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

In this unit, students explore immigration by reading a combination of informational nonfiction, narrative nonfiction, and fiction texts that highlight the experiences of early and recent immigrants. In the first part of the unit, students are pushed to notice and think about the different reasons people choose to leave their homes and settle in a new community or country. They will also learn about—historically and in the present day—who is allowed to come to the United States and wrestle with whether or not the system is fair.

In the second part of the unit, students will be pushed to think about the different memories, cultural traits, goods, ideas, languages, and skills that individuals and families bring with them when they move to a new place and how these characteristics enrich the community. While students are exposed to a wide variety of immigrant experiences over the course of the unit, not every experience or feeling about immigration is captured in this unit. Because students might be first- or second-generation immigrants, it is crucial to be sensitive to and respect the varying experiences and feelings of students and families. It is our hope that this unit, in connection with others, will help students build sensitivity and empathy for varying cultures and experiences within the United States.

Students focus on noticing the connection between events. While the language of the standards does not explicitly state the type of connections students are exploring, students notice the cause-and-effect and chronological connections between events and how the connections influence events in a person's or family’s life. Students also begin to explore the author’s purpose, exploring why an author may write a particular text and how that influences the type of details they include in the text and why. When discussing the text with partners, small groups, or the whole class, students will continue to work on engaging with the thinking of others. Students will continue to focus on building on others’ talk in conversations, with an emphasis on asking for clarification and further explanation if needed.

Students will continue to work on building writing fluency by writing daily in response to the Target Task question using simple and complex sentences. Throughout the unit, students will also participate in both informational and opinion writing: Students will research culture in their community and, through a variety of opinion writing projects, learn to state an opinion, include reasons to support the opinion, use linking words to connect the opinion and reasons, and write a strong concluding statement.

Unit Calendar:

Unit 4 is 39 instructional days. It is recommended to run from February 23rd - April 17th.