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Bookworms:

A Comprehensive K-5 Literacy Program

Sharon Walpole

University of Delaware

Michael C. McKenna

University of Virginia

Kindergarten Manual

In our professional development work, we see teachers struggling to

maintain a clear picture of what literacy development should look like for children at their grade level. Their view is understandably skewed by their own experience and by the characteristics of their class. It is often not well informed by research nor is it consistent with the demands of state or Common Core standards. The result can be a lack of attention to the need for literacy acceleration for some portion of the class; as long as students are making progress of some kind, teachers believe that their needs are being met.

Our experience in schools tells us that thoughtfully planned instruction targeting assessed needs actually does contribute to literacy development, even in whole-group settings. Unfortunately, teachers rarely provide such instruction. We attribute this fact to the guidance they are given by core programs. The procedures recommended in many present-day cores are too varied and too vague to effectively target the needs of many students. Moreover, they result in too much time devoted to teacher-directed introduction, with too little left for actual student reading. We have studied these trends as researchers for a number of years and are convinced that replacing or supplementing core programs with an evidence-based regimen of targeted instruction, involving preplanned lessons and a few simple assessments, will go far toward addressing the curricular challenges that confront classroom teachers.

Program Philosophy

We began our attention to such lessons by crafting a small-group, multiple-

entry differentiated curriculum. That curriculum is defined in How to Plan Differentiated Reading Instruction: Resources for Grades K-3 and in Differentiated Reading Instruction in Grades 4 and 5: Strategies and Resources. Teachers in Staunton City Schools learned to use these procedures in 2011-12, and PALS data indicate that they were successful in accelerating literacy achievement for many students achieving well below grade level. We now add the rest of the curriculum. In its design, we have honored teacher commitment to authentic texts and our own commitment to simple, repetitive, evidence-based instructional strategies.

We define shared reading as teacher-supported grade-level reading, similar to the whole-group portion of a core program. Our curriculum is different in two ways: (1) it uses only intact books, and (2) it is calibrated to the Common Core State Standards for text difficulty and the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards. After grade 1, texts include approximately half fiction and half nonfiction. Just as our small-group model is unbalanced for struggling students in that it addresses only basic skills, our shared reading curriculum is unbalanced as well – it devotes little time to basic skills after grade 1 and instead targets vocabulary, comprehension, and text structure knowledge. In fact, those familiar with the vocabulary and comprehension lessons in our small-group model will see that the instructional procedures are much the same for shared reading.

We define interactive read-alouds as teacher-conducted read-alouds that allow for comprehension strategy modeling, high levels of student engagement, rich

discussion, and vocabulary growth. With input from teachers, we have typically selected books well above grade level because of their potential to increase children’s oral language and background knowledge. Informed by research on read alouds, we provide teachers in kindergarten, first, and second grade with lesson plans for repeated read-alouds of picture books.

The entire program requires all of the instructional time typically allocated for a literacy block. The 2.5-hour block that we target in our school-based work comprises three separate chunks of time. The first hour consists of a 15-minute interactive read-aloud of a high-quality trade book containing text that is above grade level; 15 minutes of instruction in summarizing, text structure, and grammar; and a half hour devoted to writer’s workshop. Two 45-minute segments follow. The first involves shared reading from a grade-level trade book, and the second is devoted to small-group reading. This small-group segment could be guided reading of the sort popularized by Fountas and Pinnell or the small-group approach that we have developed in our Guilford Press books. A general framework is presented on the following page.

Kindergarten Literacy Block The kindergarten program is designed to integrate research and practice. We have planned a series of 15-minute segments, separated by movement and dancing. To support both teachers and students, each of these segments has a very specific instructional goal. This will help teachers to focus attention. It will also help children not to be confused or overwhelmed.

Write about a read aloud

Interact with a read aloud

Learn to write

Read from a nursery rhyme

Word Work with a rhyming poem

Read with a big book

Read with a Big Book (15 minutes each day) The purpose of the first segment, reading with a big book, is to develop oral language and vocabulary. For this purpose, tracking print is actually not important. You goal is to encourage children to talk about (not memorize) the content. This type of reading is called dialogic reading in the research literature because it involves a dialogue between the teacher and the students. You use the same book for a whole week. You ask specific types of questions each day of the week. They get more complex as the week progresses. This can be accomplished with nearly any big book, as long as you follow the weekly schedule.

Time Activity Schedule

15 minutes

Big Book Reading

M T W Th F Picture Walk with Wh-questions and first reading; Word Walk

Read and embed Completion questions; Word Walk

Reread and embed Recall questions; Word Walk

Reread and embed Open-ended and Distancing questions; Word Walk

Help children retell; Review 4 Word Walk Words

Day 1: Do a picture walk with Wh- questions. Point to pictures and ask the children what they are. What is this? What is ____ doing? Where is ________? Since the children haven’t heard the story yet, any plausible answer is a good answer. Focus on their oral language, celebrating their responses and expanding them. Then read the book once through. Day 2: Read the book again. This time, ask Completion questions. These are fill-in-the-blank questions. Your goal is to have children recall and call out the parts of the sentences they can remember. Day 3: Read the book again. Ask Recall questions. Ask explicit questions about the story. These can be, What happened next? Or Who is this? They can be similar to the Day 1 Wh- questions, but the answers should be consistent with the book. Day 4: Read the book again. Ask Open-ended and Distancing questions. These are questions about the children’s experiences and imagination. Have you been to a ____? Have you ever ______? Tell me about it. Day 5: Let the children “read” the book by retelling it. For each page, let children talk. Remember that your goal is actually oral language development and comprehension, so it is not important that they memorize the book. In fact, you

should hope that their retelling is more than the words of the book. Then prompt them to retell from memory (without looking at the pictures). Our other goal for big book reading is vocabulary instruction for four specific words in the book. The strategy for teaching them is called Word Walk. It is a simple procedure once you get the hang of it. You have to pick four words for each book, and then define them before, during, and after the reading. You need to make a card for each word, with the word printed and a picture that represents its meaning. At the end of the week, please display a copy of your big book cover and the cards you made for the four words. Here are three resources to help you at the end of this document. The first one combines the big book reading and the vocabulary over the week. The second one is a very explicit plan for one week using the book Mrs. Wishy-Washy. The third one is a very explicit plan for one week using the book Hear, Touch, Taste, Smell. We made these for you so that you could see the types of questions. We think that after teaching these two weeks, you should understand the planning and be able to do it yourself very easily.

Word Work With a Rhyming Poem (15 minutes)

The purpose of the next segment, reading with a rhyming poem, is word study. We use a rhyming poem each week so that children have a set of words to manipulate and build their phonemic awareness. You goal is to encourage children to analyze the words. Memorizing the poem as a whole is important first. Then you can focus on a progression of skills across the week. They get more complex as the week progresses. You use the same poem for a whole week. You need a copy of the poem on chart paper (and you can revisit favorites). After four weeks of work with rhyme and counting words and syllables, we introduce initial sound word sorts. We have created a scope and sequence for this. You will need to have a set of picture cards to use for modeling, either on a SMART board or a pocket chart. Instead of having children cut and sort, we ask them to find pictures and cut them out of magazines. These will give you additional examples to use each day. We include a scope and sequence for the poems and for word study at the end of this manual. Big Books are blank, because you can choose them yourself. You will see the poems listed. Please use this order as prescribed because it is sequenced from least to most complex. Also notice the target sounds, beginning week 5.

15 minutes

Word Study with a rhyming poem or song for phonemic awareness and alphabet recognition

First Four Weeks

M T W Th F

Teach poem or song for meaning

Teach poem or song for memory

Recite poem together; Find or make rhyming words or count words and syllables


Recite poem together; Find specific letters

Second Four Weeks Do the same poem work and then add word study for initial sounds M T W Th F

Name and discuss target pictures

Introduce target sounds and teach letter formation

Teacher-directed sort by sound


Students sort by sound

Read With a Nursery Rhyme (15 minutes)

The purpose of the next segment, reading with a nursery rhyme, is to develop concepts of print and word. We use a nursery rhyme each week, eventually moving to the PALS Quick Checks or a similar resource, so that children can learn to memorize a rhyme and to use it to develop concept of word. You goal is to encourage children to track the words, so you have to fingerpoint read. You use the same rhyme for a whole week. You need a copy of the poem on chart paper (and you can revisit favorites). You have to demonstrate left to right, tracking, and return sweep. You can invite children to track with you and to use props to track. You should also remind them to use strategies to find words (For example, Say the line in your head, and then use the spaces to put your finger on each word.) Later you can tell them to think about the first sound in the word they are looking for. We have written a scope a sequence for the week so that you remember to target simple concepts about print first, and then more complex ones. We have also selected a sequence of poems and quick checks for you to copy on chart paper.

15 minutes

Fingerpoint reading from a nursery rhyme for concepts about print and concept of word

M T W Th F

Teach rhyme for meaning


Teach concepts about print: Top to bottom, left to right, return sweep

Teach concept of word: First and last word in a line and in poem; find specific words

Review old rhymes

Learn to Write (15 minutes) The purpose of the next segment, Learn to Write, is to develop letter recognition and then letter formation and handwriting fluency. For the first four weeks, before we begin initial sound sorting, research directs us to use the alphabet as a whole and children’s names as the curriculum. To prepare for this segment of instruction, please make each child a name puzzle. At first, the children can work only with their own names. Later they can switch names. Also please find an alphabet song that you would like to use. After the first month of school, please begin handwriting instruction with your handwriting book. Use the letter pages that match the initial consonant sounds that you are teaching in word study. Remember that fluent printing is a new goal for the kindergarten team. It will help students improve the quality of their compositions over time if they master letter formation early.

15 minutes

Writing to apply phonemic awareness and letter recognition and practice letter formation

First Four Weeks Sing alphabet song Match letters to alphabet chart or strip Order letters in student names Find specific letters in room or in books and magazines Draw and label

Second Four Weeks M T W Th F

Demonstrate target letters; Sky writing

Demonstrate target letters; write on white boards

Demonstrate target letters; Write on paper

Demonstrate target letters; handwriting book


Interact with a Read-Aloud (15 Minutes)

The purpose of this segment is to use an engaging book as a means of exposing children to rich language, developing comprehension ability, expanding vocabulary, and building knowledge. Books read aloud by the kindergarten teacher should contain high-quality illustrations or photos, and over time they should present a range of organizational patterns and writing styles. It is especially important that a balance of fiction and nonfiction be used and that the latter be aligned with the Georgia Performance Standards in science and social studies. The lesson format for fiction picture books differs slightly from the format used in nonfiction picture books. Fiction Format. The fiction read-aloud consists of these components:

Developing or activating background knowledge Modeling a comprehension strategy and asking questions during reading Story mapping after the second reading, if appropriate Teaching Tier 2 words after each reading Sentence composing after each day (but not after rereading) Assigning a written response after each day, which could involve merely

drawing Nonfiction Format. The nonfiction read-aloud consists of these components:

Introducing the book and teach technical vocabulary Introducing the text structure Modeling a comprehension strategy and asking questions during reading Discussion after reading Sentence composing after each day (but not after rereading) Assigning a written response after each day, which could involve merely

drawing We have created lesson plans for the first 9 weeks and recommend that each book be read at least twice. For planning after that, we have provided two templates at the end of this document, one for fiction and one for nonfiction.

15 minutes

Interactive read-aloud of a picture book

M T W Th F

First Book Second Book Reread one of the books

Conduct first reading of a read-aloud book

Conduct second reading of the read-aloud book

Conduct first reading of a second read-aloud book

Conduct second reading of a second read-aloud book

Delivering a Read-aloud

Scripting. Each plan contains fully scripted teacher talk. In providing scripts, our intent is to save planning time. We expect these scripts to be modified and elaborated as the read-aloud is delivered. We offer them as a guide or blueprint.

In other words, although we are suggesting language to use with children, the language you actually use must be yours. This is why it is important to read each plan carefully in advance. It can be kept close by, as a prompt, during the actual read-aloud, but the more familiar you become with it, the less you will need to rely on it during delivery and the more natural your language will be. We suggest that you place stickies at key places in book, or mark them with a pencil, to remember when to glance at the guide.

