Fourth Grade - ELA
1: Interdependence
Unit 1: Little House in the Big Woods
Lesson 2
Little House in the Big Woods
Students answer chapter questions that require them to identify textual details (e.g., what the house was made from, types of animals in the woods, and how the attic is described). Students complete a multi-chapter chart comparing "Life in the Big Woods" to "Life Today," recording one way each chapter describes life differently. Students use the "Natural Resources and Survival" sheet to list resources from the text and describe how each resource aided the family's survival.
Lesson 3
Winter Days and Winter Nights
Students are prompted with the guiding question "How are family members dependent on one another?" which directs them to think about a central idea of the story. Students record specific chores for each family member and discuss the division of labor, linking character actions to family roles. Students are asked to "describe what life was like for Laura in the winter" and to compare Laura's home to their own, which requires summarizing aspects of the text.
Lesson 4
The Long Rifle
Students are asked to retell the Pa story aloud (Question #2), which asks them to summarize the plot and key events. The lesson opens with and revisits the prompt "How do family members depend on one another?" and asks why Pa might have told the girls the story (Question #3), encouraging students to connect the story to a broader idea about family. The wrapping up questions ask students to explain ways that family members depend on one another, linking details of the story to a possible theme.
Lesson 5
Christmas
Students answer specific comprehension questions about details (e.g., how the author describes the snow, what Pa made, and resources used for gifts), which requires locating and using textual details. Students discuss how the family's gifts reflect their environment and why handmade gifts are special, prompting interpretation of meaning from text details. Students compare "Life in the Big Woods vs. Life Today" and record differences, which practices identifying central ideas across the selection.
Lesson 6
Sundays and Two Big Bears
Students read two chapters and answer specific comprehension questions about events and characters (e.g., why Laura and Mary disliked Sundays; what happened when Ma and Laura checked the cow). Students are asked explicitly for the moral of Pa's story ("What was the moral (what did he want Laura and Mary to learn?)"), with an expected answer that identifies the story's lesson. Students complete comparative and interpretive activities (Life in the Big Woods vs. Life Today) that require synthesizing details from the text.
Lesson 7
The Sugar Snow
Students are asked to answer Question #5, which requires them to cite details from chapters to explain how people are dependent on trees (e.g., building homes, making things, drying meat, firewood, and making maple sugar). The "Questions to Explore" prompts students to consider pioneers' dependence on trees, guiding them toward a central idea. The Wrapping Up section explicitly asks students to summarize what happened in the chapter and to review that pioneers used natural resources to meet their needs.
Lesson 8
Dance at Grandpa's
The Skills section tells students to "draw conclusions, make generalizations, and gather support by referencing the text" and to "respond to fiction... using interpretive and evaluative processes," which directs students to infer meanings from details. Question #6 asks students to explain the role of extended family in Laura's life and compare it to their own, and the Wrapping Up asks students to describe the importance of music in Laura's family—both tasks require students to identify central ideas. Question #2 asks why Laura enjoyed visiting her grandparents, prompting students to infer motives and feelings from textual details.
Lesson 10
Summertime and Harvest
Students answer specific comprehension questions after reading each chapter (e.g., questions about why people visited the Big Woods, what Pa brought home, and what Charley did in the fields), and they are asked to "describe what she learned about summertime and fall in the Big Woods," which requires retelling key events. Students complete Activity 1 (record one thing learned about how life in the woods was different) and Activity 2 (record words and phrases the author uses and illustrate each season), both of which require collecting and organizing textual details. Activity 4 asks students to compare Pa's story about Charley to "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," prompting students to identify similarities and differences between stories.
Final Project
Pioneer Family Night
The Skills section explicitly states students will "Summarize main ideas from written or spoken texts, using succinct language," which directs students to practice summarizing. The Reading Activity asks students to choose two to three favorite book sections, practice reading them aloud, and be ready to explain why they are favorites, prompting students to state main ideas or reasons. The Pioneer Family Night Checklist repeats the reading task, asking students to read favorite parts and explain their choices, giving students opportunities to recount and explain text content to others.
Unit 2: The Sign of the Beaver
Lesson 2
Alone
Students are directed to read Chapters 1 and 2 and answer three or four chapter questions in a journal, which requires them to record key events and responses. The Character Timelines activity instructs students to record words or phrases describing each character's feelings, attitudes, and actions and to track changes across the book. Several comprehension questions (e.g., how Matt depended on his environment; what his greatest fear was; why he was afraid) ask students to use textual details to explain character motivations and situations.
Lesson 4
A Treaty
The lesson foregrounds the idea of interdependence with Questions to Explore (e.g., "How were the settlers dependent on the Indians?") and a Facts and Definitions statement about interdependence, prompting students to connect that idea to the text. Activity 3 asks students to discuss how Matt is dependent on the Indians and to think of ways Matt could help Attean, linking a central idea to characters and events. Several text-based questions ask for evidence (e.g., "How do you think Attean felt about Matt? What evidence do you have?") and the Character Timelines activity asks students to record information about Attean and Matt, which requires recounting key events.
Lesson 5
A Story
The lesson explicitly lists the skill "Summarize main ideas from written or spoken texts using succinct language," and students are asked to read Chapters 7–9 and answer comprehension questions about events and character interactions. Activities require students to complete Character Timelines and answer journal prompts about why Matt and Attean react differently to Robinson Crusoe and Friday, which asks students to use details to explain character perspectives. The wrapping up questions ask students to describe differences between groups and how interactions with the environment have changed, prompting synthesis of text details.
Lesson 6
The Beaver
Students answer Question #7 asking why the story is called The Sign of the Beaver, with suggested responses that identify the title as a symbol of friendship, respect for nature, and lessons Matt learns. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to state what Matt learned from Attean about the beaver and why that lesson was important, which asks students to infer a central lesson. The listed skills include identifying and discussing similarities and differences in characters and ideas and supporting them by referencing the text, which requires students to use textual details when explaining ideas.
