LESSON 15 TEACHER S GUIDE by Bo Grayson Fountas-Pinnell Level G Humorous Fiction Selection Summary While the firefighters are on a call, someone is doing chores. Mysteriously, the beds get made, and the hoses are put away. One day, the firefighters get back in time to find Blaze, the firehouse dog, cleaning the fire pole. The chief is so impressed with the dog s helpfulness that Blaze joins the team on fire calls from then on. Number of Words: 217 Characteristics of the Text Genre Humorous fi ction Text Structure Third-person narrative Organized chronologically Problem presented on fi rst and second pages Content Life in a fi re station Firedog does chores and gets rewarded for her work. Themes and Ideas Good work should be rewarded. Animals can be helpers, too. Language and Conversational language Literary Features Third-person narrator Sentence Complexity One line of dialogue Simple declarative and exclamatory sentences; a few sentences with introductory clauses: Example: When the fi refi ghters come back, the hoses are put away. Vocabulary Special words related to fi refi ghting: fi refi ghters, alarm bell, fi redog, fi re pole, fi re chief Words Mostly words of one to two syllables, such as job and buckled, with the occasional threesyllable word, fi refi ghters Illustrations Realistic illustrations of people and a dog in a fi rehouse setting Illustrations support the text. Book and Print Features Nine pages of text, with illustrations in same position on all pages Some labels for pictured content vocabulary 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. 978-0-547-30299-7 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 Bo Grayson Build Background Tap into children s knowledge about firefighters. Build interest by asking questions such as What do firefighters do? Where do they live when they are at work? How do firefighters get to a fire? Read the title and author and talk about the cover illustration. Tell children that the story is humorous fiction, so the story is meant to be funny. Introduce the Text Guide children 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: Explain that this is a story about a dog named Blaze who lives at a fi re station. Suggested language: Turn to page 2. Let s read the fi rst sentence: Something funny is going on at the fi re station. What does funny mean here? It can mean strange or odd. Page 3: Compare the pictures on pages 2 and 3. What s different about the beds in the picture on page 3? What do you think that has to do with the fi rst sentence in the story? Pages 4-5: Repeat the process, comparing the pictures on pages 4 and 5. Again, invite children to speculate on what is going on. Page 9: Point out the picture and the label. Blaze is riding in the fi re truck! She is even buckled in for safety. How does buckling a dog into a seat belt help for safety in a fi re truck? Now turn back to the beginning of the story and read to fi nd out just what happened at the fi re station. Target Vocabulary attention listening to what is going on around you buddy close friend, p. 10 enormous very big obeys follows orders or rules, p. 9 safety not being in danger, p. 9 shocked very surprised speech a talk given to a group station a building where people do a certain kind of work, p. 1 2 Lesson 15:
Read As the children read, observe them carefully. Guide them as needed, using language that supports their problem solving ability. Remind children to use the Monitor/Clarify Strategy think about what happens and why. as they read to Discuss and Revisit the Text Personal Response Invite children to share their personal responses to the book. Suggested language: Do you think Blaze, the firedog, will be happy going to the fires? Why or why not? Ways of Thinking As you discuss the text, help children understand these points: Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text Some chores don t get done at the fire station because the firefighters have to leave as soon as the alarm rings. It isn t until they see Blaze cleaning the fire pole that they realize she is the one cleaning up while they are gone. The fire chief decides to let Blaze ride with the firefighters because he thinks she s an important part of the team. Blaze is an unusual dog. While many dogs can be helpers, they don t usually make beds or clean things with a cloth. People and animals should be recognized and rewarded for their good deeds. Teamwork almost always makes things easier. 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H. The labels on the pictures help the reader figure out some of the harder words. The exclamation marks help show the surprise the firefighters feel. The way the text works with the pictures helps the reader know that this story is supposed to be funny. Choices for Further Support Fluency Invite children to choose a passage from the text to read aloud. Remind them to pay attention to punctuation to help them know how to express what is happening. Comprehension Based on your observations of the children s reading and discussion, revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind children 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 children that longer words are often formed from shorter, familiar words. For example, the word fi refi ghters on page 2 is a compound word combining the words fi re and fi ghters. Shorter words can sometimes help with the meaning of longer words. 3 Lesson 15:
