5.2.4 Habitats in Need of Help SUMMARY The growth of human populations often results in greater demand for limited natural resources and the clearing of land to meet people’s needs The author explains how this trend contributes to the alarming loss of animal habitats such as forests, prairies, and coral reefs, and results in steeply declining animal populations The author also presents stories of how people across America are fighting back by working to save animal habitats LESSON VOCABULARY conservation enthusiastic investigation contribute environment INTRODUCE THE BOOK INTRODUCE THE TITLE AND AUTHOR Discuss with students the title and the author of Habitats in Need of Help Invite them to ask questions about the title What is a habitat, and whose habitat needs help? Why? Explain how the cover image may offer clues on how the author will answer these questions BUILD BACKGROUND Tell students that a habitat is a place where living things can find food, water, shelter, and nesting places Ask students to think about their own habitats and those of different animals Discuss how these places meet the needs of living things PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES Ask students to flip through the book, glancing only at the photos Then have them preview it again, taking time to study the images and accompanying captions slowly and carefully Discuss how this second read-through changes their understanding of the book’s subject 44 FACT AND OPINION ASK QUESTIONS READ THE BOOK SET PURPOSE Have students set a purpose for reading Habitats in Need of Help Their own interests in animals, as well as their experience and knowledge of animal habititats, should guide this purpose How would animals be affected by the loss of their homes? How could this loss be prevented? STRATEGY SUPPORT: ASK QUESTIONS Tell students that a good question often starts with a question word such as who, what, when, where, why, and how It also asks about an important detail of the story that can be answered in the reading Based on these criteria, ask students to record questions they have while reading about animal habitats COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS PAGE What are some examples of animal habitats around the world? (oceans, rivers, lakes, forests, deserts, and prairies) PAGES AND How does the destruction of habitats hurt animals? (Destruction prevents animals from thriving by harming their sources of food, water, shelter, and nesting places.) PAGE 14 Is the author stating a fact or opinion when she writes that the humpback whale’s “fame comes from the dazzling leaps and displays that it makes”? (She is stating an opinion because it tells about her feelings and cannot be proven true or false.) PAGE 23 How can you tell that the author wants to persuade readers to help animals? (She offers specific suggestions on what students can to raise awareness of endangered animals and their habitats, such as adopting birds.) Habitats in Need of Help 16917_LRD_TG_044-045 44 12/28/05 1:16:15 PM REVISIT THE BOOK READER RESPONSE Possible response: Fact: Forest-clearing has resulted in a loss of Asian elephants’ natural habitat Opinion: The habitat of Asian elephants deserves more protection than other animals’ homes Answers will vary but may include forests, swamps, and marshes; runoff from factories and air pollution; picking up trash, recycling, conserving water Articles will vary Students should describe how farming destroys habitats by clearing land for crops EXTEND UNDERSTANDING Tell students to look at the photos and captions in the book Talk about what these images and words teach and what questions they inspire Then have students use reference sources to help answer these questions and provide more examples of how photos and captions convey information Invite students to ask questions that follow simple language patterns, such as, “What is this?” and “What is happening here?” while pointing to photos in the book Have other students answer the questions in detail RESPONSE OPTIONS WRITING Invite students to create an oversized postcard that features an animal habitat of their choice They should create an illustration of the environment on one side and write a message addressed to a friend on the other The message should describe why the habitat must be saved SCIENCE CONNECTION Invite students to consult reference materials for more in-depth information on animal habitats Then have them use art materials and model-making supplies to re-create one of these habitats Students must be prepared to explain how their habitat’s features help living things survive Skill Work TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY Help students decipher the meanings of vocabulary words such as investigation (page 15) and conservation (page 23) Read aloud the sentences that feature these words and those that precede and/or follow them Then discuss how you would use contextual clues to help define the words TARGET SKILL AND STRATEGY FACT AND OPINION A statement of fact can be proven true or false by reading, observing, or asking an expert A statement of opinion is a judgment or belief that cannot be proven true or false but can be supported or explained Help students make distinctions between the two types by reading aloud statements from the book about animal habitats Challenge students to identify what types of statements they are ASK QUESTIONS Asking questions properly means asking good questions about important text information Skilled readers ask questions before, during, and after reading in order to activate prior knowledge, clarify confusion, and reflect on learning By using this strategy, readers actively engage with the text and remember important ideas Students who ask the right questions can determine whether an author is making statements of fact or opinion As they read, tell them to ask themselves if statements in the text can be proven true or false ADDITIONAL SKILL INSTRUCTION AUTHOR’S PURPOSE Tell students that the author’s purpose is the reason or reasons an author has for writing Authors often have more than one purpose for writing, such as to persuade, inform, express, and entertain Ask students to share their judgments of the author’s purpose(s) for this book by citing the language and structure of the text Habitats in Need of Help 16917_LRD_TG_044-045 45 45 12/28/05 1:16:17 PM Habitats in Need of Help Name Fact and Opinion • A statement of fact can be proven true or false by reading, observing, or asking an expert • A statement of opinion is a judgment or belief It cannot be proven true or false but can be supported or explained Directions Read the following passage Decide which sentences are facts and which sentences are opinions Then complete the chart below by listing three statements of fact and two statements of opinion The habitat of orangutans is at risk of disappearing Orangutans are large, funny-looking apes They live on the island of Borneo and the neighboring Indonesian island of Sumatra An orangutan can weigh from sixty to three hundred pounds and requires large areas of forest in which to roam But today, due to humans having taken over land for mining, logging, and various types of farming, less than 20 percent of the orangutans’ original habitat remains Some researchers estimate that there are fewer than thirty thousand orangutans on the islands today Losing even one of these amazing apes would be a big tragedy Statements of Opinion © Pearson Education Statements of Fact 46 16917_LRD_TG_046_047 46 12/28/05 1:16:51 PM Habitats in Need of Help Name Vocabulary Directions Choose a word from the box that belongs with each group of words below Check the Words You Know conservation environment contribute investigation surroundings background setting examination exploration probe donate add enrich interested eager excited care saving guarding enthusiastic Directions Circle the word that has the opposite meaning of the vocabulary word contribute add harm enrich conservation attention guarding destruction enthusiastic uncaring interested excited Directions Write two sentences about the loss of endangered animals’ habitats Use as many vocabulary words as you can © Pearson Education 10 47 16917_LRD_TG_046_047 47 3/20/06 8:56:13 AM ... book by citing the language and structure of the text Habitats in Need of Help 16917_LRD _TG_ 044-045 45 45 12/28/05 1:16:17 PM Habitats in Need of Help Name Fact and Opinion • A statement of fact... Losing even one of these amazing apes would be a big tragedy Statements of Opinion © Pearson Education Statements of Fact 46 16917_LRD _TG_ 046_047 46 12/28/05 1:16:51 PM Habitats in Need of Help. .. opinions Then complete the chart below by listing three statements of fact and two statements of opinion The habitat of orangutans is at risk of disappearing Orangutans are large, funny-looking