LA Genre Unit Overview

Unit Plan Overview Grade 4 – LA

Topic Rationale
Text Genres & Biographies Students will explore various genres of text, comparing and contrasting genres and sampling various texts.
Some instructional strategies will involve technology (jamboard), experiential learning (readers café), and
project based learning (Living Wax Museum). To culminate the unit, the students will study non-fiction
biographies to write a short informational report, create a poster, and present their work in a Living Wax
Museum. The focus of this unit will be on retrieving information from text and synthesizing the main
findings in a report and poster to creatively share what they have learned. The students will make
connections to Bible as well, by identifying a throughline that their biographical individual has exemplified
in their life. In this mini unit, my students will have the opportunity to learn about different text genres and
explore an individual that they find fascinating, giving them voice and choice in the classroom.
Key Understandings Essential Questions
- Genres - What can learn from reading a variety of texts?
- Fiction – Realistic, Historical, Comedy, Fantasy, Science, - What are genres?
etc. - What can we learn from amazing people throughout
- Non-fiction – Biographies, autobiographies, informational history?
text - What is a biography?
- Researching informational sources
- Synthesizing main ideas from the text.
- Paraphrasing and taking notes
- Writing an informational report
- Presenting and communicating ideas creatively
Outcomes of Focus (GLO) Objectives/Goals
2- Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to Students will be able to…
comprehend and respond personally and critically to oral, print and - Analyze a variety of texts to carefully determine their genre
other media texts
and purpose
-  Locate, gather, and organize interesting and on topic
3- Students will listen, speak, read, write, view and represent to
manage ideas and information. information from various biographical resources to create a
detailed report plan helping them better understand the text.
- Communicate what they have researched in a meaningfully
written text report that follows a logical sequence and
highlights the significance of the biographical individual.
 - Create a carefully thought out poster that includes 3-5 text
features pertaining to their biographical individual.

Specific Outcomes (SLOs)

2.1 – Using Strategies and Uses
 explain how the organizational structure of oral, print and other media texts can assist in constructing and confirming meaning
 use ideas and concepts, developed through personal interests, experiences and discussion, to understand new ideas and
information
 comprehend new ideas and information by responding personally and discussing ideas with others
 use text features, such as headings, subheadings and margin organizers, to enhance understanding of ideas and information
 preview sections of print texts to identify the general nature of the information and to set appropriate purpose and reading rate

2.2 – Responding to texts

  experience oral, print and other media texts from a variety of cultural traditions and genres, such as personal narratives, plays, novels,
video programs, adventure stories, folk tales, informational texts, mysteries, poetry and CDROM programs 
 compare similar oral, print and other media texts and express preferences, using evidence from personal experiences and the texts

2.4 - Create an original text

 produce oral, print and other media texts that follow a logical sequence, and demonstrate clear relationships between character and
plot

3.1 - Plan & Focus

 use organizational patterns of expository texts to understand ideas and information

 develop and follow a class plan for accessing and gathering ideas and information

3.3 - Organize, Record, & Evaluate

 record ideas and information that are on topic

 paraphrase information from oral, print and other media sources
 examine gathered information to identify if more information is required; review new understanding

3.4 - Share and review 

  communicate ideas and information in a variety of oral, print and other media texts, such as short reports, talks and posters 
 identify strengths and areas for improvement in research process

Genre Unit Plan

Grade & Subject 4 – Language Arts Unit Duration 4 Weeks

Teacher Learning
Hailey Hinton Activities Outcomes
Lesson Length Assessment
45 min (3x/week) Resources/Materials Key Concepts
Unit Genres Mentor Teacher(s) Krista Barkey & Cynthia Parker
Lesson
L1 Readers Café – Book Tasting 2.2 Observation (F) -Genre Cards – Table Centerpiece Fiction & Non-Fiction
 Intro: Genre Brainstorm & 2.1 Exit Slip (F) -Books for each genre Genres
Instructions -Book Tasting Booklets
Lesson: Book Tasting -Exit Slip Analyzing Text
Closure: Book Critic Exit Slip &
Debrief
L2 Genre Stations 2.2 Observation (F) - Books for Book Sort Fiction
Intro: Picture of the Day - Book Sort - 3 Truths & 1 Lie Doc - Realistic Fiction
(What genre?) - Genre Sort - Genre Sort Jamboard - Science Fiction
Lesson: Fictional Genres Discussion (F) - Daily Slides - Historical
Activities: Stations - Genre Guess Fiction
Closure: Speed Recall Evidence (F) - Fantasy
- 3 Truths 1 Lie - Comedy
Non-Fiction
L3 Non-Fiction 2.2 Discussion (F) - Daily Slides Fiction
Intro: Picture of the Day & - Genre Sort - 3 Truths 1 Lie - Realistic Fiction
Jamboard Review Evidence (F) - Exit Slips - Science Fiction
Lesson: Non-Fiction 3 Truths - 3 Truths 1 Lie - Genre Sort Jamboard - Historical
& 1 Lie, - Living Wax Museum Fiction
Biography Project Overview Booklets - Fantasy
Closure: 3-2-1 Exit Slip - Comedy
Non-Fiction
AT HOME 1. Students Choose 3.1 Notes Page (S) - Living Wax Museum Biographies
LEARNING Biography 3.3 Booklet Research
(SPRING 2. Read Biography - Biography of Choosing
BREAK) 3. Complete Report
Planning & Additional
Research
L4 Living Wax Museum (Report) 2.2 Report Sort (F) - Daily Slides Biographies
Intro: What is a biography? 2.4 Discussion (F) - Living Wax Museum Report Writing
Fill in the Blank 3.1 Report (F) Booklet Plagiarism
Lesson: Report Sort & How to 3.3 - Sample reports (1-5)
Write a Report 3.4 - Writing Doc
Closure: Student Planning - Record Sheet
Check
L5 Intro: Review of Report 2.2 Discussion (F) - Daily Slides Biographies
Writing 2.4 Report (F) - Living Wax Museum Report Writing
Lesson: Report Writing Work 3.1 Booklet
Time 3.3 - Writing Doc
Closure: T-P-S 3.4 - Record Sheet
L6 Intro: Review of Report 2.2 Discussion (F) - Daily Slides Biographies
Writing 2.4 Report (F) - Living Wax Museum Report Writing
Lesson: Report Writing Work 3.1 Booklet
Time 3.3 - Writing Doc
Closure: Title Share 3.4 - Record Sheet

