Second Grade - ELA
1: Community
Unit 1: Communities Around the World
Lesson 1
Exploring a Community
Students read or listen to the story "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse" at least twice and answer guided comprehension questions. The activity asks students to explain differences between the mice, to describe what happened when the Country Mouse was in the city (scared by noises, cook, cat, trap), and to evaluate whether city life was better, prompting students to state the characters' reactions and choices. Students are prompted to recount the mice hiding, panicking, and the Country Mouse deciding to return home.
Lesson 2
Roles of People in Communities
Students write sentences and a paragraph about community workers (Option 2 and Activity 4), describing what each worker does and what responsibilities they have. Students act out scenarios in Activity 4 (for example, being a mail carrier in a cold, snowy, windy day) and practice responding to on-the-job challenges through role-play. Students are asked to discuss the worker's role in detail and to describe how the worker helps the community during the wrapping-up discussion.
Lesson 10
Communities Change
Students read and listen to The Little House and are asked questions such as "What happened in the story?," "Did the little house like living in the city or the country? Why?," and "What happened at the end of the story?." Students analyze pictures for landscape and people's activities and are asked to compare how people, transportation, and goods and services change over time.
Unit 2: Citizenship
Lesson 1
A Good Citizen
Students read and discuss The Boy Who Cried Wolf and answer targeted questions such as "Why did the boy lie?" and "What happened to the boy because he lied?", which ask them to identify a character's actions and consequences. In Scene by Scene activities students put story events in order and write sentences describing what happens in each scene, requiring them to describe how characters act during major events. In Home and Communities Change activities students describe neighborhood changes and list what people did to help, which asks them to explain characters' responses to community events and challenges.
Lesson 2
Decisions and Consequences
Students read Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse and answer targeted questions such as "Why did Lilly feel bad during the story?" and "What actions did Lilly take to make the situation better?" Students complete "Lilly's Actions Chart" by reading examples of Lilly's actions and writing the resulting consequences. Students also role-play actions and consequences and play a matching game pairing actions with outcomes, practicing linking events to character responses.
Lesson 6
Leaders in the Community
Activity 1 asks students to notice what happened to the person, including "Did anything happen in the person's life that was hard?" and "How did he or she help the community?" Activity 2 has students write five characteristics of a good leader and give examples of how the person in the biography showed each quality. The Biography Book templates prompt students to record birthplace, childhood events, "The greatest thing ___ ever did," and "___ was a leader because ___," which require students to describe events in the subject's life and link those events to the person's actions or qualities.
Unit 3: Plants and Animals
Lesson 1
Living and Nonliving
Students read Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and answer targeted comprehension questions such as "What did Sylvester learn in the end?" and "What would you have done differently from Sylvester?". Students are asked to compare Sylvester's state "as a donkey" and "as a stone" and to talk about how he was different in those states. The activity also has students predict the story and discuss illustrations, supporting engagement with character events.
Lesson 6
Extinct and Endangered Species
Students read and perform a scripted puppet show in which characters interact about food shortages: the Alligator looks for food, refuses bamboo, asks Elephant for food, and explains his habitat lacks the food he needs. Students create three dinosaur finger-puppet scripts and dictate at least two lines for each dinosaur, forcing them to generate characters' spoken responses to theories about extinction. Students also practice voices and perform the puppet dialogues for family, enacting characters' reactions to challenges (e.g., hunger, habitat loss).
Lesson 7
Plants
Students read "Jack and the Beanstalk" and answer comprehension questions (Activity 3) such as "Did Jack make a good decision to trade the cow for the seeds?" and "What did Jack take from the giant?" The Skills list explicitly includes "Describe main characters and setting (LA)," prompting students to identify characters and setting. Activity 6 invites students to consider an alternative outcome for Jack (what would have happened if he had planted seeds in a shoe), prompting reasoning about his choices.
Lesson 8
The Role of Plants
Students read The Giving Tree and are asked to identify the two characters and what the tree gave the boy, which makes them attend to character actions and events. Students sequence five key scenes by drawing and ordering them, which requires locating major events in the story. Students write a thank-you note from the boy's perspective and answer questions about how the man felt and whether he was nice to the tree, which prompts them to articulate the character's responses and feelings.
2: Matter and Movement
Unit 1: States of Matter
Lesson 4
Bartholomew and the Oobleck
Students are asked explicit comprehension questions about how the king and Bartholomew respond to the oobleck (e.g., how did Bartholomew stop the oobleck? Did the king and the people listen? Do you think the king will be different?), which requires describing character reactions and change. The Story Quilt activity directs students to list the problem of the story and how the problem was solved, and to name characters and three important events, which asks them to connect events to character responses. The A New Ending task has students write an alternate resolution starting with people covered in oobleck, prompting them to articulate how characters might act to resolve the major challenge.
Lesson 8
Our Bodies and Our World
Students read a short story about Jason (Activity 4) and answer comprehension questions that ask who the main character was, what challenge he faced (choosing healthy party food), and how he solved it (having guests make their own pizza, juice, and cake). In Activity 5 students complete a graphic organizer with sections for Problem, Event 1–3, and Solution and then write their own short story that must include a problem and how it was resolved. The Skills list also explicitly includes "Explain what will happen next in a story," supporting practice in describing character responses to events.
3: Culture
Unit 1: Geography
Lesson 1
Using Maps and Globes
Students read The Armadillo from Amarillo aloud (Activity 1) and are asked comprehension questions that identify story events: where Armadillo was at the beginning, what state he lived in, and where the eagle took Armadillo. The prompt also asks "What did Armadillo learn on his journey?", which asks students to state a consequence of the journey. Students chart Armadillo's journey on a Texas map (Day 2, Activity 6), linking story events to locations.
Unit 2: People Around the World
Lesson 7
History of America
Students read the story Three Young Pilgrims and answer targeted questions about the Pilgrims' voyage, why they left England, and who helped them after arrival. Students answer questions such as "How did the Indians help the Pilgrims?" and "Was life harder or easier for the Pilgrims than it is for you?" that require describing actions taken in response to events and hardships. Students create a Venn diagram comparing their life to a Pilgrim child's, prompting them to note how people responded to challenges like limited supplies and a new environment.
Lesson 9
African Culture
Students are asked to identify and talk about examples from the book where children play games made from natural materials and discuss how those games are created (Activity 6). Students are prompted to note activities children are doing, types of homes, foods, and which children are most like them (Activity 2), and to compare a pictured child with themselves using a Venn diagram (Activity 4). The guide also asks students to record how children satisfy wants/needs and to describe examples of resourcefulness (e.g., making balls from rags) while creating and explaining their own games.
Unit 3: Stories Around the World
Lesson 2
Character
Students are prompted to record what a character thinks, says, and does (Activity 2), which has them identify character reactions to events in the story. In Activity 3 students write an action and a thought a character might have and then tell a short story, practicing linking actions and internal responses. In Activity 5 students role-play as a character and respond to scenarios (e.g., a mean kid at school), practicing how a character would react to specific challenges.
Lesson 4
Plot
Students are asked in Activity 1 to read a storybook and identify the problem, three or more events, and how the problem was solved. In Activity 2 students sequence events from "Jack and the Beanstalk" and are explicitly asked what the problem is and how Jack solved it. In Activity 3 students listen to "The Ugly Duckling," identify the problem, important events, and how the duckling's problem was solved. In Activity 5 students create a story and plan what the main character will do to solve a lost-item problem, filling a plot chart that includes problem, events, and solution.
Lesson 5
Folktales and Fairy Tales
The Skills list includes "Analyze characters including their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes," which directs student work on character response and change. Activity 1 asks students to identify the problem, consider whether events could have been prevented, and discuss favorite parts, prompting explanation of character actions in response to events. The Yeh-Shen worksheet asks students to describe the protagonist at the beginning and at the end and to explain how an animal helped a person, and Activity 3 asks students to discuss how each animal is involved in the plot and to order events, supporting description of character reactions to story events.
Lesson 6
Cinderella Stories Around the World
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Analyze characters including their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes," and activities ask students to describe main characters and how they differ (Activity 2). Activity 6 asks students factual and causal questions about Cinderlad (e.g., "How do Cinderlad's sisters treat him at the beginning of the story?", "Who does Cinderlad have to rescue? How does he do it?"), and students retell plot events and draw the beginning, middle, and end. The Cinderella Elements Chart and Venn diagram require students to identify character roles (hero/heroine, villain) and compare elements across stories.
