9 teacher’s guide the river kept rising - … 9 teacher’s guide the river kept rising ... •...

Number of Words: 2,707

L E S S O N 9 T E A C H E R ’ S G U I D E

The River Kept Risingby Valerie Ross

Fountas-Pinnell Level THistorical FictionSelection SummaryIn early 1927, the Mississippi River broke its levees in many places and fl ooded surrounding areas. In Greenville, Mississippi, two boys become heroes as the rising waters threaten all those around them.

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Permission is hereby granted to individual teachers using the corresponding (discipline) Leveled Readers to photocopy student worksheets from this publication in classroom quantities for instructional use and not for resale. Requests for information on other matters regarding duplication of this work should be addressed to Houghton Miffl in Harcourt Publishing Company, Attn: Contracts, Copyrights, and Licensing, 9400 SouthPark Center Loop, Orlando, Florida 32819. Printed in the U.S.A. 978-0-547-30900-2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 0940 15 14 13 12 11 10 09

If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Miffl in Harcourt Publishing Company retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited.

Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format.

Characteristics of the Text Genre • Historical fi ction

Text Structure • Third-person continuous narrative Content • Life on the Mississippi River

• Preparing for a disaster • Helping others

Themes and Ideas • It is important to prepare for impending disasters.• During an emergency, people should help one another.• Having hope during a time of crisis is sometimes necessary for survival.

Language and Literary Features

• Setting distant from reader’s own experiences • Suspenseful descriptions about dangerous events• Detailed episodes of man against nature

Sentence Complexity • A mix of short and complex sentences• Multiple items in series• Dashes and exclamations

Vocabulary • Many river-related terms: waterways, levees, breaches, fl oodwaters, delta.Words • Many multisyllable words, some of them challenging, such as anguished, prominent,

saturated, and franticallyIllustrations • Historical-looking drawings support the text.

Book and Print Features • Seventeen pages of text with illustrations on most pages.• Foreword explains setting of the story.

© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

5_309002_OL_LRTG_L09_riverkekeptrising.indd 1 12/9/09 2:44:40 PM

Target Vocabulary

annoyance – something that is irritating, p. 6

bundle – dress or wrap someone warmly, p. 11

clammy – cold, sticky, and moist, p. 11

commotion – a lot of noise and confusion, p. 4

critical – of great importance, p. 12

demolished – completely destroyed, p. 9

elite – a group of individuals who are the best at what they do, p. 12

realization – a sudden awareness, p. 17

secured – held down tightly, p. 6squalling – loud crying, p. 11

The River Kept Rising by Valerie Ross

Build BackgroundHelp students use their knowledge of fl ooding to visualize the story. Build interest by asking questions such as the following: What do you know about fl oods? What kinds of destruction can happen if a large river overfl ows its bounds? Read the title and author and talk about the cover illustration. Tell students that this story is historical fi ction, so the while the story isn’t true, details in the story are based on real events that happened in history.

Introduce the TextGuide students through the text, noting important ideas, and helping with unfamiliar language and vocabulary so they can read the text successfully. Here are some suggestions:

: Explain that this is a story about two brothers who help their town during a fl ood on the Mississippi River. Suggested language: Turn to page 2 of this book. The foreword in a book provides background information. Find the phrase Mississippi Delta. The delta refers to the large land area near where the Mississippi River empties into the ocean at the Gulf of Mexico. Look at the last line on the page. This story is a fi ctional account of two brothers from Greenville who lived through the Great Flood of 1927. This sentence tells that the fl ood of 1927 really happened, but that the story itself is not real.

Page 4: Read the sentence: The hundreds of men trying to save the levee created quite a din, but even all that commotion could not drown out the rush and roar of the river. Ask: What might be an example of the commotion? What details in this sentence tell you this is a serious situation?

Page 6: Have students look at the picture on the page. Explain that the boys’ father wanted their boat secured to the back porch in case they needed it. What did the boys’ father want them to do with the boat?

Now turn back to the beginning of the story and read to fi nd out how the boys were able to help their town during a disaster.

