Second Grade - ELA
1: Community
Unit 1: Communities Around the World
Lesson 1
Exploring a Community
Students locate and read labels on the "Map of a Community," interpret the map key and scale, and measure distances with a ruler, practicing comprehension of a technical informational text. Students use the word box and label pages in "Places in the Community," read building names, and write sentences about why places are important, practicing reading and extracting information from social-studies content. Students read and follow step-by-step directions for cutting, folding, and assembling nets for rectangular prisms and cubes, engaging with technical directions and procedural text.
Lesson 2
Roles of People in Communities
Students are asked in Activity 3 to look through books or on the Internet to find communities and jobs, and in Activity 4 to read about a selected worker in an encyclopedia or online. In Option 2 of Activity 1 students write a sentence about each community worker and identify the noun and verb, and Activity 2 has students place workers on a map based on where they work. The wrapping up prompts ask students to name jobs and describe how workers help the community, which requires extracting and expressing information from informational sources.
Lesson 3
Goods and Services
Students read and respond to short informational material about goods and services (the Facts and Definitions section) and label items as goods or services on the 'Using Goods and Services' worksheet. Students read and solve word problems on the 'Math in the Market' page, which requires reading comprehension of short expository prompts. Students create a two-column chart classifying examples from a read-aloud and record where goods can be found, practicing comprehension and categorization of informational content.
Lesson 5
Money
Students read short informational statements in the "Facts and Definitions" section that explain what money is and how people use it. Students read and fill in the "Values of Money" grid and the "Equivalent Amounts of Money" table, writing coin values and showing different coin combinations. Students answer wrap-up questions aloud or in writing about how people get money and the value of each coin, demonstrating basic comprehension of the provided informational content.
Lesson 7
Work and Money
Students read and respond to short informational elements: the Facts and Definitions section and the brief scenarios on the "Limited Resources," "Working Together," and "Making a Choice" activity pages. Students read job descriptions, record predictions and timed results on a datasheet, and write explanations for their choices, demonstrating comprehension of procedural and descriptive information. Students also read and use vocabulary words in the spelling activity, reinforcing word meaning in informational contexts.
Lesson 8
Customs and Holidays
Students are asked to "read more about these holidays on the Internet" and to read texts from the Bible or children's books when discussing religious holidays, indicating opportunities to read informational or explanatory material. Students write holiday names and dates, fill prompts about "We celebrate this holiday because...", and label countries and holidays on map pages, which requires extracting and recording factual information. Students also discuss the significance of holidays and trace historical foundations by locating countries and reading short facts provided (e.g., Cinco de Mayo victory in 1862).
Lesson 9
Different Communities
Students are asked to "read about the country" they selected in books or on the Internet, and to record information on a Country Research graphic organizer. Students practice comprehension by answering high-level questions about texts, summarizing what they learned during the Wrapping Up activity, and completing tasks that require extracting facts (food, goods, homes, clothing, holidays). Students compare and synthesize information from informational sources using Venn diagrams and produce written responses such as acrostic poems and interview questions.
Lesson 11
Government and the People
Students read short informational passages and definitions about government (e.g., "To vote means...", descriptions of president/governor/mayor and services the government provides). Students read and follow directions on multiple Student Activity Pages (Voting, Adding Votes, Government Flowchart, The Government Helps Citizens) and answer questions that check understanding (e.g., explain why it is important to allow everyone to vote; identify which book the class voted to read). The lesson instructs an adult to help the child read through problems and to locate places on maps, so students practice reading social studies content and map labels.
Lesson 12
Rules and Laws
Students read and discuss the Facts and Definitions section and short informational activity pages titled "Rules and Laws" and "Consequences." Students read Situation 1 aloud, decide whether each directive is a rule or law, and write consequences and classifications (natural or authority) for scenarios. The advanced option asks students to research laws in their community or state, requiring them to read external informational resources.
Final Project
Community Brochure
Students are asked to "look over some examples of brochures" and talk about the artwork/pictures and the information presented in the text, which has them read and discuss an informational text form. The organizer prompts students to record sentences for informational sections (goods and services, holidays, jobs, money, and community change) and to use vocabulary words such as money, goods, services, wants, needs, rural/urban, human resource, and natural resource. Students are instructed to think about and describe dates, reasons for celebrations, and how the community has changed over time, requiring comprehension of informational content about social studies topics.
Unit 2: Citizenship
Lesson 1
A Good Citizen
Students read and use the Facts and Definitions section and definition boxes on activity pages to learn informational definitions (citizen, responsible, care, help, honest). Students read and answer comprehension questions after "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," sequence events in the Scene by Scene activity, and describe community changes in the wordless book Home, demonstrating comprehension and use of illustrations. Students collect and organize data with the Citizenship Chart and Citizenship Graph and answer questions that require interpreting that informational data.
