Reading & Comprehension (Grades 1-5)

The big picture

Welcome, reader! Today we learn what reading really is. Reading turns little marks on a page into stories and facts. That is like magic, and you can do it!

In this lesson you will learn the two jobs your brain does when you read. You will also learn why reading is fun and helpful every single day.

What is reading?

Reading means turning letters and words into ideas in your mind. Your eyes see the letters. Your brain turns them into words. The words make a picture or a thought.

Try this. Read these words out loud: The cat is red. Did you see a red cat in your mind? That picture means you understood. That is reading working!

Key idea: Reading is turning words into meaning in your head.

Your brain does two jobs

When you read, your brain does two jobs at the same time.

The first job is to decode. To decode means to turn the letters into sounds and read the word. For the word dog, you say the sounds /d/ /o/ /g/ and blend them into "dog."

The second job is comprehension. Comprehension is a big word that just means understanding. It means you know what the words are telling you. When you read "dog" and think of a furry pet that barks, that is comprehension.

• Decode gets the words off the page.
• Comprehension makes the words make sense.

Key idea: Good reading needs both jobs: read the words and understand them.

A bike with two wheels

Think of reading like a bike with two wheels. One wheel is decoding. One wheel is comprehension. You need both wheels to ride.

If you say every word but do not understand it, one wheel is missing. If you understand but cannot sound out the words, the other wheel is missing. This whole class helps both wheels spin together.

Key idea: Reading rolls smoothly when both wheels work.

Make a movie in your mind

Good readers make a little movie in their mind as they read. Read this short story slowly:

The happy dog ran to the park. It chased a big red ball. Then it rolled in the grass.

Did you see the dog run? Did you see the red ball? Every word added something to your movie. That is comprehension. The more you picture, the more you understand.

Key idea: Picturing the words in your mind helps you understand.

So many kinds of books

Books come in many kinds. Here are a few:

• Fiction is a made-up story with pretend people or animals.
• Nonfiction is a true book about real things, like sharks or space.
• Some books are funny. Some are cozy. Some are exciting.

There is a book for every mood. When you want to laugh, there is a funny book. When you wonder about bugs, there is a bug book waiting for you.

Key idea: There is a book out there just right for you.

Reading is everywhere

You read all day, even without a book! You read the cereal box at breakfast. You read STOP and EXIT signs. You read the name of your favorite show.

Reading is a superpower you carry everywhere. The more you read, the more of the world you can enjoy.

Key idea: Reading helps you everywhere you go.

The secret to getting better

Here is a happy secret. The way to get better at reading is to read a little every day and to read things you like.

You do not have to be perfect. When you get stuck on a word, that is okay. We will learn tricks for that. Reading is like riding a bike. It feels wobbly at first, and then one day it clicks!

Key idea: A little reading each day makes you a strong reader.

Watch a reader think

Let me read one sentence out loud and tell you what happens in my head. Good readers do this thinking all the time. They just do it quietly.

The sentence is: Nina tiptoed past the sleeping cat.

• First I decode. Tip-toed. I chop it up and blend it back together.
• Then I picture it. I see a girl walking very slowly on her toes.
• Then I wonder. Why is she tiptoeing? Probably so she does not wake the cat.
• Then I check. Does my picture match the words? Yes, there is a sleeping cat right there.

That whole chain took me about two seconds. Yours will get that fast too, with practice.

Key idea: Good readers decode, picture, wonder, and check, all at once.

When one wheel is missing

Here are two readers with the same sentence: The plumber fixed the leaking faucet.

Reader A says every word perfectly, but she has never heard the words plumber or faucet. She read it, and she still does not know what happened. Her decoding wheel is strong and her comprehension wheel is flat.

Reader B knows exactly what a plumber does, but he trips on the letters and reads The plumper fixed the leaking forest. Now the sentence makes no sense. His comprehension wheel is fine, but his decoding wheel is flat.

Both readers need help, and they need different help. That is why this course works on both wheels.

Here is a check you can do yourself. After you read a page, close the book and say one sentence about what happened. If you cannot, go back and read it again, more slowly.

Key idea: If you cannot say what happened, one of your wheels needs attention.

Build your reading habit

Reading grows the way a plant grows: a little water every day, not a flood once a month.

Try this simple plan.

• Pick a time you will read every day. Right before bed works well for many kids.
• Start with 10 minutes. That is shorter than one cartoon.
• Choose books you actually like. Comics, joke books, and animal facts all count.
• Keep a list of what you finish. Watching that list grow feels wonderful.

Ten minutes a day adds up to more than an hour a week, and about 60 hours in a year. That is a huge amount of practice for a very small daily effort.

Key idea: Ten minutes a day beats one long session once in a while.

Watch out for

• Thinking reading is only saying the words. Understanding matters too.
• Feeling sad when you get stuck. Every reader gets stuck sometimes. That is normal.
• Rushing so fast that you forget to picture the story.
• Choosing books that are far too hard, so reading stops being fun.
• Reading only one kind of book. Try many kinds and find your favorites.

Recap

• Reading turns letters into meaning in your mind.
• Your brain decodes (reads the words) and comprehends (understands them).
• Reading is like a bike with two wheels: both must turn.
• Making a movie in your mind helps you understand.
• After a page, say one sentence about what happened, to check yourself.
• Read a little every day, and have fun.

Sources

1. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Comprehension. Reading 101. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
2. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Print awareness: An introduction. Reading 101. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
3. Foorman, B., Beyler, N., Borradaile, K., Coyne, M., Denton, C. A., Dimino, J., Furgeson, J., Hayes, L., Henke, J., Justice, L., Keating, B., Lewis, W., Sattar, S., Streke, A., Wagner, R., & Wissel, S. (2016). Foundational skills to support reading for understanding in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2016-4008). What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide. Institute of Education Sciences. ies.ed.gov
4. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Reading: Foundational skills, Grade 1. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. thecorestandards.org
5. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read. National Institutes of Health. nichd.nih.gov
6. National Center on Improving Literacy. (n.d.). Learning to read and write. NCIL. U.S. Department of Education. improvingliteracy.org
7. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Shared reading. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org

The big picture

Today we learn to sound out words! We will turn letters into sounds and push the sounds together to make words.

This is a super power. Once you can sound out words, you can read words you have never seen before. That is so exciting!

Sounds are the building blocks

Every word is made of little sounds. Matching letters to sounds is called phonics. For example, the letter b makes the sound /b/, like in bat.

The tiniest sound in a word is called a phoneme. That is a fancy word for one small sound. The word cat has three sounds: /k/ /a/ /t/.

If you can hear the sounds in a word, you can match them to letters and read it.

Key idea: Words are made of small sounds, and letters spell those sounds.

Blending sounds into words

When you push sounds together to say a whole word, that is called blending. Blending is like being a word chef. You mix sound bits into one tasty word!

Take the word cat. Say each sound slowly: /k/ ... /a/ ... /t/. Now say them faster and let them slide together: "cat." You blended!

Try these. Say the sounds slow, then blend them fast:

• s - u - n blends into "sun"
• m - a - p blends into "map"
• d - o - g blends into "dog"
• p - i - g blends into "pig"

Key idea: Blending means sliding the sounds together to say the word.

The vowels

Five special letters are the vowels: a, e, i, o, u. Every word needs at least one vowel.

In short words, vowels often make their short sound:

• a as in cat
• e as in bed
• i as in pig
• o as in dog
• u as in sun

Vowels are the sounds you can sing. Try to sing /t/. You cannot hold it. Now sing /a/ or /o/. You can hold those! That is what makes them vowels.

Key idea: Every word needs a vowel, and vowels are the sounds you can sing.

Word families are your friends

A word family is a group of words that end the same way. Here is the -at family: cat, hat, bat, sat, mat, rat.

Once you can read one, you can read them all! Just change the first sound. The ending stays the same.

Learning one family ending helps you read many words at once. That is a big shortcut!

Key idea: Learn a word family ending once, and read a whole family of words.

Digraphs: two letters, one sound

Sometimes two letters team up to make one sound. This team is called a digraph.

The most common ones are:

• sh as in ship and fish
• ch as in chin and lunch
• th as in this and bath
• wh as in when and wheel

When you see a digraph, do not say each letter alone. The two letters make just one sound. So ship is /sh/ /i/ /p/, only three sounds.

Key idea: A digraph is two letters that make one sound together.

Chop long words into chunks

When a word is long, chop it into little chunks. Then blend the chunks.

• "sunset" is sun + set
• "napkin" is nap + kin
• "basket" is bas + ket

Each chunk with one vowel sound is called a syllable. A syllable is a beat in a word. Clap the word cat-er-pil-lar. That is 4 beats, so 4 syllables!

Clap once for each vowel sound to count syllables. Sun-set is 2 claps. But-ter-fly is 3 claps.

Key idea: Chop long words into syllables, sound out each one, then blend.

Tap the sounds on your fingers

Here is a trick that helps a lot. Use your fingers to hold the sounds while you blend.

1. Hold up your hand. For each sound in the word, tap one finger against your thumb.
2. Say the sounds slowly as you tap: /f/ /i/ /sh/. That is three taps.
3. Now sweep your thumb across all three fingers and say the whole word: fish.

The tapping gives each sound its own spot, so none of them get lost. The sweep tells your mouth to slide them together.

Try tapping these: shop (three taps), flag (four taps), bench (four taps, because ch is one sound).

Key idea: Tap one finger per sound, then sweep to blend them into a word.

Where blending goes wrong

Almost every reader hits the same three bumps. Knowing them ahead of time makes them easy to fix.

Bump 1: guessing from the first letter. You see brown, say /b/, and guess bear. Fix it by reading all the way to the last letter before you say anything.

Bump 2: dropping the middle sound. You see flat and say fat. The l got skipped. Fix it by tapping the sounds, so the middle one gets its own finger.

Bump 3: adding uh to each sound. You say buh-a-tuh instead of /b/ /a/ /t/. Those extra uh sounds get in the way of blending. Keep each sound short and clean.

None of these mean anything is wrong with you. They are just the normal bumps on the road.

Key idea: Read to the last letter, tap every sound, and keep sounds clean without uh.

Sound out these new words

Try each one. Say the sounds, then blend. Then check.

• shed: /sh/ /e/ /d/. Three sounds, four letters, because sh is a digraph.
• trunk: /t/ /r/ /u/ /n/ /k/. Five sounds. Do not lose the r.
• chimp: /ch/ /i/ /m/ /p/. Four sounds.
• splash: /s/ /p/ /l/ /a/ /sh/. Five sounds. Slow down at the start.
• rabbit: chop it first into rab and bit, then blend the chunks.

