Curriculum planning chart

Generative Topic (Blythe et al, 1998): Relationship Between Humans & Animals
Concept

Standard

("The student will

understand")
(The big idea, the
"enduring
understanding"
[Wiggins, 1998]; a
broad way of making
sense of the world, or
a life lesson)

CC.1.4.3.G Write opinion

pieces on familiar topics or
texts

- Writing can be used

to take a stance and
defend it

CC.1.4.3.I Support an
opinion with reasons;
Create an organizational
structure that includes
reasons linked in a logical
order with a concluding
statement or section

Central problem /
issue / or essential
question (intended to
"get at" the concept;
the motorvator)
- How can we
develop a convincing
argument that takes a
stance on an animalrelated issue?

CC.1.4.3.H Introduce the

topic and state an opinion
on the topic

CC.1.4.3.K Use a variety of

words and sentence types
to appeal to the audience
CC.1.4.3.L Demonstrate a
grade-appropriate
command of the
conventions of standard
English grammar, usage,
capitalization, punctuation,
and spelling
CC.1.4.3.X Write routinely
over extended time frames
(time for research,
reflection, and revision) and
shorter time frames (a
single sitting or a day or
two) for a range of
discipline-specific tasks,
purposes, and audiences

Subject: Writing

Name: Hestia & Rachel E.

Assessment

Facts

Skills

Problems to pose

(How will you have

evidence that they
know it?)

("The students will

know")

("The students will be

able to")

("Guiding questions" or
"unit questions")

1. Pre-write: indicates
students knowledge
and abilities coming in
to the unit (baseline)

- Zoos offer important

rehabilitative services
to animals

- Write an introduction
that clearly states the
position being taken

- How do animals
impact humans?

- Some zoos also hold

animals in cramped or
poor conditions of
captivity

- Use facts and

evidence to support
the position

2. Take a stance
activity: indicates
students initial
abilities to take a
stance and support
their position (provides
us with a baseline for
the rest of our
teaching). For
example, if a student
is able to choose a
side of the room
(agree or disagree)
and use a fact or
example to explain
why they moved to
one side of the room,
that would indicate
background
knowledge of
argumentative
thinking.
3. Persuasive writing
outline: students
develop a strong
opinion and key
supporting facts,
drawing on the
material that we are
covering in our unit.
For example, if a
student draws on key
points from our class
discussion on zoos
and uses these points
to support their

- Some families have

the capacity and
desire to offer a good
home to pets.
- For other families, it
may make sense to
assist animals in a
way other than by
getting a pet; some
cultures dont keep
domesticated animals
as pets.
- Humans impact
many animals
environments in a
negative way (through
developments,
pollution, etc).

- End with a strong

conclusion
- Use convincing
language that appeals
to the designated
audience

- How do humans
impact animals?
- How can we make the
relationship more
balancedi.e. how can
humans treat animals
with more respect?
- How can we write
persuasively about an
animal-related issue?

- Use grade-level
appropriate spelling,
grammar, and
organization

- What facts and

examples can we use
to take a stance on an
animal-related issue?

- Plan out each stage

of the writing process
and use time for
research, reflection,
and revision

- How can we use facts

to support our opinion?
- How can we
incorporate critical
thinking, empathy, and
perspective in order to
write persuasively?
- How can we tailor our
writing to an audience?

Activities:

1. Pre-write: students
write all they can
about their topic
2. Take a Stance
activity: students move
about the room to
display their opinion in
response to
statements and then
justify their response
in pair shares/whole
group discussion
3. Persuasive writing
outline: students write
an outline of a
persuasive letter that
uses facts to support
their opinion; letter
responds to one of
three promptszoos,
pets, or habitatsand
takes a stance on one
of these issues
4. Persuasive writing
first draft: students use
their outline to
organize their
evidence into
paragraphs
5. Participation:
students engage in
partner work, small
group work, and class
discussions that guide
them through the
writing process;
students share their
opinions and

opinion that zoos

should give animals
bigger habitats, that
will indicate that the
student is critically
evaluating the unit
content and using it to
write persuasively.
4. Persuasive writing
first draft: contains a
strong opinion,
supporting evidence,
and convincing
language. In their
draft, we will be
looking for them to
expand their critical
thinking, empathy, and
sense of perspective.
The letter is a way for
them to delve deeply
into one aspect of the
animal-human
relationship (either
zoos, pets, or
habitats). For
example, a student
could indicate that
they are grasping the
big ideas of the unit by
writing the introduction
of their letter from the
point of view of an
animal in captivity
(demonstrating that
the student is
considering the
animals perspective
and point of view), and
then using evidence to
show how zoos that
keep animals in small
spaces can negatively
impact the animals
well-being (indicating
that the student is
thinking carefully
about one way
humans impact
animals.

