Kindergarten - ELA
1: Letters
Unit 1: A - A Is for Musk Ox
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked explicit recall questions after reading (for example, "What two animals talk in the story?"), which requires them to retrieve information from the provided book. Activities direct students to count letter cards and to order alphabet cards from A to Z, using the book as a reference, which has them gather information from provided sources. The instructions note providing assistance and encouragement (e.g., "Provide assistance as needed," "encourage him to put the letters in order"), indicating adult guidance and support during these tasks.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are directed to read and watch about musk oxen using the provided web links and to discuss how that information compares with what the musk ox in the story says about his species. Students are prompted to discuss where musk oxen live, what they eat, how people use them, and what threats they face — explicit prompts that require gathering or recalling information from the provided sources. Students are asked to act like a musk ox and to think about what they learned, with an optional drawing to demonstrate their recalled information.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to find words marked out in the book and to locate the pictured item in the accompanying illustration, using the picture as a provided source to identify the word. Students are asked directly, with adult prompts, what the word "herd" means and may be prompted to recall its meaning from an earlier discussion about musk oxen. Students count dots on number cards and flip cards to read the matching numeral, gathering information from the cards to answer the matching question.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The review section explicitly asks the child a question: "Ask her what a herd is," which requires the child to recall information with adult guidance. The activities ask the child to look at a world map and name or point out the continents and specific places (Canada, Greenland, Alaska), which requires students to recall geographic knowledge and identify where musk oxen live. The activity also has students discuss tundra environments and view pictures (provided web links), providing sources of information to support answers about musk ox habitats.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are asked to recall prior knowledge when prompted to say what a herd is and to review the names of the continents on the world map. Students gather information from a provided source when they read A is for Musk Ox and are asked whether they liked the book and why or why not and whether they would recommend it. Students recall experiences when they are asked in writing workshop to tell a story about something that happened during the week or to describe/draw a musk ox while the adult records their responses.
Unit 2: H - Hondo and Fabian
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to recall details from the book through explicit comprehension questions (e.g., "Who are the two characters?", "What were some differences between Hondo and Fabian?", "What were some things Hondo did during the day?"). Activity 1 requires students to identify listed actions as either Hondo or Fabian and to act them out, which asks students to retrieve information from the story and from acted experience. The Skills section explicitly states that students, with prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
Lesson 2
Day 2
In Activity 1, students are asked to talk about what they know about cats and dogs and to record characteristics in a Venn diagram, prompting them to recall information from their experiences. The instructions tell an adult to prompt, encourage, and record the child's responses, providing guidance and support as the child sorts attributes into Cats, Dogs, and Both.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to retell the story in their own words using the pictures to guide their retelling and are prompted with questions about what happened at the beginning, next, and the end. Students are asked how the characters feel at the end of their day and how they feel at the end of their own day, prompting recall or use of personal experience. Students locate and point to the sight word "he" on pages in the story and identify the characters and use words or phrases to describe them, drawing information from the provided book pages.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The lesson asks the child to think of words beginning with the H sound and to recall what sound H makes, prompting recall from prior experience. It asks the child if she has a friend she likes to do things with, to describe what they do, paint that activity, and dictate a sentence about it, which requires recalling personal experience to answer and record. It directs the child to page through the book to see if Hondo or Fabian moved in any other ways, requiring the child to gather information from the provided text/images to answer a question about movement.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are asked to recall what a character is and to remember sight words ("he" and "you") when shown the sight word cards. Students gather information from a printed source by moving their finger left-to-right through Hondo and Fabian and identifying capital letters at the beginning of names. Students recall personal information about their own name (why it was chosen) and dictate two statements about themselves to an adult.
Unit 3: I - The Little Island
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted with specific questions (Q1–Q5) after a read-aloud that require them to recall facts from the book (e.g., "What is an island?", "What were some of the creatures that lived on or visited the island?", "What changes happened on the little island?"). The skills section explicitly notes "With prompting and support" for identifying story elements, which frames adult guidance for recall. Activity 2 directs students to look at a world map and a linked island photography website to note similarities and differences among islands, prompting them to gather information from provided sources to answer questions about islands.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students page through The Little Island book and are asked to note how the pictures show changes across the seasons, using the book as a provided source. Students are asked questions about how the different seasons affected the island and how seasons affect them personally, prompting recall from experience. During the picnic role-play, students choose appropriate gear for a season and then respond when the season changes, explaining what accessories they will need now.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson asks the child to retell the story of the island in her own words (Question #1) and tells the child to use the illustrations to guide her retelling, with adults prompting with guiding questions. Activity 3 directs the child to look at pages of the book to find examples of where different animals move and then respond (by acting out or classifying), which requires gathering information from the provided text and pictures. Throughout, adults are instructed to prompt, point to pages, and ask questions, providing the guidance and support named in the standard.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In Activity 1 students are asked, "Do you know how waves form?" and are prompted to discuss possibilities, look at a picture of a stormy ocean, and then run a pan-and-fan experiment to observe wave formation. Students place floating objects on the water and change wind speed to observe how objects move, then are asked to observe and decide what causes the waves. The instructions call for adult prompting and guidance during discussion and the hands-on investigation.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are asked whether the island was really little and to compare it to other things, prompting them to recall and reason about size. Students use provided measurement tools (a ruler and tape measure), measure objects (height, table, sofa, room), record those measurements, and answer which is longest or shortest. Students examine the book (front cover, back cover, title page) and answer questions about what they see and why they liked the book, and they respond to guided prompts in their journal about a visit to the island.
Unit 4: T - What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson lists the target skill explicitly: "With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question." During reading, students are asked to recall what they learned about animal parts and how animals use ears, eyes, and noses and to refer back to pictures to support their answers. In activities, students gather information from provided sources (animal stickers and animal cards) to sort animals by number of legs and to state similarities and differences between two animals' structures, with adult assistance available.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Activity 1 directs an adult to read and talk about the pages in What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? and to talk about the purpose of each animal's tail, then have the child find and glue the matching tail. The Getting Started section instructs an adult to ask the child what "structure" means and how animals' structures are similar or different, prompting recall from prior discussion or experience. Activity 3 asks the child to design a new tail and then explain the purpose of the tail she created, requiring the child to use information about tail functions to justify her design.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked Question #1 to determine whether the book was make-believe or true and to compare it to a previously read book (Hondo and Fabian), which requires recalling a past reading experience. Question #2 asks students to state what kind of information they learned from the nonfiction book, prompting them to gather information from the provided text. The instructions explicitly tell an adult to "help your child organize his thoughts if necessary," and the Counting Tails activity has students look at provided sheets and count items or select number cards, which requires gathering information from a provided source.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked during review to name an animal whose tail has a special job and describe that job, which requires recalling information. In Activity 1, students choose an unfamiliar animal and, with adult support, locate information online or in library books and discuss the animal's body parts, how they are used, where the animal lives, and what it eats. These tasks explicitly instruct students to gather information from provided sources and discuss answers to questions about the animal.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 3 students are asked to draw an animal body part from prior research and to "write" 1–3 facts they learned, then dictate those facts to an adult who writes them in complete sentences, which requires recalling information from a prior experience with adult support. In Activity 2 students are encouraged to work with a book and then answer sequence questions (e.g., "What was the first section of the book about?" and to identify the order of body parts), which requires gathering and recalling information from a provided source with adult prompting. The teacher/adult role is explicit in prompting, questioning, and writing dictated responses.
Unit 5: L - We're Going on a Leaf Hunt
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look back through the story and answer questions about the cover, season, what the children wanted to find (leaves), and how the children felt, which requires recalling information from the text. The instructional prompts tell an adult to ask the child those questions and to look back through the story as they discuss it, providing guidance and support. Activity 1 asks students to go on a real leaf hunt and collect leaves from their environment, which has students gather information/observations from an experience or provided sources. Activity 2 has students count and sort collected leaves, reinforcing use of gathered materials to respond to counting and categorizing prompts.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students lay out their collection of leaves from yesterday's walk and are asked what features the leaves have in common and what differences exist; they sort leaves by attributes and count each group, using their prior experience to respond. During review, students are prompted to look at the second page of the book and answer the question, "What kind of mountain is it?", locating the word "tall" in the text. Adults are prompted to guide and assist students (e.g., "Guide your child...", "Assist him as necessary"), supporting recall from experience and gathering information from the provided book.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to locate and name adjectives in the story with prompts such as, "What words describe the forest, the waterfall, the lake, and the skunk?" which requires gathering information from the provided text. Students are prompted to point to and say the sight word "go" each time it appears, practicing retrieval from the printed source. In the map activity, students recall the sequence of places in the story and draw a map with arrows to show the children's route, demonstrating recall of story information to solve a task.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are prompted to go outside, pull a plant up, observe roots, stems, leaves, and discuss their functions and differences—answering questions such as how a tree root compares to a blade of grass and what sizes and shapes leaves come in. Students place lima bean seeds between damp paper towels in a clear bag and observe stems, leaves, and roots developing, gathering information from this provided source and using a magnifying glass to examine parts. In the counting activity, students count two groups of leaves, match counts to number cards, and decide which group has more (with an optional task to determine how many more are needed), directly gathering numerical information to answer a posed question.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 2 asks students to spend time with the book, locate describing words, and answer guided questions such as "Did you enjoy this book? Why or why not? Would you recommend it to a friend?", which prompts students to recall their experience and respond with support. Activity 3 Option 2 directs students to look around the room, identify five things they like, and think or write describing words for each, which has students gather information from their immediate environment. Activity 3 Option 1 includes adult questioning to help generate ideas and asks students to dictate their story while an adult records it, providing guided support.
Unit 6: F - Fireflies
Lesson 1
Day 1
The reading prompts ask the child if he has seen fireflies before and to tell what he knows about them, prompting recall from experience. Question #1 directs the child to look back at the third page and asks what is flickering, challenging the child to use the book text and prior knowledge to answer and to think of other things that flicker. Question #2 asks the child to look through the book for evidence from the pictures to explain how the boy feels, prompting gathering information from a provided source.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The Reading and Questions prompts ask the child to recall a synonym for "blinking on, blinking off" (flickering) and to infer the meaning of "soaring" using surrounding words, requiring recall and gathering clues from text. Activity 1 has students review insect characteristics, build a model firefly, and then look at pictures on the Insects page to determine whether each creature is an insect and explain the clues they used. Activity 3 has students go outside to collect bugs, use a magnifying glass, and discuss whether the collected creatures are insects, gathering information from direct experience with adult help.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to recall the meaning of the word "flicker," prompting retrieval of information from prior experience. Students locate and name pairs of opposites in the book text (on/off, dipping/soaring, low/high), gathering information from the provided source to answer the question. Students count out a set of "fireflies," use number cards, and answer what the number would be if one more is added, using provided materials to determine the answer.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to recall the meaning of "flicker" and the opposite of mean, prompting them to retrieve information from prior experience. Students are prompted to remember insect characteristics (3 body parts, exoskeleton, 2 antennae, eyes, 6 legs, 2 pairs of wings) and use that recall to sort picture cards into insects and non-insects and count each group. Students use provided pictures and activity pages to identify beginning letter sounds and match or paste images under the correct letter, gathering information from the images to decide answers.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2, students review the book illustrations and are asked to tell the story in their own words using the illustrations as a guide, which requires gathering information from a provided source to answer a prompt. In Activity 3, students are asked to recall a favorite summer activity, draw it, and write or dictate words about it, which asks them to recall information from personal experience with adult prompts. Multiple directives in the text (e.g., "Tell your child..." and "Ask him...") show that students perform these tasks with guidance and support from adults.
Unit 7: E - But No Elephants
Lesson 1
Day 1
The reading questions (QUESTION #1, #2, and #3) ask students to recall key story details (Grandma Tildy's life at the beginning and end, whether she was happy, and the predicaments she faced and solved). The skills list explicitly states that, "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text." Activity 2 directs students to use the book as a reference to put visiting animals in order and to answer ordinal questions such as "Who came third? Who came fifth?"
Lesson 2
Day 2
The Review asks the child to explain vocabulary words and to recall the meaning of "predicament," then to name one predicament Grandma Tildy faced in the story But No Elephants, prompting recall from a prior experience/source. Activity 1 directs the child to look at an illustration and describe the position of animals using words like "in," "on," "under," which requires gathering information from a provided picture to answer prompts. Activity 3 has the child name, sort, and count geometric shapes and assemble the elephant craft from provided shapes, requiring information gathering and using adult help as needed.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to explain what happened in the story after reading, which requires them to recall information from the shared reading experience. Activity 1 has students think of an animal from the story context, act it out, and explain how that animal would help Grandma Tildy, drawing on story knowledge and guided modeling. Activity 3 has students use provided animal pictures and number cards to sort animals by number of legs and count totals, which requires gathering information from provided sources to answer sorting and counting questions.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to name a predicament they have encountered this week, which requires recalling information from a personal experience. Students look back at the first page of the story and answer questions (What is Grandma Tildy doing? Why is she doing that?) using details from the provided story picture. Students sort a set of household objects into "wants" and "needs" and explain why they placed each item in a category, using the provided items as sources of information. Students listen to an adult retelling and hold up the appropriate animal puppets and then retell or continue the story orally, recalling information presented aloud.
Lesson 5
Day 5
During Activity 1, students are asked, with adult assistance, to use the elephant pictures as visual cues and count body parts to answer questions such as "How many big ears and big feet would there be?" In Activity 2, students move a finger left to right while an adult reads and then are asked comprehension questions (Did you enjoy it? Why? What was your favorite part? Could you think of a different ending?), which requires them to recall information from the book or pictures and respond aloud. The directions explicitly allow children to retell the story in their own words or use the pictures to trace words while answering the post-reading questions.
Unit 8: C - Millions of Cats
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the book cover, predict content, and then read Millions of Cats together with an adult, followed by eight explicit comprehension questions (e.g., What problem were the old man and the old woman facing? Why were the cats quarreling?) that require recalling story details. The activity Directions prompt adults to ask the child questions and encourage discussion, providing guidance and support as students answer. In Activity 2, students gather information from two provided texts (Millions of Cats and Hondo and Fabian) and place details into a Venn diagram to identify similarities and differences.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson asks the child to define "quarrel," prompting the child to recall the meaning of a word from prior experience or instruction. It asks the child to close her eyes, choose 5 cats, and divide them into two groups based on a characteristic, requiring the child to observe and use information to make a classification. The lesson refers to the third page of Millions of Cats and asks the child to make landforms with playdough while talking about rivers, lakes, hills, valleys and to review the concept of island from a prior unit, which prompts the child to recall or use information from the book and earlier experience.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson asks the adult to ask the child if he has had a quarrel recently and how it ended, prompting the child to recall information from a personal experience. The lesson directs the adult to read the story again and then ask the child what lesson the story teaches, prompting the child to gather information from the provided text to answer a question. The lesson also instructs the adult to point to the word "pretty" and have the child read and repeat key phrases, supporting the child in locating and using evidence from the text.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In Activity 1, students are asked to choose a pet and find a library book or Internet site that gives information about how to care for that pet (two web links are provided as starting points). After gathering information, students are asked to communicate what they have learned by designing a poster or giving a "pet talk" using a stuffed animal as a model. The review and story prompt (old man and woman demonstrating pet care) provides a model from which students can recall caregiving behaviors.
Lesson 5
Day 5
The Writing Workshop asks the child to "write some facts about cats" or to dictate a story about cats, which prompts the child to retrieve information about cats. The prompt to draw and write about a cat invites the child to use prior experiences or knowledge when producing text or facts.
Unit 9: G - The Real Mother Goose
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to listen to and read nursery rhymes and then identify rhyming pairs (e.g., identifying why 'horn' and 'corn' rhyme and finding rhymes in Humpty Dumpty). Students are prompted to supply missing end-words from a poem and to memorize and recite the poem with adult support. Students are asked to look at illustrations (clock face, well, button, pancake) and to search the room for real-life examples of circles, describing or demonstrating them.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students read the poem "The Year" and are prompted to talk about what happens in January, including the explicit question, "What is the weather like?" Students are asked to include family birthdays, which requires recalling personal experiences. Students are instructed to find and cut out magazine pictures that represent a month and glue them onto cardstock, which requires gathering information from a provided source.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to identify a circular object in the room and to think of a word that rhymes with "book," prompting recall from experience and environment. During reading, students are asked to identify rhyming pairs they notice and to state which poem is their favorite and why, requiring them to gather information from the provided poems and reflect on it. Activity 2 has students sort a collection of lids and explain how they decided to group them, and Activity 3 has students find rhyming words in a printed poem and generate their own rhyming pairs with adult support.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to recall a rhyming word when prompted ("Ask him if he can think of a word that rhymes with 'car'"). Students supply words for and try to recite the poem after it is read aloud, demonstrating recall with support ("practice the poem... asking your child to supply some words... try to say as much of the poem as he can on his own"). Students reread the poem "The Year" and add month names and pictures about weather, activities, and special events, using the poem and their experiences as sources while receiving assistance as needed.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, students are asked to identify the die-cut circle and the ball, compare how they are similar and different, and name as many spheres as they can, which requires recalling examples from experience. The same activity asks students to explain where the ball is compared to another object using spatial language, responding to an adult prompt. In Activity 2, students listen to poems and are prompted to follow along and identify the spherical objects described in the poems, which requires gathering information from a provided source.
