Grades K–2 Common Core ELA Standards – Informational Text with Question Stems and Prompts1
Anchor Standard: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or
speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
RI K.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer RI 1.1 Ask and answer questions about key details
RI 2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what,
questions about key details in a text
in a text.
where, when, why, and how to demonstrate
understanding of key details in a text.
What do you think was the most important thing
What is this story about?
Asking yourself questions that will help you
you learned?
How do we know___?
understand the story like: Who is this story about?
Can you ask your partner to tell you what happened What is the most important idea or part of this
Where did it take place? What is happening now?
when …
text?
Why do you think the author included that detail?
After modeling: Can you ask your partner how …?
What can we learn from this book?
Where in the passage did you find that key detail?
What details are the most important to the story?
What details help us know how _____ does _____? How do you know that is a key detail?
Where can we find _____?
What details are important in order to tell the
What details were important?
story?
What events happened first, second, third?
How do the key details make a difference at the
Can you identify the main event?
end of the story?
How do you know this is the main event?
Anchor Standard: Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
RI K.2 With prompting and support, ask and answer RI 1.2 Identify the main topic, and retell key details RI 2.2 Identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph
questions about key details in a text.
in a text.
text as well as the focus of specific paragraphs
within the text.
What was this book/page about
Tell me what we can learn about from this text?
What is the main idea of this text?
Can you tell me what you learned?
What is this book mostly about? How do you know? What is the topic sentence in this paragraph?
Can you tell me what came first?
What are the important details about _____in the
What additional details does the author give us in
Which sentence tells what this was mostly about?
text?
this paragraph that helps us understand the main
What is the main topic of the text?
Can you retell the story to a friend?
topic?
Can you tell me some key details of the story?
What were the important details that your partner
Construct the main ideas of multiple paragraphs in
needs to know?
a text
Is there a map or graphic organizer you can use to
keep track of the main ideas of each paragraph?
List some of the supporting details in found in this
1
Adapted from the Tulare County Office of Education’s CCSS ELA Bookmarks, available: http://www.tcoe.org/ERS/CCSS/ELA/Resources.shtm
multi-paragraph text.
What is the focus of this paragraph?
Anchor Standard: Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
RI K.3 With prompting and support, describe the
RI 1.3 Describe the connection between two
RI 2.3 Analyze how a text makes connections
connection between two individuals, events, ideas, individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information
Describe the connection between a series of
or pieces of information in a text.
in a text.
historical events, scientific
ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures
in a text.
How are ________ and __________ connected to
What can we learn for this text?
How did inventing ________ change history?
each other?
How are _______ and _______ connected in this
How did the life of (historical figure) effect people
What was his/her idea?
text?
today?
What caused this to happen?
Do these illustrations/graphics/pictures give you a
Which step would you do first? Which would you
Support your answer with events from the text
hint to what will happen next? How do you know?
do last?
What did they do to make this happen
What are the main events in the text?
How has this __________ changed over time?
Can you tell what happened after …?
What happened first, next, last?
Show me how scientific ideas or concepts are the
What information is most important?
What caused ___ to happen?
same and how they are different?
How do you know? What information tells ______? Using a timeline sequence the historical events
Compare the historical events to your present life.
What did the characters in the text do next?
What details in the story give you information
Is the past important? What can we learn from the
past?
about the characters?
Why is it important to do step 1 in a technical
procedure before step 3?
What do you think would happen if you did not
follow the steps in order?
Anchor Standard: Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze
how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
RI K.4 With prompting and support, ask and answer RI 1.4 Ask and answer questions to help determine RI 2.4 Determine the meanings of words and
questions about unknown words in a text. (See
or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a
phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or
grade K Language Standards 4-6 for additional
text. (See grade 1 Language standards 4-6 for
subject area.(See grade 2 Language standards 4-6
expectations.)
additional expectations.)
for additional expectations.)
Do you know something about that word that will
What can you do when you get to word you don’t
Explain and/or demonstrate how to look up words
help you?
know?
in a dictionary using the first two letters of a word
Can you get your mouth ready to say the first
Is this a word/phrase you know, have heard?
What will you do if you come to a word you don’t
sound?
What can you do when you get to an unknown
know?
What can you do to get help?
word?
Remember to look at our poster if you need help
Is there someone you can ask who might be able to What can you do to help yourself?
understanding a word.
help you?
Is there something in the picture that can help you
figure out what the word is?
Look at the picture, graphic, illustration; is there
something there to help you figure out what the
word is?
Re-read the sentence, do the other words help you
understand?
What strategies can you use to help find out what a
word means?
How does the particular meaning of the same word
change in different contexts?
Explain the meaning of the word that includes a
prefix or suffix from the text.
Did you try using the computer’s dictionary to find
the meaning of the word?
Anchor Standard: Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraph, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene or
stanza) relate to each other and the whole.
RI K.5 Identify the front cover, back cover, and title RI 1.5 Know and use various text structures (e.g.,
RI 2.5 Know and use various text features (e.g.,
page of a book.
sequence) and text features (e.g., headings, tables
captions, bold print,
of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to
subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus,
locate key facts or information in a text.
icons) to locate key facts or
information in a text efficiently.
Show me the…
Can you identify the different parts of this book?
Can you find_______ feature in the text?
Identify the …
Can you explain how the different parts are used?
Open you book. Find the index, glossary, a heading.
Open your book to the title page.
If you wanted to find the meaning of a word in this
Put your finger on the word that is bolded.
How would you hold this book to read it to the
book where would you look?
Are there any words that are written in bold print?
class?
Look in the table of contents and find the page
Why do you think the author wrote that word in
Can you identify the different parts of this book?
number for ___________________?
bold?
