Using Less Energy F

Focus Question:
What are some ways to use less energy?
Book Summary
Text Type: Fiction/Realistic
How can we use less energy in our everyday lives? In Using Less Energy, students will learn
about items that use energy and alternatives that use less energy. Colorful illustrations and
simple sentences will keep students engaged in this topic. This book also provides students
with the opportunity to ask and answer questions as well as identify cause-and-effect
relationships to better understand the text.

Guiding the Reading

Lesson Essentials
Before Reading
Instructional Focus
Ask and answer questions Build Background
to understand text • Write the word energy on the board. Discuss the
meaning of the word with the class. Ask students
Identify cause-and-effect relationships
to discuss with a partner things they know that use
Understand the importance of illustrations energy. Invite volunteers to share their answers with
to enhance the text the class, and make a list on the board.
Segment onset and rime • Discuss with the class ways they can use less energy
Identify short vowel a (for example, biking to school instead of taking a
Recognize and use verbs car). Explain that today’s book will give them even
more ideas about how they can use less energy in
Recognize and use question words their everyday lives.
Materials
Introduce the Book
Book: Using Less Energy
• Give students their copy of Using Less Energy.
(copy for each student)
Guide them to the front and back covers and read
Cause and effect, short vowel a, the title. Have students discuss what they see on
verbs worksheets the covers. Encourage them to offer ideas as to
Discussion cards what type of book it is (genre, text type, and
Book quiz so on) and what it might be about.
• Show students the title page. Discuss the
Retelling rubric
information on the page (title of book,
Vocabulary author’s name, illustrator’s name).
Boldface vocabulary words also appear Introduce the Reading Strategy:
in a pre-made lesson for this title on Ask and answer questions
VocabularyA–Z.com. Explain to students that having prior knowledge
• High-frequency words: can, I, use about a topic and asking and answering questions
while reading can help readers understand and
• Words to Know remember information in a book. Create a KWLS
Story critical: air conditioner (n.), chart on the board. Review or explain that the K
dishwasher (n.), dryer (n.), energy (n.), stands for knowledge we know, the W stands for
less (adj.), save (v.) information we want to know, the L stands for what
we learned, and the S stands for what more we want
to know about the topic. Fill in the first column (K)
with the ideas the students shared at the beginning
of class about things that use energy and ways to
use less energy. Ask students what they would like
to know about using less energy, and fill in these
questions in the second column (W). As students read,
encourage them to look for answers to the questions
in the W column of the chart to help them better
understand the text. These answers will be written
in the L section of the chart.

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 Using Less Energy F
Guiding the Reading (cont.) Text Features: Illustrations
Explain that illustrations give readers more details about
Introduce the Comprehension Skill: a book’s topic than the words alone. Have students
Cause and effect look at the illustration on page 6. Ask students: How
• Write the words cause and effect on the board and does this illustration give you details about the topic
have students repeat the words as a class. Explain to that aren’t given in the words? What clues does this
students that a cause is the action and an effect is the illustration give you about how hanging up clothes
result of the action. Have students think about what saves energy? Have students review other illustrations
they do when it rains. Explain that one cause may in the book and discuss in groups how these illustrations
have more than one effect. provide important details about the topic of the book.
• Ask students to turn to page 4 of the story. Have Invite volunteers to share their ideas with the class.
students discuss with a partner the cause on this Skill Review
page (the girl riding her bike to her friend’s house).
• Review the questions listed in the KWLS chart with
Then ask students to brainstorm the effects of the
students. Ask volunteers to share information from
girl riding her bike to her friend’s house (using less
the book that answered their questions, and record
energy, getting exercise, having fun, getting fresh
this information in the L column on the board. Remind
air, and so on). Encourage students to look for
students that not all questions will be answered in
cause-and-effect relationships as they continue to
the book. If this is the case, move those questions
read.
into the S column, and tell students they can research
Vocabulary to find the answers to those questions. Students can
Have students turn to the “Words to Know” box also generate more questions to add to the S column
on the copyright page. Point out that these words to further their investigations into using less energy.
can be found in the story and that understanding Remind students that asking and answering questions
the meaning of each word will help them better while reading keeps them engaged in the topic and
understand what they read. Read the words aloud to helps them better remember what they read.
the students and, as a group, discuss the meaning of • Model evaluating details to determine cause-
each word. On the basis of the definitions discussed, and-effect relationships.
have students work in groups to illustrate each Think-aloud: This book has many examples of cause-
vocabulary word on a poster. Have students share and-effect relationships. On page 6, I read that the
their posters with the class. girl hangs clothes to dry instead of using a dryer,
and I can see her hanging clothes on a line outside.
Set the Purpose Her clothes will dry because of the sun and the
• Have students read to find out more about using breeze, and she doesn’t have to use the dryer that
less energy. Write the Focus Question on the board. plugs in and uses energy. From this, I can tell that
Invite students to look for evidence in the book to the cause is the girl hanging her clothes up outside
support their answer to the question. and the effect is that she is using less energy
• Have students make a small question mark in their because she is not using any electricity to dry her
book beside any word they do not understand or clothes. This is one of the many cause-and-effect
cannot pronounce. These can be addressed in a relationships I read about in the book.
future discussion. • Model how to complete the cause-and effect-
worksheet. Have students identify details from the
During Reading book and put them into the correct columns to
show cause and effect.
Text-Dependent Questions
As students read the book, monitor their understanding After Reading
with the following questions. Encourage students to
support their answers by citing evidence from the book. Ask students what words, if any, they marked in their
book. Use this opportunity to model how they can read
• Where can we get ideas for using less energy?
these words using decoding strategies and context clues.
(level 3) page 3
• How can using a fan to cool off use less energy? Skill Review
(level 1) page 5 Graphic Organizer: Cause and effect
• Which chores use energy, and how can you use less Review the cause-and-effect worksheet that students
energy while completing them? (level 2) pages 6-7 completed. Have students share their work in groups.
• Why might taking a quick shower use less energy Invite volunteers to share with the rest of the class
than taking a bath? (level 3) page 9 the cause-and-effect relationships they chose. Invite
• Why did the author write this book about using volunteers to share what they’ve learned about using
less energy? (level 3) multiple pages less energy and why it is important.

