Fifth Grade - ELA
1: Relationships
Unit 1: Poetry
Lesson 1
What Is Poetry?
Students read multiple poems from R is for Rhyme and are asked to choose and read at least three additional poems, answer comprehension questions (favorite poem, prior knowledge), and record poem titles. Students identify and apply poetry-specific concepts (syllable, line, stanza, couplet, quatrain, meter, rhyming pattern, weak rhyme) and practice analysis by labeling rhyming patterns and noting meter. Students practice comprehension and interpretation skills by paraphrasing, illustrating visual imagery they hear, describing mood/tone, and memorizing and reciting poems aloud to attend to meaning and fluency.
Lesson 2
Parts of Speech and Rhymes in Poetry
Students read multiple poems from My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States and answer comprehension questions (favorite poem, meaning of lines, descriptive words for the region). Students identify end rhyme words, record them, and compose their own end rhyme poems. Students analyze author word choice by locating action verbs, nouns, and adjectives from specific poems and illustrating how those words create imagery.
Lesson 6
Art and Poetry
Students read poems in the My America selections for "The Mountain States" and "The Pacific Coast States" and answer comprehension questions about those poems. Students identify a simile in "Skier," describe imagery evoked by poems, analyze mood in "Alaska," and explain what they learned about the culture and geography of the West. Students also reread specific poems to study couplet structure, write their own two-couplet poem following a model, and convert song lyrics into poetic lines.
Lesson 7
Robert Frost
Students read pages 1–21 of the verse novel Love That Dog and read Robert Frost poems such as "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and "The Pasture." Students answer comprehension questions about the novel (e.g., narrator age, how the novel is different) and complete poem analysis tasks asking about setting, stanza structure, point of view, and favorite lines. Students practice close reading and literary technique identification (look for literary techniques, record action verbs, compare poems using a Venn diagram) and are asked to write their own poem using action verbs.
Lesson 9
Write About What You Know
Students read pages 46–60 of Love That Dog and answer comprehension questions about plot and word meaning. Students visit the library (or use home books) to read a variety of poetry collections and record titles, words, figurative language phrases, and poem types on a "Book of Poetry" page. Students write a free verse poem using vivid adjectives, strong verbs, and imagery and read it aloud to discuss word choice and figurative language.
Lesson 10
Inspired
Students finish reading the book Love That Dog and answer comprehension questions (e.g., why Jack could not stop thinking about hearing back, how Walter Dean Myers receives letters). Students identify figurative language by listing metaphors found in the text and complete a graphic organizer comparing Jack's poem "Love That Dog" with Walter Dean Myers's "Love That Boy." Students write an original poem inspired by a favorite poem and memorize and practice reciting a poem with attention to enunciation, tone, speed, and volume.
Final Project
Coffee House Poetry Reading
Students are asked to plan and present a Coffee House Poetry Reading, which requires them to read poems aloud and create a program listing each poem and author. The Parent Plan lists skills for students to "recite brief poems (two or three stanzas) using clear diction, tempo, volume, and phrasing," to "assess how language choice and delivery affect the tone of the message," and to "adapt spoken language...to the audience, purpose, and occasion." The rubric and prompts focus on oral comprehension/performance elements such as words being easy to understand, tone and volume appropriateness, reading with feeling, and techniques poets use to engage readers and appeal to the senses.
Unit 2: The View from Saturday
Lesson 1
The Academic Bowl
Students are directed to read The View from Saturday (pages 1–20) and answer comprehension questions in complete sentences, showing direct engagement with a literary text. Students are asked to identify plot structure (the main story interrupted by flashbacks) and to discuss complex themes such as divorce and bullying, and to interpret characters' perspectives (e.g., why Mrs. Olinski selected her team). Students complete activities that require distinguishing fact from opinion and writing a multi-sentence thank-you letter, which involve comprehension and interpretation of the story.
Lesson 2
Florida
Students read Chapter 2 and "Nadia Tells of Turtle Love" (pages 25–41) and answer directed comprehension questions in complete sentences. Students create plot flowcharts for multiple characters (Noah, Nadia, Ethan, Julian) and compare similarities and differences between characters. Students interpret speakers' messages and perspectives and practice vocabulary by locating word meanings and using words in sentences.
