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will explain to students that good readers not only make connections between themselves and other texts when they read, they also make connections to what they know about the world. I will read the passage “African American Leaders” (provided in unit) aloud. As I read I will stop and make connections to what I know about the world that help me understand the passage better. For example, I know that after slavery was abolished, African Americans were still not treated fairly. They did not have the same rights as white people for many, many years. African Americans were not allowed to eat at the same restaurants, use the same restrooms, or drink out of the same water fountains as white people. Many people, such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., worked hard to get equal rights for African Americans. This information isn’t in the passage. But thinking about what I already know about the topic helps me understand this passage better.

Ask: How did I use information outside of the text to understand the text better? Students should respond that as you read, you thought about information you already knew about the topic in order to understand the text better.

will read the passage “American Symbols” (provided in unit) aloud. We will stop and chart what we know about the world that helps us understand the passage. For example, I know that when an animal is close to becoming extinct, one way the government protects the animal is to make it illegal to hunt or kill the animal. In the passage, it says that the bald eagle was protected. That must mean that it was illegal to hunt or kill the bald eagle.

will read a passage provided by the teacher. You will write a couple of sentences describing what you already know about the world that helped you better understand the passage. Note: You will need to select an appropriate Concepts of Comprehension© Reading Passage (provided on website) for the Independent Practice.