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Literacy: The Responsibility of Freedom 5th Grade Unit

Links for this Unit

Letter Home to Families
(will be posted on classroom blog and sent home when we begin the integrated social studies/literacy unit)

Greetings students and families,

Starting April 6, 2009, the students of A204 will be embarking on a journey back in time as we begin the unit, “The Responsibility of Freedom.” We will be learning about Colonial Boston by creating our own colonial community in our classroom where students will create characters and follow a storyline about the foundation of the United States of America. To better grasp the meaning of this theme, I have created an integrated literacy unit where students will form book clubs with their classmates and publish a book with their personal understanding of the theme.

To show the responsibility of freedom, at the end of this unit, students will create a service project and create a video to share with their peers and the community!

This unit is going to last throughout the whole month of April, and it will truly be fun. We will get to do art projects, creative writing, have a food tasting, special guests and much more as students learn about colonial life and what the responsibility of freedom means.

There will be many opportunities for you to get involved in your students learning during this unit. Students will have many take-home assignments where they will have questions to discuss with an adult. There will also be interesting website links on our class blog that correspond with many of the take-home assignments that will be fun to look at if you have Internet access.

I look forward to hearing from you!
Miss Holck
missholck@gmail.com

Central Questions & Outline of Learning
What does with freedom comes great responsibility mean?
What does it take for someone to show the responsibility of freedom?

Learning Targets	EALR(s) Addressed	Assessment Instruments	Evidence of Achievement
1. Students will understand that: • Freedom is not always fair/just. • People have done things so I can be free. I too need to pay it forward. • Everyone is able to work towards their own and other people’s freedom. Students will create their own generalizations in class. These are just examples.		• Journals (formative) • Small and whole class discussions (formative). • Pre and post assessment	Responses on assessments: • Show depth: Includes broad concepts and concepts about self. • Connect freedom and responsibility • Suggest actions that can be taken • 3+ of each freedom and responsibility
2. Students will learn how to apply a variety of strategies to improve reading comprehension including: a. connections b. inferences c. visualization	Reading: 1.2.2 Apply a variety of strategies to comprehend words and ideas in complex text. Reading: 2.2.3 Understand and analyze story elements.	a. Journal entries b. Graphic organizer c. Draw picture, artistic response	A simple checklist will be used to assess student learning for strategy activities. They are simple and based on student ability to: • Show use of strategy. • Show how to use strategy. • Explain importance of strategy.
3. Students will write a piece about a narrow topic for a specific audience using a useful editing process.	Writing: 1.4.1 Applies understanding of editing appropriate for grade level. Writing: 2.1.1 Applies understanding of multiple and varied audiences to write effectively. Writing: 3.1.1 Analyzes ideas, selects a narrow topic, and elaborates using specific details and/or examples. Writing: 3.2.2 Uses language appropriate for a specific audience and purpose. Writing: 4.1.1 Analyzes and evaluates writing using established criteria.	• Students will write a poem, song, essay, or short story applying knowledge from lessons in class about picking a topic, considering your audience, and the editing process.	Rubric will be used, see below.
4. Students will use listening skills to interpret information.	Communication: 1.1.2 Applies a variety of listening and observation skills/strategies to interpret information. Communication: 1.2.1 Applies strategies to comprehend auditory and visual information.	• Activities during read aloud (listen, write ideas, draw a picture, etc.). • Whole class and small group interactions. • Self-assessment based on class anchor chart.	This will be developed based anchor chart created with whole class. Key ideas will likely be: • Paraphrases other’s ideas. • Does not interrupt others. • Pays attention to the speaker.
5. Student will understand the advantages of working cooperatively.	Communication: 2.2.1 Understands how to show respect for others’ input. 2.2.2 Applies skills to contribute responsibly in a group setting.	• Literature Circles and group discussions. • Self-assessment based on class anchor chart.	• Respect and listen to others. • Give meaningful input to group. • Honor community roles, including your own (ex: time keeper).

Writing Rubric	Below expectations	At expectations	Above expectations
Edits and Revisions	Edits are made to correct less than ~70% of mistakes. (0) Revisions are not made or are not useful. (0)	Edits are made to correct ~70% of mistakes. (2) Revisions are made to make message more meaningful and engaging. (2)	Edits are made to correct more than ~70% of mistakes. (3)
Grammar and conventions	More than 2 grammar or convention errors. (0)	Less than 2 grammar or convention errors. (2)	Less than 1 grammar or convention errors. (3)
Audience and purpose	It is unclear who the audience is and what the purpose of the message is. (0-3)	It is clear who the audience is and what the purpose of the message is. (4)
Topic	Topic is broad. Lacks details and examples (0-4)	A narrow topic is chosen and described with details and examples. (5)
Creativity	Writing lacks creativity as discussed in class. (0-4)	Writing uses creativity as discussed in class and displayed on anchor chart. (5)	Writing goes beyond creative suggestions listed in class. (6)

Art Rubric	Below expectations	At expectations	Above expectations
Sketch	Sketch does not include details. (0) Sketch is not approved. (0)	Sketch shows detailed plan. (1) Sketch is approved. (1)
Use of materials	Less than three types of medium are used. (0) Materials are wasted. (0) Materials are not used in a unique way using techniques discussed in class. (0-2)	More than three types of medium are used. (1) Minimal amount of materials are wasted. (1) Materials are used in a unique way using techniques discussed in class (patterns, layout, color). (3)	Finds creative ways to recycle unused materials. (2) Materials are used in a unique way using techniques not discussed in class. (4)
Conveys Message	Message is not clearly conveyed through use of images. (0-4)	Message is clearly conveyed through use of images. (5)	Message is conveyed through abstract use of images. (6)