Unit 10: O - Owl Babies
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the cover and describe what they see and to say what they already know about owls, prompting recall from experience. An adult reads the book with the child and asks guided comprehension questions (Question #1: whether the book told a story or taught facts; Question #2: how they know; Question #3: name true facts in the book), prompting students to gather information from the provided text to answer. The instructions explicitly direct an adult to prompt, read, and discuss with the child, indicating guided support.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are shown the book Baby Owl, asked to predict whether it is fiction or non-fiction, and prompted to explain why based on the photographs. Students listen to the read-aloud and watch an owl video, then dictate or write facts they learned about owls into the owl research activity page. The optional extension asks students to gather additional information from the internet and make a poster to present to others.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to "tell you the story in his own words" after reading Owl Babies, which requires recalling events from the text. Students are prompted to identify who wants something and what he wants (Bill wants his Mommy) and to read Bill's line "I want my mommy!" while an adult points to the words. Students watch an animated reading and are asked to note when the music seems scary or cheerful and whether that matches the story, which asks them to gather information from a provided source to answer questions.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In Activity 1 students are directed to look at the provided "Owls of North America" website and observe what is different and what is similar about the owls, clicking on entries to learn distinguishing information. The activity then asks students to answer questions comparing real owls to the owls in the book Owl Babies (e.g., what can the owls in the book do that real owls cannot do). The directions explicitly involve an adult ("look at the following website with your child" and "ask your child"), indicating guided support while students gather and recall information to answer questions.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Reading Workshop, students spend independent time with two owl books and are asked to decide which is fiction and which is non-fiction and to identify clues that support their decision; they then tell the adult what they found. In Writing Workshop, students are asked to record factual (non-fiction) information about owls on one side of a journal spread and may dictate or copy facts with adult help. The directions explicitly prompt students to gather information from the provided books and to report that information to the adult.
Unit 11: S - Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson asks the child to look at the book cover and describe what she sees and what the four pictures represent, prompting gathering information from the provided text/illustrations. Question #1 explicitly asks the child to name the four seasons, and Question #2 asks the child to relate Arnold's seasonal activities to her own favorite activities, prompting recall of experiences. Activity 2 has the child look at a world map and a globe, locate the equator/poles, and answer which hemisphere has summer or winter, prompting gathering information from provided sources with adult prompting.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to recall the names of the four seasons during the review and are given an extra challenge question about what causes the seasons. Students are provided a Weather Report chart and instructed to gather daily observations (temperature from an outdoor thermometer or weather.com, sky conditions, precipitation, and wind) and record them over several days. Students design four trees to match the seasons, using observations and seasonal characteristics (leaf color, bare branches, snow) to create each seasonal tree.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are read The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree twice and are directed to the 5th page with the sentence about the tree, then asked QUESTION #1: "What gift did the tree give Arnold in each season?" Students are asked to name the four seasons and to read and locate the sight word "some" in the book, indicating recall from the read-aloud. In Activity 3 students listen to the poem "The Seasons," hear adjectives for each season, and are asked to name the season based on those adjectives.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to name the four seasons during the review, which requires recalling prior knowledge. In Activity 1 students look at the page about Arnold's family and answer how each member contributed and why the family worked together, recalling information from the book and their experience making the pie. In Activity 2 students listen to clips of Vivaldi's Four Seasons and are asked which season is being described and what cues made them think so, gathering information from the provided audio source and map prompt.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, students move around the house to find and group examples of circles and spheres and then identify each item by saying "circle" or "sphere," which requires gathering information from their environment to answer the sorting question. In Activity 2, students are asked where and when a story took place and then look through books with outdoor settings to identify the setting and the season, citing clues that helped them determine the answer. In Activity 3, students draw their favorite season and write or dictate things they know about that season, recalling information from their experiences to respond.
Unit 12: D - Dinosaurs Big and Small
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students read a non-fiction book and answer guided comprehension questions (Q1–Q5) that ask them to identify fiction vs. non-fiction, name the author/illustrator, and recall facts about dinosaur characteristics. In Activity 1 students measure their own length, measure yarn lengths for specific dinosaurs from the book (pages 32–33), and answer comparative questions such as who is longer and which dinosaur is longest or shortest. In Activity 2 students assemble a dinosaur puzzle, describe the dinosaur's characteristics, and are directed to a Museum of Natural History web link to view skeletons as an additional provided source.
Lesson 2
Day 2
During Review, students are asked to show a dinosaur from the book and name one interesting characteristic, prompting them to recall information from the provided book to answer a question. Activity 1 directs students to read pages 10 and 28 that describe how paleontologists use bones and fossils and to view a linked National Geographic slideshow or search the web for 'imprint fossil pictures,' prompting them to gather information from provided sources. The playdough imprint activity asks students to make and observe imprints, linking an experience to the concept of fossil imprints with adult explanation and support.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson asks children to recall and state a favorite dinosaur and a characteristic during the review and to answer Question #2 about new information learned from the book. Question #1 directs children to look back at page 27 and use the sentence and picture to infer and explain the meaning of the word "sprawl," prompting them to gather information from the provided text and illustration. The Comparing Weight activity has children construct a balance, predict which of two objects is heavier, place the objects, observe which bowl lowers, and answer which object is heavier, requiring them to gather data from a constructed source.
Lesson 4
Day 4
During Review, students are asked to name their favorite dinosaur, state one characteristic, and provide an adjective, which has them recall information from personal experience. In Activity 1, students choose a dinosaur, use provided web links (National Geographic Kids, The Dino Directory) to research it, and then dictate five facts that an adult records beneath their drawing. Students are also prompted to share the information with friends and family, demonstrating retrieval and communication of gathered information.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students read page 13 of Dinosaurs Big and Small and look through supplemental books to identify adjectives, which requires gathering information from provided texts. Students use the provided web link to find dinosaur images and then dictate factual sentences about dinosaurs, which involves collecting information from a source. Students are also asked in an optional extension to recall the number that pairs with a given number to make 10 and write the corresponding equation, which requires recalling information from a prior activity.
Unit 13: P - Harold and the Purple Crayon
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Reading and Questions section asks the child to look at the book cover and to answer open-ended questions about Harold's adventure, prompting retrieval of details (e.g., What color does she see? What do you think about Harold's adventure?). Activity 1 explicitly asks the child to remember specific predicaments Harold encountered and to recall the solutions he drew (e.g., water over his head -> drew a boat; hungry -> drew pie). Activity 2 directs the child to turn to pages showing buildings and to identify shapes from the pages, gathering visual information from the provided source to answer shape questions.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to recall the moon's shape from the story and answer the questions "What shape is the moon in the story? Does the moon always look that way?" with adult guidance. Students gather information from provided sources by cutting, sorting, and gluing labeled phase pictures into the circular diagram and by looking at the moon on successive nights to observe changes. Students also locate the uppercase P on the book cover and point out shapes in the room, and they predict and test color mixtures to answer which colors make purple.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to reread Harold and the Purple Crayon and answer four explicit comprehension questions (e.g., What was Harold's most amazing drawing? How did he figure out how to get home?), requiring them to recall story details. In the Review, students are prompted to identify a square and rectangle in the room and to recall which two colors make purple and another word for purple, which asks them to retrieve prior knowledge. Activity 3 has students look at pages where Harold drew buildings, compare those drawings to real 3D models, trace the bottoms of assembled cube and rectangular prism, and count faces, edges, and corners—gathering information from the provided pages and physical models to answer shape-related questions.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked directly whether their neighborhood is like Harold's and to say why or why not and what places it has, prompting them to recall information about places they go. Students use provided building illustrations and cut-out images to select and place familiar community locations onto a butcher-paper map, gathering information from those provided sources. Adults are instructed to ask questions and help construct the map, providing guidance and support as students answer the prompts and build their map.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are prompted to build a square and cube using toothpicks and marshmallows with adult assistance, then answer the question "What does she notice about the square?" Students count edges, corners, and faces of the cube and rectangular prism to determine numerical attributes. Adults are directed to review shapes, assist construction, and ask students if they could make a rectangular prism, providing guided support throughout the hands-on tasks.
Unit 14: B - Blueberries for Sal
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to look at the book cover, flip through the book, and find the illustrator's name and the color used to illustrate the book, gathering information from the provided text and images. Students are asked explicit comprehension questions (Who was looking for blueberries? Why did they each want blueberries? What happened on the mountain? etc.) and expected to recall story details after the book is read. Activity directions have students count and record blueberries using objects (pom-poms and pails), gather information from manipulatives, and record equations based on those observations.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to determine whether the book takes place in the past and to "look through the book and find clues from the pictures" (model of the car, clothes, stove) to support their answer. During review, students are asked to name a similarity and a difference between Little Sal and Little Bear and to name number pairs that add to 10, which requires recalling prior information. In Activity 3, students are asked to describe what "hustle" must mean based on a picture and act out movements, using picture evidence to answer the question. Adult prompts and assistance are specified throughout ("Ask your child... Have her look... Assist her as necessary").
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to retell Blueberries for Sal in their own words, using the pictures to prompt them, which requires recalling information from the shared reading experience. During the blueberry-dye activity, students mush berries, observe the dyed cloth, and are explicitly asked what they think people did with the blueberry dye, which asks them to gather information from the experiment and prior knowledge to answer a question. The directions note adult support (e.g., providing support as necessary and prompting the child to read or count), indicating guidance during these activities.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 1 directs students to read and learn about bears using a provided National Geographic link or non-fiction library books. Students are asked to create a two-column chart naming elements of fiction and elements of non-fiction about bears from the book Blueberries for Sal. The instructions require students to list scientifically accurate facts under the "Non-Fiction" column, which requires gathering information from the provided sources and recalling details from the story.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2, students spend independent time looking through books that are set in the past, searching for clues that indicate the time period. Students then share their findings with an adult and respond to guiding questions (e.g., about clothing or technology) to support identification of the setting as past. These steps require students to gather information from provided sources and use that information to determine when the story takes place.
Unit 15: R - Rain
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked before reading to say what they already know about rain, prompting recall of personal experiences. While reading, students are asked predictive and reflective questions (e.g., what the rain will fall on next and how the author made them feel) that require retrieving information from the text and from experience. In Activity 1 students place die-cut pieces on a sky mat to show the progression of the story, gathering and using information from the provided book to represent events.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to describe a downpour and to explain what is coming down from the sky when it rains, prompting them to recall prior experience. Students examine a cup of water and a piece of ice and use their five senses to describe them and to answer questions about changes (e.g., what happens if you leave the ice cube out), which requires gathering information from provided materials. Students make a Rainbow Book and complete 'I see...' sentences, using their observations or remembered experiences of colors to answer the prompts.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to tell how 14 is made (a group of 10 and 4 more) and to identify which of two numbers (9 and 7) is smaller, requiring them to recall number knowledge to answer questions. Students read the book and then read it back, point to words they know, and manipulate die-cuts to match each page, using the book as a provided source to support their responses. Students read written equations and use raindrops to find and report subtraction answers, and they point to objects in a created scene and use describing words to tell about what they see.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The Review prompts ask the child to produce a synonym for "downpour" and to answer 4 + 1 and 3 + 2, which requires recalling information from prior learning. Activity 1 asks "How does rain form?" and has the child watch a steaming-water demonstration, observe what happens, and answer "What happens?" based on that observation. The activity instructions include adult explanation and supervision, providing guidance as the child gathers information from the experiment to explain condensation and rain.
Lesson 5
Day 5
The Writing Workshop directs an adult to ask the child to name 3–5 of her favorite things and to write or dictate a sentence or phrase about each—students must recall information from their experiences to answer that prompt. The Writing Workshop also instructs the adult to ask why writers use color words, prompting students to recall and explain information. The Reading Workshop tells students to use pictures and the colors of the type as a guide while reading, which has students gather information from provided sources to support reading.
Unit 16: N - Night in the Country
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson asks the child to look at the book cover and answer questions about what they notice and what time of day it is, prompting recall from the provided source. Post-reading questions ask the child to state how they feel about nighttime and to explain what the author seems to think and how they can tell, requiring them to gather evidence from the text. The lesson directs an adult to take a nighttime "listening walk" and then ask the child to describe sounds, feelings, and which animals might be awake, prompting students to gather information from an experience to answer questions.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to name a night sound they hear at home and to describe two different meanings for the word "country," prompting recall of personal experiences and word knowledge. Students use paper dolls and provided Q&A prompts to role-play and answer where characters get fruit, vegetables, and other needs, using supplied information to form answers. Students locate the uppercase letter N on a book cover and practice its sound and formation, gathering information from that provided source with adult support.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to retell Night in the Country in their own words using the pictures as a guide, which requires recalling information from the reading. The teacher/adult prompt asks the child to name one difference between life in the country and life in the city, which requires recalling or reasoning from experience. Activity 3 directs students to look through the book to identify landforms they see and to create models of those landforms, which requires gathering information from the provided source (the book and pictures). The lesson text repeatedly instructs adults to prompt, assist, and ask questions, indicating guided support.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are prompted to brainstorm natural resources (trees, animals, water, oil, rocks, plants), which asks them to recall information or examples. Students are asked how people ought to treat natural resources, requiring them to use recalled ideas or reasoning to answer a question with adult guidance. Students are directed to hunt for pictures in magazines and to collect small objects outdoors and make a collage, which has them gather information from provided sources and experiences.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2, students are asked to look at a book, identify one or two questions they want to know more about, share those questions with an adult, and are told to do some research to find the answers if appropriate. In Activity 3, students are prompted to write about what they do in the day and at night, producing text (marks, letters, words) and using adult dictation support to record recalled experiences.
Unit 17: M - Marshmallow
Lesson 1
Day 1
The Reading and Questions section directs an adult to have the child look at the book cover and ask what she sees and why the book is titled Marshmallow, prompting the child to gather information from the provided source. After reading, the lesson lists specific comprehension questions (e.g., How did Marshmallow act when he first came? Why did Oliver hesitate? Why did Oliver decide to be friendly?) that require the child to recall details from the story to answer. Activity 2 asks the adult to present real-life friendship scenarios and have the child respond as the friend, prompting the child to recall personal experiences or prior knowledge to answer with adult guidance.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to look at the part of the book where Oliver is reprimanded and talk about how Oliver followed Miss Tilly's rules, prompting them to recall details from the story. Students are asked what the rules of their home are and why those rules are important, prompting recall of personal experiences. On the poem activity, students hear the poem read multiple times with words omitted and are asked to supply the missing words, requiring them to recall information from a provided source. Adult prompts appear throughout (e.g., "help him find the uppercase letter M," "assist him as necessary," and directions to ask the child questions), indicating guided support.
Lesson 3
Day 3
After reading, adults ask the child to tell the story in her own words and encourage her to use the pictures to prompt her, which requires the child to recall information from the reading experience. In Activity 2, students measure two stuffed animals using a line of marshmallows, count the marshmallows, write down the lengths, and determine which animal is longer, which requires gathering information from a provided measurement method to answer a comparison question.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to watch provided videos about Owen and Mzee and then talk about how that friendship was similar to and different from Owen and Marshmallow, which requires gathering information from the video and the prior story to answer a comparison question. An optional Venn diagram is suggested to organize similarities and differences, supporting students in collecting and recording information from sources. Students are also asked to explain the number 14 in their own words (and in terms of ten and four), which asks them to recall and state information from prior learning with adult prompting.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, students are asked to recall the names of sphere, cube, and rectangular prism and to count and state how many faces each has; they are then asked to move around the house and find other examples of cylinders, gathering information from real objects. In Activity 2, students look through story and poetry books to find clues that identify poems versus stories and then share their findings with an adult. In Activity 3, students decide which animal would make the best pet and fill in poem/story blanks, using their ideas and observations to respond to prompted questions.
