Unit 1: Literature and Writing
Introduction, Overview, Aims, Calendar, and Summative Assessment
Table of Contents
 Literature class and writing class unit introductions and overviews
 The summative assessment for literature and writing class (this is written as one assessment but can be broken into parts in order to be
given in reading and writing classes).
 Aims for literature class and writing class
 Unit calendars for literature and writing class
5th Grade Literature Unit 1 Overview – Elements of Realistic Fiction
5th grade begins with realistic fiction, as it is perhaps the most accessible genre to tackle at the beginning of the year. The unit will focus on story elements
and summary, foundational skills they will transfer across genres throughout the year. The unit is centered on the novel, Rules, by Cynthia Lord. Rules
explores the topics of friendship, disability, family, and acceptance. Catherine, the narrator, tells the story of her relationship to her autistic brother, her
longing for true friendship, and her efforts to keep her life and relationships under control through the use of a set of rules she has created for herself and her
brother, David. The novel is thematically rich, so as students learn the fundamentals of narrative elements and summary, they will also explore the nature of
rules and friendship.
In order to support scholars’ development of accurate, clear, and complete summaries of text, there is an emphasis in this unit on paraphrasing. Three aims
focus on paraphrasing, which are included to scaffold up to the summary practice scholars will do and evaluation of those summaries (both of their own
summaries and their classmates’ summaries):
1. Paraphrase by re‐writing specific sentences within a text in their own words.
7. Paraphrase by re‐writing short sections of a text in their own words.
11. Determine which paraphrased sections of text to include in a summary.
Scholars will start paraphrasing at the sentence level and work up to paraphrasing the broader story level. Although 5th grade Common Core State Standards
include quoting accurately from text, the practice with paraphrasing will both serve as a scaffold to direct quotation and ensure that scholars are better able
to use both paraphrasing and direct quotation in their response to text, since both are vital to strong writing about reading.
This reading unit is designed to complement the first unit of study for writing class, which will focus on personal narrative. They will apply what they are
learning about narrative structure to their own writing. Each of the texts used in the unit are written in the first person point of view, so scholars will have
repeated exposure to this narrative perspective as a model for their own first person point of view writing. Collaboration between reading and writing
teachers (if both subjects are not taught by the same person) will be helpful to the successful implementation of the unit. The summative assessment has
been created to test both reading and writing skills and to measure scholars’ mastery of unit goals in one exam.
The summative assessment is lengthy and may require the last full class period of the unit. This independent class period will allow scholars to demonstrate
their mastery of the unit aims and the transferability of skills they’ve acquired. The summative assessment includes one text excerpt from Joey Pigza
Swallowed the Key, so scholars can demonstrate their mastery of the unit skills, and an abbreviated section to test comprehension of Rules. Daily exit tickets
and weekly quizzes will include a much higher proportion of questions that test students’ comprehension of Rules. One section of the assessment is allotted
to measure scholars’ writing goals. This can be administered at the same time as the reading test or separately in writing class. Regardless, the answers will
be dependent on the same texts used in the reading summative assessment. In addition to the summative assessment, a list of formative and diagnostic
assessment types are provided. Before beginning this unit, use scholars’ IA5 data from the previous year and F&P scores to make adjustments to lessons
based on diagnostic data. You should formatively assess your scholars during every lesson to inform the shape of your unit and to compare with summative
data. See the lessons for sample exit tickets and independent practice assignments that can be used as formative data.
There are twelve aims listed below for this fifteen day unit. Three flex days are provided in order to provide you time to remediate, re-teach, or extend
previous aims, depending on the needs of a particular class. Alongside the lesson aims are spiraled skills that should have been explicitly taught in earlier
grades and are therefore embedded in the foundational lessons, rather than explicitly re-taught. If diagnostic data (i.e. the previous year’s IA results) reveals
that scholars need remediation of some of these concepts, the three “spiral” lesson days are built into the aims calendar for this purpose.
Common Core State Standards: Literature
 RL.5.1 – Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
 RL.5.2 – Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or
how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.
 RL.5.3 – Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g. how
characters interact).

RL.5.6 – Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.
Essential Questions:
 Text:
 Is it possible to make life easier if you follow a set of rules?
 What is true friendship?
 Skill:
 What makes a summary strong?
 What are the key elements of a realistic fiction?
Enduring Understandings:
 Text:
 Life can be too complicated to be guided by a simple set of rules, and sometimes rules can overcomplicate life.
 True friendship is when two people like and accept each other for who they are.
 Skill:
 Paraphrasing to capture all of the most important parts of a story in your own words makes for a strong summary.
 Characters, plot, setting, and a narrator are all key elements of realistic fiction.
Unit Goals
Readers will:
 Identify and analyze the key elements of a narrative, including character, plot, setting, and point-of-view
 Accurately and succinctly paraphrase information from texts to describe or explain the key elements of a text
 Summarize the key elements of a narrative orally and in writing

