The Power of Reading
Students focus on subtle central messages and words that express feeling in various texts about reading and education around the world, discovering why people everywhere seek the power to read.
Unit Summary
As part of the upgrade to Fishtank Plus, this unit was revised in January 2021. See which texts and materials have changed as part of the revision in this guide to our 1st Grade text adjustments. If you are looking for the previous version of this unit, you can find it in our archives here.
In this unit, students explore the power of books and reading. In the first part of the unit, students experience the joy that books and reading bring to people's lives, and learn about some of the different ways people access books, especially in places where books are hard to get. In the second part of the unit, students learn about a range of barriers people have faced when trying to learn how to read, both in the United States and around the world, and build an understanding of the steps people have taken individually and as part of a community to overcome the barriers. Students will discover that not all people have had equal access to education and that in many places, past and present, receiving a high-quality education has not been an easy feat. It is our hope that this unit will help open students' eyes to injustices connected with educational access and will inspire students to take action to help members of their community get access to books or education.
Texts and Materials
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Core Materials
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Book: Book Fiesta! by Pat Mora (HarperCollins Publishers, 2016) — AD490L
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Book: The Good Little Book by Kyo Maclear (Tundra Books, 2015)
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Book: That Book Woman by Heather Henson (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2008) — AD920L
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Book: Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown (Tricycle Press, 2011) — 560L
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Book: Tomás and the Library Lady by Pat Mora (Dragon Fly Books, 1st Dragonfly Books Ed edition, 2000) — 500L
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Book: Little Libraries, Big Heroes by Miranda Paul and illustrated by John Parra (Clarion Books; Illustrated edition, 2019) — 750L
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Book: Digging for Words: José Alberto Gutiérrez and the Library He Built by Angela Burke Kunkel (Schwartz & Wade; Illustrated edition, 2020) — AD730L
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Book: Ruby's Wish by Shirin Yim Bridges (Chronicle Books, Reprint edition, 2015) — 860L
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Book: Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan by Jeanette Winter (Beach Lane Books, 2009) — 630L
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Book: Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard (Aladdin, Reprint edition, 2005) — 520L
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Book: Grandmother School by Rina Singh (Orca Book Publishers; Illustrated edition, 2020)
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Book: Running the Road to ABC by Denize Lauture (Aladdin, Reprint edition, 2000) — 710L
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Book: The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard (Schwartz & Wade; Illustrated edition, 2020) — AD830L
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Book: More Than Anything Else by Marie Bradby (Orchard Books, 1995) — 570L
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Book: The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles (Scholastic Paperbacks, Rep Anv Sp edition, 2010) — 800L
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Book: Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh (Harry N. Abrams; Illustrated edition, 2014) — AD870L
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Book: Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco (Philomel Books; Illustrated edition, 2012) — AD650L
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Book: Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille by Jen Bryant (Knopf Books for Young Readers; Illustrated edition, 2016) — 590L
See Text Selection Rationale
Assessment
This assessment accompanies this unit and should be given on the suggested assessment day or after completing the unit.
Unit Prep
Essential Questions
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- How do people get access to books?
- What barriers have people faced when trying to learn to read? How do they overcome them?
Writing Focus Areas
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Sentence-Level Focus Areas
- Write simple and complex sentences.
- Include details that describe “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” and “why.”
- Use conjunctions “because,” “but,” and “so.”
In this unit, students continue to work on using complete sentences in response to the text. In particular, they continue to work on using the conjunctions “because,” “but,” or “so” to show more nuanced thinking and ideas in response to the text. They also learn how to use precise words to show “who,” “what,” “where,” “when” and “why.”
Opinion Writing Focus Areas
- State an opinion.
- Include two to three reasons to support the opinion.
- Provide some sense of closure.
In this unit, students have multiple opportunities to write opinion pieces to build a deeper understanding of unit content and texts.
Vocabulary
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Text-based
barrier confident complicated companion degrading determined devour discouraged dismissed disbelief disability distress eager forbidden frustrated insist injustice integrate inferior invent joy lure ordinary outwit proud precious unusual vow yearn
To see all the vocabulary for this course, view our 1st Grade Vocabulary Glossary.
