6th Grade Family Letters

Dear Families,

At the heart of the EL Education Language Arts Curriculum is a commitment to literacy instruction through engaging, authentic books. Each of the four modules in the Grade 6  curriculum is built around a fiction or nonfiction book that guides the learning and helps  students connect to the module topic. These books act as portals, giving students access to  the perspectives of diverse characters and to the academic challenges required for grade-level  success.  

The books selected for Grade 6 take students on a journey to a mythical training camp, the true  story of a village in Malawi, a 1930s boarding school in Oklahoma, and the busy offices of NASA  in the years before the moon landing. Despite the variety of their content, the central texts have  this in common: rich, complex language; important and compelling themes; exciting plots with  meaningful conflicts; and thoughtful characters or historical figures who, in their own ways,  aim to be ethical people who contribute to a better world. By the end of the school year, through  work with these books and related texts, students will be more effective, more strategic, and  more joyful readers. 

Module 1: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan 

The Lightning Thief introduces students to Percy, the trouble-prone antihero who doesn’t seem  to fit in anywhere. His teachers don’t understand him, his stepfather treats him poorly, and  his classmates find him pretty strange. Percy feels strange indeed, and finally, he learns why:  he is the son of a Greek god—and the other gods think he’s a thief! Tasked with a seemingly  impossible quest to recover a stolen lightning bolt and prove his innocence, Percy begins his  journey to find the bolt and ends up finding himself instead.  

The main tasks of this module help students develop reading and writing skills that will help  them throughout Grade 6 and beyond. Students learn strategies for figuring out the meanings  of unfamiliar words. They determine the central ideas and important details of early chapters  in the book and write summaries of shorter texts related to topics in the book. After reading  one scene in the text and watching the same scene come to life in the movie version, students  examine similarities and differences between the scenes in a compare and contrast essay.  Finally, borrowing from the clever techniques used in The Lightning Thief, students try their  hand at narrative writing by rewriting a scene from the book.  

Module 2: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers Edition) by  William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer 

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind tells the true story of a curious and bright young scientist,  William. Whether making a broken radio buzz again or figuring out how a “dynamo” works,  William loves a good challenge. When his beloved Malawian village is hit by a devastating  drought and famine, William’s challenges, for the first time, seem impossible to overcome. With  perseverance and patience, William constructs his most important invention yet: a windmill  that brings electricity—and with it, stability and protection against future droughts—to his  home and community. 

The main tasks of this module reflect William’s questioning spirit. Students break down the  book’s structure and examine its individual pieces. They analyze the way that William is  introduced in the book and interpret the authors’ use of figurative language. With William’s  creativity as inspiration, students research other innovators’ solutions to critical problems  in communities around the world. Lessons focused on building students’ research skills— searching for sources, deciding whether they are credible and useful, and paraphrasing and  quoting them—help students become more effective investigators. Students write a problem solution essay based on their findings, then share their research at a presentation and  discussion, during a “Solution Symposium.” This symposium both highlights the inventiveness  of students’ research subjects and celebrates students’ own learning. 

Module 4: Hidden Figures (Young Readers’ Edition) by Margot Lee Shetterly

Hidden Figures celebrates the work of the “West Computers” of NACA (now NASA). These  talented mathematicians solved problems and performed calculations that would transform  air travel and eventually help human beings land on the moon for the first time. As the first  black women hired by NASA, the West Computers faced additional challenges beyond the  mathematical and scientific. Hidden Figures follows the lives and friendships of the West  Computers at a time of overt racism and discrimination and describes their achievements in  science and beyond. 

The main tasks of this module allow students to dive deeply into the lives of West Computers Dorothy, Mary, and Katherine. First, students read a series of short articles and other  texts to build context for the module topic. Then, students look closely at the way the  author describes key events in Hidden Figures and compare it to how those same events are  described by other authors. Finally, having gathered many examples of the West Computers’  remarkable accomplishments, students write essays that make an argument about why these  accomplishments deserve attention. 

Unit 1: Greek Mythology

What will your student be doing at school?

This unit is designed to help students build knowledge about Greek mythology while simultaneously developing their ability to read a challenging text closely by analyzing the narrator’s point of view in the novel Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. Students read this novel in conjunction with selected stories from Greek mythology and articles addressing the relevance and influence of these ancient stories today. Students will examine the author develops a character’s point of view over the course of a novel as well as how their own perspectives can evolve.

In the second half of the unit, students participate in a discussion about how the main character responds to challenges and what those reactions indicate about his character.

How can you support your student at home?

