Title of Unit

Curriculum Area
Developed By

Grade Level
Time Frame

Unit 4 Fact or Fiction

Language Arts
Riou

4th
Feb 1- Mar 11

Identify Desired Results (Stage 1)

Content Standards
Week 1: LAFS.4.RL.1.2-Theme ; LAFS.4.L.3.4.b-root words; LAFS.4.L.3.5.c- context clues: synonyms
Week 2: LAFS.4.L.3.5.c- context clues: antonyms/synonyms; LAFS.4.RL.1.2-Theme
Week 3: Context Clues: Sentence Clues LAFS.4.L.3.4.a ; Main Idea and Key Details LAFS.4.RI.1.2; Text Structure: Compare and Contrast
LAFS.4.RI.2.5
Week 4: Prefixes LAFS.4.L.3.4.b ; Main Idea and Key Details LAFS.4.RI.1.2 ;Text Structure: Cause and Effect LAFS.4.RI.2.5
Week 5: Figurative Language: Similes and Metaphors LAFS.4.L.3.5.a; Point of View LAFS.4.RL.2.6 ; Context Clues: Sentence Clues
LAFS.4.L.3.4.a

Understandings

Essential Questions

Overarching Understanding
A cause is why something happens, an effect is what happens,
science can be used to help you figure out how things work

Overarching
How do different writers treat
the same topic?

Related Misconceptions
Students may have difficulty identifying the text structure the
author used in A World of Change

Topical
Why do we need government?
(week 1)
Why do people run for public
office? (week 2)
How do inventions and
technology affect your life?
(week 3)
How can you explain what you
see in the sky? (week 4)
How do writers look at success
in different ways? (week 5)

Knowledge

Skills

Students will know

Students will be able to

-meanings of words in context (wk1-5)

-characteristics of a narrative nonfiction (wk1), fantasy (wk 2),
historical fiction (wk 3), expository text (wk4), narrative poetry (wk 5)
-inflectional endings (wk1-2), diphthongs (wk4), variant vowels (wk5)

-learn meanings of new vocabulary words

-identify meanings of words in context
-determine causes and effects in a narrative nonfiction (wk1) ;
determine point of view of a fantasy (wk 2); determine point of
view of historical fiction (wk3); determine causes and effects in an
expository text (wk4); determine theme of narrative poetry (wk5)

Performance Task Description

Goal
Role
Audience
Situation
Product/Performan
ce
Standards

The goal is to be able to determine relevant facts in research

Researcher
Teacher and Classmates
Students will choose a project and select and organize relevant facts
Educational poster; biography; time line; newscast; poem
LACC.4.W.2.6, LACC.4.W.3.7; LACC.4.SL.2.4

Other Evidence

Week 1: Practice Book p, 151, 153-160 Unit 4 Week 1 Assessment ; Week 2: practice book p.161, 163-170 Unit 4 Week 2 Test; Week 3:
practice book p.171, 173-180 Unit 4 week 3 test; Week 4: practice book p.181, 183-190 Unit 4 week 4 test; Week 5: practice book p.191, 193200 Unit 4 week 5 test; Unit 4 test

Learning Plan (Stage 3) Week 1

Where are your students headed? Where have they
been? How will you make sure the students know
where they are going?
How will you hook students at the beginning of the
unit?
What events will help students experience and
explore the big idea and questions in the unit? How
will you equip them with needed skills and
knowledge?
How will you cause students to reflect and rethink?
How will you guide them in rehearsing, revising, and
refining their work?

This week students will focus on the following strategies and skills: determine cause and
effect; ask and answer questions; use Latin roots to determine meaning of unfamiliar
words
Build Background T10 (RWW p234-235)
Collaborative Conversations, Close Reading, Response to Text,
Think Aloud, Model Instruction, Guided Practice, Independent Practice, Small Group
Instruction, Teacher Conference
Students will reflect and rethink as I guide them through the following activities:
Day 1- Words in Context T14 (RWW p 236-237)
Shared Reading T16-17 (RWW p.238-239)
*Grammar: pronouns and antecedents
*Spelling: Assess Prior Knowledge T36

Day 2- Shared Reading

Ask and answer questions T18 (RWW 242)
Cause and effect (RWW p 243)
Genre: Narrative nonfiction (RWW p 244)
Latin Root (RWW p 245)
Grammar: pronoun antecedent agreement T226
Day 3- Predictive Writing T25B
Develop Comprehension T25A T25L (LA p 270-281)

*Grammar: Pronoun capitalization and clarity3` T227

Day 4- Develop Comprehension T25Q (LA p 284-287)
Phonics T27
Research and Inquiry T28
*Grammar: Proofread T27
Day 5 - Assessment
How will you help students to exhibit and selfevaluate their growing skills, knowledge, and
understanding throughout the unit?
How will you tailor and otherwise personalize the
learning plan to optimize the engagement and
effectiveness of ALL students, without compromising
the goals of the unit?
How will you organize and sequence the learning
activities to optimize the engagement and
achievement of ALL students?

