Kindergarten - ELA
1: Letters
Unit 1: A - A Is for Musk Ox
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Skills section explicitly lists "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text." The Reading And Questions instructions tell an adult to read the book, ask the child to point to the title and the author/illustrator, and then ask three specific comprehension questions (e.g., which two animals talk in the story). The questions provided require the child to answer about characters and purposes, directly targeting key details in the text.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Activity 1 directs adults to read/watch about musk oxen and to discuss how that information compares with what the musk ox in the story says about his species. The activity lists specific discussion prompts (where musk oxen live, what they eat, how people use them, and what threats they face), which require the child to answer questions about key details. Activity 3 asks the child to act like a musk ox and to think about what she learned, providing another opportunity to respond to prompts about details from the text.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The text instructs an adult to ask the child to find marked words replaced by "musk ox," to point to the first letter of each word, and to find the picture of that item in the illustration. The adult is told to ask the child what "herd" means, allow the child to explain, and then read and discuss the definition and why it fits the context. Activity 1 has the child say the sight word "you" with prompting and then say it independently when it appears in the text.
Lesson 5
Day 5
The Reading Workshop asks students to spend time with the A Is for Musk Ox book independently and then asks them whether they liked the book and why, and whether they would recommend it to a friend and why. The optional extension asks students to draw a face showing how they felt after the read-aloud and to describe the face and the emotion(s) it represents. The Writing Workshop asks students to tell a story (which is recorded and reread), encouraging students to produce and recount narrative content related to the book or personal experience.
Unit 2: H - Hondo and Fabian
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson's Skills list explicitly states practice: "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text." During reading, students are asked to point to the title and author/illustrator and to consider how the cover illustration relates to the title. The lesson provides specific comprehension questions (Who are the characters? What differences? What did each do?) and Activity 1 has students identify actions as either Hondo or Fabian and act them out, reinforcing key-detail identification.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The Review asks the child to look at the cover of Hondo and Fabian and to name the two characters, prompting a direct question about a text detail. Activity 2 has the child look at the front cover and respond to prompts about the letter H on the cover (describing its appearance and hearing the initial sound). Activity 3 has the child point to letters on the Bingo page as the song is sung, prompting interaction with printed text.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to identify the two animals in Hondo and Fabian and to say one way the characters are alike and one way they are different. Students are prompted to retell the story in their own words using picture cues and answering scaffolded questions such as "What happened at the beginning? What happened next? How did the story end?" Students are asked to answer questions about character feelings (How do you think the characters feel at the end of their day?) and to describe characters using words or phrases in Activity 4.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 1 directs the child to "page through the book together to see if Hondo or Fabian moved in any other ways," prompting the child to identify character actions from the text. Activity 2 tells the adult to "look at some of the pictures in the book of Hondo and Fabian together" and to ask the child questions about those pictures and the characters (e.g., whether the animals do things together or apart). The review prompts (asking the child what sound H makes and showing the sight word card) show an adult-led question-and-answer interaction about text-related items.
Unit 3: I - The Little Island
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to locate the title and author/illustrator, predict what the book will be about, and observe the cover illustration. After reading, students are asked five explicit comprehension questions (e.g., What is an island? What changes happened on the little island?), with expected answers given for guidance. Activities include a discussion of the definition of an island and map work that require students to answer questions about key text details and related facts.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students page through The Little Island book and are prompted to notice how the pictures show seasonal changes. Adults ask students questions such as what season it is, how the season is changing the island, and what accessories or gear are needed for that season. Students are asked to relate seasonal details in the book to their own experience (how the different seasons affect him).
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to reread The Little Island and to "tell you the story of the island in her own words," using illustrations to guide retelling, with guiding questions provided if necessary. The teacher prompts the child to supply a missing word from the title, asking and expecting an oral response. In Activity 3 students look back at pages to find where animals move and answer where each animal moves (air, land, water) and act out those details.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 1 asks the child to look at a picture of a stormy ocean and asks if he knows how waves form, then has the child observe and decide what causes the waves. Activity 2 directs an adult to read the first lines of the story and then asks the child questions such as how winds move around the island and to act out motions referenced in the text (around, over, on, under, beside, etc.). The activities prompt the child to respond to text-related prompts and demonstrate understanding of spatial details from the pages.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 instructs the adult to ask the child what she sees on the front cover, where the back cover is, and to open to the title page and discuss its purpose, giving the child opportunities to answer questions about elements of the book. Activity 2 also prompts the adult to ask the child opinion questions (Did you like it? Why or why not? What was your favorite part?), which require the child to respond about details or parts of the text. Activity 3 provides question prompts (e.g., What animals did you see?) that the child answers when composing and then "reading" her written/drawn response.
Unit 4: T - What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students preview the book by noting the title and authors/illustrators and make predictions before listening to it being read. After reading, students are asked to recall and answer questions about what they learned, including naming animal parts and remembering how animals use ears, eyes, and noses. The lesson provides specific questions (Questions #1-#3) that prompt students to answer key-detail questions and activities (counting legs; stating similarities and differences) that require recalling details from the text and pictures.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson directs the adult and child to look at What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? and to "talk specifically at the pages about the animals' tails," asking "What jobs do their tails do? Why are they shaped the way they are?" The activity also instructs adults to "talk about each animal and have your child think about what that animal might need or use a tail for" and to have the child find and glue the matching tail. The review asks the child to explain vocabulary terms, prompting the child to answer questions about word meanings.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are read the book and are asked explicit questions such as whether the book was make-believe or true (compare to Hondo and Fabian) and what kind of information they learned. Students are shown the sight word "this" on the cover and in other places and are asked to identify and practice reading it. The questions prompt students to answer about the book's content and genre, and adult guidance is provided to help organize responses.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In the Review section students are asked to name an animal whose tail has a special job and to describe that job, which requires recalling and responding to a detail. In Activity 1 students choose an animal from the book and are asked to locate information and discuss the animal's body parts, where it lives, and what it eats, which directs students to identify and talk about specific details related to the animal in the text.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 directs an adult to ask the child to pay attention to how the author ordered the book and to answer specific questions such as "What was the first section of the book about?" and to identify the order of body parts. Activity 2 also asks the child to evaluate the book with questions like "Did he like it? Did he learn something new? Does he think others would enjoy the book? Why or why not?" Activity 3 has the child draw an animal body part and "write" or dictate 1–3 facts learned, requiring the child to state key factual details they learned.
Unit 5: L - We're Going on a Leaf Hunt
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Reading and Questions section directs an adult to ask the child about the book cover, season clues, the title, and specific story details and to "look back through the story as you discuss it." The lesson provides a set of explicit comprehension questions (e.g., Did the children enjoy the leaf hunt? What challenges did they face? How did they feel at the end?) for the child to answer. The Skills list explicitly includes "With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details," reinforcing practice with key-detail questions and responses.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson instructs the adult to ask the child, "What kind of mountain is it?" and to guide the child to find the word "tall," prompting the child to answer a question about a specific detail in the book. The lesson also directs the adult to "Ask your child if he remembers what an adjective is," prompting a response about language used in the text. During acting out the story the adult is told to substitute more specific verbs and "ask your child to act out the action," which prompts the child to respond to events in the text.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are prompted to point to and say the sight word "go" during shared reading, and to answer teacher prompts each time the word appears. Students are asked specific questions about key details in the text, for example, "What word describes the forest?" and they identify and repeat adjectives such as "dark forest." Students retell and sequence story locations by drawing a map and using arrows to show the order of events from mountain to pond.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2 (Reading Workshop) students are prompted to spend time with the book, look for describing words, and use their finger to guide across the words, which directs attention to specific words in the text. The teacher-adult is instructed to ask the child questions such as "Did you enjoy this book? Why or why not? Would you recommend it to a friend?" that require the child to answer questions about the book. In Writing Workshop Option 1 adults are told to "Talk about her thoughts and ask questions to help her generate ideas," which involves asking and answering questions related to content the child has engaged with.
Unit 6: F - Fireflies
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson directs an adult to have the child look at the book cover and describe what he sees and to tell what he knows about fireflies. It provides specific discussion questions for the child to answer about key story details (e.g., what is flickering, how the boy feels, why he was crying and smiling, and whether letting the fireflies go was right). The lesson prompts the child to find evidence in pictures and text to support answers (e.g., "Look through the book together for evidence from the pictures of his feelings").
Lesson 2
Day 2
The Reading And Questions section directs an adult to ask the child to recall a synonym for "blinking on, blinking off" (flickering) and to explain what "soaring" means using surrounding words as clues. The Insects activity asks the child to determine whether each pictured creature is an insect and to explain which clues from the page supported each decision. Activity 3 prompts the child to discuss whether collected bugs are insects and to talk about how they know, which elicits question-and-answer about observable and text-linked details.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to recall the meaning of the word "flicker" (Review: "Ask your child if he remembers what 'flicker' means"). Students are prompted to find and identify word pairs in the text (Activity 3: "see if your child can find the pairs of opposites: on/off, dipping/soaring, and low/high"). Students are prompted to read and recognize a specific word in the text (Reading And Questions: encourage your child to read the word "said").
Lesson 4
Day 4
The lesson prompts students to recall word meaning and details by asking the child if she remembers what 'flicker' means and to state the opposite of 'mean' (nice). The lesson asks students to remember characteristics that all insects have in common and to count and sort insects, which requires recalling key factual details. The music activity explicitly asks students to imagine they are 'the boy in the book' and to describe what movements the boy and his friends make for the dance.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 directs the child to review illustrations and then tell the story in his own words, which requires identifying and recounting key events. The activity also prompts an adult to ask guided questions (e.g., "Did he like the story? Why or why not? Were there any parts that were funny or surprising? Would he like to catch fireflies... How would he feel when he had to let them go?") so the child answers questions about story details with support.
Unit 7: E - But No Elephants
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Skills list explicitly includes "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text." The Reading and Questions section instructs the adult to ask the child specific comprehension questions (e.g., What was Grandma Tildy's life like at the beginning vs. the end? Do you think she was happy? Name predicaments and how she solved them). Activity 2 has the child use the book for reference and answer sequence questions (e.g., "Who came third? Who came fifth?"), which requires recalling key details.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to recall the meaning of the word "predicament" and to name one predicament Grandma Tildy faced in the story But No Elephants, which asks them to answer a key-detail question about the text. Students are prompted to explain vocabulary words and give examples, requiring them to respond about word meanings tied to the story. Students are asked to look at illustrations and describe positions of animals using spatial words, which asks them to observe and answer about specific details in the pictures.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson instructs the adult to "Read the book to your child again" and explicitly directs: "After reading, have your child explain to you what happened in the story," which asks the child to answer questions about key details. A "Questions" section is included (though not filled in), and Activity 1 has the adult ask the child "how this animal would help Grandma Tildy," giving practice in responding to a question about story-related details. The review step also has the child read the title and the sight word in context, supporting attention to text details.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to look back at the first page and answer questions such as "What is Grandma Tildy doing?", "What kind of work is she doing?", and "Why is she doing that?" Students answer questions about each pet's role (e.g., what the canary, beaver, turtle, and woodpecker provided) and classify those as wants or needs. Students are prompted to retell the story and respond to the prompt "What came next?" using stick puppets to hold up each animal as it is introduced.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are invited to retell the story in their own words or to 'read' by looking at pictures and tracing words with a finger, which practices comprehension and recall. Students are asked follow-up questions after reading such as "Did you enjoy it? Why or why not?" and "What was your favorite part of the story?" Students are also asked to imagine a different ending, prompting them to think about story events and outcomes.
