Fourth Grade - ELA
1: Interdependence
Unit 1: Little House in the Big Woods
Lesson 1
Introducing the Story
Students add the date when the story begins (1871) to an Age 8–10 timeline and record Laura Ingalls Wilder's birth (1867), demonstrating placement of events in chronological order. Students are directed to present information in a sequenced, logical manner (recount or narrate) and to add plants/animals to a chart while comparing Wisconsin to their own state, providing practice with comparison of information. Students write and sequence a personal memory as a narrative, reinforcing chronological organization of events.
Lesson 2
Little House in the Big Woods
Students complete a "Life in the Big Woods vs. Life Today" chart where they record ways each chapter describes life differently than life today, providing an explicit comparison task. Question prompts ask students why the house was made from logs and how the family depended on trees and animals, requiring students to explain reasons and uses (cause/effect). The "Natural Resources and Survival" activity has students list resources and describe how each aided survival, asking them to connect resources to outcomes.
Lesson 3
Winter Days and Winter Nights
Students compare Life in the Big Woods to life today in Activity 1 and illustrate and list similarities and differences between Laura's house and their own in Activity 3. In Activity 2 students record chores for Laura's family and for their own family in charts and discuss how the families' chores are similar and different. The reading questions ask about specific events (e.g., which chore days Laura enjoyed) and students locate information from the text to answer those questions.
Lesson 4
The Long Rifle
Students are asked to retell aloud the Pa story (Question #2), which requires them to reproduce the sequence of events and the plot (chronology). Activity 1 asks students to record how life in the Big Woods differs from life today, which has students compare two sets of information (comparison). The reading questions also ask why Pa told the story (Question #3), prompting students to consider the purpose and connections between events and ideas.
Lesson 5
Christmas
Students are asked to record differences on a "Life in the Big Woods vs Life Today" page, which prompts comparison between past and present. A listed skill asks students to "identify and discuss similarities and differences in events, characters, and concepts" and to support them by referencing the text. Students are also guided to compose paragraphs with a logical sequence and to use transitional words like "for example," "another," and "also."
Lesson 6
Sundays and Two Big Bears
Students are asked to compare events directly (e.g., "How would you compare what happened with Pa in the woods to what happened to Ma at the barn?" and "How was her birthday celebration similar to and different from your birthday celebrations?"). Activity 1 ("Life in the Big Woods vs. Life Today") asks students to record differences between two situations, supporting comparison practice. The Skills section directs students to "present information in a sequenced, logical manner," which relates to practicing chronological or sequenced presentation of information.
Lesson 7
The Sugar Snow
Students are asked to order the steps Grandpa took to make maple syrup (Activity 3 Option 1 and Option 2), which requires identifying and describing chronological structure. Students compare "Life in the Big Woods vs. Life Today" (Activity 1), which requires them to use comparison as an organizational structure. Question 3 asks why Pa called the snow a "sugar snow," prompting students to explain the relationship between the snow and maple sugar production (cause/effect). Skills and Wrapping Up direct students to use story structure and to summarize what happened, which reinforces describing text organization.
Lesson 8
Dance at Grandpa's
Students are asked in Activity 1 to record differences on a "Life in the Big Woods vs. Life Today" page, which has them compare two sets of information. In Question #5 students explain why maple syrup was put over snow (the cold snow mixed with warm syrup made candy), requiring them to state a cause-and-effect relationship from the text. In Question #1 students draw a diagram of Grandma's house based on description, asking them to represent the spatial/organizational structure of a part of the text.
Lesson 9
Going to Town
Students are asked to complete a 'Life in the Big Woods vs. Life Today' page where they record how life in the woods was different than life today, which requires comparing ideas across time. Activity 3 asks students to describe differences between Laura and Mary and to list five adjectives for each, which has students compare character traits and behaviors. Question #4 asks students to list items the family bought and to compare that list to a modern shopping list, prompting comparison of informational content.
Lesson 10
Summertime and Harvest
Students compare life in the Big Woods to life today by recording differences on the "Life in the Big Woods vs. Life Today" page, which asks them to identify contrasts between two settings. Students compare Pa's story about Charley with "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," answering how the stories are similar and different. Students organize content by season on the "Seasons on the Farm" activity, recording the author's descriptive words and illustrating winter, spring, summer, and fall, and they explore cause/effect when asked what would happen if all the bees disappeared.
Lesson 11
Finishing the Book
Students are asked to complete Activity 1: Life in the Big Woods vs. Life Today, which has them record ways life then differs from life now, an explicit comparison task. The Skills section directs students to "Compare a dramatic performance with a print version of the same story," providing practice with comparison of versions. Reading questions ask students how the environment was changing (e.g., "It was getting cooler, the days were getting shorter..."), which prompts students to note change over time in the text, and the Skills list includes sequencing events and ideas as part of revising writing.
Unit 2: The Sign of the Beaver
Lesson 1
Background Information
Students are asked to record the year 1768 on a timeline and to fill a section titled "What was happening in Maine around 1768?", which places the story in chronological context. Activity 2 prompts students to discuss why Native Americans and settlers were upset with each other, engaging students in considering causes and effects of conflict. The student activity pages require students to organize information about plants, animals, habitats, and historical facts into labeled sections, providing practice in grouping and comparing information.
Lesson 2
Alone
Students are asked to create Character Timelines where they record words or phrases that describe a character's feelings, attitudes, or actions across numbered sections of the book, allowing them to track changes over time. The Johnnycakes activity provides a step-by-step recipe students must follow, which involves sequencing procedural steps. Reading questions and prompts (for example asking why Matt was standing alone, what chores he did, and how he depended on the environment) require students to identify events and relationships in the text.
Lesson 3
A Stranger
Students create a "Character Timelines" entry where they record words or phrases describing Matt's feelings, attitudes, and actions in this section, which requires ordering events and reactions over time. Question prompts (for example, why Matt lied to Ben) ask students to explain reasons for actions, which engages cause-and-effect thinking. In Activity 3 students explain how Saknis helped heal Matt's bee stings and list natural remedies, asking them to connect actions or ingredients to outcomes.
Lesson 4
A Treaty
Students complete a "Character Timelines" page where they fill in information about Attean and Matt from the section, which requires ordering events and details about characters. In Activity 3 students discuss that because Matt is hurt he will be dependent on the Indians, prompting them to explain cause-and-effect relationships in the story. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to describe the treaty Matt and Saknis made, encouraging students to explain how characters resolved a problem.
