This unit helps to build a community of readers and writers, establish routines, and build foundational skills.

Students will understand: 

• Being helpful and hard-working are two important character traits.
• We can appreciate other people more when we understand their perspectives.

Students will be able to: 

• Recognize directionality by reading from left to right.
• Recognize letters.
• Understand directionality with a return sweep.
• Understand capitalization.
• Understand that words are represented by letters and separated by spaces.
• Isolate, categorize, blend, segment, manipulate, and add phonemes.
• Review the sound for the letter 'a' and learn the sounds for letters 's', 't', 'r', 'f', 'h', 'b', 'n', 'w', 'p', and 'l'.
• Use expression while reading.
• Draw inferences.
• Distinguish between important and unimportant information.
• Identify and describe characters, setting, and major events in a story.
• Retell familiar stories using key details.
• Identify the author and illustrator of a book and define their roles.
• Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.
• Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs.
• Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
• Draw and write narrative texts.
• Use regular plural nouns and question words.
• Engage effectively in whole-class and peer discussions.
• State, clarify, and support ideas in a constructive conversation.

Students will understand: 

• Characters and their adventures and experiences can entertain us and teach us lessons.
• Stories can show how families and friends care for one another.

Students will be able to: 

• Understand directionality with a return sweep.
• Understand that written words match spoken words.
• Understand capitalization.
• Manipulate, blend, isolate, categorize, segment, and substitute phonemes.
• Learn the sounds for letters 'o', 'e', 'u', 'c', 'v', 'y', 'z', 'h', 'x', 'q', and 'p'.
• Practice rhythm, phrasing, and expression while reading.
• Ask and answer questions.
• Create mental images from the text.
• Identify and describe characters, setting, and major events in a story.
• Describe the relationship between illustrations and the story.
• Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.
• Identify new meanings for familiar words.
• Identify real-life connections between words and their use.
• Draw and write opinion texts.
• Use prepositions.
• Use end punctuation.
• Engage effectively in a range of whole-class, small-group, and partner discussions.
• State, clarify, and support ideas in a constructive conversation.

Students will  understand: 

• Technology is changing how we work, learn, travel, and live.
• We can use technology to interact with others in new ways.

Students will be able to: 

• Understand that written words match spoken words.
• Understand that sentences are represented by words.
• Understand page sequence.
• Understand that words are represented by letters.
• Recognize directionality by reading from left to right.
• Understand end marks.
• Isolate, blend, segment, add, substitute, manipulate, and delete phonemes.
• Learn the sound for the letter 'b' and the word family -at; review the sound for 'h'.
• Learn the sound for the letter 'u' and the word family -un.
• Learn the sound for the letter 'r' and the word family -ip.
• Use characterization and understand feelings while reading.
• Practice pacing and inflection while reading.
• Self-correct while reading.
• Draw inferences.
• Distinguish between important and unimportant information.
• Identify the reasons an author gives to support points.
• Identify parts and features of a book, such as illustrations and captions.
• Identify and describe characters, setting, and major events in a story.
• Describe the relationship between illustrations and the text.
• Identify similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic.
• Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.
• Identify new meanings for familiar words.
• Sort words into categories.
• Write informative/explanatory texts.
• Use the pronouns 'I' and 'me' in sentences.
• Use common being verbs in sentences.
• Engage in whole-class, small-group, and partner discussions.
• State, clarify, and support ideas in a constructive conversation.

Students will understand: 

• People tell traditional stories, like folktales, to teach important lessons.
• Stories can teach us that ordinary people can accomplish big things, especially when they work together.

Students will be able to: 

• Recognize directionality by reading from top to bottom and return sweep.
• Understand that words are separated by spaces and convey meaning.
• Understand end marks.
• Isolate, blend, segment, substitute, manipulate, and delete phonemes.
• Learn the sounds for letters 'e', 'g', 'd', and 'r' and the word families -et, -ot, and -an.
• Practice inflection, intonation, pacing, and expression while reading.
• Make connections.
• Summarize and synthesize information.
• Identify and describe story characters, setting, and major events.
• Describe the relationship between illustrations and the story.
• Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters.
• Retell familiar stories including key details.
• Identify new meanings for familiar words.
• Relate words to their opposites.
• Write opinion texts.
• Use regular plural nouns.
• Use question words.
• Engage effectively in whole-class, small-group, and peer discussions.
• State, clarify, and support ideas in a constructive conversation.

Students will understand: 

• We honor people who made positive contributions to the world with celebrations and holidays.
• We celebrate holidays with food, parades, and/or being with friends and family.

Students will be able to: 

• Recognize directionality with a return sweep and read text from top to bottom.
• Understand that words are separated by spaces and end punctuation.
• Isolate, delete, distinguish, segment, blend, manipulate, and substitute phonemes.
• Learn the sounds for letters 'w', 'l', and 'j' and the word families -in, -op, and -ug.
• Confirm word recognition and use inflection, intonation, volume, rate, and pacing while reading.
• Apply strategies.
• Identify the main topic and retell key details.
• Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or information in a text.
• Identify similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic.
• Identify parts and features of a book, such as captions, illustrations, and table of contents.
• Describe the relationship between illustrations and the text.
• Identify the reasons an author gives to support points.
• Relate words to their opposites and use inflections and affixes as clues to the meaning of unknown words.
• Write narratives.
• Use prepositions and complete sentences with correct capitalization and end punctuation.
• Engage effectively in whole-class and peer discussions.
• State, clarify, and support ideas in a constructive conversation.

Students will understand: 

• Weather and temperature change with the seasons.
• The clothes we wear and the things we do are affected by weather and seasons.

Students will be able to: 

• Understand that words are made of letters and recognize the sequential order of pages.
• Understand end punctuation.
• Delete, add, blend, isolate, substitute, segment, and manipulate phonemes.
• Learn the sounds for letters 'k', 'y', 'v', 'qu' and the word families -it, -ap, and -ick; review the sound for 'j'.
• Use pitch and pause at full stops while reading.
• Self-monitor for accuracy while reading.
• Apply strategies.
• Identify the main topic and retell key details.
• Identify and describe story characters, setting, and major events.
• Retell familiar stories including key details.
• Describe the relationship between illustrations and the text.
• Identify similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic.
• Identify parts and features of a book, such as illustrations and captions.
• Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters.
• Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs.
• Write shared research reports.
• Produce and expand complete sentences.
• Use common verbs.
• Engage effectively in whole-class and peer discussions.
• State, clarify, and support ideas in a constructive conversation.

Students will understand: 

• People work to earn and save money to pay for things they need and want.
• People make choices about what to buy to meet their needs and wants.

Students will be able to: 

• Understand that words are made of letters and the relationship between spoken and written words.
• Recognize directionality with a return sweep.
• Isolate, blend, segment, substitute, and manipulate phonemes.
• Learn the sounds for letters 'x' (final) and 'z', and the word family -ock.
• Learn the long 'a' sound (a_e) and the word family -ame.
• Learn the long 'o' sound (o_e) and the word family -ope.
• Review the sounds for 'v' (initial) and 'q'.
• Practice reading with accuracy, intonation, inflection, and expression.
• Apply strategies.
• Identify and describe story characters, setting, and major events.
• Describe the relationship between illustrations and the text.
• Identify parts and features of a book, such as labels, illustrations, and captions.
• Identify the reasons an author gives to support points.
• Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters.
• Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
• Sort words into categories.
• Write opinion texts.
• Produce and expand complete sentences.
• Understand and use question words.
• Engage effectively in whole-class and peer discussions.
• State, clarify, and support ideas in a constructive conversation.