lesson 6 teacher’s guide a winning combination

Number of Words: 2,436

L E S S O N 6 T E A C H E R ’ S G U I D E

A Winning Combinationby Jim Brissette

Fountas-Pinnell Level XRealistic FictionSelection SummaryBobby plays basketball and plays in the orchestra. He has a problem when an important game and an important concert are scheduled for the same night. The problem is solved and Bobby does well at both the game and the concert.

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Characteristics of the Text Genre • Realistic fi ction

Text Structure • Multiple story lines: Bobby and the basketball team, Bobby and the orchestra, Bobby and his sister, Bobby and Wayne

• Chronological sequence of eventsContent • School activities; orchestra and basketball

• Friendship, sibling relationshipThemes and Ideas • People can have more than one interest.

• Compromise and working together helps solve problems.Language and

Literary Features• Multiple characters revealed by realistic dialogue and actions.• First person narrator uses descriptive details• Figurative language: like a blindside pick

Sentence Complexity • Many instances of complex sentences• Sentences with multiple items in a series

Vocabulary • Descriptive words (adjectives and adverbs): phenomenal, amazement• Multiple-meaning words: measures, sharp

Words • Multisyllable words: orchestra, periodic• Musical terms: timpani, mallets

Illustrations • Color illustrations Book and Print Features • 16 pages of text with illustrations on most pages

• Table of contents© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

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Target Vocabulary

berate – to angrily lecture someone, p. 7

brainwashed – pressured to change beliefs against a person’s will, p. 4

fl air – a display of stylish skill, p. 11

fundamental – basic p. 12gloat – brag about success or to

display selfi sh satisfaction, p. 6lingered – remained somewhere

for a while longer, p. 5phenomenal – extraordinary or

remarkable, p. 4

reserve – something that is saved for future use, p. 17

savor – appreciate fully; enjoy or relish, p. 8

showdown – a decisive, often fi nal, contest or battle between two rivals, p. 8

A Winning Combination by Jim Brissette

Build BackgroundHelp students use their knowledge of basketball to visualize the story. Build interest by asking questions such as the following: Which school activity would you like better, basketball or orchestra? Do you think you could participate in two school activities? Read the title and author and talk about the cover photograph. Tell students that the selection is realistic fi ction and explain that it takes place during present time and the events could actually happen in real life.

Introduce the TextGuide students through the text, noting important ideas and helping with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Here are some suggestions:

: Point out the table of contents. Suggested language: Turn to page 2. Look at the table of contents. What do you think this selection is about? Which page tells about Wayne’s big idea?

Page 3: Draw students’ attention to the illustration. Explain that the story is told in the fi rst person, by a character named Bobby. Wayne is his best friend.

Page 5: Explain that Bobby plays basketball and plays in the orchestra. Read the chapter title “Double Trouble.” Read the fi rst sentence where Bobby worries. Ask: What kind of expression does Bobby have? When thoughts linger, what do they do?

Page 11: Read aloud the last sentence on the page. Ask: If you have a flair for something, do you have a talent for it, or are you bad at it?

Now go back to the beginning and read to fi nd out how Bobby solves his problem.

2 Lesson 6: A Winning Combination Grade 6© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company


ReadHave students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their understanding of the text as needed.

Remind students to use the Analyze/Evaluate Strategy and to think carefully about the text to form opinions about Bobby and Wayne as they read.

Discuss and Revisit the TextPersonal ResponseInvite students to share their personal responses to the text.Suggested language: How did Bobby solve his problem? Who helped him? How?

Ways of ThinkingAs you discuss the text, help students understand these points:

Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text

• Bobby plays basketball and plays in the orchestra.

• The game and concert are scheduled for the same night.

• Bobby wants to play well in the game and in the orchestra.

• It is possible for people to be interested in more than one activity.

• Compromise and working together help people solve problems.

• Good friends help each other in times of trouble.

• The author includes many descriptions to help readers visualize the story.

• The author includes chapter heads to help readers think about what might happen next.

• The author writes the selection in chronological order so that the reader can understand the history.

© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

Choices for Further Support• Fluency Invite students to work in partners and choose a passage from the text to

demonstrate pausing and phrasing during reading. Remind students to pause after punctuation by taking short breaths after commas and stopping after periods and questions marks.

• Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion, revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go back to the text to support their ideas.

• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words and word parts, using examples from the text. Remind students that compound words are made up of two smaller words that make a new word. For example, the word brainwashed on page 4 means “intensive, forcible indoctrination.” Showdown on page 8 is “an event . . . that forces an issue to a conclusion.” The compound word blindside on page 8 means “to hit or attack on or from the blind side.”



Writing about ReadingCritical ThinkingHave students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 6.8.

