C&I Lesson Plan Template
Unit 6/Week 2
Grade 5
LESSON The Mystery of St. Matthews Island
SUBJECT:  ELA  SS  SCI  Math
PREPARATION
CONTENT OBJECTIVES:
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LANGUAGE OBJECTIVES:
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Students will be able to read closely to determine what the text
says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it, using
specific evidence when writing and speaking to support
conclusions drawn from the text.
Students will be able to determine the meaning of figurative
language examples (metaphors, similes, and personification) by
explaining the ideas in their own words.
Through discussion and writing students will demonstrate an
understanding of word relationships and nuances in word
meaning.
*Teachers should review the text dependent questions in order to specifically identify
which language features being addressed. Those language features should be inserted
into the objective.
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*Teachers can write or adjust content objectives to meet the needs of their students.
Students will engage in a range of collaborative discussions and
build on others’ talk in conversation by responding to the
comments of others through multiple exchanges.
*Collaborative discussion includes one-on-one partnerships with students and/or
adults, small groups, and the whole class.
*Teachers should identify and incorporate those language features necessary for
students to effectively communicate their ideas to one another.
ACCOMMODATIONS (IEP/504): Use appropriate accommodations as
MATERIALS
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designated by students’ IEPs and in response to students’ needs.
ELA/LITERACY STANDARDS: RL.5.1, RL.5.2, RL.5.4, RL.5.7, RL.5.10, SL.5.1,
Teacher’s Edition
Student Anthology
CONTENT AREA STANDARDS: N/A
SL.5.2, SL.5.3, SL.5.4, W.5.1, W.5.4, W.5.9
INSTRUCTIONS: First Reading: During the first reading students will read to understand the purpose of the text. On level students will read the text
independently. Below level readers will read the text with the teacher, a partner or using the listening center. Rereading (2 lessons): During the
next reading, done over two days, students will carefully examine the author’s choice of vocabulary, syntax, and literary elements. Students will
cite evidence from the text to gain deeper meaning. During these lessons students may be asked to record their ideas in writing. Culminating
Writing Task: Students are challenged to organize their thinking and cite evidence to explain the big ideas of the text.
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C&I Lesson Plan Template
BUILDING ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
EMBEDDED INSTRUCTION (Tier 3 & Tier 2)
Identify vocabulary words that require some attention in order for
students to comprehend the text. Define these words quickly in
context, using a student friendly definition.
EXTENDED INSTRUCTION (Tier 2)
Identify vocabulary words that build academic language and are
essential to comprehending the text. These words may be defined
quickly in context, but will be revisited for students to integrate
into their vocabulary.
herd (pg 660) – group of animals
venture (pg 661) – to go somewhere that could be dangerous
midst (pg 660) – middle
potential (pg 663) – possible
lichens (pg 660) – green plant, like moss
severe (pg 664) – very serious
remote (pg 661) – far from where people live, empty
scarce (pg 667) – not much available, limited
nearly (pg 661) – almost
inevitable (pg 667) – certain to happen
bleached (pg 661) – made white
tundra (pg 661) – large, flat areas of land without trees, cold
conduct (pg 661) – to carry out
perished (pg 662) – died
decay (pg 662) – to slowly be destroyed by nature
parasites (pg 664) – a plant or animal that lives on or in
another plant or animal and gets food from it
clinched (pg 666) – to settle something, able to decide
sustain (pg 667) – continue to exist
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C&I Lesson Plan Template
TEACHER OVERVIEW
BIG IDEAS AND KEY UNDERSTANDINGS: The reindeer were dying off and
SYNOPSIS: Reindeer were introduced to the island in 1944. They should
there was no obvious cause. Scientists struggled to determine the cause
of the die-off. Using the scientific process, a scientist determines that
the die-off was caused by starvation from over-grazing due to a
population explosion. Whenever there is an imbalance in an ecosystem,
a growing population eventually destroys its own environment.
have thrived there, but 20 years later the majority of them had suddenly
died off. A scientist goes to the island to gather evidence to show why
they died. He finds out that, because there were no natural checks and
balances on the growing population, they over-grazed the land and then
died of starvation.
LESSON
INTRODUCTION/OPENING: “Today we will read The Mystery of St. Matthew’s Island. All good readers pay close
Teacher Notes:
attention to the text. As we read today I want you to be thinking about the text and its meaning.”
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TEXT DEPENDENT QUESTIONS
Begin with a “winnable” question that will help orient
students to the text.
The sequence of questions should build a gradual
understanding of the key meanings.
