Students are asked to locate and label stops on a map (Charting the Course), which requires them to read and interpret a visual map to trace the crew's journey. Students review a labeled diagram of a sailboat and sailing terminology and are prompted to use that diagram as they read when characters discuss actions on the boat. Students are directed to look online for pictures of sailboats and compare those images to their own home and to respond to discussion questions about the course and differences between life on a boat and life on land.

Students compare two characters' points of view by reading the journal entries of Sophie and Cody and answering guided questions about their perspectives (e.g., describing "three-sided Sophie," describing Brian and Cody). Students record observations about character change on the Character Development sheet after each reading, tracking how events influence characters over time. Students use page references on the vocabulary activity to interpret word usage in context and complete written responses and a reflective journal entry that explain meanings and personal reactions.

Students read two contrasting written passages aloud and discuss which piece is better and why, identifying how voice (tone, mood, personality) is conveyed in text. Students read Chapters 8–14 and answer comprehension questions that require interpreting narrative details and character voice. Students complete a bead-pattern activity using a color-coded grid (graph paper) which requires interpreting a visual/quantitative pattern, and an optional video provides step-by-step visual/oral instruction for learning to juggle that students can pause and practice.

Students are directed to explore several web links of recycled crafts (visual online media) in Activity 3 to see ways children reuse materials. In Activity 2 students complete a "Relationships" page, writing descriptions in boxes that require them to interpret character interactions presented in the text and a diagram. The Parent Plan asks students to orally recite sentences and discuss questions about characters and themes, requiring spoken (oral) responses.

Students decode messages using the Radio Code activity, writing and decoding phonetic- alphabet messages (e.g., 'Danger Ahead', 'Look Out Below'). Students also work with printed sentences and answer-key images that have specific words circled, identifying adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases by visually inspecting text and matching circled items to categories. The student activity pages require students to circle modifiers in sentences and classify them, which involves interpreting printed textual and visual cues.

Students are asked to "research some of the different types of whales and dolphins" using provided web links including photography and video, and to draw animals to scale and color them to reflect actual appearance. Students follow origami and nautical-mobile directions that include diagrams and visual step-by-step instructions. A discussion prompt asks students to explain how sightings of animals affect the emotions of the crewmembers, linking observed images/events to character meaning.

Students read and analyze quoted passages and match them to the characters Brian, Cody, or Sophie in the "Identifying Voice" activity, using textual clues to interpret voice. Students use a Student Activity Page with framed illustrations and cut-and-paste boxes, interpreting visual cues alongside text to sort quotes by character. Students analyze similes and personification in passages and write their own figurative descriptions, interpreting how language contributes to the portrayal of the ocean and characters' responses.

Students read Chapters 51–60 and answer comprehension questions that require interpreting story events and character changes. The Skills section asks students to explore informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed and to restate and summarize information. In Activity 2 students locate Ireland and England on a map, use linked websites to research a country (visual and digital sources), and design a postcard that requires synthesizing visual and written information.

Students read the book and answer comprehension questions that require them to interpret written information from the text (e.g., how characters feel, what happened to Sophie). Students complete "Themes" activity pages in which they identify themes and provide evidence from the book to support those themes, demonstrating interpretation of textual evidence. Student Activity Pages include illustrated character portraits and a graphic organizer where students list ways each character has changed, providing a visual prompt for analysis of character development.

Students are instructed to review the Narrative Essay Rubric (a visual document) that includes a 1–4 numerical scale and explicit criteria for voice, word choice, and mechanics. Students complete a Pre-writing Narrative Organizer (a visual organizer) that asks them to record who/when/where, three events, their feelings, and what they learned. Students are asked to use the rubric and the "Narrative Editing and Revision" checklist to evaluate their drafts and to meet with a parent to discuss the rubric as it relates to their essay (an oral explanation).

Students select and record a Character Quote and then write why the quote is meaningful, tying a piece of text to character understanding. Students choose and paste a Character Artifact picture and write an explanation of why the object represents the character, interpreting a visual item and linking it to character traits. Students create illustrated Important Events (accordion book) and arrange events in chronological order, producing visual representations of story information and selecting which events contribute to the character arc.

Students watch the movie The City of Ember and are instructed to "pay special attention to the environment of Ember and the main characters." Students are asked to write or perform a movie review that describes characters, setting, and plot and to "discuss how the setting of the movie plays an important role in the movie." Students are also directed to read and/or watch movie reviews online to better understand review formats and may present their review orally or in writing.

