Guided Reading Level N - How People Communicated (with Lesson Plan)

What This Book Teaches Best
• How people shared information long ago using cave wall paintings made from crushed rocks and water.
• How messengers (runners) delivered spoken messages or wooden tablets across forests and mountains.
• Different tools for sending messages, including carrier pigeons, letters, and the printing press for making many copies quickly.
• How inventions changed communication over time—from telegraph (Morse code) to telephone to near-instant messages today.
• Quality check note: One page includes text about firefighters’ turnout gear that does not match the book’s communication topic, and the vocabulary list includes firefighter terms (“protective,” “turnout”).

Learning Goals
• Students will describe at least three ways people communicated long ago using details from the text.
• Students will explain how carrier pigeons carried letters according to the text.
• Students will describe how the printing press changed how books were made.
• Students will explain how the telegraph sent messages and name “Morse code” as described.
• Students will compare older communication methods to today’s communication described in the book.

Key Vocabulary From the Text
• messengers — people who carry messages or news.
• invention — something new created for the first time.
• telegraph — machine that sent messages using electricity.
• envelope — paper cover that holds a letter.
• instantly — right away, with almost no waiting.

Discussion Prompts
• Pre-reading question: What are some ways people might share information when they are far apart?
• Comprehension questions: How did people use cave walls to share information thousands of years ago? What did carrier pigeons carry, and where was it attached? According to the text, how can a message travel around the world today in just a few seconds?

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.