Thematic Unit

1. Thematic Unit
Introduction:
The book that I selected to use with my fourth grade class as a supplemental item to my
social studies curriculum is not a traditional textbook. As I mentioned in my textbook analysis, I
do see some benefits to “Our Continent: A Natural History of North America.” This book
doesn’t have traditional chapters. The book is broken up into sections that describe different
aspects of North America such as countries, landscapes, wildlife, climate, etc. The chapter I
would consider teaching a little bit about is called “The Living Land.”
K-12 Academic Standards:
4.3.2.3.1 Locate and identify the physical and human characteristics of places in the United
States, and also Canada or Mexico.
4.3.2.4.1 Name and locate states and territories, major cities and state capitals in the United
States.
4.3.3.6.1 Explain how geographic factors affect population distribution and the growth of cities
in the United States and Canada.
Reading Strategies:
A. KWL (Before Reading) – During this strategy, the teacher leads a whole class of students in a
discussion about a particular topic. Students think about what they know, what they want to

2. know, and what they learned after reading. Students list these categories separately. This book
is a little bit advanced for fourth graders. There are some tougher vocabulary words and new
concepts. I am going to have to take it slow with the students, read aloud, and do a lot of
modeling for them. I believe they can learn the harder material so I will be thorough about what
I am teaching. This strategy I feel would be efficient because the students and I can work
together about certain important topics. During this process, I will be able to see what students
know about a topic, what they have questions on, and eventually what they have learned. This
strategy provides great guidance for students and teachers. This strategy also allows time for
reflections and making connections about topics and subjects in the chapter. It is a great tool to
support thinking while learning something new. This strategy is useful for students of all ages.
B. Say Something (During Reading) – This is a quick strategy where students pair up with a
partner and read together. The students engage in discussions about what they read after a few
paragraphs of reading. Although some of the reading can be difficult for my age group, I believe
this strategy could help the students. I would select an area of the book that I would want them
to read with a partner (I would have to photocopy sections of this book and pass them out to
groups). Students would pair up and read the text. I would have students stop after every
paragraph or two and discuss what they read. I may even have the students record key points or
ideas from the paragraph. Students can help each other with the vocabulary and work together
collaboratively. Students could learn from each other and debate what they have read. After, I
would go over what they read with a partner and instruct them on their questions.
C. Exit Slips and Admit Slips (After Reading) – This strategy occurs at the end of class or
beginning of class the next day. Students write on note cards or scratch pieces of paper about
something they have learned, a question they may have, a prediction, or a thought about the

3. lesson. I believe the exit slips can be useful as far letting the teacher know what the students
have learned about a topic or specific skill. I plan on using the exits slips as a means of
informing me what the students obtained from a specific reading or area in this particular book.
This strategy will let me know what the students comprehended, what questions they may have,
and if the material was too difficult for them. This is a quick and effective way to check for
understanding.
One Supplemental Article:
http://www.kidzworld.com/article/5570-seven-natural-wonders-of-the-world
I chose this article because I thought it would be really neat to teach kids about these
natural wonders of the world. Many young children are very curious about why things happen
and how they came to be. I think this would be a great article to teach students about. This
would be a good change of pace from the book the students would be learning about. Some of
the natural wonders may help students realize how humans have to adapt to their surroundings.
Three Online Sources:
1st
source - http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games.htm
This interactive website allows students to learn about the United States. Students will be
able to play games on the iPads, laptops, or SMART Board to help them learn where states are
located in the United States. Students can learn which states are in which regions of the U.S.
Students also can learn about the capital cities of each U.S. state, U.S. Lakes, rivers, landscapes

4. of the U.S., etc. This is a relevant website that would be used for students to learn interactively
about the United States through technology. Students would be engaged with technology instead
of learning from a book or article. The website and games are kid-friendly.
2nd
source - http://www.ducksters.com/geography/northamerica.php
This website allows students to learn major facts about North America. Students may
learn fun facts and geography. Students may click on different links throughout the website that
provides students with solid information about the North American countries. This website is
appropriate because it provides much information and facts about North America. Although the
website is not very interactive, students can learn about each country.
3rd
source - http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find/
This website provides details and information about many different countries throughout
the world. You can look at any continent and the countries in that continent. The website has
lots of options. Students can learn facts about each country, look at many pictures of various
landforms and structures, the country’s flag, the landscape, major cities, etc. It’s a great website
for kids. It would be a nice change of pace from the textbooks which can be pretty dry at times.
Writing Strategy:
I know I have said this several times, but I am very interested to try out the power writing
approach. After reviewing the text and websites, I would select a main topic of the lesson for the
students to write about in a short period of time. Writing helps students formulate thoughts
about topics and concepts, and writing can assist in learning about a subject. This strategy would

5. help me see what students have learned and comprehended from lessons. I would go over the
writing with the class during a group discussion. Because the power writings do not take a long
time to do, I can have my class perform them daily to reinforce important concepts.
Summary:
The reason I would choose to use the book, websites, and any relevant articles is to
supplement my school’s social studies curriculum in the elementary grades. My textbook for
social studies at school is strong in some areas but weak in others. I will use the chapter “The
Living Land” to broaden the curriculum and reach certain standards that I feel are not covered to
the fullest extent in my social studies textbook. I will be building background knowledge with
the students and going over tougher vocabulary words prior to reading to increase students’
understanding and comprehension. Through various reading strategies and dedication, I believe
this book can be very useful. It has lots of good information that can supplement my curriculum
and that is why I chose the book as a classroom resource.