First Grade - ELA
1: Environment
Unit 1: Habitats and Homes
Lesson 1
My Environment
The lesson includes multiple prompts for the child to answer oral questions (e.g., "Ask your child what else she can find in her home environment," "Ask your child to briefly describe her environment," and "As you enter each room, ask your child what each room is used for and why"), which requires students to respond to a speaker. Activities ask the child to read a paragraph aloud and to discuss and explain choices (circle an important item and explain why), which has students answer and explain information they hear. Guided discussions (e.g., comparing homes now and 100 years ago) prompt students to respond to spoken prompts and participate in dialogue.
Lesson 2
What Is a Map?
Students are prompted to answer oral comprehension questions after a read-aloud (Me On the Map), such as naming their country, state, town, and address. Students answer map-focused questions about spatial relationships (e.g., What is beside the refrigerator? What is in front of the couch?) and label or identify items on a map activity. Students respond to prompts during map-making and labeling tasks, demonstrating practice in answering spoken questions about location and environment.
Lesson 3
Guide to Animal Habitats
The lesson skill list explicitly includes "Listen to and answer questions about text read orally (LA)." During the read-aloud, the adult stops and asks the child to point out animals and plants in each habitat and to count them, and the Introduction and activity prompts contain multiple questions (e.g., identifying the title, author, what the book is about, and habitat details) for the child to answer. Activity 5 and other prompts ask the child to respond to questions about what they see, feel, and would do in a chosen habitat.
Lesson 4
Animals Live and Grow
Students listen to an adult read Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt aloud and then answer a series of specific comprehension questions (Questions #1–#7). Throughout the activities, students are asked oral questions (e.g., "Ask your child what he learned…," "Ask your child why shelter is important…," and "Can he find one organism that provides food for another organism?") and are prompted to discuss and analyze their answers. Students complete oral and written response tasks based on the read-aloud and habitat investigations.
Lesson 5
Discovering Animal Habitats
Students are asked many direct questions about habitats (Activity 2 lists questions such as which habitat has fish or polar bears) and are prompted to identify and describe animals in each habitat (Activity 1 and Day 2 "Let's Create a Habitat"). Students answer analytic questions about data they collect when completing the Animal Habitat Graph (e.g., which habitat had the most or fewest crackers). Students also discuss how animals' needs are met and label food and water sources (Activity 3).
Lesson 6
Exploring Animal Habitats
The lesson prompts an adult to ask the child direct questions during the habitat observation (e.g., "Where are the plants? What animals do you see? What are they doing?"), and instructs the child to record and discuss responses. Activity 2 has the child locate information in books or online and share it, and the wrapping-up prompts ask the child what he learned and to describe how organisms live together. The role-play extension has the child perform and others guess, creating opportunities to answer peers' questions or respond to guesses.
Lesson 7
Tools in My Environment
Students are prompted to answer teacher/parent questions throughout (e.g., Activity 1: "What if we didn't have pens or pencils?" and the wrapping up prompts asking what a tool is and which tools were used). In Activity 2 students are asked directly about each tool: "What is the tool used for?" and "How does the tool work?", requiring them to respond to spoken prompts. During measuring and discussion students respond when asked to identify tools used to measure and to describe differences (longest vs. biggest).
Lesson 8
Animal Care
The Skills section explicitly lists "Answer questions about a text (LA)." During Activity 2 a caregiver reads The Salamander Room to the child and then asks multiple comprehension questions (e.g., "What kind of animal did the boy find?", "What kind of environment did the salamander need?"). Activities 1 and the Life Application also instruct caregivers to ask the child questions about caring for pets and what environment would be needed for animals, prompting the child to respond.
Lesson 9
Animal Designs
Students are asked to listen as an adult reads captions and name the animal and habitat, then explain how each animal moves and circle the body parts that help movement (Activity 1). Students are prompted to analyze habitat pictures, decide which animals do not belong, and explain why each animal would not live in that habitat (Activity 2). Students tell a creative story aloud about an animal in the wrong habitat and respond when asked if they want to add or change anything after the story is read back.
Lesson 10
Amazing Animals
Students listen to adult-read scenarios in Activity 2 and answer posed questions such as "How would you feel?", "What will happen to the starfish's arm?", "What would you do if you were the lizard?", and "What can lizards do to hide themselves?". The skills list explicitly includes "Listen critically to text read aloud" and "Respond to critical questions about a text," and Activity 3 suggests reading word problems aloud and answering them. The wrapping up prompts ask the child to tell about animals they learned, which requires responding to teacher prompts.
Unit 2: Weather
Lesson 1
Reading the Skies
Students are asked questions after a read-aloud (Activity 1) such as "What type of weather is best for playing outside?", "How does it make you feel when it rains?", and "What is your favorite type of weather?", which requires them to listen and answer. The Skills list explicitly includes "Listen critically to text read aloud" and "Respond to text read aloud," indicating practice in answering questions about spoken text. The Life Application and Wrapping Up sections have students listen to weather forecasts and describe pictures of weather, prompting oral responses about what they heard and saw.
Lesson 2
Types of Precipitation
Students listen to an adult read Oh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today? and are asked targeted comprehension questions (e.g., identify habitats, describe characters when hot or cold, and say if they learned anything new). During the rain experiment (Activity 4) students are asked to make a prediction, record their idea, count raindrops, and describe what is happening in the jar and in the sky. Activities include discussion prompts about dangerous weather (Activity 5) and repeated prompts to describe sky conditions and types of precipitation throughout the lesson.
Lesson 3
Measuring and Charting Weather
The lesson repeatedly prompts adult-child Q&A: adults are told to "Ask your child what she thinks would happen if an animal's habitat got too warm or cold," to "Ask your child how she thinks she could do that" (measuring rain), and to "Ask your child to give you examples of how weather can be measured." The lesson also directs adults to "ask her to describe what the weather can be like in different habitats" during book discussion, which requires the child to respond to spoken prompts.
Lesson 4
Simulating Weather
Students are prompted to answer questions about wind (e.g., naming three things the wind can move and going outside to identify moving objects). Students explain observations from demonstrations (e.g., describing what happens when the bottle is squeezed and released to make a cloud). Students answer questions about the weather song and point to or read words as the adult sings, and they are asked what happens in the sky to cause rain.
Lesson 6
Winter
The introduction and several activities direct an adult to ask the child questions (e.g., "Ask your child what season follows fall," "Ask your child to describe what he sees," and "Ask your child how the weather in the winter is different from the weather in the summer"). Activity 1 and wrapping-up prompts require the child to respond orally, describe pictures, compare environments, and attempt to read his dictated story aloud. The "Questions to Explore" section lists inquiry prompts that the child could respond to during discussions.
