BlendEd Best Practices-Unit 4 Wonders
Unit Title:
Title and Description-
This unit is titled: Unit 4 Wonders-- Created by: Reba Hesteramann for ESUCC, for the BlendED Best Practices.
The description of the purpose of the unit is: Students will research different topics while focusing vocabulary, spelling, collaborating, sharing, and presenting.
Content Area Skill:
Add Skill(s)
Skill #1-ELA Reading
Skill #2- Writing
Digital Age Skill(s):
Add Skill(s)
Skill #1-Multiple Literacies
Duration of Unit:
6 weeks
Overview of Unit:
In this unit, students will research and create informational books about their animals. Students will also be focused on spelling, reading, collaborating, vocabulary, and presenting.
Empower Learners:
Learning Objectives | |
Content Area Skills: | Student Friendly Learning Objectives: |
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SL.5.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. SL.5.1a Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. SL.5.1c Pose and respond to specific questions by making comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others. SL.5.1d Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions. SL.5.2 Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. |
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W.5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. W.5.3a Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. W.5.3b Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations. W.5.3c Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events. W.5.3d Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely. W.5.3e Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events. W.5.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. W.5.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. W.5.7 Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. W.5.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. |
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Empower Learner Activity:
Detailed Description:
1. Students will take a pre-assessment using Placement/Diagnostic Assessment. This component serves as the initial screening instrument and contains assessments that can be assigned throughout the unit to monitor student progress and pinpoint students’ strengths and weaknesses
2. Students will self assess each student-friendly learning target using a likert scale.
3. Students will set goals for the unit based on the learning targets and pre-assessment data. They will post weekly reading goals as well as goal for the entire unit that will be posted in classroom for everyone to see.
4. Students will complete a weekly concept practice to take student learning goals and progress with the unit concepts.
Knowledge Application:
The knowledge activity using research skills, the students will represent their knowledge of the topic with their final product.
Artifact Profile:
Title of the Artifact:
Famous Person Project (Unit 4 Week 3)
Detailed Description:
Each student will pick one famous person that they would like to be or that they would like to learn about. They will research information about that person and create a baseball card to describe them.
Content Area Skills Addressed:
Social Studies
Reading
ELA
Digital Age Skills
Empowering learner
Innovative Designer
Creative Communicator
Link to Rubric
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QHn0lve33ucvNnod2DWEtEH9C7Id9pvCTS6sh4rzMIU/edit
Knowledge Deepening:
Detailed Description:
Students are given a choice as to how they are going to complete the following tasks.
Tasks
Task 1-Unit 4 Week 1 choice board
Description: This choice board is done during their word work station. They will be completing activities that go with the weekly vocabulary and spelling. Students will also complete a concept practice as data assessment for each weekly reading skills and strategies. | ||
Must Do’s: Spelling packet Unit 4 Week 1 Concept practice | May Do’s: Vocabulary choice board#2 SpellingCity Word of the Week Board Class Dojo ConnectED Spelling Trifold Spelling choice board #2 | Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ifu1YRL34dbMJyj7QH67O_5ATLkFWOQvP1E3IRA-ZYs/edit |
Task 2-Unit 4 Week 2 choice board
Description: This choice board is done during their word work station. They will be completing activities that go with the weekly vocabulary and spelling. Students will also complete a concept practice as data assessment for each weekly reading skills and strategies.
