Unit Overview/Summary

The ELA model units support the implementation of an effective and comprehensive core classroom (Tier I) reading instructional program. It is essential to select and implement instructional practices supported by a body of knowledge derived from scientifically-based reading research. Considering the multidisciplinary research on the science of reading and related instructional components, using evidence-based instructional methods, and learning activities that apply the components of the science of reading (i.e., phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary, and listening, reading, and language comprehension) facilitates students’ working knowledge of reading processes and skills. Additional information about foundational reading skills and the sub-skills or prerequisite skills students must acquire to achieve the foundational skills, can be found in the document, Building the Foundation: A Suggested Progression of Sub-skills to Achieve the Reading Standards: Foundational Skills in the Common Core State Standards. This document also contains a variety of instructional examples, organized by foundational skill and grade level.   

Unit Focus:

This unit focuses on deeply analyzing fictional texts. Students will study how an author's craft elicits readers’ feelings and shapes how a reader experiences a story. Through various shared author studies, students will discover the way authors send meaningful messages through their stories and how the stories are created. Using stories as mentor texts, students will have the opportunity and develop their own author’s craft as they make decisions about conveying meaningful messages in their writing. Students will continue refining word recognition skills, including syllables and syllable types. This unit offers the repeated, distributed practice of using syllable knowledge to decode and encode two-syllable words, and words with increasingly complex vowel spelling patterns, accurately and efficiently. 

Unit Duration:

25 days (20 instructional days and 5 reteach/enrichment days); Based on 180 minutes to 240 minutes per day