Understanding By Design Unit Template
(Revised & adapted)
Title of Unit / Unit 6 – Historical Fiction / Grade Level / Grade 4Subject / Reading / Time Frame / May 2nd – June 3rd
Developed By / 4th Grade Teachers
Stage 1 - Identify Desired Results
Narrative about this Unit of Study: (including the Big Idea)
Big Idea: Can fiction reveal “truth”? Should a story teach you something?
Students will learn the features of historical fiction, incorporate variety of reading skills to analyze the character’s traits and thoughts, and understand how the significance of particular historical period affects the story and the characters.
Students will even have the opportunity to explore plays/drama with the historical fiction elements.
Learning Outcomes – Identified Primary Standards
What relevant goals will this unit address?
CCLS Reading Standards:
RL 4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RL 4.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).
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.
RL 4.7 Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.
Ongoing Standards –
RL 4.10 By the end of the year read and comprehends literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in the grades 4–5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
Understandings
What understandings about the big ideas implied in the PLOs are desired? / Essential Questions
What provocative questions will foster inquiry into the content?
Students will understand that...
Characters are people who did or could have lived in a historical setting.
Characters are shaped by the setting.
Characters change as a result of the problem.
The setting is a particular historical geographical location and time in history.
The problem is a result of the historical event around which the book is written.
The story is told with significant accurate detail to place the reader in the historical setting, and in chronological order. / What is historical fiction?
How does the setting of the story affect the plot?
How do historical periods influence characters, conflicts, struggles, and motivations?
How would the story be different if it happened during another period in history?
What would happen if the time period was incorrectly depicted?
How would the characters in the story react if they were placed in the present?
Knowledge:
What knowledge will student acquire as a result of this unit? / Skills
What skills will students acquire as a result of this unit?
Students will know...
· The features of historical fiction
· Stories have problem(s) and a solution (there are internal and external problems).
· Characters change/grow throughout the story.
· Characters are influenced by the setting and plot of the story because the significance of the historical time period. / Students will be able to…
· Determine how the setting of an historical fiction novel influences the characters and shapes the events.
· Record similes and metaphors and explain what they mean within the context of the story.
· Compare and contrast texts in various forms including written, audio, staged, or multimedia versions.
· Compare and contrast first and third person narration.
· Analyze accounts of the same historical event and describe important similarities and differences with details from the text.
· Describe firsthand accounts (primary sources) and secondhand accounts (secondary sources) in historical fiction.
· Recite poetry and speeches pertaining to the historical period of your novel.
· Present findings learned from various texts in the form of oral presentations.
· Design and share Q-Matrix questions, focusing on stem numbers 13 – 36, that correspond to assigned texts.
· Order events in informational and literary text chronologically.
· Create an historical narrative is if you were the character in your historical novel.
· Write opinion pieces about people and events explored in your historical fiction novel, citing evidence from the text.
· Write constructed responses citing evidence from the text to critical thinking questions.
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Performance Task
Through what authentic performance task will students demonstrate the desired understandings, knowledge, and skills?
-Students will write an opinion piece.
-Students will research the process of immigrant arrival into Ellis Island and Angel Island.
-Students will develop an opinion based on which process they feel gave immigrants a better experience.
-Students will research multiple sources using technology, as well as, information from the Historical Fiction texts.
· After researching about the process immigrants went through entering Angel Island and Ellis Island, which process do you feel was a better experience for the immigrants?
· Before taking a side, be sure to compare and contrast the two islands. What similarities did immigrants face during the process? How were their experiences different?
Be sure to include:
· Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs
and sections.
· Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or
other information and examples related to the topic.
· Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases
(e.g., another, for example, also, because).
· Use precise language and domain specific vocabulary to inform about
or explain the topic.
· Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or
explanation presented
· Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
grammar, usage, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Writing Prompts in the level of complexity (Westward Expansion):
Prompt 1
· After researching about the journey of westward expansion, was it worth the risk to move westward and begin a new life?
· Before taking a side, be sure to compare and contrast the pros and cons of moving to the west.
Prompt 2
· After researching about Manifest Destiny, do you believe that one should carry this belief as the sole purpose of westward expansion?
