2.  Opinion  Informative / Explanatory  Narrative

3.  Tells others what you think and tries to convince them you are right by providing reasons, examples, facts, or details to back up your opinion

4.  Explain or give information about a person, place, thing, or idea by providing facts, details, examples, or explanations

5.  Tells a story that is real or imaginary. Has characters and a setting.

6.  75 minutes  2 passages  Selected responses and writing task  Opinion  Informative/Explanatory

7.  #1 – You have read two stories where one family member saves another. Write an essay describing the mosquito from “Cricket and Cougar” and one of the main characters from “Kira-Kira”. For each character described,  -Explain how the thoughts, words, and/or actions of the character help you understand what the character is like  -Explain why the character chooses to save his or her family member  -Be sure to include specific details from each story to support your ideas

8.  #2 – Today you will read a story about a girl whose family is from India and a poem that expresses how the speaker faces frightening experiences. After you finish the task, you will write an essay about a theme about a theme in the story and the poem.  - Identify a theme in “Just Like Home” and a theme in “Life”. Write an essay that explains how the theme of the story is shown through the characters and how the theme of the poem is shown through the speaker. Include specific details from the story and the poem to support your essay.

9.  90 minutes  3 passages  Selected responses and writing task  Opinion  Informative/explanatory

10.  Today you will read two articles and watch a video about the survival of wild horses on Assateague Island in Maryland and Chincoteague Island in Virginia. As you review these sources, you will gather info and answer questions so that you can write an essay.  - Your class has been studying about the survival of the ponies on Assateague Island. Using info from the articles and the video, describe the roles that both the horses and humans play in the horses’ survival. Use the evidence from the articles and the video to support your answer.

11.  60 minutes  1 passage  Selected responses and writing task  Narrative  Informative / explanatory

12.  Today, you will read about a girl who finds some unusual shoes. As you read the story, think about the details the author uses as you will be asked to write your own story.  In “Those Wacky Shoes,” a girl has to outsmart a pair of shoes. Think about the details the author uses to crate characters, settings, and events.  Imagine that you, like the girl in the story, find a pair of wacky shoes that won’t come off. Write a story about how you find the pair of wacky shoes and what happens to you when you are wearing them. Use what you have learned about the wacky shoes when writing your story.