English Language Arts: Reading – Grade 1

Every story you read has three main parts that work together like pieces of a puzzle 🧩. Learning to find these parts will make you a better reader and help you understand stories much better!

Characters are the people or animals in a story. They are the ones who do things and have adventures! When you meet a character in a story, you can learn about them by paying attention to:

• What they look like - Are they tall or short? Do they have brown hair or blonde hair? 👧👦
• What they do - Do they run fast? Do they help their friends? Do they solve problems?
• How they feel - Are they happy, sad, scared, or excited? 😊😢😨😄
• What they think - What ideas do they have? What do they want to do?

For example, if you read about a little girl named Emma who has curly red hair and loves to help her grandmother bake cookies, you've learned about Emma's appearance (curly red hair) and her actions (helping bake cookies).

The setting is where the story takes place. It's like the background of a picture! The setting can be:

• A house 🏠
• A school 🏫
• A park 🌳
• A magical forest 🌲✨
• Under the ocean 🌊
• In space 🚀

Sometimes authors tell you exactly where the story happens. Other times, you need to be a detective and look for clues in the story. If you read about characters playing on swings and slides, you might be in a playground!

The sequence of events is what happens in the story from the beginning to the end. It's like following a path that shows you all the things that happen! Stories usually have:

• Beginning - How the story starts and introduces the characters
• Middle - The main events and adventures that happen
• End - How the story finishes and what happens to the characters

When you retell a story, you can say "First this happened, then this happened, and finally this happened." This helps you remember the important parts and understand how the story flows from beginning to end.

When you describe characters, settings, or events, you should always look back at the story to find the words that tell you these things. This is called using evidence from the text. If you say a character is brave, you should be able to point to the part of the story that shows they did something brave!

Some stories teach us important lessons about life, just like how your family and teachers help you learn right from wrong. These lessons are called morals, and they help us understand how to be good people and make good choices! 📖✨

A moral is the lesson that a story teaches. It's like a special message that the author wants you to learn. The moral usually teaches us something important about:

• Being kind to others 💕
• Telling the truth 🤝
• Working hard 💪
• Helping friends and family 👪
• Being brave when things are scary 🦸
• Learning from mistakes 🌱

For example, in the story of "The Tortoise and the Hare," the moral is that slow and steady wins the race. This teaches us that working hard and not giving up is more important than being fast but lazy.

To find the moral of a story, you can ask yourself these questions:

• What did the main character learn? 🤔
• What happened when the character made good choices or bad choices?
• What lesson would help me in my own life?
• What does this story teach me about being a good person?

Sometimes the moral is stated clearly at the end of the story. Other times, you need to think about what happened and figure out the lesson yourself.

This is very important to remember: not all stories have morals! Some stories are just for fun and entertainment. These stories might:

• Make us laugh 😂
• Help us imagine exciting adventures 🗺️
• Tell us about interesting places or people 🌍
• Share funny or silly situations 🤪

For example, a story about a family going to the zoo might just be about having fun and learning about animals. It doesn't need to teach a big lesson - it can just be an enjoyable story!

Here are some morals you might find in stories:

• Honesty is the best policy - Always tell the truth, even when it's hard
• Treat others how you want to be treated - Be kind to everyone
• Practice makes perfect - Keep trying and you'll get better
• Don't judge others by how they look - Get to know people before deciding what they're like
• Sharing is caring - It feels good to share with others

When you find a moral in a story, you should be able to explain it using examples from the story. If you think the moral is about being kind, you should be able to tell about the parts of the story that show characters being kind or unkind, and what happened because of their choices.

Every story has someone who tells it to you, just like when your family members tell you about their day or when your teacher reads aloud to the class. The person who tells the story is called the narrator! 🗣️ Learning to identify the narrator helps you understand stories better.

A narrator is the voice that tells you the story. The narrator is like a storyteller who shares all the details about what happens, who the characters are, and where everything takes place. Every story has a narrator, even if you don't notice them at first!

There are two main types of narrators you'll encounter in stories:

1. Character Narrator 👤 Sometimes one of the characters in the story is the one telling it. When this happens, you'll see words like:

• "I went to the park"
• "We played on the swings"
• "My friend and I found a cool rock"

When you see "I," "me," "my," or "we," it usually means a character in the story is telling you what happened to them.

