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1 LESSON 19 TEACHER S GUIDE by Darleen Ramos Fountas-Pinnell Level P Biography Selection Summary Woody Guthrie was a folk singer and award-winning writer of over 1,000 songs, including This Land Is Your Land. Listeners related to his songs of Depression-era America, songs that told of the beauty of America and of the spirit and struggle of working Americans. Number of Words: 871 Characteristics of the Text Genre Biography Text Structure Third-person narrative Brief introduction, followed by nine sections detailing Guthrie s life and musical career Final section discussing Guthrie s living legacy and summarizing important events in his life Content Woody Guthrie s life and music The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl Themes and Ideas People are moved by songs that relate to their lives. Music that moves people s hearts is timeless. Music and poetry can uplift people s lives in diffi cult times. Language and Clear, straightforward presentation Literary Features Informal language; some contractions Rich in facts and details Sentence Complexity Long, complex sentences, often followed by short declarative sentences Introductory phrases; embedded clauses, subordinate clauses Vocabulary Words and phrases associated with the Depression: Dust Bowl, drought, camps Words Few multisyllable words: songwriters, Depression, Oklahoma, California Adverbs: Thankfully, unfortunately, truly Place names: Pampa, Texas; Queens, New York Illustrations Historic photographs with captions Book and Print Features Thirteen pages of text, most with photographs Timeline chart Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H. Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Permission is hereby granted to individual teachers using the corresponding (discipline) Leveled Readers to photocopy student worksheets from this publication in classroom quantities for instructional use and not for resale. Requests for information on other matters regarding duplication of this work should be addressed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, Attn: Contracts, Copyrights, and Licensing, 9400 SouthPark Center Loop, Orlando, Florida Printed in the U.S.A If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited. Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format. 4_305325_BL_LRTG_L19_SongsForPeople.indd 1 11/4/09 11:36:00 PM

2 by Darleen Ramos Build Background Help students use their knowledge of music to visualize the story. Build interest by asking questions such as the following: Do you know the song This Land Is Your Land? What is it about? Tell students that they are going to read about the songwriter who wrote it, a famous folk singer who wrote over 1,000 songs. Read the title and author, and talk about the cover photograph. Tell students that this is a biography of the songwriter Woody Guthrie. It is about his life and work and the world he lived in. Introduce the Text Guide students through the text, noting important ideas and helping with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Here are some suggestions: Page 2: The text says Woody Guthrie was one of the most brilliant songwriters and storytellers of our time. Ask: What is another word that means brilliant? Page 5: Explain that Woody grew up during the Depression a diffi cult time for farmers and others. Ask them what they notice about the land in the photograph. Page 7: During the Depression, the soil turned to dust in large areas of Texas and Oklahoma called the Dust Bowl. Ask: What effect do you think the drought had on the people who lived in the region? Page 9: After Woody moved to California, he liked to dedicate his songs to the people he had met in his travels. Ask: What does it mean to dedicate a song to someone? Now go back to the beginning and read to fi nd out what happened to Woody Guthrie and how he became a successful musician. Target Vocabulary association a group of people officially organized for a certain purpose brilliant very bright, p. 2 capitol a building in which a government meets to create law, p. 14 conflicts problems or disagreements between people, p. 3 dedicate to devote to a special purpose, p. 9 drought a time when there is little or no rain, p. 7 horizon the place at which the earth and sky meet overcome to solve or conquer a difficulty publicity information given out to get the public s attention violence the use of physical force to cause harm 2 Lesson 19: 4_305325_BL_LRTG_L19_SongsForPeople.indd 2 7/28/09 4:49:42 PM

3 Read Have students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their understanding of the text as needed. Remind students to use the Infer/Predict Strategy and to think about what the text suggests, or hints at, and make predictions about what will happen. Discuss and Revisit the Text Personal Response Invite students to share their personal responses to the biography. Suggested language: What songs do you know that tell stories? How did Woody s music tell the stories of working Americans? Ways of Thinking As you discuss the text, help students understand these points: Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text Woody grew up in the Depression and fled the Dust Bowl. Woody wrote songs about America and the spirit and struggles of working Americans. Woody was an award-winning songwriter, whose most famous song was This Land Is Your Land. Woody used his talent to help others face tough times. Talent, combined with hard work and a desire to help others, wins out against hard times. Music that touches people s hearts and lives is timeless Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H. Historic photographs help readers understand the tragedies of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. Headings help readers organize information about Guthrie s life. A timeline chart summarizes important events in Woody s life and their chronology. Choices for Further Support Fluency Invite students to choose a passage from the text for a readers theater in which they demonstrate phrased fl uent reading. Remind them to read with expression as they address the sequence of problems and solutions presented by the narrative. Comprehension Based on your observations of the students reading and discussion, revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go back to the text to support their ideas. Phonics/Word Work Call attention to the term capitol in the fi rst sentence on page 14. Point out that it is followed by building. Explain that a capital city or capital letter is spelled with an a. A capitol building is spelled with an o. One way to remember this is to picture the dome of the capitol building in Washington, D.C. It is shaped like an o. 3 Lesson 19: 4_305325_BL_LRTG_L19_SongsForPeople.indd 3 11/4/09 11:36:05 PM