If one felt hard, do it again right away. The second try is almost always smoother, and that is your brain learning.

Key idea: Repeat a hard word right away, because the second try builds the memory.

Watch out for

• Saying each letter of a digraph alone. Remember, sh is one sound, not two.
• Forgetting the vowel. Every word needs one.
• Guessing a word from just the first letter and the picture.
• Blending too fast at first. Go slow, then speed up.
• Giving up on long words. Chop them into small chunks.

Recap

• Phonics means matching letters to sounds.
• Blending means sliding sounds together into a word.
• Every word needs a vowel: a, e, i, o, u.
• Word families share an ending, like cat, hat, bat.
• A digraph is two letters, one sound.
• Tap one finger per sound, then sweep to blend.
• Chop long words into syllables and blend the chunks.

Sources

1. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Phonics instruction: The basics. Reading 101. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
2. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Phonemic awareness: An introduction. Reading 101. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
3. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Blending and segmenting games. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
4. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Elkonin boxes. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
5. Foorman, B., Beyler, N., Borradaile, K., Coyne, M., Denton, C. A., Dimino, J., Furgeson, J., Hayes, L., Henke, J., Justice, L., Keating, B., Lewis, W., Sattar, S., Streke, A., Wagner, R., & Wissel, S. (2016). Foundational skills to support reading for understanding in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2016-4008). What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide. Institute of Education Sciences. ies.ed.gov
6. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Reading: Foundational skills, Grade 2. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. thecorestandards.org
7. Florida Center for Reading Research. (n.d.). Student center activities. FCRR. Florida State University. fcrr.org

The big picture

Today we learn about sight words. These are little words you see all the time, like the, and, and you.

When you know them by heart, reading gets so much faster and easier. That feels great!

What is a sight word?

Some words pop up in almost every book. Words like the, and, was, you, said, have, and they.

Because you see them so often, it helps to learn them by heart. A sight word is a word you know in a snap, without sounding it out. You just see it and know it.

Some people call them high-frequency words. That means words that show up very often.

Key idea: A sight word is a common word you read right away, by heart.

Why sight words matter so much

Here is a surprising fact. A small group of about one hundred words makes up around half of everything we read!

Think about that. Half the words on almost any page are the same little words. Words like the, of, and, a, to, in, is, you, that, it.

If you know those top words in a snap, then half of every page is already easy. Then you can save your sounding-out energy for the tricky new words.

Key idea: Knowing sight words makes half of every page easy.

Why not just sound them out?

Here is the tricky part. Some sight words do not follow the usual phonics rules.

• The word said looks like "say-id," but we say "sed."
• The word was looks like it should rhyme with "gas," but it sounds like "wuz."
• The word the does not sound the way a beginner would guess either.

So instead of fighting these words, we make friends with them. We learn them by sight. Think of them as friendly faces you wave hello to.

Key idea: Some sight words break the rules, so we learn them by heart.

See how many hide in one sentence

Read this sentence and hunt for the sight words: They said you have to come with us.

Count them with me: they, said, you, have, to, with, us. That is a lot of sight words in one short sentence!

When you know them by heart, sentences like this become smooth and easy.

Key idea: Sight words fill up nearly every sentence you read.

A little story to practice

Read this short story out loud. The sight words do most of the work:

"I have a big dog," said Sam. "You can play with him. He is a good dog, and he likes to run."

Words like I, have, a, said, you, with, is, and, to are all sight words. The more you read, the faster you will know them.

Key idea: The more you read, the more sight words you know.

How to practice sight words

A great trick is to keep a little stack of word cards. A flashcard is a card with one word on it. Flip through five each day.

Here are three fun ways to practice:

• Flash and say: Flip a card and say the word before you count to two. Fast is the goal.
• Word hunt: Pick one sight word, like the. Find every one on a page and point to it. You will be amazed how many there are!
• Build a sentence: Lay a few word cards in a row to make a silly sentence, like "You have my big red hat." Read it and giggle.

Little bits of practice add up fast. Five cards a day can help you learn dozens of words in a few weeks.

Key idea: A few cards a day makes sight words easy fast.

Your first 25 words

Here are 25 of the most common words in English. If you can read these in a snap, you have unlocked a big chunk of almost every page.

• the, of, and, a, to
• in, is, you, that, it
• he, was, for, on, are
• as, with, his, they, I
• at, be, this, have, from

Do not try to learn all 25 today. Take five at a time. When those five feel easy, take five more.

Keep the learned ones in a small pile and give them a quick flip once a week, so they stay fresh.

Key idea: Learn five sight words at a time, then keep reviewing the old ones.

Only part of the word is tricky

Here is something helpful that surprises people. Most sight words are not fully strange. Usually only one little part breaks the rules.

• In said, the s and the d behave normally. Only the ai is odd, because it says /e/.
• In have, everything is normal except the final e, which does not make the a say its name.
• In from, all the letters behave. It only feels tricky because the o sounds like /u/ when we say it quickly.
• In the, only the e is unusual.

Some teachers call these heart words, because you learn the odd part by heart while sounding out the rest as usual.

Try it. Look at said, underline the ai with your finger, and say: this part I just have to remember. The rest, you already know how to read.

Key idea: In most tricky words, only one small part has to be learned by heart.

Give yourself a speed check

Sight words are only working for you when they are fast.

Try this. Have a grown-up show you ten word cards, one at a time. You should say each one before they can count to two.

Sort them into two piles as you go.

• Snap pile: you said it instantly. These are truly sight words for you now.
• Slow pile: you had to think or sound it out. These need a few more days of practice.

Practice only the slow pile tomorrow. There is no reason to keep drilling words you already own.

A word that is slow today will be a snap next week. That is just how memory works.

Key idea: Sort words into snap and slow, and practice only the slow ones.

Watch out for

• Trying to sound out a word like said the normal way. Just know it by sight.
• Reading a sight word slowly. The goal is fast, like saying hello to a friend.
• Practicing too many cards at once. Five a day is plenty.
• Practicing words you already know, instead of the slow ones.
• Forgetting to read real books. Books are the best sight-word practice.

Recap

• A sight word is a common word you read in a snap.
• About 100 words make up half of what we read.
• Some sight words break the phonics rules, so we learn them by heart.
• Usually only one small part of a tricky word is odd.
• Practice with a few flashcards each day, and focus on your slow pile.
• Reading a lot helps you learn sight words fast.

Sources

1. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). A new model for teaching high-frequency words. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
2. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Phonics: Introduction. Reading 101. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
3. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Word walls. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
4. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Concept of word games. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
5. Foorman, B., Beyler, N., Borradaile, K., Coyne, M., Denton, C. A., Dimino, J., Furgeson, J., Hayes, L., Henke, J., Justice, L., Keating, B., Lewis, W., Sattar, S., Streke, A., Wagner, R., & Wissel, S. (2016). Foundational skills to support reading for understanding in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2016-4008). What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide. Institute of Education Sciences. ies.ed.gov
6. National Center on Improving Literacy. (n.d.). Alphabetic principle and phonics. NCIL. U.S. Department of Education. improvingliteracy.org
7. Florida Center for Reading Research. (n.d.). Student center activities. FCRR. Florida State University. fcrr.org

The big picture

Today we learn to read smoothly. Smooth reading sounds like talking, not like a bumpy robot.

When you read smoothly, stories are more fun and easier to understand. Let us practice!

What is fluency?

Have you heard someone read in a robot voice? "The... dog... ran... fast." That is hard to enjoy.

Fluency means reading smoothly and at a comfy speed, so the words flow like talking.

Key idea: Fluency means reading smoothly, like you are talking.

The three parts of fluency

Fluency is a team of three skills:

• Accuracy means reading the right words, not guessing or skipping. You cannot understand a sentence if you read the wrong words.
• Pace means a comfy speed. Not too slow, not too fast. A good pace is about the speed you talk.
• Expression means letting your voice show feeling. Your voice goes up for a question and sounds excited for a big moment.

Key idea: Fluency has three parts: accuracy, pace, and expression.

Why fluency helps you understand

Here is the big secret. Fluency is not just about sounding nice. It helps you understand better too!

Your brain can only do so much at once. If you use all your effort just sounding out words, you have no brainpower left to think about the story.

But when reading gets smooth, your brain is free to think about the meaning. So smooth on the outside frees up thinking on the inside.

Key idea: Smooth reading frees your brain to understand the story.

Smooth, not robot

Compare two ways to read the same sentence:

• Robot way: "The. Happy. Puppy. Wagged. Its. Tail."
• Smooth way: "The happy puppy wagged its tail."

The smooth way sounds like a person talking. It is much easier to understand.

The best trick for smoothness is to reread. To reread means to read it again. When you read a sentence a second or third time, it gets easier and smoother.

Rereading is not cheating. It is how readers get fluent!

Key idea: Reread a sentence, and it gets smoother each time.

Let the punctuation help you

Punctuation means the little marks in writing, like periods and commas. They are like road signs that tell your voice what to do.

• A period ( . ) means stop and take a small breath.
• A comma ( , ) means a tiny pause.
• A question mark ( ? ) makes your voice go up at the end.
• An exclamation point ( ! ) means say it with excitement.

Read these with the right feeling:

Where are you going? (voice goes up)
Watch out! (say it with energy)
I am tired, so I will rest. (small pause at the comma)

Key idea: Punctuation marks tell your voice when to stop, pause, or get excited.

Read in little groups

Do not read one ... word ... at ... a ... time. Read a little group of words together, then pause, then the next group.

Reading in groups, like this / instead of like / this, makes your voice sound natural.

Key idea: Reading words in little groups sounds smooth and natural.

Practice passage

Read this out loud, smoothly, and let your voice show the feelings:

"Look at the sky!" shouted Mia. "Is that a rainbow? It is so pretty. Let us go outside and see it before it fades."

Read it once. Then read it again, a little smoother. See how the second time feels easier? That is fluency growing!

Key idea: Reading out loud every day grows your fluency.

Where to put the pauses

Reading in groups sounds nice, but where exactly do the groups go? Here is a simple rule. Group the words that belong to one idea.

Look at this sentence: The old brown dog with the floppy ears slept under the porch.

Here is where I would break it: The old brown dog / with the floppy ears / slept under the porch.

Each chunk is one idea. Who? The old brown dog. Which one? With the floppy ears. Doing what? Slept under the porch.

Try marking the breaks in this one before you read it out loud: After the storm ended we ran outside to look for the rainbow.

Most readers break it as After the storm ended / we ran outside / to look for the rainbow.

