Teachers College Reading and Writing Project

SESSION AGENDA
Fiction 5 minutes Connect with the Student

Reading 15 minutes Comprehension

› Introduce Mystery of the
Module II Missing Luck, focusing on the
Session 1 book introduction and text
orientation
› Read aloud Chapter 1
GETTING READY FOCUS SKILLS › Student will independently
YOU’LL NEED ORIENTING read and discuss chapter 2
A copy of Mystery of the Missing getting ready to read a new book 10 minutes Fluency
Luck by Jacqueline Pearce on by previewing the text
› Reading with expression
Epic
VOCABULARY 5 minutes Closure
To prepare cards or sticky notes
with the following words: introducing a few words that are › In between now and next time,
essential for talking about fiction the student will read chapter 3
› Character books
› Setting
› Plot
› Problem
› Resolution

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FICTION READING, MODULE II, SESSION 1

Before teaching this session, you should know…

That you’ll be introducing a book to your student, supporting a major reading skill—orienting to
text, and introducing key story vocabulary. Here’s what that means.
Introducing a new series and book
Much like we introduce one friend to another friend that you hope will get along, you will be
introducing your student to this new book. You will want to be upbeat and highlight the most
important things you know about the text and connect it to what you know about your student.
Orienting to text
This is a fancy way of saying, ‘Get ready to read!’ It’s what you do when you look at the cover and
read the back blurb and the table of contents of a book to start thinking about what will happen,
similar to watching a movie trailer. You can always do this with the student as you read new books
with them. With the student, you’ll call this ‘taking a sneak peek.’
Introducing key story vocabulary
When you start a new module with a student, you will want to make sure your student is familiar
with the vocabulary words you will be using a lot. Today you will make sure your student knows
what those words mean, reviewing familiar words with them and explaining ones that could be
new.

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FICTION READING, MODULE II, SESSION 1

Connect With The Student

Check in with the reader to see how their day is going.
“Hi my friend! I am so delighted to see you today and get the chance to read together. How’s
your day going so far? What’s one thing you’ve done today that you enjoyed? That sounds
great. Are you ready to dive in and do some reading work together? Me too!”

Encourage the reader to think about a movie or TV preview they watched that set
them up with key information about the characters, problem, and setting.
“Do you like to go to the movies or watch TV? Me too! The other day I was watching TV and
I saw a preview for a new movie coming out. As I was watching, I learned so much about what
the movie was going to be about. The preview gave a sneak peek including who the characters
were, what the problem was, and where all the action was taking place. I was totally hooked! It
didn’t tell me everything about the movie, but it gave me a lot of background information. Can
you think of a preview you’ve seen where you learned a lot about what the movie was going to
be about?”
“Previews are not only a great way to hook someone and make them want to go watch the
movie, but they’re also a chance to set the viewer up with the most important information that
will help them understand the movie when they watch it.”

Comprehension
Introduce the focus for this session: readers can orient to a text using the front
cover, back blurb, the table of contents or chapter titles, and by scanning the
pictures (if there are any).
“The work that you do when you watch a movie preview is the same work that readers do all
the time! As a reader, whenever you start a book it helps to take a sneak peek, or preview it by

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FICTION READING, MODULE II, SESSION 1

looking at the front cover, the back blurb, the table of contents and by scanning the pictures (if
there are any). This way, when you start reading, you’ll already know some critical information
about the story.”

Give a brief book buzz to the reader to get them excited for the new text they are
about to read, showing the front cover as you share.
“I am delighted to introduce you to the first book we are going to read together! This book is PRO TIP
called Mystery of the Missing Luck by Jacqueline Pearce. I don’t want to give too much away, but
If you’re unsure of how
it’s a page-turning mystery about an important object that goes missing. The story takes place
to pronounce any of the
in a Japanese bakery. Do you know any Japanese?”
Japanese words , please
If the child says yes, you might say, “You do! Will you help me learn how to pronounce some of the click the following LINK.
Japanese words that we might come to.”
If the child does not speak Japanese, and you don’t either, you might say, ‘I don’t speak Japanese
either. The author realizes that some of the Japanese words might be new for us, so she explains
what they mean after each word. ”

Ask the reader to orient to their new text, Mystery of the Missing Luck, starting
with the front cover and blurb.
“Before jumping in to read today, let’s spend a few minutes trying this with Mystery of the
Missing Luck. Let’s take a sneak peek, or preview the text by looking at the front cover, the blurb,
the table of contents, and some of the pictures to see what we can learn.”
Use the magnifying glass to zoom in on the front cover.
“First, go ahead and take a look at the front cover and blurb next to it. On Epic, the blurb is
right next to the cover on the left. In other paperback books, the back cover usually has a blurb
that gives more information about the story. What are you learning about the characters, the
problem, and where the book takes place from looking at the title and the picture and reading
the burb?”

