Eighth Grade - ELA
1: Semester 1
Unit 1: Abigail Adams
Lesson 1
Getting to Know Abigail Adams
Students read Chapters 1 and 2 of Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution and answer specific reading questions, including interpretive items (e.g., explaining the meaning of "wild colts make the best horses" and what John Adams meant by needing "ballast"). Several activity pages ask students to consult page numbers (vocabulary example sentences include page references) and to analyze front and back matter, chapter titles, and chronology, which requires referring to the text. Questions prompt students to form answers that draw on details from the reading.
Lesson 2
John and Abigail Adams
Students are asked to use the reference notes to determine the source for quotations (Question #1) and to provide full bibliographic entries (Question #3), which requires locating citation information in the text. The lesson explicitly teaches the importance of citations and explains endnote reference numbers and how citations let readers find original sources. Activities ask students to analyze paragraph sentences and to list positive and negative attributes of John Adams, tasks that require students to refer to the reading for support.
Lesson 3
Unrest and War
Students read Chapters 5 and 6 and answer comprehension questions that require pulling details from the text (for example, the Townsend Acts answer includes a quoted list of taxed goods with a page citation). In Activity 2 (both options) students must use primary and secondary sources (Paul Revere engraving, John Adams diary, and the Abigail Adams reading) and are instructed to "support that argument with 2-3 specific examples" or to use the accounts as sources for a first-person narrative. The reading-response questions and the paragraph tasks require students to refer to textual or source details when explaining events or supporting interpretations.
Lesson 4
Continental Congress
Students read Chapters 7 and 8 of Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution and answer comprehension questions that ask for explicit information (e.g., challenges Abigail faced, ways she supported the patriot effort). One question asks students to explain why John Adams wanted Abigail to save their correspondence, which asks for an inference about motive. The activities include identifying details from the reading when selecting sentences for verb-mood analysis (sentences reference pages and content from the book).
Lesson 5
Remember the Ladies
Students are instructed to read the full text of Abigail and John Adams' letters and to "jot down" thoughts and "note interesting points," which requires locating material in the text. Option 1 asks students to compare their notes with how the biographer used the letter and to answer questions such as how much of the letter the author quoted and what point was being conveyed using selections from the letter. Option 2 directs students to "look for specific places in the letter that will provide the evidence you need" as they answer historian-analysis categories (author, content, context, bias, connection).
Lesson 6
Separation
Students read Chapters 11 and 12 and answer targeted comprehension questions that require referring to the text. Question 1 asks how the crowd reacted and the provided answer includes a direct quotation ("God save our American states!") with a page reference. Questions 3 and 4 ask students to infer Abigail Adams's feelings and the role of letter-writing, prompting students to draw conclusions from the chapters.
Lesson 7
Education
Students read Chapters 13 and 14 and answered specific comprehension questions about details from the text (e.g., advice John Adams gave Nabby; why John Adams left America). Students select a paragraph from a news article about girls' education and complete a Paragraph Analysis page to determine the role of each sentence and connections between sentences. Students analyze sentence-level functions and draw meaning from the chosen paragraph.
Lesson 8
Genre
Students read Chapters 15 and 16 of Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution and answer directed comprehension questions that require details from the text (for example, questions about Royall Tyler, Abigail's impressions of Paris, and why Nabby broke off her engagement). Students are instructed to "summarize the scene you chose based solely on known facts — do not add any details," which requires them to extract and restate explicit information from the biography. The provided question-and-answer items reference specific events and letters, indicating students must use textual facts to form their responses.
Lesson 9
The Vice Presidency
Students are asked to read Chapters 17 and 18 and answer specific comprehension questions that require extracting information from the text (for example, how George III greeted Thomas Jefferson and why John Adams feared not being elected). In Activity 1 students read original letters between Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson and respond to guided questions about what the writers discuss, impressions of each writer, and how they might have influenced one another. Students then write a diary entry from Abigail Adams's point of view that requires them to state the topics of the letter and explain the role of Jefferson's friendship in her life.
Lesson 10
Presidential Politics
Students are asked in the Grammatical Scavenger Hunt to find specific sentences or clauses in the text (e.g., identify a passive-voice sentence in the 2nd paragraph of Chapter XIX and other targeted phrases), and the parent answer key supplies exact quotations as correct examples. Students also read Chapters 19 and 20 and answer comprehension questions that require understanding explicit content and some inference (for example, explaining what John and Abigail thought about the French Revolution and why John could not return to law practice). The Federalists and Republicans activity directs students to review pages of the chapter and complete a comparison chart based on textual details about party leaders, views, and endorsements.
Final Project
A One-Person Play
The plan requires students to quote directly from at least one primary source in their one-person play and provides a web link and planning pages with a "Relevant primary sources cited" field where students must list sources. The rubric explicitly requires reading from at least one primary source and providing accurate dates and historical information, reinforcing source-based support. The unit test Part 2 (Paragraph Analysis) asks students to identify Abigail Adams's stance and to evaluate the role of a quoted sentence, which asks students to use textual material as supporting evidence.
Unit 2: Animal Farm
Lesson 2
Major's Dream
Students are asked to answer specific comprehension questions about Chapter 1 (e.g., how Major characterizes life on the farm; where Major places blame; what Major sees as the answer), which requires drawing on details from the text. In Activity 2, students choose an adjective for each character and must provide an example from the book or a description offered by the author that led them to that adjective, requiring them to locate and use textual examples to support inferences. The student activity pages reproduce sentences from the chapter for parts-of-speech work, so students read and refer to actual textual sentences while analyzing language.
Lesson 3
The Rebellion
Students are asked in the "Characters as Leaders" activity to "list specific examples to support your assertions about each leader's strengths and weaknesses," which requires drawing on details from the novel. In Option 2, students must review the Seven Commandments and the Bill of Rights and answer comparative questions; the Parent Plan explicitly notes the child should "provide evidence to support his claims." The reading questions include an inference task (Question #5: "What do you think happened to the milk?"), which asks students to make an inference based on the text.
