4th grade ela curriculum unit map weeks 7-12 lesson seeds

4th Grade ELA Curriculum Unit Map Weeks 7-12 Lesson Seeds

Table of Contents Page Seed

~ Curriculum Standards Map

1 Unit Overview

3 #1 RI.4.2 Summarize informational text.

4 #2 RI.4.4 Use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases.

5 #3 RI.4.3 Explain events in a historical text.

7 #4 RI.4.3 Explain what happened and why it happened in a scientific text.

8 #5 RI.4.3 Explain steps in a technical procedure.

10 #6 RI.4.7 Interpret information presented quantitatively and visually and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text.

11 #7 RL.4.5 Explain major differences between poetry, drama, and poetry.

12 #8 RL.4.5 Analyze the structure of a poem, including the verse, rhythm, and meter.

14 #9 RL.4.3 Infer what an unfamiliar setting looks like as well as feels like.

15 #10 RL.4.3 Describe how a character’s actions are affected by the setting (time and place).

16 #11 RL.4.2 Determine the theme of a story.

19 Resources

Kentucky Core Academic Standards Curriculum Unit Jefferson County Public Schools English Language Arts

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Grade 4 Weeks: 7 - 12

Unit Title: Thinking, Talking, Reading and Writing about Informational and Literary Texts

Overview: During this unit, students will think, talk and write about literary and informational texts. Students will analyze literary texts in order to explain differences between poetry, drama and prose. Students will also read literary text and be able to describe in depth the setting and events in that text, and look at the connection between characters’ actions and the setting they are in. Students will read various types of informational texts in order to explain events that happened in history, explain steps in technical procedures, and explain cause and effect in scientific texts. Students will also summarize informational texts orally and in writing. Focus Standards:

• RL.4.2: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.

• RL.4.3: Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).

• RL.4.5: Explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural elements of poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama (e.g., casts of characters, settings, descriptions, dialogue, stage directions) when writing or speaking about a text.

• RI.4.2: Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.

• RI.4.3: Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

• RI.4.4: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.

• RI.4.7: Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.

Supporting Standards: RL.4.1, 4.10; RI.4.1, 4.5, 4.10; L.4.4, 4.6; W.4.8, 4.9b, 4.10; SL.4.1b, 4.1c, 4.2; RF.4.4b

Read Aloud: You will want to choose a historical fiction as your read aloud. Historical fiction is good for teaching description of settings because it is an unfamiliar time and place. Events can also be looked at closely and characters analyzed. The Sign of the Beaver would be a good choice and will go along nicely with the setting and events lesson seeds in this unit.

Reading Workshop is the recommended framework for standards-based reading instruction. The workshop framework is a cycle of differentiated support that begins with whole group instruction, narrows to small group and individual instruction based on student need, and concludes with whole group sharing. Assessment and intervention are embedded within the workshop framework.

Classrooms that do not use a workshop framework are expected to implement research-based reading instruction daily. Research-based reading instruction provides daily opportunities for students to experience: interactive read aloud, shared reading, whole group mini-lesson, small group instruction, conferring with a teacher, independent reading practice, thinking, talking and writing in response to reading, and closure. Teachers meet with small groups of students on a rotating basis and meet with the lowest achieving students daily. Targeted interventions are provided for students who need more support. Whole group, small group, and individual instruction should be standards-based.


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This unit includes multiple lesson seeds. Lesson seeds include objectives, learning targets, sample activities, anchor charts, thinking stems, and formative assessment suggestions. Lesson seeds should be used to build or grow a learning experience, and are for the whole group mini-lesson. A learning experience includes standards, learning targets, materials, formative assessment opportunities, mini-lessons (e.g., teach/model/demonstrate, guided practice), daily work time (e.g., guided reading, focus groups, and/or book clubs) and daily group sharing (reflection and evaluation of the learning). A learning experience and some lesson seeds are designed to take multiple days. For example, the mini-lesson might take one or two days, the guided practice would become the mini-lesson for the following day, and possibly extend to the next day. In addition, based on formative assessment, if the majority of students did not understand the mini-lesson concept, seeds may be repeated with different texts or excerpts. If some of the students did not understand the mini-lesson concepts, small group instruction and teacher led conferences are utilized to reteach, reinforce, and support students who need additional help.

Although it may take more than one day to get through one seed, always remind readers of the focused learning target at the end of the daily mini-lesson. Then, send readers off to read on their own with a directive relating to the mini-lesson for their independent reading and writing. After work time, readers are gathered again to discuss and share the strategies and thinking they used while reading and writing and how they might have grown as readers.

Interactive read alouds, as well as on-level shared reading experiences allowing students to see and hear fluent reading of the text, should be included daily in addition to the reading during the mini-lessons. Many seeds revisit texts that have been read in prior experiences of shared reading and/or read alouds.

Word Study should occur daily within the context of reading. The purpose is to promote understanding of how words work and how to use them to effectively communicate ideas. This may occur as the workshop mini-lesson, as a focus group, during guided reading, during read aloud, during content area instruction, or as targeted word work instruction. Students will need the opportunity to apply the learning during authentic reading and writing. At the 4/5 level, Word Study should occur daily within the context of reading. The purpose is to promote understanding of the various ways we use words to effectively communicate ideas as well as how we use knowledge of roots and affixes to comprehend what we read. Writing Standards 1-6 and most Language Standards will be taught during Writing Workshop. However, these standards will reinforce and support the learning within these units.

