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Welcome to our Step into Reading Teacher Web Site! The Step into Reading leveled series includes age-appropriate font and decodable text— perfect for guided reading or any reading program! Promoting fluency and providing quality content, Step into Reading hits curricular topics and is perfect for integrating science, social studies, and even math. Step into Reading offers fiction and nonfiction favorites, and includes popular characters such as Disney Princess and
Barbie™, who will excite even your most
reluctant readers.

Check out our What’s New section for featured books by level and classroom activities. We hope Step into Reading brings you one step closer to fostering your students into life long readers. Enjoy and please feel free to share any of your Step into Reading success stories!

WHAT'S NEW!

STEP 1: READY TO READ Preschool–Kindergarten Big type and easy words Rhyme and rhythm Picture clues For children who know the alphabet and are eager to begin reading.

Corn Aplenty by Dana Meachen Rau Illustrated by Melissa Iwai 978-0-375-85575-7

Activities:
After reading Corn Aplenty, discuss with your students the difference between fruits and vegetables. Which ones grow in trees and which ones grow in the ground? Have students pretend they are the farmer—what fruit, vegetable, or plant would they like to grow? Write a couple of their suggestions on the board. For each suggestion, ask students to help come up with a list of words associated with that crop and write them on the board. Which words are descriptive and which words are verbs or nouns? Next, ask students to help you create another list of all of the supplies they will need to grow their crop and keep them healthy.

As a follow-up, provide art supplies for students to create a picture of their ultimate farm. Where will the crops grow? Is there a barn or a house on the farm? Allow students to decorate their picture with cutouts from magazines, newspapers, and articles.

STEP 2: READING WITH HELP Preschool–Grade 1 Basic vocabulary Short sentences Simple stories For children who recognize familiar words and sound out new words with help.

Monster Parade by Shana Corey Illustrated by Will Terry 978-0-375-85638-9

Activities:
After reading Monster Parade, have students come up with a list of other holidays that they celebrate. Discuss the common ways in which these holidays are celebrated. Is there one right way to celebrate a holiday or many different ways? Invite students to give personal examples of a special tradition or activity they like to do to celebrate their favorite holiday. Next, ask students to make a list of all of the pairs of rhyming words in Monster Parade. Challenge them to each create their own rhyming poem about a favorite holiday. Host a poetry reading in which every student can read their poem aloud to the class.

Since food plays a role in celebrating Halloween in Monster Parade, ask students to bring in a dish or snack related to their favorite holiday. Host a grand feast in the classroom and encourage students to come up with a name for this multi-holiday celebration.

STEP 3: READING ON YOUR OWN Grades 1–3 Longer sentences Engaging characters Easy-to-follow plots For children who are ready to read on their own.

Amazing Armadillos by Jennifer Mckerley Illustrated by Paul Mirocha 978-0-375-84352-5

Activities:
Before reading Amazing Armadillos, have students create a KWL chart with three columns labeled Know, Want to Know, and Learned. Students should fill out the first two columns before reading and the last column afterwards. The “know” section accesses their prior knowledge, the “want” section helps create a purpose for their reading and the “learned” section will assess their comprehension after reading Amazing Armadillos. Their finished KWL chart should include information about the armadillo’s habitat, size, food requirements, and enemies.

Next, have students come up with a KWL chart for an animal they would like to learn more about. Give students access to kid-friendly Web sites, books, and articles on a variety of different animals. Once each student has filled in his/her chart with five new facts about the animal, have him/her share the findings with the class.

STEP 4: READING PARAGRAPHS Grades 2–3 More challenging vocabulary Short paragraphs Exciting stories For newly independent readers who read simple sentences with confidence.

Escape North! The Story of Harriet Tubman by Monica Kulling Illustrated by Teresa Flavin 978-0-375-80154-9

Activities:
Have students fill out a graph for the events in Escape North! List major events in the story and then rate their importance. They can use five for the highest and one for the lowest.

Challenge students to write a diary entry from Harriet Tubman’s perspective. Be sure that students include details about the time and setting in which her story takes place. Encourage them to imagine what her emotional and mental state must have been like before, during, and after her escape north.

STEP 5: READY FOR CHAPTERS Grades 2–4 Chapters Long paragraphs Full color art For children who want to take the plunge into chapter books, but still like colorful pictures.

Baseball’s Greatest Hitters by S. A. Kramer Illustrated by Jim Campbell 978-0-375-80583-7

Activities:
Working in pairs, have students locate and copy a list of all the verbs on pages 1–3 of Baseball’s Greatest Hitters. Then sort the list into active verbs or passive verbs. Discuss which ones create a picture in the reader’s mind. Which verbs should writers try to use more often? Why?

Baseball is filled with mathematics. Have students find out what creates a player’s average and how it is calculated. Share the baseball statistics in a newspaper and ask students the following questions: which player had the best game? How do you know? Which team has the best overall average?

Activities prepared by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, a reading specialist and author of Reaching for Sun.