Lesson 3
Sea Turtles
Students finish reading the story "Nadia Tells of Turtle Love" and answer literal and inferential questions about plot details and motivations (e.g., why Nadia stops going on turtle walks and what her father decides to do). Students analyze character voice by comparing Nadia's voice to Noah's and write three observations about Nadia in a journal, then complete a storyline for Nadia. Students also practice analyzing characters' traits, motivations, conflicts, points of view, relationships, and changes through guided questions and activities.
Lesson 7
Annie
Students are asked to read Chapter 4 and a narrated scene (Julian's story) and answer comprehension questions about setting, plot, and character decisions. Students analyze characters and relationships by completing a graphic organizer linking characters and writing phrases that explain connections. Students dramatize and reconstruct scenes by writing a script with dialogue and stage directions and then enact it, showing engagement with drama and story structure.
Lesson 8
The Souls
Students read Chapters 5–8 of the novel and answer specific comprehension questions that ask them to interpret meaning, compare ideas (mischief vs. malice), and infer motivations. Students analyze character development by listing round and flat characters, writing three facts about each round character, and describing relationships for flat characters. Students also produce writing that reflects comprehension (an acrostic poem about The Souls) and locate adverbs in the text as part of review.
Lesson 9
Kindness
Students finish reading a longer narrative (The Souls) and answer comprehension questions that ask for recall and inference (e.g., how the village helped the team; whether Julian should have disagreed with the judge). Students write journal responses describing each character's journey and make connections between text events and personal experience. Activities require students to support ideas with evidence, articulate themes and cross-cultural connections, and reenact or discuss key scenes.
Unit 3: American Tall Tales and Legends
Lesson 1
Story Genres
Students read a variety of folktales (tall tales, trickster tales, myths, legends) and are asked to identify which stories fit each definition by writing titles beneath genre descriptions. Students locate a folktale from their home library and record in a journal five things they learn about the culture of origin, demonstrating literal and cultural comprehension. Students categorize story titles by U.S. region on maps and add illustrations, showing they can connect texts to geographic and cultural contexts.
Lesson 2
Tales and Legends of the Northeast
Students read multiple folktales and tall tales ("Star Maiden," "Bess Call," "Drop Star," Johnny Appleseed") and answer text-dependent comprehension questions about plot and character. Students identify and use figurative language (hyperbole) by finding examples and creating their own, and record character traits on activity pages. Students compare legend to biography (Venn diagram) and research John Chapman, summarizing information in a bio-poem.
Lesson 5
Tales and Legends of the Southwest
Students read multiple folktales and a tall tale ("Pale-Faced Lightning," "Sister Fox and Brother Coyote," and "Pecos Bill") and answer specific comprehension questions that include recall and inferential responses. Students compare and contrast two trickster tales using a graphic organizer and identify at least three similarities and differences. Students write a summary of a story using transitional words, outline a new trickster tale (planning setting, characters, and plot), and list ten geographic details from "Pecos Bill," showing attention to setting and thematic elements.
Lesson 6
Tales and Legends of the West
Students are assigned to read multiple literary texts independently ("Hekeke," "Hiiaka," and "Paul Bunyan") and to answer specific comprehension questions for each text. Students complete analytical tasks such as listing gods and humans, identifying the message of a myth, ordering paragraphs from the story, writing a book-jacket summary, and retelling a chosen legend aloud with attention to sequence and tone. Students are instructed to read independently daily to build background knowledge and to record and self-evaluate oral retellings.
2: Diversity and Interdependence
Unit 1: The Cay
Lesson 2
Curacao
Students are asked to read Chapters 1 and 2 of The Cay and answer comprehension questions in complete sentences that target plot, character, and cultural understanding. Students practice vocabulary in context, write dictionary definitions, and compare their meanings, and they analyze an authorial simile and create opening "hooks" to examine author choices. The Parent Plan lists skills students will practice, including inferring word meanings, identifying and interpreting authors' word choices, and considering how language and visuals bring characters to life.
Lesson 3
Overboard
Students read Chapters 3 and 4 of the novel and answer comprehension questions that ask about events, character motivations, and prejudice. Students record sentences describing Phillip and Timothy across chapters to analyze characters' feelings, thoughts, and actions. Students practice translating Timothy's dialect and work on varying sentence lengths to support understanding of complex language and author craft.
