Longview ISDPage 1

4th Grade Unit 4: / Systems / Suggested Time Frame: / 6 Weeks
TAKS Objectives: / 3,4 / TEKS: / 4.10E; 4.10J; 4.10L; 4.10A; 4.11A; 4.12A; 4.12B; 4.12C; 4.12J; 4.13B;4.15, 4.16, 4.17, 4.18, 4.19, 4.20
Unit Overview
Systems are all around us. Some are easily noticed and others are not. We have school systems, life cycles, systems of communication, and organizational systems. Each of these systems exists because they are dependent on other things in order to continue to exist. The dependence on something else to exist is what makes the system.
Literature is also dependent on systems. Authors organize their writing in such a way that it easy for the reader to make predictions. This cycle of writing is important to understanding the author’s meaning. Cause and Effect is another systematic method used to tell an author’s story. These relationships help reader’s predict how a character will react. Everything within the story is interconnected and interdependent upon each other in order to communicate the story or a precise message. This interconnectedness is a system.
Within the writing system the author uses, the author plants evidence to help the reader make predictions. The evidence also leads to logical outcomes. The reader can use strategies to determine realistic outcomes based on the text evidence the author presents.
Enduring Understandings
  • Systems are naturally found in the Universe.
  • Understanding systems can help to form predictions.
  • Cause/ Effect relationships generally tend to form systems in nature and civilization.
  • An author's organizational techniques tend to form a cycle of character motivations and interactions.
/ Essential Questions
  • Where are systems found?
  • How do people's decisions affect the world?
  • What strategies are used to determine a realistic outcome based on the text?
  • How does the author's point of view affect the reader's opinions about the topic?
/

Writing Purpose

Write to inform, explain, describe, report, or narrate

Focus and Coherence

Sentence to Sentence connection
Paragraph Construction
Meaningful Transitions
Strong Lead
Conclusion completes the writing

Organization

Pre-writing, Creating a plan
Using Graphic Organizers
Logical Support of Ideas

Depth of Development

Develop All Ideas Completely
Take Risks with your Ideas
Personal Feelings, Heart and Wisdom
Elaborate with prepositional phrases

Voice

Exhibit as Identifiable voice

Conventions

Write with accurate spelling of syllable constructions including closed and open consonant before-le and syllable boundary patterns
Spell with accurate spelling roots such as drink, speak, read, or happy, inflections, such as those that change tense or number, suffixes such as –able or –less, and prefixes such as re- or un-
Use resources to find correct spellings
Spell accurately in final drafts
Regular and Irregular Plurals
Punctuate Compound Sentences (comma and conjunction)
Command of the Conventions page 4 number 7
Punctuate Complex Sentences (Dependent and Independent)
Command of the Conventions page 5 number 10
Objective Case Pronoun
Command of the Conventions page 14 number 3
Subject and Verb Agreement, pronoun referents
Command of the Conventions page 13 number 1 and page 18 number 1
Use conjunctions appropriately
Use apostrophes in contractions and possessives
Command of the Conventions page 7 and 8 number 15-18
**Mini – Lessons are included to ensure all TEKS are taught. Individual teachers should also include specific mini-lessons to meet the individual needs of their students.
Language of Instruction
appendix author's organizational
patterns
author's point of view
captions
cause
chapter title
chart, checklist
develop vocabulary
discussion leader
effect
effective reading / fluency
glossary
graphic features
graphic organizers,
guide words
headings
headline
illustration,
imagery
index
instructional level
internal logic
journal, passage / legend
listening comprehension
literature
locate and organize features
organize ideas
prediction
prior knowledge
reading strategy
table
table of contents,
text
text organizers
Core Vocabulary
climate
eastern
endurance
hurricane
northern
planet / position
scientist
southern
tropical
uneasy
western
Word Wall Words
athletic
beautiful
bored
coach
different
excellence laugh
length
minute
heard
hour
imaginary / really
smart
telephone
they’re
watch
went
were
whether
you’re
cheap
should
splash
Bolded “glue words” are to be written in black and white. Write the other rime words on bright colored paper. / Relationships and/or Connections that should emerge
  • The students will discover that their decisions don’t only impact themselves, but the world (community) around them.
  • The students will discover that a good thought process can help formulate realistic predictions.
  • The students will gain the understanding that people in their lives influence them just like characters influence each other within a story.

Products students will develop
  • Postcards – The students can create a postcard. Writing to a character in the story trying to convince them that their decisions can have either a good/bad effect.
  • Reading Response Notebook -A reader response notebook (spiral) will be developed for readers to keep a running log of their books read, strategies learned, as well as reflections of the reading they do during reading workshop.

