1st Quarter

Focus Text: "Love That Dog" by Sharon Creech

Focus Skills:

• Identify characteristics of poems
• Determine the GIST of chunked text
• Use vocabulary strategies for unknown words
• Identify and explain figurative language (similes, metaphors)
• Use text evidence to explain your ideas and reasoning
• Identifying theme and providing text evidence to support it
• Write poems independently that are inspired by famous poets

Strategies to Use at Home:

• Parents and child read aloud a variety of poems at least once a week
• Parents and child practice chunking the text into manageable parts (stanzas) and then identifying the GIST for each section
• Parents and child research common similes and metaphors and then draw pictures to explain their meaning
• Parents and child take turns asking questions about the poems they have read together and answering the questions supported with text evidence
• Parents and child write a poem together by selecting a topic then adding one stanza each week throughout the quarter

End of Unit Assessment:

• Students will independently write a poem that is inspired by one of the poems in "Love That Dog" and will research one of the famous poets mentioned in the book. Students will write an essay about the poem and why they were inspired to write their own poems based on that poet's work.

2nd Quarter

Focus Text: "Animal Behavior: Animal Defenses" by Christina Wilsdon

Focus Skills:

• Identifying GIST of chunked texts and writing GIST statements
• Identifying and explaining characteristics of nonfiction, informational text
• Using text evidence to support answers to both explicit and implicit questions about a text
• Interpreting text features in nonfiction texts (charts, diagrams, maps..)
• Identifying main idea and supporting details; writing summaries to explain major text points
• Using reading strategies to research a topic and construct a written text for a specific purpose
• Use vocabulary strategies for specific content vocabulary within a nonfiction text
• Participate in group discussions by asking questions and building on others' ideas

Strategies to Use at Home:

• Parents and child practice reading each paragraph of a short nonfiction article aloud to each other then writing the GIST statement for the paragraph on an index card; when all GIST statements have been written, work together to write a summary for the paragraph
• Parents and child compare a fiction text to a nonfiction text. Ask "what is the same?" and "what is different?"
• Parents and child make up questions after reading a short nonfiction text. Be sure to create a balance of the two types of questions that can be answered using information that is "right there" (explicit) in the text and those that require "thinking about the clues" (implicit) throughout the text. For example, "What is the name of the scientist?" would be a "right there" question. "How does the scientist change during the story?" would be a "think about it" question.
• Parents and child design and create text features (maps, charts, graphs, diagrams...) to go along with a short nonfiction text that they have read together. The text features should help readers to understand the topic better. Talk to each other about why the ones you selected are the best ones to use.
• Make a text feature matching game for your child. Print some short nonfiction articles that have a text feature (like a map, graph or chart) or you could cut some nonfiction articles out of the newspaper or a magazine. Cut the text feature out of the article so that you have the article and a separate text feature. After you have several articles and text features cut out, lay them face down and have your child try to match the article to the correct text feature. DIscuss why they belong together and how the text feature helps with understanding the text.
• Parents and child choose a Topic of the Month and research it together. Use index cards to record each new piece of information. Then, at the end of the month, work together to group the cards into sub-categories for the topic and arrange them into a graphic organizer. Put the overall topic on an index card at the top. Then, write the sub-topics on index cards and arrange them underneath the overall topic. Finally, arrange all of the fact/information cards below the subtopics. Talk with your child about how categorizing and organizing research this way helps a write to set up paragraphs with a main idea and supporting details.
• Make learning new vocabulary fun. As you and your child read nonfiction texts this quarter, keep a list of new content specific vocabulary (words that are unique and connected to the topics you are reading about). After you have collected several words, play pictionary with your child. Write the words on index cards. Turn the pile of cards face down. Take turns choosing a card and then drawing a picture to represent it while the other player guesses the word.

End of Unit Assessment:

• Students will independently research an animal and gather information about its physical appearance, its habitat, its food sources, and its adaptations. Students will write a Choose Your Own Adventure story with the animal as its main character. The story will demonstrate the student's understanding of the specific animal characteristics which help it to survive the adventure.

