Common Core Alignment - Beyond the Page

Kindergarten - ELA

1: Letters

Unit 1: A - A Is for Musk Ox

Lesson 1 Day 1

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Students are asked to listen to the book read aloud and then answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., identify the two animals that talk), which requires attending to key story details. The skills list explicitly includes "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text," and the reading directions prompt students to identify the title, author, and illustrator. These activities require students to recall and point to information from the story.

Unit 2: H - Hondo and Fabian

Lesson 1 Day 1

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Students are asked specific questions after reading (e.g., identify the two characters, list differences, and describe what Hondo and Fabian did during the day), which requires recalling key story details. The skills list explicitly includes with prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text and compare and contrast characters' experiences. In Activity 1 students identify which character did each activity and act out those events, giving practice in recalling and representing story events.

Lesson 3 Day 3

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The lesson explicitly asks the child to "retell the story in his own words" and encourages the child to use the pictures to guide the retelling. It provides prompting questions for sequencing: "What happened at the beginning of the story?" "What happened next?" and "How did the story end?" The lesson also asks questions about how the characters feel and how they are alike or different, which prompts inclusion of story details during retelling.

Unit 3: I - The Little Island

Lesson 1 Day 1

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The lesson lists the skill: "With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story," directly targeting components of retelling. After reading, students are asked specific comprehension questions (e.g., name creatures on the island, what changes happened, what the kitten asked and learned) that require recalling key story details. The cover/title discussion and prompts to find the author/illustrator encourage students to talk about the story and its elements with an adult.

Lesson 2 Day 2

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Students page through The Little Island book and note how the pictures progress through the seasons, discussing how the seasons affected the island. Students are asked to identify the current season, describe what is changing on the island when the season shifts, and choose appropriate gear for each season during a pretend picnic. These activities require students to describe sequence and observable details from the book's pictures.

Lesson 3 Day 3

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Students are asked to reread The Little Island and then "tell you the story of the island in her own words," which directly prompts retelling. The directions encourage students to "use the illustrations to guide her retelling" and to answer guiding questions if necessary, providing prompting and support. The activity explicitly directs an adult to prompt and support the child's oral retelling.

Lesson 4 Day 4

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The lesson directs an adult to read the first pages of the story aloud ("There was a little Island in the ocean. Around it the winds blew...") and to continue through the second page while the child acts out motions of the winds, clouds, fish, and fog. The child is asked to pretend to be the kitten and move in relation to the island (on, under, off, beside, near, far, above, in front of, behind), which focuses attention on story events and spatial details.

Lesson 5 Day 5

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Students look carefully at the book (front cover, back cover, title page) and are asked questions about what they see and what their favorite part was, prompting recall of story elements. Students are asked to spend several minutes alone looking at the book and to state whether they liked it and why, which requires them to recall and discuss parts of the story. Students draw and dictate a visit to the island and then "read" their ideas aloud, practicing verbalizing storylike ideas and details.

Unit 4: T - What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?

Lesson 1 Day 1

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The lesson instructs an adult to preview and read a book with the child, ask the child to predict the book's content, and then ask if the child learned anything new about an animal. The lesson asks the child to recall how different animals use their ears, eyes, and noses and to refer back to the pictures during discussion. The Skills list explicitly includes: "With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question."

Unit 5: L - We're Going on a Leaf Hunt

Lesson 1 Day 1

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The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details." The Reading and Questions section directs the child to "read the book," "look back through the story as you discuss it," and asks specific prompts (e.g., what did the children want to find, what challenges did they face, how did they feel) that require recounting events and details. The guided questions ask the child to refer to the text and describe story elements, providing direct prompts for retelling.

Lesson 2 Day 2

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Activity 3 directs the child to read the story and then act out the story, using home locations (stairs as mountain, dark bathroom as forest) to recreate settings and events. It instructs the adult to substitute specific verbs (skip, march, hop) and ask the child to act them out, prompting recall of actions. It also suggests including siblings or a grown-up to support and scaffold the reenactment.

Lesson 3 Day 3

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The Making a Map activity asks the child to construct a simple map of the children's journey, having her draw the tall mountain, the maple tree, the dark forest, and the subsequent stops and to use arrows to show the direction the children traveled. The Reading section directs an adult to read the story with the child and to prompt identification of words and descriptions (for example asking what word describes the forest and having the child repeat "dark forest"), providing adult prompting and support during story interaction.

Unit 6: F - Fireflies

Lesson 1 Day 1

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Students are prompted to look at the book cover, describe what they see, and say what they know about fireflies, which elicits recall of story elements. After reading, students answer targeted comprehension questions that require looking back at specific pages (e.g., identifying what is flickering and how the boy feels). The Questions to Explore include "How do books use both pictures and words to tell a story?" and the skills list includes, with prompting and support, describing the relationship between illustrations and the story, which encourages using details from images and text.

Lesson 5 Day 5

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Activity 2 asks the child to review the book illustrations and then "tell the story in his own words using the illustrations as a guide," which requires retelling a familiar story. The follow-up discussion questions (e.g., Did he like the story? Were there any parts that were funny or surprising? How would he feel when he had to let them go?) prompt the child to recount story events and characters' feelings. Activity 1 has the child reenact catching fireflies and count them, which practices recalling events from the story in sequence.

Unit 7: E - But No Elephants

Lesson 1 Day 1

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The lesson asks students to compare Grandma Tildy's life at the beginning and end of the story (Question #1), prompting them to describe what changed. It asks students to name several predicaments Grandma Tildy faced and explain how she solved each one (Question #3), which targets key story details. Activity 2 directs students to put the animal visitors in story order and say aloud 'First the ___ came...' and similar phrases, prompting students to sequence and retell events from left to right.

Lesson 2 Day 2

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Students are asked to recall the meaning of the word "predicament" and to name one predicament Grandma Tildy faced in the story But No Elephants, which requires recalling a specific story detail. Students are prompted to describe the positions of animals in illustrations using words like "in," "on," "under," and "beside," which elicits attention to and description of picture details related to the story. Students review vocabulary such as "character" and are asked to explain words and give examples, reinforcing knowledge of story elements and characters.

Lesson 3 Day 3

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The lesson directs an adult to read the book again and then asks the child to "explain to you what happened in the story," which prompts the child to retell the story. Activity 1 has the child act out an animal character and describe how that animal would help Grandma Tildy, which asks the child to recall and describe story-related roles and events. The review and reading steps scaffold the reading so the child can respond with a recount of the story.

