Teacher Edition

SnakesWritten by Jack Hastings

alphakids

The Alphakids Plus teachereditions support teachers as theyguide children’s reading andthinking during one or more guidedreading sessions. Teachers canobserve children as they read andchoose from the given suggestionsto suit individual needs.

Before readingSetting the context, front coverand title page:The suggestions help teachers to set the scene and prepare childrenfor reading the book. Prompts helpto determine children’s priorknowledge. Where necessary,background information isprovided. Teachers are encouragedto check that children understandthe vocabulary listed and to discussthe meanings and/or the structuresof these words. Previousexperiences with similar text typesmay also be discussed.

During readingPredict, Read, Reflect:Questions encourage children toengage with the text by makingpredictions. They then read asection of the text and reflect onwhat they have read. The focus ison the content, language and textfeatures of the book.

Observe and support:Prompts help teachers to focus onthe strategies children use as theyread. Teachers can then select fromand adapt the suggestions accordingto the needs of the individual child.The suggestions aim to develop achild’s reading abilities.Interruptions to the child’s readingshould be minimal.

After readingA selection of reading and writingactivities:The last pages of the teacher editionprovide follow-up activities andinclude the assessment focus.

HORWITZ GARDNER

LIMITED

168e High StreetEgham, SurreyTW20 9HPUnited Kingdom

Published edition © Eleanor Curtain Publishing 2004Text © Kerrie ShanahanPhotographs © Eleanor Curtain Publishing

First published 2004

Apart from any fair dealing forthe purposes of study, research,criticism or review, aspermitted under the CopyrightAct of Australia, no part of thisbook may be reproduced byany process, or transmitted inany form, without permissionof the copyright owner. Where copies of part or the whole ofthis book are made under PartVB of the Copyright Act, thelaw requires that records ofsuch copying be kept and thecopyright owner is entitled toclaim payment.

Developed by Eleanor Curtain PublishingDesigned by Alexander StittProduction by Publishing Solutions

Printed in China

ISBN 0 7253 3300 6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 904 05 06

How to use this book

Selected text features Vocabulary• Section headings are presented as

questions• A contents page is provided• An index is provided• Captions explain the photographs and

extend the range of informationprovided

accurate, climates, enemies,environment, impala, poisonous,python, reticulated, reptiles, Sahara,sensors, temperature, unhinge, viper

SnakesWritten by Jack Hastings

alphakids

Snakes

Written by Jack Hastings

alphakids

Setting the contextPrepare a chart prior to the reading session that lists some or all of the questionsfrom the contents page. Ask the children to give quick responses to these questions.Record the children’s ideas for future reference.

Front cover What do you think this book will beabout? What is it called? What kind of book do you think it will be?Why?

Title pageWho is the author of this book? Why is there no photographer’s namehere?

2

Snakes Pages 2–5

PredictDiscuss the format and purpose of a table of contents.What does a table of contents tell us?

Read to the end of page 4.

ReflectLook at the table of contents and tell me what we willfind on page 14. How is the table of contents organised? What do you now know about snakes?

Observe and supportDoes the child understand the literal meaning of thetext?What does ‘cold-blooded’ mean? How do snakes control their body temperature?

3

ContentsWhat are snakes? 4

Where do snakes live? 6

How big are snakes? 8

What is a snake’s skin made of? 10

How do snakes move? 12

Are snakes hard to see? 14

How do snakes hunt? 16

What do snakes eat? 18

How do snakes kill their prey? 20

How do snakes protect themselves? 22

Index 24

4

What are snakes?Snakes are reptiles.

They are cold-blooded. Cold-blooded animalscannot control their body temperature. They are the same temperature as the airaround them.

When snakes get too hot, they have to moveinto the shade to cool off. When they are toocold, they move into the sun.

5

4

Snakes Pages 6–9

PredictWhere do you think snakes live? How big is the biggest snake in the world? What aboutthe smallest snake? Point out the captions near each of the photos andexplain that these provide extra information aboutsnakes.

Read to the end of page 9.

ReflectWhere do snakes live? What is the name of the world’s smallest snake? How big is it? What is the name of the world’s heaviest snake?

Observe and supportAsk one child to read aloud to you while the othersare reading silently. Can the child read the textfluently?I liked the way that sounded when you read it. Itmade it easy for me to understand.

5

Where do snakes live?Snakes live in many parts of the world. They live in deserts, in rainforests, in cold climatesand in very hot places.

Snakes cannot survive in places where the groundis always frozen. There are also some islands whereno snakes are found.

Snakes live on the ground, underground, in trees or in the water. Some live all their lives in the sea.

