Reading Level:
U

Word Count:
2170

Pages:
18  

Text Summary
The Amazing Amazon is a factual text about the Amazon rainforest. This book looks at the different layers of the rainforest and what might be found at each level. Humorous "interviews" scattered throughout the text provide information about animals that live at each level. Readers are also educated about the important role of the rainforest in our global ecosystem.

Vocabulary
epiphyte
foliage
fungus
peccary
piranha
prehensile
resident
species
talon
unsuspecting
volume

Reproducible Worksheets
Worksheet 1 - Putting It All Together
Worksheet 2 - Parts of speech, Homophones

Lesson Objectives

Comprehension

• You will likely address a number of comprehension skills as students work to understand the text. The targeted comprehension strategy for this lesson is: Interpreting information from diagrams and maps.

Word Work

Parts of Speech
Identify and use nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs.

Homophones
Identify and use homophones.

Visual Literacy
Read and interpret maps.
Read and interpret visual diagrams.

Before Reading

Elicit Prior Knowledge and Build Background
Make a mind map around the word rainforest.
Ask students to suggest everything they know about rainforests.
Write all of their suggestions around the title and discuss them. You might talk about the destruction of the rainforests for logging, farming, and land development that students may not be familiar with.

Skim and Scan
Have students turn to the contents page. Tell them that a contents page shows where they might find information on a particular subject within the book.
Ask: In what chapter might you find information on Crazy Canopy?
Ask: What page does that chapter start on?

Have students find the word epiphyte on page 10.
Ask: Where might we find the meaning of this word?
Have students find the glossary by looking up the page number in the contents page.
Have them find the word and read the meaning from the glossary.
Have students read through the rest of the words and meanings in the glossary.
Ask: Are there any words here you are unsure of?
Discuss any words that students bring up.

Introducing the Book
Before handing out the book, introduce it by showing the front cover.
Ask: What does this tell you about the book?
Turn the book over to the back cover.
Ask: What other information does this give us about the book?
Add any new information to the mind map made during Eliciting Prior Knowledge.

During Reading

Student Reading
Introduce the worksheet. Explain to students what the worksheet requires them to do.
Say: You will need to read the text "The Amazing Amazon" and fill in the spaces on this worksheet.
It may be easier to read a chapter and fill in the area relating to that chapter as you go.
Hand out the books and have students read quietly a their own pace.

After Reading

Building Comprehension
Refer to the questions of each section of the worksheet. Ask students to share their summaries of each section.
Have them restate facts and details in their own words.
Ask: What is the name of the top layer of the rainforest? What animals or insects would you find here? What is the name of the second layer of the rainforest? What animals or insects would you find here? What is the name of the third layer of the rainforest? What animals or insects would you find here? What is the name of the bottom layer of the rainforest? What animals or insects would you find here? Is there anything else you would like to share that you found interesting in the book?

Word Work
Parts of Speech
Nouns
Explain to students that nouns are naming words. Use the following example from the "monkey" story (page 4).
Ask: Can you find any other nouns in the story?

Adjectives
Explain to students that an adjective helps describe the noun. Use the following example from the story
"little, brown (adjectives) monkey" (noun) on page 4.
Ask: Can you find any other adjectives in the story?

Verbs
Explain to students that verbs are action words. Use the following example from the story "walks" on page 4.
Ask: Can you find any other verbs in the story?

Adverbs
Explain to students that adverbs help describe the verb. Use the example from the story "quietly."
Ask: What words could the author have used to help describe walks?

Homophones
Explain to students that homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings.
Use the following example form the story "here, hear" on page 6.
Ask: Can anyone think of another way of spelling this word that has a different meaning?
Can you use the different spelling in sentences to explain their different meanings?
Can anyone think of other words that are homophones?
Make a list of all of the words with their meanings beside them.

Introduce the second worksheet
Explain to students that the worksheet is related to the work covered on parts of speech and homophones.

Learning through Visual Devices
Read and interpret a map.
Point out the map of the rainforests around the world.
Explain to students there are features of maps that make them easier to read and get information from.
These features might include:
Title - tells what the map is about.
Labels - identify different parts of the map.
Legend - identifies symbols on the map.
Using these features, ask students to suggest information they can see in the map.
Ask: Using the features we have talked about. What information can you see in this map?

Point out the second map of the Amazon rainforest.
Ask: Using the features we have talked about, what information can you see in this map?

Point out the visual of the layers of the rainforest. Explain to students there are features of diagrams that make them easier to read. These features might include:
Title - tells what the map is about.
Headings - highlight different parts of the visual.
Labels - identify different parts of the map.
Visuals - illustrations of the subject.
Using these features, ask students to suggest information they can see in the visual.

Writing Link
Have students choose one animal or insect from the story to research further. They may need to visit the library or use the Internet.

Assessment
Monitor students' responses in the Comprehending Text section to assess how well they understand the text.
Monitor reading to see if they are using the effective reading strategies. Assess students' knowledge of parts of speech and homophones.