Dig Wait Listen

English/Language Arts Standards

Kindergarten

K.1.1 Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.

K.1.2 Follow words from left to right and from top to bottom on the printed page.

K.1.3 Understand that printed materials provide information.

K.1.4 Recognize that sentences in print are made up of separate words.

K.1.5 Distinguish letters from words.

K.1.6 Recognize and name all capital and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

K.1.22 Listen to stories read aloud and use the vocabulary in those stories in oral language.

K.2.1 Locate the title and the name of the author of a book.

K.2.2 Use pictures and context to aid comprehension and to draw conclusions or make predictions about story content.

K.2.3 Generate and respond to questions (who, what, where).

K.2.5 Identify the order (first, last) of information.

Grade 1

1.1.1 Match oral words to printed words.

1.1.2 Identify letters, words, and sentences.

1.1.3 Recognize that sentences start with capital letters and end with punctuation, such as periods, question marks, and exclamation points.

1.2.1 Identify the title, author, illustrator, and table of contents of a reading selection.

1.2.2 Identify text that uses sequence or other logical order.

1.2.3 Respond to who, what, when, where, why, and how questions and recognize the main idea of what is read.

1.2.7 Relate prior knowledge to what is read.

Grade 2

2.2.2 State the purpose for reading.

2.2.3 Use knowledge of the author’s purpose(s) to comprehend informational text.

2.2.4 Ask and respond to questions (when, who, where, why, what if, how) to aid comprehension about important elements of informational texts.

2.2.5 Restate facts and details or summarize the main idea in the text to clarify and organize ideas.

2.2.11 Identify text that uses sequence or other logical order (alphabetical order or time).

Grade 3

3.2.2 Ask questions and support answers by connecting prior knowledge with literal information from the text.

Example: When reading informational materials about science topics or social science subjects, compare what is read to background knowledge about the subject.

3.2.3 Show understanding by identifying answers in the text.

Example: After generating a question about information in a text, skim and scan the remaining text to find the answer to the question.

3.2.4 Recall major points in the text and make and revise predictions about what is read.

3.2.5 Distinguish the main idea and supporting details in expository (informational) text.

3.2.9 Identify text that uses sequence or other logical order (alphabetical, time, categorical).

3.3.1 Recognize different common genres (types) of literature, such as poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction.

3.3.5 Onomatopoeia: Recognize that certain words and rhythmic patterns can be used in a selection to imitate sounds.

Grade 4

4.2.1 Use the organization of informational text to strengthen comprehension.

Science Standards:

Kindergarten

K.1.1 Raise questions about the natural world.

K.2.2 Draw pictures and write words to describe objects and experiences.

K.4.1 Give examples of plants and animals.

K.4.2 Observe plants and animals, describing how they are alike and how they are different in the way they look and in the things they do.

Grade 1

1.1.1 Observe, describe, draw, and sort objects carefully to learn about them.

1.1.2 Investigate and make observations to seek answers to questions about the world, such as “In what ways do animals move?”

1.1.3 Recognize that and demonstrate how people can learn much about plants and animals by observing them closely over a period of time. Recognize also that care must be taken to know the needs of living things and how to provide for them.

1.2.7 Write brief informational descriptions of a real object, person, place, or event using information from observations.

1.6.2 Observe that and describe how certain things change in some ways and stay the same in others, such as in their color, size, and Lose Weight Exercise.

Grade 2

2.1.3 Describe, both in writing and verbally, objects as accurately as possible and compare observations with those of other people.

2.1.4 Make new observations when there is disagreement among initial observations.

2.2.5 Draw pictures and write brief descriptions that correctly portray key features of an object.

2.3.1 Investigate by observing and then describe that some events in nature have a repeating pattern, such as seasons, day and night, and migrations.

2.4.1 Observe and identify different external features of plants and animals and describe how these features help them live in different environments.

2.4.4 Recognize and explain that living things are found almost everywhere in the world and that there are somewhat different kinds in different places.

Grade 3

3.1.2 Participate in different types of guided scientific investigations, such as observing objects and events and collecting specimens for analysis.

3.2.3 Keep a notebook that describes observations and is understandable weeks or months later.

3.2.6 Make sketches and write descriptions to aid in explaining procedures or ideas.

3.2.7 Ask “How do you know?” in appropriate situations and attempt reasonable answers when others ask the same question.

3.4.3 Observe that and describe how offspring are very much, but not exactly, like their parents

3.5.5 Explain that one way to make sense of something is to think of how it relates to something more familiar.

3.6.5 Observe that and describe how some changes are very slow and some are very fast and that some of these changes may be hard to see and/or record.

Grade 4

4.2.5 Write descriptions of investigations, using observations and other evidence as support for explanations.

 Understanding Standards

Standards are created nationally. For example. in the case of English/Language Arts, the National Standards consist of 12 standards. Each state takes those twelve standards and develops their own objectives to indicate how they intend for those standards to be taught. Then, each school district takes their state’s standards and sometimes defines them even slightly more or determines in which order those standards and objectives will be taught. 

Therefore, the first number is the grade level, the second number is the national standard and the third number is the state objective. For example: 5.1.3 stands for 5th Grade, National Standard #1, and the state’s 3rd objective.

These are keyed to national standards and Indiana’s standards. As you can see from the explanation above, it should be simple to plug in your state’s standards, as needed.  

Another animal lays eggs in sand, too-not in the desert, but on a beach. The mother animal weighs as much as a refrigerator full of food. Can you guess the animal?

Sea turtle mothers lay their eggs and leave them. The hatchlings must fend for themselves. But another kind of creature guards its eggs and the hatchlings.

Another has to begin the year by finding a home and building a colony.

And here is an animal family with a parent who takes protecting the young very seriously!

Honk, Honk, Goose

After reading the book, students can learn observation skills by going out and looking for shadows and experimenting as the kids do in the book. Why are shadows hard to see when the sky is cloudy?

After reading some of these books, students can listen carefully, and write down the sounds they hear in their environment. Have older students use stopwatches and write down what they hear at each 30 second mark. Cars? Planes? Pencils? Voices? Scientists use these kinds of observations, called data, in their studies. Are certain sounds heard more often than others?