brer rabbit and sis cow terrapin races rabbit · pdf fileand muskrat, raven and crow’s...

While you are meeting with small groups, other students can:• read independently from your classroom library• reflect on their learning in reading response

journals• engage in literacy workstations

Reading Objectives• Comprehension: Analyze story

elements; Compare and contrast• Tier Two Vocabulary: See book’s

Glossary• Word study: Multiple meanings• Analyze the genre• Respond to and interpret texts• Make text-to-text connections• Fluency: Read with intonation/tone: stress

Writing Objectives• Writer’s tools: Idiom• Write a trickster tale using writing-

process steps

Related Resources• Comprehension Question Card• Comprehension Power Tool Flip Chart• Using Genre Models to Teach Writing• Coyote Brings Fire to the People, Iktomi

and Muskrat, Raven and Crow’s Potlatch (Level R/40)

Brer Rabbit and Sis Cow

Terrapin Races Rabbit

Teacher’s Guide: TricksTer Tales

Unit-at-a-Glance

Day 1 Prepare to Read

Day 2 Read “Brer Rabbit and Sis Cow”*

Day 3 Read “Terrapin Races Rabbit”*

Day 4 Reread “Terrapin Races Rabbit”*

Day 5 Literature Circle Discussion/Reinforce Skills*

Days 6–15 Write a trickster tale using the process writing steps on page 10.

Level R/40

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®

™

• Post this chart in your classroom during your trickster tales unit. Say: As we read trickster tales this week, we will come back to this anchor chart. We will look for how these features appear in each trickster tale we read.

• Ask students to turn to pages 4–5. Say: The trickster tales in this book were told by African American slaves. Let’s read the background information about these tales.

• Have a student read aloud the background information while others follow along.

• Say: Similar trickster tales are told in different parts of the world. What can you infer, or tell, from this? Allow responses. Prompt students to understand that the lessons that are often taught in trickster tales are lessons that are important to people in many different cultures.

Introduce the Tools Writers Use: Idiom• Read aloud “Tools Writers Use” on page 5. • Say: We often use idioms when we speak. Many

writers also use idioms to help make their writing more colorful and humorous. Stories such as trickster tales often include idioms. Let’s practice identifying idioms so we can recognize them in our reading.

• Distribute BLM 1 (Idiom). Read aloud sentence 1 with students.

• Model Identifying Idioms: The first sentence says that it began to rain cats and dogs. If we read this literally, it doesn’t make sense. Cats and dogs do not fall out of the sky! But if we know this phrase is an idiom that means “rain very hard,” the sentence does make sense. The writer uses an idiom to make the sentence more colorful and interesting than one that just says, “The umbrella wasn’t much help when it began to rain very hard.”

• Ask students to work with partners or in small groups to identify idioms in the remaining sentences and to write sentences that include idioms.

• Bring the groups together to share their findings.• Ask each group to read one or more sentences they

wrote. Use the examples to build their understanding of how and why writers use idioms. Remind students that idioms can help readers better understand and visualize the characters, setting, and lesson of a trickster tale.

• Ask groups to hand in their sentences. Transfer student-written sentences to chart paper, title the page “Idioms,” and post it as an anchor chart.

Two african american TricksTer Tales

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Prepare to Read

Build Genre Background• Write the word genre on chart paper. Ask: Who

can explain what the word genre means? (Allow responses.) The word genre means “a kind of something.” What genre of music do you like? Maybe you like country music or jazz. Country music and jazz are different genres, or kinds, of music. Each musical genre has its own characteristics that we can use to identify it. In the same way, we can identify literary genres by their characteristics. As readers, we pay attention to the genre because it helps us anticipate what will happen or what we will learn. As writers, we use our knowledge of genre to help us develop and organize our ideas.

• Ask: Who can name some literary genres? Let’s make a list. Allow responses. Post the list on the classroom wall as an anchor chart.

• Draw a concept web on chart paper or the chalkboard. Write Trickster Tales in the center circle.

• Say: Trickster tales are one example of a literary genre. Think of any trickster tales you know. How would you define what a trickster tale is?

• Turn and Talk. Ask students to turn and talk to a classmate and jot down any features of a trickster tale they can think of. Then bring students together and ask them to share their ideas. Record them on the group web. Reinforce the concept that all trickster tales have certain common features.

Introduce the Book• Distribute a book to each student. Read the title

aloud. Ask students to tell what they see on the cover and table of contents.

• Ask students to turn to pages 2–3. Say: This week we are going to read trickster tales that will help us learn about this genre. First we’re going to focus on this genre as readers. Then we’re going to study trickster tales from a writer’s perspective. Our goal this week is to really understand this genre.