4th Grade Unit 4: / Systems / Suggested Time Frame: / 6 Weeks
TAKS Objectives: / 3,4 / TEKS: / 4.10E; 4.10J; 4.10L; 4.10A; 4.11A; 4.12A; 4.12B; 4.12C; 4.12J; 4.13B;4.15, 4.16, 4.17, 4.18, 4.19, 4.20
Unit Overview
Systems are all around us. Some are easily noticed and others are not. We have school systems, life cycles, systems of communication, and organizational systems. Each of these systems exists because they are dependent on other things in order to continue to exist. The dependence on something else to exist is what makes the system.
Literature is also dependent on systems. Authors organize their writing in such a way that it easy for the reader to make predictions. This cycle of writing is important to understanding the author’s meaning. Cause and Effect is another systematic method used to tell an author’s story. These relationships help reader’s predict how a character will react. Everything within the story is interconnected and interdependent upon each other in order to communicate the story or a precise message. This interconnectedness is a system.
Within the writing system the author uses, the author plants evidence to help the reader make predictions. The evidence also leads to logical outcomes. The reader can use strategies to determine realistic outcomes based on the text evidence the author presents.
Text Resources
Margaret Kilgo or Rigby Leveled Readers
  • Snap, Crackle and Flow
  • After the Earthquake
Big Books/Skill Bags
  • Body Facts
  • The Tornado
  • Trouble Brewing
  • Judge for a Day
  • Give It a Try
  • Body Maps
Read Aloud Books
  • Any Magic School Bus Book by Johanna Cole
  • Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester
  • Any book by Laura Numeroff
  • Sideways Stories from WaysideSchool by Louis Sachar
/ Enrichment Workstations
  • Independent/Buddy reading
  • Literature Circle
Technology & Electronic Resources
  • For ideas to help struggling readers:

    Click on struggler street

Other(i.e., Speakers, Field Trips)
  • Meteorologist guest speaker to address class.
  • Other guest speakers could include doctor, lawyer, athletic trainer, police officer, etc… to address cause/ effect relationships and how motivations affect choices in life
  • Mock- trial in which students take the actions of a character and “put him on trial” to analyze the repercussions of his decisions
/ Reading Skills/Processes
□4.7A
□4.7B
□4.7C
□4.7D
□4.7E
□4.7F
□4.8A
□4.8B
□4.8C
□4.9A
□4.9C
□4.9E / □4.10A
□4.10B
□4.10C
□4.10D
□4.10K
□4.11A
□4.11B
□4.11C
□4.14A
□4.14B
□4.14C
Writing Skills/Processes
□4.15A
□4.15B
□4.15C
□4.15D
□4.15E
□4.15F
□4.16A
□4.16B
□4.17A
□4.17B
□4.17C
□4.17D
□4.19A
□4.19B
□4.19C / □4.19D
□4.19E
□4.19F
□4.19G
□4.19H
□4.19I
□4.20A
□4.20B
□4.20C
□4.20D
□4.20E
□4.22A
□4.23A
□4.23B
□4.23C
Writing Mini-Lessons
Week 1 / -Putting Heart and Wisdom Into your Writing
-Snapshots and Thoughtshots -After The End Barry Lane
Week 2 / -Anticipate What the Audience Expects D-1
-Break a Text into Paragraphs P-14
-Use a Transition Between Ideas D-5
Week 3 / -Correct Punctuation of Dialogue
-Tighten Dialogue L-17
-Write Believable Dialogue L-19
Week 4 / -Delete the Weak Parts L-3
-Avoid Passive Verbs L-16
-Use Fresh Language L-9
Week 5 / -Use a Natural Voice L-18
-Choose Words that Sound Like What they Mean L-5
-Avoid Clichés L-1
Week 6 / -Use a Recurring Detail D-4
-Use Ellipsis P-7
-Cut to Your Lead D-17
/

NOTES

/ Method(s) of Assessment
Observation
AObservation evaluated by peers
BStudents engaged in learning activities
CDirect questioning
DObservation of performance or process
EChecklists/ Rubrics
FStudent Conferences
Constructed Response
  1. R2R
  2. TEKSCheck
  3. Open-ended
  4. Essay
  5. Research Paper
  6. Log / Journal
  7. Story / Play / Poem
  8. Model / Map / Video
  9. Oral / Visual / Multimedia Presentation
Selected Response
1Fill-in-the-blank test
2Matching test
3Multiple choice test
4True/False test

4th Grade ELA 4th Six Weeks Summary

2007-2008

In this brief summary, dates will fluctuate according to your students, calendar, and special events.

Systems

January 3 – February 15

January 3 - 11, 2008
Cause/Effect
  • A variety of graphic organizers
  • Recognize which text structure the author used
  • Recognize a portion of the text/single event
January 14 - 18, 2008
Making Predictions
Predict outcomes/actions in fiction and narrative poems based on clues and his/her own
experiencesInternal Logic within text
  • Which statement would not be reasonable
  • Which statement does not make sense
  • Which of the following would a character probably do
  • Which of the following represents something a character probably would not have done
January 22 - 25, 2008
Making Predictions
Predict outcomes/actions in fiction and narrative poems based on clues and his/her own
experiences
Internal Logic within text
  • Which statement would not be reasonable
  • Which statement does not make sense
  • Which of the following would a character probably do
  • Which of the following represents something a character probably would not have done
  • something a character probably would
/ January 28 - February 1, 2008
Author’s organizational patterns
  • Text structure
Author’s point of view
  • Why author included certain pieces of text
  • Why the author wrote the text (inform, persuade, entertain)
  • Author’s perspective/attitude/stance toward an event, issue, another character
February 4 - 8, 2008
Author’s organizational patterns
  • Text structure
Author’s point of view
  • Why author included certain pieces of text
  • Why the author wrote the text (inform, persuade, entertain)
  • Author’s perspective/attitude/stance toward an event, issue, another character
February 11 - 15, 2008
Spiral review all concepts for the six weeks

On-going TEKS must be taught throughout the six weeks.

8/27/2007DRAFT 3