the power to vote - amazon s3 · raise your hand if you think we should change seats every day....

B e n c h m a r k e d u c a t i o n c o m p a n y

Teacher’s GuideFor students reading at Literacy Level F/10, including:

English-language learners •Students reading below grade level •First-grade readers •

Metacognitive/Fix-Up StrategyRetell what you’ve read •

VocabularyRecognize high-frequency words •Develop Tier Two vocabulary •Develop Tier Three vocabulary •

Grammar, Word Study, and Language Development

Use the adjective • theseUse plurals with • -ies Recognize the sentence structures •People can ____ and A ____ has ____.

Phonics Problem-solve by searching all the way •through words.Recognize words with open vowels •

FluencyRead exclamation points •

WritingWrite to a picture prompt •Write to a text prompt •

skills & strategies

Anchor Comprehension StrategyDraw conclusions •

Theme: Government and citizenship

What Is a Good Citizen? (G/12) •A Good Pick (G/12) •Patriotic Citizens (H/14) •A Volunteer Helps (I/16) •Miss Keen Needs Help (I/16) •

social studies Big idea:Readers will learn about voting on rules and leaders.

The Power to VoteLevel F/10

Introduce the Book• Give each student a copy of the

book. Remind students that they will read about voting. Preview the book. Encourage students to interact with the pictures and text on each page as you empha size the elements from the page 3 chart that will best support their under standing of the book’s language, concepts, and organization. (Items in bold print include sample teacher talk.”)

• Use a Graphic Organizer Draw a T-chart on the board with the headings Who Can Vote? and Why Do People Vote? Read the headings aloud. Ask students to help you think of answers to these questions. Write their ideas under the headings. Then read each entry on the chart and ask students to echo-read.

Before Reading

Make Connections and Build Background• Use Drama Say: We will read a book

called The Power to Vote. We vote by saying yes or no about something. Let’s pretend to vote on a class rule. Raise your hand if you think we should change seats every day. (Count and write the number of votes.) Raise your hand if you don’t think we should change seats every day. (Count and write the number of votes.) Discuss the results, and then say: We showed how to vote on a class rule. We have the power to vote.

Related ResourcesThe following Benchmark Education resources support this lesson.

Other Early Explorers Books• Good Citizens Can Help (A/1)• Helping Friends (C/4)• Vote! (D/6)• Helping Animals (E/8)• Being Patriotic (J/18)• Good Citizens (L/24)

Fluency and Language Development• The Power to Vote Audio CD

Comprehension Resources• The Power to Vote question card• Power Tool Flip Chart for Teachers• Student Bookmark

Assessment• Early Explorers Overview &

Assessment Handbook• Grade 1 Comprehension Strategy

Assessment Book

Who Can Vote?

Why Do People Vote?

• students• adults• club

members

• to choose rules

• to show what they like

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLCThE PowEr To VoTE2

© 2008 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. Teachers may photocopy the reproducible pages for classroom use. No other part of the guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in Canada.ISBN: 978-1-60437-480-3

Pages Text and Graphic Features

Words to Discuss

English/Spanish Cognates

Sentence Structures

Cover title, author, photo

1 title, author, photo

2–3 photos adults, community, country, rules, students, vote

4 photos, captions choose, rules, vote, students, class

vote/votar, student/el estudiante, class/la clase

People can ____.

5 photo, caption power power/el poder

6 photo, caption leaders leader/el líder

7 photo, caption

8 photos, caption community community/ la comunidad

A ____ has ____.

9 photos, caption adults adult/el adulto

10 photo, inset photo, caption

11 photo, caption


city, mayorFalse Cognate: In Spanish, mayor means bigger, larger, or older.


14 photos, map, caption country

15 photo, caption president president/ el presidente

16 photo

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC ThE PowEr To VoTE 3

Rehearse Reading Strategies• Say: One word in this book is better.

Say the word better. What letters do you expect to see after /b/? Allow time for students to respond, assisting as needed. Then ask them to find the word better on page 8. Say: Search all the way through a word to help you when you read.

• Remind students to use other reading strategies that they are learning as well, such as looking at the pictures for additional information or rereading part of the sentence if something doesn’t sound right.

