vol. 38, no. 1 • issn 0163-3570 teacher’s guide€¦ · on page 9, the byline at the bottom of...

Teacher’s guide

Question about your subscription? Phone: 1-800-scholastic e-mail: [email protected] A Supplement to Scholastic Action

READING AND WRITING POWER FOR TEENS

MAGAZINE

Vol. 38, no. 1 • issn 0163-3570

common core lesson plan packages Your one-stop shop for incredible step-by-step lessons with bonus themed resources!

september 1, 2014

inFoRmaTion SCholaSTiC aCTion® (iSSn 0163-3570; in Canada, 2-c no. 9320) is published 10 times during the school year; bi-weekly September; monthly october, november, December, January, February, march, april, may, by Scholastic inc., 2931 e. mcCarty St., P.o. Box 3710, Jefferson City, mo 65102-3710. Periodical postage paid at Jefferson City, mo 65101 and at additional mailing offices. PoSTmaSTeRS: Send notice of address changes to SCholaSTiC aCTion, 2931 east mcCarty St., P.o. Box 3710, Jefferson City, mo 65102-3710. PUBliShinG inFoRmaTion U.S. prices: $8.50 each per year for 10 or more subscriptions to the same address. For other subscriptions information, call 1-800-SCholaSTiC. (For Canadian pricing, write our Canadian office, address below). Communications relating to subscriptions should be addressed to SCholaSTiC aCTion, SCholaSTiC inC., 2931 east mcCarty Street, P.o. Box 3710, Jefferson City, mo 65102-3710. Communications relating to editorial matter should be addressed to eDiToR, SCholaSTiC aCTion, 557 Broadway, new York, nY 10012-3999. Canadian address: Scholastic Canada ltd., 175 hillmount Rd., markham, ontario, Canada l6C 1Z7. Copyright ©2014 by Scholastic inc. all rights reserved. material in this issue may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form or format without special permission from the publisher. SCholaSTiC, aCTion, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic inc. PRinTeD in The U.S.a.

Action provides incredible skills support and fascinating nonfiction for your struggling readers in grades 6 to 12.

What goals do you have for your students in 2014-2015? here at Scholastic Action magazine and action online, our top goal is to be an indispensable part of your classroom. i want teachers to look at our resources and think, “That’s exactly what i needed for my struggling readers!”

each year, we do research and get lots of teacher feedback to find ways to meet your needs even better than we did before. This year, look for more differentiated activities, new skills videos, and engaging vocabulary slide shows at action online (www.scholastic.com/actionmag). What else can we do for you? Please write anytime and let me know—i’d love to hear from you!

all my best,

Sarah Jane Brian, executive [email protected]

Welcome back to school!

it’s time to register for action Online! Turn the page to find out how.

spOTlighT cOmmOn cOre skill

arTicle lessOn plan skills sheeT Online resOurce

lesson plan #1anchor standard W.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured sequences. kayla Won’t Quit page T4 page T5 Video

lesson plan #2anchor standard r.7: integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually as well as in words. the biggest shark

that ever lived page T6 page T7 interactive game

lesson plan #3anchor standard r.9: analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge. the War of the Worlds page T8 page T9 Video

clickto

play!

ISSUE DATES SEPTEmbEr 1 SEPTEmbEr 22 OCTObEr 20 nOvEmbEr 17 DECEmbEr 15 jAnUAry 12 fEbrUAry 9 mArCh 9 APrIl 6 mAy 4

preparation• Photocopy page T5 from this Teacher’s Guide for each student.• optional: on your computer or interactive whiteboard, preload the video about

Kayla, which can be found at www.scholastic.com/actionmag.

procedure step 1: First, read “Kayla Won’t Quit” as a class. explain that although this is a news article—which is different from a fictional story—it still features a narrative structure that tells about Kayla’s inspiring journey. analyze the article by looking at the people/characters, how the narrative is told through a series of events, and the use of quotations. This will help students craft their own narratives later.

step 2: ask students to identify the main people in the piece: Kayla; her coach (Patrick Cromwell); and her doctor (lucie lauve). You can equate these people to characters in a short story or novel.

step 3: Discuss the singular focus of the story. it’s not a biography of Kayla’s entire life. Rather, it centers on Kayla’s accomplishments as a runner who has mS. have students turn to a partner to discuss a few key events that develop this central idea (for instance, her diagnosis, her decision to keep running, and her acceptance into college on a running scholarship).