Lesson Map
1
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Book Fiesta!
RL.1.2
RL.1.7
SL.1.1
Identify your favorite things about reading and books.
2
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The Good Little Book
RL.1.3
RL.1.7
SL.1.1
Explain how the little book brought joy to the boy’s life.
3
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Waiting for the Biblioburro
RL.1.3
RL.1.7
SL.1.1
Explain how the Biblioburro changed Ana’s life.
4
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That Book Woman
RL.1.3
RL.1.7
SL.1.1
Explain how Cal changes from the beginning to the end and what causes the change.
5
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Tomás and the Library Lady
RL.1.2
RL.1.3
RL.1.7
Explain how the Library Lady changed Tomás’ life.
6
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Digging for Words
RL.1.2
RL.1.3
Explain how José brought joy to the kids in his neighborhood.
7
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Little Libraries, Big Heroes
RL.1.3
RL.1.7
Explain why Little Free Libraries are important.
8
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Six Dots
RL.1.3
RL.1.7
Explain the challenges Louis faces when he tries to find books and how it makes him feel.
9
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Six Dots
RL.1.3
RL.1.7
Explain how Louis Braille helped all kids get access to books and why this was important.
10
Writing
W.1.1
W.1.5
W.1.8
L.1.1
L.1.2
Write about ways to take action and get books to people in your community.
11
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Running the Road to ABC
RL.1.2
RL.1.3
Explain how the children feel about going to school.
12
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More Than Anything Else
RL.1.3
RL.1.7
Explain what Booker wants more than anything else and how he makes his dream come true.
13
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Virgie Goes to School...
RL.1.3
RL.1.7
Explain why Virgie wants to go to school with her brothers and how she feels when she is there.
14
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The Oldest Student
RL.1.2
RL.1.3
RL.1.7
Explain the lessons we can learn from Mary and why they are important.
15
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The Story of Ruby Bridges
RL.1.2
RL.1.3
Describe Ruby and what we can learn from Ruby.
16
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Separate is Never Equal pp. 1 – 19
RL.1.2
RL.1.3
RL.1.7
Explain why Sylvia and her family cannot attend the local public school and what action her family takes.
17
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Separate is Never Equal pp. 20 – 35
RL.1.2
RL.1.3
Explain how the Mendez family fought for justice and why their fight was important.
18
Discussion & Writing
SL.1.1
SL.1.2
SL.1.6
L.1.6
Analyze the barriers people have faced when trying to learn how to read and how they have overcome them.
19
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Ruby's Wish
RL.1.2
RL.1.3
Explain how Ruby made her wish come true.
20
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Nasreen's Secret School
RL.1.3
RL.1.7
Explain how school and learning to read changes Nasreen’s life.
21
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Grandmother School
RL.1.2
RL.1.3
Explain what lessons we can learn from Aaji.
22
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Thank You, Mr. Falker pp. 1 – 22
RL.1.3
RL.1.7
Describe the challenges Trisha faces at school and how they make her feel.
23
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Thank You, Mr. Falker p. 23 — to end
RL.1.2
RL.1.3
Analyze how Mr. Falker changes Trisha’s life.
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Assessment
25
3 days
Writing
W.1.1
W.1.5
SL.1.1
L.1.1
L.1.2
L.1.6
Write a thank you letter to someone who helped you with books or reading.
Common Core Standards
Language Standards
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L.1.1 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
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L.1.2 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
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L.1.4 — Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 1 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies.
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L.1.5 — With guidance and support from adults, demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
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L.1.6 — 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 Standards for Literature
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RL.1.2 — Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
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RL.1.3 — Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
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RL.1.7 — Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
Speaking and Listening Standards
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SL.1.1 — Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups
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SL.1.2 — Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
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SL.1.6 — Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.
Writing Standards
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W.1.1 — Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure.
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W.1.3 — Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.
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W.1.5 — With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed.
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W.1.8 — With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
Spiral Standards
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