LEVELS 13–28 H–M World Folktales

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears Teacher’s Guide

Objectives

Summary

Fluency

Mosquito never stops talking and Iguana is tired of listening to him. He puts sticks in his ears to block out Mosquito’s chatter. But Iguana doesn’t hear Python greet him, and a series of misunderstandings begins. Soon the whole jungle is in chaos. Lion calls a meeting to find out the truth. Finally Lion learns that Mosquito started the problem. Lion orders Mosquito never to talk again, only to buzz until someone tells him he’s not annoying. Mosquito vows to buzz an apology into everyone’s ear. And that is why mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears.

Students will: • Build fluency through echo-reading, choral-reading, and repeated reading • Read with appropriate pitch (rise and fall of the voice) • Read dashes

Comprehension Students will: • Analyze character • Draw conclusions • Identify cause and effect • Make predictions

Writing Students will: • Write a picture essay

Characters

Levels

Genre

Mother Owl Python Crows Rabbit Mosquito Iguana Lion Monkey

H/13–14 I/15–16 J/18 K/20 L/24 M/28 M/28 M/28

Students will: • Identify and analyze features of pourquoi tales

Vocabulary and Word Study Students will: • Build vocabulary: alarmed, lagoon, startled • Use context clues • Identify onomatopoeia • Use synonyms and antonyms • Make word associations

Character Education Students will learn about: • Responsibility • Citizenship

Reader’s Theater for Fluency and Comprehension ™

Day One Build Background • Ask students to share what they know about pests. Ask: Who or what can be a pest? Invite students to give examples of pests. Discuss how certain insects or animals can be pests. Ask students to think about when we might say a person is a pest. Ask students how it would feel to be called a pest. • Ask students what they know about mosquitoes. Encourage them to discuss words they would use to describe mosquitoes and how they feel about mosquitoes. Invite them to predict what traits a mosquito character might have. • Tell students that they will be reading a folktale from Africa that explains why mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears. Tell students that folktales are stories that people have told and passed on from generation to generation. Many folktales have animal characters that talk and act like humans. Discuss the reasons people might use animals as characters in folktales.

Learning About Genre: Pourquoi Tales • Explain why something in nature exists • Set in the distant past • Main characters may be people, animals, plants, or forces of nature • Told orally and passed on from one generation to the next • Reflect the culture of the storytellers

Introduce the Script • Give each student a copy of the script. Tell students that this is a type of folktale called a pourquoi tale. Explain that a pourquoi tale is a folktale that explains why something in the natural world happens. Explain that pourquoi means why in French. • Use the Learning About Genre sidebar to help teach characteristics of pourquoi tales. • Read the title with students and ask them to predict why mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears. Then ask students to read the back cover blurb and confirm or revise their predictions See page 8 for English-Language Learner and Striving Reader Support.

Copyright © 2007 Benchmark Education Company, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of the guide may be reproduced or transmitted in whole or in part in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. ISBN: 978-1-4108-7185-5

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Introduce Vocabulary

Background Information

• Introduce the glossary words. Read the word alarmed together. Read the context sentence aloud to students. Ask students which word in the sentence might help them figure out the meaning of alarmed. (frightened) Discuss how the context, or other words in a sentence, might help a reader determine the meaning of a word. Read the definition from the glossary together. Ask students to suggest synonyms for the word alarmed. Then ask them to use alarmed in a new sentence. • Repeat this process for lagoon and startled. Explain that there are few context clues for the word lagoon, so students may need to rely more on the glossary definition. • Point out examples of onomatopoeia. Explain that onomatopoeia is the use of words that stand for sounds, for example, “Roar!” (page 7), “HOOT!” (page 13), and “buzz” (pages 15 and 16).

Folktales

See page 8 for English-Language Learner and Striving Reader Support.

Model Fluent Reading Ask students to listen and follow along with you as you read the script aloud to model fluency and expression.

