Kindergarten - ELA
1: Letters
Unit 1: A - A Is for Musk Ox
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to point to the book title and to the names of the author and illustrator, and to hear explanations of those roles. Students listen as the book is read through in one sitting and then answer specific comprehension questions about key details (e.g., which animals talk; why we have the alphabet; favorite letter). The lesson's listed skills explicitly include asking and answering questions about key details in a text and naming the author and illustrator.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to read and watch about musk oxen online and to discuss how that information compares with what the musk ox in the story says about his species. Students discuss where musk oxen live, what they eat, how people use them, and threats they face, and they learn and use the vocabulary word "herd." Students act like a musk ox and may draw a picture, which requires them to recall and demonstrate understanding of information from the text.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The reading directions ask the child to find each marked word (substituted with "musk ox"), point to the first letter of each word, and say the letter aloud, which directs reading with a purpose. Students are prompted to match each marked word to its picture in the illustration, and to discuss the meaning of the vocabulary word "herd," including reading and applying its definition in context. Activity 1 has students track print with a finger while reading "Hey! Hey you!" and practice saying the sight word "you" first with support and then independently.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are taught that words on a page are read from left to right and are shown how to follow words with a finger. Students use the emergent-reader A is for Musk Ox book and are encouraged to trace across words from left to right while moving down the lines. Students spend 5–8 minutes independently with the book exploring illustrations and tracing words. Students are asked comprehension-style questions about their reaction to the book (whether they liked it and why, and whether they'd recommend it).
Unit 2: H - Hondo and Fabian
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to point to the title and use the front-cover illustration to consider what the words might mean, engaging them with the book's purpose. Students locate the author/illustrator and discuss the roles, attending to book features. Students answer explicit comprehension questions about who the characters are, what they did, and how they differ, and they act out and classify activities as Hondo or Fabian, demonstrating understanding of story details and character comparison.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to read the book Hondo and Fabian with an adult and to look for purposeful details (e.g., find the H in Hondo and point to words like "home," "happy," and "hungry"). Students are prompted to retell the story using the pictures and to answer comprehension questions about characters' feelings and story sequence (beginning, next, end). Students practice reading a high-frequency sight word ("he") in context by locating and saying the word on story pages and by pointing to it.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to "page through the book together to see if Hondo or Fabian moved in any other ways," which prompts them to look at the emergent-reader illustrations and identify character actions. Students are prompted to recall the sight word card "he" and to look at pictures of Hondo and Fabian together and discuss activities, supporting basic text-related meaning. Students dictate a sentence about their painting, connecting spoken language to a written sentence about characters/activities in the story.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are asked to look at Hondo and Fabian and move their finger left to right under the print, which practices tracking print and attending to words in a text. Students are prompted to identify capital letters at the beginning of names in that text. Students are shown sight word cards for "he" and "you" and asked to recall those words, practicing word recognition within reading.
Unit 3: I - The Little Island
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the cover, find the title, observe the illustration, and predict what the book will be about, which supports reading with purpose. Students are prompted to locate the author and illustrator and to note the Caldecott seal, engaging them with print features and the book as a text. After the book is read with them, students answer specific comprehension questions about what an island is, which creatures appeared, and what changes occurred on the island, demonstrating understanding of the text.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students page through The Little Island book and are prompted to notice how the pictures progress through the seasons and how those changes affect the island. Students are asked questions about how the seasons affect themselves, to identify the current season during a pretend picnic, and to choose appropriate gear for that season. Students imagine the season changing during the picnic and describe what is different and what accessories are needed.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Before reading, students practice the sight word "little," read the title while pointing to each word, and are asked to supply the omitted word, giving a concrete reading purpose. Students reread the emergent-reader book The Little Island and are asked to retell the story in their own words using illustrations to guide their retelling. Students also answer guiding questions and classify/act out animals from the book, demonstrating comprehension of the text's content.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The lesson has the adult read the opening lines of an emergent-reader story ("There was a little Island in the ocean. Around it the winds blew...") and has the child act out motions tied to those lines, linking text to meaning. The plan directs the child to practice reading three sight-word cards and to practice the sounds of I, connecting word-level reading to the story vocabulary. Activities ask the child to move as the kitten and to demonstrate directional words (on, under, off, beside, near, far, above, in front of, behind) in relation to the island, which shows comprehension of specific text language.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 asks students to look through The Little Island, identify the front and back covers and the title page, and spend several minutes alone looking at the book. Students are asked to give an opinion about the book, explain what they liked, and name their favorite part, prompting comprehension and purposeful engagement. Activity 3 has students produce a drawing and write or dictate ideas about a visit, then "read" their ideas aloud to an adult.
Unit 4: T - What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson directs students to preview a book (note title and authors/illustrators) and make predictions about its content, then listen as the book is read and answer comprehension questions about animals and their parts. Students are asked to recall information (e.g., how animals use ears, eyes, noses), refer back to pictures, and identify parts of animal structures in response to explicit questions. The listed skills include recognizing common types of texts, which supports awareness of reading as a purposeful activity.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to look specifically at pages in What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? and talk about the purpose of animals' tails, using the book pages as the basis for discussion. Students are prompted to review and explain vocabulary words (herd, character, island), showing attention to meaning from text. Students are directed to find examples of the uppercase T on the book cover, say the word "tail," and identify the initial sound, linking print features to word meaning.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to read the book with an adult and to practice the sight word "this," locating and reading it on the cover and elsewhere in the book. The lesson introduces the terms "fiction" and "nonfiction," explains that the book is nonfiction (its purpose is to share information), and has students practice identifying the book's purpose. Students answer comprehension questions (Was this book make-believe or true? What kind of information did you learn?), with prompting to organize their thoughts if necessary.
Lesson 5
Day 5
The Reading Workshop instructs the child to work independently with the book and to "pay close attention to how the author put the parts of the book in order," prompting students to focus on text structure and purpose. The teacher asks the child to identify the first section and to go through the book identifying the order of the body parts, which requires students to demonstrate understanding of sequence and content. The teacher also asks evaluative questions (Did he like it? Did he learn something new? Why or why not?), which requires students to interpret meaning and purpose.
Unit 5: L - We're Going on a Leaf Hunt
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the book cover, notice clues about the season, read the title and author, and read the book with an adult, engaging directly with an emergent-reader text. Students answer explicit comprehension questions and are prompted to look back through the story to discuss details such as what the children wanted to find, challenges they faced, and how they felt at the end. Students are prompted to retell familiar story events with prompting and support and to name descriptive words (adjectives) from the text, practicing vocabulary and understanding of story details.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson directs students to find the word "tall" on the second page and say "a tall mountain," and it reviews letter sounds and sight words (A, H, L, T; "you," "he," "little," "this"), supporting word recognition. Activity 3 has students act out the story and substitute more specific verbs so students connect words to actions and demonstrate comprehension. Activity 2 has students practice the letter L formation and say its sound while working on related writing, linking phonics to text vocabulary.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to point to the sight word "go" on the page and say it each time the teacher reads the line, and then read that line while the teacher points to the word. Students are prompted to look together for adjectives in the story, identify words that describe the forest, waterfall, lake, and skunk, and repeat descriptive phrases such as "dark forest." Students create a simple map of the children's journey, drawing locations in story order and using arrows to show direction, which requires them to recall and represent story events.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 asks students to spend time alone with an emergent reader, to look for describing words in the story, and to use their finger to guide across the words while reading left to right. The activity prompts students to respond to comprehension questions (Did you enjoy this book? Why or why not? Would you recommend it?), encouraging purposeful engagement with the text. The lesson highlights noticing adjectives by their colorful fonts and sizes, which directs students to search the text for specific information.
Unit 6: F - Fireflies
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the cover and describe what they see and what the characters are doing, prompting them to use pictures to construct meaning. An adult is instructed to read the book aloud and then discuss targeted comprehension questions (e.g., what is flickering, how the boy feels, why he lets the fireflies go), asking the child to look through the book for evidence from the pictures. The listed skills include describing the relationship between illustrations and the story with prompting and support and considering how pictures and words tell a story.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students look together at a page of the book and are asked vocabulary and meaning questions (e.g., identifying a synonym for "blinking on, blinking off" and using surrounding words to infer the meaning of "soaring"). Students examine the "Insects" page and decide whether each pictured creature is an insect, explaining the clues they used (applying information from the text/activity to make decisions). Students also locate the uppercase F on the book cover, practice the letter sound, and read or reference short text elements (cover words and repeated letter practice) while forming the letter.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are read the book and are prompted to read the word "said" when it appears, with the teacher pointing out the word in the sentence and encouraging the child to "read" it. The review asks the child to recall the meaning of "flicker" and to practice reading the new word card "said," connecting word recognition to the text. Activity 3 has students locate a specific page and identify pairs of opposites in lines from the book, requiring them to attend to the text and demonstrate understanding of meaning.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 (Reading Workshop) directs the child to review the book illustrations independently and then tell the story in his own words using the illustrations as a guide. The activity then has the child discuss comprehension questions (e.g., Did he like the story? Why or why not? Were there parts that were funny or surprising? How would he feel when he had to let them go?), prompting purposeful reading and understanding of events and feelings in the text.
Unit 7: E - But No Elephants
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the cover, read the title, make predictions about whether the book is informational or a story, and then read the book. Students answer targeted comprehension questions about beginning vs. end of the story, characters' feelings, and identify predicaments and how they were solved. Students sequence events by ordering the animal visitors left to right using ordinal words and practice print concepts by following words from left to right, top to bottom with prompting and support.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to recall vocabulary and explain word meanings and examples from prior weeks, and to name a predicament Grandma Tildy faced in the story But No Elephants, which requires comprehension of story events. Students look at book illustrations and describe the positions of animals using words like in, on, under, and beside, connecting picture details to meaning. Students locate the uppercase E on the book cover and discuss its sound, linking letter knowledge to the text's topic (elephant).
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson has students read an emergent-reader book twice, with an explicit step to read the title together and have the child read the sight word "no" at the appropriate time. It directs an adult to point to the word "no" during reading and let the child read it aloud. After reading, the child is asked to explain what happened in the story, providing a comprehension check.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students look back at the first page of the story and answer specific questions about Grandma Tildy's actions and why she is doing them (Activity 1). Students examine each new pet in the story and discuss whether the pet provided for a want or a need, and then sort household objects into wants and needs, explaining their choices (Activity 1). Students listen to a dramatized retelling while holding up the corresponding animal puppets and are asked to tell the rest of the story or create a new ending using the stick puppets (Activity 2).
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2 students read the first few pages of a book with an adult while moving a finger left to right and then spend time alone to "read" the rest of the book, practicing tracking and emergent reading behaviors. The instructions allow students to retell the story in their own words, trace words with their finger, and model reading from left to right. After reading, students answer comprehension questions about enjoyment, favorite part, and propose a different ending, which prompts understanding and interpretation of the text.
Unit 8: C - Millions of Cats
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the cover, describe what they see, read the title, and make a prediction about whether a million is a lot of cats, establishing a purpose for reading. Students read the book together and answer explicit comprehension questions about problem, solution, character actions, outcomes, and the introduced vocabulary word "quarrel." Students also compare and contrast characters from Millions of Cats and Hondo and Fabian using a Venn diagram, applying their understanding of the texts.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are exposed to text from Millions of Cats when the lesson cites the third page quote, and they are asked about the meaning of the word "quarrel." Students use the book's description of "hills" and "valleys" to create landforms with playdough, connecting text content to a hands-on comprehension activity. Students look at the front cover to find the uppercase letter C, linking the emergent-reader book to letter recognition and sound practice.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students read the story again aloud and are prompted to repeat the repeated phrase "hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats" each time it appears, supporting phrase-level reading and fluency. Students are asked to point to and read the sight word "pretty" in context, linking word recognition to comprehension. Students answer a follow-up question about the lesson of the story (how love made the cat pretty), requiring them to explain the meaning and theme of the text.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are shown two sentences from the book and asked to place a penny between each word, drawing attention to word boundaries. An adult points to each word as the sentences are read aloud, modeling left-to-right tracking. Students are then given time to work with the book alone and are encouraged to follow the lines from left to right and notice spaces between words.
