Balanced Literacy Unit Plan

Trophies Story: “Across the Wide Dark Sea”By: Jean Van Leeuwen

Illustrated by: Thomas B. Allen

DOK 1 Question: What caused the Mayflower ship to leak?

a. Wind and waves caused a beam to crack.b. The ship hit an iceberg.c. They hit another ship.d. Pirates attacked the ship.

DOK 2 Question: Why did the author include the detail that half of all the people died during the first winter?

a. To scare the reader.b. To show the hardships that people faced.c. To make the reader feel sad.d. To write a fun, interesting story.

DOK 3 Question:Think about the trip across the wide dark sea. What is one word or phrase that describes the pilgrim’s journey across the sea? Use at least two details from the passage to support your response.

Day: 1 [Monday] Goal: Students will be able to make predictions about what they are going to read based on the pictures they see throughout their book. Standard: 2.5.1 Select before reading strategies appropriate to text and purpose to • preview text • access prior knowledge • build background knowledge • make predictions

Stage One- Pre-Reading – Direct Lesson: 15-20 minutes Introduction: The students will meet in a circle on the floor in front of the board. I will start the lesson by saying, “Good morning students. Today we are going to be learning about the Mayflower. The Mayflower was a ship that sailed from Europe to America in the year 1620. The people that sailed on the Mayflower were called Pilgrims. Today we are going to look at and read a picture book that tells us more about the Mayflower and the Pilgrims. In order to better understand what the Mayflower and Pilgrims are we are going to use our schema and background knowledge to make some predictions using the pictures in the book we are going to be reading today.”Demonstration/model: I will introduce the students to a picture book about the Mayflower called “Mayflower 1620: A New Look at a Pilgrim Voyage”. I will then say “I am going to look at the cover page and the first few pages of the book we are going to read and I am going to guess what words I think are going to appear in the story from the pictures I see and write them on the board. Making predictions before we read is like being a detective. We can find clues in the book title, the illustration on the front cover, as well as pictures inside the book to predict what the story is about!” From there I will write down about 3-5 words I think will appear in the book and WHY. I will explain to them that by looking at the pictures on the cover and in the book, we can usually determine what we are going to be reading about. Guided Practice: After I have modeled what to do, I will tell the students “Okay, now it is time for you to help me think of some words that you think are going to appear in our story!” I will have the students sit in a circle in front of the board and show them the pictures on each page. Anytime a student thinks of a word they think will appear in the text, they will tell me the word AND why they believe it will appear in the text, and I will write it on the board. After we have created our list on the board, I will read the first page aloud to the class. Share, Review, Closure: After reading the first page we will look to see if any of the words that we wrote on our list appeared in the first page, if they did we will check them off. If a word/words did appear we will discuss why we think they did. Before sending them to finish the reading on their own I will say that, “We can predict from the title and first page of our book that we are going to be reading about an old ship and people who sailed on it hundreds of years ago. By looking at the pictures provided in the book, I am able to make predictions about what I think I am going to be reading about.”Stage Two- During-Reading – Independent Work (Small Group, Seat, Center): 60 minutes In small groups students will finish reading the picture book, “Mayflower 1620: A New Look at a Pilgrim Voyage”. Each student will have his or her own copy of the book. The teacher will say, “You are going to finish reading the book with your shoulder partner by whisper reading together. You will both have your own sheet of paper and you will need to mark down the words that appeared in the book from our list on the board. Independently, you will then make a T-chart in your reading journals. On one side of the chart you will write down each word you found and on the other side of the chart you will write down why you think it appeared in the text. Be sure to use examples and details from the book to support your reasons.”

