Each Unit is comprised of:
Lessons including Reading, Writing, Grammar, Morphology, and Spelling
*Note: Writing styles utilized for longer pieces include "Opinion", "Narrative", and "Informational"
A Unit Assessment that evaluates students' reading comprehension, understanding and retention of academic and domain-specific vocabulary words, as well as the grammar and morphology skills targeted in each Unit. A writing prompt will also be given as well as periodic fluency checks.
Pausing Points designed to review, reinforce, or extend the content and skills taught
Unit 1: Classic Tales: The Wind in the Willows (15 days)
Skills
Reading: The Reader for this unit, Classic Tales, contains selections from two different classic tales, “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp” and “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” Additional enrichment chapters retelling parts of The Wind in the Willows are also included at the end of the Reader for use at the teacher’s discretion. Students will be given opportunities throughout the unit to practice reading with partners and independently, as well as to demonstrate Read-Aloud fluency.
Spelling/Grammar/Morphology: Does not begin until Unit 2 due to skill review.
Unit 2: Animal Classification (17 days)
Skills
Reading: This Reader consists of selections that explain how scientists classify animals. Students will learn about the characteristics of living things and how scientists classify living things using these characteristics.
Spelling: Students will review adding suffixes such as –ed, –ing, and –es, as well as whether to double the final consonant when adding the suffixes.
Grammar: Students will review nouns, verbs, adjectives, subjects, predicates, fragments, and run-on sentences. Students will also be introduced to abstract nouns and discover the difference between concrete and abstract nouns in sentences.
Morphology: Students will learn the prefixes un–, non–, re–, and pre–. Students will discuss how adding prefixes changes the meaning of root words and how the parts of speech of words may change.
Unit 3: The Human Body: Systems and Senses (16 days)
Skills
Reading: The nonfiction Reader for Unit 3, entitled “How Does Your Body Work?,” consists of selections that will further students’ scientific understanding of the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems of the human body.
Spelling: students will review the spelling of regular and irregular plural nouns, as well as adding –s or –es to certain verb forms. Students will review changing the letter ‘f’ to ‘v’ and adding the suffix –es to create the plural form of words.
Grammar: Students will identify and write topic and concluding sentences for paragraphs and will write and sequence supporting detail sentences within paragraphs.
Morphology: students will study the common prefixes dis– and mis– and review prefixes learned thus far in Grade 3, which are un–, non–, re–, pre–, dis–, and mis–.
Unit 4: The Ancient Roman Civilization (17 days)
Skills
Reading: Students will read the legend of Romulus and Remus about the founding of Rome, as well as several myths about Roman gods and goddesses. They will study the historical rise and fall of the Roman republic and empire, as well as key historical figures such as Hannibal, Julius Caesar, and Augustus.
Spelling: Students will review the spelling patterns of r-controlled vowels as well as spellings of the sound /ee/. In Lessons 1–5, students will review r-controlled vowels spelled ‘ar,’ ‘or,’ ‘er,’ ‘ir,’ and ‘ur.’
Grammar: Students will review verb tenses and the verbs to be and to have as well as subject-verb agreement, learning to change the spelling of verbs to match various subjects.
Morphology: Students will study the common suffixes –er, –or, –ist, –ian, –y, and –al.
Unit 5: Light and Sound (19 days)
Skills
Reading: Students will read about light sources, shadows, mirrors, reflection, refraction, lenses, and color. They will also study the characteristics of sound, as well as the human voice. Later chapters include information about light and photography as well as biographies of two famous inventors who worked with light and sound: Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison.
Spelling: Students will review words with spelling patterns of /ee/ spelled ‘y,’ ‘e,’ ‘i,’ ‘ea,’ ‘ee,’ ‘ie,’ ‘ey’ and ‘e_e.’ For Lessons 6–10, students will review words with spelling patterns of /ae/ spelled ‘ay,’ ‘ai,’ and ‘ea.’
Grammar: Students will review a part of speech introduced at the end of Grade 2: adverbs ending with –ly that tell how an action takes place.
Morphology: Students will review the suffixes –er, –or, –ist, –ian, –y, and –al. In addition, students will learn the suffixes –ous and –ly.
Unit 6: The Viking Age (12 days)
Skills
Reading: The Reader of Unit 6 is Gods, Giants, and Dwarves. The content of this Reader focuses on Norse mythology. These Norse myths, which have been passed down through many generations, complement the Quest for this unit, which presents factual information about the Vikings.
Spelling: During this unit’s spelling exercises, students will review words with spelling patterns of /k/ spelled ‘c’, ‘k’, ‘ck’, ‘ch’, and ‘cc’ and spelling patterns of /s/ spelled ‘s’, ‘c’, ‘ss’, ‘ce’, ‘se’, ‘st’, and ‘sc’.
Grammar: Students will continue their study of conjunctions as a part of speech. Students will review the correct usage of the conjunction because, which is used to mean “for this reason” and signals the answer to a “why” question.