2. Outside Narrator 📖 Sometimes the narrator is not a character in the story but someone outside watching and telling you about what's happening. With an outside narrator, you'll see words like:

• "Emma went to the park"
• "The children played on the swings"
• "They found a cool rock"

When you see character names or words like "he," "she," "they," or "the boy," it usually means someone outside the story is telling you about the characters.

Context clues are hints in the story that help you figure out who is telling it. These clues are like puzzle pieces that help you solve the mystery of the narrator! 🕵️‍♀️

Here are some context clues to look for:

• Pronouns (I, me, my, we, us, he, she, they, them)
• How much the narrator knows - Does the narrator know what all characters are thinking, or just one?
• Personal details - Does the narrator share personal feelings or experiences?
• Point of view - Is the narrator telling about their own experience or watching others?

Knowing who is telling the story helps you understand:

• How much information you're getting - A character narrator might not know everything that's happening
• Whose perspective you're hearing - Are you hearing from the main character or someone watching?
• How reliable the information is - Different narrators might tell the same story differently

When you read a story, ask yourself:

• Who is telling me this story? 🤔
• Are they a character in the story or someone outside?
• What words in the story help me figure this out?
• How do I know who is speaking?

By answering these questions, you'll become much better at identifying narrators and understanding stories more deeply!

Poems are special kinds of writing that are different from regular stories. They have their own special way of organizing words that makes them sound musical and rhythmic! 🎵 Learning about how poems are built will help you understand and enjoy them even more.

Poems are like songs without music. They use words in special ways to:

• Create rhythm - Words that have a beat like music 🥁
• Paint pictures with words - Help you imagine beautiful or exciting things 🎨
• Express feelings - Share emotions like happiness, sadness, or excitement 💭
• Tell stories - Some poems tell complete stories just like books do 📚

A stanza is like a paragraph in a poem. It's a group of lines that go together and work as a team to share one idea or feeling. Just like how you group sentences into paragraphs when you write, poets group lines into stanzas.

Here's what you should know about stanzas:

• Stanzas are separated by blank lines - When you see a space between groups of lines, that's where one stanza ends and another begins
• Each stanza has its own idea - Like paragraphs in a story, each stanza usually focuses on one main thought
• Stanzas can be different lengths - Some stanzas have 2 lines, some have 4 lines, and some have even more!

For example, if you see a poem that looks like this:

The sun is shining bright today, ☀️
The birds are singing all around.

I want to go outside and play,
And run and jump on the soft ground.

This poem has two stanzas - the first stanza has 2 lines about the weather, and the second stanza has 2 lines about wanting to play.

Line breaks are where each line of the poem ends. In poems, lines don't always end when the sentence ends like they do in regular writing. Poets choose where to break their lines to:

• Create rhythm - Make the poem sound musical when read aloud
• Emphasize important words - Put special words at the end of lines to make them stand out
• Control the pace - Make readers slow down or speed up
• Create visual patterns - Make the poem look interesting on the page

Some poems are called story poems because they tell complete stories with characters, settings, and events - just like the stories you read in books! These poems combine the storytelling of regular stories with the special structure and rhythm of poems.

When you read story poems, you can:

• Look for the same story elements - Characters, setting, and sequence of events
• Find the moral or lesson - Just like in regular stories
• Identify the narrator - Who is telling the story in the poem
• Notice the poem structure - How the story is organized in stanzas and lines

Knowing how poems are organized helps you:

• Read with better rhythm - Understanding stanzas helps you know when to pause
• Understand the meaning better - Each stanza usually has its own important idea
• Enjoy the poem more - Appreciating the structure makes poems more fun to read
• Write your own poems - You can use what you learn to create your own poetry! ✍️

When you open an informational book, you'll notice it looks different from a storybook. That's because informational books have special text features that help you understand and find information quickly! These features are like helpful tools that make reading and learning easier. 🔧📚

Text features are special parts of a book that help organize and explain information. They're like road signs that guide you through the book and help you understand what you're reading. Learning to use these features will make you a much better reader of informational books!

Titles tell you what the whole book is about. They're usually on the front cover and the first page inside. For example, a book titled "Amazing Animals of the Rainforest" tells you it's about animals that live in rainforests.

