Endangered by Eliot Schrefer

Endangered

Eliot Schrefer

Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction

Endangered is a story about survival.  Sophie, a 14 year old girl who is half Congolese and half American, travels to Congo to visit her mother.  War breaks out and she must learn to survive and keep her family safe. 

Eliot Schrefer's love for bonobos shines through in this story.  He entertains you with adventure and suspense, and he also informs you about international issues that have occurred or are occurring such as: bonobos being endangered, war in Congo, and the need for monetary support and aid.  Visit Eliot's website to learn more about his experiences saving bonobos www.eliotschrefer.com/.  Follow him on twitter @EliotSchrefer.

I give this book 5 stars.  I recommend this book to anybody who loves suspense, adventure, and endangered animal.  

Informational Articles: Jungle music! Chimpanzees use 'drum solos' in forests to tell fellow primates who and where they are

Jungle music! Chimpanzees use 'drum solos' in forests to tell fellow primates who and where they are

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2906612/Jungle-music-Chimpanzees-use-drum-solos-tell-fellow-primates-are.html#ixzz3Og7KGrOX

Click on the link above to read the article.  What comments or questions do you have after reading this?

Threatened Literary Response Journal

Reading Standards for Informational- 5.RI

5.RI.1

Key Ideas and Details
Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
I can:

• Explain the main ideas (either explicit or inferred) of a text
• Summarize a text
• Understand and explain what is directly stated in a text by citing specific details and examples
• Explain inferences, conclusions, and generalizations by citing appropriate details and examples from a text
• Determine when it’s best to paraphrase or quote directly when responding to questions about a text
• Note evidence produced by an author, make a judgement about the evidence and explain why the evidence provided is weak or strong
• Use evidence from the text to support your opinions about the text
• Distinguish between fact and opinion and between important facts and unimportant details

5.RI.2
Key Ideas and Details
Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key detail; summarize the text.
I can:

• Connect inferred and/or explicitly stated ideas from across texts to determine two or more main ideas
• Summarize and informational text both orally and in writing
• Summarize a text in order to find the main idea and supporting information
• Connect details or information and explain how they develop one or more main ideas

5.RI.3
Key Ideas and Details
Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific or technical text based on specific information in the text.
I can:

• Connect and explain the different types of relationships in a text
• Understand the use of text features and organizational structures in a text
• Use information and language from a  text to explain the connections between or among events, ideas, or concepts in a text
• Determine the reasons for interactions between elements of a text (is one thing meant to show contrast to the other, complement it, explain it?)

5.RI.4
Key Ideas and Details
Determine the meaning of of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
I can:

• Use context clues to figure out the meaning of an unknown word in a text
• Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots to find the meaning of a word
• Consult reference materials to find the pronunciation of a word to clarify its meaning
• Understand and explain the difference between denotation and connotation of a specific word

5.RI.5
Key Ideas and Details
Compare and contrast the overall structure (chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.
I can:

• Understand and explain text features in order to compare and contrast the text structure of two or more texts
• Determine how a text is organized
• Explain where the organization of a text changes in a particular passage
• Compare and contrast the organizational structures in two or more texts

5.RI.6
Craft and Structure
Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.
I can:

• Compare televised information to magazines, newspapers, and websites, recognizing the differences in presentation among formats
• Recognize bias and learn about strategies that people use to attempt to mislead their readers and viewers
• Explain the relationship between how an event or topic is presented and that can be inferred about the author’s point of view
• Gather evidence from a text in order to compare and contrast two or more accounts of the same event or topic
• Make judgements about sources they find trustworthy

5.RI.7
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
I can:

• Understand the use of different computer programs and how the programs can be used to help with solving problems
• Become a responsible media user, and understand which type of media are reliable.
• Begin to make judgments about sources they find trustworthy
• Understand the relationship between text features and the meaning or purpose of a text

5.RI.8
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which points.
I can:

• Read a wide variety of texts to build background knowledge
• Check multiple sources before arriving at a conclusion on a subject
• Explain the relationship between organizational patterns of a text ( how evidence is organized) and how they contribute to the meaning or purpose of a text

5.RI.9

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

I can:

• Synthesize the main points in several texts on a particular topic
• Synthesize key details in several text on the same topic
• Use evidence from informational text to support analysis, reflection, and research

5.RL.10

Range of Reading and Complexity of Text
By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
I can:

• Read a wide variety of texts, including a variety of styles, genres, literary periods, authors, perspectives, and subjects
• Choose texts from multiple genres, cultures, and historical periods
• Demonstrate an understanding of complex, informational texts with diverse content, perspective and time periods

Reading Standards for Literature 5.RL

5.RL.1

Key Ideas and Details
Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
I can:

• Show an understanding before reading, while reading, and after reading a text in order to figure out and explain the main ideas (both explicitly stated as well as inferred) of a text
• Summarize a text
• Understand and explain what is directly stated in a text by citing specific details and examples from the text
• Synthesize information and ideas after reading a text
• Make predictions about a text and confirm or refute predictions
• Connect prior knowledge to a text
• Defend a selection of textual evidence when responding to questions about a text
• Understand when to paraphrase a text versus directly quoting a text when responding to questions about the text
• Use quotations from the text in their writing

