Exploring the Redwoods

Overview

This 60-minute lesson introduces 5th and 6th grade intermediate English Language Learners (ELLs) to the majestic redwood trees. It blends vocabulary building, reading comprehension, and speaking practice around engaging facts about redwoods and their ecosystem, encouraging language development through interactive and scaffolded activities. The lesson aligns with Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts for Grades 5 & 6, emphasizing comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, and collaboration.

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Alignment

Reading:

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.1 / RI.6.1
  Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.4 / RI.6.4
  Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 and 6 topic or subject area.

Speaking & Listening:

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1 / SL.6.1
  Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 5 and 6 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.4 / SL.6.4
  *Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant descriptive details, speaking clearly at an