Lesson 7
Real Life Learning
Students read Chapters 12 and 13 and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., how Attean taught Matt to make a bow; what Matt and Attean discovered in the woods). Students record descriptions of what they learned about Matt and Attean on a "Character Timelines" page, which asks them to organize character events and traits. Students create a "Rules of the Forest" book by listing and illustrating rules based on what Matt is learning from Attean, which asks them to extract lessons from events in the story.
Lesson 8
The Bear
Students read Chapters 14–16 and answer targeted comprehension questions about events and character actions (e.g., how the bear was killed; why Attean felt bad). Students complete a cause-and-effect activity that asks them to link specific actions in the text to their effects. Students compare Attean's flood story to the Bible's Noah story using a double-bubble map and practice oral retelling by preparing a personal campfire-style story.
Lesson 9
Attean's Past
Students are asked to "summarize what happened in the chapters from the previous lesson," prompting practice in summarizing. Students read Chapters 17 and 18 and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., descriptions of the village, causes of Attean's distrust) that require extracting details from the text. Activity 3 and the Student Activity Page explicitly ask students to discuss stereotypes, explain how characters break those stereotypes, and describe a stereotype they have observed, which directs students to identify a central idea or lesson (theme) about people and prejudice. The Skills section directs students to "support interpretations or conclusions with examples from text," reinforcing use of textual details to justify thematic conclusions.
Lesson 10
Manitou
Students are asked to record three values that guide Matt's life and three that guide Attean's life and to describe what the character did or said to demonstrate each value, which asks them to identify central ideas in the text. Students complete a "Character Timelines" page, which has them sequence events from the chapters and supports understanding of key plot points. Reading questions require students to recall and explain plot details (for example, why Attean was upset, what a manitou is, and how Attean would find it), which requires extracting text details that could support theme identification.
Lesson 11
A Choice
The lesson's skill list explicitly includes identifying similarities and differences in topics, characters, and themes and supporting interpretations with examples from the text. Journal questions and discussion prompts ask students to analyze character changes (e.g., how Attean looked different, why Matt would not go) and to cite textual reasons (e.g., why Attean did not understand owning land, what gifts were exchanged). Activities ask students to reflect on key parts of the story (favorite, scariest, saddest, happiest) and to create character timelines and interview questions that require using story details.
Lesson 13
The Return
The lesson defines theme explicitly as "the message or lesson the author wants to communicate with the reader" and lists determining theme as a targeted skill. Activity 2 asks students to fill in a 'Story Elements' page that includes a labeled space for 'theme' along with setting, characters, problem, and resolution. Comprehension prompts, character timelines, and wrap-up discussion require students to finish the novel and reflect on plot and characters, providing material they can use to identify a theme.
Final Project
The Sign of the Beaver Movie
The Skills section explicitly lists "Summarize main ideas from written or spoken texts using succinct language." The Movie Synopsis activity asks students to write a 6–8 sentence synopsis using exciting, descriptive language and to draft/revise a final copy. The Movie Synopsis Rubric asks students to evaluate whether the synopsis "accurately describe[s] the setting" and "accurately describe[s] the main characters," which directs students to condense key story elements.
Unit 3: Native American Animal Stories
Lesson 1
Myths, Legends, and Folktales
Students are asked to retell a myth, legend, or folktale after listening to it, which requires them to recount key events (Activity 2). Students are directed to reread a myth or folktale and record cultural elements found in the text on the "Elements of Culture" page, which requires locating and citing details from the story (Activity 3 and Student Activity Page). During wrap-up, students are asked what people can learn from the stories, prompting them to state the story's lesson or message.
Lesson 2
People and Animal Stories
Students complete a Story Map (Activity 3) that asks them to record main characters, setting, the problem, story events, how the problem is solved, and the ending, which requires them to summarize the text. In Activity 7 students write beside each story the animal, the animal's importance, and "What the People Learned from the Animal," which asks them to state the lesson or theme of each story. The Wrapping Up prompts and several comprehension questions ask students to explain how characters' actions and feelings change attitudes, which requires using story details to infer larger ideas.
Lesson 3
The Natural World
Students are asked to retell the butterfly story to someone else using props (Activity 3), which has them recount key events and sequence the plot. The lesson prompts big-idea discussions with Questions to Explore and Wrapping Up prompts (e.g., ways Native Americans depended on and respected the environment), which asks students to discuss overarching ideas across texts. Activity 7 has students record the problem and solution for each myth, and the Skills list explicitly includes responding to texts using interpretive and evaluative processes.
Lesson 4
Survival Stories
Students answer comprehension questions that ask for the "lesson" or "what the story teaches" (for example, identifying the alligator's lesson to the hunter and responding to "What does the story teach you about U.S. history?"). Students respond to inferential prompts (e.g., interpreting the Bowhead whale being in "perfect balance") and the skills list explicitly includes making inferences and drawing conclusions from events. Students also write sentences describing why the Indians hunted and describe each animal's role in a survival story, which requires extracting key details from the text.
Lesson 5
Legends from Other Cultures
Students are asked directly to describe the lesson Kalulu learned (Question #4 and Activity 1), which asks them to identify the story's moral. The lesson instructs students to "summarize the Brazilian story" after reading it and includes a skill listing for "Retell a spoken message by summarizing or clarifying." The Creation Stories activity has students complete a story map and compare two myths, prompting synthesis of story details.
2: Force and Power
Unit 1: Ben and Me
Lesson 1
Ben Franklin and the Colonies
Activity 5 asks students to explore the theme of "force and power," to relate it to the book Ben and Me, to discuss the meaning of "freedom," and to create an illustration representing that idea. Activity 2 (Elements of Historical Fiction) prompts students to think about a historical fiction novel they have read and to identify the novel's theme (noting that themes are usually life-related or good-versus-evil) and to record examples under the Theme element.
Lesson 2
Setting the Record Straight
Students read Chapters 1 and 2 and answer directed journal questions (e.g., why Amos decided to write his account), which requires them to identify character motives and recall key details. Students complete a "Fact and Fiction" chart in which they record factual and fictional events from each chapter, gathering and organizing textual details. Students are prompted at the end to state "what she learned about Ben and Amos," which asks them to summarize their reading.
