Summary Mosquito never stops talking and Iguana is tired of listening to him. He puts sticks in his ears to block out Mosquito’s chatter. But Iguana doesn’t hear Python greet him, and a series of misunderstandings begins. Soon the whole jungle is in chaos. Lion calls a meeting to find out the truth. Finally Lion learns that Mosquito started the problem. Lion orders Mosquito never to talk again, only to buzz until someone tells him he’s not annoying. Mosquito vows to buzz an apology into everyone’s ear. And that is why mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears.

Objectives FluencyStudents will:• Buildfluencythroughecho-reading,

choral-reading,andrepeatedreading

• Readwithappropriatepitch(riseandfallofthevoice)

• Readdashes

cOmprehenSiOnStudents will:• Analyzecharacter• Drawconclusions• Identifycauseandeffect• Makepredictions

WritingStudents will:• Writeapictureessay

genreStudents will:• Identifyandanalyzefeaturesof

pourquoitales

VOcabulary and WOrd StudyStudents will:• Buildvocabulary:alarmed,lagoon,

startled• Usecontextclues• Identifyonomatopoeia• Usesynonymsandantonyms• Makewordassociations

character educatiOnStudentswilllearnabout:• Responsibility• Citizenship

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears

teacher’s guide

Reader’s Theater™for Fluency and comprehension

leVelS 13–28 h–m

World Folktales

characters levelsMother Owl H/13–14Python I/15–16Crows J/18Rabbit K/20Mosquito L/24Iguana M/28Lion M/28Monkey M/28

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build background•Askstudentstosharewhattheyknow

about pests. Ask: Who or what can be a pest? Invite students to give examples of pests. Discuss how certain insects or animals can be pests. Ask students to think about when we might say a person is a pest. Ask students how it would feel to be called a pest.

•Askstudentswhattheyknowaboutmosquitoes. Encourage them to discuss words they would use to describe mosquitoes and how they feel about mosquitoes. Invite them to predict what traits a mosquito character might have.

•Tellstudentsthattheywillbereadinga folktale from Africa that explains why mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears. Tellstudentsthatfolktalesarestoriesthat people have told and passed on from generation to generation. Many folktales have animal characters that talk and act like humans. Discuss the reasons people might use animals as characters in folktales.

introduce the Script•Giveeachstudentacopyofthescript.

Tellstudentsthatthisisatypeoffolktale called a pourquoi tale. Explain that a pourquoi tale is a folktale that explains why something in the natural world happens. Explain that pourquoi means why in French.

•UsetheLearningAboutGenresidebar to help teach characteristics of pourquoi tales.

•Readthetitlewithstudentsandaskthem to predict why mosquitoes buzz inpeople’sears.Thenaskstudentstoread the back cover blurb and confirm or revise their predictions

See page 8 for English-Language Learner and Striving Reader Support.

Day One

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Copyright©2007BenchmarkEducationCompany,LLC.Allrightsreserved.Nopartoftheguidemaybereproducedortransmittedinwholeorinpartinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopy,recording,oranyinformationretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher.

ISBN:978-1-4108-7185-5

• Explain why something in nature exists• Set in the distant past• Main characters may be people, animals,

plants, or forces of nature• Told orally and passed on from one

generation to the next• Reflect the culture of the storytellers

learning about genre: pourquoi tales

introduce Vocabulary• Introducetheglossarywords.Read

the word alarmedtogether.Readthecontext sentence aloud to students. Ask students which word in the sentence might help them figure out the meaning of alarmed. (frightened) Discuss how the context, or other words in a sentence, might help a reader determine the meaning of aword.Readthedefinitionfromthe glossary together. Ask students to suggest synonyms for the word alarmed.Thenaskthemtousealarmed in a new sentence.

•Repeatthisprocessforlagoon and startled. Explain that there are few context clues for the word lagoon, so students may need to rely more on the glossary definition.

• Pointoutexamplesofonomatopoeia.Explain that onomatopoeia is the use of words that stand for sounds, for example,“Roar!”(page7),“HOOT!” (page13),and“buzz”(pages15and16).

See page 8 for English-Language Learner and Striving Reader Support.

model Fluent readingAsk students to listen and follow along with you as you read the script aloud to model fluency and expression.

background information

Folktales

Folktales are stories handed down orally through many generations. Folktales were told for entertainment and to instill cultural beliefs, values, and practices. Certain types of folktales, such as pourquoi tales and myths, also tried to explain natural phenomena.

