Scott Foresman Reading Street

A Symphony of Whales
Group Time

Reinforce Comprehension

SKILL GENERALIZE Have students define generalization (a broad
statement or rule that applies to many examples) and list clue words
that often signal generalizations (most, many, all, few, always). If necessary, review the meaning and provide a model. A generalization is a broad statement or rule that applies to many examples. Winters in the Arctic are always very cold is a generalization. It is a statement that applies to winters all the time in the Arctic. The word always helps me identify it as a generalization.

Have students tell which of the following statements are generalizations. Ask which clue word helped them.


	People always used whale oil to light lamps in winter. (generalization; always)

	One year the winter snows came early. (not a generalization; one)

	Most whales migrate to warmer waters in the winter. (generalization; most)

A Symphony of Whales,
pp. 368–373

BEFORE READING Have students retell what happened in the story so
far. Ask: What generalization can we make about the way people in
Glashka’s village traveled? Model how to look for the answer to that
question. To answer that question, I have to look in different places.
Reread p. 362. Here Glashka has a dream about a dogsled, and then
her family sets out on one. Reread the middle paragraph on p. 365.
Here, others in her village set out by dogsled. We can answer by
making the generalization that people in Glashka’s village traveled
by dogsled. Remind students to ask and answer questions as they
read. STRATEGY Answer Questions

DURING READING Follow the Guiding Comprehension routine on
pp. 368–373. Have students read along with you. Stop every two pages to ask students what has happened. Prompt as necessary.

What happened when the whales wouldn’t follow the icebreaker?
What did Glashka do to help solve the problem?

AFTER READING Does this story show why people help animals? How? Reread with students for comprehension. Tomorrow they will read “He Listens to Whales,” an expository nonfiction article about a marine biologist.

Extend Comprehension

SKILL GENERALIZE Ask students to make generalizations about life in Glashka’s village, the climate, and the land based on the text they have read so far. Remind them that generalizations often include words such as all, most, and generally. Ask them to cite examples in the text that led them to their generalizations.

STRATEGY ANSWER QUESTIONS Have students answer the following question.

What did the people of Glashka’s village do to help the whales?

Ask them where they found the answer to the question. (p. 365, text and illustration—chipped the edges of the ice with sharp tools) Discuss with students how they can use answers to questions to make generalizations. Have them generalize to answer this question:

Why don’t the people in Glashka’s village use tools like electric saws or jackhammers to help break up the ice?

A Symphony of Whales,
pp. 368–373

BEFORE READING Have students recall what has happened in the story so far. Remind them to make generalizations and to ask and answer questions as they read the remainder of A Symphony of Whales.

CRITICAL THINKING Have students read pp. 368–373 independently. Encourage them to think critically. For example, ask:

How does the author create suspense in this part of the story?
Why do you think the whales respond to classical music?
If this story were told from the whales’ point of view, what else do you think you would learn?

AFTER READING Have students complete the Strategy Response Log activity (p. 372). Meet with them to discuss the story and their log responses. Then have them write a paragraph about the whales’ situation from the whales’ point of view.