Folktales are stories handed down orally through many generations. Folktales were told for entertainment and to instill cultural beliefs, values, and practices. Certain types of folktales, such as pourquoi tales and myths, also tried to explain natural phenomena. There are many types of folktales. Cumulative tales are simple stories with the events following each other in a pattern, for example, “Henny Penny.” Noodlehead stories involve a character who continues to make funny mistakes, for example, “Clever Elsie.” These stories are humorous but they also teach about human nature. Fairy tales are types of folktales often dealing with magic and enchantment. These stories have stock characters portrayed as either good or evil. Pourquoi Tales Pourquoi (poor–KWAH) is the French word for why. These folktales explain why natural events happened and can be found in many different cultures. These stories often start in the past (“A long time ago . . . ”) and finish when the explanation is complete (“And that is why . . . ”). Pourquoi tales include animals and natural forces, such as the wind, that talk and act like humans. Some popular pourquoi tales are “How the Leopard Got Its Spots” and “Why a Zebra Has Stripes.”

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Day Two Build Fluency: Echo-Read • Read the script aloud, and ask students to echo-read, or repeat, the lines after you. Stop where necessary to explain unfamiliar words, for example, “nonsense” and “pest” (page 3), and “COMMAND” (page 7). • Point out the stage directions in parentheses on pages 3, 7, 8, and 13. Explain to students that these directions help the reader know how to read lines with the appropriate tone of voice. Point out the stage direction on page 16, “(to Iguana).” Explain to students that this direction tells Mosquito to whom he or she should speak the lines. • Point out the dashes on pages 3, 5, 8, and 14–16. Explain to students that these dashes indicate a break or a pause. On pages 3 and 15 the character is pausing before adding more information. On pages 5, 8, 14, and 16, the character was interrupted by another character or some action in the story. Model for students how to read each line with a pause or hesitation where the dash is. Then ask students to read the line with no pause, and then to reread it correctly. Ask students to describe the difference between the two readings. • Guide students to Lion’s lines at the bottom of page 7. Read the lines aloud. Ask students if this is a normal way people talk to one another. Explain that Lion is talking in a formal way.

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• Discuss why Lion might talk to the other animals using this tone of voice. Explain that the words and tone of voice that a character uses can tell about the character. Lion is the king of the jungle, or the leader. He sounds like a leader when he uses formal language such as that on page 7. Point out that the last sentence is in capital letters. Explain that the capital letters show that Lion is speaking loudly or in a very commanding manner. • Direct students to Python’s lines on pages 3, 8, and 9. Ask students what they can tell about Python by the type of language he uses. • Point out the sentence “You all have made something out of nothing” in Lion’s lines on page 13. Ask students what it means to “make something out of nothing.” Explain that Lion means the animals got upset when nothing was really wrong.

Build Comprehension Ensure students understand the ideas in the story, as well as character development, by involving them in discussion. • What does Mosquito do that makes him a pest? (analyze character) • Why does Python fear that he is a pest? (recall details) • Why are the animals alarmed and startled? (recall details) • What causes the jungle to remain dark? (identify cause and effect)

• How do the other animals feel about Lion? How do you know? (make inferences) • Will Mosquito ever be able to speak again? Why or why not? (make predictions) • What is a lesson of this story? (draw conclusions) • What features make this a pourquoi tale? (analyze features of pourquoi tales) See page 8 for English-Language Learner and Striving Reader Support.

Build Vocabulary Make sure students fully understand the glossary terms. The Vocabulary in Action suggestions on the inside back cover of the script provide further ideas for building students’ understanding.

Fluency Assessment Rubric • The Reader’s Theater Overview contains an assessment rubric you can use to quickly assess each student. Use the rubric at different times during the lesson to assess different skills. For example, you may want to select students to assess their understanding of characterization during the comprehension discussion. Alternatively, you may wish to use their performance to assess how appropriately they develop their characters.

• Discuss the assessment rubric with students so that they know what you expect of them.

