Unit Plan 25 (Grade PreK ELA): Reading Biographies & Picture Timelines

Focus: Connections among events/people; photos/captions

Grade Level: PreK

Subject Area: English Language Arts (Informational Text • Visual Literacy • Oral Language)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 30–45 minutes per session (use two short blocks if needed)

I. Introduction

This week children explore biographies—true stories about real people—and learn to spot the main topic, place events in order with picture timelines, and explain simple connections among events and people (e.g., “He learned to read, then he wrote books.”). Students also practice using photos and captions to understand and share information.

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…

1. Identify who a biography is about and state the main topic in simple language (RI.PK.2).
2. Put 2–3 events in order on a picture timeline and tell a simple connection (“and then,” “because,” “after”) (RI.PK.3).
3. Use photos/illustrations and captions to talk about what is happening and what it means (RI.PK.7).
4. Use and understand topic words (e.g., born, grew, helped, made, before/after, then/now) from read-alouds and discussions (supports RI.PK.2; RI.PK.7).
5. Share information in a short, complete phrase with visual support.

Standards Alignment — PreK

• RI.PK.3 With prompting and support, describe the connection between two events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.
• RI.PK.2 With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
• RI.PK.7 With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).

Success Criteria — student language

• “This book is about ___ (the person).” (RI.PK.2)
• “First ___, then .” or “ because ___.” (RI.PK.3)
• “This photo/caption shows ___.” (RI.PK.7)