A Selection from Robinson Crusoe Z2

Focus Question:
How do Robinson Crusoes survival skills help him while he is stranded?
Book Summary
Text Type: Fiction/Classic
In this excerpt from the classic novel by Daniel Defoe, English sailor Robinson Crusoe must
survive on a deserted island using his wits and skills. He struggles to procure supplies from his
old ship and works hard to make himself a safe home. The selection has been edited to match
the reading level and is accompanied by illustrations.
The book and lesson are also available for levels Z and Z1.

Guiding the Reading

Lesson Essentials
Before Reading
Instructional Focus
Retell to understand text Build Background
Invite students to share with the rest of the class
Sequence events
adventure stories in which the characters have to
Use the glossary to better understand survive. Ask students to raise their hand if they
the text know anything about Robinson Crusoe and invite
Discern between past, present, and future volunteers to share what they know with the class.
verb tenses Discuss with students what it would be like to be
Identify and use position words shipwrecked on an island. Have students work
with a partner to make a list of items they would
Materials need and actions they would take to survive. Invite
Book: A Selection from Robinson Crusoe students to share their list with the class.
(copy for each student) Introduce the Book
Sequence events, verb tenses, position Give students their copy of A Selection from Robinson
words worksheets Crusoe. Guide them to the front and back covers and
Discussion cards read the title. Have students discuss what they see on
Book quiz the covers. Encourage them to offer ideas as to what
type of book it is (genre, text type, and so on) and
Retelling rubric what it might be about.
Vocabulary Show students the title page. Discuss the
information on the page (title of book, authors
Boldface vocabulary words also appear name, illustrators name).
in a pre-made lesson for this title on
Preview the table of contents on page 3. Remind
VocabularyAZ.com. students that the table of contents provides an
Words to Know overview of the book. Ask students what they
Story critical: deliverance (n.), expect to read about in the book, on the basis
desolate (adj.), diligence (n.), fortified (v.), of what they see in the table of contents.
(Accept all answers that students can justify.)
prospect (n.), provisions (n.)
Enrichment: abated (v.), bilged (v.), Introduce the Reading Strategy: Retell
expostulated (v.), furlong (n.), leagues (n.), Review with students that engaged readers stop now
mortification (n.), pensive (adj.), and then while reading to retell in their mind what is
Providence (n.), render (v.), reprove (v.), happening in the story. Remind them that a retelling
solaced (v.), sustenance (n.) includes as many details as a reader can remember.
Have them practice retelling to a partner the events
Academic vocabulary: classic (adj.), they experienced yesterday. Call on students to share
condition (n.), considers (v.), mentioned (v.), their retelling with the rest of the class.
secure (adj.), solution (n.)

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 A Selection from Robinson Crusoe Z2
Guiding the Reading (cont.) During Reading
Text-Dependent Questions
Introduce the Comprehension Skill:
As students read the book, monitor their understanding
Sequence events with the following questions. Encourage students to
Review that knowing the order in which events support their answers by citing evidence from the book.
occur in a text is important to understanding the
Why does Robinson Crusoe feel destined to die?
story. Remind students that authors use transition
Would you feel the same? (level 3) page 5
words to organize the order. Write the words first,
then, next, after, and finally on the board, and What supplies does Robinson Crusoe retrieve from
review their usage with students. the ship? How are these items useful? (level 2)
pages 810 and 15
Have students work with a partner to discuss
key events from a book they read earlier. Invite What skills does Robinson Crusoe exhibit as he
students to describe the sequence to the rest of returns from the stranded ship, and what dangers
the class, using transition words to create a smooth does he overcome? (level 1) pages 912
telling. Have other students identify the transition Why is money worthless to him now? Why does
words used, and nod their head if the sequence he call it a drug? (level 3) page 15
is in the correct order and makes sense. How does Crusoes new home compare with
the earlier shelters he used? (level 2) multiple pages
Vocabulary
How have Robinson Crusoes survival skills brought
Have students turn to the Words to Know box on him hope for the future? (level 3) multiple pages
the copyright page. Discuss each word with students.
Then, have students turn to the glossary on page 22. Skill Review
Explain that the glossary provides definitions for the Have students place sticky notes on the bottom of
vocabulary words in the story. Point out the use of pages 6, 9, 13, 15, 18, and 22. Ask students to stop
each content word and academic vocabulary word every time they see a sticky note and retell the
in the story, and then use each word in a different events of the story in their own words.
model sentence. Have students work in groups to Model retelling events from page 5 in the story.
create posters for these words. Have them include Think-aloud: When I retell, I use my own words to
on each poster the word and its part of speech, the describe events in the story and include as many
definition, the word in an example sentence, and details as I can remember. On page 5, Robinson
a picture illustrating the meaning of the word. Crusoe began to examine his new surroundings.
Text Features: Glossary At first, he was so miserable at his fate that he just
ran about and thought over the worst possibilities.
Remind students that a glossary defines important
He thought he would die of thirst or hunger or be
vocabulary words specific to the book. Point out
eaten by animals. Then, night fell, and he found fresh
that the words in this glossary can also be found
water to drink. He climbed a thick, bushy tree so he
in boldface print in the text. Have students review
could sleep in safety. How would you retell this page?
each word and its definition and then find the word
in the text. Have students work with a partner to Ask students to stop midway through the story
examine the meaning of the word in the context of (page 11) and retell the first half to a partner.
the story and compare it to the glossary definition. Remind them to use a correct sequence and their
Have student pairs discuss how the glossary aids in own words.
understanding the story. Place on the board the illustrations from pages 20, 6,
15, 8, 19, and 8. Have students discuss with a partner
Set the Purpose the events associated with the illustrations. Ask
Have students read to find out more about how students to sequence the events. Invite a student to
Robinson Crusoe survives on the island. Write the rearrange the images on the board. Have students
Focus Question on the board. Invite students to look discuss with a partner other events from the story and
for evidence in the story to support their answer. where they belong in the sequence. Invite students to
Have students make a small question mark in their describe the full sequence to the rest of the class.
story beside any word they do not understand Model how to complete the sequence events
or cannot pronounce. These can be addressed worksheet. Point out that students only need
in a future discussion. to capture the main points of the story while
sequencing events. Have students record events
in the correct spot on their worksheet and
compare their work with a partners.

