English as a Second Language 5 weeks of...

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Unit 3.7: Outer Space English as a Second Language 5 weeks of instruction Page 1 of 18 STAGE 1 – (Desired Results) Unit Summary: In this unit, the student conducts a genre study of science fiction and researches characteristics of planets and the solar system in order to write a science fiction story. Transversal Themes: Knowledge and Skills, Competencies Integration Ideas: Science, Math, Writing, Reading, Music, Physical Education Essential Questions (EQ) and Enduring Understandings (EU) EQ1. As a writer, how can I grab my reader’s attention? EU1. Writers use a variety of techniques to draw in the reader to make them connect emotionally or become curious about what will happen next. EQ2. How small or big are we? EU2. The sun is one of a trillion of stars with countless other galaxies in the universe. EQ3. Is there life outside of planet Earth? How do we know? EU3. Scientists are searching for other planetary life and many writers are intrigued by the idea of extraterrestrial life. EQ4. What are the defining elements of science fiction as a genre? EU4. Science fiction tells about the imagined future or imagined inventions that would change our world today. Transfer (T) and Acquisition (A) Goals T1. The student leaves the class able to use his/her learning to conduct research and develop a greater awareness of our place in the universe, as well as demonstrate the ability to write a detailed and organized fictional text. The student acquires skills to... A1. Listen and interact with peers appropriately and engage in questioning, response to text, and deliver oral presentations. A2. Use in-depth critical reading to identify and use: point of view, information from illustrations/words in a text, images, and distinguishing features of a sentence to read fluently. A3. Write grammatically correct literary and informational texts. A4. Use enhanced communication skills to write, speak, and read increasingly complex sentences and paragraphs with appropriate use of English grammar and decoding skills.

Transcript of English as a Second Language 5 weeks of...

  • Unit 3.7: Outer Space

    English as a Second Language

    5 weeks of instruction

    Page 1 of 18

    STAGE 1 – (Desired Results)

    Unit Summary: In this unit, the student conducts a genre study of science fiction and researches characteristics of planets and the solar system in order to write a science fiction story.

    Transversal Themes: Knowledge and Skills, Competencies

    Integration Ideas: Science, Math, Writing, Reading, Music, Physical Education

    Essential Questions (EQ) and Enduring Understandings (EU)

    EQ1. As a writer, how can I grab my reader’s attention? EU1. Writers use a variety of techniques to draw in the reader to make them connect emotionally or become curious about what will happen next.

    EQ2. How small or big are we? EU2. The sun is one of a trillion of stars with countless other galaxies in the universe.

    EQ3. Is there life outside of planet Earth? How do we know? EU3. Scientists are searching for other planetary life and many writers are intrigued by the idea of extraterrestrial life.

    EQ4. What are the defining elements of science fiction as a genre? EU4. Science fiction tells about the imagined future or imagined inventions that would change our world today.

    Transfer (T) and Acquisition (A) Goals

    T1. The student leaves the class able to use his/her learning to conduct research and develop a greater awareness of our place in the universe, as well as demonstrate the ability to write a detailed and organized fictional text.

    The student acquires skills to...

    A1. Listen and interact with peers appropriately and engage in questioning, response to text, and deliver oral presentations.

    A2. Use in-depth critical reading to identify and use: point of view, information from illustrations/words in a text, images, and distinguishing features of a sentence to read fluently.

    A3. Write grammatically correct literary and informational texts.

    A4. Use enhanced communication skills to write, speak, and read increasingly complex sentences and paragraphs with appropriate use of English grammar and decoding skills.

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    Puerto Rico Core Standards (PRCS)

    Listening

    3.L.1 Listen and interact with peers during social interactions, read-alouds, oral presentations, and class, group, and partner discussions.

    3.L.1a Ask and answer detailed questions that stimulate conversation and refer to details from the text as the basis for opinions and conclusions, and use appropriate language structure according to purpose and setting (formal and informal).

    Speaking

    3.S.1 Interact in class, group, and partner discussions by following rules, asking and answering questions, and adding relevant information.

    3.S.3 Retell fictional and informational texts; respond to stories, conversations, read-alouds, and presentations; and recount experiences using increasingly complex complete sentences and key words in order to add detail while speaking using expanded vocabulary and descriptive words.

    3.S.5 Describe personal experiences or ideas from a fictional or informational text, choosing appropriate language according to purpose, context, and audience and using grade appropriate grammar. (With support in the first language as necessary.)

