Introducing Planet Earth

Build Background

Write the word Earth on the board. Ask students to think about what they know about our planet.
Show students a globe and ask them to tell what they know about Earth. Ask if they know the names of the continents, how day and night occur, and how we experience four different seasons. Encourage them to share their knowledge.

Preview the Book

Introduce the Book

Give students their book. Guide them to the front and back covers of the book and read the title. Have students discuss what they see on the covers. Encourage them to offer ideas as to what kind of book this is and what it might be about.
Show students the title page. Discuss the information on the page (title of book, author's name, illustrator's name).

Introduce the Reading Strategy: Connect to prior knowledge

Explain that good readers use what they already know about a topic to understand and remember new information as they read a nonfiction book.
Model connecting to prior knowledge using the information on the covers.
Think-aloud: On the back cover I see a dashed line around the middle of the planet. I know this is called the equator and that it is very hot along this area.
Have students preview the covers of the book. Ask them to make connections to prior knowledge and to discuss the illustrations on the pages. Ask open-ended questions to facilitate the discussion: Why are some places hot and some are cold? What types of animals live on Earth and where are they found? What else do you see and why is it important to a book about Earth?
As students read, encourage them to use other reading strategies in addition to the targeted strategy presented in this section. For tips on additional reading strategies, click here.

Introduce the Comprehension Skill: Main idea and details

Explain that every book has a big idea that is the most important idea of the book. Review or explain that the main idea is often the title of the book. Have students take another look at the book covers. Ask them to predict the main idea of the book.
Explain that each page gives supporting details that tell the reader more about the book's main topic (understanding Earth).
Model using the glossary to infer supporting details in the text.
Think-aloud: When I look at the glossary, I see that equator is listed. I already know that the equator is important for understanding Earth's hemispheres, so this might be a supporting detail in the book. As I read, I will pause after a few pages to review in my mind the important details. This strategy will help me make sure I understand what I'm reading. I know that good readers do this when they read, so I am going to look for supporting details as I read this book.
Have students turn to the glossary and list some of the supporting details about Earth (latitude, longitude, and so on).

Introduce the Vocabulary

Introduce the following words from the content vocabulary: Antarctica, continents, equator, latitude, longitude, North and South Poles, rotating, and tilted. Draw a large circle on the board and label it Earth.
Have a volunteer draw a horizontal line across the middle of the Earth. Ask students what the line is called and how it is important (equator; it separates Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres).
Review that the glossary contains a list of vocabulary words, along with their definitions and the page number on which each words is first used. Have students turn to the glossary, and ask a volunteer to read aloud the definition for equator, confirming what was just demonstrated with the drawing.
Remind students that they should check whether words make sense by rereading the sentences in which they occur. Have students follow along as you read the last paragraph on page 8 to confirm the meaning of equator.
Draw the remaining words on Earth, on at a time. Discuss each word with students. Use the glossary and the sentences in the book to provide further understanding of each word.
Have students preview the rest of the book.
For additional tips on teaching word-attack strategies, click here.

Set the Purpose

Have the students think about what they already know about the topic as they read the book to identify important details about Earth.

During Reading

Student Reading

Guide the reading: Have students read to the end of page 8. Remind them to look for details in the book that provide more information about Earth. Encourage students who finish before everyone else to go back and reread.
When they have finished reading, have students share details they have identified so far.
Model making connections to prior knowledge.
Think-aloud: When I read about how Earth has everything living things need to stay alive, it made me remember what I know about living things on Earth. I know that living things cannot live without air, water, food, and shelter.
Ask students to explain whether life would be possible on another planet, such as Pluto or Mercury. Encourage them to share their opinions about things living on Pluto without sunlight or Mercury without water.
Invite students to read the rest of the book. Have them continue connecting to what they already know as they read the details about Earth. Remind them to think about what they already know about Earth as they read.
Check for understanding: Check for students' understanding by asking questions during the reading, such as: What do you know about the poles? How are they different? Is this information important for understanding Earth?

Have students make a question mark in their book beside any word they do not understand or cannot pronounce. Encourage them to use the strategies they have learned to read the words and figure out their meanings.

After Reading

Reflect on the Reading Strategy

Ask students what words, if any, they marked in their book. Use this opportunity to model how they can read these words using decoding strategies and context clues.
Discuss how making connections between information they read and what they already know about the topic keep them actively involved and help them remember what they have read.
Think-aloud: When I read page 12, I thought about the four seasons in a year. I thought about how some seasons are colder than others. I know that connecting with what I already knew about the subject kept me actively involved in the reading. This helped me to understand and remember the new information. I know that I will remember more about Earth because I used this strategy while I read.
Have students share examples of how they connected to prior knowledge to understand the information in the book.

