Topics for the year:
Communities
Symbols of the U.S. 
Immigration
Fighting for a cause
Westward Expansion
U.S. Civil War

Immigration
By the end of this domain, students will be able to:

1. Explain the term immigrant;
2. Describe reasons immigrants leave their home countries to make a new home in the United States (e.g., push and pull factors);
3. Explain why the United States was and is called the “land of opportunity”;
4. Identify the meaning of e pluribus unum;
5. Explain the significance of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty;
6. Describe how immigration has brought millions of newcomers to the United States;
7. Describe why large populations of immigrants settled in major cities such as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Cleveland, Boston, and San Francisco;
8. Describe why some immigrants settled in the Midwest;
9. Describe how their ancestors may have been immigrants who helped make America the country that it is today;
10. Demonstrate familiarity with the song “The Land Is Your Land”;
11. Explain what it means to be a citizen of a country;
12. Identify ways that a person becomes an American citizen;
13. Identify that the government of the United States is based on the Constitution, the highest law of our land;
14. Identify James Madison as the “Father of the Constitution”;
15. Explain that the United States is founded on the principle of consent of the governed, American citizens: “We the People”;
16. Explain the basic functions of government (making and enforcing laws; settling disputes; protecting rights and liberties; etc.) by making analogies to familiar settings such as the family, the school, and the community;
17. Identify the Bill of Rights as a document amending the Constitution;
18. Describe the rights and responsibilities of an American citizen;
19. Demonstrate familiarity with the song “The Star-Spangled Banner”;
20. Ask and answer questions (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how), orally or in writing, requiring literal recall and understanding of the details and/or facts of a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
21. Answer questions that require making interpretations, judgments, or giving opinions about what is heard in a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud, including answering why questions that require recognizing cause/effect relationships;
22. Describe how characters in a fiction read-aloud respond to major events and challenges;
23. Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a read-aloud to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot;
24. Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
25. Determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases in nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
26. Interpret information from diagrams, charts, timelines, graphs, or other organizers associated with a nonfiction/informational read-aloud and explain how these graphics clarify the meaning of the read-aloud;
27. Describe how reasons or facts support specific points the author makes in a nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
28. Compare and contrast (orally or in writing) similarities and differences within a single nonfiction/informational read-aloud or between two or more nonfiction/informational read-alouds;
29. Listen to and demonstrate understanding of nonfiction/informational read-alouds of appropriate complexity for grades 2–4;
30. Plan, draft, and edit a narrative retelling of a fiction read-aloud, including a title, setting, characters, and well-elaborated events of the story in proper sequence, including details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, using temporal words to signal event order, and providing a sense of closure;
31. With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing;
32. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., after listening to several read-alouds, produce a report on a single topic);
33. Make personal connections (orally or in writing) to events or experiences in a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud and/or make connections among several read-alouds;
34. With assistance, categorize and organize facts and information within a given domain to answer questions;
35. Use agreed-upon rules for group discussion (e.g., look at and listen to the speaker, raise hand to speak, take turns, say “excuse me” or “please,” etc.);
36. Carry on and participate in a conversation over at least six turns, staying on topic, linking their comments to the remarks of others, with either an adult or another child of the same age;
37. Ask questions to clarify information about the topic in a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
38. Retell (orally or in writing) important facts and information from a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
39. Summarize (orally or in writing) text content and/or oral information presented by others;
40. Ask questions to clarify directions, exercises, classroom routines, and/or what a speaker says about a topic to gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue;
41. Recount a personal experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences;
42. Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings;
43. Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification;
44. Use word parts to determine meanings of unknown words in fiction or nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
45. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy);
46. Provide synonyms and antonyms of selected core vocabulary words;
47. Determine the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases in fiction or nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
48. Learn the meaning of common sayings and phrases;
49. Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy);
50. Prior to listening to a read-aloud, identify orally what they know and have learned about a given topic;
51. Identify and express physical sensations, mental states, and emotions of self and others;
52. Make predictions (orally or in writing) prior to and during a read-aloud, based on title, pictures, and/or text heard thus far, and then compare the actual outcomes to predictions; and
53. Share writing with others.

