Students will read a variety of texts which incorporate characters' feelings. They will ask and answer questions and recount stories and describe how characters in a story react to important events in a story. They will be asked to describe the overall structure of a story including the beginning and the conclusion, describing how words and phrases supply meaning in the story. Students will also compare and contrast the adventures of familiar characters in different stories. The required texts for this unit are Where Is Home, Little Pip? by Kharma Wilson and Jane Chapman and Little Penguin the Emperor of Antarcticaby Jonathan London.
To accomplish this, students will work collaboratively while participating in and building on group discussions while following agreed upon rules for speaking and listening. Students will also produce complete sentences while developing and writing an informational piece to teach others about animals and how they survive. Students will engage in shared research while moving towards independent writing.
Students will learn and apply grade level phonics and word analysis skills when decoding by distinguishing long and short vowels, recognizing grade appropriate words with purpose, understanding and accuracy.
Humanities In this unit, students learn about two of the universal human needs: water and food. They learn about geography and the difference between saltwater and freshwater, about how other cultures access water, and about what foods other people eat. They will compare the foods that they eat with the foods that others eat, with the goal of making “foreign” foods seem less foreign. Finally, they will examine different versions of the story “Stone Soup.” (In science class, students can learn about the makeup of water, the water cycle, and other information about water. In order to learn about the water cycle, students can use the following experiment: https:// www3. epa.gov/ safewater/ kids/.)
Essential Questions
How can asking and answering questions about a story help me understand the details and events in a text?
How can a character's actions, thoughts and feelings help me to understand important events in a story?
How can I share what I learned from my reading with others?
How can I write an informative piece that states the topic, gives some facts and provides a closing?
Reading Literature Standards Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses (RL 1.4) Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types (RL 1.5). Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text (RL 1.6). Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories. (RL 1.9)
Reading Foundational Skills Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes)(RF 1.2d) Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds(RF 1.3c) Use knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word (RF 1.3d) Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables (RF 1.3.e) Read words with inflectional endings. (RF 1.3f) Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words (RF 1.3g). Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings (RF 1.4b).
Writing Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure. (W1.2) Language Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking(L 1.1) Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in basic sentences(L 1.1c) Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future.(L 1.1e) Produce and expand complete simple and compound declarative, interrogative, imperative, and explanatory sentences in response to prompts.(L 1.1j) Use end punctuation for sentences.(L 1.2b) Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade one reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.(L 1.4)
Speaking and Listening Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. (SL 1.1) Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). (SL 1.1a) Build on others' talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges. (SL 1.1b) Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion.(SL 1.1c) Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.(SL 1.4)