Author: commoncore.org/adapted by Randolph County Schools
Unit Overview: Focusing on questioning and shared research, students learn that questioning is foundational to learning. By using books that require conversation, such as The Graphic Alphabet, students understand that ideas are processed through inquiry, thought, and conversation. After the students perform shared research based on a class question, they write a class
ABC book about their topic. During this writing, they review the formation of a sentence with proper punctuation. Students also consider healthy habits in this unit and write about what they know, focusing on their topic and supporting it with facts. Finally, they apply their knowledge of questioning to poetry and perform the poetry as a choral reading.
Stage 1 - Learning Goals for the Unit
Reading Writing/Language Additional Literacy
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 

Q = Quizzes
Assessment Codes
SA = Student Self-Assessment O = Observations
T = Tests WS = Work Samples C = Checklists/Notes
P = Prompts PT = Performance Tasks RR =Reading Record
Reading
Writing
Language
Additional
Literacy
 Works independently during literacy block. (O)
 Uses meaning (pictures) and first letter to self-monitor when reading emergent level text. (RR)
 RL.1.7 Use illustrations and details to predict and retell key ideas.(O/RR)

RL.1.1 Ask and answer questions about key details and events in fiction and nonfiction.
 Generate idea for writing and work independently during writing workshop.
 Writes multiple sentences in sequence on a topic.
 L.1.2 Capitalize at the beginning of the sentence and end with correct punctuation.
 Spells Kindergarten words correctly.
 W.1.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects.
 RF.1.2 Correctly read and spell one syllable CVC words.
 SL.1.1 Listen to one another in conversations and speak one at a time.
 Increase vocabulary knowledge.

I can follow directions at each literacy station.

I can look at the illustrations in a story and describe what I see.

I can get my mouth ready to make the first sound when I read.
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I can look at the illustrations in a story and describe what I see.

I can ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

I can choose my own topic and write about it independently.
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I can write multiple sentences on a topic in sequence.
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I can write sentences with capital letters at the beginning and punctuation at the end.

I can spell Kindergarten words correctly.

I can research a topic with others.

I can recognize short vowel sounds in single-syllable words.
 I can spell one syllable short vowel words.
 I can listen to others and share my own ideas.
 I can add new words to my vocabulary journal.
What strategies do good readers use?
How can asking questions help me understand what I read?
How can I use details in text to answer questions?
What does good first grade writing look like?
How do I stretch words to hear and write all of the sounds?
What is a good listener/speaker?

First Quarter Performance Task including Scoring Guide/Rubric
Prerequisite:
After working on All About Books during Writer’s Workshop, Asking Questions unit from Comprehension Toolkit, and completing sorting lessons from Rocks and Soils TASC kit, students will create a poster (8 ½ by 11) about rocks.
Performance Task:
Students will pose a question to be used as the title of their poster. The student will create a picture and write complete sentences to answer the posed question. The questions may stem from activities completed during science lessons.
EXCELLENT (4 PTS.)
Writes 3 or more sentences on topic.
PROFICIENT (3 PTS.)
Writes 2 sentences on topic.
ADEQUATE (2 PTS.)
Writes 1 sentence on topic.
LIMITED (1 PT.)
Sentences written are not on topic.
Or picture only.
Points CRITERIA
Focus
When scoring title is not included as a focus sentence.
Answers Question
Conventions
Title is included when scoring.
Conventions
Title is included when scoring.
Spelling
Clearly answers question from the title and adds details.
Clearly answers questions from the title.
No errors in punctuation. No more than 1 error in punctuation.
No errors in capitalization. No more than 1 error in capitalization.
No errors in kindergarten words and taught word wall words.
No more than 3 errors in kindergarten and taught word wall words.
Attempts to answer question from the title but answer does not match question.
No more than 2 errors in punctuation.
No more than 2 errors in capitalization.
No more than 5 errors in kindergarten and taught word wall words.
Does not answer the question from the title.
3 or more errors in punctuation.
3 or more errors in capitalization.
6 or more errors in kindergarten and taught word wall words.
Total Points