Set a Purpose for Reading• Direct students’ attention to the

T-chart on the board. Say: Now it’s time to whisper-read the book. Read to learn who can vote and why people vote.

Before Reading (continued)

• Pages 2–3 Words to Discuss Ask students to point to each photograph as you say its matching label. Repeat the process, inviting students to echo-read. After students Think/Pair/Share what they know about each word, fill in any missing details. Say: We will see these words in the book.

• Spanish Cognate Ask: Does vote sound like a word you know in Spanish? (Allow time for students to respond.) The English word vote sounds like the Spanish word votar. Vote and votar mean the same thing. Who are some leaders people vote on? (Allow time for students to respond.) Write the word vote on the board and ask students to locate it on page 4 in the book.

• Page 4 Sentence Structure Write People can ____ on the board. Read the sentence structure aloud and ask students to repeat it several times. Say: We use this sentence structure to tell about things people can do. Model using the sentence structure, such as People can drive cars or People can watch movies. Then assist students in forming their own sentences using the structure. Say: This sentence structure is in the book. Can you find the structure two times on page 4? Frame the sentences. Let’s read the sentences together.

• Page 10 Graphic Feature Say: This page has an inset photograph. An inset photograph is a small photograph related to a bigger photograph. What does the big photograph show? (a community) What does the smaller photograph show? (the leaders of a community having a meeting)


Observe and Prompt Reading Strategies• After the supportive introduction,

students should be able to read all or most of the book on their own. Observe students as they read. Take note of the graphophonic, syntactic, and semantic cues they use to make sense of the text and self-correct. Prompt individual students who have difficulty problem-solving independ-ently, but be careful not to prompt English-language learners too quickly. They may need more time to process the text as they rely on their first language for comprehension.

Use the Graphic Organizer to Summarize• Ask students to think about their

reading. Say: Look at our T-chart. Did we read any of these answers in the book? Put check marks next to any matching responses. Ask students to recall any other answers they read in the book. Add these to the graphic organizer, and then ask students to use the graphic organizer to tell a partner about the book.

During Reading After Reading

Cue Source Prompt Example Page

Graphophonic Search all the way through the word. Are you blending the right sounds?

choose 4

Syntactic You read “Some city have a mayor.” Let’s read this sen-tence together and make it sound right.

Some cities have a mayor.

12

Semantic What do you see in the picture that would make sense in this sentence?

class 4

Who Can Vote?

Why Do People Vote?

• students ✟• adults ✟• club

members

• to choose rules ✟

• to show what they like

• to choose leaders ✟


After Reading (continued)

Reading Strategy Mini-Lesson: Retell What You’ve Read• Reflect Ask: Did you understand

what you read? What parts were hard to understand? How did you help yourself?

• Model Say: I want to understand what I read. One way is to retell the important information. Look at page 8. Let’s read together: “A community has rules. These rules can help the community. Then the community is a better place.” Now I will say the important information in my own words: Rules can help a community be a better place.

• Guide Invite students to read pages 10 and 11 with you. Ask the following questions, allowing time for students to respond after each one: What do you see? What are these pages about? What does the author say about leaders? What can the adults do? How could you tell this information in your own words? If students have difficulty, model a retelling of your own, such as Adults who vote choose the leaders of a community.

• Apply Ask each student to turn to his or her favorite page. Then ask stu-dents to read the page to a partner and retell the important information in their own words. Observe students as they read and retell. If more support is needed, use the prompts in the “Guide” section. See the Early Explorers Overview & Assessment Handbook for an observation chart that you can use to assess students’ under standing of the monitor-reading strat egy. Then say: You can retell any time you read. Remember to retell to help you understand.

Answer Text-Dependent Questions• Explain Remind students that they

can answer questions about books they have read. Say: We answer different types of questions in different ways. I will help you learn how to answer each type. Tell students that today they will practice answering Take It Apart! questions. Say: The answer to a Take It Apart! question is not stated in the book. You must think like the author to figure out the answer.

