WORLD LEADERS
TEACHING TIPS • GRADE 3

INTRODUCTION
History is filled with stories of many fascinating world leaders! These leaders left their marks
on society, and their decisions in the past have helped shape the world we know today. With
the Reading A–Z World Leaders collection, students will learn about many different world
leaders; some leaders they may recognize, and some they may never have heard of before.
The Reading A–Z World Leaders collection consists of multiple sets of books, each focused
on one leader and comprised of three different levels. These Teaching Tips can be applied to
any of the World Leader books written at the third-grade level. Use these Teaching Tips, along
with the additional support resources provided, to give targeted content-area instruction in
social studies, as well as to help students develop the following reading skills:
• apply various reading strategies to demonstrate understanding of information from
a nonfiction text;
• determine the meaning of academic vocabulary from a nonfiction text;
• extend the learning by researching more information on the topic with outside resources.

OBJECTIVES
• Ask and answer questions to better understand the text.
• Identify the main idea and supporting details from the text.
• Recognize that sections in nonfiction books have their own main idea and supporting details that relate
to the main idea of the entire text.
• Clarify the meanings of unknown words and phrases in the text.
• Use photographs and other text features to locate key facts and information in the text.

UNDERSTANDING KEY VOCABULARY

Each book includes a set of vocabulary words, listed in the glossary, that are essential to understanding the text.
Help students expand their vocabulary knowledge by discussing strategies for learning new vocabulary words,
pointing out helpful text features, and utilizing the Word Power activity card and the Vocabulary Four Square activity
card. The following tips and activities can help students address the boldface vocabulary words throughout the book:
• Text Features: Have students turn to the list of Words to Know on the copyright page of the book and read
the words with a partner. Explain that these words are written in boldface print throughout the book and are
defined in the glossary. Discuss the elements of the glossary and how to use the glossary to clarify the meaning
of unknown words. Have students work with a partner to find all of the boldface words in the book and locate
their definitions in the glossary.
• Context Clues: Remind students that effective readers use context clues to help determine the meanings
of unfamiliar words. This includes looking for clues in the rest of the sentence, paragraph, photographs, and
captions in order to determine the meaning of the unknown word. Choose an unfamiliar word in boldface print
and model how to use the context of the sentence to determine the word’s meaning. Have students work in
small groups to use context clues to determine the meaning of the remaining boldface words. Then, have groups
compare their definitions with those in the glossary.
• Activity Cards: Pass out a copy of the Word Power activity card to each student. Have students fill in the card
with each word from the Words to Know list. Students can complete the entry for each word either before
reading or as they read the book. Another option is to have students use the Vocabulary Four Square activity
card for a more in-depth study of each word. Have students record the word and the glossary definition of
the word. Then ask students to draw a picture, name a synonym for the word, and use the word in a sentence.
Invite students to share their answers in small groups.

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TEACHING TIPS • GRADE 3

• Vocabulary Memory Game: Review with students the vocabulary from the Words to Know list, either before
or after reading. Divide students into pairs. Ask pairs to work together to create a memory game with their
vocabulary words and definitions. Students will write the vocabulary words on index cards, and then they will
write the definitions on separate index cards. Have students mix up the vocabulary words and definitions, and
then place all index cards face down. Have students take turns flipping over two cards at a time, trying to match
the correct vocabulary word with the correct definition. Repeat until all vocabulary words and definitions have
been matched correctly.
Take vocabulary instruction further with Vocabulary A–Z’s Pre-Made Vocabulary Lessons.

BEFORE READING
Preview the Book
• Give each student a copy of the book. Read the title with students, and have them work with a partner to
preview the photographs, maps, timelines, and other text features in the book. Have students make a prediction
about the book’s genre based on this information and share it with a partner.
• Ask students to point to the Focus Question on the title page and read it aloud. Explain that the Focus Question
provides readers a direction for their thinking while reading. Encourage students to refer to this question while
they read so they are able to use evidence from the book to answer it thoroughly when they are done reading.
• Have students turn to the back cover of the book and point out the “Connections” box. Read the information
aloud with students. Explain that these connections will help students extend their learning by offering cross-
curricular activities for those interested in learning more about the topic presented in the book.
• Ask students to think about what they already know about the topic of the book, and explain that this is called
connecting to prior knowledge. Encourage students to share any connections they made about the book with
a partner. Invite volunteers to share their connections with the rest of the class.
Ask and Answer Questions
• Remind students that engaged readers ask questions before and during reading, and then look for answers to
those questions as they read. Point out that asking and answering questions while reading helps readers better
understand and remember information from the text.
• Make a class KWLS chart on the board. Review the meaning of each section of the KWLS chart (What I Know,
What I Want to Know, What I Learned, What I Still Want to Know).
• Have students review the connections they made with the book when connecting to their prior knowledge,
and write a few connections in the What I Know section of the KWLS chart on the board. Have students use
their own KWLS Chart activity card to record their prior knowledge in the What I Know section.
• Repeat this activity with the What I Want to Know section of the KWLS chart. Have students generate questions
they would like answered from the book, and record a few of these questions on the board in the What I Want
to Know section. Then, have students record their own questions on their KWLS Chart activity card.
Main Idea and Details
• Review with students that the main idea is the general topic, or subject, of a book and that the details are the
key points that support the main idea.
• Read the title of the book, and have students look at the cover photograph. Explain that the title and cover
photograph can provide clues about a book’s main idea. Invite students to share their predictions about the main
idea for this book. Lead them to a preliminary understanding of the main idea, but remind them that they need
to read the entire book in order to have a comprehensive understanding of the main idea.
• Remind students that reading the table of contents will provide clues about the details in the book that support the
main idea. Have students read the table of contents with a partner and make predictions about the details in the book
that will support the main idea.
• Explain to students that many nonfiction texts separate information into sections, with each section also having
its own main idea and details. Copy the Main Idea and Details activity card onto the board, and fill in the names
of the sections of the book.

