Kindergarten - ELA
1: Letters
Unit 1: A - A Is for Musk Ox
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to identify characters in the story (QUESTION #1 asks which two animals talk, with a concrete answer: the zebra and the musk ox). Students are prompted to explain reasons (QUESTION #2 asks why we have the alphabet and QUESTION #3 asks which letter was a favorite and why), prompting them to provide additional detail with support. Students are asked to point to the title and to the author and illustrator and to state what an author and an illustrator do, which requires describing roles and parts of a familiar text.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Activity 1 instructs caregivers to read/watch about musk oxen and to "discuss where the musk oxen live, what they eat, how people use them, and what threats they face," which asks students to describe the animal and its habitat and uses. The prompt to "discuss how the information you share with your child compares with what the musk ox in the story says" asks students to add detail and compare sources. Activity 3 asks the child to "act like a musk ox" and to "think about what she learned," providing an opportunity for students to demonstrate and elaborate on their understanding through action and teacher prompts.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The lesson asks the child to define a herd and to sing or say familiar sequences, prompting verbal responses. In Activity 1 students look at a world map, identify Canada, Greenland, and Alaska, and discuss what the tundra environment is like and why musk oxen survive there (thick fur). The lesson prompts discussion and uses pictures to support students in talking about a familiar animal and its habitat.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are asked to explain what a herd is, prompting them to describe a familiar thing. During Reading Workshop, students are asked whether they liked the book and why and whether they would recommend it to a friend, prompting them to describe the book and give reasons. During Writing Workshop, students draw a musk ox and either write about it or dictate a story (which an adult records), giving students opportunities to describe a familiar animal and retell events.
Unit 2: H - Hondo and Fabian
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to identify and define the characters (Question #1) and to discuss differences between Hondo and Fabian (Question #2), which requires describing familiar people/animals. Students are asked what Hondo and Fabian did during the day (Question #3) and to explain a preference with reasons (Question #4), prompting them to provide additional detail with support. Activity 1 asks students to identify which character did each activity and to act out each activity, giving students practice describing events and actions using prompts and modeling.
Lesson 2
Day 2
In Activity 1, students are prompted to talk about what they know about cats and dogs, considering appearance and behavior, and to record characteristics in the Cats, Dogs, and Both sections of a Venn diagram. The teacher prompts students to think of characteristics unique to each animal (e.g., "make a purring sound," "can climb trees") and common traits (e.g., "have four legs," "are pets for people"), guiding them to provide specific details. The cover activity asks students to name the two characters in the book, giving an additional opportunity to identify familiar people/characters.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to retell the story in their own words using pictures to guide their retelling and are given scaffolding questions (What happened at the beginning? What happened next? How did the story end?). Students are asked how the characters feel at the end of their day and how they feel at the end of their own day, prompting descriptions of events and feelings. In Activity 4, students are prompted to use words or phrases to describe the two characters and to record those ideas; an optional extension asks students to describe themselves.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 2 asks students to talk about a friend, describe what they like to do together, paint that activity, and dictate a sentence about the painting; students thus describe a familiar person and an event and produce a verbal description. Activity 1 asks students to think about and act out different ways animals or objects move and to check the book for how characters moved, so students describe actions of familiar characters and provide examples. The prompt to dictate a sentence and the teacher writing it down provides direct prompting and support for adding a detail to the description.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 3 asks the child to talk about his name, explain why it was chosen, draw a picture of himself, and dictate two statements about himself that an adult will write. Activity 2 has the child identify capital letters in names and then answer questions about what he thinks of the names "Hondo" and "Fabian" and what he would name a pet. The review asks the child what a character is, prompting a basic verbal response about a familiar person in a story.
Unit 3: I - The Little Island
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the cover and describe what they notice and what the book will be about. Specific comprehension questions prompt students to state what an island is (Q1), name creatures that lived on or visited the island (Q2), and describe changes that happened on the island (Q3). Activity 2 and the web link ask students to discuss the definition of an island, compare islands to continents, and note similarities and differences among islands, including why they would or would not want to visit.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students page through The Little Island book and talk about how the pictures progress through the seasons, describing how the seasons affect the island. During the pretend picnic, students are asked what season it is, to choose appropriate gear, to say what is changing on the island as seasons shift, and to name what accessories they will need. The review questions also ask students how the different seasons affect him, prompting students to relate personal experience to the place/event described.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson asks the child to tell the story of the island in her own words and to use the illustrations to guide her retelling, with the teacher offering guiding questions as needed. Activity 3 asks the child to identify where each animal moves (air, land, water) and to act out those movements, and it prompts discussion that some animals move in more than one way. The retelling task and the animal classification both provide prompting and support for students to add detail from pictures and teacher prompts.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In Activity 1, students are asked whether they know how waves form, to discuss possibilities, observe a model pan, and decide what they think causes the waves, which requires them to describe an event and give an explanation. In Activity 2, students read lines about an island and are prompted to act out and respond to positional words (around, over, on, under, beside, near, far, above, in front of, behind), which engages them in describing spatial relationships of a place and things in relation to it.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 3 has students imagine a visit to the island, draw what they would see, and 'write' or dictate details of the trip using scaffolded questions (e.g., What season was it? What animals did you see?). Activity 2 asks students to describe what they see on the book cover, title page, and back cover and to give their opinion and reasons for liking the book. Activity 1 has students compare sizes and describe what is big or little and uses measurement activities to support comparing and describing objects.
Unit 4: T - What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted after reading to recall what they learned about animals and to remember how animals use ears, eyes, and noses, and they refer to pictures as they discuss. Question #1 asks students to name parts of animal structures (noses, ears, tails, eyes, mouth, feet). Activity 2 has students draw two animal cards and tell one similarity and one difference between the structures of the two animals. Question #2 and #3 ask students to name parts of a home and explain how two homes could have different structures.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to talk about the purpose of animal tails by looking at specific pages in What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? and to answer questions such as "What jobs do their tails do?" and "Why are they shaped the way they are?". Students think about each animal's needs, match and glue the correct tail to each animal, and discuss the tail functions listed (balance, movement, communication, etc.). Students design a new tail and are prompted to explain the purpose of the tail they created, providing opportunities to add detail with adult support.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students read a nonfiction book about animals and are asked to identify whether the book was make-believe or true (Question #1), explicitly comparing it to a previously read animal book. Students are asked, "What kind of information did you learn from this book?" (Question #2) and are told to organize their thoughts if necessary. The teacher introduces the terms "fiction" and "nonfiction," framing students' descriptions of the book's content.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to name an animal whose tail has a special job and to describe that job, prompting them to produce a short description of a familiar animal. Students choose an animal to research and work with an adult to locate information, discuss the animal's body parts and how they are used, where the animal lives, and what it eats, which elicits descriptive detail. In the "Who Has a Part Like This?" activity, students act out animals using specific body parts and describe or demonstrate their functions, reinforcing description of familiar things with supporting cues.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 3 asks students to draw an animal body part and to "write" 1–3 facts they learned about that part, then dictate those facts as the teacher writes complete sentences—this requires describing a familiar thing and providing additional detail with support. Activity 2 asks students to describe the sequence of the book and to evaluate it using prompts such as "Did he like it? Did he learn something new? Why or why not?" which asks for descriptive responses and elaboration.
Unit 5: L - We're Going on a Leaf Hunt
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson explicitly introduces the term "adjective" and asks the child to name adjectives that describe leaves (e.g., brown, crunchy, soft), prompting descriptive word use. Reading prompts ask the child to describe the book cover, season, story characters' feelings, and whether the children enjoyed the leaf hunt, which requires describing people, places, events, and providing reasons. Skills and activities require retelling familiar stories with key details, adding drawings to descriptions, and observing and classifying leaves by physical properties, all of which prompt students to provide additional descriptive detail with support.
Lesson 2
Day 2
During review, students are prompted to identify the adjective 'tall' on the page and say 'a tall mountain,' which asks them to describe a place with a descriptive word. In Activity 1 students examine their collected leaves, answer questions about features and differences, and sort them by attributes (color, shape, size), describing those attributes and counting groups. In Activity 3 students act out story actions and substitute more specific verbs (skip, march, hop), which has them attend to and express more specific actions in an event.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson directs the child to identify adjectives in the story by asking questions such as "What word describes the forest, the waterfall, the lake, and the skunk?" and has the child repeat phrases like "dark forest." The map activity has the child draw and label places from the story (mountain, maple tree with orange leaves, dark forest, waterfall, pond, bush) and use arrows to show the travel sequence, with an optional extension to create a legend and discuss directions. The read-aloud also prompts the child to point to and say the repeated word "go," practicing oral production of vocabulary in context.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to name three adjectives that describe themselves during the review, requiring them to describe a familiar person. In Activity 1, students pull a plant from the ground, observe roots, stems, leaves, and flowers, and talk about the function of each part (e.g., roots gather water, leaves collect air and sunlight). The teacher prompts students with comparison questions (e.g., how a tree root compares to a blade of grass, differences between stems) and has students plant seeds and use a magnifying glass to observe and describe growth over time.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are asked in Option 2 to look around the room, identify five familiar things, draw each, and think of a describing word for each object (e.g., "soft dog" or "big book"). In the Reading Workshop students are instructed to find and notice adjectives in the book and are asked to say whether they enjoyed the book and why, prompting them to give reasons. In Option 1 students imagine and draw an adventure, talk about the journey and obstacles with adult questions, and dictate their story, which practices describing an event with prompting and support.
Unit 6: F - Fireflies
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the book cover and describe what they see and what the children are doing, prompting them to describe familiar people and events. Guided questions ask students to describe the fireflies, to explain what "flicker" means and give other examples, and to explain how the boy feels using evidence from the pictures. The skills list and questions prompt students, with support, to describe the relationship between illustrations and the story and to provide reasons (e.g., "How can you tell?" and "Why was it hard to let the fireflies go?").
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to look at pictures of creatures and determine whether each is an insect, then "explain how he made his decision about each picture" and identify the clues they used, which requires describing the things and giving supporting details. During the craft review, students review and state insect characteristics (three body parts, antennae, two pairs of wings, three pairs of legs), practicing description of features. In Activity 3, students go outside to collect bugs and "talk together about whether or not the bugs are insects and how to know for sure," prompting them to describe observations and provide additional detail with support.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to "talk about the creatures in the pictures," color them by common colors, recall insect characteristics (3 body parts, exoskeleton, 2 antennae, eyes, 6 legs, 2 pairs of wings), and sort the pictures into insects and non-insects, counting each group. Students are prompted to "come up with a new way to sort the creatures" using 2 or 3 different characteristics, which requires them to name and explain attributes. Students are also encouraged to imagine being the boy in the book and describe/translate that imagination into movements for a dance, linking to describing a person's actions.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 asks the child to review illustrations and tell the story in his own words and then answer follow-up questions (Did he like the story? Why or why not? How would he feel when he had to let them go?), which prompts descriptive speech about events and feelings. Activity 1 invites the child to tell stories about catching fireflies and count how many he has altogether, encouraging him to narrate sequences of events. Activity 3 asks the child to draw his favorite summer activity and write or dictate words or sentences describing that activity, giving opportunities to produce descriptive language with support.
Unit 7: E - But No Elephants
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the cover and tell what they see and what they think the book will be about, prompting description of a familiar thing (the book/cover). Question #1 asks students to describe Grandma Tildy's life at the beginning and at the end and explain what changed, prompting comparison of a familiar person and events. Question #3 asks students to name predicaments Grandma Tildy faced and explain how she solved each, prompting additional detail about events and actions. Activity 2 has students put visitors in order and retell who came first/second/third, prompting description of event sequence.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to explain vocabulary words and give examples (for instance, identifying an adjective like "big"), which has them describe word meanings. Students are asked to recall a predicament Grandma Tildy faced in the story, prompting them to describe a familiar person/event. In Activity 1, students describe the positions of animals in illustrations using words such as "in," "on," "under," and produce full example sentences (e.g., "The elephant's legs are under the floor"). In Activity 3, students name and sort shapes and assemble a paper elephant, describing parts and relationships among shapes.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to explain what happened in the story after reading, which requires them to describe events. In Activity 1 students think of an animal, act it out, and are asked to say how that animal would help Grandma Tildy, prompting a description of a familiar person (Grandma) and a thing (the animal) and its actions. In Activity 3 students sort animal pictures by attributes (number of legs, land/sea, size) and count items, which requires them to identify and talk about characteristics of familiar things.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to name a predicament they encountered and to identify shapes, prompting them to describe personal experiences and objects. Students look at the picture of Grandma Tildy and answer what she is doing, what kind of work she is doing, and why, which asks them to describe a familiar person and her actions. Students sort gathered household items into "wants" and "needs" and explain why they placed each item in a category, practicing giving reasons and additional detail. Students retell the story or invent a new ending using stick puppets, which requires them to describe events and add details with prompting.
Lesson 5
Day 5
During Reading Workshop, students retell the story in their own words or look at pictures and are asked follow-up questions (Did you enjoy it? Why or why not? What was your favorite part? Could you think of a different ending?), which prompts them to describe events and provide reasons. During Writing Workshop, students imagine a house full of animals, draw it, and write or dictate some things that might happen, practicing description of a place and events with adult support. The lesson also allows students to move their finger while 'reading' the book, then talk about it, modeling and prompting descriptive responses.
Unit 8: C - Millions of Cats
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the cover and explain what they see and predict what the book will be about, prompting them to describe people and events. The guided comprehension questions (Q1–Q8) ask students to describe the old man and old woman's problem, the cats' quarrel, and what happened to the cats, which requires describing events and character traits. Activity 2 has students construct a Venn diagram listing characteristics and shared traits of the cats in Millions of Cats and Fabian, prompting comparison and additional descriptive detail.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are prompted to "talk about different physical features of the Earth" and to build rivers, ponds, lakes, hills, valleys, meadows, and islands with playdough, which requires naming and discussing those places. Students are asked to choose 5 cats and divide them into two groups based on a characteristic, which requires identifying and naming attributes of things. Students are encouraged to decorate "A Pretty Cat" to represent the "prettiest" cat, which invites students to make choices about and potentially describe features of a thing.
Lesson 3
Day 3
During the Review, students are asked if they have had a quarrel and how the quarrel ended, prompting them to describe a familiar event and its resolution. After reading, students are asked whether there is a lesson to be learned from the story and to explain what lesson the story teaches, with an example answer that connects the cat's appearance to being loved. The teacher also asks which cat became the "pretty" cat and has students point to and read the sight word "pretty," prompting description of a character and its attribute.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 1 asks students to choose a pet, find information about how to care for it, and then communicate what they learned by designing a poster or giving a "pet talk" using a stuffed animal as a model. Activity 2 has students discuss how a poem relates to the book scene and explain whether the poem describes that scene, then create and perform motions to act out the poem with guided, line-by-line support. The directions include supports such as reading the poem slowly, practicing until the student can perform without reminders, and providing external resources (websites/books) to gather details about pet care.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 3 asks the child to draw and write something about a cat and gives options to "write a story about a cat," "write some facts about cats," or "dictate a story about cats," which requires the child to produce descriptions of a familiar thing. The instruction to "dictate a story" provides an opportunity for the child to speak about the cat and supply content verbally.
Unit 9: G - The Real Mother Goose
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to describe a familiar person by looking at the book cover and answering 'Who does she think Mother Goose is?'. Students talk about poems aloud, answering questions such as what parts are silly, which poems they like, and why, which prompts descriptive responses. In Activity 2 students talk about 'The Little Bird,' answer 'What is happening?', act out the poem, and practice supplying missing words, providing supported opportunities to add details about events. Activity 1 has students identify circles in the room and describe their size and color, prompting them to describe familiar things in their environment.