Evaluate the quality of their oral and written summaries
5th Grade Writing Unit 1 Overview – Personal Narrative
In this unit, you will teach the essentials of narrative writing. In addition to helping students gain a sense of sequencing, pacing, structuring stories, and
developing their descriptive details, we teach narrative so that teenagers know that we value them. Adolescents need to know that their stories matter,
regardless of how small the moments may seem. This unit of honest writing will go a long way in fostering a safe, open classroom environment and discourse
space.
In this unit, you will ask your students to share experiences from their thoughts and lives. You will ask them to reflect and write from their own experiences,
and then transform and expand those nuggets of thought into well-written, natural, and logical stories. These stories not only help them build independent
thinking, but they also help with their analysis of literature. Students who can conceive of and create a well-structured narrative that incorporates narrative
techniques, which develop experiences, events, and characters, then have the skills to better interpret the stories and novels that they read.
Deliberately introduce the writer’s notebook and show students not only how to care for and hold onto it by being responsible for bringing it back and forth
to and from school on a daily basis, but also how to use it as a resource. Focus on building the daily habit of writing in the notebook. Model writing regularly
for your class, thinking aloud the process involved and explaining the techniques and strategies you use. Teach them how to reread their writing for themes
and ideas by modeling with your own writer’s notebook. The essential habits that students should develop in Unit 1 are listed with the aims sequence and
built into the unit calendar. They are important to teach because these skills will help set your scholars up for a year of success as independent writers and
thinkers.
In addition to the habits listed in the aims sequence, be sure to focus on:
 Public Journals – Make sure that the writers’ notebooks are not private journals and that students expect to share them with you and their peers.
One way to do this well is through 5-10 minute weekly notebook tours where students take their teammates on a figurative tour of their notebook
work.
 Organization – If you have not yet designed a system by which to keep track of student work over the course of the year, be sure to implement it
during this unit. Utilize writing folders and portfolios to track both on demand and process writing work from every unit. This archive will serve as a
great tool for engaging with parents and for analyzing growth from unit to unit and across the year.
 Application of Language Standards into Writing – As you review the unit calendar, you can see how language/grammar lessons are woven into the
writing work across the unit. When you review individual lessons, you will be able to see how these lessons incorporate the language standards in a
way that ensures students practice these standards within the context of their own writing.
Students who write well have many models to help them. Be sure to share and analyze multiple mentor texts with your students and note how these texts
show the essentials of narrative (they tell a story, have characters, are usually chronologically ordered, narrow the time span of the story by using dialogue,
pacing and description, make a movie in the reader’s mind, and reflect on an event or experience). In addition to analyzing published texts, model writing
regularly for your class (both in your writer’s notebook and on separate drafts). When you model, think aloud the process involved and explain the
techniques and strategies you use.
In literature class students are reading texts written from the first person point of view. The learning in writing class should intersect with the learning done in
literature class. One way to do that is to pull your mentor texts from the class novel. If you are not the literature teacher, make time to co-plan with the
literature teacher in order to execute a fully effective unit.
Common Core State Standards: Writing
Writing Standards
 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, organization, and style, 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. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 5 on pages 28-29 of the
Common Core Standards. See the "Language Standards" tab for the language standards.)
 W.5.6 With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and
collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.
 W.5.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or
two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Language Standards
 L.3.1a Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences.
 L.5.2e Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.
 L.5.1a Explain the function of conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections in general and their functions in particular sentences.
o *in IA #1 scholars will learn conjunctions
o * in IA #4 scholars will learn prepositions and interjections
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
L.5.2d Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to indicate titles of works.
L.5.2a Use punctuation to separate items in a series.
Italicized standards need to be spiraled into every unit.
*Standard W.5.6 calls for students to use technology to produce and publish writing. Incorporate this standard into your classroom practice whenever you
are able to do so.
.
Essential Questions:
 How do I best engage my readers and echo the narrative techniques observed in mentor texts?
 Why is it important to be able to express my thoughts and feelings in writing?
 Why is it necessary to follow conventions in our writing?
Enduring Understandings:
 Writing is a process.
 Writing and reading other’s writings helps us to understand the world around us.
 Narratives allow us to share personal experiences to connect with and influence the world.
 We all have memories and memories have the potential to change us or others.
Unit Goals
Students will identify themselves as writers with stories to tell. After analyzing and naming the qualities of strong narrative writing, they will develop and
produce a personal narrative that incorporates these qualities. Students will also be able to produce an end of unit on-demand writing sample that
demonstrates these qualities, as well.
Unit Assessments
Below are descriptions of the diagnostic, formative and summative assessments for Unit 1. The
formative assessments may be used daily, weekly, and in combination to measure scholars’ progress
toward unit goals. The summative assessment should be delivered uniformly across the grade in order
to accurately measure scholars’ achievement.
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Diagnostic
F&P scores
ELA State Test scores
IA 5 data (per standard)
Scholars’ selfassessment, reading
survey and goals sheet
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Formative
Do Nows
Class work artifacts
from reading
notebooks, graphic
organizers, class or
small-group
discussions, etc.
Scholar-teacher
conferences
Weekly Quizzes
Homework
Exit tickets
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Summative
Unit 1 Summative
Assessment
IA 1
Data Tracker
Use this spreadsheet to log and track your scholars’ progress throughout the unit. The summative
assessment is aligned to the aims for the unit. However, you should analyze diagnostic data before
beginning the unit to determine which (if any) aims need to be modified, dropped or included to make
the unit fit the needs of your scholars. Additionally, you should regularly collect formative data on your
scholars’ progress, especially for aims that may not be tested on the summative assessment. More data
points per aim will give you a clearer picture of your students’ progress. The spreadsheet is formatted
