Article
© Trevor Hardaker (Rain Frog); Kim Taylor/NPL/Minden Pictures (Puffed Up); Chad Keates PhD. (Cute Frog)
What Do You Think,

Frowny Frogs, Cute or Gross?

Rain frogs look grumpy. They are not really mad.

From the February 2023 Issue
Lexiles: 340L
Guided Reading Level: H
Featured Skill: Main Idea, Writing,
Common Core Standards
  • RI.1.3 Describe the connection between two ideas or pieces of information in a text RI.1.5 Know and use various text features to locate information in a text RI.1.6 Distinguish between information from words and information from images RI.1.7 Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas RI.1.10 Read informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1 SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade-1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups
TEKS Standards
  • Science
    10) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms resemble their parents and have structures and processes that help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to: (A) investigate how the external characteristics of an animal are related to where it lives, how it moves, and what it eats.

Magazine View
See Student View

Rain frogs live in Africa.

Rain frogs look grumpy. They are not really mad. That is just the shape of their mouths.

They have slimy skin. The slime makes them sticky.

They puff up with air to look bigger. That helps scare enemies.

These small frogs do not hop. They walk.

Rain frogs eat insects and worms. Slurp!

Activities (2)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Activities (2) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)

More About the Article

English Language Arts Focus

Opinion writing

Science Focus

Characteristics of animals 

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

Implementation Suggestions 

Whole Class

  • Our What Do You Think? feature introduces a high-interest topic and asks students their opinions. Students can back up their opinions with facts from the article and observations of the photos. This feature works well in a whole-class read-aloud and discussion.

Writing Block

  • After reading and discussing the article, you can return to it later for your writing block. Have children write opinion pieces using our skills pages.

1. BEFORE READING

Opinion Mini Lesson (7-10 minutes)

  • Remind students that a fact is something that is true. It is true for everyone and can be proven. But an opinion is what someone thinks or feels. It is not the same for everyone. Give them some statements orally and ask them to say whether it is an opinion. (Chocolate ice cream is the best. Ice cream is made from milk.) Tell them they will use their Storyworks 1 magazine to give their opinions about a kind of frog.

Preview Visuals/Text Features (7-10 minutes)

  • Preview the photos and headline: “Frowny Frogs, Cute or Gross?” Children will be excited to answer the question right away. Take a vote based on the photos.
  • Tell children that they still have facts to read about these funny frogs. Will their opinions be the same? Remind them that they can use the pictures and the facts to say why they think the frogs are cute or gross.

2. READ THE MINI ARTICLE (15-30 minutes)

  • Gauge the readability of this text for your class. You may choose to invite individual students to read each froggy fact.
  • After reading all the facts, consider the question again. Do students think rain frogs are cute or gross? Have them back up their opinions with reasons. They can use the sentence frame, “I think rain frogs are cute/gross because they ____________.

3. AFTER READING: FOCUS ON SKILLS

Writing Focus: Opinion Writing (15 minutes)

  • Have children share their opinions and practice their writing skills with the Write What You Think skills page.

ELA Focus: Opinion Writing (15 minutes)

  • This version of the Write What You Think page will allow you to give the same content at a lower skill level.

Text-to-Speech