Unit 8: C - Millions of Cats
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson prompts children to look at the book cover and answer prediction questions about what the book will be about. It provides a set of eight explicit comprehension questions and expected answers that ask about key details (the problem, what characters thought would fix it, how events unfolded, why the cats quarreled, and the outcome). Activity 2 asks students to compare characters using a Venn diagram, which requires students to identify and discuss key details from two texts.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are prompted to identify which cat became the "pretty" cat and to explain how the sight word "pretty" was used in the book, as shown by the questions about which cat ended up being the pretty cat and asking the child to read the sight word. Students are asked to reflect on the story's lesson by answering "What lesson does the story teach?" which requires them to answer a key-detail/inference question. Students also practice recalling repeated textual language by repeating the phrase "hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats" each time it appears.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The poem activity explicitly prompts discussion: "Talk about how the poem relates to the book. Would this poem describe the scene with all the cats from the book? Explain" which asks the child to refer to and explain details from the text. The child is also asked to create motions that act out the words and to perform or recite the poem, activities that require them to describe and refer to specific events and details in the story/poem.
Unit 9: G - The Real Mother Goose
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to talk about poems and answer questions such as "What parts are silly or ridiculous?" and "Which ones does your child like, and why?", prompting them to identify details and explain preferences. Students are asked why a specific word fits in a line (asking why 'corn' fits in Little Boy Blue) and to identify rhyming pairs in Humpty Dumpty, requiring them to point to and explain key textual details. Students are prompted to describe what is happening in The Little Bird, act out events, and supply missing end-of-line words, which asks them to recall and answer questions about story details.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are instructed to read the poem "The Year" with support and to discuss its content. The plan directs an adult to "talk about what happens in January" and explicitly asks the question, "What is the weather like?" The review section asks the child to practice a poem and then to supply some words, prompting the child to respond to the text.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to listen to and read poems and to identify rhyming pairs as they notice them. The lesson directs an adult to ask the child what her favorite poem is and why, and Activity 3 models asking the child what words rhyme with "fiddle" and "moon" and expects answers. The reading-and-questions prompts require the child to answer oral questions about the poems.
Lesson 5
Day 5
The lesson directs an adult and child to "Read these poems together... Talk about the poems together and identify the spherical objects described," which asks the child to identify details from the texts. Activity 1 asks the child to identify shapes and to explain where the sphere is compared to another object, prompting short responses about objects and locations. Activity 2 encourages the child to follow along with audio readings by moving a finger left to right, supporting engagement with the texts.
Unit 10: O - Owl Babies
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the book cover, describe what they see, and predict whether the book will teach facts or tell a story, prompting them to attend to key details. Students answer explicit comprehension questions (Did the book tell a story or teach facts? How do you know?) and are asked to name true facts from the text and distinguish fiction from non-fiction. These tasks require students to locate and explain details from the text and to use textual evidence (character actions and factual statements) to support their answers.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked what they see on the front cover and to predict whether the book is fiction or non-fiction and explain why, providing practice answering questions about the text and its features. After the adult reads Baby Owl, students are asked to confirm that it is non-fiction and to dictate or write facts they learned about owls on the activity page. The adult prompts include comparing photographs to drawings and watching a related video to gather more information.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson prompts the child to answer who in the book wants something and what he wants by showing the sight word card "want" and asking that question. It directs the child to read Bill's line "I want my mommy!" aloud when it appears, supporting answering and echoing key dialog. It asks the child to tell the story in his own words after reading, which requires recalling and answering about key story details.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 1 directs an adult to ask the child to observe what is different and what is similar about owls on a website, prompting the child to notice and describe specific details. The activity then asks the child to answer how the book Owl Babies gives owls attributes they don't really have (for example, talking or human-like feelings), which requires the child to identify and explain a key detail about the text. The instructions explicitly position the adult to prompt and support the child in answering these questions.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 directs the child to examine two books about owls, decide which is fiction and which is non-fiction, and identify clues (illustrations, photographs, talking owls, factual language) that support that decision. The parent is instructed to ask the child to tell what he found, prompting the child to answer based on details in the texts. Activity 3 has the child record factual information on one page and a fictional story on the other, requiring the child to distinguish and produce facts versus narrative details.
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 examine pictures of the four branches, asking them what the pictures represent. The lesson includes explicit comprehension questions (Question #1 asking students to name the four seasons; Question #2 asking students to look at what Arnold does in each season and to state their favorite activities), and the skills list states that, "With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story" and to "describe the relationship between illustrations and the story." These activities require students to answer key-detail questions about the text and its illustrations with adult support.
Lesson 3
Day 3
During reading, the parent reads The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree twice and asks a specific comprehension Question #1: 'What gift did the tree give Arnold in each season?', prompting the child to answer about key details from the text. While reading The Real Mother Goose poem 'The Seasons,' the parent reads adjectives and has the child name the season based on those details, eliciting responses about descriptive details. The lesson also directs the parent to have the child find and read the sight word 'some' in the text, engaging the child with text-specific information.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 1 directs the adult to have the child look at the page where Arnold's family works together and asks, "How does each member of the family contribute to this project?" and "Ask your child why he thinks the family worked together to do these jobs." The directions ask the child to give reasons (the pie and cider tasted good; it was more fun to work together) and to talk about contributions, prompting text-based question-and-answer about key details.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 prompts the child with the question "where and when The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree took place" and defines that as the story's setting. The child is asked to look through other books with outdoor settings, identify the setting and the season, and then share the setting and the clues that helped her identify the season. Activity 3 has the child draw and write or dictate things she knows about her favorite season, reinforcing extraction of details from a topic related to text.
Unit 12: D - Dinosaurs Big and Small
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes: "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text." The Reading and Questions section directs the adult to ask the child about the cover, whether the book is fiction or non-fiction, and to read and discuss five specific questions (Questions #1-#5) that probe key details such as what was learned about dinosaurs, author/illustrator roles, and dinosaur characteristics. Activities also prompt the child to describe characteristics of a created dinosaur and to compare lengths, reinforcing answering and discussing textual details and related factual information.
Lesson 2
Day 2
During the Review, an adult is instructed to ask the child to show a dinosaur from the book and name one interesting characteristic, which prompts the child to answer a question about a specific detail in the text. The lesson cites specific pages (pages 10 and 28) that describe how scientists use bones and fossils, providing concrete text details for discussion and identification.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to answer text-based questions such as interpreting the meaning of the word "sprawl" on page 27 and explaining how they can guess its meaning using the sentence and picture. Students are asked to state new information they learned from the book and whether anything surprised them, prompting recall of key details. Students are prompted to identify descriptive words (adjectives) from a poem and to describe specific dinosaurs from pictures, linking their responses to details in the text and illustrations.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to choose a dinosaur and use linked web resources to research that dinosaur, which requires them to extract information from text. An adult is instructed to have the child dictate five facts about the dinosaur and record them beneath the drawing, which prompts the child to provide key details from the researched text. Earlier review prompts ask the child to name a dinosaur and state one characteristic, showing practice in answering questions about details.
Unit 13: P - Harold and the Purple Crayon
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the cover and predict what the book will be about, then the book is read aloud and three explicit comprehension questions are provided (What do you think about Harold's adventure? Were there dangerous or difficult parts? How do you think Harold feels at the end of the story?). Activity 1 asks students to recall specific events and solutions Harold used (e.g., What did Harold do when the water in the ocean started going over his head? He drew a boat; when he was hungry he drew pie; when he slipped off the mountain he drew a balloon), prompting students to answer questions about key details. The Questions to Explore and prompts throughout ask students to describe predicaments and propose solutions, reinforcing answering and discussing story details with adult support.
Lesson 2
Day 2
In Activity 1 students are asked explicit comprehension questions about Harold and the Purple Crayon: "What shape is the moon in the story? Does the moon always look that way?" Students are asked to observe the moon each night and to make a diagram by cutting and gluing the labeled phase pictures in order, which requires attending to and sequencing details from the text and illustrations.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson directs an adult to reread Harold and the Purple Crayon and to ask the child four explicit comprehension questions about the story (most interesting thing, most amazing drawing, scary moments, and how he got home). The lesson also instructs the adult to show the child pages where the word "made" occurs and have the child read that recurring sight word across pages, supporting attention to text details. The Review section includes prompting the child to recall which two colors make purple and another word for purple, which models asking and answering about content.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The plan asks the child explicit comprehension questions about Harold and the Purple Crayon, including what an imagination means, whether the child's neighborhood is like Harold's, and why or why not. It asks students what their neighborhood has in it and to consider important places (police, fire stations, hospitals, schools, etc.), prompting them to identify key details from the story. Students are then asked to place those places on a butcher-paper map and explain or demonstrate the neighborhood layout using the provided building images.
Unit 14: B - Blueberries for Sal
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson gives adults explicit prompts to ask the child about the cover (e.g., "Ask him what he notices. What does he think the book will be about?") and directs the adult to read the book and discuss a set of six comprehension questions about key details (who was looking for blueberries, why, what happened, how the story ended, etc.). The lesson also includes a standards-aligned skill: "With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story," which aligns with asking and answering questions about key details.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are prompted to name one similarity and one difference between Little Sal and Little Bear during the review, which requires recalling character details. In Activity 1 students are asked whether the book takes place in current times or the past and to look through the book to find picture clues (car model, clothing, stove) that support their answer. In Activity 3 students are asked to describe what "hustle" must mean based on a pictured action and to page through the book identifying and acting out different character movements.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson has an adult read Blueberries for Sal aloud and then asks the child to retell the story in his own words, allowing the child to use pictures as prompts. During reading the adult is instructed to keep looking for and prompt the child to read the sight word "she," and earlier the adult asks the child questions such as "what it means to hustle." These items show children practice recalling story events and responding to adult prompts.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 1 asks the child to read Blueberries for Sal and create a two-column chart labeling 'Fiction' and 'Non-Fiction,' where the child names ways the story describes bears fictionally and lists scientifically accurate facts the story portrays. The lesson also directs the child to read non-fiction bear information (National Geographic Kids) to identify factual details about bears to place in the non-fiction column.
Lesson 5
Day 5
The Reading Workshop directs the child to search independently in books for clues that identify the setting as the past and then share findings with an adult. The activity gives example prompts the adult can ask, such as what kinds of clothes characters wear or what technology is used, to help the child identify key details. The child practices identifying specific story details (clues about time and setting) and answering questions when sharing findings.
Unit 15: R - Rain
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the book cover and answer questions about what they notice and what they already know about rain. The teacher stops during reading to ask the child what she thinks will happen next and to discuss four explicit comprehension questions (how the author made them feel, sensory details of rain, reaction to the ending, and vocabulary/experience with different kinds of rain). In Activity 1, students place die-cut pieces to recreate the story progression, requiring them to identify and sequence key events. The lesson skill list also includes describing familiar events with prompting and support, which aligns with answering questions about text details.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to manipulate die-cuts to match each page after the book is read, providing a concrete way to respond to page details. Students are prompted to read the book back, point to words, and read what they know with assistance, supporting guided recall of text content. In Activity 3, students point to each object in a created scene and use describing words (for example, 'purple flowers') to tell about the scene, which elicits attention to specific text-related details.
Unit 16: N - Night in the Country
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the cover and answer questions about what they notice and what time of day it shows. Students are asked to answer questions after reading (e.g., How do you feel about nighttime? What does the author seem to think about nighttime? How can you tell?), including a prompt to cite the author's words and pictures as evidence. The lesson includes multiple teacher prompts before, during, and after reading that require students to ask and answer questions about key details in the text.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson directs an adult to ask the child a pre-reading comprehension question (one difference between life in the country and life in the city) and to ask the child arithmetic review questions. The lesson instructs the child to listen to the book twice and then to tell the story in his own words using the pictures as a guide, which requires the child to answer questions about key story details. The lesson also asks the child to locate and read the sight word "there" in the text, reinforcing attention to text details.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 instructs students that good readers ask questions as they read and provides an example question for modeling. Students are asked to independently 'read' the book, look at the pictures, and identify a question or two they want to know more about after reading. Students then share their questions and talk about them, and are encouraged to do research to find answers.
