Reading Level
W

Word Count:
1678

Pages:
22

Text Summary
Desert People is an informational text about various peoples who live in the desert. It focuses mostly on the Tohono O'odham (a Native American tribe) and the Bedouins, but also talks briefly about other desert peoples. Desert People discusses many important aspects of desert life, from diet to shelter to daily routines. Students will learn about some of the traditions and customs of these fascinating peoples.

Vocabulary
Content Words
drought
dung
millennia
nomadic
oasis
precipitation
ramada
resources
sturdy
vegetation

Reproducibles
Worksheets
Worksheet 1-compare and contrast the Tohono O'odham and Bedouin people
Worksheet 2-word endings, compound words

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: Comparing and contrasting information.

Word Work

Word endings
Change words by adding different word endings.

Compound words
Identify compound words and list the two words that make up each word.

Visual Literacy
Read and interpret a map.
Read and interpret a table.  

Before Reading

Introduce
Before handing out the book introduce it by showing the front cover.

Ask: What do you see on the cover? What do you think the book will be about?

Hand out the books and ask students to turn to and read the contents page.

Ask: What other information does this give us about what might be in the book?

Elicit Prior Knowledge and Build Background
Discuss with students what they already know about people who live in the desert.

Ask: What do you know about people who live in the desert? Have students turn to the glossary on page 18. Say: Please read the words on this page. Ask: Are there any words you do not know how to pronounce? Are there any words you do not know?

Skim and Scan
Have students turn to the contents page again.

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 the Bedouin people? What page does that chapter start on?

During Reading

Set the Purpose
Introduce Worksheet 1.

Explain that the worksheet compares the different tribes featured in the book. Ask students to look for interesting points about the people in the book. This provides students with a focus in their reading, increasing comprehension and retention.

Hand out the worksheet. Explain to children what the worksheet requires them to do. Say: You will need to read the text Desert People and then 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 at 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.

Ask students to restate facts and details in their own words.

Ask: What do Tohono O'odham and Bedouin mean in English?

Ask: What desert does each of the groups live in?

Ask: What wild foods did they eat?

Ask: What fruit and vegetables did they grow?

Ask: What kinds of animals did they hunt?

Ask: Where did they find water?

Ask: Were they nomadic?

Ask: Where did they sleep?

Ask: Are there any other things of interest about either of the groups?

Word Work
Compound words
Explain to students that many compound words are made up of two words that are joined together If necessary, explain the difference between a compound word and a contradiction (for example, cannot versus can't).

Use the following example from the story: daytime, page 5.

Say: This word is made up of two words, day and time. It is called a compound word.

Ask: Can you find any other compound words in the story?

Write these onto a chart as students find them. Discuss what two words have been joined to form the compound word.

Ask: What two words have been used to make the new word?

Have students think of other compound words, and list them on a chart.

Ask: Can you think of any other compound words?

Add these to the chart.

Word endings
Explain to students that the meaning of words can change by adding a different ending.

Use the following word from the story: rolling, page 5.

Start with the base word roll.

Discuss how the words could be used in a sentence with these different endings:
s
ed
er
ing

Ask: Can you find other words in the story that can be changed by adding different endings? Can you put them into a sentence?

Introduce the second worksheet. Explain to students that it is related to the work just covered on word endings and compound words. 

Learning through Visual Devices
Read and Interpret a Map.
Put the map of the world onto the overhead. Explain to students that there are features of maps that make them easier to read and get information from. They might include the following:

Title - Tells what the map is about.

Legend or key - Shows what particular markings on the map stand for.

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?

Read and Interpret a Table
Point out the table of World Desert Comparison in the text. Explain to students that there are features of tables that make them easier to read and get information from. They might include the following:

Title: Tells what the table is about.

Columns: The areas that run down the table.

Rows: the areas that run across the table.

Each row or column will usually have a heading.

Information is contained within the table where the columns and rows meet.

Ask: Using the features we have talked about, what information can you see in this table?

Writing Link
Have students think about the information in the story.

Choose one of the desert peoples and write a story about his or her typical day.  

Assessment

• Review students' completed comprehension worksheet in order to assess whether they understood the reading.
• Have students write sentences or paragraphs using selected words from the vocabulary list, or word work examples from the lesson, in order to demonstrate their understanding of word meaning.
• Assess students' knowledge of word endings and compound words.