Unit 9: G - The Real Mother Goose
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students read and/or listen to multiple nursery rhymes and are prompted to look at the cover, discuss who Mother Goose is, and talk about which poems they like and why. Students track print by moving their fingers along the lines, practice and read the sight word "saw," and are challenged to memorize and recite "The Little Bird." Students identify rhyming pairs, supply missing end-of-line words when prompted, and act out poems to demonstrate comprehension.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson has students and teacher read poems aloud: students are asked to practice the poem "The Little Bird" together, read it once or twice, and then supply some words, which practices reading for a purpose and responding to text. The lesson also directs reading the poem "The Year" about months and having students sing/recite the months in order, connecting text to meaning about weather and activities. Students are prompted to look at the front cover of a book to find the uppercase G and to read or say letter-sound correspondences while practicing letter formation.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students read or listen to multiple poems (e.g., "Wee Willie Winkie," "The Cat and the Fiddle") and practice the poem "The Little Bird" together, with the child asked to supply words after reading. Students are prompted to identify rhyming pairs as they notice them and to state their favorite poem and explain why. Students also work together to change words in a familiar poem on the computer, producing their own rhyming poem.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students reread and practice the poem "The Little Bird" and are asked to supply words and then say the poem on their own, which requires comprehension and purposeful oral reading. Students reread the poem "The Year" and add month names, symbols, pictures, and a title page to a "Months of the Year" book, engaging with text to represent meaning. Students read and sing nursery rhymes from the pages (and an online source), comparing versions and performing the rhymes, which gives a clear purpose (singing/performing) tied to understanding rhyme and meaning.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 1 directs an adult and child to "Read these poems together" and to "Talk about the poems together and identify the spherical objects described," which requires the child to comprehend poem content. Activity 2 asks the child to listen to poems on the CD and "follow along each poem by moving her finger from left to right as she listens and reads," which practices tracking print while reading/listening. Activity 3 has the child create and illustrate a poem, supporting engagement with poem structure and meaning.
Unit 10: O - Owl Babies
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the cover and predict whether the book will teach facts or tell an imaginary story, which prompts them to set a purpose for reading. Students listen to the book being read and answer questions identifying the book as a story and citing reasons (characters named, talked, worried) as evidence. Students explain the difference between fiction and nonfiction and list true facts from the text (e.g., owls nest in tree trunks, eat mice), demonstrating comprehension of content and purpose.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students practice reading the sight word "want" (identifying it on the page, reading it aloud, and adding it to a review box). Students read aloud a line from the book (Bill's line "I want my mommy!") while following the print. Students are asked to retell the story in their own words and to discuss how the music and events show characters' feelings, which prompts comprehension and reading-for-meaning.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students practice and perform a Reader's Theatre script, with each performer reading the lines for a character, which requires reading aloud with expression and attending to dialogue meaning. Students observe owl photos and are asked to discuss similarities/differences and how the book Owl Babies gives owls human attributes, which prompts them to think about and explain text/character attributes. The script emphasizes emotional content (e.g., Bill repeatedly calling for Mommy), which students must convey and therefore demonstrates some comprehension of character feelings and purpose for reading aloud.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 asks the child to spend independent time with two books about owls, decide which is fiction and which is non-fiction, and find clues to support that decision. The child is then asked to tell what he found, citing examples such as story elements and photographs as evidence. Activity 3 has the child record factual information on one page and a fictional story on the other, reinforcing comprehension of informational versus narrative text.
Unit 11: S - Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the book cover and describe what they see and to consider what the four pictures represent, which establishes a reading purpose before reading. Students are instructed to read the book and then answer comprehension questions (e.g., name the four seasons; describe what Arnold does and personal favorite activities for each season). The lesson explicitly lists student skills: with prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events, and describe the relationship between illustrations and the story.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students read the sentence from The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree and are asked to read the sight word "some" in context. The book is read a second time and students are instructed to look for and read the word "some" when they see it. A comprehension question asks what gift the tree gave Arnold in each season, and students practice identifying seasons from adjectives in a poem.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to "look at the page" where Arnold's family works together and to explain how each member contributes and why they worked together, which requires reading a page and answering comprehension questions. Students are directed to use the recipe in the book to make an apple pie, which asks them to read and follow text for a real purpose. The review asks students to name seasons and review sight cards, which connects text-based vocabulary to meaning.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 asks the student where and when The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree took place and explicitly defines 'setting,' prompting the student to locate that information in text. The student is asked to look through books with outdoor settings, identify the setting and the season, and then share the clues that helped them determine the season. The student is given independent reading time ('look at the books independently for a few minutes') to read with the specific purpose of identifying setting/season.
Unit 12: D - Dinosaurs Big and Small
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the cover, predict the book's topic, and decide whether it is fiction or non-fiction. Students listen to the book being read and then answer targeted comprehension questions about what they learned, identify the author and illustrator, and discuss key details and characteristics of dinosaurs. The listed skills explicitly include asking and answering questions about key details, naming the author and illustrator, and asking about unknown words, which students practice during discussion.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked in Review to find a dinosaur in the book and name one interesting characteristic, which requires them to locate information in the text and explain its meaning. Activity 1 cites specific pages (10 and 28) of Dinosaurs Big and Small and has students connect information from those pages about fossils to a hands-on imprint activity, reinforcing comprehension of content. Activity 2 has students look at the book cover to find the uppercase D and review letter sounds and sight words, linking print features to meaning and purposefully attending to text.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to follow along as an adult reads Dinosaurs Big and Small and to look for and read the word "big" on page 5 and whenever it occurs in the book. Students are prompted to point to words while reciting the poem and to join in choral reading, with the teacher pointing out rhyming pairs and asking students to identify descriptive words (adjectives) from the poem and pictures. Students are asked comprehension questions after reading (e.g., infer the meaning of "sprawl" from text and picture and explain new information learned or surprises).
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are asked to read page 13 of Dinosaurs Big and Small and to be on the lookout for adjectives (gigantic, longer, thick, sturdy, heaviest, tallest), giving them a clear reading purpose. Students who can read are asked to look through supplemental books and to identify adjectives used in the text as they read, which requires attending to meaning in print. After independent reading or book exploration, students are encouraged to share the adjectives they found or thought about, providing evidence of comprehension.
Unit 13: P - Harold and the Purple Crayon
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to attend to Harold and the Purple Crayon by answering questions about the moon in the story (e.g., identifying moon shapes and whether it always looks the same). Students sequence and label moon phases by cutting, ordering, and gluing the pictures and labels on the "Phases of the Moon" page, demonstrating understanding of story-related content. Students examine the book cover to find the uppercase P and practice the letter formation and sound, connecting print features to meaning.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students reread Harold and the Purple Crayon and are prompted to read the sight word "made" repeatedly in context, practicing word recognition on the pages where Harold "made" windows and buildings. Students answer four explicit comprehension questions about the story (most interesting thing, most amazing drawing, scary moments, how he got home), demonstrating attention to plot and meaning. Students engage in word-play activities that examine multiple meanings of story words (e.g., "trim," "drew"), supporting vocabulary knowledge and understanding of word use in context.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 asks students to look at the first pages of a story, encourages independent reading of the story, and has students trace lines from left to right while tapping the period at the end of sentences. Activity 3 has students dictate or write a description of a picture and circle the periods, reinforcing sentence boundary awareness. These directions require students to read emergent-reader text and to track print and punctuation while reading.
Unit 14: B - Blueberries for Sal
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson directs the child to look at the cover, make predictions about what the book will be about, and to flip through the book to notice the illustrator and the color used, which establishes a purpose for reading. The adult reads Blueberries for Sal to the child and then asks specific comprehension questions (who was looking for blueberries, why they wanted blueberries, what happened, how characters felt, how the story ended) that require the child to demonstrate understanding of characters, setting, and events. The skills list explicitly includes with prompting and support identifying characters, settings, and major events in a story, aligning student tasks with comprehension goals.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to determine whether the book takes place in current times or the past and to look through the book to find picture clues (Activity 1), which requires reading for a purpose (identifying setting) and using text features to support understanding. Students are asked to explain the meaning of the word "hustle" based on how the picture shows Little Bear and to page through the book, reading movement phrases and acting them out (Activity 3), which practices comprehension and vocabulary in context. Students locate the uppercase B on the front cover and review its sound (Activity 2), connecting print features to meaning and supporting emergent reading skills.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to look at the fourth page of the story and read the sight word "she" when the adult points to it. An adult reads Blueberries for Sal aloud while asking the child to keep looking for the word "she" and to read it as it appears. After the read-aloud, students are asked to retell the story in their own words using the pictures to prompt them.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The lesson asks children to "spend some time reading and learning about bears" using a National Geographic Kids website or non-fiction library books and to compare that information with the picture book Blueberries for Sal. Students are instructed to create a two-column chart labeling "Fiction" and "Non-Fiction" and to list fictional story elements versus scientifically accurate facts drawn from the book and informational text. The lesson also includes a review of letter sounds and sight words to support early reading skills.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 asks students to spend independent time with books like Blueberries for Sal, searching for clues that identify the setting as the past. Students are prompted to look for concrete textual and visual evidence (clothes, technology, cooking, driving) and then share their findings aloud. The activity directs students to read/view with the specific purpose of determining when the story takes place and to explain their understanding.
Unit 15: R - Rain
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson explicitly lists the skill "Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding." Students are asked to examine the book cover, discuss what they notice, and state what they know about rain, establishing a reading purpose. An adult and child read the book together with the adult pointing to words and colors, and the teacher stops to ask predictive and comprehension questions (e.g., how the author made you feel, what the rain will fall on next). On a second reading, students place die-cut pieces to recreate the story's progression, demonstrating comprehension and sequence of events.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to read an emergent-reader book while the adult points to each word and then to read the book back, pointing to words and reading what they know. The lesson has students read and practice a specific sight word ("on") in context and use colored text as a decoding clue. After each page, students manipulate die-cuts to match the page and later point to objects in a glued scene and use describing words, supporting comprehension of the book's content.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 directs students to practice reading an emergent reader aloud, using pictures and the colors of the type as a guide. Activity 2 further asks students to read the book to a sibling, pet, stuffed friend, or parent, and to read the book they wrote about colors of the rainbow to their family. These tasks require students to engage in oral reading of an emergent-reader text and to use visual cues to support reading.
Unit 16: N - Night in the Country
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the cover and discuss features (time of day, sunset/night) before reading, which sets a purpose for reading. Students are asked to read Night in the Country with an adult and then answer comprehension questions about feelings, the author's attitude, and preferences about living in the country. Students are guided to discuss vocabulary (the multiple meanings of "country") and to describe sights and sounds from the text to demonstrate understanding.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson has the child read and locate the sight word "there" in Night in the Country, including reading the word in the opening sentence and whenever it appears on the page. The child is asked to listen to the book a second time while looking for and reading the target word, so reading is purposeful (word-finding) during rereading. After reading, the child is asked to retell the story in his own words using the pictures as a guide, which requires demonstrating understanding of the text.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 2 directs the child to go through the picture book Night in the Country and identify onomatopoeic words, having the child act out the actions and make the sounds. The lesson also instructs review of letter sounds and sight word cards and provides Letter Sounds: N pages where the child circles the beginning letter, practices writing the letter, and matches cut-out letters to pictures. Beginning Letter Sounds activity has the child sort objects by initial letter sound (n, o, p, r).
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 directs students to spend time independently with a book, "read" it, look at the pictures, and identify a question or two they'd like to know more about, modeling that good readers ask questions while they read. Activity 2 also has students share their questions and discuss or research answers, giving practice connecting reading to meaning. Activity 3 asks students to read their own two-page journal entry aloud and read their dictated ideas, providing additional practice in oral reading of emergent text.