Stage Three- After-Reading – Reflection: 15 minutesAfter each student is done creating their T-Charts, we will all meet back in our circle group. They will need to bring their word list and T-Charts to the floor with them. I will have the students tell me what words they found in the book that appeared from our list on the board. After we have marked off all of the words, we will discuss why they thought the words appeared in the story. We will also go over any words that did not appear in the book and why they think they didn’t show up in the text. I will close the lesson by saying, “Today we have learned that by looking at the pictures in a book we are reading, they can help us predict what we are going to be reading about. We also learned that the Mayflower was a ship that sailed across the ocean in the year 1620 and the people who sailed on the ship were called Pilgrims. Now, turn to your shoulder partner and tell them one thing you learned from our book today and one thing you learned about making predictions using pictures in a text.”Materials/Resources Needed:

30 copies of “Mayflower 1620: A New Look at a Pilgrim Voyage” Paper/Pencils Reading Journals

Day: 2 [Tuesday] Goal: Students will be able to make predictions about what they are going to read based on the the first paragraph/sentences of their Trophies book. Standard: 2.5.1 Select before reading strategies appropriate to text and purpose to • preview text • access prior knowledge • build background knowledge • make predictions

Stage One- Pre-Reading – Direct Lesson: 15 minutes Introduction: I will say aloud to the class, “Yesterday we read the book ‘Mayflower 1620: A New Look at a Pilgrim Voyage.’ We learned that by looking at the pictures and graphic supports in our book that we are able to predict what we are going to be reading about. Today, we are going to read our Trophies story “Across the Wide Dark Sea,” but before we read it we are going to make some predictions about what we think our Trophies story is going to be about. To do this we are going to ‘focus on the first lines’ of our Trophies story. By reading the first few sentences of our book, we can try and predict what we are going to be reading about. Demonstration/model: I will read the first paragraph of a short article called ‘A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim’ aloud to the class. Each student will have a copy of the article to follow along with. I will then say, “from this article I can predict that we are going to be learning about Pilgrims and how they used to live. I can predict that we are going to be reading about this because of the title of the article. I can also predict that we are going to be learning about what Pilgrims used to eat because the second line in the article says ‘Pilgrims are responsible for some of the recipes we use in our kitchens today’. I can predict what we are going to be reading about in the article by just looking at the title of the story and the first few sentences.” I will put these examples on the board using a T-chart labeled I predict we will be reading about this/why.Guided Practice: I will ask the students to predict a few more things they think we are going to be reading about in the article with their shoulder partner. The class will come back together and orally share some predictions the have made. I will record their answers on the board.Share, Review, Closure: Finally, I will say “Today we learned how to make predictions about what we are going to read by looking at the first few sentences in our story. We know that making predictions can help us determine what we are going to be reading about.”

Stage Two- During-Reading – Independent Work (Small Group, Seat, Center): 60 minutes Students will work in groups of two (shoulder partners) to read the Trophies story “Across the Dark Wide Sea.” Students will create a T-chart in their journals (using the chart we created together as an example). Students, in pairs, will read the first paragraph of the story and decide what they predict the Trophies story is going to be about and why. After they finish reading the story they will come together and see if their predictions were right. They will write underneath their T-chart why their predictions were right or not, using examples from the text. story. When students are finished, they will independently start their reader’s workshop. They will pick a “just right” book from their personal book bin. Before they read their books they will record what they think the book is going to be reading about and why in their reading journals. They will then read their book and see if their predictions were right. If students finish early they can go to center two: “A Day in the Life of…”

I will pull two guided reading groups as students work with their shoulder partners and individually.Stage Three- After-Reading – Reflection: 15 minutesThe class will meet on the floor in a circle. Students will bring their reading journals, which include their T-charts. The class will first discuss what they predicted the Trophies story was going to be about and why. They will then discuss why some of their predictions came true and why some of them did not. If there is enough time, I will choose some students to discuss predictions they made about their reading workshop book and if their predictions about the story were right. To wrap up the lesson I will say, “today we learned about making predictions before reading a book in order to predict what we think our story is going to be about. Making predictions before we read can help us determine what we are going to be reading about and helps us to better understand our book. Quickly get knee-to-knee, eye-to-eye, with a partner and tell them on thing you learned about making predictions today.Materials/Resources Needed:

