Discuss the point of view of the author and students' own points of view on the question.
Ask: What does the author think about who discovered America? What is your idea on this question? 

Discuss what students learned about the Maya, Inca, and Anasazi.
Ask: What did you learn about these cultures? How are these cultures alike? How are they different?  

Word Work

Compound Words
Explain that a compound word is a word made up of two smaller words. Explain that there are three types of compound words: open which consist of two words not joined together but that stand for one thing (firedrill), closed which consist of two words joined together (houseboat), hyphenated where two words are joined by a hyphen (high-rise). Point out that when you divide compound words into their parts, the two smaller words must make sense on their own. 

Write these compound words from the book on the board: something, ten-story, rainforest, sandstone, southeast, network, mountainside, four-day, outside, himself. Have volunteers circle the smaller words within the compounds. Talk about how the words that make up a compound word can help them determine the meaning of the compound word. 

Suffixes
Explain that a suffix is a letter, or group of letters, that are added to the end of a root word which changes the meaning of the root word. Write the word irrigation on the board. Circle the suffix –ion and explain that this suffix refers to the act or process of something. Write the word irrigate on the board and ensure students understand its meaning. Explain that when we add the suffix –ion to the word irrigate, we need to drop the final e. We change the word from a verb to a noun. 

Repeat with the word suspension from the text, this time having students find the root word, add the suffix –sion (a variation of –ion), and explaining the meaning of the root word and the new word. 

Give students Worksheet 2. Have them create new words by adding –ion to the root words on the worksheet. Have them use each new word in a sentence. 

Learning Through Visual Devices
Have students look at the maps on pages 4, 8, 10, and 13 and explain what they represent. Ask them why these are included in the text and how they help the reader understand the topic. 

Refer to the sidebars: pages 4, 9, 12, and 15. Ask students what information they can learn from reading these sidebars. Review the purpose of the sidebar and talk about why the information is placed outside the main text. 

Help students read the sidebar on page 16. 

Writing Link
Have students write expressing their point of view on a topic.

• Help them decide on a familiar topic, for example, whether students should be allowed to watch television on school nights, whether helmets should be mandatory when riding bikes, whether dogs should be allowed to roam freely without being on a leash, etc.
• Have them use the book as a model. They should set out their question, describe different points of view on the question, provide some information on the topic to support their point of view, and then come to a conclusion. 

Assessment

• Review students' semantic webs to assess whether they understand the author's purpose and point of view. Note whether they can state their own point of view and provide reasons to support it. Use the writing activity to further assess their ability to state point of view and provide support for it.
• Review students' completed vocabulary worksheets to assess whether they can create new words by adding suffixes. Note whether they understand how the meaning of the word changes when a suffix is added.