Kindergarten - ELA
1: Letters
Unit 1: A - A Is for Musk Ox
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to point to the title and are told that the title often tells what the book might be about, which prompts thinking about the book's topic. Students are read the book and then asked specific comprehension questions, including Question #1 asking which two animals talk in the story and Question #2 asking why we have the alphabet. The Skills list explicitly states that students will, with prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students read and watch informational material about musk oxen and are asked to discuss how that information compares with what the musk ox in the story says about his species. Students are prompted to discuss specific details such as where musk oxen live, what they eat, how people use them, and what threats they face. Students learn and practice the vocabulary word "herd" and its meaning in context. Students are asked to act like a musk ox and to think about what they learned while acting, encouraging recall of details.
Unit 2: H - Hondo and Fabian
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson asks students to identify the two characters (Hondo and Fabian) and to describe differences between them (dog vs. cat, inside vs. outside). It asks students to recount specific things each character did during the day (rode in a car, went to the beach, played with the baby, unrolled toilet paper). Activity 1 has students sort actions as Hondo or Fabian and act them out, and the skills list states students will ask and answer questions about key details with prompting and support.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked, "Ask your child what two animals are in the book Hondo and Fabian," which has them identify the book's subject/characters. Students are prompted to retell the story in their own words and are given scaffolding questions: "What happened at the beginning of the story? What happened next? How did the story end?" Activity 4 asks students to identify and describe the characters, reinforcing retrieval of key details about each character.
Unit 3: I - The Little Island
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the cover and asked what they think the book will be about, which asks them to identify the main topic. After reading, students are asked specific comprehension questions (e.g., What is an island? What were some of the creatures that lived on or visited the island? What changes happened on the little island?) that require retelling key details from the text. In Activity 1 students recreate the island and place/count trees, bushes, rocks, and fireflies, which reinforces recalling and retelling concrete details from the story.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Activity 1 directs students to page through The Little Island book, noting how the pictures progress through the seasons and talking about how the different seasons affected the island. The teacher asks the child what season it is, what is changing on the island, and what accessories are needed as the season changes, and has the child imagine the island across all four seasons while noting differences.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to reread The Little Island and then "tell you the story of the island in her own words," with encouragement to use the illustrations to guide her retelling and guiding questions if needed. The teacher/parent is instructed to read the title together and to prompt the child to supply the omitted word "little," reinforcing attention to the book's subject. Activity 3 has students look back at pages to find examples of animals and describe or act out where each animal moves, which requires recalling and describing specific details from the text.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are asked to refer to the book title The Little Island and decide if the island really was little and compared to what, prompting them to identify the book's central idea about size. Students examine the front cover, back cover, and title page and talk about what they see, which engages them with the book's topic and content. Students are asked questions about their favorite part and why, and they spend several minutes looking at the book, which gives opportunities to notice and recall elements of the story. In the writing activity, students draw and write (or dictate) details about an imagined visit and answer specific questions about season, animals, and unusual things, practicing production of story details.
Unit 4: T - What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to preview and predict the book's topic and then, after reading, are asked whether they learned anything new about an animal and to remember how animals use ears, eyes, and noses. The lesson introduces and defines the word "structure," and Question #1 explicitly asks students to name the parts of animal structures they learned (noses, ears, tails, eyes, mouth, feet). Activities and discussion prompts ask students to refer back to pictures and recall details about animal parts and similarities/differences between animal structures.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are directed to look specifically at the pages about animals' tails and talk about the purpose of that body part. Students match tail pieces to animal pictures and discuss what each animal might need or use a tail for, with explicit functions listed for each animal (e.g., whales use tails to move forward; squirrels use tails for balance and communication). Students design a new tail and are asked to explain the tail they created, practicing describing purpose and details.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students read the book together and are told the book is nonfiction, with an explanation that its purpose is to share information rather than tell a story. Students are asked to classify the book by answering "Was this book make-believe or true?" and to compare it to a previously read animal book. Students are also asked "What kind of information did you learn from this book?" and are told to organize their thoughts if necessary.
Lesson 4
Day 4
During Review, students are asked to name an animal whose tail has a special job and describe that job, which requires identifying an animal topic and giving a supporting detail. In Activity 1, students choose an animal from the book, locate information in books or online, and discuss the animal's body parts, where it lives, and what it eats—actions that require extracting and stating key details from texts. Activity 2 has students act out animal body parts and their uses, giving additional practice in expressing specific details about an animal.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2 students are asked to look through a book and answer sequence questions such as "What was the first section of the book about?" and to identify the order of the body parts. Activity 2 also asks students to evaluate the book and describe what they learned. In Activity 3 students draw an animal body part and "write" or dictate 1–3 facts they learned about that part.
Unit 5: L - We're Going on a Leaf Hunt
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Skills list explicitly includes "With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details," linking directly to retelling practice. The Reading and Questions section asks students to look at the cover, read the title/author, and to look back through the story as they discuss it. Specific prompts ask what the children want to find (leaves), what kind of leaves (colorful), whether the children enjoyed the hunt, what challenges they faced, and how they felt at the end, all of which require identifying the topic and recalling key details.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson directs an adult to read the story while the child acts out the story, using rooms and props to represent settings and events. It instructs the adult to substitute more specific verbs (skip, march, stroll, hop) and ask the child to act out those actions. These activities require the child to recall and reproduce story events and settings through dramatization.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The Making a Map activity asks students to draw the sequence of locations from the story (mountain, maple tree, dark forest, waterfall, pond, etc.) and use arrows to show the children's travel, which requires students to represent story events in order. During the read-aloud, students are prompted to point to and say the sight word "go" and to identify adjectives that describe the forest, waterfall, lake, and skunk, which focuses attention on specific details in the text.
Unit 6: F - Fireflies
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the book cover and describe what they see and to tell what they know about fireflies, which supports identifying the topic. After reading, students answer targeted questions about what is flickering and about the boy's feelings, asking them to find evidence in pictures. Discussion prompts ask why the boy was both crying and smiling and whether he did the right thing, which requires students to recall and discuss story details.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students look together at the middle page of the book about children collecting fireflies and answer questions about word meanings in that page. Students review and model insect characteristics (three body parts, antennae, wings, legs) and use those details to decide whether pictured creatures are insects. Students are asked to explain how they made decisions and what clues they looked for when identifying each picture.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 asks the child to review the illustrations and "tell the story in his own words using the illustrations as a guide," which requires recalling and sequencing key events. The follow-up discussion questions prompt the child to describe parts of the story (what was funny or surprising) and to explain feelings about catching and letting the fireflies go, eliciting specific story details. The Writing Workshop invites the child to draw and write about a personal summer memory, which can reinforce retelling and describing details.
Unit 7: E - But No Elephants
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Skills list explicitly includes: "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text," which targets retelling key details. The Reading and Questions section asks students to compare Grandma Tildy's life at the beginning and end and to name predicaments she faced and how she solved them, prompting recall of specific story details. Activity 2 has students put the animals in the order they visited Grandma Tildy and verbally state "First the __ came...," which practices retelling the sequence of events.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson asks the child to recall the meaning of the word "predicament" and to name one predicament Grandma Tildy faced in the story But No Elephants, which prompts the student to remember and state a specific story detail. Activity 1 has the student look at book illustrations and describe positions of animals using words like "in," "on," "under," or "beside," which has the student observe and recount visual details from the text. The vocabulary review includes the term "character," which orients the student toward identifying story elements.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson asks the child to explain what happened in the story after reading ("After reading, have your child explain to you what happened in the story"). Activity 1 has the child think of an animal from the story, act it out, and explain how that animal would help Grandma Tildy, which practices recalling and describing story details. The teacher and child read the title together and the child is prompted to read the recurring word "no" at appropriate times, supporting attention to the story's text.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked specific comprehension questions about Grandma Tildy (What is Grandma Tildy doing? What kind of work is she doing? Why is she doing that?), prompting them to identify the story's focus. Students retell key details by listening and holding up each animal puppet as it is introduced during the dramatic retelling and by being asked to tell the rest of the story or create a new ending. Students also explain what each pet provided (e.g., canary provided singing and company; beaver provided wood for warmth; woodpecker fixed the roof) and sort objects into wants and needs based on those details.
Lesson 5
Day 5
During the Reading Workshop, students are encouraged to 'retell the story in her own words' or to look at pictures and trace words while moving their finger left to right, which supports narrative recall. After reading, students are asked comprehension questions such as 'Did she enjoy it? Why or why not?' and 'What was her favorite part of the story?' that prompt them to describe events and preferences from the text.
Unit 8: C - Millions of Cats
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the cover and predict what the book will be about, asking them to identify the likely topic. During reading, students answer eight targeted questions (e.g., What problem were the old man and old woman facing? What happened to all the cats?) that require them to retell key events and details in sequence. The Venn-diagram activity asks students to list similarities and differences between the cats in Millions of Cats and Fabian, which requires recalling and organizing key story details.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to read the story again and to repeat a recurring phrase from the text, which supports recall of text content. Students are asked a follow-up question: "After reading, ask your child if there is a lesson to be learned from this story. What lesson does the story teach?" and an example answer is provided (love makes the cat pretty), prompting identification of a central message.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to talk about how the poem relates to the book and whether the poem would describe the scene with all the cats, prompting them to compare and discuss story details. Students create and perform motions to act out the poem line by line and may recite the poem, which practices recounting details and sequencing actions. Students are prompted to communicate what they learn about caring for a pet (e.g., bathe, brush, feed) by making a poster or giving a "pet talk," which practices describing key details.
Unit 9: G - The Real Mother Goose
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to "Talk about the poems. What is happening?" and to act out poems such as "The Little Bird," which prompts them to recount events and details. The activity asks the child to supply missing end words when a poem is read with words left off, encouraging recall of key details and sequence. The cover and introductory prompts (e.g., "Who does she think Mother Goose is?") invite students to name the subject or character of the collection.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are read the poem "The Year," which is described as a text that "describes the months of the year, along with the kind of weather and activities to expect with different months." Students practice reciting the months in order and complete a "Months of the Year" activity in which they color, cut out, glue a month box, and "talk about what happens in January. What is the weather like?" Students add pictures that represent characteristics or events for each month.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students reread the poem "The Year" and then examine the "Months of the Year" book they have created, continuing to add a name for each month and symbols and pictures about the weather, activities, and special events of each month. Students practice the poem "The Little Bird," reading it once or twice, supplying some words, and attempting to recite it on their own. Students read and sing nursery rhymes, which provides repeated exposure to short texts and verbal rehearsal.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 1 has students read poems that mention spherical objects and instructs to "talk about the poems together and identify the spherical objects described," which asks students to pick out the topic-related objects. The activity also asks the child to "name as many spheres as she can," which has students generate examples related to the poems' subject. Activity 2 asks children to follow along with audio while moving their finger left to right, supporting listening comprehension of the poems.