• Ask a student to read aloud the text on pages 2–3 while others follow along. Invite a different student to read the web on page 3.

• Point to your trickster tales web on chart paper. Say: Let’s compare our initial ideas about trickster tales with what we just read. What new features of this genre did you learn? Allow responses. Add new information to the class web.

Day 1

©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: 978-1-4509-0007-2

3Two african american TricksTer Tales

©2011 Benchmark education company, llc

Reflect and Review • Turn and Talk. Write one or more of the following

questions on chart paper. What is a literary genre, and how can

understanding genres help readers and writers? What did you learn today about the trickster

tale genre? How can readers recognize idioms? Why can it be

hard to understand idioms? Ask partners or small groups to discuss their ideas

and report them back to the whole group as a way to summarize the day’s learning.

Before Reading

Introduce “Brer Rabbit and Sis Cow”• Reread the trickster tales anchor chart or the web

on page 3 to review the features of a trickster tale.

• Ask students to turn to page 6. Ask: Based on the title and illustrations, what do you predict this trickster tale might be about? Allow students to respond.

• Invite students to scan the text and look for the boldfaced words (grazed, milk, face). Say: As you read, pay attention to these words. If you don’t know what they mean, look for words in the surrounding text to help you define them. We’ll come back to these words after we read.

Set a Purpose for Reading• Ask students to read the trickster tale, focusing

on the genre elements they noted on the anchor chart. They should also look for idioms and think about how the idioms help them visualize the setting, plot, and characters.

Read “Brer Rabbit and Sis Cow”• Place students in groups based on their reading

levels. Ask students to read the trickster tale silently, whisper-read, or read with a partner.

• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor their understanding of the text and their use of fix-up strategies.

After Reading

Build Comprehension: Analyze Story Elements• Lead a student discussion using the “Analyze the

Characters and Plot” questions on page 13, or use the following steps to provide explicit modeling of how to analyze the characters, setting, and plot in a trickster tale.

• Explain: We have learned that sometimes a trickster tale teaches a lesson. The setting of the tale is often long ago in a real place. The most important character in the tale is the trickster. The trickster or another character has a problem, and the trickster usually thinks of a clever way to solve the problem. Understanding the characters, setting, and plot will help you

Day 2

IdiomDirections: Read each sentence. Underline the idiom in the sentence. Write

the meaning of the idiom on the line.

1. The umbrella wasn’t much help when it began to rain cats and dogs.

________________________________________________________________

2. When Clint told you he speaks five languages, he was pulling your leg.

________________________________________________________________

3. The night before the exam, Alicia was on pins and needles.

________________________________________________________________

4. After he lost the race, Jim promised to turn over a new leaf.

________________________________________________________________

5. After the flood, everything in the house was at sixes and sevens.

________________________________________________________________

Directions: Write your own sentence using an idiom that you know.

6. ________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

rain very hard

fooling you

very worried or uneasy

try to do better in the future

in a state of confusion

Sentences will vary. Example: I am going to finish this paper by hook or by crook.

Management TipAsk students to place self-stick notes in the margins where they notice idioms or features of the genre.

Management Tips• Throughout the week, you may wish to use some

of the reflect and review questions as prompts for reader response journal entries in addition to turn and talk activities.

• Have students create genre study folders. Keep blackline masters, notes, small-group writing, and checklists in the folders.

• Create anchor charts by writing whole-group discussion notes and mini-lessons on chart paper. Hang charts in the room where students can see them.

follow the story and figure out what lesson, if any, the story teaches.

• Distribute copies of BLM 2 (Analyze Story Elements) and/or draw a chart like the one below.

• Model: When I analyze story elements, I look for clues and evidence that the authors provide about each element—characters, setting, and plot. For example, I look at how the authors describe each character and what the character says, thinks, and does. In today’s story, Brer Rabbit tries to pull tricks on Brer Bear and Brer Fox, and then he pulls one on Sis Cow. I can tell by his words and actions that he is clever, quick thinking, and willing to resort to deception to provide for his family. To that end, he is unkind and ruthless in his dealings with Sis Cow. Although Sis Cow tries to repay one trick with another, Brer Rabbit gets away scot-free at the end.

• Guide Practice. Work with students to analyze Sis Cow’s character before moving on to analyze the setting and the plot, including the main events, problem, and solution, of the trickster tale.

• Have students keep BLM 2 in their genre studies folders.

©2011 Benchmark education company, llcTwo african american TricksTer Tales

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• Use the Comprehension Question Card with small groups of students to practice answering text-dependent comprehension questions.

• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Find It! questions. The answer to a Find It! question is right in the book. You can find the answer in one place in the text.

• Model. Read the first Find It! question. Say: When I read the question, I look for important words that tell me what to look for in the book. What words in this question do you think will help me? (Allow responses.) Yes, I’m looking for the words Brer Rabbit, asked, and Sis Cow. I find the words on page 7 where Brer Rabbit is talking to Sis Cow. “Can I have some of your milk, please?” This sentence answers the question.

• Use the Flip Chart to help you develop other Find It! questions to use with students.

Focus on Vocabulary: Multiple Meanings• Explain/Model: Multiple meaning words sound

and look the same but have different meanings. For example, listen to these two sentences. “I picked up the bat and walked to home plate. The bat hunts for insects.” In the first sentence, bat means “a wooden stick used to hit a ball.” In the second sentence, bat means “a small flying animal.” Readers need to think about context to understand which meaning of a word an author is using.

• Practice. Ask students to think of multiple meaning words they already know. List the multiple meaning words they offer and at least two meanings for each. (For example: swallow: take in/a small bird; pupil: student/part of the eye; fleet: fast/a group of ships)

• Say: Let’s find the boldfaced words in this trickster tale. What can you do if you don’t know which meaning one of these words has? (Allow responses.) The glossary or a dictionary will list meanings. However, you still need to know which meaning to choose. You need to look for clues in the text to help you figure out the meaning the author is using.

• Ask students to work with partners to complete the “Focus on Words” activity on page 13 using BLM 3 (Focus on Multiple Meanings). Explain that they should read the sentences around the boldfaced word to find clues to help them choose the correct word meaning. They should be able to explain how they know which meaning is correct.

• Transfer Through Oral Language. Ask groups of students to share their findings. Then challenge individual students to use each word in a sentence that uses a different meaning of the word. Ask other students to listen carefully and state the meaning of the word in the new sentence. Encourage students to make an effort to use the words.

• Ask students to save their work in their genre studies folders to continue on Days 3 and 4.

Day 2 (cont.)

Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment• Remind students that when they answer questions

on standardized assessments, they must be able to support their answers with facts or clues and evidence directly from the text.

Characters

Main: Other:

Brer Rabbit—pulls tricks; clever, quick thinking; wants to provide for his family; unkind to Sis Cow

Sis Cow—rude; ungenerous; vain; foolish; easily fooled

Setting

Time: Place:

long ago, on a hot summer afternoon and the following morning

in a pasture and a briar patch

Plot

Story Events:

1. Brer Rabbits asks Sis Cow for milk, but she refuses to give him any.2. Brer Rabbit asks Sis Cow to knock down fruit from a tree by hitting it with

her horns.3. Sis Cow gets stuck in the tree, which allows Brer Rabbit and his family to take

her milk.4. Sis Cow gets free and chases Brer Rabbit into a briar patch.5. Brer Rabbit fools Sis Cow into looking for him somewhere else and gets away.

Problem: Solution:

Brer Rabbit wants Sis Cow to give him some milk for his family, but she won’t give him any.

Brer Rabbit tricks Sis Cow into getting stuck in a tree so he and his family can get her milk.



Before Reading

Introduce “Terrapin Races Rabbit” • Ask students to turn to page 14. Say: Today

we are going to read “Terrapin Races Rabbit.” This trickster tale is written in a different format from the other tale we read. Notice how in the margins there are notes to you, the reader. The first time we read the text, we will read to understand the trickster tale, focusing on the characters, setting, plot, and lesson. Tomorrow, we will read this tale like a writer and think about the notes in the margin as a model for how we can write our own trickster tale.

• Say: Let’s look at the title and illustrations of this trickster tale. What do you predict it might be about? Allow students to share predictions.

• Ask students to scan the text and look for the boldfaced words (beat, flag, crest, top). Ask: What do you notice about these words? Why do you think they appear in boldfaced type? Allow responses. Encourage students to notice that all of these words have multiple meanings.

• Say: As you read, try to figure out the meanings of these words. Look in the text for clues to help you decide which meaning the authors intend. After we read, we will talk about how you used context clues to decide what each word means.

Set a Purpose for Reading• Ask students to read the trickster tale, focusing

on how the story elements support the lesson that the tale teaches. Encourage them to notice the authors’ use of idioms.

Read “Terrapin Races Rabbit”• Place students in groups based on their reading

levels. Ask students to read the trickster tale silently, whisper-read, or read with a partner.

• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor their use of fix-up strategies and their understanding of the text.

