Lindsay Trappen

Guided Reading

From Tree to Me by Andrew Einspruch

Level 19 Purple

Text Difficulty:
From Tree to Me, by Andrew Einspruch, offers text features that would be
appropriate for 3rd grade students. The text is specific to a topic, but is not a length
that would be too challenging for this age group. The text includes vocabulary that
is represented with bold print and that would need to be introduced to the students.
This will be the focus of my guided reading. The pictures that are included in the
book are literal to the text, and add simplicity to the reading. In addition to the
pictures, there are captions that explain what the picture is showing. The
organization of the text provides an easy read for the students. It is broken up into
two main parts: a procedural step on the left-hand page, and a Job Log on the
right-hand page. While also using context clues, students will use the pictures and
structure to help answer questions about the words in the text.
Objective: Students will be able to develop definitions of vocabulary through
evaluation of context clues, pictures, and book structure.
Standard:

RI.3.5: Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars,
hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.
RI.3.IA.1: Employ the full range of research-based comprehension strategies,
including making connections, determining importance, questioning,
visualizing, making inferences, summarizing, and monitoring for
comprehension.

Materials:
From Tree to Me by Andrew Einspruch
Procedure:
Before Reading
1. Introduce the title, From Tree to Me, to students.
2. Have the students look at the cover. What do you think the book will be
about based on the cover?
3. Have the students take time to look through the book to see what they
notice.
4. After students look through the book, ask them what stands out to them.
What do they notice about the structure, pictures, words, etc.?

5. Have the students look at the right side pages as they flip through the book.
What could the way they are displayed be saying about the text? Emphasize
that each page has, Job Log, in the title. What can we infer all of the job
logs will be telling us?
6. Ask the students what they noticed about the words on each page. What do
we know about words that are bolded in books? What are some strategies we
can use when we come to these words while we are reading?
7. Have the students look at page 14, and the word, instrument, in the title.
Before reading the word, ask the students what they think this page is about
based on the pictures. Once they identify that it is musical instruments,
pronounce the word.
8. Direct the students to the word, guitar, on the same page. Based on the
pictures, what instrument does this word look like it could be?
9. Help the students pronounce the word luthier before beginning to read. (lootear)
During Reading
1. Have the students begin reading the book- from the beginning- on their own.
2. Check in with students after page 4. Using the vocabulary word, timber
workers, ask the students what they have learned about the job based on
the words and pictures on the pages 4 and 5. What can we infer about timber
workers based on the information that is given?
3. After students finish page 9, have students make predictions about the word,
sawmill. Help students come to that conclusion that even though the page
does not tell us exactly what a sawmill is, we can create definitions based on
the information that is given. Have students continue reading to see if their
predictions were correct.
4. When students get to page 8, ask them where they think the picture was
taken. Have a discussion about why it is not in Iowa.
5. Periodically throughout the reading, ask individual students questions about
the bolded word(s) on their pages. Ask, how did the pictures or text help you
define the word?
After Reading
1. Direct the students to the back of the book, where the glossary shows the
new vocabulary. Ask, What do you see on this page, and, How could this
page be helpful to us?
2. Explain that we will be using this page to create a vocabulary help sheet of
their own.
3. In their writers notebook, students will use one of the vocabulary words from
the glossary to create a vocabulary help sheet. In their notebooks, they will
write a sentence incorporating their vocabulary word, as well as drawing a
picture that will help explain what the word means.
Evaluation:

To gauge students understanding, I would collect their writers notebooks and

evaluate their vocabulary help sheet. Students should have created a sentence
that makes sense with their vocabulary word, as well as drawn a picture that
pertains to the word.