Lesson 2
Decisions and Consequences
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Read and comprehend fiction and nonfiction (LA)." Students are asked to read the title and author and attempt to read Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse aloud, listen to a read-aloud, and answer comprehension questions about characters and events. Activities ask students to analyze actions and consequences (e.g., Lilly's Actions Chart) and to match actions with consequences in a game, which practices comprehension and analysis of text events.
Lesson 3
Diversity in the Community
Students are asked to read informational social studies materials: pages 10-11 and 28-29 of The Usborne Children's Picture Atlas, look at pictures of communities, and view a playlist of short informational videos about people from each continent. The lesson explicitly lists the skill "Use text to locate important information (LA)" and asks students to read about a country on the Internet or in books before conducting an interview. Students are guided to write five interview questions, record answers, and then write short answers summarizing what they learned from the interview.
Lesson 4
Living in America
Students read short informational passages and labeled pages about the American flag (facts about 13 stripes and 50 stars) and complete sentence prompts on the activity page. Students read the Pledge of Allegiance and are asked to explain the meaning of each part and answer comprehension questions (Why do we have a pledge? Why is a republic important?). Students read the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner" (sheet music/lyrics) and practice singing, and they follow written directions on activity pages to color, count, and place stars.
Lesson 6
Leaders in the Community
Students are asked to read (and listen to) a biography and answer specific comprehension questions about the person's name, where they grew up, events in childhood, hardships, characteristics, and how they helped the community. Students complete structured biography-book templates that require them to record facts (birthplace, childhood events, greatest success) and to state leadership characteristics and similarities to themselves. Students write a paragraph about a leader they know and label/draw community leaders, which requires extracting and communicating information from an informational source.
Lesson 7
Inventors
Students are asked to read a short biography about an inventor (Activity 3) and answer comprehension questions about the inventor's life, inventions, and similarities to themselves. Students complete informational writing tasks in Activity 1 by describing how listed inventions helped people and identifying subjects and predicates in those sentences. In Activity 2 students examine real inventions, name their functions, identify important parts, and write a paragraph about a favorite invention, engaging with science/technical aspects of informational texts.
Unit 3: Plants and Animals
Lesson 2
Animal Structure
Students read and use factual statements (Facts and Definitions) about animal coverings and body parts. Students read and write vocabulary from a word box, match body-part names to pictures, and label or circle graph titles and axis labels in the Coverings Graph activity. Students are asked to locate and discuss pictures of animals in books or online and to answer questions about graph data (e.g., which covering had the most animals).
Lesson 3
Classifying Animals
Students are directed to read about animals in books, encyclopedias, or on the Internet (Activity 3, Activity 6, Activity 7) to decide whether animals are reptiles, amphibians, or mammals. Students use informational facts and definitions (e.g., descriptions of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, warm- and cold-blooded) to sort and label animal groups (Activities 1–4). Students are asked to recognize features of a paragraph and to write a paragraph pretending to be an animal (Activity 9), which connects to comprehension of informational content and organizing ideas.
Lesson 4
Animal and Plant Communities
Students read short informational statements (e.g., the Facts and Definitions section: "Habitats are the communities where plants and animals live") and follow instructional text to label habitats and classify animals. Students examine the Rainforest Community page and extract information by counting and categorizing animals to create a bar graph. Activity 3 instructs students to consult books or the Internet for help finding animals that live in forests, and Activity 5 has students record and classify animals observed at a zoo or aquarium.
Lesson 5
Animal Needs
Students are asked to locate information about a chosen animal and record its habitat, food, water, and shelter (Activity 2), which requires consulting informational sources. Students write descriptive information for a zoo label (Activity 4) and complete prompts about habitat, diet, and body features when building a new animal, which requires extracting and organizing factual information. The Getting Started section lists facts and definitions about habitats that students review and use in activities.
Lesson 6
Extinct and Endangered Species
Students read and work with explicit informational content in the "Facts and Definitions" and introductory paragraphs that explain endangered and extinct animals. Students are instructed to "read different theories about why the dinosaurs disappeared" and to read and use the "Endangered Species Puppet Show Script," which require reading informational or explanatory text. The skills list and wrap-up prompts ask students to "demonstrate familiarity with a variety of texts" and to "answer high-level questions about a text," indicating comprehension tasks tied to informational material.
Lesson 7
Plants
Students read the informational page "A Plant" about plant parts and their functions and label each part on a diagram. Students answer questions and summarize information as listed in the Skills section, and they sort plants into categories after reading definitions of flowering and non-flowering plants. Students follow procedural/technical directions for the plant experiment, make observations, record measurements, and compare results over time.
Lesson 8
The Role of Plants
Students are asked to look on websites or in books to determine the names of unfamiliar plants for their Nature Journal, which requires them to read informational sources about plants. The Skills list explicitly includes "Demonstrate comprehension of text by answering questions and summarizing information," and several activities (Plants Used in My Community; answering questions after The Giving Tree) require students to read or reference texts and then answer comprehension questions or write summaries. The Plants Used in My Community activity asks students to identify plant products and write sentences about their uses, linking reading with science content.
