All About Forests
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In this Reader, Woodsy Owl teaches about types of forests and explores what makes forests important. We rely on forests for products like wood and paper, for clean water and air, for important habitats, and for fun!
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List or draw some of your favorite things about forests.Try This! All About Forests
List or draw some of your favorite things about forests. -
Color the pages, then help Woodsy care for the land by circling the things that you can help with.All About Forests Coloring Pages
Color the pages, then help Woodsy care for the land by circling the things that you can help with.
Standards addressed in this Article:
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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ESS2.A-E1
Earth’s major systems are the geosphere (solid and molten rock, soil, and sediments), the hydrosphere (water and ice), the atmosphere (air), and the biosphere (living things, including humans). These systems interact in multiple ways to affect Earth’s surface materials and processes. The ocean supports a variety of ecosystems and organisms, shapes landforms, and influences climate. Winds and clouds in the atmosphere interact with the landforms to determine patterns of weather.
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ESS2.E-E1
Living things affect the physical characteristics of their regions.
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ESS3.A-E1
Energy and fuels that humans use are derived from natural sources, and their use affects the environment in multiple ways. Some resources are renewable over time, and others are not.
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ESS3.A-P1
Living things need water, air, and resources from the land, and they live in places that have the things they need. Humans use natural resources for everything they do.
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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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LS4.D-E1
Populations live in a variety of habitats, and change in those habitats affects the organisms living there.
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LS4.D-P1
There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.
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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Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
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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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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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With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
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
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 plan, students will examine some of our Readers to identify features of nonfiction texts (e.g. table of contents, maps, glossaries, boldfaced words, etc.). Together with your students,...
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 nonfiction texts (e.g. table of contents, maps, glossaries, boldfaced words, etc.). Together with your students,... -
In this lesson plan, students will explore the differences between fiction and nonfiction using a Venn diagram to visualize their comparison. Students will use a variety of nonfiction texts (like...
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 Venn diagram to visualize their comparison. Students will use a variety of nonfiction texts (like... -
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...
Glossary
View All GlossaryRelated Resources from the Natural Inquirer
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Meet Smokey Bear and some of the people who work with him to prevent human-caused wildfires! This Reader is written for children from kindergarten through 2nd grade and includes colorful...Meet Smokey Bear’s Team – Vol. 1 No. 12
Meet Smokey Bear and some of the people who work with him to prevent human-caused wildfires! This Reader is written for children from kindergarten through 2nd grade and includes colorful... -
Woodsy Owl would like you to meet Dr. Hoagland, a biological scientist and Tribal relations specialist at the Rocky Mountain Research Station, in “Meet Dr. Hoagland!” Learn about Dr. Hoagland’s...Meet Dr. Hoagland! – Vol. 1 No. 11
Woodsy Owl would like you to meet Dr. Hoagland, a biological scientist and Tribal relations specialist at the Rocky Mountain Research Station, in “Meet Dr. Hoagland!” Learn about Dr. Hoagland’s... -
Watch the video read-along of “Meet Smokey Bear’s Team!” Meet Smokey and some of the people who work with him to prevent human-caused wildfires, learn new vocabulary words, and complete...
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 people who work with him to prevent human-caused wildfires, learn new vocabulary words, and complete...
