Unit: The Mangrove Tree | Lesson Type: ReadAloud
Read-Aloud Lesson: The Mangrove Tree
Reading Comprehension Unit: The Mangrove Tree
Lesson Grade Level: 3rd / 4th
Common Core Standards Met: TBD
Learning Goal: Students will identify and describe the problems faced by the people of the
village of Hargigo, and what they did to attempt to solve the problems.
Materials Provided:
1. Detailed lesson plan
2. Graphic organizer for guided practice
3. Independent student worksheet
Materials Not Provided:
The Mangrove Tree: Planting Trees to Feed Families
Note To Teacher: The following lesson provides optional, suggested language for the teacher.
Part I: Teacher Modeling and Teacher-Led Questioning
Note to Teacher: This lesson is intended to be used while you read the book out loud to your
students. Ideally, this will be the second time you read this book to your students. The first
time, just read the book out loud to the class all the way through, without stopping.
1. Write the learning goal on the board (before class starts), then read the learning goal, out
loud, with the class.
2. Transition your students into the text:
Suggested language: “Imagine being really thirsty and turning on the faucet and no water
comes out. Then someone tells you that nobody in the city or town has any fresh water left,
anywhere.
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Unit: The Mangrove Tree | Lesson Type: ReadAloud
The reservoirs, rivers, lakes, fire hydrants – all of the fresh water is totally gone. It hasn’t rained
for months, and it is extremely hot outside. Instead of grass, there is mostly sand, rock, and
desert all around you.
Vegetables and plants can’t grow. Animals, and even people, are hungry. Imagine what that life
would be like and what a village or city could do about it.
In fact, it is like that in a small African village called Hargigo [har-GEE-goh]. Let’s read to see
what they tried to do to solve their problem.”
3. Read pages 1-2, then stop. (Page 2 ends with “… all because of a tree.”)
4. Teacher states out loud: “The author just gave us important information about the setting of
this story.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
The story takes place in a little village called Hargigo [har-GEE-goh].
The village of Hargigo is in a country called Eritrea [er-eh-TREE-uh], in Africa.
The author also states that Hargigo is by the Red Sea.
And one thing I know myself about seas is they have salt water in them, not fresh water.”
Note to Teacher: Show students where Eritrea is on a map. Or show students where Eritrea is on
a map before the lesson.
5. Teacher asks self out loud: “So now I am wondering what it’s like in Hargigo and what life is
like there for the people.”
6. Teacher asks students: “What does the author tell us about what life is like in Hargigo?”
Suggested student response (Have students answer using complete sentences): “The
children play in the dust. The houses are made of cloth, tin cans, and flattened iron. The
families used to be hungry, and the animals were hungry too.”
7. Teacher asks students: “Based on the words in the book that describe Hargigo, explain
whether Hargigo seems to be a wealthy village or a poor village.”
Suggested student response: “Hargigo is not a wealthy village. Hargigo is a poor village. I
know this because the author describes how the houses are made of cloth and tin cans,
and how families and animals were hungry.”
8. Teacher states out loud: “That sounds like a big problem to me. The people of Hargigo were
poor and didn’t have enough to eat.”
9. Teacher states out loud: “I’m going to read the last three sentences of this page again. ‘The
families used to be hungry. Their animals were hungry too. But then things began to change . . .
all because of a tree.’”
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Unit: The Mangrove Tree | Lesson Type: ReadAloud
10. Teacher asks students: “Are there any words the author wrote that suggest that there might
be a solution to the problems in Hargigo?”
Suggested student response: “Yes, I think there might be a solution. The author used the
past tense and wrote that the families used to be hungry and that the animals were
hungry. So I don’t think they are hungry anymore.
The author wrote that ‘things began to change,’ so I think they will find a solution to the
problem.”
11. Teacher asks students: “Does the author tell us why things might have changed for the
better?”
Suggested student response: “Yes, the book/author says that things changed because of
a tree.”
12. Read pages 3-4, then stop. Always read the poem on the left side of the pages and the text
on the right side. (Page 4 ends with “… the fat green leaves of the trees.”)
13. Teacher asks students: “Does the author explain why the animals didn’t have enough to
eat?”
Suggested student response: “There wasn’t enough food for the animals because there is
very little rain, which makes it difficult for plants to grow. So the sheep and goats did not
have enough leaves to eat.”
14. Teacher thinks out loud to self: “If the animals didn’t have enough to eat and were starving,
then I don’t think the people could eat or sell the animals. I also don’t think the animals could
produce enough milk for the people to drink or sell.”
15. Teacher asks students: “So what was the problem in Hargigo?”
Suggested student response: “The problem in Hargigo is that it is a poor village, where
the people and animals are hungry. Because there is very little rain, few leafy plants
grow. Without leafy plants, there is not enough food for sheep and goats. Therefore, the
people can’t sell the animals or use them for food or milk.”
