Turquoise Bunk • Grades 2–3 • Lesson 6
Page 12 Reread the first paragraph, beginning: “People weren’t sure where Owen should be taken next.” Why did Owen need to be taken to a sanctuary? Possible responses : Guide campers to understand and integrate two important ideas: Owen needed to be taken someplace safe. He hadn’t learned how to protect himself in the wild. He couldn’t join another pod because the hippos would think he was an outsider
and attack him—most animals don’t want new animals to join their groups. Also, Owen doesn’t have a mother to take care of him. Page 16 Reread the page about Sabine preparing the enclosure for Owen. What do we learn about Mzee on this page?
SPOTLIGHT ON LANGUAGE On page 19, read the sentence that begins, “Finally, Dr. Paula and Stephen arrived...”. Explain that the word Finally at the beginning of a sentence helps readers remember what was involved in getting Owen to the sanctuary. It connects what is happening now in the story to what happened before.
Helpful teaching tips give leaders instructional recommendations about language in the Read- Aloud to support student comprehension.
Possible responses : Have campers jot down these and other details in their notebooks: Mzee is a giant tortoise. His name means “wise old man” in Swahili. He’s about 130 years old. He’s not friendly, except to Stephen. His life is about to change. Page 20 Reread the paragraph, beginning, “At first, Owen wouldn’t eat...”. This paragraph tells us about something the scientists did not know and something the scientists did know. What are those two things? Possible responses : The scientists didn’t know what made Owen start eating. They did know that the friendship between Owen and Mzee was helping the baby hippo recover. Page 22 Reread the page beginning, “As the weeks went on...”. How do Owen and Mzee show that they are friends? Possible responses : Owen and Mzee swim, eat, drink, and sleep next to each other. They rub noses. Write campers’ answers on the board to help them with their writing later. Encourage them to search the text for details that describe the animals showing Possible responses : Experts had never known of a reptile and a mammal forming a bond. A tortoise could never protect a baby hippo, but something about Mzee made Owen feel safe. Mzee had preferred being alone, but he showed affection to Owen. (Grasping the idea that the experts were puzzled supports an essential understanding that the bond between Owen and Mzee was unusual.) Explore More If time allows, continue the discussion with these additional prompts. On page 12, “some people said” that Stephen Tuei could talk to animals. Do you think that means he really could talk to animals, and that they understood him? What questions do you have about Owen & Mzee ? friendship, and jot down what they find in their notebooks. Page 25 Reread the page beginning, “Wildlife experts...”. What are the wildlife experts puzzled about?
Leader’s Guide • Lesson 6 | 21
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