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

Teacher’s Guide

• Small Group Reading Lesson • Skills Bank • Reproducible Activities

Biography

anchor comprehension strategies

Evaluate Author’s Purpose •Make Inferences •

ComprehensionMake predictions •

Phonics Consonant digraph ch •r-controlled er •

Concept VocabularyPainting words •

Grammar/Word StudyAdjectives •

Biography Big IdeaGrandma Moses was a famous artist and •painter.

skills & strategies

Grandma MosesLevel J/18

2Grandma Moses

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Day 1

Activate Prior KnowledgeShow students the cover of the book and read the title. Point out the “biography” icon at the top left of the cover. Ask:

• What do you know about the information you would find in a biography?

• What might you expect to find in a biography about an artist such as Grandma Moses?

Explain to students that Grandma Moses was famous for her paintings. Distribute copies of the “What Do You Think?” graphic organizer (left). Have students work in pairs to look at each statement in the chart and predict whether it is true or false. Have them put check marks under the appropriate heading in the “Before Reading” column. When they have completed the “Before Reading” column, have them share their ideas. Point out that they will come back to the chart after they have read the book.

Preview the BookGive each student a copy of the book. Have them turn to the table of contents. Ask:

• What can you learn about a book from its table of contents?

• What page would you go to if you wanted to find out who Grandma Moses was? Let’s turn to that page.

Have students turn to page 4 and find the name Grandma Moses in bold type. Then have students turn to the glossary at the back of the book and find the name there. Read the entry together. Demonstrate how to use the pronunciation guide to read the name. Some students may benefit from a discussion of the words in the glossary prior to reading the book. You may want to read through the glossary entries with students and answer any questions they may have.

Point out the index at the bottom of the page. Ask:

• What is the purpose of the index in this book?

• On what page can I find out about Candle Dip Day in 1800?

• On what pages can I find out about paintings? Let’s turn to these pages to see what we can find.

Small Group Reading Lesson

What Do You Think? Before Reading After Reading

True False True False

Grandma Moses was really a grandmother.

She painted pictures of people working.

She painted pictures of people having fun.

She painted pictures of things she knew and had experienced.

She didn’t start painting until she was already a grandmother.

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

3© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

ViSuAl CueS• Look at the initial letters.• Break the word into syllables

and sound out each part.• Look for familiar chunks

within the word.• Think about what sound the

vowel makes in the word.

STruCTure CueS• Think about whether the

words in the sentence sound right.

MeAninG CueS• Think about what makes sense in the sentence.• Look at the pictures to confirm the word.Remind students that they can use the glossary at the end of the book to check any words that are printed in bold type.

Set a Purpose for reading: Chapter 1, pp. 2–5 Have students turn to page 2 and read the heading. Say: Let’s read this first chapter silently to learn about Grandma Moses. When we finish reading, we’ll see if we can check any of the ideas on our charts. Monitor students’ reading and provide support as necessary.

Monitoring reading StrategiesBefore reADinG • Use the cues provided to remind students that they can apply different strategies to identify unfamiliar words.

DurinG reADinG • Observe students as they read the book. Take note of how they are problem-solving on text. Guide, or prompt, individual students who cannot problem-solve independently.

AfTer reADinG • Discuss words that gave students difficulty and the strategies they used to work them out. Reinforce good reading behaviors you observed by saying:

• I noticed, [student’s name], that you used the glossary to help you figure out some words you didn’t know. That is a good strategy to use.

• [Student’s name], I saw you working out the word pictures. You chunked it into parts to help you sound it out. That’s what good readers do.

You may wish to select activities from the Skills Bank (pp. 9–10) that will develop students’ reading strategies.

Repeat this monitoring process each time students read a new section of the book.

Build ComprehensionASK AnD AnSWer QueSTionS

Help students review their purpose for reading the chapter. Encourage them to use information from the text and their background experience to answer some or all of the following questions.

• Look at your anticipation charts. Which statements are true? (Grandma Moses was really a grandmother; she painted pictures of things she knew and had experienced; she didn’t start painting until she was already a grandmother. p. 4) (Locate facts)

• What kinds of things did Grandma Moses like to paint? We’ll need to look in more than one place in the book. (She loved to paint trees, flowers, and people she knew. She also painted things she remembered from her life on a farm. pp. 2–5) (Locate facts)

• Why do you think Grandma Moses waited until she was a grandmother to paint? (Answers will vary.) (Draw conclusions)

Grandma Moses

Small Group Reading Lesson

4Grandma Moses

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

review Chapter 1Have students review what they previously read about Grandma Moses and her work. Encourage them to use their anticipation charts to help them. Ask:

• What can you tell me about why Grandma Moses became famous?