Unit 18: U - Umbrella
Lesson 1
Day 1
After reading, children are asked to recall events from the book and answer specific questions (Q1–Q3) about what gift Momo received, why she couldn't use it, and how she felt when it finally rained. The Skills list explicitly includes "With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text." The extension invites children to take a real walk and compare that experience to the story, which asks them to gather information from an experience to answer comparison questions.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to locate Japan on a world map with adult help and to discuss its continent and distance from the United States. Students are instructed to conduct research on Japan and are given specific websites and pictured examples of people, homes, buildings, animals, and habitats to examine as sources.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to tell the story Umbrella in their own words using the pictures to prompt their retelling, which requires recalling information from the reading. The teacher asks the child what would be an unfortunate thing to happen on someone's birthday and asks him to answer 5 + 5, prompting recall from experience and prior learning. In Activity 2, students name and record all pairs of numbers that add to 10 and use die-cut umbrellas to find any equations they missed, which has them gather information from provided manipulatives to answer a specific question.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The lesson asks the child to recall what the sky usually looks like before it rains and to describe clouds she has seen, prompting recall of prior experience (including a referenced Unit 15 rain activity). It directs the adult and child to look together at a provided web resource of cloud pictures and then to look outside to observe the clouds, allowing the child to gather information from those sources. The child uses observations to answer comparison questions (e.g., "Do all clouds look the same?" and "How are they alike and different?") and makes a cotton-ball cloud to reflect what she observed.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Writing Workshop, students are asked to think about a special birthday gift they have received, draw it, and write or dictate their thoughts about it, then read or be read to and point out capital letters. In Reading Workshop, students spend time looking independently at the book Umbrella and are asked questions such as what they thought about the book, what they liked, and whether they would recommend it and why. Adult prompts appear throughout (e.g., "Encourage him," "Ask him"), indicating guided support while students recall experiences or gather information from the provided book.
Unit 19: J - Jump Frog Jump
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are prompted to read Jump, Frog, Jump! with an adult and then answer direct questions about the story (e.g., "How was the frog able to get away at the end?"). Students are asked to look back through the book to remember which animals the frog escaped, explicitly gathering information from the provided text. In Activity 1 students consult the book to place cut‑out story sequence pictures in order, using the text as a source to answer the sequencing question.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to define vocabulary from previous units in their own words and to answer questions such as "what does it mean to escape" and to count to 100 by 10s, which prompts recall from prior experience. In Activity 1 students are prompted to think about what they know about pond animals, answer questions about similarities and differences, and sort die-cut animals into groups based on chosen characteristics. Students use provided materials (die-cuts, the book cover, letter cards) and adult prompts to find the uppercase J, practice its sound, and perform counting/song activities that rely on recalled information.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to line up the story sequence cards from Day 1 and tell the story using the cards to prompt them, which requires recalling information from a prior reading. Students read phrases from the book and use die-cut figures and props to show the relationships described, which requires gathering information from the provided text and materials. Adults are instructed to prompt, model, and assist (for example, modeling the first direction-word example and prompting the child to read and point to the sight word "how").
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 1 directs students to read a nonfiction book or the provided website about a frog's life cycle and to talk about what a life cycle is. Students are asked to gather information from that source and construct a four-part diagram, labeling each stage: eggs, tadpole, froglet, and frog. Activity 2 has students recall animals from the story by acting them out (using die-cuts) while others guess which animal is being portrayed, requiring students to retrieve information from the story or experience.
Unit 20: K - Kindness
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to recall a personal act of kindness and describe how it made them feel (Read the title ... Has he ever performed an act of kindness? What was it and how did it make him feel?). Students gather information from the provided book when they answer content questions (QUESTION #1 and #3 ask what the animals do and which example the child liked) and when they count and order characters on the "Counting Kind Acts" activity page. Adult support is explicit throughout (instructions say to "help him" turn to pages, count, number characters, brainstorm acts, and help carry them out).
Lesson 2
Day 2
The Review section directs an adult to ask the child "how she felt after doing her acts of kindness," which asks the child to recall information from a recent experience. Activity 3 instructs the child to choose characters from the book and act out acts of kindness described in the book with a parent or partner, requiring the child to gather and recall details from a provided source while being supported by an adult.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to find and read specific pages and sentences in Harry the Happy Mouse (for example, locating the page where the frog thanks Harry and reading the sentence that includes the word "so") and to identify that word in other places in the book. After reading, students are asked questions about which act of kindness they found especially kind and how Harry's help led to a series of kind acts, prompting them to recall story events to answer. In Activity 3, students read pages and then name and record actions that are true animal behaviors versus human-like actions, using the book as a provided source to supply answers.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Activity 1 asks the child to answer the question "what rules she follows to be a good citizen," and to dictate 4–6 items for an "I Am a Good Citizen!" list, which requires recalling personal behaviors and experiences. Activity 1 also instructs the child to add illustrations by drawing or by cutting out/printing pictures from magazines or the Internet, which involves gathering information from provided sources. Activity 3 has students look at pictures and match or spell words using provided letters, requiring them to use picture sources to determine beginning sounds and correct letters.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are asked to retell the story using the illustrations as a guide (Activity 2), which requires them to recall information from a provided source. Students choose a favorite book and write or dictate a brief description and reasons they like it (Activity 3), gathering information from books they have read. Students are prompted to estimate and answer how many acts of kindness occurred and then practice counting with adult assistance during the 100-step walk (Activity 1).
Unit 21: V - Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson asks an adult to prompt the child to look at the book cover, name instruments, and pay attention to instruments during reading, then asks specific after-reading questions that the child must answer from the book. Activity 1 directs the child to go through the book and match instrument pictures with number and ensemble names, requiring the child to gather information from the provided source. The prompt about whether the child has ever sung a solo asks the child to recall a personal experience and discuss it with the adult.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to recall how many instruments are playing during a solo in the Getting Started review. In Activity 1, students take a walk around their home to look for natural resources and examine instrument pictures to determine whether natural resources were used to make each instrument. In Activity 3, students watch videos of instruments and are asked to discuss what it would be like to play in an orchestra, drawing on what they observed.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The lesson asks the child to recall classroom/real-world information (e.g., how many instruments play during a solo or a duet; name a natural resource seen in the room). After reading Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin, the child is asked to use the book to place instrument pictures in the order they appear, which requires gathering information from the provided text. Other activities ask the child to observe real objects (can, paper towel roll, die-cut cone) to identify shapes and to sort jobs into 'Goods' or 'Services,' all prompting the child to gather or recall information to answer specific questions.
Lesson 4
Day 4
The Review section prompts the child to answer specific recall questions (how many instruments play during a solo; name a job and whether it provides goods or a service; name an example of a cylinder and a cone). Activity 1 has the child closely observe a real or made instrument, be asked which senses could be used, and draw, write, or dictate observations on a Senses Web, which requires gathering information from direct experience. The lesson repeatedly directs an adult to ask questions and give opportunities for the child to respond or dictate, indicating guided support during recall and information gathering.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, students are shown pictures of some of the 10 instruments and are asked to tell how many are here and how many are missing and to write the matching equation (for example, 3 + 7 = 10). In the same activity students are given all ten pictures, told that a number leave, and asked to determine how many remain and write subtraction equations (for example, 10 - 2 = 8). In Activity 2, students read lines from Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin with an adult, supply missing rhyming words from the text (e.g., supplying "trombone" for "tone"), and then independently search the text to point out rhyming pairs.
Unit 22: Y - Little Blue and Little Yellow
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to name their favorite color and explain why, which requires recalling information from personal experience. Students examine the book cover, make observations and predictions, and answer detailed comprehension questions (Questions #1–#8) about key story details, with guidance to turn back to the pages to find answers. Students are prompted to recall prior experience mixing colors (Week 13) and to answer questions about what colors form when combined, gathering information from prior experience and the provided book.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The review and Activities 1 and 3 explicitly prompt the child to recall information from prior experiences and texts (e.g., asking what she remembers about Marshmallow and Harry the Happy Mouse, and asking her to look back at pictures in Little Blue and Little Yellow to answer questions). The starter review asks the child to define vocabulary and answer factual questions (e.g., what two colors make green), and Activity 3 asks the child how to make the dough green, prompting her to gather and apply knowledge about color mixing. Instructions repeatedly direct an adult to prompt, assist, or ask questions, indicating guided support while the child answers.
Lesson 3
Day 3
An adult asks the child direct questions (e.g., what two colors combine to make purple; name one quality of a good friend), prompting the child to recall information from prior experience. The child reads Little Blue and Little Yellow and is prompted to use the pictures and balls of dough to retell and act out the story in his own words, gathering information from the provided book pages and illustrations. An adult models and practices the sight word "they" in sentences, supporting the child as he locates and reads the word in the text.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In Activity 2 students are instructed to "look back through the story" and are asked explicit questions (e.g., how Mr. Lionni shows the parents, feelings, park, mountain), prompting them to gather information from the book to answer. In Activity 1 students take a nature scavenger hunt using the provided "Colors in Nature" sheets, collect or sketch items, and then unpack and sort the items into the correct color boxes. The lesson repeatedly uses adult prompts (e.g., "Ask your child", "assist as necessary", "Challenge her") indicating guided support during these tasks.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 3 asks the child to draw and write about something he saw or found on his nature walk, allowing the child to recall information from an experience and to dictate responses to an adult. Activity 2 directs the child to find quotation marks in the book and asks, "Can he tell who is speaking?", prompting the child to gather information from a provided source to answer who the speaker is. The instructions include adult involvement through encouragement, questioning, and discussion (e.g., "encourage your child," "talk about what he has found," and allowing dictation).
Unit 23: W - George Washington's Birthday
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to share what they already know or have heard about George Washington, prompting recall from prior experiences. Students compare the picture of Washington on the dollar bill to the book cover and read sidebars that provide factual information, gathering information from provided sources. Students are asked to decide whether the book is fiction or nonfiction and to check George Washington's arithmetic answers using pennies, requiring them to gather and use information to answer specific questions.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to recall a previously discussed myth about George Washington and to find the answer to 2+3, demonstrating recall of experiences and knowledge. Students locate the USA on a world map and use a provided image of the American flag (and linked web page) to count 50 stars and 13 stripes, gathering information from provided sources to answer questions. Students reread pages about George Washington to identify which days of the week are mentioned and use linked websites to look up their state flag and facts about the bald eagle and Statue of Liberty.
Lesson 3
Day 3
After reading, the child pages back through the book, recapping each story about George Washington and is asked to identify whether each one is a myth or a fact. The Getting Started prompt asks the child to name one symbol of our country, prompting recall from prior knowledge. Activity 3 asks the child to recreate George carrying wood across an icy creek by turning the river into a creek and building an obstacle course, requiring recall of a specific event from the book and acting on it.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Ask your child to name two symbols of the United States and challenge him to explain why they were chosen as symbols; this asks students to recall information and justify it with adult prompting. The lesson directs an adult to watch a short video about George Washington with the child, talk about his qualities, and ask the child why he thinks those qualities are important, which requires gathering information from a provided source and answering questions. A second short video about Benjamin Franklin is also to be watched and discussed, prompting the child to gather information from the video and explain admired qualities.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 3, an adult asks whether George Washington ended up having a birthday celebration and asks how the child likes to celebrate her birthday, prompting the child to recall information from the story and from personal experience and to draw and write about it. Activity 2 asks the child to look for different places text appears (regular text, boxes, illustrations) and to explain why an author might include information in those boxes, prompting the child to gather information from the provided book to answer purpose questions. Both activities include adult prompts and opportunities for the child to share observations and answer questions aloud or in writing.
Unit 24: Q - The Quilt Story
Lesson 1
Day 1
After reading The Quilt Story, adults ask children how they knew the story took place a long time ago and prompt discussion of clues (style of dress, sewing by candlelight, traveling by horse and wagon). The text instructs adults to have children look at quilts at home or online and make observations or share history, gathering information from an experience or provided source. The lesson includes explicit questions (Question #1 and Question #2) that require children to recall or gather evidence from the book or observations to answer.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to recall what wood shavings are and to identify shapes in the room, prompting recall from experience. Students go through the beginning pages of the book to identify ways the pioneer family used natural resources and to identify landforms mentioned or shown. Students are directed to a Daniel Boone website and a video to learn facts and then discuss character qualities, providing opportunities to gather information from provided sources.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to "tell the story back in his own words" using the book to prompt him, which requires recalling information from the provided text. Activity 3 has students compare and contrast the setting and characters at the beginning and end of the story using a Then-and-Now Venn diagram, which requires gathering story details to answer a comparative prompt. The shape activity asks students to recall the names of shapes and to use clues to identify which shape(s) match each clue, requiring retrieval of prior knowledge or information from the provided shape cards.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to read the descriptions on the "Famous Americans and Their Holidays" page and cut out and glue each historical figure onto the correct square, using the printed text to identify each person. Students read the descriptions on the "Other American Holidays" sheet and color the picture representing each holiday, using the provided text to decide which image matches each holiday. An adult is directed to explain the historical context and to show the pages, providing guidance and support as students use the provided sources to complete matching tasks.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, students name household and paper shapes and respond to spoken clues by moving to the correct shape and saying its name, using provided clues to identify shapes. In Activity 2, students examine book illustrations and point to facial expressions, then explain what they learn about the story from those pictures. In Activity 3, students recall a personal item that reminds them of home or describe how their family celebrates a holiday, drawing and composing or dictating sentences in response to guided questions.
Unit 25: X - An Extraordinary Egg
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked QUESTION #2 to recall a personal experience (Have you ever found something extraordinary? What was it?), which requires recalling information from their own experiences with adult prompting. QUESTION #1 asks students to report details from the book (What did the frogs think was inside the egg? What was really inside?), requiring them to gather information from the provided text. Activity 2 directs students to page back through the book to find examples of factual and fictional frog behaviors and to record and sort those observations, which has students gather and use information from a provided source to answer classification questions.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to recall details from the story (e.g., What did the frogs think it was? Were they right?) and to identify the animal group (bird vs. reptile). Students handle and observe a real chicken egg and answer prompted questions about its color, size, shape, weight, texture, flexibility, magnet attraction, and whether it floats or sinks. Students perform simple tests (using a magnet, bowl of water, balance) and then observe the inside of the egg to gather information from provided sources.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to retell An Extraordinary Egg in their own words using the pictures to help remember events, which requires recalling information from the reading with adult guidance. Students are prompted to read listed words, repeat them, and find and circle the letter x in each word on the Words with X page, gathering information from a provided source. Students play "What Comes Next?" by finding a chosen number on a Hundred Chart and then pointing to and naming the next number, with assistance as necessary.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked to recall the stages of the frog life cycle from a prior lesson (eggs, tadpole, froglet, frog), demonstrating recall from experience. Students are directed to read the provided National Geographic alligator page (and other library/internet sources) to learn facts about alligators, demonstrating gathering information from a provided source. Students are asked to state how the alligator life cycle differs from the frog life cycle and to create a three-section paper-plate craft that labels egg, baby alligator, and adult alligator, which requires them to use recalled and gathered information to answer a comparison question.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2, students are asked to look at pages of the book and identify quotation marks, with an adult pointing out the words a character says and asking the child to locate quotation marks (gathering information from a provided source to answer a question). In Activity 3, students are prompted to look at the extraordinary egg they created earlier in the week and draw and write or dictate a story about the egg and what is inside, which requires recalling information from a prior experience. In both activities an adult models, reads aloud, and asks follow-up questions, providing guidance and support as students respond.
Unit 26: Z - Greedy Zebra
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students are asked to look at the book cover and locate where zebras live on a world map, gathering geographic information from a provided source. Students are prompted before and after reading to predict and then explain how the zebra was greedy and what happened as a result, recalling details from the story to answer questions. Students are directed to an external website of zebra photographs and asked to compare those images to the book illustrations, gathering information from another provided source with adult guidance.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are directed to do online research using the provided National Geographic "Facts About Zebras" link to learn scientific facts. Students are given a Zebra Research graphic organizer with labeled sections (Appearance, Predators, Diet, Habitat) to record gathered information. Students are also asked to define vocabulary from prior units and to use animal cards to create and solve a story problem, prompting recall from past experiences.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to retell Greedy Zebra using the illustrations and to predict what would have happened if Zebra had not been greedy, which requires recalling story details from the shared reading experience. The lesson directs an adult to read and discuss the book with the child and to encourage the child to read and identify the sight word "new," demonstrating guided recall from the reading. Activity 3 instructs students to read facts about caves from the provided Junior Cave Scientist booklet (or to do cave research) and then talk about what they might see and how they would feel, which requires gathering information from a provided source.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked in Review to think of a word that means the opposite of "greedy," which requires recalling vocabulary with adult support. In Activity 1 students read and discuss descriptive text about five savannah animals and color each animal cut-out the appropriate color based on what they learn, and they are directed to look at supplied websites to help visualize the savannah. In Activity 2 students listen to pages of a story and act out the actions described, using information from the text to guide their movements.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 2, students look through a stack of books, identify which books have animal characters, name outdoor settings, and recall which three books were nonfiction and what subjects they covered. In Activity 3, students choose a favorite book from those they read this year, draw a scene, and write or dictate words about the book, then explain why it was a favorite. In Activity 1, students use animal cards to order animals by real-life height and answer comparative questions about chosen pairs (e.g., which is bigger).
