First Grade - ELA
1: Environment
Unit 1: Habitats and Homes
Lesson 1
My Environment
Students are asked orally to describe their environment and to answer questions such as what they drink, where food comes from, and what provides shelter. As students tour rooms, they answer prompts about what each room is used for, circle items that contribute to a healthy environment, and explain why they selected those items. Students read or listen to words on the activity pages (caregiver reads missing letters or the paragraph) and then respond by labeling rooms, numbering the order visited, and discussing the importance of rooms. Students are asked to read a paragraph aloud in Activity 3 and to record or dictate their answers about the most important room.
Lesson 2
What Is a Map?
After the read-aloud Me On the Map, students are asked specific questions (What is the name of our country? state? town? our address?) and are prompted to answer these repeatedly until they can provide correct answers. In mapping activities students locate items on visual maps and answer positional questions such as What is beside the refrigerator? and What is in front of the couch?. Students label items on map worksheets, paste or draw objects in correct locations, and verbally identify places on world and U.S. maps shown as media.
Lesson 3
Guide to Animal Habitats
The introduction prompts students to identify the title and author and to make predictions (e.g., "Can you point to the title of the book?" "What do you think this book is about?"). During reading students are asked to point out and count animals and plants in each habitat, and the skills list explicitly includes "Listen to and answer questions about text read orally." Activity 5 and other prompts have students answer questions about habitat details (what they see, how it would feel, which animals they'd want to see).
Lesson 4
Animals Live and Grow
Students listen to a read-aloud of Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt and are asked seven specific comprehension questions (e.g., season on first page, why plants need water) with expected answers provided. Adults are instructed to ask the child what he learned about how animals and plants survive and to discuss plant needs, prompting students to answer orally. In Activity 2 students analyze the living things they recorded for each habitat and are asked to find and record examples of a consumer and an energy source, completing activity pages with those details.
Lesson 5
Discovering Animal Habitats
Students are prompted to give examples from Crinkleroot's Guide to Animal Habitats, requiring them to answer questions about a text read aloud. Activity 2 provides a list of oral questions about each habitat for students to answer from pictures and discussion. Activity 6 asks students to answer specific questions about their completed pictorial graph (e.g., which habitat had the most/fewest animals), requiring them to interpret information presented visually. Several activities ask students to describe animals and label habitats based on illustrations and web/media resources.
Lesson 6
Exploring Animal Habitats
During the habitat observation, adults ask the child targeted questions (e.g., 'Where are the plants?', 'What animals do you see? What are they doing?', 'What do you think the animals eat/drink?') and the child records and discusses responses. Students compare their pre-visit predictions with their observations, answering questions about key details they saw in the habitat. Activity 2 has students find information in a book or online and answer teacher prompts about what life would be like for a chosen animal, then dictate a story based on those details.
Lesson 7
Tools in My Environment
The lesson repeatedly prompts the adult to ask the child questions about orally presented information and observations (e.g., "What is the tool used for?" and "How does the tool work?"). During the scavenger hunt and sorting activities, students are asked to identify and describe tools they find and to answer questions about their use and frequency of use. The wrapping up section asks students to tell what a tool is and which tools they used to measure, requiring answers about key details from the oral explanations and hands-on exploration.
Lesson 8
Animal Care
The Skills section explicitly lists "Answer questions about a text (LA)." Activity 2 directs an adult to read The Salamander Room aloud and then ask the child multiple specific comprehension questions (e.g., What kind of animal did the boy find? Where did he find it? What kind of environment did the salamander need?). Activity 1 and the Life Application also prompt oral Q&A (e.g., What do pets need? What would happen if we didn't provide a healthy environment?).
Lesson 9
Animal Designs
Students hear short captions read aloud and are asked to name the animal and habitat, analyze how each animal moves, and circle body parts that help movement (Activity 1). Students are asked to explain why animals do or do not belong in pictured habitats and to identify misplaced animals, verbally stating reasons (Activity 2 and Activity 3). Students tell and describe a creative story about an animal in the wrong habitat and discuss which body parts help movement during the wrap-up.
Lesson 10
Amazing Animals
The Skills list explicitly includes "Listen critically to text read aloud" and "Respond to critical questions about a text," indicating students will hear text and answer questions. In Activity 2 the adult reads scenarios aloud and asks direct comprehension questions (e.g., "What will happen to the starfish's arm?", "What would you do if you were the lizard?"), prompting students to explain and role play answers. The Wrapping Up section directs the adult to ask the child to tell about animals learned that day, prompting oral answers about key details.
Lesson 11
Amazing Me
Students are read short scenarios and asked aloud how they would change to fit the environment (Activity 1), and they respond to those questions. Students are asked to share a time they changed because of the environment and to read their ideas aloud or have them read back (Activity 3). Students review words aloud and circle faces that match feelings for pictured items (Activity 2), showing they answer questions about information presented orally and visually.
Final Project
Animal Research / My Environment
The introduction prompts students to respond to specific oral questions (e.g., "Can you describe the environment in which you live?"; "What do habitats give to the animals that live in them?"), and caregivers are told to provide hints and follow-up questions as needed. The wrapping up asks students to explain each page of their book and to share what they enjoyed most, requiring students to answer questions about information they present. Option 2 asks students to use books, magazines, or the Internet to find information about an animal and to complete pages that summarize that information, which involves responding to information presented through other media.
Unit 2: Weather
Lesson 1
Reading the Skies
Students are asked specific comprehension questions after a read-aloud in Activity 1 (e.g., "What type of weather is best for playing outside?"; "How does it make you feel when it rains?"), and the Skills list includes "Listen critically to text read aloud" and "Respond to text read aloud." Students are also prompted to view and describe pictures of weather and to listen to weather forecasts on radio/TV and discuss vocabulary and maps, providing opportunities to answer questions about information presented orally or through media.
Lesson 2
Types of Precipitation
After the read-aloud (Activity 1) students are asked specific questions about habitats, weather in pictures, and character details from the book. Activity 2 and the accompanying pages ask students to reread selected pages, discuss types of precipitation, and label or identify precipitation in pictures based on the text. Activity 4 asks students to make a prediction, describe what is happening during the rain demonstration, and count/describe raindrops, requiring oral responses about observed information.
Lesson 3
Measuring and Charting Weather
The lesson instructs an adult to ask the child questions such as "what she thinks would happen if an animal's habitat got too warm or cold," and to ask the child to give examples of how weather can be measured and how weather helps plants and animals. The lesson directs the adult to look at Crinkleroot's Guide with the child and ask her to describe what the weather can be like in different habitats, prompting oral description of key details from a book. Activities also prompt the child to explain methods (e.g., how she could measure rainfall with a jar) and to discuss measurements recorded on the thermometer activity page.
Lesson 4
Simulating Weather
Students are asked to name three things the wind can move and to go outside to identify things the wind is moving, providing practice answering questions about observed details (Activity 1). Students are asked to explain what happens when the bottle is squeezed and released during the cloud experiment, prompting them to answer questions about cause-and-effect in an oral demonstration (Activity 2). Students are asked to read or point to words in the Weather Song and are asked explicit questions about words and letters, and are asked what happens in the sky to cause rain during the Wrapping Up section.
Lesson 5
Fall
The lesson includes direct prompts for the child to answer specific questions about an illustrated fall scene (e.g., "What are the people wearing? What do the plants and trees look like? What are the people doing?"), asking students to identify key details in the picture. It also asks students to answer interpretive questions about a pictorial graph (e.g., "What does this graph show us? Which color has the fewest leaves? Which color has the most leaves?"), requiring students to extract key information from visual media. The lesson directs adult-led review of months with a calendar and provides a months video link, which asks students to respond to oral or multimedia information about seasons and months.
Lesson 6
Winter
The lesson repeatedly prompts the adult to ask the child questions (e.g., "Ask your child what season follows fall," "Ask him to describe what he sees in the pictures," and "Ask your child how the weather in the winter is different from the weather in the summer"). Students are asked to find winter pages in a book and describe pictures and compare those pictures to their own environment, and they are encouraged to attempt to read their dictated story aloud. The lesson also directs showing a picture of the Earth and Sun (other media) and discussing why winter is cooler, prompting the child to respond.
Lesson 7
Spring
Students are prompted to listen to poems read aloud and then answer questions such as "what the poem was about" after each poem. Activity 2 includes orally delivered directions with follow-up questions like "How many seeds are there?" and "Is it an even or odd number?" Activity 3 asks students to observe and answer questions such as "Does it move/fall off?" and "Why did it move/fall off?" The Wrapping Up section asks students to respond to review prompts about what special things happen in spring and what a seed needs to become a plant.