Therearemanytypesoffolktales.Cumulative tales are simple stories with the events following each other in a pattern, for example,“HennyPenny.”Noodleheadstoriesinvolve a character who continues to make funnymistakes,forexample,“CleverElsie.”Thesestoriesarehumorousbuttheyalsoteach about human nature. Fairy tales are types of folktales often dealing with magic andenchantment.Thesestorieshavestockcharacters portrayed as either good or evil.

Pourquoi Tales

Pourquoi (poor–KWAH) is the French word for why.Thesefolktalesexplainwhynaturalevents happened and can be found in many differentcultures.Thesestoriesoftenstartinthepast(“Alongtimeago...”)andfinish when the explanation is complete (“Andthatiswhy...”).Pourquoitalesinclude animals and natural forces, such as the wind, that talk and act like humans. Some popular pourquoi tales are “How the LeopardGotItsSpots”and“WhyaZebraHasStripes.”

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build Fluency: echo-read•Readthescriptaloud,andask

students to echo-read, or repeat, the lines after you. Stop where necessary to explain unfamiliar words, for example,“nonsense” and“pest”(page3),and“COMMAND” (page7).

•Pointoutthestagedirectionsinparenthesesonpages3,7,8,and13.Explain to students that these directions help the reader know how to read lines with the appropriate tone of voice. Point out the stage direction onpage16,“(to Iguana).”Explainto students that this direction tells Mosquito to whom he or she should speak the lines.

•Pointoutthedashesonpages3,5,8,and14–16.Explaintostudentsthat these dashes indicate a break orapause.Onpages3and15thecharacter is pausing before adding moreinformation.Onpages5,8,14,and16,thecharacterwasinterruptedby another character or some action in the story. Model for students how to read each line with a pause or hesitationwherethedashis.Thenask students to read the line with no pause, and then to reread it correctly. Ask students to describe the difference between the two readings.

•GuidestudentstoLion’slinesatthebottomofpage7.Readthelinesaloud. Ask students if this is a normal way people talk to one another. Explain that Lion is talking in a formal way.

•DiscusswhyLionmighttalktotheother animals using this tone of voice. Explain that the words and tone of voice that a character uses can tell about the character. Lion is the king of the jungle, or the leader. He sounds like a leader when he uses formal languagesuchasthatonpage7.Pointout that the last sentence is in capital letters. Explain that the capital letters show that Lion is speaking loudly or in a very commanding manner.

•DirectstudentstoPython’slinesonpages3,8,and9.Askstudentswhatthey can tell about Python by the type of language he uses.

•Pointoutthesentence“Youallhavemadesomethingoutofnothing”inLion’s lines on page 13. Ask students what it means to “make something out ofnothing.”ExplainthatLionmeansthe animals got upset when nothing was really wrong.

build comprehensionEnsure students understand the ideas in the story, as well as character development, by involving them in discussion.

•What does Mosquito do that makes him a pest? (analyze character)

•Why does Python fear that he is a pest? (recall details)

•Why are the animals alarmed and startled? (recall details)

•What causes the jungle to remain dark? (identify cause and effect)

Day Two

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•Discusstheassessmentrubricwithstudents so that they know what you expect of them.

assign roles•Usethereadinglevelsprovidedonthe

front of this guide to help you assign roles that support or challenge each student appropriately.

•Thisscriptcontainseightparts,including the role of the Crows. If you have more students than parts, you may assign more students to read the part of the Crows, keeping in mind the reading level of the role. Also, one student could be a director or a sound effects manager.

•ThestudentwhoreadsthepartofMosquito can make a buzzing sound instead of simply reading the word buzzonpages15and16.

•How do the other animals feel about Lion? How do you know? (make inferences)

•Will Mosquito ever be able to speak again? Why or why not? (make predictions)

•What is a lesson of this story? (draw conclusions)

•What features make this a pourquoi tale? (analyze features of pourquoi tales)

See page 8 for English-Language Learner and Striving Reader Support.

build VocabularyMake sure students fully understand theglossaryterms.TheVocabularyinAction suggestions on the inside back cover of the script provide further ideas for building students’ understanding.

