Interpreting Characters (September-November)
Learning Target: Readers will focus on becoming stronger fiction readers by learning strategies that help them analyze their text, focusing on characters. Students will build substantial ideas that are grounded in evidence. They will analyze details of their texts to find importance and gain a deeper understanding of the heart of their stories. We will be using the book, "Tiger Rising" by Kate DiCamillo as our mentor text.
Vocabulary for Tiger Rising: https://quizlet.com/_7fa0sy
Reading the weather, reading the world (December-January)
Learning Target: During this unit, students will be researching extreme weather and natural disasters. Students will learn to reason, analyze, weigh evidence, problem solve and communicate effectively. The work is intended to help students become global citizens.
Reading History: The American Revolution (February-March)
Learning Target: This is a unit on researching history, using the American Revolution as a case in point. Your student will learn to build knowledge by reading accessible texts, lean on text structures to organize notes and thinking, synthesize new information with prior knowledge, and tackle primary sources.
As students conduct their research, preparing to debate the question of independence from Great Britain, they will learn that historians study multiple points of view to gain a complete picture of events. Students will gather and angle evidence to support sides and then hone their skills to support a position with reasons and evidence.
Historical fiction book clubs (April-June)
Learning Target: Students will organize themselves in a book club where they will construct their social structure of their club. Clubs are important because it is helpful for readers to develop interpretations in the company of others. In the first bend of the unit, students will read complex texts with strong literal comprehension and monitor for sense and actively working to fit pieces together. They will keep track of plot lines and analyze how the time period affects how characters act and feel.
Grading: End of Unit assessments and Exit Slips/Reading Response/Participation Rubric