Must Do’s: Spelling packet Unit 4 Week 2 concept practice | May Do’s: Vocabulary choice board #1 SpellingCity Word of the Week Board Class Dojo ConnectED Spelling Trifold Spelling choice board #1 | Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11rsKNEBLGNXGADX8VCstF46Lde1uQypkuqyBUhYd8hw/edit |
Task 3-Unit 4 Week 3 choice board
Description: This choice board is done during their word work station. They will be completing activities that go with the weekly vocabulary and spelling. Students will also complete a concept practice as data assessment for each weekly reading skills and strategies. | ||
Must Do’s: Spelling packet Unit 4 Week 3 concept practice | May Do’s: Vocabulary choice board #2 SpellingCity ClassDojo ConnectED Word Work Binder activity Spelling Choice board #2 | Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oTVtryIPRWVQAyiT8-tMrm74WRlrylbr9g1SjJcxrF8/edit |
Task 4-Unit 4 Week 4 choice board
Description: This choice board is done during their word work station. They will be completing activities that go with the weekly vocabulary and spelling. Students will also complete a concept practice as data assessment for each weekly reading skills and strategies. | ||
Must Do’s: Spelling packet Unit 4 Week 4 concept practice | May Do’s: Vocabulary choice board #1 SpellingCity ClassDojo ConnectED Spelling Trifold Word Work binder activity Spelling Choice board #1 | Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pUHMyPtCG0kzTsHCjvt9jjcIA5hIGBdatRWfr2lLtP0/edit |
Task 5-Unit 4 Week 5 choice board
Description: This choice board is done during their word work station. They will be completing activities that go with the weekly vocabulary and spelling. Students will also complete a concept practice as data assessment for each weekly reading skills and strategies. | ||
Must Do’s: Spelling packet Unit 4 Week 5 concept practice | May Do’s: Vocabulary choice board #2 SpellingCity ClassDojo ConnectED Word Work Binder activity Spelling choice board #2 | Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nhrOCyuGWwaQPm0V6ktV9631cvZHsMlMV7Ab3kPj408/edit |
Task 6-Unit 4 choice board
Description: This choice board is used out throughout the whole unit. The choice board will work on 3 main skills/strategies that are a main focus in this Unit 4 of Wonders. Students will need to complete 2 activities in each column and complete at least 1 activity per week. | ||
Must Do’s: 1 Visualize activities 1 Point of View activities 1 Informational text activities | May Do’s: Any other activity on the board for extra skills and strategies practice | Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RKCmqPMfskuUw_Xyac7lmxHK-nmxnaDA7uGF1KOpCHQ/edit |
Direct Instruction:
Detailed Description
Direct Instruction scaffolds the learning process for all students. A key goal is to incorporate BlendEd strategies to effectively differentiate instruction in order to maximize learning.
Learning Path:
Week 1
Learning Path | |||
Day # | Description | BlendEd Model | Resources |
1 | Daily language/ 5 A day language Building Background: Sharing Stories Introduce Vocabulary: Words in Context Small group: Fluency practice Close Read: “How Mighty Kate Stopped the Train” | Enriched- virtual model Rotation model | PearDeck: |
2 | Daily language/ 5 A Day Practice vocabulary Small group: Leveled reader Visualize Point of view Genre: Tall Tale Synonyms and Antonyms | Enriched- virtual model Rotation model | PearDeck: |
3 | Daily language/ 5 A Day Phonics: Final el and en Small group: Leveled reader Close Read: “How Davy Crockett Saves the World” Selection assessment | Flex model | |
4 | Daily language/ 5 A Day language Practice vocabulary Small group: Leveled Readers Grammar: Pronouns and antecedents | Individual rotation model | Khan Academy: |
5 | Daily language Spelling Test Vocabulary quiz Grammar quiz Weekly Test | Formal online learning | ConnectEd online assessment center: collects data SpellingCity: Vocabulary, Spelling, Grammar NoRedInk: Grammar |
Week 2
Learning Path | |||
Day # | Description | BlendEd Model | Resources |
1 | Daily language/ 5 A day language Building Background: Discoveries Introduce Vocabulary: Words in Context Small group: Fluency practice Close Read: “Where’s Brownie?” Worksheet: practicing skills and strategies in the story | Enriched- virtual model Rotation model | PearDeck: |
