text, referring to what
is explicitly stated and using details to support inferences.
3 minutes
Previewing the Text
Speed Swimmers
Many sea animals move fast through the water. But which animal is the fastest?
All the fastest animal swimmers have a body shape that helps them move quickly through the
water. As well as a special body shape, the best swimmers are strong and that helps them speed
through the water.
If there were an Animal Olympics with a speed-swimming contest for fish, sailfish, orcas, and
blue sharks would be the winners.
Gold-Medal Winner: Sailfish
Sailfish are the fastest fish. Marlins and bluefins belong to the same family as sailfish. They can
swim almost as fast as a sailfish.
Sailfish have a huge back fin that is almost as long as their bodies. This fin is blue with black
spots. It looks like a sail. The fin works just like a sail and speeds the sailfish through the water.
Sailfish also have a long upper jaw that sticks out. That is why they are knows as spindlebeaks.
Sailfish grow very fast. Within a year, a sailfish has grown to more than six feet long.
People who catch fish for sport like to try and catch sailfish because of their size and speed.
Sailfish leap out of the water once they are hooked. People who go fishing can take a long time to
land a sailfish.
Who would like to share what this text is about?
Close Listening to the Text
7 minutes
When I read to get information, I pay close attention to key details. I ask and answer questions
about key details to help understand what is stated. Sometimes the author doesn’t tell us
everything, so we have to put clues together to figure things out. We call this making an
inference, or a good guess.
Mondo Bookshop Grade 2 • Theme 7 1
Silver-Medal Winner: Orcas
Orcas are known as killer whales. They are the largest mammal in the dolphin family.
Orcas have a rounded forehead. This forehead helps them move through the water quickly.
Orcas are agile for their size, which means they can turn fast in the water.
Orcas get their power from muscles that run down their backs. These muscles move the tail up
and down, not from side-to-side like a fish.
Orcas are sometimes called the wolves of the sea because they often hunt in groups like
wolves do. Orcas live in all the oceans of the world and they move from place to place, following
the prey that they eat. Orcas use their speed to catch fish, seals, penguins, and other prey.
Because they are mammals, orcas can only stay under the water for a short period of time.
When they are near the surface, they stay under water for up to 30 seconds at a time. When orcas
dive, they can stay under the water for up to 10 minutes as a time. When they dive, orcas can go
down to 200 feet.
This is my first question: What is special about an orca’s body that makes it the second-place
swimmer? First, I look for evidence in the text to help me answer the question. I read that they
have a rounded forehead that helps them move quickly through the water. If you have ever put
your hand in water and moved it with your fingers spread out, it moves slowly. If you make a
fist, it moves more quickly. This is how the round head on an orca works. The author didn’t use
those exact words, but these clues help me understand what is special about the shape of an
orca. When I put pieces of information together, I am making an inference.
As you listen, keep thinking about questions and answers about key details. Remember to
think about things the author states clearly and listen for clues we can put together to make an
inference. As I read, I thought about this question: What is unusual about a blue shark’s coloring?
Bronze-Medal Winner: Blue Sharks
Blue sharks are the fastest of the shark family. They are fast and graceful with long, sleek,
tapered bodies.
The tails of blue sharks are very long and move from side to side as they swim. Blue sharks
are dark blue on top and white underneath. They are hard to see in the ocean. From below, they
blend in with the lighter water above. From above, they blend in with the dark ocean below them.
Blue sharks are also fierce hunters. They speed along when they are chasing prey and they can
even leap out of the water.
Blue sharks swim long distances compared to other sharks. Their speed helps them escape
bigger sharks that will try to eat them. Blue sharks have sharp, serrated teeth that grab prey as the
sharks attack at great speed.
Can anyone make an inference, or good guess, about how these colors protect the blue shark?
Discussing the Text
10 minutes
I notice that the author says that sailfish and blue sharks swim really fast. I can ask, “If a sailfish
uses its fin to swim fast, what does a blue shark use?” I heard details that lead me to this
answer: Blue sharks have long, sleek bodies. Who has a related question and answer?
Can you make an inference with this information?
2 Animals and Insects in Action
Day
Read Aloud
“Speed Swimmers”
8
LEARNING FOCUSES
RI.2.1*, RI.2.5*
Students listen closely to describe how causes and effects contribute to their understanding of
key concepts. They continue to ask and answer questions about key details, referring to what is
explicitly stated and using details to support inferences.
