a whaling community: new bedford, massachusettsfound in the glossary of a whaling community: new...

B e n c h m a r k e d u c a t i o n c o m p a n y

Theme: 19th Century Communities• Deadwood, South Dakota • A Whaling Community• Three Immigrant Communities

Social Studies

Skills & Strategies

A Whaling Community: New Bedford, MassachusettsLevel O/34

Anchor Comprehension Strategies

• Draw conclusions

Comprehension • Makeconnections

• Compareandcontrast

• Usegraphicfeaturestointerpretinformation

Word Study/Vocabulary • Identifyhomonyms

Social Studies Big Idea • Theinhabitantsofearlycommunities

helpedformtheeconomic,cultural,andsocialcharacterofcontemporarysociety.

TeACher’S Guide

Synthesize Information • Administer Ongoing Comprehension Assessment

• Compare and Contrast Information

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A c t i v i t i e s

Using Navigators Chapter Books

Explicit Strategy InstructionUse the complete guide to model, guide, and support students as they apply comprehension and word-study strategies. Use portions of the guide to scaffold reading instruction for students who do not need modeled instruction.

Small-Group DiscussionsIntroduce the book and model strategies. Have the group set a purpose for reading based on the introduction. Students read the book, or parts of the book, independently. Then have them use the Small-Group Discussion Guide as they discuss the book together.

Independent ReadingHave students select titles at their independent reading levels. After reading, have students respond to the text in reader response journals or notebooks.

Core Lesson Planning Guide

Copyright © 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use. No other part of the guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-4108-6296-92

Pages 4–6: Model Strategies: Introduction–Chapter 1• Monitor-Reading Strategy: Make Connections

• Comprehension Strategy: Draw Conclusions

• Identify Homonyms

Page 3: Prepare to Read• Build Content Background

• Introduce the Book

Pages 7–8: Guide Strategies: Chapter 2• Monitor-Reading Strategy: Make Connections


• Use Graphic Features to Interpret Information: Chart

Pages 9–10: Apply Strategies: Chapter 3–Conclusion• Monitor-Reading Strategy: Make Connections


• Identify Homonyms

This five-day lesson plan shows one way to use the chapter book for explicit strategy instruction.

Build Content Background • Write the words port, cargo, and merchant on the board.

Ask students to define the words and explain how they are related. Help students define the words by repeating any parts of students’ definitions that are correct. Have other stu-dents build on these definitions, adding any facts they know about the words. Finally, have students use pages 3, 4, and 6 or the glossary to help them finish and check their definitions.

• Before students read, preview some key words that are not found in the glossary of A Whaling Community: New Bedford, Massachusetts. Make sure that students can use each word in a sentence. If they have difficulty, use a dictionary to define the word.

docks anchor crew captains whaleboats• Tell students that most of the difficult words in the book will

be defined in a glossary at the back.

Introduce the Book

• Give students a copy of the book. Have them read the title and skim through the book.

• Ask: What will this book be about? How do you know? What pictures might help you tell what the book will be about?

• Explain that A Whaling Community is about a town that grew as more and more people turned to whaling to make their living. When the whaling industry faded, the town needed to change.

• Review the words that you introduced in the Build Background activity. Ask students how those words might fit into a book about a whaling community.

• To introduce key words and text/graphic features found in this book, use the inside front cover of the book.

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC 3

Display a map of the United States and point out the locations of Massachusetts and New Bedford. Note that New Bedford is located on the east coast of our country, on the Atlantic Ocean. Discuss with students what it might be like living on the coast of an ocean. Introduce vocabulary related to oceans and whaling (coast, harbor, ship, dock, cargo). Build content vocabulary by showing pic-tures that illustrate these words.

Have students find pictures of whales in the text. Ask them to share the word for whale in their native lan-guages. Then ask students about products that come from animals. They may mention meat, eggs, milk, wool, and leather. Point that the main product that came from whales was oil, which was used to light buildings, grease machines, and make soap and paint, among other things.

Prepare to Readnglish anguage earnersE L L

Informal Assessment Tips

1. Assess students’ ability to answer questions by previewing a book’s contents.

2. Document informal observations in a folder or notebook.

3. Keep the folder or notebook at the small-group reading table for handy reference.

Meeting Individual Needs

For students who struggle with previewing a book’s contents and asking questions about it, point out specific headings, boldfaced words, and pictures and other graphics, and show how they make you think of questions that the text might answer.