After Reading

Build Comprehension: Analyze Story Elements• Say: Yesterday we analyzed the characters,

setting, and plot in another trickster tale. For example, by studying what Brer Rabbit says and does, we figured out that he is quick thinking, devoted to his family, and unkind to Sis Cow. What can we tell about Terrapin from what she says and does in today’s trickster tale? How is the setting typical for a trickster tale? How do the characters’ actions advance the plot? Allow responses. As students share their analyses, synthesize their responses into a whole-group chart like the one here.

Day 3

Reflect and Review • Turn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to

reread the “Features of a Trickster Tale” web on page 3 and decide whether all of these features are present in “Brer Rabbit and Sis Cow.” Ask groups to share and support their findings.

Fluency: Read with Intonation/Tone: Stress• You may wish to have students reread the trickster

tale with a partner during independent reading time to focus on reading with stress. Ask partners to think about what the authors or characters are saying to help them figure out which words to emphasize as they read. Use the dialogue between Brer Rabbit and Sis Cow in the middle of page 7 as an example. Emphasize the words broke, no, family, and please in Brer Rabbit’s request and the words No, none, and never in Sis Cow’s reply. Explain why you stressed those words.

Page Word Meaning Part of Speech

7 grazed fed on grass verb

11 grazed touched lightly verb

7 milk white liquid produced by a cow

noun

9 milk take milk from a cow verb

7 face look or expression noun

7 face look toward verb


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mustered his strength, bolted by, and taunted Terrapin as he passed. This is what happened next. I have found the answer in the book. I looked in several sentences to find the answer.

• Guide Practice. Use the Flip Chart to help you develop other Look Closer! questions.

Focus on Vocabulary: Multiple Meanings• Ask students to work with partners to complete the

“Focus on Words” activity on page 21 using BLM 3, which they started on Day 2. Have groups of students share their findings.

• Transfer Through Oral Language. Invite pairs of students to make up pairs of sentences for each word, using the word with the first meaning and then with the second meaning. Combine pairs into small groups and have them share their sentences. Ask listeners to determine the meaning of the word being used in each sentence.

• Discuss Story Elements Across Texts. Lead a discussion using the following questions. How are the settings of the two trickster tales alike? Who are the tricksters in the stories, and which characters are outwitted?

What problems do Brer Rabbit and Terrapin solve? How do they solve them?

Where have the authors used idioms in these tales? How do the idioms help you visualize story elements?

Practice Text Comprehension Strategies for ELA Assessment • Use the Comprehension Question Card with small

groups of students to practice answering text-dependent questions.

• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Look Closer! questions. The answer to a Look Closer! question is in the book. You have to look in more than one place, though. You find the different parts of the answer. Then you put the parts together to answer the question.

• Model: Read the second Look Closer! question. Say: I will show you how I answer a Look Closer! question. This question asks me to identify a sequence of events. I know because it has the clue words what happened and after. Now I need to look for other important information to find in the book. What information do you think will help me? (Allow responses.) Yes, I’m looking for what happened after Rabbit saw Terrapin’s cousin halfway up the hill. On page 20, I read that Rabbit

Day 3 (cont.)

Reflect and Review • Turn and Talk. Ask partners or small groups to

discuss the following questions and report their ideas to the whole group. Do you agree with the lesson taught in this trickster tale? Why or why not? Do you agree with the way Terrapin teaches Rabbit a lesson? Why or why not? Think about a time you had the opportunity to teach someone an important lesson. What happened?


tale with a partner during independent reading time to focus on reading with stress. Ask partners to think about what the authors or characters are saying to help them figure out which words they should emphasize as they read. As an example, read aloud the dialogue at the bottom of page 15 twice, once with no emphasis and the second time emphasizing the words we, bet, and beat in Terrapin’s challenge and the words turtle, rabbit, me, and you in Rabbit’s reply. Discuss the difference with students.

Characters

Main: Other:

Terrapin—slow; angry about Rabbit’s constant boasting; challenges Rabbit to race; worried about winning; thinks of clever plan; determined; victorious

Rabbit—fast; boastful about wins; shocked, amazed, frustrated by events during race; exhausted, defeated

Setting

Time: Place:

long ago, on a warm afternoon and the following morning

in a meadow, at a pond, on a race over three hills

Plot

Story Events:

1. When Rabbit boasts about his speed, Terrapin gets annoyed and challenges him to a race.

2. Terrapin stations members of her family at various points along the route.3. Rabbit keeps seeing a terrapin ahead of him no matter how fast he runs.4. Terrapin is waiting for Rabbit at the finish line.5. Rabbit learns a lesson about bragging.

