Sixth Grade - ELA
• Literacy
Literacy Standards
The following standards are literacy standards and not content standards. The evaluation includes units from our science, social studies, and language arts curriculum.
1: Environment and Cycles
Unit 1: The Wanderer
Lesson 3
Juggling
Students are asked to "Read Chapters 8-14 in the book and answer the following questions in complete sentences," and Question #3 explicitly directs students to explain "How does Cody feel about Sophie? (Use examples from the book to support your answer.)" Students are also instructed to "use the 'Character Timeline' you started in Lesson 2 to record words and phrases to describe Sophie and Cody," which requires pulling phrases from the text. The parent prompts have students read passages and identify voice, encouraging use of specific lines to distinguish narrators.
Lesson 7
The Storm
Students cut out and match six direct quotes from the novel to the characters (Identifying Voice activity), using those textual excerpts to determine which voice (Sophie, Cody, or Brian) produced each line. Students identify examples of similes and personification from provided quotes and write explanations of what is being compared or personified (Similes & Personification Option 1). Students also write character-specific quotes and describe thoughts/actions in a scenario, drawing on the text to generate evidence-based portrayals of each character.
Lesson 9
Land Ho!
The activity pages explicitly ask students to "Provide evidence from the book to support both themes" (Option 2) and to "provide evidence from the story to support the themes" (Option 1 third sheet), with lined boxes for students to write supporting details. The parent notes and sample answers model citing story events and specific plot details (e.g., Sophie's fear of water, Uncle Dock pursuing Rosalie) as support for themes. The reading task also asks students to answer comprehension questions in complete sentences about specific events and character details, which requires referencing the text.
Final Project
Character Lapbook and Test
Students are instructed in the Character Quote mini-book to record a quote and the page number where it was found and then explain why the quote is meaningful. The test asks students to "Describe a theme of the book. Use examples from the story to support your theme," prompting students to cite story examples to back analysis. Parent guidance asks caregivers to check the quoted page in context and to ask the student to defend or explain answers, reinforcing use of textual evidence.
Unit 2: Geography and Landforms
Lesson 5
Human Geography
Students are directed to read an online United Nations article about population and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., how the world's population is changing and why people migrate), which requires using information from that text. Students are asked to use Prisoners of Geography to complete a graphic organizer about Weather & Climate, Natural Resources, Major Landforms, and human-environment interactions for two places. The Comparing Two Environments task explicitly asks students to "use information from 'Prisoners of Geography' to support their argument" about which place they would prefer to live.
Unit 2: The People of Sparks
Lesson 3
Discovery
Students are instructed to read chapters 4–5 and answer comprehension questions in complete sentences, including why Lina is afraid of fire and why she has never had certain foods. The Learning Log activity requires students to record and categorize discoveries Doon and Lina make each day as they read through Chapter 16, drawing directly from the text. The discussion prompts (e.g., describe the concerns of the town leaders; how oxen were used) ask students to refer to details from the reading.
Lesson 5
Roamers
Students are asked to read Chapters 8–10 and answer comprehension questions that require pulling information from the text (e.g., defining a roamer, explaining barter for jewelry, and describing environmental effects). In Activity 1 (The Debate) students must compose three arguments and "support each argument with evidence," organize those supports on the provided activity page, and then identify which statements are facts versus opinions. The parent prompts and directions also ask students to read arguments aloud and discuss which statements are supported by evidence.
Lesson 8
Unfairness
Students are asked to read Chapters 17–19 and answer analytical questions about relationships and leadership, which prompts use of the text. The Synonyms in a Thesaurus activity explicitly requires students to 'record what specifically in the book's context helped you understand the word' and the Student Activity Page includes a 'Clues in Context' column where students must cite sentence-level clues. The Answer Key models pointing to specific sentences and phrases in the text as evidence for word meaning.
Lesson 10
The Decision
Students are explicitly asked in Activity 2 to "provide evidence from the text that reveals and supports the conflict," including events, characters' words and actions, or dialogue. Reading and Questions require students to answer specific factual questions from chapters 23–27 in complete sentences (e.g., the presents Lina gives Doon, Tick's demands), which requires locating details in the text. The bubble map organizer and student activity page prompt students to record textual examples that support their analysis of the story's conflict.
Final Project
Wars and Plagues or A New Environment
Students are asked to locate information from websites and library books and to record those sources in a Research Organizer that includes a dedicated "Sources" space. Students take notes about causes, effects, and how the war/plague ended, and the rubric requires research that addresses these specific questions. Students must integrate their gathered information into products (timeline, map, newspaper report) and are prompted to put information into their own words.
Unit 3: Our Changing Earth
Lesson 4
Earthquakes and Moving Plates
Students are asked to read pp. 34-39 and 42-43 of Dirtmeister's Nitty Gritty Planet Earth and answer specific questions about causes of earthquakes, which waves do the most damage, the seismograph and Richter scale, and tsunamis. Several questions require students to explain reasons (e.g., "Why do you think they are so damaging to buildings?") which asks for analysis based on the assigned text. The activities and parent prompts also ask students to explain observations and relate them to information (for example, comparing P and S waves and discussing why a magnitude 7 is worse than a magnitude 6).
Lesson 5
Metamorphic and Sedimentary Rocks
Students are directed to read specific pages (pp. 66-67, p. 62, and pp. 84-89) and answer content questions that require information from those pages. One question explicitly tells students to compare marble and quartzite to their parent rocks and to "View the pictures on pp. 67, 29, and 88 for details," directing them to use textual and pictorial evidence. Several questions ask for definitions (e.g., strata, lithification) and cause-effect explanations that must be drawn from the assigned readings.
Lesson 7
Erosion
Students are instructed to read pp. 72-75 of Dirtmeister's Nitty Gritty Planet Earth and then answer specific content questions (e.g., identify ways gravity causes erosion, conditions for wind erosion, and define ventifacts), which requires locating information in a secondary text. Students are also told to read pp. 114-115 before designing and recording erosion experiments, linking their experimental planning and conclusions to information in the book.
Unit 3: Short Stories
Lesson 1
The Good Deed
The Parent Plan skills state students should "identify elements of fiction and nonfiction and support by referencing the text to determine the plot development," and the Reading and Questions section directs students to read "The Good Deed" and answer comprehension/analysis questions in complete sentences. The activity prompts (e.g., explain why Heather hid the book, why an eye bouquet is thoughtful) require students to use details from the story (Miss Benson is blind, Risa tucks cookies away, etc.) to justify answers. Activity 1 asks students to answer questions about characters, setting, and the primary incident, which encourages using story details to support responses.
Lesson 2
Short Story Genre
Students are asked in Activity 2 to "Provide three examples from the story that are evidence that the setting of the story is the rational world" and to "find three examples of events from the story that are irrational," which requires locating textual examples. Activity 4 directs students to "record some phrases and sentences from the story that the author uses" to describe setting, asking them to write those descriptions in a journal. Comprehension questions also require students to identify details from the text (for example, what Mrs. Whittamore gave Patrick and why the setting is important).
Lesson 3
The Dog of Pompeii
Students are asked to answer comprehension questions that require information from the story (e.g., why Tito needed Bimbo, what archaeologists discovered). In Activity 1 (Characters) students must record two actions for each main character and identify the character traits those actions reveal, which requires citing actions from the text. In Activity 3 (Descriptive Language) students must record phrases from the book that describe Pompeii through Tito's senses, directly extracting textual details.
Lesson 4
Rip Van Winkle
Students are asked to "record words and phrases that the author uses to describe" the Catskill Mountains, which requires locating and noting specific textual language. Question 2 asks students to explain how Rip's actions support his characterization, prompting use of actions from the text as support. Activity 4 has students read a poem version and compare it to the story, which involves identifying similarities and differences between text versions.
Lesson 6
Women in Short Stories
The Parent Plan lists as a skill that students should "Make reasonable assertions about a text through accurate, supporting citations." The Short Story Critique activity requires a 6–8 sentence review and the Parent Plan explicitly tells parents to check that the child "includes specific references to the story in the critique." The Venn-diagram comparison and comprehension questions ask students to refer to story details when answering questions about characters and plot.
Lesson 7
Your Choice
Students are prompted to identify "specific examples from the text that support" a theme on the Story Conflict & Theme bubble map and to find actions in the story that show character traits (two actions per trait) on the Elements of a Short Story organizer. The Elements page also asks students to list "words and phrases the author uses to describe the setting," and the Parent Plan notes students should "support by referencing the text to determine the plot development and author's choice of words." The Reading and Questions section includes "In the Text" and "Think and Search" question types that require locating answers directly in the text or inferring from textual information.
Final Project
Writing a Short Story
The Activity 4 "Theme & Conflict" student page directs students to identify a major theme and "provide examples from the text that support the theme," which requires citing textual evidence to support analysis. The Theme & Conflict organizer and rubric also ask students to list examples and describe conflicts and to use text-based examples to justify their theme and conflict choices.
2: Force and Power
Unit 1: Slavery and the Civil War
Lesson 1
Antebellum America
The lesson asks students to read specific pages (pages 9-22 and 162-163) and to use the map in A History of US to answer guided questions, including QUESTION #1 which asks "How do you know?" and prompts students to cite map graphics and the left-hand page ratios (e.g., Union having 10 times the factory production). Activities (Population Map, travel brochures) require students to revisit the map and data and to use those sources to justify answers and describe each region's economy and occupations. Discussion prompts tell students to "turn to his readings as needed to clarify or extend the discussion," encouraging use of the assigned text and map as evidence.
Lesson 2
Slavery
Students read both primary sources (WPA slave narratives such as excerpts from Charley Williams, John W. Fields, and Joe High) and secondary sources (chapters from A History of US and background video). Students take organized notes on activity pages (KWL chart and topic organizers for Homes, Work, Resistance, Freedom, etc.) and are asked to select three events from slave narratives to illustrate in the quilt project. Students are prompted to consider how reading a primary source differs from reading a secondary source.
Lesson 3
Disunion and the Start of the Civil War
Students are assigned specific pages of a secondary source (A History of US: War, Terrible War 1855-1865, pages 41-47 and 54-63) and are asked to answer comprehension and analysis questions based on that reading, including interpreting Lincoln's quote (page 43). Students are instructed to "review the readings" before planning arguments for the Debate on the Expansion of Slavery and to use reasons from the readings when responding to debate prompts. Several activities (timeline, debate, pros/cons list about war) require students to draw on information from the assigned text to support their responses.
Lesson 4
Leadership and the Civil War
The reading assignment directs students to specific chapters of A History of US and one question answer explicitly models a citation by referring to a page: "As the text explains on page 66." Activities require students to fill in leader cards with background, roles, and notable events drawn from the textbook and glossary. The lesson also points students to a Library of Congress Civil War photograph collection, a set of primary sources students can consult.
Lesson 5
The Wartime Experience
Students are directed to read chapters 15 and 16 of A History of US: War, Terrible War 1855-1865 and to answer four specific comprehension questions that reference particular page ranges (e.g., pages 78-85). Students are asked to explore an online article about daily life of a Civil War soldier and are given optional links to collections of actual diary entries and letters (primary sources) for further reading. Several activities ask students to use details from the readings and images (e.g., to write an imagined diary entry or to decide what to pack in a haversack).
Lesson 6
Major Battles of the Civil War
Students are asked to review Chapters 18–20 of A History of US and answer focused questions (e.g., what went wrong with McClellan, what was important about Antietam), which requires using the text to support responses. Students add battles to a timeline and locate and label battle sites on a map, then write short explanations of why each battle was significant using the book as a reference. In the monument activity, students record "important details," explain "why it was a turning point," and write descriptions that draw on information from the readings.
Lesson 7
The Homefront Experience
Students are asked to read Chapters 22–24 of A History of US and answer directed questions, with one question noting "See full details on page 107," which points students back to specific text. Students record events and dates on a Civil War timeline and fill in a map using information from their readings. Students work with concrete historical data in the Rising Prices activity (tables of 1862 and 1865 prices, source cited as North Carolina and the Civil War) and are asked to calculate and compare those figures.
Lesson 8
Gettysburg and Beyond
Students read primary sources (the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Gettysburg Address) and a secondary account (chapters 25–27 of Joy Hakim). Students are instructed to highlight important ideas or powerful phrases in each document. Students use a three-circle Venn diagram to organize and show which ideas appear in each document, comparing overlapping phrases and themes.
Lesson 9
End of War and Reconstruction
Students read primary source texts (the full texts of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments) and are asked to "determine their meaning" and "restate this amendment in your own words," which requires analysis of those primary sources. Students read chapters 28–31 and an online article about freed people and the Freedmen's Bureau and then answer comprehension questions and add events from those readings to a Civil War timeline, which draws on secondary sources. Students are prompted to explain why each amendment was important and to summarize the amendments in writing, practicing interpretation of source material.
Final Project
Remembering the Civil War
The Parent Plan explicitly lists that students will "differentiate between, locate, and use primary and secondary sources," and the project options direct students to find historic photographs and maps on the Library of Congress website. Students are asked to create exhibit cards with short explanations (2–3 sentences) about the significance of items, to display and revise a timeline, and to write scripts/narration for a documentary that incorporate historical images and information.
Unit 1: Bull Run
Lesson 1
Background on the Civil War
Students read and analyze two primary source journals (Activity 4) and are asked to discuss the perspective of both authors, identify facts and opinions, and consider bias (Parent Plan prompts). Students research the Battle of Bull Run using secondary sources (Activity 5) and record important information on color-coded note cards and in a journal. The lesson's skills list includes determining word choice, summarizing author purpose and stance, and distinguishing fact from opinion, all of which support source analysis.
Lesson 2
Pink and Say
Students read primary-source Civil War letters (Activity 5) and are asked to identify the writer, the recipients, what side they are on, and what opinions they express. Students read the picture book Pink and Say and record factual information about the Civil War in a journal (Activity 1) and answer comprehension questions in complete sentences. Students compare perspectives and rewrite short passages from another point of view (Activity 2), requiring them to extract specific details from the text.
Lesson 3
Joining the Ranks
Activity 2 asks students to read the Civil War speech (a primary source) and record three factual statements and three opinion statements, as well as identify at least two statements that could be propaganda. Students are also asked to examine Civil War pictures and explain how each picture could have been used as propaganda to sway Northern attitudes. The Parent Plan and Skills sections explicitly list analyzing speeches and posters, exploring bias and propaganda techniques, and drawing conclusions based on evidence.
Lesson 4
Ready for Battle
Students read pages 21–40 of Bull Run and answer specific comprehension questions about details and interpretations from that text. Students are asked to design a Civil War propaganda poster and are directed to primary-source poster galleries (National Archives, Smithsonian) to examine historical examples. The parent/skills notes explicitly list "Draw conclusions based on evidence" and encourage the child to explain the message a poster conveys and how it would influence readers.
Lesson 7
Fleeing and Death
Activity 1 asks students to go back and reread Toby's accounts on specific pages (13, 29, 63, 83, and 96) and to "describe Toby's feelings... Use the page, 'Character, Conflict, & Change.' Cite evidence from the book to support your ideas." The student activity page is structured for before/after comparisons, prompting students to record textual support for character change. Several questions require answers based on the text (e.g., why James Dacy was upset), which directs students to use the book as evidence for their responses.
Unit 2: Force and Motion
Lesson 6
Buoyancy
Students are directed to read Chapter 5 (pages 59–67) and then answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., Question #1 asks how Archimedes used water displacement to show the crown was not pure gold). The activity questions and answer keys require students to explain phenomena using terms and details from the reading (displacement, volume, density, mass) and to explain how the book's story led to conclusions about density. The parent plan and discussion prompts ask students to compare predictions with the chapter's explanations and to discuss results in light of the text.
Unit 2: Albert Einstein
Lesson 8
Peace
The Skills section explicitly states students will "analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about expository text and provide evidence from text to support understanding," which directs students to use textual evidence. Question 3 asks students to state what the author believes drove Einstein and "How is this evidenced in his life?", requiring students to point to supporting information. Option 2 asks students to "provide one or two examples from the book" beneath each biography element, prompting them to pull examples from the secondary source.
Final Project
Biography Scrapbook
Students are directed to conduct research from a variety of sources (Skills section) and to "use your biography web and timeline to assist you in finding information," which requires gathering information from primary and/or secondary sources. The project asks students to "fill in the information for a birth certificate" using factual information and to "locate at least three photographs" from Einstein's life, tasks that require identifying and using source materials. The Skills list also includes "Integrate main idea and supporting details from multiple sources to expand understanding of texts," indicating students will synthesize information from multiple texts.
Unit 3: World Wars I and II
Lesson 1
World War I Begins
Students are asked to compare the New York Times from August 5, 1914 (page 4) to a modern newspaper and to interpret the author's phrase on page 4, prompting analysis of a specific textual passage. Students examine photographs on pages 10-11 and respond to prompts about what the images reveal, engaging directly with primary-source photographs. The parent notes and activity pages ask students to identify whether a photograph is a primary or secondary source and to consider captions versus images.
Lesson 2
In the Trenches and on the Homefront
Students read a secondary source (Where Poppies Grow, pages 22-33) and examine primary sources such as the poem "In Flanders Fields" and photographs, postcards, and objects shown on pages 28-29. Students engage directly with the primary poem by copying and illustrating a stanza or memorizing and reciting a stanza, and they plan a time capsule using items analogous to the primary-source images. Students respond to guided questions about what kinds of sources historians can use and are prompted to consider how an author knows about past events.
Lesson 3
The End of World War I
Students read primary source letters (Where Poppies Grow, pages 40-44) and are asked to notice how soldiers sent secret messages and to analyze the content of those letters. Students read secondary sources (Joy Hakim, Chapters 1–2) and complete an activity page that asks them to compare Wilson's Fourteen Points with the Treaty of Versailles, filling a table that connects key points to treaty outcomes. Question prompts and the Treaty activity ask students to explain why Wilson failed to achieve his aims, which requires using information from the assigned texts.
Lesson 4
World War II Before U.S. Involvement
Students are asked to read chapters 26–29 of Joy Hakim's History of US and to "jot down" reasons to go to war or stay out of it by "looking back over the readings." In Activity 1 they must write a letter to President Roosevelt providing at least two reasons for their position and are encouraged to "provide specific examples to support their argument." In Activity 2 students record information about leaders "based on her reading" by filling in facts and important actions for each leader.
Lesson 5
Mobilizing for War
Students read a primary source (FDR's December 8, 1941 speech) and are instructed to underline or highlight words or phrases they find powerful. Students complete questions about the speech (e.g., what Roosevelt meant by "a date which will live in infamy," which adjectives he used, and whether he seems certain about war) and analyze WWII posters by listing words, images, colors, emotions, and the artist's intended action. Students also read a secondary source (Joy Hakim chapters) and answer factual comprehension questions drawn from that reading.
Lesson 8
War in Europe
Students are assigned to read A History of US: War, Peace, and All That Jazz (pages 163–179) and answer specific factual and interpretive questions (e.g., Rommel's decision, the D-Day beach code names, a quotation from Henry V, and an evaluative question about Roosevelt's achievements). Students are directed to consult the textbook to label events on a World War II map and to use specific pages and vocabulary from the text when composing a radio script, with page references provided for many terms.
Lesson 9
The End of World War II
Students are assigned a secondary-source reading (Joy Hakim, chapters 42-44) and must answer specific factual questions (e.g., why the bomb was dropped, what led to Japanese surrender), which requires using the text to support answers. In Activity 2 students are directed to take notes for a newspaper story using information from the day's reading and Internet resources, encouraging them to draw facts from sources. The Parent Plan for Activity 1 explicitly tells parents to ask students which details from the readings led them to their conclusions, prompting students to point to textual details when explaining their reasoning.
Unit 3: Number the Stars
Lesson 3
The Button Shop
Students analyze primary-source propaganda posters by looking carefully at images and techniques and are asked to summarize the message of each poster. Students identify and mark symbols and circle associated words in a historical paragraph and reflect on why those symbols create impact. Students select passages from Chapters 3 and 4, mark them, read them aloud, and discuss why they chose those sections with a parent.
Lesson 5
In the Country
Students are told to read Chapters 7 and 8 and then "describe where the characters have moved to and from and describe each setting in detail either in words or in map form." They are explicitly instructed to "Be sure to give the page locations where each scene is described." Students must also "Explain what role the setting plays in the conflict of the story" and record their ideas in a journal to share.
Lesson 6
Aunt Birte is Dead
The lesson's Skills section explicitly tells students to "respond to literary or expository texts and provide evidence from the text to demonstrate understanding," which directs students to use textual support. The "literary luminary" activity has students choose two or three passages and explain their reasons for picking them, requiring students to refer to specific passages. Activity 2 has students read a PBS biography (a secondary source), retell it, and answer a journal question about Barbara Rodbell's message, prompting students to use that text in analysis.
Lesson 8
Little Red Riding Hood
Students are asked in the Character Sketch to list two of Annemarie's traits and provide an example from the text for each trait, requiring them to cite textual examples to support characterization. In the Little Red Riding Hood activity, students read two versions of the tale and use a graphic organizer to show similarities and differences between those texts and Annemarie's story, engaging students in cross-textual analysis using the texts themselves. The reading tasks (Chapters 14–17 and the fairy tale pages) require students to refer to specific passages when they record connections and comparisons in their journals and organizers.
Lesson 9
A Magazine Article
Students read the book's Afterword to identify which parts of the story are based on historic fact and are directed to do additional research using the provided web links. The skills list tells students to "write responses to literary or expository texts and provide evidence from the text to demonstrate understanding." Activity 2 instructs students to include direct quotations (copied exactly and in quotation marks) and to indicate where they got information or images by including the web link or title/author. The magazine template includes explicit spaces labeled for "QUOTE" and "FACTOIDS," prompting students to record supporting material from sources.
3: Change
Unit 1: Matter
Lesson 1
Elements and the Periodic Table
Students are asked to read pages 4–11 of Fizz, Bubble, and Flash! and then answer specific questions about the reading and a video. Question #2 directs students to look at the periodic table on page 10 and explain why a particular element probably has similar characteristics to nickel and platinum, requiring justification. Several activities (locating the 12 most common elements on the periodic table, reading the distribution pie charts, and building compound models from the provided table) require students to use information presented in the text and figures to support their responses.
Lesson 3
Introduction to Metalloids
Students are asked to read specified pages and insets in the textbook and then answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., why the category is called metalloids; which metalloid is radioactive), which requires locating information in the text. Students are directed to use a video and an interactive periodic table to find additional facts about a chosen metalloid and then record those facts in a mini-book or poem. Students perform experiments and are prompted to read the explanatory "Curious Minds" section to explain observations, which requires consulting the text for explanations.
Unit 1: Tuck Everlasting
Lesson 2
The Wood
Students are asked to read the prologue and chapters and to record phrases or sentences from the book (Question #2 and Question #4) that describe the setting or create imagery. Option 1 requires students to underline at least three or four sentences from the book to help illustrate the setting and to record a quoted phrase on their artwork. The parent/discussion prompts ask students to cite "evidence from the book" to support their theories about characters (Wrapping Up / Parent Plan).
Lesson 3
Winnie
Students are asked to read Chapters 3–5 and answer comprehension questions that require pulling details from the text (for example, identifying why Winnie wants change and what the correct prediction about the water is). The Parent Plan skills explicitly direct students to "provide support by referencing the text to determine the effectiveness of figurative language," and Activity 2 has students underline the object being personified and circle the human-like characteristic(s) in specific sentences from the book. Several tasks prompt students to reread sentences from the text and explain how the author uses personification to shape the reader's perspective.