Lesson 4 Day 4

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Activity 2 has students glue animal stick puppets and listen to a dramatic reading, holding up each animal as it is introduced and then being asked to tell what came next or make up a new ending. Activity 1 asks students to look back through pages and answer questions about what Grandma Tildy is doing and what each pet provided (canary singing/company, beaver wood/warmth, turtle transportation, woodpecker shelter, elephant), and to sort and explain wants versus needs based on story details. Both activities require students to recall and describe specific story events and character actions.

Lesson 5 Day 5

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Activity 2 instructs an adult to have the child "read" and notes it is acceptable if the child "retells the story in her own words or even just looks at the pictures." After reading, the adult is to talk with the child, asking whether she enjoyed the book, what her favorite part was, and whether she could think of a different ending. The directions also have the child move her finger left to right while "reading," then spend time alone to "read" the rest of the book, modeling narrative engagement with the text.

Unit 8: C - Millions of Cats

Lesson 1 Day 1

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Students are prompted to read the book together and answer eight targeted questions that ask for story problem, characters' intentions, sequence of events, and outcomes (e.g., questions about loneliness, why a cat was chosen, how the man ended up with many cats, and what happened to the cats). Activity 2 asks students to page through a previously read book to remember details and to construct a Venn diagram comparing characters and events across two familiar stories, requiring recall of specific traits and plot elements. The skills list explicitly includes, with prompting and support, comparing and contrasting the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories, which supports practicing retelling key details.

Lesson 3 Day 3

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Students read the story again and are prompted to read the sight word "pretty" and repeat the phrase "hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats" each time it appears, which supports memory for repeated content. Students are asked which cat ended up being the pretty cat and whether there is a lesson to be learned, prompting recall of story details and theme. Students divide die-cut cats into groups and count them while relating the division to events in the story, which requires recalling the number of cats and which cats stayed or went.

Lesson 4 Day 4

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The lesson asks the child to compare the poem to the book by answering, "Would this poem describe the scene with all the cats from the book? Explain to your child," which prompts the child to recall and describe scenes from the story. The lesson references specific story events (the old man and the old woman bathing, brushing, and feeding the cat), giving students explicit story details to discuss. The poem activity asks the child to create and perform motions line by line and, optionally, to supply missing words and recite lines from memory, which practices recalling verbal content tied to the book's theme.

Unit 9: G - The Real Mother Goose

Lesson 1 Day 1

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Students are asked to read and/or listen to familiar nursery rhymes from the book and CD/MP3, including suggestions of familiar poems. Students are prompted to talk about the poems (e.g., "What is happening?" and which parts are silly) and to identify rhyming pairs. Students act out the poem "The Little Bird," practice memorizing and reciting it, and try supplying omitted end words when the teacher reads lines with words left off.

Lesson 4 Day 4

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The review asks the child to practice the poem "The Little Bird," supply some words, and then "try to say as much of the poem as he can on his own," which has the child recall and recite a familiar text. Activity 2 has the child read and sing several nursery rhymes (e.g., "Mary's Lamb," "Ring a Ring o' Roses"), exposing students to familiar oral texts and variations. These tasks require students to remember and reproduce familiar verbal material.

Unit 10: O - Owl Babies

Lesson 1 Day 1

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Students are asked to look at the book cover, predict the book's purpose, and then listen as the book is read. Students answer questions about whether the book told a story and cite story-specific details (characters having names, talking, and expressing emotions) as evidence. Students also recall and name factual details from the book (where owls live, what owls eat, how nests are made).

Lesson 3 Day 3

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The lesson directs an adult to read Owl Babies aloud and then asks the child to "tell you the story in his own words," providing an explicit prompt to retell. The teacher questions guide the child to identify a key detail (who wants something and what he wants) and has the child read Bill's line, "I want my mommy!", which focuses attention on character desire. Activity 3 asks the child to notice how music changes and to describe when it seems scary or cheerful, prompting discussion of characters' feelings and events that support key details.

Lesson 5 Day 5

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Students are asked to spend independent time with two owl books (one fiction, one non-fiction) and then tell what clues they found about which book is fiction and which is non-fiction. Students are prompted to draw a baby owl and write a brief fiction story about a baby owl, using dictation or writing as appropriate. Students are invited to create and act out stories with the owl manipulatives in the math activity.

Unit 11: S - Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree

Lesson 1 Day 1

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The lesson's Skills section explicitly asks students, with prompting and support, to identify characters, settings, and major events in a story and to describe the relationship between illustrations and the story. The Reading and Questions directions ask the child to look at the book cover, describe what she sees, examine the four seasonal pictures, and then read the book together. Question #2 asks the child to look at what Arnold does with his tree during each season, prompting discussion of events across the story.

Lesson 3 Day 3

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Students hear The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree read aloud twice and are prompted to read and identify the sight word "some" in context. Students are asked a direct comprehension question: "What gift did the tree give Arnold in each season?", which asks them to recall specific story details about gifts across seasons. Students also practice seasonal vocabulary and identify seasons from descriptive adjectives, reinforcing knowledge of seasonal elements tied to the story context.

Lesson 4 Day 4

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Activity 1 directs the child to look at the page where Arnold's family works together to make the apple pie and cider and asks questions such as how each family member contributes and why they worked together. The activity also involves making the pie together, which invites the child to discuss the actions and roles shown on the story page.

Lesson 5 Day 5

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Activity 2 asks the student to say where and when The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree took place and defines that as the story's setting. The student is prompted to look through books with outdoor settings, identify the setting and season, and then share the setting and the clues that helped identify the season. Activity 3 has the student draw a season and write or dictate things she knows about that season, practicing recall of season-related details.

Unit 13: P - Harold and the Purple Crayon

Lesson 1 Day 1

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The lesson directs an adult to read the book to the child and includes three comprehension prompts (What do you think about Harold's adventure? Were there dangerous or difficult parts? How do you think Harold feels at the end of the story?). Activity 1 asks the child to remember specific predicaments Harold faced and the solutions he drew (e.g., drew a boat when the water rose, drew pie when hungry, drew a balloon when he slipped), prompting recall of key story events. The activity then asks the child to propose solutions for additional predicaments, requiring them to retrieve and apply details from the story.

Lesson 2 Day 2

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Students are asked questions about Harold and the Purple Crayon, specifically to identify the shape of the moon in the story and whether the moon always looks that way. Students are prompted to connect the story detail to a hands-on activity by standing as the Earth and observing/acting out the moon's movement and by cutting/gluing labeled moon-phase pictures in order around a circle. Students are directed to look at the book cover to find the uppercase P, which shows attention to the text and illustrations.