Fluency assessment rubric•TheReader’sTheaterOverview

contains an assessment rubric you can use to quickly assess each student. Usetherubricatdifferenttimesduring the lesson to assess different skills. For example, you may want to select students to assess their understanding of characterization during the comprehension discussion. Alternatively, you may wish to use their performance to assess how appropriately they develop their characters.

character tips for Voice and expression

Mosquito pesky, talkative

Iguana bothered, disgusted

Python self-centered, worried

Rabbit scared, timid

Crows worried, loud

Monkey worried, apologetic

Mother Owl unhappy, worried

Lion loud, strong, confident, businesslike

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build Fluency Skills: read with appropriate pitch•model:Tellstudentstheyshouldread

their lines using a pitch that makes sense with their lines and the mood of the story. Explain that punctuation marks give clues about the pitch they should use. Point to Python’s first set of lines on page 3 as an example. Say: Python asks Iguana a question. When someone asks a question the pitch of his or her voice rises at the end. Model reading Python’s lines with the appropriate pitch.

•guide: Ask students to read Python’s second set of lines on page 3 silently. Then,guidethemtotaketurnsreadingthe lines aloud. Encourage other students to listen for changes in pitch where Python asks a question or makes an exclamation.

•apply: Point out other sections of the script, and ask pairs of students to take turns reading the lines with the appropriate pitch. For example, they may use a high, excited pitch forMotherOwlwhenherbabyisknocked out of the nest. Ask the students to evaluate whether their partners read the lines with the appropriate pitch.

choral-read for Fluency Involve students in a choral-reading of the script to reinforce the fluency skill of reading with appropriate pitch.Remindthemtousedramaticexpression to bring each character’s mood or personality to life.

repeated reading: rehearse the Script•Discusstheexpectationsyouhavefor

student behavior during the rehearsal. UsethesuggestionsprovidedhereandintheReader’sTheaterOverview.

•Usesmall-grouptimeforstudentstorehearse their script. Monitor students as they rehearse, and tell them you will be listening to how they develop the characters through their reading.

•Offersuggestionsforexpression,voice,and characterization as you monitor students’work.Seethechartonpage5fortipsonvoiceandexpression.Usespecific comments, rather than general ones, directed at the character, not the student. For example: Rabbit, you should sound more timid there.

•Usethistimetoobserveparticularstudents and assess for behavior. Remindstudentsoftheassessmentrubric and let them know you will be assessing them as you monitor the rehearsal.

See page 8 for English-Language Learner and Striving Reader Support.

Day Three

When performing, students should:• know when it is their time to speak;• speak in a loud, clear voice using expression

and fluency;• enunciate for understanding;• prompt others if necessary;• accept both criticism and praise appropriately.

expectations for rehearsing

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perform the ScriptInvite students to present the script to anaudience.Theaudiencemightbemembers of their class, students from other classes, school staff members, and/or parents.

assess Students’ Fluency•Usetheassessmentrubricto

complete your assessment of students’ fluency.

•Taketimetobrieflyconferencewitheach student to provide feedback on his or her reading and behavior.

repeated reading: rehearse the Script•Usesmall-grouptimeforstudent

rehearsal. Do not interrupt this second rehearsal, but simply observe students as they read.

•Usetheassessmentrubrictomonitorstudents’ rehearsal behaviors and reading fluency.

Staging and performance SuggestionsDecide on a stage area, how students will be positioned, and whether props or movements will be added. See staging tipsintheReader’sTheaterOverview.Here are some other ideas:

placement/mOVement

•Allofthecharactersmaybeonthestaging area together; characters may step forward when they read their lines. Characters who have dialogue with each other may step forward at the same time. For example, Mosquito and Iguana should step forward together and read their lines on page 2.

•Allofthecharacters(exceptIguana)gather around Lion when he calls them.

muSic/SOund eFFectS

•Thesoundeffectsmanagercouldbangon a trash can when Monkey slams into the tree.

•Thesoundeffectsmanagercouldplayjungle sounds or soft music in the background as the students read their lines.

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Day Four Day Five

When performing, students should:• know when it is their time to speak;• speak in a loud, clear voice using expression

and fluency;• enunciate for understanding;• prompt others if necessary;• accept both criticism and praise appropriately.

expectations for rehearsing

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build background and make connections (day One)•Readastorybookversionof“Why

MosquitoesBuzzinPeople’sEars”toELLs to provide additional picture support and background information.

• Ifpossible,locatefolktalesorpourquoi tales from the students’ nativecultures.Readthetalesaloud and discuss the lesson in each story. Point out that pourquoi tales answer the question of how or why something in nature came to be. Discuss how the tales reflect the customs and beliefs of the country the story is from.