Morphology: Students will work with the suffixes –ive and –ly. Students will continue to learn how suffixes change the meaning of root words and how suffixes added to a word can change the part of speech of that word.
Unit 7: Astronomy: Our Solar System and Beyond (23 days)
Skills
Reading: The nonfiction Reader for Unit 7, What’s in Our Universe? consists of selections describing the sun, the eight planets, our moon, asteroids, comets, meteors, galaxies, stars, the Big Bang theory, and important figures in the history of space exploration, including Nicolaus Copernicus and Mae Jemison.
Spelling: Students will review words with spelling patterns /j/, /n/, /ae/, /k/, and /s/. In Lessons 1–5, students will review words with spelling patterns of /j/ spelled ‘g’, ‘j’, ‘ge’, ‘dge’, and ‘dg’. For Lessons 6–10, students will review words with spelling patterns of /n/ spelled ‘n’, ‘nn’, ‘kn’, and ‘gn’. Finally, in Lessons 11–15, students will review words with spelling patterns of /ae/, /k/, /s/, /j/, and /n/.
Grammar: Students will review the conjunctions and and because and be introduced to the conjunctions so and or. Students will continue their study of cause and effect, understanding that the conjunction because announces the cause and the conjunction so announces the effect.
Morphology: Students will study the common suffixes –ful and –less. Students will also review the suffixes –ous, –ive, and –ly.
Unit 8: Native Americans: Regions and Cultures (15 days)
Skills
Reading: The Reader for Unit 7, Native American Stories, consists of selections describing the historical events and culture of Native Americans. These selections are realistic fictional accounts with the purpose of conveying nonfiction information about several Native American cultures.
Spelling: students will review words with /ə/ spelled ‘a’ and ‘e’ and those words with /ə/ spelled ‘al,’ ‘le,’ and ‘el,’ and /sh/ + /ə/ + /n/ spelled ‘tion.’
Grammar: Students will be introduced to possessive nouns and pronouns, plural possessive nouns not ending in ‘s’ or ‘es,’ and will review singular and plural possessive nouns.
Morphology: Students will study word parts, such as prefixes, suffixes, and root words during the morphology portion of the lessons. In this unit, students will learn the suffixes –ish, –ness, –able, and –ible.
Unit 9: Early Explorations of North America (16 days)
Skills
Reading: The Reader for Unit 9, entitled The Age of Exploration, consists of selections that will further students’ understanding of the reasons for European exploration, what exploration was like, and who went exploring.
Spelling: Students will review words with spelling patterns of /ue/ spelled ‘u’, ‘u_e’, and ‘ue’ and spelling patterns of /oo/ spelled ‘oo’, ‘ew’, ‘o’, and ‘o_e’. Students will also review the spellings patterns of /f/ spelled ‘f’, ‘ff’, ‘ph’, and ‘gh’.
Grammar: Students will be introduced to and practice the linking words for example, in the same way, and in contrast. Students will also be introduced to comparative and superlative adjectives using the suffixes –er and –est as well as more and most.
Morphology: Students will learn the prefixes pro– and anti– as well as review these prefixes and the suffixes –ish, –ness, –able, and –ible.
Unit 10: Colonial America (19 days)
Skills
Reading: The Reader for Unit 10, Living in Colonial America, is a collection of stories and informational texts about different colonies in early America. The story selections are historical fiction and each is told from a child’s point of view, just as the selections were in Native American Stories.
Spelling: Students will review words with spelling patterns for / e/, / e/ + /l/, /sh/ + / e/ + /n/, /ue/, /oo/, and /f/. For Lessons 6–10, students will review words with spelling patterns of /oi/ spelled ‘oi’ and ‘oy’. Finally, in Lessons 11–15, students will review words with spelling patterns of /ou/ spelled ‘ou’ and ‘ow’.
Grammar: Students will practice comparative and superlative adjectives using the suffixes –er and –est as well as more and most and be introduced to comparative and superlative adverbs using the suffixes –er and –est as well as more and most.
Morphology: Students will learn the common prefixes uni–, bi–, tri–, and multi– as well as the common prefixes over–, mid–, and under–.
Unit 11: Ecology (12 days)
Skills
Reading: The content of Unit 11 focuses on ecology. This unit will build upon what students have learned in earlier grades about animal habitats and taking care of the earth. Students will learn about food chains, the balance of nature, changes to the environment, and protecting the environment. Students will also read a biography of John Muir.
Spelling: Students will review words with /aw/ spelled ‘au,’ ‘aw,’ ‘al,’ ‘ough,’ and ‘augh’ for Lessons 1–5. For Lessons 6–10, students will review words with /oi/, /ou/, and /aw/.
Grammar: Students will practice subject and object pronouns and comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs.
Morphology: Students will review the prefixes uni–, bi–, tri–, multi–, over–, mid–, and under–.