Reading and Writing Book​: A Year in Antarctica ​Level​ P

(25-30 Minutes) DRTA Pages​: 1-12

Goal​: Text Features

Materials​: Text Features are a tool that nonfiction books use to give the reader more information about the subject than just the
A Year in Antarctica words can convey. Understanding the importance of text features and the information that they can give a reader is
important to comprehending a non fiction text as a whole.
Chart titled “Life in
Antarctica” with three Organizational Tool​: Chart
headings: Text Feature, B is very interested in space and space explorations so we will be comparing what it’s like to live in space with what
Example, Trait it’s like to live in Antarctica. We will use a chart to keep track of the different traits of living in Antarctica and what text
features that information comes from.

Before Reading​:
B and I will talk about everything we know is necessary in order to live in space and what the experience of living in
space is like. We will brainstorm and B will write down his ideas.

We will then go through the words to introduce listed below.

Words to Introduce​:
- Wilderness (p.3)
- Continents (p.3)
- Hemisphere (p.3)
- Climate (p.4)
- Atmosphere (p.5)
- Rothera (p.6) → proper name
- Hypothermia (p.10)
- Crevasse (p.12)

During Reading​:
- P.5: Antarctica: We will discuss what we learned about Antarctica's climate. I will model identifying information
from different text features, which we will record in our chart.
- P.7: We will discuss what we learned about preparing to live in Antarctica and record our findings in our chart.
- P.12: We will discuss what it would be like to live in Antarctica. We will begin to compare the conditions and
the training to living in space.

After Reading​: We will look at our chart thus far and discuss life in Antarctica. We will also discuss the book in
general and what B thinks of it thus far.
Reading and Writing Book​: A Year in Antarctica ​Level​ P
(25-30 Minutes) DRTA Pages​: 18-22

Goal​: Text Features

Materials​: Text Features are a tool that nonfiction books use to give the reader more information about the subject than just the
A Year in Antarctica words can convey. Understanding the importance of text features and the information that they can give a reader is
important to comprehending a non fiction text as a whole.
Chart titled “Life in
Antarctica” with three Organizational Tool​: Chart
headings: Text Feature, B is very interested in space and space explorations so we will be comparing what it’s like to live in space with what
Example, Trait it’s like to live in Antarctica. We will use a chart to keep track of the different traits of living in Antarctica and what text
features that information comes from.
Venn Diagram with one
side titled “Life in Additionally, we will make a venn diagram comparing and contrasting what it’s like to live in space and Antarctica in
Antarctica” and one side preparation for B’s writing prompt.
titled “Life in Space”
Before Reading​: We will look at the chart from the previous lesson and discuss what we read about and what we
learned. We will then go over the words to introduce.

Words to Introduce​:
- Field (p.13)
- Ice Cores (p.16)
- Weddell (p.17) → proper name of a kind of seal
- Habitat (p.17)
- Specimens (p.18)
- Shackleton (p.19) → proper name
-

During Reading​:
- P.17: We will discuss the kind of work that scientists do in Antarctica and record it in our chart. We will begin
to compare it to work done in space.
- P.22: We will discuss the lives of the scientist that stayed for the winter. We will record their traits on our
chart. We will begin to compare them to astronauts.
- P.22: We will also discuss the book as a whole, taking a look at the glossary and the questions inside the
back cover.

After Reading​: When we are done reading we will look over the chart as a whole. Then we will create and fill in the
venn diagram comparing space and living in Antarctica. After we’ve finished our venn diagram B will write his
paragraph.