LESSON 2 TEACHER S GUIDE by David Martz Fountas-Pinnell Level M Fantasy Selection Summary Lauren Otter is a lawyer whose love of play seems to distract her from her job. At the trial of Sammy Seal, who is accused of stealing 100 clams from the bank where he works, Lauren does a back flip. She tricks the witness Mr. Shark into imitating her, and the stolen clams fall out of his pocket. Number of Words: 823 Characteristics of the Text Genre Fantasy Text Structure Third person narrative First three pages introduce main character s qualities and story problem. Time shift to earlier event Content Sea creatures Job of lawyer and courtroom trial Themes and Ideas Animals are linked with qualities (playful otter, greedy shark). Justice and honesty are valued. It is possible to play and work at the same time. Language and Puns and word play, such as Lauren Otter (law and order), shell phone, offi ce pool, clams Literary Features (slang for dollars), and a loan offi cer named Shark Sentence Complexity Variety in sentence length and complexity Dialogue with two or three speakers, each named Full range of punctuation Vocabulary Multiple-meaning words used for humor, such as shark and clams Target vocabulary highlighted in text Justice-related terms, some of which might not be familiar to English language learners: lawyer, arrested, trial, judge, jury, witness stand Words Mostly one- and two-syllable words, some longer Illustrations Drawings convey lively, humorous tone of story Book and Print Features Thirteen pages with art on every spread; some full pages of text or art Captions and labels that provide additional information and clarify text 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. 978-0-547-30810-4 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.
by David Martz Build Background Ask what a lawyer does to help people. Explain that a client is a person whom a lawyer helps. Read the title and author, and talk about the cover illustration. Have students identify the otter, shark, and walrus, and tell what role each seems to be playing in the scene. Remind students that a fantasy often has animals that talk and act like people. Front-Load Vocabulary Some everyday words may be unfamiliar to English learners. Before reading, check understanding of the following words: lawyer, arrested, judge, back flip, hero, jury, witness stand. Introduce the Text Guide students through the text, reading the captions, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Call their attention to any important labels. Here are some suggestions: Page 2: Tell students that this story is about a lawyer who happens to be a sea otter named Lauren Otter and what happens when she tries to help a friend. Be sure students understand the meaning of lawyer and sea otter. Suggested language: Turn to page 2 and read the caption under the illustration. The picture shows Lauren Otter fl oating in her pool. I ll read the fi rst two sentences: Lauren Otter was a lawyer. But Lauren wasn t one of those lawyers who work hard. What can you tell right from the start about Lauren Otter? Pages 4 5: Read the caption and explain that Lauren Otter is talking to a character named Sammy Seal, who is in jail. Look at the third paragraph. Sammy says: The police arrested me this morning. They say I stole 100 clams from the bank. What are clams? Would an honest person steal clams? Pages 6 7: Explain that a lawyer is trying how to prove that the arrested person is not guilty of the crime, or of doing something wrong. Page 10: Read the caption under the illustration and the labels. Point out that Mr. Shark is showing a photo of Sammy Seal taking the 100 clams and that a murmur goes through the animals watching. How do you talk in a murmur? Now turn back to the beginning of the story and read to fi nd out what happens at the trial of Sammy Seal. Target Vocabulary convinced someone agreed with something, p. 7 guilty a person who did something wrong, p. 7 honest truthful, p. 4 jury the group of people who make the decision in a trial, p. 8 murmur n. the sound of people speaking very softly, p. 10 pointed used a finger or other object to show where something was, p. 14 stand n. the place where a witness in a trial sits while being questioned, p. 9 trial a meeting in court to decide if someone has broken the law, p. 8 2
Read Have students read silently while you listen to individual students read. Support their problem solving and fluency as needed. Remind students to use the Infer/Predict Strategy figure out more about the story as they read. and use clues to Discuss and Revisit the Text Personal Response Invite students to share their personal responses to the story. Suggested language: If you needed a lawyer, would you hire Lauren Otter? 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 lawyer Lauren Otter is always playing, even in the courtroom. Mr. Shark has accused Sammy Seal of stealing 100 clams from the bank where they work. Lauren Otter dares Mr. Shark to imitate her back flip, and the clams fall out of his jacket when he takes the dare. It is possible to solve a problem and be playful at the same time. Animal characters in fantasies sometimes have some of the qualities of real-life animals. 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H. Word play adds humor to the story. The author uses Lauren s silly behaviors to keep the story moving and make readers wonder whether she will pay attention to the problem that needs solving. Choices for Further Support Fluency Invite students to choose a passage from the text to read aloud. Remind them to vary their voices to sound like the narrator or the characters. 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 words and word parts, using examples from the text. Remind students that the common endings ed and ing can be added to a base word, sometimes with a spelling change. Have students identify and write the base word in each of these words from pages 2 4 of Lauren Helps Sammy: fl oated, swimming, answered, scared, joking, arrested, worked. 3