Teacher Conference, Collaborative Conversations, Small Group Instruction, Guided

Practice, Independent Practice
Small Group Instruction (Workshop)
T40-63
Introduce the Weekly Concept
Teach Close Reading
Teach Minilessons: Comprehension Strategies and Skills, Genre, Vocabulary and
Writing
Apply Close Reading using Anchor Text, Extended Complex Texts, Application of

Strategies and Skills

Learning Plan (Stage 3) Week 2

Where are your students headed? Where have they
been? How will you make sure the students know
where they are going?
How will you hook students at the beginning of the
unit?

This week students will focus on the following strategies and skills: point of view, make
predictions, using idioms, and types of pronouns.
Build Background T74 (RWW p 104-105)

What events will help students experience and

explore the big idea and questions in the unit? How
will you equip them with needed skills and
knowledge?

Collaborative Conversations, Close Reading, Response to Text,

Think Aloud, Model Instruction, Guided Practice, Independent Practice, Small Group
Instruction, Teacher Conference
Students will reflect and rethink as I guide them through the following activities:

How will you cause students to reflect and rethink?

How will you guide them in rehearsing, revising, and
refining their work?

Day 1- Words in Context T78 (RWW p 250-251)

Shared Reading T80-81
*Grammar: subject and object pronouns T98
*Spelling: Assess Prior Knowledge T100
Day 2- Shared Reading
Make predictions T82
Comprehension: point of view T84 (RWW p 257)
Genre: fantasy T86 (RWW p 258)
Idioms T88 (RWW p 259)

Grammar: reflexive pronouns T98

Day 3- Predictive Writing T89B
Develop Comprehension T89A T89T (LA p 228-307)
*Grammar: mechanics and usage T99

Day 4- Preview and Compare Texts T89S

Develop Comprehension T89W (LA p 310-313)
Phonics T90
*Grammar: Proofread T99

Day 5 - *Assessment
How will you help students to exhibit and selfevaluate their growing skills, knowledge, and
understanding throughout the unit?
How will you tailor and otherwise personalize the
learning plan to optimize the engagement and
effectiveness of ALL students, without compromising
the goals of the unit?
How will you organize and sequence the learning
activities to optimize the engagement and
achievement of ALL students?

Teacher Conference, Collaborative Conversations, Small Group Instruction, Guided

Practice, Independent Practice
Small Group Instruction (Workshop)
T104- T127
Introduce the Weekly Concept
Teach Close Reading
Teach Minilessons: Comprehension Strategies and Skills, Genre, Vocabulary and
Writing
Apply Close Reading using Anchor Text, Extended Complex Texts, Application of
Strategies and Skills
Learning Plan (Stage 3) Week 3

Where are your students headed? Where have they

been? How will you make sure the students know
where they are going?
How will you hook students at the beginning of the
unit?

This week students will focus on the following strategies and skills: make predictions,
determine point of view, using context clues, and pronoun agreement.
Build Background T138 (RWW p 262-263)

What events will help students experience and

explore the big idea and questions in the unit? How
will you equip them with needed skills and
knowledge?

Collaborative Conversations, Close Reading, Response to Text,

Think Aloud, Model Instruction, Guided Practice, Independent Practice, Small Group
Instruction, Teacher Conference
Students will reflect and rethink as I guide them through the following activities:

How will you cause students to reflect and rethink?

How will you guide them in rehearsing, revising, and
refining their work?

Day 1- Words in Context T142 (RWW p 264-265)

Shared Reading T144-145

*Grammar: pronoun-verb agreement T163

*Spelling: Assess Prior Knowledge T166
Day 2- Shared Reading
Make predictions T146 (RWW 270)
Comprehension: point of view T148 (RWW p 271)
Genre: Historical fiction T150 (RWW p 272)
Synonyms T152 (RWW p 273)

Grammar: pronouns with have and be T162

Day 3- Predictive Writing T153B
Develop Comprehension T153A T153P (LA p 314-329)
Phonics T154-155

*Grammar: Punctuation in dialogue T163Day 5 - *Assessment

How will you help students to exhibit and selfevaluate their growing skills, knowledge, and
understanding throughout the unit?
How will you tailor and otherwise personalize the
learning plan to optimize the engagement and
effectiveness of ALL students, without compromising
the goals of the unit?
How will you organize and sequence the learning
activities to optimize the engagement and
achievement of ALL students?

