Studio Aletheia · World Builders

Grade 6
Integrated Pacing & Alignment Dashboard

4 QUARTERS · 35 DAYS EACH · 140 INSTRUCTIONAL DAYS TOTAL

GCSD Aligned · Teacher-Facing Dashboard · Official Math Coding Review
Curriculum Architecture Integrated Systems Standards Alignment Teacher Console

Curriculum as Architecture

This dashboard organizes sixth-grade pacing as an integrated learning system. Each subject keeps its own instructional identity while connecting to shared evidence routines, cross-curricular themes, assessment language, and Studio Aletheia's World Builders framework.

4Core Subject Systems
140Instructional Days
1Integrated Learning Map

Social Studies

SC CCR World Civilizations · Standards 1-5 · No sequence conflict with GCSD

Yearlong Student Learning Summary: Students will study how civilizations form, grow, interact, and change over time. Across the year, they will examine geography, religion, government, economics, trade, migration, revolution, industrialization, war, human rights, and sustainability so they can explain how human societies build systems, exchange ideas, respond to conflict, and shape the modern world.

Open Social Studies alignment rationale

Q1 Foundation

Early river valleys and classical civilizations establish the vocabulary of systems: geography, government, religion, economy, technology, and culture. This gives students the comparison frame they need before analyzing later global exchanges.

Q2 Exchange

Medieval trade routes, empires, and disease transmission form the year’s first major systems unit. This aligns naturally with ELA argument writing and Science weather and climate systems, especially when students analyze how people, goods, ideas, and pathogens move.

Q3 Evidence

Exploration, the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment turn the course toward evidence, authority, rights, and revolution. This is the strongest bridge to Science earth-history evidence and ELA’s “Finding Courage” theme.

Q4 Systems

Industrialization, imperialism, war, human rights, and sustainability ask students to evaluate the consequences of interconnected systems. This supports the year-end synthesis arc and gives students content for evidence-based writing and civic reasoning.

Quarter 1

Origins & Classical Civilizations

Days 1-35 · Aug-Oct
  • 6.1Intro to Civilizations - what makes a civilization; early river valleys8d
  • 6.1.COComparing social systems - Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus, Huang He7d
  • 6.1.CEEnvironmental factors & early interactions between civilizations5d
  • 6.1.PShift to classical civilizations - China, Greece, India, Rome; enduring contributions8d
  • 6.1.CXOrigins & spread of major world religions5d
  • 6.1.CC / 6.1.EChanges & continuities; primary source analysis2d
✦ Alignment rationaleQ1 functions as the course foundation. Students learn how civilizations organize land, power, belief, labor, writing, trade, and technology. This gives every later unit a comparison base and connects to Science Q1 through evidence routines, models, and early technologies such as metallurgy, agriculture, ceramics, and architecture.

Quarter 2

Increased Global Interactions (550-1450)

Days 36-70 · Oct-Dec
  • 6.2.COMedieval political systems - feudal Japan/Europe, caliphates, Imperial China, African kingdoms, Americas8d
  • 6.2.CEGlobal exchanges - Silk Road, Indian Ocean trade, Black Death ALIGN: Wk 8 peak7d
  • 6.2.PCrusades as turning point; Ottoman Empire growth6d
  • 6.2.CXTurk & Mongol expansion across Asia, North Africa, Byzantine Empire6d
  • 6.2.CCWest Africa - Mali & Ghana; Americas - Maya, Aztec, Inca6d
  • 6.2.EPrimary & secondary source analysis; Q2 assessment2d
✦ Alignment rationaleQ2 is the exchange quarter. Political systems, trade routes, religious expansion, conquest, and disease transmission let students examine how networks spread both alignment and disruption. This pairs with ELA argument writing because students can evaluate whether exchange strengthened or destabilized societies.

