9780176333546
Teacher’s
Resource
Sample material from
the Human Body unit.
This Teacher’s Resource sampler includes:
Welcome to Nelson Literacy................................... 4
Instructional Framework: Grade 5 ......................... 6
Introducing the Unit................................................. 8
Planning the Unit ..................................................... 8
Launching the Unit ................................................ 12
Let’s Talk: Human Body Match Up....................... 14
Lesson Plan: Building Blocks .............................. 17
Understanding Reading Strategies
Lesson Plan: Sickening Skin................................ 23
Applying Strategies
Welcome to Nelson Literacy
Features of this Teacher’s Resource
• Planning support to assist you in developing a comprehensive
literacy program for your students
Instructional approaches that facilitate a gradual release of
responsibility, from teacher modelling to guided and independent
experiences in all the language arts, based on the BC English
Language Arts IRP 2006
Assessment tools that help guide instruction
Differentiated instruction to meet individual needs, based on data
gathered from observation and formative assessment
Curriculum-area units directly aligned to BC’s Grade 5 Social
Studies, Science, and Health and Career Education to help
improve students’ literacy skills in content areas
Opportunities for in-depth study and enjoyment of a variety of
literary forms, text types, and structures in fiction and non-fiction
Word study and vocabulary development strategies
An Instructional Framework chart (Teacher’s Resource pages 6–7)
outlining the instructional focuses in each unit
Teaching a Unit: A Quick Tour
Begin with the planning tools in “Introducing the Unit”
(Teacher’s Resource pages 8–11)
• Refer to the Unit-at-a-Glance chart on pages 8–9, which outlines
each lesson focus and instructional approach, the BC Prescribed
Learning Outcomes, and available assessment tools.
• Read the suggestions in the sections Planning the Unit, Ongoing
Activities, What You Need, and Family and Community
Connections.
STEP 1
STEP 2 Use “Launching the Unit” and “Let’s Talk” (Teacher’s
Resource pages 12–15) to get started with students
• Start with the Accessing Prior Knowledge activity on Teacher’s
Resource page 12.
• Draw students’ attention to the learning goals on the unit opener
page (Student Book 5a, page 41) to preview the focus of instruction
and assessment.
• Then use the Let’s Talk spread (Student Book 5a, pages 42–43) to
engage students and access prior knowledge.
• Use the Read-Aloud selection “The Amazing Human Body” (found
in the Transparencies for Teacher Modelling).
4
Nelson Literacy 5 Teacher’s Resource: The Human Body
NEL
Use Transparencies for Teacher Modelling
• Use the Read-Aloud and the accompanying discussion prompts to
introduce and model the strategy for students.
• Use the transparency with the accompanying think-alouds for
guided practice and teacher modelling of strategies.
STEP 3
Use the Unit Lesson Plans
Note that every lesson begins with an overview page that identifies
BC Prescribed Learning Outcomes and previews the Assessment
for Learning in the lesson, which outlines ongoing observation,
ideas for differentiating instruction, and assessment tools.
Each lesson is organized in a Before/During/After format, with
pages from the Student Book conveniently reproduced.
There are two kinds of lesson plans:
– Understanding Strategies lessons (e.g., Teacher’s Resource
pages 17–22) provide explicit instruction in using a strategy in
one of the English Language Arts Organizers. This type of
lesson usually begins with a teacher-modelled experience.
– This is followed by an Applying Strategies lesson (e.g., Teacher’s
Resource pages 23–27), which provides guided and
independent practice with the strategy.
Each lesson provides multiple opportunities for students to speak,
listen, read and view, write and represent, and develop media
literacy. Special features include Differentiated Instruction,
Vocabulary, Word Study, and Writing Mini-lessons.
Each lesson engages students in meaningful group, partner, and
independent work, often supported by blackline masters (found at
the back of this Teacher’s Resource).
Assessment materials on the closing page of each lesson include
suggestions for checking progress and next steps, accompanied by
a rubric strip for formative assessment.
STEP 4
•
•
•
•
•
•
Conclude the Unit with the “Putting It All Together”
lesson (Teacher’s Resource pages 62–68)
• This lesson helps students apply and reflect on all the strategies
developed in the unit, and assists in developing a profile of each
student to guide instruction.
• After completing the selection lesson plan with students, refer to
the assessment section (Teacher’s Resource pages 67–68), which
provides a reading response and integrated English Language Arts
performance task for summative assessment. The task is supported
by rubrics available on blackline masters. Also featured are ideas for
reflecting back on the learning in the unit, student self-assessment,
and goal setting.
STEP 5
NEL
Welcome to Nelson Literacy
5
Instructional Framework: Grade 5
5a
5b
RENEWABLE AND
NON-RENEWABLE
RESOURCES
Science
MYSTERY
Literature
THE HUMAN BODY
Science
BUILDING OUR
PROVINCE
Social Studies
MAKING CHOICES
Health and
Career Education
HISTORICAL
FICTION
Literature
ORAL LANGUAGE
(Speaking and
Listening)
Active Listening/
Interactive
Strategies
• Use courtesies
appropriate for
audience and
purpose
Comprehension
Strategies
• Realize that your
personal feelings
affect your
reaction to what
you hear
Appropriate
Language
• Use appropriate
words and
phrases to
engage the
interest of your
audience
Demonstrating
Understanding
• Distinguish
between main
ideas and
supporting
details
Making
Inferences
• Use stated and
implied ideas to
make inferences
Active Listening/
Interactive
Strategies
• Use appropriate
speaking
behaviours in a
variety of
situations
READING/
VIEWING
Activating Prior
Knowledge/
Making
Connections
• Make
connections to
self and texts
Visualizing
• Make pictures in
your mind to
clarify concepts
Predicting
• Make and check
predictions
Finding Important
Ideas
• Identify main
topic and
supporting
details
Making
Inferences
• Use stated and
implied ideas to
make inferences
and construct
meaning
Questioning
• Ask questions to
clarify ideas and
focus reading
Text Pattern
• Narrative
Text Pattern
• Description
Text Features
• Timelines
Text Pattern
• Cause/Effect
Text Pattern
• Narrative
Text Features
• Graphs/charts
Text Form
• Mystery story,
episodic text,
illustration
Text Form
• Informational
explanation,
informational
report, short
story, photomatch game
Text Form
• Informational
report, factual
recount,
informational
explanation,
illustration
Text Form
• Persuasive text,
informational
explanation,
procedural text,
illustration
Text Form
• Historical fiction,
poem, illustration
Text Form
• Informational
explanation,
survey report,
correspondence,
informational
report, game
Form and Style
• Personification;
compound
sentences
Form and Style
• Similes
Form and Style
• Sentence
patterns
Language
Conventions
• Word patterns,
base words;
synonyms,
schwa symbol;
adjectives
Form and Style
• Descriptive
language
Form and Style
• Comparative
adjectives
Language
Conventions
• Suffixes; word
meanings;
synonyms;
prepositions,
contractions
Language
Conventions
• Word patterns;
prefixes;
quotation marks;
verbs
➤Text Patterns
and Features
➤Word Study
Language
Conventions
• Word patterns,
syllabification;
commas,
quotation marks;
verbs
➤Media
WRITING/
REPRESENTING
6
Language
Conventions
• Compound
words; dictionary
skills;
conjunctions,
adverbs
Language
Conventions
• Suffixes; word
origins,
dictionary skills;
nouns, pronouns
Purpose and
Audience
• Identify purpose
and audience for
a variety of book
covers
Media Forms
• Identify the
characteristics of
magazine
articles
Conventions and
Techniques
• Explain how
conventions are
used to convey
meaning in
brochures
Making Inferences/
Interpreting
Messages
• Use overt/implied
messages in ads
to make
inferences and
construct meaning
Audience
Responses
• Explain why
different
audiences might
respond
differently to the
same media text
Media Forms
• Describe in detail
the main
elements of
some public
service
announcements
Trait
• Ideas: Narrow
the focus
Trait
• Ideas: Expand
sketchy writing
Trait
• Organization:
Stay on topic
Trait
• Voice: Match
voice to purpose
Trait
• Voice: Put voice
into expository
writing
Process
• Generate, gather,
and organize
ideas
Process
• Generate, gather,
and organize
ideas
Process
• Draft and Revise
Trait
• Organization:
Choose
organizational
patterns
Nelson Literacy 5 Teacher’s Resource: The Human Body
Process
• Draft and Revise
Process
• Draft and Revise
Process
• Draft and Revise
NEL
5b
5c
COMING TO
CANADA
Social
Studies
MAKING A
DIFFERENCE
Health and
Career Education
SIMPLE AND
COMPOUND
MACHINES
Science
Vocal Skills and
Strategies/NonVerbal Cues
• Use expression
and tone
appropriate to
purpose
Demonstrating
Understanding/
Clarity and
Coherence
• Demonstrate
understanding of
oral text by
summarizing
important ideas
Active Listening/
Interactive
Strategies
• Affirm and build
on the ideas of
others to solve
problems or
resolve conflicts
Presentation
Strategies/Clarity
and Coherence
• Communicate in
a clear, coherent
manner for an
oral report
Monitoring
Comprehension
• Clarify the
meaning of
words and
concepts and
check
understanding
Retelling
• Retell a story
using a logical
organizational
pattern
Making
Inferences
• Draw inferences
from cues in the
text to generate
conclusions
Evaluating
• Make judgments
and draw
conclusions
about how the
author
communicates
the message
Synthesizing
• Synthesize
information from
two pieces of
text on the same
topic
Text Pattern
• Sequence
Text Pattern
• Question/Answer
Text Pattern
• Narrative
Text Features
• Sidebars
Text Pattern
• Problem/Solution
