ELA / Kindergarten / Unit 3: 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
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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. In the first half of the unit, students will learn and observe what happens to leaves in the fall and notice the difference between various types of leaves. In the second half of the unit, students explore the different harvests of fall, particularly apples and pumpkins, and discuss the basic life cycles of both. This unit is a chance for students to stop and think about the changes that are happening in the natural world around them and why the changes happen. 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.
In reading, this is students’ first introduction to informational texts and reading to learn information. Students will continue to develop their inquisitive side by being challenged to ask and answer questions about the content and text they are interacting with. This unit exposes students to a subject matter that is present in their day-to-day lives; therefore, they should be challenged to ask questions and make connections between what they are reading and learning and what they are seeing outside. Students will also begin to explore the idea of a main topic, identifying key details that tell more about the main topic. Additionally, students will begin to think about how details are connected. These strategies will spiral throughout the remainder of the year, so students will have multiple opportunities to practice determining the main topic, and thinking about how details are connected. When discussing the text, students continue to work on clarifying and sharing their thoughts about texts read or information presented orally by asking and answering questions. Students also begin to learn strategies for continuing conversations through multiple exchanges.
In writing, students continue to build their writing fluency by writing daily in response to the Target Task question. Students begin to learn strategies for how to craft different types of sentences, learning how to construct simple sentences orally and in writing, if they are ready. Students also begin to explore informational writing, learning how to write informational texts to teach back information they have learned from a collection of texts. In particular, students focus on adding details to their drawings in order to explain key facts.
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Book: Fall Weather: Cooler Temperatures by Martha E. H. Rustad (Millbrook Press, 2011) — 530L
Book: Why Do Leaves Change Color? by Betsy Maestro (HarperCollins, 2015) — 580L
Book: Autumn Leaves by Ken Robbins (Scholastic Press, 1998) — IG570L
Book: Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert (Harcourt, 2005) — AD310L
Book: We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger (Cartwheel Books, 2008) — AD410L
Book: Leaves by David Ezra Stein (G.P. Putman’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 2010) — AD180L
Book: Fall Harvests: Bringing in Food by Martha E. H. Rustad (Millbrook PR, 2011) — 590L
Book: The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons (Holiday House, 1999) — AD570L
Book: Apples by Gail Gibbons (Holiday House, 2001) — 650L
Assessment Text: “Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin Pie” by Jill Esbaum (National Geographic Kids) — AD507LL
These assessments accompany this unit and should be given on the suggested assessment day or after completing the unit.
Download Content Assessment
Download Content Assessment Answer Key
Download Cold Read Assessment
Download Cold Read Assessment Answer Key
Suggestions for how to prepare to teach this unit
Unit Launch
Prepare to teach this unit by immersing yourself in the texts, themes, and core standards. Unit Launches include a series of short videos, targeted readings, and opportunities for action planning.
The central thematic questions addressed in the unit or across units
Specific skills to focus on when giving feedback on writing assignments
Literary terms, text-based vocabulary, idioms and word parts to be taught with the text
collect crop fall/autumn forecasting harvest jagged narrow observe record ripe smooth stem vine weather wide
To see all the vocabulary for Unit 3, view our Kindergarten Vocabulary Glossary.
Fishtank ELA units related to the content in this unit.
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.
Discussion
Brainstorm one or two questions about fall by asking and answering questions about details from a discussion.
L.K.1.d L.K.2.b RI.K.1 SL.K.1 SL.K.2 SL.K.3 SL.K.6
Describe what weather is like in the fall.
K-ESS2-1 K-ESS3-2 RI.K.1 RI.K.2 SL.K.1 SL.K.6
Explain what happens to a tree’s leaves as the tree gets ready for winter by using words and illustrations to retell key details in a text.
RI.K.1 RI.K.2 RI.K.4 SL.K.1 SL.K.6
Explain why leaves change color by using words and illustrations to retell key details in a text.
RI.K.1 RI.K.2 SL.K.1 SL.K.6
Writing
Orally produce complete simple sentences.
L.K.1.f
Describe what different leaves look like in the fall.
Identify where Leaf Man goes by retelling events in a story.
RL.K.2 RL.K.3
Explain why the little bear was confused and what advice you could give the little bear about what was happening with the leaves
RL.K.1 RL.K.2 RL.K.3 RL.K.5
Retell what happened at the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
Write an informational text to teach a reader about what happens to leaves in the fall.
L.K.1 L.K.6 W.K.2 W.K.8
Explain what a harvest is and what types of food can be harvested in the fall.
RI.K.1 RI.K.2 RI.K.3 RL.K.5
Retell two to three key facts about pumpkins.
RI.K.1 RI.K.2 RI.K.3
Explain how pumpkins grow.
RI.K.1 RI.K.3 RL.K.5
Retell two to three key details about apples.
Writing – 2 days
Write an informational text to teach a reader about pumpkins or apples in the fall.
L.K.1 L.K.1.b L.K.1.c L.K.1.f L.K.6 W.K.2 W.K.8
Assessment
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The content standards covered in this unit
K-ESS2-1 — Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time. Clarification Statement: Examples of qualitative observations could include descriptions of the weather (such as sunny, cloudy, rainy, and warm); examples of quantitative observations could include numbers of sunny, windy, and rainy days in a month. Examples of patterns could include that it is usually cooler in the morning than in the afternoon and the number of sunny days versus cloudy days in different months. Assessment Boundary: Assessment of quantitative observations limited to whole numbers and relative measures such as warmer/cooler.
K-ESS2-2 — Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs. Clarification Statement: Examples of plants and animals changing their environment could include a squirrel digs in the ground to hide its food and tree roots can break concrete.
K-ESS3-2 — Ask questions to obtain information about the purpose of weather forecasting to prepare for, and respond to, severe weather. Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on local forms of severe weather.
L.K.1 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
L.K.1.b — Use frequently occurring nouns and verbs.
L.K.1.c — Form regular plural nouns orally by adding /s/ or /es/ (e.g., dog, dogs; wish, wishes).
L.K.1.d — Understand and use question words (interrogatives) (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how).
L.K.1.f — Produce and expand complete sentences in shared language activities.
L.K.2 — Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.K.2.b — Recognize and name end punctuation.
L.K.6 — Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts.
RI.K.1 — With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
RI.K.2 — With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
RI.K.3 — With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
RI.K.4 — With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
RL.K.1 — With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
RL.K.2 — With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.
RL.K.3 — With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.
RL.K.5 — Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems).
SL.K.1 — Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
SL.K.2 — Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.
SL.K.3 — Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.
SL.K.6 — Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.
W.K.2 — Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
W.K.8 — With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
Standards that are practiced daily but are not priority standards of the unit
L.K.1.a — Print many upper- and lowercase letters.
RI.K.5 — Identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book.
RI.K.6 — Name the author and illustrator of a text and define the role of each in presenting the ideas or information in a text.
RI.K.10 — Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
RL.K.4 — Ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.
RL.K.9 — With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.
RL.K.10 — Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.
Unit 2
Noticing Patterns in Stories
Unit 4
Falling in Love with Authors and Illustrators
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