Lesson 5
A Story
Students are asked to fill in "Character Timelines" for Matt and Attean, which requires them to order events and describe chronology. Activity 3 (Past and Present) asks students to compare how Matt and Attean see the same story and to reflect on differing perspectives, which practices comparison of ideas. Activity 2 (A Desert Island) asks students to consider what would have happened if Crusoe had not salvaged supplies, prompting them to reason about causes and consequences (cause/effect) and problem/solution. The listed skills include summarizing main ideas and identifying similarities and differences, supporting practice in recognizing text structure.
Lesson 6
The Beaver
Students create Character Timelines for Matt and Attean, which asks them to order events and show chronology. Students complete a Venn diagram comparing Robinson Crusoe/Friday with Max and Naxen, which requires them to identify similarities and differences (comparison). The Beaver Research page asks students to explain why beavers use trees to make dams, prompting students to describe causes and purposes (cause/effect). The Skills section explicitly asks students to "identify and discuss similarities and differences" and to use text to verify facts, supporting structural analysis.
Lesson 7
Real Life Learning
Students create Character Timelines, recording what they learned about Matt and Attean, which requires ordering events and details chronologically. The listed Skills ask students to identify and discuss similarities and differences in events, characters, and ideas, prompting comparison across selections. Question #3 asks students to explain why there were fewer beaver and moose, which asks them to state a cause (overhunting) and thus engage in cause/effect reasoning.
Lesson 8
The Bear
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Identify cause and effect patterns found in text," and Activity 3 has students read cause scenarios and write corresponding effects based on the story. Activity 1 asks students to record information on "Character Timelines," which has students organize events chronologically. Activity 4 directs students to compare the Bible's Noah story and Attean's flood story using a double-bubble map, engaging students in a comparison structure.
Lesson 9
Attean's Past
Students are asked to fill in "Character Timelines" for Matt and Attean, which requires them to place events in chronological order. In "Keeping Track of Time" students describe how Matt kept track of time and design an alternate method, reinforcing temporal/sequential understanding. Question #3 asks students to explain what happened to Attean's parents and how that helps explain his attitude, which requires identifying a cause-and-effect relationship in the text.
Lesson 10
Manitou
Students are asked to complete a "Character Timelines" page, which requires them to place events in chronological order for characters. The "Values" activity has students record three values for Matt and three for Attean and circle a shared value, which prompts direct comparison between characters. Reading questions ask about sequence of events (e.g., Attean leaving to find his manitou, returning after a week), which requires students to recount the order of events in the text.
Lesson 11
A Choice
Students are asked to add information to "Character Timelines," which requires them to place events in sequence and thus work with chronology. The Skills section explicitly directs students to "Identify similarities and differences," which asks them to compare topics, characters, and themes. Several comprehension questions (for example Q6 about why Attean's tribe was not returning) require students to state causes and effects from the text, and Activity 2 asks students to reflect on different parts of the story.
Lesson 13
The Return
Students complete a "Character Timelines" entry that asks them to record events in order, which practices chronology/sequence. Students fill a "Story Elements" page identifying setting, problem, resolution, theme, and characters, which requires them to describe plot structure and problem/solution. In the "Solving Problems" activity students list problems, record the book's solution, and create their own solutions, explicitly practicing problem/solution organization and use of resources.
Final Project
The Sign of the Beaver Movie
The lesson's skills include sequencing events and ideas (with assistance), which requires students to order parts of the story and supports understanding chronology. Students are asked to write a movie synopsis that summarizes main ideas and describes the setting and main characters, which practices extracting and condensing text information. The script, set-design, and costume activities require students to select specific scenes and represent events or changes over time, so students engage with parts of the text and their sequence.
Unit 3: Native American Animal Stories
Lesson 2
People and Animal Stories
Students complete a Story Map for "The Dogs Who Saved Their Master" that asks them to identify main characters, setting, the problem of the story, story events, how the problem is solved, and the ending, which requires sequencing and identifying problem/solution. Students use a Venn diagram and a comparison activity to compare "The Woman Who Married a Frog" and "The Frog Prince," and they compare "Eagle Boy" and "Salmon Boy," which directly practices comparing text structure and ideas across texts. Multiple comprehension questions ask cause/effect (e.g., how the actions and feelings of the people affected the frogs and vice versa), prompting students to describe causal relationships in the narratives.
Lesson 3
The Natural World
Students are asked to record the problem and solution for each myth in a journal (Activity 7), directly practicing identification of problem/solution structure. Students compare the mythical explanation of how the fawn got its spots with a scientific explanation and discuss differences (Activity 6), practicing comparison of ideas. Students retell the butterfly story using props and sequencing of ingredients and events (Activity 3), which engages them in ordering events (chronology).
Lesson 4
Survival Stories
Students answer a question that identifies the man's problem and how the alligator helped him, which engages problem/solution reasoning. Students are asked to compare hunting and food sources today versus Native American times, which requires students to make comparisons. Students research the history of the buffalo and discuss the events that led to its near extinction, which asks them to identify causes and effects over time.
Lesson 5
Legends from Other Cultures
Students complete a double-bubble map comparing "Pan Gu Makes the World" and "Silver Fox and Coyote Create the Earth," which has them identify similarities and differences between the two creation myths. Students fill a story map for the creation stories and summarize the Brazilian tale, practicing sequencing of events. In the African tale activity students answer questions asking what Polo discovered and what his solution was, which has them identify a problem and its solution in the text.
Final Project
My Own Myth
The Organizing the Myth activity asks students to record the "Problem in the story" and "How the problem is solved," prompting students to plan a problem/solution structure. The Rough Draft Rubric requires that students provide a problem and solution and directs students to attend to Organization when editing. The editing step has students read specifically for organization, reinforcing attention to how their story is structured (paragraphs, sentence variety, and overall organization).
2: Force and Power
Unit 1: Ben and Me
Lesson 1
Ben Franklin and the Colonies
Students are asked to place Ben Franklin's birth and death on an Age 8–10 Timeline and record life events (Activity 1), which has them organize information chronologically. In Activity 6 students compare Philadelphia "yesterday and today" and are prompted to contrast past and present conditions. Activity 5 prompts students to explain how British control led the colonists to use force to gain independence, which frames events in a cause/effect way. Activity 2 (Elements of Historical Fiction) asks students to identify plot events that include actual historical events, linking events in a narrative sequence.