Lesson 9
Comparing Living Things
Students read short informational statements in the "Facts and Definitions" and the Introduction that describe similarities, differences, and needs of plants, animals, and people. Students read and use Student Activity Pages that present labeled informational charts (Needs: Oxygen, Space, Shelter, Food, Water, Sunshine, Soil, Other Humans, Clothing) and check boxes to identify which organisms need each item. Students read simple declarative sentences on the Spelling page (e.g., "People need air.", "Plants need sun.") and copy them, reinforcing basic informational content.
Lesson 10
Life Cycles
Students are asked to find pictures in books or on the Internet and discuss each stage of frogs, butterflies, and humans, requiring them to read informational sources. Option 2 explicitly asks students to "read each box and draw a picture of the animal at each stage," and Activity 4 asks students to "read the clues on the 'Life Cycle Logic' page and decide the length of each animal's life cycle." Students sequence stages on the "Discovering Life Cycles" page and describe life cycles in the Wrapping Up prompt, demonstrating comprehension of the science informational content.
Lesson 11
Community Members Depend on One Another
Students read and use short informational elements such as the "Facts and Definitions" section and labeled activity pages that define herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore. Students read and follow directions on Student Activity Pages to label habitats, match organisms, and place or number items in food chains. Students are prompted to consult an encyclopedia or the Internet if unsure about an animal, which directs them to read external informational sources.
Final Project
Nature Guide or Habitat in a Box
Students are asked to research a chosen habitat and complete informational pages (plants, animals, life cycle, food chains, endangered species) that require gathering factual details such as names, sizes, diets, and why a species is threatened. The activity directions mention finding pictures and information in magazines or on the Internet and filling out structured graphic-organizer cards and diorama labels. Students must describe and illustrate a life cycle and write two food chains, which requires understanding and recording science-based informational content.
2: Matter and Movement
Unit 1: States of Matter
Lesson 1
What Is the World Made Of?
Students read an informational science book (What Is the World Made Of?) independently and listen as an adult reads the same text aloud, stopping to discuss ideas and answer comprehension questions (e.g., What is the world made of? What are the three states of matter?). Students identify, label, cut/paste or draw examples from the book into categorized activity sheets (solids, liquids, gases) and sort pictures based on information from the text. Students use text information to write sentences describing observations from hands-on activities (balloon experiment, freezing water) and to explain how they determined each state of matter.
Lesson 2
Solids
Students are asked to reread pages 9–10 of the informational book What Is the World Made of? and to explain why a pencil will not go through a rock, which requires using information from that text. Students label and sort pictured objects, draw and label containers and their contents as solid/liquid/gas, and record observations and sentences (e.g., Investigating Solids, Spelling Journal), which require reading directions and using informational vocabulary. Several activities require students to record measurements, fractions, and lists based on real-world objects, connecting reading and comprehension of factual information to hands-on tasks.
Lesson 3
Liquids
Students are asked to read pages 12–13 of the informational book What Is the World Made Of? and describe what a liquid is, directly engaging with a science text. Students read a recipe (Reading a Recipe activity) and decide if ingredients are solids or liquids, showing comprehension of a technical/procedural text. Students are prompted to read labels (Activity 4) and map captions/names (Activity 9) and to describe and discuss what they read, demonstrating comprehension checks and use of informational sources.
Lesson 5
Comparing Matter
The lesson includes explicit informational statements under "Facts and Definitions" that describe molecules and differences among solids, liquids, and gases, which students must read. Students read and follow directions on multiple Student Activity Pages (labeling pictures as solid/liquid/gas, drawing molecule arrangements, and completing the "Counting Molecules" sheet with number words and numerals). Students are asked to explain how molecules differ and to write sentences using adjectives, requiring comprehension of the science content and procedural directions.
Lesson 6
Changes in States of Matter
Students are asked to read the directions on a JELL-O box and follow those procedural directions to measure water and prepare the JELL-O. Students read and respond to short informational prompts and questions on the activity pages (Melting Rates Graph, Measuring Ice and Water, Foods That Change, The State of It) and use those directions to collect data, make a bar graph, and answer comprehension questions. The lesson includes explicit factual statements (Facts and Definitions) and short labels (solid, liquid, gas) that students refer to when describing and classifying matter.
Lesson 7
Exploring Solids and Liquids
Students read the book What's the Matter in Mr. Whiskers' Room? and write three sentences describing events, answer comprehension questions, and reread specified pages. Students read and use the Natural Resources and Solid Materials pages (reading labels, circling items, and coloring/sorting by state) and follow procedural/technical texts: the Dancing Raisins experiment page and cake-mix directions to identify solids/liquids and record observations. Students are prompted to look up definitions of unknown words, put spelling words in alphabetical order, and record hypotheses and results, demonstrating comprehension of informational and procedural science texts.
