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Celebrating Fall
Students begin a year-long exploration of the seasons and how weather, plants, and animals are different depending on the season by reading about the beauties of fall and fall harvests.
ELA
Unit 3
Kindergarten
Unit Summary
In this unit, students begin a year-long exploration of the seasons and how weather, plants, and animals are different depending on the season by studying the beauties of fall and fall harvests. This unit is a chance for students to stop and think about the changes that are happening in the natural world around them, and what causes said changes. It is our hope that by the end of the year, after studying winter and spring in subsequent units, students will have a deeper understanding of the unique features of each season.
This is students' first introduction to informational texts and reading to learn information. Students should be challenged to brainstorm original research questions, then to use their research to answer questions. Students will also begin to identify the main topic and key details of a text. Additionally, students will begin to think about how details are connected.
When discussing the text, students continue to work on clarifying and sharing their thoughts by asking and answering questions orally. Students also begin to learn strategies for continuing conversations through multiple exchanges.
Students continue to build their writing fluency by responding to the Target Task question in writing. Students learn strategies for how to write words to tell their reader more about their responses. Students also begin to write informational texts about the topics they research including leaves, pumpkins, and apples.
Please Note: The text Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins used in Lesson 6 is out of print. If you can't access this text, this lesson can be skipped. In March 2025, this unit and its lesson plans received a round of enhancements. This unit is now 18 instructional days (previously 17 days). Teachers should pay close attention as they intellectually prepare to account for the updated pacing, sequencing, and content.
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Texts and Materials
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Core Materials
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Article: “The Changing Year” by TFK Editors (TIME for Kids)
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Article: “Time for Change” by TFK Editors (TIME for Kids)
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Book: Fall Weather: Cooler Temperatures by Martha E. H. Rustad (Millbrook Press, 2011) — 530L
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Book: Why Do Leaves Change Color? by Betsy Maestro (HarperCollins, 2015) — 580L
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Book: Fall Harvest Fun by Martha E. H. Rustad (Lerner Publishing Group)
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Book: Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins (Scholastic Press, 1998) — IG570L
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Book: Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert (Harcourt, 2005) — AD310L
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Book: We're Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger (Cartwheel Books, 2008) — AD410L
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Book: Leaves by David Ezra Stein (G.P. Putman's Sons Books for Young Readers, 2010) — AD180L
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Book: Fall Harvests: Bringing in Food by Martha E. H. Rustad (Millbrook PR, 2011) — 590L
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Book: The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons (Holiday House, 1999) — AD570L
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Book: Apples by Gail Gibbons (Holiday House, 2001) — 650L
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Assessment Text: “Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin Pie” by Jill Esbaum (National Geographic Kids) — AD507LL
Supporting Materials
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Rubric: Editing Checklist (GK, U3)
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Resource: Mentor Text (GK, U3, L10)
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Resource: Sequence Graphic Organizer
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Resource: Mentor Text (GK, U3, L15)
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Resource: Revised Mentor Text (GK, U3, L15)
- Resource: Book List for Further Reading
Assessment
The following assessments accompany Unit 3.
Content Assessment
The Content Assessment pushes students to synthesize unit content knowledge or unit essential questions in writing. The Content Assessment should be used as the primary assessment because it shows mastery of unit content knowledge and standards.
Cold Read Assessment
The Cold Read Assessment tests students' ability to comprehend a "cold" or unfamiliar passage and answer standards-based questions. The Cold Read Assessment can be given in addition to the Content Assessment as a pulse point for what students can read and analyze independently, a skill often required for standardized testing.
Unit Prep
Intellectual Prep
Essential Questions
- What makes fall special?
- What is the weather like in the fall? How does the weather impact different living things?
Reading Focus Areas
- Readers ask and answer questions about key details in a text to learn more about a specific topic.
- The main topic is what the text is mostly about. Key details tell more about the main topic.
- To understand an informational text, readers think about how details are connected.
Writing Focus Areas
Informational Writing Focus Areas
- Writers name the topic at the beginning of each page.
- Writers write 2–3 facts about their topic.
Emergent Writing
Use the Emergent Writing Teacher Tool to regularly study students' Target Task responses. During independent writing, prompt students using the supports relevant to their individual Emergent Writing phase. By the end of Unit 3, students should demonstrate mastery of the majority of skills within Phase 2 and several of the skills within Phase 3: Transitional Writing.
Speaking and Listening Focus Areas
- Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions.
- Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges.
- Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally by asking and answering questions about key details.
- Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
Vocabulary
Text-based
chlorophyllconfusedcropfall/autumnfadeharvestjaggednarrowobserveoverriperootseasonsmoothstemtemperaturevineweatherwide
To see all the vocabulary for Unit 3, view our Kindergarten Vocabulary Glossary.
Supporting All Students
In order to ensure that all students are able to access the texts and tasks in this unit, it is incredibly important to intellectually prepare to teach the unit prior to launching the unit. Use the intellectual preparation protocol and the Unit Launch to determine which support students will need. To learn more, visit the Supporting all Students teacher tool.
Content Knowledge and Connections
- Identify autumn/fall and characteristics of local weather patterns during fall (chilly, windy, frost, cloudy, rain).
- Explain why leaves change colors and describe the different types of leaves they may see.
- Identify apples and pumpkins as fall harvests.
- Identify the basic parts of a pumpkin plant (seed, root, stem, branch, leaf).
- Identify facts about apples and how they grow.
Future Fishtank ELA Connections
Lesson Map
3 days
Write an informational text to teach a reader about pumpkins or apples in the fall.
- The Pumpkin Book
- Apples
- Main Idea and Details Graphic Organizer (GK–5)
- Informational Writing Rubric (GK)
- Single Point Informational Writing Rubric (GK, U3, L15)
- Mentor Text (GK, U3, L15)
- Revised Mentor Text (GK, U3, L15)
- Editing Checklist (GK, U3)
Brainstorm 3 facts about a topic.
- The Pumpkin Book
- Apples
- Main Idea and Details Graphic Organizer (GK–5)
- Mentor Text (GK, U3, L15)
Standards
L.K.1L.K.1.bL.K.6W.K.2W.K.8
Draft an informational text to teach a reader about pumpkins or apples in the fall.
- The Pumpkin Book
- Apples
- Mentor Text (GK, U3, L15)
- Main Idea and Details Graphic Organizer (GK–5)
- Informational Writing Rubric (GK)
- Single Point Informational Writing Rubric (GK, U3, L15)
Standards
L.K.1L.K.1.bL.K.6W.K.2W.K.8
Revise an informational text by adding words to make the facts more clear.
- The Pumpkin Book
- Apples
- Main Idea and Details Graphic Organizer (GK–5)
- Informational Writing Rubric (GK)
- Single Point Informational Writing Rubric (GK, U3, L15)
- Mentor Text (GK, U3, L15)
- Revised Mentor Text (GK, U3, L15)
Standards
L.K.1L.K.1.bL.K.6W.K.2W.K.8
Common Core Standards
Core Standards
Supporting Standards
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