Learning Objectives

• Identify the main idea and important details in a short text.
• Answer who, what, where, when, why, and how questions using evidence from the passage.
• Retell a story in sequence using beginning, middle, and end.
• Use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.
• Explain answers with simple text evidence or details from the passage.

Materials Needed

• Short grade-level reading passages
• Printed question sheets or response pages
• Highlighters or crayons
• Pencils
• Chart paper or board
• Anchor chart: Reading Comprehension Strategies
• Teacher answer key

Support

• Provide read-aloud support or partner reading for students who need it.
• Use visuals, sentence frames, and a word bank for written responses.
• Pre-highlight key parts of the passage for students who need extra scaffolding.
• Allow oral responses before writing.
• Reduce the number of questions for students needing a shorter task.

Challenge

• Ask students to justify answers with two text details instead of one.
• Have students write a one-sentence summary of the passage.
• Include an inference question that requires students to use clues from the text.
• Invite advanced students to compare two characters or events in the passage.

Checks for Understanding

• Observe student responses during whole-class discussion.
• Listen for correct use of evidence during partner work.
• Review independent practice for main idea, detail, and sequence accuracy.
• Use thumbs up/down or quick verbal checks after each strategy review.

Closure

Have students complete an exit response: name one reading strategy they used today and one thing that helps them find answers in a passage.