Headings are like mini-titles that tell you what each section is about. They're usually bigger and bolder than regular text. If you see a heading that says "What Do Monkeys Eat?" you know that section will tell you about monkey food! 🐵

Headings help you:

• Find specific information quickly
• Understand how the book is organized
• Know what each part will teach you
• Skip to the parts you're most interested in

Captions are the words you see near pictures, photographs, or illustrations. They give you extra information about what you're seeing. For example, under a picture of a butterfly, the caption might say "This monarch butterfly travels over 2,000 miles during migration!" 🦋

Caption tips:

• Always read captions when you see pictures
• Captions often have interesting facts not found in the main text
• They help you understand exactly what you're looking at
• Sometimes captions answer questions you might have about the picture

Graphs and charts show information using pictures, bars, or lines. They make it easy to compare numbers and see patterns. For example, a graph might show how tall different trees grow, or a chart might show what foods different animals eat.

When you see graphs and charts:

• Look at the title to understand what they're showing
• Read the labels to understand what each part means
• Compare different parts to see differences and similarities
• Use the information to answer questions about the topic

Maps show you where things are located. In informational books, maps help you understand:

• Where animals live 🌎
• Where historical events happened 🏛️
• Where different plants grow 🌱
• How far apart places are from each other

Map reading tips:

• Look for the title to understand what the map shows
• Find the key or legend that explains the symbols
• Use the compass rose to understand directions (north, south, east, west)
• Look for scale information to understand distances

A glossary is like a mini-dictionary at the end of the book. It explains the meanings of important or difficult words used in the book. If you're reading about ocean animals and don't know what "habitat" means, you can look it up in the glossary! 📖

How to use a glossary:

• Look for words in alphabetical order
• Read the definition to understand the word's meaning
• Go back to the text and reread the sentence with your new understanding
• Use the glossary whenever you encounter unfamiliar words

Illustrations (drawings) and photographs (real pictures) show you what things look like and help you understand the information better. They can show:

• Details that are hard to describe in words
• Steps in a process (like how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly)
• Comparisons between different things
• Real examples of what you're learning about

When studying visuals:

• Look carefully at all the details
• Read any labels or captions
• Think about how the picture connects to what you're reading
• Notice things that might not be mentioned in the text

The best way to read informational books is to use ALL the text features together. Start by looking at the title and headings to get an overview. Then read the text while paying attention to pictures, captions, and other features. Use the glossary when you need help with difficult words. This approach will help you understand and remember much more information! 🧠✨

When you read informational books, you're like a detective looking for clues! 🕵️‍♀️ The biggest clue you're searching for is the main topic - what the book or section is really about. Then you need to find the important details that tell you more about that topic. This detective work will help you understand and remember what you read much better!

The main topic is what the whole book, chapter, or section is mostly about. It's like the main character in a story, but instead of a person, it's the main idea or subject. For example:

• A book about penguins 🐧 - the main topic is penguins
• A section about what bears eat 🐻 - the main topic is bear food
• A chapter about different types of weather ⛈️ - the main topic is weather

Here are some detective strategies to help you find the main topic:

1. Look at the Title and Headings The title usually tells you the main topic right away! If the title is "Life in the Ocean," then the main topic is ocean life.

2. Notice What Gets Mentioned Most As you read, pay attention to what gets talked about over and over. If every paragraph mentions trees, then trees are probably the main topic! 🌳

3. Ask "What Is This Mostly About?" After reading a section, ask yourself: "If I had to tell someone in one sentence what this was about, what would I say?"

4. Look at the Pictures Sometimes the pictures give you big clues about the main topic. If all the pictures show different types of birds, the main topic is probably birds! 🐦

Important details are pieces of information that help you understand more about the main topic. They answer questions like:

• What does it look like? 👀
• Where does it live? 🏠
• What does it do? 🏃‍♀️
• How does it work? ⚙️
• Why is it important? ❓

For example, if the main topic is "elephants," important details might include:

• Elephants are the largest land animals 📏
• They live in Africa and Asia 🌍
• They use their trunks to pick up food and water 🥜
• Baby elephants are called calves 👶

Use these strategies to find the details that matter most:

1. Look for Details That Repeat If something is mentioned several times, it's probably important!

2. Find Details That Answer Your Questions Think about what you want to know about the topic, then look for details that answer those questions.

3. Notice Bold or Highlighted Words Authors often make important details stand out by using bold text or different colors.