Lesson 8
Summer
The lesson includes direct question prompts for the child (e.g., "Can you describe the environment of the picture?", "What is happening in the picture?", and questions in the Getting Started section about seasons and activities"), which require students to answer orally. The story activities ask students to read or listen and to choose words to fill blanks in a short passage, and then read the completed story aloud, which asks students to respond to key details presented in text. The Changes in Weather page asks students to place seasons on a temperature continuum and complete fact-based fill-in-the-blank sentences (e.g., "______ is the warmest season"), requiring students to answer questions about presented information.
Final Project
Weather Games
Students are prompted to look through Whatever the Weather and either read it aloud or recall pages, then pick the page that matches the outside weather and answer a series of observational questions (temperature, wind, precipitation, clouds, suitability for being outside). Students listen to or watch weather forecasts and then prepare and report their own three-day family weather forecasts, using the Weather Forecast graphic organizer to answer specific questions about sky, precipitation, temperature, clothing, and activities. During wrapping up, students are asked to describe what they learned about weather, their favorite season, and how weather changes throughout the year.
Unit 3: Community
Lesson 1
On the Town
After the read-aloud of On the Town, students are asked specific comprehension questions such as "What is a community?," "What places did Charlie visit in his community?," and "Why did Charlie write down the places he visited…?" The teacher also prompts students to predict the book's content by showing the cover and asking what they think the book might be about. At the end, students are asked to discuss what a healthy community provides and to compare Charlie's journey with their own community, drawing and writing or dictating a sentence about a place Charlie could visit.
Lesson 2
My Community Environment
Students are read Me on the Map and then asked to point out streets, buildings, and the river and discuss the purpose of each place. Students are prompted to trace paths on the community map and answer comparative spatial questions (e.g., which building is closer or farther). Students write or dictate descriptions of places on a poster, describe communities found in books, and prepare and ask interview questions to people who work in community buildings.
Lesson 3
Jobs in the Community
Students are asked to identify what each community worker does and how the job makes the community better (Activity 1 and Option 2). Students record observations and answer specific questions about their tally chart (Activity 2 asks them to total sightings and identify which worker they saw most/least). Students describe and write simple sentences about how each worker helps citizens and attempt to read or dictate those sentences aloud (Activities 5 and 4 include recounting and reading their observations).
Lesson 4
Goods and Services in the Community
The instructions prompt an adult to ask the child to name important places in the community and to ask how each place helps people, which requires the child to answer questions about key details. The Wrapping Up section directs the adult to ask the child to describe goods and services offered and to explain why people have jobs, requiring oral responses about content. Activities also require the child to read names of buildings and read prices aloud and respond (e.g., count dollars and decide which items she can buy), providing additional opportunities to answer orally about presented information.
Lesson 5
Resources
Students are asked to explain how each gathered resource is used and where it is found (Activity 3). The lesson includes teacher prompts and review of definitions (natural vs. manmade) that students respond to. Wrapping Up and the "Questions to Explore" prompt students to answer questions about differences and community/environment resources.
Lesson 6
A Good Community Citizen
Students are prompted to listen to actions read aloud (e.g., the list of behaviors like Frank, Maria, Caleb) and decide for each whether the person is being a good citizen, explaining how they made that decision. Students sort and classify pictured behaviors into "Good Home Environment" and "Not a Good Home Environment," draw and label examples, and provide other examples of good and bad citizenship. Students describe examples of family members' good citizenship (dictating or writing observations) and answer wrap-up questions about what it means to be a good citizen and how they can act in the home and community.
Lesson 7
A Citizen with Character
Students listen to/read aloud short stories ("A Lesson in Honesty" and "The Boy Who Cried Wolf") and answer teacher/parent prompts such as "What do you think will happen next?", "Did Riley do anything wrong?", and "What should Riley have done?" Students retell key events by illustrating and writing the beginning, middle, and end of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Students read character actions in books and describe those actions and their consequences, recording them in a two-column chart.
Lesson 8
Rules and Laws
Students listen to the story "The House with No Rules" read aloud and respond to specific comprehension questions (e.g., "What kinds of things happen in the house with no rules?" "Would you stay in the house with no rules? Why or why not?"). Students read or hear the household rule sentences in Activity 1 and are asked to state which rule is most important and explain why, then put rules in order. Students hear items read aloud in Activity 2 and decide whether each is a law, a rule, or both, then place each item on the appropriate web.
Lesson 9
Caring for Our Communities
The lesson includes a read-aloud story, "When One Person Cares," followed by explicit comprehension questions (e.g., beginning/middle/end, where Katy lives, what she does to be a good citizen) that students are asked to answer. Multiple activities ask students to discuss pictures and explain choices (e.g., placing an X or circling features in the two community pictures, naming three things that make a community healthy and explaining why). Role-play and guessing activities require students to respond orally about scenarios and community helpers, and the wrapping-up prompts ask students to explain why caring for the community is important.
Final Project
I Can Make A Difference
The lesson includes multiple prompts for students to answer questions: a list of "Questions to Explore," a set of "Unit Assessment Questions" (e.g., "What is a community?", "What are some jobs of people who work in the community?"), and a "Project Reflection" section with oral/written questions (e.g., "Were you able to carry out your plan?", "How did you affect the person/people you helped?"). Parents/teachers are instructed to ask the child to give examples and to ask what she learned, and the student is prompted to write and speak about her experience and check off steps as she completes them.
2: Similarities and Differences
Unit 1: Amazing Attributes
Lesson 1
Describe It
In Activity 1, students listen to the adult describe objects orally and answer by guessing which object is being described, practicing responding to orally presented information. In Activities 2 and the Wrapping Up, students answer questions about how pairs of objects are similar or different and explain what it means to describe something, practicing answering teacher prompts about key details and attributes. Students also take turns describing objects aloud for a partner to identify, which gives practice in producing and responding to spoken descriptions.
Lesson 2
Animal Attributes
Students are prompted to identify and describe living vs. nonliving items by circling pictures and explaining how they know which objects are living. Students are asked to identify animal body parts from pictures or a read-aloud (Crinkleroot) and to describe how those parts help animals move. Students sort animals by body coverings and write or name examples, and adults are instructed to ask children to describe similarities and differences between animals. Multiple activities require students to answer teacher questions about key details in pictures and informational statements.
Lesson 3
Size, Shape, and Color
Students are asked to answer questions about object attributes (e.g., describe the size, shape, and color of a metal spoon and how it differs from a wooden spoon). Students are prompted to answer questions about color mixing (e.g., what makes purple, green, orange) and to watch a video about primary colors and then describe what they learned from the video. Students are asked to describe and organize objects by size and to name and draw real-world examples of shapes they find around the house.
Lesson 4
How Does It Feel?
Students orally describe and identify objects pulled from a bag while blindfolded and then answer questions when asked to guess each object. Students listen to example sentences read aloud (e.g., "We jumped in the icy, cold lake and got wet.") and discuss how texture words help imagine objects. Students respond to discussion prompts such as whether describing only texture was enough to identify objects and what the world would be like if everything felt the same.
Lesson 5
How Old?
Students are prompted to read or listen to questions and decide which question they would ask each illustrated person (Activity 2), and to reread the questions aloud or have them read aloud. Students answer oral prompts about age and living things (e.g., identifying a tree as living or nonliving, finding oldest/youngest people or trees) and connect age numbers to pictures by drawing lines or pasting numbers. Students generate and record their own questions for each person, practice writing question marks, and respond to prompts on the student activity pages.
Lesson 6
The Measure of Things
Students watch a video about a balanced scale and are asked to stop at 2:13 and demonstrate understanding of what it means for the scale to balance. Students respond to multiple oral prompts (e.g., what a doctor measures, how they know their height/weight, differences between height and weight, and why two people might differ) and record estimates and measured values on activity pages. Students complete worksheets that require answering comparative questions (circling which item weighs more, filling in which item is longest/shortest, and completing sentence stems about comparisons).
Lesson 7
More Attributes
The materials prompt an adult to ask the child to explain what an attribute is and to describe similarities and differences (Introduction). During activities, the child is asked to describe block shapes, explain how blocks are similar or different, decide on sorting groups, and answer which toys belong in each part of a Venn diagram (Activities 1, 3, 4). The wrap-up asks the child to name shared attributes and describe how toys differ, which requires answering oral questions about presented information.
Lesson 8
Amazing Attributes
Students watch a sink-or-float video and are told to "focus on the 'why' some objects float and other objects sink," then discuss density and relate it to their experiment. Students make predictions and test objects in the Magnetic or Not and Sink or Float activities, then compare the way objects were sorted to their predictions and discuss which predictions were correct. The lesson includes explicit prompts such as "Ask your child what a magnet is" and "Ask your child what causes an object to sink or float," and lists guiding Questions to Explore for students to consider.
