LESSON 3 TEACHER S GUIDE The Mighty, Mighty Daffodils by Brad Miller Fountas-Pinnell Level Q Realistic Fiction Selection Summary Tired of being a daffodil mascot for her school team, Amanda is put in charge of deciding on a new mascot. Following a suggestion by her science teacher, Amanda tries to convince students that the Venus flytrap is an excellent choice. Number of Words: 1,373 Characteristics of the Text Genre Realistic fi ction Text Structure Content Themes and Ideas Language and Literary Features Sentence Complexity Vocabulary Words Illustrations Book and Print Features Story divided by section headings Problem-solution Purpose of school mascots Behavior of Venus fl ytraps Losing one s temper never accomplishes worthwhile results. Plants can be very interesting. Narration that includes dialogue Description but no fi gurative use of language Both dependent and independent clauses A sentence that has a dash and ellipses: At last, the committee chose three fi nalists Panthers, Eagles, and... Venus Flytraps! A sentence with long list of nouns: There were serious choices, like Tigers, Bears, Gators, and Wolves. Words related to Venus fl ytraps: stem, trigger hairs, prey Use of vivid verbs such as prodded, lop, yanked, ripping off Some diffi cult concepts not defi ned in text: carnivorous, prey Compound words: fl ytrap, bloodthirsty Many multisyllable words Illustrations that support/enhance text, show how characters feel Full range of punctuation: dashes, ellipses, exclamation points Many words written in all capital letters or italics for emphasis Thirteen pages with an illustration on every page 2006. 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 32819. Printed in the U.S.A. 978-0-547-30852-4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 0940 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 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.
The Mighty, Mighty Daffodils by Brad Miller Build Background Help students use their knowledge of mascots to visualize the story. Build interest by asking a question such as the following: What do you think are good qualities for mascots to have? Read the title and author and talk about the cover illustration. Tell students that this story is realistic fiction. It is about characters and events that could happen in real life. 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: Draw students attention to the illustration. Ask: What two mascots are shown here? Suggested language: The lion mascot prodded Amanda with its claw. Ask: How do you think that made Amanda feel? Page 3: The section heading on page 3 tells us that someone got in trouble. Look at the illustration on the page. Ask: Who do you think got in trouble? Why? Page 8: Draw students attention to the illustration of Venus fl ytraps on page 8. Ask: Have you ever heard of a plant called the Venus fl ytrap? What do you know about it? Page 13: Draw students attention to the illustration of Amanda. Ask: What is Amanda dressed as? What do you notice about her costume? Read the caption. Ask: What do you think Amanda might be saying to convince students to make the Venus fl ytrap their new mascot? Now go back to the beginning and read about Amanda s campaign for a new school mascot. Target Vocabulary beckoned signaled with a movement of the hand or head, p. 3 debate a formal public discussion about specific issues decorated things added to something to make it more attractive, p. 5 gradually done slowly over a period of time hesitated paused before saying or doing something inflated filled and expanded it with air or another gas, p. 11 prodded strongly encouraged a person to do something, p. 2 scanned looked closely, p. 12 shaken to be emotionally upset by an event stalled to have come to a stop unexpectedly 2 Lesson 3: The Mighty, Mighty Daffodils
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 use text clues to think about what might happen next as they read about Amanda s mascot campaign. Discuss and Revisit the Text Personal Response Invite students to share their personal responses to the text. Suggested language: The three final choices for mascots were Panthers, Eagles, and the Venus flytrap. Do you think the Venus flytrap was the best choice? Why or why not? 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 The carnivorous Venus flytrap has a very unusual method of obtaining food. Voting is a fair way of deciding on issues. Mascots should be chosen carefully because they convey messages about teams they represent. Plants are often thought of as being boring, but they can be very interesting. There are peaceful ways to handle conflict. 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H. The use of capital letters and italics emphasizes important words in dialogue. Section headings help readers predict story events. Choices for Further Support Fluency Invite students to choose a passage from the text to present a readers theater. Remind them to pay particular attention to print features in the story, such as words spelled with all capital letters and words printed in italics. Point out that they should stress those words as they read characters dialogue. 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 Provide practice as needed with related words. Point out the word suggestion on page 5. Identify the base word, suggest. Ask students to name other related words, such as suggests and suggesting. Repeat the same activity with selection on page 14. 3 Lesson 3: The Mighty, Mighty Daffodils
