Ocean Renegades
Written by Abby Howard & published by Harry N. Abrams, ©2018
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Grade Level: 4-6 Independent Read
Lexile Score: GN790L Accelerated Reader: 5.7
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Ronnie's parents are out of town so Ronnie is with Miss Lernin for the week--and Miss Lernin loves learning! Ronnie is hoping to have some exciting adventures, but is less than excited to end up at the boring aquarium. However, Miss Lernin is determined to show Ronnie just how exciting prehistoric ocean life is, so she and Ronnie take an adventure to the past where they learn about the six parts of the Paleozoic era and grow more and more interested in the creatures of the sea.
Key words/phrases: ocean life, Paleozoic era, time travel, learning, evolution
Suggestions for the Classroom
This video can be watched by students prior to reading the graphic novel to provide them with background knowledge on the Paleozoic Era.
This video provides a student-friendly explanation of one of the groups of invertebrates described in the text: echinoderms. This can help reinforce and extend student knowledge on this group.
This video provides a student-friendly explanation of another group of invertebrates: cnidarians. It can also help reinforce and extend student knowledge. To see the videos for the other groups of animals introduced in the text, click here.
SUGGESTED COMMON CORE STATE STANDARD:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.4
Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a
text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
KEY VOCABULARY
Annelids: the group of animals that have bilateral symmetry and segmented bodies
Arthropods: the group of animals that have bilateral symmetry, an exoskeleton, and limbs
with many joints
Cnidarians: the group of animals that have radial symmetry and catch prey using tentacles
Echinoderms: the group of animals that have radial symmetry and a hard internal skeleton
Mollusks: the group of animals that have bilateral symmetry and hard shells protecting
squishy bodies
Vertebrates: the group of animals that have bilateral symmetry, and internal skeleton, and
a spine
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES
Before Reading: Model how to create a one-sheet-book for students. All you need for this creation is one piece of paper and a pair of scissors. Instructions for creating this book can be found here (start the video at 0:24). Once students have created their booklet, have them label the first page of the book "What I Know," the third page "What I Want to Know," and the fifth page "What I Learned." Students should begin by writing anything they know about the Paleozoic Era on the first two pages. After this, show students the video linked above the covers the Paleozoic Era. Students should then write any questions they would like answered in the "What I Want to Know" section. After reading the text, the third section can be filled out.
During Reading: Divide students into groups of four and use the reciprocal teaching method throughout reading the text. Reading Rockets describes the method well and provides instructions on how to use this teaching method here.
After Reading: Instruct students to choose one group of animals the text covers (i.e. annelids, echinoderms, vertebrates, cnidarians, etc.). Have students gather information from the book and any other available sources on their chosen animal group and create an infographic about it using a free infographic maker (like Canva, Piktochart, or Venngage).
WRITING ACTIVITY FOR INFERENTIAL COMPREHENSION:
In their notebooks, have students respond to the following prompt: in the text, Miss Lernin mentions that we are "ramping up to a sixth" mass extinction. Based on what you learned in the text, what do you think she means by this? What species do you think might go extinct, and how do you think this might occur?