Writing about Reading Critical Thinking Have children complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 15.7. Responding Have children 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 Cause and Effect Remind children that a cause is what makes something else happen. The effect is what happens. Model the skill, using a Think Aloud like the one below. Think Aloud The firefighters can t figure out who is doing special jobs around the firehouse while they re out on calls. They leave to go put out a fire. When they come back, chores are done. The beds are made. The hoses are put away. What is causing these things to happen? The dog Blaze is always left behind. I think Blaze is the cause. She makes these things happen. Practice the Skill At the end of the story, Blaze s actions cause another effect. Have children write what they think that effect is. Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the Text Have children 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 What seems hard to believe in this story. Why? Look at this sentence from the story: Now the fi refi ghters take their buddy out on every call. What does the author mean by the word buddy? What does it tell you about how the fi refi ghters feel about Blaze? 4 Lesson 15:
Read directions to children. English Language Development Reading Support Check regularly on children s oral reading to determine accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Then help children prepare and rehearse something they can tell about the story. Idioms The story includes some idioms that might be unfamiliar, as well as multiplemeaning words. Explain the meaning of the expressions make the beds (page 2) and buckled in (page 9). Help children understand that the word call as used on page 10 means going to help someone. Oral Language Development Check children s comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches their English proficiency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the child. Beginning/Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/ Advanced Speaker 1: What is the story title? Speaker 2: Speaker 1: Point to a picture of the firedog. Tell what she is doing. Speaker 2: looking at the beds Speaker 1: Where are the beds? Speaker 2: in the fire station Speaker 1: What surprises the firefighters when they first come back to the fire station? Speaker 2: The beds are made. Speaker 1: Why is this surprising to them? Speaker 2: The beds were not made when they left. Speaker 1: What kind of funny things are going on at the fire station? Speaker 2: The firefighters leave, and someone does their chores. Speaker 1: How are the chores getting done? Speaker 2: Blaze, the dog, is doing them. Name Read and answer the questions. Date Lesson 15 BLACKLINE MASTER 15.7 1. Why don t the firefighters make their beds or put away the hoses? 2. Why do the firefighters do their own jobs now? 3. Why do you think firefighters would want to have a pet at the firehouse? Explain your answer. Making Connections What job would you want a dog to do for you? Why? Write your answer in your Reader s Notebook., Unit 3: Tell Me About It 5 Lesson 15:
Name Date Thinking Beyond the Text Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in one or two paragraphs. How is Blaze rewarded at the end of the story? Do you think it is a good reward for Blaze? Tell why or why not. Use details from the story in your answer. 6 Lesson 15:
Name Read and answer the questions. Date Lesson 15 BLACKLINE MASTER 15.7 1. Why don t the firefighters make their beds or put away the hoses? 2. Why do the firefighters do their own jobs now? 3. Why do you think firefighters would want to have a pet at the firehouse? Explain your answer. Making Connections What job would you want a dog to do for you? Why? Write your answer in your Reader s Notebook. 7 Lesson 15:
Student Date Lesson 15 BLACKLINE MASTER 15.11 LEVEL G Running Record Form page Selection Text Errors Self-Corrections 4 The next day, the alarm bell rings again. The firefighters go out in the truck. There is no time to put away the hoses. 5 When the firefighters come back, the hoses are put away! The firefighters don t know who put away the hoses. 6 Each time the firefighters go out, a job gets done. The firefighters don t know who is doing the jobs. Comments: Accuracy Rate (# words read correctly/62 100) % Self-Correction Rate (# errors + # Self-Corrections/ Self-Corrections) 1: 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 Insertion the ˆcat 1 Word told T 1 cat 0 1413642 8 Lesson 15: