B e n c h m a r k e d u c a t i o n c o m p a n y

Teacher’s Guide

• Small Group Reading Lesson • Skills Bank • Reproducible Activity

science 

Anchor Comprehension StrategyCompare and Contrast •

Phonemic Awareness�Segmenting�and�blending�sounds��•

Phonics Long�vowel�e��•Vowel�sound�/i/���•

High-Frequency Wordsbehind,�very,�water��•

Concept Vocabulary �Body�parts��•

Grammar/Word Study�Possessives��•

GenreInformational�nonfiction��•

Science Big Idea��Animals’�senses�of�sight�and�hearing��are���•tools�they�use�to�survive.

skills & strategies

Animals’ Eyes and EarsLevel I/15

Before After reading reading Yes No Yes No

Some eyes X X have long lashes. Some eyes X X see well at night. Some eyes X X see all around. Some eyes X X are together on one side. Some ears X X bring in sounds. Some ears X X are on legs. Some ears X X are under feathers. Some ears X X can be fans.

2Animals’ Eyes and Ears

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Before Reading

ActivatePriorKnowledgeEncourage students to draw on prior knowledge and build background for reading the text. Create an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer “About Animals’ Eyes and Ears” (left), or copy the organizer on chart paper, leaving the “Yes” and “No” columns blank. Begin a discussion about animals’ eyes and ears. Read the information on the chart, and have students predict which statements they think are true (“yes”) or false (“no”). Record their responses in the “Before Reading” section of the chart. Tell students that they will come back to the chart to check their responses when they have finished reading the book.

PreviewtheBookRead the title and names of the authors to students. Ask:

• How well do you think this elephant can see? Why do you think that?

• How well do you think this elephant can hear? Why do you think that?

Have students look at the title page and table of contents. Explain that the table of contents shows the title of each chapter in the book and the page on which it begins. Ask students what two things the table of contents tells them they will learn about as they read this book.

Point out the captions in the book and remind students to read them as they look at pictures to get more information. Preview the photographs with students, reinforcing the language used in the text. For example, say: How are the camel’s eyes like yours? Where do you see eyes on the snail and the fish? Where do you think the crocodile’s ears are?

SetaPurposeforReadingHave students turn to page 2 and read the book silently. Say: I want you to find out whether the statements about animals’ eyes and ears are true or false. Monitor students’ reading and provide support when necessary.

ReviewReadingStrategiesUse the cues provided to remind students that they can apply different strategies to identify unfamiliar words.

Small Group Reading Lesson

ViSuAlCueS• Look at initial consonant

blends. (fl in flatfish; br in brings)

• Look for familiar chunks within the word. (ight in light)

• Break the word into syllables and sound out each part. (house/fly)

• Think about what sound the vowel makes in the word.

StRuCtuReCueS• Think about whether the

sentence sounds right.

MeANiNgCueS• Think about what makes

sense in the sentence.• Look at the pictures to

confirm the meaning of the word.

AboutAnimals’eyesandears

3© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

ObserveandPromptReadingStrategiesObserve students as they read the book. Take note of how they are problem-solving on text. Guide, or prompt, individual students who cannot problem-solve independently.

ReflectonReadingStrategiesOnce students have completed their reading, encourage them to discuss the reading strategies they used. Reinforce the good reading behaviors you noticed by saying:

• I noticed, [student’s name], that when you came to a word you didn’t know, you went back and reread the sentence. Did this help you figure out the word?

• [Student’s name] I noticed that you tried to sound out the word protect. I heard you divide the word into chunks. You tried the long o sound at the end of an open syllable. That was good reading.

BuildComprehensionASKANdANSweRQueStiONS

Help students review text content and relate it to what they already know by asking some or all of the following questions.

• Look at our graphic organizer. Which answers did we get right? We will have to look through the book to check this. Then we can put Xs in the correct columns. (All statements are true in the book, so all answers are “yes.” pp. 4, 5, 7–12, 14) (Locate facts)

• What are some ways animals’ eyes are made in order to help them live in a certain place? (Their eyes are adapted to where they live. For example, the camel’s long eyelashes keep out sand, and the flatfish has both eyes on one side of its body to help it look up from the ocean bottom. pp. 4, 7) (Identify main idea and supporting details/Interpret captions)

• Imagine that your cat is looking out the window. You stand behind her and call her. Why does she turn back her ears? (to bring the sound into her ears, p. 10) (Draw conclusions)

Animals’ Eyes and Ears

Teacher TipusingtheSkillsBankBased on your observations of students’ reading behaviors, you may wish to select activities from the Skills Bank (pp. 6–7) that will develop students’ reading strategies.