4. Check the Captions Picture captions often contain important details that aren't in the main text.

Not every detail in a book is equally important. Learning to tell the difference will help you focus on what matters most:

Important Details:

• Help you understand the main topic better
• Answer key questions about the topic
• Are mentioned multiple times or emphasized
• Connect to other important information

Less Important Details:

• Are mentioned only once briefly
• Don't help you understand the main topic
• Are very specific examples that don't apply broadly
• Are interesting but not essential to understanding

For example, if you're reading about dolphins 🐬:

• Important: Dolphins are mammals that live in the ocean
• Less Important: A dolphin named Flipper was on a TV show

Important details work together like a team to help you understand the main topic. Think of the main topic as the trunk of a tree, and the details as the branches that grow from it. Each detail adds to your understanding and helps create a complete picture in your mind.

After you read, try organizing what you learned:

1. State the main topic in one sentence
2. List 3-5 important details that help explain the topic
3. Explain how each detail connects to the main topic
4. Think about what you learned that you didn't know before

This organization will help you remember the information better and understand how all the pieces fit together! 🧩

In informational books, you get to learn in two exciting ways at the same time! 🎨📖 You learn from the words you read and from the pictures you see. Sometimes these give you the same information, and sometimes they tell you different things. Learning to compare what you see with what you read will make you a super-skilled reader!

Authors include both pictures and words because they work together like a great team! Here's why:

Pictures Can:

• Show you exactly what something looks like 👁️
• Display information that's hard to describe in words
• Help you understand complicated ideas quickly
• Make the book more interesting and fun to read
• Show details that would take many words to explain

Words Can:

• Explain things that pictures can't show (like feelings or sounds) 🗣️
• Give you specific facts and numbers
• Tell you about things that happened in the past or future
• Explain why something happens or how it works
• Provide details about what you can't see in the picture

Similarities are things that are the same in both the pictures and the words. When you find similarities, it means the picture and text are working together to teach you the same thing!

For example, if you're reading about butterflies 🦋:

• The text might say: "Butterflies have colorful wings with beautiful patterns"
• The picture might show: A butterfly with bright orange and black wings
• Similarity: Both tell you that butterflies have colorful, patterned wings

Differences are things that the pictures show but the words don't mention, or things the words tell you but the pictures don't show.

Using the same butterfly example:

• The text might say: "Butterflies taste with their feet" (something you can't see)
• The picture might show: The exact colors and patterns of the wings (details the text doesn't describe)
• Difference: The text gives you facts you can't see, while the picture shows you visual details not described in words

When pictures and words work together, they help you understand the topic much better than either one alone could:

Pictures Help Words By:

• Showing you what the words are describing
• Making abstract ideas more concrete and real
• Helping you remember information better
• Giving you a visual example of what you're reading about

Words Help Pictures By:

• Explaining what's happening in the picture
• Providing facts and details the picture can't show
• Telling you why something in the picture is important
• Giving you background information about what you're seeing

Venn Diagrams are great tools for comparing pictures and words! 📊

• Left circle: Information only in the picture
• Right circle: Information only in the words
• Middle (overlap): Information in both the picture and words

T-Charts are another helpful tool:

• Left side: What the picture shows
• Right side: What the words say
• Bottom: How they work together

Let's say you're reading about fire trucks 🚒:

The text says: "Fire trucks carry ladders, hoses, and water to help firefighters put out fires. They have loud sirens to warn other cars to move out of the way."

The picture shows: A big red fire truck with a long ladder on top, hoses wound up on the side, and flashing lights.

Similarities:

• Both mention ladders and hoses
• Both show/describe fire trucks as vehicles that help fight fires

Differences:

• The text tells you about sirens (you can't hear them in the picture)
• The picture shows you the red color and flashing lights (not mentioned in text)
• The text explains why fire trucks have sirens (the picture just shows them)

How they work together:

• The picture helps you visualize what the text describes
• The text explains things about the picture you might not understand
• Together, they give you a complete understanding of fire trucks

When comparing pictures and words, ask yourself:

1. What does the picture show that the words don't tell me? 🤔
2. What do the words tell me that I can't see in the picture?
3. What information appears in both the picture and the words?
4. How do the picture and words work together to help me understand?
5. What would I miss if I only read the words or only looked at the pictures?