6 7The horned viper lives in the Sahara desert. The sea snake never leaves the ocean.

98

How big are snakes?Snakes come in all sizes.

Some snakes are tiny. The world’s smallest snake iscalled the thread snake. A thread snake never growslonger than 15 centimetres. Its body is no thicker thana piece of string.

But big snakes are really big! The longest snake in theworld can grow as long as 10 metres.

The heaviest snake in the world has sucha heavy body that itneeds to spend mostof its time in water.

The anaconda is the world’sheaviest snake.

The reticulated python is the world’slongest snake.

6

Snakes Pages 10–13

PredictWhat do you think a snake’s skin is like? Look at the pictures on page 13. How is the snakemoving in the bottom picture?

Read to the end of page 13.

ReflectWhat happens when a snake’s skin gets too tight?How do puff adders move across hot sand in the desert?Do flying snakes really fly?

Observe and supportCan the child explain the use of text features such aschapter headings?Point to the chapter heading on page 12. What does this tell you?

7

What is a snake’s skin made of?A snake’s skin is made of scales. Scales are likefingernails which are layered over the snake’s body.Scales protect the snake from sun and water.

Scales are not stretchy like our skin. As the snakegrows, its skin gets too tight. Then the old, tight skinpeels off like a long sock. There is a new, shiny skinunderneath.

10 11

12

How do snakes move?Snakes have no legs, so they slide along on theirbellies. Most snakes move along by pushing againsttiny bumps on logs and rocks or on the ground.

The flying snake lives in tall treetops. If it sees anenemy coming, it leaps out of the tree and into theair. It flattens out its body and glides through theair until it lands in the branches of another tree.

The puff adder lives inhot deserts. It movesby winding its bodyinto the shape of an‘S’ and then jumpingsideways.

The snake’s bodyhardly touches theground, so it doesn’tget burnt by the hot sand.

A flying snake

But some snakes live in trees. Other snakes live inthe desert where the sand is almost too hot to touch.How do these snakes move?

13

A puff adder

8

Snakes Pages 14–17

PredictWhy do you think snakes need to blend in with theirenvironment?How do snakes find their prey?

Read to the end of page 16.

ReflectHow does the gaboon viper blend in with its surroundings? Do snakes have good eyesight?Why do snakes need heat sensors?

Observe and supportCan the child understand the inferences in the text?Why is it important that some snakes blend in withtheir environment? Why is it useful for snakes to hunt at night?

9

Are snakes hard to see?Many snakes blend in so well with theirenvironment that it is almost impossible to see them.This helps them to catch passing birds, lizardsor frogs, and to avoid being seen by predators.

Some snakes are almost invisible amongst the brightgreen leaves of a tree. Some snakes look like vineslooped through tree branches. Some snakes blend inwith dry leaves on the ground.

A green python

A gaboon viper

1514

A bejuquillo snake

How do snakes hunt?Snakes have very poor eyesight, but they arevery good hunters.

Snakes have heat sensors in their heads. They use these heat sensors to feel the body heatof any animal nearby.

This helps them to find and catch animals inthe dark.

16 17

10

Snakes Pages 18–19

PredictWhat do you think snakes eat? Look at page 19. What is happening? How do you thinkthis snake can swallow such a large meal?

Read to the end of page 19.

ReflectWhat are some of the things that snakes eat? How do some snakes eat meals that are bigger than theyare?Why do some snakes need to wait a long time betweenmeals?

Observe and supportCan the child understand the literal meaning of thetext?Why do pythons that have eaten a large meal wait along time before they eat again?What do all snakes eat?

What do snakes eat?All snakes eat other animals. Some snakes eatother snakes.

Small snakes eat insects, frogs and small birds oranimals. Big snakes prefer larger meals.

Some snakes can eat meals that are much bigger thanthey are because they have jaws that can unhinge atthe sides.

Snakes that eat very large meals may not eat again fora whole year. This is because snakes use a lot ofenergy to digest food. After eating, it may be manymonths before a snake’s body is strong enough todigest another large meal.

18 19

This python is swallowing an impala.

11

12

Snakes Pages 20–21

PredictAre all snakes poisonous?Why do snakes use poison?How do other snakes kill their prey?

Read to the end of page 21.

ReflectHow do most snakes kill their prey?How do poisonous snakes kill their prey?How do pythons and boa constrictors kill their prey?

Observe and supportDoes the child use text features such as commas andparagraph breaks to support expressive reading?Example: I noticed that you paused briefly when yousaw a comma. That made it easier for me tounderstand the information as you were reading.