Lesson 2
Setting the Record Straight
Students answer comprehension questions that require cause-and-effect reasoning (e.g., Question #7 asks how the invention of the stove changed life for the colonists; Question #3 asks why Amos left his family). Students read chapters and record events chapter-by-chapter in the 'Fact and Fiction' chart, which has them identify events tied to particular chapters. The activities ask students to explain motives and outcomes (for example, why Amos decided to write his account), prompting attention to relationships between events and their effects.
Lesson 4
Electricity
Students are asked to verbally summarize the events that occurred in the chapters they read (Wrapping Up). Students answer specific comprehension questions that target causes and outcomes (e.g., why the angry mob came, how Franklin calmed the mob, what initiated Ben's interest in electricity). Students record a factual and a fictional event from each chapter in the Fact and Fiction activity, which requires distinguishing types of information from the text.
Lesson 5
Electrifying
Students read Chapters 7 and 8 and answer comprehension questions that ask them to recount events (e.g., "What happened when the lightning struck?") and explain reasons for actions (e.g., "Why do you think Ben thought it was important to try to control 'forces' in nature?" and "Why did Ben give up his scientific investigation so readily?"). Students record a factual and fictional event from each chapter, which requires distinguishing types of events. Students write a first-person account of flying the kite that asks them to describe what happened and their feelings, prompting a sequential retelling of events.
Lesson 7
France
Students read Chapters 11 and 12 and are asked to summarize what happened, which requires recounting events in order. In Activity 2 students write a step-by-step plan to rescue Sophia's children and explain when force and power should be used, which prompts sequencing and problem/solution thinking. Question 5 and related comprehension prompts ask students to explain motivations (why Ben was in no rush), encouraging cause/effect reasoning, and Activity 1 has students record factual versus fictional events.
Lesson 8
Amos's Account
Students are asked to record "The Sequence of What Occurred During the Event or Surrounding the Accomplishment" and to list events in order on the Organizing My Writing page. The lesson instructs students to use transitional words (first, then, after that, next, lastly, finally) to show sequence and flow. The three-paragraph draft outline asks students to write what occurred leading up to the event, the event itself, and outcomes or consequences, which prompts students to organize events chronologically and show resulting effects.
Lesson 9
The Rescue
Students compare Ben and Amos by filling labeled categories and placing representative items in two sacks, practicing identifying similarities and differences (comparison). Students answer Question #2 about what happened when the mice scampered, identifying an event (mice scampering) and its consequence (the king and queen fainted), which practices cause/effect reasoning. Students are asked to give a summary of the two chapters and to judge whether the rescue was successful, which requires recounting events and evaluating the problem/solution outcome.
Unit 2: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Lesson 1
The Professor's House
Students are asked to summarize the events that occurred today (Wrapping Up), which requires ordering events from the reading. Several comprehension questions prompt cause/effect reasoning (QUESTION #1 asks why the children left London; QUESTIONS #8 and #9 ask about the White Witch's power and why Mr. Tumnus obeys). Activity 1 asks students to describe a battle between good and evil from another story and illustrate a scene demonstrating the struggle for power, which asks them to identify conflict and its outcome.
Lesson 3
Always Winter and Never Christmas
Students are asked to "Identify the conflict of a story" in the Skills section and answer comprehension questions about why events happened (e.g., why Edmund lied, what happened to Mr. Tumnus' home). Students complete the "Narnia Logic" activity in which they evaluate conclusions from given statements, practicing cause/effect and inferential reasoning. The wrapping-up prompts ask students what the children discover and what can be assumed about the witch, which requires students to synthesize events and draw conclusions.
Lesson 4
The Lion
The Skills section lists "Analyze, compare, and contrast written text," and Activity 2 directs students to record words and phrases describing a lion in a short story and then use a Venn diagram to compare that lion to Aslan. Activity 1 asks students to list and illustrate an example of good vs. evil, which has students classify and contrast elements from the chapters. The reading questions prompt students to identify events and character reactions, giving material they can use for comparative analysis.
Lesson 5
A Disappointment
Students are asked to summarize events (recall what happened to Edmund and what the children learned from Mr. and Mrs. Beaver) and to answer questions about reasons Edmund fled (identifying causes). The Skills section requires students to "Compare experiences of characters across texts," and Activity 2 asks students to list and describe other villains and how each uses power, which invites comparative work. Activity 1 has students record examples of good vs. evil, a form of categorizing information from the chapters.
Lesson 6
A Gift from Father Christmas
Students plan and write three organized paragraphs where Paragraph 1 asks them to describe the problem/conflict, Paragraph 2 asks them to describe how they received the gift (a sequence of events), and Paragraph 3 asks them to describe the gift and how it can be used for good (a solution/effect). Students review the main idea of each paragraph and use a rubric to keep focus, include vocabulary, and use descriptive verbs and adjectives. Students draft, revise, and edit their paragraphs to make the ideas clear and logically ordered.
Lesson 7
Spring
Students answer Question #4 about how the environment changes as Edmund rides in the White Witch's sledge and what he hears, and Question #5 asks students to explain why they think these changes were occurring, prompting cause/effect reasoning. In Wrapping Up students are asked to describe how the environment in Narnia is changing and how Edmund is changing. In Activity 1 students record examples of good vs. evil from the chapters, which asks them to categorize events and actions.
Lesson 8
Deep Magic
Students classify characters and ideas by recording examples of good vs. evil (Activity 1) and by choosing a historical ruler and deciding whether that ruler was more similar to Aslan or the White Witch (Activity 4), which practices comparison. Students answer comprehension questions that prompt cause/effect reasoning, for example explaining why the witch killed Aslan (Question #9: he took Edmund's place).
Lesson 9
Back to Life
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that require identifying events in sequence (e.g., what happened to Aslan in the morning; what did the mice do to Aslan) and cause/effect (e.g., why the Stone Table broke and the explanation about a willing innocent victim causing the Table to crack). The Skills list explicitly asks students to "identify and interpret conflict and resolution," which maps to problem/solution structure. Activity 1 (Good vs. Evil) and Activity 2 (comparing Aslan to Christ-like figures) have students identify similarities/differences and make comparisons across texts and characters.