• Share traditional stories from your culture or heritage with your student. Ask your student about the lessons that these stories were meant to teach and how those messages might still be relevant today.
• Explain how your personal point of view has changed since you were the age of your student.
• Watch films and research on the internet with your student to find out more about Greek mythology. The novel your student is studying references a number of different mythological figures (e.g., heroes, gods and goddesses, monsters). Build background knowledge on this topic by discovering together the details of the figures named in the novel.
• Ask your student to explain the difference between academic and domain-specific vocabulary and to offer you examples. Share some examples of domain-specific terms from your occupation or hobby with your student.
• Read chapter books with your student and discuss how each chapter fits into the overall structure of the novel using the key below:

Key

• exposition: beginning of the story describing how things are before the action begins
• rising action: series of conflicts and crises in the story that builds towards the climax
• climax: the turning point, when something important happens that changes the direction of the story
• falling action: the action that happens after the climax and starts to guide the story toward the resolution
• resolution: the end of the story tying everything together

Common Core State Standards addressed:

• RL.6.1, RL.6.2, RL.6.3, RL.6.4, RL.6.5, RL.6.6, RL.6.7, RL.6.9, RL.6.10
• RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.4
• W.6.2, W.6.3, W.6.4, W.6.5, W.6.6, W.6.9, W.6.10
• SL.6.1
• L.6.1, L.6.2, L.6.3, L.6.4, L.6.5, L.6.6
  • The Language standard that students focus on in this unit is determining or clarifying the meanings of unknown and multiple-meaning words by choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

Habits of Character

Working to become ethical people is the habit of character emphasized in this unit. These are the specific skills on which students will focus:

• I show respect. This means I appreciate the abilities, qualities, and achievements of others and treat myself, others, and the environment with care.
• I show empathy. This means I understand and share or take into account the feelings, situation, or attitude of others.
• I behave with integrity. This means I am honest and do the right thing, even when it’s difficult, because it is the right thing to do.
• I show compassion. This means I notice when others are sad or upset and try to help them.

Unit 1: Homework

In Lessons 2–16, homework handouts focus on determining the meanings of unfamiliar words using context and reference materials, as well as answering text-dependent questions about the development of plot and characters from the anchor text, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Time limitations do not allow for entire chapters of the novel to be read during class; students will be asked to preread a chapter for homework the night before it is studied in class. Reading from the anchor text will be balanced with research reading, which is used to deepen students’ background knowledge about the topic of the module.

Research reading: Your student is expected to independently research the topic of study in this module, Greek mythology, by reading topic-related books of his or her choice. Research reading will be assigned on evenings when students are not already reading the anchor text (explained above). Students will be expected to read for approximately 20 minutes each day and respond to a prompt of choice in the front of the independent reading journal. These are usually books your student will bring home from school; however, they may be topic-related books chosen by the student at the public or home library. Prompts for independent reading can be found in the homework materials provided.

Choice reading: If your student would also like to independently read and respond to a book of free choice, he or she may use the back of the independent reading journal. Prompts for independent reading can be found in the homework materials provided.

Vocabulary Logs

Students record new vocabulary in vocabulary logs and mark academic vocabulary with a symbol, for example, a star:

• Academic vocabulary: words you might find in informational texts on many different topics. For example, the words evidence and rationale are words that could be found in books on any topic.
• Domain-specific vocabulary: words about a particular topic. For example, the words tadpoles, frogspawn, and amphibian are some that would be found on the topic of frogs.

Unit 2: Write to Inform: Compare and Contrast the Text and Film of The Lightning Thief

What will your student be doing at school?

In Unit 2, students continue to read Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. They analyze the Greek myths highlighted in the novel and compare themes and topics in the Greek myths with those evident in The Lightning Thief.

In the second half of the unit, students write a literary analysis essay using the Painted Essay® structure. This structure guides students to compare and contrast the experience of watching parts of The Lightning Thief movie in which Percy, the hero, overcomes challenges, with reading the same events in the novel.

How can you support your student at home?

• Ask your student to identify the themes in stories that you read or have read together. Listen for your student to identify the author’s message or the life lesson the reader is supposed to consider.
• Challenge your student to think critically about what he or she is reading. Ask about whose perspective is included, whose is excluded, and how certain groups of people are being conveyed. Similar conversations could happen around other media like the news or advertisements.
• Look for myths from other cultures. Compare the values that different cultures seem to idealize. Discuss whether you and your student agree with the values presented.
• Talk to your student about what it means to be a hero. Share examples of your own personal heroes and what qualities those people possess to make them heroic.
• Students will watch selected scenes from the film version of The Lightning Thief. Watch the film adaptation of other familiar books. Discuss what changes were made, and question why the screenwriter and director likely made those changes.
• Read chapter books with your student, and discuss how each chapter fits into the overall structure of the novel using the key below:

Key

• exposition: beginning of the story describing how things are before the action begins
• rising action: series of conflicts and crises in the story that build toward the climax
• climax: the turning point, when something important happens that changes the direction of the story
• falling action: the action that happens after the climax and starts to guide the story toward the resolution
• resolution: the end of the story tying everything together 

Common Core State Standards addressed: 

• RL.6.1, RL.6.7
• W.6.2, W.6.5, W.6.6, W.6.9a, W.6.10
• L.6.2b, L.6.6
  • The Language standard focused on in this unit requires students to acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases.

Habits of Character

Working to become ethical people is the habit of character emphasized in this unit. These are the specific skills students will focus on:

• I show empathy. This means I understand and share or take into account the feelings, situation, or attitude of others.
• I behave with integrity. This means I am honest and do the right thing, even when it’s difficult, because it is the right thing to do.
• I show respect. This means I appreciate the abilities, qualities, and achievements of others and treat myself, others, and the environment with care.
• I show compassion. This means I notice when others are sad or upset and try to help them.

