Before Reading

Build Background

• Ask students to tell if they have seen eggs in a nest or found eggs someplace else (such as on a leaf or on the ground). Ask them to describe the eggs they saw and tell from which kind of animal they believe the eggs came. Discuss how such characteristics as size, color, shape, and number are clues about which animal might have laid the eggs.

Book Walk

Introduce the Book

• Show students the front and back covers of the book and read the title with them. Ask what they think they might read about in a book called Whose Eggs Are These? (Accept any answers students can justify.) Ask students to share predictions about which animals the laid eggs on the front and back covers.
• Show students the title page. Discuss the information on the page (title of book, author's name).

Introduce the Reading Strategy: Connect to prior knowledge

• Explain to students that good readers make connections between what they already know and new information they read. Remind them that thinking about what they already know about the topic of the book will help them understand what they read.
• Model connecting to prior knowledge using the information on the covers.
  Think-aloud: When I read a new book, I try to think about what I already know about the topic. When I look at the title of this book and the front and back covers, I think about different eggs I have seen before and the animals that have laid them. I know that animals such as birds, fish, turtles, and frogs lay eggs. I will think about what I know as I read the book. This will help me understand the book and read words.
• Have students preview the pictures on the covers and title page in the book. Have them share how they connected with prior knowledge.
• As students read, encourage them to use other reading strategies in addition to the targeted strategy presented in this section. For tips on additional reading strategies, click here.

Introduce the Vocabulary

• Model for students the strategies they can use to say new words. For example, point to the word pearls on page 5. Model using picture clues, flexibility with sounds, and rereading to read the word.
  Think-aloud: When I first looked at that word, I recognized a familiar part of the word: pear. However, this didn't make sense in the sentence. I looked at the picture and realized I was reading that the eggs could be round like these (point to eggs on the left). I thought about objects that are round, look like these eggs, and begin with the /p/ sound. I tried pearls and then reread the sentence to confirm. Read the sentence to students and ask if the word pearls makes sense.
• For additional tips on teaching high-frequency words or word-attack strategies, click here.

Set the Purpose

• As they read the book, have students think about what they already know about eggs and the animals associated with them to learn new information.

During Reading

Student Reading

• Guide the reading: Give students their copy of the book. Have a volunteer point to the first word on page 3. Read the word together (Many). Point out where to begin reading on each page. Remind students to read words from left to right. Point to each word as you read it aloud while students follow along in their own book.
• Ask students to place a finger on the page number in the bottom corner of the page. Have them read to the end of page 6, using their finger to point to each word as they read. Encourage students who finish before others to reread the text.
• Model connecting to prior knowledge.
  Think-aloud: As I read page 6, I thought about what I already know about butterflies. I know that butterflies begin as caterpillars and go through a change to become butterflies. I thought about the tiny caterpillars crawling out of the eggs.
• Invite students to share how they connected with what they already know as they read.
• Have students read the remainder of the book. Remind them to use what they already know to help them understand new information as they read.

 Have students make a small question mark in their book beside any word they do not understand or cannot pronounce. These can be addressed in the discussion that follows.

After Reading

Reflect on the Reading Strategy

• Ask students what words, if any, they had difficulty reading. Use this opportunity to model how they can read these words using decoding strategies and context clues.
• Think-aloud: When I read page 10, I thought about what I know about penguins and where they live. I know that penguins live in colder habitats. I also know that living things can use their body heat to keep warm. Using what I know helped me better understand why penguins put their eggs between their feet, close to their body.
• Discuss how using what they already know helped students understand what they read. Invite students to share how they connected to prior knowledge as they read.
• Discuss additional strategies students used to gain meaning from the book.

Teach the Comprehension Skill: Main idea and details

• Discussion: Ask students to tell about the new information they learned while reading the book, including eggs and the animals from which they came.
• Introduce and model the skill: Explain to students that books they read have a main idea that tells what the book is about. The title of the book and the pictures can be clues to identify the main idea. Discuss the main idea of this book. (Many animals lay eggs.) Make a large web on the board and write the main idea in the center circle. Explain that there are details in the book that tell about the main idea.
• Think-aloud: On page 4, I read that robins lay eggs. I know that robins are birds, and birds are animals. This is a detail that tells about the main idea. Write robins in the first outer circle on the web.
• Check for understanding: Have students point to another detail in their book that tells about the main idea. Observe and discuss their responses.
• Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the main idea and details worksheet. If time allows, discuss their answers.