• What did you learn about her life?

• What subjects did she like to paint?

• What are some new words you have learned from your reading so far?

Set a Purpose for reading: Chapter 2, pp. 6–15 Have students turn to page 6 and read the heading. Say: Let’s read this chapter silently to learn what Grandma Moses’s paintings were like. When we finish reading, we’ll see if we can check any of the ideas on our anticipation charts. Monitor students’ reading and provide support as necessary.

Build ComprehensionASK AnD AnSWer QueSTionS

Engage students in a discussion about the text and pictures. Encourage them to ask questions about what they read. Model how to use background knowledge and experience, as well as information in the text, to answer questions. Ask:

• Look at your anticipation charts again. Which of the statements can you now tell are true? (She painted pictures of people working, pp. 6–8; she painted pictures of people having fun, pp. 10–13) (Locate facts)

• Do you think Grandma Moses had good memories from her childhood? Use what you learned from the book and your own ideas to answer this question. (Answers should reflect information throughout the chapter. Students should be able to support their answers with evidence from the text and pictures.) (Make inferences)

• If Grandma Moses were alive today, what kind of picture do you think she might paint? (Answers will vary.) (Draw conclusions/ Make predictions)

Day 2

Small Group Reading Lesson (continued)

What Do You Think? Before Reading After Reading

True False True False

Grandma Moses was really a grandmother.

She painted pictures of people working.

She painted pictures of people having fun.

She painted pictures of things she knew and had experienced.

She didn’t start painting until she was already a grandmother.

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

5Grandma Moses

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Question TypesStudents need to understand that they can use information from various places in the book, as well as background knowledge, to answer different types of questions. These lessons provide four types of questions, designed to give students practice in understanding the relationship between a question and the source of its answer.

• Questions that require students to go to a specific place in the text.

• Questions that require students to integrate information from several sentences, paragraphs, or chapters within the book.

• Questions that require students to combine background knowledge with information from the book.

• Questions that relate to the book topic but require students to use only background knowledge and experience, not information from the book.

Teacher Tip

Build Comprehension: Chapters 1–2ASK AnD AnSWer QueSTionS

• What was Grandma Moses’s gift to people? (her memory of the joy of living, which she shows us in her paintings, p. 15) (Locate facts)

• How did Grandma Moses make people feel happy? (Answers will vary.) (Draw conclusions)

• What is shown in the painting Maple Bush on page 7? (a winter day with people walking, playing, and gathering sap from trees) (Interpret graphic features)

• What kind of person do you think Grandma Moses was? (Answers will vary.) (Make inferences/Draw conclusions)

• If you could ask Grandma Moses a question, what would it be? (Answers will vary.) (Use creative thinking)

• If you became an artist, what kind of art would you do? Why? You need the ideas in your head to answer this question. (Answers will vary.) (Use creative thinking)

6Grandma Moses

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Build Comprehension MAKe inferenCeS

Model Explain what it means to make inferences and how students use this skill in reading. Model making inferences about a text by examining the character of Grandma Moses. Copy the character chart graphic organizer on the board or make an overhead transparency of it. Say:

The writer doesn’t tell us everything about the characters. When we read we need to make inferences about them. This means that we use information from the book, but we also use information in our heads about how characters act and feel. For example, if I read about a character winning a race, I can infer that the character must be very fit. I know this because I know what you need to do to win a race.

As I read each part of this book, I ask myself, “What information about Grandma Moses is here? What information about her can I get from her paintings? What do I know about painters in general?” From the book I know that Grandma Moses painted what she remembered about her life on a farm. When I look at her paintings, it seems to me the people are happy and busy and in a nice place. I know that painters are good at showing how people feel. I can put those things together and come up with a new idea about Grandma Moses: She probably was happy living on a farm. She painted her pictures for people to see, so she probably wanted her paintings to make those people feel happy, too. When I think this way about what I have read and about what I already know—and put them together—I can have a better idea of the kind of person Grandma Moses was. Let’s work together to make some other inferences about Grandma Moses.

Small Group Reading Lesson (continued)

Teacher Tip

7Grandma Moses

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

MonitoringComprehension• Are students able to revisit

the text to locate specific answers to text-dependent questions? If they are having difficulty, show them how to match the wording of the question to the wording in the text.

