Lesson
2
:

Learning Gratitude from a Nonfiction Text

Grade

Grade 4

UNIT

3

Gratitude

Last Updated:

June 3, 2025

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.

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:

VOCABULARY:

  • Gratitude: I am thankful for many things, big and small.

ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1

Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.10

By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.B

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.C

Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1.D

Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.1.F

Produce complete sentences, recognizing and correcting inappropriate fragments and run-ons.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2.A

Use correct capitalization.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.2.D

Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3

Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.4.3.A

Choose words and phrases to convey ideas precisely.

CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET

Moral Character B5

Provide an example of a friend or role model who demonstrates gratitude

Intellectual Character B4

Demonstrate the ability to analyze data, facts, and information

LESSON PROCEDURE

  1. 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.”
  2. Ask students: What do you think Cicero meant by this?
  3. 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)
  4. Have students read the nonfiction text on their worksheets quietly to themselves. Circle the room to support the students.
  5. Have students write the answers to the worksheet questions.
  6. 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:

  1. About how many years ago did Cicero live?

  1. What republic did Cicero live in?

  1. What were Cicero’s speeches called?

  1. What were two ways the Roman Republic influenced the Founding Fathers of the United States?

  1.  What do you think Cicero meant by his quote, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others."

  1. Do you agree with Cicero that gratitude is the greatest of virtues? Why or why not?

  1. 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/

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