Lesson 4
Electricity
The skills list explicitly includes "Retell a spoken message by summarizing" and "Respond to stories and poems in ways that reflect understanding and interpretation." The wrapping up activity asks the child to verbally summarize the events of the chapters. Several comprehension and discussion questions (for example about being a "person of vision" and how words have power) prompt interpretive thinking about underlying ideas in the text.
Lesson 5
Electrifying
Students read Chapters 7 and 8 and answer comprehension questions that ask them to describe key events (e.g., "What happened when the lightning struck?" and "Describe the kite…"). Students are asked to write a first-person account of the kite-flying event describing "what happened and his feelings and ideas," which requires retelling and summarizing an experience. The wrapping-up discussion asks students to explain how Franklin exerted power over Amos and to discuss whether that use of power was fair, prompting inference about character actions and consequences.
Lesson 7
France
Students read Chapters 11 and 12 and answer comprehension questions (e.g., How did the French feel about Ben Franklin? Why do you think Ben was in no rush to return?), which requires using details from the text to support answers. Students record factual and fictional events from each chapter and are asked in Wrapping Up to summarize what happened in the chapters, which practices concise retelling. In Activity 2 students use story details (location of the children, who holds them, and which mice are involved) to devise a step-by-step rescue plan, applying textual details to explain actions.
Lesson 9
The Rescue
Students are explicitly asked in Wrapping Up to give a summary of what happened in the two chapters they read, which practices summarizing the text. The Skills section directs students to respond to text by making inferences and drawing conclusions about characters and events, which supports deriving meanings from details. The guiding question about how people use power and the Ben and Amos Bags activity have students record characters' "uses of power" and other traits from the chapters, collecting details that could inform a theme.
Lesson 10
Back Home
The "Elements of Historical Fiction" activity includes a Theme section and asks students to fill in examples of characters and events from the book that support each element, requiring use of textual details to identify theme. The "Ben's Maxims" activity asks students to locate maxims in context and provide interpretations, prompting students to derive life-related themes from textual sayings. The "Fact and Fiction" activity and the Wrapping Up prompt asking the child to "describe some of the main events in the book" ask students to list key events and details, supporting practice in summarizing the text.
Final Project
An Interview or Party for Ben
The lesson's skills state that students will "draw conclusions, make generalizations, and gather support by referencing the text," and students write and answer ten interview questions about events and accomplishments in Ben's life. Students write two of Ben's maxims and explain why they are important, and in Option 2 they write a card, explain a gift choice, and compose a song about how Ben used his knowledge and influence to improve his community. The wrapping-up prompts ask students to discuss Ben's accomplishments and how his contributions helped make America a great country.
Unit 2: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Lesson 1
The Professor's House
The Skills section explicitly lists "Recognize the theme or author's message in a story." Activity 1 names the central theme (the battle of good vs. evil), asks students to think of a novel/movie with that battle, describe which side won, and illustrate a scene that demonstrates the struggle for power, which requires drawing on textual or narrative details. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to "summarize the events that occurred today," and Activity 4's comprehension questions require students to recount plot events and character motivations.
Lesson 2
Edmund Discovers Narnia
Students are asked in Activity 3 to record an example of the struggle between good and evil from each chapter and to illustrate it, which requires locating details in the text that show that theme. Chapter questions (e.g., What happened when Lucy returned? How did Edmund treat Lucy? Why does the queen want Edmund to come?) require students to cite events and character actions from Chapters 3–4. The wrapping up prompt asks students to describe the characters of Edmund and the White Witch, which supports drawing thematic conclusions from character behavior.
Lesson 3
Always Winter and Never Christmas
Students are asked in Activity 1 to list and illustrate an example of good vs. evil from the chapters they read, which prompts them to identify a thematic element (good vs. evil). Students answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., what happened to Mr. Tumnus' home; describe the robin encounter) that require them to recount and interpret specific details from Chapters 5 and 6. Students are asked in Wrapping Up to state what the children discover when they arrive in Narnia and what can be assumed about the witch based on events, which asks them to draw conclusions from textual details.
Lesson 4
The Lion
Students are asked in Activity 1 to list and illustrate an example of good vs. evil from the chapters they read, which directs them to identify a central theme. Comprehension questions (e.g., how each child felt on hearing Aslan's name, what happened to Edmund, who Aslan was) require students to locate and use specific details from Chapters 7–8. Activity 2 has students record descriptive words/phrases about a lion in another story and use a Venn diagram to compare that lion to Aslan, supporting thematic comparison across texts.
Lesson 5
A Disappointment
Students are asked to summarize what the children learned from Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and to recall what happened to Edmund, providing direct practice with summarizing story events. Activity 1 directs students to record examples of good vs. evil from the chapters, prompting them to gather details related to a central moral conflict. Activity 2 has students describe the White Witch's appearance and actions and to list other villains and how they use power, which guides students to connect character details to overarching ideas. The listed skills include comparing experiences of characters across texts, which can support identifying thematic ideas.
Lesson 7
Spring
The lesson prompts thematic questions such as "How do people use their power and strengths to make the world a better place?" and "What is the power struggle between good and evil?", which invite students to think about overarching themes. Activity 1 asks students to record examples of good vs. evil from the chapters, and Activity 2 asks them to discuss what makes Aslan a hero and provide examples of heroic deeds. The Wrapping Up section asks students to describe how the environment in Narnia is changing and how Edmund is changing, connecting textual details to larger ideas.
Lesson 8
Deep Magic
Students are asked to record an example of good vs. evil from the chapters on the "Good vs. Evil" activity, which asks them to identify that central idea in the text. The "A Powerful Leader" activity asks students to compare historical rulers to Aslan or the White Witch, requiring them to identify and apply the story's idea about how leaders use power. Multiple comprehension questions (e.g., How was Edmund rescued? Why did the witch kill Aslan?) and the wrapping-up prompt asking students to describe what Aslan endured ask students to recount key events from Chapters 13–14.