    3.S.6 Plan and deliver brief oral presentations on a variety of topics and content areas.

    Reading

    3.R.1 Use in-depth critical reading of a variety of relevant texts to describe ideas, phenomena, cultural identity and literary elements in the texts, asking and answering such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. Recognize fact vs. opinion and fiction vs. nonfiction as well as facts/supporting details from the texts.

    3.R.4L Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.

    3.R.6L Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.

    3.R.7I Explain how specific images (e.g., a diagram showing how a machine works) contribute to and clarify an informational text.

    3.R.7L Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital literary text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.

    Reading Foundational Skills

    3.R.FS.13 Apply the distinguishing features of a sentence when reading (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation).

    Writing

    3.W.2 Write informational texts (e.g., “how-to” book, simple report) with increasing independence, and organize key ideas and details in a clear sequence.

    3.W.3 Write literary texts with increasing independence using appropriate text organization and using transitional words and other cohesive devices to better organize writing.

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    3.W.4 Focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed.

    3.W.6 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of “how-to” books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions).

    3.W.8 Write routinely over short time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a variety of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

    Language

    3.LA.1a Use nouns and adjectives in increasingly complex grammatically correct sentences.

    3.LA.1c Use reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves).

    3.LA.1d Use an apostrophe to form contractions and frequently occurring possessives.

    3.LA.1e Form and apply regular and irregular verbs.

    3.LA.1i Produce, expand, and rearrange complete simple and compound sentences (e.g., The boy watched the movie; The little boy watched the movie; The action movie was watched by the little boy.).

    3.LA.1j Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., during, beyond, toward).

    3.LA.1k Form and use homophones.

    3.LA.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

    3.LA.2a Capitalize appropriate words in titles.

    3.LA.2d Form and use possessives.

    3.LA.2f Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) in writing words.

    3.LA.2g Consult reference materials, including dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings, using the ability to alphabetize by the entire word.

    3.LA.4a Identify new meanings for familiar words and apply them accurately (e.g., knowing duck is a bird and learning the verb to duck).

    3.LA.5 Identify figurative language, word relationships and differences in word meanings.

    3.LA.5a Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps).

    3.LA.6 Accurately use basic conversational, general academic, and content area words and phrases.

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    STAGE 1 – (Desired Results) STAGE 2 – (Assessment Evidence) STAGE 3 – (Learning Plan)

    Alignment to Learning

    Objectives

    Content Focus (The student

    understands…) Content Vocabulary Performance Tasks Other Evidence Learning Activities

    PRCS: 3.L.1 3.R.6L 3.R.7L 3.R.FS.13 3.LA.1k 3.LA.4a 3.LA.5 3.LA.5a EQ/EU: EQ1/EU1 EQ4/EU4 T/A: T1 A1 A2

    Elements or characteristics of science fiction (element of fantasy, (imaginary planets, aliens, imaginary technology that allows humans to travel through space etc.).

    The purpose and structure of a dictionary and alphabetical order.

    Science fiction (fantasy, imaginary technology, space ships, inventions, aliens)

    Integrated Assessment 3.4

    Before completing this unit,

    the teacher should

    administer the first

    integrated assessment to

    students (see Attachment:

    “Integrated Assessment

    3.4”).

    Space Dictionary

    The student creates a dictionary of vocabulary words from the unit. Each word includes a drawing, definition, and is used in a sentence.

    For sample lessons related to the following group of learning activities, refer to the section ‘Sample Lessons’ at the end of this map. Science Fiction Study

    The teacher begins the unit with a genre study to compare and contrast science fiction with other genres the student has already studied since grade 1 (biography, realistic fiction, folktales, myths, non-fiction and fairytales).

    The teacher explains that the unit is about science fiction and the student shares what he/she thinks that means. The teacher explains that science fiction is a type of fantasy that imagines what would happen in the future when we have inventions that can do amazing things (like space travel). The student shares any films he/she has seen that would be considered science fiction (e.g. Avatar, The Last Airbender, Star Wars, Independence Day, Men in Black, the Matrix). The student compares his/her understanding of science fiction again after the genre study. http://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade3/genre

    The teacher selects three science fiction books to read aloud and compare. While reading aloud, the teacher uses different voices to

    http://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade3/genrehttp://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade3/genre

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    acknowledge and model the different points of view. When reading aloud, the student shares what clues help him/her understand that it takes place the future or what inventions are in the books that would change how we live today. The teacher creates a class chart of features in a science fiction book. The teacher uses a movie the student knows to model characteristics of science fiction. The chart should include the following columns: Book Title, Setting & Description, Imaginary Characters, Inventions, and Problem.