Unit 17: M - Marshmallow
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to examine the book cover and make predictions about content, establishing a purpose for reading. Students are prompted to identify the text as a true story (non-fiction) and to read the book with an adult. After reading, students answer multiple comprehension questions (Questions 1–6) and discuss the meaning of a vocabulary word found on a page ('hesitated'), linking word meaning to context.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to look at a specific part of the book (Oliver about to pounce) and talk about why Oliver followed the rules, which requires them to interpret character actions and meaning. The lesson prompts review of letter sounds and sight words and links the letter M to words in the book (marshmallow/monkey), supporting word-level understanding. The poem on the last page is reread with the child, with words omitted for the child to supply and encouraged memorization and performance, which practices comprehension and purposeful oral reading.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are shown a page of an emergent reader and prompted to read a specific word: the teacher points to the word "out," shows a matching word card, and has the child practice reading that word. The adult rereads the book and has the child read the word "out" as it occurs in the story. After reading, students are asked to tell the story in their own words and to use the pictures to prompt their retelling, which targets comprehension.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to talk about how Owen and Mzee's friendship was similar to and different from Owen and Marshmallow's, which requires them to recall story events and compare characters. An optional Venn diagram extension asks students to organize similarities and differences between two stories. Students are also prompted to look at pictures and observe illustrator choices (colors, outlines, smudging), which supports understanding of how illustrations convey meaning.
Lesson 5
Day 5
The Reading Workshop has students look at poems in the story Marshmallow and identify them by visual cues (indented lines, short verses). Students listen to two poems being read and are asked to identify rhyming pairs and how the poems sound different from stories. Students are given story books and poetry/nursery rhyme books to examine independently and then share findings about whether each book is a story or a book of poetry.
Unit 18: U - Umbrella
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the book cover and make predictions about its topic, which establishes a purpose for reading. The lesson instructs an adult to read the book with the child and then asks the child to recall events from the book and answer specific comprehension questions (Questions #1-#3). Question #4 and the 'Un-do It!' activity have students attend to word meaning and the prefix un-, supporting understanding of vocabulary in context.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to read a specific sentence on page 14 aloud (identifying and reading the word "not") and to help find that word in the story. Students listen as the story Umbrella is read and then are prompted to retell the story in their own words, using pictures to support their retelling. Students practice letter sounds and sight words from previous units, which supports word recognition during reading.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are asked to spend independent time looking at the emergent-reader book Umbrella and to notice capital letters that begin sentences and people's names. An adult prompts the child to find capital letters on page 2 and discusses why words are capitalized, and the child is asked to state what he thought about Umbrella and whether he would recommend it. In the writing activity, students are prompted to write/dictate about a personal experience and then read (or have read) their writing and point out capital letters.
Unit 19: J - Jump Frog Jump
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students look at the book cover to identify characters and predict the main character and setting, and then an adult and child read Jump, Frog, Jump together. After reading, students answer comprehension questions about how the frog escaped and which animals escaped, and they are asked to look back through the book to find evidence. In Activity 1, students cut out story sequence pictures, consult the book to determine order, place pictures from beginning to end, and (optionally) read or hear the sentences on the sequence cards in order. The student activity pages provide short captioned scenes that students use to identify and order events.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students read the book "Jump, Frog, Jump!" with guidance: an adult points out the sight word "how" and asks the child to read it in context, and on a second reading the child is asked to read the word "how" and the repeated phrase "Jump, frog, jump!". After reading, students line up story sequence cards from Day 1 and tell the story using the cards as prompts, demonstrating narrative comprehension. Students read positional phrases from the book and use die-cut figures and room props to physically show the relationships described in the text, reinforcing understanding.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 1 directs students to read a nonfiction book or web article about the life cycle of a frog and to talk about what a life cycle is, explicitly requiring reading for informational purpose. Students are asked to construct and label a four-part diagram (eggs, tadpole, froglet, frog) that requires them to sequence and represent information from the text, demonstrating comprehension.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 has students look at the repeating sentence "How will frog get away?" and identifies the question mark, prompting students to ask and recognize questions. Activity 2 instructs students to practice reading the book to themselves and then to an adult, and to reorder story sequence cards, which requires them to demonstrate comprehension of story order. Activity 3 has students write a question about an animal and use a question mark, reinforcing purpose of text (asking/learning) and punctuation that signals a question.
Unit 20: K - Kindness
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the book cover, name the title, predict what the book will be about, and connect the topic to their own experiences, which establishes a reading purpose. Students are read the emergent-reader text and then answer explicit comprehension questions about the characters' actions and the meaning of the vocabulary word "grand." Students describe kindness in their own words after watching a related video and count/sequence the animal characters from the story, demonstrating comprehension of events and order.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students locate and read specific sentences in the emergent-reader Harry the Happy Mouse, including reading the sentence containing the sight word "so" and identifying that word on multiple pages. Students reread the book and answer comprehension questions about which act of kindness stood out, how one act led to another, and whether they agree with the author's idea that kindness goes a long way. Students reread selected pages and complete an Animals in Fiction chart, naming actions that are animal-like versus human-like to show understanding of characters and events.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 asks the child to spend time with the book, look carefully at the pictures, practice retelling the story through the illustrations, and then retell the story giving a general description of each act of kindness using the illustrations as a guide. Activity 3 has the child choose a favorite book, write or dictate a brief description and reasons for liking it, and then read his writing (or have it read back), which prompts the child to articulate purpose and understanding about a text.
Unit 21: V - Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to examine the cover and told to pay attention to the instruments and characters before reading, establishing a clear reading purpose. An adult-led read-aloud is instructed: "Read the book with your child." After reading, students answer multiple comprehension questions about instruments, groupings, characters' actions, and audience response. Students also complete a hands-on matching activity that requires them to identify instruments in the text and match them to ensemble names and counts, demonstrating text-based understanding.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are read Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin and are asked to look for the word "now" as the text is read, giving them a specific reading purpose. Students use the book to place instrument pictures in the order they appear, showing they can track and represent story sequence. Students answer follow-up questions (how many instruments in a solo/duet, naming a natural resource) that require understanding of the text and related content.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students read the first page of Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin together with an adult, stopping so the child supplies missing end-words (e.g., supplying "trombone" and "solo") that fit the lines. Students are asked to identify which words rhyme on a later page (along/song, trombone/alone, two-o/duo). Students are given independent time with the book to look at the ends of lines, find similarly spelled words, and point out rhyming pairs they discover.
Unit 22: Y - Little Blue and Little Yellow
Lesson 1
Day 1
The text asks the child to look at the front cover, make observations and predictions, and discuss what the book will be about, which gives the child a purposeful reason to engage with the emergent-reader text. An adult reads Little Blue and Little Yellow aloud and then asks detailed comprehension questions (eight specific Q&A items) for the child to answer, including prompting to turn back and re-read pages if needed. The Skills list explicitly includes asking and answering questions about key details and confirming understanding of a text read aloud, indicating structured comprehension practice.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to review vocabulary from previous units and define each term in their own words, engaging with word meanings drawn from texts. Students are instructed to look back at the pictures in the story Little Blue and Little Yellow and answer specific comprehension questions about how characters were good friends and citizens and whether rules were followed. Students are prompted to apply understanding by identifying safety rules at home and by thinking of a real friend and creating a thank-you picture tied to the story context.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The child is shown the sight word card "they," practices reading it, and is asked to read the word "they" in sentences from Little Blue and Little Yellow. An adult reads Little Blue and Little Yellow aloud while the child is prompted to read the sight word as it occurs in the story. After reading, the child uses pictures and balls of dough to retell and act out the story in his own words, practicing comprehension and narrative sequencing.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to "look back through the story" Little Blue and Little Yellow with a specific focus (how the author shows parents, feelings, park, mountain), which sets a purposeful reading task. Students answer targeted questions about characters, feelings, and settings (e.g., how Little Blue's feelings are shown by page color). Students create and retell their own torn-paper story, choose one scene to glue, and write or dictate what is happening, demonstrating comprehension of a scene. The lesson also instructs review of sight words and letter sounds, which supports emergent reading.
Lesson 5
Day 5
The Reading Workshop asks the child to look at a page of the book, points out quotation marks around a character's words, and explains that quotation marks show a speaker's exact words. The child is encouraged to spend time alone with the book and is given the purposeful task of finding another instance of quotation marks and identifying who is speaking. After independent reading, the child is prompted to discuss what they found.
Unit 23: W - George Washington's Birthday
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to read George Washington's Birthday with an adult and to compare the cover picture to the dollar bill, establishing a purpose for reading (identify who is depicted and why). Students read sidebars that give factual information, talk about the word "myth," and are asked to decide whether the book is fiction, nonfiction, or historical fiction, which explicitly targets understanding text purpose and genre. Students answer vocabulary questions (e.g., "tyrant") and are prompted to recall and discuss parts of Washington's life, whether the story had a happy ending, and what lessons he learned, demonstrating comprehension questioning and recall.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to review sight words and letter sounds and to look at the front cover of the George Washington book to find the uppercase W and connect it to the /w/ sound. Students reread the first two pages of the book and are asked to identify which days of the week are mentioned. Students read four word boxes aloud, choose which box should be the title "Symbols of the United States," and match each cut-out picture with its correct printed label.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The child is shown emergent-reader text and asked to read the sight word "went," and to read sentences while the adult points to each word, providing direct decoding and word-level practice. The adult then reads the book aloud and the child is asked to page back through the book and recap each story about George Washington. The child is asked to identify whether each story is a myth or a fact, which requires comprehension and reading for meaning.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 2 directs an adult to read pages from George Washington's Birthday and asks the child to deduce the meaning of italicized words from sentence context and illustrations. The same activity then asks the child to act out the sentences, including the actions tied to highlighted vocabulary, which requires comprehension of what the sentences mean. Activity 3 and the review ask the child to practice sight words and beginning/letter-sound matching (including circling beginning letters, cutting and pasting letters, and practicing writing W), supporting decoding skills needed for emergent reading.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2 students spend time independently with the text and are encouraged to look for all the different places text can be found on the pages and to think about the purpose for the different placements of the words. The teacher points out informational labels like "FACT" and "MYTH" and asks students to use illustrations (for example, George writing down rules) to find information. Students are asked to share observations, explain whether they enjoyed the book and why, and recommend it to particular friends, prompting comprehension and purpose-based responses.
Unit 24: Q - The Quilt Story
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the book cover and discuss what a quilt is before reading, and an adult is instructed to read The Quilt Story to the child. After reading, students are asked comprehension questions (e.g., how they knew the story took place a long time ago; how the quilt helped the girls) and to discuss the meaning of the vocabulary word "shavings." The skills list also directs students, with prompting and support, to describe the relationship between illustrations and the story.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to go through the beginning pages of The Quilt Story and identify how the family used natural resources (wood for furniture, tea for drinking, beeswax for candles) and to identify landforms shown in the story (hills, prairie, river). Students discuss historical context and character qualities by talking about pioneers, Daniel Boone, and whether they would enjoy exploration. Students attend to print features by looking at the cover, identifying the letters in "Quilt," and locating and practicing the letter Q and its sound.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are shown the sight word card "under," practice reading it aloud, and are prompted to read that word in the book when the teacher stops on the last page. Students hear The Quilt Story and are asked to read the word "under" again as the book is read. Students are prompted to retell the story in their own words using the book as a prompt, demonstrating comprehension of events and characters.
Lesson 5
Day 5
The Reading Workshop asks the child to look at the picture on the cover of The Quilt Story, interpret Abigail's facial expression, and explain how that helps them understand the book. The child is encouraged to spend time alone with the book, looking at the words and pictures and then point out an expression and explain what they learn about the story. The Writing Workshop asks the child to read back their own writing (or have it read to them), providing an opportunity to practice reading connected text aloud.
Unit 25: X - An Extraordinary Egg
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students examine the book cover and discuss the meaning of the vocabulary word "extraordinary," connecting it to examples. Students answer comprehension questions after the read-aloud (e.g., what the frogs thought was inside the egg vs. what was really inside) and share personal connections (have you found something extraordinary?). Students compare and contrast friendships between books and page back through The Extraordinary Egg to find and record examples of factual versus fictional frog behaviors, then sort those examples into "Facts About Frogs" and "Fictional Frogs."