Lesson 5
At Home with the Tucks
Students are asked in Juxtaposition Option 1 to write paragraphs about the Fosters and the Tucks using the author's descriptions and to put quotation marks around any words or phrases that come directly from the text. In Option 2 students are instructed to "locate words and phrases the author uses" and to record those quoted words and phrases on paper. The activities also direct students to use the author's descriptions to support their comparisons and choices about which family they'd prefer.
Lesson 10
The Water and the Toad
The Parent Plan lists as a skill that students should "provide evidence from the text to support understanding." Activity 3 (Book Quote) directs students to select and memorize a quote of at least ten words from the novel, requiring identification of specific text. The lesson also has students read an author interview (a linked secondary source) and complete comparison tasks (book vs. movie) that invite use of textual details.
Final Project
A Debate
Students are instructed to record three quotes or actions from the book that describe how characters feel about living forever and to write the name of the character beside each quote. The student activity organizer directs students to categorize those quotes under "Pros" and "Cons" and to summarize their own thoughts in "Your Own Words." Students then use those recorded quotes and summaries to prepare opening arguments, questions, and answers for a structured debate.
Unit 2: Civil Rights
Lesson 1
Life Under Segregation
Students read pp. 4–7 of Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round and watch images of segregation, then answer targeted questions about meaning and details from those sources. Students are asked to interpret the painting on pages 6–7 and may draw on a specific incident from the reading (Benjamin Mays's recollection) to support their answer. Students identify places and examples of segregation by referring to the book and the video (schools, buses, trains, restaurants, libraries, hospitals, parks, water fountains, waiting rooms, swimming pools, movie theaters).
Lesson 2
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Students are instructed to read pp. 14-19 of Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round and then answer specific comprehension questions about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which requires using the text for responses. Option 1 explicitly tells students to refer to their reading for meeting details when creating a flyer. Option 2 asks students to prepare a speech with guided questions (e.g., "Why do you oppose segregated buses?") that prompt students to draw on details from the reading. The Optional Extension provides links to primary resources (arrest records, original leaflets, photos) that students could consult.
Lesson 7
Freedom Summer
Students are directed to read pages 44–55 of Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round and then answer specific comprehension questions about how segregationists prevented voting, Fannie Lou Hamer's registration experience, blame for murders, and the freedom schools. The reading-and-questions section requires students to locate and report specific facts from that secondary source. Activity 2 asks students to draw on words from their interview and what they've learned about voting to create a persuasive advertisement, connecting text-based learning to a product.
Lesson 8
Conducting Your Research
The lesson requires students to record bibliographic details on the "Research Sources" pages (author, title, publisher, publication date, URL, date accessed) for books and internet sites. In Part 2 students are instructed to write information from sources under research questions and to "write down the source of the information," with an explicit example like "(Source #5, pages 26-27)." The lesson also has students conduct oral history interviews (a primary source) and use those recordings/notes as the basis for their final project.
Lesson 9
Legacies of the Movement
Students read Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round (pages 56–58) and answer question #1, which asks them to evaluate whether the passage of the Voting Rights Act meant the Civil Rights Movement had been successful. Students answer question #2 by naming three ways activists continue to create change, with explicit direction to use stories mentioned on page 57. Students also conduct research in Activity 2 Option 2 by finding a modern example of discrimination and using sources to create an informative flyer.
Final Project
Presenting Your Research
Students are asked to transcribe and use excerpts from oral history interviews (e.g., transcribing a short section to create an illustrated book and including interview excerpts in a radio/podcast). Students are directed to "go back through your readings for this unit to find information that you can incorporate into your script," and to write book reviews that list author, title, publisher, and publication date and explain what they learned from the book. The unit test and other activities require students to describe situations, give examples from the Civil Rights Movement, and distinguish primary/secondary roles for events (Option 2 analysis items).
Unit 2: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Lesson 1
School's In
The "Recognizing Discrimination" worksheets direct students to record examples from specified chapters and explain "How was this an example of discrimination?", prompting students to locate and note events from the text. The Reading and Questions include text-based prompts (e.g., why the African-American children have a shorter school year; why Little Man refused the book) that require students to refer to details from Chapter 1. Activity 2 labels the video as composed of primary sources and asks students to write a three- or four-sentence journal response about what they learned and which interview/event was most interesting, prompting engagement with primary-source content.
Lesson 4
T.J.
Students are asked to read Chapter 4 and answer comprehension/analysis questions (e.g., why Stacey is upset and whether he should have gone to the Wallace store). The lesson directs students to "keep track of instances of discrimination" on a Recognizing Discrimination page as they read. Discussion prompts (e.g., How did Cassie's family get the land?) require students to recall and reason about details from the text.
Lesson 8
Taking a Stand
Students read Chapter 8 and are instructed to keep track of instances of discrimination on a "Recognizing Discrimination" page as they read. Students analyze a primary source (the "Integrated Bus Suggestions" flyer) by underlining the three most important suggestions and explaining their selections to a parent. Students also answer comprehension questions about events and motivations in the text and are asked to explain what they learned about the Montgomery Bus Boycott after viewing a linked video.
Lesson 11
Trouble
Students are asked to read Chapter 11 and answer specific comprehension questions (QUESTION #1 and QUESTION #2) that require referencing events from the text. Students are instructed to "keep track of instances of discrimination on the 'Recognizing Discrimination' pages" after reading, which involves identifying and recording textual instances. Students also plan and write a book report draft, which would typically draw on details from the chapter to describe events and characters.
Final Project
Unit Test and Presentation for Change
Students are asked to provide examples of discrimination "based on what you learned from the story as well as what you learned about the Jim Crow laws and other related video and text presented in the unit" for Slide 2, requiring them to draw on unit texts and media. The end-of-unit test asks students to explain what the Civil Rights Movement was and how black school children were treated, which asks for answers grounded in the unit materials. The skills list and parent guidance tell students to "support opinions with detailed evidence" and to review the rubric and organizer when preparing and practicing their presentations.
Unit 3: Chemical Change
Lesson 1
Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons
Students are assigned specific pages from Kitchen Chemistry (p. 2, pp. 8-17, and the section "What Causes Reactions?" p. 35-top of p. 37) and then asked to answer content questions (e.g., explain why you can't have an atom of carbon dioxide; what happens if an atom gains or loses electrons; why different carbon allotropes differ). The lesson includes reading-based activities (Filling Shells with Electrons) and tasks requiring students to use the periodic table and the book's explanations to build atomic models and explain parts of an atom.
Lesson 2
Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures
Students are assigned to read pages 22–28 of Kitchen Chemistry and to answer comprehension questions that require justification (e.g., explain whether ocean water is a pure substance and why). Question prompts ask students to compare mixtures and compounds and to list ways to separate mixtures, which requires citing content from the reading and observations. One question explicitly directs students to "Look on p. 23 of your book if you aren't sure," encouraging use of the text to support answers.
Lesson 3
Physical Changes
Students are directed to read specific pages of Kitchen Chemistry (Chapters 4–6 and pages 83–92) and use information from those readings to complete tables and activity sheets. Activity instructions and the Parent Plan state that students will practice finding information in a text and taking notes to fill in the States of Matter and Phase Changes sheets. The answer key includes page references for specific answers (e.g., page 49, page 71, pages 71–72), which ties student responses to locations in the text.
Unit 3: The Giver
Lesson 1
The Community
The Parent Plan skills section explicitly tells students to "Draw inferences, conclusions, or generalizations about text and support them with textual evidence and prior knowledge," which directs students to use textual evidence. Students are instructed to read Chapters 1 and 2 and answer text-based comprehension questions (Q1–Q3), requiring them to base answers on the novel. The Character Timeline activity asks students to record a word or phrase describing Jonas after each reading, prompting students to reference events and character details from the text.
Lesson 2
Baby Gabriel
The Parent Plan Skills section explicitly tells students to "provide evidence from the text to support understanding" when they analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author's purpose. The Reading and Questions section requires students to read Chapters 3 and 4 and answer specific comprehension questions in complete sentences and to record words or phrases on a timeline describing Jonas, which encourages use of chapter details. Several activities and discussion prompts ask students to explain reasoning (for example, explaining whether the society is truly utopian and listing criteria for laws and rules), which could draw on textual details.
Lesson 3
The Ceremony of Twelve
Students are asked to record "words or phrases that describe Jonas" on a timeline, which requires locating specific textual details from the chapters. Students answer comprehension questions (e.g., characterizing Asher, identifying family rituals, describing what the Elders decide) that require referring to events and descriptions in Chapters 5 and 6. Activity 1 directs students to read a list of rules "mentioned in the book" and to record positive/negative effects and give reasoning based on those rules.
Lesson 4
The Selection
Students are directed to skim chapters and "write the entire sentence (or part of the sentence if a single word is italicized)," which requires them to locate and record exact textual excerpts. Students must record on a timeline words or phrases that describe Jonas from Chapters 7 and 8, collecting specific text-based details. Students identify euphemisms listed from the book and write their actual meanings beside each, connecting specific terms from the text to meanings or predictions.
Lesson 6
Color
Students are asked to reread the sled description and "select the descriptive words and phrases" and organize them according to the five senses on the "Sled Ride" chart. The Student Activity Pages and the Character Timeline direct students to "record words or phrases" from Chapters 11–12 that describe Jonas. The Parent Plan's Skills section explicitly states students should "provide evidence from text to support that understanding."
Lesson 8
Love
Students are asked to read Chapters 15 and 16 and answer guided questions in complete sentences, including interpretive questions (e.g., whether they would feel the same way as Jonas) that require reference to the chapters. Students are instructed to "decide on the words and phrases that describe Jonas in today's chapters and record them on the 'Character Timeline' pages," which directs students to identify specific language from the text. Activity 1 asks students to "analyze the theme of freedom in the novel" and produce written products (letters or poems) that draw on Jonas's memories and experiences from the book.
Final Project
The Final Chapter
Students finish reading the novel and answer directed comprehension questions in complete sentences (e.g., questions about Gabriel, the plan, and what was most terrifying). Students are asked to analyze how Jonas changed over the course of the book and to add final thoughts to a "Character Timeline." Students also read Lois Lowry's Newbery Acceptance Speech pages and are prompted to discuss how the memories she shares relate to The Giver.
4: Systems and Interaction
Unit 1: North and South America
Lesson 1
Geography of North America
Students read specified pages of the secondary source Prisoners of Geography (pp. 24-31, 32-33, p.64) and answer direct comprehension questions that require information from those pages. Students label and annotate maps and complete a timeline using information found in the assigned readings, linking facts (e.g., reasons the U.S. is hard to invade, locations of the Canadian Shield, dates of territorial acquisitions) to the source. Students are directed to look up additional information online for the postcard activity, using the book and web resources as reference material.
Unit 1: Esperanza Rising
Lesson 1
Tragedy in Mexico
Students read a secondary source (What Was the Great Depression) and multiple first‑hand primary accounts, and they answer guided questions about causes, effects, and specific events. Students create a photo journal by selecting two firsthand accounts, pasting those pages, and pairing them with images while considering the perspective of each account. Students also take a Cultural Commentator role and record places in the chapters where the reader learns something about culture, and discuss how photos (primary) and the book (secondary) help understanding.
Lesson 2
Escape
Students are asked to act as a "Wordsmith" by locating passages they find important, to record page numbers and paragraphs, and to read and discuss those passages aloud with a parent. The Parent Plan skills explicitly state students should "provide evidence from the text to support understanding" and to "analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author's purpose." The Quotation Marks activity requires students to copy exact words from the text and use quotation marks, and students must explain why they selected particular passages.
Lesson 4
Los Angeles
Students are asked to give the page locations where each scene is described when they describe settings and trace action through the chapter, which requires locating and citing text. Students are directed to read pages 82–89 of a secondary source (What Was the Great Depression?) and to record interesting quotes from videos and interviews in their journal. Students must paste a picture and record the quotes on a poster about the Dust Bowl, showing that they collect and record specific quoted material from sources.
Lesson 5
Home Sweet Home
Students are asked in the Literary Luminary role to choose two or three passages from the chapter, read them aloud, and explain their reasons for picking them, which requires citing specific lines from the text. The problem-solution paragraph task invites students to write about a problem Esperanza encountered in the book, using details from the chapter to explain causes and solutions. The comparison chart asks students to describe similarities and differences between life at Rancho de las Rosas and life in California, prompting use of textual details to support those comparisons.
Lesson 8
Christmas
Students are instructed to become a Line Locator by finding three to five lines or short passages in the chapter, copying the lines or recording page and paragraph numbers, and explaining why those passages are examples of good writing or important to the story. Students are asked to choose one of Cesar Chavez's quotes, write the quote down, explain its meaning in their own words, and relate it to Esperanza's story, directly working with and citing a primary-source quotation.
Lesson 9
The Strike
Students are instructed in the "On Strike!" activity to examine reasons workers might strike and to "record information from the book" that could support those reasons, and to "Summarize the examples found in the text and provide page numbers." The Student Activity Page includes a graphic organizer prompting students to find and categorize textual examples tied to specific strike reasons. Students also listen to two linked oral-history interviews (primary sources) that provide first-hand accounts of camp life.
Final Project
A Dramatization
The Parent Plan lists the skill: "Understand, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of drama and provide evidence from text to support understanding," which directly connects to using text to support analysis. Students are asked to read the provided readers' theater script and to write their own script based on an event from the novel, including following the script structure and potentially using dialogue taken from the book. Students are prompted to discuss and explain how their script is similar to and different from the actual events found in the story and to analyze similarities and differences between the original text and its dramatic adaptation.
Unit 2: Cells
Lesson 2
Animal Cells
Students are directed to read pages 8-13 in The Basics of Cell Life and answer specific content questions (e.g., what mitochondria do, what the nucleus does), which requires using the text to provide answers. Students are instructed to use information from the reading and linked web illustrations to label or draw an animal cell and to identify organelles. Students must create a presentation or written report containing at least three facts about cheek cells and three facts about paramecia and list similarities and differences, which expects them to use learned information from the reading and observations.
Unit 2: The Tree That Time Built
Lesson 2
The Sea
Students are asked to find examples of metaphor and personification in the poems and to "record the words and phrases the poets attribute to each of the objects," which requires copying specific lines or phrases from the text. The Student Activity Page prompts students to "find any example of metaphor in the poems you read today? Describe," giving space for students to cite textual examples. The Parent Plan explicitly encourages the child to find at least 3–5 examples of personification and provides sample phrases from the poems that students could record.
Lesson 3
Prehistoric
Students read a set of poems in the "Prehistoric Praise" section and answer specific analytic questions (e.g., explain how the author uses personification in "Dinosaur Bone" and identify the irony in "206"). Students are directed to reread "Obituary for a Clam" and research a prehistoric animal's habitat and life in order to write an obituary, requiring use of informational details from sources. Students also complete activities (fossil excavation and video viewing) that engage with primary/secondary content about prehistoric life.
Lesson 5
Amphibians and Reptiles
Students are asked to record exact lines from the poems (QUESTION #2 asks them to record the simile in "Earthworm"; QUESTION #3 asks them to record two metaphors from "Rainforest"). Several activities require students to copy poem lines that contain dashes and explain how the dash is used (Option 2, Part II and the Dashes activity ask students to identify poem lines and explain their function). Discussion prompts ask students to point to "what words or phrases the author uses" to produce emotion, which requires locating and citing textual phrases to support responses.
Lesson 6
Insects
The Questions require students to record specific lines from the poems: Question #2 asks students to "Record an example of alliteration from 'The Spider'" (students must locate and transcribe exact phrases), and Question #3 asks students to "Record a line... that creates a vivid image" and to describe the words the author uses (students must cite a line and analyze word choice). Activity 1 asks students to find the haiku in the poems and "Record the poem in your journal," requiring identification and transcription of primary text.
Lesson 7
Birds
Students are directed to read a set of poems and answer text-based questions, including interpreting D.H. Lawrence's line, which requires explaining meaning with reference to the poem. The 'Analyzing a Poem' activity explicitly asks students to find examples of poetic devices and to 'List words/phrases from the poem that help create the image,' requiring students to extract specific textual phrases. Questions about tone and how words/phrases convey tone also ask students to point to language in the poem as evidence for their analysis.
Lesson 8
Mammals
Students are asked to record words and phrases the author uses to appeal to emotions (Question #4), which requires locating textual language. The Student Activity Page Part I has students compare a given paragraph to the original paragraph and insert an ellipsis, requiring close attention to text. Part II asks students to explain why poets might have used an ellipsis in specific poems, prompting students to refer to particular lines or excerpts from those poems.
Lesson 9
Preservation
Students are asked to reread poems (for example, "Earth's Bondman") and list specific words or phrases and describe how those words convey tone and meaning, which requires quoting or pointing to lines in the text. Students are instructed to copy two favorite poems and record examples of poetic language (metaphors, personification, imagery, etc.) beneath the copied poems, requiring them to extract and note textual examples. Students compare and contrast two buffalo poems using a Venn diagram and are prompted to note similarities and differences that reference specific details from each poem.
Unit 3: Incas, Aztecs, and Maya
Lesson 2
Daily Life of the Incas, Aztecs, and Maya
Students are instructed to read pp. 12-21 of DKfindout! Maya, Incas, and Aztecs and then answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., differences in leadership, gender roles, foods, and farming methods). Students use the readings to complete activity pages such as "If I Were a Mesoamerican Child" and the "Incan Society Pyramid," which require them to pull information from the assigned text to fill blanks, label levels, and paste matching descriptions.
Lesson 5
Religion and Celebration
Students are assigned to read pages 26-31 and 48-51 of a DK book and then answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., name three Mesoamerican gods and their significance; describe the Incan myth sign; list resources used for crafts). Students complete a "Ceremonies in the Past and Today" graphic organizer using information from pages 30-31, comparing an ancient ceremony to a modern event. The mosaic mask activity asks students to find and use information from page 49 about how masks were made and worn.
Unit 3: Secret of the Andes
Lesson 5
New Sights
The lesson's Skills section tells students to "support by referencing the text to determine effectiveness of figurative language," which directs students to use textual reference when analyzing language. Question #2 asks students to look at a specific page (page 47) and includes a direct quotation of Chuto's characterization of the truck, prompting students to refer to the text. The personification activity asks students to "Reread Chuto's description of the car" and then use that description, encouraging students to return to the text for analysis.
Lesson 6
Llama Training
Students read Chapters 9 and 10 and answer directed comprehension questions (e.g., "Reread page 54. How are the Indians in the high Andes dependent on the llamas?"), which requires using the text to support answers. Students are asked to create a "Guide to Incan Landmarks" using the provided web links as sources and to write descriptions of each site, which has them consult secondary sources. The Parent Plan lists a skill to "Locate and explore the full range of relevant sources addressing a research question and systematically record the gathered information," indicating students will gather information from sources.
1: Semester 1
Unit 1: Egypt and Mesopotamia
Lesson 2
Archaeology
Students read pages 8–9 of Ancient Civilizations and answer comprehension questions that ask them to describe archaeologists' work and how technology has influenced archaeology. Students complete an "Analyzing Artifacts" activity in which they record detailed descriptions, locations, materials, ages, and uses of three artifacts and then draw conclusions, explaining their reasoning. The lesson points students to online interactive digs that include maps, pictures, field reports, and notebook entries which students may explore and use when filling in artifact analysis pages. The "Things to Review" guidance asks that students' arguments be logical and supported by the available evidence.
Lesson 3
Mesopotamia
Students read and record specific laws from Hammurabi's Code on the provided activity pages (Activity 3), copying law texts into a table and then writing how those issues are handled in modern communities and which law seems more fair. Students are directed to use specific textbook pages (pp. 10-11, 36-37, 38-39) for pre-reading, mapping, timeline placement, and summarizing, which requires them to consult secondary-source text and images. The Hammurabi activity includes verbatim law excerpts (primary source text) that students reference directly when completing the comparison and reflection prompts.
Lesson 6
Daily Life in Egypt
Students are directed to re-read pages 14–15 of Ancient Civilizations and then answer specific comprehension questions about the Nile, hieroglyphics, and daily life. Students are told to refer to pages 14–15, provided web links, and other resources as they fill in tables in the "Life and Work in Ancient Egypt" activity to explain work, tools, resources, and status. The "Nile" graphic organizer activity asks students to record multiple ways Egyptians used the Nile, using the textbook or linked web pages for information.
Unit 1: The Hydrosphere
Lesson 1
The Hydrosphere and the Nature of Water
Students are asked to read Chapter 1 and watch a video and then answer guided questions, including QUESTION #3 which explicitly instructs them to use at least one example from the chapter or the video. The Life Application prompt asks students to explain effects using "evidence from what you have learned about the properties of water." Activities ask students to explain observations and point to specific parts of their model to support their thinking.
Lesson 4
Freshwater and Groundwater
Students are asked to read Chapter 4 of Water: The Story of the Hydrosphere and answer specific comprehension questions, and Part 2 of Activity 2 asks students to answer questions "According to the article" and to use a chart to identify patterns. The Parent Plan and skills list explicitly state that students will "construct an explanation based on evidence," "analyze evidence," and "use information systems to research" which imply working with source material. The activities require students to use the video, article, and chart to support answers about water sources and withdrawals.
Lesson 6
The Water Cycle
Students read Chapter 6 of Water: The Story of the Hydrosphere and answer specific reading-and-question prompts that require using information from that chapter (Reading And Questions section). The Parent Plan and Skills list explicitly ask students to "construct an explanation based on evidence" and to analyze and interpret observations from a model, and activity worksheets ask students to explain causes and processes (e.g., how evaporation and condensation occur). The Build It and Speed It Up activity asks students to compare results and explain how a change affected the system, which requires students to support explanations with observed or read evidence.
Lesson 8
Water Pollution
Students are directed to "Read Chapter 8 in the book Water: The Story of the Hydrosphere. Then, answer the questions," which asks them to use the reading to respond. Activity 1 instructs students to study graphs and "answer the questions on the activity page using evidence from the graph." Multiple places (activity reflections, parent plan, and wrap-up) tell students to "use evidence to explain" findings from graphs, observations, experiments, and a video.
Lesson 9
Water Treatment, Conservation, and Clean Water
Students are asked to read Chapter 9 in Water: The Story of the Hydrosphere and answer specific comprehension questions, which requires using the text to support responses. The Skills and activity prompts ask students to 'construct an explanation based on evidence' and to analyze 'What evidence suggests that tap water has been cleaned?' in the Water Quality Experiment. Several activities (filtration challenge, reflection questions, and the Great Leak Investigation) ask students to record observations and refer back to reading content about filtration, chlorination, and wastewater.
Unit 1: The Pearl
Lesson 2
The Scorpion
Students are asked to read Chapter 1 and record descriptive phrases from The Pearl in a journal, which requires locating specific language in the text. Students use sentences taken from The Pearl to practice labeling noun and verb phrases and other parts of speech, directly working with textual excerpts. Discussion prompts and comprehension questions ask students to describe Kino's appearance and changes in his life using details from the chapter.
Lesson 3
The Pearl
Students are directed to read Chapter 2 and complete a "Verbs and Adjectives CHART" by recording Steinbeck's verbs and adjectives found in the second paragraph, which requires locating and copying specific words from the text. The activity key lists exact verbs and adjectives (e.g., took, bubbled, yellow, bright-colored), and Option 2 explicitly invites students to "borrow examples of Steinbeck's descriptive language" for a poem, which has students use textual phrases as support. Parent notes prompt adults to "look for evidence of Steinbeck's descriptions" in students' drawings or poems, reinforcing the practice of finding textual evidence.
Lesson 4
Related Research
Students are directed to consult multiple secondary sources (websites and an encyclopedia or book) for their research and to record information on graphic organizers and note cards (the pearl-diving option requires at least 15 note cards). Students synthesize gathered information into a travel brochure or a one-page oral presentation with visual aids and practice delivery, demonstrating use of source material to build a product.
