West Haven Public Schools
Unit Planning Organizer
Subject___Reading and Writing_ ___________
Grade___First___
Unit #4 – Reading and Writing Informational Text
Pacing- 6 weeks 3 buffer days
Reading Essential Question(s):
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How do you ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text?
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How do text features (headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) help me locate key facts or
information?
Reading Big Idea(s):
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I ask myself questions when I am stuck on an unknown word like…
What word would make sense?
What word can I guess?
Does it look like a word that I know?
Does it sound like a word that I know?
Does it make sense?
Did I skip the word and reread the sentence?
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Text features help me find important information quickly.
Grade 1 ELA, Unit 4 Planning Organizer, July 2014
Reading Overarching Standards (OS)
CC.1.RL.10 With prompting and support, read prose and poetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1.
CC.1.RI.10 With prompting and support, read informational text appropriately complex for grade 1.
CC.1.L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 1 reading and
content, choosing flexibility from an array of strategies.
CC.1.L.5 With guidance and support from adults, demonstrate understanding of word relationships
CC.1.L.6 Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including
using frequently occurring conjunctions to signal simple relationships (e.g. because).
Reading Priority and Supporting CCSS
CC.1.RI.4 Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.
CC.1.RI.5 Know and use various text features (e.g. headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key
facts or information in a text.
CC.1.RI.6 Distinguish between information provided by pictures or other illustrations and information provided by the words in a
text.
CC.1.RI.7 Use illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
Grade 1 ELA, Unit 4 Planning Organizer, July 2014
Reading Foundational Skills
Phonological Awareness
CC.1.R.F.2
Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
CC.1.R.F.2.a
Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.
CC.1.R.F.2.b
Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes), including consonant blends.
CC.1.R.F.2.c
Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words.
CC.1.R.F.2.d
Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes).
Phonics and Word Recognition
CC.1.R.F.3
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
CC.1.R.F.3.a
Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs (two letters that represent one sound).
CC.1.R.F.3.b
Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.
CC.1.R.F.3.c
Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds.
CC.1.R.F.3.d
Use knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word.
CC.1.R.F.3.e
Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables.
Grade 1 ELA, Unit 4 Planning Organizer, July 2014
Phonics and Word Recognition (continued)
CC.1.R.F.3.f
Read words with inflectional endings.
CC.1.R.F.3.g
Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
Fluency
o
o
o
o
o
CC.1.R.F.4
Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
CC.1.R.F.4.a
Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
CC.1.R.F.4.b
Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression.
CC.1.R.F.4.c
Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Grade 1 ELA, Unit 4 Planning Organizer, July 2014
Reading
Concepts
(What students need to know)
Skills
(What students need to be able to do)
Bloom’s
Taxonomy
Levels
CC.1.RI.4
meaning of words and phrases in text
CC.1.RI.4
clarify
5
CC.1.RI.5
text features (e.g. headings, tables of
contents, glossaries, electronic menus,
icons), key facts
CC.1.RI.5
use
locate
3
1
Grade 1 ELA, Unit 4 Planning Organizer, July 2014
Writing Instruction Lessons (Writers’ Workshop) and Assessments will be addressed by Writing Consultant Trisha D’Amore.
Writing Essential Question(s):
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How do I write an informational/explanatory piece of writing?
Writing Big Idea(s):
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I select a topic and research it to find facts about the topic I chose.
I include a closing sentence(s).
Grade 1 ELA, Unit 4 Planning Organizer, July 2014
Writing Overarching Standards (OS)
Note: Speaking and Listening Standards are deliberatively placed into writing units to support the importance of students’ oral
rehearsal of stories before putting the pen to paper.
CC1.L.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
CC1.L.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
CC1.SL.3 Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is
not understood.
CC1.SL.4 Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant, details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.
CC1.SL.5 Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
CC1.SL.6 Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.
Grade 1 ELA, Unit 4 Planning Organizer, July 2014
Writing Priority and Supporting CCSS
CC1.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some
sense of closure.
CC1.W.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects.
CC1.W.6 With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in
collaboration with peers.
CC1.W.8 With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources
to answer a question.
CC1.L.1c Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in basic sentences (e.g., He hops; We hop).
CC1.L.1e Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future (e.g., Yesterday I walked home; Today I walk home; Tomorrow
I will walk home).
CC1.L.1j Produce and expand complete simple and compound declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences in
response to prompts.
CC1.SL.1b Build on others’ talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges.