Lesson 3
Day 3
The plan directs an adult to show the sight word "look" and have the child read that word as the adult reads the sentence, and then to read An Extraordinary Egg aloud with the child. After reading, the child is asked to retell the story in her own words using the pictures to remember events, which targets comprehension. Activities also have the child read and repeat individual words on the "Words with X" page and find the letter x in those words.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are directed to look at pages of An Extraordinary Egg and to identify the words Jessica says, with the teacher pointing out and explaining the quotation marks that show spoken words. The teacher reads Jessica's spoken words aloud on a specific page and then has the child spend independent time with the book, encouraging the child to look for quotation marks that show a character is speaking. When finished, the child is asked to point out quotation marks she found and to say what she liked about the book.
Unit 26: Z - Greedy Zebra
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson directs an adult to read the book to the child and asks the child to look at the cover and map, discuss the vocabulary word "greedy," and make predictions about the zebra's actions. After reading, the child is asked to explain how the zebra was greedy, describe what happened because of the greediness, and judge whether the zebra deserved the result. The lesson also asks the child to identify the story type (folktale) and explains that folktales give imaginative reasons for why things are the way they are, linking reading to purpose and meaning.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to look at the front cover of Greedy Zebra to identify the letter Z and practice the /z/ sound and uppercase Z formation. Students review and define a list of vocabulary words, demonstrating word meaning and oral language comprehension. Students perform online research about zebras and complete a "Zebra Research" graphic organizer and optional dictated report, showing they can gather and organize information from an informational source.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson has the child practice reading the sight word "new" on a card and then encourages the child to read the word "new" in the sentence on the first page of Greedy Zebra. The adult reads Greedy Zebra aloud while encouraging the child to read that word as it occurs in the story. After reading, the child is asked to use the illustrations to retell the story and to predict what would have happened if Zebra had not been greedy, which targets comprehension and purpose.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students read and discuss the informational paragraphs about savannah animals and then color each animal cut-out according to what they learn, which requires reading for information and demonstrating understanding. Students listen to or follow the beginning pages of the story Greedy Zebra, stop at a point, and act out action-packed verbs and verbals from the text, linking text detail to physical actions. Students complete beginning-letter and letter-sound activities that build decoding skills connected to reading.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 has students look through a stack of books, identify books with animal characters, state similarities and differences between books, identify settings, and name which books were nonfiction and their subjects. Activity 3 asks students to read their own journal writing aloud (or have it read to them) and to explain what they like about their writing and consider improvements.
2: Holidays
Unit 27: Halloween
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to read Goodnight Moon and Goodnight Goon together and to explain why the book was written and how it would make a young child feel, which targets reading with purpose. Students are asked to compare and contrast the two books' covers and content, producing understanding of similarities and differences. Students are instructed to listen for the word "lagoon," decide which meaning fits the story, and to answer a comprehension question identifying the lagoon as a shallow area of dirty water.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The plan instructs an adult to read Goodnight Goon with the child and to encourage the child to join in at the ends of lines, supporting participation in reading predictable text. After reading, the child is asked to choose a page they find funniest or most clever and to explain why they like that page, prompting comprehension and expression of meaning. The child is also asked to review sight word and letter cards, which supports word recognition relevant to emergent reading.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 directs the child to look at Goodnight Goon independently and to find pairs of words that rhyme at the ends of lines. The child practices saying paired rhyming words aloud (for example, "claws" and "jaws", "bat" and "hat") and is asked to share any pairs found. The reading task is framed with a purpose — to identify rhyming words — and involves interacting directly with emergent-reader text.
Unit 28: Thanksgiving
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the cover and talk about what they see and like, and then the book Thanksgiving Is... is read with the child followed by questions. Students are asked to summarize why Thanksgiving has been celebrated in many cultures (to give thanks for the harvest) and to talk about what it means to be grateful. The lesson directs students to use a world map while flipping through the book to identify locations shown in pictures and to trace the pilgrims' voyage, which connects illustrations to text. The skills list explicitly includes, "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text," and "With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text."
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students re-read pages from the book Thanksgiving Is... and are asked to recall specific factual details about the Pilgrims (why they left, the Mayflower, first winter, role of the Indians, reason and length of the first Thanksgiving). Students are prompted to look back at the story if they cannot remember and to stop at the end of each page while the pages are read again. Students act out the actions on each page using body movements and facial expressions and make predictions (e.g., whether their Mayflower model will sink or float) based on pictures and story events.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson has students review letter cards and sight words, which supports word recognition needed for emergent reading. The lesson directs an adult to reread Thanksgiving Is... to the child and then asks the child to look at specific pages and talk about the family's favorite Thanksgiving foods, promoting comprehension of text content. The lesson includes follow-up questions and a cornucopia activity in which the child writes or draws things they are thankful for, connecting meanings from the text to personal experience.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 directs students to study a book independently, reminding them that illustrations go along with the words and can help explain what the author is communicating. Students are encouraged to spend time with the book studying illustrations to see how they help teach about Thanksgiving and then to point out their observations. The directions explicitly ask students to use illustrations as a tool for understanding text.
Unit 29: Christmas
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson asks the child to "explore the book The Christmas Wish... by himself," to predict what the book will be about, and to consider and discuss the illustrations. The adult is prompted to ask questions (e.g., what the child notices, whether illustrations are pictures) and to point out features such as edited photographs, then read the book aloud to the child. These activities ask the child to attend to purpose (prediction, noticing) and to demonstrate understanding through discussion.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson asks the child to look again at the story The Christmas Wish and to tell about her favorite part, which asks for comprehension and retelling. The lesson directs an adult to read animal names to the child and to talk with the child about what life is like in Norway, which scaffolds understanding of the text and its context. These activities prompt the child to revisit an emergent-reader text and discuss its content.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are prompted to "page through the book with your child" and to note all the animals the little girl encounters, which asks them to search the text for specific information. The lesson tells caregivers to "read together the article below" about reindeer and to ask questions such as "What does it look like? Can a reindeer really fly?", which asks students to attend to meaning. The activities include interactive, text-related tasks (chanting the finger play, singing along with a song, and looking at picture pages) that engage students with text and related content.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students read The Christmas Wish with an adult and are prompted to notice and respond to text features: they are asked to identify quotation marks and to say a character's words in that character's voice. Students preview the first pages to notice the kind deeds Anja performed and are asked to think of and plan a real-life task they could do like Anja. Students draw and write (or dictate) about their favorite part of celebrating or compose a letter to Santa, linking reading content to comprehension and personal response.
Unit 30: February Celebrations
Lesson 1
Day 1
The plan instructs an adult to read The Biggest Valentine Ever aloud to the child and then asks six specific comprehension questions about story events, character feelings, causes of conflict, and lessons learned. Students are asked to recall details (e.g., how the argument started), explain outcomes (what they did the next day), and brainstorm alternative responses to disagreements, which practices understanding of narrative content and purpose. The activities include discussing why Valentine's Day is celebrated, which frames a purposeful context for reading.
1: Environment
Unit 1: Habitats and Homes
Lesson 1
My Environment
Students are asked to read or sound out label words on the 'Exploring My Home' pages and to add missing first letters while using finger tracking as an adult pronounces the words. Students are instructed to read a paragraph aloud on 'The Most Important Room' page. Students demonstrate comprehension by circling items that meet basic needs, discussing why they selected those items, and answering prompts about how rooms are used and why they are important.
Lesson 2
What Is a Map?
Students are read the emergent-reader book Me On the Map and are asked comprehension questions (country, state, town, address) to check understanding. Students reread and discuss the opening pages about the map of the room and answer specific map-related questions that require comprehension (e.g., what is beside the refrigerator?). Students practice sounding out and labeling words on map worksheets and practice writing topic words (map, mom, home, house), linking print to meaning.
Lesson 3
Guide to Animal Habitats
Students are asked to listen as an adult reads Crinkleroot's Guide to Animal Habitats aloud and to answer questions during reading (e.g., point out animals and plants, count animals). The skills list explicitly includes listening and answering questions about text read orally, identifying the title/author/illustrator, making predictions, and identifying/ordering sequence of events. Activities require students to use the book to chart Crinkleroot's course and to refer to pages when sorting and drawing habitat elements, supporting comprehension of the text's content and sequence.
Lesson 4
Animals Live and Grow
The lesson directs an adult to read Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt aloud to the child and then asks the child comprehension questions and discussion prompts (Day 2 Reading and Questions). The lesson includes seven specific comprehension questions and prompts that ask the child to explain seasons, planting conditions, why plants need water, how animals help plants, and whether they would enjoy planting a garden. The wrapping up section asks the child to tell what animals and plants need and how animals depend on plants, reinforcing purposeful understanding of the text.
Lesson 5
Discovering Animal Habitats
Students are asked to read and sound out habitat words on the Identifying Habitats pages (Option 1 asks students to add first and last letters and attempt to read each word; Option 2 asks students to read the word box and label pictures). Students read short vocabulary (ocean, polar, desert, forest, savanna, rainforest) and captions on linked resources, then use those words to label and match pictures to habitat names. Students answer targeted comprehension questions about which animals live in which habitats and describe habitat features, demonstrating understanding of the text-picture relationships.
Lesson 6
Exploring Animal Habitats
Activity 2 asks students to create a short narrative ("A Day in the ___: A ___'s Life"), have a picture, dictate a story, and then read the story with an adult, with explicit instruction to "sound out the words in the story or to read it back to you." The lesson's Skills list includes "Demonstrate a sense of story (beginning, middle, and end)" and "Use words that name, describe, and tell action," which supports comprehension and emergent-reader text structure. Activity 3 has students practice letter formation and words (zebra, zoo), providing print-concept and decoding practice tied to simple vocabulary.
Lesson 7
Tools in My Environment
Students are asked to read the names of the tools they choose while the adult points to letters and sounds them out, practicing finger-pointing and decoding. Students practice reading and copying words (it, inch) and can write or copy sentences that contain those words on the handwriting page. Students are prompted to sound out beginning letters and identify letter sounds as words are written for them to read.
Lesson 8
Animal Care
Students are asked to listen to The Salamander Room being read and then answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., what kind of animal, where found, what habitat it needed). Students are prompted to connect the story to prior knowledge by discussing whether the boy should have kept the salamander and what pets need. The Skills list explicitly includes "Answer questions about a text (LA)" and "Connect literature to prior knowledge or experience (LA)," which directs student comprehension activities.
Lesson 9
Animal Designs
Students are presented with short, repetitive captions (for example, a fish swims in the ocean; a parrot flies in the rainforest) that match pictures and resemble emergent-reader text. Students are asked to name the animal and habitat in each picture, circle body parts that help movement, and act out the movements, connecting text/picture meaning to actions. In Option 2, students are prompted to write the name of each habitat and read the movement word while thinking of an animal that moves that way, linking simple decoding/writing with comprehension.
Lesson 10
Amazing Animals
Students are invited to read along with the "Amazing Changes" page or have it read to them, and they are prompted to select an animal to research further. Students read or listen to the "Amazing Animal Math" word problems aloud using manipulatives to support understanding. Students answer questions about scenarios (e.g., what will happen to the starfish's arm) and role-play animals, demonstrating comprehension and purpose in reading/listening activities.
Lesson 11
Amazing Me
The lesson's skills list includes "Recognize some words by sight" and "Read or attempt to read own story." Activity 2 instructs the child to "review the words beneath each face, encouraging your child to read the words aloud," and the student pages contain simple labels (e.g., "A Snake," "A Flower") and short prompts that the child is asked to read or respond to. Activity 3 has the child read aloud ideas that were recorded about personal changes, and students are asked to share examples aloud during wrapping up.
