Unit Plan

Focus Standards – ELA Content [5 Days]

Primary Focus Standard:

● 4RL3. Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the
text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).

Supporting Standard:

● 4RL1: Refer to details and examples and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly Commented [1]: Review Standard
and when drawing inferences from the text.

Performance-Based
Objectives

As a result of their engagement with this unit...

Primary Performance-Based
Objectives:

● SWBAT draw on specific details (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions) IOT describe in depth a Commented [2]: SWBAT- Student Will Be Able To
character, setting or event in a story or drama. Language used by the district for students to take
ownership of the learning standard.
Supporting Performance-Based Objectives:

● SWBAT refer to details and examples IOT explain what the text says explicitly.
● SWBAT refer to details and examples IOT draw inferences.

Key Terms and ● Event- something that happens or happened

Definitions Primary Focus
Standard: ● In Depth- thorough detailed
Supporting Focus Standard:
● Action- behaviors
● Explain- to make something clear by describing it in
● Character- a personality in a literary work more detail or by revealing relevant facts or ideas ●
Explicitly- very clear and complete; openly shown
● Character Trait -- quality of a personality
● Inference- a logical assumption based on observed
Commented [3]: It is important that I embed
opportunities for vocabulary enrichment, and
consistently expose my students to them. Many of my
students struggle with academic vocabulary, and
exposing them consistently to vocabulary builds their
skills.
Commented [4]: Students are familiar with this
vocabulary. It will be a review, but needs to be re-
taught due to the low performance on inferencing.

● Describe- to give an account in words (of someone or facts from the text and one’s own knowledge or
something) including the important characteristics, experience
qualities, or events
● Key Details- important word or phrases
● Details- the particular fact or piece of information
about something or someone
● Refer- to direct to a source for information or help
● Drama- a play; a prose or verse composition telling a
story that is intended for representation by actors
impersonating the characters
 Unit Plan

4th Grade 2018-2019 80

● Setting- where the story takes place

● Specific- clearly or exactly presented or stated

● Story- a narrative account, either real or fictitious, told in prose

Guiding Questions Primary Standard:

1. Who are the characters in this literary text? 2. What is the process of
characterization? 3. Commented [5]: Guiding Questions will be answered
daily. This will also assist students in building their
writing skills,
Teacher Note: Characterization is the process by which an author reveals the personality traits of the characters (their words, actions, and their confidence in adding text
appearance,
evidence.
thoughts, and what other characters say).
4. Based on the characters words, actions, appearances, thoughts, and what other characters say about them,
what traits does this character possess? 5. What is the setting in this literary text? Describe using specific details from the text. 6. What are
the events take place in the story or drama? Describe using specific details from the text.

Teacher Note: Each character, setting, and event in the text should be described individually.

Supporting Standard:

1. How do I define explicit? 2. What questions do you have about this literary text? 3. What is an inference? 4.
What can you infer based on explicit information drawn from the text?

Teacher Note: Be sure that students are required to refer to integrate clues with prior knowledge and/or experience to make an inference.

Interpretations and Reminders Primary Focus Standard:

Students must be able to recognize, name, and describe (at length) internal and external traits/characteristics of the major and minor characters in a
story or drama (play). Students must be able to define characterization as the process by which the author reveals the personality traits of the
characters, which is done in one or more of the following ways: (1) How the character looks; (2) How the character feels; (3) How the character
actions/behaviors; (4) The character’s thoughts; and (5) What other characters say about the character. Students must be able to distinguish between
ancillary and important details for the purpose of (1) developing an in-depth description of where the story takes place and (2) developing an in-depth
description of events in the story or drama (play).
 Unit Plan

Supporting Secondary Standard: Students must be able to cite details and examples from the text in order to explain what the text actually states.
Students should be engaged in conversations around key individuals/characters, the setting(s), events, or ideas presented in stories (adventure stories,
folktales, legends, fables, fantasy, realistic fiction, and myths); dramas (dialogue and brief familiar scenes); and poetry (nursery rhymes, narrative
poems, limericks, and free verse poems)

4th Grade 2018-2019 81

using literary texts across authors, themes, genres and traditions (i.e. classical, traditional, and mythological). Students must be able to cite details and
examples from the text to explain what the text literally states (citations are more useful when they include the line number, page number,
paragraph/act/scene/stanza, and/or author).

In order to master this skill, students must understand that drawing inferences follows a formula. Facts/information from the text + prior knowledge
and/or experience = inference.

Misconceptions

● Students must have a strong understanding of character traits in order to understand the standard
● Students must understand both internal and external characteristics.
● Some additional vocabulary terms students will need to know and understand:

o Motivation – reasons for the ways they act o Rising Action – events in the story that lead to a conflict o

Climax – the part of the story where the conflict reaches its most exciting point o Conflict – a problem that the

main character in a story must solve o Plot – a series of events that happen in a story

Vocabulary Practice Activity

Teacher Instructions: The progression will begin with the teacher reviewing the key terms that will be introduced throughout the lesson progression.
It is important for students to not only understand the definitions of the key terms, but students should also be able to use the terms in context.

