Unit 1

The purpose of this unit is to help students gain knowledge of how rules and laws function in society and communities. Through reading, writing, speaking and listening, students learn about how rules and laws guide human behavior and shape our society. Through the exploration of texts, students interrogate the difference between a rule and a law, considering what it means for a rule or law to be fair and practicing using their voice to advocate for fairness. Students apply their phonics skills to reading and writing about texts, focusing particularly on the components of a story and writing a narrative. Discourse allows students to share and develop their ideas about the relationship between rules and laws and communities to which they belong.

In order to access the information in this unit, students need to draw connections between what they currently know about how rules and laws shape their lives and the reading they complete during the Unit. Space should be made for students to share their own experiences with rules and laws and to build critical thinking skills about what it means for something to be fair for all people.

As designed the unit is paced for 35 number of days. Teachers will use additional time in the quarter for reteaching, reviewing or enrichment activities aligned to the unit’s goals. Additional times can also be used to develop the performance tasks and allow for district based assessments.

Standards and Learning Progressions