Build thoughtful readers while teaching kindness, empathy, and the power of standing up for others with I Walk with Vanessa. This week of Rooted in Reading is designed to help kindergarten students use illustrations to deepen comprehension and understand character emotions in a meaningful way.

Students will learn how to closely observe illustrations, identify how pictures support the story, and recognize character feelings—all while engaging in purposeful discussion and hands-on activities.

Comprehension Focus:

• Looking closely at illustrations
• Understanding the purpose of illustrations
• Identifying character emotions

Vocabulary Words:
bystander, brave, ally, bully

Grammar Focus:
Nouns that name places

This resource includes 5 days of detailed lesson plans covering comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar. Students will interact with the text through discussion questions, response activities, and engaging printables. The week also includes an original nonfiction reader about transportation, a printable student reader, comprehension assessment, and anchor chart templates.

Vocabulary is reinforced with picture cards, printables, journal prompts, and an assessment. Each day includes a Deep Dive using a mentor sentence from the text to build grammar awareness, editing skills, and meaning-making.

A meaningful craft and directed drawing with a text-based response ties everything together for a purposeful and engaging week of learning.