Responding to Literature Houghton Mifflin Grade 3 D. Crisler 2012/2013

Prediction Use the words below to predict what this story might be about. boulderscanyoncauldron ledgesrapidsscouted sheerbanks What do you know that influenced your prediction?

The Waterfall Strategy Focus: predict/infer Comprehension Skill: cause and effect

Predictions as you read…. PredictionReferenceOutcome Encourage students to use background knowledge to support predictions. Language : I think..because…, I’ll bet…because…, I wonder if…because…, I imagine…because…, I suppose…because…, I predict…because… Examples: I think they are going camping because on page 95 it looks like the dad is packing a tent. I wonder if anyone will get sick because on page 96 it says there is poison oak.

All About Mountain Lions (Nonfiction connection) The narrator had trouble sleeping his first night. That was because a mountain lion was prowling nearby. Was the boy in danger? Find out. Begin by making a K-W-L chart. Then do some research and learn about mountain lions. Write a report, and share it with a group. What I KnowWhat I Want to LearnWhat I Learned

Resources for Mountain Lions AppearanceHabitat DietOther Interesting Facts

Frame for nonfiction report While reading about mountain lions I learned many things. One thing I learned was what they look like. _________________ Another thing I learned was what they eat. ________. I also discovered where mountain lions live. __________________________. I learned many additional interesting facts. For instance, did you know ___________? Clearly I learned many things about mountain lions.

Detail/Fact Quote Explain Quote Here… Analysis This shows….. This Proves…. It seems... Was the boy in danger? What are you thinking? paragraph

Based on what you learned about Mountain Lions,do you think the boy was in danger? Support your answer with evidence from the nonfiction text. Example: After reading about mountain lions, I think the boy in The Waterfall was/was not in any danger. In paragraph ___the article stated, “_________”. Here I learned ________. This means __________________. Clearly, based on this new knowledge about mountain lions the boy was/was not in danger because…

Let’s Go Camping Authentic Literacy Connection Imagine that the boy in The Waterfall is a friend of yours. He and his family are going camping again this summer. They have invited you to join them. What will you bring? Remember, you have to carry it in a backpack. Make a list. Then meet with other students and compare your lists. Did you all bring the same things? Explain your choices. You may take no more than 10 items. Justify your choices and rank them in order of importance. ItemJustification (Why is it important?)

Additional Extensions You may want to choose one of the extension activities on the following slides to focus on additional skills or to help students make connections.

Just Because In The Waterfall, different things happen for different reasons. See for yourself. Play a cause and effect game with two or three classmates. One of you goes first and reads a sentence from the story. The next student tells what the effect is. The effect must be found in the story. The player gets one point for finding the effect. The second player now reads a sentence, and the third layer gives the effect. Continue taking turns. Play until someone scores six points.

Whose Story Is It? The Waterfall is told from the point of view of one of the boys. You see everything through his eyes. How well do you really know him? Draw a picture of the narrator in the center of a piece of paper. Leave plenty of space around the picture. In the space, write words to describe the narrator. Reread the story to find clues. Think about his personality and his likes and dislikes.

Dear Mr. London Write a letter to the author, Jonathan London. What would you like to know about him or his story? What would you like to tell him about yourself? Here are some ideas: What do you like or dislike about the story? What would you like to know about the author’s other camping experiences?

My Souvenir The boy in The Waterfall works hard to bring back a great souvenir. It was worth it. It reminds him of his wonderful adventure at the waterfall. What souvenir have you brought home from and adventure? How did you get it? What does it remind you of? How does it make you feel? Write a paragraph describing your souvenir.

Adventure Collage A collage is a kind of picture made from many things. The things all tell something about a topic or idea. Make a collage about the Waterfall. Pick a topic from the story Write your topic at the top of a piece of paper. Cut words and pictures from a magazine which remind you of the topic. Past them on the paper. Put your collage on the bulletin board.

“Hiking Collage” Cut out things from a magazine that you may see on a hike. Materials: Magazines suitable for cutting pictures from Paper Glue sticks Directions: 1. Explain to students what a collage is, with visual examples if possible. 2. Pass out paper and magazines to students. 3. Have students cut out things they would see in nature and arrange pictures in a collage on their background paper.

Outdoor Adventurers The Waterfall tells about adventures in the outdoors. You and your classmates have probably had outdoor adventures as well. Find out. Interview a classmate. Ask questions about his or her outdoor adventures. Take careful notes. Now write a paragraph comparing your friend’s adventure to the adventure in The Waterfall.

Resources on_mifflin_reading/ (PowerPoints, Pictures, etc.) on_mifflin_reading/