Lesson 4
Land
Students are asked to read Chapters 5 and 6 of The Cay and answer comprehension questions, including an inferential question about Timothy's motives and a question that requires explaining Phillip's reliance on Timothy using text evidence. The Skills section explicitly directs students to "Draw inferences...and support them with text, evidence, and experience," and Part C asks students to find sentences from the novel, requiring close reading and locating textual evidence. Students also complete written descriptions of characters, which requires comprehension of the literary text.
Lesson 5
Stranded
Students read Chapters 7 and 8 of The Cay and complete comprehension questions that ask about plot details and character interactions (Questions 1–5). Students fill in information about both characters on a "Phillip and Timothy" page and are asked to identify and examine characters' motives as part of responding to literature. The Parent Plan and Skills lists explicitly direct students to interact with text by locating relevant information, read a variety of texts including nonfiction, and respond to literature using interpretive and evaluative processes.
Lesson 6
Work
Students are instructed to read Chapters 9 and 10 of The Cay and answer specific comprehension questions about actions (e.g., how they made a rope) and motivations (e.g., why Timothy wanted Phillip to work). Students write sentences describing characters' attitudes and actions and respond to discussion prompts about character change and discrimination. Students analyze scenarios about discrimination and complete a survival activity that requires identifying and illustrating resources, including considering Phillip's needs because he is blind.
Lesson 7
Different Cultures
Students are instructed to read Chapters 11 and 12 of The Cay and answer specific comprehension questions about plot and character (e.g., Phillip's fears about Timothy, Timothy's beliefs, and how Phillip helps Timothy). Students complete a "Phillip and Timothy" activity page to fill in character information and write journal lists comparing how each character has helped the other. Students engage in discussion prompts about how Phillip is learning to function as a blind person and how the relationship between Timothy and Phillip is changing.
Lesson 8
Fishing
Students are asked to read Chapters 13 and 14 of The Cay and to write sentences describing the characters' feelings and actions toward one another. Students answer comprehension questions that require explanation and inference (e.g., why Timothy taught Phillip, how Phillip felt when he caught his first fish, signs of an approaching hurricane). Students write two journal entries from Phillip's perspective that require using sensory details and analyzing Timothy's character based on words and actions. The lesson's skill list explicitly includes analyzing characters, events, and plots and citing supporting evidence.
Lesson 9
The Storm
Students read Chapters 15 and 16 of The Cay and answer direct comprehension questions (e.g., words/phrases describing the storm, how Phillip survived, what the eye of the hurricane is). The skills list and questions ask students to summarize major points from fiction and to respond using critical, evaluative, and interpretive processes by examining reasons for characters' actions. Students organize ideas on provided graphic organizers and plan a three-paragraph essay analyzing how Phillip and Timothy's relationship changed, then write a rough draft using a rubric that focuses on sentence structure, word choice, and mechanics.
Lesson 10
Survival
Students read Chapters 17 and 18 of The Cay and are instructed to write five questions about the chapters, including both text-based (comprehension) and opinion/inferential questions. Students complete a "Phillip and Timothy" activity page and a "Remembering Timothy" drawing/writing task that asks them to describe how items represent Timothy. Students are asked to explain the theme of the book and support their idea with evidence from the text.
Final Project
For Timothy
Students read the last chapter of The Cay and answer directed comprehension questions and fill in a "Phillip and Timothy" activity page. The skills list asks students to identify and interpret elements of fiction and nonfiction and to support ideas by referencing the text. Students also read or listen to Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and are asked to read part aloud, and they write and deliver a eulogy that requires describing what they learned from Timothy and connecting that experience to King's dream.
Unit 2: A House of Tailors
Lesson 1
German Immigrants
Students are assigned to read the historical fiction novel A House of Tailors as part of a literature unit. The Parent Plan lists a skill to "Interact with text before reading by making connections with previous experiences, information, and ideas," and activities ask students to journal about life in 1870, locate Germany and gather facts, and share their learning. Students are asked to write journal entries about what German immigrants should know about America and to write about their own ancestry, which requires engagement with historical context related to the book.
Lesson 2
Dina in Germany
Students are asked to read Chapters 1–2 of the novel A House of Tailors and answer explicit comprehension questions about plot and character (six supplied Q&A). Students create vocabulary picture maps for challenging words and practice grammar and text-structure skills (identifying dependent/independent clauses, inserting commas, and combining clauses). The Parent Plan and Skills list direct students to recognize cause-and-effect relationships and to use the text's structure or progression of ideas to locate and recall information.