Lesson 9
Solids and Liquids
The activities repeatedly prompt the child to respond to oral questions (e.g., explain the difference between solids and liquids; what caused the ice cube to change; what happened to the water in the freezer). Students examine demonstrations and media (ice in microwave, water in freezer, pictures on the activity page) and are asked to describe observations and causes. The Student Activity Page and cut-and-paste categorizing tasks require students to identify and explain key details about examples of solids and liquids.
Lesson 10
Earth Materials: Rocks, Soil, and Water
Students are read aloud the books Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt and Over and Under the Pond and are asked multiple specific comprehension questions (e.g., Can you name three solids..., Can you describe any liquids..., Describe the habitat of the pond). The lesson includes prompts for students to answer questions after watching videos about soil, rocks, and water and to describe observations from hands-on activities (e.g., describe how the dirt looks, feels, and smells; describe what happens when drops of water are placed on a plate). The Skills list explicitly states that students will "Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood."
Lesson 11
Using Earth Materials
Students are prompted to describe the three Earth materials they explored in the prior lesson, which requires answering questions about previously presented information. Students watch a music video about rock types and are asked to think about how rocks are used, and families are instructed to discuss discoveries during a scavenger hunt and gardening activity, prompting responses to information presented through media and oral discussion.
Final Project
Presenting Attributes
The lesson repeatedly prompts adults to ask the child questions (e.g., "ask your child to name the different attributes," "ask your child what Earth materials he could use," and the 'Questions to Explore' list). The lesson requires the child to prepare and practice oral presentations (demonstration or poster) and to present to family or a small group, during which the child explains attributes and how they show similarities and differences. The Wrapping Up section provides explicit questions for the child to answer about his project performance and choices.
Unit 2: Senses
Lesson 1
My Five Senses
Students are prompted to answer specific comprehension questions after reading My Five Senses (e.g., name the five senses, identify the body part for each sense, which sense finds color, which senses recognize shape). Students describe objects using their senses and explain how they determined attributes (asking how they figured out attributes and which body parts they used). Students watch or could watch a linked video and are asked to discuss their understanding, providing opportunities to answer questions about information presented through media.
Lesson 2
Senses and Body Parts
Students listen to a story read aloud ("Jackie's Day at the Pet Store") and pick up and glue the body part when Jackie uses a sense, showing they identify key details from oral text. Students are asked to name their five senses and give examples, and to point to the body part used for each sense during review, which requires answering questions about sensory details. In Activity 2, students hear situations read aloud and point to the sense organ they would use, practicing answering oral questions about details.
Lesson 3
Smelling and Tasting
Students are asked oral questions at the start (e.g., which sense they use most and situations where they use it) and during wrapping up (which tastes they enjoy and which organs are used). In Activity 1 students smell and taste items, answer whether they like them, say if they want to taste them, and guess what they are. In Activity 2 students ask four people to taste selected foods, record yes/no responses on a chart, and then answer summary questions such as which flavor people liked most or least and why.
Lesson 4
Hearing and Seeing
Students listen to The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses read aloud and answer teacher-posed comprehension questions about specific events and characters (e.g., "What happened when the bus driver flipped the green switch?", "Whose nose did the bus travel into?"). Students close their eyes and listen to two spoken descriptions in Activity 5 and decide which place is being described, using oral details to identify locations. Students go on listening walks (Activities 5 and 7) and describe and compare what they heard versus what they saw, recording and responding to orally presented information.
Lesson 5
Touch
The Introduction directs an adult to ask the child what "texture" means and which sense identifies texture, prompting oral question-and-answer about presented information. The "Questions to Explore" section lists open questions (e.g., Why do similarities and differences make the world more interesting?) that the child can answer orally. Activities such as Sensory Art and Feel It! ask the child to identify which senses she is using, describe how ingredients feel, and describe or guess items by touch, all requiring oral responses to prompts.
Lesson 6
Experimenting With Our Senses
Students are asked and answer specific oral questions after the blindfolded taste test (e.g., Were your first answers the same as your second answers? If your answers were different, why?). In the Scratch 'N Sniff activity students taste/smell items and answer which spice is on each card and whether they think it would taste good on food. In Activity 3 students tell a story about a favorite flavor that is recorded and then read aloud, providing material for oral discussion.
Lesson 7
Using All of Our Senses
Students listen to pages 21–end of My Five Senses and are asked which senses the boy used and how he used each sense. The Skills section explicitly lists that students will "Listen to stories and text read aloud" and "Interact with reader when text is read aloud (questions, comments, and ideas)." After the nature walk and book activities, adults ask targeted questions (e.g., "What were some things you heard? Smelled? Saw? Touched?" and "If someone asked you what you found on your walk, what would you say?").
Lesson 8
Writing About Our Senses
Students are asked to describe an apple using their senses, responding orally to prompts about sensory details. In Activity 1 (Sensing Logic) students listen to or read clues presented about an item and then answer by selecting which picture fits the oral/written clues. In Activity 2 students listen as a paragraph is read, complete sensory fill-in-the-blank sentences about popping popcorn, and then attempt to read their report aloud.
Final Project
A Sensible Party
The Wrapping Up section lists direct oral questions (e.g., "Did the party go well? Why or why not?", "Did the guests use their senses to find similarities and differences? How?") that require the child to answer key details about the event. Game 1 asks students to compare their party plan with a sample to find similarities and differences, prompting students to identify and discuss specific details from written materials. The Introduction instructs an adult to "Read the sample sheet with her," which provides a read-aloud instance of information the student can refer to when answering questions.
Unit 3: We're the Same, We're Different
Lesson 1
You're Special
Students are prompted to read the questions aloud on the "You Are Special" page and then answer those questions in writing and orally. Students complete a paragraph using their answers, read their personal story aloud, share it with others, and respond to prompts such as "What do you like about your story?". Students discuss and compare personal numerical details with family members and respond to teacher prompts during wrap-up discussions about similarities and differences.
Lesson 2
Physical Characteristics
The lesson includes a read-aloud story ("Different Friends") followed by multiple comprehension questions that require the child to retell the story, identify beginning/middle/end, and answer specific questions about characters' intentions and outcomes. After the story, students cut event boxes apart and put them in story order, which has them demonstrate understanding of key details and sequence. Activity 1 also prompts students to answer targeted questions about similarities and differences in physical features of illustrated people.
Lesson 3
Different Personalities
Students are prompted to explain the meanings of vocabulary words and to circle words that describe their own personality (Activity 1), which requires them to respond to questions about word meanings and personal details. In Activity 2 students write names, draw faces, paste or write personality words for themselves and a friend, circle words they have in common, count them, and describe how they are alike and different, which requires answering questions about key details. In Activity 3 students record and illustrate main characters from a movie or cartoon and then think of two words to describe each character's personality, which asks them to identify and respond to details presented through media.
Lesson 4
Interests and Hobbies
In Activity 3, students are asked to read survey questions aloud and interview three people, asking questions like "What is your hobby?" and recording the answers. In Activity 2, students go to the library, gather information about an interest, and then use that information to answer five specific prompts on the "My Interest" sheet. The Hobby Survey and My Interest prompts ask for factual details (how often, what they enjoy, what they already knew, and questions they have), requiring students to both ask and answer detail-focused questions about orally presented information and texts they consult.
Lesson 5
Shapesville
As the story is read aloud, students identify the shape of each character, count sides and angles, and describe physical characteristics (color, sides, angles, eye color). After reading, students answer direct comprehension questions such as 'Did you enjoy the story? Why or why not?', 'What doesn't matter in Shapesville?', 'How do the shapes look different on the outside?', and 'How are the shapes' personalities different?'. In follow-up activities students explain why they selected a particular shape for themselves or family members and dictate or share descriptions of personality and interests.
Lesson 6
Different Families
Students are prompted to answer questions in the Introduction (e.g., name family members, explain responsibilities, describe activities). During Activity 1 students listen to A Life Like Mine and are asked to talk about different people, foods, and homes and then draw illustrations representing key needs. In Activity 2 students identify pictures of families, describe clothing, activities, and interactions, and complete sentence prompts or a Venn diagram comparing their family to a family in the book. The Wrapping Up section asks students to explain how their family is similar to and different from others and why families are important.