Comprehension Development. Each read-aloud features at least one comprehension strategy, to be modeled by the teacher at an appropriate point. Modeling a strategy is the one component of the read-aloud where we encourage you to stick rather closely to the wording provided in the lesson plans. Students must learn the procedure for applying each strategy. In fact, it must become second nature to them. Using the same language from book to book conveys the message that the reasoning process is the same.

Questions are a mainstay in these read-alouds. They prompt engagement in and deep processing of the content, and they continually model the kind of self-questioning proficient readers undertake. You will find that the questions in these lesson plans are nearly all at the inferential level. Answering them requires that students combine and interpret facts and that they bring their prior knowledge to bear. We have made extensive use of why-questions both because of their established effectiveness and the fact that they target implied causal relationships, including character motives. Our focus on higher-order thinking is another reason we chose not to use the term dialogic to describe these read-alouds. Dialogic read-alouds focus on literal-level questions as a first step in securing listener engagement of young children (Whitehurst et al., 1994). Our goal of promoting reasoning throughout the elementary grades is more similar to Text Talk (Beck & McKeown, 2007), an approach based on inferential questioning.

Vocabulary. Our approaches to vocabulary are the same as those we have championed for differentiated reading instruction (Walpole & McKenna, 2009; Walpole, McKenna, & Philippakos, 2011). We adhere to a few basic approaches of established effectiveness, and these approaches are different for fiction and information books.

For fiction, we recommend neither pretesting nor preteaching words in advance. Pretesting wastes valuable time given the fact that students can be expected to benefit from attention to words even if they already possess a working knowledge of their meanings. For fiction, we have chosen Tier 2 words (Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2002), which are general in nature and which students will need to know as they move forward in school. Beck and her colleagues point out that the problem with preteaching such words is the danger that they can distract

students when the teacher mentions them during the read-aloud. Accordingly, we have placed them near the end of each session. Further, we have implemented the teacher language they recommend.

For information books, on the contrary, it is important to preview key vocabulary in advance of the read-aloud. Previewing does not mean teaching the words to mastery. It amounts to an introduction, a method of exposing children to their meanings and how they are related. We rely on a small number of effective instructional strategies, including concept of definition, semantic feature analysis, and other graphic approaches.

Text Structure. As with vocabulary, our approach to text structure differs depending on whether the book is fiction or nonfiction. In the case of fiction, it is almost invariably narrative so that previewing it in advance is unnecessary. Instead, we recommend that for picture books, you lead the students through the development of a story map at the end of the book. In the case of an information book, we have included suggestions for previewing how the text is structured. Providing this knowledge in advance is likely to improve comprehension (e.g., Alvermann & Swafford, 1989). Just as important, continually exposing students to how nonfiction texts are structured will provide them with frameworks they can use in their own writing.

Fast Scaffolds. We have coined the term fast scaffolding to describe a strategy in which the teacher supplies definitions or facts on the fly, without disrupting the flow of the read-aloud. Fast scaffolding a word is to supply its meaning at the right place and time, almost under one's breath, as an aside. For example, in Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, this passage appears: “He wished the sunshine back in the sky, and he wished a wart on his left hind fetlock would disappear.” Here a teacher might quickly say, “A fetlock’s part of his leg.”

Fast scaffolding is one element of an effective interactive read-aloud that it was not feasible to include in these plans. We leave it to your judgment as a teacher to decide which words to fast scaffold. Typically, these will be relatively rare (Tier 3) words. In deciding whether to fast scaffold, we suggest that you consider words that (1) your students are not likely to know and (2) that if ignored might impair comprehension or prove distracting. To make these decisions, you will need to read the text carefully in advance. Just remember that you cannot make every word the subject of a vocabulary lesson!

A fast scaffold might also involve a fact that the author clearly assumes a reader might know but that you suspect that your students may not. Instead of providing a word’s meaning, you supply an on-the-spot explanation of the allusion instead.

Every Pupil Response. An effective way to increase engagement is to require responses from all students at the same time. There are many proven methods of eliciting every pupil responses, and we have included these periodically in each plan. They include taking votes, providing signaled responses (e.g., thumbs up, thumbs down), or talking with a partner. Such responses are not appropriate at

every stopping point, but their periodic use helps to ensure a high level of engagement.

Partners. Another means of increasing student engagement is to establish pairs who can occasionally confer about questions or share something they have written the day before. You will find many places in the scripts where it is suggested that you say, “talk to your partner” or “ask your partner.” Whether these partners are the same from day-to-day or book-to-book we leave to your judgment. We suspect, however, that rapport and openness will eventually be established if partners remain the same.

Write about a Read-Aloud (15 Minutes) The purpose of this segment is to give students a chance to develop their writing skills and at the same time demonstrate and deepen their comprehension of the book that has been read aloud to them. The lesson plans we have created include two opportunities for writing. Following each day’s 15-minute read-aloud session (not including a rereading), a sentence composing activity is indicated. This is a whole-class approach. Sentences from the book are used in four activities. Two of these are chosen for any particular day, but they vary across the books. The four activities include:

Combining. Two or three short sentences are presented, and the student is to combine them into one sentence with a more complex syntax. This activity improves students’ understanding of English syntax. Unscrambling. A sentence from the text is broken into short phrases and presented to the students in scrambled order. They are to think through the logical and syntactic connections that are possible and then write the sentence correctly. Imitating. A sentence from the text is presented, and students are to use it as a structural framework into which they substitute nouns, verbs, and other content words. Expanding. A simple sentence is presented from the text, and the students are to add to it with content of their own–for example, by attaching a prepositional or participial phrase–thus making the syntax more complex.

After sentence composing, a follow-up writing activity gives students a chance to react to the book and demonstrate their understanding. The students respond individually to an age-appropriate prompt. They do so during small-group time when they are not working with the teacher.

Here is a Combined Schedule for the Kindergarten Literacy Segments

Time Activity Schedule 15

minutes Dialogic Reading and Word Walk from a Big Book for oral language and comprehension

M T W Th F Picture Walk with Wh-questions and first reading; Word Walk

Read and embed Completion questions; Word Walk

Reread and embed Recall questions; Word Walk

Reread and embed Open-ended and Distancing questions; Word Walk

Help children retell; Review 4 Word Walk Words

15 minutes

Word Study with a rhyming poem or song for phonemic awareness and alphabet recognition

First Four Weeks

M T W Th F

Teach poem or song for meaning

Teach poem or song for memory



Recite poem together; Find specific letters

Second Four Weeks Do the same poem work and then add word study for initial sounds M T W Th F

Name and discuss target pictures

Introduce target sounds and teach letter formation



Students sort by sound

5 minutes

Sing and Dance!