Lesson 3
Journey to New York
Students are asked to read Chapters 3–6 of A House of Tailors and answer seven comprehension questions that require recall and inference about characters, plot, and setting. Students complete a Cause and Effect activity connecting events in the story to their consequences and write two personal examples. Students record details about New York City and immigrant life across chapter ranges using a graphic organizer, and they summarize and explain choices in a packing activity using multi-clause sentences.
Lesson 4
Welcome to New York
Students are directed to read Chapters 7-9 of A House of Tailors and answer specific comprehension questions about plot, character motivations, and setting. Students analyze the author's descriptive language by listing interesting adjectives and strong verbs and sorting words by the five senses from pages 46-48. Students write their own descriptive paragraph about a street, using sensory details and combining independent clauses with conjunctions, and the skills section explicitly includes identifying and interpreting elements of fiction and supporting answers by referencing the text.
Lesson 5
Dina's Job
Students are directed to read Chapters 10–12 of A House of Tailors and answer text-based comprehension questions (e.g., questions about Dina's wants, actions, and dependence on family). Students complete character-analysis activities (picture frames and bubble maps) that require identifying character traits and comparing families. The lesson asks students to make inferences, draw conclusions, make generalizations, and cite supporting evidence from the text.
Lesson 6
A New Hat
Students are asked to read Chapters 13–15 of A House of Tailors and answer comprehension questions in complete sentences, including inferential items (e.g., Why do you think Barbara responded in such a manner?). Students complete an activity sorting "Expectations vs. Reality of Immigration," fill in informational pages about the city/people of New York in 1870, and write a personal journal entry reflecting on embarrassment. Students also engage in explicit vocabulary work—using a dictionary and thesaurus to build vocabulary cubes for five context-rich words and practice those words in games and discussion.
Lesson 7
Sickness
Students are asked to read Chapters 16–18 of A House of Tailors and answer specific comprehension questions about vocabulary (vaccination), character symptoms, fears, and actions. Students practice analyzing author's language on the "Finding the Right Words" page by identifying effective descriptive phrasing and writing focused, sensory descriptions. Students write a short journal entry about a time they felt fear and discuss word choice, showing practice in interpreting tone and emotional content.
Lesson 8
Christmas
Students read Chapters 19–21 of A House of Tailors and record details about people and the city, showing direct engagement with a literary text. Students answer a set of literal and interpretive questions (e.g., what gifts Dina received, what Johann meant), and complete activities that require drawing conclusions and citing text evidence. Students analyze characters' motivations (Should I Stay or Go? activity) and practice speculating and interpreting through journal-style and discussion prompts.
Lesson 10
Fire!
Students read Chapters 22–24 and answer specific comprehension questions about cause, actions, and character concerns, showing direct practice with understanding plot and character. Students complete an 'Analyzing Writing' organizer that asks them to identify techniques the author uses to create interest, suspense, conflict, and descriptive language, practicing literary analysis. Students also practice close reading of sentence-level writing through the punctuation activity that uses sentences from the novel, reinforcing attention to text details.
Lesson 11
Living the American Dream
Students finish reading a historical fiction novel (A House of Tailors) and are asked to select a chapter to read aloud and then answer comprehension questions. Students answer literal, interpretative, and open-ended questions about plot, character motivation, and events (e.g., Why did Dina decide to stay?, How did Uncle respond?). Students produce written work that demonstrates comprehension and analysis, including summarizing details on a page about New York in 1870, creating a book jacket that requires summarizing characters/plot, and completing reflective "if...then" scenarios from a character's point of view.
Final Project
Today and Yesterday or Story Quilt
Students are asked to reread the author's descriptions and locate information in the novel for use in projects (e.g., taking notes, recording reasons Dina stayed, illustrating homes, and making a Venn diagram comparing Dina and her uncle). The Story Quilt squares require students to represent characters, setting, major events, conflicts, and reactions in writing and illustration. The rubric explicitly evaluates content accuracy and demonstration of understanding of the story, and students must write and present poems that reflect life in New York using evidence from text and research.