Unit 2: Homework

In Lessons 1–13, homework focuses on preparing to write an informative essay, as well as answering text-dependent questions about the development of plot and characters from the anchor text, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. Time limitations do not allow for entire chapters of the novel to be read during class; students will be asked to preread a chapter for homework the night before it is studied in class. Reading from the anchor text will be balanced with research reading, which is used to deepen students’ background knowledge about the topic of the module.

Research reading: Your student is expected to independently research the topic of study in this module, Greek mythology, by reading topic-related books of his or her choice. Research reading will be assigned on evenings when students are not already reading the anchor text (explained above). Students will be expected to read for approximately 20 minutes each day and respond to a prompt of choice in the front of the independent reading journal. These are usually books your student will bring home from school; however, they may be topic-related books chosen by the student at the public or home library. Prompts for independent reading can be found in the homework materials provided.

Choice reading: If your student would also like to independently read and respond to a book of free choice, he or she may use the back of the independent reading journal. Prompts for independent reading can be found in the homework materials provided.

Vocabulary Logs

Students record new vocabulary in vocabulary logs and mark academic vocabulary with a symbol, for example, a star:

• Academic vocabulary: words you might find in informational texts on many different topics. For example, the words evidence and rationale are words that could be found in books on any topic.
• Domain-specific vocabulary: words about a particular topic. For example, the words tadpoles, frogspawn, and amphibian are some that would be found on the topic of frogs.

Unit 3: Research to Create a New Character and Write a Narrative

What will your student be doing at school?

In Unit 3, students reimagine a scene from The Lightning Thief, writing themselves into the action as a different demigod from Camp Half-Blood. They research a Greek god of their choosing and use their research to create a new character, the child of that figure. Students develop the attributes of that character and strategically insert the character into a scene from the novel, editing carefully so as not to change the outcome of the story.

At the end of the module, students create a presentation outlining their choices and the reasons for their choices for the performance task.

How can you support your student at home?

• Discuss the attributes of favorite characters from books, movies, television, etc. Talk about what factors likely led the characters to develop those attributes. Especially focus on the influence of the character’s parents, caregivers, and mentors.
• Read the news together. Discuss what you read, and look for allusions to mythology and other traditional stories.
• Challenge your student to think critically about what he or she is reading. Ask about whose perspective is included, whose is excluded, how certain groups of people are being conveyed. Similar conversations could happen around other media like the news or advertisements.
• Explore your local library for fractured fairytales rewritten for a young adult audience. Discuss how changing the perspective of the narrator reveals new ideas in a familiar story. Many options are available, including Cinder by Marissa Meyer, Briar Rose by Jane Yolen, or any of the You Choose: Fractured Fairy Tales series.
• Seek out podcasts that highlight the pervasive power of mythology and/or the skill of storytelling. Podcasts appeal particularly to students whose strength is in auditory processing or those who appreciate the convenience of learning while on the go.
• Ask your student to practice presenting their performance task for you. As students will not be formally assessed on this task, focus mainly on positive, encouraging feedback.
• Help your student to make authentic connections between what they are learning in school and how it can apply in one’s personal and professional life. In this unit, students compose a narrative text and present their work to an audience. Look for examples of these skills being applied in the “real world.”
• Read chapter books with your student, and discuss how each chapter fits into the overall structure of the novel using the key below:

Key

• exposition: beginning of the story describing how things are before the action begins
• rising action: series of conflicts and crises in the story that build toward the climax
• climax: the turning point, when something important happens that changes the direction of the story
• falling action: the action that happens after the climax and starts to guide the story toward the resolution
• resolution: the end of the story tying everything together 

Common Core State Standards addressed: 

• W.6.3, W.6.4, W.6.5, W.6.6, W.6.10
• L.6.3, L.6.6
  • The Language standard focused on in this unit requires students to vary sentence patterns for meaning and maintain consistency in style and tone.

Habits of Character

Working to contribute to a better world is the habit of character emphasized in this unit. Specifically, students will focus on using their strengths to help others grow by providing kind, helpful, and specific feedback as they revise their narratives with their peers

Unit 3: Homework

In Lessons 1–11, homework focuses on research reading.

Research reading: Your student is expected to independently research the topic by reading topic-related books of his or her choice for approximately 20 minutes each day and responding to a prompt of choice in the front of the independent reading journal. These are usually books your student will bring home from school; however, they may be topic-related books chosen by the student at the public or home library. Prompts for independent reading can be found in the homework materials provided.

Choice reading: If your student would also like to independently read and respond to a book of free choice, he or she may use the back of the independent reading journal. Prompts for independent reading can be found in the homework materials provided.

Vocabulary Logs

Students record new vocabulary in vocabulary logs and mark academic vocabulary with a symbol, for example, a star:

• Academic vocabulary: words you might find in informational texts on many different topics. For example, the words evidence and rationale are words that could be found in books on any topic.
• Domain-specific vocabulary: words about a particular topic. For example, the words tadpoles, frogspawn, and amphibian are some that would be found on the topic of frogs.

