Title:
The Adventures of Marco Polo by Russell Freedman
ISBN 978-0-545-01967-5
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Genre:
Biography
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Text Structure:
Narrative Informational
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Level:
Z
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Literacy Core Objective:
40060-07 Standard VII: Comprehension. Students understand, interpret, and analyze narrative and informational grade level text.
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Enduring Understanding: Purpose for reading
Form an opinion on the likelihood that Marco Polo actually reached China.
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Content Core Objective:
6th Grade Social Studies Standard II: Students will understand the transformation of cultures during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and the impact of this transformation on modern times
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“I Can Statements” - Essential Questions:
How is it that we are aware of the travels of Marco Polo?
Do you think that all people who transcribed the story of the Marco Polo did so accurately?
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ELL Strategies:
Students reading at this level are likely to be quite fluent speakers of English although they may need more support with idioms, expressions, vocabulary, and multiple meaning words. This will affect their ability to draw conclusions and infer from the text. Encourage these students to use sticky notes or a notebook to jot questions they have while reading to be discussed/clarified at the guided reading table during the following session.
Other ELL strategies can be found at
http://coe.sdsu.edu/people/jmora/pages/4x4activity.htm
and tailored to the individual needs of your students.
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Before Reading
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Vocabulary:
Tier 2 Vocabulary Words are high frequency words that are found across a variety of domains. At a minimum, provide student-friendly explanations that tell what a word means in everyday connected language. A wide range of vocabulary resources are available at http://t4.jordan.k12.ut.us/cbl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=35.
passport
detour
plateau
provisions
foreign
merchant
scholar
Activate/Build Prior Knowledge:
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What do students already know about Marco Polo?
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What do they already know about this period in history?
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Go for a picture walk including reading the captions.
Comprehension Strategy:
Determining Importance
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During Reading
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Using appropriate Guided reading strategies, students will be reading at their own pace and teachers will be listening to students read, monitoring, giving feedback, taking anecdotal notes and running records.
Attend to Comprehension Within, Beyond, & About the text.
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After Reading
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This book is packed with information. Help students determine importance in each of the sections they read – what are the big ideas, what are the supporting details. While they read, have students keep notes of questions they have so that you can help them clarify their understanding during the discussion. Continue to guide the discussion towards facts that will help students make their own determination about the “truth” in Marco Polo’s claim that he reached China.
Attend to Comprehension Within, Beyond, & About the text:
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Content Core Integration:(Science, Soc. St., Math, etc.)
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Assessment:
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List at least three reasons why it is likely that Marco Polo did reach China.
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Now, list at least three reasons why it is not likely that Marco Polo reached China.
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Write a persuasive paragraph with your opinion on the subject.
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Activities:
For more information see http://library.thinkquest.org/4034/polo.html
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