5.RL.2

Key Ideas and Details
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
I can:

• Summarize a text both orally and in writing
• Understand the difference between summarizing and paraphrasing a text
• Include key events from the beginning, middle, and end of a text when summarizing both orally and in writing
• Understand the character conflict(s) in a text
• Understand how the characters respond to a conflict(s) in a text
• Understand and explain details about the characters in a text in order to infer a theme
• Know and explain the parts of a plot including rising action, climax, and falling action
• Understand and explain the plot in a text in order to infer a theme
• Understand the key details and events in a text and/or poem as they relate to the speaker’s point of view about a topic in the text and/or poem
• Connect and understand how an author uses specific details to convey a theme in a text and/or poem

5.RL.3
Key Ideas and Details
Compare and contrast two or more character, settings, events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text.
I can:

• Understand and explain similarities amongst characters and their specific traits
• Understand and explain similarities in characters’ traits affect the plot of a text
• Understand and explain differences amongst characters and their specific traits
• Understand and explain how differences in characters’ traits affect the plot of a text
• Understand and explain similarities amongst different settings in a text
• Understand and explain how similarities amongst settings affect the mood of the plot in a text
• Understand and explain differences amongst different settings in a text
• Understand and explain how differences amongst settings affect the mood of the plot in a text
• Understand and explain similarities and differences amongst different events in a text
• Understand and explain how different events in a text affect characters, mood, and plot
• Identify elements of characterization that an author uses.  (Ex the character always wears dark clothes; can the author be hinting that he is the bad guy?

5.RL.4
Craft and Structure
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.
I can:

• Tell the difference between literal and figurative language
• Think about eh ways in which a text would be different if used literal language instead figurative language
• Understand and explain how word choice affects the meaning of a text
• Use context clues, reference material, knowledge of roots, and prefixes, etc. to determine meaning of unknown words or phrases
• Examine the word choices an author uses to determine the effect they are trying to portray to the reader
• Examine the types of figurative language and imagery an author uses to determine the effect they are trying to portray to the reader

5.RL.5
Craft and Structure
Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fit together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.
I can:

• Read a wide variety of texts in order to differentiate between the various text features
• Notice structural elements in a text
• Learn the terms associated with structure such as “scene” and “stanza.”
• Understand and explain the relationship among structural elements in a text (Ex. flashbacks, foreshadowing, etc.)

5.RL.6
Craft and Structure
Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.
I can:

• Understand the differences in narrative voice (first person, third person, narrator, etc)
• Understand the difference between narrative point of view and point of view as in one’s biases or opinion on a situation (often referred to as perspective)
• Compare texts told from different points of view
• Understand the usage of words to determine the point of view of a text
• Understand and explain the effect of the narrator’s or speaker’s point of view on other elements of the text like characters, events, etc

5.RL.7
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text.

I can:

• Watch movies based on an original text or read the original text from which a movie was based and note the differences in the versions  students should also be able to think about why those changes might have been necessary
• Recognize the different forms of gathering information (written words, pictures, listening audio, etc.)
• Think about how and when illustrations are helpful in a text
• Consider the ways that multimedia components (animation, sound effects, music, etc.) enhance a presentation
• Understand and explain the difference between tone and mood

5.RL.9
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Compare and contrast stories in the same genre(ex-mysteries, and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Mysteries/adventure, poetry/song, autobiography/biography, realistic fiction/historical fiction, science fiction/fantasy.

I can:

• Understand the differences between genres and subgenres of a text (mystery, adventure, biography, science fiction, etc.)
• Use strategies to identify the theme in order to compare the themes of different texts
• Use knowledge of setting, plot, characterization, and other elements of a story in order to compare different stories of the same genre

5.RL.10
Range of Reading and Complexity of Text
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
I can:

• Practice attentive reading of both assigned texts and independent text choices
• Read a wide variety of texts
• Self-monitor and self-correct when reading a text
• Select specific texts that allow them to be challenged as a reader

Book Review Blog Post

Building Background for Threatened by Eliot Schrefer

Meet our January read, Threatened by Eliot Schrefer. I loved this book just as much as I did Endangered and I'm excited for our book talks!  Eliot Schrefer really does a fabulous job taking us into the settings of these two books.  We've learned a bit about the Congo and bonobos, now dig in and enjoy the trip he takes us on next!

The story takes place in Gabon. Click on the link under the map to explore Gabon in Google Maps.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gabon/@-0.8201314,11.6098045,7z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x107f3b8a5438f3ed:0x7b0cc30e36786b15

If you zoom out on the map, you'll discover the continent that Gabon is on.  What is it?
What other questions do you have about Gabon?


The story is about a boy, Luc, who discovers what life is like living among a family of "mock men." Below is a picture of a "mock man".   What do you know about these creatures?
What other questions do you have about them?

                         

Let's Research!

Click on the word Google Slides within the slideshow.  It will take you to google apps.  I have shared the presentation with you so we will all be able to collaborate together!