Article
Kaushik Vijayan/SWNS.com
Mini Read,

Me Want Cookie Monster Rocks!

People saw a famous furry face in a rock. 

By Laine Falk
From the February 2022 Issue
Lexile: 420L
Guided Reading Level: K
DRA Level: 16-18
Featured Skill: Key Details,
Topic: Science,
Common Core Standards
  • RI.2.1 Key details RI.2.4 Vocabulary RI.2.5 Nonfiction text features RI.2.10 Read grade-2-appropriate informational text SL.2 Participate in conversations about grade 2 texts

Magazine View
See Student View

Rock collector Mike Bowers has some amazing rocks. He has sparkly purple rocks. He has bumpy green rocks. He has sharp, clear rocks.

And he has a rock that looks just like Cookie Monster!

What Kind of Rock? 

Kennedy News & Media

The outside of the rock

This rock is an agate. Agates are often plain on the outside. But they have colorful layers on the inside. This agate just happens to have blue layers, a smiley-shaped hole, and white “eyes.”

Keeping the Rock

Courtesy of Sesame Workshop

Cookie Monster

Mike shared pictures of the Cookie Monster rock on the internet. People loved it.

One day, Mike may sell the rock. But for now, he wants to keep it. It is unusual, after all. You don’t find Cookie Monster rocks every day.

Mike keeps it safe in a special place. Where? He keeps it in his cookie jar, of course!

Slideshows (1)
Activities (3)
Skills Activities
Slideshows (1)
Activities (3) Download All Quizzes and Activities
Skills Activities

More About the Article

Science Focus

Earth Science

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

1. BEFORE READING

Preview Vocabulary (2 minutes)

  • Play the online vocabulary slideshow. This article’s featured words are agate, layers, and unusual.

Preview the Nonfiction Text Features/Visuals (5-10 minutes)

  • Take a look at the nonfiction text features. First, focus on the big photo. Ask kids to share what they notice about the rock. (It is blue; it has two circles that look like eyes; it has a hole that looks like a mouth; it looks like Cookie Monster.)
  • Can students find the caption on the large photo of the rock? A caption is a word or group of words that give information about a picture. What does the caption say? (the inside of the rock). Can students find the caption on the inset photo of Cookie Monster on page 3? What does the caption say? (Cookie Monster). Do students think the images look alike?

Introduce Nosey

  • Point out our dog character, Nosey, on page 3. Ask someone to read her voice bubble.
  • Explain that Nosey pops up throughout Storyworks 2. Not only does she have a long nose to sniff out facts, but she’s also nosy! She’s curious and wants to know about everything. 

2. READ THE ARTICLE (10 minutes)

  • You can read this short article aloud together as a class, in small groups, or individually.

3. AFTER READING

ELA Focus: Quiz (10 minutes)

ELA Focus: ELA Focus: Write Key Details to Nosey at [email protected] (20 minutes)

  • It’s time to help Nosey fill out her Fact File! Print out Nosey’s Fact File from the Resources section of our website. Kids can find facts from the article. They can work in small groups or individually.
  • Each fact box is scaffolded to help kids know what to write.
  • You can also do this as a whole class activity and email their Fact Files to Nosey at [email protected]!

Text-to-Speech