Lesson 7
Different Homes
Students are directed to listen to pages 26–35 of A Life Like Mine and identify and describe the different homes shown, answering questions such as why people have homes and what materials were used. The lesson prompts students to recall and explain what a natural resource is and to identify materials used to build their own home. Wrapping-up prompts ask students to state whether they would enjoy living in a different type of home and to explain why, and activities have students find homes in the book or online and record country names and details.
Lesson 8
Different Holidays and Traditions
The lesson directs adults to read about holidays in encyclopedias or on websites and to ask the child specific questions (Activity 2: "What are the people celebrating? What types of activities... clothing... foods?"), which requires the child to answer key-detail questions about information presented through media. The lesson repeatedly prompts oral discussion (e.g., "Ask your child to name some holidays," "Ask her what she enjoys," and discuss why your family celebrates), asking students to respond about details and reasons. Activities also have students match symbols to holidays and place holidays on calendar dates, which asks students to recall and answer questions about factual details from the provided text and images.
Lesson 9
Different Modes of Transportation
The lesson directs the child to look through books/websites and find examples of transportation in pictures (e.g., A Life Like Mine) and to discuss reasons for choosing specific modes. Activities ask the child to answer questions about scenarios (circle or write the best mode of transportation for getting from Point A to Point B, number illustrations from closest to farthest). The lesson asks the child to tell a story about a trip and to talk about where he has traveled when drawing or circling modes he has taken.
Lesson 10
Wants and Needs
Students are asked orally to describe what people and animals need and to discuss pages 46–51, 56–61, and 66–71, answering questions such as why children need an education, play, and love and care. In Activity 4 students take a survey in which they ask four people to name two things they want and two things they need, record responses, and then discuss whether the reported items are truly wants or needs. Wrapping-up prompts ask students to name things all people need and to explain what it means to want versus need, providing additional opportunities to answer questions about orally presented information.
Lesson 11
Being Part of a Group
Students listen to pages 98–113 of A Life Like Mine and then discuss what identity, nationality, and religion mean and how these are similar or different, which requires answering comprehension questions about the read-aloud. Students are asked to think of reasons people might join a group and to brainstorm community groups, which involves answering and responding to orally presented prompts. In Activity 1 students sort picture cards and then answer explicit questions (Which group has the most people? Do two groups have the same number? Which group has the shortest/tallest people? Which group would you be in?), practicing answering questions about details in visual information.
Final Project
Differences Make the World Go 'Round
The lesson provides guiding "Questions to Explore" (e.g., "Why are there differences among people and families?" and "How can we describe things by similarities and differences?") that prompt inquiry. Students are directed to read about a chosen country in a book or on the Internet and to discuss nonfiction vs. fiction, which exposes them to information presented through text and media. Student Activity Pages require students to fill in specific details (e.g., location, food, hobbies, homes, clothing, transportation, holidays) about themselves and a child from another country, and the Life Application explicitly encourages students to "ask questions about life in that country" when meeting someone from that place.
3: Patterns
Unit 1: Identifying and Creating Visual Patterns
Lesson 1
What Is a Pattern?
The lesson has students listen to Busy Bugs read aloud and then answer explicit prompts such as identifying the title and author, guessing what the story is about, and describing the types of patterns seen on pages 6–11 and 12–25. The teacher/parent is instructed to ask specific comprehension questions (e.g., "Have you ever seen a pattern? Where?" and "Have you ever made a pattern?") and to have the child explain patterns found in the text and in nature. Several activities require students to point to items and describe sequences (e.g., "First, there is ___; Next, there is ___") and to explain completed patterns after play or reading.
Lesson 2
Recognizing Types of Patterns
Students are asked to point out ABAB and AABB patterns when the book Busy Bugs is reread and to identify patterns on the Caterpillar game and activity pages. Students are asked to decide whether each row on the activity pages is a pattern, to label objects as A or B, and to explain how they decided. Students are prompted to answer direct questions such as how many colors are in the set and how many objects are in a pattern.
Lesson 3
What Comes Next?
Students are prompted to answer questions about patterns using prompts such as "What comes next?", "What comes first in the pattern? Next?", "What comes before __?", and "What comes after __?". They examine visual media (pattern rows and radiating shapes) and respond by identifying pattern order, naming ordinal positions, and explaining how they know what comes next. Students also practice labeling items (A, B, C) and describing details of images (e.g., thick vs. thin lines) in response to teacher prompts. Activity 4 has students write a question asking about what comes next, reinforcing question formation.
Lesson 4
Extending a Pattern
Activity 1 prompts an adult to ask the child "what would come next" when extending a pattern, giving students practice answering questions about a presented sequence. Activity 2 has students recreate patterns (or have the patterns read to them) and then answer questions and complete sentence prompts about each pattern. The wrap-up directs the child to explain how he extends a pattern, which has students respond orally about details of the pattern they made.
Lesson 5
Making Color Patterns
The lesson prompts students with Questions to Explore and asks the child to think of ways to use colors and demonstrate ideas, which requires oral response. Instructions tell the child to describe the patterns she creates and to demonstrate a variety of color patterns, which has students answering prompts about their work. Activities include teacher-led discussion points (e.g., doing the first caterpillar together and discussing the tracing) that require students to speak about observed or created patterns.
Lesson 6
Shapes and Patterns
Students are prompted to describe the order of shapes in sequences and decide whether each set is a pattern (e.g., saying "The first shape is..., the second shape is..."). Students label shapes with A, B, or C and identify pattern types (ABAB, AABB, ABC). Students follow written pattern directions on the "Reading Patterns" sheets, sound out words, recreate the patterns with attribute blocks, and play an online caterpillar game (media) and then describe the patterns they see.
Lesson 8
Creating and Writing About Patterns
Students listen to called-out pattern letters and recreate the patterns in Activity 2, requiring them to attend to orally presented information and reproduce its sequence. In Activity 4 students are presented with a pattern (created by an adult) and asked to figure out and describe the pattern, which requires answering questions about the presented sequence. Several activity pages and prompts (AABB, ABAB, ABC sections; First/Then/Next; First–Eighth; "comes before"/"comes after") ask students to state key details of a pattern's order in writing or speech.
Final Project
Patterns Poster or Patterns Presentation
Students plan and practice an oral presentation in which they describe and demonstrate seven types of patterns using a written "Script for Presentation," showing they will present information orally. The script pages prompt students to write descriptive lines for each pattern, which requires them to state key details about each pattern when presenting. After the project, students are asked a series of reflective questions (e.g., "How did you think your project went?"), which require them to answer questions about information they presented.
Unit 2: Patterns in Sounds, Words, and Actions
Lesson 1
Word Patterns
Students are prompted to listen and respond when an adult says words (take, bake, rake) and asks what they hear, identifying the shared -ake pattern. In Activity 1 students circle repeating word parts and add another word that follows the pattern, showing they answer questions about word details. In Activity 2 and Activity 3 students listen to nursery rhymes and poems, identify and record rhyming words they hear, and in Activity 4 students reread Bear Hugs and identify the habitat for each animal from the text.
Lesson 3
Poetry Patterns
The lesson directs an adult to read poems aloud and then ask the child what each poem is about, prompting the child to identify key details of the poem. Activity 1 asks the child to identify and circle rhyming words after reading each poem, and Activity 2 has the child listen to a song read/sung aloud and guess which rhyming word comes next. The lesson also asks the child to recite words that follow the same pattern and to explain how to find rhyming words after listening.
Lesson 5
Story Patterns
Activity 1 has an adult read a short story aloud and ask the child to predict what will happen next and to answer specific questions such as "What happened at the beginning of the story?" "What happened in the middle?" and "What happened at the end?" Activities 2 and 3 require students to illustrate and describe the beginning, middle, and end, dictate or write sentences about those parts, and act out or dramatize events, which involves recalling and explaining key details from a read-aloud.
Lesson 6
Sound Patterns
Students are asked directly whether they heard a pattern and what type of pattern it was (e.g., "Ask him if he heard a pattern. Ask him what type of pattern he heard"). Students listen to rhythms and are prompted to name the repeated sounds and to count how many times each sound occurs (e.g., "ask him to name the two sounds repeated"; Activity 2: "record the number of times each sound was made"). Students listen to patterns presented orally and then describe the order of the pattern and extend or imitate the pattern (Activities 1–3).
Lesson 7
Making Sound and Action Patterns
The lesson prompts an adult to ask the child questions such as "how sounds can be used to make patterns" and to ask the child to "provide an example," which requires the child to answer about orally presented information. Students are asked to perform or listen to created sound patterns and the adult is instructed to "check to make sure she made a pattern that repeats itself," requiring students to respond about key features of the pattern. The wrap-up directs the adult to ask the child "what it means to have a pattern made from sounds and a pattern made from actions," prompting students to explain orally.