Lesson 7
Spring
Adults prompt the child to answer questions about spoken text and observations: the Introduction asks the child what the weather is like, and Activity 1 directs the adult to read each poem aloud and then ask the child what the poem was about. Activity 2 requires the child to listen to spoken directions for planting seeds and then answer counting questions (e.g., "How many seeds are there?"). Activity 3 asks the child to respond to spoken questions about a sensory observation (e.g., "Does it move/fall off? Why did it move/fall off?").
Lesson 8
Summer
The Introduction and Activities include explicit prompts where an adult asks the child questions (e.g., "Ask your child what season follows spring," and Activity 1 lists: "Can you describe the environment of the picture? What is happening in the picture? How do the kids in the picture feel?"). Activity 2 has the child read the story aloud or read along and fill in blanks, which requires the child to respond to spoken text and answer comprehension prompts. Activity 1 also asks the child to describe how he decides where puzzle pieces go, prompting spoken explanation of reasoning.
Final Project
Weather Games
Students are asked specific questions during Activity 3 (Weather Window) about what they observe — e.g., "What do you think the temperature is? Why?" and "Is there any precipitation?" — and they answer these aloud. In Activity 4 students prepare and deliver a weather forecast to the family, respond to family prompts during the presentation, and answer the questions on the "Weather Forecast" page. During wrap-up adults ask students to share what they learned and describe seasons and weather, prompting oral answers.
Unit 3: Community
Lesson 1
On the Town
Students are prompted to answer teacher-led questions after the read-aloud (e.g., "What is a community?", "What places did Charlie visit in his community?", "Why did Charlie write down the places he visited?"). Students are asked to respond to conversational prompts such as naming their town and neighborhood and comparing Charlie's journey to their own community. Students discuss and answer wrap-up questions about what a healthy community provides and describe places they visit regularly.
Lesson 2
My Community Environment
The Skills list explicitly includes "Ask questions that lead to understanding (LA)." Activity 4 has students write and bring interview questions, prepare to ask them, and then interview a community worker (postal worker, librarian, museum curator, or county clerk), recording or taking notes of the conversation. The Life Application and Wrapping Up sections direct adults to ask the child questions about places and to allow the child to ask questions of people who work in the community, and to discuss the answers afterward.
Lesson 4
Goods and Services in the Community
Students are prompted to name important places in the community and to explain how each place helps people, responding to adult questions about community roles. Students read labels and prices, answer questions about how many dollars items cost, count money, and decide which items they can afford. Students discuss bartering, trade fairness, and describe goods and services and why people have jobs during wrap-up and life-application activities.
Lesson 6
A Good Community Citizen
Students are prompted to listen and respond when asked questions such as "How do citizens in her community help one another?" and to decide whether each scenario shows good citizenship and "explain how she made her decision." Students are asked to provide other examples of good and bad citizenship, draw or label examples, and describe ways family members have exhibited good citizenship. The skills list also includes "Listen responsibly to text read aloud," indicating students practice listening and responding to spoken prompts.
Lesson 7
A Citizen with Character
The lesson repeatedly has an adult read or present stories and then ask the child questions (e.g., Activity 4 asks the child "What do you think will happen next?" and several follow-up comprehension questions; Activity 5 asks the child what the story teaches after reading "The Boy Who Cried Wolf"). The Introduction and multiple activities prompt a caregiver to ask the child about meanings of citizenship traits and to describe actions and consequences (Activities 1, 2, and 6 require the child to respond to questions about respect, responsibility, and outcomes). Activity 2 explicitly prompts the adult to ask the child two evaluative questions about jobs completed: "Did you finish the job?" and "Did you do the job well?"
Lesson 8
Rules and Laws
Students are asked and prompted to answer questions throughout the lesson (e.g., Introduction: "Ask your child what a rule is" and Activity 3: comprehension questions after the story such as "What kinds of things happen in the house with no rules?"). In Activity 1 students read each rule aloud and are asked which rule is most important and why, requiring them to respond to spoken prompts. In Activity 2 an adult reads items aloud and students decide and explain whether each is a rule, a law, or both.
Lesson 9
Caring for Our Communities
Students listen to an adult read the story "When One Person Cares" and answer direct comprehension questions (beginning/middle/end, where Katy lives, what she does, whether she helps others). In Activity 4, students respond in a speaking role when the teacher names a community helper (e.g., pretending to ask the librarian for a book), practicing answering and role-based speaking. In Activities 2 and 3, students discuss features of communities, place Xs/circles on pictures, and explain their choices aloud to gather information about what makes a community healthy or not.
Final Project
I Can Make A Difference
The planning example directs the student to call a person and ask if she can bring a meal and when to come, which has the student ask a speaker for information. The Project Reflection and Wrapping Up sections list oral questions (e.g., "Were you able to carry out your plan?", "How did you affect the person/people you helped?", "What did you learn?") that require the student to answer spoken questions. The introduction also instructs an adult to "Ask your child to give examples..." so the student practices answering questions about community ideas.
2: Similarities and Differences
Unit 1: Amazing Attributes
Lesson 3
Size, Shape, and Color
The lesson repeatedly instructs an adult to ask the child to describe and compare objects (e.g., describe the metal spoon's size, shape, and color; explain how the wooden spoon is different or similar). Activities prompt the adult to ask the child questions about organizing by size, identifying shapes in the house, and naming what colors make purple, green, and orange. The wrap-up and life-application sections ask the child to describe what she learned and to talk about properties of objects during the week, which elicits student answers and discussion.
Lesson 4
How Does It Feel?
Students are asked to describe objects orally during the blindfold activity and to answer prompts (e.g., describing how an object feels and guessing what it is). In Activity 1 and the wrapping up discussion, students respond to prompts about whether texture descriptions were sufficient and name texture words. The Life Application and Activities require students to speak about object textures and participate in back-and-forth guessing and discussion with an adult.
Lesson 5
How Old?
Students are prompted to generate and choose questions for pictured people (Activity 2, Options 1 and 2), including being asked "which question she would ask each individual" and to "think of another question she would like to ask each person." Students practice writing those questions, using capital letters and question marks, and reread or hear the questions aloud. The skills list explicitly includes "Express ideas and ask questions (LA)."
Lesson 6
The Measure of Things
The lesson repeatedly instructs an adult to ask the child questions (e.g., "Ask what a doctor measures...", "Ask him how he knows these measurements", "Ask him to give you examples"). Students are asked to explain differences between attributes (height vs. weight), make estimates and then report actual measurements, and respond to questions after watching a video about balances. Day 2 has students record independent measurements (finger units) and compare answers, prompting them to answer why results differ.