Lesson 2
Day 2
In Activity 1, students are asked to 'talk about what happens in January' and answer 'What is the weather like?', which requires them to describe familiar events and conditions associated with a month. Students color, draw, or cut out pictures that represent each month and may 'include a note about family birthdays,' prompting them to add personal details. In Getting Started, students practice a poem and are asked to 'supply some words,' which prompts them to produce spoken details in response to a text.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson asks the child to name her favorite poem and explain why, which requires the child to describe a familiar thing and give a reason. In the Circle Painting activity, the child is asked what shape the lids form, to order objects from smallest to largest, and to tell how she decided to group them, prompting description and explanation of choices. The activities also prompt the child to supply words in poems and to generate rhyming pairs, engaging expressive language.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students create and complete a Months of the Year book by adding a name for each month along with symbols and pictures about the weather, activities, and special events of each month, and then bind the book. Students reread the poem "The Little Bird," supply missing words, and are asked to try to say as much of the poem as they can on their own with assistance. The plan to "talk about how these old poems have been passed around" and the instruction to provide assistance as needed indicate opportunities for supported oral interaction and adding words or details.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, students are shown a die-cut circle and a ball and are asked to identify each shape and explain how they are similar and different, using the term "sphere" and discussing 2-D versus 3-D properties. Students are challenged to name many spheres and to read poems that describe spherical objects, prompting them to identify and talk about those objects. The activity asks students to explain where the ball is in relation to other objects, encouraging use of descriptive spatial language.
Unit 10: O - Owl Babies
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the book cover and describe what they see and what they already know about owls, prompting them to describe a familiar thing. Students answer whether the book told a story or taught facts and explain "How do you know?" by citing details (names, talking, behaviors). During Activity 1 students sort, talk about, count, compare, and describe shapes (naming number of sides, differences between circle and oval, ordering by size), which practices describing familiar things with prompted detail.
Lesson 2
Day 2
In Activity 1 students are asked to say what they see on the book cover and to discuss differences between a photograph and a drawing, prompting description of the owl. After reading and watching a video, students dictate or write facts they learned about owls into labeled spaces on an activity page, explicitly recording details. An optional extension asks students to research different owls, create a poster with pictures and facts, and present it to friends or family, which practices adding and sharing descriptive detail.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson asks the child to "tell you the story in his own words" after reading Owl Babies, which asks students to describe an event. The teacher asks who in the book "wants something and what he wants" and has the child read Bill's line "I want my mommy!", prompting description of a character and his feeling. The lesson asks the child to note when the music sounds "scary, or cheerful" and explain whether that matches the story, prompting students to describe characters' emotions and events.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In Activity 1 students are asked to look at pictures of different owls and observe what is different and what is similar, and to click on owls to learn what makes each species like other owls and what makes them unique. The activity then prompts students to explain how the book Owl Babies gives owls attributes they don't really have, asking what the owls in the book can do that real owls cannot (for example, talk or have human-like feelings). The Reader's Theatre has students practice and speak lines that express feelings and situations (e.g., calling for Mommy), which gives opportunities for oral expression.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2, students examine two owl books, decide which is fiction or non-fiction, and explain the clues (illustrations, talking owls, photographs) that support their choice. In Activity 3, students draw a baby owl and record factual information on one page and a brief fictional story on the other, with options to dictate or write and with step-by-step drawing support. In Activity 1, students create and act out stories with the owl manipulatives, counting and narrating events as they move owls in and out of the tree.
Unit 11: S - Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the book cover and describe what they see and what the four pictures represent. The lesson asks students to name the four seasons and to describe what Arnold does with his tree during each season and to share their favorite activities for each season. The skills list explicitly states that, with prompting and support, students identify characters, settings, and major events and describe the relationship between illustrations and the story. The reading questions and activities prompt students to provide descriptions and explanations about seasons and events (e.g., globe demonstration and follow-up questions).
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson asks the child to name the four seasons and, as a challenge, to explain what causes the seasons, prompting verbal recall and explanation. It instructs adults to "talk about the current season" and to "talk with your child about what the weather is typically like," which asks students to describe seasonal/weather characteristics. The Weather Report activity has students observe and record sky conditions, wind, precipitation, and temperature and allows them to draw, write, or dictate words about those observations. The tree art activity has students design four trees to match the seasons, which requires them to identify and represent seasonal features.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to name the four seasons during the review. In Activity 3 students listen to a poem that uses three adjectives per season, identify the season from the adjectives, and are prompted to come up with other adjectives to describe each season. Question #1 asks students to recall what gift the tree gave Arnold in each season, prompting them to describe events across seasons.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The lesson asks the child to name the four seasons and to give one adjective that describes summer, prompting descriptive language about a familiar thing. Activity 1 asks the child to explain how each family member contributes to making the apple pie and to explain why the family worked together, prompting description of familiar people and events with reasons. Activity 2 asks the child to identify which season is being described in a music clip and to explain what makes him think of that season, then to paint what he feels and hears, prompting sensory and causal detail.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2 students are asked where and when The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree took place and are told that this is the story's setting; they look through books to identify settings and share the clues that helped them identify the season. In Activity 3 students draw a picture of their favorite season and write or dictate things they know about that season. The teacher prompts and supports by asking questions, helping the child think about setting, and having the child share findings aloud.
Unit 12: D - Dinosaurs Big and Small
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Reading and Questions section asks students to state whether the book is fiction or non-fiction and to answer "What did you learn about dinosaurs?" and "What were some different characteristics among dinosaurs?" Activity 1 has students measure and compare their own length to various dinosaurs and name which is longer/shorter. Activity 2 asks students to assemble a dinosaur puzzle and then "describe some of the characteristics of the dinosaur he created," with teacher assistance. The Skills list explicitly includes "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text."
Lesson 2
Day 2
During the review students are asked to show a dinosaur from the book and name one interesting characteristic, which directly prompts a child to describe a familiar thing and provide a detail. Activity 1 asks students to notice imprints and answers the question "Can she see the imprint the twig made?", prompting observation that can be expressed verbally. The handwriting and movement activities reference dinosaurs and encourage the child to attend to features and actions, which can support brief spoken descriptions.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are prompted to name a favorite dinosaur and one characteristic during the Getting Started review, practicing describing a familiar thing. In Activity 3, students read and recite a poem, identify descriptive words (tall, short, sharp teeth, long necks, meanest), and generate adjectives for specific dinosaurs pictured in the book. The post-reading questions ask students what new information they learned and what surprised them, prompting them to provide additional detail with support.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to name their favorite dinosaur and state one characteristic, then are challenged to think of an adjective to describe that characteristic. Students choose a dinosaur to research, make a drawing, and dictate five facts about the dinosaur which an adult records beneath the drawing. Students are encouraged to share this information with friends and family, providing an opportunity for oral description with support.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 defines an adjective as a describing word and asks students to read pg. 13 of Dinosaurs Big and Small, look for adjectives (gigantic, longer, thick, sturdy, heaviest, tallest), and share adjectives they found or thought about. Activity 3 has students cut and paste realistic dinosaur pictures into a journal and dictate or attempt to write factual sentences about dinosaurs. The directions encourage prompting/support by asking children to look for words, encouraging discussion of describing words, and allowing dictation if writing is not yet independent.
Unit 13: P - Harold and the Purple Crayon
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked comprehension questions about Harold's adventure (e.g., "What do you think about Harold's adventure? Did it seem fun?" and "How do you think Harold feels at the end of the story?"), prompting them to describe events and emotions. In Activity 1, students recall specific predicaments Harold faced and describe the solutions he drew, and they generate solutions to new predicaments using their imagination. In Activity 2, students identify and describe shapes in the room and in the book, explaining similarities and differences (e.g., what makes a rectangle vs. a square).
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to identify and point out shapes in the room and to pretend to be an animal, prompting basic description and role-playing. In the moon activity students answer questions about the moon's shape, observe how it changes, and cut, order, and label moon phase pictures, which requires naming and describing moon phases. In the color activity students predict and name resulting colors, mix paints to create colors, and fill in a color wheel, which elicits description of color attributes.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students reread Harold and the Purple Crayon and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., "What do you think was the most interesting thing that happened to Harold?", "What was Harold's most amazing drawing?", "How did he figure out how to get home?"), prompting them to describe events and a character's actions. Students are asked in review to describe how they use their imagination and to identify shapes in the room, and in Activity 3 they explain differences between squares and rectangles and decide which solids match those shapes, describing observable properties. The teacher directions explicitly instruct questioning and prompting (reread, point out pages, ask follow-up questions), scaffolding students to provide additional detail.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The lesson asks children to compare Harold's imagined neighborhood to their own, prompting questions such as "Why or why not?" and "What does his neighborhood have in it?" Students are asked to identify and name familiar community places (police, fire stations, airports, banks, hospitals, supermarkets, harbors, schools, homes, places of worship, transportation lines) and assign blank stores as particular places that are familiar or special to them. Students create a neighborhood map, choose a place for their home, place buildings, draw roadways, and display and share the map with others, which requires spoken description and explanation.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 3 (Writing Workshop) students choose a color, draw a picture, and then write or dictate a description or story about that picture, which engages them in describing a thing or event with adult support. In the Marshmallow Shapes activity students name or show examples of square, rectangle, cube, and rectangular prism and, with assistance, construct shapes and count their edges, corners, and faces, which asks students to provide descriptive details about those objects.
Unit 14: B - Blueberries for Sal
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the book cover and describe what they notice and predict the topic, and to explain how they know whether the child likes blueberries (asking "How can you tell?"). Students answer targeted comprehension questions that require identifying familiar people and events (Who was looking for blueberries? What happened on the mountain? How did the story end?) and describing motivations and feelings (Why did they each want blueberries? How did the bears and the people feel?). The skills list explicitly states that, with prompting and support, students identify characters, settings, and major events, and activities ask students to discuss why actions happened and to describe processes like making jam.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked during review to name one similarity and one difference between Little Sal and Little Bear, which has them describe familiar people. In Activity 1 students look through the book to find picture clues that show the story takes place in the past, which has them describe a place/time and cite supporting details. In Activity 3 students are asked to describe what "hustle" must mean from the picture and to page through the book describing and acting out different character movements, which has them describe events and provide additional detail with prompting.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to listen to Blueberries for Sal and then retell the story in their own words, using the pictures as prompts. The teacher/parent asks the child to read and recognize the sight word "she" during the read-aloud, supporting attention to characters and actions. The activity about blueberry dye asks students to observe changes and answer what people did with the dye, prompting them to describe events and uses.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to name and list elements of fiction and non-fiction about bears from the book Blueberries for Sal by creating two columns labeled "Fiction" and "Non-Fiction," and to record both fictional descriptions and scientifically accurate facts (e.g., "bears eat a lot to prepare for winter"). Students are prompted to add motions and substitute verbs while singing "The Bear Went Over the Mountain," suggesting different ways the bear moved and acting them out (e.g., "hustled," "backed," "padded"). The lesson provides a graphic organizer and suggested answers to guide student responses.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Reading Workshop, students examine books set in the past, search for clues about the setting, and then share their findings aloud. The teacher prompt asks students to describe character clothing and the technology used, which directs students to provide specific details about people and places. In Writing Workshop, students write or dictate on any topic and then receive one specific suggestion to add more detail (for example, choosing a more colorful word or adding a clarifying idea).
Unit 15: R - Rain
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Skills section explicitly lists: "Describe familiar people, places, things, and events, and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail." The read-aloud questions prompt students to explain how the author made them feel about rain and to talk about different kinds of rain and personal experiences. Activity 1 asks students to re-create the story by placing die-cuts to show the progression of events and settings, which requires describing things and events and adding detail with prompting.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to describe a downpour and to use all five senses to describe water, rain, and ice, answering guided questions about how each looks, sounds, feels, smells, and tastes. Students observe changes when ice melts and describe those changes, providing observational detail over time. Students write or dictate sentences beginning with "I see..." about colored objects and draw pictures to match, practicing descriptive language tied to concrete items.
Lesson 3
Day 3
In Activity 3, students arrange and glue die-cuts to create a scene and are asked to point to each object and use its describing word (such as "purple flowers") to tell about the scene. During Reading and Questions, students manipulate die-cuts to match each page and are prompted to read the book back, using colors and known words as cues. Option 2 of Activity 1 prompts students to name words that start with r (e.g., "red," "ribbon"), reinforcing use of descriptive vocabulary with adult support.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In the Making it Rain activity, students are prompted to identify where water is on Earth (rivers, lakes, streams, underground, oceans) and to observe and explain what happens as warm, moist air meets cooler air (evaporation, condensation, rain). The teacher asks the child "What happens?" and "Why?", prompting students to describe the event and give a causal explanation. The Review asks for a synonym for "downpour," which prompts students to describe a type of weather event in words.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 3 asks students to name 3–5 of their favorite things and to write or dictate a sentence or phrase about each thing using a color word to describe it. The prompt 'Ask your child why she thinks writers like to use color words' provides verbal prompting and a reason for adding descriptive detail. The activity also has students illustrate their sentences and read the book they wrote about colors to family (Activity 2), reinforcing oral description of familiar items.
Unit 16: N - Night in the Country
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the book cover and describe the sky (identifying a sunset) and to say what time of day is coming, prompting description of a familiar time/event (nighttime). Students are prompted to describe the "country" versus city and suburbs, to say whether they have been to the country and what they like about it, and to explain how the author feels about nighttime using evidence from pictures and words. During the Listening Walk, students describe sounds they hear at night, how being outside at night makes them feel, and imagine sounds in the country versus the city, which elicits additional detail with teacher prompts.
Lesson 2
Day 2
In Activity 1 students dress paper-doll characters as a farm or city worker and then role-play, asking and answering targeted questions about where they get fruit, vegetables, meat, how close stores are, where they shop, and what they do for fun, which requires describing familiar people and places. The Getting Started review asks students to name a night sound and to describe two different meanings for the word "country," prompting them to describe things and provide distinctions. In Activity 3 students discuss activities that happen during the day and at night after painting a night scene, prompting them to describe events and provide supporting details.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to "tell you the story in his own words, using the pictures as a guide to the retelling," which has them describe events from the book. The review question asks the child to name one difference between life in the country and life in the city, prompting description of a familiar place. Activity 3 has students look through the book to identify landforms, name those features, and create a model while talking about the names, which has them describe familiar things/places and their attributes.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to brainstorm natural resources (trees, animals, water, oil, rocks, plants) and to explain how people should treat those resources, which prompts them to describe things and give reasons. Students collect pictures and small objects (leaves, feathers, pebbles) and make a collage, an activity that requires them to identify and talk about items they found. The lesson also names a place (farms) and defines it, which can prompt students to describe that familiar place.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 3, students draw the sun and moon and write about what they do in the day and at night, then read their work aloud and are prompted to add one more thing. The activity encourages students to produce marks, letters, or words and provides teacher dictation support so students can expand their descriptions. Activity 2 has students look at a book, identify questions, and share those questions aloud, providing some practice with oral expression about familiar content.
Unit 17: M - Marshmallow
Lesson 1
Day 1
Before reading, students are asked to look at the book cover, say what they see, and predict why it is titled Marshmallow, prompting them to describe a familiar character. After reading, students answer comprehension questions such as "How did Marshmallow act when he first came…?" and explain why Oliver "hesitated," which requires describing character actions and motives. In Activity 2, students discuss qualities of a good friend and respond to social scenarios, practicing description of people and events with adult prompts.
