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Unit 1
Unit Name: Back to School
BIG IDEA: Why do we go to school?
Unit pacing: 3 Weeks
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Unit Overview and Enduring UnderstandingsUnit 1 introduces students to foundational literacy skills as they return to school and begin building routines for reading and writing success. Centered around the big idea “Why do we go to school?”, this unit helps students reflect on the purpose of learning while developing key early literacy skills.

Students will learn to identify and manipulate sounds in words, including beginning and ending consonants, and distinguish between short and long vowel sounds. They will build their ability to blend, spell, and read simple words, and develop fluency through repeated reading of accessible texts.

Engaging read-alouds and class discussions will expand students' vocabulary and introduce them to story elements such as character and setting. They will explore a variety of genres, including realistic fiction and poetry, and learn to identify parts of a book and understand how print flows on a page. Comprehension strategies—such as making connections, predicting, asking and answering questions, and understanding text structure—will help students think deeply about what they read. Visual elements like illustrations will also be explored to show how they support and enrich a story.

In writing, students will be introduced to the writing process: planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. They will write simple autobiographical pieces with attention to audience and purpose, using sensory details to enhance their writing. Foundational writing skills such as correct letter formation, pencil grip, spacing, and directionality will be emphasized. Grammar instruction will include singular and plural nouns to support students' sentence-building abilities.

Altogether, Unit 1 sets the stage for a successful school year by helping students build confidence as readers, writers, and classroom learners.

LESSON 1: August 11- 15, 2025
LESSON 2: August 18- 22, 2025
LESSON 3: August 25- 29, 2025
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Essential QuestionsFoundational Skills:
1. How can I tell the beginning, middle, and ending sounds in a word?
2. What happens when I change a sound in a word?
3. How do I blend sounds together to read a word?
4. What clues help me know if a vowel sound is short or long?
5. How can I spell and write words by listening to their sounds?
6. What strategies can I use to read fluently and with understanding?
Reading Elements & Comprehension Strategies:
1. How do I use the parts of a book to help me read and understand the story?
2. How can I use new vocabulary and pictures to help me understand what I read?
3. How do I know what type of story I am reading, and what can I learn from it?
4. How do I make connections between a story and my own life?
5. How do asking and answering questions help me understand a story better?
6. How can I identify the important parts of a story like the characters, setting, and what happens first, next, and last?
Writing:
1. How do I turn my ideas into writing? (Focus: prewriting, drawing, brainstorming)
2. Why is it important to think about who will read my writing? (Focus: audience and purpose)
3. What can I do to make my writing more interesting for the reader? (Focus: adding sensory details)
4. How do I correctly form letters and space my writing? (Focus: handwriting, letter formation, spacing)
5. What is the difference between a letter, a word, and a sentence? (Focus: print conventions & sentence structure)
6. Why do writers follow steps when they write? (Focus: writing process – prewriting, drafting, editing, publishing)
7. How do nouns help me be more specific in my writing? (Focus: common, proper, singular, and plural nouns)
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Content DomainEssential StandardsSupporting StandardsConceptsSkillsStrategies/ ModelsVocabularyEvidence of MasteryAssessmentsDistrict Aligned Resources
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Foundational Skils
1.RF.1 Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print

1.RF.2 Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).

1.RF.3 Know and apply phonics and word analysis skills in decoding one-syllable or two-syllable words.


1.RF.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

1.RF.2.b Orally produce single‐syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes), including consonant blends.

1.RF.2.c Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words.

1.RF.2.d Segment spoken one-syllable words of three to five phonemes into individual phonemes (e.g., /s/p/l/a/t/).

1.RF.3.b Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

1.RF.3.f Recognize and read grade‐appropriate irregularly spelled words.

1.RF.3.b Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.
Each letter has a name and a shape, and knowing all the letters helps us read and write words.

We read and write by moving our eyes from left to right and from the top of the page to the bottom.

Words that end with the same sounds are called rhyming words.

Every word is made of sounds, and we can listen carefully to figure out the first, middle, or last sound in a word.

We can break words into separate sounds to help us read and spell them.

We can make new words by changing, adding, or taking away sounds from other words.


Identify, isolate, segment, substitute, and restore initial and final consonant sounds: /s/, /m/, /t/, /d/, /n/, /h/, /p/, /l/, /b/
Isolate and segment medial vowel sounds: /a/, /i/, /o/

Blend, spell, and read CVC words using target sounds and spellings:
/s/, /m/, /t/, /d/, /n/, /h/, /p/, /l/, /b/ (spelled s, m, t, tt, d, n, h, p, l, ll, b)
/a/, /i/, /o/ (spelled a, i, o)

Distinguish between short and long vowel sounds: /a/ vs. /ā/, /i/ vs. /ī/, /o/ vs. /ō/

Generate, decode, and build words using target consonant and vowel sounds
Blend initial consonants to make words
Answer phoneme blending story questions to apply decoding skills

Build fluency and print awareness by reading Pre-Decodable texts
Word Sorting
Use word cards and sort them into long vs. short vowel categories. Replace the vowel in a word to make a new word

Sound Mapping
Give a sound (like /m/ or /t/) and have students brainstorm or match pictures/words that start or end with that sound.

