ReadWorks.org

Animal Touch

Read the book aloud and work with students to chart facts from the book. Then have students use the facts that you have charted to illustrate and write a sentence about the main idea.

Animal Smell

Read the text aloud, but cover up the title. Provide students with two choices for the title (Animal Smell and Animal Sight). Then have students choose the best title for the story based on the main idea. They can also explain why they chose that title.

Apple Cider-Making Days

After reading the book aloud, have students write a book review that describes the main idea of the book and their opinion of the story.

Scholastic First Discoveries: Ladybugs and Other Insects

After reading the book, have students work with a partner and discuss the main idea of the book.

Henry and Mudge and the Happy Cat

Fountas and Pinnell

J

Lexile

470L

Read each chapter aloud, but do not read the titles. Do a picture walk of the chapter. After reading each chapter aloud, have students create a title for the chapter based on the main idea.

Frog and Toad are Friends

Fountas and Pinnell

K

Lexile

400L

Write the chapter title and the main idea of each chapter on sentence strips. After reading the book, have students use the sentence strips to match the chapter title to the main idea of the chapter.

Have You Seen My Cat?

Fountas and Pinnell

B

Lexile

BR

After reading the book aloud, have students create a new title for the book based on the main idea.

Chrysanthemum

Lexile

410L

Have students use the repeating text to determine the main idea. After reading the book aloud, share the repeating sentences with students and have them use the sentences to determine the main idea.

Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf

Lexile

680L

After reading the book aloud, have students draw a picture and write a few sentences about the main idea of the book. See Independent Practice for Lesson 1 for an example.