Lesson
2
:

Learning Fairness from a Nonfiction Text

Grade

Grade 4

UNIT

7

Fairness

Last Updated:

June 3, 2025

In Unit 7, Lesson 2, “Learning Fairness from a Nonfiction Text,” students will learn examples of fairness from the lives of real people. 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.

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 fairness 
  • Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar  
  • Practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

VOCABULARY:

  • Fairness: I treat everyone the same. If someone has been left out, I bring them in.
  • Segregation: The practice of separating people by race in businesses and public places such pools, libraries, and schools. Segregation was outlawed in the entire United States by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

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.4.4

Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.5

Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.8

Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.10

By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, 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 A3

Understand and explain the expression “I have the courage to stand up for what is wrong or unfair”

Moral Character B3

Provide an example of a friend or role model who “stood up” for what he or she thought was wrong or unfair

Performance Character B1

Provide an example of a friend or role model who demonstrates self-discipline (the ability to forgo instant and immediate gratification for a larger goal or commitment)

Performance Character B2

Provide an example of a friend or role model who is dependable, reliable, and conscientious (responsible)

Performance Character B4

Provide an example of a role model who demonstrates grit (perseverance and passion for a long-term goal)

Intellectual Character A2

Understand the skills (being prepared, focused effort, diligent practice, attention to detail, etc.) that enable someone to acquire or polish a skill

Intellectual Character B4

Demonstrate the ability to analyze data, facts, and information

Civic Character A1

Understand the idea of fairness and the consequences of not being fair, as it relates to breaking rules, playing favorites, or taking advantage of others

Civic Character A4

Explain why it is important for everyone to serve and contribute to their family, school, community, nation, globally

Civic Character B1

Describe how a role model exemplifies fairness

Civic Character B6

Describe how a role model volunteers and contributes to the common good

Self-Awareness A1

Understand and explain why different situations may set in motion or give rise to different emotions (e.g., learning something new or difficult, meeting someone new)

Social-Awareness A2

Describe how a person will likely feel when being bullied or left out of an activity or group

Social-Awareness A3

Recognize examples of stereotyping, discrimination and prejudice

Social-Awareness A4

Explain a time when you put yourself in “someone else’s shoes” in order to understand their perspective and point of view

Social-Awareness A5

Explain what empathy means (e.g., the ability to sympathetically understand and personally identify with the emotional states, needs and feelings of others)

LESSON PROCEDURE

  1. Ask students what fairness means.
  2. Give them the definition: We treat everyone the same. If someone has been left out, we bring them in.
  3. Ask students what segregation means.
  4. Give them the definition: The practice of separating people by race in businesses and public places such pools, libraries, and schools. Segregation was outlawed in the entire United States by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 
  5. Let’s learn about how segregation was outlawed because of the Civil Rights Movement. Play video: Civil Rights Act of 1964 | Montgomery Bus Boycott for Kids | Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King by Kids Academy (~5 min)
  6. Let’s learn about four black women who lived during the time of segregation and succeeded in achieving their dreams. Read the book Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly or 
  7. Play the video: Read aloud of Hidden Figures by HarperKids (~10 min)
  8. Have students write the answers to the worksheet questions.
  9. Have students share their answers with a partner.

GRADE 4 UNIT 7 WORKSHEET 2: LEARNING FAIRNESS FROM A NONFICTION TEXT

Fairness: I treat everyone the same. If someone has been left out, I bring them in.

Segregation: The practice of separating people by race in businesses and public places such as pools, libraries, and schools. Segregation was outlawed in the entire United States by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

ACTIVITY: 

  1. There were four people featured in this book: Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden. What was the talent they shared, and what were the jobs they did? 

  1. How did these women contribute to our country?

  1. What was segregation, and why was it unfair?

  1. What is one way that you can show fairness?

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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