To be the best reader possible:

• Always look at the pictures while you read
• Read the captions under pictures carefully
• Think about how the pictures connect to what you're reading
• Use the pictures to help you understand difficult words or concepts
• Notice when pictures give you extra information not found in the text

Remember, pictures and words are like best friends - they work together to help you learn as much as possible! 🤝

When authors write informational books, they don't just share facts - sometimes they also share their opinions! 💭 An opinion is what someone thinks or feels about something. Learning to recognize when an author is sharing their opinion will help you become a more thoughtful and careful reader.

This is a very important difference to understand:

Facts are things that are true and can be proven. They don't change based on what people think. For example:

• "Dogs have four legs" ✅ (This is always true)
• "There are 365 days in a year" ✅ (This can be proven)
• "Ice melts when it gets warm" ✅ (This always happens)

Opinions are what someone thinks or feels about something. Different people can have different opinions about the same thing. For example:

• "Dogs are the best pets" 🐕 (Some people might think cats are better)
• "Summer is the most fun season" ☀️ (Some people might prefer winter)
• "Broccoli tastes delicious" 🥦 (Some people might think it tastes yucky)

Authors often use special words that give clues when they're sharing opinions. These opinion signal words include:

Feeling Words:

• Beautiful, ugly, amazing, terrible
• Wonderful, awful, fantastic, boring
• Exciting, scary, fun, silly

Judgment Words:

• Best, worst, better, worse
• Should, must, ought to
• Right, wrong, good, bad

Belief Words:

• I think, I believe, I feel
• In my opinion, it seems
• Probably, might, could be

For example, if an author writes "Dolphins are the most amazing animals in the ocean," the word "amazing" tells you this is the author's opinion, not a fact.

When you think an author has shared an opinion, look for evidence in the text:

1. Look for Opinion Signal Words Scan the text for the feeling, judgment, and belief words listed above.

2. Notice What the Author Emphasizes If an author spends a lot of time talking about how great something is, they probably have a positive opinion about it.

3. Pay Attention to Word Choice Authors choose words carefully. If they describe something as "magnificent" instead of just "big," they're showing a positive opinion.

4. Look for Personal Statements Sometimes authors directly state their opinions with phrases like "I think" or "in my opinion."

Here are some examples of how authors might show their opinions in informational texts:

About Animals: 🦁

• Fact: "Lions live in groups called prides"
• Opinion: "Lions are the most majestic animals in Africa"

About Food: 🍎

• Fact: "Apples contain vitamin C"
• Opinion: "Apples are the perfect healthy snack"

About Places: 🏔️

• Fact: "The Rocky Mountains are over 3,000 miles long"
• Opinion: "The Rocky Mountains are the most beautiful mountains in North America"

Authors include their opinions for several reasons:

• To make their writing more interesting and engaging 📚
• To help readers care about the topic by showing excitement or concern
• To persuade readers to think or feel a certain way
• To share their expertise and what they've learned from studying the topic
• To connect with readers by showing they're real people with feelings

When you recognize an author's opinion, here's what you should do:

1. Acknowledge It Think: "This is what the author thinks, but other people might think differently."

2. Consider It Think: "Why might the author feel this way? What evidence do they give?"

3. Form Your Own Opinion Think: "Based on what I've learned, what do I think about this topic?"

4. Look for Balance Good informational books usually focus more on facts than opinions, but a few opinions can make the book more interesting.

When reading informational texts, ask:

1. Is this statement something that can be proven (fact) or is it what someone thinks (opinion)? 🤔
2. What words in the text show the author's feelings or thoughts?
3. Does the author provide evidence to support their opinion?
4. Do I agree with the author's opinion? Why or why not?
5. How does the author's opinion affect how I understand the topic?

Recognizing opinions doesn't mean they're bad - opinions can be valuable! But being aware of them helps you:

• Understand the difference between facts and feelings 🧠
• Think critically about what you read
• Form your own opinions based on evidence
• Appreciate different perspectives on the same topic
• Become a more thoughtful reader who doesn't just accept everything without thinking

Remember, the best readers are those who can enjoy an author's opinions while still thinking for themselves! 💡

Words have amazing power! Some words are like magic paintbrushes that help authors create beautiful pictures in your mind. These special words are called descriptive words or adjectives, and they make reading much more interesting and fun! 🎨✨

Descriptive words (also called adjectives) are words that tell us more about people, places, things, or animals. They help us understand what something looks like, feels like, sounds like, or even smells like!