Lesson 7
More Attributes
The lesson repeatedly prompts the child to answer oral questions such as "Ask your child to explain what an attribute is," "Ask her what the groups will be," and "Ask her which toys go in each circle," requiring spoken responses about attributes, sorting, and Venn placements. Activities direct the child to describe similarities and differences aloud (e.g., point out ways she is similar to and different from family members, explain how blocks are similar and different). Several tasks require the child to respond to spoken prompts about how to sort and place items in Venn diagrams.
Lesson 8
Amazing Attributes
The lesson repeatedly prompts adults to ask the child questions (e.g., "Ask your child to describe different types of measurements," "Ask your child what a magnet is and what it can be used for"). Students are guided to discuss results and explanations (e.g., "discuss which predictions were correct and which were incorrect," "Discuss the term 'density' and how the density of an object determines whether the object sinks or floats"). The wrapping up prompts ask the child questions about magnets and sinking/floating and suggest reviewing or re-watching the video if the child does not remember, prompting verbal responses and clarification from the child.
Lesson 9
Solids and Liquids
The lesson repeatedly directs an adult to ask the child questions (e.g., "Ask your child if she has heard the word 'liquid'... Ask her to explain the difference," "Ask her what she observes," "Ask what caused the ice cube to change"). Students are prompted to answer those questions, explain observations, and describe causes (heat/cold) during hands-on activities such as melting ice and freezing water. Students also respond to prompts to brainstorm examples and categorize images as solids or liquids.
Lesson 10
Earth Materials: Rocks, Soil, and Water
The Skills list explicitly includes the target ability: "Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood." The lesson directs an adult to read books aloud and then asks specific comprehension questions (e.g., "Can you name three solids...", "Can you describe any liquids pictured...") for the child to answer. Many activities instruct the adult to ask the child to describe, compare, or provide attributes after hearing the text or watching videos, which requires the child to answer questions about spoken content.
Lesson 11
Using Earth Materials
Students are asked to describe the three Earth materials they explored in the previous lesson, which requires them to answer questions from an adult. The lesson has students watch a music video about rock types and then think about and discuss how rocks are used, and it prompts family discussions during the Water Log and gardening activities where students report observations or dictate entries. Multiple activities instruct adults to "ask your child" and to "discuss" properties of soil and uses of rocks, providing opportunities for students to respond to spoken prompts.
Final Project
Presenting Attributes
Students plan and practice giving an oral demonstration or presenting a poster, including steps that have them "practice giving his demonstration to you" and "practice by presenting his poster to you, describing each part." The plan requires a final presentation to family or a small group of children, which gives students opportunities to speak aloud and respond to adult prompts. Adults are instructed to ask the child planning questions (e.g., "Ask your child what Earth materials he could use") and to ask reflection questions at the end, which students answer.
Unit 2: Senses
Lesson 1
My Five Senses
Students are asked to describe objects and to explain how they determined each object's attributes, which requires answering questions about observations. During the read-aloud of My Five Senses, students are asked comprehension questions (e.g., name the five senses, which body part is used, which senses identify shape or color, and to recall times they used multiple senses), requiring students to respond to a speaker's prompts. The activities require students to answer teacher questions about the text and sensory experiences and to dictate sentences describing a sensing experience.
Lesson 2
Senses and Body Parts
Students are asked to name the five senses and give examples, and to point to the body parts they use for each sense. During the read-aloud of "Jackie's Day at the Pet Store," students listen and respond by picking up and gluing the sense organ when Jackie uses a sense. Activity 2 has an adult read situations and ask the child to point to the sense organ to be used, and the Skills list includes "Determine a purpose for listening to text read aloud" and "Listen responsively to text read aloud."
Lesson 3
Smelling and Tasting
The lesson asks the child to conduct a survey (Activity 2) in which she asks four people whether they like foods (recording Y/N) and then totals responses, which requires asking and recording answers from speakers. The Introduction and Wrapping Up prompt the child to answer adult-posed questions (e.g., which sense she uses most often, which tastes she enjoys) and to describe situations, providing practice in responding to a speaker's questions. Activity 3 and 4 require the child to report tastes and write a sentence about survey results, reinforcing answering questions about others' responses.
Lesson 4
Hearing and Seeing
Students listen to The Magic School Bus read aloud and answer specific comprehension questions (Activity 1). In Activity 5 (Listen Carefully) students close their eyes, listen to two spoken descriptions, and decide (answer) what place is being described. Multiple activities (Listening Walk, blindfolded navigation, and recorded oral descriptions) require students to listen carefully and then describe or respond orally to what they heard. The Skills list also includes "Listen responsively to text read aloud," indicating responsive listening and answering are practiced.
Lesson 5
Touch
The Introduction and Wrapping Up repeatedly prompt the child to respond to spoken questions (e.g., "Ask your child if she remembers what the word ‘texture' means," and "Ask your child what she thinks it would be like if everything in the world had the same texture"). Activity 1 and Activity 2 require the child to answer prompts by choosing adjectives, writing opposites, and checking chart boxes based on oral directions. Activity 3 asks the child to discuss sensations as ingredients are added, prompting spoken responses about what is being experienced.
Lesson 7
Using All of Our Senses
The lesson lists the skill "Interact with reader when text is read aloud (questions, comments, and ideas)," and instructs an adult to read pages of My Five Senses and then ask the child which senses the character used and how. After the nature walk, adults are directed to ask the child specific questions (e.g., "What were some things you heard? Smelled? Saw? Touched?" and "If someone asked you what you found on your walk, what would you say?"). Activity 3 asks children to identify ways characters use their senses in books, which prompts oral discussion about what was described by speakers/readers.
Unit 3: We're the Same, We're Different
Lesson 1
You're Special
The lesson prompts students to respond orally and in writing to personal questions (e.g., "What makes you special?", name, favorite color) and asks them to read their completed personal story aloud and share it with others. Caregivers are instructed to "ask him what he likes about his story" and to have the child compare his numbers with another person's, which requires answering spoken comparison questions. Discussion prompts in the introduction and wrapping up ask students to discuss ways people are alike and different, providing practice in answering questions about spoken prompts.
Lesson 2
Physical Characteristics
Activity 2 asks the child to listen carefully while an adult reads a short story and then answer multiple comprehension questions (e.g., retell the story, beginning/middle/end, did they have fun, are they friends?). Activity 1 includes teacher prompts after the paper-doll activity asking the child about similarities and differences (e.g., Do they have the same number of hands and fingers? Is their hair the same or different?). Activity 3 has the child dictate and speak her own story aloud, which gives practice producing oral narrative content that a listener could question.
Lesson 4
Interests and Hobbies
Students are asked to conduct a Hobby Survey in Activity 3 where they interview three people, read the survey questions aloud, and record respondents' answers, which requires asking questions to gather information. Activity 2 asks students to research an interest and includes a prompt for "What is a question you have about _______?", prompting students to generate questions about a topic. Activity 1 gives students opportunities to share a hobby with someone else, which can involve speaking and responding to others during that exchange.