CC1.SL.2 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
Grade 1 ELA, Unit 4 Planning Organizer, July 2014
Writing and Language
Concepts
(What students need to know)
Skills
(What students need to be able to do)
Bloom’s Taxonomy Levels
CC1.W.2
informative/explanatory text
closure
CC1.W.2
write
supply
1
3
CC1.W.7
research
writing projects
CC1.W.7
research
write
6
6
CC1.L.1c
singular nouns
plural nouns
verbs
CC1.L.1c
use
3
CC1.L.1e
past tense verbs
present tense verbs
future tense verbs
CC1.L.1e
use
3
Grade 1 ELA, Unit 4 Planning Organizer, July 2014
Assessments
Dipsticks” (Informal Progress Monitoring Checks):
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Running Records, A-Z Benchmark, begin at student’s instructional level (Running Records levels C-J are included in the
Dipstick section in the back of the binder. If needed, you have to print the higher/lower levels yourself.)
Scott Foresman Phonics Resource Book: phonic pages
Student created writing samples throughout the unit
Sight word checklist
SAT-9, if applicable matching standards
Post Common Assessment (Followed by Data Team Analysis):
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
Nonsense word decoding (digraphs and long vowels)
Reading Post CA
Retest (per students’ needs):
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Nonsense word decoding (digraphs and long vowels)
Reading comprehension
Writing
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“How-to” published piece
Grade 1 ELA, Unit 4 Planning Organizer, July 2014
Instructional Planning (Writing Instruction and Assessments will be addressed by Consultant Trisha D’Amore.)
Suggested Reading & Writing Resources/Materials:
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Scott Foresman Anthology: phonics stories, comprehension stories, phonics readers, leveled guided reading books
Continue using resources from previous units
A variety of fiction and nonfiction texts
Daily Five
6+1 Traits of Writing :The Complete Guide for the Primary Grades by Ruth Culham
Info Pairs by Mondo Publishing Co.
Steps to Literacy by Rigby Publishing Co.
Take-Twos by McGraw-Hill Education/Wright Group
Scholastic News Nonfiction Readers
Trisha D’Amore’s Writers’ Workshop Project for West Haven Public Schools
Units of Study for Primary Writing by Lucy Calkins
Nancy Boyles’ Launching Lessons
Zoom by Istvan Banyai (a wordless picture book to show students that they can add details to their writing and/or zoom into
a specific moment when writing)
“Appendix B” from Smarter Balanced, in the Resource section of this binder, for suggested Read Alouds
Nancy Boyles’ Launching Lessons
Grade 1 ELA, Unit 4 Planning Organizer, July 2014
Suggested Research-based Effective Instructional Strategies:
 Teach and post class essential questions
 Model expected reading and writing behaviors
 Provide role play activities
 Guided discovery
 Guided Reading
 CC1.W.2 Identify Similarities and Differences (e.g., which sentence goes with this topic) Summarizing and Note Taking (e.g.,
revise notes, correcting errors and adding information)
 CC1.W.2 Nonlinguistic Representations (take trips to the cafeteria etc. to role play e.g.,” how-to” get your lunch in cafeteria)
 CC1.L.1c & CC.1.L.1e Cooperative Learning (e.g., singular/plural word sorts & verb tense word sorts w/ partner; could put
into Word Work.)
 CC.1.RI.4 Uses of technology (e.g., use overhead and lifted text to visually show students where clues are located within the
text)
 CC.1.RI.5 Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers (e.g., K of KWL = Do you know the names of any text features in this
text? How do the text features help you?)
Grade 1 ELA, Unit 4 Planning Organizer, July 2014
Vocabulary/Word Wall
All About
compound words
customs
explanatory
How To
icon
internet
key facts
research
resource
root words
synonyms/antonyms
text evidence
text features
 captions
 electronic menu
 glossary
 headings
 introduction
 labels
 photographs
 pictures
 table of contents
unknown words
vowel teams
Enrichment/Extension
Sorting words- connecting
their meaning to real life
events.
Illustrate the meaning of
words.
Identify root word.
Edit their own and partners’
work.
Sort books in the classroom
library based on story typeexpository or narrative.
Interdisciplinary Connections
Across disciplines, teachers should highlight how-to
books in natural contexts (cookbooks, instruction
manuals, such as assembling a bicycle, playing a video
game, directions to build Legos); projects, Science
experiments, Art.
Examples of how-to books that may be in your school
library:
The World’s Greatest Chocolate Chip Cookies by Peter
Murray
Super Simple Jewelry by Karen Latchana Kenney
Nifty Thrifty Animal Crafts by Faith K. Gabriel
Super Simple Snacks by Nancy Tunimelly
I Can Make Toys by Mary Wallace
Provide a topic and have
students invent book titles
that would be either narrative
or expository for that topic.
(extension- have them write
stories for each title).
Use books such as, Many
Luscious Lollipops to stress
the use of adjectives.
Grade 1 ELA, Unit 4 Planning Organizer, July 2014