Scott Foresman Reading Street

Night Letters
Group Time

for Fluency

Use Decodable Reader 13.

Word Study/Phonics

LESSON VOCABULARY Use p. 332b to review the meanings of blade, budding, dew, fireflies, flutter, notepad, and patch. Students can blend all of the words. Have individuals practice reading the words from word cards.

DECODING MULTISYLLABIC WORDS Write harmonica and model how to chunk the word to read it. I see a chunk at the beginning of the word: har. I see a chunk in the middle, mon, and another chunk, i. I see a chunk at the end of the word: ca. I say each chunk slowly: har mon i ca. I say the chunks fast to make a whole word: harmonica. Is it a real word? Yes, I know the word harmonica.

Use the Multisyllabic Word routine on p. DI•1 to help students read these other words from Night Letters: picnicked, sesame, nectar, sycamore, balancing, raspberry, and blackberry. Be sure students understand the meanings of words such as sesame and sycamore.

Night Letters, pp. 334–343

BEFORE READING Yesterday we read how animal tracks can help us locate and observe animals. Today we will read about a girl who observes animals in her own backyard.

Using the Picture Walk routine on p. DI•1, guide students through the text,
asking questions such as those listed below. Then read the question on
p. 335. Together, set a purpose for reading.

p. 339 What do you notice about the text on this page? (Some of the text is written like a letter.) This selection is about a girl who observes her backyard friends. She sees clues that she can read.

pp. 340–341 What is the girl doing in these pictures? (writing in her notebook) Yes, she copies the messages she finds into her notebook.

DURING READING Follow the Guiding Comprehension routine on
pp. 336–343. Have students read along with you while tracking the print, or do a choral reading of the selection. Stop every two pages to ask what has happened so far. Prompt as necessary.

Who is the first night letter from?
What does the hawkmoth tell Lily?
How do the fireflies send their message?

AFTER READING What has happened so far? What do you think will happen next? Reread passages with students as needed.

Extend Vocabulary

WORD STRUCTURE Write the words wildlife and footprints on the board. What do these two words have in common? (They are compound words—they are made up of two smaller words.) What does wildlife mean? (living things that are not tame) How did you figure out the meaning? (I know that wild means “not tame” and life can refer to different kinds of living creatures.) Have students tell the meaning of footprints. Discuss why breaking compound words into smaller words is a useful strategy. Remind students to use the strategy as they read Night Letters.

Night Letters, pp. 334–343

BEFORE READING In “Wildlife Watching,” you read about ways you can observe and enjoy wildlife. Today you will read a selection about a unique way a girl observes nature. As you read, think about how being in the natural world makes you feel.

Have students write their predictions about what night letters are and what they expect to learn in their Strategy Response Logs (p. 334). Have students check and revise their predictions as they read.

CRITICAL THINKING Have students read pp. 334–343 independently. Encourage them to think critically. For example, ask:

From whose point of view is this story told? Why do you think the author decided to tell the story from that point of view?

AFTER READING Have students discuss the selection and share their Strategy Response Log entries. Ask students to study the letters that Lily has copied onto her notepad. Invite students to think of something in nature that interests them—an animal or plant or even a nonliving thing, such as mud. Have them write a letter “from” this thing to themselves.