Lesson 7
Theme
The Skills list includes "Analyze characters including their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes," and Activity 1 asks the child to describe the main characters and major events after reading a story. In Activity 2 (fables) students are asked specific questions about character actions (e.g., "How did the lion help the mouse?" "How did the mouse help the lion?" and "What happened in the story?"), which requires describing how characters respond to events. Activity 4 asks students to invent a story with two animal characters and consider how those animals could teach the same lesson, and Activity 5 asks students to integrate factual animal traits into characters, prompting consideration of character behavior and responses.
Lesson 8
Myths and Legends
Students read the myth "How Rabbit Brought Fire to the People" and answer questions that ask who had fire, who stole it, and why characters acted as they did. Students act out the script taking roles (Rabbit, Weasel, The People), physically portraying characters' reactions to the challenge of obtaining fire. Students respond to questions about Paul Bunyan (for example, "How did Paul feel about his ox, Babe?") and identify believable versus fictional actions, prompting them to describe characters' feelings and responses to events.
Final Project
A New Cinderella
Students answer guided prompts that ask them to name the difficulty the hero faces and to explain how the magical helper assists (e.g., "What difficulty does the hero face?", "How will the magical character help?"). Multiple fill-in-the-blank prompts require students to state emotional and behavioral responses (e.g., "(main character) was very upset because...", "Then (main character) met (magical help) and was helped by (magical help)"). The example Cinderella story models a character responding to major events and challenges (Sam cries, receives help from a mermaid, catches the magical fish, loses a pole, is found by the princess).
4: Relationships
Unit 2: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Lesson 1
Relationships
Students read Chapters 1–2 aloud and answer explicit comprehension questions that identify events (e.g., Rosie the dog shook Edward; the maid vacuumed his pocket watch) and characters' feelings (questions ask how Abilene felt about Edward and what emotion Edward experienced). The introduction states students will be "analyzing the characters," and Activity 2 asks students to describe the relationship between Edward and Abilene and to imagine and write about a stuffed animal's personality. Vocabulary and wrap-up tasks also prompt students to use descriptive words to talk about characters.
Lesson 2
Point of View
Students are asked to consider how the narrator shows Abilene's and Edward's feelings and viewpoints by describing how they respond in certain situations (Activity 1). Students answer prompts about how Abilene feels about Edward and how Edward describes his relationship with Abilene, and they discuss how the two view each other differently. Students retell Pellegrina's bedtime story and are asked what Edward could learn from it, and they compare Edward and the princess using a Venn diagram to identify similarities and differences in their reactions and traits (Activity 2).
Lesson 3
The Queen Mary
Students read Chapters 5 and 6 of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and answer targeted questions about character actions and feelings. Questions ask students to explain why Abilene didn't want other girls to hold Edward and to describe how Abilene felt when Edward went overboard. Other questions ask what the boys did to Edward and how Edward felt when he went overboard, prompting students to state characters' responses to specific events.
Lesson 4
Pronouns
The Skills list explicitly includes "Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges." Reading questions ask students what Edward thought while lying on the ocean bottom and whom he felt had thrown him overboard, prompting students to state his thoughts and feelings in response to that event. Activity 2 directs students to compare Edward's relationships with Abilene and with Nellie and Lawrence and to explain how and why Edward has changed, asking them to describe differences in Edward's attitude after major events. The introduction asks students to use illustrations and details to understand characters and the story, supporting description of character responses.
Lesson 5
Emotions
Students read Chapters 10–12 of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and answer targeted comprehension questions that ask how Edward has changed and why (Question #3) and how he felt after being dug out of the garbage (Question #5). Activity 2 presents specific textual quotes about Edward with prompts that ask students to infer what these quotes show about his feelings and how he is changing. Students also write a goodbye note 'as Edward' that must show his emotions (not just list them), which requires them to express how the character responds emotionally to major events like being rescued and losing relationships.
Lesson 6
Irregular Verbs
Students read Chapters 13–14 of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and answer comprehension questions about Edward's relationships (e.g., Did Edward like Bull and Lucy? How do you know?), with suggested answers noting behaviors such as snuggling with Lucy, loving Bull's singing, and crying when separated. A question asks what happened to Edward on the freight car, giving students an opportunity to identify a major event that affects the character. The lesson also asks why stars might be an important symbol, prompting students to connect repeated motifs to character experience.
Lesson 7
Figurative Language
Students are asked in the Introduction to think about how Edward must feel after he has lost his relationships and to discuss who their favorite character is and why. Students read Chapters 15 and 16 and answer guided questions, including Q2 which asks whether Bryce should have taken Edward down (an evaluative question about a character's action). Option 2 of the figurative language activity asks students to write a sentence about their favorite character, which can prompt them to express a character's feelings or reactions.