Writing about Reading Have students complete the questions on BLM 3.7. 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 Compare and Contrast Remind students that when they compare and contrast, they think about ways in which things are alike and how they are different. Model how to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a Think Aloud like the one below: Think Aloud Venus flytraps are vicious plants that attack bugs and eat them alive. Write vicious in the oval under Venus Flytraps. Daffodils are gentle plants that do not harm people or animals. Write gentle in the oval under Daffodils. These details contrast the plants, or show how they are different. Practice the Skill Have students share examples of other stories in which objects or characters can be compared and contrasted. 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 An important message on page 5 is. Which sentences in the story support the idea that the Venus fl ytrap is a perfect mascot? What can readers conclude about Mr. Novak? 4 Lesson 3: The Mighty, Mighty Daffodils
English Language Development Reading Support Pair advanced and intermediate readers to read the story softly, or have students listen to the audio or online recordings. Invite students to name words they associate with daffodils, and words they associate with lions. Ask them why a daffodil might not be a good mascot for a sports team. Vocabulary Pantomime several of the verbs that are important to understanding the story. Some of these are prodded, yanked, snatched, snap, prowled, and scanned. 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: What is the school mascot at the beginning of the story? Speaker 2: a daffodil Speaker 1: What is the mascot at the end of the story? Speaker 2: a Venus flytrap Speaker 1: What does a Venus flytrap eat? Speaker 2: bugs Speaker 1: Why is a Venus flytrap is a better mascot than a daffodil? Speaker 2: It s scarier. Speaker 1: What happens just after a bug touches the trigger hairs on a Venus flytrap? Speaker 2: The leaves snap shut. Speaker 1: What are the steps that happen after a bug touches the trigger hairs on a Venus flytrap? Speaker 2: The leaves snap shut. The leaves tighten around the bug. The plant puts out juice that dissolves the bug. Name Date Lesson 3 BLACKLINE MASTER 3.7 Read and answer the questions. Possible responses shown. The Mighty, Mighty Daffodils 1. Think within the text Why does Amanda first go to the principal s office? She is in trouble for fighting another mascot. 2. Think within the text Why do the students go on a field trip? to see the Venus flytrap 3. Think beyond the text Compare and contrast the eagle and the Venus flytrap. Which do you think would make a better mascot? Why? Eagles are animals and flytraps are plants, but both are fierce. Eagles actively hunt their prey while flytraps do not. Flytraps and some eagles are endangered. Students may favor an eagle mascot because it seems strong and fierce, or the flytrap because it is different. 4. Think about the text Why does the author choose to have Amanda yank off the lion s head during the basketball game? It helps move the plot forward by solving the problem of the school mascot. Making Connections The school selects the Venus flytrap as its school mascot. Create a mascot for your school. Discuss the reason for your choice. Write your answer in your Reader s Notebook.. All rights reserved. 9, Unit 1: School Spirit! 5 Lesson 3: The Mighty, Mighty Daffodils
Name Date The Mighty, Mighty Daffodils Thinking Beyond the Text Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in one to two paragraphs. Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal knowledge to reach new understandings. Mr. Novak said that the Venus flytrap was the perfect mascot for the Springfield School. Do you agree that the Venus flytrap would be the perfect mascot for the school? Why or why not? What qualities do you think are important for the mascot to represent? Is it important for the mascot to represent something local? 6 Lesson 3: The Mighty, Mighty Daffodils
Name Date Lesson 3 BLACKLINE MASTER 3.7 Read and answer the questions. The Mighty, Mighty Daffodils 1. Think within the text Why does Amanda first go to the principal s office? 2. Think within the text Why do the students go on a field trip? 3. Think beyond the text Compare and contrast the eagle and the Venus flytrap. Which do you think would make a better mascot? Why? 4. Think about the text Why does the author choose to have Amanda yank off the lion s head during the basketball game? Making Connections The school selects the Venus flytrap as its school mascot. Create a mascot for your school. Discuss the reason for your choice. Write your answer in your Reader s Notebook. 7 Lesson 3: The Mighty, Mighty Daffodils
Student Date The Mighty, Mighty Daffodils LEVEL Q Lesson 3 BLACKLINE MASTER 3.11 The Mighty, Mighty Daffodils Running Record Form page Selection Text Errors Self-Corrections 3 The next morning, Amanda was beckoned to the principal s office. She was not surprised. You can t go around ripping off lions heads. Principal Williams looked sternly at Amanda. Do you know why you re here? she asked. Yes, Amanda answered. I m really sorry about the lion. What I did was wrong. But I m tired of being a Daffodil. All the other teams laugh at us! 4 Principal Williams looked slightly less stern. I know, Amanda. I was at the game. The lion was wrong, but so were you. I need your word that you won t do anything like that again. Comments: Accuracy Rate (# words read correctly/98 100) % 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 1414255 8 Lesson 3: The Mighty, Mighty Daffodils