Redwoods by Jason Chin

Redwoods

By Jason Chin

Copyright 2009

Roaring Brook Press

Reading Level: Lexile- 1100L, grade level- 3

“redwoods, imagination, nature, discovery, habitat”

Plot

When a boy riding the subway finds a book about the redwood forests, strange things begin to happen. As he emerges from the subway still reading the book, he finds himself right in the middle of the forest described in the book he holds in his very hands…

Suggested Delivery

Read aloud in support of geography lesson.

Electronic Resources

http://jasonchin.net/books/

This is the author, Jason Chin’s, website containing information and reviews of all his books and illustrations. Chin is a very accomplished author/ illustrator and would make an interesting subject for students to complete an author/ book study on.

http://www.nps.gov/redw/index.htm

            This is the National Parks Services website which includes many informational articles on the redwoods forests for additional support for the book. The website also provides many photographs and vocabulary pertaining to the Redwoods to help give students a better understanding of what the redwoods look like.

Teaching Suggestions

1. Vocabulary:

• Ancestor: a person who was in someone's family in past times
• Diameter: the distance through the center of an object from one side to the other
• Fungal: relating to or caused by a fungus
• Infestation: to be in or over (a place, an animal, etc.) in large numbers
• Resistant: not affected or harmed by something
• Penetrate: to go through or into something
• Evaporation: to change from a liquid into a gas
• Ingenious: very smart or clever
• Condense: to remove water from (something) to make it thicker
• Crevasses: a deep, narrow opening or crack in an area of thick ice or rock
• Endangered: a type of animal or plant that has become very rare and that could die out completely

2.  Before, During, and After Reading Strategies

Before reading:

Show students a picture of a redwood tree in proportion to other objects such as people or cars so students can see how tall and wide the tree grows. Ask students what they know about the trees, or what they notice about the appearance of the trees. Briefly explain that the tree shown in the picture is a redwood tree that grows in forests in the west. Use google earth to show the location of the redwood forests in the U.S and how big they are.

During Reading:

While reading the story to the class, complete with student input a note-taking activity to highlight main ideas from the text. divide a large piece of paper in half and fill out one side with questions for reading and label the opposite side as the "answers” column. Engage in a dialogic reading with the class, making sure to pause and point out sentences or pages that answer the questions. Students should also be encouraged to listen for answers to the questions and to raise their hand to respond.

Questions for Reading	Answers
How long can Redwoods live?	More than 2,000 years
How tall can Redwood trees grow to?	More than 200 feet tall
What kinds of animals/ insects live in Redwoods	Eagles, ospreys, woodpeckers, flying squirrels, beetles, slugs etc
Where are the Redwood forests located?	California

After Reading

Since the book “Redwoods” contains aspects of both fiction and non-fiction. Have the students create a graphic organizer of their choice (venn diagram, compare contrast chart, t-chart, etc.) that they will use to identify and contrast the fiction and non-fiction elements in the story.

Writing Activity

After reading, ask student to write a poem about Redwood trees. Student poems can mention the trees’ history, habitat, purpose, or simply their beauty. Students should use specific facts and details from the book but can also be encouraged to research the trees further. When finished students can illustrate and publish their poems to share with the class.