Unit 1: Build Background Knowledge: William Kamkwamba and Design Thinking

Common Core State Standards addressed:

• RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.3, RI.6.4, RI.6.5
• W.6.10
• L.6.4a

What will your student be doing at school?

At the beginning of Unit 1, students are introduced to the module topic, Critical Problems and Design Solutions, and the module’s anchor text, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers Edition). This text tells the story of William Kamkwamba. In the small village in Malawi, Africa, where he lives with his parents and sisters, William spends hours rereading old science textbooks in the school library or taking apart radios to see how their parts work together. When William’s community is devastated by a drought and famine, William’s problems become more critical and his questions more complicated: How can we survive? William builds a windmill to bring electricity to his home and to help his family pump water to their crops. 

As students follow William’s story, they learn about design thinking and the process people use when solving complicated problems. In Unit 1 students learn about the famine and the problems William and his community face as a result. Students learn about and analyze the different methods the authors use to introduce and develop William as a key figure in the text, such as a character’s inner thoughts, description, dialogue, examples, anecdote (a short and interesting story), and allusion (a reference to a different text, person or event). By gaining deeper understanding of William, students will find more ways to relate to him and admire his perseverance and resilience.

In Unit 1 students analyze the kind of person William is to be able to more deeply understand his actions. During this unit, students will closely examine language to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases using a variety of strategies. Students analyze figurative language, such as simile, metaphor, and hyperbole, is used to emphasize and draw attention to the key ideas in text. 

In this unit, students analyze text structures, such as cause and effect or problem and solution, to figure out how individual sentences, paragraphs, or entire chapters function together to provide key information to the reader. At the end of this unit students participate in a collaborative discussion about these important prompts that are central to the module topic: What critical problems does William face? What makes them critical?

Central to the EL Education curriculum is a focus on “habits of character” and social-emotional learning. Students work to become effective learners, developing mindsets and skills for success in college, career, and life (e.g., initiative, responsibility, perseverance, collaboration); work to become ethical people, treating others well and standing up for what is right (e.g., empathy, integrity, respect, compassion); and work to contribute to a better world, putting their learning to use to improve communities (e.g., citizenship, service).

In this unit, students work to become effective learners by showing responsibility with on-time completion of reading tasks. They work to become effective learners by showing perseverance as they read large portions of the text. Students work to become ethical people by showing empathy towards the plight of the Malawians suffering from the famine as described in the text. They show compassion and respect towards their classmates as the text brings up personal connections and reflections that may be difficult for others to share.

How can you support your student at home?

Watch or read local and global news with your student. Identify critical problems presented in the news outlets. Discuss what makes the problems critical. Promote empathy and compassion through conversations regarding what is happening in the world and how these events affect human kind. 

Reread a favorite family text with your student. Talk about how the key individual in the text is introduced. 

Questions to consider:

• Does the writer introduce the key individual by telling a brief story involving the key individual?
• Does the writer introduce the key individual through description?
• Does the writer introduce the key individual through dialogue with another individual in the text?
• Does the writer introduce the main figure by providing an example of something the figure has done?

Read The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers Edition) with your student as he/she is assigned homework. Ask your student to summarize and share the central idea of each chapter assigned for homework reading. 

Play logic-based games with your student that requires him/her to apply evidence in order to reach a logic-based conclusion.

Unit 1: Homework

In Lessons 2–15, homework handouts focus on determining central ideas, analyzing how William is introduced and developed, identifying the meaning of unknown words, writing chapter summaries, and analyzing text structure. These are all literacy skills students learn during class; therefore, homework is designed to help students practice and apply skills they’ve already learned.

Anchor Text reading: Time limitations do not always allow for students to read entire chapters of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind during class; therefore, students should preread the next chapter for homework the night before it is studied in class. Reading from the anchor text will be balanced with independent research reading, which is used to deepen students’ background knowledge about the module topic.

Research reading: Your student is expected to independently research the topic of study in this module, Critical Problems and Design Solutions, by reading topic-related books of his or her choice. Research reading will be assigned on evenings when students are not already reading the anchor text. Students will be expected to read for approximately 20 minutes each day and respond to a prompt of choice in the front of the independent reading journal.

Choice reading: If your student would also like to independently read and respond to a book of free choice, he or she may use the back of the independent reading journal.

Unit 2: Research to Discover Innovative Designers

Common Core State Standards addressed:

• RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.4, RI.6.5
• W.6.10
• L.6.3a, L.6.4a, L.6.5c 

What will your student be doing at school?

In Unit 2, students finish reading The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers Edition). As William creates a plan for a windmill to generate electricity and ease some of the struggles caused by the famine, students take a close look at how William applies design thinking to his problem. Design thinking is not a straightforward process. Here is a visual that captures the key elements in design thinking:

Scribe Concepts for EL Education.

Students collect details from the text of William’s problems and solutions. This collection of details supports student understanding of the design thinking cycle.