Lesson 8
Our Bodies and Our World
Students are asked to read and identify states of matter on the Activity 1 diagram (labeling ears, saliva, air in lungs, bones, etc.). Activity 2 presents an explicit science explanation of digestion and has students trace the path from mouth to intestines and perform an experiment that requires following an informational procedure. The skills list explicitly states that students will "independently read aloud with fluency and comprehension text designed for emergent readers," and Activity 3 and Activity 6 require students to read scenarios/words and classify them as solids, liquids, or gases.
Final Project
States of Matter
Students read and respond to the States of Matter Test items (fill-in-the-blanks, multiple choice, and picture identification) that name and classify solids, liquids, and gases. Students read instructions and example sentences on the Solids and Liquids Collage pages and produce written sentences describing uses of liquids. Students read labels and short descriptors as they sort pictures and write adjectives or material labels for solids on their collages.
Unit 2: Earth
Lesson 1
Our Planet Earth
Students are asked to read the informational book You're Aboard Spaceship Earth and then point to examples of living things and locate examples of solids, liquids, and gases. Students label continents and oceans on a world map and answer map-based questions about ocean locations. Students write three sentences summarizing the book and use the book as a source to write a letter to an alien, and they answer comprehension questions about Earth and its features.
Lesson 2
Matter on the Planet
Students are asked to read pages 17–19 of You're Aboard Spaceship Earth and answer content questions about whether air is a solid, liquid, or gas and where oxygen comes from. Students read labeled items on the Sorting Earth Materials page and cut/sort pictures into solids, liquids, and gases. Students read provided adjectives on the Hardness/Color/Size sheet (Option 2) and use those words to identify and label Earth materials and write sentences using adjectives.
Lesson 3
Digging Into Dirt
Students are asked to read pages 20-32 of You're Aboard Spaceship Earth and to read about rabbits in an Internet or encyclopedia source, both informational texts. The lesson lists literacy skills including "Read aloud independently with fluency and comprehension" and "Listen critically to, interpret, and evaluate." Students complete comprehension tasks such as explaining how they solved the soil "Who Did It?" mystery in two to three written sentences, drawing and labeling places and soil layers, and making and recording predictions and results for the seed experiment.
Lesson 4
From the Earth
Students are directed to read factual sections and linked informational web pages (Precious Gems, Granite, Oil, Natural Gas) about Earth materials and natural resources. Students record where each resource is found and how it is used, label and circle materials on the "What I Use" map, and put resource words in alphabetical order from the "List of Resources" activity. Students read and apply the explanation of the Law of Conservation of Matter and solve related word problems on the activity page, linking informational content to math problems.
Lesson 5
Rocks
Students are asked to identify title, author, and illustrator and to attempt to read Everybody Needs a Rock aloud before an adult reads it, then answer comprehension questions about the book and analyze its illustrations. Students read and manipulate short informational items such as the Facts and Definitions section and the Rules for Finding a Rock activity, cutting out, ordering, and (optionally) writing summaries of those rules. Students record observations on the Rocks All Around chart and write sentences about items made from rocks, practicing extracting and using information from simple informational pages.
Lesson 6
Water, Water Everywhere
Students are asked to read pages 12–15 of You're Aboard Spaceship Earth and to read labels and depth numbers on the "Salt Water" activity page, supporting reading of informational science text. Students read names of sea resources on the "Resources from the Sea" sheet and solve related word problems, requiring comprehension of informational content. Students create and interpret a bar graph in "What a Catch!" and answer questions about the data, showing comprehension of informational displays.
Lesson 7
Taking Care of the Earth
Students read short informational passages and facts (e.g., "Facts and Definitions" about recycling and pollution) and answer related questions. Students read materials lists and step-by-step directions aloud and follow a technical procedure to make paper, demonstrating comprehension of a procedural/technical text. Students read the "Air Pollution" and "Is It Recyclable?" pages, identify and circle examples, sort items into bins, and compute total weights, showing they extract information and use it to complete tasks.
Final Project
Earth Exhibit
Students are asked to reread the book You're Aboard Spaceship Earth and to review materials and states of matter, providing direct engagement with a science informational text. Students complete planning pages that require them to write where each solid, liquid, and gas is found and why it is important, and to record descriptions and directions on exhibit cards. Students visit a museum to examine how exhibits present information and use those observations to plan and organize informational content for visitors.
Unit 3: Balance and Motion
Lesson 1
What Is Balance?
Students are asked to attempt to read the informational book What Is a Balance Scale? aloud, receive assistance as needed, reread if they cannot answer questions, and then answer guided comprehension questions about how a balance works. Students write two or three sentences describing the main idea of the book and read and follow step-by-step directions (Activity 9). Students also read problem prompts and weight labels on activity pages, record and total weights, and determine whether scales are balanced, demonstrating literal comprehension of science information and technical instructions.
Lesson 2
What Can Be Balanced?
Students are asked to read a dictionary definition of balance and to read and interpret the MyPlate informational diagram, then draw a meal that follows the guidelines. Students are prompted to "share and read about other examples" of balance in nature and to look for examples on the Internet and write a paragraph about one they read. Students read short expository passages embedded in the activities (facts/definitions, Balance in Nature) and discuss those ideas aloud.
