should follow the gradual release of responsibility so that students have an opportunity to see the activities modeled

and they also have time to practice daily.

The programs are designed for mastery. For detailed activities and standards addressed, the teacher should refer to
the program’s Teacher’s Edition to ensure instruction is properly implemented.

Focus Standards – ELA Content [5 Days]

Primary Focus Standard:

● 4RL3. Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the
text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).

Supporting Standard:

● 4RL1: Refer to details and examples and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly
and when drawing inferences from the text.

Performance-Based Objectives
As a result of their engagement with this unit…
Primary Performance-Based Objectives:

● SWBAT draw on specific details (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions) IOT describe in depth a
character, setting or event in a story or drama.

Supporting Performance-Based Objectives:

● SWBAT refer to details and examples IOT explain what the text says explicitly.
● SWBAT refer to details and examples IOT draw inferences.

Key Terms and Definitions

Primary Focus Standard: Supporting Focus Standard:

● Action- behaviors ● Explain- to make something clear by describing it in

more detail or by revealing relevant facts or ideas
● Character- a personality in a literary work
● Explicitly- very clear and complete; openly shown
● Character Traittrait -- quality of a personality
● Inference- a logical assumption based on observed
● Describe- to give an account in words (of someone facts from the text and one’s own knowledge or
or something) including the important characteristics, experience
qualities, or events
● Key Details- important word or phrases
● Details- the particular fact or piece of information
about something or someone
● Drama- a play; a prose or verse composition telling a ● Refer- to direct to a source for information or help
story that is intended for representation by actors
impersonating the characters

● Event- something that happens or happened

● In Depth- thorough detailed

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● Setting- where the story takes place

● Specific- clearly or exactly presented or stated

● Story- a narrative account, either real or fictitious,

told in prose

Guiding Questions
Primary Standard:

1. Who are the characters in this literary text?

2. What is the process of characterization?
3.

Teacher Note: Characterization is the process by which an author reveals the personality traits of the characters
(their words, actions, appearance, thoughts, and what other characters say).
4. Based on the characters words, actions, appearances, thoughts, and what other characters say about them,
what traits does this character possess?
5. What is the setting in this literary text? Describe using specific details from the text.
6. What are the events take place in the story or drama? Describe using specific details from the text.

Teacher Note: Each character, setting, and event in the text should be described individually.

Supporting Standard:

1. How do I define explicit?

2. What questions do you have about this literary text?
3. What is an inference?
4. What can you infer based on explicit information drawn from the text?

Teacher Note: Be sure that students are required to refer to integrate clues with prior knowledge and/or experience
to make an inference.

Interpretations and Reminders

Primary Focus Standard:

Students must be able to recognize, name, and describe (at length) internal and external traits/characteristics of the
major and minor characters in a story or drama (play). Students must be able to define characterization as the
process by which the author reveals the personality traits of the characters, which is done in one or more of the
following ways: (1) How the character looks; (2) How the character feels; (3) How the character actions/behaviors;
(4) The character’s thoughts; and (5) What other characters say about the character. Students must be able to
distinguish between ancillary and important details for the purpose of (1) developing an in-depth description of
where the story takes place and (2) developing an in-depth description of events in the story or drama (play).

Supporting Secondary Standard:

Students must be able to cite details and examples from the text in order to explain what the text actually states.
Students should be engaged in conversations around key individuals/characters, the setting(s), events, or ideas
presented in stories (adventure stories, folktales, legends, fables, fantasy, realistic fiction, and myths); dramas
(dialogue and brief familiar scenes); and poetry (nursery rhymes, narrative poems, limericks, and free verse poems)

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using literary texts across authors, themes, genres and traditions (i.e. classical, traditional, and mythological).
Students must be able to cite details and examples from the text to explain what the text literally states (citations are
more useful when they include the line number, page number, paragraph/act/scene/stanza, and/or author).

In order to master this skill, students must understand that drawing inferences follows a formula. Facts/information
from the text + prior knowledge and/or experience = inference.

