Unit Overview/Summary - FOCUS:This unit is designed to support students demonstrating their ability to determine the theme of a text as they read and analyze stories, myths, and traditional literature written from varies cultural perspectives. They will also begin to determine how authors use character development to convey a text's theme. Unit Duration:30 days (25 days instruction; 5 days reteaching/enrichment) based on 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day.

Unit Overview/Summary - FOCUS:Through the exploration and analysis of different genres of literature, this unit focuses on developing a deep understanding of craft, structure, and the interplay of elements that drive a story. This unit is designed to support students as they examine examples of literary elements used in texts that will ultimately serve as a model for the expression of thoughts, feelings, and ideas and their development as authors of poetry and prose.  Unit Duration:34 days (30 days instruction; 4 days reteaching/ enrichment) based on 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day. 

Unit Overview/Summary - FOCUS:This unit focuses on integrating and synthesizing main ideas and key details gained from reading and listening to form an opinion, and provide evidence supporting an opinion through writing, speaking, or other performance tasks. Unit Duration:34 days (30 days instruction; 4 days reteaching/ enrichment) based on 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day. 

Unit Overview/Summary - FOCUS:This unit is focused on gathering, evaluating, and synthesizing information presented in various formats (e.g., multimedia) to develop a comprehensive understanding of texts and effective ways of organizing and communicating ideas through writing and presentations. Unit Duration:30 days (25 days instruction; 5 days reteaching/enrichment) based on 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day.  

Unit Overview/Summary - FOCUS:This unit is focused on gathering, evaluating, and synthesizing information presented in various formats (e.g., multimedia) to develop a comprehensive understanding of texts and effective ways of organizing and communicating ideas through writing and presentations. Unit Duration:30 days (25 days instruction; 5 days reteaching/enrichment) based on 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day.   

Unit Overview/Summary - FOCUS:This unit is designed to support students in understanding how texts are structured and how knowing about text structures forms the foundation of understanding the information an author presents in a text.  Students will use text structures in their writing to communicate ideas. Unit Duration:34 days (30 days instruction; 4 days reteaching/enrichment) based on 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day.   

Unit Overview/Summary FOCUS:This unit is designed to engage students in reading and evaluating texts to explain how authors support their points by using reasons and evidence. Students will learn to have a more informed viewpoint and to share effectively with others. Students engage in conversation which includes posing questions, making relevant comments, elaborating on the remarks of others, and summarizing the points of a speaker citing reasons and evidence. Students use their skills to research and make arguments about debatable issues. Students build their skills to craft their opinions based on multiple sources, focusing on presenting logically ordered reasons and providing sufficient reasons and evidence to support them. (Theme: Debatable Issues) Unit Duration:25 days (20 days instruction; 5 days reteaching/enrichment) based on 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day 

Unit Overview/Summary - FOCUS:Students will be immersed in reading and writing poetry in this unit. Students read poetry in volume while practicing critical thinking by determining the meaning of words and phrases and explaining how the stanzas fit together to provide structure to the poem. Using their favorite poems as models, students will use their reading as inspiration for their own writing, emulating the author's craft moves, including use of figurative language. Throughout this unit, students will compile their writing into a poetry journal or portfolio that will include samples of the different types of writing explored.  Unit Duration:30 days based on 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day 

Unit Overview/Summary - FOCUS:Students will be immersed in reading and writing poetry in this unit. Students read poetry in volume while practicing critical thinking by determining the meaning of words and phrases and explaining how the stanzas fit together to provide structure to the poem. Using their favorite poems as models, students will use their reading as inspiration for their own writing, emulating the author's craft moves, including use of figurative language. Throughout this unit, students will compile their writing into a poetry journal or portfolio that will include samples of the different types of writing explored.  Unit Duration:30 days based on 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day 

Unit Overview/Summary - FOCUS:Students will build their research skills by reading biographical articles and other informational texts. This unit is designed to immerse students in informational texts and have students analyze the author’s use of text structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution). Students will have an opportunity to extend their research skills by writing a biographical magazine article, using text features and text structures appropriate for a magazine article. Students will develop skills for working in collaborative research groups.  Unit Duration:35 days based on 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day 

Unit Overview/Summary - FOCUS:Students will build their research skills by reading biographical articles and other informational texts. This unit is designed to immerse students in informational texts and have students analyze the author’s use of text structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution). Students will have an opportunity to extend their research skills by writing a biographical magazine article, using text features and text structures appropriate for a magazine article. Students will develop skills for working in collaborative research groups.  Unit Duration:35 days based on 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day 

Unit Overview/Summary FOCUS: In this unit, students learn about new or improved technologies that have been developed to meet societal needs and how those inventions have changed people’s lives. Students conduct authentic research on a topic of their choice to build their own knowledge and teach others through writing. Students learn about and analyze text structures and visual elements authors use to convey complex ideas. Students learn to understand information read in historical, scientific, or technical texts and describe the connections between two or more people, events, ideas, or concepts in historical, scientific, or “how to” texts. Students write an informative essay to explain the societal need for an invention and how that invention impacted people’s lives. Unit Duration:35 days (30 days instruction; 5 days reteaching/enrichment) based on 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day 

Unit Overview/Summary FOCUS: In this unit, students learn about new or improved technologies that have been developed to meet societal needs and how those inventions have changed people’s lives. Students conduct authentic research on a topic of their choice to build their own knowledge and teach others through writing. Students learn about and analyze text structures and visual elements authors use to convey complex ideas. Students learn to understand information read in historical, scientific, or technical texts and describe the connections between two or more people, events, ideas, or concepts in historical, scientific, or “how to” texts. Students write an informative essay to explain the societal need for an invention and how that invention impacted people’s lives. Unit Duration:35 days (30 days instruction; 5 days reteaching/enrichment) based on 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day 

Unit Overview/Summary - FOCUS:In the first part of this unit, students research multiple informational texts about natural disasters using all that they know about the author's use of text structure to determine connections between people, events, ideas, or concepts to support their findings. Students read multiple accounts, including firsthand and second-hand, to describe similarities and differences between two or more accounts on the same topic, understanding that the author’s point of view affects how the events are described. For example, after conducting research by reading various texts about natural disasters, students write a speech in which they state their opinion about how U.S. humanitarian organizations should prioritize assistance to neighboring countries when they are struck by natural disasters. Unit Duration:30 days (25 days instruction; 5 days reteaching/enrichment) based on 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day 

Unit Overview/Summary - FOCUS:In the first part of this unit, students research multiple informational texts about natural disasters using all that they know about the author's use of text structure to determine connections between people, events, ideas, or concepts to support their findings. Students read multiple accounts, including firsthand and second-hand, to describe similarities and differences between two or more accounts on the same topic, understanding that the author’s point of view affects how the events are described. For example, after conducting research by reading various texts about natural disasters, students write a speech in which they state their opinion about how U.S. humanitarian organizations should prioritize assistance to neighboring countries when they are struck by natural disasters.Unit Duration:30 days (25 days instruction; 5 days reteaching/enrichment) based on 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day 

Unit Overview/Summary - FOCUS:This unit is designed to have students demonstrate their ability to analyze the development of characters using textual evidence to determine the theme. Unit Duration:25 days (20 days instruction; 5 days reteaching/enrichment) based on 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day.

Unit Overview/Summary - FOCUS:This unit is designed to have students demonstrate their ability to analyze the development of characters using textual evidence to determine the theme. Unit Duration:25 days (20 days instruction; 5 days reteaching/enrichment) based on 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day.

Unit Overview/Summary - FOCUS:This focus of this unit is analyzing words and phrases in order to examine the impact on the overall message of the text. Students will analyze short texts and poems as mentor texts to identify author’s craft elements and understand how authors use word choice, tone, structure and figurative language to develop characters and the overall meaning of the story. Teachers may choose texts that thematically allow students to explore ways that literature helps people embrace their unique identities and learn about themselves and others.  Using these techniques as authors, students will create personal narratives to express their own identities through personal experiences and events.  Duration:20 days (15 instructional days and 5 reteach days) Elementary Model - 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day; Middle School Model - five periods per week based on a traditional bell schedule 

Unit Overview/Summary - FOCUS:This focus of this unit is analyzing words and phrases in order to examine the impact on the overall message of the text. Students will analyze short texts and poems as mentor texts to identify author’s craft elements and understand how authors use word choice, tone, structure and figurative language to develop characters and the overall meaning of the story. Teachers may choose texts that thematically allow students to explore ways that literature helps people embrace their unique identities and learn about themselves and others.  Using these techniques as authors, students will create personal narratives to express their own identities through personal experiences and events.  Duration:20 days (15 instructional days and 5 reteach days) Elementary Model - 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day; Middle School Model - five periods per week based on a traditional bell schedule 

Unit Overview/Summary - FOCUS: The focus of this unit is on how texts are structured for specific purposes and to convey particular meanings. Students will analyze how authors develop arguments and specific claims through intentional selection of language, structure and content, which impact the meaning and tone of a text. In their own writing, students will develop topics with relevant information and examples, paying attention to how organization, style and tone match task, purpose and audience. Unit Duration:30 days (25 instructional days and 5 re-teach/enrichment days) Elementary Model - 130 minutes to 180 minutes per day; Middle School Model - five periods per week based on a traditional bell schedule