2: Holidays
Unit 27: Halloween
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson asks children to listen for the word "lagoon" in Goodnight Goon and then turn back to the page to decide which definition fits, directly prompting them to gather information from the text to answer a question. It provides web links about mummies and tells the adult to read that information with the child, prompting the child to gather information from provided sources. It asks the child to predict how many toilet-paper "wraps" it will take and then count the actual number, requiring the child to recall/collect information from an experience to answer the prediction question.
Lesson 2
Day 2
The lesson asks the child, "if she remembers what a lagoon is," prompting the child to recall information from prior experience with adult guidance. The adult explains facts about the skeleton and assists with unfamiliar terms, and asks the child to color labeled body parts, which requires the child to identify and use the provided information. The lesson directs the child to watch the "Dem Bones" video and then to complete the bones dance and point to the correct bones, asking the child to gather information from a provided source and apply it by locating bones.
Lesson 3
Day 3
The teacher prompts the child to explain what a lagoon and a goon, which requires the child to recall information from prior experience or instruction. After reading Goodnight Goon, the child is asked to choose a page he finds funniest and explain why, which requires gathering details from the provided book to answer a question. In Activity 1, the child counts and compares two groups of ghost manipulatives and uses the ghosts to solve story problems and create new problems, which has the child gather information from provided objects to answer numerical questions.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students watch a provided video about bats (a supplied source) and are then asked specific questions: "Ask her if she knows what kind of bat she is, what she eats, and anything else about herself from her knowledge of bats." Students are prompted to recall prior knowledge in Review tasks: naming two pairs of numbers whose sum is 10 and thinking of a synonym for "lagoon." Adult-led prompts and step-by-step craft directions provide guided support for these recall and information-gathering tasks.
Lesson 5
Day 5
In Activity 1, students line up and count 10 die-cut stars, respond to the question "How many are there?", and add specified numbers of stars to the mat to determine new totals. In Activity 1 students answer scenarios (for example, 4+5, 3+1, 6+2) by manipulating the provided star pieces to find how many there are altogether. In Activity 2, students search Goodnight Goon (or Goodnight Moon) to find pairs of rhyming words and share which words they found, using the book as a provided source and responding to guided prompts.
Unit 28: Thanksgiving
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students read Thanksgiving Is... with an adult and are asked to summarize why Thanksgiving has been celebrated in many cultures, which requires recalling information from the text. Students use a world map and trace the Pilgrims' voyage and identify the Atlantic, showing they gather location information from the provided book and map. In the Turkey Research activity, students and an adult read a specified website together, identify five facts about turkeys, dictate each fact to the adult, record them on feathers, and then read the turkey facts aloud.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students are asked to recall specific details from the book Thanksgiving Is... (e.g., why the Pilgrims left England, the name of their ship, what the first winter was like) and to answer explicit questions about those details. The lesson instructs adults to re-read the Pilgrim pages and to look back at the story together if the child cannot remember, allowing students to gather information from the provided text. Students are also prompted to name something they know about turkeys and something for which they are grateful, recalling information from experience, and to predict and observe whether their homemade Mayflower will sink or float, gathering information from an experiment.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Students are asked to "offer something she learned about the very first American Thanksgiving," prompting them to recall information from prior experience. Students reread Thanksgiving Is... and examine pages about kinds of feasts, then talk about their family's favorite foods, which has them gather information from the text and from personal experience. Students are directed to read a linked Pocahontas page and then discuss how her help differed from the Plymouth Native Americans, which requires gathering information from a provided source to answer a comparison question. Students create a cornucopia by writing or drawing things for which they are thankful, which has them recall personal experiences or knowledge to represent answers.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students are asked in the Review to answer: "What does it mean to be grateful? What was one thing the Pilgrims were grateful for that first Thanksgiving?," prompting recall from experience or prior lessons. In Activity 1 students hear a provided passage about Abraham Lincoln and are then asked "what words might describe Abraham Lincoln and why we still celebrate him today," requiring them to gather information from the text to answer. In Activity 3 students write or dictate a Thanksgiving note describing why they are thankful, and the craft page asks "How does it feel to be President Abraham Lincoln?," both prompting students to recall experiences or use provided information with adult help (e.g., grown-up help cutting, dictation support).
Lesson 5
Day 5
Students are asked to study a book's illustrations and then, when prompted by an adult, point out their observations about those illustrations (Activity 2). Students are asked to recall things they are grateful for by drawing them and then writing words or dictating sentences about their pictures, which requires recalling information from their experiences (Activity 3). Students watch a provided counting video and use cut-out turkeys with numbers to count and glue the corresponding number of feathers, which has them gather information from a provided source (the video and activity page) to complete the task (Activity 1).
Unit 29: Christmas
Lesson 1
Day 1
The lesson directs an adult to read the Britannica 'Conifers' page with the child and then asks the child "what three things he learned about real Christmas trees," which requires gathering information from a provided source and recalling it to answer a question. The reading-and-questions section asks the adult to give the child a chance to explore The Christmas Wish independently and then asks the child what he notices and to predict the book's content, prompting recall from experience and observation. The lesson includes adult prompts to look for edited photographs and to discuss features of shapes as the child works, showing guided support for recalling observations.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students reread The Christmas Wish and are asked to tell their favorite part, showing they recall information from an experience. Students are directed to specific websites and videos about Norway and asked to talk about what life is like there, showing they gather information from provided sources. Students are asked questions about what snow is made of and what happens when it warms, prompting them to recall or test knowledge and answer questions with adult support. Students use information from the story to create animals and a snowy scene, applying gathered and remembered details to complete a task.
Lesson 3
Day 3
Activity 3 asks the child to page through the book and note all the animals the little girl encounters, prompting the child to recall information from the reading. The same activity poses explicit questions—"What does it look like? Can a reindeer really fly?"—which the child is asked to answer. The activity then directs the child to read the linked article (including the "Masters of a Cold World" link) to learn how reindeer thrive, prompting the child to gather information from a provided source.
Lesson 4
Day 4
In Activity 1, students are asked to talk about Santa Claus and answer targeted questions about Anja (e.g., why she wanted to be an elf, how she showed commitment, whether her experience was a dream), which requires recalling information from the story and from family traditions. In Activity 2, students locate their approximate location and the North Pole on a world map, identify continents and islands, trace Santa's path, and answer questions about which continent or island Santa has arrived at, which requires gathering information from the provided map. Adult prompts are specified (e.g., "help your child find your approximate location" and "ask your child if she can find an island"), indicating guided support for recalling and gathering information.
Lesson 5
Day 5
Activity 1 directs an adult to look at the first pages of The Christmas Wish with the child, notice Anja's kind deeds, and help the child think of a simple task he could do today to be an elf like Anja, which requires gathering information from the provided book to generate an answer. Activity 3 Option 1 asks the child to draw his favorite part of celebrating Christmas and then write or dictate a description of how he likes to celebrate, requiring the child to recall information from personal experience. Both activities explicitly instruct adult support with phrases like "help your child" and "encourage him," showing guided recall or gathering.
Unit 30: February Celebrations
Lesson 1
Day 1
Students listen to The Biggest Valentine Ever and answer six specific comprehension questions that require recalling events (e.g., how the argument started, what they did next, how they felt). An adult asks the child what she typically does to celebrate Valentine's Day and what she remembers about Abraham Lincoln from a prior unit, prompting recall from experience. Students are prompted to brainstorm responses to questions about how to respond to differing opinions and to think of a way to show love to someone, which draws on personal experience and planning.
Lesson 2
Day 2
Students watch two linked videos about presidents and are prompted to "learn interesting facts" and then discuss what they think would be the best and worst parts of being president and whether they would like to be president. Students inspect real coins (penny, nickel, dime, quarter), are asked what they notice, identify which presidents appear, and are prompted to recall facts about Abraham Lincoln and others. Students use the coins as provided sources to answer quantitative questions (e.g., how many pennies equal a nickel/dime/quarter) and sort mixed change, reviewing names and values to support their answers.
Lesson 3
Day 3
In Activity 1, students are directed to use a provided website to see and hear "I love you" in many languages and to choose a language to practice, which requires gathering information from a provided source. In Activity 3, students read addition problems on cut-apart hearts, separate problem and answer pieces, and match each problem with its correct answer, which requires using information on the activity page to produce answers. Both activities include parent directions such as "Have your child..." indicating adult guidance and support during the tasks.
Lesson 4
Day 4
Students watch a provided storybook video about Booker T. Washington and are asked, "why education is important for people," prompting them to recall or reason from the story. Students watch a provided MLK video and are asked to "think about how the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., showed love," prompting them to gather information from the clip to answer a question. Students are asked to name something similar between Booker T. Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr., which requires recalling information from the two provided sources and comparing them with adult guidance.
Lesson 5
Day 5
The activity asks the child what she would say to the President, prompting her to recall ideas or experiences to answer that question. The plan directs the child to use the provided website 'A Letter to the President' to help organize her letter, which is a provided source. Adults are instructed to discuss the child's ideas, record her dictated thoughts, and help with addressing and mailing, showing guided support while the child gathers and records information.
1: Environment
Unit 1: Habitats and Homes
Lesson 1
My Environment
Students are asked explicit questions that require recalling from experience, such as "What does your child drink in her home and where does it come from?" and prompts about where food and shelter come from (Activity 1). Students take a guided walk through their home, number rooms in the order they explore them, circle items that contribute to a healthy environment, and discuss why each room is important (Activity 2). Students respond to the question of which room is most important, record or dictate their reasons, and read the resulting paragraph aloud (Activity 3).
Lesson 2
What Is a Map?
Students are asked direct recall questions in Activity 1 (What is the name of our country, state, town, and our address?) and are prompted to practice these answers over a week with adult support. Students use provided sources (world map and U.S. map) to locate the continent, country, and state and to answer location questions. In Activities 2 and 3 students examine map worksheets and their own rooms to identify items on maps and answer spatial questions (e.g., what is beside the refrigerator?), gathering information from the map images and from their experience of their room.
Lesson 3
Guide to Animal Habitats
Students are prompted in the Introduction to describe their own environment, supporting recall from personal experience with adult guidance. During the read-aloud and Activity 1, students gather information from the provided book by pointing out and counting the animals and plants in each habitat and answering adult questions. Activities 2 and 4 ask students to use the book to chart Crinkleroot's route, arrange habitats in visitation order, and identify/draw or sort plants, animals, and insects, requiring them to gather information from the provided source to answer sequencing and classification questions.
Lesson 4
Animals Live and Grow
Students are asked to recall and use information from Crinkleroot's Guide and to go online to research plants for different habitats (Activity 1). Students analyze their recorded lists and are prompted to find and record an organism that provides food for another organism, using the book or online sources as needed (Activity 2). During Day 2 reading students answer specific questions about Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt that require recalling details from the book (Questions #1-#7).
Lesson 5
Discovering Animal Habitats
Students are prompted in the Introduction to recall examples of habitats they explored in Crinkleroot's Guide, asking them to give examples from prior experience. Activity 2 asks students direct questions about habitat types and instructs them to find and explore pictures from books, websites (National Geographic, videos, games), and other resources to become more familiar with habitats. Activity 6 and Activity 5 (Option 2) explicitly tell students to look up information online or in books if they do not know which habitat an animal belongs to and then answer follow-up questions (e.g., which habitat had the most/ fewest animals).
Lesson 6
Exploring Animal Habitats
Students make predictions before an observation and then compare those predictions to what they actually saw when they return home, supporting recall from experience. During Activity 1 students draw, label, and discuss what they observe in a real habitat in response to specific prompts (Where are the plants? What animals do you see? What are they doing?), which requires them to recall and report information from the experience. Activity 2 instructs adults to locate more information in a book or online and share it with the child, and students dictate a story using that information, showing gathering from provided sources with adult support.
Lesson 7
Tools in My Environment
Students are asked to recall needs and describe what makes life easier during the Introduction (e.g., tell what she needs to live and grow). During Activity 1 students gather tools from their home environment (scavenger hunt) to answer prompts such as "What if we didn't have pens or pencils?" and to collect 8–10 tools. In Activity 2 students examine each tool and answer "What is the tool used for?" and in Activity 3 students measure chosen tools, record measurements and write or copy the tool names with adult support.
Lesson 8
Animal Care
Students are asked to describe what their family does to take care of a pet and to answer questions such as "What do pets need?" and "What would happen if we didn't provide a healthy environment for our pets?", which prompts recall from personal experience. Students listen to the read-aloud of The Salamander Room and answer specific factual and inferential questions about the animal and its habitat, which requires gathering information from a provided text. Adults are directed to prompt, explain, and ask questions throughout the activities, providing the guidance and support referenced in the standard.
Lesson 9
Animal Designs
Students are asked to analyze pictures and explain how each animal moves and which body parts help (Activity 1), which requires recalling observations and prior knowledge about animal movement. In Activity 2 students decide which animals do not belong in pictured habitats and explain why, with the explicit option to research unfamiliar animals online and record reasons. Option 2 of Activity 1 asks students to think of animals that move in particular ways for given habitats, act out movements, and optionally print a picture from the Internet or draw one, which involves gathering information from a provided source. Activity 3 has students sort stuffed animals into habitats and state sentences like "A zebra can't live in the ocean," drawing on recall from experience and adult-led prompting.
Lesson 10
Amazing Animals
In Activity 1, students analyze pictures and read text about how each animal changes and are asked to select an animal and locate websites or books to learn more, which requires gathering information from provided sources. In Activity 2, students are asked direct questions (e.g., "What will happen to the starfish's arm?") and role-play scenarios that prompt them to recall facts (that the arm will grow back). In Wrapping Up, students are prompted to tell about animals they learned about today, which asks them to recall and state information from their experiences and readings.
Lesson 11
Amazing Me
In Activity 3, students are asked to think of a time they changed because of their environment, have their ideas recorded by an adult, and then read the ideas aloud, which requires recalling information from personal experience to respond to a prompt. In Activity 2, students use the provided "Our Feelings, Our Environment" pictures and word labels to circle the face that shows how each item makes them feel, which has students gather information from provided sources to answer a question about feelings. Activity 1 and the Wrapping Up prompt adults to ask questions (e.g., what would you do if it got cold, how does the sun change skin), guiding students to respond about changes caused by the environment.
Final Project
Animal Research / My Environment
Students are prompted to recall prior learning through guided questions in the Getting Started section (e.g., "Can you describe the environment in which you live?" and "What do habitats give to the animals that live in them?"). The guidance text explicitly tells adults to provide hints and follow-up questions, supporting recall with adult help. Option 2 instructs students to choose an animal and "find websites, books, or other sources of information" and then complete pages that ask where the animal is found, what it eats and drinks, its habitat, and interesting facts.
Unit 2: Weather
Lesson 1
Reading the Skies
Students are asked to recall and tell stories about past experiences in Activity 3 (illustrate or dictate a story about something they have done in particular weather). Activity 4 has students gather daily data by observing the sky, using a thermometer or online sources, and recording weather on a calendar for several weeks. Multiple activities and the Wrapping Up/Life Application sections prompt students to describe current conditions, respond to questions (e.g., "What type of weather is best for playing outside?"), and listen to weather forecasts as a source of information.
Lesson 2
Types of Precipitation
Students are asked questions after read-alouds (e.g., identify habitats, describe weather, and say what they learned), requiring them to recall information from the texts. Students use provided sources (Oh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today? and Whatever the Weather) to identify and label types of precipitation on activity pages. Students conduct an experiment (Making Rain) in which they make a prediction, observe results, count raindrops, and describe what is happening, using those observations to answer questions about how rain forms. The Wrapping Up prompts ask students to state why precipitation is important and where drinking water comes from, linking recall and gathered information to explicit questions.
