Bud, Not Buddy
Students learn about the Great Depression through the eyes of a ten-year-old African-American boy, analyzing themes of compassion, maturity and the idea of home, through the novel Bud Not Buddy.
Unit Summary
In this historical fiction unit, students learn about the Great Depression through the eyes of a ten-year-old African-American boy by reading the core text Bud, Not Buddy. In Bud, Not Buddy, students join Bud on his quest to find his father. In doing so, students are exposed to what life was like during the Great Depression, especially for African-Americans. Over the course of the novel, students will grapple with lying, and if lying is always bad or if it can sometimes be a good thing, as they witness Bud lying as a way to survive. Students will also analyze and explore the idea of maturity and what it means to act one’s age versus acting more mature as Bud finds himself in situations most ten-year-olds will never experience. The theme of compassion and kindness also arises over the course of the novel. Students will analyze how the compassionate actions of others help Bud on his journey, while deepening their understanding of why it’s always important to help others, even when times are tough. It is our hope that this unit, in conjunction with the rest of the fourth-grade sequence, will help students develop empathy and understanding for the experiences of others.
As readers, this unit serves as the culminating unit for the year. Therefore, the majority of the unit focuses on spiraling strategies. Students should be pushed daily to summarize key events, analyze characters and setting, and figure out the meaning of unknown words. Students should also be pushed to use the information they learn from the nonfiction text about the Great Depression to confirm and deepen their understanding of what life was like during the Great Depression.
Texts and Materials
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Core Materials
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Book: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (Laurel Leaf, 2014) — 950L
Supporting Materials
Book: Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2010)
Resource: Recommended Texts for Independent Reading (Grade 4 Unit 6)
See Text Selection Rationale
Assessment
These assessments accompany this unit to help gauge student understanding of key unit content and skills. Additional progress monitoring suggestions are included throughout the unit.
- Download Content Assessment
- Download Content Assessment Answer Key
Download Cold Read Assessment- Download Cold Read Assessment Answer Key
Unit Prep
Essential Questions
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- What traits help people succeed in the face of challenge?
- Can a person be entirely self-sufficient?
- What was the Great Depression? How does the setting of the Great Depression influence the way the story unfolds?
Vocabulary
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Text-based
"on the lam" abudance acquaintance advises affection antsy bandit blurt brute budge confidential contaminated deny devour doze eviction exaggerate fidget foster fumbling glum gratitude hard-headed ignorant income insist ingratitude jolt judgmental kin lavish meddling nosy nourished nudge paltry privilege proper puny raid reputation resourceful retrieve revenge rightful scrawny scolding scoop shriek snotty sputter starvation suffer symbolize thrive tolerate unemployment upbringing
Idiom/Cultural Reference
"in hot water" "spitting image" "talking someone's ear off"
Root/Affix
-ful -ment -tion in- un-
Related Teacher Tools:
Content Knowledge and Connections
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Previous Fishtank ELA Connections
Lesson Map
1
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Children of the Great Depression pp. 3 – 11
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Bud, Not Buddy — Back of the Book
RL.4.3
RI.4.3
RI.4.7
Explain what life was like during the Great Depression.
2
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Bud, Not Buddy — Ch. 1 and Ch. 2
RL.4.3
Analyze and explain how Bud is more mature than other ten year olds.
3
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Bud, Not Buddy — Ch. 3 and Ch. 4
RL.4.3
RL.4.4
Defend if Bud’s actions from chapters 3 and 4 show that he is just like other ten year olds.
4
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Bud, Not Buddy — Ch. 5
RL.4.3
Describe the memories Bud has when he looks through the suitcase and how they impact him.
5
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Bud, Not Buddy — Ch. 6-7
RL.4.3
Analyze the ways in which Bud acts his age and in what ways he acts more mature than his age.
6
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Bud, Not Buddy pp. 60 – 70 — Ch. 8
RL.4.3
Describe what life was like in Hooverville and how the description of Hooverville helps the reader better understand the Great Depression.
7
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Children of the Great Depression pp. 18 – 23
RI.4.3
RI.4.7
Explain why Hoovervilles were created.