Handwriting Instruction – During this six-week unit, students in fourth grade should receive cursive writing instruction on a daily basis as part of their word study and writing times. Appropriate letter and word formations are expected and reinforced as students engage in authentic writing tasks. The JCPS Handwriting Map, which includes a link to resources to support instruction in letter formation, can be found on our website.


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Objective: Students will read and summarize informational texts. Lesson Seed #1 - Informational

Learning Target: I can summarize informational text. (RI.4.2)

Note: This standard requires readers to not only determine main idea and explain how it is supported by key details, but also to summarize informational texts. This seed will focus on teaching students how to narrow down to the most important facts/details in an informational text and then write a summary of that text. For this seed, you will want to choose any familiar informational text. Using a shorter text might work well the first time with this seed, and it could be repeated with a longer text.

Interactive Read Aloud: (must occur prior to the mini-lesson) In Lesson Seeds #1-6 the focus of instruction is on reading and understanding informational texts. During this time you will want to read aloud a variety of informational texts while demonstrating how readers navigate through texts. Take this time to continue having discussions about the different text structures, adding to the anchor chart from weeks 1-6. You can also continue to practice determining main idea, and explaining how the key details support the main idea. Model how to make notes in the margins or on sticky notes about what is important to remember. It will be important to keep the read aloud interactive by inviting students to turn and talk or to stop and jot. You could also ask students to turn and teach each other something they learned or to sketch what you just read adding details as you continue to read.

Mini-Lesson(s): (RI.4.2; RI.4.1; L.4.6; W.4.9b, 4.10) This seed is intended to span more than one mini-lesson. Make text available to all students. You may find it helpful to use the document camera so that students can see as you work. As you read the text, model for students how to write details on post-it notes. Model your thinking as you record on your post-it notes. Continue recording details for the entire passage.

Once you have completed the passage, model for students how to spread out all of the post-it notes, read each post-it note, and think about the importance of each post-it note. Have students turn and talk about what they notice you are doing.

Model how to get rid of the details that are less important, and how to look for details that may say the same thing. Have students turn and talk about what they notice you are doing. Model how to combine some of the post-it notes. Again, have students turn and talk about what they notice you are doing.

Once you have narrowed the post-it notes down to the most important details, arrange them to write a summary. Model writing a summary using the post-it notes.

As a class, create a chart titled “How to Write a Summary.” See the example below. It is important to create this with students after they have seen the process modeled.

Guided practice: (this may occur during the next mini-lesson) Have students work together to scan back through the text and reread the summary. Does the summary make sense? Did we include the most important details?

Work Time: Students should have the opportunity to follow this process with other informational texts. Students need to practice taking it all the way to a written summary. This may be done during small group instruction, or students can practice independently. Make available informational texts of varying reading levels and interest. Students need to also have time to read texts on their independent reading level during this time.


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While students are working, circulate the room to listen to or confer with them on their reading, or pull small groups to provide focus group instruction for students needing additional support. Guided reading groups are also to be pulled at this time.

Share Time: Bring students back together and provide the opportunity for students to share any summaries they worked on during Work Time.

Sample Thinking Stems/Anchor Chart: Formative Assessment Opportunities: • As students turn and talk, listen in to their

conversations and support as needed. Are they noticing how you choose the most important details to include in the summary? If not, then you will want to emphasize this through additional mini-lessons.

• As students work together to review the summary, are they having meaningful conversations about the details that have been included in the summary?

• Performance Task: Using the anchor chart, students will write a written summary about the text they read in their reader’s notebook.

Objective: Students will determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topics or subject area.

Lesson Seed #2 – Informational Learning Target: I can use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases. (RI.4.4)

Note: In informational text, determining the meaning of content specific words and phrases within text requires students to use text features and context clues to determine the meaning. Again, this cannot be taught during one instructional session, but may require a session in order to introduce the work.

Interactive Read Aloud: (must occur prior to the mini-lesson) See lesson seed #1.

Mini-Lesson(s): (RI.4.4, RI.4.1, 4.10; L.4.4, 4.6) This seed is intended to span more than one mini-lesson. To introduce thinking deeply about unknown words or phrases, read a short excerpt from any informational text, think aloud about a word or phrase, and orally think through the meaning of the word or phrase. Within your think aloud, you will want to share specifically what you used from the text to determine the meaning. Record your thinking on a chart similar to the one shown below. Students should create a similar chart in their reader’s notebook and record their thinking as they think through words and phrases during guided practice and independent reading.

Guided Practice: (this may occur during the next mini-lesson) Students will need repeated, ongoing guided practice. Provide students with a copy of a familiar text. This may be a previously taken Reading


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Diagnostic Assessment (RDA), previously read article from classroom subscription, or an excerpt from a current read aloud. Identify a word or phrase that will be difficult for students. Students should reread with the purpose of trying to determine the meaning of the word or phrase. Ask students to turn and talk with a partner or small group about the meaning. Students should record their thinking followed by whole group discussion.

Work Time: As students read independently, they should learn to identify words and phrases that are unfamiliar to them and use the chart in their reader’s notebook to record their thinking.

While students are working, circulate the room and listen to or confer with them on their reading, or pull small groups to provide focus group instruction for students needing additional support. Guided reading groups are also to be pulled at this time.

Share Time: Allow the students the opportunity to share any of the unfamiliar words and phrases they worked with during work time. You may ask them to show their charts to the class using the document camera.

Sample Thinking Stems/Anchor Chart: • What can you try to help yourself figure out the meaning of the word _________? • How can you use the text features to help you? • Are there any clues in the text around the word that will help you?