Lesson 3
Symmetry
Students read and interact with explanatory text and definitions about symmetry (Facts and Definitions; Introduction) that describe what symmetry is and types of symmetry. Students follow written directions to decide whether pictured objects have vertical, horizontal, both, or no lines of symmetry and to draw lines of symmetry on images (Activity 1, Student Activity Pages). Students write three sentences describing a symmetrical picture they create (Activity 3), which requires comprehension and expression of the informational content.
Lesson 4
Force and Motion
Students are asked to read the informational book Move It! Motion, Forces and You aloud, use the table of contents to predict topics and locate pages, and answer comprehension questions about pushes, pulls, and motion. Students reread specific pages (pp. 16–19), conduct related experiments, record observations (e.g., measuring throws and track lengths), and complete activity pages that require identifying and explaining push vs. pull actions. Students also write sentences and a short paragraph describing drawings of motion, demonstrating comprehension and use of information from the science text.
Lesson 5
Gravity
Students read or hear informational science texts: they are asked to read the book Forces Make Things Move (or have it read aloud) and to reread pages 20-21 and pages 22-23 in Move It!. Students complete a ‘Forces Make Things Move: True or False' activity that requires them to read statements about forces and decide accuracy, and they discuss unfamiliar vocabulary after listening to text. Students also write a short explanatory paragraph about life without gravity and orally explain what gravity is, demonstrating comprehension of the informational content.
Lesson 6
Friction
Students are asked to read specific informational pages (page 24 of Move It and pages 16–21 and 32–33 of Forces Make Things Move) and to follow investigation instructions described on pages 26–27. Students decide the order of skaters based on friction, measure and compare travel distances in the Friction Investigation, and explain what friction is and give examples of high- and low-friction surfaces. Students complete text-based tasks (choosing verb forms in Science Sentences) that integrate content from the informational texts.
Final Project
A Wordless Skit
Students are asked to reread books on balance and motion to gather ideas for planning their pantomime and to look for pictures of pantomimes on the Internet or in books. Students record information from those sources onto a graphic organizer (the "Balance and Motion Skit" activity pages) by listing actions and props for concepts such as Balance, Push, Pull, Gravity, and Friction. Students reflect and explain what they have learned about balance and motion after the performance.
3: Culture
Unit 1: Geography
Lesson 1
Using Maps and Globes
Students read and listen to multiple informational texts: they read The Armadillo from Amarillo aloud and consult an encyclopedia or Internet sources about armadillos (science/informational). Students read pages from The Usborne Children's Picture Atlas and examine map sheets (technical texts) and complete map activity pages that require interpreting titles, keys, scales, and compass roses (technical/social studies). Students answer comprehension questions aloud, fill in the "Where in the World Am I?" activity, chart journeys on a Texas map, and write a paragraph about a trip, demonstrating comprehension and application of information with adult scaffolding.
Lesson 2
Cardinal Directions
Students read and use the Facts and Definitions section that names and explains north, south, east, and west. In Activity 1 and the compass-rose materials, students read labels and write the direction letters (N, S, E, W) and identify north on a compass. In Activity 4 and the Student Activity Page (Treasure Map), students read a map key, follow written directions, and answer four questions about what features are north/south/east/west of other places.
Lesson 3
Landforms and Bodies of Water
Students are asked to read informational pages in The Usborne Children's Picture Atlas (pages 22–27) and to read about rivers and lakes in books or on the Internet. Students cut and match pictures to definitions on the 'Bodies of Water and Landforms' page, which requires them to identify and comprehend factual descriptions. Students answer comprehension and application prompts in 'Life Near the Water' by matching positive/negative aspects and writing a paragraph about where they would like to live. Students use information to create posters and write sentences describing how people are affected by landforms and bodies of water.
Lesson 4
Natural Resources
Students read and discuss the Facts and Definitions section and the introductory explanation of natural resources. Students complete the "What Are Natural Resources?" matching page, draw lines or pair resources with products, and read and use the "Natural Resources in the United States" map to place and label resources. Students use the "Researching Resources" sheet while an adult helps locate books or Internet sources and reads information aloud, then answer questions and illustrate the resource, showing comprehension of informational content.
Lesson 5
Habitats and Geography
Students are asked to read informational pages 14–21 of The Usborne Children's Picture Atlas and to reread them while answering questions about habitats and how geography affects people. Students read a short nonfiction passage about camels and are directed to read information about a local animal in an encyclopedia or on the Internet. Students label habitats, place or draw organisms in the correct habitat, and write sentences explaining how animals or plants are used by people, which requires extracting and applying information from nonfiction sources.
Lesson 6
Geography, Weather and Natural Disasters
Activity 3 instructs students to "Read about each natural disaster and help your child find the answer to his questions," which requires students to read informational texts about floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Activity 5 asks students to "read the weather forecast from the newspaper or on the Internet" and then write sentences describing the weather and related activities. The Skills section explicitly includes using geographic terminology when reading maps, indicating students engage with informational geography texts and representations.
