September Reading: Readers Build Good Habits Essential Question: How can I be the kind of reader who reads and rereads for the whole time during reading, while getting ready to talk to my partner? Writing: Small Moment Essential Question: How can I write a story that is focused on one thing that happened in my life and includes details such as actions, dialogue, feelings and thoughts?
October Reading: Being a Word Detective Essential Question: How can I use all the strategies I know in ways that let me understand and figure out words in the books that I read? Writing: How-to Essential Question: How can I write many books that teach people about how to do something?
November/December Reading: Learning about the World by Reading Essential Question: How can I use everything I know about reading to read books which teach me information about different topics?
Writing: Non-Fiction Chapter Books Essential Question: How can I write about topics I am an expert on to teach others? January/ February Reading: Getting to Know your Characters Essential Question: How can I understand the main character in my book in the same way I get to know the people in in my real life? Writing: Writing Reviews Essential Question: How can I make my opinion convincing by giving reasons and examples to match my opinions?
February/ March Reading: Readers Have Big Jobs Essential Question: How can I find ways to get through the hard parts in books, all on my own, so that I can be in charge of my reading? Writing: Writing like a Scientist Essential Question: How can I write a lab report through the use of the Scientific Method?
March/ April Reading: Non-Fiction Book Clubs Essential Question: How can I read non-fiction books and learn about different topics? Writing: Scenes to Series Essential Question: How can I bring characters to life to show the inside (thinking and feeling) and outside (actions) of who our characters are, how they change and the important events in the story?
May Reading: Meeting Characters and Learning New Lessons Essential Question: How do readers get to know characters and understand the central message or life lesson as they read? Writing: Writing From Sources Essential Question: How can we gather information from non-fiction books to write about a topic?
June Reading: Independent Reading Projects Writing: Poetry/ Songs