Quarter 3

Atlantic World & Revolution (1450-1820)

Days 71-105 · Jan-Mar
  • 6.3.COEuropean motivations for exploration - Silk Road closure, Reconquista, competition6d
  • 6.3.CEColumbian Exchange; Atlantic World trade networks6d
  • 6.3.PTransatlantic Slave Trade - origins, ideological props, systematic oppression7d
  • 6.3.CXIndigenous peoples - displacement, disease, resistance5d
  • 6.3.CCRenaissance → Reformation → Scientific Revolution → Enlightenment ALIGN: Q3 peak7d
  • 6.4.COPolitical revolutions - American, French, Haitian, Latin American4d
✦ Alignment rationaleQ3 is the evidence and authority quarter. Exploration, Atlantic exchange, slavery, Indigenous resistance, Renaissance inquiry, scientific reasoning, Enlightenment rights, and revolution all ask students to decide how people challenge inherited power structures with evidence, experience, and new ideas.

Quarter 4

Industrialization to Global Interdependence

Days 106-140 · Mar-May
  • 6.4.CEColonialism & imperialism - causes, methods, resistance6d
  • 6.4.PIndustrial Revolution - local & global impacts (1760-1919)6d
  • 6.4.CX / 6.4.CCEnvironmental impact; nationalism 19th-early 20th century5d
  • 6.5.CEWWI, WWII, nationalism, genocides, Holocaust, UDHR6d
  • 6.5.CO / 6.5.PHuman rights movements; Cold War & Great Depression as turning points7d
  • 6.5.CX / 6.5.CC / 6.5.ESustainability; technological diffusion; year-end synthesis5d
✦ Alignment rationaleQ4 becomes the systems-consequence quarter. Industrialization, imperialism, global conflict, genocide, human rights, and sustainability move students from historical description to civic evaluation: what happens when powerful systems expand without ethical limits, and how do societies respond?

Science

SC CCR Science 2021 · GCSD Pacing - Q1 & Q3 swapped to match district calendar

Yearlong Student Learning Summary: Students will learn to think and work like scientists by using evidence, models, data, and explanations. They will investigate matter, energy, waves, weather, climate, Earth history, geologic processes, cells, body systems, and sensory responses so they can explain how natural systems operate across different scales, from particles to planets to living organisms.

Open Science alignment rationale

Q1 Matter, Energy & Waves

Students begin with observable physical systems: matter changes, thermal transfer, energy conservation, and wave behavior. This creates a strong evidence routine through labs, models, CER writing, and data collection while connecting to Social Studies technologies such as ceramics, metallurgy, glassmaking, and communication systems.

Q2 Weather & Climate

Atmospheric circulation, ocean currents, the water cycle, air masses, and natural hazards align with the Social Studies study of trade routes and global exchange. Students can see how wind, water, climate, and geography shaped where people traveled, settled, traded, and built civilizations.

Q3 Earth Evidence

Rock strata, plate tectonics, fossils, and geologic time ask students to interpret evidence from the natural world. This pairs powerfully with the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment in Social Studies, where students also examine how evidence can challenge inherited assumptions.

Q4 Living Systems

Cells, tissues, organs, body systems, sensory receptors, and nervous-system responses help students understand life as a set of interacting subsystems. This supports the year-end focus on systems, consequences, adaptation, point of view, and human impact across Social Studies and ELA.

Quarter 1 MOVED

Matter, Energy & Waves

Days 1-35 · Aug-Oct
  • SEP ADDMiddle school science introduction - expectations, lab safety, scientific method, SEP overview7d
  • 6-PS1-4States of matter & phase change - particle motion; thermal energy; solids, liquids, gases5d
  • 6-PS3-3Conservation of energy; heat transfer - design device to minimize or maximize thermal transfer8d
  • 6-PS3-4Energy transfer investigation - relationships among energy transferred, mass, and temperature change7d
  • 6-PS4-2Wave properties - reflection, absorption, transmission; mechanical & electromagnetic waves6d
  • ReviewMatter, energy & waves assessment; waves project; Q1 CFA2d
✦ Cross-curricular noteEnergy transfer and wave behavior: How did ancient civilizations harness thermal energy (smelting, ceramics, glassblowing)? Connects to SS Q1 civilizations comparison. SEP skills introduced here (planning investigations, CER) directly scaffold SS primary source analysis - both are evidence-to-explanation moves.