Lesson 2
Day 2
In Activity 1 students are asked to talk about how Oliver followed Miss Tilly's rules and to discuss the scenario where Oliver stops himself from pouncing on Marshmallow. Students are asked to name the rules of their home and to use words and/or pictures on butcher paper to depict those rules. Students are asked why the rules are important and how they help the family function, which prompts them to provide additional detail about familiar concepts.
Lesson 3
Day 3
After reading, students are asked to tell the story in their own words and to use the pictures to prompt their retelling, which requires them to describe events and characters. The activity that asks the child how to compare two stuffed animals and to determine which is longer prompts students to describe and compare familiar things (size/length) using marshmallows and recorded counts.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to talk about how Owen and Mzee's friendship was similar to and different from Owen and Marshmallow's and may create a Venn diagram to compare them, requiring verbal description of familiar characters and events. Students are prompted to explain the number 14 in their own words and are encouraged to explain it in terms of ten and four, which asks for additional detail with support. Students are asked whether they would hesitate before jumping into a cold swimming pool, prompting them to describe their thoughts or feelings about an event.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, students are asked to observe a can, name shapes they see, test how it rolls, count faces, and find other cylinders around the house, which requires them to describe familiar objects. In Activity 3, students choose an animal pet, draw it, and complete a short poem and a story by filling in prompts about the pet and an event (e.g., where it got lost), which asks them to provide descriptive details with support. In Activity 2, students look through books to decide whether pages are poems or stories and then share their findings, which requires them to describe distinguishing features of texts aloud.
Unit 18: U - Umbrella
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the book cover and say what they think the book will be about, and they are asked to recall events from the story after reading. Question prompts ask students to describe a person (Momo), things she received (boots and an umbrella) and events (why she couldn't use them, how she felt when it rained, and why that day was important). Activity prompts (e.g., asking how Momo felt as she waited for rain and to compare a real walk to the story) require students to describe familiar things and events with teacher prompting and support.
Lesson 2
Day 2
In the Review section, students are asked if something unfortunate has happened to them recently, prompting them to talk about a personal event. Activity 1 has students locate Japan on a map, discuss its distance from the United States, and view pictures of people, homes, buildings, animals, and habitats, which prompts discussion about familiar places and things. The activities instruct an adult to "explain" and "discuss," which provides prompting and support for those conversations.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson asks students to retell the story Umbrella in their own words and to use the pictures in the story to prompt their retelling. The guide also asks a child what would be an unfortunate thing to happen on someone's birthday, prompting an open-ended description of an event. The instruction to encourage use of pictures and to assist during retelling provides prompting and support for adding detail.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 1 prompts students to say what the sky looks like before it rains and to answer "What are clouds?" and to "describe clouds she has seen," asking how they are alike and different. The web link and pictures are used for students to notice different cloud shapes and names, and students observe the real sky and then use cotton balls to recreate and discuss specific cloud features (wispy vs. puffy). Activity 2 asks students to state in what kind of weather they would appreciate a fan, linking description to weather conditions/events.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2 students are asked to talk about Umbrella by answering questions such as what they thought about the book, what they liked, and whether they would recommend it and why, which prompts them to describe a familiar thing and give reasons. In Activity 3 students think about a special birthday gift, draw it, and write or dictate their thoughts about it; adults prompt them to point out and read their writing and to explain capital letters. Both activities include adult prompts and questions that encourage students to add detail to their descriptions.
Unit 19: J - Jump Frog Jump
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to identify animals on the book cover and explain which will be the main character and why, and to name the story setting and justify that choice. After reading, students answer questions about how the frog got away and whether that action was kind, and they are prompted to look back through the book to list which animals the frog escaped and which did not. In Activity 1 students put story pictures in sequence and read the sentences in order, practicing describing events in order with teacher prompting.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to define vocabulary words in their own words and to explain what the word "escape" means, which requires them to describe familiar words and concepts. In Activity 1, students are prompted to think about the group of pond animals, say what they know about them, identify things they have in common and differences, and sort them into groups based on characteristics. The activity includes teacher prompts and examples (e.g., animals with legs vs. no legs) to guide students in giving descriptive information.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to line up story sequence cards and tell the story using those cards as prompts, which requires them to describe events in order. In Activity 3 students read positional phrases from the book and use die-cut figures and props to show relationships between animals, then create original sentences (with the teacher modeling) using words like to, from, in, out, on. The Getting Started prompts ask students to explain how a puppy might try to escape and point to the question "How did the frog get away?," encouraging students to describe familiar actions and events.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students read nonfiction about a frog life cycle and are prompted to "Talk about what a life cycle is," describing stages such as eggs, tadpole, froglet, and frog. Students construct and label a four-part diagram of the frog life cycle, gluing materials and writing labels for eggs, tadpole, froglet, and frog. The acting-out activity has students embody animals (move and make noises) while peers guess, linking to familiar animals from the story.
Unit 20: K - Kindness
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the book cover and say what they notice and predict what the book will be about, prompting them to describe a visual thing. Students are asked whether they have ever performed an act of kindness and to say what it was and how it made them feel, prompting them to describe a familiar event and add a detail about feelings. Students are prompted to name their favorite example of an animal helping another and explain why, and Activity 2 asks students to watch a video and describe kindness in their own words. The skills list also includes "With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story," which asks students to describe story moments depicted in pictures.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked, "how she felt after doing her acts of kindness," prompting them to describe their feelings about a recent event. Students create and use a "Kindness Mouse" puppet to go around saying kind things to family members, which requires them to speak about familiar people. Students choose characters from a book and act out acts of kindness with a partner, adding dialogue to fill in scenes and thereby verbalizing details about events and characters.
Lesson 3
Day 3
After reading, students are asked which act of kindness they found especially kind or thoughtful and how Harry helping the frog resulted in a series of kind acts, prompting them to describe events and explain relationships. The teacher asks students to agree or disagree with the author's idea and to discuss what it means, encouraging elaboration with prompting and support. In the "Animals in Fiction" activity, students name actions that each animal does that are true to the animal and actions that are human-like, recording their descriptions on a three-column chart for mouse, frog, mole, and bat.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 1 asks the child to name rules she follows to be a good citizen and to dictate a list headed "I Am a Good Citizen!", encouraging 4–6 ideas and illustrations. The parent is prompted to help the child think of rules adults follow and then ask the child what rules she follows, supporting oral description and labeling of her actions. Activity 2 asks the child to sing and act out kind actions from the song, which has the child express and demonstrate familiar behaviors.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 asks students to look carefully at pictures and retell the story, giving a general description of each act of kindness using the illustrations as a guide. Activity 3 has students choose a favorite book and write or dictate a brief description of the book and state reasons they like it, plus draw a scene. The teacher prompts the child to add one more detail after the student reads or hears his writing/dictation, providing support for adding detail. Activity 1 engages students in discussing how many acts of kindness occurred, prompting them to describe the chain of events.
Unit 21: V - Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the book cover and describe what they see and name instruments they know, prompting description of familiar things. After reading, students answer questions such as "What instruments from the book were new to you?", "What did the animals do throughout the book?", and "Did the musicians seem to enjoy playing the music? How can you tell?", which prompt them to describe events and provide supporting details. The Skills list explicitly includes "Communicate observations orally," indicating students practice oral description of observed people/things/events.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to look around their home and identify natural resources in use, naming items such as wood, water, rocks, plants, and animals. Students examine instrument pictures and are prompted to note which instruments are made from natural resources (e.g., violins and cellos made of wood, brass instruments made of metals). Students sort and classify instruments into groups (strings/no strings, color, size) and are asked to come up with a second way to classify them. Students are asked to imagine playing in an orchestra and answer what it would be like and which instrument they would enjoy playing.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to describe and count instruments during a solo and duet and to name a natural resource they see, which prompts identification of familiar things. After reading, students place instrument pictures in order and are asked to identify instrument shapes, state what they notice about a cone ("round on the bottom and has a pointy top"), and say what is the same and different between a can and a paper-towel roll. In the goods-and-services activity, students brainstorm jobs (people) and decide whether each job produces goods or provides a service, explaining their reasoning as they sort cards.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to observe a real instrument, draw it on a Senses Web, and draw, write, or dictate observations under the categories It looks, It sounds, It feels, It smells, and It tastes, which prompts them to describe the instrument and add sensory details. The Review prompts ask the child to name a job of someone he knows and to classify whether that job provides goods or a service, which requires naming a familiar person and giving a basic attribute of that job.
Unit 22: Y - Little Blue and Little Yellow
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to name their favorite color and explain why, prompting them to describe a familiar thing and give reasons. Students examine the book cover and make observations and predictions, describing what they see and what they think will happen. During and after reading, students answer targeted comprehension questions about characters, places, actions, feelings, and events (Questions #1–#8), which requires describing familiar people, places, and events with prompting.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to describe what they remember about friendship from Marshmallow and to identify ways Little Blue and Little Yellow were good friends and citizens by looking back at story pictures. Students are prompted to describe safety rules at home and explain why Little Blue should obey his mother, which asks them to describe places (home, school, neighborhood) and events from the story. Students are asked to think of someone they consider a friend, say what makes that friend special, and draw a picture to give to that friend, providing practice in describing people and giving details with prompting.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to name one quality of a good friend, which prompts them to describe a familiar person. Students are encouraged to use the pictures in Little Blue and Little Yellow and balls of dough to retell and act out the story in their own words, which has them describe familiar events and characters. Students read sentences about school ("In school they sit still in neat rows. After school they run and jump."), which asks them to attend to and describe places and actions in context.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In Activity 2 students are asked to tell a story using torn-paper characters, explain what happened to those characters, choose one scene to glue, and write or dictate what is happening in that scene. The teacher asks students to explain how the author shows parents, feelings, the park, and the mountain in the book (prompting students to describe people, places, things, and events). The directions include encouraging the child to tell a story and 'assisting as necessary,' indicating teacher prompting and support while students produce descriptions.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 3 asks the child to draw a picture and write about something he saw or found on his nature walk, which has the child describe a familiar thing or event. Activity 3 allows the child to use words, phrases, complete sentences, or to dictate, providing supported modes for expressing details. Activity 2 asks the child to talk about what he has found after independent reading, which gives an opportunity for verbal description with adult conversation.
Unit 23: W - George Washington's Birthday
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to identify whose picture is on the dollar bill and explain why he is famous, and to share what they already know about George Washington. Students compare the picture on the dollar bill to the book cover and describe similarities and differences, and they are asked to explain whether the story is fiction or nonfiction and why. Students are prompted to say which parts of George Washington's life they found interesting or surprising, to explain whether his brother was a "tyrant," and to state lessons Washington learned, providing additional detail with prompting. The quill-pen activity asks students to describe the writing tool and discuss its advantages and disadvantages.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to recall and describe a myth about George Washington, prompting them to describe a familiar person. Students examine the American flag and are asked "what he notices," to count the 50 stars and 13 stripes, and to explain why there are 50 stars, prompting them to provide additional detail about the symbol. Students locate the USA on a map, name their state, cut out pictures of the Statue of Liberty and bald eagle, and glue each picture with its correct label, practicing describing places and things and linking labels to features.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to page back through the book and recap each story about George Washington, which requires them to describe events and actions from the text. Students are asked to identify whether each story is a myth or a fact, prompting them to distinguish and discuss aspects of familiar stories. Students reenact episodes (tossing a "rock" across the river; carrying wood across a "creek" in an obstacle course), which has them act out and implicitly describe familiar events and actions.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to name two symbols of the United States and to explain why those symbols were chosen, which prompts them to describe familiar things and provide reasons. Students watch short videos about George Washington and Benjamin Franklin and are asked to talk about the qualities they admire and why those qualities are important, prompting description of familiar people. The activities include guided talk prompts (e.g., "Ask your child why he thinks these qualities are important" and "Talk about what qualities he admires") that support students in adding detail with adult prompting.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 3, students are asked to draw a picture of how they celebrate their birthday and to write or dictate words, phrases, or sentences describing their celebration. The teacher prompts students to read their work aloud, identify their favorite part, and consider adding or replacing a word with a more descriptive word. In Activity 2, students are asked to share observations about the text and explain why they enjoyed it or why they would recommend it to particular friends, encouraging descriptive explanation.
Unit 24: Q - The Quilt Story
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students look at the book cover and explain what a quilt is, examine a real quilt or pictures, and make observations or share stories/history associated with it. Students listen to and discuss The Quilt Story and answer questions that require them to identify clues (style of dress, candlelight sewing, horse and wagon) that describe when events took place and to explain how the quilt helped the girls. Students are prompted, with support, to describe the relationship between illustrations and the story and to make descriptive observations about people, places, things, and events.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to talk about settlers, Native Americans, and Daniel Boone using a world map and video, and to discuss the westward movement and what life as a pioneer was like. Students are prompted to identify how the pioneer family used natural resources (wood for furniture, tea for drinking, beeswax for candles) and to identify landforms mentioned in the story (hills, prairie, river). Adults are instructed to talk with the child about Daniel Boone's character qualities and to ask whether the child would enjoy exploration, prompting descriptive responses.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to "tell the story back in his own words" using the book to prompt him, which asks them to describe people, places, and events. Activity 3 directs students to compare and contrast the setting and characters at the beginning and end of the story using a Venn diagram and to record their ideas, requiring them to provide specific details. The Getting Started review asks the child to identify shapes and "tell you something about each one," prompting students to describe familiar things aloud.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 3 has students choose a personal item or a holiday and draw it, then compose and write or dictate a few sentences prompted by questions about where they got it, what it looks like, and how it makes them feel; students then read back their writing and are asked to add one detail. Activity 2 asks students to look at character illustrations, identify facial expressions, and explain what those expressions reveal about the people and events in the story. Activity 1 has students name shapes, distinguish 2-D and 3-D shapes, and describe matching characteristics (e.g., "a cylinder has a circle on either end"), practicing description of physical attributes.
Unit 25: X - An Extraordinary Egg
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the book cover and tell what they see and whether examples are extraordinary, requiring them to describe objects/events and explain reasoning. Question prompts ask students to recount what the frogs thought was in the egg and to tell about a time they found something extraordinary, prompting personal description. A compare-and-contrast prompt asks students to describe similarities and differences between friendships in two books. Activity 2 has students generate and sort index-card lists of factual and fictional frog traits, supporting description with prompted detail.
Lesson 2
Day 2
In Activity 1, students are asked to hold, smell, and shake a chicken egg and to "describe the egg in as many ways as possible." Teachers are given a series of prompt questions (color, size, shape, weight, texture, flexibility, magnetism, float/sink) that students respond to, supporting them to add sensory and comparative details. The activity also prompts students to talk about the animal in the story (what the frogs thought, whether they were right), which elicits description of a familiar story event and its characters.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to listen to and read An Extraordinary Egg and then "retell the story in her own words, using the pictures to help her remember the events." The teacher prompts the child to read the sentence "Look what I found!" and to read and repeat sight words, supporting verbal production during reading and retelling.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to look at the frog life cycle they made and "recall the stages of the frog life cycle (eggs, tadpole, froglet, and frog)." Students are asked to explain how the alligator life cycle "differs from the life cycle of a frog," prompting comparative description. Students label and assemble a three-part alligator life-cycle craft (egg, baby alligator, adult alligator) and act out each stage, requiring them to describe and demonstrate the stages and characteristics.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 3, students draw an "extraordinary egg" and write or dictate a creative story about the egg and what is inside, requiring them to describe a thing. After writing, students are asked to name one thing they like about their story and offer one idea for a change, with a suggested option to add another detail or include a describing word. In Activity 2, students are asked what they liked about the book, prompting them to verbalize a response about a familiar text.