Students read chapters of The People of Sparks and answer comprehension questions that require interpretation of events and character differences. In Option 2 students view an image of a revised paragraph with words crossed out and replacement pronouns, then substitute pronouns, read the revised paragraph aloud, and discuss how the changes improve the paragraph. In Activity 2 students make and track five predictions about the environment and check which predictions come true as they read.

Students are instructed to keep a learning log in which they "record the discovery and illustrate it" and "illustrate their discoveries and describe them," which requires converting textual discoveries into visual and written entries. Students are asked to categorize and label pages of the log, grouping similar discoveries and organizing information into formats. The materials prompt students to "think about how different this world is from the town of Ember" and to share discoveries orally with a parent, which asks for explanation and oral presentation of findings.

Students read example ballads via linked web texts and are asked to write and optionally perform a ballad about the Disaster, which engages with an oral/poetic format. Students are asked to design and build a physical monument model and then discuss decisions about materials, shape, and colors with an adult, engaging with a visual/physical format. The Student Activity Page includes visuals related to some sentences that students use while identifying antecedents and pronouns, so students interact with text paired with images.

Students read Chapters 8–10 and answer comprehension questions, summarizing events and explaining causes and effects in the text. In The Debate activity, students compose three supported arguments, read them aloud to a parent, and identify which statements are facts, which are opinions, and which appeal to emotions. In Dreams in Color, students create a visual representation of a dreamed place and write a short descriptive paragraph that explains mood and tone conveyed by the image.

Students are asked to illustrate the city of Ember and the city of Sparks, including landforms, bodies of water, and manmade structures, and then make a Venn diagram comparing the two. Students are prompted to use the log from Lesson 3 and recall the movie, integrating textual and film media into their comparisons. Parents are instructed to ask the child to explain their illustrations and to review and discuss the Venn diagram, which requires students to explain how these visual representations relate to the topic and differences between the communities.

Students are asked to consider different forms of media and to choose one media source for the people of Sparks and Ember, then write a paragraph describing which outlet they would select and why it would benefit the people and change the emotional climate. Students are prompted to explain how that chosen media could help solve problems the communities face. Students are directed to discuss the role of media in culture and to analyze media as sources for information, entertainment, persuasion, interpretation of events, and transmission of culture.

Students read Chapters 17–19 and are instructed to "discuss your answers with a parent," which requires oral explanation of their interpretations. Students use a thesaurus and record "Clues in Context" for vocabulary, requiring them to interpret textual context and justify word choices. Students complete a "Town Government Systems" table and Option 2 asks them to "make a diagram" of a proposed government, which involves producing and working with visual/organizational formats.

Students order cut-out event squares on the "Sequencing Events" page and are instructed to "note the quick progression that has led nonviolent people to violence," which requires interpreting the arranged visual sequence and explaining its contribution to the issue of conflict. The activity page includes illustrations and graphics, and students answer discussion questions (oral/written) about how the cycle of revenge can be reversed and how violence leads to more violence. Students also summarize key events from the chapters, which asks them to interpret textual information and relate it to the plot and conflict.

Students complete a Story Conflicts bubble map graphic organizer, placing textual evidence into visual boxes to represent different conflict types. Students write and read aloud a 6-8 sentence speech in Activity 1, explaining a proposed peaceful solution to the Sparks/Ember conflict (oral format). In Activity 3 Option 1 students create an illustration of Sparks using electricity and write five ways electricity will change lives, connecting a visual product to the issue in the text. The performance task in Activity 2 asks students to act out or record scenes that showcase different conflict types (live/recorded visual and oral performance).

Students create and complete Venn diagrams comparing Ember and Sparks, requiring them to analyze and record visual similarities and differences. Students make and label maps showing regions affected by a war or plague and fill a Timeline of Events organizer to sequence and interpret chronological information. Students gather research and produce a newspaper report that includes two photographs and integrate visuals into their writing; Option 2 asks students to create and perform an anthem (oral) and to draw a detailed picture of a new environment.

Students create vivid verbal descriptions of familiar objects in Activity 2, using language that appeals to sight and then read those descriptions aloud for a listener to guess or draw. Students answer focused comprehension questions about characters, setting, and the primary incident on the Student Activity Page, interpreting details from the written short story. Discussion prompts (parent plan) ask students to talk about impressions of characters and how Heather's impressions change, requiring oral explanation of textual information.

Students use online Mars resources and images (Activity 3) to read about the planet, record facts in a journal, and build background knowledge for the science fiction story. In Activity 4 students identify and record phrases and sentences from the text that describe an environment, then create a painting or sketch based on those textual and visual descriptions. The lesson includes discussion prompts (Ideas to Think About and Wrapping Up questions) that ask students to explain why the natural environment is important to each story.

Students read the short story and identify descriptive phrases from Tito's (a blind boy's) point of view, noting how those sensory details change before and after the eruption. Students watch an online video about irony and use web-based resources (National Geographic Kids, HISTORY.com) to research Pompeii and record ten important facts. Students build and run a model volcano experiment, record hypothesis, results, and conclusion, and record or perform a RAFT poem/song aloud for an invited audience.

Students listen as a parent reads "Rip Van Winkle" aloud and answer comprehension questions, providing practice interpreting orally presented text. In Activity 1 students examine a provided image of the Catskill Mountains, locate the author's descriptive phrases in the text, and create a painting or research questions—linking visual material and textual description. Activity 4 asks students to read a poem version and compare it to the short story, explicitly asking how they are similar and different. Activity 5 has students rewrite a scene as a script and enact it, requiring students to translate prose into a performative (oral/visual) format.

Students read the short story and answer comprehension questions that require interpreting textual details (e.g., why the family sold the goat, how Zlateh saved Aaron). Students complete a Point of View activity page that includes example sentences, descriptions of first- and third-person narration, and images, asking them to identify narrator perspective. Students view and assemble a Hanukkah dreidel template with labeled Hebrew letters and read an explicit explanation of each symbol and game rules (a visual/diagram plus symbolic meanings).

Students are asked to listen as a parent reads "A White Heron" aloud and then respond to oral discussion questions about Sylvia's feelings, the hunter, and the role of the natural environment, requiring them to interpret orally presented information. Students view a labeled image and historical note about the great white heron and complete a step-by-step drawing activity, engaging with visual media and historical context. Students complete a Venn diagram comparing two female characters, which asks them to organize and interpret information from the texts in a visual/graphic format.

Students complete and use visual organizers such as the plot diagram triangle and the Theme & Conflict bubble map to identify the problem, rising action, climax, resolution, and textual examples that support a theme. Students fill out the Main Character and Setting sheet and draw a picture of the setting, then refer back to these graphic elements while writing. Students also review a visual Short Story Rubric and read their finished story aloud to family, engaging with oral presentation of their work.

Students interpret a map by coloring Union, Confederate, and border states and are instructed to refer to that map to determine which side characters fought for, showing interpretation of visual media. Students cut out and place timeline events in chronological order and read the events, demonstrating interpretation of a visual/graphic organizer to understand sequence and causation. Students read and analyze primary-source diary entries and a prisoner journal and are prompted to explain differing perspectives, identify facts and opinions, and discuss how primary and secondary sources helped them understand the Battle of Bull Run.

Students analyze visual images from the picture book by selecting three illustrations that depict life during the Civil War and recreating them (Activity 4, Option 1). Students interpret written primary-source letters by identifying the writer, recipients, side in the war, and expressed opinions, and by answering whether reading the letters changes their perspective (Activity 5 and Wrapping Up). Students identify factual information about the Civil War separate from character details (Activity 1) and rewrite passages from another narrator's point of view to show how different formats/perspectives change understanding (Activity 2).

Students read a Civil War speech on the "Constitution Ratification" pages and record three factual statements, three opinion statements, and at least two possible propaganda statements, requiring them to interpret written primary-source text. Students examine several historical pictures and posters (e.g., the "Propaganda" page and the "Anti-Slavery Almanac" illustration) and are asked to explain how each picture could have been used to sway Northerners' attitudes. Students use a Characters' Homes map activity, cutting and pasting symbols onto states to interpret visual/spatial information about where characters lived and how that contributes to understanding which side they supported.

Students are asked to find and examine historical propaganda posters via provided web links and to think about how those posters would have influenced characters in the text, directly engaging with visual media. Students design their own Civil War propaganda poster (deciding imagery vs. text) and are instructed to explain the message the poster conveys and how it would influence a reader's thinking. The reading prompts and discussion questions ask students to consider how and why propaganda is used and to connect posters to characters' opinions, linking interpretation of media to the topic and text.