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FICTION READING, MODULE II, SESSION 1

Listen to the reader’s response. Add in additional ideas if their response is brief.

THE READER MIGHT MENTION:

› The main character is a girl named Sara
› She’s outside of a shop with the words “Sakura Bakery” on it.
› There’s a cat in the window and some pastries
› The bakery’s lucky cat statue will go missing!
› Sara is holding “missing” posters, so she will probably try to find it
“So just based on the cover and blurb, we already know a little bit about the main character and
what the possible problem might be in the story. We’ve also learned that Sara goes to a ‘Sakura
Bakery.’ Sakura means cherry blossoms, or cherry tree in Japanese, so it’s probably a Japanese
bakery.”

Finally, guide the reader to look at the chapter titles and scan the pictures.
“Now that you’ve looked at the front cover and blurb, you’re ready to open the book! It can
help to take a sneak peek of the chapter titles (either in the table of contents or by flipping
through the pages) and the pictures to think about what additional information you can add to
the ideas you’ve grown about what might happen in this story.”
Listen to the reader’s response. Add in additional ideas if their response is brief.

THE READER MIGHT MENTION:

› Chapter 1 is called “Missing.” It sounds like we will learn the problem right away
› It seems like the main character will go looking for whatever went missing but not find it
› Her friend Jake might help her
› Then they’ll make a plan

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FICTION READING, MODULE II, SESSION 1

“Wow, do you realize what you just did? You learned so much about how this story might
go—who the characters are, what the problem(s) might be—before you even began reading!
Remember, that whenever you start a new book, orienting to the text, or taking a sneak peek,
will give you lots of important information that will help you as you read.”

Set the student up to listen to you read, and then read aloud chapter 1, from p. 1-4,
all the while thinking about how the ideas from your sneak peek are confirmed,
added on to, or revised.
PRO TIP
React naturally as you
“Okay, let’s get ready to read together. Today we are going to read chapter 1. I’m going to read read aloud. Gasp,
aloud the start to you, and I want you to really listen closely. We can talk about any questions raise your eyebrows,
you have as we go, and ideas you’re having about what’s happening so far and how it fits or laugh. Even make side
doesn’t fit with what you were expecting.” comments (“Wow”;
“What?!.”)
AS YOU READ, YOU MIGHT PAUSE WHEN YOU NOTICE YOUR STUDENT REACTING, OR
AT PARTS THAT SEEM LIKE GOOD PARTS TO CLARIFY TO ASK THINGS LIKE:
› “Tell me what you’re picturing right here...”
› “We just learned a lot. Let’s make sure we understand what just happened?”
› “That just taught us something about Sara. What did you learn right there?”

After reading, have a conversation about the first chapter. Begin by asking open-
ended questions and then ask questions about the most important thing(s) that
have happened so far.
“So, talk to me about the big things that happened in the story so far.”

AS THE CHILD TALKS, YOU MIGHT ASK THINGS LIKE:

› “What’s the big thing happening in this chapter? How do you know?”
› “How does that fit with our sneak peek?”

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FICTION READING, MODULE II, SESSION 1

IN CHAPTER 1, HERE ARE SOME OF THE MAJOR THINGS THAT

YOU’D WANT THE STUDENT TO GRASP:
NSIV E!
E S P O
› We meet Sara, our main character and her grandmother, Obaachan B ER
› Sara goes to her grandmother’s bakery every day after school If you notice... Then you might...
› There is a lucky cat, Maneki Neko, that is always in the bakery the student says things Compliment the student and
window, but today the cat isn’t there that are approximately fill in further detail, if needed.
close to these points (“100% right that Maneki Neko
› The cat statue used to bring the bakery good luck
usually sits on the bakery window.
› Obaachan has been forgetful lately But this time, he’s not there.”)
› At the end of the chapter, Sara vows to find the cat the student does not Compliment the student on his
Ask the student to read chapter 2 independently. grasp the above points or her work and plan to reread
this first chapter aloud together
You can suggest they read part of it out loud or all of it silently. again the next session (or if
Encourage them to pause and ask questions or make comments to you you have time today), pausing
as you two read at the same time. throughout and talking about it
“Let’s read chapter 2. Would you like to read it from my screen or as you go.
would you like to read your own copy?” (“You are working really hard at
this. I feel like this first chapter was
If the student says they would like to read it from your screen, be sure to
a bit tricky. It had a lot of events
let the student know they will need to tell you when to turn the page.
and details right in a row, giving us
“As you read, I’ll read too. So, when you come to a part you have a bunch of information. I feel like
questions about or want to make a comment, please do. After you I might have missed some things.
are done reading, we will talk a bit about it. Would you like to read Let’s read it again together.”)
silently or out loud?” Consider whether the child
needs to return to a more
After the student is finished reading, ask the student to share
accessible module.
what they read, and whether or not it matched what they
thought would happen from their sneak peek.