Word Families
Work with rhyming patterns like “-at” to explore initial changes: bat, cat, hat, etc.

Tapping or Arm Blending
Tap or move down your arm for each sound and then blend as you sweep across.

Shared and Repeated Reading
Read predictable or familiar texts together multiple times.

Sound Manipulation Games
Say a word (e.g., “cat”), then say it again with the first sound changed (“bat”).

Onset-Rime Flip Charts – blending beginning sounds with familiar endings

Shared and Repeated Reading – build confidence and fluency with predictable texts

Echo Reading & Choral Reading – oral fluency practice with modeling

Tracking with Fingers – reinforcing directionality and word-by-word recognition
Lesson 1 (Week 1):
can, on, am, and

Lesson 2 (Week 2):
did, it, had, him, said, in

Lesson 3 (Week 3):
has, at
TSWBAT identify, isolate, segment, substitute, and restore initial and final consonant sounds with 80% accuracy in guided practice.

TSWBAT isolate and segment medial vowels /a/, /i/, /o/ in CVC words with 75% accuracy over 3 sessions.

TSWBAT blend, spell, and read CVC words using target consonants and vowels with 80% accuracy in small-group activities.

TSWBAT distinguish between short and long vowel sounds with 75% accuracy.

TSWBAT generate and decode words using target consonant and vowel sounds with 80% accuracy across 3 sessions.

TSWBAT orally blend initial consonants with rimes to form real words with 80% accuracy.

TSWBAT track print and read pre-decodable texts with 1:1 word correspondence and 90% accuracy in high-frequency word recognition.
Phonics Assessment:

One-on-one oral assessment (e.g., “What sound do you hear at the end of nap?”)

Picture and sound matching

Oral Reading in Whole Group and Small Group (Differentiated)

Use flashcards or worksheets with specific target sounds or blends (e.g., short /i/, short /o/, L blends, R blends, or a combination of both R and L blends).

GALILEO Tests (Create Tests in Galileo)
Week 1:
Decodable 5: I Can See
Decodable 6: Sam, Sam, Sam
Decodable 7: Matt and Sam
Decodable 8: On a Mat


Week 2:
Decodable 9: Dad Sat
Decodable 10: Ants
Decodable 11: Sit
Decodable 12: A Hint
Decodable 13: Mints


Week 3:
Decodable 14: Pat’s Map
Decodable 15: Lin and Hal
Decodable 16: A Spot
Decodable 17: Bob at Bat
Decodable 18: Bil
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Reading Elements and Comprehension Strategies1.SL.6 Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.

1.RL.1 Ask and answer questions such as who, what, where, why, when, and how about key details in a text.

1.RI.9 Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).
1.SL.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

1.SL.2 Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

1.SL.3 Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood.

1.SL.4 Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.

1.RL.2 Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their main idea, central message, or lesson.

1.RL.3 Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.

1.RL.5 Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types.

1.RL.7 Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

1.RL.9 Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.

1.RL.10 With prompting and support, read stories, drama, and poetry of appropriate complexity for grade 1.
We can understand how books work by knowing where to start reading, how to follow the words, and what each part of the book is for.

We can understand stories better by thinking about who the characters are and where the story takes place.

We can understand stories more deeply when we think about what might happen, ask questions, and connect the story to what we know.

We can learn more from what we read by finding how two texts are the same and how they are different.

We can understand a story better when we know what happens first, next, and last.

Discuss read-aloud texts to build understanding and vocabulary.

Identify parts of a book, such as the front and back covers, title page, table of contents, and learn about print directionality.

Identify and describe characteristics of different genres, including realistic fiction and poetry, and explain how they are alike or different.

Use comprehension strategies such as asking and answering questions, making predictions, and making connections.

Identify text structures, including comparing and contrasting, sequencing events, and cause and effect.

Identify and analyze story elements like characters and settings to better understand the text.

Analyze how illustrations and text work together to convey meaning in a story.
Interactive Read-Alouds with Think-Alouds

Turn and Talk for vocabulary and meaning

Anchor charts for new vocabulary

WH-Question Anchor Charts

Shared Reading using big books or digital texts

Color-coded annotation of texts (e.g., blue for cause, red for effect)

Graphic Organizers (Venn diagrams, sequence charts, cause/effect flow maps)

Picture-based structure analysis

Book Walks: Before reading, take a "walk" through the book identifying:
Front/back cover
Title, author, illustrator
Table of contents (for nonfiction)
Spine, page numbers, etc.

Pointer Practice: Students use their fingers or pointers to follow along, left to right, top to bottom.

Story Maps or Graphic Organizers: Use charts to identify characters, setting, problem, and solution.

Venn Diagrams or T-Charts: Use them to compare/contrast two texts or two parts of a text.

Genre Book Hunts: Give students a genre and ask them to find examples in the classroom or library.

