This document provides an overview of the content and activities for a 5-day unit on the book The Red Kayak. Each day focuses on building vocabulary around the theme of courage, discussing the story through a concept map and comprehension questions, and practicing spelling, grammar, and other literacy skills. Day 1 introduces the vocabulary word "courage" and has students start a concept map. Day 2 continues exploring courage and building the concept map. Day 3 reviews famous failures that showed courage. Day 4 relates the story to social studies concepts. Day 5 reviews the key concepts from the unit.

1. Unit 1 Week 1
The Red Kayak

2. Day 1 – Content Knowledge
Oral Vocabulary
 Courage – Kids of Character – What inspires people to
act courageously? Class questions and discussion
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqr2GcFlY3I
 Student book pages 20-21 look at the picture
 Class questions and discussion
 Begin concept map

3. COURAGE

4. Concept Map
Acting Courageously
Actions Feelings Characteristics Situations

5. Read
Aloud-
“Run, Kate
Shelley,
Run"

6. Comprehension Skill: Character and Plot
Comprehension Strategy: Monitor and Clarify

7. • Spelling – Short Vowels
VCCV, VCV
• Pretest on Spelling City
WS DVD #1
• Conventions – Four Kinds of
Sentences
• WS TR DVD 1

8. Centers

9. Day 2 - Content Knowledge
Build Oral Vocabulary
 Courage – Kids President Heroes – What inspires people to
act courageously?
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgF1Enrgo2g
 “Run, Kate Shelley, Run.” Read passage below.
 “The rain fell ever harder. Mud and water made the crossties
slick and treacherous. How could anyone cross this bridge –
caught between the wind, the rain, and the boiling, angry
river?”
 What does treacherous mean?
 Why would crossing this bridge be treacherous?

10. Concept Map
Acting Courageously
Actions Feelings
Characteristics Situations
Amazing Word:
Revive: to bring back to life
or consciousness
Look at the photographs on
page 20-21. Discuss the
word revive.
Discuss with a partner:
What can you do to revive
someone who is
unconscious?
Have you ever seen a
character revive someone
on T.V. or in a movie?
What happened?

11. Word Analysis
 A suffix is added the the end of a base word to modify a
word’s function in a sentence. The suffix -ly is added
to an adjective to form an adverb.
 In your reading spirals create this chart. Change the
adjective to an adverb and then use it in a sentence.

12. Literary Terms: Point of View
 When a story is told from a third-person point of view,
the narrator is not a character in the story.
 Third person can have an
 omniscient point of view
 limited-omniscient point of view
 What point of view is Brave Melissa in on page 23?
 Think of another example.

13. Vocabulary Skill: Homographs

14. Red Kayak
 Genre: Realistic Fiction
 Fictional characters and events that could happen in real
life.
 Think about acting courageously as you read!

15. Vocabulary- Centers
Spelling - Center
Conventions - Center
Research and Inquiry -
Centers

16. Day 3 – Content Knowledge
Build Oral Language
 Courage – Famous Failures
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydeyl0vXdP0

17. Concept Map
Amazing Word:
:
Look at the photographs on
page
Acting Courageously
Actions Feelings Characteristics Situations

18. Red Kayak
 Continuing the Story
 Move into reading groups to read the rest of Red Kayak with
centers
 WS TR DVD 4 – Character and Plot
 WS Reader’s and Writer’s Notebook p. 46

19. Think Critically

20. Vocabulary- Centers
Spelling - Center
Conventions - Center
Research and Inquiry -
Centers

21. Day 4 – Content Knowledge
Build Oral Language
 Courage – 6 people found courage
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usIHENAXuag

22. Concept Map
Amazing Word:
Look at the photographs on
page
Acting Courageously
Actions Feelings Characteristics Situations

23. Social Studies in Reading
 How-to text give instructions for a procedure.
 Why would a person need to follow a procedure or
steps?
 What are some examples?

24. How-to Text

25. Vocabulary
 Discuss definition of
homographs
 If nobody objects, we can
move on to the next topic of
discussion. It is not safe for
babies to but small objects in
their mouth.
 What are the meanings for
objects in that sentence?
 Look up the words below in
the story and write the word
and the meaning in your
reading spiral. Then use it in a
sentence.
 winds (p. 28)
 bow (p. 29 and 33)
 minute (p. 41)

26. Listening
and
Speaking
 When you are
interviewing make
sure you are
pretending to be
Brady. Think about
the thoughts and
feelings he would
have about rescuing
Ben. Answer how ben
would respond!

27. Spelling –
Conventions -
Research and Inquiry –

28. Day 5 – Content Knowledge
Oral Language
 Courage – Motivational Minute - Courage
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drlqlOxJLnc

29. Concept Map
Amazing Word:
Look at the photographs on
page
Acting Courageously
Actions Feelings Characteristics Situations

30. REVIEW
 Comprehension Skill
 Comprehension Strategy
 Word Analysis
 Literary Terms

31. Vocabulary- Centers
Spelling - Center
Conventions - Center
Research and Inquiry -
Centers