Unit 3: My Side of the Mountain
Lesson 2
Learning to Survive
Students are asked to read pages 1–20 of My Side of the Mountain and answer comprehension questions in complete sentences. Students practice summarizing major plot points and identifying main ideas by referencing the text, as listed in the Parent Plan skills. Students also quote or paraphrase information sources when creating the Smokey the Bear poster and use vocabulary activities that require reading and matching word meanings to text.
Lesson 3
Making a Home
Students are instructed to read pages 21–40 of My Side of the Mountain and to summarize what happened in the previous reading, showing practice with comprehension and retelling. Students answer explicit comprehension questions (literal and inferential), such as interpreting Sam's quote about fire, identifying where he makes his home, and describing actions he took to hollow the tree. Students complete activities that require applying text knowledge (Wilderness Survival), using vocabulary and word roots to decode and understand domain-specific words (Natural Root Words), and creating analogies that connect text themes to larger ideas (Forced Analogy).
Lesson 4
A Baby Falcon
Students are instructed to read pages 41–58 of My Side of the Mountain and answer four comprehension questions that require them to recount events and infer motivations (e.g., why Sam wanted a falcon). Students complete follow-up activities and discussion prompts that ask them to explain relationships, describe characters/animals, and justify opinions about Sam's choices. Prefix and activity tasks also support word-level comprehension strategies that can assist understanding of the text.
Lesson 5
A Stranger
Students are assigned to read pages 58–85 of My Side of the Mountain and answer specific comprehension questions about characters, plot, and motivations (e.g., describing the Baron, explaining Sam's winter preparations, and inferring who Bando is). Students write a summary of the reading that must use words with specified suffixes, and they discuss connections between Sam and Thoreau, which requires synthesizing ideas from the text. Activities ask students to infer character traits and provide evidence (e.g., Q4 and Q5) and to summarize content in writing, which engages comprehension and text-based reasoning.
Lesson 6
Autumn
Students are directed to read pages 86–106 of My Side of the Mountain and to generate one example of each question type (In the Text, Think and Search, Reader and Author, On My Own), practicing literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension. Students practice vocabulary strategies by underlining prefixes/suffixes/roots in a paragraph and defining words from context, which supports decoding and comprehension of complex words. Students research and prepare a RAFT presentation about falcons that requires synthesizing information about relationships among organisms and presenting that understanding orally and visually.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students are instructed to finish reading My Side of the Mountain and answer comprehension questions that ask them to analyze character change, infer causes (e.g., Sam's weather cues and vitamin needs), and interpret motives. Students choose and complete Think-Tac-Toe activities that require higher-level comprehension tasks such as creating a plot diagram in a different setting, discussing character relationships, and describing interdependence among organisms. Students also engage in word-analysis tasks (roots, prefixes, suffixes) to decode complex vocabulary to assist comprehension.
3: Discovery and Survival
Unit 1: The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Lesson 1
Barbados to Connecticut
Students are directed to read the first two chapters of The Witch of Blackbird Pond and answer five comprehension questions that check literal understanding (where Kit grew up, where she was going, what she did). Students review and apply chapter vocabulary by writing sentences using each word about the chapters, and they complete activities (map work, timeline entry) that connect text details to geography and historical context. Parent-plan discussion prompts ask students to consider characters' motives and reactions, prompting some inferential thinking about character and culture.
Lesson 2
The Woods
Students are instructed to read Chapters 3 and 4 of the novel and answer specific comprehension questions that ask about character reception, motivations, and details (literal and inferential comprehension). Students are asked to take notes in a journal while reading about the Connecticut Colony and to compare and contrast Barbados and Connecticut using texts and a chart, integrating information from multiple sources. Students respond to discussion prompts about how Kit might fit in and how her life will change, requiring them to synthesize character and setting information.
Lesson 4
William
Students are asked to read Chapters 7 and 8 and answer specific comprehension questions, and to summarize the chapters and compare characters (Mercy and Judith). The parent-plan skills explicitly list supporting judgments with references to the text and analyzing characters and their conflicts, and students complete activities that require listing colonists' chores and giving reasons for Royalist vs. free-government positions. The Student Activity Page directs students to produce written lists comparing Royalist and Free Government perspectives, requiring comprehension and textual reasoning.
Lesson 5
The Meadow
Students are instructed to read Chapter 9 and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., comparing Mercy's and Kit's teaching styles, explaining why Kit ran away). Students rewrite sentences to "show" rather than "tell," using an example drawn from the chapter to guide their work, and they may act out a scene or teach a lesson based on a story, demonstrating comprehension through performance. Students also identify and punctuate descriptive clauses in sentences, which requires attention to sentence-level meaning drawn from literary language.
