Read 20 minutes every day.  

Daily Writing Journal:  Create a daily writing journal. 

Write about anything you want. You can also journal about your daily learning: 

• What did you enjoy the most about your day? 

• Why did you enjoy this moment? 

• What did you learn? 

Weekly Learning Goals: 

• I can make predictions about a nonfiction text before reading 
• I can check and adjust my predictions while reading a nonfiction text 
• I can identify and define words with prefixes 

Choice Activities:

Making Predictions 

In reading book:

• Read pages 380-381 to review making predictions and to practice 

• Read the story The Planets pages 384-403 

• BEFORE READING-Make a prediction about what you might learn from this story 

• DURING READING-Answer questions after the following pages: 

pages 386-387 

• The word “planet” comes from the Greek word meaning “wanderer”.  What does this tell you about the planets? 

• What is the difference between a planet and a star? 

• Which is bigger-a star or a planet? 

• What do you think you will read about in the next in this story? 

pages 388-389 

• What information does the label and illustration provide? 

• How are our ideas about planets today different from people’s ideas about planets long ago? 

• How is a planet’s year determined? 

pages 390-391 

• How does a planet move around the sun? 

• Why can’t people see Uranus and Neptune just by looking at the sky? 

pages 392-393 

• What do you think would happen if Mercury moved its orbit closer to the sun? 

• Why is Mercury cold at night? 

• What might happen to Venus if it did not have a cloud cover? 

pages 394-395 

• What does the caption tell you about the moon? 

• In what ways are Earth and Mars alike? In What ways are they different? 

pages 396-397 

• Would the moon be a good place for people to live? 

• Is Jupiter’s day longer or shorter than Earth? 

• What makes Saturn look different from the other planets? 

pages 398-399 

• Why do planets farther from the sun take longer to travel around it? 

• What causes Neptune to appear blue? 

• Does Earth look blue from space for the same reason Neptune looks blue? 

pages 400-401 

• Why is Neptune sometimes the farthest planet from the sun? 

• How does astronomers learn about planets and stars? 

• AFTER READING-Answer questions #1-5 on page 404 about the story 

• Review Making Predictions:  Reading Wallet--Making Predictions Clip

• Look at the book cover for Dr. De Soto- make predictions before listening to the story.  

• Use the chart to help you make your predictions