step 4: look at how quotations are used to help tell Kayla’s story. Students can underline quotes throughout the article. Talk about why an author might use quotes. Students might note that the quotes act as dialogue to illustrate what the characters think or feel and make the people seem real.

step 5: invite students to write their own short narrative pieces (a few paragraphs at most) about a struggle they have overcome. The pieces can be written in the first person, but they should include more than one character, a series of events, and at least one quotation. Before beginning to write, students should outline their pieces using the form on page T5.

assessment step 6: have students share their short narratives with a partner. Students should help each other check that the pieces contain the features mentioned in step 5. They can also edit the writing for grammar, capitalization, and punctuation.

online extension Go to www.scholastic.com/actionmag to watch a video about Kayla.

t4 • action teacher’s guide • september 1, 2014

cOmmOn cOre lessOn plan #1

Writing a narrativeuse with “kayla Won’t Quit,” pages 4-6, and “Tell Your Own story,” page T5

common core anchor standards for this lesson: Reading: 2, 3, 10 Writing: 3, 5Speaking & listening: 1language: 1, 2

time allotment: one class period

objectiVe: Students will craft their own narrative stories with characters, a main topic, and dialogue.

materials:• Scholastic Action

magazine—September 1, 2014, issue

• Reproducible, page T5 from this Teacher’s Guide

• optional: computer or interactive whiteboard

WaTCh a ViDeo aT WWW.schOlasTic .cOm/acTiOnmag

tell your own story

action teacher’s guide • september 1, 2014 • t5

name: _______________________________

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Write your own narrative story about a challenge you’ve faced and how you have overcome it or are working to do so. make sure to focus on a single topic told through a series of at least three events. include characters (such as people who have helped you). also, include a quote from one of the characters. use the form below to plan your story.


MAGAZINE

spotlight skill: Writing a narrative

common core anchor standard: W.3

use With: “Kayla Won’t Quit,” p. 4

1. Describe the topic you will focus on for your story.

2. What three events will you include?

•

•

•

3. What people, or characters, will you feature in your story?

4. Think about the people in your story. What have they said to you (such as inspirational words) that you can include as a quote?


preparation • Photocopy page T7 from this Teacher’s Guide for each student.• optional: on your computer or interactive whiteboard, preload the interactive

text-features game, which can be found at www.scholastic.com/actionmag.

procedurestep 1: Use “The Biggest Shark That ever lived” to introduce your students to the various visuals and text features they will see in Action magazine throughout the year. Begin by asking students to point to the visuals and accompanying captions—the illustration on pages 8-9, the photos on page 10, and the graph on page 11. Discuss the differences between illustrations and photos. Then encourage students to point out details they notice in each of the visual features.

step 2: next, move on to the text features, such as the headline and subtitle on page 9, the byline at the bottom of page 10, and the vocabulary words and orange subheadings throughout the article. as students point to the text features, ask them to describe what they notice in terms of type treatment. (For instance, are these features in bold, italics, or color?) Then challenge students to infer why these features may be treated differently than the rest of the text.

step 3: Read the article as a class. Pause to talk about what each of the visuals and text features adds to the piece. For instance, students might say the headline grabs their attention and tells what the piece is about. They might note the photo of the jaws on page 10 helps them understand just how big megalodon was.

assessmentstep 4: Give each student a copy of page T7, which asks students to identify these visuals and text features throughout the issue. allow students to browse through the rest of the magazine to look at the articles with a newfound understanding of these features.

differentiationTo help struggling readers, access a lower-lexile version of this story on Action’s website. a higher-lexile level is also available for more-advanced readers. Both versions contain the same visuals and text features for use with this lesson.

online extension Visit www.scholastic.com/actionmag to allow your students to play an interactive text-features game.

cOmmOn cOre lessOn plan #2

Visuals and text featuresuse with “The Biggest shark That ever lived,” pages 8 -11, and “Finding Features,” page T7

common core anchor standards for this lesson: Reading: 7, 10Speaking & listening: 1, 2

time allotment: one class period

objectiVe: Students will identify different types of visuals and text features and explain their purposes.





clickto

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PlaY a Game aT WWW.schOlasTic .cOm/acTiOnmag


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name: _______________________________

finding featureslook through this issue of Action magazine to find at least one example of each visual and text feature listed below. Write down the page number(s) on which you find each feature, and then explain its purpose. We did the first one for you.