Reflect on the Comprehension Skill

Discussion: Discuss how stopping to review and the important details helped students remember the facts and better understand the information. Ask them to use the important details they identified to confirm or refine the main idea.
Have students reread page 12 and look for supporting details about the main idea. Write the details on the board (tilted toward the sun part of the year and away from the sun for the other part of the year, and so on). Ask students how this information supports the main idea (the facts are all important to understanding Earth).
Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the main idea and details worksheet. When everyone has finished working independently, review answers aloud.
Extend the discussion: Have students reread page 14. Invite them to discuss how life on Earth might be different if such things as rotation and tilt no longer applied.

Build Skills

Grammar and Mechanics: Plural nouns -s and -es

Show students a pencil. Have a student identify the object. Write the word pencil on the board. Have a volunteer identify to which part of speech this word belongs (nouns).
Show students two pencils. Have a student identify the objects. Write the word pencils on the board. Ask students how the meaning of the word pencil changed (the -s ending on pencils means more than one pencil). Explain that pencils is a plural noun.
Write the following nouns on the board and ask students to provide the plural form for each by adding -s: season, ocean, continent, year. Write the plural form of each word on the board as students provide answers (seasons, oceans, continents, years).
Write the nouns branch, branches, bush, and bushes on the board. Have students explain how the first word in each pair was changed to make the other word (-es was added). Explain that the plural form of these nouns is created by adding -es. Write -s, -sh, -ch, -x, and -z on the board and explain that words with these endings are made plural by adding -es.

Check for understanding: Have students turn to page 5 and underline all of the plural nouns (oceans, pieces, continents, lakes, rivers, plants, animals). Then have them turn to page 4 and locate all the singular nouns. Have them write the plural form above each word.

Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the plural nouns worksheet.

Word Work: Compound words

Review or explain that when two short words are combined to form a new word, the new word is called a compound word.
Write the word daylight on the board. Ask students which two words they see in daylight (day and light). Explain that this word is called a compound word. A compound word has two parts that make up one word meaning.
Have students turn to page 12 in the book. Read the following sentence: As I travel around the sun during my yearlong trip, I stay in my tilt. Have students identify the compound word (yearlong). Ask students to identify the two separate words that make up the compound word (year and long). Explain that the definitions of the two separate words can help students figure out the meaning of the bigger word (a span of time that is a year in length).
Have students turn to page 9. Read the first sentence aloud while students follow along. Ask them to locate a compound word (sunlight) identify the two separate words that make up this compound word (sun and light). Discuss the definitions of each word, using the smaller words to figure out the meaning of the compound word.
Check for understanding: Have students look for compound words on pages 12 through 14 (yearlong, sometimes, halfway, sunlight, nighttime, daytime). Have them discuss the meaning of each word. Ask students to name other compound words they know. List these words on the board.
Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the compound words worksheet. Discuss their answers aloud once everyone has finished working independently.

Build Fluency

Independent Reading

Allow students to read their book independently or with a partner. Encourage repeated timed readings of a specific section of the book.

Home Connection

Give students their book to take home to read with parents, caregivers, siblings, or friends. Have students discuss prior knowledge about Earth with someone at home as they read the story.

Extend the Reading

Writing and Art Connection
Have students write an opinion paper to explain why Earth best supports life for humans. Encourage them to use the facts in the book to support their ideas. If time allows, invite them to illustrate their papers.

Science Connection
Have students research another planet in our solar system. Have them identify such information as the planet's temperature, amount of rainfall, what the land is like, and so on. Facilitate a discussion to compare and contrast the living conditions on Earth versus the other planets in our solar system. Discuss the importance of respecting Earth's environment.

Assessment

Monitor students to determine if they can:

use the reading strategy of making connections to prior knowledge
identify the main idea and supporting details to better understand the text through discussion and on a worksheet
identify and create plural nouns with -s and -es endings during discussion and on a worksheet
understand and form compound words during discussion and on a worksheet