    During the read alouds, the teacher picks out any examples of figurative language, homophones, new meanings for familiar words, and any words or phrases that have literal and metaphorical meanings. The teacher puts each in a chart with a labeled section for the student to reference later during the writing of his/her story.

    The teacher reads aloud, “If I Built a Car” by Chris Van Dusen. The teacher models how to use information gained from illustrations and words to show understanding of the characters, setting, and plot. The student imagines types of inventions that would allow humans to travel through space or create new societies. In teams of three, the students generate a goal they have for the future (say in 100 years) and what type of inventions would help them achieve it. The student creates a model (3D) or a drawing of an invention and presents it to the class. The student makes a poster with the name of the invention, its

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    purpose, how it helps us, and what year it will be created.

    The student rereads science fiction books or other unfamiliar science fiction books aloud with a partner to practice fluency. The teacher notices whether the student is applying the features of a sentence when reading.

    The teacher does an informal assessment of reading comprehension and point of view by listening to the student read to see if he/she uses different voices to show the different points of view. The teacher asks questions to see if the student is using information gained from illustrations or words to understand the characters, setting, or plot of the story he/she is reading.

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    STAGE 1 – (Desired Results) STAGE 2 – (Assessment Evidence) STAGE 3 – (Learning Plan)

    Alignment to Learning

    Objectives

    Content Focus (The student

    understands…) Content Vocabulary Performance Tasks Other Evidence Learning Activities

    PRCS: 3.L.1a 3.S.1 3.R.1 3.R.7I EQ/EU: T/A: T1 A1

    That the planets orbit the sun and the moon orbits around the planets.

    That 24 hours is a full rotation of the earth on its axis and this causes day and night.

    That gravity pulls objects together to maintain an orbit.

    Gravity Orbit Revolve,

    revolution Rotate, rotation

    Word Family Check

    The teacher selects a word family with two or three letter clusters to focus on every week during the morning meeting. The teacher has a short lesson of how to pronounce the cluster and gives examples of words. (See website: http://www.carlscorner .us.com/Sorts.htm for word family picture cards and sorting ideas). The teacher uses attachment, 3.7 Other Evidence – Word Family Assessment to check the student’s ability to identify and read letter clusters. The student creates a word family notebook to keep track of new words throughout the year (see attachment: 3.7 Other Evidence – Word Family Book).

    For sample lessons related to the following group of learning activities, refer to the section ‘Sample Lessons’ at the end of this map. Earth, Rotation

    The teacher asks if the student knows why there is day and night. Use attachment, 3.7 Learning Activity – Space Vocabulary Cards. For each word, the teacher gives a demonstration and uses the picture to describe it. Then the teacher uses the second picture for the student to turn to a partner and describe the picture using the vocabulary word. The teacher supplements vocabulary with a demonstration using a basketball or globe and a flashlight to show the Earth rotating as the sun shines on one side of Earth at a time. The teacher explains how the earth spins on its axis. The student physically demonstrates rotation (spinning like a top), revolution (moving around a central object), and orbiting (going around in a circular path).

    The teacher reads aloud, “What Makes Day and Night” and refers to the following lesson: http://eyeonthe132sky.org/ lessonplans/05sun_daynight.html. The teacher explains how a specific image in the book contributes to and clarifies how the

    http://www.carlscorner.us.com/Sorts.htmhttp://www.carlscorner.us.com/Sorts.htmhttp://eyeonthe132sky.org/%20lessonplans/05sun_daynight.htmlhttp://eyeonthe132sky.org/%20lessonplans/05sun_daynight.html

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    earth goes around the sun. The student tells how another image in the book contributes to his/her knowledge or understanding of the text.

    The teacher explains that gravity is a force that pulls matter together. The object with more mass, or more matter, has a stronger pull. The students work together to develop a demonstration with their bodies of how this works (one kid gravitates towards a group of two kids). The teacher then demonstrates how gravity is what pulls the earth to revolve around the sun in an orbit. The students demonstrate orbits in groups of three (have one person be the sun, one person be the earth rotating and revolving around the sun, and one person be the moon rotating and revolving around the earth).

    The teacher keeps a moon journal throughout the unit to encourage the student to look for the moon and draw the different phases of the moon. This teaches how the moon also revolves around the earth.

