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Grade: Elementary

#3595. "Afternoon on the Amazon" by Mary Pope Osborne

Reading/Writing, level: Elementary
Posted Sun Nov 27 13:46:22 PST 2005 by Mindy Leach (mindy974@hotmail.com).
Ontario Local Schools, Mansfield USA
Activity Time: 9 35-minute lessons
Concepts Taught: guided reading lesson plans

Lesson Plans for
Afternoon on the Amazon by Mary Pope Osborne

Day 1:
Prereading
-Build Background: Ask "What do you know about rainforests?" Make a group web of words they associate with the rainforest. Show pictures of the Amazon and other rainforests.
-Vocabulary: Give a list of key words and they must categorize them as characters, settings, actions, or objects.
-Preview table of contents- What clues do the chapter titles give us?
-Predict- Use chapter titles to make predictions (close books while making predictions). Help them move beyond general predictions to include details to support their thoughts.
*For example: Prediction- Chapter 2 is going to be about some big bugs.
Ask them- What kind of big bugs? Flying? Walking? Why are they so big? What's going to happen with the "big bugs"?

Day 2:
Prereading
-Discuss what a "prologue" is and the kind of information it gives us. Read prologue orally.
-What's For Reading?- Is what we will read today probably a story or probably information? How can you tell?

Reading
-Read chapter 1 "Where's Peanut?" and chapter 2 "Big Bugs" (p. 3-11) silently.

Responding
-Reread ch. 1 and 2 orally.
-Start summary squares- Give students a 3x3 grid. Work together to write a main idea sentence for the chapter in each square.

Day 3:
Exploring
-Do "Look For the Signals" mini-lesson- show group how typographical signals in a text help provide a clue as to how to read the text.
*Make a poster of different signals: comma, period, question mark, exclamation mark, underlined, bold print, etc. and what they signal us to do in our reading.
*Choose sentences from the book and read them in a monotone voice and then using the signals. Have students decide which way made more sense and was more interesting.

Reading
-Set purpose for reading- Pay attention to the signals that the author uses. Find a quote they'd like to read orally and "say it like the character."
-Read chapter 3 "Yikes!" and chapter 4 "Millions of Them!" (p. 12- 26) silently.
-Share quotes with group.

Day 4:
Responding
-Reread chapter 3 and 4 orally. Focus on making it sound right.
-Continue Summary Squares- write a main idea sentence for each chapter.

Exploring
-"Say It Like the Character" mini-lesson- Write sentences from the book on index cards and emotions (happy, sad, mad, excited, afraid, etc.) on another set of cards. Students choose 1 card from each set and have them read the sentence using the given emotion.

Prereading
-Reread last page of chapter 4 (p. 26) orally to group.
-Sketch to Stretch- Fold computer paper into fourths. Sketch what they predict will happen in chapters 5 and 6 in the first square. Share sketches with group.

Day 5:
Reading
-Set purpose for reading- Read to find difficult or interesting words. Also, read to find out if prediction was true or not.
-Read chapter 5 "Pretty Fish" and chapter 6 "Monkey Trouble" (p. 27-39) silently.
-Share interesting or difficult words with group.

Responding
-Sketch what actually happened in the chapters 5 and 6 in the second square. Share sketches with group.
-Talking Why and How activity- Discuss the following questions:
*Why did Jack grab the snake that was hanging in the tree?
*How did Jack feel when he heard the screeching sound?
*Why did the monkey screech and throw fruit at the canoe?
*How did Jack and Annie feel when the monkey kept throwing things at them?
*Why did Jack crouch down in the canoe when the monkey came back?
*Why did the monkey come back with a stick?

Day 6:
Reading
-Reread chapters 5 and 6 orally- read it the way the characters would say it.
-Continue Summary Squares- write main idea sentences for chapters 5 and 6.

Prereading
-Sketch to Stretch- Sketch prediction for chapters 7 and 8 in third square.
-Share sketches of predictions.