Final Project
Animal Research / My Environment
Students create their own simple books with five pages that include headings (e.g., "Me," "What I Eat and Drink," "My Home Environment," and similar animal pages) and are prompted to label pictures and write names (e.g., "THE _____" and "is found in _____"). Students are asked to staple pages into a book and share or explain each page to the family, which requires them to read or refer to the page headings and any words they or an adult have written. The directions prompt students to match illustrations to topical headings, supporting meaning-making connected to short text labels.
Unit 2: Weather
Lesson 1
Reading the Skies
Students are asked to look at the cover of Whatever the Weather and predict what the story is about, then either read the story independently or follow along as it is read aloud using a finger. After reading, students answer comprehension questions (e.g., what type of weather is best for playing outside; how does it make you feel when it rains?) and make predictions about the story. Students also dictate or write sentences using vocabulary from the text and retell or illustrate a personal or invented story about weather.
Lesson 2
Types of Precipitation
Students are asked in Activity 2 (both options) to read the word for each type of precipitation printed at the top of the activity page and then label or match those words to pictures. Students answer comprehension questions after hearing the books (e.g., identify habitats, describe how characters looked when hot or cold, and explain what they learned), which practices reading-for-understanding skills. Students practice writing and reading target words such as "rain" and "round," and are asked to follow written directions on activity pages.
Lesson 4
Simulating Weather
The lesson has students read and sing the "Weather Song," asking them to read the words aloud and to follow along by pointing to each word as they sing. The teacher prompts students to find specific words in the song (e.g., "clouds," "rain") and to identify capital letters, and the Skills list explicitly includes recognizing that written words are separated by spaces and distinguishing letters from printed words. The Wrapping Up section asks students questions about what happens in the sky, connecting the text to meaning and comprehension.
Lesson 5
Fall
The lesson asks the child to read directions aloud for the "Graphing Leaves" activity and to read or copy sentences using words like "fall" and "fun," which requires decoding simple text. Students are asked comprehension questions about the picture (e.g., What are the people wearing? What do the plants and trees look like?) and about the graph (e.g., Which color has the most leaves?), linking reading or reading-aloud to understanding. Handwriting and word-level practice (identify beginning letters, write words, use words in sentences) provides practice with print and simple text construction.
Lesson 6
Winter
In Activity 1 students are asked to find the pages that look like winter in the book Whatever the Weather, describe what they see, compare pictures to their own environment, and dictate a "Let It Snow" story using the vocabulary words cold, snow, and freeze. Students illustrate the dictated story and are invited to attempt to read the story aloud, with the adult available to help them sound out words. The Student Activity Page prompt "In the winter I _______" gives students a simple emergent-text to write and then read.
Lesson 7
Spring
Students are asked to attempt to read each short poem (emergent-reader text) with assistance as needed. After each poem, students are asked what the poem was about and to draw a line from the poem to the picture that best tells the story, requiring them to demonstrate comprehension. Optionally students illustrate the poems or dictate/write their own spring poem, reinforcing reading for meaning and purpose.
Lesson 8
Summer
The lesson provides emergent-reader-level text in the two "A Summer Story" options where students can read along, read the story to an adult, fill blanks with context words, or write initial letters to complete words. Activity 1 asks students to describe the picture, explain what is happening, and justify whether activities could happen in another season, prompting comprehension and purpose-driven discussion. Activity 3 and the review questions require students to complete sentences about seasons and temperature, showing they must understand and use information from the texts and pictures.
Final Project
Weather Games
Students are asked to look through and read aloud the book Whatever the Weather and to reread pages 8–15 of Oh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today?, giving them opportunities to read emergent-reader text. Students pick the page that matches the weather outside and answer guided questions about temperature, wind, precipitation, clouds, and appropriate activities, which requires comprehension of the text. Students match written season and weather words to pictures in the Weather Memory game, practicing word recognition tied to meaning. Students prepare and present a three-day weather forecast using answers recorded on the Weather Forecast graphic organizer, applying text information for a real-world purpose.
Unit 3: Community
Lesson 1
On the Town
Students are asked to read the emergent-reader book On the Town (showing the cover, predicting, then reading) and to answer follow-up comprehension questions about what a community is, which places Charlie visited, and why he recorded places and people. Option 2 explicitly asks students to read the community vocabulary words and to read each sentence and fill in the correct community word, requiring decoding and word-in-context reading. Activities 3 and the Wrapping Up discussion require students to produce sentences or drawings about community places, demonstrating their understanding of the text they read.
Lesson 2
My Community Environment
Students are read an emergent-reader book (Me on the Map) and are directed to look through books in their home library to identify and describe communities in illustrations. Students select three books, copy the title of each book, and draw simple illustrations of the communities found in each story. Students label places on a community poster and write or dictate brief descriptions of how each place serves the community, connecting text and meaning.
Lesson 3
Jobs in the Community
Students are asked to read or help read the names on the "Community Workers" activity pages, circle first and last letters, and sound out each label. Students are asked to read through lists they create, use those lists while tallying sightings in the community, and read an example paragraph before writing and attempting to read their own paragraph aloud. Students are encouraged to read books about community workers and to say simple sentences aloud describing how each worker helps.
Lesson 4
Goods and Services in the Community
Activity 1 asks the child to read the names of buildings, goods, and services and to sound out words if needed; the child circles beginning letters and matches cut‑out word labels to pictures of buildings and their goods/services. Activity 2 asks the child to read price labels and to read how many dollars items cost while counting money. The Wrapping Up prompts ask the child to describe goods and services and explain why people have jobs, linking the printed labels to their meanings.
Lesson 7
A Citizen with Character
Students are asked to attempt to read the short statements on the "Respect" activity and mark each as respectful or disrespectful, demonstrating reading for a purpose. Students read (or are read) "A Lesson in Honesty" and are prompted to predict outcomes and answer comprehension questions. Students engage with "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," then illustrate and write or dictate beginning, middle, and end events—showing understanding of sequence and story meaning.
Lesson 8
Rules and Laws
Students are asked to read each sentence strip aloud by herself or with assistance in Activity 1, and to follow print word by word (listed under Skills). In Activity 2 students read or listen to short statement items and decide whether each is a rule or a law, sorting them on the activity page. In Activity 3 students hear a short emergent-reader style story ('The House with No Rules') and answer comprehension questions about events and preferences.
Lesson 9
Caring for Our Communities
Students are asked to study the story "When One Person Cares" while an adult reads it and then answer comprehension questions about beginning, middle, and end, setting, and Katy's actions. Students mark pictures (place an X/circle) on the "Where Would You Want to Live?" page to show understanding of community features. Extension tasks ask students to look through picture books to discuss settings and whether communities are safe and happy, and students role-play and describe community helpers to show comprehension and purpose.
2: Similarities and Differences
Unit 1: Amazing Attributes
Lesson 3
Size, Shape, and Color
Students see and are asked to review short written items such as the Facts and Definitions list (e.g., "A circle has no sides") and the Shape of Things activity page which labels shapes with words (Circle, Rectangle, Square, Oval, Triangle). Students are prompted to read or review the names and outlines of shapes and then write or draw an example object in the blank "Object" column. Students are asked to describe what they learned about shapes and colors, linking short written labels to meaning.
Lesson 5
How Old?
The Skills list explicitly includes "Attempt to read written text (LA)," and instructions tell the child to "read each of the questions, or you may read the questions aloud to her." The activities direct students to reread the questions, point out question marks, and attempt independent reading of the worksheet prompts. Students are asked to use the written ages and numbers to match to pictures, which requires reading numbers and short labels to complete tasks.
Lesson 10
Earth Materials: Rocks, Soil, and Water
Students are asked to listen to and discuss emergent-reader texts (Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt; Over and Under the Pond) with specific comprehension questions after each reading. Students compare the two books (covers, illustrations, writing patterns), identify text features such as the glossary, and answer questions about characters, habitats, and roles of solids and liquids. Students also read aloud short portions (title page, first sentence) and complete sentence-fill activities that require understanding of text context (preposition worksheets).
Unit 2: Senses
Lesson 1
My Five Senses
Students are asked to preview and set a purpose before reading by locating the book title and predicting what the story will be about. Students copy and refer to a 'Senses Word List' and are encouraged to attempt to read My Five Senses, identify beginning letters, and find listed words in the text. After reading, students answer comprehension questions that require them to name the five senses, identify associated body parts, and explain how senses help recognize similarities and differences.
Lesson 2
Senses and Body Parts
The lesson has an activity in which an adult reads the emergent-level story "Jackie's Day at the Pet Store" aloud twice while the child listens and picks up and glues sense-organs when Jackie uses a sense. The skills list explicitly includes "Determine a purpose for listening to text read aloud," "Listen responsively to text read aloud," and "Identify the title and author of a book," which students practice during read-aloud and follow-up activities. Option 2 has students tell the story aloud and pause to mark senses, practicing oral retelling and comprehension of story events.
Lesson 4
Hearing and Seeing
Students listen as an adult reads The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses and answer comprehension questions about events and characters. Students are asked to "attempt to read written text" (skills list) and to attempt to read their own recorded descriptions aloud to others after the listening activities. Students practice letter/word work (letter E; the words eyes and ears) and complete labeling activities for eye and ear diagrams that reinforce vocabulary found in the texts.
Lesson 6
Experimenting With Our Senses
Students are asked to attempt to read the names of spices on jar labels and to copy or write those names on index cards (Activity 2). Students tell a story about a favorite flavor that is recorded and then are encouraged to read that recorded story aloud (Activity 3). Students write or dictate and copy a sentence about something they smelled or tasted and are expected to read it (Activity 4).
Lesson 7
Using All of Our Senses
Students listen as pages 21–end of My Five Senses are read aloud and then answer questions about which senses the character used. Students look through emergent-reader titles (Brown Bear, Polar Bear) to identify ways characters use their senses. Students complete picture-based and nature-walk activities that require identifying, circling, and recording sensory information from situations and texts.
Lesson 8
Writing About Our Senses
Students are asked to read or listen to short clue texts in the "Sensing Logic" activity and mark/eliminate pictures, demonstrating reading for a purpose (identify the described item). In "A Sensible Report" students attempt to read aloud the short report they create about popcorn after filling blanks and drawing, showing practice reading emergent text they produced. Activity 3 and the Life Application prompt students to find and identify sensing words in books, which requires locating and interpreting words in simple texts.
Final Project
A Sensible Party
Students are asked to read the sample "Party Planner" sheet with an adult to get an idea of what a plan looks like, and to use the Party Planner pages to record ideas and supplies. Students compare their plan to the sample in Game 1 to find similarities and differences and use the checklist to gather and check off supplies. Students are instructed to make invitations (reading/writing place, date, time) and to answer wrap-up questions about what happened at the party.
Unit 3: We're the Same, We're Different
Lesson 1
You're Special
Students are asked to attempt to read each question aloud on the "You Are Special" page and to sound out words as they answer, practicing decoding while responding to text. They use answers from the first page to complete a paragraph and then read and share that personalized story, demonstrating reading for a purpose. In "Your Numbers," students read each sentence, record numeric information, and compare numbers with others, showing comprehension of informational sentences and numerical text. Activity 3 has students locate and read numbers in the environment (page numbers, addresses, signs), giving additional practice reading real-world emergent texts with intent.
Lesson 2
Physical Characteristics
Students listen to and engage with the short emergent-level story "Different Friends": they answer comprehension questions (retell, beginning/middle/end, character feelings, friendship inference) and then reorder event boxes from the story. The teacher is instructed to read the story twice and then have the child cut, color, and paste event boxes in sequence, which requires students to demonstrate understanding of story events and purpose. Activity 3 has students dictate and illustrate their own three-part friendship story, reinforcing narrative structure and purposeful storytelling.
Lesson 3
Different Personalities
Students read through a list of personality words and are asked to attempt to sound out words and circle the ones that describe them (Activity 1). Students trace and write the word "quiet" and practice the letter Q in guided handwriting exercises (Activity 4). Students also read and sing a short song that uses personality words and substitute words from their activities.