Unit 10: O - Owl Babies
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the cover, describe what they see, and predict whether the book will teach facts or tell an imaginary story, which directs attention to the book's subject (owls). Question #1 asks whether the book told a story or taught facts and Question #2 asks students to cite evidence (characters had names, talked, worried) to support their choice. Question #3 asks students to name true facts from the book and provides examples (live in tree holes, make nests, mothers hunt for their babies, eat mice, foxes eat owls), requiring students to retell key details from the text.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to look at the book Baby Owl, predict whether it is fiction or non-fiction, and confirm that it is non-fiction, which directs them to identify the main topic (owls). After reading and watching an owl video, students dictate or write facts they learned about owls into designated spaces on the owl activity page, which requires them to recall and record key details. An optional extension asks students to research different kinds of owls and create and present a poster, which provides further practice retelling facts to an audience.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson asks the child to retell the story in his own words after reading Owl Babies, which prompts practice with recounting key details. The teacher prompts a specific detail question by asking who in the book wants something and what he wants (Bill wants his Mommy), and has the child read Bill's line "I want my mommy!" while pointing to the words. The animated reading and follow-up discussion ask the child to note how music matches feelings, which can prompt discussion of story events and character emotions.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to look at a website about owls and observe what is different and what is similar about the owls, which prompts them to identify features that characterize owls. Students are asked to compare the book Owl Babies to real owls by answering what the owls in the book can do that real owls cannot (for example, talk or have human-like feelings). The Reader's Theatre provides a short text with characters and events that students read aloud, giving opportunities to notice and recall what the characters say and do.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2 students look independently at two books about owls (one fiction, one non-fiction), are asked to decide which is non-fiction and to cite clues (photographs, factual text) and then to tell what they found. In Activity 3 students draw an owl and are prompted to record factual, non-fiction information about owls on one side of a journal spread, and to write a brief story on the other side. The reading prompt to "tell you about what he found" and the journal factual side require students to identify and record facts from informational text.
Unit 11: S - Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students listen to and reread The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree and are asked to locate and read the sight word "some" in context. Students are asked QUESTION #1: "What gift did the tree give Arnold in each season?", which asks them to recall specific details from the story. Students also read the poem "The Seasons" and name seasons based on adjectives, reinforcing season-related details from texts.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are directed to look at the page where Arnold's family works together to make the apple pie and cider and to answer how each family member contributes, which prompts them to identify and recount specific actions. Students are asked why the family worked together, with an expected answer (the pie and cider tasted good and it was more fun to work together), prompting them to state the main idea of cooperation. Students then make the pie together, providing an opportunity to reinforce and discuss the roles and details they observed.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 asks students to identify where and when The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree took place and to name the story's setting. Students look through books with outdoor settings and share the setting and the clues that helped them identify the season. Activity 3 has students draw their favorite season and write or dictate things they know about that season, producing topic-related details.
Unit 12: D - Dinosaurs Big and Small
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the cover and answer "What will the book be about?", which asks them to identify the main topic. Question #1 directly asks "What did you learn about dinosaurs?" and asks students to state whether the book is nonfiction, prompting them to retell facts. The listed skill explicitly includes "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text," and Questions #4 and #5 require students to discuss and list specific characteristics (key details) of dinosaurs.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked during review to show a dinosaur from the book and name one interesting characteristic, which elicits a child-generated detail from the text. Pages 10 and 28 of the named book are cited and an adult is instructed to explain that scientists use bones and fossils to learn about dinosaurs, so students discuss a key idea presented in the text. Activity 1 has students make and observe playdough imprints connected to fossil footprints, prompting them to describe observable details related to what they read.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The parent is instructed to read Dinosaurs Big and Small and then ask the child what new information he learned from the book and whether anything surprised him, prompting the child to retell key details. Question #1 asks the child to explain the meaning of the word "sprawl" and to use the sentence and picture to guess the meaning, which asks the child to reference text details. Activity 2 connects to the book's discussion of dinosaur weights and has the child compare and predict weights, reinforcing recall of a specific topic-related detail from the text.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In the Review, students are asked to name their favorite dinosaur and state one characteristic, then supply an adjective to describe that characteristic, which requires identifying a topic and a detail. In Activity 1, students choose a dinosaur to research using provided web links, make a drawing, and dictate five facts about that dinosaur that are recorded beneath the drawing. Students are then asked to share this new information with friends and family, which prompts them to retell the facts they gathered from the texts.
Unit 13: P - Harold and the Purple Crayon
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the book cover and answer "What do you think the book will be about?" which prompts identification of the text topic. The Questions section asks students to reflect on Harold's adventure, dangerous or difficult parts, and how Harold feels at the end, prompting retell of story details. Activity 1 asks students to recall specific predicaments Harold faced and the solutions he drew (boat, pie, balloon) and to generate and draw additional problem–solution details using imagination.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students reread Harold and the Purple Crayon and are asked targeted comprehension questions such as what was the most interesting thing that happened, what was his most amazing drawing, what were some scary moments, and how he figured out how to get home. The lesson has the parent read pages and have the child read repeated sight words, then asks the child to answer those story-focused questions. These activities prompt students to recall and describe specific events and details from the text.
Unit 14: B - Blueberries for Sal
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the cover and answer "What does he think the book will be about?", which asks them to identify the book's topic. Students are asked to flip through and notice illustration color and find the illustrator, supporting attention to text features. After reading, students answer six specific comprehension questions that ask them to identify who was looking for blueberries, why they wanted blueberries, what each child was supposed to do, what happened on the mountain, how characters felt, and how the story ended — all requiring retelling key details.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students page through the book and act out how characters move (e.g., hustle, hurried, padded), rehearsing and recalling specific events and actions from the text. Students are asked to name one similarity and one difference between Little Sal and Little Bear, comparing character details. Students examine pictures and find clues that the story takes place in the past, identifying setting details from illustrations.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson directs an adult to read Blueberries for Sal with the child and to keep looking for the sight word "she," prompting the child to read it aloud. After reading, the adult is instructed to ask the child to retell the story in his own words and to allow the child to use the pictures to prompt the retelling. The instructions provide prompting/support for oral retelling practice of the story's events.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 1 asks students to create a two-column list naming elements of fiction and non-fiction about bears from the book Blueberries for Sal. Students are prompted to list ways the story describes bears in fictional ways and to list scientifically accurate facts the story portrays; the included chart gives sample factual and fictional details (e.g., "bears can talk" vs "bears eat fruit"). The lesson also directs students to read nonfiction material about bears (National Geographic Kids) to gather factual details.
Unit 15: R - Rain
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the cover and told the title is Rain, prompting them to notice that the small words all say "rain" and to discuss what they already know about rain. The teacher prompts students with questions about how the author made them feel and about different kinds of rain, encouraging discussion of the topic. In Activity 1, students reread the story and place die-cut pieces on a sky mat to show the progression of the story, sequencing events and recreating key story details.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to listen as an adult reads the book while pointing to each word and then are asked to read the book back, pointing to words and reading what they know, which supports retelling page content. After each page, students manipulate die-cuts to match the page, practicing recall of specific page details. In Activity 3 students arrange and glue die-cuts to recreate the scene from the last page and point to each object while using describing words (for example, "purple flowers") to tell about the scene.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The lesson asks the child "How does rain form?" and directs an adult to help the child identify where water is found on Earth (rivers, lakes, streams, underground, oceans). The instructions explain evaporation and condensation in simple terms and prompt the child to watch the experiment and answer "What happens?" as the child observes "rain" forming. An evaporation/condensation diagram is included to illustrate the process.
Unit 16: N - Night in the Country
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students examine the book cover and answer questions about the time of day and what they notice in the picture, connecting observations to the book's subject (country/night). Students are asked to define the word "country," discuss differences between city/suburbs/country, and after reading to say what they thought about the book and what the author seems to think about nighttime, citing words and pictures as evidence.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson instructs the child to listen to the book twice and "tell you the story in his own words, using the pictures as a guide to the retelling," which has the child practice retelling key details. The Activities ask the child to look through Night in the Country and answer "What landforms does he see?" and to name those features while creating models, which has the child identify specific details from the text and illustrations. The repeated readings and picture-based prompts require the child to recall and describe story events and concrete details.
Unit 17: M - Marshmallow
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the cover and explain why the book is titled Marshmallow and what they think it will be about, prompting identification of the book's topic. The text explicitly tells students it is a true story and asks them to classify it as fiction or non-fiction, reinforcing understanding of the subject matter. After reading, students answer targeted questions (e.g., how Marshmallow acted at first, advantages/disadvantages of a rabbit, why Oliver hesitated, why Oliver decided to be friendly, and their favorite part) that require recalling and recounting key details from the text.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Activity 1 asks the child to look at a specific part of the book where Oliver is about to pounce and to talk about how Oliver followed Miss Tilly's rules; the child is asked what the rules of their home are and why rules are important. The activity guides the child to use words and/or pictures on butcher paper to depict household rules, prompting explanation and connection to the book scene. Activity 3 asks the child to reread and supply omitted words from a short poem, encouraging recall of specific lines.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson directs the child to reread the book and to read a target word in context. After reading, the child is asked to "tell you the story in her own words" and is encouraged to use the pictures to prompt her retelling. The review and questioning structure therefore asks the child to recount events and details from the text.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are instructed to watch the Owen and Mzee video/story and talk about how Owen and Mzee's friendship was similar to and different from Owen and Marshmallow, with example similarities and differences provided. Students may create a Venn diagram comparing the two pairs of animals, which asks them to organize and record specific details. The activity prompts discussion of key story elements (characters, setting, events) through comparison.
Unit 18: U - Umbrella
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson instructs the child to look at the front cover and be asked what they think the book will be about, prompting identification of topic. It asks the child, after reading, to recall events from the book and provides specific comprehension questions (e.g., what gift was Momo given, why she couldn't use it, how she felt when it rained) that require retelling key details. The Skills list explicitly includes "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text," which targets asking/answering about details.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson instructs an adult to read the story Umbrella to the child. After reading, the adult is told to ask the child to "tell you the story in his own words" and to encourage use of the pictures to prompt his retelling. The guide also includes a directed prompt to locate and read a specific sentence in the book, supporting attention to story details.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In Activity 1 children are asked what the sky looks like before it rains and what clouds are, and the lesson states the factual detail that "Clouds are formed when water in the air evaporates and then condenses." The activity prompts students to describe clouds they have seen and to note how clouds are alike and different, and it directs them to look at a website showing pictures of different kinds of clouds. Students also observe real clouds and recreate their appearance with cotton balls, which reinforces noticing and describing cloud characteristics.
Unit 19: J - Jump Frog Jump
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the cover and identify animals and predict which animal will be the main character and the setting. After reading, students answer specific questions about how the frog escaped and which animals the frog did or did not escape. In Activity 1 students cut out and order story sequence pictures and read the sentences in order, practicing retelling the sequence of events and key details from the book.