21

Some snakes also killtheir prey beforeeating it, but do notuse poison.

Pythons and boaconstrictors wrap theirstrong bodies aroundtheir prey and squeezeuntil the animal hasstopped breathing.Then they swallow theanimal whole.

How do snakes kill their prey?Most snakes catch their prey in their mouths andswallow it alive. Other snakes use poison to kill their prey.

Poisonous snakes have long, sharp teeth called fangs.The fangs are hollow. When poisonous snakes bite,poison comes out through their fangs. They wait forthe poison to kill their prey before they swallow it.

20

13

14

Snakes Pages 22–24

PredictLook at these pictures. What do you think these snakesare doing?Point out the index on page 24.Why is an index useful?

Read to the end of page 24.

ReflectHow do snakes protect themselves? Why do snakes needto protect themselves?Which snake would you like to read about again?

Observe and supportCan the child say what they have learned from thetext? What do you now know about snakes that you didn’tknow before?Can the child find information in the book using theindex?Where would you find out about a puff adder?

15

22

Many snakes make threatening noises to frighten awaypredators. The rattlesnake shakes a rattle on its tail.Other snakes rub their scales together to make ascratching sound. When predators hear these sounds,they know that a poisonous snake is nearby.

Some harmless snakes fool their predators by imitatingpoisonous snakes. When the king snake is threatened,it shakes its tail in dry leaves to make a sound like arattlesnake.

How do snakes protect themselves?Different snakes have different ways of protectingthemselves.

The cobra can spit poison through its fangs into itsenemy’s face. It has a very accurate aim. The poisoncan make its enemy’s eyes burn, or even blind them.

A spitting cobra

23

A rattlesnake

24

Indexanaconda 9

bejuquillo snake 14

boa constrictor 21

cobra 22

flying snake 13

gaboon viper 15

green python 15

horned viper 6

king snake 23

puff adder 13

python 19, 21

rattlesnake 23

reticulated python 8

scales 10, 23

sea snake 7

thread snake 8

After reading

16

Being a meaning makerEncourage the children to supporttheir answers with evidence fromthe book as they discuss thesequestions:What is a snake?How do snakes move?What do all snakes have incommon?Why are snakes dangerous?

Being a code breakerExplore the following languagefeatures:• using contextual information tounderstand new vocabulary:cold-blooded, environment,invisible, sensors• using questions as sectionheadings

Being a text userRefer to the chart made beforereading the book. Compare theinformation in the chart with theinformation in the book.What things are the same? What things are different?Are there any things we shouldchange?Turn to the index.What is this? What does it tell us?How is it organised?Where do I go to find out aboutan anaconda?Why does this book have an index?

Being a text criticWhat does this author think childrenare interested in?Has he chosen information thatchildren are interested in?If you were writing this book wouldyou change anything? What?

Responding to text

Children could work incooperative groups to create

a mural showing different types ofsnakes. They will need a variety ofmaterials such as shiny colouredpaper and different fabric. Childrencan show information contained inthe book by using captions andlabels.

Provide children withmaterial about other snakes.

This could include books, posters,appropriate websites, pictures etc.The children can then write aboutother snakes and their features.These reports could then be madeinto a class book.

Ask children to identifytechnical words from the

book such as cold-blooded, reptiles,

scales, poison. They could thenwrite their own definitions for thesewords and illustrate the list.

Writing linksShared writingChildren could write their ownquestion and answer report aboutanother group of animals.Encourage them to select a range ofquestions to discuss before writingtheir piece. Ask children to sharethese questions with a friend to seeif there is any extra informationthat they could include.

Independent writingChildren could use their knowledgeabout snakes to write a narrativepiece about one of the snakesfeatured in the text. You might liketo model the beginning of thisnarrative form.

Possible assessment focus

Can the child:• explain the use of text features such as chapter headings and a table of

contents?• explain what all snakes have in common?• say how the information in the text extends their previous knowledge

about snakes?

whole text activity sentence activity word activity

SnakesWritten by Jack Hastings

alphakids TeacherEdition

Topic: SnakesCurriculum link: ScienceText type: ReportReading level: 24Word count: 789Vocabulary: accurate, climates, enemies,environment, impala, poisonous, python,reticulated, reptiles, Sahara, sensors, temperature,unhinge, viper

Possible literacy focusUsing features of a non-fiction text to supportunderstanding: chapter headings, contents page.Drawing inferences about the features common toall snakes.Comparing existing knowledge about snakes withnew information found in the text.

SummaryThis book explores the features and behaviour ofsnakes.

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