Module 5: Once Upon a Why-Language Arts 2 - Course Guide

Module Overview:

In this module, learners will dive into the world of "Pourquoi" (French for "why") tales—stories that explain how things in nature came to be. As they read, learners will practice finding the central message or lesson of a story and use context clues to discover the meaning of new words. They will also build strong reading foundations by mastering "FLOSS" words (like off, tell, and will), practicing irregular verbs, and improving their handwriting with the letters m, n, and o. To grow as writers, learners will follow the full writing process to create their very own pourquoi tale. They will start by using a graphic organizer to plan their ideas, write a rough draft, and then revise and edit their work for a final published version.

Module Materials:

Lesson # Lesson Title Material(s)
1 5.1 Once Upon a Why None
2 5.2 Once Upon a Why modeling clay
Handwriting Notebook
Writing Notebook
3 5.3 Once Upon a Why note cards or pieces of paper;
4 5.4 Once Upon a Why shaving cream (optional)
tray (optional)
watercolor paint (optional)
paintbrush (optional)
highlighters (assorted colors)
Handwriting Notebook
5 5.5 Once Upon a Why None

Module Objectives:

Lesson # Lesson Title Objective(s)
1 5.1 Once Upon a Why
  1. Identify words that follow the FLoSS(Z) rule.
  2. Use context clues to figure out the meaning of new vocabulary words.
  3. Recognize characteristics of a pourquoi tale.
  4. Identify the irregular verb to be.
  5. Use a graphic organizer to plan a pourquoi tale.
2 5.2 Once Upon a Why
  1. Recognize high-frequency words: off, tell, will.
  2. Identify the central message/moral/theme/lesson in a text.
  3. Construct a rough draft of a pourquoi tale.
  4. Demonstrate the correct formation of letters: Mm, Nn, Oo.
3 5.3 Once Upon a Why
  1. Distinguish shades of meaning in vocabulary words.
  2. Recognize the central message/theme/moral/lesson of a story.
  3. Recognize irregular verbs.
  4. Revise a pourquoi tale.
4 5.4 Once Upon a Why
  1. Recognize words that follow FLOSS(Z).
  2. Recall the central message/moral/lesson.
  3. Use context clues to determine the missing word in a sentence.
  4. Demonstrate knowledge of conventions by editing a pourquoi tale.
  5. Demonstrate the correct formation of letters: Mm, Nn, Oo.
5 5.5 Once Upon a Why
  1. Demonstrate fluency when reading a grade-level text.
  2. Recall the events of a story.
  3. Revise verbs (action/to be) in a sentence.
  4. Create a published pourquoi tale.

Module Key Words:

Key Words Words of the Week Spelling Words Vocabulary Words
FLOSS(Z) rule
context clues
fluency
graphic organizer
pourquoi tale
verb
rough draft
revise
edit
publish
 off
tell
will
 well
bell
doll
hill
buzz
jazz
sniff
puff
miss
chess
 department
effect
season
volunteer
horrible

Module Assignments:

Lesson # Lesson Title Page # Assignment Title

Learning Coach Notes:

Lesson # Lesson Title Notes
1 5.1 Once Upon a Why This week, students will learn about the FLOSS(Z) rule. When a one-syllable word ends in f, l, s, or sometimes z, and the vowel before it is short, we usually double the final consonant. You can help your learner remember this rule by teaching this FLOSS Dance. Make a movement for each letter: F – flap your arms, L – lift your hands, O – say “Oh!”, S – spin, S – spin again, (Z – optional: zigzag with your finger!). Then, say, “If it’s a short word with a short vowel and ends in F, L, S, or Z—double it!” You can also have your learner practice using FLOSS(Z) words by creating silly sentences using the words.
2 5.2 Once Upon a Why If your learner is overwhelmed by the number of choices during the introduction activity, you can guide them to use one vowel at a time. Encourage them to sound out each word so that you can correct and prompt as needed. Learners who are struggling with the concept would benefit from building words with only one consonant before the vowel. Advanced learners can try to use blends and digraphs and experiment with adding syllables before or after the word. All writers benefit from exposure to quality literature. Reluctant writers may be more likely to engage with a text written by someone else. This experience will make it easier for them to get started with their own writing. You may need to break the writing assignment up to make it more manageable for your learner.
3 5.3 Once Upon a Why If your learner needs help with the nonsense word activity, encourage them to segment the word, count the sounds in the word, and remember the FLoSS(Z) rule. You can help your learner practice finding the themes and morals of a story by discussing videos they have seen. If they struggle with the reading skill, it may be helpful to watch some short videos of fables and talk them through how you find the theme and moral. If your learner has mastered this skill, encourage them to read or listen to stories from other cultures that are not familiar to them.
4 5.4 Once Upon a Why If your learner is struggling to understand the FLoSS(Z) rule, it might be helpful to try some of these strategies: read a passage, find and highlight FLoSS(Z) words; write words that do and do not follow the rule on notecards and have your learner sort them. For students who are on target, word-building activities with letter tiles can help to support and reinforce their learning. Encourage your learner to try different blends and digraphs when word building. Learners who have mastered the pattern might want to challenge themselves to write a story using ten words that follow the pattern. You can also challenge your learner with phoneme manipulation activities where you ask them to substitute sounds in the word.
5 5.5 Once Upon a Why Students of all levels can benefit from insightful discussions about character development and folktales. Many tales are available with different levels of complexity to match your learner’s reading abilities. Regardless of reading level, students can look deeper into these stories. Some questions you can ask your learner include “Where in the world do you think this tale started?” and “What do you notice about the morals of all of the folktales?” You can help your learner explore tales that they are unfamiliar with and look for patterns in themes and morals. You can also help your child learn about where different animals can be found in the world and how that is related to the animal characters that appear in tales of that region.

Module Guiding Questions:

When a student starts a lesson ask them questions to check for prior knowledge and understanding and to review concepts being taught. At the end of the lesson ask the questions again to see if their answer changes.

Lesson Title Question
5.1 Once Upon a Why
  1. Can you spell words following the FLOSS(Z) rules?
5.2 Once Upon a Why
  1. Can you write a narrative text?
5.3 Once Upon a Why
  1. Can you identify irregular verbs?
5.5 Once Upon a Why
  1. What do you include in a published writing piece?

Module Video Questions:

When a student watches a video take time to ask them questions about what they watched. Suggested questions for the videos in this module are listed here. Suggestion: Have the student watch the entire video first all the way through. Then have them watch the video a second time, as they watch it pause the video and ask the questions.

Lesson Title Video Question

Module Suggested Read Aloud Books:

Take time to read to your student or have them read aloud to you. Read a different book each day. While reading the book point out concepts being taught. You may purchase these books or find them at your local library. Suggested things to discuss while reading the book:

  • What is the main idea?
  • What are three things new you learned?
  • How does this book relate to what you are learning about?

# Book Author Lexile Level
1 How Chipmunk Got His Stripes Joseph Bruchac
2 Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears Verna Aardema
3 Why Koala Has a Stumpy Tail Martha Hamilton
4 How Raven Got His Crooked Nose Barbara J. Atwater

Module Outing:

Take some time to apply what your student is learning to the real world. Suggested outings are below.

# Outing