15 minutes

Fingerpoint reading from a nursery rhyme for concepts about print and concept of word

M T W Th F



Teach concepts about print: Top to bottom, left to

Teach concept of word: First and last word in a line

Review old rhymes

right, return sweep

and in poem; find specific words

15 minutes

Writing to apply phonemic awareness and letter recognition and practice letter formation

First Four Weeks Sing alphabet song Match letters to alphabet chart or strip Order letters in student names Find specific letters in room or in books and magazines Draw and label

Second Four Weeks M T W Th F

Demon-strate target letters; Sky writing

Demonstrate target letters; write on white boards

Demonstrate target letters; Write on paper



Sing and Dance! 15

minutes Interactive read-aloud for vocabulary and comprehension

Use interactive read-aloud lesson plans or add a read-aloud

15 minutes

Writing/Drawing to demonstrate comprehension

Use written response or design one for your added read-aloud

Sing and Dance!

Kindergarten Scope and Sequence

Big Books

(School Collections)

Poems/Songs

Nursery Rhymes

1st Nine Weeks

1 Mrs. Wishy-Washy Good Morning Five Little Monkeys

2 Favorite Colors Row, Row, Row Your Boat

3 What’s Cooking in the

Kitchen

The Wheels on the Bus

4 It’s September 1, 2, Buckle My Shoe

5 Clapping Patterns

BM word study

Itsy Bitsy Spider

6 I Have a New Friend

BMS word study

If You’re Happy and You Know It

7 My Lunch Box

M/R/S/A word study

Peter, Peter

8 Where is My Friend?

T/N/G word study

Pop Goes the Weasel

9 Name That Sound

(I/P/N) word study

Star Light, Star Bright

2nd Nine Weeks

Big Books

School Collections

Poems/Songs

Word Study Initial

Consonant Sorts

Nursery Rhymes

10 Bats,

n/t/g/i

Twinkle, Twinkle

11 Apples

m/b/t/a/i

Twinkle, Twinkle

12 Shake Hands

d/h/l

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

13 Singing Silly Names

d/c/o

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear

14 Morning Game

l/h/c/o

On Top of Spaghetti

15 Friends Shound March

f/j/w

On Top of Spaghetti

16 Who’s My Friend

k/w/e

It's Raining, It's Pouring

17 Shake Hands

k/f/w/e

It's Raining, It's Pouring)

18 Talk with the Animals

d/l/f/o/e

Alligator Pie (

3rd Nine Weeks

Big Books

School Collections

Poems/Songs

Word Study Initial

Consonant Sorts – Then

Short Vowel Family

Picture/Word Sorts

Nursery Rhymes

19 Making Words

y/v/u

Alligator Pie (Words)

20 Zip a Zee Zoo Zah

y/v/z/u

Hush Little Baby (No

words)

21 Rhyme Time

at, an

Hush Little Baby (Words)

22 Teddie Like to Rhyme

at, ag

Little Boy Blue (No

words)

23 Who Can Find the Polar

Bear

at, an, ag

Little Boy Blue (Words)

24 Antarctica Riddles

ag, an, ap

Way Down South (No

words)

25 The Mitten

it, in

Way Down South

(Words)

26 Rainy Weather

In, ig

Kookaburra (No words)

27 Pretty Package

It, in, ig

Kookaburra (Words)

4th Nine Weeks

Big Books

School Collections

Poems/Songs

Word Study Short Vowel

Family Picture/Word Sorts

Nursery Rhymes

28 See What Grows in My

Garden

It, in, ip

Little Miss Muffett (No

words)

29 I Love to Plant My Seeds,

ot, op

Little Miss Muffett

(Words)

30 On Our Farm

op, og

Old Woman Who Lived

in a Shoe

31 Silly Farm Songs

ot, op, og

Wee Willie Winkie

32 Little Red Hen

ug, ut

Old Mother Hubbard

33 Guess My Animal

un, ut

Hey Diddle, Diddle

34 The Little Chick

un, ut, ug

Jack Be Nimble

35 What Lives in the Sea,

ed, et

Mary Mary Quite

Contrary

36 Catch It!,

ed, en, et

Six Little Ducks

Template to combine Word Work and Dialogic Reading for Big Book

Day 1 Before Reading Show card with target word and picture.

Pronounce word. Children repeat. Tell child-friendly definition. (Repeat for second word) Tell children that they will learn more about these words in this week’s book. Introduce book.

During Reading Focus on pictures first. Ask children to name and talk about pictures. What is this? What is ____ doing? Where is ________? Expand children’s responses and model correct sentence formation. Read the book aloud in full, children listening Stop only to talk about target words as they appear in the book.

After Reading Show word cards. Ask children to say the words. Tell a child-friendly definition. Return to the page where the words were used and discuss them again. Tell another way each of the words could be used. Ask children to say the words.


Pronounce word. Children repeat. Tell child-friendly definition. Ask children to tell what they know about the words Tell children to raise their hands when they hear the target words.

During Reading Read each page aloud. After some pages, use completion frames from the actual sentences in the book, with children responding with words and phrases. Talk about target words when they appear.

After Reading Show word cards. Ask children to say the words. Tell a child-friendly definition. Return to the page where the words were used and discuss them again. Ask children to use the words. Ask children to say the words.

Day 3 Before Reading Show card with new target words and picture.

Pronounce word. Children repeat. Tell child-friendly definition. (Repeat for second word) Tell children to listen for these new words.

During Reading Ask explicit recall comprehension questions to help children share what they remember for the story. Discuss target words when they come up.



Pronounce word. Children repeat. Tell child-friendly definition. Ask children to tell what they know about the words. Tell children to raise their hand when they hear the target words.

During Reading Ask open-ended questions (starting with why and how); Ask questions that allow children to make personal connections. Discuss target words when they come up.


Day 5 Before Reading Show four word cards from week.

Ask children to say the words. Tell a child-friendly definition. Ask children to use the words.

During Reading Encourage children to “read” the book by telling what is happening on each page.

