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Taking a Stand: Shiloh
Students grapple with how a person develops values, identities, and beliefs and explore what it means to stand up for what you believe in while reading and discussing the novel Shiloh.
ELA
Alternate Unit 1
4th Grade
Unit Summary
Please Note: In June 2026, this unit and its lesson plans received significant revisions for the 2026–27 school year that improve writing, language, and reading instruction, as well as updating assessments and progress monitoring guidance.
In this unit, students grapple with the overarching question of how a person develops beliefs and values while reading the novel Shiloh. Marty, the main character in Shiloh, sees someone mistreating a dog and thinks it's his right and responsibility to step in to save the dog, even if the dog doesn't belong to him. His action raises a question for readers about when an individual should step in to take a stand against what they believe to be an injustice. It also asks readers to consider how different people, depending on their values and beliefs, may have different opinions on what constitutes an injustice. Students are challenged to take a stand on both of these ideas, based on the experiences and opinions of the different characters in Shiloh. Students are also exposed to the idea of courage and what it means to show courage, especially in situations where you are standing up for what you believe in. We hope this unit inspires students to grapple with these questions at a deeper level and understand the power of showing courage to fight for the things they believe in, no matter what obstacles they may face.
In this unit, students are challenged to think deeply about how the details an author includes help a reader better understand a character. The first-person point of view helps readers get to know the protagonist, Marty, as well as his relationships with other characters.
Throughout the unit, students prepare for class discussions, determining which evidence best supports a particular idea and how to elaborate on that evidence. By writing daily in response to the Target Task question, students build their writing fluency, seeing the power of writing as a tool for understanding what they are reading. This unit also serves as the foundation for learning how to brainstorm and write strong literary analysis/opinion paragraphs, focusing on drafting topic sentences and determining supporting details. At the end of the unit, students write a narrative continuation of the unit text.
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Texts and Materials
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Core Texts
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Book: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2000) — 890L
Supporting Texts
Rubrics
Resources for Lessons and Projects
Assessment
The following assessments accompany Alternate Unit 1. For more guidance, see the Summative Assessments and Assessments Accommodations & Modifications Teacher Tools.
Content Assessment
The Content Assessment measures students' understanding of the unit's content knowledge and vocabulary. It should serve as the primary assessment for the unit.
Warm Read Assessment
The Warm Read Assessment measures students' ability to apply the Reading Focus Areas of the unit to comprehend a new text, topically or thematically related to the content of the unit. It may be administered in addition to the Content Assessment.
Fluency Assessment
The Fluency Assessment measures students' oral reading fluency with a passage drawn from one of the unit's core texts. See the Assessing Reading Fluency Teacher Tool for more guidance.
Unit Prep
Intellectual Prep
Before you teach this unit, unpack the texts, themes, and core standards through our guided intellectual preparation process. Each Unit Launch includes a series of short videos, targeted readings, and opportunities for action planning to ensure you're prepared to support every student.
Essential Questions
- How do people's beliefs and values influence their behavior?
- When should an individual take a stand against what they believe to be an injustice? What are the most effective ways to do this?
- What does it mean to show courage?
Reading Focus Areas
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To describe a character in depth, readers must notice a character's thoughts, actions, relationships, and conflicts.
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Characters can change over the course of a story based on their relationships with others, key conflicts, and lessons learned.
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Summarizing is used to recap or recall key information in a story.
Writing Focus Areas
Opinion Writing
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Use single-paragraph outlines to brainstorm cohesive paragraphs.
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Write strong topic sentences that clearly state an opinion.
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Provide reasons and evidence to support a particular opinion.
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Elaborate on the reasons to show understanding of the text and topic.
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Expand supporting details into complete sentences when drafting.
Narrative Writing
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Complete a Narrative Brainstorming Graphic Organizer to plan the characters, setting, and events of a story.
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Orient and engage the reader at the beginning of the story by including descriptive details, sound effects, or questions.
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Draft a story, adding details and description to each event.
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Include character thoughts and feelings to develop a character and help the plot progress.
Speaking and Listening Focus Areas
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Prepare for discussion.
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Elaborate to support ideas. Provide evidence or examples to justify and defend a point clearly.
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Use specific vocabulary. Use vocabulary that is specific to the subject and task to clarify and share thoughts.
Vocabulary
Text-based
ashamedbargainbawlingblackmailboldcringedecencydwellenthusiasmfondhumbleintentionmissionmistreatedobligedomissionremedyrehearsedstumpedsuspicionssympathytensewitness
To see all the vocabulary for Unit 1, view our 4th Grade Vocabulary Glossary.
Lesson Map
Plan a paragraph that describes Marty.
Use details from a text to describe a character.
- Single Paragraph Outline
- Character Description Recording Sheet 2 (G4, Alt U1, L22)
Standards
W.4.1.bW.4.4
Complete a Single Paragraph Outline to plan a paragraph.
- Character Description Recording Sheet 2 (G4, Alt U1, L22)
- Single Paragraph Outline
Standards
W.4.1.aW.4.1.b
4 days
Write an opinion piece that defends whether or not Marty is no better than Judd Travers by using evidence throughout the text.
Brainstorm evidence for both sides and decide which side has stronger support for the opinion.
- Opinion Writing Brainstorm Note-taker (G4, Alt U1, L24)
Standards
W.4.1.aW.4.1.bW.4.9
Plan for a paragraph that includes a topic sentence, supporting details, and a conclusion using a Single Paragraph Outline.
- Opinion Writing Brainstorm Note-taker (G4, Alt U1, L24) — Completed on Day 1
- Single Paragraph Outline
Standards
W.4.1.aW.4.1.bW.4.9
Begin opinion writing by clearly stating the topic, opinion, and hooking the reader with a question. When drafting from a plan, expand supporting details into complete sentences.
- Single Paragraph Outline — Completed on Day 2
Standards
W.4.1W.4.1.aW.4.1.bW.4.4
Elaborate on the reasons to show understanding of the text and topic.
- Single Paragraph Outline — Completed on Day 2
Standards
L.4.1.fL.4.2.cW.4.4W.4.5
4 days
Write the next chapter of Shiloh by writing a first-person narrative with a clear narrative sequence.
Complete a Narrative Brainstorming Graphic Organizer to plan the characters, setting, and events of a story.
- Narrative Brainstorming Graphic Organizer
Standards
W.4.3.aW.4.5
Orient and engage the reader at the beginning of the story by including descriptive details, sound effects, or questions.
- Narrative Brainstorming Graphic Organizer — Completed on Day 1
Standards
L.4.3W.4.3.aW.4.3.d
Draft a story, adding details and description to each event.
- Narrative Brainstorming Graphic Organizer
Standards
W.4.3.cW.4.3.d
Include a character's thoughts and feelings to develop the character and advance the plot.
Standards
L.4.1.fL.4.2.cW.4.3.bW.4.5
