Curriculum

Children will ask and answer questions about key details in a text, enhancing their comprehension. For instance, after reading "The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss, a teacher might ask a 6-year-old, "What mess did the Cat make?" The child can respond based on the story. Additionally, the child might ask, "Why did the Cat come to the house?"

Children will actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. For example, during a shared reading session, the teacher may read a story aloud while the children follow along and track the words with their fingers. They will be encouraged to participate by predicting what will happen next, asking questions about the story, and sharing their thoughts about the characters and events.

Children will combine drawing, dictating, and writing to create informative texts about a specific topic. For instance, a 5-year-old could choose the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle to explain the lifecycle of a butterfly. The child might draw the stages the caterpillar goes through, from egg to butterfly, dictate to an adult or jot down basic sentences like, "The caterpillar starts as an egg on a leaf." They could add, "It eats a lot and grows, then sleeps in a cocoon before becoming a butterfly."

With prompting and support, children will ask and answer questions about key details in a text. For example, after reading a story like "The Three Little Pigs," a teacher might ask, "What did the first pig build his house out of?" and the child can answer, "Straw." The teacher might also encourage the child to ask their own questions, such as "Why did the wolf want to blow the houses down?"

Children will retell stories including key details and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson. For example, after reading "The Tortoise and the Hare," a teacher can ask a 6-year-old to recount the story. The child might say, "The tortoise walked very slowly but didn't stop, and the hare ran fast and then took a nap." The teacher might then lead the child to discuss the lesson by asking, "What does the story teach us?"

Children will ask and answer questions about key details in a text. For example, after reading a story together, the teacher might prompt the class with questions like, "What was the main problem in the story?" or "Who are the main characters?" Students will then respond with answers such as, "The main problem was that the cat wanted to find its way home," or "The main characters are the cat and the dog."

Children will use drawing, dictating, and writing to tell a story. Using "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle, a 5-year-old might draw and label the caterpillar eating foods from Monday to Sunday. They could dictate or write, "First, he ate an apple. Then, two pears." They might finish by saying, "I liked when he turned into a butterfly," showing how to sequence events and express reactions.

With prompting and support, children will retell familiar stories, including key details. For example, after reading "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," a teacher might ask, "Can you tell me what happened in the story?" The child could respond by saying, "Goldilocks went into the bears' house, tried their porridge, and sat in their chairs." The teacher might help by prompting them to remember important details, like, "What happened when the bears came home?"

Children will describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details. For example, after reading "Corduroy" by Don Freeman, a teacher might ask a 6-year-old to tell about the main character. The child might say, "Corduroy is a small teddy bear who wears green overalls and lives in a department store." Moving on to the setting, the teacher could prompt, "Where does the story happen?" to which the child might respond, "First in the department store and then in a little girl’s home." Discussing the major events, the child might recount, "Corduroy tries to find a button for his overalls, gets in trouble, but then a girl named Lisa buys him and takes him home.”

Children will identify the main topic and retell key details of a text. For example, after reading a story about animals on a farm, the teacher might ask, "What is the main topic of this story?" The children could respond, "The main topic is farm animals." Then, the teacher may prompt them to retell key details by asking, "Can you tell me some important things that happened in the story?" The children might say, "The cow gives milk, the chickens lay eggs, and the pig likes to roll in the mud."