Lesson 5
Shapesville
Students are prompted to answer comprehension questions after the read-aloud (e.g., "Did you enjoy the story? Why or why not?", "How are the shapes' personalities different?", "What are some of the interests of the shapes?"). Students explain and describe their chosen shape and provide reasons for their selection (Activity 2) and explain why a shape represents a family member (Activity 3). Students are asked to share their shape design and description with other family members, which involves responding to spoken prompts during sharing.
Lesson 6
Different Families
Students are prompted to answer oral questions such as naming family members, explaining what it means to be part of a family, and listing responsibilities (e.g., "What are your responsibilities in your family?" "What does each family member do for the family?"). Students listen to portions of the book A Life Like Mine and are asked to describe pictures, clothing, activities, and interactions of families from other countries. Students respond to guided discussion prompts during wrap-up (e.g., how their family is similar to and different from others) and complete written or drawn responses on activity pages.
Lesson 7
Different Homes
The lesson directs an adult to ask the child to identify and describe different homes from the book and to answer why people have homes, what materials are used, and what he enjoys about his house. It prompts the child to recall prior knowledge by asking if he remembers what a natural resource is and to record countries for different home types after searching with an adult. The wrapping up questions ask the child whether he would enjoy living in a different type of home and to describe why, so students practice answering questions about spoken prompts.
Lesson 8
Different Holidays and Traditions
The introduction directs the adult to ask the child to name some holidays and to ask what she enjoys about each one, prompting the child to answer questions about spoken prompts. Activity 2 instructs adults to discuss online information with the child and to ask specific questions (e.g., "What are the people celebrating?" "What types of activities are they engaged in?"), which requires the child to listen and answer about a speaker's description. Activity 3 asks the child which holiday is her favorite and why and has her produce three sentences, reinforcing answering spoken questions about content.
Lesson 9
Different Modes of Transportation
Students are prompted to answer adult questions such as giving examples of ways people travel and explaining why one might choose a particular mode of transportation. Students complete worksheets that require answering questions (circling or writing the best mode for scenarios, numbering distances) and tell a story about a trip they drew, which they then read aloud. Students act out modes of transportation while an adult guesses, requiring students to respond about the mode they are portraying.
Lesson 10
Wants and Needs
Students are instructed to take a Wants and Needs survey in which they will ask four people to name two things they want and two things they need and record those responses. The lesson repeatedly prompts adults to ask the child questions (e.g., "Ask your child what animals need…" and "Ask her to explain her answer") so students practice answering spoken questions. The lesson directs students to discuss the items people shared and to rearrange items on webs according to whether they are wants or needs, which involves interpreting and responding to others' statements.
Final Project
Differences Make the World Go 'Round
The lesson explicitly tells the child to "meet a person from the country she chose" and "encourage her to ask questions about life in that country," which directs students to ask questions to gather information. The lesson also asks the child to "share it with her family to teach more about life in a different country," which creates an opportunity for students to engage in spoken exchange about their work.
3: Patterns
Unit 1: Identifying and Creating Visual Patterns
Lesson 2
Recognizing Types of Patterns
The lesson includes multiple prompts where an adult asks the child questions and the child is expected to answer and explain (e.g., "Ask him how many colors are in the set," "Ask him if the objects make a pattern and how many objects are in the pattern," and "Ask your child to explain to you the difference between an ABAB pattern and an AABB pattern"). Students are asked to explain how they decided the pattern type (e.g., "He should explain how he decided") and to point out examples (e.g., point out ABAB and AABB patterns in the book). Several activities require students to label items and justify their decisions, which asks for verbal explanation and clarification of reasoning.
Lesson 3
What Comes Next?
Students are prompted to answer questions such as "What comes next?," "What comes before ___?," and "What comes after ___?" as they analyze and extend patterns. Students are asked to explain how they know what comes next, identify pattern types (ABAB, AABB, ABC), and label added items with A, B, or C. One activity has students write or copy a question on handwriting paper: "What do you see after the ________?."
Unit 2: Patterns in Sounds, Words, and Actions
Lesson 2
Making Word Patterns
The materials prompt an adult to ask the child what it means to rhyme and to name pairs or sets of rhyming words, and the child is asked to complete and read sentences on the "It's Time to Rhyme" page. Activities ask the child to explain how groups of words follow a pattern and to name sets of words in the same word family during the Wrapping Up section. Several activities require the child to respond verbally (e.g., explain, name, read aloud) and to produce answers that show understanding of rhyming patterns.
Lesson 3
Poetry Patterns
Students are prompted to listen as an adult reads poems or sings songs and then answer questions such as "what each poem is about" and to identify and circle rhyming words. During the song activity, students are asked to guess which rhyming word comes next when the verse is paused and to fill in omitted rhyming words in poems. Students are also asked to recite or write the words in each verse that follow the same pattern and to explain how to find rhyming words.
Lesson 4
Sentence Patterns
In Activity 2 an adult says simple sentences aloud and asks the child to tell the naming word (noun) and the action word (verb) in each sentence, requiring the child to answer questions about what was spoken. In Activity 3 students read sentences aloud and are asked to decide which word completes each sentence and whether that word is a person, place, or thing, prompting oral responses to the speaker's statements. In Activity 4 students listen to sentences in books and are asked to identify the noun and verb after the sentences are read, which requires answering questions about what a speaker says.
Lesson 5
Story Patterns
Students are asked to respond to comprehension questions such as "What happened at the beginning/middle/end of the story?" (Activity 1) and to predict what will happen next during a read-aloud. Students retell and sequence events by cutting/gluing pictures, illustrating and writing/dictating sentences for the beginning, middle, and end (Activity 2 and 3). Students also attempt to read their own stories aloud and describe the pattern that a story follows during wrap-up and life application prompts.
Lesson 6
Sound Patterns
The lesson repeatedly directs the adult to ask the child questions about what they hear (e.g., "Ask him if he heard a pattern," "Ask him what type of pattern he heard," and "ask him to name the two sounds repeated"). Activities require students to listen to sound patterns and then describe and record parts and counts of the patterns (Activity 2: identify a segment and record how many times each sound repeats). The wrapping up prompts ask the child to describe how to make a sound pattern and how hearing can be used to identify patterns.
Unit 3: Patterns in Your World
Lesson 1
Patterns in Nature
The lesson directs an adult to read aloud pages 1–11 and then asks the child to identify and describe the pattern in each picture, prompting student responses. It includes specific teacher prompts for the child to answer, such as "Were there any patterns that you had seen before? Which ones?" and "Can you think of any other patterns in nature that could be added to the book?" These tasks require students to listen to a speaker (the reader) and answer questions about what was said or shown.