REFLECTING ON THE TEXT
3 minutes
Let’s review the text I read to you in our last session. Think quietly about what you feel “Speed
Swimmers” was mostly about. Who’d like to share their thinking?
CLOSE LISTENING TO THE TEXT
7 minutes
As I reread “Speed Swimmers” to you today, think about how the author has organized
information. As you listen, think about inferences you can make about key details.
Speed Swimmers
Many sea animals move fast through the water. But which animal is the fastest?
All the fastest animal swimmers have a body shape that helps them move quickly through the
water. As well as a special body shape, the best swimmers are strong and that helps them speed
through the water.
If there were an Animal Olympics with a speed-swimming contest for fish, sailfish, orcas, and blue
sharks would be the winners.
Gold-Medal Winner: Sailfish
Sailfish are the fastest fish. Marlins and bluefins belong to the same family as sailfish. They can
swim almost as fast as a sailfish.
Sailfish have a huge back fin that is almost as long as their bodies. This fin is blue with black spots.
It looks like a sail. The fin works just like a sail and speeds the sailfish through the water.
Sailfish also have a long upper jaw that sticks out. That is why they are knows as spindlebeaks.
Sailfish grow very fast. Within a year, a sailfish has grown to more than six feet long.
People who catch fish for sport like to try and catch sailfish because of their size and speed. Sailfish
leap out of the water once they are hooked. People who go fishing can take a long time to land a sailfish.
Sometimes an author uses cause and effect in informative text. The cause is why something
happens, and the effect is what happens. I’ll reread the last paragraph in the Sailfish section. I ask
myself, “What happens?” That’s the effect. I noticed the detail that people fishing take a long time
MONDO BOOKSHOP GRADE 2 • THEME 7 1
to land a sailfish. I ask, “Why?” That’s the cause. I noticed that it said that sailfish leap out of the
water once they are hooked.
Focus on cause and effect. Think about what and why.
Silver-Medal Winner: Orcas
Orcas are known as killer whales. They are the largest mammal in the dolphin family.
Orcas have a rounded forehead. This forehead helps them move through the water quickly.
Orcas are agile for their size, which means they can turn fast in the water.
Orcas get their power from muscles that run down their backs. These muscles move the tail up and
down, not from side-to-side like a fish.
Orcas are sometimes called the wolves of the sea because they often hunt in groups like wolves
do. Orcas live in all the oceans of the world and they move from place to place, following the prey that
they eat. Orcas use their speed to catch fish, seals, penguins, and other prey.
What? Orcas are sometimes called the wolves of the sea. Why? They often hunt in groups like
wolves do. I can ask and answer a question about another key detail: How does being agile
help orcas? It lets them turn quickly in the water, which I think helps them hunt. I can make the
inference that orcas are good hunters because they are fast and agile in the water.
I’ll read the next section of text. Listen closely for examples of what happens—the effect—and
why it happens—the cause.
Because they are mammals, orcas can only stay under the water for a short period of time. When
they are near the surface, they stay under water for up to 30 seconds at a time. When orcas dive, they
can stay under the water for up to 10 minutes as a time. When they dive, orcas can go down to 200 feet.
Bronze-Medal Winner: Blue Sharks
Blue sharks are the fastest of the shark family. They are fast and graceful with long, sleek, tapered
bodies.
The tails of blue sharks are very long and move from side to side as they swim. Blue sharks are dark
blue on top and white underneath. They are hard to see in the ocean. From below, they blend in with
the lighter water above. From above, they blend in with the dark ocean below them.
Blue sharks are also fierce hunters. They speed along when they are chasing prey and they can
even leap out of the water.
Blue sharks swim long distances compared to other sharks. Their speed helps them escape bigger
sharks that will try to eat them. Blue sharks have sharp, serrated teeth that grab prey as the sharks
attack at great speed.
Let’s share thoughts you had about what happens and why it happens, or the cause-and-effect
structure the author used.
Who noticed a key detail that tells why this happens?
Who’d like to make an inference about this detail?
DISCUSSING THE TEXT
10 minutes
Who will share any other examples of cause and effect?
Who’d like to ask and answer a question about these key details?
Does anyone have an inference they can make from the question and answer?
As you read other informational texts, try to pay attention to the text structure and how it
makes key details clearer. Use those details to make inferences about what you read.
2 ANIMALS AND INSECTS IN ACTION