Lesson 6
The Widow
Students read Chapters 10 and 11 and answer explicit comprehension questions (e.g., why Kit had courage, what discoveries she made). Students record discoveries about the community, the Woods family, and herself on a Student Activity Page, and complete a Venn diagram comparing Quaker and Puritan beliefs. Students create and use a vocabulary picture dictionary to learn and apply domain-specific words from the text.
Lesson 7
A Bird
Students are instructed to read Chapters 12 and 13 and answer comprehension questions that target plot details and character motivation (Questions 1–4). Students analyze figurative language on the "An Island Bird" activity by identifying a metaphor and comparing two things and are asked to justify whether the comparison is effective. Students practice drawing conclusions and supporting them with textual evidence in the parent-plan listed skills and in activities that ask for parallels between Kit's experience and the bird.
Lesson 8
New England in the Fall
Students read Chapters 14–15 and answer specific comprehension questions about plot and character (e.g., why Nat was upset, Matthew Wood's news, William's change). Students identify and analyze figurative language and imagery by underlining similes, circling personification, and noting sensory details in a descriptive passage. Students analyze historical and character context by listing colonists' complaints and produce written responses (journal entries and narrative writing) that require comprehension and use of descriptive language.
Lesson 10
A Witch Hunt
Students read Chapters 17 and 18 and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., why people accused Hannah, how Kit rescues Hannah, and character motivations). Students analyze historical/contextual material by brainstorming reasons for the Salem witch trials, selecting three likely causes from a provided list, and explaining their choices. Students practice editing and revising by rewriting a paragraph to correct run-ons and fragments, and they discuss open-ended questions about character decisions and historical injustice.
Lesson 11
The Trial
Students are instructed to finish the remaining chapters of the book independently and answer comprehension questions that require inference and analysis (e.g., why William Ashby does not come to Kit's trial; whether Kit should change to fit in). The lesson's Skills section explicitly lists "Cite textual evidence to support analysis, including inferences, conclusions, and generalizations drawn from the text." The "On Trial" activity asks students to create three arguments defending Kit and provide supporting evidence for each argument.
Final Project
Narrative Essay
Students read Kit's essay aloud and discuss the organization of the piece, and a full student activity page contains the narrative text "Kit's Story: My Year in Connecticut." Students complete comprehension-related tasks such as identifying the introductory, body, and concluding paragraphs and use pre-writing organizers (flow chart and topical organizer) based on details from the narrative. The Narrative Essay Rubric asks students to stay focused on the topic, engage the reader, and provide adequate details, which requires them to reference and use ideas from the model text.
Unit 2: The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Lesson 1
Train Station in Paris
Students are directed to read Chapters 1–3 of The Invention of Hugo Cabret and answer specific comprehension questions about plot details (e.g., what Hugo was stealing, where he lives). Students complete vocabulary and morphological tasks (matching word meanings, circling prefixes/suffixes, producing related words) and analyze illustrations by writing a short story based on pictures and creating observational pencil drawings. Students also research Paris, produce a poem or travel itinerary, and listen to/read author interviews, all of which require engaging with the book's content and meaning.
Lesson 2
Magic Tricks
Students read Chapters 4–6 and answer specific comprehension questions about plot details (e.g., what Hugo pulled from the hiding place, what it was designed to do, how his father died). Students write three first-person before/after statements from Hugo's perspective to describe changes in his life, and they predict how the automaton will change Hugo's life. Students transform an illustration into written text by writing journal entries that match the picture's tone and voice, and they practice reading aloud with attention to rate, volume, pitch, and tone.
Lesson 3
Memories
Students read Chapters 7–9 and answer comprehension questions that ask them to explain character motivations and plot decisions. Students read (or listen to) multi-page original excerpts of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid," which presents archaic language and complex narrative content. Students complete activities that require literary analysis: writing a detailed personal memory response, comparing two versions of a fairy tale using a graphic organizer, and comparing print, visual, and electronic media.