Lesson 3
Night and Day
The lesson repeatedly instructs an adult to ask the child questions (e.g., "Ask your child how she knows when it is nighttime and when it is daytime," and "Ask your child to describe when it is daytime where she lives and when it is nighttime"). The lesson also directs questions for the child to answer (e.g., "How would it be different if it were light all the time?" and "How would it be different if it were dark all the time?"). The globe and flashlight activities prompt the child to describe and explain observations after a demonstration or video.
Lesson 5
Calendar Patterns
Students are asked to name the days of the week and months of the year in order, answering spoken prompts. Students examine calendar months and respond to questions about whether events occur weekly, biweekly, or monthly and record each pattern. Students dictate or record their scheduled daily activities on the weekly pattern page, providing spoken information about routines.
Lesson 6
Seasonal Weather Patterns
The lesson includes many adult-posed questions that students answer, such as "Ask your child if he can name the four seasons," and direct quiz questions in Activity 1 (e.g., "Which month comes after March?" "Which season comes before summer?"). The wrapping up prompts ask students to identify the month, name the season, and describe observed weather, which requires students to answer spoken prompts. Several activities require students to respond to questions and to sequence months and seasons based on those spoken or written prompts.
Lesson 7
Patterns at Home
Students are asked to listen to an adult read the Pattern book aloud and then identify and describe patterns they heard about (Activity 1). Students respond to direct prompts such as naming patterns found on clothing, quilts, plates, and in nature, and they answer questions like "Ask your child what it would be like if there were no patterns around the house." Students are prompted to name shapes and count sides and angles after listening and looking at the quilt pattern (Activity 3).
Lesson 8
Symmetrical Patterns
The lesson includes multiple teacher prompts that require the child to answer questions about spoken prompts: the Introduction asks the child to describe the butterfly pattern and say if the wings look the same or different. Wrapping Up prompts the child to answer questions about what symmetry means and to describe whether folding their body or waist would be symmetrical. Activities ask the child to tell which group has more shapes and how many more, requiring verbal responses to questions.
Lesson 9
Counting Patterns
The Skills list explicitly includes "Listen to a story read aloud" and "Answer questions about a story read aloud," indicating students will respond to spoken information. In Activity 3, students listen to a narrated clown story and fill in blanks by placing clown faces in the car, which requires answering questions about what the speaker says. The activities also prompt students to tell their own versions of the story aloud, reinforcing comprehension of spoken narrative content.
Lesson 11
Patterns in Graphs
Students are prompted to listen as an adult reads titles and labels and then answer questions such as "What does this chart tell us?", "How many types of people are on the chart?", and to describe patterns in the graph. Students are asked to describe patterns aloud, color-code elements based on spoken instructions, and predict how many books John would read on a following day after discussing the graph. The wrap-up asks students to describe how to find patterns in graphs and charts, requiring oral responses to spoken prompts.
Final Project
Patterns All Around Lapbook
The lesson includes a "Questions to Explore" list (e.g., "Where are patterns found?") and directs an adult to ask the child to name different types of patterns, so students answer questions about patterns. The wrapping up section instructs an adult to ask the child which mini-book he is most proud of and what his book teaches, prompting students to respond orally and share information. The Skills list includes using props and pictures to support spoken messages, which supports students' spoken explanations.
4: Change
Unit 1: Changes on Planet Earth
Lesson 2
What Changed?
The lesson lists the skill "Listen when someone is reading aloud" and instructs the adult to encourage the child to answer questions about the book (Activity 1). The introduction and activities prompt the child to respond to adult questions (e.g., "Ask her what her location is now," and the follow-up questions after reading pages 20–23). The Student Activity Page and Activity 2/3 ask the child to give examples and describe changes in response to prompts.
Lesson 3
Changing Position
The lesson directs an adult to read the book aloud and then ask the child specific comprehension questions (QUESTION #1–#4) about what was said, and it prompts the child to look at the cover and tell what is happening. The lesson asks the child to explain why objects come back down when tossed (Activity 6) and to explain ways that objects change position in the wrapping up section. Several activities require the child to respond verbally or in writing to questions posed by the adult about forces, magnetism, and examples of pushes and pulls.
Lesson 4
Changes in the Environment
The lesson includes the skill "Listen responsively to text read aloud" and has the adult read scenarios in Activity 1, asking the child how the weather change might cause him to change activities, which the child answers. Activity 2 has the child read (or listen to) Part 2 and is encouraged to answer questions about the changes described in the book. The Wrapping Up prompts ask the child to describe changes and explain causes in response to adult prompts.
Lesson 5
Changes in Location
Students are asked to answer questions about an object's location (e.g., "Ask your child how the animal changed and to describe where the animal is now"). Students follow spoken directions and respond by moving a cut-out mouse to locations as the adult reads sentences aloud (e.g., "As you read aloud each of the following sentences, ask her to move the mouse to the position that you describe"). Students describe locations orally and in writing in activities like "Where Did He Go?" and when switching roles to have the child describe the adult's location.
Lesson 6
Changes in the Sky
Students are prompted to answer teacher questions during activities (e.g., in Activity 2 the adult asks the child "what are you doing now?" while modeling rotation and revolution). Students brainstorm and describe the Sun and Moon (Activity 1) and respond during guided discussion about why the Sun is important and how the Moon shines. The Wrapping Up section directs students to describe how objects in the sky change positions, which requires answering prompts from an adult.
Lesson 7
Living Things Change
The lesson repeatedly directs an adult to ask the child questions (e.g., "Ask your child what it means for something to be living," "Ask your child how she changes," and questions about whether changes are fast or slow), and students are asked to answer those questions and explain reasoning. Students are prompted to respond to guided questions on activity pages (e.g., circle whether a change is number, size, shape, or place; determine fast or slow) and to describe observed changes in pictures. Several activities require students to answer questions about observed information and to give examples (e.g., give examples of changes that occur in animals).
Lesson 8
Plants and Change
Students are asked to listen to/read specific pages (e.g., Read pages 4-7 and Read pages 10-13) and then answer explicit questions (QUESTION #1 and QUESTION #2) about what they heard. Students are prompted to recall and respond when asked what plants need (Activity 1) and to make and record predictions about an experiment (Activity 6). Several prompts direct students to describe plant parts and life stages aloud or in writing after listening to or viewing informational content (videos and read-alouds).
Final Project
Mobile of Change
The lesson includes many teacher prompts for discussion (e.g., "Ask him to think about the following situations and discuss...", "Discuss how weather can force people to change their activities") that require students to respond verbally. Skills list and activities instruct students to "Report daily on weather changes" and to "Express ideas through writing and conversation," which involve students answering questions and speaking about observations. The wrapping-up prompts ask students to explain their mobile to family members and to answer which example is their favorite and what they learned.