Word or Phrase The Meaning of the Word or

Phrase How I Inferred the Meaning of

the Word or Phrase

Formative Assessment Opportunities: • Listen to students during the guided practice part of the lesson. Make note of students who may

need additional support. • Collect and analyze student’s three-column organizers. Were students able to: o identify unknown words? o make reasonable inferences about word meaning? o use context clues to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words? o use new vocabulary in a sentence to demonstrate understanding?

Objective: Students will explain concepts in a historical event including what happened and why.

Lesson Seed #3 - Informational Learning Target: I can explain events in a historical text. (RI.4.3)

Note: You will be using If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution. It is strongly suggested that students have access to the text being used in this seed. RI.4.3 asks for students to explain what happened and why in historical, scientific and technical texts. This is cause and effect. The standard doesn’t use the terminology of cause and effect, but that is what the standard is asking students to do. Interactive Read Aloud: (must occur prior to the mini-lesson) See lesson seed #1.


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Mini-Lesson(s): (RI.4.3; RI.4.1; L.4.6; SL.4.1b; W.4.8, 4.10) This seed is intended to span more than one mini-lesson. Read aloud starting on page 14. When you get to the end of page 16, ask yourself aloud: I wonder why the Patriots decided to dump all of that tea into the Boston Harbor? If I go back and look in the text it says that the lawyer stirred up the colonists when he said they should not pay taxes until they could send a person to speak for the colonies in Parliament. When the British took away all the taxes except the one on tea, the Patriots didn’t think this was good enough. That seems to be what caused the Patriots to dump the tea into Boston Harbor. Record your thinking on an anchor chart. Keep reading aloud to the bottom of 18. Hmm, I wonder what caused the start of the American Revolution. I read that King George decided to close the port after the Patriots dumped out the tea. He told them that nothing could go in or out of the port until the tea was paid for. This may have upset some of the colonists. The text also says that some people thought it was time for colonies as a group to protest British taxes. This makes me think they are coming together as a group. Record your thinking on the anchor chart.

Guided Practice: (this may occur during the next mini-lesson) Students need to work together to read page 37. What event occurred on this page? Why did this happen? Push students to think about why the Patriots would melt a stature of King George to make bullets. What do they know about the Patriots that help them understand this event? Make sure students are recording their thinking on the anchor chart with post-it notes or on a chart in their own notebooks.

Work Time: Students should practice this process any time they are reading a historical text. They can create an anchor chart similar to the one from this mini-lesson and apply it to their historical text. Students need to also have time to read texts on their independent reading level during this time.

You may also have students apply this skill using the social studies text during social studies. Are students able to explain the events read about in the historical text? This would be ongoing practice.

While students are working, you will want to either circulate the room, listening to their reading, or pull small groups of students to provide focus group instruction for students who need additional support. This is also the time you would pull a guided reading group.

Share: Bring students back together and allow a few students to share the work they completed during work time.

Sample Thinking Stems/Anchor Chart: I read… This happened because…

On December 16, 1773, angry Patriots, dressed as Mohawk Indians, dumped 342 crates of tea into Boston Harbor.

The Patriots were angry about still having to pay taxes. Even though the British took away all of the other taxes, it wasn’t good enough for the Patriots. They were mad.

This was the start of the American Revolution.

King George closed the port after the tea was dumped out. This probably upset the colonists even more. Many of the colonists decided it was time to protest the British taxes.


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Formative Assessment Opportunities: • Note if students are recording appropriate responses on the anchor chart. Students should be able

to tell that the Patriots used a statue of King George to melt down for bullets. They should be able to recognize the significance in this – the Patriots were the ones who became tired of being under British control and they wanted to be free from the British. King George is the one who closed down the port after the Patriots dumped out the tea. It seems only fitting that they melt down a statue of him.

• Collect student notebooks. Are students able to explain the events read about in the historical text?

Objective: Students will explain concepts in a scientific text, including what happened and why. Lesson Seed #4 - Informational

Learning Target: I can explain what happened and why it happened in a scientific text. (RI.4.3)

Note: The text being used is Volcanoes from the classroom library. It is strongly suggested that students have access to the text being used in this seed. RI.4.3 asks for students to explain what happened and why in historical, scientific and technical texts. This is cause and effect. The standard doesn’t use the terminology of cause and effect, but that is what the standard is asking students to do. This seed should be repeated with different texts as needed.

Interactive Read Aloud: (must occur prior to the mini-lesson) See lesson seed #1.

Mini-Lesson(s): (RI.4.3, RI.4.1; L.4.6; SL.4.1b, 4.1c; W.4.8, 4.10) This seed is intended to span more than one mini-lesson. Tell your students that you are going to think about what event is happening on this page. Read aloud the section starting on page 10. After you have read, ask yourself what happened and why? This page told me about a powerful volcanic eruption that occurred on May 18, 1980. Why did this happen? What caused this? As I go back and reread, I see now that it talks about these small earthquakes that were happening shook the mountain. The text shares that the mountain began to crack and swell. Finally that pressure caused the mountain to erupt – a volcano occurred. Record your thinking on an anchor chart.

Guided Practice: (this may occur during the next mini-lesson) Have students work together to read the last paragraph on page 15. Together, they need to determine what happened in this paragraph and why. Support them as needed. Have them record their thinking on their own t-charts. If they aren’t able to determine that a new island called Surtsey was formed near Iceland in 1963 as a result of the eruption of an undersea volcano, then you may want to bring them back together as a class to support them.

Work Time: Students will continue to look at informational texts and ask “What happened and why?” You may choose to provide text for students to practice with, or you may choose to have students use an informational text of their choice. Students need to also have time to read texts on their independent reading level during this time.