Lesson 4
Interests and Hobbies
Students are asked to read the Hobby Survey questions aloud when interviewing three people, giving an explicit reading-for-purpose activity. Students are directed to go to the library to find books about an interest, use those books to research, and then answer the five prompts on the "My Interest" sheet. The handwriting page includes sight words (you, yes) that students practice reading and writing, supporting word recognition needed for emergent-reader texts.
Lesson 5
Shapesville
Students are asked to point to the title, sound out the letters, and make predictions from the cover (Activity 1). As the story is read, students identify each character's shape, count sides/angles, and describe physical and personality traits, then answer comprehension questions about meaning and themes. The skills list explicitly includes "Read or attempt to read own story or simple text" and Activity 2 asks students to attempt to read their dictated description and share it aloud. Activity 3 encourages students to read the book aloud to family, providing practice reading emergent text with an audience.
Lesson 6
Different Families
The lesson directs an adult to "Read pages 6-13, 18-23, and 26-31" and to talk with the child about the people, foods, and homes shown, which engages the child in comprehension discussion. Students are asked to identify pictures of families, describe clothing and activities, and complete comparison sentences or Venn diagrams linking text information to personal experience. Handwriting and word practice (tracing the word "different" and letters Dd) and sentence-completion activities provide practice with vocabulary from the text.
Lesson 7
Different Homes
Students are asked to read pages 26–35 in A Life Like Mine and identify and describe the different homes shown, answering questions about why people have homes. Students are prompted to name materials used to build homes and to connect that information to the concept of natural resources and to their own home. Students complete activity pages that require reading comparison words (big, bigger, biggest, etc.) and either coloring or writing the correct word beneath pictures, and they write a sentence about their home.
Lesson 8
Different Holidays and Traditions
Students read short informational descriptions and view pictures about holidays on encyclopedias and the listed websites (Activity 2) and answer comprehension questions such as "What are the people celebrating?" and "What types of activities are they engaged in?". Students match holiday names to images on the "American Holidays and Traditions" activity page (Activity 1), requiring them to recognize and connect words with symbols. Students create and write sentences for each page in a "Book of Holidays" and produce three sentences about a favorite holiday (Activities 3 and 5), engaging with holiday-related text and sequencing pages by date.
Lesson 9
Different Modes of Transportation
Students are asked to look through books/websites (including A Life Like Mine) to find examples of transportation, which invites reading for information. In Activity 3 students tell a story about a drawn trip that is recorded for them and are invited to attempt to read that recorded story aloud. Activity 4 asks students to write or copy a sentence about a mode of transportation, which creates a simple text they can read.
Lesson 10
Wants and Needs
Students are prompted to read specific pages (pages 46–51, 56–61, and 66–71) and discuss why children need education, play, and love, which requires them to read for a purpose and explain meaning. Students label pictured items with words (e.g., car, computer, home, water, meal) and decide whether each is a want or a need, requiring them to read and comprehend simple word–picture texts. Students complete a survey chart and webs by drawing or writing items named by others, which asks them to interpret and organize information they have read or heard.
Lesson 11
Being Part of a Group
Students are asked to read pages 98–113 of A Life Like Mine and to discuss what identity, nationality, and religion mean, which requires comprehension of an emergent-reader text. The Skills list explicitly includes "Read or attempt to read own story or simple text (LA)." Activity 2 asks students to draw a group, complete a short prompted paragraph about the group, and then read that paragraph aloud with assistance.
Final Project
Differences Make the World Go 'Round
Students are instructed to locate a chosen country on a map and "read about it in a book or on the Internet," with a prompt to discuss fiction vs. nonfiction. Students create a simple emergent-level book about similarities and differences, complete sentence starters (e.g., "I live in..." "I like to eat..."), illustrate pages, and are encouraged to share the finished book with family. The activity prompts students to read informational sources for a purpose (to learn about another child's life) and to produce a text they can present aloud.
3: Patterns
Unit 1: Identifying and Creating Visual Patterns
Lesson 1
What Is a Pattern?
Students are asked to listen to and follow along as an adult reads the emergent-reader story Busy Bugs aloud, then attempt to read the story aloud themselves with assistance as needed. Students identify the title and author from the cover and make predictions about the story, showing reading for a purpose. Students answer questions about specific pages (pages 6–11 and 12–25) and explain the patterns they see in the text, connecting text details to the concept of patterns.
Lesson 2
Recognizing Types of Patterns
Students are asked to reread the book Busy Bugs and to point out ABAB and AABB patterns in the text, which directs their reading toward a specific purpose. Students are asked to write or copy a sentence about Busy Bugs, linking their reading to a written response. Students are prompted to explain the difference between ABAB and AABB patterns after rereading, demonstrating comprehension of a text-related feature.
Lesson 6
Shapes and Patterns
Students are asked to "sound out each word" on the Reading Patterns (Option 1) sheets and to circle the beginning letter of each word in the pattern. In Option 2, students are instructed to "read the words that describe the pattern" and then create the pattern with attribute blocks. Activity 3 asks students to write or copy a sentence about a pattern, providing exposure to simple sentence-level text.
Lesson 8
Creating and Writing About Patterns
Students read and use a word list of simple object words (eye, nose, mouth, apple, orange, banana, worm, bug, hat) and are asked to write the first letter or copy the words. Students read and respond to sentence prompts such as "First comes ___", "Then comes ___", and other short prompts, and they write or copy two or three sentences describing patterns. Students also read instructions for pattern types (ABAB, AABB, ABC) and identify sequence words (first, then, next) to describe order.
Unit 2: Patterns in Sounds, Words, and Actions
Lesson 1
Word Patterns
Students are asked to read a variety of nursery rhymes and identify rhyming words, and they are encouraged to reread or read the book Bear Hugs. Students act out or illustrate a favorite nursery rhyme and record rhyming words on handwriting paper. Students copy or dictate animal names from the text and sort them by habitat, and they write a sentence using two rhyming words from Bear Hugs.
Lesson 2
Making Word Patterns
Students read and complete emergent-reader sentences in Activity 1 where they unfold the sheet and "read each sentence," then assemble and read their own rhyming book. Activity 2 and Option 2 ask students to look at word lists, attempt to read each word, sort them into word-family cards, and practice reading words in the same family. Activity 3 has students use picture books that rhyme to identify and record words from the text that share sound patterns, requiring them to read text to find examples.
Lesson 3
Poetry Patterns
Students are instructed to read the poems on the "Patterns in Poetry" sheet at least twice and to "read or attempt to read simple text," with assistance as needed. Students are asked to state what each poem is about and to circle rhyming words in the poems, demonstrating comprehension and attention to meaning. Students also sing and respond to the song "A-Hunting We Will Go," fill in missing rhyming words, and write another verse, all showing purposeful engagement with emergent texts.
Lesson 4
Sentence Patterns
The lesson asks students to read simple picture books and 'identify sentences' and to point to beginning letters and periods (Activity 4). Students are asked to read sentences aloud when completing sentence-completion and pattern activities (Activity 1, Day 2 Option 1/2) and to decide which words fit in blanks (Completing a Sentence Pattern). Students copy simple sentences from books and underline/circle nouns and verbs, demonstrating sentence-level reading and attention to print conventions.
Lesson 5
Story Patterns
Students read short emergent-reader stories (Activity 1 and Option 2) and are prompted to predict events and answer questions about the beginning, middle, and end. Students reread a printed short story twice (Option 2) and complete boxes that summarize each part, writing or dictating sentences for each section. Students create their own short story, attempt to read it aloud, and copy a sentence from it (Activities 3 and 4), providing multiple opportunities to read with comprehension and purpose.
Final Project
Patterns Video
The lesson tells students that for the word/rhyming and book patterns they can "read the words from a book or poem and explain the pattern," prompting oral reading with a clear purpose. Students are asked to write or dictate video scripts that record the type of pattern, its parts, where it was found or made, and the sequence, and then practice what they will say on camera. Day 2 directs students to practice multiple times, rehearse looking at the camera, be recorded, and watch the video to self-evaluate their presentation and explanations.
Unit 3: Patterns in Your World
Lesson 1
Patterns in Nature
Students participate in a shared reading of pages 1-11 of Pattern by Henry Pluckrose, during which they are asked to identify and describe the pattern in each picture. The lesson lists "Practice reading simple texts (LA)" as a skill and asks students to write or copy a sentence from the day's reading, providing engagement with the printed text. Students answer comprehension questions about which patterns they have seen or not seen and are prompted to think of other patterns to add, which ties reading to meaning.
Lesson 4
Daily Routines
Students encounter labeled pictures on the "My Morning Routine" page (get dressed, get out of bed, eat breakfast, put on shoes, brush teeth) and are asked to cut, order, and glue them, which requires recognizing printed words. Students see simple example sentences on the "A Routine for Dinner" page and are asked to dictate or write sentences for four steps, linking short written sentences to sequence. Students are asked to record activities in words or simple symbols on the daily routine chart and to copy or dictate a sentence in the handwriting activity, engaging with short text and labels.
Lesson 5
Calendar Patterns
Students are asked to name and order the days of the week and months of the year and to read/label calendar days (Activities 1, 3, and 5). Students read and record dates on index cards and use a calendar to identify month, date, and day of week (Activity 3). Students read and sort printed day and month cards and can read number words and tally representations when completing the Days, Weeks, Months, and Years chart (Activities 2 and 5).
Lesson 6
Seasonal Weather Patterns
Students read and use the laminated calendar to write today's date and to select and circle the weather, requiring them to read calendar labels and weather words. Students read and copy the months of the year on handwriting paper and answer sequencing questions (e.g., which month comes after March), using month names for a purpose. Students read the words in the "Weather Patterns" word box and match month labels/pictures to seasons and weather, demonstrating word-level reading tied to comprehension tasks.
Lesson 7
Patterns at Home
The lesson directs an adult to "Read the whole Pattern book aloud to your child," and then has the child identify and describe specific patterns found on listed pages from the book (Activity 1). Follow-up tasks ask the child to complete pattern pages, find and describe patterns in clothing and quilts, and write or dictate and copy a sentence that describes a pattern found in her closet (Activities 2–5). These activities require the child to attend to the book's content and demonstrate understanding by locating, describing, and applying patterns from the text.
Final Project
Patterns All Around Lapbook
Students create six mini-books (one-page book, matchbook, 3-flap book, wheel book, fan book, four corners) and write titles/labels such as "Symmetrical Pattern" and "Pattern in Nature." The skills list explicitly includes understanding that spoken words represent written language and recognizing that text moves left to right. The activities ask students to write the days of the week, label stages of growth, and decorate/label pages, producing simple, emergent-reader style texts to display.
4: Change
Unit 1: Changes on Planet Earth
Lesson 1
What Causes Change?
The Skills section explicitly lists "Read or attempt to read own dictated story (LA)." Activity 3 has students draw before-and-after pictures, complete three sentences about a change, and then attempt to read that paragraph aloud. Activity 2 asks students to observe pictured sequences and write or record "fast" or "slow," which requires reading the prompt and any labels and making meaning from the images.
Lesson 2
What Changed?
Students are asked to read (or be read to) "Part 1: Things Change" (pp. 3–26) and to answer targeted questions about examples of physical and chemical changes referenced on specific pages. The lesson opens with Questions to Explore (e.g., "What changes take place in my environment?") that set a clear purpose for reading. After reading, students answer comprehension questions (identify physical vs chemical changes, give examples they have seen) and explain reasoning (e.g., why burning is a chemical change). Activity 2 asks students to examine paired images, circle which attributes changed, and record sentences describing those changes, reinforcing understanding of the text content.
Lesson 3
Changing Position
Students are asked to look at the book cover and predict what the book will be about, establishing a reading purpose. Students are encouraged to read the emergent-reader book Zoom! Zip! Whoosh! (if able) or listen while the book is read aloud and then answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., how do we get objects to start moving?, give examples of push/pull, what force keeps us on Earth?). Students use the index to find words (gravity, inertia) and copy sentences from the indicated pages, demonstrating locating information and extracting meaning from text.