Unit 2: Characters Change
Lesson 1
What's in a Name
Students listen to the story as it is read aloud via the provided link and are prompted to pay attention to the narrator and illustrations. Students answer four explicit comprehension questions (Questions #1–#4) about what the narrator said, including feelings, cause of change, and how a teacher character influenced others. Students respond to teacher prompts (predicting what might happen, identifying feelings from phrases, and guessing word meanings while listening).
Lesson 2
Why Worry?
Students watch a read-aloud video of Wemberly Worried and then discuss the story using provided comprehension questions. Students answer specific questions about whether Wemberly needed to worry and what can be learned from her, as well as compare characters (Wemberly and Chrysanthemum) during discussion. Students are prompted to respond orally during guided discussion and to use conjunctions when talking about the story.
Lesson 3
Is It a Problem?
Students listen to an adult read What Do You Do With a Problem? and then answer explicit comprehension questions provided in the lesson (e.g., How does the author illustrate the problem? What happens as the boy continues to worry? How does the boy take care of his problem? What does the boy learn?). Students orally respond to prompts asking them to identify problems in Wemberly and Chrysanthemum, to describe beginning/middle/end, and to compare how characters change. Students also answer guided talk-based prompts in the "Tackling a Problem" activity where an adult asks them to describe a problem, explain why it worries them, and identify what is within or out of their control.
Lesson 4
Comparing Characters
Students answer questions about which story and character they liked and why, and they respond to prompts such as "How are the characters' situations similar?" and "What can we learn from both characters?" Students dictate three- or four-sentence summaries after hearing a read-aloud summary and participate in teacher-child discussions and cause-and-effect matching based on spoken examples.
Lesson 5
The Raft
Students are asked to answer multiple oral comprehension questions after each reading segment (e.g., the numbered 'Questions' after Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3), requiring them to respond to what was read aloud. Activity 6 (Figurative Language and Word Meaning) prompts students to explain what phrases mean and to clarify idioms (for example, discussing whether Grandma literally had 'eyes in the back of her head'). The Getting Started prompt and several activities ask students to share memories or compare narrators, which require students to respond to spoken prompts and explain meaning.
Lesson 6
Positive and Negative Change
Students listen as an adult reads a character description twice and then answer direct questions (e.g., how the rat feels, how he could respond) and discuss how and why the rat changed. Students participate in conversations about story events and 'what if' scenarios from other texts, answering prompts about choices characters made and consequences. Students also discuss and describe a personal change, illustrating and dictating sentences about the cause and effect.
Unit 3: A First Look at History - Change Over Time
Lesson 2
Understanding Time
The lesson repeatedly prompts an adult to ask the child questions and to have the child respond (e.g., "Ask your child to name something that has happened to her in the past," "Now ask your child the following questions:"). Activities require oral responses to questions about past, present, and future and about units of time (e.g., were you born in the past, present, or future?). The Introduction and Wrapping Up sections instruct the adult to discuss concepts and ask the child to explain differences between past, present, and future.
Lesson 3
Communities Change
Students are prompted to listen to or read The House on Maple Street and then answer specific questions such as Where did the story happen?, Who are the characters?, How did the environment change in the story?, and When would you have most liked to visit Maple Street? Students also respond to follow-up prompts asking them to point out differences in transportation, clothing, homes, and activities, and to explain why they would choose to live in a given time period.
Lesson 4
Past and Present
Students are asked to answer specific oral questions after viewing pictures and listening to readings (e.g., How did people in the past dress differently? How were their homes different?). Students orally describe and dictate stories about living in a past time period and answer follow-up comprehension questions about those stories and historical descriptions (e.g., How is this teenager's life different from the lives of teenagers you know?). Students read or present five clues aloud to family members in Activity 7 and respond when family members guess the time period.
Lesson 5
Exploring the Past
Students are prompted to give a presentation to the family and share what they learned about a chosen culture, which requires speaking aloud about content they wrote and drew. The lesson includes prompts where an adult asks the child questions (for example, "Ask your child if he remembers the three time periods…" and "Ask your child what he learned about cultures…"). Students complete timeline and cultural pages that they can use as material for an oral presentation.
Lesson 6
Predicting Future Change
Students are prompted to answer questions about scenarios in Activity 1 (e.g., "How will this change your family?" and follow-up questions) and to record or dictate their ideas. Activity 2 asks students to evaluate their own answers as positive or negative and to write sentences describing a positive result and a negative result. Activity 3 asks students to describe a personal change, dictate that description, and attempt to read it aloud, which involves responding to prompts and speaking about information they provided.
Lesson 7
People of the Past
The lesson asks students to listen to a biography being read and answer specific comprehension questions (Activity 1: Did this person live in the past or present? How would you describe this person? What did this person do?). Activity 2 instructs students to listen as descriptions are reread and then point to the individual described, demonstrating listening and responding. The Wrap Up and Activity 3 prompt students to answer oral questions about what a biography is and what positive changes they could make.
6: Reading
Unit 1: Semester 1
Lesson 1
Letter Sounds Review I
Students are asked and prompted to answer many spoken questions (e.g., Activity 1.2: "What objects in the video begin with short a?"; Activity 3.2: "Can you show me the letter that is at the beginning of ‘sat'?"; Activity 3.1: counting occurrences of sight words by asking "How many times is ‘and' in the message?"). In Activities 1.3, 2.3, and 5.4 students respond to teacher prompts by identifying sight words, letter sounds, or words from clues. Several activities require students to listen to a speaker (teacher or video) and provide specific information in response.
Lesson 2
Letter Sounds Review II
Students are asked to answer questions about a video speaker (Activity 1.2: "What sound does short i make?" and "What words did the video show that have short i?"). Students answer comprehension and comprehension-style questions about a reader (Activity 5.3: they read The Pig Can, are asked "What do you think this book is about?" and "Do you think the pig and the cat can fit in the box?"). Students also respond to oral prompts throughout (pointing to letters/sight words in the Weekly Message and answering teacher questions about punctuation and letter sounds).
Lesson 3
Letter Sounds Review III
Students are asked to answer questions about a spoken Weekly Message (e.g., "Based on the hint, what vowel do you think you're going to work with this week?") and to identify punctuation after the message. Students are prompted to answer comprehension questions after reading the reader The Bug (e.g., "What is the bug able to do?"; "Why can't he do that?"). Students also respond orally when asked to read sight words and to read sentences they complete on the "What's Missing?" page.
