Meet Dr. Ford! – Vol. 1 No. 6
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Natural Inquirer Readers for students in grades K-2 focus on a scientist and their research. In this Reader, students meet Dr. Paulette Ford who studies prairie dogs and fire.
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Highlights
- Meet the Scientist
- Try This! Activity
- Glossary
- Critical Thinking Questions
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Natural Inquirer Readers for students in grades K-2 focus on a scientist and their research. In this Reader, students meet Dr. Paulette Ford who studies prairie dogs and fire.Meet Dr. Ford!
Natural Inquirer Readers for students in grades K-2 focus on a scientist and their research. In this Reader, students meet Dr. Paulette Ford who studies prairie dogs and fire.
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Look at the drawing of prairie dogs in their habitat. Which prairie dogs are doing things a prairie dog would never do?Try This! – Meet Dr. Ford!
Look at the drawing of prairie dogs in their habitat. Which prairie dogs are doing things a prairie dog would never do?
Standards addressed in this Reader:
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are a set of K-12 science education standards emphasizing inquiry-based learning, real-world applications, and integrating engineering practices, aiming to deepen understanding of science while promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
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2-LS4-1
Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
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ESS3.C-E1
Human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on the land, vegetation, streams, ocean, air, and even outer space. But individuals and communities are doing things to help protect Earth’s resources and environments.
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ESS3.C-P1
Things that people do to live comfortably can affect the world around them. But they can make choices that reduce their impacts on the land, water, air, and other living things.
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K-ESS2-2
Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs.
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K-ESS3-1
Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including humans) and the places they live.
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K-LS1-1
Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
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LS1.B-E1
Reproduction is essential to the continued existence of every kind of organism. Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles.
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LS1.B-P1
Adult plants and animals can have young. In many kinds of animals, parents and the offspring themselves engage in behaviors that help the offspring to survive.
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LS1.C-E1
Food provides animals with the materials they need for body repair and growth and the energy they need to maintain body warmth and for motion.
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LS1.C-P1
All animals need food in order to live and grow. They obtain their food from plants or from other animals. Plants need water and light to live and grow.
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LS2.A-E1
The food of almost any kind of animal can be traced back to plants. Organisms are related in food webs in which some animals eat plants for food and other animals eat the animals that eat plants. Some organisms, such as fungi and bacteria, break down dead organisms (both plants or plant parts and animals) and therefore operate as “decomposers.” Decomposition eventually restores (recycles) some materials back to the soil. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their particular needs are met. A healthy ecosystem is one in which multiple species of different types are each able to meet their needs in a relatively stable web of life. Newly introduced species can damage the balance of an ecosystem.
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LS2.C-E1
When the environment changes in ways that affect a place’s physical characteristics, temperature, or availability of resources, some organisms survive and reproduce, others move to new locations, yet others move into the transformed environment, and some die.
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LS2.D-E1
Being part of a group helps animals obtain food, defend themselves, and cope with changes. Groups may serve different functions and vary dramatically in size
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LS4.D-E1
Populations live in a variety of habitats, and change in those habitats affects the organisms living there.
The Common Core Standards are educational benchmarks in the United States that outline clear expectations for what students should know and be able to do in English language arts and mathematics from kindergarten through 12th grade, aiming to ensure consistency and coherence in education nationwide.
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Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
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With prompting and support, read informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1.
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Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
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Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
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Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.
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Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text.
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Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a text.
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Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
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Identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
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Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
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By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
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Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text.
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Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.
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Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.
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Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.
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Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.
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Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify a text.
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Describe how reasons support specific points the author makes in a text.
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With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
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Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
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With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
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With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
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With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
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Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.
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Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text.
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With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).
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With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
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Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
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Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
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Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood.
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Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.
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Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
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Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 1 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)
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Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
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Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
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Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.
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Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.
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Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
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Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 2 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)
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Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
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Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.
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Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.
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Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
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Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail.
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Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
Social Studies Standards are educational guidelines outlining the essential knowledge, skills, and concepts students should learn in subjects such as history, geography, civics, and economics, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of societal structures, historical events, and global perspectives.
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People, Places, and Environments
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Science, Technology, and Society
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Time, Continuity, and Change
Welcome to the Educator Guide for the Natural Inquirer Reader series! Natural Inquirer Readers are written for a K-2 audience. Some of the Readers focus on a scientist and what they study and other Readers focus on a specific topic. In this guide, you will learn about the different parts of the Reader and ideas for using the Reader in a classroom setting.