4 Writing about Reading Have students complete the questions on BLM Responding Have students complete the activities at the back of the book, using their Reader s Notebook. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the comprehension skill. Target Comprehension Skill Persuasion Remind students that one purpose for writing is to persuade. The author of Woody Guthrie s biography seeks to persuade readers that his songs and stories inspired people during the Depression. Model how to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a Think Aloud like the one below: Think Aloud The author s goal is to persuade the reader to believe that Woody Guthrie s songs inspired many people. She notes that Woody wrote about the spirit of America s working people. That s a reason she uses to persuade. Practice the Skill Encourage students to share a biography they have read about another important person and tell what they think the author was trying to persuade them to think about that person. Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the Text Have students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understandings. Assessment Prompts Which words on page 7 help the reader understand what Dust Bowl means? In the third sentence on page 9, what does the word dedicate mean? Where was Woody Guthrie living when he recorded his fi rst album? 4 Lesson 19: 4_305325_BL_LRTG_L19_SongsForPeople.indd 4 11/4/09 11:36:11 PM

5 English Language Development Reading Support Pair advanced and intermediate readers to read the selection softly, or have students listen to the audio or online recordings. Remind them that Woody grew up in the Depression and fled the Dust Bowl. Vocabulary The text includes some idioms that might be unfamiliar. Explain the difference between the literal and idiomatic meanings of the expressions make money (page 4), good old days (page 8), and run down (page 10). Oral Language Development Check student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students English proficiency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student. Beginning/Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/ Advanced Speaker 1: How did Woody travel? Speaker 2: on freight trains Speaker 1: What instrument did he play? Speaker 2: a guitar Speaker 1: What is his most famous song? Speaker 2: This Land Is Your Land Speaker 1: What did Woody do when he traveled around California? Speaker 2: He met other people who had fled the Dust Bowl and wrote songs to tell their stories. Speaker 1: Why did Woody become so famous as a folk-song writer? Speaker 2: He was a poet of the people, whose timeless songs tell of the spirit of working Americans. Speaker 1: Why did Woody write songs about people he met who had fled the Dust Bowl? Speaker 2: Woody wrote songs about people who fled the Dust Bowl because he wanted everyone to know how much their fellow Americans were suffering. Name Date Lesson 19 BLACKLINE MASTER 19.7 Read and answer the questions. Possible responses shown. 1. Think within the text How did Mrs. Guthrie s love of music affect her son Woody? Woody Guthrie s mother sang songs about conflict and hard times, subjects Woody sang about, too. 2. Think within the text What was life like in the camps for the homeless during the Dust Bowl days? The people in the camps suffered greatly. They had no running water and lived in tents and shacks of cardboard or newspaper. 3. Think beyond the text How do you think you and your family would have reacted to the effects of the Great Depression if you had been farmers? I think my family would have had to move west and leave our home. I might not have been able to go to school anymore because I would have had to help my parents earn money. 4. Think about the text What reason does the author use to persuade the reader that Woody Guthrie s music helped others? Woody learned the stories of people he met who had fled the Dust Bowl and told their stories in his songs. People who heard the songs could relate to the music and felt they were not alone. Making Connections Woody Guthrie wrote over one-thousand songs about the struggles of working people. Choose a song you know that helps cheer you up when you feel bad. Why does the song make you feel better? Write your answer in your Reader s Notebook.. All rights reserved. 9, Unit 4: Never Give Up! 5 Lesson 19: 4_305325_BL_LRTG_L19_SongsForPeople.indd 5 1/5/10 7:26:27 PM

6 Name Date Thinking Beyond the Text Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in one or two paragraphs. Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal knowledge to reach new understandings. Woody Guthrie achieved fame and success when America was going through tough times. Why do you think people liked Woody Guthrie s music? Why was he able to succeed in spite of hard times? 6 Lesson 19: 4_305325_BL_LRTG_L19_SongsForPeople.indd 6 7/28/09 4:49:45 PM

7 Name Date Lesson 19 BLACKLINE MASTER 19.7 Read and answer the questions. 1. Think within the text How did Mrs. Guthrie s love of music affect her son Woody? 2. Think within the text What was life like in the camps for the homeless during the Dust Bowl days? 3. Think beyond the text How do you think you and your family would have reacted to the effects of the Great Depression if you had been farmers? 4. Think about the text What reason does the author use to persuade the reader that Woody Guthrie s music helped others? Making Connections Woody Guthrie wrote over one-thousand songs about the struggles of working people. Choose a song you know that helps cheer you up when you feel bad. Why does the song make you feel better? Write your answer in your Reader s Notebook. 7 Lesson 19: 4_305325_BL_LRTG_L19_SongsForPeople.indd 7 1/7/10 4:49:05 PM

8 Student Date Lesson 19 BLACKLINE MASTER LEVEL P Running Record Form page Selection Text Errors Self-Corrections 9 When Woody arrived in California, he was able to earn money by playing his guitar and singing his songs. Soon, he also got a job at a local radio station. He liked to dedicate his songs to the people he had met in his travels. After a while, Woody quit his radio job to travel around California. 10 In his travels, Woody met many people who also had fled the Dust Bowl. Some of these people were forced to live in terrible camps. The tents were run down and had no running water. Woody wanted everyone to know how much his fellow Americans were suffering. Comments: Accuracy Rate (# words read correctly/ ) % Total Self- Corrections Behavior Code Error Read word correctly cat 0 Repeated word, sentence, or phrase Omission cat 0 cat 1 Behavior Code Error Substitution cut cat 1 Self-corrects cut sc cat 0 Insertion the 1 Word told T 1 cat Lesson 19: 4_305325_BL_LRTG_L19_SongsForPeople.indd 8 7/28/09 4:49:47 PM