• Are students able to find answers to questions that require a search of the text? If they are having difficulty, model how you would search for the answer.

• Can students combine their background knowledge with information from the text to make inferences? If they are having difficulty, model how you would answer the question.

• Are students’ answers to creative questions logical and relevant to the topic?

• Do students’ completed graphic organizers reflect an ability to make inferences about a character? If students are having difficulty, provide more modeling and guided practice in these skills.

Practice and Apply Distribute copies of the character chart graphic organizer to students. Work through clues from the text and from Grandma Moses’ art with students. Encourage them to brainstorm their own ideas about painters.

Character Chart

Describing:

She loved to paint

trees, f lowers, and

people she knew.

She became

well-known.

She painted what she

remembered of her

life on a farm.

She was a

grandmother when she

started painting.

Clues from

Grandma Moses

the text Clues from her artClues from what i know

about painters

She painted farmers

throughout the year.

She showed children

working, too.

She showed people

having fun.

She showed people

celebrating holidays

together.

She showed how much

fun families and

friends can have

working and living

together.

They can show how

people feel.

They can use colors

in different ways.

They are talented

at drawing.

What i can infer

Grandma Moses was probably happy living on a farm, and she

had good memories of her childhood.

Grandma Moses wanted the people who saw her paintings to

feel happy.

8Grandma Moses

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Small Group WritingMoDel The WriTinG

Show students how they can use the graphic organizer to help them plan their own writing. Explain that they can write a description of Grandma Moses by using the information in their charts. Review the information, and invite students to brainstorm the first sentence of a descriptive paragraph. Record their suggestions on the board. Continue with other sentences to complete two paragraphs describing Grandma Moses.

Read aloud the completed paragraphs and ask students if they need to clarify any information. Show them how to edit the paragraphs. The completed writing might be similar to the following:

“Grandma Moses was a very famous painter. She started painting when she was a grandmother. She showed how much fun families and friends can have working and living together.

“She painted what she remembered from growing up on a farm. She painted people working and playing. Her paintings are colorful and cheerful.”

APPlY (inDePenDenT WriTinG)

Give each student a blank copy of the character chart. Tell students they are to write a character description of someone they know. They should use the graphic organizer to plan what they know about the person from observation, from the person’s actions, and from what they generally know about people.

Connect to homeHave students read the take-home version of Grandma Moses to family members.

reread for fluencyYou may wish to read sections of the book aloud to students to model fluent reading of the text. Model using appropriate phrasing, intonation, expression, volume, and rate as you read. Some students may benefit from listening to you read a portion of the text and then reading it back to you.

Have students reread Grandma Moses with a partner. Ask them to read the text together and then take turns reading it to each other.

Small Group Reading Lesson (continued)

Character Chart

Describing:

She loved to paint

trees, f lowers, and

people she knew.

She became

well-known.

She painted what she

remembered of her

life on a farm.

She was a

grandmother when she

started painting.

Clues from

Grandma Moses

the text Clues from her artClues from what i know

about painters

She painted farmers

throughout the year.

She showed children

working, too.

She showed people

having fun.

She showed people

celebrating holidays

together.

She showed how much

fun families and

friends can have

working and living

together.

They can show how

people feel.

They can use colors

in different ways.

They are talented

at drawing.

What i can infer

Grandma Moses was probably happy living on a farm, and she

had good memories of her childhood.

Grandma Moses wanted the people who saw her paintings to

feel happy.

9Grandma Moses

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Phonics: Consonant digraph chAsk students to turn to page 8 and look for two words that begin with ch: children and chores. Write the two words on the board. Ask students to read the words aloud, listening for the /ch/ sound spelled by the letters ch. Explain to students that sometimes two letters spell one sound, as the letters ch here spell the single sound /ch/. You may want to tell them these are called digraphs. Invite students to brainstorm other words that begin with the digraph ch, such as chair, chart, chase, chief, and choose. More capable students may also name words that have ch at the end, such as branch, each, much, and sandwich.

Phonics: r-controlled erAsk students to turn to page 4 and find several words that include the letters er: Robertson, painter, remembered, her, grandmother, everyone. Point out that the r changes the sound the vowel before it makes. The letter e before r in these words is neither long nor short. Write painter on the board and have students read it aloud, listening for the sounds in the final syllable spelled by the letters er. Invite students to find other er words in the book, such as flowers, farmers, summer, winter, smaller, together, and every. You may want to show students how the letter r affects the sound of other vowels, too. Invite students to find examples of other words in the book with the letter r following a vowel, such as pictures, born, year, corn, sugar, work, girl, chores, fourth, and memory.