Where would you find a glossary or index in your
book?
Retell key facts from text.
Under the subheading of_______, find a key fact.
Why are icons important and how do they help us
locate key facts?
On the computer can you find the icon that means
undo, save, Internet Explorer?
I will show you some icons you tell me what they
mean.
Anchor Standard: Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.
RI K.6 Name the author and illustrator of a text and RI 1.6 Distinguish between information provided by RI 2.6 Identify the main purpose of a text, including
define the role of each in presenting the ideas or
pictures or other illustrations and information
what the author wants to answer, explain, or
information in a text.
provided by the words in a text.
describe.
Point to the name of the …
What does the author do?
What is the author’s intent in this text?
Show me the name of …
Identify the …
What does the author do?
What does the illustrator do?
What is the author telling us?
How do the pictures/illustrations help us learn
about…
What does the illustration do?
Do you think they would work together on a book?
Why would a book need an illustrator and an
author?
What do the illustrations tell us about the words?
What do the words tell us about the illustrations?
What does the author explain or describe in this
passage?
Describe the information the author gives you in
the text.
After reading the text, what information did the
author describe to you? Summarize the author’s
intent.
Determine the author’s _______(description,
explanation) from the text.
In the text we just read is the author trying to
explain, describe or answer something. What
makes you think that?
Anchor Standard: Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
RI K.7 With prompting and support, describe the
RI 1.7 Use the illustrations and details in a text to
RI 2.7 Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram
relationship between illustrations and the text in
describe its key ideas.
showing how a machine works) contribute to and
which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing,
clarify a text.
or idea in the text an illustration depicts).
What can you learn from the illustrations?
What can you learn from the illustrations?
How does reading the chart, diagram help you
What do you think the writer is trying to say? What What do you think the writer is trying to say? What
understand what the author is trying to say?
in the picture helps you think that?
in the picture helps you think that?
What information did you gather from that
Why do you think the illustrator put in that picture? Why do you think the illustrator put in that picture? _______ diagram that aided your understanding?
Does the illustration match what the writer is trying > Does the illustration match what the writer is
Restate the important facts from the chart or graph
to say?
trying to say?
using the ________.
Do you think the story and the picture are
Do you think the story and the picture are
What examples can you find to ________?
connected?
connected?
What conclusions can you draw______?
Describe how the picture helps you understand
Describe how the picture helps you understand
How can you make use of these facts and graphs?
what the author has written
what the author has written.
Anchor Standard: Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and
sufficiency of the evidence.
RI K.8 With prompting and support, identify the
RI 1.8 Identify the reasons an author gives to
RI 2.8 Describe how reasons support specific points
reasons an author gives to
support points in a text.
the author makes in a text.
support points in a text.
What does the writer think about this problem?
What does the writer think about this problem?
What does the writer think about the problem?
Why do you think the author wrote that?
Why do you think the author wrote that?
Explain in your own words the reasons that support
Were there any reasons why you think the author
Were there any reasons why you think the author
the author’s main purpose.
like …
like…?
Why do you think the author wrote that?
What in the writing made you think that?
What in the writing made you think that?
What details did the author use to support his/her
What were the reasons the author wrote this
main purpose?
piece?
Did the author justify his/her ideas?
How and where did the author support his
Why did the author write this piece?
reasoning?
What important points does the author make?
Anchor Standard: Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
RI K.9 With prompting and support, identify basic
RI 1.9 Identify basic similarities in and differences
RI 2.9 Compare and contrast the most important
similarities in and differences between two texts on between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in
points presented by two texts on the same topic.
the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
procedures).
Can you tell me what this text is about?
What can we learn from this text?
What is the text about?
Can you tell me how this picture is the same as this We read two books, what is different about them?
What are the key details
one?
What is the same?
Read both texts. What is the difference between
We read two books, what was different about
Can you fill in the Thinking Map showing the
them? (contrast)
them?
similarities and differences of the two texts?
How are the two pieces a like? (compare)
We are going to compare these two books. How
Do both books have illustrations? How were they
Can you fill in the Thinking Map showing the
were they the same?
used in both books?
similarities and differences between the two texts?
We are going to fill in this chart; can you tell me
What did the illustrations in the books tell you?
How were the illustrations used in both books?
how the two texts we read were different?
What did the illustration in the books tell you?
What happened first? What happened next? Was
Can you tell your partner what is the
this the same order as what we read in the other
same/different about what you are reading?
book?
Anchor Standard: Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
RI K.10 Actively engage in group reading activities
RI 1.10 With prompting and support, read
RI 2.10 By the end of the year, read and
with purpose and understanding.
informational texts appropriately complex for grade comprehend informational texts, including
a. Activate prior knowledge related to the
1.
history/social studies, science, and technical texts,
information and events in texts.
a. Activate prior knowledge related to the
in the grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently,
b. Use illustrations and content to make predictions information and events in texts.
with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the
about text.
b. Confirm predictions about what will happen next range.
in text
Remember to work together so that you can…
Talk to your partner about______________.
Do you have any questions about what you are
Everyone needs to help.
Help your partner. . . . .
reading?
Talk to your partner about…
Everyone needs to take a turn talking about what is If you don’t understand, who can you ask to help
Help your partner…
happening on the page in the book.
you?
Everyone needs to take a turn talking about what is What do you think will happen next?
Did you use the illustrations/graphics to help you
happening on the page, in the book…
What clues gave you that idea?
What does your partner think?
understand?
Point to a textual feature – Why do you think the
author included it?
What graphics help you the most?
How is the informational text different from
______?
You might want to read this book about
__________. It has a lot of useful information.