After Reading

Lesson Plans for GREAT CITY FIRES Level Z

After Reading

Comprehending the Text
Reflect on Reading Purpose
Ask students to consult their notes and decide which fire they believe was the most destructive. The group will probably debate which fire was the worst, as some fires had great loss of life, while others destroyed more property, and still others have incomplete data. Allow students to justify their opinions through constructive debate.
Say: [Student's name] explained why [he/she] thought the fire of Chicago was the most destructive. But [other student's name] also had some good points about the destruction caused by the London fire. Sometimes, when there are many ways to judge something, different people can come to different conclusions. It is important to list the reasons behind your opinion, and it is also important to listen to other people's reasons for their opinions.

Targeted Comprehension Strategy
Give students worksheet 1 and explain that you want them to compare and contrast the three fires on the provided chart. Under each fire, they should list two facts that were different from the other fires. In the bottom column, they will list four things that were the same in all fires.

Word Work
Word Origins
Have students read the feature box on page 8. Discuss the purpose of a feature box. Explain that many words in English come from other countries, especially countries that conquered England at one time. Anglo Saxon words, which tend to be shorter, and more familiar, came from the Saxons, who were of German origin. The French Normans gave many English words a French flavor. Many longer, official-sounding words come from Latin. Tell students that the Romans, who spoke Latin, had an empire that stretched all the way to England, and that the early Christian church conducted all of its services in Latin. Other words, especially scientific words, come from Greek. Have students work in pairs, using a dictionary to research words from the text. Explain that words in many European languages, including French, Spanish, English, and German, overlap. They all also borrow heavily from the "Classical" languages of Greek and Latin.

Grammar
Select a sentence from the book, for example, "A fire hook, a long pole, could have pulled building material out of the fire's path to make a firebreak." Guide students through the process of identifying the subject, predicate, object, and any subordinate phrases.
Say and ask: The major noun in a sentence, the thing that performs the action, is called the subject. "A fire hook" is the subject of this sentence. The major verb, or the action performed by the subject, is called the predicate. What did the fire hook do in this sentence? This sentence has some helping verbs in its predicate. The fire hook "could have pulled." The object is what the subject acts upon. In order to find the object, ask yourself, what or whom did the subject do the predicate to? What could the fire hook have pulled? "Building material." Often, sentences have other parts that are not quite as important to the meaning. These are called subordinate phrases. Subordinate means "lower than." Subordinate phrases might have a noun and a verb in them, but you can tell they are subordinate by reading them separately from the sentence. Subordinate phrases do not stand by themselves, but the sentence can stand without the subordinate phrase. Subordinate phrases usually tell where, when, why, how, and for what purpose. Can you find any phrases that answer these questions? "Out of the fire's path" tells us where the action could happen. "To make a firebreak" tells us for what purpose.

Give students worksheet 2. Have students write the appropriate parts of the sentences under the headings. You may wish to model one or two examples before students begin to work independently.

Visual Learning
Have students turn to the fire-safety tips near the end of the text. Explain that the dots at the front of the list are called bullets. They are used to set off a list of items that are of about equal importance, and therefore would not be as accurately listed with numbers. Ask students how they can tell the end of one list and the start of another.

Writing Connection
Have students select one of the fires and write an imaginary personal recount by a witness. Remind them that personal recounts use the first-person pronouns I, me, and we. Students should also keep track of the sequence of their story and include time words such as first, then, later, after, meanwhile, etc.

Reading Independently
Invite students to reread Great City Fires on their own. They can also bring the book home to read with family members. Invite students to share their Writing Connection recounts at home as well.

Assessment

Monitor students' responses in the Comprehending the Text section to assess how well they understood the text.
Check completed compare/contrast charts to see if students can accurately compare and contrast similar, but separate, historical events. Carefully note students' discussions during the debate of which fire was the most destructive. Assess their listening skills and encourage thoughtful debate.
Check students' completed worksheet 2 to assess their understanding of the parts of a sentence.

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Targeted Comprehension Strategy
Give students worksheet 1 and explain that you want them to compare and contrast the three fires on the provided chart. Under each fire, they should list two facts that were different from the other fires. In the bottom column, they will list four things that were the same in all fires.

Word Work
Word Origins
Have students read the feature box on page 8. Discuss the purpose of a feature box. Explain that many words in English come from other countries, especially countries that conquered England at one time. Anglo Saxon words, which tend to be shorter, and more familiar, came from the Saxons, who were of German origin. The French Normans gave many English words a French flavor. Many longer, official-sounding words come from Latin. Tell students that the Romans, who spoke Latin, had an empire that stretched all the way to England, and that the early Christian church conducted all of its services in Latin. Other words, especially scientific words, come from Greek. Have students work in pairs, using a dictionary to research words from the text. Explain that words in many European languages, including French, Spanish, English, and German, overlap. They all also borrow heavily from the "Classical" languages of Greek and Latin.

Grammar
Select a sentence from the book, for example, "A fire hook, a long pole, could have pulled building material out of the fire's path to make a firebreak." Guide students through the process of identifying the subject, predicate, object, and any subordinate phrases.
Say and ask: The major noun in a sentence, the thing that performs the action, is called the subject. "A fire hook" is the subject of this sentence. The major verb, or the action performed by the subject, is called the predicate. What did the fire hook do in this sentence? This sentence has some helping verbs in its predicate. The fire hook "could have pulled." The object is what the subject acts upon. In order to find the object, ask yourself, what or whom did the subject do the predicate to? What could the fire hook have pulled? "Building material." Often, sentences have other parts that are not quite as important to the meaning. These are called subordinate phrases. Subordinate means "lower than." Subordinate phrases might have a noun and a verb in them, but you can tell they are subordinate by reading them separately from the sentence. Subordinate phrases do not stand by themselves, but the sentence can stand without the subordinate phrase. Subordinate phrases usually tell where, when, why, how, and for what purpose. Can you find any phrases that answer these questions? "Out of the fire's path" tells us where the action could happen. "To make a firebreak" tells us for what purpose.

Give students worksheet 2. Have students write the appropriate parts of the sentences under the headings. You may wish to model one or two examples before students begin to work independently.

Visual Learning
Have students turn to the fire-safety tips near the end of the text. Explain that the dots at the front of the list are called bullets. They are used to set off a list of items that are of about equal importance, and therefore would not be as accurately listed with numbers. Ask students how they can tell the end of one list and the start of another.

Writing Connection
Have students select one of the fires and write an imaginary personal recount by a witness. Remind them that personal recounts use the first-person pronouns I, me, and we. Students should also keep track of the sequence of their story and include time words such as first, then, later, after, meanwhile, etc.

Reading Independently
Invite students to reread Great City Fires on their own. They can also bring the book home to read with family members. Invite students to share their Writing Connection recounts at home as well.

Assessment

Monitor students' responses in the Comprehending the Text section to assess how well they understood the text.
Check completed compare/contrast charts to see if students can accurately compare and contrast similar, but separate, historical events. Carefully note students' discussions during the debate of which fire was the most destructive. Assess their listening skills and encourage thoughtful debate.
Check students' completed worksheet 2 to assess their understanding of the parts of a sentence.