LESSON 21 TEACHER’S GUIDE
Going to the South Pole
by M. Lee
Fountas-Pinnell Level O
Narrative Nonfiction
Selection Summary
In 1911, two teams of explorers set out to reach the South Pole. Roald
Amundsen of Norway led one team. Robert Scott of Great Britain led
the other. Both reached the South Pole, but Amundsen’s team got there
first. Scott’s team never made it back. In 1914, Ernest Shackleton tried
to explore Antarctica. Disaster struck, but Shackleton saved his team.
Number of Words: 843
Characteristics of the Text
Genre
Text Structure
Content
Themes and Ideas
Language and
Literary Features
Sentence Complexity
Vocabulary
Words
Illustrations
Book and Print Features
• Narrative nonfiction
• Chronological narrative of Antarctic exploration in five chapters
• Each section a different category of information about Antarctic exploration
• Antarctic exploration
• The 1911 race to the South Pole between Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott
• The Shackleton expedition of 1914
• Exploring the Antarctic is dangerous.
• Clear, straightforward language
• Vivid details
• A mix of short and more complex sentences
• Introductory phrases: In 1911, Today, On the way to Antarctica
• Terms that may not be familiar: snowshoes, science station
• Many words made from base words that may be difficult for English language learners,
such as dangerous, quickly, hungry, safely, scientists.
• Target vocabulary words highlighted in text
• Photos, many historical, or graphics on every page
• Photo of Earth from space, with callouts for North Pole and South Pole
• Map showing Antarctica
• Easy-to-read section headings that indicate contents
• Timeline of Antarctic expeditions
• Labels on photos that clarify text
© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.
Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly
permitted by federal copyright law.
Permission is hereby granted to individual teachers using the corresponding (discipline) Leveled Readers to photocopy student worksheets from this publication
in classroom quantities for instructional use and not for resale. Requests for information on other matters regarding duplication of this work should be
addressed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, Attn: Contracts, Copyrights, and Licensing, 9400 SouthPark Center Loop, Orlando, Florida 32819.
Printed in the U.S.A.
978-0-547-30440-3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 0940 15 14 13 12 11 10 09
If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company retains title to the materials and
they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited.
Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format.
2_304403_ELL_LRTG_L21_SouthPole.indd 1
11/4/09 9:28:22 PM
Going to the South Pole
by M. Lee
Build Background
Help children use their knowledge of explorers to visualize the book. Build interest by
asking a question such as the following: Why do you think some people want to explore
wild, dangerous parts of the world? Read the title and author and talk about the cover
illustration. Tell students that this book tells true stories about explorers who decided to
try to reach the South Pole at the bottom of the Earth.
Front-Load Vocabulary Some everyday words may be unfamiliar to English
learners. Before reading, check understanding of the following words: faraway, teams,
snow, winner, race, strength.
Introduce the Text
Guide students through the text, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar
language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Call their attention to any
important labels. Here are some suggestions:
Page 2: Explain that the Earth’s North and South Poles have drawn many
explorers to face the challenge of reaching these cold, distant places.
Suggested language: Turn to page 2. The photo shows Earth as seen from space.
Where is the North Pole in the photo? Where is the South Pole? Explorers want to
go to places that are far away. Why would explorers want to go to the South Pole?
Pages 4-5: Explain that the photos on these pages are historical. They were taken
in the early 1900s and show people and events from that time. Read the labels.
The labels show that one team used dogs to pull the sled; the other team pulled the
sled themselves. Which team do you think would win the race to the South Pole,
the men pulling their own sled or the men with a dog team?
Page 9: Read the labels. Point out that the photo on this page is also historical.
What has happened to the ship shown in the photo? Would an explorer be able to
steer a ship that is stuck in ice? This ship could not move at all. Otherwise, the
men would have sailed away from all the ice!
Page 14: Point out that a timeline shows events in the order in which they
happened. In what year does the first event take place? The last event?
Now turn back to the beginning of the book and read to find out about some
famous attempts to explore Antarctica.
Target Vocabulary
finally – happening in the end,
p. 6
junior – a person or animal
younger than others in a
group, p. 8
otherwise – when a situation will
be different if something does
not happen, p. 9
slippery – smooth, wet, or
greasy, p. 6
steer – to control the way
something moves, p. 9
Grade 2
2
waterproof – not letting water
pass through, p. 10
webbed – having skin connecting
the toes or fingers, p. 4
whistle – a sharp, high sound
made by blowing air, p. 5
Lesson 21: Going to the South Pole
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
2_304403_ELL_LRTG_L21_SouthPole.indd 2
12/21/09 7:17:10 PM
Read
Have children read silently while you listen to individual children read. Support their
problem solving and fluency as needed.
Remind children to use the Infer/Predict Strategy
to figure out important ideas.
, and to use text clues
Discuss and Revisit the Text
Personal Response
Invite children to share their personal responses to the book.
Suggested language: What do you think about the early explorers of Antarctica? Were
they really brave, or do you think they were foolish to put themselves in danger? Why do
you think this?
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
• The South Pole is on the
continent of Antarctica and is
harder to reach than the North
Pole.
• Explorers will face great dangers
and even the threat of death to
reach their goals.
• The section headings give a
good idea about the information
that will be provided.
• For some people, being the first
to reach a faraway place is a
challenge.
• The historical photos bring the
past events to life.
• In 1911, two teams set out to
reach the South Pole.
• Both Roald Amundsen and
Robert Scott reached the South
Pole, but Amundsen got there
first.
• The timeline makes it easy to
understand when events took
place.
• The author’s attitude toward
Antarctic exploration is positive.