Students are instructed in Activity 1 (Civil War Photographs) to study each historical photograph, write a sentence describing how the photograph makes them feel, and give each photograph an appropriate title. The Parent Plan asks students to read their sentences aloud and to explain how they came up with each title. The lesson also directs students, when a new character is introduced in the reading, to try to find his or her home state using the map to refresh their memory.

Students are asked to listen to, learn, or perform Civil War songs from provided sheet music and historical notes (Activity 2), which engages them with musical (aural) and visual (notation, photos) media. Students are prompted to discuss why music and storytelling lifted soldiers' morale and how low morale could affect an army, requiring them to connect the media to the topic of soldiers' lives. Wrapping Up asks students to interpret the short journal entries and explain how that format contributes to the pacing and tone of the battle narrative.

Students practice oral interpretation by rereading character accounts and 'practicing reading the accounts aloud' and then presenting their accounts to family (Activity 2). Students create and interpret visual representations by designing a 'Character Quilt' that requires labeling, depicting memorable scenes, and adding a compass rose to indicate character origin (Activity 3 and its Student Activity Page). Students use a visual organizer to compare 'Toby Before Bull Run' and 'Toby After Bull Run' and are asked to 'cite evidence from the book' to support their analysis (Activity 1 and the Student Activity Page).

Students read a biography and answer comprehension questions that require them to interpret textual information about Einstein's life and ideas. Students examine a map of Europe, label countries, and place stars (with dates) on countries where Einstein lived, linking visual information to the biographical timeline. Students research Isaac Newton online using provided web links and note cards and then synthesize that information into a bio-poem, and they generate questions about Einstein and later find answers in the book, supporting interpretation of online, visual, and written formats; discussion prompts ask students to explain how physics led to inventions.

Students are asked to cut, assemble, and record events on a vertical timeline with years marked from 1880 to 1955, placing events in chronological order and including dates when provided. Students are instructed to focus on the most important events and to discuss with a parent how to determine which events are important, which requires reading the text and interpreting the visual chronological format. Students complete a vocabulary matching activity that includes an image and must place words into sentences taken from the book, demonstrating interpretation of textual items and word-meaning relationships.

Students read Chapters 3 and 4 and summarize or answer comprehension questions in complete sentences, showing interpretation of written text. Students add two to four important events to a timeline, selecting and placing textual information into a chronological (visual/quantitative) format. Students locate and cut/paste or fill specific events from a list of biographical notes onto a Biography Web graphic organizer, demonstrating organization of text into a visual map. The activity pages provide both text lists and labeled visual organizers that students must use to categorize Einstein's life events.

Students watch two videos about Einstein (Activity 4) and take notes, then write a video summary (Activity 5) that requires them to identify major topics, themes, or events. Students compare accounts from the book and video in discussion prompts (Wrapping Up/Parent Plan) and are asked to note similarities, differences, and which account gives a better understanding. Students perform the Bending Light demonstration and answer observational questions about the pencil image, and they use toys to explain the theory of relativity to a family member (Activity 6), using visual props and examples from media or text.

Students are asked to read Chapters 7 and 8 and answer comprehension questions, including explaining Einstein's description of gravity, which requires interpreting textual explanations. In Question 4 students must illustrate the trampoline demonstration that explains gravity as warping of space and time, converting a described demonstration into a visual representation. In Activity 2 students write a sentence describing one way math is used in five scientific fields, which asks them to explain how quantitative tools contribute to different scientific topics.

Students are asked to look up an encyclopedia entry on Albert Einstein and compare its style and content to the biography they read and the videos they watched (Activity 2: Forms of Media). The Forms of Media worksheet includes explicit prompts to describe how each medium differs, which medium produced the greatest emotional response, and situations when each source would be most useful. The Parent Plan directs students to orally explain to a parent how the three sources contributed to their understanding of Einstein and to describe benefits and limitations of each source.

Students watch a biography video (Activity 4) and record at least three factual statements and two opinions, which requires interpreting visual and oral information. Students complete an online E=mc² quiz (Activity 3) by recording guesses and comparing answers, engaging with a quantitative representation. Students create a bumper sticker or t-shirt design (Option 1), or write a song (Option 2), and place war events on a biography web, engaging with visual and oral/creative formats.

