I Am a Reader: Unit One

Stage 1 – Curriculum
Content Standard(s): Massachusetts ELA Framework, Grade 5
Standard 1: Discussion
Students will use agreed-upon rules for informal and formal discussions in small and
large groups.
Standard 2: Questioning, Listening, and Contributing
Students will pose questions, listen to the ideas of others, and contribute their own
information or ideas in group discussions or interviews in order to acquire new
knowledge.
Standard 4: Vocabulary and Concept Development
Students will understand and acquire new vocabulary and use it correctly in reading and
writing.
Unit Enduring Understandings: Unit Essential Questions:
Students will understand that:

 Good readers read for pleasure  What do good readers do?

 The reading zone is the state of  What do you do when you don’t
complete engagement with a book understand?
 All readers get confused at times
 Strategies help readers make meaning
of text
 “I am one who reads.”
Unit Knowledge: Unit Skills:
Students will know: Students will be able to:

 Their own reading interests and profile  Choose just-right books

 Behaviors of Read to Self
Kid-Friendly Learning Target(s):
We will be able to…
 Choose just-right books
 Realize when it doesn’t make sense
 Explain “reading works for me when…”
 Check out books from the classroom
library
 Care for books
 Enter the reading zone for 20-minute
stretches
 Fill out a reading log
 Analyze their own reading rates and
volume
 Read with increasing stamina, fluency,
and volume
 Retell and summarize texts

Unit designed by Maggie Dillier, Prospect Hill Academy Charter School 1

Template adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins, Jay McTighe, and Carol Ann Tomlinson
  Enter the reading zone and read with stamina
Professional references
 The Reading Zone by Nancie Atwell
 Units of Study for Teaching Reading by Lucy Calkins and colleagues
 The Daily Five by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser
 The CAFÉ Book by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser
 Reading Essentials by Regie Routman
 Day-to-Day Assessment in the Reading Workshop by Franki Sibberson and Karen
Szymusiak
 Guided Comprehension in Grades 3-8 by Maureen McLaughlin
 3-Minute Reading Assessments: Word Recognition, Fluency, and Comprehension by
Timothy V. Rasinski
Stage 2 – Assessment
Formative Assessments: Summative Assessments:
 Student surveys:  Book Bistro student sheet
o Reading Survey 1: Attitude  Book Bistro participation
o Reading Survey 2: Interest  Unit One Rubric:
o Reading Survey 3: Strategies o Habits of reading
o Book survey o Daily reading
o Reader Self-Perception Scale o Reading logs
 Teacher observations and interviews: o Class discussions
o Major Point Interview for Readers o Workshop routines
(MPIR) o Reading strategies
o 3-Minute Reading Assessments:
comprehension, accuracy,
fluency**
o Motivation to Read Profile
Conversational Interview*
 Student application of skills:
o Metacognitive Reading Awareness
Inventory*
o Book caring quiz
o Weekly reading logs

* from Guided Comprehension in Grades 3-8

by Maureen McLaughlin
** 3-Minute Reading Assessments: Word
Recognition, Fluency, and Comprehension by
Timothy V. Rasinski

Unit designed by Maggie Dillier, Prospect Hill Academy Charter School 2

Template adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins, Jay McTighe, and Carol Ann Tomlinson
 Stage 3 – Instruction
Unit Summary:
Our goal is for each child to compose an identity of “I am one who reads.” They’ll learn strategies for
reading with stamina and making sense of what they read, and they’ll learn habits and procedures that
form the basis of our workshop all year.

Culmination of unit: Book Bistro celebration, with each student preparing a presentation about a book
he/she read – with food, drink, and music!
Workshop routines Habits of reading Strategy instruction Building stamina
Week  Introduce rhythm  Making a reading Introduction to  Discuss “stamina”
1 of minilesson, life Comprehension  Create I-chart of
reading time, share  When has reading CAFÉ category: Read to Self
worked for me?  Reading is behaviors
 Setting reading thinking  Practice building
resolutions stamina: 5-8
minutes
Week  Procedures for  Entering the
2 reading at home reading zone
(book baggie,  Build stamina 8-12
reading log) minutes
 The art of
browsing
 Organize library
with kids
Week  Book caring policy  Readers’  Monitoring for  How to choose
3 and practice profiles/reading sense; check for where to sit
territories understanding  Build stamina: 12-
 Having books on 17 minutes
deck
Week  Reading partners  Share favorite  What do you do  Build stamina: 17-
4 books when you don’t 21 minutes
understand?
Week  Analyzing reading  Share favorite  What do you do  Build stamina: 21-
5 logs and setting books when you don’t 25 minutes
goals understand?
 How to prepare for
a Book Bistro
Week  Book Bistro  Share favorite  What do you do  Build stamina: 25-
6 celebration books when you don’t 30 minutes
understand?