Reading
-Set purpose for reading- read to make 2 or 3 connections.
-Read chapter 7 "Freeze!" and chapter 8 "Vampire Bats?" (p. 40-51) silently.

Responding
-Sketch what actually happened in chapters 7 and 8 in fourth square. Share sketches with group.

Day 7:
Reading
-Reread chapters 7 and 8 orally.

Responding
-Choose a prompt to respond to on back of Sketch to Stretch paper. Share response with group.

Exploring
-Who Mixed Up Our Sentences? activity- Give the students a paper that has sentences from the first paragraph of the chapter. Tell the students that "someone has mixed up our sentences and it's our job to put them back in the right order." Discuss with the students which sentence is probably the first one and put a "1" next to it. Continue putting the other sentences back in the correct order. Have students check their answers by reading the paragraph from the book.

Day 8:
Prereading
-Predict how they think the book will end.

Reading
-Set purpose to read- Read to find an interesting, funny, or confusing part to share with the group.
-Read chapter 9 "The Thing" and chapter 10 "Halfway There" (p. 52-67) silently.
-Share part they marked with the group.

Responding
-Answer comprehension questions using complete sentences. Encourage them to use as many words from the question in their answer as possible.
*What book do Jack and Annie use to get back home? Why?
*Why did the monkey bring the red fruit to the tree house?
*Describe what a mango is.
*Did you like this book? Why or why not?

Day 9:
Reading
-Reread chapters 9 and 10 orally.

Responding
-Character Analysis of Jack or Annie using graphic organizer.
-Quiz over book.

WORKSHEETS AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Name ___________________________

Categorizing Vocabulary Words for Afternoon on the Amazon
Write each of the vocabulary words in one of the columns in the chart below.

Characters Setting Actions Objects


Amazon River beckoned camouflage canoe
clearing creatures flee
flesh-eating army ants forest canopy
hurled jaguar Morgan le Fay
moss paddles piranhas riverbank staring understory vines


Summary Squares for Afternoon on the Amazon

In each square, write one sentence that tells the main idea for that chapter.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3


Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6


Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 and 10


Name _______________________

"Who Mixed Up Our Sentences?" Activity For
Afternoon on the Amazon by Mary Pope Osborne

_______ Of course, jaguars are fast, too, Jack thought.

_______ "Do you think the jaguar caught him?"

_______ "Where's the monkey?" said Annie, looking back at the forest.

_______ But he didn't want to tell Annie that.

_______ "No, monkeys are fast," said Jack.


Name _______________________

"Who Mixed Up Our Sentences?" Activity For
Afternoon on the Amazon by Mary Pope Osborne

Put these mixed up sentences from the story back in the correct order by writing the numbers 1 through 5 in the proper blanks.

_______ Of course, jaguars are fast, too, Jack thought.

_______ "Do you think the jaguar caught him?"

_______ "Where's the monkey?" said Annie, looking back at the forest.

_______ But he didn't want to tell Annie that.

_______ "No, monkeys are fast," said Jack.

Name ___________________________

"Look For the Signals" Activity For
Afternoon on the Amazon by Mary Pope Osborne

Practice reading each of these sentences from the story using the signals that the author gives you.
Remember:comma= short pause
Period= stop and take a breath
Question mark= ask a question
Exclamation mark= excited, scared, or mad
Bold words, underlined, or italics= say word with stress

1. "How do you know Peanut's a she?" asked Jack.

2. "Will you help us again today?" asked Annie.

3. "You're not afraid of really scary things. But you're afraid of little bugs and spiders. That doesn't make sense."

4. "Plus, the rainforests are being cut down," said Jack. "Don't you want to see one before it's too late?"

5. "Hurry, Jack!" shouted Annie.

6. Jack sighed. "Listen," he said. "We have to go there. To help Morgan."

7. "Okay, then, let's go," said Jack.

8. Annie stopped. "Wait-- what's that?"

9. "Well. . .no," Jack said.

10. Wild sounds broke the silence. Screeeeeech! Buzzzzzzz! Chirp! Chirp!