30 copies of the article “A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim” 30 copies of the Trophies story “Across the Wide Dark Sea” T-chart on board Pencils/Paper Reading Journals

Day: 3 [Wednesday] Goal: Students will be able to make predictions about what they are going to read.Standard: 2.5.1 Select before reading strategies appropriate to text and purpose to • preview text • access prior knowledge • build background knowledge • make predictionsStage One- Pre-Reading – Direct Lesson: 15 minutes Introduction: I will say aloud to the class, “This week we have been learning about making predictions, can anyone tell me why we make predictions?” After I get some student feedback I will then say, “that’s right, we make predictions in order to predict what we think we are going to be reading about. This is important because it help us better understand what we read and also sets the purpose for our reading. Today we are going to continue to practicing making predictions and we ill start with our Trophies story that we read yesterday, “Across the Wide Dark Sea.”

Demonstration/model: I will start by writing what I predict the story will be about by looking at the pictures of the story and write my predictions on the board. I will then write one reason as to why I made this prediction. I will then read the first two paragraphs aloud and make a prediction about what I think is going to happen in the story next. I will then write my reasoning for my prediction on the board.Guided Practice: I will then read the next two paragraphs aloud and then stop. I will have student’s pair up with their shoulder partner to predict, from what we’ve just read, what is going to happen in the story next. They will share their predictions out loud and the teacher will write them on the board. They will also be asked to give the reason to their predictions. Finally, we will analyze what we have read and determine whether or not our predictions were correct.Share, Review, Closure: I will wrap up stage one by saying, “today, we learned another way that we are able to make predictions about what we are going to read. We can make predictions before we read a text and we can make predictions while we are reading the text to try and figure out what happens next. Now, I want you to turn to your shoulder partner and tell them one new thing you learned about making predictions today.” Stage Two- During-Reading – Independent Work (Small Group, Seat, Center): 60 minutes Students will then read . . . If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620”In their reading journals they will write down the numbers 1-5. On number 1 they will write down a before-reading prediction and the facts leading to their prediction, on numbers 2-4 they will write down during-reading predictions and the facts leading to their predictions, finally on number 5 they will write an after reading analysis and answer, in a brief paragraph, if their predictions were accurate. When student’s finish, they will go to center 3: “Computer Work Station” until everyone has finished.Stage Three- After-Reading – Reflection: 15 minutesThe class will meet back together as a whole group. They will bring their reading journals with them and we will discuss what they wrote down for numbers 1-5. I will ask them if they think that making predictions throughout the story helped them to better understand what they read. Finally, the students will return to their seats and use the Talking Chips strategy to share what they learned about making predictions today.Materials/Resources Needed:

1. 30 copies of the Trophies story “Across the Wide Dark Sea2. 30 copies of “... If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 By: Ann McGovern Pencil/Paper Reading Journals

Day: 4 [Thursday] Goal: Students will be able to make predictions about what they are going to read.Standard: 2.5.1 Select before reading strategies appropriate to text and purpose to • preview text • access prior knowledge • build background knowledge • make predictionsStage One- Pre-Reading – Direct Lesson: 15 minutes Introduction: We will all meet on the carpet in a circle. I will introduce the lesson for the day by saying, “for the past few days we have been learning about making predictions before we read. Good readers always try to predict what they are going to be reading in order to better comprehend and understand the book they are about to read. We have learned how to predictions both before we read and during. Today we are going to continue making predictions, but with a

story you’ve written. Demonstration/model: I will read a loud the story of three little Pilgrims call “Three Young Pilgrims” by Cheryl Harness. I will make predictions aloud about what I think the book is going to be about before we start reading by making predictions based on the book cover and the pictures in the book. I will write my predictions on the board for the students to see. I will then read the first page of the book and make a prediction about what I think the rest of the book is going to be about. Guided Practice: I will then take suggestions from the students. I will ask them if they want to add any predictions that they believe the book is going to be about from the cover or pictures they saw. I will then read only first 3 pages, having them make a prediction at the end of the third page. I will not read the entire book due to time constraints for the day, since their independent/partner group will take some time, but if time allows at the end of the lesson I will finish reading the story and we will see if the predictions they made about the book were correct. Share, Review, Closure: I will wrap up stage one by saying, “today, we once again learned that we are able to make predictions about what we are going to read. We can make predictions before we read a text and we can make predictions while we are reading the text to try and figure out what happens next. Now, I want you to turn to your shoulder partner and tell them a new prediction about what you think is going to happen next in our story.” Stage Two- During-Reading – Independent Work (Small Group, Seat, Center): 60 minutes