Key idea: Pause between groups of words that belong to one idea.

Read it three times

Rereading works best when you have a plan for each pass. Pick a short piece, about four or five sentences.

1. Read one: just get the words right. Slow is fine. This pass is only for accuracy.
2. Read two: work on smoothness. Group the words and do not stop between them.
3. Read three: add expression. Be the characters. Let the punctuation move your voice.

By the third time it will sound like a real storyteller. Record yourself if you can, then listen back. Hearing your own reading is one of the fastest ways to improve.

Do not do this with a whole book. One short passage, three times, is plenty for a day.

Key idea: Read a short piece three times: for accuracy, then smoothness, then feeling.

Read like each character

Expression gets much easier when a story has people talking. Try this passage and give each speaker a different voice.

"I lost my shoe," whispered Ben. "Where did you last see it?" asked Mom. "Right here!" he shouted, pulling it out from under the couch.

Notice the clue words. Whispered means quiet. Asked means your voice lifts. Shouted means loud and excited.

Authors put those words there on purpose to tell your voice what to do. Reading them and ignoring them is like seeing a road sign and driving past it.

Key idea: Words like whispered and shouted tell your voice exactly how to sound.

Watch out for

• Reading in a flat robot voice. Let your voice show feeling.
• Racing too fast and tripping on words. A talking pace is best.
• Ignoring the punctuation. Stop at periods and pause at commas.
• Pausing in the middle of an idea, like after the word the.
• Thinking rereading is cheating. Rereading is how you get smooth.

Recap

• Fluency means reading smoothly, like talking.
• The three parts are accuracy, pace, and expression.
• Smooth reading helps your brain understand the story.
• Pause between groups of words that belong to one idea.
• Read a short piece three times: accuracy, smoothness, then feeling.
• Let punctuation and words like whispered guide your voice.

Sources

1. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Fluency: An introduction. Reading 101. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
2. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). What works in fluency instruction. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
3. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Timed repeated readings. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
4. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Reader's theater. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
5. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Partner reading. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
6. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Reading: Foundational skills, Grade 3. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. thecorestandards.org
7. National Center on Improving Literacy. (n.d.). Fluency with text and comprehension. NCIL. U.S. Department of Education. improvingliteracy.org

The big picture

Today we grow our word bank! Your word bank is all the words you know.

We will also learn to be word detectives. When you meet a new word, you can use clues to figure out what it means. That is fun!

What is vocabulary?

Your vocabulary is all the words you know. Your word bank is another name for it.

The bigger your word bank, the easier reading becomes. You meet fewer strangers on the page.

And here is the happy part. Reading grows your vocabulary for free. Every book teaches you new words!

Key idea: Vocabulary is all the words you know, and reading makes it bigger.

Why a big word bank matters

Words are like containers that carry ideas. The more words you know, the more ideas you can understand and share.

Picture two backpacks. One has only a few tools. The other is full of many tools. When a tricky job comes, the person with more tools can handle it.

Your vocabulary is your tool bank for understanding the world.

Key idea: More words means more ideas you can understand.

What to do when you meet a new word

When you hit a word you do not know, do not panic. Often the sentence gives you hints about the meaning.

These helpful hints are called context clues. The word "context" means the words and sentences around a word. Clues in those words help you guess the meaning.

It is like a puzzle. You can guess one puzzle piece from the pieces around it. You can guess a word from the words around it!

Key idea: Context clues are hints in the sentence that help you figure out a new word.

Be a word detective

Read this sentence: The path was so narrow that we had to walk one behind the other.

Maybe you do not know the word narrow. But the clue "walk one behind the other" tells you the path was very thin, not wide. So narrow means thin. You solved it!

Try another: Grandpa was famished after the long hike, so he ate two whole sandwiches.

The clue "ate two whole sandwiches" tells you famished means very, very hungry. Detective work done! You did not even need a dictionary.

Key idea: Look for clues in the sentence to solve a new word.

Kinds of clues to look for

Clues like to hide in a few places. Here are the main kinds:

• Meaning right there: "A cub, which is a baby bear, followed its mother." The sentence tells you a cub is a baby bear.
• An example: "She loves citrus fruit, like oranges and lemons." The examples show citrus fruit is fruit like oranges and lemons.
• An opposite: "The room was not messy. It was spotless." The words "not messy" tell you spotless means very clean.
• A picture clue: The picture on the page can show what a new word means.

Key idea: Clues can be a meaning, an example, an opposite, or a picture.

Word parts can help too

Sometimes you can crack a word by looking at its parts. A prefix is a little part added to the front of a word that changes its meaning.

• un- means "not." So unhappy means not happy, and unlock means to make not locked.
• re- means "again." So redo means do again, and reread means read again.
• -ful at the end means "full of." So joyful means full of joy.

Knowing a few word parts is like having a secret decoder for many new words.

Key idea: A prefix like un- or re- gives you a clue to a word.

Keep a word bank

When you learn a new word, write it down with a simple meaning. Then try to use it that day.

Words you use become words you own! Say your new word at dinner or use it in a story.

And if the clues are not enough, you can always ask a grown-up or check a dictionary. A dictionary is a book that tells you what words mean.

Key idea: Write down new words and use them, and a dictionary can help too.

Try five detective cases

Read each sentence and guess the bold word from the clues. Then check my answer.

• The kitten was so timid that it hid whenever anyone came into the room. Timid means shy and easily scared. The clue is the hiding.
• She sprinted to the bus stop so she would not miss the bus. Sprinted means ran very fast. The clue is not wanting to miss the bus.
• The soup was bland, so Dad added salt and pepper. Bland means it had almost no flavor. The clue is adding seasoning.
• Unlike his generous sister, Marco never shared his snacks. Generous means willing to share. The clue is the word unlike.
• The old bridge was fragile, so only one person could cross at a time. Fragile means easily broken. The clue is the careful crossing rule.

Notice that you never needed a dictionary. The sentence handed you the meaning, if you slowed down enough to look.

Key idea: Reread the whole sentence before you decide a word is too hard.

When the clues are not enough

Sometimes there are no good clues. Then use this three-step plan.

1. Keep reading to the end of the paragraph. Often the next sentence explains it.
2. Check the word parts. Is there a prefix like un- or re-? Do you know a smaller word hiding inside?
3. Ask or look it up. A grown-up or a dictionary will settle it in seconds.

One more thing. If a word does not matter much to the story, you are allowed to keep reading without it. Save your stopping for words that seem important.

Key idea: Read on, check the parts, then ask, and skip words that do not matter much.

Watch out for

• Panicking at a new word. Look for clues first.
• Stopping at every hard word. Often the sentence tells you the meaning.
• Forgetting the picture. Pictures give great clues.
• Guessing from the first letter instead of reading the whole sentence.
• Learning a word and never using it. Use it, and it will stick.

Recap

• Vocabulary is all the words you know.
• Reading a lot grows your word bank.
• Context clues are hints in the sentence.
• Clues can be a meaning, an example, an opposite, or a picture.
• Prefixes like un- and re- help you crack new words.
• If clues fail, read on, check word parts, then ask or look it up.
• Write new words down and use them so they stick.

Sources

1. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Vocabulary: An introduction. Reading 101. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
2. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Five key principles for effective vocabulary instruction. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
3. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Choosing words to teach. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
4. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Word maps. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
5. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Semantic gradients. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
6. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Language, Grade 4, Standard 4. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. thecorestandards.org
7. National Center on Improving Literacy. (n.d.). Vocabulary development. NCIL. U.S. Department of Education. improvingliteracy.org

The big picture

Today we learn what a story or book is mostly about. That big point is called the main idea.

We will also find the little details that tell us more. This helps you understand everything you read!

Main idea and details

Every story and every true book is mostly about something. That big, most important point is the main idea.

The smaller pieces of information are the details. Details are little facts that tell you more about the main idea.

If a book were a tree, the main idea would be the trunk. The details would be the branches.

Key idea: The main idea is the big point, and details tell you more about it.

Topic versus main idea

Here is a helpful difference. The topic is the general subject. It is just a word or two, like "honeybees" or "recess."

The main idea is the full point the passage makes. It is a whole thought.

• Topic: honeybees
• Main idea: honeybees are busy helpers that do many jobs

See how the topic is short, but the main idea is a full idea?

Key idea: The topic is a word or two. The main idea is the whole point.

A helpful picture

Think of a table. The tabletop is the main idea. The legs are the details that hold it up.

Take away the legs, and the tabletop crashes down. In the same way, the details hold up the main idea.

Key idea: Details hold up the main idea, like legs hold up a table.

Find the main idea together

Read this short passage:

Honeybees are very busy helpers. They fly from flower to flower to gather sweet nectar. They carry pollen that helps plants make seeds. Bees also work together to make honey in their hive.

What is this mostly about? Not just one sentence, but the whole thing. It is mostly about how honeybees are busy helpers. That is the main idea!

Now here are the details:

• They gather nectar from flowers.
• They carry pollen that helps plants make seeds.
• They work together to make honey.

Each detail tells you a bit more about the main idea. The main idea is like an umbrella, and the details fit under it.

Key idea: Ask "What is the whole thing mostly about?" to find the main idea.

Where the main idea likes to hide

Sometimes the main idea is written right in one sentence. It is often the first sentence or the last one.

That sentence is called a topic sentence. It announces the point. In the bee passage, the first sentence is the topic sentence.

But watch out. Sometimes the author does not spell out the main idea in any one sentence. Then you have to be a detective and build it from the details.

Key idea: Check the first and last sentences for the main idea. If it is not there, build it from the details.

A trick that works

To summarize means to tell the most important parts in a few words. Here is a trick to find the main idea and summarize.

Ask yourself: "If I could tell someone about this in one sentence, what would I say?" That one sentence is usually the main idea.

Another trick is to imagine giving the passage a title. A good title in a few words holds the main idea. "Busy Bee Helpers" would be a great title for our passage!

Key idea: Sum it up in one sentence or a short title to find the main idea.

Build the main idea yourself

Here is a passage with no topic sentence. You have to build the main idea from the details.

Camels can go many days without a drink. Their long eyelashes keep sand out of their eyes. Their wide feet do not sink into soft sand. The fat in their hump gives them energy when food is hard to find.

Nowhere does it say the main idea. So let me think it through out loud.

• Detail one is about going without water. Detail two is about sand and eyes. Detail three is about walking on sand. Detail four is about food.
• What do all four have in common? They are all about surviving in a desert.
• So my main idea is: camels have special body parts that help them live in the desert.

Now check it. Does every detail fit under my main idea? Yes, all four do. That is how you know you built it right.

