LESSON 12 TEACHER’S GUIDE
A Real Band
by Hannah Cone
Fountas-Pinnell Level G
Realistic Fiction
Selection Summary
When Ann listens to Baby Jess shake her rattle, Ann decides to make
her own instrument. After hearing Ann’s instrument, Harry and Jake
make instruments of their own. They form a band and play for hours,
with Baby Jess joining in, too.
Number of Words: 183
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
• Organized chronologically
• Homemade musical instruments
• Homemade band
• Making instruments and forming a band are great activities.
• Good ideas can be infectious.
• Music is better if you don’t play alone.
• Third-person narrator
• Simple dialogue, all with assigned speakers
• Mostly short sentences
• Some longer compound sentences: Ann got a can and put some coins in it.
• Longer sentences with prepositional phrases: Jake had seen someone make music with a
tube at the children’s museum.
• Mostly familiar words
• Some words related to sound: rattle, clink, tap, la
• Mostly one- and two-syllable words
• Some multisyllable words: museum, nursery
• Illustrations, some with labels, support text.
• Illustrations on every page
• Nine pages of text; illustrations on every page
• Sentences start at left margin.
• Some sentences carry over two lines.
• Sounds are in italics.
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
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A Real Band
by Hannah Cone
Build Background
Help children think about what it would be like to make a musical instrument and form a
band. Build interest by asking questions such as the following: What are some musical
instruments you know? Which one would you like to play? Why? Read the title and author
and talk about the cover illustration. Point out that the story is realistic fiction so the
characters will act like real people.
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 story about a girl named Ann who loves to make
sounds. Draw attention to the highlighted word in the opening sentence: shake.
Suggested language: Turn to page 2. Here is a picture of a baby shaking a rattle.
The first sentence reads: Baby Jess liked to shake her rattle, and Ann liked to
listen.
Page 3: Point out the italicized words. Some words in this story are in italics.
These words tell the sound something is making. Ann hears rattle, rattle, rattle
when Baby Jess shakes her rattle.
Page 5: Explain that Ann wants to make an instrument. Look at the illustration on
page 5. Some things are labeled in the picture. Can you tell what Ann will use to
make her instrument?
Pages 6–7: Point out the highlighted word: alone. Some of Ann’s friends want to
make music with her. Why do you think Ann doesn’t want to play music alone?
Now turn back to the beginning of the story and read to find out what Ann and her
friends do.
Target Vocabulary
alone – by yourself, p. 6
hours – units of time equal to 60
minutes, p. 10
museum – a building in which
people can see important
objects related to art, science,
or history, p. 8
Grade 2
nursery – a baby’s or a young
child’s bedroom
real – something exists and is
true, as in title: A Real Band
smooth – calm, gentle, and even
whenever – any time or every
time that something happens
shake – quickly move something
back and forth, or up and
down, p. 2
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Read
As the children read A Real Band, observe them carefully. Guide them as needed, using
language that supports their problem solving ability.
Remind children to use the Question Strategy
what they are reading.
to ask questions about
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite children to share their personal responses to the story.
Suggested language: Would you like to play in Ann’s band? 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
• Ann likes the sound Baby Jess
makes with her rattle, so she
puts together a can and coins to
make her own sound.
• People take pleasure in making
and hearing music.
• The author uses italics to show
sound words.
• Musical instruments can be
homemade.
• The author succeeds at making
sounds an integral part of the
story.
• Friends see Ann’s instrument and
make some of their own.
• Ann and her friend form a band
and Baby Jess joins in, too.
• Music is better if you don’t play
alone.
• Music is a language of its own.
© 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 passage from the text to act out. Remind them to
read with expression, paying particular attention to the sounds.
• 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 work with words that begin with consonant
clusters that blend two or three consonant sounds. Begin with examples from the
story: clink, stick, played, stop.
Grade 2
3
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Writing about Reading
Critical Thinking
Have children complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 12.7
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
Story Structure
Remind children that they should think about the setting,
characters, and plot in a story. Model the skill, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:
Think Aloud
This story is about a character named Ann who decides she wants to
make music. So she makes a musical instrument out of a can with coins
in it. Then her friends Harry and Jake join her to form a band. The story
takes place in Ann’s house and in her neighborhood.
Practice the Skill
Have children write two sentences about the characters in another book they have read.
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 pay special attention to the words, genre, literary and print
features, and how the story is organized.
Assessment Prompts
• Which word on page 10 means a long time?
• What happened when Harry asked Ann to join in making music?
Grade 2
4
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English Language Development
Reading Support In Introduce the Text (p.2) include as much practice as needed to
help children become familiar with the language structures of the book, especially the
sound words.
Cultural Support Help children connect sounds to words used to describe sounds.
Ask children to share names for sounds in other languages.
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 does Baby Jess
shake?
Speaker 1: Where did Ann go to get a
can and some coins?
Speaker 1: How did Ann get the
idea to make new sounds?
Speaker 2: a rattle
Speaker 2: She went to the kitchen.
Speaker 1: What does Ann put in a
can?
Speaker 1: Where did Jake see someone
make music with a tube?
Speaker 2: She heard Baby Jess
shake a rattle.
Speaker 2: coins
Speaker 2: He saw it at a museum.
Speaker 1: What did Jake sing into?
Speaker 1: What did Ann and her
friends do with all the sounds
they made?
Speaker 2: They played in a band.
Speaker 2: a tube
Lesson 12
Name
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 12.7
Think About It
A Real Band
Think About It
Read and answer the questions.
1. Why does Harry get the box?
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2. How does Jake make sounds?
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3. Ann and her friends use things they find to make
sounds. What would you use to make a sound?
Explain your answer.
"OTXFSTXJMMWBSZ
Making Connections Ann and Violet both play in a band. How
are their bands the same? How are they different?
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Read directions to children.
Think About It
Grade 2, Unit 3: Tell Me About It
¥)PVHIUPO.JGGMJO)BSDPVSU1VCMJTIJOH$PNQBOZ"MMSJHIUTSFTFSWFE
Grade 2
5
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Name
Date
A Real Band
Thinking About the Text
Write a paragraph answering the following questions:
Why do you think the author gave this book the title A Real Band? Do you
think Ann and her friends have a real band? Why or why not? Use details
from the story to support your opinion.
Grade 2
6
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Lesson 12
Name
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 12.7
Think About It
A Real Band
Think About It
Read and answer the questions.
1. Why does Harry get the box?
2. How does Jake make sounds?
3. Ann and her friends use things they find to make
sounds. What would you use to make a sound?
Explain your answer.
Making Connections Ann and Violet both play in a band. How
are their bands the same? How are they different?
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Grade 2
7
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Student
Lesson 12
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 12.11
A Real Band • LEVEL G
page
4
A Real Band
Running Record Form
Selection Text
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Self-Correction
Rate
“I want to make a sound,”
said Ann.
She looked around the room,
but didn’t find anything.
So she went to the kitchen.
5
Ann got a can
and put some coins in it.
Then she shook the can
and made a new sound.
Clink, clink, clink!
6
Harry came to the house.
“I like that sound,” said Harry.
“Can I join in?”
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/61 × 100)
(# errors + #
Self-Corrections/
Self-Corrections)
%
1:
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
1413639
Behavior
1
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