Lesson 4
Work on the Farm
Activity 1 instructs students to "write out your thoughts... using specific examples from the text to support your points," directing them to compare Manor Farm and Animal Farm with text-based support. The student graphic organizer asks students to identify what work was done, who did it, how it was completed, and who benefited, which requires referencing specific passages. The reading comprehension questions (e.g., what work did the pigs do, Boxer's motto, the flag's symbolism, why pigs kept milk and apples) require students to locate and use textual details. The Parent Plan also explicitly notes that the child "should cite specific examples."
Lesson 5
The Battle of the Cowshed
Students are asked to reread Chapter 4 and "create a map of the physical location of the battle based on specific evidence in the book," requiring them to extract details about locations, order of events, and character movements from the text. Students answer directed reading questions about Chapter 4 (for example, how the animals spread the word, neighboring farmers' reactions, and what was done with the gun), which require pulling explicit details from the chapter. Students are directed to a specific paragraph in Chapter IV for the pronoun Challenge Question and must identify a pronoun and explain grammatically why it is a problem, which involves locating and analyzing a specific textual sentence.
Lesson 6
Comrade Napoleon
Students read Chapter 5 and answer comprehension questions that require them to explain what the text says explicitly (e.g., Mollie leaving, differences between Snowball and Napoleon, how Napoleon used dogs to chase Snowball off). The "Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution" activity asks students to research historical figures and fill a field labeled "Specific evidence that leads to that connection," prompting them to supply evidence linking passages or events in the novel to historical counterparts. The Pronoun Case activity includes direct quotations from Animal Farm and requires students to analyze and work with specific quoted text.
Lesson 7
Changes on the Farm
Students read Chapter 6 of Animal Farm and respond to specific comprehension questions. Questions 1–3 require students to state explicit details from the text (work hours, Boxer's added slogan, what the animals had to obtain and how). Question 4 and Activity 1 ask students to explain reasons and interpret leadership choices, prompting students to draw inferences about character motives and themes.
Lesson 9
The Battle of the Windmill
Students are directed to read Chapter 8 and answer comprehension questions, including Question 2 which asks how often claims (e.g., farm success numbers, stories about Frederick, Snowball's role) are backed up with credible evidence and why misinformation might be presented. Question 1 asks students to list specific actions (protections, titles, poems, speeches) that reinforce Napoleon's leadership, requiring students to identify explicit textual details. The reading-and-questions section asks students to recognize the presence or absence of actual evidence in the text.
Lesson 10
Boxer's Fate
The Skills section explicitly names the ability to "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis..." as a targeted skill. Multiple activities ask students to identify specific incidents from the novel as supporting evidence for themes (Activity 2, Developing a Theme, and the Student Activity Pages instruct students to list at least two incidents and to "Be specific"). "Things to Know" and parent notes emphasize that an argument about theme is only valid if students can provide evidence from the text and that students should be able to point to particular parts of the story where a theme is evident.
Lesson 11
The Farmers Pay a Visit
The Skills section explicitly lists "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis..." as a targeted skill. In Activity 1, students fill a table documenting how the Seven Commandments changed, which requires locating and recording specific textual details from the book. In Activity 2 and the Plot Diagram revision, students must identify at least two specific incidents from the book and revise their thematic analysis based on the final chapter, which requires using passages or incidents from the text to support interpretations.
Final Project
Animal Farm Letter
The Parent Plan skills list explicitly names the skill: "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis..." Students plan and draft a letter that requires them to explain a theme or complaint about Napoleon and to provide examples (e.g., how he broke the seven commandments, lied about resources). The rubric's Ideas category requires use of appropriate evidence, and the editing checklist prompts students to ask whether each paragraph's main idea "is well-supported by evidence."
Unit 3: Einstein Adds a New Dimension
Lesson 1
Expository Writing
Students are asked to underline phrases and circle indicators on the book cover and jacket that signal narrative versus expository writing (Activity 3), and to skim pages and explain whether the book appears narrative or expository and why. In the index activity (Activity 1, Part II) students choose search terms, conduct index searches, and infer which terms worked best and why, using page references to evaluate effectiveness. The front-matter discussion tells students they can use the copyright page to give proper credit when quoting material, linking to locating source information.
Lesson 2
Descriptive Writing
Students are asked in Activity 1 to read an italicized paragraph (p.36) and lightly underline the words or phrases they find most effective and explain what makes them effective, which requires locating specific textual phrases to support an analysis of descriptive effect. The Reading and Questions section asks students to answer specific questions about the text (e.g., why the author wrote the book; what Einstein pondered), which requires students to locate and use explicit details from assigned pages. The tips for descriptive writing point students to specific verbs and phrases in the paragraph on p.36 as examples, prompting students to refer back to and analyze exact language from the text.
Lesson 3
The Curies' Discoveries
Students are asked to read specified chapters and answer comprehension questions (e.g., Q1–Q4), which requires locating information in the text. Note-taking instructions tell students to put information in their own words, mark definitions and examples, and to include page numbers for complex or detailed information. The highlighting/annotation option asks students to tag key words/phrases and add comments explaining why a section was highlighted.
Lesson 5
Envisioning Fission
Students are asked to read chapters and take notes on explicit ideas (e.g., 'what E=mc² means' and how Einstein's discoveries changed conservation laws). In Activity 1 students extract and record one or two scientific and world events from each year in Chapter 23, which requires locating explicit facts in the text. The Questions to Discuss prompt students to draw inferences from the text (for example, explaining how Germany's actions affected the world of science), and the Parent Plan lists distinguishing among facts, reasoned judgment, and speculation as a skill.
Lesson 6
Cause and Effect Writing
Students are instructed to include page numbers in parentheses for specific information from the book and to copy exact wording in quotation marks with a page number when they cannot paraphrase. The sample planning and organization pages and the mini-essay examples include parenthetical page references for book details. Several reading questions require students to explain significance or sequence (e.g., why German fission news matters, how Szilard's actions led to U.S. work), prompting students to use book content to support their answers.