Lesson 9
Back to Life
Students are asked to "summarize what Lucy and Susan observed when they followed Aslan," which requires a concise recounting of events. Students answer targeted comprehension questions about key events (Aslan coming back to life, the Stone Table breaking, mice freeing Aslan) that supply textual details. Activity 1 asks students to record an example of "Good vs. Evil," and Activity 2 asks students to describe three ways Aslan resembles a Christ-like figure, prompting thematic identification.
Lesson 10
Back Through the Wardrobe
Students are asked targeted comprehension questions about characters' actions and consequences (e.g., Q1 on Edmund's bravery, Q5 on how the children used their power to promote good, Q6 on what type of adults they became) that require using details from the text. Students are asked to recount plot events (Q7, Q8) such as discovering the lamppost and what happened when they returned through the wardrobe, which asks them to summarize parts of the story. Activities (movie/book comparison and the movie review option) ask students to compare versions and produce a written response that can involve summarizing plot and character differences.
Final Project
Narnia Think-Tac-Toe
The lesson explicitly lists the skill "Identify the theme or author's message" and includes activities that ask students to write about thematic tension ("describe the tension between the struggles of fictional creatures and their loyalty to God's will versus their peers"). The student is also instructed to "summarize the book for his audience" before presenting projects. Multiple activities (journal entries, analysis tasks) require students to produce written responses that engage with characters and themes.
Unit 3: The BFG
Lesson 1
In the Middle of the Night
Students read the List of Characters and the first two chapters and answer directed comprehension questions that require using text details (e.g., QUESTION #1 asks for clues from the text to support the setting guess; QUESTION #4 asks for words and phrases the author uses to describe the giant). QUESTION #7 explicitly asks, "How can curiosity cause problems for people?," which prompts students to infer a thematic idea from the text.
Lesson 2
Snatched
Students are asked to "describe what happened in today's chapters" and to answer specific comprehension questions about events (e.g., what happened to Sophie, how she felt, the giant's home), which supports summarizing the text. The Questions to Explore prompt "In what ways do people use power?" and Question #3 asks whether the giant is a powerful character, which invites discussion of power as a possible theme. The Skills list includes responding to stories in ways that reflect understanding and interpretation in discussion and writing.
Lesson 3
The BFG
Students are asked to answer chapter questions in a journal (e.g., Question #1 asks what Sophie learns about the other giants and Question #3 asks how some giants use size and power and how the BFG is different), and a wrapping-up prompt asks why the BFG did not want to exert his power. The "Quotable Quotes" activity requires students to identify the most important or meaningful quote from each chapter, which asks them to pick key details. Several comprehension questions require students to explain characters' actions and motivations, which can provide textual evidence toward identifying a theme.
Lesson 4
Ears and Snozzcumbers
Students are asked to consider "How can people use their power and gifts to help others?" and to discuss what Sophie learned from the BFG, which directs them to infer a central message about using gifts to help. In Activity 3 students focus on the giant's powerful hearing and write a paragraph describing how they would use that gift to help others, connecting textual detail to a theme. Activity 1 has students identify quotes from Sophie and the BFG, and the skills list asks students to "respond to stories... in writing" and to "identify and discuss... characters, concepts, and ideas," which supports text-based interpretation.
Lesson 5
Time with the BFG
The lesson opens by asking the child to "summarize what happened in the chapters he read yesterday," which gives students practice condensing plot events. The Questions to Explore (How can people use power to help/hurt others?) and the Wrapping Up prompt (Ask your child what he thinks made the BFG different... discuss that people's experiences influence their choices) guide students to infer a theme about power and choices. Activity 2 asks students to compare the BFG and the Bloodbottler across appearance, personality, and power, and Activity 1 has students record quotable quotes, both of which prompt use of textual details to support interpretations.
Lesson 7
A Nightmare for Fleshlumpeater
Students are asked in the Wrapping Up section to explain "what a person could learn from reading this story" and to discuss why the author might have written about a friendly giant, which prompts identifying a story's lesson or theme. Students answer inferential journal questions (e.g., whether the BFG's belief about humans is true and whether it was right to blow the nightmare) that require using text details to support opinions. The skills list includes that students should "use oral or written language to recount or narrate," and students are directed to read chapters and answer selected questions orally or in their journals, providing opportunities to retell events.
Lesson 8
A Dreamy Plan
Students read two chapters, "The Great Plan" and "Mixing the Dream," and answer specific comprehension questions. Question 3 asks students to "Describe Sophie's plan," which requires students to summarize a key plot event. Questions 1 and 6 ask why Sophie thought someone was a good person and whether it was right to give the queen a nightmare, which asks students to infer character motives and make moral judgments that could connect to theme. Activity 1 asks students to identify quotes from Sophie and the BFG, providing textual evidence students can use for interpretation.
Lesson 9
The Palace
Students are asked to "summarize the events that occurred in today's chapters" during the Wrapping Up section, so they practice summarizing text. Students complete Cause and Effect activities and list positive/negative actions (Option 1 and Option 2), and respond to the guiding question "What type of outcomes can occur when a person uses power?", which prompts consideration of recurring ideas across the chapters. Skills and activities also have students analyze characters and the importance of setting, supporting analysis of story elements that can feed into thematic thinking.
Lesson 10
A Breakfast Fit for a Queen
The lesson includes a guiding question that asks, "How can people use their power to help others?", which invites discussion of thematic ideas. The "Wrapping Up" prompts ask the student to describe how the queen received Sophie and the Giant and to consider believability and alternate outcomes, requiring students to recount and interpret events. The "Characterizing the Queen" activity asks students to choose adjectives and support each with examples from the text, requiring them to cite textual details when making inferences about character.
Lesson 12
Snozzcumbers
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Identify the theme or author's message in a story" and "Reference the text to support the theme of a story." Activity 3 (Theme) gives a graphic organizer that asks students to record events, quotes, and characters' actions that support each listed theme, prompting students to link textual details to themes. The Reading and Questions section requires students to answer comprehension questions in a journal (e.g., Q6 asks what happened when Sophie and the BFG returned to England), which requires recalling plot details.
