Engaging students in a collaborative exploration of the “Gettysburg Address”

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Social Studies (2003)

Grade 5

• Goal 2: The learner will analyze political and social institutions in North America and examine how these institutions respond to human needs, structure society, and influence behavior.
  • Objective 2.01: Analyze major documents that formed the foundations of the American idea of constitutional government.
  • Objective 2.03: Recognize how the United States government has changed over time.
• Goal 4: The learner will trace key developments in United States history and describe their impact on the land and people of the nation and its neighboring countries.
  • Objective 4.03: Describe the contributions of people of diverse cultures throughout the history of the United States.
  • Objective 4.05: Describe the impact of wars and conflicts on United States citizens, including but not limited to, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, and the twenty-first century war on terrorism.

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 5

• Goal 1: The learner will apply enabling strategies and skills to read and write.
  • Objective 1.02: Select key vocabulary critical to the text and apply appropriate meanings as necessary for comprehension.
• Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
  • Objective 2.02: Interact with the text before, during, and after reading, listening, and viewing by:
    • making predictions.
    • formulating questions.
    • supporting answers from textual information, previous experience, and/or other sources.
    • drawing on personal, literary, and cultural understandings.
    • seeking additional information.
    • making connections with previous experiences, information, and ideas.
  • Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, such as:
    • fiction (tall tales, myths).
    • nonfiction (books of true experience, newspaper and magazine articles, schedules).
    • poetry (narrative, lyric, and cinquains).
    • drama (plays and skits).
  • Objective 2.04: Identify elements of fiction and nonfiction and support by referencing the text to determine the:
    • plot development.
    • author's choice of words.
    • effectiveness of figurative language (e.g., personification, flashback).
    • tone.
  • Objective 2.05: Evaluate inferences, conclusions, and generalizations and provide evidence by referencing the text(s).
  • Objective 2.06: Analyze choice of reading materials congruent with purposes (e.g., reading for information, reading to extend content area learning, reading for pleasure, entertainment).
  • Objective 2.07: Evaluate the usefulness and quality of information and ideas based on purpose, experiences, text(s), and graphics.
  • Objective 2.09: Listen actively and critically by:
    • asking questions.
    • delving deeper into the topic.
    • elaborating on the information and ideas presented.
    • evaluating information and ideas.
    • making inferences and drawing conclusions.
    • making judgments.
• Goal 3: The learner will make connections through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology.
  • Objective 3.01: Respond to fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes by:
    • analyzing word choice and content.
    • examining reasons for a character's actions, taking into account the situation and basic motivation of the character.
    • creating and presenting a product that effectively demonstrates a personal response to a selection or experience.
    • examining alternative perspectives.
    • evaluating the differences among genres.
    • examining relationships among characters.
    • making and evaluating inferences and conclusions about characters, events and themes.
  • Objective 3.04: Make informed judgments about television, radio, video/film productions, and other electronic mediums and/or print formats.
  • Objective 3.05: Integrate main idea and supporting details from multiple sources to expand understanding of texts.
  • Objective 3.06: Conduct research (with assistance) from a variety of sources for assigned or self-selected projects (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people, libraries, databases, computer networks).
• Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
  • Objective 4.02: Use oral and written language to:
    • formulate hypotheses.
    • evaluate information and ideas.
    • present and support arguments.
    • influence the thinking of others.
  • Objective 4.09: Produce work that follows the conventions of particular genres (e.g., clarification, essay, feature story, business letter).
  • Objective 4.10: Use technology as a tool to enhance and/or publish a product.
• Goal 5: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
  • Objective 5.01: Consistently use correct capitalization (e.g., names of magazines, newspapers, organizations) and punctuation (e.g., colon to introduce a list, commas in apposition, commas used in compound sentences).
  • Objective 5.02: Demonstrate understanding in speaking and writing by using:
    • troublesome verbs.
    • nominative, objective, and possessive pronouns.
  • Objective 5.03: Elaborate information and ideas in speaking and writing by using:
    • prepositional phrases.
    • transitions.
    • coordinating and/or subordinating conjunctions.
  • Objective 5.06: Proofread for accuracy of spelling using appropriate strategies to confirm spelling and to correct errors.
  • Objective 5.07: Edit final product for grammar, language conventions, and format.
  • Objective 5.08: Create readable documents through legible handwriting and word processing.