Before ReadingMonitor-Reading Strategy: Make Connections• Say: Good writers make connections as they read. They often

make connections between what they read and their own lives. This type of connection is called a text-to-self connection. Text-to-self connections help readers better understand what they are reading.

• Use a real-life example of making text-to-self connections.

Say: I recently read a book about life in a frontier town in South Dakota. It told about how a new town was created when people came to look for gold. That reminded me of a town I visited once on vacation. It had buildings that looked just as they did two hun-dred years before. Actors pretended to be people who had lived in the town then. I made a connection between the information in the book and what I already knew from my own experiences. That helped me remember what I read.

Say: Yesterday we previewed the book A Whaling Community: New Bedford, Massachusetts. Today we will make connections as we learn about this community.

• Read pages 2–3 aloud while students follow along.

Say: This reminds me of something. My friend moved away to work at a factory that had lots of jobs available. When I went to visit her, I saw lots of new houses, stores, and businesses the town had built for all the new workers. This made even more jobs. Because of this experience, I can see how a town could grow around a whaling business.

During Reading Set a Purpose for Reading• Ask students to read pages 4–9 silently. Have them write any

connections they make between the text and their own expe-riences on self-stick notes and place them in their books. Explain that they will share their connections after reading the chapter.

4 © 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

ABOUT THE STRATEGY Make Connections

What? Good readers make connec-tions when they link what they are reading to something they already know. Readers make three types of connections:

1. Text-to-self: a personal connection with the text

2. Text-to-text: a connection between the text being read and a previously read text

3. Text-to-world: a connection between the text and something in the world at large

Why? Making connections gets good readers more involved with the text, and helps them understand and remember what they read.

When? Good readers make con-nections before reading to set a pur-pose. They make connections during reading to monitor and clarify their understanding. They refer back to con-nections after reading to reflect on what they have read and to deepen and extend their understanding.

How? Good readers pause and won-der about the text. They ask them-selves questions that help make the three types of connections including:

1. Text-to-self: This reminds me of something I already know about. That is . . .

2. Text-to-text: This book has similar information to that in . . .

3. Text-to-world: What’s going on in this book is like what’s happening in the world right now in . . .

They note these connections in a jour-nal or on self-stick notes.

Model Strategies: Introduction–Chapter 1

After Reading Discuss the Reading• Ask students to share the connections they made with the

information in the text. Point out that because these are con-nections to personal experiences, students are writing about themselves, and their notes should contain the words I, me, and my.

• Discuss with students how making connections with their own lives—their knowledge and their experiences—helps them better understand the text.

• Ask: What did you already know about whaling, coastal commu-nities, or life in the 1800s? What information did the text add to what you know?

• Have students turn to page 9 and locate the checkpoint. Explain that drawing conclusions is a good way to understand more about what they read. Have students write their con-clusions in their journals.

• For text-dependent comprehension practice, ask the ques-tions for the Introduction and Chapter 1 found on the Comprehension Through Deductive Reasoning Card for this chapter book.

Comprehension Strategy: Draw Conclusions• Explain to students that good readers know how to “read

between the lines.” They use what they know and what they read to draw conclusions about the information in the text.

Say: In this book, the author tells us many facts about whaling and the whaling community of New Bedford, Massachusetts. We can put these facts together and use them to draw conclusions. These conclusions are not stated directly in the text, but we can figure them out by using clues and facts that are stated in the text.

• Pass out the graphic organizer “Draw Conclusions” (blackline master, page 14). You may want to make a chart-sized copy of the graphic organizer or use a transparency.

• Explain that, as students read, they will complete the first two rows together. They will complete the last row independently or in pairs.


1. Watch students as they write con-nections on self-stick notes or in their journals.

2. In a folder or notebook, jot down what you see each student doing.

3. Students should be making connec-tions as they read. Document stu-dents who are and are not using this monitor-reading strategy.



For students who struggle with this activity, model the strategy again and remind them that making connections as they read will help them better understand the material.

Rapid readers can expand on their notes and write in their journals in more detail about their connections to the text.

Introduction–Chapter 1 (continued)


Comprehension Strategy: Draw Conclusions (continued)• Have students return to Chapter 1 and follow along as you

model how to draw a conclusion. Use the information on the graphic organizer on this page to conduct a think-aloud.