Lesson 7
The Seven Continents
Students read Discover the Seven Continents aloud and are asked to locate specific facts (e.g., Sahara Desert, Amazon River) by looking back at pages and using pictures and words to find information. Students use an atlas and world maps to label the equator, color climate bands, and point to parts of continents with warm or cool weather, applying information from informational maps. Students label, cut out, and order continent outlines by size and paste labeled continents onto a paper mâché globe, demonstrating comprehension and application of geographic information.
Lesson 8
People Change Geography
Students are asked to read ingredient/materials lists on household items and record the natural resources used (Activity 2), and to look on the Internet or in books for pictures and descriptions of farms and write a sentence about each crop/farm they read about. The lesson provides definitional informational text (facts about pollution and how people change land) that students discuss and use to generate examples during Activities 1 and 3. Student pages prompt students to extract information (e.g., identify natural resources for canned foods, boxed foods, and clothing) from real-world informational sources.
Final Project
Geography of a Continent
Students are asked to use Discover the Seven Continents as their first source and to revisit pages showing land features, animals, and environments to find information. Students are instructed to look for additional information in other books and on the Internet and to use pictures and words from those sources to complete the provided "About the Continent" research page. Students must synthesize that information to create a poster or prepare a presentation with at least three props, which requires extracting and organizing facts from informational texts.
Unit 2: People Around the World
Lesson 1
Exploring Culture
Students are directed to read an informational passage about culture (pp. 10–13 in The Usborne Children's Picture Atlas) and answer explicit comprehension questions (e.g., What are some things that people do in different cultures? How do people share ideas?). Students complete written activity pages that require extracting information (the Interview page) and producing written/illustrated summaries of cultural elements (Looking at My Culture). Students compare and contrast the interviewee's culture with their own during the wrapping-up discussion, demonstrating comprehension and synthesis of informational content.
Lesson 2
Traditions
Students read multiple informational passages about traditions and holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Chinese New Year, Cinco de Mayo, Kwanzaa) and complete related comprehension tasks. Students read about Christmas around the World and locate countries on a map, compare and contrast celebrations using a Venn diagram, and answer guided questions about similarities and differences. Students follow technical, procedural texts when they read and execute the step-by-step maraca-making directions and read the Chinese New Year Dish page linking foods to their meanings. The lesson explicitly lists the skill to "connect ideas and themes across text."
Lesson 3
Different Religions
Students read explanatory paragraphs describing Ramadan, Easter, Hanukkah, and Christmas and the role of religion in culture, which provides informational text for comprehension. Students complete a matching activity that requires them to connect holidays to the correct religion and symbol, demonstrating comprehension of the informational descriptions. Students read a small data table about religions in a neighborhood, construct a bar graph from that data, and answer questions about which religion is most/least common and numerical comparisons, showing comprehension of informational/technical text (a data table).
Lesson 5
Transportation in Culture
Students are asked to read about methods of transportation on pages 12-13 of The Usborne Children's Picture Atlas and to identify places on maps in that atlas. Students read directions and word boxes on multiple informational activity pages (e.g., "The Need for Speed," "Landforms, Bodies of Water, and Transportation," and "Transportation & Trade") and use that information to match vehicles with speeds, choose appropriate transportation for different landforms, and label resources carried by vehicles. Students are prompted to "read more about the job in a book or on the Internet," and to write labeled responses that reference factual information (e.g., labeling, capitalizing proper nouns).
Lesson 6
American Culture
Students read explicit informational content such as the "Facts and Definitions" statements and the "Leaders in America" reading cards and then match each leader to his or her contribution. Students locate and describe places on a map (e.g., Liberty Bell and Statue of Liberty) and use reference sources (encyclopedia or Internet) to find pictures of symbols. Students read and extract information to complete the "American Culture" outline and to write a letter explaining cultures and tips for living in the country.
Lesson 7
History of America
Students read informational pages in The Usborne Children's Picture Atlas (maps and timeline) and locate explorers' origins and landings. Students listen to and/or read Three Young Pilgrims and answer explicit comprehension questions about causes, events, and relationships (e.g., why the Pilgrims left, who helped them). Students read the "Indian" informational pages and the "First Thanksgiving Foods" list, circle and record foods, and complete a Venn diagram and written comparison of Pilgrim life versus present-day life. The skills list explicitly instructs reading nonfiction and discussing how/why questions in narrative and expository texts.
Lesson 8
Asian Culture
Students are asked to read the informational book Explore Asia and to discuss its content (habitats, resources, clothing, activities) and to use that information to complete a multi-page guidebook. Students read and interpret Chinese Zodiac descriptions and record family birth years and traits, and they read and record factual information about giant pandas from encyclopedias or websites. Students follow procedural/technical text when they read and execute the origami frog instructions and follow abacus directions for place-value addition, and they write a paragraph about living in Asia and answer comprehension questions about cultural differences.