Problem: Solution:

Terrapin challenges Rabbit to a race but then wonders how she can win it.

Members of Terrapin’s family take her place along the route.


15 beat defeat verb

19 beat tired, worn out adjective

16 flag a piece of cloth or a banner noun

19 flag get tired, grow weak verb

17 crest feathers on top of a bird’s head noun

18 crest look toward noun

19 top highest point or part noun

19 top highest point or part adjective

©2011 Benchmark education company, llc Two african american TricksTer Tales

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Before Reading

Set a Purpose for Rereading• Have students turn to page 14. Say: Until now, we

have been thinking about trickster tales from the perspective of the reader. Learning the features of trickster tales has helped us be critical readers. Now we are going to put on a different hat. We are going to reread “Terrapin Races Rabbit” and think like writers. We’re going to pay attention to the annotations in the margins. These annotations will help us understand what the authors did and why they did it.

Reread “Terrapin Races Rabbit”• Place students in groups based on their reading

levels. Ask students to read the trickster tale silently or whisper-read.

• Confer briefly with individual students to monitor their understanding of the text and annotations.

After Reading

Analyze the Mentor Text• Explain to students that the text they have just

read is a mentor text. A mentor text is a text that teaches. This text is designed to help them understand what writers do to write a trickster tale and why they do it.

• Read and discuss each mentor annotation with students. Encourage them to comment on the writers’ style, character and plot development, and use of literary techniques such as idiom.



• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Prove It! questions. The answer to a Prove It! question is not stated in the book. You have to look for clues and evidence to prove the answer.

• Model. Read the first Prove It! question. Say: I will show you how I answer a Prove It! question. This question asks me to find evidence to support a conclusion. I know because the question says, “What clues tell you . . .” Now I need to look for other important information in the question. What information do you think will help me? (Allow responses.) Yes, I need to look on page 16 to find clues that Terrapin is not that sure about winning the race. Terrapin says, “Maybe I spoke too soon.” She frets, filled with worry. As far as she knows, a turtle has never won a race before, and certainly not one against a rabbit. Terrapin isn’t sure how she

is going to do it. I have found the evidence to support the conclusion.

• Guide Practice. Use the Flip Chart to help you develop other Prove It! questions and support students’ text-dependent comprehension strategies.

Analyze the Writer’s Craft• Ask students to turn to page 22. Explain: In the

next few days, you will have the opportunity to write your own trickster tale. First, let’s think about how the authors wrote “Terrapin Races Rabbit.” When they developed this tale, they followed certain steps. You can follow these same steps to write your own trickster tale.

• Read step 1. Say: When you write your trickster tale, the first thing you’ll do is decide on a problem for your characters to solve. Let’s turn back to pages 9 and 16 and review the problems in the tales we read. Write the problems on chart paper. What problem would you like your characters to solve? For example, I might write a trickster tale about someone who needs help to get to the top of a high mountain. Allow responses. Write down students’ ideas on chart paper.

• Read step 2. Say: In each trickster tale we read, one character is the trickster who outwits another character. Brer Rabbit tricks Sis Cow into giving him her milk, and Terrapin tricks Rabbit into losing a race. Who could your trickster be? Who could your other characters be? Let’s make a list of possible characters. Remember, the characters in a trickster tale are often animals. Allow responses. Write down students’ ideas on chart paper.

• Read step 3. Say: Before you’re ready to write, you need a setting and plot. “Brer Rabbit and Sis Cow” takes place in a pasture with a tree and a briar patch. This is a perfect setting for the plot. You would expect to find a rabbit and a cow in a pasture. When you write your trickster tale, think about what setting is right for your characters. What plot events will help your characters solve the problem? Choose one of the problems and some of the characters the class has brainstormed. Work as a group to construct a setting and plot.

Build Comprehension: Compare and Contrast• Explain: When authors write stories, they

include characters, setting, and plot. Readers can compare and contrast stories by analyzing these elements to see how they are alike and different. When we compare, we tell how two

Day 4

Analyze & Synthesize



• Say: Today I will help you learn how to answer Take It Apart! questions. To figure out the answer to a Take It Apart! question, think like the author.

• Model. Read the second Take It Apart! question. Say: This question asks me to evaluate the authors’ purpose. I know because it has the words “Why did the authors . . .” Now I need to look for other important information in the question. What information do you think will help me? (Allow responses.) Yes, I need to reread the end of the story to figure out why the authors included the information about the terrapin racers hugging one another. Earlier in the story, Terrapin tells her family that everyone will remember the day they won the race. I think the authors included the information about the terrapins hugging to show how happy they are when they win this important race.

