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

Students will understand: 

• The world has many types of habitats, with different weather, seasons, animals, and plants.
• Living things have different features that help them meet their needs in their habitat.
• Reading about animal characters in literature can help us understand animals and their habitats.

Students will be able to: 

•  Orally blend and segment CVC words, multisyllabic words by syllables, and words with initial blends. Substitute medial vowel sounds and delete sounds in a blend.
• Review short vowels, one-syllable words, initial and final blends, and consonant digraphs. Learn closed and open syllable patterns and long 'a' vowel team syllable patterns (a, ai, ea, ay).
• Practice expression through characterization/feelings and confirm or correct word recognition and understanding while reading.
• Ask questions and create mental images.
• Reread or read on to clarify or confirm understanding.
• Identify the main topic and key details. Explain how images contribute to and clarify a text. Recount stories and determine their central message, lesson, or moral. Describe the overall structure of a story. Compare and contrast the most important points in two texts on the same topic. Introduce poetry.
• Use context as a clue to determine word meaning.
• Write to a text-based prompt, focusing on informative/explanatory essays.
• Produce complete simple sentences with subjects and predicates. Use an apostrophe to form contractions and possessives. Capitalize geographic names and form and use irregular past tense verbs.
• Engage effectively in whole-class and peer discussions. State, clarify, and support ideas in a constructive conversation.

Students will  understand: 

• All stories, whether traditional or modern, have characters who face problems.
• Characters in stories face problems caused by internal and external challenges.
• Readers can build knowledge about solving problems in the real world by looking at how characters face challenges in stories.

Students will be able to: 

•  Orally blend and segment words with final and initial blends. Delete and substitute sounds, including final and initial sounds in blends.
• Learn long vowel team syllable patterns for 'a' (ai, a, ea, ay), 'o' (oa, o, oe, ow, o_e), 'e' (ee, ea, e, e_e, y, ey, ie), and 'i' (ie, i, y, igh).
• Practice speed/pacing (fast) and short pauses while reading.
• Draw inferences and make connections. Stop and think about the author’s purpose, and read out loud to support comprehension.
• Recount stories and determine their central message, lesson, or moral. Describe how characters respond to major events and challenges. Use illustrations and words to demonstrate understanding of characters, setting, and plot. Read and understand figurative language in poetry.
• Distinguish shades of meaning among related verbs.
• Write opinion essays based on text-based prompts.
• Form and use irregular plural nouns, collective nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and reflexive pronouns.
• Engage effectively in whole-class and peer discussions. State, clarify, and support ideas in a constructive conversation.

Students will understand: 

• The U.S. Government provides laws and services to help protect the freedom and safety of the people.
• People can contribute to their communities and their government in many different ways.
• The United States can be represented by symbols and documents.
• Historical fiction is a genre that bases its stories and characters on actual events and people from the past.

Students will be able to: 

•  Substitute medial vowel sounds, initial and final sounds. Add and delete initial and final sounds. Blend and segment multisyllabic words by syllable.
• Learn long 'i' vowel team syllable patterns (ie, i, y, igh), long 'u' vowel team syllable patterns (u, ew, ue, u_e), and r-controlled syllable patterns (/är/, /ûr/).
• Practice inflection/intonation (pitch) and phrasing (units of meaning in complex sentences) while reading.
• Distinguish between important and unimportant information. Summarize and synthesize information. Read more slowly and think about the words. Reread to clarify or confirm understanding.
• Identify the main topic and key details. Describe the connection between a series of events, ideas, concepts, or steps. Use illustrations and words to demonstrate understanding of characters, setting, or plot. Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters. Compare and contrast key points in two texts on the same topic to make connections across texts. Read and understand rhyme and structure in poetry.
• Use context as a clue to determine the meaning of words and phrases.
• Write informative/explanatory essays.
• Form and use the past tense of irregular verbs, collective nouns, and reflexive pronouns.
• Engage effectively in whole-class and partner discussions. State, clarify, and support ideas in a constructive conversation.

Students will understand: 

• Folktales are traditional stories that often teach a lesson and are part of many cultures.
• Every story is narrated from a unique point of view and that point of view shapes the story.
• We can learn valuable lessons about understanding others, working together, and problem-solving through stories.

Students will be able to: 

•  Delete initial sounds in blends. Add initial and final sounds. Substitute medial vowel sounds and initial and final sounds.
• Learn r-controlled syllable patterns (/ûr/, /ôr/ with or, oar, ore, ear, eer, ere, and air, are, ear, ere).
• Practice expression with anticipation/mood and speed/pacing (slow) while reading.
• Ask questions about characters and events. Create mental images of characters and events. Read on to clarify or confirm understanding and stop to think about the author’s purpose.
• Describe the overall structure of a story. Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters. Describe how characters respond to major events and challenges. Recount stories and determine their central message, lesson, or moral. Compare two versions of the same story.
• Read and understand imagery in poetry.
• Describe how words and phrases supply meaning in a story.
• Write fictional diary entries based on text-based prompts.
• Use reflexive pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and irregular past-tense verbs.
• Engage effectively in whole-class and peer discussions. State, clarify, and support ideas, and introduce, clarify, and support a second idea in a constructive conversation.

Students will understand: 

• People are constantly inventing new things to solve problems.
• Inventions are often inspired by nature.
• Anyone can be an inventor.