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 A Selection from Robinson Crusoe Z2
Guiding the Reading (cont.) Check for understanding: Have students find and
highlight all the verbs on pages 21 and 22. Call on
After Reading students to share a verb with the rest of the class,
and have other students identify the verb tense.
Ask students what words, if any, they marked in
Have students discuss with a partner the reason for
their book. Use this opportunity to model how they
the different verb tenses. Call on students to share
can read these words using decoding strategies and
their thoughts with the rest of the class.
context clues.
Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have
Skill Review students complete the verb tenses worksheet. If
time allows, discuss their answers.
Graphic Organizer: Sequence events
Review the sequence events worksheet that students Word Work: Position words
completed. Have students refer to their worksheet to Sit on a chair in front of the class, and have
write a complete retelling of the story. Remind them to students write on a separate sheet of paper words
include more details in the retelling, to use transition that describe your location. Repeat this process as
words, and to put the retelling in their own words. you stand behind the chair, beside the chair, and
Have students read their retelling to a partner. Call on so on. Have students share with a partner words
students to read their retelling to the rest of the class. that specifically explain where you were. Call on
students to share a word with the rest of the class,
Comprehension Extension
and record all position words on the board.
Discussion cards covering comprehension skills and
Review with students that position words are words
strategies not explicitly taught with the book are
that describe location. Brainstorm with students
provided to be used for extension activities.
to generate more words to add to the list on the
Response to Focus Question board. A list of position words could include the
Have students cite specific evidence from the book to following: on, over, under, beside, below, above,
answer the Focus Question. (Students should indicate in front, through, in, and out.
that Robinson Crusoe found food, water, security, and Write the following sentence on the board and
a place to watch for rescue ships and that he relied on read it aloud with students: Robinson Crusoe fell
his intelligence, courage, and perseverance to survive.) asleep inside his hammock. Have students point to
the position word, inside. Have students write the
Comprehension Checks sentence on a separate sheet of paper and rewrite
Book quiz Retelling rubric it several times, inserting new position words each
time. Have students discuss with a partner the
changes in meaning of each sentence.
Book Extension Activities Check for understanding: Have students write five
original sentences using position words, referring
Build Skills to the board as necessary. Call on students to share
Grammar and Mechanics: Verb tenses a sentence with the rest of the class, and have
Write the following sentences on the board and other students identify the position word. Invite
read them aloud with students: This threw me into volunteers to alter the sentence by replacing the
such terrible agonies that for a while I ran about position word with a new one.
like a madman. At night, they always come out for
their prey. Have students identify the verbs, and call Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have
on students to underline the verbs on the board. students complete the position words worksheet.
If time allows, discuss their answers
Have students work with a partner to determine
the tense of each verb. Demonstrate to students Connections
how to change a verb to past tense, present tense, See the back of the book for cross-curricular
and future tense using the verb laugh. Remind extension ideas.
students that they use the context of the sentence,
along with the verbs written form, to determine
the tense. Have students practice forming all three
tenses of the verbs kick and play. Review irregular
verb forms.
Remind students that stories generally maintain
constant verb tenses. Have students discuss with
a partner reasons a story may shift verb tense,
and then discuss their ideas as a class (a character
is thinking, flashbacks, and so on).

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