Lesson 3
Measuring and Charting Weather
Students place a thermometer in ice water, tap water, and warm water, record the measured temperatures on the provided "Measuring Temperature" sheet, and mark the readings—gathering information from a provided measuring tool. Students practice using a jar and a ruler to measure the depth of water as a rain gauge and are asked to predict and then measure rainfall, collecting data from an experience. Students are asked questions (for example, what would happen if an animal's habitat got too warm or cold, and to give examples of how weather can be measured and how weather helps plants and animals), prompting them to recall information from experiences or provided sources with adult support.
Lesson 4
Simulating Weather
Students are asked to name three things the wind can move and to go outside to identify things the wind is moving, using their observations to answer questions about wind. In the bottle activity students perform an experiment, watch a cloud appear and disappear, and are asked to explain what happens when they squeeze or release the bottle. In the wrap-up students are asked to state what happens in the sky to cause rain, and in the song activity students look at the printed words to find and count specific weather words.
Lesson 5
Fall
Students are asked to name the seasons and review months using a calendar, which requires them to recall information from prior learning. Students answer directed questions about an autumn picture (e.g., what people are wearing, what plants look like) and circle and describe three favorites, using the picture as a provided source. Students gather and use information from a leaf-collecting activity and from a provided bar-graph page to answer specific questions about leaf colors and quantities.
Lesson 6
Winter
The introduction asks the child what season follows fall and to describe the winter environment where he lives, prompting recall from personal experience. Activity 1 directs the child to find winter pages in a book and describe what he sees and how those pictures are similar to or different from his own winter, prompting gathering information from a provided source. Activity 3 asks the child how winter weather differs from summer and has the adult show a picture of the Earth and Sun (internet or book) to explain why winter is cooler, explicitly supporting information gathering from a source.
Lesson 7
Spring
Students are asked to describe what each spring poem was about after attempting to read it, linking comprehension of a provided text to an oral response. In the Seed Sort activities students color, cut, plant seeds, then answer counting questions (e.g., "How many seeds are there?" and even/odd questions), gathering information from their manipulative arrangement. In the Blowing in the Wind activity students conduct an experiment with a feather and other objects and then answer observational questions about whether and why objects moved.
Lesson 8
Summer
Students are asked in the Introduction to name the season that follows spring and to describe activities they enjoy in summer, prompting recall of personal experiences. In Activity 1 students answer questions about a pictured scene (describe the environment, what is happening, could these activities happen in winter), using the picture as a provided source to answer questions. In Activity 2 students use picture-word prompts or a word bank to fill in blanks in a short story, gathering information from the provided words/pictures to complete and read the passage. In Activity 3 students place season names on a temperature continuum and complete sentences (e.g., "_____ is the warmest season"), using the provided scale and prompts to gather information to answer questions.
Final Project
Weather Games
Students look out a window and answer guided questions about temperature, wind, precipitation, clouds, and suitability for outdoor activities (Activity 3: Weather Window). Students gather information from provided sources (books, Internet or TV) and record the current temperature to prepare and deliver a three-morning family weather forecast using the Weather Forecast graphic organizer (Activity 4). Adults are instructed to prompt, assist, and ask questions as students prepare and present their forecasts, and wrap-up questions ask students to recall what they learned about weather and seasons.
Unit 3: Community
Lesson 1
On the Town
After reading On the Town, students are asked direct questions (e.g., "What places did Charlie visit?" and "What places do you visit regularly in your community?") that require recalling story details and personal experience. Activity 3 asks students to draw a place from their own community and write or dictate a sentence about Charlie visiting it, prompting recall from experience and producing an answer. Activity 2 and the vocabulary pages require students to read provided words and illustrations and fill in blanks, which has students gather information from the provided source to complete sentences; the Life Application asks students to take notes or draw as they visit community places.
Lesson 2
My Community Environment
Students prepare and ask interview questions, take notes or record a conversation with a postal worker, librarian, or county clerk during Activity 4, gathering information from an experience to answer questions about the place. In Activity 2 students take pictures on a community tour and label or dictate descriptions explaining how each place serves the community, gathering and recalling information to answer 'how' and 'why' questions. Activity 3 has students look through books, copy titles, draw illustrations of different communities, and discuss similarities and differences, gathering information from provided sources. Activity 1 and its extension ask students to use the community map to answer proximity and location questions (e.g., which building is closer), requiring them to gather information from a provided source.
Lesson 3
Jobs in the Community
Students are guided by an adult to observe a community worker for 30–45 minutes and then describe what they saw (Activity 3), which requires recalling information from an experience. Students collect data over several days by taking a list of community workers and marking tally marks each time they see a worker, then answer questions such as which worker they saw most or least (Activity 2). Adults are instructed to read with, record dictated responses for, and support students as they write a paragraph about the worker they observed and attempt to read it aloud (Activity 4 and Activity 5).
Lesson 4
Goods and Services in the Community
Students are asked to name important places in their community and explain how each place helps people, which requires recalling information from their experiences. In Activity 1 students read labels, circle beginning letters, cut out cards, and match buildings to the goods or services they provide, which has them gather and use information from the provided activity sheet. The Wrapping Up and Questions to Explore sections prompt students to describe goods and services and explain why people have jobs, asking them to use recalled or gathered information to answer questions.
Lesson 5
Resources
Activity 3 instructs students to gather three natural resources and three manmade resources from inside or outside, then explain how each is used, where it is found, or write a sentence about them. Activity 1 has students cut apart pictures on a provided "Natural or Manmade Resources" sheet and sort them into columns labeled "Natural" and "Manmade." Activity 2 has students count objects on a provided sheet, label each as "N" or "M," and order boxes from least to greatest; the lesson also includes Questions to Explore and a wrapping-up prompt asking students to explain the difference between natural and manmade resources.
Lesson 6
A Good Community Citizen
The lesson repeatedly asks the child to recall and explain real experiences (e.g., "Ask your child how citizens in her community help one another" and "think about her own family and ways each member...has exhibited good citizenship"). In Activity 1 students read provided scenario statements and decide whether each person is being a good citizen, then explain how they made their decision. In Activities 2 and 3 students sort pictures or draw and label examples, using provided images and personal observations as sources to answer questions about good vs. not-good home environments.
Lesson 7
A Citizen with Character
Students are asked to recall and describe prior knowledge when the adult asks, "What does it mean to be a good citizen?" and to complete prompts such as "I am respectful when I __." Students read the supplied story "A Lesson in Honesty" and answer explicit questions (e.g., "Did Riley do anything wrong? What?") that require recalling events and personal experiences. In Activity 5 and Activity 6, students retell or sequence events from the provided story (The Boy Who Cried Wolf) and record actions and consequences from read-alouds, gathering information from those sources to respond.
Lesson 8
Rules and Laws
Students are asked to name six rules from their own home (Activity 1), read and discuss them with an adult, and order them by importance, which requires recalling information from their experience. In Activity 2 an adult reads a set of statements and students decide whether each is a rule, a law, or both, which requires gathering information from the provided activity page to answer classification questions. Activity 3 and the wrapping-up questions prompt students to recall consequences of no rules and to answer why rules and laws are important, using their experiences and the read-aloud story.
Lesson 9
Caring for Our Communities
The lesson directs an adult to read the story "When One Person Cares" and then ask questions about the beginning, middle, and end and details (e.g., where Katy lives, what she does), which has students recall information from a provided source with adult guidance. Activity 4 asks the child how he or his family has helped others and to discuss pictures on the "Helping Others in the Community" sheet, prompting students to recall personal experiences with adult prompts. Activity 2 has students look at two community pictures and mark Xs or circles to identify problems or positive features, which requires gathering information from provided visual sources to answer which community they would want to live in.
Final Project
I Can Make A Difference
Students are asked to complete "A Plan for Making My Community Better," using sentence starters to record steps ("The first thing I will do is __," "Next I will __," "Finally I will __"). Adults are directed to help students think of ideas and to record dictated responses, providing guidance and support. On Day 2 students carry out the plan, check off steps, and respond to reflection prompts (e.g., "Were you able to carry out your plan?", "How did you affect the person/people you helped?"), which require recalling information from the experience to answer questions.
2: Similarities and Differences
Unit 1: Amazing Attributes
Lesson 1
Describe It
Students are asked to guess objects in Activity 1 based on an adult's attribute descriptions (gather information from a provided source) and then take turns describing objects for the adult to guess. In Activity 2 students observe pairs of items and answer how they are similar or different (gather information from direct observation to answer a question). Activity 3 has students select or write descriptive words for pictured items using a word box (gathering information from a provided source), and Activity 4 asks students to write or copy a sentence describing an object that was in the bag (recalling information from a recent experience). Directions repeatedly instruct an adult to prompt, assist, and review vocabulary, providing guidance and support.
Lesson 2
Animal Attributes
Students are asked to use prior experience with stuffed animals to explain how two animals are alike and different, prompting recall from experience. Students circle and then explain why items are living or nonliving on the provided activity pages, using characteristics of living things to support their answers. Students examine pictures in a referenced book and activity pages to identify animal body parts, write the body part that helps an animal move, and sort animals by body coverings, gathering information from provided sources.
Lesson 3
Size, Shape, and Color
Students are asked to describe and compare a metal spoon and a wooden spoon, recalling attributes of size, shape, and color to explain similarities and differences. In Activity 2 students walk around the house to find real objects that match pictured shapes and draw or write examples, gathering information from their environment. In Activity 3 students watch a provided video about primary colors, experiment with mixing paints/crayons, and are asked to describe what they learned about color mixing.
Lesson 4
How Does It Feel?
Students are blindfolded, pull objects from a bag, describe how the object feels, and then guess what it is, which requires them to recall sensory information to answer the question 'What is it?'. In Activity 1 students describe a secretly selected object first using non-texture attributes and then using only texture words, gathering sensory and descriptive information to allow an adult to guess. In Activity 2 students choose texture words from a provided word box and match them to pictures, gathering information from a provided source to answer 'Which words describe this object?'.
Lesson 5
How Old?
Students are asked to recall their own age and birthday in the Introduction, directly practicing recall of information from personal experience. In Activity 1 students put family pictures in order from oldest to youngest, using remembered or discussed ages to answer which person is oldest or youngest. Activity 3 directs students to look up average animal life spans using a provided web link, gather that information, record each animal's life span, and order the cards from shortest to longest. Activity 2 has students match ages (numbers) to pictured people and write questions for each person, which requires using provided information to determine answers.
Lesson 6
The Measure of Things
Students are asked to recall prior experiences when prompted to describe what a doctor measures and how they know their own height and weight. Students gather information from provided sources by watching the pan-balance video and exploring the Interactive Pan Balance, and by taking measurements (using paper clips, pennies, rulers, cups, tablespoons) to record estimates and actuals on activity pages. Students use those gathered measurements to answer comparative questions on worksheets (e.g., which item is longer, which weighs more, which container has greater capacity) and to complete fill-in-the-blank and ordering tasks.
Lesson 7
More Attributes
Students are asked to recall similarities and differences within their family, answering questions about how they are similar to and different from other family members. Students gather information from provided materials (attribute blocks and toys) by sorting and identifying items that match one or two attributes (e.g., find all red and thick blocks). Students place items into overlapping yarn circles to create Venn diagrams that show how objects are similar and different according to labeled attributes.
Lesson 8
Amazing Attributes
Students make predictions and then test objects with a magnet using the "Magnetic or Not?" activity page, recording predictions and results. Students select 10–15 objects, predict which will sink or float, drop them in water, sort them on a labeled sheet, and compare their experimental results to their predictions. Students examine a photo of their sorting, watch a provided video about sinking/floating (including density), and are prompted by an adult to discuss what causes sinking or floating and what a magnet is.
Lesson 9
Solids and Liquids
Students are prompted to brainstorm examples and gather pictures from magazines, catalogs, or online and paste them into columns labeled "Solid" and "Liquid," demonstrating gathering information from provided sources. Students examine an ice cube heated in the microwave and a cup of water placed in the freezer, observe what happens, and answer questions about what caused the change, demonstrating recall of observations and experiences. Students write down definitions of "solid" and "liquid," discuss whether household items (sugar, snacks, batter) are solids or liquids, and sort images onto labeled construction paper, using gathered and recalled information to classify materials.
Lesson 10
Earth Materials: Rocks, Soil, and Water
Students are asked to answer specific questions after adults read Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt and Over and Under the Pond, requiring them to recall information from the books. In Activity 1 students dig in the dirt, collect two soil samples, describe how they look/feel/smell, and compare attributes to answer which soil might grow plants better. In Activity 3 and Activity 6 students watch linked videos about soil and water, then use those provided sources plus their samples/experiment observations to identify soil types and describe water behavior (cohesion). In Activity 7 students gather their observations and labeled cutouts to create an Earth Materials book synthesizing information from experiences and sources.
Lesson 11
Using Earth Materials
Students are asked to describe the three Earth materials they explored in the last lesson, which requires recalling prior information. In Activity 1 students keep a water log by recording or dictating each time water is used, collecting data from daily experience. In Activity 2 students watch a provided video about rock types and then gather observations on a scavenger hunt, keeping a list or taking photos. In Activity 3 students work in soil and discuss soil properties, gathering experiential information during gardening with adult interaction.
Final Project
Presenting Attributes
Students are asked to name attributes they have learned and the adult is instructed to record their ideas and prompt with leading questions or hints if they cannot remember, which supports recall with guidance. Students are guided to review the attribute list and select five attributes, gather real materials or pictures (including online images or magazines), and decide how each attribute can be used to find similarities and differences. Students practice explaining or demonstrating each attribute to an adult and then present their demonstration or poster to family or a small group, using gathered materials and recorded ideas.
Unit 2: Senses
Lesson 1
My Five Senses
Students are prompted to describe real objects and explain how they determined attributes (e.g., "Ask her how she figured out its attributes" and "Ask your child what she knows about her five senses"), which requires recalling information from experience. Students gather information from provided sources when they read or attempt to read My Five Senses and use the Senses Word List to find words in the text. Students also dictate four sentences about a past intense sensing experience and complete webs by matching pictured or listed items to the sense used, which asks them to recall or gather information to answer specific prompts.
Lesson 2
Senses and Body Parts
Students are asked to name the five senses and give an example of how they use each sense, prompting recall from personal experiences with adult support. In Activity 1 (Option 1) an adult reads a story and students listen for when Jackie uses a sense and glue the corresponding body part, requiring them to gather information from a provided text. Activity 2 presents situational prompts and asks students to point to the sense organ they would use, asking students to use information from scenarios to answer questions. The wrap-up asks students to review the five senses and point to the body organ used for each sense.
Lesson 3
Smelling and Tasting
Students participate in sensory experiences (Activity 1) where they smell and taste items, decide whether they like them, and have their guesses and preferences recorded. Students gather data in Activity 2 by sampling foods, recording Y/N responses for four people on a provided survey chart, totaling yes/no answers, and answering questions about which flavor was liked most or least. Students then write a sentence reporting the survey results in Activity 4 ("_____ people liked _____"), using the collected information to respond to a question.
Lesson 4
Hearing and Seeing
Students are asked to close their eyes and listen to two noisy objects and then identify which object made the sound, requiring them to recall auditory experience to answer a question. Students listen to The Magic School Bus read-aloud and answer specific comprehension questions about events and characters, gathering information from a provided source to respond. Students complete blindfolded walks and listening-walk activities, describe and record what they hear or experience, and then use those recorded observations to identify places or compare sight vs. sound lists.
Lesson 5
Touch
The introduction explicitly tells an adult to ask the child to recall what "texture" means and which sense identifies texture, prompting guided recall. Activity 1 (Touch It) and Activity 2 (Touch Chart) have students gather information from provided pictures and chart columns, choose or write adjectives, and check boxes to indicate properties. Activities 3 (Sensory Art) and 4 (Feel It!) have students gather sensory information from real materials and then describe or guess items based on touch.
Lesson 6
Experimenting With Our Senses
Students taste identical drinks with and without a blindfold, record descriptions on index cards, and answer questions such as whether their first and second answers were the same and why. Students create scratch-and-sniff spice cards, read or copy spice names, smell the cards, and identify which spice corresponds to each card. Students recall a personal eating/drinking experience by telling a story about a favorite flavor (which is recorded) and then dictate or write a sentence about something they smelled or tasted.
Lesson 7
Using All of Our Senses
Students record sensory observations on the Nature Walk chart (I hear..., I see..., I smell..., I feel...) and are prompted to write, draw, or dictate their findings. After the walk, students are asked specific recall questions (e.g., "What were some things you heard?" "Did you learn anything new?" "If someone asked you what you found on your walk, what would you say?") to prompt answers from experience. Students also gather information from provided sources by looking through books (e.g., Brown Bear, Polar Bear) to identify how characters use their senses, and they write or copy a sentence about an observation in the Handwriting activity.
