S T U D E N T G U I D E

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Tragedy of a Village Built on Ice

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How does the author blend storytelling, scientific data, and graphics to demonstrate how climate change is impacting both the land and the people of Shishmaref, Alaska?

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Table of Contents

Skills Focus

• Build Your Vocabulary: Frayer Model
• Cornell Notes: Analyzing Text Features

Overview and Connect

• Find Your Purpose for Learning
• Share Your Personal Connection

Read and Check

• Share Your Reflections
• Test Prep Strategy: Pre-Reading Strategies (Optional)

Analyze / Engage with the Text

• Highlight and Annotate

Summarize

• Write a Summary

Develop / Build Your Argument

• Share Your Argument Builder

Draft and Review / Create your CERCA

• Peer Editing Activity
• Reflect on Your Writing

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Extension Activities

• Activity: Water Wizards: Search and Discover: Signs of Erosion are Everywhere! (And that’s just part of nature)
• Inquiry to Research: Asking Questions of the Texts

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Vocabulary Word:�

BARRIER ISLAND

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S K I L L S F O C U S

Build Your Vocabulary: �Frayer Model — Barrier Island �

The Frayer Model helps you learn vocabulary from different angles.

1. Look for the vocabulary word in the center circle of the graphic organizer below.
2. In the “examples” box, list examples or synonyms of the word.
3. In the “non-examples” box, write non-examples or antonyms.
4. Next, add facts and characteristics about the word.
5. Finally, write your own definition, or look one up!�

Frayer Model

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S K I L L S F O C U S

Cornell Notes: Analyzing Text Features

Instructions: Take notes on the Direct Instruction lesson using the organizer below. Then summarize and reflect on the next page.

Complete the Direct Instruction lesson online at learn.thinkcerca.com

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S K I L L S F O C U S

Cornell Notes: Analyzing Text Features

Summarize and Reflect

In your own words and in complete sentences, write a 3–4 sentence summary of this Direct Instruction lesson. An accurate summary will cover the lesson's central ideas and include important details to support those ideas.

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Record your summary here:

O V E R V I E W A N D C O N N E C T

Find Your Purpose for Learning

Instructions: When you have finished reading the Overview for this lesson, answer the following questions in the space below:

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What more would you like to learn about ways to protect coasts from being eroded? What would you like to know about the types of communities that are most at risk for rising sea levels?

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Read the Overview provided at learn.thinkcerca.com

O V E R V I E W A N D C O N N E C T

Share Your Personal Connection

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Complete the Connect section for this selection at learn.thinkcerca.com

Instructions:�

1. Think: On your own, think about your experiences related to the topic.
2. Pair & Share: With a partner, group, or a trusted listener, share the parts of your response that you feel comfortable sharing.
3. Reflect: If time permits, reflect on your experience. What ideas did others share that you hadn't considered? How were your ideas alike?

R E A D

Share Your Reflections

Instructions: During or after you have finished reading, find the questions in the text marked Pause and Reflect. These questions may help you understand the text, or they may help you connect the text to yourself, to other texts, or to the world around you.

Use the space on the left below to answer the reflection questions. Then discuss your answers, noting how they were similar or different.

Record “Pause and Reflect” answers here:

Record discussion reflections here:

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Refer to the Pause and Reflect questions within the Read section of the lesson at learn.thinkcerca.com.

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R E A D

Test Prep Strategy: Pre-Reading Strategies

Pre-reading involves making predictions before you dive into a passage. Taking this step before you read strengthens comprehension and test-taking skills.

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First, preview the text. If you are reading on a screen, scroll through the piece to determine its length. Then, look at the text and ask the following questions:

• Based on the title, what do you think the reading will be about?
• How is the passage organized?
• Are there pictures (photos, maps, charts) with captions? If so, what do they suggest to the reader?
• What predictions can you make based on bolded vocab words, subheadings, and other text features?
• Is it fiction, or nonfiction? What is the genre (fiction examples include folklore, fantasy, and mystery; nonfiction includes biography and autobiography)?

Asking these questions before reading will help you actively think about the text as you read, and after.

Refer to the reading for this lesson at learn.thinkcerca.com.

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A N A L Y Z E / E N G A G E W I T H T H E T E X T

Highlight and Annotate

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In this step, you will analyze the text closely, then discuss your findings to begin developing reasoning for your argument.

