6th Grade Unit 1 by dandanhuanghuang


Grade: 6
Theme: How do I fit into the world?

UNIT 1 : Culture
Big Question: R., What text evidence is best to support my argument? , W., How can I construct a written argument? L: How do I use the parts of a word to discover the meaning?
SS., How does culture shape our lives? PRIMARY TASK
Time Frame: 3 weeks
In this unit, students will learn about the cultural component of social studies. Students will use their summer reading of Seedfolks, along with other fictional and non-
fiction texts as sources for the variety of cultures that exist in the world.

                    Central Text                                           Supplemental Texts                                         Writing Component

             Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman                      “All American Slurp” – p 200 of Glencoe Blue            Building an Argument: Claim, Evidence, Warrant –
                                                                              Literature text                                         Orally (CCS – W6.1)

                                                                Various definitions of culture available online            BCR Writing and connecting it to the Claim,
                                                                                                                         Evidence, Warrant format (instead of A.C.E, shift
                                                                                                                        the vocabulary to the C,E,W of Argument writing)
                                                                                                                                          (CCS – W6.1)

                                                                                                                       Structuring a paragraph – combine with “Building an
                                                                                                                        Argument” piece (the Claim is your topic sentence,
                                                                                                                        Evidence and Warrant are supporting details, finish
                                                                                                                                  with a summary of your claim)

                                                                                                                        Genre Writing: Vignettes / Narratives based on the
                                                                                                                                      central text Seedfolks
      Speaking and Listening Component                                     Reading Component                                         Language Component

Building an Argument: Claim, Evidence, Warrant --           Constructing a BCR based on reading passages (CCS                     Tier 2 Vocabulary from Seedfolks
Orally (CCS – W6.1, SL6.3)                                  – R6.1) –
                                                                Supporting an argument with text (explicit                             Grammar workbook
Process:                                                            and inferred)
     Construct an argument for something silly.                    For example:                                                    The Giggly Guide to Grammar
        (or a current event, for example)                           -Describe Sae Young’s relationship with her
     Identify C,E,W of someone else’s argument                     family. Use information from the text to support          Vocabulary workbook – Classical Roots
     Write C,E,W of basic unit connected topic                     your answer.
                                                                    -What do father’s experiences with learning          Vocabulary activity: Visual Vocabulary and Gallery
        on “culture”
                                                                    English tell you about his character in “The All
     Identify written C,E,W of someone else’s                                                                          Identify Latin/Greek roots in whole-class readings in
                                                                    American Slurp”? Use information from the text to
        argument                                                                                                          order for students to determine word meaning on
                                                                    support your answer.
     Identifying/coding someone else’s multiple                    -Why would someone read this text? Use                                    their own
        Repeat until mastered - this is a brand new skill           information from the text to support your answer.
        for most 6th graders                                        (Focus less on specific reading
                                                                    comprehension skills like main idea and focus
                                                                    more on identifying text support and
           Vignette/Narrative Presentation                          explaining text support – this is more about
                                                                    learning how to build arguments)
Oral Note-taking from Powerpoint presentation for
                     Rich Tasks                                          Cross Curricular Integration                                       Intervention
Document Based Question:                                       Language: Classical Roots vocabulary connection                     Argument Writing Graphic Organizers
Does art accurately display a group’s culture? Explain         (email Language teacher with per unit vocabulary)
using the documents and your personal knowledge.                                                                           Argument Writing Process Chart for the Classroom:
(Resources: definition of “culture”                            Science: How does geography influence a person’s                 Claim: What argument are you trying to make?
-artwork (americanart.si.edu))                                 culture? Looking at specific geographic landforms and       Explanation: What does it say in the text that supports your
                                                               bodies of water and making conclusions about how                                   argument?
                                                               life changes as a result.                                       Warrant: How does the text evidence support your
Performance Task                                               Math: Determine and/or interpret population
In the text Seedfolks, by Paul Fleischman, there are           statistics for cultural information like languages in the         Argument Writing Text Coding (C,E,W)
many different cultures living in close proximity.             world, religions in the world, etc. in order to
Using ___ (two choice, three choice, teacher-                  compare selves to the rest of the world (goes along
specified) vignettes, analyze how cultures are similar         with the theme “How do I fit into the world?”
and different from one another. (Intervention
reminder: In analyzing, you should also be drawing                                     Health:
conclusions about why cultures are similar or
different from one another) – Primary Task (meaning               Reading Across the Contents: Text coding
that this should be introduced at the beginning of the unit,   arguments, argument graphic organizers; Supporting
developed through journaling/classwork/class discussion        an argument with specific text evidence (explicit and
and assessed at the end of the unit)(CCS RL6.1, RW6.1)                             inferred)

                                                                   Writing Across the Contents: Developing
                                                                  arguments orally using Claim, Evidence, Warrant;
                                                                           BCR writing using C,E,W

                                                                   Advisory: Tolerance and cultural sensitivity.

