Guided Reading Level L - All About Cows (with Lesson Plan)

What This Book Teaches Best
• Explains what cows are (large farm animals; mammals that have fur and give birth to live babies).
• Teaches how cow body parts help them (strong legs, hard hooves that protect feet; eyes placed on the sides for wide view).
• Describes what cows eat and how they eat plants (herbivores; tongue wraps around grass; plants like grass, hay, clover).
• Introduces a key digestion process (food goes to a large stomach; cows bring food back up to chew again—“chewing cud”).
• Builds understanding of cow family and social life (calf care; calves drink milk with vitamins and minerals; cows live in herds and have “friends”).

Learning Goals
• Students will describe what the book says cows are and where they live.
• Students will explain how a cow’s hoof helps protect its feet while it walks.
• Students will identify what cows eat and describe how a cow uses its tongue to pull in grass.
• Students will explain what “chewing cud” means using the book’s description of digestion.
• Students will describe how calves are cared for and what the text says about calf milk.
• Students will describe how cows live together in a herd and how they rest.

Key Vocabulary From the Text
• mammals — animals with fur that give birth to live babies.
• hoof — hard covering that protects a cow’s foot.
• herbivores — animals that eat only plants.
• digesting — breaking down food inside the body.
• herd — a group of cows living together.

Discussion Prompts
• Pre-reading question: What do you already know about cows living on farms?
• Comprehension questions: How does the book describe a cow’s hoof and what it does?
• Comprehension questions: What happens to grass after a cow swallows it, and what is “chewing cud”?
• Comprehension questions: Why can a cow see almost all the way around its body without turning its head?

Printing Tips

1. Best Printing Method (Recommended)
   “Booklet” Printing (Best if Available)
   If your printer or PDF viewer supports Booklet Printing, use this.
   Settings to use:
   • Print mode: Booklet
   • Paper size: Letter or A4 (either works)
   • Orientation: Landscape
   • Print on both sides: Yes
   • Flip on: Short edge
   • Scaling: Fit to printable area
   • Booklet subset:
   o First test: Front sides only
   o Then: Back sides only
   This will automatically:
   • Pair pages correctly
   • Put the cover on the outside
   • Align everything for folding
   After printing, fold in half and staple along the spine.

2. If “Booklet” Printing Is NOT Available
   You can still print this correctly with manual duplex printing.
   Step-by-step:

3. Open the PDF.

4. Choose Print.

5. Set:
   o Orientation: Landscape
   o Pages per sheet: 1
   o Print on both sides: Yes
   o Flip on: Short edge

6. Print all pages.
   Because each PDF page already contains two facing book pages, the result will still fold cleanly into a book.