UNIT OVERVIEW

 

This unit can be used during the first semester.  Student read and interpret nonfiction text independently.  Students independently learn to write friendly letters, messages, and directions using interrogative and declarative sentences.  This Communication Arts unit incorporates the economic concept of bartering and a Book Trade Day.  The students will have prior knowledge of the economic concept of bartering.

 

In order to complete the Summative Assessment the Book Trade activity needs to occur sometime during the first week.   However, the Book Trade needs to be scheduled outside of the CA Unit time allotment (For example in an afternoon.)   Teacher may need to have extra copies of books that can be used for book trades. A Parent Letter explaining Book Trade Day is provided and needs to be sent on Day One of this unit.

 

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

§         Why is it important for students to be able to read and interpret nonfiction text independently?

§         What skills does a student need in order to read and interpret nonfiction texts independently?

§         Why should students adjust their reading rate when reading nonfiction text?

 

UNIT PLAN

 

Lesson One

Components of Nonfiction Text

§         Literature:  None

§         Supplies:  Textbook or other nonfiction text with text features

§         Handouts:  Features of text; nonfiction activity sheet

§         Formative Assessment:  provided

Lesson Two

Clarifying Understanding in Nonfiction Text

§        Literature:  None

§            Supplies:  Nonfiction reading material, challenging nonfiction passage , paper or pencil

§         Handouts: Bartering story

§         Formative Assessment:  provided

Lesson Three

Identifying Main Ideas

§         Literature:  None

§         Supplies:  Overhead, transparency of main idea graphic organizer, overhead markers, colored pencils

§         Handouts:  Bartering story;  before money; main idea graphic organizer

§         Formative Assessment:  provided

Lesson Four

Making Inferences

§         Literature:  Monkeys for Sale, On Sand Island

§         Supplies:  Chart paper, sticky notes

§         HandoutsT-chart; inference checklist

§         Formative Assessment:  provided

Lesson Five

Writing Simple Directions in Sequential Order

§         Literature:  None

§         Supplies:  Sentence strips/index cards, chart paper, nonfiction texts

§         Handouts: None

§         Formative Assessment: provided 

Lesson Six

Identify and Write Declarative and Interrogative Sentences in a Short Message

§         Literature:  Brown Bear Brown Bear What do you See?; What Time is it?; Who Painted the Porcupine Purple?

§         Supplies: Large chart tablet, markers and pencils, student writing paper, student pointer

§         Handouts: Writing a message using declarative and interrogative sentences teacher observation checklist

§         Formative Assessment: provided 

Lesson Seven

Writing a Friendly Letter

§         Literature:  None

§         Supplies:  Parent letter for Book Trade Day, student writing paper, chart paper, student dictionaries

§         Handouts:  None

§         Formative Assessment: provided 

 

 

GRADE-LEVEL EXPECTATION CONTINUUM

 

Targeted Learning for this unit represents the specific Grade-Level Expectations that are taught and assessed in this unit.  Mastery of these skills is expected mastery of students at this grade level.  Previous Learning indicates students’ probable beginning skill level.  Future Learning provides the “next step” for instruction or student application of Communication Arts skills and concepts.

 

PREVIOUS LEARNING

TARGETED LEARNING

FUTURE LEARNING

Identify and explain information in text, pictures, titles and charts.

 

R3A:  The student will locate and interpret information of nonfiction text: illustrations, titles, headings, captions, diagrams, charts, and graphs.

 

 

Students will locate and interpret information in illustrations, titles, headings, captions, diagrams, charts and graphs in nonfiction text.

 

Use details from the text to

  • ask questions to clarify understanding
  • recognize important information in text
  • identify main ideas                  
  • identify supporting details

 

R3C:  The student will use details from the text to ask questions to clarify understanding. The student will identify main ideas and provide support. The student will make basic inferences about problems and solutions. The student will write simple directions for making or doing something and will be able to retell

Students will use information from nonfiction text to ask questions to clarify understanding, identify main ideas and provide support, retell sequence of events, and make inferences based on text.

