September · Week 1 of 4 · School week 1 of 36
Week 1: Stories of Beginnings
Skills this week
Word study
Latin roots ver (truth) and cred (believe); connotation of credible, credulous and incredulous.
L.11-12.4b, L.11-12.5b
Reading & writing
Set up annotation, reading logs and the analysis notebook; read the Haudenosaunee creation story and Thanksgiving Address; cite strong evidence in a claim, evidence, commentary paragraph.
RL.11-12.1, RL.11-12.2, W.11-12.9a
Math
Algebra 1 review: multi-step and literal equations, compound inequalities and absolute value equations and inequalities.
HSA-REI.B.3, HSA-CED.A.4
Science
Lab safety, the scientific method, SI units, scientific notation and significant figures; the pendulum investigation.
HSN-Q.A.3, HS-PS2-1
Social studies
Primary and secondary sources and sourcing; physical geography of the United States and how it shaped settlement.
C3 D2.His.11.9-12, D2.Geo.2.9-12
Word study this week
Latin roots ver (truth) and cred (believe): to verify is to make sure something is true; a credible witness is believable.
Words to read: verify, veracity, verdict, aver, verisimilitude, credible, credence, incredulous, credulous, credential
Build it: cred → credible → incredible → incredibility
Sentence: “The jury found the witness credible, so the verdict rested on her veracity.”
Spelling: verify, veracity, verdict, aver, verisimilitude, credible, credence, incredulous, credulous, credential, veritable, discredit
Day plans
- Day 1A Year of American Voices Begins
An American literature anthology or class packet of public-domain early American texts - Day 2Sky Woman and the Mapmaker
The World on the Turtle's Back (Haudenosaunee creation story; any anthology or library retelling) - Day 3Measuring the World Precisely
The World on the Turtle's Back (Haudenosaunee creation story; any anthology or library retelling) - Day 4Rivers, Mountains and the Fall Line
The Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address (the English version the Haudenosaunee share freely) - Day 5Week 1 Check: Routines That Last
The Constitution of the Five Nations (Great Law of Peace), translated by Arthur C. Parker, 1916 (public domain)
Centers this week
- Root map: build a web for ver and cred with eight words, a definition and a sentence for each
- Equation stations: twelve cards with multi-step, literal and absolute value equations; solve and check by substitution
- Measurement bench: measure a desk, a book and a pencil in centimeters and meters, and record each with the right significant figures
- Map table: label the Appalachians, Rockies, Mississippi, Great Plains and Atlantic fall line on a blank U.S. map
Student games this week
Roots of Truth and Force Equation Engine Measure Up Source and Map
Week at a glance (printable)
| Block | Day 1 A Year of American Voices Begins | Day 2 Sky Woman and the Mapmaker | Day 3 Measuring the World Precisely | Day 4 Rivers, Mountains and the Fall Line | Day 5 Week 1 Check: Routines That Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question of the day | What story does your family tell about where you came from? | How do you decide whether a source is telling the truth? | What is the most precise measurement you have ever made? | How did rivers and mountains decide where your town grew? | What is one routine from this week that will help you most this year? |
| Word study | Introduce ver and cred; sort the ten words | Connotation: credible, credulous, incredulous on a feeling scale | Build words: verify, verifiable, verification; credence, credential | Words in context: verisimilitude and aver in model sentences | Vocabulary check: ten words in context |
| Reading | Routines: annotation code, reading log, analysis notebook; what makes a text foundational | Read The World on the Turtle's Back aloud; annotate Sky Woman's fall and the twins | Two themes in the creation story: balance of good and evil, and creation through cooperation; cite evidence for each | Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address: structure (repeated greetings to each part of the world) and purpose | Reading check: one-paragraph analysis of an unseen passage with two citations |
| Math | Diagnostic, then multi-step equations: 3(2x - 5) + 4 = 2x + 9 (x = 5) | Literal equations: solve A = P(1 + rt) for r and v = v0 + at for a | Compound inequalities: -2x + 7 > 15 (x < -4) and -3 ≤ 2x + 1 < 9 (-2 ≤ x < 4) | Absolute value: |2x - 3| = 7 (x = 5 or -2) and |x - 4| < 3 (1 < x < 7) | Weekly check: eight equations and inequalities, one with an error to fix |
| Science | Lab safety contract and the scientific method; pose the pendulum question: does mass change the period? | SI units, metric prefixes, scientific notation and significant figures; measure a desk with a meter stick | Pendulum lab: time 10 swings for three masses and two lengths; average, then compare to T = 2π√(L/g) (0.50 m gives about 1.4 s) | ||
| Social studies | Primary versus secondary sources; source John Smith's 1612 map of Virginia (author, date, audience, purpose) | U.S. physical geography: Appalachians, fall line, Mississippi, Great Plains, Rockies; how each shaped settlement | |||
| Writing | Reading autobiography: three moments that made you a reader | Claim, evidence, commentary: model paragraph on the twins | Integrate a quotation: introduce it, quote a short phrase, cite it | MLA in-text citation and a works cited entry for a traditional story | Timed claim, evidence, commentary paragraph on a theme |
| Game | Equation Engine | Source and Map | Measure Up | Roots of Truth and Force | Equation Engine |