Unit 1 Overview

FOURTH GRADE

OVERVIEW = &nb= sp;

<= /o:p>

By fourth gr= ade most students read skillfully with meaning and purpose using appropriate comprehension and vocabulary strategies. Students read, discuss, reflect, a= nd respond, using evidence from text, to a wide variety of literary genres and informational text. Students read for pleasure and continue to choose books based on personal preference topic, theme, or author.

<= /o:p>

By fourth grade most students become more aware= of the conventions of writing and of language usage. They are able to select and someti= mes adapt basic forms and conventions to meet specific requirements. Their understanding and use of fig= urative language introduces imagery and tension to their writing. Informational and task-oriented wr= iting reflects understanding of specific purpose, often requiring gathering and synthesizing information from a number of sources to express and justify an opinion.

<= /o:p>

Curiosity

Unit One creates a classroom environment of literacy learning activities that invites students= to use print in purposeful and meaningful ways. Students will engage in reading workshop, writing workshop and word study.

Early in the unit, students will learn the routines= of reading and writing workshop.The activities are designed to establish a classroom library, independent reading routine, and set up both reading and writing workshops. These rout= ines support students in working independently. This allows teachers time to work with individual students and/or small groups of students to assess, observe, support, and meet the learning needs of your students throughout the year.<= o:p>

The first part of Unit One introduces the year long theme of “Curiosity” and the Unit theme “I Wonder.” Students will have a variety of opportunities for read= ing and writing about themselves, important events in their lives, and topics of interest to them. During the second part of Unit One, the social studies Storypath unit will be introduced = and students will be reading and writing Pacific Coast Native American myths. Students will learn to become a storyteller and present their own myth to an audience.

Unit Two introduces the theme of “I Explore.” Students study fiction rea= ding several novels related to the Western Movement social studies theme. Using a variety of reading strategies, st= udents learn to identify character traits and use evidence to support their thinki= ng. Students will also learn how to write a summary. Students transition from writing personal narratives to responding to expository and narrative prompts. The = use of transition words, using paragraphs to organize their writing, and writin= g an introduction and conclusion are key concepts students will learn.

Unit Three introduces the theme of “I Discover.” <= /span>Students read nonfiction text = to gather information and learn how to take notes. Students also learn to read= a timeline and create a class timeline depicting important events in Washingt= on history. Students write a label text (description card) f= or an artifact from Washington in the 1800s. Students also complete the Washin= gton Classroom Based Assessment by writing a paragraph explaining what they know about how the people of Washington lived during the 1800s using primary sou= rces and artifacts to gather information. The unit concludes with a research rep= ort on Washington State.

UNITS OF STUDY

Unit 1: I Wonder	=
Unit 2: I Explore	=
Unit 3: I Discover

<= /span>