Unit 17: M - Marshmallow
Lesson 1
Day 1
The text directs an adult to ask the child pre-reading questions (e.g., 'Ask her what she sees,' 'Ask her why she thinks the book is titled Marshmallow,' and 'What does she think it will be about?'). After reading, the text provides a set of specific comprehension questions for the child to answer (e.g., 'How did Marshmallow act when he first came to Miss Tilly's house?', 'What did Miss Tilly find to be the advantage...disadvantage?', and 'Why did Oliver hesitate before pouncing?'). The text also asks the child to distinguish fiction versus non-fiction and to define vocabulary from a page in the book, prompting answers about key details and word meaning.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The review prompts the child to define a vocabulary word from the text by asking, "what it means to hesitate." Activity 1 directs the child to look at the part of the book where Oliver is about to pounce and to talk about how Oliver followed Miss Tilly's rules, including asking the child why rules are important. Activity 3 has the adult omit words from a poem and ask the child to supply the missing words, prompting recall of text details.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson instructs an adult to read the book and then "ask your child to tell you the story in her own words," encouraging use of pictures to prompt recall. The lesson also directs the child to reread and read the word "out" as it occurs in the story, engaging the child with the text and its details. There is a "Questions" heading following the reading prompt, indicating an intent to engage with comprehension after reading.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are prompted to watch the Owen and Mzee video and then "talk with your child about how Owen and Mzee's friendship was similar to and different from Owen and Marshmallow's," which directs them to discuss characters, settings, and events. The lesson supplies specific example similarities and differences and suggests an optional Venn diagram for students to organize and compare those key story details.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 (Reading Workshop) has the adult ask the child to identify poems in the story, to explain how they look different on the page, to listen as the poems are read and say how they sound different from a story, and to identify rhyming pairs at the ends of lines. The activity also has the child examine story books and poetry books independently for clues about genre and then share her findings aloud.
Unit 18: U - Umbrella
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Skills list explicitly includes the standard: "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text." The Reading and Questions section directs the child to look at the cover and predict, to recall events after reading, and provides four specific comprehension questions (with answers) about Momo's gift, alternative uses for the umbrella, Momo's feelings, and why the day was important. The lesson also prompts caregivers to ask about the meaning of the word "unfortunately" on page 6 and to ask follow-up recall questions about events.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to retell the story Umbrella in their own words after reading and to use the pictures to prompt their retelling. Students are shown a specific sentence on page 14, told what it says, asked to read it back, and asked to help look for that word in the story. The guide includes a general prompt to ask questions (a "Questions" section) though no specific questions are listed.
Unit 19: J - Jump Frog Jump
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to identify animals and predict the main character and setting from the book cover, prompting them to use text and picture details. After reading, students answer targeted comprehension questions about key events (e.g., how the frog got away) and recall which animals escaped or did not escape by looking back through the text. In Activity 1, students consult the book to put cut-out story pictures in sequence, ordering events from beginning to end.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson directs an adult to ask the child to line up story sequence cards and to tell the story using those cards, which prompts the child to recount key events. The teacher points out the question in the book, "How did the frog get away?", and has the child read the word "how" and re-read the book, inviting responses on a second reading. The activity that has the child read phrases about positional relationships and then place die-cuts to show those relationships requires the child to respond to text-based prompts about where events occur.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are directed to read a nonfiction book or website about the frog life cycle and to "talk about what a life cycle is," including that frogs progress from eggs to tadpoles to froglets to frogs. Students construct and label a four-part diagram (eggs, tadpole, froglet, frog), using pictures and labels that require them to identify and represent key details from the text. Students also use die-cut animals from the story to act out animals, which requires recalling details about animals encountered in the text.
Unit 20: K - Kindness
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Reading and Questions section directs an adult to have the child look at the cover and answer predictive questions (What does he think the book will be about?). After reading, the child is asked specific comprehension questions about key details (Q1: What do the animals do throughout the book?; Q3: What was your favorite example of an animal helping another animal from the book? Why?). The lesson also prompts discussion of acts of kindness in the book and asks the child to explain the meaning of a key word from the text (Q2: ask if he knows what 'grand' means).
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are prompted to find and read the page where the frog thanks Harry and to read the sentence "So, when someone need help, just give them a hand," which asks them to locate and read key text details. After reading, students are asked which act of kindness they found especially kind, how Harry helping the frog resulted in a series of kind acts, and whether they agree that a little kindness can go a long way, which requires answering questions about key details and sequence of events. Activity 3 asks students to identify actions that are true to real animals versus human-like actions for characters (mouse, frog, mole, bat), prompting them to cite specific details from the story. These prompts require students to listen, locate, and answer questions about important story information with support.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 1 directs the adult to ask the child "how many acts of kindness he thinks were performed" and has the child supply numbers during a 100-step walk, so students answer a teacher question about a detail. Activity 2 has students look carefully at pictures and retell the story, giving a general description of each act of kindness using illustrations, so students recount key details from the text. Activity 3 asks students to write or dictate a brief description of a favorite book and to state reasons and add one more detail when prompted, so students provide and elaborate on details from a text.
Unit 21: V - Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson provides a set of explicit comprehension prompts for after reading (five specific questions asking about instruments, what animals did, audience response, and ensemble formation). The Reading and Questions directions instruct an adult to ask the child about the cover and to pay attention to instruments and activities in the book, prompting the child to answer key-detail questions. Activity 1 has the child go through the book to match instruments with numbers and ensemble names, requiring them to locate and use specific details from the text.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to listen to Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin and look for the word "now" as the story is read, which engages them with details in the text. After reading, students use the book to place instrument pictures in the order they appear, requiring them to recall and answer questions about sequence and key events. The teacher prompts students with direct questions (e.g., how many instruments are playing during a solo or duet) that require students to answer based on the text or related content.
Unit 22: Y - Little Blue and Little Yellow
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the cover, make observations and predictions, and answer questions such as "What does he see? What does he think the book will be about?". After reading, students are asked specific comprehension questions (8 labeled questions with answers) to answer key-detail questions about the story. The skills list explicitly includes the target standard and also tells students to confirm understanding by asking and answering questions and requesting clarification if something is not understood.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson repeatedly directs an adult to ask the child specific questions about story details (e.g., "Ask your child what she remembers about friendship from the story about Marshmallow," "Ask your child to look back at the pictures in the story. What were some ways Little Blue and Little Yellow were good friends?"). It also asks the child to answer questions about character actions and rule-following (e.g., "Ask your child if there was a way Little Blue ignored the rules?" and "Why was it important for Little Blue to obey his mother in this case?"). Earlier prompts ask the child to describe meanings and continue patterns, which require the child to respond to direct questions about text-related content.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson has the child read the sight word "they" in sentences and during a read-aloud of Little Blue and Little Yellow, which engages the child with the text. After the read-aloud, the child is encouraged to use pictures and balls of dough to retell and act out the story in his own words, which practices recounting story details. The lesson also includes a section labeled "Questions," implying attention to questioning, though no specific questions are provided.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to look back through the story and answer specific questions such as how the author shows the parents and houses, how Little Blue's feelings are shown, and how the park and mountain are depicted. Students are prompted to tell what happened to characters, to create torn-paper characters and retell their story, and to choose a scene to glue and write or dictate what is happening. These activities require students to respond to questions about key story details and to recount and describe scenes from the text.
Lesson 5
Day 5
The Reading Workshop directs the child to look at a page where Mama speaks and points out the quotation marks around her words. The child is challenged to find another place in the book with quotation marks and to determine who is speaking. After independent exploration the child is instructed to talk about what he has found, prompting discussion of text details.
Unit 23: W - George Washington's Birthday
Lesson 1
Day 1
The text directs an adult to ask the child specific questions about key details: who is on the dollar bill and why, comparisons between the book cover and the bill, whether the book is fiction or nonfiction, and what parts of George Washington's life were interesting or surprising. It instructs asking about vocabulary and details in the text (pointing out the word "tyrant" and asking the child to explain it) and to read and discuss sidebars that give factual information and distinguish true events from myths. The Skills list explicitly includes "Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text" and "With prompting and support, identify the main idea and recall key details of a text."
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson instructs an adult to reread the first two pages of the George Washington book and have the child identify which days of the week were mentioned, prompting the child to respond. The lesson also asks the child to recall a myth about George Washington and to answer map/flag questions (find the USA, count stars and stripes, say what he notices about the flag). Several prompts ask the child to respond to explicit factual details from text or images.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The text directs the child to page back through the book and recap each story about George Washington, and then asks her to identify whether each one is a myth or a fact. The text also has the adult read sentences while pointing to each word and have the child read the sight word "went," providing supported comprehension and recall opportunities. The review prompts include asking the child to name one symbol of our country, which elicits a short answer about a detail related to the topic.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to talk about George Washington's qualities after watching a video and to answer why those qualities are important. Students are asked to watch a short video about Benjamin Franklin and talk about what qualities they admire in him. During review, students are asked to name two U.S. symbols and explain why they were chosen, and during reading they are asked to deduce word meanings from context and act out sentences.
Lesson 5
Day 5
The lesson prompts the adult to ask the child comprehension questions such as "Ask your child why an author might include information in those boxes" and "Ask your child if George Washington ended up having a birthday celebration." The child is asked to "share her observations," explain whether she enjoyed the book and why, and whether she would recommend it to friends. The child is also encouraged to look for different places text can be found on the pages and to think about the purpose for those placements, which requires identifying and answering questions about text details.
Unit 24: Q - The Quilt Story
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the cover and answer whether they know what a quilt is and to make observations about any quilts they see. Students are read The Quilt Story and then asked specific comprehension questions (e.g., how they knew the story took place a long time ago; how the quilt helped both girls). The lesson includes explicit prompts to discuss a key vocabulary word from the text (shavings) and provides two sample questions with answers that students are expected to respond to.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson instructs the adult to have the child "go through the beginning pages of the book and identify the ways the family used natural resources to meet their needs," which asks the child to locate and state key details. The lesson also tells the adult to have the child "identify the landforms mentioned/shown in the story (hills, prairie, river)," which requires answering questions about text details. Additional prompts ask the child to discuss character qualities of Daniel Boone and to respond to whether she would enjoy that kind of exploration, providing further opportunities to answer questions about characters and events.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson instructs the adult to "have your child tell you the story back in his own words," which requires the child to answer questions about key details and sequence. Activity 3 asks the child to compare and contrast the setting and characters at the beginning and end using a "Then and Now" Venn diagram, prompting recall and explanation of specific story details. The reading directions also tell the adult to stop at the sight word "under" and have the child read it, providing prompted opportunities to respond to text cues.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 directs an adult to ask the child what role illustrations play in a story and to look at Abigail's facial expression to infer how she feels. The child is asked to explain how that expression helps him understand the book and later to point out an expression and explain what he learns about the story from it. These prompts require the child, with support, to answer questions about key details shown in the book's illustrations.
