Why Do Leaves Change Color?: read-aloud with discussion questions
Read Why Do Leaves Change Color? aloud on the projector: 11 pages of big type with each word lit as it is said, 180 words (about a minute), level 7, grade 2, and 5 questions to talk about.
Page 1 of 11
In summer, a maple leaf is green. In fall, it turns yellow, orange, or red. Where do those colors come from?
Keys: ← → or Page Up and Page Down turn the page, Space starts and pauses the voice, Home and End jump, F fills the screen. Tapping the right side of a page goes on; the left side goes back.
How to use it
- Press Full screen (F) to put the book on the projector.
- Press Read to me (Space), or read it yourself and turn pages with the arrow keys or a tap. Pick the Pace that suits the class.
- After the last page the questions come up on the screen. The same questions are below, with what to listen for.
About this book
- Level 7, Grade 2
- 11 pages, 180 words, about a minute aloud
- A true book, gentle
Related
About Why Do Leaves Change Color?
A 180-word explanation that corrects a common idea, that leaves turn yellow, by saying the yellow was there all along. It is a short, clear example of a text that makes a claim, gives its reasons in order and repeats the answer in its last lines.
A yellow leaf does not really turn. It loses its green, and the yellow that was hiding shows. Some leaves make a new red.
Before you read
Ask where the colors of fall leaves come from and write the class's ideas down. Tell them the book says one common idea is not quite right.
Words to preview
- chlorophyll (KLOR-uh-fil)
- leaf's green stuff
- fade (FAYD)
- lose color
- maple (MAY-pul)
- a kind of tree
- sugar (SHUG-er)
- sweet food
Questions to talk about
- What gives a leaf its green color, and what does the leaf use it for?Listen for: A substance called chlorophyll, which catches sunlight to make sugar.
- Why do the yellow and orange show up in fall?Listen for: They were in the leaf all along, hidden by the green. In fall the days get shorter and cooler, the tree makes less green and the green fades.
- Where do the reds come from, and how is that different?Listen for: Many leaves make a new red in the fall, and it depends on the weather: sunny days and cool nights make the best ones. Not every tree makes red.
- The book says "A yellow leaf did not really turn." What does that mean?Listen for: The yellow was always there and the leaf only lost its green. Ask the class to say it in their own words.
- Which trees does the book say go yellow, and which often make red?Listen for: Hickories and ash trees go yellow. Maples and sweetgums often make red.
Questions
How long does Why Do Leaves Change Color? take to read aloud?
It has 11 pages and 180 words, so about a minute at the Steady pace and a little less at Quick. If you stop to talk on the way, plan for more.
What reading level is Why Do Leaves Change Color??
Level 7, Grade 2. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; level 7 sits at grade 2. A level is a guide for choosing, so look at the pages yourself.
Whose voice is it?
Your browser's own. Read to me uses a speaking voice already on the computer, so it sounds like that computer and works without a sign-in. Voices differ: some light each word as it is spoken, and some do not, in which case the highlight follows a steady pace instead. Some browsers use an online voice; if yours does, the browser, not us, sends the words of the page to its speech service. If no voice is installed, turn the pages and read it aloud yourself.
Do students need an account?
No. Nothing is asked of anyone and nothing is sent to us. Project the page, or share the link and let students open it on their own screens.
Where does this book come from?
It was written for Peabody's library as a true book. It is not copied from a textbook or another site.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. The voice is your browser's own. No sign-in, no ads.