Lesson
1
:
Learning Courage from Literature
Grade
Grade 4
UNIT
5
•
Courage
In Unit 5, Lesson 1, “Learning Courage from Literature,” students will learn examples of courage from a contemporary work of children’s literature. Students will also create their own sentences demonstrating their comprehension of the word courage. Finally, students will practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates.
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SUGGESTED TIME:
- 20 minutes to introduce the book I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis
- The book is 116 pages and divided into 15 chapters. The recommended reading assignments are 3 chapters per session for either in-class silent reading or homework.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Listen to a read aloud to improve understanding of English sentence structure and comprehension
- Ask and answer questions to understand the meaning of a text
- Determine the central message, lesson, or moral of a story and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text
- Demonstrate understanding of the word courage
- Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar
- Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
- Video: How Did the 'Unsinkable' Titanic End Up at the Bottom of the Ocean? by National Geographic (~4 min)
- Book: I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis or
- Video: Read aloud of I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by MrsMorrisReads (~1 hour, 14 min for the entire book)
- Prohuman Grade 4 Unit 5 Worksheet 1: Learning Courage from Literature
VOCABULARY:
- Courage: I do what I think is right even when I am afraid.
ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET
CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET
LESSON PROCEDURE
- Without giving any context, show students this image from National Geographic.
- Ask them what is happening in this picture.
- Ask them what they wonder about the sinking of the Titanic.
- Play the video: How Did the 'Unsinkable' Titanic End Up at the Bottom of the Ocean? by National Geographic (~4 min)
- Read the book: I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis or
- Play the video: Read aloud of I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by MrsMorrisReads (~1 hour, 14 min for the entire book)
- Ask students to complete the questions on their worksheets.
- Have students read their sentences to a partner.
GRADE 4 UNIT 5 WORKSHEET 1: LEARNING COURAGE FROM LITERATURE
Courage: I do what I think is right even when I am afraid.
ACTIVITY:
- How did the main character in this story show courage?
- What is the story’s main message about courage?
- What is one way that you can show courage?
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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