Next, students begin their own research. Students research an innovator who, like William, designed a solution to a critical problem, usually by testing many failed prototypes before finally discovering some success. Besides introducing them to this worthwhile concept, students connect the habits of character to the design thinking process, noticing how empathy, initiative, and perseverance show up over and over again in the profiles of the amazing innovators they research.

Similar to the design thinking process, students learn that effective researchers follow a strategic process in order to gain both the general and specific knowledge needed to become an expert on a topic. The research process is broken down into a series of mini-lessons. The mini-lessons teach students how to skim and scan for evidence, search for sources, determine source credibility, and paraphrase and quote responsibly. Students toggle back and forth between examining models of effective research and then applying their learning to their own research. The subject of their research is self-selected from a carefully curated list of TED Talks, each featuring an extraordinary innovator whose compassion towards others motivated him/her to create a solution that would contribute to a better world. Many of the innovators featured in these TED Talks are teenagers who, like William Kamkwamba in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, prove that young people are more than capable of tackling tough scientific challenges.

Central to the EL Education curriculum is a focus on “habits of character” and social-emotional learning. Students work to become effective learners, developing mindsets and skills for success in college, career, and life (e.g., initiative, responsibility, perseverance, collaboration); work to become ethical people, treating others well and standing up for what is right (e.g., empathy, integrity, respect, compassion); and work to contribute to a better world, putting their learning to use to improve communities (e.g., citizenship, service).

In this unit, students are trusted to work independently using devices as they conduct their research. Students understand that a key component in working to contribute to a better world is taking care of and improving shared spaces. Students demonstrate this habit of character during the research process by putting supplies away in the right place, cleaning up after themselves, and being careful not to break things, especially technology tools.

How can you support your student at home?

Watch or read local and global news with your student. Identify critical problems presented in the news outlets. Discuss what makes the problems critical.

Brainstorm with your student different design solutions that can be created to handle chores around the house.

Watch or read local and global news with your student. Brainstorm with your student different design solutions that could help solve some local and/or global problems.

Take apart an object in your home with your student. Work together to put the object back together and discuss how each piece helps the object to function.

Play logic-based games with your student that requires him/her to apply evidence in order to reach a logic-based conclusion.

Read your student’s independent research reading text at the same time as him/her. Consider asking these questions:

• How does the key individual in the text use design thinking to solve a problem?
• What stages of the design thinking process can you identify in the text?
• Is the design thinking process in the text linear? Why? Why not?
• What type of research does the key individual of the text engage in while designing the solution to the problem?

Unit 2: Homework

Homework for Lessons 2–4 focuses students on the skills of analyzing text structure, writing effective summaries, determining the connotation of words, and writing sentences in a variety of patterns.

Homework for Lessons 6–12 alternates between prereading the anchor text and independent research reading.

Anchor Text reading: Time limitations do not always allow for students to read entire chapters of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind to be read during class; therefore, students should preread a chapter for homework the night before it is studied in class. Reading from the anchor text will be balanced with independent research reading, which is used to deepen students’ background knowledge about the topic of the module.

Independent research reading: Your student is expected to independently research the topic of study in this module, Critical Problems and Design Solutions, by reading topic-related books of his or her choice. Research reading will be assigned on evenings when students are not already reading the anchor text. Students will be expected to read for approximately 20 minutes each day and respond to a prompt of choice in the front of the independent reading journal.

Choice reading: If your student would also like to independently read and respond to a book of free choice, he or she may use the back of the independent reading journal.

Unit 3: Writing to Inform: Problem-Solution Essay

Common Core State Standards addressed:

• RI.6.1, RI.6.7
• W.6.2, W.6.4, W.6.8, W.6.9b, W.6.10
• SL.6.1, SL.6.2
• L.6.6

What will your student be doing at school?

In Unit 3, students practice the Painted Essay® structure, which assists students in understanding the key parts of an informational essay. Students first work with a peer to plan and draft an informational essay on a different topic following the same structure. By working collaboratively, students have the opportunity to discuss and more deeply consider the design thinking process and how it might be explained in writing. Student collaboration gives a greater chance to explore how William used this process to solve a problem because students are exposed to the ideas and contributions of a peer. Students use their learning about informational writing and problem-solution structure, as well as their research from Unit 2, to independently plan and write an essay about the innovator from their chosen TED Talk.

The unit builds towards the culminating performance task, a Solution Symposium. During the Solution Symposium, students synthesize and showcase their learning. This task requires students to craft carefully selected visuals of only the most relevant information for a display, then prepare and rehearse their responses to prompts that will be provided to the audience members. Rather than a traditional presentation, the Solution Symposium becomes interactive, encouraging a back and forth dialogue between the researcher (your student) and the audience (fellow peers, teachers, and community members such as yourself). Specifically, students will connect their learning from the module and important life skills to their research by preparing to answer two key questions: 1) How was design thinking used to solve this problem?, and 2) How were habits of character used to solve this problem? Students will discover that sharing the story of these modern innovators can inspire others to try to solve problems that will benefit their own community. To debrief the Solution Symposium, the class will participate in a discussion about how habits of character, such as collaboration, initiative, and compassion, help people to solve critical problems.

