Learning Resource Type

Classroom Resource

Writing Acrostic Poems with Thematically Related Texts in the Content Areas

Subject Area

English Language Arts

Grade(s)

2, 3, 4, 5

Overview

In this unit, students will use thematically related texts, organized from least to the most complex, to gather a word bank of supporting details and content vocabulary about a concept. Then they use these words as a basis for writing acrostic poems, which support organization of information around a central idea, as the lines of an acrostic poem are held together by the topic or main idea spelled vertically.

    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

    ELA21.2.R3

    Expand background knowledge and build vocabulary through discussion, reading, and writing.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.2.R3

    Vocabulary

    • Background knowledge
    • Vocabulary
    • Discussion

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Relating experiences through discussions, writing, and reading will help build background knowledge and improve vocabulary.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Connect new concepts to prior experiences to increase background knowledge through discussions, reading, and writing.
    • Construct the meaning of words through discussions, reading, and writing.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Background knowledge can increase by relating experiences to new ideas, topics, and words while participating in discussions, reading, and writing.
    • Vocabulary will increase by constructing the meaning of words while participating in discussions, reading, and writing.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

    ELA21.2.22

    Use content knowledge built during read-alouds and independent reading of informational and literary texts by participating in content-specific discussions with peers and/or through writing.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.2.22

    Vocabulary

    • Content knowledge
    • Read-alouds
    • Independent reading
    • Informational text
    • Literary Text
    • Content-specific discussions
    • Writing

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Content knowledge is information learned about a specific subject.
    • Content knowledge can be learned by listening to read-alouds or independently reading.
    • Informational text is nonfiction text, and literary text is fictional.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Build content knowledge from listening to text read aloud and from independently reading.
    • Use content knowledge learned from read-alouds and independent reading in content-specific discussions with peers.
    • Use content knowledge learned from read-alouds and independent reading in writing.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Content-specific discussions with peers can demonstrate the content knowledge they learned through read-alouds or independent reading.
    • They can produce writings that demonstrate knowledge of content-specific information.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 3

    ELA21.3.R3

    Expand background knowledge and build vocabulary through discussion, reading, and writing.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.3.R3

    Vocabulary

    • Background knowledge
    • Vocabulary
    • Discussion

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Relating experiences through discussions, reading, and writing will help build background knowledge and improve vocabulary.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Connect new concepts to prior experiences to increase background knowledge through discussions, reading, and writing.
    • Construct the meaning of words through discussions, reading, and writing.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Background knowledge can increase by relating experiences to new ideas, topics, and words while participating in discussions, reading, and writing.
    • Vocabulary will increase by constructing the meaning of words while participating in discussions, reading, and writing.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 3

    ELA21.3.18

    Demonstrate content knowledge built during independent reading of informational and literary texts by participating in content-specific discussions with peers and/or through writing.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.3.18

    Vocabulary

    • Demonstrate
    • Content knowledge
    • Independent reading
    • Informational text
    • Literary text
    • Content-specific discussions

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Content knowledge is information learned about a specific subject.
    • Content knowledge can be learned by independently reading text.
    • Informational text is nonfiction text, and literary text is fictional.
    • Active listening skills.
    • Writing skills.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Build content knowledge from independently reading informational or literary text.
    • Use content knowledge learned from independent reading in content-specific discussions with peers.
    • Use content knowledge learned from independent reading in writing.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Content-specific discussions with peers can demonstrate the content knowledge they learned through independent reading.
    • They can produce writings that demonstrate knowledge of content-specific information.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 4

    ELA21.4.14

    Demonstrate comprehension of literary and informational text by utilizing its content when discussing or writing in response to the text.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.4.14

    Vocabulary

    • Comprehension
    • Literary text
    • Informational text
    • Discussing
    • Writing
    • Response

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Comprehension of text can be demonstrated by referring to the text in discussions or written responses.
    • Informational text is nonfiction text, and literary text is fictional.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Demonstrate understanding of literary and informational text by referring to the text in discussions.
    • Demonstrate understanding of literary and informational text by referring to the text in written responses.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • They can show that they understood literary and informational text by discussing or writing about specific content from the text.
    English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 5

    ELA21.5.37

    Write about research findings independently over short and/or extended periods of time.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:ELA21.5.37

    Vocabulary

    • Research findings
    • Independently
    • Short periods of time
    • Extended periods of time

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Researching a topic begins by finding information from multiple sources.
    • Independent writing skills.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Find information on a particular topic from a variety of research sources.
    • Independently write about research findings over short and extended periods of time.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • They can share information they have learned about a topic through writing.
    • Some writing projects will last a short time, while others may take longer to complete.
    Link to Resource

    CR Resource Type

    Lesson/Unit Plan

    Resource Provider

    ReadWriteThink
    Accessibility
    License

    License Type

    Custom
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