Guided Reading Mystery 810L The Mystery of the Jubilee Emerald Written by Gary Alan Wassner and illustrated by Adam Gustavson Key IDEA An encounter with a red-headed stranger is the beginning of a mysterious adventure for Cristopher and Erica. Little do they know that the strange meeting is just the first in a series of events that lead them into an unsolved mystery right in Cristopher s backyard. LITERACY STANDARDS ADDRESSED IN THIS PLAN ISBN 978-1-62889-215-4 RL.4.1 MAIN FOCUS Key Ideas & Details Sessions 1, 2, 3 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. RL.4.4 MAIN FOCUS Craft & Structure Sessions 2, 3 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology. RL.4.7 MAIN FOCUS Integration of Knowledge & Ideas Sessions 2, 3 Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text. RL.4.10 Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in the grades 4 5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. SL.4.1 Comprehension & Collaboration Sessions 1, 2, 3 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly. L.4.4b Vocabulary Acquisition & Use Additional Instruction Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word. L.4.5 Vocabulary Acquisition & Use Session 1 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. L.4.5a Vocabulary Acquisition & Use Sessions 2, 3 Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in context. L.4.5c Vocabulary Acquisition & Use Additional Instruction Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their opposites (antonyms) and to words with similar but not identical meanings (synonyms). RF.4.3a Phonics & Word Recognition Additional Instruction Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context. RF.4.4a Fluency Session 2 Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding. W.4.3 Text Types & Purposes Writing Task Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. W.4.8* Research to Build & Present Knowledge Sessions 1, 2, 3 Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. *standard adapted from another grade W.4.10 Range of Writing Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. MONDO BOOKSHOP GRADE 4 1
Session 1 Text Selection: pp. v 8 Learning Focus RL.4.1 Students read closely and refer to details and examples in the story when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. VOCABULARY RL.4.4 Introduce the word cameo to students and invite them to share their understanding of it. Read the first few paragraphs on page v together and clarify the word s meaning for the class. Then discuss how the cameo might be important to this story. ELL SUPPORT RL.4.1 Discussing the Text Ask questions at students language proficiency levels and provide the following sentence frames for student responses: The first page is mostly about. On the first page I learned that. Corrective Feedback Have students closely reread the title and first chapter to find the author s key idea. Encourage them to reread together page by page, and then stop to think and talk through their understanding of each page. Key Idea: Text Selection In the prologue, we meet a family fleeing their home just before it catches fire. Chapter 1, set in a modern-day diner, introduces a strange man, a waitress, and two young children and their father, which sets the scene for this book. PREVIEWING THE TEXT 5 minutes Read the title and author credit with students. Ask them to use their knowledge of mysteries to make predictions about the text. Read the back cover quietly and take a look at the front cover. What do you think this mystery will be about? a missing emerald; two kids trying to find a missing jewel; a mystery in the backyard Let s start reading to see if we can solve the mystery along with the main characters. READING THE TEXT CLosely 10 minutes Explain the learning focus for students. Ask them to read pages v vii. Check to see how they are doing with the application of the focus. Provide support if needed. Then have them read the rest of the selection. Mysteries usually pose many questions. Look for the answers in the text as we try to solve the mystery. Sometimes the answers are explicit, or stated directly in the text. Other times, we have to figure out, or infer, the answers. Why do you think this is true? The author wants to keep us guessing. A mystery is like a puzzle that we have to piece together. As we read page v, pay attention to details that tell us precisely what is happening and give us clues about the characters and other events in the story. What does the author explicitly tell us on the first page of this book? A woman and her son are leaving their home. A mean man is making them go. They are taking cash and a cameo with them. The boy is six years old. What can we infer from this information? I think the man is bad, like a robber or a kidnapper, because he is speaking very rudely to the woman and the boy. The cameo must be an expensive or important piece of jewelry because they are worried about having it with them. If you are satisfied that students can apply the focus, set the reading assignment for this session. If you are not, prompt students to return to page v to find more explicit and implicit details in this story. As we read, we ll continue to look for information that the author states explicitly and draw our own inferences from this text. I wonder who these people are and why they are sneaking out. Let s read through page 8 to find out. 2 THE MYSTERY OF THE JUBILEE EMERALD
