Session

1 LITTLE BEARS

1

Key Idea Young bears can do many things, including climbing, walking, sitting, standing, sleeping, swimming, and jumping.

RF.K.1

PRINT CONCePTS Front and Back Covers

LeaRNINg FOCuS RI.K.1*

Students read closely to ask and answer questions about key details in the text, referring to what is explicitly stated and using details to support basic inferences.

PRevIewINg The TexTPreview the cover of Little Bears together. Read the title and author’s name and have students reread these with you. Then read the back cover. Discuss the photos on both covers.

We’ll read this whole book today. You’ll notice that this book has a front cover, just like all books. Let’s read the title together: Little Bears. What do you see in the cover photo?

two brown bears

What other information is on the cover?

the author’s name

Let’s read the author’s name together: Lynn Marsh. Now let’s look at the back of the book. The back of the book is called the back cover. Follow along as I read the text on the back cover. This tells us what we will read about in this book. . . . Who can tell what this book will be about from what I just read?

things that little bears can do

Introduce the learning focus for today’s session.

As we read this book together, we can ask questions and find key details in the text to answer our questions. We may also need to make inferences when the author doesn’t tell us something directly.

CLOSe ReadINg OF The TexTAsk students to join in the reading when they feel comfortable. Read the title page, and then read pages 2–7 together. Remind students to think about the learning focus.

We’ll read the title page and then continue on to page 7. Our work is to ask questions about what we read. We’ll find key details in the text to answer our questions. Then we’ll make guesses, or inferences, using those key details.

Ask students to think of questions about the text or photographs. Then help them make an inference.

We know from reading the back cover that this book is about things little bears can do. The details tell us things they do. Who can share a question about something we’ve read so far?

I wondered how little bears walk.

3 minutes

7 minutes

Shared Reading

Little Bears

MONDO 2

That’s a good question. Do you think we should look at the text or the photos to answer this question?

The photo on page 5 shows a little bear walking. So I think we should look at the photo. The text doesn’t really explain how they walk.

So who can answer our question?

A little bear walks on four feet.

Now I can also use this detail and the photo to make a guess, or inference, about bears walking. I can guess that little bears can walk on both dirt and rocks.

Turn to page 4 and point to the word little (without saying it) for students to locate in their texts. Then model the Sound, Read, and Check routine to show students how to decode the word.

I am going to show you how to use the Sound, Read, and Check strategy to read a word. When I first try to sound it and blend it, I get lih-tee-tee-lee. Now I’ll read the word in the sentence. Then I’ll check to see if it makes sense. . . . Does lih-tee-tee-lee make sense here? No. I will try to correct it. (Say little.) Now I’ll check again. Does it make sense now? So when you come to a word you do not know or that doesn’t seem to make sense, you can try to sound it out, reread the whole sentence again, and then check to see if it makes sense. Remember—sound, read, and check.

Continue reading to the end of the text. Encourage students to ask themselves questions about key details.

I’ll continue to read. Join in with me when you can. Keep watching for key details as we read. Try to remember questions you think of so we can share them after we finish reading the whole book.

DISCUSSING THE TEXTFacilitate a discussion in which students ask and answer questions about the key details they just heard or read. Lead them in making inferences. Remind students to listen carefully to one another and to take turns speaking. Also help them to stay on the topic you are discussing.

As we talk about the book, think about the questions you have. Maybe you read something that you didn’t understand. Maybe you want more information about something you noticed in a photo. We’ll work together to find answers to your questions. As we discuss the book, listen carefully as others speak before you take your turn speaking. Also remember to stay on the topic of this book. It’s fun to talk about lots of different things, but we’ll try to stay focused on this book today.

Focus on the word climbing on page 2.

Let’s reread page 2 and look closely at the photo. Sometimes when we read a word we are unsure of, we can use the picture to help us figure out what it means. Who can tell how the little bear is moving up the tree?

10 minutes SL.K.1a COLLABORATION Discussion Rules

RI.K.4 VOCABULARY Unknown Words

RF.K.3, L.K.4 PHONICS & VOCABULARY Decoding in Context

3 GROWING AND CHANGING

The bear is using its four legs to hold on to the tree. It looks like it’s also pushing with its back against the other tree.