Misconceptions

● Students must have a strong understanding of character traits in order to understand the standard
● Students must understand both internal and external characteristics.
● Some additional vocabulary terms students will need to know and understand:

o Motivation – reasons for the ways they act

o Rising Action – events in the story that lead to a conflict
o Climax – the part of the story where the conflict reaches its most exciting point
o Conflict – a problem that the main character in a story must solve
o Plot – a series of events that happen in a story

Vocabulary Practice Activity

Teacher Instructions: The progression will begin with the teacher reviewing the key terms that will be introduced
throughout the lesson progression. It is important for students to not only understand the definitions of the key
terms, but students should also be able to use the terms in context.

For this activity, students can work in groups of 3-4. Students will need a copy of the Vocabulary Word Challenge
sheet as well as one die.

● Before beginning the activity, the teacher should write down key terms on index cards for students to choose
from for the activity (one term per card). The teacher should use the key terms from previous units as well
as tier 2 and 3 terms students should know.
● Each student will get a copy of the Vocabulary Word Challenge. Teachers may choose to copy the game
board to cardstock for future use.
● The student will take turns rolling the die. Once they roll the die, the student must pick a term from the card
deck and complete the directions for the number die. Example: If the student rolls a one (1) they must define the
word.
● Once the term is used, the students should place it at the bottom of the pile and continue playing the game.
● If the student rolls the same number again, they must pass to the next player. The goal is to get all six words on
the sheet.
● Students can play as many rounds as needed for students to familiarize themselves with the terms that will be
used for the lesson progression.

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Suggested Learning Experiences (Gradual Release) and Materials/Texts
Performance-Based Objective 1

Literary Texts

● Me and Uncle Romie (Journeys)- Unit 2, pg. 231 (student), pg. T167 (Teacher),
Lexile-780L
● The House in the Desert (Reading A to Z)- Lexile: 800L
● Act Your Age (CommonLit)- Lexile: 780L
● Ocean Quiz (Reading A to Z)- Lexile: 860L

The teacher should now introduce the performance-based standard that will be used during this progression.

● SWBAT draw on specific details (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions) IOT describe in
depth a character, setting or event in a story or drama.

Focus Lesson: The teacher will model how to focus on specific key details in order to describe a character,
setting or event in a story. When modeling, the teacher should focus on key details such as the character’s thoughts,
words and/or actions, how the setting is described and what transpires in the events taking place in the story. The
teacher should remind students they will now be working with literary text. The teacher may want to also
remind students of the elements that are a part of a story (plot, characters, setting, problem and solution, etc.) The
teacher will model reading and annotating the text Me and Uncle Romie from Journeys. The teacher should model
the think aloud strategy to identify key details.

When reading and annotating the text, the teacher should make sure to model the generating questions strategy to
find key details that will be compared and contrasted. Some possible text dependent questions are:

● What is the problem in this story?

● What kind of person is James’ uncle? What key details from the text help the reader
understand him?
● Why does Aunt Nannett take James to Harlem first? What evidence states this?
● How is pepper jelly important in the relationship between Uncle Romie and James?
● How does James change in the story?

After the teacher has modeled reading and annotating the text, the teacher should model how to complete the
graphic organizer. The teacher should remember to use the annotated notes and key details to help describe the
character, setting or event in the story. Once the activity is completed, the teacher should review the activity.

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Explicit Writing Instruction

Students have had two chances to write a narrative story going through the writing process. The
teacher will now allow students to answer narrative prompts based on the Georgia Milestone
Assessment. During this modeling activity, the teacher will model how to deconstruct a writing
prompt.

The teacher should model how to read the writing prompt and understand what the prompt is asking students to
write about.

Students will have opportunities to practice the activity in the remaining parts of the unit.

Before moving forward in the progression, be sure to:

● Review key general and domain specific vocabulary.
● Check for understanding of the performance based objective.
● Check for understanding of how to identify and provide specific details about the
characters in a text.
● Check for understanding of how to identify and provide specific details about the setting
in a text
● Check for understanding of how to identify and provide specific details about the events
in a text.
● Check for understanding of the meaning of characterization.
● Check for understanding of how to describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a
story or drama.
● Check for understanding of how to complete the graphic organizer.

Guided Practice: Students will now model how to read and annotate text for key details that help to describe a
character, setting or event from a story or drama. The teacher will guide students as they practice the strategies in
the guided practice. Students will read and annotate the text
Ocean Quiz. Students should model the think aloud strategy as they read and annotate the
text.

