Leveled Activities

Leveled
Reading-Response
Activities for Guided
Leveled Reading-Response Activities for Guided Reading © Rhonda Graff, Scholastic Teaching Resources
Reading
70+ Comprehension-Boosting Reproducibles That Provide
Just-Right Activities for Readers at Every Level From A to N
by Rhonda Graff
New York • Toronto • London • Auckland • Sydney

New Delhi • Mexico City • Hong Kong • Buenos Aires
Dedication
To my parents, Craig, Daniel,
Holly, Lori, and Tony,
and a special thank you to
Karen Kellaher, Liza Charlesworth,
and Jaime Lucero at Scholastic
Scholastic Inc. grants permission to photocopy the reproducible pages from this book for classroom use. No other part
of the publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the
publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
Edited by Karen Kellaher

Cover and interior design by Grafica
Illustrations by Jaime Lucero and Teresa Anderko
ISBN: 978-0-545-44271-8
Copyright © 2013 by Rhonda Graff

All rights reserved.
Printed in the U.S.A.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 19 18 17 16 15 14 13
CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Activities for Levels E/F . . . . . 50

People and Places . . . . . . . 50
Activities for Levels A/B . . . . . 10 Wheel Away the Problem . . 52
New Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Cool Characters . . . . . . . . . 54
Say It Again . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Pop the Question! . . . . . . . . 56
My Book Character . . . . . . . 14 Put It in Order . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
The Big Idea . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Story Message . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Picture Write! . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Picture Sort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Story Snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Fact and Opinion . . . . . . . . 64
Similar Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Unlock Word Meaning . . . . . 66
Make a Prediction . . . . . . . . 24 Catch Some Fiction . . . . . . . 68
Sentence Scramble . . . . . . 26
Word Trace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Activities for Levels G/H . . . . 70
Super Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Activities for Levels C/D . . . . . 30 Five W’s and How . . . . . . . . 72
Busy Character . . . . . . . . . . 30 Story Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Setting the Scene . . . . . . . . 32 Character Reaction . . . . . . 76
Problem Solved . . . . . . . . . . 34 In the Details . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Sail Through the Story . . . . . 36 Comparing Characters . . . 80
Cause and Effect . . . . . . . . 38 Author’s Message . . . . . . . . 82
Picture Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Shades of Meaning . . . . . . . 84
Book Detective . . . . . . . . . . 42 Your Opinion, Please . . . . . . 86
What’s Cooking? . . . . . . . . . 44 Pick a Poem . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Bag of Words . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Word Sort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Activities for Levels I/J . . . . . . 90 Activities for Levels M/N . . . 130
Petal Prediction . . . . . . . 90 Dunk a Detail . . . . . . . . 130
Trait Cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Ask About It . . . . . . . . . . 132
Back to the Book . . . . . . 94 Character Quotes . . . . 134
Beginnings and Endings 96 Many Moods . . . . . . . . . 136
Key Events . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Summary in Bloom . . . . 138
What’s Next? . . . . . . . . 100 Plot Path . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Picture Notes . . . . . . . . 102 Multiple Viewpoints . . . 142
Fish for Meaning . . . . . . 104 Double Meaning . . . . . 144
Sort It Out . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Degrees of Meaning . . 146
Two Texts . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Series Spotlight . . . . . . . 148
Activities for Levels K/L . . . . 110 Team-Building Activities . . . 150

Character Close-Up . . . 110
Character Traits . . . . . . 112 Writing Extra! Templates . . . . 162
Watch Me Change . . . 114
Question Letters . . . . . . . 116 Assessment Checklists . . . . . 167
Story News . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Tell a Tale . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Appendix A
Which Genre? . . . . . . . 122 Meeting the Standards . . . . . . 172
Support Your Response . 124
Rate a Story . . . . . . . . . 126 Appendix B
Picturing Poetry . . . . . . 128 Word Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Appendix C
Additional Resources . . . . . . . 175
Introduction
I f you use guided reading in a primary

classroom, you already know the great
advantages this type of small-group instruction
can offer. Whether you use the approach exactly
as it was outlined by Irene Fountas and Gay Su
Pinnell in the 1990s or have adapted the idea to
your specific classroom needs, you’ve undoubtedly
seen benefits: By focusing your attention on a handful of students with similar abilities and needs,
you can provide plenty of individualized support and carefully monitor each reader’s growth. You
can select texts that are appropriate for each reading stage and identify the specific strategies—
such as rereading or visualization—that will help those particular students make sense of the text
when they encounter difficulties.
But you may also have faced a logistical conundrum: What on earth do you do with the
other 15 or more students in the class while you work with one small group at a time? I’ve used
small-group instruction throughout my teaching career, and I admit it took me a while to figure
this one out! Even today, there are days that do not go according to plan, especially when I am
dealing with a large class or outside distractions. The goal is to keep the other students engaged
in developmentally appropriate activities, allowing them to apply and practice the skills and
strategies they’ve learned through the year. The activity should be something they can tackle after
receiving direct instruction and a clear explanation by the teacher. It must be interesting and
student-friendly, since you need them to stay on task for a set period of time. That’s where you
can implement the reading-response activities in this book.
I created this volume of reproducible activities to serve as opportunities for students to
interact with fiction texts and practice the skills and concepts they have been taught during
reading lessons and in small reading groups. While you are working with one reading group, your
other students can use the reproducibles to boost comprehension and reinforce and extend their
thinking. Although some actives may be compatible with nonfiction texts, this volume is primarily
focused on fiction.
Understanding the Levels

The activities are labeled with alphabetic levels that correspond to the levels traditionally used in
guided reading. If you are unfamiliar with these levels, the chart below illustrates how the levels
typically match up to primary grade levels. Of course, this is just a very rough guide; you may
have first graders enthusiastically and fluently reading the Junie B. Jones series (leveled M) or
second graders starting school at a C or D level, especially if they are learning English as a second
language. The levels seen in a particular grade level can also vary considerably from district to
district.
Deciding what level Grade: Guided reading levels you may see:
a student is reading at Kindergarten A, B, C, D
involves observation and
1 A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I
assessment, and there
are many tools available, 2 E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N
5
both in print and online, to assist you with this. (For a list of guided Jasm
Name ________
ine
________ ________________ LEVELS
____ _________
C/D
reading resources from Scholastic, see page 175.) You can easily Busy Characte
Choose a char r
assess the levels of books in your classroom library using online
acter from your
head. Write and book. Write the
/or draw some character’s nam
of the characte e in the
r’s actions in the
resources, including Scholastic’s web site (www.scholastic.com). The ____

N____
Title: ____________
est
____________
shirt.
________________
_________
Once you know at what level each student is reading, you can select Character
the set of reproducible activities in this book that will work best for
him or her. Keep in mind that students in the primary grades can
Mr. and Mrs. M
progress quickly, so it’s a good idea to informally reassess as often ouse
as needed. Character Acti
ons
The levels in this book have been paired (A/B, C/D, and so on)
for the sake of organization and simplicity. For each paired level,
there are ten reproducible activities, along with teacher notes and
They run. They
tips for each one. You will notice overlapping objectives; many of make a nest.
What else do you
think this charact
the targeted skills and concepts (such as characters, setting and do, based on wha
picture and write
t you know from
er would like to
the
a sentence to mat story? Draw a
ch.
story events, or words with multiple meanings) appear in several 31
levels throughout the book. As the levels increase, the skill or LEVELS
M/N
concept is presented with increasing task complexity. Jovita______________________________
Name _______________
Character Quotes he or she

These overlapping skills correspond to the overlapping grade- Choose a character
from the book. Find
three things that
bubbles. Then, descr
ibe
them in the speech
says in the story. Write
level objectives in the Common Core State Standards, on which this what the quotes tell you abou t the chara cter.
Fly Away Home

__
____________________
____________________
Title: _______________ _
____________________
book is based. These standards set a high bar for what students Andrew
Character: __________
____________________
should be able to do as they interact with text. For a complete list of “Fly, bird, “I
“Don’t stop trying.”
whispered. “Fly
the Common Core standards addressed, see pages 172–173.
away home!”
When you are choosing the activities you will distribute to
students, I encourage you to think flexibly about the levels. The fact “Get this one for
that a student is reading at level K does not necessarily mean that you lady? It looks
heavy.”
he or she cannot do an M/N activity. While each activity was created the character…
s, I can conclude that
Based on these quote s,
with students at a specific level in mind, most can be used across boy. He is sad sometime
is a caring, sensitive
but hopeful.
several levels. You may find that you love an activity that is a level or
yourself
conversation, between
two away from where your students are reading. Preview it and give Write a dialogue, or
and the character. If
you’d like, add pictur
es and turn
it into a comic strip.

it a try; you may very well find that it is something that your students 135
can handle. Also note that many of the activities at levels A/B and
C/D do not have writing lines. At these early literacy levels, many
students have not yet received formal handwriting instruction or they may not yet have the fine
motor control needed. Also, students at the early reading levels are not independent, so they will
need guidance even when the activities are familiar.
Choosing Books
The majority of the reproducibles in this volume call on students to interact with a single fiction
book—for example, by identifying story elements, describing the author’s message, or giving an
opinion about the text. How that fiction book gets selected is entirely up to you. You may ask
students to respond to a leveled book that you read and discussed in an instructional guided
reading group the previous day. Alternatively, you may choose a different book for students to
read for the purposes of the activity. You may even allow students to select new books on their
own from the classroom’s leveled library. Selecting one’s own books for independent reading is an
essential element in a successful guided reading classroom, but you’ll need to double check that
students are selecting books they can both decode and comprehend successfully. Although the
goal of these activities is independent practice, it is key that children have feedback as soon as
possible and redirection as needed.
6
There are many wonderful books out there that will work perfectly for these activities. When I
am selecting titles, I look for books that are interesting and can lend themselves to good teaching
opportunities. When children have trouble decoding, I make sure I use materials to address their
specific learning needs. Controlled readers (books that use tightly controlled text) can be valuable
tools for some students. However, controlled readers tend to have limited storylines and character
development and are not easily leveled. Therefore, if using controlled readers, be sure to choose
reproducibles that align with the text.
While the reproducible activities you’ll find here are largely designed for use with fiction,
don’t be afraid to use an activity in conjunction with a nonfiction book if it seems to
be a good fit. This is especially true for activities that ask students
to list details from the text, work with vocabulary, or make LEVELS
A /B
Gavin
_____
________________
________________
observations about illustrations or photographs. Name ________
Word Trace . Practice
to trace over each word
colored crayon
Use a different
on the lines.
writing each word
Using the Reproducibles my

my
Because every classroom is unique, the activities at each level in
this book are designed to be flexible. You may use them in any
my
order you like. You may have all of the students at a particular level want
want
work on the same page at the same time, or make copies of several
reproducibles available at a literacy station and allow each student
want
to select one. Because many skills and concepts spiral throughout and
and
the levels, you may choose one concept (setting, for example) and
have all of your non-instructional groups work on level-appropriate
and
cards. With an
words on index
Write the three ling the words.
versions of the same concept at the same time. However you use adult, practice
reading and spel
29
them, I offer these tips:
•P
review the reproducibles before making your copies. A
number of the reproducibles require teacher input prior to
reproduction. For example, a page might ask you to preselect
vocabulary words from the text. As you can imagine, it’s much Yasin
Name ________
________________
____________
LEVELS
_________
I/J
easier to write these specifics on the page before making your Back to the Bo
Read the questions
ok
class copies. These “blank slate” pages are among my favorites,
on the hand. Look
answers. Write the back in the story
answers on the to find the
lines.
and I think they will be among yours as well; they allow you Jack Pla ys____th
Title: ____________
____e
____Vi
________
oli____
________ n _____________
1. Jack loved to
to really focus on what’s important and appropriate for your play the violin
2. The boys learned
to be kind to
best of all!
classroom and your curriculum. This step is crucial! others even if
they didn’t
•U
se the teacher notes. The notes for each reproducible alert have the same
interests.
you if there’s anything special you should do or review before
students complete the page. While many of the activities
Go back and find…
require just a general explanation, others do call for deeper What did Jack
1.
like best about his

direct instruction and modeling. The knowledge and experience Look back in the
write your own
story and violin?
question.
Share your ques 2. What did
your students bring to the task will determine how much the group, then
answer!
tion with
provide the
Matt, Brett
and Seth learn in
this
instruction is needed. You’ll notice that students become more story?
95
and more independent in tackling the activities as time passes.
•D
ifferentiate the activities as needed. The complexity of
the activities varies by level. In the earliest levels, for example,
students typically have the option of writing or drawing their responses. As students grow
more skilled, pages may ask for responses in key words, sentences, or paragraphs. But
don’t hesitate to change the directions if they seem beyond what your students can do. For
7
example, if students are not yet writing, let them discuss their responses quietly with a
partner. Whenever possible, have an adult present to refocus students as needed. Be sure
that students understand how to write a sentence or a paragraph before you ask them to do
it alone. Goals should be realistic so that students can be successful.
•T
ake time to assess. Remember that independent activities still require teacher involvement
and review; guidance and timely feedback will ultimately result in future independence.
After students complete the activities, be sure to allow time to review their work and provide
prompt feedback so they can understand what they did well and where they need to improve.
Completed pages that show poor or excellent comprehension may trigger a reevaluation of
a student’s guided reading level. On pages 167–171, you’ll find some generic checklists that
can help you collect valuable information about student progress.
Extending the Learning
At the bottom of most of the reproducibles, you will see an extension activity designed to develop
students’ writing skills. Because students at levels A/B are typically pre-writers or just beginning
to write, I have made the extensions at these levels prompts for oral shares (look for the heading
“Extra! Extra!”). Students can share their ideas aloud with you or any adult; the adult can help
teach, redirect, and focus the students so the skills are learned correctly. The helping adult can
also act as a scribe, modeling the writing process.
At the higher levels, the extension activity is called “Writing Extra!” and may call for students
to create a list, write a sentence or two, or even write a full paragraph. Sentence-writing
practice builds students’ paragraph-development skills and improves overall writing abilities.
These activities can be completed on regular white lined paper or
construction paper, but you’ll find a variety of ready-to-
WRITING
copy templates on pages 162–166 that work well for the Name ________
________________
________________
_____ EXTRA
writing extensions. Keep in mind each student’s abilities as

you assign the writing extensions; you can certainly have a
student draw or orally share a response if the writing task is
too challenging for him or her.
You can also extend the activities by inviting students
to apply what they have learned in a collaborative task. The
Team-Building activities that appear on pages 150–161 allow
children to work on group projects in response to the literature
they have shared. These activities are not leveled and have been
designed for use with a wide range of leveled texts. They make
an excellent complement to the leveled independent activities.
166
Enjoy!
8
9
Leveled
Activities
LEVELS
A /B
Teacher Notes
New Cover Josh

Name _________
_______________
New Cover
____________ _________
LEVELS
A /B
Draw a new cov

er for your boo
In this activity, students create a new cover for My St
k.
___or y ________________________
Title: ____________
______
a selected book. To do so, they must distinguish ____________
between what is important and what is not

important to the story.
Preparation
Choose a book for students to read or have them
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. If
you’d like, fill in the title before making copies.
1. Have students write the book title if you have not

filled it in. Tell an adult abo
create a new title
ut your new cov
er design and
.
2. Have students draw a new cover picture. Remind

11
them that the cover usually gives clues about the

story content. If students wish, they can use the page for a rough
draft and create the new cover on drawing paper.
Optional
For the Extra! Extra! activity, have students describe their new cover design
and create a new title. Have a discussion to encourage students to support their
choices.
10
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ A /B
New Cover
Draw a new cover for your book.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Tell an adult about your new cover design and

create a new title.
11
LEVELS
A /B
Teacher Notes
Say It Again Lydi___a________________________

Name _________
Say It Again
_________
LEVELS
A /B
Choose a book.
In Box 1, draw the
Here, students engage in a simple retelling of names. In Boxes
2 and 3, draw and
characters and
/or write their
/or write two stor
y events in order.
My Ca t___M
Title: ____________
______
uf___fi___n_______________
the story. Retelling is a chance for students to 1
______
_________
process what they have read and demonstrate

comprehension. Muffin
Preparation 2
3

1. Have students write the book title if you have not Use the boxes to
retell the story to
an adult.
filled it in. 13
2. In Box 1, instruct students to draw the main

characters and/or write the characters’ names.
Let students know that some books may only have one character.
3. In Boxes 2 and 3, have students draw two important story events. Encourage them
to put the events in the correct order.
Optional
For the Extra! Extra! activity, have the students use the information in all three boxes
to retell the story to you or another adult. Check for understanding.
12
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ A /B
Say It Again
Choose a book. In Box 1, draw the characters and/or write their
names. In Boxes 2 and 3, draw and/or write two story events in order.
Title: _________________________________________________________
2 3
Use the boxes to retell the story to an adult.

13
LEVELS
A /B
Teacher Notes
My Book Character
In this activity, students think back
to remember actions taken by Farrah
Name ____________________________
___________________________________ LEVELS
A /B
a character in the story. In more My Book Character
In the head shape, draw a charac
advanced texts, children need to

ter from the book. Write his or
In the book shape, write or draw her name if you wish.
what the character does in the
story.
Getting Fit
understand the characters and their Title: ____________________________
___________________________________
actions to better understand the

girl
15
development of the plot. lifted weights
caught ball
Preparation
Choose a book for students to read or
have them choose appropriate books for Using what you know about the
else the character might like to
character and the story, tell what
do.
their reading levels. If you’d like, fill in the

title before making copies.
1. Have students write the book title if you have not filled it in.
2. Have the students look back in the story and choose a character. In the head
shape, they can draw the character and/or write the character’s name.
3. In the book shape, have students draw or write something the character did in the
story. They can provide more than one event if they wish.
Optional
For the Extra! Extra! activity, have students suggest something else this character
might do based on what they already know from the story. Students should think of
something that is not in the story.
14
LEVELS
Name _______________________________________________________________ A /B
My Book Character
In the head shape, draw a character from the book. Write his or her name if you wish.
In the book shape, write or draw what the character does in the story.
Title: _______________________________________________________________
15
Using what you know about the character and the story, tell what
else the character might like to do.
LEVELS
A /B
Teacher Notes
The Big Idea Man

Name _________
ue___
______ l __________________
The Big Idea
_________
A /B
LEVELS
Draw and/or writ

e what your boo
This activity encourages students to think about main idea. k is mostly abo
ut. This is called the
I ___Ca
Title: ____________
n__________________
main idea, a crucial component of reading ______
_______________
___
comprehension. They will practice identifying the

most important idea in a story.
Preparation
a little girl doing
the
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. same things her
big
sister does

filled it in.
Tell an adult abo
2. Explain that the big idea or main idea is what a

ut your book’s ma
some interesting in idea. Share
details.
17
story is mostly about.

3. Model finding the main idea using another text the
students have read. Name or list some details from the book and then think aloud
about what these details all have in common (for example, the details are all about
fruits we eat). Explain that this is the main idea.
4. Have students think about the details in the story that you or they have selected
for this activity. Have them identify what the book is mostly about and draw and/or
write it in the light bulb shape. Students need not write a complete sentence.
Optional
Have students complete the Extra! Extra! activity by describing the story’s main idea to
a parent, teacher, or other adult.
16
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ A /B
The Big Idea

Draw and/or write what your book is mostly about. This is called the
main idea.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Tell an adult about your book’s main idea. Share

some interesting details.
17
LEVELS
A /B
Teacher Notes
Picture Write! Tys___on________________________

Name _________
Picture Write!
_________
A /B
LEVELS
Look at the illus

trations in your
Although pictures don’t teach children to read, Let’s ___G___o_______________
Title: ____________
book. Write a list
of things you see
.
_______________
they do support the text and can even provide I see
_________
information the words do not. This activity

encourages students to notice details and gather
bu s
train
important information from illustrations in a book.
Preparation plan e
boat
you’d like, fill in the title before making copies. car
1. Have students write the book title if you have not Use the words on
the story.
your list to tell an
adult about
already filled it in.