Lesson 10
Back Through the Wardrobe
Students read Chapter 17 and answer comprehension questions that ask them to explain what they discovered in the woods and the significance of that discovery (Question #7) and to describe what happened when the children returned through the wardrobe (Question #8), which requires describing sequence and consequences. Activity 2 asks students to discuss differences between the book and the movie and to explain how characters, creatures, and settings were similar or different, and the Skills list explicitly includes comparing communication in different forms.
Unit 3: The BFG
Lesson 1
In the Middle of the Night
Students are asked in Option 1 to observe and write a paragraph describing how the street looks different at night than during the day, which requires making a direct comparison. Students answer Question #7 about how curiosity can cause problems and Question #5 asking why the giant acted a certain way, which prompt students to identify causes or motivations (cause/effect). The lesson includes questions that require students to describe differences in scenes and to explain reasons for characters' actions.
Lesson 2
Snatched
Students are asked to retell events (QUESTION #1 and Wrapping Up ask students to describe what happened and predict what will happen next), which practices chronology. QUESTION #4 asks why Sophie thought the giant was running fast, prompting students to identify cause/effect. Activity 2 directs students to record similarities and differences between London and their hometown, engaging students in comparison of information.
Lesson 3
The BFG
Students answer comprehension questions that ask them to compare the BFG to other giants (Question #3 and the Wrap-up prompt asking how the BFG is different) and to explain reasons for actions (Question #4 and Question #7 ask why the BFG took Sophie and why he felt he could not stop the other giants). The Quotable Quotes activity has students record key quotes from individual chapters, which organizes material by chapter and could support analysis of parts of the text.
Lesson 5
Time with the BFG
The lesson includes a Skills statement to "Identify and discuss similarities and differences in events, characters, concepts, and ideas" and Activity 2 directs students to compare the BFG and the Bloodbottler across appearance, personality, and power, asking for one similarity and two differences. The Student Activity Page provides structured slots for students to record comparisons, guiding them to analyze characters side-by-side.
Lesson 7
A Nightmare for Fleshlumpeater
The lesson explicitly asks students to "identify and discuss similarities and differences in events, characters, and concepts between texts" and includes activities comparing The BFG with "Jack and the Beanstalk." Multiple questions ask "How are the two stories similar? How are they different?" and an extension directs students to locate different versions and discuss similarities and differences. Some comprehension questions (e.g., how Jack tricks the giant; who is more powerful) require students to link events and outcomes across texts.
Lesson 8
A Dreamy Plan
Students are asked to compare the Queen of England and the President of the United States in Activity 2, prompting them to note similarities and differences in roles and powers (comparison structure). Question #3 asks students to "Describe Sophie's plan. Do you think it will work? Why or why not?" which requires students to state a problem (giants) and the proposed solution (Sophie's plan) and evaluate its effectiveness (problem/solution). The wrapping up prompt again asks students to describe how the Queen is similar and different from the President, reinforcing comparison of informational roles.
Lesson 9
The Palace
Activity 3 explicitly engages students in cause-and-effect work by asking them to give three examples, discuss how character decisions produce effects, and complete a "Cause and Effect" student activity page that requires filling in missing causes or effects based on story events. The lesson also asks students to summarize the events of the chapters and predict what will happen next, which has them sequence events and practice chronology.
Lesson 10
A Breakfast Fit for a Queen
Several comprehension questions ask students to explain reasons and consequences (e.g., Q3 asks why the queen told Mary not to take Sophie, Q5 asks whether the queen would have acted differently without her dream, and Q8 asks why the queen called the King of Sweden). The wrapping-up prompts ask students to describe how the queen received Sophie and the Giant and to consider what might have happened if the queen did not believe Sophie, which asks students to explain outcomes and plausibility. Activity 3 asks students to support character adjectives with examples from the text, requiring them to cite parts of the narrative when explaining character actions.
Lesson 12
Snozzcumbers
The lesson's Skills list asks students to "identify and discuss similarities and differences in events, characters, concepts, and ideas," which aligns with recognizing comparison structure. Question #1 asks students why the giants were imprisoned and whether that was a good method, prompting students to explain cause/effect reasoning. Question #6 asks "What happened when Sophie and the BFG returned to England?", which asks students to summarize a sequence of events.
Final Project
Recipe for a Dream or Newspaper Report
Students are asked to write the dream with a clear beginning, middle, and end and to produce a logically sequenced recipe card and three-paragraph description for "A Dream in a Jar." The rubrics for both options evaluate sequence, paragraph organization, and logical order (e.g., "Sequence," "appropriate, logical sequence"). The London Times task requires students to describe what happened and how the Queen found out and responded, which asks students to recount events and their outcomes.
3: Similarities and Differences
Unit 1: Stories from Africa and Asia
Lesson 1
Meerkats in Botswana
Students use a four-circle graphic organizer labeled Land, Language, Animals, and People to collect and organize information about Botswana. Students read informational pages and record facts in specific sections, and they write a descriptive paragraph or short story that includes five factual details about meerkats. Students discuss meerkat adaptations and explicitly consider the function each feature provides (e.g., dark stomach absorbs sun, dark eye circles help see in sun), which asks them to relate features to functions.
Lesson 2
Meeting Precious
Students are asked to complete the "Precious and Me" pages for each chapter, recording one way Precious is similar to and one way she is different from the student, which has them practice compare/contrast across parts of the text. In Activity 2 Option 2, students fill a chart for ostrich, cobra, and meerkat with labeled categories (Kind of Animal, Diet, Predators, Defense, Habitat, Special Characteristics), which requires organizing and comparing informational details. Question #2 asks how the father's hat saved his life, prompting students to explain a cause-and-effect relationship in the text.
Lesson 3
The Surprise
Students are asked to summarize what happened in Chapters 3 and 4 and to predict what will happen next, which requires them to sequence events. In Question #5 students compare two embedded stories (about Precious's father and about Kosi) and explain why those stories are included and what they reveal about culture, which asks them to analyze how parts of the text function. Activity 4 asks students to identify point of view and locate examples of authorial intrusion, asking them to recognize a narrative device and where it occurs in the text.
