Lara Dale, Steve Gough,
Stacey Burke, and Julia Sherrill
Section Five - Phantom of the Prairie - Year of the Black-footed Ferret by Jonathan London pp.2-29
Phantom is a black footed ferret - one of the most endangered
species in the U.S. - and she has just had a litter of ferret kits.
From the springtime, when the kits were born, all the way through winter,
Phantom and her kits give the reader an exceptional look into the lives
of the black-footed ferret. The kits first start honing their hunting
skills as they search for grasshoppers and other insects. However,
the ferrets are also among the hunted, as the coyote preys on them habitually.
One unlucky and careless ferret kit actually becomes the coyote's prey.
But as the months pass on, the ferrets become bigger and wiser and soon
leave the watchful eye of their mother. At last, once the kits have
become independent, Phantom realizes her need to help the population continue
to increase, so she continues the cycle as she gives birth to a new litter
of ferret kits.
Discussion Director
The discussion director’s job is to develop questions for the group members to discuss about this section of the book. The focus is on important ideas and issues in this section and designing questions that address them.
Your job is to ask the following types of questions:
2 Effect/Cause
1 Sequence
Passage Picker
The Passage Picker's job is to select significant passages from the
selections being read; determine why those passages are important; call
other group member's attention to the passage; and lead a discussion about
the passage.
Steps:
1. Pick
out a passage you would like to share.
2. Write
down the page and paragraph number.
3. Write
down the first two words and the last two words of your passage.
4. Write
down the reason you chose the passage, and explain why! (Descriptive,
surprising, it contains figurative language, or it is important)
5. Ask
a question about your passage, and give an answer.
6. Write
down the Author’s Purpose: To Describe, To Entertain, To Inform,
or To Persuade
Your job is to choose:
2 passages that you find surprising
1 passage that is informative
1 passage that is descriptive
Word Wizard
The Word Wizard's job is to search the section being read for words
that are key to understanding what is happening in the story; note the
page and sentence where it can be found; check the dictionary meaning of
the word; lead a discussion about the meaning and intent of the word from
context and what the word contributes to the importance of the passage.
Steps:
1. Write down the word, the page and paragraph
number.
2. Copy the sentence from the book in which
the word appears.
3. Write down the part of speech the word
is in (noun, verb, adjective, or adverb) and what you think the word means.
4. Using the context clues from the sentence
and the dictionary definition, write in your own words the
definition of the word.
5. Tell how this word adds meaning to the
story.
6. Make your Word Wizard card. Be sure
to include in big print, your word and the page and paragraph
number. On the other
side of the card should be a picture, the word, and the definition of the
word.
Your words are:
kit - p.4 par.1
burrow - p.4 par.2
litter - p.7 par.1
scamper - p.16 par.1
slink - p.26 par.1
Character Sketcher
The Character Sketcher's job is to develop a character map of major
characters in the section of text being read.
Steps:
1. Pick out a character that interests you. Choose three
words to describe this character. These should be implied character
traits; that is, they are not directly stated within the text.
2. For each trait, you will give proof (an example) from the
book (write down page and paragraph).
3. Write out the character's goal, problem, and solution (page
and paragraph).
4. Last, you will draw a picture of your character.
Your character for this job is Phantom