Assign Roles • Use the reading levels provided on the front of this guide to help you assign roles that support or challenge each student appropriately. • This script contains eight parts, including the role of the Crows. If you have more students than parts, you may assign more students to read the part of the Crows, keeping in mind the reading level of the role. Also, one student could be a director or a sound effects manager. • The student who reads the part of Mosquito can make a buzzing sound instead of simply reading the word buzz on pages 15 and 16. Character

Tips for Voice and Expression

Mosquito

pesky, talkative

Iguana

bothered, disgusted

Python

self-centered, worried

Rabbit

scared, timid

Crows

worried, loud

Monkey

worried, apologetic

Mother Owl

unhappy, worried

Lion

loud, strong, confident, businesslike

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Day Three Build Fluency Skills: Read with Appropriate Pitch

Repeated Reading: Rehearse the Script

• Model: Tell students they should read their lines using a pitch that makes sense with their lines and the mood of the story. Explain that punctuation marks give clues about the pitch they should use. Point to Python’s first set of lines on page 3 as an example. Say: Python asks Iguana a question. When someone asks a question the pitch of his or her voice rises at the end. Model reading Python’s lines with the appropriate pitch. • Guide: Ask students to read Python’s second set of lines on page 3 silently. Then, guide them to take turns reading the lines aloud. Encourage other students to listen for changes in pitch where Python asks a question or makes an exclamation. • Apply: Point out other sections of the script, and ask pairs of students to take turns reading the lines with the appropriate pitch. For example, they may use a high, excited pitch for Mother Owl when her baby is knocked out of the nest. Ask the students to evaluate whether their partners read the lines with the appropriate pitch.

• Discuss the expectations you have for student behavior during the rehearsal. Use the suggestions provided here and in the Reader’s Theater Overview. • Use small-group time for students to rehearse their script. Monitor students as they rehearse, and tell them you will be listening to how they develop the characters through their reading. • Offer suggestions for expression, voice, and characterization as you monitor students’ work. See the chart on page 5 for tips on voice and expression. Use specific comments, rather than general ones, directed at the character, not the student. For example: Rabbit, you should sound more timid there. • Use this time to observe particular students and assess for behavior. Remind students of the assessment rubric and let them know you will be assessing them as you monitor the rehearsal.

Choral-Read for Fluency

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Involve students in a choral-reading of the script to reinforce the fluency skill of reading with appropriate pitch. Remind them to use dramatic expression to bring each character’s mood or personality to life.

See page 8 for English-Language Learner and Striving Reader Support.

Expectations for Rehearsing When performing, students should: • know when it is their time to speak; • speak in a loud, clear voice using expression and fluency; • enunciate for understanding; • prompt others if necessary; • accept both criticism and praise appropriately.

Day Four Repeated Reading: Rehearse the Script • Use small-group time for student rehearsal. Do not interrupt this second rehearsal, but simply observe students as they read. • Use the assessment rubric to monitor students’ rehearsal behaviors and reading fluency.

Staging and Performance Suggestions Decide on a stage area, how students will be positioned, and whether props or movements will be added. See staging tips in the Reader’s Theater Overview. Here are some other ideas:

Day Five Perform the Script Invite students to present the script to an audience. The audience might be members of their class, students from other classes, school staff members, and/or parents.

Assess Students’ Fluency • Use the assessment rubric to complete your assessment of students’ fluency. • Take time to briefly conference with each student to provide feedback on his or her reading and behavior.

placement/movement

• All of the characters may be on the staging area together; characters may step forward when they read their lines. Characters who have dialogue with each other may step forward at the same time. For example, Mosquito and Iguana should step forward together and read their lines on page 2. • All of the characters (except Iguana) gather around Lion when he calls them. Music/sound effects

• The sound effects manager could bang on a trash can when Monkey slams into the tree. • The sound effects manager could play jungle sounds or soft music in the background as the students read their lines.

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Support for

nglish

Build Background and Make Connections (Day One) • Read a storybook version of “Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears” to ELLs to provide additional picture support and background information. • If possible, locate folktales or pourquoi tales from the students’ native cultures. Read the tales aloud and discuss the lesson in each story. Point out that pourquoi tales answer the question of how or why something in nature came to be. Discuss how the tales reflect the customs and beliefs of the country the story is from. • Create a simple domino chain. Show students what happens when the first domino is knocked down and all the others fall. Explain to students that the events in this script are like the dominoes: one event happens and causes another to happen. Make a cause-and-effect chain chart to record the series of events.