2 Lesson 9: The River Kept RisingGrade 5© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

5_309002_OL_LRTG_L09_riverkekeptrising.indd 25_309002_OL_LRTG_L09_riverkekeptrising.indd 2 7/29/09 10:41:05 AM7/29/09 10:41:05 AM

ReadHave students read silently while you listen to individual students read aloud. Support their understanding of the text as needed.

Remind students to use the Infer/Predict Strategy and to use text clues to fi gure out what the author means or what might happen in the future.

Discuss and Revisit the TextPersonal ResponseInvite students to share their personal responses to the story.Suggested language: Why was it important that the boys remained calm as they tried to rescue people from the fl ood?

Ways of ThinkingAs you discuss the text, help students understand these points:

Thinking Within the Text Thinking Beyond the Text Thinking About the Text

• Jimmy and Jess helped their family prepare for the rising fl ood waters.

• After the levees broke, Jimmy and Jess worked together to help save others.

• Even after Jimmy’s dog fell in the water, he didn’t give up hope that the dog would be found.

• It is necessary to be prepared for impending disasters.

• During an emergency, it is important for people to help one another.

• Having hope during a time of crisis is sometimes necessary for survival.

• The clothing and scenery in the illustrations help the reader visualize the time period.

• The foreword gives historical background and helps the reader understand when the story takes place.

• The author includes many details about what happens during a fl ood to make the story more realistic.

© 2006. Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. Teaching for Comprehending and Fluency, Heinemann, Portsmouth, N.H.

Choices for Further Support• Fluency Invite students to choose a passage from the story to act out for a readers’

theater. Remind them to pay attention to punctuation, and to stress certain words to sound as if the people were really speaking and reacting to an emergency situation.

• Comprehension Based on your observations of the students’ reading and discussion, revisit parts of the text to clarify or extend comprehension. Remind students to go back to the text to support their ideas.

• Phonics/Word Work Provide practice as needed with words and word parts, using examples from the text. Remind students that words can be made of prefi xes and suffi xes attached to a root word. Give some examples of multisyllabic words from the text and point out their word parts. For example, submerged (p. 12) has a prefi x sub-, (meaning under) and a suffi x, -ed (meaning in the past). Ask students to look at the vocabulary words and separate any prefi xes and suffi xes from their root words.



Writing about ReadingCritical ThinkingHave students complete the Critical Thinking questions on BLM 9.8.

RespondingHave students complete the activities at the back of the book, using their Reader’s Notebook. Use the instruction below as needed to reinforce or extend understanding of the comprehension skill.

Target Comprehension SkillConclusions and Generalizations

Target Comprehension Skill Remind students that they can draw

conclusions about a character or situation by looking for key details in a story. Model how to add details to the Graphic Organizer, using a “Think Aloud” like the one below:

Think Aloud

The details of a story can help with drawing conclusions about it. The boys rescued a baby and helped a family off the roof of their house. Add these details to the organizer. They support the conclusion that the boys were brave and helpful in a time of need.

Practice the SkillHave students share an example of another story in which they drew a conclusion or made a generalization about a character.

Writing Prompt: Thinking Beyond the TextHave students write a response to the prompt on page 6. Remind them that when they think beyond the text, they use their personal knowledge to reach new understandings.

Assessment Prompts• On page 8, why do the hundreds of frightened people gathered at the levee

carry bundles?

• What is the meaning of clambered on page 15?

• This story was most likely written to

________________________________________________________________.



RespondingTARGET SKILL Conclusions and

Generalizations Think about what Jess and

Jimmy did after the Mississippi River fl ooded. What

conclusion can you draw about the brothers? Copy

and complete the chart below.

Write About It

Text to Self Think about how the Travers family

responded to the Great Flood of 1927. Do you agree

with the generalization that helping others during

a natural disaster is rewarding work? Write a few

paragraphs explaining and supporting your opinion.

19

Conclusion?

Detail ?

Detail The brothers go out again to help other people.

Detail Jess and Jimmy rescue a family with a new baby.

Detail ?

5_017457_OL_LRSE_L09_RIVER.indd 19 11/24/09 7:41:39 PM

Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text How would the Travers family know if a

levee breached near them?

2. Think within the text How did Jimmy and Jess rescue the mother

and newborn infant?

3. Think beyond the text Why does Jimmy conclude that his father

would be proud of his and his brother’s actions?