Text Pattern
• Compare/
Contrast
Text Form
• Informational
report, newspaper
report, persuasive
text, procedural
text,
correspondence,
photo collage
Text Form
• Informational
explanation,
procedural text,
illustration
Text Form
• Humour fiction,
graphic story
Text Form
• Informational
explanation,
informational
report, diary,
photo collage
Text Form
• Contemporary
fiction, play,
factual recount,
speech,
persuasive text,
newspaper
headlines
Language
Conventions
• Prefixes, suffixes;
word meanings,
dictionary skills;
capitalization;
pronouns
Language
Conventions
• Word patterns;
irregular plurals,
suffixes;
antonyms;
parentheses
Form and Style
• Idioms, similes;
compound
sentences
Form and Style
• Superlative
adjectives;
alliteration
Form and Style
• Similes
Language
Conventions
• Commas; verbs,
adjectives
Language
Conventions
• Word patterns;
base words,
suffixes; word
meanings
Conventions and
Techniques
• Explain how
conventions of
signs are used to
create meaning
Point of View
• Recognize that
different media
texts reflect
different points
of view
Responding to
and Evaluating
Texts
• Express opinions
about ideas,
themes, and
issues presented
in movie reviews
Conventions and
Techniques
• Explain how
conventions of
online
magazines help
convey meaning
Point of View
• Identify point of
view in various
media texts
Media Forms
• Describe in detail
the main
elements of a
broadcast
Trait
• Word Choice:
Eliminate
wordiness
Trait
• Word Choice: Use
synonyms and
antonyms to
enhance meaning
Trait
• Fluency: Create
dialogue
Trait
• Fluency: Vary
sentence length
Process
• Draft and Revise
Process
• Draft and Revise
Trait
• Conventions:
Distinguish
between revising
and editing
Trait
• Publishing: Use
illustrations and
photos for effective presentation
Process
• Edit and Proofread
Process
• Publish/Share
CITIZENSHIP AND
GOVERNMENT
Social Studies
RESOURCES
IN BRITISH
COLUMBIA
Science
Extending
Understanding
• Make
connections to
print and visual
texts
Appropriate
Language
• Use language to
elaborate and
add detail
Summarizing
• Summarize main
ideas using a
logical
organizational
pattern
Process
• Draft and Revise
NEL
Process
• Draft and Revise
HUMOUR
Literature
Text Form
• Informational
explanation, TV
news report,
illustration
Form and Style
• Sentence
patterns
Language
Conventions
• Compound
words; word
meanings;
quotation marks,
dashes,
capitalization
Language
Conventions
• Word patterns;
dictionary skills;
commas
Instructional Framework: Grade 5
7
Introducing the Unit
Unit at a Glance
Planning the Unit
LESSON INSTRUCTIONAL FOCUS
UNIT OVERVIEW
Launching the Unit
Let’s Talk
Read-Aloud
“The Amazing Human Body” Transparencies for
Teacher Modelling
“Human Body Match Up” SB 5a, pp. 42–43;
TR pp. 14–15
Understanding Reading Strategies:
Visualizing
Teacher Modelling/Guided Practice
Transparency 6: Travelling Blood
“Building Blocks” SB 5a, pp. 44–47; TR pp. 17–22
Applying Strategies:
Visualizing
Guided or Independent Reading/Viewing
“Sickening Skin” SB 5a, pp. 48–49; TR pp. 23–27
Guided and Independent Reading Kit
Understanding Text Patterns:
Identifying Characteristics of Descriptive
Text Pattern
Teacher Modelling/Guided Practice
Transparency 7: Control Centre—The Brain
“A Kid’s Guide to the Brain” SB 5a, pp. 50–53;
TR pp. 29–35
Applying Strategies:
Identifying Characteristics of Descriptive
Text Pattern
Guided or Independent Reading/Viewing
“Bony Framework” SB 5a, pp. 54–55;
TR pp. 36–40
Guided and Independent Reading Kit
Understanding Writing Strategies:
Expanding Sketchy Writing
Modelled Writing/Representing
Transparency 8: Expanding Sketchy Writing
“Expanding Sketchy Writing” SB 5a, p. 56;
TR pp. 41–45
Shared Writing/Representing, TR p. 43
Guided or Independent Writing/Representing,
TR p. 44
Applying Strategies:
Reading Like a Writer
Guided or Independent Reading/Viewing
“Here’s to New Technology” SB 5a, pp. 57–59;
TR pp. 46–51
Independent Writing/Representing, TR p. 50
Understanding Media:
Identifying Characteristics of Magazine
Articles
Teacher Modelling/Guided Practice
Transparency 9: Magazine Messages
“Magazine Messages” SB 5a, pp. 60–61;
TR pp. 52–57
Independent Reading/Viewing
“Magazine Messages” SB 5a, pp. 62–63; TR p. 56
Understanding Listening Strategies: Making
Connections While You Listen
Teacher Modelling/Guided Practice
Transparency 10: Making Connections
While You Listen
“Making Connections While You Listen” SB 5a,
p. 64; TR pp. 58–61
Putting It All Together
Summative Assessment
“Body Works” SB 5a, pp. 65–68; TR pp. 62–68
In this unit, students learn about the
skin, brain, skeleton, heart, and
muscles. As students read the
informational explanations and
report, short story, and magazine
article, they develop
• the reading comprehension
strategy of visualizing
• the ability to identify
characteristics of descriptive text
pattern
• the writing strategy of expanding
sketchy writing
• an understanding of the
characteristics of magazine articles
• the listening strategy of making
connections while they listen
• word study skills, including using a
pronunciation guide, similes,
conjunctions, compound words,
and adverbs of time
OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTEGRATED
INSTRUCTION: SCIENCE
The purpose of this unit is to
provide opportunities for students to
develop language skills in all
organizers while working in the
content area of Science. While the
unit has strong links to the Science
curriculum for Life Science:
Human Body, it does not deliver
comprehensive coverage of the
Science curriculum.
Teachers can make links to the
following Life Science: Human Body
Prescribed Learning Outcomes:
• Describe the basic structures and
functions of different body systems
• Explain how the different body
systems are interconnected
INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES/RESOURCES
• Illustrate the human respiratory,
digestive, circulatory, skeletal,
muscular, and nervous systems
8
SB = Student Book TR = Teacher’s Resource
Nelson Literacy 5 Teacher’s Resource: The Human Body
NEL
Student Book 5a, pages 41–68
PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES
ASSESSMENT AND ASSESSMENT TOOLS
OL Explore, express, and present a range of ideas/information/feelings
OL Listen purposefully to understand ideas and information
R/V Select and use strategies to develop understanding of text
BLM 2: Oral Language Tracking Sheet
BLM 3: Small-Group Observation Tracking Sheet
OL Select and use strategies to make and clarify meaning/make
predictions/ listen for specifics
R/V Select and use strategies to develop understanding of text
R/V Use strategies during reading/viewing to make connections
Key Assessment Questions
BLM 2, BLM 3
BLM 5: Strategy Rubric Strip—Visualizing
OL
R/V
R/V
W/R
Explore/express/present a range of ideas, information, and feelings
Select and use strategies to develop understanding of text
Use strategies to make connections
Use strategies to check work against established criteria
Demonstration Task
Key Assessment Question
BLM 2, BLM 3, BLM 5
BLM 4: Self-Assessment Checklist and Personal Goal Setting
OL
R/V
R/V
W/R
Explore/express/present a range of ideas, information, and feelings
Use strategies to summarize/synthesize
Explain how structures and features of text work to develop meaning
Use strategies to consult reference materials/access information
Key Assessment Questions
BLM 2, BLM 3
BLM 7: Strategy Rubric Strip—Identifying Characteristics of Descriptive
Text Pattern
OL
R/V
W/R
W/R
Explore/express/present a range of ideas, information, and feelings
Explain how structures and features of text work to develop meaning
Create visual representations that organize key ideas
Use strategies to consult reference materials/access information
Demonstration Task
Key Assessment Question
BLM 2, BLM 3, BLM 4, BLM 7
OL
W/R
W/R
W/R
Explore/express/present a range of ideas, information, and feelings
Use strategies to consult reference materials/access information
Use strategies to check work against established criteria
Use strategies to revise to enhance writing
Demonstration Task
Key Assessment Question
BLM 2, BLM 3
BLM 10: Strategy Rubric Strip—Expanding Sketchy Writing
BLM 11: Writing Process Assessment Checklist
OL
R/V
W/R
W/R
W/R
Explore/express/present a range of ideas, information, and feelings
Use strategies to set a purpose and consider personal goals
Use strategies to consult reference materials/access information
Use strategies to check work against established criteria
Use strategies to revise to enhance writing
Demonstration Task
Key Assessment Questions
BLM 2, BLM 3, BLM 4, BLM 10
OL Explore/express/present a range of ideas, information, and feelings
R/V Read and show comprehension of reports/articles from magazines
R/V Explain how structures and features of text work to develop meaning
Demonstration Task
Key Assessment Question
BLM 2, BLM 3, BLM 4
BLM 12: Strategy Rubric Strip—Identifying Characteristics of Magazine
Articles
OL Explore/express/present a range of ideas, information, and feelings
OL Listen purposefully to understand ideas and information
OL Use strategies to make/share connections while listening
Demonstration Task
Key Assessment Question
BLM 2, BLM 3, BLM 4
BLM 13: Demonstration Task—Making Connections While You Listen
BLM 14: Strategy Rubric Strip—Making Connections While You Listen
OL
R/V
R/V
W/R
BLM 4
BLM 15: Reading Response Form
BLM 16: Reading Record Form
BLM 17: Performance Task—Creating a Magazine Article
BLM 18: Reading Response and Performance Task Rubric
Listen purposefully to understand ideas and information
Read fluently/demonstrate comprehension of grade-appropriate texts
Select and use strategies to construct/monitor/confirm meaning
Write a variety of clear, focussed writing that demonstrates
connections to personal experiences/ideas/opinions
W/R Create meaningful visual representations for a variety of purposes
and audiences
NEL
Planning the Unit
9
OPPORTUNITIES FOR
WRITING/REPRESENTING
for communicating with parents,
caregivers, and administrators.