Lesson 3
Day 3
After reading, the child is asked to line up the story sequence cards from Day 1 in order and tell the story using the sequence cards to prompt her, which practices retelling story events. Activity 3 has the child act out and place die-cut figures to show relationships from phrases in the book (e.g., 'The frog was under the fly'), which requires recalling and demonstrating specific details. The lesson includes a second reading where the child reads repeated phrases, supporting familiarity with the text needed for retelling.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to read a nonfiction book or website passage about the life cycle of a frog and to talk about what a life cycle is. The text explicitly lists stages (eggs, tadpole, froglet, frog) and students are instructed to label each stage when constructing a four-part diagram on a paper plate. An image and labeling task require students to sequence and represent those key details from the text.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students look through the book and reorder story sequence cards, putting events in order. Students practice reading the book to themselves and to an adult, rehearsing the text and its repeated sentence, "How will frog get away?" Students ask and answer questions about the text and notice the question mark at the end of the sentence.
Unit 20: K - Kindness
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the cover and predict what the book will be about and are told the title and that Harry is a kind mouse, prompting identification of topic. Question #1 explicitly asks what the animals do throughout the book, with the answer being that they show kindness to one another. Students are asked to discuss specific acts of kindness, name their favorite example and explain why, and to count and order the animals according to how they are introduced (sequencing key details). Activity 2 asks students to describe kindness in their own words after watching a video, reinforcing the main idea and supporting details.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students choose characters from a referenced book and act out acts of kindness described in the book, which requires them to recall and reproduce specific events (Activity 3). Students create and use a Kindness Mouse puppet to say kind things to family members and discuss the importance of kindness, which reinforces the book's theme about kindness. These activities require students to recall details and engage with the text's topic through guided dramatization and discussion.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students reread pages of Harry the Happy Mouse and are asked which act of kindness they found especially kind or thoughtful. Students are asked to explain how Harry helping the frog resulted in a series of kind acts and to discuss whether they agree that a little bit of kindness can go a long way. Students locate and read specific sentences on pages (finding the word "so"), supporting recall of specific textual details.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In Activity 1, students generate a titled list "I Am a Good Citizen!" and dictate 4–6 rule-based ideas (e.g., I take care of my pet, I put my trash in trash cans), then add illustrations. In Activity 2, students listen to a kindness song, sing along, and may act out the kind actions expressed in the song, which prompts recall of specific actions. These tasks require students to state a central idea (being a good citizen/kindness) and produce related supporting details or actions.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 1 prompts students to discuss that the story shows one act of kindness leading to another, guiding students to the story's central idea. Activity 2 has students look carefully at the pictures and practice retelling the story through them, then retell the story giving a general description of each act of kindness using illustrations as a guide. Activity 3 asks students to write or dictate a brief description of a favorite book and add one more detail, which practices identifying key details and summarizing the text.
Unit 21: V - Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin
Lesson 1
Day 1
Before reading, students are prompted to look at the cover and to pay attention to the instruments and the activities of the animals, directing their attention to the text's subject matter. After reading, students answer specific comprehension questions about details (e.g., which instruments were new, what the animals did, whether the musicians enjoyed playing, and how the audience responded). In Activity 1, students match instrument pictures with number cards and ensemble names, reinforcing the focus on instruments and groups described in the book.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students listen to Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin and are asked to look for the word "now" during reading, showing guided engagement with the text. After reading, students use the book to place instrument pictures in the order they appear, which requires them to recall and sequence details from the text. The review questions also prompt students to notice how many instruments play during a solo or duet, which asks students to attend to specific events in the story.
Unit 22: Y - Little Blue and Little Yellow
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the front cover, make observations and predictions about what the book will be about, which prompts them to consider the book's overall topic. Students listen as the book Little Blue and Little Yellow is read aloud and then answer eight specific comprehension questions (Q1–Q8) about events and characters, which requires retelling key details. The skills list explicitly states that students will, with prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are prompted to recall what they remember about friendship from the story Marshmallow and to state ideas such as taking turns, saying sorry, and helping each other. Students are asked to look back at pictures in Little Blue and Little Yellow and to describe specific ways the characters were good friends and good citizens (hugging, playing nicely, obeying rules). Students are asked whether Little Blue ignored rules and to explain why obeying the rule was important, prompting them to cite key details and reasons from the text.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The teacher reads Little Blue and Little Yellow aloud and has the child read the repeated word "they" in context on specific pages. After reading, the child is given Play-doh balls and instructed to use the pictures and the dough to retell and act out the story in his own words. These activities require the child to recount events and use visual cues from the book to reconstruct key moments of the story.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The Paper Story activity asks the child to "look back through the story" and answers targeted questions about how the author shows parents, houses, feelings, park, and mountain, prompting attention to story details. The child is then asked to tear paper to represent two characters, asked "what happened to those characters," and encouraged to tell a story about them, which requires recounting events. The child chooses one scene to glue and then "write or dictate to you what is happening in that scene," producing a spoken or written retelling of part of the text.
Unit 23: W - George Washington's Birthday
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson's Skills list explicitly states that students will, with prompting and support, identify the main idea and recall key details of a text. During reading, students are asked to examine the cover and the dollar bill, name who the book is about, and decide whether the book is fiction or nonfiction. After reading, students are prompted to describe parts of George Washington's life they found interesting or surprising, state whether the story had a happy ending, and explain lessons Washington learned, and the text sidebars require students to distinguish factual details from myths.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to choose which word box should be the title box ("Symbols of the United States") and glue it at the top of their paper, which requires them to identify the main topic of that activity. During review, students are prompted to remember and say one myth about George Washington, which asks them to recall a key detail from prior reading. In Activity 3, students reread the first two pages of the book and identify which days of the week were mentioned, which asks them to find and state specific details from the text.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The child is asked to page back through the book, recapping each story about George Washington, which requires verbal retelling of story details. The child is prompted to identify whether each story is a myth or a fact, which asks the child to sort and discuss specific story details. The teacher models and has the child read sentences and the sight word "went," supporting oral reading and engagement with the text.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 (Reading Workshop) asks the child to spend time independently with the text and then "share her observations" and to explain whether she enjoyed the book and why, which prompts oral recall and explanation about the story. Activity 3 (Writing Workshop) asks the child whether George Washington ended up having a birthday celebration, which requires the child to recall a specific detail from the text, and then to read back her work aloud.
Unit 24: Q - The Quilt Story
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the cover and explain what a quilt is and to make observations about any quilts in their home, which supports comprehension of the text's subject. After reading The Quilt Story, students are prompted to explain how they knew the story took place a long time ago (citing clues such as dress, candlelight, horse and wagon) and to answer Question #2 about how the quilt helped both girls, which requires retelling key details. The Questions to Explore section asks "How do people adapt to change?" which frames a central idea for discussion tied to the book's events.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to "go through the beginning pages of the book and identify the ways the family used natural resources to meet their needs" (wood for furniture, tea for drinking, beeswax for candles). Students are asked to "identify the landforms mentioned/shown in the story (hills, prairie, river)." Students engage in discussion about settlers and pioneers using a map and discuss Daniel Boone, prompting them to describe who was involved and what happened in the historical context.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to "tell you the story back in his own words" after reading The Quilt Story, which requires them to recount events and key details. Students complete a "Then and Now Venn Diagram" comparing setting and characters at the beginning and end of the story, recording specific details (e.g., who Abigail was, actions like sleeping under the quilt, travel by wagon vs. car). The read-aloud prompts (stopping to point out words) support students in recalling and sequencing parts of the text for retelling.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students read short descriptions about historical figures and holidays on the "Famous Americans and Their Holidays" and "Other American Holidays" pages. Students cut out pictures of the historical figures and glue them onto the correct squares, matching text descriptions to images. Students read descriptions of holidays and color or select images that represent each holiday, demonstrating identification of details in the text.
Lesson 5
Day 5
The Reading Workshop asks students to look at The Quilt Story illustrations, note Abigail's facial expression, and explain how that expression helps them understand the book. Students are prompted to spend independent time with the book, point out expressions, and explain what they learn about the story from those pictures. These tasks require students to attend to details in the text and illustrations and to explain their meaning.
Unit 25: X - An Extraordinary Egg
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students answer literal comprehension questions such as What did the frogs think was inside the egg? and what was really inside, which requires them to recall key story details. Students sort and record examples of "Facts about Frogs" versus "Fictional Frogs," identifying factual details from the text and distinguishing them from fictional elements. Students discuss similarities and differences between character friendships (Chicken and Jessica vs. Marshmallow and Oliver), which has them recount and compare character experiences and details.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Activity 1 asks students to talk about the animal in the story that hatched from the egg and prompts questions such as what the frogs thought (a chicken) and whether they were right (it was an alligator). Students are asked to describe the egg using sensory and comparative questions and to crack the egg and observe its contents. The note asking the child to start thinking about the story behind his extraordinary egg connects the hands-on egg work back to the story content for later writing.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students hear An Extraordinary Egg read aloud and are asked to retell the story in their own words using the pictures to help remember events. Students are prompted to read and recognize the sight word "look" within a sentence, supporting word-level comprehension during reading. Students practice oral recall of story events, which targets remembering key details in sequence.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are directed to read kid-friendly facts about alligators (American Alligator Facts) to learn factual information. Students are asked to recall the stages of a previously-made frog life cycle and to compare how an alligator's life cycle differs from a frog's, prompting them to recount key stages. Students create and label a three-part alligator life-cycle craft (egg, baby alligator, adult) and act out the stages for both frog and alligator life cycles, practicing sequencing and detail recall.
Unit 26: Z - Greedy Zebra
Lesson 1
Day 1
The text instructs an adult to ask the child to look at the cover and title and to locate where zebras live, prompting identification of the topic and context. The text directs the adult to talk about the word "greedy," have the child predict how the zebra will be greedy, and then, after reading, to explain how the zebra was greedy and what happened because of that greediness. The Questions to Explore include "What are the effects of one person taking more than he or she needs?", which frames the central topic for discussion and response.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are directed to read the linked National Geographic page about zebras and do online research to learn scientific facts. Students complete a "Zebra Research" graphic organizer with labeled sections for Appearance, Predators, Diet, and Habitat to record details. Students are invited to draw and/or dictate a report about zebras using the organizer to organize and share what they learned.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson instructs the child to "use the illustrations to retell the story to you," which requires students to recall and recount key details from the text. It also asks the child to predict what would have happened if the zebra had not been greedy and, in review, to explain why being greedy is considered negative, prompting discussion of the story's central idea or moral.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students read and discuss informational paragraphs about five African savannah animals and color each animal cut-out based on characteristics learned, which requires them to identify and use specific details about each animal. Students create a savannah scene and place each animal into that scene, applying details about habitat and appearance. Students act out action-packed phrases from the story "Greedy Zebra," physically demonstrating events and behaviors described in the text.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 asks students to identify books that have animal characters, to name settings for chosen books, and to identify which three books were nonfiction and remember what subject each nonfiction book was about. Activity 2 also prompts students to state similarities and differences between pairs of books (characters, settings). Activity 3 has students draw a scene from their favorite book and write or dictate words/phrases about the characters, setting, and events of the story.
2: Holidays
Unit 27: Halloween
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are read Goodnight Goon and are encouraged to join in at the ends of lines, which has them attend to and repeat parts of the text. After reading, students are asked to choose a page they think is the funniest or most clever and to explain why they like that page, prompting them to describe and discuss a specific page detail. The lesson also asks students to explain what a lagoon and a goon are, which has them identify meanings of words from the text.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students watch an informational video titled "Hanging Out with Bats" that explores different kinds of bats, their diets, and their importance to the ecosystem. After making a bat mask, students are asked questions such as what kind of bat they are, what they eat, and other facts they know about bats, prompting recall of details from the video.