as an Excel spreadsheet that you can manipulate directly inside of this document or cut and paste into
your Excel program. Type in your scholars’ names and scores according to the assessment type
(diagnostic, formative, and summative).
Aims
Assessment Type
Scholars
Identify the main idea of a
text by determining its
central topic (i.e. what it's
mostly about).
D
F
S
Identify the protagonist by
determining which
character is the main
character (has a desire and
faces an obstacle to it).
D
F
S
Identify the first-person
point of view in the text by
noting that the narrator is
a character in the story (in
this case, the protagonist).
D
F
S
Analyze a character by
identifying and inferring
his traits (physical, social,
emotional).
D
F
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Name:________________________________ ____
Class:__________________
Score:_____________
Scale:_____/35 pts.
5th Grade Unit 1 Summative Assessment in Reading
SECTION 1
Directions: Read this excerpt from Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos. Then,
answer all of the questions that follow. Show What You Know!
1. Mrs. Maxy had…read my file. When I arrived in her class she assigned me my seat and
said that she was going to give me a fair chance to show just how good I could be.
And all that first day she kept glancing at me with the “I got my eye on you” look. I was
used to people keeping an eye on me, especially after last year, when a special
counselor was called in to follow me everywhere. He gave me tests and kept sending
reports home to Grandma, which she called junk mail and threw in the trash.
2. I had taken my special meds at breakfast and they were working good so I was mostly
sitting still, looking right back into Mrs. Maxy’s eyes and shouting out the answers when
we did our math drills.
3. Before lunch my seat felt like any old hard seat, and I felt like any old kid. But after lunch
I felt as if I was sitting on a giant spring and it was all I could do to keep it from launching
me head first up into the ceiling. My morning pill was supposed to last all day but it gave
out on me. I gripped the bottom of my chair and held tight and watched the second
hand on the clock sweep around and around. And it wasn’t that the important stuff
Mrs. Maxy had to say went in one ear and out the other. It was that it didn’t go in at all
but just bounced off. And when the bell rang I loosened my grip and blasted off for the
door.
4. But Mrs. Maxy was waiting for me.
5. “Not so fast, Joey,” she said, and snagged the back of my shirt collar as I ran by. “We
need to talk.”
6. That’s when she sat me back down and told me about her rules. I had to stay in my
seat, she said. No running, jumping, or kicking. Keep my hands on top of my desk. I
wasn’t allowed to look over my shoulder. No touching the person in front of me. No
fidgeting and no drawing on myself. And I absolutely wasn’t allowed to say anything
until I raised my hand and was called on.
7. She had all the rules printed out on a little white note card. “Now these are my basic
rules,” she said to me, and taped them firmly to the upper corner of my desktop. “They
apply to everyone in the class. I make no exceptions. So if you work by these rules and
keep your mind on your studies, then you and I will not have any problems.”
8. Problem was, I wasn’t listening. She had on bright red nail polish and I couldn’t get my
eyes off the way her fingers tapped on my desktop and were leaving tiny half-moon
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9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
dents in the wood. And the next day I sure didn’t remember a thing she said, and by
lunchtime my meds had worn off again and I was spinning around in my chair like it was
the Mad Hatter’s Teacup ride at the church carnival.
“Joey,” Mrs. Maxy said, “will you come up to my desk, please?”
I did. I stood before her and hopped from foot to foot as if I had to pee.
“You’re losing it, Joey,” she whispered, and set one hand on my shoulder to settle me
down. “Remember the rules?”
“Rules?” I asked, kind of lost.
“Didn’t we have a talk yesterday?” she asked.
“I’m a little antsy,” I said. “I get this way and I need to do stuff. My grandma used to
give me a broom and make me sweep the sidewalk all the way around our block.”
Mrs. Maxy shook her head back and forth. “Well…I’ve got something you can help me
with.”
She gave me a box of used pencils to sharpen. Everyone else was doing some old
social-studies handout about presidents. When I got to skip it and just sharpen pencils
our class president, Maria Dombrowski, gave me a look. I figured she was jealous
because in less than a week I was already the teacher’s pet and got to do all the fun
stuff. I just crossed my eyes and kept going.
I stuck the first pencil in the sharpener and began to turn the crank. I loved the sound of
the wood and lead being ground down. I lowered my nose to just over the sharpener
and sniffed the clean smell of wood shavings, which smelled like the inside of my mom’s
blanket chest where I used to hide from Grandma then pop up and scare her bloodless.
I just kept turning the crank and pushing in the pencil and finally I had it ground down to
an inch above the eraser. I pulled it out and checked the tip. Sharp as a needle. I put
it in the box and got another and began to grind it down.
When I finished that I found a couple pieces of chalk and sharpened those down so that
when I stuck the flat end up between my upper lip and gum they hung down like fangs.
Then I saw some Popsicle sticks on the art cart that were used to make paper puppets. I
made sure Mrs. Maxy wasn’t looking then grabbed one and stuck it in the sharpener. I
began to turn the crank, but it didn’t turn so well and finally it jammed up and I couldn’t
get the stick out. I nervously glanced at Mrs. Maxy and luckily she was busy stapling all
the presidents’ heads on a bulletin board. I yanked at the stick again but it was stuck
real good and I only ended up with splinters in my hand.
I wrapped the bottom of my Pittsburgh Penguins hockey jersey around it and tugged
with one hand and turned the crank with the other. The stick came loose and I
stumbled back against an empty desk and my fangs fell out and rolled across the floor
in pieces.
Mrs. Maxy looked over at me and so did everyone else. “Joey,” she asked, “is there a
problem?”
The question made me feel jittery. I picked up my fangs and stood real still.
“No, Mrs. Maxy. No problem,” I said in a small mouse voice…
The sharpener had a bunch of holes for different sized pencils, like a regular hole for No.
2 pencils, then when you turned the dial there was a bigger hole for thicker pencils, and
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24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
even a hole big enough for one of those giant clown pencils that are about as thick as
my finger.
Mom had said I needed to cut my long fingernails back because I was scratching
myself all up in my sleep. Plus, I thought it would be cool to grind my nails down to sharp
points and look like a vampire. So I stuck my little finger in and gave it a good turn but in
an instant I jerked it out and started shrieking.
Mrs. Maxy spun around and ran toward me.
“I slipped. I slipped,” I hollered. “It was an accident.”
“Let me see that,” she said, and grabbed my hand.
I held my finger up in the air and it was only a little scratched up and bloody on the tip.
But the nail had been yanked over to one side and was just hanging there like when you
peel the shell off a shrimp.
“It doesn’t hurt,” I said, trying to get my hand away from her and shove it down into my
pocket where no one could see it. “It’s okay.”
The next thing I knew Mrs. Maxy had a wad of tissues around my finger and she held it
tightly with one hand and told me that it was going to be all right…
“It’s not good to hurt yourself,” she said calmly.
“I was just playing vampire,” I explained.