For example:

• Instead of just saying "dog," an author might write "fluffy dog" 🐕
• Instead of just saying "house," they might write "cozy house" 🏠
• Instead of just saying "day," they might write "sunny day" ☀️

The descriptive words (fluffy, cozy, sunny) give us a much better picture of what the author wants us to imagine!

Descriptive words are like special ingredients that make reading more delicious! They help us:

Create Mental Pictures 🖼️ When you read "The enormous, gray elephant splashed in the muddy river," you can picture exactly what's happening. Without the descriptive words, "The elephant splashed in the river" wouldn't give you nearly as clear a picture.

Understand Characters Better 👥 Descriptive words help us know what characters are like:

• A "kind" character is different from a "mean" character
• A "brave" character is different from a "scared" character
• A "tiny" character is different from a "gigantic" character

Feel the Mood 😊😰 Descriptive words help create feelings:

• "Dark, spooky forest" makes us feel scared or nervous
• "Bright, cheerful garden" makes us feel happy and peaceful
• "Loud, busy city" makes us feel excited or overwhelmed

Descriptive words can tell us about different things:

Size Words: 📏

• Big, small, huge, tiny, enormous, miniature
• Example: "The tiny mouse hid under the huge rock."

Color Words: 🌈

• Red, blue, yellow, green, purple, orange, pink
• Example: "The bright yellow sunflower stood tall in the garden."

Shape Words: 🔺🔴

• Round, square, long, short, curved, straight
• Example: "The round ball rolled down the long hallway."

Texture Words: 🤲

• Soft, hard, smooth, rough, bumpy, silky
• Example: "The cat's soft fur felt smooth under her gentle touch."

Sound Words: 🔊

• Loud, quiet, noisy, silent, musical, squeaky
• Example: "The loud thunder scared the quiet rabbit."

Feeling Words: 💭

• Happy, sad, excited, angry, peaceful, worried
• Example: "The excited children ran to the peaceful playground."

When you're reading, look for descriptive words by asking yourself:

1. What does it look like? Look for words about size, color, and shape
2. What does it feel like? Look for words about texture and temperature
3. What does it sound like? Look for words about sounds and noises
4. How does it make me feel? Look for words that create emotions or moods

In Stories: 📚 "Little Red Riding Hood skipped through the dark, mysterious forest carrying her heavy basket of delicious treats to her sick grandmother."

Descriptive words: little, red, dark, mysterious, heavy, delicious, sick

In Informational Texts: 📖 "The massive blue whale is the largest animal on Earth, with a smooth, streamlined body that helps it swim through the cold ocean waters."

Descriptive words: massive, blue, largest, smooth, streamlined, cold

In Poems: 🎵 "The gentle rain falls softly on the green grass, making tiny puddles that sparkle like diamonds."

Descriptive words: gentle, softly, green, tiny, sparkle

Authors include descriptive words to:

• Help readers visualize what they're writing about
• Make their writing more interesting and engaging
• Create specific moods or feelings
• Help readers connect with characters and settings
• Make their writing memorable and enjoyable to read

When you pay attention to descriptive words, you:

• Understand texts better because you can picture what's happening
• Enjoy reading more because the words create vivid mental movies
• Remember what you read better because detailed pictures stick in your mind
• Become a better writer yourself by learning how to use descriptive words
• Appreciate the author's craft and skill in choosing perfect words

To get better at finding descriptive words:

1. Highlight Hunt: Use different colored highlighters to mark different types of descriptive words (yellow for size, blue for color, etc.)
2. Picture Drawing: After reading a paragraph with lots of descriptive words, draw what you pictured in your mind
3. Word Collection: Keep a list of interesting descriptive words you find in your reading
4. Comparison Game: Compare how different authors describe similar things (like cats or houses)

Remember, descriptive words are like magic keys that unlock the full beauty and meaning of what you read! The more you notice and understand them, the richer your reading experience will become! 🗝️📚

Retelling is like becoming a storyteller yourself! 🎭 When you retell what you've read, you're showing that you understand the important parts and can share them with others. But here's the exciting part - you retell stories differently than you retell informational texts because they have different purposes and structures!