Reading Units of Study - The Primary Comprehension Toolkit – Whole Group Reading Mini-Lessons
Monitoring Unit One Texts Suggested Toolkit Texts
1.
Think About the Text
Look, listen, talk, write and draw to express thinking
2. Notice and Think about Nonfiction Features
Construct a Feature/Purpose Chart
3. Explore Nonfiction Features
Create Nonfiction Feature Books
Howard B Wigglebottom Learns to Listen
Officer Buckle and Gloria
No David!
Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse
Tiny-Spiny Animals ABC
Alphabet City
Following Rules (First Step Nonfiction)
Eating the Alphabet: Fruits & Vegetables from A to Z
Museum ABC
The Turn-Around, Upside-Down Alphabet Book
The Hidden Alphabet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My6ECFUqeP0
Link too: Google Earth Alphabet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_gvfOqODFo
Asking Questions
Reading Mini-lesson on Questioning - Class Discussion / Art Connection
A The Art Lesson
Chair for my Mother
Taking a Trip
Poster
Who Lives in the Zoo? ST
Look at Children’s Games by Pieter Brueghel. Ask the students to study it closely for a few minutes and write down any questions they have about what they see. When the time is up, have them ask their questions. As the students begin to ask questions aloud, write all of the questions on a chart (e.g.,
“What are they doing? Is that like a hula hoop? Was this painted a long time ago?...”). Talk about the value of asking questions and how we begin to open our minds to think deeply about something. (The painting was done in the 1500s, and the artist was trying to show all of the games he knew. You may want to note the few toys children had – sticks, hoops, etc.…) (SL.1.2)
Lesson Plans for Asking Questions : http://elearning.grainvalley.k12.mo.us/mod/resource/view.php?id=236

Asking Questions
8. View and Read to Learn and Wonder
Use images and words to gain understanding
9. Wonder About New Information
Ask questions when you read, listen, and view
10. Use Questions as Tools for Learning
Understand why some questions are answered and some are not
11. Read With a Question in Mind
Find answers to expand thinking
Tomas and the Library Lady
Our Library
National Geographic Kids Everything Rocks and
Minerals
Let’s Go Rock Collecting
Rocks in His Head
Everybody Needs a Rock http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POq03wEh4eU
A Good Night’s Sleep (Rookie Read-Aloud About
Health)
Our Class Pets
ST
My Neighborhood
ST
Old and New
ST
Biggest, Strongest, Fastest by Steve Jenkins
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs
Martin
Jan Richardson Lessons
Before, During, After
B-M-E
Predictions
Green Questions
Fact/Question
Reading / Literary
As you read the book Tomas and the Library Lady, pause periodically and encourage students to ask questions. By using, “I wonder” as the beginning of the question, have students predict what is coming next in the story and clarify understanding. Use Post-Its or white boards to keep each child engaged in the questioning. (RL.1.1)
Class Discussion / Poetry / Fluency
The theme of the poetry in this unit is the love of books and language. By visually displaying the poems, students will review sight words and see the way the poem is written (i.e., with lines and stanzas). Using a poem such as “Good Books, Good Times” (Lee Bennett Hopkins) or “How to Eat a Poem” (Eve
Merriam), encourage the students to read with you repeatedly and to ask questions until they understand the poem. Poetry is easily transformed into choral