MAGAZINE

spotlight skill: Visuals and Text Features

common core anchor standard: R.7

use With: “The Biggest Shark That ever lived,” p. 8

Feature page number purpose of This Feature

Graph 11

This bar graph compares the length of a megalodon, a whale shark, a great white shark, and a human.

headline

Subtitle

Photo

illustration

Caption

Subheading

Byline

map

Bold vocabulary words


cOmmOn cOre lessOn plan #3 themes in paired textsuse with “The War of the Worlds,” pages 12-16, “The day aliens attacked,” page 17, and “perfect pairs,” page T9

preparation• Photocopy page T9 from this Teacher’s Guide for each student.• optional: on your computer or interactive whiteboard, preload the video

about “The War of the Worlds,” which can be found at www.scholastic.com /actionmag.

procedureday 1 step 1: Preview the play “The War of the Worlds.” each issue of Action magazine contains a play, so take a moment to discuss the different features. in particular, talk about the characters list, the role of the narrator(s), and the scenes.

step 2: assign roles and read the play as a class. after reading, have students summarize the play’s events in a few sentences.

step 3: next, discuss the theme, or the main message that the author wants readers to understand about the world. Common themes can be summed up in one word, such as jealousy, friendship, or greed. have each student write down one word he or she believes best describes the theme of the play (for example, power, fear, or survival). invite students to share their ideas. You might choose to design a word cloud out of the themes, which can be made easily online at wordle.net. The words used most often will be displayed the largest in your cloud.

day 2 step 4: ask students to recall the play they read on the previous day. You might display your word cloud to jog students’ memories. Then read the paired text on page 17, “The Day aliens attacked.”

step 5: Discuss the different genre of this piece (a nonfiction article based on real events) and the conventions compared with the play (headline, subheadings, photos, paragraphs, etc.). Then circle back and talk about the theme of this piece. What does it have in common with the play? how is it different? To assist visual learners, you can repeat the word-cloud activity to compare and contrast the themes.

assessmentstep 6: have students complete page T9 to assess their understanding of how the play and article are similar and different.

online extension Visit www.scholastic.com/actionmag to watch a video about the 1938 broadcast. You can treat the video as a third “text” and discuss its theme as well.

common core anchor standards for this lesson: Reading: 2, 9, 10Speaking & listening: 1, 2

time allotment: Two class periods

objectiVe: Students will compare and contrast texts in different genres on the same topic.





WaTCh a ViDeo aT WWW.schOlasTic .cOm/acTiOnmag


name: _______________________________

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perfect pairsread “The War of the Worlds” and “The day aliens attacked” in this issue of Action magazine. study each text. Then fill in the chart below.


MAGAZINE

spotlight skill: Paired Texts

common core anchor standard: R.9

use With: “The War of the Worlds,” p. 12, and “The Day aliens attacked,” p. 17

“The War of the Worlds” “The day aliens attacked”

genre

summary

Theme

author’s purpose

(Why did the author likely

write the text?)


1. Which sentence best summarizes this article?A There are many types of sharks.B megalodon was a huge shark that

lived long ago.C megalodon’s teeth were 7

inches long. D Scientists recently found a

megalodon jawbone.

2. The author shows you how large megalodon was by comparing its size to that of a . A school busB skyscraperC tractor-trailerD Tyrannosaurus rex

3. have helped scientists figure out how big megalodon was. A megalodon bonesB Whale bonesC megalodon teethD Cave drawings

4. Before 1611, when people found megalodon teeth, many thought the teeth came from . A dragonsB elephants C giantsD whales

5. Which statement is supported by the text?A megalodon became extinct about

100,000 years ago.B only a few humans have seen a

live megalodon.C megalodon’s bite was stronger

than a Tyrannosaurus rex’s. D The prefix mega means “sharp.”

6. What do the first and last paragraphs of the article have in common?A They’re about sharks.B They’re about whales.C They’re the two shortest paragraphs

in the article.D They include quotes from experts.

7. The author starts the article with a scene in which megalodon kills a whale. What facts about the shark does this scene help you understand?

8. go back and look at question no. 3 of this quiz. choice d can’t be the right answer. Why not?

name: _______________________________

test your knowledgeanswer these questions about “The Biggest shark That ever lived.” Fill in the bubble next to the best answer for each question.


MAGAZINE

spotlight skill: Reading-Comprehension Test Prep

common core anchor standards: R.1, R.2, R.6, W.9, l.3

use With: “The Biggest Shark That ever lived,” p. 8

vol. 38, no. 1 • issn 0163-3570 teacher’s guide€¦ · on page 9, the byline at the bottom of...

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