Unit Overview: Read more about the unit and find all unit materials here on the Fishtank website

In this culminating unit, students learn about how to save the earth by reducing, reusing, and recycling. Over the course of the year, students studied the seasons, learned about how animals and plants change and survive in different seasons, and explored some of the life cycles found in nature. Now, in this unit, students think about what they can do to make sure human waste does not hurt the environment. As students learn about why waste is a problem, they explore options for limiting that waste and read stories about people who have found ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste.

Students focus on identifying the reasons an author gives to support points in a text, describing the connection between individual events and ideas, and identifying basic similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic. Students explore a variety of texts, including more dense informational texts, poems, and narrative nonfiction as part of this unit. 

Since this is the culminating unit of the year, the majority of speaking and listening and writing work should be a review for students. Students should be able to continue conversations through multiple exchanges with minimal support or prompting from the teacher. Students should also be able to write an answer to the Target Task question, with more of an emphasis on writing and drawing than on dictating at this point. Students should also be able to use simple sentences both orally and in writing to answer the Target Task question. Additionally, students have opportunities to refine their informational and opinion writing.

Unit Calendar:

Unit 8 is 18 instructional days. It is recommended to run from May 27th - June 20th.