Lesson 3 Day 3

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Students reread Harold and the Purple Crayon with adult support and are prompted to answer targeted comprehension questions. Students are asked to describe what was most interesting, what Harold's most amazing drawing was, what his scary moments were, and how he figured out how to get home. These questions require students to recall and describe specific events and details from the story.

Unit 14: B - Blueberries for Sal

Lesson 1 Day 1

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Students are asked to look at the cover, flip through, and listen as the book is read, then discuss specific comprehension questions. The set of six questions prompt students to state who was looking for blueberries, why they wanted blueberries, what each child was supposed to do, what happened on the mountain, how characters felt, and how the story ended. The skills list explicitly includes, "With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story," which aligns with retelling key details.

Lesson 3 Day 3

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The teacher directs an adult to read Blueberries for Sal aloud to the child and to keep looking for the sight word "she," prompting the child to read it when pointed out. After reading, the adult is instructed to ask the child to "retell the story in his own words" and to allow the child to use the pictures to prompt his retelling. The review also includes prompting supports (pointing to words, using sight word cards and pictures) to assist the child during oral responses.

Lesson 4 Day 4

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Activity 1 directs students to name elements of fiction and non-fiction about bears in the book Blueberries for Sal, which requires students to recall and cite specific story details. The fiction vs. non-fiction chart asks students to list ways the story describes bears fictionally and to list factual information the story portrays, prompting recall of key details. Activity 2 has students sing and act out the song "The Bear Went Over the Mountain," which has students reproduce familiar text and associated actions.

Unit 15: R - Rain

Lesson 1 Day 1

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Students read the book a second time and then place die-cut pieces on a blue sky mat to show the progression of the story, which requires them to sequence events. The Skills list includes that students will "Describe familiar people, places, things, and events, and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail," indicating planned practice in describing story elements. While reading, students are prompted with questions (e.g., stop and ask what she thinks the rain will fall on next) that prompt discussion of events and details.

Lesson 3 Day 3

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After each page, students manipulate die-cuts to match the page, which requires them to identify and connect illustrations to story events. The teacher asks students to "read the book back to you," prompting students to recount pages while pointing to words. In Activity 3, students arrange and glue die-cuts to create a scene from the book and point to each object while using describing words.

Unit 16: N - Night in the Country

Lesson 1 Day 1

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Students are asked to look at and discuss the cover and then to read Night in the Country with an adult, after which they are asked what they thought about the book and answered guided comprehension questions (e.g., "What does the author seem to think about nighttime? How can you tell?"). The lesson explicitly references a story event (the apple tree drops its apples at night) and has students reenact that event with 10 pom-pom apples, count remaining apples, and state matching subtraction equations. These activities require children to recall specific story details and to use those details in discussion and problem-solving.

Lesson 3 Day 3

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The lesson has the adult read Night in the Country twice and then asks the child to "tell you the story in his own words, using the pictures as a guide to the retelling." The lesson provides prompting supports (pictures as a guide and a second reading) to help the child recall and retell the story. The teacher also prompts the child to find and read repeated words, which supports attention to story details during retelling.

Unit 17: M - Marshmallow

Lesson 1 Day 1

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Students are prompted to examine the book cover and make predictions, then read the true story 'Marshmallow' aloud. After reading, students answer targeted comprehension questions about events and characters (for example, how Marshmallow acted when he arrived, advantages/disadvantages of having a rabbit, why Oliver hesitated, and why Oliver became friendly). These questions require students to recall and explain specific details from the text.

Lesson 2 Day 2

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The lesson directs the adult and child to look at a specific part of the book where Oliver is about to pounce and to talk about how Oliver followed Miss Tilly's rules, prompting discussion of a story event and character behavior. The lesson asks the child questions (e.g., what the rules of your home are and why they are important), which elicits verbal responses about events and causes in the story. The poem on the last page is reread with the child and practiced by omitting words for the child to supply, which prompts recall of familiar text.

Lesson 3 Day 3

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The lesson directs the adult to reread the book and then "ask your child to tell you the story in her own words." It also instructs the adult to "encourage her to use the pictures to prompt her," providing explicit scaffolding for a retelling activity. These instructions require the child to practice recalling and recounting a familiar story with support.

Unit 18: U - Umbrella

Lesson 1 Day 1

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The text instructs an adult to read the book and then "ask your child to recall some events from the book," prompting students to recount story events. The listed post-reading questions (e.g., What gift was Momo given? When it finally did rain, how did Momo feel? Why was this important?) require students to describe key story details and outcomes. The Skills list also includes "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text," which reinforces guided practice in recalling important elements.

Lesson 3 Day 3

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The lesson instructs an adult to read the story Umbrella to the child and then ask the child to "tell you the story in his own words." It explicitly tells the adult to "encourage him to use the pictures in the story to prompt his retelling." The lesson also models prompting by showing a specific sentence and asking the child to find and read a repeated word in the story.

Unit 19: J - Jump Frog Jump

Lesson 1 Day 1

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Students listen to and participate in a read-aloud of Jump, Frog, Jump and answer targeted comprehension questions such as how the frog escaped and which animals the frog escaped. Students are prompted to look back through the book to find and name specific animals (fish, snake, turtle) and to identify the detail that a boy lifted the basket. Students cut out, arrange, and read story-sequence pictures and captions to put events in order from beginning to end.

Lesson 3 Day 3

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After reading, students are asked to line up the story sequence cards from Day 1 in order and to tell the story using the story sequence cards to prompt them. Activity 3 has students read specific phrases from the book (e.g., "The fly climbed out of the water," "The frog was under the fly") and physically place die-cut figures to show those relationships, reinforcing specific events and details from the story. The teacher models and prompts (e.g., "using the story sequence cards to prompt her" and modeling the first original sentence), providing support during the retelling activity.

Lesson 5 Day 5

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Activity 2 asks the child to reorder the story sequence cards, practice reading the book to herself, and then to "read" it to an adult. The activity directs the child to look through the book and handle its repeated sentence structure, which supports recalling parts of the story. The teacher/parent is instructed to assist as necessary while the child reads aloud.

Unit 20: K - Kindness

Lesson 1 Day 1

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Students are asked to discuss the acts of kindness in the book and answer direct comprehension questions such as "What do the animals do throughout the book?" and "What was your favorite example of an animal helping another animal?" which prompt recall of key details. Activity 1 asks students to number animal cutouts according to the order in which they are introduced in the book and then put them back in order from 1–9, requiring students to reconstruct the sequence of events/introductions. The reading prompts (looking at the cover, predicting, and discussing specific examples) provide verbal prompts and support for students to recount story elements.