Lesson 4
A Missing Cow
Students compare themselves to the character on the "Precious and Me" chart, which asks them to name similarities and differences (comparison structure). Students write a script that sequences dialogue and stage directions for a scene and are asked to predict what will happen next as they follow the cows' footprints (practice with chronological sequence). Students identify the story conflict and classify it as man vs. nature and generate man-vs-nature scenarios for different settings (recognizing a problem arising from natural forces).
Lesson 5
A Good Idea
Students are asked to recount and predict events from Chapters 7 and 8 and to "present information in a sequenced, logical manner," which practices chronology and sequencing of events. Question prompts require students to identify a central problem (finding the correct cow) and Precious's solution, and Activity 2 has students discuss the problem/solution moment and write a paragraph about how they solved a challenging situation. Activity 1 and the opening Questions to Explore prompt students to compare the geography and wildlife of Africa and the United States and to list similarities and differences, which practices comparison structure.
Lesson 6
African Bush Diorama
The book report rubric asks students to summarize the main events (plot) and the organizer includes a specific "Paragraph 2: Plot" section, which asks students to present events in sequence. The organizer also requires "Paragraph 3" to explain how Precious's life is similar to and different from the life of a child in the United States, which asks students to make a direct comparison. The listed skills include using oral and written language to present information in a sequenced, logical manner and using planning strategies to organize ideas.
Lesson 7
Japan
Students are asked to complete a Venn diagram titled "Japan and America" to organize similarities and differences, which requires using a comparison structure. Students read A Kids Guide to Japan and answer questions about cultural similarities and differences, reinforcing comparative reading. Students are also prompted to note dates ("Between 1930 and 1945") and to explain why Japan and America were at war and the negative outcomes, which invites attention to chronology and cause/effect relationships in the historical information.
Lesson 8
Peace Day
Students are asked in Activity 2 to compare Peace Day to a holiday in America, identifying similarities and differences, which practices the comparison structure. Multiple graphic organizers (Activity 3) ask students to record cultural elements by chapter (Chapter 1, 2, 3, etc.), which requires students to organize information from parts of the text. Question #5 and the reading prompts ask students to recount what the family did on Peace Day, prompting students to describe the sequence of events in the text.
Lesson 9
The Secret is Out
Students are asked in Activity 2 (Me and Sadako) to create a chart or Venn diagram and find at least three ways their lives are similar and three ways they are different, which practices comparison structure. The Skills section directs students to "represent text information in different ways, including story maps, graphs, and charts," which has students organize events or information visually. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to explain Sadako's secret and how her family came to know it, which requires students to recount the sequence of events and causes.
Lesson 10
Kenji
Students are asked to summarize the events that occurred in the chapters, which engages them in recounting the text's chronology. Students answer explicit questions about cause (Question #5 asks how Kenji got leukemia and provides a cause). Students identify similarities and differences between characters (Question #7 and the listed skill about identifying similarities and differences).
Lesson 11
O Bon
Students compare Japanese and American traditions in Activity 2 by discussing how families remember deceased relatives and by choosing to write journal entries or songs that contrast O Bon with American remembrance practices. Students record cultural information on the "Japanese Cultural Elements" chart (Activity 1) and answer comprehension questions about events in the chapters (for example, the doctor letting Sadako go home and the family celebrating O Bon), which requires them to recount what happened.
Lesson 13
Precious and Sadako
Students are asked to complete 'Precious and Sadako: Similarities and Differences,' where they record descriptions, quotes, actions, and words/phrases and then explain how the two characters are similar and different. The Skills list explicitly includes 'Identify and discuss similarities and differences in events, characters, concepts, and ideas within and across selections.' Activity 3 asks students to explain three or four important events in each story and offers a scrapbook option that has students select and depict important life events, which supports sequencing of events.
Unit 2: Holes
Lesson 1
Texas and Desert Biomes
Students are asked to create a Venn diagram comparing their own state to Texas, which requires them to organize and contrast information (comparison structure). Students are asked to compile notes into outlines, reports, or summaries and to write a paragraph describing a desert's geographic location, rainfall, and adaptations, which requires organizing informational content. Students are prompted at the end to describe what they learned about Texas and the desert, which asks them to summarize and articulate organized ideas.
Lesson 2
Camp Green Lake
Students read Chapters 1–4 in order and answer comprehension questions about events (e.g., what Stanley's father did, why Stanley went to Camp Green Lake). Several questions focus on causes and outcomes (Question #4 asks why Stanley went to camp; Question #5 asks what caused the family curse; Question #6 asks what happened to the wealth). Activity 1 asks students to list numbered steps for how an invention will be made, which practices sequencing.
Lesson 3
Digging
Students answer questions that require comparing time periods (Question #8 asks how life was different when Stanley's great-great grandfather was alive), and they infer causes (Questions #5 and #6 ask what actually happened with the shoes and why someone might have dropped them). In the science activity, students put soil layers in order and match definitions, which has them sequence and describe the structure of informational content (topsoil, weathered material, subsoil, bedrock).
Lesson 6
Sunflower Seeds
Students are asked to summarize chapters they read and to answer specific chapter questions, which requires recounting events in sequence. Several questions probe reasons for actions (e.g., Why would the Warden poke Armpit? Why did Zigzag hit Stanley?), prompting students to explain cause/effect relationships. The wrap-up asks students to describe how Camp Green Lake is changing Stanley, which asks them to describe change over time in a character.
Lesson 7
Zero
Students are asked to compare Green Lake 100 years ago with Camp Green Lake today (Activity 3) and to discuss similarities, differences, and possible explanations for the geographic change. The Skills section directs students to "Describe similarities and differences among communities in different times and places" and to "Analyze changes... past and present," and Question #6 asks how Green Lake was different 100 years ago. Activity 2 asks students to write a journal paragraph or letter about moving west, which requires sequencing events and describing changes over time.
Lesson 8
Sam the Onion Man
Students answer questions that require explaining events and their causes (e.g., questions about how the town treated Kate and Sam, what the town did to Sam, and how the experience changed Kate), which asks them to connect actions and consequences. The Skills list asks students to identify and discuss similarities and differences in events and characters, supporting comparison work. The Wrapping Up step asks students to summarize the story and discuss that the book has two stories (two plots occurring simultaneously), which prompts attention to overall narrative organization.