Final Project
Recipe for a Dream or Newspaper Report
Students are asked to recount events in sequential form: Option 1 directs students to write the beginning, middle, and end of a dream in three paragraphs, and Option 2 asks students to write three paragraphs describing what happened to the disappeared children and how the Queen responded (a summary of events). The Getting Started questions explicitly prompt thematic thinking about power ("How do people use power to help others?" and "What does it mean to have power?"). Option 2 also requires students to show how the Queen, BFG, and Sophie used their power and to include at least three of the giant's quotes, which asks students to use textual details in their writing.
3: Similarities and Differences
Unit 1: Stories from Africa and Asia
Lesson 3
The Surprise
The lesson explicitly asks students to "summarize what happened in the two chapters he read today," giving students a direct summarization task. Several comprehension questions (e.g., Question #5 about why the two stories are included and what they tell about culture, and Question #6 about Precious thinking Kosi is "small and brave") prompt students to infer meaning from details. Activity 1 ("Precious and Me") asks students to compare themselves to the character based on textual information, which encourages drawing broader ideas from the text.
Lesson 5
A Good Idea
The lesson asks students to describe what happened in the chapters and to recount or narrate events, providing practice in retelling the text. Question #6 asks students what Precious, Teb, and Pontsho learned as a result of their experiences, which prompts identification of a lesson or theme. Activity 2 asks students to write a paragraph about a personal challenging experience and to consider what someone could learn from reading it, connecting personal lesson-drawing to the story's lessons.
Lesson 6
African Bush Diorama
The lesson explicitly asks students to "Summarize the plot or major events of a story" in the listed skills and includes a Book Report rubric question: "Are the main events (plot) of the story summarized?" The organizer directs students to write a four-paragraph report with Paragraph 1 focused on characters and setting and Paragraph 2 focused on plot, supporting explicit practice in summarizing text.
Lesson 9
The Secret is Out
The Skills section instructs students to "represent text information in different ways, including story maps, graphs, and charts," which supports organizing and summarizing story events. Multiple comprehension questions (Q1–Q6) ask students to identify plot points and character feelings (e.g., Sadako's talent, her nervousness, how her parents learned her secret). The Wrap-Up directs students to "explain Sadako's secret and how her family came to know her secret" and to "discuss reasons why Sadako may have wanted to keep her secret," which engages students in explaining events and considering underlying motives.
Lesson 10
Kenji
The lesson explicitly asks the student to "summarize the events that occurred in the chapters she read today," which gives direct practice in summarizing. It directs students to "discuss the symbolism of the golden crane," and includes questions about the crane's story and characters' feelings (e.g., Q1, Q2, Q7) that point students to text details. The Skills section instructs students to "identify and discuss similarities and differences... and support them by referencing the text," which requires using textual details in discussion.
Lesson 12
Racing the Wind
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that require inference about central ideas (e.g., asking what Sadako kept thinking about and why she couldn't stop, and asking what Sadako said about her family and why the author ends the story that way). Students discuss the class's creation of cranes and the Children's Peace Monument and are asked to write a short wish for a peace monument, connecting events in the text to the idea of peace. The wrapping-up prompts ask students how they feel about Sadako's story and to discuss why it is important, which invites discussion of the story's main ideas.
Lesson 13
Precious and Sadako
Students are asked in Activity 3 to explain three or four important events from each story, which requires them to identify and recount key events (summarizing). In the two character activity pages, students record descriptions, quotes, actions, and words/phrases about Precious and Sadako, which requires locating textual details that could support a thematic inference. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students what they learned from each character and how they could apply it to their own lives, prompting extraction of a lesson or moral from the texts.
Unit 2: Holes
Lesson 1
Texas and Desert Biomes
Students are told to read Holes and to look at the cover and ask what the story might be about, prompting them to make inferences from illustration clues. The listed LA skill explicitly includes compiling notes into outlines, reports, summaries, or other written efforts, and taking simple notes from relevant sources. The wrapping-up prompt asks students to describe what they learned, which requires them to report or summarize information orally.
Lesson 2
Camp Green Lake
Students answer specific comprehension questions (Questions #1–#7) that require them to identify setting, character actions, and plot events from Chapters 1–4. Activity 4, "The Happy Campers," directs students to record things they learn about each boy and to illustrate physical appearance, which requires gathering and organizing textual details. The "Wrapping Up" prompt asks students to describe what they learned about Camp Green Lake and to state what they think about the main character, which asks for a brief retelling or description of the chapters read.
Lesson 3
Digging
The lesson asks students to answer specific comprehension questions (Questions 1–9) that require identification of plot events and character details (e.g., why Stanley was sent to Camp Green Lake, how he felt after digging, what promise his great-great-grandfather broke). The skills list explicitly includes 'Make inferences and draw conclusions about characters' and 'Relate plot, setting, and characters to personal experiences,' and the wrapping-up prompt asks the child what he learned about Stanley and Camp Green Lake. Journal prompts and discussion activities ask students to record and reflect on character information and events from Chapters 5–7.
Lesson 4
Caveman
Students are prompted to explore the question "How do differences make each person unique?" which asks them to think about a central idea. Students answer and discuss comprehension and inferential questions about Chapters 8–12 (for example, questions about Stanley's nickname, the boys' similarities and differences, and character motivations), and they record information about the boys on the "Happy Campers" pages. Students are also asked at the end to state what they learned about the boys and staff in the day's reading, which invites a brief summary of the text.
Lesson 6
Sunflower Seeds
The Skills section explicitly lists "Summarize written text," and Getting Started asks the student to summarize what happened in previously read chapters. The Reading and Questions section has students read Chapters 17-20, answer comprehension questions in their journal, and verbally share answers, providing practice in condensing events. The Wrapping Up prompts students to "describe how Camp Green Lake is changing Stanley" and to "discuss the irony," which asks students to interpret meaning and connect details to a larger idea about the character.
Lesson 8
Sam the Onion Man
The Wrapping Up section asks the child to summarize the story of Kate Barlow and Sam the Onion Man and to discuss that the book has two simultaneous plots, which directly prompts summarization. The Questions to Explore, Q3–Q5, Q6, and Q11 ask students to explain how characters felt, how the town treated them, and whether the townspeople were good citizens, prompting students to draw conclusions about discrimination and character motives. Activity 1 (Racial Equality) requires students to write a speech or poem explaining why racism is wrong, which asks students to infer and express a thematic idea based on events in the text. The Skills list explicitly includes "Draw conclusions, make generalizations, and gather support by referencing the text," and "Consider a character's point of view," supporting theme inference from details.
