December 12, 2011
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SUMMARY: Students will consider the conflict between humans and nature in this thrilling nonfiction feature about the deadliest creature on Earth: the box jellyfish. FEATURED SKILL: LITERARY THEME OF PERSON VS. NATURE HOW TO TEACH THE FEATURED SKILL CONFLICTS & SOLUTIONS: HUMANS VS. NATURE A series of questions helps your students summarize the conflicts—and approaches to solving them—that are addressed in the article. CONTEST ENTRY FORM Students write a paragraph in which they identify Dr. Seymour’s approach to solving Australia’s box jellyfish problem and apply his strategy to other deadly creatures. Read more about our contests here. SKILLS WORKSHEETS TO PRINT OR PROJECT VOCABULARY A list of tricky words, including definitions and example sentences, that appear in the article. Includes a practice activity to reinforce understanding. Read more about Scope Vocabulary here. INTERACTIVE READING-COMPREHENSION QUIZ A test-prep essential! We formed these questions based on state tests. (Need help with your interactive PDF? Visit our FAQ page.) Get the noninteractive version here. IDENTIFYING NONFICTION ELEMENTS: READ, THINK, EXPLAIN Use our teacher-vetted, scaffolded reading activity to help students improve their nonfiction reading skills and strategies. Includes text-structure questions. CRITICAL THINKING Short-answer questions for independent completion (great for your above-level readers!) or group discussion. These are also listed in our T.E. and can be projected on your whiteboard. GREAT RESOURCE VIDEO: 60 Minutes: “The Venom Hunters” See Dr. Seymour in action as he hunts and captures a box jellyfish. He also discusses his unusual profession, research goals, and a harrowing jellyfish encounter. Use as an additional “text” to support the writing prompt on page 10. NOTE: The portion of the video featuring Dr. Seymour is from 5:45—10:05. | |
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SUMMARY: Excerpts of Langston Hughes’s poetry are woven into this biographical play about the celebrated poet’s early life. INCREDIBLE DIGITAL LESSON PLAN Students explore the featured skill with this engaging step-by-step multimedia lesson, which features video, audio clips, and more. A lovely teaching package that is perfect for use on your whiteboard. TEXT STRUCTURE: THE POETRY CONNECTION Students analyze the connections between the poetry and the events in the play. CONTEST ENTRY FORM Using supporting details from the play, students write a paragraph about how Hughes’s poetry reflects his life experiences, and why his writing inspires so many readers. Read more about our contests here. SKILLS WORKSHEETS TO PRINT OR PROJECT VOCABULARY A list of tricky words, including definitions and example sentences, that appear in the play. Includes a practice activity to reinforce understanding. Read more about Scope Vocabulary here. INTERACTIVE READING-COMPREHENSION QUIZ | |
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SUMMARY: An essay about the invention of the flush toilet is paired with a newspaper article about the Peepoo, a modern invention that is revolutionizing waste disposal in the developing world. Skill focus: comparing and contrasting; making connections between texts Multiple-choice questions require students to analyze and compare the two texts. Makes excellent test prep. COMPARE-AND-CONTRAST GRAPHIC ORGANIZER This graphic organizer helps students compare the two articles in preparation for responding to the writing prompt on page 19. Great for students who need more scaffolding. GREAT RESOURCE WEBSITE: Peepoople.com You and your students can learn more about the Peepoo, the impact it’s having, and international issues related to sanitation. Also features videos about the Peepoo and the communities it is helping. | |
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SUMMARY: Students read arguments for and against child beauty pageants—as in TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras—then take a stand. Skill focus: supporting an argument; identifying main ideas and details GET A PDF OF THIS ARTICLE TO PROJECT. GUIDED WRITING: THE PERSUASIVE ESSAY | |
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SUMMARY: Students correct grammar mistakes and revise sloppy writing in a nonfiction article about the bizarre and treacherous Bermuda Triangle. Skill focus: conventions of standard English; revision VERB TENSE CONSISTENCY Help students avoid unnecessary tense shifts in their writing. AMBIGUOUS PRONOUNS More practice overcoming this common mistake. REDUNDANCY Students practice writing clearly and effectively by removing redundancy. ELIMINATING TEXTING SHORTCUTS AND SLANG u no ur sick of this stuf. Use this activity to remind students to keep it out of their formal writing. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT Students practice matching singular and plural verbs and subjects. | |
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SUMMARY: Students write a short article based on our interview with Erin Hannon, a 17-year-old EMT. Skill focus: identifying main idea and details; summarizing GUIDE TO “YOU WRITE IT” ACTIVITY This step-by-step worksheet helps students use our interview to craft an article. Includes guidance for identifying the main idea, organizing, and using direct quotations. “YOU WRITE IT” MODEL TEXT Our annotated example of a completed “You Write It” activity is another great way to help students understand how to turn an interview into an article. PUNCTUATING QUOTATIONS We’ve pulled this activity from our archive to help students correctly punctuate the direct quotes they include in their articles. CONTEST ENTRY FORM Use our handy form to enter students’ work in our You Write It contest. Read more about our contests here. GREAT RESOURCE WEBSITE: Post 53 Find out more about Post 53, the incredible organization where Erin works. | |
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SUMMARY: Students practice the correct use of their, there, and they’re while reading fun facts about three popular comedians. Skill focus: their, there, and they’re More practice with these commonly confused words. | |
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| READING-COMPREHENSION CROSSWORD PUZZLE This is a fun way to test students’ understanding of the whole issue. | |
SCOPE’S SKILLS AND GRAPHIC-ORGANIZERS LIBRARY Visit our library for a list of basic skills activities for just about any Scope feature. ANSWER KEY Looking for answers? Visit our top-secret Web site for answers to all reproducibles, quizzes, and activities. The URL is listed on page T-3 of your printed Teacher’s Edition. DOWNLOAD ALL PRINTABLES FOR THIS ISSUE MORE HELPFUL LINKS & DOWNLOADS COMMON CORE, NCTE, AND IRA STANDARDS FAQs ABOUT INTERACTIVE PDFS Having trouble downloading our materials? Try using a different browser. |