Lesson 8
Writing About Our Senses
Students examine and pop popcorn, then complete fill-in-the-blank sentences (felt, sounded, smells, tastes) and draw before/after pictures, which requires them to recall sensory information from that experience. Students are prompted to think of a memorable event and write or illustrate one sensing word or sentence for each of the five senses on the "Sensing My Day" pages, requiring recall of an experience to answer prompts. In "Sensing Logic" students read or hear clues and use the provided pictures as sources to identify and mark the correct item, showing they gather information from provided sources to answer the question "What am I?" Adult support is specified (reading clues aloud, helping with letters/words, prompting and assistance).
Final Project
A Sensible Party
Students are asked to read a sample "Party Planner" sheet and use it to plan their own party, which requires gathering information from the provided sample to make choices. Game 1 explicitly directs students to compare their plan with the sample to find similarities and differences, demonstrating gathering information from a provided source. The wrapping-up section asks students to answer questions about whether the party went well and how senses were used, prompting students to recall information from their party experience. Adult help is specified for reading the sample, assisting with recording ideas, and reviewing the plan, providing guidance and support.
Unit 3: We're the Same, We're Different
Lesson 1
You're Special
Students answer personal questions on the "You Are Special" pages (name, where they live, favorite color, what makes them happy/sad, talents, future plans) and fill in a paragraph using those answers. Students record personal numeric information (year born, house number, shoe size, height, number of family members) and compare their numbers with a family member. Students are directed to look for and read numbers in the home, books, and community, and adults are instructed to provide assistance and to review vocabulary and support writing as needed.
Lesson 2
Physical Characteristics
Students listen as an adult reads the "Different Friends" story and then are asked to retell the story, answer beginning/middle/end questions, and sequence event boxes, which requires recalling information from a provided source. Students examine and complete the Physical Characteristics activity pages (cutting, drawing, or pasting features) and then answer comparison questions (e.g., Are their eyes the same or different?), which requires gathering information from the pictures to answer questions. An adult guides students to dictate a Friendship Story and records their responses and also prompts students to write a sentence "I have _____," prompting recall of personal physical characteristics.
Lesson 3
Different Personalities
Activity 2 asks students to write their name, draw a self-portrait, select and paste personality words for themselves and a friend/sibling, circle words they have in common, count them, and describe how they are alike and different, which requires recalling information about personal experiences. Activity 3 directs students to record and illustrate main characters from a favorite movie or cartoon and then choose two words to describe each character's personality, with an option to find and paste a picture from online, which requires gathering information from a provided source. The Introduction and activity instructions prompt adults to explain tasks and provide assistance as needed, supporting guided recall and information gathering.
Lesson 4
Interests and Hobbies
Students are asked to select a hobby and dictate or write a few sentences describing it to someone unfamiliar, which requires recalling information from their own experience (Activity 1). Students are directed to go to the library, find books about an interest, and use prior and new knowledge to answer the five prompts on the "My Interest" sheet (Activity 2). Students conduct interviews using the "Hobby Survey," reading questions aloud and having an adult record answers, which gathers information from provided sources (Activity 3). The instructions repeatedly indicate adult support for recording answers and guiding research.
Lesson 5
Shapesville
The Introduction directs the adult to ask the child to explain ways people are alike and different and to describe how he is like family members, prompting recall of personal experiences. Activity 1 has the child identify shapes and their physical characteristics and personalities while the adult reads the book, then answer comprehension questions (e.g., What doesn't matter in Shapesville? How are the shapes' personalities different?), which requires gathering information from the provided text. Activities 2 and 3 ask the child to choose a shape that represents him or family members, explain why, draw and dictate descriptions, and share answers with family, all with adult assistance.
Lesson 6
Different Families
Students are prompted by an adult to name family members and describe family responsibilities, prompting recall from personal experience. Students read specified pages of A Life Like Mine and identify pictures, clothing, activities, and locations on a map, gathering information from a provided source. Students complete comparison activities (sentence prompts or a Venn diagram) that require using either recalled personal experiences or gathered details from the book to answer questions about similarities and differences.
Lesson 7
Different Homes
Students are asked to identify and describe different homes after reading pages 26–35 of A Life Like Mine, prompting them to recall information from the text and their own home. Adults are instructed to ask students why people have homes and to ask if they remember what a natural resource is, prompting recall from experience. Students are guided to look through the book or on the Internet to find countries where similar homes are found and to record the country names, prompting them to gather information from provided sources. The Life Application asks students to look for different types of homes in their town and discuss materials, which requires gathering information from their environment.
Lesson 8
Different Holidays and Traditions
Students are prompted to name holidays their family celebrates and explain what they enjoy about each one, which requires recalling information from personal experience. Students are directed to look at scrapbooks, encyclopedias, and provided websites to find pictures and descriptions of holidays and to discuss what people are celebrating and related activities, clothing, and foods. Students use a calendar and provided links to find and record holiday dates, and students write or dictate three sentences about a favorite holiday, using recalled or gathered information to explain why it is meaningful.
Lesson 9
Different Modes of Transportation
Students are asked to give examples of ways people in their town get from place to place and to talk about where they have gone using particular modes of transportation, supporting recall of personal experiences. The Introduction directs students to look through books and websites to identify modes of transportation, and the optional extension asks students to locate information in books and online, which supports gathering information from provided sources. Activity 1 asks students to draw a box around each mode of transportation they have taken and talk about where they went; Activity 2 requires choosing the best mode for given scenarios; Activity 4 has students write a sentence about a mode they have taken, all of which require using recalled or gathered information to answer questions.
Lesson 10
Wants and Needs
Students are asked in the Introduction to recall what animals and people need and to discuss pages from the text (pages 46–51, 56–61, 66–71), which has them gather information from provided sources. In Activity 4 students take a survey of four people, record two wants and two needs for each person, and then complete two webs, directly gathering information to categorize and answer questions about wants and needs. In Activity 3 students make lists of their own wants and needs, compare list lengths, and explain which is more important, which requires recalling personal information with adult guidance.
Lesson 11
Being Part of a Group
Students cut out the illustrated children and sort them into three circles, then answer prompted questions (Which group has the most people? Do two groups have the same number? Which group has the shortest/tallest people?), which requires gathering information from the provided pictures. Students draw and complete a prompted paragraph about a group they belong to (One group I belong to is ____. The group does ____.), recalling information from their own experience and then reading or dictating their answers. Students read pages 98–113 of A Life Like Mine and brainstorm or visit community groups, gathering information from a text and from observation to discuss identity, nationality, religion, and group purposes.
Final Project
Differences Make the World Go 'Round
Students choose a country, locate it on a map, and read about it in a book or on the Internet to gather facts about food, clothing, activities, transportation, and environment. Students complete sentence prompts (e.g., "I live in...", "I like to eat...", "My hobby is...") and create a comparison book, writing sentences themselves and illustrating or pasting pictures from provided sources. Students are encouraged to meet a person from the chosen country and ask questions, which prompts them to recall experiences and gather firsthand information.
3: Patterns
Unit 1: Identifying and Creating Visual Patterns
Lesson 1
What Is a Pattern?
Students are asked to recall experiences when prompted with questions such as "Have you ever seen a pattern? Where?" and "Have you ever made a pattern?" (Activity 1). Students gather information from provided sources by analyzing the Busy Bugs book pages and the various Student Activity Pages (e.g., "Do You See a Pattern?", "Is It a Pattern?", Bug Patterns) to describe and extend patterns. In Option 2 and the Caterpillar Patterns activities, students cut out, arrange, and name objects in sequences, then explain the patterns they created or observed.
Lesson 2
Recognizing Types of Patterns
Students examine pictured sequences on activity sheets and decide whether each row forms an ABAB or AABB pattern, labeling items A and B and marking Yes/No. Students sort Level 1 caterpillars into ABAB, AAB, ABB, and ABC groups and create AABB patterns on blank caterpillars using colored tiles. In the wrap-up students are asked to explain the difference between ABAB and AABB and to reread the book Busy Bugs and point out ABAB and AABB patterns with adult prompting.
Lesson 3
What Comes Next?
The introduction asks the child to explain what a pattern means and to explain how she knows what would come next, prompting recall from prior instruction or experience. Activity 1 and Option 2 have students analyze printed pattern pages and cut-out pictures to determine what comes next, requiring them to gather information from those provided sources to answer questions like "What comes first/next?". Activity 2 directs students to examine the thickness of a variety of books and to describe shapes (thick or thin), which asks them to gather observational information from a real-world source to answer pattern questions. A web link is provided for additional practice, giving an external source students can use to gather information to complete pattern tasks.
Lesson 4
Extending a Pattern
Activity 2 explicitly directs students to "gather materials, read the pattern listed (or you can read the pattern to him), and then recreate and extend the pattern," and then "answer questions about each pattern." The Student Activity Pages require students to identify the first, second, and third objects in given sequences and to decide whether patterns are ABAB, AABB, or ABBA. The wrapping up section asks the child to explain how he extends a pattern, and Option 2 has the child read words for each pattern and create the given pattern with objects.
Lesson 5
Making Color Patterns
The lesson opens with explicit Questions to Explore including "How do you make a pattern?" and prompts the child to think of ways to use colors to create patterns, which asks for recall of ideas. Activities instruct the adult to model and then have the child make patterned caterpillars and necklaces, asking the child to describe the patterns she creates and to show the pattern with color words or letters. The handwriting activity asks the child to write or copy a sentence that describes something she created today, requiring the child to produce information from her experience.
Lesson 6
Shapes and Patterns
Students use attribute blocks and printed "Shapes and Patterns" and "Reading Patterns" sheets to examine sequences, describe the order of shapes, and decide whether each set is a pattern. Students follow written pattern prompts (Option 1 and 2), circle beginning letters, sound out words, and then create the patterns with blocks. Students gather or select real objects of the same shape to create patterns and sort caterpillar cards into pattern types (ABAB, AABB, ABC), describing their reasoning to an adult.
Lesson 7
Making Number Patterns
The lesson asks the child to "demonstrate or explain ways numbers can be used to make patterns," which requires recalling prior experiences or ideas. Activity 3 has students use real objects, "look at the pattern and write the numbers to represent the pattern," which requires gathering information from a provided source (the objects) to produce an answer. Activities 1 and 2 ask students to create and identify patterns from given number sets and to label patterns with letters, which requires students to observe provided examples and report the pattern structure.
Lesson 8
Creating and Writing About Patterns
Students are asked to collect or use provided objects and word lists (Activity 1 options, Activity 4) and then "figure out the pattern" or "describe the pattern," which requires gathering information from those sources. Activity 5 provides a structured prompt — "This pattern is made up of __________, __________, and __________" and lines labeled First to Eighth — that asks students to recall elements of a pattern they observed or created. Multiple prompts such as "First comes ____, Then comes ____, Next comes ____" and instructions to have an adult call out patterns for the student to recreate (Activity 2) show students responding to guided prompts and adult support.
Final Project
Patterns Poster or Patterns Presentation
Students are prompted to prepare a Script for Presentation where they name and describe each of the seven specific pattern types (color, shape, object, ABAB, ABC, AABB, number), which requires them to gather details about each pattern to report. In Option 2 students practice and then present descriptions and demonstrations of each pattern to an audience, showing they must collect and organize information from the provided list and their chosen materials. The Wrapping Up section asks students reflective questions (e.g., "How did you think your project went?"; "Which pattern was hardest to create? Why?") that require students to recall information from their project experience to answer.
Unit 2: Patterns in Sounds, Words, and Actions
Lesson 1
Word Patterns
Students are asked to read or listen to nursery rhymes and the book Bear Hugs and then identify and record rhyming words from those texts. Students copy or dictate the names of animals from the Bear Hugs text and then identify and sort those animals by habitat. Adults are instructed to prompt, ask questions, and guide students as they label pictures, circle repeating word parts, and add words that extend patterns.
Lesson 2
Making Word Patterns
Students are asked to look through picture books that rhyme, identify and record words from the text that have the same sound pattern, and note spelling patterns (Activity 3). Students complete rhyme sentences on the "It's Time to Rhyme" page and create sentences with rhyming words (Activity 1), which requires recalling words that fit a pattern. Students cut, sort, and paste words into word-family groups and label them (Activity 2), gathering provided word items into organized sources.
Lesson 3
Poetry Patterns
Students are asked what each poem is about and to identify and circle rhyming words on the "Patterns in Poetry" sheet, requiring them to gather information from the provided poems to answer questions. In Activity 2, students listen to verses of the song and are prompted to guess the missing rhyming word and then write another verse, using clues from the song to answer prompts. In Activity 3, students listen to songs, identify and record rhyming words, and circle similar letter patterns with adult assistance.
Lesson 4
Sentence Patterns
Students read simple picture books and are asked to identify sentences and point to capital letters and periods, then identify the noun and verb in each sentence (Activity 4). Students act out situations or observe adults acting and then make up or dictate sentences describing those experiences, circling nouns and underlining verbs (Activity 2). In wrap-up and other activities students are asked to explain the sentence pattern they worked with and to give examples of naming words and action words, which requires recalling what they learned or observed.
Lesson 5
Story Patterns
Students are asked to listen to or read short storybooks with an adult and then answer explicit questions such as "What happened at the beginning/middle/end of the story?" (Activity 1). In Activity 2 (both options) students gather information from the provided story by reading/listening, then fill Beginning/Middle/End boxes and dictate or write sentences describing each part. The introduction and Activity 3 prompt students to recall events from their own morning routine or their self-created story and to describe or illustrate the beginning, middle, and end with adult support.
Lesson 6
Sound Patterns
Students are prompted to listen to sound patterns and then record or write about them (Activity 2: Listen Carefully and the Student Activity Page instruct students to record the pattern). Activity 4 asks students to write a sentence such as "I heard a pattern that went..." which has students recall an experience and put that information into writing. Multiple places adults prompt, model, and give materials (giving the spoon/instrument, asking questions during wrapping up), showing guided support as students gather and report information.
Lesson 7
Making Sound and Action Patterns
The plan directs an adult to ask the child how sounds can be used to make patterns and to have the child provide an example, prompting recall from experience. Activity 4 asks the child to write or copy a sentence that describes a pattern she made today, requiring her to recall and report an experience. The plan includes a web link and invites the child to select or make an instrument from that site, giving the child a provided source to gather information from.
Final Project
Patterns Video
Students are prompted with guiding questions such as "Where are patterns found?" and "How can sounds, words, and motions form patterns?" Students are instructed to locate or create action, sound, rhyming, and story patterns using books, music, activity pages, or personal experience. On the Video Script and Student Activity Pages, students write or dictate where they found/made each pattern and list the elements and sequence ("I found/made this pattern ___," "First comes ___," "Then ___").
Unit 3: Patterns in Your World
Lesson 1
Patterns in Nature
Students are asked at the start to describe any patterns they have seen outside, prompting them to recall information from their experiences. In Activity 1 students read Pattern by Henry Pluckrose and answer targeted questions (e.g., which patterns they had or had not seen), requiring them to use information from the book to respond. In Activity 2 Option 2 and Activity 3 students are instructed to look in books or on the Internet for animal and plant pictures and then create or draw patterns, showing that they gather information from provided sources to complete tasks and answer prompts.
Lesson 2
Patterns of Growth
Students are asked to recall personal growth by organizing pictures from birth to present and describing differences (Activity 5 and Getting Started). Students record observations and write sentences about their planted bean seeds over time (Activity 1 and the Plant's Pattern of Growth pages), and they investigate plants in the park by pulling up roots and drawing examples (Activity 3). Students are directed to gather information from provided sources (cutting and sequencing pictures in Activity 4 and the linked websites about metamorphosis) with adult prompts and modeling throughout.
Lesson 3
Night and Day
Students are asked conversational questions (e.g., how she knows when it is nighttime/daytime and what kinds of things happen then) and are prompted to explain the pattern of night and day. Students gather information from provided sources by looking at pictures of the Sun, Moon, and Earth, watching the linked video of the Earth rotating, and conducting the globe-and-flashlight experiment to observe when their location faces the Sun. Students record or dictate responses by labeling the Sun/Moon/Earth page and by drawing and writing sentences about activities done During the Day and At Night.
Lesson 4
Daily Routines
Students are asked to recall and label their own morning activities in Activity 1 by adding a personal morning task and sequencing pictorial steps from the provided "My Morning Routine" sheet. In Activity 2 students think of another daily routine, break it into four steps, and dictate or write a sentence for each step using the provided example as a source. In Activity 3 students record times and activities for a typical day using the provided sample daily routine chart, and Activity 4 has students write or dictate a sentence describing one of their routines, all with adult prompting mentioned in introductions.
