May 14, 2012
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SUMMARY: Since 9/11, the number of police dogs helping protect New York City has doubled. Our article takes an in-depth look at what makes dogs the ideal animal to sniff out bombs and chase down criminals. Skill focus: reading for information Lexile Level: 1050L GET A PDF OF THIS ARTICLE TO PROJECT. Or, take your lesson further with our exciting DIGITAL LESSON PLAN. READING FOR INFORMATION: “Sniff Out the Details”Students take note of important details in the text that support the idea that dogs are effective in law enforcement. Makes great scaffolding for the writing prompt on page 9. PERSUASIVE WRITING: “How to Write a Persuasive Letter” This step-by-step activity helps students craft a strong and effective letter in response to the writing prompt on page 9. 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. CONTEST ENTRY FORM Students imagine being chief of police of their town and write a letter to the mayor arguing in favor of using police dogs. Read more about our contests here. EXTRA RESOURCE VIDEO: Canine Subway Police This National Geographic clip will take your students on duty in the subway with an NYPD officer and his four-legged assistant. Students can use the video as an additional source for the writing activity on page 9. Length: 4:57. NOTE: An ad appears before the video begins, so we recommend loading the video before your class starts. | |
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SUMMARY: Roland Smith used the winning entry in our annual First-Line Contest to begin this story about a girl and her strange next-door neighbor. We’ve paired the story with one of our favorite poems, “Valentine for Ernest Mann” by Naomi Shihab Nye. Skill focus: character’s perspective Lexile Level: 830L GET A PDF OF THIS STORY TO PROJECT. Students track how Madeline’s way of seeing the world changes over the course of the story. POETRY QUIZ: “Valentine for Ernest Mann” Students demonstrate mastery of the poem on page 16 with this multiple-choice and short-answer quiz. 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 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. CONTEST ENTRY FORM Students connect a quote from writer Henry Miller to the short story and the poem. Read more about our contests here. EXTRA RESOURCES WEB SITE: RolandSmith.com Learn more about Roland Smith, the author of “Welcome to Anywhere,” by visiting his Web site. POET SPOTLIGHT: Naomi Shihab Nye Find a brief biography of Naomi Shihab Nye, author of “Valentine for Ernest Mann,” on her Poets.org page, which includes links to some of her other poems. | |
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SUMMARY: This biographical play tells the inspiring story of young Bessie Coleman, the first female African-American pilot. Skill focus: analyzing character GET A PDF OF THIS PLAY TO PROJECT. This worksheet provides scaffolding for the writing prompt on page 27. 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 Students explain a quote from President Woodrow Wilson and apply its central idea to the life of Bessie Coleman. Read more about our contests here. EXTRA RESOURCES VIDEO: Wright Brothers Are First in Flight This History Channel clip tells the story of the Wright brothers, who, like Bessie Coleman, were trailblazers in early human flight. Ask students to compare the Wright brothers’ story with Bessie’s. Length: 3:06. NOTE: An ad appears before the video begins, so we recommend loading the video before your class starts. VIDEO: Tuskegee Airman Luther Smith Learn more about the history of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen in this interview with one of their pilots. Length: 3:35. NOTE: An ad appears before the video begins, so we recommend loading the video before your class starts. | |
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SUMMARY: Paired articles explore ancient Rome’s blood-and-gore-loving gladiator fans and today’s reality-TV audiences. Skill focus: comparing and contrasting; making connections between texts Lexile Level: 900L 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 gladiator battles and reality-TV shows. EXTRA RESOURCE MOVIE TRAILER: The Hunger Games Check out the trailer for the new movie. How do the articles affect students’ understandings of this popular film? Length: 2:31. NOTE: An ad appears before this video begins, so we recommend loading it before your class starts. We also suggest previewing the trailer to ensure it is appropriate for your students. | |
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SUMMARY: Movie-theater snacks are insanely expensive—but does that give us the right to bring our own? Students consider the arguments on both sides of this debate, then take a stand. Skill focus: supporting an argument; identifying main ideas and details Lexile Level: 1000L GET A PDF OF THIS ARTICLE TO PROJECT. GUIDED WRITING: THE PERSUASIVE ESSAYOur self-guided worksheet makes essay writing a painless process. Includes two bonus handouts: transition words and a self-edit checklist. Great for homework! EXTRA RESOURCE VIDEO: High Movie Ticket, Food Prices: Man Fights Back This ABC News clip reports on the court case filed against AMC. The case argues that their concession prices are too high. Do your students think this lawsuit is justified? Length: 1:53. NOTE:An ad appears before the video begins, so we recommend loading the video before your class starts. | |
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SUMMARY: Students correct grammar errors and revise sloppy writing in a nonfiction article about extreme surfers. Skill focus: conventions of standard English; revision GET A PDF OF THIS ARTICLE TO PROJECT. USING COMMAS WITH INTRODUCTORY PHRASESStudents review the rules, then practice. RAMBLING AND RUN-ON SENTENCES More help with this common mistake. CONSISTENT TONE AND STYLE Sometimes slangy language, like, so totally doesn’t belong, yo. MODIFIERS Students rework sentences with dangling and misplaced modifiers. VERB TENSE Make your students’ present verb-tense confusion a thing of the past. | |
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SUMMARY: Students write a short article based on our interview with 18-year-old Victor Davila, the co-founder of an environmental-education program. 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 archives 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 WEB SITE: Victor Davila, Brower Youth Awards 2011 Winner Learn more about Victor at the Brower Youth Awards Web site. The page features two YouTube videos: a background video on Eco Ryders and a clip of Victor’s acceptance speech. | |
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SUMMARY: Students practice the correct uses of which and that while reading fun facts about three popular vacation spots. Skill focus: which and that GET A PDF OF THIS ARTICLE TO PROJECT. WHICH VS. THATMore practice with these tricky words. | |
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| READING-COMPREHENSION CROSSWORD PUZZLE This is a fun way to test students’ understanding of the whole issue. VOCABULARY REVIEW 3 The third and final installment of our popular vocabulary-review series is here! Features a list of, and review activities for, ALL 80 words from four issues of the 2011–2012 school year: 2/20, 3/12, 4/02, and 4/23. Read more about Scope Vocabulary here. | |
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. |