Lesson 4
Changes in the Environment
Students are asked to read (or listen as the adult reads) "Part 2: Seasons Change" and to answer questions about the changes described on specific pages, which requires comprehension of the text. The lesson includes short situational texts in Activity 1 that students read and respond to (e.g., weather scenarios) and asks students to illustrate or write two sentences about a time weather changed their activity. The Skills list explicitly includes "Listen responsively to text read aloud (LA)," and activities ask students to label, color, and create a seasons wheel based on what they read.
Lesson 5
Changes in Location
Activity 2 (Option 2) instructs the child to read each sentence and move the cut-out mouse to the described location, and it explicitly says to provide assistance with the reading if needed. The wrapping-up challenge asks the child to read written directions and follow them, and Activity 1 offers sentence frames and word boxes that students complete, which are short, emergent-reader level texts for students to read or decode.
Lesson 7
Living Things Change
Students are asked to review specific pages (pages 30-31 and 34-37) in Changes Happen All Around You and to discuss how and why animals change, linking text content to coloring and cut-and-paste activities. Students observe picture pairs on the "Changes in Living Things" page, answer questions about what changed (number, size, shape, place), circle descriptive words, and judge whether changes are fast or slow. Students copy or write a sentence describing how something changes and are prompted to present dramatic interpretations of ideas presented in text.
Lesson 8
Plants and Change
Students are instructed to read specified pages of an emergent-reader text (National Geographic Readers: Seed to Plant — pages 4–7, 8–11, 10–13, 14–15, and 18–25) and to locate the section "What Do Plants Need?" using the table of contents. Students answer direct comprehension questions (e.g., What are some things plants are used for? How are plants similar to and different from animals?), sequence life-cycle pictures by cutting and gluing them in order, and make and test predictions during the plant experiment. Students also summarize by listing plant parts and describing what plants need to grow, demonstrating use of text information to complete tasks.
Lesson 9
Heat Causes Change
Students are directed to review specific pages (14-15 and 18-19) in the book Changes Happen All Around You, engaging with an emergent-reader informational text. Students answer guided questions about what burned, how items changed, and what will happen to ice, water, and steam, demonstrating comprehension of the text content. Students label and sequence the states of matter on the 'Ice, Water, Steam' activity page, use a word box with 'ice,' 'water,' and 'steam,' and write or copy a sentence about an observation on handwriting paper.
Unit 2: Characters Change
Lesson 1
What's in a Name
Students listen to the story (linked read-aloud) and are asked to pay attention to illustrations as the narrator reads. Students answer four explicit comprehension questions about feelings, cause of change, and how words affect others. Students read and interpret short text excerpts on the "Feeling Phrases" page, identify emotions, and complete a "Characters Change" page comparing traits at the beginning and end of the story. Students also work with vocabulary from the text (guessing meanings, matching definitions) and examine suffixes in context.
Lesson 2
Why Worry?
Students watch a read-aloud video of Wemberly Worried and answer four explicit comprehension questions about whether Wemberly needed to worry and what can be learned from her experiences. Students complete a "Characters Change" activity page that asks them to describe how Wemberly was at the beginning and at the end and to explain why she changed. Students produce and combine sentences using the conjunctions "and" and "but" based on events in the story, and they are asked to use those conjunctions orally and in writing.
Lesson 3
Is It a Problem?
Students are directed to read What Do You Do With a Problem? and then answer four comprehension questions about how the problem is illustrated, how it grows, how the boy addresses it, and what he learns. Students examine illustrations across the book and complete an activity to illustrate the problem at different points, identifying beginning, middle, and end for three stories and describing how the boy changed. Students also complete comprehension-based worksheets (Tackling a Problem, Characters Change) that require them to describe the problem, explain why it worries them, identify controllable vs. uncontrollable aspects, and list steps to tackle it.
Lesson 4
Comparing Characters
Students compare characters using Venn diagrams for Chrysanthemum, Wemberly, and the boy from What Do You Do With a Problem?, which requires them to identify similarities and differences across texts. Students dictate three-sentence summaries (one sentence for beginning, middle, and end) and answer comprehension questions such as "How are the characters' situations similar?" and "What can we learn from both characters?". Students match causes and effects drawn from the stories and create personal reflections (I Change) linking events to outcomes.
Lesson 5
The Raft
Students read The Raft aloud with an adult across three days and stop at specific pages to answer comprehension questions about characters, setting, events, and changes in feeling. Students identify the narrator by locating and copying sentences with "I," match vocabulary words to sentence contexts to clarify meaning, and complete story-element and character-change activities that require them to state the problem, solution, and how the main character changed. Students also discuss and explain idioms and figurative phrases to show understanding of author meaning and purpose.
Lesson 6
Positive and Negative Change
In Activity 1, students are asked to cut apart short cause-and-effect statements, attempt to read them, match causes to effects, and label each as positive or negative, which requires reading short emergent text for meaning. In Activity 2, students listen to a short character description read twice, answer comprehension questions about feelings and choices, and dictate a new ending that is then read aloud with the student, connecting reading to purposeful understanding. In Activity 3, students reflect on characters from previously read stories, illustrate a personal change, and write or dictate sentences describing the cause and effect, showing comprehension of text events and purpose.
Unit 3: A First Look at History - Change Over Time
Lesson 1
People and Families Change
The lesson lists the skill "Read or attempt to read a dictated story (LA)" and asks the child to read ideas aloud after completing writing activities. Activity 5 asks the child to dictate ideas, then read them back and fill in a writing sheet, and Activity 3 has the child write (or copy) a sentence about how he has changed. The Student Activity Page prompts the child to produce past and present descriptions that can be read aloud.
Lesson 2
Understanding Time
Students are asked to read specified pages (pages 6–13 and the last three pages) of Telling Time: How to Tell Time on Digital and Analog Clocks and to discuss units of time. The lesson prompts students to activate prior knowledge before reading and to connect information in the text to their own experience through direct questions (e.g., Were you born in the past, present, or future? Tell me about a change that is happening in your life at the present). Students complete writing/drawing activity pages (Yesterday/Today/Tomorrow) that require them to reflect on text concepts and place events in chronological order.
Lesson 3
Communities Change
Students are asked to read The House on Maple Street aloud (or listen while it is read) and to answer comprehension questions about setting, characters, changes, and favorite parts. Students place events from the story in chronological order using the Maple Street Timeline, showing they extract and sequence story information. Students identify communities, differences in transportation/clothing/homes, circle animals from the story, and write a sentence about the book, all tasks that require reading with purpose and demonstrating understanding.
Lesson 4
Past and Present
Students are asked to read specific pages of The Usborne Time Traveler (e.g., pages about ancient Egypt, Rome, and the Middle Ages) and to look at the cover to predict content. Students answer comprehension questions about differences in dress, homes, transportation, and school, sequence events on a timeline, and dictate clues or stories based on the text. Skills listed include predicting content from a cover, identifying sequence of events, connecting text to experience, and using text features to locate key facts.
Lesson 5
Exploring the Past
Students are asked to "skim or read" specific pages of The Usborne Time Traveler to learn about homes, clothes, food, and transport and to use that information to complete culture charts. Students will draw and write or dictate descriptions from the pages and complete four student activity pages (Homes and Houses, Clothes and Fashion, Food and Eating, Travel and Transport). Students will place picture cutouts in chronological order on a timeline and write one sentence about each element of culture for a selected culture, then assemble those pages into a book and give a presentation to share what they learned.
Lesson 6
Predicting Future Change
Students are asked to reread each situation in Activity 2 and discuss predictions and outcomes, which requires them to read text for meaning. In Activity 3 students dictate a description of a personal change and are asked to attempt to read the description they dictated. The student activity pages present short, simple scenarios with pictures and lines for responses, which students can read and respond to when making predictions about future change.
Lesson 7
People of the Past
Students are asked to select and read a simple biography (Activity 1) and answer questions about whether the person lived in the past or present, how to describe them, and what positive change they made, which targets purposeful reading and comprehension. In Activity 2 students reread short descriptions, point to the individual described, and place figures in chronological order, demonstrating understanding of text details. The wrapping up prompts ask students to state what a biography is and describe people from the past, and Activity 4 has students write a sentence about a historical person, reinforcing comprehension of the text.
Final Project
My Past, Present and Future
Students create an emergent-reader style book (Past, Present, and Future) by writing or dictating simple sentences and adding pictures for past, present, and future entries. Students are asked to read through their book or comparison pages during the Wrap Up and to present the book to family. The Wrap Up includes reflective questions (e.g., How do you think you will change when you are grown?) that prompt students to demonstrate understanding of the content they recorded.
6: Reading
Unit 1: Semester 1
Lesson 1
Letter Sounds Review I
Students are asked to read an emergent-reader book (Tap and Pat), with the teacher modeling reading by pointing to each word and then having the child read the book twice. Activities explicitly teach reading directionality, word pointing, spacing, punctuation (periods and exclamation points), and sight-word recognition, and children are prompted to use pictures and meaning cues when decoding (e.g., "Does that word make sense here?" and use the pictures to figure out words). Students are also asked to perform actions shown in the book as they read, and to identify items on the cover, which connects reading to understanding.
Lesson 2
Letter Sounds Review II
Activity 5.3 asks students to read the emergent-reader The Pig Can: they read the title, describe the cover, predict what the book is about, point to each word as they read, and read the book a second time. The teacher models reading questions with rising intonation and then asks the child a comprehension question ("Do you think the pig and the cat can fit in the box?") and asks the child to explain her thinking. The Introduction and earlier activities also ask students to re-read the previous reader (Tap and Pat) and encourage students to read The Pig Can to others to build fluency and purpose.
Lesson 3
Letter Sounds Review III
On Day 5 (Activity 5.2) students read the emergent-reader The Bug aloud, point to each word as they read, and answer comprehension questions about the text (e.g., What is the bug able to do? Why can't he do that?). The Weekly Message activity asks students to read the message aloud while pointing to words and to identify punctuation, and the What's Missing? activity has students read completed sentences aloud. The unit also encourages re-reading a previous reader and has students read lists of words and sight-word cards during wrap-up.
Lesson 4
Letter Sounds Review IV
Students read The Cat, the Pig, the Dog, and the Fox independently, pointing to each word as they read and then re-reading the book aloud to an adult. Students read the Weekly Message by pointing to words, sounding out unfamiliar words, and identifying sentence end marks to count sentences. Students read sight-word sentences and complete a circling task, and they answer comprehension questions about characters' actions (e.g., why the dog and fox are napping).
Lesson 5
Adding s, More Word Families, Ending with ck
Students are asked to read Ducks Are Fun on their own, then read it aloud to an adult and answer the comprehension question "Which duck do you think is having the most fun? Why?" (Activity 4.3). Students are prompted to use pictures to figure out word meaning (the word "don") and to re-read readers for practice. Students also read the Weekly Message aloud, identify sentence-ending punctuation, and read sentences with appropriate expression to match purpose (Activity 1.1).
Lesson 6
Open Syllables and Digraph th
Students are asked to read Reader #6 (This Is...) on their own and then aloud, with instructions to point to each word as they read and to read exclamation-marked words loudly and with feeling. The plan also directs students to reread a previous reader (Ducks Are Fun) and to read the Weekly Message aloud while following along, providing multiple opportunities to read connected text. Comprehension is checked with questions about characters, pets, and preferences after reading, and students are asked to read sentences they assemble or write during sentence dictation activities.
Lesson 7
Consonant Digraphs ch, sh, wh, ph
Students are asked to read the emergent-reader They Get Wet on their own before reading it aloud and to point to each word as they read, with a pre-reading prompt: "What do you think will happen?" Comprehension is checked with targeted questions (e.g., "Where is the ship...?", "Why are the rat and the cat wet...?") that require students to demonstrate understanding of events and causes. Students are also encouraged to reread a previous reader, read sight words aloud, and read sorted word columns to an adult, reinforcing purposeful reading and comprehension.