• Ernest Shackleton’s attempt
to reach the South Pole ended
when his ship was stuck in ice.
© 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 and demonstrate phrased,
fluent reading. Remind them to group words into meaningful phrases to show that
they understand what they are reading.
• 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. Remind children that the letter r can affect the sound of a vowel
letter or letters that come before it. For example, point out that on page 4, the vowel
letters ea in team and reach stand for the long e vowel sound, but that in Earth on page
2, they stand for /er/.
Grade 2
3
Lesson 21: Going to the South Pole
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
2_304403_ELL_LRTG_L21_SouthPole.indd 3
11/4/09 9:28:30 PM
Writing about Reading
Critical Thinking
Have children complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 21.10.
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
Main Ideas and Details
Remind children that they can tell important ideas
and details about a topic. Model the skill, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:
Think Aloud
Look at the chart on page 15. It already tells what the main idea of the
book is: “Many explorers went to Antarctica in the early 1900s.” What
details that you’ve read support that main idea? Turn back to page 4 in
the book. This page says that Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott had a
race to get to the South Pole. That would be the first detail to include in
the chart.
Practice the Skill
Have children find more details in the book to add to the chart.
Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the Text
Have children write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they
think beyond the text, they use what they know and their own experience to think about
what happens in the story.
Assessment Prompts
• What is the author’s purpose for writing this selection?
• What words on page 2 help you understand the meaning of the word explorers?
Grade 2
4
Lesson 21: Going to the South Pole
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
2_304403_ELL_LRTG_L21_SouthPole.indd 4
12/21/09 7:34:08 PM
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 Provide assistance as needed with content words that may be unfamiliar,
such as island, snowshoes, tent, waterproof, brave, and station.
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: Where did the explorers in
this book want to go?
Speaker 1: Where is the South Pole?
Speaker 1: What event ended
Shackleton’s attempt to reach the
South Pole?
Speaker 2: to the South Pole
Speaker 2: The South Pole is in the
center of Antarctica.
Speaker 1: Who were the first explorers
to get to the South Pole?
Speaker 1: Why is the South Pole so
hard to get to?
Speaker 2: Amundsen and Scott
Speaker 2: The seas are dangerous.
Speaker 1: Who got there first?
Speaker 2: Amundsen
Speaker 2: His ship was trapped
in ice, and the crew abandoned
it.
Speaker 1: What made
Shackleton‘s journey both a
failure and a success?
Speaker 2: He never reached the
South Pole, but he saved all the
members of his team.
Lesson 21
Name
BLACKLINE MASTER 21.10
Date
Think About It
Going to the South Pole
Think About It
Read and answer the questions.
1. HowdidRobertScottlearnthathehadlosttherace
totheSouthPole?
He saw Amundsen’s tent.
2. HowdoyouthinkRobertScottfeltwhenhesaw
RoaldAmundsen’stent?
Possible response: He probably felt disappointed when he
saw that his team had lost the race.
3. HowwereRoaldAmundsen,RobertScott,and
ErnestShackletonalike?
Possible response: They were all brave explorers.
Making Connections Would you like to go to the South Pole?
Explain your answer.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Read directions to children.
12
Think About It
Grade 2, Unit 5: Changes, Changes Everywhere
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Grade 2
5
2_246222RTXEAN_L21_LR_CT.indd 12
3/12/09 9:38:42 AM
Lesson 21: Going to the South Pole
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
2_304403_ELL_LRTG_L21_SouthPole.indd 5
11/4/09 9:32:38 PM
Name
Date
Going to the South Pole
Thinking Beyond the Text
Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in one paragraph.
This book explains the many dangers of exploring Antarctica. What kind of
leader do you think was needed for an early trip to Antarctica? What kind of
leader was Robert Scott? What kind of leader was Ernest Shackleton? Do
you think these men were good leaders? Use details from the book to
support your ideas.
Grade 2
6
Lesson 21: Going to the South Pole
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
2_304403_ELL_LRTG_L21_SouthPole.indd 6
11/4/09 9:38:21 PM
Lesson 21
Name
Date
Think About It
BLACKLINE MASTER 21.10
Going to the South Pole
Think About It
Read and answer the questions.
1. How did Robert Scott learn that he had lost the race
to the South Pole?
2. How do you think Robert Scott felt when he saw
Roald Amundsen’s tent?
3. How were Roald Amundsen, Robert Scott, and
Ernest Shackleton alike?
Making Connections Would you like to go to the South Pole?
Explain your answer.
Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.
Grade 2
7
Lesson 21: Going to the South Pole
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
2_304403_ELL_LRTG_L21_SouthPole.indd 7
12/21/09 7:34:59 PM
Student
Lesson 21
Date
BLACKLINE MASTER 21.14
Going to the South Pole • LEVEL O
page
2
Selection Text
Going to the South Pole
Running Record Form
Errors
Self-Corrections
Accuracy Rate
Total SelfCorrections
People like to say that the Earth has a top,
called the North Pole, and a bottom, called the
South Pole. The North Pole and the South Pole
are cold, faraway places.
For a long time, no one went to the North
Pole or the South Pole. But in 1909, some
explorers went to the North Pole for the first time.
Explorers are people who travel to faraway places.
After this, other explorers wanted to go to the
South Pole.
3
It was hard for explorers to get to the South
Pole. The South Pole is in the middle of a place
called Antarctica.
Comments:
(# words read
correctly/103 × 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
1413808
Behavior
1
Lesson 21: Going to the South Pole
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
2_304403_ELL_LRTG_L21_SouthPole.indd 8
12/8/09 7:26:29 PM