Grade 4 Reading Teacher's Edition - Narrative Read Aloud

Listening Comprehension

Read Aloud

Tell students you are going to read a realistic fiction story aloud.

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Turn and Talk Before reading, have pairs record what they know about the genre and what they expect to hear in the story. Share responses as a group.

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Just Lunch

Daniel trudged into the kitchen and sighed loudly as he sat down next to his mom. His dad turned from the stove where he was making huevos rancheros and said, "Buenos días, Daniel!"

"I don't know if I'd say that," Daniel grumbled.

"Why not?" Daniel's mom asked, taking a sip from her coffee. "Aren't you excited to meet people on your first day at your new school?"

"No, not really. What if no one will eat lunch with me?"

"I wouldn't worry about that," Daniel's dad said as he portioned piping hot eggs and salsa onto plates. He handed a plate to Daniel and one to Daniel's mom, before passing over a plate of warm, speckled tortillas.

"I would worry," said Daniel's older brother, Carlos, as he walked into the kitchen. "Lunch is when the other kids decide if they like you or not."

Daniel's mom shook her head. "Don't listen to him, Daniel."

Carlos laughed and sauntered out the door to catch his bus.

"Your mom's right," Daniel's dad added as he sat down next to Daniel. "Lunch is just lunch."

At school, Daniel couldn't help but dread lunch. When lunch time arrived, Daniel grabbed his lunch and stood at the front of the cafeteria, trying to decide where to sit. At the first table, Daniel saw a dark-haired girl he recognized from his class. As he walked over, Daniel noticed that the girl was unwrapping a very strange-looking sandwich.

"Hi," Daniel offered shyly as he sat down.

The girl smiled back and opened a container that smelled like pickles. "Hi. I'm Grace. Your name is Daniel, right?"

"Yeah, I'm new here." Daniel watched as Grace spooned vinegar-soaked carrots and cucumbers onto her sandwich. There was cilantro and chicken on the sandwich already, but Daniel couldn't quite figure out what she was eating.

"What kind of sandwich is that?" he asked.

Grace smiled, "It's a banh mi. My mom makes them sometimes to remind me of my grandparents."

"How does a sandwich remind you of your grandparents?" Daniel asked.

"My grandparents are from Vietnam. Whenever I visit them, they always make banh mi for me." Grace took a bite of her sandwich. "Delicious!"

Daniel unpacked his own lunch: pork empanadas from dinner last night.

"Are those empanadas?" Grace asked, her eyes glittering.

"Yeah, my family makes them sometimes."

"That is so cool!"

Daniel smiled and took another bite. He had a feeling that this would be a good lunch.