19
2. Remind students that pictures can support

or add to a story. Encourage students to look closely at the illustrations in the
selected book.
3. Have the students write a list of what they see on the lines provided. Remind them
that lists do not need complete sentences, only important words.
4. Encourage the students to share in small groups. By sharing, students may catch
details they otherwise missed.
Optional
For the Extra! Extra! activity, have students use the words on their lists to tell you or
another adult about the story.
18
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ A /B
Picture Write!
Look at the illustrations in your book. Write a list of things you see.
Title: _________________________________________________________
I see
Use the words on your list to tell an adult about

the story.
19
LEVELS
A /B
Teacher Notes
Story Snapshot Ivy___________________________

Name _________
Story Snapsho
_________
LEVELS
A /B
Choose a book.
Draw your favo
t
By making statements about a favorite part of a a statement abo
ut your picture.
rite event from
the stor y. Share
aloud
The Br id___ge___________________________
Title: ____________
book, students begin to think about and interact ______
_________
with the text.
Preparation

2. Have students choose a favorite event from the
Tell an adult why
you like this par
t of the book.
21
story and draw it inside the picture box.

3. Encourage students to say aloud to a partner one
statement about the chosen event. For example, the statement can give a detail
about the event.
Optional
Have students complete the Extra! Extra! activity by telling you or another adult why
they chose this part of the book.
20
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ A /B
Story Snapshot
Choose a book. Draw your favorite event from the story. Share aloud
a statement about your picture.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Tell an adult why you like this part of the book.

21
LEVELS
A /B
Teacher Notes
Similar Stories Min

Name _________
_______________
____________
Similar Stories
_________
LEVELS
A /B
Choose two boo

ks. Write and/or
Comparing and contrasting texts is a key skill in are the same. draw one way
the two boo ks
Goo___
Title 1: _________
d ___Do g___Ca rl_________________________
the Common Core State Standards for primary ______ ______
M___y______
Title 2: ______
Ca ___t M___uf
______ ___fi n
students. This activity will help your students get 1
______
_______________
____
2
started.
Preparation
Choose two books that students have read, or have
The dog does
them choose appropriate books for their reading funny things. The cat does
funny things.
levels. If you’d like, fill in the titles before making The lady loves
him. The girl loves
copies. her.
1. Have students write the two book titles on lines 1

Tell a partner abo
ut one way the
are different. two books
23
and 2 if you have not already filled them in.
2. Review the organizer on the page. Explain that
responses for the first book will go in the box with the 1. Responses for the second
book will go in the box with the 2.
3. Have students think of a way the two books are alike. Have them draw and/or
write this observation in the boxes. The similarity can be as simple as both main
characters being girls or both stories having to do with sports.
Optional
Have students extend their thinking with the Extra! Extra! activity. Have them describe
to a partner one way the two books are different.
22
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ A /B
Similar Stories
Choose two books. Write and/or draw one way the two books
are the same.
Title 1: _______________________________________________________
Title 2: _______________________________________________________
1 2
Tell a partner about one way the two books

are different.
23
LEVELS
A /B
Teacher Notes
Make a Prediction Seba

___st
Name _________
ia___n____________
______
Make a Predict
____________
A /B
LEVELS
Before you read

your book, ma
ion
or write words to ke a prediction
! Draw pictures
Students can gather information and mix it with The Ca
show what you
think will happen
.
and/
r___Ri
Title: ____________
______ de__________________
______
their own prior knowledge to make predictions. It ____________
My Prediction
is important to have readers start predicting early.
Preparation
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. It
I predict the fa
should be one that is completely new to students. If mily will take th
to lots of fun pla e car
ces.
Use the story’s title
to brainstorm wo

for each word. rds. Draw a pic
ture
25
2. Review what a prediction is. Discuss with
students what weather forecasters do when they make a prediction (they use
observations to guess what the weather will be like tomorrow). Explain that in a
book prediction, we use what we know to guess what the book will be about.
3. Have students read the title and look carefully at the cover picture for clues.
4. Have them draw and/or write their predictions for the story in the space provided.
5. Have students discuss in small groups the reasons they made their predictions.
Did they use the cover photo or illustration? Did they use the title? Did they make
a connection to another book or use their own knowledge of the topic? By sharing,
students can see alternate ways to make predictions.
Optional
The Extra! Extra! activity asks students to brainstorm words that relate to the story’s
title. Encourage students to do this using a web organizer (see page 163).
24
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ A /B
Make a Prediction
Before you read your book, make a prediction! Draw pictures and/
or write words to show what you think will happen.
Title: _________________________________________________________
My Prediction
Use the story’s title to brainstorm words. Draw a picture

for each word.
25
LEVELS
A /B
Teacher Notes
Sentence Scramble Mar

____ta
Name ________
________________
Sentence Scram
________ _________
ble
LEVELS
A /B
Cut out the wor

ds and put them
In this activity, students cut out and manipulate the box, draw a in order. Paste them
picture to go with on the lines. In
the sentence.
words to recreate a familiar sentence from

the story. This builds fluency and reviews left-
to-right directionality and one-to-one word
correspondence.
I drive a car
Preparation .
Choose a book that students have read. Before you

make copies of the reproducible, choose a sentence
✄
from the book and write the words from the sentence in the boxes at the bottom of the
page. Scramble them so that they are not in order. Write the ending punctuation mark
27
in one box. (Note: You may choose to use an original sentence instead of one from a
book.)
1. Have students cut out the words and punctuation and rearrange them so that the
sentence can be read correctly.
2. On the lines, have students glue the words and punctuation in order to correctly
form the sentence.
3. Invite students to illustrate the sentence in the box provided.
4. Have students read their sentences aloud to a partner to practice reading with
fluency and intonation.
Optional
You can extend the activity by having students copy the sentence on another piece of
paper, using appropriate capitalization, spacing, and punctuation.
26
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ A /B
Sentence Scramble
Cut out the words and put them in order. Paste them on the lines. In
the box, draw a picture to go with the sentence.
27
LEVELS
A /B
Teacher Notes
Word Trace Gav___in________________________

Name _________
Word Trace
_________
A /B
LEVELS
Use a different
colored crayon
In texts for A/B readers, you’ll find that certain writing each wor
d on the lines.
to trace over eac
h word. Practice
words are repeated with great frequency. This

activity is a fantastic way to practice reading, my my
spelling, and writing those high-frequency words. my
Preparation want want
Choose a book that students have read. Before you want
make copies of the reproducible, select three high-
frequency words from the story. Write one word in and and
each box on the left side of the page; print the words and
as big and as neatly as you can. (Note: You may also Write the three
words on index
cards. With an
adult, practice
reading and spe
lling the words.
include other high-frequency words that you would 29
like to introduce or review.)
1. Be sure your students know how to read the words you have selected.
Teach them to say each letter as they trace it with a finger. Have them repeat the
word after they finish tracing the letters—for example, m-e, me.
2. Have students work independently to trace over each word multiple times with
crayon. Encourage them to continue saying the letters softly as they write the word.
3. Then have the students practice writing each high-frequency word on the lines
provided.
Optional
For the Extra! Extra! activity provide large index cards so students can create high-
frequency word cards for practice. Students should work with an adult at first to be
sure they are practicing correctly.
28
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ A /B
Word Trace
Use a different colored crayon to trace over each word. Practice
writing each word on the lines.
Write the three words on index cards. With an

adult, practice reading and spelling the words.
29
LEVELS
C/D
Teacher Notes
Busy Character Jasm

Name _________
in___e__________________
______
Busy Character
_________
LEVELS
C/ D
Choose a charac
ter from your boo
It is important for children to be able to head. Write and
/or draw some
k. Write the cha
of the character’s
racter’s name in
actions in the shir
the
The ___N___es
Title: ____________
___t
t.
understand characters through their actions, ____________ _______________

_________
Character
thoughts and later on, dialogue. Here, students
explore what a character’s actions tell readers
about that character. Mr. and Mrs. M
ouse
Character Action
s
Preparation
you’d like, fill in the title before making copies. They run. They
make a nest.
What else do you
think this charac

do, based on wha ter would like to
t you know from
picture and writ the story? Draw
e a sentence to a
match.
31

2. Have students choose a character from the story
and write the character’s name in the head. Have students draw the character in
the space provided. Remind students to capitalize the name and to look in the book
for the correct spelling.
3. In the shirt portion of the illustration, have students list some of the character’s
actions in the story. Students can also illustrate the actions in the space provided.
Encourage students to focus on actions that are important to the story or especially
interesting.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students make inferences about the character.
They already know quite a bit about the character’s behavior. Have them use what they
know to brainstorm something else the character would like to do. For instance, if the
story is about the character eating fruit, a student may choose to draw the character
eating another healthy snack. Have students write a sentence to match the illustration
or share verbally.
30
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ C/D
Busy Character
Choose a character from your book. Write the character’s name in the
head. Write and/or draw some of the character’s actions in the shirt.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Character
Character Actions
What else do you think this character would like to

do, based on what you know from the story? Draw a
picture and write a sentence to match.
31
LEVELS
C/D
Teacher Notes
Setting the Scene

In this activity, students learn that the
Luke
Name ________________________
setting of a story involves both place ______________________________ LEVELS
_________
C/D
Setting the Scene
and time. They’ll also begin thinking Think about the setting of your
book. Write your responses to
the questions. Then draw picture
s to match.
about how setting can impact the Boots
Title: ________________________
______________________________
_________________________
Where does the story take place?
outcome of a story. When does the story take place?
33
Preparation
have them choose appropriate books for
school winter
their reading levels. Be sure the book has
Can you think of a new setting
a clear setting. If you’d like, fill in the title for the story? Draw the new setting
Tell how it might change the story. .
before making copies.
1. Have students write the book title if you have not already
filled it in.
2. Have students look back in the text to answer the question, Where does the story
take place? Tell students that they may find clues in the illustrations or in the
details of the story (for example, if the characters are on swings, they may be at a
park).
3. On the left side of the reproducible, have them write this aspect of the setting. If
the setting changes during the story, students can list several or choose one. Have
them draw a picture to match.
4. Next, have students answer the question, When does the story take place? Explain
that this may include the time of day or the time of year. It can also be as simple
as “long ago” or “modern times.” Have students record this aspect of setting on the
right side of the reproducible and draw a picture to match.
Optional
The Writing Extra! activity invites students to think about the story with an alternative
setting. Have them draw the new setting and write or discuss how the new setting
would change the story. This will require adult guidance as it is abstract and the
children will need to have an adult lead this discussion.
32
LEVELS
Name _______________________________________________________________ C/D
Setting the Scene

Think about the setting of your book. Write your responses to the questions. Then draw pictures to match.
Title: _______________________________________________________________________________
Where does the story take place? When does the story take place?
33
Can you think of a new setting for the story? Draw the new setting.
Tell how it might change the story.
LEVELS
C/D
Teacher Notes
Problem Solved Stel___la________________________

Name _________
Problem Solved
_________
LEVELS
C/ D
What problem
happens in you
Most good stories revolve around a problem How does the pro r book? Write or
blem get solved? draw it on the flow
Write or draw it
on the watering
erpot.
Monke
___y on______th
Title: ____________
___e
can.
and end with a satisfying solution. Here, students ______

Ro
______ ___of
__________
PROBLEM
explore this basic fiction text structure.
The toy
monkey gets
Preparation stuck on the
roof.
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. Be SOLUTION
sure the books have a clear problem and solution. If
Mom used a
you’d like, fill in the title before making copies. ladder to get it.

Draw a picture
showing a proble
already filled it in. solved it. Write
words or senten
m you had and
ces to match you
how you
r picture.
35
2. Review the concepts of problem and solution

using the images on the reproducible: The thirsty
flower is drooping (PROBLEM). We pour water on it (SOLUTION).
3. Have students identify the problem in the story and draw or write it in the
flowerpot. If they illustrate the problem, be sure they can verbally explain their
picture.
4. Have them identify the solution. Have them write or illustrate their responses in the
watering can.
Optional
Use the Writing Extra! activity to further explore problem and solution. Have students
illustrate a problem they had and how they solved it. Have them write sentences to
match their pictures and share their responses.
34
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ C/D
Problem Solved
What problem happens in your book? Write or draw it on the flowerpot.
How does the problem get solved? Write or draw it on the watering can.
Title: _________________________________________________
PROBLEM
SOLUTION
Draw a picture showing a problem you had and how you

solved it. Write words or sentences to match your picture.
35
LEVELS
C/D
Teacher Notes
Sail Through Sam___________________________

Name _________
Sail Through th
_________
LEVELS
C/ D
the Story
Choose a book.
e Story
Retell the stor y
in order. Use key
words and picture
Geoff___
re___
y ___th
Title: ____________
e ___D___in
s.
______ osaur
_______________
_________
Beginning
It is challenging for a young child to retell a story Middle
without including his or her opinion. Although
opinions are important, a retelling includes just the
facts. This activity is a great way for students to Geoffrey/out of
washes/dresses/
practice. bed.
eats/school bag
End
Preparation
meets friends/scho
Choose a book for students to read or have them ol
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. If Use your key wo
rds to write senten
story events. ces about the
37

2. Draw students’ attention to the labels “Beginning,” “Middle,” and “End” on the
parts of the sailboat. Explain to students that they will recall the important events
from the beginning, middle, and end of the book.
3. In the sailboat parts, have students write important words recalling the beginning,
middle, and end of the story (there isn’t enough room to write complete sentences).
The important words will help children remember what is key. For example, instead
of writing that a dog and his owner went to the park, a child can list “dog, owner,
park” as the key words.
4. Have students use their key words to practice retelling the story to a partner or
adult. Remind them to retell the facts and to leave out their own feelings and
opinions.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students write sentences to retell the story.
Encourage them to use time-order words such as first, then, and next.
36
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ C/D
Sail Through the Story

Choose a book. Retell the story in order. Use key words and pictures.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Beginning Middle
End
Use your key words to write sentences about the

story events.
37
LEVELS
C/D
Teacher Notes
Cause and Effect

Story events are interrelated, often
Noah
Name ________________________
______________________________ LEVELS
in a cause-and-effect fashion. By _________

C/D
Cause and Effect
recognizing this connection, students Choose a book. Think about someth
ing that happens in the story. Write
and/or draw the cause in
the sun. Write and/or draw the
effect in the sunglasses.
can better understand a story. Where Is Ma x?

Title: ________________________
______ ____________________________
EFFECT
Preparation CAUSE
39
The teacher Max goes
Choose a book for students to read or feeds Max. back to
have them choose appropriate books for his cage.
their reading levels. If you’d like, fill in

the title before making copies. To simplify
Write your own cause and effect
the activity, you may wish to fill in either If ___________ , then ___________
.
sentence. Copy this sentence
and fill in the blanks:
a cause or an effect from the story before

copying. To make it more challenging,
leave both cause and effect blank for students to identify.
1. Have students write the book title if you have not already filled it in.
2. Review with students that in real life and in stories, one thing often causes another
to happen. Provide plenty of examples, including the imagery from the page: When
it is sunny out (CAUSE), we need to wear sunglasses (EFFECT).
3. If you have already filled in a cause from the story, point it out. Challenge students
to identify and then write and draw the corresponding effect in the sunglasses. (If
you have filled in an effect, challenge students to write the cause in the sun.)
4. If you’d like students to fill in both parts of the reproducible, have them write and
draw any cause and effect from the story.
Optional
For additional practice, have students complete the Writing Extra! prompt. Be ready
to provide causes if students get stuck: “If it is very hot . . . ”; “If the boy jumps in the
puddle . . . ”; and so on. Have students illustrate the sentences. Collect them for a
class book!
38
LEVELS
Name _______________________________________________________________ C/D
Cause and Effect

Choose a book. Think about something that happens in the story. Write and/or draw the cause in
the sun. Write and/or draw the effect in the sunglasses.
Title: __________________________________________________________
EFFECT
CAUSE
39
Write your own cause and effect sentence. Copy this sentence and fill in the blanks:
If ___________ , then ___________ .
LEVELS
C/D
Teacher Notes
Picture Lists
Although reliance on picture clues
Bianca
cannot replace decoding skills,
Name ____________________________ LEVELS
___________________________________
C/D
pictures can help tell a story. By Picture Lists
Choose an illustration in the book.
Write the page number(s) on
picture? Divide your observations the line. What do you notice in
the
recording and categorizing the items
into two groups.
Ten Cats Hav_______

e Hat s ________________
Title: ____________________________
_______
they observe in a busy illustration, Page

tools
Category ____________________
stores
students will boost visual literacy and
___
8, 9
_______ Category ____________________
___
41
shovel
organizational skills. candy
saw barber
hammer
Preparation
Choose a book for students to read or List some objects in your classro
om. Group them into two catego
ries.
their reading levels. If you’d like, fill in the
title before making copies. You may also
wish to preselect the illustration students will use for the activity and record it before
copying. If your students are new to this activity, it’s a good idea to preselect and
label the categories for their observations as well. Examples of categories may include
characters, setting, toys, animals, and foods.
1. Have students write the book title if you have not already filled it in.
2. Have students browse the book and choose an illustration if you have not
preselected one. Instruct them to record the page number(s) on the line provided.
3. If you have preselected categories for the students to work with, have students
study the illustration and look for items that fall into those categories. Instruct the
students to write or draw responses under the correct headings on the handout.
4. If students are choosing their own categories, have them record the category titles
on the tops of the lists before listing the items that fall into those categories.
Optional
Extend the activity by having students classify objects. They can sort actual objects
or they can put objects into categories—for example, Things We Use for Art and Fall
Things.
40
LEVELS
Name _______________________________________________________________ C/D
Picture Lists
Choose an illustration in the book. Write the page number(s) on the line. What do you notice in the
picture? Divide your observations into two groups.
Title: __________________________________________________________
Page
Category _______________________ Category _______________________
_______
41
List some objects in your classroom. Group them into two categories.
LEVELS
C/D
Teacher Notes
Book Detective
Have students hunt for ways that two
Max
fictional characters are alike—and Name ________________________
______________________________
_________
LEVELS
C/D
boost comprehension in the process! Book Detective
Choose two characters. Write
their names on the lines. Then
two characters are alike. Write be a book detective! Find ways
words and draw pictures to show the
how the two are the same.
Character 1:
Preparation
Character 2:
cat crazy pigs

For this activity, students compare two animal animal
43
characters from the same book or from makes a mess in makes a mess on
different books. Choose one or two books the house the farm
for students to read, according to your
preference. If you’d like, preselect the
characters students will compare and Choose two friends or family memb
ers. Think about how they are
Write and illustrate your respon the same.
se.
record the names before copying.
1. Have students select two characters to

compare and write their names on the lines, if you have not already done
so.
2. Discuss ways that people (or characters) can be alike: They may share physical
features, talents, interests, or personality characteristics. They may have similar
experiences or face similar problems.
3. Have children go back into the book(s) and identify similarities between the two
characters. It is good practice for them to look back, reread, review, and confirm
what took place in the story rather than rely on memory. Some similarities may
be found in the pictures. Students should record the similarities in the character
columns (using either key words or sentences).
4. Provide support and prompts as needed if students struggle.
5. Have students illustrate their writing.
Optional
Use the Writing Extra! activity to provide additional practice making comparisons.
42
LEVELS
Name _______________________________________________________________ C/D
Book Detective
Choose two characters. Write their names on the lines. Then be a book detective! Find ways the
two characters are alike. Write words and draw pictures to show how the two are the same.
Character 1: Character 2:
43
Choose two friends or family members. Think about how they are the same.
Write and illustrate your response.
LEVELS
C/D
Teacher Notes
What’s Cooking? Name _________ Broo

___ke
_______________
What’s Cooking
_________ _________
LEVELS
C/ D
Some words hav
e more than one
?
Multiple meaning words (bat, set, roll, etc.) are lines. In the first
write and draw
pot, write and dra
another meani
meaning. Look
w one meaning.
ng for the same
at the word on
In second pot,
the
word.
found in even the earliest reading materials. bark

