About the store
Welcome to Comprehension Connection, an ELA focused shop for grades K-5 established in 2012. Here, you'll find a large assortment of mentor text units with a focus on social emotional learning, comprehension and writing, poem of the week and partner play resources for building fluency, literacy projects and anchor charts for comprehension, author studies, and more.
Carla Fedeler, owner of Comprehension Connection, is a licensed reading specialist with 27 years of public education experience in the regular classroom, as a K-5 Title 1 reading interventionist, as an ITRT (one year), and finally a literacy coach. Carla has been designing literacy resources for over 10 years, and since retirement, she's delved into web development with a focus on educational and small business websites.
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Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco Activities Reading and Writing Lessons
This unit for Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco is just what you need to inspire your students. It is comprehension focused for deeper meaning. Thank You Mr. Falker's rich vocabulary and meaningful themes are so important for students. This well reviewed bundle includes both a full color digital option using Google Slides TM for modeling and 1-1 devices and the PDF for small group. It is common core aligned too! HOW TEACHERS CAN USE THIS THANK YOU MR. FALKER UNIT:The Thank You Mr. Falk
3rd - 5th
Balanced Literacy, Creative Writing
CCSS, VA SOL
RL.4.1
, RL.4.2
, RL.4.3
+13
Also included in: Patricia Polacco Author Study 13 Book Companions Chicken Sunday and More
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Unit
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst is a classic. We all have bad days, and you can use this EASY TO USE and MEANINGFUL activities highlight the book's themes. HOW TEACHER USE THE ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE HORRIBLE NO GOOD VERY BAD DAY UNIT:This bundle includes a variety of comprehension focused activities to make reading the book meaningful. Teachers can choose the skills that best mesh with their standards and student needs. I suggest using the materia
2nd - 4th
Literature, Reading Strategies, Writing
CCSS, VA SOL
RL.2.1
, RL.2.3
, RL.2.5
+21
Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg Activities Mentor Text for inferences
Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg is the BEST mentor text for teaching inferences, but with this well planned bundle, you can teach so much more! You have both digital options for Google Slides TM and printable activities for paired and small group lessons. It will make your planning EASY and EFFECTIVE. One book, but many skill options! In this awesome book, the two bad ants find lots of trouble. VanAllsburg does a fantastic job using metaphor to describe things from the ants' perspective. You
3rd - 5th
Balanced Literacy, Reading Strategies, Writing
CCSS, VA SOL
RL.3.1
, RL.3.2
, RL.3.3
+16
Armadillo Rodeo by Jan Brett Cowboy Days Activities in Digital and PDF Formats
If you're using a rodeo theme this year, Armadillo Rodeo by Jan Brett is the perfect book. It's one of my favorite Jan Brett titles, and this unit will make your planning EASY and lessons EFFECTIVE with all of the engaging options. HOW TEACHERS CAN USE THIS ARMADILLO RODEO UNIT:This comprehension focused book companion includes materials to use with a guided reading group or as a mentor text before/during/after reading in both PDF and DIGITAL formats using Google Slides TM. You can project the c
2nd - 4th
Balanced Literacy, Reading Strategies, Writing
CCSS, VA SOL
RL.2.1
, RL.2.2
, RL.2.3
+28
Also included in: Jan Brett Author Study Book Companion Guides Winter Literacy Bundle
Patricia Polacco Author Study 13 Book Companions Chicken Sunday and More
If you love Patricia Polacco's books, then this book study bundle is just what you need. My Patricia Polacco Book Study Bundle includes materials for *13* titles PLUS an author research lapbook for a total of 560+ pages of materials. You get resources for her most popular books including Thank You Mr. Falker, Thunder Cake, Chicken Sunday and more for use throughout the year. HOW TO USE THIS PATRICIA POLACCO AUTHOR STUDY:Patricia Polacco is a favorite for teachers and students. Her books are fil
3rd - 5th
Balanced Literacy, Reading Strategies, Writing
CCSS, TEKS, VA SOL
RL.4.1
