The last room of the K–2 sequence, and the one that decides how you read everything after it. Some books tell a story: somebody, something going wrong, an ending. Some books tell you what is true: headings, labels, a contents page, photographs of real things. They are not read the same way — a story you read in order, front to back, and a true book you can open in the middle and take one fact out of. Five tabs — cards for the parts of each kind, hints with the tells on one page, a quiz that asks you to decide, and a workshop where you sort twelve books, put the steps of finding one fact in order, label a true-book page and say why the two kinds are read differently.
This page follows somebody. There is a character, and by the end of it something has gone wrong for them. You read it front to back.
A story book follows somebody and something goes wrong. A true book tells you what is true, with headings, labels and a contents page. A story is read in ORDER; a true book you can open ANYWHERE, because no fact in it depends on the fact before.
Two things people get wrong
⚠️People often think…
It has lots of pictures, so it is a story book.
True books are full of pictures too — photographs of real things and diagrams with labels on them. Do not count the pictures; look at what they are doing. And the surest test is not the pictures at all: is somebody being followed, and is something going wrong?
Both kinds have pictures. Look at the picture’s job.
⚠️People often think…
It is about a bear, so it must be a true book about animals.
The animal decides nothing. A bear called Bruno who loses his hat is a story — somebody is followed and something goes wrong. “What bears eat in winter” is a true book: no one bear, no trouble, just facts. Ask the two questions, not what is on the cover.
Ask the two questions, not what it is about.
Two questions, then the right way to read it
1Watch one
You are handed a book called “Inside a Train Engine.” Decide what kind it is and how to read it.
Ask the first question: is somebody being followed? No — there is no character with a name.
Ask the second: is something going wrong? No — nobody is trying to fix anything.
Two nos, so it is a true book. Expect headings, labels and a contents page.
So do not read it front to back. Decide your question first, then use the contents page.
2Do one with me
Fill in what only a true book has.
The small title above a section is a
A word pointing into a picture is a
The list at the front that sends you to a page is the
💬One sentence, then you move on
Why does a true book have a contents page when a story book usually does not?
3Try one
In one word: what is the FIRST thing you should read on a true-book page?
I want a hint first
It is the biggest, boldest words on the page, and it sits above the section.
Where this goes
Where this lives
Every science page, every social studies page, a recipe, the instructions in a box — almost everything you will read outside a story is a true book, read by its headings.
What this feeds
That is the end of this band. Grades 3–5 starts by pulling words apart into their pieces.
Find a true book near you and read one heading out loud.
One card at a time — tap “Show me” to check yourself, then Next. Start at Foundation; when those feel easy, climb.
Helpful Hints
🧭 The unit in one line
Ask what the book is doing → if it is telling what happened to somebody, it is a story → if it is telling you what is true, it is a true book → and the two are not read the same way.
Story: somebody, trouble, an ending. True book: headings, labels, facts.
🔑 The one idea
A story is read in order, front to back, because the middle only makes sense after the beginning. A true book can be opened anywhere, because each part stands on its own. That is why the contents page exists.
⚠️ Traps to avoid
Pictures do not decide it. True books are full of pictures — theirs are photographs and labeled diagrams of real things.
Animals do not decide it. A book about a talking bear who loses his hat is a story. A book about what bears eat is a true book.
A true book is not a boring book. It just has a different job.
Do not read a true book front to back when you only want one fact. Use the contents page — that is what it is for.
📐 The tells — the chart
Look for
Story book
True book
Somebody it follows
yes — a character
usually not
Something going wrong
yes — the problem
no
Headings
no
yes
Labels on the pictures
no
yes
A contents page
sometimes
almost always
How you read it
in order, front to back
open it anywhere
🎯 How you will be asked
“Is this a story book or a true book? How do you know?”
“Use the contents page to find the page about teeth.”
“What does this label on the picture tell you?”
“Which book would you use to find out what bears eat?”
“Why can you start a true book in the middle?”
✅ Before the test, can you…
Name two things a story book has that a true book does not?
Point to a heading, a caption and a label on a page?
Find one fact without reading the whole book?
Say why pictures do not tell you which kind a book is?
Explain why a story has to be read in order and a true book does not?
Pick your level
Look back at anything you missed — the hint that appeared is exactly what to reread tonight.
How sure did you feel?
Workshop
Work like a reader who picks the right book: sort twelve of them, put the steps of finding one fact in order, label a true-book page, then say why the two kinds are not read the same way.
Your practice never leaves this device. There is no account and no sign-in. Your work is saved in this browser only, and you can erase it whenever you want.
Your practice record — saved on this device
This is your record of the module on screen — it stays here and goes nowhere. Independent means you got it right on the first tap; supported means you got it after the explain-and-retry, or marked ‘I had it’ on a revealed answer. Both count, and neither is a grade. If your teacher asks, copy the row or show them this screen.
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Explained in own words
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The answer key is for a teacher: it prints only from here, for the unit on screen. Print the study packet prints the study pages and a blank quiz — never the answers.