my grandpa plants alphakids the rainforest€¦ · my grandpa plants the rainforestpages 4–5...

Teacher Edition

My Grandpa Plantsthe RainforestWritten by Sarah O’Neil Photography by Michael Curtain

alphakids

Text highlights:• Information about rainforests is provided in

the text and photographs

• Text written in the first person

Vocabularyrainforest, people, houses, animals, trees, roots,

soil, rain, forest, seeds, pots, water, ground,

food, hot, wet, fruit

How to use this bookBefore reading: TalkthroughTalk through the book with the children. Encouragethem to predict the text from the cover and pictures,and to think about the information they provide.Direct the children’s attention to aspects of the textthat may challenge them. Support the children to dealwith these challenges by asking the Talkthroughquestions on each page.

During reading: Observe and supportObserve the children as they read. Encourage them tomonitor their own reading as they comprehend thetext. As needed, support children by assisting them todiscover and use reading strategies and cues to solveproblems and respond to reading challenges that arisein the text. Interruptions to the child’s reading shouldbe minimal and focused on a specified learning need.

After reading: Comprehension, returning tothe text, responding and writing links To further develop children’s understanding of thetext, select from activities found on page 12 and theinside back cover. These whole text, sentence and wordlevel activities reinforce the teaching focus of thisbook. Assessment ideas are provided to assist withplanning for further teaching.

Horwitz EducationA Division of HorwitzPublications Pty Ltd55 Chandos StreetSt Leonards NSW 2065Australia

Horwitz Gardner EducationUnit 53, CressexEnterprise ParkLincoln RoadHigh Wycombe, Bucks, HP12 3RL,United Kingdom

Published edition © Eleanor Curtain Publishing 2003

First published 2003

Apart from any fair dealing forthe purposes of study, research,criticism or review, aspermitted under the CopyrightAct of Australia, no part of thisbook may be reproduced byany process, or transmitted inany form, without permissionof the copyright owner. Wherecopies of part or the whole ofthis book are made under PartVB of the Copyright Act, thelaw requires that records ofsuch copying be kept and thecopyright owner is entitled toclaim payment.

Developed by Eleanor Curtain PublishingText: Jenny FeelyConsultant: Susan HillDesigned by Alexander StittProduction by Publishing Solutions

Printed in Hong Kong

ISBN 0 7253 2847 9Pack ISBN 0 7253 2810 X(6 Student Books + 1 TeacherEdition)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 903 04 05

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Setting the contextShow the children picturesof rainforests. Ask: Whathappens if a rainforest is cutdown? What happens to theland? What happens to theanimals? How can therainforest be put back?

Background informationThe existence of rainforestis crucial to the survival ofmany plants and animals.When rainforest is cut downsoil washes away.Revegetation programs areseeking to reverse thedecline in rainforests.

Introducing the bookThis book is called, ‘MyGrandpa Plants theRainforest’. It is about aman who replants trees andplants in a rainforest. It tellsus what happens when arainforest is cut down andwhat the man does toreplant it.

Front coverWhy are these animals on the cover? Wheremight they live? What are the grandpa andthe girl looking at? What does all of thishave to do with rainforest?

Title pageWhat is the grandpa doing now?Talk about the information on the title page.


alphakids My Grandpa Plants

the Rainforest

Written by Sarah O’Neil

Photography by Michael Curtain

alphakids

2

My Grandpa Plants the Rainforest Pages 2–3

TalkthroughPoint out the girl on the left-hand page. Explain that sheis telling us the story.Once rainforest grew all over the place where the girl lives.Look at the photograph on page 3.What has happened to the rainforest? Why has it been cutdown?

Observe and supportCan the child understand the literal meaning of the text?Why do people cut down rainforests?

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3

2 3

My grandpa told me that onceupon a time, rainforest grew allover the place where we live.

He said that a lot of the rainforest was cut down so that people could buildhouses and use the land for farming.

4


TalkthroughLook at the photograph.What has happened to the forest? The girl tells us that theroots of rainforest trees stop soil from being washed awaywhen it rains. She says that it rains a lot where she lives.What would happen to the soil in this photograph when itrains next?

Observe and supportDoes the child use their knowledge of phonics to supporttheir reading?Read the word ‘rains’. Does the child recognise that /ai/represents a sound?Can you show me the part of this word that makes thesound /a/?

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5

54

It rains a lot where we live.The rainforest trees are importantbecause their roots hold the soiltogether. This stops the soil fromwashing away in the rain.

If the forest is cut down the rain washesthe soil away.

