Lesson video

Hi, everyone.

My name is Ms. Voyle, and I am going to be teaching you your reading lesson today where we will be building our comprehension of "Curious Creatures Glowing in the Dark." For this lesson, you need to be listening and looking carefully.

You need your thinking brain, and there will also be some tasks where you need somebody to talk to.

I am super-excited to learn and discover more about the curious creatures on our planet who glow in the dark, so let's get started.

Your learning outcome for today's lesson is I can answer a range of comprehension questions on "Curious Creatures Glowing in the Dark." Here are the keywords for today's lesson.

Let's practise saying them.

My turn.

Your turn.

Bioluminescence.

Biofluorescence.

Retrieve.

Summarise.

Well done.

Let's take a look at their definitions.

Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism caused by a chemical reaction within it.

Biofluorescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism as a result of absorbing ultraviolet light.

In reading, retrieve means to find information within the text.

To summarise means to pull out the key information and ideas from the text.

There are two parts to today's lesson.

In the first part, we will be deepening our understanding of creatures that glow, and in the second part, we will be summarising our understanding of the text, so let's begin with deepening our understanding of creatures that glow.

What do we know about "Curious Creatures Glowing in the Dark"? It is a non-fiction text that provides information about creatures that glow in the dark.

Some creatures produce and emit light using bioluminescence, which is a chemical reaction that takes place inside their body.

Some creatures produce and emit light using biofluorescence, which is a result of absorbing ultraviolet light from the sun or the moon.

There are strategies we can use to help us develop our comprehension of a nonfiction text.

First, use the layout features to navigate the text.

Subheadings and fact boxes can help you to find information.

Remember, nonfiction texts are designed specifically to reach a certain audience and help them understand important information easily.

Skim and scan for information.

This helps you to retrieve the information you're looking for quickly.

You do not always need to reread an entire text.

Look for clues about the information within the text.

Bold writing, for example, is used to signal importance to the reader.

Capital letters are always used for proper nouns, and discuss with somebody else to help build your understanding.

Non-fiction texts have topic-specific and unfamiliar vocabulary.

These can be tricky to understand, and talking to other people about the text can help you unpack the meaning.

We are now going to learn more about how and why creatures have evolved to glow in the dark.

Let's read pages 14 and 15: "The meaning of light.

Glowing isn't much use in broad daylight, but in the dark, it becomes a superpower.

Bioluminescent animals tend to live in places where the sun doesn't shine: deep inside a cave or down in the ocean.

Their glow is a way of communicating through the darkness, helping them to survive and thrive, but what are they saying? Some creatures want to be noticed.

This Bolitaena pygmaea octopus is searching for a mate.

Her mouth blazes with bioluminescence as if to say, 'look at me.

' This signal attracts the attention of a male octopus who shimmies towards her.

While other creatures want to fit in.

Whoosh, hundreds of glittering headlight lanternfish dart by, their noses shining like headlights.

The light patterns on their bodies may help them swim together with their own species as they rise up to feed.

There is safety in numbers, and the distinctive patterns say, 'Hey, this is our team.

' Sometimes they are spooked.

There is not much to cling to in the twilight zone, so this glowing sucker octopus has evolved useful photophores instead of suckers.

A predator approaches, and boo, the octopus lights up and startles the creature away, and others want to stay hidden.

Sh, this midwater squid is hiding.

Glowing photophores on the underside of its body help it blend in with the brighter water above.

To predators lurking below, it is nearly invisible.

This is called counterillumination.

While some creatures are just hungry, this cookiecutter shark is not much bigger than a cucumber.

It uses counterillumination too, and not just for hiding.

A dark non-glowing collar on its neck stands out against the brightness of the water, like the silhouette of a small fish saying, 'Yum, come and eat me.

' An unsuspecting spinner dolphin is lured in, and crunch, the little shark strikes.

It suckers its lips to the side of the bigger creature, taking out a round plug of flesh with its cookiecutter jaws: dinner." Let's check your understanding of what we have read.

What do bioluminescent creatures in the ocean use their glow for? a, they use it as a way to communicate.

b, they use it as a way to play, or c, they have no control over how they use it.

Pause the video and answer now.

The answer is a.

Well done.

Bioluminescent creatures in the ocean use their glow to communicate.

True or false? Bioluminescent creatures in the ocean all use their glow to communicate in the same way.