What do you use to climb up a tree or something tall?

I use my arms and legs.

That sounds like how the bear is climbing, too. Who can move their arms and legs like a bear climbing a tree? Remember, climbing means “moving up.”

Help students understand that during the discussion, they should feel free to ask questions. Encourage them to ask questions that begin with who, what, where, when, why, or how. Also lead them to make inferences based on their questions and answers.

As we talk about the book Little Bears, we’re going to share questions that we have about key details. Asking and answering questions can help you understand more about what you read. We can also use the key details we talk about to make guesses, or inferences, about the information. The words who, what, where, when, why, and how can help you make a question. Now who’d like to begin with a question?

I didn’t know bears could swim until I read page 12. How do little bears learn to swim?

Let’s reread the text on page 12 and take a close look for key details in the photo. . . . Who has an idea?

The photo shows a parent bear teaching its little bear to swim. I think little bears learn to swim from their parents.

Who else can use the details in the photo to make a guess, or inference, about the little bear?

The bear’s face is wet. So I think the bear can put its head underwater. I think that the bear can swim on top of the water and under the water.

That is a good inference.

TEACHER’SCHOICETEACHER’SCHOICE PHONICS FOLLOW-UPWrite little and sitting on a whiteboard or easel. Guide students to use the Clap the Parts routine to read these words.

Let’s practice reading words with more than one syllable using our Clap the Parts strategy. Remember that a syllable has to have a vowel sound. We’ll try it together. (Say little.) Now say the word again and clap the parts with me. (Students say little and clap the parts.) (Repeat for the word sitting.) Let’s go back to page 6 and read these words in our books.

Shared Reading (Continued)

ELL SUPPORT

L.K.4 Vocabulary Support vocabulary such as sleeping, swimming, and jumping in context using the ELL vocabulary strategies in Getting Started.

RF.K.2b PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS

Segmenting Syllables

3 LITTLE BEARS

4 LITTLE BEARS

Session

2

LEARNING FOCUSES RI.K.1*, RI.K.6

Students name the author and define the author’s role in presenting ideas or information. They also read closely to ask and answer questions about key details in the text, referring to what is explicitly stated and using details to support basic inferences.

Shared Reading

Little Bears

RETURNING TO THE TEXT Ask students to think about Little Bears and share their thoughts about the text.

Before we reread Little Bears today, let’s talk about what the text was mostly about. Does anyone want to share their thoughts?

The book tells all the ways little bears move.

That’s a good description of what Little Bears is mostly about.

Clarify the learning focuses for this session.

Let’s reread the beginning of Little Bears together. We’ll discuss who the author is and what she does. Let’s continue to ask and answer questions about key details as we read and use those details to make guesses, or inferences.

CLOSE READING OF THE TEXTAsk students to join in the reading as they are comfortable. Reread the title page and page 2 of the text.

Rereading a text helps us better understand the information the author is telling us. Let’s look at the title page again. Who can tell what information we find on this page?

the title and author

Let’s reread the title together: Little Bears. Now, I also see the little word by. Who can tell me what this means in a book?

It tells who wrote the text.

Say the author’s name after me: Lynn Marsh. Can someone explain what Lynn Marsh did? What was her job here?

She wrote the text.

Let’s reread page 2. . . . Let’s think again about the author, Lynn Marsh. What is she telling us on this page?

one thing little bears can do

Let’s reread the rest of the text.

Reread to the end of the text. Encourage students to ask and answer questions about key details in the text and photos.

Who has more questions about the details on these pages? Remember to use words like who, what, where, when, why, and how.

I have a question: Where do bears sleep?

7 minutes

SL.K.2 COMPREHENSION

Ask and Answer Questions

3 minutes

MONDO 5

Let’s look back through the pages to find key details in the text or in the photo. Does someone have an idea about where bears sleep?

I’m looking at pages 10 and 11. I see the picture here. It looks like bears sleep outside.