Throughout this unit, students have
numerous opportunities to practise
planning and drafting using a variety
of forms. Their work in progress
should be stored in their writing
folders. Consider asking students to
select one or two pieces to revise, edit,
and publish. You may wish to use
BLM 11: Writing Process Assessment
Checklist to assess students’ work at
various stages of writing.
Students are invited to assess their
own learning throughout the unit.
They can use their self-assessment
data to make adaptations to their
learning and to set personal goals
for future learning.
A mini-lesson is provided in each
unit to help you develop students’
writing skills. This unit includes the
mini-lesson Drafting: Using
Figurative Language (page 45).
Consult the Nelson Literacy Overview
for a list of mini-lessons that can be
used to support students as they
work through the writing process.
ASSESSMENT AND ASSESSMENT
DATA
The instructional focuses of the unit
are the focuses for assessment:
visualizing, identifying characteristics
of descriptive text pattern,
expanding sketchy writing,
identifying characteristics of
magazine articles, and making
connections while listening.
Throughout the unit, there are
multiple opportunities to observe as
students learn, practise, and
demonstrate target strategies.
Formative assessment data
(generated by discussion
opportunities, Key Assessment
Questions, and Demonstration
Tasks) can be recorded on specific
assessment tools. By analyzing the
data, you can guide students
through subsequent lessons with the
correct level of support. The data
can help you plan for instruction,
differentiate instruction, and begin
to make evaluative decisions about
students’ progress for reporting
purposes.
The Performance Task provides
valuable summative assessment data
that can be used for reporting and
10
ASSESSMENT TOOLS
• Oral Language Tracking Sheet
(BLM 2): You may use this
tracking sheet when observing
students during the unit launch
and periodically throughout the
unit. Taking multiple
opportunities to focus on a small
number of students at a time
allows you to observe every
student over the course of the
unit.
• Small-Group Observation
Tracking Sheet (BLM 3): This tool
can be used to monitor and make
notes on students’ participation in
various small-group activities in all
the organizers: oral language,
reading and viewing, and writing
and representing.
• Strategy Rubric Strips (BLMs 5, 7,
10, 12, 14): These help facilitate
recording and updating student
achievement data over the course
of the unit. Each rubric strip
focuses on one strategy, and has
multiple checkboxes so you can
reuse this tool every time the
student is required to demonstrate
the target strategy. Use the rubric
strips to determine the correct
level of support for students in
subsequent lessons and to plot
students’ progress over the course
of the unit.
• Reading Response and
Performance Task Rubric
(BLM 18): Intended for use at the
end of the unit, this rubric is for
recording assessments of student
achievement in oral language,
reading, and writing skills. The
data can be used as a summative
measure of students’ ability to
demonstrate the strategies and
Nelson Literacy 5 Teacher’s Resource: The Human Body
skills taught in the unit as a whole.
The rubric facilitates reporting,
and links to the Performance
Standards.
• Self-Assessment Checklist and
Personal Goal Setting (BLM 4):
Throughout the unit, students
are invited to assess their own
ability to use the strategies taught
in the unit. They can use their
self-assessment data to make
adaptations to their learning and
to set personal goals for future
learning.
• Metacognition: The ability to think
about and reflect on one’s own
thinking and learning processes is
a key skill for successful learners.
Metacognition is a crucial step in
the self-assessment process. Every
unit in Nelson Literacy 5 engages
students in metacognitive activities
by means of Reflect On questions
in the Student Book, recurring selfassessment opportunities within
each lesson, and the Criteria for
Success self-assessment checklist
included in the Performance Task
(see BLM 17: Performance Task—
Creating a Magazine Article).
Ongoing Activities
The following activities can be
undertaken at any time and revisited
throughout the unit.
VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT:
BUILDING A WORD WALL
1. Create two word lists at the
beginning of the unit to help
students build vocabulary. Use
one list to capture key content
words related to the study of the
human body. Focus on words
students are likely to encounter
in Science in the years to come.
Use the second list to highlight
verbs that aid visualization. Write
the words from each list on
cards and post them on the wall.
2. Invite students to suggest
additional words for the word
wall. Refer students to the word
NEL
wall as they talk and write about
the human body. Your class
word wall might look something
like the following.
Key Content Words
cell
skeletal
circulatory
epidermis
veins
tissues
muscular
respiratory
dermis
plasma
digestive
nervous
arteries
Verbs That Help You Visualize
tighten
churning
crisscross
grip
beating
floating
zoom
crackling
trudged
pump
pressing
grasp
jarring
VOCABULARY STRATEGIES
Vocabulary strategies are introduced
in some of the lessons. As each new
strategy is introduced, record it on a
class list of vocabulary strategies.
Encourage students to refer to this
list whenever they encounter an
unfamiliar word in their reading.
From time to time, model the
strategies on this list while working
on other curriculum subjects.
CREATING A HUMAN BODY
BULLETIN BOARD
1. Post a large outline drawing of
the human body on a classroom
bulletin board.
2. As you read and discuss the unit
selections, encourage students
to write relevant facts and
vocabulary related to human
body parts and systems on cards.
Invite them to post these cards
around the outline drawing, and
provide them with string or yarn
to connect each card to the
relevant body part on the
drawing.
3. Ask students to bring in news
articles and clippings related to
the human body and human
organ systems to post on the
bulletin board. Mount the
information students gather on
cards and post each card as in
step 2.
4. When an array of interesting
facts and vocabulary from
different sources has been
posted, ask:
• What new facts about the
human body did you find
most interesting?
Family and
Community
Connections
Students benefit from the active
engagement of family members and
community partners in their learning.
Family members can talk with
students and engage in activities that
enhance the relevance of the unit
content. Their interest motivates
student achievement and facilitates
communication with the school about
performance. Community members
can help expand students’ knowledge
and understanding as they learn
about the structure and function of
major organ systems in the human
body. Invite a guest speaker such as a
nurse, doctor, gym teacher, fitness
instructor, athlete, or sports medicine
specialist to visit your classroom. As
one tool in establishing a
communication link with family
members and the community beyond
the school, you may wish to reproduce
or adapt the letter to
parents/guardians in BLM 1: Family
and Community Connections.
What You Need
NELSON LITERACY COMPONENTS
OTHER NELSON RESOURCES
OTHER RESOURCES
Student Book 5a
The Human Body Teacher’s Resource
Transparencies for Teacher Modelling
Guided and Independent Reading Kit
Audio CD
Boldprint 5:
Head to Toe: The Human Body
PM Library, Ruby Level:
Sports on Wheels
PM Library, Silver Level:
Skating at Rainbow Lake
The Walkathon
PM+, Sapphire Level:
The Dreaming Place
Power Magazine, Volume 4:
Basketball
Come On, Canada!
Over the Long Distance
Water Sports
Power Magazine, Volume 5:
Rescue Missions
Save It, Use It
Skyrider Chapter Books 4:
The Sky’s the Limit
Baeuerle, Patrick. A., and N. Landa. The
Cell Works: Microexplorers. Hauppauge,
NY: Barron’s Educational Series, 1997.
Furgang, Kathy. My Heart. New York:
Rosen, 2001.
