ELA Unit Plan

Kelsey Rutter-Williamson, Emily Boyle, and Kennedy Cosman

February 28, 2018
Critical Introduction
This unit is based on the premise of being taught in a New Brunswick class. It is centered
on a book written by local authors, printed by a local publishing house, and fixed in a local
setting. Its descriptions of New Brunswick landscapes make it a natural cross-curricular tie to
both science and social studies, while it can also be easily connected to less specific curricular
outcomes of reading and writing.
The central text—​Follow the Goose Butt, Camelia Airheart!—​was chosen because of its
easy connection to the theme of provincial identity. A close inspection of our selected activities
should highlight a strong theme throughout the unit surrounding all things New Brunswick. This
home-bound narrative encompasses the spirit of rural New Brunswick which, in turn, gives
students a more authentic learning environment. What is more is how this unit attempts to tie this
‘grass roots’ theme of belonging and home to an even more relatable context to the modern
student—technology.
By incorporating multiliteracies, this unit attempts to build students’ growing skills in the
realm of technology. Exposing students to different types of ‘texts’ (such as audio clips, maps,
etc.) as well as different tools (such as Apps) and strategies to navigate these texts teaches them
to become ‘literate’ in ways that are becoming more and more practical in this Twittering,
Facebooking day and age. What is particularly unique about this unit, however, is how it
approaches teaching technological literacy without necessarily being glued in front of a screen.
A large portion of this unit is designed around real-world literacies that may not be on a
form of technology itself. That is to say that the ability to ‘read’ posts on social media—a very
real and practical skill needed in this modern age—is fostered throughout this unit by, in a sense,
going back to a more ‘grass roots’ approach. Tying in with perhaps a more ‘traditional’
methodology to multimodal literacies, this unit teaches students to be critical thinkers by
familiarizing them with strategies and methods of ‘reading’ pictures, maps, etc. that may not
always be presented on a screen. The skills acquired, however, translate rather nicely to
interpreting the relationship between picture and text students are continuously exposed to in
their Instagrammed worlds.
In terms of assessment, much of this unit is focused on formative assessment rather than a
summative approach. The chosen activities are designed to create measurable checkpoints of
achievement throughout the unit instead of an end-all-be-all approach to assessment. While the
unit itself is stretched across nearly all subjects, it is important to state that even each activity are
not intended to be indicative of success. Rather, this unit was designed with triangulation of
assessment in mind. Products are not our primary measurement of assessment; in fact, they
somewhat take a backseat to the importance placed on the conversations and observations that
are crucial in the process of learning.
All in all, this unit is steeped in a variety of outcomes that cut across subject lines that
invoke the use of multiple genres. By exploring a variety of printed texts (such as poetry, fiction,
and non-fiction) as well as visual and audio ‘texts’ (such as maps and music), students become
more adept at interpreting the wide range of ‘texts’ made available to students in their everyday
lives. At the center of the unit is the notion of making learning applicable to the students—be it
through the content intended to be passed on, the skills expected to be acquired, or the approach
designed to be used to assess. Pragmatic and student-centered, this unit is intended to engage
each student to—as Camelia Airheart so aptly puts it—“Honkity hink! Focus and think!”
Curriculum Outcomes (GCOs and SCOs) and Reading/Writing Achievements
Reading and Writing Achievements
Reading Achievement Standards
Students:
● monitor reading and self-correct when meaning is lost; identify problems and employ
“fix-up” strategies (e.g.,reread, read on)
● combine meaning, word structure (e.g., roots, compounds, contractions), language
structure (word order and language patterns), and phonics (e.g., vowel patterns; onset and
rime; common spelling patterns) to solve many unknown words
● read a wide variety of words with automaticity
● read familiar passages fluently with phrasing and expression to convey sense of text to
audience; may hesitate occasionally with unfamiliar words
● use context clues, prior knowledge/experience and knowledge of text forms to verify and
adjust predictions while reading
● use text features (e.g., table of contents, headings/subheadings, index, charts/diagrams) to
preview and locate information; may require prompting
Writing Achievement Standards
Students:
● Select and develop a topic (often very broad) from discussion, topic lists/personal
interests, and models (i.e., books), demonstrating an awareness of audience and purpose.
● Use writing tools such as word walls, dictionaries, and class charts.

