Isatou Ceesay observed a growing problem in her community where people increasingly disposed of unwanted plastic bags, which accumulated into ugly heaps of trash. She found a way to be the agent of change by recycling the bags and transforming her community. The resource includes a lesson plan/book card, a design challenge, and copy of a design thinking journal that provide guidance on using the book to inspire students' curiosity for design thinking. Maker Challenge: Use plastic bags to develop a new product (i.e. jump rope).

A document is included in the resources folder that lists the complete standards-alignment for this book activity.

With encouragement and ideas from his family, Papa, based on the real-life inventor Lodner Phillips, builds a working submarine that takes his family on a ride to the bottom of Lake Michigan. The resource includes a lesson plan/book card, a design challenge, and copy of a design thinking journal that provide guidance on using the book to inspire students' curiosity for design thinking. Maker Challenge: Students will use materials on hand to design a solution to a problem they see in their school or at home. The invention should meet the needs of fellow students, teachers, bus drivers, principals, siblings, friends, or even parents.

A document is included in the resources folder that lists the complete standards-alignment for this book activity.

In Unit 1, students begin their study of frogs by working with a series of short, engaging poems. These poems are used as a springboard for the unit, piquing student curiosity about frogs and raising questions about these unusual creatures. For each poem, the class develops one or more questions that begin with "why." These "why" questions will be used as the base for two different types of writing throughout the module. In Unit 1, students also study pourquoi tales and write narratives to answer the questions they raised. They will revisit these questions in Unit 2 when they study informational writing about frogs.
The first half of the unit focuses on reading and analyzing poetry and pourquoi tales. Students closely read poems about frogs with a focus on vocabulary, structure of poetry, and reading fluency. They also read and analyze pourquoi tales and plan and draft a pourquoi tale answering the question "Why do polliwogs wiggle?" as a class. For a mid-unit assessment, students will demonstrate their reading skills through reading a new poem about frogs and a new pourquoi story.
In the second half of the unit, students will apply what they have learned about narrative writing to plan and draft their own pourquoi stories. They focus on the components of narrative writing: a beginning that establishes the character and situation, a middle that introduces a problem and the characters' response to the problem, and an ending that resolves the problem. Students will revise and edit their stories for word choice, including comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, and publish their stories to be included in their Freaky Frog books as part of the final performance task. In the End of Unit 1 Assessment, students write a new pourquoi tale that answers one of the "why" questions that arose from the first half of the unit. Unit 1 culminates in a Frog Festival.
RL.3.2, RL.3.4, RL.3.5, RL.3.10, RF.3.3, RF.3.4a, RF.3.4b, RF.3.4c, W.3.3, W.3.4, W.3.10, L.3.1g, L.3.3a, L.3.4, L.3.6

The lesson opens with time for students to share their reflections about the module guiding questions if they choose. Continue to be sensitive to students and families' feelings about literary classics like Peter Pan and to acknowledge that these feelings and experiences may differ. Some students may have little schema about this concept of a classic, which is also fine.
In Work Time A, students read an informational text about the author and the historical context of the story to help them understand many of the issues they may encounter (e.g., the stereotypes result from the time period in which the text was written).
After reading each chapter, students make connections between what they have read in Peter Pan and the informational text "Peter Pan: The Author and Historical Context" to ground their understanding of the issues that Peter Pan presents in a common text. This routine is introduced in Work Time B of this lesson and will be continued in later lessons. Pay careful attention to the routine in this lesson in order to apply it to subsequent lessons. Monitor your students and determine whether there are issues surfacing that need to be discussed in more detail as a whole group, in smaller groups, or independently.
In this lesson and throughout Modules 3-4, ELL supports and the Mini Language Dives within the Meeting Students' Needs column will continue to be labeled and condensed (see Teaching Notes in Unit 1 Overview).
In this lesson, the habit of character focus is on working to become ethical people. The characteristic that students practice in this lesson is respect, because of the potentially diverse views of students in response to the guiding questions.
Students practice their fluency in this lesson by following along and reading silently as the teacher reads "Peter Pan: The Author and Historical Context" in Work Time A.
In this lesson, students choose independent research reading books (RL.3.10, RI.3.10). Consider using the Independent Reading: Sample Plans if you do not have your own independent reading review routines (see the Tools page).
The research reading that students complete for homework will help build both their Vocabulary and knowledge pertaining to literary classics. By participating in this volume of reading over a span of time, students will develop a wide base of knowledge about the world and the words that help describe and make sense of it.