Lesson 2 Day 2

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Activity 3 directs the child to choose characters from the book and, with an adult or peer, act out acts of kindness described in the book. The child is asked to play one character while the other person pretends to be another character and to add dialogue to fill the scene. This requires the child to recall scenes and the actions that occur in the story.

Lesson 3 Day 3

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Students are asked to reread the book and to identify specific moments (for example, the page where the frog thanks Harry and the sentence "So, when someone need help, just give them a hand"). After reading, students are asked which act of kindness they found especially kind and how Harry helping the frog resulted in a series of kind acts. In Activity 3 students reread pages and name actions of each animal, recording animal-specific and human-like actions on a chart.

Lesson 5 Day 5

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Activity 2 asks the child to look carefully at the pictures and practice retelling the story through them, then retell the story aloud by giving a general description of each act of kindness using the illustrations as a guide. Activity 1 prompts the child to identify and count the number of acts of kindness (asking how many acts were performed and doing a 100-step counting activity) which requires recalling repeated events. Activity 3 has the child write or dictate a brief description of a book and draw a favorite scene, which requires summarizing story events and including key details.

After reading Greedy Zebra, the child is asked to use the illustrations to retell the story to the adult. The child is also asked to predict what would have happened if zebra had not been greedy, which requires recalling story events and considering outcomes. The reading instructions encourage engagement with the text by prompting the child to read a recurring sight word in context.

Lesson 4 Day 4

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Activity 2 asks the child to listen to the beginning pages of the story Greedy Zebra and then act out the ways the animals moved, with the teacher/parent pausing after the first page about Greedy Zebra. The activity highlights specific action-packed phrases from the text (e.g., "a few of the animals crept cautiously...," "soon all the animals were on their way...," "Greedy Zebra never, ever stopped eating"), which students are prompted to notice and perform.

Lesson 5 Day 5

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In Activity 3 students choose a favorite book, draw a scene from it, and are encouraged to think about the characters, setting, and events, then write words, phrases, or dictate ideas and read them aloud. In Activity 2 students are asked to identify books with animal characters, name settings for specific books, and remember the subject of nonfiction titles. Students are also asked to explain why certain books were favorites and to identify similarities and differences between books and characters, prompting recall of key story details.

2: Holidays

Unit 28: Thanksgiving

Lesson 1 Day 1

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Students are asked to look at the cover and answer questions about what they see and like, and then the adult reads Thanksgiving Is... with the child. After reading, students are asked to summarize why a type of Thanksgiving has been celebrated in many cultures (to give thanks for the harvest and for food). The lesson's skills list explicitly includes: "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text" and "describe the relationship between illustrations and the text," which prompts students to identify and discuss details from the story and pictures.

Lesson 2 Day 2

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Activity 1 directs students to re-read the Pilgrims section and answer specific recall questions about who, what, where, why, and how (e.g., why the Pilgrims left England, the Mayflower, the first winter, how the Indians helped, reason and length of the first Thanksgiving). Activity 3 has students act out actions from the Pilgrim pages, stopping at the end of each page so students demonstrate events with body movements and facial expressions. The Getting Started review also prompts students to name things they know about turkeys and gratitude, reinforcing retelling of familiar content.

Lesson 3 Day 3

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The lesson directs an adult to reread the story Thanksgiving Is... by Gail Gibbons to the child. The Review section asks the child to 'offer something she learned about the very first American Thanksgiving,' prompting recall of story content. After reading, the lesson instructs discussion of pages about kinds of feasts and family favorite foods and includes questions and a prompt to share information from a Pocahontas webpage.

Lesson 4 Day 4

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The lesson presents a short narrative about Abraham Lincoln that students can listen to (the story about Abe borrowing a book and his later life). The Getting Started review asks the child what the Pilgrims were grateful for at the first Thanksgiving, prompting recall of a story detail. The lesson also asks the child to name words that describe Abraham Lincoln and explain why we still celebrate him, which prompts students to recall information from the text.

Unit 29: Christmas

Lesson 2 Day 2

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Activity 1 asks the child to look again at The Christmas Wish and to tell about her favorite part of the story, which prompts the child to recount part of the narrative. Activity 1 also directs discussion about the story's setting by noting the photographer is a native of Norway and asking the child to talk about what life is like there, which ties to recalling setting details. Activity 3 asks the child to create animals she read about and build a snowy scene in a shoebox, requiring the child to recall and use details from the story in a creative reconstruction.

Lesson 4 Day 4

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Activity 1 asks students to talk about Santa Claus and answer specific questions about character and events (e.g., what kind of person Santa is, why Anja wanted to be an elf, how she showed commitment, and whether her experience was a dream). Activity 2 has students trace Santa's path on a world map and identify continents, islands, and places where Santa lands, which requires recalling locations and parts of the story's action.

Lesson 5 Day 5

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In Activity 1 students are asked to look at the first pages of The Christmas Wish and notice the kind deeds Anja did for her neighbor, friends, and family, which directs students to identify specific story details. In Activity 2 students listen to the book read aloud and are asked what a character's voice sounds like when quotation marks indicate spoken words, prompting attention to characters and dialogue. In Activity 3 Option 1 students draw a picture of a favorite part and write or dictate a description, which asks students to recall and describe a portion of an experience related to the text.

Unit 30: February Celebrations

Lesson 1 Day 1

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Students are asked to listen to The Biggest Valentine Ever and then answer specific comprehension questions (Questions #1–#4) about how the argument started, what the characters did, how they felt, and what they decided to do the next day. Questions prompt students to recall key events and outcomes (e.g., they made valentines separately, didn't like them, then worked together to make one they both loved). Additional prompts ask for the lesson learned and for brainstorming alternative responses to disagreements, supporting recall of character actions and themes.

Lesson 4 Day 4

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Students watch an online storybook about Booker T. Washington and a short video about Martin Luther King, Jr., and are prompted to talk about why education is important and how MLK showed love. The materials ask students to discuss MLK's famous speech and to think about similarities between Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr. The text also prompts students to recall characters and cooperation from The Biggest Valentine Ever when making connections about working together.

1: Environment

Unit 1: Habitats and Homes

Lesson 3 Guide to Animal Habitats

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Students are read Crinkleroot's Guide to Animal Habitats aloud and are asked during reading to point out the animals and plants in each habitat, which asks them to attend to key details. The Skills list and Activity 2 require students to identify and sequence the events (the order of habitats Crinkleroot visited) by cutting/pasting pictures or charting a route from the Jeep, which requires recalling story sequence. Activity 5 invites students to tell a story about visiting a chosen habitat and to describe what they see and would do there, providing an opportunity for oral retelling with prompting and support.