Teacher Conference, Collaborative Conversations, Small Group Instruction, Guided

Practice, Independent Practice
Small Group Instruction (Workshop)
T168-T191
Introduce the Weekly Concept
Teach Close Reading
Teach Minilessons: Comprehension Strategies and Skills, Genre, Vocabulary and
Writing
Apply Close Reading using Anchor Text, Extended Complex Texts, Application of
Strategies and Skills
Learning Plan (Stage 3) Week 4

Where are your students headed? Where have they

This week students will focus on the following strategies and skills: ask and answer

been? How will you make sure the students know

where they are going?
How will you hook students at the beginning of the
unit?
What events will help students experience and
explore the big idea and questions in the unit? How
will you equip them with needed skills and
knowledge?
How will you cause students to reflect and rethink?
How will you guide them in rehearsing, revising, and
refining their work?

questions, determine cause and effect, using context clues, and possessive pronouns.
Students will discover what they can learn from expository text.
Build Background T202 (RWW p 276-277)
Collaborative Conversations, Close Reading, Response to Text,
Think Aloud, Model Instruction, Guided Practice, Independent Practice, Small Group
Instruction, Teacher Conference
Students will reflect and rethink as I guide them through the following activities:
Day 1- Words in Context T206 (RWW p 278-279)
Shared Reading T208-209
*Grammar: possessive nouns T226
*Spelling: Assess Prior Knowledge T38
Day 2- Shared Reading
Ask and answer questions T210
Comprehension: cause and effect T212 (RWW p 285)
Genre: Expository text T214 (RWW p 286)
Context Clues T216 (RWW p 287)

Grammar: Review possessive nounsT226

Day 3- Predictive Writing T217B
Develop Comprehension T217A T217N (LA p 336-349)
*Grammar: Punctuation T227
Day 4- Preview and Compare Texts T217S
Develop Comprehension T217S (LA p 352-355)
Phonics T218-219
Research and Inquiry T220
*Grammar: Proofread T227

Day 5 - *Writing
Writing Trait: Ideas
Share and Reflect T35
How will you help students to exhibit and selfevaluate their growing skills, knowledge, and
understanding throughout the unit?
How will you tailor and otherwise personalize the
learning plan to optimize the engagement and
effectiveness of ALL students, without compromising
the goals of the unit?
How will you organize and sequence the learning
activities to optimize the engagement and
achievement of ALL students?

Teacher Conference, Collaborative Conversations, Small Group Instruction, Guided

Practice, Independent Practice
Small Group Instruction (Workshop)
T232-253
Introduce the Weekly Concept
Teach Close Reading
Teach Minilessons: Comprehension Strategies and Skills, Genre, Vocabulary and
Writing
Apply Close Reading using Anchor Text, Extended Complex Texts, Application of
Strategies and Skills
Learning Plan (Stage 3) Week 5

Where are your students headed? Where have they

been? How will you make sure the students know
where they are going?
How will you hook students at the beginning of the
unit?

This week students will focus on the following strategies and skills: determine theme, ,
using context clues, and pronouns and homophones.
Build Background T266 (RWW p 146-147)

What events will help students experience and

explore the big idea and questions in the unit? How
will you equip them with needed skills and
knowledge?

Collaborative Conversations, Close Reading, Response to Text,

Think Aloud, Model Instruction, Guided Practice, Independent Practice, Small Group
Instruction, Teacher Conference
Students will reflect and rethink as I guide them through the following activities:

How will you cause students to reflect and rethink?

How will you guide them in rehearsing, revising, and
refining their work?

Day 1- Words in Context T270 (RWW p 148-149)

Shared Reading T272-T273
*Writing Trait: word choices

*Grammar: combining sentences T290

*Spelling: Assess Prior Knowledge T293

Day 2- Shared Reading

Point of View T276
Literary Elements: Meter and rhyme T278 (RWW p 156)
Genre: Lyric poetry and haiku T274 (RWW p 154)
Figurative language T280 (RWW p 157)
*Writing
Writing Trait: Organization
Grammar: Review Clauses T290
Day 3- Predictive Writing T281B
Develop Comprehension The Sandpiper and Bat T281A T281B (LA p 172-173)
*Writing
Writing Trait: Organization
*Grammar: Punctuation T293
Day 4- Preview and Compare Texts T281E
Develop Comprehension Fog and White Cat Winter T281FS (LA p 176-177)
Phonics T282
Research and Inquiry T284
*Grammar: Proofread T293
*Writing
Writing Trait: Organization
Day 5 - *Writing
Writing Trait: Ideas
Share and Reflect T289

How will you help students to exhibit and selfevaluate their growing skills, knowledge, and
understanding throughout the unit?
How will you tailor and otherwise personalize the
learning plan to optimize the engagement and
effectiveness of ALL students, without compromising
the goals of the unit?
How will you organize and sequence the learning
activities to optimize the engagement and
achievement of ALL students?

Teacher Conference, Collaborative Conversations, Small Group Instruction, Guided

Practice, Independent Practice
Small Group Instruction (Workshop)
T296 T317
Introduce the Weekly Concept
Teach Close Reading
Teach Minilessons: Comprehension Strategies and Skills, Genre, Vocabulary and
Writing
Apply Close Reading using Anchor Text, Extended Complex Texts, Application of
Strategies and Skills