• Ask: What conclusion can I draw from what I read in Chapter 1 and what I know? I can conclude that businesses in a strong community depend on each other. I’ll write this conclusion in the Conclusion box. How do I know that this is a conclusion? The author provides several facts and clues that support the conclusion.

Use the Clues/Facts column of the graphic organizer to explain your thinking.

Say: These clues and facts support my conclusion. I’ll write them in the Clues/Facts box.

• Say: I used what I read and what I know to draw a conclusion. This conclusion was not stated in the text, but it was based on the clues and facts I found in the text and on what I know. You’ll practice drawing conclusions as you read the rest of the book.

Identify Homonyms• Have students find the word line on page 4. Ask a volunteer to

read aloud the sentence in which line appears: “Large ships line the docks.” Point out that in this sentence line is used as a verb; it means “to form a line along.”

Ask: What is another meaning for the word line? (as a noun to mean “a piece of cord, rope, or wire”)

Explain to students that some words have more than one meaning. These words are called homonyms.

• Say: When you come across a homonym, you need to look at the words and sentences around the homonym. This is called the con-text. You can use the context to figure out which meaning of the homonym is being used.

• Have students find the word coast on page 5. Ask a volunteer to read aloud the sentence: “First, New Bedford is on the coast.”

Say: The word coast is a homonym. It has more than one meaning. It can mean “land along the sea.” It can mean “to ride or glide with-out power or effort.” Which meaning is used in this sentence? Let’s look at the context.

Show students how to use clues in the context (next to the sea, town, harbor) to determine that in this sentence coast means “land along the sea.”

• You may wish to continue with the homonyms light (page 4), safe (page 5), stores (page 6), and top (page 9).

Reader Response

In the feature on page 4, the author provides number facts about whaling and New Bedford. Why do you think the author includes this information? Write a response in your journal and share your thoughts with a group member.

Businesses in a strong community depend on each other.

: Crews needed supplies. Merchants sold them clothes, tools. Sailors bought paper, ink, games. Page 7: Blacksmiths made tools and pots for sailors. Page 8: City needed newspaper, post office, factories. Page 9: from whaling ships to factories to goods to sell

Chapter Conclusion Clues/Facts

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Before ReadingMonitor-Reading Strategy: Make Connections• Have students look at their self-stick notes or in their journals

to review the text-to-self connections they made yesterday. Ask them how making these connections helped them under-stand the text. Discuss their responses.

• Say: Today we are going to make text-to-world connections. These are connections between what we read and things that go on in the world. We can connect the information about whalers’ jobs with what we know about other people’s jobs.

• Read pages 10–11 aloud while students follow along.

Say: As I read about the captain and sailors on a whaling ship, I can connect that information to what I know about officers and sol-diers in the army. I know that soldiers also have to follow their offi-cers’ orders or they will be punished. But they wouldn’t be whipped or put in chains.

• Ask students to tell about any connections they can make between the information in Chapter 2 and what they know about whaling, ships, or jobs that involve people working together.

During Reading Set a Purpose for Reading • Have students finish reading Chapter 2. Remind them to jot

down text-to-self connections they make on self-stick notes and place them in the appropriate places in their book. For example, students may connect the whalers to other hunters they know about.

After Reading Discuss the Reading • Have students share their connections and talk about how the

connections helped them better understand the text.

• Ask: What have you learned about the job of whaling in the 1800s?

• For text-dependent comprehension practice, ask the questions for Chapter 2 found on the Comprehension Through Deductive Reasoning Card for this chapter book.


Monitor ELL students as they read Chapter 2 to see whether they are jotting down connections. If they are not, it may be because they do not understand the strategy. Model it again, using information from Chapter 2. If students are writing connections, encourage them to explain how the connections link to the text.


For students who struggle with the strategy, model it again. Then assign them one section in Chapter 2 and ask them to think of one connection between the text in their section and something they have read, seen, or heard before. Review how the two things are connected.

Rapid readers can review their con-nections and discuss them with a part-ner. Encourage them to note which connections both partners made and to explain the remaining connections to their partners.

Guide Strategies: Chapter 2

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Chapter 2 (continued)

Reader Response

Whaling was a hard, dirty, dangerous job. It kept people away from their fam-ilies, sometimes for years. Why do you think people were willing to become whalers? Write your response in your journal and share your thoughts with a group member.