Lesson 8
Blends with s
Students are asked to read an emergent reader (Meg and Dan and the Sled) independently and then read it aloud while pointing to each word (Activity 4.3). Students re-read the previous reader and the Weekly Message, point to and read known words, and perform purposeful tasks such as circling punctuation, underlining sight words, and highlighting digraphs (Activity 1.1, Wrapping Up). The lesson includes repeated oral reading of sight words and readers, and comprehension checks with specific questions about the reader (Activity 4.3).
Lesson 9
Blends with l
Students are asked to read The Club on their own and then read it aloud while pointing to each word (Activity 4.3). The lesson directs students to re-read a previous emergent-reader (Meg and Dan and the Sled) and to read the Weekly Message aloud while pointing to known words (Activity 1.1 and Getting Started). After reading The Club, students answer specific comprehension questions about details and personal response (flags' colors, what kids do, and an open-ended "If you were in the club..." question).
Lesson 10
Blends with r
Students are asked to read the emergent-reader One Can on their own and then read it aloud while pointing to each word (Activity 4.2). After reading, students answer specific comprehension questions about the text (Where are the ducks swimming to? What are the kids running on?), which checks understanding. The Weekly Message activity also directs students to read the message aloud, read along as able, and point to known words, providing additional emergent-text reading practice.
Lesson 11
Ending Blends
Students read the reader "At Camp" on their own and then aloud, with explicit instruction to point to each word as they read. Students answer targeted comprehension questions about the text (e.g., what kids do at camp, what they are hunting for) and are encouraged to reread previous readers and read to others. Students also read and follow along with the Weekly Message and practice sight words within connected text to support meaning and purpose while reading.
Lesson 12
Double ll, ss, ff, zz (FLOSS)
Students are asked to read the emergent reader Huff and Puff on their own and then read it aloud while pointing to each word (Activity 4.3). Earlier activities ask students to re-read a previous lesson's reader, read the Weekly Message aloud while following along, and point to each word in teacher-written sentences (Activity 1.1, Weekly Focus, Day 4). After reading Huff and Puff, students answer comprehension questions about content (insects shown, why they follow the kids, why people are huffing and puffing).
Lesson 13
Glued Sounds ng and nk
Students are asked to re-read the previous reader (Huff and Puff) and to read Weekly Message #13 aloud, pointing to words as they read and re-reading the message multiple times. Students are instructed to read Reader #13 — King Hank on their own and then read it aloud to an adult, with explicit prompts to point to each word as they read. After reading King Hank, students answer comprehension questions about setting and details (e.g., where the king and his friends sleep; what color drinks they drink). The wrap-up directs students to revisit the Weekly Message to find words that end with ng or nk, giving a clear reading purpose for at least one activity.
Lesson 14
Three-Letter Beginning Blends
Activity 4.3 directs students to read the emergent-reader Spring Has Sprung! on their own before reading it aloud, and to point to each word as they read. After reading, students are asked literal comprehension questions (e.g., "What do the kids do at the track?" and "What do the kids do at the pond?") to demonstrate understanding. The lesson also encourages rereading previous readers and practice reading the weekly message aloud, reinforcing purposeful reading and tracking print.
Lesson 15
More Ending Blends
Students are asked to read Reader #15 (The Raft Trip) on their own and then read it aloud while pointing to each word (Activity 5.2). Students are prompted to re-read a previous reader (Spring Has Sprung) and to reread the Weekly Message while pointing to words (Introduction; Activity 1.1). After reading The Raft Trip, students answer specific comprehension questions about characters and events (Activity 5.2). The lesson also has students read dictated sentences and read words they built, reinforcing purposeful decoding tied to meaning (Activity 5.1; word-building activities).
Lesson 16
R-Controlled Vowels (ar)
Students are asked to read Reader #16 (Which? When? What?) on their own before reading it aloud, to point to each word as they read, and to answer the question on each page. Students are prompted to read the Weekly Message aloud and to point to and read words they know, and later to find three words that show the Bossy R rule. Students also read sight words, read dictated sentences aloud after writing them, and answer follow-up comprehension questions about the reader.
Lesson 17
Semester Review
Activity 4.1 asks students to reread emergent readers on their own, read them aloud to an adult, name or point to characters, and talk about what the characters do (e.g., swim, camp, sing). Activity 4.2 has students plan and write their own simple reader using words they know and then share it, which requires composing text with a clear purpose. Additional activities (1.1 Weekly Message rereading, 2.1 Word Collection review, 3.2 sentence dictation, and the Wrapping Up prompt) require students to read connected text, identify sight words in context, and demonstrate understanding by responding to questions or underlining correct words.
Unit 2: Semester 2
Lesson 1
Long Vowels a and i with Silent e
Students are asked to read Reader #1 — In the Fall on their own and then read it aloud, with instructions to point to each word as they read. The lesson includes guided comprehension checks: students answer questions about what Lin and Dev do in the fall, what one character does while another bakes, and which activities the student likes. The skills list and wrapping-up directions explicitly instruct students to reread the Weekly Message, point out long a and i words, and use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition.
Lesson 2
Long Vowels o, u, and e with Silent e
Students are instructed to read the emergent reader They Chose To Doze on their own and then read it aloud to the teacher/parent (Activity 5.1). After reading, students answer comprehension questions about story events and characters (e.g., What did the family do on their trip? Who fell off of the mule?). Students also reread the Weekly Message to listen for long-vowel words and complete sight-word activities (sight word cards, word search) that require locating and reading words for specific purposes.
Lesson 3
Hard and Soft c and g
Activity 5.2 asks the child to read the emergent-reader These Mice on her own and then read it aloud to an adult, followed by specific comprehension questions about the story. Activity 1.1 asks the child to point to and read words in the Weekly Message and to read along as an adult reads the message aloud. The Introduction also encourages re-reading the previous lesson's reader (They Chose to Doze), and the Skills list explicitly includes "Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding."
Lesson 4
More R-Controlled Vowels (er, ir, or, ur)
Students read an emergent-reader text (The Bird Is Third) silently on their own and then read it aloud to an adult. Students answer comprehension questions about the story (e.g., who won the race, which animal came in last, and reflection questions about expectations). Students also reread prior readers and the Weekly Message, practice sight words in context, and read sentences aloud during dictation, supporting accuracy, fluency, and understanding.
Lesson 5
Long a Spellings ai, ay
Students read The Gray Day independently and then read it aloud to an adult (Day 5, Activity 5.1), followed by comprehension questions about characters and events. Students reread the Weekly Message and are asked to point to and read known words, sound out unknown words, and identify long a words and the letters making that sound. The skills list and multiple activities require students to read sight words, sentences, and reader text aloud and to reread previous readers for practice.
Lesson 6
Long e Spellings ee, ey, ea
Students read an emergent-reader text (Reader #6: What Do You Eat?) on their own and then read it aloud to an adult (Day 5). They answer comprehension questions about the reader (e.g., "What does the worm eat?", "How many beans are the birds eating?") and discuss personal responses to demonstrate understanding. Throughout the week students also read the Weekly Message aloud and read words, sentences, and self-created words (Alphabet Soup, sight words, sentence-making) to practice reading with purpose and meaning.
Lesson 7
Long i Spellings y, igh, ie
Students read an emergent-reader text (The Dark Night) independently and then read it aloud to an adult, followed by explicit comprehension questions about characters and events. Students reread the Weekly Message and are asked to point to and read known words and to identify long i words, providing a clear reading-for-purpose activity. Students complete a Sight Words Search and are asked to find and read sight words and to point out words with long vowel sounds, reinforcing reading with understanding.
Lesson 8
Long o Spellings ow, oa, oe
Students are asked to read The Slow Boat on their own and then read it aloud to an adult, followed by specific comprehension questions about the story (Activity 5.1). They reread the Weekly Message and are prompted to point to and read known words and to identify long o words in the message (Activity 1.1 and Wrapping Up). Multiple activities require students to read word lists, highlight and sort long o words, practice sight words, and complete a spelling test and sentence dictation, all of which involve reading connected text with attention to meaning and accuracy.
Lesson 9
Long u Spellings ue, ew, ou
Students are asked to read Reader #9 "Would You Eat It?" independently and then read it aloud to an adult (Activity 5.1), and to answer literal and applied comprehension questions about the text. Students re-read the Weekly Message and are prompted to point to and read words they know and to re-read a prior reader (Activity 1.1 and Wrapping Up). The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding" and "Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings," which guides student reading and rereading activities.
Lesson 10
Other Long Vowel Patterns
Students are asked to read Reader #10 — The Wild Colt on their own and then read it aloud to an adult, with three explicit comprehension questions provided about plot and character. Students reread the Weekly Message and are prompted to identify "wild" long-vowel words, and multiple activities require them to read words they create (Alphabet Soup, Fill in the Blanks, Sight Word practice). The skills list explicitly includes "Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding" and "Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings," which students practice through independent and aloud readings.
Lesson 11
Long Vowel Sounds Review
Students are asked to reread multiple second-semester readers (e.g., Reader #1, #5, #2, #7, #8, #6, #9) and to find, write, and read aloud words they locate, giving a clear reading purpose (Activities 2.1, 3.2, 4.1, 5.1). Students read the Weekly Message aloud, point to words, and identify long-vowel words, practicing reading with a defined goal (Activity 1.1). The skills list explicitly states that students will "Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding" and "Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings," which students practice through the reader review and oral reading activities.
Lesson 12
Other Vowel Sounds oi, oy
Students are asked to read Reader #12 "The New Toy" on their own and then read it aloud, followed by comprehension questions about the story (e.g., what sound the toy makes, what they think Dan's toy is, and personal connections). Students read the Weekly Message and are prompted to point to and read known words and to identify words with long-vowel sounds or the oi/oy sound, giving a clear reading purpose. Multiple activities require students to read words they build, read word-sorting and sight-word pages aloud, and reread material to confirm word recognition and understanding.
Lesson 13
Other Vowel Sounds ou, ow
Students are asked to read the Weekly Message aloud and point to words they know (Activity 1.1) and to reread previous readers. On Day 5 (Activity 5.1) students read Reader #13 — The Hound and the Owl — on their own and then read it aloud to an adult and answer comprehension questions about the story. The skills list and several activities require students to read grade-level text with purpose and understanding, to reread for fluency, and to read orally with appropriate rate and expression.
Lesson 14
Other Vowel Sounds aw, au
On Day 5 (Activity 5.1) students are asked to read Reader #14 — The Pups on their own and then read it aloud to an adult, followed by specific comprehension questions about the text (Where do the pups sleep? What do the puppies do?). Activity 1.1 asks students to point to and read words in the Weekly Message and to read along as the adult reads, and the introduction encourages re-reading the previous lesson's reader. The Skills list explicitly includes reading grade-level text with purpose and understanding and reading orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.
Lesson 15
These Make More Than One Sound: oo and ea
Students read Reader #15 "The Bad Bear" independently and then read it aloud to an adult (Activity 5.1). After reading, students answer specific comprehension questions about the bear's actions and consequences, and they are prompted to reread the Weekly Message and respond to targeted questions (Wrapping Up). The Skills section and several activities specify reading grade-level text with purpose and understanding and reading orally with accuracy, rate, and expression, reinforced by rereading and oral-reading opportunities.
Lesson 16
Silent Starts: kn, wr, gn
Students are asked to read The Gnats independently and then read it aloud to an adult (Activity 5.2), followed by specific comprehension questions about the story (e.g., what the gnats do at the playground and picnic). Students read the Weekly Message aloud and point to/read words they know and then discuss what they learned about words (Activity 1.1). Students also read sight-word cards and point to words in teacher-read sentences to demonstrate meaning (Activity 3.3), and are encouraged to re-read previous readers for practice.
Lesson 17
Year-End Review
Students are asked to select Semester 2 readers (Activity 3.2 and Day 5 Reader Review) and to read them independently before reading them aloud to an adult. Students point to and read words in the Weekly Message (Activity 1.1) and read sight words in the Sight Word Search (Activity 4.1). Students write sentences about pictures and then read those sentences aloud (Activity 2.2), and the Skills list explicitly includes "Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding."