Students are directed to research the life of John Steinbeck using the provided biography links and answer specific factual and analytical questions (Activity 1). One question asks students to explain how some themes in his literature reflect his own life experiences, prompting students to connect informational biography to the themes found in Steinbeck's fiction. The unit introduction notes that The Pearl is based on a Mexican folktale and the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price, giving students contextual sources related to the novella's origins.

Students read Chapter 1 of The Pearl and record descriptive words and phrases from the text in a journal, showing direct engagement with textual details. Students answer comprehension questions in complete sentences about Kino's life, appearance, and how events change him, requiring use of information from the chapter. Students label noun and verb phrases and identify parts of speech in sentences taken from The Pearl, practicing close reading of specific literary language.

Students are asked to create and answer an "Author and You" question, with an explicit example: "How is the oppression experienced by villagers similar to and different from other examples of oppression you have learned about in history?" Students must develop Think-and-Search questions that require locating and synthesizing information from the text (e.g., how Kino and Juana's relationship has changed). Students record stylistic devices and analyze characterization and character wants (charting what each character wants and drawing symbols), which requires literary analysis grounded in the text.

Students are asked in Question #4 to think of examples in history where the quest for wealth and power has led to death and destruction, prompting them to connect the novella's events to historical events. Several discussion prompts (e.g., moral of the parable; what the pearl symbolizes) require students to analyze the fictional portrayal of greed and its consequences. The Option 2 activity asks students to find sentences in Chapter 6, which requires close reading of the literary text and locating textual details.

The Parent Plan explicitly asks the child to compare the Parable of the Pearl to Steinbeck's novel The Pearl, prompting the student to explain similarities and ironic differences between the parable and the fictional portrayal. Students are asked to read multiple parables and explain the moral or lesson of each, and to retell a chosen parable orally to an audience who will then explain the lesson. The lesson includes a narrative adapted from a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) story ("What About the Bike?"), providing a text with real-world/historical roots for discussion.

Students are asked to "Compare the book to another story" using a Venn diagram, which directs them to identify similarities and differences between two texts. Students prepare a mock trial and write speeches that require using evidence from the book to argue positions about Kino, and a short-answer question asks students to "support your answer with evidence from the story." Students are also prompted to synthesize ideas across texts in the skills list.

Students read the novel A Girl Named Disaster and are assigned the role of Cultural Commentator to journal what they learn about customs, homes, clothing, beliefs, food, and other cultural elements from the first four chapters. Students are directed to peruse two informational websites about Mozambique for about ten minutes to learn more about the country. Students complete map and research-based activities (locating Mozambique, labeling geographic features) and create a Mozambique Quilt or Trivia that asks them to represent or ask questions about dress, traditions, geography, government, health, and education using information from the novel and external sources.

Students read Chapters 11-14 and take on the role of a Literary Luminary by choosing two or three passages from the novel and explaining their reasons for picking them aloud. Students read the back-of-book section "The History and Peoples of Mozambique and Zimbabwe" and complete a set of activity pages that ask factual questions (e.g., which country fought Frelimo, the Shona and Matabele tribes, where Portuguese moved after independence) and have them color and label flags. The lesson lists skills that include responding to informational materials and making connections to related topics/information.

Students read chapters 21–23 of the novel and take on roles (Illustrator, researcher) tied to the text. Students research real-world information about baboons or other African animals and create an informational product (a museum plaque or a guidebook) that requires writing factual sentences and pasting or drawing images. The Skills section instructs students to synthesize ideas within a text and across two or three texts and to support findings with textual evidence, and the activities require students to record factual information drawn from research sources.

Students read Chapter 2 of The Hobbit and answer focused comprehension and character questions, engaging with the literary text. Students also read informational biographies of J.R.R. Tolkien (links provided) and complete activities that require summarizing biographical information, creating interview questions with reasoning, or building a collage that represents aspects of Tolkien's life. Students are asked to consider and explain how Tolkien's life and experience influenced his writing, and to explain the reasoning behind choices on the collage or interview questions.

Students read Chapter 6 and answer guided comprehension questions in complete sentences about character actions and events. Students draw the path from the Goblin Gate to the Eyrie and write a brief description of what happens, requiring them to locate and summarize text details. Students are asked to record examples of foreshadowing and participate in discussion questions about Bilbo's image and choices, which requires identifying textual evidence.

Students read Chapter 7 and answer specific text-based questions (e.g., "What is a skin-changer?" and why Gandalf introduces the dwarves two at a time), requiring them to cite or paraphrase events from the chapter. Students map the journey (Eyrie to Carrock to Beorn's house to Forest Gate), circle locations, note chapter numbers, and briefly describe what happened, which requires locating and recording textual events. Students are asked to record examples of foreshadowing or flashback and to analyze characterization (listed in Skills), which asks them to identify and explain narrative evidence.

Students answer specific comprehension questions about Chapter 8 (e.g., what happens to Bombur, how Bilbo saves the dwarves, how Bilbo feels), which requires citing events from the text. Students draw a path from the Forest Gate to the spiderwebs, label the chapter number, write a short sentence about the chapter's events, and record an example of foreshadowing on a chart. Discussion prompts ask students to explain how Bilbo has changed and to cite situations from the book that support themes, which directs students to use textual details to support analysis.

Students read Chapter 9 and answer specific text-based questions about character motivations and plot (e.g., why Thorin hides the mission, how Bilbo frees the dwarves). Students map setting and record chapter events, identify examples of flashback or foreshadowing, and list events that advance the plot and explain character change. Students complete a Problems & Solutions chart and use evidence from the story to name who solved each problem and how (e.g., Bilbo using the ring, use of barrels).

The lesson asks students to analyze the theme of greed in the novel and to connect it to historical and contemporary examples (Activity 2, Option 2) by finding at least two current events and three historical events motivated by greed and power and recording two- or three-sentence descriptions. The Parent Plan explicitly tells students to "analyze the theme of greed in the novel and consider how this same theme has been revealed throughout history and is still part of our current culture." The Skills section includes identifying and analyzing recurring themes across works, which requires students to draw connections between the literary text and informational sources.

The Parent Plan lists skills that ask students to analyze effects of plot, theme, characterization, and to identify and analyze recurring themes, which directs students to apply reading-analysis skills to this literary text. The discussion prompts ask students to describe Bilbo's and Thorin's changes, explain how power and wealth operate in the story, and justify Bilbo's choices, requiring students to draw on the text for interpretation. The Quest Cube activity requires students to identify quest elements from The Hobbit and explain how each element contributes to central themes and the mood, prompting applied analysis of literary elements.

Students read early literary reviews of The Hobbit and write two- to three-sentence journal summaries that identify whether each response is positive or negative and explain the reviewers' major points. Students are asked to describe any literary elements the reviewer alludes to, and parents are instructed to have students read aloud their summaries and identify themes and elements. Students answer comprehension questions in complete sentences that require recalling and using details from the novel (e.g., who aided in the battle, what treasure Bilbo takes).

Students are instructed to support their personal responses with examples from the text, including direct quotes, figurative language, and events; the writing outline requires each body paragraph to include ideas with supporting lines. The rubric explicitly assesses "Textual Evidence: Use of direct quotes and reference to the text," and prewriting webs prompt students to gather evidence for "An important lesson learned" and "How the characters changed." Students are guided through drafting, revising, and producing a final copy that must align with rubric criteria emphasizing comprehension and textual support.

Students are asked to read multiple informational websites about ancient and modern Korea (Activity 3) and record findings on an "Elements of Korean Culture" chart that is divided into "Today" and "Centuries Past." The lesson directs students to continue adding information from the novel (a fictional account set in 12th-century Korea) to the "Centuries Past" column, and to discuss the information recorded on the chart with a parent. The Getting Started section and wrapping-up prompts explicitly tell students to pay attention to Korean culture and to compare past and present entries as they read the novel.

Students are asked to read biographies and watch interviews about Linda Sue Park, take notes, and answer guided questions on the "Linda Sue Park" page. Students then write a short paragraph explaining how the author's experiences and relationships influenced her writing, using information drawn from those informational texts. The activities require students to use informational sources to support an analysis of the novel's author and themes.

Students are asked to analyze themes, character relationships, and plot development (Skills section) and to answer text-based comprehension questions about characters' motives and events (Questions #1–#4). Students create a mini-book identifying specific opportunities Tree-ear receives and beneath each flap record how each opportunity benefited him, and the Parent Plan explicitly instructs students to defend answers and provide evidence from the text to support conclusions.

Students read multiple folktales about foxes from different cultures and are asked to "think about the purpose of the story and what it teaches," which asks them to analyze literary portrayals and cultural values. Students are directed to "keep the fox true to the nature of foxes as they are represented in the literature you have read" when writing their own story, requiring them to synthesize textual representations. The lesson prompts students to explore how stories reflect cultural values with guiding questions about what can be learned about culture through literature.

Students are asked to describe relationships and "make sure that you can support your descriptions with examples from the text, including the characters' thoughts, words, and actions," which requires citing textual evidence. The Parent Plan and Skills section explicitly include "Justify interpretations of literature through sustained use of examples and textual evidence." Students are prompted to add details to an "Elements of Korean Culture" page, linking the read text to cultural/historical context.

Students are directed to brainstorm and outline a comparison and contrast essay focusing on Tree-ear's relationship with Min and with Crane-man, labeling similarities and differences. The essay organizer and Option 1 explicitly prompt students to "provide support from the text" for each similarity and difference. The rubric's "Ideas and Support" criterion requires the paper to compare and contrast clearly while providing specific examples, reinforcing that students must draw textual evidence. The end-of-unit test asks students to describe setting, pottery process, and cultural details from A Single Shard, which requires citing details from the unit's materials.

Students read pages 9–15 of D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths and answer comprehension and analysis questions about the Greek creation story (Questions #1 and #2 ask for explanation and a two-sentence summary). Question #3 asks students to compare the Greek creation story with creation stories from other cultures or religions. The "Ideas to Think About" prompt asks students to consider what cultural stories teach about beliefs and values, which prompts interpretive comparison.

Students are asked to analyze myths and artistic artifacts to infer what people in the past were trying to convey (questions: How could these stories have brought order to the people? What can we learn today by analyzing these age-old stories?). Students select a god or goddess and either write an acrostic poem reflecting that figure or design a pot that reflects the god/goddess, thinking about the gods' story and symbols and making illustrations similar to ancient artifacts. The Go Greek activity has students read and use short informational cards about each god, reinforcing connections between descriptions and representations.

Students are asked to compare and contrast myths from various cultures (Skills: "Compare and contrast the similarities and differences in mythologies from various cultures") and to compare flood stories (Question: "How are flood stories from other cultures you have read similar to and different from Deucalion's story?"). Students are prompted to explain how characters' values and beliefs are affected by historical and cultural settings (Skills and Ideas to Think About). Students are asked to consider how stories and beliefs reflect the culture of the society.

Students read the Perseus myth (pages 114–122) and answer specific comprehension questions about plot events and characters. Students complete a 'Conventions of a Myth: Perseus' activity, identifying the hero, gods, monster, problem, helpers, and items from the text. The parent/skills section instructs students to synthesize ideas across texts and to support findings with textual evidence, and the intro invites students who have read The Lightning Thief to compare it with the original myth.

Students compare a traditional myth to a contemporary retelling in Activity 3 (Icarus vs. Icarus at the Edge of Time) using a structured chart (theme, setting, method of flight, etc.). Students analyze differences between a written myth and a filmed version in Activity 4, taking notes on how film techniques, added dialogue, and narration change the story. The Parent Plan Skills explicitly ask students to "synthesize and make logical connections between ideas within a text and across two or three texts" and to "compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version," which directs students to apply reading strategies to literature.

Students identify conventions and themes of myths and record these elements on the 'Conventions of a Myth' activity pages. Students are asked to analyze author's purpose in cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and to support findings with textual evidence (Skills list). The rubric and activities require students to synthesize ideas across two or three texts and to provide insight into culture, and the parent prompts ask students to explain how their retelling follows myth conventions and reflects culture.

Students read a novel and a play set in the Middle Ages and are asked to examine a map in Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! and record observations about jobs, clothing, homes, inventions, military defense, and comparisons to neighborhoods today. Students read an explicit informational section on feudalism and are asked to identify peasants, knights, and lords on the map and to write 3–4 sentence commentaries from the perspectives of a knight, a lord, and a peasant. Students are also prompted to discuss different points of view aloud with a parent, and the parent plan lists skills such as analyzing point of view and drawing conclusions about author's purpose in historical contexts.

Students read The Midwife's Apprentice and a centuries-old poem, "A Dialogue on Poverty" by Yamanoue no Okura, and are asked to consider how Beetle could relate to the poem. Students answer explicit questions comparing the narrator's situation to Brat's and reflect on similarities in physical and emotional deprivation. Students are assigned a Researcher role to dig up related information on the book's geography, culture, or history to better understand the story's context.

Students read Chapters 12 and 13 of the book and take the role of an Illustrator, drawing scenes or elements from the fictional text. Students examine informational material about medieval food and inns (notes on food scarcity, social status, and recipes) and are asked to prepare medieval recipes from linked historical recipe sites that "might have been prepared in inns." The lesson also poses the guiding question, "What can be learned about a time period by studying the cultural elements of the time (jobs, religion, food, architecture, etc.)?"

Students read historical background about medieval domesticated animals (their uses, manure for fertilizer, Heriot) and are directed to read fictional monologues from Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!! (Mogg, Alice, Edgar). Students are asked to "analyze the importance of domesticated animals in medieval culture" and to write explanations of how animals influenced peasants' economics or to describe the relationship between peasants and animals in three journal sentences. Students also compare their own sentence elaborations to details the author included, encouraging attention to textual detail.

Students are asked to take on the role of a Connector and "find connections between the book, your life, and the outside world," with explicit permission to "connect events to what has happened in your community or the country and connect events to other times and places throughout history," and to record those connections in a journal. Students complete a Relationships graphic organizer that directs them to describe how Alyce's relationships change from the beginning to the end of the book and to "Provide details from the book to support your answers," prompting comparison and use of textual details about characters.

Students read Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! and complete a Cast of Characters chart in which they summarize each character's monologue, copy examples of descriptive language, and describe relationships among characters. The lesson prompts students to consider cultural elements (jobs, religion, food, architecture) and asks, "What can be learned about a time period by studying the cultural elements of the time?" Students are asked to compare characters' struggles to those in another text (The Midwife's Apprentice).

Students are asked to "Choose a book about the Middle Ages and write a review, discussing themes and historical accuracy," which requires evaluating a fictional work against historical facts. Essay prompts ask students to provide a brief overview of feudalism and to describe how a peasant lived, prompting students to articulate historical context. Several project options (e.g., Dress Code research, Castle Blueprint, European Transformations) require students to research and summarize historical features of the period.

Students are instructed to read the biography of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (an informational text) and answer specific comprehension questions about his life and the use of words like "prestigious." Students are also directed to read The Little Prince (a literary text) and to consider messages about friendship, love, and how characters persuade or change one another. Students complete activities that analyze persuasive techniques used by characters and gather examples from advertisements to understand persuasion.

Students read Chapters I–VI and answer comprehension questions that require interpretation (e.g., explaining why the little prince wants the sheep to eat baobabs and why he shows drawing #1 to strangers). Students analyze authorial choices by returning to specific sentences to explain the effect of parentheses in two cited passages. Students compare and contrast perspectives by extracting the narrator's descriptions on page 10 and placing child and adult questions into a Venn diagram, adding their own questions as well.

Students read Chapters XXI-XXV of The Little Prince and answer explicit text-based questions (e.g., explain what it means to be 'tamed' and why the prince says his rose has tamed him). Students are asked to interpret and evaluate a quoted line from the book ("Anything essential is invisible to the eyes") and give a reasoned response. The parent plan lists a skill to "Paraphrase the major ideas and supporting evidence," and the wrapping-up prompt asks students to explain the fox's point with examples, requiring reflection grounded in the narrative.

Students answer text-based questions (e.g., how the little prince gives the narrator a gift of the stars and how he intends to get home) using complete sentences, which requires them to draw evidence from the chapters. Students list two ways the narrator says he knows the little prince made it home, explicitly identifying and restating supporting details from the text. Students create a poem or drawing with a written description persuading the fox, requiring them to paraphrase events and use textual details to support their argument about the prince's departure.

Students read Act 4, Scene 2 to the end (using a modern translation) and answer comprehension questions that ask them to identify genre and justify their reasoning. Students watch an animated adaptation and are asked to compare which key scenes were included, suggest omitted scenes, and evaluate how well the adaptation tells Shakespeare's story. The wrapping-up prompts ask students to discuss relationships among characters and to imagine how the play might have ended differently if it were a tragedy.