English Language Arts

GCO 2​: Students will be able to communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and
to respond personally and critically.
1. Student will be expected to adapt volume, projection, facial expression, gestures,
and tone of voice to the speaking occasion.
2. Students will be expected to engage in and respond to a variety of oral
presentations and other texts.
GCO 4​: Students will be expected to select, read and view with understanding a range of
literature, information, media, and visual texts.
 1. Students will be expected to select, independently and with teacher assistance,
texts appropriate to their interests and learning needs.
2. Students will be expected to read widely and experience a variety of children’s
literature.
3. Students will be expected to use pictorial, typographical, and organizational
features of written text to determine content, locate topics, and obtain information.
4. Students will be expected to use and integrate a range of strategies to construct
meaning.
GCO 8​: Students will be expected to use writing and other forms of representation to explore,
clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and learnings; and to use their
imaginations.
1. Students will experiment with language choices in imaginative writing and other
ways of representing.
GCO 10​: Students will be expected to use a range of strategies to develop effective writing and
media products to enhance their clarity, precision, and effectiveness.
1. Students will be expected to: use some conventions of written language
● Punctuation and capitalization: use capitals for proper names, titles, places, days,
months, holidays, beginning of sentences; use periods at the ends of sentences and
for abbreviations; use commas in a series, and in dates; and use apostrophes for
possessives and contractions; use question marks, exclamation marks, and
quotation marks.
● Language structure: make subjects and verbs agree; begin to use simple
paragraphing; use a variety of simple and more complex sentence structures; and
use pronouns appropriately.
● Spelling: use meaning and syntax patterns as well as sound cues; use a range of
spelling strategies; spell many words conventionally; use a variety of strategies to
edit for spelling (identifying misspelled words, trying them another way, and
using another resource to check them out).
2. Students will be expected to: demonstrate engagement with the creation of pieces of
writing and other representation.
● Engage in writing/representing activities for sustained periods of time
● Work willingly on revising and editing for an audience
● Demonstrate pride and sense of ownership in writing/representing efforts