2 | Daily language/ 5 A Day Adages and Proverbs Small group: Leveled reader Visualize: Into A Book website | Enriched- virtual model Rotation model | PearDeck: Into A Book: |
3 | Daily language/ 5 A Day Adages and Proverbs Small group: Leveled reader Point of View: Short Films: Okapodi (do together) SpellBound (Do with a partner) | Flex model | PearDeck: |
4 | Daily language/ 5 A Day Grammar: Kinds of Pronouns Small group: Leveled reader Close Read: “A Window into History: The Mystery of the Cellar Window” Selection assessment/ Close Reading companion | Individual rotation model | PearDeck: NoRedInk: Kinds of Pronouns |
5 | Daily language Spelling Test Vocabulary quiz Grammar quiz Weekly Test | Formal online learning | ConnectEd online assessment center: collects data SpellingCity: Vocabulary, Spelling, Grammar NoRedInk: Grammar |
Week 3
Learning Path | |||
Day # | Description | BlendEd Model | Resources |
1 | Daily language/ 5 A day language Building Background: Take Action Introduce Vocabulary: Words in Context Small group: Fluency practice Close Read: “Frederick Douglass: Freedom’s Voice” Worksheet: practicing skills and strategies in the story | Enriched- virtual model Rotation model | PearDeck: |
2 | Daily language/ 5 A Day language Practice vocabulary Small group: leveled readers Informational text Summarize: Into A Book website | Enriched- virtual model Rotation model | Into a Book: https://reading.ecb.org/teacher/summarizing.html PearDeck: |
3 | Daily language/ 5 A Day language Phonics: Homographs Prefixes and Suffixes Small group: leveled readers Close Read: Rosa Close Reading companion/ Selection assessment | Flex model | Homographs: Quizlet Live Prefix and suffixes: Matching game |
4 | Daily language/ 5 A Day language Practice vocabulary Small group: Leveled readers Grammar: Pronoun-verb agreement | Individual rotation model | Pronoun verb agreement: IXL and NoRedInk |
5 | Daily language Spelling Test Vocabulary quiz Grammar quiz Weekly Test | Formal online learning | ConnectEd online assessment center: collects data SpellingCity: Vocabulary, Spelling, Grammar NoRedInk: Grammar |
Week 4
Learning Path | |||
Day # | Description | BlendEd Model | Resources |
1 | Daily language/ 5 A Day language Building Background: Consider our resources Introduce vocabulary Small group Close Read: “Power from Nature” | Enriched- virtual model Rotation model | PearDeck: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DlzmdPPVRX2W6BpogMpchhvbecYZZCLSSEaSQP5zAkg/edit#slide=id.p |
2 | Daily language/ 5 A Day language Context Clues game: Board game Small group: leveled readers Skill: Author’s point of view: Oktapodi (Pixar short film and graphic organizer) | Enriched- virtual model Rotation model | PearDeck: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DlzmdPPVRX2W6BpogMpchhvbecYZZCLSSEaSQP5zAkg/edit#slide=id.p |
3 | Daily language/ 5 A Day language Summarizing task cards Small group Close Read “One Well” Close Reading companion | Flex model | PearDeck: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DlzmdPPVRX2W6BpogMpchhvbecYZZCLSSEaSQP5zAkg/edit#slide=id.p |
4 | Daily language/ 5 A Day language Practice vocabulary: Quizlet Small group Grammar: Possessive Pronouns NoRedInk activity | Individual rotation model | PearDeck: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DlzmdPPVRX2W6BpogMpchhvbecYZZCLSSEaSQP5zAkg/edit#slide=id.p |
5 | Daily language Spelling Test Vocabulary quiz Grammar quiz Weekly Test | Formal online learning | ConnectEd online assessment center: collects data SpellingCity: Vocabulary, Spelling, Grammar NoRedInk: Grammar |
Week 5
Learning Path | |||
Day # | Description | BlendEd Model | Resources |
1 | Daily language/ 5 A Day language Building Background: Express Yourself Introduce vocabulary Small group Close Read: “How Do I hold the Summer?” “Catching a Fly” and “When I Dance” | Enriched- virtual model Rotation model | PearDeck: |
2 | Daily language/ 5 A Day language Similes and Metaphor: Quizlet Small group: leveled readers Skill: Theme (Pixar short film: Fishing with Sam and complete graphic organizer) | Enriched- virtual model Rotation model | PearDeck: |
