Curriculum
UNITS OF STUDY
MAISA ELA Common Core-aligned units of study were piloted and reviewed by teachers statewide. This multi-year project resulted in K-12 curriculum resources that are aligned to many of the state standards and organized across grade levels. These units are not scripts but are guidelines for teachers; we encourage educators to adapt them for their population and context, and supplement them with additional resources targeting areas of learning not represented within.
NOTE: These units of study do not represent a complete, comprehensive curriculum for English Language Arts. Users will need to supplement for English Language Arts standards not represented within, such as Foundational Skills K-5 and others across the grade levels.
Click on a grade level below to expand the accordian table and see links to specific units of study.
ELA Common Core-Aligned Units
Kindergarten Units
Frequently Asked Questions About the Units
READING
Launching the Reading Workshop
Readers Use Strategies to Read
Readers Get To Know Characters
WRITING
Oral Language: Building a Talking Community
Launching the Writing Workshop
Label and List in a Content Area
Growing as Small Moment Writers
First Grade Units
Frequently Asked Questions About the Units
READING
Launching the Reading Workshop
Readers Use Strategies to Solve Words
Readers Learn From Informational Reading
Building a Repertoire of Strategies Mixed Genre
Series Reading: Re-enacting Character Clubs
WRITING
Launching the Writing Workshop
Writing a Sequence of Instructions: How-To Books
Apprenticeship Writing: Studying Craft
Opinion Writing: Letters for Social Action
Second Grade Units
Frequently Asked Questions About the Units
READING
Launching the Reading Workshop
Readers Learn from Informational Reading
Series Reading Cross Genre Book Clubs
Reading Fiction and Traditional Literature
WRITING
Lifting Level Narrative Writing: Studying Craft
Opinion: Using the Power of Reviews
Informational Writing: Personal Expertise
Shared Research & Informational Writing: Descriptive Reports
Third Grade Units
Fourth Grade Units
Fifth Grade Units
Sixth Grade Units
Please read this document prior to beginning all units.
Launching the Reader’s/Writer’s Notebook and Independent Reading
Informational Reading and Writing
Seventh Grade Units
Please read this document prior to beginning all units.
Launching the Reader’s/ Writer’s Notebook and Independent Reading
Informational Reading and Writing
Eighth Grade Units
Please read this document prior to beginning all units.
Launching the Reader’s/ Writer’s Notebook and Independent Reading
Informational Reading and Writing
Interdisciplinary Units
D
uring the 2013-14 school year, the C4 (Common Core Cross Curricular Research Writing Project) brought eight teams of teachers from five schools together across the year to write interdisciplinary units aligned to the Common Core that focus on research writing. All eight teams implemented their units and continue to refine them. The three units described and linked to below reflect the completion of publishable units for use by other educators. They include:
- a unit overview
- scope and sequence
- five lessons from each subject area
- additional unit resources
- sample student work
- links to the Oakland Schools Teaching Research Writing site
What Does it Take to Survive Civil War? – ELA and social studies (middle school)
What’s Eating You?: the Industrialization of Food – ELA, science, history (high school)
World War II: Barbarism & Conflict – ELA & history (high school)