The lesson includes Question #5 which asks students to explain the meaning of the proverb "children should be seen and not heard" and to state whether they think it is true and why. The question prompts students to interpret the expression and justify their opinion in writing or discussion.

Activity 4 asks students to compare Pa's story about Charley with the fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," have them identify similarities and differences, and answer guided questions about lying and consequences. Students are prompted to think through story elements (who lies, what is lied about, what happens when truth is told) and to write and illustrate their own version of the story, reflecting on the moral outcome.

The lesson asks students to discuss interdependence and explicitly uses the phrase "give and take," including the clarification that "take" does not mean taking something away but allowing another person to teach or help you. Activity 3 directs students to think about a relationship, answer questions about how they "give" and "take," and draw a symbol representing that relationship. The wrap-up and life-application ask students to describe and make a treaty, reinforcing the explained meaning of reciprocal exchange phrasing.

Students are asked directly to identify the lesson the alligator taught the hunter and state it ("To be patient and wait for the old buck before killing a deer"). Students answer comprehension questions for multiple stories that ask for the stories' lessons and meanings (e.g., questions about the whale being "in perfect balance" and what the stories teach). Students write sentences and journal responses about why the Indians hunted and the roles animals played, which requires extracting and stating story morals or cultural teachings.

Students are asked in Question #5 to explain the meaning of the phrase "waste not, want not," which is a common proverb. The activities direct students to answer three or four assigned questions in their journal or discuss them, so students will write or talk about the proverb's meaning.

Students are asked to consider the adage "Some people say that knowledge is power. What do you think this means?" and to discuss how words have power and how authors influence thinking. The activities require students to explain the meaning of that phrase in writing or discussion and to design a badge emphasizing the importance of reading and the power of words.

The lesson defines a maxim and directs students to locate each maxim in context in the book. The student worksheet lists seven maxims (e.g., "Waste not, want not," "Early to bed and early to rise...") and instructs students to provide their own interpretation of each. Students are also asked to interview adults for additional interpretations and to write and interpret their own maxim.

Students are asked to write down two of Ben Franklin's maxims and to explain why each maxim is important and how it has helped him. The Student Activity Pages include labeled spaces for "Maxim 1" and "Maxim 2" with accompanying lines titled "Why it is important," prompting students to state and explain the sayings. Students are also instructed to practice and share these maxims orally during the interview presentation.

The lesson asks students to define the phrase "witching hour" in Question #3 and provides a target explanation of its meaning. Activity 2, Option 2 asks students to brainstorm nighttime/mystery words and then write a song or poem about the "witching hour," prompting them to articulate and express the phrase's meaning. The reading questions require students to cite text clues (e.g., describing moonlight and night), which can support interpreting that specific idiomatic phrase.

The "Interpreting the BFG" activity asks students to substitute correct words and correct the giant's grammar, and the provided answer list includes common idioms and a proverb such as "Cross your fingers" and "Two wrongs do not make a right." The introduction to that activity asks children to "interpret what the giant is saying," and directions tell students to reword incorrect phrases into standard English. The lesson also prompts discussion about understanding the BFG despite his wrong word choices, which engages students in recognizing intended meanings.

Question #3 quotes the queen: "You are not very well educated, but you are really nobody's fool," and asks students, "What do you think she means?" The question also asks students to consider the difference between common sense and book sense. Students are directed to answer three questions in a journal and discuss others, providing an opportunity to write and explain the meaning of that phrase.

Students are prompted to identify the story's theme and record it on the Story Elements page; the provided answer key lists the theme as the sentence "It's better to depend on your wits than on luck." Students are asked to give a verbal summary and to name and describe story elements, which requires stating and explaining the theme in their own words.

The lesson defines idioms and gives explicit examples with meanings (e.g., "that test was a piece of cake" = "easy", "She woke up on the wrong side of the bed" = "She woke up grumpy"). It asks students to explain idioms from the book on the Figures of Speech activity page (e.g., "I held onto the sides for dear life," "I slept not a wink," "Shake a leg!"). Students are directed to explain the meaning of listed idioms and to write explanations for idioms used in the story.

Students are asked in Question #3 to explain what Mr. Frisby meant when he said, "All doors are hard to unlock until you have the key," which requires recognizing and interpreting a proverb-like statement. The prompt asks students to answer in their journal and discuss, showing that students will produce an explanation of the figurative meaning rather than a literal paraphrase. The presence of this open-ended question directs students to explain the meaning of a figurative expression in context.