Unit Title: We are the Stories We Tell

Essential Question: What makes a person memorable?

By: Charmaine Futch

Overview:
This lesson gives the students facts and details about people that are memorable. It
provides an opportunity to distinguish between essential and non-essential details.
This will show the students how to produce a clear summary that includes the most
important details. This lesson will help students understand the difference between
First-Hand and Second-Hand Accounts.

Table of Contents
Located on Google Doc:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UROjxSaFUVhKmO38x6-
Ediy3FWSHENU9F3o6UA8xpcc/edit?usp=sharing

Lesson 2-3: The Connection Between Key Details and Main

Idea

Standards
Common Core:
RI 4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and
when drawing inferences from the text.
RI 4.2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details;
summarize the text.
W 4.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information
clearly.

ISTE Standard 1: Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop
innovative products and processes using technology.

Essential Questions
• What makes a person memorable?
• How do journeys shape a person’s identity?

Student Learning Goals/Objectives

• Students will refer to details and examples in a text in order to explain how the main idea
of a text is supported by key details.

Materials/Resources
• Student access to a photo of Milton Hershey
• Resource 1: Main Idea Details Organizer Hershey (.docx file) optional
• Student access to the article “Milton Hershey” on The Biography Channel website:
◦ “Man of the People” section ONLY (very complex) Note: Must open in Chrome)
• blendspace.com
• https://www.tes.com/lessons/lkOhCNOtyTeBVg/main-idea-and-details-milton-hershey

Shared Learning Experience

• Introduce the terms biography and autobiography.
• Introduce the terms first-hand account and second-hand account. Identify
autobiographies as an example of first-hand accounts. Identify biographies as an example
of second-hand accounts.
• Reinforce that students will be reading a variety of autobiographies and biographies as
well as other types of first and second-hand accounts as they explore the essential
question and apply important learning standards in this unit.
• Consider conducting a Think-Pair-Share to access student knowledge of main idea.
◦ Possible responses: The main idea is the central idea in a piece of writing. It is
the point the author wants you to remember most.
• Then have the students log into blendspace.com and open the assignment titled “Main
Idea and Details: Milton Hershey.
https://www.tes.com/lessons/lkOhCNOtyTeBVg/main-idea-and-details-
milton-hershey
• Ask the students to watch the Brainpop video on Main Idea and Details that is located in
the first tile.
 • Following the video have the students write their own definition of main idea and details
in the second tile on the Blendspace.
• After that, have the students share their own definition of main idea and details with the
whole class.
• Next, have the students complete a four question multiple choice quiz that is located on
the third tile on Blendspace.
• Have the students discuss and write about what they already know about Milton Hershey
on the forth tile. They will be able to respond to each others comment on
Blendspace.
• Then, set the purpose for watching the video on the fifth tile “Milton Hershey biography”
In order to identify key details, and determine the main idea.
• Following the video, the students will be required to read an article about Milton
Hershey.
• Then, have the students complete the main idea and details organizer on Milton Hershey
as an assessment, which is located on the sixth tile on Blendspace.
• Finally, Come back together as a class to allow students to share their main ideas and key
details. Lead the students to identifying the correct main idea and supporting details.
Clarify any misconceptions as needed.

Independent and Applied Learning

Independent and Applied Learning activities will consist of the students completing the
Blendspace. The students will also have to complete the main idea and details organizer
independently online.

Formative Assessment
• Main Idea and details Organizer
• Short Multiple Choice Quiz

Lesson 4: Determining Essential vs. Non-Essential Details

Standards
Common Core:
RI 4.2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details;
summarize the text.
▪Provides a statement of the main idea of a text. (1)
▪Provides an explanation of how the main idea is supported by key details. (2)

W.4.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information
clearly.

ISTE Standard 3: Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.

Essential Questions
• What makes a person memorable?
• How do journeys shape a person’s identity?

Student Learning Goals/Objectives

• Students will distinguish between essential or non-essential details in order to support the
main idea of a text.

Materials/Resources
• Video clip – Hershey Park and Milton Hershey
• If video is inaccessible: Student access to Milton Hershey Biography from the previous
lesson (very complex, open in Chrome)

• Resource 1: Milton Hershey Essential vs. Non-essential Detail Sort

◦ R.4.2.4.01 Resource1 Milton Hershey Sort (.docx file)
• www.nearpod.com
https://app.nearpod.com/#/?pin=RUXLZ

Shared Learning Experience

• Based on learning from the previous lesson, ask students to discuss the process that is
used to select key details to support a main idea. Consider one of the following options to
complete this task:
◦ Think-Pair-Share
◦ Digital brainstorming activity using a tool such as Padlet or Answer Garden.