Lesson 9
African Culture
Students are asked to read the book title, make predictions, and listen as the book Africa Is Not a Country is read aloud while they identify nations discussed on their Map of Africa. Students answer specific comprehension questions about clothing, activities, land, homes, animals, and foods, and they use information from the book to complete a Guidebook to Africa and a Venn diagram comparing themselves to a child in an African country. Students record foods from the text, conduct a family taste test and tally votes, and are asked to use the Internet or an encyclopedia for additional factual information if needed.
Lesson 10
South American Culture
Students read the informational book Explore South America independently and then listen to it read aloud, and they reread specific pages (e.g., pages 8–11, 16–17, 21–29) to answer targeted questions about geography, weather, and culture. Students sequence events from a narrated Amazon journey by cutting and ordering event cards and use the book to locate map features (Andes, Amazon River) and draw map symbols. Students follow procedural/technical text directions to build a bottle cap tambourine and use web links to research a South American animal and complete a guided worksheet and a multi-page guidebook.
Unit 3: Stories Around the World
Lesson 6
Cinderella Stories Around the World
Students read and reread three culturally rooted texts (Yeh-Shen, The Egyptian Cinderella, The Irish Cinderlad) and answer questions about main characters, setting, and cultural details. Students locate countries on a world map and identify cultural information (for example, finding Egypt on a map and describing what they learned about Egyptian culture from pictures and text). Students complete comparative organizers (Cinderella Elements Chart, Venn diagram, Folktales and Culture sheet) that require them to extract and record information from the texts.
Lesson 7
Theme
Students are asked to read informational text about animals in Activity 5 and to read information about the animal(s) they selected, then integrate facts into their stories. The skills list requires students to "distinguish fiction from nonfiction" and to "demonstrate familiarity with a variety of texts," including newspapers and signs. Activity 5 also has students investigate the needs and characteristics of animals, which involves reading and using factual information.
Lesson 9
Poetry
Students read A Child's Calendar (a collection of American poems) and answer questions that require identifying rhyming words and personal connections to pictures. Students use two "Life in America" graphic organizers to find and record weather, clothing, homes, holidays, activities, and animals using examples from the poems and pictures. Students read nursery rhymes from Costa Rica, Italy, and Japan (with English translations) and are asked to state what they learned about those cultures.
4: Relationships
Unit 1: Living Things and Their Environment
Lesson 1
Relationships Among Organisms
Students read and use explicit science vocabulary and short definitional text (Genetics, Offspring, Trait, Heredity) on the Inheritance Vocabulary activity page and match words to definitions. Students read instructions and item labels on multiple student activity pages (Parents and Offspring, Shared Traits, Inherited Traits or Learned Behaviors?, Heredity in Plants) and complete comprehension tasks such as sorting, matching, and describing similarities and differences. Students watch short informational video segments with accompanying read-aloud text and then use that information to complete related activities and discussions.
Lesson 2
Heredity Lab
Students encounter and use written informational material: short "Facts and Definitions" explaining generation and species, step-by-step procedural text for the craft, and a "Generations of Species" activity page with labeled generations. Students read or follow the written instructions to assemble creatures, color and label traits across Generation 1–3, and orally discuss how traits changed. Students also write spelling words and sentences, connecting vocabulary to the science content.
Lesson 3
Sun, Moon, and Stars
Students listen to or read the informational book Does the Sun Sleep? and answer explicit comprehension questions about day/night, moon phases, and stars. Students reread specific pages, complete related activities (shade the world map by temperature, draw hot/cold habitat organisms, label and describe stars, and complete constellation connect-the-dots), and discuss observations from demonstrations (flashlight/ball for sunlight and rotation).
Lesson 4
Seasons and Living Things
Students read the informational book Sunshine Makes the Seasons (either independently or via read-aloud) and answer explicit comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) about Earth's rotation, tilt, and day length. Students label seasons on the "Seasons on Earth" activity page and follow step-by-step instructions from the book to build a seasons simulation, applying information from the text to a hands-on model. Students watch short informational videos about hibernation and migration and complete related activity pages (sequencing animals in the cave, making a bird feeder) that require extracting and using information from those sources.
Lesson 5
Rivers
Students listen to or read the informational book Life Cycles: River and answer specific comprehension questions about differences between ponds and rivers and about animals in the text. Students use the book's Contents page to locate where animals live and are asked to list producers and consumers from the text on a chart. The lesson explicitly asks students to know and use text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes) to locate key facts and includes activities requiring students to write stage descriptions in their own words and construct a river food chain using information from the book.
Unit 2: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Lesson 3
The Queen Mary
Students explore informational resources about the Queen Mary by visiting linked websites and completing a "Queen Mary Research" sheet that asks factual questions (e.g., first sail date, wartime transformation, nickname). Students are directed to read aloud or follow along as an adult reads and to use text features (bold titles) to find information efficiently. The lesson's skills list explicitly requires students to know and use text features and to gather information from provided sources to answer questions.