Lesson 5
A Box
Students are asked to read Chapters 1–4 and answer comprehension questions that probe character description, motivations, and plot developments (e.g., questions about Mama Jeanne, what Hugo discovered, and why he went to the Film Academy). Students practice vocabulary by locating sentences from the text, using context clues and knowledge of prefixes/suffixes to guess meanings, and then verifying definitions in a dictionary. Students conduct research on Georges Méliès, take factual note cards, and compare their findings to details in the story, which requires connecting the text to external informational sources.
Lesson 6
Prometheus
Students are asked to read Chapters 5–8 and several passages (including the myth "Prometheus and the Story of Fire") and to answer comprehension questions about plot and character. Students retell the Prometheus myth, compare and contrast Hugo and Prometheus on the "Two Thieves?" activity page, and write about themes and characters' purposes. Multiple activities require students to analyze themes, make inferences about characters' motivations, and produce written responses connecting ideas across texts.
Lesson 7
Six Months Later
Students are asked to finish reading the book independently and answer specific comprehension questions (four Q&A) about plot and character. Students complete a "Discoveries" organizer describing each main character's discovery and how it changed their lives, and they write a synopsis or creative story using a "Story Organizer." Students evaluate picture-book illustrations and award criteria in the "Book Award" activity, requiring analysis of originality and how art supports text.
Unit 3: The Ballad of Lucy Whipple
Lesson 1
From Massachusetts to California
Students are asked to read Chapters 1 and 2 of the historical fiction The Ballad of Lucy Whipple and to read the Author's Note aloud. Students answer specific comprehension questions about plot and character (What happened to California's dad? How does California feel? Why does she change her name?). Students complete vocabulary activities (matching and a picture-vocabulary game), conduct brief research about the California Gold Rush, and write a 6–8 sentence pioneer journal entry.
Lesson 2
Change
Students are instructed to read Chapters 3 and 4 and respond to comprehension questions, including literal and interpretive items. The skills list asks students to identify and interpret major themes and to make inferences and draw conclusions about events and themes in the novel. Activities ask students to record changes in Lucy's life and to synthesize geographic and thematic information (map and "Change" activity), requiring students to apply understanding of the text.
Lesson 6
Clyde Claymore
Students are instructed to read Chapters 11 and 12 and to generate one of each type of comprehension question (In the Text, Think and Search, Reader and Author, On My Own). Students analyze characters' traits and points of view, examine reasons for characters' actions, and monitor comprehension by asking questions. Students complete applied activities such as packing a suitcase with five items to represent a character and creating vocabulary cubes to demonstrate word meaning and usage.
Lesson 7
Loss
Students are asked to read Chapters 13 and 14 and answer comprehension questions, and to summarize what happened in previously read chapters. The parent plan and skills list require students to compare text events with personal experiences, make connections with previous experiences, and apply knowledge of idioms to determine meanings. Activities ask students to identify how language usages reflect regions and cultures and to match idioms with their meanings, which practices comprehension of cultural language in the text.
Lesson 8
Fire!
Students are asked to read Chapters 15 and 16 and answer specific comprehension questions, and the Parent Plan lists paraphrase and summarizing fiction as skills. Activity 2 requires students to write a summary of Chapter 16, and Activity 3 asks students to write a personal letter reflecting on events, which requires understanding and synthesizing the story. Activity 1 asks students to compare themselves to a historical context, prompting inferential thinking about characters and setting.
Lesson 9
The Sandwich Islands
Students read Chapters 17 and 18 and answer specific comprehension questions about plot and character (four explicit Q&A items). Students draw and write about three characters, identify physical/personality traits, select quotes, and explain similarities to themselves, practicing characterization analysis and inference. Students generate questions for Lucy, write imagined answers, and list seasonal threats, practicing drawing conclusions and making inferences from the text.
Lesson 10
A Library
Students are asked to finish reading the novel and answer text-based comprehension questions about characters, decisions, and plot. Students are prompted to make inferences and draw conclusions about themes, articulate and discuss themes, and identify and interpret elements of fiction by referencing the text. Students complete graphic organizers that require locating causes and effects and describing how the protagonist changes from beginning to end.
4: Systems
Unit 1: A Wrinkle in Time
Lesson 1
A Unique Family
Students are asked to read Chapter 1 of A Wrinkle in Time, a Newbery Award–winning novel, and answer specific comprehension questions about character, plot, and details. Students complete an Elements of Science Fiction organizer that requires them to record textual evidence linking the book to genre elements. Students practice vocabulary analysis by identifying prefixes/suffixes, guessing word meanings from context, and looking up actual definitions.
Lesson 2
Calvin
Students are asked to read Chapter 2 of A Wrinkle in Time and answer specific comprehension questions, showing direct practice with extracting meaning from a literary text. Students complete a "Characterizing Meg" graphic organizer where they write three character traits and provide three pieces of textual evidence for each trait, practicing citing evidence to support inferences. Students respond to discussion prompts about family systems and Meg's attitude, requiring interpretation of character and theme.
Lesson 3
Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which
Students are instructed to read Chapter 3 and answer specific comprehension questions that require recall (Question 2 and 3), inference and personal connection (Question 1), and analysis of character roles and family function (Question 4). Students complete Activity 1 by identifying and explaining two ideas "beyond human comprehension," which asks them to interpret thematic and abstract content and to illustrate and explain their thinking to others. Activity 3 asks students to generate science-fiction plot ideas with coherent beginnings, middles, and ends, practicing comprehension of genre elements and application of narrative structure.
Lesson 4
Tesser
Students read Chapter 4 of a novel and answer explicit comprehension questions that check understanding of setting, plot events, and vocabulary (e.g., meaning of "tesser"). Students analyze descriptive language by underlining imagery and illustrating the creature, identify and develop protagonists using Protagonist Cards and a Story Map, and complete writing tasks that require organizing ideas and showing sequence with transitions.
Lesson 5
The Thing
Students read Chapter 5 of the novel and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., how tessering is similar to math, why a two-dimensional planet would flatten them, what they learned about Earth). Students reread the section where Mrs. Whatsit describes five dimensions, analyze images, write journal responses about the title, and explain the dimensions in their own words to a sibling or parent. Students participate in discussion prompts and activities (brainstorming historical figures, describing fighting the Dark Thing) that require them to interpret characters, themes, and abstract ideas from the text.
Lesson 6
Camazotz
Students are asked to read Chapter 6 of the book and answer specific comprehension questions that require recalling and inferring (e.g., what the children learned about Mrs. Whatsit and what talismans she gave). Students practice vocabulary knowledge by completing a crossword that matches words from the chapter to definitions, reinforcing word meaning and context. Students analyze characters by creating an antagonist on a story map, drawing the antagonist, and describing three ways the antagonist will try to harm the protagonist, which requires understanding conflict and character function.
Lesson 7
Man with the Red Eyes
Students are asked to read Chapter 7 and answer specific comprehension questions about events, character feelings, and motivations. Students practice summarizing by identifying main ideas and significant details in Activity 2 and by circling transitional words and phrases in a provided summary. Students edit a paragraph for verb tense, plurals, and coherence in Activity 3, and they discuss antagonist tactics and themes in wrap-up and parent-plan discussion prompts.
Lesson 8
Father
Students are asked to read Chapters 8 and 9 and answer comprehension questions that require recall and inference (e.g., identifying where Meg's father was found, explaining what Charles Wallace says, and explaining the governing system on Camazotz). The Skills section directs students to make and confirm predictions, offer observations and interpretations, and recognize genre features, and activities ask students to add to an "Elements of Science Fiction" page and to describe and illustrate a science fiction setting. Discussion and wrap-up prompts ask students to analyze character change and explain an author's choice (why a brain represents evil), which requires interpretive reading.
Lesson 9
The Beasts
Students are directed to read Chapters 10 and 11 and answer comprehension questions about plot and character (e.g., how Meg's father ended up on Camazotz; how the beasts helped Meg). Students analyze theme by filling theme graphic organizers, using Theme Cards, and recording story events, characters' actions/words, and author's descriptions as evidence. Students are asked to represent text information in different formats (outline, timeline, graphic organizer) and to read for varied purposes such as to be informed, entertained, or to appreciate craft.
Lesson 10
Love
Students are instructed to finish reading the novel and read Chapter 12, then answer text-dependent comprehension questions about plot and theme (e.g., why Mrs. Whatsit would not permit rescuers to return, why Meg had to go, and what Meg had that IT did not). Students are asked to interpret text ideas through discussion, analyze characters (traits, motivations, conflicts, changes), and judge internal consistency of actions. Students also identify protagonist/antagonist/setting/theme and use those elements to plan a problem and solution for a short story, applying comprehension of narrative structure.