reading by highlighting lines from one punctuation mark to the next, and then assigning groups to read those highlighted sections. (SL.1.2, RF.1.4)
Additional Reading Mini-Lessons/Shared Reading and Shared Writing Activities
Read Aloud Book on Rules
Office Buckle and Gloria
No David
Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse
Howard B Wigglebottom Learns to Listen
Following Rules
Read Aloud Books on Beginning of School
Chrysanthemum
The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School
The Night Before First Grade http://www.wegivebooks.org/books/the-night-before-first-grade l Franklin Goes to School
School Days Around the World
Interactive Writing Ideas for Rules
After reading books on rules, have the students assist you in creating a list of 3-5 rules for the classroom. http://www.wegivebooks.org/books/school-days-around-the-world?auto_launch=1
Interactive Writing Ideas for Beginning of School
After reading Chrysanthemum, teacher and students will create a name chart. Students will write and highlight the vowels and the teacher will write the consonants.
After reading The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School, take students on a tour of the school.
Write a short story about your “in-school” field trip.
Read Aloud - Class Discussion / Poetry / Fluency
The theme of the poetry in this unit is the love of books and language. By visually displaying the poems, students will review sight words and see the way the poem is written
(i.e., with lines and stanzas). Using a poem such as “Good Books, Good Times” (Lee Bennett Hopkins) or “How to Eat a Poem” (Eve Merriam), encourage the students to read with you repeatedly and to ask questions until they understand the poem. Poetry is easily transformed into choral reading by highlighting lines from one punctuation mark to the next, and then assigning groups to read those highlighted sections. (SL.1.2, RF.1.4)
Class Discussion / Reading
Throughout this unit, students are reading from a variety of texts: stories, poems, and informational texts. When you have a ten-minute block, play “I Spy” with the children
(e.g., “I spy an informational book,” “I spy a non-fiction book”). The students then have to guess which book you are looking at in the display of unit books. (RL.1.5, L.1.1)
 Book Sorting: Using Observation and Comprehension to Categorize Books (ReadWriteThink)
This lesson takes the “I Spy” genre activity a step further into more critical thinking as student sort books by a variety of criteria. (RL.1.5)
 Adventures in Nonfiction: A Guided Inquiry Journey
This lesson acquaints students with multiple nonfiction resources and helps them to think about what they want to learn during research (W.1.7,W.1.8)

Writer’s Workshop
Launching the Writer’s Workshop : 17 Sessions
Non Fiction Writing: Procedures and Reports: Sessions: 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 8, 15,
Writing Mini-Lesson – Generating Ideas Writing / Shared Research
Using the ABC books as a model, generate some ideas for writing a class ABC book. Work together as a class to come up with a big class question. Begin by asking questions such as, “Is it possible to create an ABC book with ‘Games to Play’ as our title?” Allow the class to give some ideas (e.g., names, authors, books, plants, insects). After ideas have been shaped into a research question, allow the children to vote on a theme for the class ABC book. Once the theme is chosen, collect (and research using a variety of texts and digital resources) ideas for each letter of the alphabet. Decide on a design for the book.
Assign each student a letter in the book. Each page should include an upper and lower case letter, the key word, an illustration, and a sentence using the key word. Be sure to have them follow rules for spelling and punctuating correctly. (SL.1.1, W.1.7, W.1.2, W.1.8, L.1.1 a, L.1.1j, L.1.2b, L.1.2d, L.1.2e, RF.1.1a)
Writing Minilesson on Sentence Types - Language / Writing
Introduce the writing of declarative and interrogative sentences by focusing on an informational ABC book, such as Eating the Alphabet: Fruits and
Vegetables from A to Z (Lois Ehlert). On a chart, write a question such as “What is your favorite fruit?” Teach the students to answer the question with a complete declarative response, such as “My favorite fruit is a strawberry.” Discuss the end punctuation. Continue this activity to teach the expansion of sentences to include details, such as “Strawberries are my favorite fruit because they are juicy, sweet, and delicious.” (L.1.1j, L.1.2b, W.1.5,SL.1.6)
*Teachers will need to include mini-lessons modeling how to write a question with correct formation of the question mark.