Develop Vocabulary and Language (Day One) • Give each student a large sheet of paper and ask them to fold it into eight sections (by folding the paper in half three times).

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anguage

• Write the character names on index cards, and show them one at a time to students. Ask the students to write each character name in one of the eight sections on their papers. Ask students to draw a picture of each animal above the name of the character. Invite students to share their illustrations. Ask them to practice identifying the characters with a partner. • Write the following sentence from page 9 on the board: “Why have you not called the sun, Mother Owl?” Read the sentence aloud or chorally with students. Ask them if this sentence could be true or normal. Ask: Do owls really call to the sun to make it rise in the morning? Why would someone think an owl would make the sun rise? • Show a picture of an owl. Discuss or explain that owls are nocturnal animals and are awake during the night. Owls hoot or “call out” in the dark, so someone might think they are calling for the sun to come up. Discuss how the sun actually “comes up” and “goes down.” • Help students understand and appreciate the use of exaggeration. Write the word exaggeration on the board. Explain that exaggeration means to take something true and change it to be unbelievable. Say that authors sometimes use exaggeration to add humor to their stories.

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earners and Striving Readers • Give an example of exaggeration, such as Dasha ran as fast as a cheetah. Explain that you mean Dasha ran really fast, but in truth, she could not run as fast as a cheetah. • Read Mosquito’s line “I saw a farmer digging yams that were as big as a dinosaur” on page 2 with students. Ask students if this sentence could be true. Say: What two things is Mosquito comparing? Could a yam really be as big as a dinosaur? • Write the following sentence starter on the board: I saw a farmer digging yams as big as ______. Guide students to finish the sentence orally with an exaggeration and then with a realistic comparison. • Encourage students to visualize when they read exaggerations. Explain that visualizing can help them understand the exaggerations and their humor.

Build Comprehension (Day Two) Engage students in discussion about the script, starting with simple literal questions and progressing to more difficult ones. As students discuss the questions, ask them to point to places in the script that best answer the questions. Suggested questions: • Who are the main characters in this story? (recall details)

• Why does Iguana put sticks in his ears? (recall details; make inferences) • What happens to baby owl? (recall details) • What causes Lion to call a meeting? (identify cause and effect) • How do the animals cause problems? (draw conclusions; recall details) • Who is the pest in the story? Why is the character a pest? (analyze character) • Is Lion fair to Mosquito? Why or why not? (make judgments) • Do you think the story ends happily? Why or why not? (analyze story elements)

Read and Perform (Days Two–Three) • Provide extra practice reading the script as a group before students read their individual parts to ensure they are familiar and comfortable with the language and vocabulary. • You may want to assign two students to a role so they can read the part together. This will help support their reading. • Be sure to use the reading levels provided on the cover of this Teacher’s Guide to help you assign the roles.

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Literacy Extensions Word Study Synonyms and antonyms

• Explain to students that a synonym is a word that means the same thing or almost the same thing as another word. Read Iguana’s last two sets of lines on page 2 aloud or chorally with students. Ask: What two words mean the same or almost the same thing? (nonsense, silliness) Explain that authors often use words that mean almost the same thing to avoid repeating the same word in a story. Work together with students to create a list of other words that are synonyms for the words nonsense and silliness. • Explain to students that an antonym is a word that means the opposite of another word. Work together with students to come up with a list of antonyms for the words nonsense and silliness, such as wisdom, intelligence, and seriousness. Use the words in new sentences. • Point out the words “danger” (page 4) and “COMMAND” (page 7). Ask students to work with a partner to come up with synonyms and antonyms for these words and to use the words in sentences. Word Associations

• Review the three glossary words with students: alarmed, lagoon, and startled. Ask students to share in their own words what each word means.