Pause the video and answer now.

That is false.

Well done.

Now it's time to justify your answer: a, they use their glow in millions of different ways.

b, they have evolved to use their glow in different ways to survive and thrive in their environment.

Pause the video and answer now.

The answer is b.

Well done.

Bioluminescent creatures have evolved to use their glow in different ways to survive and thrive in their environment.

Let's now look at our strategies for retrieving information from the text.

First, read the question and underline the keywords.

Then search for the keywords in the text.

Read the sentence, and check it answers the question.

If it doesn't answer the question, read the sentence before or after to find the answer.

You might need to search for a type of word, for example, a name with a capital letter, an adjective, or a job.

It's now time for a task.

Read pages 14 and and 15.

Discuss the answers to the following questions with your partner: a, what is the purpose of the glow in the Bolitaena pygmaea octopus? b, how does the glowing sucker octopus use its glow to protect itself? And c, what is counterillumination, and how does the midwater squid use it? Remember your key strategies.

Use the layout features to navigate the text.

Use your retrieval strategies to find the answers, and look for clues to help you, for example, bold writing.

Pause the video and do the task now.

Let's take a look at the answers.

For a, what is the purpose of the glow in the Bolitaena pygmaea octopus? You might have said, "The Bolitaena pygmaea octopus "uses its glow to search for a mate," or you may have found some other keywords and said, "It attracts the attention "of a male octopus to find love." For b, how does the glowing sucker octopus use its glow to protect itself? You could have said, "The glowing sucker octopus "uses its glow to scare away predators," or you might have said, "The glowing sucker octopus "uses its glow to protect itself from predators." For c, what is counterillumination, and how does the midwater squid use it? You could have said, "Counterillumination "is when a creature uses their glow "to blend in with the water," and you may have said, "Midwater squid use counterillumination "to camouflage themselves from predators." Well done for finding the answers and retrieving them from the text and discussing them with your partner.

We are now going to read pages 28, 29, and the "Glowing in Secret" section on page 30: "In the American Midwest, a forestry professor is hunting for biofluorescence in the woods.

He hears a chirping overhead and points his ultraviolet torch towards the sound.

In amongst the browns and greens, a flash of pink appears: the New World flying squirrel.

A surprising discovery was made that night.

New World flying squirrels glow bubble gum pink under ultraviolet light.

Their fur secretly fluoresces as they glide between the trees with their membrane wings.

These squirrels are most active at dawn and dusk when there is a lot of ultraviolet light around compared with other kinds of light, perfect conditions for fluorescing.

Is it a squirrel or an owl? The glow of a flying squirrel might confuse this feathery predator because owls glow biofluorescent pink too.

These mushrooms called Panellus stipticus are bioluminescent.

Several species of fungi glow in the dark, or maybe the glow is camouflage, helping the squirrel blend in with fluorescent lichen or bioluminescent fungus on the trees.

Just like you, we don't know for sure why flying squirrels fluoresce, but the pink glow might also help them spot each other in the twilight, just as wearing high-visibility gear makes you easier to spot when you're riding your bike or walking home from school in the dark.

Glowing in secret.

Biofluorescence is something of a mystery, like a language we haven't learned yet.

Around the world, scientists are now discovering that all kinds of familiar creatures have been glowing in secret without us even knowing." Let's check your understanding.

Select the correct statement about biofluorescence: a, it is not fully understood how or why biofluorescent creatures use their glow, b, biofluorescent creatures use their glow to entertain each other, or c, scientists know exactly how and why biofluorescent creatures use their glow.

Pause the video and answer now.

The answer is a.

Well done.

It is not fully understood how or why biofluorescent creatures use their glow, but scientists are working hard to understand it.

It's now time for another task.

Read pages 28, 29, and 30.

Discuss the answers to the following questions with your partner: a, why are New World flying squirrels most active at dawn and dusk? b, how might the purpose of flying squirrels' glow be similar to humans wearing high-visibility gear? And c, what other animal also glows biofluorescent pink? Remember to use your strategies.

Use the layout features to navigate the text.

Use your retrieval strategies to find the answers, and look for clues to help you, for example, bold writing.

Pause the video and do the task now.

Let's take a look at the answers.