Lesson 9
Driving a Truck
Students are asked to summarize Chapters 29–32 and to answer comprehension questions about events (e.g., what happened between Stanley, Zigzag, and Zero; what Stanley did when he drove off with Mr. Sir's truck). Students complete a Character Comparisons activity in which they write similarities and differences between five characters, and the skills list explicitly includes "Summarize written text" and "Identify similarities and differences among characters and stories." The wrap-up directs students to summarize what happened and give examples of adverbs used in sentences from the text.
Lesson 11
The Thumb of God
The Skills section directs students to "Identify similarities and differences among characters and stories," and Activity 3 asks students to compare Kate Barlow and Sam's story with Stanley and Zero's story using a Venn diagram or another method. The activity requires students to record at least three similarities and four differences, having them explicitly organize and compare two parts of the text.
Lesson 13
Innocent
Students are asked in Activity 3 (Multiple Story Plots) to divide events into two plots, place them in chronological order, and identify the problem, climax, and solution for each story. The Skills section explicitly lists that students will "Put story events in proper sequence" and "Identify the problem, climax, and solution of a story." In Activity 2 students compare the movie and book, thinking about similarities and differences and discussing why adaptations change events, which requires describing a comparison structure.
Final Project
Welcome to Camp
Students are asked to write Paragraph 2 explaining the activities and "how the activities will build character and help the boys become productive members of society," which requires explaining cause-and-effect relationships. Students must complete "New Camp vs. Camp Green Lake," listing five ways their camp is different and describing the importance of each difference, which explicitly asks them to compare two sets of ideas. The project asks students to describe how and why the camp will be effective, prompting them to organize reasons and effects in their writing.
Unit 3: Stories from Europe
Lesson 2
Fiona's Luck
Students are prompted to record story elements (setting, characters, plot, conflict, resolution, theme) on the "Fiona's Luck Story Elements" page and to review those elements. The answer key explicitly identifies the conflict (leprechaun king swept up all the luck) and the resolution (Fiona releases the luck), which requires students to recognize a problem/solution structure. The wrapping-up activity asks students to give a verbal summary and to name and describe the story elements they identified.
Lesson 3
The Sea King's Daughter
The "The Sea King's Daughter: Story Elements" activity asks students to describe characters, setting, conflict, resolution, and theme, and the answer key explicitly identifies the conflict and resolution. The wrapping up step asks students to verbally summarize the story, which requires recounting events in sequence. The Story Elements organizer and Reader's Theater require students to identify and recount parts of the story and its resolution.
Lesson 4
The Snow Queen
Students read an informational passage about Denmark and then create a small nonfiction booklet with labeled pages (Geography, History, Transportation, Food, Economy), which requires organizing factual information by topic. The skill list explicitly includes "Read and comprehend informational texts" and "Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts... based on specific information in the text," indicating practice with informational content. Students also complete a "Frozen vs The Snow Queen" comparison page and a "Story Elements" organizer that asks them to identify conflict and resolution (a problem/solution element) in the narrative.
Lesson 5
Comparing and Contrasting Stories
Students complete a "Comparing Story Elements" activity in which they list three similarities and three differences between two or more stories and explain which stories are most similar and most different and why. Students gather story element pages and use those elements to compare plots, characters, themes, and settings across the three stories. Students also retell selected events from a story in first person and explain how the change in point of view affects the telling of those events.
Final Project
Writing Your Own Story
Students are prompted to "organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally" in the Skills list, explicitly linking student action to sequencing events. The Part 5 Plot and the Plot Organizer student page require students to describe a Beginning, Conflict, two Events, and a Resolution, which asks students to lay out the overall event structure. The Rough Draft page layouts instruct students to introduce setting/characters, present the problem/conflict, describe events working toward solving the problem, and explain how the problem is solved, guiding students to sequence and describe problem/solution structure.
4: Exploration and Survival
Unit 1: Abel's Island
Lesson 1
Survival
Students are asked in Activity 4 to list three things they would miss if shipwrecked and then compare that list to what Abel misses, which requires comparing elements across texts. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to discuss how life along a river a hundred years ago would have been different than today, which engages students in explicit comparison of ideas across time. The Natural River Resources chart asks students to list river resources and how they can be used for survival, which has students connect causes (resource) to effects (uses for food, shelter, clothing).
Lesson 2
The Storm
Students are asked to use a "Using Natural Resources" chart organized by chapter (1-2, 3-4, etc.) to record natural resources Abel uses and how he uses them, which requires tracking information across parts of the text. Students complete comprehension questions about events (e.g., how the wind carried Abel away, what shelter the animals found) and make predictions about what will happen later, which engages sequencing and cause/effect thinking. The Predictions and Inferences activities ask students to infer character traits from actions and to predict future events, linking events across the text.
Lesson 3
Where Am I?
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that require identifying events, causes, and outcomes (e.g., where Abel was stuck, what he ate, how he adapted, what happened to each boat). Students complete a "Using Natural Resources" chart that asks them to locate and organize information from Chapters 3 and 4. Students are asked to summarize what happened in the chapters and to propose plans to help Abel get off the island, supporting conclusions with examples from the text.
Lesson 4
Who Is Abel?
Students answer specific text questions that ask about Abel's plans for leaving the island and how he is adapting (questions about what Abel tried, his new plan, and how he is learning to adapt), which addresses problem/solution and change over time. Students are asked to represent text information in different ways, including story maps, graphs, and charts, and to fill a "Using Natural Resources" chart from Chapters 5 and 6. Activity 2 directs students to provide textual evidence and make inferences about Abel's traits and changes, which requires tracking events and character development across the text.
Lesson 5
Perseverance
Students are asked to describe the problem of the story and identify the conflict, with specific reading questions about events (e.g., Abel's plan for crossing the river, how he made and used fire) that require describing event outcomes. The Reflective Writing Organizer directs students to write three paragraphs labeled "The goal or problem," "obstacles faced along the way," and "how you persevered to solve the problem or reach your goal," which structures their writing around problem/solution and sequence. The Reflective Writing Rubric asks students to check that their paragraphs have a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence, reinforcing organization of ideas.