Final Project
Patterns Video
Students read words from books or poems and explain the pattern aloud, and they use script pages to record the type of pattern, where they found or made it, the parts of the pattern, and how the parts create the pattern. Students use sequencing prompts ("First comes..., Then...") on multiple activity pages to describe key elements and order of patterns. Students practice and present these explanations on video and watch the recording to reflect on what they said.
Unit 3: Patterns in Your World
Lesson 1
Patterns in Nature
The lesson has an adult read aloud pages 1-11 of Pattern and directs the child to identify and describe the pattern in each picture, which asks students to answer questions about details in a read-aloud. The lesson includes explicit follow-up questions (e.g., "Were there any patterns that you had seen before? Which ones?" and "Were there any patterns you had not seen before? Which ones?") that require students to answer about key details. Activities also ask students to examine images from books or the provided web slideshow and say which patterns are most interesting, connecting orally presented media to specific details.
Lesson 2
Patterns of Growth
Students are prompted to answer oral questions such as "How are you different now from when you were a baby?" and to organize and describe personal pictures from youngest to oldest (Activity 5). Students respond to discussion prompts about life cycles and explain what makes certain animals' life cycles unique after viewing suggested videos and web links (Activity 4). Students also answer questions about plant needs and parts during planting and park investigations, and are asked to describe growth patterns in the wrapping up section.
Lesson 3
Night and Day
Students are prompted to answer direct questions such as how they know when it is nighttime or daytime and what kinds of things happen during day and night. During the globe-and-flashlight activity, students spin the globe, observe when the taped U.S. is lit, and are asked to describe when it is daytime and when it is nighttime. The lesson includes a video link and explicit questions in Activity 3 (e.g., "How would it be different if it were light all the time?") and a final prompt asking the child to explain the pattern of night and day.
Lesson 5
Calendar Patterns
Students are prompted to name the days of the week and months of the year after an adult shows and explains a calendar. Students are asked to look at calendar months and identify events that occur weekly, biweekly, or monthly and to record each pattern they find. Students practice sequencing dates by ordering index cards with day, month, and year and by filling in days on activity sheets from a presented calendar or online calendar link.
Lesson 6
Seasonal Weather Patterns
Students are asked to name the four seasons and describe the activities and types of weather associated with each season. Students answer direct questions using the calendar and activity pages (e.g., "Which month comes after March?" "Which season comes before summer?" and fill-in-the-blank season sequencing). Students look at a map and discuss regional weather and match months to seasons and weather words on the 'Weather Patterns' page.
Lesson 7
Patterns at Home
The lesson directs an adult to read the Pattern book aloud and then have the child identify and describe specific patterns from the book (Activity 1). It provides a patterns video (other media) to share and asks the child to identify and discuss patterns seen in pillows, quilts, clothing, and dishes (Activities 2–4). The lesson also asks the child to name shapes and count sides and angles and to write or dictate a sentence describing a pattern (Activity 3 and Activity 5).
Lesson 8
Symmetrical Patterns
The lesson repeatedly instructs an adult to ask the child questions (e.g., "Ask your child to describe the pattern in the wings," "Ask him if the wings look the same or different"). Students are prompted to answer comparative and detail questions during activities (e.g., sorting shapes then "tell you which group has more shapes and how many more"). The Wrapping Up section asks the child to explain what symmetry means and to describe examples of symmetrical and non-symmetrical objects. The lesson also points students to an online "Symmetry Game," which presents information through other media that students can respond to.
Lesson 9
Counting Patterns
The lesson explicitly asks students to listen to a read-aloud story (Activity 3) and to fill in blanks tracking how many clowns enter the car as the story is read, and the Skills list includes "Listen to a story read aloud (LA)" and "Answer questions about a story read aloud (LA)." Students are asked to act out the story, place clown faces in the car while listening, and later tell their own version of the story while recording the changing number of clowns. Activity 4 has students write or dictate a sentence about the clowns, supporting oral-to-written comprehension of details from the read-aloud.
Lesson 10
Tracing Patterns
Students are asked to identify the holiday associated with each traced shape and to identify the original pattern after cutting, which requires them to answer questions about presented visual information. Students are asked to count the total number of shapes they created and to explain why it would be hard to create the patterns without a stencil, prompting them to answer questions about presented procedures. Students are asked to explain how to use a traced pattern and a stencil and encouraged to tell a story about objects they create, which elicits oral responses about key details of their work.
Lesson 11
Patterns in Graphs
Students are prompted to read titles and labels aloud and discuss the data on a bar graph, and to describe any patterns they see. The lesson asks students specific questions to answer (e.g., color days when John read two books, then answer how many books John would read the following Tuesday; answer questions about a chart such as what the chart tells us, how many types of people, and how many shirt colors). Students are asked to decide which charts/graphs have patterns and to describe patterns using labels like ABAB, AABB, or ABC, and to describe how to find patterns in graphs and charts during the wrap-up.
Final Project
Patterns All Around Lapbook
The lesson includes a set of "Questions to Explore" (e.g., Where are patterns found? How do you make a pattern?) that prompt discussion about patterns. The Introduction tells the adult to "talk about all the different patterns" and to "ask him to name different types of patterns he has found in his environment." The Wrap-up directs the adult to "ask him which mini-book he is most proud of and what his book teaches about patterns." The materials also include a web link to a tutorial video (media) for additional help.
4: Change
Unit 1: Changes on Planet Earth
Lesson 1
What Causes Change?
Students are prompted to answer oral questions such as "what it means for something to change" and "if she has seen anything change and how she knew it had changed." In Activity 1 students look at picture cards, match before-and-after pairs, and decide and explain what changed and identify causes and effects. In Activity 2 students observe pictured sequences and record whether each change is fast or slow, answering questions about the details in the images. In Activity 3 students draw before/after pictures, complete sentences describing a change and then attempt to read their work aloud, providing opportunities to answer questions about their own descriptions.
Lesson 2
What Changed?
Students are prompted to answer specific questions about the read-aloud section "Part 1: Things Change," including identifying examples of physical changes and naming chemical changes (e.g., crushed cookie, ripening banana). In Activity 2 students examine picture pairs on the "How Did It Change?" page, circle which attributes changed, and discuss those changes. The wrapping-up prompts ask students to explain different ways change can happen and to give examples, which requires recalling and responding to details from the text and activities.
Lesson 3
Changing Position
The reading section directs an adult to read Zoom! Zip! Whoosh! aloud if the child cannot read and then to ask four explicit comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) with provided answers. The introduction prompts the child to look at the book cover and answer what is happening and what the book will be about. The wrapping up asks the child to explain ways that objects on Earth change position, and Activity 3 provides a video that presents information orally/through media for review.
Lesson 4
Changes in the Environment
The lesson has students listen to "Part 2: Seasons Change" and is instructed to "encourage him to answer the questions about the changes in the book," which requires answering questions about a read text. Activity 1 and the Wrapping Up questions ask the child to describe situations and explain how weather changes cause people to change activities, requiring oral responses about presented information. The Skills list includes "Listen responsively to text read aloud (LA)," indicating students engage with read-aloud material and respond to questions.
Lesson 5
Changes in Location
The introduction prompts the child to answer questions about how a stuffed animal changed and to describe where it is now. Activity 2 asks the adult to read aloud positional sentences and asks the child to move the mouse to the position described, requiring the child to answer and act on orally presented information. Wrapping Up has the child describe locations (and to follow directions to change location), which has the child give verbal details about positions.
Lesson 6
Changes in the Sky
Students are prompted to answer questions and describe observations verbally (e.g., Introduction asks the child to describe changes; Activity 2 asks the child what the adult is doing when revolving and rotating). Students respond to information presented through media by watching videos about the Sun, Moon, and Earth rotation and then discussing facts (Activity 1 and linked videos). Students complete oral and hands-on tasks that require them to state key details (e.g., listing adjectives for the Sun and Moon, explaining that the Moon reflects sunlight, and describing day/night differences).
Lesson 7
Living Things Change
Students are asked direct questions in the Introduction (e.g., what it means to be living, how the child changes, how animals change) and prompted to answer. In Activity 1 students are asked how and why the lizard changed, whether that change happens quickly or slowly, and to explain the rabbit's seasonal color change. In Activity 2 students observe picture pairs and answer the four guided questions (size, number, place, shape), circle words that describe the change, and judge whether each change is fast or slow. The Wrapping Up asks students to give examples of changes in animals, reinforcing answering questions about key details from illustrations and text references.
