L20 TE Saving the Rainforests

Teacher EditionAlphaWorldSavingtheRainforestsWritten by Tess Schembri

Horwitz EducationA Division of HorwitzPublications Pty Ltd55 Chandos StreetSt Leonards NSW 2065AustraliaHorwitz Gardner Limited168e High StreetEgham, SurreyTW20 9HPUnited KingdomPublished edition© Eleanor CurtainPublishing 2005Text © Nicole di MarcoPhotographs © EleanorCurtain PublishingFirst published 2005Apart from any fair dealing forthe purposes of study, research,criticism or review, aspermitted under the CopyrightAct of Australia, no part of thisbook may be reproduced byany process, or transmitted inany form, without permissionof the copyright owner. Wherecopies of part or the whole ofthis book are made under PartVB of the Copyright Act, thelaw requires that records ofsuch copying be kept and thecopyright owner is entitled toclaim payment.Developed byEleanor Curtain PublishingText: Nicole di MarcoConsultant: Susan HillDesigned byAlexander StittProduction byPublishing SolutionsPrinted in ChinaISBN 0 7253 3119 41 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 905 06 07How to use this bookThe AlphaWorld teacher editionssupport teachers as they guidechildren’s reading and thinkingduring one or more guided readingsessions. Teachers can observechildren as they read and choosefrom the given suggestions to suitindividual needs.Before readingSetting the context, front coverand title page:The suggestions help teachers to setthe scene and prepare children forreading the book. Prompts help todetermine children’s priorknowledge. Where necessary,background information isprovided. Teachers are encouragedto check that children understandthe vocabulary listed and to discussthe meanings and/or the structuresof these words. Previousexperiences with similar text typesmay also be discussed.During readingPredict, Read, Reflect:Questions encourage children toengage with the text by makingpredictions. The children then reada section of the text and reflect onwhat they have read. The focus ison the content, language and textfeatures of the book.Observe and support:Prompts help teachers to focus onthe strategies children use as theyread. Teachers can then select fromand adapt the suggestions accordingto the needs of the individual child.The suggestions aim to develop achild’s reading abilities.Interruptions to the child’s readingshould be minimal.After readingA selection of reading andwriting activities:The last pages of the teacher editionprovide follow-up activities andinclude the assessment focus.Selected text features• Introduction and conclusion• Colour photographs support the text• Map of the worldVocabularyatmosphere, carbon dioxide, destroyed,erosion, habitat, malaria, medicines, metals,mine, pollinate, polluted, rainforests, rely,temperature, timber, valuable, weather

Setting the contextWhat is a rainforest? What do you knowabout rainforests?Record the children’s ideas on a chartfor future reference.Background informationTropical rainforests are amazing places.Many people, animals and plants needrainforests to survive. However,rainforests are endangered. People havedestroyed more than half of the world’srainforests in the last 60 years.Rainforests cannot be replaced. We mustact now to save them.Front coverShow the front cover.This book is called Saving the Rainforests.What might that mean?What can you see on the front cover?Does this picture help you work out whatthe book is about?This book will help us to understand whyrainforests are important and how animals,plants and people need rainforests.Title pageTurn to the title page.What can you see in the photo?Is this what you thought a rainforest wouldlook like?

Saving the Rainforests Pages 2–5PredictDiscuss the contents page and read through theheadings.Is this the type of information you expected to find? Why orwhy not?Turn to page 6.This is the introduction. The introduction tells us what thebook is about. It says that many people, animals and plantsneed rainforests to survive but that tropical rainforests areendangered.Have you heard the word ‘endangered’ before? What doesit mean?Read to the end of page 5.ReflectWhat does the author think about rainforests?Why does she believe that they are amazing places?Observe and supportCan the children explain the purpose of anintroduction?Why is this called an introduction? What does it tell us?2

Saving the Rainforests Pages 6–9PredictPeople are destroying rainforests in lots of ways. They clearthe land to make room for farms, roads and houses. Theycut down trees for timber. They build mines that pollute theland and water.Look closely at the mining photo. What can you see? Wouldrainforest plants be able to grow near the mine?Turn to pages 8 and 9.For thousands of years, small groups of people have lived inrainforests without destroying them. What would thesepeople know about rainforests? What will happen to thesepeople if their rainforest homes are destroyed?Read to the end of page 9.ReflectWhy are people destroying rainforests?How would the people who live in rainforests feel about thisdestruction?Observe and supportCan the child understand the text at a literal level?Why are some people able to live in the rainforestswithout destroying them?4

Saving the Rainforests Pages 10–13PredictThis section describes how plants and animals in rainforestsdepend on each other to survive.What does ‘depend’ mean? Who do you depend on?How would plants and animals depend on each other?Turn to page 12 and 13.This page tells us that more than half of the reptiles,mammals and birds in the world live in rainforests. It alsotells us that more kinds of plants grow in rainforests thananywhere else in the world. What do you think happens tothese plants and animals as the rainforests disappear?Read to the end of page 13.ReflectHow do the plants and animals in rainforests depend oneach other?Why do animals and plants disappear as the rainforestsdisappear? Can these plants and animals be foundanywhere else?Observe and supportCan the child use information in the photographsand text to understand new vocabulary?What does ‘pollinate’ mean? What helped you to workthat out?6

