Unit 1

Overcoming Learning Challenges Near and Far

In this unit, students read three literary texts—Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown, Rain School by James Rumford, and Nasreen’s Secret School by Jeanette Winter—about children overcoming challenges to education. They identify each text’s central message, analyze how it is conveyed through details, and discuss how characters face and overcome obstacles.

Students also learn key classroom routines, such as independent reading and discussion norms, and begin using reading journals and vocabulary logs. For the mid-unit assessment, they reflect on their independent reading. In the second half, they practice writing short constructed responses by reading a new literary text and answering comprehension questions.