We Read Together

Building academic language

Word

• Review or introduce the remaining vocabulary words using the vocabulary cards and glossary as a support. Provide students with student-friendly definitions and model using the vocabulary words in a sentence to check for understanding.
• Display the cover of the read-aloud text and tell students the title and author.
• Read aloud the text.
• Pause midway through the text and ask students if they have any predictions for what will happen next. Provide students with the following sentence frame to utilize: "I predict that __ __ __ __ will happen next."
• Continue reading the story.

Sentence

• Go back to the beginning of the book and ask students to think about what happened in the beginning of the story (e.g., "The pigeon was dirty and needed a bath"). Model thinking aloud to demonstrate using the text as a reference as needed.
• Repeat this process to retell (with student input) the middle and ending of the story.
• Model how to fold a paper into thirds (or pre-fold the papers), then pass out a paper and crayons to each student.
• Pass out individual copies of the text to students to reference.
• Explain that students should draw a picture of what happened in the beginning of the story.
• Repeat this process for the middle and ending of the story.

Discourse

• Invite students to turn and talk to share with a partner what happened at the beginning, middle and end of the story, using their pictures to help them.