Students are asked to watch videos and read encyclopedia entries about Einstein (Wrapping Up) and to add events to a timeline after reading the book, which involves synthesizing information from multiple formats. Activity 5 (optional) directs students to set up and explore science stations from a PBS guide and to answer questions after experiencing each station, implying students will interpret hands-on/visual/quantitative station results. Option 2 of the biography activity requires students to identify examples from the book that demonstrate how the author used different elements, which asks students to analyze how content contributes to understanding of the topic.

Students are asked to color-code a blank map of Europe using a provided chart ("European Involvement in WWII"), which requires them to read and interpret a visual map and a categorical chart. Students view and read the caption for a historical photograph of Adolf Hitler and read timeline/numeric information about invasions and casualties in the text. Students read the Denmark e-book and then create and read aloud an acrostic poem, and they play a vocabulary game that involves hearing definitions and identifying words orally.

Students read Chapters 1 and 2 and write a four- or five-sentence summary, requiring them to interpret events in the text. Students answer guided discussion questions (e.g., why soldiers are on corners, why newspapers are burned, how life is different) that ask them to explain how specific details contribute to understanding occupation. Students complete an "Impact & Occupation Chart" and a "Before and After Occupation" poem, using icons and chart columns to identify and explain how different areas of life would be affected.

Students analyze multiple propaganda posters (Activity 2) by looking carefully at techniques and messages and are asked to summarize the message of each poster in a sentence. Students interpret visual media on the Student Activity Pages that prompt them to discuss the intentions and messages behind each poster. Students also read selected passages aloud (Reading and Questions), practicing interpretation in an oral format when they choose passages to read and discuss with a parent.

Students research information about Jewish religion using the Internet or other resources and record it on a menorah graphic organizer (visual/media). Students complete a three-item Problem and Solution graphic organizer that asks them to identify problems from the chapters and explain how characters solved them (text-to-visual interpretation). Students act as a discussion director by writing four open-ended questions about big ideas and then discussing their answers orally with a parent (oral interpretation and explanation).

Students are assigned the role of a travel tracer to follow action in Chapters 7–8, describe where characters move to and from, and produce descriptions or a map showing each setting with page references. The prompt requires students to explain what role the setting plays in the story's conflict. Students also interpret an image of proofreading/editing symbols and apply those visual symbols to correct paragraphs, and they create a visual postcard or a coded written message as part of Activity 2.

Students choose passages from the book, read them aloud to a parent, and explain why they selected them, which requires interpreting text orally and explaining its significance. Students visit a PBS web page about Barbara Rodbell, read her biography online, retell it to a parent, and answer a journal prompt about how her message relates to the era and today, which asks them to interpret digital media and explain its contribution to the issue of resistance. Students learn and apply visual proofreading symbols from images and an activity page, rewrite and edit paragraphs using those marks, and are asked to explain each abbreviation and when it would be used, which requires interpreting visual symbols and explaining how they affect the clarity of the text.

Students are assigned the role of illustrator and asked to draw a picture related to chapters 11–13 and then share and explain what the illustration represents and why, which requires interpreting the text into a visual format. Students use a Venn diagram to compare Annemarie's sacrifice with a historical figure, recording similarities and differences and creating a symbol for the other person, which requires interpreting textual and historical information into a visual organizer. Students learn and apply proofreading abbreviations from an image (Pron, Wdy, WW) to edit a paragraph, which requires interpreting visual editing symbols and using that interpretation to revise meaning in the text.

Students read two different textual versions of "Little Red Riding Hood" and are instructed to decide which version is most similar to Annemarie's story and record similarities and differences in a graphic organizer. Students create a character sketch by drawing Annemarie in a described environment and cite textual examples of her traits and how those traits helped her solve a problem. Students record connections in a journal between the book and real-world events, linking text details to outside issues. Several activity pages include illustrations and storybook-style visuals alongside the narrative text.

Students are directed to conduct web research using linked websites and to collect quotations, pictures, and factoids to include in their magazine article. Students are prompted to place quotes and factoids in designated areas of the magazine template and to include web links or source information for images and quotations. The materials prompt students to use statistics and graphics ("FACTOIDS") and to print or draw pictures for the article layout.

Students are asked to interpret a visual propaganda poster on the "Number the Stars" test (question about whether the poster would have been used by the Nazis or the Americans), which requires reading a visual medium and making a contextual judgment. Students are directed to use an "Online Holocaust Museum Center" activity, which requires engaging with digital media sources. The skills list explicitly names "Analyze various media venues" and asks students to "paraphrase major ideas and supporting evidence in formal and informal presentations," indicating tasks that involve interpreting and presenting information from different formats.

Students are asked to examine a labeled prop (a clear jug labeled "Everlasting Life")—read the label, contemplate taking a sip, and then write a pros-and-cons list or a future-life paragraph, which requires interpreting a visual artifact and explaining its implications. Students create a Vocabulary Picture Dictionary by drawing pictures for each vocabulary word and then use the pictures to recall and check word meanings, which requires interpreting visual representations to support word comprehension. Students use a Grammar Symbols Chart and play a Memory game matching shapes/symbols with parts of speech and definitions, which requires interpreting visual symbols and applying them to identify grammatical roles in sentences.

Students are asked to analyze the cover of the book and determine if it provides clues about what the story might be about, which requires interpreting visual information. In Activity 2 students must reread Chapter 1, select descriptive sentences, and then either illustrate the setting or design a map based on the author's descriptions, linking textual descriptions to visual/spatial representations. The Student Activity Page and the Answer Key show an annotated passage with parts of speech labeled above words, which students use to identify grammatical information presented visually.

Students are asked discussion questions that require interpreting events in the story (e.g., "When Winnie's grandmother hears music, what does she think it is? What do you think it might be?") and to discuss how personification shapes the reader's feelings or perspective. Parent-plan prompts direct students to orally discuss character motivations and outcomes (e.g., whether the man in the yellow suit is likable and why) and to explain how figurative language influences the reader. Activities ask students to identify and label parts of speech and to locate and rewrite personification from the text, which requires interpreting textual presentations of language.

Students are instructed to watch the linked Groundwater Video and to follow the "Investigating Groundwater" simulation so they can observe how groundwater moves. The Parent Plan directs a caregiver to ask the child to explain what is happening beneath the surface when it rains and to discuss that the spring the Tucks drank is a groundwater source. The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Explain messages conveyed in various forms of media" and "Listen to and interpret a speaker's messages," signaling that students should interpret media and explain its messages.

Students locate and record words and phrases the author uses to juxtapose the Fosters' home and the Tucks' home (Option 2) and are asked to write short comparative paragraphs using direct quotations (Option 1). Students create visual representations by illustrating the two homes based on textual descriptions and use provided student-activity images of houses and labeled sentences to support interpretation. Oral discussion prompts ask students to describe juxtaposition, give oral examples, and explain how Winnie's interactions will change her, engaging students in verbal interpretation of the text and images.

In Activity 2 students are asked to collect small natural items, place them in a clear jar, and explain to a parent the significance of each item and the cycle or change it represents. The activity prompts students to read quoted passages about cycles and answer guiding questions about how nature is always changing and what might happen if a cycle were interrupted. The Parent Plan directs students to share their nature collection with the family and explain the significance of each item aloud.

Students read Chapters 15–17 and answer comprehension questions about character traits and motivations, which requires interpreting textual information. Students write a chapter summary that incorporates specified vocabulary words, demonstrating synthesis of written content. Students identify similes and metaphors in provided sentences and create their own comparisons, using accompanying images on the activity pages to support those figurative-language tasks.

Students are asked to analyze magazine layouts when planning a two-page print ad, which requires examining visual media and design choices. Students write, film, and then watch a 30-second commercial and are prompted to judge its persuasive effect ("Would you buy the water after seeing the commercial?"). The student activity pages and answer-key images show labeled sentence diagrams that students use to identify parts of speech visually.

Students read chapters of the novel, two Norse myths on the Student Activity Page, and a linked web article about the Fountain of Youth, then are asked to write three similarities and three differences between those stories and the novel. Students use a Cause & Effect graphic organizer (a visual organizer) to record causes and effects from the novel and then convert that organizer into a written cause-and-effect paragraph. The lesson also prompts students to use vocabulary words orally in a sentence before beginning work.

Students are asked to watch the movie trailer and the Disney film (Activity 5) and then record three ways the movie differed from the book and three things they would have done differently, prompting comparison between film and text. In Activity 3 students select a meaningful book quote, memorize it, and draw or paint a picture that represents the quote, translating textual meaning into a visual representation. Activity 4 directs students to read an interview transcript with the author and consider how her interactions and experiences shaped her life, connecting an oral/text interview format to understanding the book. The Getting Started/Parent Plan also prompts students to explain verbally whether they would recommend the book and why, encouraging oral explanation of their interpretation.

Students are instructed to record three quotes or actions from the book that describe how characters feel about living forever and to categorize those quotes under Pros or Cons, which requires interpreting textual evidence and linking it to the issue and theme of change. Students prepare and deliver two-minute opening arguments, ask and answer timed questions, and make closing statements, which requires them to interpret oral questions and explain how their responses contribute to the debate topic. The student activity page also asks students to illustrate a "Spring of Immortality," linking a simple visual representation to their analysis.

Students are asked in Activity 2 to watch a primary-source video about the Civil Rights Movement and then record a three- or four-sentence journal response explaining what they learned and how watching the video made them feel, with guided questions about which interview was most interesting and how communities differ today. The lesson includes a historical image (segregated lunch counter) for students to view and a prompt to describe the peaceful sit-in, and the Skills section explicitly lists exploring a variety of sources and evaluating print and non-print materials. Students use the "Recognizing Discrimination" graphic organizers to record examples from the novel, enabling them to compare textual incidents with information from the video and image.

Students gather information from the provided websites and record findings on the "Mississippi Facts" graphic organizer, which asks for natural resources, weather/climate, population, and three historical events and includes a map to interpret. In Option 2 students create a tri-fold brochure that requires labeling maps, drawing/including graphics, and adding statistics and written descriptions (climate, farming, historical events). A Dialect Guide and a stated skill ask students to recognize dialect and explain how authors use it to convey character, and discussion questions ask students to explain how community actions (boycott) relate to the book's issues.

The Parent Plan asks the child to explain orally what the book says about how schools were run, prompting an oral interpretation of the text. Activity 2 requires students to write a 6–10 sentence formal letter explaining what the county is doing wrong and what should be done, asking them to explain issues from the book. The lesson includes a visual formal letter template image that students must follow when composing their letters, and reading comprehension questions ask students to interpret events in the text.

Students read Chapter 4 and are asked to keep track of instances of discrimination on the "Recognizing Discrimination" pages, which has them interpret textual information about race and land ownership. In the Interest & Mortgage activity, students use the Principal × Rate × Time formula, solve scenario problems, and are directed to use an online mortgage calculator, which requires them to interpret quantitative outputs about loans and relate them to the Logan family's mortgage. The lesson includes oral discussion prompts (Questions to Discuss) that ask students to explain character motivations and family history, providing an opportunity for spoken interpretation of the text and its issues.

Students read Chapter 5 and answer comprehension and discussion questions that require interpreting events and motivations in the text (e.g., why Big Ma parked at the back, why Cassie felt the day was cruel). Activity 2 directs students to watch a video about Jim Crow laws and to discuss it with a parent, explicitly engaging them with information presented in a visual/oral format. The Wrapping Up and Things to Review sections ask students to review the Jim Crow laws and discuss how they discouraged equality, linking the media and text to the issue under study.

Students read Chapter 6 and discuss answers to comprehension questions orally, explaining how events and dialogue contribute to understanding racial attitudes. In Activity 2 students create a poster (visual media) to promote positive race relations and are asked to describe their poster and explain why it would be effective in swaying public opinion. The Expanding Sentences page pairs brief sentences with small illustrations that prompt students to add descriptive detail, requiring them to use visual cues to enrich and explain text.

Students are asked to read Chapter 7 and then use the 'A Southern Christmas' student activity page (a Venn-diagram style graphic organizer) to compare and contrast the Logans' Christmas with their own, which requires interpreting textual descriptions (pages 145-147 and 153-154). The lesson prompts a parent to read the chapter aloud and later asks students to arrange time for parents to tell family stories, providing oral sources for students to consider. The 'A Taste of the South' activity presents recipes with illustrations that students can use to compare foods described in the text with their own family's foods.