Unit 25: X - An Extraordinary Egg
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson includes adult-led prompts that ask the child to observe the book cover and answer what she sees and what the word "extraordinary" means. After reading, the child is asked specific comprehension questions (e.g., What did the frogs think was inside the egg? What was really inside?) and to compare friendships from the story. Activity 2 directs the child to page back through the text to find and categorize examples where frogs act like real frogs versus fictional frogs, requiring identification of key details.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Activity 1 prompts an adult to talk with the child about the animal in the story and asks specific comprehension questions: "What did the frogs think it was?" and "Were they right?" The activity also asks factual questions about the animals ("What kind of an animal is a chicken? Do birds hatch from eggs?") and directs the child to describe an egg using guided questions about color, size, shape, texture, and float/sink. The note also prompts the child to start thinking about the story behind his extraordinary egg, connecting the hands-on activity back to the text.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson directs an adult to read An Extraordinary Egg and then "ask her to retell the story in her own words, using the pictures to help her remember the events," which prompts the child to respond about story details. The lesson models pointing to text and having the child read a sentence (point to the word "look" and have her read it as you read the sentence), which requires the child to attend to and respond to parts of the text. The materials include picture support to help the child recall events when prompted to retell.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The lesson directs an adult to "Read with your child to learn some facts about alligators" using a linked National Geographic article. It instructs the adult to ask the child to look at the frog life cycle they made and "recall the stages of the frog life cycle (eggs, tadpole, froglet, and frog)." The lesson also tells the adult to ask the child how the alligator life cycle differs from the frog life cycle, prompting the child to answer key-detail questions about stages.
Unit 26: Z - Greedy Zebra
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the cover and describe observations and to find where zebras live on a world map, which asks them to attend to and talk about text and illustration details. Adults are instructed to ask the child to predict how the zebra will be greedy and what might happen, and after reading to explain how the zebra was greedy and what happened because of that greediness. The guide also directs asking whether the child thought the zebra deserved the result and why, engaging students in answering and justifying responses about key story events.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson directs students to do online research using a specific zebra facts webpage and to complete a "Zebra Research" graphic organizer with labeled sections for Appearance, Predators, Diet, and Habitat, which requires students to identify and record factual details from a text. The optional extension asks students to dictate or draw a report about zebras, which has students produce answers based on the researched text.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson asks the child to use the illustrations to retell the story, which requires recalling key details from the text. The lesson prompts the child to predict what would have happened if Zebra had not been greedy, asking the child to answer a question about a key event and its consequence. The lesson also asks the child why being greedy is considered negative, prompting explanation of a character trait based on story events.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students read and discuss descriptive passages about five savannah animals and then color each animal cut-out based on characteristics they learn, which requires attending to and responding to key details. Students stop during the Greedy Zebra story and act out movements and actions from the text, which has them identify and demonstrate details about how characters behave. Students complete image-based tasks (matching and labeling beginning letters) that require noticing specific elements in pictures tied to words read aloud.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 directs students to identify books with animal characters, name similarities and differences between characters, identify settings for selected books, and recall which books were nonfiction and their subjects. Activity 3 asks students to think about characters, settings, and events when drawing and writing about a favorite book and then read their writing and identify something they like. Multiple prompts such as "Ask your child to identify..." and "Ask him to remember..." show students answering teacher-posed questions about key details in texts.
2: Holidays
Unit 27: Halloween
Lesson 1
Day 1
The text instructs an adult to ask the child why the book was written and how it would make a young child feel, prompting the child to answer about purpose and feelings. It asks the child to listen for the word "lagoon" and decide which definition is used, and QUESTION #1 directs the child to look back at a specific page and decide whether the lagoon is salt water or a shallow dirty area. QUESTION #2 asks the child to notice similarities and differences between Goodnight Goon and Goodnight Moon, prompting answers about key story details.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to listen to Goodnight Goon and join in at the ends of lines when they know the next word, which prompts engagement with the text. After reading, students are asked to choose a page they think is the funniest or most clever and explain why they like that page, which requires them to answer a question about the text.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are instructed to watch an informational video and explore a website about bats, providing a source of factual text-based information. After viewing, students are asked aloud to identify what kind of bat they are, what the bat eats, and other facts they know about bats. The Review section also prompts students to think of a replacement word for 'lagoon' (pond, puddle), which asks students to produce an answer to a vocabulary question.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 1 directs students to look at the night sky in the story and answer "How many are there?" and later answer "Now how many stars are there altogether?" as they add stars and count. Activity 2 prompts students to guess which words rhyme on specific pages and to share pairs they found, requiring oral responses about text features. These prompts require students to respond to teacher questions and to produce answers about elements of the text or illustration.
Unit 28: Thanksgiving
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Skills list explicitly includes: "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text." The Reading and Questions directions instruct adults to ask the child what she sees on the cover, what she likes about Thanksgiving, to identify locations from the book, to trace the pilgrims' voyage and name the Atlantic, and to summarize why Thanksgiving has been celebrated — all prompting the child to answer questions about key details. Activity directions also have the child dictate turkey facts and read them aloud, which requires answering and reporting factual details from a text/resource.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Activity 1 directs an adult to ask the child a series of specific recall questions about the Pilgrims (e.g., why they left England, the name of their ship, what the first winter was like, how the Indians helped), and to look back at the story together if the child cannot remember. Activity 2 asks the child to predict whether his Mayflower replica will sink or float and then observe outcomes, giving the child practice answering prompts about observed details. Activity 3 has the child stop at the end of each page and act out the story, providing supported opportunities to respond to the text through actions and to demonstrate comprehension of key events.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are instructed to reread Thanksgiving Is... by Gail Gibbons and to look at pages about kinds of feasts and talk about the family's favorite Thanksgiving foods, which prompts discussion after reading. The lesson tells students to read the Pocahontas webpage and then discuss how the help Pocahontas provided was different from the help the Native Americans at Plymouth provided, requiring students to answer a question about text details. A "Questions" section appears after the reading, indicating an intent to question the text.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The text includes oral comprehension prompts such as "Ask your child what it means to be grateful. What was one thing the Pilgrims were grateful for that first Thanksgiving?" and "Ask your child what words might describe Abraham Lincoln and why we still celebrate him today." A short narrative about Abraham Lincoln is provided for students to listen to, and students are invited to respond to questions about details in that narrative.
Lesson 5
Day 5
The Reading Workshop instructs the caregiver to encourage the child to study the illustrations and see how they help the author teach about Thanksgiving, which prompts the child to notice details in the text and pictures. After the child studies the book, the caregiver is told to ask her to point out some of her observations about the illustrations, prompting the child to answer questions about those details. The instruction explicitly frames adult prompting and support for the child to describe key information conveyed by illustrations.
Unit 29: Christmas
Lesson 1
Day 1
An adult is instructed to ask the child what he notices about The Christmas Wish and to ask him to predict what the book will be about, prompting the child to respond before reading. The adult is told to have the child consider the illustrations and to look for photographs that might have been edited while reading, which directs the child to attend to and respond about details. Activity 2 asks the child, after reading an informational webpage, to state three things he learned about real Christmas trees, which requires the child to answer questions about key details from that text.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson directs the adult to have the child look again at The Christmas Wish and to ask her to tell about her favorite part of the story, which requires the child to answer a question about the text. The lesson also instructs the adult and child to talk about how the story seems to take place in Norway and to use websites to learn more, which invites the child to discuss setting and related details. These prompts provide practice with answering questions about elements of the text.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Activity 3 directs an adult to page through the book with the child and asks the child to note all the animals encountered on the tundra, prompting identification of key details from the text. Activity 3 also instructs the adult to ask the child what he observes about the reindeer and poses specific questions: "What does it look like? Can a reindeer really fly?" The activity further directs the adult and child to read an informational article together, providing additional text-based details to ask and answer questions about.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 1 directs an adult to ask the child specific comprehension questions about Anja: why she wanted to be one of Santa's elves, how she already showed the spirit of an elf, and how she showed commitment to that dream. The activity also asks the child to evaluate whether Anja's experience was a dream or real and to explain what makes her think that. The opening prompts to 'Talk with your child about Santa Claus' and 'What kind of a person is Santa? What does he do?' ask the child to answer questions about key details of characters and events.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 1 directs students to look at the first pages and notice the kind deeds Anja did for her neighbor, friends, and family, and to think of a simple task they could do like Anja. Activity 2 instructs the adult to ask the child what he thinks a character's voice sounds like at quoted dialogue and to have the child respond, with the adult pointing out quotation marks. These prompts require students to attend to and respond about specific details in the text (Anja's actions and characters' spoken words).
Unit 30: February Celebrations
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are read The Biggest Valentine Ever and are asked six specific, text-focused questions (e.g., how the argument started, what they did when they argued, how they felt about their valentines, and what happened the next day). The lesson prompts students to recall story events and to brainstorm responses to character conflicts, and the skills list explicitly includes recalling information from provided sources with guidance and support.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson instructs an adult to "Ask your child if she would like to be president for a day!" and to "Ask her what she notices" when inspecting coins, prompting the child to observe and respond. The lesson asks the child "what she remembers about Lincoln" and poses questions about coin values that require the child to recall and state factual details. After watching videos, the lesson directs discussion with questions such as "Would she like to be the President of the United States? Why or why not?" which prompt the child to answer questions about the content.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The lesson directs an adult to have the child watch a storybook/video about Booker T. Washington and then asks the child "why education is important for people," prompting the child to answer from the text. The lesson instructs adults to "Talk with your child about [MLK's] famous speech" and to "Ask your child to think about how the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., showed love," which asks the child to respond to key details. The lesson also asks the child to "name something similar between the work of Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr." and to evaluate whether their dreams made the country better, tying questions directly to text-based content.
1: Environment
Unit 1: Habitats and Homes
Lesson 2
What Is a Map?
Students are read Me On the Map and are asked explicit questions about the book and maps (e.g., name of our country, state, town, and address; locate North America and the United States on maps). Students are shown map images and are asked to identify and answer questions about map details (e.g., What is beside the refrigerator? What is in front of the couch? What is next to the bathtub?). The activities require students to answer these detail-focused questions repeatedly until they can provide correct answers.
Lesson 3
Guide to Animal Habitats
The lesson explicitly asks students to listen and answer questions about text read orally (Skills). During the introduction adults are instructed to ask specific questions about the book cover and predictions (e.g., "What do you think this book is about?" "Who do you think this man is?"). While reading aloud students are prompted to point out animals and plants in each habitat and to count how many animals they find. Activity 5 gives students direct question prompts to answer about a chosen habitat (e.g., "What do you see in the habitat?" "Which animals would you be most interested in seeing?").
Lesson 4
Animals Live and Grow
The lesson includes a Read Aloud section with a set of seven explicit comprehension questions (QUESTION #1–#7) tied to Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, and provides answers and discussion prompts for each. Multiple teacher prompts ask the child to "tell you what he learned," to "analyze the living things he recorded for each habitat," and to "find one organism that provides food for another organism in the habitat," requiring students to refer to text details. The lesson's "Questions to Explore" at the start also presents key questions about how environments provide needs and how living things depend on one another that students are invited to explore.
Lesson 5
Discovering Animal Habitats
The introduction asks the child to give examples of habitats she explored in Crinkleroot's Guide to Animal Habitats, prompting recall from a specific text. Activity 2 provides a set of explicit comprehension questions (e.g., where do tigers, monkeys, and parrots live?) that the child is asked to answer. Wrapping Up directs the child to describe each environment she explored, and Option 2 asks the child to read habitat names from a word box and label the pictures, linking reading to answering questions about content.
Lesson 8
Animal Care
Activity 2 directs an adult to read The Salamander Room and then ask the child specific comprehension questions (e.g., "What kind of animal did the boy find?" "Where did he find it?" "What kind of environment did the salamander need?"). The Skills list explicitly includes "Answer questions about a text (LA)." Wrapping Up and Life Application also instruct adults to ask the child questions connecting the story to real environments and needs of animals.