4. Think about the text What is the author trying to tell us to do

during a disaster?

Making Connections Think of a time when another person was dependent on your help. Describe the situation. How did helping that person make you feel?

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

The River Kept RisingCritical Thinking

Critical Thinking© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Lesson 9B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 9 . 8

Name Date

10 Grade 5, Unit 2: Wild Encounters

A fi re whistle would blow.

They helped them out through a window and onto their boat.

Possible responses shown.

Helping other people was very important to their family. Because

the boys were willing to help other people in trouble, Jimmy thinks

his father would be proud.

Take all precautions to keep yourself and your family safe. Then

do whatever you can to help those in the greatest need fi rst.

10_5_246253RTXEAN_L09.indd 10 3/23/09 9:12:39 AM

English Language DevelopmentReading Support Pair advanced and intermediate readers to read aloud a few paragraphs of the story. Remind them that after the levee breaks, Jimmy and Jess work to save others in danger.

Idioms The story includes many idioms that might be unfamiliar. Explain the meaning of expressions such as sinking in (page 17) and in a fl ash (page 14).

Oral Language DevelopmentCheck student comprehension, using a dialogue that best matches your students’ English profi ciency level. Speaker 1 is the teacher, Speaker 2 is the student.

Beginning/Early Intermediate Intermediate Early Advanced/ Advanced

Speaker 1: What river fl ooded in 1927?

Speaker 2: the Mississippi River

Speaker 1: Who helped people?

Speaker 2: Jimmy and Jess

Speaker 1: How did the boys get around?

Speaker 2: in a boat

Speaker 1: How did people try to keep the fl oodwaters out of the town?

Speaker 2: They stacked sandbags along the levees.

Speaker 1: Why was Jimmy and Jess’s house spared from the fl ood?

Speaker 2: The house was on high ground.

Speaker 1: Why does Jimmy and Jess’s mom call them heroes?

Speaker 2: She calls them heroes because they saved many people from the rising fl oodwaters.



Name Date

The River Kept RisingThinking Beyond the Text

Think about the questions below. Then write your answer in two or three paragraphs.

Remember that when you think beyond the text, you use your personal knowledge to reach new understandings.

On page 6, Doc Travers says that “it’s better to be safe than sorry.” What does he mean? Why do you think it is important to prepare for an emergency? What did the characters in the story do to help them prepare for their emergency?



Critical ThinkingRead and answer the questions.

1. Think within the text How would the Travers family know if a

levee breached near them?

2. Think within the text How did Jimmy and Jess rescue the mother

and newborn infant?

3. Think beyond the text Why does Jimmy conclude that his father

would be proud of his and his brother’s actions?

4. Think about the text What is the author trying to tell us to do

during a disaster?

Making Connections Think of a time when another person was dependent on your help. Describe the situation. How did helping that person make you feel?

Write your answer in your Reader’s Notebook.

The River Kept RisingCritical Thinking

Lesson 9B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 9 . 8

Name Date



1414

289

Student Date Lesson 9

B L A C K L I N E M A S T E R 9 . 1 2

The River Kept RisingRunning Record Form

The River Kept Rising • LEVEL T


Behavior Code Error

Read word correctly ✓cat 0

Repeated word, sentence, or phrase

®cat

0

Omission —cat 1

Behavior Code Error

Substitution cutcat 1

Self-corrects cut sccat 0

Insertion the

ˆcat 1

Word told Tcat 1

page Selection Text Errors Self-Corrections

8 What they saw on the way to the levee stunned them. The

town was awash in the muddy, turbulent waters. Some homes

and businesses were halfway submerged, while others

apparently had been pulled off their foundations and were

completely gone.

At the levee they found more chaos, with hundreds of

frightened delta folk huddled together in small groups. They

carried bundles of the few belongings they had managed to

save. Doc Travers went ashore and learned that many other

residents were still stuck in their homes. He shared the news

with Jess.

“Son, it’s worse than I thought possible.”

Comments: Accuracy Rate (# words read

correctly/99 × 100)

%

Total Self- Corrections


9 teacher’s guide the river kept rising - … 9 teacher’s guide the river kept rising ... •...

Documents