DISCUSSING THE TEXT 10 minutes As you discuss Chapter 1, invite students to continue finding explicit details in the text and using them to draw inferences about the characters and events. As we discuss the story, let s take turns citing explicit examples from the text and using that information to draw inferences. Try to build on each others ideas. What does the author tell us explicitly on pages 3 and 4? The man is interested in sculptures. The Van Burens were a wealthy family that had sculptures on their property. Mrs. Van Buren was pretty and had blonde hair. Who made some inferences they d like to share? Remember, citing text evidence makes your inference stronger. I think Mrs. Van Buren is the mom from the Prologue because the author says both women had blonde hair. Maybe the man is the boy from the Prologue because Mrs. Van Buren was the mom, they had sculptures in their yard, and on page 4, the man says he resembled one of the sculptures. Focus on the phrase colors danced wildly everywhere on page vi. Authors sometimes use figurative language to make descriptions clear for readers. One type of figurative language is called imagery. Writers use imagery to appeal to readers senses. Who can find an example of imagery on page vi? colors danced wildly everywhere What images does this bring to your mind? little rainbows and sparkles moving around the walls as the light hits the crystal. How does this description help you visualize the scene? I ve seen light go through glass and create patterns on the wall, so I can imagine exactly how their room looked and understand how it was almost magical. Confirm students good use of the focus and encourage them to keep it in mind whenever they read mysteries. You re doing a great job explaining the events and characters described in the text and using that information to draw your own inferences. Remember to continue to draw inferences as you read the rest of this mystery. E-RESOURCE Formative Assessment: Comprehension Using the Quick Start Planner, note this session s learning focus. Observe each student s articulation and use of text evidence to evaluate individuals effective use of the learning focus. SL.4.1 DISCUSSION Collaborative DISCUSSION TIP It may help students express their ideas clearly as they collaborate with different partners if you post sentence frames so they can organize their thoughts. For example: I think about because. I like/don t like because. RL.4.4, L.4.5 VOCABULARY Figurative Language COMPREHENSION SHARE When you reach the end of a chapter, review what has happened so far in the story. Make notes about the most important events and details. CHOICE COMPREHENSION: MAKE INFERENCES E-RESOURCE Formative Assessment Have students use the blackline master on page 10 to make inferences using evidence from the text. Review students responses as you evaluate their mastery of the learning focus. RL.4.1 COMPREHENSION Make Inferences CHOICE CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE: COLLECT TEXT EVIDENCE E-RESOURCE Formative/Summative Assessment Have students use the blackline master on page 11 as they read. Students will collect details from the text to answer the questions: What actions do the characters in The Mystery of the Jubilee Emerald take to solve the mystery? How do they feel about the actions they take? Gather text evidence that answers this question. Review students collected evidence as you evaluate their mastery of the learning focus. W.4.8*, RL.4.1 WRITING Gather Information MONDO BOOKSHOP GRADE 4 3
Session 2 Text Selection: pp. v 8 LEARNING FOCUSES RL.4.1, RL.4.4, RL.4.7 Students return to the text to read closely and refer to details and examples in the story when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. At the same time, students determine the meanings of unknown words and phrases in the text and make connections between the text and visual presentation of the story. Comprehension Share When you analyze characters in a mystery, remember to look for all the clues. Play detective. Pay close attention to what a character does, of course. But also notice what the character says and how he or she says it. Is he shiftyeyed? Does she seem to be in a big hurry? Be suspicious! Understanding characters can help you deepen your understanding of the story by keeping you engaged. RETURNING TO THE TEXT 5 minutes Ask students to reflect on the text read previously. Guide them to recall how they applied the learning focus to their reading. Let s review our discussion from the last session. We cited evidence to explain what the text said explicitly and used that information to draw inferences about the characters and events in this mystery. Many of you found specific details that allowed you to support your inferences with evidence from the text. READING THE TEXT CLOSELY 10 minutes Explain the learning focuses. Invite students to reread pages v 8. Check in to see how well they have understood the focuses. If you are satisfied that students can apply them, set the reading assignment for this session. If not, provide corrective feedback as suggested on page 2 of this lesson plan. During our last session we read the Prologue and met the main characters in this story. We also paid attention to details and examples that the author states explicitly and how we can use these details to help us make inferences about the characters and events. Today we are going to look carefully at the words and illustrations the author and illustrator use to tell us this story. Let s focus on page 3. Can anyone tell us how you figured out the meaning of a word you weren t sure of at first? I wasn t sure about