Lesson 8
Comparison and Contrast Writing
Students are told that if they use specific information from the book they should include page numbers and put quotation marks around any quoted phrases (Option 2 and Parent Plan). The reading questions list answers tied to specific page ranges (e.g., "See pp. 297-299") and the activity instructions repeatedly ask for specific details and examples to support points. The skills list also includes "determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary," which implies using text-based support.
Lesson 9
Avoiding Plagiarism
Students are instructed to give credit when paraphrasing or quoting and to record the source and page number for quoted or paraphrased material. A sample summary includes a short quoted phrase with a page number and guidance to place quotation marks around any quoted text. Parent-plan skills explicitly ask students to quote or paraphrase data and conclusions and to determine central ideas and provide accurate summaries.
Lesson 11
Citing Sources
Students are taught how to create MLA parenthetical citations and shown examples of quoting text with an in-text citation (e.g., a quotation followed by (Hakim 303)). Students practice evaluating and correcting parenthetical citations in Part I of the activity page (checking boxes and explaining mistakes). Students also practice recording bibliographic information and creating Works Cited entries in Part II and by using an online citation builder.
Final Project
Research Paper
Students are instructed to record direct quotations and paraphrases with page numbers and to put direct quotes in quotation marks (Activity 4, Activity 5, and parent notes). The rubric and skills list explicitly include "Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts" and require appropriate credit and correct citation format and a Works Cited page (Skills; Research Rubric; Activity 10). Activity 9 gives explicit examples showing students how to integrate quotations and paraphrases into support for their own observations and thesis statements.
Unit 4: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Lesson 1
Introduction to Mark Twain and the Novel
Students are instructed to record quotes and information in a journal throughout the unit (e.g., the Hemingway quote to analyze later) and to use web sites and the novel to gather supporting quotations. Specific questions ask students to "Locate specific examples in the novel" and to "Find one quote from the book" that demonstrates Widow Douglas's view, and Day 2 asks students to answer questions after reading chapters, which requires referencing the text. The Parent Plan also explicitly lists the skill: "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis..." as a targeted skill.
Lesson 2
Point of View
Students read Chapters 3–7 of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and answer comprehension and perspective questions that require them to infer characters' viewpoints (for example, "How do we know that Huck and Jim are superstitious?"). Students complete activities that identify narrative point of view by observing pronouns and marking texts' perspectives, and they complete journal prompts asking about characters' perspectives and supporting examples (e.g., Huck throwing salt over his shoulder, talking to a hair‑ball). The wrap‑up asks students to observe pronouns and determine which point of view Twain uses, reinforcing explicit text-based observation.
Lesson 3
What is Narrative Writing I
Students review a list of quotes from the novel in Activity 1 and write explanations of what each quote reveals about characters. Students read Chapters 8–11 and answer comprehension questions that require extracting plot details from the text. Students practice showing vs. telling by choosing quotes and writing 3–4 sentence responses or a short narrative that demonstrate characters' feelings based on dialogue and actions.
Lesson 4
What is Narrative Writing II
Students read specific passages and chapters (Chapters 12–15) and are asked to analyze quoted lines of dialogue from the text. Students answer directed questions about what the dialogue reveals about characters, how the dialogue propels action, and how it creates interest or humor. Students also complete activities that require examining selected quotes (e.g., "Miss Watson" and "Speaking French" passages) and responding in writing about those quotes.
Lesson 5
Expository Writing
Students are instructed in Activity 2 to "support your ideas with evidence from the text" when comparing and contrasting Huck and Jim and to include quotes, dialogue, or events as examples. The lesson explicitly tells students, "if you write that Jim and Huck are both superstitious, you must include information from the novel showing that is true. It could be a piece of dialogue or an event from the story." The reading questions and parent guidance prompt students to analyze a quoted passage and use textual details (for example, Huck mentioning smallpox) when answering comprehension questions.
Lesson 7
Persuasive Writing
Students are directed to read Chapters 22–25 and answer comprehension questions; Question 2 asks students to explain how Huck's view of Jim changes "Support your answer with a quote," which requires citing textual evidence for an inference. The persuasive writing activity asks students to "use a combination of types of evidence" and to record evidence in the Persuasion Map "Facts or Examples" section, prompting students to gather evidence to support claims.
Lesson 9
Irony
Students read Chapters 29–32 and answer comprehension questions about characters and events (e.g., who Aunt Sally thinks Huck is; why Huck doesn't write the letter). In Option 1 students cut out provided examples from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and place them into situational, dramatic, or verbal irony columns. In Option 2 students are asked to find one example of each type of irony from the novel and then "analyze the irony" to make sure it matches the definitions.
Lesson 10
Figures of Speech
Students read Chapters 33–36 of Huckleberry Finn and answer comprehension questions about characters and actions, requiring them to locate information in the text. In Activity 1, students complete a "Figurative Language in the Novel" page that presents specific expressions from the novel and asks students to identify the type of figurative language. In Activity 2, students read a model letter and underline instances of puns, idioms, hyperbole, simile, and oxymoron with specified colors, showing practice locating textual examples.
Lesson 12
The Movie Adaptation
Students finish reading the novel and answer explicit and inferential questions (e.g., identifying what happened to Huck's father, whether Huck is civilized, and the irony of Jim's freedom). Students are instructed to take notes while watching the film adaptation, observing changes in character, plot, language, setting, or dialect and to consider why those changes were made. Students are asked to compare and contrast the novel and film and to discuss similarities and differences and whether changes impacted the story positively or negatively.
Final Project
Cultural Biography
Students are directed to include direct quotations from the novel on the cultural biography poster ("Include a quote from the character that shows something about his or her character") and to copy sentences from a persuasive paragraph they developed. Students also collect important quotes/dialogue for Story Block 1 and may take examples for the irony block straight from the text. The unit test and rubrics prompt students to use vocabulary and passages drawn from the book in their responses.