Unit 26: Z - Greedy Zebra
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson asks the child to observe and describe the book cover and to find and identify where zebras live on a world map, prompting description of a familiar place. It introduces the vocabulary word 'greedy,' asks the child to give examples, and asks the child to predict how the zebra will be greedy and what might happen. After reading, the child is asked to explain how the zebra was greedy, describe what happened as a result, and state whether the zebra deserved that result and why, prompting additional detail and reasoning.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to define vocabulary words in their own words and to give an example of being greedy, which prompts them to describe an event or behavior. Students are directed to do online research about zebras and to complete a Zebra Research graphic organizer with labeled sections for Appearance, Predators, Diet, and Habitat, and they may draw or dictate a report to share. Students are prompted to describe and justify design choices when creating a new coat or skin for a cut-out person and to share their work with family or friends.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to use the illustrations to retell the story Greedy Zebra and to predict what would have happened if zebra had not been greedy, prompting them to describe events and provide hypothetical detail. In Activity 2, students sort animal cards, count group members, and state the criterion used for their sorts, requiring them to describe characteristics of things and explain reasoning. In Activity 3, students talk about what they might see in a cave, how a cave would make them feel, and whether they would be brave enough to enter, prompting description of a familiar place and personal reactions.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students read and discuss factual descriptions of five savannah animals and then color each animal cut-out based on those characteristics, which requires attending to and using descriptive details about things. Students create a background of the African savannah (gluing grass, twigs, leaves, clouds) and place animals into that scene, an activity that connects them to describing a place. Students act out action-packed phrases from a story (crept cautiously, peered, rushed, running and jumping) which has them demonstrate understanding of event actions and movement.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 1 asks students to identify animals and compare them (e.g., "The elephant is bigger than the onyx"), prompting descriptive comparisons of things. Activity 2 has students identify similarities and differences between books and their characters, name settings (places), and recall nonfiction subjects, requiring them to describe people/characters, places, and events. Activity 3 has students draw a scene, think about characters, settings, and events, write or dictate words/phrases/sentences about the book, and read back with prompted revision, supporting additional detail with adult help.
2: Holidays
Unit 27: Halloween
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to explain why Goodnight Moon was written and how it would make a young child feel, prompting them to describe the event and emotional response. Students compare and contrast the covers of Goodnight Moon and Goodnight Goon, describing similarities and differences in people/characters, colors, and layout. Students listen for and identify the meaning of the word "lagoon" in context and answer a question deciding whether the pictured lagoon is a shallow dirty area or connected to the ocean; students also explore what a mummy is by reading informational links and discussing.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to explain what a lagoon and a goon are, which asks them to describe a place and a character. After reading Goodnight Goon, students choose a page they find funniest or clever and explain why they like it, prompting them to give descriptive reasons. Students create and solve story problems with the ghost manipulatives, which asks them to describe events and actions. Students draw a picture or write a message in a Halloween card, an activity that can prompt them to describe a person or event in a greeting.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students watch a video about bats to learn facts and then make a bat mask, during which they are asked to pretend to be a bat and answer questions such as what kind of bat they are and what they eat. The activity explicitly prompts the child to share "anything else about herself from her knowledge of bats." The review also asks the child to think of a word that could be used instead of "lagoon" (pond, puddle), which prompts verbal replacement/descriptive vocabulary for a place.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are asked to think of a rhyming pair of things to say good night to and draw those objects or a room that contains them, which requires them to name and represent familiar things. Students are asked to share any rhyming word pairs they found in the book, prompting them to speak about words and items they noticed. Students also fill in or copy words into a sentence frame, which has them produce short spoken or written phrases about familiar objects.
Unit 28: Thanksgiving
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson asks students to look at the book cover and answer what they see and what they like about Thanksgiving, and it prompts students to summarize why Thanksgiving has been celebrated in many cultures (describing an event). The Skills section explicitly requires: "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text" and "With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea the illustration depicts)." The Turkey Research activity has students find and dictate five facts about turkeys and then read those facts aloud, which asks students to describe a thing and provide details with support.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked in Review to name one thing they know about turkeys and one thing for which they are grateful, prompting description of familiar things and events. Activity 1 prompts students to recall and state specific details about the Pilgrims (why they left England, name of the ship, nature of the journey, landing place, first winter, how the Indians helped, reason and length of the first Thanksgiving). Activity 3 has students act out story actions and feelings (building homes, shivering from cold, showing hunger), which requires them to demonstrate and add detail about events and emotions. Activity 2 asks students to predict and observe whether their Mayflower floats, encouraging them to describe outcomes and explain observations.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are prompted to "offer something she learned about the very first American Thanksgiving," which asks them to describe an event. After rereading, students talk about their family's favorite Thanksgiving foods, describing familiar things and places related to the holiday. In Activity 2 students read about Pocahontas and discuss how the help she provided was different from the help at Plymouth, requiring description of a familiar person and explanation of details. In Activity 3 students write or draw items they are thankful for and assemble a cornucopia, naming and describing familiar people and things.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked directly to describe Abraham Lincoln and explain why we still celebrate him after hearing a short biography. Students are prompted to answer what it means to be grateful and what the Pilgrims were grateful for, linking description to the Thanksgiving event. Students create a Thanksgiving card and are asked to write or dictate a note describing why they are thankful for a person, which requires stating reasons and additional detail. Students make and discuss a Lincoln mask and are asked "How does it feel to be President Abraham Lincoln?", prompting descriptive responses about feelings and physical features.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 asks the child to study book illustrations and then be asked to "point out some of her observations about the illustrations," which prompts students to describe what they see. Activity 3 has the child draw things they are grateful for and then "write words or sentences, or dictate them, about her pictures," which asks students to describe familiar things and add spoken or written language about them. The instructions to ask and to offer dictation provide prompting and support for student responses.
Unit 29: Christmas
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to explore The Christmas Wish independently and then answer questions about what they notice and predict what the book will be about, prompting them to describe the book. During the shape activity, students name shapes, order rectangular strips, glue them to make a tree, and are asked about the number of sides and what makes each shape unique, prompting descriptive detail. After reading about conifers, students are asked to state three things they learned about real Christmas trees and to draw a picture, prompting them to describe a familiar thing with supporting detail.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson asks the child to "tell you about her favorite part of the story," which prompts the child to describe an event from the text. It instructs parents to "Talk with your child about what life is like in Norway," prompting description of a place and its people. The lesson also asks the child to explain what snow is made of and what happens when it melts, prompting description of a familiar thing and an event (melting).
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to page through the book and note all the animals the girl encounters on the northern tundra. Students are prompted to describe the reindeer with direct questions such as "What does it look like?" and "Can a reindeer really fly?". Students view a page about the aurora borealis and watch a video and then create Northern Lights art, which provides material for describing a place/phenomenon.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In Activity 1, students are asked to talk about Santa Claus and answer prompts such as 'What kind of a person is Santa?' and 'What does he do?', and to explain why Anja wanted to be an elf and whether her experience was real, which asks for descriptive detail and reasoning. In Activity 2, students locate their country and continent, identify the North Pole, trace Santa's path, name oceans crossed, and find islands and mountains, which requires describing places and travel events. In Activity 3, students construct and add features to a paper-plate Santa face (eyes, nose, smile, beard), which gives practice observing and describing a familiar thing's attributes.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 3, Option 1 asks the child to draw a picture of his favorite part of celebrating Christmas and then to write or dictate a description of how he likes to celebrate, which asks the child to describe a familiar event. Activity 2 prompts the child to state what a character's voice sounds like when encountering quotation marks, which requires the child to describe a person's (character's) spoken voice. Activity 1 asks the child to think of a simple helpful task he could do today (bring a card, call a grandparent, do a chore), which has the child generate and describe an action related to familiar people.
Unit 30: February Celebrations
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson asks students to describe Valentine's Day and what they typically do to celebrate it, providing practice describing a familiar event. It prompts students to recall and describe a famous person (Abraham Lincoln) and to answer specific comprehension questions about characters and events from The Biggest Valentine Ever (how the argument started, what they did, how they felt). The activities ask students to think of and describe ways to show love to someone and to notice and express how they feel when they do so. The skills list explicitly notes with guidance and support students should recall information from experiences and speak thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are prompted to inspect coins and say what they notice (Activity 2), which asks them to describe familiar things. Students are asked what they remember about Abraham Lincoln and to identify other presidents on coins, prompting them to describe familiar people and give facts. Students discuss what a president does and whether they would like to be president and why (Activities 1 and 3), prompting them to describe a familiar role/event and add supporting details when asked.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students watch short biography videos about Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr. and are asked questions such as why education is important and how King showed love. Students are prompted to name similarities between the two leaders and to discuss whether their dreams improved the country. Students dictate or write 3–5 of their own "I have a dream" statements and create a titled dream book, and they discuss working together while making and coloring a paper-chain of people.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are asked what they would say to the President and then discuss and organize those ideas using a linked website; the child dictates her thoughts to an adult while the adult records them, providing prompting and support. The activity directs an adult to help address and mail the letter, which scaffolds the child's expressive attempt. In the Valentine's activity, students create cards and write TO: _______________ and LOVE, _______________, writing the recipient's name and their own name and composing the simple message "I love you."
1: Environment
Unit 1: Habitats and Homes
Lesson 1
My Environment
Students are prompted in the Introduction to briefly describe their home environment and to name food, water, and shelter sources. In Activity 2 students walk through rooms, number them, name each room, circle an item that supports a healthy environment, and explain why that item is important. In Activity 3 students state which room is most important, describe how it is used, dictate or write reasons, and read their paragraph aloud, with adults providing support and prompting.
Lesson 2
What Is a Map?
Students are asked to name and locate familiar places (country, state, town, address) in Activity 1 and to find the United States and their state on maps. In Activity 2 students label items on a house map and answer questions about spatial relationships (e.g., what is beside the refrigerator, what is in front of the couch). In Activity 3 students identify important objects in their own bedroom and create a map by placing or drawing those items, and the Wrapping Up asks the child to describe the environment in which they live.
Lesson 3
Guide to Animal Habitats
Students are asked to describe the environment where they live during the introduction and to point out title/author/illustrator details, which prompts them to talk about people and places. Activity 5 asks students to choose a habitat and either draw or tell a story about visiting it, with specific prompts (What do you see? What would it feel like? Which animals would you be most interested in seeing? Why?), supporting descriptive detail. The Habitat Journey sequencing activities require students to arrange or chart the order Crinkleroot visited habitats, connecting to describing the sequence of events in the story.
Lesson 4
Animals Live and Grow
Students name and describe familiar places (wetlands, woodlands, grasslands, drylands) by drawing or writing plants and animals in habitat graphic organizers (Activity 1). Students describe familiar things (plant parts, plants as food) by sorting foods into root/leaf/stem/flower and completing the "Plants can/have/are" organizer (Activities 4 and 5). Students describe familiar people and events from a read-aloud by answering guided questions about characters, seasons, planting, and harvesting and explaining reasons (Day 2 Reading and Questions). Students identify and explain relationships (consumer and energy source) and justify choices when they match organisms that provide food in each habitat (Activity 2).
Lesson 5
Discovering Animal Habitats
Students are prompted to identify and describe animals and habitats in Activity 1 and Option 2, where they read habitat names, label pictures, describe animals shown, and draw additional animals for each habitat. In Activity 3 students are asked to discuss how animals' needs are met, identify what animals eat and their water sources, and to label animals and their food and water — prompting students to add specific details. The Wrapping Up and Life Application sections ask students to describe each environment they explored and to identify which habitat their stuffed animals would live in, providing repeated spoken descriptions with adult prompts.
Lesson 6
Exploring Animal Habitats
Students are asked to observe and describe a real habitat by drawing and labeling plants, animals, insects, water, and rocks (Activity 1) and to answer guided questions about where plants are, what animals are doing, how animals move, and what they eat/drink. Students make predictions before the observation and then compare their illustrations/collage to those predictions, providing opportunities to add detail. In Activity 2 students dictate a story about an animal's day using prompts (e.g., what it eats, where it gets water, other animals it might encounter) and then read or re‑read the recorded story, with teacher support.
Lesson 7
Tools in My Environment
Students collect familiar tools from their home (Activity 1) and are asked to name and identify those items. In Activity 2 students are asked for each tool "What is the tool used for?" and "How does the tool work?", prompting them to describe the thing and provide functional detail. In the wrap-up students are asked to tell what a tool is, which tools they use or see, and which tool(s) they used to measure, reinforcing verbal description with prompts.
Lesson 8
Animal Care
Students are asked to describe pets and caregiving actions through Activity 1 (feeding, brushing, walking, bathing) and to answer questions such as "What do pets need?" and "What would happen if we didn't provide a healthy environment for our pets?". In Activity 2 students listen to The Salamander Room and answer explicit questions about what kind of animal it was, where it was found, what environment it needed, and whether it should be kept, prompting descriptive responses about people, places, things, and events in the story. In Activity 3 students design and explain a shoebox habitat, state what the salamander would need (water, food), and create the animal, requiring them to provide additional detail about needs and environment.
Lesson 9
Animal Designs
Students are asked to name animals and habitats and to explain how each animal moves and which body parts help (Activities 1 Option 1 and 2). Students analyze pictures to decide which animals do not belong in a habitat and explain why, recording their reasons (Activity 2). Students create and tell a story about an animal in the wrong habitat, describing how it gets there, what happens, and how it returns home, and they are prompted to add detail and draw accompanying pictures (Activity 4 and Wrapping Up).
Lesson 10
Amazing Animals
Activity 2 asks students to pretend to be an animal and answer questions such as "How would you feel if you were the starfish?" and "What would you do if you were the lizard?", requiring spoken descriptions and role-play. Activity 1 has students analyze pictures and read descriptions of how animals change and then select an animal to learn more about from books or websites, prompting them to describe that animal. The Wrapping Up section asks the child to tell about some animals they learned about, prompting spoken descriptions with support.
Lesson 11
Amazing Me
Students are prompted in Activity 1 to describe how they would change in specific environmental scenarios (e.g., put on more clothes, shiver, tan, wear glasses) and to respond verbally to questions. In Activity 2 students identify and label emotions for pictured items (circle faces, write emotion words) and draw examples that elicit those feelings, practicing descriptive language about things in their environment. In Activity 3 students recall a personal time they changed because of the environment, have their responses recorded, and are encouraged to read the ideas aloud and illustrate them.
Final Project
Animal Research / My Environment
The lesson asks students to answer guided questions such as "Can you describe the environment in which you live?" and "What are some of the different animal habitats that we have explored?" and directs caregivers to provide hints and follow-up questions. Students create books with pages that prompt descriptions (e.g., "Me," "My Home Environment," "Things I Do in My Environment," and the animal pages: name, where found, what it eats/drinks, habitat, interesting facts). The lesson instructs caregivers to help label pictures and to "Allow your child to explain each page of his book," which prompts verbal description and elaboration with adult support.