Lesson 8
The Falling Star
Students are asked to discuss Bryce taking Edward (whether it was right and why), prompting them to explain Bryce's response to the event of finding/rescuing Edward. Questions ask students to identify Bryce's relationship with his sick sister and what Bryce made Edward do for Sarah, which requires describing Bryce's actions in response to Sarah Ruth's illness. A question about what Edward wished when he saw the falling star asks students to infer Edward's reaction to that event.
Lesson 9
Apostrophes
Students read Chapters 19–21 of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and answer questions about events (e.g., where Bryce takes Edward, who Edward thought he saw, and what Neal did to Edward). Students are prompted to discuss how Edward's relationship with Sarah Ruth differs from his relationship with Abilene and are asked what changed Edward. A parent note explicitly frames Sarah Ruth's death and Edward becoming more compassionate, which students may discuss as a character change following a major event.
Lesson 10
Illustrations
Students are asked to recount Edward's vision after he was broken (Question #1) and to state where he woke up (Question #2), which elicits description of his reaction to being broken and repaired. Question #3 asks why Bryce left Edward with the doll mender and Question #4 asks whether the student would have done the same, prompting students to describe a character's response to a financial/ethical challenge. The retelling activity using illustrations and the "Explain an Illustration" page direct students to use words and pictures to demonstrate understanding of characters, what is happening, and why they chose a particular illustration.
Lesson 11
Building Sentences
Students answer Question 3 asking how Edward's short relationship with the old doll changed him and why it was hard for him to open his heart, requiring them to describe his response to that emotional event. In Activity 4 (Relationship Timeline and Change) students identify Edward's relationships, place them in sequence, and are explicitly encouraged to think about how each relationship changed Edward. Activity 2 asks students to describe heartbreak and darkness Edward experienced and to connect a thematic quote to his journey, prompting students to explain his responses to challenges.
Unit 3: Connecting with the Past
Lesson 3
Slavery and the Civil War
In Activity 1 students watch/read Henry's Freedom Box and are asked to list five character traits Henry exhibited and explain each trait with evidence from the book as they write it. In Activity 2 students view videos and read text about Harriet Tubman, then add dates, pictures, and descriptions of what Tubman did to a timeline and complete a "Famous Americans" page summarizing her actions. Across Activities 3 and 4 students locate events on a timeline and write descriptions of Abraham Lincoln's and Civil War actions, linking individuals' actions to historical events.
Lesson 4
Immigration
Students hear Ellis Island read aloud and answer comprehension questions about events (e.g., who Annie Moore was, what immigrants saw, what happened if immigrants were sick). Students listen to recorded immigrant oral histories and are asked to retell one of the stories. Students examine photographs and are prompted to infer what a person in the photo is thinking or feeling and to imagine what the person is experiencing.
Lesson 5
Civil Rights
Students read The Story of Ruby Bridges and are asked comprehension questions about Ruby's family, the protests outside the school, and whether Ruby was scared even though she didn't act scared. Question 4 asks students to evaluate Ruby's parents' decision to let her attend the school, which prompts consideration of how family members responded to the challenge. The included photograph of Ruby being escorted provides a concrete image students can use to describe how people responded to the major event of school integration.
6: Reading
Unit 1: Semester 1
Lesson 6
Other Vowel Sounds
Students read the story If Fish Could Talk and then answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., "Why does Meg go down to the brook?," "Why does the fish thank Meg?," "What does the fish turn into? Why?"). Students are asked to point to events in the story (the fish being saved from a hawk, the breaking of a curse) and explain the characters' reactions and outcomes. The activity requires students to recount character actions and reasons after reading the text aloud to the teacher.
Lesson 7
More Long Vowel Spellings
Students read the reader "A Snake in the Field" and answer comprehension questions about the story, including "What scares Ned when he is out for a walk?" and "What does the owl do with the snake?" Students also answer a question about how Ned had helped the owl in the past (cutting a kite string), which identifies a character's prior action. These tasks require students to identify events and the actions characters take in response to those events.
Lesson 9
Complex Consonants: dge vs. ge
Students read the reader Moose on the Loose (Activities 4.2 and 5.1) and answer targeted comprehension questions such as "How did the moose escape the cage?" and "How does Sam help the moose?" Students are asked why the moose being on the loose is a problem and why the people cheer Sam, which requires describing characters' actions and reactions to the events in the story. The lesson also prompts students to predict what will happen next, asking them to consider consequences of the major event (the moose escape).