She took me directly to Nurse Holyfield, who said she’d seen worse and not to worry,
other kids had done the same. She fixed me up with a big white bandage around my
finger so that it looked like a stick with a huge wad of cotton candy on the end.
“The nail will fall off,” she said. “But don’t worry. You’ll grow another.”
“Is there a fingernail fairy?” I asked her. “’Cause if there is I’ll put it under my pillow and
get a dollar.”
She smiled at me, glanced up at Mrs. Maxy, and nodded like they both knew something
about me I didn’t know. People were always giving each other secret looks around me.
But I didn’t care. I had private thoughts of my own that I didn’t share with them, so it
made us even.
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1. Summarize this excerpt in your own words by including the major events of the excerpt.
(4 pts.)
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Summarize the plot by describing the initiating event, the key events leading to the climax, and the resolution.
Paraphrase by rewording a story or passage in their own words.
Paraphrase by re‐writing short sections of a text in their own words.
2. In paragraph 8, what does Joey’s behavior best show about him? (2 pts.)
a.
b.
c.
d.
He is often entertaining.
He is frequently odd.
He is extremely disrespectful.
He is highly distracted.
Analyze a character by identifying and inferring his traits (physical, social, emotional).
Locate particular details in complex texts by skimming for key words and specific content.
3. The narrator of this excerpt is (1 pt.)
a. Mrs. Maxy
b. Joey
c. Maria Drombrowski
d. Someone outside of the story
The narration of this excerpt is in the: (1 pt.)
a. First person point-of-view
b. Third person point-of-view
How do you know? Explain your answer by using evidence from the text. (2 pts.)
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Identify the first-person point of view in the text by noting that the narrator is a character in the story.
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4. Read the following line from paragraph 26.
“I slipped. I slipped,” I hollered. “It was an accident.”
Why does Joey say this? Use details from the story to support your answer. (3 pts.)
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Identify the protagonist’s “plans” to tackle his/her conflict by tracking his actions and dialogue leading to the climax.
5. In paragraphs 17-22, why is Joey putting other objects into the pencil sharpener? (2 pts.)
a. He wants to make a vampire costume with fangs made of chalk.
b. He wants to be helpful to Mrs. Maxy by sharpening other objects that need
sharpening.
c. He wants to continue to enjoy himself, even though he has finished sharpening
the pencils.
d. He purposefully wants to break Mrs. Maxy’s rules in order to annoy her.
Identify the protagonist’s “plans” to tackle his/her conflict by tracking his actions and dialogue leading to the climax.
6. Which line from the story shows the main cause of the conflict in the story? (2 pts.)
a. “’No, Mrs. Maxy. No problem,’” I said in a small mouse voice…
b. “But the nail had been yanked over to one side and was just hanging there like
when you peel the shell off a shrimp.”
c. “People were always giving each other secret looks around me.”
d. “And the next day I sure didn’t remember a thing she said…”
Identify the causes of a protagonist's conflict by analyzing the effects of the “initiating event” of a story.
7. Based on the excerpt, you can infer that in Mrs. Maxy’s classroom, usually (2 pts.)
a.
b.
c.
d.
students listen to Mrs. Maxy’s directions and follow them.
students do small jobs around the classroom when their work is done.
students misbehave and get away with it.
students have accidents that require the nurse’s attention.
Describe setting by identifying the time, place and situation (initiating event).
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8. What is this story mostly about? (2 pts.)
a.
b.
c.
d.
Mrs. Maxy tries to make life more difficult for Joey than for her other students.
Mrs. Maxy’s rules are not effective with Joey, because he can’t focus on them.
Joey has a terrible accident that results in the loss of a fingernail.
Joey is the worst student in the class, because he is always getting into trouble.
Identify the main idea of a text by determining its central topic (i.e. what it's mostly about).
9. Who is the protagonist and who is the antagonist in this story? Use examples from the
text to support your answers. (4 pts.)
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Identify the protagonist by determining which character is the main character (has a desire and faces an obstacle to it).
Identify the antagonist by determining which character or other force is an obstacle to the protagonist’s desire.
Read the final three sentences of the excerpt and use them to answer questions 10 and 11:
People were always giving each other secret looks around me. But I didn’t care. I had
private thoughts of my own that I didn’t share with them, so it made us even.
10. What is Joey saying in these lines? Rewrite these lines in your own words. (2 pts.)
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Paraphrase by re‐writing specific sentences within a text in their own words.
11.
What do these lines show about Joey? Use text details to support your answer. (3 pts.)
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Describe the protagonist in a text by summarizing (orally and in writing) his traits, his response(s) to the conflict, and
the changes he undergoes.
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SECTION 2
Directions: Read and answer the questions about Rules that follow. Show What You Know!
1) If Catherine were to write a rule at the very end of the book, it would most likely be
(1pt.)
a.
b.
c.
d.
You can’t count on life to be fair, so it’s better not to get your hopes up.
A true friend knows all about you and likes you anyway.
If you follow the rules, you won’t get hurt.
When you don’t have the right words to say, it’s better not to say anything.
Identify the main idea of a text by determining its central topic (i.e. what it's mostly about).
2) Jason’s friendship helps Catherine to change from (1 pt.)
a.
b.
c.
d.
mature to immature
generous to selfish
self-conscious to self-confident
impatient to patient
Analyze a character by identifying and inferring his traits (physical, social, emotional).
3) In the book, Rules, one of Catherine’s rules for herself is:
“Sometimes you’ve gotta work with what you’ve got.”
Why does Catherine have this rule for herself? How does the meaning of the rule
change from the beginning to the end of the story? Use details from the passage to
support your answer. (3pts.)
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Describe the protagonist in a text by summarizing (orally and in writing) his traits, his response(s) to the conflict, and the
changes he undergoes.
Rules questions adapted from: http://www.cynthialord.com/pdf/rules_discuss.pdf
16
Section 3
Personal Narrative – 5th Grade Writing
The first section of this assessment measured your mastery of your unit goals in Literature
class. This section of the test will measure your mastery of your unit goals in Writing class. As
you work, it is important that you show what you know about writing personal narratives. At
the beginning of the unit, you completed a diagnostic showing how much you already
knew about writing personal narratives. Now that we’re done with the unit, I want to see
how much you learned about writing personal narratives. Clearly, you won’t have three
weeks to work on this one, so it won’t be as long or polished, but it should still demonstrate
as many of those qualities from our narrative checklist as possible. If you would like, you can
write long about one of the brainstorm seeds from the beginning of this unit, just so long as it
isn’t the same story you just turned in today!
In your narrative, be sure to:




Create a clear sequence of events
Incorporate description of characters and their responses to situations
Use precise words and phrases
Check for editing conventions we’ve studied
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18
Part 3, Grading Rubric
When you are finished with section 3, review the rubric, check your work, and put a
in the
box of the grade you think you deserve. I’ll highlight the box when I grade it and then we can see where
we differ.
Incorporate description
to show the response
of a character to a
situation
Replace vague words
and phrases with more
precise concrete words
and phrases.
15
You did this at least
twice with at least three
sentences total.
10
You did this at least
once with at least two
sentences total.
5
You did this at least
once with at least one
sentence.
There are at least three
places where you
showed these revisions.
There are at least two
places where you
showed these revisions.
There is only one place
where you showed this
revision.
You used at least three
of the transition words,
phrases, or clauses from
this unit
You used at least two of
the transition words,
phrases, or clauses from
this unit
Incorporate transition
words, phrases, and
clauses to manage the
sequence of events.
Uses a capital letter to
begin all sentences,
spells spelling and
vocabulary words
correctly.
Uses conjunctions to
join ideas.
Total points for Section 3 =
Always!
Correctly joins at least 3
ideas with conjunctions.
Correctly joins at least 2
ideas with conjunctions.
/55
19
Section 4
Assessment of Language Standards
(45 points – 5 points per question)
Directions: Answer the following questions and do your best!
1. Underline the nouns in the following sentences, circle the verbs and then insert both an adverb and
an adjective to make each sentence more specific.
Roberta gave me my money.
I took the money and put it in my pocket.
2. Write a compound sentence that uses one of the conjunctions that we’ve studied.
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3. What is an adverb’s job? _________________________________________________________
4. Define a verb - ___________________________________________________
5. How do nouns and adjectives work together?
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6. What are the roles of the three conjunctions we’ve talked about this week?
a. Or – ___________________________________________________
b. But – ___________________________________________________
c. And – ___________________________________________________
7. Which of the following sentences uses commas in a series correctly?
a. I love, cookies, ice cream and candy.
b. I love cookies, ice, cream, and, candy.
c. I love cookies ice cream and candy.
d. I love cookies, ice cream, and candy.
8. The following sentence is written correctly twice below. Circle the two examples that are written
correctly.
a. “Rules is written by Cynthia Lord.
b. Rules” is written by Cynthia Lord.
c. Rules is written by Cynthia Lord.
20
d. Rules is written by Cynthia Lord.
e. Rules is written by Cynthia Lord.
9. Read the following Tom Paxton lyrics from “The Marvelous Toy.” Then replace one noun with a new
noun, two of the verbs with other verbs, and insert two adjectives.
When I was just a wee little lad, full of health and joy, my father homeward came one day and
gave to me a toy. A wonder to behold it was with many colors bright and the moment I laid
eyes on it, it became my heart's delight.
It went zip when it moved and bop when it stopped and whirrrrr when it stood still. I never
knew just what it was and I guess I never will.
Total Score for Section 4 ____ /45
Teacher / Parent Comments:
Overall Score for Sections 3 and 4________ %
Parent/Guardian Signature ____________________
21
Aims for Literature Class
Literature Class Primary Aims
1. Paraphrase by re‐writing specific sentences within a text in their own words.
2. Identify the main idea of a text by determining its central topic (i.e. what it's
mostly about)
3. Identify the protagonist by determining which character is the main
character (has a desire and faces an obstacle to it).
4. Identify the first-person point of view in the text by noting that the narrator
is a character in the story (in this case, the protagonist).
5. Analyze a character by identifying and inferring his traits (physical, social,
emotional).
Secondary Skills to be Spiraled into Literature Lessons

