Students learn about the concepts of fairness and justice and about people who worked to overcome injustice, while developing informational reading strategies for reading narrative nonfiction texts.
A note from our team: As part of the upgrade to Fishtank Plus, this unit will be revised this year. Some texts, materials, and questions may change as part of the revision.
In this unit students begin to explore the concepts of fairness and justice. Over the course of the unit students are exposed to numerous ordinary people who worked together to overcome injustice and fight for a better future for others. Students will grapple with what it means if something is fair and just, particularly in regard to race, class, gender, and ability. Then students will be challenged to think about the different ways in which people showed courage, patience, and perseverance in order to challenge things that were fundamentally unfair. Over the course of the unit it is our hope that students are able to acknowledge and realize that things aren’t always fair in the world around them, but that doesn’t mean that it always has to be that way. It is our hope that students see that identifying the problem is only the first step and that anyone who has the right mindset and beliefs can inspire others to work together to create a more just future for everyone. Essentially, we hope that this unit begins to plant the seed within our students that they can be activists and take charge of their own lives and communities. No one is too young to inspire change. It is important to note that this unit primarily focuses on big-scale changes. Additional projects and lessons should be added to help students understand how what they learned connects to change on a smaller scale.
In reading, students will continue to work on developing their informational reading strategies, particularly when reading a collection of narrative nonfiction texts. The focus of this unit is on reinforcing and practicing targeted informational strategies in the context of a narrative structure. In particular, students will be pushed to describe the connection between individuals, events, and pieces of information. Students will also be challenged to think about the reasons an author gives to support a point and how those reasons look slightly different in a narrative informational text than in a scientific or history-based informational text.
In writing, students will continue to work on writing responses to the text that provide relevant and accurate information along with some evidence of inferential or critical thinking.
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Book: Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman (Penguin Young Readers Group, 1991) — 680L
Book: Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth (Dragonfly Books; Reprint edition, 2002) — AD410L
Book: The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson (G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 2001) — AD300L
Book: Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition, 2010) — 500LL
Book: Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-ins by Carole Boston Weatherford (Puffin Books; reprint edition, 2007) — AD660L
Book: We March by Shane W. Evans (Square Fish; Reprint edition, 2016) — 290L
Book: The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks a Young Civil Rights Activist by Cynthia Levinson (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2017)
Book: Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles (Aladdin; Reprint edition, 2005) — AD600L
Book: Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel (Balzar + Bray; First Edition edition, 2013) — AD760L
Book: Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull (HMH Books for Young Readers, 1 edition, 2003) — AD880L
Book: One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia by Miranda Paul (Millbrook Press, 2015) — AD480L
Book: Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson and Sean Qualls (Random House Children's Books, 2015) — AD770L
Book: The Streets are Free by Kurusa (Annick Press; Reissue edition, 1995) — 550L
Book: A Boy and His Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2014) — AD670L
Book: Follow the Moon Home by Philippe Cousteau (Chronicle Books, 2016) — NC520L
Book: Ada's Violin by Susan Hood (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016) — 820L
Book: Elizabeth Leads the Way by Tanya Lee Stone (Square Fish; 1 Reprint edition, 2010) — AD700L
Book: Amelia and Eleanor go for a Ride by Pam Munoz Ryan (Scholastic Inc., 1999) — AD600L
Book: Dolores Huerta, A Hero to Migrant Workers by Sarah Warren (Two Lions, 2012) — AD520L
Book: Eleanor, Quiet No More by Doreen Rappaport (Disney Press, 2009) — AD670L
See Text Selection Rationale
This assessment accompanies this unit and should be given on the suggested assessment day or after completing the unit.
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un-, non-
attitude, fair, unfair, justice, segregation, invisible, ignore, refuse, integration, polite, determined, protest, peace, violence, nonviolence, opposed, pride, picketing, march, freedom, unjust, disobey, protestors, detention, inspiring, horrified, preposterous, strong-spirited, unstoppable, outraged, outspoken, daring, adventurous, practical, independence, strike, grit, urges, migrant, powerless, compassionate, stubborn, obstacle, organizer, peacemaker, mock, dejected, invaluable, confidence, disabilities, insulted, unable
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Amazing Grace
RL.1.2
RL.1.3
Describe what lesson can be learned from Grace and why, by retelling stories to demonstrate understanding of the central message or lesson.
Something Beautiful
RL.1.2
Describe what lesson can be learned from the narrator and why by retelling stories to demonstrate understanding of the central message or lesson.
RI.1.2
SL.1.1
SL.1.2
Explain what it means if something is fair and why it is important to be fair, by participating in a class discussion and hands-on activities that develop the concepts of fairness and justice.
The Other Side
RL.1.3
Explain what Clover and Annie realize in the end, by describing characters and major events in a story.
