Night Letters
Advanced-Level Reader
Follow Me!
Unit 3 Week 3
DRAW CONCLUSIONS ASK QUESTIONS
LESSON VOCABULARY analyze, biologists, classify, data, hibernating, mammal, measurement, migrate, scat, tranquilizers
SUMMARY This nonfiction book shows the methods used to track and
understand animals living in their natural environments.
INTRODUCE THE BOOK
BUILD BACKGROUND Discuss with students what they know about wild
animals and whether they learned it from television, books, or their own experience. Find out if they are particularly interested in any species of
animal. Mention any nearby zoos, wildlife refuges, and state or national parks where students might have the opportunity to see animals and learn more
about them.
PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES Discuss with students how the photographs, illustrations, diagrams, captions, and map give information about this book. Ask: Before you read the selection, have you already learned anything surprising about tracking animals?
TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY Play Hangman with students, using the vocabulary words. Once students guess the words, ask them to supply the definition.
Ask students to write down the names of animals in English and
then in their home languages.
TARGET SKILL AND STRATEGY
DRAW CONCLUSIONS Remind students that to
draw a
conclusion means to think about facts and details and then make a reasonable decision about them. Give students a short passage from a magazine or newspaper
and ask them to draw conclusions about it based on what they have read.
ASK QUESTIONS Remind students that
asking questions is a way to
further understand a topic. Ask students to write down questions they have
about tracking animals. After they have read the selection, they can discuss
the answers whether the selection provided them.
READ THE BOOK
Use the following questions to support comprehension.
PAGE 4 How can you tell if a grizzly has been nearby? (Grizzlies leave their
scent on trees, strip bark, and leave behind their fur.)
PAGES 8–9 What two conclusions can you draw about why biologists might not
use radio collars anymore? (There are modern methods; it’s difficult to put
collars on bears unless they are hibernating.)
PAGE 21 What questions do you have about tracking insects? (Possible
response: How does the Doppler radar track them? Do all insects migrate?)
TALK ABOUT THE BOOK
READER RESPONSE
- Possible response: The bird was captured by biologists, who then tagged
and released it.
- Possible response: Are there ways to track bats other than by using mist
nets? What happens to the glow sticks that get used? What do mist nets
look like? Can bats see them?
- Responses will vary.
- The diagram shows how the signal is transmitted.
RESPONSE OPTIONS
WRITING Imagining they are one of the animals tracked by biologists, have
students write a one- to two-page letter to an animal relative describing their experiences.
CONTENT CONNECTION
SCIENCE Suggest that students choose a migrating animal and research where and how the animal migrates.
L.R. TOC
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