sophisticated. I thought about it and reread the sentence. The author said sophisticated and elegant, so I think it might mean fancy. How can we check to see if this is correct? We can look it up in the dictionary. Great idea. What did you find? Sophisticated means having a lot of knowledge about the world, culture, and fashion. Let s reread the sentence to see if our definition makes sense. Explain to students that the illustrations can add to the meaning of the text by connecting to what is stated. Invite students to reread text and examine the illustration on page 6. Let s look at the illustration on page 6. What part of the text do you think it illustrates? It shows the man scowling at the kids and grabbing his photos. Let s share how this drawing helps you to understand the story. It shows the mean look on the man s face. I can see how old the kids are and what they look like. What inferences can you draw about the characters from the illustration? Now that I see the picture, I think the strange man is a really creepy character. How could this illustration be improved? I think it would be better if I could see the sculptures in the photos. 4 THE MYSTERY OF THE JUBILEE EMERALD
As you read, continue to look for details in the illustrations that help explain the text and details in the text that could improve the illustrations. This will help you better understand what you read. Formative Assessment: Fluency Listen to each student read a portion of the text. Observe students fluency. If students need additional practice with fluency, provide the necessary support at the end of the session. Ask students to note words or phrases they find challenging for discussion after the reading. DISCUSSING THE TEXT 10 minutes Begin a discussion in which students explain what the text says explicitly and use these details and examples to make inferences. Remind them to pay close attention to words and phrases to make sure they understand the author s exact meaning and to examine illustrations for details that enhance the text and supply additional content to the story. Let s take a closer look at pages 5 8 and discuss what is happening at this point in the mystery. This will help you identify explicit details and examples from the text. Cristopher s dad came to pick up the kids. The strange man grabbed his photos and left the diner. Those are good details from the text. Let s use those details to draw inferences about the story. The strange man did not want anyone to recognize him. I know this because the author said he pulled his hat low over his forehead on page 5. I think the man accidentally dropped the scrap of paper Cristopher picked up that said 49 Spruce Street because page 5 said, he hastily stuffed the photographs in his pocket, which tells me the man probably didn t realize he dropped it. I think this information is a clue to solve the mystery and we should pay special attention to it. The explicit details we reviewed helped us draw inferences about the characters and the events. We were able to support our inference with details from the text. Have students discuss unknown words from the text selection. What about new words? Were there any that you could not figure out from the context clues? I am not sure about the word curtly on page 2. Who has an idea they d like to share? I think it means quickly or angrily because the text also says, it was obvious he didn t feel like answering too many questions. What can you infer about the man from this information? He isn t very friendly and doesn t want to talk about his personal life. Focus on the phrase as if he was talking about the Queen of England on page 3. Let s reread the fourth paragraph on page vii. In a simile, an author compares two items using like or as to suggest a similarity. What two items does the author compare in this simile? sycamore trees and scary giants What does this comparison tell us about the trees? The trees were really big, and maybe the branches looked like long arms with spooky fingers. The trees were scary at night. SL.4.1 DISCUSSION Collaborative ELL SUPPORT L.4.4 Vocabulary Support vocabulary words such as pleaded, reluctantly, and resembled in context using the ELL vocabulary strategies in Getting Started. RL.4.4, L.4.5a VOCABULARY Word Meanings MONDO BOOKSHOP GRADE 4 5
Confirm students good use of the focuses and encourage them to keep the focuses in mind whenever they read mysteries. Help students understand the benefits of building on each other s ideas while expressing their own in a discussion. We ve discussed how we can determine the meaning of words and phrases from the context clues and how we can cite explicit details from the text and illustrations and use them to draw inferences. How does listening to and building on others ideas in a group discussion help you understand the story? When I hear someone else s idea, it helps me think of new ideas that I can share. Others in a group think of things I don t, and when we put our ideas together, we learn more about the characters and events in the story. Now let s break into small groups so you can share more ideas about this mystery. E-RESOURCE Formative Assessment: Comprehension Using the Quick Start Planner, note the session s learning focuses. Observe each student s articulation and use of text evidence to evaluate individuals effective use of the learning focuses. RF.4.4a FLUENCY Purpose and Understanding W.4.8*, RL.4.1 WRITING Gather Information CHOICE FLUENCY FOLLOW-UP Fluency Practice Use Reader s Theater to enhance fluency and comprehension. Follow this procedure: (1) Students take roles or portions of text. (2) Students practice reading text. (3) Students get help from others, if necessary. (4) Students read the text in their assigned or selected roles in a performance. CHOICE CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE: COLLECT TEXT EVIDENCE E-RESOURCE Formative/Summative Assessment Have students use the blackline master on page 11 for collecting evidence as they read. Students will continue to collect details from the text to answer the questions: What actions do the characters in The Mystery of the Jubilee Emerald take to solve the mystery? How do they feel about the actions they take? Gather text evidence that answers this question. Review students collected evidence as you evaluate their mastery of the learning focus. 