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    STAGE 1 – (Desired Results) STAGE 2 – (Assessment Evidence) STAGE 3 – (Learning Plan)

    Alignment to Learning

    Objectives

    Content Focus (The student

    understands…) Content Vocabulary Performance Tasks Other Evidence Learning Activities

    PRCS: 3.R.4L 3.W.2 3.W.6 3.W.8 3.LA.2a 3.LA.2f EQ/EU: EQ3/EU3 T/A: T1 A1 A3

    Planets in the solar system & their characteristics (size, mass, temperature, color, composition, moons) (e.g. Pluto is no longer a planet because of its size, the sun is a star that produces energy for life to grow on Earth).

    Galaxy, Galaxies Gravity Orbit Planets

    (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)

    Pluto Revolve,

    revolution Rotate, rotation Solar System

    (Sun, moon, planets, asteroids)

    Star Universe Words to

    describe planets (axis, mass, composition, temperature)

    For complete descriptions, refer to the section ‘Performance Tasks’ at the end of this map. Planet Tab Book

    Step 1: The student selects a planet he/she is interested in studying to create and publish a book. The student selects the style of book, or uses attachment: 3.7 Learning Activity – Layered book foldable).

    Space Alphabetizing

    On index cards, the student writes down names of planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune as well as the moon, sun, and stars), and places the words in alphabetical order by first and second letter criteria.

    For sample lessons related to the following group of learning activities, refer to the section ‘Sample Lessons’ at the end of this map. Planets

    The teacher asks the students, “What is a planet?” and records their answers in a class word web. The students describe how they know something is a planet. The teacher creates a KWL class chart of what the students know and want to know about planets and uses their questions to guide the unit.

    The teacher asks the students if all planets are the same and writes down responses. The students decide which planet they would like to know more about and conduct a research project on. Students use attachment, 3.7 Learning Activity – Main Idea and Details Organizer to take notes on the planet.

    The teacher shows the type of information they can find using Earth as a model. Categories include, but are not limited to, planet, size (mass), revolution around the sun, temperature, and number of moons.

    The student sings songs about planets to learn about their unique characteristics.

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    He/She pays attention to the rhythm and beat of the music to hear how the words supply the rhythm and meaning in the song. http://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/exploring-the- planets/online/ss/ss_fots.html

    Based on the planet the student studied, the teacher asks, “Is there life outside Earth?” The teacher has a discussion on whether or not he/she thinks there is life on other planets. The student creates an alien that could survive on that planet. How can it adapt to the extreme cold or heat? What would its house look like? What would it eat? The student can create other aliens or planets because it is science fiction!

    The teacher revisits the question, “Are all planets the same?” or “What makes a planet?” to see how the student’s viewpoint has changed from his/her previous perceptions and complete the KWL chart.

    http://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/exploring-the-%20planets/online/ss/ss_fots.htmlhttp://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/exploring-the-%20planets/online/ss/ss_fots.html

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    STAGE 1 – (Desired Results) STAGE 2 – (Assessment Evidence) STAGE 3 – (Learning Plan)

    Alignment to Learning

    Objectives

    Content Focus (The student

    understands…) Content Vocabulary Performance Tasks Other Evidence Learning Activities

    PRCS: 3.S.3 3.S.5 3.LA.6 EQ/EU: EQ2/EU2 T/A: T1 A1 A2

    Planets in the solar system and their characteristics (size, mass, temperature, color, composition, moons) (e.g. Pluto is no longer a planet because of its size, the sun is a star that produces energy for life to grow on Earth).

    That the solar system is a part of the Milky Way Galaxy, which is one of countless galaxies in the universe.

    Galaxy, Galaxies Planets

    (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune)

    Pluto Solar System

    (Sun, moon, planets, asteroids)

    Star Universe

    Vocabulary Assessment

    Oral Assessment of Word Wall Vocabulary and Individual Vocabulary (see attachment: Resource 1 – Oral Assessment for Vocabulary Acquisition).

    For sample lessons related to the following group of learning activities, refer to the section ‘Sample Lessons’ at the end of this map. The Sun is Not the Only Star in the Sky

    The teacher asks, “How small or big are we?” The teacher determines if the student understands the size of our solar system relative to the universe. The teacher reads aloud, “Galaxies” so the student can understand that the solar system includes just one star out of billions in the sky. The teacher shares how gravity, the same force that brings together the planets to orbit around the sun, keeps the stars together.

