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Number of Words: 1,040

Characteristics of the Text Genre • Informational text

Text Structure • Seven sections with headings• Underlying problem-and-solution text structure

Content • Facts about who Thor Heyerdahl was and what he hoped to prove• The building of the Kon-Tiki, and the historic voyage across the Pacifi c

Themes and Ideas • Explorers will often go to great lengths to follow a dream.• The success of an idea may not change people’s minds.

Language and Literary Features

• Clear language with conversational tone• Description but no fi gurative use of language

Sentence Complexity • Sentence fragments: Not on an airplane or a ship.• Colons and dashes to set off ideas: Heyerdahl decided to prove they were wrong—or at

least prove that his idea could be right.Vocabulary • Many terms that are not defi ned in text: inhabit, species, ocean currents, balsa wood

Words • Three-, four-, and fi ve-syllable words: enormous, scientifi c, imagination• Proper nouns for which pronunciations are not provided: Polynesia, Peru, Kon-Tiki,

Humboldt CurrentIllustrations • Map showing the route of the Kon-Tiki

• Contemporary photographsBook and Print Features • Table of contents

• Captions bearing additional information© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

L E S S O N 2 5 T E A C H E R ’ S G U I D E

Journey of the Kon-Tikiby Katrina Van Horn

Fountas-Pinnell Level OInformational TextSelection SummaryNorwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl wanted to prove that the Polynesian islands had been settled by people from South America. To do so, he and his crew built a raft and sailed 4,300 miles across the Pacifi c Ocean from Peru to Polynesia. The journey was a success, but most scientists still believe that Polynesia was settled by people from Asia.

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altitude - height measured from the earth’s surface, p. 13

approached - came near, p. 13avalanche - large amounts of

snow or rocks that slide down a mountain, p.11

equipment - things needed for a particular activity, p. 9

halt - to come to a stop, p. 12increase- to become greater, p. 3 section – a part of something,

p. 8

slopes - stretches of something that slant upward or downward, p. 11

succeed - manage to do what you tried to do, p. 13

tanks - containers that hold liquids or gases, p. 9

Target Vocabulary

Journey of the Kon-Tiki by Katrina Van Horn

Build BackgroundBuild interest about explorers and exploration by asking questions such as: Why do you think explorers brave danger to reach a dream? Read the title and author and talk about the cover illustration. What kind of boat is this? Does it look modern? Tell students that this book is informational text, so the words and photos will give factual information about a real journey.

Introduce the TextGuide students 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 6: Explain that this book is about an explorer named Thor Heyerdahl (HAY er dahl) who dreamed of crossing the Pacifi c Ocean and built a special kind of boat to reach his dream.Suggested language: Turn to page 6. Look at the illustration, and read the caption aloud. What do you notice about this raft? Do you think a raft like this could cross the ocean?

Page 9: Have students read the section head, “Supplies for the Journey.” What kinds of equipment, or necessary tools, and supplies might the raft’s crew need for a long ocean voyage?

Page 12: Ask students to look at the photo and read the caption. A whale shark is a really big shark. How do you think a shark like this almost brought the raft’s voyage to a halt, or stop? Can you think of anything that would bring a shark to a halt?

Page 13: The last section of the book is titled The Journey Ends. What do you think happened to the Kon-Tiki? Do you think Thor Heyerdahl succeeded in reaching his dream?

Now turn back to the beginning of the book and read to fi nd out about the voyage of the Kon-Tiki.

2© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Grade 3 Lesson 25: Journey of the Kon-Tiki

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ReadHave students read silently while you listen to individual students read. Support their problem solving and fl uency as needed.

Remind students to use the Question Strategy and to think of questions before, while, and after they read.

Discuss and Revisit the TextPersonal ResponseInvite students to share their personal responses to the book. Suggested language: Would you have wanted to be a member of the Kon-Tiki’s crew on this journey? Why or why not?

Ways of ThinkingAs you discuss the text, help students understand these points:

Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text

• Thor Heyerdahl wanted to prove that people from South America could have settled the Polynesian islands.

• Heyerdahl built a raft modeled on ancient rafts and sailed from Peru to Polynesia.

• Heyerdahl’s voyage was a success, but it did not prove that Polynesia was settled from South America.

• An explorer will go to great lengths and face dangers to follow a dream.

• Someone can succeed in a task but not change people’s minds.

• It takes a lot of planning to have a successful journey.

• The author includes a lot of details about Thor Heyerdahl’s dream and how he achieved it.

• The section headings help readers know what they will learn from each text section.

• The map, photographs, and captions help readers understand the text information.

© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

Choices for Further Support• Fluency Invite students to choose a passage from the text and demonstrate phrased

fl uent reading. Remind them to pay attention to punctuation and use it to make their reading sound natural.

• Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion, revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students 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. Guide students to recognize words that have multiple meanings, such as pretty (page 3: “almost,” “pleasing to the eye”) and watches (page 9: “devices for telling time,” “looks at”).




