Unit 6 — Marvels of Nature

• Text structure identification in scientific writing
• Inference making with text evidence support
• Simile and metaphor interpretation activities
• Summarization exercises with key detail emphasis
• Vocabulary strategy using reference sources

Mariana Trench and Exploring Wondering Rocks, Weird and Wondrous Rocks, Nature's Wonders, and Grand Canyon written response questions

A short informational reading task with 3-4 paragraphs about a natural wonder, requiring students to identify the text structure, make one inference with text evidence, and locate and explain one example of simile or metaphor used in the passage.

Students may demonstrate understanding through oral descriptions of text structure and inferences supported by teacher-led questioning or visual graphic organizers. Response options may include pointing to images, matching text features to their purposes, or dictating explanations rather than writing independently.

During reading tasks focused on text structure and inference, provide graphic organizers that visually map how scientific nonfiction is organized, helping students track the relationship between ideas without relying solely on written output. For vocabulary work with geological and environmental terms, offer word banks with brief definitions and visual supports such as labeled diagrams or photographs of natural formations. When students write informative paragraphs, allow flexibility in output mode — dictation, oral response, or sentence frames with descriptive word choices can support expression of content knowledge. Extended time and chunked assignments help students process dense informational text and demonstrate understanding of figurative language like simile and metaphor at their own pace.

Students benefit from extended time when working through dense scientific nonfiction and written response tasks tied to natural wonders and geological topics. Preferential seating in a low-distraction environment supports sustained focus during inference-making and summarization activities. Printed copies of any text displayed digitally or on the board ensure students can annotate and reference material independently. These access supports allow students to engage fully with the unit's content without barriers to processing or attention.

Introduce the unit's domain-specific geological and environmental vocabulary before reading through visual supports such as photographs, diagrams, and labeled illustrations of natural formations like mountains, rock layers, and ocean features. Provide simplified directions for reading and writing tasks, and ask students to paraphrase instructions in their own words before beginning to confirm understanding. Sentence frames can support informative paragraph writing by giving students a structural scaffold for incorporating descriptive language and newly acquired vocabulary. Where possible, allow students to briefly discuss ideas in their home language with a partner before transitioning to written or oral English responses.

Connect the unit's exploration of natural wonders to students' own experiences with outdoor environments, weather, or familiar landforms as a bridge into the more abstract geological vocabulary and text structures. Offer shorter, focused reading passages before moving to longer informational texts, and use graphic organizers to help students identify key details and text structure patterns in manageable steps. For writing tasks, picture-supported word walls featuring descriptive and domain-specific terms give students accessible entry points for building informative paragraphs. Frequent check-ins during independent work help students stay on track and build confidence as they practice summarizing and making inferences with text evidence.

Encourage students to investigate the scientific or geological concepts in the unit at a deeper level by comparing how different authors structure and present information about the same natural phenomenon, analyzing how word choice and figurative language shape the reader's understanding. Students can explore shades of meaning in descriptive vocabulary by examining how precise language choices differ across professional scientific writing versus general audience texts. Rather than repeating practiced skills, students might synthesize information from multiple sources into a more complex written piece that considers cause, effect, and interconnection among natural systems. Opportunities to pose and independently investigate their own questions about Earth's natural wonders extend the unit's inquiry into student-driven, higher-order thinking.