Before Reading

Lesson Plans for WONDERS OF NATURE level J

Before Reading

Introducing the Book
Introduce the book by showing children the front and back cover, and the title page.
Ask: What do you notice on the covers of this book? What predictions do you have regarding what this book may be about?
Say: Look at the animals on the covers. What might that tell you about what the book will be about?

Building Background
Talk to children about the idea of camouflage in nature. Explain that the job of all animals is to do their best to stay alive, and that many animals accomplish this by blending into their surroundings so that they are invisible to predators. Animals use various other strategies to survive as well. Explain to children that every animal on the planet has a special niche that it occupies. Explain that a niche is a way of making a living—a way of hunting, hiding, nesting, and so on—that is unique to that kind of animal. The animals in Wonders of Nature are examples of very specialized niches that these animals have developed in order to have a unique place in the world and stay alive.

Book Walk
Prior to the model reading, you may want to go through a few pages of the book with children, pointing out the pictures and the names of the animals, which are in boldface. Have children repeat the animal names after you, and ask children to share what they know about each.

Reading Strategies
Remind children to use any or all of the following strategies to help them in their reading:

Break down words you come across that are difficult for you.
Listen to what you are reading and ask yourself if what you have just read made sense.
Reread any page that you had difficulty on, to make sure that you understood the text.

After asking children questions about what strategies they use to help them read, you may want to act as a role model to show them how it might look or sound as they are reading. By pretending to be a new reader, you show them what they can do when they get stuck. Pretend to read and have trouble on a word. Show some strategies, such as looking at the pictures, breaking up the words and/or sounds within the words, skipping the word and going back, and rereading to make sure it makes sense.

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