While students are working, you will want to either circulate the room, listening in to their reading or pull small groups of students to provide focus group instruction for students who need additional support. This is also the time you would pull a guided reading group. Share: Bring students back together. Provide the opportunity for students to share work completed during work time.


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Sample Thinking Stems/Anchor Chart: What happened? Why?

May 18, 1980 Mount St. Helens erupted with incredible force – the energy released in the eruption was equal to ten million tons of dynamite.

There were more than 10,000 small earthquakes between March and May of 1980 that shook Mount St. Helens. This caused the mountain to swell and crack.

Formative Assessment: • Note if student responses are appropriate on the anchor chart. Students should be able to

conclude that the event was a new island forming near Iceland in 1963. This happened because of an undersea volcano erupted. Depending on the level of support needed, you may need to support as a whole class or in small groups.

• Performance Task: After reading a provided informational text, complete the chart explaining what happened and why.

Objective: Students will explain concepts in a technical text, including what happened and why.

Lesson Seed #5 - Informational Learning Target: I can explain steps in a technical procedure. (RI.4.3)

Note: You will be using “Talking with Neon Sign Makers” (5th grade CQ, vol.1). It is strongly suggested that students have access to the text being used in this seed.

Interactive Read Aloud: (must occur prior to the mini-lesson) See lesson seed #1. You may also choose at this time to begin reading aloud The Sign of the Beaver. There are many literature seeds that will be using The Sign of the Beaver to model thinking. By beginning the read aloud now, when it is time to focus on the literature standards in this unit you will be able to go back and revisit the text. Mini-Lesson: (RI.4.3, RI.4.1, 4.5, 4.7; L.4.6; W.4.8, 4.10; SL.4.2) This seed is intended to span more than one mini-lesson. Explain to students that you are going to look at a technical text titled “Talking with Neon Sign Makers.” I notice there are photographs with numbers on both pages of this text. I wonder why the author chose to include the photographs. Maybe the photographs will help us understand the text or support our understanding of the text. Listen as I read the aloud the first bit of this text.

Read aloud starting at the second bold heading, “What are the steps in making a neon sign?” Read only the first section under that heading. I noticed that the heading was asking a question. Then the rest of what I read was Joe talking about the first step in making a neon sign. That’s what a technical procedure does – it tells the reader about how something is made. Let’s focus on what Joe said. I know what the text says, but I need to be able to explain what it says in my own words. As you think aloud your explanation, record your thinking on an anchor chart. You can choose to handwrite on the left what the text says, or you can use a copy from the book and paste the section being used on the left.

Guided Practice: (this may occur during the next mini-lesson) Have students work together to read the next part, where Mark is talking about the second step. This goes onto the next page. Tell students that after they read about the second step, they need to explain the step in their own words. Have them record on a post-it note and post on the anchor chart as they finish. Support them as needed while they work.


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Once all post-it notes are posted, read them aloud to the class. As a group, talk about which post-it notes are on the mark as an explanation and which ones need to be added to. As a group, choose the post-it note that gives the best explanation of step 2 and record on the chart.

Work Time: Independently or with a partner, students will work on reading and explaining step 3. Remind them that they need to read the step, and then try to explain how the step works. Remind them to try to put the step into their own words. They should first try orally explaining how the step works, then put it into writing.

An example of an explanation would be, “The third step is called the pumping and bombarding step. You connect the sign to a vacuuming hose that takes the air out of the tube. Then a transformer cleans out the inside of the tube by bombarding it with an electric charge. Next you have to let the tube fill with neon gas. Seal the end with a torch once the tube is full. Then test it and see the glow.” Students need to also have time to read texts on their independent reading level during this time.

While students are working, you will want to either circulate the room, listening to their reading, or pull small groups of students to provide focus group instruction for students who need additional support. This will also be the time you would pull a guided reading group, if needed.

Share: Bring students back together and allow them to share the work they completed during work time. This provides you the opportunity to clear up misconceptions students may have about explaining steps in a technical procedure.

Sample Thinking Stems/Anchor Chart: What the text says In my words

The first step is called patterning. It is making a pattern on paper or some other material. We now usually make the pattern on a computer and print it. The letters or the patterns are printed in reverse.

The first step is called patterning. During this step, a computer is used to make a pattern in reverse on a material such as paper and then printed off.

Formative Assessment Opportunities: • Note during share time students who may be having difficulty explaining steps in a technical

procedure. These students will become part of a small group for instruction. • Collect student work from work time. Were students able to write the steps in their own words?

Which students were unable to convey, in writing, an explanation of the steps? These students will become part of a small group for instruction.


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Objective: Students will interpret information presented through texts, pie charts, and photographs. Lesson Seed #6 - Informational

Learning Target: I can interpret information presented quantitatively and visually, then explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text. (RI.4.7)

Note: The text being used is Something Old, Something New: Recycling from the 5th grade classroom library. You may adapt this lesson to any informational text that includes the necessary text features.

Interactive Read Aloud: (must occur prior to the mini-lesson) If you haven’t already done so, begin reading The Sign of the Beaver. Use this time to facilitate partner talk, using the conversation prompts from weeks 1-6. You will want to have read at least up to chapter 12 by seed #10.