Lesson 4 Animals Live and Grow

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The lesson directs an adult to read Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt aloud and then asks specific comprehension questions about that book (e.g., season on the first page, why seeds must wait to be planted, why Nana tells the boy to give plants a drink). The lesson also tells the adult to ask the child what he learned about how animals and plants survive and to discuss the book in two parts with the child, prompting recall after each section. Several questions require the child to recall key story details (animals helping plants, why harvest is hurried), which prompts the child to report story events and facts.

Lesson 5 Discovering Animal Habitats

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The introduction asks the child to give examples of the animal habitats she explored in Crinkleroot's Guide to Animal Habitats, prompting recall of a familiar text. Activity 3 asks, conditionally, "If your child told a story, ask her to draw a picture of her favorite animal habitat," which can link a child's prior storytelling to a representational task. The Wrapping Up section asks the child to describe each environment she explored, prompting verbal description of previously encountered content.

Lesson 6 Exploring Animal Habitats

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The lesson lists the skill "Demonstrate a sense of story (beginning, middle, and end)" and Activity 2 asks the child to tell and dictate a story about an animal, using framed prompts ("I am a ___. I live in the ___. One day I ___."). Activity 2 also instructs the adult to record the child's dictated story and then read the story with the child, encouraging the child to read or sound out the words and read it back.

Lesson 8 Animal Care

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The lesson includes Activity 2 in which an adult reads The Salamander Room to the child and then asks specific comprehension questions. Students are asked targeted questions such as "What kind of animal did the boy find?", "Where did he find it?", and "What kind of environment did the salamander need?" The Skills list also explicitly includes "Answer questions about a text (LA)," which supports oral recall of story details.

Lesson 10 Amazing Animals

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Students listen to informational text read aloud and are asked to listen critically and respond to questions (Skills: Listen critically to text read aloud; Respond to critical questions about a text). Students are invited to present dramatic interpretations and role-play animal scenarios (Activity 2), explaining what they would do and what will happen (e.g., the starfish losing an arm and it growing back). At the end, students are asked to tell about some animals they learned, which prompts them to recount information from the session.

Unit 2: Weather

Lesson 1 Reading the Skies

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Students are asked to look at the cover and read Whatever the Weather with prompting and are asked questions such as 'What do you think the story is about?' and other follow-up comprehension questions. The skills list explicitly includes 'Listen critically to text read aloud' and 'Respond to text read aloud,' indicating opportunities for oral responses to a read-aloud. Activity 3 asks students to tell or dictate a story about a favorite weather activity, giving practice with oral narrative and spoken retelling of an experience.

Lesson 2 Types of Precipitation

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After reading Oh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today?, adults ask the child specific questions about the book (e.g., What habitats did you see? Can you find each picture of a habitat and describe its weather? What did the characters look like when they were hot/cold?). The introduction and Activity 2 direct the child to review pictures and reread selected pages to discuss types of precipitation. The Wrapping Up section asks the child to review the four types of precipitation and explain why precipitation is important.

Lesson 7 Spring

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Students are asked to attempt to read each spring poem and are then asked what the poem was about. In Option 1 students draw a line from each poem to the picture that best tells the story of the poem; in Option 2 students are asked to add their own illustrations to ‘help tell the story' of each poem. A language arts extension invites students to write or dictate their own spring poem, connecting text to narrative ideas.

Lesson 8 Summer

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Students read and complete a short story about Jessie's summer (Activity 2) by choosing words from picture-word prompts and then read the completed story aloud. In the advanced option students copy words into blanks, read the completed story aloud, and draw an illustration of the story. In Activity 1 students describe the picture, answer questions about what is happening, and explain how they decide where puzzle pieces go, which elicits recounting picture events and details.

Unit 3: Community

Lesson 1 On the Town

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After reading the book, students are asked questions such as "What places did Charlie visit in his community?" and "Why did Charlie write down the places he visited…," prompting them to recall story details. Activity 3 asks students to draw a new page for the book and write or dictate a sentence about Charlie visiting a place, which requires them to recount part of Charlie's journey. The wrap-up questions prompt students to describe what a healthy community provides, connecting story content to key ideas.

Lesson 7 A Citizen with Character

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Activity 5 asks an adult to read "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" and then directs students to divide a page into beginning, middle, and end, illustrate each part, and write, dictate, or copy a sentence to accompany each drawing. The student activity page contains the full text of the familiar fable for reading and reference. The option for an advanced version asks students to create their own version using the same plot structure, reinforcing story sequence and elements.

Lesson 8 Rules and Laws

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The lesson includes a read-aloud titled "The House with No Rules," which students hear directly. After the story, students are asked questions such as "What kinds of things happen in the house with no rules?" and "Would you stay in the house with no rules? Why or why not?" that require them to describe events and consequences from the story. Students also discuss and list rules that relate to the story's content, encouraging them to recall story details when generating responses.

Lesson 9 Caring for Our Communities

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The lesson includes an explicit language arts skill: "Demonstrate a sense of story (beginning, middle, and end)." During Activity 1, students listen to the read-aloud "When One Person Cares" and are asked direct questions about what happens at the beginning, middle, and end. Follow-up questions (Where does Katy live? What does she do? Does she help people?) prompt students to identify key story details while using the accompanying activity sheet.

Final Project I Can Make A Difference

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The lesson asks students to sequence events and includes the skill: "Sequence events in the correct order (LA)." The student activity page gives sentence starters using first/next/finally for students to record steps of their plan and a reflection section with prompts such as "I helped __ with __" and "I felt __" so students recount what they did. Day 2 asks students to carry out their plan and write about their experience, which requires them to describe the sequence of actions they took.

2: Similarities and Differences

Unit 1: Amazing Attributes

Lesson 10 Earth Materials: Rocks, Soil, and Water

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Students are asked to listen to and revisit the familiar picture books Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt and Over and Under the Pond through read-alouds. They answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., name solids in the garden, describe liquids pictured, describe the pond habitat, how writing in the two books is similar) that require recalling story details and elements. The skills list also directs students to identify who is telling the story, compare characters, and compare similarities and differences between two texts, which engages story comprehension.

Unit 2: Senses

Lesson 4 Hearing and Seeing

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The lesson reads The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses aloud and asks targeted comprehension questions (e.g., "What happened when the bus driver flipped the green switch?"; "Whose nose did the bus travel into?") that require students to recall story events and specific details. Activity 1 also asks which part of the bus ride the student found most interesting, prompting students to identify story parts. Several activities ask students to describe experiences aloud and read their descriptions back (e.g., blindfold walk reflections, sound descriptions), which gives practice in recalling and verbally sharing event details.

