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Unit Planning Template

Unit Overview
Unit Title Themes and Summaries
Teacher Michaela Pelletier

Grade Level/Course Grade 4

Length/Dates 3 weeks

Unit Summary
Provide 2-4 sentences
describing the main ideas,
content and skills of the unit.
Class will read Charlotte’s Web Chapter Book as a class with Teacher.
Afterwards we will learn about what a theme in a story is and how to
summarize a book.

Stage 1: Desired Results

Standard(s)

List the Graduation Standards, Guiding Principles, or Cross-Curricular Skills this unit will address.

Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem 2. from details in the text; summarize the text.

Describe in depth a character, setting, or event 3. in a story or drama, drawing on specific details

in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).

Determine the main idea of text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.

Primary Indicators
Supporting Indicators

List the Performance Indicators that will be List any indicators that will be reviewed or
assessed on the summative assessment for this introduced, but not formally assessed.
unit.

Students can read a short text and summarize
it.
Students can pull out different themes that
relate to a story.
Students can recall characters and setting in a
story.
Students can pull out main ideas of a story.
Students will work on a summary of a variety of
short stories and be able to brainstorm themes
that go with the story.
Students will work on a summary of Charlotte’s
Web and be able to brainstorm themes that go
with the story.

The Glossary of Education Reform by Great Schools Partnership is licensed under

a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Adapted from work by Wiggins and McTighe's Understanding by Design.

 Last revised 6.15.16

Essential Question(s)
How do we draw meaning and understanding from a given text?

These questions are

related to the enduring
understandings and
provide relevance for the
learning in the unit.

Enduring Knowing and understanding the key components and how to break
Understanding(s)
down a story are essential throughout a students education and reading
What are the big picture journey. It opens a new world to understanding stories and being able to
understandings that are read/follow longer ones. It transforms a text to a story.
transferable across
contexts, places, and
times?

What will students know?

What will students be able to do?

Factual information, vocabulary, and basic concepts Skills, processes, and/or knowledge that are related
related to each indicator. to each indicator and which students will be able to
use in new contexts/with new material.

Theme Students will be able to create a short summary

Summary of a reading.
Conclusion
Plot Students will be able to pick out a theme that
Conflict ties into a story.
Character
Students will be able to recognize conflicts and
a plot in the story.

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Stage 2: Evidence of Student Learning

Task Neutral Scoring Criteria
Define levels of performance for each indicator
Indicator
1

2
3
4

List performance Emerging

Developing Proficient Distinguished

indicators from Stage 1.

Students can read a Students can Students can Students can Students can
short text and define what a identify main draw give a detailed
summarize it. summary is. characters and conclusions conclusion of
events that took about what what they have
place in a story. happened in the read.
story
chronologically.
Students can connect Students can Students can Students can Students can
a theme to a short define a theme. identify a theme apply a theme to come up with
story. that connects to a story and multiple themes
a short story explain why it that could apply
without further works. to the story.
explanation.

Pre-assessment

Determines student strengths, weaknesses, and prior knowledge of the concepts and skills addressed
in the unit.

To pre- assess the students, I will first show a video on what is a theme in a story. I then will hand
out a simple short story to the class we will then read it together. After reading it, I will have each
student write for 10 minutes on a sheet of paper about what they just read and collect it. Then as
a class we will talk about theme and see what we can come up with.

Summative Assessment Task

Describe what students will do and produce to develop evidence that will be evaluated using the scoring
criteria. If an assessment has not been developed, the Summative Assessment Planning Template and
Protocol might be helpful to guide this process.

As a class we will read Charlotte’s Web over the course of a week. At the end I will have kids do
a mini project in class. They will have to summarize the book in a written format and then get
creative using either a shadow box or poster to present theme to the class. This will prove that
the students can not only identify theme but can show it and share it.

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Stage 3: Instructional Design

Week 1
Day 1
Hook

Encourages students to access prior knowledge; sparks student interest and engagement, and answers
the question, “Why do we need to learn this?”

Ask the students, “Does anyone have any stories they’d like to share with the class that?”


*Call on student

Allow the student to share a story and then ask the kids “ so can anyone tell me really quickly
what ___ just talked about?

“Great, you just summarized!”

“Can anyone tell me who he talked about the most?

“Great, you just determined the main character!

Explain to kids that these will be what we will be doing over the next week and that we will break
it down until we can put it all together by ourselves.

Then explain learning targets and go from there…

Learning Targets
Formative Assessment
Learning Experiences

Identify what students should Provide clear, descriptive, Differentiated experiences that
know and do in the course of the actionable feedback for students provide opportunities for students
specific learning experience. and provide feedback to teachers to engage in active learning
in order to adjust instruction. around the learning target(s).

