Unit Design Template

Candidate Name: Katrina Monta Host Teacher Name: Mrs. Dawn Shlaudeman
School: Point Higgins Elementary School Grade Level: 1 # of Students: 21
Date & Time of Lesson: TBA Length of Lesson: (day or days) 45 minutes (each lesson)
Topic of Unit: Alaska Lesson Content Area: Literacy
Materials: Include all materials including types of technology used:
Sitka Rose by Shelley Gill; flash cards (see attached); hand Alaska map; Reflection about Alaska handout; pencils;
coloring utensils

Alaska Content Standard: (One standard for the lesson)

Reading Standards for Informational Text K-5: Key Ideas and Details
1. With prompting and support, elicit background/prior knowledge and experience in order to ask and answer questions
about an informational text using key details from the text.
2. Identify the main topic or author’s purpose (e.g., to teach or tell us about …) and retell key details of a text.
3. Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
Transfer Goal(s) - Unpacked Standard (Transferability)
*Students will work together at the end of the lesson to retell the story of Sitka Rose with their Alaska hand map.
*Students will be able to answer questions about the story as it is being told and make connections about their life
in the questions.
*Student will take their previous knowledge, knowledge gained from the story and knowledge gained from
differentiated activities to answer quiz questions.
.
STAGE ONE: Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings (Meaning)
Enduring Understanding(s) : (1 or 2 are sufficient) Essential Questions to be Considered: (As related to
Students will understand that – these are the BIG ones….) Enduring Understandings…) (1 or 2 are sufficient)
*Students will explore a legend of the origins of Alaska *In what ways can students learn about Alaska? What
through different mediums and still learn equivalent is the purpose of learning about the origins of Alaska
information about the topic. legends?

STAGE ONE (con’t): STAGE TWO:

Objectives/Learning Targets (Acquisition)
Knowledge and Skills: Ask Yourself: What knowledge
and skills related to content and/or content language
should students know and be able to do by the end of the
lessons? (Content and Language)
K1 – Students will engage in listening to the book
Sitka Rose by Shelley Gill and
answer questions about the story
as it is read.
S1 – Students will gather knowledge about
Alaska to use later
K2 – Students will investigate in one of three
options to further enhance their
knowledge of Alaska and the
story Sitka Rose by Shelley Gill
S2 – Students will decide which group project
to participate in (differentiated
Assessments/Acceptable Evidence Of Learning
Sources of Evidence: Ask Yourself: Do these assessments
measure the identified Objectives – the content and content
language knowledge and skills? Have I indicated whether
they are Formative, Summative, and/or Performance?
All three types must be included.
You will embed these in each lesson, as appropriate.
Pre-Assessment: Students will be asked: “What is a
legend?”
Formative: The students will be asked questions
throughout the story. Some of those questions will
include:
1. [Before the story starts] Sitka? Does that
sound familiar to anyone? (Sitka is a town in
Alaska, in southeast Alaska not too far from
where we live)
2. [On page 1 – after ‘with hair the color of flame]
What is the color of flame? (Reds, gold,
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 groups). The will be three
activities and if time allows all
three groups will be completed.
oranges)
3. [On page 5 – after ‘Rose was raised grander
than the average child’] What were some of the
fun things that you can remember doing, or
have done recently that made your life fun?
4. [On page 12 – after ‘The whale headed North
and swam all night’] What animal would you
ride all the way to Nome?
5. [On page 23 – after “The Alaska Sweepstakes..’
That sounds familiar, what do you think that
race is also called? Have you heard of it
before?
6. [On page 28 – after ‘See her braids in the
rivers…’ Can we actually see her braids? Or is
that just part of the legend?
7. [On page 29 – after ‘dancing ‘cross the sky in
the Northern Lights’] Have any of you seen the
Northern Lights?

Summative: The students will complete a three question

true false quiz (T  or F )
True and False Questions:
1. Sitka Rose was from Ketchikan (F )
2. Sitka Rose rode an elephant to Nome (F )
3. Sitka Rose had red hair and she was strong (T
)

Performance Assessment: The students will work

together with me to help retell the story of Sitka Rose
while using their hands as maps of the State of Alaska.
The students who were in the hand map group will
demonstrate to the rest of the class (along with help from
me) how to make the map. The retell should include that
Sitka Rose came from Sitka, she was strong and tough.
She knew a lot about the land, but was seeking adventure.
She wanted to go to Nome to look for gold. In the process
she formed mountains (Denali) and the Yukon River. She
can still be seen in the northern lights.

