Biography
Big Idea
History is made by individuals.
Essential Question
How did two young people's heroic actions differ?
Target Vocabulary
mimic - having qualities of imitating or copying something
mocking - imitating someone in an insulting way
efficient - getting maximum results from minimum work; wasting nothing
personally - something done by a person with no help from anyone else
lacked - didn't have something necessary
rural - country areas that often have many farms and few people
tedious - boring or annoying
organize - to arrange things according to a system
summons - an official request for you to go somewhere
peal - a sudden, loud sound
Comprehension
Target Skill
Compare and Contrast - to find ways that two or more things are similar and different. Signal words such as both signify comparisons, while phrases like on the other hand signal contrasts. A Venn Diagram is used to compare and contrast information.
Target Strategy
Monitor/Clarify - to pay attention to how well you understand what you read/to figure out something that doesn't make sense. Readers should monitor their understanding as they read and clarify any questions they might have. Comparing text details can clarify understanding.
Fluency
Intonation - the rise and fall of the pitch, or tone, of a person's voice. Intonation helps convey the meaning of a text. Reading without intonation can make it hard to listen, and it may even confuse the meanings of words in a text. Adjust intonation as needed to help make sense of each sentence. If you are having difficulty with the concept on intonation, break down sentences into phrases. With practice, you can improve your intonation.
Decoding
Vowel + /l/ Sounds in Unstressed Final Syllable - the part of a word that sounds stronger in a multisyllable word is the accented or stressed syllable; other syllables are unstressed. Many unstressed final syllables have a vowel + /l/ sound.
Vocabulary Strategies
Prefixes in-, im-, il-, ir- - affixes attached at the beginning of a base word or root word that changes the meaning of the word and they all mean "not." The prefixes in- and im- can also mean "in." You can use a dictionary to determine whether the prefix means "in" or "not."
Grammar
Easily Confused Verbs - some verbs have meanings that are related but not the same. It is important to know the exact meaning of these verbs so they are not used incorrectly. Parts of speech can be used to determine whether a word is used correctly. Can and may are helping verbs and rise, sit, set and lay are irregular verbs. Helping verbs are verbs that add detail to the main verb, and irregular verbs are verbs with a special form of the past tense.
Writing
Write to Persuade
Focus
Trait: Word Choice - when good writers try to persuade readers, they keep their writing clear and efficient using precise words and phrases. They carefully choose words that deliver their message directly and keep readers engaged. Wordy essays can become boring to readers and are less likely to convince readers of the writer's opinion. Look for opportunities to replace groups of words with more descriptive and direct words. Paraphrasing, or restating ideas of others in your own words, can help keep writing clear and brief when gathering information or citing research.