Comprehension Checks

Go to "Introducing Planet Earth" main page


Introducing Planet Earth Level L About the Book Text Type: Nonfiction/Informational Page Count: 16 Word Count: 506 Book Summary Introducing Planet Earth provides a basic introduction to facts pertaining to Earth, including how Earth supports life, how the seasons occur, and how day becomes night. Physical attributes are defined, such as continents, equator, latitude, longitude, and axis tilt. Illustrations support the text. About the Lesson Targeted Reading Strategy Connect to prior knowledge Objectives Use the reading strategy of connecting to prior knowledge to understand text Identify the main idea and supporting details Understand plural nouns with -s and -es endings Identify and form compound words Materials Book -- Introducing Planet Earth (copy for each student) Chalkboard or dry erase board Main idea and details, plural nouns, compound words worksheets Indicates an opportunity for student to mark in the book. (All activities may be completed with paper and pencil if books are reusable.) Vocabulary Content words: Antarctica, continents, creatures, depend, equator, introducing, latitude, longitude, Mercury, North and South Poles, Pluto, rotating, seasons, solar system, tilted, unevenly Before Reading Build Background Write the word Earth on the board. Ask students to think about what they know about our planet. Show students a globe and ask them to tell what they know about Earth. Ask if they know the names of the continents, how day and night occur, and how we experience four different seasons. Encourage them to share their knowledge. Preview the Book Introduce the Book Give students their book. Guide them to the front and back covers of the book and read the title. Have students discuss what they see on the covers. Encourage them to offer ideas as to what kind of book this is and what it might be about. Show students the title page. Discuss the information on the page (title of book, author's name, illustrator's name). Introduce the Reading Strategy: Connect to prior knowledge Explain that good readers use what they already know about a topic to understand and remember new information as they read a nonfiction book. Model connecting to prior knowledge using the information on the covers. Think-aloud: On the back cover I see a dashed line around the middle of the planet. I know this is called the equator and that it is very hot along this area. Have students preview the covers of the book. Ask them to make connections to prior knowledge and to discuss the illustrations on the pages. Ask open-ended questions to facilitate the discussion: Why are some places hot and some are cold? What types of animals live on Earth and where are they found? What else do you see and why is it important to a book about Earth? As students read, encourage them to use other reading strategies in addition to the targeted strategy presented in this section. For tips on additional reading strategies, click here. Introduce the Comprehension Skill: Main idea and details Explain that every book has a big idea that is the most important idea of the book. Review or explain that the main idea is often the title of the book. Have students take another look at the book covers. Ask them to predict the main idea of the book. Explain that each page gives supporting details that tell the reader more about the book's main topic (understanding Earth). Model using the glossary to infer supporting details in the text. Think-aloud: When I look at the glossary, I see that equator is listed. I already know that the equator is important for understanding Earth's hemispheres, so this might be a supporting detail in the book. As I read, I will pause after a few pages to review in my mind the important details. This strategy will help me make sure I understand what I'm reading. I know that good readers do this when they read, so I am going to look for supporting details as I read this book. Have students turn to the glossary and list some of the supporting details about Earth (latitude, longitude, and so on). Introduce the Vocabulary Introduce the following words from the content vocabulary: Antarctica, continents, equator, latitude, longitude, North and South Poles, rotating, and tilted. Draw a large circle on the board and label it Earth. Have a volunteer draw a horizontal line across the middle of the Earth. Ask students what the line is called and how it is important (equator; it separates Earth into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres). Review that the glossary contains a list of vocabulary words, along with their definitions and the page number on which each words is first used. Have students turn to the glossary, and ask a volunteer to read aloud the definition for equator, confirming what was just demonstrated with the drawing. Remind students that they should check whether words make sense by rereading the sentences in which they occur. Have students follow along as you read the last paragraph on page 8 to confirm the meaning of equator. Draw the remaining words on Earth, on at a time. Discuss each word with students. Use the glossary and the sentences in the book to provide further understanding of each word. Have students preview the rest of the book. For additional tips on teaching word-attack strategies, click here. Set the Purpose Have the students think about what they already know about the topic as they read the book to identify important details about Earth. During Reading Student Reading Guide the reading: Have students read to the end of page 8. Remind them to look for details in the book that provide more information about Earth. Encourage students who finish before everyone else to go back and reread. When they have finished reading, have students share details they have identified so far. Model making connections to prior knowledge. Think-aloud: When I read about how Earth has everything living things need to stay alive, it made me remember what I know about living things on Earth. I know that living things cannot live without air, water, food, and shelter. Ask students to explain whether life would be possible on another planet, such as Pluto or Mercury. Encourage them to share their opinions about things living on Pluto without sunlight or Mercury without water. Invite students to read the rest of the book. Have them continue connecting to what they already know as they read the details about Earth. Remind them to think about what they already know about Earth as they read. Check for understanding: Check for students' understanding by asking questions during the reading, such as: What do you know about