8
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Bud, Not Buddy pp. 71 – 80 — Ch. 8
RL.4.3
Analyze the ways in which Bud carries his family around inside of him.
9
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Bud, Not Buddy pp. 80 – 88 — Ch. 8
RL.4.2
Explain how the flyer impacts Bud’s life.
10
Writing
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Bud, Not Buddy
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Children of the Great Depression
W.4.1
Write a multiple-paragraph essay that describes what the Great Depression was and how the setting influences how the story unfolds.
11
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Bud, Not Buddy — Ch. 9
RL.4.2
Explain how the idea that Herman E. Calloway was Bud’s father started.
12
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Bud, Not Buddy — Ch. 10
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
RL.4.6
Defend if Bud acts his age or if he acts more mature when interacting with the man on the side of the road.
13
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Bud, Not Buddy pp. 108 – 115 — Ch. 11
RL.4.3
RL.4.6
Describe how Bud’s perspective of the man changes.
14
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Bud, Not Buddy pp. 115 – 129 — Ch. 11
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Summarize Bud’s experience with the Sleet family.
15
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Bud, Not Buddy
RL.4.2
SL.4.1
Identify details that help support the development of different thematic topics.
16
Discussion
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Bud, Not Buddy pp. 1 – 129
SL.4.1
Analyze and debate unit-essential questions by stating a claim and then using evidence from the entire text and unit to support the claim.
17
Writing
W.4.1
Write a multiple-paragraph essay to answer a unit essential question.
18
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Bud, Not Buddy — Ch. 12
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Defend if Bud does or does not act his age in the chapter.
19
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Bud, Not Buddy — Ch. 13
RL.4.3
Describe the way different members of the band treat Bud and how their responses influence Bud.
20
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Bud, Not Buddy — Ch. 14
RL.4.3
Describe what Bud realizes in this chapter and what effect it has on him.
21
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Bud, Not Buddy — Ch. 15
RL.4.3
Analyze how Herman E. Calloway responds to Bud being in his house and how Herman’s actions influence Bud.
22
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Bud, Not Buddy — Ch. 16
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Describe what can be learned about Mr. Calloway, Miss Thomas, and the other members of the band.
23
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Bud, Not Buddy — Ch. 17-18
RL.4.3
Explain what Bud and Herman learn about each other and how they both respond.
24
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Bud, Not Buddy — Ch. 19
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
Explain why the author chose to begin and end the book with “Here we go again” and how the difference between the phrases captures Bud’s growth as a character.
25
Discussion
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Bud, Not Buddy
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
W.4.1
W.4.1.a
W.4.1.c
W.4.1.d
SL.4.1
Identify the themes that are present in Bud, Not Buddy and how they are developed over the course of the novel.
26
Discussion
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Bud, Not Buddy
RL.4.2
RL.4.3
SL.4.1
Analyze and discuss unit essential questions by stating a claim and supporting the claim with details from the entire unit.
27
Writing
W.4.1
W.4.1.a
W.4.1.c
W.4.1.d
Write a multiple-paragraph essay to answer a unit essential question.
28
Assessment
29
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Bud, Not Buddy
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Course novels
RL.4.9
SL.4.1
Compare and contrast the development of theme in Bud, Not Buddy with other novels from the course by stating a claim and supporting it with evidence from multiple texts.
Common Core Standards
Reading Standards for Informational Text
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RI.4.3 — Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
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RI.4.7 — Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
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RI.4.9 — Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
Reading Standards for Literature
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RL.4.2 — Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.
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RL.4.3 — Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions).
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RL.4.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).
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RL.4.6 — Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including the difference between first- and third-person narrations.
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RL.4.9 — Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and traditional literature from different cultures.
Speaking and Listening Standards
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SL.4.1 — Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Writing Standards
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W.4.1 — Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information
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W.4.1.a — Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer's purpose.
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W.4.1.c — Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in addition).
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W.4.1.d — Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
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W.4.3 — Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
Spiral Standards
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L.4.1L.4.2L.4.4L.4.4.bL.4.5L.4.6RF.4.3RF.4.4RL.4.1RL.4.10SL.4.4W.4.10W.4.10W.4.4W.4.5W.4.6W.4.9