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TEACHING TIPS • GRADE 3

• Read the first section aloud and model for students how to determine the main idea of the first section of the
book. Write this main idea on the board under the correct section. Have students work in groups to identify
the important supporting details from that section. Invite volunteers to share a detail with the class, and record
this information on the board. Encourage students to also record this information on their Main Idea and Details
activity card.

DURING READING
Ask and Answer Questions
• Choose a question from the What I Want to Know section of the KWLS chart on the board. Model for students
how you answer that question from the first few sections of the book, and record the answer on the board in
the What I Learned section.
• Have students think about the questions they wrote on their KWLS Chart activity card before reading. Invite them
to share with a partner the answers they found to those questions while they were reading. Then, encourage
them to record their answers on their KWLS Chart activity card in the What I Learned section.
• Ask students to share with the class any new questions they generated after reading the first few sections of the
book. If they have any new questions, invite them to record them on their KWLS Chart activity card in the What
I Want to Know section, and remind them to continue looking for answers as they read.
Main Idea and Details
• Review with students the main idea and details of the first section of the book. Remind students that each
section has its own main idea.
• Have students work in groups to determine the main idea and details of the sections they have read so far, using
the Main Idea and Details activity card to record their answers. Call on groups to share their main ideas with
the class. Record the main idea of each section on the board under the correct section title.
• Invite volunteers to share a detail with the class, and have the other students identify the main idea it supports.
Record these details on the board under the correct main ideas. Discuss with students whether any of the details
are part of a cause-and-effect relationship. They can record their answers on the Cause and Effect activity card.

AFTER READING
Ask and Answer Questions
• Encourage students to complete their KWLS Chart activity card by recording their final answers in the What
I Learned section. Invite students to share answers to the questions on the board with the class, and then
ask students to circle any questions that could not be answered from the book.
• Ask students to brainstorm to generate new questions they have after reading the book and record them in
the What I Still Want to Know section. Encourage students to extend their learning by rereading the text and
investigating the answers to these questions using additional resources.
• Reinforce with students how asking and answering questions gives readers a purpose for reading and keeps
them engaged with the text.
Main Idea and Details
• Review the main idea and details from previous sections in the book. Have students work in groups to discuss
the main ideas and details of the remaining sections in the book. Remind them to record their answers on
the Main Idea and Details activity card. Have groups share their main ideas and details with the class, and
record these answers on the board under the correct section titles. Continue until all sections of the book
have been completed.
• Remind students that there is also a broader main idea encompassing the entire book. Explain that the main ideas
from each section become the details to the broader main idea of the book. Guide students to record the main
idea of each section in the outer sections of the Main Idea Web activity card.

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TEACHING TIPS • GRADE 3

• Remind students of their preliminary predictions about the main idea of the entire book. Have students work with
a partner to discuss the main idea for the entire book on the basis of the details they recorded on their Main Idea
Web activity card. Invite partners to share their ideas with the class, and lead students to a class consensus of the
main idea for the book. Ask students to record this main idea in the middle of the Main Idea Web activity card.
• Have students work with a partner to write a summary of the book, referring to the Main Idea and Details
activity card and Main Idea Web activity card as needed. Ask students to read their summary to a different
pair of students.
• Have students turn to the Focus Question on the title page. Ask students to think about the main idea and details
of this book as they discuss the answer to the Focus Question with a partner. Invite volunteers to share their answers
with the class. Remind students that the Focus Question provided direction for their thinking as they read this book.

EXTENDED LEARNING
Encourage students to be lifelong learners and promote a deeper understanding of the topic through these extension
activities:
• Complete one or more of the activities from the “Connections” box on the back of the book.
• Complete the Comprehension Quiz for the appropriate level of the book.
• Use the Discussion Cards activity card as a starter for literature circles, to guide a class review before the quiz,
or as prompts to a writing activity.
• Record questions from the What I Still Want to Know section of the KWLS Chart activity cards on the World
Leaders Research activity card. Have students conduct further research in order to answer these questions.
Have students write both their answers and their sources on their activity card.
• Pick one important event from the life of the world leader, and ask students to document that event from
the leader’s perspective using the Dear Diary activity card.
• Research the world leader’s family and create a Family Tree for that leader.

WORLD LEADERS COLLECTION

The World Leaders collection highlights different world leaders, with three leveled books delivering the same
information modified for three different levels. This allows all students the opportunity to learn about leaders
from around the world. While each leader can be studied individually, students can also read multiple books in
this collection in order to extend their learning. Use one or more of the following activities to encourage students
to synthesize the knowledge they learned from reading all the books:
• Have students choose two leaders from the collection and use the Venn Diagram activity card to compare
and contrast these leaders.
• Have students use the World Leaders Map activity card to identify the location of all the leaders from the
World Leaders collection.
• Have students complete a diary entry using the Dear Diary activity card for each leader in the collection.
Place these diary entries in chronological order and have students analyze to determine if any of the events
are connected.
• Have students choose which leader they believe to have been the most influential and write a persuasive essay
highlighting why they think that. Have students use information from the books as well as outside resources
to support their opinion.

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