• Use the Flip Chart to help you develop other Take It Apart! questions to use with students.

Summarize & Make Connections Across Texts• Engage students in a discussion about the two

trickster tales in this book. Invite a different student to summarize each trickster tale. Encourage other students to add their ideas and details.

• Ask students to turn to the inside back cover of the book. Say: Good readers think about how literary works are related. We know, for example, that these trickster tales share certain features. The main characters are tricksters. The tricksters outwit other characters. What else do the stories have in common? (Allow responses.) Today we will think about the characters and plots in both tales. We will think about how the authors describe the characters and how the tales end.

• Ask students to work individually or in small groups to complete BLM 4 (Make Connections Across Texts).

• Class Discussion or Literature Circles. Facilitate a whole-class discussion or keep students in their small groups for a literature circle discussion. If you choose to conduct literature circles, share the rules for good discussion on page 9. Each group should discuss and be prepared to share its ideas about the following prompts. How are the plots of these two tales alike? How are the plots different? What general human quality or trait does each character stand for? How can you tell?

things are alike. When we contrast, we tell how they are different. We can compare and contract Brer Rabbit and Terrapin by analyzing their traits and actions to see which are common to both and which are not. Brer Rabbit and Terrapin are alike because both are clever and determined. They are different because Terrapin worries about how she will win her race, while Brer Rabbit never doubts he will get what he wants.

• Model: In “Brer Rabbit and Sis Cow,” the setting is outside near a field on a hot, sunny afternoon. In “Terrapin Races Rabbit,” the setting is in a grassy meadow on a warm, sunny day. I can compare the two settings by pointing out their similarities: outside, in a grassy place, warm and sunny day.

• Guide Practice. Invite students to work in small groups to compare and contrast the characters, settings, or plots of “Brer Rabbit and Sis Cow” and “Terrapin Races Rabbit.” Ask the groups to share their ideas and explain how comparing and contrasting helps them better recognize and understand the story elements in both tales.

Reflect and Review • Ask and discuss the following questions.

What new words have you added to your vocabulary this week? Which is your favorite? Which trickster character do you think has the cleverer plan? Why do you think so? As a writer, how can you use words with multiple meanings and idioms to keep your readers interested in your story?


tale with a partner during independent reading time to focus on reading with stress. Remind partners to think about what the authors or characters are saying to help them figure out which words to emphasize as they read. Have them practice reading page 20 to each other to show how they would stress important words.


8

Day 4 (cont.) Day 5

• Hand out the target word cards in random order to seven students. Hand out the first meaning cards to a second group of students and the second meaning cards to a third group.

• Ask each student to hold up his or her card and find the two other students who are holding the corresponding target word or meaning cards.

• Have each trio stand together, read their target word and both meanings, and then use the word in two example sentences, one per meaning.

Reread for Fluency: Oral Reading Performance• Discuss with students the emotions shown by the

characters in the two trickster tales. • Say: Characters in these trickster tales show

anger, confusion, joy, pride, and excitement, among other emotions. When you read the trickster tales aloud, use expression to show the characters’ emotions. Expressing these emotions will help your listeners understand the characters and better appreciate the stories.

• Invite individual students to read aloud part of one of the trickster tales using expression to help listeners understand the characters’ emotions.

• Encourage students to have fun with their readings, making them as dramatic as possible.

• As a whole class, discuss each reader’s interpretation and consider alternate ways to express the emotions.

Review Writer’s Tools: Idiom• Ask students to look for more idioms in books

from your classroom library or the school’s library. Each student should select one book at his or her independent reading level. Ask students to read pages specifically to find one or more idioms.

• Invite students to share the idioms they found with the class. Point out that not all students may have found idioms in the books they chose. Idiom is not a tool all writers use all of the time.

Which character did you like best? Which character did you like least? Why?

• Tell students that at the end of their discussion, you will ask them to share their important text-to-text, text-to-world, and text-to-self connections.

• While each small group of students discusses the book, confer with individuals or small groups of students. You may wish to revisit elements of the genre, take running records, or model fluent reading skills.



Day 5 (cont.)

Rules for Good Discussion• Pay attention to the person who is talking and do

not interrupt him or her.• Think about what others are saying so you can

respond and add to their ideas.• Allow and encourage everyone in the group

to speak.• Be respectful of everyone’s ideas.

Reinforce SkillsIf time permits, choose from the following activities to reinforce vocabulary and fluency.

Reinforce Vocabulary: Meaning Match• Write each target word on a card, one of the

word’s meanings on a second card, and another of its meanings on a third card. Sort the cards into three groups: target words, first meanings, and second meanings.