    After reading “Galaxies”, the student realizes that there are countless galaxies with billions of stars in each galaxy. The teacher asks again, “Is there life outside Earth?” and sees if the student’s answer changes after learning about the size of the universe. The teacher asks if knowing the size of the universe makes the student feel small or special. The student talks with a partner and writes a reflection on his/her thoughts about the essential question.

    The teacher shares how constellations are our neighbor stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

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    The teacher brings in a map of constellations and has the student create a constellation telescope (punch holes on aluminum foil in the shape of the constellation and rubber band or tape it to the end of a toilet paper tube, so when he/she points it towards light, he/she can see the constellation).

    The student observes the constellations at night and draws the constellations he/she sees. The student creates his/her own constellations or draws ones that have already been named.

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    STAGE 1 – (Desired Results) STAGE 2 – (Assessment Evidence) STAGE 3 – (Learning Plan)

    Alignment to Learning

    Objectives

    Content Focus (The student

    understands…) Content Vocabulary Performance Tasks Other Evidence Learning Activities

    PRCS: 3.S.6 3.W.3 3.W.4 3.LA.1a 3.LA.1c 3.LA.1d 3.LA.1e 3.LA.1i 3.LA.1j 3.LA.2 3.LA.2d 3.LA.2g EQ/EU: EQ1/EU1 EQ4/EU4 T/A: T1 A3 A4

    The writing process—brainstorm, draft, edit, revise and publish.

    Writing process words

    For complete descriptions, refer to the section ‘Performance Tasks’ at the end of this map. Science Fiction Story

    From the genre study and study of the solar system, the student writes his/her own science fiction story about space travel. To differentiate, the student chooses to write the story by him/herself or with a partner.

    The teacher celebrates the work of the student with a publishing party and invites younger students to come listen to the student read his/her story. The teacher invites family and school staff to witness and celebrate the student’s work.

    Fluency Check

    The student reads aloud to check for: fluency, difficulty in words, intonation, skipped words, and missed endings (see attachment: Resource 8 – Paired Reading Fluency Check as an evaluation).

    For sample lessons related to the following group of learning activities, refer to the section ‘Sample Lessons’ at the end of this map. Writing a Science Fiction Story/ Grammar for a story

    The best way to teach genre writing is by having the books read to be the models for the student to emulate. The teacher asks, “As a writer, how can I grab my reader’s attention?” The student searches books that he/she has been read during the unit with interesting beginnings. The teacher creates a class T-chart of the book title and the strategy the writer used to capture the reader’s attention (dialogue, action, question, description of place). The teacher refers to examples (see attachment: 3.7 Learning Activity – Glossary of Good Beginnings) and the lesson below on finding good beginnings in stories: http://www.readwritethink .org/classroom -resources/lesson- plans/fishing-readers -identifying-writing-969.html

    Using the class chart of science fiction features for the student to brainstorm, the teacher asks about types of inventions he/she would include or what sorts of problems his/her characters would find on

    http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/fishing-readers-identifying-writing-969.htmlhttp://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/fishing-readers-identifying-writing-969.htmlhttp://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/fishing-readers-identifying-writing-969.html

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    different planets. The teacher breaks down the writing process

    for fiction and uses this as a resource when the student is writing his/her science fiction story: http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro /lessonplans/fictindex .htm

    The teacher introduces reflexive pronouns (myself, ourselves), contractions/possessives with apostrophes and frequently occurring prepositions for students to use during writing from the first person perspective. The teacher uses past read aloud books for the student to find other pronouns, contractions/possessives, and prepositions.

    The teacher uses the same activity with regular and irregular verbs, introducing them and then using past read aloud books for the student to find regular/irregular verbs.

    http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/fictindex.htmhttp://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/fictindex.htmhttp://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/fictindex.htm

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    STAGE 3 – (Learning Plan)

    Suggested Literature Connections

    Science Fiction Books:

    Jane Yolen o Commander Toad and the Intergalactic Spy

    Chris Van Dusen o If I Built a Car

    Bob Staake o Hello Robots!

    Kevin O’Malley o Captain Raptor and the Moon Mystery

    Jon Scieszka o Baloney (Henry P.)

    Chris Gall o There’s Nothing to Do on Mars

    Thacher Hurd o Moo Cow Kaboom!

    Colin McNaughton o Here Come the Aliens!