Lesson 5
Songs
Activity 3 directs students to skim Chapter 3 and "locate at least three examples" of stylistic devices, instructing them to "select phrases and sentence[s] that you feel are meaningful and effective," which requires pulling specific text. The Parent Plan section models and provides direct quotations from the chapter and asks parents to check that the student included at least three textual examples. The Reading and Questions and Editing activities require students to work directly with passages from Chapter 3 and answer or correct sentences based on the text.
Lesson 6
For Sale
Students are directed to read Chapter 4 of the novella and answer specific comprehension questions in complete sentences, which requires using information from the primary text (e.g., questions about what the pearl divers do not know and what dealers told Kino). Students are asked to be on the lookout for effective stylistic devices and list them in a journal, and to complete a symbolism web that requires identifying meanings of the pearl based on the text. The question set and activities focus students on analyzing details and character changes grounded in the chapter's content.
Lesson 7
The Attack
Students are asked to read Chapter 5 and develop four discussion questions and to provide answers or possible answers, which requires locating answers in the text. The lesson defines question types explicitly including "Right There" (answer is in one place in the text) and "Think and Search" (answer is in text across several sentences), directing students to find textual information. Students are asked to add sentences and phrases to a stylistic device log and to respond to quoted passages in the discussion prompts (for example, responding to Kino's line "I am man"), which asks for analysis tied to specific lines.
Lesson 8
Escape
Students are asked to read the last chapter of the novella and answer analytical questions in complete sentences (e.g., explain whether Kino loses his soul, how the setting keeps the action going). Students are instructed to add examples of effective stylistic devices from the final chapter to their log, which requires locating and referencing parts of the text. In Option 2, students are explicitly asked to "Find two sentences in Chapter 6 of 'The Pearl' containing verbal phrases," requiring them to locate specific sentences in the source text.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students are asked to "use evidence from the book" in the Kino Trial and Speech activities to argue and defend/prosecute Kino. Part D question 3 explicitly directs students to identify stylistic devices and "Support your answer with evidence from the story." The Parent Plan skills list includes drawing conclusions based on evidence and identifying an author's point of view, which implies using textual support.
Unit 2: Africa Today
Lesson 1
Overview of Africa
Students are directed to read a specific secondary source (pages 204–207 of Geography of the World) and to answer guided questions about that reading. One question explicitly points students to a particular page: "On page 204, the authors...," and other questions ask students to explain meanings (e.g., "land of contrasts"), list deserts named in the text, and describe problems people face in Africa. Students also are instructed to use page 205 as a guide when labeling geographic features on their map.
Lesson 2
Northwestern Africa
Students are asked to read Geography of the World (pages 208–213) and to use that text to fill in a detailed table about climate, crops, and exports for Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. Students must write a short paragraph in the Option 2 brochure describing how a country's environment influences its economy using information from Geography of the World. For current events, students must identify news stories, record the news source on a "Current Events Report" page, and write a 2–3 sentence summary plus personal analysis prompts.
Lesson 5
Central Africa
Students read specified pages (232–237) in Geography of the World and answer directed comprehension questions, demonstrating use of a secondary source to support answers. In Activity 2 students research two countries using Geography of the World and other sources and are prompted to record "Source(s) for information." In Option 2 students read about a chosen country and write a well-organized paragraph summarizing government challenges, drawing on their research and reading.
Lesson 6
Central East Africa
Students read pages 238–245 in Geography of the World and answer specific comprehension questions (Q1–Q3) using information from that text. Students refer back to their readings when creating a tourism brochure and are instructed to include "Interesting Facts" drawn from the readings on the brochure's back cover. Students also gather 1–2 news stories for a current events journal and conduct research (e.g., on mountain gorillas or HIV/AIDS) using provided secondary sources and web links.
Lesson 7
Southern Africa
Students are asked to read specific pages of Geography of the World (pages 246-253 and 270-271) and answer guided questions that rely on those pages. One question's answer explicitly references a page number ("Page 246 of Geography of the World explains...") and Activity 4 directs students to use definitions on pages 270-271 to write definitions in their own words. Activity 2 and the current events journal ask students to gather information from specified web and print resources to compare apartheid and segregation and to add news stories on Africa.
Final Project
African News Report
Students are instructed to find a current events story for each country and to "Create a citation for each source" using the "News Report Citation" activity page, which lists author, article title, date, page, website title, URL, and access date. The Final Project Notes pages require students to record the citation for each current events story, and the printed newspaper and broadcast rubrics explicitly require citation of information for each news item. The newspaper layout pages include a labeled "Source:" line where students are expected to note their sources.
Unit 2: The Atmosphere
Lesson 1
What Is the Atmosphere?
Students are instructed to read Chapter 1 of Air: The Story of the Atmosphere and then answer Question #2, which explicitly asks them to "Explain why scientists say that air is matter. Give two pieces of evidence from the chapter to support your answer." Students are also directed in Activity 2 to "label each arrow with an example from the reading" and to "use what you learned in Activity 1 and in your reading," requiring them to draw examples directly from the text to support their diagrams and responses.
Lesson 2
Layers of the Atmosphere
Students are instructed in Activity 2 to sort phenomena into atmospheric layers and then "choose three of your placements and explain your reasoning using evidence from Chapter 2." The Reading and Questions section requires students to read Chapter 2 and answer questions whose answers are drawn directly from the chapter (e.g., which layer contains the ozone layer; how temperature changes). The parent/answer-key materials reinforce that students should "explain his reasoning using facts from the chapter rather than simply naming the correct layer."
Lesson 3
Air Pressure and Density
Students are asked to read Chapter 3 and watch a video and then answer guided questions based on those sources (Reading And Questions). The 'When Air Masses Move' activity asks students to analyze a five-day data table and explicitly prompts: "How does changing air pressure affect the weather? Use evidence from the data." The activity also requires students to "Support Your Prediction" by describing patterns and using those patterns as evidence for Day 6.
Lesson 4
Energy from the Sun
Students are directed to read Chapter 4 of Air: The Story of the Atmosphere and then answer guided questions that refer back to the chapter (e.g., QUESTION #3 asks for "two reasons from the chapter"). The Reading and Questions section and the Answer Key require students to use information from the chapter to explain why Earth heats unevenly and why surfaces differ in absorption and reflection. Several prompts (e.g., "Explain why or why not using your data" and "Answer the questions below using evidence from your model") require students to support explanations with specific information they gathered from sources or investigations.
Lesson 7
Air Masses and Weather Systems
Students are prompted to "use evidence from the map" and to "explain your thinking" in the Weather Front Investigation activity, including map-based questions that ask for evidence supporting which region is calm or severe. The Severe Storms Case Study explicitly asks students to "Use evidence from the case study" when explaining why tornadoes are difficult to predict, and the activity pages require students to analyze snowfall data and answer data-based questions. The optional "Your Weather at Home" and other tasks ask students to record observations and make predictions based on real forecasts and data.
Lesson 8
Human Impact on the Atmosphere
Students read Chapter 8 (a secondary source) and complete guided questions about it. In the Climate Data Analysis activity students examine primary data graphs (atmospheric CO2 and global temperature) and answer prompts such as "What evidence from the graphs suggests that human activities are increasing emissions…?" and "How does the temperature trend compare to the carbon dioxide trend?". Activity 3 asks students to use observations from their agar dishes as evidence to explain how human activities influence the air, and SEP notes explicitly call for ‘Engaging in Argument from Evidence.'
Unit 2: A Girl Named Disaster
Lesson 4
Escape
Students are asked to read Chapters 11–14 and act as a Literary Luminary by choosing two or three passages, recording page numbers, marking the text, reading the passages aloud, and explaining their reasons for choosing them. Students are also instructed to read the back-of-book section "The History and Peoples of Mozambique and Zimbabwe" and complete activity pages that ask factual questions (e.g., which country fought the war against Frelimo) based on those pages.
Lesson 6
Abandoned Farm
Students are asked to become a "Line Locator" while reading chapters 17–20: they must find three to five lines or short passages, copy the lines or record the page and paragraph numbers, and then explain in their journal why those passages are examples of good writing or important to the story. The task also requires students to record at least one thinking question that prompts deeper analysis beyond the facts of a passage.
Lesson 7
Baboons
The Parent Plan lists the skill: "Synthesize and make logical connections between ideas within a text and across two or three texts representing similar or different genres and support those findings with textual evidence," which directly references using textual evidence. Students are assigned to read chapters 21–23 (a primary source) and to research baboons or other animals (secondary sources) for the plaque or guidebook projects. The activity directions ask students to write 8–10 sentences on a plaque about baboon social dynamics or 1–2 sentences per animal in a guidebook, implying use of information from texts.
Lesson 12
A New Beginning
Students are asked in Part IV to "characterize Nhamo using text evidence," explicitly requiring use of textual evidence to support their answer. The student activity pages and unit test include short-answer questions that require students to refer to specific events and details from the novel (e.g., why Nhamo left her family, how she solved problems). The parent/skills list also instructs students to "clarify and support spoken ideas with evidence and examples" and to "support opinions in verbal presentations with detailed evidence," which asks students to use evidence when presenting.
Unit 3: Australia and Oceania
Lesson 1
The Rainbow Serpent
Students are directed to read specific pages of Stories from the Billabong (pages 8-11 and 56) and answer targeted questions about when and how the Aboriginal people arrived (QUESTION #1 cites p. 11). The student activity pages prompt learners to record specific story details (what existed at the beginning, how the world and its inhabitants came into being, order of creation, how humans were made) and to note similarities and differences between two creation stories. The activities require students to extract and record concrete information from the Rainbow Serpent story and a second chosen creation story.
Lesson 4
Stories of the Yorta-Yorta People
The Current Events Report student page requires students to record the News Source (name or URL), to list significant people and regions, and to write a 2-3 sentence summary of the news story. The Reading and Questions section asks students to read pages 12-55 and answer specific comprehension questions (for example, comparing scientific and Aboriginal explanations of Uluru). The Amazing Australian Animals and research activities direct students to use factual information from Stories from the Billabong and external web links as part of their reports.
Lesson 6
Peoples of the Pacific Ocean
Students are directed to read pages 264–265 in Geography of the World and answer comprehension questions about that text. The Current Events Report page requires students to record the news source (name or URL) when summarizing a recent article. Option 2 of the Galápagos diagram instructs students to note the title, author, page number, or URL for any pasted image they use, and research links are provided for student investigation.
Final Project
Celebrating Australia and Oceania
Students are asked to write short answers on the unit test that require using unit materials (e.g., Question 2 asks them to describe the earliest human settlement of Australia and Question 3 asks them to summarize an Aboriginal story and explain its relationship to the natural world). The final project and museum option require students to pull information about government, economy, natural environments, and culture into a brochure and exhibits, and planning pages prompt students to list important ideas and details drawn from unit readings (for example, Stories from the Billabong and Geography of the World). The rubric and activity pages require accurate descriptions and summaries of historical and cultural content, which implies use of source information in student responses.
Unit 3: The Lithosphere
Lesson 1
Shifting, Drifting, and Spreading
Students read Chapter 1 (Parts I and II) and answer guided questions that require extracting information from the text (for example, asking "What was some evidence Wegener used to support his theory of continental drift?" and asking why new ocean crust does not make the Earth's crust larger). Students perform activities (Isostasy demonstration and Sea Floor Spreading model) that refer back to the reading and include prompts and parent questions that require students to explain observations using the reading.
Lesson 5
Earthquake and Volcano Research
Students are asked to read Chapter 4 and answer questions based on that text, and to research a specific earthquake or volcanic eruption using provided websites or online news articles. The Find Out! and Real-Life Research activity pages prompt students to locate and record factual information (date, location, damage, casualties, causes) from those sources. Students must organize the information into a slideshow, poster/oral presentation, or written report to share with family.
Lesson 6
Geologic Time
Students are instructed to read Chapter 5 in Earth: The Story of the Lithosphere and an excerpt from Brian Romans, providing secondary-source text for analysis. Students answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., differences between relative and absolute age; reasons fossils are unlikely in igneous/metamorphic rock), which requires using information from the assigned readings. The Parent Plan skills include constructing a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata and analyzing distribution of fossils and rocks, which asks students to use evidence to support explanations.
Lesson 7
Pedosphere and Soil
Students are directed to read the University of Idaho page on the 12 soil orders and to note which orders are most common in their state, then answer guided questions that ask "Which type of soil... and Why?" Students complete Venn-diagram activities comparing their state soil with another state's soil, including a "Difference Statement" that asks them to explain why the soils differ. Students watch a video about soil erosion and answer questions about erosion types and prevention, using the video's content to respond.
Unit 3: The Hobbit
Lesson 1
Bilbo Baggins
Students read Chapter 1 of The Hobbit and answer analytical questions asking how Tolkien characterizes Bilbo, how to describe the dwarves, and what Gandalf's line means, which prompts students to base answers on the text. Students are instructed to trace the journey on a setting map and to record important events with the chapter number next to each location (e.g., circle Hobbiton and record "Chapter 1" and a short sentence describing what happened there). The answer key and Events of the Journey pages explicitly link chapter numbers to specific events, which requires students to locate events in the text and note their chapter sources.
Lesson 2
Trolls
Students read Chapter 2 (a primary source) and answer specific comprehension questions in complete sentences about Bilbo, the trolls, and Gandalf, which requires referring to the text. Students are directed to read two biography web pages (secondary sources) about J.R.R. Tolkien and to record questions and reasons based on those articles. The Skills section explicitly lists summarizing informational materials and drawing inferences and conclusions from what is read or viewed.
Lesson 3
The Elves
Students are asked to find at least one example of foreshadowing from Chapters 3 and 4, read it aloud, and record it on a Foreshadowing and Flashbacks page that includes a column for Chapter, Pg. #. Students answer directed comprehension questions in complete sentences about specific events (e.g., moon letters on the map, how Gandalf is separated), and they chart locations and events on a Setting Map and Events of the Journey page with descriptions tied to chapters. The Student Activity Pages prompt students to record textual instances and locations for later reference.
Lesson 5
Wolves, Goblins, and Eagles
Students are asked to read Chapter 6 and answer comprehension questions in complete sentences (e.g., questions about how the wolves and goblins work together, what Gandalf does, and how the eagles help), which requires locating information in the text. Students are also asked to "Record any examples you found of foreshadowing from this chapter" and to write a brief description of chapter events, which asks them to identify and reference specific moments from the chapter.
Lesson 6
Skin-Changer
Students read Chapter 7 and answer directed comprehension questions in complete sentences (e.g., definitions and explanations of events and character actions). Students draw routes, circle locations, write chapter numbers, and briefly describe what happened in those chapters, requiring them to locate specific parts of the text. Students are asked to "Record any examples of foreshadowing or flashback on your chart," which requires identifying particular textual occurrences.
Lesson 10
The Dragon
Students read Chapters 12 and 13 and answer comprehension and analysis questions in complete sentences, including a question that cites the author: "Now he [Bilbo] had become the real leader in their adventure" and asks how this happens. Students are asked to record examples of flashback or foreshadowing from the chapters and to summarize chapter events, which requires locating and referencing specific parts of the primary text. In Activity 2 students are prompted to gather examples from secondary sources (news, magazines, history books) and to compare those examples to quoted passages from the novel about greed and power.
Lesson 12
The Arkenstone
Students are asked to read Chapters 16 and 17 and answer specific comprehension and analysis questions (e.g., why Bilbo sneaked out, why the dwarves did not battle the elves and men), which requires drawing on events from the text. Discussion and writing prompts ask students to explain Bilbo's motives, justify whether he should have given the Arkenstone, and explain how quest elements contribute to themes, all of which require reference to the novel's events and characters. The Quest Cube and wrap-up discussion prompt students to connect textual elements (precious object, heroic seeker, etc.) to central themes such as power and change.
Lesson 13
The Battle
Activity 1 asks students to read early reviews or responses to The Hobbit and write a two- to three-sentence summary that identifies whether the critic's response is positive or negative and explains major points. The activity directs students to "describe any literary elements that the reviewer alludes to in the review." An included image/handwritten report from Rayner Unwin is presented as a primary/early response for students to read and summarize.
Final Project
Responding to Literature
Students are instructed to "support your feelings and thoughts about the book with examples from the text," including direct quotes, figurative language, and events. The rubric explicitly assesses "Textual Evidence: Use of direct quotes and reference to the text," and the prewriting web and outline templates provide spaces for students to record specific evidence and supports. Students write a rough draft and final copy that must include text-based support and are directed to revise using the rubric's textual-evidence criterion.
Unit 4: Ancient Asia
Lesson 1
The Caste System of Ancient India
Students read specified pages of a secondary source (Life in the Ancient Indus River Valley) and answer guided reading questions that require finding information in the text (e.g., questions about Harappan achievements and Aryan contributions). Students are instructed to "use your reading" and to "synthesize information from a few places in the reading" when completing the Comparing Hinduism and Buddhism table (Option 1) and are directed to base imagined daily schedules on details from the readings (Activity 5 Option 1). Option 2 asks students to evaluate Buddhism from different historical perspectives, applying information from the text to explain how different social classes would be affected.
Lesson 3
Life in Ancient China
Students read primary and secondary source material (pages from Life in Ancient China and an excerpt from the Tao Te Ching) and answer specific comprehension questions based on those readings. Students are instructed to copy five sections of the Tao Te Ching into a booklet and to write an explanation of what the passage means about wealth. Students summarize accomplishments of several dynasties and place timeline cards, which requires locating dated information in the provided sources.
Lesson 4
Culture in Ancient China
Students are instructed to "Read pages 18-23 of Life in Ancient China and answer the following questions," and one question (about Confucius) is answered by quoting the text and citing "Page 22." The Parent Plan for the Silk Road map tells students to use the exports/imports listed on page 13 to show goods flowing between China and the West, requiring students to locate and use specific lines from the textbook. Multiple comprehension questions ask students to derive answers from specified page ranges (pages 18-23 and 24-31), prompting students to refer directly to the secondary source text.
Lesson 5
Life in Ancient Japan
Students are assigned to read pages 1–17 of Life in Ancient Japan and to use that reading to answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., questions about the clan system and government). Question #1 asks how the Kojiki says Japan was created, requiring students to refer to a named primary source. Activities ask students to "draw on pages 10-17" to write about the uji, emperors, noble families, and shoguns and to list natural resources "that you have learned about from your reading."
Unit 4: Ecosystems and Ecology
Lesson 9
Ecosystems and Their Environments
Students are instructed to review specific pages in Exploring Ecology and Changing Ecosystems and to gather information from those texts or the Internet. Students complete Ecosystem Characteristics activity sheets in which they record factors (biome, rainfall, temperature, soil, location) and write predicted results after changes in abiotic factors. The Parent Plan lists the skill: "Analyze evidence to explain observations, make inferences and predictions, and develop the relationship between evidence and explanation."
Lesson 13
Invasive Species
Students are asked to review a video ("The Threat of Invasive Species"), read pages 16–17 of a textbook, and use provided web links to gather information about invasive plants. Students collect specific information from those sources (name, areas where it occurs, and a brief description of the plant's impact) and answer analytical questions such as why a species is balanced in one ecosystem but not another and what happens when an organism is introduced. The unit test and activity prompts require students to explain ecosystem changes over time using information from those sources.
Unit 4: A Single Shard
Lesson 5
The Royal Emissary
Students are asked to read Chapters 5 and 6 and write four thoughtful questions, including a fact-based question "whose answer can be taken straight from the book," and to provide answers to each question. The lesson instructs students to jot down ideas or underline places in the text they might want to ask about and includes discussion prompts that ask students to explain the meaning of a quoted line and to describe what a character does based on the chapters.
Lesson 6
Village Life
Students are directed in Activity 2 to read and watch interviews and bios of Linda Sue Park and to take notes in a journal. Students answer specific factual and analytical questions on the "Linda Sue Park" page (e.g., where her parents are from, when her first poem was published) that require locating information in the provided sources. Students are asked to write a short paragraph explaining how the author's experiences and relationships influenced her writing, synthesizing information from the readings and videos.
Lesson 7
Opportunity
Students are asked to read Chapters 7 and 8 and answer specific "why" and plot questions in complete sentences, which requires explanation and justification of answers. The mini-book activity asks students to record how each opportunity benefited Tree-ear, prompting them to refer to events and details from the text. The Parent Plan explicitly tells parents to "encourage your child to provide evidence from the text to support his conclusions," directing students to use textual support for their explanations.
Lesson 9
Words of Wisdom
Students read Chapters 9 and 10 and answer comprehension questions in complete sentences that require them to explain characters' motivations and events (e.g., why Tree-ear goes on the journey). Students interpret Crane-man's quotes on the Student Activity Page by explaining each quote in their own words, engaging in analysis of the given textual lines. The Parent Plan skills explicitly instruct students to "develop and justify the interpretation of literature through sustained use of examples," which prompts use of text-based examples to support interpretations.
Lesson 11
Relationships
Students are repeatedly instructed to support their analyses with examples from the text: the Relationship Web and Relationship Words activities require that students "make sure that you can support your descriptions with examples from the text, including characters' thoughts, words, and actions." The Parent Plan skills explicitly state students should "justify interpretations of literature through sustained use of examples and textual evidence." Guided questions and discussion prompts ask students to provide examples from the book to support their answers.
Final Project
Comparison and Contrast Writing
Students are asked to provide "support from the text" for each similarity and difference on the Essay Organizer (Option 1) and the Brainstorming page prompts students to consider how relationships affect Tree-ear using details from the novel. The Comparison and Contrast Essay Rubric's "Ideas and Support" criterion requires the paper to provide specific examples, and the end-of-unit test (Part A) asks students to describe setting, processes, and opportunities using details from A Single Shard. Multiple activity pages include labeled spaces for "Similarity" and "Support" or "Difference" and "Support," requiring students to record textual evidence to back their claims.
Unit 5: Asia Today
Lesson 1
Russia East of the Ural Mountains
Students are assigned a secondary source (pages 132–143 of Geography of the World) and directed to read it to answer specific comprehension questions about topics such as the first cities in Asia, the significance of the Ural Mountains, and industries in the taiga. Students must use the reading to complete map labeling using the book and gazetteer as guides. Option 1 explicitly asks students to perform a close reading to identify connections between natural resources and Siberian economic activities, and Option 2 directs students to use page 143 to record details about the Yakut people.
Lesson 2
Turkey and Cyprus
Students are directed to read specific pages (pages 144-145 of Geography of the World) and answer factual questions about Turkey and Cyprus, requiring use of the text. Students are instructed to examine fact boxes and refer to specific pages to complete a data chart recording form of government, industries, adult literacy, and life expectancy. Students extract numerical and categorical data from the source to complete graphs and to answer comparison questions about literacy rates and life expectancy. The activity prompts students to record notes and impressions drawn from the text and images.
Lesson 3
The Middle East
Students are assigned a reading from Geography of the World (pages 146–159), a secondary source, and answer guided questions about city patterns, climate effects, and natural resources. Students must create a 3–4 day Current Events journal in which they find news stories (print, radio, TV, or online), record the news source and date, attach or include the article, write a 2–3 sentence summary, and answer analytical questions about government, economy, culture, and environment. The Current Events Report explicitly asks students to list the news source and to attach the article, requiring them to work directly with primary/secondary news sources during analysis.
Lesson 4
Central Asia
Students are directed to read pages 160-165 of Geography of the World and answer specific content questions (e.g., factors giving Kazakhstan potential wealth, changes after Turkmenistan independence, strategic importance of Afghanistan). Students are asked to "revisit today's readings and notice what the book says" about environmental issues and then use that information as the basis for a poster or a radio/TV advertisement. The advertisement/script/storyboard tasks require students to explain "what is happening in the environment," "why this environmental issue is a problem," and "what people should do," prompting use of the textbook details.