Brer Rabbit and Sis Cow

Terrapin Races Rabbit

Trickster Brer Rabbit Terrapin

Other character(s) Sis Cow, rabbit family Rabbit, terrapin family

How do the authors describe the trickster?

always ready to pull a trick, shameless, polite, clever, teasing, daring, fast, joyful

slow, annoyed, impulsive, anxious, clever, happy

How do the authors describe the other character(s)?

Sis Cow: rude, stubborn, vain, easily fooledRabbit family: quick, merry

Rabbit: boastful, rude, conceited, easily fooled, shocked, defeatedTerrapin family: slow, willing, excited

How does the trickster tale end?

Brer Rabbit tricks an angry Sis Cow into going one way while he goes another.

Rabbit loses the race and learns his lesson, and the terrapins celebrate their victory.

Write a Trickster Tale• Use the suggested daily schedule to guide students

through the steps of process writing. Allow approximately 45 to 60 minutes per day. As students work independently, circulate around the room and monitor student progress. Confer with individual students to discuss their ideas and help them move forward. Use the explicit mini-lessons, conferencing strategies, and assessment rubrics in Using Genre Models to Teach Writing for additional support.

• Before students begin planning their trickster tale, pass out copies of BLM 5 (Trickster Tale Checklist). Review the characteristics and conventions of writing that will be assessed. Tell students that they will use this checklist when they complete their drafts.

• This daily plan incorporates the generally accepted six traits of writing as they pertain to trickster tales.

Days 6–7: Plan • Ask students to use BLM 6 (Trickster Tale Planning

Guide) to brainstorm the problem, characters, setting, and plot for their stories.

• Encourage students to refer to the “Features of a Trickster Tale” web on page 3 and to the steps in “The Writer’s Craft” on pages 22–23 of the book.

• Confer with individual students and focus on their ideas. Did students begin their trickster tale with a problem or lesson in mind? Did students support the problem or lesson through the characters and plot?

Days 8–9: Draft • Tell students that they will be using their completed

Trickster Tale Planning Guides to begin drafting their trickster tales.

• Say: Remember that when writers draft their ideas, they focus on getting their ideas on paper. They can cross things out. They can make mistakes in spelling. What’s important is to focus on developing your characters, setting, and plot. You will have an opportunity to make corrections and improvements to your writing later.

• Confer with students as they complete their drafts. Use the Trickster Tale Checklist to draw students’ attention to characteristics of the trickster tale genre that they may have overlooked. Focus on students’ organization and voice. Did students introduce characters at the beginning of the story? Did they set up a problem and then show a resolution? Does the trickster tale have a strong voice? Will the voice keep readers interested?

• Pair students for peer conferencing.

Days 10–11: Edit and Revise • Based on your observations of students’ writing,

select appropriate mini-lessons from Using Genre Models to Teach Writing.

• Remind students to use the Trickster Tale Checklist as they edit and revise their trickster tales independently.

• Confer with students focusing on sentence fluency, word choice, and conventions. Did students include both long and short sentences? Do the sentences read smoothly? Have students used interesting words and phrases? Did they use idioms? Did they use appropriate spelling, punctuation, and grammar?

• You may want students to continue their editing and revision at home.

Days 12–13: Create Final Draft and Illustrations • Ask students to rewrite or type a final draft of their

trickster tales.• Invite students to illustrate their final drafts with one

or more drawings that depict specific characters or events in their trickster tales.

• Confer with students about publishing plans and deadlines.

Days 14–15: Publish and Share• Explain: Authors work long and hard to develop their

works. You have worked very hard. And one of the great joys of writing is when you can share it with others. Authors do this in many ways. They publish their books so that people can buy and read them. They make their work available on the Internet. They hold readings. We can share our writing, too.

• Use one or more of the ideas below for sharing students’ work: Make a class display of students’ completed tales. Hold a class reading in which students can read their trickster tales to one another and/or to parents. Create a binder of all the trickster tales and loan it to the library so that other students can read them. Create a binder of all the trickster tales for your classroom library.


©2011 Benchmark education company, llc10

Days 6–15

Features of the Genre Checklist Yes No

1. My trickster tale is short. 2. My trickster tale has a strong lead. 3. My trickster tale has a clear setting. 4. One of my characters has a flaw. 5. One character has a problem or helps someone

with a problem. 6. I tell the problem at the beginning of the

trickster tale. 7. I have 3 to 5 events in my trickster tale. 8. I have a solution to the problem in the

trickster tale. 9. The trickster character outwits another to solve

the problem. 10. My trickster tale is funny. 11. I used figurative language in my trickster tale.