Unit 5: Elijah of Buxton
Lesson 1
Introduction to the Novel
Students read Chapters 1 and 2 and answer comprehension questions that require interpretation (e.g., explaining what Elijah's mother means by "fra-gile" and recounting events with Frederick Douglass). In Activity 5 students are instructed to highlight the flashback passage and answer questions about its effectiveness and what it reveals about the narrator, requiring them to locate and use parts of the text. The "Things to Review" prompt asks students to give an example from the story to explain the term "flashback."
Lesson 2
The Preacher
Students are asked to read paired passages by Fitzhugh and Frederick Douglass and to answer analytical questions about whose account is more authentic and whether Douglass's account is persuasive. Students are instructed to re-read the Douglass passage and circle vivid adjectives and underline the verb repeated most often, identifying specific words and features that contribute to persuasion. In the Elijah of Buxton reading, students are asked to list incidents that create suspicion about the Preacher and to respond to an inference question about where the Preacher might have obtained the pistol.
Lesson 3
Creating a Character
Students are asked to "skim back through the first six chapters to find evidence for each category" and to "record textual evidence from the novel" on the "Getting to Know Elijah" activity page. The activity includes a specific box for "Quotes from Elijah" where students can note direct quotations. The reading questions require students to describe characters and events using details from Chapters 5 and 6, prompting use of text-based support.
Lesson 4
Tone and Mood
Students are asked to identify the tone Elijah set for specific events and to "provide an example of a sentence or words that set that tone," which requires pointing to language from Chapters 7–8. In the Mood activity students must record "The Reader's Mood" for events and identify "Words or images that made you feel that way," linking textual phrases and images to inferred feelings. The Accounts of Slavery activity has students read quoted passages (e.g., Mr. Leroy's branded scar, Elijah's father's remark) and write what they learned about slavery from those quotes and images, asking them to use the text/artwork as evidence.
Lesson 5
Colorful Language
Students read Chapters 9 and 10 and answer specific comprehension questions about events (e.g., the Preacher's purpose, why he changed plans), which requires referencing the text. The "Questions to Discuss" prompt asks students to support their opinion about the conjurer with evidence from the story. The Figures of Speech activity asks students to identify examples taken directly from Elijah of Buxton, requiring them to locate and point to textual passages that illustrate each device.
Lesson 7
The Importance of Education
Students are asked to read Chapters 13 and 14 and answer comprehension questions that require them to restate events and infer character growth (e.g., describing the bad news Elijah delivers and explaining how Elijah shows maturity). The vocabulary activity asks students to determine word meanings from context, requiring them to locate and interpret words within specific sentences or passages. Activity 2 asks students to discuss implications of forced illiteracy and to draw connections to historical examples, which requires using the text as a basis for analysis.
Lesson 8
Transitions and Characters
Students are asked in Question #2 to note "the evidence of the Preacher's past faults" when evaluating whether Mr. Leroy made a good choice, prompting them to use text-based reasons. Several discussion prompts ask students to explain events (Questions #1, #3, #4) and to argue responsibility or predict outcomes, which requires students to refer to what happened in the chapters. The character comparison activity directs students to identify similarities and differences between characters, which invites them to support those comparisons with details from the text.
Lesson 11
Story Reflections
Students are asked to record seven chronological events leading to the climax and three events in the falling action on a plot diagram, which requires identifying specific parts of the text. Students are directed to fill a theme web with "instances from different parts of the story" that support the theme of freedom. Students must "use specific examples from the book" in a written paragraph about personal impact and answer comprehension questions that require drawing on text details and making inferences about characters' motives.
2: Semester 2
Unit 1: The House of the Scorpion
Lesson 1
Cloning
Students read Chapters 1–4 of The House of the Scorpion and answer directed questions that require them to point to clues in the text (e.g., listing cells in petri dishes, DNA information, failed embryos, and the resulting baby) to support the inference that Eduardo is trying to clone a human. Students identify explicit details about Matt (that he is a clone) and describe others' reactions, which asks them to use text-based observations to explain character and social responses. Students also learn how to record and cite sources for research (MLA format, parenthetical citations, and a Works Cited page) and practice gathering textual and informational notes on index cards linked to specific sources.
Lesson 2
Revising and Editing
Students are instructed to read Chapters 5 and 6 and then answer specific comprehension questions that require recalling explicit details (e.g., Describe Matt's living conditions) and making inferences (e.g., When Celia and Maria arrive, how does Matt react? Why?). Discussion prompts ask students to identify examples of love, loyalty, corruption, and betrayal from the text, which requires locating supporting passages. The Parent Plan/Skills list also includes expectations to "Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence," indicating an expectation that students use evidence when supporting claims.
Lesson 3
Cast of Characters
Students read Chapters 7–9 and answer specific comprehension questions about what happens and what Matt learns, requiring them to use information from the text. Students are asked to compile information about the Alacrán family and create a family tree, writing brief descriptions of each character based on the text. The Skills section instructs students to support claims with logical reasoning and relevant evidence and to analyze how a text makes connections among individuals, ideas, or events, which implies use of textual support for analysis.
Lesson 4
Rhetorical and Logical Fallacies
Students read Chapters 10–12 of The House of the Scorpion and answer specific comprehension questions that require reference to events and details from the text. In Activity 1 students read the short essay "Human Cloning" and are instructed to locate and underline examples of loaded terms, caricatures, leading questions, false assumptions, and incorrect premises using a color code. The parent answer key lists the exact phrases students are expected to identify, indicating students practice pinpointing specific textual passages as evidence.
Lesson 5
Arguing the Issue
Students read two persuasive essays and are prompted to "record each author's main arguments" and "record any logical or rhetorical fallacies" on the Arguing the Issue activity page, which requires analyzing the authors' reasoning. The Parent Plan explicitly directs students to "compare and contrast persuasive texts" and to "explain how the authors reached their conclusions through analyzing the evidence each presents." Students also answer specific comprehension questions about Chapters 13–15 of The House of the Scorpion that require drawing answers from the text.