Retelling means telling someone else about what you read using your own words. It's not just remembering every single detail - it's about sharing the most important parts in a way that makes sense and shows you understood what you read.

Think of retelling like this:

• You're like a news reporter 📺 sharing the most important information
• You're like a friend 👭 telling another friend about a great book
• You're like a teacher 👩‍🏫 helping someone else understand what you learned

When you retell a story, you focus on the main story elements and organize them by beginning, middle, and end.

Main Story Elements to Include:

Characters 👥

• Who are the main people or animals in the story?
• What are they like?
• What do they want or need?

Setting 🏞️

• Where does the story take place?
• When does it happen?

Events 📚

• What happens in the story?
• What problems do the characters face?
• How do they solve their problems?

Story Structure:

Beginning 🌅

• Introduce the main characters
• Tell where and when the story happens
• Explain what starts the story or what problem begins

Middle 🌞

• Tell about the main events and adventures
• Describe the problems the characters face
• Explain what the characters do to try to solve their problems

End 🌅

• Tell how the problem is solved
• Explain what happens to the characters
• Share how the story concludes

Example Story Retelling:

Original Story: "Goldilocks and the Three Bears"

Retelling: "This story is about a little girl named Goldilocks who goes into the woods. She finds a house where three bears live - Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear. While the bears are gone, Goldilocks goes inside and tries their porridge, sits in their chairs, and sleeps in their beds. She breaks Baby Bear's chair and falls asleep in his bed. When the bears come home, they find her and she gets scared and runs away. The story teaches us not to go into other people's houses without permission."

When you retell informational texts, you focus on the main topic and important details that support that topic.

Main Topic 🎯

• What is the text mostly about?
• What is the main subject the author wants to teach you?

Important Details 📋

• What facts help you understand the main topic?
• What examples does the author give?
• What key information supports the main topic?

How to Organize Informational Retelling:

1. Start with the main topic: "This text is about..."
2. Share the most important details: "The author tells us that..."
3. Include interesting facts: "I learned that..."
4. End with what you found most important: "The most important thing to remember is..."

Example Informational Retelling:

Original Text: About penguins 🐧

Retelling: "This text is about penguins and how they live. Penguins are birds that can't fly, but they're amazing swimmers. They live in cold places like Antarctica where there's lots of ice and snow. Penguins have black and white feathers that help them stay warm and camouflage in the water. They eat fish and krill, and they can dive very deep to catch their food. Baby penguins are called chicks, and their parents take turns keeping them warm. The most important thing to remember is that penguins are specially adapted to live in very cold places."

Oral Retelling (Speaking) 🗣️

• Tell your retelling out loud to someone
• Use your voice to make it interesting
• You can use gestures and expressions
• It's more like having a conversation

Written Retelling (Writing) ✍️

• Write your retelling on paper or computer
• Use complete sentences and good organization
• Include all the important parts in logical order
• You can take time to think about your words

Before You Start:

• Think about the most important parts
• Decide if you're retelling a story or informational text
• Consider who you're retelling to (this helps you decide what to include)

During Your Retelling:

• Use your own words (don't just repeat what the author said)
• Stay organized (beginning, middle, end for stories; topic and details for informational)
• Include the most important information
• Make it interesting for your listener or reader

After Your Retelling:

• Ask yourself: "Did I include the most important parts?"
• Think: "Would someone who didn't read this understand what it was about?"
• Consider: "What was the main message or lesson?"

Retelling is like exercise for your brain! 🧠 It helps you:

• Check your understanding - If you can retell it, you understood it
• Remember better - Retelling helps information stick in your memory
• Organize your thinking - You have to put ideas in logical order
• Improve your speaking and writing - You practice using your own words
• Share with others - You can help friends and family learn too

• Including too many small details instead of focusing on main ideas
• Telling events out of order or jumping around
• Forgetting to mention important characters or main topics
• Just listing facts instead of explaining how they connect
• Making it too long or too short for your audience

Remember, retelling is a skill that gets better with practice! The more you retell what you read, the better you'll become at understanding and sharing stories and information with others! 🌟

Have you ever noticed that different books can talk about the same thing but in different ways? 🤔 When you read two books about cats, for example, one might focus on how cats are great pets while another might teach you about wild cats in the jungle. Learning to compare and contrast texts helps you understand topics more completely and become a thoughtful reader who can see different perspectives!

Comparing means looking for things that are the same or similar between two texts. It's like finding matching puzzle pieces! 🧩

Contrasting means looking for things that are different between two texts. It's like noticing how puzzle pieces have different shapes or colors.

When you compare and contrast, you're being a detective who examines evidence from different sources to get a complete picture of a topic! 🕵️‍♀️

Reading multiple texts about the same topic is like looking at something from different angles:

You Get More Information 📚

• Each text might teach you something new
• Together, they give you a more complete understanding
• You learn different facts and details about the same topic

You See Different Perspectives 👀

• Authors might have different opinions or focus on different aspects
• You learn that there can be multiple ways to think about the same thing
• You become a more well-rounded thinker

You Become a Better Critical Thinker 🧠

• You learn to question and evaluate what you read
• You can decide which information is most important or reliable
• You develop skills for analyzing and understanding complex topics

When looking for similarities between texts, ask yourself:

Content Questions:

• What facts appear in both texts? 📊
• What main ideas do both authors discuss?
• What examples do both texts use?
• What conclusions do both authors reach?

Structure Questions:

• Are both texts organized in similar ways?
• Do both use similar text features (headings, pictures, etc.)?
• Are both written for the same audience?

Example Similarities: Two books about dogs might both:

• Explain that dogs are mammals 🐕
• Mention that dogs need food, water, and exercise
• Include pictures of different dog breeds
• Discuss how dogs can be trained

When looking for differences between texts, ask yourself:

Content Questions:

• What different facts does each text provide? 📋
• What different aspects of the topic does each author focus on?
• What different examples or stories does each text use?
• Do the authors have different opinions about the topic?

Style Questions:

• Is one text more detailed than the other?
• Does one use more pictures or diagrams?
• Is one written in a more formal or informal style?
• Does one seem written for younger or older readers?

Example Differences: Two books about dogs might differ:

• One focuses on pet care, the other on wild dogs 🐺
• One uses photographs, the other uses drawings
• One discusses dog training, the other discusses dog history
• One is written for children, the other for adults

Venn Diagrams 🔵🔴 Venn diagrams are perfect for comparing and contrasting:

• Left circle: Information only in Text 1
• Right circle: Information only in Text 2
• Middle (overlap): Information in both texts

T-Charts 📊 T-charts help organize similarities and differences:

• Left column: Text 1 information
• Right column: Text 2 information
• Bottom: Summary of similarities and differences

Three-Column Charts 📝

• Column 1: Text 1 only
• Column 2: Both texts (similarities)
• Column 3: Text 2 only

Book 1: "Butterfly Life Cycles" 🦋

• Focuses on how butterflies grow and change
• Shows pictures of caterpillars, chrysalises, and adult butterflies
• Explains the four stages of butterfly development
• Written for young children with simple language

Book 2: "Butterflies Around the World" 🌍

• Focuses on different types of butterflies in different countries
• Shows colorful photographs of various butterfly species
• Explains where different butterflies live and what they eat
• Written for older children with more complex vocabulary

Similarities:

• Both books are about butterflies
• Both use pictures to help explain information
• Both teach factual information about butterflies
• Both mention that butterflies are insects

Differences:

• Book 1 focuses on life cycles, Book 2 focuses on diversity
• Book 1 uses simple drawings, Book 2 uses detailed photographs
• Book 1 is for younger readers, Book 2 is for older readers
• Book 1 explains processes, Book 2 explains locations and habitats

When comparing texts, ask yourself:

1. What is the main topic of each text? Are they exactly the same or slightly different?
2. What facts appear in both texts? What can you learn from multiple sources?
3. What different information does each text provide? What unique details does each author share?
4. How do the authors present their information? Do they use similar or different styles?
5. Which text do you find more helpful or interesting? Why?
6. What would you learn if you only read one text? What would you miss?

When you compare and contrast texts, you:

• Become a more thorough researcher who gathers information from multiple sources
• Develop critical thinking skills by evaluating different perspectives
• Build a more complete understanding of topics that interest you
• Learn to identify reliable and comprehensive information 📖
• Prepare for more advanced reading and research skills
• Become a more thoughtful and analytical reader 🎓

Remember, comparing and contrasting texts is like being a detective who gathers clues from different sources to solve a mystery. The more texts you compare, the more complete your understanding becomes! 🔍✨