Lesson 10
Complex Consonants: tch vs. ch, ck vs. k
Students read The Egg at the Lake and answer questions about events in the story (e.g., what kind of egg Rick thinks they've found, what comes out of the egg). Students are asked what the kids do after building a fire and are prompted to predict what will happen during a preview of the book. Students also read aloud pages and are asked to point to words as they read, supporting comprehension of story events.
Lesson 11
Final e: ce, ve, ze, se
Students read Aesop's Fables and answer comprehension questions about character actions (e.g., "In 'The Dog and His Bone,' how did the dog lose his bone?" and "In 'The Hare and the Turtle,' why do you think Hare took a nap?"). Students locate and explain the moral of "The Crow and the Vase" and discuss what the moral means. Students are also asked to name a favorite fable and explain reasons, prompting reflection on characters' choices.
Lesson 13
Making Plurals
Students read The Witches Go to the Beach (Day 4 pre-reading and Day 5 reading) and answer targeted comprehension questions such as "What happens when the witches get to the beach?" and "Why don't the witches like the beach?". Students are also asked to recount witches' actions (e.g., landing with a thump, one trips, toads hop away, hat blows off) and explain reactions (e.g., people cover their ears because the witches scream and shriek).
Lesson 14
Uncommon Plurals
Students read The Storm at the Barn (Activity 4.2 and 5.1) and are asked direct comprehension questions about characters and events, including "What do the children want to do at the barn?" and "Do you think they should do this? Why or why not?". After finishing the story, students answer questions that ask why the women and children brought the animals to the barn and which animals would be hardest to bring, prompting students to identify characters' actions in response to the storm.
Lesson 15
Words Ending with ed and ing
Students read The Red-Eyed Tree Frog (Activity 5.1) and are asked comprehension questions such as "How does the tree frog scare away the snake?" and "Why does the frog lay her eggs on a leaf that is hanging over water?" These prompts require students to identify the frog's action (showing red eyes and brightly-colored feet) and the purpose of that action (so tadpoles fall into water).
Unit 2: Semester 2
Lesson 1
Compound Words
Students read A Color of His Own and answer explicit comprehension questions (Day 2 Questions #1-#3) that ask what the chameleon did when his color changed and whether those attempts worked. Students reread the pages where the chameleon stays on a leaf and the leaf changes (Activity 4.1) and discuss the character's actions and feelings about staying with a friend. The skills list and several activities prompt students to describe characters, settings, and major events using key details and to explain character responses to events.
Lesson 3
Open and Closed Syllables
Students read the story "Bees and the Mud" from Mouse Soup and answer comprehension questions that ask what problem the mouse had and how he solved it (Questions #4 and #5 ask: What problem did the mouse have? How did the mouse get the bees off his head?). In Activity 3.1 students role-play the mouse, acting out the mouse ducking into the mud and putting his head under to remove the bees. In Activity 4.1 students fill in sentences describing how far into the mud the mouse stepped (knees, waist, chin), reinforcing the character's concrete responses to the challenge.
Lesson 4
Syllables with R-Controlled Vowels
Students complete a plot-diagram activity (Activity 3.1) in which they identify the problem in "The Crickets" and state how the problem is solved, and they record the numbers of crickets that appear as rising action. The skills list and activities also ask students to retell stories and "describe characters, settings, and major events," and Activity 4.1 asks students to consider the stones' conversations and draw faces (personification) based on how the stones talk.
Lesson 5
Two-Syllable Words Ending in y
Students read parts of Mouse Soup (including "The Thorn Bush") and answer comprehension questions that ask why the policeman thought the woman was crying and why she was really crying, what the thornbush needed, what the weasel discovered after gathering ingredients, and why the mouse was able to trick the weasel. Activity 3.1 asks students to discuss how the old woman felt about her thorn bush and roses and to list things that made her happy, prompting students to describe emotional responses to an event (roses blooming). Day 4.2 asks students to find two-syllable words in the text and the curriculum skills list explicitly includes describing characters, settings, and major events using key details.