Ganeri, Anita. Your Brain. Milwaukee, WI:
Gareth Stevens, 2003.
Parker, Steve. Look at Your Body: Skeleton.
Brookfield, CT: Copper Beech Books,
1996.
Rockwell, Lizzy. The Busy Body Book. New
York: Crown, 2004.
Sweeney, Joan. Me and My Amazing Body.
New York: Crown, 1999.
Visual Dictionary of the Human Body.
Toronto: Stoddard, 1994.
Young Discoverers: The Human Body. New
York: Kingfisher Publications, 1996.
NEL
Planning the Unit
11
Launching the Unit
Tdjfodf
ACCESSING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
1. Ask students to write the
numbers 1 to 10 vertically on a
piece of paper. Tell them that
you are going to read them a list
of statements about the human
body, and that you want them to
decide whether each statement
is true or false and write down
their answers. Read:
• A human being loses an
average of 40 to 100 strands
of hair a day.
• Every time you lick a stamp,
you’re consuming 1/10 of a
calorie.
• By the time you turn 70, your
heart will have beat some
2.5 billion times (figuring on
an average of 70 beats per
minute).
• A sneeze can exceed the
speed of 160 km per hour.
• Every person has a unique
tongue print.
In this unit, you will
• An average human scalp has
100,000 hairs.
• visualize while
you read
• It takes 17 muscles to smile
and 43 to frown.
• identify
characteristics
of descriptive
text pattern
• make
connections
while you listen
• identify
characteristics
of magazine
articles
• An average human drinks
about 72,000 litres of water in
a lifetime.
Prescribed Learning Outcomes
• By age 60, most people have
lost half of their taste buds.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
• Each square inch of human
skin contains 6.15 metres of
blood vessels.
2. Tell students that all of these
statements about the human
body are true! Ask them to score
their papers to see how many
out of the ten statements they
thought were true. Ask:
U02_S01_pg41.indd 41
OL: Oral Language
OL
OL
R/V
R/V: Reading/Viewing
• expand sketchy
writing
• learn about the
human body
3/5/07 11:21:04 AM
W/R: Writing/Representing
A2: Use speaking to explore, express, and present a range of ideas,
information, and feelings for different purposes and audiences
A3: Listen purposefully to understand ideas and information
B5: Select and use strategies before reading and viewing to develop
understanding of text
• What fact about the human
body did you find most
surprising?
• What part of the human body
would you like to learn more
about?
12
Nelson Literacy 5 Teacher’s Resource: The Human Body
NEL
INTRODUCING LEARNING GOALS
Have students turn to page 41 and
give them a brief time to view the
illustration and read the learning
goals. Read the learning goals aloud.
Ask students to identify words they
know and talk briefly about each
goal. Give students a few minutes to
discuss with a partner which goal
they think will help them the most
in developing their language skills.
LINKING INSTRUCTION TO
ASSESSMENT
• Self-Assessment and Personal
Goals—As you review the
instructional goals with students,
you may wish to introduce BLM 4:
Self-Assessment Checklist and
Personal Goal Setting. Explain to
students that they will have the
opportunity to assess their own
progress using BLM 4 as they
learn new strategies. At the end of
the unit, students reflect on the
strategy that helped them the
most and set a personal goal for
future learning.
• Performance Task—Explain to
students that they will demonstrate
strategies they are learning in this
unit in a final task. In this task,
outlined on BLM 17: Performance
Task—Creating a Magazine
Article, each student will write and
plan an article for a science
magazine. Students will work in
pairs or small groups to discuss
the drafts of their magazine
articles.
BLM 17
Throughout the unit, the
instructional goals are linked to
assessment in the following ways:
Performance Task: Creating a Magazine Article
Name: ________________________________________________
BLM 4
Date: ________________________
What To Do
Plan
Unit: __________________________________________________
Strategies
Date: ________________________
You have been asked by a publisher of a children’s science magazine to expand
a sketchy piece of writing (see below). The article will be included in next
month’s issue of the magazine. The magazine is published for 9- to 11-year-olds.
Self-Assessment Checklist and Personal Goal Setting
Name: ________________________________________________
• Oral Language—You can use
BLM 2: Oral Language Tracking
Sheet during this lesson and
again whenever students are
given the opportunity to discuss
content, skills, and strategies
related to this unit. Taking
multiple opportunities for
assessment allows you to focus
on a manageable number of
students at a time.
Page 1 of 2
Always
Sometimes
Not Yet
1. I use visualizing to help me understand what I read.
2. I identify characteristics of descriptive text pattern to
help me understand what I read.
3. I expand sketchy writing to make my message clear.
• Read the piece of writing below and think about how to expand it.
The hard surface of your nails helps to protect the tips of your
fingers and toes. Nails are made of keratin. How do your nails grow?
Your nails have different parts, for example, the cuticle.
Your nails are a pale pink colour.
Your fingernails grow slowly.
• Decide on the message you want to communicate in your writing.
• Do any research necessary to communicate your message clearly.
• Think about which characteristics of magazines articles you want to include.
4. I identify characteristics of magazine articles to help
Draft
me understand this media form.
•
•
•
•
5. I make connections while listening to help me
understand what I hear.
Use your research notes to write a draft of the magazine article.
Include a title, subtitle, and subheadings.
Create a rough layout of your article.
Show where you have included the characteristics of a magazine article.
Revise
Reflecting Back
The strategy that has helped me the most is _____________________________________________
because ___________________________________________________________________________.
Looking Ahead
• Read your article out loud.
• Think about your purpose and your audience:
– Are your ideas clearly explained?
– Are the connections between ideas obvious?
– Do your article’s characteristics make it fun, interesting, and easy to read?
Edit
My new personal goal will be__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________.
• Correct your grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Publish
• Copy out your article neatly, or input it on a computer and print it.
• Create a final layout for your article by combining the text and visuals you
have prepared.
SMART Goals
Present
Specific: My goals are well defined and easily understood by everyone.
• Read your article to the class clearly and with expression.
Measurable: I can tell if I have achieved my goals.
Action-oriented: My goals can be achieved through doing.
88 Nelson Literacy 5 Teacher’s Resource: The Human Body
Copyright © 2009 by Nelson Education Ltd.
Realistic: My goals will challenge me but I can meet them.
Timely: I have a time frame in which I will complete my goals.
BLM 2
Oral Language Tracking Sheet
Copyright © 2009 by Nelson Education Ltd.
Observation Period:
Beginning of unit
Middle of unit
Nelson Literacy 5 Teacher’s Resource: The Human Body
73
End of unit
Observe and record students’ ability to
• access and discuss prior knowledge and/or personal experiences they may have about the topic
• make connections while listening
• use content-specific vocabulary
Student Name
Copyright © 2009 by Nelson Education Ltd.
NEL
Observations
Follow-up
Nelson Literacy 5 Teacher’s Resource: The Human Body
71
Launching the Unit
13
Let’s Talk: Human
Body Match Up
LET’S TALK
Human Body Match Up
INTRODUCING UNIT CONCEPTS
1. Let the class view Student Book
pages 42 and 43. Ask:
• What is the name of each
object in the collage? (1) elastic
band; 2) tree bark; 3) flowing
water; 4) bicycle pump; 5)
computer chip; 6) frame of a
house; A) human brain; B) blood
cells; C) heart/circulatory system;
D) skin; E) human skeleton;
F) muscles)
1. stretched elastic band
3. flowing water
2. tree bark
4. bicycle pump
5. computer chip
• How would you categorize
the group of objects on the
left-hand page? the group
of objects on the right-hand
page? (things in the world
around us; parts of the human
body)
• What objects would you put in
each group? (things in the world
around us—flowing water, bicycle
pump, frame of a house, elastic
band, computer chip, tree bark;
parts of the human body—brain,
skeleton, skin, heart, muscles,
blood cells)
2. Ask students to jot down a
match between each ordinary
object on the left-hand page
and a part of the human body
on the right-hand page. Tell
them to be prepared to justify
their matches.
3. Let students discuss their
matches in small groups.
Encourage them to share the
reasons for their matches.
4. Invite each group to share one
match with the class. Ask other
groups for a show of hands if
they made the same match. Let
students share their thinking if
their matches differ from the
other groups’. Possible
matches/explanations include:
elastic band—muscles, both expand
and contract; tree bark—skin, both
are protective coverings; computer
chip—brain, both gather and sort
14
6. house frame
42
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U02_S02_pg42-43.indd 42
NEL
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Differentiated Instruction: ESL/ELL
The activities in this unit provide a high level of support for students as they
read linguistically challenging text. The use of graphic organizers before,
during, and after reading and writing activities helps students keep the
major concepts in focus as they read and process new vocabulary, complex
sentence structures, and text features. To further support language growth,
use the following strategies:
• Keep the language of your questions and instructions simple.
• Know students’ academic and personal backgrounds. This information
is key to making programming decisions.
• Be cognizant that visualization and the use of vivid description may
trigger memories of traumatic events. Descriptive text such as “guts
from spilling out” (Student Book, p. 48) may be troubling for students
from war-torn countries.
