HomeMy WebLinkAboutRead Aloud Book Gr. K-Lesson 3Paula was getting ready for school. Her backpack sat open on her bed. She
still needed to put her books inside.
“Don’t forget to feed Daisy,” called Paula’s mother. Daisy was Paula’s pet
hamster. The pet lived in a cage in Paula’s room.
Paula opened the door to the cage. She pulled Daisy gently out of the cage.
Daisy was small enough to fi t in Paula’s hand. Paula stroked Daisy’s soft fur.
Then she put Daisy back in the cage. Paula put Daisy’s food in a bowl.
But Paula did not realize that she had left the cage door open. While she
was looking the other way, Daisy ran out of the cage. She ran onto the bed
and jumped inside the backpack. The little hamster hid deep down inside
the pack.
Paula closed up her backpack. She didn’t know that her pet was inside.
Soon Paula—and Daisy—were riding the bus to school.
At school, Paula opened her backpack. Daisy popped her head out.
“What are you doing here?” cried Paula.
Daisy got scared and started running around the classroom. The desks with
their tall legs seemed enormous to Daisy. She ran all around the classroom.
Paula and her classmates scrambled to catch Daisy. Paula thought for a
minute. Then she said, “Daisy likes nuts. I have some nuts in my backpack!”
She put some nuts on the fl oor. Sure enough, Daisy ran to the nuts and started
eating them. Paula picked up Daisy carefully.
Paula’s teacher got a large box. The teacher said, “This box should be big
enough to hold Daisy. We’ll punch holes in the top so that she can breathe.
We’ll add shredded paper inside so she’ll be comfortable. Then you can take
Daisy back home at the end of the day.”
Paula put Daisy in the box. “No more school for you,” she whispered.
COMPREHENSION What words help you understand Daisy’s size? How
do Paula’s classmates and teacher help her?
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When you think about dogs, where do you picture them? Playing in a park?
Walking on a leash? Try picturing them at your school or in your library. Yes!
Some dogs do come to schools. They are part of a reading program called
R.E.A.D., which spells read . This program helps children learn to read. It brings
them together with animals that are great listeners.
R.E.A.D. stands for Reading Education Assistance Dogs. A woman named
Sandi Martin came up with the idea. The idea came to her suddenly, out of
nowhere. She knew that dogs could help sick people. One day she thought,
“Why couldn’t dogs also help kids who are learning to read?” Sandi knew that
sometimes kids who are learning to read feel frustrated or embarrassed. So
she thought it might help kids to practice reading with friendly dogs. Since
R.E.A.D. started, it has spread to libraries and schools all over the country.
Everyone likes the program—kids, teachers, and dogs, too!
The dogs in the R.E.A.D. program are very friendly. But not just any dog can
be in the program. The dogs have to go to a special kind of school to learn
how to be R.E.A.D. dogs. People teach them until they are ready. Then the dogs
can go out and help kids learn to read.
Sometimes children think it is hard to read out loud. But it’s fun when you
can read to a furry friend! First, children get to meet the dogs. Then they
decide if they would like to read to a dog. Soon they learn to love reading to
the dogs. They can’t wait for their turn to read with a dog. The dogs listen
as the children read. This helps the children. It makes them feel good about
reading. And the dogs love being read to! Maybe you will get to read to a
R.E.A.D. dog someday.
COMPREHENSION Do you think it would be fun to read to a dog? Why?
Which words in the passage help you understand when things happen?
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