Key idea: When there is no topic sentence, ask what all the details have in common.

Find the one that does not fit

Details should all sit under the main idea. Read this and find the one that wandered off.

Rain is important for life on Earth. It gives plants the water they need to grow. It fills the rivers and lakes that animals drink from. My favorite color is blue. Farmers depend on rain for their crops.

Did you catch it? My favorite color is blue has nothing to do with why rain matters.

This is a useful check for your own reading. If a sentence does not fit under the main idea, either you have the main idea wrong, or that sentence is off topic.

Key idea: Every detail should fit under the main idea, like items under an umbrella.

Main idea and detail practice

For each pair below, say which one is the main idea and which is a detail.

• A: Volcanoes can be dangerous and amazing. B: Hot melted rock is called lava. A is the main idea, B is a detail.
• A: Some birds fly south in winter. B: Birds do many surprising things. B is the main idea, A is a detail.
• A: A firefighter's coat is heavy. B: Firefighters wear special gear to stay safe. B is the main idea, A is a detail.

Here is the test. A main idea is bigger and covers more. A detail is smaller and fits inside the main idea.

Key idea: The main idea is the bigger one, and the detail fits inside it.

Watch out for

• Picking just the topic word instead of the whole main idea.
• Choosing a small detail and calling it the main idea.
• Thinking the main idea is always the first sentence. Sometimes you must build it.
• Picking a main idea that only covers part of the passage.
• Forgetting to check that your main idea covers the whole passage.

Recap

• The main idea is what a passage is mostly about.
• Details are little facts that hold up the main idea.
• The topic is a word or two. The main idea is a full thought.
• A topic sentence often states the main idea at the start or end.
• If there is no topic sentence, ask what all the details have in common.
• Summarize in one sentence or a short title to find the main idea.

Sources

1. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Summarizing. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
2. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Paragraph shrinking. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
3. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Implementing the text structure strategy in your classroom. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
4. Shanahan, T., Callison, K., Carriere, C., Duke, N. K., Pearson, P. D., Schatschneider, C., & Torgesen, J. (2010). Improving reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2010-4038). What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide. Institute of Education Sciences. ies.ed.gov
5. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Reading: Informational text, Grade 2. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. thecorestandards.org
6. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Strategies that promote comprehension. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
7. National Council of Teachers of English. (n.d.). Strategy guides. ReadWriteThink. readwritethink.org

The big picture

Today we learn to put a story in order. What happened first? What happened next? What happened last?

When you know the order, you can retell the story. That shows you really understood it!

What is sequencing?

Stories happen in an order, one event after another. Understanding that order is called sequencing.

To retell means to say the story back in your own words. When you can put the events in order and say them back, you really understood the story!

Key idea: Sequencing means knowing what happens first, next, and last.

Why order matters

Order is not just a small thing. Order can change the whole meaning.

Think about getting dressed. First you put on your socks. Then your shoes. If you did it backwards, shoes then socks, it would not work!

Stories are the same. A seed cannot become a flower before it is planted. When you notice the order, the story makes sense.

Key idea: The right order makes a story make sense.

Order words are signposts

Some words tell you when things happen. These are called order words. They are like little signs along the story path.

Watch for these order words:

• first tells you the beginning
• next, then, after that tell you the middle
• before and later tell you when things happen
• last or finally tell you the end

Authors use these words on purpose to guide you. So it pays to notice them!

Key idea: Order words like first, next, and last show you the order.

Read and put it in order

Read this short story:

First, Leo woke up early. Next, he brushed his teeth and got dressed. Then he ate a big bowl of oatmeal. After that, he packed his backpack. Last, he walked to school with his sister.

Now let us list the events in order:

1. Leo woke up early.
2. He brushed his teeth and got dressed.
3. He ate oatmeal.
4. He packed his backpack.
5. He walked to school.

The order words made it easy! If someone said Leo walked to school before he woke up, you would know that is wrong.

Key idea: Order words help you list events in the right order.

Beginning, middle, and end

Even with no order words, every story has three big parts.

• The beginning sets things up and shows us the characters.
• The middle is where most of the action happens.
• The end wraps everything up.

When you retell, these three parts are your map. You do not need every tiny thing. Just get the beginning, middle, and end.

Key idea: Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

How to retell a story

A good retell is short and in your own words. You do not repeat every sentence. You hit the important parts in order.

A simple way to retell is: "In the beginning ... Then in the middle ... At the end ..."

Here is a retell of Leo's morning: "In the beginning, Leo woke up and got ready. In the middle, he ate and packed his bag. At the end, he walked to school with his sister."

Short, in order, and in your own words. That is a great retell!

Key idea: Retell the beginning, middle, and end in your own words.

Why retelling is powerful

Retelling proves you understood, and it helps you remember. When you say a story back, your brain has to organize it. That locks it into your memory.

Practice on a parent, a friend, or even a pet. The more you retell, the better you get!

Key idea: Retelling helps you remember and understand the story.

When there are no order words

Many stories do not hand you words like first and next. Then you have to work out the order from the events themselves.

Read this: The cake was cooling on the rack. Maya cracked two eggs into the bowl. She carried the finished cake to the party. The oven timer beeped.

Those four sentences are jumbled. Put them in real-life order by thinking about what has to happen before what.

1. Maya cracked two eggs into the bowl. You mix before you bake.
2. The oven timer beeped. Baking comes next.
3. The cake was cooling on the rack. Cooling comes after baking.
4. She carried the finished cake to the party. That is last.

The trick is to ask, could this happen before that one? A cake cannot cool before it bakes.

Key idea: When order words are missing, ask what has to happen before what.

Put these in order

Try three more. Number them yourself before you check.

• Planting a seed: the sprout pushes up, you water the soil, you dig a hole, you drop in the seed. Order: dig, drop in the seed, water, sprout pushes up.
• Riding the bus: the bus stops, you find a seat, you wait at the corner, you get off at school. Order: wait, bus stops, find a seat, get off at school.
• A thunderstorm: the rain starts, clouds gather, the sun comes back out, thunder rumbles. Order: clouds gather, thunder rumbles, rain starts, sun comes back out.

If you got one wrong, do not just fix it. Say out loud why the right order makes sense. That is where the learning happens.

Key idea: Saying why an order makes sense is more useful than just fixing it.

Retell with five fingers

Here is a retelling trick that fits in your hand. Hold up five fingers and touch one for each part.

1. Thumb: Who is the story about?
2. Pointer: Where and when did it happen?
3. Middle: What was the problem?
4. Ring: What happened because of it?
5. Pinky: How did it end?

Try it on a story you know. For the tale of the three little pigs: three pigs, in a forest with new houses, a wolf tried to blow the houses down, two houses fell, the brick house held and the pigs were safe.

Five fingers, five sentences, one complete retell. No book needed.

Key idea: Use five fingers for who, where, problem, what happened, and the ending.

Watch out for

• Telling events out of order. Use the order words to help.
• Retelling every single sentence. Keep it short.
• Forgetting the end. A good retell has a beginning, middle, and end.
• Leaving out the problem, which is usually the most important part.
• Reading the words but not using your own words to retell.

Recap

• Sequencing means putting events in order.
• Order words like first, next, then, and last are signposts.
• When order words are missing, ask what has to happen before what.
• Every story has a beginning, middle, and end.
• Retell with five fingers: who, where, problem, what happened, ending.
• Retelling helps you remember and understand.

Sources

1. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Story sequence. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
2. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Story maps. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
3. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Summarizing. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
4. Shanahan, T., Callison, K., Carriere, C., Duke, N. K., Pearson, P. D., Schatschneider, C., & Torgesen, J. (2010). Improving reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2010-4038). What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide. Institute of Education Sciences. ies.ed.gov
5. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Reading: Literature, Grade 2. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. thecorestandards.org
6. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Transition words. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
7. National Council of Teachers of English. (n.d.). Classroom resources: Lesson plans. ReadWriteThink. readwritethink.org

The big picture

Today we meet the characters in a story. Characters are the people, animals, or even toys that a story is about.

Getting to know them is one of the best parts of reading. You start to care what happens to them!

What is a character?

Every story has characters. A character is any person, animal, or even a talking toy that the story is about.

The characters are who things happen to. Getting to know them makes reading fun!

Key idea: A character is a person, animal, or thing the story is about.

Main characters and side characters

The most important character is the main character. This is the one the story mostly follows.

Other characters who show up to help are side characters. In many stories, the main character wants something or has a problem, and we cheer for them.

Knowing who the main character is helps you follow the story. The story is mostly about their journey.

Key idea: The main character is the one the story mostly follows.

What is a character like?

Authors do not always tell you straight out that a character is kind or brave. Often you notice it from what they say and do.

What a character is like on the inside is called a trait. A trait is a word like kind, brave, or shy. Traits are usually steady. A brave character tends to be brave in many parts of the story.

Read this and see what you learn about Nora:

Nora saw the new kid sitting alone at lunch. She walked right over, smiled, and said, "Do you want to sit with us?" Then she shared half of her cookie.

The story never uses the word "kind." But what do we know? Nora noticed someone alone, invited them over, and shared her food. So Nora is kind and friendly. We figured out her trait from what she did!

Key idea: A trait is what a character is like, and you learn it from what they say and do.

Actions and words are your clues

Here is a simple rule to figure out a character:

• Watch what they do.
• Listen to what they say.
• Notice how they treat others.

A character who shares and helps is probably kind. A character who yells and grabs is probably rude. A character who tries again after failing is probably brave.

Key idea: A character's actions and words tell you what they are like.

How characters feel

Characters also have feelings. Feelings are different from traits. A trait is steady, like kind or brave. A feeling can change from moment to moment, like happy now and scared later.

Read this: Ben's hands were shaking as he stepped on stage. But when the crowd clapped for his song, a huge smile spread across his face.

At first Ben feels nervous. His hands are shaking. By the end he feels happy and proud. He has a huge smile!

Noticing how a character feels helps you understand the story more deeply.

Key idea: Feelings can change during a story, and clues show you how a character feels.

Characters can change and grow

The best characters often change from the beginning to the end.

• A character who starts selfish might learn to share.
• A character who starts afraid might become brave.

When you finish a story, ask yourself: Was the main character different at the end than at the beginning? What did they learn?

Key idea: Good characters often grow and change by the end of a story.

Read the actions, not the labels

Authors almost never write she was kind. Instead they show you kindness happening, and you work it out. Watch me do it.

Ravi saw the new boy sitting alone at lunch. He picked up his tray, walked across the room, and sat down next to him. Want half my sandwich? he asked.

Nobody said Ravi was kind. So here is my thinking.

