BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
How a Seed Becomes a Plant
Grade 1 Informational Text • Unit 1
Five parent-guided lessons aligned to Florida’s B.E.S.T. Standards
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
UNIT 1
Grade 1 • Informational Text
2
Welcome to Unit 1
A simple routine for reading and talking together
Each lesson takes about 15–20 minutes.
1. Read the short informational text aloud or together.
2. Pause so your child can look closely, talk, point, draw, or move.
3. Ask the lesson question and invite your child to explain.
4. End with the quick check. Support is welcome—this is practice, not a test.
Use one lesson each day, or move at the pace that works for your child.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
UNIT 1
Grade 1 • Informational Text
3
This week builds Grade 1 comprehension
Florida B.E.S.T. Standards addressed across the five lessons
ELA.1.R.2.1
Use titles, headings, captions, illustrations, and a glossary to understand a text.
ELA.1.R.2.2
Identify the topic and relevant details.
ELA.1.R.2.3
Explain how the words and visuals give similar or different information.
ELA.1.R.3.2(b)
Retell an informational text using the topic and important details.
ELA.1.C.1.4
Write about a topic using a source, facts, and a sense of closure.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 1
Grade 1 • Informational Text
4
LESSON 1
Meet an Informational Text
Use the title, heading, and illustration to predict the topic.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 1
Grade 1 • Informational Text
5
Good readers preview before they read
What we will learn together
Today I can…
use text features to predict what a text will teach me.
Words to know
informational text • title • heading
Grown-up setup
Have a sheet of paper and a pencil or crayon nearby. Ask your child what they already know about seeds.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 1
Grade 1 • Informational Text
6
How a Sunflower Grows
A Seed Wakes Up
A sunflower begins as a seed. The seed has a coat that keeps the tiny plant safe. Water and warmth help the seed begin to grow.
Before reading: What do the title, heading, and picture make you think this text will teach?
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 1
Grade 1 • Informational Text
7
Text features give readers clues
TITLE
names the whole text
HEADING
names one part of the text
ILLUSTRATION
shows what the words describe
Point to each feature in the text you just read.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 1
Grade 1 • Informational Text
8
Quick check
What is the whole text mostly going to teach?
A. How to paint a flower
B. How a sunflower grows
C. Why the sky is blue
Tell how you know.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 2
Grade 1 • Informational Text
9
LESSON 2
Read With Text Features
Use a heading, caption, and glossary to learn more.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 2
Grade 1 • Informational Text
10
Text features help us understand
What we will learn together
Today I can…
use a heading, caption, and glossary to explain what I learned.
Words to know
caption • glossary • root
Grown-up setup
Place a small sticky note or scrap of paper nearby. Your child may use it to mark a feature that helped most.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 2
Grade 1 • Informational Text
11
Roots Grow Down
The seed coat opens. A small root grows down into the soil. Roots hold the plant in place and take in water.
Caption: The first root grows down and anchors the seed.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 2
Grade 1 • Informational Text
12
A glossary explains important words
GLOSSARY
seed coat
the outside covering that protects a seed
root
the plant part that takes in water and holds the plant in place
Use the glossary to explain the phrase seed coat.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 2
Grade 1 • Informational Text
13
Quick check
Which feature explains what an important word means?
A. A title
B. A glossary
C. An illustration
Tell how you know.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 3
Grade 1 • Informational Text
14
LESSON 3
Find the Topic and Details
Decide what the text is mostly about and which facts belong.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 3
Grade 1 • Informational Text
15
Details teach more about the topic
What we will learn together
Today I can…
name the topic and tell relevant details from the text.
Words to know
topic • detail • relevant
Grown-up setup
Cut or tear three small pieces of paper. Your child can draw one important detail on each piece after reading.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 3
Grade 1 • Informational Text
16
A Stem Reaches Up
A green stem pushes up through the soil. Leaves open and catch light from the sun. The plant uses light, air, and water to grow.
Relevant details must tell more about the topic.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 3
Grade 1 • Informational Text
17
The topic is the big idea
TOPIC
how a sunflower plant grows
RELEVANT DETAILS
The stem pushes up.
Leaves catch sunlight.
Light, air, and water help the plant grow.
Which detail would you draw first? Why?
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 3
Grade 1 • Informational Text
18
Quick check
Which detail belongs with the topic “how a sunflower grows”?
A. The moon shines at night.
B. Roots take in water.
C. Some dogs can swim.
Tell how you know.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 4
Grade 1 • Informational Text
19
LESSON 4
Compare Words and Visuals
Notice what both show—and what only one explains.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 4
Grade 1 • Informational Text
20
Words and pictures work together
What we will learn together
Today I can…
explain how the words and illustration give the same or different information.
Words to know
visual • similar • different
Grown-up setup
Fold a sheet of paper in half. Write WORDS on one side and PICTURE on the other, or let your child draw the two sides.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 4
Grade 1 • Informational Text
21
A Flower Opens
The stem grows taller, and a bud forms. The bud opens into a bright sunflower. The flower can make seeds that may grow into new plants.
Look closely: What can you learn from both the words and the picture?
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 4
Grade 1 • Informational Text
22
Some information is the same; some is different
BOTH
WORDS ONLY
PICTURE ONLY
A tall plant has a bright flower.
The flower may make new seeds.
The petals are yellow, and many roots spread through the soil.
How do the words and picture work together to help you understand?
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 4
Grade 1 • Informational Text
23
Quick check
Which fact comes from the words but cannot be seen in the picture?
A. The flower is yellow.
B. The plant has roots.
C. The flower may make new seeds.
Tell how you know.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 5
Grade 1 • Informational Text
24
LESSON 5
Retell and Write
Put the important information in order and explain what you learned.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 5
Grade 1 • Informational Text
25
Readers use details to retell
What we will learn together
Today I can…
retell the text and write facts with a closing sentence.
Words to know
retell • first • next • last
Grown-up setup
Have paper and a pencil ready. Your child may say the retell aloud before writing. Drawing and labeling are welcome supports.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 5
Grade 1 • Informational Text
26
Put the sunflower’s growth in order
FIRST
NEXT
LAST
Point and retell: What happens first, next, and last?
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 5
Grade 1 • Informational Text
27
Retell the text with the topic and details
TOPIC
A sunflower grows and changes.
FIRST
A seed gets water and warmth. A root begins to grow.
NEXT
A stem and leaves reach toward the light.
LAST
A bud opens into a flower that can make new seeds.
Now cover the model and retell it in your own words.
BRIGHTGATE ACADEMY AT HOME
LESSON 5
Grade 1 • Informational Text
28
Show what you learned
Write or tell three facts about how a sunflower grows
A sunflower begins ________________________________.
Next, ____________________________________________.
In the end, ________________________________________.
Add a drawing and label one plant part.
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GROWN-UP GUIDE
Grade 1 • Informational Text
29
Quick-check answers
Use the explanation—not only the letter—to guide the conversation
Lesson 1: B — The title tells us the text explains how a sunflower grows.
Lesson 2: B — A glossary explains important words.
Lesson 3: B — Roots taking in water is a relevant detail about plant growth.
Lesson 4: C — The words explain that a flower may make seeds; the picture cannot show ‘may.’
Accept different wording when your child can explain the idea using the text or illustration.
You read like a scientist!
I can use text features.
I can find the topic and details.
I can compare words and pictures.
I can retell what I learned.
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