Students will be able to: 

• Blend and segment multisyllabic words by syllable. Delete initial and final sounds in a blend. Add and delete initial and final sounds.
• Learn r-controlled syllable patterns (air, are, ear, ere), VCe syllable patterns, consonant -le syllable patterns, vowel teams /oi/ syllable patterns (oi, oy), and vowel teams /ou/ syllable patterns (ou, ow).
• Practice pausing at full stops and expression through anticipation/mood while reading.
• Draw inferences and distinguish between important and unimportant information. Read out loud to support comprehension and read more slowly while thinking about the words.
• Identify the main topic and key details. Identify the main purpose of a text (author’s purpose). Explain how images contribute to and clarify a text. Describe the connection between a series of events, ideas, concepts, or steps. Compare and contrast the key/most important points in two texts on the same topic.
• Read and understand rhyme and regular beats in poetry.
• Determine the meaning of compound words and other words and phrases in a text.
• Write opinion essays based on text-based prompts.
• Use an apostrophe to form possessives. Capitalize holidays, product names, and geographical names. Use irregular past-tense verbs. Produce complete simple sentences.
• Engage effectively in whole-class and peer discussions. State, clarify, and support ideas, and introduce, clarify, and support a second idea in a constructive conversation.

Students will understand: 

• Storytelling is a very old tradition shared by many cultures around the world.
• People tell stories to entertain, educate, and share ideas.
• There are common themes, or central messages, that can be found in folktales across many cultures.
• Readers can build knowledge and understanding about different cultures and traditions and learn valuable lessons from folktales.

Students will be able to: 

•  Delete initial and final sounds, including sounds in blends. Substitute initial, medial, and final sounds, including parts of blends in the final position.
• Learn vowel teams /ou/ syllable patterns (ou, ow), vowel teams /oo/ syllable patterns (oo, ui, ew, ue, u, ou, oe, u_e, and oo, u), and vowel teams /ô/ syllable patterns ([w]a, al, aw, au).
• Practice inflection/intonation (pitch) and dramatic expression while reading.
• Summarize and synthesize information, and make connections. Reread or read on to clarify or confirm understanding.
• Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of key details. Recount stories and determine their central message, lesson, or moral. Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters. Use illustrations and words to demonstrate understanding of characters, setting, or plot.

Students will  understand: 

• Primary sources include firsthand accounts, photographs, writings, maps, and artifacts.
• Primary sources help people learn about history and understand what life was like in the past.
• People search for artifacts and fossils in order to better understand the past.
• Understanding and learning from the past helps people better plan for the future.

Students will understand: 

• Wind and water cause weathering and erosion, changing the shape of land.
• Changes can happen slowly, over a long time period, or quickly.
• Human activity can cause changes to Earth’s surface that affect all living things.
• Scientists record weather patterns to make predictions which can help people prepare for severe weather.

Students will be able to: 

• Substitute initial, medial, and final sounds, including parts of blends. Blend and segment multisyllabic words by syllable. Add initial and final sounds.
• Learn related root words, irregular plural nouns (feet, children, teeth, mice, fish), -er, -or endings, and comparatives (-er, -est).
• Practice inflection/intonation (volume) and confirm or correct word recognition and understanding while reading.
• Apply metacognitive and fix-up strategies. Read more slowly and think about the words. Reread to clarify or confirm understanding.
• Explain how images contribute to and clarify a text. Describe the connection between a series of events, ideas, concepts, or steps. Identify the main purpose of a text. Analyze how the author’s reasons support specific points in a text. Compare and contrast the most important points in two texts on the same topic.
• Read and understand onomatopoeia and repetition in poetry.
• Use context clues, dictionaries, and glossaries to determine word meaning.
• Write research reports based on text-based prompts.
• Use collective nouns, capitalize geographic names, and use commas in greetings and closings. Compare formal and informal uses of English and understand formal uses of English.

Students will understand: 

• Goods are items that are made, bought, and sold.
• People use natural resources to make, or produce, goods.
• People make choices about what goods to buy based on their needs and wants.
• Producers, buyers, and sellers are all connected.

Students will be able to: 

•  Substitute medial vowel sounds, initial and final sounds. Blend and segment multisyllabic words by syllable. Add initial and final sounds.
• Learn suffixes (-y, -ly), schwa, and silent letters (/n/ gn, kn; /r/ wr; /m/ mb).
• Practice inflection/intonation (stress) and phrasing (units of meaning in complex sentences) while reading.
• Apply metacognitive and fix-up strategies. Read on to clarify or confirm understanding and stop to think about the author’s purpose.
• Describe the connection between a series of events, ideas, concepts, or steps. Explain how images contribute to and clarify a text. Use illustrations and words to demonstrate understanding of characters, setting, or plot. Describe how characters respond to major events and challenges. Compare and contrast the most important points in two texts on the same topic.
• Read and analyze humor and rhythm in poetry.
• Determine the meaning of compound words, words with prefixes, and other words and phrases in a text.
• Create multimedia presentations.
• Use adjectives, adverbs, and irregular past-tense verbs. Compare formal and informal language.
• Engage effectively in whole-class, small-group, and partner discussions. State, clarify, support, evaluate, and compare ideas in a constructive conversation.