Introduce the Book
Show students the cover illustration and have them read the title to make initial predictions about the main idea or topic.
Ask: What do you see on the cover? What do you think this book is about? What can you figure out about the kind of text this is? What else can you guess from the illustration or title? 

Book Walk
Give students their copies of the book and go through as much of the book as you feel is necessary. Point out things you feel will challenge students as they read. Look at the pictures with students and discuss what they see. You may want to write down some of the words they suggest. As you look through the text, point out text features such as headings, bold-face type, pronunciations, maps, charts, glossary, and index. Ask students how they will use these text features when they read. Record any predictions students have about the text. 

Reading Strategies
Remind students to use any or all of the following strategies to help them in their reading:

• Asking: Does it make sense? Does it sound right? Does it look right?
• Connect the text with what they already know
• Summarize after reading a section to be sure they understand what they read
• Reread any sentence or page that was difficult, to make sure they understand the text
• Use what they know about letters and sounds to read new words
• Look for parts of words they know, such as root words, prefixes, and suffixes

Ask students about the strategies they think they will use if they get to a difficult word. You may want to model a strategy you think will help students gain meaning, such as rereading, asking questions, or looking at illustrations or diagrams.