Lesson 9
Driving a Truck
The Skills list explicitly includes "Summarize written text," and the Wrapping Up directs the child to "summarize what happened in the chapters he read today." The Reading and Questions section asks students to answer specific comprehension questions in writing or orally, and students are asked to select and respond to four journal questions, which practices recounting key events and details.
Lesson 10
The Mary Lou
Students read Chapters 33–36 and answer three chapter questions in their journals, selecting which to answer. The comprehension questions require students to recall and explain plot details (e.g., why Stanley looked in holes, what object he found, how Zero survived, the name on the boat, and obstacles they faced). Students are also asked to "describe what happens to Stanley as he leaves to find Zero," which asks them to state events in sequence. The activities ask students to explain meanings of similes and metaphors drawn from the text, tying language to specific textual details.
Lesson 12
Treasure and Lizards
Students are asked to summarize the last chapter they read as a getting-started prompt and later are asked in Wrapping Up to describe what happened to Stanley and Zero, which practices summarizing. Students answer targeted comprehension questions about characters' feelings, actions, and events (e.g., how Stanley's feelings changed; what happened to Zero's mother), requiring them to cite details from the chapters. In Activity 1 students identify and describe three types of conflict from the novel, analyzing textual events and character struggles that relate to overarching story ideas.
Lesson 13
Innocent
Students are asked to put story events in proper sequence and to identify the problem, climax, and solution for two interwoven plots (Activity 3). Students answer specific plot-detail questions about Chapters 46–50 that require recalling and explaining key events and outcomes. Students compare the movie and book and reflect on similarities and differences, which asks them to analyze how the story is presented in different forms.
Unit 3: Stories from Europe
Lesson 2
Fiona's Luck
Students are asked to record story elements including Theme on the "Fiona's Luck Story Elements" page and are given a definition of theme as "the lesson the reader can learn from the story." The answer key explicitly states a theme: "It's better to depend on your wits than on luck." Students are asked at the end to give a verbal summary of Fiona's Luck, and several activities ask students to identify plot, conflict, resolution, characters, and setting.
Lesson 3
The Sea King's Daughter
Students complete a Story Elements activity that explicitly asks them to identify the theme in a labeled section and provides an answer key listing the theme as "Home is often the place where you will be most happy." The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to verbally summarize The Sea King's Daughter. The Skills and several comprehension questions (for example, asking "How do you know he felt this way?") require students to refer to details and examples in the text when explaining what the text says. The Fact and Fantasy activity has students record three story elements based on facts and three that are fantasy, which requires using textual details.
Lesson 4
The Snow Queen
Students are asked to complete a "The Snow Queen Story Elements" graphic organizer that includes a labeled Theme box, and the provided answer key explicitly gives the theme "Love and goodness can overcome evil." Multiple comprehension questions across the reading days require students to identify events (what the mirror does, what Gerda does at the river, how the mirror fragments come out) that focus attention on plot details. The script activity directs students to select the most important words and shorten conversations so the characters' interactions convey the plot, which asks students to condense and convey key story ideas.
Lesson 5
Comparing and Contrasting Stories
Students are asked at the start to "briefly summarize each story," and the introduction prompts them to review pages and activity pages to jog their memory for those summaries. Students complete a "Comparing Story Elements" activity where they list similarities and differences between stories and explain which are most similar or different. The wrapping-up questions prompt students to reflect on story elements including "theme" and to explain how analyzing elements helped their decisions.
Final Project
Writing Your Own Story
Students are asked to revisit story element sheets for three previously read stories and identify the themes they recorded, and they are prompted to write a few sentences about the lesson or belief they want to teach using a Theme web organizer with supporting ovals. The Story Checklist explicitly asks students to make sure the characters' experiences communicate a clear lesson and to comment on how characters' actions reinforce the theme. The Plot Organizer and Rough Draft pages require students to describe the Beginning, Conflict, Events, and Resolution of a story, which has students outline the key events of a text.
4: Exploration and Survival
Unit 1: Abel's Island
Lesson 1
Survival
The Skills section directs students to "respond to literature using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes by relating plot, characters, and setting to own experience," and to "interact with the text...by making connections," which supports analysis of text details. Activity 3 asks students to look for ways the main character uses river resources and add these to a chart, and Activity 4 asks students to list what they would miss and then compare their list to what Abel misses, which engages students with plot and character details. Activity 1 has students identify character traits, challenges, and flaws, which requires attention to character actions and events.
Lesson 3
Where Am I?
The lesson explicitly asks students to "summarize what happened to Abel in today's chapters" in the Wrapping Up section, which directs students to produce a summary of the text. Several comprehension questions (e.g., Question #4 on how Abel is adapting and Question #8 asking students to "Support interpretations or conclusions with examples drawn from text") require students to locate text details and use them to explain characterization and actions. Skills and Getting Started prompts direct students to explore how living things adapt and to "interact with the text by locating information for specific purposes," which encourages using textual details to draw conclusions.
Lesson 4
Who Is Abel?
Students are asked to infer and provide textual evidence for Abel's traits (Activity 2: Who Is Abel?) and to answer comprehension questions about how Abel is learning to adapt and how his self-view is changing (Questions #3 and #4). The skills list explicitly includes "Draw conclusions, make generalizations, and gather support by referencing the text," "Make inferences and draw conclusions about characters and events," and "Represent text information in different ways, including story maps," which support deriving meaning from details.
Lesson 6
Surprises
The lesson's Skills list explicitly asks students to "Draw conclusions, make generalizations, and gather support by referencing the text," and to "Use oral and written language to recount or narrate," which relates to inferring meaning from details and retelling. Several comprehension questions require students to infer reasons from text details (e.g., why Abel did not feel lonely, how the discovered objects helped him, and why he worried about winter). The "Using Natural Resources" chart directs students to take information from Chapters 9 and 10, asking them to gather textual details that could support larger ideas about survival or connection.
