Brainy Beasts
Book 2 | Informational
MODULE 1 | THE SEA
BOOK SUMMARY
The sea is home to intelligent and intriguing animals, including octopuses and squid. Because of their similarities, it is possible to confuse the two creatures. Brainy Beasts examines each one to compare how they look and act. Octopuses and squid have distinct eyes, brains, bodies, and suckers. Octopuses live on the sea floor, while squid live in deep, open water. Both animals show their remarkable intelligence when hunting prey and evading predators. Octopuses generally hunt alone, while squid hunt in packs. Both creatures can change the color and texture of their skin to camouflage and communicate. They can also squirt ink to confuse predators and jet away. A photo quiz at the end of the book tests readers’ knowledge of these smart, fascinating beasts.
WORLD KNOWLEDGE
✔ Squid and octopuses belong to the same class of marine animals.
✔ Both animals have arms attached to their heads.
✔ Octopuses have eight arms, while squid have eight arms and two long tentacles they use to grab prey.
✔ Squid and octopuses are highly intelligent animals with complex brains.
WORD KNOWLEDGE
DECODING PATTERNS
r-controlled vowels
suffix -er
suffix -ly VC/CV
teams
FLUENCY PRACTICE
What fluency challenges do you hear when your students read? Use the supports below to plan targeted exercises for practice.
FOCUS PURPOSE
ACCURACY
Do students accurately decode most words? If not, are there error patterns? practicing phonics: vowel teams
PHRASING
Do students chunk words together into meaningful phrases as they read? noticing periods and commas
EXPRESSION
Do students demonstrate understanding of the text through proper expression? reading questions
INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT
• Review vowel teams such as ee and ai.
• Instruct students to listen and look for vowel teams as you read aloud a passage.
• Instruct students to identify words with vowel teams. Provide feedback as needed.
• Choral Read the passage.
• Instruct students to partner read the passage and to provide each other with feedback.
• Review similarities and differences between the pauses indicated by periods and commas.
• Read the passage aloud, modeling appropriate pauses after periods and commas. Instruct students to use nonverbal signals when they notice you pause (e.g., raise one finger when you pause for a comma and two when you pause for a period).
• Instruct students to explain what they notice about the pauses after periods and commas.
• Echo Read the passage.
• Instruct students to Choral Read the passage with a partner and to use correct phrasing.
• Review the purpose of a question mark.
• Read aloud the passage as students point to each question mark.
• Instruct students to explain how sentences with question marks sound different from sentences with periods. Provide feedback as needed.
• Echo Read the passage, encouraging students to read the questions with expression.
• Instruct students to partner read and to provide feedback to each other.
PRACTICE PASSAGES
chapter 1, pages 4–6 deep deeper meet wait chapter 3, pages 34–35 brain main reef
chapter 1, pages 1–3 chapter 3, pages 36–38
chapter 1, pages 6–7 chapter 4, pages 41–44
WORKBOOK PRACTICE – COMPREHENSION
What comprehension challenges are your students facing? Use the targeted activities below for practice.
ACTIVITY PURPOSE ASSIGN
Find a Feature, page 10 identifying text features after first full read
INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORTS AND EXTENSIONS
• Support: Explain what a text feature is and the purpose it serves in a text. Review examples from the book. Instruct students to complete the activity with a partner.
• extension: After students complete the activity, facilitate a brief discussion of these questions: Which text feature from the checklist added the most to your knowledge? How did it add to your knowledge?
Who Am I?
page 12 categorizing information after chapter 2
Prepare to discuss,
page 14 applying knowledge after first full read
• Support: Before students complete this activity, read the directions and hints together. Then instruct students to reread chapter 2 while they use sticky notes to annotate information about their chosen animal.
• extension: Instruct students to create additional hints that describe the animal they chose.
Prepare to Write, page 16 comparing and contrasting after first full read
• Support: Direct students to reread chapter 3 with a partner and to jot notes that describe how the squid and the octopus hunt.
• extension: After students complete the activity, plan 10–15 minutes for small groups to discuss the question on page 14. Then instruct students to brainstorm with a partner another nickname that fits both the octopus and the squid. Tell students to create a poster that illustrates their nickname.
• Support: Use the text to provide students with facts about the octopus and the squid. Instruct students to sort the facts into the correct place on the Venn diagram, using the text for help.
• extension: After students complete the activity, instruct them to compare their notes with those from a partner. Tell students to discuss the similarities and differences between the octopus and squid.
Journal
Prompt, page 18 writing to express knowledge after first full read
• Support: Instruct students to use the Venn diagram from “Prepare to Write” to decide whether the octopus and squid are more alike or different. Think aloud to model the decision-making process.
• extension: After students complete the activity, pair students who chose opposite points of view. Instruct students to share their responses with their partners. Facilitate a brief discussion of these questions: Did your partner change your point of view? Why or why not?
WORKBOOK PRACTICE – WORD WORK
What decoding and vocabulary challenges are your students facing? Use the targeted activities below for practice.
ACTIVITY PURPOSE ASSIGN
Word ladder, page 2 building vocabulary and practicing spelling anytime
Phonics Focus, page 4 identifying phonetic patterns anytime
Suffix Search, page 6 recognizing suffixes anytime
Word Build, page 8 identifying syllables
anytime
Glossary, page 22 building content vocabulary after first full read
INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORTS AND EXTENSIONS
• Support: Model how to complete one or two rungs of the word ladder. Instruct students to complete the rest of the word ladder with a partner or in a small group.
• extension: Instruct students to work with a partner to create a new rung for the word ladder after the last word. Tell them to add a word, a phonics hint, and a meaning hint.
• Support: Display the word farm. Echo Read the word and then change the vowel first to o, and then to i, Choral Reading each time to show what happens to the pronunciation when the vowel changes. Support students in identifying a few more r-controlled vowels on the page. Instruct students to complete the activity with a partner.
• extension: Instruct students to create a poster of other words in the book with r-controlled vowels.
• Support: Model searching for a word with the suffix -ly in Brainy Beasts (chapter 1, sentence 1). Highlight the suffix and instruct students to work with a partner to search for other words with the suffix -ly in the text. Continue to find examples of each suffix listed.
• extension: Direct students to Brainy Beasts and challenge them to find and record more examples of suffixes.
• Support: Guide students to identify the syllables in the first two or three words. Write the syllables on the space provided. Allow students to work with partners or in small groups to write the syllables.
• extension: Tell students to examine the syllables on the workbook pages. Instruct them to work with a partner to write a rule that helps students know how to divide the syllables.
• Support: Review the content words. Assign partners a word and instruct them to think of a simple action that shows what the word means. Invite students to act out the words while other students identify the words.
• extension: Instruct students to review their glossaries. Facilitate a discussion of these questions: What words or ideas do you want to learn more about? What would you use to do more research? Encourage students to use the content words as they share.