knowledge with one

another; students
complete their outline
and as much as
possible of their first
draft

5. Participation
throughout: students
ask and respond to
questions, work
proactively with their
writing partners, and
use the revision
process appropriately.
Students can
demonstrate mastery
of the unit material by
choosing an animalrelated issue and
using facts, examples,
and stories to illustrate
their point in a way
that incorporates
empathy, nuance, and
point of view. For
example, if a student
writes a letter to
convince people to
adopt pets rather than
buy them, supports
this point with facts
and knowledge
learned in the unit,
draws on empathy and
perspective (i.e.
Adopting pets allows
us to provide a good
home to animals in
need), and involves
critical thinking/nuance
(i.e. However, people
who cant afford to
care for a pet could
consider helping by
volunteering at a
shelter, instead of
adopting a pet), this
will indicate that this
student has met the
understanding goals.

Generative Topic (Blythe et al, 1998): Relationship Between Humans & Animals Subject: Literacy/Social Studies Name: Hestia & Rachel E
Concept

Standard

Assessment

Facts

Skills

Problems to pose

(How will you have

evidence that they
know it?)

("The students will

know")

("The students will be

able to")

("Guiding questions" or
"unit questions")

- Animals are an
integral part of many
peoples lives in the
U.S.; they provide us
with entertainment,
transportation, and
essential resources
and services.

- Engage in
meaningful discussion

- How do animals
impact humans?

- Adopt and write from

a different perspective

- How do humans
impact animals?

- Identify an authors
POV and purpose for
writing

- How can we make the

relationship more
balanced--i.e. how can
humans treat animals
with more respect?

CC.1.2.3.C Explain how a

series of events, concepts,
or steps in a procedure is
connected within a text,
using language that
pertains to time, sequence,
and cause/effect

1. Read
aloud/Videos/MiniLessons: in pair
shares/whole class
discussions/written
responses of the read
alouds, videos, and
lessons, students can
demonstrate
understanding by
commenting on basic
facts and knowledge
conveyed, and asking
questions/making
comments that involve
evaluation,
perspective, and
empathy. For
example, a statement
like If elephants in
zoos are way more
likely to have foot
diseases than
elephants in the wild, it
seems like were
treating the elephants
unfairly. I wonder if its
worth it to have
elephants in zoos
demonstrates that this
student is using the
facts (elephants in
zoos are more likely to
have foot problems) to
think critically and
compassionately
(should animals be
kept in zoos?).

Social Studies 5.2.3.A.

Identify personal rights and
responsibilities

2. Partner/small group
reading: In
discussions of the

("The student will

understand")
(The big idea, the
"enduring
understanding"
[Wiggins, 1998]; a
broad way of making
sense of the world, or
a life lesson)

CC.1.5.3.A Engage
effectively in a range of
collaborative discussions
on grade level topics and
texts, building on others
ideas and expressing their
own clearly

- Humans and
animals have a
complex, interdependent
relationship

CC.1.2.3.D Explain the

point of view of the author

Central problem /
issue / or essential
question (intended to
"get at" the concept;
the motorvator)
- How can we
approach this
complex relationship
from a reflective,
empathetic, and
critical standpoint?

CC.1.2.3.A Determine the

main idea of a text; recount
the key details and explain
how they support the main
idea
CC.1.3.3.A Determine the
central message, lesson, or
moral in literary text;
explain how it is conveyed
in text
CC.1.2.3.I Compare and
contrast the most important
points and key details
presented in two texts on
the same topic

- Humans have a
mixed impact on
animals; they care for
and protect animals in
some cases, but also
negatively affect their
lives through their
environmental impact,
animal testing, etc.
- Humans can be
more aware of how
their actions impact
animals--both
positively and
negatively--and work
to treat animals with
as much respect and
care as possible;
example--Native
American culture.

- Determine a texts
main idea and
supporting details
- Determine cause and
effect relationships
- Recognize the moral
of a story
- Compare and
contrast two texts

- What can we learn

about the humananimal relationship by
looking at a variety of
sources?
- How can we adopt
another perspective in
order to learn from it?
- How can we approach
complex topics with
empathy?
- How can we use
critical thinking to
identify and explore
nuance within the
human-animal
relationship?