• Communicate with parents and/or guardians to ensure an
understanding of overall expectations for the unit, and to put in context
the activities that students will be discussing with them.
Nelson Literacy 5 Teacher’s Resource: The Human Body
NEL
information; bicycle pump—heart,
both push a substance into
something else; frame of house—
skeleton, both are supporting
structures; flowing water—red blood
cells, both are liquids.
Match the ordinary objects on the left to the parts of the body on the right.
A. brain
B. blood cells
TALKING ABOUT A MEDIA TEXT
Guide students in describing and
thinking about the purpose and the
audience for “Human Body Match
Up.” Ask:
C. heart
D. skin
• These two pages are set up in
an interesting way. Tell me
what you notice about how the
pages are set up. (there are
photographs of things you find in
everyday life on one side of the
page and parts of the human body
on the other side of the page)
E. skeleton
• Why do you think the pages
are set up this way? (to create
interest; to encourage readers to
think about how parts of the
human body might be like things
in the world around us)
F. muscles
43
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3/5/07 11:19:52 AM
Introducing Authors and Illustrators
The About the Authors/Illustrators feature boxes that accompany some of
the lessons in this Teacher’s Resource provide opportunities for you and
your students to get to know the people behind the Student Book
selections. In these boxes, you can read about the personal backgrounds
and professional practices of authors and illustrators and gain insight into
the creation of the stories and pictures in the Student Book.
In these boxes, authors and illustrators describe aspects of their lives in their
own words, creating a mix of standard biographical information and
interesting personal detail.
Learning about the varied career paths of authors and illustrators will expose
students to a variety of career possibilities.
NEL
• Why do you think this is a
good way to introduce
students to a unit on the
human body? (to make the page
interesting, because matching
games are fun; to challenge
students to think about similarities
between two different things)
• If you had created these
pages, what other photographs
of everyday things and parts
of the human body would you
have included?
Read-Aloud
Use the Read-Aloud “The
Amazing Human Body” and the
accompanying questions in
Transparencies for Teacher Modelling
to further students’ understanding
of systems and organs of the
human body. The Read-Aloud also
models the strategy of visualizing.
Let’s Talk: Human Body Match Up
15
Building Blocks
Understanding Reading Strategies
Prescribed Learning Outcomes
Instructional Focus
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
VISUALIZING
Visualizing is the process of using
prior knowledge and personal
experience, along with details
provided by the writer, to create
clear mental pictures as one
reads in order to aid
comprehension.
Instructional Approach
TEACHER MODELLING/
GUIDED PRACTICE
Transparency 6: Travelling Blood
“Building Blocks” Student Book
5a, p. 44
Selection available on audio CD.
Student Book 5a, pages 44–47
OL: Oral Language
OL
R/V
R/V
R/V: Reading/Viewing
W/R: Writing/Representing
A6: Select and use strategies when listening to make and clarify
meaning, make predictions, and to listen for specifics
B5, B6, B7: Select and use strategies before, during, and after
reading/viewing to develop understanding of text
B6: Use strategies during reading/viewing to make connections
SCIENCE CONNECTION
Life Science—Human Body:
Identify the organs and their functions in a human
body system.
About This Selection
This informational explanation describes the basic structure and function
of cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems in the human body.
ACCESSIBILITY
Challenging vocabulary is defined in the
context of this selection.
Easy
Average
Challenging
ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING
Ongoing Observation
Differentiated Instruction
Assessment
Students who understand will
• use details to help them create
a picture in their minds
• make connections to what they
already know
• use descriptive words to help
them create pictures in their
minds
• make connections to personal
experiences
• use comparisons to help them
create clear mental pictures
• explain how visualizing helps
the reader understand what is
read
If students do not understand,
• use Visualizing (see Differentiated
Instruction: Extra Support, p. 19)
Key Assessment Questions
• What numbers or measurements (details) in the text helped
you to create a picture in your mind?
• What connections did you make between the text and what
you already know?
• What descriptive words helped you to create pictures in
your mind?
• What connections did you make between the text and your
personal experiences?
• What comparisons did you use to create clear pictures in
your mind?
• How does visualizing help the reader understand what
is read?
Assessment Tools
BLM 2: Oral Language Tracking Sheet
BLM 3: Small-Group Observation Tracking Sheet
BLM 5: Strategy Rubric Strip—Visualizing
What Research Says about Visualizing
The term visualizing implies seeing pictures. Proficient readers create images
from all of their senses when they read.
(Harvey, 2000)
NEL
Building Blocks
17
Teacher Modelling
Before
BUILDING BACKGROUND
KNOWLEDGE
1. Ask students to listen as you
read aloud the following
descriptive passage about the
basic unit of life—the cell.
• Just about every living thing
on Earth is made of cells.
Most organisms contain many
of them. Cells work together
to keep us healthy and alive.
Cells are very small and can
only be seen through a
microscope. The largest one
in a human is about the
diameter of a human hair. The
smallest is one-tenth the
diameter of a human hair.
Placed end to end, the average
number of cells in a 10-yearold’s body would stretch
around the Earth about 23
times. If you could count the
cells in your body, it would
take you over 1300 years to
complete the task.
2. Tell students that creating
pictures in their minds while
they listen helps them to
understand what they hear. Ask:
• What pictures did you create
in your mind as you listened
to the passage?
3. Discuss with students how it can
be hard to visualize something if
they don’t understand one or
more of the descriptive words
used. Clarify any unknown
words with students. Point out
that they can also create pictures
in their minds while they are
reading to help them
understand the text.
nd
n
ersta ding
readinegs
U
Use Transparency 6: Travelling
Blood and its related teacher
notes in Transparencies for Teacher
Modelling to model how readers
use visualizing.
strategi
Visualizing
Visualizing, or
creating pictures
in your mind,
can help you
understand what
you read. Good
writers give you
details to help
you create clear
pictures in your
mind.
Look for details,
such as numbers,
that help you create
a picture in your
mind. Thinking
about 40 000 cells
fitting in a letter O
can help you
understand how tiny
cells are.
Make connections
to what you already
know. Picture an
object you know
that is about 100 cm
long; that’s longer
than a baseball bat.
44
by Melvin Berger and Gilda Berger
bone cell
Your body is made up of about 100 trillion
tiny bits of living material called cells.
Each cell is a building block of the body.
Many millions of cells make up each body
part. Most cells are tiny. About 40 000 red
blood cells can fit inside this letter O.
Not all cells are alike. Cells have many
different shapes because they have many
different jobs to do. Bone cells support
your body. Nerve cells send messages to,
from, and inside your brain. Muscle cells
tighten and relax so that you can move.
The cells in your body are so small
that you cannot see them without a
microscope. Each cell is actually alive—
taking in food and getting rid of wastes.
Your body contains
about 200 different
kinds of cells.
red blood cells
The longest cells in the body are the
nerve cells. They can be 100 cm long.
The Human Body
U02_S03_pg44-47.indd 44
NEL
3/5/07 11:34:12 AM
Vocabulary
circulatory related to the movement of blood from the heart through the
body and back to the heart
digestive related to changing food into liquid, absorbing the useful parts
into the blood as nourishment, and getting rid of the rest
intestines two tube-like parts of the digestive system below the stomach
muscular related to the tissue that can expand and contract to make the
body move
nervous related to the brain and the nerves, which control all of the
functions of the body
plasma the clear, almost colourless part of human blood
respiratory related to breathing
Strategy Tip: Look for the base word
Tell students that as they come across an unfamiliar word, they should look
to see if they can recognize a base word inside the word. Write the word
muscular on the board. Ask:
• Is there a part of this word that you know? (muscle)
• What do you think the word muscular might mean?
18
Nelson Literacy 5 Teacher’s Resource: The Human Body
NEL
During
INTRODUCING THE TEXT
Since cells are so tiny, huge numbers of
similar cells work together to do one kind
of job. Such groupings of cells are called
tissues.
You have four main kinds of tissues
in your body. Muscle tissues tighten and
relax to move different body parts.
Nerve tissues carry signals from one part
of your body to another. Epithelial
(ehp-uh-THEE-lee-uhl) tissues form your
skin and the linings of your mouth, lungs,
stomach, and other body parts. Connective
tissues join together and support various
parts of your body. Your bones and blood
are examples of connective tissue.
1. Give students a few minutes to
look at the title and illustrations.
Ask:
• What do you think you are
going to read about?
The tissue that
lines the lungs is
only one cell thick.
2. Direct students to read
Understanding Reading
Strategies with you. Tell them
that they will be learning to use
the strategy of visualizing while
they read this informational
explanation.
READING/VIEWING AND
DISCUSSING THE TEXT
Blood is a kind of connective tissue
that is made of blood cells floating in
a liquid called plasma.
1. Invite students to read both the
first paragraph and the first
sticky note on Student Book
page 44. Ask:
• What picture do you see in
your mind when you read the
words “building blocks”?
