📖 ReadingGrade 2Lesson 18
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Read About Countries and People

Lesson preview: the Mini Lesson and Vocabulary are open to everyone. Guided practice, exercises, the parent checklist and the printable PDF worksheet come with full access (free 7-day trial or membership).

Learning Objectives

  • 1Read a nonfiction article about a country and its people
  • 2Use headings and bold words to locate information in the text
  • 3Answer comprehension questions using facts from the article
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Mini Lesson

Nonfiction articles about countries and people teach us about real places in our world — their geography, language, food, traditions, and daily life. Reading them builds our global understanding and our nonfiction reading skills at the same time.

What a country article usually covers

  • Location — where is the country? What continent is it on?
  • Language and people — what language do people speak? How many people live there?
  • Food and traditions — what do people eat? What celebrations do they have?
  • Landmarks — famous places or buildings the country is known for.

Reading strategy: scan with headings first

  • Before reading every word, scan the headings to know what topics are covered.
  • Then read the section that answers your question — you do not always need to read every section in order.
  • This is called reading for a purpose.

Connecting to prior knowledge

  • Before you read, think: "What do I already know about this country?"
  • After you read, think: "What did I learn that surprised me?"
What a Country Article CoversA four-section grid showing the typical topics in a country article: Location, Language and People, Food and Traditions, and Landmarks.Country Article TopicsLocationcontinent · capitalLanguage & Peoplepopulation · languageFood & Traditionsdishes · festivalsLandmarksfamous places
Four typical topics in a country article — location, language and people, food and traditions, landmarks.
Scan with Headings Reading StrategyA three-step strategy: scan all headings first, find the heading that answers your question, then read that section carefully.Scan → Find → Read1SCAN — read all headings first.Get a preview of every topic.2FIND — which heading fits?Go straight to that section.3READ — read that section.Find the exact fact you need.Write it in your own words.
Three-step nonfiction reading strategy — Scan headings, Find the right section, Read carefully.
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Ask yourself: "Which heading tells me where to find the fact I need? What is one new thing I learned about this country?"

Vocabulary
Archipelago
A group of many islands that together form a country or regione.g. Japan is an archipelago made of four main islands and thousands of smaller ones.
Capital
The most important city in a country — usually where the government is locatede.g. Tokyo is the capital of Japan.
Currency
The kind of money used in a countrye.g. Japan's currency is called the yen.
Landmark
A famous place, building, or natural feature that a country is known fore.g. Mount Fuji is a famous landmark in Japan.
Scan
To quickly read over the headings or key words to find where the information you need is locatede.g. Scan all the headings before you start reading every word.
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← Lesson 17: Read Nonfiction Texts About AnimalsLesson 19: Use Headings and Labels for Details →