•Createasimpledominochain.Showstudents what happens when the first domino is knocked down and all the others fall. Explain to students that the events in this script are like the dominoes: one event happens and causes another to happen. Make a cause-and-effect chain chart to record the series of events.

develop Vocabulary and language (day One)•Giveeachstudentalargesheetof

paper and ask them to fold it into eight sections (by folding the paper in half three times).

•Writethecharacternamesonindexcards, and show them one at a time to students. Ask the students to write each character name in one of the eight sections on their papers. Ask students to draw a picture of each animal above the name of the character. Invite students to share their illustrations. Ask them to practice identifying the characters with a partner.

•Writethefollowingsentencefrom page9ontheboard:“Whyhaveyounotcalledthesun,MotherOwl?” Readthe sentence aloud or chorally with students. Ask them if this sentence could be true or normal. Ask: Do owls really call to the sun to make it rise in the morning? Why would someone think an owl would make the sun rise?

•Showapictureofanowl.Discussorexplain that owls are nocturnal animals andareawakeduringthenight.Owlshootor“callout”inthedark,sosomeone might think they are calling for the sun to come up. Discuss how thesunactually“comesup”and “goesdown.”

•Helpstudentsunderstandandappreciate the use of exaggeration. Write the word exaggeration on the board. Explain that exaggeration means to take something true and change it to be unbelievable. Say that authors sometimes use exaggeration to add humor to their stories.

Support for nglish anguage earners and Striving Readers

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•Giveanexampleofexaggeration,such as Dasha ran as fast as a cheetah. Explain that you mean Dasha ran really fast, but in truth, she could not run as fast as a cheetah.

•ReadMosquito’sline“Isawafarmerdigging yams that were as big as a dinosaur”onpage2withstudents.Ask students if this sentence could be true. Say: What two things is Mosquito comparing? Could a yam really be as big as a dinosaur?

•Writethefollowingsentencestarteron the board: I saw a farmer digging yams as big as ______.Guidestudentsto finish the sentence orally with an exaggeration and then with a realistic comparison.

•Encouragestudentstovisualizewhenthey read exaggerations. Explain that visualizing can help them understand the exaggerations and their humor.

build comprehension (day two)Engage students in discussion about the script, starting with simple literal questions and progressing to more difficult ones. As students discuss the questions, ask them to point to places in the script that best answer the questions. Suggested questions:

•Who are the main characters in this story? (recall details)

•Why does Iguana put sticks in his ears? (recall details; make inferences)

•What happens to baby owl? (recall details)

•What causes Lion to call a meeting? (identify cause and effect)

•How do the animals cause problems? (draw conclusions; recall details)

•Who is the pest in the story? Why is the character a pest? (analyze character)

• Is Lion fair to Mosquito? Why or why not? (make judgments)

•Do you think the story ends happily? Why or why not? (analyze story elements)

read and perform (days two–three)•Provideextrapracticereadingthe

script as a group before students read their individual parts to ensure they are familiar and comfortable with the language and vocabulary.

•Youmaywanttoassigntwostudentsto a role so they can read the part together.Thiswillhelpsupporttheirreading.

•BesuretousethereadinglevelsprovidedonthecoverofthisTeacher’sGuidetohelpyouassigntheroles.

Support for nglish anguage earners and Striving Readers

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Literacy Extensions

Word StudySynOnymS and antOnymS

•Explaintostudentsthatasynonymis a word that means the same thing or almost the same thing as another word.ReadIguana’slasttwosetsoflines on page 2 aloud or chorally with students. Ask: What two words mean the same or almost the same thing?(nonsense,silliness)Explainthat authors often use words that mean almost the same thing to avoid repeating the same word in a story. Work together with students to create a list of other words that are synonyms for the words nonsense and silliness.

•Explaintostudentsthatanantonymis a word that means the opposite of another word. Work together with students to come up with a list of antonyms for the words nonsense and silliness, such as wisdom, intelligence, and seriousness.Usethewordsin new sentences.

•Pointoutthewords “danger” (page 4)and“COMMAND”(page7).Ask students to work with a partner to come up with synonyms and antonyms for these words and to use the words in sentences.

WOrd aSSOciatiOnS

•Reviewthethreeglossarywordswithstudents: alarmed, lagoon, and startled. Ask students to share in their own words what each word means.