Skills Bank: Decoding

children branch

chores each

chair much

chart sandwich

chase

chief

choose

10

Concept Vocabulary: Painting wordsRecall with students that Grandma Moses was a famous painter and that people enjoy looking at her paintings. Invite students to brainstorm words about painters and painting. Let them look through the book for ideas and come up with some of their own. Write the words on the board as students name them.

Have students make up oral sentences using the words. Challenge them to use as many of the words as they can in one sentence. Continue until all students have made up one sentence.

Grammar/Word Story: AdjectivesTell students that adjectives are words used to tell more information about nouns, or the names of things. In the phrase pretty pictures, the word pretty is an adjective that tells more about the noun, pictures. Ask students to think about the paintings of Grandma Moses. Ask: What words could you use to describe her paintings? Think about what they look like and how they make you feel. Write students’ suggestions on the board.

Continue practicing with adjectives by selecting several illustrated books from the classroom library or independent reading center. Show students pictures in the books and ask them to come up with adjectives to describe aspects of the scene in the illustrations. Encourage students to use the adjectives in complete sentences. For example, Arthur is sad in this picture. His blue backpack has a big hole in the bottom. If students are having difficulty thinking of adjectives, prompt them by asking such questions as How does the character look in this picture? What kind of day is this? What does [an object in the picture] look like?

Skills Bank: Decoding (continued)

Copyright © 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# 978-1-59000-939-0

draw color

paint brushes

pictures palette

painter easel

paintings museum

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

name _______________________________________________________ Date ___________________

What Do You Think? Before Reading After Reading

True False True False

Grandma Moses was really a grandmother.

She painted pictures of people working.

She painted pictures of people having fun.

She painted pictures of things she knew and had experienced.

She didn’t start painting until she was already a grandmother.

Skills Bank

12Grandma Moses

©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Build ComprehensioneVAluATe AuThor’S PurPoSe

explain • Create an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer “Grandma Moses” or draw it on the board. Say: Authors always have a reason, or purpose, for their writing. They may write to entertain, inform, persuade, instruct, or express ideas or feelings. Authors may have one purpose, or they may have more than one purpose. When we evaluate author’s purpose, we look for evidence that reveals what the author’s purpose is and then we decide whether the author achieves that purpose.

Model • Say: The author of Grandma Moses is a man named Vincent T. Dacquino. Let’s evaluate his purpose for writing this book. Ask students to read pages 2–5. Say: These pages tell about an American painter known as Grandma Moses. The author tells how Anna Mary Robertson Moses painted pictures of the farm life she remembered. The author tells us Grandma Moses was born in 1860 and painted until she was 100 years old. Record this information in the Pages 2–5 box on the graphic organizer.

Guide • Say: Let’s continue to evaluate the author’s purpose for writing this book. Ask students to read pages 6–9. Ask: What do we read about on these pages? What does the author tell us about this topic? (Allow time for students to respond.) Yes, we read about what the paintings of Grandma Moses show. The author tells about the farm work the paintings show. Grandma Moses painted the activities of farmers and their families in every season. She showed children doing chores, too. Record this information in the Pages 6–9 box. Then ask students to read pages 10–13. Ask: What do we read about in this part of the book? (Again allow time for students to respond.) Yes, we read about paintings by Grandma Moses that show farmers and their families having fun. The paintings show summer picnics, winter play in the snow, and holiday celebrations. Record this information in the Pages 10–13 box.

Apply • Ask pairs of students to identify what the author says on pages 14–15. Then ask them to use all the evidence to identify the author’s purpose, or reason, for writing this book. After each pair shares its ideas, work together to answer the question Did the author achieve this purpose? Encourage students to support their answer with reasons. Agree on how to word the answer and add it to the Author’s Purpose box on the graphic organizer. Finally, invite volunteers to read the completed graphic organizer aloud.

name _______________________________________________________ Date __________________

Grandma MosesEvaluate Author’s Purpose

©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Grandma Moses

Grandma MosesEvaluate Author’s Purpose

Pages 2–5

Pages 6–9

Pages 10–13

Pages 14–15

Notes

14Grandma Moses

©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Notes

15©2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

Grandma Moses

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC

name _______________________________________________________ Date __________________

Character Chart

Describing:

Clues from Clues from Clues from what i know

about

What i can infer