Lesson 8
Maritime Southeast Asia
Students are asked to read pages 196–201 of Geography of the World and answer specific questions about maritime Southeast Asia, which requires locating information in a secondary source. The Cultures of Indonesia and the Philippines activity directs students to 'use "Geography of the World" as a reference' to record history, languages, religions, and ethnic identities, and to cut/paste provided text boxes into a comparison chart. The Measuring Indonesia activity asks students to use the book's statement that Indonesia stretches across about 3,169 miles and to compare that figure to other distances, requiring students to pull a specific fact from the secondary source.
Lesson 9
The Indian Ocean
Students are instructed to read pages 202–203 of Geography of the World that cover the island nations and coral formation. Students answer guided questions (for example, explaining how coral islands are formed) that reference content on page 202. Students are asked to use Geography of the World and the activity page to record environmental threats and to refer to page 202 when making an atoll model.
Unit 5: Independent Study
Lesson 2
Bias and Propaganda
Students read two articles about Sir Sam Hughes and complete a "Detecting Bias" handout that asks how Hughes is portrayed in each article and whether bias techniques are present. The handout specifically asks students to write down the type of bias and an example of it from each article, requiring them to point to textual examples. In Activity 2 and Day 2 Activity 3 students answer questions about propaganda techniques in an article and identify techniques in advertisements, recording notes that rely on evidence from those sources.
Lesson 4
Finding Information
Students are instructed to collect supporting details from multiple sources (Activity 5 asks students to find at least three opinions from different stakeholders and three supporting details for each) and to record those notes on note cards or a gathering grid. The note-card guidelines emphasize citing sources and avoiding plagiarism, and Activity 3 has students write Works Cited entries for specific book, newspaper, interview, and online article examples (including one quoted online article). Students are directed to add sources to a Blank Works Cited page as they research.
Lesson 5
Writing the Essay
Students are instructed to include "evidence, evidence, and more evidence" in each body paragraph and to use "facts, statistics, research, expert opinions, examples, quotes, text details" to support topic sentences. The Parent Plan lists supporting main ideas with facts, details, examples, and explanations from "multiple authoritative sources (e.g., speakers, periodicals, online information searches)" and to "use quotations to support ideas and an appropriate form of documentation (e.g., bibliography, works cited)." The activities require students to synthesize research into their essay and to refer to a rubric when evaluating use of evidence.
2: Semester 2
Unit 1: Greece and Rome
Lesson 3
Everyday Life in Ancient Greece
Students are instructed to read pages 44-45 of the textbook and specific web pages (BBC family life page, Rick Riordan page, Ancient.eu, Wikipedia, Met Museum, Getty) and to use those readings to answer comprehension questions. Question prompts ask students to use information from the BBC website and the textbook to respond (e.g., education differences, roles of women, typical home). Activity 2 directs students to "refer back to your readings" to include historically accurate details when planning a child's daily schedule, and Activity 3 requires students to read summaries of 5-6 historical figures before completing a research-style activity page.
Lesson 4
The Hellenistic World
Students are instructed to read pages 46-47 of the textbook and answer specific comprehension questions about Alexander, Macedonia, and the Hellenistic Age, which requires using the textbook as a source. Students are asked to explain why Alexander is considered "great" and to design a monument, prompting them to reflect on events and qualities drawn from the reading. Students add dated timeline cards based on the text, locating and placing specific information from the book onto a timeline.
Lesson 5
Ancient Rome and the Roman Republic
Students are asked to read specific pages (page 50 and "End of the Republic" on p. 51) and an online article about the Roman Republic, providing textual material to use. In Activity 1, students compare and contrast two versions of Rome's founding by filling in a chart based on the textbook section and a video. In Activity 2, students must use the reading, a video, and suggested websites to list pros and cons for Brutus or to draft and deliver a 3–5 minute speech giving specific reasons for their position.
Lesson 6
The Roman Empire
Students are assigned readings from textbook pages and specific web resources (Ancient Civilizations page, Ancient History Encyclopedia, PBS) about Augustus and the empire, providing primary/secondary source material to read. Students complete comprehension questions (e.g., Pax Romana, Roman roads) that require locating answers in the texts. In Activity 2 students read about at least three emperors and then compare two, answering which was more effective and why, which asks for evaluation based on those readings. The diary-entry option asks students to recount how Augustus became emperor and reflect on lessons learned from Julius Caesar, prompting use of information from the readings.
Lesson 8
The End of the Empire
Students are directed to read secondary-source articles about the fall of Rome and specific sections ("External Causes," "Internal Causes," and "Conclusion") and to answer analysis questions about causes and the role of Christianity. Students are asked to read three New Testament passages (primary sources: Romans 8:35-39; Matthew 5:10-11; 2 Timothy 3:10-12) and to analyze what the authors' messages were and whether persecution was expected. Students also complete activities that require sorting factors into internal vs. external causes and writing diary entries that require using information from the readings to explain perspectives.
Unit 1: Greek Myths
Lesson 3
The Stories
The Parent Plan lists the skill to "provide evidence from the text to support their understanding," which explicitly connects student work to using textual evidence. The Introducing the Lesson asks students to "explain his decisions with examples" when choosing a favorite god or goddess, prompting students to support their preferences with examples. Activities ask students to analyze myths and archaeological pottery and to read and use informational cards (Go Greek), which gives students primary (artifacts) and secondary (summary cards) source material to consider.
Lesson 5
Mortal Descendants of Zeus
Students are assigned to read pages 114–122 about Perseus and answer specific comprehension questions that draw on details from the text (e.g., why Acrisius locked his daughter, what the king asked Perseus to do). The Skills section explicitly states students will "synthesize and make logical connections between ideas within a text and across two or three texts... and support those findings with textual evidence." The Conventions of a Myth activity asks students to identify elements (hero, gods, monster, problem) from the Perseus story, which requires locating details in the text.
Lesson 6
Vainglorious Kings
The Parent Plan skills list explicitly tells students to "synthesize and make logical connections between ideas within a text and across two or three texts... and support those findings with textual evidence." The skills list also instructs students to "come to discussions prepared... explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue." Student tasks require comparing the traditional Daedalus and Icarus myth to a contemporary retelling, completing a chart with textual details, and answering comprehension questions in complete sentences, which prompt use of text details. Parent prompts for the filmed version ask students to "share specific details to back up their observations."
Final Project
A New Twist on an Ancient Myth
The Skills section explicitly tells students to "provide evidence from the text to support their understanding" and to "support those findings with textual evidence" when making inferences and drawing conclusions. The prewriting and conventions activities ask students to identify conventions and themes of original myths and to develop retellings, which requires referencing elements of the source myths. The unit includes tasks asking students to synthesize ideas across two or three texts and to summarize famous myths, which invites use of textual details to support comparisons and summaries.
Unit 2: The Middle Ages
Lesson 2
Monarchs
Students are instructed to read a secondary source (pages 15–23 of Great Medieval Projects You Can Build Yourself) and answer comprehension and analysis questions about monarchs and medieval marriage and succession. In Option 1 students complete a two-column activity comparing the king's power before and after the Magna Carta using information on page 19. In Option 2 students copy the full text of the Magna Carta (a primary source) into a word-cloud generator and then answer analytic questions about prominent words, target groups, and issues in the document.
Lesson 3
Knights and Warfare in the Middle Ages
Students are assigned to read specific pages (pages 24–48 of Great Medieval Projects You Can Build Yourself) and answer guided questions that require answers drawn from the text (e.g., why stirrups were important; why castles were hard to attack). Students are asked to write a diary entry that must "reflect the details on pages 24-28" and to plan a siege using descriptions from pages 28-30 and 42-45, which requires using information from the secondary source to support their written responses. The castle defense game and activity instructions require students to match defenses to specific attack methods described in the reading.
Lesson 4
Castles and Feasts
Students are asked to read pages 49–64 of a secondary source (Great Medieval Projects You Can Build Yourself) and respond to four comprehension questions that draw directly on that reading (e.g., geography and castle placement, bedchamber differences, kitchen placement, and medieval etiquette). Students are also instructed to use descriptions in the reading as a guide when creating a castle floor plan or designing a tapestry, which requires them to extract information from the text to inform their work.
Lesson 6
Religion in Medieval Life
Students are directed to read pages 91-104 of Great Medieval Projects You Can Build Yourself and to use those pages to answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., questions about pagan practices incorporated into Christian traditions, holy relics, and who claimed Jerusalem). The "Dissent and the Church" activity asks students to identify groups, explain why they were considered dangerous, and discuss consequences using information found on pages 91-94. The Reconquista activity requires students to read an external article and then summarize, list motivations, and create a timeline, tasks that draw on textual information from that secondary source.
Unit 2: Tales from the Middle Ages
Lesson 2
Beetle
Students read a centuries-old poem, "A Dialogue on Poverty," (a primary source) and answer four analysis questions about the narrator's outlook, needs, and the effect of first-person point of view. Students are asked to compare the poem's narrator to Beetle/Brat from The Midwife's Apprentice, requiring cross-text analysis. The Researcher role asks students to dig up related information (geography, culture, history) to better understand the book's context, which involves consulting secondary sources.
Lesson 4
Special Delivery
Students are assigned the role of Line Locator and must find three to five lines or short passages they think reflect good writing or are key to the story. They record the page numbers and paragraph numbers for each selected passage in their journal. Students then explain in their journal why each passage is an example of good writing or why it is important to the story, and they are asked to read passages aloud and justify their selections.
Lesson 5
A Baby
Students are asked to locate specific sentences from The Midwife's Apprentice (three quoted sentences with page numbers) and explain why the author used passive voice in those instances (Option 1 and Option 2, Part I). Students are instructed to rewrite passive sentences in active voice and compare the effects, and to type and compare their revisions on an online exercise that provides immediate feedback. The reading task also requires students to base a written dialogue on one or more events that occurred in the chapters they read, directing them to use details from the text.
Lesson 7
An Angel or a Saint
Students are asked to serve as a Literary Luminary by locating passages they find important and to record page numbers and paragraph numbers for those passages. Students are directed to read monologues from Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! (pages 14, 24, 39) and then analyze the role of domesticated animals by writing sentences or explaining economic effects. Students are instructed to look up original sentences in the book to compare with their rewritten, elaborated versions.
Lesson 8
Newborn Hope
Students are asked to finish the novel, read the Author's Note, and act as a "Connector," recording connections between the book and their life or history in a journal. The "Relationships" activity instructs students to "Provide details from the book to support your answers" when comparing Alyce's relationships at the beginning and end of the book. The Connector and journal tasks require students to refer to events across the entire text when recording connections.
Lesson 9
Cast of Characters
Students read multiple monologues from Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! and complete a "Cast of Characters" chart that asks them to summarize each character in 1-2 sentences and to describe relationships or encounters with other characters. The chart explicitly asks students to provide "one example of effective descriptive language used by the author," which requires locating specific wording from the text. Students are also prompted to find connections between characters across monologues, implying use of textual details to support those connections.
Lesson 10
Point of View
Students read specific pages (24–41) of Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! and fill out a chart for each monologue, which requires them to refer to the text. The discussion prompt explicitly asks students to "Use examples from the book to support your answer" when comparing characters (e.g., Edgar and Simon). Students are also directed to locate and analyze passages from books to identify first- and third-person narration and to decide whether a third-person passage is limited or omniscient, sharing findings with a parent.
Final Project
Life in the Middle Ages Think-Tac-Toe
Students are asked to write essay responses that require using examples from the texts (e.g., Part V: Essay asks students to summarize monologues and to "discuss what a midwife's apprentice learned... with examples from the book"). The Think-Tac-Toe board includes a "Book" square that asks students to write a review discussing themes and historical accuracy, which prompts use of textual support. The unit includes a "historical connections" template and multiple activities (summaries, monologues, story cubes) that draw directly on The Midwife's Apprentice and Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! as source material.
Unit 3: The Age of Discovery
Lesson 1
Why Was There an Age of Discovery?
Students are asked to read pages 4–13 of a secondary source (The World Made New) and to answer comprehension and analysis questions (Questions #1–#4), including explaining why historical knowledge changes. Students use maps and readings to add voyages and cities to their assembled transatlantic map, and Activity 2 asks students to analyze and explain the five motivations for exploration (religion, competition, wealth, glory, knowledge) in writing, speech, or a graphic organizer.
Lesson 2
New World Empires
Students are assigned to read pages 14-19 of a secondary source (The World Made New) and to answer specific comprehension questions about the empires of the Americas, which requires using the text to respond. Students are asked to complete comparison activities (chart or Venn diagrams) using the readings and maps to compare European kingdoms and American empires. In Option 2, students watch a film about Cahokia and take organized notes on topics drawn from that source.
Lesson 3
European Explorers
Students are asked to read pages 20–35 of a secondary source and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., why Columbus called people "Indians" and what made the Inca vulnerable), which requires pulling information from the text. Activity 2 directs students to review the "Countdown" box on page 23 to prepare a sailor's journal or skit, asking them to use details from that passage. Activity 4 asks students to "look for clues" on pages 26–29 and record factors explaining the Spanish conquest, and Activity 6 asks students to fill in trading cards "based on your reading."
Lesson 4
The Consequences of Contact
Students read a specified secondary source (pages 36–51 of The World Made New) and answer targeted comprehension questions that require text-based answers. In the debate preparation activity, students are instructed to list three arguments for each side and to provide specific facts that could be used as evidence to support those arguments. In Activity 1 and Option 1 students extract items and numerical estimates from the reading (traded goods, disease names, population and mortality figures) and use those facts to create maps, calculations, and visual representations.
Lesson 5
Copernicus and Changes in Science
Students are directed to read specified pages of Newton at the Center and to answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., questions about Bacon's idea of science and Copernicus' discoveries), which requires drawing information from the text. Several activities instruct students to use the lesson reading as their source of information (for example, planning a 2–3 minute introductory speech in the role of Copernicus and creating a scrapbook using details from the reading). The lesson also points students to specific page numbers (e.g., page 19, pages 11 and 37–39) to support activities such as explaining why the Scientific Revolution happened in Europe and drawing diagrams of competing cosmological models.
Lesson 6
Galileo
Students are assigned to read Chapters 5-7 of a secondary source (Newton at the Center) and to answer specific comprehension questions about Galileo's findings (e.g., on inertia and falling bodies). In Option 2, students read linked primary source documents related to Galileo's trial (letters, scriptural references, and his recantation) and then answer targeted questions on those documents about Kepler's advice, Galileo's view of faith and science, Church views, and relevant scriptural references. Activity 3 also asks students to explore modern controversies and form arguments based on gathered research.
Lesson 7
Isaac Newton
Students read specified chapters of a secondary source (Newton at the Center) and answer four directed questions that refer to information on particular pages (e.g., answers note p.149, p.156, p.182, p.234). Students locate and report factual details about Newton's work (questions 1 and 2) and explain connections between scientific ideas and Enlightenment thought (question 4). Students also read short sections about inventions and complete activity pages that ask them to describe what the devices do and why they are important, which requires using the assigned text to respond.
Final Project
Discovery Research Project
The Option 2 open-book essay explicitly tells students they may use their books and suggests they "write down relevant page numbers or bookmark pages" to consult while writing. The parent guidance for evaluating essays expects "specific examples included as evidence to support main points." The final-project rubric includes a criterion for "Evidence of careful planning and research," which implies students must locate supporting information for their presentations.
Unit 3: The Solar System
Lesson 2
Our Sun
Students read specific pages of a nonfiction book and answer factual questions (e.g., composition and surface temperature of the Sun), showing they extract facts from text. Students plot the provided sunspot data from 1950–2023 on a graph, label maxima and minima, and calculate intervals between maximum years. Students use the graph and their calculations to explain whether sunspots show a regular cycle and to justify conclusions about the average cycle length.
Lesson 7
Gas Giants
Students are asked to read specified pages (32-37 and 40-43) of a textbook and answer directed questions that require locating specific facts in the text (e.g., why Jupiter smells like rotten eggs; how Saturn's rings are divided; which moon is most heavily cratered). Students must include information from the book when creating a vacation poster or writing a short story about a gas giant moon, explicitly using textual details about atmosphere, composition, and geographic features. Students complete the "Planetary Passport" table or board-game question cards by recording diameters, distances, rotation/orbital periods, moons, temperatures, rings, and other facts drawn from the reading.
Lesson 8
Dwarf Planets and Asteroids
Students are assigned specific pages (pp. 31 and 45–51) in a secondary source (13 Planets) to read and answer guided questions, such as which dwarf planets were once classified as major planets and what makes Haumea unique. Students complete the ‘‘Planetary Passport'' or create question-and-answer cards for each dwarf planet, recording details like diameter, orbital period, discoverer, and other facts drawn from the reading. The parent notes direct students to check answers against pages 58–59 in the book, linking student responses back to the text.
Unit 3: The Prince and the Bard
Lesson 2
Meeting the Little Prince
Students read Chapters I–VI and answer specific comprehension questions in complete sentences, which requires them to refer to the text for answers. In Activity 1 students are instructed to look back at the reading to analyze why the author uses parentheses in particular sentences. In Activity 2 students must take what the narrator says and write phrases or illustrate those ideas on a Venn diagram, explicitly using ideas from the book.
Lesson 3
The Flower and Other Planets
Students are asked to read chapters VII–XII of The Little Prince and answer comprehension questions in full sentences, demonstrating engagement with a primary source. In Option 2, Part II students must find two instances where the author uses ellipses, note the chapter and page number, write the sentence, and explain the effect of the ellipses. In the student activity pages, students cut apart and reconstruct text fragments and replace omitted text with ellipses, which requires locating and reproducing specific passages from the book.
Lesson 5
Making Friends on Earth
Students read Chapters XXI–XXV of The Little Prince and answer comprehension questions (e.g., what it means to be 'tamed' and the fox's secret), which requires referring to the text. Part II of the student activity explicitly asks students to look in Chapter II and reflect on why certain text is italicized, prompting them to locate passages. The Parent Plan lists the skill 'Paraphrase the major ideas and supporting evidence in formal and informal presentations,' and the answer key directs students to "look back in the text" for context on specific items.
Lesson 6
Saying Goodbye
Students read Chapter XXVI to the end of The Little Prince and answer comprehension questions in complete sentences. The Student Activity Page explicitly asks students to "List two ways the narrator says he knows the little prince made it home," and the Skills list includes "Offer persuasive evidence to validate arguments and conclusions." The Persuading the Fox activity and the Wrapping Up prompt ask students to explain or persuade why the little prince made it home, prompting use of textual reasons.
Lesson 10
Dreams
Students read a specified primary text (Act 3, Scene 2 to Act 4, Scene 1) and answer directed questions in complete sentences about plot and character changes. Students write short paragraphs analyzing themes (love, friendship, or persuasion) for Options 1 and 2 and summarize what happens in chosen passages. Students perform and discuss passages, which requires them to refer to the play's language and meaning when explaining choices.
Lesson 12
Tragic Love
Students are asked in Activity 1 (Quotable) to write three interview questions, "find quotes from the text that answer your questions," and then write the character responses including those quotes with correct quotation marks and ellipses. The parent notes reiterate that each response should include a quotation in quotation marks and may include an ellipsis if words are left out. The reading tasks require students to read specified pages of the primary source (the abridged Romeo and Juliet) and answer comprehension questions in complete sentences, which encourages grounding answers in the text.
Final Project
Love Letters
Students are prompted to record "evidence" and "important quotes" on the Play Cupid and Strongest of All activity pages. The Outlining page directs students to "use the evidence you found to support each reason" and to include quotations as supporting material. Activity 3 explicitly instructs students to "Include quotes from your couple" and to "Provide persuasive evidence of their love."
Unit 4: Elizabethan Europe
Lesson 3
Becoming Queen
Students are assigned specific sections of a secondary source (Chapter 3 and Chapter 4) and are asked to answer four comprehension questions whose answers come directly from those pages (Questions #1-#4). Activity 3 asks students to reread passages describing the coronation procession and to note symbolism from the reading to plan a symbolic gift, and the Student Activity Page requires them to write the meaning of their gift based on that information. The activities and review items direct students to use information from the text (e.g., pages called out for examples of blackwork and procession descriptions).
Lesson 4
Religious Turmoil
Students are assigned to read specified sections of a secondary source (Chapter 5 of Elizabeth I, The People's Queen) and answer four content questions that require referencing details from those pages (e.g., reasons for concern about Catholic takeover of Scotland; the Act of Uniformity; Puritan beliefs; the 1570 papal bull). Students are also directed to review pages 12–130 to determine which countries were Protestant or Catholic and then color a map accordingly, using the reading to support their map choices. The timeline activity asks students to add named Reformation figures and the Act of Uniformity, which requires locating those items in the text or lesson materials.
Lesson 6
Defeating the Spanish Armada
Students read a secondary source chapter (Chapter 8 of Elizabeth I, The People's Queen) and answer specific comprehension questions about how the Armada was detected, why sailors joined, and how the English defeated the Armada, requiring them to refer to the chapter's content. Students reread and perform Queen Elizabeth's speech (a primary source) and are asked which line they found most powerful, prompting close reading of that primary text. The Parent Plan includes a web link to the British National Archives containing primary source documents and suggests working through accompanying questions and documents.
Lesson 7
The End of Elizabeth I's Era
Students are instructed to read Chapter 9 of a secondary source about Elizabeth I and answer specific text-based questions (e.g., describing economic problems of the 1590s, explaining what "the Pale" was, and identifying the monarch after Elizabeth). In Option 2, students must choose four adjectives describing Elizabeth and "identify one concrete example that illustrates each adjective" and be "prepared to defend [their] choices ... by explaining how each example illustrates the quality." Option 1 asks students to select three significant accomplishments and write short statements summarizing her leadership, which requires using details from the reading.
Lesson 8
The Making of the Modern World
Students are asked to "review your readings from previous lessons to complete the activities," and Activity 1 directs them to use specific secondary sources (The Story of Science; The World Made New; Elizabeth I: The People's Queen) to list differences between medieval and modern worlds. Option 2 and the answer key present sourced content that students cut, sort, and paste into a chart, and Activity 2 instructs students to "write your ideas about how those things are connected" and to explain connections they draw between themes and Elizabeth I. The wrapping up and review sections ask students to review answers to the lesson's readings and to explain connections they made.
Unit 4: Technological Design
Lesson 4
Necessity vs. Luxury
Students are directed to use specific online sources (Britannica Kids, History.com, Smithsonian, etc.) to research inventions and are prompted to search targeted questions like "How did this invention improve people's lives?" The Parent Plan explicitly tells students to "be sure your child backs up her claim with evidence." Student Activity Pages require written answers explaining whether a technology solved a societal problem and why it is a necessity or luxury, with space for students to record supporting information.
Lesson 6
Da Vinci's Inventions
Students are instructed to read pages 77-91 of the book and then evaluate da Vinci's parachute, ornithopter, and helical air screw using a rubric that includes a shaded "Evidence" column for each category. Activity directions tell students to "use the information given to you in the text" and to "provide evidence for your rating," and Student Activity Pages explicitly require students to fill in "Rating" and "Evidence." The rubric and activities require students to base evaluations on text-based information when explaining their ratings.
Lesson 7
Contemporary Design Approaches
Students are instructed to research contemporary designs using the provided web links and to "jot these down" during Step 2 of the Engineering on a Budget activity. The student activity pages for Hand-Held Vacuum Cleaner, Television, and Computer each include an "Evidence" column where students are to record notes or justifications tied to categories like Scientific Principles, Risks, Benefits, Constraints, and Testing Protocols. Parent-plan skills also state that students will "use information systems to locate resources to obtain ideas," indicating students will gather supporting information from sources.