Unit 28: Thanksgiving
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson asks students to summarize why a type of Thanksgiving has been celebrated in many cultures (to give thanks for the harvest and for food), which asks them to state the main idea of the text. The skills list explicitly includes "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text," and the reading prompts ask students to look at the cover, discuss what they see, and answer content questions after reading. Activity 1 (Turkey Research) has students record five facts from a nonfiction source and then read those facts aloud, which practices retelling key details.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Activity 1 asks the child to re-read the pages about the Pilgrims and then recall specific details (why they left, the name of the ship, the journey, landing place, first winter, how Indians helped, reason for the first Thanksgiving, and length of celebration). Activity 3 has the child stop at the end of each page and act out the story actions, using body and expressions to show what is happening. The Getting Started review asks the child to name one thing he knows about turkeys, which prompts recall of topic-related information.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The Review asks the child to "offer something she learned about the very first American Thanksgiving," which prompts the child to recall details from the reading. The Reading section directs an adult to "Reread the story Thanksgiving Is..." and then to look at pages about kinds of feasts and "talk about your family's favorite Thanksgiving foods," prompting discussion of story details. Activity 2 instructs to read the Pocahontas webpage and "discuss with your child how the help Pocahontas provided was different," which asks the child to compare and recount information from a text.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The Review questions ask the child to recall what it means to be grateful and to name one thing the Pilgrims were grateful for at the first Thanksgiving, prompting retrieval of a specific detail. Activity 1 provides an informational passage about Abraham Lincoln (his childhood reading habit, becoming a lawyer and president, the Emancipation Proclamation, and his nickname), giving content students can retell. Activity 1 also asks the child to name words that describe Abraham Lincoln and to explain why we still celebrate him today, prompting identification of the subject and supporting details.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are asked to spend independent time with a book, studying the illustrations and how they help the author teach about Thanksgiving. The text explicitly frames the book as teaching about Thanksgiving, which gives students exposure to the book's main topic. Students are then asked to point out observations about the illustrations, prompting them to notice details that relate to the book's content.
Unit 29: Christmas
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to explore The Christmas Wish, tell what they notice, and predict what the book will be about before an adult reads it to them. After reading, students are directed to focus on the Christmas tree topic and are given background information about evergreens. For the informational follow-up, students read a Britannica kids page about conifers and are asked to tell three things they learned about real Christmas trees.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Activity 1 asks the child to look again at The Christmas Wish and to tell about her favorite part, prompting a retelling of a portion of the text. Activity 1 also directs the child to discuss that the story seems to take place in Norway and to use websites to learn more, which guides identification of the story's setting. Activity 3 asks the child to create animals she read about for a snowy scene, prompting recall of specific details from the text.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to page through The Christmas Wish and note all the animals the girl encounters on the northern tundra, which prompts them to identify specific details from the text. Students are asked observational questions about the reindeer (e.g., What does it look like? Can a reindeer really fly?), encouraging them to discuss details and factual ideas. Students are directed to read an informational article and a linked piece ("Masters of a Cold World") about how reindeer thrive in the cold, which exposes them to informational details to discuss or recount.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 1 directs adults to talk with the child about Santa Claus using questions such as "What kind of a person is Santa? What does he do?" which prompts the child to state the central subject of discussion. The same activity asks the child why Anja wanted to be an elf, how she showed the spirit of an elf, and how she showed commitment, prompting the child to recount specific reasons and events from the story. The question about whether Anja had really been dreaming versus a real experience asks the child to refer to story details to support an idea.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 1 asks students to look at the first pages of The Christmas Wish and notice the kind deeds Anja did for her neighbor, friends, and family, prompting children to attend to and name specific actions in the text. The Reading Workshop directs an adult to read The Christmas Wish with the child, providing an occasion for discussing the text as it is read.
Unit 30: February Celebrations
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students hear The Biggest Valentine Ever read aloud and are asked specific comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) that prompt them to identify and recount key events such as how the argument started, what they did when they argued, how they felt about their individual valentines, and how they resolved the problem. Question 5 asks students to articulate the lesson the characters learned, which prompts identification of the story's main idea or theme. The opening discussion about Valentine's Day and prompts to recall information about a president also ask students to state what they remember from a text or prior unit, supporting practice in identifying main ideas and details.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students watch informational videos about the president's job and a song about Washington and Lincoln and are asked follow-up questions. Students inspect coins, name the presidents pictured, answer questions about what they remember about Lincoln and other presidents, and sort coins while reviewing the name and value of each coin. Students discuss what they think would be good or bad parts of being president, which requires recalling facts and ideas from the videos and text.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to watch an online storybook about Booker T. Washington and a short video about Martin Luther King, Jr., and to talk about each figure's life and work. Adults prompt students to explain why education is important, to describe how MLK showed love, and to discuss his famous words "I have a dream." Students are asked to name a similarity between Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr. (both worked for fair and equal opportunities).
1: Environment
Unit 1: Habitats and Homes
Lesson 1
My Environment
Students are prompted to describe what an environment is and to explain that a healthy environment provides food, water, and shelter, using discussion and hand motions. In Activity 2 students walk through rooms, number them in order, name each room, circle items that contribute to a healthy environment, and explain why those items are important. In Activity 3 students choose the most important room, state how the room is used and why it is important, record or dictate their ideas on a sheet, and read a paragraph aloud.
Lesson 2
What Is a Map?
Students are read Me On the Map and then answer targeted questions (name of country, state, town, address), which requires them to recall key factual details from the text. Students reread the pages where the girl discusses maps of her room and home and are prompted to explain that a map shows important places from a bird's-eye view, supporting identification of the main topic. Students are asked at the end to review the purpose of maps and to describe the environment in which they live, prompting them to state the main idea and supporting details in their own words.
Lesson 3
Guide to Animal Habitats
The introduction asks the child "What do you think this book is about?" and has prompts to point to the title and author, which asks students to identify the book's topic. During Activity 1 the child listens to the story and is asked to point out animals and plants in each habitat and count them, which directs attention to key details in each section of the text. Activity 2 (Habitat Journey) asks the child to place or trace the habitats in the order visited, and Activity 5 asks the child to tell a story or describe what they would see and do in a chosen habitat, prompting students to recount details.
Lesson 4
Animals Live and Grow
Day 2 directs the child to read Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt and then asks explicit comprehension questions (e.g., what season is it, why wait to plant seeds, why give plants a drink, how animals help the plants) that require recalling key details. The Skills section lists summarizing the needs of living organisms for energy and growth, and multiple activities (Activity 2 and Wrapping Up) prompt the child to state what animals and plants need and how they depend on one another. The Wrapping Up and initial prompts ask the child to tell what he learned about how animals survive and grow, which asks for a main-topic level summary with prompting and support.
Lesson 5
Discovering Animal Habitats
The introduction asks the child to give examples of animal habitats she explored in Crinkleroot's Guide to Animal Habitats and to review what an animal habitat is, which prompts recall from a text. Multiple activities ask students to describe animals they see in pictures, label habitats from a word box, and in Wrapping Up ask the child to describe each environment she explored, prompting verbal recounting of details. Activity 3 asks students to draw a habitat and label animals and their food/water sources, which requires recalling and stating specific details about organisms and environments.
Lesson 6
Exploring Animal Habitats
Students draw and label an observed habitat and answer guided questions about where plants and animals are, what animals do, and what they eat/drink (Activity 1). Students locate information about a chosen animal in a book or online, dictate and/or write a short story about the animal's day using fill-in prompts, and read the story back (Activity 2). During wrapping up, students are asked what they learned from observing the habitat and how plants, animals, and insects live together, prompting them to recount observations and details.
Lesson 8
Animal Care
Students listen to a read-aloud of The Salamander Room and respond to targeted comprehension questions such as "What kind of animal did the boy find?" and "Where did he find it?". Students practice answering questions about the animal's needed environment and whether the boy could provide that habitat, which focuses on key story details. Students draw pictures of domestic and nondomestic animals and discuss how animals would feel in different habitats, connecting story content to concrete details and prior knowledge.
Lesson 9
Animal Designs
Students are prompted to discuss what animals need to live and grow (food, water, shelter) in the Introduction and to review the idea that animals must live in the right habitat in the Wrapping Up. In Activity 2, students analyze pictured habitats, decide which animals do not belong, and explain why each animal would not live there, providing practice with extracting details from images and captions. In Activity 1 (Options 1 and 2) students read short captions about animals in habitats, name the animal and habitat, and explain body parts and movements that help animals live in those habitats.
Lesson 10
Amazing Animals
Students read and analyze short informational descriptions for four animals (starfish, snake, lizards, shark) that explain specific changes (e.g., starfish regrow arms, snakes shed skin). Activity prompts require students to listen or read about each animal and answer questions about what will happen (e.g., what will happen to the starfish's arm; how lizards hide), which asks them to retell key details. The wrap-up explicitly asks students to tell about some animals they learned about today, encouraging them to state main ideas and supporting details with prompting and support.
Lesson 11
Amazing Me
Students are asked in Activity 3 to think of a time they changed because of their environment, have their ideas recorded, and then read those ideas aloud or have them read back; this has students produce and orally share a central idea with supporting examples. The Wrapping Up prompts ask students to share examples of how bodies change and to recall what else changes, which has students identify the overall idea that environments change bodies and feelings. The Skills list includes "Read or attempt to read own story" and "Express ideas," supporting practice with stating ideas and details aloud.
Final Project
Animal Research / My Environment
Students are prompted to create a book with a clear main-topic title (Page 1: 'Me' or 'The ___') and dedicated pages that ask for specific details (e.g., 'Where in the World?', 'What ___ Eats and Drinks', '___'s Habitat', 'Interesting Facts'). Students are instructed to label pictures, shade regions on a globe, and draw or paste images that match the page prompts, which requires collecting and recording key details. The lesson directs adults to provide hints and follow-up questions and to allow the child to explain each page of the book, giving prompting and support for retelling those details.
Unit 2: Weather
Lesson 1
Reading the Skies
Activity 1 asks the child to look at the cover and answer "what she thinks the story is about," and then to listen to or read Whatever the Weather with follow-up questions about types of weather and how weather makes the child feel. The Skills list explicitly includes "Listen critically to text read aloud" and "Respond to text read aloud," and Activity 2/3 ask the child to dictate sentences and tell or dictate a story about favorite weather (recording the child's oral language). The Wrapping Up section asks the child to describe pictured weather and discuss seasons and related activities.
Lesson 2
Types of Precipitation
Students are asked to discuss and identify types of precipitation after rereading specific pages (Activity 2), including labeling pictures as rain, snow, or hail and drawing associated scenes. Students answer comprehension questions about habitats and weather (Activity 1) such as "What habitats did you see...describe its weather?" and "Did you learn anything new?" Day 2 prompts ask students to describe what is happening to cause rain and to count raindrops during the experiment. The Wrap-Up instructs students to review the four types of precipitation and explain why precipitation is important and where drinking water comes from.
Lesson 3
Measuring and Charting Weather
The lesson directs the child to look at Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing Animal Habitats and asks her to describe what the weather can be like in different habitats, prompting discussion of temperature, precipitation, and sky conditions. The lesson's Wrapping Up asks the child to give examples of how weather can be measured and how weather helps provide plants and animals with what they need, prompting the child to recount details from the materials. Several activities (measuring temperature, rain gauge practice) require the child to record and talk about observed weather information tied to the explanatory text.
Lesson 5
Fall
Students are given Facts and Definitions that name the seasons and explicitly identify September, October, and November as fall months, and are prompted in the Introduction to discuss what kinds of things happen in fall. In Activity 1 students answer specific questions about a fall picture (what people are wearing, what plants look like, what people are doing) and are asked to write sentences about items they circle. The Wrapping Up asks students to explain what happens to the weather in the fall and to describe what they enjoy doing in the season.
Lesson 6
Winter
Students are asked to find the pages that look like winter in the book Whatever the Weather and to describe what they see in the pictures, comparing the book's winter scenes to the winter where they live. Students dictate a winter story using provided vocabulary (cold, snow, freeze), illustrate it, and attempt to read it aloud. The wrap-up asks students to describe what a winter environment can be like, and handwriting practice reinforces winter-related vocabulary (wind, winter).
Lesson 7
Spring
Students are asked to attempt to read each short poem and then are asked "what the poem was about," which prompts them to state the main idea of each text. Students draw a line from each poem to the picture that best tells the story or add their own illustration to show their understanding of the poem's content. During wrapping up, students are asked to review what the environment is like in spring and to say what special things happen and what a seed needs, prompting them to recount details from the lesson's texts and activities.
Lesson 8
Summer
The "A Summer Story" activity gives students a short passage about Jessie's summer with picture-word prompts; students fill in blanks, read or read along, and can illustrate the story, engaging with comprehension of a written text. Activity 1 asks students to describe the environment, say what is happening in the picture, and explain how the kids feel, which requires recounting observable details and events. The "Changes in Weather" page and the wrap-up review ask students to name and order seasons and state which is warmest or coldest, reinforcing the topical focus on seasons.
Final Project
Weather Games
Students are invited to look through and read aloud the book Whatever the Weather and to reread pages 8–15 of Oh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today?, giving opportunities to engage with text. Adults are instructed to ask the child what she learned about weather and how the weather changes throughout the year, prompting the child to describe learned information. The Wrapping Up section asks students to share their favorite season, types of weather, and what kinds of things they like to do during those times, which elicits recall of details tied to the topic.
Unit 3: Community
Lesson 1
On the Town
After reading On the Town, students are asked direct comprehension questions including "What is a community?" and "What places did Charlie visit in his community?" which prompt identification of the story's topic and recall of specific details. Activity 3 asks students to draw a new page for the book and write or dictate a sentence about Charlie visiting a place, giving students practice expressing key story details in their own words. The Wrapping Up section asks students what a healthy community provides and discusses how places meet needs, reinforcing main idea and supporting details.
Lesson 2
My Community Environment
Students are read Me on the Map and are prompted to look at the town map, name streets and buildings, and discuss the purpose of each place (court, police, fire station, library, museum, grocery). Students are asked to look through books in their home library, describe the communities shown in illustrations, select three books, copy the titles, and draw simple illustrations of those communities. Students make a community poster by labeling places and writing or dictating a brief description of how each place serves the community, and are asked to describe important places during the wrap-up.
Lesson 3
Jobs in the Community
Students are asked to read books about community workers (Activity 6) and to read or attempt to read lists of community helpers (Activity 1 and Activity 2). Students are asked to describe what each worker does and how the worker helps the community (Activity 1, Activity 3, Activity 5) and to record one simple sentence about how each worker helps the citizens (Activity 5). Students also practice retelling observations after observing a worker (Activity 3) and attempt to read aloud what they wrote about being a worker (Activity 4).
Lesson 4
Goods and Services in the Community
Students are prompted to name important community places and explain how each place helps people, connecting to the idea of goods and services. Students read labels for buildings, goods, and services on the activity page and match each building to the goods or services it provides, practicing identification of relevant details. In the wrapping up and Life Application sections, students describe goods and services offered in the community and explain why people have jobs and what they do with the money they earn.
Lesson 6
A Good Community Citizen
The skills list includes "Listen responsibly to text read aloud (LA)," indicating students will hear text. In Activity 1 an adult reads a list of actions and asks the child to decide whether each action shows good citizenship and to explain how she made her decision. Activity 3 asks students to draw or provide photos of family members and describe observed examples of good citizenship beneath each name. The wrapping-up questions ask the child what it means to be a good citizen and to think of ways she can be a good citizen at home and in the community.
Lesson 7
A Citizen with Character
In Activity 5 (The Boy Who Cried Wolf) students divide a paper into beginning, middle, and end, illustrate each part, and write, dictate, or copy a sentence to accompany their drawings, which asks them to retell key details of the text. Activity 5 also prompts students to state what the story teaches and to discuss the moral, which directs them to identify the story's main idea. Activity 4 has students read "A Lesson in Honesty" and answer questions about what happened and what should have been done, and Activity 6 has students record actions and consequences, both requiring recall and description of key details.
Lesson 8
Rules and Laws
Students are asked to listen to and discuss the story "The House with No Rules," then answer specific comprehension questions such as "What kinds of things happen in the house with no rules?" and "Would you stay in the house with no rules? Why or why not?" The wrapping up prompts ask students to explain why homes have rules and communities have laws and to list 3–5 rules that would make their house better. The Activity 1 reading and review of six home rules also has students read each sentence and explain which is most important and why, prompting identification of central ideas.
Lesson 9
Caring for Our Communities
Students read the story "When One Person Cares" and answer scaffolded questions asking what happens at the beginning, middle, and end, which prompts them to retell key details and story sequence. Students answer specific comprehension questions (Where does Katy live? What does she like? What does Katy do? Does she help the people in her community?) that require recalling and describing important details. The Skills and Facts sections explicitly prompt demonstration of story sense and state that good citizens care for their communities, providing supported language for identifying the story's central idea.
2: Similarities and Differences
Unit 1: Amazing Attributes
Lesson 2
Animal Attributes
Students are asked in the Wrapping Up to describe ways that animals can be alike and different, prompting them to summarize the overarching idea about animal attributes. Activity 2 directs students to look at a suggested informational book (Crinkleroot's Guide) and identify body parts in pictures and discuss how animals use those parts, which engages students in extracting details from a text. Option 2 of Activity 1 and Activity 3 ask students to write or list living vs nonliving items and to sort/write animal names by body coverings, which requires students to identify and record specific details about animals.
Lesson 3
Size, Shape, and Color
Students are told up front that they will be looking at three attributes: size, shape, and color, which frames a clear main topic for their work. Activities ask students to organize objects by size, find and draw household objects matching named shapes, and mix and describe colors, which requires them to recall and state key details about what they observed. The Wrapping Up step asks students to describe what they learned about mixing colors and to name and describe the shapes they examined, prompting them to retell key information.
Lesson 5
How Old?
Students are asked to explain what it means to be 5/6/7 years old and to discuss that every living thing gets older, birthdays, and tree rings in the introduction. In Activity 1 students put family pictures in order from oldest to youngest and discuss what visual attributes indicate age. In Activity 2 students read or listen to questions, decide which question they'd ask each pictured person, connect ages (numbers) to people, and reread the questions aloud. In Activity 3 students find animal life-span information, label cards with lifespans, and put the cards in order from shortest to longest.
Lesson 6
The Measure of Things
Students are asked to explain the differences between length, weight, and capacity during the wrap-up and to answer guiding questions about how scientists determine size attributes. In several activities students record estimates and actual measurements (length, weight, capacity) and complete sentence frames such as "The ___ is longer than the ___" and "The longest item is the ___," which require them to state key comparative details. In the weight activity students must choose or mark which object weighs more, and in capacity activities they must predict and then report measured amounts, prompting them to recount measurement details.
Lesson 8
Amazing Attributes
Students read and encounter the Facts and Definitions that define "magnet," "sink," "float," and "density," giving them content to recall. Students predict, test, and record results in the Magnetic or Not and Sink or Float activities, then compare predictions to outcomes and discuss similarities and differences. Students are asked in the wrap-up to state what a magnet is and what causes an object to sink or float and are directed to review or re-watch the explanatory video to reinforce those details.
Lesson 10
Earth Materials: Rocks, Soil, and Water
Students are asked to listen to Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt and answer comprehension questions that probe the book's focus on dirt and the roles of solids and liquids (e.g., "What role do solids and liquids play in the book?" and finding rocks in illustrations). Activity 1 directs students to discuss how the garden book focuses on what is happening in the dirt and to describe similarities and differences between two soil samples, citing attributes from the text and observations. Day 2 and other activities ask students to describe the pond habitat, compare the two books, and identify who is telling parts of the text, while Activity 7 has students create an Earth Materials book that summarizes Dirt, Rocks, and Water with properties and examples drawn from the readings and videos.
Lesson 11
Using Earth Materials
Students are asked to describe the three Earth materials they explored in the last lesson, prompting recall of topic-related information. Activities require students to keep logs, lists, take photos, and make a collage of water and rock uses, which asks students to collect and report details about those materials. The skills section explicitly lists 'Summarize the physical properties of Earth materials,' and the Wrapping Up asks students to review that all three are important for life on Earth, aligning with identifying a central idea and supporting details.
Unit 2: Senses
Lesson 1
My Five Senses
Students are asked after reading My Five Senses to name the five senses and to identify which body part is used for each sense. Post-reading questions ask students which sense finds color, which senses recognize shape (and what body parts are used), and to give examples of times they use more than one sense. Activities require students to organize objects/words onto a Senses Web, write or dictate sentences describing a sensing experience, and write a sentence about a sense and sense organ.
Lesson 2
Senses and Body Parts
Students listen to the read-aloud Jackie's Day at the Pet Store twice and, on the second reading, pick up and glue the sense organ when Jackie uses a sense, practicing listening for specific details. In Option 2, students are asked to make up and tell a story about Jackie with a beginning, middle, and end and pause to glue a sense organ when a sense is used, which practices sequencing and verbalizing story events. The skills list also includes listening responsively to text read aloud and determining a purpose for listening, indicating guided listening activities tied to the text.
Lesson 3
Smelling and Tasting
The lesson explicitly introduces the focus: "exploring two very important senses: smelling and tasting," and includes Facts and Definitions that state key ideas about senses. Students are asked to describe situations where they use each sense, to review the idea that senses help make decisions, and to answer survey questions such as "Which flavor did people like the most?" Activity 4 asks students to write a sentence reporting survey results, which requires summarizing key findings.
Lesson 4
Hearing and Seeing
Students listen to The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses read aloud and answer specific comprehension questions about events and characters (Activity 1). Students close their eyes and listen to short descriptive stories and then decide what place is being described, practicing comprehension from an auditory text (Activity 5). Students recount and describe their blindfold navigation and listening-walk experiences and read back or attempt to read their written sound descriptions aloud (Activities 4, 7).
Lesson 7
Using All of Our Senses
Students listen to pages 21–end of My Five Senses and are asked which senses the boy in the story used and how he used each sense, prompting them to name and describe details from the text. In Activity 3 students look through other books and identify ways characters use their senses, requiring them to pick out sensory details from texts. After the nature walk students are asked, "If someone asked you what you found on your walk, what would you say?", which asks them to report details they observed and recorded.
Lesson 8
Writing About Our Senses
The lesson asks students to write a report about popcorn, read a provided paragraph about popping popcorn, fill sensory detail blanks, and attempt to read their finished report aloud, which focuses students on a single topic and its details. The "Sensing My Day" activity has students illustrate an event and record one sensing word, phrase, or sentence for each of the five senses, asking them to recall and record details of an experience. The introduction explains that a report communicates information and details about a topic, framing writing and discussion around a central topic.
Final Project
A Sensible Party
Students are asked to read a sample "Party Planner" sheet with adult support so they can see what a plan looks like, and they are prompted to compare their own plan with the sample (Game 1) to find similarities and differences. The wrap-up questions ask students to describe what guests did with their senses and what they learned about their senses, which prompts students to recount events and details from the party. The Party Planner pages include labeled sections (Ideas, Supplies, Game descriptions) that students fill in, requiring them to attend to and record specific details from the sample and their plan.
Unit 3: We're the Same, We're Different
Lesson 1
You're Special
Students complete a fill-in-the-blank personal paragraph on the "You Are Special" page and then read and share that story with others. The lesson lists the skill "Discuss, illustrate, and dramatize stories" and prompts a final discussion asking the child what makes him unique. Activities ask students to answer guided questions about themselves and to use those answers to create and orally share a short text.
Lesson 2
Physical Characteristics
Students are asked to retell the "Different Friends" story in their own words and answer guided comprehension questions about what happened at the beginning, middle, and end. Students cut apart event boxes from the story and put them in story order, practicing sequencing key details. Students are prompted to describe physical characteristics of Susan and Casey and to discuss whether the caterpillar and ladybug are friends, which focuses attention on central ideas and supporting details.
Lesson 4
Interests and Hobbies
Activity 2 asks students to go to the library, find books about an interest, and then use prior and new knowledge to answer the five prompts on the "My Interest" sheet, recording their interest and responses. Activity 1 asks students to dictate and write a few sentences that describe a chosen hobby to someone unfamiliar with it. Activity 3 has students read survey questions aloud and record answers from three people, practicing listening for and recording specific details about others' hobbies.
Lesson 5
Shapesville
During reading, students identify each character's shape and count sides and angles, and describe physical characteristics (color, sides, angles, eye color). After reading, students answer targeted questions such as "What doesn't matter in Shapesville?" and "How are the shapes' personalities different?" Activity 2 and Activity 3 ask students to explain why a chosen shape represents them or family members and to dictate or write descriptions of personality and interests, which requires recalling key details from the text.
Lesson 6
Different Families
Students listen to and discuss selected pages of A Life Like Mine and are asked to talk about the different people, foods, homes, and health details shown in the text. Students complete a 'Basic Needs' organizer by identifying and illustrating the four needs presented in the book, which requires extracting key details. Students identify pictures of families in the book and describe clothing, activities, physical characteristics, and interactions, and they compare those details to their own family using sentence prompts or a Venn diagram.
Lesson 7
Different Homes
Students are asked to read pages 26–35 of A Life Like Mine and to identify and describe the different homes shown in the book. Adults prompt students to explain why people have homes, to identify materials used to build homes, and to recall that homes provide shelter and a place for families to come together (Facts and Definitions). Students are also asked reflective questions (e.g., what they enjoy about their house, whether they would enjoy living in a different home) and to write a sentence about their home.
Lesson 8
Different Holidays and Traditions
Students are asked to read about holidays in encyclopedias or on websites and to discuss the importance of each holiday, which requires pulling information from texts. Activity 2 gives students specific questions (What are people celebrating? What activities? What clothing? What foods?) that prompt them to identify and discuss details from pictures and descriptions. Activity 3 asks students to draw and write three sentences about their favorite holiday, and Activity 5 requires a one-sentence description about each holiday and why it is important, which asks students to state key details about each holiday.
Lesson 10
Wants and Needs
Students are asked to read specific page ranges (pages 46–51, 56–61, 66–71) and discuss why children need education, play, and love, which asks them to extract the reasons presented in text. Activities ask students to name things all people need, make lists of wants and needs, and complete webs and surveys where they record and organize information drawn from reading or interviews. Activity instructions prompt students to discuss whether items named by others are true needs or wants and to rearrange items on the web, which requires recalling and summarizing details from responses.
Lesson 11
Being Part of a Group
Students are asked to read pages 98–113 of A Life Like Mine and to discuss what identity, nationality, and religion mean, which directs attention to the book's ideas. The skills list includes "Read or attempt to read own story or simple text (LA)," and Activity 2 asks students to complete and then read a paragraph about a group, providing practice with recalling and speaking about ideas. The wrapping-up questions prompt students to talk about why people join groups and similarities/differences, connecting discussion back to the text's themes.
Final Project
Differences Make the World Go 'Round
Students are instructed to locate a chosen country on a map and read about it in nonfiction sources, focusing on food, clothing, activities, transportation, and environment. Students complete structured pages that prompt them to write or draw specific facts (e.g., "I live in... / Jung Wei lives in...", food, hobbies, homes, clothing, transportation, holidays, similarities). Students create and share a book that organizes these factual details about themselves and the child from another country.
3: Patterns
Unit 1: Identifying and Creating Visual Patterns
Lesson 1
What Is a Pattern?
Students are asked to identify the title and author's name of the story Busy Bugs and to guess what the story is about, prompting identification of the story's topic. Students follow along as the story is read and then are invited to read aloud, and they are asked on pages 6–11 and 12–25 to describe and explain the patterns they see in the book. The wrapping-up prompts ask students to state what a pattern is and to describe how they find patterns in sets of objects.
Lesson 2
Recognizing Types of Patterns
Students are asked to write or copy a sentence about the book Busy Bugs (Activity 4), which requires them to produce a statement related to a text. Students are prompted to reread Busy Bugs and point out ABAB and AABB patterns found in the book during the Wrapping Up section. Students are asked to explain the difference between an ABAB pattern and an AABB pattern, applying what they observed in the book to describe details.
Lesson 3
What Comes Next?
Students are asked to explain what it means for something to have a pattern and to use the Facts and Definitions section which defines 'extend' and 'extend a pattern.' Multiple activities prompt students to describe patterns (e.g., "What comes first in the pattern? Next?" and "Do you see a pattern?") and to label or verbally identify pattern elements (A, B, C) as they extend sequences. The Wrapping Up section asks students to describe how they know what comes next and to describe different types of patterns, encouraging oral recounting of key details about patterns.
Final Project
Patterns Poster or Patterns Presentation
The Script for Presentation asks students to write an introduction that explains the focus on different types of patterns, prompting them to state the main topic (patterns). The student activity pages provide numbered prompts for students to name and describe seven specific patterns, which requires them to recount key details (color pattern, shape pattern, object pattern, ABAB, ABC, AABB, number pattern). The poster option asks students to label sections and record materials used for each pattern, reinforcing identification and description of each pattern type.
Unit 2: Patterns in Sounds, Words, and Actions
Lesson 1
Word Patterns
Students are asked to act out or illustrate a nursery rhyme and to record rhyming words, which requires them to retell or represent the rhyme's events and details. In Activity 4 students reread Bear Hugs, copy or dictate the names of animals from the text, identify the habitats where each animal lives, and sort the animal names into habitat groups, which has students extract and organize details from a text.
Lesson 3
Poetry Patterns
The lesson asks students to read poems aloud and asks the child "what each poem is about," prompting identification of the poem's topic (Activity 1). The skills list includes "Discuss, illustrate, or dramatize a story or poem," which guides students to engage with poem content beyond word-level features. Multiple activities require students to reread poems and answer questions about verses, providing prompting and support during reading.
Lesson 5
Story Patterns
Students are asked to identify what happened at the beginning, middle, and end of a story (Activity 1) and to answer explicit questions about those parts. Students sequence events and retell them by cutting/gluing pictures in order and dictating or writing a sentence for each part (Activity 2 and Activity 3). Students create and act out their own short story, focusing on who is in the story and what happens in the beginning, middle, and end.
Final Project
Patterns Video
Students complete script pages that ask them to name the type of pattern, list the elements it is made of, state where they found or made it, and sequence the steps using prompts like "First comes..." and "Then...". Students are asked to read words from a book or poem and explain the pattern they find in that text. Students practice describing the parts of sound, action, rhyming, and story patterns and rehearse speaking those descriptions for a video recording.
Unit 3: Patterns in Your World
Lesson 1
Patterns in Nature
Students listen to a read-aloud of Pattern (pp. 1-11) and are asked to identify and describe the pattern in each picture. Students answer guided comprehension questions (e.g., which patterns they had seen or not seen) and are asked to share examples of patterns found in nature during the wrap-up. Students draw and label 3–5 favorite patterns and copy a sentence from the reading, providing opportunities to recall and reproduce details from the text.
Lesson 2
Patterns of Growth
Students are asked to discuss and describe life cycles and patterns of growth (e.g., "Discuss the idea that a life cycle is the pattern of growth..."). Students sequence stages by cutting and gluing pictures in order for a plant, person, and dog and illustrate stages for animals with unusual life cycles. Students draw the plant every few days and write a sentence to record its growth and are asked to describe the growth pattern of a plant and a person at the end.
Lesson 3
Night and Day
Students are asked to explain the pattern of night and day and describe when it is daytime or nighttime after spinning the globe and using a flashlight. Students label pictures of the Sun, Moon, and Earth and color them, and they draw and record or dictate sentences about activities they do during the day and at night. The activities ask students to describe that day/night is an ABAB pattern and to explain why day and night occur (Earth's rotation).
Lesson 4
Daily Routines
Students are asked to title a routine and break it into four steps on the "A Routine for ___" activity page, dictating or writing a sentence about each step. In Activity 1 students sequence pictures of a morning routine by cutting and gluing them in the correct order, which asks them to organize and recount routine events. Activity 4 asks students to write or dictate a sentence that describes one of their routines, producing a short retelling of key actions.
Lesson 6
Seasonal Weather Patterns
Students are asked to name the four seasons and explain the types of activities and weather associated with each season, and they discuss illustrations that symbolize each month and season. Students cut apart and order seasons and fill in missing season names on the activity page, and they answer questions about which month/season comes before or after another. Students discuss the month, season, and weather they are experiencing and describe observed weather changes.
Lesson 7
Patterns at Home
Students are asked to listen as an adult reads the whole Pattern book aloud and then complete a Pattern Scavenger Hunt identifying specific patterns listed with page references. Students are asked to describe each pattern they find and to color, draw, or copy patterns (shirt, quilt, plate) and to write or dictate a sentence that describes a pattern found in their closet. The lesson also prompts review discussion about how "patterns can be found all around us," linking the book content to everyday examples.
Lesson 8
Symmetrical Patterns
Students are asked to describe the pattern in a butterfly's wings and are given a definition: "A symmetrical pattern is one where you can fold something in half and the two halves line up." Activity prompts have students fold letters and shapes, draw lines of symmetry, sort shapes into symmetrical and non-symmetrical groups, and count and compare group sizes. The Wrapping Up section asks students to explain what it means for something to have a symmetrical pattern and to describe examples of symmetrical and non-symmetrical shapes, letters, or objects.
Lesson 9
Counting Patterns
Students listen to the 'How Many Clowns?' story and place clown faces in the car as clowns enter, filling in the blanks of the story to track how many clowns are in the car. The Skills list explicitly includes "Listen to a story read aloud" and "Answer questions about a story read aloud," and Activity 3 asks students to tell their own version of the clown story using the same adding-by-twos pattern. Activity 4 asks students to dictate or write a sentence about the clowns in the car and identify the subject and verb, reinforcing a concise retelling of a story detail.
Lesson 11
Patterns in Graphs
Students are asked to read the title and labels of graphs and discuss the data (Activity 1). Students answer explicit questions such as "What does this chart tell us?", "How many types of people are on the chart?", and "How many different colors of shirts were worn?" (Activity 1 and chart activity). The wrapping-up prompt asks students to describe how to find patterns in graphs and charts and Activity 4 asks students to write a sentence describing an experiment result, which requires stating key details.
Final Project
Patterns All Around Lapbook
Students are asked to name different types of patterns and to title their lapbook and each mini-book (for example, "Symmetrical Pattern" and "Pattern in Nature"), which requires them to identify a main topic. Students create mini-books that contain specific examples and stages (e.g., stages of growth in the 3-flap book, examples of fabrics, seasons, days of the week) and draw, paste, or write those details inside the books. Students are prompted to explain what their book teaches about patterns when sharing with others, which elicits retelling of information they have recorded.
4: Change
Unit 1: Changes on Planet Earth
Lesson 2
What Changed?
Students read Part 1: Things Change and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., identify examples of physical changes, name chemical changes, and classify burning as chemical). The wrap-up asks students to explain the different ways change can happen and give an example of each type. Activity 2 has students examine picture pairs and identify which attributes changed (weight, color, size, amount, location), reinforcing key details from the text.
Lesson 3
Changing Position
Students are asked to look at the cover of Zoom! Zip! Whoosh! and say what is happening and what they think the book will be about, prompting identification of the topic. After reading (or being read to), students answer explicit comprehension questions (e.g., how do we get objects to start moving? give examples of pushes and pulls; what force keeps us on Earth?), which prompt recall of key details. The wrapping-up prompt asks students to explain ways that objects on Earth change position, asking them to retell learned information. The index activity has students locate pages and copy sentences containing topic words (gravity, inertia), which requires finding and recording details from the text.
Lesson 4
Changes in the Environment
Students are asked to read (or listen to) "Part 2: Seasons Change" and to answer questions about changes in the book, including specific details such as water freezing/evaporating, a pupa changing into a butterfly, and plants growing. The lesson prompts students to discuss that many changes occur in nature, to describe the changes that occur in the different seasons, and to label and color the tree for each season. Students are also asked to illustrate or write two sentences about a time weather caused them to change an activity and to describe changes and their causes during the Wrapping Up section.
Lesson 6
Changes in the Sky
Students are prompted to list adjectives and phrases describing the Sun and the Moon and to discuss why the Sun is important and that the Moon does not produce its own light. Students act out and observe rotation and revolution and then are asked to describe how the Earth revolves around the Sun, how the Moon revolves around the Earth, and that the Earth rotates. The wrapping-up prompt asks the child to describe how objects in the sky change positions, explicitly asking them to talk about those key ideas.
Lesson 7
Living Things Change
Students are asked to review specific pages (pages 30-31 and 34-37 of Changes Happen All Around You) and the Facts and Definitions section states the central idea: "All living things change," which frames the topic. Students color and discuss paired pictures (lizard and rabbit) and are asked how and why the animals changed, and whether the changes happen quickly or slowly. Students observe picture pairs, circle words that describe changes (number, size, shape, place), illustrate before-and-after boxes, and write or copy a sentence describing how something changes in size.
Lesson 8
Plants and Change
Students read specified pages of National Geographic Readers: Seed to Plant and answer comprehension questions such as what plants are used for and how plants are similar to and different from animals. Students are prompted to find the table of contents and locate the section "What Do Plants Need?" and then read those pages to gather information. Students sequence and retell the plant life cycle by cutting and gluing pictures in order and complete activities that require listing parts of a plant and describing what plants need to grow.
Lesson 10
Chemical Changes
The Wrapping Up prompt asks the child to describe the difference between a physical and a chemical change and give an example of each, which requires identifying the central idea and supporting details. Activity 3 asks the child to identify each scenario as physical or chemical and to explain how they made each decision, prompting them to state key details that support their classification. The Facts and Definitions and Introduction sections present clear informational content about physical versus chemical changes that students can use when describing and explaining.
Lesson 11
People Change the Environment
After watching the linked video, students are given a 'Recycle' page where they sort pictured items into a recycling bin or a trash can, practicing identification of specific details about what can be recycled. Activity 3 asks students to describe what is happening in each illustration of human environmental change and explain whether each change is positive, negative, or neutral, which requires retelling details of each picture. The skills list explicitly includes summarizing ways humans protect the environment (e.g., reduce, reuse, recycle), indicating students are expected to produce summaries of key details.
Final Project
Mobile of Change
Students label the mobile with the word "CHANGES" and organize cards showing "before" and "after" examples for categories such as Animal Change, Plant Change, Physical Change, and Chemical Change. Students draw or paste pictures and arrange paired cards that illustrate specific details of each change (for example, Moon and Sun to show day/night). Students are prompted to explain what they learned about changes and to describe how each part of the mobile is an example of change when sharing with family.
Unit 2: Characters Change
Lesson 1
What's in a Name
Students answer explicit comprehension questions (Questions #1–#4) that ask them to recount how Chrysanthemum felt, why she changed her mind, how words can affect others, and how Mrs. Twinkle changed classmates' feelings. In Activity 5 (Characters Change) students list three traits from the beginning and three from the end of the story and write a few short sentences explaining how the character changed. The introduction and Questions to Explore prompt students to focus on change as the central idea of the story.
Lesson 2
Why Worry?
Students watch a read-aloud of Wemberly Worried and answer explicit comprehension questions that require them to say whether each worry happened and why (e.g., party, Halloween, school). The Characters Change activity asks students to describe how Wemberly was at the beginning and at the end and to write or bullet key details about those states. The wrap-up asks students what they can learn from Wemberly, prompting them to state a central idea about worrying.
Lesson 3
Is It a Problem?
Students answer four explicit comprehension questions after reading What Do You Do With a Problem? that ask how the author illustrates the problem, how the problem changes as the boy worries, how he takes care of it, and what he learns. Students complete a Beginning, Middle, and End activity for the story (and two others) that requires them to sequence and retell key events. Students illustrate the problem at three points on the "The Problem" activity page and describe a personal problem on the "Tackling a Problem" worksheet, identifying what worries them and steps to address it.
Lesson 4
Comparing Characters
Students are asked to dictate three- or four-sentence story summaries (one sentence for beginning, middle, and end) and are told that a summary includes only the main points, so they practice retelling key details of each story. Students complete Venn diagrams comparing characters (Chrysanthemum, Wemberly, and the boy), which requires them to identify similarities and differences drawn from story details. Students answer questions such as "What can we learn from both characters?" and match causes and effects from the stories, reinforcing understanding of central lessons and key events.
Lesson 5
The Raft
Students answer explicit comprehension questions across three days that require them to retell key details (e.g., what the boy finds at the river, which animals he sees, what he paints on the raft, and how his feelings change). The Story Elements activity has students identify characters, setting, problem, and solution and match titles to summaries for four stories, which asks them to generate the big elements of each text. The Characters Change and Wrapping Up prompts ask students to describe how the boy was at the beginning and end and to explain what caused his change, requiring students to recount important story details.
Lesson 6
Positive and Negative Change
Students practice recalling and matching specific cause-and-effect details from short texts and examples when they cut apart and match cause/effect statements and label them P or N. Students discuss and recall cause/effect situations from books read in the unit when asked to identify one positive and one negative effect from those stories. Students listen to a character description, answer questions about how the character feels and might respond, and dictate an ending that explains how and why the character changed.
Unit 3: A First Look at History - Change Over Time
Lesson 1
People and Families Change
Students put personal and family pictures in chronological order and answer questions about how they and their family have changed (Activities 1 and 4). Students create and read from a growth chart and answer specific questions about which years they grew most or least (Activity 2). Students dictate ideas about family changes while an adult records them and then hear the ideas read back before filling in the "Writing About Change" page, which prompts statements about past, change, and present.
Lesson 2
Understanding Time
Students read pages from an informational book (Telling Time: How to Tell Time on Digital and Analog Clocks) and are asked questions about past, present, and future while reading. Students complete the "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow" page by writing or drawing events and record calendar dates for today, yesterday, and tomorrow. Students cut and order units of time (second, minute, hour, day, week, month, year, decade, century, millennium) and answer questions linking those units to events (e.g., Were you born in the past, present, or future?).
Lesson 3
Communities Change
Students are asked comprehension questions such as "Where did the story happen?", "Who are the characters?", and "How did the environment change in the story?" which prompt identification of the story's main setting and focus. Students put events from the story in chronological order by cutting, numbering, and pasting events on a timeline (Option 1 or 2), practicing retelling key details in sequence. Students identify communities (Native Americans, pioneers, townspeople), point out differences in transportation, clothing, homes, and activities, and circle animals and artifacts from the story, all of which require recalling and recounting story details. Students also write a sentence about The House on Maple Street, producing a brief retelling of the text.
Lesson 4
Past and Present
Students are asked to locate and discuss facts in the Usborne Time Traveler using text features and to explain how people from the past are different than people today (e.g., questions after reading, "How were their homes different?", "How was their transportation different?"). Students dictate five clues about a chosen time period (Activity 7), which requires them to pull key details from an informational section and present them to others. Students are also asked to draw and tell a story about living in a selected time period and to answer targeted comparison questions about specific details (Activity 2 and Activity 3).
Lesson 5
Exploring the Past
Students are asked to look through The Usborne Time Traveler to explore three cultures and identify elements of culture (homes, clothing, food, transport). Students complete culture charts by drawing and writing or dictating descriptions based on specific pages of the text. Students select one culture, write one sentence about each cultural element, assemble a book, and give a presentation sharing what they learned.
Lesson 6
Predicting Future Change
Students read short, simple scenario texts in Activity 1 and are asked to identify what changed in each situation and to predict how the change will affect the future, recording their ideas. In Activity 2 students reread each situation and label predicted results as positive or negative and write sentences describing one positive change and one negative change. In Activity 3 students dictate a description of a personal change, draw before/after pictures, and attempt to read the description they dictated.