Build Skills

Phonological Awareness: Manipulate initial sounds

• Say the word nest aloud to students. Explain to students that you can say a new word by changing the first sound to a /p/ sound: pest. Repeat the process by changing the first sound in the word pest to the /b/ sound: best.
• Have students make a new word from the word best by changing the first sound to a /r/ sound: rest.
• Have students say new words by replacing the first sound in each word you say with the s-family blend /sk/. For example, if you say the word my, they should say sky. Use the following words: my, pin, can, cold, him, lip, far.
• Have students say new words by replacing the first sound in each word you say with the s-family blend /sp/. Use the following words: race, hill, win, mine, moon, hot.

Phonics: Initial s-family blends

• Write the word sky on the board. Read the word aloud with students.
• Circle the sk blend in the word and tell students that the sounds /s/ and /k/ blend together to make the /sk/ sound. Point out that each individual sound in the blend can be heard. Have students say the word sky while they listen for the beginning blend.
• Explain to students that the sk letter combination is one of the blends in the s-family. Explain to them that a consonant blends with the letter s to create an s-family blend. Write the s-family blends in a line along the board: sc, sk, sl, sm, sn, sp, st, sw. Have students think of several examples of words that start with each blend. Write these words on the board under the appropriate blend. Have individual students come to the board and circle the blends in the words.
• Ask students to find an s-family blend on page 5 (spiny) and page 8 (spider).
• Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the s-family blends worksheet. If time allows, discuss their answers.

Grammar and Mechanics: Adjectives

• Review or explain that there are special words called adjectives that are used to describe other words. Explain that these words tell about people, places, or things, such as happy, sad, high, or low.
• Have students turn to page 5. Reread the first sentence with students. Point to the words on the page that describe the eggs (tiny). Explain that the word tiny describes the eggs on the bottom of the leaf.
• Have students turn to page 7. Reread the first sentence with students. Ask them to tell the word that describes eggs (many) and case (tiny). Invite students to share other adjectives that could be used instead of many to describe the eggs and tiny to describe the case. Ask students to use the word in a sentence.
• Independent practice: Introduce, explain, and have students complete the adjectives worksheet. If time allows, discuss their answers.

Word Work: High-frequency words this and these

• Tell students they are going to learn two words that they need to be able to recognize and read quickly. Write the words this and these on the board and read the words aloud. Have students read the words with you.
• Ask them to write the words on the table top with their finger as you spell it aloud with them, pointing to each letter on the board as you say the letter name with students.
• Show students one object, such as a pencil. Say: This is a pencil. Write the sentence on the board and read it aloud with students. Then show students more than one of the same object. Say: These are pencils. Write the sentence on the board and read it aloud with students.
• Reread the first sentence. Ask students to tell how many pencils are mentioned in the sentence (one). Point to the word This. Explain to students that the word this is used to identify one of something.
• Reread the second sentence. Ask students to tell how many pencils are mentioned in the sentence (two). Point to the word These. Explain to students that the word these is used to identify more than one of something.
• Have students identify objects in the room using the words this and these.

Build Fluency

Independent Reading

• Allow students to read their book independently. Additionally, partners can take turns reading parts of the book to each other.

Home Connection

• Give students their book to take home to read with parents, caregivers, siblings, or friends.

Extend the Reading

Writing and Art Connection
Have students imagine that they found a mysterious egg about to hatch. Have them write a story describing what came out of the egg. Ask students to draw a picture about their story. Invite them to share their story.

Science Connection
Provide students with books that illustrate the life cycle of a frog from egg to adult. Have students illustrate and label each step of the life cycle.

Assessment

Monitor students to determine if they can:

• consistently use their prior knowledge to understand text
• record details that support the main idea on the graphic organizer
• orally manipulate initial sounds
• correctly associate s-family blends with their phonetic representation during discussion and on a worksheet
• accurately identify describing words in text and on a worksheet
• accurately read, write, and understand the use of high-frequency words this and these

Comprehension Checks

• Book Quiz
• Retelling Rubric

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