After Reading Help children to retell the book without looking at the pictures.

Sample Weekly Plan: Mrs. Wishy-Washy

(Please note: These procedures will quickly become natural; you will only need to choose words, make picture cards, and remember to focus your questions differently each day.)

Day 1

Before Reading This word is mud. Say that word? Mud is dirt mixed with water. This word is lovely. Say that word? Lovely means you think something is really good. We’re going to learn more about these words in our book. This book was written and illustrated by Joy Cowley. That means that she made words and pictures. Let’s look at the pictures first.

During Reading Page 2: What animal is this? Page 3: What is the cow doing? Page 4: What animal is this? Page 5: What is the pig doing? Page 6. What animal is this? Page 7: What is the duck doing? Page 9: What is Mrs. Wishy-Washy doing? Page 10: What is Mrs. Wishy-Washy doing? Page 11: What is that? Page 12: What is Mrs. Wishy-Washy doing to the pig? Page 13: What is Mrs. Wishy-Washy doing to the duck? Page 14: What is Mrs. Wishy-Washy doing? Page 15: What are the animals doing? Page 16: Where did the animals go? Now I will read the words. Raise your hand if you hear lovely or mud. Right! Remember that lovely means good or pretty, and mud is dirt mixed with water. The cow says that the mud is lovely, so she likes it.

After Reading Remember our words: Mud and lovely. Say mud. Mud means water and dirt mixed together. The animals got in the mud and got dirty. You could get mud on your shoes if it is rainy. Say lovely. Lovely means nice or pretty. The animals thought that the mud was great, so they jumped in it. You could say that your shoes are lovely if you really like them. Let’s say our words.

Day 2 Before Reading Remember our words. Mud (children repeat). What do you know

about mud? Mud means dirt mixed with water. Lovely (children repeat). What do you remember about lovely? Lovely means great or pretty. Raise your hand when you hear our words.

During Reading Oh lovely mud, (children say, said the cow)

Oh lovely mud, (children say, said the pig) Oh lovely mud, (children say, said the duck) In went the cow, (children say, wishy-washy, wishy-washy) In went the pig, (children say, wishy-washy, wishy-washy) In went the duck, (children say, wishy-washy, wishy-washy) Talk about target words when they appear.

After Reading We know all about mud. Mud is dirt and water mixed. The animals liked the mud. You can use that word. You can say, I like mud because_________. What word? We know lovely. Lovely is pretty or great. The animals thought the mud was lovely, but Mrs. Wishy-Washy didn’t. You can say I think _____ is lovely.

Day 3 Before Reading We have two new words today. Show card. Say roll. Roll means

to turn over and over. (Show motion.) Show card. Say paddle. Paddle means to move your feet back and forth. (Show motion.) Raise your hand when you hear these words.

During Reading Page 3: What did the cow do? Page 4: What did the pig say? Page 5: The pig rolled in the mud. That means he turned over and over and got it all over himself. Page 6: What did the duck say? Page 7: She paddled in the mud. That means that she moved her feet back and forth and splashed it on herself. Page 9: What did Mrs. Wishy-Washy do? Page 11: Who did she wash first? Page 12: Who did she wash next? Page 13: Who did she wash last? Page 14: Where did she go? Page 16: What did the animals do?

After Reading Remember roll. Say it. Roll means turn over and over. You could roll down a hill. Remember paddle. Say it. Paddle means move your feet back and forth. The duck paddled in the mud. You could paddle your feet in a pool.

Day 4 Before Reading Remember our words. Show card. Say roll. What do you know

about roll? Roll means to turn over and over. (Show motion.) Show card. Say paddle. What do you know about paddle? Paddle means to move your feet back and forth. (Show motion.) Raise your hand when you hear these words.

During Reading Page 3: Why did the cow jump in the mud? Page 5: How did the pig feel in the mud? Page 7: Do you know what sound the duck could be making? Page 9: Why is Mrs. Wishy-Washy mad? Page 10: Did you ever get all muddy? What happened?

Why are the animals running? Page 16: How do the animals feel?

After Reading We know all about roll. Say roll. Roll means to turn over and over. (Show motion.) The pig rolled in the mud. Where can you roll? You can say, I rolled _____________. We know paddle. Say paddle. Paddle means to move your feet back and forth. (Show motion.) The duck paddled in the mud. You can say, I paddled in the water because _________.

Day 5 Before Reading The word is mud. What do you know about mud?

This word is lovely. What do you know about lovely? This word is roll. What do you know about roll? This word is paddle. What do you know about paddle?

During Reading Let’s read the book together. Say all of the words that you can with me.

After Reading Now let’s remember the book. What happened first? Then what happened? Then what happened?

Sample Weekly Plan: See, Hear, Touch, Taste, Smell

Day 1 Before Reading We are going to read about senses. What word? (Show word

card.) Senses are ways that people use parts of their body to learn about the world. We are going to read a book written by Melvin Berger. You are going to see that he used real pictures in this book. Let’s look at them first.

During Reading Page 1: What is this? (Point to each picture.) Page 2: What is the girl doing? Page 3: What do we call this? (Point to trees, rocks, stream). Page 4: What is this girl doing? Page 5: What is this boy doing? Page 6: Where is this girl? Page 8: What is the boy eating? Page 9: Point to individual fruits/vegetables. What is this? Page 10: What is the boy doing? Page 12: What is the girl doing? What do we call this kind of truck? Page 13: Where are the people? Page 14: What are the children doing? Page 15: What is the boy doing? Page 16: Where are the children? Now I will read the words. Raise your hand if you hear senses. Right! Remember that senses are ways that people use parts of their body to learn about the world.

After Reading Remember our word: Senses. Say senses. Senses are ways that people use parts of their body to learn about the world. The book tells that we use eyes to see, ears to hear, hands to touch, noses to smell, and tongues to taste. You could say you used your sense of smell to know what your mother was cooking. Say sense.

Day 2 Before Reading Remember our words. Senses (children repeat). What do you

know about senses? Senses are ways that people use parts of their body to learn about the world. Raise your hand when you hear our words.

During Reading We see with our _____. We hear with our _______. We touch with our ________. We taste with our _________. We smell with our _________. And sometimes we use all five ________.

