Standards Correlations

R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.7, W.1, SL.1, L.4, L.6

Learning Objective

Students will read and summarize a text about shrinking school weeks.

Key Skills

summarizing, text features, vocabulary, cause and effect, compare and contrast, critical thinking, argument writing

Complexity Factors

Purpose: The article describes causes and effects of a recent shift toward shorter school weeks around the U.S.

 

Structure: The text is informational and includes cause-and-effect structures.

 

Language: The language is conversational.

 

Knowledge Demands: No prior knowledge needed.

Levels

Lexile: 700L-800L 

Guided Reading Level: T 

DRA Level: 50

Lesson Plan: The Rise of the Four-Day School Week

Essential Questions

  • What are some pros and cons of learning at home rather than in a classroom? 
  • What does it mean to have balance in our lives? 

Literature Connection

  • Fiction: The Tuttle Twins and the Education Vacation by Connor Boyack
  • Nonfiction: The Department of Education: A Look Behind the Scenes by Amy Rechner

1. Preparing to Read 

Preview Text Features (15 minutes)

Have students locate the article in their magazines or at Action Digital. Then preview the text features by asking the following questions:

  • Read the article’s title and subtitle (the text beneath the title). What does the word rise mean in the title? The word rise refers to an increase in popularity. The title refers to the fact that four-day school weeks are becoming more and more popular.
  • Look at the pie chart labeled “What Do Teens Think?” Based on this chart, how do most teens who have a four-day school week feel about it? Eighty-five percent of teens who have a four-day school week say they like it a lot.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the terms (superintendent, trend, skyrocketed, rural, extracurricular) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading 

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

  • Set a purpose for reading by explaining to students that the article “The Rise of the Four-Day School Week” provides causes and effects of a growing trend toward shorter school weeks. 
  • Point out the Pause and Think boxes. Tell students they can check their understanding of what they’ve read by answering these questions.
  • Point out the activity at the end of the article, and tell students they will complete it after reading. Encourage them to briefly scan the questions and to keep them in mind as they read.

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

Read the article. (Higher- and lower-Lexile versions are available on the Story page at Action Digital. Click Presentation View to access an audio read-aloud.) Then discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

  • Why did the Hull-Daisetta school district switch to a four-day week? (cause and effect) Nearby districts had switched to shorter weeks, and Superintendent Bartram was worried that his district might lose workers to districts with shorter weeks. 
  • Why are shorter school weeks popular in rural areas? (cause and effect) In rural areas, the trip from home to school can be especially long. An extra day each week without all that travel time leaves more time for other activities.
  • The article includes quotes from two people, Tim Bartram and Paul Thompson. How are these two people’s statements about four-day school weeks different? (compare and contrast) Bartram seems to support the idea; he says that students are happy about his district’s switch to a four-day school week. Thompson seems more concerned about the idea; he points out that shortened school weeks can lead to less learning for students. 

Critical-Thinking Question (5 minutes)

  • How do you think schools can best help students, parents, and teachers find the right balance with a four-day week? (critical thinking) Answers may vary. Sample answer: Schools can provide ways for students to learn online or take part in extracurricular activities on off days. To help parents with child care needs, they can arrange for older students to earn credit by babysitting or tutoring younger students on off days. They can help teachers create lessons that better fit the new schedule.  

3. Skill Building and Writing

  • Have students work in pairs to complete the Spotlight Skill activity at the end of the article.
  • Go further: Assign students to work independently on our Summarizing Skill Builder, available in higher- and lower-level versions. (Click here to view all your Skill Builders for this article.)
  • Writing prompt: Write a note to your teacher about whether you’d rather have a four-day school week or a five-day school week. Explain your answer with details from the article and with your own ideas.

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Take a Survey

Based on the pie chart in the article, 85 percent of teens who have four-day school weeks like the schedule a lot, while 1 percent really don’t like it. In order to report these numbers, researchers had to collect information. You can too! 

In this activity, you’ll take a survey to see what percentage of the people you know think a four-day school week is better and what percentage think a five-day week is better. 

First, make a  list of 25 people who you can count on to answer two questions. (Your list can be on paper, in a spreadsheet, or in any other format that works for you.) Next, ask each person these questions:

  • Which do you think is better, a four-day school week or a five-day school week?
  • Why?

Multiply the number of people who chose a four-day week by four. That’s the percentage of people in your survey who think a four-day week is better. (So if 11 people chose a four-day week, that’s 44 percent.) Do the same with the number of people who chose a five-day week. Then take note of the most interesting answers to the question “Why?” 

Share your results with your class. If different students got very different results, talk about why. Did some students include more adults than teens in their surveys? More parents? More teachers? What interesting reasons did people give for their answers?

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