Book Features and Author's Reasons
Identify front cover, back cover, and title page of a book; identify the reasons an author gives to support points in informational text
What a learner can do afterwards
- Point to and name parts of a book (front cover, back cover, title page)
- Use the title page to find the title, author, and illustrator
- Identify a reason the author gives for a claim in a simple non-fiction text
1 · Read
You already know a book is read from the front to the back. A book has parts that help you. The front cover is the part you see first. The back cover is the part you see last. Open the front cover and the title page is one of the first pages inside.
The front cover shows the title and a picture. The picture gives you a clue about the story. The title page shows the title again, with the names of the people who made the book. The back cover often has a few sentences about the story. Those sentences are called a blurb.
Leo picks a book. He looks at the title page. He finds the title, the author who wrote the words, and the illustrator who drew the pictures.
Some books tell true facts. These books are called non-fiction. The author often gives a reason for a fact. Look for the word because.
Not every reason uses the word because. The word so can point to a reason too. Sometimes the reason is just the next sentence. And because can start a sentence, with the reason right after it.
When you read a reason, ask why. The word because often points to the reason.
Find the front cover, back cover, and title page. Look for the reason after the word because. A reason can hide with no because at all.
More to read
Explaining a text's reasons and evidence | Guided practice
Writers want you to believe their ideas. An idea a writer wants to prove is called a point. Writers give reasons to help you believe. A reason tells why the writer thinks something. Writers also give evidence. Evidence is facts, numbers, or true stories that back up the reason. A writer says, 'Dogs are great pets.' That is the point. Then the writer says, 'Dogs love to play with you.' That is the reason. Then the writer says, 'My dog wags her tail and brings me her ball every day.' That is evidence. When you read, look for the point. Then look for the reasons. Then look for the evidence.
Become a stronger reader: Scan text features
Books have special parts that help you read. Before you read, look through the book. Find the front cover. It shows the title and a picture. Find the title page inside. It tells the title, the author, and the illustrator. Some books have a table of contents. It lists the parts of the book. Some books have headings, photos, and diagrams. Look at these parts first. They tell you what the book is about. Then, as you read, keep looking at them.
2 · Watch
En anglaisTake it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
This opens up
Where this leads
24 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.