After Reading We know all about senses. Senses are ways that people use parts of their body to learn about the world. The book tells that we use eyes to see, ears to hear, hands to touch, noses to smell, and tongues to taste. You can say, I use my sense of taste when I ______. I use my sense of smell when I _______. I use my sense of touch when I _________. I use my sense of hearing when I ________. I use my sense of sight when I __________.

Day 3 Before Reading We have two new words today. Show card. Say size. Size means

how big or small something is. Show card. Say odor. Odor means the way something smells. Raise your hand when you hear these words.

During Reading Page 1: What are these body parts that we help with senses? Page 2: What part of the body is the girl using? Page 3: We use our eyes to see the size of things. That means how big or small they are. Page 4: What part of the body do we use for hearing? Page 6: What is the girl touching? Page 8: What part of the body is the boy using? Page 9: Remember that odor means the way something smells. That flower has a nice odor. Page 10: What part of the body is the boy using? Page 14: What parts of the body are the children using?

After Reading Show card. Say size. Size means how big or small something is. (Turn to page 3.) Size means how big or small something is. We use our eyes to see the size of these trees. You could say that you saw the size of an elephant at the zoo. Show card. Say odor. Odor means the way something smells. (Turn to page 11.) We use our sense of smell to learn about odors. You could say that you like the odor of cookies that are baking.

Day 4 Before Reading Remember our words. Show card. Say size. Size means how big

or small something is. Show card. Say odor. Odor means the way something smells. Raise your hand when you hear these words.

During Reading Page 2: Why is the girl using that magnifying glass? Page 3: Have you ever seen trees like that? Do you know what time of year it is in the picture? Page 3: Remember that size means how big or small something is. Page 4: Have you ever touched a guitar? What sound did it make? Page 6: Has anyone been to a beach? What does the water feel like? What about a pool? Page 9: What is your favorite fruit?

Remember that odor is the way something smells. Page 12: Who knows what a fire truck sounds like? Page 14: Why is the dog shaking? Page 16: How are the children using their senses?

After Reading We know all about size. Show card. Say size. Size means how big or small something is. You can say, The size of my backpack is _____. We know all about odor. Say odor. Odor means the smell of something. You can say, My favorite odor is ________.

Day 5 Before Reading This word is senses. What do you know about senses?

This word is size. What do you know about size? This word is odor. What do you know about odor?

During Reading Let’s read the book together. Say all of the words that you can with me.

After Reading Now let’s remember the book. What did we learn about first? What else did we learn?

Template to Combine Word Work and Dialogic Reading for Big Book


Pronounce word. Children repeat. Tell child-friendly definition. (Repeat for second word) Tell children that they will learn more about these words in this week’s book. Introduce book.

During Reading Focus on pictures first. Ask children to name and talk about pictures. What is this? What is ____ doing? Where is ________? Expand children’s responses and model correct sentence formation. Read the book aloud in full, children listening Stop only to talk about target words as they appear in the book.

After Reading Show word cards. Ask children to say the words. Tell a child-friendly definition. Return to the page where the words were used and discuss them again. Tell another way each of the words could be used. Ask children to say the words.


Pronounce word. Children repeat. Tell child-friendly definition. Ask children to tell what they know about the words Tell children to raise their hands when they hear the target words.

During Reading Read each page aloud. After some pages, use completion frames from the actual sentences in the book, with children responding with words and phrases. Talk about target words when they appear.


Day 3 Before Reading Show card with new target words and picture.

Pronounce word. Children repeat.

Tell child-friendly definition. (Repeat for second word.) Tell children to listen for these new words.

During Reading Ask explicit recall comprehension questions to help children share what they remember from the story. Discuss target words when they come up.



Pronounce word. Children repeat. Tell child-friendly definition. Ask children to tell what they know about the words. Tell children to raise their hand when they hear the target words.

During Reading Ask open-ended questions (starting with why and how). Ask questions that allow children to make personal connections. Discuss target words when they come up.


Day 5 Before Reading Show four word cards from week.

Ask children to say the words. Tell a child-friendly definition. Ask children to use the words.

During Reading Encourage children to “read” the book by telling what is happening on each page.

After Reading Help children to retell the book without looking at the pictures.

Interactive Read-Aloud The purpose of this portion of the ELA block is to use an engaging book as a means of exposing children to rich language, developing comprehension ability, expanding vocabulary, and building knowledge (Santoro, Chard, Howard, & Baker, 2008; Teale, 2003). The practice of reading aloud to children should be a mainstay throughout the elementary years, not just in the primary grades. Their advantages exist well after children have learned to decode (Cunningham, 2005). Over time, books read aloud by the teacher should present a range of organizational patterns and writing styles. Also, it is especially important to provide a balance of fiction and nonfiction. Such a balance has long been lacking in many primary classrooms (Bortnem, 2008). In Bookworms, the read-aloud selections are above grade level. Because the teacher both decodes the words and scaffolds understanding, challenging texts are appropriate. They present more new words, ideas, and information than grade-level texts. For both fiction and nonfiction, the daily lesson format follows a before-during-after sequence, but there are key differences involving vocabulary and text structure. The following chart shows where the two formats are the same and where they differ. Fiction Nonfiction

Before Reading

Ask partners to share written responses to yesterday’s prompt.

Ask partners to share written responses to yesterday’s prompt.

Develop or activate background knowledge.

Develop or activate background knowledge.

Preview technical vocabulary. Introduce the text structure.

During Reading Ask questions during reading and model comprehension strategies.

Ask questions during reading and model comprehension strategies.

After Reading

Lead a brief discussion. Lead a brief discussion. Teach Tier 2 words. Lead the class in sentence composing.

Lead the class in sentence composing.

Assign a written response after each day.

Assign a written response after each day.