STAGE THREE: Learning for Understanding/ Instructional Activities

Learning Activities and Strategies:
 Instructional activities should lead to meeting the Objectives above.
Ask Yourself: how will the students meet the Objective(s)?
 Embed the Assessments into the lesson – (Tip: some instructional activities can serve as assessments.)
Ask Yourself: how will students demonstrate their understanding of the content or the content language?
 The entire focus should be directed toward meeting the Transfer Goal(s) and Enduring Understandings as well as
answering the Essential Questions for the lesson.
Ask Yourself: By the end of the lesson, 1) can students answer the all or part of the targeted Essential Question? 2) Do
they have a better grasp of the Enduring Understanding? 3) Have they reached, or are they on their way to reaching, the
Transfer Goal?
DO: For each instructional activity, specify: What will the teacher do? What will the students do?

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Pre-Requisites: What is the prior knowledge students have to have before starting this lesson?
*Students will need to have previous knowledge of writing, reading and drawing
*Students will have some previous knowledge that we live in the same state as Sitka Rose (we all live in Alaska)
Overview/Introduction/Main Hook (Make a connection with students’ backgrounds using an authentic situation to start
them thinking about the objectives and the essential question the lesson addresses.)
We live in a very beautiful and mysterious place, Alaska! We read a lot in the course of the day, and many of the
things that we read are stories that teach us information, some of that information may be used to solve questions or
tell us stories. I am hoping that this lesson will get us thinking about what we gain by reading.
Action/ Mini-hook/connection to Process: Teacher does/ Student Does Product: Assessment/
Lesson prior learning/knowledge Evidence of Learning

Lesson 1 – Our lesson today looks We will begin by reading the story all the way Performance
Dialogic at a book about Alaska! through the first time. Then the story will be read Assessment: The
reading of again and these questions will be asked. students will work
Sitka Rose Are all stories true? together with me to
with Stories in many Formative: The students will be asked questions help retell the story
Differentiated cultures are passed throughout the story. Some of those questions will of Sitka Rose while
Projects down through the include: using their hands as
generations orally. 1. [Before the story starts] Sitka? Does maps of the State of
Telling stories from the that sound familiar to anyone? (Sitka is Alaska. The students
elder generation to the a town in Alaska, in southeast Alaska who were in the hand
younger generation is a not too far from where we live) map group will
common way that 2. [On page 1 – after ‘with hair the color demonstrate to the
stories are passed down of flame] What is the color of flame? rest of the class
through many Alaskan (Reds, gold, oranges) (along with help
Cultures. Today we will 3. [On page 5 – after ‘Rose was raised from me) how to
be reading a legend grander than the average child’] What make the map. The
from Alaska. were some of the fun things that you retell should include
can remember doing, or have done that Sitka Rose came
Pre-Assessment: recently that made your life fun? from Sitka, she was
Students will be asked: 4. [On page 12 – after ‘The whale headed strong and tough.
“What is a legend?” North and swam all night’] What She knew a lot about
animal would you ride all the way to the land, but was
Nome? seeking adventure.
5. [On page 23 – after “The Alaska She wanted to go to
Sweepstakes..’ That sounds familiar, Nome to look for
what do you think that race is also gold. In the process
called? Have you heard of it before? she formed
6. [On page 28 – after ‘See her braids in mountains (Denali)
the rivers…’ Can we actually see her and the Yukon River.
She can still be seen
braids? Or is that just part of the
in the northern
legend?
lights.
7. [On page 29 – after ‘dancing ‘cross the
sky in the Northern Lights’] Have any of
Lesson Closure:
you seen the Northern Lights?
We have done a lot
We are now going to break into groups and do today, we have read
different activities. Please come see through our story
me as we get to choose our groups twice, answered a lot
for the project. of questions, thought
about different words,
Students will differentiate into groups by the places and what we do
teacher, based upon interest and on a daily basis in
skill level for the particular Alaska. More
activity. exploring to come!

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 *Differentiated Groups:
1. Syllable Group – This activity can be done
in three small group (preferably pairs). See
attached image of the flash cards that have
been created for the students. The students
will look at the words from the story
(Legend, Sitka Rose, Salmon, Mammals,
Trails, Tame, Huskies, Gal, Miners, Bay,
Cage, Crawl, Shovel, Mold, Lassoed) The
syllable chunks are written below the
typed word. And on the back is a simple
image of the word to show the definition as
well as a way to make sense of the word
when trying to figure out the word.
2. Map Group – See attached Alaska Hand
Map. The students will be taught (if not
already known) how to make the shape of
the map of Alaska with their right hand. I
will point out where we live, and other
notable places in Alaska and the story of
Sitka Rose. The students will then get to
color the map and see the places on the
map from the story.
3. Reflection Group – See attached Alaskan
Reflection paper. The students will
complete a drawing and a few sentences
describing what activities they enjoy doing
in Alaska, much as Sitka Rose enjoyed
doing activities
Lesson 2 –

Lesson 3 –

Closure: Bring it all together with the focus of the lesson and the Objective. Tie the closure for each lesson in with the
Main Hook, the Objective, and the Essential Question.

(Currently there is only one lesson closure – see lesson 1)

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Alaska is a TOUGH place to live!

Me doing Alaskan activities