Social Studies
Students will:
● 3.1.1​ locate their province in the Atlantic region, Canada, North America, and the world
● 3.1.2​ describe the major physical features, climates, and vegetation of their province and
the Atlantic region
Science
Students will:
100-29​ identify and investigate life needs of plants and describe how plants are affected
●
by the conditions in which they grow.
● 100-28​ identify and describe parts of plants and their general function
● 100-30​ observe and describe changes that occur through the life cycle of a flowering
plant
● 102-12​ describe ways in which plants are important to living things and the environment
● 200-1​ ask questions that lead to exploration and investigation
● 200-3​ make predictions, based on an observed pattern
● 201-5​ make and record relevant observations and measurements, using written language,
pictures, and charts
Mathematics
Students will:
SCO N9​: Demonstrate an understanding of addition and subtraction of numbers with answers to
1000 (limited to 1, 2 and 3-digit numerals)
Art
Students will:
GCO 1​: Students will be expected to explore, challenge, develop, and express ideas, using the
skills, language, techniques, and processes of the arts.
GCO 2​: Students will be expected to create and/or present, independently and collaboratively,
expressive products in the arts for a range of audiences and purposes.
Music
Students will:
GCO 1​: Students will be expected to explore, challenge, develop, and express ideas, using the
skills, language, techniques, and processes of the arts.
● 3.1.1​ explore and use harmony and texture to communicate thoughts, experiences and
feelings.
● 3.1.2​ explore a range of materials and techniques to create, make and present music.
Word Wall List
● New Brunswick
● Moose
● Beaver
● Dam
● Gaggle
● Gosling
● Goose
● Plummet
● Geyser
● Disperse
● Landscape
● Swath
● Fern
● Beacon
● Aviator
● Lighthouse
● Sandpipers
● Dumbfounded
● Flock
● Ballad
Four Word-Study Activities
1. “Write the Room”: New Brunswick Edition
● In this version of “Write the Room,” students are asked to take their pre-assigned
“Write the Room” journals and write new vocabulary words as they find them
hidden throughout the room. In Figure 1.1, vocabulary words are listed for two
levels. Level 1 was created with UDL in mind. All learners are expected to be
able to find these words, copy them, and then attempt to make a sentence with
that word in it. Differentiation can (and will) occur by having select students
simply copy the words. Level 2, however, occurs with the words posted on blue
cards. As per Bloom’s taxonomy, I would have students in need of enrichment
start with the Level 2 list of words (which have no picture clues) and have them
use a dictionary to look up their meaning should they be unsure. (Here I am
assuming prior knowledge regarding how to use a dictionary, and so if necessary I
would pull this group to give them a quick recap of its use.) Afterwards, they
would write a sentence with the new word. The purpose of this literacy station is
to build on GCO 10 with the specific outcome of using some conventions of
written language, such as capitalization, language structure, and spelling.
2. “Silly Sentences”
● Students will write each word wall word in a silly sentence.
3. “Story, Story”
● Students will write a story using all their spelling words. The must ensure that
they underline all the spelling words in their story.
4. “Adding my Words”
 ● In this activity, vowels are equal to ten, while consonants are equal to five. The
students are to write out their words; they must then add up the value of each
word.
Central and Supporting Texts
Central Text:
Follow the Goose Butt, Camelia Airheart! ​By Odette Barr, Colleen Landry, and Beth
Weatherbee
Supporting Texts:
1. A Seal in Halifax Harbour ​by Doretta Groenendyk (picture book)
2. A stanza from ​The Phantom Light of the Baie des Chaleurs​ by Arthur Wentworth
Hamilton Eaton (poem)
3. Canada Goose​ by Aaron Carr (non-fiction text)
4. Map of New Brunswick (map)
5. Newspaper article about Phantom Ship sighting
6. Pictures of bird migrations
7. Migrant​ by Maxine Trottier (picture book)
8. Lost and Found​ by Oliver Jeffers (picture book)
9. Alexia Wants to Fly​ by Talia Pura (picture book)
10. Morgan’s Boat Ride​ by Hugh MacDonald and Anna Bald (picture book)
11. Take off to Tantramar​ by Odette Barr, Colleen Landry, and Beth Weatherbee (picture
book)
12. Branta Bog Ballad​ sung by Beth Weatherbee (song)
Four Phonemic Awareness Activities
1. Syllable Counting – With the words printed on cardstock and laminated, have students
count the number of syllables in each word using counters or candy.
2. Drive Thru Blending – Using a car or other toy, have students drive through any new or
tricky words to help them sound them out.
3. Count Out Syllables Using Music – Using a
xylophone, students will play out the syllables.
4. Spin and Tell Phonemic Wheel – Using the wheel
shown in Figure A, have students answer the
question that their spinner falls on.
Writing Activities
1. Write a letter to the authors of the central text
requesting that they visit the classroom.
2. Write and present a rap about the central text.
3. Conduct a workshop that teaches students to write humour.
4. Conduct lessons during the writer’s workshop about how to write a recount.
5. Ask students to participate in a lesson about descriptive writing requesting that they
“show” as opposed to “tell”.
 6. Engage students in the literacy center, requesting that they write a recount of their
Goosebutt Adventure.
7. Have students grow their own purple violets (or the similar-looking African Violet) and
observe it as it grows, have them make their own bridge, or grow a small New Brunswick
ocean animal, and request that they engage in procedural writing about the growth or
building process.
Extension Activities
1. Invite the authors of the central text into the classroom.
2. Visit the Mactaquac Dam.
3. Involve students in a project that allows them to harvest salmon.
4. Invite Ducks Unlimited into the classroom.
Integrated Activities
1. Art – Create a whale using recycled materials, paint, feathers, and other non-traditional
materials.
2. Drama – Make actions to go along with the Branta Bog Ballad, or have students act out
the chapters in the central text (Readers’ Theatre).
3. Language Arts – Have students write and present a rap. Engage them in writing humour
as well as lessons during Writer’s Workshop focusing on writing a recount; engage
students in descriptive writing.
4. Math – Have students measure Camelia’s trip on a map and compare their determined
distance with the actual distance to make it more relatable and authentic for students.
Have students build a covered bridge (STEM).
5. Mindfulness – Engage students in deep listening through the use of singing bowls.
6. Physical Education – Engage students in Camelia’s take-off routine, have them “fly” in a
V formation, or engage them in Camelia’s crash landing.
7. Science – Have students grow their own purple violet (or the similar-looking African
violet) and observe it as it grows. Have students build a model of a bridge or raise small
New Brunswick sea animals in the classroom. Ask students to engage in procedural
writing to discuss the growth and/or building process.
8. Social Studies – Physically identify New Brunswick on a globe, and map out Camelia’s
trip on google maps, stopping to virtually explore the main destinations along the way.
Have students research the different climates, vegetation, and physical features of New
Brunswick, and ask them to present their findings in a tourism brochure. Discuss the
importance of landmarks for navigation.
 Shared Writing Lesson – Recount
Subject:​ English Language Grade level: Length of lesson:​ 1 Date:​ February 7,
Arts 3 hour 2018