Word _________
________
Introducing these words early on will help students

M
EA
NI
NG
1
improve overall comprehension.
a noise a dog m
akes
Preparation
bark
Word _________
________
Before copying the reproducible, you’ll need to
preselect a word with multiple meanings. It can be a
2
word from a book that students have just read or will ME
AN
ING
read soon, or it can be chosen from the list on page the outer coverin
g on a
174. Write the word on the page before reproducing. trunk of a tree
1. Have students read the word. Discuss as a class 45
or have students discuss in pairs two meanings

for the word.
2. Help students write a very brief definition in the top pot. Then have students
illustrate that word in the same pot.
3. Have students write and illustrate the second meaning of the word in the second
pot.
4. You may occasionally come across a word that has more than two meanings. If
students wish, they can write and illustrate additional meanings on the back of the
page.
Optional
Vocabulary exposure enhances comprehension. Have students use the multiple-
meaning word from this activity in two original sentences, one for each meaning.
44
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ C/D
What’s Cooking?
Some words have more than one meaning. Look at the word on the
lines. In the first pot, write and draw one meaning. In second pot,
write and draw another meaning for the same word.
Word _________________
Meaning
Word _________________
Meaning
45
LEVELS
C/D
Teacher Notes
Bag of Words Lean

___dr a__________________
Name _________
______ LEVELS
_________
C/ D
Bag of Words
Read the tag on
the bag. Decide
belong in the bag which words from
the Word Bank
This flexible reproducible can be used to
. Write them on
the lines.
Word Bank
review rhyming words, synonyms, contractions, cat away ran

________________
______ ________________
______
red
________________
up
________________
______
compound words, vowel pairs, digraphs, nouns, or ______ ________________

______ at
am
________________
______
________________
______ fat
________________
______ said
________________
any other focus skill. ______
Preparation cat am
___
Before copying, decide which skill you’d like students
fat
ran
s_h_o__
Lo
ok
r_t_a__
to practice. For example, you might have students
for
at
w___
or_d__
look for words that rhyme with a key word from the
_ s__
story, nouns from the story, or words from the story
that use the digraph ch. The possibilities are endless. Write sentences
using some of the
bag. Include som words from you
To provide direction, write the focus skill on the bag’s e statements and r
some questions.
47
tag. You should also preselect words from the book

and write them in the Word Bank. Make sure that
not all of the words in the Bank fit the criterion written on the tag. Words do not
necessarily need to appear in the book to be used for this activity.
1. Have students read the instruction on the bag’s tag. Make sure they understand
the kinds of words they are looking for.
2. Have students use the Word Bank to choose words that fit the criterion. Have them
write the appropriate words on the lines in the bag.
3. If you’d like, have students brainstorm additional words that fit the criterion and
use them to create a word chart or booklet.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students write sentences (both statements and
questions) using some of the words from the bag.
46
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ C/D
Bag of Words
Read the tag on the bag. Decide which words from the Word Bank
belong in the bag. Write them on the lines.
Word Bank
______________________ ______________________ ______________________
______________________ ______________________ ______________________
______________________ ______________________ ______________________
__
__
Lo
__
ok
__
for
__
__
__
__
_
__
_
Write sentences using some of the words from your

bag. Include some statements and some questions.
47
LEVELS
C/D
Teacher Notes
Word Sort Jack

Name _________
_______________
____________
Word Sort
_________
LEVELS
C/ D
Cut out the wor
Select any two attributes and have students

ds at the bottom
sort them into two of the page. Dec
groups. Give a ide how you can
attribute you cho name to each
se. Paste the wor group based on
ds into the groups the
.
look for words from the book that match those Group name:
Farm an___ Group name:
im___
als
_______________
_________ Parts of th
___e bo___
_______________
dy___
attributes—or let students group the words and ______
find the attributes on their own.
Preparation
This activity can be done with varying degrees of
teacher involvement. If you wish, review a book
hands nose
and select two attributes that describe some of the hen
words. Ideas include themes such as farm animals, co w elbows cheek
food, character traits, or modes of transportation. frog pigs toes
Attributes can also be skill-based such as synonyms,
✄
49
adjectives, or words with specific blends. Write the

attributes in the columns, then fill in the boxes
at the bottom of the page with words that match the attributes. Alternatively,
simply write selected words from the story in the boxes so that students can group
them and find attributes. For example, if the story is about a farm, you can list animal
names in the boxes. Children can sort them by name, by number of legs, and so on.
1. Review the directions. If you have preselected the attributes, make sure students
understand what the attributes mean. If students are finding attributes on their
own, guide them to understand that they are looking for characteristics the words
have in common.
2. Have students cut out the boxes and sort them into groups. Depending on the
words you have chosen, you might note that students do not need to use all of the
words.
3. Have students write the attributes on the columns if you have not already done so.
Have them paste each word into the correct column.
Optional
If students develop their own attributes, have them explain how they decided on the
attributes. If students sorted words into preselected groups, have them try to add more
words to each group.
48
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ C/D
Word Sort
Cut out the words at the bottom of the page. Decide how you can
sort them into two groups. Give a name to each group based on the
attribute you chose. Paste the words into the groups.
Group name: Group name:
______________________________ ______________________________
✄
49
LEVELS
E/F
Teacher Notes
People and Places Carm

Name _________
en_____________________
______
People and Pla

_________
LEVELS
E/ F
Choose a book.
ces
In each window
Review the basic story elements of characters and from the stor y. At
The setting is whe
, write the name
the bottom of the
re and when the
house, write and
of a character
draw the setting
stor y takes place. .
setting as students engage with a favorite work of The Pr___in

___ce
Title: ____________
___ss
______an d___th
______ e
______ Pea
_______________
fiction. Character
Character
Preparation the princess
the king
Setting

the castle at nigh
already filled it in. t
Make a list of wo
rds to describe
2. Have students identify two main characters and

a third list of wo each character.
rds to describe Make
the setting.
51
write the names in the windows. If the book

has only one character, students can leave
one window blank. If the character does not have a name, have children
write “boy” or “dog” to identify the character as best they can. Have students add
drawings of the characters.
3. Review the definition of setting and make sure that students know that setting
involves both where and when the story takes place. Students may need help
thinking about the time element; point out that it can be very general (modern
times) or very specific (Thanksgiving morning), depending on the book.
4. Have students describe and draw the setting on the first floor of the house.
Optional
Use the Writing Extra! activity to have students generate lists of words that describe
each main character and the setting.
50
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ E/F
People and Places

Choose a book. In each window, write the name of a character
from the story. At the bottom of the house, write and draw the setting.
The setting is where and when the story takes place.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Character Character
Setting
Make a list of words to describe each character. Make

a third list of words to describe the setting.
51
LEVELS
E/F
Teacher Notes
Wheel Away Mas

Name ________
____on
Wheel Away th
________________
________ _________
e Problem
LEVELS
E/ F
the Problem
Think of the ma
in problem in the
how the problem stor y. Write it in
got solved. Writ the rocks. Recall
e it in the wheelba
rrow.
The En
____or
____m
Title: ____________
ou s____T____
____ ____ ur____
ni____
p _____________
Problem:
Identifying problem and solution is critical to
Mr. Farmer and
comprehension of most fiction texts. This activity his
friends could not
pull out
provides a fun way to practice. the enormous turn
ip.
Solution:
Preparation The mouse got th

e
Choose a book for students to read or have them turnip out!
you’d like, fill in the title before making copies. Write about a pro
blem you had.
Explain how you
solved it. Draw
picture to match a
.
1. Have students write the book title if you have not 53

2. Review the concepts of problem and solution
using examples from everyday life. The imagery on the page offers one
example: If we have rocks in the yard (PROBLEM), we can wheel them away
(SOLUTION).
3. In the rocks atop the wheelbarrow, have students identify the main problem(s) in
the story. Since space is limited, students may choose to use key words instead of
complete sentences.
4. On the wheelbarrow, have students write the solution to the problem. Encourage
children to go back into the story if they cannot remember the events clearly.
Optional
Provide additional practice with problem and solution with the Writing Extra! activity
Have students write about a problem they had at school or at home and describe how
they overcame it.
52
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ E/F
Wheel Away the Problem

Think of the main problem in the story. Write it in the rocks. Recall
how the problem got solved. Write it in the wheelbarrow.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Problem:
Solution:
Write about a problem you had.

Explain how you solved it. Draw a
picture to match.
53
LEVELS
E/F
Teacher Notes
Cool Characters
Joe___________________________
Name _________
LEVELS
_________
E/ F
Cool Character
Choose a charac
ter from your boo
s
name and the k. In the bookma
book title. Then, rk, write the cha
This bookmark will help students better understand she feels. Cut out write what the cha racter’s
the bookmark racter does and
and draw the cha how he or
racter on the bac
k.
the characters they meet in stories. Make two

Character
Sam
copies so that students can compare and Title
contrast two characters! Sam’s Painting
What does the
Preparation
character do?
paints a picture
How does the cha
racter feel?
you’d like, fill in the character name and book title upset, surprised
before making copies. Note: If you’d like students to
compare two characters, make double copies of the
reproducible and choose two characters from the
✄
55
same book or different books.
1. Have students write the character name and book title if you have not
already done so.
2. Have students go back into the story and answer the questions What does the
character do? and How does the character feel? Space is limited, so students can
use key words and phrases instead of complete sentences. If you wish, make the
list of character-trait words on page 174 available to students as they work.
3. If you’d like students to compare characters, distribute another copy of the
reproducible and repeat step 2. Have students discuss as a class or in pairs how
the two characters are alike or different.
4. Encourage students to cut out the bookmark(s) and illustrate the character(s) on
the back.
Optional
Make copies of the bookmark available for students to use—and fill in—each time they
read a new fiction book. Use tagboard for sturdier construction and have students add
string or lace to the top.
54
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ E/F
Cool Characters
Choose a character from your book. In the bookmark, write the character’s
name and the book title. Then, write what the character does and how he or
she feels. Cut out the bookmark and draw the character on the back.
Character
Title
What does the character do?
How does the character feel?

✄
55
LEVELS
E/F
Teacher Notes
Pop the Question!

In this versatile activity, prompt students
Neha
Name ________________________
______________________________ LEVELS
to revisit and recall important details _________

E/F
Pop the Question!
from the story. Read the question. Look back
in the book to find the answer
. Write your answer in a full senten
ce.
Cookie’s Wee______
k ____________________________________
Title: ________________________
Preparation
QUESTION What did Cookie do on Tuesday?
Choose a book for students to read or have
57
them choose appropriate books for their
reading levels. If you’d like, fill in the title On Tuesday, Cookie knocked
ANSWER
before making copies. Before copying,
you will also need to provide a question over the plant.
for students to answer about the story. Write a question about the story.
question’s answer cannot be “yes”
See if your friends can answer
it. Your
or “no”!
In the beginning, focus on questions that

are answered directly in the text. Later, as
students become more proficient, include questions that
call on students to make inferences and think beyond the text.
1. Have students write the book title if you have not already done so.
2. Have students read the question about the story. If necessary, offer a hint (such as
a page number or scene description) to help students find the answers.
3. Have students write the answer to the question on the lines in the bottom of the ice
pop.
Optional
The Writing Extra! activity prompts students to write a question about the story to ask
a friend. Remind students to go beyond yes/no questions. Encourage them to share
their question with a partner, and ask partners to respond in complete sentences.
Have an adult present to guide and monitor the discussion and to check for accuracy.
56
LEVELS
Name _______________________________________________________________ E/F
Pop the Question!

Read the question. Look back in the book to find the answer. Write your answer in a full sentence.
Title: __________________________________________________________________
Question
57
ANSWER
Write a question about the story. See if your friends can answer it. Your
question’s answer cannot be “yes” or “no”!
LEVELS
E/F
Teacher Notes
Put It in Order Choose a book.

Kayl
Name _________
___a
_______________
Put It in Order
__________________
LEVELS
E/ F
Write four events

in time order. that happen in
Reviewing the sequence of key events in a story is

the stor y. Put them
The Fo
Title: ____________
x___an d___th
_
______ ______ e ___Cr
______ ___ow
_________
an important step in retelling.
FIRS T ______
Crow found cheese

and
went in the tree
.
Preparation THEN
Fox sat under th
Choose a book for students to read or have them e tree
NEX T
Fox tried to get

the
cheese.
FINA LLY
already done so. Fox tricked Crow
and
2. Point out the temporal words (first, then, next, got the cheese.
and finally) at the top of the text blocks. Guide 59
students to understand that words like these are

used to help organize events in sequential order.
3. Discuss what makes an event important to the story. Guide students to understand
that the most important events often show a problem starting, growing, and getting
solved.
4. Have students identify four important events from the story in chronological order.
Have them write each event in a block. Encourage students to illustrate the four
events on the back of the paper.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students brainstorm additional words that signal
time order. A web organizer (page 163) is perfect for this exercise.
58
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ E/F
Put It in Order
Choose a book. Write four events that happen in the story. Put them
in time order.
Title: _________________________________________________________
_ First
THEN
NEXT
FINALLY
59
LEVELS
E/F
Teacher Notes
Story Message Nat___ha

Name _________
n __________________
______
Story Message
_________
LEVELS
E/ F
Choose a book.
What lesson doe
this stor y? Write s the author wan
Because the message of a story is usually implied the stor y that sup
the message on
por ts this messa
the lines. Then dra
ge.
t you to learn from
w a scene from
instead of stated, identifying it can be challenging A Co___

lo___r ___of
______H
___is Own
Title: ____________
______ _______________
The message of ______
the story is
for students. Here, students will learn to use events It is important
to be
from the story to infer the author’s intended happy with yourse
lf just the
message. way you are!
Preparation

Write a sentence
or two telling wh
message is imp y the author’s
ortant.
61
already done so.

2. Explain that the message of a story is what the
author wants readers to remember. It is often a lesson that the main character
learns. Offer examples: A character is afraid he won’t have fun camping, but when
he goes camping he enjoys his trip after all. The story message is to try new things
because you may enjoy them!
3. Have students think about the story they have read and ask themselves: What
happened to the character? Did the character learn an important lesson? What’s
the message the author wanted to share with readers? Finding the message may
take a good bit of modeling and instruction at first, but with practice, students will
soon be doing it independently.
4. Have students record the message on the lines and draw a scene from the story
that supports the message.
Optional
Have students share their own opinions about the author’s message with the Writing
Extra! prompt.
60
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ E/F
Story Message
Choose a book. What lesson does the author want you to learn from
this story? Write the message on the lines. Then draw a scene from
the story that supports this message.
Title: _________________________________________________________
The message of the story is
Write a sentence or two telling why the author’s

message is important.
61
LEVELS
E/F
Teacher Notes
Picture Sort Sara

Name _________
___h
_______________
Picture Sort
_________ _________
LEVELS
E/ F
Look at the illus

tration on the pag
e given. How ma
Though nothing can replace solid decoding, good
see? List them in ny different thin
the Brainstorm gs do you
each group a nam box. Then put the
e. You do not hav items into two gro
explain how you e to use all of the ups. Give
grouped the item items. Be ready
s. to
readers often extract additional information from I Nee___d______
Title: ____________
a___Lu nc___hbox
______ _______________
11, 12_
__ Page: ______
visuals. In this activity, students will list and organize Brainstorm
their observations of a selected illustration. boy raincoat pe

n paper
notebook shirt
pants
Preparation
Choose a book for students to read or have them sch
Group 1: ___ ___oo
___l ___
sup plie
___ ___s
___ clo
Group 2: ___ ___thin g _________
______
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. pen paper raincoat shirt
Before making copies, fill in the title and identify notebook
pants
the page number(s) of the illustration you want the
students to respond to. (If there is no page number, Write about an
use your descrip
illustration in the
book. Have a par
tion to locate the tner
correct picture
have students use a sticky note or bookmark to 63
!
identify the page in their books.)
1. After reading, have students study the selected illustration. Ask them
to list everything they notice in the Brainstorm box.
2. Instruct students to categorize the words into two groups. Be sure students can
describe the characteristics they used to form each group. Examples of group
pairs might be people and animals, things outside and things inside, and so on.
Emphasize that students need not use all of the items they put in the Brainstorm
box.
3. Invite students to share how they grouped the items. Be sure that students
understand that there is no one “right” answer.
4. Discuss how the illustration helps tell the story. Ask: What information does the
illustration give that the text does not?
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, ask students to describe another illustration from
the story in great detail (either orally or in writing). Have partners try locate the
illustrations based on the description.
62
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ E/F
Picture Sort
Look at the illustration on the page given. How many different things do you
see? List them in the Brainstorm box. Then put the items into two groups. Give
each group a name. You do not have to use all of the items. Be ready to
explain how you grouped the items.
Title: __________________________________________________ Page: _______
Brainstorm
Group 1: _____________________ Group 2: _____________________
Write about an illustration in the book. Have a partner

use your description to locate the correct picture!
63
LEVELS
E/F
Teacher Notes
Fact and Opinion

Distinguishing between facts and
Ernesto
Name________________________
opinions is an essential literacy skill. Here, ______________________________
_________
LEVELS
E/F
students practice writing facts and Fact and Opinion
Choose a character from a book.
In the box, draw the character
list three facts and one opinion and write his or her name. Then
about the character. A fact is someth
opinions about fictional characters. opinion is what you think or feel. ing that can be proved. Your
Grandpa Kni______
CHARACTER BOX ts ______
Hat
Title: ________________________
s _______
______
Grandpa FACTS
He knits on the train.

Preparation
He knits hats.
65
Choose a book for students to read or have He made a teddy bear.
reading levels. If you’d like, fill in the title OPINION
Grandpa is very kind.

before making copies.
Choose another character. List
two facts and one opinion about
1. Have students write the book title if

him or her.
you have not already done so.

2. Have students choose a character from the story and write the character’s
name in the character box. Students should also draw the character in the space
provided.
3. Review the differences between facts and opinions. Explain that a fact is a
statement that can be proved true. An opinion is a statement that shows what
someone thinks or feels. Provide some examples of each.
4. Have students list three facts about the character. They can look back in the story
if they need reminders.
5. Invite students to form an opinion about the selected character. Have them write
their opinion on the last line.
Optional
Use the Writing Extra! activity to have students list facts and opinions about a
different character. It may be a character from the same story or a different story.
64
LEVELS
Name_______________________________________________________________ E/F
Fact and Opinion

Choose a character from a book. In the box, draw the character and write his or her name. Then
list three facts and one opinion about the character. A fact is something that can be proved. Your
opinion is what you think or feel.
CHARACTER BOX
Title: _________________________________________________
FACTS
65
OPINION
Choose another character. List two facts and one opinion about him or her.
LEVELS
E/F
Teacher Notes
Unlock Word Meaning

Students will encounter multiple-
Anika
meaning words in most of the
Name________________________ LEVELS
______________________________
_________
E/F
Unlock Word Meaning
books they read. Use this activity to Some words have more than
one meaning. Read the word
the lines. Draw pictures to match on the locks. Write its two meanin
. Use a dictionary if you need gs on
explore such words and improve help.
comprehension.
Word
Word
bat bat
Meaning 1
Meaning 2
67
the animal
Preparation used to hit a ball
Choose a word with multiple meanings

from a book that students have read or
will read. Alternatively, select a word
from the list on page 174. Before making Use the word above in a rebus
with a picture that shows which
sentence. Write the sentence,
meaning you are using.
but replace the word
copies, write the chosen word in the

center of each padlock.
1. Direct students’ attention to the target word. Explain that it appears twice because
it has two meanings.
2. Offer a different multiple-meaning word as an example, giving a simple definition
for each meaning. Example: A set can be a collection or kit, like a chemistry set. Set
can also mean to put things in a specific place, like when we set the table.
3. Have students do the same for the word that appears on the page. Have them write
and illustrate one meaning on each padlock. Students should use their own words
if possible, but can check a children’s dictionary if they need help.
Optional
Students will have fun with this Writing Extra! activity. Have students use the selected
word in a rebus sentence. Have students write a sentence but replace the multiple
meaning word with an illustration that shows which meaning is intended. You may
want to share some rebuses with students before they give this a try.
66
LEVELS
Name_______________________________________________________________ E/F
Unlock Word Meaning
Some words have more than one meaning. Read the word on the locks. Write its two meanings on
the lines. Draw pictures to match. Use a dictionary if you need help.
Word Word
Meaning 1 Meaning 2
67
Use the word above in a rebus sentence. Write the sentence, but replace the word
with a picture that shows which meaning you are using.
LEVELS
E/F
Teacher Notes
Catch Some Fiction Ben___________________________

Name _________
Catch Some Fi
_________
LEVELS
E/ F
Fiction books tell

ction
In this activity, students use stories they have read
stories. Read thre
in the balls. Wha e fiction books
t are some thin and write the title
what you notice gs the books hav s
in the catcher’s e in common?
mitt. Write
to explore additional characteristics of fiction. Title: What I Notice:
The a cookie talks

Preparation Gingerbread make believe
Man animals act
Consider pairing or grouping students for this activity.
like people
Assemble a collection of level-appropriate fiction books
that students have already read or that they can read Title:
Title:
for the activity. Try to include various genres such as Monkey See, A Funny
fairy tales, realistic fiction, fantasy, and fables. Each Monkey Do Man
pair or group will need three fiction texts.
1. Review the directions with students. Explain that Which one of the
Write a few sen
fiction books did
tences explaining
you like best?
why.
69
the books in the pile are all fiction, or made-up
stories. Each pair or group will look at three
books and describe what they notice.
2. Have students read or review three books and list the titles on the baseballs.
3. On the catcher’s mitt, have pairs or groups record some of the things the books
have in common. Circulate through the room to help students note characteristics,
draw conclusions, and record information. For example, students may notice the
following:
• Fiction books have characters and a setting.
• Fiction books have conflicts and resolutions.
• Fiction books may have talking animals.
4. As a class, discuss the characteristics that students found. Create a master list to
display in the classroom.
Optional
Have students complete the Writing Extra! activity by telling which of the three fiction
books they like best and why.
68
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ E/F
Catch Some Fiction

Fiction books tell stories. Read three fiction books and write the titles
in the balls. What are some things the books have in common? Write
what you notice in the catcher’s mitt.
What I Notice:
Title:
Title: Title:
Which one of the fiction books did you like best?