Unit 2: Weather
Lesson 1
Reading the Skies
Students are asked to look outside and describe the weather (Introduction) and to answer targeted questions about how different weather makes them feel and what activities are best (Activity 1). Students match weather words to pictures and dictate or write sentences using each vocabulary word (Activity 2), and they tell or dictate a story about a favorite activity in a particular kind of weather (Activity 3). Students also record daily weather drawings and temperatures on a Weather Calendar and describe pictured weather and seasons during the wrap-up and life application activities.
Lesson 2
Types of Precipitation
Students are asked to describe habitats and the weather depicted in book illustrations and to describe how characters looked when they were hot or cold, prompting them to talk about people and places. Students discuss and identify types of precipitation (rain, snow, hail, sleet), describe what is happening when rain forms during the jar-and-ice experiment, and explain tornado shape during the vortex activity, addressing events and natural phenomena. Students draw scenes of children in different precipitation and answer questions about why precipitation is important and where drinking water comes from, encouraging added detail with prompting.
Lesson 3
Measuring and Charting Weather
Students are asked to describe what would happen if an animal's habitat got too warm or cold and to describe what the weather can be like in different habitats (Activity 1 and Activity 4). Students are prompted to explain how they could measure rain and to give examples of how weather can be measured, including recording temperatures on the Measuring Temperature sheet (Activity 2, Measuring Temperature, Wrapping Up). The lesson includes guided questioning and prompts for the child to provide words or phrases related to rain (Rain Acrostic) and to discuss how weather provides for plants and animals.
Lesson 4
Simulating Weather
Students are asked to name three things the wind can move and discuss what those things have in common, which requires describing objects and their attributes. Students explain what happens when the bottle is squeezed and released to make a cloud and answer the question about what happens in the sky to cause rain, which requires describing events and processes. Students are encouraged to sing and read the Weather Song, follow along by pointing to words, and make up their own weather song, providing opportunities to add detail with prompting and support.
Lesson 5
Fall
Students are asked specific descriptive questions about a fall picture (What are the people wearing? What do the plants and trees look like? What are the people doing? What does the sky look like? What do you think the weather feels like?). Students circle three favorite things, name them, and use each word in a sentence, supporting students to provide additional detail through written or dictated sentences. During wrap-up and the graphing activity, students explain what happens to the weather in fall and answer follow-up questions about the graph (Which color has the fewest? Which has the most?), which prompts them to describe observations and compare attributes.
Lesson 6
Winter
Students are asked to describe the outside environment in winter and to describe winter pictures in Whatever the Weather, comparing them to their own environment. Students dictate a story about something they like to do in winter using the vocabulary words cold, snow, and freeze, then illustrate and attempt to read the story aloud. Students are prompted to explain how winter weather differs from summer and to describe what a winter environment can be like during the wrap-up.
Lesson 7
Spring
Students are asked in the Introduction to describe the weather in spring and to talk about how spring follows winter and what changes occur (warmer weather, flowers blooming, more rain). In Activity 1 students are asked after each poem to say what the poem was about and to draw or select an illustration that tells the story, and Option 2 asks students to illustrate and optionally write or dictate their own spring poem. In Activity 3 and the Wrapping Up students are asked to describe what wind feels like, explain why objects move, and to state what a seed needs to become a plant.
Lesson 8
Summer
The Introduction asks the child to describe the weather and activities they enjoy in summer and to name the season that follows spring. Activity 1 prompts the child to describe the picture's environment, what is happening, how the kids feel, and to explain whether those activities could happen in winter, and to describe how they decide where puzzle pieces go. Activity 2 has the child read or complete a short story aloud using picture-word prompts and (Option 2) read the completed story and illustrate it. Activity 3 has the child place seasons on a temperature continuum and complete sentences comparing seasons.
Final Project
Weather Games
Students answer guided observational questions in the Weather Window activity (e.g., temperature, wind, precipitation, clouds, and whether it is a good day to be outside), prompting them to describe the current weather with reasons. Students prepare and present a three-day Weather Forecast to the family using the Weather Forecast graphic organizer, practicing responses to the organizer's questions and receiving prompts as needed. Students match seasons with appropriate clothing in Activity 1 and discuss favorite seasons and activities during the wrap-up, requiring them to describe familiar people's clothing choices and seasonal activities.
Unit 3: Community
Lesson 1
On the Town
Students are asked comprehension and recall questions after the story (e.g., "What places did Charlie visit in his community?" "What is your favorite place?") that prompt them to describe familiar places and people. In Activity 3 students draw a new page and write or dictate a sentence or two about Charlie visiting a place, requiring them to produce descriptive language with prompting. The wrapping-up discussion asks students to explain what a healthy community provides and how places meet citizens' needs, and the vocabulary/fill-in-the-blank and handwriting pages give additional opportunities to name and use community-related words in context.
Lesson 2
My Community Environment
Students identify and describe familiar places and the people who work there by discussing the purpose of buildings on the Community Map (courthouse, police station, fire station, library, museum, grocery store). Students trace paths on the map and answer proximity questions, which prompts them to describe spatial relationships and give details about locations. Students prepare and carry out brief interviews with community workers using written questions and respond to scaffolded prompts such as 'Why would a person come here?' and 'What are the people doing that work here?'. Students create a poster labeling places and writing or dictating brief descriptions of how each place serves the community.
Lesson 3
Jobs in the Community
Students are asked to name each community helper, say what the worker does, and explain how the job makes the community better (Activity 1 and Option 2). Students observe a community worker for 30–45 minutes and then describe what they saw, with their ideas recorded (Activity 3). Students use the "When I Grow Up" prompts and an example paragraph to dictate or write a paragraph that includes multiple details about a chosen job (Activity 4). Students also practice producing one-sentence descriptions for each worker (Activity 5) and act out jobs in charades to show and extend descriptions.
Lesson 4
Goods and Services in the Community
The lesson asks the child to name important places in the community and to explain how each place helps people, prompting verbal description of places. Activity 1 has the child read and match buildings to goods and services, requiring the child to identify and talk about community things and services. The Wrapping Up and Life Application sections explicitly prompt the child to describe goods and services, explain why people have jobs, and discuss how money earned is used; Activity 3 has the child participate in a bartering simulation and discuss fairness.
Lesson 5
Resources
Students are asked to explain how each resource is used, explain where it is found, and/or write a sentence about the resources (Activity 3). Students sort and label items as natural or manmade and then draw one natural and one manmade resource, which requires them to identify and describe familiar things (Activity 1 and drawing task). The wrapping-up prompt asks students to explain the difference between resources found in nature and resources made by humans, prompting verbal description with support.
Lesson 6
A Good Community Citizen
Students are asked to describe family members and write or dictate observations about how each person has exhibited good citizenship (Activity 3). In Option 2 of Activity 2 students draw three things family members might do in a good home and three not-good examples, then label each picture and explain what is happening. In Activity 1 students decide whether specific actions show good citizenship and explain how they made their decision, with the adult asking guiding questions.
Lesson 7
A Citizen with Character
Students are asked to describe people and behaviors in multiple activities: Activity 1 has students mark scenarios as respectful or disrespectful and complete the sentence "I am respectful when I __," requiring them to describe their own actions. Activity 4 and Activity 5 ask students to answer questions about a story (predict what happens next, explain what Riley did wrong, retell the beginning/middle/end of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf"), which prompts description of events with supporting detail. Activity 6 has students record characters' actions and draw arrows to describe consequences, and the Life Application chart asks students to explain why they earned stars for specific character traits.
Lesson 8
Rules and Laws
Students are asked to generate and describe six household rules, read each rule aloud, and explain which rule is most important and why (Activity 1). Students are prompted to imagine and describe what happens in a house with no rules, answer specific questions about what they would like or dislike, and state whether they would stay and why (Activity 3). Students are asked to list 3–5 new rules for their home and discuss those rules with family members, and to explain why community laws and household rules are important (Wrapping Up).
Lesson 9
Caring for Our Communities
Students answer explicit comprehension questions about the story of Katy (e.g., what happens at the beginning, middle, and end; where does Katy live; what does she do to be a good citizen), which asks them to describe people, places, things, and events. Students compare two pictured communities and mark or circle features that are good or bad, and discuss settings in books or movies to describe whether communities are safe or happy. Students identify three things that make their community healthy (take pictures/draw/make a video and explain why) and discuss how their family has helped others, providing prompted opportunities to add detail.
Final Project
I Can Make A Difference
Students are asked orally to give examples of how people can make their communities better and answer Unit Assessment questions such as "What are some important places in your community?" and "What are some jobs of people who work in the community?", which prompts description of familiar people and places. The Student Activity Page provides sentence starters for planning and reflection (e.g., "I am planning to __."; "I helped __ with __. The thing I enjoyed the most was __.") that scaffold students to add detail. The guide instructs an adult to record dictated ideas and to ask reflective questions (e.g., "How did you affect the person/people you helped?"), which supplies prompting and support for elaboration. Students also sequence steps of their plan and check them off, giving them opportunities to describe events in order.
2: Similarities and Differences
Unit 1: Amazing Attributes
Lesson 1
Describe It
Students are prompted to tell as much as they can about a visible object and to use attributes (size, color, shape, texture) when describing it. In "Guess What's in the Bag," students listen to attribute-based clues, then take turns describing hidden objects and having peers guess them. Activities ask students to select and write descriptive words from a word bank, add two extra descriptive words (Option 2), and copy or write a sentence describing an item (Activity 3 and Activity 4); the life-application asks students to describe objects in a familiar setting.
Lesson 2
Animal Attributes
Students are asked in the Getting Started activity to explain how two stuffed animals are alike and different, prompting them to describe familiar things. In Activity 1 students must circle living things and are asked to "describe how he knows which objects are living," which requires them to give reasons and details. In Activity 2 students identify animal body parts and are asked to "discuss how the animals use their different body parts," prompting explanation of function (additional detail).
Lesson 3
Size, Shape, and Color
Students are asked to describe the size, shape, and color of familiar objects (e.g., comparing a metal spoon and a wooden mixing spoon) and to discuss terms they used. Students organize a set of their own toys by size and then reorganize them in alternate ways, which requires describing similarities and differences. Students walk around the house to find real objects matching named shapes and draw them, and they name and describe colors and what happens when primary colors are mixed. The wrap-up prompts students to describe what they learned about mixing colors and to name and describe shapes they examined.
Lesson 4
How Does It Feel?
Students physically handle and describe objects by touch in the blindfold activity and are recorded using the words they produce. Students match and select texture adjectives from a word box to label pictures of objects (Option 1 and Option 2) and write a sentence frame "______ feels _________." The lesson models adding descriptive detail to an event/place sentence (We jumped in the lake → We jumped in the icy, cold lake and got wet) and asks students to practice describing objects from their room or yard.
Lesson 5
How Old?
Students put family pictures in order from oldest to youngest and explain age versus height/size (Activity 1). Students are prompted to say what they look at to determine a person's age and to think of and record questions for pictured people, practicing question formation and punctuation (Activity 2). Students draw, label, and order animals by lifespan and record each animal's average life span, giving specific descriptive details (Activity 3). The Skills list explicitly includes 'Express ideas and ask questions,' which directs students to verbally describe and ask about people and living things.
Lesson 6
The Measure of Things
Students are prompted to describe measurement attributes by estimating and then measuring length, weight, and capacity (e.g., filling in "Estimate" and "Actual" for toothbrush, pencil, hairbrush). Students are asked to explain comparisons and differences (e.g., complete sentences like "The ___ is longer than the ___," circle which item weighs more, and explain why two people measuring the same book with their fingers get different results). Students are guided to describe similarities and differences among materials and substances (e.g., describing milk, water, and sugar and explaining why capacities might differ).
Lesson 7
More Attributes
The Introduction asks the child to describe what makes each person in her family unique and to explain similarities and differences, prompting verbal description of familiar people. Activities 1–4 require the child to describe and compare attributes of attribute blocks and toys (shape, color, size, texture) and to place items in Venn diagrams, which prompts students to state and justify similarities and differences. The Wrap-Up asks the child to name attributes toys share and describe how they are different, encouraging spoken description with prompting.
Lesson 8
Amazing Attributes
Students are prompted to observe and describe properties of objects (color, size, shape, texture) as listed in the Skills section and to use descriptive words in speech and writing. In Activity 1, students predict and then test whether listed classroom objects are magnetic, recording predictions and results on the activity page. In Activity 2, students sort chosen objects into "sink" or "float," compare their predictions to results, discuss similarities among items that sank or floated, and are prompted to explain why using the term "density."
Lesson 9
Solids and Liquids
Students are asked to explain the difference between solids and liquids and to write the definitions on the 'Solid or Liquid' page, then brainstorm and paste examples. Students observe and describe changes in state (melting ice in the microwave, water freezing in the freezer) and answer teacher prompts about what caused the change (heat or cold). Students examine materials like sugar and snacks, describe their observations about individual grains or pieces, and categorize pictures as solids or liquids.
Lesson 10
Earth Materials: Rocks, Soil, and Water
Students are repeatedly asked to describe familiar places and things: they describe how two soil samples look, feel, and smell (Activity 1), compare similarities and differences between the samples, and explain which soil might help plants grow. During Day 2 reading students describe the pond habitat, compare characters in the two books, and explain preferences (over/under the pond, pond vs. garden). In Activity 6 and the Earth Materials book (Activity 7) students describe water properties, observe and describe what happens during a cohesion experiment, and write properties of dirt, rocks, and water for their booklet.
Lesson 11
Using Earth Materials
The lesson explicitly asks the child to "describe the three Earth materials she explored in the last lesson," prompting direct description of familiar things. Activity 1 has the child keep a water log and record or dictate each time she and family members use water, which requires describing daily events and people's actions. Activity 2 asks the child to think about how rocks are used, go on a scavenger hunt, keep a list or take photos of discoveries, and discuss uses—practices that require describing items and adding detail. Activity 3 prompts the child to discuss soil properties and plant needs, encouraging explanation and elaboration about familiar things and events.
Final Project
Presenting Attributes
Students are asked to name and use attribute vocabulary (color, size, shape, texture, etc.) and to select at least five attributes to explain. Students decide what they will say about each attribute and explain how each attribute can be used to find similarities and differences among objects or people. Students practice giving a demonstration or presenting a poster, describing each part and what it teaches, with prompting, feedback, and help from an adult. Students use words and sentences on the poster or dictate ideas for an adult to record, providing opportunities to add details with support.
Unit 2: Senses
Lesson 1
My Five Senses
Students are asked to describe a variety of objects using their senses ("Ask her to describe each of the objects"). The teacher prompts students to name the five senses and the body parts used for each sense and to explain how they determined an object's attributes (post-reading questions). In Activity 3 Option 2 students dictate four sentences describing a sensing experience (examples given: art museum, concert, hands-on museum), and Activity 1 asks students to attempt to read and identify sensory words and explain what the story is about.
Lesson 2
Senses and Body Parts
Students are asked to make up and orally tell a story about Jackie that includes where the story takes place and what will happen, and to organize the story with a beginning, middle, and end. As they tell the story, students pause and glue the sense organ when Jackie uses a sense, requiring them to note and describe actions and sensory details. In Option 1 students listen to a read-aloud and pick up/glue the body part when Jackie uses a sense, practicing describing events and actions from the text.
Lesson 3
Smelling and Tasting
Students smell and taste various foods, decide whether they like them, guess what they are tasting, and record their guesses during the blindfolded smelling activity. Students sample foods and identify whether they are salty, sweet, bitter, or sour, then conduct a survey of four people, record Y/N responses, total results, and answer questions about which flavor was liked most or least and why. Students sort and label foods into taste categories on a four-column chart and write a sentence reporting survey results ("___ people liked ___").