For a, why are New World flying squirrels most active at dawn and dusk? You should have said, "That is the time of day "when there is the most ultraviolet light around." For b, how might the purpose of flying squirrels' glow be similar to humans wearing high-visibility gear? The answer is it might help flying squirrels spot each other like high-visibility gear makes us easier to spot and c, what other animal also glows biofluorescent pink.

The answer is owls are another animal that glow biofluorescent pink.

Well done for applying your retrieval strategies and discussing these questions with your partner.

It's now time for the second part of our lesson: summarising our understanding of the text.

To summarise means to pull out the key information and ideas from the text.

This helps information to stick in our brains, and it builds comprehension.

What have we learned from "Curious Creatures Glowing in the Dark"? We know that there are creatures in our world that use light, just like us, to communicate and survive in their environments.

Some of these creatures glow using bioluminescence, a chemical reaction that takes place inside their body, and other creatures glow using biofluorescence, a result of absorbing ultraviolet light from the sun or the moon.

Let's check your understanding of key vocabulary so far.

Match the vocabulary to the correct definition.

Our vocabulary is bioluminescence, biofluorescence, communicate, and survive.

The definitions are to share or exchange information, the emission of light by a living organism caused by a chemical reaction within it, to continue to live or exist, and the emission of light by a living organism as a result of absorbing ultraviolet light.

Pause the video and answer now.

Let's take a look at the answers.

Bioluminescence is the emission of light by a living organism caused by a chemical reaction within it.

Biofluorescence is the emission of light by a living organism as a result of absorbing ultraviolet light.

To communicate means to share or exchange information.

To survive means to continue to live or exist.

Well done.

We are now going to read about why it is important to learn about these creatures that glow in the dark.

Let's read pages 34 to 37: "A glowing future.

Creatures that glow in the dark are inspiring humans to find extraordinary new ways to save energy, protect the planet, and track diseases.

Bioluminescence can help us to look after our oceans.

In Florida, glow-in-the-dark bacteria are being used to test for pollution.

A bright glow means healthy water, but dim light means pollution by pesticides, heavy metals, and plastics.

Medicine borrows from nature too.

Bioluminescence and biofluorescence can help scientists track how diseases move around the body.

This helps us understand how to make people better.

A team in the United States created glowing watercress using the same chemicals that give bioluminescent animals their light.

Now, scientists in Russia, the UK, and Austria have made glowing plants using genes from bioluminescent mushrooms. The idea is that one day we might save energy with living desk lamps that don't need plugging in.

Scientists in Denmark are trying to invent glow-in-the-dark trees, which they dream might one day help to light our cities.

We share our planet with these extraordinary animals that glow in the dark.

It's easy to see our differences, but we also have lots in common.

They are driven to communicate, to survive, and to thrive just like you.

These creatures have been making light on earth for millions of years.

Now it is up to us to keep their light glowing." Let's check your understanding of what we have read.

How can learning about creatures that glow help humans? a, it is fascinating to read about, b, it can help us find ways to save energy, protect the planet, and understand human diseases, or c, it can teach us how to make ourselves glow.

Pause the video and answer now.

The answer is b.

Well done.

Scientists are studying these creatures so that they can find ways to save energy, protect the planet, and understand human diseases.

It's time for your final task.

You have learned so much about creatures that glow in the dark and the science behind it, so I would like to know how would you use bioluminescence or biofluorescence to help our world if you could? Some examples are, "I would use the science behind it "to light up our streets in the winter "so that our mornings and evenings aren't so dark," or, "I would like all children "to study and see bioluminescence and biofluorescence "to encourage more people to become scientists." Pause the video and discuss the question with your partner now.

What was your idea? Let's take a look at some possible answers.

You might have said, "I would create biofluorescent handheld torches "so that I could see anywhere in the dark," or maybe you said, "I would use it to test food for pesticides "to make sure that what we are eating is safe and healthy." Any idea that would be beneficial to humans and our planet is inspiring, and I wish I could hear all of your ideas.

We have now come to the end of our lesson, so let's look at a summary.

Using the layout features to navigate a non-fiction text helps us build comprehension.

Using strategies like skimming and scanning for keywords helps us retrieve information quickly.

Summarising what has been read helps knowledge to stick and builds comprehension.

Creatures on our planet create light naturally through the process of bioluminescence and biofluorescence.

Understanding the science behind glowing creatures can help us protect the planet and understand diseases.

Well done for all of your hard work building comprehension of "Curious Creatures Glowing in the Dark.".