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 Using Less Energy F
Guiding the Reading (cont.) • Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have
students complete the short-vowel-a worksheet.
Comprehension Extension If time allows, discuss their answers.
Discussion cards covering comprehension skills and Grammar and Mechanics: Verbs
strategies not explicitly taught with the book are
• Review or explain that some words name actions.
provided to be used for extension activities.
These words are called verbs. With a partner, have
Response to Focus Question students name action words they know and then
Have students cite specific evidence from the book to act them out. Invite partners to share these verbs
answer the Focus Question. (Answers will vary. Samples: with the class.
I can use less energy by riding a bike instead of driving • Have students turn to page 4 in their book. Read
in a car, using a fan instead of using an air conditioner, the first sentence aloud together. Ask students
hanging clothes to dry instead of using a dryer, washing to identify the verb in the sentence (ride).
my dishes by hand instead of using a dishwasher, making • Write the following sentence on the board: I can
gifts out of re-usable materials instead of buying them, also walk to the store. Have a volunteer come to
and taking a quick shower instead of a bath.) the board and underline the verb in the sentence.
Ask another volunteer to act out the underlined
Comprehension Checks verb.
• Book quiz • Retelling rubric • Check for understanding: Have students search the
story with a partner to locate all of the verbs and
highlight them. When they have finished, make
Book Extension Activities a list of these verbs on the board.
Build Skills • Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have
students complete the verbs worksheet. If time
Phonological Awareness:
allows, discuss their answers.
Segment onset and rime
• Say the word can aloud to students. Explain that Word Work: Question words
you are going to say the word a second time and • Have students turn to page 3. Read the second
leave off the /k/ sound. Then say /an/. Can without sentence aloud: How can I use less energy?
/k/ is /an/. • Write the sentence on the board. Point to the question
• Have students identify other words that end with mark at the end and underline the word How. Tell
the /an/ sound. students that this sentence ends with a question mark
• Have students say the word less. Then have them and therefore asks a question. Explain that this type
say the word without the /l/ sound (/ess/). Invite of sentence is called an interrogative sentence. In this
volunteers to share other words that end with the sentence, the word How is a question word.
/ess/ sound. • Make a list on the board of common question
• Check for understanding: Say the following words words: who, what, when, where, why, can, will,
aloud, one at a time: how, ride, bike, car. Say aloud the may, and so on.
initial sound before the vowel (onset) of each word.. • Have students find another example of an
Ask students to say each word without the sound interrogative sentence in the book. Select a
of its onset. volunteer to come to the board and write the
question word from the sentence.
Phonics: Identify short vowel a
• Check for understanding: Write the following
• Write the word man on the board and say it aloud declarative sentence on the board: They can recycle
with students. Have students say the /a/ sound paper. Ask students to change this sentence to an
aloud. Then run your finger under the letters in interrogative sentence using a question word, such
the word as students say the whole word aloud. as Where do they recycle paper? Allow volunteers
Ask students to identify which letter represents to share their sentences with the class. Repeat with
the /a/ sound in the word man. Explain that the other declarative sentences.
vowel in man is a short vowel sound.
• Have students work with a partner to brainstorm Connections
other words that have the short vowel a sound. • See the back of the book for cross-curricular
Invite volunteers to share their words with the class. extension ideas.
• Check for understanding: Write the following words
that have the short vowel a sound on the board,
leaving out the short vowel: van, tan, tag. Say each
word one at a time, and have volunteers come to
the board and add the short vowel a to each word.

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