Lesson 7
People of the Past
Students select and read a simple biography and answer specific questions about the person, including whether the person lived in the past, how to describe the person, and what the person did to make a positive change (Activity 1). In Activity 2 students reread short descriptions, point to the individual described, cut and match descriptions to pictures, and order figures chronologically, which requires them to recognize and recall key details from each short text. Activity 4 and the Wrapping Up questions ask students to write a sentence about a historical person and to state what a biography is and describe people from the past who made positive changes.
Final Project
My Past, Present and Future
Students are prompted to write and illustrate pages that summarize past, present, and future (e.g., prompts: "I was different because," "Now I am," "In the future I will be"), which requires stating a main idea about themselves and adding supporting details. In Option 2, students pick three cultural elements and complete paired sentences "In the past _________" and "Today _________," which has students state a topic (the cultural element) and provide details for each time period. During Wrapping Up, students are asked to read through and present their book or comparison pages to family, which asks them to orally go through their content and explain what they included.
6: Reading
Unit 1: Semester 1
Lesson 2
Letter Sounds Review II
The lesson asks the child to read the reader The Pig Can, read the title, and describe what is on the cover, then explicitly asks, "What do you think this book is about?". After reading the book twice, the lesson prompts the child with a comprehension question: "Do you think the pig and the cat can fit in the box?" and asks her to explain her thinking. The lesson also models reading questions and encourages the child to point to each word as she reads, supporting understanding of the text.
Lesson 3
Letter Sounds Review III
Students are asked to read the reader The Bug, read the title, and describe the cover (Activity 5.2). Students read the book aloud while pointing to each word and then answer explicit comprehension questions about what the bug is able to do, what the bug wants to do, and why he can't do it, which elicits recall of key details.
Lesson 6
Open Syllables and Digraph th
Students read the decodable reader This Is... independently and aloud (Activity 5.2) and are prompted to answer comprehension questions about the text, including identifying a detail (What kind of pet does Dan have?). Students also practice reading and reconstructing sentences (Activity 5.1) and read dictated sentences that reference story elements (Activity 5.3), which gives practice with attending to words and details in text.
Lesson 7
Consonant Digraphs ch, sh, wh, ph
Students read the reader They Get Wet (Activity 3.3) and are asked predictive and comprehension questions such as "What do you think will happen in this book?" and after reading, "Where is the ship at the beginning of the book?" and "Why are the rat and the cat wet at the end?" These prompts require students to recall specific events and details from the text (ship by the dock; a wave hits them).
Lesson 8
Blends with s
Students read the reader "Meg and Dan and the Sled" on their own and then answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., why Meg and Dan fell off the sled; why they stop for a snack), which requires recalling events and details. Students also re-read the Weekly Message and point to words as they read, demonstrating engagement with a text and its details. The activities ask students to point to and underline words with s blends in the Weekly Message, reinforcing attention to features within a text.
Lesson 9
Blends with l
Students read Reader #9 — The Club on their own and are asked to point to each word as they read. After reading, students answer specific comprehension questions such as "What color are the flags that are flying above the club?" and "What do the kids do at the club?" which require recalling details from the text. The lesson also prompts students to re-read earlier readers and to read the Weekly Message aloud, providing practice with extracting information from short texts.
Lesson 10
Blends with r
Students are asked to read the reader One Can and point to each word as they read, and then answer comprehension questions such as "Where are the ducks swimming to?" and "What are the kids running on?" These tasks require students to recall and report specific details from the text. The Weekly Message reading also has students read aloud and follow text left-to-right, which supports engagement with text content.
Lesson 11
Ending Blends
Activity 4.2 has the student read Reader #11 — At Camp on his own and then aloud, with explicit comprehension prompts. After reading, the student is asked direct questions: "What do the kids do at camp?" and "What are the kids hunting for?" which require identifying the main activity/topic and key details of the text.
Lesson 12
Double ll, ss, ff, zz (FLOSS)
Students read the reader "Huff and Puff" independently and then answer explicit comprehension questions about it (e.g., "What insects are shown in the book?", "Why are the insects following the kids?", "Why is everyone huffing and puffing at the end of the book?"). The lesson prompts students to reread the Weekly Message aloud with an adult and to point to words as they hear them, engaging them with the text and its details. Multiple activities ask students to listen for and distinguish elements of words and sentences while reading, supporting attention to specific details within texts.
Lesson 14
Three-Letter Beginning Blends
The lesson includes Reader #14 — Spring Has Sprung!, which students read on their own and then aloud to an adult. After reading, students are asked specific comprehension questions such as "What do the kids do at the track?" and "What do the kids do at the pond?" that require recalling details from the text. The activities also prompt students to point to words as they read, supporting comprehension while reading.
Lesson 15
More Ending Blends
Activity 5.2 has students read Reader #15 (The Raft Trip) on their own and then answer specific comprehension questions about the text (e.g., "What animals are on the bank of the river?" and "Which animals nap on the raft?"). The directions also ask students to point to each word as they read and to read the book aloud to an adult, supporting oral retelling of text details.
Lesson 16
R-Controlled Vowels (ar)
Students read Reader #16 — Which? When? What? on their own and aloud, point to each word as they read, and answer the question on each page. Students are asked follow-up comprehension prompts (e.g., "What else might you find in a barn on a farm?") that require them to produce additional details related to the pages they read. Students also reread the Weekly Message and are asked to point to and read words they know, supporting basic text engagement and recall.
Lesson 17
Semester Review
Students read and reread short readers (Activity 4.1) and are asked to name characters and talk about the different things the characters do, prompting them to recount story details. In Activity 4.2 students plan and write their own short reader using a planning page that asks for characters and what characters do, which has them organize and express key events. The prompt asking "Which of these readers is your favorite? Why?" encourages students to summarize and explain aspects of a text.
Unit 2: Semester 2
Lesson 1
Long Vowels a and i with Silent e
Students read the paired reader "In the Fall" (Activity 5.1) and are asked specific comprehension questions that require them to recount events and details (e.g., list things Lin and Dev like to do in the fall; explain what Lin does while Dev makes cakes). The activity also asks the child to point to each word as they read, encouraging literal recall of story content. After reading, students are prompted to reread the Weekly Message and point to words with long a or i, reinforcing attention to text during retelling.
Lesson 2
Long Vowels o, u, and e with Silent e
Students read the reader They Chose To Doze on their own and then answer specific comprehension questions (Activity 5.1) such as "What did the family do on their trip?" and "Who fell off of the mule?". The activity asks students to retell events (rode in a car, ate snacks, slept, rode mules, slid on ropes) and to identify a key character/detail (Val falling off the mule). Students are prompted to point out and discuss quotation marks and to read the text aloud, supporting their ability to recount what happened.
Lesson 3
Hard and Soft c and g
Students read Reader #3 — These Mice independently and then aloud to an adult (Activity 5.2). After reading, students answer direct comprehension questions that ask for factual details from the text (e.g., what the mice use to make beds; what they sit on to eat cake; why they like their home). The lesson also prompts re-reading of a previous reader to support comprehension practice.
Lesson 4
More R-Controlled Vowels (er, ir, or, ur)
Students read Reader #4 "The Bird Is Third" on their own and then answer specific comprehension questions such as "Who won the race?" and "Which animal came in last?" Activity 5.2 prompts students to recall plot outcomes and discuss expectations ("Are you surprised... Who did you think would win? Why?"). Activity 5.3 has students write dictated sentences about events in the lesson (e.g., "The herd is in the barn."), reinforcing recall of details from text.
Lesson 5
Long a Spellings ai, ay
Students read Reader #5, The Gray Day, on their own and then read it aloud to an adult. After reading, students are asked direct comprehension questions such as "What do the boys play with indoors?" and "What animal do they see on the drain outside?" which require recall of key story details. Students also respond to follow-up prompts about what the boys might do outside and their personal opinions about rainy days.
Lesson 6
Long e Spellings ee, ey, ea
Students read the Reader #6 'What Do You Eat?' on their own and then read it aloud to an adult. After reading, students answer specific comprehension questions such as 'What does the worm eat?' and 'How many beans are the birds eating?' which require recalling key details from the text. Students are also asked to reread the Weekly Message and point to words, reinforcing attention to text content.
Lesson 7
Long i Spellings y, igh, ie
On Day 5 (Activity 5.1) students read The Dark Night on their own and then answer targeted comprehension questions such as "What do Tom and Val see in the sky?" and "What do Tom and Val dream about?" The activity also asks students to read the story aloud to an adult and to reread the Weekly Message and point to words, providing oral reading and question-response practice.
Lesson 8
Long o Spellings ow, oa, oe
On Day 5 (Activity 5.1) students read The Slow Boat independently and then read it aloud to an adult, after which they are asked specific comprehension questions (e.g., "How many boats are in the race?" and "What color is the boat that wins the race?"). The activity requires students to recall and answer factual details from the text. Students also read the story aloud, which provides an opportunity to practice recalling story content.
Lesson 9
Long u Spellings ue, ew, ou
Students read the reader Would You Eat It? on their own and then read it aloud to an adult. Students answer comprehension questions that require recalling specific story details (e.g., "What does Tom add to the stew?" and "What color does Val add to the stew?"). Students also respond to a follow-up question that invites personal connection and elaboration ("If you were going to make a funny stew, what would you put in it?").
Lesson 10
Other Long Vowel Patterns
Students read Reader #10 — The Wild Colt on their own and then read it aloud to an adult (Activity 5.1). After reading, students are asked comprehension questions such as "Why is the colt hard to find in the herd?" and "How does the man stop the colt from bolting?", which prompt students to recall specific story details. The activity also asks opinion questions that require students to think about the events and actions in the story.
Lesson 13
Other Vowel Sounds ou, ow
Students read The Hound and the Owl and answer direct comprehension questions asking what the hound does during the day, what it does at night, and why the hound howls at the owl (Activity 5.1). Students are asked to reread the Weekly Message and point to words with the /ou/ sound and to explain in their own words when to use ou versus ow (Wrapping Up).
Lesson 14
Other Vowel Sounds aw, au
On Day 5 (Activity 5.1) students read Reader #14 — The Pups on their own and then read it aloud and answer specific questions: "Where do the pups sleep?" and "What are some of the things the puppies in the story do?" The activity asks students to list actions the puppies take (nap, eat, chew paws, play with ball, have fun, dream), which requires recalling and stating key details from the text.
Lesson 15
These Make More Than One Sound: oo and ea
Students read Reader #15 — The Bad Bear on their own and then read it aloud to an adult. After reading, students are asked specific comprehension questions such as "What are some of the naughty things the bear does?" and "What happens when the bear's mom finds her?", which prompt recall of story actions and outcomes. The activity requires students to name events from the story, supporting practice with key details.
Lesson 16
Silent Starts: kn, wr, gn
Students read Reader #16 (The Gnats) independently and aloud to an adult (Day 5, Activity 5.2). After reading, students are asked specific comprehension questions about events in the text (e.g., what the gnats do at the playground and at the picnic), prompting them to recount key details. The lesson also prompts students to read and then answer targeted questions, which practices retrieving and stating story information.