Utah Core State Standards (UCSS)
Elementary English Language Arts (Grs. 2-6)
Comprehending and Composing Template
Salt Lake City School District
Core Theme 1 Grade 5
Universal Theme: Self Discovery
What is the theme?
What is the essential question I would like students to engage at the end of the theme?
Grade Level Theme: Finding a Way
Essential Question: How do challenges help us succeed? What do you learn about yourself or others when you overcome a challenge?
Essential Question Writing Task (Week 5): Describe a challenge you have had, how you met that challenge, and what you learned.
BEFORE READING
What is the essential sub-question for each lesson, as it relates to the theme?
Background knowledge: build or activate students’ related knowledge to the theme or topic.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Title of Main Reading Selection:
Title of Main Reading Selection:
Title of Main Reading Selection:
Title of Main Reading Selection:
“Rope Burn”\
“Line Drive”
“Chang and the Bamboo Flute”
“The Daring Nellie Bly”
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Genre: Autobiography
Genre: Historical Fiction
Genre: Biography
Essential Sub-Question: How has
Richard changed from the beginning
of the story?
Essential Sub-Question: How does
Tanya West Dean feel about playing
baseball? How do you know?
Essential Sub-Question: How does
Bo Wan help Chang?
Essential Sub-Question: How does
the author show Nellie’s
determination to meet her goal?
DURING READING
What reading instruction is needed? (skills, strategies, higher level questions)
Focus Comprehension Skill: Conflict and Resolution
Focus Comprehension Skill: Character Motives
Focus Comprehension Strategy: Using Story Structure
Focus Comprehension Strategy: Monitor Comprehension: Reread
What is the intended comprehension objective of student learning?
Comprehension Objective:
To identify the distinguishing
characteristics of realistic fiction
Comprehension Objective:
To identify the distinguishing
characteristics of an autobiography
Comprehension Objective:
Comprehension Objective:
To reread to clarify understanding
To reread to clarify understanding
To use strategies to monitor reading
To use strategies to monitor reading
comprehension.
comprehension.
AFTER READING
Short Response (Weekly Writing Tasks)
Create the writing task by turning the sub-question into a prompt. Discuss the sub-question and answer it orally before students write.
Writing Task: Compare and contrast
Writing Task: describe how Tanya
Writing Task:
Writing Task: Describe or specify 3
how Richard changed from the
West Dean overcame the challenge
Explain how Bo Wan helps Chang
examples how Nellie used
beginning to the end of the story.
she was faced with. Use examples
overcome his fears. Find examples
determination to meet her goal.
Include examples from the text.
from the text.
from the story to support your
answer.
2
Theme
1
Possible Theme Essential Questions
How do challenges help us succeed?
What do you learn about yourself and others
when you overcome a challenge?
Possible Main Selection Sub-Questions
Lesson 1
How has Richard changed from the beginning
of the story?
Lesson 2
How did Tanya West Dean feel about playing
baseball? How do you know?
Lesson 3
How does BoWan help Chang?
Lesson 4
How does the author show Nellie’s
determination to meet her goal?
Possible Theme Essential Writing Tasks
Describe a challenge you have had, how you
met that challenge and what you learned?
Possible Main Selection Sub-Question Writing
Tasks
Compare and contrast how Richard changed
from the beginning to the end of the story. Use
examples from the text.
Describe how Tanya West Dean overcame the
challenge she was faced with. Use examples
from the text.
Explain how BoWan helps Chang overcome his
fears. Use examples from the story.
Describe or specify three examples from the text
to show how Nellie used her determination to
meet her goal.
Principles of the CCSS found in this template:
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Working around an essential question that binds selections together.
Facilitating extended thinking and reasoning.
Reading across multiple texts for different purposes.
Writing to deepen reading comprehension.
Scaffolding and extensive practice using oral language to support written language.
Learning of academic language and vocabulary.
Learning to write in different genres.
Using on-line resources to support learning.
Ability to substitute CCSS standards for basal reading and writing skills and strategies.
Using various elements of the writing process.
Practicing short responses to a prompt.
Practicing extended responses to a prompt.
3
Theme
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Possible Theme Essential Questions
Possible Theme Essential Writing Tasks
Possible Main Selection Sub-Questions
Possible Main Selection Sub-Question Writing
Tasks