For the modeling activity, students will look at how a character evolves over the course of the text. Students should
annotate the text for key details that describe how the characters feel and act at the beginning and towards the end of
the text. The students should generate questions to find the key details.

As students read and annotate the text, they should also complete the graphic organizer. In the graphic organizer, the
students should model the key details related to the character that compares and contrasts them. Once students have
finished completing the graphic organizer, the students should review their work with the class.

Before moving forward in the progression, the teacher should review the performance based objective and clear up
any misconceptions students may have regarding comparing and contrasting.

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Explicit Writing Practice

Students will now practice reading a Georgia Milestone Assessment writing prompt and
identifying what the prompt is asking students to do. The teacher should review the strategy
previously modeled for students before moving forward with the practice.

Students should have the opportunity to practice deconstructing the writing prompt before answering what the
prompt is asking students to do. Once students have had the opportunity to practice, the teacher should review to
make sure every student knows exactly what they should be writing about. For these activities, students will be led
through the writing process to ensure students are staying on topic.

Before moving forward in the progression, be sure to:

● Review key general and domain specific vocabulary.
● Check for understanding of the performance based objective.
● Check for understanding of how to identify and provide specific details about the
characters in a text.
● Check for understanding of how to identify and provide specific details about the setting
in a text
● Check for understanding of how to identify and provide specific details about the events
in a text.
● Check for understanding of the meaning of characterization.
● Check for understanding of how to describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a
story or drama.
● Check for understanding of how to complete the graphic organizer.

Collaborative Practice: Students will now work in partner pairs or small groups to identify the key details in the
text that describe the character and setting in depth. Students will read and annotate the text The House in the
Desert.

Partner pairs or small group should us the think aloud strategy to read and annotate the text.
Students should work together identify the key details that help to the characters and the
setting in the text. Students should look for key details that describe how the characters feel and act and how the
setting and/or change in setting relate to how the characters change throughout the text. Once students have finished
reading and annotating the text, students should create and complete their graphic organizer.

Partner pairs or small groups should decide how they want to put their information in their graphic organizer. Some
choices are:

● A three flap foldable

● A T-Chart

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Once all students have finished with their graphic organizers, students should form a new small group where the
partner pairs will present their graphic organizer to the group. Students should explain why they chose that graphic
organizer and the key details that are a part of their description. After all partner pairs have presented in their
groups, the teacher should bring students back together as a class to clear up any misconceptions before moving into
independent practice.

Explicit Writing Instruction

The teacher will now model how to write based on a writing prompt. Using the same prompt
that was deconstructed, the teacher will use the think aloud strategy to answer the writing
prompt. The teacher should refer to the APS Writer’s Instructional Resource Guide for
Grades 3-5 for strategies for the 4-point narrative writing activity. Please note the writing
prompt the teach will use should be different than the writing prompt students use when they write
independently.

Before moving forward in the progression, be sure to:

● Review key general and domain specific vocabulary.
● Check for understanding of the performance based objective.
● Check for understanding of how to identify and provide specific details about the
characters in a text.
● Check for understanding of how to identify and provide specific details about the setting
in a text
● Check for understanding of how to identify and provide specific details about the events
in a text.
● Check for understanding of the meaning of characterization.
● Check for understanding of how to describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a
story or drama.
● Check for understanding of how to complete the graphic organizer.

Independent Practice: Students will now independently read and annotate a text to identify the key details to
describe the character, setting or event in depth. Students will read and annotate the text Act Your Age from
CommonLit.

Students should complete the graphic organizer to identify key details from the text.
Students should make sure details from the annotated text are used in the graphic organizer
to describe the character, setting or event. Once students finish the graphic organizer, the
teacher should make sure students review their work for accuracy.

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Performance Based Objective Questions: Throughout the lesson progression, the teacher and students should
ask questions related to the performance based objective. Below are the performance based questions that should be
asked at each level of the progression.

● Who are the characters in this literary text?

● What is the process of characterization?
● Based on the characters words, actions, appearances, thoughts, and what other characters
say about them, what traits does this character possess?
● What is the setting in this literary text? Describe using specific details from the text?
● What are the events that take place in the story or drama? Describe using specific details
from the text.

2-Point Constructed Response

After students have completed the progression activities, students should use the 2-point constructed response to
practice open ended questions.

Assessment
The assessment can be used as a pre/post assessment for the performance based objective.

Literacy Centers
Throughout the unit, the teacher should employ the use of carefully planned literacy stations to address the reading
foundational skills for learners that emphasize the five essential elements of literacy instruction (phonemic
awareness and phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension for all students). Students are placed in the work
station for independent use. Stations should remain set up all year long. Materials, however, should be changed to
reflect children’s reading levels, strategies being taught, and topics being studied. Stations should be used for
students’ meaningful independent work and are an integral part of each child’s instruction. All students should go to
work stations daily. Materials should be differentiated for students with different needs and reading level. The
teacher should meet with small flexible groups for guided reading or skills instruction during literacy workstations.

Comprehension and Think and Write

Word Study
Guided Reading Fluency

The guided reading center
activity times should be led
by a teacher. During this
time period (usually 30-45
minutes) the teacher will
conduct targeted reading
All word study activities in Comprehension Practice Fourth grade students will
centers should be geared have the opportunity to
towards increasing During comprehension and explore narrative writing
vocabulary development. fluency practice, students strategies and techniques
will get the opportunity to throughout the unit.
Students should have read various texts and

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instruction strategies with multiple opportunities to answer questions based on During learning centers, the
small groups daily. Students explore how words are used the text. The questions teacher should provide short
in these groups should use (both connotation and should allow students to practice activities for
appropriate leveled texts on denotation) as well as practice the multiple reading students to engage with
their instructional reading develop skills for skills and strategies learned writing practice. Use these
level. recognizing and using during the class period. In activities to help with
unfamiliar words in text. addition, reading narrative writing
When choosing instructional independently allows
level tests, the text should be students to practice and
based on oral reading Please see the activities increase fluency skills Developing Ideas
accuracy rate of 90% or located in the online/print
above for students. resources section for Students should be provided Strategy: Create a Character
additional support with books on their instructional
Teachers should choose word station activities. reading level and their Students create a character.
books during the guided interests. The activities that It may be based upon
reading from various accompany the text should someone they know,
sources such as: require students to have a someone they’ve observed,
better understanding of the or a combination of people
● Classroom guided text. they know.
reading libraries
● Scholastic guided Please see the activities Provide students with a list
reading classroom and located in the online/print of prompts to help them
book room libraries resources section for think about their character,
additional support with such as:
● Journeys leveled texts
comprehension station
in each unit
activities Wants? Needs?
Likes? Dislikes?
Strengths? Weaknesses?
Physical description?
Who else is in this
character’s life? How do
they impact him/her?
Places he/she feel safe?
Scared?

Students then make a list of

problems the character may
have.

Students create a comic

strip, drama or story that
includes their
character.How’s the
Character Feeling?

One way to get to know

characters well is to make
sure we care about how they
feel, talk, act, and think.

Students will create a

character collage using
words and pictures.

Prompts
How’s the character feeling?

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 How does the character act?
Do you think the feeling is
positive or negative?
Use descriptive words to
describe the character’s
feelings from the beginning
to the end of the story.
Differentiated Supports
● Provide alternative graphic organizers for students to use
Learning Difficulty ● Allow students to work in small groups
● Chunk the text
● Provide shorter text for students to practice creating questions and
answering
● Provide a template for students to take notes
Pace
High Achieving Accelerate GSE/CCSS
Complexity
Examining past, present, and future
Critically examining opposing viewpoints
Connecting ideas to another field or discipline
Depth
Developing specialized vocabulary of a field beyond simple academic terms
Examining unanswered questions
Developing theories or principles
Creating connections or establishing interrelationships
Determining political or ethical effects
Integrate
Use cross-disciplinary content and integrate standards from two or more
disciplines
Curriculum Compacting (a procedure used to streamline the regular curriculum
for students who are capable of mastering it at a faster pace)
Focus on solving complex, open-ended problems
Evaluate situations by analyzing possible consequences and implications
Allow students to think about discrepancies in what is known
Instructional Approaches (such as Socratic Seminar; see Core Six and Strategic
Teacher)
Use analogies to introduce new concepts; Ask students to come up with their own
Account for Characteristics of the Gifted Learner
Emotional Intensity
Empathy – Social Concern (utilize service learning)
Moral Maturity
Create interdisciplinary product demands to evaluate learning for gifted students
and to efficiently address multiple standards at once
Focus on concepts, issues, and themes
Providing more open tasks (as opposed to structured) in regard to solutions,
decisions, and approaches than less advanced peers
Opportunities for creative production (competitions, mentorships, production in
public venues, etc.)

WIDA English Language Development Standards

English Learners ESOL instruction is guided by the WIDA English Language Development
Standards and grade-level content area GSE/GPS. English Learners (ELs) must
develop proficiency in the language domains of listening, speaking, reading and
writing while simultaneously acquiring academic content knowledge and skills.

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 Differentiated Learning Tasks
Learning tasks should be aligned to content standards, but instructional supports
should vary according to the student’s language proficiency level. The WIDA
Can Do Descriptors, Key Uses Edition can be used as a starting point to indicate
the linguistic performance abilities of ELs at each proficiency level in the areas of
speaking, listening, reading, and writing, for the purposes of recounting,
explaining, arguing and discussing. For example, a 3rd grade student with an
English proficiency level of 2-Emerging can be expected to process arguments by
distinguishing opinions from facts from peer’s oral presentations and/or
categorizing content-based pictures or objects from oral descriptions (e.g.,
“animals that form groups to help members survive”).
Additional information, resources, and strategies to differentiate learning tasks
for ELs can be found in the “Strategies” category of the APS ESOL Support Site
at tinyurl.com/apsesol.

Strategies to Increase Comprehensibility

In general, ELs benefit from extensive opportunities to build background
knowledge, increased focus on the academic language of the discipline, and
multiple presentations of content in multiple formats (i.e., repetition, recasting,
chunking of information, and step by step modeling). Additional information,
resources, and research-based strategies can be found on the APS ESOL Support
Site at tinyurl.com/apsesol.
With instructional supports, English Learners will be able to produce…
Advanced ELs (Levels 5-6)
· Multiple, complex sentences
· Organized, cohesive, and coherent expression of ideas
Recommended Strategies
· Explicit support during pre-writing and drafting to support inclusion of
adequate detail and development of ideas
Intermediate ELs (Levels 3-4)
· Short and some expanded sentences with increasing complexity
· Organized expression of ideas with emerging cohesion
Recommended Strategies
· Visual supports (word and phrase banks, tables, graphs, illustrations,
maps, etc.)
· Graphic organizers
· Sentences starters and paragraph frames
· Explicit teaching of general and content-related terms (war, conflict,
outcome, perspective, etc.)
· Daily opportunities for oral and written practice
Beginning ELs (Levels 1-2)
· Single words, phrases or short sentences
· Emerging expression of ideas
Recommended Strategies
· Visual support (word banks with images, tables, graphs, illustrations,
maps, etc.)
· Graphic organizers pre-populated with key information
· Sentence frames to assist with oral and written production
· Explicit teaching of general terms (north/south, male/female, skin, water,
etc.)
· Daily opportunities for oral and written practice

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 Assessment
Daily and weekly assessments of ELs’ progress should be differentiated to their
specific proficiency level, in the same manner that learning tasks are
differentiated. The use of instructional accommodations and modifications does
not indicate that a student cannot receive the highest grade in the content area. In
general, all teachers of ELs should:
· Create and use assignments/assessments that allow students to
demonstrate content knowledge, skills, and abilities without language
mastery.
· Focus on correct answers rather than errors and omissions.
· Weight graded components according to students’ linguistic strengths and
capabilities.
· Make the assignment/assessment process comprehensible by explaining the
directions orally and in writing, providing step-by-step instructions, and
ensuring visual supports whenever possible (e.g., regalia, icons,
manipulatives, modeling and exemplars).
Additional information, resources, and strategies to assess and grade ELs’
performance and progress can be found in the “Assessment” category of the APS
ESOL Support Site at tinyurl.com/apsesol.

Online/Print Resources
Teachers may use these resources to help facilitate instruction during center activities.

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