16: Teacher asks students: “Does the book suggest there might be a solution to this problem?”
Suggested student response: “The book says that a scientist had an idea to plant
mangrove trees, so the animals could eat the leaves.”
17. Read pages 5-8, then stop. (Page 8 ends with “… because mangroves need iron too.”)
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Unit: The Mangrove Tree | Lesson Type: ReadAloud
18. Teacher asks students: “Can you explain whether mangrove trees can live in salty water
without any help from people?”
Suggested student response: “Mangrove trees cannot live in salt water without help. They
need the extra nutrients that the people bury near the seedlings.”
19: Read pages 9-12, then stop. (Page 12 ends with “… for their kids and lambs.”)
20. Teacher asks students: “Were the mangrove leaves sufficient to feed all of the goats and
sheep? Explain.”
Suggested student response: “No, the mangrove leaves were not sufficient. The people in
the village had to create a mixture of mangrove leaves, seeds, and dried fish to feed their
animals.”
21: Read pages 13-18, then stop. (Page 18 ends with “… for their families to eat and sell.”)
22. Teacher asks students: “Do the mangrove trees help the villagers in other ways besides
providing leaves for the sheep and goats?”
Suggested student response: “Yes, the trees help the villagers by providing places where
small sea creatures live, such as crabs and shrimp. The people can eat these creatures.
These small sea creatures also attract bigger fish for the fisherman to catch, eat, and
sell.”
23. Read pages 19-20, then stop. (Page 20 ends with “… has helped the villagers of Hargigo.”)
24. Teacher thinks out loud to self: “What a fascinating true story! I learned a lot about the
village of Hargigo in the country of Eritrea, which is in Africa. I also learned a lot about
mangrove trees.
I also know there are a lot of poor villages around the world where the people and animals don’t
have enough to eat. And many of them don’t have a lot of rain or fresh water, either.
If planting mangrove trees helped the people of Hargigo, I’m going to think about whether doing
the same thing in other villages could help them too.
I’m also going to think about what is necessary to make a project like this successful because
there was a lot of work and supplies that were necessary.”
25: Read pages 21-23, finishing the book. (Page 20 ends with the poem “By planting trees,
Mangrove trees, By the sea.”)
26. Teacher asks students: “What are some of the factors that were necessary to make this
mangrove tree planting project possible in Hargigo?”
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Unit: The Mangrove Tree | Lesson Type: ReadAloud
Suggested student response: “There were a number of things that were necessary for this
project. For example, they needed:









Mangrove seeds and seedlings
Fertilizer with nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus
Iron rods
Dried fish to make the mangrove leaves more nutritious for the sheep and goats
Water (in this case, salt water)
The time and knowledge of a scientist like Dr. Sato to help guide the project
People to teach the villagers how to plant the mangrove trees
Money to purchase all the materials
People in the village who wanted to do the project and who were willing to do the work”
27. Teacher states out loud: “So there was a big problem in Hargigo, and the mangrove tree
planting project was a solution that provided many benefits to the people and the village.”
28. Teacher asks students: “The mangrove tree planting project required a lot of work and
materials. Use words and evidence from the text to explain why you think the project was or
was not successful, and whether it was or was not worth the cost.”
Suggested student response: Answers will vary.
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Unit: The Mangrove Tree | Lesson Type: ReadAloud
Part II: Guided Practice and Discussion
Note to Teacher:
Both completed and incomplete versions of the graphic organizer are provided.
This guided practice section is an important step to ensure that students understood the main
idea and were able to identify the most important information from the text.
Complete the graphic organizer (see the following page) with your students, out loud, as a whole
group, based on the suggested questions below. Have a completed graphic organizer on the
board and reveal each answer one at a time as students provide the correct response.
1. Teacher asks students: “What were the problems in Hargigo?”
Suggested student response: “The people of Hargigo were poor, they did not have enough
to eat, and the goats and sheep did not have enough to eat.”
2. Teacher asks students: “What were the solutions to the problems in Hargigo?”
Suggested student response: “Dr. Gordon Sato had the idea and created a project that
would enable mangrove trees to grow in Hargigo. The women and people of Hargigo
worked very hard to plant the mangrove trees. These mangrove trees provided food for
the animals and a better environment for small sea creatures to live in.”
3. Teacher asks students: “What outcomes resulted from these solutions?”
Suggested student response: “The people became less poor because they could sell some
of their healthy animals and seafood. The people also became healthier because they
could eat the animals, drink their milk, and had more seafood to eat and sell. The animals
became healthier because they could eat more mangrove tree leaves and dried seeds.”
Note to Teacher: After the answers for the graphic organizer have been completed and discussed
with the class, ask and discuss the following two extension questions:
1. Teacher asks students: “Do the problems of Hargigo exist in other places around the world?”
Suggested student response: “Yes, starvation, poverty, and lack of rain/fresh water are
problems that are found around the world.”