In 1665, Robert Hooke
observed a slice of cork under
a microscope. He was the first
to call the holes with walls that
he saw cells.
• What do you see in your
mind’s eye when you read that
40,000 red blood cells can fit
inside the letter “O”?
2. Let students read the second
and third paragraphs. Ask:
NEL
U02_S03_pg44-47.indd 45
45
3/5/07 11:34:21 AM
Differentiated Instruction: Extra Support
Visualizing
Ask students to imagine that they are all medical students who want to
become doctors. Tell them that you are going to read them a passage that
describes a very important organ system in the human body. As you read
the passage aloud, ask students to raise their hands if they have a mental
picture forming in their minds and can share it aloud. Say:
• Underneath your skin there is a very important organ system: your
muscles. Muscles are attached to your bones to pull the bones and
make your body move. When you want to lift something or go for a
run, your brain sends and receives signals through your nervous
system that tell your arm or legs to work. How much work happens
depends on how active you are. Your diaphragm, heart, and intestines
are also part of this organ system, but you don’t have to think about
them to make them work. You breathe, your heart pumps blood, and
you digest food automatically without thinking about making these
types of muscles work.
NEL
• What picture comes to mind
when you read the word “cell”?
• What are some different
shapes of cells that you can
imagine as you read these
paragraphs?
3. Encourage students to read
Speedy Facts 1 and 2 and look at
the accompanying illustrations.
Directs students’ attention to the
second sticky note on page 44.
Ask:
• How are these microscopic
pictures of bone, blood, and
nerve cells different from or
similar to the shapes you
imagined cells might be?
➜ CONTINUED
Building Blocks
19
• What object did you visualize
that is about 100 cm long?
(metre stick; walking cane or stick;
baseball bat)
4. Let students read the Tissues
heading on Student Book page
45. Ask:
• What do you visualize when
you read the word “tissues”?
(something to wipe your nose with)
Use descriptive
words to help you
create pictures in
your mind. How
does the word
“pump” help you
picture how the
heart moves blood?
5. Ask students to read the body
text on page 45. Ask:
• How does what you visualized
when you read the word
“tissues” compare with what
this section of the text is
about? (very different; the text is
about groups of similar cells
working together)
Two or more kinds of tissues that work
together to do a certain job form an organ.
Your heart, for example, is an organ made
up of muscle tissue, nerve tissue, and
connective tissue. Its job is to pump blood
throughout the body.
The human body has about 50 organs,
including the eyes and the skin. Organs
inside your body include the heart, brain,
stomach, and intestines.
The largest organ is the skin.
You couldn’t survive without
skin. It protects your organs
from the outside world and
it also helps control the
temperature of your body.
Say:
• Sometimes what we visualize
may not be exactly what the
text is about, although there
may be similarities. It is
important to think about
similarities between what you
visualize and what the text is
about, because this will help
you understand what you read.
6. Instruct students to read Speedy
Facts 3, 4, and 5 on page 45 and
to look at the accompanying
illustrations. Ask:
• What picture comes to mind
when you read the word
“cell?” (a small room like a
prison cell)
• How are the illustrations of
cells similar to your
visualization of one? (they are
both small)
7. Ask students to read the
heading, the body text, the
sticky note, and Speedy Facts 6
and 7 on page 46. Ask:
• What kind of “pump” do you
picture in your mind? (bicycle
pump; water pump)
• What descriptive words on this
page help you create pictures
in your mind? (largest organ;
50 organs)
Some organs, such as the eyes and ears, are on both the left and
right sides of the body and look almost exactly alike. When you
look at your face in a mirror, can you spot any small differences
in how your eyes look? Fold a photo of yourself in half. Hold
the half photo up to a mirror so that both sides of your face are
exactly the same. Notice how your face suddenly seems different!
46
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U02_S03_pg44-47.indd 46
NEL
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Differentiated Instruction: ESL/ELL
Prior to reading the selection, you may want to use the following strategies
with English language learners:
• Display a diagram or an outline that shows the big concepts, such as
“groups of organs work together to form organ systems” or “two or
more kinds of tissues that work together to do a certain job form an
organ.” Visuals and organizers used during prereading activities allow
students to focus on the guided reading discussion without losing sight
of the major concepts.
• Students may be quite adept at using visualization in their first
language. However, to ensure that they understand what they are being
asked to do, develop a web of words and phrases that mean the same
as visualize, such as picture in your mind, create mental images, and
use your mind’s eye.
• Use vocabulary strategy tips such as looking at base words, prefixes,
and suffixes to increase students’ comprehension.
• Remind students that sometimes knowing a word in their first language
can help them make sense of an English word.
20 Nelson Literacy 5 Teacher’s Resource: The Human Body
NEL
8. Ask students to read page 47.
Ask:
• What mental images come to
mind when you read the words
“skeletal” and “muscular”?
(skeleton, muscles)
the chest
Groups of organs work
together to form organ
systems. Each system
carries out a major
function. There are
12 organ systems in
the human body. They all
work together. Examples
include the skeletal,
muscular, digestive,
circulatory, respiratory,
and nervous systems.
The digestive system digests the food
you eat. Among its organs are the stomach,
small intestine, and large intestine. These
organs change food into a form that the
cells can use for growth, repair, and energy.
• Have you ever heard about
someone being “put on a
respirator”? What do you
think the respirator helps the
person to do? (breathe)
Hunger pains are
what you feel when
your stomach is
empty and the
stomach muscles
are churning.
9. Instruct students to read Speedy
Fact 8 and the sticky note next
to it on page 47. Say:
Make connections
to personal
experiences. Think
about how your
stomach rumbles
when you are
hungry. Use that
feeling to visualize
your stomach
muscles churning.
• What do you visualize when
you think about your stomach
muscles churning? (my muscles
bumping into each other)
• How does connecting your
reading to personal
experience help you to
visualize? (it helps me to get a
clear picture in my mind)
HOW FAST DO NERVE SIGNALS TRAVEL?
fastest human
37 km/h
fastest horse
69 km/h
Signals can
speed through
the nervous
system as fast
as 322 km/h.
That’s like
travelling in a
speeding car.
nerve signal
322 km/h
fastest car
386 km/h
fastest train
515 km/h
kilometres per hour
Use comparisons
to help you create
a clear picture. The
writer compares
how fast nerve
signals travel to how
fast a car can go.
10. Direct students’ attention to the
second sticky note on page 47.
Ask:
50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600
47
NEL
U02_S03_pg44-47.indd 47
3/5/07 11:34:34 AM
Word Study
• How does the writers’ use of
comparative speeds help you
visualize the speed of a signal
through the nervous system?
(you can’t see a signal moving
through the nervous system, but by
comparing it to something you can
see move—such as a speeding
car—you can imagine how fast
the signal moves)
Using a Pronunciation Guide
1. Direct students to look for the pronunciation guide for epithelial on
Student Book page 45. Read the word together. Ask:
• How did the guide help you pronounce this word? (spells word the way
it sounds; separates word into syllables)
2. Invite students to find five multi-syllable words in “Building Blocks.”
Instruct them to create a pronunciation guide for each word and to
challenge classmates to pronounce the words.
- •ul) on the board. Show students how a dictionary might
3. Print (ep•i•the´li
use different symbols to show pronunciation of a word. Discuss the
similarities and differences between the two pronunciation guides.
(Similarities: pronunciation guide is in brackets; word is separated into
syllables; Differences: dictionary version uses long e mark and uses an
upside down e to indicate “uh” sound.)
You may wish to use Word Study Master 1.
NEL
Building Blocks
21
After
• Think about your reading
when you visualize compared
to your reading when you
don’t. How are they different?
(visualizing slows down your
reading because you are paying
attention to details, but it also
makes it more fun because you
imagine what things look like)
These questions and activities give
students the opportunity to share
and consolidate their learning about
visualizing. You may use BLM 2:
Oral Language Tracking Sheet and
BLM 3: Small-Group Observation
Tracking Sheet to track student
progress through the unit.
REFLECTING ON THE STRATEGY
Revisit the strategies for visualizing.
Ask:
• What do writers use to help
you create a clear picture
in your mind? (numbers;
comparisons; descriptive words)
ORAL LANGUAGE: DISCUSSING
THE TEXT
1. What is one fact that you
learned about the human body
from this selection that you
didn’t know before?
2. The human body has about
50 organs. Name five of them.
(ears; eyes; nose; stomach; heart;
lungs; brain; intestines; skin;
kidneys; liver)
READING/VIEWING: ORGAN
SYSTEMS
Let students read a variety of texts
about the major organs of the
respiratory, circulatory, digestive, or
nervous systems. Have them make
notes and highlight the details in
these texts that help them visualize.
ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING
Checking Progress
Next Steps
Key Assessment Questions
Students may respond to the Key Assessment Questions either in writing or orally in a
conference. Ask:
• What numbers or measurements (details) in the text helped you to create a picture in your
mind?
• What connections did you make between the text and what you already know?
• What descriptive words helped you to create pictures in your mind?