Lesson 6
Surprises
Students are asked to cut apart and order Abel's routines (Activity 2, Option 1), which requires them to sequence events in chronological order and explain how they decided the order. In Activity 2, Option 2, students create Abel's daily schedule and then compare and contrast it with their own, which asks them to identify similarities and differences (comparison). Several comprehension questions (for example, why Abel worried about winter) prompt students to link events and consequences within the chapters.
Lesson 7
Threats
Students read Chapters 11–12 and answer comprehension questions that ask how the environment is changing and how Abel is adapting (Question #5) and how Abel protected himself (Question #4), which prompts students to describe events and responses. In Activity 3, students list three adaptations for Abel and describe how each will aid his survival, requiring them to connect problems (threats) to solutions. The wrapping up prompt asks students to describe threats Abel faces and how he is adapting and surviving, encouraging students to explain relationships between events and outcomes. The vocabulary activity includes the word "sequence," exposing students to a term related to text structure.
Lesson 8
The Dead of Winter
The lesson asks students to identify and discuss similarities and differences in events, characters, concepts, and ideas (skill bullet) and to fill in a chart, "Using Natural Resources," taking information from Chapters 13 and 14, which requires organizing information from the text. Question #5 explicitly asks students to explain how Abel's attitude changed as the earth warmed and why, prompting a cause-and-effect explanation. The wrapping up prompt asks students to find information that explains Abel's hibernation/torpor, directing them to locate explanatory information in the chapters.
Lesson 9
The Newcomer
Students create a Venn diagram comparing Gower and Abel, which has them organize similarities and differences (comparison). Students prepare and rehearse a script with lines and stage directions and the Skills section asks them to present information in a sequenced, logical manner, which practices sequencing/chronology. Reading questions include causal prompts (e.g., "Why didn't Abel go with him?") and Activity 1 asks students to fill a chart using information from Chapters 15 and 16, which has students organize information from the text.
Lesson 10
Escape
Students are asked to describe Abel before and after his time on the island and to explain what caused Abel to change, which requires identifying change over time and cause/effect relationships (Activity 3). Students write acrostic descriptions for Abel before and after the island, which has them compare two states of the character and articulate differences. The wrapping-up prompt has students describe a situation in their own life that caused change, reinforcing practice with cause/effect and comparison of before/after.
Final Project
Your Own Deserted Island
Students are asked to write a step-by-step escape plan with a numbered sequence and the rubric checks for "realism" and "logical order of steps," which requires planning events in chronological order. Students write a paragraph describing how they landed on the island and how they use resources, which requires organizing events and actions into a coherent sequence. The map and descriptive paragraphs require students to organize spatial and environmental information into labeled parts (paragraph, map, key).
Unit 2: Pedro's Journal
Lesson 1
Exploring with Columbus
Activity 4 asks students to trace Columbus' route on a map and record dates and important events along the journey, prompting students to organize events in chronological order. Activity 2 has students list reasons for exploration and write a possible positive and possible negative result for each reason, which has students connect causes (motivations) with effects and weigh comparisons. The "Columbus, The Man" activity and its two-column organizer ask students to list positive and negative characteristics/actions, encouraging students to compare differing perspectives.
Lesson 2
August
Students read Pedro's journal entries for specific months and are asked to record the approximate geographic location, an important event, and the attitudes of Columbus, Pedro, and the crew for each month. The Student Activity Page "The Journey" is organized with rows labeled by months (August through February) so students fill information in chronological order. The activity directs students to track events and attitudes month-by-month, requiring them to place information in a temporal sequence.
Lesson 3
September
Students are asked to summarize what happened to Columbus and the crew in September, which requires sequencing events. Students answer direct comprehension questions that show cause/effect (e.g., "What will happen if they do not find a port within 28 days?" — crew will run out of food) and identify signs and events (e.g., signs of land, meteor sighting). Students compare interpretations of the meteor (sailors thought it an omen vs. Columbus's explanation) and respond to prompts about threats to survival and means of survival from the "Questions to Explore."
Lesson 4
October
Students read the journal entries for October, giving them exposure to a sequence of dated entries (chronology). Students complete a two-bubble graphic organizer titled "The Natives and the White Men," recording words or phrases each group might use to describe the other (explicit comparison practice). The "Questions to Explore" include prompts such as "How are cultures changed through exploration?" and "How are individual lives changed through exploration?", which ask students to consider causes and effects of exploration.
Lesson 6
November
Students are asked to complete the "Surviving Life at Sea, Surviving Life on Land" two-column organizer, listing disadvantages for each setting and deciding which they would prefer, which requires them to compare two sets of information. Several comprehension questions ask students to explain reasons (e.g., "Why did Columbus want to take the native people back to Spain?") and to recount events (e.g., "What happened to the Pinta?"), which prompt students to identify causes or sequence elements in the text.
Lesson 7
December
Students read the journal entries for December and answer specific questions about events tied to dates (e.g., Describe the encounter the sailors had on December 3rd; What did Pedro do on Christmas Eve?), which prompts attention to the sequence of events. Students complete a 'Treasures' activity in which they illustrate and label treasures Columbus expected vs. treasures found and then compare the two lists, directly practicing comparison of information. Students answer a question asking why the king's instruction to take anything might be a mistake, prompting them to consider consequences and implications of actions (a basic cause/effect consideration).
Lesson 8
The Island of the Skog
Students are asked to use a "Comparing Stories" graphic organizer to record similarities and differences between Pedro's Journal and The Island of the Skog, directly practicing comparison of texts. Discussion questions prompt students to identify causes and outcomes (e.g., why the mice set off, what threatened survival, and how the community changed), which engages them in cause/effect and problem/solution thinking. The listed skill explicitly directs students to "identify and discuss similarities and differences in events, characters, concepts, and ideas within and across selections and support them by referencing the text."
Lesson 9
January
Students read Pedro's dated journal entry for January and answer guided comprehension questions, which provides practice with events presented in time order. Activity 1 asks students to fill in information on a "The Journey" page, which supports sequencing of events. Question #1 asks why some men stayed behind, and Activity 3 asks students to discuss threats to manatee survival and how exploration led to learning about species, both of which invite cause-and-effect thinking.
Lesson 10
February
The lesson asks students to use oral or written language to recount or narrate and has students finish the book and answer comprehension questions about events (e.g., how many months the voyage took, what happened to the Pinta, how sea conditions changed). Activity 3 requires students to pretend to be Pedro and write a firsthand report that must explain the crew's survival, their discoveries, and what it was like to sail with Columbus, which prompts students to organize and report events and information. The journal "The Journey" pages and assigned questions ask students to record and reflect on sequences and changes in the voyage.