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• Focus students’ attention on the words alarmed and startled by writing the words on the board. Ask: What are some other words that mean almost the same thing as startled and alarmed? (shocked, frightened, terrified, afraid, panicked, and horrified) • Discuss with students the differences in meaning between startled and alarmed. Guide students to make associations with the words startled and alarmed to help them see that when a person is alarmed he or she is more worried about danger than when he or she is startled. Say: If my dog ran out of my yard I might be alarmed because I would be afraid he might get hurt. If my dog suddenly barked on a quiet morning, I might feel startled because his bark surprised me. • Ask volunteers to suggest things that would alarm or startle them and things that would not. Encourage students to use the words in sentences about experiences they had being startled or alarmed. • Write the word lagoon on the board. Work together with students to write associations that they make with the word lagoon. Ask: Would you see a lagoon in a desert or on an island? Ask students to use the word lagoon in sentences that show the associations they make with the word.

Reader Response

Writing

Ask students to reflect on their reader’s theater experience by writing or drawing in their journals. Students could: • reflect on their fluency and pitch during their performance and how it could be improved; • reflect on examples of pests in the story and in real life, illustrate their examples, and briefly explain the illustrations; • make connections about other characters that are like characters from the story (other lions they have read about, other characters that are selfcentered like Python); • visualize a scene from the script that was not illustrated and sketch it.

• Give each student a set of large index cards. Invite the students to illustrate each event from the story on one of their cards. Then, ask them to write a sentence below the illustration that summarizes the event. Ask students to mix up their cards and then retell the story by putting the illustrations in order.

Read Across Texts • Ask volunteers to retell other pourquoi tales they have read. If students have not read any other pourquoi tales, you may want to find some pourquoi tales at the library to read to students. • Read a few of the pourquoi tales aloud, and discuss the settings, main characters, and problems in the tales. Discuss what question each tale answers and how the tale answers the question. • Create a story elements chart for the tales you have read, and work with students to fill it in.

Story Elements

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears

Why the Possum’s Tail Is Bare

setting main characters

a jungle in West Africa, long ago Mosquito, Lion, Iguana

land of the Cherokee, long ago Possum, Rabbit, Cricket

problem

Mosquito started a chain of problems that led to the sun not rising. “why” question Why do mosquitoes buzz in people’s ears? how tale answers They are buzzing an apology and hoping they will be told they are question not annoying.

Possum is too proud of his tail and Rabbit is jealous. Why is a possum’s tail bare? Rabbit tricked Possum into having Cricket cut the hair off his tail.

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Character Education Connection Responsibility • Explain to students that people who demonstrate responsibility think before they act. They consider the consequences of their actions before they do things. Explain that this is called self-control. Explain that responsible people always are accountable for their choices; they don’t blame others when things go wrong. • Point out that on pages 7–10 Lion showed responsibility by calling a meeting to determine what the problem was in the jungle. The other animals showed actions that were not responsible by blaming each other for the problems in the jungle and not thinking about the consequences of their actions. • Ask students to think about times when they took responsibility for their actions. Ask: Is it always easy to take responsibility for your actions, or is it easier to blame others for your problems? Make the observation that it is not always easy to exhibit self-control.

Citizenship • Point out that being a good citizen means obeying laws and rules and cooperating with others to make the community better. People who are good citizens try to be good neighbors and respect authority.

Benchmark

Education

• Discuss how Lion demonstrates citizenship. Point out that he gets involved when there is a problem in the jungle community. He takes charge and reminds the other animals that they should find out the truth before acting. Ask: How did the other animals demonstrate good citizenship? Students may say the other animals showed respect for Lion’s authority when he called a meeting. They agreed that their actions had not helped the community and they apologized to each other.

Demonstrate Responsibility • As you read other folktales and pourquoi tales, invite students to make a list of characters that are responsible. Ask students to make an illustration of a time when they have been responsible. Ask them to write a description comparing and contrasting their actions with the actions of one of the characters from the folktales. • Follow the activity with a discussion using questions, such as: 1. Do people always take responsibility for their actions, or does it have to be pointed out to them sometimes? 2. Why is it irresponsible not to find out the truth before you take action? 3. What are ways we can show that we are responsible?

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