Summary

Far, far out at sea lives one of the world's most mysterious creatures, the loggerhead turtle. For thirty years she swims the oceans, wandering thousands of miles as she searches for food. Until, one summer night, she lands on a beach to lay her eggs--the very same beach where she herself was born.  This is the story of her journey.  It begins with one tiny turtle. . .

Candlewick Press

About the Illustrator - Jane Chapman

Reading Strategies ~ Strategies That Work by Stephanie Harvey

One Tiny Turtle is a wonderful book to look at nonfiction conventions in a delightful story of a sea turtle.  The author does a tremendous job of informing the reader of important facts about loggerhead sea turtles while using beautiful language to express her ideas.  The focus for the comprehension strategies this month will be on Determining Importance which is Chapter 9 in Strategies That Work (pgs. 117-142).

Nonfiction Conventions:

·   Informational Forward at beginning of book (preface)
·   Index (back of the book)
·   Small print vs. large print 

Use of Language:

As you read through this story, you can’t help but notice author’s use of similes and metaphors to give the reader points of comparison when describing these creatures and their environment. A chart can be created of the similes and metaphors discovered in this text and what the author means by the comparison. Here are some examples of the similes and metaphors used in One Tiny Turtle: 

“her shell is as soft as old leather”
“bigger than a dinner plate”
“Her shell is hard as armor”
“Her head is tough as a helmet”
“Their shells crack as easily as hens’ eggs in her heavy jaws”
“warm as a bath”
“sensing north and south like a compass needle”
“big as a barrel”
“heavier than a man”
"flapping her long front flippers like wings"
"she is flying underwater"
"she's not a fish snack anymore"
"like a hundred squidgy ping-pong balls"

Determining Importance:

Nonfiction is the best genre to introduce and expand on the idea of determining what information is most important when we read.  Determining important ideas and information in text moves the reader towards making sense of reading and toward insight. 

On pages 120-121 of Strategies that Work, Harvey and Goudvis list and describe nonfiction features that signal importance.  This book illustrates several of these features.

·   Fonts and effects
·   Cue words and phrases
·   Illustrations and photographs
·   Graphics
·   Text organizers
·   Text Structures

(Not all of these are featured in One Tiny Turtle) 

Before Reading

A KWL about sea turtles or more specifically, Loggerheads, would be a great way to introduce this book.  This way the teacher can get an idea of what students already know and what questions they may have that the book can answer. 

Coding the Text

On page 282 of Strategies That Work, there is a list of codes students can use to code text.  Using sticky notes to model the use of these codes with One Tiny Turtle is a great strategy to introduce students to the idea of coding text to determine what is important. 

Text Codes for Determining Importance

I-Important
L-Learned something new
*-Interesting or important information or fact
Aha!-big idea surfaces
S-Surprising
S!!!-Shocking
!!!-Exciting

 Once students are introduced to these codes and have an opportunity to practice them, they can use them in their daily reading of nonfiction text.  These can be used with textbooks and magazines to help students make sense of all the information and sift through what is important and what is just supporting information.  GREAT skill for Test Taking!!

Two/Three Column Note Forms

Writing Strategies ~ 6+1 Traits of Writing by Ruth Culham

One Tiny Turtle is an endearing story that blends scientific information with beautiful language.  Davies crafts a nonfiction text that not only teaches us about the endangered sea turtles, but invites us to love and care for them as well.  She mixes interesting facts with beautiful narratives, painting a picture of a solitary sea turtle as she grows and returns to the beach where she was born to lay eggs of her own.  Ruth Culham reflects, “the blend of descriptive and expository modes, and the careful attention to every last syllable, make her books excellent read-alouds.” 

Before you begin reading One Tiny Turtle, make sure to preview these words and their meanings with your students…

• nursery

• pinprick

• reptiles

• shallows

• shoals

• hatchlings

• skitter

* Teaching Sentence Fluency* - Listening to the Page

“Sentence fluency is the auditory trait.  We read for it with our ears as much as with our eyes,” Ruth Culham explains.  “To capture what the writer has in mind, sentences must move beyond correctness and on to more treacherous ground.  They must contain just the right phrase or word in just the right place to create just the right image.”  And the sentences in One Tiny Turtle do just that!

The expository sentences are informative, while her narrative sentences weave the story of the turtle’s life.  She chooses the perfect words and phrases to evoke our emotions and appeal to our desire to care for an endangered animal, and to clearly and concisely communicate the pieces of factual information she feels are important.  She also includes many similes and metaphors that help to strengthen the connection between the reader and the subject.  (See the list in the Reading Strategies section above.) 

Lesson Idea for Sentence Fluency:  “Which is Better?”

1. Before you begin the lesson, select some of your favorite sentences and phrases from One Tiny Turtle.  Fold a piece of paper hamburger style, and in the bottom portion, write the sentence as it appears in the book.  In the top portion, write the sentence much more simply.

2. Distribute the papers, and have students read them with a partner or aloud for the class, comparing the two sentences.  Which sounds better?  Which is more descriptive?  Which do you like better?  Which is more appealing to the audience?

3. Have students practice rewriting sentences on their own.  With a partner, have each student fold a piece of paper in half and write a simple, choppy sentence in the top section.  Then ask them to trade with a partner and enhance the sentence, making it longer and more detailed.  Challenge them to include similes and metaphors just as Nichola Davies did.

(See the Sentence Fluency chapter of 6+1 Traits for more teaching ideas!)
 

• Use the book One Tiny Turtle to teach or reinforce skills in using a book index.  Click here for a student worksheet.

• One Tiny Turtle is a non-fiction book.  Share one of the Franklin books with students and have them compare fiction and non-fiction.  Even though One Tiny Turtle is a non-fiction book, it is a picture book.  Compare it with other examples of non-fiction turtle books from our media center including Turtles by Meredith Switzer and Turtles by Trudi Strain Trueit to emphasize that information can come from many types of books!

• In the interactive lesson Turtle Tracks, students will view a Power Point slide show of turtle facts, see actual photos of baby turtles hatching, and create their own turtle word search.  The site includes lesson plans and ideas for other activities.

• Enchanted Learning has a printable diagram of a loggerhead turtle.  Remember to log in to get a "clean" copy!

• Intermediate students can play the Adventure Game to see if they can help a female loggerhead lay her eggs successfully on the beach.  There is a long and short version.  Both versions include facts about loggerheads!

• Students can learn the parts of the turtle and then test their memory in the simple Drag and Drop Turtle game!

• Learn about the sea turtles found on our own Georgia beaches by visiting the website of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center!  Don't forget to have students visit the Photo Gallery!

• Learn more about Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle by visiting on this website!