Let’s Find Out is one flexible teaching tool! Teachers use the magazine for whole-group instruction, small-group instruction, choice time, and independent reading. Here are some best practices for using the website to enhance children’s reading experience.

Many teachers set aside Let's Find Out time once a week. Children take their spots on the classroom rug. 

First, log onto the website and play the video. Our videos are not only delightful, they also give important background knowledge to help children better understand what they are going to read.

Click here for more information on using Let's Find Out videos.

Next, open the digital issue on your smartboard. Don’t have a smartboard? No problem! Many teachers pull up the issue on their laptops or classroom computer, and connect it to their projector. 

Teacher Tip: You can play the text to audio feature to hear the issue read aloud. We have regular and slow speeds. Each word is highlighted as the issue is read. This is a great way to model fluency (and give you a moment to catch your breath!). 

Now everyone can do the interactive page 4 activity as a class. Ask children the answers to the questions and have different volunteers come up to click the answers. 

Then play the online skills game as a class. Games focus on sight words, reading comprehension, word families, letter-sound correspondence, patterns, and more! 

Click here for more information on using Let’s Find Out games in your classroom. 

Want to do another whole-class learning activity? Project a Skill Sheet and do it together. 

Click here for more information on using Let’s Find Out Skill Sheets. 

Remember—there’s no one right way to use the Let’s Find Out website for whole group work! While some teachers use all the online resources at once, others prefer to watch the video, read the digital issue, and play the online skills game at different times. 

You might choose to work with just a small number of children on one issue of Let’s Find Out. This is a great strategy for reading groups and/or leveled instruction. Here is how you can do it. 

Each student has his or her own copy of the print magazine. First, show the video for the issue on a class computer or laptop. 

Then you can call on different children to read different sections of their print article aloud. You can also have the whole group read the issue chorally.

Finally, do the back-page interactive activity together and play the online game.    

Many teachers set up a laptop and open the Let’s Find Out website on it for center time or choice time. 

• You can set it up to a specific issue page if you want children to watch the video, listen to the issue, or play the game about a specific topic. 

•  You can also let children choose what videos to watch or what issues to listen to based on their interests. Just set the website up to the video or issue archive.

There are two ways to get to the archive. You can click “All Issues” or “All Videos” at the top of the website to get to the archive. You can also click “All Issues” or “All Videos” under Archive to get there. 

Click here for more information on using the Let’s Find Out archive. 

Of course! You can assign a specific issue for a child to read either at home or on a computer in class. To use an issue for independent reading, utilize our Class Password option. Click here to learn about using the Class Password. 

Absolutely! You can use the archive to help students find an issue on a topic that interests them.

Click here for more information on using the Let’s Find Out archive.

You can also use the archive to help students find an issue that matches their reading ability. Our issues get more challenging to read as the school year progresses and as children become stronger readers. 

For developing readers, you can pull up easier issues from the first half of the year. 

First, click “Archive.” Then click September and October in the search bar on the left-hand side to select only those months.    

For more advanced readers, you can select the spring issues. 

What an incredible way to personalize and differentiate instruction for independent reading!