Mini-Lesson(s): (RI.4.7; RI.4.1, 4.4; L.4.4a, 4.6; W.4.8, 4.10) This seed is intended to span more than one mini-lesson. Explain to students that you are going to teach them how information presented in graphs, charts and other text features help readers understand the text better. Read aloud page 6. As I study the pie chart, I see that it is divided into different materials. The key tells me that there is green waste, paper and cardboard, glass, plastic, cans, textiles and others. I think that these are different types of trash. It looks like green waste makes up the most trash, then paper and cardboard. I remember reading in the text about all the different items we throw away every day. This chart helps me better understand just how much of each type of waste we throw away. Record your thinking on the 3–column chart. Make sure students are also recording on a 3–column chart in their reader’s notebooks.

Guided Practice: (may occur during the next mini-lesson) Direct students’ attention to the photograph at the top of page 7. Ask students to turn and talk about what they see in this photograph. How does this picture support the text on page 6? Have students record their thinking on their 3–column chart. Listen in to see if they are making the connection that the picture shows the different types of trash talked about in the text and shown in the pie chart. If they are, ask a few pairs to share their thinking with the rest of the class.

If the majority of the class isn’t making that connection, pull them back together as a whole class. As I look at the picture on page 7, I see a lot of different types of trash. I see food scraps, aluminum cans, egg cartons, plastic bottles, wrappers. I know that the text on page 6 shared the different types of trash people throw away each day, and the pie chart also shows the different types of trash we throw away. It seems this picture is supporting the information given on page 6.

Work Time: For independent practice, students will need to have access to text that includes visual representation and/or quantitative representation. They can add to the three column chart in their notebooks. Students also need to have time to read texts on their independent reading level.


Share: Bring students back together and provide the opportunity to share their work from work time.

Sample Thinking Stems/Anchor Chart: Information from the text Information from the pie chart Information from the photograph


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Formative Assessment Opportunities: • Student responses on chart – are students able to connect the information from the picture with

the information provided in the text with the information shared in the pie chart? • Look at student work in their reader’s notebooks from work time. Were they able to work

independently to see the connections between visual and quantitative information and note how it contributes to the understanding of text?

Objective: Students will explain the structural elements and major differences between poetry, drama and prose.

Lesson Seed #7 - Literature Learning Target: I can explain major differences between poetry, drama, and prose. (RL.4.5)

Notes: RL.4.5 requires students to explain major differences between poems, drama, and prose, and refer to the structural elements of poems and drama while writing and speaking about a text. That is a lot to absorb at once. For weeks 7-12 you will want to begin by introducing the standard. This seed will help you decide which direction to take instruction based on information gained from students. This seed is intended to be exploratory for students.

Interactive Read-Aloud: (must occur prior to the mini-lesson) Continue reading aloud The Sign of the Beaver, facilitating partner talk and group discussion using the conversation prompts introduced during weeks 1-6.

Mini-Lesson: (RL.4.5; RL.4.10; W.4.8, 4.10; SL.4.1b) This seed is intended to span more than one mini-lesson. Explain to students that they are going to look at three different texts to notice elements of each text. Explain that they are going to work in groups to create charts showing the elements of each text.

Guided Practice: (may occur during the next mini-lesson) After you have grouped students, each group will receive the three different texts. You will need a poem, a drama, and an excerpt of prose. This seed will refer to the poem Music (LINK or attached), the drama “A Magical Pen” and an excerpt from The Sign of the Beaver or any prose. You may choose any three texts that have elements of poetry, drama, and prose. Show students how to set up their charts on the provided chart paper. You may also choose to provide a template so students can glue it into their reader’s notebooks.

Students will work together to compare the different texts and chart what they notice about each text. The level of support you provide will depend on what your students are able to discover as they work together.

After groups have charted a few notices, allow students to post their charts and perform a gallery walk to look at the charts from other groups. Explain the expectation of the gallery walk: read each chart and use post-it notes to post any questions or comments the group may have for the other group. After the gallery walk, groups will receive their own chart back and have an opportunity to read the feedback others provided. This may be a new experience for students so they may need to see you model the process. Once students are ready, post the charts again. As a class, look for commonalities between the different charts. Begin a class chart, clearing up any misconceptions you may see and adding any elements that students may not have noticed.


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Work Time: You may choose to provide different poems, dramas and prose and ask students to practice looking for certain elements. Or you may choose to have students look for the three different types of text as they read independently during work time.


Share: Bring students back together and ask for each student to share one text they read during work time and talk about what they noticed. Which text type is the one they are sharing?

Sample Thinking Stems/Anchor Charts: Music (Poetry) “The Magical Pen” (Drama) The Sign of the Beaver (Prose)

• Some rhyming words • Has a rhythm (sing-song) • Divided into sections

(verses)

• Cast of characters • Setting is told to reader

throughout • Dialogue between

characters • Stage directions

• Characters • Setting may have to be

inferred • Conflict • Dialogue • Sentence, paragraphs,

proper punctuation

Formative Assessment Opportunities: • As groups work together, make anecdotal notes about what you observe. Are there any students

that seem to be having more difficulty with the activity than others? These students may need additional support.

• Exit Slip: Choose one of the texts you explored during work time. What text type do you think it is and why?

Objective: Students will analyze the structure of a poem.

Lesson Seed #8 - Literature Learning Target: I can analyze the structure of a poem, including the verse, rhythm, and meter. (RL.4.5)

Note: This seed is an example of what you can do with poetry to help students become more familiar with the specific elements of poetry. This seed can be repeated with different poems. You will also need to teach mini-lessons specific to the elements of drama and the elements of prose.