Final Project
Final Exam and Model Bridge
Students are directed to use websites and book pages (e.g., pages 52-55 of the da Vinci book) to "research the need or problem" and to "use the information from these sites to fill out the evaluation chart." The Student Activity Pages include an "Evaluation Protocol" table with columns labeled "Rating" and "Evidence" for criteria like Scientific Principles, Risks, Benefits, Constraints/Limitations, and Testing Protocols. The unit test and project presentation require students to record the history of websites visited and to provide evidence statements when evaluating the camera obscura and other designs.
Unit 4: Newton at the Center
Lesson 2
Newton and Math
Students are instructed to "take notes including page numbers, as you read, on information you think may be important and unfamiliar words you come across," which directs them to record source locations. Students answer specific comprehension questions in complete sentences based on assigned pages, requiring use of the text to respond. Students are asked to use their notes to give a 2-minute oral summary of page 163, including the main idea and what the graph shows, and to prepare summaries and directions (e.g., for drawing ellipses) that a parent must follow from the student's notes.
Lesson 3
Newton and Light
Students are instructed to read pages 164–171 of The Story of Science and to "highlight in the book or take notes including page numbers" on information they think may be important. Students answer specific comprehension questions in complete sentences about Newton, Kepler, Hooke, and spectroscopy that require referring to the reading. Students are asked to use the reading as inspiration for creating sentences for a diagramming presentation, linking their work to the source text.
Lesson 4
Newton and Motion
Students are instructed to read pages 172–183 and to ask a parent if they should highlight or take notes including page numbers on information they think is important. The reading questions require students to answer in complete sentences about who convinced Newton to publish and what jobs he held, which directs students to locate facts in the text. The Activity 2 student page asks students to "describe the event as it is described in the book" and to record two people's perspectives, which requires returning to specific passages for accurate summaries.
Lesson 6
Math and Science Take Flight
Students are instructed to read Chapter 21 and are told to ask a parent if they should highlight or take notes including page numbers on information they think may be important, which directs them to record source locations. Students are directed to read the NASA webpage and to use the diagrams, captions, and text provided for demonstrations to create their own numbered list of instructions, which requires them to extract information from secondary texts. The Student Activity Page asks students to write procedure steps and draw conclusions/inferences based on the demonstration materials and accompanying text.
Lesson 7
Using Newton's Work
Students are instructed to read specific chapters and answer questions in complete sentences based on those readings, which requires referring to the text. The lesson repeatedly tells students to take notes "including page numbers" and Option 2 explicitly asks students to record the original sentence (or the page number and paragraph number) when they rewrite sentences from the chapter. Diagramming and sentence-choice activities also require students to select sentences from the readings and note the page number.
Final Project
Lobby for Newton
Students are instructed to review their highlighted passages and notes from the book and to summarize key points (Activity 1). They are asked to look back at highlighted passages and answer specific questions about Newton to brainstorm material for their paper (Activity 2). The outlining guidance explicitly directs students to gather observations, examples, and quotations to support each area of their outline and to transfer those details into a structured essay (Outlining Newton pages).
Unit 5: Modern Europe
Lesson 1
Introduction to Europe
Students are assigned to read pages 78-81 of Geography of the World and to use that book to complete activities. In Option 1, students complete a scavenger-hunt worksheet that tells them to use the index and the country fact boxes in the book to find specific information (e.g., which countries use the euro, where the EU administrative center is). Option 2 directs students to read a student booklet from the European Union website and to play an online quiz about EU facts.
Lesson 3
The British Isles
Students are assigned specific secondary-source readings (pages 87–90 of Geography of the World) and instructed to fill out "Quick Guide" and country activity pages using that reading. The student activity pages prompt students to analyze how geography and resources influence the economy and to identify cultural changes, which requires using information from the assigned texts. The Parliament activities require students to read a UK Parliament booklet or watch an explanatory video and record factual information and explanations on activity pages.
Lesson 4
The Low Countries, Germany, and France
Students are asked to read pages 91–99 of a geography text and to complete 'Quick Guide' pages for the Netherlands, Germany, and France, which requires pulling factual information (population, language, government, geography) from the reading. In Option 2, students must locate three news articles about European environmental issues, record the source (publication and date or URL), and write 2–3 sentence summaries for each article. In Option 1, students consult EU web resources and are asked to give at least one reason why a suggested consumer action is a good idea, linking their poster claim to information they gathered.
Lesson 7
Slovenia, Croatia, Belarus, Baltic States
Students are asked to read pages 109–113 of Geography of the World and then answer the three Soviet History questions based on those references, requiring them to locate information in a secondary text. In Activity 3, students must find three current news stories and provide a source (magazine/newspaper/date or URL) along with a 2–3 sentence summary for each article. In Activity 6 students use provided links and other research sources to complete government comparison pages (Option 1 or Option 2), recording factual details about Belarus, Norway, and a third country.
Lesson 10
Southeast Europe
Students are assigned to read pages 124-131 of a geography text and to fill out Quick Guide pages on Romania and Greece, requiring them to extract specific factual information (population, language, government, geography). Student activity pages ask students to identify a cultural change "if one is identified in the readings" and to determine whether it resulted from diffusion or invention, which requires referring back to the text. Activity 2 directs students to locate three news articles, skim them, choose one for an in-depth report, and in the written option to record the source (publication/date or URL) and write a 2-3 sentence summary, while the newscast option asks students to report what/when/where/who from their chosen article.
Unit 5: Energy
Lesson 8
Powering Our World
Students are asked to re-read "Harnessing Wind" (Chapter 8) and read Chapter 13 and then answer content questions, which requires using the book as a source. Students are directed to research state electricity data (EIA or state government) to create a pie chart and to compare and contrast five energy sources using specific book pages listed for advantages and disadvantages. Option 1 asks students to read country energy profiles, examine charts, and read accompanying text to answer questions about electricity access and energy mixes.
Final Project
Energy Conservation
Students are instructed to obtain and study a recent utility bill and compare usage across months or seasons to identify trends and the top 3–5 ways their family uses gas and electricity. Students use the Energy Use Calculator and an online home energy assessment to gather data about device and appliance energy consumption. Students are asked to include the utility bills and information from the Energy Use Calculator and home audit in a final presentation and to reference an article or study when writing a persuasive letter to a business, organization, or government office.
Unit 5: British Poetry
Lesson 3
Graphic Elements
The Parent Plan skills explicitly tell students to "provide evidence from text to support understanding." In Activity 1 students are asked to record two lines from Tennyson's "Dedication" that exemplify specific graphic elements, requiring them to quote specific lines from the primary source. In Activity 2 students must choose a favorite line from the poem and select a prose statement from the linked biography of Prince Albert, writing both statements side-by-side, which requires citing a secondary source passage.
Lesson 5
Allusions
Students are asked to read chapters on Yeats, Sitwell, and Owen and answer specific comprehension questions about references and allusions in the poems. The Parent Plan Skills explicitly state that students should "provide evidence from text to support understanding." The activity pages prompt students to record "3 interesting facts or vivid details" from news articles, which requires locating information in texts.
Final Project
Autobiography of a Poet
Activity 6 asks students to review analyses of two poems in the book (secondary sources) and then write a two-paragraph analysis of one of their own poems (a primary source), with the first paragraph describing images/events and the second describing structure and techniques. The Parent Plan skills statement explicitly notes that students should "provide evidence from text to support understanding." The rubric requires a two-paragraph analysis and supporting sentences, implying students must provide supporting material drawn from texts.
1: Semester 1
Unit 1: Revolution
Lesson 2
Southern Colonies
Students read a primary account (Barlowe, 1584) and are asked to reinterpret that account by writing a 2–3 paragraph diary entry or letter from an American Indian point of view, which requires using details from the passage. Students read primary and secondary narratives in We Were There, Too! (Pocahontas, Tom Savage, Equiano, Eliza Lucas) and answer specific comprehension questions that require extracting information from those texts. Students use National Park Service articles about tobacco, silk, and flax to complete a comparative chart and complete a Venn diagram comparing Equiano's voyage and the Mayflower, tasks that require using information from the provided sources.
Lesson 3
The Middle and Northern Colonies
The lesson has students read primary and secondary source material (the Mayflower Compact and selections from Great Colonial Projects and We Were There, Too!) and answer comprehension and analysis questions based on those texts. The Mayflower Compact activity directs students to reread the Compact, create a word cloud from its text, and respond to interpretation and analysis questions about which ideas were most important to the signers. The Salem Witch Trials activity asks students to evaluate multiple explanations and provides links to primary-source collections for further investigation.
Lesson 6
Leading Up to Revolution
Students are directed to read NCpedia's "Timeline of Resistance, 1763-1774" and complete a "Resistance" table by filling in what each act did and why colonists might have objected, which requires extracting information from a secondary source. Students watch the "Revolution" episode and answer specific factual questions about people and events, demonstrating use of information from a secondary audiovisual source. The student activity pages ask students to summarize main topics of the episode in a short movie review or to write a trailer script, tasks that ask students to refer to content from the episode.
Lesson 7
Independence
Students read multiple primary documents (Patrick Henry's speech and the Declaration of Independence rough draft) and linked primary-source exhibits from the Library of Congress. In Activity 2, students print the rough draft, choose 3–5 sections that show major revisions, mark the text, and suggest specific edits while completing an activity page about those changes. In Activities 1 and the Reading and Questions section, students read secondary-source chapters and answer questions that require using the readings to explain causes and motivations.
Lesson 8
Fighting the War
Students read multiple first- and secondary-source accounts (e.g., Joseph Plumb Martin, Deborah Sampson, Sybil Ludington, James/Joseph Forten) and answer specific comprehension questions about why events happened and how people acted. Students write analytic products — a letter home drawing on those readings, fill in a brochure about major battles using National Park Service and other linked pages, and complete timeline and illustration activities that require using details from the texts.
Unit 1: Atoms
Lesson 2
Atomic Structure
Students are asked to watch a linked video and then answer specific reading questions (e.g., identify the nucleus and particle charges), which requires extracting information from that secondary source. In Activity 3 students are given multiple web links about scientists and instructed to "research each scientist and his/her major discoveries," write brief summaries, and place information on a timeline. The lesson's Option 1 also directs students to read provided "Scientists" pages and paste rectangles with discoveries onto a timeline, which involves locating and using information from those texts.
Unit 1: Abigail Adams
Lesson 2
John and Abigail Adams
Students are taught about the purpose of citations in the "Things to Know" and the Reading and Questions section, which explains endnote reference numbers and how to match quotations to original sources. Several comprehension questions (Question #1, #2, and #3) require students to use the book's reference notes and bibliography to identify the source of quotations and provide full bibliographic entries. The Parent Plan Skills list asks students to record bibliographic information and to differentiate paraphrasing from plagiarism, and the discussion prompts ask students to consider how the availability of Abigail Adams's letters and citations affect historical writing.
Lesson 3
Unrest and War
Students are asked in Activity 2 Option 1 to view Paul Revere's engraving and "support that argument with 2-3 specific examples," requiring use of primary-source details in their paragraph. In Activity 2 Option 2 students must read the John Adams diary and the Abigail Adams secondary account and then compose a first-person paragraph based on those sources. The reading-and-questions section includes answers that reproduce a direct quotation with a page citation ("lead, glass, paper, paints, and tea" (p. 36)), showing instances where students are working with and pointing to textual details.
Lesson 5
Remember the Ladies
Students are asked to read primary source letters (Abigail and John Adams) and either (Option 1) read the full text and compare how the biographer quoted and used the letter or (Option 2) answer explicit document-analysis questions that tell them to "look for specific places in the letter that will provide the evidence you need". The Exploring Primary Sources student page asks students to summarize the letter, note what parts the author quoted, and identify what aspects of Abigail's life the letter illuminates. Students also read Chapters 9–10 of a biography (secondary source) and answer content questions drawn directly from that secondary text.
Lesson 6
Separation
Students read Chapters 11 and 12 of a secondary source (Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution) and answer text-based questions about those chapters. The reading questions ask for specific details (e.g., how people reacted when the Declaration was read) and an answer example includes a direct quotation and a page citation (p. 78). Students are prompted to interpret characters' thoughts and feelings (Questions 3 and 4), which requires using the text to support responses.
Lesson 9
The Vice Presidency
Students are assigned Chapters 17 and 18 of Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution (a secondary source) and directed to read at least two original letters between Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson (primary sources). Students answer specific comprehension questions about the chapters and complete an activity that asks them to write a diary entry from Abigail Adams's point of view based on the letters, describing topics of the letters and how Jefferson influenced her.
Lesson 10
Presidential Politics
Students read Chapters 19 and 20 of a secondary source (Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution) and answer specific comprehension questions about John and Abigail Adams' views and appointments. Students complete a grammatical scavenger hunt that asks them to find exact sentences or clauses in specified paragraphs (e.g., find a passive-voice sentence in the 2nd paragraph of Chapter XIX), which requires locating textual excerpts. Students review the first pages of Chapter 19 and fill a compare-and-contrast chart about Federalists and Republicans using information from the reading.
Final Project
A One-Person Play
Students are required to quote directly from a primary source in at least one scene of their one-person play (Day 2: "Be sure that at least one of your scenes involves a direct quotation from a primary source"). The Plan Your Play pages include sections labeled "Relevant primary sources cited," prompting students to list sources. The rubric explicitly requires "Includes reading from at least one primary source," and the unit test Part 2 presents a paragraph with a quoted sentence and asks students to analyze its role and identify supporting evidence.
Unit 2: Civics
Lesson 1
The Origins of American Government
Students are instructed to read primary documents (Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, English Bill of Rights) and to cut out or highlight specific phrases from those texts and place them into categories (limits, rights, responsibilities). Students are asked to record the locations of specific passages in the Articles of Confederation and to use a note-taking template that requires summarizing key ideas in their own words and responding with questions or analysis about each section. Option 2 asks students to be prepared to explain to a parent why they highlighted or underlined each passage and to explain whose powers, rights, or responsibilities are defined.
Lesson 3
The Constitution of the United States
Students read the Constitution and the Preamble and are asked to work section-by-section to determine the purpose of each part (Activity 1). Students must take notes and "record at least 2 key points per section," which requires them to refer to the text of the Constitution (Activity 1, Page 3). In Activity 2 students apply amendments to real-world scenarios (Option 1) and/or take notes from the Library of Congress interactive about the origins of the Bill of Rights (Option 2), which asks guiding comparison questions about source ideas and expression.
Lesson 4
The Executive Branch
Students read primary source documents (George Washington's First Inaugural and Farewell Addresses) and answer interpretive questions that reference specific quoted passages (e.g., asking what Washington meant by a quoted sentence). Students review Article II and multiple amendments and answer targeted questions about presidential powers, succession, and duties, requiring them to consult constitutional text. In Option 2 students examine presidential schedules (secondary sources) and take notes comparing time spent on different duties.
Lesson 5
The Legislative Branch
Students are asked to review Article I of the Constitution (a primary source) and an overview of the legislative branch on the White House website (a secondary source). Students read the text of an actual bill in Activity 2 and are instructed to "Summarize, in your own words, what this bill is designed to do" and to report the bill number, sponsors, committees, and what happened to the bill. Reading-and-questions items ask students to answer specific factual questions drawn from the assigned texts (e.g., differences in representation, pocket veto).
Lesson 6
The Judicial Branch
Students are asked to read Article III of the Constitution and a White House webpage about the judicial branch, exposing them to primary and secondary source texts. In Activity 2 students use research (online or library) and the provided Landmark Cases page to answer specific questions about a chosen Supreme Court case (basis, decision, precedent, modern significance). Activity 1 directs students to read Federal Judicial Center pages or play Court Quest to learn court procedures and answer quizzes, which requires referring to informational sources.
Unit 2: Chemical Reactions
Lesson 7
Physical and Chemical Properties, Part II
Students are instructed to "Read pp. 46-47 in Eyewitness Chemistry and then answer these questions," and three comprehension questions (Who produced the first battery? What is electrolysis? Why doesn't pure water conduct electricity?) require students to use information from that text. The lesson provides a reading excerpt about electrical conductivity and directs students to record observations and answer questions that draw on the provided text and diagrams (e.g., the electrolysis excerpt and images explaining ion movement).
Lesson 8
Periodic Characteristics
Students are told to re-read "Making a Precipitate" (p.35) and read pp. 44–45 of Eyewitness Chemistry and then answer questions, which requires using those texts. Activity 1 directs students to use the periodic table and pH information (including pH values provided on the student page) to determine whether reactions produced salts, linking their answers to provided sources. The "Questions to Consider" and answer key ask students to identify evidence (e.g., gas production, precipitate formation) that a chemical reaction occurred, prompting students to support conclusions with observations and information from readings and the activity pages.
Lesson 9
Scientific Argumentation
Students are asked to identify which statements are claims, evidence, or justifications in Activity 1, and the provided answer key explicitly labels textual sentences as evidence (e.g., concentration measurements, observations after three days). In Activity 2 students write an initial claim, record observations and evidence from their experiments (gas production, temperature change), and write a justification linking that evidence to their claim. The Parent Plan and wrapping up sections instruct students to support or refute claims using evidence collected during experiments.
Final Project
Chemistry in Action
Students are asked to research a chosen medicine using prompts that require gathering factual information (chemical name/formula, benefits, harms, mechanisms, natural occurrence) and to use that research as evidence for an executive decision. The assignment asks students to "collect evidence to support what you find" and to prepare presentation slides that include Slide 6: The Claim, Slide 7: The Evidence, and Slide 8: The Justification. The parent plan and example direct students to compare primary sources (product labels) and secondary sources (reputable internet sites) when assembling evidence.
Unit 2: Animal Farm
Lesson 2
Major's Dream
Students read Chapter 1 of Animal Farm and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., how Major characterizes life on the farm; where Major places blame; what Major sees as the answer). In Activity 2 (The Late-Night Meeting), students choose an adjective for each character and are asked to "provide an example of something that happened in the book or a description offered by the author" that led them to that adjective. The reading questions and character activity require students to use details from the primary text to support their responses.
Lesson 3
The Rebellion
Students read Chapter 2 of Animal Farm and answer comprehension questions tied to the text. In the Characters as Leaders activity, students are instructed to "be sure to list specific examples to support your assertions" and to record "specific examples from the novel" for each character's strengths and weaknesses. In the Seven Commandments option, students are asked to compare the Seven Commandments and the Bill of Rights and the Parent Plan explicitly tells parents to have the child "cite specific examples" or "provide evidence to support his claims."
Lesson 4
Work on the Farm
Students read Chapter 3 and answer specific text-based questions (e.g., What work did the pigs do? How did the pigs justify having the milk and apples?), which requires locating evidence in the chapter. Activity 1 explicitly instructs students to "write out your thoughts... using specific examples from the text to support your points" when comparing farm work before and after the rebellion. The Parent Plan reiterates that the child "should cite specific examples" and provides an answer key that shows which details from the text support comparisons.
Lesson 5
The Battle of the Cowshed
Students are instructed to read Chapter 4 of Animal Farm and to "reread the part of the chapter that deals with the Battle of the Cowshed". In Option 1 students must "create a map of the physical location of the battle based on specific evidence in the book" and mark individual movements and events from beginning, middle, and end. In Option 2 students must "explain the role that the individual played in the battle" and "highlight the admirable characteristics" reflected by that character's actions, tasks that require drawing on the text. The Student Activity Page asks students to locate and analyze a specific paragraph about the rebellion two pages into Chapter IV.
Lesson 6
Comrade Napoleon
Students read Chapter 5 of Animal Farm and answer targeted comprehension questions about events and leadership (e.g., what happened to Mollie; how Napoleon won out), requiring use of details from the text. In Activity 1 students research the Russian Revolution using encyclopedias or web sources and complete a worksheet that asks for roles, connections to Animal Farm, and a section explicitly titled "Specific evidence that leads to that connection." The answer keys and directions repeatedly instruct students to supply evidence that supports the connections they assert between historical figures (secondary sources) and characters/events in the novel (primary source).
Lesson 7
Changes on the Farm
Students are asked to read Chapter 6 of Animal Farm and then answer four text-based comprehension questions (e.g., how work changed under Napoleon, what slogan Boxer added, how Napoleon obtained needed goods). Activity 1 asks students to use a graphic organizer to record observations about leadership (work, sacrifice, productivity, happiness, power, fairness) tied to specific leaders, and Question 4 asks students to explain Squealer's use of dogs, which requires using details from the chapter. The parent notes and answer key provide model responses that reflect specific details from the text.
Lesson 8
The End of the Rebellion
Students read Chapter 7 of Animal Farm and answer comprehension and analytic questions (e.g., questions about the food shortage, the hens' protest, the killings, and whether Snowball really returned) that require engagement with the primary text. Students are asked in Activity 2 to compare two sample letters and, per the parent guidance, to share specific portions of each sample that helped them decide which was friendly versus business. Several questions (Q2, Q3) ask for causes and descriptions of events from the chapter that students must reference to answer correctly.
Lesson 9
The Battle of the Windmill
Students are asked to read Chapter 8 of Animal Farm and answer targeted questions that require locating events in the text (e.g., Question 1 asks how animals reinforced Napoleon's leadership and the provided answers list specific actions such as protection, titles, speeches, and a heroic poem). Question 2 explicitly asks students to judge how often claims are ‘backed up with credible evidence' and to consider reasons behind misinformation, prompting analysis of evidence (or lack thereof) in the text. The activities require students to refer to occurrences in the chapter when composing a business letter and discussing motives, which involves using information from the primary text.
Lesson 10
Boxer's Fate
Students are asked to read Chapter 9 of Animal Farm and answer specific reading questions that require referring to events in the text (e.g., what special rules singled out pigs, the Spontaneous Demonstration, elections, and Boxer's fate). Activity 2 (both options) directs students to identify at least two incidents from the novel that illustrate given themes and to explain how those incidents support the theme. The materials explicitly state that a theme argument is valid only if students can provide evidence from the text and list "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis…" as a listed skill.
Lesson 11
The Farmers Pay a Visit
The Parent Plan Skills explicitly states that students will "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text." The Reading and Questions require students to answer text-based questions about Chapter 10 (e.g., comparisons of pigs/dogs to other animals), which requires referencing the novel. Activity 1 asks students to document how the Seven Commandments changed using a table and follow-up questions, and Activity 2 requires students to provide at least two specific incidents from the book when applying themes, prompting use of textual evidence.
Final Project
Animal Farm Letter
The Skills list explicitly requires students to "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis" and the rubric's Ideas category evaluates students' "use of appropriate evidence." Students are asked to write letters that explain themes and provide examples from Animal Farm (e.g., the Sample Outline lists concrete examples of Napoleon breaking commandments and lying). The Editing & Revising checklist asks students to check whether each paragraph's main idea "is well-supported by evidence."
Unit 3: The Antebellum West
Lesson 2
The Early Presidents
Students read primary source speeches (Thomas Jefferson's First Inaugural Address and John Quincy Adams's Independence Day speech) and either select provided sentence summaries for each paragraph (Option 1) or write their own paragraph-by-paragraph summaries (Option 2). Students complete a comparison worksheet that asks them to write down words used by each author to describe the nation and to answer questions about occasion, persuasiveness, and impressions. Students also read secondary-source biographies on the White House Historical Association site and take notes to create timeline cards and a poster of early presidents.
Lesson 3
The Beginnings of Westward Expansion
Students are directed to read both secondary sources (overview pages and a video about the Northwest Ordinance) and primary-source material (an optional link to the full Northwest Ordinance text and a direct link to Daniel Boone's own account). Students answer specific reading-and-questions items (five questions asking for details such as the ordinance's title/date, population requirements, resulting states, and effects on Native Americans) that require extracting information from those texts. In Option 2, students read Boone's account and respond to interpretive questions (e.g., what dangers he faced, how he presents himself) and must justify choices when designing a movie poster based on that reading.
Lesson 5
The War of 1812
Students read and summarize the Monroe Doctrine primary text by identifying bolded passages and restating their meaning in their own words (Activity 3). Students read four short essays (secondary sources) and then either write a perspective-based film review or complete a comparative chart that requires extracting each group's reasons, responses, and outcomes (Activity 2). Students also view a PBS documentary (secondary source) and are asked to reflect on its representation and bias in a guided movie-review template (Activity 1 and Option 1).
Lesson 6
The Trail of Tears
Students read multiple primary and secondary documents (Andrew Jackson's message, Winfield Scott's ultimatum, Chief John Ross's letter, John Burnett's firsthand account, and other contemporary writings) and answer specific reading questions that require pulling facts from those texts. Students are instructed to record at least four justifications for removal and at least four objections "derived from documents they read" on the Support and Opposition activity page, and to write a brief summary of a personal account and explain what that account helped them understand. Students also respond to scenario prompts by giving reasons for a chosen stance, which requires using the texts to inform their perspective.
Lesson 7
Border Conflict and the Mexican War
Students read a primary source, "Enrique Esparza: Inside the Alamo," and the activity explicitly requires them to include one direct quote from Esparza's account on the plaque. Students read Chapters 8-11 of A History of Us (a secondary source) and answer guided questions about Manifest Destiny and John C. Frémont that require engaging with the textbook text. Students analyze two paintings about Manifest Destiny and answer questions that ask them to point to specific aspects of the artworks to support their interpretations.
Lesson 8
The Gold Rush and Further Expansion
Students are directed to read Chapters 12-14 of Joy Hakim and answer content questions that require pulling information from the text. Activity 1 instructs students to "use information from this reading" and summaries of first-person narratives to prepare a 3–5 minute monologue from a historical point of view. Activity 2 has students read a first-person account from the Library of Congress and Mary Ballou's 1852 letter and explicitly tells them to "look for details about living conditions, work, food, shelter, and daily challenges."
Final Project
A Westward Migration Story
Students are instructed to record the URL for each image they print and to display a citation for each image in the art gallery (Art Gallery Rubric criterion: "A citation showing the source for each image is clearly displayed"). Students must write 1–2 sentences describing each image and its significance on gallery cards, and practice explaining those images to visitors. The storyboard planning pages and rubric require students to incorporate appropriate historical context and at least two federal government actions that might impact their character, drawing on historical information to make their story plausible.
Unit 3: Energy and Matter
Lesson 8
Energy Sources and Sustainability
Students are directed to read secondary sources (e.g., the Forbes "Solar Energy: Pros and Cons" article and the Wholesale Solar household power table) and to complete an advantages/disadvantages chart, selecting the three most important points. Students must record data from Project Sunroof and the solar calculator, use that information to compute savings and system size, and explain their recommendation for or against installing solar panels. The activities require students to draw conclusions and explain their reasoning based on information from those sources.
Final Project
Harnessing the Wind
Students are directed to read several web sources about turbines, power plants, and wind energy and then summarize their understanding in their own words or with a diagram (Part 2 and Presentation Guidelines). Students must research pros and cons of wind energy for their area using provided websites and then explain in a presentation why their area is adequate or inadequate and "how [they] came to [their] conclusion." The wrap-up emphasizes using facts to make arguments based on evidence, and the presentation rubric asks students to describe how wind energy is transformed and list benefits, costs, and advantages/disadvantages.
Unit 3: Einstein Adds a New Dimension
Lesson 1
Expository Writing
Students are instructed to look at the book cover and the last paragraph of the book jacket and to underline phrases that indicate narrative writing and circle phrases that indicate expository writing (Narrative vs. Expository, Part II). Students are asked to skim pages and explain whether the book looks more narrative or expository and to justify their answer. The Book Organization activity directs students to the copyright page to find the publication date and notes that copyright-page information can be used to give proper credit when quoting the text. The Index activity has students choose index terms, search the index, and evaluate which terms yielded useful results.
Lesson 2
Descriptive Writing
Students are instructed to carefully read the italicized paragraph on p. 36 written by a student of J. J. Thomson and to lightly underline words or phrases they find most effective and explain what makes them effective. Students are asked to describe a picture from the book in a paragraph and then check their paragraph against the picture to see if it gave an accurate impression, which requires referring to textual description in relation to a visual source.
Lesson 3
The Curies' Discoveries
Students read assigned chapters and answer specific comprehension questions (Questions #1–4) that require locating facts from the text (e.g., reasons Marya went to college, elements discovered). Students are instructed to take notes in their own words and to include page numbers for complex or detailed information, and a sample set of notes explicitly lists page-numbered facts (e.g., p. 59, p. 86–95). Students are also directed to highlight and annotate the text, marking bold terms and sidebar items, which requires identifying and marking textual passages.
Lesson 5
Envisioning Fission
Students read Chapters 22–24 and are instructed to take notes on important concepts (for example, what E=mc² means and how discoveries changed conservation laws) and to record one or two scientific and world events from each year in Chapter 23 on a timeline, which requires extracting information from the text. In Activity 2 students visit provided web pages and answer questions that ask them to identify clues to an author's credibility (e.g., an author has a Ph.D., site domain is .gov) and judge whether a site would be appropriate for a formal research paper. The Wikipedia prompt asks students to evaluate authorship and reliability, prompting them to use textual clues from web pages to justify their judgments about sources.
Lesson 6
Cause and Effect Writing
Students are instructed to use specific information from the book and to include page numbers in parentheses for any specific information they get from the book. The assignment requires students to support each cause/effect point with details or examples drawn from the assigned pages of the text and the planning pages prompt students to list supporting details with page references. The directions also require quotation marks and page numbers if students copy exact wording, which directs students to record and cite textual evidence.
Lesson 8
Comparison and Contrast Writing
Students are instructed that if they use specific information from the book they should include page numbers, and that any brief phrases or sentences copied must be put in quotation marks with page numbers (Option 2 and repeated in Parent Plan). The student planning pages require students to list specific descriptions or examples to use in their writing and to provide details/examples for each point of comparison/contrast. The sample question answers include parenthetical page references (e.g., "See pp. 297-299"), modeling the inclusion of page numbers for textual references.
Lesson 9
Avoiding Plagiarism
The lesson instructs students to record where they obtained information (page numbers or URLs) and tells them to put quoted material in quotation marks and provide a page number. Activity pages require students to classify statements as common knowledge, give credit, or give credit and quote (CK, GC, GCQ) and to explain their answers using the book as the source. The Paraphrasing and Summarizing section gives concrete strategies for paraphrasing, shows a model summary that includes a short quoted passage with a page citation, and tells students to note sources when researching.
Lesson 10
Problem and Solution Writing
Students are assigned specific pages and chapters to read (p. 346–348, p. 355, Chapter 41, Chapter 46) and answer content questions that require locating information from those texts (Questions #1–#4). The skills and parent plan sections instruct students to develop topics with "facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations," and the sample paragraph includes a parenthetical page reference (p. 90), indicating use of the book as a source. The assignment tells students they may use examples from the book in their writing and to base their problem/solution essays on those examples if chosen.
Lesson 11
Citing Sources
The Parent Plan skills list explicitly includes "Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts." The Activities provide direct instruction on parenthetical citations (author last name and page number) with examples showing students how to place citations after quoted material (e.g., Hakim 303 and Franke-Ruta). The Student Activity (Part I and Part II) requires students to identify correct/incorrect parenthetical citations, explain mistakes and corrections, and create Works Cited entries using a citation builder.
Final Project
Research Paper
The Skills list explicitly includes "Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts," and the research activities require students to use at least three sources (one being the Hakim book). Students are instructed to record page numbers/URLs, put direct quotes in quotation marks (Activities 4–5), and to integrate quotations or paraphrases into their own writing with parenthetical citation examples given (Activity 9 and the unit test multiple-choice item). The Research Rubric and Activity 10 require a Works Cited page and use of a citation builder to record source information.
Unit 4: Antebellum America
Lesson 1
North and South, 1820
Students watch Episode 4 of America: The Story of Us and are instructed to jot down ideas from the film and fill a Venn diagram comparing North and South. The Reading and Questions section requires students to answer specific content questions about the Erie Canal, the cotton gin, cotton mills, and punishments for runaway slaves using details from the episode. Activity 1 directs students to identify unique characteristics and shared traits based on what they observe in the film.
Lesson 2
The Rise of Capitalism
Students read a secondary source (pages 9-12 of Joy Hakim's A History of US) and a primary source (Andrew Jackson's veto message linked from the Avalon Project). Students analyze the veto text directly in Option 1 by copying the full text into a word-cloud generator and answering questions about prominent words and issues. In Option 2 students read an explanatory essay and sort statements into columns identifying supporters and opponents, using claims drawn from the texts.
Lesson 3
Technology and Infrastructure
Students are assigned to read Chapter 18 of Joy Hakim's History of US and a firsthand account "Gene Schermerhorn: A New City Every Day," and they are told to "draw on the descriptions in the chapter you read today and in Schermerhorn's account" when writing an imagined letter. Students are asked to "base his response on the readings and provide detailed, historically accurate information" for the mill-girl diary and other written activities. Several questions require students to refer to specific page content (e.g., "Of the inventions listed on page 107, which one...?").
Lesson 4
Immigration and Migration
Students read primary-source images (drawings and etchings) related to the Great Famine and are instructed to read accompanying titles and descriptions. Students use primary census data in the Student Activity Page to quantify and map countries of origin for foreign-born people in 1850. Students read secondary-source narratives (Joy Hakim chapter and Phillip Hoose vignettes) and plan a dramatic retelling that requires rereading and selecting important incidents from the texts.
Lesson 6
Art and Literature
Students read chapters from a secondary source (A History of US: Liberty for All? 1820-1860) and primary-source poems by Emerson, Thoreau, and Fuller. Students answer directed comprehension and interpretation questions, including one that refers to a specific page number (page 153) and asks for an explanation of Melville's statement. In Activity 1, Option 1 students are asked to give three examples from the poems that illustrate Transcendentalist values, requiring them to refer to the texts they read.
Lesson 7
The Agrarian Economy and Slavery
Students read primary sources (Library of Congress slave narratives) and complete a compare/contrast activity that asks them to list three specific details from each narrative and to identify similarities and differences. Students read primary and secondary texts (Hammond's defense, Frederick Douglass's account, chapters from Joy Hakim) and are instructed to write down Hammond's reasons and choose two points to refute in a 2–3 minute abolitionist speech. Students use quantitative secondary-source data in the "Slavery By the Numbers" activity to plot population figures and answer analysis questions about trends and causes.
Final Project
A Poster Session
Students are asked to "pull out 2-3 quotes from speeches" and note the speaker and region for the Politics section, which requires selecting textual passages. The poster must "draw on the work you have done throughout the unit and the readings from the books you have used," so students must use unit readings as sources. The rubric and project directions require at least one map, graph, or table "showing data to support main points," so students must choose evidence (data or images) to back claims on their poster.
Unit 4: Biochemistry
Lesson 3
Organic and Inorganic Molecules
Students are directed to choose two inorganic substances and conduct research using provided web links to find chemical symbols, functions in the human body, and how the body obtains them. Students are instructed to read ingredient lists and Nutrition Facts labels and record which biomolecules and inorganic compounds are present, using specific label values (e.g., grams of fat, sodium mg, % Daily Value) to classify foods. These tasks require students to locate and extract information from secondary sources (web pages and nutrition labels) to complete their activity pages.
Lesson 5
Exposure and Feedback
Students are directed to read an external article (with questions that require locating a specific statistic about obesity) and to use CDC and other web links to look up chemical agents, their types, and doses for toxicity. In Activity 2 students must record 'Dose for Toxicity' and 'Sources' for each agent and use those findings in Activity 3 to make diagnoses based on case symptoms. The Making a Diagnosis activity requires students to use information gathered from their chart and from Internet searches to support their determinations of agent type and treatment.
Final Project
Analyzing Your Food Journal
Students are asked to conduct a brief investigation using external websites (Part 9) and to "document your research findings" on the "Impact of a Proper Diet" worksheets. The rubric includes a category "Use of Data and Research," and students must include research-based information in their written report and final presentation. Students are directed to compare their consumption to recommended daily intakes and to include a graphic breakdown and recommendations based on gathered information.
Unit 4: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Lesson 1
Introduction to Mark Twain and the Novel
The Parent Plan skills list explicitly includes "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis...", and students are instructed to keep a journal to "collect information and quotes". Several activities require students to locate and record quotes from the novel (e.g., "Find one quote from the book that demonstrates Widow Douglas's view" and recording the Hemingway quote for later analysis). Students are also asked to read secondary websites (about slavery, slave codes, and regional dialects) and to summarize or list information from those sources in their journal.
Lesson 2
Point of View
Students read Chapters 3-7 of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and answer comprehension questions that require reference to events and character actions (e.g., describing Pap's abuse and Huck's handling of money). Activities ask students to observe pronouns to determine the narrator's point of view and to explain how we know characters are superstitious, prompting use of specific details (salt over shoulder, hair-ball) from the text. The "What's the Point" activity has students record titles of texts and identify the point of view used, requiring them to reference particular passages from various sources when read aloud.
Lesson 3
What is Narrative Writing I
Students read Chapters 8-11 and answer specific comprehension questions that require details from the text (e.g., why Jim runs away; what Judith Loftus reveals). In Activity 1, students examine a set of provided quotes on the "And You Can Quote Me on That" page and explain what each quote reveals about characters. Option 2 asks students to model dialect and show characters' feelings through dialogue and description, drawing on textual events and character interactions.
Lesson 4
What is Narrative Writing II
Students read and analyze quoted passages from the novel (Chapters 12–15) and are asked to answer comprehension and analysis questions about those sections. Students examine specific dialogue excerpts (the "Miss Watson" passage and the "Speaking French" pages) and respond to questions about what the dialogue reveals about characters and how it propels the action. Students also read a web article about how dialogue propels action, connecting a secondary source to their analysis of the primary text.
Lesson 5
Expository Writing
Students read Chapters 16–18 and answer comprehension questions that require specific details from the text (for example, identifying Huck's claim about smallpox to deter the search). Students analyze a quoted passage and are asked to compare life on the raft to life with other characters. In the compare-and-contrast activity students are explicitly instructed to support their ideas with evidence from the novel and to include dialogue or events as support.
Lesson 6
The Power of Persuasion
Students read Chapters 19–21 of a novel and answer comprehension questions about plot events, showing engagement with a primary text. Activities instruct students to support reasons with explanations, facts, statistics, quotations, anecdotes, and examples. In Option 1 students identify the thesis and list the three reasons and, for each reason, name one type of evidence the writer provides; in Option 2 students brainstorm specific evidence to support an opposing position. The "Powers of Persuasion" activity has students produce sentences that use logic, emotion, reasons, problems/solutions, stories, and figurative comparisons as evidence.
Lesson 7
Persuasive Writing
Question 2 explicitly requires students to support an answer about Huck's changing view of Jim with a quote from Chapters 22–25, directing students to cite textual evidence from the primary source. Activity 1 directs students to read a CBS News article (a secondary source) about editing the novel and to use a combination of types of evidence to persuade their position. The persuasion activity asks students to record facts or examples on a Persuasion Map, prompting students to gather and organize specific evidence to support their claims.
Lesson 10
Figures of Speech
Students read Chapters 33–36 of Huckleberry Finn and answer comprehension questions that refer to events in the text. Students complete a "Figurative Language in the Novel" page that lists specific expressions from the novel and identify the type of figurative language for each expression. Students also underline and color-code instances of figurative language in a practice letter, practicing locating specific textual phrases.
Lesson 11
Mark Twain's Influence
Students read Chapters 37–40 of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and answer comprehension questions about events and character actions. In Activity 2 students listen to two slave narratives (primary-source audio) and take journal notes that ask them to draw conclusions about the life of the slave, compare and contrast those conclusions to Jim in the novel, and compare dialect and figurative language. In Activity 1 students write a 3–4 sentence journal explanation interpreting Hemingway's quote, using observations about Twain's techniques and language.
Final Project
Cultural Biography
Students are asked to include direct quotations from the novel in multiple places: Option 1 requires "Include a quote from the character that shows something about his or her character" and to "Copy a sentence or two from the persuasive paragraph" they developed. Option 2's Block 1 asks students to include important quotes/dialogue, and Block 5 allows examples of irony "taken straight from the text." The unit test and project rubrics prompt students to select sentences from the story for vocabulary, narrative writing, and reflective answers.
Unit 5: Civil War
Lesson 1
Sectional Differences
Students are assigned to read up to page 13 of Fields of Fury by James McPherson (a secondary source) and answer comprehension questions based on that reading. In Activity 4 students read an excerpt of Lincoln's "House Divided" speech and a speech by Stephen Douglas (primary-source excerpts) and complete a chart comparing their views. In Activity 1 students must research one of four historical figures and summarize his position in a written letter or identify stakeholders who supported each politician, requiring students to use information from the provided texts and resources.
Lesson 2
Moving Toward War
Students are asked to reread pages 8-11 of a secondary source (Fields of Fury by James McPherson) and answer specific comprehension questions about Lincoln and secession, which requires using the text to respond. Students must read primary-source summaries/biographies (Webster-Hayne debate summary and Calhoun biography) and then summarize each man's view on federal vs. state power on an activity page. Students are asked to list reasons on both sides (Slavery vs. States' Rights) and to "support it with facts and reasonable assertions," which directs students to use information from the readings.
Lesson 3
The Start of the War
Students read primary sources (Jefferson Davis's and Abraham Lincoln's inaugural addresses) and a secondary source (pp. 14-17 in McPherson's Fields of Fury). Students are instructed to take notes on Davis's inaugural address by summarizing each paragraph in their own words and to record the title of the source and page/paragraph references when possible. Students complete a "Comparing Two Presidents" activity that asks them to decide which speech would appeal to various historical scenarios and to write brief explanations for their choices. Students answer comprehension questions about Fort Sumter that require drawing on the McPherson reading.
Lesson 5
Wartime Strategies
Students read a secondary source (pages 30–43 of Fields of Fury by James McPherson) and respond to explicit reading questions (Q1–Q4) that ask for goals, meanings, and reasons drawn from the text. Students are instructed to "use the information from today's readings to continue to add to his set of Civil War battle cards," and the Student Activity Pages require students to identify important people, outcomes, significance, and advantages for specific campaigns and battles. These tasks require students to locate and use information from the assigned text to answer analytic questions about events like the Peninsular Campaign, Shenandoah Campaign, and Antietam.
Lesson 7
Gettysburg and Beyond
Students read a specific secondary source (pages 53–73 of McPherson's Fields of Fury) and answer targeted comprehension and analysis questions about roles of women, Minie balls, and social meanings of the war. Students watch a secondary-source documentary and are asked to remain an active viewer and discuss how what they see relates to what they have read. Students use information from the readings to add facts to Civil War battle cards and a timeline, applying textual information to new products.
Unit 5: Microbiology and Cell Theory
Lesson 1
Cell Theory
Students are asked to read pages 4-5 and 18-21 of What Is Cell Theory and then answer four comprehension questions, including one that asks them to explain the difference between a theory and a hypothesis. Activity 2 asks students to classify household objects as cellular or non-cellular and to write an explanation in the "Supporting Evidence" column. The parent notes instruct students to use page 19 in What Is Cell Theory to check a labeled cell diagram.
Lesson 2
Introduction to Plant and Animal Cells
Students are instructed to "Read pages 22-25 of What Is Cell Theory?" and then answer specific comprehension questions about differences between plant and animal cells, vacuole function, and organelle roles, which requires referring to that text. The Reading And Questions section provides direct text-based questions and spaces for written responses on the Student Activity Pages. The activities (e.g., labeling cells, answering chromatography questions) require students to use information from the reading and activity pages to explain observations or identify structures.
Lesson 4
Protists
Students are instructed to "read the three articles" from the provided web links and to "use the information from all three articles to answer the following questions," and they answer specific content questions (Q1–Q5) that require locating details about protozoa, algae, and fungus-like protists. Students also complete comparison tasks (Activity 2) by using diagrams and reading-based information to fill a chart about structures and functions of different protists.
Lesson 6
Understanding Microbes
Students are directed to read specified sections of the "Viral Attack" article and to watch the "Flu Attack!" video and other web resources, then to "use the information found in them to answer the following questions," which requires drawing facts from texts. Activity 2 asks students to "use Internet research from well-respected sources" to decide whether viruses are living and to "give the reasoning behind your choice," prompting students to support claims with information from sources. The Parent Plan repeatedly instructs students to "support [their] conclusion with evidence and logic," indicating students will practice using source material to back up analyses.
Lesson 9
Biological Hazards and Infectious Disease
Students are prompted to "cite evidence for their conclusions" in the Antimicrobial Properties conclusion section and to evaluate which hypotheses are true or false based on experiment results. In Activity 3 (Patient Diagnosis) students analyze a supplied patient scenario and a table of illnesses and are asked explicitly to identify what evidence helped them rule out the flu or allergies and to justify their diagnosis. The Student Activity Pages require students to use information from the provided tables and experimental results to support their answers.
Final Project
Outbreak Prevention
Students are asked to "be prepared to explain, using evidence, why a virus is or is not considered a living thing," which directs them to support a claim with evidence. Students are instructed to use the Internet to research listed respiratory infections and to fill in a diagnostic table (Activity 2), and Activity 5 directs students to investigate WHO, Mayo Clinic, and Cleveland Clinic pages to develop prevention recommendations. The unit test guidance and answer key note that students should support answers with logic and may cite information from articles, indicating students are expected to use source material to justify conclusions.
Unit 5: Elijah of Buxton
Lesson 2
The Preacher
Students read paired passages from George Fitzhugh and Frederick Douglass and answer questions that require contrasting the two views. They are asked to identify textual features in Douglass's passage by circling vivid adjectives and underlining the verb used most often. Students must explain whether Douglass's account is persuasive and which features make it so, and they must judge which voice is more authentic and why.
Lesson 3
Creating a Character
Activity 1 explicitly instructs students to "skim back through the first six chapters to find evidence for each category" and to "record textual evidence from the novel for each category." The Student Activity Page includes a specific box for "Quotes from Elijah" and sections for "Elijah's Thoughts" and "Thoughts and actions of others towards Elijah," prompting students to extract and note direct passages. The Reading and Questions section asks students to describe characters and events using details from Chapters 5 and 6, and the Parent Plan supplies model quotes and text-based answers.
Lesson 4
Tone and Mood
Students are asked in the Tone activity to identify the tone Elijah sets for three events and to "provide an example of a sentence or words that set that tone," requiring them to pull specific lines from Chapters 7–8. The Mood activity directs students to list "words or images that made you feel that way," asking them to point to exact wording or imagery from the text. The Accounts of Slavery activity has students read quoted excerpts and view historical images (including slave narratives and photographs) and then write words or phrases explaining what they learned from each source.
Lesson 5
Colorful Language
Students read Chapters 9 and 10 of Elijah of Buxton and answer comprehension questions about characters and events (e.g., Preacher's purpose, MaWee's background). Students analyze specific quoted passages for sensory language and precise word choice in Activity 1, and they identify figures of speech in numbered examples taken from the book in Activity 2. The "Questions to Discuss" section asks students to support opinions with evidence from the text (e.g., citing theatrical tricks as support that the conjurer's act was a flimflam).
Lesson 8
Transitions and Characters
Students read Chapters 15–17 and answer comprehension questions that require them to describe events (e.g., questions asking what Mrs. Holton paid Mr. Leroy was and what happened to Theodore Highgate). One question asks students to evaluate Mr. Leroy's choice and notes that "students should note the evidence of the Preacher's past faults," encouraging use of textual details in reasoning. The character comparison and discussion prompts ask students to identify character traits and explain responsibility, which requires students to rely on details from the text.
Lesson 10
Allusions and Authors
Students read Chapters 20–21 of Elijah of Buxton and answer specific comprehension questions (Questions #1–#5) that require referring to events and details from the text. Students are directed to "Use the 'Allusions' pages to examine some allusions found in Elijah of Buxton" and to write 2–3 sentences explaining an allusion's origin and its connection to the book. The Student Activity Pages include primary/secondary texts (passages from Mark, Joshua, and Luke) alongside numbered questions asking students to compare those passages with scenes in the novel.
Lesson 11
Story Reflections
Students are directed to refer to the book to identify seven events leading to the climax and to record instances from different parts of the story that develop the theme of freedom, requiring selection of textual examples. Activity 2 explicitly instructs students to "use specific examples from the book" when writing a reflective paragraph about personal impact. The Reading and Questions section asks students to answer plot- and character-focused questions using details from the text (for example, why Elijah gave Mrs. Chloe the gun and how the book ends).
Final Project
Personal Narrative
Students are asked to analyze Elijah of Buxton in short-answer items that require text-based responses, including identifying the main conflict, the climax, and naming a theme with two examples of how that theme was developed in the story. The unit test and story-structure questions prompt students to provide specific examples (e.g., events or instances from the book) to support their answers. The rubric and activities also require students to reference plot events (rising action, climax, falling action) when planning and writing their personal narrative, which implicitly requires attention to textual details.
2: Semester 2
Unit 1: History of Your State
Lesson 1
Your State's Natural History
Students are directed to read specific web pages (for example, the Geologic Province page) and answer guided questions such as "Based on the introduction (first paragraph or two) of the Geologic Province web page, what are some interesting features and facts about the province in which you live?" Students use web resources to determine geologic provinces and list features on their state map, and they complete activity pages that ask them to describe how features were formed and to record observations from sources and site visits.
Lesson 2
Flora and Fauna
Students are asked to use field guides, library research, or online sources to fill journal pages and are told to "be sure to jot down the sources you use." The instructions require printing the URL beneath any image found online to give credit. Many journal prompts ask students to explain reasons (e.g., "Why is it a problem?" or "Why is this animal endangered or threatened?"), which implies using information from sources to answer.
Lesson 4
The History of Your State
Students are instructed to take organized notes, bookmark website links, and save or print images as they research, and to use index cards with the URL written on the back of each card. Students must include for each poster section 3-4 well-crafted sentences explaining the events and their significance and either an image or a website link where readers could learn more. For printed images, students are told to write the URL for the website where they found the image underneath it on the poster.
Lesson 5
State Leaders
Students are instructed to "look up information about that person online or at your local library and complete the 'State Leader' activity pages," which requires using sources to answer guided prompts about the leader's background, achievements, and impact. The Student Activity Page includes a dedicated "Sources" oval where students must list "Websites and/or books you used (Be sure to list specific URLs for websites or exact titles and authors for books you used in your research)." Students are also asked to write how they think the person might answer one of their questions "based on your research," which asks them to base interpretations on found information.
Lesson 6
Your State by the Numbers
Students are instructed to use historical population tables (linked Wikipedia pages) to plot population points and connect them on a graph (Activity 1). Students are directed to use the U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts table to answer specific demographic questions on the 'Quick Facts' activity page (Activity 2) and to record county population numbers for ten counties (Activity 3). Students are asked to consult the NASBO Fiscal Survey report to fill out the 'State Budgets' page and to write a paragraph comparing budget information with two other states (Activity 4).
Unit 1: Genetics and DNA
Lesson 5
From Generation to Generation
In Activity 1, students are directed to read the web page "Ten Human Genetic Traits" and use information from it to fill in an Investigating Genealogy Chart that describes each trait and whether it is dominant or recessive. In Activity 2, students gather primary-source data by surveying family members (or reviewing a provided sample family table) and record presence/absence of traits on a Family Survey page. The activity questions and answer key require students to use the information they collected to explain inheritance patterns (for example, why two parents with a dominant trait might have a child without it).
Lesson 7
Inheritance and Environment
Students read pages 88–93 of a genetics textbook and are instructed to "use the information in this chapter to answer the following questions," requiring them to extract information from that secondary source. In Activity 1 and Activity 3 students use provided web links (KidsHealth, Mayo Clinic, NIH, ACS, Cleveland Clinic, etc.) to research diseases and environmental influences and to complete charts describing symptoms and causes. In Activity 2 students collect patient history and lab information and must use that source material to make a medical diagnosis, linking evidence from the histories/reports to their conclusion.
Unit 1: The House of the Scorpion
Lesson 1
Cloning
Students are instructed to create source cards and labeled note cards for each website and to record full MLA-style bibliographic information for each source. They are taught note-taking rules that require either paraphrasing in their own words or copying exact words with quotation marks, and they are given explicit examples of parenthetical citations and instructions for a Works Cited page. Students must use their research note cards as sources of information when writing a five-paragraph persuasive essay and the rubric requires correct citation of sources.
Lesson 3
Cast of Characters
Students read Chapters 7-9 of The House of the Scorpion and answer targeted comprehension questions that require them to extract information from the text. Students are asked to compile information from the book into a family tree and write brief descriptions of characters based on textual details. Students preparing a persuasive final draft are instructed (in the skills list) to support claims with logical reasoning and relevant evidence and to create a Works Cited page using MLA format.
Lesson 4
Rhetorical and Logical Fallacies
Students read the short essay "Human Cloning" and are instructed to look for rhetorical and logical fallacies and to underline each example in the text using specific colors. The Parent Plan provides a key that lists exact phrases from the essay (e.g., "the most serious threat known to mankind," "Cloning cannot possibly be regulated") that students should identify as evidence of particular fallacies. Students also read Chapters 10-12 of The House of the Scorpion and answer comprehension and ethical-analysis questions about characters and choices.
Lesson 5
Arguing the Issue
Students read primary text Chapters 13–15 of The House of the Scorpion and answer comprehension questions about events and character actions. Students read two essays about cloning (secondary sources) and use the "Arguing the Issue" activity page to record each author's main arguments and to identify logical and rhetorical fallacies. The Parent Plan Skills statement explicitly tells students to "compare and contrast persuasive texts" and to "explain how the authors reached their conclusions through analyzing the evidence each presents."
Lesson 6
Societal Comparisons
The Parent Plan 'Skills' section explicitly lists: 'Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.' Students are assigned to read Chapters 16–18 of The House of the Scorpion and answer focused comprehension questions about specific events (e.g., Furball's death, secret passageways, the eejits' lives) that draw on the text. Students complete comparative analysis tasks (graphic organizer and discussion prompts) that ask them to connect the book's society to current society and to explain the author's warnings, which could be supported by text references.
Lesson 8
Family Crest
Students read Chapters 22–24 and answer comprehension questions that require them to refer to specific events (e.g., Maria's rescue plan, Celia's use of arsenic, Tam Lin's escape). Students are instructed in the vocabulary activity to use sentences taken from the book to determine which dictionary definition and part of speech to record. Discussion prompts ask students to compare and contrast how specific characters use power and to explain how Matt is 'Mi Vida' to different characters, which directs students to use chapter details in their responses.
Lesson 9
Science Fiction
Students are asked to read Chapters 25–27 and answer comprehension questions that require details from the text (e.g., Matt's impressions of Aztlán, where he is brought, how El Patrón's advice helps him). The Science Fiction Student Activity Page asks students to fill in "Evidence From The House of the Scorpion" next to each listed characteristic, prompting them to locate textual examples to support whether the book fits the genre. The Irrelevant Evidence activity requires students to highlight parts of persuasive passages that use irrelevant evidence, which has them identify and mark specific textual passages.
Lesson 11
Wisdom and Love
Students read Chapters 31–33 of The House of the Scorpion and answer directed comprehension questions about plot and character changes. In Activity 1 students are given specific excerpts from earlier chapters and are asked to consider those excerpts "and from your own memory" to write about the religious symbols and messages Celia communicates and how Tam Lin's teachings shaped Matt. The poster task explicitly asks students to include words, phrases, or quotes from the character alongside images, encouraging use of textual material to support their representations.
Unit 2: Industrialization, Urbanization, and Immigration
Lesson 2
Indian Wars in the West
Students read secondary texts (excerpts from We Were There, Too! and the Pratt article) and view a documentary episode, requiring them to summarize and respond to content. Students examine primary-source materials via links (a primary-sources collection for the Wounded Knee occupation and historical photographs) and complete photo "Before and After" comparison pages. Students are asked to use information from the video and web links to design an informational sign about Wounded Knee, which requires gathering and organizing source-based information.
Lesson 3
New Technologies
Students are instructed to read a short selection, "Jackie Cooper: 'Lights, Action, Cry!'" and answer specific comprehension questions about it. Students are directed to read biographies and primary-source collections (Edison motion pictures, Bell documents, Wright Brothers papers) and then complete activities based on those readings and artifacts. Students complete analysis-style tasks such as comparing technologies across 1850 and 1920 and explaining why certain artifacts or films would interest their peers.
Lesson 4
New Industries
Students read first-person accounts "Rose Cohen: First Day in a Sweatshop" and "Joseph Miliauskas: Breaker Boy" and answer specific comprehension questions about treatment, motivations, and punishments. Students watch the documentary episode "Cities" and are instructed to take notes and generate questions about the film. Students analyze Andrew Carnegie using a biography link and complete an activity page that asks them to list at least three positive and three negative impacts of his business practices.
Lesson 5
Immigration
Students read primary-source letters from Polish immigrants (Option 1) and are instructed to "write down the evidence of push and pull factors" on the activity page, including the name of the letter writer, recipient, and specific evidence. In Option 2, students watch a video about Ellis Island and are asked to "record 8-10 facts and statistics," which requires extracting evidence from a secondary source. In Activity 2, students read documents about nativism and a Klan manual and are told to focus on the objects and purposes and then complete an activity explaining reasons someone might join, requiring use of textual details from those sources.
Lesson 7
Politics
Students analyze the Populist Party platform listed in Activity 2 and are asked to write a sentence explaining why each named group might or might not support the party's policies, which requires using the platform statements to justify positions. In Activity 1 students calculate how rising railroad and storage costs affect farm profits and answer questions that ask them to explain why farmers might seek government regulation of railroad charges. A web link to the full 1892 Populist Party platform is provided for further reading, which could serve as a primary source for analysis.
Lesson 8
World War I
Students are directed to read primary source materials about the Lusitania from the National Archives and to choose and read a historical newspaper article from the Library of Congress, then complete an activity page that asks them to record the article title, date, newspaper, and to summarize it in 3–4 sentences. Students are asked to react to the article from both an American and a German citizen perspective, and to print and possibly use the article in a final project. Students also evaluate and rank reasons for U.S. entry into World War I and analyze propaganda posters by identifying each poster's goal and the persuasive appeals used.
Final Project
A Dramatic Performance or Scrapbook
Students are asked to work with primary-source–like artifacts (immigration tickets, inspection cards, historical images) and to include created documents or printed images in a scrapbook. The rubric and project directions require that "all information in the scrapbook is based on historical facts" and that students "discuss the scrapbook and answer questions" about their character. The unit test includes short-answer items (e.g., explain push/pull factors) that require students to refer to content from the unit.
Unit 2: Living Organisms
Lesson 2
Structure and Stability
Students are instructed to read specific pages in Behavior in Living Things and to read two web articles and watch a video, then answer directed questions (e.g., analyze feeding behavior; Stability and Change questions) that draw on information from those sources. Students complete written responses on activity pages asking for specific facts and explanations (for example, causes of plant death in cold climates, how mangroves reproduce) based on the assigned texts and media. The lesson requires students to use those primary/secondary sources to explain adaptations and behaviors.
Lesson 4
Biotic and Abiotic Factors
Activity 2 asks students to read a short selection about life in the rainforest and to identify three abiotic and three biotic factors that may impact a macaranga tree. Students fill in a two-column chart labeled "Biotic Factors" and "Abiotic Factors" and answer questions asking which factors will have the most or least impact and how abiotic and biotic factors work together. The Student Activity Pages and Parent Plan direct students to describe the impact of each factor and to use the reading to complete the chart and questions.
Lesson 7
Stimulus and Response
Students are asked to read pages 16–19 in Life Processes and answer comprehension questions that require examples from the book (e.g., give one example from the book and one you already knew). The Parent Plan skills list asks students to compare and contrast information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text. Option 2 (Perceptive Animals) directs students to read a slideshow and then research a perception capability online and create a presentation, which requires drawing information from secondary sources.
Lesson 8
Behavior
Students are instructed to read specific pages (pp. 6-11 and 14-15) of Behavior in Living Things and then answer comprehension and explanatory questions about migration, springbok behavior, trial-and-error learning, and mimicry. Part II of the Animal Learning activity asks students to reference page 12 when explaining differences between imitation and mimicry, directing them to consult the text. Option 1 of the Animal Communication activity tells students that if they quote an article they must copy the sentence exactly, use quotation marks, and note the source.
Lesson 9
Ecological Relationships
Students are asked in Activity 1 to read the Galapagos Journal and either underline examples of relationships and circle the organism(s) that benefit or create a chart listing the "Relationship," "Example," and "Who Benefits?" This requires students to locate and record specific examples from a provided text (the Galapagos Journal) and to identify which organism benefits in each case. The provided answer key links specific examples directly to the text (e.g., mites and ticks on tortoises; finches eating ticks).
Unit 2: Watership Down
Lesson 2
Foreshadowing
The Skills section explicitly tells students to "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text." The character card activities require students to find and record "Quotes," "Actions," and "Others' reactions" for named characters from Chapters 1–8. The Foreshadowing and Symbolism activity asks students to read specified passages and describe what is being foreshadowed and what symbols are used, which requires referring directly to the text.
Lesson 3
An Epic Journey
Students read Chapters 9–13 and are asked to record settings and details (Travel Tracker postcards) based on what the rabbits encounter. The Fantasy and Epic activity directs students to "record an example of the use of each characteristic in Watership Down," and discussion questions prompt students to refer to specific events (for example, Fiver's premonition and details about Cowslip's warren). The answer key and parent prompts model using events and details from the novel to explain genre characteristics.
Lesson 4
Comparing Rabbits
The Parent Plan Skills section explicitly lists: "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text." The Connection Commander role asks students to read Chapters 14–17 and then "write several sentences explaining the connections" between the reading and their own experience or other works, which requires using the text. The Strange Rabbits Option 2 and the Venn-diagram activities instruct students to "Using information from the text, list some characteristics" for each group, and the discussion questions ask students to explain what Fiver said and why Strawberry joined Hazel's group, which requires referencing textual details.
Lesson 5
Quotes and Creatures
Students are asked to read Chapters 18–21 and update character cards with memorable quotes and reactions, which requires identifying and recording textual lines. In Activity 1, students research the works quoted at the start of Chapters 18 and 19 and must write sentences explaining the nature of those works and explicitly explain how each quotation "relates to the events and theme" of the corresponding Watership Down chapter. The activity pages provide the exact quotations for students to analyze and ask students to connect those quotations to chapter events and themes.
Lesson 6
Dramatic Irony
Students read Chapters 22 and 23 of Watership Down and are asked to identify and analyze examples of dramatic irony in specific passages. The Dramatic Irony activity pages ask students to explain "what the reader knows," "what the characters believe," and the "effect on the reader," which requires students to analyze the text. Students are also asked to find other examples of dramatic irony from Watership Down and to develop 3–5 discussion questions about the chapters.
Lesson 7
Rabbit Societies
Students are assigned the Passage Practitioner role where they locate two special sections or quotations in the text, record the page number and the reason they chose each passage in a journal, and then discuss each passage with a parent. The Rabbit Societies chart and related activities ask students to identify strengths and weaknesses of different groups and leaders, which requires referencing specific parts of the novel. The Parent Plan discussion questions prompt students to reference particular events and comparisons from Chapters 24–27 when explaining motivations and outcomes.
Lesson 8
Folktales and Fantasy
The lesson's Skills section explicitly states that students will "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text." Students are assigned to read Chapters 28–31 of Watership Down, summarize Chapter 31, and record observations after story summaries, which involves analyzing the primary text. The Parent Plan instructs students to continue updating character cards with "memorable quotes," indicating attention to pulling text details for analysis. The animal research activity also requires students to consult and record at least three sources, showing engagement with secondary sources.
Lesson 10
Setting
Students are asked to read Chapters 35–37 and to "add to your character cards as you read," which requires returning to the text. In Activity 1 (Venn diagram) students compare and contrast Efafra and Watership Down and must write a 2–4 sentence reflection explaining how details of the two physical spaces give clues about the nature of each place. In Activity 2 and the artwork option students are told to "referring back to the text" create images and a written 2–4 sentence reflection that ties setting details to interpretation.
Lesson 11
Conflict and Escape
Students are asked to read Chapters 38–40 and to track settings and plot details as Travel Tracker, which requires locating passages that describe places and events. Students are prompted to identify evidence of the theme of environmentalism with the question: "What evidence of the theme of environmentalism have you encountered in Watership Down? How does the author communicate his ideas through the characters, setting, and plot of the story?" The Skills list asks students to "determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text," which implies locating supporting details in the text.
Lesson 12
Dramatic Enactment
Students are asked to read Chapters 41–45 of Watership Down and to update character cards by adding physical descriptions, traits, important actions, memorable quotes, and reactions of other characters, which requires locating lines from the text. Discussion questions prompt students to "give some examples" and "provide examples" (e.g., fruits of Hazel's leadership and the critical juncture with Woundwort), asking for textual instances. The student activity of collecting "memorable quotes" explicitly has students extract direct passages from the primary source.
Lesson 13
A Fantasy Story
Students are asked to finish Watership Down and to add 'memorable quotes' and character reactions to their character cards, which requires selecting lines from the text. The study guide and unit test prompt students to give examples from the book (e.g., foreshadowing, dramatic irony, leadership examples) and to explain how elements like conflicts and leadership are developed using Watership Down. Parents are instructed to discuss the book's ending and how characters changed and conflicts were resolved, prompting students to refer back to the text in discussion.
Unit 3: The Great Depression and World War II
Lesson 2
The Great Depression
Students read specified secondary and primary-source excerpts on Day 2 (pages from World War II for Kids and We Were There, Too!) and answer directed comprehension questions about those readings. Students analyze primary-source photographs from the Library of Congress, write short descriptions explaining what each photo shows about the Depression, and in Option 2 record bibliographic details (title, photographer, date, URL) for each image. Students take notes while watching the documentary episode using structured activity pages that prompt them to record important points and observations.
Lesson 3
The Start of World War II
Students are directed to read specified sections of a secondary source (World War II for Kids) and answer four content questions that require finding information in the text (e.g., how the Nazis defied the Treaty of Versailles, what caused the U.S. to enter the war). Students are given a web link to a World War II poster collection, and one activity asks students to create a recruiting poster after viewing historical posters. Students also add dated cards to a timeline, which requires placing textual information in chronological context.
Lesson 4
1942
Students read primary-source letters (Activity 1) and are required to "react to at least one specific thing the letter writer wrote," which asks them to refer directly to the primary text. Students also read selections from a secondary source (World War II for Kids) and answer specific factual questions about battles and goals, requiring use of details from that text. Discussion prompts ask students to consider how letter-writing helped soldiers and families, reinforcing use of the letters as evidence for interpretation.
Lesson 6
1943
Students are assigned specific sections and pages from World War II for Kids and asked four targeted reading comprehension questions (e.g., about Midway, Stalingrad, Nimitz's strategy, and Operation Overlord) that require using details from the text to answer. The lesson prompts students to add timeline cards and locate events on a map, actions that require consulting the assigned text or other sources for factual details. The parent plan asks reviewers to check the child's answers to the reading questions, implying students must use the text to support their responses.
Lesson 7
Victory in Europe
Students read selections from Chapter 5 of World War II for Kids and answer directed questions (QUESTION #1-#4) that require information from those pages. Students watch the America: The Story of Us episode and use a note-taking page with prompts to record important details from each section. Students read short descriptions about individuals and fill in a chart ("The Impact of the War") analyzing how the war affected different people, using the provided texts and video as sources.
Lesson 8
The Holocaust
Students are directed to read Chapter 6 and use guided note-taking pages to write down important details and thoughts, with prompts about events (e.g., Kristallnacht), escape routes, ghettos, and concentration camps. In Option 1 students explore the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum website and complete a "Field Trip About the Holocaust" page that asks them to identify an exhibit and explain why it would be useful. In Option 2 students select three artworks, record title/artist/year/medium, and answer reflection questions about what each artwork shows and what they found moving or important.
Lesson 9
Victory in the Pacific
Students read specified selections from a secondary source (World War II for Kids) and answer directed reading questions (Q1–Q4) that require referencing information about Pacific strategy, Okinawa, invasion estimates, and Truman's hopes. Students complete Activity 2 by filling a chart labeled "Facts and Advice/Estimates Available" and judging whether those facts support using the atomic bomb, which asks them to use textual facts and contemporary advice to justify a decision. Students also write a response weighing the invasion option versus use of nuclear weapons, which requires drawing on information from the provided readings.
Final Project
Before and After World War II
Students are required to include primary sources in their exhibits (Option 2: "Each poster...must include at least one brief primary source that is not an image") and Option 1 suggests using printed diary entries or other primary sources as written content. Students are instructed to provide citations for images they print from websites ("Be sure to include a citation for any image that you printed from a website or copied from another source") and the project rubric explicitly evaluates the use of primary sources.
Unit 3: A Dynamic Planet
Lesson 3
The First Four Billion Years
Students read a secondary source (pages 180–185 of The Field Guide to Geology) and answer specific text-based questions. Question 3 explicitly asks "How do we know?" and the provided answer points to fossilized bacteria in greenstone belts and iron deposits produced by cyanobacteria as evidence. The timeline-card and timeline activities require students to place dated events and use specific textual dates and descriptions from the reading.
Lesson 5
Digging for Clues
Students read specified pages (pages 7–11) and answer comprehension questions about who discovered evolution and what fossils reveal. Students label eras and fossil groups on a geologic column and answer questions such as "How do the fossils change as the layers go from older to younger?" and "How do paleontologists use this progression to support the theory of evolution?" In Activity 2 students excavate their bottle column and must note which beads were placed first/last and answer "How do you know?", prompting them to support claims with observations from their model.
Final Project
Fast Forward
Students are instructed to research a religion's stance on evolution and to "note the evidence that is used by each side," including which religious texts are used and which scientific tests are cited. The Evolution and Religion activity pages include an "Evidence" column divided into Religious and Scientific sections for students to document primary and secondary source information. The rubric and project steps require students to interview at least two people, record interviewee credentials, and make conclusions that "follow from the research presented," requiring students to use documented evidence to support their analysis.
Unit 3: The Book Thief
Lesson 2
Similes and Metaphors
Students are asked to read Part One, Chapters 4-8 and answer text-based questions about characters and events, which requires using the text for responses. The Similes and Metaphors activity (Part C) asks students to choose two quotes, explain why they are similes or metaphors, and describe the effect, so students must select specific textual quotes and analyze them. Part A and B present underlined sentences from the book for students to identify the two things being compared and to label phrases as similes or metaphors, which directs students to work with exact passages from the text.
Lesson 3
Burning Books
Students analyze primary sources in the Propaganda activity by choosing three Nazi posters from a linked archive and describing the target group, the poster's goal, and what makes it effective. Students use secondary sources in the Historical References activity by visiting provided web links to answer questions about terms like "Aryan," Communists, and the yellow stars. Students also identify and record examples of propaganda from the novel on the activity page, with references to specific book passages (e.g., p. 110, pp. 83-84, p. 50) noted in the answer key and prompts.
Lesson 4
The Value of Books
Students are instructed to record examples of propaganda they noticed in Part Three on the 'Propaganda' page and to complete the Part Three section of that activity, which asks for specific examples (e.g., references to Mein Kampf or greetings like 'Heil Hitler'). Students are also asked to mark effective sensory descriptions in the text and to record the page numbers where those examples occur. The reading questions require students to read Part Three and answer targeted comprehension questions about events and characters.
Lesson 5
The Accordion Player
Students read excerpts from the Nuremberg Laws and the Hitler Youth law and then answer guided questions that require using those texts (e.g., questions about eligibility for citizenship and rights denied to non-citizens). Students are instructed to record examples of propaganda from the novel's pages and to note character actions that may have been influenced by propaganda. The reading comprehension questions about The Book Thief ask students to identify specific events and details (e.g., when Hans learned the accordion, how Erik saved Hans), which requires locating information in the text.
Lesson 6
The Standover Man
Students are asked to "Finish reading Part Four and then answer these questions," which requires referring back to the text to explain similarities between characters and changes in Rosa. The parent plan and student directions ask the student to "record examples of propaganda" from the reading (Part Four), explicitly noting items such as the presence of Mein Kampf. One question quotes a line from the book ("His hair is like feathers") and asks students to use that detail to explain why Max draws himself as a bird.
Lesson 7
The Seven-Sided Die
Students analyze written Nazi propaganda in Activity 2 by identifying logical fallacies in provided quotes from The German National Catechism and explaining why those arguments may have been effective. Student Activity Pages ask learners to identify three persuasive arguments from the provided reading and to record examples of propaganda from Part Five of the novel. The Parent Plan explicitly lists the skill "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text."
Lesson 9
Close Calls
Activity 1 directs students to find and record examples of personification, simile, metaphor, and onomatopoeia from Part Six of the book and to write those examples on the Figurative Language activity page. The lesson's comprehension questions ask students to answer questions based on events in the text, and the Parent Plan/Skills section explicitly states students should "determine the meaning of words and phrases" and "analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone." The provided answer key lists specific textual examples with page numbers that students can locate and record.
Lesson 10
The Trilogy of Happiness
Students are asked to record examples of propaganda from the Part Seven reading on the Propaganda page, including specific phrases and incidents (e.g., Liesel saying "heil Hitler," soldiers calling the march a "parade," "the Führer in their eyes"). Students read primary sources (a 1943 newsreel and Ernie Pyle's wartime column) and a secondary source (PBS article) and answer questions that require citing examples from those texts. War Journalism questions explicitly prompt students to give specific examples from the selections (e.g., "Can you give an example of this from the selection you read today?").
Lesson 11
The Word Shaker
Students read primary source excerpts (Anne Frank entry and Warsaw Ghetto reflections) and are asked to record examples of propaganda and notable phrases from those texts. In the "Primary Sources vs. Historical Fiction" activity students must choose three ideas and provide specific examples from either the day's primary source readings or The Book Thief. Activity 2 directs students to find 2–3 examples of effective words/phrases (adverbs, adjectives, verbs) in the reading and explain why they are effective, requiring them to point to specific textual passages.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students are asked to locate and document figurative language examples from the book (e.g., identify and illustrate examples, and provide book examples for Teaching Figuratively). Students analyze primary-text scenes by writing descriptive character/setting/event paragraphs and transforming literal sentences into figurative language. Students examine secondary-source materials (essays on censorship, war reporting, and WWII propaganda posters) and are prompted to analyze them, give reasons, and provide examples or specifics to back up their positions.
Unit 4: Global Conflict and Civil Rights
Lesson 1
The Post-War World
Students examine primary-source photographs from The Atlantic and are asked to read introductory text and captions before answering questions about what each image helped them understand. Students analyze advertising primary sources from the AdAccess archive and respond to targeted prompts about images, words/phrases, audience, and effectiveness. Students work with secondary-source data (pre-war population, war-related deaths, GDP) by filling a chart, calculating deaths as a percentage of population, and graphing GDP changes for multiple countries.
Lesson 2
The Cold War and Communism
Students read short historical articles from the U.S. State Department and a portion of Truman's speech (primary and secondary sources) as part of Day 2. Students view Cold War political cartoons and are asked to "think about what the cartoonist was trying to say" and to decide whether the U.S. should have aided other nations. Students answer specific comprehension questions about the readings (e.g., summarizing the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan) and complete note-taking pages based on the video and readings.
Lesson 3
The Cold War
Students read primary sources (Kennedy's October 22, 1962 speech and Theodore Sorensen's memorandum) and are asked to extract and use information from them: the Speech Analysis activity explicitly asks students to "List 3 facts that JFK provided" and to evaluate which steps seem most effective or controversial. Students read secondary-source accounts (Office of the Historian pages and a History.com article) and answer guided reading questions (Questions #1-#4) that require facts from those texts. In Option 1, students must research adviser options on the JFK site and complete a Decision Making page that asks them to identify questions, weigh advantages and disadvantages, and explain their rationale based on the readings.
Lesson 4
Civil Rights
Students are assigned specific secondary-source readings (pages from We Were There, Too and sections of Free at Last) that they must read. Students answer targeted comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) about those readings, requiring recall of details from the texts. Students complete written activities—filling a graphic organizer comparing Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks and writing a newspaper clipping or memorial poem based on biographical sketches—which require using information from the assigned readings.
Lesson 5
Sit-Ins and Freedom Rides
Students read primary-source material (Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech) and are instructed to read it twice and highlight or underline any phrases or ideas that seem particularly powerful. Students complete a graphic organizer that asks them to compare "I Have a Dream" with another speech, noting similarities and differences (dates, audiences, key ideas, themes, occasions, goals). Students also read secondary-source accounts (Carolyn McKinstry and Section 3 of Free At Last) and answer specific factual questions based on those texts.
Lesson 6
The Ballot
Students read Part 4 of a secondary source (Free at Last) and answer specific text-based questions about events such as Hartman Turnbow's firebombing, tactics used to prevent African Americans from voting, COFO's use of white college students, and the effect of the Voting Rights Act. Students examine primary-source photographs in Activity 1, describe the image they select, identify when and where it was taken, and analyze what the photo reveals about reactions to the Civil Rights Movement. Students use historical information to plan and role-play a decision (Activity 2), articulating reasons and counter-arguments that draw on the historical context provided in the readings and activities.
Lesson 7
New Directions and Other Social Movements
Students read specified secondary sources (Section 5 of Free at Last and an excerpt from We Were There, Too) and answer guided questions about causes of tensions and working conditions. Students read a primary source (the 1966 Black Panther platform) and a secondary overview (SCLC page) and record similarities and differences in a Venn diagram. In the Cesar Chavez activities students must select and use Chavez quotations directly—either by including at least one quotation in a short speech or by choosing 2–3 quotations to create a collage.
Lesson 10
The Culture of the 1960s
Students are asked to examine primary source protest leaflets from the University of Washington in Activity 1 and to view two protest songs in Activity 2 (Option 2). The Music of the 1960s activity page asks students to identify each song's message and to note "What lyrics struck you as particularly interesting or powerful," and to compare songs and argue which was most effective. The Television activity page asks students to summarize an episode and answer "What can you learn about the 1960s from this program?" which prompts use of program content as supporting detail.
Final Project
A Time Capsule
Students are instructed to gather historic documents and artifacts (for example, protest posters, speeches, oral history excerpts, and newspaper clippings) and place them in a time capsule. Students complete artifact description slips that ask questions such as "What is this artifact/document?" and "What will it help future archaeologists understand about this time period?" Students also answer short-response items on the unit test that ask them to explain outcomes and reasons (for example, why Civil Rights leaders rallied behind Rosa Parks).
Unit 4: Human Body Systems
Lesson 2
Cells, Tissues, and Organs
Students are assigned specific pages (pp. 24-29 and pp. 36-37) to read and then answer targeted questions (Q1–Q4) that require locating information and examples from the textbook (for example, identifying that the brain contains nervous, connective, and epithelial tissues). Students view and label an online earthworm dissection PDF and check their labels against the keyed pages, which requires using the source to identify and support answers. The activities ask students to draw, sketch, and identify tissues/organs based on the provided text and diagrams.
Lesson 3
Musculoskeletal System
Students are assigned to read specific pages (pp. 40-55, 64-67, and 70-73) of The Concise Human Body Book and then answer comprehension questions, requiring them to use that text as a source. In Activity 1 students are directed to use the diagrams on specified book pages (pp. 40-41 and 64-67) or online sources to identify which bones and muscles produced particular movements and to record observations. Several activities and the diagram task instruct students to check and label structures using the book as a guide, implying use of a secondary source to support their answers.
Lesson 4
Cardiovascular System
Students are instructed to read specific pages (p.144 and pp.146-155) of The Concise Human Body Book and then answer directed reading questions about blood components, vessel types, and heartbeat phases. The Parent Plan skills list explicitly includes "Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells," indicating an expectation to support claims with evidence. The Reading and Questions section requires students to locate and report factual details from the assigned text.
Unit 4: To Kill a Mockingbird
Lesson 1
Historical Context
Students read the first two chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird (a primary source) and answer specific comprehension questions about Scout, Jem, Dill, and the Radley house. Students watch a video titled "Alabama in the 1930s" (a secondary source) and create a detailed mind map synthesizing historical information from that source. Students are asked to identify "evidence of the historical period" observed in the chapters and to write a journal response explaining whether they would have wanted to live in Alabama in the 1930s, prompting them to refer to content from the text and video.
Lesson 2
Home and School
The Parent Plan lists the skill: "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text." QUESTION #1 directs students to write a literature response and to "Refer to specific examples from the book in your discussion." Discussion prompts ask students to explain Atticus's and Calpurnia's treatment of Walter Cunningham with reference to text details.
Lesson 3
The Mystery of Boo
The Parent Plan explicitly lists the skill: "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text." Students are asked to read chapters 5–7 (and to rely on chapters 1 and 5 for Activity 1) and to record five things based on hearsay and five things based on personal experience from the text. The Parent Plan answer guide points to chapter references (e.g., ch. 1, ch. 5) as sources for students' responses.
Lesson 4
Snow and Fire
Students are asked to read Chapters 8–9 and record information on a Character Line-Up chart that includes a column for "Quotes of or about the character," prompting them to pull direct quotations from the text. The literature response assignment explicitly requires students to include at least one quotation from the section and to "explain the meaning and importance of the quotation," asking them to use the quote to support their interpretation. Sample answers and parent notes model selecting quotations and tying them to character description and actions, showing students examples of using text evidence to support analysis.
Lesson 6
Separate
Students are asked to produce a literary response that "refer[s] to specific examples from the text to support her ideas," prompting them to cite textual examples. The student activity requires students to identify quotations, paraphrases, and summaries and to record a direct quotation (with page number) and a paraphrase from chapter 12, explicitly practicing citing text. Activity 2 asks students to select a historical image (a secondary source) and write 2–3 sentences describing how the image relates to the novel, prompting students to connect secondary-source material to the primary text.
Lesson 7
A Moral Dilemma
Students read chapters 14–15 of To Kill a Mockingbird and answer guided comprehension questions that require recalling and explaining specific events (for example, Aunt Alexandra's reaction to Calpurnia, Dill's reappearance, the men at the jail, and how the lynch mob disbanded). Students complete vocabulary exercises that include example sentences taken directly from the novel, which require them to locate and use textual language. Discussion prompts ask students to analyze mob mentality and Jem's maturity using examples from the section.
Lesson 8
Identity
Students read chapters 16–17 of To Kill a Mockingbird and respond to specific analysis questions about characters, setting, and courtroom events (e.g., differences in Atticus's and Aunt Alexandra's attitudes, the town's atmosphere, where the children sat, and how Atticus discredited Mr. Ewell). The Parent Plan lists a skill to determine a theme or central idea and provide an objective summary. Discussion prompts ask students to explain Atticus's evaluation of the mob and interpret Jem's comments about biracial children, which require students to analyze the primary text.
Lesson 10
Equal Rights?
Students read primary-source excerpts of Jim Crow laws and are asked to use words from those laws to create a found poem, which requires close engagement with the historical text. Students read chapters 21–23 of To Kill a Mockingbird and answer discussion questions about the jury's verdict and whether it was just, prompting analysis of the text. Students are asked to write a 7–9 sentence summary of the chapters, which requires returning to the text for accuracy and selecting key events.
Lesson 11
The Mockingbird
Students read chapters 24–26 of To Kill a Mockingbird and answer specific comprehension questions that require recalling plot events (e.g., Tom Robinson's death, the Ladies Missionary Society meeting). Students complete a graphic organizer and respond to prompts asking them to identify examples from the text where innocence is threatened or destroyed, linking those examples to the mockingbird symbol. Discussion questions and the Parent Plan ask students to explain connections between events, characters, and themes, prompting textual analysis and comparison to historical events.
Lesson 13
Text and Film
Students read chapters 29–31 of To Kill a Mockingbird and answer questions about plot details (e.g., who saved the children, why Sheriff Tate changed the story). Students watch the 1964 film adaptation and keep a running two-column list of similarities and differences between the novel and the movie. Students respond to guided comparison questions (e.g., biggest changes, director's choices, how effects help tell the story) and create a product (poster or deleted-scene script) that requires referencing events and portrayals from both the book and film.
Final Project
Oral Book Presentation
Students are asked to select and quote directly from the novel on the unit test (Part IV asks "What quotation do you find most powerful?" and to paraphrase an underlined sentence). The unit test and study guide require students to give book examples to illustrate historical-context terms and to provide three examples from the book showing how a theme is developed. The rubric, parent notes, and slide instructions tell students to use specific textual references and to display relevant, powerful quotations on slides to support oral claims.
Unit 5: Technology Explosion
Lesson 1
Overview of Modern America
Students are told that both final project options will involve completing research, using primary sources, doing writing and editing, and "citing your research sources properly." The National History Day Project Rubric explicitly asks students to identify research sources and to include primary and secondary sources. Brainstorming and Choosing a Topic pages require students to list websites and record "what I learned from the video" and "what I want to know," which prompts gathering source material for later use.
Lesson 2
Demographics and Immigration
Students read a first-person account (Arn Chorn "Starting All Over") and answer specific comprehension questions that require referencing details from the text (e.g., how the monkeys helped Arn Chorn and how he came to America). Students read secondary-source articles (NPR on the 1965 Immigration Law and CFR on current immigration debate) and are asked to take notes on differing viewpoints and to write a 3–5 sentence letter to the editor arguing a position. The mapping and statistical activities also require students to use and compare data from census-derived charts, engaging them with primary numerical source material.
Lesson 3
The End of the Cold War
Students read secondary-source articles from the U.S. State Department about Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and the fall of the Berlin Wall and answer specific content questions (Q1–Q4) based on those readings. In Activity 1 students are directed to use those readings to complete a comparative summary table of presidents' foreign policies. For the final project (Option 1) students are explicitly told to cite their sources properly for both text and images and are given a Citation Builder link to generate citations.
Lesson 4
Leadership and Domestic Policy
Students read a secondary source (the Kory Johnson piece) and answer specific comprehension questions that require referring to the text (e.g., cause of Amy's illness, organization Johnson founded). Students view and compare primary-source presidential speeches and are prompted by the Speeches Analysis Table to "write down one particularly powerful sentence or idea from the speech" and to explain its meaning and whether they agree. Students watch presidential addresses about Watergate and Iran-Contra and answer directed questions about what the president was accused of and how he addressed those accusations, and students read landmark court case summaries and complete a written case analysis.
Lesson 6
Terrorism
Students read a secondary source (the History.com "9/11 Attacks" webpage) and answer specific factual questions about who was responsible, what targets were hit, what prevented Flight 93 from hitting its target, and what Operation Enduring Freedom was. Students may interview an adult eyewitness (a primary source) and then write a short 5–10 sentence reaction paper describing what they learned from that firsthand account. Students may examine primary artifacts from three repositories (Smithsonian, 9/11 Memorial, National Geographic), review supporting documents, and write a paragraph for each artifact explaining its meaning and how it helped them understand September 11, 2001.
Lesson 7
Modern American Culture
Students read the secondary source "Judi Warren and the Warsaw Tigers: Taking Center Stage" and answer four text-based comprehension questions that require pulling specific facts (e.g., percentages of female athletes, coach response, championship outcome). Students analyze quantitative secondary-source data in Activity 1 by using NCES enrollment figures and creating a graph to describe changes in women's college enrollment. Students are instructed to cite sources properly for their final project paragraph, indicating some attention to source documentation.
Final Project
Illustrated Essay or National History Day
Students are explicitly told to "make sure that you have included appropriate citations for each paragraph" of the illustrated essay, which requires adding source citations to their writing. The History Day option asks students to complete a process paper and answer "What is your plan for research?", prompting students to plan use of sources. The activity illustrations and directions show students gathering, analyzing, organizing, and arranging information (e.g., magnifying glass, documents, timeline), which supports evidence-gathering and organization skills.
Unit 5: Health and Nutrition
Lesson 2
Being a Smart Consumer
Students are asked to go to the store or online and write down five products and any claims made on the packaging or in commercials, underlining feasible claims and highlighting outlandish ones. The instructions direct students to compare products with other similar, lower-cost items and to note product claims on the Student Activity Page. Students are also directed to read specified pages about tattoos and piercings and to list and evaluate three fads using a structured activity page.
Unit 5: Great American Poets
Lesson 1
Poetry Basics
Students are instructed to annotate poems by underlining words or phrases, noting examples of figurative language, and writing observations or questions in the margins. Activity pages ask students to identify and label textual features (line breaks, stanza counts, refrains, rhyme scheme, assonance) and to record specific words that show a repeated vowel sound. One task asks students to "explain why the poet breaks the line in the middle," which requires using parts of the poem to support an explanation.
Lesson 2
Early American Poetry
Students read both Longfellow's poem "Paul Revere's Ride" and a first-person excerpt titled "Paul Revere's Ride in His Own Words," and they are instructed to mark phrases or lines they find effective or significant in each text. Students complete a Venn diagram-style "Comparing Texts" page where they note similarities and differences in content, use of literary language, and details between Revere's account (primary source) and Longfellow's poem (secondary/poetic account). The answer key and parent guidance list specific textual details students might record (e.g., factual details in Revere's account, figurative language in Longfellow's poem), which models using text-based differences in responses.
Lesson 3
Figurative Language
Students are instructed to look up specific poems in 101 Great American Poems and answer questions asking them to compare images (e.g., identify what two things are being compared in "Hope is the thing with feathers" and "There is no frigate like a book"), to provide examples of effective imagery, and to identify personification in a named stanza of "Paul Revere's Ride." Students also research poets using the book and online sources to fill in dates and interesting facts on Poet Cards.
Lesson 4
Poetic Forms
Students read and analyze multiple poems (Longfellow's "The Sound of the Sea," "To My Dear and Loving Husband," "John Henry," and "Snow-storm") and are asked to mark patterns of unstressed and stressed syllables and determine whether lines use iambic pentameter. Students must decide if a poem is a sonnet by counting lines and identifying rhyme scheme and must compare the poem's rhyme scheme and meter to the Shakespearean sonnet pattern. Students analyze what makes "John Henry" a ballad and identify "Snow-storm" as blank verse, using poem features such as narrative content, rhythm, and rhyme as the basis for their answers.
Lesson 5
Edgar Allan Poe
Students are asked to analyze poem endings and moods (Questions #1 and #2), requiring them to reread stanzas and refer to specific lines and imagery to explain irony and emotional effect. In Question #3, students mark the end-rhyme scheme and describe the internal rhyme pattern after rereading the first two stanzas, which requires identifying exact words and rhyme locations in the text. The Option 1 activity asks students to "record at least one line from two different poems" that demonstrate Poe's poetic focus, prompting students to extract and quote lines as evidence; the commas and grammar activities also use quoted lines from poems and require students to explain punctuation decisions based on those lines.
Lesson 6
Meaning in Poetry
Students are directed to reread specific poems and answer analytic questions that require referring to the text (e.g., explaining mood in "Misgivings" by citing words like "horror," "crashing," and "torrents"). The "Using Commas Part 3" activity asks students to write line numbers, identify specific end-of-line commas, and explain their use, which requires pointing to exact lines and punctuation in the poem. The "Literal and Symbolic Meaning" activity asks students to summarize stanza-by-stanza and identify allusions and figurative language, prompting students to locate and use specific words or lines as evidence for their symbolic readings.
Lesson 7
Poetry Analysis
Students are asked to read poems closely and complete a Poem Analysis page that requires them to provide examples from the text (e.g., identify rhyme scheme, alliteration, similes/metaphors, and memorable imagery). The lesson includes specific comprehension questions that reference lines from poems (for example, asking what "one whom life wounded and caged" refers to) and vocabulary activities that ask students to match quoted excerpts to terms. Students are also prompted to cite favorite lines and to explain literal and symbolic meanings, which requires referring to specific lines or phrases.
Lesson 8
Robert Frost
Students read primary texts (poems on pages 41–52) and answer analytic questions that require drawing on the text (e.g., identifying the form of "Acquainted with the Night," naming images in "After Apple-Picking," explaining the symbolic meaning of "The Road Not Taken," and determining the rhyme scheme of "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"). In the Hyphens and Dashes activity students locate and analyze specific hyphenated words and dash usages in poems (the answer key cites words/lines such as "two-pointed," "apple-picking," and dashes in specific stanzas). In the Visual Response activity students compare a poem to Cubist artwork using a provided web link, prompting analysis that connects the poem's language to external (secondary) material.
Lesson 9
Memorizing Poetry
Students are asked to read pages 53-63 and answer guided questions that compare poems (for example, Question #1 asks how Sandburg's "Chicago" is similar to Whitman's poems and Question #2 asks students to reread "Euclid" and compare it to Whitman's "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer"). The Student Activity Page asks students to compare how two villanelles adhere to form and to explain the action urged by the speaker, requiring close attention to lines and refrains. Multiple questions require students to analyze poem content and structure and to explain similarities, differences, and meanings they observe in the texts.
Lesson 10
Poems about Poetry
Students read specific poems (pages 63–73) and answer text-based questions such as using details from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" to choose adjectives for the speaker. Students are directed to reread "Poetry" and "Ars Poetica," underline phrases or images that strike them, and respond to prompts asking what particular stanzas or lines mean. In the ellipses activity students examine specific lines (for example, ellipses on p. 69) and explain why the poet uses them, requiring reference to the text.
Lesson 11
Editing Your Work
Students read primary texts (poems in the book and linked poems) and answer targeted analysis questions that require pointing to features in the texts (e.g., identify Cummings's capitalization choices and their effect, interpret the last line of "Dream Deferred," analyze techniques in "Incident," and compare "Sympathy" and "Caged Bird"). Activities ask students to double-check capitalization, punctuation, and line breaks when reproducing a poem and to describe why they used specific punctuation marks, which requires attending to and referencing specific textual details. The sample answers model referencing specific lines, images, and word choices from the poems.
Lesson 12
Reciting Poetry
Students read multiple primary-source poems (links to poems by Ginsberg, Ferlinghetti, Hayden, etc.) and answer analytical questions about them (Questions #1–#3). The sample answer to Question #1 includes a direct quotation from the poem to explain why the setting is odd. Activities ask students to describe what poems communicate about family relationships and to compare poems, which require interpretation of the texts.