The purpose of guided writing is to gradually release the responsibility of writing to the students.
During a guided writing exercise, the teacher holds the pen and does the writing, but the students
give the teacher their input as to what to scribe. Usually, a shared writing activity would follow a
guided writing activity, and generally, the teacher is creating a text that illustrates their desired
teaching point, such as procedural writing, a recount, etc.
Curricular Outcomes
Grade 3 Writing Achievement Standards - Form: Recount
Organization:
● Present most ideas/events in an appropriate order
● Link ideas with a variety of simple ordering and connecting words and phrases; some
connections may not be clear
● Include conclusion but it may be abrupt
Word Choice:
● Include a few precise or interesting words or phrases with little repetition
● Include some descriptive vocabulary (e.g., adjectives, active verbs)
Conventions:
● Use correct end punctuation (periods, question marks, exclamation marks) in most
sentences
● Attempt to use commas in a series and in dates, and apostrophes in contractions
● Include the correct use of capital letters for proper nouns (e.g., people, days of the week,
months, common place names), the first word in sentences, and the pronoun “I” in most
cases; may capitalize a few words unnecessarily
● Spell most high-frequency words correctly; longer, more complex words may be spelled
phonetically but are recognizable
GCO:​ Writing and Representing – 9. Students will be expected to create texts collaboratively
and independently, using a variety of forms for a range of audiences and purposes.
SCO:​ Students will be expected to:
● Create written and media texts using a variety of forms
● Demonstrate some awareness of purpose and audience
● Make choices about form for a specific purpose/audience
Focus of the Lesson:​ Conducting a recount of a story through guided writing
Before
What the teacher will do: What the students will do:
● The teacher will activate prior knowledge by asking ● The students will
what students know about recounts. participate in the
● The teacher will read a recount of ​Morgan’s Boat Ride discussion about their
that they created prior to the lesson demonstrating how knowledge of
a recount is written. recounts.
● The teacher will re-discuss the conventions of writing ● The students will
a recount. follow along with the
● Ex. The purpose is to talk about past events, teacher.
the piece identifies when, where, who and
what, key events are recounted in order with
supporting details, etc. ● The students will
● The teacher will begin the shared writing activity by participate in the
asking students to recall the series of events in ​Follow discussion.
the Goose Butt, Camelia Airheart! ​in chronological
order​, ​including each of the locations to which she
flew as well as who she met. ​
*Note: Prior to this lesson, students will have already read
Follow the Goose Butt, Camelia Airheart!

