Prudy's Problem
Below-Level Reader
Metal Detector Detective
Unit 2 Week 3
MAIN IDEA MONITOR AND FIX UP
LESSON VOCABULARY collection, enormous, realize, scattered, shiny, strain
SUMMARY A boy named Joe is bored until his grandmother teaches him how to use a metal detector. Joe has a chance to use the device to find a gold ring that was lost by his grandmother's neighbor. He decides that using the metal detector will be a fun way to stay busy during the summer.
INTRODUCE THE BOOK
BUILD BACKGROUND Have students discuss times when they or someone they know helped others by coming up with a creative solution to a problem. What was the solution and how did it solve the problem? How did everyone feel afterward?
PREVIEW/USE ILLUSTRATIONS Read aloud the title and have students glance through the illustrations. Ask students to predict what type of story they will read and what will happen in it.
TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY Ask volunteers to define the vocabulary words and use them in sentences that help classmates improve their understanding of them.
In pairs, have students make up a riddle game using vocabulary words. Suggest an example such as "I have a penny and it is very __________."
TARGET SKILL AND STRATEGY
MAIN IDEA Explain to students that the
main idea in fiction explains what a story is about and identifies its most important ideas. Ask students to tell what the book is about in their own words and then provide reasons to support their answers.
MONITOR AND FIX UP When students
monitor comprehension they know when they understand what they read and when they do not. They also have strategies to restore their understanding when problems arise, such as summarizing facts and details to clarify and organize ideas. Tell students to use this strategy when they are unsure of meaning. Encourage them to write down these facts and details in a main idea chart.
READ THE BOOK
Use the following questions to support comprehension.
PAGE 7 How did Ms. Choi lose her gold ring? (It most likely slipped from her finger while she was working in her garden.)
PAGE 9 What solution did Joe and Grandma come up with for finding Ms. Choi's ring? Why did it make sense? (They decided to use the metal detector to find the ring, because the ring was made of metal.)
PAGE 11 What might Joe do with the metal detector later in the summer? (Possible response: He might find coins for his coin collection or metal cans for recycling.)
TALK ABOUT THE BOOK
READER RESPONSE
- Possible response: You can solve problems more easily if you think creatively and use the right tools.
- Joe searches the flower beds, the bushes, and the ivy.
- Possible responses: colossal, gigantic, huge, massive, titanic, big
- Possible responses: They can find sharp objects on lawns before they can harm people. They can help police find evidence in crimes.
RESPONSE OPTIONS
WRITING How should Joe spread the word about being a metal detector detective? Ask students to write an advertisement that promotes his services.
CONTENT CONNECTIONS
SCIENCE Remind students that a metal detector was used to search for a lost metal object in the story. Have students come up with other examples of how specific tools and devices are designed to solve specific problems.
L.R. TOC
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