• Model Use the Take It Apart! question on the question card. Say: I will read the question to figure out what to do: “The author uses questions in this book. Find an example.” This question asks me to analyze text structure and organization. I know because the question has the words author uses. What other words in the question will help me? (Allow student responses.) Yes, I need to find an example of a question. Model looking through the book. Say: I know that a question ends with a question mark. The first sentence on page 5 ends with a question mark. So does the second sentence on page 13 and the second sentence on page 15. All three sen-tences are examples of questions. I have found the answer.

• Guide Ask students to answer the other questions on the question card. Use the Power Tool Flip Chart and Student Bookmark to provide addi-tional modeling as needed. Remind students to ask themselves: What is the question asking? How can I find the answer? Does my answer make sense? How do I know?


Build Comprehension: Draw Conclusions• Explain Create an overhead trans-

parency of the graphic organizer on page 12 or draw it on the board. Say: An author can’t give us every bit of information in a book. We figure out some things on our own. We use the author’s words and the photographs for clues. Figuring something out using three or more clues is drawing a conclusion.

• Model Say: Let’s draw a conclusion in The Power to Vote. On page 4 we read that a class has rules. We read that students vote on the rules. Next, we look at the photographs. We see a list of rules on a poster. Record this evidence in the first Clues box on the graphic organizer. Then say: Now we can use the clues to draw a conclu-sion. We can conclude that rules are important at school. Write this state-ment in the first Conclusion box.

• Guide Say: Now let’s draw another conclusion in The Power to Vote. Page 6 says the class will choose a leader. Page 10 says a community has leaders. What does the author say about lead-ers on page 14? (Allow time for stu-dents to respond, assisting if needed.) Yes, a country has leaders, too. Record this evidence in the second Clues box on the graphic organizer. Then ask: What can we figure out from these clues? (Again, allow time for students to respond.) Yes, we can conclude that all types of groups need leaders. Write this statement in the second Conclusion box.

• Apply Ask each student to work with a partner to draw conclusions from the rest of the book. Remind students to use word and photograph clues to fig-ure out things the author doesn’t say. After the partnerships share, record their ideas on the graphic organizer. Finally, read the completed graphic organizer aloud and invite students to echo-read.


After Reading (continued)

Home Connection• Give students the take-home version of

The Power to Vote to read to family members. Encourage students to work with a friend or family member to write a question for the class to vote on. Invite them to bring their questions to share with the group.

Reader ResponseInvite students to respond to the book in a way that is meaningful to them. Model and use think-alouds as needed to scaffold students before they try the activities on their own.• With a partner, make a poster that

explains the power to vote.• Point out your favorite photograph in

the book. Tell why you like it.• Use your book to show two ways a city

and a country are alike.• Tell why you think the author included

information about rules.• Write a new caption for one of the

photographs in the book.• Write the most important thing you

learned about voting.

Write to a Picture Prompt• Write a Personal Narrative Tell

students that they will talk about a picture from the book. Then they will write about the picture. Ask them to turn to page 6. Say: I can use this picture to tell about something that happened to me: I wanted my friend Ben to be class president. I put posters in the school halls. I made a speech in class. Now I will write my idea. Model writing your sentences on the board. Ask students to tell a partner about something that they have experienced that goes with one of the pictures. Allow time for students to share their narra tives, providing assistance as needed. Then say: You used a picture to tell about an experience. Now write your idea. When you finish, read your writing to a partner.

Write to a Text Prompt• Write a Description Say: Look at

the photograph on page 15. Imagine you are attending this meeting. Write about what you see and hear. Write about how you feel, too. When you finish, read your writing to a partner.

Phonics: Open Vowels • Ask students to locate the word

mayor on page 12. Write mayor on the board. Divide the word into syllables and underline the letters “ay” (may/or). Say: The letters “ay” make the long a sound. Syllables that end in long vowel sounds are open syllables. Dividing a word after an open syllable helps us sound out the parts of the word. Slowly draw your finger under the word as you blend the sounds.

Mini-Lessonsfor Differentiating Instruction


Then ask students to do the same in their books. Repeat the process with the long e sound in the first syllable of people (page 4) and the long u sound in the first syllable of students (page 4) and second syllable of community (page 8).

• Write favor, label, beetle, meter, humor, and music on the board. Ask students to help you divide each word into syllables after the open vowel. Then read each word, inviting students to echo-read.

