Students are asked to compare two model passages and "Discuss which piece of writing was better and why," which requires them to give reasons for a judgment. Question #3 explicitly tells students to explain how Cody feels about Sophie and to "Use examples from the book to support your answer," prompting students to cite textual evidence for a claim. The directions to use the "Character Timeline" ask students to record words and phrases from the reading, reinforcing gathering textual details to support interpretations.

Students read chapters 6–7 and answer interpretive questions that ask them to explain actions and meanings (e.g., whether Lina should have thrown the egg and what the doctor means by her remark). Students are asked in the Wrapping Up to state whether a disaster like this could happen today and to explain why or why not, prompting them to give reasons for a claim. Students may also create a monument or ballad that organizes ideas about the Disaster and argues for peace, which requires them to articulate and support an interpretive position.

Students are asked in Activity 1 to compose three arguments for a side and to "support each argument with evidence" and to "anticipate points of the opposing opinion and how to respond to them." The activity then requires students to "identify which statements in your arguments are facts and which are opinions" and to "discuss statements that appeal to the emotions of the audience." The Parent Plan and skill list explicitly direct students to "Support the position with organized and relevant evidence" and to "Anticipate and address reader's concerns and counterarguments."

The lesson includes direct questions that ask students to evaluate claims, such as QUESTION #1: "Are Tick's ideas good ideas? Why or why not?" which prompts students to judge ideas and give reasons. Additional discussion prompts ask students to consider resource distribution ("Do you think they should share them or keep them? Why?") and to explain roots of conflict, requiring students to state and support opinions from the chapters. The Venn diagram and compare/contrast activities ask students to identify similarities and differences that could be used as premises in an argument.

Students are asked to decide who is a more effective leader, Mary or Ben, and to explain why, which prompts them to give reasons for a claim. Option 1 asks students to compare Sparks' government to American city governments and to decide which system is more effective and why, requiring students to defend a position. The vocabulary activity and answer key require students to cite "clues in context" to justify synonym choices, which has students use textual evidence to support specific word-meaning claims.

Students are asked to cut out and order events on the Sequencing Events activity, which directs them to "note the quick progression that has led nonviolent people to violence," prompting them to trace how events build toward conflict. Discussion questions ask students to explain causes (e.g., how people go from "angry and scared" to "evil") and to evaluate the claim that "violence just leads to more violence," asking "Does this seem to hold true in this novel? Explain." Reading questions and the Sequencing Events answer key require students to identify specific events and the sequence that supports a claim about escalating conflict.

Students are asked in the Story Conflict bubble map to identify the type of conflict in The People of Sparks and to provide evidence from the text that reveals and supports that conflict. In Activity 1 students must brainstorm solutions, select the best option, and write a 6–8 sentence speech explaining their solution and why both groups should work together peacefully, which requires giving reasons to support a claim. The Student Activity Page sidebar directs students to "use reasoning... to determine which side you support," prompting students to justify a position with textual or logical support.

Students are asked in Activity 2 to "Provide three examples from the story that are evidence that the setting of the story is the rational world" and to "find three examples of events from the story that are irrational," which requires locating textual evidence to support a claim about the setting. In Activity 4 students "record some phrases and sentences from the story" that the author uses to describe environments, which asks them to cite textual details. Discussion questions ask students to justify whether the main character was intelligent and why, prompting students to give reasons for a judgment.

The Parent Plan lists the skill "Make reasonable assertions about a text through accurate, supporting citations," which asks students to support claims with text evidence. Activity 3 (Short Story Critique) requires students to discuss what they think the author was trying to communicate and to include specific references to the story. An oral discussion question asks, "Do you think the journalist should have insisted on writing a story about Widow Carey? Why or why not?", prompting students to give reasons for an opinion.

Students read and analyze two primary-source journals (a schoolgirl's diary and a prisoner-of-war journal) and are prompted to discuss the perspective of each author. The Parent Plan and Skills list ask students to summarize the author's purpose and stance, distinguish between fact and opinion, and explore bias or emotional factors. Students are also asked to identify facts and opinions in the primary-source accounts and to use secondary-source research to record causes, leaders, and outcomes.

Students read a Civil War speech and record three factual statements and three opinion statements, including at least two statements that could be propaganda. Students examine period posters and images labeled "Propaganda" and explain how each picture could have been used to sway Northern attitudes. Students are prompted to explore bias, hidden messages, and to draw conclusions based on evidence and reasons as listed in the skills section.

Students are asked to "make informed judgments about propaganda" and to "explore bias, apparent or hidden messages, emotional factors, and/or propaganda techniques," as listed in the Parent Plan skills. In Activity 2, students design a Civil War propaganda poster and are prompted to consider how the poster would "grab the attention of the reader and influence his or her way of thinking." The Parent Plan further asks the child to "explain the message the poster conveys and how it would influence the reader's way of thinking."

Students are asked to review the names, roles, and perspectives of characters and to answer comprehension questions about what characters want and how their perspectives are unique. A discussion prompt asks students whether A.B. Tilbury's perception of southerners is accurate and to explain why or why not, which requires students to form an evaluative judgment. Students are also prompted to reread a passage aloud and describe the irony, engaging with interpretation of a specific text passage.

