Before After Reading Activities Teaching Focus Have students locate the ending punctuation for sentences in the book Count how many times a period question mark or exclamation point is used Which one is used the most What is the purpose for each ending punctuation mark Practice reading these sentences with appropriate expression Before Reading Building Academic Vocabulary and Background Knowledge Before reading a book it is important to set the stage for your child or student by using pre-reading strategies This will help them develop their vocabulary increase their reading comprehension and make connections across the curriculum 1 Look at the cover of the book What will this book be about 2 What do you already know about the topic 3 Let’s study the Table of Contents What will you learn about 4 What would you like to learn about this topic Do you think 5 Use a reading journal to write about your knowledge of this 6 Read the book 7 8 After reading the book complete the activities below In your reading journal record what you learned about the topic and your response to the book topic Record what you already know about the topic and what you hope to learn about the topic you might learn about it from this book Why or why not in the book’s chapters Content Area Vocabulary Read the list What do these words mean aphid complex cooperate environment fungus migration mobbing raptors sentries species After Reading Comprehension and Extension Activity After reading the book work on the following questions with your child or students to check their level of reading comprehension and content mastery 1 How does being part of a group help animals find food Summarize 2 Why might bat mothers want to live in a nursery Infer 3 What is one way ants help feed their group Asking Questions 4 What groups of animals have you seen in real life Text to Self Connection 5 What does it mean for prey to mob a predator Asking Questions Extension Activity Create a guide to your favorite animals Research each species Do they live in groups How does living in a group help them For each species you add to your guide include a short paragraph about them and a picture either drawn by yourself or printed from the Internet
Strength in Numbers From flocks of birds to schools of fish nature is full of animal groups Groups can be small with two or three members Or they may be much bigger with as many as a million members A Dolphin by Any Other Name Some kinds of dolphins seem to have personal names Individuals use and reply to a special whistle This whistle was created by the dolphin as a calf 4
Some groups endure for a long time A female elephant lives with her family her whole life which might last more than 30 years Other gatherings last for a season or even a few hours 5