Quarter 2 ALIGNED

Weather, Climate & Water Systems

Days 36-70 · Oct-Dec
  • 6-ESS2-6Atmospheric & oceanic circulation - Coriolis effect, trade winds, convection cells; regional climates7d
  • 6-ESS2-4Water cycle - sun-driven cycling through Earth's systems; closed-system model5d
  • 6-ESS2-5Weather - air mass interactions; fronts; pressure systems; analyze atmospheric data ALIGN: Math bridge8d
  • 6-ESS2-6Influences on climate - factors, climate zones; weather vs. climate distinction7d
  • 6-ESS3-2Natural hazards - spatial patterns, forecasting technologies, mitigation5d
  • ReviewSevere weather project; climate zones project; Q2 CFA3d
✦ Week 8 peak confirmedGCSD Q2 Science matches Studio Aletheia Q2 lesson plan exactly. The atmospheric circulation unit (6-ESS2-6) is the scientific explanation for why the Silk Road trade routes were viable - trade winds, monsoon winds, and ocean currents aren't named for commerce by accident. The shared atmospheric data set with Math (temperature anomaly calculations) is GCSD-confirmed viable.

Quarter 3 MOVED

Earth's History & Systems

Days 71-105 · Jan-Mar
  • 6-ESS2-2Geoscience processes - weathering, erosion, deposition at varying time scales7d
  • 6-ESS2-3Earth's changing surface - catastrophic events; continued geoscience processes5d
  • 6-ESS2-1Rock cycle - cycling of Earth's materials; energy driving the process7d
  • 6-ESS2-3Plate tectonics - fossil & rock distribution; continental shapes; seafloor structures as evidence ALIGN: Q3 peak8d
  • 6-ESS1-4Geologic time scale - rock strata evidence; relative & absolute dating; Earth's 4.6-billion-year history6d
  • ReviewEarth history project; Q3 CFA; SEP: constructing explanations from rock strata2d
✦ Q3 peak - "How do we know what we know?"Reading rock strata as evidence (Science) + the Scientific Revolution challenging received authority (SS) + The Breadwinner / "Life Doesn't Frighten Me" showing courage in the face of systems that suppress truth (ELA) - all three disciplines asking the same epistemological question in the same quarter. The year's strongest convergence becomes even stronger with the correct Science sequence.

Quarter 4 MOVED

Life Science - Cells & Body Systems

Days 106-140 · Mar-May
  • 6-LS1-1Characteristics of cells - cell theory; unicellular vs. multicellular; living vs. nonliving7d
  • 6-LS1-2Cell structures & function - model of cell as a system; organelle roles7d
  • 6-LS1-3Levels of organization - cells → tissues → organs → systems; interacting subsystems ALIGN: Q4 bridge8d
  • 6-LS1-8Sensory receptors & nervous system - stimuli, brain processing, behavior, memory7d
  • ReviewLife science unit project; year-end SEP portfolio; Q4 assessment6d
✦ Q4 systems-thinking bridge"Cells → tissues → organs → interacting subsystems" (6-LS1-3) is the biological analog of the industrial and global systems studied in SS Q4. "When systems break" - industrial pollution, colonial extraction, Holocaust - mirrors how cells fail when subsystems are disrupted. ELA's "Through an Animal's Eyes" (point of view from inside a different kind of organism) parallels the biological systems work. The thematic web holds.

Mathematics

SC CCR Math 2025 · Official Standard Codes Reconciled · DPSR · MGSR · NR · PAFR

Yearlong Student Learning Summary: Students will strengthen number sense, proportional reasoning, algebraic thinking, geometry, measurement, statistics, probability, and data analysis. They will learn to represent real-world situations with numbers, expressions, equations, graphs, tables, units, geometric models, and statistical displays so they can reason with precision and communicate mathematical relationships clearly.