Our learning target today is…
Defining and picking out a
main events that happen in a
story.
Read short stories to the class
have the kids tell you what
happened (major). Try to hear a
little from everyone, while they
do so write on the board.
Students will be introduced to
a new topic but will get to do a
class discussion rather then sit
there and just listen.

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Day 2
Hook

Encourages students to access prior knowledge; sparks student interest and engagement, and answers
the question, “Why do we need to learn this?”

Ask kids to quickly review yesterday and the stories.

Watch a video on what a is in a story….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq4jnZfnKS4

Learning Targets
Formative Assessment
Learning Experiences

Identify what students should Provide clear, descriptive, Differentiated experiences that
know and do in the course of the actionable feedback for students provide opportunities for students
specific learning experience. and provide feedback to teachers to engage in active learning
in order to adjust instruction. around the learning target(s).

Picking out characters in a Read short stories to the class
story. have the kids tell you main
characters. Try to hear a little
from everyone, while they do
so write on the board.
Students will be introduced to
a new topic but will get to do a
class discussion rather then sit
there and just listen.

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Day 3
Hook

Encourages students to access prior knowledge; sparks student interest and engagement, and answers
the question, “Why do we need to learn this?”

Ask kids to quickly review yesterday and ask what they have learned.
Start to fill out a K W L chart.
Hand out post it notes and give each kids. A chance to stick theirs on the chart.

Learning Targets
Formative Assessment
Learning Experiences

Identify what students should Provide clear, descriptive, Differentiated experiences that
know and do in the course of the actionable feedback for students provide opportunities for students
specific learning experience. and provide feedback to teachers to engage in active learning
in order to adjust instruction. around the learning target(s).

Our learning target today is
going to be putting the main
characters and events together
and creating a summary as a
class.
I will ask students questions Students will be able to get a
regarding the learning target better understanding of the
after reading a short story. I will topic while putting it into
do two short stories. practice.

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Day 4
Hook

Encourages students to access prior knowledge; sparks student interest and engagement, and answers
the question, “Why do we need to learn this?”

Ask kids to quickly review yesterday and the stories.

Today we will do the same things but without me. You will be doing it in small groups and if you
need help you can raise your hand and I will help.

After all of the groups are finished, we will share with the class our summaries of our stories.
Each group will have a different story.

Learning Targets
Formative Assessment
Learning Experiences

Identify what students should Provide clear, descriptive, Differentiated experiences that
know and do in the course of the actionable feedback for students provide opportunities for students
specific learning experience. and provide feedback to teachers to engage in active learning
in order to adjust instruction. around the learning target(s).

Being able to pick out the main Go over stories as a class Each group will be able to
characters and events to break into groups to talk and discuss and then present to
create a summary in small figure out a summary. the class what they have come
groups using a short story. up with.

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Day 5
Hook

Encourages students to access prior knowledge; sparks student interest and engagement, and answers
the question, “Why do we need to learn this?”

Ask kids to quickly review yesterday and the stories.

Ask kids if they could do what they did yesterday but on their own?
Why is this important?
Have each kid pick out a story and begin.

Learning Targets
Formative Assessment
Learning Experiences

Identify what students should Provide clear, descriptive, Differentiated experiences that
know and do in the course of the actionable feedback for students provide opportunities for students
specific learning experience. and provide feedback to teachers to engage in active learning
in order to adjust instruction. around the learning target(s).

Given a short story to each
individual student and they are
to create a summary.
I will collect everyone’s
summary to see how they do
individually.
The students will be able to
put their skills and what they
know to the test by working by
themselves. This will not count
for a grade but to see where
they are at and how I am
doing.

Stage 4: Resources and Reflection

Resources

Support varied student needs and learning styles and include a range of media and print materials.

I will need different short stories from my classroom library that can suit kids that are more
advanced and kids that need more help. Enough short stories for each student.
I will need my laptop to show videos.
I will need pencils, markers, paper.

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Student Reflection

Provides an opportunity for students to reflect on learning and progress toward indicators; occurs
throughout and at the end of a unit; incorporates goal setting.

At the end of the each day I will allow my students to put out a red, green, or yellow card
depending on how they feel with what we are learning. If they have a red card then I will set up a
time to meet and discuss a plan.

Teacher Reflection

Provides an opportunity for teachers to reflect on instruction and student progress toward indicators;
occurs throughout and at the end of the unit; is based on student learning and engagement data; can
result in changes to the unit, to instructional practice, or both.

Because this would be the first week of a unit, I would go from there see how the first week went
and if it was successful stick to my plan. If it needed work, then I could take time to reflect see
what I could do to help improve it and make changes for the next lesson.

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