Writing about Reading Have students complete the questions on BLM 2.10. Responding Have students complete the activities at the back of the book. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the comprehension skill. Target Comprehension Skill Conclusions Tell students that they can put together details in the story to figure out ideas that the author doesn t tell them directly. Model the skill, using a Think Aloud like the one below: Think Aloud On page 2, Lauren Otter is swimming in her pool instead of working. On page 6, she tries to pay attention to Sammy Seal, but she keeps thinking about swinging from the bars of the jail. On page 8, everyone in the courtroom is quiet, except for Lauren Otter, who is sliding across a bench. I can use those details to draw a conclusion about Lauren Otter: she has trouble focusing on her work! Practice the Skill Have students write a sentence that states their conclusion about another character from the story. 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 what they know and their own experience to think about what happens in the story. Assessment Prompts Why is Sammy Seal scared at the beginning of the story? Tell one word that best describes Lauren Otter. Use evidence from the story to support your thinking. In the last paragraph on page 14, fi nd the word that means someone who has done a great deed. 4
Read directions to students. English Language Development Reading Support In Introduce the Text (p.2), use pictures, concrete objects, or demonstrations that will help children understand the concepts and ideas in the text. Don t ask children to read any text they will not understand. Or have students use the audio or online recordings. Cultural Support For students not familiar with the system of justice in the United States, provide a brief explanation. Explain that anyone accused of a crime is entitled to a lawyer to defend him or her. If the matter comes before a trial, information is presented by both sides to a judge who rules over the court and a jury of people chosen to hear the case. 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: Who is the lawyer in the story? Speaker 2: Lauren Otter Speaker 1: Who is in jail? Speaker 2: Sammy Seal Speaker 1: Who stole the clams? Speaker 2: Mr. Shark Speaker 1: The bank cameras took a photo. What does the photo show? Speaker 2: It shows Sammy Seal taking the clams. Speaker 1: What really happened to the clams? Speaker 2: Mr. Shark stole them and hid them in his jacket. Speaker 1: How does Lauren Otter trick Mr. Shark? Speaker 2: She does a back flip and dares Mr. Shark to do one too. When he does a back flip, the stolen clams fall from his jacket. Name Date Read and answer the questions. Possible responses shown. 1. Think within the text How does Lauren feel about her work? She thinks that having fun is more important than working. Lesson 2 BLACKLINE MASTER 2.10 2. Think within the text What is Sammy s problem in the story? Mr. Shark says that Sammy has stolen clams from the bank. 3. Think beyond the text Do you think Lauren should work more and play less? Explain your answer. Responses will vary. 4. Think about the text How does having fun help Lauren send Mr. Shark to jail? Lauren does a back flip off the judge s desk. Then she gets Mr. Shark to do a back flip, and the clams fall out of his jacket. Making Connections In, Mr. Shark blames Sammy for something Sammy did not do. Think of another character you have read about who is blamed for something he or she did not do. Briefly tell what happens in the story. Write your answer in your Reader s Notebook. 12, Unit 1: Good Citizens. All rights reserved. 5
Name Date Thinking Beyond the Text Imagine you are a newspaper reporter. You are reporting on Sammy Seal s trial. Write a news report. Describe what happens at the trial. Use details from the story in your news report. 6
Name Date Lesson 2 BLACKLINE MASTER 2.10 Read and answer the questions. 1. Think within the text How does Lauren feel about her work? 2. Think within the text What is Sammy s problem in the story? 3. Think beyond the text Do you think Lauren should work more and play less? Explain your answer. 4. Think about the text How does having fun help Lauren send Mr. Shark to jail? Making Connections In, Mr. Shark blames Sammy for something Sammy did not do. Think of another character you have read about who is blamed for something he or she did not do. Briefly tell what happens in the story. Write your answer in your Reader s Notebook. 7
Student Date Lesson 2 BLACKLINE MASTER 2.14 LEVEL M Running Record Form page Selection Text Errors Self-Corrections 2 Lauren Otter was a lawyer. But Lauren wasn t one of those lawyers who work hard. Lauren thought having fun was more important than working hard. So when Lauren s shell phone rang one Monday morning, she didn t answer it. She was swimming in her office pool. 3 The shell phone rang and rang. Finally, Lauren got out of the pool. I guess even otters have to work sometimes, Lauren said. 4 Lauren answered the phone. She heard a scared voice. It was Lauren s friend Sammy Seal. Lauren, I need your help! Sammy said. I m in the Rocky Beach Jail. The police will not let me go! Comments: Accuracy Rate (# words read correctly/103 100) % 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 1414158 8