L E V E LCapstone Comprehension Program - Teacher's Guide - Unit 1: Reading Narrative Text

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by dhado

Teacher’s guide and answer key for the Level Capstone Comprehension Program, structured by units. Unit 1 focuses on reading narrative text, explaining narrative, story elements, and common reading challenges for middle school learners. It provides step-by-step lesson preparation, definitions and modeling for terms like narrate/narrative/narrator, and guided activities using specific selections (e.g., Ellen’s world championship account, Around Alone, Unsung Heroes). Includes instructions for flashbacks and flashback comprehension, paired reading, predictions, and review of literary elements plus an answer key reference section.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages36

Reading Time1 h 31 min

AccessFree to download

Unit 1: Introduction

Unit 1: Reading Narrative Text

Preparing to Read the Unit 1 Selections

Unit 1: Lesson Activities

Lesson 1: A World Championship

Lesson 2: Around Alone

Lesson 3: Unsung Heroes

Answer Key

L E V E LCapstone Comprehension ProgramTeacher's Guideand Answer Key Table of Contents Unit 1 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2 Lesson Activities …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3 Related Reading ………………………………………………………………………………………………………5 Unit 2 Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………6 Lesson Activities …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………7 Related Reading …………………………………………………………………………………………………9 Unit 3 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………10 Lesson Activities …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………11 Related Reading …………………………………………………………………………………………………14 Answer Key……………………………………………………………………………………………………15 Capstone Curriculum Publishing Capstone Curriculum Publishing materials are published by Capstone Press, P.O.Box669,151 Good Counsel Drive, Mankato, Minnesota,56002 http://www.capstone-press.com ISBN 0-7368-7132-2 # Unit 1:Introduction ## Unit 1:Reading Narrative Text Narrative is the mode of discoursehumans use most often.In literature,fictional narrative predominates.Fromfolk tales and myths to pulp fiction andNobel Prize novels,humans choose thenarrative form to record our oral andwritten literary traditions. We expect children to master narrative even before they begin to readindependently.Yet when they reachmiddle school,inexperienced,strugglingor reluctant readers may still haveproblems reading narrative.It is essentialto address students'problems withnarrative reading and writing—especially since narrative constitutes somuch of reading texts and tests. Unit 1:Reading Narrative Text # Preparing to Read theUnit 1 Selections Write the word narrate on the board.Thenread aloud the text on the left side of page 4.Discuss with the children the definitions ofnarrate,narrative and narrator provided there. Read aloud the rest of page 4 and discussthe meanings of the terms.Be sure studentsunderstand that the writer chooses whether towrite first-person or third-person narration.Read aloud the section entitled "Be a BetterReader and Test-Taker"on page 5 and reviewthe literary elements covered by the five simplequestions listed there.By this age,yourstudents should already be familiar withcharacter,setting,and plot.If they aren't,teachand discuss those terms.You will also need toexplain the following terms: Story problem—the crux of the plot;thehurdle facing the main character Motivation—the factors that drive acharacter Resolution—the way the problem is workedout in the end,also called denouement Ask students to work in pairs to find threeexamples of narrative to examine:a newspaperarticle's lead paragraph,a TV or radio newsstory,and a fictional narrative or a biographyor autobiography(narrative nonfiction).Foreach sample,have students write the answersto the five questions on page 5. See pages 15-20 for answers to thequestions in this unit. ## Unit 1:Lesson Activities Lesson 1:A WorldChampionship(pages 6-13) Read aloud the first paragraph on page 7.Ask students to predict what Ellen willtellEmily about in this article.Write thesepredictions on the board.After reading,revisitthe predictions to see how accurate they were. Assign students to read the remaining texton pages 7-10.Emphasize that we know this isfirst person because Ellen is telling what shedid,saw,and felt.She is the main character aswell as the narrator—so she uses the words Iand my.If students need help with thisconcept,go through the article with them andhave them underline the first-person pronounsthat signal first-person narration. After reading,point out paragraphs 2 and 3on page 7 and paragraph 2 on page 8.Explainthat in these paragraphs,Ellen tells us aboutevents that happened before the mainaction—the final event of the Drum CorpsInternational World ChampionshipCompetition—took place "today,"the dayEllen wrote the letter.In these paragraphs onpages 7 and 8,Ellen tells what we need toknow in ord

FAQs

What does the guide emphasize about narrative reading for middle school students?

It stresses that inexperienced, struggling, or reluctant readers may have problems with narrative, and that it is essential to address these issues because narrative appears heavily in reading texts and tests.

How should teachers prepare students to read the Unit 1 selections?

Teachers are instructed to introduce narrate/narrative/narrator, model first-person vs. third-person narration, review key literary elements, and explain terms such as story problem, motivation, and resolution.

What are the guide’s key comprehension strategies for the selections in Lesson 1–3?

The guide uses prediction and revisiting accuracy, identifies flashbacks as events before the main action, has students read and discuss in pairs (including alternating pages/columns), and prompts analysis of narrator perspective and knowledge.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by dhado