Comprehension Strategy: Draw Conclusions• Review the first row of the “Draw Conclusions” graphic orga-

nizer. Remind students that when they draw conclusions, they use what they know and what they read to figure out ideas that are not directly stated in the text.

• Have students reread Chapter 2. When they have finished, ask: What conclusion can we draw about the people who worked on whaling ships? What were they like? (Possible answer: The people who worked on whaling ships were patient, hardworking, and brave.)

What clues and facts can we find that support this conclusion? What do we know that supports this conclusion?

Use the information on the graphic organizer on this page.

• If students offer other possible conclusions from the chapter, write them on the board. Ask students what facts from the text and prior knowledge they used to draw these conclusions.

Use Graphic Features to Interpret Information: Chart• Have students turn to the chart on page 11. Explain that a

chart is a good way to organize a lot of information in an efficient way. This chart tells about the different jobs on a whaling ship and how those jobs are ranked from most to least important.

• Demonstrate how to locate information in the chart. Point to the top box.

Say: This box, which says captain, stands for the captain of the ship. The captain was in charge of everyone else on the ship. He had the most important job on the ship, so his box is at the top of the chart.

Follow the line from the top box to the second box.

Say: This box, which says first mate, is below the captain box. This shows that he was next in command. Only the captain was more important than the first mate.

• Ask students questions they can answer using the information in the chart: Who did the first mate give orders to? (officers) Who was in charge of the blacksmith and the cooper? (officers) Which job was less important—the cook or the cabin boy? (cabin boy)

The people who worked on whaling ships were patient, hardworking, and brave.

Page 10: Spent days watching for whales. Pages 12–13: Rowed to chase whales, pulled whales back to ship. Whale much bigger than men. Harpooning dangerous. Whales drag boats under or farther out to sea.


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Apply Strategies: Chapter 3–Conclusion

Before ReadingMonitor-Reading Strategy: Make Connections• Have students look at their self-stick notes or in their journals

to review the connections they made yesterday. Discuss how the connections helped them understand the text.

• Say: Today we will make another type of connection called a text-to-text connection. We will make connections between information about whaling in this book and what we have read about whaling in other books.

• Read the Careers sidebar on page 19 aloud while students fol-low along.

Say: As I read about whaling, I thought about the book Moby-Dick. I remember reading it when I was in high school. It has vivid descriptions of the time and effort it took to catch a whale. I can connect the information about whaling in this book to what I read in Moby-Dick.

• Ask students to describe any text-to-text connections they can make between the information in Chapter 3 and what they have read about whales and whaling in other texts.

During ReadingSet a Purpose for Reading• Have students read the rest of the book silently. Ask them to

write down connections as they read. Encourage them to write at least two text-to-text connections on self-stick notes and place them in their books. For example, students may have read about other towns that had to adapt to changing times and note similarities to the history of New Bedford.

After Reading• Have students share their connections with the group. Discuss

how the connections helped them better understand the text.

• Ask: What have you learned about the relationship between whal-ing and the town of New Bedford?

• Have students turn to page 19 and locate the checkpoint. Explain that reading more about a topic can help them answer questions they may have. Have them work independently to research whaling.

• For text-dependent comprehension practice, ask the questions for Chapter 3 found on the Comprehension Through Deductive Reasoning Card for this chapter book.

Teaching Tips

After discussing the reading, have students remove self-stick notes from their books and place them in their journals on a page titled “Make Connections.” Use this page to review making connections throughout the year.

Comprehension Strategy: Draw Conclusions• Review the graphic organizer that students have been complet-

ing. Explain that they will fill in the last row independently or in pairs. They are to draw a conclusion from Chapter 3 and write both the conclusion and the clues and facts that support it.

• Ask if students have any questions before they begin. Monitor their work and intervene if they are having difficulty. Discuss students’ responses together.

• For more practice with drawing conclusions, have students complete the blackline master “Draw Conclusions” on page 15.

Identify Homonyms• Remind students that some words have more than one mean-

ing and these words are called homonyms. Good readers use the context, or words and sentences around the homonym, to figure out which meaning of the homonym is being used.

• Have students find the word parts on page 18. Ask: What are some meanings of parts? (as noun, “characters in a play, movie, or television show” or

“things that make up a whole”; as verb, “forces apart” or “combs away from a dividing line”)

Which meaning does parts have in this sentence? (“things that make up a whole”)

How did the words and sentences around parts—its context—help you figure out its meaning? (Possible answer: It is used as a noun in the sentence. A machine is made of parts.)

