Book Summary
The cold, wild land of Alaska is sometimes called "The Last Frontier." From the exciting history of gold miners to the bright future of the state's oil fields, Alaska is a unique part of the United States. It is the largest state in the union--covering over 1.7 million square kilometers--and is home to Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America. One of the fastest-growing parts of the Alaskan economy is tourism, as people from all over the world come to see Alaska's beautiful landscapes and amazing wildlife. Photographs, captions, and graphs support the text.

About the Lesson

Targeted Reading Strategy

• Summarize

Objectives

• Identify the main idea and supporting details
• Use the reading strategy of summarizing to understand the text
• Differentiate between coordinating and subordinating conjunctions
• Identify and fluently read abbreviations

Materials

• Book -- Alaska: The Last Frontier (copy for each student)
• Chalkboard or dry erase board
• World map
• Main idea and details/summary, conjunctions, abbreviations worksheets
• Discussion cards

      Indicates an opportunity for students to mark in the book. (All activities may be demonstrated by projecting book on interactive whiteboard or completed with paper and pencil if books are reused.)

Vocabulary

• Content words: Arctic Circle, aurora borealis, caribou, delicacies, economy, individualism, kayaks, population, preserve, relatively, tourists, tundra