Write a few sentences explaining why.
69
LEVELS
G/H
Teacher Notes
Super Setting Beth

Name ________
____en
____y
________________
Super Setting
____ _________
LEVELS
G/ H
Choose a book.
Draw the setting.
Setting is an important story element, often to the stor y. Then tell why the
setting is important
The N
____ew Ba by Ca
Title: ____________
dictating the problems characters face and the

________ ____ ________ lf
____ ____________
resources they have to solve those problems. In

this activity, students explore the role setting plays
in a story.
Preparation
What is the sett
ing? Why is the
setting of this stor
y important?
The setting is on
the farm. It
Choose a book for students to read or have them is important beca
use Buttercup
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. can take care of
his new calf.
Can you think of
1. Have students write the book title on the line

another setting
Describe the new for the story?
setting and tell
change the stor how it might
y.
provided. 71
2. Have students think about the setting of the

story. Remind them that setting includes both
place (where the story takes place) and time (when it takes place). A story can have
more than one setting, but encourage students to think of the one where most
of the important action takes place. Have students draw the setting in the house
shape.
3. On the lines provided, have students describe the setting and explain why the
setting is important to the story.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students suggest another setting for the same
story. Ask them to describe how the new setting might change the story.
70
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ G/H
Super Setting
Choose a book. Draw the setting. Then tell why the setting is important
to the story.
Title: ____________________________________________________
What is the setting? Why is the setting of this story important?
Can you think of another setting for the story?

Describe the new setting and tell how it might
change the story.
71
LEVELS
G/H
Teacher Notes
Five W’s and How Julia

Name _________
_______________
Five W’s and H

Choose a book.
_______________
ow
______
LEVELS
G/ H
Answer the six questions

about the stor y
Having students answer the journalistic five Popc___or___n______
using key words.
Title: ____________
Fu___n______ _______________
W’s and How is an excellent way to focus on _________
Katie and Joe

WHO is it about?
important details and introduce summarizing skills.

make popcorn
WHAT happens?
Preparation WHERE does it
happen?
in their house
on a rainy day
WHEN does it
happen?
choose appropriate books for their reading levels.
It is yummy and
WHY?
1. Have students write the book title on the line fun.

They ate all of
HOW?
provided. it !
2. On the chart, have students write key words or Think about a spe
cia
who, what, where l day you had. Answer
your day. Illustrat
, when, why, and
how about
e your response.
sentences to answer: WHO is it about?, WHAT
73
happens? WHERE does it happen? WHEN does

it happen? WHY does it happen? and HOW does
it end? (Note that the “why” and “how” questions may be posed differently
for different stories; you may change the exact wording to suit your needs. For
example, instead of “HOW does it end?” you might ask, “HOW does the character
feel?”)
3. If time allows, have students generate two of their own questions about the story
using any of the six question words. Have them write their questions on the back of
the page and answer in complete sentences.
Optional
Have students answer the five W’s and How as they complete the Writing Extra!
activity about a special day.
72
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ G/H
Five W’s and How
Choose a book. Answer the six questions about the story using key words.
Title: _________________________________________________________
WHO is it about?
WHAT happens?
WHERE does it
happen?
WHEN does it
happen?
WHY?
HOW?
Think about a special day you had. Answer

who, what, where, when, why, and how about
your day. Illustrate your response.
73
LEVELS
G/H
Teacher Notes
Story Parts Da____

nt____
e ____________________________
Name ________
LEVELS
_ G/ H
Story Parts
Name your boo
k’s characters and
three events from setting. Then writ
the stor y. Keep e and draw
All three of the main story components

the events in ord
Mr. M____
cC____
rea____
Title: ____________
dy____
’s ____
er.
Cl____
ea ning Day_____
________________
(characters, setting, and plot events) come First
together in this fun organizer. Characters
Mr. McCready Mr. M lost glasse

s
mouse cat
Preparation dog
Next
Choose a book for students to read or have them vacuumed mouse,

choose appropriate books for their reading levels. Setting
cat, and dog
Mr. Finally
1. Have students write the book title on the line McCready’s

provided. house vacuum exploded
had to clean ag
2. Remind students that there are many parts to List three or fou
r events from you
ain
r day in order.
a story including characters, setting, problem, 75
and solution. The plot is the series of events that

happen in a story.
3. Have students identify the main character(s) from the story in the face shape.
4. Have students identify the setting in the house shape.
5. Have students choose three key events from the story. Instruct them to write
and illustrate the events in order in the three event boxes provided. Point out the
sequence words that appear on the boxes: first, next, finally.
6. Have children retell the story orally using the information on their handouts.
Optional
For extra practice retelling events in order, have students complete the Writing Extra!
activity. Remind students to use sequencing words as they describe in order key
events from their day.
74
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ G/H
Story Parts
Name your book’s characters and setting. Then write and draw
three events from the story. Keep the events in order.
Title: _________________________________________________________
First
Characters
Next
Setting
Finally
List three or four events from your day in order.

75
LEVELS
G/H
Teacher Notes
Character Reaction
Sofi___e________________________
Name _________
LEVELS
_________
G/ H
Character Rea
Choose an imp
ortant eve
ction
about how the nt in the stor y. Writ
character reacts e and draw it in
to the event. Writ box A. Think
Students explore how a character responds to a Gardening with

Title: ____________
Grandpa
_______________
_______________
e and draw it in
_______________
box B.
Grandma
Character: ______
_______________ ____
major story event. A EVENT _______________

_______________
____
Preparation Grandpa, Ben, an
d Sam give the
Choose a book for students to read or have them sunflowers they gr
ew to Grandma.
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. If B CHARACTER REA
CTION
you’d like, you can choose a character and a story

event that affects that character and record these on
the page before making copies. Otherwise, students appreciative, happ
y
will choose these on their own.
1. Have students write the book title and the main

What are some
other ways the
reacted to the character might
event? List as ma have
ny ways as you
77 can.
character’s name on the lines provided if you

have not already filled them in.
2. If you have not preselected a story event, have students identify a major
event in the story that impacts the character. Have students write and illustrate the
event in Box A.
3. Encourage students to think about how the character reacts to that event. Ask:
Does the character’s behavior change? Do you know how he or she feels? In Box B,
have children write and draw how the character responds to the event. If you wish,
make the list of character trait words on page 174 available to students as they
work.
4. Point out that most of these events and reactions are examples of cause and effect.
Discuss everyday examples of cause and effect, so children begin to see how these
relationships work.
Optional
Ask students to think about how the character might have responded differently to the
event. Have students list some of those alternate reactions as part of the Writing Extra!
activity.
76
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ G/H
Character Reaction
Choose an important event in the story. Write and draw it in box A. Think
about how the character reacts to the event. Write and draw it in box B.
Title: _____________________________________________________________
Character: _______________________________________________________
A Event
B CHARACTER REACTION
What are some other ways the character might have

reacted to the event? List as many ways as you can.
77
LEVELS
G/H
Teacher Notes
In the Details Will___ia___m_____________________

Name _________
In the Details
_________
LEVELS
G/ H
Choose a book.
Write a topic on
Recognizing details that relate to a topic focus in the boo
k. Then write som
the topic line. The
e important det
topic can be any
ails about the top
ic.
Title: Th e ___
Di___
nos___
aur
______ Wh___
from the story helps students develop better ______ o ___
Liv ed
___ In___M
______ ___y___
Ba___cky
___ard
______
comprehension. Learning how to include

Topic: the dinosaur
Details:
important details can help students become
long neck
stronger writers. ate leaves
ate vegetables
Preparation bigger than my
house
Choose a book for students to read or have them had fights
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. needed water
If you’d like, choose a topic from the book before isn’t around anym
ore
making copies, then write it on the line provided. What else do you
want to know abo
Write two questio ut this topic?
ns that you still
The focus topic may be a character, the setting, the have.
79
problem, the solution, or another story event. It may

also be a theme from the story, such as friendship. If
you’d prefer, you can leave it blank and have students choose their own topic
to focus on.
1. Have students write the book title on the line provided.

2. Direct students’ attention to the topic you have selected, or have them choose an
appropriate topic from the book. Give suggestions if needed.
3. Have students note details about the topic in the thought balloon. For example, if
the topic is a character, they might include some of the character’s actions, his or
her appearance, and some character traits he or she possesses.
4. Encourage students to review their details or to work with an adult to make sure
all of the details they listed fit the topic.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, encourage students to record questions they still have
about the topic .
78
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ G/H
In the Details
Choose a book. Write a topic on the topic line. The topic can be any
focus in the book. Then write some important details about the topic.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Topic:
Details:
What else do you want to know about this topic?

Write two questions that you still have.
79
LEVELS
G/H
Teacher Notes
Comparing Characters
Students use a Venn diagram to explore
Ava
Name ________________________
how two characters are alike and ______________________________
_________
LEVELS
G/H
different. Comparing Characters
Choose two characters from the
same book or two different books.
middle. Write their differences Write their similarities in the
in the outer spaces.
Preparation Cinderella
Character name
Both
Stepsisters
Character name
cleaned ball didn’t do work

Students may compare characters from the
81
kind tried on mean
same book or from different books. Choose
slippers fit glass slipper slipper didn’t
books for the group according to your
married prince fit
preference, or have students choose their
own. Cinderella
Title___________________________
______________ Cinderella
Title___________________________
______________
Compare and contrast yourse
lf and a story character. Write
1. Have students write the book title(s) on

how you are alike. Write one senten one sentence that tells
ce that tells how you are differe
nt.
the lines provided.

2. Have students write the characters’ names on the lines provided.
3. Model the use of a Venn diagram if students are unfamiliar with this type of
organizer. You can compare apples and oranges or soccer and basketball. Space is
limited in a Venn diagram, so model using words and phrases instead of complete
sentences.
4. Have students begin by brainstorming qualities or experiences the two characters
share. Have them write these in the center area where the two faces overlap. If you
wish, make the list of character-trait words on page 174 available to students as
they work.
5. Have students think of traits or experiences that are unique to one or the other of
the characters. They should record each one in the appropriate face shape on the
right or left.
Optional
Extend the learning by having students compare and contrast themselves with a story
character. Instead of using a Venn diagram, students write in complete sentences.
Encourage students to use transition words such as: on the other hand, meanwhile, or
similarly.
80
LEVELS
Name _______________________________________________________________ G/H
Comparing Characters
Choose two characters from the same book or two different books. Write their similarities in the
middle. Write their differences in the outer spaces.
Character name Both Character name
81
Title_________________________________________ Title_________________________________________
Compare and contrast yourself and a story character. Write one sentence that tells
how you are alike. Write one sentence that tells how you are different.
LEVELS
G/H
Teacher Notes
Author’s Message Tyl___

Name _________
er________________________
Author’s Messa
_________
LEVELS
G/ H
ge
In this activity, students explore how an author
Choose a book.
What big messag
stor y? Write it on e does the author
the pencil can. share in the
this message? Writ What details from
e them on the pap the stor y suppor
er. t
sends a message or lesson through specific events The Ca rro
Title: ____________
______ t ___Se
______ ed_________
______
and details in a story.
_______________
Supporting Det
ails
Every day the
Preparation
boy pulled the
Author’s messa
Choose a book for students to read or have them or lesson
ge
weeds and watere
d
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. Never give up!
his carrot seed.
When students first tackle this activity, you may Keep trying.
Everyone said it
want to identify the author’s message on the pencil wouldn’t come up
,
can for them before making copies. Students will but he kept tryin
g.
then be responsible for looking for details or events Choose an illus
tration from the
author’s messa story that suppor
that support the message. As students gain more illustration.
ge. Write three
sentences describ
ts the
ing the
83
experience they will be able to draw conclusions from

the details and arrive at the message themselves; you
can then leave the message lines blank.

2. Direct students’ attention to the author’s message you have recorded, if you did
this before making copies. Alternatively, challenge students to identify what they
think is the important message in the story. Scaffold students by asking: What
lesson does the character learn? What important idea does the author want you to
think about?
3. On the paper outline, have the students write some details or events from the story
that support the author’s message. Ask: How does the author share this message?
Optional
The Writing Extra! activity invites students to locate an illustration in the book that
supports the author’s message and write several sentences about the picture.
82
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ G/H
Author’s Message
Choose a book. What big message does the author share in the
story? Write it on the pencil can. What details from the story support
this message? Write them on the paper.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Supporting Details
Author’s message
or lesson
Choose an illustration from the story that supports the

author’s message. Write three sentences describing the
illustration.
83
LEVELS
G/H
Teacher Notes
Shades of Meaning Lily___________________________

Name _________
LEVELS
_________
G/ H
Shades of Mea
Some words hav
e related meani
ning
This vocabulary lesson helps students understand and scream all ngs. For examp
describe differen le, whisper, talk
box. On the line t ways of talking , yell,
s, list other words . Look at the wor
word. Illustrate that have related d in the
its meaning in the meanings. Circ
le one
words with shades of meaning, a skill spotlighted in
bottom of the lam
p.
the Common Core State Standards. Until students little

are proficient with this skill, this activity may require slight
tiny
more adult guidance than most of the other
small
activities in this book.
miniature
Preparation
Choose a word that is closely related in meaning
to several other words but whose meaning varies
slightly. Examples of such words include march, Use two of the
words from you
Draw pictures to r list in sentences
match. .
walk, strut, jog, run, stride, sprint; cool, chilly, cold, 85
freezing. You may choose a word from a book that

students have read or select one from the list on
page 174. Write the word in the framed box before making copies.
1. Give examples of words with shades of meaning. For instance, point out to students
that if we want to tell someone something, we can whisper, talk, yell, or even
scream. Guide students to understand that these words have related meanings but
vary in strength or intensity.
2. Have students read the word in the box and discuss its meaning.
3. On the lines below the box, have students write other words whose definitions are
similar to the word in the box. The words may differ in intensity or have slightly
different meanings. Provide support and guidance.
4. Have students circle one word and illustrate its meaning in the base of the lamp.
Optional
Have students demonstrate understanding of subtle variations in meaning by writing
sentences using the words.
84
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ G/H
Shades of Meaning
Some words have related meanings. For example, whisper, talk, yell,
and scream all describe different ways of talking. Look at the word in the
box. On the lines, list other words that have related meanings. Circle one
word. Illustrate its meaning in the bottom of the lamp.
Use two of the words from your list in sentences.

Draw pictures to match.
85
LEVELS
G/H
Teacher Notes
Your Opinion, Please Qua___n________________________

Name _________
Your Opinion,
_________
Please
LEVELS
G/ H
Write a stor y eve

nt in the Stor y Eve
Students demonstrate comprehension of a story what you think
or feel about the
nt box. In the My
stor y event. Sup
Opinion box, writ
por t your opinion
.
e
by developing and supporting their own points of Georg___e______

Title: ____________
Sh___rin ks___
______ _______________
_________
Story Event
view about a major event. When George woke

up he was
small. He had ad
ventures around
his house.
Preparation
My Opinion
Choose a book for students to read or have them It would be so
much fun to be
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. If tiny
for a day. Being
so small would
you’d like, choose an event from the story for students allow you to go
into places you
to respond to and write it in the book shape before would not go if
you were big. Yo
making copies. Otherwise, students can select an u
can have new ad
ventures.
event independently. Choose a topic.
Write a sentence
opinion about it. that gives your
Give a reason for
your opinion.

87
provided.
2. Direct students’ attention to the event you selected, or have them think of an
exciting or interesting event from the story on their own. They can record the event
in the appropriate space.
3. Invite students to think about the event and form an opinion. Ask them how
they feel about the event: Do they find it funny, exciting, or sad? Do they think the
character should have behaved differently? Do they like how it turned out? Students
should write their opinions in the box labeled My Opinion.
4. Challenge students to support their opinion with a reason.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students share their opinions on a season of the
year or another topic. Remind them to give reasons for their opinions.
86
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ G/H
Your Opinion, Please

Write a story event in the Story Event box. In the My Opinion box, write
what you think or feel about the story event. Support your opinion.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Story Event
My Opinion
Choose a topic. Write a sentence that gives your

opinion about it. Give a reason for your opinion.
87
LEVELS
G/H
Teacher Notes
Pick a Poem Ian________________________

Name _________
Pick a Poem
____________
LEVELS
G/ H
Read a poem.
Look for words
Here students explore some of the special imagery appeal to your
to illustrate the
poem.
that show feeling
senses. Write the
m in the boxes.
s and words tha
Then, draw a pic
t
ture
that poems use to convey meaning. M

___y Pu___pp y _______________
Poem title: ______
______ ______
____________
N
ow FEELI GS
W ords that sh
Preparation
l to SENSES
W ords that appea
happy
Choose a poem for students to read or have them yappy
grumpy
choose appropriate poems for their reading levels. You squirms like
may choose to read a poem aloud to the class, but be an eel
sure students have individual copies. Create an ILLUSTRATIO

N
1. Have students write the poem’s title on the line

provided.
2. After reading the poem, have children look back
Use feeling or sen
se words to writ
short poem. Rec e your own
ite your poem to
the class.
89
and record any words from the poem that express
feelings. Have students record the words in the
box on the upper left. If students struggle with this, model using some
feeling words or consider creating a list of feeling words for students to use as a
reference point.
3. Have students record any words from the poem that appeal to their senses. Remind
students that the five senses are sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste. Again,
extensive modeling and a reference list may be helpful. Have students record the
words in the box on the upper right.
4. Encourage students to create an illustration to match the poem.
Optional
The Writing Extra! activity challenges students to write a short poem of their own. Take
time to share various types of poetry and make sure students know that not all poetry
rhymes. Students may wish to write list poems, shape poems, cinquain poems or free
verse. Have students recite their poems or create an audio recording.
88
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ G/H
Pick a Poem
Read a poem. Look for words that show feelings and words that
appeal to your senses. Write them in the boxes. Then, draw a picture
to illustrate the poem.
Poem title: ___________________________________________________
FEELINGS l to SENSES
t sh o w
t a ppea
W ords tha W ords th a
n I L LU STRATION
Create a
Use feeling or sense words to write your own

short poem. Recite your poem to the class.
89
LEVELS
I/J
Teacher Notes
Petal Prediction Name _________
Choose a book.
Phili
___p
_______________
Petal Predictio
_________ _________
n
LEVELS
I/J
Before you read,

Clues can com try to guess wha
Good readers make predictions before and during Record clues in
e from the title,
the flower petals.
cover, or even you
Write your predic
t the stor y will be
r own experience
about.
s!
Title: ______ T___he
______Bu nn___y______
Pl___
ay___
tion in the flowerp
ot.
reading. They gather clues from the title, pictures, ______
ILLUSTRATION
_______________
______
V ER CLU
CO ES TITLE CLUES
or text and draw conclusions. This activity provides bunnies are
bunnies will put
great practice. getting ready
on a play
for something
special
Preparation ES
takes teamwork
C
R EXPERIEN
to do a play pictures of a
OT
Choose a book for students to read or have them stage
HER CLUES
U
YO
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. Note
The bunnies are
I PREDICT . . .
that this activity should be completed before students perform a play an

going to
d have a party
afterwards.
read.