Lesson 8
Plants and Change
Students read assigned pages from National Geographic Readers and then answer two explicit comprehension questions about key details (e.g., What are some things plants are used for? How are plants similar to and different from animals?). Students watch videos and are prompted to recall and recite key information from the media (e.g., pausing the video so the child says the needs of a plant). Students make predictions about outcomes in the plant experiment and later compare observations to those recorded predictions, answering questions about what happened.
Lesson 9
Heat Causes Change
Students are asked to review pages 14-15 and 18-19 of Changes Happen All Around You and respond when prompted about burning and changes, providing opportunities to answer questions about a read-aloud. During experiments (ice → water → steam; burning candle; baking a cake) students are asked predictive and detail questions (e.g., "How is the ice changing?", "What caused the candle to change?", "Was it a physical or chemical change?") and record observations on activity sheets. The lesson repeatedly prompts students to describe observations, measure changes, and explain causes orally, which addresses answering questions about information presented orally or through demonstration.
Lesson 10
Chemical Changes
Students complete the 'Chemical or Physical Change' activity page by identifying each scenario as chemical or physical and are asked to explain how they made each decision. The activities prompt oral discussion (e.g., "Discuss the difference between physical and chemical changes") and instruct the adult to "ask your child to describe the difference" and to give examples. The mixing, egg, and bubble activities require students to observe presented phenomena and answer questions about those observations.
Lesson 11
People Change the Environment
Students watch the linked video What Can I Recycle? and then sort pictured items into recycling or trash bins, which requires them to answer questions about what the video and images say about recyclability. Students are prompted to describe each illustration on the "Humans Cause Environmental Change" page, explain how it is changing the environment, and decide if the change is positive, negative, or neutral. Students are asked to brainstorm and share ways people reduce, reuse, and recycle, responding to the initial "Questions to Explore."
Final Project
Mobile of Change
The lesson includes a set of 'Questions to Explore' that prompt the child to think about and discuss specific change-related questions (e.g., "What if the weather were always exactly the same?"). The skills and introduction instruct the adult to ask the child to think about situations and discuss them, and students are directed to report daily on weather changes and discuss how weather forces people to change. The wrapping-up section has students answer questions about which example of change is their favorite, state what they learned, and explain the mobile to family members.
Unit 2: Characters Change
Lesson 1
What's in a Name
Students listen to the story read aloud via the provided web link and are prompted with four explicit comprehension questions (How did Chrysanthemum feel before school? Why did she change her mind? What can you learn about words affecting others? How did Mrs. Twinkle change students' feelings?) which they are expected to answer. Students make predictions before listening (predict what the child might love then hate about herself) and attend to illustrations while the narrator reads. Students complete follow-up oral/written tasks that require answering about key details: interpreting feeling phrases, listing character traits at the beginning and end of the story, and answering vocabulary-in-context prompts.
Lesson 2
Why Worry?
Students watch a read-aloud video of Wemberly Worried and then discuss the story using four specific comprehension questions (e.g., whether Wemberly needed to be worried and why). The lesson asks students to describe what can be learned from Wemberly and to compare how Wemberly changed from the beginning to the end on the "Characters Change" activity page. The wrap-up asks students to state which story they enjoyed more and explain why, prompting oral answers about story details.
Lesson 3
Is It a Problem?
After the story read-aloud, adults prompt students with four specific comprehension questions about key details (how the author illustrates the problem; how the problem grows; how the boy handles the problem; what the boy learns). The Introduction and Activities ask students to identify problems in Wemberly and Chrysanthemum, to determine beginning/middle/end events, and to compare how characters change — all tasks that require answering questions about story details. Multiple activity pages (Beginning/Middle/End, Characters Change, and the guided question list) require students to locate, explain, and illustrate specific events and character traits from the text.
Lesson 4
Comparing Characters
Students are prompted to retell and summarize stories by dictating three- or four-sentence summaries that state the beginning, middle, and end (Activity 3). Students answer specific comparison and comprehension questions on the "Two Stories, Same Problem" page (e.g., "How are the characters' situations similar?" and "What can we learn from both characters?"). Students complete cause-and-effect matching and are asked to write their own cause/effect from the stories (Activity 4), and they record similarities and differences between characters using Venn diagrams (Activities 1 and 2).
Lesson 5
The Raft
Students are asked and guided to answer explicit comprehension questions after read-aloud sections (e.g., multiple QUESTION items across Day 1–3 asking why the boy didn't want to stay with his grandma, what he found at the river, what animals he saw, and how he changed). Students complete activities that require identifying story elements and key details (Activity 7: identify characters, setting, problem/solution) and respond to prompts about figurative language and specific events. The lesson includes teacher prompts to ask the child to share memories and to answer questions at several stopping points during the read-aloud.
Lesson 6
Positive and Negative Change
The lesson has the teacher read a character description twice and then asks specific questions (e.g., "How do you think the rat feels about himself?" and "How could the rat respond…in a positive way?"), which requires the child to answer about key details. Activity 1 asks the child to match cause-and-effect statements and then to identify a positive and a negative effect in stories they read, prompting oral responses. Activity 3 uses multiple "What if…" prompts and asks the child to discuss how characters' choices led to change, requiring students to answer questions about details from texts.
Final Project
My Own Story
Students are prompted to answer specific, text-based questions on the 'Problem and Solution' activity page (for example: 'How would you describe the character at the beginning of the story?', 'What caused the problem?', 'How does the character change?'). The plan directs an adult to read the student's dictated story aloud and then "discuss what parts of the story will go on which pages," which asks students to respond to orally presented details. Adults are instructed to ask the child for story ideas and to discuss characters and setting, providing additional opportunities for students to answer questions about key story details.
Unit 3: A First Look at History - Change Over Time
Lesson 1
People and Families Change
Students put personal photos in chronological order and answer specific questions about differences across ages (Activity 1). Students measure and record heights on a growth chart and answer questions about when they were tallest/shortest and changes between years (Activity 2). Students examine family pictures, ask and answer questions about differences over time, dictate ideas, and read their responses aloud (Activities 4–6 and the Writing About Change activity).
Lesson 2
Understanding Time
Students are asked to name something that happened in the past, something happening now, and something they want in the future during the introduction, prompting oral answers about time-related details. During the Units of Time reading, students answer a series of teacher-posed questions (e.g., "Were you born in the past, present, or future?" "Did dinosaurs live in the past?") about information presented in the book. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to explain the difference between past, present, and future, requiring them to answer orally about key temporal details.
Lesson 3
Communities Change
Students are prompted to answer multiple specific questions after the story is read aloud (e.g., Where did the story happen? Who are the characters? How did the environment change? What was your favorite part?). Students identify and sequence key details by placing events on a timeline, numbering communities in chronological order, and circling animals from the story. Students explain differences in transportation, clothing, homes, and activities and identify artifacts observed in the illustrations.
Lesson 4
Past and Present
The lesson repeatedly has the adult read sections of The Usborne Time Traveler aloud and then ask the child questions about key details (e.g., "How did people in the past dress differently than we do today?"; "How were their homes different?"). After shared reading of specific pages about Hori, Caius, Marcus, and Robert, students are asked to compare details and answer questions about similarities and differences between their lives and the child's life. In Activity 7 students dictate five clues about a time period and then read those clues aloud to others, requiring them to identify and describe important details from the text.
Lesson 5
Exploring the Past
The materials prompt an adult to ask the child to recall the three time periods from The Usborne Time Traveler and to ask what the child learned about past cultures, which requires the child to answer questions about key details. Students are instructed to look through pages, draw and write or dictate descriptions of homes, clothing, food, and transport, which asks them to respond to information presented in the book. Students are asked to put pictures in chronological order on a timeline and to choose a culture and write one sentence about each cultural element, then give a presentation to the family and share what they learned orally.
Lesson 6
Predicting Future Change
Activity 1 asks an adult to read each scenario and asks the child "what changed" and to predict how the change will affect the future; students record or dictate their ideas. Activity 2 requires students to decide whether their predictions are positive or negative and to write sentences describing one positive and one negative result. Activity 3 asks students to think of a personal change, describe how and why they changed, and attempt to read the dictated description, and the Wrapping Up prompts ask students to state a positive and a negative way change can affect the future.
Lesson 7
People of the Past
Students are prompted to answer specific questions after an adult reads a biography aloud (Activity 1: Did this person live in the past or present? How do you know? What did this person do to make a positive change?). Students read short descriptions on the 'People in History' page, point to individuals described, place them in chronological order, and glue descriptions beneath pictures (Activity 2). Students are also asked to describe what a biography is and to write a sentence about a historical person (Wrapping Up and Activity 4).
