Kindergarten - ELA
1: Letters
Unit 1: A - A Is for Musk Ox
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson directs an adult to ask the child multiple questions about the book (point to the title, identify author/illustrator, and answer three post-reading questions). The skills list includes "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text," and activities prompt discussion (e.g., "Discuss that there are 26 letters…" and practice counting aloud a few times). The activities require the child to respond to prompts and engage in back-and-forth practice during counting and ordering tasks.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to "discuss how the information you share with your child compares with what the musk ox in the story says," and to "discuss where the musk oxen live, what they eat, how people use them, and what threats they face," which requires back-and-forth talk about multiple topics. Students are asked to act like a musk ox while an adult guesses what they are doing, prompting student responses and interaction. Students repeat letter sounds and practice responding during letter-sound activities, providing additional opportunities for short exchanges.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked questions during reading, such as being asked what the word "herd" means and encouraged to explain its meaning. Students are prompted to point to letters, say letters aloud, and find pictured items corresponding to words substituted with "musk ox." Students are asked to say the sight word "you" with the adult and then to say it independently during repeated reading.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students answer questions and respond to prompts during the number activity (e.g., telling how many apples, finding number cards, choosing numbers for the adult to identify, and answering follow-up questions like "What number is one more than 1?"). Students answer and explain opinions after independent reading (e.g., being asked if they liked the book and why, and whether they would recommend it). Students tell and dictate stories in the writing workshop while an adult records and then rereads the child's words, creating multiple back-and-forth exchanges.
Unit 2: H - Hondo and Fabian
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to listen to the book and then answer a series of comprehension questions (Who are the two characters? What were some differences? What did they do?). Activity 1 has students respond as the teacher reads scenarios and act out each activity, inviting student responses to multiple prompts. The skills list explicitly notes that students, with prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text, which implies interactive Q&A between child and adult.
Lesson 2
Day 2
In Activity 1, students are asked to talk with an adult about cats and dogs, respond to prompts about appearance and behavior, and add multiple characteristics to each section of a Venn diagram, implying sustained back-and-forth as the adult records answers and requests more ideas. In Activity 2, students are asked to describe how the letter H looks, listen for and identify the initial /h/ sound, and generate lists of words that start with /h/, with the adult prompting follow-up examples and asking the child to produce additional words. Activity 3 encourages interactive participation during the "Bingo" song by having students point to letters and substitute claps, prompting repeated responses tied to the adult-led activity.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson asks the child to retell the story in his own words and provides follow-up prompts such as "What happened at the beginning of the story?" "What happened next?" and "How did the story end?", which require multiple successive responses. The lesson also includes follow-up comprehension questions (How do you think the characters feel at the end of their day? How do you feel at the end of your own day?) and activities where the adult asks the child to describe characters while recording the child's ideas, encouraging back-and-forth exchanges.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The lesson asks the child questions such as "what sound the letter H makes" and prompts her to think of words beginning with that sound, and it asks "if she has a friend she likes to do things with" and "What does she like to do with the friend?" The teacher and child are instructed to "page through the book together" and the child is asked to "dictate a sentence about her painting," which requires the child to respond to prompts and to communicate about her work.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are prompted to speak in response to adult questions (e.g., "Ask your child what a character is," "What number is one more than 4?" and "What would he name his dog or cat?"). Students are asked to dictate two statements about themselves while an adult records them, and to share opinions about character names after independently looking at text. Several activities require students to answer questions and share information aloud.
Unit 3: I - The Little Island
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the cover, make predictions about the book, and observe the illustration, which prompts an initial exchange. After reading, students are asked five follow-up comprehension questions (e.g., What is an island? What changes happened on the little island?), requiring additional responses. In Activity 2, students discuss the definition of an island, look at a world map together, and are asked to note similarities and differences among islands and explain which they would like to visit and why, prompting multiple back-and-forth exchanges.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to "page through The Little Island book" and "talk about how the different seasons affected the island," prompting back-and-forth discussion about the text. During the picnic pretend-play, students are asked what season it is, to choose appropriate gear, then to respond again when the season changes and name new accessories; the activity explicitly has the picnic "progress through all four seasons," creating multiple exchanges. The prompt "Ask your child how the different seasons affect him" asks students to relate the topic to their own experience, encouraging additional conversational turns.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to retell The Little Island in their own words and are prompted to use the illustrations to guide their retelling, with the instruction that the adult may ask guiding questions. During the read-aloud students are prompted to supply a missing word when the adult omits "little," and to read the sight word card. The teacher asks follow-up math questions ("What number is one more than 7?" and "What number is one more than 8?") and calls out animals while students act out whether each moves in air, land, or water.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The lesson repeatedly asks the child questions and prompts discussion (e.g., "Ask if he knows how waves form," and "Discuss various possibilities"). During Review the child is asked to identify number cards and to "tell you the definition of an island," creating opportunities for verbal responses. Activity 1 instructs the child to observe, decide, and explain what he thinks causes the waves, which invites back-and-forth talk about observations.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 1 prompts the child to discuss whether the island is little or big, compare it to other things, and answer questions about how we know size (including measuring and identifying longest/shortest). Activity 2 asks the child to name what she sees on the cover, locate the back cover and title page, discuss their purpose, spend time looking through the book, and give her opinion with reasons. Activity 3 has the child draw and "write" or dictate about an imagined visit and then "read" her ideas aloud to the adult, with suggested follow-up questions to generate more detail.
Unit 4: T - What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to preview the book, make a prediction, hear the book read aloud, and then answer follow-up questions (e.g., what they learned, how animals use ears/eyes/noses), which creates a sequence of exchanges. In the "Similar and Different" activity, students draw two animal cards, state a similarity and a difference, and then the adult takes a turn, with cards mixed for many possible comparisons, supporting repeated turn-taking. The Questions #1-#3 provide prompts that require students to respond and elaborate about parts and structures, encouraging continued discussion.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to explain vocabulary words (herd, character, island) and to talk about the word "structure," answering questions like "How are animals' structures similar and different?". In Activity 1 students talk about tail purpose and are prompted with questions (e.g., "What jobs do their tails do? Why are they shaped the way they are?") and then choose and glue the matching tail. In Activity 3 students design a tail and are asked to explain the tail they created, inviting further description and discussion.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson asks the child questions during and after reading (e.g., asking what the sight word "this" is, asking if the book was make-believe or true, and asking what kind of information the child learned) and prompts the child to compare this book to a previously read book (Hondo and Fabian). The text tells the adult to read the book with the child and to show the word in multiple places, having the child practice reading it to the adult, which creates opportunities for back-and-forth exchanges. The teacher/parent is instructed to help the child organize his thoughts if necessary, suggesting some scaffolding of responses and elaboration.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to name an animal and describe its tail job, prompting an initial question-and-response. Students are instructed to "discuss" an animal's body parts, habitat, and diet while researching, which implies back-and-forth talk. In the acting game, students take turns acting and guessing and are told to switch roles, which creates multiple turn-taking opportunities between child and adult or peers.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2, the adult asks a sequence of follow-up questions about the book (What was the first section about? Have him go through the book... then ask your child to evaluate the book: Did he like it? Did he learn something new? Why or why not?), which requires the child to respond to multiple prompts. In Activity 3, the child dictates 1-3 facts to the adult and engages in a back-and-forth as the adult records complete sentences. In Activity 1, the adult asks a series of comparative questions (which is longer, which is shorter, order them), prompting the child to answer multiple successive questions.
Unit 5: L - We're Going on a Leaf Hunt
Lesson 1
Day 1
The reading prompts instruct an adult to ask the child questions about the cover and story and then "ask your child the questions below, and look back through the story as you discuss it," which invites back-and-forth discussion. The question set includes open-ended follow-ups (e.g., "Have you ever gone on a search... Did you face any challenges... How did you feel?") that invite multiple responses. The activities also encourage turn-taking interactions, for example having the child lay leaves while the adult counts and then the child checking the adult's work.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson has the child respond to prompts about the book (find the word "tall" and say "a tall mountain") and review letter sounds and sight words, which requires turn-taking with an adult. During Leaf Sorting the child is asked what features leaves have in common, to sort and count groups, and is "challenged to think of other features he could use to sort the leaves," prompting additional exchanges. Activity 3 asks the child to act out the story with siblings or a grown-up and to respond to substituted action verbs, which creates opportunities for back-and-forth interaction.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are prompted to take turns with an adult reading and pointing to the sight word "go" (adult reads, child points/says, then child reads while adult points). Students are asked questions about adjectives in the story and expected to identify words (e.g., name "dark" for "dark forest") and repeat phrases in response to affirmation. The optional map extension explicitly suggests having a conversation about which direction the characters were traveling, prompting an exchange about the story.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to name three adjectives that describe themselves and to review letter sounds and sight words, which prompts verbal responses. Students are instructed to "discuss" plant parts, to "talk about the roots," and are asked direct questions such as "What does your child think..." and "What is the difference...?," encouraging back-and-forth explanation. Activity 2's optional extension asks students to determine "how many more" items are needed, which can prompt explanatory exchanges about quantity.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2 the adult is instructed to ask the child questions about the book (e.g., "Did you enjoy this book? Why or why not? Would you recommend it to a friend?"), prompting child responses. In Activity 3 adults are directed to "talk about her thoughts and ask questions to help her generate ideas" and to have the child dictate her story or descriptive words, which requires back-and-forth interaction between child and adult.
Unit 6: F - Fireflies
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to "discuss the following questions" after reading the book and are asked follow-up prompts such as describing what they see on the cover and explaining how the boy feels, which require back-and-forth discussion. Question #1 explicitly challenges the child to think of other things that flicker, prompting extended responses and additional exchanges. Activity 2 asks the child to both give and follow directional clues and to take a turn hiding the firefly and directing the adult, which creates reciprocal, multi-turn interactions.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson includes explicit back-and-forth prompts during read-aloud: an adult asks the child if she remembers a synonym for "blinking on, blinking off" and then asks what "soaring" means and how surrounding words give clues. During the insect-identification activity, the child is asked to determine whether each picture is an insect and to explain how he made each decision, including what clues he looked for. Activity 3 directs the child to "talk together" about whether collected bugs are insects and how to know, prompting further exchanges and reasoning.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson includes prompts for students to respond to adult questions (e.g., 'Ask your child if he remembers what flicker means' and encouraging the child to read the word 'said' and then 'read' the sentence). The math activity asks the child to count out fireflies and then asks what the number would be if one more were added, prompting a follow-up exchange. The opposites activity asks the child to help think of other opposites and to act them out together, prompting back-and-forth interaction.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The lesson prompts adults to "talk about the creatures in the pictures" and to "ask your child if she remembers the characteristics that all insects have in common," which requires the child to respond about insect traits. The sorting activity asks the child to sort cards into groups and then "come up with a new way to sort the creatures," prompting the child to explain and justify sorting choices. Review prompts (e.g., asking the child to recall what "flicker" means and the opposite of "mean") require the child to produce verbal responses to adult questions.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2, students are asked to review illustrations and then tell the story in their own words, followed by a series of follow-up discussion questions (Did he like the story? Why or why not? Were there any parts that were funny or surprising?). In Activity 1, students are prompted to tell repeated firefly-catching stories to a parent and to respond to counting prompts as the adult adds more fireflies, creating multiple back-and-forth exchanges. The activities require students to respond, elaborate, and repeat turns with an adult across several exchanges.
Unit 7: E - But No Elephants
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson directs an adult to ask the child what she sees on the cover, what she thinks the book will be about, and to ask why she has that opinion. After reading, the plan lists open-ended comprehension questions (QUESTION #1–#3) for the adult to ask the child about story events and predicaments. The Skills list states: "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text," indicating guided question-and-answer interactions.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to explain vocabulary words and give examples and to recall the meaning of "predicament" and name one Grandma Tildy's predicament, prompting spoken responses. Activity 1 asks students to describe animal positions in illustrations using words like "in," "on," "under," and the examples show a child producing multiple sentences (e.g., "The elephant's legs are under the floor," "The canary is on the elephant"). Several activities prompt repeated verbal responses and practice using language across turns with an adult.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students read aloud with an adult and are asked to read the sight word "no" at the appropriate time and then explain what happened in the story, prompting back-and-forth discussion. In Activity 1 (But No...), students leave the room, come in acting as an animal, allow the adult to guess, and then respond by explaining how the animal would help Grandma Tildy, creating multiple turns in a role-play conversation. In Activity 3 students sort and count animals in response to adult prompts and are asked to think of another way to sort the animals, generating additional exchanges.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In Activity 1, students are asked questions about Grandma Tildy, wants vs. needs, and are asked to sort objects into wants and needs and then explain their choices and count the items, requiring multiple question-and-answer turns with an adult. In Activity 2, students listen to an adult enact the story with stick puppets, hold up animals as they are introduced (responding to cues), and are then asked to tell the rest of the story or create a new ending, prompting a multi-turn retelling or exchange.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, students are asked what would happen if there were two elephants, are shown pictures, count body parts together, and are invited to continue with 3 and 4 elephants—creating back-and-forth counting and responses. In Activity 2, students move a finger while an adult reads, then are prompted to 'talk to her about the book' with specific questions (Did she enjoy it? Why? What was her favorite part? Could she think of a different ending?), inviting multiple responses. In Activity 3, students draw and dictate descriptions of a house full of animals, engaging in a dialogue as they dictate to an adult.
Unit 8: C - Millions of Cats
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the book cover and answer questions (e.g., "Ask your child what he sees and what he thinks the book will be about"), and then read the book together and "discuss the following questions," providing a sequence of eight guided questions for discussion. In Activity 2, students page through a second book, recall details, and build a large Venn diagram comparing characters, which requires students to state similarities and differences and respond to prompts while listing ideas on the chart.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson includes interactive prompts such as asking the child if she knows what 'quarrel' means and instructing caregivers to "Talk about different physical features of the Earth" with the child during the playdough activity. Activity 2 directs the child to practice letter C using her finger while making the /k/ sound and to review the sound as she works, which encourages verbal exchanges between child and adult. Several activities ask for adult-child interaction (help finding the uppercase C, assisting with the handwriting sheet, discussing islands), creating opportunities for dialogue.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson prompts the child to answer questions about the story (e.g., "Ask your child if he has had a quarrel... How did the quarrel end?"). The teacher/parent asks the child to read and repeat phrases and the sight word "pretty," and to answer the post-reading question about the lesson the story teaches. Activity 2 instructs the child to count cats, divide them into groups, state number cards, write equations, and "talk about it with your child," including the prompt "Are there still 10 cats?"
Unit 9: G - The Real Mother Goose
Lesson 1
Day 1
As you read, caregivers are instructed to 'talk about the poems' using prompts such as 'What parts are silly... Which ones does your child like, and why?' which invites student responses and follow-up. The guide asks the adult to 'ask your child why "corn" fits there' and to 'see if your child can identify some rhyming pairs,' prompting back-and-forth identification and explanation. Activity 2 has students act out the poem together with role reversal (child as bird, adult as child, then reverse), creating turn-taking exchanges.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson prompts the child to respond to oral prompts (e.g., asking the child to think of a word that rhymes with "boy" and to supply words when practicing the poem "The Little Bird"). It instructs the adult to "talk about what happens in January" and to ask "What is the weather like?", inviting the child to describe and respond. The activities include guided back-and-forth interactions such as practicing letter sounds together and reviewing the sound of G while the child writes or traces the letter.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The text asks the child to supply words while practicing the poem and to identify rhyming pairs as poems are read, prompting back-and-forth interaction. It directs the adult to ask the child what her favorite poem is and why, which requires at least a response and a follow-up explanation. Activity 3 instructs the adult and child to "work together" to change words in a poem, with the adult modeling and then assisting the child to generate rhyming pairs across multiple lines.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The review prompts the child with questions (e.g., asking the child to think of a word that rhymes with "car") and asks the child to supply words while practicing the poem "The Little Bird." Activity 2 instructs the adult and child to "talk about how these old poems have been passed around," which invites discussion about versions of nursery rhymes. The Months of the Year book activity involves looking at pages and adding names, symbols, and special events, which can prompt child responses about months and events.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are prompted to "talk about the poems together and identify the spherical objects described," which requires back-and-forth discussion about text. Students are challenged to name as many spheres as they can, prompting a series of verbal responses. Students are asked to explain where a ball (sphere) is compared to another object and to use the word "sphere" in sentences, encouraging verbal description and responses to prompts.
Unit 10: O - Owl Babies
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the book cover, predict whether the book will be fiction or nonfiction, and then discuss those predictions after reading, which creates successive exchanges. The question sequence includes a follow-up (Q2: "How do you know?") that requires students to explain and extend their initial answer. During the shape activity, students are asked to talk about each shape and answer follow-up questions (e.g., "How many sides?" and "What is the difference between a circle and an oval?"), prompting additional back-and-forth dialogue.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to explain multiple vocabulary words in their own words, responding to a series of prompts. Students are prompted to predict whether the book is fiction or non-fiction and then asked a follow-up question ("Why does she think this?"), requiring an additional exchange to justify their thinking. After reading, students are asked to confirm whether the book is non-fiction and to dictate or write several facts they learned, producing multiple turns of response and elaboration.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson asks the child to respond orally after reading (QUESTION #1: tell the story in his own words) and to answer comprehension prompts about who wants something and what he wants. Activity 2 requires turn-taking: the child calls out shapes and decides methods of travel while the adult does the traveling, which creates alternating speaker/actor turns. Activity 3 asks the child to talk about how the music changes and indicate when it seems scary or cheerful, prompting multiple verbal responses about emotions and events.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The Reader's Theatre directs students to practice and perform a three-character script with two family members or friends, requiring each performer to read lines for one character and exchange dialogue. The script contains repeated back-and-forth lines (e.g., Sarah, Percy, and Bill speaking in turn and a collective call of "MOMMY!"), which requires multiple turns. Activity 1 asks students to respond to questions about owl characteristics and how Owl Babies gives owls human attributes, prompting question-and-answer interaction.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, an adult asks the child math "word problems" and asks the child to count, move owls, and create stories to act out on the mat, prompting child responses and story generation. In Activity 2, the child is asked to determine which book is fiction or nonfiction and then "tell you about what he found," prompting explanation and justification. In Activity 3, the child may dictate a factual passage and a fictional story to an adult, which requires the child to speak and respond during a shared writing interaction.
Unit 11: S - Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the book cover and answer guided questions (e.g., "Ask her to describe what she sees," "What does she think they represent?"). The lesson asks direct follow-up questions after reading (e.g., "Name the four seasons," "What are your favorite activities during each season?") and invites students to create stories during the Adding Apples activity. Activity 2 uses interactive questioning and role play (e.g., having the child pretend to be the Sun and answering which hemisphere has summer/winter).
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson tells the adult to "ask your child if he can remember the names of the four seasons" and offers a follow-up challenge question about what causes the seasons, prompting a back-and-forth. Activity 1 directs adults to "talk about the current season" and to have the child record weather conditions "for the next several days," which involves the child reporting observations across multiple days. Activity 3 asks the child to "design each tree" to match the seasons, which can prompt the child to explain choices and respond to questions about seasonal differences.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked and answer multiple prompts during the Ten Little Apples activity (e.g., counting apples, answering "how many apples are in the other tree?", moving apples and repeating the new equations), which requires repeated back-and-forth exchanges. Students are prompted to respond to reading prompts about the sight word "some" (reading the card, finding and reading the word in the book) and to answer the question about what gift the tree gave Arnold in each season. Students are asked for recall and elaboration in the Describing the Seasons activity (recalling what an adjective is, giving an adjective for today's weather, naming seasons from adjective clues, and generating additional adjectives), producing multiple turns of interaction.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2, students are asked where and when The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree took place and are prompted to talk about the setting of a favorite movie or TV show, which creates opportunities for back-and-forth talk. Activity 2 also has students look through books independently and then share the setting and the clues that helped them identify the season, prompting verbal explanation. In Activity 1, students verbally review items they found on the circle-and-sphere hunt while the adult labels each item, which provides brief question-and-answer interactions.
Unit 12: D - Dinosaurs Big and Small
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson repeatedly prompts adult-child discussion: it tells the adult to "Ask him what he sees," "Ask your child what the difference is between fiction and non-fiction," and to "Read the book to your child and then discuss these questions." It provides a sequence of five discussion questions (e.g., Was the book fiction or non-fiction? Identify the author and illustrator; Discuss characteristics) and activity prompts that require the child to answer and compare (e.g., "Ask your child who is longer," "Ask him to describe some of the characteristics"). The skills list also includes "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text," which calls for student question-and-answer interaction.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson includes multiple question prompts that require follow-up responses: ask the child what "sprawl" means and then ask how he can guess the meaning, and ask what new information he learned, what surprised him, and what else he would like to know. Activities prompt interactive turns: the poem is read with the child encouraged to join in and identify rhyming words and adjectives, and the teacher/parent is instructed to prompt the child to generate adjectives for pictured dinosaurs. The balance activity asks the child to predict which object is heavier and then observe and compare results, inviting prediction, observation, and discussion.
Lesson 4
Day 4
During the Review, an adult prompts the child to name her favorite dinosaur, state a characteristic, and then is asked to think of an adjective to describe that characteristic, creating a sequence of prompts and responses. In Activity 1 the child dictates five facts about a chosen dinosaur to an adult and is told to share that information with friends and family, prompting additional conversational exchanges.
Unit 13: P - Harold and the Purple Crayon
Lesson 1
Day 1
The reading section includes open-ended questions (e.g., What do you think about Harold's adventure? Were there dangerous parts? How does Harold feel?) that prompt the child to respond after the book is read. Activity 1 instructs the adult to ask the child to remember how Harold solved predicaments and to offer solutions to several new predicaments, creating a sequence of prompts and responses. Activity 2 directs the adult to ask the child to identify shapes in the room, sort cut-out shapes, and count them, which involves multiple question-and-answer turns.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson includes multiple teacher/parent prompts that invite student responses (e.g., "What shape is the moon in the story? Does the moon always look that way?"; "Ask your child which two [colors] he thinks will combine to form purple"). It also includes interactive role-play where the child pretends to be the Earth while the adult pretends to be the moon, which can generate back-and-forth exchanges. Several activities ask the child to point out shapes, imagine an animal, and practice sounds while the adult models and responds.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to reread Harold and the Purple Crayon and respond to a sequence of comprehension questions (Questions #1–#4), prompting multiple back-and-forth turns. In Word Play the adult asks the child to define a word, then to reinterpret the same word in a different sentence and provide additional examples, requiring follow-up exchanges. In the shape activities students are asked to explain differences, decide which solid matches which flat shape, trace and report observations, and count faces/edges/corners, which involves a series of prompts and responses.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked a series of follow-up questions about Harold and their neighborhood (e.g., "What does his neighborhood have in it?," "Why or why not?") that invite extended responses. The Getting Started section prompts students to name shapes and respond to questions (e.g., "Which ones are flat shapes? Which ones are solids?," "Where is she going?"), creating opportunities for back-and-forth talk. The map activity has students create a neighborhood map and share it with friends and family, which can prompt further conversational exchanges about places and routes.
Unit 14: B - Blueberries for Sal
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson asks an adult to prompt the child with multiple cover- and story-related questions (e.g., "What do you notice?" "What do you think the book will be about?" "Does the child on the cover look like she likes blueberries?"), and then directs the adult to "read the book to your child and then discuss these questions." The lesson also lists six specific comprehension questions (who was looking for blueberries, why, what happened, how it ended, etc.) for the child to answer. These prompts require the child to respond verbally to a sequence of adult questions during a read-aloud discussion.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The review asks the child to name one similarity and one difference between Little Sal and Little Bear, prompting a question-and-response interaction. Activity 1 asks whether the book takes place in the past and then directs the child to look through the book and find clues from the pictures, which asks for multiple examples. Activity 3 asks the child to describe what "hustle" must mean based on a picture and to act out movements, inviting the child to respond and demonstrate understanding.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked questions by an adult (e.g., "what it means to hustle?" and to name number pairs that equal 10), and are prompted to read and reread the sight word "she" as the adult points to it. Students are asked to retell the story Blueberries for Sal in their own words, using pictures to prompt them. Students are also asked to read number cards aloud and count out matching blueberries, which requires a spoken response to an adult prompt.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to name elements of fiction and non-fiction about bears and to help create a two-column list, which requires back-and-forth naming and categorizing with an adult. Students are prompted to add motions and suggest alternate verbs for the song "The Bear Went Over the Mountain," offering ideas that the adult then uses in subsequent verses. In the Getting Started review, students are prompted to name number pairs that add to 10 and to read and explain the number 13, producing verbal responses to adult prompts.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2 (Reading Workshop), students look through books independently and then share their findings with an adult, and the adult is instructed to ask follow-up questions (e.g., about clothing or technology) to help identify the setting as the past. In Activity 3 (Writing Workshop), students produce writing or dictation and then receive one or two compliments, one specific suggestion, and a closing positive comment from the adult, creating a sequence of teacher-student exchanges.
Unit 15: R - Rain
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson directs an adult to read with the child and to "stop and ask her what she thinks" during the story and to "Discuss the following questions with her," which creates opportunities for back-and-forth talk. The question prompts (e.g., How did the author make you feel about rain? Talk about different kinds of rain...) require the child to respond and provide details. Activity 2 gives a sequence of teacher prompts (Ask which is larger, ask her to count, repeat with smaller, show a number 11–19 and have her read and count) that involve multiple teacher-student exchanges.
Lesson 2
Day 2
During the Getting Started review the adult asks the child several follow-up questions (describe a downpour; how is 18 formed; which number is greater?), prompting multiple responses. Activity 1 asks the child a series of linked questions about water and ice using all five senses (How does it look? How does it sound? How does it feel? Does it have a smell? How does it taste?), and later asks the child to predict and then observe changes (what would happen in the freezer, what happens when the ice is left out?). These sequences require the child to respond across multiple prompts and to revisit earlier observations later in the day.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The Review prompts ask the child questions (e.g., another word for "downpour" and answers to 4 + 1 and 3 + 2), requiring verbal responses. In Activity 1 an adult asks the child to identify where Earth's water is and asks "What happens?" and "Why?", prompting the child to observe and explain. The instructions also direct an adult to help the child identify locations of water and to explain evaporation, which creates opportunities for question-and-answer exchanges.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 1 has an adult call out a number card and ask the child to find and move to that number, prompting verbal responses (counting aloud) after the adult's prompt. Activity 2 directs the child to practice reading aloud and to read the book to a sibling, parent, or other listener, creating opportunities for verbal interaction. Activity 3 asks an adult to ask the child why writers use color words and has the child dictate sentences, which elicits spoken responses to adult questions.
Unit 16: N - Night in the Country
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson repeatedly prompts an adult to ask the child questions about the book (e.g., ask what the child notices on the cover, ask what "country" means, and ask if the child has been to the country). After reading, the adult is instructed to ask the child what he thought and to discuss three specific open-ended questions (How do you feel about nighttime? What does the author think? Would you like to live in the country?). The Listening Walk activity instructs the adult to ask the child to describe sounds, feelings, and to imagine differences between city and country sounds, which invites follow-up discussion.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students role-play with paper-doll puppets, taking turns as two characters who ask and answer a series of listed questions (e.g., where you get fruit, vegetables, meat, how close the store is), producing a sequence of back-and-forth exchanges. The directions explicitly instruct that "each character ask the other the following questions and have each character answer," creating multiple conversational turns. Additional prompts (e.g., asking the child to name a night sound or describe two meanings of "country") invite short interactive discussion.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are prompted to brainstorm natural resources (trees, animals, water, etc.), which requires offering multiple ideas. An open-ended question asks students how people ought to treat natural resources, inviting explanation and back-and-forth. The review prompt (choose two numbers and ask which is greater) and the onomatopoeia read-aloud with acting provide interactive verbal opportunities between child and adult.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Reading Workshop, students spend time with a book, identify questions they have, and share those questions with an adult to talk about and research answers, requiring back-and-forth discussion. In Writing Workshop, students read their writing aloud, listen to an adult compliment, are asked to add one more idea, and then name their favorite part, creating multiple turns in a conversation. In Subtracting Apples, students describe scenarios and say matching number sentences aloud, which can prompt brief exchanges with an adult.
Unit 17: M - Marshmallow
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked multiple comprehension questions after reading Marshmallow (questions #1–#6) that require verbal responses about characters, events, and vocabulary. The lesson includes "Questions to Explore" (e.g., Why are friendships important?) that invite discussion between the child and adult. Activity 2 asks students to role-play responding to several friend-scenario prompts, putting the child in the position of replying to a peer's request or concern.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to talk about the scene where Oliver stops himself and to explain how he followed Miss Tilly's rules, prompting a discussion of behavior and reasons. Students are asked what the rules of their home are and then collaborate with an adult to create a household rules chart, responding to follow-up prompts such as why the rules are important and how they help the family. The review and activity instructions include additional prompt-and-response interactions (e.g., asking what it means to hesitate and asking the child to supply omitted words in the poem), creating multiple opportunities for back-and-forth exchanges.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are prompted to talk with an adult about how Owen and Mzee's friendship was similar to and different from Owen and Marshmallow's, with example similarities and differences provided to guide discussion. Students are asked to explain the number 14 in their own words and encouraged to reframe it in terms of ten and four, and they are asked a follow-up question about hesitating before jumping into a cold swimming pool. Students are asked to display their charcoal/chalk drawings to share with others.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, students answer a sequence of teacher prompts about 3-D shapes (identifying spheres, cubes, cylinders; observing a can; testing whether it rolls; counting faces), providing multiple back-and-forth responses. In Activity 2, students respond to questions about what makes a poem, compare poems to stories, identify rhyming pairs, and then share findings after independent time. In Activity 3, students dictate words to an adult and fill in blanks, engaging in a turn-taking exchange during the writing tasks.
Unit 18: U - Umbrella
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson includes multiple adult-child discussion prompts: adults are instructed to ask the child what they think the book will be about, tell a short memory, and then ask the child to recall events after reading. Four specific comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) require the child to answer and explain reasons (e.g., why Momo couldn't use the umbrella, how she felt), and extension activities ask the child to "talk about what you see and hear" on a walk. Activities also have the child create and tell his own math story problems and practice saying and using words with the "un-" prefix while interacting with an adult.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson prompts the child to respond to questions (e.g., asking if something unfortunate has happened recently) and to solve a math problem, which elicits verbal responses. Activity 1 directs the child to locate Japan on a map, discuss its continent and distance from the United States, and look at pictures, which encourages back-and-forth discussion. Activity 3 has a call-and-response format where the adult plays a rhythm and the child plays it back, then the child creates a rhythm for the adult to copy, providing multiple turns of interaction.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson instructs an adult to ask the child questions (for example, "what would be an unfortunate thing to happen on someone's birthday?" and "what is 5 + 5?"). It directs the child to read a word aloud and then help look for that word in the story, and it asks the child to tell the story in his own words using pictures to prompt retelling. Activity 2 includes an optional extension where the adult gives a number and asks the child what number pairs with it to make 10, prompting back-and-forth responses.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The lesson includes multiple spoken prompts that require student responses: the review asks the child if she knows what the prefix "un-" means and to name numbers that add to 10. Activity 1 prompts a sequence of questions about clouds (What does the sky look like before it rains? What are clouds? Do all clouds look the same? Describe clouds you have seen.), encouraging the child to respond and elaborate. The Web Weather for Kids suggestion directs the adult and child to "look together" and "notice" differences in cloud shapes, implying interactive discussion about observations.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Reading Workshop, students are asked questions (find capital letters, explain why words are capitalized) and then asked opinion questions about Umbrella (what they thought, what they liked, whether they would recommend it and why). In Writing Workshop, students are prompted to point to where they wrote their name, confirm capitalization, read their writing aloud, point out capital letters and explain why they used them, and name their favorite part of their writing. The Umbrella Memory game has turn-taking where players take turns flipping umbrellas.
Unit 19: J - Jump Frog Jump
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to answer a series of follow-up questions during and after a read-aloud (e.g., identify animals, predict the main character and setting, and explain why). After reading, students are asked successive questions that require explanation and recall (e.g., "Would you have done the same thing? Why or why not?" and "Ask her to look back through the book to remember what animals the frog escaped"). Activity 1 asks students to consult the book and put story pictures in order, encouraging them to discuss what came first and continue describing sequence.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to define vocabulary words and answer questions (e.g., "Ask your child what it means to escape"), which requires the child to respond to adult prompts. In Activity 1 students are asked questions about pond animals (e.g., "What does he know about these animals? What are some things they have in common? What are some differences among them?") and then asked to sort and "come up with some other ways to sort the animals," prompting follow-up responses and additional exchanges.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are prompted to respond to oral questions (e.g., count as high as they can; describe how a puppy might escape the backyard) and to read aloud sight words when the teacher points to them. Students retell the story using story-sequence cards and answer reading comprehension questions after a second reading. In the Direction Words activity, students hear relational phrases, place die-cuts to match them, and — after a modeled example — create their own sentences and act them out with props.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to read a nonfiction text about the frog life cycle and "talk about what a life cycle is," which requires exchanging ideas about a text. In Activity 2, students pretend to be an animal while a partner guesses, then switch roles and "repeat until all the animals have been acted out," which requires turn-taking and multiple back-and-forth exchanges.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 instructs the child to ask the adult a question and directs the adult to ask the child questions (e.g., "What time is it? What are we having for lunch?"). The activity also asks the child to look through the book and practice reading it to herself and to the adult, which creates opportunities for brief verbal exchanges.
Unit 20: K - Kindness
Lesson 1
Day 1
The text directs the adult to ask the child multiple follow-up questions about the book (e.g., look at the cover, predict the topic, explain an act of kindness, and describe how it made them feel), which requires the child to answer and expand on responses. Question prompts (QUESTION #1-#3) and the instruction to "discuss some of the acts of kindness" create opportunities for back-and-forth exchanges about the story. Activity 2 asks the child to describe kindness after watching a video and to brainstorm acts of kindness together, which involves sustained conversational turns and multiple exchanges.
Lesson 2
Day 2
In Activity 3 students are asked to choose characters and act out scenes with a parent, sibling, or friend, with the direction to "add other dialogue to fill in the scene," which invites back-and-forth role play. In Activity 1 students create a puppet and are instructed to use it to say kind things to family members and others, which prompts social interaction with partners. The Getting Started review asks the child how she felt after doing acts of kindness, prompting at least a verbal response.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The teacher asks the child follow-up questions after reading (e.g., which act of kindness was especially kind, how one small act resulted in a series, and whether the child agrees with the author) and prompts discussion about what this means. The Animals in Fiction activity has the child name actions for each animal and then name contrasting human actions, with the teacher recording responses and asking for additional examples for multiple animals. The Getting Started section asks the child to continue counting to 20 and to provide an antonym, creating short back-and-forth exchanges.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students respond to adult prompts in the Review section by continuing a count from 2 to 20, providing a synonym for 'grand,' and solving 10-6, which requires them to produce multiple verbal responses. Students dictate 4–6 ideas for an "I Am a Good Citizen!" list, giving a series of answers and adding illustrations, which results in repeated turns of speaking to an adult.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, children are prompted to supply each number as they take steps and receive assistance, creating a repeated back-and-forth exchange every 10 steps. In Activity 3, children read their writing or dictation aloud and are then asked to add one more detail and receive feedback, prompting follow-up turns. In Activity 2, children retell the story using illustrations, which requires them to speak and respond during a recount to an adult.
Unit 21: V - Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin
Lesson 1
Day 1
Before reading, adults ask the child to look at the book cover, describe what she sees, and name instruments she knows; after reading, adults ask a sequence of comprehension questions. Activity 1 asks the child to talk about the word "solo," answer follow-up prompts (e.g., "Has your child ever sung a solo?"), and complete multi-step matching of instrument pictures, number cards, and ensemble labels. Activity 2 asks the child to create and demonstrate an instrument, which can prompt back-and-forth description and demonstration.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson repeatedly prompts an adult to ask the child questions and discuss responses (e.g., "Ask your child how many instruments are playing during a solo," "Talk with your child about natural resources versus man-made resources," and "ask your child to look for natural resources being used in his home"). It instructs the adult to have the child explain classifications and then "come up with a second way to classify the instruments," and to respond to questions after watching videos (e.g., "ask your child what he thinks it would be like to play in an orchestra; Which instrument would he enjoy playing?"). These prompts require the child to answer questions and engage in follow-up tasks or explanations.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, students answer repeated questions about how many instruments are present and how many are missing, and they produce matching equations multiple times. In Activity 2, students respond to prompts to think of rhyming words, supply missing words when a line is left off, and identify rhyming pairs across multiple turns. In Activity 3, students read their writing aloud and receive at least one compliment and one suggestion, prompting at least one back-and-forth exchange with an adult.
Unit 22: Y - Little Blue and Little Yellow
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson asks the child to name a favorite color and explain why, to look at the book cover and make observations and predictions, and to answer eight detailed comprehension questions after a read-aloud. It instructs adults to turn back and re-read sections if the child has trouble remembering answers, and the skills list explicitly includes "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text" and "Confirm understanding... by asking and answering questions... and requesting clarification." Activities prompt the child to respond to multiple questions (e.g., which sticker comes next, what color is formed when paints mix).
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson asks the child to define vocabulary in her own words and to describe two meanings of the word "row," prompting spoken responses. It gives a pattern orally and asks the child to continue it, and Activity 1 contains a series of prompted questions (what they remember about friendship, what makes a good citizen, whether Little Blue obeyed rules, and what household safety rules are important) that invite back-and-forth responses. The child is repeatedly asked to look at pictures and explain behaviors and to think of a friend and describe what makes that friend special, which can produce multiple turns of talk.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are prompted to read and say the sight word "they" in sentences and during the read-aloud, providing opportunities to respond aloud. Students are asked to retell and act out the story using Play‑doh and picture cues, which requires them to speak about the story in their own words. In the "Making Up Numbers" activity, students read a number card, answer how many more stickers are needed, place stickers, write the equation, and repeat the sequence for additional numbers, creating a series of teacher–student exchanges.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are prompted with review questions (e.g., act out rowing, name primary colors, continue a color pattern, explain the number 19), which require verbal responses to an adult. During the Paper Story activity, students are asked what happened to torn-paper characters, encouraged to tell a story, and may dictate or discuss a chosen scene with an adult. After the nature walk, students unpack and sort found items into color boxes, an activity that can prompt descriptive talk and explanations to an adult.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1 the adult asks the child a series of questions (e.g., "How many circles are left?" and "How many circles have been crossed off?") and the child responds and records answers. In Activity 2 the child is asked to find quotation marks, identify who is speaking, and then "talk about what he has found," prompting a verbal exchange with an adult. In Activity 3 the child may dictate to the adult, which involves the child producing responses to adult prompts during composition.
Unit 23: W - George Washington's Birthday
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to share what they already know about George Washington and then compare the picture on the book cover to the picture on the dollar bill, prompting back-and-forth description and explanation. As the book is read, students are prompted to talk about the word "myth," explain whether George's brother was a "tyrant," and justify their answers. After reading, students are asked follow-up questions about whether the book is fiction or nonfiction, what parts were interesting or surprising, whether it had a happy ending, and what lessons George learned, prompting multiple exchanges.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson includes many prompts for question-and-answer interactions (e.g., "Ask your child if he remembers one myth about George Washington," "Ask him if he remembers what arithmetic is," "Ask your child if he knows the name of his state"). It asks the child to count the stars and then asks "why he thinks there are 50 stars," which requires a follow-up explanation. The lesson also directs the child to identify days mentioned in the book and to recite all days of the week, prompting multiple verbal responses and rehearsal.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to repeat and read the sight word "went" and to read short sentences aloud with prompting, which provides opportunities for immediate verbal response. Students are asked to page back through the book and recap each story about George Washington and identify whether each one is a myth or a fact, prompting multiple question-and-answer interactions across the pages. During the "Tossing a Rock Across the River" activity, students take turns tossing and counting aloud (one, two, etc.), engaging in repeated back-and-forth verbal exchanges.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The review and Activity 1 prompt students to speak and respond: students are asked to 'name two symbols of the United States' and 'explain why they were chosen,' and to 'talk with him about George Washington's qualities' and 'ask your child why he thinks these qualities are important.' Activity 1 also instructs to 'talk about what qualities he admires in Benjamin Franklin,' prompting conversational responses. Activity 2 asks students to deduce the meaning of italicized words from context and then act out the sentence, which involves responding to adult questions and performing actions after an exchange.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2, students are asked to share observations with an adult and respond to follow-up questions such as whether they enjoyed the book and whether they would recommend it to friends. In Activity 3, students read their writing aloud and answer follow-up questions about their favorite part and possible word choices. In Activity 1, students respond to a sequence of prompts from the adult (count this pile, then count that many, then count a different pile), producing multiple back-and-forth exchanges.
Unit 24: Q - The Quilt Story
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to talk about the book with an adult (e.g., 'Ask him if he knows what a quilt is', 'Have him make observations', and 'After reading, ask your child how he knew...'). The lesson includes follow-up prompts and sequential questions (talking about the word 'shavings', asking if the child knows meanings, and asking multiple questions during the shape activities such as 'then ask him to come up with another way to sort the shapes' and 'finally, ask your child if he can use 2 squares to create a rectangle').
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson directs adults to "talk with your child" about Daniel Boone and to "ask your child if she would enjoy this kind of exploration and adventure," which prompts interactive discussion. It asks the child to identify ways the family used natural resources and to identify landforms from the story, requiring verbal responses and follow-up. Several prompts (e.g., review questions, "practice together" for letter formation, and shape challenges) create opportunities for back-and-forth exchanges between the adult and child.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to tell the story back in their own words with prompting from the book, which requires the child to respond to adult prompts and elaborate. The shape activity asks students to recall shape names, match shapes to name cards, and answer a series of verbal clues, producing multiple back-and-forth exchanges. The reading activity stops at the sight word "under" and has the child practice reading it aloud, prompting student response to adult cues.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, students are asked to name shapes and respond to a sequence of spoken clues by moving to the correct shape and saying its name, producing multiple back-and-forth turns. In Activity 2, students are asked to discuss illustrations and facial expressions, then later to point out an expression and explain what they learn from it, prompting follow-up explanation. In Activity 3, students read back their writing (or have it read), answer a question about a part they like, and respond to a follow-up question about adding more detail.
Unit 25: X - An Extraordinary Egg
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the book cover and answer what they see and to explain the meaning of the word "extraordinary," with follow-up examples and requests to explain their reasoning. After reading, students respond to explicit questions (e.g., what did the frogs think was inside the egg?, have you ever found something extraordinary?) and compare friendships between books, which requires back-and-forth discussion. In Activity 2 students page back through the book, dictate examples of factual and fictional frog behaviors, and then decide where to place each idea on index cards—requiring multiple exchanges as they provide ideas and respond to sorting prompts.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Activity 1 prompts the child with a series of related questions about the story animal (e.g., "What did the frogs think it was? Were they right? What kind of an animal is a chicken? Do birds hatch from eggs?"). The egg observation section asks many follow-up descriptive questions (color, size, shape, weight, texture, flexibility, magnetism, float/sink) that require the child to answer and respond to additional prompts. The prompt to "start thinking about the story behind his extraordinary egg" connects the current discussion to a later activity, inviting continued talk across days.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to retell An Extraordinary Egg in their own words using the pictures to help remember events, which requires oral narration. Students are prompted to read the sight word "look" aloud as the adult reads the sentence, and are asked to find and name numbers on a number chart (e.g., find 18, read 27, point to and name the next number). Students also respond orally when the adult reads words on the "Words with X" page and repeat each word before finding and circling the x.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are prompted to respond to multiple teacher questions during the Review (e.g., find number 12, say what comes next; read number 41, then say what comes next), which creates sequential question-and-answer turns. During Activity 1, students read with an adult about alligators and are asked to recall stages of the frog life cycle and to explain how the alligator life cycle differs, prompting at least one follow-up exchange. The lesson also instructs adults to read with the child and ask questions about facts, which invites verbal responses and brief back-and-forth discussion.
Lesson 5
Day 5
The Reading Workshop directs an adult to ask the child to identify quotation marks, read lines spoken by a character to her, then ask the child what she liked about the book after independent reading. The Writing Workshop has the adult read the child's story back and ask the child to offer one thing she likes and one idea for a change, creating at least two successive prompts and responses. These steps require the child to answer questions and provide follow-up responses to the adult.
Unit 26: Z - Greedy Zebra
Lesson 1
Day 1
The reading prompts ask the child to observe the book cover, predict how the zebra will be greedy, and then explain after reading how the zebra was greedy and what happened as a result, which creates a sequence of question-and-answer turns. The guide also includes follow-up questions such as asking whether the child thought the zebra deserved the result and why or why not, prompting continued response and justification. Activity prompts (e.g., asking the child to create and solve story problems and to compare groups of animals) require the child to answer, explain, and generate new ideas in response to adult prompts.
Lesson 3
Day 3
After reading Greedy Zebra, students are asked to retell the story using illustrations and to predict what would have happened if Zebra had not been greedy, which prompts question-and-answer exchanges. In Activity 2, students observe and sort animal cards, state the sorting criterion, count items, and then respond to a new sorting challenge and to the adult's hidden-sorting task, prompting multiple responses and justifications. In the Thinking About Caves activity, students are asked to talk about what they might see and how they would feel, inviting back-and-forth discussion.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are prompted to "read and discuss" information about five animals while coloring cut-outs, which requires verbal responses about animal characteristics. Students are asked to think of a word that means the opposite of "greedy," prompting at least one exchange. Students are asked to act out animal movements after reading pages, which may involve brief back-and-forth narration or description during the activity.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, students are asked to identify and compare pairs of animals multiple times (e.g., choose several pairs and say "The elephant is bigger than the onyx"). In Activity 2, students are asked a sequence of questions about books (identify similar/different books, name animal characters, identify settings, state which books were non-fiction and recall their subjects, and explain favorite books). In Activity 3, students read or have their writing read aloud, identify one thing they like, dictate ideas for the teacher to record, and respond to a suggested improvement.
2: Holidays
Unit 27: Halloween
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked open-ended questions such as why Goodnight Moon was written and to identify similarities and differences between Goodnight Moon and Goodnight Goon, which prompts verbal responses. The plan asks students to think of rhyming words and to listen for the word "lagoon" in the story, requiring them to produce words and attend to language during discussion. In Activity 2 students make a prediction about how many toilet-paper "wraps" it will take and then count and compare the actual number, creating at least a prediction-response exchange.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The lesson repeatedly instructs an adult to ask the child questions (e.g., name two pairs of numbers whose sum is 10; think of a synonym for 'lagoon'). After the bat mask activity, the adult is prompted to ask the child multiple questions about the bat (what kind of bat she is, what she eats, and anything else she knows). These prompts create opportunities for the child to respond verbally to several questions in sequence.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, students are asked to line up and count stars, respond to prompts about grouping (10 and 0, 9 and 1, etc.), and then add stars in response to scenarios (e.g., add 3 more), with the teacher/parent repeating scenarios so students respond multiple times. In Activity 2, students practice saying paired rhyming words when prompted, are asked to guess which words rhyme, and are later asked to share any pairs they found, creating question–response exchanges with an adult. Activity 3 invites students to produce rhyming pairs and potentially fill in blanks orally or with adult support, which can involve additional turns of interaction.
Unit 28: Thanksgiving
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the book cover and respond to questions such as what they see and what they like about Thanksgiving, prompting an initial exchange. Students are prompted to summarize why Thanksgiving is celebrated and to explain what it means to be grateful, which requires them to answer and put ideas into their own words. Students are directed to listen to an adult share things they are grateful for and then to state things they are grateful for, creating at least one follow-up exchange. The Skills section states that students, with prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to name things they know about turkeys and things they are grateful for, providing an initial back-and-forth prompt. In Activity 1, students are asked a series of specific recall questions about the Pilgrims (Why they left, name of the ship, what the journey was like, etc.), requiring multiple responses to multiple prompts. In Activity 2, students are asked to predict whether the boat will sink or float and then to observe and discuss how changes (blowing/stirring) affect the boat, prompting additional responses.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson asks the parent to "Ask your child to offer something she learned about the very first American Thanksgiving," which prompts the child to answer a question and engage verbally. It directs adults and children to "look at the pages … and talk about your family's favorite Thanksgiving foods," creating opportunities for back-and-forth discussion. It also instructs to "discuss with your child how the help Pocahontas provided was different," asking the child to explain and compare ideas through conversation.
Unit 29: Christmas
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to explore the book independently and then answer questions about what they notice and to predict the book's content, providing opportunities for multiple question-response exchanges. During the Christmas tree activity, students name shapes, order the strips, glue pieces, and are prompted to "talk with him about various features of each shape," with explicit questions about number of sides, names, and uniqueness while they work. The reading prompts also ask students to consider illustrations and to look for edited photographs, which invites follow-up discussion during and after the read-aloud.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are prompted to retell their favorite part of The Christmas Wish and then discuss details about Norway using linked resources, which requires back-and-forth discussion. Students are asked what snow is made of, asked to predict what will happen when powdered hot chocolate is mixed with hot water, then observe and describe the outcome, producing a prediction–observation–explanation sequence. Students work with an adult to follow a recipe and create a shoebox snowy scene, which invites interactive planning and description during the activity.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are prompted to look through The Christmas Wish and listen as an adult explains the northern lights, which can elicit student responses and brief exchanges. Students chant and perform the finger play "Five Little Bells," joining in and responding to adult modeling during repeated lines. Students page through the book and are asked to name animals and answer specific questions about the reindeer (e.g., "What does it look like? Can a reindeer really fly?"), producing direct student responses to adult prompts.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In Activity 1, students are prompted with a series of follow-up questions about Santa and Anja (e.g., What kind of a person is Santa? Why did Anja want to be an elf? Did Anja really dream or was it real?), requiring multiple back-and-forth responses. In Activity 2, students are asked sequential geography questions and to help map Santa's path (e.g., find our country/continent, identify oceans, locate islands and mountains, include places where people they know live), prompting continued exchanges as they answer and respond to further prompts.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 1 directs an adult and child to look at the book together and to "help your child think of a simple task," which requires the child to answer prompts and generate an idea. Activity 2 tells the adult to ask the child what a character's voice sounds like at each quoted speaking part and to point out quotation marks each time a new character speaks, prompting repeated question-and-answer interactions throughout the read-aloud.
Unit 30: February Celebrations
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson directs an adult to "Talk with your students about important February holidays" and to "Ask your child what she typically does to celebrate Valentine's Day," prompting discussion. After reading The Biggest Valentine Ever, the adult is instructed to ask six follow-up questions and to "brainstorm with your child some ways she can respond" when opinions differ, which requires back-and-forth idea generation. The activities prompt the child to share personal experiences (e.g., "Has she ever had a time when she created something beautiful by working together with a friend?") and to "sing it to a special friend or family member," encouraging interactive exchanges.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson repeatedly prompts an adult to ask the child questions and to discuss answers (e.g., "Ask your child if she would like to be president for a day," "Ask her what she notices," and "Ask her what she remembers about Lincoln"), creating multiple opportunities for back-and-forth talk. The coin activity includes sequential questions and challenges (e.g., asking how many pennies equal a nickel or a quarter and then asking the child to sort coins and review names/values together). Activity 3 directs the adult and child to "discuss" and to talk about the best and worst parts of being president and why, which invites extended exchanges about ideas and opinions.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The lesson repeatedly prompts the child to speak and respond: it asks the child why education is important after watching a story about Booker T. Washington and instructs parents to "talk with your child" about Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech and how his life showed love. It asks the child to name similarities between Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr., to reflect on whether their dreams made the country better, and to state and dictate 3–5 of her own dreams for a book. The activities also prompt cooperative talk by reminding the child of working together and coloring a paper chain to represent people working together for peace.
1: Environment
Unit 1: Habitats and Homes
Lesson 1
My Environment
Students are prompted in the Introduction to describe their environment and answer follow-up questions about what they find at home. In Activity 1 students answer questions about what they drink, what foods are in the home, and what their shelter is, using hand motions and responding to adult prompts. In Activity 2 and 3 students are asked repeatedly, as they tour rooms, to say what each room is used for, to circle items and explain why they selected them, and to state which room is most important and why, then read or dictate their ideas aloud.
Lesson 2
What Is a Map?
Students are asked conversational prompts such as "Have you ever seen a map?" and "Why we look at maps and how we use them," prompting a spoken response and discussion. Students answer specific follow-up questions after reading Me On the Map (for example name of our country, state, town, address) and are asked to respond to those questions repeatedly over the next week. Students work with an adult to go through their bedroom and identify important objects for a map, answering location questions (e.g., "What is beside the refrigerator?") during that joint activity.
Lesson 3
Guide to Animal Habitats
Students are prompted with a sequence of cover-related questions (title, author, predictions about the story and character) that require multiple responses. During read-alouds, students are asked to point out animals/plants and count them, with the adult stopping to ask questions as the story progresses. In Activity 5 students are asked a choice question (which habitat they'd visit) and then are given several follow-up questions to answer after examining or drawing their chosen habitat.
Lesson 4
Animals Live and Grow
The lesson repeatedly prompts an adult to "Ask your child" questions (e.g., name things animals need, why shelter is important, analyze living things in each habitat) and to "discuss" answers, creating opportunities for back-and-forth talk. The Day 2 reading instructs the adult to read part of the book, ask the first three questions and discuss them, then finish and ask the remaining questions, which structures multiple question-and-response exchanges. Activities ask the child to explain examples (find a consumer and an energy source in each habitat) and to describe what they learned, encouraging follow-up explanation and clarification.
Lesson 5
Discovering Animal Habitats
The lesson repeatedly instructs an adult to ask the child questions and to "discuss what you see," for example asking the child to identify and describe animals in each habitat (Activity 1) and to answer a list of habitat identification questions (Activity 2). Several activities direct the adult to ask follow-up questions after tasks, such as asking "How many animals were in the rainforest? Which habitat had the most? Which had the fewest?" after the pictorial graph (Activity 6). Activity 3 prompts the adult to ask multiple questions about animals' needs (e.g., "What do the animals eat? What is their source of water?").
Lesson 6
Exploring Animal Habitats
Students are asked to make and record predictions before the observation and then compare their illustration/collage to those predictions when they return home, creating a follow-up exchange. During the habitat observation an adult asks a series of specific questions (e.g., Where are the plants? What animals do you see? What are they doing?) that prompt student responses and discussion. Students are prompted to tell a dictated story about an animal, discuss what it would be like to be that animal, and then read or read back the recorded story, providing multiple opportunities for back-and-forth interaction; an optional role-play and guessing activity invites further exchanges with family members.
Lesson 7
Tools in My Environment
Students are prompted in the Introduction to tell what they need to live and grow and to respond to follow-up questions about whether items are necessities. Activity 1 uses a scavenger hunt with teacher/parent questions (e.g., "What if we didn't have pens or pencils?") and explicit follow-ups when a non-tool is chosen. Activity 2 asks students about each tool ("What is the tool used for? How does the tool work?"), requiring multiple question–answer turns per item. The Wrapping Up prompts ask students to tell what a tool is, which tools they used, and what they used to measure, creating additional exchanges.
Lesson 8
Animal Care
The lesson repeatedly prompts an adult to ask the child multiple, sequential questions (for example, the multiple comprehension questions after The Salamander Room and the follow-up questions in Activity 1: "What do pets need?" and "What would happen if we didn't provide a healthy environment for our pets?"). Activities ask the child to describe actions (feeding, brushing, creating a habitat) and then discuss those choices, which invites back-and-forth discussion. The Life Application and Wrapping Up sections instruct adults to discuss scenarios with the child (e.g., ask what environment would be needed for a turtle and whether it should stay in its habitat), encouraging continued exchanges over time.
Lesson 9
Animal Designs
Students are prompted to respond to questions and discuss topics (e.g., "Ask your child what animals need to live and grow" and "Discuss that most animals can live in only one or two different habitats"). Students explain reasoning about habitat fit in Activity 2 ("ask her to explain why each animal would not live in the habitat") and produce repeated spoken sentences in Activity 3 (encouraged to say, "A __________ can't live in the ____________. A __________ lives in the ________________" and repeat with multiple animals). Activity 4 asks students to tell a creative story aloud and then respond to a follow-up prompt about adding or changing the story.
Lesson 10
Amazing Animals
Activity 2 asks students to pretend to be animals while an adult reads scenarios and to explain what they (as the animal) would do; follow-up prompts like "How would you feel?" and "What will happen to the starfish's arm?" require the child to answer and respond. Activity 1 asks the child to analyze pictures and read or listen to text about animals and to select an animal to learn more about, which can prompt question-and-answer exchanges. The Wrapping Up section directs an adult to ask the child to tell about animals learned today, prompting verbal responses.
Lesson 11
Amazing Me
In Activity 1 adults pose scenario questions (e.g., cold outside, swimming in sun, trouble reading signs) and ask the child how she would change, then provide follow-up explanations after the child's response. In Activity 3 the child is prompted to think of a time she changed, share an example aloud, and then read back the recorded ideas, which creates a sequence of speaking and listening turns. In the Wrapping Up section the child is asked to share additional examples and is asked follow-up questions (e.g., "Do you remember what else changes besides our bodies?"), prompting continued back-and-forth talk.
Final Project
Animal Research / My Environment
Students are prompted to answer a series of guided questions about their environment (e.g., "Can you describe the environment in which you live?" and "What are some of the different animal habitats…?"). The directions ask caregivers to provide hints and follow-up questions as needed, and later to allow the child to explain each page of his book and to share it with the family. The Project Extension invites students to sing or act out pages and to present the book, which creates opportunities for back-and-forth discussion with adults or family members.
Unit 2: Weather
Lesson 1
Reading the Skies
Students are prompted to answer multiple questions after a read-aloud (Activity 1 asks what the story is about and follow-up questions about types of weather and feelings). The Skills list includes "Listen critically to text read aloud" and "Respond to text read aloud," and Activity 3 asks students to tell or dictate a story about their favorite weather, which can prompt back-and-forth with an adult. The Life Application directs daily discussion about the morning weather and what to wear, implying repeated conversational exchanges over several days.
Lesson 2
Types of Precipitation
Students are prompted to answer multiple follow-up questions after shared readings (Activity 1 asks about habitats, how characters looked when hot/cold, and whether they learned anything new). In Activity 4 students make a prediction, perform an experiment, then check their prediction and describe what happened, creating a multi-turn exchange about cause and effect. Several activities instruct students to "discuss" types of precipitation and dangerous weather, which requires back-and-forth responses during questioning and explanation.
Lesson 3
Measuring and Charting Weather
The lesson repeatedly prompts oral interaction: it instructs an adult to "Ask your child what she thinks would happen if an animal's habitat got too warm or cold," to "Ask your child how she thinks she could do that" (measuring rain), and to "ask her to describe what the weather can be like in different habitats." The Wrapping Up section directs the adult to "Ask your child to give you examples of how weather can be measured" and how weather helps living things, which elicits spoken responses and short discussions.
Lesson 4
Simulating Weather
Students are prompted to name three things the wind can move and then "discuss what those things have in common," which requires at least an initial response and a follow-up exchange. Students are asked to explain what happens when the bottle is squeezed and released, prompting a question and a child explanation. The weather song activity directs students to read aloud, follow along, and answer targeted follow-up questions about words on the page (e.g., find the word "clouds," count letters), creating short back-and-forth interactions.
Lesson 5
Fall
Students are asked direct questions and follow-up prompts throughout (e.g., name the seasons, recite months, describe what happens in fall and how their environment is similar or different), which require multiple responses. In Activity 1 students answer several specific questions about a picture (what people are wearing, what plants look like, what people are doing, how the weather feels) and then discuss similarities/differences and use words in sentences. In Activity 2 students answer a sequence of questions about their graph (what the graph shows, which color has fewest/most, whether any colors tie), prompting multiple exchanges. The Wrapping Up section asks students to explain what they enjoy doing in fall and to describe weather changes, inviting additional back-and-forth.
Lesson 6
Winter
The lesson repeatedly prompts the child to answer questions and discuss topics (e.g., asking what season follows fall; asking the child to describe winter environments; asking how the pictures are similar or different from where he lives). It asks the child to dictate a story and then attempt to read the story aloud, and it instructs an adult to "discuss" differences between winter and summer and to ask the child to describe what winter can be like. Multiple prompts (Ask your child..., Discuss..., Ask him...) require the child to speak and respond to adult questions.
Lesson 7
Spring
Students are prompted to answer teacher/parent questions about spring (e.g., "Ask your child what the weather is like in the spring"). After each poem students are asked what the poem was about and to identify rhyming words, creating short question–response interactions. In the Seed Sort activity students listen to a series of planting directions and respond by placing seeds each time, and Activity 3 asks students to answer follow-up questions such as "Why did it move/fall off?" and to describe wind observations.
Lesson 8
Summer
The Introduction directs an adult to ask the child several questions (e.g., what season follows spring, what activities he enjoys, describe summer weather), which requires the child to respond to multiple prompts. Activity 1 lists a sequence of four specific picture-based questions (describe environment, what is happening, how kids feel, could these activities happen in winter) that the child answers aloud. Activity 2 asks the child to read or listen to a short story, choose words to fill blanks, and then read the completed story aloud, creating opportunities for oral responses.
Final Project
Weather Games
Students are asked to interact and discuss ideas as they complete activities, with prompts to "take time to discuss the idea behind the activity, and interact with your child." In Activity 2 students take turns playing a memory game, matching cards with an adult or independently. In Activity 3 adults ask multiple follow-up questions about observations (temperature, wind, precipitation, clouds, activities), and in Activity 4 students prepare and give a weather forecast to the family across three mornings with practice, prompting, and opportunities to respond to questions. The wrapping-up section asks students to share what they learned and answer several follow-up prompts about seasons and weather changes.
Unit 3: Community
Lesson 1
On the Town
Students are prompted to answer a series of comprehension and personal questions after the read-aloud (e.g., "What is a community?", "What places did Charlie visit…", "Why did Charlie write down the places…?"). Students are asked to discuss similarities and differences between Charlie's journey and their own community and to draw and dictate a sentence about a new place Charlie could visit. Students are also prompted to respond during wrap-up discussions about what a healthy community provides and to participate in vocabulary activities that require speaking (reading words aloud and filling sentences).
Lesson 2
My Community Environment
Students are prompted to discuss the community map with an adult, tracing paths and answering questions about which buildings are near or far. Students prepare a list of interview questions and then ask and record answers from a community worker during a field trip, with prompts such as "Why would a person come here?" and "What are the people doing that work here?". Students are encouraged to describe places in follow-up conversations at home and to ask questions of people who work in the community over the next month.
Lesson 3
Jobs in the Community
Students are instructed to spend time observing and talking with a community worker (Activity 3) and to describe what they saw, which creates an opportunity for back-and-forth interaction. Students are asked to read their written paragraph aloud for family and to dress up while family members guess the worker (Activity 4), prompting interactive exchanges. The wrapping-up charades activity asks students to act and have others guess, with the option to add words if guessing fails, encouraging verbal responses between participants.
Lesson 4
Goods and Services in the Community
The Introduction directs an adult to ask the child to name community places and follow up by asking how each place helps, prompting back-and-forth responses. Activity 2 (Money) has the child read prices aloud, count out dollars, report how many remain, and decide subsequent purchases, creating multiple, sequential exchanges. Activity 3 (Bartering) has family members trade objects and "discuss what a 'fair' trade would be," requiring several conversational turns. The Wrapping Up and Life Application sections ask the child to describe goods and services and explain why people have jobs, encouraging continued explanation and dialogue.
Lesson 6
A Good Community Citizen
The lesson repeatedly prompts the child to answer open-ended questions (e.g., "Ask your child how citizens in her community help one another," "Ask her to explain how she made her decision," and "Ask your child to provide other examples of good citizenship"). Several activities require the child to describe or explain actions (sorting scenarios, drawing and labeling behaviors, and describing family members' actions). The wrapping up questions ask the child to reflect and articulate ways she can be a good citizen, which encourages multiple responses.
Lesson 7
A Citizen with Character
Students are asked to answer a series of follow-up questions after reading "A Lesson in Honesty" (e.g., What do you think will happen next? Did Riley do anything wrong? What should Riley have done? What would you have done?), which prompts multiple verbal responses. Students are prompted to discuss the moral of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" and to illustrate/write beginning, middle, and end, encouraging back-and-forth discussion about story events. Students must explain and justify scores in the Kindness Award activity and describe actions and consequences in Activity 6, requiring them to state reasons and respond to prompts.
Lesson 8
Rules and Laws
Students are prompted to name and explain six household rules and to justify which is most important, which requires back-and-forth explanation (Activity 1). Students listen to a story and then answer multiple follow-up questions about what happens, what they would like or dislike, and whether they would stay, providing opportunities for several conversational turns (Activity 3). Students are asked to discuss proposed new household rules with other family members and see if others agree, which prompts exchanges among multiple speakers (Activities 1 and 3; Wrapping Up).
Lesson 9
Caring for Our Communities
Students take turns role-playing community helpers and other children guess the action, which requires multiple children to speak and respond. Students play a game where the teacher names a community helper and students answer in role (e.g., "I am looking for a book about dogs. I need your help."), giving spoken responses to prompts. Students share pictures, drawings, or videos of things that make the community healthy and explain why, which requires them to speak and provide explanations to family members.
Final Project
I Can Make A Difference
Students are asked to give examples and to discuss how people can make communities better, with prompts such as "Ask your child to give examples..." and "Ask your child what she learned from doing her community service." Students dictate their plan while an adult records it and use sentence starters on the planning and reflection sheet (e.g., "I am planning to..., The first thing I will do is..., I helped __ with __"). During Day 2 students carry out their plan and respond to guided reflection questions (e.g., "Were you able to carry out your plan?" "How did you affect the person/people you helped?").
2: Similarities and Differences
Unit 1: Amazing Attributes
Lesson 1
Describe It
Students take turns in Activity 1: an adult describes items by giving clues and the child guesses each object, then the child places objects in a bag and describes them while the adult guesses, demonstrating turn-taking and multiple back-and-forth exchanges. In Activity 2 students are asked to describe how pairs of objects are similar and different and to answer prompts about meaning, which requires verbal responses to questions. The wrap-up and life application sections have students respond to questions about describing and comparing objects while the adult prompts further description.
Lesson 2
Animal Attributes
Students are prompted to explain how two stuffed animals are alike and different (‘Get two of your child's stuffed animals and ask him to explain how they are alike and different'). Students are asked to describe how they know which objects are living and to be reminded of characteristics of living things (‘Ask him to describe how he knows which objects are living. Remind him of the characteristics of living things'). Students are invited to discuss how animals use different body parts and to describe ways animals are alike and different during the review (‘Discuss how the animals use their different body parts.' ‘Ask your child to describe some ways that animals can be alike and some ways they can be different.').
Lesson 3
Size, Shape, and Color
Students are repeatedly prompted to respond to adult questions and to discuss observations (e.g., describe a spoon's size/shape/color; describe how two spoons are similar and different). Activities instruct the adult to "discuss" terms, "comment on the process" the child used to organize toys, and to ask follow-up questions about color mixing and what the child learned. The wrapping-up and life-application tasks ask the child to describe and talk about properties across the week, creating multiple opportunities for back-and-forth exchanges.
Lesson 4
How Does It Feel?
Students take turns in the blindfold activity, pulling each of three objects from the bag, describing how each feels, and responding when the adult guesses; they continue this sequence for all three objects. Activity 1 asks students to describe multiple objects while the adult guesses and then repeat the activity with different constraints, followed by a discussion about whether the descriptions were sufficient. The Wrapping Up and Life Application sections prompt students to answer follow-up questions (name texture words, imagine what the world would be like if everything felt the same) and to select and describe additional objects at home, creating further back-and-forth exchanges.
Lesson 5
How Old?
Students are prompted to ask and answer questions about age (e.g., caregivers ask the child how old she is and ask which question they would ask each person in the pictures). In Activity 2 students are asked to decide which question to ask each illustrated person, to think of another question for each person, and to record and reread those questions. Activity 1 and the park/tree activity require the child to discuss observations (e.g., identify older/younger people or trees) and respond to follow-up prompts about why age may not correlate with size.
Lesson 6
The Measure of Things
The lesson repeatedly instructs an adult to ask the child sequential questions (e.g., "Ask what a doctor measures... Ask your child how much he weighs... Ask him how he knows these measurements... Ask him to give you examples..."). Several activities require the child to answer an initial question and then respond to follow-ups (e.g., asking how the principle of using a nonstandard unit for length could apply to a balance, and asking the child to explain capacity estimates after measuring). Day 2 includes a paired exchange where both adult and child measure with index fingers, record answers privately, then compare and discuss why answers differ, prompting multiple turns of explanation and response.
Lesson 7
More Attributes
The introduction and activities prompt the child to explain and describe attributes (e.g., "Ask your child to explain what an attribute is," "Ask her to describe ways to find similarities and differences"). Multiple activities require the child to answer follow-up questions and make choices (e.g., "Ask her what the groups will be and then ask her to sort the blocks," "Ask her which toys go in each circle," "See if your child can think of other ways to sort the items"). The Venn diagram and toy-sorting tasks explicitly require the child to describe overlaps and justify placements, encouraging back-and-forth exchanges.
Lesson 8
Amazing Attributes
Students are asked to describe types of measurements and to explain what a magnet is, providing opportunities to respond to questions (e.g., "Ask your child what a magnet is" and "Ask your child what causes an object to sink or float"). Students make predictions on the "Magnetic or Not?" page and then test and report results, creating a cycle of prediction, testing, and reporting. After the Sink or Float activity, students compare their predictions to results and discuss which predictions were correct and look for similarities among items that floated or sank.
Lesson 9
Solids and Liquids
The lesson repeatedly instructs an adult to ask the child open questions (e.g., "Ask your child if she has heard the word 'liquid' or the word 'solid'" and "Ask her to explain the difference"), have the child explain observations (e.g., examine an ice cube and "ask your child what she observes" and "ask what caused the ice cube to change"), and discuss examples (brainstorming examples and sorting pictures into Solids/Liquids). The activities require the child to answer questions, explain reasoning, and produce definitions and examples in multiple parts of the lesson (writing definitions, discussing sugar, and pasting pictures).
Lesson 10
Earth Materials: Rocks, Soil, and Water
The lesson includes a skills item: "Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood," and it repeatedly instructs the adult to ask the child questions (e.g., multiple reading comprehension questions, "Ask him to describe...", "Ask if the different soils have different sized particles"). Activities prompt back-and-forth interactions such as brainstorming prepositions together, experimenting with different prepositions in sentences, and discussing observations from soil and water experiments.
Lesson 11
Using Earth Materials
The lesson repeatedly prompts adults to "ask your child to describe" the three Earth materials and to "ask your child to think about" how rocks are used, which invites spoken responses. It directs caregivers to "discuss" uses of rocks and soil and to "explain" plant oxygen, prompting back-and-forth talk. Activity 1 asks the child to "dictate" water uses while an adult records them, creating an interaction between the child and a family member.
Final Project
Presenting Attributes
Students are asked to name and discuss attributes when the teacher/adult prompts them to list attributes and answer leading questions. Students practice giving a demonstration or presenting a poster to a family member or small group and are encouraged to describe each attribute and what it teaches. The skills list explicitly includes "Use new vocabulary in conversation," and steps instruct students to practice their presentations with an adult who gives feedback.
Unit 2: Senses
Lesson 1
My Five Senses
Students are asked a series of follow-up questions as they describe objects (e.g., "How did you figure out its attributes?" "Which parts of your body do you use?"). After reading My Five Senses, students answer multiple directed questions (e.g., name the five senses, identify body parts, explain which senses detect shape or color and why). In Activity 3 (Option 2) students dictate four sentences about a sensing experience and then discuss each sentence, prompting back-and-forth discussion about person/place/thing and action.
Lesson 3
Smelling and Tasting
The Introduction asks the child to describe situations where she uses smell and taste, prompting back-and-forth discussion about senses. Activity 1 blindfolds the child and has the adult ask her to smell items, decide whether to taste them, report whether they taste good or bad, and answer follow-up questions (e.g., Did the foods that smelled good always taste good?). Activity 2 instructs the child to conduct a survey by asking four people to taste foods and record Y/N responses, which requires the child to ask questions and record answers from others.
Lesson 4
Hearing and Seeing
Students are asked directly questions and prompted to respond (e.g., identifying whether two noisy objects are the same or different and explaining how they know, and answering questions after a read-aloud of The Magic School Bus). Students describe and then reread or discuss their recorded observations (e.g., describing the blindfolded walk and then reading their ideas and talking about differences). Students engage in interactive guessing and discussion activities (e.g., listening to sound descriptions and guessing the place, then describing a noisy place and reading the description aloud to others to see if they can guess).
Lesson 5
Touch
Students are prompted to answer and discuss questions in multiple activities: they describe textures during the 'Feel It!' blindfold game and guess items based on touch, discuss how Jell-O ingredients feel while helping prepare them, and describe and title their finger-painting. Students respond to guided questions in the introduction and wrap-up (e.g., recalling the meaning of texture and answering what the world would be like if everything had the same texture). Students place checks and write adjectives on the Touch Chart and Touch It pages, which requires them to respond to prompts and explain choices.
Lesson 6
Experimenting With Our Senses
Students are asked to describe each drink aloud and then, after a blindfolded taste, compare and discuss differences (Activity 1), responding to follow-up questions such as "Were your first answers the same as your second answers?" and "If your answers were different, why were they different?". In Activity 2 students are asked which spice they smell on each card and whether they like the smell or think it would taste good on food, prompting back-and-forth questioning. The Wrapping Up section prompts students to explain how senses help make decisions and why we use more than one sense, inviting verbal responses and clarification.
Lesson 7
Using All of Our Senses
The Skills section explicitly lists "Interact with reader when text is read aloud (questions, comments, and ideas)," and the Introduction directs an adult to ask the child which senses the boy used and how he used each one. Activity 2 (Nature Walk) provides a series of follow-up questions (e.g., What were some things you heard? Which sense did you use most?) that require the child to respond and explain. Wrapping Up and Life Application instruct the adult to ask the child how she uses her senses and to pause and think about which senses she is using, prompting spoken responses.
Unit 3: We're the Same, We're Different
Lesson 1
You're Special
Students are prompted to read their completed "You Are Special" paragraph aloud and share it with others, and adults are instructed to ask follow-up questions such as "What do you like about your story?". In Activity 2 students compare their personal numbers with a parent or sibling and are asked to discuss similarities and differences. The Wrapping Up section asks students to discuss ways people are alike and different, encouraging verbal exchange.
Lesson 2
Physical Characteristics
Students answer a series of follow-up questions after completing the cut-and-paste or drawing activity (e.g., questions about same/different hands, hair, eyes, legs). Students listen to the "Different Friends" story, retell it in their own words, and respond to multiple comprehension questions about beginning/middle/end and characters' feelings. Students dictate and discuss their own "Friendship Story," responding to prompts about setting, characters, and differences and illustrating beginning, middle, and end, which requires back-and-forth exchanges with an adult.
Lesson 3
Different Personalities
The lesson repeatedly prompts the child to speak with an adult or peer: Activity 1 tells an adult to "ask him to explain what each word means" and to "tell him what you like most about his personality," which elicits responses. Activity 2 directs the child to write/paste traits for self and a friend, "circle the words that he and his friend/sibling have in common," "Let him count the words," and "Ask him to describe how he and his friend/sibling are alike and how they are different," creating opportunities for back-and-forth talk. The wrap-up asks the child to "present the webs to each family member and explain what they mean," which involves spoken explanation and likely follow-up interaction.
Lesson 4
Interests and Hobbies
Activity 3 asks students to interview three people and to read the survey questions aloud, which requires asking questions and listening to responses. Activity 1 asks students to share a hobby with someone else and provides an opportunity to speak about their hobby to another person. Activity 2 asks students to teach a parent or sibling about an interest and to talk about interests with an adult, which creates back-and-forth interaction.
Lesson 5
Shapesville
Students are prompted to answer a series of follow-up questions after reading (e.g., "Did you enjoy the story? Why or why not?", "How are the shapes' personalities different?"), and they are asked to explain choices when choosing a shape that represents them or family members. Students are asked to share their shape design and dictated description with other family members and to explain why a particular shape represents a family member. The lesson repeatedly prompts oral responses, explanations, and sharing aloud (read the book aloud, attempt to read and share descriptions).
Lesson 6
Different Families
The lesson repeatedly directs an adult to "ask your child" questions and to "discuss" topics (e.g., name family members, what it means to be part of a family, responsibilities), and it instructs to "As you read, talk about the different people in the book," which prompts back-and-forth dialogue. Activity directions ask the child to describe pictures, compare families, and answer prompts on activity pages, and the Wrapping Up section asks follow-up questions about similarities, differences, and importance of families.
Lesson 7
Different Homes
Students are prompted to identify and describe different homes after reading pages 26–35 and to answer questions such as why people have homes and what materials were used. The introduction and wrapping-up sections instruct adults to ask follow-up prompts like "what he enjoys most about his house," "why homes around the world look different," and whether he would enjoy living in a different type of home. Activity 2 asks students to look through books or the Internet with an adult, find countries for each home type, record country names, and add details, which requires students to report findings and discuss them with an adult.
Lesson 8
Different Holidays and Traditions
Students are prompted to name holidays and explain what they enjoy about each one, responding to adult questions in the Introduction. Students are asked to look at pictures and "discuss any similarities and differences" and to answer specific follow-up questions about what people are celebrating and what activities/clothing/foods are involved (Activity 2). Students are asked to state which holiday is their favorite and explain why in three sentences or by dictating responses (Activity 3), and to answer a closing question about why holidays are important (Wrapping Up).
Lesson 9
Different Modes of Transportation
Students are asked questions in the Introduction (e.g., give examples of ways people get from place to place; then how people travel great distances) and are prompted to discuss reasons for choosing specific modes of transportation. In Activity 1 students are asked to talk about where they have gone after labeling and drawing boxes around modes they have taken. In Activity 2 and the Wrapping Up students are asked to explain choices (numbering closest to farthest, circling or drawing best modes) and to act out travel while an adult guesses, which requires back-and-forth interaction.
Lesson 10
Wants and Needs
The lesson instructs students to take a Wants and Needs Survey in Activity 4, in which they ask four people to name two things they want and two things they need and then draw or write the responses on a chart. Multiple places prompt students to "discuss" answers (for example, discussing why children need education, play, love and care, and discussing survey responses to decide if items are really wants or needs). Activity 2 asks the child to find items to donate and then "write about how it felt," which involves reporting and discussing feelings after interacting with others.
Lesson 11
Being Part of a Group
Students are asked to discuss pages 98–113 of A Life Like Mine and to talk about identity, nationality, and religion, which requires back-and-forth discussion. Activity 1 prompts a sequence of specific questions (Which group has the most people? Do two groups have the same number? Which group would you be in?) that require multiple responses and follow-up thinking. Activity 3 has students brainstorm community groups and discuss the purpose of each group and why one would be most interesting, and the Wrapping Up section asks several sequential reflective questions.
Final Project
Differences Make the World Go 'Round
Students are instructed to share their finished book with family to teach about life in another country, which asks them to speak about their work. The plan invites the child to meet a person from the chosen country and explicitly encourages her to ask questions about life there. The activity of creating a comparative book requires students to prepare content they can present and discuss with others.
3: Patterns
Unit 1: Identifying and Creating Visual Patterns
Lesson 1
What Is a Pattern?
Students are asked to respond to repeated prompts (e.g., in Introduction: ask the child to continue a red-blue-red-blue pattern, then ask again what color comes next). Activity 1 includes multiple follow-up questions (identify title/author, guess the story, name patterns on pages, and answer "Have you ever seen a pattern? Where?"). Activity 2 (Option 2) and Activity 4 prompt students to name items in order as they occur and to describe patterns using sequential language such as "First, there is ___. Next, there is ___."
Lesson 2
Recognizing Types of Patterns
Students are prompted to answer questions such as "Ask him how many colors are in the set" and "Ask him how he decided" when identifying patterns. Students are asked to explain and describe patterns (e.g., describe the pattern of each caterpillar and sort them into pattern types). Students are asked to point out ABAB and AABB patterns and to explain the difference between them during the wrap-up.
Lesson 3
What Comes Next?
Students are prompted to explain what a pattern is and to explain how they know what comes next, which requires an initial response and a follow-up explanation. Multiple activities instruct an adult to ask successive questions (e.g., "What comes first? Next? What comes before? What comes after?") as the child analyzes and extends patterns. Wrapping up asks students to describe how they know what comes next and whether a pattern is always a row, prompting further back-and-forth discussion.
Lesson 5
Making Color Patterns
The lesson repeatedly prompts an adult to ask the child questions and to "discuss" patterns (e.g., asking the child to think of ways to use colors, demonstrating ideas, and discussing the leaf tracing). It directs the adult to model the first caterpillar pattern and then asks the child to describe the patterns she creates, which creates at least one exchange. Activities also suggest creating necklaces for friends and family and letting the child "demonstrate a variety of color patterns," implying opportunities for interaction and response.
Lesson 6
Shapes and Patterns
Students are repeatedly prompted to describe and explain patterns to an adult (e.g., "Ask your child to describe the order of the shapes," "Ask your child to show you an ABC pattern," and "he can then describe the pattern saying, 'Circle, Square, Circle, Square....'"). Activities ask students to identify and tell whether sets are ABAB, AABB, or ABC and to describe the patterns when sorting caterpillars and when following written patterns. Students are asked to write or copy a sentence about a pattern they found, which requires them to articulate their thinking in response to prompts.
Lesson 8
Creating and Writing About Patterns
Students are asked in Activity 4 (Guess the Pattern) to figure out a pattern created by an adult and then describe it, which requires a response to an adult prompt. Activity 2 (Pattern Race) has the adult call out letters and students quickly recreate patterns, producing a call-and-response interaction. Wrapping Up asks the child to describe different kinds of patterns, prompting verbal explanation and likely back-and-forth with the adult.
Final Project
Patterns Poster or Patterns Presentation
Students are asked to "write the patterns described above on a piece of paper and discuss each one," which requires verbal exchange during planning. Students may present to friends or family and "demonstrate the seven types of patterns," allowing for audience interaction. The Wrapping Up section lists specific questions to ask the child (e.g., "How did you think your project went?"), prompting student responses and reflection.
Unit 2: Patterns in Sounds, Words, and Actions
Lesson 1
Word Patterns
The lesson includes multiple teacher prompts that require back-and-forth responses, such as asking the child what she hears after hearing examples (take, bake, rake) and then asking her to think of other -ake words. Several activities instruct the adult to "discuss" differences between nursery rhymes and storybooks and to "ask her" to identify and record rhyming words, pick a favorite rhyme, and act out or illustrate it. Activities also prompt follow-up questions (e.g., circle the repeating part, add another word, think of other rhyming words) that invite the child to respond and extend an exchange.
Lesson 3
Poetry Patterns
The lesson prompts adults to ask the child what each poem is about and to identify rhyming words, requiring the child to answer and point out patterns. During the song activity, adults are instructed to pause and let the child guess the next rhyming word and to recite words that follow the same pattern, creating repeated speaker turns. The lesson asks the child to brainstorm other animal names and think of rhyming words, and to explain how to find rhyming words, which involves additional question-and-answer interactions.
Lesson 5
Story Patterns
The lesson directs adults to ask the child to describe her morning routine and to "ask her to write about or illustrate her morning routine," which prompts question-and-answer interaction. During reading activities it instructs to ask the child after the beginning and before the ending what she thinks will happen next and to "talk about the important events of the story." Activity 3 suggests the child can "act out the story" using puppets, which creates opportunities for back-and-forth dialogue.
Lesson 6
Sound Patterns
The lesson includes many teacher prompts that require student responses (e.g., asking the child whether they heard a pattern, what type it was, and to name the sounds). Activities have the child extend patterns after the adult models them (Activity 1: adult starts pattern, then gives the child the spoon or instrument to continue). Activities 2 and 3 ask the child to identify, record, imitate, and repeat patterns, which involve turn-taking and short responsive exchanges.
Unit 3: Patterns in Your World
Lesson 1
Patterns in Nature
The lesson includes multiple teacher prompts during the read-aloud (e.g., asking the child to identify and describe the pattern in each picture and follow-up questions such as "Were there any patterns that you had seen before?" and "Can you think of any other patterns in nature that could be added to the book?"). The introduction and wrapping-up sections instruct the adult to ask the child to explain patterns she has seen and to share examples of patterns in nature. Activity 3 asks the child which patterns are most interesting and to discuss them before drawing, creating opportunities for back-and-forth discussion.
Lesson 2
Patterns of Growth
Several activities prompt the child to engage in discussion: caregivers are told to "ask your child how he is different now from when he was a baby" and to "discuss what plants need to live and grow," which invite back-and-forth talk. Activity 4 asks caregivers to "ask your child if he can think of any animals whose life cycle follows an unusual pattern" and to ask "what makes these animals' life cycles unique." Activity 5 and the Wrapping Up section instruct caregivers to have the child organize pictures and "describe the growth pattern of a plant and a person," prompting verbal explanation and follow-up.
Lesson 3
Night and Day
The lesson includes multiple teacher prompts that require verbal responses, such as "Ask your child how she knows when it is nighttime and when it is daytime," and follow-up prompts about what happens during day and night. Activity 3 directs the adult to "Ask your child the following questions" (e.g., how would it be different if it were light all the time?), and the Wrapping Up step asks the child to "explain the pattern of night and day." Several activities (globe/flashlight experiment, labeling and drawing pages) invite the child to describe observations aloud.
Lesson 6
Seasonal Weather Patterns
The lesson repeatedly prompts discussion: it instructs the adult to "ask your child" to name the four seasons, select and circle today's weather on a calendar, and to "discuss the types of weather associated with each season." Activity 1 includes a sequence of teacher questions (e.g., "Which month comes after March? Which season comes before summer?") that require the child to answer and respond to follow-up prompts. The Wrapping Up section directs the child to "discuss the month, season, and weather" and to identify the month, name the season, and describe observed weather, creating opportunities for back-and-forth exchanges.
Lesson 7
Patterns at Home
Students are prompted to answer questions about patterns (e.g., "Ask your child if she can think of any patterns in the house") and to describe each pattern they find during the Pattern Scavenger Hunt, which requires multiple responses. Students discuss designs of pillows, quilts, and clothing and are asked follow‑up questions (e.g., name each shape and number of sides), producing back‑and‑forth exchanges. Students also write or dictate a sentence describing a pattern and respond to a closing discussion prompt about what it would be like if there were no patterns.
Lesson 8
Symmetrical Patterns
Students are prompted to describe the pattern on a butterfly's wings and then answer whether the wings look the same or different, creating at least one follow-up exchange. In Activity 2 students are asked to sort shapes and then tell which group has more shapes and how many more, prompting additional back-and-forth. The Wrapping Up section asks a series of questions (what symmetry means, whether their sides would be symmetrical when folded different ways, and to describe examples), which requires multiple question-and-answer turns with an adult.
Lesson 9
Counting Patterns
Students are asked to listen to a story read aloud and fill in blanks as the story progresses (How Many Clowns?), giving them repeated opportunities to respond during the read-aloud. Students answer questions about the story and act out the story by placing clown faces in a car, which requires multiple verbal or action responses. Students are also prompted to tell their own clown story and to respond to prompts during counting activities (e.g., pairing pennies and saying even/odd), which elicits several turns of talk.
Lesson 10
Tracing Patterns
The lesson directs adults to ask the child questions (e.g., identify the holiday for each pattern; identify the original patterns; count the total number of shapes) and to "encourage him to tell a story" about objects he creates. It prompts follow-up questioning (e.g., "Ask him why it would be hard to create the patterns without the stencil" and "After he has finished cutting, ask him to identify the original patterns. Then ask him to count..."). The wrapping-up step asks the child to explain how to use a traced pattern or stencil, which invites an explanatory response.
Lesson 11
Patterns in Graphs
The lesson repeatedly prompts the child to respond to questions (e.g., "Ask your child if she remembers...", "Ask her to describe any patterns...", "Ask her how many books she thinks John would read..."). It instructs an adult to "read the title and labels to your child and discuss the data on the graph," and lists specific questions for the child to answer about the chart (What does this chart tell us? How many types of people? How many different colors?). The wrapping up step asks the child to describe how to find patterns in graphs and charts, encouraging verbal responses.
4: Change
Unit 1: Changes on Planet Earth
Lesson 1
What Causes Change?
The lesson includes repeated oral prompts such as "Ask your child what it means for something to change" and "Ask her if she has seen anything change and how she knew it had changed," which require the child to answer and explain. Activity 1 asks the child to look at picture cards, match before-and-after pairs, decide what changed and explain cause and effect, and to identify examples at home. Activity 2 asks the child to observe pictures and record "F" or "S" and to think about and record additional fast and slow changes, and Activity 3 has the child draw, complete sentences about a change, and attempt to read the paragraph aloud.
Lesson 2
What Changed?
Students are asked direct questions (e.g., "Ask her what her location is now") and prompted to think of different examples after the instructor models examples, which creates a back-and-forth. During reading, students are encouraged to answer comprehension questions about changes (pages 20, 23) and to discuss which changes they have seen. Activity 3 asks students to give commands to the adult after switching roles, requiring the student to interact and respond to the adult's responses.
Lesson 3
Changing Position
The text includes multiple prompts for oral interaction: caregivers are told to ask the child how we move, to ask what is happening on the book cover and what the book will be about, and to ask a series of follow-up questions (e.g., How do we get objects to start moving?, Can you give two examples of a push/pull?). Several activities instruct caregivers to "discuss" topics with the child (e.g., Discuss that people aren't the only thing that can make objects move; Discuss magnetic poles) and to ask the child to explain observations (e.g., Ask your child why objects pushed up in the air always come back down; Ask your child to explain some ways that objects on Earth change position).
Lesson 4
Changes in the Environment
Students are asked to describe types of weather and to answer how weather changes might cause them to change activities (Activity 1), which prompts verbal responses to situational questions. As they read Part 2, students are encouraged to answer questions about changes on specific pages and to discuss season-related pictures, prompting spoken answers during reading (Activity 2). The lesson repeatedly instructs adults to "ask your child" to explain changes, label seasons, and describe causes and effects, which requires students to speak and respond to prompts.
Lesson 5
Changes in Location
Students are asked questions such as "how the animal changed" and to describe where the animal is now, which prompts verbal responses. In Activity 2 an adult reads location sentences and students move a cut-out mouse to the described spots, requiring students to listen and respond to prompts. The wrapping up section asks students to follow directions (stand on top of the bed, sit behind the door, etc.) and then switch roles so the child describes the adult's location, creating opportunities for turn-taking.
Lesson 6
Changes in the Sky
The lesson repeatedly directs an adult to ask the child to describe and discuss concepts (e.g., "Ask your child to describe how objects on Earth change"; "discuss why the Sun is important"; "discuss that the Moon does not produce its own light"). Activity 2 has interactive role-play where students respond to questions about revolving and rotating and then take turns acting as the Earth and Sun ("trade places with your child ... Instruct him to be the Earth"). The wrapping-up and life-application sections prompt the child to observe, describe, and discuss positions of the Sun and Moon with an adult.
Lesson 7
Living Things Change
The lesson repeatedly instructs an adult to ask the child questions and follow-ups (e.g., "Ask your child how she changes. How do animals change?" and "Ask her how and why the lizard changed..."). Activity 2 directs the adult to ask multiple questions for each picture pair (Did it change in size? number? place? shape?) and to have the child justify whether a change is fast or slow. Wrapping Up and Life Application sections prompt conversation (Ask your child to give examples; Talk with your child about changes you observe), creating multiple turns of exchange.
Lesson 8
Plants and Change
The lesson repeatedly instructs an adult to read with the child and then ask questions (e.g., "Read pages 4-7… and then ask your child the following questions"), prompting student responses. Activities ask the child to "discuss" plant needs and parts (Activity 1 and Activity 2) and to make and record predictions about the plant experiment (Activity 6), which requires follow-up conversation when comparing predictions to observations. The Wrapping Up section directs the adult to ask the child to list parts and describe what plants need, prompting additional Q&A exchanges.
Lesson 9
Heat Causes Change
The lesson repeatedly instructs the adult to ask the child questions and follow up (e.g., "Ask your child if she has ever seen anything burn… ask her what burned and how it looked different"). During Activity 1 and Activity 2 the child is asked to predict, observe, and then respond multiple times (e.g., "Ask her how the ice is changing… Ask her what she thinks will happen…", and measure the candle at 15-minute intervals and answer a series of questions about changes). The wrap-up and life-application sections explicitly prompt continued discussion with questions like "Ask her to explain how heat caused the ice and water to change" and "ask her to explain" how the family uses heat.
Lesson 10
Chemical Changes
The text instructs to "Discuss the difference between physical and chemical changes," prompting a verbal exchange about concepts. It asks the child to "explain how he made each decision" after completing the activity sheet, requiring the child to give explanations aloud. The wrapping up step asks the child to "describe the difference" and give examples, which asks for spoken responses.
Lesson 11
People Change the Environment
The lesson repeatedly prompts oral interaction: it tells the adult to "Discuss with your child" how changes occur and to have the child brainstorm positive and negative changes while the adult records her ideas. Activity 2 asks students to "discuss" why the family recycles and what materials can be recycled, and Activity 3 asks the child to describe each illustration, explain how it changes the environment, and decide if the change is positive, negative, or neutral. The Wrapping Up and Life Application sections ask the child to share ways to reduce/reuse/recycle and to point out environmental changes on a walk, creating multiple opportunities for spoken exchanges.
Final Project
Mobile of Change
Students are prompted to discuss guiding questions in the Introduction (e.g., 'What if you stayed the same age?' and 'What if the weather were always exactly the same?'). The Skills list explicitly includes 'Discuss how weather can force people to change their activities' and 'Express ideas through writing and conversation,' which requires verbal responses. Students are asked to explain their mobile to family members and answer wrap-up questions about what they learned and which example is their favorite, providing opportunities for spoken exchanges.
Unit 2: Characters Change
Lesson 2
Why Worry?
The lesson repeatedly prompts the child to speak and respond: it asks the child to share worries at the start and to answer four follow-up comprehension questions about Wemberly. The lesson instructs a parent to "discuss the story with your child" and includes activities where the child compares characters and explains how Wemberly changed, which require verbal responses. The wrapping up section asks the child to use conjunctions in sentences and to say which story they liked more and why, creating multiple prompts for spoken replies.
Lesson 3
Is It a Problem?
Students are asked multiple sequential questions after reading the book (e.g., Questions #1–#4) and are prompted to answer and discuss how the problem is illustrated, how it grows, how the boy handles it, and what he learns. In Activity 2 students brainstorm a list of problems and then respond to a series of guided prompts (describe the problem, why it worries them, what is within/out of their control, possible opportunities, and steps to take), which requires several back-and-forth responses. Activity 5 and the introductory prompts ask students to discuss similarities/differences between characters and to answer beginning/middle/end questions, which invite continued exchanges about character change and story structure.
Lesson 4
Comparing Characters
Students are prompted to discuss story preferences and character comparisons (e.g., parents ask which story and character were favorite and why). Several activities require verbal responses and discussion: students dictate three-sentence summaries, answer questions on the "Two Stories, Same Problem" page (How are the characters' situations similar? What can we learn? Which story did you like most? Why? Which character is most like you? Why?), and participate in cause-and-effect discussions. The wrapping-up instructions ask students to answer comparative questions and respond to whether they want to read more by the same authors.
Lesson 5
The Raft
Students are asked to share memories and respond to a series of questions during reading (e.g., Introduction asks for memories of grandparents; each Reading And Questions section directs the adult to ask the child specific comprehension and opinion questions). The lesson repeatedly prompts discussion activities (e.g., Activity 1 asks students to compare narrators and find sentences with "I," Activity 6 asks the child to interpret idioms and offer alternative phrasings, and the Wrapping Up asks what caused the boy to change), giving students multiple opportunities to speak and explain their thinking across days.
Lesson 6
Positive and Negative Change
Students are asked to answer a series of follow-up questions about the rat story (e.g., how the rat feels, how he could respond) and then dictate an ending and discuss how and why the rat changed, which requires multiple back-and-forth exchanges. Students are prompted to discuss several 'What if?' questions about characters from stories and to think aloud about a personal change, describing causes, effects, and choices. Students are also encouraged to share their illustrated cause/effect with family, implying further conversational exchange.
Final Project
My Own Story
The lesson repeatedly prompts adult-child discussion: adults are instructed to "ask your child if she has any ideas for her story," "record some of her ideas," "read them back and ask if there is one that she thinks would be easier or more fun," which requires multiple turns. It directs adults to "discuss" story elements (beginning, middle, end; characters; setting) and to "discuss how the character will change" and the problem/solution, which ask the child to respond and elaborate. During drafting and publishing the child is to dictate the story while the adult records and then "discuss what parts of the story will go on which pages," creating further exchanges across multiple steps/days.
Unit 3: A First Look at History - Change Over Time
Lesson 1
People and Families Change
The lesson includes many teacher prompts and discussion questions (Activity 1, Activity 4, Wrapping Up) that ask the child to answer and reflect aloud about pictures, memories, and growth. Activity 5 and Activity 6 ask the child to read or share ideas aloud and to let other family members contribute their ideas, which creates opportunities for back-and-forth exchanges. Several places instruct to "discuss" or "let others contribute," indicating verbal interaction and sharing of responses.
Lesson 2
Understanding Time
The text repeatedly instructs an adult to ask the child questions and to discuss topics (e.g., "Ask your child to name something that has happened to her in the past," "Discuss the concepts of yesterday, today, and tomorrow," and "Now ask your child the following questions:" followed by a list). Activities prompt spoken responses such as describing past, present, and future events and answering multiple sequential questions about time and changes. Several prompts require the child to respond verbally before moving to the next prompt (e.g., series of past/present/future questions and advanced questions).
Lesson 3
Communities Change
Students are asked a sequence of comprehension and reflection questions after reading (e.g., Where did the story happen? Who are the characters? How did the environment change? Which child would you like to be? When would you have most liked to visit Maple Street?). Students are prompted to explain answers and to "continue with the following questions" (e.g., How would life have been different? What would have been enjoyable? What would have been hard?), which asks for elaboration. Activities ask students to point out differences in transportation, clothing, homes, and activities and to describe ways we can learn about the past, prompting multiple responses tied to the same topic.
Lesson 4
Past and Present
Students are prompted to discuss and answer a sequence of follow-up questions after readings (Activity 3 asks multiple specific questions such as how a school day is different, what is the same, and whether they would enjoy living in that time). Students are asked to tell a story about living in a past time period and then respond to reminders about beginning, middle, and end while the adult records their dictation. Activity 7 has students dictate five clues about a time period and then read those clues aloud to other family members to see if they can guess, creating a multi-turn exchange. Multiple activities instruct students to discuss differences, explain ideas, and answer several related prompts (e.g., Homes/Transportation/Clothing/School discussions and wrapping-up questions).
Lesson 6
Predicting Future Change
Activity directions repeatedly require the adult to ask the child questions and follow-up questions (Activity 1: "Ask your child what changed... then ask him the follow-up question"), prompting multi-turn exchanges. Activity 2 and the Wrapping Up ask the child to discuss predictions, decide positive/negative outcomes, and come up with examples, requiring the child to respond and extend ideas. Activity 3 asks the child to describe a personal change, explain why it happened, dictate a description, and attempt to read it, which involves multiple back-and-forth prompts and responses.
Lesson 7
People of the Past
Activity 1 instructs an adult to read a biography with the child and ask several follow-up questions (e.g., Did this person live in the past?, How would you describe this person?, What did this person do?, Are you similar?). Activity 2 directs the adult to reread descriptions, ask the child to point to the individual described, and to ask which person she wants to learn more about, prompting further discussion. Activity 3 asks the child whether she has made a positive change, has the adult tell a time they made a change, and then instructs the adult and child to "discuss what she needs to do" to make a change, which implies multiple turns of exchange.
6: Reading
Unit 1: Semester 1
Lesson 1
Letter Sounds Review I
Students are prompted to answer a series of teacher questions (e.g., pointing to sight words, naming letters and sounds, and identifying beginning sounds) in Activities 1.1, 1.2, 2.3, and 3.1. In Activity 3.2 (Building Words) students hand over letter cards and respond sequentially as the teacher asks for the next letter/sound, creating a short back-and-forth exchange. Activity 5.4 (Guess My Word) requires students to listen to multi-step clues and write/say each answer in turn, and the reader activity asks students to describe what they see and do actions while reading, inviting brief reciprocal responses.
Lesson 2
Letter Sounds Review II
Students are asked direct questions and prompted to respond throughout the activities (e.g., "What sound does short i make?" and "What words did the video show that have short i?"). Students are asked to describe and explain their thinking after reading (e.g., "What do you think this book is about?" and "Do you think the pig and the cat can fit in the box?" Ask her to explain her thinking). Students are invited to share and discuss words they know and to read The Pig Can to others, which provides opportunities for conversational exchanges.
Lesson 3
Letter Sounds Review III
Students are asked questions that require a response and follow-up actions (Activity 1.1: child answers "Based on the hint, what vowel do you think…?" and then locates words and punctuation). Students participate in short back-and-forth interactions when identifying sight words and turning cards over repeatedly until recognition (Activity 1.3). Students answer comprehension questions after reading The Bug (Activity 5.2) and supply letters or complete words when prompted during word-building (Activity 3.2), producing multiple brief exchanges with the adult.
Lesson 4
Letter Sounds Review IV
Students are asked questions and respond in several activities (e.g., Activity 1.1 asks, "How many sentences does this message have?" and students circle end marks; Activity 2.1 has students listen to two words and identify which has the short /e/ sound). After reading the book in Activity 5.2, students are asked comprehension questions and expected to answer (why the dog and fox are napping; why the cat and pig are not). In Activity 5.3 adults prompt students to complete multiple teacher-started sentences by selecting words to fill blanks, eliciting repeated student responses.
Lesson 5
Adding s, More Word Families, Ending with ck
Students are asked to read the Weekly Message with an adult and respond to multiple questions about punctuation and sentence count (Activity 1.1), requiring several back-and-forth exchanges. In Activity 4.3 students read Ducks Are Fun and are asked a comprehension question ("Which duck do you think is having the most fun? Why?") that prompts a spoken response. Activity 5.2 (Guess My Word) presents multiple oral clues that the child must hear, respond to, and write, creating a brief sequence of teacher prompts and student replies.
Lesson 6
Open Syllables and Digraph th
The Life Application directs the child and adult to play a rhyming game by taking turns coming up with rhyming words, which requires multiple back-and-forth exchanges. Activity 1.1 (Weekly Message) asks the child to read along, point to words, add words to a group, and answer follow-up questions such as "Do these words end with the same sound?" Activity 5.2 asks the child to read a book and answer several comprehension questions, prompting multiple responses about names and preferences.
Lesson 7
Consonant Digraphs ch, sh, wh, ph
Students are asked to "take turns adding words that begin with the same sound to make silly sentences," which requires back-and-forth exchanges (Life Application). Students answer multiple follow-up questions about Reader #7 (e.g., "What do you think will happen in this book?" and "Why are the rat and the cat wet at the end?"), prompting sustained exchanges. Throughout activities (Weekly Message, sight-word practice, picture sorting) students respond to prompts, point to words, and reply to the adult's prompts in multiple steps as they identify sounds and sort words.
Lesson 9
Blends with l
Several activities prompt spoken back-and-forth: the Life Application asks the child to "take turns saying a word" with the teacher or partner, and Activity 5.1 has the child read cards, create sentences with the adult, and then "make three or four more sentences." Reader #9 includes multiple oral comprehension questions (e.g., "What color are the flags...?" "If you were in the club, what fun things would you want to do?") that invite verbal responses.
Lesson 10
Blends with r
Students take turns in the Life Application activity where the adult says a word and the child must respond with a word that begins with the same blend, then switch roles so the child supplies a prompt and the adult replies. During Activity 4.2 the child reads a short reader aloud and then answers comprehension questions posed by the adult (e.g., "Where are the ducks swimming to?"), producing multiple back-and-forth exchanges. Activity 4.1 suggests taking turns calling out and writing words in the mini-book, which creates repeated short exchanges between the adult and child.
Lesson 12
Double ll, ss, ff, zz (FLOSS)
Students are asked and respond to direct questions about the FLOSS letters (Activity 1.2: "Which letters does the FLOSS rule tell us to double?") and they point to and read word-building cards aloud as the teacher names words. Students answer a three-question checklist for multiple words (Activity 2.1), giving yes/no answers and thumbs-up/thumbs-down decisions across several words. Students read a short reader aloud and then answer multiple comprehension questions (Activity 4.3) and are asked to say the FLOSS rule in their own words during the wrap-up.
Lesson 13
Glued Sounds ng and nk
Students are asked to respond to prompts and explain rules (Activity 1.2 asks the child to explain spelling rules), to read and answer comprehension questions after reading King Hank (Activity 4.3 contains three follow-up questions), and to take turns in a word game in Life Application (you and your child take turns rolling the die and saying a word). The Making Sentences activity (Activity 5.2) has students use word cards and sentence starters to produce sentences interactively with an adult.
Lesson 14
Three-Letter Beginning Blends
The lesson includes many prompts that require student responses, such as asking "What sounds do you hear at the beginning of these words?" and "Are these rhyming words? What makes them rhyming words?" Students are asked to read aloud and answer comprehension questions after Reader #14 (e.g., "What do the kids do at the track?") and to share new words they can spell. Activities invite students to make up silly sentences and to read words aloud to an adult, which creates opportunities for back-and-forth interaction.
Lesson 15
More Ending Blends
Students answer comprehension questions after reading The Raft Trip (e.g., identify animals on the bank, name which animals nap, and respond to "What would you like to see if you went down a river on a raft?"). Students take turns providing the first word in the Wrapping Up rhyming game, producing alternating responses with a partner or adult. Students are asked to come up with words that end with targeted blends (Activity 4.2), verbally generating multiple examples when prompted.
Lesson 16
R-Controlled Vowels (ar)
Students are asked to generate questions using the sight words "which," "what," and "when" (Activity 1.3), requiring them to produce language in response to a prompt. After reading the reader "Which? When? What?" students are told to answer the question on each page and then asked four follow-up questions (Activity 4.2), giving multiple opportunities for response. Several activities require oral responses (pointing to and reading words in the Weekly Message and reading words aloud in word-building activities), creating short teacher-student exchanges.
Lesson 17
Semester Review
Students take turns with an adult in Activity 3.1 (the word-building game) where the child and adult alternate adding letters or word parts to build and extend words, producing multiple back-and-forth turns. Students are asked in Activity 4.1 to read readers aloud and then answer follow-up questions such as "Which of these readers is your favorite? Why?" and to describe what characters do, prompting short exchanges. Students are invited in Activity 4.2 to share the reader they create with others, which provides an opportunity for conversational interaction.
Unit 2: Semester 2
Lesson 2
Long Vowels o, u, and e with Silent e
Several activities require the child to respond to adult prompts and questions about text (e.g., Activity 5.1: after reading the reader the child answers multiple comprehension questions such as "What did the family do on their trip?" and "Who fell off of the mule?"). The Life Application section explicitly asks the child to take turns producing rhyming words with the adult: "Invite your child to come up with a long vowel word that he knows, and take turns coming up with rhyming words for it." Multiple activities (sight word practice, read-aloud with prompting, and Q&A during phonics practice) involve the child answering repeated prompts across the lesson.
Lesson 3
Hard and Soft c and g
Students are asked to respond to teacher prompts throughout the lesson, for example in the Weekly Message where they are asked, "What sounds do you know they make? Can you list some words that begin with these sounds?" In Activity 2.1 and 3.1 teachers ask students to notice and explain sounds ("What do you notice about the sound of c in these words?" and "Do you think g follows the same rule that c follows? Let's find out."). In Day 5 reading and Activity 4.1 students answer comprehension and explanatory questions (e.g., explaining how they know how to pronounce g in words), prompting follow-up discussion and teacher feedback.
Lesson 4
More R-Controlled Vowels (er, ir, or, ur)
Students are asked to discuss and add words to the Weekly Message (Activity 1.1), answering questions such as what they notice about words and contributing additional examples. In Activity 1.2 students respond to teacher prompts (e.g., "What word have you spelled now?" and "What makes the way you pronounce a in each word change?") and read words aloud after spelling them. In Day 5, after reading the reader, students answer and discuss comprehension and opinion questions (e.g., "Are you surprised that the cat won the race? Who did you think would win? Why?").
Lesson 5
Long a Spellings ai, ay
Students are prompted to read the Weekly Message aloud with an adult and to point to specific words (Activity 1.1), and the teacher/adult asks follow-up questions (e.g., asking for two-syllable words and clapping syllables). Throughout the week students are asked questions about sight words and spellings (e.g., "What do you notice about the words ‘may' and ‘way'?"; "What letters do you think are making that sound?") and they are asked comprehension questions after reading The Gray Day (e.g., "What do the boys play with indoors?" and "Do you like rainy days? Why or why not?"). Activities also include prompts to respond and then read or explain answers (e.g., reading sentences aloud after fill-in-the-blank and reading spelling test words to the adult).
Lesson 6
Long e Spellings ee, ey, ea
Students are prompted to answer comprehension questions after reading the reader (Day 5: "What does the worm eat?", "How many beans...") and to respond to teacher prompts throughout (e.g., Activity 1.2 placing words on Short e/Long e pages, Activity 1.3 asking "What do you notice about 'see'?"). The Life Application section explicitly instructs families to "Take turns spying and finding items" using I Spy with long vowel sounds, which requires back-and-forth turns. Activity 4.2 has students create and read sentences aloud from word cards, which involves speaking and responding to adult prompts.
Lesson 7
Long i Spellings y, igh, ie
Students are prompted to answer teacher questions in multiple places (e.g., Day 3: teacher asks "This word rhymes with 'kite.' What's the word?" then follows with replacement and asks "What sounds do you hear in this word?"). Day 5 reading includes a series of comprehension questions ("What do Tom and Val see in the sky?"; "What do Tom and Val dream about?"; "What kinds of dreams do you have when you're sleeping?") that require sequential responses. The Life Application asks students to explain to a family member or friend what they know about ways to spell long i, which requires at least an initial exchange and follow-up explanation.
Lesson 8
Long o Spellings ow, oa, oe
Students are prompted to take turns in the Life Application rhyming game where they and the adult alternate saying rhyming words and try to keep a sequence going. During Reader #8 and other activities, students answer multiple teacher questions (e.g., "How many boats are in the race?", "What color is the boat that wins the race?", "If you were on a boat, would you want it to go fast or slow?"). The Weekly Message and sight-word activities ask students to point to, read aloud, and respond to questions about words and syllables, producing multiple back-and-forth exchanges.
Lesson 9
Long u Spellings ue, ew, ou
Students are asked many direct questions and prompts that require verbal responses, for example answering "Who has been to camp?" and pointing to sight words in Activity 1.3. Students are asked to explain changes and meanings aloud (e.g., explain what changed when adding silent e, explain meanings of "blue" vs "blew," and name which words have the /yu/ sound). Students are asked comprehension questions after reading the reader (e.g., "What does Tom add to the stew?", "If you were going to make a funny stew, what would you put in it?").
Lesson 10
Other Long Vowel Patterns
Students are prompted to take turns using each sight word in a sentence (Activity 1.3), which requires multiple turns between child and adult. In Activity 1.1 the child is asked to guess what unusual words appear and to point to and reread long-vowel words while an adult reads, producing brief back-and-forth exchanges. In Activity 5.1 the child reads a story and answers multiple comprehension questions aloud, providing additional opportunities for verbal responses.
Lesson 11
Long Vowel Sounds Review
Several activities require the child to answer adult prompts and respond over multiple turns: Activity 1.1 asks the child to point to and read words and then to identify long-vowel words while the adult rereads the message. Activity 1.3 and Activity 2.3 have the adult ask which sight words have long vowels and have the child read the cards repeatedly. Activity 4.3 has the adult read a series of clues one at a time while the child writes and says each target word, and the Wrapping Up asks the child to talk about long-vowel spellings using the chart she created.
Lesson 12
Other Vowel Sounds oi, oy
Several activities require the child to respond to multiple teacher prompts: Day 2 Activity 2.1 asks the child to identify the sound, recall words from a video, and then answer where oi and oy fall in each word. Day 5 Activity 5.1 has the child answer a series of comprehension questions after reading (e.g., What sound does the toy make? What do you think Dan's new toy is? What is your favorite toy? Why?). Activity 3.1 and Activity 4.1 ask the child to find, read, and then show or read words aloud and to create and read sentences aloud.
Lesson 13
Other Vowel Sounds ou, ow
Students are asked to sort words and then explain their groups and reasoning (Activity 2.1), which requires back-and-forth explanation with the adult. In Activity 3.1 the adult asks follow-up questions (e.g., which consonants go with ou and which with ow) and the child is expected to respond and reflect. Day 5 comprehension questions about The Hound and the Owl ask several sequential questions that the child must answer about the story.
Lesson 14
Other Vowel Sounds aw, au
Students are prompted to respond to teacher questions and explain their thinking in Activity 2.1 (Word Sorting), where they sort words and are asked to explain their groups and reasoning. In Activity 3.1 the teacher asks multiple follow-up questions about the placement of aw (e.g., "Where does it come in a word? When it's not at the end, how many letters come after aw?"). Activity 5.1 includes comprehension questions after reading (e.g., "Where do the pups sleep?"), and the Life Application encourages students to use new words in everyday conversations.
Lesson 15
These Make More Than One Sound: oo and ea
Students are asked to read the Weekly Message and then respond as the adult asks them to point out, underline, and circle words and to listen and reply about vowel sounds (Activity 1.1). Students answer several comprehension questions after reading The Bad Bear, responding to multiple successive prompts about the story (Activity 5.1). The Wrapping Up section and Activity 4.2 include a series of teacher-led questions that students answer (e.g., question-word sentences and multiple Q&A review prompts).
Lesson 16
Silent Starts: kn, wr, gn
Activity 2.2 (Word Building) has the adult call out words one at a time while the child spells and reads them, creating a series of back-and-forth turns. Activity 1.1 (Weekly Message) asks the child to read along and then list things he has learned, prompting a short discussion about vowel sounds. Activity 3.3 (Sight Words) has the adult read sentences while the child points to or reads the correct word, and repeats the interaction. Activity 5.2 (Reader #16) asks the child multiple comprehension questions about the story, requiring verbal responses.
Lesson 17
Year-End Review
Students are asked to answer a series of explicit questions in Activity 1.2 (e.g., identifying which words match several prompts), and they are prompted to read aloud and respond to teacher prompts throughout (e.g., Activities 1.1, 3.1, 4.1). Students are asked to read sentences they wrote aloud to an adult (Activity 2.2) and to talk about favorite activities and share their work during the Wrapping Up section.