Identify who, what, where, when, and why in a text.


Identify who the story is mostly about and what s/he wants.
Identify conflicts (problems) in the story and identify who is experiencing
those problems.




Define traits as qualities that describe a character and are fairly constant
(i.e. a burst of emotion does not constitute a trait).
Define traits as physical (i.e. how a character looks), social (i.e. how a
character behaves with others), and emotional (i.e. how a character feels
most of the time).
Identify the first sign of ‘trouble’ for the protagonist in the text.
Note when the exposition turns into the rising action.
Identify who or what is causing a problem for the protagonist.




Plot a story’s events along a plotline.
Analyze the connections between events within the rising action.
Analyze the success or failure of the protagonist’s plans (extension).
Identify the key characters, plot points, and setting of the story.

6. Identify the cause of a protagonist's conflict by analyzing the effects of the
“initiating event” of a story.
7. Identify the antagonist by determining which character or other force is an
obstacle to the protagonist’s desire.
8. Describe the protagonist in a text by summarizing (orally and in writing) his
traits, his response(s) to the conflict, and the changes he undergoes.
 Paraphrase by re‐writing short sections of a text in their own words.
9. Describe setting by identifying the time, place and situation (initiating
event).
10. Identify the protagonist’s “plans” to tackle his/her conflict by tracking his
actions and dialogue leading to the climax.
11. Summarize the plot (orally and in writing) by describing the initiating event,
the key events leading to the climax, and the resolution.
 Determine which paraphrased sections of text to include in a summary.
12. Evaluate the quality of own and others’ oral and written summaries.
22
Procedures: Below you’ll find a list of several procedures that you will need to introduce and reinforce throughout the first several weeks of the school year in
order to have your Literature class up and running smoothly. This list may not be comprehensive, since you may have additional or varied procedures you
would like to introduce to your scholars. However, it is essential that these become embedded into your lesson plans, rather than become aims in and of
themselves. To give you an example of how you might roll these out across the unit, see the sample aims calendar, below. Of course, you may need to adjust
the order in which procedures are introduced, according to the needs of your class.
-
Set expectations for read aloud
Set expectations for independent reading
Set shared reading expectations (i.e. picking up, lower-the-level responses, reading volume, etc.)
Set scholar work expectations for EBQs
Set exit ticket expectations
Set homework expectations
Set expectations for reading response notes and notebook set-up*
Set expectations for turn-and-talk and partner work
Reinforce expectations for independent reading (and deliberately/transparently build-in increased stamina expectations)
Set expectations for quiz and test-taking
Introduce mastery (and other data) tracking system(s)
Introduce book tracking system
23
Writing Class Aims
Writers will be able to:
1. Generate ideas for writing by reflecting on themselves, personal history, and experiences. After trying two generating strategies for 5-10 minutes, they will cho
one idea and develop it into a long notebook entry. Generating strategies include but are not limited to:
a. listing issues | people | moments,
b. creating house and neighborhood maps,
c. considering important life topics,
d. telling a writing partner about a personal experience by retelling it as a story (moment by moment)
2. Analyze several mentor texts and list the qualities of strong personal narrative writing.
3. Reread their notebooks, choose and commit to an entry to develop into a finished piece of writing by closing their notebooks and writing a new draft of the sa
ideas/story.
4. Plan clear event sequences using a storyboard.
5. Incorporate description to show the response of a character to a situation.
6. Carefully reread in order to replace vague words and phrases with more precise concrete words and phrases.
7. Incorporate transition words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events.
8. Break large text chunks into paragraphs in order to pace and develop events.
9. Analyze mentor texts for different types of endings, categorize types of endings, and write several different endings for their narratives.
10. Revise unimportant portions of the story by deleting clauses or sentences that are unimportant.
11. Reread for meaning and incorporating revision techniques studied during this unit while typing the final draft of the story.
12. Edit draft for proper capitalization and punctuation.
13. Publish writing by creating a “Who Are We?” class book, adding it to the classroom library, and selecting the best portions of their stories to share with a small
group.
Writing behaviors and mindsets to teach and practice during this unit:
 expectations and how to care for the writer’s notebook
 both teacher and scholar expectations for writing conferences (students explain what they are doing as writers (not just the topic) when talking about their wr
 what independent writing time should look, feel and sound like
 setting goals for themselves as writers and for the class as a whole
 how to turn and talk with a partner
 taking their writing partners on a notebook tour (to ensure that the writer’s notebook is seen as tool for school and thinking and not as a private journal. This s
happen 2-3 times during this unit with about 5 minutes sharing time per partner)
 how to assess themselves on their participation, conferring, partnerships, and work quality during writing workshop
Language Standards (infused as aims into unit calendar):
 L.3.1a Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences.
 L.5.1a Explain the function of conjunctions, prepositions, and interjections in general and their functions in particular sentences.
24