QuestiontypesStudents need to understand that they can use information from various places in the book, as well as background knowledge, to answer different types of questions. These lessons provide four types of ques  tions, designed to give students practice in understanding the relationship between a question and the source of its answer.

•  Questions that require students to go to a specific place in the book. 

•  Questions that require students to integrate information from several sentences, paragraphs, or chapters within the book.

•  Questions that require students to combine background knowledge with information from the book. 

•  Questions that relate to the book topic but require students to use only background knowledge and experience, not information from the book.

After Reading

During Reading

4Animals’ Eyes and Ears

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

BuildComprehensionCOMPAReANdCONtRASt

ModelCreate an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer on page 8 or copy the organizer on the board. Remind students that this kind of graphic organizer, called a Venn diagram, is used to show how two things are alike and how they are different. Review where to write similarities and where to write differences in the diagram. Choose two animals from the book and discuss the similarities and differences in their eyes or ears. Model for students how to record this information. Use the following think-aloud.

Reports often provide information that compares and contrasts a topic. I can use a chart like this one to compare two subjects by organizing details about them. On this chart I can record how two animals’ eyes or ears are alike and how they are different. I want to choose two animals’ eyes to compare. I choose the eyes of a housefly and the chameleon. I label one circle “Housefly’s Eyes” and the other circle “Chameleon’s Eyes.” The center part is labeled “Both.” Then I think about how the housefly’s and the chameleon’s eyes are alike. I read in the book that both animals can see all around. I’ll write “see all around” in the center section. That’s the place to put things that the housefly and the chameleon have in common. Now I’ll think about how their eyes are different. The text says the housefly has many small eyes. The photo in the text reveals that the chameleon does not. Under “Housefly’s Eyes” I’ll write “many small eyes.” Now I’ll try to find something the chameleon has that the housefly does not.

PracticeandApplyHave students help you find additional details from the text and illustrations to list in the three sections of the Venn diagram. Then distribute copies of the graphic organizer, and have students select two other animals from the book to compare. When you are confident that students understand what to do, have them complete their diagrams independently. Monitor their work and allow time for them to share their recorded information.

Teacher TipMonitoringComprehension•  Are students able to revisit 

the text to locate specific answers to text-dependent questions? If they are having difficulty, show them how to match the wording of the question to the wording in the text. 

•  Are students able to find answers to questions that require a search of the text? If they are having difficulty, model how you would search for the answer.

•  Can students combine their background knowledge with information from the text to make inferences and draw conclusions? If they are having difficulty, model how you would answer the question.

•  Are students’ answers to creative questions logical and relevant to the topic?

•  Do students’ completed graphic organizers reflect an ability to compare and contrast by identifying the similarities and differences between two things? If students are having difficulty, provide more modeling.

Small Group Reading Lesson (continued)

BothHousefly’seyes Chameleon’seyes

CompareandContrast

many small eyesno eyelidsbright color

see all arounduseful for f inding food and spotting enemies

two eyesheavy eyelidsdark color

5Animals’ Eyes and Ears

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

SmallgroupwritingUse the graphic organizer completed during the Build Comprehension segment of the lesson to help students review how texts can compare and contrast information. Have them use the information to create oral sentences that make comparisons or contrasts. Remind students that authors carefully plan their writing before putting pen to paper to ensure that the reader can follow and understand the information presented in the text. Explain that students are going to use the same graphic organizer to plan the writing of a group paragraph that compares and contrasts information. Use the following writing steps.

• Work with students to decide on a topic to compare and contrast. Use a familiar topic, such as two common animals, two objects in the room, or two famous people.

• Draw a large Venn diagram on the board.

• Have students provide information about the two subjects and indicate where on the Venn diagram you should record it.

• Encourage students to use the information to create sentences about the subjects that you will record on the board.