Saving the Rainforests Pages 14–17PredictMany medicines are made from rainforest plants. Otherplants might be used to make new medicines in the future.When do people need medicine? What is medicine used for?Turn to page 16.Many of the foods that we eat every day come fromrainforests.What types of food can you see in the photos? Do you likeeating these foods?What happens to the animals that rely on these foods whenthe rainforests are destroyed?Read to the end of page 17.ReflectWhy may we not be able to make new medicines fromrainforest plants in the future?Observe and supportAsk a child to read aloud to you while the otherchildren are reading silently.Does the child read the text fluently?If the child continues reading without correcting anerror, you might say:Did that sound right? What could go there? What wouldsound right?8

Saving the Rainforests Pages 18–21PredictRainforest trees help to stop soil from washing away. Treesdrink in the rain and their roots hold the soil together. If thetrees are cut down, what could happen to the soil when itrains heavily?Turn to page 20.Rainforests help to control the earth’s temperature. Withoutrainforests, the temperature of the earth will rise. Whatcould happen if the earth gets hotter?Read to the end of page 21.ReflectCan you tell me in your own words how rainforests helpto save the soil?What will happen if the earth’s temperature continues torise?Observe and supportDoes the child check a range of information on thepage to assist with problem solving?I noticed that you looked at the picture as you wereworking that out. What did you notice that helped youto work out that sentence?10

Saving the Rainforests Pages 22–23PredictThis is the conclusion. A conclusion sums up what the bookhas already told us. What do you think this conclusion willsay?Read to the end of page 23.ReflectCan rainforests be replaced?What does the author feel about rainforests? How do youknow?Observe and supportCan the child understand the literal meaning of thetext?How long has it taken people to destroy half of theworld’s rainforests?12

Saving the Rainforests Page 24PredictLook at the map on page 24. Let’s read the key on thebottom of the page. What does this map show us?Study the map on page 24.ReflectWhere are most of the world’s rainforests located?What has happened to rainforests in the last 60 years?Observe and supportDoes the child understand the purpose of the map?Does the map help you to understand what ishappening to the world’s rainforests? How?14

After readingBeing a meaning makerEncourage the children to supporttheir answers to these questionswith evidence from the book:How are rainforests being destroyed?What is happening to the people thatlive in rainforests?How does destroying the rainforestsaffect the plants and animals that livein them?Would timber workers and peoplewho live in rainforests feel the sameway about rainforests?Are rainforests endangered? Why?Being a text userRefer to the children’s ideasrecorded prior to reading the book.Which of these ideas do you stillagree with?Which ideas do you want to change?Did you learn anything new byreading this book?What do you still want to know aboutrainforests?Being a text criticHow does the author feel aboutrainforests? Do you agree? Why?Being a code breakerExplore the following languagefeatures:• Using contextual information tounderstand unfamiliar vocabulary:atmosphere, habitat, mine,pollinate, temperature, timber• Make a list of words with the /m/phoneme – amazing, animals,atmosphere, farming, malaria,mammals, medicines, metals,millions, more16

Responding to textPrepare role-play cards beforeundertaking this activity. Cardscould look like the example below.You are a doctor who treats people withcancer. Re-read pages 14 and 15 anddiscuss the information with your partner.How would this doctor feel about rainforestsand their current destruction?Prepare to present this doctor’s point of viewto others in the class.Other roles could include a timberworker, a farmer, a person who lives in arainforest, a spider monkey, a toucan, arainforest plant, a soil particle, or aweather reporter.The children could complete thefollowing sentence starters toreflect on the value of rainforests.Revisiting the introduction andconclusion will help them with this task.Rainforests are…They are home to…They provide…They help to…Rainforests are needed by…Rainforests cannot be replaced so…The children could create their ownglossary for this book by selectingfour or five words in the text that theyfound difficult and defining them intheir own words.Writing linksAs a group, discuss and record thereasons for and against stopping thedestruction of rainforests. Record thesereasons on a chart called ‘SavingRainforests’.The children could write a letter to theirlocal politician or newspaper expressingtheir views on the destruction ofrainforests and what needs to be done.The ‘Saving Rainforests’ chart couldassist them with this task.Possible assessment focusCan the children:• discuss the various reasons the author gives for trying to save the rainforests?• present an argument to support saving the rainforests?whole text activity sentence activity word activity

Saving the RainforestsTopic: Conservation/Environment/PlantsCurriculum link: Natural ScienceText type: ArgumentReading level: 20Word count: 568Vocabulary: atmosphere, carbon dioxide,destroyed, erosion, habitat, malaria,medicines, metals, mine, pollinate, polluted,rainforests, rely, temperature, timber,valuable, weatherPossible literacy focus:• Understanding the text at a literal level.• Understanding why saving the rainforests isimportant.ESL possibilities:• Focusing on the title to predict what the textwill be about.• Discussing the author’s viewpoint.• Identifying and discussing the reasons forsaving the rainforests.SummaryThis book discusses the importance ofrainforests and how animals, plants and peopleneed rainforests to survive. People havedestroyed more than half of the world’srainforests in the last 60 years. It is importantthat we all help to protect the remainingrainforests.AlphaWorldISBN 0- 7253- 3070- 89 780725 330705