Part 1 — Lessons (36)

1. Fact vs Opinion

A fact can be proven true. An opinion is what someone feels or believes.

"Jamaica is in the Caribbean" is a fact. "Jamaica is the most beautiful island" is an opinion.

Tip: Words like best, should, beautiful, worst often signal an opinion.

2. Personification and Similes

Comparing and describing

Writers use figurative language to make writing vivid.

A simile compares two things using 'like' or 'as': as brave as a lion.

Personification gives human qualities to non-human things: the wind whispered. The wind cannot really whisper, so this paints a picture in the reader's mind.

3. Reading Room: The Mango Tree

🌳🥭

Read with expression

In Grandma’s yard stood a tall mango tree. Every summer it was heavy with golden fruit. The children would gather beneath its shade, waiting for a ripe mango to fall. When one dropped with a soft thud, they raced to catch it, laughing in the warm island breeze. 🌳🥭

Comprehension

Where did the mango tree grow? (tap to check)
In Grandma’s yard. 🌳
When was the tree heavy with fruit? (tap to check)
Every summer. ☀️
Why did the children wait beneath the tree? (tap to check)
For a ripe mango to fall so they could catch it. 🥭
Read the last line with a happy, excited voice — why? (tap)
Because the children are laughing and racing — it is a joyful moment!

💡 Tip: read the sentence with the thud a little slower, then speed up for the racing part. That is reading with expression.

4. Reading Room: Punctuation Tells You How to Read

❗❓

Marks that guide your voice

Punctuation tells your voice what to do.

What does a question mark (?) tell your voice to do?
Raise your voice at the end, as if asking: Is it time?
What does an exclamation mark (!) tell your voice to do?
Say it with energy or surprise: Look out!
What does a full stop (.) tell your voice to do?
Stop and take a small pause before the next sentence.
Read aloud: 'Is the mango ripe? Yes! Let us eat it.' (tap words to hear)
Is the mango ripe? Yes! Let us eat it. — question voice, then excited, then calm.

💡 Grown-up tip: point to each word as your child reads. Tap any underlined word to hear it.

5. Reading Room: The Hummingbird

🐦🌺

A descriptive passage

No bird is quite as astonishing as the hummingbird. It is the only bird that can fly backwards, hover in mid-air, and even fly upside down. Its wings beat so rapidly that they produce the gentle hum from which the bird takes its name. Jamaica’s own Doctor Bird is a hummingbird found nowhere else on Earth. It feeds on nectar, hovering at each flower with extraordinary precision. 🐦
How is a hummingbird different? (tap)
It can fly backwards, hover and fly upside down.
What does 'precision' mean here? (tap)
Exactness — the bird hovers at exactly the right spot.

💡 Tap any underlined word to hear it.

You've reached the end of the free preview
The full pack has 36 illustrated lessons + 50 practice questions with full answer key — US$18
Back to all packs