After you read,
check your pre
prediction correc diction. Was you
t? Write a few sen r
why or why not tences to explain
.
91
provided.
2. Review the directions and have students notice
the different kinds of clues they will be looking for to make their predictions: clues
from the title, clues from the cover illustration, clues from their own experiences or
knowledge (perhaps they have read other books in the series, etc.), and other kinds
of clues.
3. Direct students to look for clues that help them predict what the story will be
about. Have them write each clue in the appropriate petal. Let students know that
they may not find all four types of clues; in some cases they may leave a petal or
two blank.
4. Have students put all that information together and make a prediction. They can
write it in the flowerpot using the sentence starter I predict . . .
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students revisit their predictions after reading.
Ask them to explain whether their predictions were correct. Let students know that
authors like to surprise us; even if a prediction was incorrect, it may well have been
logical.
90
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ I/J
Petal Prediction
Choose a book. Before you read, try to guess what the story will be about.
Clues can come from the title, cover, or even your own experiences!
Record clues in the flower petals. Write your prediction in the flowerpot.
Title: _________________________________________________________
ILLUSTRATION CLU TITLE CLUES
V ER ES
CO
S
E
C
OT
EXPERIEN
H ER
CLUE
UR
S
YO
I PREDICT . . .
After you read, check your prediction. Was your

prediction correct? Write a few sentences to explain
why or why not.
91
LEVELS
I/J
Teacher Notes
Trait Cap Name _________Oliv___ia

_______________
Trait Cap
_________ _________
LEVELS
I/J
Choose a charac
ter from a book.
Write two traits Write his or nam
Students use a character’s actions, speech, and give examples
to describe tha
t character. At the
from the stor y tha
t show the traits.
e on the cap.
bottom of the pag
e,
Swimm___in___g______
A___cr___oss
thoughts to identify that character’s traits.
Title: ____________
the Po ol______
_______________
______
Preparation
determined
Choose a book for students to read or have them Trait 1
proud
Trait 2
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. Yasmin

Character
1. Have students write the book title on the line Even though Yasm
Prove Trait 1:
in could
only swim half th
e pool, she wante
provided. to try again. d
Prove Trait 2:
Yasmin got to th
2. Have students choose a character from the story of the pool and
e other side
she was happy.
and write the character’s name on the line in the
Name three to
brim of the cap. Provide details
five traits that des
to support your
cribe you.
choices.
93
3. Encourage students to think about how the

character acts, what he or she says, and how
he or she thinks in the story. Have students use this information to determine a
character trait for the character they chose. Write it on the cap on the line marked
“Trait 1”. You may wish to provide children with a list of character traits (see page
174).
4. On the line marked “Prove Trait 1,” have students support their choice with specific
examples from the text. They may cite actions, thoughts, or quotes.
5. Have students repeat steps 3 and 4 for second trait.
Optional
The Writing Extra! activity challenges students to identify traits that they would use
to describe themselves. Students can consult the list of traits on page 174. Have them
provide details to support their choices.
92
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ I/J
Trait Cap
Choose a character from a book. Write his or name on the cap.
Write two traits to describe that character. At the bottom of the page,
give examples from the story that show the traits.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Trait 1 Trait 2
Character
Prove Trait 1:
Prove Trait 2:
Name three to five traits that describe you.

Provide details to support your choices.
93
LEVELS
I/J
Teacher Notes
Back to the Book Yasi

Name ________
n________________________
____
Back to the Boo

_________
k
LEVELS
I/J
Read the questio

ns on the hand.
In this activity, students learn to skim the story for

answers. Write the Look back in the
answers on the stor y to find the
lines.
Jack Pl
____ay
____s
Title: ____________
____th
____e
____Vi
details they may have forgotten. olin
________ ____ _____________
1. Jackloved to 2. The boys learned
play the violin
to be kind to
best of all!
Preparation others even if
they didn’t
have the same
interests.
Before making copies, write two questions in the
Go back and find
…
hand for the students to answer. Depending on What did Jack
1.
like best about his

students’ abilities, the questions can be “right there” Look back in the
write your own
story and
question.
violin?
comprehension questions, inferential questions, or Share your que
the group, then
stion with
provide the
2. What did
Matt, Brett
answer! and Seth learn in
this
open-ended questions needing story support. story?
95

provided.
2. After reading, direct students’ attention to the questions that you have
written on the reproducible.
3. Have students look back in the story to find the answers and then write them on
the book shape on the reproducible. Guide students to understand that they can
skim the story looking for key words instead of rereading the entire text.
Optional
For this Writing Extra! activity, students get to play teacher. Have students look
back into the story and write their own “Go back and find . . .” question. (Have them
note the answer as well.) Have the students share their questions with the group. If
possible, an adult should monitor the discussion to check comprehension.
94
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ I/J
Back to the Book

Read the questions on the hand. Look back in the story to find the
answers. Write the answers on the lines.
Title: _________________________________________________________
1. 2.
Go back and find…
1.
Look back in the story and

write your own question. 2.
Share your question with
the group, then provide the
answer!
95
LEVELS
I/J
Teacher Notes
Beginnings and Kylie

Name _________
_______________
Beginnings an
_______________
d E nd
______
in gs
I/J
LEVELS
Endings
Choose a book.
At the top of the page,
stor y begins. At write and illustrat
the bottom of the e how the
stor y ends. page, write and
illustrate how the
Too M an___y______
Title: ____________
Pu___pp
___ie
______
s ______
______ ____________
Exploring story beginnings and endings helps Beginning
students better understand story structure.
Milly is having
puppies.
The girl wants to
keep
Preparation all of them.

Ending
The girl keeps jus
t
Milly. The puppie
1. Have students write the book title on the line were hard work.
s
provided. Did you like the

story’s ending?
Write a few sen Why or why not
tences sharing ?
2. After reading, have students identify the key

your opinion.
97
events that took place at the beginning of the

story. In the box labeled “Beginning,” students can write and
draw the main event(s). Discuss the importance of the beginning of a story. Ask:
What information is given that helps set up the rest of the story?
3. Have students identify key events that took place at the end of the story. In the
box labeled “Ending,” students can write or draw the main event(s) from the story
ending. Discuss the importance of the ending of a story. Ask: What ends are tied
up? How is the action brought to a close?
Optional
The Writing Extra! activity gives students a chance to express their opinions. Have
students tell whether they liked the story’s ending and why or why not. Have them
support their responses with story details.
96
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ I/J
Beginnings and Endings
Choose a book. At the top of the page, write and illustrate how the
story begins. At the bottom of the page, write and illustrate how the
story ends.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Beginning
Ending
Did you like the story’s ending? Why or why not?

Write a few sentences sharing your opinion.
97
LEVELS
I/J
Teacher Notes
Key Events Curt___is________________________

Name _________
LEVELS
_________
I/J
Key Events
Choose a book.
Write the importa
In this activity, students recall the major events in a Use the sequen
ce words to put
nt events of the
the events in ord
stor y in the box
es.
The T___
hr___ee______
Title: ____________
Bi___lly
er.
Go ___at
___ s Gruff
story, an important step in summarizing or retelling. 1
First
______ _______________
___
3
The
Thenn
Three bil____
________________
ly ____
go____
at____
s ________ The goat ____s____
tol
________________
named Gr____ ____d____him
Preparation
________
________________
uff we____
________ nt____
to____ to wait____
________________ fo____
r ____
th____
e ________
th____
____ e ____
hil____
lsi____
de____to
eat________
________
____big ger____bil
________ ____ly goat ____s.
an____
____ d ____
ge____
t ____
fa____
t. ________________
________ ________
Choose a book for students to read or have them 4 After
________________ that
________________
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. 2
________
The big____go
________________
at
____ ________________
Next
Next crushed ____
th____
________________
e Tr____oll
____.________
When the____go
________________
____at
____s____
tri ed
____ ________________
____ ________________
_______
to cross ____
________________
th____
e ____
bri____
dg____
e, ____ 5
provided. th____
____ e ____
Tr____
oll____sai d he
________ ____________
Finally
Fina lly
would ea____ All the ____

go____
________________
at____
s ____________
2. Draw attention to the transition words in the t ____
them
________________
. ________
________
________________
went to____ea____
________________
t ____
an____
d
________________ ________
________
boxes (first, next, then, after that, finally). Guide get fat.________________
________________
________
students to understand that words like these Write about an

sequence words
important event
to describe wh
in your life. Use
at happened.
signal time order. Show that the story action will 99
move top to bottom on the left, then top to bottom

on the right.
3. Have students recall the key events from the story and write them in the boxes.
Have them use the transition word in each box to move sequentially through the
story. Be sure students note the story problem in one of the boxes and note how it
is solved in another.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students write about and draw a key event in their
lives. Encourage them to use sequence words to describe what took place.
98
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ I/J
Key Events
Choose a book. Write the important events of the story in the boxes.
Use the sequence words to put the events in order.
Title: _________________________________________________________
1 First 3 Then
Then
________________________________________ ________________________________________
________________________________________ ________________________________________
________________________________________ ________________________________________
After
________________________________________ 4
that
________________________________________
________________________________________
2
Next ________________________________________
Next
_______________________________________
________________________________________
5
________________________________________ Finally
Finally
________________________________________ ________________________________________
________________________________________ ________________________________________
________________________________________ ________________________________________
Write about an important event in your life. Use

sequence words to describe what happened.
99
LEVELS
I/J
Teacher Notes
What’s Next? Sadi

Name _________
Think about the

___e
_______________
What’s Next?
_________ _________
LEVELS
I/J
book you just rea

characters afte d. Predict what
It’s sequel time! In this activity, students make a

r the stor y ends. will happen to
basket. Illustrate Write your ideas the
your prediction in the balloon’s
in the balloon.
On the______
La___ke
Title: ____________
prediction for a continuation of a favorite story. ____________ _______________
_________
Preparation
What will
happen next?
1. Have students write the book title on the line I predict Kim wil
lake. Next time,
l jump into the
she will ask her
provided. friends to come
on the boat.
2. After reading, have students think about what Pretend you are
the author! Use
plan a second your prediction
to
could happen next to the characters. Ask: What book about the
Create a title and same characters
book cover for
your book.
.
101
will the characters do now that this story is over?
Will there be another adventure? Where will the
characters go? Have the students write their predictions in
the balloon basket.
4. In the balloon itself, have children illustrate their predictions for a sequel.
5. Explain that some authors really do write sequels or continuations for their books.
Discuss whether students have ever read a sequel or seen one in the movies.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students use their predictions to create a cover
and title for a sequel. Have them describe why the title would be a good choice.
100
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ I/J
What’s Next?
Think about the book you just read. Predict what will happen to the
characters after the story ends. Write your ideas in the balloon’s
basket. Illustrate your prediction in the balloon.
Title: _________________________________________________________
What will
happen next?
Pretend you are the author! Use your prediction to

plan a second book about the same characters.
Create a title and book cover for your book.
101
LEVELS
I/J
Teacher Notes
Picture Notes Mar
Look at the illus

___ia
Name _________
_______________
Picture Notes
_________ _________
LEVELS
I/J
tration on the pag

questions about e(s) given. Use
Challenge students to integrate and evaluate the illustration. key words to ans
wer the
The Fox______
an___d___th
Title: ____________
information presented in illustrations to help make e ___Cr___ow
______ ______ Page(s) 12, 13
: ___________
Who is in the pic

sense of a story. Who?
ture?
Black Crow and

Fox
What is happen
ing?
Preparation
What? Fox tried to get
Black Crow. the cheese from
Where is it taking
Choose a book for students to read or have them Where?
place?
in the forest
When is it taking
place?
If you’d like, select an illustration for the students When? after Black Crow
stole the cheese
to observe and write the page number(s) on the Why is it taking
place?
Why?
reproducible before copying. Fox wanted the
cheese!

Use your answe
rs to write a sho
about the illustrat rt paragraph
ion.
provided. 103
2. If you did not preselect an illustration, have

students browse through the book after reading to choose an interesting
picture. Have them write the page number(s) of the illustration on the line provided.
3. Have students read the five “W” questions and use the illustration to answer them.
Students may respond in key words instead of full sentences if they wish.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students think about how this illustration
helps tell the story. Have them use their responses to the questions to write a short
paragraph about the illustration.
102
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ I/J
Picture Notes
Look at the illustration on the page(s) given. Use key words to answer the
questions about the illustration.
Title: __________________________________________ Page(s): ___________
Who is in the picture?
Who?
What is happening?
What?
Where is it taking place?
Where?
When is it taking place?
When?
Why is it taking place?
Why?
Use your answers to write a short paragraph

about the illustration.
103
LEVELS
I/J
Teacher Notes
Fish for Meaning Zac___ha

Name _________
___ry
_______________
Fish for Meani

______ _________
ng
LEVELS
I/J
Read the word(s)
in the fish. Write
lines. Illustrate the the meanings of
Use this activity to explore two different meanings in the
space provided.
the word(s) on
the
vocabulary words or one word with multiple

meanings. an animal that
swims
Preparation duck

Before copying, fill in the two fish shapes with words to lower your he
ad and
you’d like students to explore. You may use a single body so you won’t
be hit
word with multiple meanings or two different words. duck or seen
Words may or may not be from a book students have

Write your own
read. For a list of multiple-meaning words, see page sentences using
each of the wo
rds.
105
174.
1. Have students read the selected word(s).

2. If you selected one word with multiple meanings, explore another example of a
multiple-meaning word to show students what is expected of them. For example,
say: A bat can be an animal that flies at night or a stick used in baseball. Then have
students think about and write the two meanings of the word you have selected.
Discuss.
3. If you have selected two different words, encourage students to use their own prior
knowledge, a dictionary, or context clues (if the word is from a book) to identify the
meanings and write them on the lines.
4. Have students illustrate the meanings.
Optional
The Writing Extra! activity challenges students to write their own sentence for each
word. As an additional challenge, if using a multiple-meaning word, have students try
to write a sentence using both meanings of the word in a single sentence.
104
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ I/J
Fish for Meaning
Read the word(s) in the fish. Write the meanings of the word(s) on the
lines. Illustrate the meanings in the space provided.
Write your own sentences using each of the words.
105
LEVELS
I/J
Teacher Notes
Sort It Out Name _________ Rash

___a
_______________
Sort It Out
_________ _________
LEVELS
I/J
Look at the wor

ds in the Word Box
With a bit of advance preparation, you can use them into three
groups. Write eac
. Use the colum
n headings to sort
h word in the col
umn where it bel
ongs.
Title: ____________ To___
wn___Mo use ___and
this flexible sorting activity to explore anything ______ Country___Mo
_______________
use
______ ______
WORD BOX
from vowel sounds to character traits. straw be d____
________________
____ peas________
________________
cheese
________________
owl ________
________________
busy stree
________
____ts
________________
____ loud noise s
________________
feather ____ ________
be____
d
________________
wheat fie
Preparation
____ld
________________
____ apple________
________________
CATEGORY
CATEGORY
CATEGORY
Choose a book for students to read or have them City Countr y
________________
________
________________
________ Food________
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. ________________
Preview the reproducible and decide on words you

feather bed
straw bed
would like students to sort. Some choices for this level busy streets peas
owl
loud noises cheese
include: short and long vowels, words with differing wheat field
apple
numbers of syllables, or words with target digraphs.
The sorting can also focus on story elements (for
107
example, words that describe different characters).
Fill in the Word Box before making copies. If you
would like, you can also fill in category headings. Otherwise, students will
determine the categories on their own.
1. Carefully review the directions for the activity. If you have filled in the category
headings, explain that students will decide which words belong in each category.
2. If you left the headings blank, explain that students will determine categories for
the words by looking at common attributes among the words. Help students get
started.
3. Have students write the headings (if necessary) and write each word in the
appropriate column.
Optional
Extend the activity by having students write a few related sentences about one of the
categories.
106
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ I/J
Sort It Out
Look at the words in the Word Box. Use the column headings to sort
them into three groups. Write each word in the column where it belongs.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Word Box
________________________ ________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________ ________________________
Category Category Category
________________________ ________________________ ________________________
107
LEVELS
I/J
Teacher Notes
Two Texts Name _________
Choose two stor

Tim___________________________
Two Texts
_________
LEVELS
I/J
ies that have som

on the lines. At ething in commo
Here students analyze how two texts address At the bottom of
the top of the pag
e, tell how the two
the page, tell wha
t you thought of
n. Write the title
stories are alike.
s
Title 1: Th e ___
Ta___ the stories.
______ le of____________
___
similar themes or topics. the___Tu
_________ ___ rni p _____________
______
_________
Th___
Title 2: ___
Tu___
e ___
rni
Go___
ats in ___
______ the______
p ___
___ Fie ld_____________
___
In the first story,
after everyone tri The second stor
ed to y is similar bec
after everyone tri ause . . .
Preparation
pull out the turnip ed to
, the chase the goats
tiny mouse got it out of
out. the turnip field,
it was
Choose two books for students to read or have them a little bee who
made
the goats leave.
choose two appropriate books for their reading levels.
Be sure the books have something in common, such I thought it wa
My personal resp
: onse
s funny how in bot
h stories
as similar characters, settings, or problems. the tiny character
was the one who
able to succeed wh was
en all the big and
characters could strong
1. Have students write the two book titles on the not.
lines provided. Choose two obj

ects that are sim
the same. Create ilar but not exa
2. Encourage students to think of similarities

a list of similarities ctly
two objects and . Then draw the
label any parts
that are alike.
109
between the chosen books. On the left, have
them write about the common aspect from the
perspective of the first story. Example: In the first story, a boy named
Joe loses his kite.
3. On the right, have students write about the common aspect from the perspective
of the second story. Example: The second story is similar because Rachel loses her
puppy in the park.
4. Have students write a personal response. Encourage them to write how they
felt, what they liked, or what they would like to change. Remind them to support
their responses. Example: It made me happy when the two characters both found
what they lost. Joe found his kite in the stream. Rachel found her puppy by making
posters.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students choose two objects and create a list of
similarities. Then, have the students draw the objects and label the parts that are
alike. Some examples include: a crayon and a pencil, a notebook and a diary, a glass
and a mug.
108
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ I/J
Two Texts
Choose two stories that have something in common. Write the titles
on the lines. At the top of the page, tell how the two stories are alike.
At the bottom of the page, tell what you thought of the stories.
Title 1: ___________________________ Title 2: ___________________________
__________________________________ __________________________________
In the first story, The second story is similar because . . .
My personal response:
Choose two objects that are similar but not exactly

the same. Create a list of similarities. Then draw the
two objects and label any parts that are alike.
109
LEVELS
K/L
Teacher Notes
Character Close-Up
Crai___g________________________
Name _________
LEVELS
_________
K/ L
Character Close
Choose a charac
ter from a
-Up
Describe some book and write
things the charac his or her name
on the head.
Students get to know story characters through ter did and his
or her related fee
lings.
The Da y___I
Title: ____________
W___as
______ ______ Ri ch_________
their actions and feelings.
______ ______
______
Little Bill
Preparation
Actions Character
Feelings
1. Little Bill found
the
Choose a book for students to read or have them biggest diamond
in 1. excited
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. the world.
happy
Resources
1. Have students write the book title on the line 2.
Little Bill learne
Graff, Scholastic Teaching

2.
d disappointed,
from his father
provided. that
© 2013 by Rhonda
then fine
it was a paperw
eight.
2. Have students choose a character and write the
for Guided Reading

esponse Activities
character’s name on the line in the head shape. Choose one of
the feelings the
experienced. Thin character
Leveled Reading-R
k of a time whe
Write a paragraph n you felt that wa
3. Have students think about the story and note

describing your y.
experience.
111
some of the character’s actions in the column on

the left.
4. Invite students to think about how the character felt as a result of each action.
Have them write the corresponding feelings in the heart shape on the right. For
example, if the character won a race, the character might have felt happy and
proud. If the character waited for a friend who never came, the character might
have felt disappointed.
5. Encourage students to support their choices.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students choose one of the feelings the character
experienced. Have them write a paragraph describing a time they felt the same way.
110
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ K/L
Character Close-Up
Choose a character from a book and write his or her name on the head.
Describe some things the character did and his or her related feelings.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Character
Actions Feelings
1.
1.
2.
2.
Choose one of the feelings the character

experienced. Think of a time when you felt that way.
Write a paragraph describing your experience.
111
LEVELS
K/L
Teacher Notes
Character Traits Mig

___ue
Name _________
___l
_______________
Character Tra
______ _________
its
LEVELS
K/ L
Name a charac
ter from the boo
or she faced. Des k. Record two cha
Characters’ reactions to major challenges words that describ
cribe how the cha
e the character
racter reacted.
in the Trait Box.
llenges that he
Then write som
e
Harry and Willy

allow students to get to know the characters
Title: ____________
Character: ______
and Carrothead
_______________
_______________
_______________
Harry
_______________
_______________
_______________
more in depth. That leads to better insight and Challenges fac
ed Character reactio
ns
understanding. Harry was born
Harry acted like
with no left hand.
he wasn’t differ
ent
at all. He played
Preparation baseball, dressed
up for
Halloween and did
art
Choose a book for students to read or have them projects at school
.
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. You Trait Box
determined
courageous
can also choose a character for students to focus strong
independent
on and write the name on the reproducible before
making copies. If you worry that your students will
Think of a trait tha
t describes the
have trouble naming character traits, you can fill in Write a paragraph
about it.
character.
113
the Trait Box before making copies. (See page 174 for
examples of traits.) Include a variety of traits, some
of which accurately describe the character.
1. Have students write the book title on the line provided. If you did not preselect a
character, have students choose a character and record the name.
2. Have students identify one or two challenges or major events faced by the character
and write them in the column labeled “Challenges Faced.”
3. Have students describe how the character responded to those challenges in the
column labeled “Character Reactions.” Responses should be specific and detailed.
4. Explain that the way people respond to challenges can tell us a lot about them.
Have students use their notes about the character’s reactions to select two
character traits. If you have filled in the Trait Box, have students circle appropriate
traits. If you have left it blank, have students write some traits that describe
the character. Check that children don’t confuse character traits with character
feelings.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students write about a trait that describes the
character.
112
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ K/L
Character Traits
Name a character from the book. Record one or two challenges
that he or she faced. Describe how the character reacted. Then
write some words that describe the character in the Trait Box.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Character: ___________________________________________________
Challenges Faced Character Reactions
Trait Box
Think of a trait that describes the character.

Write a paragraph about it.
113
LEVELS
K/L
Teacher Notes
Watch Me Change Dani

Name _________
___el
Watch Me Cha
Choose a charac
_______________
_______________
nge
___
LEVELS
K/ L
ter from the book. On the left,

beginning of the describe the cha
Students deepen their understanding of character
stor y. On the righ racter at the
end of the stor y. t, write how the
character change
d by the
Bi___g
Title: ____________ A___l __________________
______
development by exploring how a main character Big______A___l ____________________________________________
Character: ______
___ _______________
_____
changes over time. Ch
aracter chang
over time
e
Beginning
End
Preparation In the beginning

Big At the end, Big
Al did not have Al
any
Choose a book for students to read or have them saved the little
fish
friends, not even
one. and he had more
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. Be He was lonely.
friends than any
sure the book features a character who changes in one
else.
some way through the course of the story.
1. Have students write the book title on the line Write about why
changed. Do you
you think the cha
racter
think it was a goo
provided. Explain.
115
d change?
2. Have them choose a character who changes in

the story and write the character’s name on the
line. (Direct students to use main characters instead of minor characters;
main characters usually change in some way while minor characters often remain
static.)
3. In the character shape on the left, have students write how the character acts and
feels at the beginning of the story.
4. In the character shape on the right, have students describe how the character acts
and feels at the end of the story.
Optional
Have students complete the Writing Extra! activity by explaining why they think the
character changed. Do they think it was a positive change? Why or why not?
114
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ K/L
Watch Me Change
Choose a character from the book. On the left, describe the character at the
beginning of the story. On the right, write how the character changed by the
end of the story.
Title: _________________________________________________________________
Character: ___________________________________________________________
h aracter change
C
o v e r ti m e
Beginning End
Write about why you think the character

changed. Do you think it was a good change?
Explain.
115
LEVELS
K/L
Teacher Notes
Question Letters Aak___as

Name _________
Choose a book.
___h
_______________
Question Letter
______ _________
s
LEVELS
K/ L
In the envelopes
happened, WH , write WHO the
Students practice looking back in a text if they do ERE, WHEN, and stor y was about,
WHY it happen WHAT
ed, and HOW it
Ge___
Title: ___ t Read y ___
for___Se
ended.
___con d ___
_________
______ Gr___
ad___
e, ___
Am ___ber Bro
___wn
not recall key information. What
______ ______
Who
nervous to start
Amber Brown
second grade
Preparation
Why
Choose a book for students to read or have them She will have a
new
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. teacher.
Where
When
school
first day
provided. The teacher was
How
nice and Amber

2. Draw attention to the question words on was happy.
the envelopes. Note: If students do not have Use your answe

paragraph sum
rs to the five W’s
marizing the stor
and How to writ
ea
y. Remember to
indent!
experience answering the five W’s and How, 117
you may need to help them turn the words into

concrete questions, such as:
• Who are the main characters?
• What happens?
• When and where does it happen?
• Why does it happen?
• How does it end?
3. On the envelope shapes, have students briefly identify the who, what, where, when,
why and how of the story. Students can respond using key words.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students turn their answers into a summary
paragraph about the story. Be sure students know how to structure a paragraph.
116
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ K/L
Question Letters
Choose a book. In the envelopes, write WHO the story was about, WHAT
happened, WHERE, WHEN, and WHY it happened, and HOW it ended.
Title: ____________________________________________________________
Who
What
Why
Where When
How
Use your answers to the five W’s and How to write a

paragraph summarizing the story. Remember to indent!
117
LEVELS
K/L
Teacher Notes
Story News Kayl

___a
Name _________
_______________ LEVELS
_______________
___ K/ L
Story News
Choose a book.
Write a newspa
event from the per article abo
stor y. ut an interesting
Read all about it! In this activity, the stories Whistle______
fo___
Title: ____________
r ___
Wi___lli
___e___________________________
students read make headlines.
Story News Edition 1 page
Headline: Peter Learns to 1
Whistle
Preparation Peter waited a lon
g time to learn
to whistle.
After many tries,
Choose a book for students to read or have them he finally was abl
e to whistle.
His dog, Willie,
was surprised, but
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. Peter whistled, Wi
as soon as
llie ran to him.
Bring in an assortment of newspapers for children to
Picture:
review. This will provide an opportunity for them to
see how a newspaper is formatted. Be sure to point
out the use of headlines, photographs, and captions. Caption: Peter whistling to
his dog, Willie

Write a newspa
per article abo
event in your life. ut an important
Be creative! Add
and draw a pic a headline
ture.
provided. 119
2. Ask students to recall an important story event

and create a headline for an article about the event. Explain that a
headline tells the most important idea. Encourage students to be creative, because
headlines should be catchy and interesting to readers.
3. For the news article beneath the headline, have students write a few sentences
summarizing the event. Suggest that students try to answer who, what, where,
when and why. (You will need to model summarizing many times before students
really get the hang of it.) Remind students that retelling does not involve their
opinions—just the facts! Let them know that newspapers have a separate place for
people to share their opinions.
4. Have students draw a picture to go with the story and write a sentence (caption)
explaining the picture.
Optional
The Writing Extra! activity asks students to create a “newspaper article” highlighting
an interesting event in their own lives. Encourage children to include pictures and
captions.
118
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ K/L
Story News
Choose a book. Write a newspaper article about an interesting
event from the story.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Story News
Edition 1 page 1
Headline:
Picture:
Caption:
Write a newspaper article about an important

event in your life. Be creative! Add a headline
and draw a picture.
119
LEVELS
K/L
Teacher Notes
Tell a Tale Sofi___a________________________

Name _________
LEVELS
_________
K/ L
Tell a Tale
Read two fair y
tales or two vers
to compare and ions of the sam
e tale. Use the cha
Students will experience some fairy tale magic contrast them. rt below
Rumpels___
til___tsk
Tale: ____________
___in
as they compare two tales or two different ___ ___ Rumpels___
til___
Tale: ____________
tsk___in
___ ___
versions of the same tale.

Miller said daught
er could Rumpelstiltskin spu
n straw
spin straw into
gold.
Preparation
into gold.
Daughter could not
do it. Daughter gave Rum
pelstiltskin
Find two versions of the same fairy tale for students SIMILARITIES
a ring and necklace.
to read. (If you have trouble finding two versions of The daughters gue
ssed Rumpelstiltskin sto
mped his
different names—A
the same one, you can easily adapt the activity to ndrew, Brian, foot through the
floor.
Charles and Jack,
John, Ivan.
compare two different tales. The student activity page Illustrations looked
different.
was designed to accommodate either approach.)

DIFFERENCES
1. Have students write the fairy tale title(s) on the

Which tale did
you like better?
to explain why. Write a paragraph
121
lines provided. Optional: You may choose to have
students identify the two versions in some way
(for example, by author’s last name).
2. After reading, have students find the similarities between the books. Have them
write the similarities in the tops of the two castles.
3. Have students think about the differences between the two tales. Write the
differences in the bottoms of the two castles.
4. Discuss the message or moral of the story.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, invite students to decide which tale they like better.
Have them write a few sentences explaining their thinking.
120
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ K/L
Tell a Tale
Read two fairy tales or two versions of the same tale. Use the chart below
to compare and contrast them.
Tale: ___________________________ Tale: ___________________________
SIMILARITIES
DIFFERENCES
Which tale did you like better? Write a paragraph

to explain why.
121
LEVELS
K/L
Teacher Notes
Which Genre?
In this book-log activity, students explore
Kandi
Name________________________
______________________________ LEVELS
several different fiction genres. _________

K/L
Which Genre?
Each time you read a book, think
about the genre, or group, it belong
under the correct genre headin s to. Write the book title
Preparation
g below. Under “Prove It,” tell why
the book fits in that genre.
Realistic Fiction
Fairy Tale Fantasy/Science Fiction
Fable/Folktale
New Shoes for Silvia Jack and the Magic
Make copies of this handout for students Harp
Prove It! Prove It! Prove It!
to keep in a reading folder or book basket, Prove It!
123
Silvia got new shoes. Once upon
a time
since they will be returning to it several She kept trying them

Magic
times. Start by choosing a book or having until she grew into

Lived happily ever
students choose a book in one of the four them. This could

after
genres listed. really happen.
Write a paragraph explaining

which genre is your favorite and
1. After reading the first book, help

from one of the books you read. why. Include details
students decide what genre it belongs

to. Have them write the title in the
appropriate genre column. Remind students of the following:
•R
ealistic fiction describes stories that could actually happen to real people or
animals.
•F
antasy or science fiction often focuses on made-up creatures, future worlds, or
magic.
• Fairy tales are tales in which magical things happen.
•F
ables are folktales that teach a lesson about something. They often have talking
animals.
2. Have students add evidence from the book that shows it belongs to that genre.
3. Have students repeat steps 1 and 2 for other books until all the genres are
completed.
4. Encourage students to share their sheets when done, as this handout will lend
itself to wonderful discussion.
Optional
The Writing Extra! activity asks students to describe which genre is their favorite,
and why.
122
LEVELS
Name_______________________________________________________________ K/L
Which Genre?
Each time you read a book, think about the genre, or group, it belongs to. Write the book title
under the correct genre heading below. Under “Prove It,” tell why the book fits in that genre.
Realistic Fiction Fairy Tale Fantasy/Science Fiction Fable/Folktale
Prove It! Prove It! Prove It! Prove It!
123
Write a paragraph explaining which genre is your favorite and why. Include details
from one of the books you read.
LEVELS
K/L
Teacher Notes
Support Your Jose

Name _________
Support Your
_______________
_______________
R es po
______
nse
K/ L
LEVELS
Response
Read the questio
n about the stor y. Answer
the top of the pag it in the Respon
e. At the bottom se box at
with specific det of the page, sup
ails from the text por t your answer
.
Miss N___
els___
on______
Ha
Title: ____________
s___a___Fie
___ ld___Da
______ y ___
______
In this versatile activity, you craft your own text- Response
______
Coach Swamp sta

based question and students answer, supporting rted to coach th
e team.
their responses with evidence from the text.
?
Preparation Why did the Torna
does win the
big game?
Choose a book for students to read or have them Support From the
Text
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. Coach Swamp ma
de the team work
hard. They did
Before making copies, write a comprehension leg raises and ran
.
question inside the figure’s head for your students Using the story,
write three que
answer. Create stions for a partne
to answer. The question should be inferential if an answer key. r to
125
possible, encouraging students to draw a conclusion
and support their responses.

2. After reading, have students read the comprehension question you posed. Instruct
them to answer it in the box above the figure’s head. Remind students not to guess
but to look back in the text for answers or clues.
3. In the figure’s shirt, have students note the evidence from the text that allowed
them to answer the question. Ask: How do you know? What detail(s) in the story
helped you answer the question? If you’d like, tell students to include the page
number where they found their evidence.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students write three story-based questions for a
friend to answer. Have them create an answer sheet containing the correct responses.
Have the students share their questions and check each other’s answers.
124
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ K/L
Support Your Response
Read the question about the story. Answer it in the Response box at
the top of the page. At the bottom of the page, support your answer
with specific details from the text.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Response
Support From the Text
Using the story, write three questions for a partner to

answer. Create an answer key.
125
LEVELS
K/L
Teacher Notes
Rate a Story Mic___ha

Name _________
el__________________
______
Rate a Story
_________
LEVELS
K/ L
Choose a stor y
you read recent
Students get a chance to rate a book and explain circling one of
the faces below.
suppor t your rati
ng.
ly. How did you
like it? Rate it by
On the lines, ans
wer the questio
ns to
their thinking. Arthu___r ___

’s ___Ey
Title: ____________
___es
_______________
_______________
___
Preparation Why did you giv
e this rating?
Choose a book for students to read or have them The story was fun
to read.
I liked the hap
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. py ending.
1. Have students write the book title on the line What was your
favorite or least
favorite part? Wh
y?
My favorite par
t was when Arthur
provided. put his
glasses on for the
class picture. I like
2. After reading, explain that students will be
it because
Arthur was comfor
table wearing his
glasses.
sharing their opinions about the book. Review Write a review of
the book! Includ
a summary, and e a topic senten
that an opinion is a statement that shows how the ending!
your opinion. But
don’t give away
ce,
127
someone thinks or feels. Unlike a fact, it cannot
be proved true.
3. Have students rate the story by circling or coloring one of the faces. If necessary,
explain that the face with the smile is the highest rating and the face with the
frown is the lowest.
4. Have students explain their ratings on the lines provided.
5. Invite students to answer the question, What is your favorite or least favorite part of
the story? Remind students to explain why.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students turn their opinions into a book review.
Tell students to include an interesting topic sentence, a brief summary of story events,
and their opinion. Remind students to be careful not to tell what happens at the end of
the story!
126
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ K/L
Rate a Story
Choose a story you read recently. How did you like it? Rate it by
circling one of the faces below. On the lines, answer the questions to
support your rating.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Why did you give this rating?
What was your favorite or least favorite part? Why?
Write a review of the book! Include a topic sentence,

a summary, and your opinion. But don’t give away
the ending!
127
LEVELS
K/L
Teacher Notes
Picturing Poetry Gia___n________________________

Name _________
As you read or
Picturing Poetr
_________
y
LEVELS
K/ L
hear the poem,

mind. Draw you let the words cre
Explore the wonderful imagery of poetry with this r picture in the ate a picture in
poem is about. box. On the line your
s, explain what
the
T___
Poem title: ______ hu___nd er_________
activity. ______
_______________
_________
Preparation
Choose a poem for students to read or have them
choose appropriate poems for their reading levels. You
may choose to read the poem aloud as students follow What is the poe
m about? What
doe
s it mean?
It is about thund
along. erstorms. It make
thunder sound lik s
e a grouchy perso
wants to fight! n who
1. Have students write the poem title on the line

provided.
Write a paragraph
sharing your tho
2. Encourage students to create a picture in their

feelings about ughts and
the poem. Use
poem to suppor details from the
t your opinions.
129
minds as they read or hear the poem.
3. In the box, have students illustrate their
visualizations.
4. On the lines below the box, have children describe what the poem is about. Clarify
for students that this is not a spot to share a personal opinion. Instead, students
should sum up what the poem conveys. Students may need to draw conclusions
from the text.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, students may write a personal response to the poem.
Now they should include their thoughts and feelings. Be sure students support their
opinions.
128
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ K/L
Picturing Poetry
As you read or hear the poem, let the words create a picture in your
mind. Draw your picture in the box. On the lines, explain what the
poem is about.
Poem title: ___________________________________________________
What is the poem about? What does it mean?
Write a paragraph sharing your thoughts and

feelings about the poem. Use details from the
poem to support your opinions.
129
LEVELS
M/N
Teacher Notes
Dunk a Detail Lati___ci

Name _________
___a
_______________
Dunk a Detail
______ _________
LEVELS
M /N
Choose a book.
Identify three key
Students determine the central idea of a story and shapes. Write the details and writ
stor y’s lesson or e them in the coo
key message in kie
the glass of milk
The Ga rd___en
Title: ____________
on______
.
identify key supporting details.

______ ______ Green Stree___t______
_______________
held DETAIL
a march and
Preparation
brought signs LESSON OR KEY MESSA
GE
DETAIL
Choose a book for students to read or have them wrote When people
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. letters to work together,
mayor they can make a
Preview the reproducible and decide which elements, DETAIL difference.
if any, you want to fill in for students before copying. lawyer
went to court
You can fill in the lesson and have students locate
supporting details or fill in some details and have
students identify the lesson. You can also let
students fill in the entire page independently. Do you think the
is an important
lesson or messa
one? Why? How
ge of the story
your life? does it relate to
131

provided.
2. In the glass shape, have students write the lesson or key message from the story (or
a specific chapter). Remind students that the key message or main idea is the most
important idea in the text, or the main message the author wants to get across.
3. In the cookie shapes, have students write three important details from the story or
chapter that support the lesson or key message
Optional
In the Writing Extra! activity, students are encouraged to think more about the story’s
lesson. Students will explain whether they think the lesson is valuable and how it
might relate to their own lives.
130
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ M/N
Dunk a Detail
Choose a book. Identify three key details and write them in the cookie
shapes. Write the story’s lesson or key message in the glass of milk.
Title: _________________________________________________________
DETAIL
N OR KEY MESSAG
LESSO E
DETAIL
DETAIL
Do you think the lesson or message of the story

is an important one? Why? How does it relate to
your life?
131
LEVELS
M/N
Teacher Notes
Ask About It
Students brainstorm questions about the
Sophia
Name________________________
______________________________ LEVELS
text to discuss in small groups. Ask About It

_________
M/N
Read the assigned section of
text. Create three interesting questio
ns to share with your group.
A Chair for My Mot
______her
Preparation
Title: ________________________
______ _______ 15-24
Pages or section: ____________
___________
1.
Why did Grandma make_______
___________________________________ a speec h_______
_______ when _________
Choose a book for students to read or the peopl e broug ht _______

thing s to_______
their
_______ ______________ _______ _______ new
_______ _________
apart_______
_______ ment_______
?
have them choose appropriate books for ___________________________________
_________
133
2.
What does it mean “to take a load
_____________________off
___________________________________
their reading levels. If you’d like, identify my feet”
_______? Why_______
did_______
Gran
_________
_______ _______ dma_______
_______ need to _______
_______ take__
a section of the text or particular pages a load off
______________ her feet?
__________________________________________
_________
you’d like students to focus on. Record this

3.
Why is the chair special_______
___________________________________ once_______
they are_______
_______ able__
to affor
_______ d_______
it? ____________________________
information on the line provided before _______
________________
___________________________________
______________________________
making copies. Choose any topic. Come up with
or “no.” Revise them so the answe
three questions that can be answe
red with “yes”
rs must be more than “yes” or
“no.”
1. Have students write the book title on

the line provided.
2. After reading, have students record three questions about the book to share with
their group. Urge students to develop thought-provoking, open-ended questions
rather than questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” This can be
challenging for students, so be sure to do some modeling.
3. Have the students provide answers for the questions on a separate sheet of paper.
4. Have students begin their next group meeting by sharing and discussing their
questions. This will serve as a review and a comprehension check.
Optional
The Writing Extra! activity challenges students to transform yes/no questions into
open-ended questions.
132
LEVELS
Name_______________________________________________________________ M/N
Ask About It
Read the assigned section of text. Create three interesting questions to share with your group.
Title: ___________________________________________ Pages or section: _______________________
_________________________________________________________________
1. _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
133
_________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Choose any topic. Come up with three questions that can be answered with “yes”
or “no.” Revise them so the answers must be more than “yes” or “no.”
LEVELS
M/N
Teacher Notes
Character Quotes
Jovi___ta
Name _________
_______________
_______________
LEVELS
___ M /N
Character Quo
Choose a charac
te s
ter from the book. Find
says in the stor y. three things tha
Write them in the t he or she
Students analyze dialogue to learn about a main what the quotes
tell you about the
speech bubble
character.
s. Then, describ
e
Fly Away Home
Title: ____________
_______________
_______________
character in a story. Andrew
Character: ______
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
“Don’t stop tryin

g.” “Fly, bird, “I
Preparation whispered. “Fly
away home!”
“Get this one fo
choose appropriate books for their reading levels. r
you lady? It loo
ks
heavy.”
Based on these
provided. quotes, I can con
is a caring, sensit
clu
de that the cha
racter…
ive boy. He is sad
but hopeful. sometimes,
2. Explain that dialogue is a major part of a story.
It allows us to get to know the characters as we Write a dialogue,
and the charac
or conversation,
between yoursel
ter. If you’d like f
it into a comic , add pictures and
“listen” to their conversations. strip.
135
turn
3. After reading, have students choose a character

from the story and write his or her name on the
line provided.
4. In each of the speech bubbles, have students write a direct quote spoken by the
selected character.
5. Have the students review the quotes and use them to draw a conclusion about the
character. For example, if a character said, “Don’t worry, Mama. I will take care of
you” and “I will bring flowers to my neighbor since she is not feeling well,” students
can conclude that the character is kind and thoughtful. He thinks of other people’s
feelings and he is willing to go the extra step to help others.
Optional
The Writing Extra! activity challenges students to try writing a dialogue of their own
between themselves and a story character. If students are interested, they can turn the
conversation into a cartoon using speech bubbles for dialogue.
134
LEVELS
Name _____________________________________________ M/N
Character Quotes
Choose a character from the book. Find three things that he or she
says in the story. Write them in the speech bubbles. Then, describe
what the quotes tell you about the character.
Title: _________________________________________________________
Character: ___________________________________________________
Based on these quotes, I can conclude that the character…
Write a dialogue, or conversation, between yourself

and the character. If you’d like, add pictures and turn
it into a comic strip.
135
LEVELS
M/N
Teacher Notes
Many Moods
Students explore how the events in a
Shontal
Name_____________________________ LEVELS
story impact the character’s mood.

__________________________________
M/N
Many Moods
Choose a character. Describe
how he or she felt at the beginn
ing, middle, and end of the story.
an event that caused the charac Write
Preparation
ter to feel that way. In each circle,
draw a face to match the feeling
.
Title: The
_______Shoe make
_______ r _______
_______ and _______
the Elves shoem
_________ Character: _______ aker_______
_______ ___________
Choose a book for students to read or have

MIDDLE
137
_______
Feeling surpri
_______ sed______________
_______ ___________
Someo ne_______
made_______
reading levels. _______
Event _______
into _______
_______
_______ his _______
leathe____
shoes. ____________________________
r
____
BEGINNING ___________________________________
___________
END
1. Have students write the book title on _______

Feeling
_______
upset
_______ _____________________
He_______
Event _______ only _______
had enough
_______
___________
leathe____
_______ r
_______
Feeling
_______
gratef
_______ ul______________
_______
He_______
and _______
his wife
___________
to make
_______ 1 _______
pair of
Event _______ made
_______ coats
_______ ____
_______ shoes
_______
the line provided.
_______ ___________ and shoes
___________________________________
_______ for the
______________ elves.
_______ __________________
___________ ___________________________________
___________
2. After reading, have students choose a

Write a paragraph about how
and why the character’s feeling
s changed.
character from the story and write the

character’s name on the line provided.
3. Have students identify how the character felt at the beginning of the story
and write the feeling on the provided line. To encourage students to think beyond
“happy” and “sad,” consider posting a list of “feeling” words.
4. In the blank circle, have students draw a face to match the character’s feelings at
the beginning of the story.
5. On the lines provided, have students describe the event that caused the character
to feel that way.
6. Have students think about the character’s feelings at the middle of the story.
Repeat steps 3, 4, and 5.
7. Finally, have students think about the character’s feelings at the end of the story.
Repeat steps 3, 4, and 5.
Optional
Have students complete the Writing Extra! activity by writing about how and why the
character changed over time. Be sure they include examples from the story.
136
LEVELS
Name_______________________________________________________________ M/N
Many Moods
Choose a character. Describe how he or she felt at the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Write
an event that caused the character to feel that way. In each circle, draw a face to match the feeling.
Title: ____________________________________________ Character: ________________________________
MIDDLE
137
______________________________________________
Feeling
______________________________________________
Event
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
Beginning END
______________________________________________
Feeling ______________________________________________
Feeling
______________________________________________
Event ______________________________________________
Event
______________________________________________ ______________________________________________
______________________________________________ ______________________________________________
Write a paragraph about how and why the character’s feelings changed.
LEVELS
M/N
Teacher Notes
Summary in Bloom
Students use the five W’s to build
Alisha
Name________________________
______________________________ LEVELS
summarizing skills. Summary in Bloom

_________
M/N
The 5W’s are questions that help
you find the important parts of
these questions about a story a story. Use key words to answer
you read. Use your answers to
write a short summary.
Song and
______Danc
Preparation
Title: ______ ______ e Man
____________ ________________________ _________________
WHO? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN?
Grandpa sings and attic
WHY?
Choose a book for students to read or when He wants

dances grand- to share
139
children the good
their reading levels. Decide whether you visit old days.
want students to summarize the whole SUMMARY
When his grandchildren visit, Gran

dpa takes them
book or just a section. Instruct students to the attic. He sings and danc
es for them like
accordingly. the good old days. They love to
watch him.
Why is summarizing important?
Describe a time when it might
be helpful to

summarize a story.
the line provided.

2. Using the whole book or the portion you preselected,
have students answer the who, what, where, when, and why of the text. Note: You
may need to help some students turn the words into concrete questions, such as:
• Who are the main characters?
• What happens?
• When and where does it happen?
• Why does it happen?
Let students know it’s okay to answer in key words; sentences are not necessary.
If a question does not make sense for a particular story, students can leave that
flower blank.
3. Have students use their answers to summarize the text in a sentence or two. Be
sure to model how to summarize, as mastering this skill takes practice and time.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students describe when and why summarizing can
be useful. In addition, have students summarize another story.
138
LEVELS
Name_______________________________________________________________ M/N
Summary in Bloom
The 5W’s are questions that help you find the important parts of a story. Use key words to answer
these questions about a story you read. Use your answers to write a short summary.
Title: _______________________________________________________________________
WHO? WHAT? WHERE? WHEN? WHY?
139
SUMMARY
Why is summarizing important? Describe a time when it might be helpful to

summarize a story.
LEVELS
M/N
Teacher Notes
Plot Path
A plot organizer helps students
Rebekah
understand this important story element.
Name________________________ LEVELS
______________________________
_________
M/N
Plot Path
Complete the story path by filling
in the characters, setting, and
important events of your book.
Preparation Charlie And______

erso n _______________________
Title: ________________________
______
3. The climax
_______ _______is when____
_______ ...
Choose a book for students to read or have They find

_______ Charlie
_______ , and
_______ someone
_______ ____
else is _______
_______ calling_______
him Anders
_______on.
them choose appropriate books for their ____
➜
➜
141
2. It gets
_______ worse
_______ when______
_______ ...
reading levels. The next
_______ mornin
_______ g _______
_______ he is _______
still
4. The proble
_______ _______m is solved
_______ when
_______ ____. . .
Charlie_______
_______ Anders on lives
_______ at ____
_______
➜
missing
➜
Beginning _______ .
_______ ____________________ 2 homes.
_______

_________________________
➜ ➜ ➜
End
1. The problem starts when . . .
5. The story concludes when .
➜
..
the line provided. Elizabe
_______th and_______
_______ Sarah_______
worry_______
when _______
Charlie Charlie
_______ Anders
_______ on _______
_______ has 2 _______
homes,_______
the cat_______
_______ doesn’ t come home.
2. Point out the shape of the plot line on
_______ _____________________ just like
_______ them.
_______ _____________________ _______
What part of the story was most
exciting? Write a paragraph explain
ing why.
the reproducible. Explain that almost
all simple stories follow this pattern:
they start by introducing the characters, setting,
and problem; show how the problem worsens, feature an exciting climax where
everything comes to a head, then finally show how the problem gets solved and tie
up loose ends.
3. Have students fill in the sections along the plotline to sequence the events of the
story. Provide guidance as needed.
4. Have students illustrate one or more of the boxes on the back of the sheet.
Optional
Have students complete the Writing Extra! activity by writing a paragraph detailing
which part of the story they found most exciting and why.
140
LEVELS
Name_______________________________________________________________ M/N
Plot Path
Complete the story path by filling in the characters, setting, and important events of your book.
Title: ___________________________________________________________
3. The climax is when . . .
________________________________
________________________________
➜
➜
141
2. It gets worse when . . .
___________________________________ 4. The problem is solved when . . .
________________________________
___________________________________ ________________________________
➜
________________________________
Beginning
___________________________________
➜ End
➜ ➜ ➜ ➜
5. The story concludes when . . .
1. The problem starts when . . .
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
__________________________________________ __________________________________________
What part of the story was most exciting? Write a paragraph explaining why.
LEVELS
M/N
Teacher Notes
Multiple Viewpoints
This activity helps students acknowledge
Christian
Name_____________________________ LEVELS
differences between the points of view

__________________________________
M/N
Multiple Viewpoints
of two characters. Choose a book. Write an event
characters felt about the event.
from the story in the Event box.
Describe each character’s point
Think about how two different
of view in the eyeglasses.
Junie_______
Title: _______ B. Jones Has
______________ a Peep in _______
Her Pocke
_______ _______ _______t_______ ___________
Preparation Event: The kindergarten teacher, Mrs.,
the class they are going on a field
tells
trip to
a farm.
143
Junie_______
Character 1: _______ B. Jones
_______ __________ Mrs. _______
Character 2: _______ and the childr en ___
have them choose appropriate books for _______ _______
Junie B. said the farm

their reading levels. If you’d like, choose Everyone was really excited
isn’t her favorite place. She
to visit the farm.
an event or situation from the story and didn’t want to go.
Point
of View
write it in the Event box before making

Imagine that you experienced
copies. Be sure the event involves at least this event. How would you feel
Compare your response with those
of the two characters.
and react?
two characters who see the situation

differently. If you prefer, students may
choose an event on their own.

2. Have students choose an event from the story if you have not already done so. This
can be challenging, as the event must be perceived differently by two characters.
They should describe the event in the box provided.
3. Have students select two characters who are somehow affected by the event and
write their names above the eyeglass frames.
4. In the eyeglass lenses, have students write how each of the characters felt about or
responded to the event. Students should recognize that each character will have a
unique point of view. Discuss as a class or in small groups.
Optional
Have students describe their own perspective on the situation for the Writing Extra!
activity. Ask: How would you feel and act if you found yourself in that situation? Be
sure students explain their thinking.
142
LEVELS
Name_______________________________________________________________ M/N
Multiple Viewpoints
Choose a book. Write an event from the story in the Event box. Think about how two different
characters felt about the event. Describe each character’s point of view in the eyeglasses.
Title: __________________________________________________________________________
Event:
143
Character 1: _______________________________ Character 2: _______________________________
Point
of View
Imagine that you experienced this event. How would you feel and react?
Compare your response with those of the two characters.
LEVELS
M/N
Teacher Notes
Double Meaning
Words with multiple meanings can be
Nikki
Name________________________
______________________________ LEVELS
problematic for some readers. Here’s a _________

M/N
Double Meaning
fun way to clear up the confusion. Look at the word that appears
your own words and give the
on the goal posts. It has two differen
parts of speech. Write a senten
t meanings. Write the meanings
in
ce for each meaning.
_______ jewelry worn on____

Meani_______
ng _____________________ _______
Meani_______ a hoop or circle
ng _____________________
____
a finger
Preparation
___________________________________
____ ___________________________________
____
My sister got ____
Senten_______
_______ ce _____________________ The custodian ____
Senten_______
_______ ce _____________________
a beaut
_______ _______iful
_______ring. had_______
keys on_______
Choose a word with multiple meanings that __________________ _______ a ring.
145
_______ ___________
___________________________________
____ ___________________________________
____
students have recently encountered in a ___________________________________
____ ___________________________________
____
Part of Speech
noun
book or are likely to encounter. For a list Part of Speech
noun
of multiple-meaning words, see page 174. Word

ring Word
ring
Write the word in the base of each goal
post. Choose another word with multipl
little clues. See if a partner can
e meanings. Use the word’s meani
guess the word.
ngs to write
1. Review the definitions and usages of

the word. Identify the parts of speech
if this helps students to understand the different ways the word may be used. Use
the word in sentences to illustrate both meanings.
2. In the first goal post, have them write one definition (in their own words), an
original sentence using the word, and the part of speech.
3. Have students repeat step 2 for the second definition, filling in the second goal
post.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students choose another multiple-meaning word
and write clues using the word’s meanings. They can challenge another student to
guess the word. Example: This word means something that shines, but it can also
describe something that’s not very heavy (light).
144
LEVELS
Name_______________________________________________________________ M/N
Double Meaning
Look at the word that appears on the goal posts. It has two different meanings. Write the meanings in
your own words and give the parts of speech. Write a sentence for each meaning.
_______________________________________
Meaning _______________________________________
Meaning
_______________________________________ _______________________________________
_______________________________________
Sentence _______________________________________
Sentence
_______________________________________ _______________________________________
145
_______________________________________ _______________________________________
_______________________________________ _______________________________________
Part of Speech Part of Speech
Word Word
Choose another word with multiple meanings. Use the word’s meanings to write
little clues. See if a partner can guess the word.
LEVELS
M/N
Teacher Notes
Degrees of Meaning
This lesson helps students understand Katya
Name________________________
______________________________ LEVELS
_________
M/N
words with shades or degrees of Degrees of Meaning
Think about the words warm, hot,
meaning—words that have related strengths. Look at the word on
strengths. Then use the words in
and scorching. Their meanings
the organizer below. List other
sentences.
are related, but have different
words that are related but have
different
meanings but different strengths or
A. B. C. D.
degrees of intensity. walk jog run sprint
147
walk sprint run jog
_____________________ _____________________
Preparation
_____________________ _____________________
The _______
child_______
ren like to_______
walk to _______
the _______
_______ _______ _______ park. ______________ __________________________
I jog for_______
exerc_______
Choose four words that are related in _______ _______ ise. _______
___________________________________
__________________________
He will
_______ run
_______ in _______
_______ the _______
race. ____________________________
meaning but vary in intensity. Examples My _______
_______ friend_______
likes to _______
sprint becau se _______
_________________________________
_______ _______ _______ he is_______
a fast runne
_______ r. ___________________
_______
include march, walk, strut, run; cool, chilly, Write a skit or paragraph that
uses the words on the organizer.
group. Use facial expressions or Read it for your
cold, freezing. You may choose words from body movements to convey the
meanings.
a book that students have read or use

the list on page 174. Scramble the word
order and write the four words on the short lines below the incline prior to
reproducing.
1. Give examples of words with degrees of meaning. For instance, point out to
students that when we describe a summer day, we might say it is warm, hot,
blazing, or scorching. Point out that these words have related meanings but vary in
intensity.
2. Have students read the words you have preselected and discuss the meanings.
3. Have students write the words in order of intensity in the incline boxes. Be sure
to discuss the variations in meaning among words. Note that there may not be a
definitive order as some words may be close in meaning. This will promote good
discussion.
4. Have students write sentences using the words on the lines provided.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students use all of the words in a short skit.
They can use facial expressions and body movements to emphasize the variations in
meaning.
146
LEVELS
Name_______________________________________________________________ M/N
Degrees of Meaning
Think about the words warm, hot, and scorching. Their meanings are related, but they have different
strengths or intensities. Read the four words on the lines below. Arrange them in order of intensity and
copy the words in the boxes. Then use the words in sentences on the longer lines below.
C. D.
A. B.
_____________________ _____________________ _____________________ _____________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Write a skit or paragraph that uses the words on the organizer. Read it for your
147
group. Use facial expressions or body movements to convey the meanings.
LEVELS
M/N
Teacher Notes
Series Spotlight
Many students enjoy reading multiple
Joan
Name________________________
______________________________ LEVELS
books from the same series. Comparing Series Spotlight

_________
M/N
and contrasting two books from the Read two books from the same
between the books.
series. Use this chart to describ
e some of the similarities and
differences
Magic Tree
Book series: __________________Hous e________ Mary Pope Osbo
same series can be a lot of fun. ______ ______
Dinos______
aurs ______
Befor e Dark
rne
Author: ________________________
______ _____
Title 1 ______ ______ _____ Mum______
Title 2 ______ mies ______
in the Morn
______ _____ing
Characters
Jack,_______
Anni e, dinos
Preparation
_______ _______ aurs
_______ _______ Jack,_______
Anni e, Hutep
_______i the__________
__________ _______ _______ _______
149
___________________________________ ghost_______
__________ _______ -quee_______
n ______________
__________
Setting Earth_______
in Creta ceous _______
perio_______
d
_______ ______________ ancie_______
nt Egypt
Choose two books from the same series for ___________________________________
___ _______ _____________________
__________ _____________________
__________
Story ______________ _______ ___
The kids flee from_______
students to read or have them choose their events ____________________________ an angry The_______
__________ _______ kids_______
read_______
hiero glyph_______
_______ ics ___
T-rex and_______
______________ use _______
their_______
book_______
to ___ _______
to help
_______the ghost -quee n _______
find ___
own. return_______
_______ home . They
_______find
_______a gold her _______
_______
specia_______
_______ _______
_______ _______ ___ _______ l book.
________________________
meda_______
_______ llion_______
with_______
an M on it.
_________________ ______________
_____________________
1. Have students write the series title,

