Unit Title: Courage Creates Power
Unit Overview
DAY #1 Read aloud
Objective The students will be able to
describe examples in The Day
You Begin by Jacqueline
Woodson that explain
explicitly what the text says
or infers.
Standards IAS – 4.RL.2.1
Materials  The book
 The drawing of the
mirror
 Large ruler
 Sticky notes
Management Having the students converse
with one another about the
items they put down.
Letting them brainstorm lots
of ideas.
Anticipatory Using mini rulers and small
Set mirrors, I will have the
students hold the two items
as I tell them stories about
how the two items apply to
me in my life.
Purpose I am going to read to you The
Day You Begin by Jacqueline
Woodson. I want you to focus
on what is happening in the
story, and why rulers and
mirrors might be important
to the story.
Lesson Input: Have the students sit
Presentation around my teacher chair in
the back of the room as I
read them the story.
Output: I will ask the
students a series of questions
about the book. (Example:
What happened in the book
after you saw a ruler?)
Closure or The children felt like they
Conclusion didn’t measure up or like they
were too different, but once
they shared their
stories/differences, they
didn’t feel that way, so much,
anymore. They started seeing
themselves differently in their
mirror and let others see that
part of them as well.
Formative The students use the mirror
Assessment to show how they see
themselves (negative or
positive)
The students use the ruler to
show how society might have
seen them that is not true
about them.
DAY #2 Social Studies
By filling out and presenting
the three tab book foldable,
the students will be able to
describe key events that
caused the American
Revolution.
IAS - 4.1.3
NCSS – PAG
ISTE – Communication and
Collaboration
Different materials given for
each home group and sub
group. Instructions put on a
paper along with QR codes and
questions to answer on the
foldable.
Ability to listen to the articles
instead of read them. Also
working together in groups to
fill out the foldable.
Groups of three students are
put together. Two students are
opinion givers and the last
student must decide which
student to follow along with.
How were you feeling when
having to choose what person
to follow? The confusion felt is
similar to the confusion the
colonists had. Five minutes is
given for this.
Today we will be learning
about what happened in the
colonies to cause the colonists
to fight back against the British
rule and cause the American
Revolution. We investigate and
learn this information to better
understand why the United
States became a country and
why we are able to call
yourselves American.
Input: Group
learning/foldables/
presentations/activity
pertaining to the station – The
students who I feel will
understand the idea best will
be split up among the groups
to help with consistent
understanding.
Output: Explaining what they
learned to the class to finish
filling out the foldable.
Pro/Con list for whether or not
it is good to leave the British
empire.
The presentations given to the
class.
The foldables they finished.
Name: Julia Coston
DAY #3 Social Studies
By watching the video and
completing the worksheets the
students will be able to describe
and identify battles that
happened during the
revolutionary war.
IAS – 4.1.3
NCSS - PAG
 Mapping worksheet
 Video worksheet
 YouTube video
 Slideshow for Vocab
 Document camera
Working on the worksheet while
listening to the video and being
able to work with a partner on
the other worksheet
Questions that pertain the first
lesson on the American
revolution as a review and to
prepare for this lesson.
Today we will be learning what
happened during the
revolutionary war, what battles
took place, and how the
declaration of independence
happened. We take the time to
educate ourselves on this
because like before it is
important to know how our
country started and also how
much work it was for the
colonists for the USA to become a
country.
Input: Vocab lesson, video on the
wars that took place and
worksheet that goes along with
the video.
Output: Working with a partner
to map out the main battles that
happened during the war and
where they happened. Also the
extra questions I will ask them
when they finish that.
Have seven students come up to
each describe one battle that
happened during the war. (Who
won, where it was, etc.)
The video worksheet the
students did during class that I
will look at to make sure they
understood what was taught.
Also the descriptions of the war
given by the seven students.
DAY #4
The students will be able to
describe the historical characters
and their characteristics in John,
Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith
by comparing/contrasting the
fictional aspects of the book with
the historical facts in the book.
IAS: 4.RL.2.3
 The book/ objects in the
classroom
 Printed pages of facts
from the book
 Other websites about the
characters
 Poster paper/markers
The students will be able to hold
on to an object from the room
while listening to the book. The
students will be working in groups
to present their selected historical
character.
Have an object of significance
from the classroom that helps give
me courage and power to teach.
Tell the students to find
something in the classroom that
gives them courage and power.
Explain how that correlates with
the book characters.
Today I am going to be reading
John, Paul, George, & Ben by Lane
Smith. I want you to think about
why the object your holding helps
give you courage to be who you
are. Then, while I read the book, I
want you to think about what
might have helped give the
characters courage to be the
powerful leaders they turned out
to be.
Input: The setup of the book
leading to the book. The historical
fiction story being read to the
students by me.
Output: The questions given
about the book and the students
perspective after reading.
(Example: What made John
courageous? What gave him the
power to express himself?)
The five boys who turned into five
of our founding fathers, had
struggles they went to as well, and
people who didn’t like them. What
made them stand out and grow
was the courage they had in
themselves that started when they
were kids. It gave them the power
to become the great people they
became and gave them the power
to change a nation.
Presentations given as a group
about the specific historical
character talked about in the
book.
Unit Title: Courage Creates Power Name: Julia Coston
Adaptations See Lesson plan: See Lesson plan: See Lesson plan: See Lesson plan:
For Diverse students Readers with Difficulty Early Finishers Students who have difficulty
Early Finishers Students who have a hard time researching
following along Early Finishers

Summative N/A N/A The second worksheet they N/A

Assessment worked on with their partners.
(as needed)