Open Math alignment rationale

Q1 Number Sense

Rational numbers, integers, percents, fractions, decimals, and early statistics give students the numerical language needed to compare civilizations, interpret science data, and explain real-world quantities. This quarter builds precision before students move into more abstract relationships.

Q2 Relationships & Units

Expressions, equations, independent and dependent variables, geometry, surface area, volume, and dimensional analysis connect directly to Science weather data and Social Studies trade networks. Students learn that quantities can be represented, transformed, graphed, measured, and converted.

Q3 Functions & Geometry

Functions, coordinate planes, polygons, composite figures, and angle relationships help students model patterns and structures. This supports the broader Q3 theme of evidence and rules, especially as students examine scientific laws, geologic patterns, exploration routes, and designed systems.

Q4 Data & Probability

Statistics, probability, distributions, outliers, and data displays equip students to analyze modern systems and consequences. These tools support interpretation of population, industrialization, conflict, environmental, health, and human-rights data across the year-end Social Studies and Science units.

Official Math Coding Review

6th_Math.md was the most significant alignment find. It is the official state standard document, and its indicator coding does not match several codes used in the current pacing schedule.

Items labeled in the current pacing as PAFR.3.5 for integer operations, PAFR.3.6-3.7 for fraction and decimal operations, and PAFR.3.2-3.4 for properties of operations do not appear in the official SC CCR indicators reviewed for this update.

The most important correction is PAFR.2.6. In the official state document, PAFR.2.6 is dependent and independent variables represented on a graph, not ratios. The prior GCSD curriculum guide labeling of PAFR.2.6 as ratios should be reconciled before final district-facing use.

Two official standards were also absent from the current pacing and are now added: MGSR.2.1-2.2 for angle relationships and MGSR.4.1 for dimensional analysis.

Quarter 1

Rational Numbers, Ratios & Rates

Days 1-35 · Aug-Oct
  • 6.NR.1.1Convert positive rationals - decimals, fractions, mixed numbers, percentages~8d
  • 6.NR.2.1-2.2Compare & order positive rational numbers (ascending/descending)~5d
  • 6.NR.2.3 / 6.NR.2.4Integers - represent real-world quantities; opposite value; absolute value; number lines~7d
  • 6.DPSR.1.1Statistical intro - sample size; building data sets from class investigations~3d
  • ReviewNumber sense unit check; formative assessment; Q1 CFA prep~2d
✦ Cross-curricular noteRational number conversions (fractions ↔ decimals ↔ percents) support SS Q1 civilization comparison data - population ratios, river-length comparisons, trade volume estimates. Absolute value connects to the deep-time timeline of SS civilizations (how far from zero is 2500 BCE?). DPSR.1.1 statistical intro supports Science Q1 SEP data collection.

Quarter 2

Operations, Expressions & Geometry

Days 36-70 · Oct-Dec
  • 6.PAFR.2.1-2.3Algebraic expressions - parts (term, variable, coefficient, constant); evaluate; exponents~7d
  • 6.PAFR.2.4One-step equations & inequalities with positive rational coefficients~6d
  • 6.PAFR.2.5Order of operations (no exponents) - evaluate numerical expressions~4d
  • 6.PAFR.2.6 CODEDependent & independent variables - identify in real-world situations; represent relationship on a graph ALIGN: Science data bridge~5d
  • 6.MGSR.1.1-1.5Area of geometric figures; nets; surface area of prisms & pyramids; volume V=Bh~8d
  • 6.MGSR.4.1 ADDOne-step dimensional analysis - convert units within metric or customary systems~5d
⚠ Math coding correctionThe prior pacing labels for integer operations, fraction and decimal operations, and properties of operations used PAFR.3.x codes that do not appear in the official SC CCR indicators reviewed in 6th_Math.md. PAFR.2.6 is corrected here as dependent and independent variables on a graph. MGSR.4.1, dimensional analysis, is added because it was absent from the previous pacing.
✦ New bridgesPAFR.2.6 (dependent/independent variables on a graph) maps directly onto Science Q2 atmospheric data analysis - plotting temperature anomalies over time, identifying trends. MGSR.4.1 (dimensional analysis) supports Q2 SS Silk Road trade economics: converting units is the mathematical language of exchange-rate and trade-ratio problems.