6


TalkthroughPoint out the photographs of the animals on pages 6–7.Can you name the different animals that need the rainforestto stay alive? Why is cutting down the rainforest bad forthese animals?Turn to pages 8–9.Look at the seeds. These are seeds from rainforest plants.Where does Grandpa collect them from? He only collects afew seeds from each place so that new plants will grow inthe old rainforest too.

Observe and supportDoes the child monitor their own reading, noticing whenerrors occur?What did you notice? Why did you read that again? How doyou know that you are right this time?

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7

Many animals need the rainforest to stay alive. Grandpa says it is harder for animals to find food and places to live where the forest has been cut down.

76

Grandpa says that cuttingdown the rainforest is badfor the animals.

Grandpa is planting new trees on his farm.He is growing a rainforest

98

Grandpa gets the seeds of rainforestplants in the old rainforest.

He only takes a few seeds becausehe wants new plants to grow in the old forest too.

8


TalkthroughNow the girl tells us how her grandpa grows the plants. Whatcan you see him doing? Why does he plant the seeds in littlepots? When they are big enough he plants them in theground. The girl says that he gives them food and water.Turn to pages 12–13.It is very hot and wet in the rainforest. This makes the plantsgrow very quickly. Animals come into the new rainforest toeat the fruit.

Observe and supportDoes the child pay attention to the punctuation tosupport expressive reading?Point to a full stop. What does this tell you? What could youdo to show that this sentence is finished?

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9

10 11

Grandpa plants the seeds in little pots and looks after them until they are growing well.

Then he plants them in the ground and gives them food and water.

12 13

The plants grow quickly because it is hotand wet where we live.

Animals come to live in the newrainforest. They eat the fruit and spread the seeds.

Soon the forest can look after itself.

10


TalkthroughLook at the photograph on pages 14–15.What do you think Grandpa and the little girl are looking at?How do you think Grandpa feels?Point out the ellipses. Discuss their use.

Observe and supportDoes the child understand language related to time andsequence?Which word tells you that Grandpa is talking about thefuture?

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11

1514

Grandpa takes me to see some ofthe new trees he has planted.

He says that one day, when I come tovisit this forest, I will be able to tell myfriends …

16

that my grandpa planted this rainforest.

12

My Grandpa Plants the Rainforest

Being a meaning makerEncourage the children to supporttheir answers with evidence from thebook as they discuss these questions:What do rainforests need?Why have rainforests been cut down?What happens to the land when theforest is cut down?Why does the grandpa only take someseeds? What would happen if he tookthem all?Why does the grandpa plant therainforest?What might happen if no-one replantedrainforest?

Being a code breakerChildren may like to explore thefollowing language features:• The blend ‘gr’: grandpa, grow, grew,ground.• The use of an ellipse to indicate asentence is not finished.

Being a text userWhat did this book help you to learnabout rainforests?What did this book help you to learnabout replanting rainforests?

Being a text criticDo all people agree with what thegrandpa says about rainforests? Whomight disagree? What do you thinkabout cutting down rainforests?

Responding to textChildren could work incooperative groups to make

models that show the different stagesof replanting a rainforest. ProvidePlasticine, sticks, leaves, soil andcoloured paper. Encourage childrento label their models to explain eachstage.

Children could make a posterabout the importance of

rainforests. Encourage the children towrite and draw to explain their pointof view.

Children could make avocabulary list of words about

rainforests. Each word could beillustrated and kept as a writingresource.

Writing linksShared writingDiscuss how the book is anexplanation.As a group, brainstorm all of thethings that children know aboutrainforests. Discuss ways that theseideas could be grouped together. Forexample, what a rainforest is; what arainforest needs; reasons rainforestsare being cut down; animals that livein rainforests; ways rainforests arebeing replanted.Discuss a possible order these thingscould be written about in a report.

Independent writingAsk the children to write a shortexplanation about rainforests.Alternatively, different children couldwrite a paragraph to contribute to aclass book.

AssessmentCan the child: • Identify the parts of the text that explain what rainforests need to survive?• Explain why conservation of forests is important?• Use punctuation to support fluent oral reading?

whole text activity sentence activity word activity


alphakidsTeacherEdition

Topic: RainforestsCurriculum link: Studies of Society and theEnvironmentText type: ExplanationReading level: 17Word count: 269Vocabulary: rainforest, people, houses, animals,trees, roots, soil, rain, forest, seeds, pots, water,ground, food, hot, wet, fruit

Possible literacy focusUnderstanding the language used and thestructure of an explanation.Interpreting the text to discuss conservation ingeneral.

SummaryThis book is about a man who replants trees andplants in a rainforest. It tells us what he does toreplant it.

alphakids

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