Lesson 5
Calendar Patterns
Students are asked to name the days of the week and months of the year in order after an adult shows and explains a calendar, which requires recalling information from experience. Activity 4 has students record family activities on a calendar (a provided source) and then look for and report patterns that occur weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Activity 3 asks students to record and order dates from index cards and to practice writing the date each day, which requires gathering and using information from provided date sources.
Lesson 6
Seasonal Weather Patterns
Students are asked to write today's date and select/circle the weather on a laminated calendar, requiring them to recall information from their immediate experience. Students answer direct questions such as "Which month comes after March?" and "Which season comes before summer?" using a calendar and a months poster as provided sources. Students use a U.S. map and the "Weather Patterns" sheet to gather information about regional weather and to match months to seasons, then sequence and paste months beneath the appropriate season.
Lesson 7
Patterns at Home
Students listen to a Pattern book and then go on a pattern scavenger hunt where they identify and describe specific patterns from the book (Activity 1). Students search their closets and other rooms to find and name patterns on clothing and household items (Activity 2 and Day 2 activities). Students write or dictate and then copy a sentence that describes a pattern found in their closet (Activity 5), and the opening Questions to Explore prompt students to answer "Where do we see patterns?"
Lesson 8
Symmetrical Patterns
Students are asked to describe the pattern in a butterfly's wings and explain whether the wings look the same or different, prompting recall from observation. In Activity 2 students fold, sort, and count cut-out shapes and then answer which group has more shapes and how many more, which requires gathering and using information from the provided sets. The lesson also directs students to look for symmetry around the house and provides a web link (Symmetry Game) as a provided source to complete the other side of a shape.
Lesson 9
Counting Patterns
Students listen to a read-aloud story about clowns, track how many clowns get in the car using cut-out clown faces, and fill in blanks in the story that ask for the number of clowns at each step (Activity 3). The Skills list explicitly includes "Listen to a story read aloud" and "Answer questions about a story read aloud." Students also write or dictate a sentence about the clowns in the car (Activity 4), and use illustrated activity pages and manipulatives to count and record numbers.
Lesson 10
Tracing Patterns
Students are asked to identify the holiday associated with each traced shape and to count and name the original patterns (Activity 2), which requires recalling information about holidays and shapes to answer questions. Students are asked to explain why it would be hard to create patterns without a stencil and to explain how to use a traced pattern or stencil (Activity 3 and Wrapping Up), which asks them to recall and describe procedures from experience. Students are directed to look for ideas in magazines or on the Internet when planning a stencil design (Activity 3) and to write or copy a sentence about their favorite holiday (Activity 4), which involves gathering or recording information from provided sources with adult support.
Lesson 11
Patterns in Graphs
Students examine bar graphs and charts (Activity 1) and answer specific questions such as "What does this chart tell us?", counting items and describing patterns, and predicting how many books John would read on a future day. In Activity 2, students conduct a sink-or-float experiment, record S or F for each object, and use those recorded observations to decide whether the chart shows a pattern. Activity 3 asks students to determine which graphs/charts have patterns by coloring like parts and describing patterns (e.g., ABAB, AABB), and Activity 4 asks students to write a sentence describing whether an object sank or floated.
Final Project
Patterns All Around Lapbook
The lesson prompts students to name different types of patterns they have found in their environment and to discuss where patterns are found, which asks them to recall information from experience. Several mini-book activities require students to include a pattern from nature by drawing it, cutting a picture from a magazine, or printing one from the computer—actions that involve gathering information from provided sources. The instructions repeatedly state that the child will need adult help assembling and that adults should support the child, which provides the guidance and support called for in the standard.
4: Change
Unit 1: Changes on Planet Earth
Lesson 1
What Causes Change?
Students are asked to think of a change they have seen, draw before-and-after pictures, and complete sentences such as "Once I saw ___ change" and "___ changed because ___," then attempt to read their paragraph aloud (Activity 3). Students examine provided picture cards and match before/after pairs, decide what changed, and are encouraged to identify examples of cause and effect in their own home (Activity 1). Students observe pictures on the "Fast or Slow Change?" sheets, mark each change as fast or slow, and record or illustrate their own examples of fast and slow changes (Activity 2).
Lesson 2
What Changed?
Students read Part 1: Things Change and answer explicit comprehension questions about physical and chemical changes (Activity 1), which requires gathering information from the provided book. Students examine paired images on the "How Did It Change?" page, circle which attributes changed, and record sentences describing examples (Activity 2), which requires recalling or extracting information to answer prompts. Students perform and demonstrate changes with real objects and are asked to identify changes in the community, providing opportunities to recall from experience with adult guidance (Activity 3 and extension).
Lesson 3
Changing Position
Students are asked direct questions after reading (QUESTION #1–#4) and expected to answer how objects start moving and give examples of pushes and pulls. In Activity 1 students use the book's index to find the words "gravity" and "inertia," locate the indicated pages, and copy sentences from the text. In Activities 4 and 5 students examine toys and their environment, record examples of pushing, pulling, and other causes of motion, and demonstrate or list findings with adult support.
Lesson 4
Changes in the Environment
Students are asked to recall personal experiences when prompted to 'illustrate or write two sentences about a time when weather caused him to change his activity' and to think of things that change outside. Students gather information from a provided source when they are helped to read "Part 2: Seasons Change" and are encouraged to answer questions about specific changes described on pages 28, 32, 36, 40, and 41. Students answer questions and explain causes during the Wrapping Up prompts asking them to describe changes in the natural environment and how those changes cause people to alter their activities. The Life Application activity has students gather branches and order them by number of leaves, which requires collecting evidence from the environment to respond to a comparison task.
Lesson 5
Changes in Location
Students complete the "Where Did He Go?" activity by examining pictures and choosing or writing the correct preposition to answer where the cat is, using a provided word box or writing prepositional phrases. In "Mouse in the House" students move a cut-out mouse to match spoken or written location sentences and can write simple sentences describing the mouse's location with adult assistance. In "Nature Relations" students go into the yard or look out a window, observe object relationships, and record three or four sentences describing those relationships from their observations.
Lesson 6
Changes in the Sky
The lesson repeatedly prompts the adult to ask the child to describe or explain (e.g., "Ask your child to describe how objects on Earth change" and "Ask your child to describe how objects in the sky change positions"). Students are asked to gather information from provided sources: they watch named videos about the Sun, Moon, and Earth's rotation/revolution, use printed activity pages to list adjectives about the Sun and Moon, and build and manipulate an Earth/Moon/Sun model. The Life Application and Activities instruct students to observe the Moon outside and discuss observations, connecting direct experience with information from the videos and models.
Lesson 7
Living Things Change
Students are prompted to recall and describe changes from their own experience when asked how they or animals change and when they observe plants and animals at the zoo, park, or backyard. Students gather information from provided sources by reviewing specified pages in Changes Happen All Around You, by looking at pictures and reading about snowshoe hares online, and by cutting pictures from magazines or the internet to illustrate changes. Students answer explicit questions about changes (e.g., Did it change in size? number? place? shape?; Is the change fast or slow?) with adult prompting during multiple activities.
Lesson 8
Plants and Change
Students read specified pages of National Geographic Readers: Seed to Plant and answer explicit questions (e.g., What are some things plants are used for? How are plants similar to and different from animals?). Students use a table of contents to locate the section "What Do Plants Need?" and watch videos/readings to gather information about plant needs and parts. In Activity 6 students make predictions, observe a planted-seed experiment, record ideas, and later compare observations to their predictions. Multiple activities ask students to list parts of a plant and describe what plants need, prompting recall from experiences (outdoor collection of plant parts, looking for seeds) and from provided sources.
Lesson 9
Heat Causes Change
Students are asked to recall prior experience when prompted: "Ask your child if she has ever seen anything burn" and to explain what burned and how it looked different. Students gather information by observing and recording measurements during the ice/water/steam and burning candle activities (data sheets record paper clip and inch measurements over time). Students are asked specific questions to answer from their observations (e.g., "What caused the candle to change?", "Was it a physical or chemical change?") and are asked to write or copy a sentence about something they observed on handwriting paper.
Lesson 10
Chemical Changes
Students perform hands-on experiences (Activity 1: break/whisk/cook eggs and Activity 2: mix baking soda and vinegar) that require them to observe changes and recall those observations. Students complete the 'Chemical or Physical Change?' activity page where they identify each scenario as chemical or physical. Adults prompt students to explain how they made each decision and to describe the difference between physical and chemical changes and give examples during the Wrapping Up section.
Lesson 11
People Change the Environment
Students are asked to brainstorm and dictate positive and negative ways humans change the environment (Activity 1), which requires recalling information from their experiences. Students watch a provided video about recycling and then sort pictured items into recycling or trash bins (Activity 2), which requires gathering information from a provided source and applying it. Students examine illustrations of human activities, describe what is happening, explain how it changes the environment, and decide whether each change is positive, negative, or neutral (Activity 3). The life-application tasks ask students to check family recycling practices or observe changes on a walk/drive, which involve gathering information from real experiences with adult support.
Final Project
Mobile of Change
Students are prompted to report daily on weather changes and to observe and record changes in size, color, temperature, movement, and other attributes, which asks them to recall information from their experiences. The final project directs students to draw or paste "before" and "after" pictures (from magazines or the Internet) for categories such as Animal Change, Plant Change, Physical Change, and Chemical Change, which requires gathering information from provided sources. The wrap-up asks students to explain which example is their favorite and to describe what they have learned about changes, prompting them to answer questions about their observations.
Unit 2: Characters Change
Lesson 1
What's in a Name
Students are asked to listen to the story and answer four explicit comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) that require recalling details from the text (how Chrysanthemum felt, why she changed her mind, how words affect others, and how Mrs. Twinkle changed opinions). In Activities 3, 4, and 5 students are prompted to go back to the story to identify feeling phrases, infer vocabulary meaning from context, and list character traits before and after events, all of which require gathering information from the provided source. The lesson text repeatedly instructs an adult to guide the child (e.g., "Tell your child to pay close attention," "If your child struggles, it may help to go back and find the places in the story"), indicating supported practice.
Lesson 2
Why Worry?
Students watch the provided read-aloud video of Wemberly Worried and answer specific comprehension questions such as whether Wemberly needed to be worried and what can be learned from her. Students complete the "Characters Change" activity by describing how Wemberly was at the beginning and at the end and by answering "Wemberly changed because...," which requires recalling story details. Adult guidance is specified in the introduction and reading prompts, asking an adult to discuss the story and ask follow-up questions as students respond.
Lesson 3
Is It a Problem?
Students are asked four explicit comprehension questions after reading What Do You Do With a Problem? that require them to recall story details (how the problem is illustrated, how it grows, how the boy handles it, and the lesson learned). Students are directed to look through the book to examine how the illustrations of the problem progress and then illustrate the problem at different points, which requires gathering information from the provided source. In Activity 2 students brainstorm problems from their own lives and, with adult assistance, describe the problem, explain why it worries them, identify what is within/out of their control, and list steps to tackle it—all actions that require recalling information from experience and responding to guided prompts.
Lesson 4
Comparing Characters
Students use Venn diagrams to compare and contrast characters (Chrysanthemum, Wemberly, and the boy), writing similarities and differences based on personalities, situations, families, and illustrations. Students dictate three- or four-sentence summaries (beginning, middle, end) of each story while an adult records, recalling main points to answer summary prompts. Students match cause-and-effect pairs drawn from the unit stories, write their own cause/effect example, and answer direct questions such as "How are the characters' situations similar?" and "What can we learn from both characters?". Instructions explicitly direct an adult to show, tell, and record, indicating guided support during these tasks.
Lesson 5
The Raft
Adults are prompted to ask the child to share memories of time spent with grandparents (recalling personal experiences). Multiple guided comprehension questions after each reading (e.g., "Why does the boy not want to stay with his grandma?", "What does the boy find at the river?") require the child to gather information from the provided text to answer. The Story Elements activity directs the child to identify characters, settings, problems, and solutions from the four stories read, and the vocabulary/matching pages require using textual clues to choose definitions.
Lesson 6
Positive and Negative Change
Students are prompted to recall a personal change in Activity 3: they are asked to think about a time they changed, discuss whether the change was positive or negative, and then illustrate and dictate/write sentences describing the cause and effect. The lesson directs an adult to read a short character description twice and ask questions (Activity 2), prompting students to gather information from that provided text to decide how the character will change. Activity 1 asks students to identify cause-and-effect pairs from provided matching sheets and then to name examples from stories they read, which requires gathering information from provided sources.
Unit 3: A First Look at History - Change Over Time
Lesson 1
People and Families Change
Students put pictures of themselves in chronological order and discuss memories and the years events happened (Activity 1). Students gather and record height data from birth to present on a growth chart, then answer questions about when they were shortest/tallest and between which years they grew most or least (Activity 2). Students look through family scrapbooks and pictures, dictate observations about how the family changed, and complete the "Writing About Change" page with adult assistance (Activities 4 and 5).
Lesson 2
Understanding Time
Students are asked to recall personal experiences when prompted to name something that happened in the past, describe something happening now, and state a future desire. Students gather information from provided sources when they look at a calendar to determine today/yesterday/tomorrow and when they read pages from Telling Time and use the "Measuring Time" cutouts to order units. The teacher/adult is instructed to ask guided questions (e.g., "Were you born in the past, present, or future?" and ordering-year activities) that require students to answer based on recalled experiences or information from the texts and calendar.
Lesson 3
Communities Change
Students are asked factual questions after reading The House on Maple Street (Activity 1) such as where the story happened, who the characters are, and how the environment changed, requiring them to recall details from the book. In Activity 2 and the timeline worksheets, students gather information from the text/pictures and place events in chronological order by numbering and pasting events. In Activities 3, 4, and 6 students identify communities, circle animals from the story, and pick out artifacts from the illustrations, using provided sources (the book and activity pages) to answer targeted questions and complete tasks.
Lesson 4
Past and Present
Students are asked to recall books they have read and to compare how lives in those books differ from today (Getting Started review). Students use the provided source The Usborne Time Traveler to place time periods on a timeline, to find details about Ancient Egypt, Rome, and Medieval Europe, and to order images of homes/transportation/clothing from earliest to most recent (Activities 1, 2, and 5). Students listen to sections read aloud, dictate five clues about a chosen time period based on that reading, and answer guided questions about how people dressed, lived, and traveled (Activities 3 and 7).
Lesson 5
Exploring the Past
Students are asked to recall the three time periods from the book The Usborne Time Traveler, prompting memory of prior experiences. Students gather information by looking through specific book pages on homes, clothes, food, and transport, then draw and write or dictate descriptions from those provided sources. Students cut out pictures and place them on a timeline and write one sentence about each element of culture for a chosen culture, then present their book to the family with adult help.
Lesson 6
Predicting Future Change
Students are asked to recall personal changes in Activity 3 ("A Change in Me") by dictating a description, drawing before/after pictures, and attempting to read what they dictated. In Activity 1 students read the provided "What Will Happen?" scenarios and answer questions predicting how each change will affect the future, gathering information from those provided sources. The teacher/parent is instructed to prompt, ask follow-up questions, record student ideas, and support sentence-writing in Activity 2 and Activity 4, showing adult guidance during the tasks.
Lesson 7
People of the Past
In Activity 1 students select and read a simple biography and answer guided questions such as "Did this person live in the past?" and "What did this person do to make a positive change?" In Activity 2 students read the "People in History" descriptions, cut the squares apart, place them in chronological order, and point to the individual described, using the provided text to respond. Activity 3 asks students to recall a personal example of making a positive change, and Activity 4 asks students to write a sentence about a historical person they learned about.
Final Project
My Past, Present and Future
Students complete multiple activity pages that prompt them to recall personal experiences (e.g., "I was different because...", "In the past I did...", "My family was different in the past because...") and write or draw past and present details. For the comparative option, students choose elements of culture and write or dictate sentences labeled "In the past __________" and "Today __________," with an explicit suggestion to use The Usborne Time Traveler as a provided source. Adult support is specified (e.g., "If necessary, help her when she writes the sentences", opportunities for dictation, and wrapping-up questions) to guide recall and information gathering.
6: Reading
Unit 1: Semester 1
Lesson 1
Letter Sounds Review I
Students are asked to watch a linked video and then recall objects from the video that begin with the short /a/ sound (Activity 1.2). Students point to letters and count occurrences of sight words in the Weekly Message to answer questions such as "How many times is 'and' in the message?" (Activity 3.1). Students use spoken clues to write and say specific words (Guess My Word, Activity 5.4) and are encouraged to look for objects in their environment that begin with target sounds (Life Application).
