Unit 4: Consider Perspectives

Unit Overview: Each unit overview provides a description of the content knowledge students will gain through learning and applying literacy skills while engaging with texts. Additional information in the Resources section. 

               Unit 4 in second grade focuses on teaching students the importance of perspective and universal values shared across cultures by comparing and contrasting two or more versions of the same story. Students will also explore processes, rules, and laws by comparing and contrasting the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic. In first grade, students were asked to compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories (literary) and to identify basic similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic (informational). In grade two, students will be able to expand upon prior learning by examining literary texts written and/or shared by different authors and different cultures. Students will also extend their skills in order to compare and contrast key points presented while reading informational texts on a topic in addition to being able to identify illustrations, descriptions, or procedures. Students’ language development can be supported using discourse and engagement practices that allow for discussions. In planning, teachers should select the highest leverage words for their students. All Foundational standards skills are prioritized as students are participating in activities to support decoding, fluency, phonics, and word analysis activities such as interpreting figurative language and analyzing word parts (e.g., root words and affixes). Students will engage in decoding, fluency, and phonics activities to determine the meanings of words and phrases as used in various texts.

In order to promote learning for all students, strategies have been incorporated into the day-to-day lesson design. For ELs, essential strategies such as sentence frames, talk moves, and anchor charts will promote language acquisition. For students with IEPs, graphic organizers and complex sentence comprehension can be used as a scaffold to provide access to the grade level text. As part of the district’s initiative to promote equity, we will cultivate students who understand that stories can highlight universal values across cultures and bridge our differences. Students will recognize that the content of our character shapes our identity. Through writing and collaboration, students will create opinion pieces that include a review of alternate versions of popular children’s stories. As a culmination of Modules 1-4, students will work to create a mock trial script using the information learned from reading all of the Unit 4 texts. This unit may include texts from Wit and Wisdom and/or ReadyGen that are aligned with the content and priority standards.

Big Idea: 

• Understanding the importance of perspective is important.

• There are processes, rules and laws

Essential Questions: 

• How can stories highlight the universal values across cultures?

• How does the content of our character shape our identity?

• How is your character reflected in the perspectives of others?

• How do we make informed decisions?