• You may wish to continue with the homonyms rich (page 18), waves (page 21), and change (page 22).

• For additional practice, have students complete the blackline master on page 16.

Chapter 3–Conclusion (continued)



1. Watch students as they draw conclu-sions. Ask yourself:

How have students progressed with this strategy? What problems are they still having?

2. Watch students as they complete the graphic organizer. Ask yourself:

Who is still struggling with this strategy? How can I help them?

3. Jot down your thoughts in your folder or notebook. For students who strug-gle with drawing conclusions, review the strategy using the Comprehension Strategy Poster: Draw Conclusions.

Reader Response

Today the petroleum industry is a big business. What would happen to that industry if a new product replaced petroleum? Write your response in your journal and share your thoughts with a group member.

1. Fish are not mammals. Fish do not breathe air. 2. An adult orca is between sixteen and sixty feet long. 3. Whales have to come to the surface of the water to breathe.

1. jam a. to block up by crowding b. fruit boiled with sugar to make a thick spread 2. fair a. just; honest b. a show of farm products and goods 3. bow a. the front part of a ship or boat b. to bend at the neck or waist 4. check a. to look at or examine b. a bill at a restaurant

Possible answer: The “widow’s walk” got its name because many men died at sea.

A widow is a woman whose husband has died. Page 20: Women watched for ships from roofs of houses. Page 21: Men died on whaling trips.


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Administer Ongoing Comprehension Assessment• Have students take Ongoing Assessment #13 on pages 56–57 in

the Comprehension Strategy Assessment Handbook (Grade 3).

Compare and Contrast Information• Point out that the book tells about New Bedford when whaling

was a big business there and about New Bedford today. Explain that students can tell how New Bedford in the 1800s and New Bedford today are alike and different. Have them turn to page 4. Read the second paragraph aloud.

Ask: How did people in New Bedford in the early 1800s light their homes? (They used candles made from whale oil.)

How do you think people in New Bedford today light their homes? (They probably use lamps and other fixtures that run on electrici-ty.)

• Draw a Venn diagram like the one shown below. Read aloud the labels. Explain that students are to write facts that are only true about New Bedford in the 1800s (Then) in the left circle and facts that are only true about New Bedford today (Now) in the right circle. In the intersection labeled Both, students are to write facts that are true about New Bedford both then and now.

• Have students copy the graphic organizer and complete it using facts from the chapter book and their own knowledge. Then have them use their diagrams to answer the following questions.

Ask: How is New Bedford today the same as New Bedford in the past? (Possible answer: New Bedford has a harbor and is located on the Atlantic Ocean. Whaling helps the town.)

How is New Bedford today different from New Bedford in the past? (Possible answer: Whaling isn’t the town’s major industry. Tourism probably is. The town probably isn’t as rich as it once was.)

• Have students work in small groups. Have them use their diagrams to discuss other ways in which New Bedford has changed over time.



1. Score assessments and determine if more instruction is needed for this strategy.

2. Keep group assessments in a small-group reading folder.

3. Look closely at students’ responses. Ask yourself: Why might this student have answered the question in this manner? For in-depth analysis, discuss responses with individual students.

4. If needed, reteach this strategy and administer Ongoing Assessment #14 on pages 58–59 in the Comprehension Strategy Assessment Handbook (Grade 4).

5. Use Ongoing Assessments to document growth over time, for parent/teacher conferences, or for your own records.

Help students complete the Venn diagram. For example, point out the circle for New Bedford Then. Ask students to describe what New Bedford was like in the past. Have them locate the pages on which this information can be found. Continue in the same way for New Bedford today. If students find facts that are true for both past and present New Bedford, explain that those facts should be written in the intersection under Both.

Synthesize Information

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New Bedford Then

New Bedford NowBoth

Write a Personal Response Invite students to respond to the book in a way that is

meaningful to them. The prompts below provide a variety of alternatives.

• Whaling was an important industry in New Bedford. What are important industries in your community? (text-to-self)

• What could people in communities everywhere learn from the history of New Bedford? (text-to-world)

• What other communities did you think about as you read this book? (make connections)

• Compare this book about whaling to books you have read about other industries. (text-to-text/compare)

• What main ideas about living in the 1800s in a whaling com-munity did you find in this book? (synthesize information)

• Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not? (evaluate)

• What parts of this book were most difficult for you? Why? What did you do? (self-monitor)

• What do you think would have been best about living in New Bedford in the 1800s? What would have been difficult? (per-sonal response)

Write to a Text PromptUse the prompt below as a timed writing activity. Students have a maximum of one hour to draft, revise, and edit a response. Use the rubric provided in the sidebar to score students’ writing.