• Read through the sentences, encouraging students to suggest how the writing can be made clearer or more detailed.

writeindependentlyTell students that they will now use the Venn diagram to plan their own writing. Use the following writing steps.

• Distribute copies of the blank graphic organizer.

• Help students decide on a topic to compare and contrast; for example, two kinds of pets, two books, or two games.

• Have them write about their subjects on the Venn diagram.

• Ask students to expand on the details and create sentences about their subjects for their written paragraphs.

• Tell students that they can work with a partner to edit their paragraphs.

RereadforFluencyYou may wish to read sections of the book aloud to students to model fluent reading of the text. Model using appropriate phrasing, intonation, expression, volume, and rate as you read. Some students may benefit from listening to you read a portion of the text and then reading it back  to you. 

Have students reread Animals’ Eyes and Ears with a partner. Have them read the text together and then take turns reading it to each other. 

ConnecttoHomeHave students read the take-home version of Animals’ Eyes and Ears to family members. Encourage students to share the information on their graphic organizers.

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© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

PhonemicAwareness:SegmentingandblendingsoundsHave students listen as you say the word protect slowly, segmenting it into its sounds: /p/ /r/ /o/ /t/ /e/ /k/ /t/. Have students repeat the sounds and then blend them to make the word. Repeat with the word brings.

Say the following words, and then segment them into their sounds: sound, sometimes, crocodile, anywhere. Have students repeat the word and the sounds. Ask them to tell you what sounds they hear in the beginning, middle, and end of the word.

Phonics:longvoweleWrite the words we, see, eat, and very on the board. Have volunteers find the words in the book and read the sentences in which they appear. Have students slowly say the words. Ask them what vowel sound they hear in all four words. (long e) Circle the letter or letters that make the long e sound in each word (e, ee, ea, y). Then use those letters as column headings in a chart you write on the board. Ask students to look through classroom books for long e words for you to put into each column. Record their responses. Have volunteers circle the letter or letters that make the long e sound in each word.

Phonics:Vowelsound/i/Write night, side, and behind on the board. Read the words aloud and ask students what sound they hear in all four words. (long i) Help students identify and circle the letter or letters that make the long i sound in each word. (igh, i-e, i) Pair students and have them find other words in the text that have the long i sound: find, tightly, right, sometimes, like, crocodile, inside. Record their responses under the word on the board that has the same pattern. If students mention eyes, explain that this word has a unique spelling for long i, and make another column on the chart.

Skills Bank

e

hewebeshe

ee

seedeepneedseensleep

ea

eatheat

y

veryanywhere

many

–

7

High-FrequencywordVocabularyWrite the high-frequency words on the board. Tell students that they are going to play a game called “In the Spotlight.” Give a student a flashlight, and have him or her shine the flashlight on one of the words. The student will then read the word, spell it, and use it in a sentence. Continue, giving each student a turn with the flashlight.

Pair students and give each pair the letter cards v, e, r, y, b, e, h, i, n, d, w, a, t, e, and r. Have them spell each word and check their spelling against the words on the board. Then ask students to write a sentence using each word.

ContentVocabulary:BodypartsAsk students what two parts of the body are discussed in the book. (eyes, ears) Write the two words on the board. Then have students name other body parts, such as head, face, nose, mouth, arms, elbows, hands, legs, feet, toes, and knees. Write students’ responses on the board. Then point to each word, read it, and have students point to the corresponding body part.

grammar/wordStudy:PossessivesHave students find the phrase animal’s ears on page 12. Point out that the word animal’s ends with an apostrophe and an s. Ask students if they know why the word ends this way. Explain that the apostrophe and the s indicate possession, or ownership. Ask: What belongs to the animal? (ears) Have students find the phrase crocodile’s ears on page 13 and the phrase elephant’s ears on page 14. Ask: Who owns or possesses something? What does the owner have?

Write the words camel, owl, cat, bird, snail, housefly, snail, grasshopper, chameleon, flatfish, and jackrabbit in a column on the board. Write The ______’s eyes/ears _______. to the left. Have students make up a sentence describing each animal’s eyes or ears. Model the first example: The camel’s eyes have long lashes. As the possessive is said, add ’s to the word on the board.

very

behind

water

camel’sowl’scatbird

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use. No other part of the guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. 

ISBN 978-1-4108-0090-9

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

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