The crosswalks for the 3-5 Language Arts curriculum outline the general enhancements in our second edition curriculum (across all modules), plus the specific changes to each particular module (shown as a "cross-walk" of the first vs. second edition performance task and six on-demand assessments).

New York City in the 1860s was a mess: crowded, disgusting, filled with garbage. You see, way back in 1860, there were no subways, just cobblestone streets. That is, until Alfred Ely Beach had the idea for a fan-powered train that would travel underground. On February 26, 1870, after fifty-eight days of drilling and painting and plastering, Beach unveiled his masterpiece—and throngs of visitors took turns swooshing down the track. The resource includes a lesson plan/book card, a design challenge, and copy of a design thinking journal that provide guidance on using the book to inspire students' curiosity for design thinking. Maker Challenge: Think about the way most people in your community travel. Invent a new way of traveling around your community that takes into account the following: helpful to the community, economical to those who use it, convenient for users. What would your new travel system look like? Sketch a new design, and then create a physical prototype of the new design to scale. Keep in mind: Where the system travels, how it is powered, why it is helpful to the community, and any features that make it special.

A document is included in the resources folder that lists the complete standards-alignment for this book activity.

Sarah E. Goode was one of the first African-American women to get a US patent. Working in her furniture store, she recognized a need for a multi-use bed and through hard work, ingenuity, and determination, invented her unique cupboard bed. She built more than a piece of furniture. She built a life far away from slavery, a life where her sweet dreams could come true. The resource includes a lesson plan/book card, a design challenge, and copy of a design thinking journal that provide guidance on using the book to inspire students' curiosity for design thinking. Maker Challenge: Your school has had an influx of new students and every class seems to be bursting at the seams! You have an additional 10 students just in your classroom alone. Because of this limited space, your school is looking for solutions. They decided that every student is going to get a new desk and chair, but it’s going to be PORTABLE. That way, you can take your desk & chair with you wherever you might go.

A document is included in the resources folder that lists the complete standards-alignment for this book activity.

At a time when most African Americans were slaves, Benjamin Banneker was born free in 1731. Known and admired for his work in science, mathematics, and astronomy, he built a strike clock based on his own drawings and using a pocket-knife at the age of 22. The resource includes a lesson plan/book card, a design challenge, and copy of a design thinking journal that provide guidance on using the book to inspire students' curiosity for design thinking. Maker Challenge: Find a discarded object that can be taken apart. Take apart the item and make your own Things Come Apart arrangement.

A document is included in the resources folder that lists the complete standards-alignment for this book activity.

In order to show the world that the completed Brooklyn Bridge was strong enough, P.T. Barnum and his twenty-one elephants parade across to prove to everyone that the bridge is safe. The resource includes a lesson plan/book card, a design challenge, and copy of a design thinking journal that provide guidance on using the book to inspire students' curiosity for design thinking. Maker Challenge: Build a bridge between two tables or chairs that will hold one elephant per student in the class. Each student designs their own “elephant” using materials in the classroom.

A document is included in the resources folder that lists the complete standards-alignment for this book activity.

Lonnie Johnson tried to create a new cooling system for refrigerators and air conditioners, but instead created the mechanics for one of the top twenty toys of all time, the Super Soaker. From childhood to adulthood, Lonnie had a love for rockets, robots, inventions, and a mind for creativity. He was driven toward innovation through his persistence and passion for problem solving, tinkering, and building. These traits served him well as we went on to work for NASA as an engineer. The resource includes a lesson plan/book card, a design challenge, and copy of a design thinking journal that provide guidance on using the book to inspire students' curiosity for design thinking. Maker Challenge: Students will use materials on hand to invent and design a new toy or game.