Lesson 9
Animal Designs
Students are asked to name the animal and the habitat in each picture and to read and analyze short captions (Activity 1), where they explain how each animal moves and circle the body parts that help movement. In Activity 2, students analyze pictures of habitats, decide which animals do not belong, and explain why each animal would not live in that habitat. In Activities 3 and 4 students verbalize habitat relationships (e.g., "A zebra can't live in the ocean") and describe or retell a story about an animal in the wrong habitat.
Lesson 10
Amazing Animals
The lesson includes explicit activities where a caregiver reads informational text aloud and asks the child specific text-based questions (e.g., Activity 2 asks "What will happen to the starfish's arm?" and "What can lizards do to hide themselves?"). The Skills list names "Listen critically to text read aloud" and "Respond to critical questions about a text," and the Wrapping Up directs the caregiver to ask the child to tell what animals they learned about. Activity 1 has the child analyze each animal description and select one to learn more about, supporting discussion of details in the text.
Unit 2: Weather
Lesson 1
Reading the Skies
Activity 1 directs an adult to read Whatever the Weather aloud and to ask the child specific questions about the story (e.g., 'What type of weather is best for playing outside?', 'How does it make you feel when it rains?'). The Skills list includes 'Listen critically to text read aloud' and 'Respond to text read aloud', and activities ask the child to make predictions and discuss story content. Multiple activities prompt the child to describe and answer questions about illustrations and story-related vocabulary.
Lesson 2
Types of Precipitation
The lesson includes multiple read-aloud activities with explicit question prompts after reading (Activity 1 asks students to identify habitats, describe weather in pictures, and recall details about characters being hot or cold). Activity 2 directs students to reread specific pages and "discuss the different types of precipitation described on the pages," and the Wrapping Up section asks students why precipitation is important and where our water comes from. Activity 4 asks students to record a prediction and then describe what is happening, tying observations back to explanations in the text.
Lesson 3
Measuring and Charting Weather
The lesson directs an adult to "Look at the book, Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing Animal Habitats, with your child and ask her to describe what the weather can be like in different habitats," and to "Discuss temperature, precipitation, and sky conditions," which requires the child to answer questions about details in a text. The lesson also prompts an adult to "ask your child what she thinks would happen if an animal's habitat got too warm or cold" and in Wrapping Up to "ask your child to give you examples of how weather can be measured," providing multiple opportunities for the child to respond to prompts about text-related content and key ideas.
Lesson 4
Simulating Weather
The lesson instructs an adult to ask the child to read the Weather Song aloud and to follow along by pointing to each word, providing prompting and support. It gives explicit teacher prompts to ask the child to find specific words in the song (e.g., "Can you find the word clouds?", "Can you find the word rain?") and to count letters. The Wrap Up directs the adult to ask the child what happens in the sky to cause it to rain, eliciting a response about a key idea in the song/text.
Lesson 5
Fall
Students are asked specific who/what/where/how questions about the picture in Activity 1 (e.g., What are the people wearing? What do the plants and trees look like? What are the people doing?), and they circle items and write words and sentences about those picture details. In Activity 2 students read directions aloud, place leaves on a graph, and answer questions about the graph (e.g., What does this graph show us? Which color has the fewest/most leaves?). The Wrapping Up prompts require students to explain what happens to the weather in the fall and what they enjoy doing, encouraging question-and-answer interaction about key details.
Lesson 6
Winter
The lesson asks students to find pages that look like winter in the book Whatever the Weather and to describe what they see in the pictures, prompting them to identify details in a text. The introduction and wrapping-up prompts ask students to describe the winter environment and compare the book illustrations to their own experiences, which requires answering questions about key details. Activity 1 also has students attempt to read their dictated story aloud, connecting spoken responses to text-related content.
Lesson 7
Spring
Students are asked to attempt to read each short poem and then answer the question "what the poem was about," requiring them to state key events or ideas from the text. Students are asked to draw a line from each poem to the picture that best tells the story, linking text details to illustrations. Students are also prompted to identify and underline rhyming words, showing attention to specific words and features in the text.
Lesson 8
Summer
Activity 2 asks students to read or read along with a short passage and decide which picture-word fits each blank, requiring them to answer questions about the text by selecting appropriate words. Option 2 has students read the completed story aloud and copy or write the first letter of missing words, giving practice answering text-based comprehension cues. Activity 1 prompts students to describe the picture and answer questions about what is happening and how characters feel, which elicits answering detail-focused questions tied to an illustrated scene.
Final Project
Weather Games
The lesson asks the child to look through a named book (Whatever the Weather) and to pick the page that looks most similar to the weather outside, and it gives the child a chance to read the book aloud. The teacher is told to reread specific pages (pages 8–15 of Oh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today?) and to discuss historical ideas about predicting weather with the child. The lesson also instructs prompting the child with questions from the "Weather Forecast" organizer and to report answers aloud to the family, with adult prompts provided if the child needs help.
Unit 3: Community
Lesson 1
On the Town
After reading the story, adults are instructed to ask the child specific comprehension questions such as "What is a community?," "What places did Charlie visit in his community?," and "Why did Charlie write down the places he visited…?" The introduction asks the child to name his town and neighborhood and the wrapping up directs the child to discuss what a healthy community provides. Activity prompts (predicting from the cover, answering listed questions, and discussing similarities/differences in Activity 3) explicitly require the child to respond to key-detail questions from the text.
Lesson 2
My Community Environment
Students are read Me on the Map and are prompted to look at the town map, name streets/buildings, and discuss the purpose of each place. Students are asked to look through books in the home library, describe the communities shown in the illustrations, copy book titles, draw simple illustrations, and discuss similarities and differences between communities. The skills list explicitly includes that students should "ask questions that lead to understanding," indicating an expectation that students generate questions.
Lesson 3
Jobs in the Community
Students are asked to read or have names of community helpers read to them and to answer questions such as what each worker does and how the job makes the community better (Activity 1). Students are directed to read books about community workers and discuss the nature of their jobs and how they help citizens (Activity 6). Students are also asked to record simple sentences about how each worker helps (Activity 5), and to answer questions about data they collect (Which worker did you see most/least?) in Activity 2.
Lesson 5
Resources
The lesson includes teacher prompts such as "Questions to Explore" that ask What do communities provide for the people who live in them? and What does the environment provide for living things? Activity 3 asks the child to find resources and then explain how each resource is used and where it is found, and the Wrapping Up step tells the adult to ask the child to explain the difference between natural and manmade resources. Activity 1 and the counting activities require students to sort and label items and to respond (by drawing, labeling N/M, or writing numbers), which elicits answers about resource details.
Lesson 6
A Good Community Citizen
The lesson includes the skill 'Listen responsibly to text read aloud' and Activity 1 directs an adult to read a list of action scenarios and ask the child to decide if each person is being a good citizen and explain how she made her decision. Several activities (sorting pictures, drawing and labeling examples in Option 2, and describing family members' actions in Activity 3) require the child to identify and talk about details of those scenarios or images. The wrapping-up prompts ask the child to answer questions such as 'what it means to be a good citizen' and to think of ways she can be a good citizen.
Lesson 7
A Citizen with Character
Students read short texts ("A Lesson in Honesty" and "The Boy Who Cried Wolf") and are asked direct comprehension and prediction questions such as "What do you think will happen next?" and "Did Riley do anything wrong?" Students retell the beginning, middle, and end of The Boy Who Cried Wolf (drawing and writing or dictating a sentence for each) and describe characters' actions and resulting consequences in Activity 6. Students also evaluate scenarios (Respect, Kindness Award) and record explanations or scores, which requires identifying and answering questions about key details in those short texts or pictures.
Lesson 8
Rules and Laws
The lesson has the adult read the short story "The House with No Rules" aloud and then asks specific comprehension questions (e.g., "What kinds of things happen in the house with no rules?", "What would you not like about the house?"). The Introduction and Wrapping Up sections instruct the adult to ask the child what a rule is and why rules and laws are important, prompting the child to respond about key details. Activity 2 has the child read items and decide whether each statement is a rule or a law, requiring the child to answer questions about the text-like items on the sorting page.
Lesson 9
Caring for Our Communities
Students hear and study the story "When One Person Cares" and are asked explicit comprehension questions such as, "What happens at the beginning of the story? In the middle? At the end?" and "Where does Katy live? What does she like about her community? What does Katy do to be a good citizen?" The Skills section lists "Demonstrate a sense of story (beginning, middle, and end)" and activities ask students to discuss setting and specific story details, prompting answers about key details.
2: Similarities and Differences
Unit 1: Amazing Attributes
Lesson 2
Animal Attributes
The materials instruct an adult to use Crinkleroot's Guide to look at pictures and to "ask your child to identify the body parts he sees" and to "discuss how the animals use their different body parts," which has the child answer questions about details in a book. The living/nonliving activity pages ask the child to "circle all the things that are living" and to "describe how he knows which objects are living," prompting the child to answer questions about key details in the pictures and labels. The Wrap Up directs the adult to "ask your child to describe some ways that animals can be alike and some ways they can be different," giving students opportunities to respond about details they observed.
Lesson 5
How Old?
Students are prompted to read and reread questions on the Guessing Ages activity page (e.g., "Let your child read each of the questions, or you may read the questions aloud to her" and "Reread the questions with your child or let her attempt to read them independently"). Students are asked to write a question for each pictured person (Option 2) and to record additional questions on a separate sheet, practicing capital letters and question marks. Students decide which prepared question to ask each individual in the picture (Option 1) and match ages to pictured people, using the questions to guide choices.
Lesson 8
Amazing Attributes
Students are given explicit discussion prompts (e.g., the "Questions to Explore" and directions to "Ask your child what a magnet is" and to discuss why objects sink or float) that require them to answer questions about the material. Students complete the "MAGNETIC OR NOT" activity page where they predict and record results, then compare predictions to outcomes and discuss which were correct. Students watch a sink-or-float video and are instructed to focus on the "why," then relate that information to their experiment and discuss similarities among items that sank or floated.
Lesson 10
Earth Materials: Rocks, Soil, and Water
Students are read the texts Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt and Over and Under the Pond and are asked specific comprehension questions (e.g., name three solids in the garden; describe liquids pictured; find rocks in illustrations; describe the pond habitat). Students are prompted to examine illustrations and physical samples and to describe and compare details (e.g., compare two soil samples, identify signs of life, identify types of rocks in illustrations). The skills list explicitly includes 'Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood.'
Lesson 11
Using Earth Materials
The lesson instructs an adult to "Ask your child to describe the three Earth materials she explored in the last lesson," and to "watch the following music video..." to review the three types of rocks, then asks the child to "think about how rocks are used and why they are important." The activities prompt students to "discuss the properties of the soil" and to keep lists or photos of findings, which require students to answer questions and talk about details from the video and prior lesson.
Unit 2: Senses
Lesson 1
My Five Senses
Students are asked pre-reading and post-reading questions about the book (e.g., finding the title and author, predicting what the story is about). After reading, students answer comprehension questions about key details in the text and topic (e.g., name the five senses, which body part is used for each sense, which sense finds color, which senses recognize shape, and times they use more than one sense). In the introduction and activities students describe objects and explain how they determined attributes using their senses, linking their observations to details in the text and word list support.
Lesson 2
Senses and Body Parts
Students listen to the read-aloud 'Jackie's Day at the Pet Store' and, on the second reading, pick up and glue the sense organ when Jackie uses a sense, which requires them to identify details in the text. The introduction directs an adult to ask the child to name the five senses and give examples, prompting the child to answer. Activity 2 asks the child to point to the sense organ in response to short situational prompts, reinforcing answering questions about sensory details.