Sit-In pp. 1 – 20
RL.1.3
RI.1.6
Explain how David, Joseph, Franklin, and Ezell brought Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words to life and how their actions inspired others by describing the connection between a series of events in a text.
Sit-In — pg. 21-end
RI.1.3
RI.1.6
Explain how the actions of the four friends inspired and motivated change and what lessons we can learn from their actions, by describing the connection between events in a text.
Freedom on the Menu
RI.1.3
RI.1.8
Agree or disagree with the statement that even though Connie was young she was able to get involved, by identifying evidence an author uses to support points in a text.
We March
RI.1.8
Explain how marching helped people reach their goals of justice, freedom, and their dreams, by identifying reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
The Youngest Marcher
RI.1.3
RI.1.7
RI.1.8
Explain what words can be used to describe Audrey by using illustrations and details to identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
Freedom Summer
RI.1.3
RI.1.8
Debate and defend if John Henry and the narrator’s actions will lead to meaningful change, by identifying the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
Discussion
SL.1.1
SL.1.5
SL.1.6
L.1.6
Debate and analyze how ordinary people work together to fight for a better future and what we can learn from the actions of civil rights leaders, by stating a claim and using information from the entire unit to support the claim.
Writing
W.1.1
Write a thank-you letter to one of the change agents from the unit by stating an opinion and supporting it with facts and details from the unit.
Elizabeth Leads the Way
RI.1.3
RI.1.8
Explain why Elizabeth was unstoppable, by identifying the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
2 days
Eleanor, Quiet No More
RL.1.3
RI.1.8
Explain how the belief “we must be able to disagree and to consider new ideas and not be afraid” influences Eleanor, by identifying the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
Amelia and Eleanor...
RI.1.2
RI.1.3
RI.1.8
Describe Eleanor and Amelia and the lessons that we can learn from them, by identifying the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
Brave GIrl
RI.1.2
Explain why the author titles the book Brave Girl and if it is the right name for Clara by identifying the main topic of a text and retelling key details.
Discussion
SL.1.1
SL.1.2
SL.1.4
L.1.6
Debate and analyze how ordinary people work together to fight for a better future and what we can learn from them, by stating a claim and using information from the entire unit to support the claim.
Writing
W.1.1
Write a thank-you letter to one of the change agents from the unit by stating an opinion and supporting it with facts and details from the unit.
Harvesting Hope
RI.1.3
RI.1.8
Analyze and defend if Cesar Chavez was born a leader by using details to retell the connection between key events in a story.
Harvesting Hope — pg. 23-end
RI.1.2
RI.1.3
RI.1.8
Explain how Cesar Chavez was able to motivate others to work together to fight for a better future and what lessons we can learn from him, by identifying the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
Dolores Huerta
RI.1.2
RI.1.3
RI.1.8
Explain what words can be used to describe Dolores and why she was important, by identifying the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
Discussion
SL.1.1
SL.1.2
SL.1.4
L.1.6
Debate and analyze how ordinary people work together to fight for a better future and what we can learn from them, by stating a claim and using information from the entire unit to support the claim.
Writing
W.1.1
Write a thank-you letter to one of the change agents from the unit by stating an opinion and supporting it with facts and details from the unit.
Project
Project materials
RI.1.2
SL.1.1
SL.1.4
Create a living timeline of change-makers by acting out pivotal events and historical figures from throughout the unit.
One Plastic Bag
RI.1.3
RI.1.8
Defend if Isatou was courageous and why or why not by identifying the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
The Streets are Free
RI.1.3
RI.1.8
Describe how the kids of San José de la Urbina showed courage and what lesson we can learn from them, by identifying the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
Ada's Violin
RI.1.3
RI.1.8
Explain how Señor Gómez’s actions transformed the entire community and what we can learn from him and the Recycled Orchestra, by identifying the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
Emmanuel's Dream
RI.1.3
RI.1.8
Describe how Emmanuel proved that one leg is enough to do great things and that one person can change the world, by identifying the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.
A Boy and His Jaguar
RL.1.2
RL.1.3
Explain how the narrator showed courage and what lesson we can learn from him, by using key details to describe characters and major events in a text.
Follow the Moon Home
RI.1.3
Explain the steps Viv and her class took in order to save the loggerheads and why each step was important, by describing the connection between events and pieces of information.
Discussion
SL.1.1
Debate and analyze how ordinary people work together to fight for a better future and what we can learn from them, by stating a claim and using information from the entire unit to support the claim.
Writing
W.1.1
Write a thank-you letter to one of the change agents from the unit by stating an opinion and supporting it with facts and details from the unit.
All unit vocabulary
L.1.5
L.1.6
Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings by participating in word sorts and activities using target unit vocabulary.
Assessment
4 days
Project
Follow the Moon Home
Project materials
SL.1.1
SL.1.2
Create a change in the school community by following the steps outlined in Follow the Moon Home.