• He noticed someone alone. That means he pays attention to other people.
• He walked across the room. That took a bit of courage.
• He offered half his food. That is generous.

So I would say Ravi is kind, brave, and generous. And I can prove each one by pointing at a sentence.

That last part matters. A good answer about a character always comes with proof from the story.

Key idea: Name a trait, then point to the sentence that proves it.

Try it yourself

Read each little scene and name one trait. Then find your proof.

• Tess checked her answers three times before she handed the test in. Trait: careful. Proof: she checked three times.
• Even when his tower fell for the fifth time, Sam started building again. Trait: determined. Proof: he kept starting over.
• Nia grabbed the last cookie before anyone else could reach the plate. Trait: greedy, or maybe just very hungry. Proof: she grabbed it first.
• Marcus stayed up late finishing the poster for the whole group. Trait: responsible. Proof: he finished work for others.

Notice the third one. Two readers could disagree, and both could be right, as long as each points at the story for proof. That is how real readers talk about books.

Key idea: Readers can disagree about a character, as long as both use proof.

Watch out for

• Waiting for the author to say a trait. Often you must figure it out from actions.
• Mixing up traits and feelings. A trait is steady. A feeling can change.
• Naming a trait without proof from the story.
• Only watching the main character. Side characters matter too.
• Forgetting to ask how the character changed by the end.

Recap

• A character is a person, animal, or thing the story is about.
• The main character is the one the story mostly follows.
• A trait is what a character is like, learned from their actions and words.
• Always back up a trait with proof from the story.
• Feelings can change during the story.
• Good characters often change and grow by the end.

Sources

1. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Story maps. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
2. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Inferencing. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
3. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Think-alouds to build comprehension. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
4. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Reading: Literature, Grade 3. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. thecorestandards.org
5. Shanahan, T., Callison, K., Carriere, C., Duke, N. K., Pearson, P. D., Schatschneider, C., & Torgesen, J. (2010). Improving reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2010-4038). What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide. Institute of Education Sciences. ies.ed.gov
6. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Questioning the author. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
7. National Council of Teachers of English. (n.d.). Classroom resources: Lesson plans. ReadWriteThink. readwritethink.org

The big picture

Today we learn about the setting. The setting is where and when a story happens.

Finding the setting helps you picture the story in your mind, like a movie. That is fun!

What is the setting?

Every story happens somewhere and sometime. The place and time where a story happens is called the setting.

The setting answers two questions:

• Where are we?
• When is it?

A story might happen in a cozy kitchen on a snowy morning, or on a pirate ship long ago. The setting is the stage where the action happens.

Key idea: The setting is where and when a story happens.

Where and when

The setting has two parts.

• The place: a school, a forest, a castle, the beach, or under the sea.
• The time: morning or night, summer or winter, today or long ago.

When you can name both the place and the time, you have found the whole setting!

Key idea: The setting is the place plus the time.

Hunt for setting clues

Authors give you clues about the setting through the words they choose. A clue is a hint that helps you figure something out.

Read this sentence: The snow crunched under Mia's boots as she walked past the frozen pond to the little red barn.

What clues tell you the setting?

• The words snow, frozen pond, and boots tell you it is winter (the time).
• The words barn and pond tell you it is on a farm (the place).

You found the setting from clues! The author never had to say "This story is on a farm in winter."

Key idea: Clue words in the story help you find the where and the when.

Try another one

Read this: The waves splashed our toes, and seagulls cried above the hot sand while we built a tall sandcastle.

The clues waves, seagulls, hot sand, and sandcastle tell you the setting is the beach on a summer day. Detective work done!

Key idea: A few clue words can tell you the whole setting.

Why setting matters so much

The setting is not just decoration. It can change the whole feeling of a story. It can even help you know how to feel.

A dark, spooky forest at midnight makes you feel nervous. A sunny park on a spring day makes you feel happy and safe.

The same event can feel very different. A knock at the door feels friendly at a birthday party. But the same knock feels scary in a lonely cabin during a storm!

The word for the feeling a story gives you is mood. The setting helps make the mood.

Key idea: The setting helps make the mood and tells you how to feel.

Setting decides what can happen

Setting also decides what is possible in a story.

• Characters in a story set in space might float and wear helmets.
• Characters in a story set long ago might ride horses instead of cars.

When you notice the setting, you understand why the characters do the things they do.

Key idea: The setting decides what the characters can do.

Settings can change

Some stories stay in one place. But many stories move from place to place. A character might start at home, then go to a forest, then reach a castle.

Each new place is a new setting. When the setting changes, careful readers notice and update the picture in their mind.

A good trick is to pause when the story moves and ask, "Where are we now, and when is it?"

Key idea: When the setting changes, update your mind picture.

Picture the setting in your mind

One of the best things a reader can do is use the clues to build a picture in their mind. When the book says "a busy market full of colorful fruit," close your eyes and see it!

See the red apples, the yellow bananas, and the crowd. Ask what you would see, hear, and smell if you were there. That is how strong readers step inside a book.

Key idea: Use the clues to imagine the setting, and the story comes alive.

Find the setting from the clues

Read each short piece and name both the place and the time. Then check.

• The bell rang. Desks scraped as everyone stood up. Ms. Ortiz reminded us about the spelling test tomorrow. Place: a classroom. Time: the end of a school day.
• Sand stuck to Ana's wet legs. Gulls circled above the umbrellas, and the water was warm as bathwater. Place: a beach. Time: a hot summer day.
• Snow squeaked under Jamal's boots. Only one porch light glowed on the whole quiet street. Place: a snowy street. Time: winter, and probably night or early morning.

Notice that in the last one I said probably. Sometimes the clues narrow it down without settling it exactly, and admitting that is good reading.

Key idea: Gather clues for both place and time, and say probably when you are not sure.

Change the setting, change the story

Setting is not just decoration. It decides what can happen.

Imagine a story about a lost dog. Now put the same lost dog in three different settings.

• A busy city: the danger is traffic, and there are hundreds of people to ask for help.
• A snowy forest: the danger is cold, and there is nobody around at all.
• A small village where everybody knows each other: the dog is probably found within an hour.

Same dog, three completely different stories. That is why authors pick the setting carefully.

Try it yourself. Take a story you know and move it somewhere new. What would have to change?

Key idea: The setting decides what problems the characters can have.

Watch out for

• Naming only the place. Remember the time too.
• Missing the clue words. Slow down and look for them.
• Forgetting when the setting changes to a new place.
• Thinking the setting is just background. It shapes the whole story.
• Skipping the picture in your mind. Imagining makes it fun.

Recap

• The setting is where and when a story happens.
• It has two parts: the place and the time.
• Clue words help you find the setting.
• The setting helps make the mood and decides what can happen.
• Change the setting and the whole story changes.
• Picture the setting in your mind to bring the story alive.

Sources

1. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Visual imagery. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
2. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Story maps. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
3. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Descriptive writing. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
4. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Reading: Literature, Grade 4. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. thecorestandards.org
5. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Building background knowledge. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
6. Shanahan, T., Callison, K., Carriere, C., Duke, N. K., Pearson, P. D., Schatschneider, C., & Torgesen, J. (2010). Improving reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2010-4038). What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide. Institute of Education Sciences. ies.ed.gov
7. National Council of Teachers of English. (n.d.). Strategy guides. ReadWriteThink. readwritethink.org

The big picture

Today we learn about the plot. The plot is what happens in a story, from start to finish.

Most stories have a problem and a fix. Finding them helps you understand any story!

What is the plot?

The plot is what happens in a story, the chain of events from start to finish.

But a plot is not just any list of events. Most good stories have a special shape. A character has trouble. That trouble is the problem. By the end, the problem is fixed. The fix is called the solution.

Key idea: The plot is what happens, and it usually has a problem and a solution.

The heart of a plot: a problem

Think about your favorite stories. Almost every one has a problem.

• A character loses something.
• A character wants to make a friend.
• A character has to save the day or get home.

The problem is the engine of the story. It makes you wonder, "What will happen? How will they fix it?" That wondering keeps you turning the pages!

Key idea: The problem is the trouble that makes a story exciting.

The three parts of a plot

Most plots have three big parts, like the three parts of a story you already know:

• Beginning: We meet the characters and the setting, and the problem appears.
• Middle: The character tries to solve the problem. Often the first tries do not work.
• End: The problem is finally solved, and we find out how everything turns out.

Key idea: A plot has a beginning, a middle, and an end.

Find the problem and solution together

Read this little story:

Pip the puppy could not reach his favorite ball. It had rolled far under the couch. He whined and pawed, but his leg was too short. Then Pip had an idea. He grabbed a stick in his mouth and used it to slide the ball out. He wagged his tail and pranced away happily with his ball.

What is the problem? Pip's ball is stuck under the couch and he cannot reach it.

What is the solution? Pip uses a stick to slide the ball out.

Notice the shape. The beginning shows the problem. The middle shows Pip trying. The end shows the problem solved. That is a complete plot!

Key idea: Ask "What is the problem?" and "How is it solved?" to find the plot.

The problem does not get solved right away

Here is something important about good plots. The problem is usually not solved on the very first try.

If Pip had grabbed the ball right away, the story would end in one sentence. Not much fun! Instead, he whined and pawed first, and those did not work.

The tries that do not work make a story exciting. They make you wonder if the character will ever succeed.

Key idea: The tries that fail make the story fun and exciting.

Why finding the plot helps you

When you can name the problem and the solution, you truly understand a story. You can retell it clearly:

"In the beginning, the problem was ___. In the middle, the character tried ___. In the end, it was solved when ___."

That frame works for almost any story, from a picture book to a movie! It even helps you write your own stories. Give your character a problem, let them struggle, and then let them solve it.

Key idea: Naming the problem and solution helps you retell and even write stories.

Not all problems are the same kind

Problems in stories usually come in three flavors. Knowing them helps you spot the problem faster.

• A character against a thing or a place. A climber against a mountain. A sailor against a storm.
• A character against another character. Two friends who both want the same part in the play.
• A character against themselves. A girl who is scared to try out for the team, even though she wants to.

That third kind is the quiet one, and it is often the most interesting. Nothing is chasing the character. The struggle is inside.

Next time you finish a story, ask which kind of problem it had. Some stories have two at once.

Key idea: A problem can be against a thing, against another character, or inside the character.

Map a plot you know

Let us map a story you probably know: Goldilocks.

1. Beginning: Goldilocks is walking in the woods and finds an empty cottage.
2. Problem: She is hungry and tired, and the house is not hers.
3. Try one: She tastes the first bowl of porridge. Too hot.
4. Try two: She tastes the second. Too cold.
5. Try three: The third is just right, so she eats it. The same pattern happens with the chairs and the beds.
6. End: The bears come home, Goldilocks wakes up, and she runs away.