Lesson 7
Threats
Students answer guided comprehension questions (e.g., how Abel feels about the environment, how he protects himself, how the environment is changing and how Abel adapts) that require citing details from Chapters 11–12. Students describe threats Abel faces and list specific adaptations in Activity 3, explaining how each adaptation aids his survival. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to describe threats and how Abel is adapting and surviving, which requires synthesizing key story details.
Lesson 9
The Newcomer
Students are asked to describe the major event from prior reading and to answer specific comprehension questions about Chapters 15 and 16 (e.g., why Gower left, how Abel felt, how Abel depended on Gower), which engages them with key details of the text. Students compare Gower and Abel using a Venn diagram, analyzing physical attributes, attitudes, and personalities, which supports drawing conclusions about characters that can inform theme. Students are prompted to discuss why people need other people and the importance of relationships, and the student activity page includes a spot labeled "Central Idea," indicating attention to overarching meaning.
Lesson 10
Escape
The lesson's guiding question ("How can someone who must learn to survive be changed by their circumstances?") prompts students to think about underlying messages about change and survival. In Activity 3 students describe Abel before and after the island, explain what caused his change, and write acrostic poems that compare his earlier and later traits. The skills list and activities ask students to analyze characters, their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes, and Activity 1 has students generate comprehension questions while reading chapters.
Lesson 11
Home at Last
Students are given an explicit definition of theme and asked to identify the theme of a story. Students complete a "Theme Bubble Map" in which they identify a main theme and record supporting examples from the text (Option 1 asks them to fill supporting bubbles with evidence; Option 2 asks them to identify the theme and cite evidence). Students are asked to discuss what they learned from Abel and to support interpretations with examples drawn from the text as listed in the skills.
Unit 2: Pedro's Journal
Lesson 1
Exploring with Columbus
Students are asked in the Skills section to "identify and interpret elements of fiction and nonfiction and support by referencing the text to determine the author's purpose, plot, and the author's lesson or message," which asks them to infer an author's lesson (theme) using text details. Students read the Author's Note and complete the Historical Fiction bubble map by listing factual descriptions, fictional examples, historical events, and authentic settings, requiring them to reference specific parts of the text. Students also record what they learn about Columbus and organize positive and negative characteristics using evidence from biographies and the journal activities, practicing support from textual details.
Lesson 2
August
Students read Pedro's journal entries and answer comprehension questions about character motivations, events, and fears (Questions #1–#7). Students complete the 'The Journey' chart by recording geographic location, important events, and the attitudes of Columbus, Pedro, and the crew across months. The skills list and the wrapping-up prompt ask students to recount or narrate what they have learned, supporting practice in retelling key events.
Lesson 3
September
The lesson asks students to "summarize what happened to Columbus and the crew in the month of September," which requires students to retell key events from the text. The Skills section includes "Respond to fiction by reflecting on reading, gaining new insights," and several comprehension questions (e.g., why the men do not trust Columbus; interpretations of the meteor) require students to use textual details to explain characters' motivations. The Activities prompt students to write journal responses and make up a myth after reading "Meteors as Signs," encouraging reflection on meaning.
Lesson 5
Journal Writing
Students are asked to identify three events Pedro writes about and three places where Pedro records his feelings, which requires locating specific details in a text. The Pre-Writing page has students list ten facts about an event and three feelings, prompting them to collect and organize textual or event details. The Questions to Explore (e.g., how did the explorers survive; how are lives changed through exploration) frame larger ideas that could be used to discuss recurring ideas or messages in a narrative.
Lesson 6
November
The lesson asks students to analyze Pedro's reactions and Columbus's motives through targeted questions (e.g., Questions #1–#6 probe why Columbus wanted natives, how Pedro felt, and what Pedro relates from past experience). The Skills section lists "Draw conclusions from information gathered" and "Analyze characters, including their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes," which directs students to use text details to make inferences. The wrap-up asks students what Pedro is learning about the natives and about Columbus, and Activity 1 asks students to fill in "The Journey" after answering the questions, which asks students to recount events and perspectives from the entries.
Lesson 7
December
Students are asked to read the December journal entries and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., Describe the encounter the sailors had; What did Pedro do on Christmas Eve?), which requires them to recount events and details. In the Treasures activity, students illustrate and label expected versus actual treasures and are asked to compare the two lists and explain differences. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to explain the difference between the treasures hoped for and those found, which asks for a concise comparison of key text details.
Lesson 8
The Island of the Skog
The lesson asks students to identify examples of prejudice by writing three ways the mice showed prejudice and three ways Columbus showed prejudice, explicitly defining prejudice and linking it to the story. Guided comprehension questions ask students to explain why the mice set off, what threatened their survival, what happened in the end, and how the community changed, prompting students to cite plot details. Activity 3 has students read the anthem that reflects the relationship between the Skog and the mice and reflect on what could have been different, which directs students to interpret a central idea about respect and equality.
Lesson 10
February
Students are asked to complete journal questions about plot events and character feelings (e.g., whether Pedro enjoyed the voyage, what happened to the Pinta, why Pedro never went back), which requires recalling and recounting text details. Students are directed to write a firsthand report 'pretend[ing] that she is Pedro' that must explain the crew's survival, their discoveries, and what it was like to sail with Columbus, an explicit summarizing task. The skills list instructs students to 'Use oral or written language to recount or narrate' and to 'Respond to fiction using evaluative processes by considering the main character's point of view,' supporting text-based summary and interpretation.
Final Project
Story Blocks
Students record and organize story elements: they illustrate the setting on the Setting Cube, list characters and describe them on the Characters Cube, and note discoveries and cultural impacts on the Exploration Cube. Students identify plot-related details on the Survival Cube (threats and survival actions) and record quoted text and similes on the Quotes and Similes Cubes. The skills list and wrapping-up activity ask students to recount or narrate the story and to explain the information on each block when building a story tower.