Timeline or Story Sequencing Cards: Retell stories using cards with major events in order (first, next, then, last).
Lesson 1 (Week 1):
jitters, beside, act, too, stinks, rather, again, fair, minute, poor

Lesson 2 (Week 2):
around, tour, pleased, confusing, introduce, careful, monitor, trace, enough

Lesson 3 (Week 3):
squirm, during, when, explore, knowledge, create, manage, active
TSWBAT use newly introduced vocabulary words in speaking or writing and participate in discussions using complete sentences with visual/text support.

TSWBAT point to and name at least 3 parts of a book and demonstrate left-to-right print tracking with 90% accuracy during reading.

TSWBAT identify if a text is realistic fiction or poetry and give 1–2 reasons using key features or examples with 80% accuracy.

TSWBAT identify the main character, setting, and major events in the story.

TSWBAT complete graphic organizers identifying compare/contrast, sequence, or cause/effect relationships with 75–80% accuracy.

TSWBAT asnwer WH and open-ended questions that go beyond the text to encourage critical thinking (e.g., "What would happen if...?" or "Why do you think the character felt that way?")

TSWBAT explain how illustrations add meaning or details to a story using picture-based prompts with 75% accuracy.

Oral responses during whole-group or small-group discussion

Vocabulary exit tickets (match word to picture, use in a sentence)

Sentence frames: “I learned that ___ means ___.”

Book feature identification worksheet (label the front cover, back cover, title page)

Complete a Venn diagram, sequencing chart, or cause-and-effect map

Provide reading passages.

Close Reading Activities (Ask students to identify the underlined details and explain their significance to the overall passage.)

Provide discussion prompts.

Ask WH and open-ended questions.

GALILEO Tests
Lesson 1 (Week 1):
Title: "First Day Jitters"
Title: “The First Day of First Grade"

Lesson 2 (Week 2) :
Title: "A New Friend At School"
Title: "The Plant Monitor"

Lesson 3 (Week 3):

Title: "Little School Bus"
Title: “What Will I Be?"
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Writing1.W.4 With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.

1.L.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking

1.WF.3 Know and apply phonics and word analysis skills when encoding words.
1.W.2 Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.

1.W.3 Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.

1.W.4 With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.

1.W.5 With guidance and support from adults, focus on a topic, respond to questions and suggestions from peers, and add details to strengthen writing as needed.

1.W.6 With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.

1.W.7 With guidance and support from adults, participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of "how‐to" books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions).

1.L.2.b Use end punctuation for sentences.

1.L.6 Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using frequently occurring conjunctions to signal simple relationships (e.g., because).
Identify and apply the steps of the writing process, including prewriting, drafting, editing, and publishing, to produce a complete written piece.

Identify the audience and purpose when writing, and add sensory details to enhance it.

Form the letters correctly.

Control letter size and spacing between letters.

Follow left-to-right and top-to-bottom directionality in writing.

Recognize the difference between letters, words, and sentences.

Identify and use common and proper nouns in writing.

Understand and use singular and plural nouns.
Anchor charts for each writing step with visual examples

Graphic Organizers for Prewriting
Use tools like webs, story maps, or 5W charts (Who, What, When, Where, Why) to plan writing.

Peer Editing with Checklists
Provide editing checklists for partners to give constructive feedback.

Explicit modeling of letter formation

Handwriting practice sheets with visual cues

Multisensory Practice
Trace letters in sand, shaving cream, or on textured paper for muscle memory.

Finger Spaces & Letter Size Sorting
Teach spacing with finger spacers and have students sort examples

Timeline Activity
Create a personal timeline with photos or drawings to brainstorm important life events.

SPELLING WORDS:

Lesson 1: Week 1

as, am, sat, has, last, and, at, hat, had, stand

Lesson 2: Week 2
tin, six, win, did, with, is, sit, his, him, list

Lesson 3: Week 3
got, hot, not, lot, stop, top, fog, hop, log, off

TSWBAT correctly form upper- and lowercase letters according to handwriting conventions.

TSWBAT demonstrate consistent letter size and proper spacing between letters and words in independent writing samples.

TSWBAT demonstrate consistent left-to-right and top-to-bottom writing during guided and independent tasks.

TSWBAT correctly identify and sort letters, words, and sentences using written examples.

TSWBAT
independently complete each step of the writing process to produce a structured piece with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

TSWBAT consistently write grammatically correct and complete sentences with 80-90% accuracy.

TSWBAT correctly spell at least 80-90% words in the Spelling List.

TSWBAT accurately identify NOUNS; change singular nouns to plural nouns and vise versa; correctly form possessive nouns using apostrophes;identify common and proper nouns; and recognize and spell common irregular plural nouns correctly with 80-90% accuracy.
Sentence Writing
Sentence Editing
Sentence Scramble

Writing through graphic organizers

Weekly Spelling Test

Dictation Exercises

Letter formation rubric

Highlighting nouns in writing

Fill-in-the-blank or labeling noun types

Cloze sentence activity (choose correct noun form)

Grammar mini-assessment (circle the plural noun, rewrite sentence)
Handwriting without tears ( Students edition)
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