Write to a Picture PromptUse the following picture prompt to develop students’ visual writing abilities.

Reading/Writing Connections

Teaching Tips

Transfer personal response prompts to a piece of large chart paper and hang it in the room. Students can refer to the list throughout the year.

The prompt is well developed. There is strong evidence of focus, organization, voice, and correct conventions.

The prompt is developed. There is adequate evidence of focus, organization, voice, and correct conventions.

The prompt is somewhat devel-oped. There is minimal evidence of focus, organization, voice, and correct conventions.

The prompt is weakly developed. There is little evidence of focus, organization, voice, and correct conventions.

Scoring Rubric

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3

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Why is it not a good idea for a community to depend on one major industry, as New Bedford depended on whal-ing? Use information from the book to support your answer.

Look at the picture on page 11. Imagine you are one of the crew members on the boat. Describe what is happening and how you are feeling. Use details from the picture to support your answer.


© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Date _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Directions: Use this sheet to talk about the book.

Word Study: Write words you did not know. Discuss the meanings with your group. Use the text to clarify the meanings.

Questions:Write two or three questions you had while reading this book. Discuss the questions and answers.

Make Connections:Write three connections you made with the text. Discuss them with your group.

Adapted from Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in the Student-Centered Classroom,

Harvey Daniels (Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers, 1994).

Rules for a Good Discussion:1. Be prepared.

2. Pay attention to the person who is talking and do not interrupt him or her.

3. Think about what others are saying so you can respond.

4. Use inside voices.

5. Let everyone in the group have a turn to speak.

6. Be respectful of everyone’s ideas.

Adapted from Guiding Readers and Writers (Grades 3–6): Teaching Comprehension, Genre, and Content Literacy, Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell (Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishing Co., 2001).

Ways to Make ConnectionsText-to-Self: This reminds me of a time when I . . .

Text-to-World: What’s going on in this book is like what’s happening right now in . . .

Text-to-Text: This book reminds me of another book I read called . . . . It was about . . .

Small-Group Discussion Guide


Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Date _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Draw Conclusions

Chapter Clues/Facts

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3

Conclusion

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Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Date _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Draw ConclusionsDirections: Read each passage. Answer the question at the end by drawing a conclusion from what you read and what you know.

1. Whales are not fish. They are mammals. Because they are

mammals, whales breathe air. What can you conclude

about fish?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

2. Adult sperm whales can be up to sixty feet long. Adult

narwhals are about sixteen feet long. Orcas (killer whales) are

smaller than sperm whales and larger than narwhals. What can

you conclude about the length of an adult orca?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

3. Because whales are mammals, they need to breathe air. They

can’t breathe air under the water, but they can stay underwater

for a long time. Sperm whales can stay under the water for

about an hour if they take very deep breaths before they dive.

What can you conclude about where whales need to be in

order to breathe?

_______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Date _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


Identify HomonymsDirections: Read the passage.

Indian River Dolphins

In India, dolphins live in the Ganges River. These dolphins are sacred to the Indian people. Years ago, the dolphins would jam the river. But now they are threatened by pollution and fishing. Many people think it’s not fair that the dolphins suffer because of these activities. Dr. Behera is one of these people. He works hard to preserve the Indian river dolphins.

From the bow of his boat, Dr. Behera looks for dolphins in the Ganges River. The river’s water is so dirty that it is hard to see through it. But the dolphins find food by listening to sounds. They are nearly blind. Because they can’t see, they sometimes get caught in fishermen’s nets. Dr. Behera wants the fishermen to check their nets and release the dolphins. He also tries to show people that by taking care of the river and the dolphins, they also take care of themselves.

Directions: On line a, write the meaning of the boldfaced word as it is used in the sentence. On line b, write another meaning of the word.

1. jam a. __________________________________________________________

b. __________________________________________________________

2. fair a. __________________________________________________________

b. __________________________________________________________

3. bow a. __________________________________________________________

b. __________________________________________________________

4. check a. __________________________________________________________

b. __________________________________________________________

a whaling community: new bedford, massachusettsfound in the glossary of a whaling community: new...

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