Stone Fox
Tara Fellini­Sweetser
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About This Lesson
DESCRIPTION
Stone Fox is a fiction by John Reynolds Gardiner. This is a cross curricular unit on the Iditarod. The fiction text will bring in the key
concepts of dog sled racing, Native Americans (Shoshone Tribe), and Iditarod race. The fiction text will be utilized to target
understanding and expression of story elements including character, setting, conflict, and resolution within the text.
PREREQUISITES
Students will participate in an introductory lesson discussing the Iditarod and dog sled racing. In addition, the science curriculum will
address the land structures and climate in Alaska (location of the Iditarod). The Social Studies curriculum will target the Native
American tribe indigenous to the area.
ESTIMATED TIME
1 hour
Potential Use
PURPOSE:
GRADES:
CONTENT AREAS:
COMMON CORE:
Classroom Instruction, Small Group
4
English/Language Arts
English Language Arts
Reading: Literature
Key Ideas and Details
CCSS.ELA­Literacy.RL.4.1 (grade 4): Refer to
details and examples in a text when explaining
what the text says explicitly and when drawing
inferences from the text.
CCSS.ELA­Literacy.RL.4.2 (grade 4): Determine
a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in
the text; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA­Literacy.RL.4.3 (grade 4): Describe in
depth a character, setting, or event in a story or
drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g.,
a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).
Craft and Structure
CCSS.ELA­Literacy.RL.4.5 (grade 4): Explain
major differences between poems, drama, and
prose, and refer to the structural elements of
poems (e.g., verse, rhythm, meter) and drama
(e.g., casts of characters, settings, descriptions,
dialogue, stage directions) when writing or
speaking about a text.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
CCSS.ELA­Literacy.RL.4.7 (grade 4): Make
connections between the text of a story or drama
and a visual or oral presentation of the text,
identifying where each version reflects specific
descriptions and directions in the text.
CCSS.ELA­Literacy.RL.4.9 (grade 4): Compare
and contrast the treatment of similar themes and
topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and
patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories,
myths, and traditional literature from different
cultures.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
RL.4.10 (grade 4): By the end of the year, read
and comprehend literature, including stories,
dramas, and poetry, in the grades 4­5 text
complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as
needed at the high end of the range.
Goals
INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS
Following the reading of Stone Fox, students will demonstrate understanding of the story elements of the book including characters,
settings, and conflict/resultion within fiction text by creating a story board, movie trailer, power point presentation, or story map (digital
or paper­based).
OBJECTIVES
While reading the text, students will identify key details from text by making entries into a digital reading journal.
Students will identify the story elements including characters, setting, and conflict/resolution of known text (i.e. fairy tales).
VARIABILITY
Multiple Means of Recognition: Digital, audio, Braille, and text­based presentation of Stone Fox will be available for students. Digital
will provide students TTS, the ability to change font (size, color), and the opportunity to highlight or identify key points/ideas.
Read, Write on Google ­ Digital
Kurweil ­ Digital
Multiple Means of Expression:
Use of VoiceThread for Reading Log ­ students can use pictures and record or type in responses to teacher's questions.
Known text, such as fairy tales, will be presented in multiple forms (text, ppt, video) to assist students in identifying the
conflict/resolution in the story.
Final Project ­ students will be given the opportunity to work individually or small groups to create a final project to demonstrate
understanding of the conflict/resolution as it relates to Stone Fox. Students will be given mutiple options for this project
including quilt square, story board, movie trailer, power point presentation, or story map (digital or paper­based).
Multiple Means of Engagement:
Provide options for recognition and expression
Utilize multimedia tools
Elicit background knowledge and link to other subject areas ­ fairy tails and Iditarod units in Science, Social Studies, and Math
Assessments
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
Reading log will be utilized as a way to gage students' understanding of key details within the text. Students have options in the
way they partipate in the reading log.
Within small reading groups, comprehension questions will be discussed and reviewed.
Individual check­ins with students to gage understanding of key ideas including conflict and resolution
During whole group lessons, conflict/resolution within known texts will be explored. Using a template on Google Docs projected on
SMART boards, students will be given the opportunity to share thoughts relating to the conflict/resolution
Students will break into small groups to identify conflict and resolution of known text. Students will be given options ­ text version,
audio, or video version of fairy tale. Small groups will work together to identify the conflict/resolution of their selected text.
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS
Following the reading of Stone Fox, students will demonstrate understanding of conflict/resultion within fiction text by creating a quilt
square, story board, movie trailer, power point presentation, or story map (digital or paper­based). A rubric will be created to
incorporate all options of expression to guide students in the information that is included. Instructional Methods
OPENING
Hook ­ prompt or guide students to relate the novel (Stone Fox) to their real­life concerns. Stone Fox is about a 10 year­old boy that is
faced with extraordinary challenges. Students in 4th grade typically range from 9­10 years of age. Anticipatory Set ­ Will link the novel to curret theme of the Iditarod race.
DURING
Introduce New Knowledge
Model New Skills and Knowledge
Guided Practice
Pose Leading Questions
Independent Practice
CLOSING *
Materials
MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES RESOURCES INCLUDED
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