Lesson 6
Societal Comparisons
The Parent Plan 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" as a targeted skill. Students are directed to read Chapters 16–18 and answer specific questions about what characters learn, discover, and feel (Questions #1–#4), which requires using details from the text to support answers. Students are asked to compare Opium to the United States and to identify the warning the book offers (Activity 1 and Activity 2), which involves analyzing explicit information and drawing inferences from the text.
Lesson 8
Family Crest
Students are asked to read Chapters 22–24 and answer specific comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) about plot events, which requires referencing details from the text to respond. The vocabulary activity directs students to use the sentences taken from the book to determine which definition and part of speech to record, explicitly having students use textual context as evidence. The end-of-lesson discussion questions present a direct quote from the text (Tam Lin's line) and ask students to compare/contrast character actions and meanings, prompting students to support their analysis with text-based ideas.
Lesson 9
Science Fiction
The lesson requires students to read Chapters 25–27 and answer comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) that ask for details and inferences about Matt's impressions and experiences, prompting students to refer to the text. The Science Fiction Student Activity Page asks students to fill in the right-hand column with "Evidence From The House of the Scorpion" for each characteristic, requiring students to locate book examples that support genre claims. The Parent Plan and answer key provide model evidence excerpts (e.g., cloning, hovercrafts, dystopian society) that students are expected to identify and use in class discussion and written responses.
Lesson 11
Wisdom and Love
Students are asked to read Chapters 31–33 and answer comprehension questions about plot points, which requires referring to the text for answers. In Activity 1 students are given specific excerpts from earlier chapters and asked to identify religious symbols and messages Celia communicates and to write their thoughts in a journal using those excerpts and their memory of the book. The poster task instructs students to include words, phrases, or quotes from Tam Lin or Celia, which requires selecting textual material to support their artistic representation.
Lesson 13
Unit Test and Essay Reflections
Students read Chapters 37 and 38 and answer targeted questions asking how and why Matt's status changed and why El Patrón arranged poison at his funeral, requiring them to analyze explicit events and infer character motives. Students complete unit-test short-answer prompts asking them to explain how characters attained and used power and to discuss Tam Lin's death, prompting students to support explanations with details from the text. Students write essay reflections about how the novel affected their views on cloning and evaluate the arguments and fallacies in their own essays, which asks them to interpret textual implications and apply inferential reasoning.
Unit 2: Watership Down
Lesson 1
Preparing to Read
Students are given sentences taken from Watership Down and instructed to "select the definition and part of speech that best fits the context of the sentence," requiring them to use those lines of the text to determine word meaning. The Vocabulary Cube activity also asks students to write a word in a sentence and to match definitions, synonyms, and parts of speech to the example sentences, which requires attending to textual context. The parent discussion prompt asks students to use vocabulary terms studied and their observation of the map to infer what the book will be about, encouraging inference from textual and contextual clues.
Lesson 2
Foreshadowing
The lesson's Skills list explicitly names citing textual evidence as a learning goal. Students are directed to record "Quotes:" and "Others' reactions to the character" on multiple character cards and in the provided "Character Cards Information," requiring them to pull textual lines from Chapters 1–8. The "Foreshadowing and Symbolism" activity asks students to read specific passages and describe what is being foreshadowed and which symbols appear, prompting students to refer to the passages when making inferences.
Lesson 3
An Epic Journey
Students are asked to "Record an example of the use of each characteristic in Watership Down" on a graphic organizer that contrasts fantasy and epic, which requires pulling examples from the text. Students add information to character cards and create a "travel tracker" of settings as they read Chapters 9–13, which requires referencing specific events and places in the chapters. Discussion prompts ask students to interpret Fiver's premonition and to consider a quoted passage from Chapter 12, prompting students to base responses on text details.
Lesson 4
Comparing Rabbits
Students are assigned to read Chapters 14–17 and add information to character cards, requiring them to use the text for details. The Connection Commander role asks students to find connections and then write several sentences linking the reading to their experience or the world, which requires drawing on textual content and implications. The Strange Rabbits activities ask students to use information from the text to list characteristics of Hazel's group and Cowslip's group and to sort or classify statements from the story into a Venn diagram. Discussion prompts ask students to explain Fiver's explanation of Cowslip's warren and to interpret Pipkin's comparison, prompting use of explicit details and inferential reasoning from the text.
Lesson 5
Quotes and Creatures
Students are instructed to update character cards with memorable quotes, actions, and reactions as they read Chapters 18–21. In Activity 1, students research the chapter-opening quotations and write sentences explaining the nature of each work and how each quote relates to the events and theme of the corresponding chapter. The discussion prompts ask students to explain the meaning of a character's quoted lines (for example, Holly's comment about men spoiling the earth) and relate that to authorial critique.
Lesson 6
Dramatic Irony
The dramatic irony activity directs students to read specific passages from Watership Down and explain "what the reader knows," "what the characters believe," and the irony's effect, requiring close analysis of explicit content and inferences. The student activity pages provide lines for students to record these observations for two passages and to consider other examples of dramatic irony from the text. The Questioner role asks students to develop 3–5 big‑idea questions based on their reading, which prompts consideration of text-based meaning and implications.
Lesson 7
Rabbit Societies
Students are asked to serve as a "Passage Practitioner," locating two special sections or quotations in the text, recording the page number and the reason they chose each passage, and discussing each passage with a parent. The "Rabbit Societies" activity has students record positive and negative traits of groups and leaders, which requires students to identify supporting details from the chapters. The Parent Plan discussion questions prompt students to analyze characters' motivations and narrator comparisons, which asks for interpretation of explicit events and inferred motives. The vocabulary activities require students to use context in passages to determine word meanings, which involves citing contextual evidence for a meaning.
Lesson 8
Folktales and Fantasy
The lesson's Skills list explicitly names the targeted 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 assigned the Summarizer role to write a summary of Chapter 31 and to read summaries of El-ahrairah stories, then "consider why each story was important" and "record your thoughts," which requires identifying ideas and making inferences. Students are also instructed to update character cards with "memorable quotes," indicating they will locate and record specific text passages.