See the shape? Two tries that do not work, then one that does. Storytellers have used that pattern for hundreds of years.

Now map a story you have read this week using the same six boxes.

Key idea: Many plots follow the pattern of two tries that fail and one that works.

Watch out for

• Thinking the plot is every tiny event. Focus on the problem and the fix.
• Missing the problem. Ask what the character wants or what trouble started.
• Skipping the middle. The tries that fail are the exciting part.
• Missing a quiet problem that happens inside a character.
• Forgetting the solution. Every good plot wraps up the problem.

Recap

• The plot is what happens in a story.
• Most plots have a problem and a solution.
• A problem can be against a thing, another character, or inside the character.
• A plot has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
• The problem is usually not solved on the first try.
• Ask what the problem is and how it gets solved.

Sources

1. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Story maps. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
2. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Story sequence. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
3. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Implementing the text structure strategy in your classroom. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
4. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Summarizing. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
5. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Reading: Literature, Grade 2. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. thecorestandards.org
6. Shanahan, T., Callison, K., Carriere, C., Duke, N. K., Pearson, P. D., Schatschneider, C., & Torgesen, J. (2010). Improving reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2010-4038). What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide. Institute of Education Sciences. ies.ed.gov
7. National Council of Teachers of English. (n.d.). Classroom resources: Lesson plans. ReadWriteThink. readwritethink.org

The big picture

Today we learn to make predictions. A prediction is a smart guess about what will happen next.

Predicting makes reading feel like a fun mystery you get to solve. Let us try it!

What is a prediction?

Have you ever thought, "I bet I know what happens next"? That is a prediction.

A prediction is a smart guess about what will happen, based on clues you already have. To predict means to make that guess.

Good readers make predictions all the time. It keeps your brain awake and curious.

Key idea: A prediction is a smart guess about what will happen next.

A smart guess, not a wild guess

Here is the important part. A good prediction is not just any random guess. It uses clues.

You look at what has already happened. You think about what you know from real life. Then you guess what is likely to come.

If a character is climbing a wobbly ladder, you might predict they will fall. That makes sense from the clues. You would not predict the ladder turns into a dragon, because nothing points to that!

Key idea: A smart prediction always has a reason behind it.

Two kinds of clues

Predictions come from two places, and good readers use both:

• Clues in the story: what the author already told you. Dark clouds and wind hint that a storm is coming.
• What you already know: your own knowledge from real life. You know dark clouds and wind usually mean rain.

When you put story clues together with what you know, your predictions get smart.

Key idea: Use story clues plus what you know to predict.

Make a prediction together

Read this beginning of a story:

Ben tiptoed toward the kitchen. He could smell something sweet baking, and he saw a tall cake on the counter with unlit candles. His whole family was hiding behind the couch, giggling quietly.

What do you predict will happen next? Using the clues, a cake, hidden family, and quiet giggling, you can smartly predict they will jump out and yell "Surprise!" for a birthday party.

You did not know for sure. But you made a smart guess with clues. That is predicting!

Key idea: Use the clues in the story to guess what comes next.

Check your prediction as you read

Here is a fun part. You get to find out if you were right! To confirm a prediction means to check and see it came true.

Sometimes your prediction comes true, and you feel like a reading detective. Other times the story surprises you, and that is wonderful too!

Reading becomes a loop: predict, read, check, predict again. This keeps you thinking the whole way through.

Key idea: Keep reading to confirm or change your prediction.

It is okay to be wrong

Never worry about a prediction being wrong. A prediction is a guess, not a promise!

Even the best readers guess wrong sometimes. Being surprised is part of the fun. What matters is that you were thinking and using clues.

A surprising story often teaches you something. It shows a clue you missed or a clever twist to watch for next time.

Key idea: It is okay to be wrong, because thinking with clues is what counts.

Predict before you even open it

Good readers start predicting before the first word. Try this with any new book.

1. Read the title. What does it promise?
2. Look at the cover picture. Who is on it? Where are they?
3. Read the words on the back, if there are any.
4. Flip through and glance at two or three pictures.

Now say out loud what you think this book will be about. You have just made a prediction, and your brain is already warmed up and looking for the answer.

This is why teachers do a picture walk before reading aloud. It is not a delay. It is the reader getting ready.

Key idea: Predict from the title, cover, and pictures before you read a single word.

Watch me predict

Here is a bit of a story. I will stop and think out loud.

Dev tightened the strap on his backpack. The sky had turned an odd yellow-grey, and the wind had stopped completely. His grandmother had always said that when the wind goes quiet, you should go inside.

My prediction: a storm is coming, and Dev is going to hurry home.

Where did that come from? Two places.

• From the story: the odd sky color, the wind stopping, and the grandmother's warning.
• From what I know: the air often goes still and strange before a big storm.

See how I used both? A prediction with only one kind of clue is weaker. The best ones use the page and your own life together.

Key idea: Strong predictions combine clues from the page with what you already know.

Your turn to predict

Read each opening and say what you think happens next. There is no single right answer, but there are clues.

• Every morning the milk on the porch was gone before anyone woke up. Today Ellie set her alarm for five o clock. Likely: Ellie is going to stay awake and find out who or what is taking the milk.
• The class hamster's cage door was swinging open. Tiny footprints led across the spilled flour on the counter. Likely: they are going to follow the footprints and find the hamster.
• Jonah practiced the song forty times. On the night of the concert, his hands would not stop shaking. Likely: he is nervous, but the practice will pay off and he will get through it.

After you predict, say your clue out loud. If you cannot name a clue, it was a wild guess, not a prediction.

Key idea: If you cannot name your clue, it was a guess and not a prediction.

Watch out for

• Making a wild guess with no clues. Use the story to help.
• Feeling upset when a prediction is wrong. Surprises are part of the fun.
• Forgetting to check if your prediction came true.
• Sticking to your first prediction after the story gives you new clues.
• Only guessing once. Keep predicting as you read.

Recap

• A prediction is a smart guess about what happens next.
• Smart predictions use clues, not wild guesses.
• Use two kinds of clues: the story and what you know.
• Predict from the title and cover before you start reading.
• Keep reading to confirm or change your prediction.
• It is okay to be wrong. Surprises make stories fun.

Sources

1. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Directed reading thinking activity (DRTA). Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
2. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Anticipation guide. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
3. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Think-alouds to build comprehension. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
4. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). How knowledge helps. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
5. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Reading: Literature, Grade 3. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. thecorestandards.org
6. Shanahan, T., Callison, K., Carriere, C., Duke, N. K., Pearson, P. D., Schatschneider, C., & Torgesen, J. (2010). Improving reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2010-4038). What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide. Institute of Education Sciences. ies.ed.gov
7. National Council of Teachers of English. (n.d.). Strategy guides. ReadWriteThink. readwritethink.org

The big picture

Today we learn to read between the lines. That means figuring out things the author did not say straight out.

This makes you feel like a real detective! Let us find the hidden clues.

What is an inference?

Sometimes a story does not tell you everything straight out. It gives you clues and lets you figure things out.

When you use clues to understand something the author did not say, that is called an inference. To infer means to figure it out from clues.

People call this reading between the lines, because you understand more than the exact words.

Read this: Dad grabbed the umbrella and put on his boots before he opened the door.

The sentence never says it is raining. But you can infer it is raining, because Dad grabbed an umbrella and boots. You figured out something the author did not say!

Key idea: An inference is figuring out something the author hinted but did not say.

The inference recipe

There is a simple recipe for making an inference. It is worth remembering:

Text clues + what you already know = an inference.

• Text clues are the hints the author gives you in the words.
• What you already know is your knowledge from real life.

For the umbrella example: the clue is "umbrella and boots," what you know is "people use those in the rain," and the inference is "it must be raining." Recipe complete!

Key idea: Clues plus what you know equals an inference.

Inferring how a character feels

One useful kind of inference is figuring out how a character feels. Authors often show feelings instead of naming them.

Read this: Sofia's eyes filled with tears, and she hugged the empty leash to her chest.

The story never says the word "sad." But from the clues, tears and an empty leash, you can infer that Sofia is very sad, probably about her pet.

You read between the lines to understand her feelings. Good readers do this on almost every page!

Key idea: Clues about a character can show you how they feel.

Back up your inference with evidence

Here is a grown-up reading skill you can start now. When you make an inference, be ready to say why.

The clues that led you to your idea are called evidence. Evidence is proof from the story.

If someone asks, "How do you know Sofia is sad?" you can point to the evidence: "Because her eyes filled with tears and she hugged the empty leash."

Whenever you infer something, ask yourself, "What in the story makes me think that?" A good inference is a conclusion you can back up with clues.

Key idea: A good inference has evidence, the clues that prove it.

Inferences are everywhere

Once you learn to make inferences, you use them all the time, even in real life.

• You see a friend with a big smile and a shiny trophy. You infer they won something.
• You smell smoke. You infer something is burning.

Authors count on this. They do not spell out every single thing, because that would be boring. They trust you to read between the lines!

Key idea: We make inferences in books and in real life every day.

Five to figure out

Read each one. Say what you infer, then name your clue. Then check mine.

• Kai pulled his hood up and stuffed his hands deep in his pockets. Inference: it is cold. Clue: hood up and hands in pockets.
• The classroom was silent. Every desk was empty and the chairs were upside down on top. Inference: school is out, or it is the weekend. Clue: chairs stacked the way they are at the end of the day.
• Mia read the letter twice, then held it against her chest and smiled. Inference: the letter had good news. Clue: she smiled and hugged it.
• Dad checked the oven, opened a window, and waved a towel at the smoke alarm. Inference: something burned. Clue: smoke alarm and open window.
• Ben's shoes squelched with every step and he left wet prints down the hall. Inference: he walked through water or rain. Clue: the squelching and the wet prints.

Notice that no sentence used the words cold, weekend, happy, burned, or rain. You worked all five out yourself.

Key idea: Say your inference and your clue together, every time.

Weak and strong inferences

Not every inference is equally good. Look at this sentence.

Ella closed her book, checked the clock for the third time, and tapped her foot.

• Strong: Ella is waiting for something and getting impatient. The clock checking and foot tapping both point that way.
• Weak: Ella is going to the dentist. Maybe! But nothing in the sentence points to a dentist. That is a wild guess wearing a costume.

Here is the test for a strong inference. Can you point at the exact words that made you think it? If not, it is a guess.