· Before taking a side, be sure to compare and contrast the why or why not to have such belief going west.
Response to Literature
Writing Prompt: Have the students write a Response to Literature by asking the following: “In each passage the author communicates a clear message to the reader. Write a response comparing and contrasting what the theme of each passage is. Explain what decisions the authors made in order to make this message clear. Use details from both passages to support your answer.”
In your response, be sure to:
· Compare and contrast the theme of each passage
· Describe what the author did in order to communicate the theme (message) to you
· Use details from both passages to support your answer
Rubric for Assessment: Rubrics from previous writing units will be revisited and used.
Other Evidence
Through what other evidence – student work samples, observations, quizzes, tests, self-assessment or other means – will students demonstrate achievement of the desired results?
- One on one student conference using Student-Friendly Checklist during Independent Reading (See Appendix)
- Guided Reading with the F&P Conferring Menu (Teacher focus on comprehension skills)
Objective(s)
Related to knowledge, skills or both? / Listed Aim or Learning Intention of Each Lesson. / Assessment / Resources
Immersion to the genre: Readers explore new genres to see how they work in order to prepare for reading the genre successfully (3 days).
*Genre Elements*
/ · Readers think about how the texts we read are different and try to figure out what to expect from certain kinds of texts. (Chart features of the historical fiction genre)
· Partners will read historical fiction texts together and discuss what makes historical fiction different from other kinds of fiction. (This partnership discussion will last for two days with the final day culminating in a whole class discussion.) / Possible Resources:
The Harmonica (The Holocaust) by Tony Johnston
Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles
Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki
Landed by Milly Lee
Emma’s Poem by Linda Glaser
Paper Son Lee’s Journey to America by Helen Foster James and Virginia Shin-Mui Loh
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/activity/immigration-stories-yesterday-and-today
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration/index.htm
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/immigration-lesson-plan-grades-3-5
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/asian-american/angel_island/index.htm
Readers of historical fiction envision the world of the story to better understand historical fiction texts (7 mini-lessons) / · Readers read closely in historical fiction to find clues that reflect the historical time period.
Ø Readers act like detectives to find clues that help visualizing the historical time period in which the story is set.
Ø Readers use context clues to figure out words we don’t know. (Historical fiction contains many out-of-date vocabulary words or unusual dialects. This strategy lesson shows them how to use the context to figure out meaning.)
· Readers also use prior knowledge to help predicting the historical time period.
Ø Readers use outside resources as well as prior knowledge and details of the story to construct a mental image as we read.
Ø The students will view a short historical film as a way of supporting envisioning (such as a short clip from the video version of The Story of Ruby Bridges, Paul Revere’s Ride, or 1776).
· Readers revise the pictures in our head as we find new clues.
Readers of historical fiction infer how the historical time period affects the characters (3 mini-lessons). / · Readers infer what the characters are thinking (beliefs etc.) and feeling by relating the historical context.
· Readers of historical fiction understand the character’s traits and emotions as well as the historical time period to figure out why the characters behave in certain ways.
· Readers try to see the characters through the eyes of other characters.
Introducing Plays as part of Historical Fiction / · Introduce the structure of plays
· Understand how authors use dialogue to show characters’ emotions and feelings / Reader’s Theater
Readers and Writers Genre (upper level)
Capstone Library
History Speaks: Clara Morgan and the Oregon Trail Journey
History Speaks: George Washington and the Story of the US Constitution
History Speaks: Johnny Moore and the Wright Brothers’ Flying Machine
History Speaks: Ellen Craft’s Escape from Slavery
Universal Design for Learning
REPRESENTATION
The ‘what’ of teaching & learning.. / ACTION & EXPRESSION
The ‘how’ of teaching & learning… / ENGAGEMENT
The ‘why’ of teaching and learning…
Sentence Frames/Discussion Starters / Independent Reading / Students choose independent reading level books
Graphic Organizers / Shared Reading-Close Reading Strategies
Read Aloud
Guided Reading / Questioning the author by close reading
Videos/Websites / Think-Pair-Share
From: Wiggins, Grant and J. McTighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, ISBN # 0-87120-313-8 (pbk)