4th Grade 2018-2019 82

For this activity, students can work in groups of 3-4. Students will need a copy of the Vocabulary Word Challenge sheet as well as one die.

● Before beginning the activity, the teacher should write down key terms on index cards for students to choose from for the activity (one term per
card). The teacher should use the key terms from previous units as well as tier 2 and 3 terms students should know.
● Each student will get a copy of the Vocabulary Word Challenge. Teachers may choose to copy the game board to cardstock for future use.
● The student will take turns rolling the die. Once they roll the die, the student must pick a term from the card deck and complete the directions for the
number die. Example: If the student rolls a one (1) they must define the word.
● Once the term is used, the students should place it at the bottom of the pile and continue playing the game.
● If the student rolls the same number again, they must pass to the next player. The goal is to get all six words on the sheet.
● Students can play as many rounds as needed for students to familiarize themselves with the terms that will be used for the lesson progression.

Suggested Learning Experiences (Gradual Release) and Materials/Texts

Performance-Based Objective 1
 Unit Plan

Literary Texts

● Me and Uncle Romie (Journeys)- Unit 2, pg. 231 (student), pg. T167 (Teacher), Lexile-780L
● Act Your Age (CommonLit)- Lexile: 780L Commented [6]: I will utilize these two texts from the
unit.

The teacher should now introduce the performance-based standard that will be used during this progression.

● SWBAT draw on specific details (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions) IOT describe in depth a character, setting or event in
a story or drama.

Focus Lesson: The teacher will model how to focus on specific key details in order to describe a character, setting or event in a story. When
modeling, the teacher should focus on key details such as the character’s thoughts, words and/or actions, how the setting is described and what
transpires in the events taking place in the story. The teacher should remind students they will now be working with literary text. The teacher may
want to also remind students of the elements that are a part of a story (plot, characters, setting, problem and solution, etc.) The teacher will model
reading and annotating the text Me and Uncle Romie from Journeys. The teacher should model the think aloud strategy to identify key details.

When reading and annotating the text, the teacher should make sure to model the generating questions strategy to find key details that will be
compared and contrasted. Some possible text dependent questions are:

● What is the problem in this story?

● What kind of person is James’ uncle? What key details from the text help the reader understand him?
● Why does Aunt Nannett take James to Harlem first? What evidence states this?
● How is pepper jelly important in the relationship between Uncle Romie and James?
● How does James change in the story?

After the teacher has modeled reading and annotating the text, the teacher should model how to complete the graphic organizer and generate a list
of character traits. The teacher should remember to use the annotated notes and key details to help describe the character, setting or event in the
story. Once the activity is completed, the teacher should review the activity. Commented [7]: This chart can be seen on the lesson
planning page.

Guided Practice: Students will now model how to read and annotate text for key details that help to describe a character, setting or event from a
story or drama. The teacher will guide students as they practice the strategies in the guided practice. Students will look at how a character evolves
over the course of the text. Students should annotate the text for key details that describe how the characters feel and act at the beginning and towards
the end of the text. The students should generate questions to find the key details.

As students read and annotate the text, they should also complete the graphic organizer. In the graphic organizer, the students should model the key
details related to the character that compares and contrasts them. Once students have finished completing the graphic organizer, the students should
review their work with the class.
 Unit Plan

Before moving forward in the progression, the teacher should review the performance based objective and clear up any misconceptions students may
have regarding comparing and contrasting

Commented
Collaborative Practice: Students will now work in partner pairs or small groups to identify the key details in the text that describe [8]: PIctures
the character and are shown on the lesson
planning
setting in depth. Students will read and annotate the text Me and Uncle Romie (Journeys)- Unit 2, pg. 231 (student), pg. T167 page.
(Teacher), Lexile-780L
.

Partner pairs or small group should us the think aloud strategy to read and annotate the text. Students should work together identify the key details that
help to the characters and the setting in the text. Students should look for key details that describe how the characters feel and act and how the setting
and/or change in setting relate to how the characters change throughout the text. Once students have finished reading and annotating the text, students
should create and complete their graphic organizer.

Independent Practice: Students will now independently read and annotate a text to identify the character traits from the handout Word Works
Center. Students should complete the graphic organizer to identify key details from the text. Students should make sure details from the annotated text
are used in the graphic organizer to describe the character, setting or event. Once students finish the graphic organizer, the teacher should make sure
students review their work for accuracy.

4th Grade 2018-2019 86

Performance Based Objective Questions: Throughout the lesson progression, the teacher and students should ask questions related to the
performance based objective. Below are the performance based questions that should be asked at each level of the progression.
● Who are the characters in this literary text?
● What is the process of characterization?
● Based on the characters words, actions, appearances, thoughts, and what other characters say about them, what traits does this character possess?
● What is the setting in this literary text? Describe using specific details from the text?
● What are the events that take place in the story or drama? Describe using specific details from the text.