5.3.1 What a Great Idea! SUMMARY Kids have created inventions dating from 5,000 years ago This book describes five such inventions and explains the process for getting a patent The book invites students to invent too LESSON VOCABULARY admiringly scoundrels worthless permit subject INTRODUCE THE BOOK INTRODUCE THE TITLE AND AUTHOR Introduce the title and the author of What a Great Idea! Invite students to discuss great ideas they have had in their lives Ask: What you think this book will be about? BUILD BACKGROUND Invite students to name inventions with which they are familiar and to discuss how those inventions have helped them in their daily lives Encourage students to think about why inventions are created PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES Look through the book with students and note text features that help with the book’s organization: table of contents, charts, diagrams, and flow charts Ask students what they expect to learn Point out and explain words such as inventor (page 4), empress (page 5), earmuffs (page 6), and others with which students may not be familiar AUTHOR’S PURPOSE TEXT STRUCTURE READ THE BOOK SET PURPOSE Invite students to set a purpose for reading What a Great Idea! They may be curious about the inventions of children their age, or interested in learning how they can create an invention Some students may wish to learn how to get a patent STRATEGY SUPPORT: TEXT STRUCTURE Explain to students that they will be better readers if they analyze the structure of a text Explain that external text features include titles, headings, subheadings, lists, flow charts, etc Discuss the idea of internal structure—the pattern of ideas and logical connections in the text Remind students that forms of internal structure include chronology, description/ definition, comparison and contrast, and cause and effect Have students think about what the internal text structure of What a Great Idea! is as they read COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS PAGE How did Hsi Ling Shi invent silk? (A cocoon fell into her tea, and as the cocoon came apart, threads appeared.) PAGE How did Chester Greenwood invent earmuffs? (He bent wire and attached padded circles.) PAGES 8–9 Why did Jeanie Low invent a stool that folded? (so it could be folded out of the way when not in use) PAGE 11 Why inventors need patent lawyers? (Lawyers search to make sure the invention is new, and they fill out paperwork.) PAGE 13 What motivated Josh Parsons to invent? (He wanted to help his friend throw a ball.) PAGE 17 What is the author’s purpose in including a flow chart? (to inspire kids to become inventors and to follow a sensible process) 52 What a Great Idea! 16911_LRD_TG_052-053 52 1/18/06 10:55:28 AM REVISIT THE BOOK READER RESPONSE Possible response: The author wanted readers to know that young people have been inventing for thousands of years Charts should show each invention and why it was invented For example, earmuffs were invented because Chester Greenwood’s ears kept getting cold and he could not play outside for long periods of time Persons named and descriptions of why they’re scoundrels should reflect students’ understanding of the word Possible response: It helped me see that a patent provides sketches of the invention and diagrams to show how it works EXTEND UNDERSTANDING Direct students’ attention to the images and diagrams throughout the book Ask students how the images helped them to understand the book Ask students which images they liked best and which helped them most to understand a particular invention RESPONSE OPTIONS SPEAKING Have students prepare a drawing of an invention they would like to create as well as a paragraph explaining how the invention works Have students paste these on construction paper or poster board Then have each student present his or her invention to the class Remind students that their inventions can be simple Ask students to conclude each presentation by summarizing whom the invention will help and why SOCIAL STUDIES CONNECTION Except for Hsi Ling Shi, the book does not detail when or where the inventions were made Invite students to more research and to write short biographies of the inventors in this text or to find other young inventors to profile Remind students that a profile is a biography that tells the most important characteristics of a person’s life Skill Work TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY Write the vocabulary words on the chalkboard; invite students to define familiar words Explain words they don’t know Create an add-on story Start the story with a single sentence using one vocabulary word Have each student add to the story using another vocabulary word Continue until all students have had a turn Repeating vocabulary words is fine TARGET SKILL AND STRATEGY AUTHOR’S PURPOSE Remind students that the author’s purpose is his or her reason for writing There are four main reasons for writing: to persuade, to inform, to entertain, and to express Explain that authors often have more than one purpose at a time Encourage students to explain which specific features in the structure or language of the text helped them to decide on the author’s purpose TEXT STRUCTURE Review with students common internal text structure forms Ask which form seems to apply to What a Great Idea! (description/definition) Encourage students to use the text structure to help them determine the author’s purpose or purposes ADDITIONAL SKILL INSTRUCTION GENERALIZE Tell students that authors may present ideas about several things or people, and students can make a statement about all of them together This kind of statement is a generalization Have students look for clue words that signal generalizations (most, many, usually, few, seldom, all, and generally) as they read A generalization supported by specific facts and logic is a valid generalization; one not adequately supported is faulty Invite students to state a valid generalization about the inventions described in What a Great Idea! What a Great Idea! 16911_LRD_TG_052-053 53 53 1/18/06 10:55:30 AM Name What a Great Idea! Author’s Purpose • The author’s purpose is his or her reason for writing • Four common reasons are to persuade, to inform, to entertain, and to express Directions Read the paragraph below Then answer the questions In the late 1800s, Chester Greenwood invented earmuffs Chester lived in Maine, which has cold winters Chester’s ears got so cold during winter that he could only play outside for brief periods of time Chester wanted to keep playing outside without his ears getting cold Then he hit upon an idea! He bent a piece of wire to the shape of his head Then he had his grandmother sew two padded circles Chester attached the circles to the ends of the wires Then he put his creation onto his head! At first people thought Chester looked funny with his earmuffs But when they saw how long he could stay out in the cold, they looked at him admiringly Soon, people were buying earmuffs from Chester! What is one of the author’s purposes in writing this paragraph? How you know? What is another purpose that the author has for writing? How you know? Does it seem the author wants to persuade the reader? How you know? © Pearson Education Might the author have a third purpose for writing? Give some examples to justify your answer If you wanted to write about an invention, what invention would you select, and what would be your purpose? 54 16911_LRD_TG_054-055 1/4/06 9:48:19 AM What a Great Idea! Name Vocabulary Directions Choose the word from the box that best matches each definition Write the word on the line Check the Words You Know admiringly subject permit worthless scoundrels evil, dishonorable people; villains or rascals a person who is bound by loyalty to a king or queen to let or allow with wonder, pleasure, and approval without value; good-for-nothing; useless Directions Choose the word from the box that best completes each sentence Write the word on the line People who saw Chester Greenwood’s invention looked at him When Jeannie Low invented her step stool, she realized that a magnet would her to keep the step in place © Pearson Education People in Florida may have thought Chester’s invention was but for people from cold climates, earmuffs became essential , After the young empress Hsi Ling Shi invented silk, all of her began weaving silk 10 Over the years, some inventors, but few have succeeded have tried to steal the ideas of creative 55 16911_LRD_TG_054-055 1/4/06 9:48:20 AM ... students to state a valid generalization about the inventions described in What a Great Idea! What a Great Idea! 16 911 _LRD _TG_ 052 - 0 53 53 53 1/ 18/06 10 :55 :30 AM Name What a Great Idea! Author’s Purpose... wanted to write about an invention, what invention would you select, and what would be your purpose? 54 16 911 _LRD _TG_ 054 - 055 1/ 4/06 9:48 :19 AM What a Great Idea! Name Vocabulary Directions Choose... (most, many, usually, few, seldom, all, and generally) as they read A generalization supported by specific facts and logic is a valid generalization; one not adequately supported is faulty Invite