How can you support your student at home?

Watch or read local and global news with your student and identify critical problems. Discuss what makes the problem critical and consider different design solutions that could help solve some of these local and/or global problems.

Consider with your student different design solutions that can be created to handle chores around the house.

Take apart an object in your home with your student. Work together to put the object back together and discuss how each piece helps the object to function. 

Play logic-based games with your student that requires him/her to apply evidence in order to reach a logic-based conclusion.

Read your student’s independent research reading text at the same time as him/her. Consider asking these questions:

• How does the key individual in the text use design thinking to solve a problem?
• What stages of the design thinking process can you identify in the text?
• Is the design thinking process in the text linear? Why? Why not?
• What type of research does the key individual of the text engage in while designing the solution to the problem?
• How did the innovator rely on reading to help develop the solution?

Help your student to prepare for the Solution Symposium by asking questions about the innovative designer, the critical problem he/she solved, and how design thinking was used to produce a solution.

Help your student to prepare for the Solution Symposium by listening to the presentation and providing kind, specific feedback on your student’s voice volume, speech speed, and eye contact.

Unit 3: Homework

Homework throughout Unit 3 focuses on students concluding their independent research reading. Students participate in an Independent Research Reading Share during Lesson 11.

Homework for Lessons 2 and 7 focuses on students completing writing planners that prepare them for in class writing tasks.

Homework for Lessons 11–13 focuses on students preparing for the Solution Symposium in Lesson 14.

Independent Research reading: Your student is expected to independently research the topic of study in this module, Critical Problems and Design Solutions, by reading topic-related books of his or her choice. Research reading will be assigned on evenings when students are not already reading the anchor text. Students will be expected to read for approximately 20 minutes each day and respond to a prompt of choice in the front of the independent reading journal.

Choice reading: If your student would also like to independently read and respond to a book of free choice, he or she may use the back of the independent reading journal.

Unit 1: Remarkable Accomplishments of the Space Race

Common Core State Standards addressed:

• RI.6.1, RI.6.4, RI.6.6, RI.6.8, RI.6.10, W.6.10, L.6.5c 

What will your student be doing at school?

In this module, students learn about the Space Race, a competition in the 1960s between the United States and the Soviet Union to gain dominance on the new frontier of space. Students build background on this time period in Unit 1, reading diverse informational texts to understand the political and scientific context that fueled this competition. Students are introduced to the main players most often commended for this monumental achievement—President John F. Kennedy and the American astronauts who first stepped foot on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. (Unit 2 will introduce the anchor text, Hidden Figures, and the many other scientists and mathematicians who contributed to NASA’s success and did so in the face of harsh racial and gender discrimination.) Students analyze these supplemental texts by determining central ideas, using vocabulary strategies to determine connotative and technical meanings, and identifying the author’s point of view. Students will be assessed on their ability to determine a text’s central idea, understand the meaning of vocabulary in context, and identify the author’s point of view and how it’s conveyed in the text.

Though the Apollo 11 mission is generally heralded as an extraordinary feat of technological innovation and human fortitude, students also read argument texts that introduce other perspectives on this event. Tracing the authors’ arguments by identifying the claims, evidence, and reasoning, students consider the perspectives of those who argue that the Space Race was actually a financial burden that distracted people from the bigger and more pressing issues of the nation, like widespread poverty and discrimination. A second assessment will measure students’ ability to identify an author’s point of view and trace the author’s argument in a new informational text that adds to their understanding of the multiple perspectives of the Space Race. This background knowledge about the scientific, political, and social context of the Space Race will be essential to students’ success as they begin their analysis of Hidden Figures in Unit 2.

Central to the EL Education curriculum is a focus on “habits of character” and social-emotional learning. Students work to become effective learners, developing mindsets and skills for success in college, career, and life (e.g., initiative, responsibility, perseverance, collaboration); work to become ethical people, treating others well and standing up for what is right (e.g., empathy, integrity, respect, compassion); and work to contribute to a better world, putting their learning to use to improve communities (e.g., citizenship, service).

In this unit, students work to become effective learners by showing responsibility with on-time completion of reading tasks and showing perseverance as they read challenging portions of the texts. Students work to become ethical people by demonstrating empathy as they imagine how people felt participating in and witnessing the events of the Space Race, both those who celebrated it and those who were conflicted by it.

How can you support your student at home?

Read news and magazine articles with your student, especially ones that correlate with the module’s topic. Discuss the key details and the central idea of the articles. Look for editorials that offer an opinion, and perhaps a new perspective, on those correlating topics. Trace the author’s argument by identifying the claim and supporting evidence and reasoning.

Read articles of current global events with your student. Try to read different articles that present the same event. Talk to your student about the point of view of each article. How are the point of view of the authors different from each other? Does this difference in point of view change how the author presents the event?

