It’s important to check for understanding, or monitor, as you read. If something doesn’t make sense, you need to clarify. This means to try to fix up what you don’t understand.

Read the chart at left and think about the four things you can do if you do not understand what you are reading:

• Reread the part of the text you do not understand.
• Use what you already know about the topic to connect to the text, or build background knowledge.
• Look for clues you see in the text and ask questions about what you don’t understand.

There are different kinds of visual clues you should look for. In literary texts, you can look at illustrations and in informational texts, you can look at headings, photographs, and captions.

Read Aloud: Student Instructions

To practice monitoring and clarifying, read the story titled Spoon (in your online textbook, click Module 1, then click the Contents menu at the top left of your browser, and click the book title).

Before you begin, PREVIEW the text and PREDICT what the text will be about. You may write your prediction down (optional). As you read the story, you can then confirm or reject your prediction.

Read Aloud Steps

• Step 1: Read each question aloud. Pause after each of the page numbers to think about your answer.
• Step 2: Answer the questions aloud with someone. You do not need to write or turn in the answers for this section.

Parent/Guardian: Check the student's responses with the answer key

, Reading: Monitor and Clarify (1.2.2).

1. p. 42: What do you notice about Spoon from the picture on this page?
2. p. 43: What is Spoon’s family like?
3. p. 46:
1. What does “a bit out of shape” mean?
2. Why does the author use “blue” and “a bit out of shape”?
4. p. 47:
1. Why does Spoon think Knife is lucky?
2. How do the pictures help you understand what Knife gets to do?
5. p. 49:
1. How do the pictures help you understand what Spoon means when he says “Fork gets to go everywhere”?
2. Why does Spoon’s mom say Fork is useful?
6. p. 53: Why can’t chopsticks function apart?
7. p. 55:
1. How does the picture help you understand what “diving headfirst” means?
2. Do you think Spoon is lucky because he can do this? Why or why not?
8. p. 56: How do the pictures help you understand what Spoon can do?
9. p. 57:
1. How does Spoon’s mood change from the beginning to the end of the story?
2. What problem does Spoon have now?

Once you have completed reading the story, answer the following questions aloud to someone.

1. What did you do when you came to a part of the text you didn’t understand? Tell how it did or did not help you.
2. Which details in the words and pictures help you understand why Spoon feels better at the end?
3. What does this story teach you about being yourself?