• What connections did you make between the text and your personal experiences?
• What comparisons did you use to create clear pictures in your mind?
• How does visualizing help the reader understand what is read?
For students who need extra support with understanding
how to visualize, use “Sickening Skin” in Student Book 5a,
pp. 48–49, for guided reading.
For students who understand visualizing, use “Sickening
Skin” in Student Book 5a, pp. 48–49, for independent
practice.
Record individual progress on BLM 5: Strategy Rubric Strip—Visualizing.
Strategy Rubric Strip: Visualizing
A full-size version of this rubric, suitable for recording assessments, is provided on BLM 5.
Criteria
Not Yet Within
Expectations
Meets Expectations
(Minimal to Moderate)
• uses details to help them
create a picture in their minds
• with limited effectiveness
• with some effectiveness
• with considerable
effectiveness
• with a high degree of
effectiveness
• makes connections to what
they already know
• with limited effectiveness
• with some effectiveness
• with considerable
effectiveness
• with a high degree of
effectiveness
• uses descriptive words to help
them create pictures in their
minds
• with limited effectiveness
• with some effectiveness
• with considerable
effectiveness
• with a high degree of
effectiveness
• makes connections to
personal experiences
• with limited effectiveness
• with some effectiveness
• with considerable
effectiveness
• with a high degree of
effectiveness
• uses comparisons to help
them create clear mental
pictures
• with limited effectiveness
• with some effectiveness
• with considerable
effectiveness
• with a high degree of
effectiveness
• explains how visualizing helps
the reader understand what is
read
• with limited effectiveness
• with some effectiveness
• with considerable
effectiveness
• with a high degree of
effectiveness
• with limited effectiveness
• with some effectiveness
• with considerable
effectiveness
• with a high degree of
effectiveness
Cross-Curricular Application
• applies the skills involved in
visualizing in other areas of
the curriculum
22 Nelson Literacy 5 Teacher’s Resource: The Human Body
Fully Meets
Expectations
Exceeds
Expectations
NEL
Sickening Skin
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
VISUALIZING
Visualizing is the process of using
prior knowledge and personal
experience, along with details
provided by the writer, to create
clear mental pictures as one
reads in order to aid
comprehension.
Instructional Approach
“Sickening Skin” Student Book
5a, p. 48
Guided and Independent Reading
Kit
Selection available on audio CD.
Applying Strategies
Prescribed Learning Outcomes
Instructional Focus
GUIDED OR INDEPENDENT
READING/VIEWING
Student Book 5a, pages 48–49
OL: Oral Language
OL
R/V
R/V
W/R
R/V: Reading/Viewing
W/R: Writing/Representing
A2: Use speaking to explore, express, and present a range of ideas,
information, and feelings for different purposes and audiences
B5, B6, B7: Select and use strategies before, during, and after reading
to develop understanding of text
B6: Use strategies during reading/viewing to make connections
C7: Use strategies after writing/representing to check work against
established criteria
SCIENCE CONNECTION
Life Science—Human Body:
Identify the organs and their functions in a human
body system.
About This Selection
This highly descriptive informational explanation describes the different
layers and purposes of skin.
The straightforward text, together with the
illustration, make this selection accessible to
most students. New vocabulary is explained
in context.
ACCESSIBILITY
Easy
Average
Challenging
ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING
Ongoing Observation
Differentiated Instruction
Assessment
Students who understand will
• use details to help them create
a picture in their minds
• make connections to what they
already know
• use descriptive words to help
them create pictures in their
minds
• make connections to personal
experiences
• use comparisons to help them
create clear mental pictures
• explain how visualizing helps the
reader understand what is read
If students do not understand,
• provide extra support in a guided
reading lesson (see Differentiated
Instruction: Guided Practice, p. 25)
• use Sketch-to-Stretch (see
Differentiated Instruction: Extra
Support, p. 25)
Demonstration Task, p. 27
If students find this text difficult to
read,
• use a guided practice approach,
• allow them to listen to the text on
the audio CD, or
• choose an alternative selection
from your school collection
Key Assessment Question
• How did visualizing help you understand “Sickening Skin”?
Assessment Tools
BLM 2: Oral Language Tracking Sheet
BLM 3: Small-Group Observation Tracking Sheet
BLM 4: Self-Assessment Checklist and Personal Goal Setting
BLM 5: Strategy Rubric Strip—Visualizing
Reflecting on Your Practice
How would teaching my students the strategy of visualizing aid their
comprehension in content areas such as Science and Social Studies?
NEL
Sickening Skin
23
Before
4JDLFOJOH
ACCESSING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
1. Tell students that they are going
to read an informational
explanation about human skin.
Encourage them to think about
what they already know about
human skin.
2. Have students make a twocolumn chart entitled My Skin
Visualization. Tell them to label
the first column I See and the
second column I Feel. Ask
students to visualize what they
might see or feel when they
think of the word skin and
record their visualizations in the
appropriate columns.
During
INTRODUCING THE TEXT
1. Let students preview the
selection. Invite them to add to
their visualization charts.
READING/VIEWING THE TEXT
INDEPENDENTLY
Have students read to the end
of the text independently, using
visualization to aid comprehension.
Provide students with sticky
notes to mark places in the text
where visualization helped them
understand what they were reading.
Written by Jeff Szpirglas
Illustrated by Michael Cho
Applying
Strategies
If you could shrink down and explore the
surface of your skin, you’d find a strange
surface like nothing on Earth. Now let’s zoom
in for a closer look at the two main parts of
the skin: the epidermis and the dermis.
Visualizing
As you read,
remember to
use visualizing
to increase your
understanding.
• Look for details
that help you
create a picture
in your mind.
hair follicle
• Make connections
to what you
already know.
sebaceous gland
• Use descriptive
words to help
you create
pictures in your
mind.
• Make
connections
to personal
experiences.
• Use comparisons
to help you
create a clear
picture.
Skin is like … a snug-fitting blanket. It’s a tough world, and
you need something to hide under (and to keep your guts
from spilling out everywhere). On humans, skin is at its
thickest on the soles of your feet and its thinnest on your
eyelids.
Skin is like … the ultimate thermos mug. It keeps you cool
when it’s hot, and it keeps you from losing heat when it’s
freezing outside.
2. Direct students to Applying
Strategies on Student Book
page 48 and read it aloud to
them. Ask:
• How will using these
reminders help you to
understand “Sickening Skin”?
(numbers will help me visualize
the amounts and sizes of things;
using descriptive words and
comparisons will help me create
clear pictures in my mind; making
connections to my own knowledge
and experiences will improve my
understanding)
4LJO
Best of all, skin is like a layer cake! That’s right, it comes
in layers. The epidermis is the outer layer of your skin.
Most of it is made of dead cells that flake off.
48
The Human Body
NEL
U02_S04_pg48-49.indd 48
3/5/07 11:02:41 AM
Vocabulary
regenerates grows back new tissue that has been lost or injured
thermos a special kind of bottle used to keep food or drinks hot or cold
ultimate the greatest or best
Strategy Tip: Use the meaning of prefixes : “re”
Tell students that some words consist of two parts: the base and a prefix.
The base is the part of the word that contains the basic meaning of the
word. A prefix is a word element that is placed in front of a base word. A
prefix changes the word’s meaning or makes a new word. Write the word
regenerate on the board. Ask:
• What is the base word? (generate)
• What does generate mean? (to make or to produce)
• What is the prefix? (re-)
• What does the prefix “re-” often mean? (back or again)
• What does regenerate mean? (to produce again)
24 Nelson Literacy 5 Teacher’s Resource: The Human Body
NEL
OR
FOR THOSE STUDENTS WHO
NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
of dust is
cret: about 90%
Here’s a little se
sty desktops,
du
e
os
Th
n skin.
made from huma
even the
d,
under your be
the dust bunnies
to the
on
p
plo
u
yo
as
es
little cloud that ris
u!
yo
to
s
there thank
sofa … they’re all
DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION:
GUIDED PRACTICE
• In one
hour, hu
mans ca
as man
n shed
y as 10
00 skin
square
cells pe
centimet
r
re
of skin.
• In one
year, a
six-room
collects
ho
use
about 18
kg of du
• In one
st.
lifetime,
a single
can shed
person
up to 18
kg of sk
Thank yo
in.
u for yo
ur kind
to the flo
donatio
or.
n
1. Read the introduction on
Student Book page 48 to
students. Ask:
• What does the writer do to
help you visualize the surface
of your skin? (compares the
skin’s surface to the land of an
unearthly place)
A messa
ge from
ional O
the
rder of
Dust M
ites (IO
DM).
Internat
epidermis
sebum
sweat gland
dermis
blood vessels
• How does the illustration
reinforce the idea of
zooming in on the skin? (it
shows a rocket ship and a space
explorer, to make it look like the
reader is walking on the skin
and exploring it)
2. Ask students to read the first
paragraph on page 48. Ask:
Underneath, an army of new epidermal cells is
waiting to take over. Your skin regenerates, or
renews, itself from top to bottom in about 28 days.