Final Project
My Past, Present and Future
The Wrapping Up section directs an adult to ask the child specific questions (e.g., "What did you do well on your project?", "Which page in your book/comparison do you like best?") and tells the child to present her book or comparison pages to her family, which requires orally conveying information. Option 2 references using The Usborne Time Traveler for reference, which could be used as an informational resource to compare past and present. The student activity pages require students to write and illustrate details about past, present, and future, which students then review and discuss aloud during the wrap-up and presentation.
6: Reading
Unit 1: Semester 1
Lesson 1
Letter Sounds Review I
Students are asked to answer questions about media in Activity 1.2 ("What objects in the video begin with short a?" with expected answers like apple, ant, ambulance). In Activity 3.1 students answer text-detail questions about the Weekly Message ("Can you find the sight word 'the' in the message?" "How many times is 'and' in the message?" "What about 'a'?"). In Activity 5.3 students are prompted to identify details on the book cover ("What else do you see on the cover?") and to read and respond to pages while pointing to words.
Lesson 2
Letter Sounds Review II
Students are asked to answer questions about a short vowel video (Activity 1.2) with prompts like "What sound does short i make?" and "What words did the video show that have short i?" Students point to letters and sight words in the Weekly Message and are asked to locate specific letters and words (Activities 1.2 and 3.1). During the reader activity (Activity 5.3), students read The Pig Can, describe the cover, respond to the prompt "What do you think this book is about?", and answer follow-up questions such as "Do you think the pig and the cat can fit in the box?"
Lesson 3
Letter Sounds Review III
Students read or listen to the Weekly Message and are asked to answer inferential and detail questions (e.g., "Based on the hint, what vowel do you think you're going to work with this week?" and to identify punctuation). Students read the reader The Bug aloud and are asked explicit comprehension questions about key details ("What is the bug able to do?" "What does the bug want to be able to do?" "Why can't he do that?"). Students watch short vowel videos and answer identification questions about words presented orally/visually (e.g., "Does 'ox' begin with o or u?"), showing practice answering questions about media.
Lesson 4
Letter Sounds Review IV
Students read a short reader (The Cat, the Pig, the Dog, and the Fox) and then answer explicit comprehension questions about why characters are napping and not napping (Activity 5.2). Students are asked to identify how many sentences appear in the weekly message by locating end punctuation and circling periods, question marks, or exclamation points (Activity 1.1). Students watch an assigned video and then answer listening questions that ask them to pick which spoken word contains the short /e/ sound (Activity 2.1).
Lesson 5
Adding s, More Word Families, Ending with ck
Students are asked and prompted to answer questions about the Weekly Message (e.g., "What does a period do?", "What does an exclamation point do?", "How many sentences does this message have?") after the message is read aloud. Students read the reader Ducks Are Fun and then answer a comprehension question aloud ("Which duck do you think is having the most fun? Why?"). Activities also have students point to words as the teacher reads them and read aloud with the teacher, providing opportunities to respond to oral information.
Lesson 6
Open Syllables and Digraph th
Students are asked specific comprehension questions after reading the decodable reader (Activity 5.2), e.g., "Why do Meg, Dan, and Sam start with uppercase letters?" and "What kind of pet does Dan have?", prompting them to answer key details from a text read aloud. In Activity 1.1 and 1.2 adults ask children to identify word features and answer questions such as "Do these words end with the same sound?" and "How does each word in a pair end?", which requires students to attend to and respond about details in written text. During media activities (Activity 3.3) students respond to the video by sitting or standing when words rhyme, demonstrating answering about information presented through media.
Lesson 7
Consonant Digraphs ch, sh, wh, ph
In Activity 3.3 students read the reader They Get Wet and are asked to predict ("What do you think will happen in this book?") and to answer specific comprehension questions ("Where is the ship at the beginning of the book?", "Why are the rat and the cat wet at the end?", "Why do you think the rat and the cat are on the ship?"). In Activity 1.1 students are asked to point to words in the Weekly Message and to find the digraph "th," responding to teacher prompts about details in the printed message. In Activity 1.2 students listen to words read aloud and physically respond (stand for /ch/, sit for /sh/), demonstrating they can answer questions about orally presented sounds.
Lesson 8
Blends with s
In Activity 4.3 (Reader #8), students read Meg and Dan and the Sled aloud and are asked three specific comprehension questions about events and motivations (e.g., why they fell off the sled, why they stop for a snack, what snack they would want). In Activity 4.1 (Guess My Word) the teacher reads oral clues and students must write and say the correct words, requiring them to answer based on orally presented information. Day 2 provides videos for students to watch (information presented through other media) which students are then asked to name and practice words from.
Lesson 9
Blends with l
Activity 4.3 has the student read Reader #9 — The Club and then answer three explicit comprehension questions: "What color are the flags...?", "What do the kids do at the club?", and "If you were in the club, what fun things would you want to do?" During other activities the child also listens to an online phonics video and participates in oral naming and word-building tasks (e.g., naming pictures and saying words in each column).
Lesson 10
Blends with r
After reading Reader #10 (One Can), students are asked specific comprehension questions (e.g., "Where are the ducks swimming to?", "What are the kids running on?", "Which of these things are you best at -- hopping, swimming or running?"). In the Wrapping Up activity, students hear oral clues and must respond with the correct word (e.g., clues that lead to "crush," "drip," "truck," "brush"). The lesson also has students listen to a linked video about blends, providing an instance of information presented through media that students could respond to.
Lesson 11
Ending Blends
During Activity 4.2 (Reader #11 — At Camp) students read a short reader aloud and then are asked specific comprehension questions (e.g., "What do the kids do at camp?" and "What are the kids hunting for?") that require them to identify key details. In Activity 3.3 and Activity 1.1 students respond to oral prompts by pointing to or naming sight words and words in the Weekly Message as the teacher reads aloud, demonstrating answering questions or prompts about orally presented language.
Lesson 12
Double ll, ss, ff, zz (FLOSS)
Students watch a video (Spelling With the FLOSS Rule) and are asked aloud, "Which letters does the FLOSS rule tell us to double?" (Activity 1.2). Students answer yes/no to the three FLOSS-identification questions and give a thumbs-up if a word should use the rule (Activity 2.1). After reading the reader Huff and Puff, students are asked direct comprehension questions such as "What insects are shown in the book?" and "Why is everyone huffing and puffing at the end of the book?" (Activity 4.3).
Lesson 13
Glued Sounds ng and nk
In Activity 4.3 students read the reader King Hank aloud and then answer specific comprehension questions (Where do the king and his friends sleep? What color drinks do they drink? What would you want to do if you were a king?). In Activity 5.1 the teacher says words orally and has the child point to the ending he hears, which requires the child to listen and respond to oral presentation. Both activities require students to listen to text or spoken words and answer questions or indicate key details.
Lesson 14
Three-Letter Beginning Blends
After reading the decodable reader Spring Has Sprung!, the child is asked direct comprehension questions such as "What do the kids do at the track?" and "What do the kids do at the pond?" which require answering key details from the text. Multiple activities ask the child to listen to videos or spoken words and answer oral questions (e.g., "What sounds do you hear at the beginning of these words?" and pointing to the correct blend card), demonstrating practice answering orally-presented information. The lesson also prompts the child to respond orally about personal connections to the text (e.g., "What are some things that you like to do in the spring?").
Lesson 15
More Ending Blends
Activity 5.2 has students read The Raft Trip and then answer specific comprehension questions such as "What animals are on the bank of the river?" and "Which animals nap on the raft?". Activity 1.1 has students follow along as the adult reads the Weekly Message aloud and then perform a task (highlight multisyllabic words) based on that oral/printed presentation. Activity 1.3 includes a video the child watches and listens to (the A and An Song), with an instruction to listen for a specific word.
Lesson 16
R-Controlled Vowels (ar)
In Activity 4.2, students read the reader Which? When? What? and are instructed to answer the question on each page as they read; the teacher then asks follow-up comprehension prompts (e.g., "What else might you find in a barn on a farm?"). In Activity 1.3, students practice question words by underlining the question word that begins sentences and by being prompted to generate a question using the words "which," "what," and "when." These tasks require students to both ask and answer questions about written text and to practice forming and recognizing questions.
Lesson 17
Semester Review
Students are asked to answer comprehension questions in Activity 4.1 (e.g., "Which of these readers is your favorite? Why?") and to point to or name characters and describe what the characters do. In Activity 1.1 the child reads and listens to the Weekly Message read aloud and follows along, and in Activity 3.2 students write and then read dictated sentences back to the adult. These tasks require students to respond to oral reading and to provide details about texts they heard or read.