Word Study/Vocabulary Lessons
Begin Vocabulary Notebook :
First graders can be expected to add at least one word a week to a vocabulary journal. These words can be from read alouds, shared reading, big books, Jan Richardson’s character traits, etc. The words chosen should be Tier 2 words. Children write the word and definition, generate a sentence using the word, and illustrate the word using a meaningful picture. Vocabulary pages should also be incorporated into math, science and social studies journals. http://randolphk-5instruction.wikispaces.com/Vocabulary+Resources
Phonics Lessons from Fountas and Pinnell:
RF. 1.1: Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print:
 ELC 3 Matching Spoken Word to Written Word (Pg. 79)
 ELC 4 Recognizing First and Last in Print (Pg. 83)
RF.1.2 Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
 ELC 1 Recognizing Names ( Pg. 71)
 LK 14 Identifying Consonants and Vowels (Pg. 187)
 LS 6 Noticing Vowels in Words (Pg. 217)
 SP 1 Learning Common Short Vowel Word Patterns: a (i, e, o, u) (Pg. 283)
 SP 2 Learning Common Short Vowel Word Patterns: e (a, i, o, u) (Pg. 287)
 http://randolphk-5instruction.wikispaces.com/Common+Core+ELA+Unit+Resources
 LS 12 Recognizing Long and Short Vowel Sounds: a (Pg. 241)
 LS 13 Recognizing Long and Short Vowel Sounds: e (Pg. 245)
 LS 14 Recognizing Long and Short Vowel Sounds: i (Pg. 249)
 LS 15 Recognizing Long and Short Vowel Sounds: o and u (Pg. 253)
 PA 7 Hearing and Blending Onsets and Rimes (Pg. 113)

 PA 8 Identifying and Blending Onsets and Rimes (Pg. 117)
 LS 7 Introducing Consonant Clusters (Pg. 221)
RF. 1.3 Know and Apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words:
 LS 17 Recognizing Common Consonant Digraphs (Pg. 261)
 Repeat Lesson using ch, th,
 LS 18 Summarizing Digraph Knowledge (Pg. 265) o
(E) indicates a CCSS exemplar text; (EA) indicates a text from a writer with other works identified as exemplars.
LITERARY TEXTS
Stories
Little Bear’s Visit (Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak) (EA)
A Kiss for Little Bear (Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak) (EA)
Poems
Morris Goes to School (Bernard Wiseman)
Good Books, Good Times! (Lee Bennett Hopkins)
You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You (Mary Ann Hoberman and Michael Emberley)
Stories (Read Aloud)
Tomas and the Library Lady (Pat Mora and Raul Colon) (E)
¡Marimba! Animales From A to Z (Pat Mora and Doug Cushman) (EA)
Dr. Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! (Dr. Seuss) (EA)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (Bill Martin, Jr., John Archambault, and Lois
Ehlert)
Our Library (Eve Bunting and Maggie Smith)
The Library (Sarah Stewart and David Small)
Alphabet Mystery (Audrey Wood and Bruce Wood)
I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! (Dr. Seuss) (EA)
Poems (Read Aloud)
“Read to Me” (Jane Yolen)
“How to Eat a Poem” (Eve Merriam) (EA)
 alphabet books
 author
 capitalization
 conventional spelling
 illustrator
 informational
 key details
 periods
 phonetic spelling
 poems
 question marks
 questions
 research question
 shared research
 sort
 stories
 topic

“Books to the Ceiling” (Arnold Lobel) (EA)
“Books Fall Open” (David McCord)
INFORMATIONAL TEXTS
Informational Books
I Read Signs (Tana Hoban) (E)
26 Letters and 99 Cents (Tana Hoban) (EA)
Look Book (Tana Hoban) (EA)
Exactly the Opposite (Tana Hoban) (EA)
School Bus (Donald Crews) (EA)
Alphabet City (Stephen T. Johnson)
A Good Night’s Sleep (Rookie Read-About Health) (Sharon Gordon)
Exercise (Rookie Read-About Health) (Sharon Gordon)
Germs! Germs! Germs! (Hello Reader Science Level 3) (Bobbi Katz and Steve
Bjorkman)
Informational Books (Read Aloud)
Museum ABC (New York Metropolitan Museum of Art)
An A to Z Walk in the Park (R.M. Smith)
I Spy: An Alphabet in Art (Lucy Micklethwait)
The Graphic Alphabet (David Pelletier)
Eating the Alphabet: Fruits & Vegetables from A to Z (Harcourt Brace Big
Book) (Lois Ehlert)
The Turn-Around, Upside-Down Alphabet Book (Lisa Campbell Ernst)
The Hidden Alphabet (Laura Vaccaro Seeger)
ART, MUSIC, AND MEDIA
Art
Pieter Brueghel, Children’s Games (1560)
Teacher Notes