the poles? How are they different? Is this information important for understanding Earth? Have students make a question mark in their book beside any word they do not understand or cannot pronounce. Encourage them to use the strategies they have learned to read the words and figure out their meanings. After Reading Reflect on the Reading Strategy Ask students what words, if any, they marked in their book. Use this opportunity to model how they can read these words using decoding strategies and context clues. Discuss how making connections between information they read and what they already know about the topic keep them actively involved and help them remember what they have read. Think-aloud: When I read page 12, I thought about the four seasons in a year. I thought about how some seasons are colder than others. I know that connecting with what I already knew about the subject kept me actively involved in the reading. This helped me to understand and remember the new information. I know that I will remember more about Earth because I used this strategy while I read. Have students share examples of how they connected to prior knowledge to understand the information in the book. Reflect on the Comprehension Skill Discussion: Discuss how stopping to review and the important details helped students remember the facts and better understand the information. Ask them to use the important details they identified to confirm or refine the main idea. Have students reread page 12 and look for supporting details about the main idea. Write the details on the board (tilted toward the sun part of the year and away from the sun for the other part of the year, and so on). Ask students how this information supports the main idea (the facts are all important to understanding Earth). Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the main idea and details worksheet. When everyone has finished working independently, review answers aloud. Extend the discussion: Have students reread page 14. Invite them to discuss how life on Earth might be different if such things as rotation and tilt no longer applied. Build Skills Grammar and Mechanics: Plural nouns -s and -es Show students a pencil. Have a student identify the object. Write the word pencil on the board. Have a volunteer identify to which part of speech this word belongs (nouns). Show students two pencils. Have a student identify the objects. Write the word pencils on the board. Ask students how the meaning of the word pencil changed (the -s ending on pencils means more than one pencil). Explain that pencils is a plural noun. Write the following nouns on the board and ask students to provide the plural form for each by adding -s: season, ocean, continent, year. Write the plural form of each word on the board as students provide answers (seasons, oceans, continents, years). Write the nouns branch, branches, bush, and bushes on the board. Have students explain how the first word in each pair was changed to make the other word (-es was added). Explain that the plural form of these nouns is created by adding -es. Write -s, -sh, -ch, -x, and -z on the board and explain that words with these endings are made plural by adding -es. Check for understanding: Have students turn to page 5 and underline all of the plural nouns (oceans, pieces, continents, lakes, rivers, plants, animals). Then have them turn to page 4 and locate all the singular nouns. Have them write the plural form above each word. Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the plural nouns worksheet. Word Work: Compound words Review or explain that when two short words are combined to form a new word, the new word is called a compound word. Write the word daylight on the board. Ask students which two words they see in daylight (day and light). Explain that this word is called a compound word. A compound word has two parts that make up one word meaning. Have students turn to page 12 in the book. Read the following sentence: As I travel around the sun during my yearlong trip, I stay in my tilt. Have students identify the compound word (yearlong). Ask students to identify the two separate words that make up the compound word (year and long). Explain that the definitions of the two separate words can help students figure out the meaning of the bigger word (a span of time that is a year in length). Have students turn to page 9. Read the first sentence aloud while students follow along. Ask them to locate a compound word (sunlight) identify the two separate words that make up this compound word (sun and light). Discuss the definitions of each word, using the smaller words to figure out the meaning of the compound word. Check for understanding: Have students look for compound words on pages 12 through 14 (yearlong, sometimes, halfway, sunlight, nighttime, daytime). Have them discuss the meaning of each word. Ask students to name other compound words they know. List these words on the board. Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the compound words worksheet. Discuss their answers aloud once everyone has finished working independently. Build Fluency Independent Reading Allow students to read their book independently or with a partner. Encourage repeated timed readings of a specific section of the book. Home Connection Give students their book to take home to read with parents, caregivers, siblings, or friends. Have students discuss prior knowledge about Earth with someone at home as they read the story. Extend the Reading Writing and Art Connection Have students write an opinion paper to explain why Earth best supports life for humans. Encourage them to use the facts in the book to support their ideas. If time allows, invite them to illustrate their papers. Science Connection Have students research another planet in our solar system. Have them identify such information as the planet's temperature, amount of rainfall, what the land is like, and so on. Facilitate a discussion to compare and contrast the living conditions on Earth versus the other planets in our solar system. Discuss the importance of respecting Earth's environment. Assessment Monitor students to determine if they can: use the reading strategy of making connections to prior knowledge identify the main idea and supporting details to better understand the text through discussion and on a worksheet identify and create plural nouns with -s and -es endings during discussion and on a worksheet understand and form compound words during discussion and on a worksheet Comprehension Checks Book Quiz Retelling Rubric Go to "Introducing Planet Earth" main page
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