3rd Quarter

Focus Text: "Divided Loyalties" by Gare Thompson

Focus Skills:

• Identifying GIST and writing GIST statements in chunked text and whole texts
• Identify and explain characteristics of historical fiction texts
• Using text evidence to support answers to explicit and implicit questions
• Compare and analyze characters from a text by explaining differing points of view, feelings and motivations and supporting answers with text evidence
• Identify and explain historical characteristics of the setting in historical fiction texts
• Identify and explain themes in a text and provide text evidence to support reasoning
• Use vocabulary strategies to explain meanings of unknown and content specific words
• Read and research background information about a topic and integrate knowledge from multiple sources to comprehend new texts
• Write opinion pieces that state a position, provide support for that position's reasoning and persuade others to take that same position

Strategies to Use at Home:

• Choose a historical time period that you and your child are interested in researching. Gather a variety of texts about the time period including nonfiction informational texts, primary source documents (like letters, diaries, newspaper articles, etc), historical fiction texts, and dramas/plays.
• First, use the nonfiction texts. Work together to learn about the historical events and the lifestyles of people living during that era. These types of texts are very challenging and rigorous for 4th graders so sharing the reading load will probably be necessary. Take turns reading or you may need to read aloud to your child and have him/her summarize at the end of short sections.
• Print out pictures from the Internet that show events from the time period and/or lifestyles from the era. Work with you child to write captions for the pictures so that you and your child have visuals to refer to as you are reading about the topic. **You could also do this electronically by having your child create a slide show in his/her school Google drive.
• After you and your child have acquired some background knowledge about the time period, choose an historical fiction story to read together. Since these texts are quite challenging, you will want to share the reading task.
• After reading a few chapters, each of you should choose one of the characters from the story and pretend to be that character. Choose one of the events from the story and discuss your character's feelings, opinions and point of view about what happened.

End of Unit Assessment:

• Students will choose either the Loyalist or Patriot side that we learned about in "Divided Loyalties" and in the research texts that we read in class. Students will independently create a broadside (an opinion poster) that states their position, opinion, and specific reasoning. Students will use appropriate content vocabulary to explain and support their ideas.

4th Quarter

Focus Text: "The Hope Chest" by Karen Schwabach

Focus Skills:

• Read and research significant social issues and movements of the early 20th century such as civil rights, women's right to vote, and worker's rights. Build background knowledge of the events that lead to changes in the laws and the Constitution.
• Use GIST statements to demonstrate understanding of complex, rigorous texts.
• Apply vocabulary strategies to unknown vocabulary and use vocabulary in explanations and responses to texts
• Identify themes (big life lessons) within the text and support reasoning with text evidence.
• Analyze characters and explain feelings, opinions and points of view. Make connections to the social issues described in the text.
• Ask questions that relate to the text and deepen understanding of the characters and plot.
• Make connections between historical social movements and current events. Describe and explain solutions to challenges and problems related to the social issues.
• Build stamina for reading challenging, rigorous texts independently and applying reading comprehension strategies.
• Write a literary essay that describes and analyzes a character's feelings and point of view and relates it to the theme in a story.

Strategies to Use at Home:

• Choose a significant 20th century social issue or movement for you and your child to research. Choose an organizing system (note cards, Google slides, scrapbook, etc) for collecting information that you learn as you research.
• Research the Bill of Rights from the United States Constitution. Write a GIST statement for each of the 10 rights on index cards. Shuffle the cards and then take turns choosing one and explaining what it means in your own words and why it is an important right.
• Choose a novel/chapter book that is connected to one of the social issues or movements that you and your child researched. Since these types of texts are quite complex (many characters, several plot lines and difficult vocabulary), you will want to make a plan for reading the text together.
• Create a set of character cards to go with the novel that you read together. Work together and include character name, picture, physical description, feelings/opinions, character traits and anything else you would like to include.
• Make a timeline of important events from the novel. This could be a timeline of events connected to just one of the characters or a timeline of events that are connected to the social issue in the novel.

End of Unit Assessment:

• Students will independently research a significant world problem and potential solutions for the problem. Students will independently create a public service announcement to explain the problem and solutions and convince their audience to take action to solve the problem. Students will draw conclusions about the best solution for the problem and support their reasoning with research evidence.