Questions should focus on a word/phrase, sentence or
paragraph.
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RESPONSES
Answers that reference the text.
Multiple responses may be provided using different
pieces of evidence
Inferences must be grounded logically in the text
Page 660
What does the opening paragraph tell us about how and
why the reindeer were on St. Matthew’s Island?
29 reindeer were released in 1944. Island offered plenty
of plants and lichens for the reindeer to eat. No
predators.
Page 660
What sentence signals a transition in the text?
“Then something went terribly wrong.”
What did the sailors find on the island?
Page 661
What makes St. Matthew Island difficult to get to?
Identify at least 3 reasons.
They found the island littered with reindeer skeletons
and only a few reindeer.
It is difficult to get to because it is located halfway
between Alaska and Siberia, so it is far away from
anywhere; no one lives there, so there is no airport; it is
too far offshore for small planes to get there; for most of
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An idea for extension is to take
students on a field trip to a local
beach and investigate invasive
and indigenous species of crabs.
This text could serve as a mentor
text to launch a unit on expository
writing. For example, students
could research the impact of
invasive species on different
ecosystems, such as the longhorn
beetle, gypsy moss, the Asian
crab, or the kudzu vine.
C&I Lesson Plan Template
the year it is surrounded by polar sea ice, so it is
impossible to take a boat there.
What did they find after exploring the island? What do
these findings mean for the reindeer population on St.
Matthew’s Island?
Page 662
One clue that Dr. Klein found was that all of the
skeletons were in the same state of decay. What
conclusions can he draw from this clue?
Pages 662-663
What evidence did Dr. Klein use to determine when the
reindeer had died?
Pages 663-664
Dr. Klein considered many causes for the reindeer die
off. What are some of these causes?
Page 665
Using the first paragraph and the diagram of the bone,
what evidence was there to prove that the reindeer had
died of starvation?
Page 665
The author states, “Many of the small plants looked as if
they had been clipped back. And lichens, moss-like
organisms that once carpeted the island, were now
absent from many areas. “ What doe the passage reveal
about the island?
Page 666
What other evidence did Klein find to support his theory
that the reindeer had died of starvation?
Only 42 live animals; all were female, except for one
scrawny male; no calves. The reindeer couldn’t make
babies so the herd was doomed to disappear completely.
He can conclude that the entire herd had died at about
the same time because all the bones were in the same
condition –there was moss growing on the bones and
they were bleached.
He had counted 6,000 reindeer in 1963. Examined
skeletons and found newly formed bones of baby
reindeer still inside their mothers. This told him that the
female reindeer had died in late winter when their calves
were still developing.
No predators and people rarely visited; no diseases or
parasites; no infected animals from another area; old age
was not a cause; weather
A well-fed reindeer has fat in its bone marrow. The
marrow was completely gone in the reindeer bones. In
the diagram, it shows the shrunken marrow of a starving
animal.
This passage reveals that the plants had been overeaten
and the moss that had once been plentiful is gone. Klein
noticed that there was more severe damage to the
island.
The damaged plant life led Klein to suspect that the
reindeer had run out of nutritious food. The weight of
the reindeer had dropped since 1957. In 1957 they
weighed 199-404 pounds and by 1963 they weighed 50
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C&I Lesson Plan Template
Page 666
What does it mean when the author states, “animal
numbers are kept in check”?
Page 666
The text states “When Klein and his co-workers left Saint
Matthew Island, they brought with them an important
understanding of the connections between animals and
their environment.” What is the connection that Klein
and his co-workers found?
to 120 pounds less than in 1957.
Predators, parasites, and diseases usually prevent
overgrowth of populations.
Populations can skyrocket in numbers when not kept in
check. Without these natural checks, the population
destroys its own environment.
GUIDED PRACTICE (Gradual release leading to students independently completing task): Text dependent task includes text
dependent questions leading to a culminating question that allows students to demonstrate understanding of the big ideas and
key understanding by citing evidence from multiple places in the text.
TEXT BASED QUESTIONS (Taken from close reading):
1. Give 3 examples of evidence that show the reindeer died of starvation.
2. What checks were not in place at St. Matthew’s Island?
3. What does it mean to keep something “in check”?
CULMINATING QUESTION:
How does this case study show that checks in nature are necessary?
CLOSING: Highlight key skills and strategies students used while making meaning of the text. For example: I like the
way Bryce cited evidence from the text. I noticed Joe was inferring meaning when he recognized that Jessie was
feeling guilty.
ASSESSMENT: observation checklist, written response
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