Learning Gratitude from a Nonfiction Text
Grade
Grade 4
UNIT
3
•
Gratitude
In Unit 3, Lesson 2, “Learning Gratitude from a Nonfiction Text,” students will learn an example of gratitude from the life of a real person. By independently reading a nonfiction text, students will develop their reading comprehension skills. Finally, students will create their own sentences that demonstrate their reading comprehension and share their sentences with a partner.
.jpg)
SUGGESTED TIME:
20 minutes
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Read a nonfiction text independently to develop reading comprehension skills
- Demonstrate understanding of the main ideas of a nonfiction text
- Compose sentences that demonstrate comprehension of the word gratitude
- Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar
- Practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
- Video: Cicero and the Roman Republic by NBC News Learn (~4 min)
- Prohuman Grade 4 Unit 3 Worksheet 2: Learning Gratitude from a Nonfiction Text
VOCABULARY:
- Gratitude: I am thankful for many things, big and small.
ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET
CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET
LESSON PROCEDURE
- Tell the students that today we will be learning about an important historical figure, Cicero, who said about gratitude: “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”
- Ask students: What do you think Cicero meant by this?
- Explain that we will watch a short video to learn more about Cicero, the Roman Republic, and how it served as a model for the US government. Play the video: Cicero and the Roman Republic by NBC News Learn (~4 min)
- Have students read the nonfiction text on their worksheets quietly to themselves. Circle the room to support the students.
- Have students write the answers to the worksheet questions.
- Have students share their answers with a partner.
GRADE 4 UNIT 3 WORKSHEET 2: LEARNING GRATITUDE FROM A NONFICTION TEXT
Gratitude: I am thankful for many things, big and small.
NONFICTION TEXT: CICERO’S THOUGHTS ABOUT GRATITUDE
Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman citizen who lived about 2,000 years ago. He was a very important person in the Roman Republic, where power was held by the people and not by a king.
Cicero was a lawyer, meaning he helped people in court. He was famous for his powerful speeches, called orations. He also wrote many books, letters, essays, and speeches about politics and how the government should work. Cicero is remembered for his great writing style. Cicero’s speaking and writing style became known as "Ciceronian rhetoric.”
America’s founders were impressed and inspired by Cicero. The Roman orator’s words echoed in the Declaration of Independence. The Founding Fathers looked to the Roman Republic as the framework for the United States of America, which has a three-part government: legislative, executive, and judicial, with checks and balances so that no one part becomes more powerful than any other.
Cicero wrote about many topics, including patriotic duty, honesty, justice, and gratitude. He said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others."
Source: Cicero and the Roman Republic by NBC News Learn
ACTIVITY:
- About how many years ago did Cicero live?
- What republic did Cicero live in?
- What were Cicero’s speeches called?
- What were two ways the Roman Republic influenced the Founding Fathers of the United States?
- What do you think Cicero meant by his quote, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others."
- Do you agree with Cicero that gratitude is the greatest of virtues? Why or why not?
- What is one thing you are grateful for and why?
Prohuman K-12 Curriculum © 2025 by Prohuman Foundation is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/