LESSON 22 TEACHER’S GUIDE
Sand Castle Contest
by Gertrude Fleck
Fountas-Pinnell Level N
Realistic Fiction
Selection Summary
Bernardo is unhappy after moving from the city to a town near the
ocean. When he enters a sand castle contest, he meets a friendly girl
his age who teaches him how to work with the sand. They decide to
join forces and the sand castle they build together wins a prize. Even
better, Bernardo finds out that his new friend lives next door.
Number of Words: 949
Characteristics of the Text
Genre
Text Structure
Content
Themes and Ideas
Language and
Literary Features
Sentence Complexity
Vocabulary
Words
Illustrations
Book and Print Features
• Realistic fiction
• Narrative structure with a simple plot
• Problem presented on first two pages
• How to make a sand castle
• Moving to a new town and making new friends
• New friends can be made in surprising ways.
• New places can be just as nice as the beloved places left behind.
• Working with a partner can be creative and satisfying.
• Third-person narrator
• Character grows in understanding by end of story
• Setting important to plot
• Some sentences with compound predicates: He felt the warmth and knew it was a
beautiful summer day.
• Complex sentences, some with introductory clauses: When they arrived at the community
center, Bernardo’s heart sank.
• Terms for sand castle contest: tower, turret, seaweed, decorate
• A few challenging multisyllable words: community, competition, participate
• Many words with inflectional endings: sleepily, happily, heavily, suddenly, planning.
• Compound words: sunbeams, seaweed, anyone, everyone, something
• Contractions: don’t, it’s, you’ll, you’d, he’d, she’d, I’ll, I’m, didn’t, let’s, couldn’t
• Illustrations that are closely linked to the text; one half-page illustration on every page
• Thirteen pages of text
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
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Sand Castle Contest
by Gertrude Fleck
Build Background
Help children think about sand castles. Build interest by asking questions such as the
following: Have you ever built a sand castle? How would you decorate a sand castle? Read
the title and author’s name and talk about the cover illustration. Tell children that this book
is realistic fiction, a story that could happen in real life.
Introduce the Text
Guide children through the text, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar
language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Here are some
suggestions:
Page 2: Explain that this is a book about a boy named Bernardo who enters a sand
castle contest in his new town.
Suggested language: Turn to page 2 of this book. Here is a picture of Bernardo
waking up in his new home far away from the city where he lived. What are some
things he might be thinking about?
Pages 4–5: Explain that Bernardo’s mom tries to cheer him up by talking about
their new town. Bernardo’s mom tells him it will take a little time to settle in to their
new community. What could Bernardo do to make friends in a new community?
Page 6: Direct children to the illustration. Tell them that Bernardo’s mom wants
him to participate in some summer events. Why would Bernardo’s mom suggest
that?
Page 8: Have children look at the illustration. Explain that the word nervous means
shy or fearful. Are there any clues in the picture that Bernardo might be nervous?
Now turn back to the beginning of the book and read to find out what happens to
Bernardo at the contest.
Expand Your Vocabulary
community – an area where a
group of people live, p. 5
Grade 2
competition – contest, p. 7
nervous – shy, fearful, p. 8
2
participate – take part in with
others, p. 6
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Read
Have children read Sand Castle Contest silently while you listen to individual children read.
Support their problem solving and fluency as needed.
Remind students to use the Question Strategy
questions as they read.
and to think of
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite children to share their personal responses to the book.
Suggested language: Do you think entering the sand castle contest was a good idea?
Why or why not?
Ways of Thinking
As you discuss the text, help children understand these points:
Thinking Within the Text
Thinking Beyond the Text
Thinking About the Text
• Bernardo is unhappy after
moving from the city to a town
near the ocean.
• Working with a partner can be
creative and satisfying.
• The author shows a character
making a new friend in an
unexpected way.
• He enters a sand castle contest
in which he builds a castle with a
helpful girl he met.
• Bernardo now has a new friend
and finds out that she lives next
door.
• New friends can be made in
surprising ways.
• New places can be just as nice
as beloved places left behind.
• The dialogue between characters
is very realistic.
• The author compared the sand
castle to a castle from a fairy
tale.
• The ending is happy for several
reasons.
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Choices for Further Support
• Fluency Invite children to choose a page with dialogue from the text and demonstrate
phrased fluent reading. Remind them to read the character’s words in a way that the
character would really say them.
• Comprehension Based on your observations of the children’s reading and discussion,
revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind children to go
back to the text to support their ideas.
• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words and word parts,
using examples from the text. Have children take apart and read the full range
of contractions in the story (don’t, it’s, you’ll, you’d, he’d, she’d, I’ll, I’m, didn’t,
let’s, couldn’t).
Grade 2
3
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Writing about Reading
Critical Thinking
Have children complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 22.9.