• Use student responses to develop the terms essential and non-essential in order to show
the connection between essential details and main idea.
 • Consider watching the three-minute video about Milton Hershey. As they watch, have
students listen for key details that are essential to support the main idea of the video.
(Main idea: Milton Hershey’s true character and motivation in life----giving back to the
community and creating a quality product that would last.)
• Distribute Resource 1: R.4.2.4.01 Resource1 Milton Hershey Sort (File) or provide
access to the digital sort on Activ Inspire. Have the students work in small groups to sort
the details into essential and non-essential. The teacher may circulate to facilitate this
task.
• As a whole group, discuss the process that students used to classify details as essential or
non-essential. The teacher may help students verbalize the connection between the
essential details and the main idea of the video. Also consider highlighting the disconnect
between the non-essential details and the main idea.
• At this point in the lesson, the teacher may proceed with practicing this skill of
determining essential and nonessential details based on student needs. Consider the
following options:
◦ The students will use nearpod.com and type the pin: YBZIU to read the Milton
Hershey article and highlight the essential details.
• Then the students will answer 6 multiple choice questions to answer on neared.com
that requires them to decide whether a detail is essential or non-essential.

Independent and Applied Learning

Independent practice with supporting Main Idea with essential details. Consider one of the
following options:

• Milton Hershey Biography Sort

Lesson 5-6:Summarization
Standards
Common Core:
RI 4.2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details;
summarize the text.
W 4.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information
clearly.
ISTE Standard 2: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work
collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the
learning of others.
2a: Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital
environments and media.

Materials/Resources
• Judy's Appalachia (Reading Writing Workshop pp. 194-197, moderately complex)
• The Tarantula in My Purse (moderately complex)
◦ Scaffolding & Enrichment - Suggested Chapters: Chapter 17 & 21
• Where the Flame Trees Bloom (very complex)
◦ Acceleration - Suggested Chapters: "The Legend"
• Sticky notes or digital annotation

Essential Questions
• What makes a person memorable?
• How do journeys shape a person’s identity?

Student Learning Goals/Objectives

• Students will determine main idea and essential details in order to summarize a text.

Shared Learning Experience

• Consider preparing students for reading Judy’s Appalachia by briefly introduce the topic
of mountaintop removal mining. Consider one of the following activities to complete this
task:
• Students may read and annotate Judy’s Appalachia in order to determine the main idea
and essential supporting details. Depending on need, this reading can occur as a whole
group, in small groups/pairs, or independently. Student choice of annotation methods can
include but are not limited to: sticky notes, Padlet, Wixie, student and/or teacher created
organizer.
• Review student annotations.
• Introduce the terms summary and summarize. Consider using the anchor chart suggested
in the instructional notes.
• Teachers may break students into collaborative groups (4-5 students) in order to draft
summaries of Judy's Appalachia.
• The students will use google docs to create a summary together. The google doc will allow
them to work together because it is automatically saved and the teacher will be able to
see what each student contributed to the summary.
• As the students are working and exploring the summarizing process, the teacher may
circulate in order to facilitate the process and observe student work.
• Allow time for groups to share their summaries by assigning one person from each group
to post their groups summary on Edmodo. Give the students the group code ezsdgf and
give them time in class to peer review each groups summary.
Independent Work
Independent practice with summarizing.
• Independent revision of Judy’s Appalachia summaries

Formative Assessment
• Student annotations
• Collaborative summaries
• Student feedback from collaborative discussion

Lesson 13-14: First vs. Second-hand Account

Standards
Common Core:

RI.4.1 - Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and
when drawing inferences from the text.
RI.4.2 - Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details;
summarize the text.
RI.4.6 - Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic;
describe the differences in focus and the information provided.
RI.4.9 - Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about
the subject knowledgeably.
W 4.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and
information clearly.

ITSE Standard 2: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work
collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the
learning of others.

Essential Questions
• What makes a person memorable?
• How do journeys shape a person's identity?

Student Learning Goals/Objectives

• Students will analyze two texts about the same topic in order to differentiate between a
first and second-hand account.
• Students will analyze a first and second-hand account in order to compare the focus and
information provided in each account.

Shared Learning Experience

• During whole group you will have the students read 2 passages. Then you will have
them identify which passage is a firsthand account and which passage is a secondhand
account.
• http://macmillanmh.com/ccssreading/treasures/grade4/ccslh_g4_ri_2_2d_l1.html
• After comparing and contrasting the firsthand and secondhand accounts you will place
the students into four equal groups.
• Two groups will be assigned to firsthand account and the other two groups will be
assigned to secondhand. The students will use google docs to record examples of the
account that they were assigned. You will assign one person from each group to copy
and paste the examples into www.wordle.net and then post it on www.edmodo.com
• Once all of the groups post their wordle on edmodo, give the students time to observe
the other groups Wordle.

• Second-Hand Account Example First-Hand

Account
Example
 • Facilitate close reading of two texts. The first text is“On the Ball” and the second text is
“My Story: The Major Leagues.” Then students will identify the type of account each
excerpt represents.

Independent and Formative Assessment

• To assess the students knowledge of first-hand and second hand accounts, students may complete the First-hand
and Second-hand Account Word Sort independently. The word sorts contain examples of both first-hand and
accounts as well as the words first and second-hand accounts. These words will be listed on the board and the
students will create a venn diagram that compares and contrasts examples of first and second-hand accounts. They
will create the venn diagram online using this website.

http://www.classtools.net/education-games-php/venn_intro
Materials/Resources
Resource 1a Firsthand Secondhand acct so (jpeg)
Resource 1a Firsthand Secondhand acct so (jpeg)
Resource 2: Which One Is Which? Text Excerpts
Resource 2 Which One is Which Excerpts (docx)