Learning Resource Type

Classroom Resource

Ferocious Fighting Fish: An Ocean Unit Exploring Beginning Word Sounds

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

K, 1, 2

Overview

This ocean-themed unit will focus students' attention on alliteration, or repeated beginning word sounds. Students begin by reading the book Look Who Lives in the Ocean by Allen Baker, and then sharing what they notice about the words in the story. Then they work as a class to craft a definition of alliteration and record the definition on chart paper. Students continue to expand their knowledge of alliteration by finding examples in classroom books and their own writing and then adding these examples to a class list. Next, they practice revising sentences to include alliteration and then share their revisions with the class. Finally, students compose their own class book to explore the technique in their own writing. The lesson is a natural extension after alphabet books have been introduced, when writing a class book, or to supplement independent writing projects.

    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): KG

    ELA21.K.2

    Actively engage in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers to build background knowledge needed to be successful as they learn to read and, later, read to learn.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.K.2

    Vocabulary

    • Actively engage
    • Teacher-led reading experiences
    • Collaborative discussions
    • Background knowledge
    • Peers

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • How to engage in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers to build background knowledge.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Build background knowledge by actively engaging in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • They need to build background knowledge to be successful as they learn to read and read to learn.
    • They need to actively engage in teacher-led reading experiences and discussions with peers to build their background knowledge.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): KG

    ELA21.K.19

    Ask and answer questions about unfamiliar words in discussions and/or text.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.K.19

    Vocabulary

    • Unfamiliar words
    • Text

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Several question stems related to unknown words.
    • Techniques for identifying unknown words.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Ask and answer questions about unfamiliar words in discussions and/or text.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • It is important to ask questions to learn the meanings of unfamiliar words.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): KG

    ELA21.K.33

    Express ideas orally and connect these ideas through drawing and emergent writing.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.K.33

    Vocabulary

    • Express
    • Ideas
    • Orally
    • Connect
    • Drawing
    • Emergent writing

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Techniques for using discussion, drawing, and basic writing to express their thoughts.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Express ideas orally.
    • Connect ideas through drawing and emergent writing to express their thoughts.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • They can express ideas through discussion, drawing, and basic writing.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 1

    ELA21.1.8

    Apply previously-taught phoneme-grapheme correspondences to decodable words with accuracy and automaticity, in and out of context.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.1.8

    Vocabulary

    • Phoneme-grapheme correspondences
    • Decodable words
    • Accuracy
    • Automaticity
    • In context
    • Out of context

    Knowledge

    • Phoneme-grapheme correspondences in decodable words.
    • Accuracy is getting something correct, and automaticity is reading the word quickly without having to sound it out.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Accurately and automatically decode words by applying previously-taught phoneme-grapheme correspondences, in and out of context.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Fluent readers use known phoneme-grapheme correspondences to decode words correctly and quickly.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 1

    ELA21.1.12

    Ask and answer questions about unfamiliar words and phrases in discussions and/or text.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.1.12

    Vocabulary

    • Unfamiliar words
    • Unfamiliar phrases
    • Discussions
    • Text

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Strategies for identifying unfamiliar words and phrases in discussions and/or text.
    • Several question stems related to unfamiliar words or phrases in discussions and/or text.
    • Techniques for clarifying unfamiliar words and phrases in discussions and/or text.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Identify unfamiliar words and phrases.
    • Ask questions about unfamiliar words and phrases.
    • Answer questions about unfamiliar words and phrases.
    • Clarify meaning of words and phrases through questions.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • It is important to ask questions about unfamiliar words and phrases to clarify the meaning of new vocabulary words.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

    ELA21.2.R1

    Utilize active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, following agreed-upon rules for participation.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.2.R1

    Vocabulary

    • Active Listening
    • Discussion
    • Conversation
    • Rules
    • Participation

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Active listening skills.
    • Agreed-upon rules for participation for discussions and conversations in a variety of settings.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Demonstrate active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings.
    • Converse in pairs, small groups, and large groups.
    • Practice the agreed-upon rules for participation.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Conversations and discussions follow agreed-upon rules to help us actively listen and gain understanding.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

    ELA21.2.12

    Read and reread grade-appropriate text accurately, automatically, and with meaningful expression at a rate which supports comprehension.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.2.12

    Vocabulary

    • Reread
    • Grade-appropriate text
    • Accurately
    • Automatically
    • Meaningful expression
    • Rate which supports comprehension

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Accurately means reading without mistakes and automatically means knowing the words immediately without sounding them out.
    • Techniques to make appropriate changes in voice, pitch, and expression while reading orally.
    • Reading must occur at a speed (rate) that supports understanding of the text.
    • Rereading is a strategy that aids in word recognition and comprehension.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Read and reread words that are second grade-appropriate with little to no mistakes.
    • Read words quickly without pausing to sound them out.
    • Read and reread at a pace that supports comprehension of the text.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • They should read text with accuracy, automaticity, and meaningful expression at a pace that helps them comprehend the text they are reading.
    • They can reread text to improve their accuracy, automaticity, and comprehension.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

    ELA21.2.17

    Analyze meaningful parts of words and phrases in discussions and/or text.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.2.17

    Vocabulary

    • Analyze
    • Meaningful word parts
    • Phrases

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Words can be divided into parts to learn the meaning of the word.
    • Phrases are groups of words that carry meaning.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Identify and analyze meaningful parts of words or phrases in discussions and/or text.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Words can be divided into smaller units that carry meaning.
    • Phrases are groups of words that carry meaning.
    Link to Resource

    CR Resource Type

    Lesson/Unit Plan

    Resource Provider

    ReadWriteThink
    Accessibility
    License

    License Type

    Custom
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