Activity 01
Whole Class: Pointer Practice Read-Aloud
During a shared reading, give a student the pointer and have them track under each word as you read aloud together. After each page, prompt the pointer holder to show where to start on the next page. Rotate the pointer to a new student every two pages so every child has multiple turns across the week.
Explain why we read words from left to right and top to bottom.
Facilitation TipDuring Pointer Practice Read-Aloud, stand beside students so you can gently guide their hands and eyes along the text line by line.
What to look forDuring shared reading, point to a word and ask, 'Which way do we read this word?' Then, point to the next word and ask, 'And then where do we go?' Repeat for top-to-bottom directionality. Observe student responses and gestures.
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Activity 02
Small Group: Book Part Scavenger Hunt
Give each small group a different book. Read aloud a prompt card: 'Point to the front cover.' 'Find the title.' 'Where does the author's name appear?' Students respond by pointing and showing their group, then share out one finding with the class. Rotate books so each group handles two or three titles.
Differentiate between the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.
Facilitation TipDuring Book Part Scavenger Hunt, provide picture books with varied cover designs so students notice title placement and author names, not just bright artwork.
What to look forGive each student a picture of a book. Ask them to draw an arrow showing how we read the words and circle the front cover. Then, ask them to point to where the title is written.
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Activity 03
Think-Pair-Share: Which Way Do We Go?
Project a page of text on the document camera with no context. Ask partners: 'Where would you start reading on this page? How do you know?' Pairs share their reasoning, surfacing both correct and incorrect assumptions. Use the conversation to name the rule explicitly and practice together.
Analyze how understanding print concepts helps us become better readers.
Facilitation TipDuring Think-Pair-Share, use a consistent anchor phrase, 'Top left corner, that’s where we start,' to build a shared mental map of direction.
What to look forHold up a book and ask students to identify the front cover, back cover, and title page. Ask: 'Why is it important to know where the title page is? How does knowing the direction we read help us understand the story?'
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Activity 04
Individual Practice: My Own Little Book
Students fold and staple a small blank book and label its parts: front cover, back cover, title, author name (their own name). They draw a simple picture story on the pages, practicing left-to-right page order. Creating the artifact gives students ownership of the print concepts and a reference they can return to.
Explain why we read words from left to right and top to bottom.
What to look forDuring shared reading, point to a word and ask, 'Which way do we read this word?' Then, point to the next word and ask, 'And then where do we go?' Repeat for top-to-bottom directionality. Observe student responses and gestures.
RememberUnderstandApplyRelationship SkillsSelf-Management
Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Teachers succeed when they pair clear routines with repeated practice across many texts. Avoid isolated explanations; instead, weave directionality comments into every shared reading. Model gestures yourself before asking students to try. Research shows that consistent physical cues create stronger memory traces than verbal rules alone.
By the end of these activities, students will point left-to-right and top-to-bottom, name book parts, and explain why direction matters. They will use gestures and words to show understanding independently.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During Pointer Practice Read-Aloud, watch for students who point to the most colorful image as the front cover.
Pause the read-aloud and point to the title and author’s name, saying, 'The front cover shows the book’s name and who wrote it. Today we’ll look for these words first before we check the pictures.'
During Pointer Practice Read-Aloud, watch for students who start reading from any word on the page.
Place your finger at the top-left corner before you begin reading. Say aloud, 'We always start here, at the top left. We read across to the end, then drop down one line and start again.'
During My Own Little Book, watch for students who write only pictures or single letters instead of a title and author line.
Model adding your name and the book’s title on the first page. Ask students to say the words aloud as you point to them, reinforcing the difference between title and author.
Methods used in this brief