Quality Writing Checklist Yes No

I looked for and corrected . . .

• run-on sentences • sentence fragments • subject/verb agreement • verb tense • punctuation • capitalization • spelling • indented paragraphs

Trickster Tale Checklist

1. Decide on a problem.

2. Brainstorm characters.

Trickster Tale Planning Guide

Directions: Use the steps below to plan your own trickster tale.

3. Brainstorm setting and plot.

Setting

Problem

Events

Solution

Characters Traits, Actions Based on TraitsTrickster:______________

Character Trickster Outwits:______________

Other Characters:_____________


Blm 1

Name _________________________________________________ Date ___________________

IdiomDirections: Read each sentence. Underline the idiom in the sentence. Write

the meaning of the idiom on the line.

1. �The��umbrella��wasn’t��much��help��when��it��began��to��rain��cats��and��dogs.

________________________________________________________________

2. When��Clint��told��you��he��speaks��five��languages,��he��was��pulling��your��leg.

________________________________________________________________

3. �The��night��before��the��exam,��Alicia��was��on��pins��and��needles.

________________________________________________________________

4. After��he��lost��the��race,��Jim��promised��to��turn��over��a��new��leaf.

________________________________________________________________

5. After��the��flood,��everything��in��the��house��was��at��sixes��and��sevens.

________________________________________________________________

Directions: Write your own sentence using an idiom that you know.

6. ________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________



Analyze Story Elements

Name _________________________________________________ Date ____________________

Directions: Use the chart below to analyze story elements.

Blm 2

“Bret Rabbit and Sis Cow”

Characters

Main: Other:

Setting

Time: Place:

Plot

Story Events:1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Problem: Solution:

“Terrapin Races Rabbit”

Characters

Main: Other:

Setting

Time: Place:

Plot

Story Events:1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Problem: Solution:

Name _________________________________________________ Date ___________________

Focus on Multiple MeaningsDirections: Reread each trickster tale. Use context clues to figure out the

meanings of the words. Write their parts of speech.


Blm 3

“Brer Rabbit and Sis Cow”


7 grazed

11 grazed

7 milk

9 milk

7 face

7 face


Page Word Meaning Part of Speech15 beat

19 beat

16 flag

19 flag

17 crest

18 crest

19 top

19 top

Make Connections Across Texts

Name _________________________________________________ Date ____________________

Directions: Use the chart to compare and contrast the two trickster tales.


©2011 Benchmark education company, llcBlm 4

“Brer Rabbit and Sis Cow”


Trickster

Other�characters

How��do��the��authors��describe��the��trickster?

How��do��the��authors��describe��the��other��characters?

How��does��the��trickster��tale��end?

1.��Which��characters��are��alike?��How��are��they��alike?�_____________________________________________________________

2.��How��are��the��endings��alike?��How��are��they��different?�_____________________________________________________________



Features of the Genre Checklist Yes No

� 1.��My��trickster��tale��is��short.� � � 2.��My��trickster��tale��has��a��strong��lead.�� 3.��My��trickster��tale��has��a��clear��setting.� � � 4.��One��of��my��characters��has��a��flaw.� � � 5.��One��character��has��a��problem��or��helps��someone��

with��a��problem.� � � 6.��I��tell��the��problem��at��the��beginning��of��the��

trickster��tale.� � � 7.��I��have��3��to��5��events��in��my��trickster��tale.� � � 8.��I��have��a��solution��to��the��problem��in��the��

trickster��tale.� � � 9.��The��trickster��character��outwits��another��to��solve��

the��problem.� � 10.��My��trickster��tale��is��funny.� � 11.��I��used��figurative��language��in��my��trickster��tale.� �

Quality Writing Checklist Yes No

I��looked��for��and��corrected��.��.��.

•��run-on��sentences� � •��sentence��fragments� � •��subject/verb��agreement� � •��verb��tense�� •��punctuation� � •��capitalization� � •��spelling� � •��indented��paragraphs� �

Name _________________________________________________ Date _________________

Trickster Tale Checklist

Title ________________________________________________________________________ ______

1.��Decide��on��a��problem.

2. Brainstorm��characters.



Trickster Tale Planning Guide

Name _________________________________________________ Date ____________________

Directions: Use the steps below to plan your own trickster tale.

3. Brainstorm��setting��and��plot.

Setting

Problem

Events

Solution

Characters Traits, Actions Based on TraitsTrickster:______________

Character��Trickster��Outwits:______________

Other��Characters:_____________

brer rabbit and sis cow terrapin races rabbit · pdf fileand muskrat, raven and crow’s...

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