Delivering a Read-Aloud Scripting. Each plan contains fully scripted teacher talk. In providing scripts, our intent is to save planning time. We expect these scripts to be modified and elaborated as the read-aloud is delivered. We offer them as a guide or blueprint. In other words, although we are suggesting language to use with children, the language you actually use must be yours. This is why it is important to read each plan carefully in advance. It can be kept close by, as a prompt, during the actual read-aloud, but the more familiar you become with it, the less you will need to rely on it during delivery and the more natural your language will be. We suggest that you place stickies at key places in book, or mark them with a pencil, to remember when to glance at the guide. Keep in mind, however, that we have tried to build academic language into our scripts, including key words mentioned in the standards. We encourage you to note them. Comprehension Development. Each read-aloud features at least one comprehension strategy, to be modeled by the teacher at an appropriate point. Modeling a strategy is the one component of the read-aloud where we encourage you to stick rather closely to the wording provided in the lesson plans. Students must learn the procedure for applying each strategy. In fact, it must become second nature to them. Using the same language from book to book conveys the message that the reasoning process is the same. Questions are a mainstay in these read-alouds. They prompt engagement with the content, and they continually model the kind of self-questioning proficient readers undertake. You will find that the questions in these lesson plans are nearly all at the inferential level. Answering them requires that students combine and interpret facts and that they bring their prior knowledge to bear. We have made extensive use of Why-questions both because of their established effectiveness (Menke & Pressley, 1994; Wood, Pressley, & Winne, 1990) and the fact that they target implied causal relationships, including character motives. Overall, our goal of promoting reasoning throughout the elementary grades is similar to Text Talk (Beck & McKeown, 2001), an approach based on inferential questioning. Vocabulary. Our approaches to vocabulary are the same as those we have championed for differentiated reading instruction (Walpole & McKenna, 2009; Walpole, McKenna, & Philippakos, 2011). We adhere to a few basic approaches of established effectiveness, and these approaches are different for fiction and information books. For fiction, we recommend neither pretesting nor preteaching words in advance. Pretesting wastes valuable time given the fact that students can be expected to benefit from attention to words even if they already possess a working knowledge of their meanings. For fiction, we have chosen Tier 2 words (Beck, McKeown, &

Kucan, 2013), which are general in nature and which students will need to know as they move forward in school. Beck and her colleagues point out that the problem with preteaching such words is the danger that they can distract students when the teacher mentions them during the read-aloud. Accordingly, we have placed them near the end of each session. We have incorporated the teacher language they recommend for introducing Tier 2 words. For information books, on the contrary, it is important to preview key vocabulary either just prior to the read-aloud or at the point the words are encountered during the read-aloud. Previewing does not mean teaching the words to mastery. It amounts to an introduction, a method of exposing children to their meanings and how they are related. We rely on a small number of effective instructional strategies for introducing disciplinary words, including concept of definition, semantic feature analysis, and other graphic approaches. It will not take long for children to become accustomed to how these approaches work. Text Structure. As with vocabulary, our approach to text structure differs depending on whether the book is fiction or nonfiction. In the case of fiction, the format is almost invariably narrative so that previewing it in advance is unnecessary. In the case of an information book, however, an author may employ a number of organization patterns. We have included suggestions for previewing how the text of a particular information book is structured. Providing this knowledge in advance is likely to improve comprehension (e.g., Alvermann & Swafford, 1989). Just as important, continually exposing students to how nonfiction texts are structured will provide them with frameworks they can use in their own writing. Quick Scaffolds. We have coined the term quick scaffolding to describe a strategy in which the teacher supplies definitions or facts on the fly, without disrupting the flow of the read-aloud. Quick scaffolding a word is to supply its meaning at the right place and time, almost under one's breath, as an aside. For example, in Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, this passage appears: “He wished the sunshine back in the sky, and he wished a wart on his left hind fetlock would disappear.” Here a teacher might quickly simply say, “A fetlock’s part of his leg.” Quick scaffolding is one element of an effective interactive read-aloud that it was not feasible to include in these plans. We leave it to your judgment as a teacher to decide which words to quick scaffold. Typically, these will be relatively rare (Tier 3) words. In deciding whether to quick scaffold, we suggest that you consider words (1) that your students are not likely to know and (2) that if ignored might impair comprehension or prove distracting. To make these decisions, you will need to read the text carefully in advance. Just remember that you cannot make every word the subject of a vocabulary lesson! A quick scaffold might also involve a fact that the author clearly assumes a reader might know but that you suspect your own students may not. Instead of providing a word’s meaning, you supply an on-the-spot explanation of the allusion instead.

Every Pupil Response. An effective way to increase engagement is to require responses from all students at the same time. There are many proven methods of eliciting every pupil responses, and we have included these periodically in each plan. They include taking votes, providing signaled responses (e.g., thumbs up, thumbs down), or talking with a partner. Such responses are not appropriate at every stopping point, but their periodic use helps to ensure a high level of engagement. Partners. Another means of increasing student engagement is to establish pairs who can occasionally confer about questions or share something they have written the day before. You will find many places in the scripts where it is suggested that you say, “talk to your partner” or “ask your partner.” Whether these partners are the same from day-to-day or book-to-book we leave to your judgment. We suspect, however, that rapport and openness will eventually be established if partners remain the same over an extended period. The important thing is that each child know who his or her partner is and that the two sit near one another during the read-aloud.

Visibility. For picture books in the primary grades and many information texts in the upper grades, it is essential that students be able to see a book’s visual elements (illustrations, diagrams, and photographs). The traditional notion of holding the book up for students to see, or possibly walking around with it, will not suffice. In our experience, it is far preferable to project the book using a document camera as you read. In kindergarten and first grade, Beck and her colleagues have determined that the text of picture books should be read before displaying the illustrations. This is because the illustrations tend to distract attention from the language. The rule of thumb is to read first, then display.

Sentence Composing

Grammar instruction in Bookworms is based on the daily study of sentences that come from the read-aloud. This approach is called sentence composing, and it is a well established alternative to descriptive grammar instruction (Killgallon & Killgallon, 2000). Drawing sentences from the text of the day’s read-aloud has two advantages: They are crafted by professional authors and they are fresh in mind.

These sentences (sometimes in slightly modified form) are used in two brief activities each day, selected from a set of four basic possibilities. They include: Combining. The teacher presents two or three short sentences and leads the students in combining them into a single sentence with a more complex syntax (Lawlor, 1983; Saddler, 2005). The sentences typically begin with the same subject.

Example, from The BFG (Grade 3): Original Sentences:

The giant rolled back the stone. The giant entered the cave. Possible Combinations:

The giant rolled back the stone and entered the cave. After the giant rolled back the stone, he entered the cave. Before entering the cave, the giant rolled back the stone.