RespondingHave students complete the activities at the back of the book, using their Reader’s Notebook. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the comprehension skill.

Target Comprehension SkillConclusions and Generalizations

Target Comprehension Skill Remind students to use details from

the text and what they already know to draw conclusions and make generalizations. Model how add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:

Think Aloud

Wayne talked to the coach and suggested a solution to the scheduling confl ict. This detail and others show that Bobby and Wayne do nice things for each other. Good friends help each other so, a conclusion is that Bobby and Wayne are good friends.

Practice the SkillEncourage students to share their examples of other selections where they can draw conclusions about people who help each other.

Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the TextHave students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understandings.

Assessment Prompts• What is the selection mainly about?

• The reader can predict at the end of the selection that the narrator will probably

______________________________________________________________.

• What are two sentences in the fi rst part of the book that support the idea that Bobby wants to play in the orchestra and play basketball?



Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text Why does Mrs. Fraser tell Bobby to get his

“head out of the clouds”?

2. Think within the text Why does Bobby say it’s diffi cult to combine

music and basketball at his school?

3. Think beyond the text What do you think makes Bobby and Wayne

such good friends?

4. Think about the text What elements of A Winning Combination make

it realistic fi ction?

Making Connections What other stories have you read that show a strong, positive friendship? Compare one of these stories to A Winning Combination.

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

Name Date

A Winning CombinationCritical Thinking

Critical Thinking© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Lesson 6B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 6 . 8

10 Grade 6, Unit 2: Common Ground

Bobby is daydreaming.

His peers in both areas make fun of his other interests.

I think Bobby and Wayne are opposites in many ways but that

their differences balance each other.

The characters are typical students with typical problems. The

teachers support students when they do well and remind them to get

on track when they get distracted.

Possible responses shown.

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First Pass

English Language DevelopmentReading Support Make sure the text matches the student’s reading level. Lanaugage and content should be accessible with regular teaching support.

Idioms The story includes some idioms that might be unfamiliar. Explain the meaning of expressions such as get your head out of the clouds (page 6). Also, the term sharp when referring to music might be confusing to English learners and may need to be explained.

Oral Language DevelopmentCheck student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’ English profi ciency. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.

Beginning/Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/ Advanced

Speaker 1: Who asks Bobby for a quarter?

Speaker 2: Wayne

Speaker 1: What sport does Bobby play?

Speaker 2: basketball

Speaker 1: What other activity does Bobby like?

Speaker 2: orchestra

Speaker 1: Why does Wayne ask Bobby for a quarter?

Speaker 2: He wants a drink.

Speaker 1: What is Bobby worried about?

Speaker 2: The game and the orchestra concert are on the same day.

Speaker 1: How does Wayne help Bobby with his problem?

Speaker 2: Wayne suggests a plan to the coach.

Speaker 1: How do the coach and the orchestra director work to solve the problem?

Speaker 2: They both agree to move the start times so that everyone can attend both events.


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Name Date

A Winning CombinationThinking Beyond the Text

Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in two paragraphs.

Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal knowledge to reach new understandings.

The coach and the orchestra director worked together to solve Bobby’s problem. Do you think they found a good solution? Why or why not? Could this solution help other students work out scheduling conflicts in the future? What suggestions would you offer to help students who want to participate in two school activities?


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Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text Why does Mrs. Fraser tell Bobby to get his

“head out of the clouds”?

2. Think within the text Why does Bobby say it’s diffi cult to combine

music and basketball at his school?

3. Think beyond the text What do you think makes Bobby and Wayne

such good friends?

4. Think about the text What elements of A Winning Combination make

it realistic fi ction?

Making Connections What other stories have you read that show a strong, positive friendship? Compare one of these stories to A Winning Combination.

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.


Name Date

A Winning CombinationCritical Thinking

Lesson 6B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 6 . 8

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1414

482

Student Date Lesson 6

B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 6 . 1 2

A Winning CombinationRunning Record Form

A Winning Combination • LEVEL X

Behavior Code Error

Read word correctly ✓cat 0

Repeated word, sentence, or phrase

®cat

0

Omission —cat 1

Behavior Code Error

Substitution cutcat 1

Self-corrects cut sccat 0

Insertion the

ˆcat 1

Word told Tcat 1

page Selection Text Errors Self-Corrections

5 I tried to focus on science that Monday morning, but thoughts

about the big game coming up on Friday lingered in the back

of my mind. It was the game of the year against Jackson, our

biggest rivals. They’d beaten us five years in a row. This year

Jackson was undefeated and favored to win the state title.

To make matters worse, no sooner had I managed to stop

worrying about the game, than I started worrying about the

holiday concert on Friday night.

Comments: Accuracy Rate (# words read

correctly/84 × 100)

%

Total Self- Corrections


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lesson 6 teacher’s guide a winning combination

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