Lesson 6 Experimenting With Our Senses

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Activity 3 asks students to tell a story about a time they ate or drank their favorite flavor, records the story as the student tells it, and encourages the student to read it aloud. Activity 4 asks students to write or dictate and copy a sentence about something they smelled or tasted, giving practice in recounting sensory experiences in spoken and written form.

Lesson 7 Using All of Our Senses

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Students listen to pages 21–end of My Five Senses and are asked which senses the boy used and how he used each sense. Students examine other books (e.g., Brown Bear, Polar Bear) and identify ways characters in the stories use their senses. The skills list asks students to 'Listen to stories and text read aloud' and to 'Interact with reader when text is read aloud (questions, comments, and ideas)', which prompts students to discuss story details.

Unit 3: We're the Same, We're Different

Lesson 2 Physical Characteristics

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Students are read the short story "Different Friends" and are explicitly asked, "Can you retell the story in your own words?" and prompted to state what happened at the beginning, middle, and end. After the first reading, students answer targeted comprehension questions about characters' actions and motivations (e.g., whether Susan or Casey wanted to play), and the teacher rereads the story. Students cut apart event boxes and put them in the order in which they occurred, and later dictate and illustrate their own three-part "Friendship Story" with a beginning, middle, and end.

Lesson 5 Shapesville

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Students are asked to listen to Shapesville and identify the shape of each character, count sides and angles, and describe each shape's physical characteristics (color, sides, angles, eye color). After reading, students are prompted to review the personalities and interests of each shape and answer comprehension questions such as "How are the shapes' personalities different?" and "What are some of the interests of the shapes?" Students are encouraged to share their shape design and description with family and, if able, read the book aloud to family members.

3: Patterns

Unit 2: Patterns in Sounds, Words, and Actions

Lesson 1 Word Patterns

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Students are asked to pick a favorite nursery rhyme and then act out or illustrate that rhyme, which asks them to represent the events of a familiar piece. The lesson explains that a storybook has a beginning, middle, and end, giving students a conceptual framework for story structure. Students reread or are encouraged to read Bear Hugs and perform related activities (e.g., copy animal names, identify habitats) that require recalling content from the text.

Lesson 3 Poetry Patterns

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The skills list explicitly includes "Discuss, illustrate, or dramatize a story or poem (LA)," which invites story-focused activity. The introduction and Activity 1 ask the child "what each poem is about," prompting comprehension discussion. Activity 2 rereads a familiar book (Bear Hugs) and asks the child to supply missing rhyming words, which reviews familiar text elements aloud.

Lesson 5 Story Patterns

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Students are asked to identify and describe the beginning, middle, and end of stories (Skills; Facts and Definitions). In Activity 1, students answer targeted questions after a read-aloud—What happened at the beginning/middle/end?—prompting them to retell key events. In Activities 2 and 3, students sequence pictures, glue or illustrate events, and dictate or write a sentence for each part, and they can dramatize or act out the story to demonstrate their retelling.

Final Project Patterns Video

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The Day 2 "story pattern" activity page asks students to identify a pattern type, list elements, and fill in sequence prompts labeled "First comes..." and multiple "Then...", which requires students to order story events. The lesson tells students they can use books for the word/rhyming and book patterns and "read the words from a book or poem and explain the pattern," giving students opportunities to orally describe story examples. Students are instructed to practice and record a video in which they describe each pattern and the parts that create it, including story-pattern scripts they write or dictate.

Unit 3: Patterns in Your World

Lesson 9 Counting Patterns

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Students listen to a read-aloud story in Activity 3 about clowns getting into a car and fill blanks in the story as they track how many clowns enter. Students place clown faces in the car and remove them, physically acting out the sequence of events as the story progresses. The lesson also prompts students to tell their own version of the clown story, to act it out, and to write or dictate a sentence about the clowns, supporting recounting of the story.

4: Change

Unit 1: Changes on Planet Earth

Lesson 4 Changes in the Environment

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Students are asked to read (or be read) "Part 2: Seasons Change" and to answer questions about changes described on specific pages, which requires recalling content from the text. The skills list includes "Listen responsively to text read aloud," and activities ask students to discuss changes that occur in different seasons and to describe what causes those changes. The wrapping up prompts ask the child to describe changes in the natural environment and explain how those changes affect people's activities, which requires recalling and explaining details from the reading or discussion.

Unit 2: Characters Change

Lesson 1 What's in a Name

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Students listen to the story and answer guided comprehension questions (e.g., how Chrysanthemum felt before school, why she changed her mind, how Mrs. Twinkle changed others' feelings) that require recalling key events and details. Students complete the "Characters Change" page by listing three characteristics of Chrysanthemum at the beginning and three at the end, and by writing short sentences explaining how and why she changed. These activities prompt students, with support, to refer to specific story details and to describe the character's development.

Lesson 2 Why Worry?

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Students watch a read-aloud of Wemberly Worried and answer targeted comprehension questions about key events (worries about a party, butterflies at Halloween, and starting school), requiring them to recall what happened and whether those worries were necessary. Students complete a 'Characters Change' activity page that prompts them to describe how Wemberly was at the beginning and at the end of the story and to complete sentence frames such as 'Before Wemberly was ____, but now she is ____.' Students are prompted to discuss the story with an adult, which provides prompting and support for recalling story details.

Lesson 3 Is It a Problem?

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Students answer guided comprehension questions after reading What Do You Do With a Problem?, including how the problem is illustrated, how it changes, how the boy solves it, and what he learns. Students complete a Beginning/Middle/End activity for three familiar stories, cutting and pasting story parts in order. Students sequence and illustrate the problem at different points in the story and complete a Characters Change page comparing beginning and end.

Lesson 4 Comparing Characters

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Students are asked to dictate three- or four-sentence summaries of familiar stories, with one sentence for the beginning, one for the middle, and one for the end, and an example summary of Chrysanthemum is read aloud as a model. Students complete labeled activity pages titled "Wemberly Story Summary" and "What Do You Do With a Problem? Summary" where they record their retellings and answer questions about how the characters' situations are similar and what can be learned. Additional tasks (Venn diagrams, cause-and-effect matching, "My Favorite Story," and "I Change") require students to restate events, list similarities and differences, and match causes with effects from the stories, reinforcing key details.

Lesson 5 The Raft

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Students answer guided comprehension questions across three days that ask about who, what, and how the boy changed (e.g., questions about the raft, animals seen, what the boy paints, and how he feels at the end). Activity 7 (Story Elements) has students identify and glue the character, setting, problem, and solution for each story, requiring them to pull out key details. Activity 8 (Characters Change) asks students to compare the boy at the beginning and end and explain how he changed, and matching pages require linking titles, characters, problems, and solutions.