o *in IA #1 scholars will learn conjunctions
o * in IA #4 scholars will learn prepositions and interjections
L.5.2d Use underlining, quotation marks, or italics to indicate titles of works.
L.5.2a Use punctuation to separate items in a series.
L.5.2e Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.
25
Literature Aims Calendar
Note: Lesson types are listed next to each day. Primary Aims are listed first. Secondary skills are listed beneath the primary aims in parentheses. Finally, suggested
procedures and text selections are listed.
Week 1
Day 1 – (GSK)
Day 2 – (GSK)
Day 3 – (GSK)
Day 4 – (GSK)
Day 5 – (GSP)
 (Identify who, what,
 Identify the main idea of a  Identify the protagonist by  Identify the first-person
 Quiz re: content of IR texts
where, when, and why in a
text by determining its
determining which
point of view in the text
and of the week’s skills
text.)
central topic (i.e. what it's
character is the main
by noting that the
(10-15 minutes)
mostly about)
character (has a desire
narrator is a character in
 Paraphrase by re‐writing
 Describe setting by
and faces an obstacle to
the story (in this case, the
specific sentences within a  (Identify who, what,
identifying the time, place
it).
protagonist).
text in their own words.
where, when, and why in a
and situation (initiating
text.)

(Identify
who
the
story
is

Procedures:
event).
 Procedures:
mostly about and what
- Set expectations for turn- Set expectations for read
 Procedures:
 Procedures:
s/he wants.)
and-talk and partner work - Set expectations for quiz
aloud
- Set expectations for read
- Set scholar work
- Set shared reading
aloud
 (Identify conflicts
and test-taking
expectations for EBQs
expectations (i.e. picking
- Set shared reading
(problems) in the story
up, lower-the-level
expectations (i.e. picking
and identify who is
Model Text: p. 31-42 of Tiger
Model Text: p. 31-42 of Tiger Rising
responses, reading
up, lower-the-level
experiencing those
Rising
volume, etc.)
responses, reading
problems.)
Shared Text: Rules p.50-58
Shared
Text:
Rules
p.
41-49
- Set exit ticket expectations
volume, etc.)
 Procedures:
and “Living with Autism” by
- Set homework
- Set exit ticket expectations - Set expectations for
Marina O.
expectations
- Set homework
reading response notes
expectations
and notebook set-up*
Model Text: “People Don’t
Always Understand” by
Model Text: “People Don’t
Model Text: p. 31-42 of Tiger
Prudence Fang
Always Understand” by
Rising
Shared Text: Rules p. 1-12
Prudence Fang
Shared Text: Rules p. 29-40
Shared Text: Rules p. 13-28
Week 2
Day 6 – (GSK)
 Analyze a character by
identifying and inferring
Day 7 – (I-W-Y)
 Identify the causes of a
protagonist's conflict by
Day 8 – (I-W-Y)
 Identify the antagonist by
determining which
Day 9 – (I-W-Y)
 Describe the protagonist
in a text by summarizing
Day 10 – (GSP)
 Quiz re: content of IR texts
and of the week’s skills
26



-
his traits (physical, social,
emotional).
(Define traits as qualities
that describe a character
and are fairly constant
[i.e. a burst of emotion
does not constitute a
trait].)
(Define traits as physical
[i.e. how a character
looks], social [i.e. how a
character behaves with
others], and emotional
[i.e. how a character feels
most of the time].)
Procedures:
Introduce mastery (and
other data) tracking
system(s)



-
analyzing the effects of
the “initiating event” of a
story.
(Identify the first sign of
‘trouble’ for the
protagonist in the text.)
(Note when the exposition
turns into the rising
action.)
Procedures:
Set expectations for
independent reading