Students will be paired up into groups of 2. They will each write a short fictional story about one of the craziest things they have ever seen. They will also draw a picture, acting as a title page, with a picture of what their story is about (like the cover of a book). While students are writing their stories, I will be walking around to conference with some of the students on their writing. After each of the partners finishes their stories, they will take turns reading their story aloud. While one partner is reading their story they will use the “stop and go” strategy we used yesterday to try and predict what is going to happen next in their partners story. They will once again be answering questions 1-5 in their reading journals (from yesterdays stage 2). They will use the picture their partner drew to make a before reading prediction, after their partner has read the first 2 sentences in the story they will make their first during reading strategy, and they will make their last during reading prediction right before the end of the story (it is the readers choice to stop where they believe the last prediction can be made). Stage Three- After-Reading – Reflection: 15 minutesThe class will meet back together as a whole group. They will bring the stories that they wrote and their reading journals with them to the carpet. Since most students like to share their stories in front of the class, I will have them meet with a new partner and quickly read their stories aloud to each other. I will then ask them if they got most of their predictions right and how they decided what predictions they were going to make. I will close the lesson by saying, “Today we saw that we can make predictions on almost anything we read. You made predictions from the stories your peers wrote! Good readers use prediction strategies in order predict what they are about to read. Can anyone tell me why you think making predictions helps us be good readers?” After a student answers and we discuss their answer I will say, “Please turn to your shoulder partner and tell them one strategy you can use to make predictions.”Materials/Resources Needed:

30 copies of “Three Young Pilgrims” by Cheryl Harness Pencil/Paper Reading Journals

T-charts from previous lessons taped to the board for student reference

Day: 5 [Friday] Goal: Students will be able to make predictions about what they are going to read.Standard: 2.5.1 Select before reading strategies appropriate to text and purpose to • preview text • access prior knowledge • build background knowledge • make predictionsStage One- Pre-Reading – Direct Lesson: 15 minutes Introduction: I will ask students to share their definition of the word prediction, I write some of their definitions on the board. From their definitions we will form a class definition of the word. I will then ask the students to brainstorm situations in which they use the ability to predict what will happen next. I will ask the following questions to give them a head start: When you look outside what can you predict about the weather? Have you ever predicted something about a television show or movie? Do you ever know what someone else, like a family member or friend, will say in a particular situation? Have you ever been able to tell what you were going to eat for a meal before anyone told you? What can you tell about a story by looking at the cover of the book? After we discuss the question about the cover of a book I will discuss prediction project that students will complete in this lesson: The class will listen to the beginning of a story and then each student will predict the way that the story will end.Guided Practice: To give students some practice with prediction, show the front cover of “Arthur's Computer Disaster,” (this is a book I own, which doesn’t have to do with the Mayflower and Pilgrims, but is a great piece of literature to use while working on making predictions) and ask students to predict what the book will be about based on the images and words they see. I will use the Book Cover Questions to guide the discussion. I will record students' predictions on the board or on chart paper. I will read the book, pausing as appropriate to point out details in the book that confirm the predictions that students made based on the cover. For instance, if students predicted that something would happen to the computer because of the mouse (since Arthur is holding the mouse on the cover), pause on the page where Arthur and Buster "both dove for the mouse" and the following page, which describes "The keyboard crashed to the floor" and compare the events in the book to students' prediction. I will then read the book to a point just before the final significant event. For Arthur's Computer Disaster, stop after reading the pages where Arthur's mother comes home and heads for the computer. The last line on these pages reads, "Arthur felt sick." I will then ask the students to summarize what they think has happened so far in the story, noting their comments on the board, so that they can refer to the information as they work on their own endings for the story. I will list the names of the characters and their roles in the story for students to refer to later as they create their own endings.Share, Review, Closure: Before the students go on their own, I will ask them to share any personal experiences that they have had in similar situations with their shoulder partner and encourage students to talk about the situation and the outcome of their predicament. I will remind them that, “We have just gone over making predictions once again. Today, you are going to write your own ending to Arthur’s story based on the predictions you have made.