Lesson 4
Letter Sounds Review IV
Students are asked to answer questions about spoken text when an adult reads the Weekly Message and is asked, "How many sentences does this message have?"; they point to words, circle end marks, and respond. Students read The Cat, the Pig, the Dog, and the Fox aloud and then answer comprehension questions such as "Why are the dog and the fox napping at the end of the book?" and "Why aren't the cat and the pig napping?" Students also read sentences aloud to an adult and respond when prompted during sight-word and sentence activities.
Lesson 5
Adding s, More Word Families, Ending with ck
In Activity 5.2 (Guess My Word), students listen to spoken clues and write and say the word that matches the speaker's clues, directly answering questions based on what was said. In Activity 1.1 the teacher asks students factual questions about the Weekly Message (e.g., "What does a period do?"; "How many sentences does this message have?") and students answer aloud. In Activity 4.3 students answer a comprehension prompt ("Which duck do you think is having the most fun? Why?") after reading a text aloud.
Lesson 6
Open Syllables and Digraph th
Students are asked to answer spoken questions throughout the lesson (e.g., Activity 1.2: "What do you notice about each pair of words?" "How does each word in a pair end?"), and they respond to teacher prompts after reading (Activity 5.2: questions about characters and details). Students also listen and respond to oral directions when pointing to or reading sight words and when putting mixed-up sentence strips in order (Activity 5.1).
Lesson 7
Consonant Digraphs ch, sh, wh, ph
Students listen and answer comprehension and identification questions throughout the lesson (for example, Activity 3.3 asks, "Where is the ship...?," "Why are the rat and the cat wet...?," and "Why do you think...?"). Students respond to spoken prompts that require clarification or identification of sounds (Activity 1.2 asks children to stand for /ch/ and sit for /sh/; Activity 2.2 asks students to point to the card that shows the sound in a spoken word). Multiple activities prompt students to notice and answer questions about spoken language, such as asking "What do you notice about the beginning of 'they'?" and having students name pictures and explain word features.
Lesson 8
Blends with s
Students answer spoken prompts in multiple activities: in Activity 4.1 the teacher reads clues and students write and say the guessed words (e.g., chest, snack, sky, slip), and in Activity 4.3 students read aloud and then answer comprehension questions spoken by the adult about Meg and Dan and the Sled. Activity 4.2 and Activity 5.2 require students to respond to oral prompts (spell words the teacher says; write sentences the teacher dictates), showing practice in responding to a speaker's oral statements.
Lesson 9
Blends with l
When the student reads Reader #9 — The Club aloud to an adult, the adult asks specific comprehension questions (e.g., about flag colors and activities) and the student answers them. During other activities the adult prompts the student to name pictures, say words in each column, and respond to dictated sentences, which requires the student to listen to a speaker and answer questions or prompts. The Weekly Message activity has the adult read aloud while the student follows and then completes tasks based on that reading.
Lesson 10
Blends with r
Students listen to the teacher read the Weekly Message and are asked to point to and read known words, respond to prompts (e.g., circle periods, underline sight words), and identify blends called out by the speaker. During Activity 4.2 (Reader #10 — One Can), students read on their own and then answer comprehension questions aloud about what was read (e.g., "Where are the ducks swimming to?" "What are the kids running on?"). In multiple activities (Activity 1.3, Activity 2.2, and wrap-up clues) students answer teacher-posed questions about words and sounds.
Lesson 11
Ending Blends
Students are asked specific comprehension questions after reading the reader At Camp (e.g., "What do the kids do at camp?" "What are the kids hunting for?"), and they answer those questions. Students respond to spoken prompts throughout the lesson by pointing to or reading words, naming pictures during the sorting activity, and spelling words as the teacher says them. Students also read aloud and answer questions about the Weekly Message and sight words when prompted.
Lesson 12
Double ll, ss, ff, zz (FLOSS)
Students are asked to answer questions about spoken material: Activity 1.2 prompts, "Which letters does the FLOSS rule tell us to double?" after watching the video. Activity 2.1 has students answer the three FLOSS-decision questions aloud (yes/no) and give a thumbs up/thumbs down for words like "moss" and "huff." Activity 4.3 asks students comprehension questions after reading Huff and Puff (e.g., "What insects are shown?" "Why is everyone huffing and puffing?").
Lesson 13
Glued Sounds ng and nk
Students are asked comprehension questions after reading Reader #13 (Activity 4.3) — e.g., "Where do the king and his friends sleep?" — and expected to answer about what they heard/read. During Rules Review (Activity 1.2) students are prompted to explain the spelling rule that corresponds to paired words, providing spoken explanations. In Word Sorting (Activity 5.1) students listen to words the teacher says and point to the ending they hear, demonstrating responding to spoken prompts.
Lesson 14
Three-Letter Beginning Blends
Students are asked to answer direct questions about what they hear and read (e.g., "Are these rhyming words? What makes them rhyming words?" in Activity 2.1 and comprehension questions after reading Spring Has Sprung!). Students point to and read words or beginning sounds on cards when prompted (e.g., pointing to scr/str/spr/spl cards and saying the beginning sounds) and read aloud dictated sentences in Activity 5.2. Students also respond to prompts to explain word meanings and to read words aloud after sorting, providing spoken answers to an adult speaker.
Lesson 15
More Ending Blends
Students are asked to read The Raft Trip and then answer explicit comprehension questions (Activity 5.2: "What animals are on the bank of the river?", "Which animals nap on the raft?", "What would you like to see...?"). Students are asked to respond to teacher prompts about print and sounds (Activity 3.1: "What letter do all of these ending blends include?") and to follow and respond when the adult reads the Weekly Message aloud (Activity 1.1), highlighting multisyllabic words as directed.
Lesson 16
R-Controlled Vowels (ar)
Students are prompted to generate questions using the sight-word question cards (Activity 1.3), where they are asked to come up with a question using "which," "what," and "when." After reading the decodable reader Which? When? What?, students are asked to answer follow-up questions about the text (Activity 4.2). In Guess My Word (Activity 5.2) the teacher reads clues aloud and students write and say the target words, showing practice answering based on a speaker's spoken clues.
Unit 2: Semester 2
Lesson 1
Long Vowels a and i with Silent e
Students are asked comprehension and identification questions and expected to answer them, for example when the adult asks which sight words have short vowels and when the adult asks the comprehension questions after the reader (e.g., "What are some of the things that Lin and Dev like to do in the fall?"). Students are also prompted to respond to teacher prompts such as "Ask her what is different about 'like' in the two sentences" and to answer clues in the "Guess My Word" activity. Several activities require students to point to, identify, or verbally respond to things the speaker (teacher/parent) says.