Lesson 4
Hearing and Seeing
Students listen to The Magic School Bus read-aloud in Activity 1 and answer teacher-posed questions (e.g., "What happened when the bus driver flipped the green switch?", "Whose nose did the bus travel into?"). Students listen to two descriptive stories in Activity 5 with their eyes closed and decide/answer which place is being described, showing comprehension of key auditory details. Students are also asked to compare objects by stating whether they are the same or different and to describe what they observed on the listening walk and in the wrap-up prompts.
Lesson 7
Using All of Our Senses
The Introduction directs an adult to read pages of My Five Senses and then ask the child which senses the boy used and how he used each sense. The Skills list explicitly includes "Interact with reader when text is read aloud (questions, comments, and ideas) (LA)." Activity 3 has students look through books and identify ways characters are using their senses, prompting students to locate and discuss details from texts.
Lesson 8
Writing About Our Senses
In Activity 1 (Sensing Logic) students read or listen to short clue texts and mark/eliminate pictures to identify the described item, answering the prompt "What am I?". In Activity 2 (A Sensible Report) students read a short paragraph about popping popcorn, fill sensory blanks, and attempt to read their completed report aloud, responding to text-based prompts. The Getting Started introduction has the adult ask the child to describe an apple using sensory details, prompting the child to answer about observable details.
Unit 3: We're the Same, We're Different
Lesson 1
You're Special
Students are prompted to read the questions on the "You Are Special" page aloud and to answer each question about themselves, encouraging them to respond to text-based prompts. Students complete a fill-in-the-blank paragraph using their answers, then read their personal story aloud and are asked about it (for example, "Ask him what he likes about his story"). The lesson lists skills including "Discuss, illustrate, and dramatize stories," implying some engagement with story reading and discussion.
Lesson 2
Physical Characteristics
The lesson includes a listening-comprehension activity where an adult reads the story "Different Friends" and then asks the child explicit questions (e.g., "Can you retell the story in your own words?", "What happened at the beginning? In the middle? At the end?", and questions about characters' feelings and actions). Students are asked to retell and to put event boxes in the order in which they occurred, practicing answering questions about key story details. The lesson also directs discussion about whether the characters are friends and why, reinforcing answering who/what/why details from the text.
Lesson 4
Interests and Hobbies
Activity 2 asks students to go to the library, find books about an interest, and then use prior and new knowledge to answer the five prompts on the "My Interest" sheet (e.g., "What is something you already knew?" and "What is a question you have about ____?"). The sheet prompts students to record answers and to teach someone else about their interest, which requires answering questions derived from research in texts. Activity 3 instructs the child to read survey questions aloud and record answers when interviewing others, giving practice in reading and responding to questions.
Lesson 5
Shapesville
The lesson directs adult prompts and questions during and after reading: students identify each character's shape, count sides and angles, and describe physical characteristics (color, sides, angles, eye color) and personalities/interests. After reading, students are asked specific comprehension questions (e.g., "Did you enjoy the story? Why or why not?", "What doesn't matter in Shapesville?", "How do the shapes look different on the outside?", "How are the shapes' personalities different?"). Activities also ask students to explain why they chose a shape for themselves or family members and to share their descriptions aloud.
Lesson 6
Different Families
Students read specified pages of A Life Like Mine and are prompted to talk about the different people, foods, homes, and health details shown in the book. Adults are instructed to ask children direct questions (e.g., "What are your responsibilities in your family?"; "What does each family member do for the family?") and to have children identify and describe pictures of families, clothing, physical characteristics, activities, and interactions. Activity pages require students to compare and contrast their family with families in the text by completing sentence prompts or a Venn diagram and to draw details from the book.
Lesson 7
Different Homes
The lesson directs the adult to read specific pages and to ask the child to identify and describe the different homes shown in the book, and to ask why people have homes. It prompts the adult to ask the child to identify materials used to build homes and to recall the term natural resource. The wrapping-up section instructs the adult to ask the child whether they would enjoy living in a different type of home and to describe why homes look different around the world.
Lesson 8
Different Holidays and Traditions
Students are prompted to read about holidays in encyclopedias or on websites and to look at pictures/scrapbooks and then discuss why a family celebrates or does not celebrate each holiday. Activity 2 provides explicit question prompts for students to answer about texts/images (e.g., "What are the people celebrating?", "What types of activities are they engaged in?", "What types of foods are they eating?"). The introduction and Activity 3 ask students to name holidays they celebrate and explain what they enjoy, and Activity 5 asks students to write a sentence about each holiday after researching it.
Lesson 9
Different Modes of Transportation
Students are prompted to look through books and websites to identify modes of transportation and to find examples of transportation in the picture book A Life Like Mine. The introduction asks students to give examples of ways people travel and to discuss reasons for choosing particular modes of transportation. Activity pages prompt students to answer questions about which mode of transportation would be best for particular scenarios (circle or write answers). Wrapping up asks students to give examples of different modes and to act out modes while answering questions from an adult.
Lesson 10
Wants and Needs
Students are instructed to read specific text sections (pages 46–51, 56–61, 66–71) and discuss why children need an education, play, and love and care, which prompts answering questions about those text details. The introduction and wrapping up directions tell the adult to ask the child what animals and people need and to ask what it means to want or need something, prompting student responses tied to the reading.
Lesson 11
Being Part of a Group
Students are asked to read pages 98–113 of A Life Like Mine and then discuss what it means to have an identity, a nationality, and a religion, which requires attending to details in the text. Students are prompted to discuss how their nationality or religion is similar to and different from those of the children in the book, which asks them to answer questions about key details. Adults are instructed to prompt discussion and ask the child to think of reasons people join groups, and students are encouraged to read or attempt to read their own simple text and to read the paragraph they create aloud.
Final Project
Differences Make the World Go 'Round
Students are instructed to read about a chosen country in a book or on the Internet and to locate that country on a map, which requires attending to text details such as food, clothing, activities, transportation, and environment. The lesson provides explicit prompts and worksheets that ask students to complete sentences about location, food, hobbies, homes, clothing, transportation, and holidays, which requires retrieving key factual details. The Getting Started section lists "Questions to Explore" (e.g., Why are there differences among people and families?) and the wrap-up encourages the child to ask questions when meeting a person from the chosen country.
3: Patterns
Unit 1: Identifying and Creating Visual Patterns
Lesson 1
What Is a Pattern?
Students are prompted to identify the title and the author's name and are encouraged to read the title and guess what the story is about. While reading Busy Bugs, students are asked specific questions about the illustrations (e.g., "what types of patterns she sees" on pages 6–11 and to explain the patterns on pages 12–25). The lesson provides explicit question prompts (Have you ever seen a pattern? Where? Have you ever made a pattern?) for students to answer about key details in the text and illustrations.
Lesson 2
Recognizing Types of Patterns
The lesson includes explicit prompts to ask the child questions (e.g., Questions to Explore and "Ask him how many colors are in the set"). The wrapping-up directions ask the adult to "ask your child to explain the difference between an ABAB pattern and an AABB pattern" and to "reread the book, Busy Bugs, and ask your child to point out the ABAB and AABB patterns." Activities require the child to describe patterns and explain how they decided whether a sequence is ABAB or AABB.
Lesson 4
Extending a Pattern
Students read printed pattern sequences (Option 2) and complete sentences about the patterns by filling in which object is the first, second, or third. Activity instructions prompt students to answer questions about each pattern and to extend the pattern (e.g., "ask your child what would come next" and "he will answer questions about each pattern"). The Student Activity Page contains explicit prompts that require students to identify details from a written sequence (fork, spoon, crayon, marker, penny/paper clip).
Unit 2: Patterns in Sounds, Words, and Actions
Lesson 1
Word Patterns
Students are asked to identify and circle repeating word parts and to add another word that follows the pattern, which requires them to answer questions about word features. The lesson directs students to listen to nursery rhymes, identify rhyming words, record them, and pick a favorite rhyme to act out or illustrate, which requires responding to questions about elements of the text. Activity 4 asks students to copy or dictate animal names from the text and identify the habitat where each animal lives, which asks students to answer questions about details presented in the text.
Lesson 3
Poetry Patterns
Activity 1 instructs the adult to read each poem twice and ask the child "what each poem is about," then have the child identify and circle rhyming words. The Introduction prompts the reader to ask the child if she hears any word patterns while poems are read aloud. Activity 2 has the child guess missing rhyming words when the second rhyming word is left out and to recite words that follow the same pattern after singing each verse.
Lesson 4
Sentence Patterns
Students are asked to read simple picture-book sentences aloud and identify sentences, capitals, and periods (Activity 4). Students are asked to identify the naming word (noun) and the action word (verb) in sentences read aloud and to circle/underline those words (Activity 2, Activity 4, Completing a Sentence Pattern). Students choose words to complete sentence patterns and are asked whether the word they selected is a person, place, or thing and to circle the action word that makes sense in the sentence (Day 2 activities).
Lesson 5
Story Patterns
Students are prompted to answer questions during reading: after the beginning they are asked what they think will happen next and before the ending they are asked what will happen at the end. After reading, students are asked explicit comprehension questions: "What happened at the beginning of the story?" "What happened in the middle of the story?" and "What happened at the end of the story?" Students complete Activity 2 and Activity 3 by illustrating and describing the beginning, middle, and end, and by dictating or writing sentences about those key events.
Final Project
Patterns Video
The materials prompt students to read words from a book or poem and explain the pattern ("For the word/rhyming and book patterns, he can read the words from a book or poem and explain the pattern"). Students complete script sheets that ask where they found or made the pattern and to list the parts and sequence ("record the type of pattern, where he found the pattern or how he made it, the parts of the pattern, and how the parts create each pattern"). The teacher-facing Questions to Explore (e.g., "Where are patterns found?" and "How can sounds, words, and motions form patterns?") provide prompts that could guide student responses about text features.
Unit 3: Patterns in Your World
Lesson 1
Patterns in Nature
Students are read pages 1–11 of Pattern and are asked to identify and describe the pattern in each picture. Students are asked specific comprehension questions after reading (Which patterns had you seen before? Which had you not seen? Can you think of any other patterns that could be added?). Students match, create, and draw patterns from pictures (Options 1–3), reinforcing discussion and answers about observable details in the text and images.
Lesson 3
Night and Day
The lesson includes direct prompts such as "Ask your child how she knows when it is nighttime and when it is daytime" and "Ask your child to explain the pattern of night and day," which require students to answer questions about the topic. Activity 3 provides explicit questions for the child ("How would it be different if it were light all the time?" and "How would it be different if it were dark all the time?") and asks students to draw and dictate sentences about day and night activities. During the globe/flashlight activity students are asked to describe when it is daytime and when it is nighttime, responding to teacher prompts tied to the demonstration.
Lesson 7
Patterns at Home
The lesson directs an adult to read the Pattern book aloud and then have the child identify specific patterns from the book (checkerboard, patterns in nature, fabric, clothing, repeating and circular patterns) and to describe each pattern she finds. Activities ask the child to complete pattern pages, color a quilt pattern following directions, and write or dictate a sentence that describes a pattern found in her closet. The lesson also includes prompts such as asking the child if she can think of patterns in the house and asking her to name shapes and count sides and angles.
Lesson 9
Counting Patterns
The skills list explicitly includes "Listen to a story read aloud (LA)" and "Answer questions about a story read aloud (LA)." In Activity 3, students listen to a short narrative about clowns and are asked to "fill in each blank in the story" by placing clown faces in the car, which requires answering questions about key numerical details. Students also retell or create their own versions of the clown story and record the changing numbers, practicing comprehension of story events.