Stage Two- During-Reading – Independent Work (Small Group, Seat, Center): 60 minutes I will explain that their ending must connect to information that was read during the beginning and middle of the story. The story has to make sense. In their reading journals they will write

their own ending to the story. As students work, I will remind them to refer to the lists of characters and story elements as necessary. If they finish early the can go to center number 2.Stage Three- After-Reading – Reflection: 15 minutesThe class will meet back together as a whole group. They will bring the endings they wrote for their story with them. I will first remind the students that all endings are valid and that there is no right or wrong ending to the story. We will discuss similarities and differences among students' endings and ask them to explain the choices that they have made. I will encourage connections to the details from the story, personal experience, and prior knowledge. Once all students have had a chance to share, I will read the ending to the story, I will ask them to point out the ways that their own endings connect with the portion that was read aloud. During this, I will encourage students to talk about how they predicted events in the ending of the book accurately.Materials/Resources Needed:

30 copies of “Arthur's Computer Disaster” Pencil/Paper Reading Journals

Guided Reading Lesson Plan

The article for this guided reading lesson can be found at the following website: http://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homework-help/mayflower-and-mayflower-compact

Find some difficult words that you could provide strategies for decoding. Write down the prompts you would use.Seasickness

Let’s split this word up and sound it out together: sea-sick-ness. Now blend it together seasickness.

Forecastle Let’s look at this word together. What are some words you see inside? Look for a root

word first, can anyone tell me the root word they see? “Fore,” which means “in front of.” What is the second part of the word we see? “Castle.” Let’s sound out this word and blend it together. Fore-castle…forecastle.

Colonists Let’s split this word up into two chunks. Colo-nists. Now that we have separated the

word into two parts and we know how to say each part correctly, let’s blend the word together: colonists.

Vocabulary: Identify at least 4 words that you would discuss with your students prior to reading the text and identify why you chose those 4 words.

Wampanoag People [I chose this word because this is the name of the Indian tribe the Pilgrims meet on Plymouth Rock]

Shipwrecked [I chose this word because it occurs a few times in the article and the understanding of the word is crucial to understanding the text]

Merchant ships [I chose this word because this is what kind of ship the Mayflower was] Cargo [I chose this word because it appears multiple times in the text and is the area

where the Pilgrims lived on the ship] Immigrants [I chose this word because this is what the Pilgrims were when they came to

America and it is absolutely necessary that students understand that]We will go over these words prior to reading the text. Stage One- Pre-Reading:After I introduce the lesson I will hand each student a copy of the article. After each student has a copy I will begin by saying, “Before you read the article in front of you, we are going to make some word predictions. With your shoulder partner, I want you to quietly take out a piece of paper and a pencil and take one or two minutes to look at the pictures and graphic supports in the article and write down some words you think will appear in the text. I also want you to explain why you think those words are going to appear.” After the students have their words written down I will say, “While you are reading the article I want you to be watching for the words you wrote down on your list. Keep track of them in your head because we will be checking them off your list at the end of our reading. Ready, begin.”Stage Two – During Reading:At this time the students are reading the article and looking for words on the list they generated during the pre-reading strategy. Stage Three – After Reading:Once they are finished reading the article, we will have a grand discussion about what they read as a group. During this time the students will also go back to their lists and put check marks next to the words that appeared and we will discuss why the other words might not have appeared. I will then have the students complete a RAFT in order for them to synthesize what they’ve just read. This RAFT assignment will be as follows:Role: Pilgrim on the MayflowerAudience: SelfFormat: Diary EntryTopic: What it is like living on aboard the MayflowerList three questions you might ask to prompt a grand conversation and require students to dig deeper.