Students are asked to "cite evidence from the book to support your ideas" when describing Toby's feelings before and after Bull Run (Activity 1). The skills list asks students to "examine reasons for a character's actions" and to "recognize and develop the stance of a critic by considering alternative points of view or reasons." Questions also ask students to reflect how their perspective of the Civil War changed, prompting use of textual support for claims about perspective.

Students are prompted to present both pro and con points in the introduction and to end with a position and reasons, which requires identifying claims and their supporting reasons. The body paragraphs require students to state arguments for their position and provide multiple supports, and paragraph 3 specifically asks students to state an opposing argument and explain the problems with that argument (refutation). The rubric and parent plan explicitly require students to "support the position with organized and relevant evidence" and to "anticipate and address reader concerns and counterarguments," and prewriting directs students to list pros and cons and use information from sources to support arguments.

The lesson asks students to generate three or four questions about Einstein and then look for answers as they read, which engages students in gathering information and checking claims against the text. The Parent Plan lists a skill to "use oral and written language to evaluate information and ideas," indicating students are expected to discuss and assess ideas. Discussion prompts ask students to interpret Einstein's quote about imagination and to explain how physics led to inventions, which asks students to give reasons linking ideas to effects.

Students answer a question asking why Einstein was repeatedly passed over for the Nobel Prize, identifying specific reasons such as the committee's preference for experimental data, professional jealousy, and anti-Semitism. Students compare an encyclopedia entry, a biography, and documentary videos and explain how each source contributed to their understanding, describing benefits and limitations of each medium. The parent plan skills indicate students should provide evidence from text to support understanding and synthesize connections across texts, suggesting practice with using textual evidence and reasoning.

The Parent Plan lists skills that include distinguishing between fact and opinion and using critical thinking to create criteria to evaluate materials. Activity 4 directs students to watch a biography video and record at least three statements that are facts and at least two statements that are opinions. A discussion prompt asks whether it was right or wrong for Einstein to send a letter to FDR, which asks students to form and express a judgment about a historical claim.

Students are asked to identify the author's belief about what drove Einstein and to support that with evidence (Question #3: "What does the author believe drove Einstein his entire life? How is this evidenced in his life?"). Option 2 directs students to provide one or two examples from the book under each biographical element, which requires citing textual evidence. The Parent Plan skills list explicitly names "analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about expository text and provide evidence from text to support understanding."

Students analyze historical propaganda posters: they are asked to "look carefully at each poster," "pay attention to the techniques used and the message each poster is presenting," and to "summarize the message each poster is trying to convey." Students also design their own persuasive poster and are instructed to decide the message and images/text they will use to influence people's attitudes.

The lesson asks students to take the role of a discussion director and write four open-ended questions that cover the book's big ideas, then discuss their answers with a parent, which prompts students to state and support interpretations. The Skills section explicitly asks students to "explain and evaluate relationships that are problem/solution" and to "sequence reasons to support the solution," and the Problem and Solution activity requires students to describe problems and how characters solved them. The parent answer guidance models citing specific episodic details (e.g., showing Lise's baby picture, ripping off the necklace) that students can use as supporting reasons.

Students are asked to identify two of Annemarie's traits and provide examples from the text that reveal those traits, requiring them to support a claim about character with textual evidence. A discussion prompt asks whether Henrik's definition of 'brave' is accurate, prompting students to evaluate a specific claim and justify their position. The Little Red Riding Hood activity asks students to compare similarities and differences between two texts, which can involve citing evidence to support comparative claims.

Students are asked to read the book's Afterword to discover which parts of the story were based on historic fact, and they are directed to do additional research using specified websites and other trusted sources. Students must put research in their own words, may include exact quotations (with quotation marks) and must indicate the source for quotations and images. A student activity page explicitly instructs: "USE A RELEVANT QUOTE THAT SUPPORTS YOUR ARGUMENT," and the rubric and skills list refer to guiding the reader's understanding of key ideas and evidence and to analyzing expository text.

Students are asked to support interpretations with text evidence in the discussion question: "Does anything seem strange about Tuck and Mae? What do you think it might be? What evidence from the book supports your theory?" Students are prompted to give reasons for a personal position in "Imagine a life where nothing ever changed. Do you think you would enjoy a life with no change? Why or why not?" Students also identify and record specific sentences or phrases from the book when describing setting and figurative language, which requires citing textual details.

Students read Chapters 6–8 and answer open-ended questions that require justification (e.g., "Do the Tucks seem like the kidnapping type? Why or why not?" and "Do you think the Tucks' secret is a ‘big, dangerous secret'… Why or why not?"). Parent-plan prompts ask students to discuss whether the Tucks should have kidnapped Winnie and to retell the Tucks' story, which requires citing events and reasons from the text. Several discussion and wrapping-up prompts ask students to explain characters' feelings and consequences, prompting students to give reasons for their judgments.