Unscrambling. In advance of the lesson, the teacher breaks a relatively long sentence from the text into words and short phrases. The teacher then presents these scrambled components without punctuation or initial capitalization to the students and guides them in piecing them back together. The students must think through logical and syntactic connections, asking one another, “What goes with what?” (This is where an interactive board comes in handy because the components can be touched and dragged into new positions.)

Example, from The Worst of Friends (Grade 4): Original Sentence:

Then, when the new nation needed money to pay its bills and friends to help it fight off enemies, Tom and John sailed across the ocean to Europe.

Scrambled Sentence: enemies money to John then when Europe needed bills and the new nation help it friends to pay its fight off Tom and sailed across the ocean to

Imitating. The teacher presents a single, well-crafted sentence from the text, and then replaces one or more content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) with blanks. The teacher then prompts the students to substitute other content words. Doing so changes the meaning of the sentences but not the syntax.

Example, from Do I Need It? Or Do I Want It? (Grade 1): Original Sentence:

How will you spend your money? Sentences with Content Words Removed:

How will you spend your ________? How will you _______ your money? How will you _______ your _______?

Expanding. The teacher presents a simple sentence from the text and guides the students in adding to it by attaching words, phrases, and clauses, making the syntax more complex. In sentence expanding, it is a good idea to insist that the suggestions offered by students reflect the original meaning of the text. Example, from Charlie Needs a Cloak (Kindergarten): Original Sentence: Charlie was a shepherd. Possible Expansions: Charlie was a shepherd who needed a new cloak. Charlie was a shepherd who took care of sheep. Charlie was a very good shepherd. Like the read-aloud itself, sentence composing is a whole-class activity. It is led by the teacher, who hand-writes or keyboards sentences on the board or projects them with a document camera. The students do no writing. Instead, they take an active role in offering suggestions for modifying the sentences as the teacher writes. And because the teacher does the writing, decoding is not an issue, even in kindergarten or first grade. Our classroom observations convince us that an interactive board, if available, is the best option for sentence composing. The lesson plans do not contain detailed scripts for the sentence composing portion of the read-aloud. The reason is that the activities are always dynamic and often unpredictable since student input is continually sought. You may access videos of all four approaches implemented both at kindergarten and third grade. They are contained in a module called Sentence Composing at ComprehensiveReadingSolutions.com. Written Response to a Read-Aloud After sentence composing, a follow-up writing activity gives students a chance to react to the book and demonstrate their understanding. The students respond individually to an age-appropriate prompt. They do so during small-group time, when they are not working with the teacher. The purpose of this segment is to give students a chance to develop their writing skills and at the same time demonstrate and deepen their comprehension of the book that you have read aloud to them. The prompts vary considerably, especially between fiction and nonfiction read-alouds, and they afford the children a wide range of brief writing tasks. Because in

kindergarten many children have not yet acquired the skills to write in complete sentences, a drawing is often part of the prompt. However, it is never the only task – teachers are always advised to tell children to write about the drawing if they wish. Note that a second daily writing prompt follows the shared reading component of the block. Students are to address both prompts during small-group time. (Although a writing prompt is already built into each day’s lesson plan, you can download an extensive list of possibilities for prompts from the Interactive Read Alouds module at ComprehensiveReadingSolutions.com.) What about Writer’s Workshop?

The two prompts and sentence composing are by no means intended as a substitute for process writing instruction, which is typically provided through workshop approaches. Although process writing is not a part of the Bookworms lesson plans, time for it is allocated during the 45-minute interactive read-aloud segment. This time is available in two ways:

1. Together, the read-aloud and sentence composing activity do not require 45 minutes. Teachers can use the remaining time for ongoing writing projects.

2. There are not enough read-aloud lesson plans to fill an entire nine-week period. When the planned read-alouds run out, the teacher can use the remaining 45-minute periods for formal writing instruction, including research projects.

References Alvermann, D. E., & Swafford, J. (1989). Do content area strategies have a research

base? Journal of Reading, 32, 388–394. Beck, I. L., & McKeown, M. G. (2001). Text Talk: Capturing the benefits of read-aloud

experiences for young children. The Reading Teacher, 55, 10-20. Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G., & Kucan, L. (2013). Bringing words to life: Robust

vocabulary instruction (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press. Bortnem, G. (2008). Teacher use of interactive read alouds using nonfiction in early

childhood classrooms. Journal of College Teaching & Learning, 5(12), 29-44. Cunningham, A. E. (2005). Vocabulary growth through independent reading and

reading aloud to children. In E. H. Hiebert & M. L. Kamil (Eds.), Teaching and learning vocabulary: Bringing research to practice (pp. 45-67). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Killgallon, D., & Killgallon, J. (2000). Sentence composing for elementary school. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Lawlor, J. (1983). Sentence combining: A sequence for instruction. The Elementary School Journal, 84, 52-62.

Menke, D. J., & Pressley, M. (1994). Elaborative interrogation: Using ‘why’ questions to enhance the learning from text. Journal of Reading, 37, 642-645.

Saddler, B. (2005). Sentence combining: A sentence-level writing intervention. The Reading Teacher, 58, 468-471.

Santoro, L. E., Chard, D. J., Howard, L., & Baker, S. K. (2008). Making the very most of classroom read-alouds to promote comprehension and vocabulary. The Reading Teacher, 61, 396-408.

Teale, W. H. (2003). Reading aloud to young children as a classroom instructional activity: Insights from research and practice. In A. van Kleeck, A. A. Stahl, & E. B. Bauer (Eds.), On reading books to children: Parents and teachers (pp. 114-139). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Walpole, S., & McKenna, M. C. (2009). How to plan differentiated reading instruction: Resources for grades K-3. New York, NY: Guilford.

Walpole, S., McKenna, M. C., & Philippakos, Z. (2011). Differentiated reading instruction in grades 4 and 5: Strategies and resources. New York, NY: Guilford.

Whitehurst, G. J., Arnold, D. S., Epstein, J. N., Angell, A. L., Smith, M., Fischel, J. E. (1994). A picture book reading intervention in day care and home for children from low-income families. Developmental Psychology, 30, 679-689.

Wood, E., Pressley, M., & Winne, P. H. (1990). Elaborative interrogation effects on children's learning of factual content. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 741-748.

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