                       Gifted                                                   Trips and Speakers                                     Pratt Library Connection
Identifying and text-coding arguments in high level            Reginald F. Lewis Museum – African American                 Using archives of the Baltimore Sun and other local
writing (such as opinion pieces from the NY Times              culture: Identify elements of African American              newspapers to identify examples of how culture has
and Newsweek)                                                  culture throughout the museum                               changed in Baltimore over the years.
Students should move more quickly through the
argument writing process

                       Assessment for Data Tracking                                                                     MSA Skills
Writing Data Collection:                                                                                  -main idea
    Writer’s Workshop – Conferencing Logs                                                             -directly stated
Reading Data Collection:                                                                              -indirectly stated
    Vocabulary: Quiz, Test, HW Assignments (word maps), Using roots to                           -fiction vs. non-fiction
       determine word meaning, context clues                                                            -context clues
    Comprehension: Quiz, Test, HW/CW Assignments, Using new texts to
       practice skills                                                    R.1.E.4.h: Connect the text to prior knowledge or personal
                                                                          R.1.E.4.c: Identify and explain what is not directly stated in the
                                                                          text by drawing inferences
                                                                          R.3.A.3.a: Identify and distinguish among types of narrative
                                                                          texts such as short stories, folklore, realistic fiction, science
                                                                          fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, essays, biographies,
                                                                          autobiographies, personal narratives, plays, poetry
                                                                          R.3.A.3.e: Analyze relationships between and among
                                                                          characters, setting, and events

MONDAY, September           TUESDAY, September        WEDNESDAY,                THURSDAY,                  FRIDAY, September 9
5                           6                         September 7               September 8                Jackie
                            Jackie and Joe            Joe                       Jackie                     SWBAT compare and
NO SCHOOL           SWBAT survey and       SWBAT make text-self       SWBAT generate and       contrast two vignettes
                    preview the text and   connections by             compare elements of      in Seedfolks in order to
                    set a purpose for      observing teacher          their own culture by     further develop the
                    reading the text.      model and creating one     identifying              class definition of
                    (R1.E.2.a, R1.E.2.b)   of their own. (R1.E.3.j)   commonalities with       culture by making
                                                                      their classmates and     intra-textual and text-
                    SWBAT identify and     SWBAT identify and         creating Group Culture   self connections.
                    practice classroom     practice classroom         Collage. (SS2.A.1.b,     (R3.A.6.b, SS2.A.1.b)
                    norms.                 norms.                     R7.A.1))
                                                                                               SWBAT identify and
                    Activities:            Activities:                SWBAT identify and       practice small group
                    -Readers Survey        -Text-Self Connections     practice classroom       discussion norms
                    -practice classroom    Worksheet                  norms.                   based on given
                    procedures                                                                 questions (R6.A.1,
                                           Homework:                  Activities:              R7.A.1)
                    Homework:              -Elaborated                -Classmate Bingo
                    -Student Survey        Connections                -Group Culture           Activities:
                    -bring home Parent     Worksheet (KEEP)           Product: What brought    -Venn Diagram
                    Survey                                            us together? What else   comparing two
                    -BRING SEEDFOLKS                                  shows we are similar?    vignettes
                                                                                               -small group
                                                                      Homework:                discussion based on
                                                                      -Reader’s Survey         given questions (what
                                                                                               brings these characters
                                                                                               -introduce Where I’m
                                                                                               From Poem

                                                                                               -Culture Survey
                                                                                               -where I’m from

12                  13                     September 14               September 15             16
JACKIE                                     JOE                        JACKIE                   JOE
                    NO SCHOOL
SWBAT create a                                  SWBAT identify the       SWBAT implement the       QUIZ: class norms,
working definition of                           three parts of           5-Finger rule in order    connections, culture, c-
culture by comparing                            argumentative writing    to select an on-level     e-w
multiple definitions                            (claim, evidence,        text for independent
and using their own life                        warrant) by orally       reading.
experience. (SS2.A.1.b,                         argument about a                                   Activities:
R1.E.3.j, R7.A.1)                               current event and then   SWBAT write their         -quiz
                                                deconstructing a         own Vignette by           -guided DBQ stations
SWBAT identify and                              strong argument.         defining “vignette” and   -drafting vignette
practice classroom                                                       applying it’s structure
norms.                                          Activities:              to their My Culture       HOMEWORK:
                                                -debate on current       paragraphs.               -rough draft
Activities:                                     event                                              -choose independent
-Jigsaw/Class                                   -define c-e-w            Activities:               reading book
Presentations                                   -examine and parse a     -book pass to practice
(FORMAL                                         good piece of            5 finger rule
ASSESSMENT)                                     argumentative writing    -introduce
-pose the question:                             -write an argument       independent reading
                                                -share out Monday’s      program
Homework:                                       hw if time               -vignette exploration
Now that you know the                                                    -prewriting
definition and                                  Homework:                -review Vignette rubric
elements of culture,                            -bring book from home
write 2 paragraphs                              for Book Pass            Homework:
about your own                                  -                        -begin Vignette draft?
culture. (what goes in
each paragraph – your
family and then your

19                         20                   September 21             September 22              23
                                                                                                   UNIT 1 ASSESSMENT
Jackie                     Joe                  Jackie                   Joe
SWBAT analyze the         SWBAT articulate rules     SWBAT compare             SWBAT review for
relationship between a    of capitalization and      cultures by applying an   their Unit 1 assessment   Conferencing with
culture and its art by    punctuation by             understanding of the      by playing review         students about
going through the DBQ     observing a teacher        elements of culture to    jeopardy and writing a    vignettes
process.                  model and correct their    the vignettes and         DBQ.                      Homework:
                          own work or the work       seedfolks. Students                                 -final drafts of vignette
Activities                of a peer.                 will use their Venn       Activities:               due MONDAY
-text to world                                       diagrams from last        -review jeopardy
connection teacher        SWBAT revise and edit      week.                     -dbq writing and
model                     their Vignette drafts by                             review
-DBQ station into         learning and               Activities:
-DBQ facilitation         implementing the peer      -review venns             Homework:
                          review process.            -c-e-w framework to       Study
Homework:                                            BCR style question        Vignette
-draft (if they haven’t   Activities:                comparing two
brought it in)            -peer review process       vignettes
-rewrite DBQ              -begin 2nd drafts          -peer review
                                                     process/rewrite BCRs
                          -study                     Homework:
                          -work on vignette          Study (bring in
                                                     questions about test)

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