    Arthur Yorinks o Tomatoes from Mars

    Theresa Heine o Star Seeker: A Journey to Outer Space

    Space:

    Gail Gibbons o On Planets

    Franklyn Branle o What Makes Day and Night

    Howard K. Trammel

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    o Galaxies (True Books: Space Series)

    Ken Than o Stars (True Books: Space Series)

    Elaine Landau o Sun (True Books: Space Series)

    Franklyn Branley o The Planets in Our Solar System (Let’s Read and find out Science, Stage 2)

    Lynn Wilson o What’s Out There? A Book About Space

    Roy Gallant (Has a cool section on what if aliens lived on planets, how would they survive) o National Geographic Picture Atlas of Our Universe

    David A. Aguilar o 13 Planets: The Latest View of the Solar System (National Geographic Kids)

    Carole Scott o Eye Wonder: Space

    Khephra Burns and William Miles o Black Stars in Orbit: NASA’s African American Astronauts

    Nancy Ploette o Mae Jamison (Rookie Biographies)

    Lissa Johnston o Ellen Ochoa: Pioneering Astronaut(Fact Finders Biographies: Great Hispanics)

    Additional Resources

    Starting a Story: http://k6educators.about.com/cs/languageartswr/a/WritingStart.htm

    Information about planet characteristics and their moons (for teachers): http://nineplanets.org/ o (for the student): http://kids.nineplanets.org/

    http://k6educators.about.com/cs/languageartswr/a/WritingStart.htmhttp://nineplanets.org/http://kids.nineplanets.org/

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    Performance Tasks

    Planet Tab Book

    Step 1: The student selects a planet he/she is interested in studying to create a book. The student selects the style of book or uses attachment: 3.7 Learning Activity – Layered book foldable). Step 2: The student selects three or four characteristics he/she wants to know about the planet and creates a tab for each one. Each page has a sentence or two describing the planet’s facts on the

    characteristic. Step 3: The student creates a cover and shares his/her book with two other students. Step 4: The student completes a reflection on what he/she learned from the other students by answering questions: “I learned that _____. I was surprised to know that _____. I want to know more

    about ______”

    Science Fiction Story

    Step 1: From the genre study and study of the solar system, the student writes his/her own science fiction story about space travel. To differentiate, the student chooses to write the story by him/herself or with a partner.

    Step 2: The student selects a planet (or moon) to be the setting of his/her story and creates aliens that can survive on the planet as well as inventions that will help humans arrive and be able to survive on. The student uses attachment 3.7 Graphic Organizer – Story Map Organizer to plan the plot of the story.

    Step 3: To support the creation of an interesting beginning that captures the reader’s attention, the teacher selects picture books that have an exciting beginning to model how to begin (with dialogue, lots of action, interesting descriptions of the place etc.).

    Step 4: During the drafting process, the teacher shares that the writer you has the entire story in his/her head, but the readers need him/her to give details so they can visualize what is happening. To emphasize this point, the teacher selects stories that have good description as models to share with the student.

    Step 5: After the first draft is completed, the student receives feedback from other students. The teacher uses these questions as a prompt to give feedback: “Was my beginning interesting? What did you like? What did you not understand? What can I change?”

    Step 6: The teacher reads over the draft to make sure the student is appropriately using apostrophes, prepositions, and pronouns, that he/she includes some figurative language and is using regular and irregular verbs appropriately.

    Step 7: The student uses picture dictionaries (the ones in class and the ones he/she made) to assist in including vocabulary in his/her story. Step 8: The teacher selects some of the students’ beginnings that are strong and uses them as examples to share with the whole class. This inspires the other students to revise their work while

    praising the work of the students. Step 9: The student includes suggestions, makes changes in his/her final draft and writes out the book in a picture book style (with pictures on every page and a cover). Step 10: The teacher celebrates the work of the student with a publishing party and invites younger students to come listen to the student read his/her story. The teacher invites family and school

    staff to witness and celebrate the student’s work. The teacher uses attachment 3.7 Performance Task – Narrative Writing Rubric to assess story.

  • Unit 3.7: Outer Space

    English as a Second Language

    5 weeks of instruction

    Page 18 of 18

    Suggested Sample Lessons

    Genre Study of Science Fiction: http://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade3/genre Cause and Effect reading The Planets by Gail Gibbons: http://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade3/cause-and-effect/lesson-3 Create a Solar System Model: http://www.zoomwhales.com/crafts/astronomy/solarsystemmodel/ Writing a Fiction Story Lessons: http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/fictindex.htm

    http://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade3/genrehttp://www.readworks.org/lessons/grade3/cause-and-effect/lesson-3http://www.zoomwhales.com/crafts/astronomy/solarsystemmodel/http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/fictindex.htm