2. Teacher asks students: “What would be necessary for a project like Dr. Sato’s mangrove tree
project to work in other places?”
Suggested student response: Answers will vary but should include:
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Unit: The Mangrove Tree | Lesson Type: ReadAloud










Mangrove seeds and seedlings
Fertilizer with nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus
Iron rods
Dried fish to make the mangrove leaves more nutritious for the sheep and goats
Water (in this case, salt water)
The time and knowledge of a scientist like Dr. Sato to help guide the project
People to teach the villagers how to plant the mangrove trees
Money to purchase all the materials
People in the village who wanted to do the project and who were willing to do the work
Political stability
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER (Non-fiction)
Graphic Organizer Type: Problem/Solution
Problem(s)
The people of Hargigo were
poor
Solution(s)
Dr. Gordon Sato had the idea
and created a project that
would enable mangrove trees
to grow in Hargigo
Outcome(s)
The people became less poor
because they could sell some
of their healthy animals and
seafood
The people did not have
enough to eat
The women and people of
Hargigo worked very hard to
plant mangrove trees
The goats and sheep did not
have enough to eat
The mangrove trees provided
food for the animals and a
better environment for small
sea creatures to live in
The people became healthier
because they could eat the
animals, drink their milk, and
had more seafood to eat and
sell
The animals became healthier
because they could eat more
mangrove tree leaves and
dried seeds
(blank graphic organizer on next page)
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Unit: The Mangrove Tree | Lesson Type: ReadAloud
Problem(s)
Solution(s)
Outcome(s)
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Unit: The Mangrove Tree | Lesson Type: ReadAloud
Part III: Student Independent Practice
Note to Teacher:
Both the student question set and teacher answer sheet are provided.
This independent practice section is an important step to check for student understanding of the
text. It also serves to reinforce the learning goal. Students should be given time to
independently complete the question set. Ideally, there will be a thorough review of the
completed question set so that the teacher has the opportunity to provide corrective feedback to
students as needed.
Teacher Guide & Answers
1. At the beginning of the book, how does the author describe the people of Hargigo?
A
B
C
D
They live in South Africa.
There is little rain.
They are hungry.
Their animals are hungry.
2. While mangrove trees could survive in salt water, which of the following nutrients did the
mangrove seedlings need to grow?
A
B
C
D
nitrogen and phosphorus
leaves and dried fish
iron and steel rods
plastic bags and salt water
3. What happened to the sheep and goats as a result of the mangrove tree planting project?
A
B
C
D
They became hungrier because the leaves of the trees were not edible.
They gained weight and became healthier.
They used the mangrove leaves to build their homes.
They had to walk further to find food and water.
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Unit: The Mangrove Tree | Lesson Type: ReadAloud
4. Read the following sentence and then answer the question below: “Once plenty of healthy
food was available nearby, the animals lived longer, and the shepherds saw their flocks of sheep
and goats multiply.”
What does the word multiply mean?
A
B
C
D
do math
run faster
increase in number
decrease in number
5. The main idea of this book is
A mangrove trees can live in salty water and provide food for hungry sheep, goats, and
people
B mangrove trees can only live in the salty water of the Red Sea when given extra
nutrients such as nitrogen
C the people of Hargigo were hungry, and Dr. Sato’s mangrove tree planting
project helped them
D the people and animals of the Hargigo village benefitted from the leaves of the
mangrove tree
6. One of the problems faced by the people in the village of Hargigo was that they did not have
enough to eat. What was the solution to this problem?
Suggested answer: The people in the community planted mangrove trees. [pages 5, 6]
7. How have the mangrove trees made the children in Hargigo healthier? Please use evidence
from the text to support your answer.
Suggested answer: The sheep and goats are healthier because they can eat the mangrove
tree leaves and dried mangrove seeds. The mangrove tree roots also provide a healthy habitat
for small sea creatures, which attract larger fish. Some of these fish can also be fed to the sheep
and goats as ground-up dried fish. Therefore, the children are healthier because they can eat the
animals, fish, and sea creatures. They can also drink the animal milk. [pages 12, 16, 18]
8. How is the mangrove tree different from most trees?
Suggested answer: The mangrove tree is different from most trees in that it can grow in salty
water. The mangrove tree has roots that stick straight up to take in fresh air, and its leaves are
thick and squeeze out the salt from the water. [page 6]
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Unit: The Mangrove Tree | Lesson Type: ReadAloud
9. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the
sentence.
Dr. Sato believes mangrove trees can grow in Somalia _____________ Somalia has a seacoast
similar to the seacoast of Eritrea.
A so
B although
C then
D because
10. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below.
The people in Hargigo, Eritrea were hungry because it was very hard for leafy plants to grow in
the dry and dusty climate.
Who? the people
(were) What? hungry
Why? because it was very hard for leafy plants to grow in the dry and dusty climate
Where? Hargigo, Eritrea
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