Lesson 6 Positive and Negative Change

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Students are asked to recall cause-and-effect situations from stories they read in the unit (Activity 1 and the end of Activity 1), which requires remembering events from familiar texts. In Activity 2 students hear a story twice, think about how the character changes, dictate and then hear a new ending read aloud, engaging with the story's events and character actions. Activity 3 prompts students to consider alternate outcomes for characters in familiar books and to describe a personal change, linking story events to causes and effects.

Unit 3: A First Look at History - Change Over Time

Lesson 1 People and Families Change

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Students sequence personal photos from youngest to oldest (Activity 1) and answer questions about differences and memories, which requires recounting events and ordering them. Students dictate family-change narratives while the adult records them and then read or hear those ideas aloud (Activity 5), and the skills list includes "Use listening skills when being read to" and "Read or attempt to read a dictated story," supporting narrative listening and oral/written recounting.

Lesson 3 Communities Change

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Students read or listen to The House on Maple Street and answer targeted questions about setting, characters, and favorite parts (Activity 1). Students sequence events by cutting, numbering, and pasting story events on a vertical timeline in Options 1 and 2 (Activity 2). Students identify and order the communities and compare details such as transportation, clothing, and homes, then place pictures in chronological circles (Activity 3). Students also write a sentence about the story (Activity 7), reinforcing recall of key details.

Lesson 4 Past and Present

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Students are asked to listen to specific pages from The Usborne Time Traveler (Activity 2 and Activity 3). In Activity 2 students are asked to draw themselves in a chosen time period and "tell a story about an adventure she had living in the past," with the reminder that the story should include people, places, and things from the time period and a review that a story has a beginning, middle, and end; the teacher is instructed to record the child's dictation. Activity 3 has students listen to day-in-the-life passages about named children from different periods and answer detailed questions about similarities and differences.

Lesson 7 People of the Past

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Activity 1 has students read a simple biography and answer questions such as whether the person lived in the past or present, how to describe the person, and what the person did to make a positive change, which prompts recall of key facts. Activity 2 has students read short descriptions of five historical figures, point to the individual described, and place the people in chronological order, which requires identifying and sequencing factual details. The wrapping up questions ask the child to describe people from the past who made positive changes, prompting verbal recall of details about those individuals.

6: Reading

Unit 1: Semester 1

Lesson 3 Letter Sounds Review III

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Students are asked to read Reader #3 — The Bug aloud and point to each word, providing support while they read. After reading, students are asked targeted comprehension questions: "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 prompt recall of story details. The lesson also encourages re-reading the previous reader (The Pig Can), giving students additional opportunities to revisit familiar stories.

Lesson 4 Letter Sounds Review IV

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Students read Reader #4 (The Cat, the Pig, the Dog, and the Fox) on their own and then read it aloud to an adult. After reading, students are asked targeted comprehension questions such as why the dog and fox are napping and why the cat and pig are not, which asks them to recall specific events and reasons. The lesson also encourages students to re-read a prior reader (The Bug), providing additional exposure to familiar stories.

Lesson 5 Adding s, More Word Families, Ending with ck

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Students are asked to read Reader #5 (Ducks Are Fun) on their own and then read it aloud to an adult, and the teacher asks a comprehension question ("Which duck do you think is having the most fun? Why?"). The introduction and Day 1 notes encourage the child to re-read the previous lesson's reader (The Cat, the Pig, the Dog, and the Fox). Multiple activities require students to read aloud and discuss meaning of words and punctuation, providing opportunities for oral responses about texts.

Lesson 7 Consonant Digraphs ch, sh, wh, ph

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In Activity 3.3 students read the reader They Get Wet aloud and are asked pre-reading and post-reading questions. The teacher asks predictive and recall questions such as "What do you think will happen in this book?" and after reading asks specific detail questions: "Where is the ship at the beginning of the book?" "Why are the rat and the cat wet at the end?" and "Why do you think the rat and the cat are on the ship?" These prompts require students to recall and talk about story details.

Lesson 8 Blends with s

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Students read the reader Meg and Dan and the Sled independently and then read it aloud to an adult (Activity 4.3). After reading, students are asked specific comprehension questions that require recall of plot details (e.g., why Meg and Dan are no longer on the sled; why they stop for a snack). The lesson also encourages re-reading a previous reader to build familiarity with stories.

Lesson 9 Blends with l

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Students are asked to read Reader #9, The Club, aloud and then answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., "What color are the flags...?," "What do the kids do at the club?"). The lesson also encourages re-reading a prior reader (Meg and Dan and the Sled) and includes teacher prompts to point to words while reading. These activities require students to recall and respond to story details with adult prompting.

Lesson 10 Blends with r

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Students read the decodable reader One Can on their own and then read it aloud while pointing to words. After reading, students are asked specific comprehension questions such as "Where are the ducks swimming to?" and "What are the kids running on?" The lesson also encourages re-reading a previous reader (The Club), supporting familiarity with stories.

Lesson 11 Ending Blends

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Activity 4.2 has the student read Reader #11 — At Camp on his own and then read it aloud to an adult. After reading, the student is asked specific comprehension questions (e.g., "What do the kids do at camp?" and "What are the kids hunting for?"). The Life Application encourages the student to reread previous readers and to read them to others.

Lesson 12 Double ll, ss, ff, zz (FLOSS)

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Students read Reader #12 (Huff and Puff) on their own and then read it aloud to an adult, and the adult asks comprehension questions about the book (e.g., what insects are shown, why insects follow the kids, why everyone is huffing and puffing). The lesson also encourages re-reading a previous reader (At Camp), which gives students repeated exposure to familiar stories and supports recalling story content. These activities require students to recall specific story details (characters, causes) in response to prompts.

Lesson 13 Glued Sounds ng and nk

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Students read Reader #13 "King Hank" on their own and then read it aloud to an adult (Activity 4.3). After reading, students are asked specific comprehension questions about the story (Where do the king and his friends sleep? What color drinks do they drink?), and the lesson also encourages re-reading the prior reader "Huff and Puff" to build familiarity.

Lesson 14 Three-Letter Beginning Blends

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On Day 4 (Activity 4.3) students read the reader Spring Has Sprung! on their own and then answer targeted comprehension questions such as "What do the kids do at the track?" and "What do the kids do at the pond?" The introduction also encourages re-reading the previous lesson's reader (King Hank), which provides opportunities for repeated exposure to familiar stories. Students are prompted to point to words as they read and then respond to questions about events in the book.