• Say: I will make up a sentence. You will call out a word from the list to complete my sentence. I will circle the letter or letters for the long vowel sound. Then you will know you answered correctly. Use sentence starters such as Jazz is one type of ____. (music)

Vocabulary• Tier Two Vocabulary Pronounce the

word influence and ask students to repeat it. Say: Certain people and things can influence the way you think or act. A problem in class might influence you to vote for a new class rule. A poster or speech might influence you to vote for a certain leader. A kind person may influence the way you act toward others. People who make commercials try to influence what you buy at stores. Discuss other things that may influence people, such as watching someone have fun in a certain activity or seeing a famous athlete wearing a certain type of shoes. Then model a sentence, such as The weather report will influence what I choose to wear tomorrow. Invite students to share their own sentences, providing assis tance as needed.

Ask: What word have we been talking about? Yes—influence. Let’s try to use the word influence many times today. We can use the word at school and at home.

• Tier Three Vocabulary Review the book with students. Then record the words adults, choose, city, class, community, country, leaders, mayor, president, rules, students, and vote on index cards. Ask students to read the words with you. Mix the cards and place them facedown on a table. Choose two cards, read the words, and model an oral sentence using both words. Finally, invite stu-dents to take turns doing the same. Continue the game until each student has had several turns using different word pairs. For additional practice, students may work as a group or in pairs to complete the vocabulary activity on page 11.

Grammar, Word Study, and Language DevelopmentAdjective these

• Model Explain that authors some times use describing words when they write. Tell students that words that describe nouns are adjectives and some adjec-tives tell “which.” Ask them to turn to page 8. Say: The author says a community has rules and these rules can help the community. The word these is an adjective. These describes which rules. I can use the adjective these, too. Point to classroom objects as you model sentences such as: I put these pencils on my desk. These desks are close to the windows. These books belong on that shelf.


• Guide Invite students to read the second sentence on page 9 with you. Ask: Which word is an adjective? (these) Why is these an adjective? (These describes which adults.) Repeat the process with the second sentence on page 10.

• Apply Write the phrases these rules, these adults, and these leaders on the board. Point out that the adjective these always describes plural nouns. Then invite students to make up their own sentences using the adjective these.

Plurals with -ies

• Model Explain that authors some-times use plurals when they write. Tell students that plural means “more than one.” Ask them to turn to page 12. Say: The author talks about cities. Cities are more than one city. Write the words city on the board and model the following actions as you say: We can change the word city to cities. Change the “y” to “i.” Then add the letters “es.”

• Guide Invite students to read the text and caption on page 14 with you. Ask: Which word ends with -ies? (countries) What does countries mean? (more than one country) Write the word country on the board. Ask: How can I change country to countries? Follow students’ instructions, and then read the word together.

• Apply Write the words parties, families, babies, and pennies on the board. Say: (Plural word) are more than one ____ and write the words students call out underneath. Then invite student pairs to make up sen tences using both the singular and plural words.

Fluency: Read Exclamation Points• Say: Sometimes authors tell about

amazing or exciting things. Authors may show that something is amazing or exciting by using an exclamation point. Our voices sound different when we are amazed or excited. We speak a bit faster and our voices move to a higher pitch.

• Ask students to turn to page 7. First, read the page in a flat voice. Discuss how this makes listeners feel. Then read the page again, saying the exclamation more quickly and in a higher pitch. Ask students to echo-read.

• Ask students to turn to page 16. Choral-read the page with them, using a faster, higher voice for the exclamation.

• Invite students to take turns rereading The Power to Vote with a partner. Remind them to speak faster and use a higher pitch when they read a sen tence that ends with an exclamation point.


Name: Date:

Vocabulary

1. Some students vote on rules for the class. True False

2. A community has no leaders. True False

3. A city is a country that has a leader. True False

4. People can choose rules and leaders. True False

5. A president is the leader of a city. True False

6. Some communities have a mayor. True False

7. Some adults vote on leaders. True False

8. People have the power to vote. True False

Read each sentence. Circle the word True or False.

© 2011 Benchmark Education Company, LLC ThE PowEr To VoTE11

Name: Date:

The Power to Vote

Clues Conclusions


the power to vote - amazon s3 · raise your hand if you think we should change seats every day....

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