RL.4.5 requires students to “explain major differences between poems, dramas, and prose.” In order to do this, students must be familiar with each of those literary text types. This lesson seed will focus on the unique characteristics of poetry to enable students to explain differences between the text types. The poem, Music (LINK or attached) was used in a previous lesson seed (Lesson Seed #5, weeks 1-6). You should read the poem aloud to find and practice the rhythm before using it in this lesson seed. Rhythm (the musical quality) in poetry is created in many ways. All language, written or spoken, has rhythm. However, rhythm is especially important to poetry. The term verse can refer to an entire poem or just one stanza within the poem. The term meter refers to the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem. Some poems have a prescribed meter which dictates their form, however, that is an understanding that will be explored in middle school.


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Interactive Read Aloud: (must occur prior to the mini-lesson) Provide students with access to the poem, Music, by either projecting it or making copies. Tell students that you are going to reread the poem, Music, aloud in its entirety as they follow along to remind them of the content of the poem. Briefly discuss the point of view (RL.4.6), word choices (Rl.4.4), theme (Rl.4.2), etc.

Mini-Lesson(s): (RL.4.5; RL.4.10; RF.4.4b; W.4.8, W.4.10; L.4.6; SL.4.1b, 4.1c) This lesson seed may require more than one mini-lesson and should be repeated with other poems, including a poem with free verse. Tell students, “We know that poetry is different from drama and prose. However, what is it exactly about poetry that makes it so different? Today, we are going to begin investigating those differences by looking very closely at the poem, Music, again.” Tell students they will begin analyzing the structure of the poem, Music.

Guided Practice: (may occur during the next mini-lesson) Post the following questions: How many stanzas does this poem have? Are there a certain number of lines per stanza? Does the poem rhyme? If so, is there a pattern to the rhyme? Does the author repeat any lines? Have students work in partners to investigate the posted questions. Confer with students and note where students are having difficulty with these basic concepts about poetry. When students are finished, bring the class back together to discuss the questions and tell them that have done a great job of investigating the structure of the poem. Say, “The poem, Music, is what we call a “rhymed verse” poem, because it has an ending rhyme pattern like “fast” and “last” from lines 3 and 4. Whereas, “free verse” poetry doesn’t have a set rhyme pattern. The term “verse” can be used to mean the whole poem or just one stanza.”

Bring students back together and explain to students that you are going to read the poem again and want them to listen closely to how the poet creates rhythm in the poem. They will be listening for where they hear pauses and when you stress certain words or parts of words, which both contribute to the meter. They will also be using what they noticed about the stanzas, lines, and rhyme pattern. Discuss what the students noticed/heard overall. Then, reread certain stanzas to elaborate certain points about pausing (e.g., end of lines, commas, semi-colons, dashes) and meter (e.g, “”night” and “day”-Lines 1 and 17). Reread the poem all the way through one time overemphasizing the meter. You may want to have students underline the syllables they hear stressed.

Ask students a derivation of the question from the beginning of the lesson: What is it exactly that makes a poem a poem? Have students do a quick-write to answer that question independently. Answers should include understanding of the use of lines, stanzas, verse (rhymed or free), meter, and rhythm.

Work Time: Send students off to work time with a directive to continue to look for and listen for the rhythm that authors use in their writing (any text type) and the language we use when speaking. Provide students with access to multiple poetry samples from which to choose during independent reading time, including the poem, Music, which students should use for fluency practice. Students should keep track of their thinking by using post-it notes or recording in their reader’s notebooks. Students should also have the opportunity during this time to read texts on their independent reading level.



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Share: Bring students back together. Did anyone notice any interesting rhythm in the text you read today? How did the author create that rhythm?

Sample Thinking Stems/Anchor Charts: • What are some ways poets create rhythm in a poem (e.g., verse, meter, repetition, alliteration,

punctuation, line/stanza breaks)? • How does ___________help to create the rhythm? • Chart poetry terms, definitions, and an example (e.g., verse, meter, rhythm, line, stanza).

Formative Assessment Opportunities: • After the first guided practice (on the basic structural elements of poetry), determine if students

have mastered these concepts. If so, continue with the lesson. If not, take time to teach these concepts in more depth. See previous grades’ standards: RL.2.5 and RL.3.5.

• Analyze students’ quick-write for understanding of today’s learning target. If students have obtained mastery, engage them in independent practice with other appropriate poems. If not, engage students in more guided practice with different poems until they are ready to analyze a poem more independently.

Objective: Students will describe a setting, including the emotional atmosphere, from a given text by choosing details from the text that describe the setting and the lives of those who exist within the time and place.

Lesson Seed #9 - Literature Learning Target: I can infer what an unfamiliar setting looks like as well as feels like. (RL.4.3)

Note: RL.4.3 requires students to describe in depth characters, setting and events. When talking about setting, a reader must do more than just focus on time and place. A reader should also consider the emotional atmosphere. Historical fiction would be a good genre to read during this time because it has a different time and place, and readers can look at the emotional atmosphere of that time and place.

Interactive Read Aloud: (must occur prior to the mini-lesson) Continue reading aloud The Sign of the Beaver, facilitating partner talk and group discussion using the conversation prompts introduced during weeks 1-6.

Mini-Lesson(s): (RL.4.3, RL.4.1, 4.10; L.4.4, 4.6; W.4.9, 4.10) This seed is intended to span more than one mini-lesson. Explain to students that we already know that the setting of the story is the time and the place where the story happens, but sometimes we read stories that happen in a time period or place that is unfamiliar to us. When the setting is unfamiliar, we have to read differently, paying close attention to the details about how this place looks and feels during this time. Having a good sense of the time and place helps readers understand the characters and the problems they face.

