Guided Reading Level I - The Big Blue Ice (with Lesson Plan)

This Guided Reading Book - The Big Blue Ice (Level I) with lesson plan includes:

Guided Reading Color Label (front cover x1)

• This is a quick way to match the book’s demands to what students can generally handle..

• The overall goal is to use the level/color to pick books for several smaller groups. To qualify for a certain level, a student is expected to read a book from that level with about 90–94% accuracy.

• If a student is consistently accurate and understands, move up a level. If the student is struggling at that level, drop down and add more support.

• Each student will improve at completely different rates, but it is generally one of the best ways to check progress across the class.

DOWNLOAD THE CATALOG TO VIEW ALL GUIDED READING BOOKS AVAILABLE (SORTED LEVELS A-Z)

Pre-Reading Question (x1)

• Teacher asks the prompt aloud, can be while showing the cover or first page.

• Students share what they already know, or make educated guesses from the cover. Prompt them to use the target vocabulary.

• Write some of their responses on the board to look back at during the reading.

Vocabulary Words (x5)

• Introduce the five words, best doing it one at a time. Start by saying it, while students repeat and then see if anyone knows what it means before reading further. Read through the meaning and try to briefly connect each word to a picture or gesture so it’s meaningful.

• Ask students to flip through the book pages and point to where they see each of the vocabulary words.

• While reading the book pause upon coming across one of the vocab words or read the sentence twice to make sure students understand the word has appeared.

• Optional: Ask students to raise hands whenever they see/hear one of the new words.

Guided Reading Pages (x10)

• Check the book snapshot (below) for:

  • primary topic - do you need to prep extra reading or intro materials on this?

  • what is taught best - decide on 1-2 bullets to focus on, use the prompt or words provided here for best results.

  • learning goals - what you are checking for students to be able to do after the session, elicit answers using prompts or words provided.

  • key vocabulary (see section above).

  • questions overview - so you know what is coming up and if you need to prep extra materials to assist understanding.

• Run the lesson

  • You may have already looked at a few of the pages together, but you can show them some of the pictures again first to set meaning.

  • Depending on how much time you have and how familiar your students are with guided reading class, you may want to read the book aloud first with the group first.

  • Students whisper or partner read, while you listen in. If time, do it as a group, one student reading a page each.

  • Use the guided page’s prompts to coach: “Check the picture / does it make sense?” “Point under the words / try the first sound” “Reread the sentence smoothly”.

  • Try to focus more on one student per session (rotating every time), so you can work out if they are ready to move up or need to move down a level.

Comprehension Questions (back cover x3)

• This is your way to check that students didn’t just say the words, but actually understood the text.

• First, let students answer by pointing to the page/picture and saying a short sentence.

• After any answer, follow with: “Show me where you found that in the text.”

• In bigger groups, have partners answer first (10–20 seconds), then call on 2–3 students to share.

• Differentiation tips:

  • Emerging speakers/struggling readers: oral + pointing

  • On-level: oral in a full sentence

  • Higher: one written sentence or draw + label

Book Snapshot

• Title: The Big Blue Ice

• Genre: Nonfiction (informational)

• Subject: Earth Science + Reading (Informational Text)

• Primary Topic: Glaciers and what happens to ice

• Estimated Guided Reading Level (A–Z): I

What This Book Teaches Best

• Defines what a glacier is and explains that it stays frozen all year long.

• Explains how snow can squeeze together and turn into hard ice in very cold places.

• Describes how glaciers move slowly like “rivers of ice” down mountain slopes.

• Teaches glacier features and changes, including crevasses, calving, and icebergs.

• Connects glaciers to living things and Earth systems (animals resting on ice, fresh water, keeping the world cool).

Learning Goals

• Describe what a glacier is using details from the text.

• Explain how piled-up snow turns into hard ice in very cold places.

• Tell how glaciers move and where they move (down mountain slopes).

• Identify crevasses and describe what the text says they show.

• Explain what calving is and what happens when a glacier reaches the ocean.

• Describe two ways glaciers are important on Earth (cooling the world, holding fresh water).

Key Vocabulary From the Text

• glacier — a huge mountain of ice.

• frozen — turned to ice from very cold weather.

• crevasses — long cracks on the glacier’s surface.

• calving — when big ice chunks break off into the ocean.

• icebergs — floating mountains of ice in cold water.

Discussion Prompts

• Pre-reading question: What do you think a glacier is, and where might you find one?

• Comprehension questions: How does snow turn into hard ice, according to the book?

• Comprehension questions: Why do some glaciers look bright blue in the text?

• Comprehension questions: Where do seals rest to take a nap and stay safe from the water?

Printing Tips

1. Best Printing Method (Recommended)

“Booklet” Printing (Best if Available)

If your printer or PDF viewer supports Booklet Printing, use this.

Settings to use:

• Print mode: Booklet

• Paper size: Letter or A4 (either works)

• Orientation: Landscape

• Print on both sides: Yes

• Flip on: Short edge

• Scaling: Fit to printable area

• Booklet subset:

  • First test: Front sides only

  • Then: Back sides only

This will automatically:

• Pair pages correctly

• Put the cover on the outside

• Align everything for folding

After printing, fold in half and staple along the spine.

2. If “Booklet” Printing Is NOT Available

You can still print this correctly with manual duplex printing.

Step-by-step:

1. Open the PDF.

2. Choose Print.

3. Set:

   • Orientation: Landscape

   • Pages per sheet: 1

   • Print on both sides: Yes

   • Flip on: Short edge

4. Print all pages.

Because each PDF page already contains two facing book pages, the result will still fold cleanly into a book.

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