And here is the good news. When you read on, the story will usually tell you whether you were right. Then you adjust. Real readers change their minds all the time.

Key idea: A strong inference points at exact words. A weak one cannot.

Watch out for

• Guessing with no clues. A good inference always uses evidence.
• Ignoring how a character feels. Look for clues about feelings.
• Forgetting to ask what makes you think that.
• Adding details from your imagination that the story never hinted at.
• Thinking the author will say everything. Often you must infer.

Recap

• An inference is figuring out something the author did not say.
• The recipe is: text clues plus what you know equals an inference.
• Clues can show you how a character feels.
• A strong inference can point at the exact words that caused it.
• Back up your inference with evidence from the story.
• We make inferences in reading and in real life.

Sources

1. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Inferencing. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
2. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Making inferences and drawing conclusions. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
3. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Think-alouds to build comprehension. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
4. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Question-answer relationship (QAR). Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
5. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Reading: Literature, Grade 4. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. thecorestandards.org
6. Shanahan, T., Callison, K., Carriere, C., Duke, N. K., Pearson, P. D., Schatschneider, C., & Torgesen, J. (2010). Improving reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2010-4038). What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide. Institute of Education Sciences. ies.ed.gov
7. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). How knowledge helps. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org

The big picture

Today we learn the two big kinds of books. One is made-up. One is true.

Knowing which is which helps you pick the right book and understand it better!

Two big types of books

Books come in two big types.

• Fiction is a made-up story from the author's imagination.
• Nonfiction is a true book that gives real facts about the real world.

Both are wonderful, but they do different jobs. Fiction takes you on adventures. Nonfiction teaches you true things.

Key idea: Fiction is made-up. Nonfiction is true.

Fiction: stories from imagination

A fiction book is a made-up story. The characters, places, and events came from the author's imagination. Imagination is the pictures and ideas you make up in your mind.

Fiction can feel very real in your heart, even though it did not really happen. Fairy tales, mysteries, and books about talking animals are all fiction.

Some clues that a book is fiction:

• It has characters and a plot.
• It tells a story with a problem and a solution.
• Animals or toys might talk, and magic might happen.

If you ask "What happens next in the story?" you are probably reading fiction.

Key idea: Fiction is a made-up story with characters and a plot.

Nonfiction: true facts about the world

A nonfiction book gives you real, true information. Information means facts and true things you can learn.

Nonfiction is about things that really exist: sharks, volcanoes, the planets, or how bikes work.

Some clues that a book is nonfiction:

• It gives real facts and information.
• It might have photographs of real things.
• It often has helpers like a table of contents, headings, and a glossary (a little list that tells what special words mean).

If you are learning true things about the world, you are probably reading nonfiction.

Key idea: Nonfiction teaches real facts about the real world.

A side-by-side look

Here is a chart to compare them:

Fiction (made-up)	Nonfiction (true)
Comes from imagination	Gives real facts
Has characters and a plot	Teaches about the real world
Animals or toys might talk	Often has real photographs
Tells a story	Often has headings and a glossary
Example: a tale about a dragon	Example: a book about real lizards

Key idea: Fiction tells a story. Nonfiction shares real facts.

Sometimes they mix

Here is a fun twist. Some books mix fiction and nonfiction together!

A story might follow a pretend character named Captain Ocean who visits real sea animals and tells you true facts about each one.

The character and adventure are fiction. But the facts about the animals are nonfiction. When you read one, enjoy the story AND collect the true facts. Just remember which parts are pretend and which are real.

Key idea: Some books mix a made-up story with true facts.

Pick the right book for the job

Knowing the difference helps you choose the right book.

• Want an exciting adventure or a cozy bedtime tale? Reach for fiction.
• Want to learn how something works or find true facts? Reach for nonfiction.

Great readers read both! Fiction stretches your imagination. Nonfiction grows your knowledge. When a story makes you curious, try a true book about it next.

Key idea: Read both kinds to grow in every direction.

Sort these titles

Read each title and say fiction or nonfiction. Then check.

• All About Volcanoes. Nonfiction. It promises real facts.
• The Dragon Who Lost His Roar. Fiction. Dragons are made up.
• How to Build a Birdhouse. Nonfiction. It teaches you a real skill.
• Amelia Earhart: A Life in Flight. Nonfiction. She was a real person.
• Diary of a Very Bad Cat. Fiction. Cats do not keep diaries.
• My Trip to the Moon in a Paper Rocket. Fiction. Paper rockets do not fly to the Moon.

Titles give a strong hint, but they are not proof. The surest way is to open the book and look. Real photographs, headings, and a glossary point to nonfiction. Characters and a story point to fiction.

Key idea: Titles hint at the type, but the inside of the book proves it.

Read them differently

Here is the important part. Because the two kinds are different, you read them differently.

With fiction you usually start at page one and read straight through. You follow the characters, you predict, and you want the surprises to stay surprises.

With nonfiction you often do not read straight through at all. You check the contents, jump to the part you need, look at the pictures, and read the headings before the paragraphs.

So before you open a book, ask yourself which kind it is. Then read it the way that kind wants to be read.

One more difference. In fiction you can ask, did I enjoy it? In nonfiction you can also ask, is this true, and how would I check?

Key idea: Read fiction straight through, and hunt around inside nonfiction.

Watch out for

• Thinking fiction is bad because it is made-up. Fiction can feel very true in your heart.
• Thinking nonfiction is boring. True facts can be amazing!
• Mixing up the parts of a book that blends both.
• Reading a nonfiction book cover to cover when you only need one fact.
• Only reading one kind. Try both.

Recap

• Fiction is a made-up story from imagination.
• Nonfiction is a true book with real facts.
• Fiction has characters and a plot. Nonfiction has facts and often a glossary.
• You read the two kinds in different ways.
• Some books mix a story with true facts.
• Great readers read both kinds.

Sources

1. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Nonfiction for kids. Books and Authors. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
2. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Getting the most out of nonfiction reading time. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
3. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Implementing the text structure strategy in your classroom. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
4. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Reading: Informational text, Grade 3. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. thecorestandards.org
5. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Reading: Literature, Grade 3. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. thecorestandards.org
6. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Building background knowledge. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
7. National Council of Teachers of English. (n.d.). Classroom resources: Lesson plans. ReadWriteThink. readwritethink.org

The big picture

Today we learn about the special helpers in true books. They are called text features.

These helpers make it easy to find and understand facts. They are like signposts on a trip!

What are text features?

True books, the nonfiction kind, come with special helpers called text features.

These are the extra parts, besides the main sentences, that help you find and understand information. Think of them as signposts and tools built into the book.

Fiction stories usually just have the story. But nonfiction is packed with helpers!

Key idea: Text features are helpers in true books, like headings and captions.

Helpers that guide you to information

Some text features help you find what you want without reading every page:

• A table of contents is a list at the front. It shows the sections and their page numbers. It sends you straight to the right page.
• A heading is a little title above a section. A heading like "What Lions Eat" tells you exactly what is coming.
• An index is an ABC list at the very back with page numbers for many topics. It tells you where to find a word like "claws."

Key idea: The table of contents, headings, and index help you find facts fast.

Helpers that explain and show

Other text features help you understand better:

• Pictures and photographs show you what the words describe. A photo of a real shark helps you picture it.
• A caption is the little words under a picture that tell you what it shows. Always read the captions. They often teach an extra fact!
• A label is a word that points to a part of a picture, like arrows naming the "fin," the "gills," and the "tail" on a fish.

Key idea: Pictures, captions, and labels help you understand the facts.

Helpers for tricky words

Nonfiction has many new, important words. So it comes with helpers for those too:

• A bold word is an important word printed in dark, heavy letters so it pops out. It is a signal that this word is worth knowing.
• A glossary is a little dictionary at the back of the book. If you forget what a bold word means, the glossary has the answer.

Key idea: Bold words and the glossary help you with new words.

Use the features, do not skip them

Here is a mistake many young readers make. They read only the main sentences. They skip the captions, labels, headings, and bold words, thinking those are just decoration.

But those features are full of information! Skipping them is like ignoring the road signs on a trip and getting lost.

When you read nonfiction, slow down and use every helper. Read the heading first. Look at the pictures and read every caption. Notice the bold words and check the glossary.

Key idea: Do not skip the text features. Use them all to help you.

Why text features matter

Text features turn a nonfiction book into a tool. In real life, you almost never read a whole nonfiction book cover to cover.

Instead, you hunt for the exact fact you need, and the features let you do that fast! Want to know how tall a giraffe is? Use the table of contents or index to jump right there.

This skill of finding facts fast is one you will use your whole life.

Key idea: Text features help you find the exact fact you need, quickly.

Which feature would you use?

For each question, name the feature that gets you there fastest. Then check.

• Which chapter is about baby elephants? Use the table of contents at the front.
• What page mentions tusks? Use the index at the back, where words are listed alphabetically.
• What does the word herd mean? Use the glossary.
• What is happening in this photograph? Read the caption underneath it.
• What are the parts of an elephant's trunk called? Look at the labels on the diagram.
• Is this whole page about food or about family? Read the heading at the top.

The contents and the index sound similar but do different jobs. Contents lists big chapters in book order. The index lists small topics in alphabet order. When you want one specific fact, the index is usually faster.

Key idea: Contents lists chapters in order. The index lists topics from A to Z.

Take a book walk first

Before you read a nonfiction book, spend one minute walking through it.

1. Read the title and look at the cover.
2. Read the table of contents to see the big parts.
3. Flip through and read only the headings.
4. Look at two or three pictures and read their captions.
5. Now ask yourself what you already know and what you want to find out.

That one minute makes the reading itself far easier, because your brain already knows the shape of what is coming.

Try it with any true book on your shelf right now. You will be surprised how much you learn before you read a single paragraph.

Key idea: One minute of book walking makes the whole reading easier.

Watch out for

• Skipping the captions and labels. They teach extra facts.
• Ignoring the bold words. They are important.
• Reading page by page when the table of contents can jump you there.
• Mixing up the contents and the index. One is in book order, one is A to Z.
• Forgetting the glossary when you meet a hard word.

Recap

• Text features are helpers in true books.
• The table of contents, headings, and index help you find facts.
• Pictures, captions, and labels help you understand.
• Bold words and the glossary help with tricky words.
• Take a one-minute book walk before you read.
• Use the features to find facts fast.