Share your memories of the Space Race and the Apollo 11 mission with your children, or ask a grandparent, neighbor, or friend who was alive at the time to share their memories of that event. Discuss other historic events that you may have witnessed (e.g., 9/11), and share how your reaction may differ from others who witnessed the same event.

Arrange a visit to a local science museum and/or planetarium to inspire interest in the module topic.

Unit 1: Homework

In Lesson 1, students reflect on the module’s guiding questions. The students have begun each module with this homework assignment, and should be comfortable with this reflection process. Lessons 2–4 ask students to work with a timeline that presents the events of the Space Race. Students use information learned from the supplemental texts they have read in class to add events to the timeline. Lesson 7 homework begins the independent research reading for this module.

Research reading: Your student is expected to independently research the topic of study in this module, Remarkable Accomplishments in Space Science, by reading topic-related books of his or her choice. Research reading will be assigned on evenings when students are not already reading the anchor text. Students will be expected to read for approximately 20 minutes each day and respond to a prompt of choice in the front of the independent reading journal.

Choice reading: If your student would also like to independently read and respond to a book of free choice, he or she may use the back of the independent reading journal.

Unit 2: Remarkable Accomplishments of the Hidden Figures

Common Core State Standards addressed:

• RI.6.1, RI.6.3, RI.6.6, RI.6.8, RI.6.9, RI.6.10, W.6.1b, W.6.10

What will your student be doing at school?

In Unit 1, students built background knowledge about the historical context of the Space Race and the Apollo missions featured in the anchor text, Hidden Figures (Young Readers’ Edition). As students segue into Unit 2, they begin to recognize that many others contributed to the success of the lunar landing beyond those most commonly recognized in history. This is made clear by reading selections from the anchor text. This nonfiction text tells the story of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson, just a few of the first African American women to be hired as computers, or mathematicians, at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, which later evolved into NASA. Through their stories, students understand that the contributions of these women and the other West Computers to math and science were extraordinary in their own right, but made even more laudable when considering the racial and gender discrimination they faced at the time. Vaughan, Jackson, and Johnson leveraged their intelligence and courage to pioneer a path for the US space research program and other women interested in this field. Students will be assessed on their ability to read a new chapter in their anchor text and answer questions about the argument the author makes in the text, as well as the author’s point of view toward Dorothy.

Paired with several supplemental texts, students examine the same event from multiple perspectives and reflect on the different ways that an author might choose to convey that event. Students also examine different arguments presented through the texts and evaluate the evidence and reasoning provided by the authors. A second assessment will measure their ability to compare and contrast two texts that describe similar events in Katherine Johnson’s life, focusing on similarities and differences in the content conveyed, the authors’ methods used to convey that content, and points of view. These skills are key to helping students become critical consumers of information, to closely and attentively read in a way that helps them understand and evaluate complex works. Students also compose their own arguments about why the accomplishments of the hidden figures were remarkable. Students must support these arguments with credible evidence and sound reasoning. Their written responses will help them to answer one of the module’s guiding questions: What were the accomplishments of the “hidden figures” at NACA, and why were they remarkable?

Central to the EL Education curriculum is a focus on “habits of character” and social-emotional learning. Students work to become effective learners, developing mindsets and skills for success in college, career, and life (e.g., initiative, responsibility, perseverance, collaboration); work to become ethical people, treating others well and standing up for what is right (e.g., empathy, integrity, respect, compassion); and work to contribute to a better world, putting their learning to use to improve communities (e.g., citizenship, service).

In this unit, students work to become effective learners by collaborating with a small group of students in an activity called a jigsaw, for which each member becomes an expert on one small piece of a larger topic and shares their learning with the group. Students work to become ethical people by showing empathy and compassion toward one another while reading the anchor text, which, at times, presents sensitive topics that may affect each person differently. Students have concrete examples of what it looks like to contribute to a better world in Hidden Figures. Vaughan, Jackson, and Johnson used their strengths to support people around them as well as to support their community.

How can you support your student at home?

Read news articles with your student. Ask your student to determine the central idea of the articles. Also ask your student to identify evidence in the articles that contribute to the central idea.

Read articles of current global events with your student. Try to read articles that present the same event. Talk to your student about the point of view of each article. How are the points of view of the authors different from each other? How does the author’s point of view change how the event is conveyed?

Gently pose questions to your student about his/her stance on different issues. Ask how they know what they know, where they found their evidence, how they know that evidence is sound and credible, and what other perspectives someone else might have about that same issue. Model this process by examining aloud your own stance on a particular issue. 

Show your student a video of a really important event in your life. Talk to your student about how he/she thinks it felt to be a part of that important event. If possible, talk to someone who was alive at the time of the Space Race. Ask that person to share their experience of watching the Apollo 11 lunar landing.

Discuss your student’s talents. Ask your student how his/her talents can be used to positively contribute to the world around him/her, like the women in Hidden Figures.

Talk to your student about historical figures often studied. Participate in a family research project that uncovers people “behind the scenes” who supported that historical figure and helped the figure be successful.

Watch the Hidden Figures (2016) film together. Ask your student to share which scenes of the book are depicted in the film and which are new.