Activities:

1a. Read alouds:

students listen to
relevant literature and
respond in pair
shares/whole group
discussions/written
format
1b. Videos: students
watch relevant media
and respond in pair
shares/whole group
discussions/written
format
1c. Lessons: teachers
present brief minilessons that
incorporate pictures,
videos, and games;
students participate
through discussion;
students draw on this
information in their
daily assignments
(described below in
activity # 3) and/or
daily animal journal
2. Partner/small group
reading: students read
informational and
literary texts and
discuss with their
partner; they then
work together on the
accompanying activity
(described below in
activity #3).
3. Daily literacy
activities: students

readings, students
should be able to
apply the information
found in the reading
toward explaining the
human-animal
relationship. For
example, a student
would demonstrate
understanding with a
statement like, Well,
humans often impact
animals by destroying
their habitats. We just
read that humans
destroy animal
habitats because of
pollution and
development.
3. Daily literacy
activities: the daily
tasks range from
designing a flyer to
raise awareness about
habitat destruction, to
presenting an article
about animals in
entertainment. Due to
the variety of activities
we incorporated, there
is a range of
responses we are
looking for that would
demonstrate student
understanding. In
general, we are
looking for evidence
that students are
internalizing both the
content and the
deeper throughlines of
our unit. Students
should be able to
describe in detail the
facet of the animalhuman relationship we
are focusing on that
day (e.g. how humans
impact animals in
entertainment).
Students should also

engage with the days

topic through an
activity. This activity
may accompany the
text that the students
read in pairs or small
groups (activity # 2),
such as the day when
students work in
teams to read texts
about animals in
entertainment and
then use these texts to
engage in a debate.
The activity also may
not involve reading a
text, such as the day
when students bring in
pictures of their pets
and share in a small
group.
4. Daily animal journal:
students respond to a
variety of prompts that
directly relate to the
daily unit content;
prompts are varied
and draw on different
kinds of writing
(poetry, lists,
paragraphs) as well as
drawing and other
forms of artistic
expression. This is
completed each day
and is in direct
response to the daily
topic of focus (i.e. one
day we explore the
impact humans have
on animals by using
them for
entertainment).
5. Visit from service
dog from Canine
Partners for Life:
students experience a
presentation
highlighting a service
dogs training and

be able to examine
and evaluate this facet
of the human-animal
relationship using
critical thinking,
empathy, nuance, and
point of view. For
example, one daily
assignment asks
students to explore the
various living
conditions of animals
on different farms by
participating in a
gallery walk and
journaling their
observations and
thoughts. A student
could demonstrate
understanding of both
content and through
lines by reflecting on
the number of animals
living on the farms and
the possible
consequences of this
(i.e. writing something
like, I noticed in farm
A, there are thousands
of chickens kept in a
small pen, but on farm
B, there are only five
chickens living in a
larger pen. It seems
like the chickens in
farm A are really
crowded. I eat chicken
all the time, but I didnt
realize that some
chickens are kept like
that.)
4. Daily animal journal:
The animal journal is
varied as well. On
nearly half the days,
the students write an
entry from the
perspective of an
animal. On other days,
the students write
everything from poetry

skills, and respond in

both small group
discussions and the
daily animal journal
the prompt for this day
asks students to
reflect on what they
learned about service
dogs and the impact of
service animals on
humans.
6. Morning work:
students complete
brief review of literacy
skills (cause and
effect, compare/contr
ast, etc.) as required
by our mentor
teachers

to lists. In general,
students can
demonstrate
understanding through
responses that
accurately describe
the generative topic
and incorporate
perspective, empathy,
critical thinking, or
nuance (i.e. a
statement like, I
wonder if animals feel
sad when they are
crowded in a zoo.)
This is completed
each day and is in
direct response to the
daily topic of focus
(i.e. one day we
explore the impact
humans have on
animals by using them
for entertainment).
5. Visit from service
dog from Canine
Partners for Life:
Students will have the
chance to view a
presentation by a
service dog and a
service dog trainer. To
demonstrate what they
learned and their
ability to synthesize
this experience with
the larger unit, we will
give students the
chance to discuss in
small groups and then
to write a brief
reflection. In both the
discussion and the
writing, a student can
demonstrate
understanding by
describing the various
ways service dogs
assist humans and
reflecting on the
importance of service

dogs (i.e. a statement

like, Some people
probably wouldnt be
able to leave their
house and walk
around if it werent for
service dogs.)
6. Morning work:
students responses
on brief bellringer
activities demonstrate
appropriate use of
literacy skills (like
compare and
contrast). Since our
mentor teachers
require us to give
some explicit skills
practice, we are giving
it as bell ringers so as
to devote the bulk of
our instructional time
to deeper exploration
and inquiry.