1. The Pilgrims who sailed on the Mayflower suffered horrible living conditions. What are some items that we have in our world today that would have made their living conditions easier and more comfortable?

2. What did you find most interesting in this article? 3. If you were assigned a job on the Mayflower either as an officer, a crew member, or as

the master which one would you want to be and why?

Centers/Literacy Stations

Center #1 Retelling Center The Retelling Center is a place where students practice retelling familiar stories using scanned pictures. For this particular center the students will complete their retelling using a pocket chart. Retelling a story increases a student's depth of comprehension. Students need to use transition words like first, next, then, and finally when retelling the stories. For this center they will need to retell their Trophies story.Center #2 Buddy Reading Students will get with a buddy and read teacher-selected stories together. They are encouraged to "stop and think," ask questions, and make predictions as they read. When they have finished reading they will discuss whether or not their predictions were correct and write down their

answers in their reading journal.Center #3 Computer Work StationStudents will go to the following website: http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/voyage/This website provides a virtual tour aboard the Mayflower. Students take a virtual journey, learning about the ship, where it sailed, and the Pilgrims along the way. From there they take a virtual tour of the ship. The students will explore the website and will answer the following questions on their center worksheet after they complete their virtual voyage:

1. What year did the Pilgrims sail on the Mayflower?2. Where did the Mayflower set sail from?3. Where did the Mayflower land?4. Halfway to the New World a violent storm strikes. What happens to the ship? What

happens to the passenger who was thrown overboard?5. What two items were used to plug the leak on the ship?6. Where does the crew stop before reaching their final destination?7. What day did the Mayflower find new land? 8. How many days was the Mayflower at sea?9. In what part of the ship did the cook prepare meals?10. What was the “Round House” room used for?

After they are done answering the questions they will turn their worksheet into the “in-box” to be graded by the teacher. Center #4 A Day in the Life of… This center is designed to not only help improve students writing skills, but it will challenge them to look at the current book they are reading from the view of the main character. This center is great because it is versatile and can go with any book the students are reading. First, the students will write a letter to the teacher from the main characters point of view. The letter has to address main issues that are discussed in the text, but they can choose whatever topic they’d like. For example: using our trophies story “Across the Dark Wide Sea,” a student can write a letter to the teacher from the main boy’s point of view. They can write about their day aboard the Mayflower, what they found on the New Land, what they miss about home, etc. From there, they will have a partner edit their letter for spelling and grammatical errors. They will use their peer edited version to create a final draft. They will turn their final draft into the “in-box” to be given to the teacher.

Center Rubric

1 2 3 4Center Work Did not complete

any center workCompleted some center work

Completed most center work

Completed all center work

Directions Did not follow directions on tasks

Followed some directions on tasks

Followed most directions on tasks

Followed all directions on tasks

Behavior/Effort Made poor use of time

Made little use of time

Made good use of time

Worked very diligently on tasks

Additional Texts

1. “. . . If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620” By: Ann McGovern2. “Mayflower 1620: A New Look at a Pilgrim Voyage” By: Peter Arenstan, John

Kemp, and Catherine O’Neill Grace3. “Pilgrims of Plymouth” By: Susan Goodman4. “Three Young Pilgrims” by Cheryl Harness5. “Mayflower and the Mayflower Compact” article

These five texts would be great additional reads to the trophies story: “Across the Wide Dark Sea.” All five of these books have great illustrations and pictures to support the text and they give great visuals as to what the Mayflower looked like and how the pilgrims used to live. “Pilgrims of Plymouth” is one of my favorites and it actually works perfectly with one of my DOK activities, because it compares the life of Pilgrims in the 1600’s to today’s world. These books are all grade-level appropriate and support the standards and goals of this unit.