Lesson 2
Long Vowels o, u, and e with Silent e
Students are prompted to answer many teacher-posed questions (e.g., "Do these words have the short or long e sound?" in Activity 1.2; "What vowel sound do the words in the first column have?" in Activity 2.1; "Do all of these words have the short u sound?" in Activity 3.1). After reading the story on Day 5, students are asked comprehension questions such as "What did the family do on their trip?" and "Who fell off of the mule?" The lesson also directs students to point to and read words and to identify vowel sounds when the teacher says or points to words (sight word and word-building activities).
Lesson 3
Hard and Soft c and g
Students are asked to answer comprehension and clarification questions, for example during Day 5 when they read These Mice and respond to specific questions ("What do the mice use to make beds…?"). Multiple activities prompt students to explain their thinking aloud (e.g., "Ask her to explain how she knows" in Activity 3.1 and "What do you notice about the sound of c in these words?" in Activity 2.1). Several prompts require students to listen to words or teacher modeling and then answer questions about sounds and pronunciations (e.g., asking whether a c or g is hard or soft and why).
Lesson 4
More R-Controlled Vowels (er, ir, or, ur)
Students answer direct comprehension questions after reading The Bird Is Third (e.g., "Who won the race?", "Which animal came in last?", "Are you surprised...?"). Students respond to teacher prompts during word-building and phonics activities (e.g., "What word have you spelled now?", "What makes the way you pronounce a in each word change?"). Students listen to dictated sentences and write them, then read them aloud, demonstrating responding to spoken input.
Lesson 5
Long a Spellings ai, ay
Students answer multiple teacher-posed questions about spoken text and phonics: for example, during Day 5 they answer questions about The Gray Day (e.g., "What do the boys play with indoors?", "What animal do they see on the drain outside?"). Students respond to phonics prompts such as "Do these words have the short or long a sound? How do you know?" and "Which vowel will say its name?" in Activities 1.2 and 3.1. Students read aloud and then answer comprehension and vocabulary questions after teacher reading in Activity 1.1 and other guided reading tasks.
Lesson 7
Long i Spellings y, igh, ie
Students are asked comprehension questions after reading The Dark Night (Activity 5.1) such as "What do Tom and Val see in the sky?" and "What do Tom and Val dream about?" that require them to answer about a speaker/text. In phonics activities (Activity 3.1, Activity 2.2) students are asked to respond to spoken prompts—e.g., identifying sounds in words, pointing to silent letters, and answering whether words are open or closed syllables. Other tasks ask students to read aloud words they find in a word search and to show and read found words to the adult.
Lesson 8
Long o Spellings ow, oa, oe
Students answer comprehension questions after reading The Slow Boat (e.g., 'How many boats are in the race?' 'What color is the boat that wins the race?'). Students respond to teacher prompts about language in spoken text, such as identifying which letters make the long o sound and clapping syllables for a spoken word. Students write sentences during sentence dictation as the teacher reads them aloud and then read their written sentences back.
Lesson 9
Long u Spellings ue, ew, ou
Students are asked to answer many teacher prompts throughout the activities (e.g., "What vowel sound does each word have?", "Now what vowel sound does each word have?", "Which two words have the /yu/ sound?"). After reading the reader, students are asked comprehension questions such as "What does Tom add to the stew?" and "What color does Val add to the stew?". Activities ask students to explain changes (e.g., explain what changed when adding silent e) and to point to or read words in the Weekly Message while the adult reads aloud.
Lesson 10
Other Long Vowel Patterns
Students are asked comprehension questions after reading The Wild Colt (Day 5 Activity 5.1), requiring them to answer why the colt is hard to find and how the man stops the colt from bolting. In Activity 1.1 students are prompted to identify unusual words in the Weekly Message and to point to long-vowel words as the message is read aloud. In Activity 3.3 students complete Fill in the Blanks using a word bank and then read the completed sentences aloud, demonstrating they can answer which word fits the speaker's sentence context.
Lesson 11
Long Vowel Sounds Review
Students are asked to listen to the Weekly Message and point to and read words as the adult reads it aloud, and to point to words that have long vowel sounds (Activity 1.1). The teacher asks students to identify which sight words have long vowel sounds and to read mixed sight-word cards aloud (Activity 1.3). In Activity 4.1 the student rereads a reader and is asked to tell which letters in each long e word are making the long e sound, answering questions about what was spoken.
Lesson 13
Other Vowel Sounds ou, ow
Students are asked comprehension questions after reading The Hound and the Owl (Activity 5.1), e.g., "What does the hound do during the day?" and "Why do you think the hound howls at the owl?." Students are prompted to explain their reasoning during word-sorting (Activity 2.1) and to explain how they knew spellings after writing words (Activity 1.2 and Activity 4.2). Students are also asked to identify where ou and ow appear in words and to point to examples in the Weekly Message, demonstrating answering about what a speaker says.
Lesson 14
Other Vowel Sounds aw, au
Students are asked to answer comprehension and clarification questions such as in Day 5 Activity 5.1 (e.g., "Where do the pups sleep?" and "What are some of the things the puppies in the story do?"). During sorting and phonics activities teachers prompt students to respond to questions like "What do you notice about all of these words?" and "Does au come at the end of any of these words?" Students are also asked to explain their groupings and reasoning (Activity 2.1) and to note patterns about aw/au placement (Activity 3.1 and 4.1).
Lesson 15
These Make More Than One Sound: oo and ea
Students read The Bad Bear aloud and then answer comprehension questions posed by the adult (e.g., "What are some of the naughty things the bear does?" and "What happens when the bear's mom finds her?"). Students complete a ‘Question Words' page where they place appropriate question words into sentence blanks, producing questions such as "Where is the beach?" and "Which food do you like more?". The Wrap Up also asks students to answer targeted questions about vowel sounds (e.g., "In which word does oo make the long u sound?").
Lesson 16
Silent Starts: kn, wr, gn
In Activity 5.2 students read The Gnats aloud and then answer teacher-posed comprehension questions (e.g., "What do the gnats do to the kids at the playground?" and "What do the gnats do at the picnic?"). In Activities 1.2, 2.1, and 3.1 students are asked to guess pronunciations and respond to prompts such as "How do you think we say this word?" and "What do you know about the letters in this word?", requiring them to answer about spoken examples. Activity 1.1 has students read a weekly message aloud and list what they have learned, which involves responding to spoken/printed language.
Lesson 17
Year-End Review
Students are asked to answer teacher/parent questions in the "Which Words?" activity (for example, they find which words have soft c/g, FLOSS rule, long o, glued sounds, etc.) and to read aloud and show words in the Sight Word Search and Weekly Message activities. In Activity 1.3 the child is asked, "What sound do both of these words begin with?" and is expected to respond. In multiple activities (Alphabet Soup, Reader Review, Sentence Writing) students read words or sentences aloud and respond to prompts such as replacing nonsense words with real words.