Lesson 10
Setting
Students are asked to read Chapters 35–37 and serve as the Questioner, developing 3–5 big-idea questions based on their reading, which requires them to think about explicit content and inferences. In Activity 1 (Venn diagram or artwork) students must refer back to the text to compare Efafra and Watership Down and write a 2–4 sentence reflection explaining how textual details of the physical spaces give clues about each place. Discussion prompts ask students to explain why the author set a chapter during an approaching storm and what Bigwig's choices indicate, which requires students to use textual details to support interpretive answers.
Lesson 11
Conflict and Escape
Students are asked directly to find and use evidence when answering comprehension questions such as "How did Woundwort show evidence of his strong leadership skills…?" and "What evidence of the theme of environmentalism have you encountered…?" Students are assigned the Travel Tracker role to keep track of places encountered and make a map based on details in Chapters 38–40. The skills list and parent notes tell students to determine a theme or central idea and analyze its development over the course of the text, which requires using textual details to support analysis.
Lesson 12
Dramatic Enactment
Students read Chapters 41–45 and are prompted to update character cards with physical descriptions, traits, important actions, memorable quotes, and reactions of other characters, which requires locating and recording textual details. Students answer discussion questions that ask for examples (e.g., provide examples of the fruits of Hazel's leadership and instances of humor from Chapter 41), requiring them to refer to parts of the text. Students collect memorable quotes as part of their character work, which involves identifying direct textual passages to support understanding of characters.
Lesson 13
A Fantasy Story
Students finish reading Watership Down and are instructed to add "memorable quotes" and details to their character cards, which requires locating and recording textual passages. Students discuss the book's ending with a parent and are prompted to consider how characters changed, how conflicts were resolved, and what themes or messages were meaningful, which asks them to refer to the text. The unit test and study guide ask students to provide examples from Watership Down (e.g., foreshadowing, myths, leadership examples) and to describe instances from the novel, prompting use of textual examples in responses.
Unit 3: The Book Thief
Lesson 2
Similes and Metaphors
Students are asked in the Similes and Metaphors activity (Part A–C) to identify the two things being compared in underlined similes/metaphors, to choose two quotes and explain why they are similes or metaphors, and to explain the effect of those quotes. The Parent Plan directs students to show the original reference and explain their chosen simile or metaphor. The vocabulary activity requires students to read each vocabulary word in context from the book and use those contexts to define words in their mini dictionary.
Lesson 4
The Value of Books
Students are asked to record examples of effective images that appeal to the five senses and to underline or star the example and record the page number on a separate sheet. Students are directed to record any examples of propaganda noticed in Part Three on the "Propaganda" page from Lesson 3. The Five Senses activity requires students to note sensory details at each stage (holding, unwrapping, biting) and to use those notes in a descriptive paragraph, which includes recording observations tied to specific pages in the reading.
Lesson 6
The Standover Man
Students are asked to answer specific text-based questions (e.g., similarities between Liesel and Max; how Rosa has changed; why Hans and Rosa let Max come upstairs), which require recalling details from the pages they read. Students are instructed to "record any examples of propaganda you noticed in those pages" and to note obvious examples such as Mein Kampf. Discussion prompts ask students to explain character changes, effects of shared nightmares, and whether Max is "selfish," which require students to draw inferences from the text and justify answers.
Lesson 7
The Seven-Sided Die
The Reading and Questions section asks students to write "Right There" and "Think and Search" questions that require locating answers clearly stated in the text and linking information across pages. Activity 2 (Analyzing Propaganda) directs students to read quoted passages from the German National Catechism and to identify logical fallacies and explain why the arguments may have been effective, which asks students to refer to specific text excerpts. The Parent Plan Skills list explicitly names "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 8
The Thief Strikes Again
Students are asked inferential and text-based questions (e.g., QUESTION #1 asks them to explain what Max was trying to communicate in his drawings and QUESTION #3 asks which of Rudy's acts may have paid off), which requires drawing conclusions from the text. One comprehension question (QUESTION #2) cites a short direct quotation from the book that students can use to support an answer. The lesson also includes short textual excerpts in Activity 2 and a Parent Plan that lists skills such as delineating a speaker's argument and evaluating evidence, which relate to using text to support analysis.
Lesson 9
Close Calls
Students are instructed in Activity 1 to locate and record examples of figurative language (personification, simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia) from the text, including multiple examples for each type. Students complete comprehension questions that require referring to specific events in the text (for example, how Liesel found out Max was awake and how she warned Papa), which requires attention to textual details. The Parent Plan reiterates that students should record examples as they read and may consult an answer key with page references.
Lesson 10
The Trilogy of Happiness
Students are asked to "record any examples of propaganda" from Part Seven and to "record these in the Part Seven section," which requires pulling specific text details (for example, quotations cited in the Parent Plan such as Liesel saying "heil Hitler" and soldiers calling the march a "parade"). The Reading and Questions section asks students to answer comprehension questions (e.g., what Liesel's "trilogy of happiness" was and why Rudy won only three medals), which requires locating and using information from the text. The War Journalism activity asks students to "give an example of this from the selection you read today," prompting students to identify textual examples from Ernie Pyle's column.
Lesson 11
The Word Shaker
Students are asked to provide specific examples from texts: Activity 1 Part II directs students to choose three ideas and provide specific examples from either the day's primary source reading or from The Book Thief. Activity 2 requires students to find 2–3 examples of adverbs, adjectives, and verbs in the book and explain why each example is effective, which has students locate and explain textual passages. Students are also instructed to record examples of propaganda on the Propaganda page and to explain quoted phrases (e.g., "a nation of farmed thoughts"), prompting students to reference text to support interpretations.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students are asked to find and document examples from the book (e.g., "identify and illustrate a figurative language example using the book as a reference" and the "Teaching Figuratively" task that requires providing examples from the book for four devices). The materials include tasks that require using sentences or quotes from the book ("Figuratively Writing" asks students to transform sentences from a book and an oxymoron example includes a quoted line with a page number). Students are instructed to read Part Ten and the Epilogue and to "jot down especially effective instances of figurative language" to use in their projects.