Quarter 3

Equations, Ratios & Angle Relationships

Days 71-105 · Jan-Mar
  • 6.PAFR.1.1-1.2Functions - tables, graphs, verbal descriptions, equations; independent vs. dependent variables~8d
  • 6.MGSR.3.1-3.2Coordinate plane - all four quadrants; plot ordered pairs; graph polygons from vertex coordinates~7d
  • 6.MGSR.2.1-2.2 ADDAngle relationships - complementary & supplementary angles; measure using a protractor~5d
  • 6.MGSR.1.4Composite figures - decompose into triangles and rectangles to find area~5d
  • ReviewFunctions, graphing & geometry mid-year assessment; Q3 CFA~5d
✦ Q3 bridge - "Patterns that govern"Functions as general rules for any input value (PAFR.1.1) mirrors the Scientific Revolution's core claim: nature operates by universal laws, not case-by-case exceptions. The coordinate plane (MGSR.3.1) enables students to visually represent trade data, temperature change over time, and historical timelines - all active Q3 cross-curricular contexts. MGSR.2.1-2.2 (angle relationships) previously missing: now added, with cross-curricular tie to Islamic geometric art and architectural design studied in SS Q2.

Quarter 4

Statistics, Probability & Data Analysis

Days 106-140 · Mar-May
  • 6.DPSR.1.1-1.4Statistical analysis - box plots; shape of data (skew, bimodal, outliers); median, mode, range, IQR~9d
  • 6.DPSR.2.1-2.3Probability - likelihood scale (0-1); simple events as fraction/decimal/percent; complement of an event~7d
  • 6.NR.2.3 / 6.NR.2.4Integers in context - revisit and extend (temperature, elevation, debt) with full operations~6d
  • ReviewYear-end cumulative review; SC READY benchmark assessment; portfolio~5d
✦ Q4 synthesis bridgeStatistical data analysis (DPSR.1.1-1.4) coincides with Q4 SS content on global interdependence - reading data on industrial output, population displacement, and mortality rates from WWI/WWII. Probability (DPSR.2.1-2.3) connects to Q4 Science nervous system: how does the brain assign probability to outcomes from sensory data? The "shape of data" vocabulary (skew, outlier) gives students precise language for the historical outlier events studied in Q4 SS.

English Language Arts

SC CCR ELA 2023 (Amended Aug 2025) · YAG Calendar Integrated · Assessment Vocabulary Embedded

Yearlong Student Learning Summary: Students will read, discuss, analyze, research, write, revise, and present across literary, informational, argumentative, poetic, visual, and multimedia texts. They will study identity, perseverance, courage, point of view, research, media, language, and argument so they can cite evidence, explain meaning, build claims, compare perspectives, and communicate ideas for authentic audiences.

Open ELA alignment rationale

Q1 Identity & Voice

Students begin with memoir, poetry, visual texts, and narrative structure so they can analyze how people represent identity and experience. This supports the World Builders frame because students learn to see voice, perspective, and self-expression as tools for constructing meaning.

Q2 Perseverance & Argument

Texts such as I Am Malala, poetry, short fiction, and graphic narrative support analysis of perspective, claim, evidence, and argument. This connects naturally to Social Studies exchange and conflict units, where students evaluate how individuals and societies persist, adapt, and persuade.

Q3 Courage & Research

The “Finding Courage” unit builds research, informative writing, multimedia analysis, summarizing, paraphrasing, and vocabulary work. It aligns with Social Studies and Science because students examine how people use evidence, knowledge, and courage to question systems and explain what is true.