Fighting for a Cause
By the end of this domain, students will be able to:

1. Explain that members of one powerful group often excluded members of other groups from certain rights;
2. Describe how organizations and movements, such as the civil rights movement, were created as people fought for equal rights;
3. Explain why fighting for important causes has helped to change laws and improve the lives of many people;
4. Explain the terms inequality, discrimination, suffrage, segregation, and activist;
5. Explain the concepts of nonviolence, civil rights, and human rights;
6. Describe the lives and contributions of Susan B. Anthony, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mary McLeod Bethune, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Cesar Chavez;
7. Identify the main causes for which Susan B. Anthony, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mary McLeod Bethune, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Cesar Chavez fought during their lifetimes;
8. Identify Susan B. Anthony as an abolitionist;
9. Explain that Susan B. Anthony campaigned for women’s rights, especially the right to vote;
10. Explain that Eleanor Roosevelt was married to President Franklin Roosevelt;
11. Identify Eleanor Roosevelt as a First Lady;
12. Identify the Great Depression as a difficult time in American history;
13. Explain the role of the United Nations in the world;
14. Explain that Mary McLeod Bethune worked with Eleanor Roosevelt;
15. Explain the lack of educational opportunities for African American girls in the nineteenth century;
16. Explain that three presidents asked Mary McLeod Bethune for advice;
17. Explain that Jackie Robinson was a talented athlete;
18. Identify Jackie Robinson as the first African American to play Major League Baseball in the United States;
19. Explain the importance of the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott;
20. Describe the connection between Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.;
21. Identify Martin Luther King Jr. as an important leader of the civil rights movement;
22. Describe working conditions for migrant workers;
23. Describe similarities among the causes supported by Susan B. Anthony, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mary McLeod Bethune, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Cesar Chavez;
24. Describe the similarities among the methods of protest used by Susan B. Anthony, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mary McLeod Bethune, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Cesar Chavez;
25. Describe how words and phrase (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song;
26. Ask and answer questions (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how), orally or in writing, requiring literal recall and understanding of the details and/or facts of a nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
27. Answer questions that require making interpretations, judgments, or giving opinions about what is heard in a nonfiction/informational read-aloud, including answering why questions that require recognizing cause/effect relationships;
28. Identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph nonfiction/informational read-aloud as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text;
29. Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
30. Determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases in nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
31. Identify the main purpose of a nonfiction/informational read-aloud, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe;
32. Interpret information from diagrams, charts, timelines, graphs, or other organizers associated with a nonfiction/informational read-aloud and explain how these graphics clarify the meaning of the read-aloud;
33. Describe how reasons or facts support specific points the author makes in a nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
34. Compare and contrast (orally or in writing) similarities and differences within a single nonfiction/informational read-aloud or between two or more nonfiction/informational read-alouds;
35. Listen to and demonstrate understanding of nonfiction/informational read-alouds of appropriate complexity for grades 2–4;
36. Plan, draft, and edit opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinions and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section;
37. With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing;
38. With guidance and support from adults, use a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including collaboration with peers;
39. Make personal connections (orally or in writing) to events or experiences in a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud and/or make connections among several read-alouds;
40. With assistance, categorize and organize facts and information within a given domain to answer questions;
41. Use agreed-upon rules for group discussion (e.g., look at and listen to the speaker, raise hand to speak, take turns, say “excuse me” or “please,” etc.);
42. Carry on and participate in a conversation over at least six turns, staying on topic, linking their comments to the remarks of others, with either an adult or another child of the same age;
43. Ask questions to clarify information about the topic in a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
44. Retell (orally or in writing) important facts and information from a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
45. Ask questions to clarify directions, exercises, classroom routines and/or what a speaker says about a topic to gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or tissue;
46. Recount a personal experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences;
47. Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings;
48. Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification;
49. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy);
50. Determine the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases in fiction or nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
51. Distinguish shades of meaning among closely related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny, scrawny);
52. Learn the meaning of common sayings and phrases;
53. Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy);
54. Prior to listening to a read-aloud, identify (orally or in writing) what they know and have learned that may be related to the specific story or topic to be read aloud;
55. Identify and express physical sensations, mental states, and emotions of self and others;
56. Share writing with others; and
57. Use knowledge of the meaning of individual words to predict the meaning of compound words.