A document is included in the resources folder that lists the complete standards-alignment for this book activity.

Emma Lilian Todd was a self-taught engineer who tackled one of the greatest challenges of the early 1900s: designing an airplane. As an adult, typing up patents at the U.S. Patent Office, Lilian built inventions in her mind, including many designs for flying machines. However, they all seemed too impractical. Lilian knew she could design one that worked. She took inspiration from both nature and her many failures, driving herself to perfect the design that would eventually successfully fly. The resource includes a lesson plan/book card, a design challenge, and copy of a design thinking journal that provide guidance on using the book to inspire students' curiosity for design thinking. Maker Challenge: Design a new mode of transportation (air, sea, or ground) or select a current mode of transportation and improve it then use household items to create a prototype of your new or updated invention.

A document is included in the resources folder that lists the complete standards-alignment for this book activity.

Zaha Hadid grew up in Baghdad, Iraq, and dreamed of designing her own cities. After studying architecture in London, she opened her own studio and started designing buildings. But as a Muslim woman, Hadid faced many obstacles. Determined to succeed, she worked hard for many years, and achieved her goals—and now you can see the buildings Hadid has designed all over the world. The resource includes a lesson plan/book card, a design challenge, and copy of a design thinking journal that provide guidance on using the book to inspire students' curiosity for design thinking. Maker Challenge: Identify an area in your school that is very traditional. Redesign it to better fit the needs of the end-users. Then sketch out a new design, and then create a physical prototype of the new design to scale.

A document is included in the resources folder that lists the complete standards-alignment for this book activity.

In this unit, students continue the reading routines from Unit 1 to finish reading Peter Pan. At the same time, they read chapters of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, another story about Peter Pan written by J.M. Barrie, to compare and contrast the stories. Once they have finished Peter Pan, students recount the story and analyze it to identify the central message. For the mid-unit assessment, students closely read the final chapter of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens to compare it to Peter Pan and also to analyze it for the central message.
In the second half of the unit, students are guided through writing a book review of Peter Pan in which they state an opinion with reasons about whether they would recommend Peter Pan to a friend. For the end of unit assessment, students revise their book reviews for linking words and phrases and to correct spelling errors. They also participate in a text-based discussion in which they share their opinion of Peter Pan and listen to the opinions of others.
RL.3.1, RL.3.2c, RL.3.4, RL.3.9, RL.3.10, W.3.1c, W.3.5, SL.3.1, L.3.1f, L.3.2e, L.3.2f, L.3.2g, L.3.3b, L.3.4.

In Unit 3, students move from analyzing challenges faced by others, to learning challenges that they face, specifically with reading. This is framed with the book More Than Anything Else by Marie Bradby, which describes the reading challenges Booker T. Washington faced. Students hear the whole text read aloud and analyze in detail an excerpt of text that is rich in figurative language and describes the challenges Booker faced in detail. For a mid-unit assessment, students demonstrate their writing skills by writing an informative paragraph recounting Booker's story from More Than Anything Else and the lesson they learned through the challenges faced and how those challenges were overcome.
In the second half of the unit, students determine their own reading challenges and some strategies to overcome those challenges. They use The Painted Essay(r) structure to write a reading contract outlining two of their most significant reading challenges and two strategies to overcome each challenge. Students also practice reading excerpts of Nasreen's Secret School and Rain School for fluency practice throughout the second half of the unit. For Part I of the End of Unit 3 Assessment, students read an excerpt of Nasreen's Secret School or Rain School in a group to record an audiobook. In Part II, students revise their reading contracts based on teacher and peer feedback. For the performance task, students create a reading strategies bookmark to quickly reference the reading strategies they have outlined in their reading contract.

This essential guide to the EL Education K–5 Language Arts Curriculum is one part roadmap to the curriculum, one part orientation to its instructional practices, and one part coach—to answer your questions, relieve your stress, and put you and your students on the path to success.