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Parts of a Reader
During kindergarten through 2nd grade, young readers learn about parts of a nonfiction text such as title, table of contents, glossary and bold words.
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Every Natural Inquirer Reader begins with a Table of Contents where students can preview what is coming in the Reader.
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The actual text of the Reader begins after the Table of Contents. Throughout this text, there are captions, bolded glossary words, and other text features for the students to experience.
- To learn more about the specifics, read the Natural Inquirer blog Reader Strategy 2: Elements of Nonfiction – Natural Inquirer.
- A great introduction to this topic is Reader Strategy 1: Fiction and Nonfiction – Natural Inquirer.
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At the conclusion of the main text in the Reader, there are a few critical thinking questions for the students to answer.
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Next, is the glossary and then an activity. Each Reader is formatted in the same way.
Lesson Plans
Check out the great lesson plans we have to use with the Readers!
Lesson Plan – What Is a Scientist? Lesson Map (Reader Strategies Series)
In this lesson plan, students will use clues from Natural Inquirer Readers to determine what makes…
Lesson Plan – Elements of Nonfiction Lesson Map (Reader Strategies Series)
In this lesson plan, students will examine some of our Readers to identify features of…
Lesson Plan – Fiction and Nonfiction Lesson Map (Reader Strategies Series)
In this lesson plan, students will explore the differences between fiction and nonfiction using a…
Lesson Plan – Reader BINGO
In this lesson, students play bingo while becoming acquainted with sight words from the Natural…
Video Read-Alongs and Audio Books
Also check out one of the newest features for our youngest learners! The video includes read-along text that boldfaces as the narrator reads. A helpful guide introduces new words that are highlighted in yellow. These videos are also available in an audio book format – perfect for listening centers!
Meet Smokey Bear’s Team – Video Read-Along
Watch the video read-along of “Meet Smokey Bear’s Team!” Meet Smokey and some of the…
Meet Dr. Hoagland – Video Read-Along
Watch the video read-along of “Meet Dr. Hoagland!” Meet Dr. Hoagland, a biological scientist and…
Lessons
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In this lesson, students play bingo while becoming acquainted with sight words from the Natural Inquirer Reader Series. Materials: Natural Inquirer Reader Series (choose one Reader for each day you...
Lesson Plan – Reader BINGO
In this lesson, students play bingo while becoming acquainted with sight words from the Natural Inquirer Reader Series. Materials: Natural Inquirer Reader Series (choose one Reader for each day you... -
In this lesson plan, you will use the visual thinking strategy to elicit prior knowledge from students before reading a Natural Inquirer Reader. After reading the article, you will use...Lesson Plan – Visual Thinking Strategy and Picture Description Strategy
In this lesson plan, you will use the visual thinking strategy to elicit prior knowledge from students before reading a Natural Inquirer Reader. After reading the article, you will use... -
Use the “Take Two” strategy to encourage students to share their personal experiences and outside knowledge regarding topics presented in the text. This lesson plan can be used with any...Lesson Plan – Take Two
Use the “Take Two” strategy to encourage students to share their personal experiences and outside knowledge regarding topics presented in the text. This lesson plan can be used with any... -
Get students moving and listening closely by using “pop ups.” Assign students words from a text, and as you read, students “pop up” (jump out of their seat, then sit...Lesson Plan – Pop ups
Get students moving and listening closely by using “pop ups.” Assign students words from a text, and as you read, students “pop up” (jump out of their seat, then sit... -
Use the Observations-Wonderings-Learnings (OWL) graphic organizer to connect students to a topic and draw out prior knowledge and questions for future exploration. This lesson plan can be used with any...Lesson Plan – OWL
Use the Observations-Wonderings-Learnings (OWL) graphic organizer to connect students to a topic and draw out prior knowledge and questions for future exploration. This lesson plan can be used with any... -
Gauge students’ prior knowledge and knowledge gain by doing true/false questions before and after a Reader. Materials: A Natural Inquirer Reader The anticipation guide that corresponds to your chosen Reader...Lesson Plan – Anticipation Guide
Gauge students’ prior knowledge and knowledge gain by doing true/false questions before and after a Reader. Materials: A Natural Inquirer Reader The anticipation guide that corresponds to your chosen Reader...
Glossary
View All Glossary-
Paulette Ford
“I like being a scientist because I love to read, write and explore. My research is really exciting to me, and I look forward to it every day. Holding small...View Profile
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Lesson Plan – Fiction and Nonfiction Lesson Map (Reader Strategies Series)
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