•Focusstudents’attentiononthewords alarmed and startled by writing the words on the board. Ask: What are some other words that mean almost the same thing as startled and alarmed? (shocked, frightened, terrified, afraid, panicked, and horrified)

•Discusswithstudentsthedifferencesin meaning between startled and alarmed.Guidestudentstomakeassociations with the words startled and alarmed to help them see that when a person is alarmed he or she is more worried about danger than when he or she is startled. Say: If my dog ran out of my yard I might be alarmed because I would be afraid he might get hurt. If my dog suddenly barked on a quiet morning, I might feel startled because his bark surprised me.

•Askvolunteerstosuggestthingsthatwould alarm or startle them and things that would not. Encourage students to use the words in sentences about experiences they had being startled or alarmed.

•Writethewordlagoon on the board. Work together with students to write associations that they make with the word lagoon. Ask: Would you see a lagoon in a desert or on an island? Ask students to use the word lagoon in sentences that show the associations they make with the word.

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reader responseAsk students to reflect on their reader’s theater experience by writing or drawing in their journals. Students could:

• reflectontheirfluencyandpitchduring their performance and how it could be improved;

• reflectonexamplesofpestsinthestory and in real life, illustrate their examples, and briefly explain the illustrations;

•makeconnectionsaboutothercharacters that are like characters from the story (other lions they have read about, other characters that are self-centered like Python);

•visualizeascenefromthescriptthatwas not illustrated and sketch it.

Writing• Giveeachstudentasetoflargeindex

cards. Invite the students to illustrate each event from the story on one of their cards.Then,askthemtowriteasentencebelow the illustration that summarizes the event. Ask students to mix up their cards and then retell the story by putting the illustrations in order.

read across texts•Askvolunteerstoretellotherpourquoi

tales they have read. If students have not read any other pourquoi tales, you may want to find some pourquoi tales at the library to read to students.

•Readafewofthepourquoitalesaloud, and discuss the settings, main characters, and problems in the tales. Discuss what question each tale answers and how the tale answers the question.

•Createastoryelementschartforthetales you have read, and work with students to fill it in.

Story elements

Why mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears

Why the possum’s tail is bare

setting a jungle in West Africa, long ago land of the Cherokee, long agomain characters Mosquito, Lion, Iguana Possum, Rabbit, Cricket

problem Mosquito started a chain of problems that led to the sun not rising.

Possum is too proud of his tail and Rabbit is jealous.

“why” question Why do mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears?

Why is a possum’s tail bare?

how tale answers question

They are buzzing an apology and hoping they will be told they are not annoying.

Rabbit tricked Possum into having Cricket cut the hair off his tail.

responsibility•Explaintostudentsthatpeople

who demonstrate responsibility thinkbeforetheyact.Theyconsiderthe consequences of their actions before they do things. Explain that this is called self-control. Explain that responsible people always are accountable for their choices; they don’t blame others when things go wrong.

•Pointoutthatonpages7–10Lionshowed responsibility by calling a meeting to determine what the problemwasinthejungle.Theotheranimals showed actions that were not responsible by blaming each other for the problems in the jungle and not thinking about the consequences of their actions.

•Askstudentstothinkabouttimeswhen they took responsibility for their actions. Ask: Is it always easy to take responsibility for your actions, or is it easier to blame others for your problems? Make the observation that it is not always easy to exhibit self-control.

citizenship•Pointoutthatbeingagoodcitizen

means obeying laws and rules and cooperating with others to make the community better. People who are good citizens try to be good neighbors and respect authority.

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

Character Education Connection

•Discuss how Lion demonstrates citizenship. Point out that he gets involved when there is a problem in the jungle community. He takes charge and reminds the other animals that they should find out the truth before acting. Ask: How did the other animals demonstrate good citizenship? Students may say the other animals showed respect for Lion’s authority when he called ameeting.Theyagreedthattheiractionshad not helped the community and they apologized to each other.

demonstrate responsibility•Asyoureadotherfolktalesandpourquoi

tales, invite students to make a list of characters that are responsible. Ask students to make an illustration of a time when they have been responsible. Ask them to write a description comparing and contrasting their actions with the actions of one of the characters from the folktales.

•Followtheactivitywithadiscussionusingquestions, such as:

1. Do people always take responsibility for their actions, or does it have to be pointed out to them sometimes?

2. Why is it irresponsible not to find out the truth before you take action?

3. What are ways we can show that we are responsible?