Lesson 6
Possessives
Students read Chapters 1 and 2 of Penny and Her Marble and answer targeted comprehension questions asking about Penny's actions and thinking (e.g., "What did Penny find...?," "Why did Penny hide behind the curtain when she saw Mrs. Goodwin?", and "Why do you think Penny could not stop thinking about the marble after she hid it?"). Students sequence and act out Penny's pretend-play events from the book (Activity 4.1), and students locate and discuss text examples of possession and character-related details in the "Finding Words in the Text" activity (e.g., finding "Mrs. Goodwin's" on p. 7). The lesson's listed skill objectives explicitly include "Describe characters, settings, and major events in story, using key details."
Lesson 7
Contractions
Students answer comprehension questions that ask why Penny felt physical discomfort and why she did not tell her parents (Question #1 and #2), prompting them to explain Penny's responses to events. In Activity 3.1 students draw Penny before and after the key event (returning the marble) and write three words describing how she felt, then discuss how the character changed based on that event. Activity 4.1 asks students to identify the lesson/theme and to respond to scenarios, which requires them to articulate characters' decisions and reactions to situations in the story.
Lesson 8
Two-Syllable Words with Silent e
Students read the Frog and Toad story "Down the Hill" and answer comprehension questions that ask about characters' reactions (e.g., QUESTION #3 asks why Toad hit a tree and the expected answer links his action to being scared). Activity 3.1 asks students to explain how Frog and Toad each felt about winter and to compare those reactions. Activity 4.1 has students reread the story and give an oral summary focusing on the most important characters, how the story starts, main events, and how it ends.
Lesson 9
Vowel Teams
Students read the Frog and Toad stories "The Corner" and "Ice Cream" and are asked to summarize the story, which prompts them to describe the main things that happen to the characters. Specific comprehension questions ask what happened to Toad when he was bringing the ice cream (an event) and how all the animals felt when they saw Toad and why they felt that way (describing character responses to that event). The skills list and activities also direct students to identify words and phrases that suggest feelings and to write summaries of character events.
Lesson 10
Consonant Teams
Students read the Frog and Toad stories "The Surprise" and "Christmas Eve" and answer comprehension questions that ask why characters acted as they did (e.g., what Frog and Toad decided to do for each other; why they didn't know what they had done; why Toad was worried and what he feared had happened). Students complete a "Frog and Toad Character Traits" activity in which they generate 3–5 words or phrases describing how each character behaves and then read the chart aloud. Students also discuss how Frog and Toad act differently and which character they are more similar to, using story details and illustrations to support their responses.
Lesson 11
Consonant + le Syllables
Students read Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse (pages 1–19) and answer comprehension questions that ask about why Alexander was screamed at and why Alexander felt sad about Willy, which asks them to explain characters' feelings and reactions. In Activity 3.1 students complete a Making an Inference page using specific textual details (e.g., a scream and crash; Willy sleeping in Annie's bed) to infer characters' responses and motivations. Activity 4.1 has students complete a Venn diagram comparing Alexander and another character, prompting them to identify similarities and differences in traits and behaviors. Activity 5 (Feeling Words) has students choose and write emotion words for situations in the story, practicing linking events to characters' emotional responses.
Lesson 12
Suffixes
Students complete a Story Elements activity (Activity 3.1) in which they identify characters, the problem (Alexander wants to be loved like Willy), the solution (Willy becomes real), and the beginning/middle/end of the plot. Activity 4.1 asks students to explain what Alexander planned to wish for, what he actually wished for after finding the pebble, and why he changed his mind. Reading comprehension questions (Day 4 and the Reading and Questions section) ask students to explain Annie's action of putting Willy in the box and to choose which mouse they would rather be and why, prompting students to reason about characters' actions and motivations.
Lesson 14
Words Starting with q or a
Students read the short story "The Quail," which describes a quail encountering a fox and an earthquake: the quail runs behind a tree, makes a squeaking noise, hides, and then emerges after the danger passes. Activity 4.3 directs students to read the story aloud and identify words that contain "qu," so students practice attending to the narrative and the quail's actions. The Book of Poems reading includes "The Land of the Counterpane," which students read and discuss imagery after listening to an adult read it aloud.
Final Project
Write Your Own Story
Students are asked to think about characters and setting and to plan a beginning, middle, and end on the "Story Idea" page. The brainstorming guidance explicitly suggests writing a story that has a problem and a solution, and students write multi-page narratives recounting events across six pages. Students also revise and edit their writing, which reinforces composing the sequence of events and including planned responses to events in their final copy.