Although the text doesn’t tell us the answer to the question, we can see key details in the photo that help answer the question.

Lead students to use key details to make an inference.

Let’s look very closely at the photo on pages 10–11. We know from the text that little bears sleep, and we noticed that they sleep outside. Who can make a guess, or inference, about who little bears sleep with?

I think a little bear sleeps with its mother.

What detail helped you make that guess?

In the picture, the little bear is snuggled with a big bear. I think that the big bear is the little bear’s mother.

I think your idea makes sense. It is a good guess.

DISCUSSING THE TEXTFacilitate further discussion about what students learned from the text and the photographs. Talk about why asking and answering questions helps them understand what they read.

You’ve been sharing many ideas about what little bears do. Let’s talk as a group about what we’ve learned about little bears.

I didn’t know they could jump. I liked the photo that shows the little bear jumping into the water.

Can you share with the group where that is?

It’s right here, on pages 14 and 15.

When you read the text and look closely at the photos, you learn new information. Remember to ask and answer questions as you read other nonfiction texts. You can also use the information you learn to make guesses. Doing this will help you better understand the information.

10 minutes

VOCABULARY

L.K.5b Make a class list of verbs that are antonyms from Little Bears, including sitting/standing. Add to the list as students encounter additional antonyms in their reading.

LEARNING FOCUSES RI.K.1*, RI.K.7

Students describe the relationship between the photographs and the text. They continue to read closely to ask and answer questions about key details in the text, referring to what is explicitly stated and using details to support basic inferences.

6 LITTLE BEARS

Session

3Shared Reading

Little Bears

RETURNING TO THE TEXT Invite students to share their thoughts about the book. Encourage them to ask questions. Explain the new learning focuses.

Before we reread Little Bears today, let’s quickly review our reading so far. Who’d like to share?

We read about all the things little bears can do.

In our last two sessions, we paid close attention to key details in the text and photos. Today we’re also going to think about how the photos help us understand the information in the text. Remember as we read to keep asking questions to help you understand the book. Remember also that you can use the information to make good guesses, or inferences.

CLOSE READING OF THE TEXTAsk students to join in the reading as they are able. Read to page 9 together. Remind students to think about the learning focuses as they read along with you.

Let’s reread Little Bears up to page 9. We’ll stop and talk about how the photographs help us learn even more information than the text. Let’s read together. . . . What does the text on page 8 tell us?

Little bears stand.

What can we learn from the photograph?

I can see that little bears stand on two feet.

Continue reading to the end of the book. Encourage students to ask and answer questions about key details, and then use the details to make inferences.

Let’s finish rereading the book. As we read, we’ll take time to look at details in the photographs. We’ll also ask and answer questions to help us understand what we read and see. We can also use key details to make guesses, or inferences.

DISCUSSING THE TEXTEncourage students to notice how the text and photographs work together to share information.

Let’s use the photographs to help us talk about the key details. Take a look at pages 6–7. How does the photo work with the text?

The text says that the little bear is sitting. I see a little bear sitting by water.

Who can tell us more about this by looking at the details in the photo?

The little bear is sitting with its legs out in front. This is the way I sit on the floor too.

7 minutes

10 minutes

3 minutes

W.K.8, RI.K.1* RESEARCH Gather Information

Constructed Response Question What is one way little bears move?

FLUENCY

RF.K.4 Before beginning to read, guide students in identifying phrases repeated often throughout the text, such as “The little bear is. . . .” Read an example aloud and have students echo read.

MONDO 7

Guide students to ask and answer questions using the text and photos. Lead them to make inferences.

The text says that little bear is sitting, but we can learn a lot more by looking closely at the photo. Who has a question about what you see?

I asked myself, “Where do little bears sit?”

Does anyone see an answer in this photo?

In the photo, the little bear is sitting by the water.

Who can use details in the photo to make a good guess, or inference, about little bears?

I think the little bear was swimming, and now it’s sitting in the sun to dry off.

That’s a good guess about what’s happening in the book here. Who has other guesses?

I think the little bear is sitting by the water because it is cool there.

That’s another good guess. You’ve all done some good thinking here, using the words and photographs together.