Point out “hidden figures” in your daily life. Who are the people in your home/neighborhood/local government/place of worship who contribute greatly to the community but receive little recognition? Think of ways to show appreciation for these individuals.

Unit 2: Homework

The focus of homework in this unit is prereading the anchor text and completing independent research reading.

Research reading: Your student is expected to independently research the topic of study in this module, Remarkable Accomplishments in Space Science, by reading topic-related books of his or her choice. Research reading will be assigned on evenings when students are not already reading the anchor text. Students will be expected to read for approximately 20 minutes each day and respond to a prompt of choice in the front of the independent reading journal.

Choice reading: If your student would also like to independently read and respond to a book of free choice, he or she may use the back of the independent reading journal.

Unit 3: Remarkable Accomplishments in Space Science

Common Core State Standards addressed:

• RI.6.1, RI.6.3, RI.6.10, W.6.1, W.6.4, W.6.5, W.6.6, W.6.7, W.6.8, W.6.9b, W.6.10, SL.6.1, SL.6.3, SL.6.4, SL.6.5, SL.6.6, L.6.2, L.6.3, L.6.6

What will your student be doing at school?

As the anchor text is concluded, students are prepared with overwhelming text evidence that the accomplishments of each of the “hidden figures” are truly remarkable. They craft their evidence and reasoning into an argument essay, collaborating with their peers as they practice their writing skills to answer the following prompt: why are the hidden figures’ accomplishments remarkable? To continue their work of revealing the contributions of those who have not received the credit they deserve, students will also conduct research on another hidden figure in space science from a given list of options. They practice the research skills they learned earlier in the school year to gather relevant and accurate information about why this person’s accomplishments are also remarkable. They synthesize their research, writing, and argument skills in an argument essay about their focus figure, written independently for the Mid-Unit 3 Assessment. 

Finally, working in a “crew” of three, students take the roles of authors, illustrators, and editors to create a picture book version of their focus figure, just as the author of Hidden Figures did when she adapted her story into a young readers edition as well as a picture book edition for primary school learners. This task is designed to bring the stories of these previously overlooked figures into the mainstream and share them with a younger audience. Each crew will present their stories, using effective presentation techniques such as appropriate eye contact, volume, and pacing. This unit serves to help students answer one of the module’s guiding questions: Why is it important to study the accomplishments of the “hidden figures” and of others whose stories have gone unrecognized? This question, though rooted in evidence from the texts studied in this module, allows students a foundation from which they can continue the conversation about the ways that discrimination continues to shroud the accomplishments of marginalized populations.

Central to the EL Education curriculum is a focus on “habits of character” and social-emotional learning. Students work to become effective learners, developing mindsets and skills for success in college, career, and life (e.g., initiative, responsibility, perseverance, collaboration); work to become ethical people, treating others well and standing up for what is right (e.g., empathy, integrity, respect, compassion); and work to contribute to a better world, putting their learning to use to improve communities (e.g., citizenship, service).

Students work to become effective learners by exhibiting initiative, responsibility, and collaboration throughout the collaborative essay writing process and the picture book creation process. Students will be guided to give kind, helpful, and specific feedback when working with their peers and pushing each other toward a high-quality final product. Students work to become ethical people through the respect and integrity they show during their research process on their focus figure. Students are given voice and choice in choosing their focus figure; an interest in this person’s work should foster a level of respect and integrity that motivates the students’ research. The students will be contributing to a better world by educating others about the remarkable accomplishments of women who have themselves contributed to a better world through their work in space science.

How can you support your student at home?

Encourage your child to write every day, whether in a journal or for daily tasks, like making a grocery list. Provide opportunities for daily reading as well with frequent trips to the library and a time in the schedule to enjoy reading. Model these literacy practices by indulging in a good book or magazine yourself.

Read and discuss nonfiction articles about current events. Talk to your child about the point of view being presented by the author, how the point of view is conveyed, and what other perspectives on the topic someone else might have. 

Ask your students about the focus figure they are researching for their picture book. Help your student compose the text by orally processing what they might write and the best way to make the story interesting for a younger audience. Ask to see the final pages upon completion of the story!

Act as the audience while your student rehearses the presentation of their book and the argument for why their focus figure’s accomplishments are remarkable. Students are taught to use the language “stars” and “steps” for offering kind, helpful, and specific feedback. Offer your student stars and steps on their presentation and/or their picture book.

Discuss the module guiding questions with your student, especially the focus of this unit: why is it important to study the accomplishments of the “hidden figures” and of others whose stories have gone unrecognized?

Unit 3: Homework

In Unit 3, students continue research on their focus figure, complete assigned portions related to their collaborative argument essay, and complete assigned portions related to their children’s book pages. 

Research reading: Your student is expected to independently research the topic of study in this module, Remarkable Accomplishments in Space Science, by reading topic-related books of his or her choice. Research reading will be assigned on evenings when students are not already reading the anchor text. Students will be expected to read for approximately 20 minutes each day and respond to a prompt of choice in the front of the independent reading journal.

Choice reading: If your student would also like to independently read and respond to a book of free choice, he or she may use the back of the independent reading journal.