6 THE MYSTERY OF THE JUBILEE EMERALD
Session 3 Text Selection: pp. 9 29 Key Idea: Text Selection Cristopher and Erica decide to look for a crystal in the backyard, and their imaginations turn the search into an amazing adventure. RETURNING TO THE TEXT 5 minutes Review what students have read about Cristopher, Erica, and the red-headed stranger. As we discussed the characters and events in this story, we also defined unknown words and phrases. How does discussing new words help you understand the story? It helps me know I am using the right definition so I understand exactly what is happening. READING THE TEXT CLOSELY 10 minutes State the learning focuses. Invite students to read pages 9 11. Check to see how they are doing with application of the focuses. Then have students read pages 10 29, paying specific attention to how the words and pictures work together to tell the story. Today we re going to continue explaining explicit and implicit details. Who would like to share important details from Chapter 2? Cristopher and Erica discuss crystals; they decide to search Cristopher s yard for crystals. What inferences can you make about the characters? They are old friends because the text says over the years, which tells me they ve been playing together a long time. They seem to know each other and understand each other really well. Did you come across any challenging vocabulary words as you read? Yes; I wasn t sure what suspended meant, but then I reread the first paragraph and figured out that it meant to hang. Remember to look for context clues that help you define unknown words. LEARNING FOCUSES RL.4.1, RL.4.4, RL.4.7 Students return to the text to read closely and refer to details and examples in the story when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. At the same time, students determine the meanings of unknown words and phrases in the text and make connections between the text and visual presentation of the story. Vocabulary RL.4.4, L.4.5a Write the simile It was as big as the eggs her bird laid (p. 18) on the board. Explain that this example is a simile because the word as is used. The author is comparing the size of the marble to the size of a bird s eggs. Have students find other examples of similes in the story. DISCUSSING THE TEXT 10 minutes Generate a discussion that links the three learning focuses. Remind students to look for details in the text and illustrations to help them understand what is happening as well as to make inferences about the characters. Encourage them to cite details from the text as they share their ideas. Let s discuss pages 20 22. Think about the details in the text and the illustrations that add to our understanding of the story. As we talk, be prepared to share examples from the text to support your ideas. Cristopher and Erica have to wait until his mom can pick up her phone and start talking again because they don t want her to see them. They think she ll ask them to help her, so they sort of sneak by. What can you infer about the characters? I think his mom is not good at doing two things at once. Also I think that the family likes to take care of the yard and all the plants and stuff. Cristopher seems to know a lot about bushes and little seedlings and things like that. I think his parents probably taught him that because they think it s interesting and cool. SL.4.1 DISCUSSION Collaborative TEACHER TIP When students come upon an unknown word or phrase, have them use the other words in a sentence to see if they can figure out the meaning. MONDO BOOKSHOP GRADE 4 7
How did the illustration on page 21 add to the story? The illustration showed me how sneaky the kids were trying to be as they went in the backyard because it shows them hiding behind the bushes so Cristopher s mom wouldn t see them. How does this support the text? It helped me understand a confusing phrase. On page 20, the text says they were hugging the hedge which sounded weird to me. But once I saw the picture, I understood it meant they were staying really close to the bushes, and it made perfect sense. Support students as they continue to share their ideas and understanding with the class. You ll finish this book on your own. You should take notes about explicit and implicit details you find in the text and illustrations and inferences you make so you can refer to them in your discussions. W.4.8*, RL.4.1 WRITING Respond to Question CHOICE CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE: WRITE TO SOURCE E-RESOURCE Formative/Summative Assessment Have students continue to use the blackline master on page 11 as they finish reading. Then ask them to write a response on a separate sheet of paper that answers the questions: What actions do the characters