Melissa Blanton
Guided Reading Lesson for a Basal Reader
Cactus Hotel by Brenda Z. Guiberson
READ 3500 A
 
 

Objectives:
A) Students will use context clues to understand meanings of new words.
B) Students will learn about cause and effect by looking at events in the story.
C) Students will comprehend the overall theme of the story through group discussion and
     an art project.

Materials: (1 copy: Cactus Hotel, Brenda Z. Guiberson, Ill. By Megan Lloyd, Henry Holt and Company, New York 1991.), (1 reading book for each student: Forces of Nature, Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, New York 1997.), 1 roll of green butcher paper, 1 pair of scissors for each student, 1 cause and effect worksheet for each student, and colored markers.

PREREADING ACTIVITIES

Developing vocabulary.
· Introduce students to the book Cactus Hotel by Brenda Z. Guiberson.  Explain to the group that this book is about the life of a saguaro cactus and its environment.
· Tell students that when reading about plants and animals you often discover new
words.
· Have new vocabulary words written on the board inside a word bank.  Following these words will be a sentence written for each word, leaving a blank for the vocabulary word. (see attached vocabulary list)
· I will read each sentence out loud, and ask students to tell me the correct vocabulary word that goes in the blank.  Students will use context clues from the sentences.
All students should give input during this activity.

Building background knowledge.
· Ask students where they think the story takes place just by looking at the cover. (answer: the desert of Arizona) Have students talk about what the desert might be like. (dry, windy, hot, etc.).  Show students pictures of some of the different types of plants and animals in the book.

 Building interest.
· Ask students if they have ever been out West,  or if they have ever seen a real cactus
before.  Have students discuss their experiences with the group.  I will share about my trip out West.

Establishing purposes for reading.
Write these questions on the board to help guide students through their reading.  Tell students that the main purpose for reading this story is to learn about the saguaro cactus and its life cycle.  Ask students to think about other purposes for reading this book.

· How does the cactus change throughout the story?  It grows taller, grows an arm, and more animals live there.  By the end of the story the cactus falls to the ground and new types of animals live there.
· Why do you think this book is called Cactus Hotel?  The cactus becomes a place for
many animals to stay for a while, just like people stay in hotels.

READING AND RESPONDING

Reading.
· I will ask students to pay close attention while I am reading,  because there is something very different about this book.  Ask the students to follow along in their reading book. (I want to see if they notice that the book Cactus Hotel is slightly different from the story in their reading book.)
· I will read the original book Cactus Hotel. Ask students to pick their favorite part of the story and read that page silently.
· Each student will then have an opportunity to read that page aloud.
 
Postreading discussion.
Discuss the questions on the board.  Ask a few more detailed questions.
· Why is the cactus so thin at the beginning of the story?  There has been no rain.
· Why do you think so many animals have decided to live in the cactus hotel?  To eat
fruit and insects.
· What causes the cactus to fall?  The wind causes the cactus to fall.
· After the cactus falls, what types of animals begin to live there?  Animals that like to live down low.

SELECTIVE ORAL READING

· Ask students to share questions about parts of the story that may have been confusing.  Have that student or a student volunteer go back and read that page to help the group understand.

SKILL OR STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT

· Tell students that when words like because are not used, they must find the cause and effect relationship.
· Give an example of a cause an effect relationship.  (I did not eat breakfast.  I feel hungry.)  Ask students for other examples.
· On p. 120, it says everybody wants to live in the cactus.  “ I think this is an effect. – something that has happened for a reason.  What are some of the reasons?”
· Have students find other cause and effect relationships in the story by matching the cause with the effect.  (see attached practice/assessment sheet)

REMEDIATION/ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES

· Have students make their own cactus to decorate the room.  They will need green butcher paper, scissors, glue, and markers.  Have students cut out the shape of a cactus, and draw pictures that go along with the story’s theme onto the paper.  Students may draw some of the animals they saw throughout the book.

Evaluation:
I will evaluate students on:
· Ability to use context clues to understand new vocabulary words.
· Ability to match cause and effect relationships in the story.
· Participation during group discussion questions and art project.
 

Cactus Hotel
Find the correct cause for each effect listed.  Write the number of the cause in the blank.

Cause        Effect
1. Heavy rain falls on the    ___  The cactus gets thin.
cactus seed.
 

2. No rain falls for a    ___  The seed begin to
long time.      grow.
 

3. The cactus flowers    ___  The cactus falls over.
hold nectar.
 

4. A woodpecker taps and   ___  Birds, bees, and bats
taps on the cactus.     come to the cactus to
        eat.

5. A gust of wind hits    ___  The cactus has a hole.
The 200-year-old cactus.