Final Project
Story Blocks
Students record three things that threatened the sailors' survival and three actions the crew or captain took to aid survival on the Survival Cube, which asks them to connect problems and responses. Students record discoveries and describe how lives and cultures were changed on the Exploration Cube, which has them note impacts of navigation. In the Wrapping Up students explain the information on each block as they place them, which prompts recounting events or information tied to each cube.
Unit 3: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Lesson 1
Sickness
Students are directed to "reference the text to determine the plot and sequence of events in a story" in the Skills section. Students complete a Plot Flowchart for each chapter, recording a major event and tracking story progression across chapters. Students discuss that stories have a series of events, a problem, and usually a solution, and answer journal questions about plot and events.
Lesson 2
Spring is Coming
Students are asked to complete a Plot Flowchart recording an event from each chapter, which has them sequence events across the text (chronology). Students describe how Mr. Fitzgibbon plowing the garden in spring destroys animal homes and how that threatens the mice, which has them explain cause-and-effect relationships. Students compare rats and mice using a Venn diagram or another organizer, which has them identify similarities and differences (comparison).
Lesson 3
A Visit to an Owl
Students are asked to fill out a Plot Flowchart with an event from the two chapters, requiring them to place events in sequence. Students are prompted to identify Mrs. Frisby's problem and discuss Jeremy's help, which engages problem/solution thinking. Comprehension questions ask why Mrs. Frisby was afraid and whether she should have visited the owl, prompting students to explain causes and assess solutions. The wrapping up asks students to describe what happened, which requires summarizing the sequence and outcomes of events.
Lesson 4
Rats in the Rosebush
Students are asked to complete a Plot Flowchart for the chapters they read, which requires them to put events in sequence and reflect on the chapter structure. Question #1 and #3 ask about the owl's first advice and what he then recommended, prompting students to identify the order of events and the owl's changing recommendations. The wrapping up question and Question #5 ask students to identify what is threatening Timothy and why Mrs. Frisby explored the rosebush, prompting students to state problems and causes motivating character actions.
Lesson 5
Meeting the Rats
Students complete a Plot Flowchart in which they describe an important event from both chapters, which practices sequencing events (chronology). In the "Beyond Needs" activity students list ways the rats functioned beyond normal rats and discuss similarities to humans, which practices comparison of ideas. Students are also asked to describe how each machine or invention makes life easier for the rats, which engages cause-and-effect thinking about information in the text.
Lesson 6
A Plan for Mrs. Frisby
Students create a Plot Flowchart to describe important events from the two chapters, which requires sequencing events (chronology). Students are asked to describe the rats' plan and to devise a plan to move the house, which has them identify and work through a problem/solution structure. The listed skills ask students to "discuss alternative solutions for a problem in a story" and to "analyze, compare, and contrast printed and visual information," providing practice with problem/solution and comparison structures.
Lesson 7
The Capture
Students are asked to complete a Plot Flowchart to "describe an important event from both chapters," and to make a list of important events before writing a summary of Nicodemus' story, which requires sequencing. Guided questions ask students how the rats got caught, where they lived before capture, and what happened after capture, prompting students to explain causes and consequences. The wrapping-up prompts ask students to explain how the rats were captured and what happened when they were captured, reinforcing event order and causal relations.
Lesson 8
Life at NIMH
Students are asked to complete a Plot Flowchart and "describe an important event from both chapters," which asks them to organize events in sequence. Question #5 asks students to recount the steps scientists used to teach rats to read, requiring students to describe a procedure in order. Question #3 asks why the scientists responded calmly when Justin escaped, prompting students to explain cause and effect. The wrapping up prompt asks students to describe life at NIMH and to judge whether the scientists were doing a good or bad thing, engaging students with the ideas and consequences in the text.
Lesson 9
The Escape
Students are asked to complete a Plot Flowchart recording an important event from each chapter, which has them sequence events and attend to chronology. Students compare Nicodemus before and after NIMH on the activity page, practicing comparison of ideas and character states. Question prompts (e.g., why rats delayed escape, what tools they used, and how they escaped) ask students to explain reasons and solutions, engaging with cause/effect and problem/solution aspects of the text.
Lesson 10
Amazing Rats
Students are asked to complete a Plot Flowchart by recording an important event from each chapter, which practices ordering events (chronology). Several comprehension questions ask students to explain the rats' plan and reasons for actions (e.g., why the rats built a plow and why they wanted to grow their own food), which requires explaining causes and solutions. The wrapping-up prompt asks students to describe the Main Hall, the rats' plan, and why they devised it, prompting students to state problem/solution relationships and reasons.
Lesson 11
The Plan
Students are asked to record an important event from each chapter on a Plot Flowchart, which requires them to sequence events (chronology). Several comprehension questions (e.g., why Jenner left, why the rats planned to destroy things, how they got power) require students to explain causes and motivations, implicating cause/effect reasoning. The Animal Testing and Research page asks students to list arguments for and against, which has them compare positive and negative information.
Lesson 12
Working in the Night
Students are asked to complete a Plot Flowchart by filling in events from the chapters, which requires them to sequence events (chronology). Students draw and label how the rats moved the house and invent solutions using given materials, which has them identify a problem and the solution the characters used. Question prompts ask what happened to Jenner and the rats (they were electrocuted) and what danger was coming (poisoning), which asks students to identify causes or consequences in the story.
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, one event after the climax, and the solution, which requires organizing events in sequence. The Skills and Facts sections explicitly direct students to determine the plot, conflict, sequence of events, and resolution, and Option 2 asks students to label story parts (rising action, climax, falling action, problem, solution).
Final Project
The Next Chapter or Book Float
Students are asked to list four major events in order on the "Outlining the Chapter" page and to write a chapter summary, which requires organizing events chronologically and sequencing ideas. The rubric and organization prompts ask whether "the events [were] easy to follow" and whether the chapter "focus[ed] on the rats' survival and inventiveness," encouraging students to organize content logically. In Option 2, students must choose items for the float that represent the problem and the solution and the float rubric asks whether the float "show[ed] the story's solution," prompting students to identify problem/solution structure.