Jake and Dale are friends. They love to skate. Skating is fun. In the winter they can skate on the lake. When it gets cold, the lake turns to ice. The lake ice must be thick. The lake must be safe. First, Jake will lace up his skates. Then, Dale laces up his. They will test the ice. They listen for a cracking sound. They must take care on the ice because if it is thin, they could fall through. Today the ice is firm so they will skate and have fun. It will be a great day! Name: Day 1: Who are the main characters in the story? Day 2: What problem might Jake and Dale have? Day 3: How do they know if the ice is safe? Day 4: What do Jake and Dale do at the end of the story. 12 26 40 41 53 64 78 80 92 98
Max and Grandma bake cookies together. Their friends and family love them. They do this during the holidays. The cookies are for a special party. First, they put in flour, salt, and baking soda. Next, they put in eggs. Then, they put in sugar. They mix it up and put in chocolate chips. Grandma takes out two spoons. They will scoop out the dough to roll it into a ball. Then they ll put it on a cookie sheet. They bake them in the oven until they are a golden brown. In no time at all, there are delicious cookies! Name: Day 1: Who is baking cookies? Day 2: Why are they baking cookies? Day 3: What goes in before the cookies are put into the oven? Day 4: What could you add to the cookies to make them even better? 9 19 25 34 44 55 68 81 90 99
Fred and Trixie live in the North Pole. They make toys. They build trains. They love to eat cookies. Fred wears a big floppy green hat. Trixie wears red boots and gloves. They feed the reindeer their food because they love to help! Fred and Trixie love being elves. 8 1 1 14 19 29 32 41 43 49 Day 1: Who are the main characters in this story? Day 2: How are Fred and Trixie different? (use information from the text) Day 3: Why do they feed the reindeer? (use information from the text) Day 4: What were some things that helped you to know that Fred and Trixie are elves?
Do you like holidays? Boxing Day is like Christmas. It is an English holiday. It is the day after Christmas. Long ago, sailors would drop coins into a box before they left on a big trip. They would ask a priest to pray for a safe trip for them. Then they would leave the box on the ship. When they returned they would give the box to a church. On Christmas, The coins would be given to poor people. Today, many churches still have a box to collect coins for the poor. Boxing Day is now a shopping day. Many countries celebrate it. It s a day to give presents to people you care about. Name: Day 1: Who celebrates Boxing Day? Day 2: Tell about the history of Boxing Day. Day 3: What tradition from Boxing Day do churches still have today? Day 4: How has Boxing Day changed over time? 12 22 35 48 60 71 81 93 105 114
It s a new year. When the new year comes, it is time to think about making changes. Sometimes these changes are called resolutions. We can make a resolution about anything. A resolution is a decision to make a change. We can decide to be better at reading, writing, or even listening. Making changes is hard work. It takes a strong will to make a decision and stick with it. What kind of a resolution will you make this year? 13 21 29 39 50 51 63 69 79 Day 1: What is the author thinking about at the beginning of the text? Day 2: What is a resolution? Day 3: Why do you think someone may NOT keep their resolution? Day 4: What does it take to keep a resolution that you make?
Making a Snowman First, you wait for a big snowstorm. Then, you get your snowsuit on. Next, get a carrot, an old scarf, a hat and some coal. Go outside and roll three balls for the body. Put the biggest one on the bottom. Build up from there. When you are done, dress your snowman! Snowmen make great friends until the weather gets warm. What happens when the weather gets warm? 3 10 16 28 37 48 55 64 71 Day 1: Break up the word snowsuit. What do you think it might mean? Day 2: Explain how you build a snowman. Day 3: Explain how you dress a snowman. Day 4: Predict what you think will happen to the snowman when the weather gets warm.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a good leader. He saw that people were not being treated fairly and they needed some help. He went on marches and gave speeches about freedom. Many people followed him but there were others that didn t agree with Dr. King. They wanted him to go to jail. It was dangerous work. Dr. King and his friends were very brave. One day the laws were changed. We have a better country because of the things Dr. King did. 8 19 22 31 41 45 52 56 64 70 82 Day 1: What kind of person was Dr. King? Day 2: What did he want for others? Day 3: What were some things that he did to help? Day 4: In what ways are you like Dr. King?
Humpback whales live in the ocean. They have large heads and fins. Humpbacks jump from the water and slap it with their tails and fins. People love to watch them. They can migrate, or travel, very far. They live in cold water. They feed in the summer and migrate to warm water in the winter to have their babies where it is warm. In the winter, they do not eat. They fast. They live off of the fat in their bodies. They eat krill and small fish. They are known for the underwater songs they sing. 10 21 30 41 51 63 76 87 96 Day 1: What does migrate mean? Day 2: Why do they migrate to warm water in the winter? Day 3: How do the whales survive without eating? Day 4: When they do eat, what do they prefer to eat?
In a small field there lived a hard working ant and a lazy grasshopper. Early each morning the ant gathered food. The grasshopper slept. Late into the evening, the ant would gather food. The grasshopper would chew blades of crisp, green grass. When the spring came, the ant worked. The grasshopper sang. The ant wanted to have food in the winter. Soon it became cold. The grasshopper got very hungry. He came to the ant s house. He asked for some food. The ant told him he was lazy. He said maybe he should sleep or sing now. The grasshopper went away hungry. 13 22 32 42 52 65 76 90 101 102 Day 1: Who are the characters in the fable? Needed LOTS of help Day 2: What is the setting of the story: Day 3: What problem is occurring in the fable? Day 4: What lesson did the grasshopper learn? Student Comprehension this week was: (circle one) Great! Good! Needed help
Have you ever snuggled in a warm blanket? Drinking hot chocolate in the winter makes my tummy feel warm and fuzzy inside just like if I were in a wooly blanket. Drinking hot chocolate from a mug is like getting a hug. I put small marshmallows in it. Sometimes, I put whipped cream on top too. It looks like a puffy cloud. I must be careful and sip it slowly. It can be so hot! Ouch! That burned! I must blow on it more the next time. Hot chocolate is delicious! Name: Day 1: What does the author compare drinking hot chocolate to? Day 2: Why do you think the author compares drinking hot chocolate to getting a hug? Day 3: What looks like a puffy cloud in the story? Day 4: What problem comes up in the story, and how is it solved? 10 20 31 42 48 60 62 76 89 91
George Washington Carver was born a slave. He went to school. He became a scientist. He studied plants. He used plants in different ways. He made over 300 things out of peanuts. He made hundreds more things out of soybeans and sweet potatoes. Imagine having shampoo or shoe polish made all from a peanut or a bean! He also helped farmers. He helped farmers grow healthier crops. Farmers would grow the same crops in the same spot every year. The soil became weak. The plants became weak. They eventually stopped growing. He taught farmers to rotate their crops. Crop rotation helped the farmers. They started to change what they grew each year. This helped the soil. Dr. Carver was a brilliant scientist. He helped many people. 13 26 39 50 57 68 82 92 103 117 126 Day 1: What kind of work did Dr. Carver do? Day 2: What types of plants did Dr. Carver work with? Day 3: How did Dr. Carver help farmers? Day 4: What was wrong with the soil that the farmers were using?
Mrs. Stark s class loves green things. They collected a frog, a chameleon, and a turtle. They decorated tanks for their pets. They used green plastic plants. They used rocks with green moss painted on them. They had green sand in the bottom. Their frog s name is Mr. Kermit. He eats green grasshoppers. Their chameleon, Kelly likes to eat crunchy, green, crickets. Fern, their fish eats the little, green, fish flakes. The students drop them in her tank twice a week. Pete wants a snake. Evan wants an alligator. Anna wants butterfly eggs. I wonder what Mrs. Stark would think about those suggestions? 1 1 21 32 44 54 66 78 90 101 102 Day 1: What pets does Mrs. Stark s class have? Day 2: How did the students decorate the tanks? Day 3: What does Kelly eat? Day 4: How often do they feed the fish?
There are three main types of transportation: land, air, and water. Cars need roads. Airplanes need airports. Boats need docks and ports. Long ago, people used boats and wagons to get from one place to another. This type of transportation was slow and dangerous. Over time, people learned how to use steam to power trains and cars. Transportation became quicker. People traveled more and learned more about the world around them. Why go by horse and buggy? Just get in an airplane! Today, we use transportation to travel and get the things that we need. It is much faster and easier. People can now travel for fun or for work. We must be careful with our new ways to get from one place to another. Sometimes, they can cause pollution and traffic. 12 24 38 49 60 72 82 96 1 1 1 125 132 Day 1: Tell about the three types of transportation, and give an example of each. Day 2: How has transportation changed over time? Day 3: Why do you think that travel long ago could have been dangerous? Day 4: What are some of the negative effects of transportation today?
Many people would agree that the symbol of the month of March is a tiny three leafed plant called the clover. This small but important plant is part of our culture. It is part of the food chain as well. Most clover leaves have three parts. Shamrocks the symbol of St. Patrick s Day are clovers too. They have three parts. Many people think that finding a four leafed clover will bring you luck. Clovers are used as food plants by caterpillars. They are also a healthy part of the food for livestock. Clover is tiny, but important. 12 24 38 40 51 62 73 81 92 97 Day 1: Talk about which sentence you think might be the main idea sentence. Day 2: What holiday is associated with clover? Day 3: What is one difference in the way people feel about three and four leafed clover? Day 4: What eats clover?
A Trip to the Big City One Saturday, Drew and Ava rode the bus to the city for a short trip. They saw huge skyscrapers full of shiny windows. There were billboards full of neon lights. The streets were busy. They were full of fast moving cars. Beep! Beep! Honk! Honk! We must look before we cross the street, said Drew. These cars are so fast! replied Ava. The sidewalks in the city are full of all kinds of people. They are all moving quickly to get where they want to go. Sometimes, in their rush, people bump into each other. Everyone is so close to each other. We must be careful where we walk, the children thought. The city is a loud and funny place. It is full of lots of people. Name: Day 1: Why did Drew and Ava go to the city? Day 2: What problem did the characters in the story have? Day 3: Tell about what the children saw in the city. Day 4: Tell what happened to the children on the sidewalk. 6 21 32 46 47 51 61 68 84 97 1 1 1 125 133