in The Mystery of the Jubilee Emerald take to solve the mystery? How do they feel about the actions they take? Gather text evidence that answers these questions. Have students use the text evidence they collected to support their writing. CHOICE CLOSE READING OPTIONS E-RESOURCE Summative Assessment Print the online blackline master for independent close reading. Ask students to read the selection indicated on the page independently and respond to the prompts (summarize author s message, identify critical vocabulary, respond to constructed response questions) before returning for a small-group discussion. Alternatively, you can use the completed blackline master for summative assessment. CHOICE Writing Task: Narrative W.4.3 WRITING Narrative E-RESOURCE Summative Assessment Review with students the elements of a narrative. Invite students to write a journal entry describing an event in the mystery from either Cristopher s or Erica s point of view. Guide them to use the planning organizer on page 12 as they organize their thoughts and ideas. Before writing, have students work in pairs to compare the text evidence they gathered. Students will work independently to write their narratives. You have done a great job reading and understanding this story. As you read, you ve been collecting text evidence and details that tell about the characters and events in the story. Work with a partner to review the evidence you have gathered. Then, write a journal entry from either Cristopher s or Erica s point of view that describes what they were thinking and feeling as they tell an event from the book. 8 THE MYSTERY OF THE JUBILEE EMERALD
CHOICE Additional Instruction WORD STUDY Greek and Latin Affixes Greek and Latin affixes are an important component of word study. Help students find Greek and Latin affixes in words. Then have them use the meanings of these prefixes and suffixes to determine the meanings of the words. Remember that a prefix is a word part that comes at the beginning of a word, and a suffix is a word part that comes at the end of a word. What s the prefix in disappeared, and what does it mean? dis-; means the opposite of or taken away What s the suffix, and what does it mean? -ed; shows the past tense of a verb And what s the base word in between them? appear And what does that mean? to come into sight ; to become visible Put them all together, and what does disappeared mean? stopped being visible ; couldn t be seen L.4.4b VOCABULARY Greek and Latin Affixes VOCABULARY Synonyms Provide opportunities for students to see and work with a variety of definitions that are essentially the same for selected words. This helps them internalize definitions as opposed to simply memorizing them. We learned that hastily means quickly. That s a good definition, but can we say it another way? hurriedly, rapidly, briskly, speedily, swiftly Who can think of a sentence that uses the word hastily? They hastily zipped up their backpacks and ran to the bus. It is important to think through definitions and be able to state them so we re sure we understand the new word. Let s try this with inmaginary. L.4.5c VOCABULARY Synonyms WORD RECOGNITION Multisyllabic Words Focus on the word protruded on page 14. To read and pronounce an unfamiliar word that has many syllables, you can look at the parts of the word and use what you know about the sounds of the letters, syllables, and affixes. Let s look at the word protruded on page 14. I might pronounce the word as prot-rud-ed, but I know that s wrong. So what should I do? You can divide it into syllables. We know that each syllable has a vowel sound: pro-trud-ed. (Write the syllables on chart paper or a whiteboard.) Do you see a familiar prefix? pro- What about a suffix? -ed Let s say the word together. Now let s try another word: especially on page 29. RF.4.3a PHONICS & WORD RECOGNITION Multisyllabic Words MONDO BOOKSHOP GRADE 4 9
Name Date Comprehension: Make Inferences Record important details you found about characters and events in The Mystery of the Jubilee Emerald. Then use the details you find to draw inferences about the mystery. Details I Found Inferences I Made Mondo Publishing Score: 10 THE MYSTERY OF THE JUBILEE EMERALD
Name Date Collecting Text Evidence What actions do the characters in The Mystery of the Jubilee Emerald take to solve the mystery? How do they feel about the actions they take? Use this chart to collect evidence about the characters and events in this story. Be sure to include page references as you take notes. You may need more than one copy of this chart. Page # What Characters Do, Say, and Think During the Event How the Characters Feel About Their Actions Mondo Publishing Score: MONDO BOOKSHOP GRADE 4 11
Name Date Writing Task: Planning Your Narrative Think about Cristopher and Erica s characters as you review the evidence you have collected. Then write a journal entry describing an event in the story from either Cristopher s or Erica s point of view. Be sure to describe what your character was thinking and feeling during the event. Plan your journal entry using this graphic organizer. Beginning: (introduction of the narrator, event, and setting) Middle: (event sequence that includes descriptions to explain the character s actions, thoughts, and feelings) Ending: (solution or resolution to the problem in the story) Mondo Publishing NOTE: Write your narrative on a separate sheet of paper or on a computer. Reread your work when you are finished and make any necessary revisions. 12 THE MYSTERY OF THE JUBILEE EMERALD Score: