Second Grade - ELA
1: Community
Unit 1: Communities Around the World
Lesson 1
Exploring a Community
The Skills list includes "Listen and respond to stories read aloud (LA)" and Activity 2 directs an adult to read "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse" aloud at least twice. After the reading, students are asked explicit comprehension questions (How were the City Mouse and the Country Mouse different? Why did the City Mouse invite the Country Mouse? What happened to the Country Mouse?) that require recounting events and describing key details. Activity 3 also asks students to write three sentences about whether they would rather live in the country or city, prompting them to describe reasons that relate to the read-aloud and discussion.
Lesson 2
Roles of People in Communities
Students search books and the Internet for pictures of jobs in Activity 3 and are asked to point out and discuss jobs that appear in other communities. Students read about a chosen worker in an encyclopedia or online in Activity 4, then discuss the worker's role in detail and write a paragraph about being that worker. In Wrapping Up students are asked to name jobs found in the community and describe how each worker helps the community, and to describe jobs in other parts of the world.
Lesson 3
Goods and Services
Activity 3 has the child read If You Give a Pig a Pancake and then, for each situation in the story, decide whether the pig is asking for a good or a service and record examples in a two-column chart. Activity 1 asks the child to label items as goods or services and to describe a time she or her family used the good or service and where it was obtained. Activity 4 asks the child to organize ideas in sequence and write a story that includes goods and services, reinforcing identification and description of events and items.
Lesson 4
Wants and Needs
Students are asked to list five wants and five needs and then answer guided questions (e.g., Was the item you had as number 1 a want or a need? Do you think wants or needs are more important?), which requires them to describe and justify key ideas. In the "Meeting Needs" activities students examine pictures (media) of places and items and decide aloud/through the activity where Jessie could find water, food, clothing, or shelter. Activity 4 asks students to look at pictures of other countries and discuss similarities and differences in clothing, homes, transportation, and food, prompting them to describe details from media.
Lesson 5
Money
Students are asked orally to explain how people get money and what people do with money (spend, save, give) during the Introduction and Wrapping Up prompts. Multiple activities prompt students to tell or write coin values (e.g., "Ask your child to tell you the value of each coin," "fill in the value associated with each cell") and to explain equivalencies (e.g., show that five pennies = one nickel, count out pennies to match dimes/quarters). The parent/teacher prompts require students to speak or write key ideas and details presented verbally and via the activity pages.
Lesson 6
Uses of Money
Students are asked to listen to scenarios read aloud and respond (Activity 3: "Read the following scenarios to your child and ask him what he would do"). Students explain and describe the flowchart sequence (Wants and Needs → Work → Money → Spend/Save/Give) during Activity 1 and the Student Activity Page. In Wrapping Up students are prompted to explain wants and needs, define goods and services, and describe how people use money to satisfy wants and needs.
Lesson 7
Work and Money
Students read scenarios in Activity 3 and write about the choice they would make and why, requiring them to describe key details from the text. In Activity 1 students choose items within a budget and are asked to explain their reasoning aloud, prompting them to describe decisions based on presented information. Activity 2 asks students to read job descriptions or listen to them, record predictions and measured times, and circle conclusion words, which requires recounting and describing results of orally-presented or observed information. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to describe the choices people have to make about work and money, explicitly asking for a description of key ideas.
Lesson 8
Customs and Holidays
Students are asked to listen to explanations of Memorial Day and the Fourth of July and then draw symbols and write a sentence about what they do on each holiday. The lesson directs adults to read texts from the Bible or children's books about Easter, Christmas, or Hanukkah and then discuss the significance with the child. Activity 4 instructs students to "Read more about these holidays on the Internet" and to write the name and date of each holiday and label countries on a map, which requires gathering and recording information from media.
Lesson 9
Different Communities
Students read about a chosen country in books or on the Internet and record information on the "Country Research" graphic organizer, demonstrating they extract details from texts and media. Students view images and web features (Hungry Planet, NPR, Time) as suggested resources and use those sources to describe food, homes, clothing, goods, and holidays. Students use Venn diagrams and the "Similarities and Differences" page to list and compare details between America and the researched country, and they complete acrostic poem prompts that require recalling country-specific facts. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to describe what they learned and what they would do if they visited, prompting verbal recounting of gathered information.
Lesson 10
Communities Change
Students listen to The Little House read aloud and are asked direct comprehension questions (e.g., "What happened in the story?", "What happened at the end of the story?") that require recounting events. The skills list and activities prompt students to retell the order of events, summarize events, and respond to open-ended questions about the text. Students also analyze pictures, write a sentence describing the community in each season based on the book, and locate and record natural and human resources found in the story.
Lesson 11
Government and the People
Students are asked to explain orally why it is important to allow everyone to vote and to answer wrap-up questions about how citizens decide leaders and what voting means. Students are prompted to listen as an adult "read or talk" about the roles of President, Governor, and Mayor and then record the leaders' titles and names on the Government Flowchart. Students draw and write a sentence for each government service explaining how it helps the community, demonstrating description of information presented about those services.
Lesson 12
Rules and Laws
Students are asked orally in the Introduction to name rules they follow, explain why rules exist, and describe what it means to feel safe. In Activity 2 students play a game without rules and then answer oral comprehension questions (e.g., What was different about the game? Is the game better with rules or without rules?), requiring them to describe the experience and its key ideas. In Activity 3 students read the first situation aloud and discuss it, and then write consequences for additional situations, connecting details of brief texts to explanations.
Final Project
Community Brochure
Students are asked to "describe some things she has learned about communities," prompting them to recount prior information. The lesson tells students to "look over some examples of brochures" and to "talk about the artwork/pictures and the information that is presented in the text," which asks students to describe information from sample texts. Students are also asked to "share her brochure with family and friends," which provides an opportunity to orally describe key ideas in their brochure.
Unit 2: Citizenship
Lesson 1
A Good Citizen
Students listen to the read-aloud of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" and answer guided questions about why the boy lied and what happened, prompting them to recount key events. In the "Scene by Scene" activities students put story pictures in order, write sentences for each scene, and (in the advanced option) identify and describe the five most important events. When viewing the wordless book Home, students describe changes in the neighborhood, make up sentences for each page, and list examples of people who are good citizens, requiring them to describe key ideas and details from the visual narrative.
Lesson 2
Decisions and Consequences
Activity 2 has the child listen to an adult read Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse aloud and then answer targeted questions (e.g., What did Lilly do at the beginning of the story? Why did Lilly feel bad? What actions did Lilly take to make the situation better?), which requires recounting and describing story details. The child is also invited to attempt to read the story aloud first and to describe Lilly, prompting retelling and character description. Activity 3 asks the child to read examples of Lilly's actions and write the consequent outcomes, which requires recalling specific events from the text.
Lesson 3
Diversity in the Community
Students prepare five questions, conduct an interview with a person who came to (or lived in) another country, review what was said, and then write short answers based on the interview (Activity 4). Students watch short videos about people from the seven continents and are asked to recall and respond to what they saw (for example, describing activities in the videos they might want to try) and to match/color people based on images from the media (Activity 3). The introduction and wrap-up prompt students to talk about similarities and differences and to explain what "diverse" means, requiring them to describe key ideas from pictures, media, or discussion.
Lesson 4
Living in America
Students read the Pledge of Allegiance with an adult and are asked to "explain the meaning of each part." The teacher asks the child targeted comprehension questions (e.g., "Why do you think we have a pledge?" "Why is it important that America is a republic?") that prompt students to describe reasons and meanings. Students read the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner," sing it, and are told the origin story (poem written after a battle), connecting the song text to its context.
Lesson 5
Citizens Share and Help
Students are asked to explain their drawings in Activity 1 and describe how each example of sharing makes the community better, which requires describing key ideas from the discussion. In Activity 2 students record a plan, name who will help, and explain what each person will do, which has students describe details of an orally-generated plan. In Activity 3 students write sentences using spelling words and then read those sentences aloud, giving practice in speaking information aloud. The Wrapping Up prompts ask students to state what it means for citizens to share goods and help one another.
Lesson 6
Leaders in the Community
Students listen to a biography read aloud (Activity 1) and are asked direct comprehension questions about the person's name, where they grew up, events in their youth, hardships, leadership characteristics, and how they helped the community. Students record and organize the person's leadership qualities on a "What Makes a Good Leader" web (Activity 2) and connect each quality to examples from the biography. Students create a short biography book (Activity 3), write a paragraph about a leader they know (Activity 4), and write sentences describing how pictured leaders act in the community (Activity 5), all requiring recounting and describing key details from the text they read or heard.
Lesson 7
Inventors
Students listen to a short biography read aloud (Activity 3) and then answer specific questions that ask them to describe the inventor, identify the inventor's most famous invention and what it did, and recount an interesting event from the inventor's life. The introduction and wrapping-up prompts ask students to discuss what inventions are and how inventions change communities, requiring students to describe key ideas and details aloud. Activity 2 asks students to explain how their family uses inventions and to write a paragraph guided by sentence starters, supporting oral recounting and description of observed information.
Final Project
Community Citizens Mobile
Students write specific details on each shape about community figures and objects (e.g., a circle: name, characteristics, what the leader does, how the person helped the community; rectangle: where the flag is found and what it means; square: inventor details, invention, and how it changed the community; triangle: student name, characteristics, and how they helped). Students also prepare the mobile and are asked to explain the parts of their mobile and share it with the family, giving an opportunity to describe key ideas orally.
Unit 3: Plants and Animals
Lesson 1
Living and Nonliving
The lesson has students listen to and read Sylvester and the Magic Pebble aloud and then answer targeted questions about the story (e.g., "Is Sylvester the donkey living? … What did Sylvester learn in the end?"). It asks students to predict, point out living and nonliving things in the illustrations, and to tell or dictate a story of their own, which requires them to describe events and details orally. The Skills list explicitly includes composing oral retellings and asking and answering questions about organisms, linking to recounting and describing information presented orally.
Lesson 2
Animal Structure
Students are asked to describe animals and explain how their designs help them live (Introduction and Wrapping Up prompts). Students write the four body coverings, name animals with each covering, and draw or label body parts (Activity 1 and Activity 3), requiring them to state key details about animal features. In Activity 2 (Option 2) students construct and interpret a graph and answer questions about which body covering had the most or least animals, recounting information presented through a visual media source.
Lesson 3
Classifying Animals
Students are asked to look in books or on the Internet to decide whether animals are reptiles or amphibians (Activity 3) and to describe how baby and adult amphibians differ. Activity 6 directs students to peruse books on a wide variety of animals and to decide classifications and describe body coverings and body parts. Activity 10 has students answer oral questions about whether they are warm- or cold-blooded, their body parts and coverings, and to be identified by a partner, and the wrap-up asks students to name the groups and explain their favorite.
Lesson 4
Animal and Plant Communities
Students label and identify six habitat pictures and record and classify animals they pretend to be or observe, directly describing habitat details and animal types. Students locate and count animals in a rainforest illustration, transfer those counts to a bar graph, label axes, and answer questions about which groups had the most or fewest members. Students draw or collect pictures of animals for a woodland scene, discuss how animals interact and depend on one another, and write names and draw animals observed on a zoo visit.
Lesson 5
Animal Needs
Students are asked to write sentences describing how the community helps meet needs (Activity 1) and to explain verbally what people and animals need in order to live (Wrapping Up). In Activity 2 students are asked to locate information about a chosen animal, then write its habitat and how its food, water, and shelter needs are met. In Activity 4 students write a descriptive label for their created animal that includes habitat, diet, shelter, and physical characteristics.
Lesson 6
Extinct and Endangered Species
Students are asked to read through and practice the "Endangered Species Puppet Show Script," then perform it for the family, which requires reading and orally presenting text. Students are directed to "read different theories about why the dinosaurs disappeared" and then dictate and record at least two lines for each dinosaur, demonstrating listening to/read-aloud information and turning it into oral language. In the Wrapping Up section students are asked what it means for an animal to be endangered or extinct and to give reasons why animals cannot live in their habitats, prompting verbal description of key ideas from the presented material.
Lesson 7
Plants
Students listen to or read Jack and the Beanstalk and answer explicit comprehension questions about characters, setting, and events (Who were the characters? Where did the story happen? What happened in the story?). Students label parts of a plant and describe the function of each part after reading the informational page "A Plant," demonstrating they can describe key ideas and details from an informational text. Students engage in activities that require them to explain predictions and observations orally (compare results of the plant experiment, explain what plants need) and to follow and respond to a read-aloud role-play as a seed.
Lesson 8
The Role of Plants
Students listen to The Giving Tree read aloud and are asked targeted comprehension questions (e.g., Who are the two characters? What did the tree give the boy? Was the boy nice to the tree?), requiring them to recount details. Students draw five scenes from the story, cut them out, and arrange them in the order they occurred, which requires sequencing and retelling key events. Students compose a thank-you note pretending to be the boy/man that must mention specific items the tree gave, requiring them to describe details from the text in writing.
Lesson 9
Comparing Living Things
Students are asked to discuss what they learned about their chosen animal and to compare themselves to the animal using a Venn diagram (Activity 1). Students check boxes and then complete sentence starters such as "Plants and animals need ___" and "Plants, animals, and humans all need ___," which require them to describe key ideas from the presented information (Activity 2, Option 1). The wrapping up prompt explicitly asks students to describe a variety of ways that plants, animals, and humans are alike and different, and Activity 3 asks students to draw and explain what each living thing needs to live and grow.
Lesson 10
Life Cycles
Students are asked to find pictures in books or on the Internet and discuss each stage of frogs, butterflies, and humans, then put life-cycle pictures in order (Activity 1). During the role-play (Activity 2) students listen to an adult narrate life-cycle stages and act them out, responding to orally presented information. The wrap-up asks students to describe the life cycle of a butterfly, a frog, and a human, and Activity 3 has students read examples of poems and compose a diamante that describes change.
Lesson 11
Community Members Depend on One Another
The wrap-up prompts ask the child to give an example of a food chain and to explain how animals depend on plants and other animals, requiring an oral recount or description of key ideas. Activity 4 directs the child to read about an animal's food sources and then create a food chain with himself at the top, which asks the child to describe information gathered from text. Several activities (Activity 2 and 3) require students to label, order, and explain the sequence of organisms in food chains, prompting students to describe key details of ecological relationships.
Final Project
Nature Guide or Habitat in a Box
Students complete structured pages that require them to describe life cycles, food chains, and why a species is threatened, and to record names, sizes, body coverings, and diets for multiple organisms. The materials ask students to find pictures in magazines or on the Internet to use in their guides or boxes, which involves gathering information from media. Students are prompted to ask and answer questions about organisms and to share their finished project with friends and family, creating an opportunity for oral description and presentation.
2: Matter and Movement
Unit 1: States of Matter
Lesson 1
What Is the World Made Of?
Students listen to What Is the World Made Of? read aloud and are prompted with specific comprehension questions (e.g., What is the world made of? What are the three states of matter?). Students identify and sort examples from the book into solids, liquids, and gases (Activity 2 Option 2 requires them to draw and label three examples of each state). Students explain their reasoning aloud and write sentences describing observations (Activity 3 asks them to explain how they decided which state is in each balloon and to write a sentence for each).
Lesson 2
Solids
Students are asked to reread pages 9–10 of What Is the World Made Of? and to explain why a pencil will not go through a rock, prompting them to describe the characteristic of solids that keep shape and size. Activity 6 asks students to identify whether containers and their contents are solids, liquids, or gases and to explain how they know, requiring oral or written description of observed information. Activity 3 and Activity 4 require students to describe solids using sensory details and to write sentences that use those descriptive words, which involves recounting observed or presented attributes.
Lesson 3
Liquids
Students are asked to listen to pages 12–13 of What Is the World Made Of? and then describe what a liquid is, explicitly recounting properties read aloud. Students describe liquids using the Investigating Liquids sheet by listing descriptive words or phrases for each of the five senses, recording details from hands-on exploration and discussion. Students identify and label bodies of water on a world map and discuss how people use them, recounting information presented with map images and internet pictures. Multiple activities require students to write one- or two-sentence descriptions about how they use liquids and to recall descriptive words for liquids.
Lesson 4
Bartholomew and the Oobleck
Students are read Bartholomew and the Oobleck aloud and then answer targeted comprehension questions about characters, motivations, events, and cause/effect (e.g., how Bartholomew stopped the oobleck; what the king wanted). Students complete a Story Quilt graphic organizer to list characters, setting, three important events, the problem, and the solution. Students complete True/False activities and write true and false sentences and compose a new ending, all tasks requiring them to recount or describe key ideas and details from the read-aloud.
Lesson 5
Comparing Matter
Students receive an oral explanation and physical demonstration of how molecules behave in solids, liquids, and gases and are then asked to label six pictures as solid, liquid, or gas and to draw molecule arrangements. Students build molecule models with marshmallows and connectors and are asked to identify which model represents a solid, liquid, or gas and to explain their choices. At the end students are prompted to explain how the molecules in solids, liquids, and gases are different from one another.
Lesson 6
Changes in States of Matter
Students are asked to tell everything they know about water and to answer oral questions about what causes water to change state after observing demonstrations (ice/water/steam, candle, JELL-O). Students are prompted to describe observations aloud (identify states of matter, explain what caused changes) and to answer wrap-up questions asking for examples of heat or cold causing changes.
Lesson 7
Exploring Solids and Liquids
Students are asked to read (or have read aloud) What's the Matter in Mr. Whiskers' Room and to write three sentences describing three things that happened in the book. The introduction and activities prompt students to describe differences between solids and liquids and to answer comprehension questions (favorite part, something new learned, whether Mr. Whiskers is a good teacher). Activities ask students to identify and classify items from the story as solids, liquids, or gases and to reread specific pages and discuss observations from experiments (sink/float, dancing raisins, dissolving).
Lesson 8
Our Bodies and Our World
Students are asked to read a short story twice (Activity 4) and then answer explicit comprehension questions about the main character, the problem, and how it was solved. The Skills section requires students to read aloud with fluency and comprehension, supporting oral recounting. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to share scenarios and describe solids, liquids, and gases in their own lives, which requires oral description of key ideas presented earlier.
Final Project
States of Matter
Students are asked to write sentences beneath each liquid in the Liquids Collage and to write adjectives and labels for solids in the Solids Collage, which requires them to describe properties and uses. Students are instructed to hang up their collages and share them with family, and caregivers are prompted to ask the child what they learned about matter. The instructions also direct adults to "go over the items on the test, discussing each problem," which could involve students answering and explaining test items orally.
Unit 2: Earth
Lesson 1
Our Planet Earth
Students are shown pictures of Earth while an adult explains land, oceans, and clouds, and then are asked to point out and label continents and oceans on a world map (Activity 1 and Introduction). Students read the book You're Aboard Spaceship Earth, point to examples of living things and states of matter in the pictures, and are asked to write three sentences that tell someone what the book is about (Activity 3). Students are prompted to answer oral questions throughout (e.g., about maps vs. globes, how life would differ if Earth were flat) and to explain what they learned at the end of the unit (Wrapping Up).
Lesson 2
Matter on the Planet
Activity 2 directs an adult to read pages 17–19 of You're Aboard Spaceship Earth and then asks the child whether the air we breathe is a solid, liquid, or gas and where oxygen comes from. The child is asked to describe what the air he breathes in looks like and to explain how he knows it is there, using observations (chest expansion, blowing up a paper bag) to support his description. The Wrapping Up activity asks the child to list examples of solids, liquids, and gases from Earth and to select adjectives to describe a chosen object, prompting students to recount and describe key details from the content presented.
Lesson 3
Digging Into Dirt
The lesson directs an adult to read pages 20–32 of You're Aboard Spaceship Earth and to read the Jake sleepwalking story aloud to the child. After the Jake story, the child is asked to analyze soil samples, choose where the coin was lost, and write two to three sentences explaining how he solved the case. Multiple activities ask the child to describe soil similarities and differences, name ingredients in dirt, and write four complete sentences about ways the Earth is important to him.
Lesson 4
From the Earth
Students read about natural resources online and are asked to record in a journal where each resource is found and how it is used, directly requiring them to describe details from media. Students respond orally to questions in the introduction and participate in the wrapping-up game "Where Did It Come From?" in which they point to objects and describe the Earth resources used for them. Students label pictures on the "Everything We Need" pages and write sentences explaining how items meet needs and what resources make them, which requires recounting details from presented information and demonstrations (e.g., the conservation of matter activity).
Lesson 5
Rocks
Students listen to Everybody Needs a Rock as it is read aloud and are asked direct comprehension questions such as "What was this story about?" and questions about specific details (e.g., what the author tells you to say about your rock). Students cut out and reorder the ten rules from the book and can write their own summary sentences for each rule, requiring them to recount and describe key ideas and sequence details. The wrap-up and follow-up activities ask students to explain why rocks are important and to write a short story about their rock, reinforcing description of ideas from the text and related oral discussion.
Lesson 6
Water, Water Everywhere
Students are asked to name different bodies of water and the five oceans after an introductory prompt, requiring them to recall details presented orally. The lesson instructs students to reread pages 12–15 of You're Aboard Spaceship Earth and then write sentences about different uses of water, asking them to compare and prioritize those uses. Activities ask students to read labeled activity pages (ocean zones with depths, Fresh Water classification pages) and to write one- or two-sentence descriptions of how freshwater bodies differ from the ocean, which requires describing key ideas from text and visual media.
Lesson 7
Taking Care of the Earth
Students are asked to give examples and discuss why the Earth is important, responding to an oral prompt about dependence on the Earth. Students read materials lists and directions aloud for activities (Making Paper) and then describe steps and observations (e.g., predicting and describing results of the oil-and-water experiment). Students share and explain choices from the Air Pollution sheet and the Is It Recyclable? activity (circling items, explaining why recycling is important) and discuss pollution examples from the Pollution picture.
Final Project
Earth Exhibit
Students reread the book You're Aboard Spaceship Earth and review materials and states of matter found on the planet. Students plan an exhibit by writing sentences that state where each material is found and why it is important to living things. Students create description cards and directions for visitors that summarize each material and how patrons should explore it. Students are invited to display the exhibit to friends and family and are asked at the end to describe what they learned about Earth materials.
Unit 3: Balance and Motion
Lesson 1
What Is Balance?
Students are asked to read or listen to the book What Is a Balance Scale? and answer specific comprehension questions about how a balance works and what happens when amounts are equal. Students are prompted to write two or three sentences that describe the main idea of the book and to reread the book if they cannot answer the questions. Students are also asked to explain what balance means, give examples, and to read aloud step-by-step directions they write for using a balance.
Lesson 2
What Can Be Balanced?
Students read the dictionary definition of "balance," view the MyPlate image and a linked KidsHealth article, and are asked to interpret the MyPlate diagram and draw a meal that follows it. Students are asked to "share and read about other examples" from the Internet and to "write a paragraph about one example that you read about." Multiple prompts ask students to explain or describe how they used a balance and to describe examples of balance in the world.
Lesson 3
Symmetry
The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to explain what it means for a figure to be symmetrical and to name the different lines of symmetry, which requires oral description of key ideas presented earlier. The Life Application "I Spy a Symmetrical Figure" game has students ask and answer yes/no questions about a pictured object, practicing verbal description and questioning. Activity 3 asks students to write three sentences about a symmetrical picture they made, which shows students composing descriptions of features and details.
Lesson 4
Force and Motion
Students read the book Move It! aloud (Activity 1) and answer targeted comprehension questions about push vs. pull, motion, and motionless objects. Students complete the 'Is It a Push or a Pull?' worksheet and write sentences about three pictures, requiring them to describe actions shown. Students plan and draw a scene showing at least four movements and then write a short paragraph or story describing what is happening (Activity 4). Students also record actions on a walk and later read through and classify them as pushes or pulls (Activity 7), then demonstrate and explain motions in the Wrapping Up section.
Lesson 5
Gravity
Students listen to or read aloud the books Move It! and Forces Make Things Move and reread specific pages, providing direct exposure to text read aloud. Students complete a True/False activity where they read statements and judge them against ideas about forces and gravity presented in the text. Students are asked to explain what gravity is aloud, discuss unfamiliar vocabulary after listening, demonstrate center of gravity, and write a short paragraph imagining life without gravity, all tasks that require recounting or describing key ideas from the read-aloud and demonstrations.
Lesson 6
Friction
Students are asked to read pages in informational books (Read page 24 in Move It; Read pages 16–21 in Forces Make Things Move) and then carry out investigations based on that text. Students are prompted to discuss and compare results in the Friction Investigation (identify which surface allowed the car to travel farthest/fastest and which created the most friction). The Wrapping Up section directs students to explain what friction is and to give examples of surfaces with more or less friction; the Skating activity asks students to decide order of finish based on friction effects.
Final Project
A Wordless Skit
After the performance, students are asked reflective questions (e.g., "How do you feel about your performance?", "Do you feel your audience learned from the skit? How do you know?") that prompt them to describe what was learned. Audience members are invited to share what they enjoyed about the skit, which can require recounting observed ideas or details. The skills list and planning pages ask students to select and use new vocabulary in speech and to use graphic organizers to plan actions, linking verbal description and summarizing to the activity. The lesson also directs students to reread books on balance and motion to gather ideas for the skit.
3: Culture
Unit 1: Geography
Lesson 1
Using Maps and Globes
Students read The Armadillo from Amarillo aloud (and listen to rereadings) and answer targeted comprehension questions about where Armadillo was, what state he lived in, where the eagle took him, and what he learned. Students chart Armadillo's journey on a Texas map using the book to locate city names and measure distances, which requires recounting sequence and locations from the text. Students write a paragraph pretending to visit a Texas location after the read-aloud and complete "Where in the World Am I?" pages that require describing their own location from home to planet.
Lesson 2
Cardinal Directions
Students follow and recount spoken directions in Activities 2 and 3 (e.g., take three steps north, two steps east) and explain the sequence that led them to the treasure. In Activity 4 and the Student Activity Page, students answer questions about the treasure map (e.g., "What is north of Death Valley?") and draw features in locations described by map directions. The Introduction and Wrapping Up ask students to describe the direction of the front door, explain why north/south/east/west work for sailors, and discuss why left/right/forward/backward do not work well on maps. Activity 5 asks students to compose a journal entry that includes and describes all four cardinal directions in context.
Lesson 3
Landforms and Bodies of Water
Students are asked to listen to or read about rivers and lakes in The Usborne Children's Picture Atlas and to look at examples of bodies of water and landforms in books or on the Internet. Students are prompted to name bodies of water they have learned about and to discuss what it would be like to live near them. Students write a paragraph advising someone which body of water to move near (connecting positive and negative details) and dictate descriptions of their drawings of preferred landforms and waters. Students create posters and sentences explaining how people are affected by landforms and bodies of water, requiring them to describe key ideas from the materials.
Lesson 4
Natural Resources
Students are asked to listen as an adult locates resources in books or on the Internet and reads information aloud, then fill out the "Researching Resources" sheet with where the resource is found, how it is made, related jobs, and how it is used. The Wrapping Up prompts ask students to describe ways they use natural resources and to explain why natural resources are important. Activity 1 and Activity 5 require students to explain connections between resources and products and to talk about how community resources are used and the jobs related to them.
Lesson 5
Habitats and Geography
Students read pages 14–21 of The Usborne Children's Picture Atlas and answer targeted questions asking them to compare habitats and explain differences (e.g., North Pole vs. tropical rainforest), requiring them to recount and describe details from the text. Students hear a short passage about the camel and then discuss and write sentences about how people use animals, which asks them to describe information presented orally or in text. Wrapping Up prompts students to describe the different habitats explored, prompting oral recounting of key ideas presented during the activities.
Lesson 6
Geography, Weather and Natural Disasters
Students listen to oral descriptions of habitats in Activity 1 and respond by imagining the place and identifying which habitat matches the spoken details. In Activity 3 students view media (pictures, Internet) and read about natural disasters, then write three or four sentences that describe each disaster and answer questions they generated. In Activity 5 students read a weather forecast (newspaper or Internet) and produce sentences describing today's weather and related activities; Activity 2 also has students verbally describe weather while a partner acts it out.
Lesson 7
The Seven Continents
Students are read Discover the Seven Continents and then asked to point to the continent on the map that answers specific factual questions (e.g., Which continent has the Sahara Desert and Mount Kilimanjaro?). Students flip through the book to focus on animals and then choose a favorite animal from each continent, act out its movement, and match animals to continents. Students are asked to draw one animal they remember and tell which continent it lives on, and they sing a continents song while pointing to a map as a media-based review.
Lesson 8
People Change Geography
Students are asked orally in Activity 1 to observe and describe how the land in their neighborhood has changed because people live there and to give examples (clearing trees, building homes, dams). In Activity 2 students use books or the Internet to find pictures and descriptions of farms and then write a sentence about each crop/farm they read about, connecting information from media to their own notes. The Wrapping Up and other activities prompt students to explain what pollution is and how people can keep from adding more pollution, asking them to recount or describe key ideas discussed.
Final Project
Geography of a Continent
Students revisit Discover the Seven Continents and use other books and Internet sources to gather facts about a chosen continent, prompting them to extract information from texts and media. Students complete the "About the Continent of" worksheet with specific details (bordering oceans, major landform, bodies of water, natural resources, habitats, etc.), which requires describing key ideas and details. Students synthesize and communicate what they learned by creating a poster and/or practicing and giving an oral presentation to their family using at least three props and optional costume.
Unit 2: People Around the World
Lesson 1
Exploring Culture
Students read (or listen to) pages 10–13 of The Usborne Children's Picture Atlas and answer targeted questions about what people do in different cultures, how people share ideas, and ways people travel. Students conduct or listen to an interview with a person from a different cultural background, record or take notes on the responses, and fill in the Interview activity page with the person's answers. Students complete the "Looking at My Culture" page by writing and illustrating examples from their community and participate in a guided compare-and-contrast discussion about similarities and differences between cultures.
Lesson 2
Traditions
The lesson directs an adult to read about holidays (including a book, "Christmas around the World," and written holiday descriptions) and then asks the child to answer questions about similarities and differences among celebrations. Students are asked to draw symbols and write a sentence about why each holiday is important (Activity 1 and the Holidays activity page). The lesson also asks students to discuss the significance of Chinese New Year foods and to explain the meaning of foods they serve, prompting them to describe details from the provided text and discussion.
Lesson 3
Different Religions
Students read or hear descriptions of holidays (Ramadan, Easter, Hanukkah, Christmas) and then match each holiday to its religion and symbol, which requires recalling key details from the presented descriptions. Students create a bar graph from a provided data table and answer questions about which religion is most/least common and numeric comparisons, which requires describing information presented in chart form. During wrapping up, students are asked to name religious holidays and explain why they are celebrated, prompting them to recount and describe key ideas orally or in writing.
Lesson 4
Homes and Culture
The lesson directs an adult to explain what a home is and to discuss different family structures and cultural practices (e.g., eating on the floor in Japan, not using the left hand in some Indian homes), and then asks the child to write a paragraph about a tradition in her home. Activity 4 asks the child to walk through rooms and explain the purpose of each room and then demonstrate how family members will use the rooms, which requires the child to describe details from the walkthrough and oral prompts. Activity 5 asks the child to record and tally materials of homes observed in the community, which has the child describe details gathered during an outing.
Lesson 5
Transportation in Culture
Students are asked to listen to or read about methods of transportation on pages 12–13 in The Usborne Children's Picture Atlas and to identify places on the atlas maps (Activity introduction and Activity 4). Students write about a time they took a form of transportation and verbally describe types of transportation and how they are used in different cultures during the Wrapping Up section. Students read about transportation-related jobs (book or Internet), write about a day in that job, and then role-play taking a passenger on a trip (Activity 3), which requires recounting details from the reading or imagined scenario.
Lesson 6
American Culture
Students read the "Leaders in America" cards and match each leader to his or her contribution, then explain which contributions they believe were most important and why, requiring them to describe details from written text. Students listen to or sing American songs provided on the music sheets (media) and participate in rhymes, songs, conversations, and discussions. Students are asked to explain different aspects of American culture and to write a letter describing important cultures and tips for living in the country, which requires recounting and describing information they have learned or heard.
Lesson 7
History of America
Students listen to Three Young Pilgrims read aloud and then answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., What was life like for the Pilgrims? Why did the Pilgrims leave England? How did the Indians help the Pilgrims?), requiring them to recount details from the text. Students use maps and a timeline in Activity 1 to locate explorers' origins and landing places and draw routes, describing information presented through media. Students create a Venn diagram and write about three ways American culture has changed (Activity 8) and discuss differences in Thanksgiving foods (Activity 5), requiring them to describe key ideas and details orally and in writing.
Lesson 8
Asian Culture
Students are read Explore Asia aloud and then answer directed oral questions about habitats, animals, resources, clothing, and activities (Activity 1). Students complete a Guidebook to Asia using information and pictures from the read-aloud (Activity 2) and are asked to write and later share or present that information (Activity 6, Wrapping Up). Students read descriptions on the Chinese Zodiac sheets, circle birth years, and read descriptions aloud for family members (Activity 3). The panda activity includes watching a live web panda cam (media) and having students record facts and present them while wearing a mask (Activity 5–6).
Lesson 9
African Culture
Students are asked to listen to Africa Is Not a Country and then answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., describe clothing, activities, land, homes, animals, and how lives are similar or different) after each half of the book. Students identify on their map the nations discussed in the read-aloud and record or draw foods and other details from the book on activity pages. Students complete written organizers (a Venn diagram and a guidebook with fill-in-the-blank items) that require pulling key ideas and details from the text.
Lesson 10
South American Culture
Students listen to Explore South America read aloud and then answer targeted questions about key details (Activity 1 asks for the names of the Andes and the Amazon River, animals found there, and similarities/differences with their community). Students sequence events from a narrated Amazon journey by cutting out and ordering event cards (Activity 3), and they rehearse and present information about a chosen South American animal by filling in a fact sheet and reading their description to family (Activity 6). Students also compile information into a "Guidebook to South America" (Activity 7) and answer oral questions about jobs, food, activities, and homes using information from the text (Activity 2).
Unit 3: Stories Around the World
Lesson 1
Fiction or Nonfiction
In Activity 2 students listen to or read two fiction storybooks, write the title and author, and write one sentence describing what each story was about. They are asked to explain whether they liked the story and why, linking their reasons to characters, events/plot, or setting. The student activity page prompts students to state "What was the story about?" which directs them to recount key ideas or details from the text.
Lesson 2
Character
Students read or listen to stories and then write or draw character names and descriptive words on the 'Describing a Character' graphic organizer. Students reread or listen to a story and record what the main character thinks, says, and does on the 'Understanding a Character' page and use those details to add to their character descriptions. Students listen to an orally presented character description, draw the character, tell a story about the character, role-play responses as the character, and compare characters using a Venn diagram.
Lesson 3
Story Setting
Students are asked to describe places and feelings after looking through illustrations and hearing stories (Introduction). In Activity 3 students listen to a picture book about another country and are prompted to provide specific examples from the text and illustrations that show cultural details. In Activity 4 students listen to a story with eyes closed, draw the setting based on oral descriptions, then describe and label their picture and explain why it fits the story. Activity 1 has students identify and talk about settings from books in their bookcase, sorting and answering questions that require describing details from those texts.
Lesson 4
Plot
Students listen to storybooks read aloud (Jack and the Beanstalk, The Ugly Duckling) and are asked to identify the problem, three or more events, and the solution. Students sequence events by cutting out and ordering scenes and fill a graphic organizer titled "Writing Events in a Story" with story title, problem, three events, and solution. Students retell or read the stories aloud, dictate and revise their own created plots, and present their stories orally.
Lesson 5
Folktales and Fairy Tales
Students listen to folktales read aloud (Cinderella, Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears, Yeh-Shen) and are asked direct comprehension questions (Who were the characters? What is the setting? What was the problem?). Students retell and sequence events by arranging eight sentence strips in story order and by answering Yeh-Shen worksheet questions about characters, magical elements, and changes in the protagonist. Students also describe cultural details by completing the Folktales and Culture charts and are asked at the end to describe a folktale and what can be learned from it.
Lesson 6
Cinderella Stories Around the World
Students are asked at the start to retell what they remember about a fairy tale (Yeh-Shen) and to listen for connections, which requires recounting key ideas. During read-alouds (The Egyptian Cinderella and The Irish Cinderlad) students answer explicit questions about main characters, events, character treatment, magical helpers, and plot details. Students complete a Cinderella Elements Chart and a Venn diagram comparing stories, which requires them to describe and record key ideas and details from each text. The Wrapping Up activity asks students to explain the plot of a Cinderella story, reinforcing recounting of events.
Lesson 7
Theme
After an adult reads a storybook, Activity 1 asks the child to describe the main characters, major events, and the theme of the story. Activity 2 has the child listen to fables and then explain the lesson/theme in her own words and answer targeted questions about who the characters were, what happened, and how the lesson applies to her life. Activity 4 and Activity 5 have the child dictate and read her own story aloud and then discuss how information (about animals) enhances the story.
Lesson 8
Myths and Legends
After reading the myth "How Rabbit Brought Fire to the People," students are asked direct questions about story details (e.g., "Who had fire at the beginning of the story?" "Who stole the fire?" "What did the people want?"). Activity 2 has students read and perform a script of the same story, requiring them to recount events and dialogue aloud. The Wrapping Up section asks students to describe what myths and legends are and to pick a favorite story and explain why, and Activity 3 prompts students to identify true versus fictional elements in the Paul Bunyan story.
Lesson 9
Poetry
Students are asked to listen to A Child's Calendar being read aloud and then answer questions about rhyming words, which pictures remind them of their life, which picture shows the most fun, and to explain why a month is their favorite (Activity 1). In Activity 2 students reread selected months and fill a chart with examples from the text and pictures describing activities, homes, clothing, landscapes, and what a reader from another country could learn about American life. Activity 4 has students listen to nursery rhymes (including sung versions) and then state what they learned about the culture from each rhyme, and the wrap-up asks students to explain what a poem is and how it differs from a story.
Final Project
A New Cinderella
The lesson asks an adult to read the example Cinderella story to the child and directs the child to reread each Cinderella story, which gives students exposure to orally presented text. Students are asked to fill graphic organizers that identify the main character, setting, conflict, magical helper, lost item, and events, and to read their finished book aloud to family or friends. The lesson also asks the child to compare and contrast her version with other Cinderella stories, which requires referring to key ideas and details across texts.
4: Relationships
Unit 1: Living Things and Their Environment
Lesson 1
Relationships Among Organisms
Students watch two short videos (one segment limited to the first 37 seconds) while a caregiver reads the text aloud and then complete an "Inheritance Vocabulary" matching activity tied to those media. Students identify at least two shared traits and one difference for each parent-offspring picture and verbally explain those similarities and differences. Students list and record traits of family members, categorize characteristics as inherited or learned, and are prompted to describe three inherited traits they have and to explain the difference between an inherited trait and a learned behavior.
Lesson 2
Heredity Lab
The Skills list instructs students to "Communicate observations and justify explanations using student-generated data from simple descriptive investigations," and the activities repeatedly prompt discussion (e.g., "Discuss the traits of the Generation 2 creatures," "Discuss how the generations differ and why"). Activity 4 asks the child to use each vocabulary word orally in a sentence, which requires spoken description of meaning and details. The wrapping-up prompt asks the child to explain what she has learned about traits and heredity, requiring recounting of key ideas from the investigation and oral explanation.
Lesson 3
Sun, Moon, and Stars
Students listen to the read-aloud Does the Sun Sleep? and then answer five specific comprehension questions (e.g., where is the Sun at noon, why is it night on the other side of Earth, why the Moon changes shape). Students watch videos about stars and constellations and then answer questions, label and color stars, and complete connect-the-dots constellation pages. Students are asked to explain orally why we have day and night and how the Moon appears to change, and they demonstrate understanding through drawing, labeling, and written activity pages (Temperature of the Earth, Hot/Cold Habitat, Moon phases).
Lesson 4
Seasons and Living Things
Students listen to Sunshine Makes the Seasons read aloud and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., shorter winter days, Earth rotates in 24 hours, Earth is tilted, North Pole summer/winter). Students sequence events from the read-aloud Bear Snores On by cutting out and placing animals in the order they entered the cave. Students watch videos about hibernation and migration and are asked to talk about examples from those videos; they also label seasons on a diagram linking positions in orbit to seasonal changes.
Lesson 5
Rivers
Students listen to Life Cycles: River read aloud and then answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., difference between ponds and rivers; which animals they had never heard of). Students watch the linked video 'The Basics of Freshwater,' discuss what most water on Earth is and what humans depend on, and label examples of freshwater sources. Students list producers and consumers from the book, draw and write the four stages of a chosen life cycle in their own words, and construct a river food chain using plants and animals found in the text or video.
Final Project
Investigating the Environment
Students are asked to analyze photographs on a screen and "organize the data based on what she observed," including writing a sentence about what she saw. The lesson instructs students to explain their investigation plans to a parent and to "discuss how the light and temperature might impact the living things," prompting oral description. The wrap-up directs students to "share her project with her family" and "explain her observations, investigations, and her animal research," which requires recounting key ideas orally. The skills list explicitly states students will "communicate observations and justify explanations using student-generated data."
Unit 2: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Lesson 1
Relationships
Students listen to Chapters 1 and 2 read aloud and then answer explicit comprehension questions asking how Abilene felt about Edward, how Edward felt about himself, what incidents happened, and what emotion Edward experienced. Students are prompted to describe the relationship between Edward and Abilene and to compare it to their own relationship with a favorite stuffed animal by answering guided questions and writing three sentences about the stuffed animal's personality. Students draw the stuffed animal and are asked to use vocabulary from the text in their sentences, linking details from the read-aloud to their written descriptions.
Lesson 2
Point of View
Students hear Chapters 3 and 4 read aloud and then answer specific recall questions (for example, identifying the ship name). Students are asked directly to retell Pellegrina's story in their own words (Question #3 and the Wrapping Up prompt). Students recount character viewpoints and explain why Pellegrina told the story, which requires describing key ideas and details from the oral presentation.
Lesson 3
The Queen Mary
Students listen as Chapters 5 and 6 of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane are read aloud and then answer targeted comprehension questions that ask them to recount events (e.g., what the boys did to Edward, whether he drowned) and describe feelings (e.g., how Abilene and Edward felt). Students explore web pages and watch a Queen Mary video and then complete a "Queen Mary Research" sheet with factual questions (e.g., when the ship first sailed, wartime transformation, nickname, final cruise, current location), requiring them to describe information presented through other media. The lesson also directs attention to text features (bold titles) to help students locate key facts efficiently while gathering information.
Lesson 4
Pronouns
Students hear Chapters 7–9 of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane read aloud and then answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., what Edward thought, who found him). Students examine illustrations with an adult and point out significant details to demonstrate understanding of characters and events. Students describe and compare Edward's relationships with Abilene and with Nellie and Lawrence and listen to an audio recording of the song Nellie sang, connecting that media to the story.
Lesson 5
Emotions
Students listen to Chapters 10–12 of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane read aloud and then answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., describe how Edward is different, why he disappointed Pellegrina, how he felt when the dog dug him out of the garbage). Students are asked to describe differences between Edward's relationships with Abilene and with Lawrence and Nellie and to discuss quoted passages that show Edward's emotions. Students compose a goodbye note as Edward that requires them to express and describe his feelings and the reasons for those feelings based on the read-aloud text.
Lesson 6
Irregular Verbs
Students listen to Chapters 13 and 14 of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane read aloud and then answer specific comprehension questions asking about Edward's feelings, actions, and events (e.g., Did Edward like Bull and Lucy? What happened to Edward on the freight car?). Students are asked to recall repeated references to stars and to explain why stars might be an important symbol, which requires describing a key idea from the text. The wrap-up prompts students to produce sentences that use past-tense verbs, reinforcing oral sentence production tied to story events.
Lesson 7
Figurative Language
Students listen as Chapters 15 and 16 of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane are read aloud and then answer direct comprehension questions (e.g., "What did the old lady use Edward for? What did she call him?"). Students are prompted to think about and discuss how Edward must feel and to name and justify their favorite character. Students answer a reasoning question asking whether Bryce should have taken Edward down and explain their thinking.
Lesson 8
The Falling Star
Students listen as Chapters 17 and 18 of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane are read aloud and then answer five comprehension questions about the text. The questions ask students to identify who Sarah Ruth is, describe Bryce's relationship with his sister, state what Sarah Ruth named Edward, explain what Bryce made Edward do and how, and infer what Edward might have wished when he saw the falling star. The skills list explicitly includes "Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges," which students practice when answering the questions.
Lesson 9
Apostrophes
The lesson instructs an adult to read Chapters 19–21 aloud and then asks the child to answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., Where does Bryce take Edward? Who did Edward think he saw? What did Neal do to Edward and why?), which requires recounting details from the read-aloud. The introduction prompts a discussion about how Edward's relationships change and asks the child to explain what changed, which requires describing key ideas and character development. The wrap-up asks the child to name contractions but the primary reading activities focus on listening and answering questions about key events and ideas from the text.
Lesson 10
Illustrations
Students listen to Chapters 22–24 of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane read aloud and answer specific comprehension questions that require recounting details (e.g., Edward's vision, where he woke up, why Bryce left him). Students retell the story using the book's illustrations or create an illustration and copy a scene quote, which asks them to use illustrations to guide a recount. On the "Explain an Illustration" page students identify who, what, when, and where for a chosen illustration and explain why they selected it. The wrapping-up prompt asks students to describe each environment Edward experienced in chronological order and justify which "family" was their favorite.
Lesson 11
Building Sentences
Students listen to Chapters 25-27 and the Coda read aloud and then answer four specific comprehension questions that require recalling details (e.g., who came for Edward, what Edward told the doll, what the dollmaker placed next to Edward). Students complete a Relationship Timeline where they write simple sentences describing each relationship and paste them in the order Edward experienced them, which requires recounting and sequencing key events. Students also explain how the poem quote applies to Edward by describing his heartbreaks and darkness, and they share a personal time they felt heartbreak, practicing oral or written description of ideas from the book.
Final Project
Chalkboard Presentation
Students create slides in which they dictate a sentence that describes their opinion of the story and explain why they feel that way. Students add a slide naming and explaining their favorite part of the story and dictate a sentence that explains why they like that part. Students select a favorite paragraph, practice reading it aloud, record that reading, and play the recording as part of their presentation.
Unit 3: Connecting with the Past
Lesson 1
Studying History
Students are asked to watch two videos about timelines (media) in Activity 3, which provides content presented through other media. Students complete a Primary and Secondary Sources activity after an oral explanation of those terms and are later asked in Wrapping Up to explain the difference and provide an example of each. Students create a Timeline of Your Life and fill in timeline pages, which requires them to identify and describe key events and their order.
Lesson 2
Colonization and the Revolution
Students are read the book Your Life as a Settler in Colonial America aloud and answer explicit comprehension questions (Question #1-#3) that ask them to recount details (e.g., what girls did, how meals differed, boys' jobs). Students watch videos about the thirteen colonies, Thanksgiving, and George Washington and then complete tasks that require describing information from those media (shading regions on a colonies map, adding dates/labels to a timeline, and filling in facts on a George Washington page). Students are asked to list two things we enjoy today because of the colonists and to share what they learned in a wrap-up, which require them to describe key ideas from texts and media they experienced.
Lesson 3
Slavery and the Civil War
Students listen to Henry's Freedom Box read aloud and then list five character traits, explaining each trait with evidence from the book as they write it. Students watch videos and read-alouds about Harriet Tubman and Abraham Lincoln and then identify dates, pictures, and written descriptions to add to a timeline. Students complete fill-in-the-blank pages and a sentence-completion prompt ("Because the Civil War was fought, today ________") that require them to describe consequences and key details from the media and texts.
Lesson 4
Immigration
Students are read pages 1–25 and then the remainder of Ellis Island aloud and are asked specific comprehension questions (e.g., Who was Annie Moore? What did immigrants see?). Students listen to recorded immigrant oral histories and are asked to describe what surprised them, name a favorite recording, and retell one of the stories. Students examine and describe primary-source photographs (answering who, what, feeling questions) and add dated events and descriptions to a timeline, and they draw/write on a Connecting with the Past page about how immigration impacted the country.
Lesson 5
Civil Rights
Students listen to The Story of Ruby Bridges read aloud and answer four specific comprehension questions about Ruby and her family, reactions of white people, and feelings. Students watch videos about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks and discuss details from those media, then place dates, descriptions, and images on a timeline. Students complete "Famous Americans" pages and a "Civil Rights" page that require them to write or draw key ideas about Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Civil Rights Movement. The wrap-up explicitly asks students to explain the Civil Rights Movement in their own words and respond to guiding questions about who wanted change, why, and what they did.
Final Project
Preparing Projects
Students prepare and practice presenting a "Connecting with the Past" poster and are directed to "explain how we still have a relationship with these past events," which requires them to describe key ideas orally. Students assemble and present a "Famous Americans" book and timeline to family members, inviting others to read the book and view the timeline while the student presents the material. The Presentation section explicitly asks students to practice presenting and to have family members read and look over the timeline and book.
6: Reading
Unit 1: Semester 1
Lesson 1
Word Families and Long Vowel Review
Students read or listen to the Shared Reading message and are asked specific comprehension questions about words and sounds. Students read Reader #1 (Fun and Then Cake) and then answer explicit questions about events and details (for example, what Jade did while Cash rode bikes, the color of the cake, and what Jade wanted to do next). Students are prompted to read aloud and point to words, then respond orally to questions about what happened in the text.
Lesson 2
Vowel Teams Review
Students read and respond to the Shared Reading dialogue (Parent/Child) and then answer follow-up questions about the text (e.g., identify vowel sounds and rhyme words), which requires attending to and describing details from the read-aloud. Students read the story A Thump on a Cold Night and then answer explicit comprehension questions (e.g., Who does the doe meet? What do the animals eat? What causes the noise?), requiring them to recount key story details. The lesson also asks students to read aloud and point to words, supporting oral recall of information from texts they read.
Lesson 3
Complex Consonants Review
Students listen to and read A Wild Day in the City and then answer specific comprehension questions (Activity 5.2) that require them to identify characters, events, and unusual details. In Activity 5.1 students listen to a read-aloud passage, write the missing words as they listen, and then read the story back aloud, demonstrating attention to and recall of details. In Activity 1.1 students engage in shared reading of a riddle, are asked to explain the riddle answer, and are prompted to point out punctuation and explain its purpose, which requires describing information presented orally.
Lesson 4
R-Controlled Vowels Review
Students read and answer comprehension questions after Shared Reading and the reader "The Big Race," including who they thought would win, the placement of characters, and who actually wins. Students watch linked phonics videos and respond to clues or tasks (e.g., pausing after each clue in the Phonics Mystery and identifying AR words), and they complete follow-up activities such as coloring or sorting words based on what they heard. During word-search and read-aloud turn-taking, students are asked to find and read words aloud and to point out specific details (for example, pointing to words with hard/soft g).
Lesson 5
More R-Controlled Vowels
In Activity 5.1 students read the short text All About Storms on their own and then read it aloud to an adult. After the reading, students are asked direct comprehension questions (e.g., Why does it rain? What is hail? What might you see or hear during a thunderstorm?) that require them to recount and describe key ideas and details from the text. The activity also prompts students to give an opinion and justification (Do you like storms? Why or why not?), which asks for explanation based on text content.
Lesson 6
Other Vowel Sounds
Students read the reader If Fish Could Talk on their own and then read it aloud to an adult, after which they answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., Why does Meg go down to the brook? Why does the fish thank Meg? What does the fish turn into?). In Activity 3.3 students read sentences aloud and use context to confirm word meaning, and in Day 1 shared reading students attempt to read a message aloud and point to words as they read. Several activities prompt students to speak aloud and respond to questions about story events and sentence meanings.
Lesson 7
More Long Vowel Spellings
In Activity 5.2 the student reads A Snake in the Field and then answers targeted comprehension questions (e.g., How many kids are in the Stripes family? What scares Ned?) that require recounting specific details from the text. In Activity 1.1 the student listens to a riddle read aloud and is asked to explain and locate the riddle answer, prompting description of orally presented information. The Life Application invites the student to reread readers to family members, providing an opportunity to present or recount story content orally.
Lesson 9
Complex Consonants: dge vs. ge
Students answer explicit comprehension questions about the read-aloud reader Moose on the Loose (e.g., How did the moose escape the cage? Why is a moose on the loose a problem? What happens next?). Students watch the DGE vs GE video and write the words they hear, then read those words aloud, drawing information from media. Students are also asked to explain the rule about using dge and ge and to orally share that rule during the Wrapping Up activity.
Lesson 10
Complex Consonants: tch vs. ch, ck vs. k
During Day 5 Activity 5.1, students finish reading The Egg at the Lake and then answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., what snacks Rick and Claire have, what type of egg was found, what comes out of the egg, and what the kids do after building a fire), requiring them to recount story details. In Activity 1.2 and other places, students are asked to explain why words belong in the 'tch' or 'ch' columns and to refer to vowel sounds, prompting them to describe key ideas from orally presented spelling rules. Activity 4.3 has students read pages aloud and answer questions about what might happen and what words they expect to find, engaging them in describing text-based ideas.
Lesson 11
Final e: ce, ve, ze, se
Students read Aesop's Fables (including "The Crow and the Vase") aloud and are asked to identify the moral and explain what it means. On Day 5 students finish the reader and answer comprehension questions that require recounting story events (e.g., how the dog lost his bone, why the Hare took a nap) and stating their favorite fable and why. Shared reading and read-aloud activities ask students to read passages aloud and respond to riddles and questions about text details.
Lesson 12
Homophones
In Activity 1.2 students watch a homophone video and then are asked to read word cards aloud and "explain in her own words what is special about these pairs of words," which requires describing information presented through media. In Activity 5.1 students read The Knight and the Night Ride aloud and then answer comprehension prompts (e.g., "Why do you think the people needed their king?") and locate and write homophones found in the text. The Wrapping Up activity asks students to "explain the difference between rhyming words and homophones," prompting them to describe a key idea about word relationships after working with texts and media.
Lesson 13
Making Plurals
Students read The Witches Go to the Beach aloud (Day 4 pre-reading and Day 5 reader activities) and are asked to read pages on their own and then aloud to an adult. After reading, students are asked direct comprehension questions that require recounting and describing story details (e.g., what the witches enjoy doing, why people cover their ears, what happens when the witches get to the beach, and why the witches don't like the beach). Earlier shared reading and pre-reading also prompt students to discuss predictions and notice text details aloud.
Lesson 14
Uncommon Plurals
Students read aloud short texts (Shared Reading and The Storm at the Barn) and are asked specific comprehension questions such as "What do the children want to do at the barn?" and "Why did the women and children need to bring the animals to the barn?" that require them to recount events and reasons. In Activity 1.1 students read a shared message and answer questions about rules and homophones, prompting them to describe key details from the read-aloud. In Activities 2.1 and 3.1 students watch videos about plural rules and then explain and sort words into rule-based columns, which requires them to describe information presented through other media.
Lesson 15
Words Ending with ed and ing
Students read The Red-Eyed Tree Frog (Day 4–5) and then answer explicit comprehension questions about key events and details (e.g., how the frog scares away the snake; why the frog lays eggs over water). In Activities 1.1 and 1.2 students speak about and write sentences describing things they did, are doing, and will do, then sort those sentences into Past/Present/Future while reading them aloud. Students watch instructional videos about -ed and -ing and then demonstrate understanding by sorting words and explaining how the endings indicate tense, showing they use information presented through media.
Lesson 16
Words Ending with er and est
Students participate in shared reading and are prompted to discuss questions posed in the text (Activity 1.1). Students read the reader Bug Game Day and then answer specific comprehension questions about characters, events, and reasons (Activity 5.2). Multiple activities ask students to predict, discuss, and explain elements of the text (Day 4 pre-reading questions and follow-up discussion prompts).
Unit 2: Semester 2
Lesson 1
Compound Words
Students read the book A Color of His Own aloud and respond orally to explicit comprehension questions (e.g., How is the chameleon different? What did he do to try to keep his color from changing? Why did he feel better staying with a friend?). Students watch a compound-words video and then discuss the words and meanings presented in the media. Students complete activities that require locating and checking words in the text (Finding Words in the Text) and answering questions about key details.
Lesson 2
The Six Syllable Types
Students reread A Color of His Own and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., identify the pig, elephant, and parrot colors and respond to opinion/why questions) after the text is read aloud. Students complete the "Finding Words in the Text" activity where they search the story for listed words, record how many times they appear, and answer the question about which three seasons are named in the book. Students label and color animals from the book (linking text details to written labels) and are asked orally to say sentences using animal names in Activity 5.1.
Lesson 3
Open and Closed Syllables
Students read aloud sections of Mouse Soup (introductory section and the "Bees and the Mud" story) and answer explicit comprehension questions that ask them to identify why the weasel caught the mouse, what problem the mouse had, and how the mouse solved it. Students role-play the mouse (acting out actions and using a mouse voice) and then switch roles to read while acting, which requires them to describe events and character actions orally. Students also complete activities that require finding and filling in text details (Mouse Body Parts fill-ins and the Finding Words in the Text task), demonstrating retrieval of key details from the read text.
Lesson 4
Syllables with R-Controlled Vowels
Students read two stories from Mouse Soup aloud and answer explicit comprehension questions (e.g., identifying the bird sent by the stones, why the bird and mouse saw different things, and what kept the mouse awake). Students complete a plot diagram for "The Crickets," identifying the problem, solution, and the sequence of events (writing the number of crickets that come each time). The lesson's skills list and activities ask students to retell stories, describe characters/settings/major events using key details, and dictate or write their answers to demonstrate understanding.
Lesson 5
Two-Syllable Words Ending in y
Students finish reading the book Mouse Soup and answer explicit comprehension questions (Question #1–#4) asking why characters acted as they did and what events occurred. Students write the specific ingredient added after each story on the "Mouse Soup Recipe" page, requiring them to recall key details from each tale. Students discuss how the old lady felt about the thorn bush and list things that make them happy, describing character feelings and drawing connections to the text.
Lesson 6
Possessives
Students read Chapters 1 and 2 of Penny and Her Marble and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., what Penny found, why she hid, why she kept thinking about the marble). Students sequence and act out Penny's pretend-play events in Activity 4.1, requiring them to recall and order key events from the text. In Activity 3.1 and Activity 4.2 students describe the marble with words and phrases and answer text-based questions (e.g., what the marble is between; identify a noun that owns something), practicing recounting and describing details.
Lesson 7
Contractions
Students finish reading Penny and Her Marble and answer five specific comprehension questions about events and details (e.g., why Penny's stomach hurt, what she dreamed, where she took the marble, and what Mrs. Goodwin did). Students draw and write three words describing how Penny felt before and after returning the marble, and they discuss how characters change based on events. Students identify and write the story's theme and respond to scenario prompts that require describing the lesson or moral of the story.
Lesson 8
Two-Syllable Words with Silent e
Students are asked to reread and then orally summarize the story "Down the Hill" (Activity 4.1), with an explicit explanation that summaries should include the most important characters, how the story starts, main events, and how the story ends. The Reading and Questions section asks students specific comprehension questions (e.g., What season was it? How did you know? Why did Toad hit a tree?), prompting them to recount key details. Activity 3.1 asks students to explain how Frog and Toad felt about winter and to write descriptive words about winter, which requires describing character feelings and story details. Shared Reading (Activity 1.1) has students read lines aloud and point to words, supporting oral engagement with the text.
Lesson 9
Vowel Teams
Students read the stories "The Corner" and "Ice Cream" in Frog and Toad All Year and are asked five specific comprehension questions about events, character actions, and feelings. Students are explicitly asked to summarize the story "Ice Cream," which requires them to describe the main things that happen to the characters. During Shared Reading students read riddles aloud and locate and explain the riddle answer found in the conclusion, practicing recounting oral material.
Lesson 10
Consonant Teams
Students read Frog and Toad All Year and then answer specific comprehension questions aloud (e.g., identifying season, actions Frog and Toad took, and reasons characters were worried). Students watch the linked video 'Frog or Toad?' and are asked to say what they learned from the video. Students discuss character traits by listing 3–5 words/phrases describing Frog and Toad and read the chart aloud, and students use pictures from the stories to identify seasons and explain the clues they used.
Lesson 11
Consonant + le Syllables
Students read pages 1–19 of Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse and answer explicit comprehension questions asking for key ideas and details (e.g., why Alexander was screamed at; what Alexander found in Annie's room; how Willy felt and why that made Alexander sad). Students complete a "Making an Inference" activity that asks them to record story information and write corresponding inferences. Students use a Venn diagram to describe similarities and differences between characters and complete a "Finding Words in the Text" task that requires locating specific words and page numbers.
Lesson 12
Suffixes
Students answer specific comprehension questions about Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse (e.g., identifying the colors of pebbles, where Alexander found the purple pebble, and why Annie put Willy in the box). In Activity 3.1 students identify and place story elements (characters, setting, problem, solution, beginning/middle/end) in a graphic organizer. Students watch a suffix video and are asked to state what meanings the video gave for each suffix and later match suffixes to meanings, recounting information presented through media.
Lesson 13
Prefixes
Students read the Book of Poems and Verses (pages 2–14) and respond to discussion questions including which poem was their favorite, whether they had heard any poems before, and how poems differ from stories. Students listen to nursery rhyme recordings and follow the lyrics on the page, pick a favorite, practice it, and sing it for the family. Students complete activities that require locating words and prefixes in the text (Finding Words in the Text) and listing pairs of rhyming words from specified poems (Rhyming Words chart). Shared reading includes a riddle sequence where the child reads and answers aloud and locates the riddle answer in the conclusion.
Lesson 14
Words Starting with q or a
Students are asked to read Part 2 of the Book of Poems and Verses and to choose a poem to read aloud (Activity: Read a poem aloud). They are prompted to describe their response by answering which poem was their favorite and why (Question #1). When the poem "The Land of Counterpane" is read aloud to them, students are asked to close their eyes and report the images they see, describing sensory details evoked by the oral presentation (Question #3). Students also listen to sung verses and are encouraged to memorize and perform one, engaging with information presented orally or through media (Activity 3.1).
Lesson 15
Semester Review
Students are assigned to reread and finish books across multiple days (Activities 2.1, 3.1, 4.1, 5.1), and they read aloud or take turns reading with an adult. The wrap-up prompt asks the child to tell which book was his favorite and to explain why, which requires the child to state a preference and give reasons. Some activities ask students to discuss unfamiliar word meanings and to answer questions about vocabulary, prompting brief oral responses.