Revisit the first page of chapter 1 of The Sign of the Beaver and think aloud what this particular unfamiliar setting looks like and what it feels like to live during that time and place. It will be helpful to use the document camera to project the text as you refer to it while you think aloud. As you think aloud, record your thinking on anchor chart similar to the one shown below. Students will need to create an anchor chart in their reader’s notebooks as well.


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Guided practice (may occur during the next mini-lesson): You will want to make sure students have access to the text. Reread the first two paragraphs on page 2 and support students as they turn and talk, recording their thinking about what the setting looks like and feels like. Continue reading the rest of the second page and the third page, once again having students turn and talk and record on their anchor chart.

Work Time: Students may continue this process throughout the rest of the text with a partner. Partnerships should continue to add to the anchor chart as they work. Students may also look through their independent texts to see if they have a historical fiction text. If so, they may practice with that text.


Share: Bring students back together and allow time for them to share their work from work time. Pay attention to the information students contribute during this time for it may help you make decisions as to who needs additional practice.

Sample Thinking Stems/Anchor Chart: • What would it feel like to live in this time and place? • How does Matt feel being out there all by himself?

What the setting looks like What it feels like for the character • log house that Matt helped build • corn growing behind the house and

pumpkin vines • Massachusetts, 1700’s • land for hunting

• lonely • maybe a little proud because he

helped to build the house and plant the corn

Formative Assessment Opportunities: • Analysis of student created T-Chart during guided practice and work time. Are students able to

express in writing what the setting looks like and feels like for the character? • Students write in journals describing the setting of a different text, using details from the text.

Lesson Seed #10 Learning Target: I can describe how a character’s actions are affected by the setting (time and place). (RL.4.3)

Note: This is planned with the assumption that The Sign of the Beaver has been used as a read aloud. This seed involves rereading portions of the text.

Interactive Read Aloud: (must occur prior to the mini-lesson) Continue reading aloud The Sign of the Beaver, facilitating partner talk and group discussion using the conversation prompts introduced during weeks 1-6.

Mini-Lesson(s): (RL.4.3, RL.4.1, 4.10; L.4.4, 4.6; W.4.9, 4.10) This seed is intended to span over two or more days. Explain to students that when we think about setting, we need to pay attention to what characters are doing and how they are acting because of the setting. This helps the reader get a better idea of how the setting affects characters and how it affects the storyline. Reread the first six


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paragraphs of chapter 5. Focus the think aloud on what Matt is doing (going to the bee tree) and why he feels he needs to do this (his cabin was ransacked and he has no tasty food, there are no stores where he can go to buy anything – and he has no money). Record on anchor chart similar to the one below.

Guided Practice: (may occur during the next mini-lesson) Now read aloud the first three paragraphs on page 59. Have students turn and talk about why Matt has decided that he must make a bow. Guide them to focus their thinking on how the setting has affected this decision.

If there is a need, you may want to choose another portion of this book, or another historical fiction text, that shows how the setting affects a character’s actions.

Work Time: During work time, students should look at one of the literary books they are reading independently. Are there places where the character in their story has acted a certain way based on the setting of the story? They may use post-it notes to mark those spots.

While students are working, you will want to either circulate the room, listening to their reading, or pull small groups of students to provide focus group instruction for students who need additional support. This is also the time you would pull a guided reading group, if needed.

Share: Allow time for students to share any spots they marked with a post-it note while they worked independently. If no pages were marked, spend a moment reviewing the focus of today’s mini-lesson.

Sample Thinking Stems/Anchor Chart: • Explain why Matt feels it necessary to go to the bee tree. How has the setting effected this action? • Explain how the setting has caused Matt to decide he wants to make a bow.

What is Character Doing Why is Character Doing This? • Matt is going to the bee tree. • Matt has decided he must make a bow.

• His cabin got ransacked and the honey is gone. His food tastes nasty and he would like to sweeten it up but there are no stores.

• Since Ben stole Matt’s rifle, Matt has been unable to hunt. He would like to catch some meat to eat because he’s tired of eating fish.

Formative Assessment Opportunities: • Exit slip: Explain how Matt might have reacted differently to these situations if he lived in a

different time and place.

Objective: Students will determine the theme of a story. Lesson Seed #11-Literature

Learning Target: I can determine the theme of a story. (RL.4.2)

Note: RL.4.2 asks students to determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem. In weeks 1-6 there was a seed that asked students to determine the theme of a poem. This seed will focus on determining the theme of a story. You will want to begin with picture books and move towards determining theme within chapter books. During this seed you will begin an anchor chart titled “Possible Themes Found in Literature.” This anchor chart should be added to throughout the year.


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Interactive Read Aloud: (must occur prior to the mini-lesson) Read aloud your favorite picture books. This seed is using Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles (2-3 Exemplar Text).

Mini-Lesson(s): (RL.4.2, RL.4.1, 4.10; L.4.6; SL.4.2) This seed is intended to span over multiple mini-lessons. Explain to students that when we read a story, we want to think about what the theme of a story is. Theme is what we learn from a story, themes are inferred, and themes are about the “big world.” Remind students that you practiced determining a theme with poetry during the first six weeks of school. Refer to any anchor charts you may have already started.

Revisit the text from the interactive read aloud. Point out various places in the text that will help students determine the theme of this story. You will want to gauge student’s level of knowledge when determining theme of a story. You should be able to refer to RDA #1 results and to how students responded when determining the theme of different poems. Depending on where your class is, you may need to model more before releasing to students for guided practice.