Westward Expansion
By the end of this domain, students will be able to:

1. Describe a pioneer family’s journey westward;
2. Describe family life on the frontier;
3. Explain the significance of the steamboat;
4. Identify Robert Fulton as the developer of the steamboat;
5. Identify steamboats, canals, and trains as new means of travel that increased the movement of people west;
6. Describe the importance of canals;
7. Identify the Erie Canal as the most famous canal built during the Canal Era;
8. Demonstrate familiarity with the song “The Erie Canal”;
9. Explain the significance of Sequoyah’s invention of the Cherokee writing system;
10. Explain why writing was important to Sequoyah and the Cherokee;
11. Describe the Cherokee writing system in basic terms;
12. Explain that the U.S. government forced Native Americans from their lands;
13. Identify the Trail of Tears as a forced march of the Cherokee;
14. Identify the Oregon Trail as a difficult trail traveled by wagon trains;
15. Identify the Pony Express as a horseback mail delivery system;
16. Identify steamboats, canals, and trains as new means of travel that increased the movement of people west;
17. Identify the transcontinental railroad as a link between the East and the West;
18. Identify “iron horse” as the nickname given to the first trains in America;
19. Explain the advantages of rail travel;
20. Demonstrate familiarity with the song “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad”;
21. Explain that westward expansion meant displacement of Native Americans;
22. Explain that the development of the railroad ushered in a new era of mass exodus of the Native Americans from their land;
23. Describe the effect of diminishing buffalo on the life of Plains Native Americans;
24. Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song;
25. Ask and answer questions (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how), orally or in writing, requiring literal recall and understanding of the details and/or facts of a nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
26. Answer questions that require making interpretations, judgments, or giving opinions about what is heard in a nonfiction/informational read-aloud, including answering why questions that require recognizing cause/effect relationships;
27. Identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph nonfiction/informational read-aloud as well as the focus of specific paragraphs within the text;
28. Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
29. Determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases in nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
30. Interpret information from diagrams, charts, timelines, graphs, or other organizers associated with a nonfiction/informational read-aloud and explain how these graphics clarify the meaning of the read-aloud;
31. Compare and contrast (orally or in writing) similarities and differences within a single nonfiction/informational read-aloud or between two or more nonfiction/informational read-alouds;
32. Listen to and demonstrate understanding of nonfiction/informational read-alouds of appropriate complexity for grades 2–4;
33. Plan and/or draft, and edit an informative/explanatory text that presents information from a nonfiction/informational read-aloud that introduces a topic, uses facts and definitions to develop points, and provides a concluding statement or section;
34. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., after listening to several read-alouds, produce a report on a single topic);
35. Make personal connections (orally or in writing) to events or experiences in a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud and/or make connections among several read-alouds;
36. With assistance, categorize and organize facts and information within a given domain to answer questions;
37. Generate questions and gather information from multiple sources to answer questions;
38. Use agreed-upon rules for group discussion (e.g., look at and listen to the speaker, raise hand to speak, take turns, say “excuse me” or “please,” etc.);
39. Carry on and participate in a conversation over at least six turns, staying on topic, linking their comments to the remarks of others, with either an adult or another child of the same age;
40. Ask questions to clarify information about the topic in a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
41. Retell (orally or in writing) important facts and information from a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
42. Ask questions to clarify directions, exercises, classroom routines, and/or what a speaker says about a topic to gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue;
43. Recount a personal experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences;
44. Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings;
45. Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification;
46. Use word parts to determine meanings of unknown words in fiction or nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
47. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy);
48. Provide synonyms and antonyms of selected core vocabulary words;
49. Determine the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases in fiction or nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
50. Learn the meaning of common sayings and phrases;
51. Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy);
52. Prior to listening to a read-aloud, identify orally what they have learned that may be related to the specific read-aloud; and
53. Share writing with others.