Unit 4: To Kill a Mockingbird
Lesson 1
Historical Context
Students are asked to read the first two chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird and answer specific comprehension questions about Scout's family, Dill, the Radleys, and Scout's first day of school, which requires attending to explicit information in the text. A discussion prompt asks students to identify "evidence of the historical period" they observed in the chapters, prompting them to point to textual details (e.g., references to the Great Depression, Jim Crow segregation, Calpurnia, and Walter Cunningham). The activities also use sentences taken from the book for grammar exercises in which students mark independent and dependent clauses, so students work directly with text excerpts.
Lesson 2
Home and School
The Parent Plan skills list explicitly names citing textual evidence that supports analysis and inferences. The literature response prompt requires students to refer to specific examples from the book in a 6–8 sentence reflection, and the example response includes a direct quotation from Atticus that models using text to support an idea. The discussion questions ask students to use details about Atticus and Calpurnia's treatment of Walter Cunningham and the items in the Radley tree to support interpretations of values and origins.
Lesson 3
The Mystery of Boo
The Parent Plan explicitly lists the skill: "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis..." The Student Activity Page directs students to list five things Jem and Scout think about Boo based on hearsay and five things they know from personal experience (using chapters 1 and 5) and then to develop a hypothesis about who Boo really is. Question #4 asks students to surmise who folded Jem's pants and who hid things in the knothole and to explain these occurrences, prompting inference supported by text.
Lesson 4
Snow and Fire
Students are asked to include at least one quotation from chapters 8–9 and to explain the meaning and importance of that quotation in a literature response, which requires citing text and interpreting it. Students complete a Character Line-Up chart that prompts them to record "Quotes of or about the character" and "Memorable descriptions of the character from the text," which requires locating and recording textual evidence. Discussion prompts ask students to interpret Atticus's statements (e.g., about the "n" word and his need to defend Tom Robinson) and explain their significance, encouraging use of text-based support for inferences.
Lesson 6
Separate
Students are asked to record a direct quotation with a page number and a paraphrase from chapter 12 in Part II of the student activity, which requires quoting and citing text. The literary response directions and parent notes ask students to refer to specific examples from the text to support their ideas and to draw supported inferences about the effects of the work. The skills section explicitly lists writing responses that connect interpretations to specific textual references and draw supported inferences.
Lesson 8
Identity
Students read chapters 16–17 and respond to questions that require identifying explicit details (e.g., Where did the children sit in the courtroom?) and making inferences about characters (e.g., how Aunt Alexandra's and Atticus's attitudes reveal underlying beliefs). The Parent Plan lists the skill of determining a theme and analyzing its development, and Discussion Questions ask students to interpret Atticus's affect and Jem's comments—tasks that require students to base analyses on the text. Several comprehension questions and discussion prompts ask students to explain or describe events and character motivations drawn from the chapters.
Lesson 9
Order in the Court
Students read chapters 18–20 and answer specific comprehension questions about Mayella's testimony, Tom Robinson's version of events, and Atticus's explanation (Questions #1–#4). Discussion prompts ask students to evaluate whether the jury will believe Atticus and to consider why Tom would be in a difficult situation if his account is true, which requires using details from the text to draw inferences. The activities ask students to apply courtroom terminology to the events of the trial, connecting textual events to legal concepts.
Lesson 10
Equal Rights?
Students read chapters 21–23 of To Kill a Mockingbird and are asked to write a focused 7–9 sentence summary, which requires them to revisit and extract important events from the text. Discussion questions prompt students to analyze the verdict and Jim Crow laws (e.g., "Was the jury's decision inevitable? Why or why not? Was it just? Why or why not?"), requiring students to make inferences and offer reasons. The Found Poetry activity asks students to select and rearrange words and phrases from actual Jim Crow law excerpts, which has students work directly with primary-source text.
Lesson 13
Text and Film
Students read chapters 29–31 of To Kill a Mockingbird and answer explicit comprehension questions (e.g., identifying Boo Radley as the children's rescuer). Students explain motives and inferences in short-answer items (e.g., why Sheriff Tate concocted the story to protect Boo). Students engage in analysis and interpretation through discussion questions about Scout's actions and themes, and they compare and contrast the novel and film, noting similarities, differences, and the director's choices.
Final Project
Oral Book Presentation
Students are asked to choose and quote a direct quotation from a provided passage (Unit Test Part IV: "What quotation do you find most powerful from this passage?") and to paraphrase underlined sentences, summarize passages, and answer inference questions (identity challenged, symbolism). Skill statements and rubric language require students to "connect responses to the writer's techniques and to specific textual references" and to "draw supported inferences". The project and slide guidelines instruct students to use relevant, powerful quotations on slides and to provide examples from the book to show how themes are developed.
Unit 5: Great American Poets
Lesson 1
Poetry Basics
Students are asked to annotate poems (underlining alliteration, circling unfamiliar words, underlining phrases that create vivid images) and to record definitions and notes/questions, which requires pointing to specific lines or words in the text. Activity prompts ask students to identify structural features in particular poems (line breaks, stanzas, refrains, rhyme scheme, assonance) and to explain why a poet breaks a line in the middle, directing students to refer to exact lines. In Words of Poetry, students compare two passages and are asked which words make the image more effective and to transform prose into poetic lines, prompting students to use specific textual wording as evidence for their choices.
Lesson 2
Early American Poetry
Students are asked to reread poems and "mark in your book any phrases or lines that you find especially effective," which requires locating textual details. Question prompts (e.g., about the near rhyme in "To My Dear and Loving Husband" and what the poet is celebrating in "The Day Is Done") ask students to explain effects and meaning based on the text. In the Comparing Texts activity students reread Longfellow's poem and Paul Revere's first-person account, mark significant sections, and complete a Venn diagram noting similarities and differences in content, literary language, and details. The Word Choice activity directs students to test synonyms within a poem and reread to judge which word choices fit best, using the poem itself as evidence.