__________
Now that you have read two books
from the series, share your opinio
paragraph telling whether you n! Write a
would recommend this series to
a friend. Explain why.
author, and two book titles on the lines
provided.
2. Have students think about similarities and differences between the two
books. Often, a series uses the same set of characters but has them experience
different adventures.
3. Have students record the main characters in each book in the appropriate section.
Discuss how they are alike or different.
4. Have students record the setting of each book in the appropriate section. Discuss
whether the setting is the same in both books.
5. Finally, have students describe the story events of each book in the appropriate
section. Students may use key words instead of sentences. Discuss any similarities
or differences.
Optional
For the Writing Extra! activity, have students write their opinion about this series. Ask
students if they would recommend these books to a friend. Remind them to support
their response with specific details.
148
LEVELS
Name_______________________________________________________________ M/N
Series Spotlight
Read two books from the same series. Use this chart to describe some of the similarities and differences
between the books.
Book series: ______________________________________ Author: ___________________________________
Title 1 _____________________________ Title 2 _____________________________
Characters
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
149
Setting _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
Story
events _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
Now that you have read two books from the series, share your opinion! Write a
paragraph telling whether you would recommend this series to a friend. Explain why.
Team-Building
Activities
M ost of the leveled activities in this book are meant to be completed
independently, although students can certainly work on them in pairs
or small groups. However, the team-building activities on the pages that
follow are designed as creative group projects that foster teamwork and
cooperation. These activities are appropriate across all guided reading levels.
You may choose the same project for multiple groups or a different project
for each group. Some of the activities call for materials from your craft closet,
while others revolve around the reproducibles you’ll find in this section.
Remind small groups that planning and communication are important and
that each student in the group should contribute to the task’s completion.
Realistically, children at levels A–N will need some support as they work,
especially in the beginning. With practice and time, children will know what to
expect when asked to work as a group.
In the Assessment section, there is a form that students can use to assess
themselves after they work in a group (see page 171). This will help them learn
to be self-reflective and improve their collaborative skills.
150
TEAM-
BUILDING
ACTIVITY
Teacher Notes
Create a Group
Mural
Students collaborate on a colorful mural
celebrating a favorite story. Children will use the
mural display to entice other students to read the
book.
Preparation/Materials
Each group will need scrap paper, mural paper (or
multiple sheets of large construction paper taped end
to end), and pencils, crayons, paint or markers.
1. Choose a book for the group to read or have

students choose an appropriate book for their
reading level.
2. Explain that students will be designing a mural that tells others about the story. It
can depict the characters, setting, and/or important scenes from the book.
3. Provide each group with scrap paper for planning. Have the group work together
using the scrap paper to plan their mural design.
4. Lay out the mural paper and supply each team with markers, crayons, or paints.
Have the group use its design to create a finished product. Make sure each student
gets to create a portion of his or her team’s mural. If mural paper is not available,
tape construction paper together to create a mural-like sheet of paper.
5. Encourage creativity as students work. If they want to make part of the mural “pop
up,” let them. If they want to mix different media, encourage them.
6. Have students ask the school librarian if they can hang their finished murals in the
school library to promote the books . . . and teamwork!
151
TEAM-
BUILDING
ACTIVITY
Teacher Notes
Make a Book Box

Students fill a box with story clues and let classmates guess the book!
Groups will need assorted boxes (shoe box, copier paper corrugated box, gift box), glue,
paint, brushes, construction paper, crayons, markers, clay, stickers, scrap paper, and
scrap materials.
1. Choose a book for the group to read or have students choose an appropriate book
for their reading level.
2. Provide each group with a box. Have students paint the outside of the box so that
all writing and markings are covered.
3. Have students write the title and author of the book on a piece of construction
paper and put it inside the box. After presenting the box and revealing the title
(Step 6), students can paste the paper to the outside of the box if they wish.
4. Have students create decorations for the outside of the box that provide clues
about the story. For example, children may draw pictures of the setting, the
characters, or some of the main story events. Encourage them to be creative and to
think beyond the obvious.
5. Have students create or gather “props” for the inside of the box that tell more about
the story. For instance, students may choose to create a character out of clay or
draw an item from the story. They may also bring in small “artifacts” related to the
story from home. Remind students not to bring in any valuable items.
6. Have each group present their box and let other students try to guess the book or
its topic.
7. Display the book boxes.
152
TEAM-
BUILDING
ACTIVITY
Teacher Notes
Big Questions Name _________

_______________
Big Questions
_______________
______
TEAM-
BUILDING
ACTIVITY
Teamwork makes investigating the five W’s and H a

Answer the que
stion as it relates
to the stor y. Dec
orate and cut out
the H.
great adventure.
For each group, make five copies of page TEAM-
BUILDING
154 (the W) and one copy of page 155 Name _____________________________________________ ACTIVITY
(the H). Write a different guiding question Big Questions

cut out the W.
on each letter before reproducing. Some Answer the question as it relates to the story. Decorate and
examples are listed here:

• Who is in the story?
• Who is the stronger character?
• What happened (plot/sequence)? 155
• Where did the story take place?

• When did the story take place?
• Why was there a problem?
• How was the problem solved?
Consider allowing students reading at

higher levels to create their own questions. 154
1. Choose a book for the group to read or

have students choose an appropriate book for their reading level.
2. Have students read the question you wrote on the first letter and discuss the
answer as a group. On the lines below the letter, have them answer the question.
3. Have students repeat step 2 with the remaining five letters. They can revisit the
text if needed.
4. Groups can decorate and cut out each letter (keeping their responses attached).
Assemble the group’s five W’s and H on a large sheet of mural paper, or collate the
decorated letters to create a group book.
5. Have groups use their answers to the five W’s and How to create a written story
summary. Encourage them to stick to the important details (no more than five to
seven sentences).
153
TEAM-
BUILDING
Name _____________________________________________ ACTIVITY
Big Questions
Answer the question as it relates to the story. Decorate and cut out the W.
154
TEAM-
BUILDING
Name _____________________________________________ ACTIVITY
Big Questions
Answer the question as it relates to the story. Decorate and cut out the H.
155
TEAM-
BUILDING
ACTIVITY
Teacher Notes
Extend the Story

Who says the ending has to be the
TEAM-
end? In this activity, students add their Extend the Story

BUILDING
ACTIVITY
own pages to a favorite book. This is

an excellent extension for books with
patterned, predictable text.
157
Make copies of page 157 for early reading
levels. Consider using plain writing paper
and drawing paper for more advanced
levels.
1. Choose a book for the group to read or

have students choose an appropriate book for their reading level.
2. After they’ve read, explain that students are going to add to the story. If using the
reproducible, point out that the pages have lines for text and room for pictures.
3. If students are reading predictable, patterned text, discuss the pattern. Talk about
how students can add to it. For instance, if the story pattern is “I like baseball. I
like animals,” a student might write, “I like ice cream” and “I like swimming.”
4. If the book students read did not have patterned text, ask students what they think
might happen next, after the book’s ending. Have them write and illustrate their
ideas on the reproducible or on plain paper.
5. Staple the group’s pages together into a “book.” Reread the original story aloud,
adding the student-made pages.
156
TEAM-
BUILDING
ACTIVITY
Extend the Story
157
TEAM-
BUILDING
ACTIVITY
Teacher Notes
Puppet Play
Name _________ TEAM-
_______________
_______________ BUILDING
______
ACTIVITY
Puppet Play
Follow your tea
cher’s directions
Foster creativity and build retelling skills with a the stor y. Use you to create charac
r puppets to rete ter puppets from
ll the stor y.
book-based puppet show!
Make copies of page 159 for students to use as
puppet templates. You will also need wooden craft
sticks to serve as handles. Optional supplies include
construction paper, brown paper bags, felt, plastic
“google” eyes, fabric, glue, and large boxes to turn
into a puppet stage. fold on
cut on solid grey
dotted line
line
1. Choose a book for the group to read or have 159
students choose an appropriate book for their

reading level.
2. Instruct each group to create puppets for the characters in the book they read.
If groups are large, students can make puppets for both main and supporting
characters. Provide copies of the puppet template for students to use if they wish.
Show that when the template is cut out and folded, the puppet will have both a
front and back side. Students can also create their own original puppets with felt,
paper, or lunch bags.
3. If students are using the template, insert a craft stick in the base as you help
students fold and glue each puppet together.
4. Encourage students to create scenery for a play. They can decorate a large
cardboard box or create a backdrop with pictures that reflect the story setting.
5. Consider challenging students to create a new storyline using the same characters.
6. If possible, allocate time for students to perform the play for the class or for other
classes.
158
TEAM-
BUILDING
Name _____________________________________________ ACTIVITY
Puppet Play
Follow your teacher’s directions to create character puppets from
the story. Use your puppets to retell the story.
fold on
solid grey
line
cut on
dotted
line
159
TEAM-
BUILDING
ACTIVITY
Teacher Notes
Readers Theater
Group members
_______________ TEAM-
_______________ BUILDING
_________
Readers Theat
ACTIVITY
Book title: ________

er
________________
________________
A Readers Theater performance based on a Script title: ____
________________
________________
___ Pages: ____
___
________________
_____
favorite book allows children to express creativity Cast of characters:
while honing reading skills.
Plan your script:
Make copies of page 161 for students to use to plan

their performance. Optional supplies include props
that relate to the story or materials to make sound
effects.
1. Choose a book for the group to read or have

students choose an appropriate book for their 161
reading level.
2. After reading, have students select a chapter or
short section of the text to use for their performance. (You can assign a specific
section if you’d like.)
3. Have students brainstorm a script title and write it on the planning sheet, along
with the original book title.
4. Have students use the planning sheet and additional paper as needed as they
work together to create a script or play of the selected scene from the book. Have
them include a narrator (or two), the main character, and supporting characters.
Remind them to include key information such as the setting or a summary of what
happened before the Readers Theater scene takes place. This can be done through
a narrator.
5. Allow time for the children to practice. Encourage them to perform for the class.
160
TEAM-
BUILDING
Group members _______________________________________ ACTIVITY
Readers Theater
Book title: ___________________________________________ Pages: _______
Script title: _________________________________________________________
Cast of characters:
Plan your script:
161
Writing Extra!
Templates
M ost of the Writing Extra! activities require the students to write their
responses on additional paper. The lined templates in this section can be
used to provide structure and support for the early reader.
162
WRITING
Name _____________________________________________ EXTRA
Title ____________________________________________________
163
164
Name _____________________________________________
EXTRA
WRITING
Name_______________________________________________________________ WRITING
EXTRA
165
166
Name _____________________________________________
EXTRA
WRITING
Assessment
Checklists
A necdotal notes and observations made during reading meetings can be
useful for planning instruction. In this section, you will find three checklists
as well as a Team-Building Self-Assessment for children to complete after
collaborating on group projects. The checklists address skills on a continuum,
with Checklist 1 encompassing the most basic skills (students at levels A
through D). Preview the checklists before using to choose the one that best
matches your students’ levels and your own instructional goals.
167
CHECKLIST
1
Name _______________________________________ Teacher Notes
Comments: _____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
SKILL ✓ NOTES
Identifies characters
Identifies problem and solution
Identifies setting
Recalls character’s actions
Makes predictions
Supports predictions
Tracks print left to right
Tracks print one to one
Recognizes and continues word

pattern(s) and repetitive text
Recognizes punctuation when

reading
Knows high-frequency words
Makes connections to aid in

comprehension
Gathers information from illustrations
Notes similarities and differences in

stories and illustrations
Retells story events in order
168
CHECKLIST
2
Comments: _____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
SKILL ✓ NOTES
Responds to text
Determines main idea
Identifies how a character overcomes a
problem
Notes character’s feelings
Identifies character traits
Supports choice of character traits
Identifies cause and effect
Looks back in text for information
Retells story with details
Identifies key events
Identifies the 5 W’s
Chooses favorite part
Supports choice of favorite part
Notes similarities and differences within and

between texts
Responds to text through writing
Answers questions specific to a story
Provides support from text
169
CHECKLIST
3
Comments: _____________________________________________________
SKILL ✓ NOTES
Summarizes part of story or chapter
Summarizes story
Relates importance of setting to story
Poses questions about story
Differentiates facts from opinion
Provides an opinion
Supports opinion
Compares/contrasts stories
Compares/contrasts characters
Identifies genre
Recognizes character change over time
Notes interesting vocabulary
Uses new vocabulary
Draws conclusions
Uses context clues to make decisions
Connects character actions and feelings
Identifies lesson or moral
Uses dialogue to draw conclusions about characters
Notes main idea and supporting details
170
SELF
Name _____________________________________________ ASSESSMENT
Team-Building
Self-Assessment
Team members: __________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Did your team finish the project? ❒ Yes ❒ No

What part did you complete? _____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Do you think that your team worked well together? Explain.

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How could your team improve?

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
How do you feel about your finished project? Why?

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
171
APPENDIX
A
Meeting the Standards
Teacher Notes
The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts set a high bar
for students to reach in their interactions with text. The activities in this book will
help you and your students meet those standards. Some of the K–2 objectives
covered in the activities are:
• Identify key ideas and details. •W

ith prompting and support, describe
•W
ith prompting and support, ask and the relationship between illustrations
answer questions. and the story.
•W
ith prompting and support, retell •W
ith prompting and support, compare
familiar stories, including details. and contrast the adventures and
experiences of characters.
•W
ith prompting and support, identify
characters, settings, and major events in •U
se illustrations and details in a story
a story. to describe its characters, setting, or
events.
•A
sk and answer questions about key
details. •C
ompare and contrast the adventures
and experiences of characters.
•R
etell stories, including key details, and
demonstrate understanding of their • Use information gained from the
central message or lesson. illustrations and words in a print text
to demonstrate understanding of its
•D
escribe characters, setting, and major
characters, setting, or plot.
events using key details.
•C
ompare and contrast two or more
•A
sk and answer questions: who, what,
versions of the same story by different
where, when, why, and how.
authors or from different cultures.
•R
ecount stories, including fables and
•A
ctively engage in group reading
folktales; determine their central
activities with purpose and
message, lesson or moral.
understanding.
•W
ith prompting and support, name the
•A
sk and answer questions to
author and illustrator.
demonstrate understanding of a text,
• Identify words or phrases that suggest referring explicitly to the text as the
feelings. basis for the answers.
• Describe the overall structure of a story. •D
escribe characters in a story (traits,
•A
cknowledge differences in the points of motivations, or feelings) and explain how
view of characters, including speaking in their actions contribute to the sequence
a different voice for each character when of events.
reading dialogue aloud.
172
•F
ollow words from left to right, top to • Write opinion pieces in which they
bottom and page by page. introduce the topic or book they are
•U
nderstand that words are separated by writing about, state an opinion, and
spaces. supply reasons that support the opinion.
• Recognize and produce rhyming words. •W

rite narratives in which they recount a
well-elaborated event or short sequence
•A
dd or substitute individual sounds in
of events; include details to describe
simple words to make new words.
actions, thoughts, and feelings; use
•R
ecognize understanding of organization temporal words to signal event order,
and basic features of a sentence. and provide closure.
•D
emonstrate understanding of spoken •P
repare for and participate effectively
words, syllables, and sounds. in a range of conversations and
•R
ead common high-frequency words by collaborations with diverse partners.
sight. •P
articipate in collaborative conversations
•U
se a combination of drawing, dictating, with diverse partners.
and writing to compose opinion pieces in • Follow agreed-upon rules for discussion.
which they tell a reader the topic or the
•D
emonstrate command of the
name of the book and state an opinion
conventions of standard English
or preference about the topic.
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
•U
se a combination of drawing, dictating, when writing.
and writing to narrate a single event or
• Sort words into categories to gain a
several loosely linked events; tell about
sense of the concepts the categories
the events in the order in which they
represent.
occurred; and provide a reaction to what
happened.
•W
rite narratives in which they recount
two or more appropriately sequenced
events, include some details regarding
what happened, use temporal words to
signal event order, and provide some
closure.
173
APPENDIX
B
Word Lists
Teacher Notes
Several activities in this book focus on character traits, multiple-meaning words,

or words with “shades of meaning.” If you need help getting students started
on these concepts, consult the word lists below.
Character Traits
serious, positive, cheerful, brave, angry, smart, sly, wise, stubborn, lazy, obedient,
proud, helpful, foolish, brave, cautious, cooperative, dependable, dishonest, evil,
friendly, greedy, responsible, nervous, trustworthy, unhappy, unfriendly, loyal,
intelligent, encouraging, clever, rude, hopeful, sneaky, charming, jealous, independent,
afraid, bold, thoughtful, warm, curious, giving, impatient, imaginative, easygoing
Multiple-Meaning Words
box, pet, light, cut, check, bark, clip, play, punch, bowl, jam, sink, ring, file, bank,
park, stick, stuff, bit, scale, rock, left, bat, fly, shake, trunk, back, duck, blow, hide,
story, fan, well, tire, pen, rare, kind, wave
“Shades of Meaning” Words

hot (warm, baking, sizzling), cool (cold, icy, freezing), happy (glad, excited, thrilled), big
(large, giant, huge), small (miniature, tiny), mad (grumpy, upset, angry, furious), eat
(nibble, munch, gobble), run (jog, sprint), look (glance, stare, peer)
174
APPENDIX
C
Additional Resources
Teacher Notes
Scholastic offers a host of professional books and other products to help your
Guided Reading classroom run smoothly. Be sure to check these out.
Online
http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/guidedreading
Make the Scholastic web site your first stop for the latest guided-reading research,
tips on leveling, and more.
Print
The Next Step in Guided Reading: Focused Assessments and Targeted Lessons for
Helping Every Student Become a Better Reader by Jan Richardson.
This volume provides suggestions for preparing for guided reading as well as ideas
for teaching every level, from pre-A though fluency.
Guided Reading Fiction Focus, 2nd Edition by Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell.
This set includes a classroom library of carefully leveled fiction books, a teacher’s
guide, reproducible reading logs, running records, and more.
Differentiated Small-Group Reading Lessons: Scaffolded and Engaging Lessons for

Word Recognition, Fluency, and Comprehension that Help Every Reader Grow by
Margo Southall.
This research-based book helps you target reading instruction to students’ specific
needs.
175
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Edited by Karen Kellaher

Copyright © 2013 by Rhonda Graff

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Activities for Levels E/F . . . . . 50

Activities for Levels K/L . . . . 110 Team-Building Activities . . . 150

I f you use guided reading in a primary

Understanding the Levels

resources, including Scholastic’s web site (www.scholastic.com). The ____

Character Quotes he or she

Fly Away Home

it into a comic strip.

Using the Reproducibles my

like best about his

writing extensions. Keep in mind each student’s abilities as

New Cover Josh

Draw a new cov

a selected book. To do so, they must distinguish ____________

between what is important and what is not

1. Have students write the book title if you have not

2. Have students draw a new cover picture. Remind

them that the cover usually gives clues about the

Tell an adult about your new cover design and

Say It Again Lydi___a________________________

process what they have read and demonstrate

Choose a book for students to read or have them

2. In Box 1, instruct students to draw the main

Use the boxes to retell the story to an adult.

advanced texts, children need to

actions to better understand the

their reading levels. If you’d like, fill in the

The Big Idea Man

Draw and/or writ

comprehension. They will practice identifying the

1. Have students write the book title if you have not

2. Explain that the big idea or main idea is what a

story is mostly about.

The Big Idea

Tell an adult about your book’s main idea. Share

Picture Write! Tys___on________________________

Look at the illus

information the words do not. This activity

already filled it in.

2. Remind students that pictures can support

Use the words on your list to tell an adult about

Story Snapshot Ivy___________________________

with the text.

1. Have students write the book title if you have not

story and draw it inside the picture box.

Tell an adult why you like this part of the book.

Similar Stories Min

Choose two boo

1. Have students write the two book titles on lines 1

Tell a partner about one way the two books

Make a Prediction Seba

Before you read

is important to have readers start predicting early.

1. Have students write the book title if you have not

Use the story’s title to brainstorm words. Draw a picture

Sentence Scramble Mar

Cut out the wor

words to recreate a familiar sentence from

Choose a book that students have read. Before you

1. Have students write the book title if you have not

2. Have students draw a new cover picture. Remind

Say It Again Lydi_a______________________

2. In Box 1, instruct students to draw the main

1. Have students write the book title if you have not

2. Explain that the big idea or main idea is what a

Picture Write! Tys_on______________________

2. Remind students that pictures can support

1. Have students write the book title if you have not

1. Have students write the two book titles on lines 1

1. Have students write the book title if you have not

Word Trace Gav_in______________________

understand characters through their actions, ___

1. Have students write the book title if you have not

Problem Solved Stel_la______________________

1. Have students write the book title if you have not

2. Review the concepts of problem and solution

1. Have students write the book title if you have not

1. Have students select two characters to

1. Have students read the word. Discuss as a class 45

compound words, vowel pairs, digraphs, nouns, or __________

__

__

1. Have students write the book title if you have not

2. Have students identify two main characters and

1. Have students write the book title if you have not 53