4th grade Common Core Units and Guiding Questions
North Carolina is implementing a shift this year to the Common Core curriculum, as I am sure you have heard. In order to manage the new curriculum and organize the year in a way we can all (hopefully) understand, I have, using the Common Core maps as a guide, laid out the year into units and would like to share them with you all. The guiding questions are directly from the Common Core. I also require students to complete a yearlong reading project that I have incorporated into the unit study. Due with each book, there will be a one page, typed review of the book, as well as an individual project. I will send home a page, to be signed and returned, with more information about the book project. I have added it here for you to see how the book project will work in tandem with the Common Core units. Unit length is approximate.
Unit 1: Tales of the Heart: 4th graders will begin the year by exploring the emotions and growth they experience as 4th graders. Science will be a large focus as we explain and look at systems of the body, such as the circulatory system. We also look at gossip, bullying, friendship and loyalty by reading the novel “Harriet the Spy” aloud in class and keeping an in-class journal of our reading. We will read the book aloud, listen to portions on tape and read to ourselves. Learning to read aloud is an important skill that we will develop with this unit. The guiding question is “How do stories reveal what we have in common?” This unit will last 4 weeks.
Unit 2: Animals as Characters. There is a voluminous amount of writing for young readers focusing on animals as characters. We will examine how animals are portrayed in writing. Why are wolves big and bad? Why are dogs always in sad stories? What does our portrayal of animals say about us? We will focus on personification, character development, elements of a narrative, and comparing and contrasting. We will work in Literature Circles reading a variety of fiction and non-fiction books. The guiding question for this unit is: “How do we portray animals in writing?” This unit is about 8 weeks long.
1st quarter book: Select and read a fiction book about an animal. Write a 1 page, typed book review and then complete a project about a fable: write a script, perform for the class or make a movie, puppet show or PowerPoint with illustrations about a popular animal fable. This will be due during the animal unit, on Oct. 5.
Unit 3: Literature Settings: Weather or Not? This unit focuses on writing and reading poetry. Artists have used the changing seasons and weather to describe mood and tone (“It was a dark and stormy night…”) since the beginning of time. We will look at how setting affects plot and story. The guiding question is “How does an author’s use of setting affect the plot of a story?” This unit is about 4 weeks long (but I tend to run long during poetry units :)
2nd quarter book report: Choice of book and project. Learning to self-select books is an important skill to develop. I will have project ideas posted on my blog and students will write a 1 page, typed book review. This book project/paper will be due after Christmas break, on Jan. 2.
Unit 4: Revolutionaries from the Past: This unit focuses on learning to read historical fiction and non-fiction. We will read and write about revolutionaries in American History, with special attention paid to the Revolutionary War era and Black History. The guiding question for this unit is:” What life lessons do we learn from revolutionaries in fiction and non-fiction?” This unit will take 8-9 weeks to complete.
3rd quarter book report: Students will read an auto/biography of a famous person and write a 1 page, typed review. The project will be to write an epic poem, create a PowerPoint or make a movie of the life of a person you find heroic (it can be your biography), it must include a timeline. Due March 12.
Unit 5: Literary Heroes: heroes, real or imagined? We will define what we think a hero is, using our book review information and other sources. We will discuss what it takes to be a hero. We will read and write about heroes, in real-life and in books. This unit uses the Middle Ages to help answer these questions. The guiding question for this unit is: “Can heroism be defined in words?” This is a 6 week unit.
Unit 6: Stories of the Earth and Sky: we will examine how the earth and sky are portrayed by artists, writers, musicians, etc… Much of the focus will be on Native American folklore and facts. The guiding question is:” How are earth and sky portrayed in fiction and non-fiction?” This is a 6 week unit.
4th quarter book report: Students will read a non-fiction book about one of the elements: earth, wind, fire, or air. They will write a review of their book and create an informational poster to share with their classmates. Due May 6.
****Please be advised: Book report due dates will be enforced; points will be deducted for late work. Help to develop your child into a responsible student by adhering to due dates.
We will learn and explore these units with a variety of activities and assignments. I try to support the idea of multiple intelligences and talents by using many different approaches to a topic. Some assignments your student will like, some not so much, but I expect students to do their best and make a genuine effort. I try to individualize expectations and relationships as much as is fair and possible but respect for one another, ourselves, our school and me is not negotiable. I use rubrics to grade most assignments, especially projects and writing.
I am always looking for new ideas and love to have guest teachers and or speakers. If you have a special talent or know an expert on one of these topics, let’s talk about sharing with the students! These units have a wealth of opportunity for learning associated with them and I, for one, am excited to do some learning and investigating! I look forward to a fun, educational year with 4th grade and I hope you do to! Please e-mail me with any questions, ideas, thoughts, etc! lberner@neusecharterschool.org
Thanks,
Mrs. Berner
Common Core website: http://www.corestandards.org/