Unit 3: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Lesson 1
Sickness
Students are instructed to keep a Plot Flowchart and "record a major event" for each chapter, and the plot flowchart directions ask for a brief retell of what was read each day. The lesson skills list includes "Reference the text to determine the plot and sequence of events in a story," and reading questions require students to describe characters, environment, and key events. The Fantasy Genre activity asks students to record an example for THEME (e.g., good vs. evil) from a fantasy novel and to identify elements such as characterization, setting, plot, and theme.
Lesson 2
Spring is Coming
Students are asked to complete a Plot Flowchart recording an event from each chapter, which has them identify and sequence key events (summarizing chapter content). In the Setting and Survival activity, students describe ways an animal's survival is threatened and explain how Mrs. Frisby's family is endangered using details from the text. Discussion questions ask students to interpret a character's remark and explain what happens in the garden, prompting students to use textual details to support answers.
Lesson 3
A Visit to an Owl
Students are asked to "describe what happened to Mrs. Frisby in today's reading" and to fill out a Plot Flowchart with an event from the chapters, which requires summarizing the text. Comprehension questions (Questions #1-#5) ask students to identify specific details about actions, settings, and character motivations. The Questions to Explore ("How does Mrs. Frisby fight for the survival of her son?") and Question #6 (opinion about whether she should have gone to see the owl) invite students to think about character choices and possible underlying messages.
Lesson 4
Rats in the Rosebush
Students are asked to complete a Plot Flowchart for the chapters they read, which requires them to sequence events and capture the main points of the text. In Activity 2 students draw Mrs. Frisby in a central bubble labeled "Bravery" and list five ways she has shown bravery, linking character actions to the trait. Guided questions ask for specific events and reasons (for example, what the owl advised, why Mrs. Frisby explored the rosebush), prompting students to cite details from the chapters.
Lesson 5
Meeting the Rats
Students are asked to describe important events on a "Plot Flowchart" and to "describe what Mrs. Frisby discovered upon exploring the rosebush," which asks them to summarize chapter content. The guided reading questions prompt students to describe characters, their responses, and events (e.g., How would you describe Brutus? How did the rats respond to Mrs. Frisby?), requiring comprehension of details. The skills list includes "Respond to stories and poems in ways that reflect understanding and interpretation," which invites interpretive responses about the text.
Lesson 6
A Plan for Mrs. Frisby
Students are asked to complete a Plot Flowchart by describing an important event from each chapter, which requires them to identify and summarize key events. Reading questions ask students to state who characters are, what the rats planned, and where they wanted to move Mrs. Frisby's home, prompting students to recount and synthesize plot details. Activity 3 asks students to illustrate the setting and devise and describe the rats' plan to move the house, which has students organize events and solutions from the chapters.
Lesson 7
The Capture
The Skills section explicitly lists "Summarize main ideas from written or spoken texts using succinct language," and Activity 2 directs students to make a list of important events and write a summary of Nicodemus' story. Activity 1 asks students to describe important events on a Plot Flowchart, which requires identifying main events for a summary. Question 7 asks students to use evidence from the book to support whether the scientists mistreated the rats, and the Skills section includes "Draw conclusions, make generalizations, and gather support by referencing the text."
Lesson 8
Life at NIMH
Students answer specific reading comprehension questions that focus on plot events and character actions (e.g., Justin's escape plan, scientists' responses, and changes in the rats). Students complete a Plot Flowchart by describing an important event from both chapters, which requires identifying and ordering key events. Students discuss and write about whether the scientists were doing a good or bad thing and describe what life was like for the rats, prompting consideration of story implications.
Lesson 9
The Escape
Students are asked to explain why the mice would leave NIMH and to list needs beyond food, water, and shelter in Activity 2, directly prompting them to infer the story's idea about "more than survival." Students compare Nicodemus before and after NIMH and write examples, which requires using text details to support interpretations of character change. Students record an important event from each chapter on a Plot Flowchart and are asked to describe how the mice escaped and what they did at Boniface Estates, which directs them to summarize the text.
Lesson 10
Amazing Rats
Students are asked to record an important event from each chapter on a Plot Flowchart, which has them identify and condense chapter events. Guided questions and the Wrapping Up prompt ask students to describe the Main Hall, the rats' plan, and why the rats devised it, requiring them to summarize parts of the text and explain reasons. The Skills list and Activity 4 ask students to support interpretations or conclusions with examples drawn from the text and to write a paragraph describing how their opinion about rats changed using linking words and supporting reasons.
Lesson 11
The Plan
Students are asked to record an important event from each chapter on a Plot Flowchart, which has them identify and sequence key events. The Reading and Questions section requires students to answer specific text-based questions (e.g., how the rats got power, why Jenner left) that require citing details from the chapters. The Wrapping Up prompts ask students to describe the new home the rats hope to make for themselves, encouraging summarizing of that portion of the text.
Lesson 12
Working in the Night
Students are asked at the start to "summarize what she learned from the chapters she read," giving an explicit summarization task. The Plot Flowchart activity asks students to fill in events from the chapters, which supports summarizing key plot points. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to "discuss ways the rats were inventive and resourceful, using examples from the text," which asks students to connect details to a larger idea about the characters.
Lesson 13
A New Home
Students are asked to complete a Plot Flowchart and a Plot Diagram by listing the problem, three major events leading to the climax, an event after the climax, and the solution, which requires them to summarize the story's sequence and resolution. The Elements of Fantasy activity directs students to record examples from the book in a box labeled "THEME," prompting students to identify thematic examples related to good vs. evil or extreme application of ideas. Discussion and journal questions (e.g., "What threatens the survival of living things?" and "How does Mrs. Frisby fight for the survival of her son?") encourage consideration of recurring ideas tied to the story's meaning.
Final Project
The Next Chapter or Book Float
The Skills list explicitly includes "Summarize main ideas from written or spoken texts using succinct language," and the Outlining the Chapter activity directs students to "write a summary of your chapter." The Outlining rubric asks that the chapter "focus on the rats' survival and inventiveness," and Part 2/Option 2 requires students to select "Something to represent a theme in the story." The Parade Float activity also asks students to include items representing theme, main character, problem, and solution, which requires identifying central story elements.