3 | Daily language/ 5 A Day language Figurative language task cards Small group Close Read “Words Free as Confetti” and “Dreams” Close Reading companion | Flex model Rotation model | PearDeck: |
4 | Daily language/ 5 A Day language Practice vocabulary: Quizlet Small group Grammar: Pronouns and Homophones NoRedInk activity | Individual rotation model | IXL and NoRedInk |
5 | Daily language Spelling Test Vocabulary quiz Grammar quiz Weekly Test | Formal online learning | ConnectEd online assessment center: collects data SpellingCity: Vocabulary, Spelling, Grammar NoRedInk: Grammar |
Week 6: Animal Research Project
Introduction:
Show students a book about an animal. Just focus on the cover -- don’t show them the inside of the book.
Tell students that the book is about the animal. Ask them what types of information they think might be included in the book. List their ideas on the board.
Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling
Say, “Today we are going to research and write informational books about animals.”
Show students the animal books that you’ve collected. Depending on the technology that you have available, students can also conduct research online.
Introduce the Tell About Animals LapBook. Pick an animal to research and model how to complete the questions on the worksheet.
Guided Practice:
Now tell students that they will use their research to create an informational book about their animal.
Take out four pieces of paper. Tell students that they will write one section of their book on each page. The four sections will be: What My Animal Looks Like, What My Animal Eats, Where My Animal Lives, and Fun Facts.
Model how to plan for writing the words on the page. Show students how to consult their Tell About Animals worksheet to write the words in each section.
Turn the worksheet over and explain to the students that writers include a closure at the end of their writing, something to "wrap up" what they wrote about. Write "These are the things I learned about ____." on the back of the worksheet.
Complete the sentence stem by filling in an example animal.Reiterate that they should include a closing sentence on the back of their worksheets.
Independent working time
Have students begin by researching an animal of their choice using the Tell About Animals LapBook by using at least one informational book (or online resource).
After their planning worksheet is complete, students can move onto planning and writing the words in their books.
Differentiation Enrichment:
Have students share their books with others, eliciting feedback from peers and revising their books accordingly.
Support:
Write sentence frames to guide students in creating each section of their book. For example, “The ____ lives in ____.”
Technology Integration:
Have students conduct animal research online.
Assessment:
Assess students’ understanding by noticing how they complete their books. Pay attention to how students conduct research and use the information they learned when writing their books.
EXTENDED ASSESSMENT: Student Choice
Extend this lesson by introducing digital tools to produce and publish an informative writing piece, such as Storybird or Tikatok.
Allow students sufficient time to explore these digital tools with peers prior to publishing their writing.
Instruct students to research another animal and include a topic sentence, at least three facts about their animal, and a sense of closure.
Encourage students to find a photograph they like to print out and include on their writing piece as well as draw an illustration of their animal.
Set up a "Gallery Walk" with the student's published work at the end of the week and invite students to view their classmate's finished informative writing pieces!
Review and closing:
Have students share their books with partners. Call the class back together to share what they learned from reading each other’s books.
Remind students that informative writing has a topic, facts about the topic, and a sense of closure.
Close the lesson by asking students what other topics or animals they would like to research in the future!
Small group time activities
Book Widget: https://www.bookwidgets.com/play/t:zTVieJBrI3dyE8NWIbd5BYjZioBB8FKcDrB8/Qy6X6BTR1dIRUw=
Unit 4 Skills Choice board:
Resources:
Provide a list of resources