Q4 Perspective & Synthesis

Students study animal perspectives, argument pairs, media, conventions, presentations, and SC READY writing tasks. The quarter serves as a synthesis point where students compare viewpoints, evaluate claims, revise communication, and produce evidence-based writing for authentic audiences.

Quarter 1

Identity, Voice & Story Structure

YAG Theme: Story & Self-Expression

Days 1-35 · Aug-Oct
Brown Girl Dreaming - Jacqueline Woodson (memoir in verse)5d
"Changing Face of Self Portraits" (informational / visual art)5d
Sciezka (memoir/narrative)6d
"A Voice" & "Words" (poetry)5d
"Better than Words" (visual/multimodal text) AOR.10.1 intro7d
TDW1 + Unit Test + Reader's Choice10d
  • AOR.1.1Plot & character - events and descriptive/sensory details reveal character · Key terms: analyze, descriptive details, reveal, characters, meaning7d
  • AOR.1.2Figurative language - impact on mood, tone, meaning · Key terms: explain, figurative language, mood, tone, meaning6d
  • AOR.2.1Theme development - key details build theme over a literary text · Key terms: analyze, key details, development, theme(s)5d
  • AOR.5.1Literary text structure - how sections contribute to theme, setting, plot · Key terms: analyze, structure, contributes, development, setting, plot4d
  • AOR.10.1 INTROMultimedia analysis - compare print vs. audio/video portrayals; impact on audience (introduced via "Changing Face" and "Better than Words")3d
  • C.3.1Narrative writing - plot structure, dialogue, descriptive detail · Key terms: narrator, characters, plot structure, dialogue, figurative language, event sequences, narrative techniques8d
  • C.8.1Academic discussion - asking questions; building on others' ideas2d

Quarter 2

Perspective, Point of View & Argument

YAG Theme: "Never Give Up"

Days 36-70 · Oct-Dec
I Am Malala excerpt - Malala Yousafzai (memoir)7d
"Speech to the Young" - Gwendolyn Brooks (poem)6d
"The First Day of School" - R.V. Cassill (short story)6d
from New Kid - Jerry Craft (graphic novel)8d
Compare Time Periods cross-text analysis3d
TDW2 (Argument) + Unit Test + Reader's Choice12d
  • AOR.3.1Point of view & perspective - multiple narrators; shifts in POV · Key terms: determine, explain, multiple narrators, shifts in point of view, shifts in perspective7d
  • AOR.4.1Informational POV - primary vs. secondary accounts; perspective shapes content & style · Key terms: primary account, secondary account, perspectives, impact, content, style7d
  • AOR.5.3Author's argument - tracing development; inductive, deductive, causal reasoning; ethos, pathos, logos · Key terms: trace the development, author's argument, types of reasoning, rhetorical appeal6d
  • AOR.9.1 ADDGreek & Latin roots; affixes - determine precise meanings in content · Key terms: apply, affixes, Greek roots, Latin roots, clarify, precise meaning3d
  • C.1.1Argument writing - claim, reasons, evidence, alternative perspective, transitions, concluding statement · Key terms: argument, claim, reasons, evidence, facts, data, credible sources, alternative perspective, organizational structure, transitions, concluding statement8d
  • C.9.1 ADDEvaluate speakers - argument, relevant vs. irrelevant claims, appropriate media, speaker's message4d
✦ YAG TDW2 alignmentGCSD TDW2 prompt: argue about the role of perseverance in achieving success. Studio Aletheia Q2 SS culminates with the Mongol Empire argument essay (destruction or exchange?). Both are genuine argumentative tasks using the same C.1.1 structure. The Malala-to-Mongols arc - "what do individuals and civilizations have to overcome to achieve something new?" - runs through both.