Lesson 2
Letter Sounds Review II
Students are asked to watch a provided video and answer questions such as "What sound does short i make?" and "What words did the video show that have short i?", which requires gathering information from a provided source. Students are asked to reread the Weekly Message and find/count letters and sight words (e.g., "Can you find any of your sight words in the message?"), which requires locating information in a provided text. Students are prompted to recall prior learning when asked, "Which of the words from last week's lesson can you spell now?", and to explain reasoning after reading (e.g., whether the pig and the cat can fit in the box).
Lesson 3
Letter Sounds Review III
Students are asked to read the Weekly Message and answer, "Based on the hint, what vowel do you think you're going to work with this week?" (Activity 1.1), requiring them to gather information from the printed message. After reading the reader The Bug, students are asked literal comprehension questions (e.g., "What is the bug able to do?", "Why can't he do that?"), requiring them to recall information from the text (Activity 5.2). In Activity 5.3 (What's Missing?), students use picture cues and sentence context to write missing words and then read the completed sentences, which has them gather information from provided visual sources. The Life Application suggests students look for words in the environment, prompting them to gather information from real-world sources with adult support.
Lesson 4
Letter Sounds Review IV
Students are asked to answer comprehension questions after reading The Cat, the Pig, the Dog, and the Fox (e.g., "Why are the dog and the fox napping?"), requiring them to recall story events. Students examine the Weekly Message to count sentences by looking for end marks and to find and read known words, gathering information from the printed message. Students use letter cards to make words and play "I Spy" to find items that begin with specific sounds, gathering information from provided materials and their environment to respond.
Lesson 5
Adding s, More Word Families, Ending with ck
Students read the Weekly Message aloud, point to words they can read, and answer specific questions about punctuation (What does a period do? How many sentences does this message have?). Students use letter and word-building cards and solve the Guess My Word clues by gathering phonics clues to write and say each target word. Students read the reader Ducks Are Fun and answer a comprehension question (Which duck do you think is having the most fun? Why?), using the text and pictures to support their answer.
Lesson 6
Open Syllables and Digraph th
Students read and respond to the Weekly Message and are asked questions such as whether words end with the same sound (Activity 1.1) and to point to words they know. Students read pairs of words and answer guided questions about similarities and endings (Activity 1.2) to determine whether words rhyme. Students read the reader This Is... and answer comprehension questions (Activity 5.2) and put mixed-up words into correct sentence order while answering prompts about capitalization (Activity 5.1).
Lesson 7
Consonant Digraphs ch, sh, wh, ph
Students are asked to find and point to words and digraphs in the Weekly Message (Activity 1.1) and to identify digraphs in sight words (Activity 1.3), which requires gathering information from a provided text. In Activity 3.3 students read the book They Get Wet and answer specific questions about where the ship is and why characters are wet, requiring recall of information from the reader with adult prompting. In Activities 4.1 and 5.2 students sort words by digraphs and find sight words in a word-search, gathering information from provided pages and then answering by placing or circling words.
Lesson 8
Blends with s
Activity 4.3 has students read Meg and Dan and the Sled and answer comprehension questions (e.g., why they fell off the sled; why they stop for a snack), requiring them to recall information from the reader. Activity 1.1 asks students to point to and read words in the Weekly Message and to underline or highlight sight words and letter patterns, which requires gathering information from a provided text. Activity 4.1 (Guess My Word) gives oral clues that students use, with adult prompting, to write and say target words, showing students gather and use provided clues to produce answers.
Lesson 9
Blends with l
Students read provided texts (Weekly Message #9 and Reader #9 — The Club) and are asked specific questions about details in those texts (e.g., "What color are the flags...?", "What do the kids do at the club?"). Students gather information from printed materials and pictures to complete tasks (circle punctuation, highlight digraphs, fill in blanks using picture cues) and to sort and name pictures by beginning blends. Students are prompted to explain word meanings and use sight words in sentences (explaining difference between "have" and "had" and using them in sentences).
Lesson 10
Blends with r
In Activity 4.2 students read the reader One Can and then answer direct comprehension questions such as "Where are the ducks swimming to?" and "What are the kids running on?," requiring them to gather information from the provided text. The same activity asks a personal question ("Which of these things are you best at -- hopping, swimming or running?") that asks students to recall information from their own experiences. The lesson directs an adult to support reading and questioning (students read on their own and then aloud to an adult), providing guided support while answering.
Lesson 11
Ending Blends
On Day 4 (Activity 4.2) students read the reader At Camp on their own and then read it aloud to an adult, after which the adult asks explicit comprehension questions such as "What do the kids do at camp?" and "What are the kids hunting for?" The activity also asks a personal-experience question: "What do you think your favorite camp activity would be?" These tasks require students, with adult guidance, to recall information from the provided text and to draw on personal experience to answer a question.
Lesson 12
Double ll, ss, ff, zz (FLOSS)
In Activity 4.3 students read the reader Huff and Puff and are asked explicit questions (e.g., "What insects are shown in the book?" and "Why is everyone huffing and puffing?"), requiring them to recall information from the text to answer. In Activity 1.1 students re-read the Weekly Message, point to known words, circle end marks, and underline sight words and digraphs — tasks that have students gather information from a provided written source with adult support. In Activity 5.1 students search a word-search grid to find and then read aloud specified sight words, gathering information from the provided page to respond to the task.
Lesson 13
Glued Sounds ng and nk
Students read Reader #13 (King Hank) and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., Where do the king and his friends sleep? What color drinks do they drink?), requiring them to recall details from the text. Students are asked to revisit Weekly Message #13 and find words that end with ng or nk, gathering information from the provided message to respond. Several activities (Fill in the Blanks with pictures, Word Families sorting, and sight-word review) ask students to use provided text or images and adult prompts to supply missing letters or categorize words.
Lesson 14
Three-Letter Beginning Blends
In Activity 4.3 students read Spring Has Sprung! and then answer explicit comprehension questions (e.g., "What do the kids do at the track?"; "What do the kids do at the pond?"), requiring them to gather information from the provided reader to answer questions. The Wrapping Up and Life Application prompts ask students to share new words they can spell and to describe things they like to do in spring, asking them to recall experiences or recent learning with adult prompting. Multiple activities instruct an adult to ask questions, prompt responses, and help as needed, indicating guided support while students recall or retrieve information.
Lesson 15
More Ending Blends
On Day 5 (Activity 5.2) students read The Raft Trip independently and then answer specific comprehension questions posed by an adult (e.g., "What animals are on the bank of the river?", "Which animals nap on the raft?"). The lesson instructs an adult to read with or listen to the child and to ask these questions after reading, providing guidance and support. Several activities also direct the adult to prompt, help, or ask the child to read and point to words, showing adult-supported information gathering from provided texts.
Lesson 16
R-Controlled Vowels (ar)
Students are asked to read the decodable reader Which? When? What? and to "answer the question on each page as she reads it," which requires recalling or extracting information from the provided text (Day 4, Activity 4.2). After reading, students are asked follow-up questions such as "What else might you find in a barn on a farm?" that prompt them to recall information from experience or the text with adult guidance. The Wrapping Up activity asks students to find three words that show the Bossy R rule in the Weekly Message and to explain the rule in their own words, which has students gather information from the printed message to answer a question.
Lesson 17
Semester Review
Students read selected readers and then answer the question "Which of these readers is your favorite? Why?" and are asked to point to or name characters and describe what the characters do (Activity 4.1). Students listen to sentences read aloud and point to the correct sight word card and later underline "there" or "their" in sentences, using information from provided sentences to choose the correct word (Activity 1.3). Students page through their Word Collection folder, identify pages and specific words they struggle with, and read or select words from those pages, recalling prior learning and experiences (Activities 2.1 and 3.1).
Unit 2: Semester 2
Lesson 1
Long Vowels a and i with Silent e
Students read the reader "In the Fall" and then answer explicit comprehension questions (e.g., "What are some of the things that Lin and Dev like to do in the fall?") after reading (Activity 5.1). In Wrapping Up students are asked to point to and highlight words in the Weekly Message that contain long a or long i and to share long a and long i words they now know how to spell and read. Activity 1.1 also directs students to point to and read words in the Weekly Message, gathering information from that provided text to participate.
Lesson 2
Long Vowels o, u, and e with Silent e
Students read the reader They Chose To Doze and are asked specific comprehension questions such as "What did the family do on their trip?" and "Who fell off of the mule?" which require recalling information from the text. In Activity 4.2 students search the word-search grid, find sight words, and then are asked to point out which found words have long vowel sounds, gathering information from the provided page. In Activity 1.1 students point to words in the Weekly Message and answer why "Tim" is capitalized, demonstrating retrieval of information from the written message.
Lesson 3
Hard and Soft c and g
Students read the reader These Mice and answer direct comprehension questions that require recalling details (e.g., what the mice use for beds; what they sit on to eat cake). Students examine word lists and are asked explicit questions such as "What do you notice about the sound of c in these words?" after highlighting the letter that follows c or g. Students sort words into hard/soft c and g columns and use the letters that follow the consonants as evidence to decide and answer which sound is present. Students are encouraged to look for words in their environment and decide whether c or g is hard or soft, gathering information from real-world sources.
Lesson 4
More R-Controlled Vowels (er, ir, or, ur)
Activity 5.2 instructs the adult to have the child read The Bird Is Third and then asks specific comprehension questions (e.g., "Who won the race?" "Which animal came in last?" "Who did you think would win? Why?"), which requires the child to recall information from the provided story to answer. Activity 1.1 has the child point to and read words in the Weekly Message and add words to a group, asking him to notice features of the message, which has the child gather information from a provided text. Activity 5.1 asks the child to name pictures and complete blanks using listed vowel pairs and to use the Activity 3.1 page for support, which asks the child to use a provided source to determine correct answers.
Lesson 5
Long a Spellings ai, ay
Students are asked in Activity 1.1 to point to and read words in the Weekly Message and to identify words that meet specific criteria (two words with Bossy R, a word with long u made by silent e, and four two-syllable words). In Activity 5.1 students read The Gray Day and answer explicit comprehension questions about details in the story (e.g., what the boys play with, what animal they see). In Activities 2.1 and 3.1 students are asked questions about which letters make the long a sound and which vowel says its name, using sight-word and word-building cards as sources to answer those questions.
Lesson 6
Long e Spellings ee, ey, ea
On Day 5 students read the reader What Do You Eat? and are asked explicit comprehension questions (e.g., "What does the worm eat?" and "How many beans are the birds eating?") that require recalling information from the provided text. The Life Application activity has students play "I Spy" using long vowel sounds, asking them to identify items in their environment and thus gather information from experience to answer a prompt. Multiple activities (guided questioning, reader-based questions, and prompted environmental recall) show adults supporting students as they answer questions based on sources or experience.
Lesson 7
Long i Spellings y, igh, ie
Students read The Dark Night and then answer comprehension questions (e.g., "What do Tom and Val see in the sky?" and "What do Tom and Val dream about?"), recalling information from the story. Students complete a Sight Word Search and then identify and group words with long vowel sounds, gathering information from the provided word list and puzzle. Students use a Word Bank to fill in blanks in sentences, selecting words that make the sentences make sense, and students are prompted to explain long-i spellings to a family member, recalling lesson information with adult support.
Lesson 8
Long o Spellings ow, oa, oe
Students read The Slow Boat and then answer specific factual questions (e.g., How many boats are in the race? What color is the boat that wins?) in Activity 5.1, demonstrating recall from their reading. In Activity 2.1, students use the provided "Long o" word page and highlighters to identify which letter combinations make the long o sound, gathering information from a supplied source. In the Wrapping Up activity, students reread the Weekly Message and are asked to point to and name long o words, using the message as a source to answer questions about word features.
Lesson 9
Long u Spellings ue, ew, ou
Students read the reader Would You Eat It? and answer specific comprehension questions about what Tom adds to the stew and what color Val adds, requiring recall of details from their reading. Students are asked to watch two linked videos and told to watch for different spellings of long u, gathering information from a provided multimedia source. Students complete Fill in the Blanks and Word Sorting activities using a word bank and sentence contexts to choose words that make sentences make sense, which requires gathering information from provided text and word lists.
Lesson 10
Other Long Vowel Patterns
The lesson explicitly asks the child to read The Wild Colt and then answer comprehension questions (Day 5 Activity 5.1) that require recalling details from the text (e.g., why the colt is hard to find; how the man stops the colt from bolting). Activity 1.1 has the child point to and identify long-vowel words in the Weekly Message, gathering information from that provided source. Activity 3.3 (Fill in the Blanks) requires the child to read sentences and select appropriate words from a provided Word Bank to complete each sentence, demonstrating information-gathering from provided materials. Multiple activities instruct an adult to provide support and prompts while the child responds.
Lesson 11
Long Vowel Sounds Review
Students are asked to look back through their work from Lessons 1–10 and read words in their Word Collection to develop recall of different long vowel spellings. Students reread provided readers (e.g., Reader #1, #5, #6, #9) and search for long-vowel words, writing them on a laminated sheet and then reading them aloud. Students are prompted to point to or identify long-vowel words in the Weekly Message and sight word cards and to state which letters make the vowel sound (e.g., ask "Which of these words have long vowel sounds?" and "tell you which letters in the word are making the long e sound").
Lesson 12
Other Vowel Sounds oi, oy
Day 2 Activity 2.1 asks students to watch a specified video and then recall words from the video to place under "oi" and "oy" columns, and asks questions about where the blends occur in words. Multiple activities (Weekly Message, Sight Word Search, Word Sorting, and Wrapping Up) ask students to point to, read, and identify words with the target sounds from printed passages and activity pages. Day 5 reading and comprehension questions ask students to recall details from the reader (e.g., the sound the toy makes) and Activity 4.1 asks students to make and read sentences using provided words, all with instructed adult prompts and support.
Lesson 13
Other Vowel Sounds ou, ow
Students are asked comprehension questions after reading The Hound and the Owl (Activity 5.1) such as "What does the hound do during the day?" and "Why do you think the hound howls at the owl?", requiring them to recall information from the text with adult prompting. In Activity 2.1 and 2.2 students read word lists and sort words into groups and are asked to explain their groupings and to answer "Where do you find ou and ow in words?", which requires gathering information from provided word lists and sorting pages. The wrapping-up task asks students to point to /ou/ words in the Weekly Message and explain in their own words when to use ou versus ow, prompting them to gather and recall information from provided sources.
Lesson 14
Other Vowel Sounds aw, au
Students are asked to read The Pups and then answer specific questions (e.g., "Where do the pups sleep?" and "What are some of the things the puppies in the story do?"), which requires recalling information from a provided text. During word-sorting activities (Activity 2.1 and 2.2) students read provided word lists, compare spellings, and respond to prompts such as "What do you notice about all of these words?" and "Does au come at the end of any of these words?", gathering evidence from the materials to answer. Multiple activities instruct an adult to prompt, read aloud, or ask follow-up questions, providing the guidance and support described in the standard.
Lesson 15
These Make More Than One Sound: oo and ea
Students read The Bad Bear and then answer direct comprehension questions (Activity 5.1 asks "What are some of the naughty things the bear does?" and "What happens when the bear's mom finds her?"), requiring recall from that reading experience. Students watch provided videos and name/sort pictures by vowel sound (Activities 1.2 and 3.1), gathering information from those sources to place words into sound-based groups. The Wrapping Up section asks students to identify which words show particular oo/ea sounds, which asks them to recall information from the week's activities and resources to answer specific questions.
Lesson 16
Silent Starts: kn, wr, gn
Students are asked in Weekly Message #16 to list things they have learned about reading words, which requires recalling prior experiences. In Activity 1.2 and Day 2 Activity 2.1 students predict pronunciations and examine the words and images (gnome, know) to notice that the initial letter is silent, gathering information from the word and picture. In Day 5 Reader #16 students read The Gnats and then answer explicit comprehension questions (e.g., what do the gnats do at the picnic?), requiring them to gather information from the provided text to answer questions.
Lesson 17
Year-End Review
Students are asked in Activity 1.2 (Which Words?) to read a provided word list and then answer specific questions by finding words that match categories (e.g., which words have soft c or g, which words rhyme with "gold"). Activity 2.1 (Word Sorting) and the Long Vowel Sounds Sorting pages require students to gather words from provided pages and sort them by vowel sound to respond to the sorting task. Activity 4.1 (Sight Word Search) asks students to locate and read listed sight words in a word-search grid, and the Wrapping Up section asks students to talk about favorite activities from the year, prompting recall of experiences.