Lesson 11
Patterns in Graphs
Students are prompted to read graph titles and labels, discuss the data, and describe patterns (Activity 1). The lesson directs students to answer specific questions such as "What does this chart tell us?", "How many types of people are on the chart?", and "How many different colors of shirts were worn?" (Activity 1). Students color-code repeating elements and decide whether charts/graphs have patterns and describe those patterns (Activity 3). The wrapping-up prompt asks students to describe how to find patterns in graphs and charts, reinforcing question-and-answer practice about key details.
4: Change
Unit 1: Changes on Planet Earth
Lesson 2
What Changed?
Activity 1 directs an adult to help the child read Part 1 and to "encourage him to answer the questions about the changes in the book," with explicit questions provided (e.g., identify examples of physical changes; name a chemical change; is burning physical or chemical). The lesson also instructs asking the child which changes mentioned in the book they have seen and to review specific pages (pp. 14-15, pp. 20, 22-23) to discuss details. The Skills section lists listening to a read-aloud and demonstrating a sense of story, supporting guided discussion of text details.
Lesson 3
Changing Position
Students are prompted to look at the book cover and answer questions about what is happening and what the book will be about. The Reading and Questions section provides four explicit text-based questions (e.g., How do we get objects to start moving? What force keeps us on Earth?) for students to answer after listening to or reading the book. Activity 1 asks students to use the index to find the words "gravity" and "inertia," go to the referenced pages, and write the sentences from the text, requiring them to locate and record key details.
Lesson 4
Changes in the Environment
As the child reads (or listens as the adult reads) Part 2: "Seasons Change," the adult is instructed to "encourage him to answer the questions about the changes in the book," with specific page-referenced prompts about freezing, evaporating, and life-cycle changes. The Skills list includes "Listen responsively to text read aloud (LA)," which supports student engagement with a read-aloud and responding to questions. The "Questions to Explore" and prompted discussion items (e.g., asking the child to describe types of weather and how changes might cause activity changes) provide occasions for responding to prompts related to text topics.
Lesson 7
Living Things Change
Students are prompted to review specific pages of the book (pages 30–31 and 34–37) and then are asked questions about how animals change (e.g., how and why the lizard changed, whether the rabbit's color change is quick or slow). Students answer guided questions on the "Changes in Living Things" page (Did it change in size? number? place? shape?) and circle words that describe each change and mark whether changes are fast or slow. Students also demonstrate understanding by coloring panels to show seasonal changes and by writing or copying a sentence that describes how something changes in size.
Lesson 8
Plants and Change
The lesson includes a Read-and-Questions section that directs an adult to read specified pages and ask two explicit comprehension questions (e.g., "What are some things plants are used for?" and "How are plants similar to and different from animals?"). Activities prompt the child to locate information using the table of contents, answer recall prompts about what plants need, and sequence pictures from the text to show how plants change. Wrapping up asks the child to list plant parts and describe what plants need, which requires answering questions about key text details.
Lesson 10
Chemical Changes
Students are prompted to answer questions in several places: the Student Activity Page asks them to categorize six paired scenarios as chemical or physical, and Activity 3 instructs the adult to ask the child to explain how he made each decision. The Wrapping Up section directs the child to describe the difference between physical and chemical changes and give an example of each. The lesson also provides initial "Questions to Explore" that the adult can use to prompt student responses.
Lesson 11
People Change the Environment
The lesson includes a set of "Questions to Explore" (e.g., "How do you identify change?" "What causes change?") that the child is prompted to discuss. Activity 2 has the child watch a recycling video and then sort pictured items into a recycling bin or trash can, which requires answering questions about which items belong where. Activity 3 asks the child to describe what is happening in each illustration, explain how it is changing the environment, and decide whether the change is positive, negative, or neutral.
Unit 2: Characters Change
Lesson 1
What's in a Name
Students are given four explicit comprehension questions (with answers) to answer about Chrysanthemum, directly asking about feelings, cause of change, and how a teacher resolved the problem. The introduction asks students to predict what might happen before reading, prompting them to ask and consider questions about key events. The 'Characters Change' activity requires students to identify three characteristics of the main character at the beginning and end of the story and write short sentences about how she changed. The 'Feeling Phrases' activity asks students to interpret author phrases and illustrate the character's emotions, tying those interpretations to specific details in the text.
Lesson 2
Why Worry?
Students watch the read-aloud of Wemberly Worried and then respond to four specific comprehension questions (e.g., whether Wemberly needed to be worried about her party, butterflies, and school). Students complete a 'Characters Change' activity that asks them to describe how Wemberly is at the beginning and end of the story and to explain why she changed. The lesson also prompts oral discussion about what can be learned from Wemberly and asks students to state which story they enjoyed more and why.
Lesson 3
Is It a Problem?
The Reading and Questions section presents four explicit comprehension questions (e.g., How does the author illustrate the problem? What happens as the boy continues to worry?) with expected answers, prompting the child to answer key details. The Beginning, Middle, and End activity requires students to identify key events from What Do You Do With a Problem? and two other stories, asking them to locate and order important details. The Characters Change and Figurative Language activities ask students to examine illustrations and character changes, discuss how the problem is personified, and explain character development, all focusing on key story details.
Lesson 4
Comparing Characters
Students practice identifying and describing key details by dictating three-sentence summaries (beginning, middle, end) of the stories and by answering explicit questions on the "Two Stories, Same Problem" page (e.g., "How are the characters' situations similar?" and "What can we learn from both characters?"). Students compare and contrast character traits and situations using Venn diagrams for Chrysanthemum vs. Wemberly and Wemberly vs. the boy, which requires citing specific story details. Students match causes and effects drawn directly from the stories on the Cause and Effect activity page, demonstrating attention to story events and outcomes.
Lesson 5
The Raft
The lesson includes multiple places where an adult is instructed to stop and "ask your child the following questions," with specific question-and-answer prompts across Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 that require the child to answer key-detail questions about characters, setting, and events. Activities ask students to identify story elements (characters, setting, problem/solution) and to complete pages such as "Characters Change," which require students to respond to questions about how the main character changed. The lesson also models discussion prompts (e.g., "Ask your child if she can think of another interesting way...") that scaffold oral responses to text details.
Lesson 6
Positive and Negative Change
In Activity 2 the child is asked direct questions after a read-aloud (e.g., 'How do you think the rat feels about himself?' and 'How could the rat respond...'), prompting answers about character feelings and actions. Activity 3 prompts the child to answer 'What if' questions about events in named stories, asking the child to discuss causes, effects, and choices from those texts. Activity 1 asks the child to identify cause-and-effect situations from stories and to match and label causes and effects, requiring them to answer questions about key details.
Final Project
My Own Story
Students complete a "Problem and Solution" activity that asks specific questions such as: "How would you describe the character at the beginning of the story?", "What caused the problem?", "How did the character get to the solution?", and "How does the character change from the beginning to the end of the story?" Students dictate their story while an adult records it and then the adult reads the dictated story aloud so students discuss which parts of the story go on which pages. The lesson includes guided discussion prompts (e.g., "Discuss how the character will change") and broad "Questions to Explore" that focus on causes and effects of change.
Unit 3: A First Look at History - Change Over Time
Lesson 2
Understanding Time
Students read specified pages of a nonfiction book about telling time and are prompted to answer comprehension-style questions (e.g., "Were you born in the past, present, or future?", "Did dinosaurs live in the past, present, or future?"). Students complete a three-box activity ("Yesterday I," "Today I," "Tomorrow I will") that requires them to record or draw events tied to time and to state dates for yesterday/today/tomorrow from a calendar. Students are also asked to explain the difference between past, present, and future as a wrap-up, which requires them to respond to a focused question about text-related concepts.
Lesson 3
Communities Change
Students are prompted to answer specific who/where/how questions about The House on Maple Street (e.g., "Where did the story happen?", "Who are the characters?", "How did the environment change?"). Students complete activities that require locating key details in the text and pictures (identifying artifacts, circling animals from the story, and numbering characters/communities in chronological order). Students describe preferences and provide reasons (e.g., which child they would like to be and when they would visit Maple Street), and they write or dictate a sentence about the story, practicing answering and explaining details.
Lesson 4
Past and Present
Students are asked and prompted to respond to specific comprehension questions after viewing pictures and reading sections (e.g., "How did people in the past dress differently than we do today?" in Activity 1 and multiple comparative questions in Activity 3). Students are asked to dictate five clues about a time period (Activity 7), to explain differences in writing or dictation (Activity 8), and to point out differences in setting, clothing, and other details while reading (Activity 3). These tasks require students to identify and answer questions about key details from the text and illustrations.
Lesson 5
Exploring the Past
Students are asked to recall details from The Usborne Time Traveler (e.g., "Ask your child if he remembers the three time periods he learned about in the book"), and adults are prompted to discuss guiding questions at the start ("Questions to Explore" such as Why do communities change?). Students examine specific pages for Homes, Clothes, Food, and Transport and then draw, write, or dictate descriptions of information found in the book. Students also write one sentence about each cultural element and give a presentation to the family, which requires them to answer questions about those details.
Lesson 6
Predicting Future Change
Students read short scenario texts (Activity 1) and are asked explicit questions such as "What changed in each situation?" and "How will this change your family?" Student activity pages present scenarios with prompts and space for students to write answers, and Activity 2 has students reread the situations and record sentences describing results of changes.
Lesson 7
People of the Past
Students are directed to read a simple biography and answer specific prompts such as whether the person lived in the past or present, how to describe the person, and what the person did to make a positive change (Activity 1). Students are asked to reread short descriptions, point to the individual described, and glue descriptions beneath pictures after placing figures in chronological order (Activity 2). Students are asked to explain what a biography is and to describe people from the past who made positive changes during the wrap-up, and to write a sentence about a historical person (Activity 4).
6: Reading
Unit 1: Semester 1
Lesson 1
Letter Sounds Review I
During Activity 3.1 students are asked to locate sight words in the Weekly Message and to answer questions such as "Can you find the sight word 'the'?" and "How many times is 'and' in the message?". In Activity 5.3 students are asked to look at the book cover and answer the question "What else do you see on the cover?" and to share observations. Activity 1.1 prompts students to point to spaces, the period, and the exclamation point and to respond (for example, shouting "Exciting!").
Lesson 2
Letter Sounds Review II
On Day 5 (Activity 5.3) students are asked to read the reader The Pig Can, read the title, describe the cover, and answer the teacher prompt "What do you think this book is about?" The activity directs the adult to model reading questions and then asks the child "Do you think the pig and the cat can fit in the box?" and to explain her thinking. Earlier activities also prompt students to find details in text (e.g., point to sight words in the Weekly Message and identify punctuation marks).
Lesson 3
Letter Sounds Review III
In Activity 5.2, students read the reader The Bug, point to each word as they read, and are asked explicit comprehension questions: "What is the bug able to do?" "What does the bug want to be able to do?" and "Why can't he do that?" Activity 5.2 also asks students to read the title and describe the cover, requiring them to identify and talk about text details. Activity 1.1 prompts students to use details in the Weekly Message (pointing to "jog" and "hot") to answer a question about which vowel will be studied.
Lesson 4
Letter Sounds Review IV
Students read Reader #4 (The Cat, the Pig, the Dog, and the Fox) and are asked direct comprehension questions such as, "Why are the dog and the fox napping at the end of the book?" and "Why aren't the cat and the pig napping?" In Activity 1.1 students are asked to find how many sentences the weekly message has by looking for end punctuation, circling end marks, and counting sentences, which requires answering questions about printed text details. Activity 3.1 has students read sentences aloud and identify sight words, supporting attention to key textual elements.
