Wit & Wisdom® Grade K Module 3: America, Then and Now
Set 3: American Made, Book 3
Literary Nonfiction
Duet Book
Fundations® Focus Concept: VC and CVC Words
92% Decodable at Fundations® Level K, Unit 3
Book Summary
A big band performed at a music hall. A woman, Ella Fitzgerald, sang with them. The band played their instruments, and the woman answered back in song. It was as though they were having a conversation. Fitzgerald’s singing could make the audience members want to get up and dance or sit down and listen. Ella Fitzgerald and the band were performing jazz, and it was a big hit.
Teacher Note
Note that the band featured in the text is Chick Webb’s band, while the band shown in the More section is Duke Ellington’s band.
Also, consider noting the quotation marks used on page 2 and explain that these marks show that Ella is speaking to the band. When she says, “Run it from the top,” she is telling the band to start from the beginning. This book also includes a few sentence fragments due to the author’s stylistic choice.
In addition, students may benefit from discussion of music-based vocabulary: band, drums, hum, jazz, sax, and song. It may be helpful to point out that sax is an abbreviation for saxophone.
World Connection
Ella Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1917, in Newport News, Virginia.
Fundations® Alignment | Featured in Child-Read Text
Fundations® Decodable Words through Level K, Unit 3 big bob cut dip get hit hop hum in it jazz let nod on rip rug run sax sit top up wag
Fundations® Trick Words through Level K, Unit 3 a and the was
Words Not Yet Decodable in Fundations® through Level K, Unit 3 drums from he she
Notes:
Oral Recurring Content Words Discussion Guide
Word Routine
One of the words important to the ideas in this book is accomplish.
This word is accomplish.
Say it with me: accomplish.
The word accomplish can mean “to complete a task or job.”
Ella and the band were able to accomplish making great jazz music.
Accomplish
Say it with me: accomplish
Other Recurring Content Words: change, construct, landmark, past
Word Discussion Questions
What does it mean to accomplish something?
To accomplish something means to complete a task or job.
In this book, what did Ella and the band accomplish?
They accomplished their goal of making great jazz music.
Vocabulary Practice: Child-Read Words
Point to an example of Ella and the band accomplishing a task in this book.
Here is a picture of Ella and the band making great jazz music (pp. 4–9, 12–14).
Vocabulary Practice: Adult-Read Words
Using your knowledge of students’ vocabulary, select a limited number of words to introduce within the context of the book. If the word is decodable,* have students first read the word aloud.
Let’s talk about one of the words in this book.
This word is jazz.
In this book, the word jazz means “a type of music that blends African and European sounds and that began in New Orleans.”
Ella and the band made jazz that was a big hit (p. 14).
To support students in retelling, consider discussing the following questions:
Who is this book about?
This book is about a singer and a band.
This book is about a singer named Ella and the band she sang with.
What is the setting?
The setting is a stage.
The setting is a music hall.
What are the major events?
Ella sang, the band played, and Ella sang back.
People got up to dance.
Their jazz music was a big hit.
Notes:
Image Discussion Guide
Possible Opening Questions
What do you notice about the images? What do you wonder?
What can you learn from the images? How do the images build your knowledge?
Page(s) Things to Notice More to Discuss
title page That looks like a fancy theater.
The Savoy Ballroom, known as the Home of Happy Feet, was a popular dance hall in Harlem in New York City.
1 A band is on the stage. This is the Chick Webb Orchestra, led by drummer Chick Webb. This band played most nights at the Savoy Ballroom in the 1930s. Ella Fitzgerald was invited to be the singer for the band after she won a talent show.
8–9 Words are in the air around Ella.
10–11 Many people are dancing.
The illustrator added words to the illustrations to show how Fitzgerald made up words to sing with the band. She used her voice to make sounds like the instruments. This is called scat singing and is still popular in jazz music today.
Many new dances were invented on the dance floor at the Savoy Ballroom. The hall was as large as an entire city block, which gave people plenty of room to practice. The most popular dance was called the Lindy Hop, a fast-paced partner dance.
Notes:
Teachable Moments
Vocabulary | Categorizing Words
When we sort, or categorize, words or phrases, we group similar words. Many words in this book relate to dancing. One example is the phrase cut a rug. In this story, cut a rug means “to dance.”
Ask: “What other words in this book relate to dancing?”
Examples include bob, dip, hop, nod, and wag. Encourage students to act out select words to demonstrate the meanings.
Author’s Craft | Understanding Figurative Language
Authors choose words to add description or detail to a book. Sometimes these descriptive words mean something different from their usual meaning.
On page 7, the author writes, “She had to think it up on the spot.” The word spot often means “a small mark.” In this story, the phrase on the spot means “right away.”
Ask: “What did Ella have to ‘think up on the spot’?”
The author then writes, “She let it rip!” The word rip often means “to tear apart.” In this story, the phrase let it rip means “to do an activity with a lot of energy.”
Ask: “When Ella ‘let it rip,’ what was she doing?”
Response Journal Ideas
Depending on students’ readiness, they may draw, dictate, label, or write their responses.
Use details to describe the main character, Ella Fitzgerald.
Choose a word you learned from this book. Draw a picture to show what it means. Write the word to label your drawing.
