Grade 1 · Week 12Main idea
Our School Garden Helpers
Students read a short informational paragraph about Mr. Lee's first-grade class caring for the school garden, then answer four questions about its main idea and supporting details, with teacher and homeschool guidance provided.
On screen - your kid, alone
- 1Day 1 - Meet the story
- 2Day 2 - Word work
- 3Day 3 - What it means
- 4Day 4 - Fix & re-read
- 5Day 5 - Show what you know
Offline - with you
Print the pages for offline work together; the answer key is for you.
Read the short paragraph out loud with your child, then read it again together so they hear the same ideas twice. Ask, "What is this whole story mostly about?" A good answer will mention that the first graders help take care of the school garden, not just one small detail like pulling weeds or picking tomatoes. If your child names only one job, gently say, "That's one thing they do. What are the other jobs?" and help them notice that watering, weeding, and picking are all ways the class helps the garden. For the title question, remind them that a good title covers the whole paragraph, not just one sentence. If they struggle, point to each sentence and ask, "Who is doing something? What are they doing?"—then ask again what all the sentences have in common.
Our School Garden Helpers
Mr. Lee's class loves the school garden. Each morning, the first graders take turns to help. Some kids water the plants with small cans. Other kids pull weeds from the dirt. A few kids look for ripe vegetables. They pick red tomatoes and green beans. The class puts the food in a big basket. The garden grows well because the kids help every day. Mr. Lee is proud of his class.
What this lesson checks
- Main idea: What is this passage mostly about?
- Main idea: Which sentence would make the best title for this passage?
- Main idea: Why is Mr. Lee proud of his class? Use the main idea of the passage to explain.
- Text evidence: Find two sentences from the passage that show different jobs the kids do in the garden. Write them on the lines.