April 2, 2012
SCOPE ONLINE
Skills-based reading and writing activities for each Scope article
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| SUMMARY: This is the moving story of Ishanga, a baby elephant that lives at an orphanage in Kenya. The story is paired with a newspaper-style article about an undercover operation to bust ivory traders and smugglers. Essential question: What is our responsibility to animals? GET A PDF OF THIS ARTICLE TO PROJECT. DOWNLOAD THE TEACHER’S EDITION LESSON PLAN. Or, take your lesson further with our exciting DIGITAL LESSON PLAN, which culminates in an activity in which students write a letter to an official on behalf of elephants. KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS: “Humans and Elephants” Students identify the ways in which people both protect and harm elephants. INTERACTIVE READING-COMPREHENSION QUIZ A test-prep essential! We formed these questions based on state tests. (Need help with interactive PDFs? Visit our FAQ page.) Get the noninteractive version here. 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. IDENTIFYING NONFICTION ELEMENTS: READ, THINK, EXPLAIN Use our teacher-vetted, scaffolded reading activity to help students improve their nonfiction reading-comprehension skills and strategies. Includes text-structure questions. VOCABULARY A list of tricky words that appear in the article. Includes definitions and example sentences, as well as a practice activity to reinforce understanding. Read more about Scope Vocabulary here. ELEPHANTS WEBQUEST This interactive activity directs students to various Web sites to answer a series of questions about African elephants and the ivory trade. Students can use their research to help write an advocacy letter on behalf of African elephants. (Need help with interactive PDFs? Visit our FAQ page.) WRITE FOR ELEPHANTS Provides students with helpful guidelines for crafting an effective advocacy letter on behalf of African elephants. Includes a recommendation of where students can send their letters. VIDEO: “The Rescue of Kithaka” Show your class this amazing clip from the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Ask students to compare the rescue in this video to the rescue of Ishanga. Perfect for use with our Digital Lesson Plan. Length: 4:08. Viewing on a mobile device such as an iPad or iPhone? Click here. CONTEST ENTRY FORM Students write a paragraph connecting a Gandhi quote with the nonfiction article and sidebar. Read more about our contests here. EXTRA RESOURCES WEB SITE: The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Visit the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust online and learn more about this incredible organization. You’ll find images, videos, and information about all of the Trust’s orphans, as well as details about how to support the Trust’s efforts. VIDEO: “Undercover Ivory Shoppers” Check out this clip from Nat Geo Wild’s show “Crimes Against Nature,” which includes background information on the illegal ivory trade and the team of undercover investigators discussed in the sidebar “Ivory BUST!” Length: 3:16. NOTE: An ad appears before the video begins, so we recommend loading the video before your class starts. | |
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SUMMARY: We’ve adapted the Academy Award–winning film based on Brian Selznick’s beloved novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret into a Scope play. Students will love bringing to life this mysterious story of an orphan boy living in the walls of a Paris train station in the 1930s. Skill focus: symbolism and theme Students analyze how the play’s main characters are both broken and fixed. INTERACTIVE READING-COMPREHENSION QUIZ A test-prep essential! We formed these questions based on those in state tests. (Need help with interactive PDFs? Visit our FAQ page.) Get the noninteractive version here. 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. IDENTIFYING LITERARY ELEMENTS AND DEVICES: “Back to Basics” This self-guided activity helps students explore character, elements of plot, symbolism, and more. Includes higher-level-thinking questions. VOCABULARY A list of tricky words that appear in the play. Includes definitions and example sentences, as well as a practice activity to reinforce understanding. Read more about Scope Vocabulary here. CONTEST ENTRY FORM How is the automaton a symbol for Georges and Hugo? Students write a paragraph answering this question, using text evidence to support their ideas. Read more about our contests here. EXTRA RESOURCES VIDEO: A Trip to the Moon The Atlantic hosts this clip of Georges Méliès’s 1902 classic silent film, A Trip to the Moon, which is referenced in Hugo. In this amusing excerpt, a group of travelers explore the strange landscapes of the moon. Show the clip to your class and prompt students to consider the genre “historical fiction.” How does seeing footage of the film change their understanding of the fictional Hugo? How do students’ reactions to the clip compare with Hugo’s and Isabelle’s in Scene 5? Length: 5:46. WEB SITE: The Invention of Hugo Cabret This Web site for Brian Selznick’s novel is packed with great multimedia content and information about the topics that inspired the story—including background on automata, Paris, and classic film. | |
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SUMMARY: This essay explains how failure can be the key to success—if you approach it the right way. Skill focus: supporting an argument; identifying main ideas and details Our self-guided worksheet makes essay writing a painless process. Includes two bonus handouts: transition words and a self-edit checklist. Great for homework! | |
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SUMMARY: An article about 17-year-old boxer Sadaf Rahimi, the only Afghan woman who will be competing at the Olympics this summer, is paired with an article about baseball legend Jackie Robinson. Skill focus: comparing and contrasting; making connections between texts GET A PDF OF THIS ARTICLE TO PROJECT. COMPARE-AND-CONTRAST QUIZStudents analyze and compare the two texts through a series of multiple-choice questions. Makes excellent test prep. COMPARE-AND-CONTRAST GRAPHIC ORGANIZER This worksheet helps students identify the similarities and differences between these two groundbreaking athletes. EXTRA RESOURCES VIDEO: Sadaf Rahimi This brief report from BBC features interview footage with Sadaf in which she discusses the challenges she has faced and her hopes for the future. Length: 1:44. NOTE: An ad appears before the video begins, so we recommend loading the video before your class starts. WEB SITE: “Sports: Breaking Records, Breaking Barriers” Have students explore this fascinating Web site by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. The site features a wealth of information about many of history’s most accomplished and influential athletes, including Jackie Robinson. | |
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| SUMMARY: Students write a short article based on our interview with Angela Zhang, a 17-year-old who developed a method of treating cancer. Skill focus: identifying main idea and details; summarizing GET A PDF OF THIS ARTICLE TO PROJECT. 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 Use 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 the “You Write It” contest. Read more about our contests here. EXTRA RESOURCE VIDEO: Angela Zhang In this brief excerpt of an interview with Angela Zhang, the teen genius discusses her research, curiosity, and love of science. Length: 0:50. | |
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| SUMMARY: Students practice the correct uses of who and whom while reading fun facts about three popular reality-TV shows. Skill focus: who and whom GET A PDF OF THIS ARTICLE TO PROJECT. 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. | |
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. |
