ELA Unit Launches

In this section, teachers build their understanding of how students might experience the core text(s) based on the interconnected aspects of text complexity: text structure, language, knowledge demands, meaning/purpose.

Some grade levels share this information through a short video, while others offer an interactive matrix for teachers to review. With this foundation, teachers can reflect and action plan on how to offer equitable access to the text for all students in ways that support literacy instruction and cultural responsiveness.

Fishtank ELA units provide students with content knowledge that helps them understand the world and prepares them to participate and affect change in their communities. This includes both learning about historical and scientific concepts, and building knowledge that develops self-awareness and agency. 

In this section, teachers build their understanding of the key content knowledge of the unit prior to teaching, to ensure that students internalize the key content knowledge by the end of the unit.

While students engage authentically with a unit’s texts and content, they also gain proficiency in select grade-level Common Core State Standards. In each unit, students interact with multiple standards, often at the same time, to build meaning of the text. 

In the Unit Launch, teachers unpack key standards or understandings from the unit, and consider how the standard will inform or support students' work with the texts and tasks across the unit.

Each Fishtank ELA unit is accompanied by a Unit Assessment, created to gauge student mastery of unit content knowledge and standards at the end of the unit.

In this section, we ask teachers to step into the students' shoes by taking the Unit Assessment and then reflecting on what students are working towards throughout the unit and what a vision for exemplary work should be.