Lesson 15 More Ending Blends

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Activity 5.2 has the child read Reader #15 (The Raft Trip) aloud and then answer targeted comprehension questions such as "What animals are on the bank of the river?" and "Which animals nap on the raft?". The activity asks the child to point to each word as he reads, and then respond to questions about characters and details from the story. The child is also asked an open-ended question about what they would like to see on a raft trip, prompting recall and personal connection.

Lesson 17 Semester Review

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In Activity 4.1 students read familiar readers aloud, are asked to name or point to the characters (Meg, Dan, King Hank, dog, fox, cat, pig), and are prompted to talk about the different things the characters do (they swim, they camp, they sing, they go on a raft trip). In Activity 4.2 students plan and write their own small reader using a planning page with sections for Characters and 'What Characters Do,' and are invited to share their finished reader with others. The teacher prompts (Which is your favorite? Why? Point to or name characters; talk about what characters do) provide direct support for oral retelling with focus on key story details.

Unit 2: Semester 2

Lesson 1 Long Vowels a and i with Silent e

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Students read the reader In the Fall on their own and aloud and are prompted to point to each word as they read. After reading, students are asked specific comprehension questions that require them to recall story details (for example, listing things Lin and Dev like to do in the fall and what Lin does while Dev makes cakes).

Lesson 2 Long Vowels o, u, and e with Silent e

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Activity 5.1 has students read the reader They Chose To Doze on their own and then read it aloud to an adult. After reading, students are asked targeted questions such as "What did the family do on their trip?" and "Who fell off of the mule?", which require recounting events and identifying specific story details. The activity also prompts students to point out quotation marks and to discuss story vocabulary, supporting comprehension of who said what and what happened.

Lesson 3 Hard and Soft c and g

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Students read Reader #3 — These Mice on their own and then read it aloud to an adult (Activity 5.2). After reading, the adult asks specific comprehension questions about story details (e.g., what the mice use to make beds, what they sit on to eat cake, and why the mice like their home). The lesson also encourages re-reading a previous reader (They Chose to Doze) to support familiarity with texts.

Lesson 4 More R-Controlled Vowels (er, ir, or, ur)

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Students read The Bird Is Third independently and then read it aloud to an adult. After reading, students are asked targeted questions about the story (e.g., who won the race, which animal came in last) and an open-ended question about their expectations and reasons. The activities prompt students to recall specific story facts and to discuss outcomes and characters.

Lesson 5 Long a Spellings ai, ay

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Activity 5.1 has the child read The Gray Day independently and then read it aloud to an adult. After reading, the child is asked specific comprehension questions that require recalling key story details (e.g., "What do the boys play with indoors?" and "What animal do they see on the drain outside?"). The Introduction also encourages re-reading a prior reader (The Bird Is Third), which gives students additional practice with familiar texts.

Lesson 6 Long e Spellings ee, ey, ea

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Activity 5.1 has the child read the reader What Do You Eat? aloud to an adult and then answer direct questions about the story (e.g., "What does the worm eat?" and "How many beans are the birds eating?"). The lesson also asks the child to read the story independently first and then read it aloud, providing adult prompting and support during comprehension checks.

Lesson 7 Long i Spellings y, igh, ie

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Students read The Dark Night on their own and then read it aloud to an adult (Day 5, Activity 5.1). After reading, students are asked specific comprehension questions about the story (e.g., what Tom and Val see in the sky; what they dream about), and are asked to share their own related experiences. The activities require students to recall and speak about key story details (moon, stars, bats; Tom dreams of pie; Val dreams of mice).

Lesson 8 Long o Spellings ow, oa, oe

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Activity 5.1 asks the child to read The Slow Boat independently and then read it aloud to an adult, followed by questions about the story such as "How many boats are in the race?" and "What color is the boat that wins the race?" The Introduction also encourages the child to re-read the previous lesson's reader (The Dark Night) on one or more days, providing additional opportunity to work with familiar texts.

Lesson 9 Long u Spellings ue, ew, ou

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Students are asked to read the reader Would You Eat It? on their own and then read it aloud to an adult (Activity 5.1). After reading, students are asked specific comprehension questions about key story details (e.g., "What does Tom add to the stew?" and "What color does Val add to the stew?"). The materials also encourage rereading a previous reader (The Slow Boat), supporting familiarity with texts.

Lesson 10 Other Long Vowel Patterns

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Students read The Wild Colt on their own and then read it aloud to an adult (Activity 5.1). After reading, students are asked targeted comprehension questions about the story's events and details (e.g., why the colt is hard to find; how the man stops the colt from bolting). The activity also asks students to read sentences drawn from the story aloud after writing them (Activity 5.2), reinforcing recall of story details.

Lesson 12 Other Vowel Sounds oi, oy

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On Day 5, students read Reader #12 — The New Toy on their own and then read it aloud to an adult, after which the adult asks specific comprehension questions (e.g., "What sound does the toy make?", "What do you think Dan's new toy is?"). The activity asks the child to answer those questions aloud and to discuss personal connections ("What is your favorite toy? Why?"). The lesson includes oral reading followed by targeted questions about story details.

Lesson 13 Other Vowel Sounds ou, ow

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Students read The Hound and the Owl on their own and then read it aloud to an adult. After reading, students are asked direct comprehension prompts: what the hound does during the day, what the hound does at night, and why the hound howls at the owl. These questions require students to recall and state key story details with adult prompting.

Lesson 14 Other Vowel Sounds aw, au

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Students read Reader #14 (The Pups) aloud to an adult and are asked specific comprehension questions such as "Where do the pups sleep?" and "What are some of the things the puppies in the story do?" The activity directs the adult to ask these questions after the child finishes reading, prompting the child to recall and state key story details (e.g., nap/sleep, eat, chew paws, play).

Lesson 15 These Make More Than One Sound: oo and ea

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Students read Reader #15, The Bad Bear, first on their own and then aloud to an adult (Activity 5.1). After reading, students are asked to name specific events by answering questions such as "What are some of the naughty things the bear does?" and "What happens when the bear's mom finds her?" The prompt "What else do you think the bear can do to cause trouble?" asks students to extend their recall and describe additional story details.

Lesson 16 Silent Starts: kn, wr, gn

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The lesson asks the child to read the reader The Gnats on their own and then read it aloud to an adult (Activity 5.2). After reading, the adult asks specific comprehension questions about story events (e.g., what the gnats do to the kids at the playground and at the picnic, and what gnats do that is annoying). The lesson also encourages re-reading a previous reader (The Bad Bear), providing additional opportunities to work with familiar stories.