Unit designed by Maggie Dillier, Prospect Hill Academy Charter School 3

Template adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins, Jay McTighe, and Carol Ann Tomlinson
 Unit overview
Lesson name Type of lesson Synopsis
(1) Making a reading ___ workshop routines By sharing your own reading habits, you help
life, part one _x_ habits of reading students start a chart called “Making a reading
___ strategy instruction
___ building stamina life”:
 Good readers are surrounded by reading
 Good readers share what they read
 Good readers choose books that are just-
right for them
(2) Making a reading _x_ workshop routines Class adds to chart called “Making a reading life”:
_x_ habits of reading
life, part two
___ strategy instruction
 Good readers reflect on their reading
___ building stamina choices
 Good readers enjoy comfortable reading
environments
 Good readers choose books that are just-
right for them
(3) When has reading ___ workshop routines Teacher shares own positive and negative reading
worked for you? _x_ habits of reading experiences and has students share theirs, to create
___ strategy instruction
___ building stamina a chart titled, “Reading works for me when…”
(4) Setting reading ___ workshop routines Just like athletes, readers stop and think about how
resolutions _x_ habits of reading they’re doing and set goals. Teacher will guide kids
___ strategy instruction
___ building stamina to create New School Year’s Resolutions.
(5) CAFÉ: Reading is ___ workshop routines Strategic read-aloud begins: teacher stops
thinking ___ habits of reading frequently to model thinking aloud about what’s
_x_ strategy instruction
___ building stamina happening – questions, connections, inferences.
Teacher leads students to the idea that “reading is
thinking.” If you’re not thinking, you’re not
reading!
(6) Read to Self: ___ workshop routines Teacher defines stamina. The class creates a chart
Building stamina ___ habits of reading about what Read to Self should look like and sound
___ strategy instruction
_x_ building stamina like. Kids practice Read to Self for 5 minutes only,
then come back together to reflect on the chart. If
there’s time, read for 6 minutes and reflect again.
(7) Procedures for _x_ workshop routines Students learn how to use a book baggie to
reading at home ___ habits of reading transport books between home and school.
___ strategy instruction
___ building stamina
Teacher models using a reading log.
(8) Entering the reading ___ workshop routines Students will define “the reading zone” as a state of
zone ___ habits of reading utter concentration and involvement in a book.
___ strategy instruction
_x_ building stamina
(9) Reading territories ___ workshop routines Students will examine favorite series, authors, and
_x_ habits of reading genres to create a “territory map” of interests.
___ strategy instruction
___ building stamina
(10) The art of browsing _x_ workshop routines Teacher will model approaching a collection of
___ habits of reading books – looking at titles, genres, covers; reading a
___ strategy instruction
___ building stamina blurb or first page.
(11) Book caring policy; _x_ workshop routines The class will define agreements for caring for
_x_ habits of reading

Unit designed by Maggie Dillier, Prospect Hill Academy Charter School 4

Template adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins, Jay McTighe, and Carol Ann Tomlinson
 having books on ___ strategy instruction books – using a bookmark instead of tenting or
deck ___ building stamina dogearing pages; using the book baggie; putting
books back in the correct spot.
(12) Readers’ profiles ___ workshop routines Guided by teacher and using reading territories list,
_x_ habits of reading students will write a paragraph summarizing past
___ strategy instruction
___ building stamina reading experiences and interests.
(13) Monitoring for ___ workshop routines Teacher will read aloud a text, thinking aloud about
sense ___ habits of reading questions and thoughts that occur. Teacher will
_x_ strategy instruction
___ building stamina emphasize that non-comprehension means that
something must be done, that a strategy must be
applied.
(14) Reading partners _x_ workshop routines Students will begin to use reading partners to
___ habits of reading discuss their reading and thinking at the end of each
___ strategy instruction
___ building stamina class period. (Partners have been temporary and
fluid, but now will be assigned.)
(15) What do you do ___ workshop routines In a series of lessons, the teacher will read aloud
when you don’t ___ habits of reading and make thinking explicit. The class will create a
_x_ strategy instruction
understand? ___ building stamina chart of possible strategies to use when meaning
breaks down, and students will practice.
(16) Analyzing reading _x_ workshop routines Using weekly reading logs, students will learn to
goals ___ habits of reading analyze reading progress and set weekly goals.
___ strategy instruction
___ building stamina
(17) Preparing for a _x_ workshop routines Teacher will provide overview of Book Bistro and
Book Bistro ___ habits of reading explain the expectations to students.
___ strategy instruction
___ building stamina
(18) Book Bistro _x_ workshop routines Students will bring prepared Book Bistro sheets
celebration ___ habits of reading and books, and conversations about books will take
___ strategy instruction
___ building stamina place in a café-like setting.

Unit designed by Maggie Dillier, Prospect Hill Academy Charter School 5

Template adapted from the work of Grant Wiggins, Jay McTighe, and Carol Ann Tomlinson