Sources

1. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Getting the most out of nonfiction reading time. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
2. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Implementing the text structure strategy in your classroom. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
3. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Reading guides. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
4. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Inquiry charts. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
5. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010). Reading: Informational text, Grade 4. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts. thecorestandards.org
6. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Nonfiction for kids. Books and Authors. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
7. Shanahan, T., Callison, K., Carriere, C., Duke, N. K., Pearson, P. D., Schatschneider, C., & Torgesen, J. (2010). Improving reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2010-4038). What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide. Institute of Education Sciences. ies.ed.gov

The big picture

Today we learn to ask good questions as we read. Great readers wonder about things all the time!

Asking questions keeps your mind awake and helps you understand more. Let us wonder together.

Readers are full of questions

Great readers are full of questions. They ask themselves things like, "Why did that happen? What does this word mean? What will the character do now?"

To wonder means to be curious and ask questions in your mind. Asking questions is one of the most powerful reading habits of all.

A reader who asks questions is thinking hard. And thinking hard is how you understand and remember.

Key idea: Good readers ask questions and wonder as they read.

Why questions make you a better reader

When you ask a question, something wonderful happens. Your brain starts hunting for the answer!

That hunting keeps you paying close attention. Instead of letting the words drift by, you are searching and thinking.

It is like the difference between staring out a car window and looking for something special. Readers who ask questions understand more and remember more.

Key idea: Asking questions switches your brain on and keeps you thinking.

Ask questions at three times

You can ask good questions at three different times. Each kind helps in its own way.

• Before reading: Look at the cover, title, and pictures. Ask, "What might this be about? What do I already know? What do I hope to find out?"
• During reading: As you go, ask, "Why did that happen? What does this word mean? What will happen next? Should I reread this part?"
• After reading: When you finish, ask, "What was the main idea? What did I learn? What do I still wonder about? Did I like it?"

Key idea: Ask questions before, during, and after you read.

Thick and thin questions

Some questions are thin. That means they have a quick, simple answer right in the words, like "What color was the dog?"

Other questions are thick. That means they make you think harder, and there might not be one simple answer, like "Why did the character change her mind?"

Both kinds are good! Thin questions help you catch the facts. Thick questions help you think deeply. As you grow, try to ask more thick questions.

Key idea: Thin questions catch facts. Thick questions make you think deeply.

Some questions get answered, some do not

Here is something interesting. In nonfiction, you can often find the answer right in the book. If you wonder "What do owls eat?" a true book about owls will probably tell you.

But sometimes, especially in stories, a question does not get answered. You have to think about it yourself, or it stays a fun mystery.

That is okay! Not every question has a neat answer. The point is that asking the question made you think.

Key idea: Not every question has an answer, and that is okay.

Practice being a wonderer

You can become a question-asker starting today!

• Before you open a book, pause and wonder what it might be about.
• As you read, let yourself be curious and stop to ask why.
• When you meet a new word, ask what it means and hunt for clues.
• When you finish, ask what you learned and what you still wonder.

You can jot your questions on a sticky note or say them to a reading buddy. A curious mind, one that loves to ask and learn, is a reading superpower!

Key idea: Practice wondering, and reading becomes richer and more fun.

Where is the answer hiding?

Not every question is answered in the same place. Sorting them makes you much faster at finding answers.

• Right there. The answer sits in one sentence, in the exact words. Example: what color was the door?
• Think and search. The answer is in the book, but spread over several sentences. You have to gather the pieces. Example: how did the family get ready for the trip?
• Author and me. The book gives clues and you add your own thinking. Example: why do you think she did not tell her brother?
• On my own. The answer comes from you, not the book. Example: have you ever felt like that?

When a question feels impossible, ask yourself which kind it is. If it is an author and me question, stop hunting for one sentence, because there is not one.

Key idea: Decide where the answer lives before you go hunting for it.

Notice when you stop understanding

Here is the most useful reading habit of all. Good readers notice when the page stops making sense.

Sometimes your eyes finish a page and your brain has been thinking about lunch. Everyone does this. The difference is that strong readers catch it.

Try these check-in questions every page or two.

• Can I say what just happened in one sentence?
• Is there a word I skipped that I actually needed?
• Do I remember who is talking?

If any answer is no, go back. Reread the last paragraph slowly. That is not failing. That is a reader doing exactly what a reader should do.

Key idea: Notice when you stop understanding, and go back right away.

Watch out for

• Reading with your mind switched off. Wonder as you go.
• Only asking thin questions. Try thick, thinking questions too.
• Feeling upset when a question has no answer. Some stay a mystery.
• Hunting for one sentence when the question needs your own thinking too.
• Forgetting to ask questions before and after, not just during.

Recap

• Great readers ask questions and wonder.
• Questions keep your brain hunting and thinking.
• Ask before, during, and after reading.
• Thin questions catch facts. Thick questions make you think.
• Work out where the answer lives before you hunt for it.
• Notice when you stop understanding, and reread.

Sources

1. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Question generation: A key comprehension strategy. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
2. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Question-answer relationship (QAR). Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
3. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Reciprocal teaching. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
4. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Questioning the author. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
5. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Think-alouds to build comprehension. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
6. Shanahan, T., Callison, K., Carriere, C., Duke, N. K., Pearson, P. D., Schatschneider, C., & Torgesen, J. (2010). Improving reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2010-4038). What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide. Institute of Education Sciences. ies.ed.gov
7. National Council of Teachers of English. (n.d.). Strategy guides. ReadWriteThink. readwritethink.org

The big picture

Look how far you have come! You started as a reader, and now you are even stronger.

Today we put all your reading powers together and learn how to keep growing forever. Be proud of yourself!

Your reading toolbox

A toolbox is the set of skills you carry with you. Let us celebrate everything in yours! You have learned to:

• Sound out words using phonics, blending, and word families.
• Read sight words in a snap.
• Read smoothly with fluency and feeling.
• Grow your vocabulary using context clues.
• Find the main idea and the details.
• Sequence and retell a story in order.
• Meet characters and describe their traits and feelings.
• Find the setting, the where and the when.
• Follow the plot, spotting the problem and the solution.
• Make predictions and inferences.
• Tell fiction from nonfiction and use text features.
• Ask good questions before, during, and after reading.

That is an amazing list! Every one is a real reading power.

Key idea: You have a whole toolbox of reading powers.

All the skills work together

Here is the beautiful part. You do not use these skills one at a time.

When you read a story, you decode the words, read them smoothly, picture the setting, meet the characters, follow the plot, predict, infer, and ask questions, all at the same time!

It is like riding a bike. At first you thought about every part. Now they blend together and you just ride. The more you read, the more automatic it all becomes.

Key idea: With practice, all your reading skills work together at once.

How to keep growing

Becoming a reader is not a finish line. It is a lifelong adventure. Lifelong means it lasts your whole life! Here is how to keep getting stronger:

• Read a little every day. Even ten minutes adds up to a mountain of practice over a year. A reading habit is something you do again and again, and daily reading is the number one secret.
• Read what you love. Pick books about things that excite you, like dinosaurs, space, sports, or jokes.
• Read many kinds of books. Mix fiction and nonfiction. Each kind grows a different part of your reading brain.
• Do not fear hard words. Getting stuck is normal, even for grown-ups. Use your tricks: sound it out, use clues, reread, or ask for help.
• Talk about what you read. Retell the story or share a fact. Talking helps it stick.

Key idea: Read a little every day, read what you love, and never fear hard words.

Why reading is such a gift

Reading is one of the greatest gifts you will ever give yourself.

• A reader can travel anywhere, to the sea, to space, to the past, all from a comfy chair.
• A reader can learn to do almost anything by finding the right book.
• A reader can understand other people better by living inside their stories.

Every book you read makes you a little wiser and more imaginative. It all grows from the simple, joyful habit of reading a little every day.

Key idea: Reading takes you anywhere and teaches you anything.

Take a bow

You started this course as a reader, and you are finishing it as an even stronger one. You earned every bit of your toolbox through your own effort!

Be proud and confident. Confident means you believe in yourself. Keep a book nearby always, follow your curiosity wherever it leads, and enjoy the adventure.

You are a reader, and you always will be. Take a proud bow!

Key idea: You are a reader now, and you always will be.

Your whole toolbox on one page

Here is everything you learned, in the order a reader actually uses it.

1. Before you read: look at the title and cover, and make a prediction.
2. Hard word? Sound it out, chop it into chunks, or use the sight words you know.
3. Word you do not know? Hunt for context clues in the sentence.
4. While you read: picture it, ask questions, and make inferences from the clues.
5. Sounding bumpy? Reread it and group the words.
6. After a page: say in one sentence what happened.
7. At the end: name the main idea, the characters, the setting, the problem, and the solution.

You do not have to remember this list. With practice these become automatic, the way pedaling becomes automatic on a bike.

Key idea: Your strategies work in an order, and practice makes them automatic.

Choosing a book that fits

One more skill for your whole life: picking a book that is right for you today.

Try the five finger check. Open to any page and start reading. Put up one finger for every word you cannot read.

• 0 or 1 fingers: easy. Great for building smoothness and confidence.
• 2 or 3 fingers: just right. This one will stretch you without wearing you out.
• 4 fingers: hard. Try it with a grown-up reading along.
• 5 fingers: save it for later. It is not too hard forever, just for now.

Easy books are not cheating. Strong readers read easy books all the time, for fun and for speed. Keep a mix.

Key idea: Use the five finger check, and keep a mix of easy and stretchy books.

Watch out for

• Thinking you are done learning. Reading grows your whole life.
• Only reading one kind of book. Try many kinds.
• Giving up on hard words. Use your tricks.
• Thinking easy books do not count. They build speed and confidence.
• Forgetting to read every day. A daily habit is the big secret.

Recap

• You have a full toolbox of reading powers.
• With practice, all your skills work together at once.
• Use the five finger check to pick a book that fits you today.
• Keep growing by reading a little every day.
• Read what you love and many kinds of books.
• Reading is a lifelong gift. You are a reader!

Sources

1. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Strategies that promote comprehension. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
2. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Comprehension. Reading 101. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
3. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Fluency matters. Reading Rockets. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
4. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Partner reading. Classroom Strategies. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org
5. Foorman, B., Beyler, N., Borradaile, K., Coyne, M., Denton, C. A., Dimino, J., Furgeson, J., Hayes, L., Henke, J., Justice, L., Keating, B., Lewis, W., Sattar, S., Streke, A., Wagner, R., & Wissel, S. (2016). Foundational skills to support reading for understanding in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2016-4008). What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide. Institute of Education Sciences. ies.ed.gov
6. National Center on Improving Literacy. (n.d.). Fluency with text and comprehension. NCIL. U.S. Department of Education. improvingliteracy.org
7. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Nonfiction for kids. Books and Authors. WETA Public Broadcasting. readingrockets.org