Quarter 3

Research, Information & Vocabulary

YAG Theme: "Finding Courage"

Days 71-105 · Jan-Mar
from The Breadwinner - Deborah Ellis (novel excerpt)5d
"Life Doesn't Frighten Me" - Maya Angelou (poem)3d
"Fears and Phobias" - kidshealth.org (informational)6d
"Wired for Fear" - California Science Center (video/multimedia)2d
"Embarrassed? Blame Your Brain" - informational text5d
"The Ravine" - Graham Salisbury (short story)7d
TDW3 (Informative) + Unit Test + Reader's Choice9d
  • R.1.1-1.4 ADDResearch process - generating inquiry questions; print & multimedia sources; credibility; relevance; logical organization of findings · Key terms: short research, sustained research, generating a question, refine the scope, determine credibility, relevant, logically organize findings9d
  • AOR.2.2 / AOR.5.2Informational text - central idea development; how individual sections fit the whole · Key terms: supporting details, development, central idea(s), sections of text, text structure6d
  • AOR.6.1 ADDSummarize & paraphrase - grade-level text; support comprehension; distinguish from copying · Key terms: summarize, paraphrase4d
  • AOR.7.1 / AOR.8.1 ADDVocabulary strategies - context clues; reference materials; figurative, connotative, technical language; denotation vs. connotation · Key terms: determine, clarify, context, reference materials, precise meaning, parts of speech; interpret, figurative language, connotative language, technical language, multimedia6d
  • C.2.1Informative/expository writing - introduce topic; relevant facts, definitions, details; transitions; precise language; concluding statement · Key terms: informative text, examine, analyze, topic, organize information, relevant facts/definitions/details, transitions, precise language, concluding statement8d
  • AOR.10.1 DEEPENMultimedia analysis - "Wired for Fear" video; compare to print; explain impact on audience2d
✦ Q3 triple convergence"Finding Courage" (ELA) + Scientific Revolution / Enlightenment (SS) + reading rock strata and tectonic evidence (Science) all ask: what does it mean to stand by what evidence shows you, when the surrounding system says otherwise? Parvana in The Breadwinner, Copernicus, and a geologist interpreting rock strata are all making the same epistemological move. TDW3 (informative essay: "how do people find courage?") gives students a writing context that bridges all three.

Quarter 4

Multimedia, Conventions & Synthesis

YAG Theme: "Through an Animal's Eyes"

Days 106-140 · Mar-May
from Pax - Sara Pennypacker (novel excerpt)6d
"Zoo" - Edward Hoch (science fiction)5d
from Animal Snoops - Peter Christie (informational)5d
"Animal Wisdom" + "The Last Wolf" (poetry)6d
"Wild Animals Aren't Pets" / "Let People Own Exotic Animals" (argument pair)5d
TDW4 (SC READY) + Unit Test (SC READY) + Reader's Choice~8d
  • AOR.3.1Point of view - extended; animal/nonhuman narrator perspectives; impact on reader knowledge6d
  • AOR.10.1 DEEPENMultimedia analysis - print vs. audio/video portrayals of same subject; audience impact5d
  • AOR.6.1Summarize & paraphrase - deepen: apply to longer texts and informational content3d
  • C.4.1 ADDGrammar & conventions - capitalization; commas/dashes/parentheses; sentence variety (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex); pronoun antecedents; fragments & run-ons7d
  • C.5.1Update - planning, editing, peer & teacher feedback; clarity of content and purpose4d
  • C.7.1 ADDOral presentation - report, opinion, narrative; speaking techniques; multimedia elements; digital tools5d
  • SynthesisYear-end writing portfolio; SC READY prep; reading celebration; OE.1-6 reflection5d
✦ SC READY alignmentTDW4 and the Unit Test are both SC READY assessments - the highest-stakes writing tasks of the year. The Studio Aletheia Future Proposal (year-end capstone project, weeks 12-20) builds exactly the multi-source argumentative and expository writing skills the SC READY argument prompt tests. The argument pair ("Wild Animals Aren't Pets" / "Let People Own Exotic Animals") provides immediate model texts for claim + alternative perspective + evidence structure. TDW4 prompt historically aligns with this unit.