Lesson 4
Hearing and Seeing
Students are asked to describe people and characters (e.g., "How would you describe Ms. Frizzle?") and to describe places and events (e.g., blindfold walk in the yard/park, listening walk around the block). Students describe things and sounds by identifying objects that make noise, choosing a noisy place and telling a description that emphasizes sounds, and by labeling and discussing parts of the eye and ear. Students are prompted to record their descriptions, read them aloud, and answer follow-up questions that elicit additional detail.
Lesson 5
Touch
Students choose and write adjectives that describe how pictured objects feel (Activity 1, Options 1 and 2), matching items like ice, pillow, and coffee pot to words such as "cold," "soft," or an original adjective. Students place checks on a Touch Chart to label objects as hot, cold, wet, dry, hard, or soft and draw and label two of their own objects (Activity 2). Students finger-paint with Jell-O and are asked to describe their painting and give it a title (Activity 3), and students are blindfolded and asked to describe and identify items by texture (Activity 4).
Lesson 6
Experimenting With Our Senses
Students taste colored drinks and describe what each one tastes like, with their descriptions recorded on index cards and then compared after a blindfolded retaste (Activity 1). Students smell scratch 'n sniff spice cards, identify and describe the smells, and indicate whether they would like the taste (Activity 2). Students name their favorite flavor, list foods with that flavor, tell or dictate a story about a time they ate that flavor and then read it aloud, and write a sentence about something they smelled or tasted (Activities 3 and 4; Wrapping Up).
Lesson 7
Using All of Our Senses
Students record and describe observations on the Nature Walk chart by writing, drawing, or dictating what they hear, see, smell, and feel. In Activity 1 students identify senses used in familiar situations (playing in sand, eating dinner, playing music) and explain how each sense is used. Activity 4 and wrap-up prompt students to produce a written or spoken sentence about the nature walk and answer follow-up questions (e.g., What did you notice? If someone asked you what you found, what would you say?), providing opportunities for prompted additional detail.
Lesson 8
Writing About Our Senses
Students are prompted to describe an apple and an ice cube using sensory words and adjectives, practicing how sensing words create images for listeners. Students complete the Sensing Logic puzzles by reading or listening to clues, eliminating non-matching pictures, and identifying objects based on sensory descriptors. Students examine, draw, and write about popcorn in "A Sensible Report," filling sensory blanks, attempting to write words with adult support, and later illustrating and recording sensing words or sentences about a memorable event in "Sensing My Day."
Final Project
A Sensible Party
Students complete Party Planner sheets that prompt them to describe ideas and supplies for each of the five senses (see, smell, taste, hear, touch). They plan and run games that require them to use senses to find similarities/differences and to make decisions, and they gather supplies and count guests, describing quantities. After the party, students answer reflective questions such as "Did the party go well? Why or why not?" and "Did your guests use all of their senses? How?" which prompt them to describe the event and provide explanations.
Unit 3: We're the Same, We're Different
Lesson 1
You're Special
Students answer targeted personal questions (name, where they live, hair/eye color, favorite color, what makes them happy or sad, talents, future plans) that require describing familiar people, places, and things. Students complete a fill-in-the-blank paragraph using their answers, read their story aloud, and share it with others, providing opportunities for oral description. Students compare personal numbers (house number, shoe size, age, etc.) with another person's and describe similarities and differences, practicing descriptive language with prompting.
Lesson 2
Physical Characteristics
Students describe attribute blocks, a picture of themselves, and family members' physical characteristics and practice naming features such as hair color, shoe size, nose shape, and height. Students complete cut-and-paste or drawing activities to add eyes, mouths, hair, and clothing to two figures and answer focused questions about similarities and differences. Students listen to, retell, and sequence the "Different Friends" story (beginning, middle, end), answer comprehension questions about characters and the pond setting, and dictate a three-part "Friendship Story" describing characters and their physical differences; an adult is instructed to prompt and ask follow-up questions throughout.
Lesson 3
Different Personalities
Students select and circle words that describe their own personality (Activity 1) and are asked to explain what each vocabulary word means. Students write their name, draw a self-portrait, and write or paste personality words for themselves and for a friend or sibling, then circle words they have in common and count them (Activity 2). Students record and illustrate main characters from a favorite movie or cartoon and choose two words to describe each character's personality (Activity 3).
Lesson 4
Interests and Hobbies
Students are asked to select one of their hobbies and dictate or write a few sentences that describe the hobby to someone unfamiliar, practicing description in oral and written form. Students complete the 'My Interest' sheet by answering prompts (e.g., What most interests you? What did you already know? What can you do to learn more?) and then research and teach about that interest, which requires adding detail with adult support. Students conduct a Hobby Survey by reading questions aloud and interviewing three people, practicing asking for and recording descriptive information about others' hobbies.
Lesson 5
Shapesville
Students identify and describe each character's shape by counting sides and naming physical characteristics such as color, sides, and eye color during the read-aloud. Students select a shape that represents themselves or a family member, draw and color that shape, and dictate a short description of personality and interests on the "What Is Your Shape?" sheet. Students answer guided questions about how shapes look on the outside and how their personalities and interests differ, and they explain why a shape represents a family member when creating Family Shapes.
Lesson 6
Different Families
Students are prompted to name family members and explain what it means to be part of a family and what family members do to help one another. Students describe clothing, physical characteristics, activities, and interactions of families pictured in the book and mark locations of each child's country on a map. Students complete sentence stems (similarity/difference), draw comparisons or fill a Venn diagram, and answer guided questions with adult prompting and support.
Lesson 7
Different Homes
Students are asked to read pages 26–35 and identify and describe the different homes shown in the book, including why people have homes. Students are prompted to identify building materials, name the materials used to build their own home, and explain how homes protect from weather. Students sketch and construct a dream home, add details around pictured homes (grass, people, trees), and verbally describe which home they would like to live in and why.
Lesson 8
Different Holidays and Traditions
Students are asked to name holidays they celebrate and explain what they enjoy about each one, prompting them to describe events (Introduction, Getting Started). Activity 3 has students draw themselves celebrating a favorite holiday and write (or dictate) three sentences explaining what they enjoy, providing supported practice in adding detail. Activity 2 prompts students with specific descriptive questions (What are people celebrating? What activities, clothing, foods?), and Activity 5 asks students to write a sentence about each holiday and why it is important, reinforcing descriptive language about events and related people/things.
Lesson 9
Different Modes of Transportation
Students are asked to name and label modes of transportation and to draw a box around modes they have taken, then talk about where they went (Activity 1). Students choose or write the best mode for travel scenarios and consider distances, explaining choices (Activity 2). Students draw themselves taking a chosen mode and tell a recorded story about the trip, with opportunities to act out trips while someone guesses (Activity 3 and Wrapping Up).
Lesson 10
Wants and Needs
The Introduction asks the child to describe what animals and people need in their environments and to discuss why children need education, play, and love, prompting descriptive responses. Activity 4 has students interview four people, write or draw two wants and two needs for each person, and then discuss and rearrange items on webs, which asks for explanation and additional detail. Activity 2 asks students to sort donated items and then write (or dictate) about how it felt to give them away, which elicits description of an event and personal reaction with prompting.
Lesson 11
Being Part of a Group
Students cut out pictures and sort children into groups and answer guided questions about group membership and attributes (Activity 1). Students draw members of a group and complete prompted sentences about the group (Activity 2), with the option to dictate responses for the adult to record. Students brainstorm community groups, discuss purposes and membership (Activity 3), and respond to wrap-up prompts about what they enjoy and why people join groups. The lesson also directs reading and discussion about identity, nationality, and religion to prompt descriptive talk.
Final Project
Differences Make the World Go 'Round
Students complete sentence stems such as "I live in...," "I like to eat...," "My hobby is...," "I wear...," "I get to the store by...," and "I celebrate...," which ask them to describe familiar people, places, things, and events. The student pages provide large boxes for drawing or writing so students can add detail and illustrate their responses. Students are prompted to compare themselves with a child from another country and to share the finished book or meet someone from that country to ask questions, supporting further description with prompting.
3: Patterns
Unit 1: Identifying and Creating Visual Patterns
Lesson 1
What Is a Pattern?
Students are asked to describe the patterns they see in books and activity pages (e.g., "Turn to pages 6-11 and ask your child what types of patterns she sees"). Students answer prompts about personal experience and location of patterns (e.g., "Have you ever seen a pattern? Where? What are some places where patterns can be found? Have you ever made a pattern?"). Students use sentence frames and are prompted to explain sequences (e.g., "First, there is ________. Next, there is _____________. Next, there is ____________....") and to explain each completed pattern in the Caterpillar game.
Lesson 2
Recognizing Types of Patterns
Students are asked to describe and explain patterns (Introduction: ask how many colors are in the set; Activity 2: ask him to explain how he decided whether a set is a pattern). Activity 3 directs students to describe the pattern of each caterpillar and sort them into pattern types. The Wrapping Up section asks students to explain the difference between ABAB and AABB and to point out those patterns in the book Busy Bugs.
Lesson 3
What Comes Next?
Students are repeatedly asked to describe objects and shapes (e.g., "Describe the center square. Are the lines that form the square thick or thin?" and "Describe the center circle. Is it thick or thin?"). Students answer oral prompts about sequence and order (e.g., "What comes first in the pattern? Next?" and "What comes before __? What comes after __?") and explain how they know what comes next. Students label and explain pattern elements (A, B, C), draw or add objects to extend patterns, and write or copy a question about what comes next, demonstrating prompted detail.
Lesson 4
Extending a Pattern
Students are asked to describe and predict patterns aloud (Activity 1 asks the child 'what would come next' and to explain guesses). In Activity 2 (both options) students recreate patterns, answer questions about each pattern, and decide whether patterns are ABAB, AABB, or ABBA, providing prompted responses. Activity 4 asks students to copy or write a sentence about a pattern they made, and the Wrapping Up asks students to explain how they extend a pattern, prompting additional detail with support.
Lesson 5
Making Color Patterns
Students are asked to describe the color patterns they create (Activity 1) and to explain pattern sequences using color words or the first letters of color words. Students write or copy a sentence describing something they created (Activity 3). Students demonstrate a variety of color patterns using blocks, counting bears, or shapes during the wrap-up and are prompted/modelled to describe patterns and make more complex ones.
Lesson 6
Shapes and Patterns
Students are prompted to explain and describe patterns verbally (e.g., "explain his patterns," "describe the order of the shapes," with an example using first/second/third). Multiple activities ask students to identify and state a pattern type aloud or in writing (e.g., "describe the patterns as ABAB, AABB, or ABC," "describe the pattern of each caterpillar"). Students are also asked to write or copy a sentence about a pattern, and to label shapes with A, B, or C, which requires providing descriptive detail about the sequence.
Lesson 7
Making Number Patterns
Students are asked to demonstrate or explain ways numbers can be used to make patterns, prompting them to speak about how patterns are formed. Students create and extend patterns with numbers and objects and are asked to identify and label pattern parts (e.g., ABAB, AABB, ABC), which requires describing the repeating elements. Students also look at object arrangements and write numbers to represent quantities, encouraging them to describe what they see in terms of numeric patterns.
Lesson 8
Creating and Writing About Patterns
Students are prompted to describe patterns using sentence stems such as "First comes _____," "Then comes _____," and "Next comes _____" on multiple activity pages. Activity 5 requires students to fill in "This pattern is made up of __________, __________, and __________," list First through Eighth elements, and complete "__________ comes before __________" and "__________ comes after __________." Activities (Pattern Race, Guess the Pattern, and Handwriting) ask students to orally or in writing describe patterns and to write two or three sentences that describe a pattern they made, with scaffolded prompts and letters to represent items when needed.
Final Project
Patterns Poster or Patterns Presentation
Students are asked to write a script and "describe each pattern" on the Script for Presentation page and to "demonstrate an example of each pattern" using chosen materials, which prompts them to speak about the patterns. The Student Activity Page provides numbered lines for students to name and describe the third through seventh patterns, giving space to record words they will use. The wrapping-up questions require students to explain how the project went and which pattern was hardest or most enjoyable, prompting spoken description and reflection.
Unit 2: Patterns in Sounds, Words, and Actions
Lesson 3
Poetry Patterns
Students are asked to say what each poem is about, respond to questions about the poems, and identify words that follow the same pattern. Students brainstorm animal names, think of rhyming words for those animals, write another verse to the song, and illustrate their verse on the activity page. Students are prompted to explain how to find rhyming words and to circle or record rhyming words from songs and poems.
Lesson 4
Sentence Patterns
Students make up and say simple sentences that describe people or things doing actions (Activity 2: ‘‘James ran…,'' ‘‘James played…,'' and Activity 1: filling in noun + verb sentence starters). Students are asked to extend sentences aloud (example: "The dog eats... its food from the bowl.") and to act out situations and then describe what is happening, which requires them to produce spoken descriptions of actions. Students also read sentences from books, point to capitals and periods, copy simple sentences, and identify the noun and verb in each sentence.
Lesson 5
Story Patterns
Students are asked to describe their morning routine and to select the 3–4 most important activities, which prompts describing familiar events. In Activity 1 students answer guided questions about what happened at the beginning, middle, and end of a read-aloud and predict what happens next. In Activities 2 and 3 students sequence story pictures, glue or illustrate beginning/middle/end, dictate or write a sentence describing each part, and identify characters for their own stories.
Lesson 6
Sound Patterns
Students listen to sound sequences and are asked to identify the type of pattern (e.g., ABAB) and name the repeated sounds (stomp, clap). Students extend patterns using instruments or body sounds, describe each part and the order of patterns, and record how many times each sound repeats. Students write about a sound pattern they heard and are prompted to describe how to make a sound pattern.
Lesson 7
Making Sound and Action Patterns
The lesson asks the child to explain how sounds can be used to make patterns and to provide an example, prompting a verbal description. The Wrapping Up section asks the child to describe what it means to have a pattern made from sounds and from actions and to demonstrate examples. The Handwriting activity asks the child to write or copy a sentence that describes a pattern she made, requiring a short, supported written description.
Final Project
Patterns Video
Students locate or create examples of action, sound, rhyming (word), and story patterns and are asked to describe each one. Students write or dictate a script that records the type of pattern, where they found or made it, the elements that make up the pattern, and the sequence of steps (First comes, Then...). Students practice speaking their descriptions, rehearse on camera, receive help recording ideas, and reflect on what they did well and could improve.
Unit 3: Patterns in Your World
Lesson 1
Patterns in Nature
Students are asked to explain a pattern they have seen outside and to identify and describe the pattern in each picture during the read-aloud (Activity 1). Students answer targeted questions about which patterns they have or have not seen and can think of other patterns to add to the book. In Activities 2 and 3 students create or match patterns on animals and draw and label 3–5 favorite patterns, and the Wrapping Up prompts students to share examples of patterns found in nature.
Lesson 2
Patterns of Growth
Students are prompted to compare themselves at different ages (Ask your child how he is different now from when he was a baby and a toddler; Activity 5 asks students to organize personal photos youngest to oldest and guess ages). Students are asked to describe and discuss life cycles and growth patterns aloud (Wrapping Up: Ask your child to describe the growth pattern of a plant and a person; Activity 4 directs discussion of what makes butterfly and frog life cycles unique). Students draw and write sentences to record observations of plant growth (Activity 1 and the Student Activity Page direct students to draw the plant every few days and write a sentence to record its growth).