Unit 3: Connecting with the Past
Lesson 2
Colonization and the Revolution
Students are asked to read informational history books (Your Life as a Settler in Colonial America and sections of O, Say Can You See?) and watch linked historical videos. Students answer specific comprehension questions about the texts, label and add dates to an American timeline, and complete activity pages (map shading of the Thirteen Colonies, a George Washington fill-in page, and a "Colonists and the American Revolution" response page). Parent read-aloud and guided discussion prompts are provided as scaffolding while students practice summarizing, explaining significance, and interpreting short quoted passages from the Declaration of Independence.
Lesson 3
Slavery and the Civil War
Students listen to and re-read informational pages (e.g., pages 24–25 of Your Life as a Settler in Colonial America and pages about the Lincoln Memorial) and watch biography/history videos about Henry Box Brown, Harriet Tubman, and Abraham Lincoln. Students locate dates and descriptions in those texts and add them to a timeline, complete fill-in-the-blank biography pages, and list five character traits for Henry with evidence from the book on a cut-out cube. Students draw and write consequences of the Civil War on a dedicated activity page and glue descriptive text to a monument page, showing they extract and record factual information from history/social studies sources.
Lesson 4
Immigration
Students listen as pages 1–25 (and later the rest) of National Geographic Readers: Ellis Island are read aloud and answer targeted comprehension questions about characters, events, and details. Students listen to recorded immigrant oral histories, retell stories, and describe surprising or notable details from those primary-source interviews. Students examine and interpret black-and-white photographs, decide whether they are primary or secondary sources, imagine and describe what people in the photos are experiencing, and add dates and descriptions to a timeline. Students complete a written/drawn "Connecting with the Past" page tying the informational content to present-day impacts.
Lesson 5
Civil Rights
Students read The Story of Ruby Bridges and answer guided comprehension questions (QUESTION #1–#4) about character, events, and perspectives. Students view historical photographs and watch short biography videos about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks, then place dates and descriptions on a timeline and complete "Famous Americans" and "Civil Rights" activity pages that include informational text about these figures. Students are asked to explain the Civil Rights Movement in their own words and fill written prompts about how the movement changed lives, demonstrating reading-to-explain comprehension of history/social studies texts.
Final Project
Preparing Projects
Students assemble and order informational materials: they color and post a timeline and place pages for a "Famous Americans" book in chronological order, which requires understanding sequence of historical information. Students glue topical pages labeled "Colonists and the American Revolution," "Slavery and the Civil War," "American Immigration," and "Civil Rights" onto a poster in chronological order, showing engagement with labeled informational topics. Students practice explaining connections by preparing and presenting the "Connecting with the Past" poster and are prompted to explain how past events impact life today, and family members are invited to read the student's book and look over the timeline.
6: Reading
Unit 1: Semester 1
Lesson 5
More R-Controlled Vowels
Students read an informational science text ("All About Storms") on their own and then read it aloud while pointing to each word. Students answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., Why does it rain? What is hail? What might you see or hear during a thunderstorm?) that require understanding of the text. The lesson also asks students to read grade-level text with purpose and understanding and to read orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression, supporting comprehension and fluency.
Lesson 15
Words Ending with ed and ing
Students preview and predict the content of The Red-Eyed Tree Frog and read the book aloud across two days, with prompting to point to words and decode as needed. Students identify and discuss specific informational details from the book (how the frog scares the snake; why eggs are laid over water) in response to direct questions. Students receive scaffolded decoding support (help with two-syllable words like "tadpole," modeling pointing to words, and rereading) while reading the science text.
Unit 2: Semester 2
Lesson 6
Possessives
Students read a short informational "Theme Words Paragraph" about visiting a neighborhood, circle/highlight theme words, and are encouraged to read that paragraph aloud (Activity 2.1). Students complete a "Finding Words in the Text" task that has them locate specific vocabulary (e.g., buildings, sidewalk, lawn, city, thought) and answer text-based questions tied to pages of Chapter 1 (Activity 4.2). Students also read Chapters 1–2 of Penny and Her Marble and answer comprehension questions about key details, showing practice with reading and understanding text.
Lesson 9
Vowel Teams
Students visit an online weather site (Activity 2.1) to read a local forecast and choose which theme words (e.g., "sunny," "warm," "dry") apply to particular days. Students record descriptive weather words on a five-day Weather Conditions chart (Activity 5.1), using the forecast to select and write words that describe sky and weather conditions. These tasks require students to locate and use information from a real-world informational source (a weather forecast).
Lesson 10
Consonant Teams
Students read short informational descriptions about seasons and holidays and then write the name of the season that best applies (Day 2 Activities: 'Seasons and Holidays' page). Students match pictures to seasons and temperature thermometers and label holiday graphics (Day 4 Activity 4.1 and Day 5 Labeling Seasons and Holidays). Students locate and record specific words in the informational-like text elements (Finding Words in the Text) and complete matching and fill-in exercises based on those descriptions.