Responding
Have children complete the activities at the back of the book. Use the instruction below as
needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the comprehension skill.
Target Comprehension Skill
Understanding Characters
Remind children that it is important to
understand a character’s thoughts, actions, and words. Actions and words often show
what the character thinks or feels. Model the skill, using a “Think Aloud” like the one
below:
Think Aloud
How does Bernardo feel at the beginning of the story? What does he
think, do, and say? He thinks about his old friends and he is sad. He acts
sad at breakfast and pushes his cereal around. He says to his mom, “But
I want friends now. I had lots of friends back home in Chicago!” I think
Bernardo feels lonely.
Practice the Skill
Have children write sentences telling how Bernardo thinks, acts, and speaks in another
part of the story.
Writing Prompt: Thinking About the Text
Have children write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they
think about the text, they reflect back on the text. They notice and evaluate language,
genre, literary devices, and how the text is organized.
Assessment Prompts
• Which sentence on page 3 helps the reader understand the meaning of the word
lonely?
• How does Bernardo change at the end of the story?
Grade 2
4
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English Language Development
Reading Support In Introduce the Text (p.2), use pictures, concrete objects, or
demonstrations that will help children understand the concepts and ideas in the text. Don’t
ask children to read any text they will not understand.
Vocabulary Make sure children understand all the words involving the sand castle, such
as tower, turret, shells, seaweed. Help children use the words to describe the sand castle
pictured on pages 12-14.
Oral Language Development
Check children’s comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches their
English proficiency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the child.
Beginning/Early Intermediate
Intermediate
Early Advanced/ Advanced
Speaker 1: What contest does Bernardo
enter?
Speaker 1: What does Bernardo’s mom
want him to do?
Speaker 1: How does Bernardo
build a winning sand castle?
Speaker 2: a sand castle contest
Speaker 2: She wants him to enter the
sand castle contest.
Speaker 2: He builds a giant castle
together with Sofia and decorates
it with shells and seaweed.
Speaker 1: Who does he meet at the
contest?
Speaker 2: Sofia
Speaker 1: How does Sofia first help
Bernardo?
Speaker 2: She tells him to use damp
sand to build a tower.
Lesson 22
Name
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 22.9
Think About It
Sand Castle Contest
Think About It
Read and answer the questions.
1. What kind of sand does Bernardo learn is best to use
when making sand castles?
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2. Which character in the story would you most want to
meet? Why?
"OTXFSTXJMMWBSZ
3. List two things Sofia and Bernardo have in common
with each other.
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CZUIFTFBBOEUIFZCPUIMFBSOIPXUPNBLFTBOEDBTUMFT
VTJOHXFUTBOE
Making Connections Bernardo and Sofia become friends by
working together. Why do you think people who work together
often become friends?
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Read directions to children.
Think About It
Grade 2, Unit 5: Changes, Changes Everywhere
¥)PVHIUPO.JGGMJO)BSDPVSU1VCMJTIJOH$PNQBOZ"MMSJHIUTSFTFSWFE
Grade 2
5
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Name
Date
Sandcastle Contest
Thinking About the Text
Think about the question below. Then write your answer in one paragraph.
The author included many details telling why the sand castle that Bernardo
and Sofia made was special and worthy of winning the contest. Did you
think the castle was special? Use details from the story to explain your
opinion. Did the author succeed in convincing you?
Grade 2
6
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Lesson 22
Name
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 22.9
Think About It
Sand Castle Contest
Think About It
Read and answer the questions.
1. What kind of sand does Bernardo learn is best to use
when making sand castles?
2. Which character in the story would you most want to
meet? Why?
3. List two things Sofia and Bernardo have in common
with each other.
Making Connections Bernardo and Sofia become friends by
working together. Why do you think people who work together
often become friends?
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Grade 2
7
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Student
Lesson 22
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 22.13
Sand Castle Contest • LEVEL N
page
9
Sand Castle Contest
Running Record Form
Selection Text
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Total SelfCorrections
Bernardo decided to copy the other children.
He filled his pail with sand. Then he turned it
over and lifted the pail. The sand flowed every
which way.
Bernardo tried again and again, but the same
thing happened every time. “What am I doing
wrong?” thought Bernardo. “Everyone else has
towers that stay together.” He put down his shovel
and pail.
10
“I used to have the same problem,” said a girl
next to Bernardo. “You need to use damp sand to
build a tower. Dry sand won’t hold a shape. Here,
I’ll show you.”
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/94 × 100)
%
Read word correctly
Code
✓
cat
Repeated word,
sentence, or phrase
®
Omission
—
cat
cat
Grade 2
Behavior
Error
0
0
1
8
Substitution
Code
cut
cat
1
Self-corrects
cut sc
cat
0
Insertion
the
1
Word told
T
cat
cat

Error
1413644
Behavior
1
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