During
What the teacher will do: What the students will do:
● The teacher will explain that ● Students will participate in the guided
together they will write a recount of reading activity by providing input into
the series of events that occurred in how the recount should be written based
Follow the Goose Butt, Camelia on their prior knowledge of what this
Airheart! text form is.
● First, have students decide upon a
title for the recount.
● The teacher will then ask the
students what they had decided was
the first major event that occurred
in the story.
● When beginning the recount,
remind students that of the use of
linking words and phrases, such as
first, later, after, before, when
writing a recount.
*The teacher will continue to take student
suggestions until the recount has been
completed.
After
What the teacher will do: What the students will do:
● Once the piece has been completed, the teacher
will read it to the class.
● The teacher will remind students that the
purpose of a recount is to retell a series of
major events in chronological order using
proper vocabulary. ● Students will participate in a
● The teacher will then engage students in a discussion clarifying that all
discussion to clarify whether all conventions of textual conventions of a
a recount have been met. recount have been met.
● “Does our text have a title? Are all
events in the order in which they
happened?”, etc.
● The teacher will the provide students with an ● Students will take out their
extension activity demonstrating what they writing journal, and on their
have learned. Students will write a recount of own, they will write a short
their weekend in their writing journals. recount of their weekends.

Shared Reading Lesson

NB Curriculum Outcomes
1. Students will speak and listen to explore, extend, clarify, and reflect on their thoughts, ideas,
feelings, and experiences.
● Describe, share, and discuss thoughts, feelings, and experiences and consider others’
ideas.
● Ask and respond to questions to clarify information and to explore possibilities or
solutions to problems
2. Students will be able to communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to
respond personally and critically.
● Participate in conversation, small-group and whole-group discussion, understanding
when to speak and when to listen.
● Engage in and respond to a variety of oral presentations and other texts.
4. Students will be expected to select, read, and view with understanding a range of literature,
information, media, and visual texts.
● Read widely and experience a variety of children’s literature
● Read silently, vocalizing only when a major problem with word recognition or meaning
occurs
● Use prereading/previewing strategies
● Use after-reading/viewing strategies
8. Students will be expected to use writing and other forms of representation to explore, clarify,
and reflect on their thoughts, feelings, experiences, and learnings; and to use their imaginations.
● Explore, with assistance, ways for making their own notes

Learning Objectives
Students will be introduced to the different elements of poetry through a shared reading of a
stanza of Arthur Wentworth Hamilton Eaton’s poem ​The Phantom Light of the Baie des
Chaleurs​.

Lesson

Teacher does: Students do:

● Have students pull out a highlighter ● Tidy desks and prepare for lesson.
(or marker) and pencil.
● Have the full poem up on your
computer, but not on the
SMARTboard yet.
● Have one student pass out the
handout with just one stanza.
● Tell students to read the poem, ● Silently read the stanza,
highlighting words that they don’t highlighting when necessary.
recognize or parts that don’t make
sense to them. If they want, remind
them they can try and jot down
exactly what it is that doesn’t make
sense to them. (i.e., Do they not
know how to say it? Or does this
word just seem out of place in this
sentence?) ​(5 minutes)
● Tell students to bring their handouts ● Meet on mat.
to the mat.
● Explain to students that their peers ● Turn and share with a partner.
are just as likely to have answers to
their questions as I am. Have
students turn to an elbow partner
and share their questions about the
stanza. ​(5 minutes)
● Invite a few students to share any ● Listen quietly.
questions that were not answered.
● Explain that we will now read it
together. Choose readers by
drawing on Popsicle sticks with
their names on them. Before
 starting, also explain that the
teacher might stop you to draw our
attention to something in the poem,
but it does not mean they have read
it wrong. Emphasize the classroom
as a safe place. ● Listen and/or read.
● Read the first line to model fluency,
etc. Choose next reader. Explain
new words and identify mean
line-by-line. Be sure to emphasize
the pause of the comma. ​(10
minutes) ● Listen and contribute by raising
● Ask students how this text is their hands.
different from that of a book. Draw
their attention to the fact that there
are no periods (except at the end),
that is sounds like a song, etc.
● If time permits, begin discussing the
different elements of poetry by
co-creating a poster/table with them
on chart paper as a reference for
when they later work independently
on their own poems.