Lesson 5
Adding s, More Word Families, Ending with ck
Students read the short reader Ducks Are Fun and are asked, "Which duck do you think is having the most fun? Why?" which requires them to answer a question about the text. Students are also prompted to use pictures to figure out the meaning of the word "don," asking them to infer meaning from text and illustration. In the Weekly Message activity, students read the message and answer questions about its sentences and punctuation (e.g., "How many sentences does this message have?"), showing practice answering questions about details in a written passage.
Lesson 6
Open Syllables and Digraph th
After the child reads the reader This Is..., the adult asks specific comprehension questions (e.g., "What kind of pet does Dan have?" and "Which of the animals in the book do you think you'd prefer as a pet?"). The lesson directs the child to read the book aloud and then answer the prompted questions about characters and details. Several teacher prompts throughout the week model asking questions and requesting answers about text content (for example, asking the child to point to words in the Weekly Message and to read and respond).
Lesson 7
Consonant Digraphs ch, sh, wh, ph
The lesson asks the child to make a prediction before reading: "What do you think will happen in this book?" (Activity 3.3). After reading, the child is asked specific comprehension questions about key details: "Where is the ship at the beginning of the book?" and "Why are the rat and the cat wet at the end?" The child is also asked to explain reasoning for events: "Why do you think the rat and the cat are on the ship?"
Lesson 8
Blends with s
Students read Meg and Dan and the Sled and are then asked specific comprehension questions to answer (e.g., "Near the end, why are Meg and Dan no longer on the sled?"; "Why do you think they stop for a snack?"; "What would you want for a snack if you were them?"). The activity directs students to read the book aloud and point to each word as they read, then respond to questions about events and motivations in the text.
Lesson 9
Blends with l
Students read Reader #9, The Club, and are asked specific comprehension questions to answer (e.g., "What color are the flags...?" and "What do the kids do at the club?"). Students are prompted to point to each word as they read and then respond to teacher-provided questions about characters' actions and details. An open-ended question ("If you were in the club, what fun things would you want to do?") asks students to respond about the text and make a personal connection.
Lesson 10
Blends with r
After reading the decodable reader One Can, students are asked specific comprehension questions: "Where are the ducks swimming to?" and "What are the kids running on?", and they are encouraged to point to each word as they read. The activity instructs an adult to prompt the child to read the book aloud and then ask those questions, providing support as needed. The lesson also includes teacher-led prompts elsewhere (e.g., asking the child to point to and read words in the Weekly Message), showing scaffolding during reading.
Lesson 11
Ending Blends
On Day 4, Activity 4.2 students read the reader At Camp and then are asked specific comprehension questions: "What do the kids do at camp?," "What are the kids hunting for?," and "What do you think your favorite camp activity would be?". The directions tell the adult to encourage the child to take his time, point to each word as he reads, and then ask those questions, providing prompting and support during the interaction.
Lesson 12
Double ll, ss, ff, zz (FLOSS)
Students are instructed to read Reader #12 "Huff and Puff" on their own and then answer three explicit comprehension questions: what insects are shown, why the insects are following the kids, and why everyone is huffing and puffing. Activity 4.3 directs the adult to ask these questions after the child reads aloud, providing prompted practice answering text-based questions. Additional activities ask students to read short texts (Weekly Message #12) and point to words as they hear them, which gives further opportunities to attend to text details.
Lesson 13
Glued Sounds ng and nk
In Activity 4.3 (Reader #13 — King Hank), students read the short reader and are asked specific comprehension questions such as "Where do the king and his friends sleep?" and "What color drinks do the king and his friends drink?" Students are prompted to point to each word as they read and then answer those questions aloud. The lesson also asks students to reread the Weekly Message and find words, which involves locating details in a short text.
Lesson 14
Three-Letter Beginning Blends
After reading the decodable book Spring Has Sprung!, an adult asks the child specific comprehension questions (e.g., "What do the kids do at the track?" and "What do the kids do at the pond?") and prompts the child to answer. Several activities prompt the child to respond to teacher questions (e.g., "Are these rhyming words? What makes them rhyming words?" and asking the child to point to and read words in the Weekly Message). The lesson repeatedly directs the adult to ask the child questions about words and pictures and to have the child answer aloud.
Lesson 15
More Ending Blends
After reading Reader #15 — The Raft Trip, students are asked to read the book aloud and then answer explicit comprehension questions: "What animals are on the bank of the river?" and "Which animals nap on the raft?" The activity directs an adult to ask these questions after the student reads and to have the student read sentences aloud in the sentence-dictation activity, providing opportunities for students to respond to questions about text details.
Lesson 16
R-Controlled Vowels (ar)
Students are asked to answer the question on each page as they read the reader Which? When? What? (Activity 4.2). After reading, students are prompted to answer follow-up text-related questions such as "What else might you find in a barn on a farm?" and "What else is sharp?" (Activity 4.2). Students also practice producing questions using the question words which/what/when by being asked to come up with a question for each word (Activity 1.3).
Lesson 17
Semester Review
Students are prompted to identify and describe story details: Activity 4.1 asks students to point to or name characters and talk about the different things the characters do, and the teacher prompt "Which of these readers is your favorite? Why?" asks for a response about text content. The planning pages for "My Own Reader" include sections labeled "Characters" and "What Characters Do," which guide students to note and write key story details. Activity 2.1 and Day 4 also ask students to choose pages to read and to read aloud selected parts, encouraging attention to specific details in texts.
Unit 2: Semester 2
Lesson 1
Long Vowels a and i with Silent e
After reading the decodable reader In the Fall, students are asked specific comprehension questions (e.g., "What are some of the things that Lin and Dev like to do in the fall?" and "What does Lin do while Dev makes cakes?") that require them to identify key details from the text. The directions instruct an adult to have the child read the story on her own and then read it aloud, prompting the child to point to each word as she reads and then respond to the listed questions.
Lesson 2
Long Vowels o, u, and e with Silent e
In Activity 5.1 students read the reader They Chose To Doze on their own and then answer specific comprehension questions such as "What did the family do on their trip?" and "Who fell off of the mule?". The guide also directs students to identify quotation marks and recognize who is speaking, which asks them to point to and answer questions about details in the text.
Lesson 3
Hard and Soft c and g
In Activity 5.2, students read the reader "These Mice" on their own and then answer three explicit comprehension questions: what the mice use for beds, what they sit on to eat cake, and why they like their home. The lesson also tells the adult to ask the child these questions after the child reads the story, providing prompted question-and-answer practice about text details. The introduction suggests re-reading a previous reader, which gives additional opportunities to answer questions about a text with support.
Lesson 4
More R-Controlled Vowels (er, ir, or, ur)
Students read The Bird Is Third independently and then read it aloud to an adult, after which they are asked direct comprehension questions such as "Who won the race?" and "Which animal came in last?". The teacher prompts students to answer an inference/response question: "Are you surprised that the cat won the race? Who did you think would win? Why?". Activity 1.1 also asks students to point to and read words in the Weekly Message and to answer the prompt "What do you notice about the last word in the message?".
Lesson 5
Long a Spellings ai, ay
Students read The Gray Day independently and then read it aloud to an adult (Activity 5.1). After reading, students are asked specific questions about key details (e.g., "What do the boys play with indoors?" and "What animal do they see on the drain outside?") and respond to an inference/opinion prompt ("What do you think the boys would do if they went outside?" / "Do you like rainy days? Why or why not?"). Earlier activities also prompt students to point to long a words in the Weekly Message and to identify letters making sounds, which requires attending to text details.
Lesson 6
Long e Spellings ee, ey, ea
After reading Reader #6 ("What Do You Eat?"), the child is asked specific comprehension questions such as "What does the worm eat?" and "How many beans are the birds eating?" that require the child to answer about key details. The wrapping up activity asks the child to point to words with the long e sound in the Weekly Message, which has the child identify details in a text. Multiple activities prompt the child to read the text aloud and then respond orally to targeted questions.
Lesson 7
Long i Spellings y, igh, ie
On Day 5 (Activity 5.1) students read The Dark Night and are asked explicit comprehension questions such as "What do Tom and Val see in the sky?" and "What do Tom and Val dream about?" that require them to identify key details from the text. The lesson also asks students to reread the Weekly Message and point to long i words, and in Activity 2.3 students find words in a Sight Words Search and then show and read them aloud and point out words with long vowel sounds. These tasks require students to locate and answer questions about specific information in short texts with prompting.
Lesson 8
Long o Spellings ow, oa, oe
On Day 5 (Activity 5.1), students read The Slow Boat and then answer direct comprehension questions read aloud by the adult (e.g., "How many boats are in the race?" and "What color is the boat that wins the race?"). The lesson also includes a follow-up question that asks students to state a preference connected to the text ("If you were on a boat, would you want it to go fast or slow?"), requiring students to respond about key story details and personal connection.
Lesson 9
Long u Spellings ue, ew, ou
On Day 5 (Activity 5.1) students read the reader Would You Eat It? and then answer explicit comprehension questions such as "What does Tom add to the stew?" and "What color does Val add to the stew?" The activity also asks a follow-up personal-response question, "If you were going to make a funny stew, what would you put in it?", prompting students to respond about story details and relate personally to the text.
Lesson 10
Other Long Vowel Patterns
Students read The Wild Colt independently and then answer explicit comprehension questions provided in Activity 5.1 (e.g., Why is the colt hard to find? How does the man stop the colt from bolting?). Students reread the Weekly Message and are asked to point to and read words and to identify long-vowel words, providing practice in locating and discussing text details (Activity 1.1). Students write and read dictated sentences drawn from the reader (Activity 5.2), then read their responses aloud to demonstrate understanding of specific story details.
Lesson 12
Other Vowel Sounds oi, oy
Students are asked and prompted to answer comprehension questions about Reader #12 (Day 5 Activity 5.1), including "What sound does the toy make?" and "What do you think Dan's new toy is?". Students are prompted to recall and identify words from the oi/oy video (Day 2) and to point to words with the oi/oy sound in the Weekly Message, demonstrating answering questions about details in text and media. Several activities require students to point to, read, and identify specific words and sounds in written passages (Weekly Message, Sight Word Search), which elicit answers about textual details.
Lesson 13
Other Vowel Sounds ou, ow
After reading The Hound and the Owl, students are asked three explicit comprehension questions: what the hound does during the day, what the hound does at night, and why the hound howls at the owl (Activity 5.1). The lesson directs students to read the story on their own and then read it aloud to an adult, providing prompting and support for answering those questions. Several activities also ask students to explain their thinking (e.g., explain sorting groups), which reinforces verbal response to prompts.
Lesson 14
Other Vowel Sounds aw, au
On Day 5 (Activity 5.1) students read Reader #14 — The Pups and then answer teacher-provided questions such as "Where do the pups sleep?" and "What are some of the things the puppies in the story do?" The activity also asks an open-ended question, "What else do you think puppies like to do?", prompting students to respond about story details.
Lesson 15
These Make More Than One Sound: oo and ea
On Day 5 (Activity 5.1) students read The Bad Bear on their own and then answer teacher prompts such as "What are some of the naughty things the bear does?" and "What happens when the bear's mom finds her?". The activity explicitly asks students to respond to questions about events and consequences in the story. Activity 4.2 has students create and fill in question-word sentences (who, what, where, when, how, why, which), which practices forming and using question words.
Lesson 16
Silent Starts: kn, wr, gn
Activity 5.2 directs the child to read The Gnats on their own and then answer specific comprehension questions about events in the story (e.g., what the gnats do at the playground and at the picnic). Activity 1.1 asks the child to read the Weekly Message aloud and list things they learned about reading words, which practices responding to prompts about a short text.