The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to consider Tuck's theory about immortality and to answer "Do you believe his theory is correct? Why or why not?", which asks for evaluation and justification. Activity 2 asks students to explain the significance of collected nature items and to "describe the cycle or change each item represents," which requires connecting textual themes about cycles to real-world examples. The Parent Plan directs students to explain one or two themes found in the novel and to make connections within and between texts, prompting students to articulate reasons for their interpretations.

Students are directed to record three quotes or actions from the book that describe characters' feelings about living forever and to list three positive and three negative responses, which requires locating textual evidence and categorizing it as pro or con. Students prepare a two-minute opening argument explaining their position and why their argument is valid, and they prepare questions and timed answers to challenge and defend claims during a formal debate. The lesson's Rules of Debate include guidance such as "Do not present opinions as facts," and the skills list includes "Evaluate arguments for sound judgments... and use of relevant and coherent reason."

The Parent Plan lists a skill to "Listen actively and critically by asking questions and delving more deeply into the topic," and several discussion questions ask students to give reasons (e.g., "Do you think Stacey should have done this? Why or why not?" and "How can this one man's action lead to changes in the community?"). The activity comparing the Logan family's Christmas with the student's own requires students to identify similarities and differences using text details, and question prompts (e.g., about Papa's advice and Uncle Hammer) ask students to justify opinions.

Students are asked to explain causes and motives in the text (Question #1 asks how and why T.J. was hurt; Question #2 asks why R.W. and Melvin acted to take T.J.), which requires identifying events and reasons from the chapter. Parent-plan discussion prompts ask students to evaluate credibility ("Do you think people will believe T.J. when he tells them... Why or why not?") and to consider how T.J. is being discriminated against, encouraging judgment about claims and social reasoning. The starter instruction to "keep track of instances of discrimination" asks students to note textual instances that relate to claims about bias.

Students are asked to support opinions with detailed evidence (Skills section: "Support opinions with detailed evidence and with visual or media displays"), and to deliver oral responses that summarize significant events and details from the literary work. The presentation task requires students to present a problem, provide examples of discrimination based on the story and related texts, and propose changes—tasks that ask students to cite examples and reasons across slides. The end-of-unit review directs students to study 'Things to Know' and vocabulary, which students use as source material for their presentation claims.

Students are asked to evaluate community rules by recording a possible positive effect and a possible negative effect for each rule and then write a sentence explaining whether the rule should exist (Activity 1 Student Activity Page). The Parent Plan lists a skill: "Explain whether facts included in an argument are used for or against an issue," which students are expected to practice when they defend decisions about rules. Discussion prompts ask students to defend whether anything is wrong with the community's system and to explain their reasoning.

Students read an informational text (What Was the Great Depression) and answer specific questions that require identifying causes (Question #1: list three reasons for the Great Depression) and explaining programs (Question #4: explain one of Roosevelt's "R"s). Students compare types of sources and purposes (Question #5 and the discussion prompt about how photos and the book are useful) and create a photo journal by matching first‑hand accounts with images, requiring them to connect claims in primary accounts to visual evidence. The lesson's skill statements ask students to "integrate the main idea and supporting details from multiple sources," which frames work with claims and supporting details.

The Parent Plan lists a skill to "analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author's purpose... and provide evidence from the text to support understanding," which asks students to support interpretations with textual evidence. The Reading & Questions and Wordsmith role require students to select passages they find important and then read and discuss them with a parent, explaining why they chose each passage. The Discussion Questions ask students to answer why certain events happened (for example, "What do you think really happened to Papa? Why do you think this?") and the possible answers model linking claims (uncle killed him, house set on fire) to reasons from the text.

The lesson's Skills list asks students to "Determine both main and supporting ideas in the speaker's message," which requires identifying claims and supporting details. Activity 2 directs students to watch documentary clips and "record interesting quotes" about the Dust Bowl, prompting collection of evidence from sources. Discussion questions ask students to explain reasons (e.g., why some immigrants were rejected; why Marta says workers might strike), requiring students to state claims and the reasons given for them.

Students examine an example problem-solution paragraph that is broken down into a topic sentence, explanations of why the problem exists (reasons), a solution with supporting details, and a concluding sentence. The Parent Plan lists skills that ask students to "offer persuasive evidence to validate the definition of the problem and the proposed solutions" and to "sequence reasons to support the solution." The Literary Luminary activity asks students to choose passages and "explain [their] reasons for picking them," requiring students to articulate why passages are important.

Students are asked in Activity 2 to "Examine each reason above and then record information from the book that could support the reasons," and to "summarize the examples found in the text and provide page numbers." The "On Strike!" student page gives a graphic organizer that prompts students to place text examples under specific strike reasons (e.g., "to stop wage decreases," "to improve working conditions," "to increase pay"). Students are also directed to listen to two firsthand interviews with Mexican migrant workers, which they can use as primary-source evidence to support claims about working conditions and motivations to strike.

Students are asked in Question #3 to evaluate the ironic claim in the poem "206" and the provided answer points out that the poet's factual claim about T. rex having 206 bones is mistaken, comparing the claim to known evidence. Activity 2 requires students to research a prehistoric animal's habitat and how it lived in order to write an obituary, which asks students to gather factual information. The Parent Plan lists skills including evaluating an author's use of techniques, which implies students will consider author claims or perspectives.