Lesson 3
Night and Day
Students are asked to explain how they know when it is nighttime and when it is daytime and to describe what kinds of things happen during the day and at night. Students label the sun, moon, and earth on a picture and discuss the position and motion of these objects relative to one another. Students draw a picture of something they do during the day and something they do at night and then record or dictate a few sentences explaining those activities.
Lesson 4
Daily Routines
Students plan and describe daily events by sequencing pictures and adding a missing activity in Activity 1 (My Morning Routine). Students break a routine into four steps and dictate or write a sentence for each step in Activity 2, providing step-by-step descriptions and illustrations. Students write or dictate a complete sentence describing one of their routines in Activity 4 and record activities with times and symbols in Activity 3, giving opportunities to add detail about when and how events occur.
Lesson 5
Calendar Patterns
Students are asked to dictate or record their scheduled daily activities on the "A Weekly Pattern" sheet, which requires them to describe familiar events. In Activity 4 students record family activities on a monthly calendar, draw symbols if needed, and are prompted to find and record patterns (weekly, biweekly, monthly), which requires describing event timing and repetition. Activity 3 asks students to identify the month, date, and weather each day, giving practice in describing a familiar daily condition with support. The Getting Started questions prompt students to talk about where they see patterns in everyday life, inviting descriptive responses with prompting.
Lesson 6
Seasonal Weather Patterns
Students are asked to identify and circle the weather for the day and to name the four seasons, linking types of activities and weather with each season. Students discuss and sequence months and seasons using the calendar and cut-and-paste activity, and they match month illustrations to seasonal weather words on the Weather Patterns page. Students look at a U.S. map and discuss weather differences by state, and in the wrap-up they identify the current month, season, and describe observed weather.
Lesson 7
Patterns at Home
Students are asked to identify and describe specific patterns during a Pattern Scavenger Hunt (Activity 1), including checkerboard, fabric, clothing, and circular patterns. Students name shapes and count sides and angles while creating a quilt pattern (Activity 3) and write or dictate a sentence that describes a pattern found in their closet (Activity 5). Students are prompted to discuss patterns in the house and to imagine and describe what it would be like without patterns, encouraging descriptive responses.
Lesson 8
Symmetrical Patterns
Students are prompted to describe the pattern in a butterfly's wings and to say whether the wings look the same or different, and to explain that the wings are symmetrical. Students fold alphabet letters and geometric shapes, draw lines of symmetry, and sort shapes into symmetrical and non-symmetrical groups, then count and report which group has more. Students create symmetrical art and write or copy a sentence about how many lines of symmetry a figure has, which asks for additional descriptive detail (e.g., number of lines).
Lesson 9
Counting Patterns
Students are asked to listen to a clown story, fill in blanks about how many clowns are in the car, and then tell their own version of the story changing the numbers. Students are prompted to act out the story and to cut out and place clown faces in the car as the story progresses. Students are asked to write or dictate a sentence about the clowns in the car and to identify the subject and verb of that sentence.
Lesson 10
Tracing Patterns
Students are asked to identify the holiday associated with each pattern and to count and decorate shapes (Activity 2), which requires them to name and discuss familiar events. Students are encouraged to tell a story about objects they create with attribute blocks (Activity 1), prompting them to describe things and actions. Students are asked to explain how to use a traced pattern and how to use a stencil and why stencils are helpful (Activity 3 and Wrapping Up), which requires them to provide verbal explanations about familiar tools and processes.
Lesson 11
Patterns in Graphs
Students are asked to describe what a chart tells them (e.g., what color of shirt each child wore) and to color-code boys and girls, which requires describing familiar people and their attributes. Students are prompted to describe patterns in bar graphs (e.g., color days when John read two or three books) and to predict what John would read next. Students record results of the sink-or-float experiment and write a sentence about whether an object sank or floated, and they are asked to describe how to find patterns in graphs and charts during wrap-up.
Final Project
Patterns All Around Lapbook
Students are prompted to talk about patterns at the start ("Ask him to name different types of patterns he has found in his environment") and to explain their final project ("ask him which mini-book he is most proud of and what his book teaches about patterns"). Several mini-books require students to label and describe content (write "Pattern in Nature," label stages on the 3-flap book, write the days of the week on the fan book) and to draw or paste pictures that represent those items. The skills list explicitly includes using props/pictures to support spoken messages and recording or dictating knowledge, which supports students describing familiar things with prompting.
4: Change
Unit 1: Changes on Planet Earth
Lesson 1
What Causes Change?
Students match before-and-after picture pairs and decide what changed, identifying causes and effects in Activity 1. Students sort changes as fast or slow and record or write examples of quick and slow changes in Activity 2. Students draw a before and after, complete sentences that name what changed, explain why it changed, and note how long it took, then attempt to read their paragraph aloud in Activity 3.
Lesson 2
What Changed?
Students are asked to examine picture pairs and circle how attributes (weight, color, size, amount, location) changed, then give and record a sentence describing examples (Activity 2). Students answer guided questions about physical vs. chemical changes and identify examples they have seen (Activity 1). Students describe causes of changes and whether changes are positive/negative during the extension and are asked at the end to explain different ways change can happen and give an example (Wrapping Up, Activity 3 extension).
Lesson 3
Changing Position
Students are asked to describe what is happening on the cover of Zoom! Zip! Whoosh! and to answer questions such as how we get objects to start moving and to give examples of pushes and pulls. Students sort illustrations into push and pull groups, examine toys to identify which require pushing, pulling, or both, and draw or write the toys on labeled sheets. Students are prompted to explain why objects fall (gravity), to list examples of non-human causes of motion, and to record sentences from the book using the index.
Lesson 4
Changes in the Environment
Students are asked to describe types of weather and discuss how weather can force people to change activities (Activity 1). Students are prompted to illustrate or write two sentences about a time when weather caused them to change an activity and to answer questions about changes in the book (Activity 1 and Activity 2). In Wrapping Up, students are asked to describe changes in the natural environment and explain what causes those changes and how they affect people's actions.
Lesson 5
Changes in Location
Students complete picture-based sentence prompts (Activity 1: "Where Did He Go?") by filling in prepositions or writing full prepositional phrases to describe where the cat is. Students move a cut-out mouse to locations named in read-aloud sentences and are asked to write simple sentences describing the mouse's location (Activity 2). Students go outside or look from a window to observe and record three or four sentences that describe the relationship of one object to another (Activity 3), and they follow and give directions to change their own location and describe those positions in the Wrapping Up section.
Lesson 6
Changes in the Sky
Students list adjectives and phrases to describe the Sun and the Moon by writing or dictating their ideas and then discuss why the Sun is important (plants, food, oxygen) and that the Moon reflects sunlight. Students act out rotation and revolution (standing still while an adult revolves or rotates) and are asked to describe those movements verbally. Students are prompted during Wrapping Up and Life Application to describe how objects in the sky change positions and to observe and discuss the Sun's position at different times of day.
Lesson 7
Living Things Change
Students are asked orally to describe how they and animals change (e.g., initial questions about how the child changes and how animals change) and to explain how and why the lizard and rabbit change color. Students observe picture pairs and answer targeted questions (Did it change in size? number? place? shape?), circle descriptive words, and decide whether changes are fast or slow. Students produce responses in multiple formats: illustrating before/after changes, cutting/gluing a rabbit to show seasonal change, writing or copying a sentence describing how something changes in size, and talking about observations during outings to the zoo/park/backyard.
Lesson 8
Plants and Change
Students are asked direct questions that require description (e.g., "What are some things plants are used for?" and "How are plants similar to and different from animals?"). Activities ask students to list and describe parts of a plant and what plants need, draw and label parts, and cut/glue life-cycle pictures in order to show how plants change. In Activity 6 students make predictions, observe changes over time, and compare observations to their recorded ideas, which prompts them to provide additional detail with support.
Lesson 9
Heat Causes Change
Students draw and label ice, water, and steam and answer guided questions about how and why the ice changes (Activity 1). Students measure and record the candle over time and respond to prompts such as "How did the candle change?" and "What caused the candle to change?" (Activity 2). Students describe batter before baking and describe the finished cake after baking, and they write or copy a sentence about an observation (Activity 3 and Activity 4), with wrap-up questions that ask them to explain how heat caused changes.
Lesson 10
Chemical Changes
Students are asked in Wrapping Up to "describe the difference between a physical and a chemical change and to give you an example of each," which prompts descriptive speech about familiar phenomena. Activity 3 instructs students to complete a sorting sheet and then "explain how he made each decision," requiring them to provide reasons and additional detail. The Introduction tells the parent to have the child use observation to recognize and identify changes, prompting students to describe what they see.
Lesson 11
People Change the Environment
Activity 3 asks the child to "describe what is happening in each illustration, explain how it is changing the environment, and decide if the change is positive, negative, or neutral and why," which requires describing people, places, things, and events. Activity 1 has the child brainstorm positive and negative changes and dictate ideas while an adult records them, providing prompting and support for verbal description. Wrapping Up and the Life Application ask the child to share ways people reduce/reuse/recycle and to point out ways people are changing the environment during a walk, giving additional opportunities to describe familiar things and events.
Final Project
Mobile of Change
Students create a Mobile of Change with paired "before" and "after" pictures and are asked to draw or paste examples of changes, which requires them to describe what changed. The activities instruct an adult to ask the child questions (e.g., "Which example of change on his mobile is his favorite?" and "what he has learned about changes") and to let the child explain the mobile to family members, prompting verbal description. The skills list includes "Use new vocabulary in speech and writing" and "Express ideas through writing and conversation," indicating students will practice describing observations and ideas about changes.
Unit 2: Characters Change
Lesson 1
What's in a Name
Students identify and describe Chrysanthemum's feelings using the "Feeling Phrases" page, interpreting author phrases and illustrating the character's facial expressions. Students list three words or phrases describing Chrysanthemum at the beginning and end of the story and write a few short sentences explaining how she changed on the "Characters Change" page. Students complete prompts such as "My name is" and "I wish my name were," verbally or in writing, which asks them to describe a familiar person (themselves) with teacher support.
Lesson 2
Why Worry?
Students are asked to describe how Wemberly changed using the 'Characters Change' page with prompts: 'At the beginning of the story Wemberly was...' and 'At the end of the story Wemberly was...' and a sentence starter 'Wemberly changed because...'. Students answer guided comprehension questions after the read-aloud (e.g., whether Wemberly needed to be worried and why), prompting them to describe events and character feelings. The wrap-up questions ask students to explain which story they liked more and why, prompting them to provide additional detail with support.
Lesson 3
Is It a Problem?
Students are asked to describe characters and events orally and in writing (e.g., answering questions about How the author illustrates the problem, identifying beginning/middle/end of stories, and comparing how the boy changed). Students illustrate the problem at three points in the story and complete the "Tackling a Problem" page where they describe "My Problem," explain why it worries them, and list controllable/uncontrollable aspects. The "Characters Change" page prompts students to label the boy at the beginning and end and to explain why he changed, which requires descriptive language with teacher support.
Lesson 4
Comparing Characters
Students dictate three- or four-sentence summaries of stories (one sentence for beginning, one for middle, one for end) while an adult records, providing supported oral description of events. Students complete Venn diagrams comparing Chrysanthemum, Wemberly, and the boy, writing similarities and character-specific details in the overlapping and separate sections. Students draw and write about personal change on the "I Change" page and answer guided questions (e.g., "Which character is most like you? Why?" and "How are the characters' situations similar?"), practicing descriptive talk about people and events with prompting.
Lesson 5
The Raft
Students are asked to describe characters, settings, and major events using key details (Skills list and multiple comprehension questions asking what the boy sees, what is in Grandma's living room, and how the boy's feelings change). Students complete a Story Elements graphic organizer where they glue titles, characters, settings, problems, and solutions, requiring them to state and organize descriptive details. The Characters Change activity provides sentence frames prompting students to describe how the boy was at the beginning and at the end and to explain why he changed, and the introduction asks students to share memories of time spent with grandparents.
Lesson 6
Positive and Negative Change
Students are asked to describe how a character (the rat) will change by dictating a new ending and answering questions about the rat's feelings and possible responses (Activity 2). Students are prompted to think about a personal change, illustrate it, and write or dictate one or two sentences describing the change, whether it was positive or negative, and what choices they made (Activity 3). The unit prompts discussion with support (questions to explore, examples of vivid language) and asks students to share their examples with family, providing oral practice.
Final Project
My Own Story
Students identify 2–3 characters and write three traits for each, using the Characters page and the Student Activity Page. Students illustrate the setting and answer guided questions about the problem, solution, and how the character changes on the Problem and Solution page. An adult prompts and records the student's dictated story, and students read their story aloud while deciding what goes on each page, providing opportunities to add descriptive detail with support.
Unit 3: A First Look at History - Change Over Time
Lesson 1
People and Families Change
Students put photos in chronological order and answer guided questions about how they were different at various ages (Activity 1), prompting them to describe familiar people and events. Students dictate or write sentences about how they have changed (Activity 3 and Activity 5) and read their ideas aloud, practicing verbal descriptions with teacher support. Students predict and describe future family events and ages (Activity 6) and discuss observations from a growth chart, answering specific comparative questions about when they were tallest/shortest and between which years they grew most.
Lesson 2
Understanding Time
Students are asked to name and talk about something that happened in their past, something happening now, and something they want in the future in the Introduction. In Activity 1 students complete sentence-and-draw boxes labeled "Yesterday I," "Today I," and "Tomorrow I will," requiring them to describe events and plans. Activity 2 prompts students to answer questions (e.g., "Can you think of a change that has happened in your life in the past?" and "Tell me about a change that is happening in your life at the present."), which scaffold additional detail with adult prompting.
Lesson 3
Communities Change
Students are asked to describe how people in the past lived differently during the introduction and to answer prompting questions about setting, characters, and changes after reading The House on Maple Street. In Activity 1 students describe pictures, name characters, explain where the story happened, and discuss how the environment changed. In Activity 3 students identify the Native American, pioneer, and modern communities, number them in chronological order, and point out differences in transportation, clothing, homes, and activities. Activities 5 and 6 ask students to explain how life would be different, draw themselves in a historical time period with two objects they would use, and identify/draw artifacts, supporting description of people, places, things, and events.
Lesson 4
Past and Present
Students are asked to describe people, places, and things from selected time periods by drawing a person from the past and themselves and by answering questions about differences in clothing, homes, and transportation (Activities 3 and 4). Students dictate a story about an adventure in the past with a beginning, middle, and end and have that story recorded for them, which prompts them to provide additional detail (Activity 2). Students dictate five clues about a time period to share with family and answer guided comparison questions about similarities and differences, and they write or dictate a sentence describing how life in the past is different (Activities 7 and 8). The parent/teacher is instructed to preview readings, ask targeted questions, and record student dictation, providing prompting and support throughout the activities.
Lesson 5
Exploring the Past
Students are asked to look through sections on Homes and Houses, Clothes and Fashion, Food and Eating, and Travel and Transport and to draw and write or dictate descriptions of information they find. Students will write one sentence about each element of culture for a selected culture, draw an accompanying illustration, assemble the pages into a book, and present what they learned to their family. Students are prompted to recall the three time periods from the book and to place cut-out pictures in chronological order on a timeline.
