Unit Plan: Imagine!
Creative Writing
English Language Arts / Grade 4-5
Big Ideas
English Language Arts 4-5
- Using language in creative and playful ways helps us understand how language works.
Visual Arts 4-5
- Creative expression is a means to explore and share one’s identity within a community.
- Engaging in creative expression and experiences expands people’s sense of identity and belonging.
Concepts:
- Creativity
- Imagination
Essential Questions
Students will keep considering…
- How can I express my creative ideas effectively in oral and written language?
Evaluative Criteria
Formative Assessment
- Participation in classroom activities: reading circles, listening to peers, reading stories, etc.
- Planning and drafts of story writing : editing and revising
- Journaling: students write weekly journals and choose one to hand in
- Teacher observation in class
Summative Assessment
- Creative story: “What happens on your perfect day”?
- Storytelling: share story out loud with the class
- Journaling: students hand in one journal assignment (they choose the best from the unit)
Monitoring Progress
Teacher will monitor progress:
Teachers can monitor progress through ongoing formative assessment including but not limited to:
- N/A
Resources
TEXTS
- Imagine by Bart Vivian
- Imagine a Day by Rob Gonsalves and Sarah L. Thomson
- Imagine a Place by Rob Gonsalves and Sarah L. Thomson
- Imagine a Night by Rob Gonsalves and Sarah L. Thomson
Reflection
How will teachers and their students reflect on and evaluate the completed project?
Teacher Reflection
- What aspects of the unit went well?
- What did students struggle with?
- What did you struggle with?
- What would you add/revise the next time you taught this unit?
- Were there any unintended outcomes?
- Were students engaged?
Downloads
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
EXECUTE THE LEARNING PLAN
LEARNING EVENTS:
- These learning events/activities are suggested activities only.
- In some cases the plans are not fully completed lesson plans.
- The teacher may choose some lessons/activities to span over several lessons.
- Teachers may add, revise and adapt these lessons based on the needs of their students, their personal preferences for resources, and the use of a variety of instructional techniques.
Learning events are enriched for students when teachers consider the “WHERE TO” acronym and guiding organizer by Wiggins and McTighe.
The Learning Events should always be prefaced by focusing on the essential questions:
- How can I express my creative ideas effectively in oral and written language?
Acquisition-Meaning-Transfer
Lesson Hook
The Learning Events should always be prefaced by focusing on the essential questions:
- What is imagination?
Lesson Hook
1) Circle: Ask students to share out what imagination means to them and project definition of “Imagination”
2) Discussion: Do the class definitions / real definitions line up? What is different? What is the same?
3) Read Story book Imagine (Bart Vivian)
Lesson 1 - Imagine
The Learning Events should always be prefaced by focusing on the essential questions:
- What is imagination?
Introduction (Lesson 1)
1) Re-read book Imagine
2) Journal entry: Choose one statement from the book Imagine and finish the statement and add illustrations. What would happen? What would it look like? What do you see?
3) Statement options: “Believe that you can be…” , “Dream of adventures…” , “Imagine that your tree house is more than just a tree house…”
Lesson 2 - Imagine a Day
The Learning Events should always be prefaced by focusing on the essential questions:
- What do you like about your days?
- What makes a good day?
Lesson 2
In Circle:
1) Share your idea of the perfect day.
2) Read book: Imagine a Day.
3) Journal entry: Describe your perfect day (with illustrations).
4) Option: Invite Artists for Kids to teach lesson on illustrations/ depth perception.
Lesson 3 - Imagine a Night
The Learning Events should always be prefaced by focusing on the essential questions:
- What do you like about your nights?
- What is darkness? How does it make you feel?
- What makes a night good?
Lesson 3 – Imagine a Night
In Circle:
1) Share your idea of the perfect night.
2) Read book: Imagine a Night.
3)Journal entry: Describe your perfect night (with illustrations).
Lesson 4 - Imagine a Place
The Learning Events should always be prefaced by focusing on the essential questions:
- What is the importance of place?
- Why is place important to you?
Lesson 4 – Imagine a Place
1) Guest speaker: Henry (TWT) – share place-based story
2) Circle talk: on importance of place, places that are important to students.
3) Students share that is a place that is important to them.
4) Journal entry : Imagine a place that you love/ that is magical.
5) Venn diagram based on places that are important to you.
Lesson 5 - Imagine a Place
The Learning Events should always be prefaced by focusing on the essential questions:
- What is the importance of place?
- Why is place important to you?
Lesson 5 – Imagine a Place
1) Final journal entry : Choose one journal entry to perfect. Working on final draft: drafting, editing, proof reading.
2) Start class book assignment: Working on illustrations for class book and writing description of place for class book.
Lesson 6 - Imagine a Place
The Learning Events should always be prefaced by focusing on the essential questions:
- What is the importance of place?
- Why is place important to you?
Lesson 6 – Imagine a Place
1) Finish good copy of journal
2) Finish their statement / illustration for class book Imagine a place…
3) Share stories in a circle
The following resources are made available through the British Columbia Ministry of Education. For more information, please visit BC’s New Curriculum.
Big Ideas
The Big Ideas consist of generalizations and principles and the key concepts important in an area of learning. The Big Ideas represent what students will understand at the completion of the curriculum for their grade. They are intended to endure beyond a single grade and contribute to future understanding.
Core Competencies
Communications Competency
The set of abilities that students use to impart and exchange information, experiences and ideas, to explore the world around them, and to understand and effectively engage in the use of digital media
Thinking Competency
The knowledge, skills and processes we associate with intellectual development
Social Competency
The set of abilities that relate to students’ identity in the world, both as individuals and as members of their community and society
Curricular Competencies & Content
Curricular Competencies are the skills, strategies, and processes that students develop over time. They reflect the “Do” in the Know-Do-Understand model of curriculum. The Curricular Competencies are built on the thinking, communicating, and personal and social competencies relevant to disciplines that make up an area of learning.
Additional Resources
First People's Principles of Learning
To read more about First People’s Principles of Learning, please click here.
For classroom resources, please visit the First Nations Education Steering Committee.
