Reader Educator Guide
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)
Lesson Plan – Elements of Nonfiction Lesson Map (Reader Strategies Series)
Lesson Plan – Fiction and Nonfiction Lesson Map (Reader Strategies Series)
Lesson Plan – Reader BINGO
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