Lesson 6
Predicting Future Change
Students are asked to review famous people and provide a brief description of each person's major accomplishment, which requires describing familiar people. In Activity 1 and the two "What Will Happen?" pages, students identify what changed in scenarios (family moving, friendships, toys, toothbrushing) and predict how those changes will affect the future, answering follow-up questions and recording ideas. Activity 2 asks students to label outcomes as positive or negative and to write one sentence describing a positive and one describing a negative result, providing guided practice in adding detail. Activity 3 asks students to dictate a description of a personal change (One way I have changed; I changed because; I feel...), draw before/after, and attempt to read their description, giving prompting and support to produce additional detail.
Lesson 7
People of the Past
Activity 1 asks students questions such as "How would you describe this person?" and "What did this person do to make a positive change?" prompting students to describe familiar historical people and their actions. Activity 2 has students read short descriptions, point to the individual described, and order figures chronologically, reinforcing descriptive comprehension of people and events. Activity 4 asks students to write a sentence about a historical person, and the Wrapping Up explicitly asks students to describe people from the past, providing supported opportunities to add detail.
Final Project
My Past, Present and Future
Students are prompted to describe themselves, their family, and their home using pages titled "Picture of Me," "My Family," and "My Home," where they write sentences such as "I was different because," "Now I am," and "In the future I will be." Students complete a "What I Do" page to describe past, present, and future actions and an "Elements of Culture" page to describe cultural elements "In the past…" and "Today…," with options to write or dictate sentences. Students are asked to read and present their book or comparison pages to family and respond to wrap-up prompts that ask for additional detail about changes and choices.
6: Reading
Unit 1: Semester 1
Lesson 2
Letter Sounds Review II
Students are asked to read the title of the reader The Pig Can and describe what is on the cover. The teacher prompts students to answer "What do you think this book is about?" and later asks, "Do you think the pig and the cat can fit in the box?" and to explain their thinking. These prompts require students to produce spoken descriptions and to provide reasons or additional detail in response to questions.
Lesson 3
Letter Sounds Review III
In Activity 5.2 students are asked to read the title of The Bug and describe the cover, and then answer comprehension questions such as "What is the bug able to do?," "What does the bug want to be able to do?," and "Why can't he do that?," which require describing events and motivations. In Activity 5.1 students identify pictures (log, jug, pot, dot, wig, dog, sun, tub, nut, hat) and say the words slowly, supporting naming and basic description of things. Activity 1.1 asks students to point to and read familiar words in the Weekly Message, engaging them in verbal labeling of text elements.
Lesson 4
Letter Sounds Review IV
On Day 5 (Activity 5.2) students read The Cat, the Pig, the Dog, and the Fox and are asked comprehension questions that require them to explain events (e.g., "Why are the dog and the fox napping?" and "Why aren't the cat and the pig napping?"). Activity 5.3 has students build and complete sentences using word cards, which requires them to produce short descriptive phrases to fill sentence blanks. The Life Application suggests an I Spy game where students find items that begin with specified sounds, prompting them to identify familiar objects in their environment.
Lesson 5
Adding s, More Word Families, Ending with ck
Students read the reader Ducks Are Fun and are asked, "Which duck do you think is having the most fun? Why?," requiring them to describe a character and justify their choice. In several word-family activities students are asked to read words and explain their meanings, which prompts them to provide verbal descriptions of things represented by the words. The lesson also asks students to read the Weekly Message and answer comprehension and punctuation questions, providing brief opportunities for oral response about sentence content.
Lesson 6
Open Syllables and Digraph th
Students read the decodable reader This Is... and answer comprehension questions such as "What kind of pet does Dan have?" and "Which of the animals in the book do you think you'd prefer as a pet?" (Activity 5.2). Students also name pictures during the t/h/th sorting activity to ensure correct identification of familiar things (Activity 4.1).
Lesson 7
Consonant Digraphs ch, sh, wh, ph
Students are asked to read Reader #7 and answer comprehension questions such as "Where is the ship at the beginning of the book?" and "Why are the rat and the cat wet at the end?" which prompt them to describe places and events. An adult is instructed to ask follow-up questions (e.g., "Why do you think the rat and the cat are on the ship?"), providing prompting and support for the student to give explanations. During activities the teacher/adult prompts students to list new words they can read and to make up sentences, which can elicit spoken descriptions tied to familiar words and contexts.
Lesson 8
Blends with s
Activity 4.3 asks the child to read Meg and Dan and the Sled and then answer comprehension questions such as "Why are Meg and Dan no longer on the sled?," "Why do you think they stop for a snack?," and "What would you want for a snack if you were them?," which prompt the child to describe events and give reasons. The Life Application suggests the child look for objects that start with blends or make a collage, which can prompt the child to name and talk about familiar things with support.
Lesson 9
Blends with l
Students answer comprehension questions about Reader #9 (e.g., "What color are the flags…?", "What do the kids do at the club?"), which requires them to describe a familiar place and activities. Students are asked, "If you were in the club, what fun things would you want to do?", prompting them to provide personal details. Students create sentences with Making Sentences cards and are asked to explain and use the words have and had in sentences, which elicits spoken description about possession in time.
Lesson 10
Blends with r
The reader comprehension questions in Activity 4.2 ask students to identify places and things (e.g., "Where are the ducks swimming to?" and "What are the kids running on?"), prompting students to state those familiar places and objects. Activity 5.3 provides sentences that describe simple events (e.g., "They can run on a track.") which students write and then read aloud. The question in Activity 4.2 asking "Which of these things are you best at -- hopping, swimming or running?" invites students to relate the content to their own experience.
Lesson 11
Ending Blends
Students read the reader At Camp and are asked comprehension prompts such as "What do the kids do at camp?," "What are the kids hunting for?," and "What do you think your favorite camp activity would be?," which require them to describe events and activities. In Activity 3.2 students name each picture aloud and later say the words in each column when sorting ending-blend pictures, providing opportunities to speak about familiar things shown in images. Several activities ask students to read words aloud and explain word meanings as needed, which elicits short verbal responses about familiar items.
Lesson 12
Double ll, ss, ff, zz (FLOSS)
Students are asked comprehension questions after reading Huff and Puff that require them to identify and describe things and events (e.g., "What insects are shown in the book?" and "Why is everyone huffing and puffing at the end of the book?"). Students write and read simple sentences about events (e.g., write "The bugs buzz.") and are prompted to create sentences using word collections (e.g., "They all fall at the mall.") which involves describing actions or events. The lesson prompts students to answer why questions, which asks them to provide additional detail with support.
Lesson 13
Glued Sounds ng and nk
Students read the reader King Hank and answer comprehension questions that ask them to identify where characters sleep and what color drinks they drink, and they are asked an open-ended question: "What would you want to do if you were a king?" Students use Making Sentences cards and provided sentence starters to produce spoken sentences about people, places, and events (e.g., "We _____ on the _____."). The activities prompt students to read aloud, respond orally, and generate sentences with teacher support.
Lesson 14
Three-Letter Beginning Blends
Students are asked to read the reader Spring Has Sprung! and answer comprehension questions such as "What do the kids do at the track?" and "What are some things that you like to do in the spring?", prompting them to describe familiar events and personal activities. The Life Application invites students to make up silly sentences that begin with the same sounds, encouraging them to produce spoken sentences about things (e.g., "The shrimp shrank in the shrub."). Several activities ask students to identify what pictures are showing on the Fill in the Blanks pages, requiring students to name familiar things depicted in images.
Lesson 15
More Ending Blends
Students are asked to read Reader #15 and then answer comprehension questions such as "What animals are on the bank of the river?" and "Which animals nap on the raft?" which prompt them to describe people/animals and places in the story. The lesson also asks students to read sentences aloud after dictation and to read the Weekly Message aloud, providing opportunities to speak about familiar events or places from text. The prompt "What would you like to see if you went down a river on a raft?" asks students to produce a personal description of a place/event.
Lesson 16
R-Controlled Vowels (ar)
Students are asked to read the decodable reader Which? When? What? and then answer follow-up questions such as "What else might you find in a barn on a farm?" and "What else might you do when it's dark?" (Activity 4.2), which prompt them to name and describe familiar places, things, or events. The Student Activity Page includes prompts like "What is your favorite color?" and "When do you eat lunch?" that require students to respond about familiar experiences and preferences. The sentence-dictation activity (Activity 5.3) uses questions (When/Which/What) that require students to think about events or places and then write responses.
Lesson 17
Semester Review
Activity 4.1 asks students to point to or name characters (Meg, Dan, King Hank, dog, fox, cat, pig) and to talk about the different things the characters do (they swim, they camp in a tent, they sing songs, they go on a raft trip). Activity 4.1 also prompts students to answer "Which of these readers is your favorite? Why?", asking for an explanation. Activity 4.2 has a "Planning My Reader" page with sections for "Characters" and "What Characters Do" and asks students to write their own reader and then share it with others, providing guided support during planning and writing.
Unit 2: Semester 2
Lesson 1
Long Vowels a and i with Silent e
The reader activity (Activity 5.1) asks students to read In the Fall and then answer questions such as "What are some of the things that Lin and Dev like to do in the fall?" and "What does Lin do while Dev makes cakes?" These prompts require students to describe familiar events/actions from the story. The follow-up question "Of all the things that Lin and Dev do in the fall, which do you like to do most?" asks students to state a personal preference about familiar activities, with the adult prompting questions.
Lesson 2
Long Vowels o, u, and e with Silent e
On Day 5, students read the reader They Chose To Doze and answer explicit comprehension questions such as "What did the family do on their trip?" and "Who fell off of the mule?", and they are asked a follow-up opinion question: "Would you rather ride mules up the dome or slide down the dome using ropes?". In Activity 1.1 students are asked to explain why "Tim" is spelled with an uppercase letter, prompting a brief description about a person's name.
Lesson 3
Hard and Soft c and g
In Activity 5.2 students read the reader These Mice and answer explicit comprehension prompts: "What do the mice use to make beds for their home?", "What do the mice sit on to eat cake?", and "Why do you think the mice like their home?". The activity instructs the adult to have the child read the story aloud to them and to ask follow-up questions that prompt explanation and reasoning. Several activities prompt students to respond to teacher questions (e.g., "What do you notice…?") and to explain how they know, providing modeling and support.
Lesson 4
More R-Controlled Vowels (er, ir, or, ur)
Students read The Bird Is Third and answer comprehension questions that ask who won the race, which animal came in last, and whether they were surprised and why, prompting them to describe events and give reasons. Students are asked in the Weekly Message to consider what words like "farm," "bark," "charm," and "star" have in common and to add other words to the group, prompting them to describe similarities among familiar words and objects. Activity prompts (e.g., asking what the student notices about a word, asking the student to explain sound changes) require students to verbalize observations and provide brief explanations.
Lesson 5
Long a Spellings ai, ay
Students read The Gray Day and answer comprehension questions that ask them to identify what the boys play with and what animal they see, which requires describing events and objects. Students are asked predictive and opinion questions ("What do you think the boys would do if they went outside?" and "Do you like rainy days? Why or why not?") that prompt them to provide reasons and additional detail. The Life Application activity asks students to make silly long-a sentences (e.g., a snake and a snail played with a train in the rain by the pail), which has students produce descriptive sentences about events and things.
Lesson 6
Long e Spellings ee, ey, ea
Students answer comprehension questions about Reader #6 (e.g., "What does the worm eat?" and "What foods do you most like to eat?"), prompting them to name and talk about familiar things (foods). Students make sentences aloud using Making Sentences cards and read their sentences, providing oral production practice. Students explain differences in word meanings (e.g., "see" vs. "sea") when asked, which requires them to describe and state properties of familiar words/objects.
Lesson 8
Long o Spellings ow, oa, oe
Students read Reader #8 (The Slow Boat) and answer comprehension questions such as "How many boats are in the race?" and "What color is the boat that wins the race?" They are also asked a personal-response question, "If you were on a boat, would you want it to go fast or slow?", which invites students to state a preference. Students are asked to identify pictures before writing on the "Writing oa Words" page and to clap syllables for the sight word "number," requiring them to name and label familiar things or words.
Lesson 9
Long u Spellings ue, ew, ou
Students are asked to explain word meanings in their own words (Activity 3.1 asks the child to explain the meanings of "blue" and "blew"). Students answer comprehension and personal-response questions after reading the reader (Day 5 asks "What does Tom add to the stew?" "What color does Val add to the stew?" and the prompt "If you were going to make a funny stew, what would you put in it?"). Students are prompted to explain changes in words when adding silent e (Activity 1.2 asks the child to explain what changed when e was added and to note the vowel sound change).
Lesson 10
Other Long Vowel Patterns
On Day 5 (Activity 5.1) students read The Wild Colt and are asked comprehension questions that require description: "Why is the colt hard to find in the herd?" and "How does the man stop the colt from bolting?" Activity 5.2 has students write dictated sentences that describe characters/animals ("The child is kind." "The colt is blind."). The wrap-up asks students to identify "wild" words they worked with and to discuss them.
Lesson 12
Other Vowel Sounds oi, oy
Students are asked to answer comprehension questions after reading The New Toy, including "What do you think Dan's new toy is?" and "What is your favorite toy? Why?," which prompt them to describe a familiar thing and give reasons. In Activity 4.1 students use word cards (including people- and place-related words) and provided sentence starters to make and read original sentences aloud. The Life Application and Making Sentences activities ask students to create silly sentences and sentences from word cards, providing opportunities to produce descriptive language about familiar items.
Lesson 13
Other Vowel Sounds ou, ow
Students read The Hound and the Owl and answer targeted comprehension questions such as what the hound does during the day and at night and why the hound howls at the owl, prompting descriptive responses about events and characters. Students sort words into groups and are asked to explain their groupings, requiring them to describe features of words and their reasoning. Students are asked to explain in their own words when to use ou versus ow and to justify spelling choices, which prompts them to provide additional detail with support.
Lesson 14
Other Vowel Sounds aw, au
On Day 5 students read The Pups and are asked specific comprehension prompts: "Where do the pups sleep?" and "What are some of the things the puppies in the story do?" The follow-up question, "What else do you think puppies like to do?" explicitly prompts students to provide additional detail. In Activity 2.1 and Day 3 students are asked to explain their word-sorting groups and to discuss word meanings (e.g., asking what "saw" means), which requires them to describe items and explain reasoning.
Lesson 15
These Make More Than One Sound: oo and ea
Students read Reader #15 (The Bad Bear) and answer questions such as "What are some of the naughty things the bear does?" and "What happens when the bear's mom finds her?"; they are also asked "What else do you think the bear can do to cause trouble?" which prompts them to add ideas about the character's actions. During activities students read aloud, respond to comprehension questions, and complete the Question Words activity that requires forming and using question words aloud or in writing.
Lesson 16
Silent Starts: kn, wr, gn
In Activity 5.2 students are asked comprehension questions about The Gnats (e.g., "What do the gnats do to the kids at the playground?" and "What do the gnats do at the picnic?"), which requires them to describe events from the story. In Activity 1.1 students are prompted to list things they have learned about reading words and to discuss vowel sounds, which asks them to describe familiar concepts and provide examples. In Activity 3.1 students are asked to explain what they know about the letters in a word and why they think a particular vowel sound occurs, prompting them to state and justify observations about words.
Lesson 17
Year-End Review
Students are asked to complete the Sentence Writing pages by looking at pictures (e.g., ducks on a dock, children playing soccer) and writing one or two sentences about each picture, then read those sentences aloud. The Wrapping Up section asks students to talk about some of their favorite activities from the year and to share their work with others, prompting oral description of events and experiences. Directions for the Sentence Writing activity remind students to use words they know and to think about how sentences begin and end, providing support for composing descriptions.