Bread Facts Hunt

Overview

In this paired guided-reading lesson, two Year 4–5 ākonga read an information-text excerpt from Long Distance Lunch by Anita Ganeri. They practise retrieving key facts by finding and copying the exact sentence or sentences that answer each question, rather than paraphrasing.

Learning intentions

• WALT find key facts in an information text.
• WALT use the words in the text as evidence.
• WALT answer literal questions by locating and copying the exact sentence or sentences.
• WALT read unfamiliar topic vocabulary accurately and confidently.

Success criteria

• I can read the question and identify important words.
• I can look back through the text to find the answer.
• I can copy the exact sentence or sentences that provide evidence.
• I can explain where I found my answer by pointing to the text.

Curriculum links

• Te Mātaiaho English — Oral language, reading, and writing: explicit instruction in reading and subject-specific language.
• Te Mātaiaho English — Reading: identifying key details and retrieving information from an information text.
• Te Mātaiaho English — English Language Learners: explicitly teaching academic and subject-specific vocabulary.
• The lesson supports the key competencies of using language, symbols and texts, and managing self through purposeful paired reading.

Vocabulary support

Pre-teach and display: wheat, mild weather, harvested, ground, flour, dough, baked.

Briefly explain meanings using simple language and pictures: wheat is a crop; harvested means collected; ground means crushed into smaller pieces; dough is a soft mixture ready to bake. Model the pronunciation of wheat (the h is silent) and flour. Students repeat, point to the matching word, and use each word in a short oral phrase.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Hook and purpose. Open the opening question and bread-making image and ask, “How does wheat become bread?” Teacher introduces the WALT and explains that today “find key facts” means finding and copying the exact words from the book. Students make a quick prediction and tell a partner one thing they might look for.

2. 4–8 min · Vocabulary and text preview. Teacher uses the vocabulary and process image to explicitly teach the seven words, then previews the bread section without reading every word aloud. Students say the words, match them to the images or meanings on the vocabulary and evidence table, and identify which words may help them find answers.

3. 8–12 min · Teacher modelling. Teacher reads the first short section aloud, tracking the print, then models the question routine on the worked-example slide: read the question, underline key words, scan for matching words, reread the whole sentence, and copy it exactly. For “What is bread made from?”, teacher demonstrates copying: “Bread is made from wheat.” Students help locate the sentence and explain how the words in the question match the text.

4. 12–21 min · Paired guided reading. Teacher and students read the remaining short sections, one at a time, with teacher support. Student A is the Reader and Pointer, reading aloud or tracking each sentence; Student B is the Question Finder, reading the question and locating the evidence; students swap roles after each section. Ask one literal question per page or short section, pausing for students to find and copy all sentence(s) that answer it. Use questions such as:

• What is bread made from?
• What weather does wheat grow best in?
• What happens to wheat before it becomes bread?
• What is flour mixed into?
• What happens to the dough?

Students record the exact answer in the bread-facts recording table. If more than one sentence answers the question, they copy both sentences.

5. 21–26 min · Evidence check and reread. Teacher displays the evidence-check routine and asks students to check each answer against the book: Does it answer the question? Did we copy the exact words? Did we include all relevant sentences? Students take turns pointing to the evidence, rereading it aloud, and correcting copied words or punctuation.

6. 26–30 min · Plenary and exit check. Teacher asks, “What happens to wheat before it becomes bread?” Students independently locate and copy the relevant sentence or sentences in the final box on the exit question section. Each student reads their answer aloud and states the page or section where they found it.

Resources

• Long Distance Lunch by Anita Ganeri, or the prepared bread excerpt
• the bread retrieval guided-reading deck
• the bread-facts recording worksheet
• Enlarged copy of the excerpt or visualiser
• Picture prompts for wheat, flour, dough and bread
• Pencils, highlighters and sticky flags
• Optional audio recording or teacher-read model for repeated reading

Assessment

• During modelling, check whether students can match words in the question to words in the text.
• During paired reading, listen for accurate tracking, rereading and copying. Prompt students to point to evidence before accepting an answer.
• Use the final question to identify whether each student can independently retrieve and copy exact evidence. Record whether support was needed to locate the sentence, read it, or copy it accurately.

Differentiation

• For below-level readers, provide a short, enlarged excerpt with clear line spacing; read each section aloud first, then invite echo reading or shared reading.
• Highlight or underline one key word in each question initially. Gradually remove this prompt as students become more confident.
• Use the prompts: “Read the question again,” “Which word should we look for?”, “Point to the sentence,” “Read the whole sentence,” and “Copy it exactly.”
• Allow oral rehearsal before writing, provide a word bank, and accept dictated answers when handwriting or spelling prevents students from showing their reading. Support multilingual learners with pictures, gestures and repeated pronunciation.
• Extend only by asking students to copy two connected sentences when one sentence is not enough; do not require paraphrasing.