Module 1 - The Lost Children of Sudan

Unit 1 - Build Background Knowledge: The Lost Boys of the Sudan

In this unit, as students read A Long Walk to Water, they witness evidence of respect, empathy, collaboration, and perseverance and discuss what these look and sound like in the text. Also, students focus on respect, empathy, and compassion as they respond to one another’s ideas and skills in written work and in discussions. Students also focus on collaboration and taking initiative during discussions. They practice integrity and perseverance as they work independently on assessments. They take responsibility for their own learning as they track progress on their assessments.

Unit 2 - Write to Inform: The Lost Children of South Sudan

In this unit, as students read A Long Walk to Water, they witness evidence of respect, empathy, collaboration, perseverance, and taking responsibility habits of character and discuss what these look and sound like in the text. Also, students focus on the habits of character of respect, empathy, and compassion as they respond to one another’s ideas and skills in written work and in discussions. Students focus on integrity and perseverance as they work independently on assessments. Then as they track progress on their assessments, they take responsibility for their own learning.

Unit 3 - Write to Raise Awareness: The Lost Children of South Sudan

In this unit, as students read A Long Walk to Water, they witness evidence of respect, empathy, collaboration, perseverance, taking initiative, and making the world a better place and discuss what these look and sound like in the text. Also, students focus on the habits of character of respect, empathy, and compassion as they respond to one another’s ideas and skills in written work and in discussions, and they focus on integrity and perseverance as they work independently on assessments. Finally, as students develop an ebook about a Lost Boy or Girl of Sudan, they help others in the class grow as they assist with technology and writing. Also, because students will share their ebooks with an elementary school child in their community, they focus on using their learning to improve their community.

Module 2 - Epidemics (2021)

Unit 1 - Build Background Knowledge: Solving Medical Epidemic (2021)

In this unit, as students read Patient Zero, they witness evidence of the following habits of character— respect, empathy, collaboration, initiative, responsibility, perseverance, citizenship, and service—and discuss what these look and sound like in the text. Also, students focus on respect, empathy, and compassion as they respond to one another’s ideas and skills in written work and in discussions. Students also practice collaboration and taking initiative during discussions. They practice integrity and perseverance as they work independently on assessments. And they take responsibility for their own learning as they track progress on their assessments.

Unit 2 - Write to Inform: Are Social Epidemics Real? (2021)

In this unit, students continue to read nonfiction texts at their level as they choose independent research reading texts. Students should complete 20 minutes of independent research reading for homework when they are not reading a chapter from the anchor text. Students should also continue independent research reading over weekends.

Unit 3 - Spread the Message: How to Respond to Epidemics (2021)

In this unit, as students analyze model podcasts and research people’s responses to various epidemics, they witness evidence of the following habits of character—respect, empathy, collaboration, initiative, responsibility, perseverance, citizenship, and service—and discuss what these look and sound like in the podcasts and their research material. Also, students focus on respect, empathy, and compassion as they respond to one another’s ideas and skills during research and podcast planning and drafting. Students also practice collaboration and taking initiative during their planning and drafting of podcasts. They practice integrity and perseverance as they work independently on assessments and draft their initial podcast scripts. And they take responsibility for their own learning as they track progress on their assessments.

Module 3 - The Harlem Renaissance

Unit 1 - Collaboration in the Harlem Renaissance

In this unit, as students read, listen to, and examine diverse works from the Harlem Renaissance, they focus on respect, empathy, and compassion as they respond to one another’s ideas and skills in written work and discussions. They also may practice empathy and compassion as they read of black Americans’ struggles in the unit’s poems. Students also practice collaboration and taking initiative during discussions and integrity and perseverance as they work independently on assessments. And they take responsibility for their own learning as they track progress on their assessments.

Unit 2 - The Context of the Harlem Renaissance

In this unit, students identify and explore habits of character exhibited by the characters in the short stories “His Motto” and “The Boy and the Bayonet.” For example, students observe characters persevering to achieve their dreams, taking the initiative to help others, and showing empathy and compassion when others fail. Additionally, as students read and examine diverse works from the Harlem Renaissance, they practice empathy and compassion for the characters as they struggle to realize their dreams. Students also focus on perseverance to read challenging texts, write essays, and independently answer questions. They work on collaboration and initiative as they engage in protocols, group work, and partner writing work. They work to become effective learners and ethical people by practicing integrity and perseverance as they work independently on assessments. They also take responsibility for their own learning as they track progress on their assessments. Lastly, they work on contributing to a better world and becoming an effective learner as they use their strengths in peer critique and take responsibility with self-assessment and revision.