 

Students will need to apply information gained from text to comprehend written information.

 

In composing text, write simple sentences

 

W2F:  The student will identify and write declarative/statements and interrogative/questions in a short message to another student.

 

Students will use interrogative and declarative sentences when writing simple messages and directions.

 

Identify

  • different forms of written     communication (e.g., thank-you notes, friendly letters, lists, poems, invitations)
  • audience and compose text, with assistance

 

W3E:  The student will write a friendly letter to parents/guardians that will include declarative and interrogative sentences.

 

Students will write friendly letters for an intended audience.

 

 

SHOW-ME STANDARDS ALIGNMENT

           

Goal 1:    Students in Missouri public schools will acquire the knowledge and skills to gather, analyze and apply information and ideas.

1.5           comprehend and evaluate written, visual and oral presentations and works

1.6           discover and evaluate patterns and relationships in information, ideas and structures

1.8           organize data , information and ideas into useful forms (including charts, graphs, outlines) for

                analysis and presentation

 

Goal 2:    Students in Missouri public schools will acquire the knowledge and skills to communicate effectively within and beyond the classroom.

2.1                 plan and make written, oral and visual presentations for a variety of purposes and audiences

2.2                 review and revise communications to improve accuracy and clarity

2.4           present perceptions and ideas regarding works of art, humanities and sciences

 

Goal 3:    Students in Missouri public schools will acquire the knowledge and skills to recognize and solve problems.

3.5           reason inductively from a set of specific facts and deductively from general premises

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

Book List

 

Adams, Barbara Johnston, (1992) The Go-Around Dollar, Macmillan Publishing Co., New York, NY

Berger, M.  (1993).  Round and Round the Money Goes, Ideals Children’s Books, p. 48, Nashville, TN

Hall, D.  (1988).  Ox Cart Man, Scholastic Inc., p. 40, New York, NY

Hogrogian, N.  (1997).  One Fine Day, Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, p. 32, New York, NY

Littke, L. (1992). Who Painted the Porcupine Purple?  Silver Burdett and Ginn. unp(p. 26), Parsippany, NJ

Martin, B. (1996). Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?. Henry Holt and Co., p. 26, New York, NY

Martin, J. (2003).  On Sand Island.  Houghton Mifflin. p. 32, Boston, MA

Schenk de Regniers, B.  (1984).  Was It a Good Trade?  Harper Collins. p. 32, New York, NY

Stanley, Sanna.  (2002).  Monkey for Sale.  Frances Foster Books, p. 34, New York, NY

Williams, Rozanne, (1995) What Time Is It?, Creative Teaching Press, p. 28, Cypress, CA

 

Reference

 

Allen, Janet, (2004).  Tools for Teaching Content Literacy, Portland, ME

Armbruster, Bonnie B., Lehr, Gran, Osborn, Jean, (2001).  Put Reading First,  National Institue for Literacy, U.S. Department of Education

Chuska, K.R. (2003), Improving classroom questions. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.

Cole, A. (2002) Better Answers: written performance that looks good and sounds smart. Portland, ME,  Sternhouse

Cunningham, P. (2003), Classrooms that work. Boston, MA, Allyn Bacon.

Economics America Missouri Council on Economic Education, Show me economics. Columbia, MO

     for Supervision and Curriculum Development

Harvey, S. (1998), Nonfiction matters reading, writing and research in grades 3-8. Portland, ME Sternhouse

Kagan,S. (1994). Cooperative Learning.

Lewin, L. and Shoemaker, B. (1998), Great performances creating classroom based assessment tasks. Alexandria,

Marzano,  R. (2001), A handbook for classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA, Association for Supervision

Marzano, R., Pickering, D. and Pollock, J. (2001) Classroom Instruction that works. Alexandria, VA, Association

       Publishers

Routman, Regie, Heineman. Writing Essentials, Supervision and Curriculum Development, VA Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Wiggins, G. and McTighe, J.  (1998). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA.  Association for