Meet Dr. Flitcroft!
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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. Becky Flitcroft who studies Coho salmon.
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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.B-P1
Maps show where things are located. One can map the shapes and kinds of land and water in any area.
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ESS2.C-P1
Water is found in the ocean, rivers, lakes, and ponds. Water exists as solid ice and in liquid form.
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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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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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LS4.C-E1
For any particular environment, some kinds of organisms survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
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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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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.
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
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Becky Flitcroft
I am currently conducting research on Coho salmon populations throughout their life cycle I try to understand what fish need, from the perspective of the fish. We often think about...View Profile