Lesson 3
Figurative Language
Students are asked to look up specific poem lines (e.g., "Hope is the thing with feathers," "There is no frigate like a book," and stanzas from "Paul Revere's Ride") and answer questions about the comparisons and imagery, which requires referring directly to textual lines. The activity prompts students to identify examples of personification and to explain what human-like actions the text attributes (the Poe stanza example asks students to infer that the apparent recovery is actually death). The student tasks ask for brief examples from poems where imagery is effective, which requires citing or quoting lines from the poems to support their response.
Lesson 4
Poetic Forms
Students are asked to identify and mark the pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables in "To My Dear and Loving Husband" and to determine whether it uses iambic pentameter and is a sonnet, which requires referring to and analyzing the poem's lines. Students must explore qualities of lyric poetry in Longfellow's "The Sound of the Sea" and compare its structure and meter to a Shakespearean sonnet, which requires using textual features as support. Students analyze why "John Henry" qualifies as a ballad and classify "Snow-storm" as blank verse, tasks that require attending to specific textual elements (story content, rhyme, meter).
Lesson 5
Edgar Allan Poe
Students are asked in Option 1 to "record at least one line from two different poems" that demonstrate Poe's focus, which requires selecting and writing textual lines as evidence. In the Reading and Questions section, Question #1 asks students to explain the irony at the end of "Alone," directing students to reference imagery in the last half of the poem, and Question #2 tells students to reread the last two stanzas and record feelings and reactions, prompting text-based support for mood inferences. Activity 2 presents six sentences cited from poems and requires students to add commas and explain their reasoning for two sentences, which has students refer directly to lines of text to justify grammatical choices.
Lesson 6
Meaning in Poetry
Students answer guided reading questions that require them to point to imagery and diction (e.g., Q1 notes imagery and exclamation points; Q2 cites words like "horror," "crashing," and "torrents" to support mood). Activity 1 asks students to produce literal summaries and identify symbolic meanings using figurative devices and allusions (e.g., recognizing that the "Captain" is Lincoln and mapping metaphors). Student activity pages require students to identify specific line numbers and punctuation choices in poems and to explain those choices, which requires referring to particular lines or words in the text.
Lesson 7
Poetry Analysis
Students are instructed to read a chosen poem several times and complete a Poem Analysis page that asks them to identify and provide examples of sound devices (Part I), figurative language (Part II), and imagery (Part III). Part IV asks students to state the speaker's attitude (tone) and their emotional response (mood), and Part V asks for the poem's literal and any symbolic meaning, with lines for written answers. The vocabulary pages present quoted lines and ask students to match terms to those examples, requiring students to locate specific textual passages that illustrate devices.
Lesson 8
Robert Frost
Students are asked to read specific pages (pp. 41–52) and answer text-based questions that require analysis, such as identifying the form of "Acquainted with the Night" (Question 1), explaining the symbolic meaning in "The Road Not Taken" (Question 3), and locating rhyme patterns in "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" (Question 4). The Hyphens and Dashes activity directs students to analyze the effect of hyphens and dashes in particular lines or poems and includes an answer key citing specific words and line references (e.g., "two-pointed," "apple-picking," "snow-crust"). The Visual Response and discussion prompts ask students to reread "Susie Asado" and compare parts of the poem to Cubist paintings, encouraging students to refer back to the poem when explaining similarities.
Lesson 9
Memorizing Poetry
Students are directed to reread specific poems (e.g., "Euclid" and Whitman's "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer") and answer questions that ask them to explain what is happening and how poems are similar, requiring students to draw inferences from the text. Question #3 asks students to reassess understanding of a poem when given a possible meaning for a word, prompting students to use textual lines (e.g., "The world is ugly, / And the people are sad") to support interpretation. The Student Activity Page asks students to determine whether a poem functions as an elegy and to compare adherence to villanelle rules in two poems, which requires examination of textual features and structural evidence.
Lesson 10
Poems about Poetry
Students are prompted to base character descriptions on poem details (QUESTION #1 asks "Based on details in the poem... what are some adjectives you'd use to describe J. Alfred Prufrock?"). Students are asked to underline phrases or images and to reread specific stanzas, then answer interpretation questions (Activity 1 and Student Activity Page Q1–Q4 require students to explain meanings of lines and why certain images are effective). The ellipses activity asks students to analyze specific punctuation in quoted lines and to explain the effect, which requires attention to textual details.
Lesson 11
Editing Your Work
Students answer text-based analysis questions such as identifying how E.E. Cummings's capitalization is unique and what effect it has, which requires noticing specific textual features and drawing conclusions. Students are asked to look up the meaning of "deferred," reread "Dream Deferred," and interpret the final line, requiring them to infer meaning from the text. Students compare and contrast "Sympathy" and "Caged Bird," describing similarities and differences in imagery, rhyme, and structure based on the poems' content.
Lesson 12
Reciting Poetry
Students read multiple poems and answer analytic questions that ask them to explain meaning and compare texts (Questions 1–3), which requires drawing explicit conclusions and inferences from the poems. Question 1 includes a direct line from Ginsberg's poem and models using that line to explain why the poem's setting is odd, showing students an instance of grounding an interpretation in the text. Activity 2 and the reading links require students to read additional poems and describe what poets are trying to communicate, giving students material to use for textual analysis and inference.
Final Project
Poetry Journal
The unit test includes poem-analysis items (Questions 10–13) that ask students to identify figurative language, rhyme scheme, punctuation use, and the mood created by a poem, which require interpreting text. The assessment also asks about techniques for quoting poetry (Question 15) and the Parent Plan directs students to complete a "Punctuation Review" activity that practices indicating missing lines (ellipses) when quoting. The skills list at the start names analyzing figurative language and determining meanings of words/phrases in a text, which relates to drawing inferences from poetry.