Pets Fiction and Nonfiction Printable Read-aloud Unit

Help students learn beginning research skills by reading aloud fiction & nonfiction pet-themed books to your kindergarten or 1st grade elementary classes with this editable, easy-to-prep unit.

This pets-themed ​read-aloud unit includes a printable​ reading activity booklet, lesson materials, and a lesson plan for library classes on a fixed schedule. All items in the product are editable.

By reading aloud to students, you can demonstrate different strategies for reading read ​fiction and nonfiction texts. If you choose to use ebooks or an online database for the mini-research project as well, students will get some experience reading in different formats.

This unit has 24 pages and slides, and it includes:

• 8 Printable Response Activities, which are in a 12-page booklet that is printed double-sided on 3 sheets of paper:
  • Editable​ in Microsoft PowerPoint .pptx and Publisher .pub file formats
  • Easy-to-print PDF file included
  • ​Each half-page of the printable booklet includes a response activity (drawing or short writing) for one of the books.
  • ​The last few pages are a short research section for students to choose a pet to learn about and label the parts of that pet or animal.
  • ​The back page shows related ​book suggestions about pets to read or check out from the library.
• Kindergarten and 1st Grade Lesson Plan in editable Microsoft Word .docx file format, aligned to:
  • 2018 AASL National School Library Standards for Learners,
  • National Common Core ELA Standards, and
  • Pennsylvania Core Standards for English Language Arts.
• Printable QR ebook cards for students to scan and access the ebooks with instructions on how to create QR codes to access the ebook links if your library owns them.
  • The QR cards can be edited and customized in Microsoft PowerPoint according to your needs.
  • Easy-to-print PDF file included
  • ​Ebook access is NOT included. You must purchase them or borrow them from your public library’s ebook system.
• Teacher Notes and Directions (included in the preview) with printing directions to make the booklets.

After reading one of the books aloud to the class, students check out new books from the library, and then complete the response activity in the booklet. During the research classes, students independently read or listen to a pet book and label the parts of their chosen pet.

The research section of the booklet is designed to be used with interactive ebooks with read-aloud features, but you can substitute the print versions or your own informational books or online database about cats, dogs, fish, birds, guinea pigs, and hamsters​ without modifying the booklet activities.

The pet-themed books featured are:

• “The Stray Dog” ​(Caldecott Honor winner) by ​Marc Simont
• ​”They All Saw a Cat” (Caldecott Honor winner) by Brendan Wenzel
• “Oh the Pets You Can Get!” by Tish Rabe (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library)
• “Gaston” by Kelly DiPucchio (if time)

The suggested nonfiction resources for research are:

• PebbleGo Animals and/or Animales database
• “Birds,” “Cats,” “Dogs,” “Fish,” “Guinea Pigs,” and “Hamsters” by Lisa J. Amstutz​
• “Pet Cats Up Close” by Gillia M. Olson
• “Pet Dogs Up Close” by Erika L. Shores
• “Pet Guinea Pigs Up Close” by Brynn Baker
• “Pet Parrots Up Close” by Karon Dubke
• “I Want a Cat,” “I Want a Dog,” “I Want a Goldfish,” and “I Want a Hamster” by Kimberly M. Hutmacher

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Standards Addressed:

AASL National School Library Standards – See the AASL Standards Framework for Learners to view full text.

• Inquire – A.2. – B.3. – C.1.
• Collaborate – A.2. – B.1. – D.1.
• Curate – C.1.
• Explore – A.1. – C.1.
• Engage – A.1. – B.1. – B.2.

Common Core English Language Arts Standards –
© Copyright 2010 National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.K.1. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.1.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.1. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.1.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.7. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.7.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.K.8. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.8.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.2. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.2.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.5. – CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.1.5.

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© Mrs. J in the Library – By purchasing this product, you receive a one-user license. Copying or distributing to others is prohibited.  ​See our Site Terms of Use for more information. For teacher-librarians: You may use this product with all of your classes and students.

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