TEACHER’SCHOICETEACHER’SCHOICE CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE: COLLECT TEXT

EVIDENCEE-RESOURCEE-RESOURCE Formative/Summative Assessment Have students use the blackline master Constructed Response: Collect Evidence to answer the following question: What is one way little bears move? Have students check off the question from the list at the top of the page. Have them note specific details with the goal of writing their own responses.

4

LEARNING FOCUSES RI.K.1*, RI.K.6, RI.K.7

Students describe the relationship between the photographs and the text. They also name the author and define the author’s role in presenting ideas or information, and they read closely to ask and answer questions about key details in the text, referring to what is explicitly stated and using details to support basic inferences.

Session

8 LITTLE BEARS

Shared Reading

Little Bears

RETURNING TO THE TEXT Explain to students the purpose of this session.

Today we’re going to talk more about what an author does. We’ll review and talk about how the text and photos work together to give us information. As we do, we’ll also ask and answer questions about key details and use details to make guesses, or inferences.

CLOSE READING OF THE TEXTEncourage students to identify what the author has taught them.

Can someone remind us of the name of the person who wrote this book—that is, the author?

It’s Lynn Marsh.

And where did you find that?

on the book cover and the title page

Now that we’ve read the whole book a few times, let’s think about what the author has taught us. Who will start us off?

The author taught us about little bears. The author taught us that little bears can do many things. They can climb trees and swim. They can also stand on two legs and jump.

Part of an author’s job is to think about what’s most important to tell the reader. He or she thinks about what information might be most important to write about. You’ve named some of the important things this author, Lynn Marsh, chose to write about.

Ask students to discuss how the text and photographs give different information.

Now let’s talk about how the photographs connect to the text.

The text tells something a little bear does. Then the photo shows the bear doing it. It gives us more details about the little bear and what it does.

Who can give an example of how that connection works?

On page 14, the text says the little bear is jumping. When I look at the photo, I see that the bear is jumping into water. I can see that it uses its back legs to jump off a rock and into the water.

Encourage students to ask and answer questions about key details.

Who has a question about a key detail in the text?

I have a question about the last page. The text just says, “Little bears!” What are the bears doing?

SHARE

Look for answers to your own questions as you are reading.

ELL SUPPORT

RI.K.7 Discussing the Text Ask questions at students’ language proficiency levels and provide the following sentence frames for student responses:The text tells us ___. The photo tells us ___.

7 minutes

3 minutes

W.K.8, RI.K.1* WRITING Respond to Question

MONDO 9

Can someone find an answer in the photo?

The little bears are standing in this photo.

Thinking carefully about details in a photo sometimes helps us answer our questions.

DISCUSSING THE TEXTFacilitate a discussion that leads students to make inferences about the key details and evidence in the text and photos.

Let’s look closely at the photo on page 16 and see if we can make any good guesses about the bears.

I think the bears are twins. They look alike, and they look like they’re the same age.

You might be right. You used details in the photo to make a good guess about these two bears.

Continue the conversation about key details and inferences. Remind students that using these strategies helps them comprehend what they read.

The author has done a great job of giving you details and information that help you make good guesses about bears. When we read nonfiction texts, we pay attention to details in the text and in the photographs. We ask questions and find answers. We can also make good guesses, or inferences, using key details. This helps us better understand what we read.

TEACHER’SCHOICETEACHER’SCHOICE CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE: WRITE TO SOURCE E-RESOURCEE-RESOURCE Formative/Summative Assessment Have students continue using the blackline master Constructed Response: Collect Evidence as they reread the text. Ask them to finalize their thoughts and use the blackline master Constructed Response: Write to Source to draw and write their own response to the following question: What is one way little bears move?

10 minutes

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Name Date

Constructed Response: Collect Evidence Check the question you are responding to. Then write and draw details and evidence you find in the text.

What is one way little bears move? (RI.K.1*)

Score _________

10 LITTLE BEARS

MONDO 11MONDO 11

© M

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Constructed Response: Write to SourceDraw a picture below and use words to answer the question your teacher gives you.

Score: _________