Unit 3 - The Legacy of the Harlem Renaissance

In this unit, students are introduced to the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance through a Build Background Knowledge protocol including a dance, a podcast, poetry, texts, and artwork. Students work to become effective learners by persevering through rigorous texts, collaborating with groupmates, and taking initiative by assuming roles in the group. Next, students read poetry from the Harlem Renaissance paired with contemporary poetry by Nikki Grimes. As they do so, they focus on becoming effective learners by collaborating to read and answer questions as a class and in small groups. For the mid-unit assessment, students practice integrity and perseverance as they work independently, and they take responsibility for their own learning as they track progress on reading standards. Additionally, students contribute to a better world by creating a successful exhibit, using their strengths to help others grow and presenting their knowledge of the Harlem Renaissance to a wider audience.

The texts also focus on the habits of character. “On Bully Patrol” demonstrates perseverance as the speaker recounts the difficulty she experienced and how she overcame it. The speaker in “David’s Old Soul” demonstrates perseverance and initiative as he finds the inner strength to support his younger siblings. The speaker in “The Sculptor” demonstrates perseverance, initiative, and the academic mindsets “My ability and competence grow with my effort” and “I can succeed at this” as she strives to make her dreams come true. All these examples provide context and models for students to focus on habits of character. Additionally, students have the opportunity to practice the habits of character of empathy and respect if they or their classmates struggle with the descriptions of racism, bullying, and family struggles in the poems.

Module 4 - Plastic Pollution

Unit 1 - Build Background Knowledge: What Is Plastic Pollution?

In this unit, students focus on working to become effective learners as they persevere to analyze arguments in a documentary and in the author’s purpose and point of view in complex texts. Students also take responsibility and initiative as they collaborate during in-class discussions and in group analysis work. Students focus on working to become ethical people by showing empathy and compassion for the people and animals threatened by pollution. As they explore the anchor text Trash Vortex and the documentary A Plastic Ocean, students witness the habits of character that are exhibited by the filmmakers, experts, scientists, and author as they contribute to making the world a better place in numerous ways. The various people filmed in A Plastic Ocean model contributing to a better world as they inform the public about the problem of plastic pollution, inspire environmental action, share their knowledge, and work to pass laws or create inventions to reduce plastic pollution in order to improve their shared spaces and environment. The scientists and volunteers in A Plastic Ocean demonstrate other habits of character, such as taking initiative in studying the plastic in the ocean, collaborating with each other to try and improve the oceans, and persevering through cleanup efforts.

Unit 2 - Take a Stand: Ways to Reduce Plastic Pollution

In this unit, students focus on working to become effective learners as they persevere to analyze author’s point of view and purpose in complex texts. They also take responsibility and initiative as they collaborate in discussions and during group analysis work. Students focus on working to become ethical people by showing empathy and compassion for the people and animals they read about that threatened by pollution. As they explore the articles in this unit, students witness the habits of character that are exhibited by the inventors, scientists, and authors as they contribute to making the world a better place in numerous ways. The writers of the articles contribute to a better world by informing the public about the problem of plastic pollution, inspire environmental action, and share their knowledge in order to improve their shared spaces and environment. The inventors and scientists mentioned in the articles demonstrate other habits of character, such as taking initiative in inventing new materials, collaborating with each other to try and improve the oceans and persevering through trying new ways of cleaning up the ocean.

Unit 3 - Spread the Message: We Can Make a Difference!

In this unit, students focus on working to become effective learners as they collaborate, persevere, and take responsibility and initiative to enact an action plan, create a documentary script and storyboard, present their documentary pitch, and film and edit their documentary. Students also focus on working to become ethical people as they practice compassion and respect listening to one another’s work. Additionally, students work on contributing to a better world by using their strengths to help others grow, informing others about the problem of plastic pollution and the steps they can take to help reduce pollution, as well as presenting their knowledge for the class, the school, the community, and even the world.

K-8: Habits of Character