L7 Living Wax Museum (Report 2.1 Discussion (F) - Daily Slides Biographies
& Poster) 2.2 Self-Assessment (F) - Sample Poster Planning
Intro: What is editing – 2.4 Report (S) - DUE - Sample Planning Pages Report
checklist & Self-assessment 3.1 - Sample Reports Poster
Lesson: Text Feature 3.3 - Planning & Report Self Self-Assessment
Identification & Poster 3.4 Assessment Sheets Text Features
Requirements - Poster Materials
Closure: Progress Check-In
L8 Intro: Poster Review 2.1 Poster (F) - Daily Slides Biographies
Lesson: Poster Work Time 2.2 Text Feature Count (F) - Poster Materials Poster
Closure: Text Feature Count 2.4 Text Features
3.1
3.3
3.4
L9 Intro: Poster Review 2.1 Poster (F) - Daily Slides Biographies
Lesson: Poster Work Time 2.2 Check-In (F) - Poster Materials Poster
Closure: Teacher Check-In 2.4 Text Features
3.1
3.3
3.4
L10 Intro: TPS 2.1 Checklist (F) - Living Wax Museum Biographies
Lesson: Complete Project 2.2 Gallery Walk Booklets (Checklist) Poster
 Checklist – Revision Time 2.4 Observation (F) Planning
Closure: Gallery Walk 3.1 Poster & Planning (S) - Report
3.3 DUE
3.4
L11 Living Wax Museum Gallery 2.1 Presentation (S) - Grading Rubrics Biographies
1. Expectation 2.2 - Tape Gallery
2. Set-Up 2.4 - Gallery Scavenger Hunt Poster
3. Gallery 3.1 Cards Planning
4. Debrief 3.3 Report
5. Clean-Up 3.4 Presentation

Assessment Plan
Assessment Description F or S SLOs Weighti Reporting
ng
Class Activities During each lesson the students will engage in F&S 2.1-2.4 20% Observations will be
activities that get them thinking and reflecting upon 3.1-3.4 journaled to help
Triangulation: the daily topic. Their participation and contributions guide future lessons
Observation & to the activities will be formatively assessed to get a and class activities
Conversation feel for the classes general understanding before such as the 3 Truths &
moving on. Some activities may include discussion, 1 Lie will be graded
TPS, sorting activities, questionnaires, etc. A couple using a checklist.
of the activities such as the 3 Truths & 1 Lie will be
evaluated to gage student understanding of the
 concepts and will be graded using a checklist. Before
being formally assessed the students will share their
3 Truths and 1 Lie with their peers to get feedback.
Student-Teacher To check for understanding and assess progress, I will F 2.1-2.4 N/A Anecdotal comments
Meetings meet with my students periodically as they work 3.1-3.4 and formative grades
through their biography project. This will not only will be recorded in a
Triangulation: help me see where they are at, but it will also class assessment
Conversation provide me with the opportunity to provide each of tracker.
the students with feedback.
Biography ‘Living Wax This will be a culminating project that the students F&S 2.1-2.4 80% Students will self
Museum’ Project will work through as they explore a biographical 3.1-3.4 asses using a checklist
individual. Each day the students will be given accompanied by a
Triangulation: Production instruction and will put what they have learned into ‘Glow’ and ‘Grow’
practice by creating a project plan, report, and section to help them
poster. The students will have opportunities to reflect on their work.
reflect on their products, self-assess, and make At the very end, on
revisions. The final portion of this project will involve their gallery day, the
a Living Wax Museum Gallery in which each of the students will be
students will showcase their work in costume. This summatively assessed
project will be summatively assessed using a single using a single point
point rubric. rubric.