Unit 2: Semester 2
Lesson 1
Long Vowels a and i with Silent e
Students are asked direct comprehension questions after reading the Week 5 reader (Activity 5.1), e.g., "What are some of the things that Lin and Dev like to do in the fall?" and "What does Lin do while Dev makes cakes?", which requires them to answer key-detail questions about a text. In multiple activities students respond to orally presented information by pointing or signaling (e.g., pointing to vowel letter cards after hearing words in Activity 1.2, raising a hand for long a in Activity 2.1, standing for long i in Day 3), demonstrating answering questions about information presented orally or through media. Students also watch instructional videos and then perform tasks that require listening for details (e.g., identifying long vowel sounds after the videos).
Lesson 2
Long Vowels o, u, and e with Silent e
Students read the reader They Chose To Doze and are asked direct comprehension questions such as "What did the family do on their trip?" and "Who fell off of the mule?" (Activity 5.1). The teacher prompts students to point to and read words in the Weekly Message and to identify words with long vowel sounds after rereading it (Getting Started; Wrapping Up). In Activity 4.2 and other places, students are asked to find, read, and then show sight words they located and to point out words that have long vowel sounds.
Lesson 3
Hard and Soft c and g
Students are asked and expected to answer explicit comprehension questions about the reader These Mice (Activity 5.2: "What do the mice use to make beds...?", "What do the mice sit on to eat cake?", "Why do you think the mice like their home?"). Students are prompted to explain their thinking about phonics items with questions like "How do you know?" when deciding whether c or g is hard or soft (Activities 2.1, 3.1). Students respond to and discuss information presented in videos and picture-sorting activities (Long Vowel Sounds Review, Phonics video links) by naming pictures and placing them by sound.
Lesson 4
More R-Controlled Vowels (er, ir, or, ur)
Students read The Bird Is Third aloud and then answer direct comprehension questions (e.g., "Who won the race?", "Which animal came in last?", and "Are you surprised…? Why?"). During word-building and phonics activities the teacher asks students questions about pronunciation and word changes (e.g., "What word have you spelled now?" and "What makes the way you pronounce a in each word change?"). Students also respond to prompts after watching linked videos and to picture-based prompts in the Fill in the Blanks activity.
Lesson 5
Long a Spellings ai, ay
Students answer teacher-posed comprehension questions after reading The Gray Day (e.g., identifying what the boys play with indoors and what animal they see) and respond to inferential prompts (e.g., "What do you think the boys would do if they went outside?" and "Do you like rainy days? Why or why not?"). Students point to and identify specific words and features in the Weekly Message (e.g., words with Bossy R, a long u spelled with silent e, and two-syllable words) when prompted. Students watch linked videos and answer content questions about them and about letter-sound information (e.g., "What letters do you think are making that sound?" and "What happens when two vowels go walking?").
Lesson 6
Long e Spellings ee, ey, ea
Students are asked to answer explicit comprehension questions after reading Reader #6, such as "What does the worm eat?" and "How many beans are the birds eating?" Activity 2.1 has students respond to oral questions about spelling choices (e.g., "Which word is spelled with the silent e?" and "What other letters are making the long e sound?"). The life application 'I Spy' and prompts like "What do you notice about 'see'?" require students to listen to or view something and respond with details.
Lesson 7
Long i Spellings y, igh, ie
Students are asked specific comprehension questions after reading Reader #7 (e.g., "What do Tom and Val see in the sky?" and "What do Tom and Val dream about?"), requiring them to answer key-detail questions about a text read aloud. After watching instructional videos, students are prompted to respond to questions about what they noticed (e.g., "Which one is new to her?" about long i spellings), requiring them to answer about information presented through media. Activities such as asking students to point to long i words in the Weekly Message and to show and read found sight words also require students to identify and answer about details in written/oral material.
Lesson 8
Long o Spellings ow, oa, oe
Students read The Slow Boat aloud and then answer explicit comprehension questions provided (e.g., "How many boats are in the race?", "What color is the boat that wins the race?", and a personal response: "If you were on a boat, would you want it to go fast or slow?"). Teachers are instructed to ask students questions about the long o spellings (e.g., "What letters are making the long o sound in the words on this page?") and to ask comparison questions about sight words (e.g., "What is the same about the words 'go' and 'no'?"), requiring students to respond orally. A video is assigned and students are told to pay attention to different spellings of long o, implying listening to media for information.
Lesson 9
Long u Spellings ue, ew, ou
Students are asked specific comprehension questions after reading Reader #9 (e.g., "What does Tom add to the stew?" and "What color does Val add to the stew?"), requiring them to answer key-detail questions about a text read aloud. Students also answer orally prompted questions about vowel sounds (e.g., "What vowel sound does each word have?"; clap when they hear long u) and respond to prompts after watching videos to notice spellings. Multiple activities require students to point to or identify words with long u in the Weekly Message and to read sentences aloud and then answer related questions.
Lesson 10
Other Long Vowel Patterns
During Day 5, after the child reads The Wild Colt aloud, the child is asked specific comprehension questions such as 'Why is the colt hard to find in the herd?' and 'How does the man stop the colt from bolting?'. In Activity 1.1 the child is asked to identify unusual words in the Weekly Message and to point to and read long-vowel words as the message is read aloud. Other activities ask the child to explain what makes word groups special (e.g., 'What do all of these words have in common?') and to read sentences that check understanding of vocabulary and details.
Lesson 11
Long Vowel Sounds Review
Students are asked to listen as an adult reads the Weekly Message aloud and then point to and identify words with long vowel sounds (Activity 1.1). In multiple Reader Review activities students reread texts, locate specific words (long a, e, i, o, u) and read those words aloud to the adult (Activities 2.1, 3.2, 4.1, 5.1). In Activity 4.3 the adult reads oral clues and students write and say the word that matches each clue, responding to information presented orally.
Lesson 12
Other Vowel Sounds oi, oy
Students are asked comprehension questions after reading The New Toy (e.g., "What sound does the toy make?" "What do you think Dan's new toy is?" "What is your favorite toy? Why?"). Students watch a video about oi/oy and are asked to recall and sort words from the video into oi and oy columns, answering where the blends occur in words. Students are prompted to point to and identify words with long-vowel sounds in the Weekly Message and in the sight-word activities, showing they answer teacher questions about details in written and oral text.
Lesson 13
Other Vowel Sounds ou, ow
Students are asked to answer explicit comprehension questions after reading The Hound and the Owl aloud (e.g., "What does the hound do during the day?" "What does the hound do at night?" "Why do you think the hound howls at the owl?"). Students watch a video about the ou/ow sound (media) and then read and sort words based on what they heard and saw. Students are also asked to explain their reasoning for word sorts (e.g., "Once she's placed all of the words in a group, ask her to explain her groups to you.")
Lesson 14
Other Vowel Sounds aw, au
On Day 5 students read Reader #14 (The Pups) aloud and then are asked specific comprehension questions such as "Where do the pups sleep?" and "What are some of the things the puppies in the story do?" During Day 2 the teacher asks students to sort words and asks, "What do you notice about all of these words? Do they have something in common?" which prompts students to answer questions about information presented in the activity.
Lesson 15
These Make More Than One Sound: oo and ea
Students read Reader #15 (The Bad Bear) and answer explicit comprehension questions such as "What are some of the naughty things the bear does?" and "What happens when the bear's mom finds her?". Students complete Activity 4.2 (Question Words) by filling in and creating questions, demonstrating practice in forming questions. Students respond to Wrapping Up prompts that ask them to identify which words contain specific vowel sounds, answering questions about information presented earlier in the lesson and media (videos) used in Activities 1.2 and 3.1.
Lesson 16
Silent Starts: kn, wr, gn
The lesson includes explicit comprehension questions after the reader: in Activity 5.2 students read The Gnats aloud and are asked to answer questions such as "What do the gnats do to the kids at the playground?" and "What do the gnats do at the picnic?". Activity 1.1 asks students to read the Weekly Message aloud and then list things they have learned about reading words, requiring students to recall and state key details from the message. The lesson also has students listen to/read short videos and texts (e.g., videos in Activities 2.1 and 3.1) though no specific question prompts for those media are provided.
Lesson 17
Year-End Review
In Activity 1.2 (Which Words?) students read a printed word list and then respond to teacher-posed questions such as "Which words have soft c or g sounds?" and "Which words rhyme with ‘gold'?", locating and identifying words that answer each question. In Activity 4.1 (Sight Word Search) students find, circle/highlight, and then show and read sight words from a letter grid in response to a provided word list. Activity 1.1 has students read the Weekly Message aloud with the adult, providing an opportunity to attend to and read spoken text.