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1. Read the text again, highlighting and annotating important details. ��Follow the prompts provided. The highlighting prompts will help you with the final writing task. ��You will find evidence to support your own argument or informational piece, as well as models of excellence that will help you better understand a writer’s craft in narratives and poetry. The evidence you highlight will be available when you begin building your draft in the next step.

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2. If time permits, pair and share your highlights and annotations with a classmate. Pay close attention to this conversation! Your thinking is important reasoning that you may include in your final draft.

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Return to learn.thinkcerca.com to complete Analyze / Engage with the Text.

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S U M M A R I Z E

Write a Summary

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Summaries help you process your thinking about a text and are often a great way to start off an argumentative or informational essay. A good summary shows you have knowledge about a topic.

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Practicing summarizing also helps you prepare for the main idea questions posed on many standardized assessments. In addition, summarizing is a helpful skill for working with others, such as when you need to confirm your understanding of what someone else has said. That's a useful skill for all parts of life.

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1. Use the sentence stems provided in the online lesson to summarize the text. Your summary should:
1. Be brief
2. Include the main idea and key details
3. Represent these ideas fairly and accurately �
2. If time permits, pair and share with a classmate. Read each other’s summary, and discuss how they are similar or different. What did you say were the main idea and key details? Were your summaries fair and accurate? Why?

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Return to learn.thinkcerca.com to complete Summarize.

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D E V E L O P / B U I L D Y O U R A R G U M E N T

Share your Argument Builder

When you’ve completed the argument building step, share your results with others, and listen to how they responded to the same question. Ask questions, and give feedback to help strengthen your partners’ reasons and evidence.

Complete Develop / Build Your Argument to begin building your argument at learn.thinkcerca.com

D R A F T A N D R E V I E W / C R E A T E Y O U R C E R C A

Peer Editing Activity

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1. Do a self-assessment of your CERCA. Use the online rubric for the lesson on learn.thinkcerca.com, checking each box where you find evidence that you have achieved the criteria.�
2. Next, collaborate with a classmate to read each other’s drafts. Again, use the rubric to evaluate each other’s work.�
3. Share insights into what might make your pieces stronger. Find two positive attributes and one area of growth for each draft you review.�
4. Revise your piece using what you learned from your self-assessment and the feedback from your peers.

Complete your Draft at learn.thinkcerca.com

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D R A F T A N D R E V I E W / C R E A T E Y O U R C E R C A

Reflect on Your Writing

Before you submit your final CERCA, write a brief reflection describing your experience.

An area for growth for me on this piece or in my writing in general is…

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The strongest areas of this piece of writing are…

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Through self-assessment and/or peer editing, I learned…

Extension Activities

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The following activities can be used as extensions to this lesson.

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N: A C T I V I T Y

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Search and Discover: Signs of Erosion are Everywhere! (And that’s just part of nature)

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Weathering, or the process by which rocks, wind, and water shape the Earth’s surface over time, is happening everywhere all the time! In this activity, you will learn about how erosion, which is a form of weathering, is happening in your community.

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Step 1: Go Outside!

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With your class, spend 10-15 minutes looking for signs of weathering and erosion around your school. This can take many forms, but it may include any of the following:

• Sediment moved from one place to another because of wind or rain
• Smaller rocks where larger rocks may have been
• Trees, leaves, or branches that have worn over time

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Find at least three examples and write them down on post-it notes.

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Step 2: Draw the Landscape

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In the space below, sketch at least two items you saw in your outdoor environment.

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N: A C T I V I T Y

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Search and Discover: Signs of Erosion are Everywhere! (And that’s just part of nature)

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Step 3: Collect and Sort

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Working with 3 or more other classmates, collect all of your post-its and sort them into different categories. List those categories here and explain why you made this a category.

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• Category 1:

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• Category 2:

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• Category 3 (if needed):

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Step 4: Explain and Learn

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In the space below, explain what you believe might happen to the land outside your school over time. Why do you think that? What is your evidence from your sorting exercise?

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N : I N Q U I R Y T O R E S E A R C H

Ask Questions of the Texts

As you engage with texts in any subject, you can actively ask questions about the author’s purpose, intended audience, and occasion to understand the message. The table below provides examples.

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O P T I O N A L E X T E N S I O N : I N Q U I R Y T O R E S E A R C H

Ask Questions of the Texts (continued)

Use the table below to record questions about the text you read.

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