Scott Foresman Reading Street

Science in Reading

Examine features of a how-to article.
Practice a test-taking strategy.
Compare and contrast across texts.

PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES

As students preview “Worms at Work,” have them identify each section and tell what they think each will be about. After they preview, ask:

How does the title of each section help you understand what you will read? (The titles tell what each section will be about.)
What kind of information do the numbered lists give you? (They tell us the steps to follow, in order, to do something.)

Link to Science

Help students use reference materials such as encyclopedias to find out more about an earthworm’s body. Check that they are labeling the diagram correctly.

Whole Group Discuss the Question of the Day.

Group Time
Differentiated Instruction

"Worms at Work." See
pp. 280f–280g for the small group lesson plan.

Reading

Language Arts
Use pp. 303e–303h and
303k–303m.

Whole Group Use pp. 303a
and 303j.

Grouping Options

HOW-TO ARTICLE

Use the sidebar on p. 300 to guide discussion.

A how-to article gives directions on how to do something. Often authors of how-to articles use diagrams and drawings or photographs to help explain one or more steps.
Look at the list and photographs on p. 301. Point out how the author has used dots for each item, making it easier to identify everything that is needed, and photographs to clarify certain items in the list.
Discuss with students what they think they will do with the items in the list.

AudioText

Article Titles

Some titles, such as those of short poems, articles, newspaper features, and chapter titles are enclosed in quotation marks. So, the title of this how-to article, “Worms at Work” is written in quotation marks.

The worms eat the food scraps and
turn them into compost.

Access Content Preview the article with students. Pick students to read the questions aloud and look at the article together. Check that each student has understood the questions and discuss each question together. Help students with difficult words, such as compost, scraps, recycling, container, and harvest. Let students use bilingual dictionaries if necessary.

How-to Article

Genre

A how-to article
explains how to do
or make something.

A good how-to article
   lists the materials you
   will need and explains
   the steps you will take.

Text Features

This article has
   three sections, each
   containing different
   information. As you
   read, think about the
   purpose of each
   section.

Watch for numbered
lists. How do they
help?

Link to Science

Use reference materials
to find out more about an
earthworm’s body. Draw
and label a picture of one.

You can start with as few as
50—100 worms, but more
worms will eat more garbage.
Some garden stores sell
worms by the pound. One
pound of worms contains
1,000—1,500 worms.

Red worms
(also called red wigglers)

A large plastic container,
about 12 inches deep

Plastic bag or loose
cover for the container

Water

Keeping worms is easy. It can
also be a lot of fun. And while you’re
having fun taking care of the worms,
you’re also helping our environment
by recycling trash into compost for
houseplants and gardens.
Here’s what you need to do.

by Ann Weil

Did you know that people all over
the world keep worms to change their
garbage into rich soil called compost?
Worms eat food scraps. Two pounds
of worms can eat a pound of garbage
every day. That’s a lot of trash.

Newspaper, leaves,
and soil to make
the bedding

Feeding Dos

Cause and Effect

What happens when you put worms in with food scraps?

YES: Eggshells; coffee
grounds and used tea bags;
cooked rice, pasta, or
potatoes; cereals; fruit and vegetable peelings; bread

Feeding Don’ts

NO: Meat and fish, dairy
products. Worms would eat
these, but they may make
the worm bin smell bad and
attract rats and flies.

Food scraps

bedding	comfortable materials on and in which worms will live
bin	large, hard container
compost	a mixture of soil and decaying matter

Horticulture

When creating a garden, you can choose from a
wide variety of plants to grow. Some people choose
plants that grow quickly, while other people choose plants
that are colorful and have nice scents. The herb family offers a variety of plants and scents. They can be collected, dried and used for cooking or made into potpourri for gifts. Giant sunflowers make nice bouquets to give to a parent or friend. Another option for your garden is growing vegetables. Vegetables come in all different sizes, from a tiny pea to a large watermelon, and are easy to grow. You can even grow vegetables to snack on, such as baby carrots, sweet peas, cherry tomatoes, and berries. Whatever plants you decide to grow, make sure they get the proper amount of sunlight and water.