The U.S. Civil War
By the end of this domain, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate familiarity with slavery and the controversy over slavery in the United States;
2. Identify the contributions that enslaved African Americans made to the success of plantations in the South;
3. Describe the life and contributions of Harriet Tubman;
4. Identify the Underground Railroad as a system of escape for enslaved Africans in the United States;
5. Demonstrate familiarity with the poem, “Harriet Tubman”;
6. Demonstrate familiarity with the song, “Follow the Drinking Gourd”;
7. Differentiate between the North and the South;
8. Describe the adult life and contributions of Abraham Lincoln;
9. Demonstrate familiarity with the poem, “Lincoln”;
10. Differentiate between the Union and the Confederacy and the states associated with each;
11. Describe why the southern state seceded from the United States;
12. Identify the U.S. Civil War, or the War Between the States, as a war waged because of differences between the North and the South;
13. Identify the people of the North as “Yankees” and those of the South as “Rebels”;
14. Define the differences between the Union and the Confederacy;
15. Explain Abraham Lincoln’s role in keeping the Union together during the U.S. Civil War;
16. Identify Robert E. Lee as the commander of the Confederate Army;
17. Explain why Lee was reluctant to command either the Union or Confederate Army;
18. Identify Clara Barton as the “Angel of the Battlefield” and the founder of the American Red Cross;
19. Describe the work of the American Red Cross;
20. Identify Abraham Lincoln as the author of the Emancipation Proclamation;
21. Explain the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation;
22. Identify Ulysses S. Grant as the commander of the Union Army;
23. Explain that the North’s victory reunited the North and the South as one country and ended slavery;
24. Recount fiction read-alouds, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures and determine the central message, lesson, or moral;
25. Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a read-aloud to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot;
26. Ask and answer questions (e.g., who, what, where, when, why, how), orally or in writing, requiring literal recall and understanding of the details and/or facts of a nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
27. Answer questions that require making interpretations, judgments, or giving opinions about what is heard in a nonfiction/informational read-aloud, including answering why questions that require recognizing cause/effect relationships;
28. Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
29.  Determine the meaning of unknown words and phrases in nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
30. Interpret information from diagrams, charts, timelines, graphs, or other organizers associated with a nonfiction/informational read-aloud and explain how these graphics clarify the meaning of the read-aloud;
31. Compare and contrast (orally or in writing) similarities and differences within a single nonfiction/informational read-aloud or between two or more nonfiction/informational read-alouds;
32. Listen to and demonstrate understanding of nonfiction/informational read-alouds of appropriate complexity for grades 2–4;
33. Plan, draft, and edit an informative/explanatory text that presents information from a nonfiction/informational read-aloud that introduces a topic, uses facts and definitions to develop points, and provides a concluding statement or section;
34. Make personal connections (orally or in writing) to events or experiences in a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud and/or make connections among several read-alouds;
35. With assistance, categorize and organize facts and information within a given domain to answer questions;
36. Use agreed-upon rules for group discussion (e.g., look at and listen to the speaker, raise hand to speak, take turns, say “excuse me” or “please,” etc.);
37. Carry on and participate in a conversation over at least six turns, staying on topic, linking their comments to the remarks of others, with either an adult or another child of the same age;
38. Ask questions to clarify information about the topic in a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
39. Retell (orally or in writing) important facts and information from a fiction or nonfiction/informational read-aloud;
40. Summarize (orally or in writing) text content and/or oral information presented by others;
41. Ask questions to clarify directions, exercises, classroom routines and/or what a speaker says about a topic to gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or tissue;
42. Recount a personal experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences;
43. Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings;
44. Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification;
45. Use word parts to determine the meanings of unknown words in fiction or nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
46. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe foods that are spicy or juicy);
47. Provide synonyms and antonyms of selected core vocabulary words;
48. Determine the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases in fiction or nonfiction/informational read-alouds and discussions;
49. Learn the meaning of common sayings and phrases;
50. Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using adjectives and adverbs to describe (e.g., When other kids are happy that makes me happy);
51. Identify and express physical sensations, mental states, and emotions of self and others;
52. Share writing with others;
53. Prior to listening to a read-aloud, orally predict what will happen based on images or text heard, and then compare the actual outcome to the prediction; and
54. Prior to listening to a read-aloud, identify (orally or in writing) what they know and have learned that may be related to the specific story or topic to be read aloud.