, RL.4.2
, RL.4.3
+53
Each Kindness Reading Activities, Kindness Lapbook, Black History
Kindness in the Classroom is so important, and one of the best books to help teach this is Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson. This bundle in both digital using Google Slides TM and PDF includes a book companion for introductions, a hands on kindness building lapbook project, a class book project, and an electronic digital lapbook. HOW TO USE THE EACH KINDNESS UNIT?You can use it for community building with whole group at the beginning of the year, for writing extensions, to celebrate Black H
3rd - 5th
Balanced Literacy, Classroom Community
CCSS, VA SOL
RL.3.1
, RL.3.2
, RL.3.3
+35
Author's Purpose Activity Paper Bag Book Interactive Notebook
Are you looking for an exciting new way to teach author's purpose? This author's purpose activity offers a new hands-on way to learn and practice. Author's purpose is not as easy as it seems. With this resource, you can explain it, help students identify the look-fors, practice with multiple texts, sort examples, and apply learning with real life examples. When the project is complete, students can refer to it with new reading. HOW IS THE AUTHOR'S PURPOSE ACTIVITY ORGANIZED?This paper bag book
3rd - 5th
Balanced Literacy, Close Reading, Reading Strategies
CCSS, TEKS, VA SOL
RI.5.8
, CCRA.R.6
, LA.4.10.B
+12
Readers Theater Scripts Partner Plays Close Reading Fluency Activities Bundle
Partner plays are engaging and effective in building reading fluency and comprehension. This huge bundle of 15 ORIGINAL partner plays includes before, during, and after reading activities to help your students with vocabulary, reading fluency, comprehension skills including story elements, questioning, finding text evidence, characterization, sequencing, and writing. Students read and practice in a Close Reading format to improve fluency and deepen comprehension. Each script is written on a 3r
3rd - 5th
Close Reading, Reading Strategies
CCSS, VA SOL
RL.3.3
, RL.3.4
, RL.3.9
+12
Amos and Boris by William Steig Reading Activities in Digital and PDF
Amos and Boris by William Steig is a great choice any time of year. Kids love and need stories of friendship. This unit includes before/during/after activities for the book as well as an extension option for writing using the book as a mentor text. You get both PDF and digital for Google Slides TM, so you're ready to go no matter the setting. MORE ABOUT THE AMOS AND BORIS UNIT:The activities work well for guided reading, as mentor text lessons, with paired reading experiences, or for book clubs
3rd - 5th
Balanced Literacy, Literature, Reading Strategies
CCSS, VA SOL
RL.3.1
, RL.3.3
, RL.3.9
+32
Also included in: William Steig Author Study Bundle in Digital and PDF
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant Activities for Comprehension and Writing
These activities for The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant are easy to use and engaging for students. This comprehension focused book companion is perfect for the middle grades and includes before, during, and after activities in both PDF and Digital for Google Slides TM. HOW TO USE THE RELATIVES CAME READING ACTIVITIES:The Relatives Came bundle works well for mentor text lessons, book clubs, for guided reading, or for partner work. You can project the color version for modeling and use the prin
2nd - 3rd
Balanced Literacy, Literature, Reading Strategies
CCSS, VA SOL
RL.2.1
, RL.2.2
, RL.2.3
+24
Horrible Harry in Room 2B Novel Study for Second and Third Grades
Horrible Harry in Room 2B is a great introduction into the Horrible Harry series. This novel study in PDF and for Google Slides works well for guided reading groups or for literacy circles since it is skill focused. It includes materials for modeling and practice. For the primary grades, you might use it as a station for partner reading and responses. WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE HORRIBLE HARRY UNIT?making predictionsvocabularymaking comparisoncause and effect relationshipsnarrative elementsquestion
2nd - 3rd
Close Reading, Reading Strategies, Writing
CCSS, VA SOL
RL.2.1
, RL.2.2
, RL.2.3
+17
Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco Literacy Activities Mentor Text Book Study
Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco is perfect choice to tie in with your weather unit. This time saving unit will keep your kids focused as you work on reading skills like characterization and summarizing in PRINT or with GOOGLE SLIDES TM. HOW TO USE THIS THUNDER CAKE UNIT:This bundle is perfect for small group instruction or as a mentor text with it's rich vocabulary and description. This resource is set up in a before/during/after format in digital using GOOGLE SLIDES TM and PDF Printables. I
2nd - 4th
Literature, Reading Strategies, Writing
CCSS, VA SOL
RL.2.1
, RL.2.2
, RL.2.3
+24
Also included in: Patricia Polacco Author Study 13 Book Companions Chicken Sunday and More
Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus Novel Study Activities
Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus is perfect for the start of the year. This comprehension focused guided reading unit in digital for Google Slides TM and PDF is set up with before/during/after activities and vocabulary for each chapter. Junie B is a favorite of nearly all kids. With each chapter focused on a different skill, your kids can enjoy Junie AND work on skills. HOW TEACHERS CAN USE THIS UNIT?Teachers can use the activities as an interactive read aloud or for book clubs. You mi
2nd - 4th
Balanced Literacy, Reading Strategies
CCSS, VA SOL
RL.2.1
, RL.2.2
, RL.2.3
+27
Days with Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel Activities, Digital and PDF
Days with Frog and Toad is a wonderful choice for spring reading. Arnold Lobel's books are a hit for the primary grades. This fun and easy to use comprehension focused bundle includes lots of options for close reading. HOW TO USE THE DAYS WITH FROG AND TOAD UNIT:The bundle includes activities for each chapter of the book. Each has a comprehension skill focus along with vocabulary words. You can use these activities in small groups, as mentor text lessons, for book clubs, or for interactive re
1st - 3rd
Reading Strategies
CCSS, VA SOL
RL.1.1
, RL.1.2
, RL.1.3
+29
Also included in: Arnold Lobel Author Study Activities and Lessons for 8 Titles
Mouse Soup by Arnold Lobel Activities in Digital and PDF
Mouse Soup by Arnold Lobel is a great book for the beginning and transitional readers. This comprehension focused book companion makes planning for guided reading or book clubs easy and effective. HOW TO USE THE MOUSE SOUP RESOURCES:The bundle comes in both PDF and Digital formats to give you more options for modeling and practice. I typically use the digital for whole group discussion and the PDF for small groups. The resources can be used for mentor text lessons, for book clubs, in guided
1st - 3rd
Balanced Literacy, Creative Writing, Reading Strategies
CCSS, VA SOL
RL.1.1
, RL.1.2
, RL.1.3
+20
Also included in: Arnold Lobel Author Study Activities and Lessons for 8 Titles
Jumanji by Chris VanAllsburg Reading and Writing Activities,
Jumanji by Chris VanAllsburg is an excellent choice as a writing mentor text, and this resources is now in GOOGLE SLIDES TM and PDF. It has a clever plot, great examples of voice and word choice, and fabulous illustrations. HOW TEACHERS CAN USE JUMANJI FOR LITERACY INSTRUCTION:This comprehension focused unit is intended to be used before, during, and after reading for deeper understanding. Students analyze the text through outlining the plot events, working with vocabulary, making inferences
3rd - 5th
Balanced Literacy, Creative Writing, Reading Strategies
CCSS, VA SOL
RL.3.1
, RL.3.2
, RL.3.3
+24
I Wanna Iguana Activities in Digital AND PDF for Persuasive Writing and Reading
I Wanna Iguana by Karen Orloff is a great choice as a mentor text for persuasive writing. This comprehensive unit will help your students get plenty of reading practice as close reading routines are implemented AND provide great examples for writing a persuasive letter. HOW TEACHERS CAN USE THE I WANNA IGUANA UNIT FOR READING AND WRITING:The unit is organized in a BEFORE/DURING/AFTER format for consistent skill modeling and practice. As you use the book for reading, you can use text examples
2nd - 4th
Balanced Literacy, Literature, Reading Strategies
CCSS, VA SOL
RL.2.1
, RL.2.3
, RL.2.5
+71
Brave Irene by William Steig Reading and Writing Bundle in Digital and PDF
Brave Irene is a sweet story of perseverance, courage, and determination to help others. In true William Steig style, the story has rich vocabulary and description making it a great mentor text for visualizing, author's craft, and especially for writing. HOW TO USE THIS BRAVE IRENE UNIT?The setting is in the winter, but the story can be used year round. Teachers may wish to use this as a mentor text for visualizing, author's craft, narrative elements or problem/solution. The unit integrates read
3rd - 5th
Balanced Literacy, Creative Writing, Reading Strategies
CCSS
RL.3.1
, RL.3.2
, RL.3.3
+15
Also included in: Winter Book Unit Bundle
Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel Activities in Digital and PDF
Frog and Toad are Friends is a truly one of my favorite books to use with my students. This COMPREHENSION FOCUSED bundle is EASY TO USE. It's organized in before, during, and after format for each chapter and aligned with the Common Core and VA SOLs. It includes many written response opportunities too. WHAT SKILLS ARE INCLUDED IN THE FROG AND TOAD ARE FRIENDS UNIT?schema buildingtier 2 vocabulary introductions and practice opportunitiesmaking predictionsmaking connectionssummarizingauthor's p
1st - 3rd
Balanced Literacy, Reading Strategies, Writing
CCSS, VA SOL
RL.2.1
, RL.2.2
, RL.2.3
+24
Also included in: Arnold Lobel Author Study Activities and Lessons for 8 Titles
Writing a Memoir Writing Lesson
Studying and writing memoirs are an important part of a reading and writing program, and are very enjoyable. There are many wonderful examples of memoirs that teachers can use as mentor texts including books by Patricia Polacco, Cynthia Rylant, Eve Bunting, and Mem Fox. After learning about the memoir genre and analyzing a few, students are ready to write their own. WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS DOWNLOAD:This writing set will guide your students through the memoir writing process. The set includes
4th - 6th
Creative Writing, Writing
CCSS, VA SOL
W.4.3
, W.5.3
, W.5.3a
+27
Showing 1-20 of 790+ results
About the store
Experience
Welcome to Comprehension Connection, an ELA focused shop for grades K-5 established in 2012. Here, you'll find a large assortment of mentor text units with a focus on social emotional learning, comprehension and writing, poem of the week and partner play resources for building fluency, literacy projects and anchor charts for comprehension, author studies, and more.
Carla Fedeler, owner of Comprehension Connection, is a licensed reading specialist with 27 years of public education experience in the regular classroom, as a K-5 Title 1 reading interventionist, as an ITRT (one year), and finally a literacy coach. Carla has been designing literacy resources for over 10 years, and since retirement, she's delved into web development with a focus on educational and small business websites.
Teaching style
Because Carla's primary responsibility has been with reading intervention for struggling readers, her instructional methods are based upon the individual needs of the student. Her lessons are hands-on, active, and thoughtful. She encourages lots of oral discussion with high level questioning, and she includes writing throughout the reading process. She LOVES interactive notebooks, anchor charts, mentor texts, and working with anything fun and active.
Awards & shining teacher moments
In the past, Carla has received several educational grants totaling almost five thousand dollars to purchase books for classroom lending libraries and literacy workstation resources for her schools lending room. With these funds combined with Title 1 reading funding, she was able to add nearly 3000 books to her school's classroom libraries. She has also presented many workshops through her involvement with the Virginia State Literacy Association and with her local reading council where she served in multiple leadership capacities including web development, social media, secretary, vice president and president. Now, she supports other TPTers with web design and development and continues presenting in workshops both for teachers and TPTers.
My own education history
Carla has a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from Iowa State University and a Master's degree in Reading Education from the University of Virginia.
Additional biographical information
You can follow Carla's website, Comprehension Connection, for lesson ideas and to learn more about Carla's teaching resources. Be sure to grab exclusive freebies from her website by joining her email list. Carla looks forward to sharing with you regularly there as well as through the notes to followers on TPT.
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