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FICTION READING, MODULE II, SESSION 1

“Well - how did it go? Can you summarize what you read and tell me which parts matched up
with what you thought was going to happen and what was a surprise?”

AS THE STUDENT SPEAKS, SOME THINGS THEY MIGHT MENTION:

› Regular customers come into the bakery, but no new customers have been coming
› Sara is concerned that no new customers are coming in
› Sara is worried about finding Maneki Neko IMPORTANT NOTE
If the student is very frustrated
› Sara searches everywhere in the bakery but there is no sign of the cat
while reading and making many
› Obaaachan tells Sara the cat will turn up and smiles errors, this book might be too
difficult at this point.
Set the student up for reading more before your next meeting.
Take over the reading and set aside
“So we learned a lot in just those two chapters. And I think we both have a pretty good sense the book. Plan to choose a more
of what is happening. Why don’t we both plan to read chapter 3 – p. 10-13 - before we meet accessible book for next time.
again? I bet we’ll learn a lot more about Sara and the problem in the story, and we’ll have a
pretty good sense of how this book will go.”
PRO TIP
Notice when the student had their
Vocabulary ideas confirmed and when they
were surprised.
Explain that to talk, read, and think like experts, fiction readers often use certain For example, your student might
buzz words like character, setting, plot, problem, and resolution. not be surprised that Sara is
Share an example. worried about finding Maneki
Neko, but they might be surprised
“As you begin your reading journey, it’s helpful to talk, read, think, and write like a fiction that the bakery is not getting any
expert. One way to do that is to use precise language when talking about the elements of your new customers.
story. Let me show you a few words, and we can try it together.”

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FICTION READING, MODULE II, SESSION 1

Display the words below on sticky notes or cards:

› Characters: The people the story is about. Sara, Obaachan
› Setting: Where and when the story takes place. At the bakery
Characters
› Plot: The main events in a story and the order that they go in. First, Sara visits
her grandmother’s bakery. Then, she realizes Maneki Neko is missing.
› Problem: Trouble the character faces, or the thing they are trying to solve. Settings
Maneki Neko is missing.
› Resolution: The end of a story, or the end of one of the conflicts in a story.
Not always happy.
“Using these fiction buzz words will help you talk, think, read, and write
about your book. Let’s try an example together. Imagine we wanted to talk
about the people in Mystery of the Missing Luck. I could say something like, ‘In Plot
the story, the characters are Sara, Obaachan, and Jake.’ ”
“Do you see how I’m using that buzz word to name the story element—the Problem
characters in the book?”

Channel the reader to use another fiction buzz word of their choice.
“Now let’s try it with another fiction buzz word. Which buzz word do you
want to try? And remember, you might know some of these words well and
have used them a lot, and others might be new to you.
Coach the reader as they try out additional buzz words. As the student shares, Resolution
sort the cards into words they know well and words you might need to teach into
more.

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FICTION READING, MODULE II, SESSION 1

Closure
Wrap up the session. Help the reader feel good about today’s work. Talk about
when you’ll meet next.
Remind the reader of the work they did today to begin this book and series.
“You worked so hard to get ready to read by taking a sneak peek and orienting to the text. And
then, you began reading, noticing how the book confirmed, added to, or made you revise your
PRO TIP
ideas. You even thought about how those important things fit with our sneak peek! You also There isn’t one right way for
practiced using fiction buzz words, growing your understanding of how stories tend to go even the students to talk about
more. Keep it up! If you read any other books before I see you next, you could try to do those the words or use examples
things with another book, too. Will you? If you do, let me know how it goes next time I see you. from the book to discuss.
The important thing is talking
Compliment the reader on their work, effort, and growth. about the words and their
shades of meaning, as this
“Awesome work today. I love getting to meet with you. I can’t wait till we read again together.
conversation can help cement
You’ve helped me to think more about this book!”
the word’s meaning for the
“You worked really hard today. You should be really proud of yourself.” student.

Ask if the student has questions. Answer any you can, or let them know you will get You’ll want to push yourself
to use these words in later
back to them. sessions and make a big deal
“You can always let me know if there is anything that is confusing about our work or if you have out of it whenever you hear
any questions at all. I’m happy to answer or to help you to figure it out.” your reader using the words!

Remind the student of the reading they should do before you next meet. Let the
reader know the next time you’ll meet.
“Remember we are going to read chapter 3 on our own and then talk about it when we next
meet. No reading ahead! No spoilers! Our next meeting will be…”

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