Writing about ReadingCritical ThinkingHave students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 25.8.

RespondingHave students complete the activities at the back of the book. Use the strategy below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the comprehension skill.

Target Comprehension SkillText and Graphic Features

Target Comprehension Skill Remind students that paying attention to how

words, photos, and other graphics work together can help them understand what they are reading. Model the skill, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:

Think Aloud

The text on page 6 says that Thor Heyerdahl began to build a raft. The drawing at the bottom of the page shows what the early raft looked like. The purpose of the drawing is to show where Heyerdahl got his raft design.

Practice the SkillHave students tell the purpose of the photograph on page 8 and how it helps them understand the text on that page.

Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the TextHave students 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• Complete this sentence in your own words: At the end of the book, the reader can

probably tell that __________________________________________________.

• In paragraph 1 on page 8, fi nd the word that means almost the same as back.

• Find the sentence on page 9 that shows that the Kon-Tiki’s crew planned to catch some of their own food during the voyage.




English Language DevelopmentReading 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 help as needed with the meaning of words formed from suffi xes, such as plentiful (page 7); equipment, measurements, and location (page 9); and imagination and determination (page 14).

Oral Language DevelopmentCheck student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’ English profi ciency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.

Beginning/Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/Advanced

Speaker 1: What do you see on the cover?

Speaker 2: a boat with sails

Speaker 1: What is a journey?

Speaker 2: A journey is a long trip.

Speaker 1: What kind of boat did Thor Heyerdahl build?

Speaker 2: He built a raft.

Speaker 1: Where did Heyerdahl start his journey from?

Speaker 2: He started from Peru in South America.

Speaker 1: How was Heyerdahl’s voyage a success? How was it not a success?

Speaker 2: Heyerdahl’s voyage was a success because he was able to sail a raft from South America to Polynesia. It wasn’t a success because it didn’t prove that this was how the islands were settled.

Read directions to students.

Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text Why did Thor Heyerdahl believe the fi rst settlers of Polynesia came from South America?

He noticed the plants and animals in Polynesia are like the ones in South America.

He noticed the winds and currents came from South America.

2. Think within the text How long did it take the Kon-Tiki to travel from Peru to Polynesia?

three months

3. Think beyond the text Why did Heyerdahl take fresh water on the trip?

The ocean is made of salt water, and people can’t survive on salt water.

4. Think about the text How did the drawing of an old balsa wood raft help you better understand the Kon-Tiki ?

Responses will vary.

Making Connections How is Thor Heyerdahl like Temba Tsheri in Mountains: Surviving on Mt. Everest ?

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

Possible responses shown.

Critical Thinking© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Grade 3, Unit 5: Going Places

Name Date

10

Lesson 25B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 2 5 . 8

Journey of the Kon-Tiki

Critical Thinking

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First Pass




Name Date

Journey of the Kon-TikiThinking Beyond the Text

Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in one or two paragraphs.

Imagine that you were on the crew of Kon-Tiki. What exciting things would you have seen and done on the trip? Write a postcard home and describe your experiences.




Name Date Lesson 25

B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 2 5 . 8

7 Lesson 25: Journey of the Kon-TikiGrade 3© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text Why did Thor Heyerdahl believe the fi rst settlers of Polynesia came from South America?

2. Think within the text How long did it take the Kon-Tiki to travel from Peru to Polynesia?

3. Think beyond the text Why did Heyerdahl take fresh water on the trip?

4. Think about the text How did the drawing of an old balsa wood raft help you better understand the Kon-Tiki ?

Making Connections How is Thor Heyerdahl like Temba Tsheri in Mountains: Surviving on Mt. Everest ?

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

Journey of the Kon-Tiki

Critical Thinking


1414

099

Student Date Lesson 25

B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 2 5 . 1 2

Journey of the Kon-TikiRunning Record Form

Journey of the Kon-Tiki • LEVEL O

Behavior Code Error

Read word correctly ✓cat 0

Repeated word, sentence, or phrase

®cat

0

Omission —cat 1

Behavior Code Error

Substitution cutcat 1

Self-corrects cut sccat 0

Insertion the

ˆcat 1

Word told Tcat 1

page Selection Text Errors Self-Corrections

11 During their journey, the Kon-Tiki crew had at least one brush

with disaster. Far out at sea, they spotted a whale shark. The

enormous creature swam toward the raft and then down,

directly underneath it. The crew could see the slopes of the

shark’s back curving down to its tail on one end of the raft, and

down to its giant, flat head on the other end. If the shark made

a sudden move, it could create a huge wave that would hit the

raft like an avalanche. Or the shark might lift the raft into the

air, flipping it over.

Comments: Accuracy Rate (# words read correctly/101 ×

100)

%

Total Self- Corrections

8 Lesson 25: Journey of the Kon-TikiGrade 3© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company


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