Learning Courage from a Nonfiction Text
Grade
Grade 4
UNIT
5
•
Courage
In Unit 5, Lesson 2, “Learning Courage from a Nonfiction Text,” students will learn an example of courage from the life of a real person. Additionally, students will practice their reading comprehension skills by hearing a read aloud. Finally, students will create their own sentences that demonstrate their reading comprehension and share their sentences with a partner.
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SUGGESTED TIME:
20 minutes
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Hear a read aloud to support reading comprehension
- Demonstrate understanding of the main idea of a nonfiction text
- Compose sentences that demonstrate comprehension of the word courage
- Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar
- Practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
- Video: Day at Work: Ichthyologist (Fish Biologist) by ConnectEd (~3 min)
- Book: Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating or
- Video: Read aloud of Shark Lady by Annie’s workshop - Books Read Aloud for Kids (~8 min)
- Prohuman Grade 4 Unit 5 Worksheet 2: Learning Courage from a Nonfiction Text
VOCABULARY:
- Courage: I do what I think is right even when I am afraid.
- Ichthyologist: A scientist who studies fish, including their behavior, evolution, and habitats. They may also be called fish biologists.
- Stereotype: A false belief about a group of people that is often negative.
ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET
CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET
LESSON PROCEDURE
- Without providing any context, show students this image of Eugenie Clark from the LA Times.
- Ask students what they wonder about in this photo.
- Tell students that this photo was taken of Dr. Eugenie Clark examining a bull shark, on assignment for National Geographic. The picture was taken by a fisherman in Isla Mujeres, Mexico.
- Tell students that Dr. Eugenie Clark was a fish biologist.
- Let’s learn more about fish biologists and what they do. Play video: Day at Work: Ichthyologist (Fish Biologist) by ConnectEd (~3 min)
- Read the book: Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating or
- Play the video: Read aloud of Shark Lady by Annie’s workshop - Books Read Aloud for Kids (~8 min).
- Have students write the answers to the worksheet questions.
- Have students share their answers with a partner.
GRADE 4 UNIT 5 WORKSHEET 2: LEARNING COURAGE FROM A NONFICTION TEXT
Courage: I do what I think is right even when I am afraid.
Ichthyologist: A scientist who studies fish, including their behavior, evolution, and habitats. They may also be called fish biologists.
Stereotype: A false belief about a group of people that is often negative.
ACTIVITY:
- What was the stereotype about women that Eugenie Clark faced?
- What was the goal that Eugenie wanted to achieve?
- How did Eugenie show courage?
- What are some things that Eugenie did in her career?
- What is one way you can show courage?
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.
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