I can find details in a story to support my answers and explain what the text says.

I can "read between the lines" and use clues from the text to make smart guesses.

I can describe a character, setting, or event using specific details like a character's thoughts or feelings.

How do story elements help me understand a story?

How does a character’s thoughts, feelings and actions help the story move along?

How does a reader "read between the lines"?

Tell me about a character in your book. What do you know about them from what they said or did?

What happened in the story that made you think about something from your own life?

How did the author show you a character's feelings without saying it directly? What were the clues?

I can write a story that has a clear beginning, middle, and end.

I can use dialogue and descriptions to bring my characters and events to life.

I can use transition words to help my story flow smoothly.

I can use figurative language like similes and metaphors to make my writing more interesting.

I can use a computer to type and share my writing.

What is the purpose of narrative writing?

How do I write an interesting story?

What's the main idea or purpose of the story you're writing?

How did you use dialogue to show what your characters are like?

Read me a part of your story that uses a simile or metaphor. How does it make the sentence more creative?

I can explain how a character's actions and changes in a story help me figure out the main lesson.

I can connect the themes in stories to my own life.

I can compare two stories to see how they teach similar lessons.

How does the way character changes help you learn the lesson that the author is trying to teach you?

How do I use their life to make me a better reader?

What's the main lesson of the story? How did the character's journey teach you that?

Did this story remind you of something that has happened to you? How did your experience help you understand the character better?

If you could give the main character one piece of advice, what would it be?

I can figure out what words and phrases mean, including figurative language like similes and metaphors.

I can tell the difference between prose, poetry, and drama.

I can compare first-person and third-person points of view.

I can explain why an author wrote a story (to entertain, teach, or persuade).

Why do authors write stories?

What point of view is your book written in? How would the story be different if it was told from another character's perspective?

Can you find a simile or metaphor in the story? Why do you think the author used that specific one?

Why do you think the author wrote this story? What was their main goal?

I can find details in a text to answer questions about a topic.

I can find the main idea of a text and explain how the key details support it.

I can understand and use information from different sources like charts, graphs, and diagrams.

I can figure out the meaning of new academic and topic-specific words.

Why do you read nonfiction?

How do I use my  life to make myself a better reader?

How do readers "read between the lines"?

What's the main idea of the nonfiction book you're reading? What are some details that prove it?

What's a new fact you learned from this book? What clues in the text helped you understand it?

What did you see in the pictures or charts that helped you understand the information better?

I can write an informational piece with clear paragraphs and headings.

I can support their ideas with facts, details, and examples.

I can use precise words to explain their topic.

I can use a variety of sources to research a topic.

What is the purpose of expository writing?

How do I write clearly to share information with my reader?

What is the topic of your writing? What do you want your readers to learn?

How did you organize your ideas? Did you use headings or paragraphs to group information?

Where did you find your facts and details? What did you learn from your research?

I can explain how and why certain events or ideas happen in a text.

I can identify the text structure, like cause and effect or problem and solution.

How does the way the information is organized help you learn about a topic?

How did the author organize the information in the book? Why do you think they chose that structure?

Can you show me an example of cause and effect in the book? What was the cause? What was the effect?

What did you learn about the topic by paying attention to the way the information was organized?

I can explain how an author uses evidence to support their claims.

I can combine information from two different texts to become an expert on a topic.

How do you become an expert on a topic?

What is the author's main point? What evidence did they use to support it?

How are the two texts you read on the same topic similar? How are they different?

After reading both texts, what's something new you can teach me about the topic?

I can compare and contrast a firsthand account and a secondhand account of the same event.

I can explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support my points.

Why do you read nonfiction?

Why do authors write nonfiction?

We read about the same event from two different perspectives. What were the differences? Why do you think they were different?

What was the author's purpose for writing this piece? How do you know?

Do you think the author's opinion about the topic is different from yours? Why or why not?