Learning Center – “My Goosebutt Adventure”

Grade:​ 3

Literacy Center:​ Follow the Goosebutt, Camelia Airheart!

Instructions:
1. Provide students with the worksheet, a writing utensil, and some coloured pencils or
crayons.
2. Ask students to think about Camelia Airheart’s journey in “Follow the Goosebutt,
Camelia Airheart!”, including where she went, who she met there, and what she did while
she was there. Then ask them where they would go on an adventure if they could go
anywhere.
3. Have students draw a map of their journey in the box at the top of the worksheet.
4. Once they have drawn their map and coloured it in, ask students to write a recount of
where they decided to go and what they did when they went there. Remind them to use
language specific to a recount, including first, later, after, and before, as well as to write
in the past tense.

Rationale:​ This activity would be a great follow-up to a shared writing activity describing how
to write a recount. It follows the theme of adventure and getting lost that we have chosen to use
as the central theme of our learning center. It would also be meaningful to students and would
allow them to use their imagination and get creative while also creating a fun writing activity for
them.

Adaptations:​ Students are to write what they can. Some students may only be able to write a
short paragraph, while other students may use the entire space provided. Those students who
struggle with writing could simply orally explain their adventure to the teacher using the proper
vocabulary, or they may be allowed to type their recount.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
My Goose Butt Adventure
Name:  

In the spaces provided, draw your adventure and then 

write a recount of where you went and what happened 
when you got there. 

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 Intervention Lesson Plan – List-Group-Label Strategy

Purpose:​ This intervention strategy is a form of semantic mapping. It helps students to improve
their vocabulary, categorization skills, and their ability to organize concepts, while also
activating their critical thinking skills. Through this strategy, students learn to organize new
concepts based on their prior knowledge. This intervention strategy would take place before
reading and can be done individually, in small groups, or as a class based on students’ needs.

Lesson plan implementation:

What the teacher will do: What the students will do:

● The teacher will select a specific

concept in ​Follow the Goosebutt,
Camelia Airheart!.
● The first step in this strategy is “List”. ● The students will participate in the
The teacher is to engage students in a brainstorming session providing the
brainstorming session of words related teacher with words related to the
to the designated topic. The teacher chosen concept.
will record the students’ response on a
piece of chart paper. At this stage, the
teacher will not critique students’
responses.
● The second stage of this strategy is ● After the students have been divided
“Group”. The teacher will divide into smaller groups, they will divide
students into small groups. Each group the brainstormed words into
will cluster the list of brainstormed subcategories. The students should
words into subcategories. The teacher explain their reasoning behind their
should challenge students to explain groupings.
their reasoning behind their groupings.
● The final stage of this strategy is
called “Label”. The teacher will ask ● The students will come up with titles
students to label the groups that they for their subcategories that reflect the
have formed. The labels of their reasoning behind their groupings.
groupings should reflect the reasoning
behind their groups.

Rationale:​ The novel, ​Follow the Goosebutt, Camelia Airheart!​, is filled with rich, colourful,
and new vocabulary. The “List-Group-Label” strategy would be an useful strategy in assisting
students with the discovery of this new vocabulary. This strategy can also be adapted to suit
individual students’ needs. Perhaps for the first session, the teacher could provide students with
their list of words, taken from this unit’s central text, to help provide students with a deeper
understanding of the text’s new vocabulary.