The second layer is the dermis, which is thicker
than the epidermis. The dermis holds sweat and oil
glands as well as hair follicles (where hairs sprout
from). The sebaceous glands, or oil glands, make
sebum. Sebum is a greasy substance that covers your
body to keep water out. Yup. You’re covered with the
stuff. Just try pressing your nose against a window and
you’ll see for yourself.
• What does the writer compare
skin to in this paragraph? (a
snug-fitting blanket)
Reflect on
Strategies: What
comparisons in the article
helped you to visualize skin?
Critical Literacy: Think
about the title, illustration,
and voice in this article.
What do you think is the
writer’s purpose? Who do
you think is the writer’s
audience?
NEL
U02_S04_pg48-49.indd 49
Differentiated Instruction: Extra Support
Sketch-to-Stretch
Explain to students that visualizing a picture in their minds while
they read is like “brain TV.” Choose a passage of text to read aloud
to students. When you are finished reading, ask students to sketch
an event or idea from the selection. Remind students that this is a
quick doodle, not a finished piece of artwork. Give students about
one minute to complete their sketches and then let them share
them with a partner or a small group. Ask students to describe their
sketches and explain why they decided to sketch the part of the
text that they did.
49
3/5/07 11:02:44 AM
• What pictures do you create
in your mind as you read the
descriptive words in this
paragraph? (skin keeping guts
from spilling out; thick skin on
the soles of feet; thin skin on
eyelids)
• What does this paragraph tell
you about the function of
skin? (it’s a protective layer on
almost every part of the outside
of the human body)
3. Invite students to read the
second paragraph on page 48.
Ask:
• What does the writer
compare skin to in this
paragraph? (a thermos mug)
4. Ask students what they think
“thermos” means and clarify
the meaning.
➜ CONTINUED
NEL
Sickening Skin
25
DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION:
GUIDED PRACTICE
5. Tell students to read the last
paragraph on page 48. Ask:
• What does the writer compare
skin to in this paragraph? (a
layer cake)
• How does this comparison
help you create a clear picture
in your mind? (helps me realize
there is more to my skin than its
surface, just like there is more
than one layer to a layer cake)
6. Let students read the body text
on page 49. Ask:
• How does the writer’s
description of new epidermal
cells as “an army” help you
visualize this part of the
epidermis? (makes me think
of a lot of soldiers ready to take
over when the dead cells of the
epidermis flake off)
• Did you know the word follicle
before you read this text?
How can you figure out what
it means? (by looking at the
labelled diagram; by reading the
explanation in parentheses after
the word follicles)
• What would you see on a
window if you pressed your
nose against the glass? (a
greasy nose print)
7. Have students read the box
titled “Skin Pollution” at the
top of page 49. Ask:
• Where do you find dust in
your house? (on furniture;
under furniture; in corners)
• What number helps you
picture the amount of human
skin that is in dust? (90 percent
of dust is human skin)
• What do you think the other
10 percent of dust is made up
of? (pet or human hair; pollen;
sand; dirt)
26
8. Tell students to read the box
titled “Dust …” to learn more
about dead skin and dust. Ask:
• What numbers and
measurements does the
writer use to help you picture
the number of skin cells a
human sheds? (humans can
shed 1000 skin cells per square
centimetre of skin per hour)
• What do you know of that
weighs about 18 kg? (a big bag
of potatoes weighs about 10 kg, so
two bags of potatoes would weigh
a little more than 18 kg)
After
These questions and activities give
students the opportunity to share
and consolidate their learning about
visualizing. You may use BLM 2:
Oral Language Tracking Sheet and
BLM 3: Small-Group Observation
Tracking Sheet to track student
progress through the unit.
REFLECTING ON THE STRATEGY
1. Revisit the visualizing chart from
the Before activity. Invite
students to add to their charts.
2. Read aloud the Strategies
question on Student Book
page 49 and give students a few
minutes to discuss responses
with a partner. Then ask them to
share their responses with the
class. Possible responses include
skin surface is like unearthly
terrain; skin is like a snug-fitting
blanket; skin is like the ultimate
thermos mug; skin is like a layer
cake; new epidermal cells are like an
advancing army.
3. Read the Critical Literacy
questions on page 49 to students
and let them respond. A
possible response is to inform
9- to 11-year-olds about skin. Ask:
Nelson Literacy 5 Teacher’s Resource: The Human Body
• Why do you think the writer’s
audience is 9- to 11-year-olds?
(they are interested in the “gross”
facts and in statistics about
human skin)
• What are some examples of
language from the text that
9- to 11-year-olds would like?
(to keep your guts from spilling
out everywhere; 90 percent of dust
is made of human skin)
ORAL LANGUAGE: DISCUSSING
THE TEXT
1. Name the two layers of human
skin and tell what is in each
layer. (epidermis is made of dead
skin cells and new cells; dermis
contains sweat, oil glands, and
hair follicles)
2. How does your skin help to
regulate your temperature? (skin
keeps you cool when it’s hot; keeps
you from losing heat when it’s
freezing outside)
3. What fact about human skin did
you find surprising or
interesting? Why?
ORAL LANGUAGE: OUTER ARMOUR
Let students work in small groups
to discuss why their skin needs
protection when they participate in
a particular sport and how they
protect it. Invite each group to
report back to the class about its
discussion.
WRITING/REPRESENTING:
FOUND POEM
Ask students to write a found
poem using text from “Sickening
Skin” or “Building Blocks.” Explain
to students that found poems are
created from bits of another piece
of text along with the writer’s own
words. Writing a found poem
requires them to select words,
phrases, and lines with strong
descriptive qualities to create their
poems. Remind students to store
their poems in their writing folders.
NEL
Word Study
Similes
Invite students to find three things skin is compared to on Student Book
page 48. Record their responses on the board. (snug-fitting blanket; thermos
mug; layer cake) Ask:
• What word is used to make the comparison to skin? (like)
• What do we call a comparison that begins with “like” or “as”? (simile)
You may wish to use Word Study Master 2.
ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING
Checking Progress
Next Steps
Demonstration Task
Direct students to make a chart with three columns. In the first column, The Text Says, students
write an example of a number or measurement, an example of a descriptive word, and an
example of a comparison from “Sickening Skin” that prompt visualization. In the second column,
What This Makes Me Think Of, students explain the connection between their knowledge or
experiences and the words they listed in the first column. In the third column, I Visualize, they
sketch what they see in their minds when they read the words they listed in the first column.
Use the following resources to give students further
opportunities to practise their reading strategies in small
groups, independently, or in literature circles.
Key Assessment Question
Students may respond to the Key Assessment Question either in writing or orally in a
conference. Ask:
• How did visualizing help you understand “Sickening Skin”?
Record individual progress on BLM 5: Strategy Rubric Strip—Visualizing.
Nelson Literacy
Guided and Independent Reading Kit
#5 Well Below: Food Factory
#6 Easy: Video Pills: Science That’s Easy to Swallow
#7 Average: Your New ID
#8 Challenging: Bacteria!
Other Nelson Resources
Boldprint 5: Head to Toe: The Human Body
Power Magazine, Volume 4: Basketball
Power Magazine, Volume 5: Rescue Missions
Strategy Rubric Strip: Visualizing
A full-size version of this rubric, suitable for recording assessments, is provided on BLM 5.
Criteria
Not Yet Within
Expectations
Meets Expectations
(Minimal to Moderate)
• uses details to help them
create a picture in their minds
• with limited effectiveness
• with some effectiveness
• with considerable
effectiveness
• with a high degree of
effectiveness
• makes connections to what
they already know
• with limited effectiveness
• with some effectiveness
• with considerable
effectiveness
• with a high degree of
effectiveness
• uses descriptive words to help
them create pictures in their
minds
• with limited effectiveness
• with some effectiveness
• with considerable
effectiveness
• with a high degree of
effectiveness
• makes connections to
personal experiences
• with limited effectiveness
• with some effectiveness
• with considerable
effectiveness
• with a high degree of
effectiveness
• uses comparisons to help
them create clear mental
pictures
• with limited effectiveness
• with some effectiveness
• with considerable
effectiveness
• with a high degree of
effectiveness
• explains how visualizing helps
the reader understand what is
read
• with limited effectiveness
• with some effectiveness
• with considerable
effectiveness
• with a high degree of
effectiveness
• with limited effectiveness
• with some
effectiveness
• with considerable
effectiveness
• with a high degree of
effectiveness
Cross-Curricular Application
• applies the skills involved in
visualizing in other areas of
the curriculum
Fully Meets
Expectations
Exceeds
Expectations
Student Self-Assessment
Encourage students to think back to their learning with “Building Blocks”
and “Sickening Skin” and reflect on their ability to use visualizing as a
reading comprehension strategy. Ask them to describe, while conferencing
NEL
with you or a peer, how they might have used this strategy in other subject
areas. Then direct them to check off the appropriate box on BLM 4:
Self-Assessment Checklist and Personal Goal Setting.
Sickening Skin
27