-
character or other force is
an obstacle to the
protagonist’s desire.
(Identify who or what is
causing a problem for the
protagonist.)
Procedures:
Reinforce expectations for
independent reading (and
deliberately/transparently
build-in increased stamina
expectations)
Model Text: p. 31-42 of Tiger
Rising
Independent Text: Rules p.
76-97
Model Text: “Coping with an
Autistic Brother: A Teenager’s
Take” by Erin Davis
Independent Text: Rules p.
98-112
Day 12 – (GSP)
 (Identify the key
characters, plot points,
and setting of the story.)
Day 13 – (GSK)
 Summarize the plot (orally
and in writing) by
describing the initiating
event, the key events
leading to the climax, and
the resolution.
 Determine which
paraphrased sections of
text to include in a
summary.


-
(orally and in writing) his
traits, his response(s) to
the conflict, and the
changes he undergoes.
Paraphrase by re‐writing
short sections of a text in
their own words.
Procedures:
Reinforce expectations for
independent reading (and
deliberately/transparently
build-in increased stamina
expectations)


-
(10-15 minutes)
Evaluate the quality of
own and others’ oral and
written summaries (from
previous day).
Procedures:
Reinforce expectations for
quiz and test-taking
Shared Text: Rules p.134-144
Model Text: p. 31-42 of Tiger
Rising
Independent Text: Rules p.
113-133
Shared Text: Rules p.59-75
Week 3
Day 11 – (GSK)
 Identify the protagonist’s
“plans” to tackle his/her
conflict by tracking his
actions and dialogue
leading to the climax.
 (Plot a story’s events
along a plotline.)
 (Analyze the connections
between events within
the rising action.)
Shared Text: Rules p. 162-185
Day 14 – (GSK)
 Evaluate the quality of
own and others’ oral
and written
summaries.
Day 15
 Summative Assessment
 Procedures:
- Reinforce expectations for
quiz and test-taking
- Introduce book tracking
system
Shared Text: Rules p. 194-200
27

(Analyze the success or
failure of the protagonist’s
plans.)
Model Text: p. 31-42 of Tiger
Rising
Shared Text: Rules p.145-161

(Identify the key
characters, plot points,
and setting of the story.)
Model Text: p. 31-42 of Tiger
Rising
Shared Text: Rules p. 186-193
28
Writing Aims Calendar
DAY 1
 Generate ideas for
writing by reflecting on
themselves, personal
history, and experiences
using the strategy of
creating house and
neighborhood maps
 Select and develop one
idea into a long notebook
entry.
 Expectations and how to
care for the writer’s
notebook
DAY 3
Direct Grammar Instruction
 Explain the function of
nouns and adjectives and
use them correctly in
their writing.
 What independent
writing time should look,
feel and sound like
DAY 4
 Reread their notebooks,
choose and commit to an
entry to develop into a
finished piece of writing
by closing their
notebooks and writing a
new draft of the same
ideas/story.
 How to turn and talk with
a partner/ notebook tours
in this partnership
DAY 5
 Show what they know on
grammar and personal
narrative quiz.
 Tell a writing partner
about a personal
experience by retelling it
as a story (moment by
moment)
 Plan clear event
sequences using a
storyboard.
DAY 6
 Incorporate description
to show the response of a
character to a situation.
 Communicate purpose for
writing conferences
DAY 2
 Analyze several mentor
texts and list the qualities
of strong personal
narrative writing.
 Generate ideas for
writing by completing a
heart map
 Mid-workshop
Interruption Use
underlining or quotation
marks to indicate titles of
works.
 Expectations and how to
care for the writer’s
notebook

DAY 7
Direct Grammar Instruction
 Explain the function of
conjunctions and use
them correctly in their
writing.
DAY 8
 Carefully reread in order
to replace vague words
and phrases with more
precise concrete words
and phrases.
 Mid-workshop
interruption Explain the
function of vivid verbs
and incorporate them
into their writing.
DAY 10
 Show what they know on
grammar and personal
narrative quiz.
 Break large text chunks
into paragraphs in order
to pace and develop
events.
DAY 11
DAY 12
DAY 13
DAY 9
 Incorporate transition
words, phrases, and
clauses to manage the
sequence of events.
 Mid-workshop
interruption Explain the
function of adverbs and
incorporate them into
their writing.
 Set goals for themselves
and class as writers
(begin formally taking
status of the class)
DAY 14
DAY 15
29

Analyze mentor texts for
different types of
endings, categorize types
of endings, and write
several different endings
for their narratives.
Direct Grammar Instruction
 Use punctuation to
separate items in a series.
 Revise unimportant
portions of the story by
deleting clauses or
sentences that are
unimportant.


Reread for meaning and
incorporating revision
techniques studied during
this unit while typing the
final draft of the story.
Edit draft for proper
capitalization, spelling,
and punctuation.


Reread for meaning and
incorporating revision
techniques studied during
this unit while typing the
final draft of the story.
Edit draft for proper
capitalization, spelling
and punctuation.

Publish writing by
creating a “Who Are
We?” class book, adding
it to the classroom
library, and selecting the
best portions of their
stories to share with a
small group.
30