Students are asked to locate and include direct quotations from Romeo and Juliet in Activity 1 (the interview task), requiring them to find and transcribe lines that answer their questions. Reading comprehension questions across both days ask students to cite specific plot events and character motivations (e.g., why Romeo kills Tybalt, Friar John being quarantined), which requires using details from the text to support answers. The lesson provides historical vocabulary (pestilence, presage) and notes the plague context for Friar John's quarantine, connecting the play's events to historical references.

Students choose a couple from The Little Prince, A Midsummer Night's Dream, or Romeo and Juliet and take directed notes that include a section labeled "Evidence to their love" and "Important quotes." Students complete an outline page that instructs them to list thesis, supporting reasons, and 2–3 pieces of evidence per reason. Students are instructed when writing their persuasive essay to "Include quotes from your couple" and "Provide persuasive evidence of their love," which requires citing textual details to support analysis.

Students are asked to consider the time period the poet was living in and how this is reflected in his or her writing, prompting analysis of historical context. Students answer questions about point of view (for example, how "My Last Duchess" might differ if it included both sides of the conversation), which asks them to analyze how an author's choice of voice shapes meaning. A parent-plan discussion prompt asks students to compare Elizabeth Barrett Browning's first-person sonnet voice with Robert Browning's voice in "My Last Duchess," noting he writes from the point of view of a historical duke, which invites comparison of fictional portrayal and a historical perspective.

Activity 2 directs students to read a nonfiction biography of Prince Albert (the provided royal.uk link) and to choose a favorite line from Tennyson's "Dedication" that expresses the same idea as a prose statement from the biography. Students are instructed to write the two statements side-by-side on the "Prince Albert Remembered" page and to illustrate the event or emotion described. The Parent Plan explicitly frames this as comparing how the same event or emotion is treated differently in poetry and prose.

Students read chapters on Matthew Arnold and Christina Rossetti and answer directed questions in complete sentences that require citing details from the poems (e.g., identifying the tide as a natural phenomenon and listing specific similes). Students identify and label figurative language (metaphor, simile, personification, onomatopoeia) on the "Walk Like a Poet" page and the student activity table, and they write a poem using personification and metaphor or simile based on photographic evidence from a nature walk. A parent discussion prompt asks students to compare and contrast Arnold's and Rossetti's poems, including similarities and differences in themes and perspectives.

Students read chapters on W.B. Yeats, Edith Sitwell, and Wilfred Owen and answer text-based comprehension questions (e.g., identifying allusions in "The Second Coming" and explaining the effect of repeated lines in Sitwell's poem), which requires drawing evidence from literary texts. A discussion prompt asks students to consider what poetry tells them about war that they might not learn from a non-fiction article or book, and the Life Application asks students to visit a museum or monument to gather historical information about the World Wars. Activities ask students to compare the poets' locations/experiences and how those affected their perceptions of war.

Students read Chapter 9 about Stevie Smith and answer a question identifying the news article that inspired "Not Waving But Drowning," linking a factual account to the poem. Students are asked in a discussion prompt to compare the original article about the event with Smith's poem, encouraging comparison of a historical/factual account and a literary portrayal. Students compare "Not Waving But Drowning" to Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess," noting differences in speaker, rhyme, and meter, which requires applying reading skills across two literary texts.

Students read informational chapters about W.H. Auden and Dylan Thomas and answer comprehension and analysis questions that draw on biographical facts (e.g., why Auden married Erika Mann) and poem content (e.g., the message of "The Unknown Citizen"). Students are prompted to consider how the poetry of an era communicates about life in that era and to identify themes common to the poets' work in the wrap-up discussion. Students analyze poem structure and speaker changes (e.g., the shift in perspective in "Fern Hill") and write complete-sentence responses supporting their interpretations.

Students place poets on a historical timeline (Activity 1) and record poets' birth/death dates and associated poetic genres or techniques, connecting literary figures to specific historical years. Students are prompted to consider what the poetry of an era communicates about life in that era (Ideas to Think About) and to review book analyses of poems (Sitwell's and Tennyson's) to identify images, events, structure, and techniques (Activity 6). Students write a two-paragraph analysis of one of their own poems using those textual analyses as models, and test questions ask them to compare expectations of Victorian-era poetry versus poetry between the World Wars.