Places to point out as “hints” to what the theme is: • Boys swimming together shows they enjoy each other’s company. • Point out sign that says “Private Pool: Members Only.” Boys didn’t go to the pool – they swam in

the creek. The narrator states that John Henry isn’t allowed to swim in the pool. What does this tell us about this time?

• Joe and John Henry go to the store together, but only Joe is allowed in. While in there, Joe states that the other ice pop is for his friend.

• When Joe is told about the law being passed that everyone can be together now – no separate rest rooms, drinking fountains, etc. – Joe gets very excited and runs to tell John Henry.

• When the boys discover that the pool has been filled in with tar, Joe says his “heart beats hard in my chest” and John Henry’s voice shakes. Both boys are upset and sad.

• Joe talks about all the things he wants to be able to do with John Henry. Things that he has never been able to do with his friend because of laws.

Guided Practice: Once you have modeled a few of the above places in the text, ask students to work together to locate other details in the text that will help to determine theme. Students will need access to the text in order to do this. If this is not possible, you may want to put the text on the document camera and walk students through the remainder of the book.

Bring students back together and focus your think aloud on how all of these details in the story make you think about the theme, or the message the author is trying to convey. Explain that you can infer the author is trying to teach the reader about friendship, but not just friendship. Friendship that is happening in spite of the barriers that exist. You can infer that the theme could be “friendship transcends barriers.”

Work Time: Students should have the opportunity to read literary text and practice looking for details that help the reader determine the theme. Students can write the title of their text and the possible theme on a post-it note and place on the newly created anchor charts. This information can be used during share time.

While students are working, you will want to either circulate the room, listening to their reading, or pull small groups of students to provide focus group instruction for students who need additional support. This is also the time you would pull a guided reading group, if needed.


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Share: Bring students back together and refer to any of the post-it notes on the anchor chart. Does anyone have a theme you would like to share from your reading today? How did you determine the theme? Was it stated directly or did you have to infer from the author’s clues?

Sample Thinking Stems/Anchor Chart: • What does the author want you to “walk away with” after you no longer have this text

(poem/book/drama) in front of you? • What is the theme of this story? How do you know? • What other themes might there be? Is it possible for there to be more than one theme in a story?

Common Themes Found in Literature

• Friendship transcends barriers • •

(See attached for a listing of possible themes or LINK)

Formative Assessment Opportunities: • Refer to the post-it notes students may have posted during work time. Are students showing an

understanding of theme? This will give you a big picture glance. • Exit slip: Explain how we determined the theme of Freedom Summer.


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Suggested Instructional Texts: Rigby (R), Classroom Library (CL), Text Exemplar (E), Science (S), Social Studies (SS), Toolkit Texts(TT)

Literary Informational The Sign of the Beaver (E) If You Lived at the Time of the American

Revolution (CL) Music Volcanoes (CL) “The Magical Pen” (TT) “Talking with Neon Sign Makers” (5th grade

CQ) Freedom Summer (2-3 E) Something Old, Something New: Recycling (5th

grade CL) Additional Professional Resources: • Reading Units of Study, Lucy Calkins • A Curricular Plan for The Reading Workshop Grade 4, Lucy Calkins • The Comprehension Experience: Engaging Readers Through Effective Inquiry and Discussion, W.

Dorsey Hammond & Denise D. Nessel • The Comprehension Toolkit, Stephanie Harvey, Anna Goudvis, & Judy Wallis • http://www.Achievethecore.org

Resources for Tier II & Tier III Interventions • JCPS Response to Interventions website:

http://www.jefferson.k12.ky.us/Departments/Gheens/RTI/RtI.html • Interventioncentral.org: http://www.interventioncentral.org/ • Readworks.org (K-6 reading lessons and passages): http://www.readworks.org/ • Literacyleader.com (lessons and resources): http://www.literacyleader.com/

http://www.achievethecore.org/

http://www.jefferson.k12.ky.us/Departments/Gheens/RTI/RtI.html

http://www.interventioncentral.org/

http://www.readworks.org/

http://www.literacyleader.com/

Music

Music takes a million forms we hear both night and day Played by many instruments all kinds of different ways Ever-changing tempos mark the pace, from slow to fast Some forgotten quickly; others seem to last and last

5 There’s music on the radio, and in a concert hall By orchestra, or chorus, or a band – and that’s not all Music’s all around us; it’s in everything we hear From babies’ tiny whispers to an audience’s cheer

Crickets’ chirping voices are composing in the dark 10 Children’s voices happy, loud and playful, at the park Tones of bells on horses’ reins, over clopping feet Thunder grumbling in a cloud; pitter-patter sleet

Songbirds singing melodies while insects harmonize Jet planes play percussion, always zipping through the skies 15 Waves are songs unerring, altered only by the tide Under the sea, the whales are always calling, ocean-wide

Music takes a million forms we hear both night and day Played by many instruments all kinds of different ways Songs can start, come to an end, or just keep on for years 20 Music makes us laugh aloud; sometimes releases tears

This chart is an example of a completed list of common themes. It is not recommended that you create this ahead of time and post. This chart should be created with students as you read different literary texts throughout the year.

Common Themes Found in Literature • friendship transcends barriers • making the best of a bad situation • sacrifices and hard work pays off • overcoming adversity • there is no place like home • the early bird catches the worm • good versus evil • treat others as you would expect to be treated - appreciate others

whose families, gender roles and disabilities do not reflect yours • friendship • themes of racial tolerance • teamwork • believe in yourself • don't be afraid to try new things • be happy with what you have • coming of age • honesty • loss

4th grade ela curriculum unit map weeks 7-12 lesson seeds

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