Students read the "Integrated Bus Suggestions" flyer and are asked to "consider how the statements promote peace yet encourage strength and pride" and to underline the three suggestions they think were most important. Students are given a web link to a video about the Montgomery Bus Boycott and are instructed to read about the boycott and explain what they learned. Students must explain to a parent why they selected certain flyer suggestions and discuss whether the Logans' boycott might pressure the Wallaces, requiring students to connect information from the flyer, the book episode, and the video to the issue of peaceful protest and integration.

Students are asked to watch a linked video about sharecropping and are directed to pay close attention to images, facial expressions, and body language to consider the life of a sharecropper. Students choose between creating a visual diagram that explains the sharecropping system or locating a historical picture and writing a realistic quote that portrays a sharecropper's life. Students must then explain the system of sharecropping to a sibling or parent using their diagram or picture and quote.

Students read Chapter 11 and answer comprehension questions that require interpreting events in the text (e.g., questions about how T.J. got hurt and why R.W. and Melvin acted). The Student Activity Page is a visual chart of proofreading symbols with meanings and examples that students use to edit their rough drafts, indicating that students interpret a visual format to revise writing. Students are also asked to keep track of instances of discrimination on the "Recognizing Discrimination" pages and to read their revised report aloud to another person.

Students are asked to create four slides or posters that include bullet points, charts or diagrams, and at least one graphic per slide, and to use visuals to support their presentation. Slide 2 explicitly asks students to draw on what they learned from the story and "other related video and text presented in the unit," requiring use of information from multiple media. The presentation rubric evaluates whether visuals supported the ideas presented and whether integrated media helped the listener follow the presentation, and students practice delivering oral explanations of their points.

Students are asked to look closely at the book cover, describe what they notice about the man on the cover, and read the back-cover description to make predictions about the story. Students orally discuss the back-cover description and answer guided questions (e.g., predicting the plot and explaining concerns about characters), which requires interpreting printed and visual information. Students keep a Character Timeline (a graphic organizer) to record and track Jonas's changes across chapters, which has them interpret textual development in a visual format.

The Skills list explicitly includes "Explain messages conveyed in various forms of media" and "Recognize how various techniques influence viewers' emotions." In Activity 1 students choose to write a poem or create a collage representing their Utopia and are then asked to describe the meaning and the artistic or literary techniques they used (e.g., color, shadowing, similes, descriptive language). Parent prompts require the student to discuss how those techniques appeal to a reader/viewer and to explain what makes the work represent the topic (a Utopia).

Students are instructed to create a "Timeline of Change" by labeling each ceremony, writing a description of what happens, and adding a picture for each age, which requires them to translate textual descriptions of ceremonies into a visual representation. The activity asks students to order the pages to form a timeline, and to record on the timeline words or phrases that describe Jonas, which has students extract and place information from the text into a visual/chronological format. An example black-and-white illustration of a Naming Ceremony is provided, which students could read and use as a model for linking visual elements to the ceremony description.

Students read Chapters 7 and 8 and record descriptive words on a timeline, showing engagement with textual information. In the Euphemisms activity students identify euphemisms from the novel and record or predict their actual meanings, and discussion prompts ask students to explain how verbal interactions reflect society. The Italics activity has students locate and mark italicized words and sentences, practicing interpretation of formatting cues within text.

Students are asked to read Chapters 9 and 10 and record character details on a "Character Timeline," requiring interpretation of textual information about Jonas. In Activity 2 students must think of three historical events, describe each (in writing) and explain how the memory could help Jonas's community, directly asking them to explain how information contributes to an issue. Student activity pages and vocabulary webs provide visual organizers and images (e.g., Sphinx outline) that students use to organize and respond to information, and parent prompts ask students to explain Jonas's selection orally.

Students reread the sled description and select descriptive words and phrases, organizing them according to the five senses on the Sled Ride chart, which requires interpreting textual details and placing them into a visual organizer. Activity 2 asks students to paint or sketch a vivid childhood memory and then write a descriptive paragraph, engaging them with both visual and written formats. The Parent Plan encourages the child to read the paragraph aloud while a listener draws a picture, which involves oral presentation and visual interpretation of that oral information.

Students are prompted to discuss and compare Jonas' community with U.S. communities, which requires them to orally interpret differences and explain implications. Students create letters and three types of poems (before-and-after, acrostic, bio-poem) using symbolism and examples to explain the concept of freedom to community members. Student activity pages include visual elements (a broken chain illustration, symbols next to each letter of FREEDOM, and icons like the Eiffel Tower) that students are expected to use or respond to when composing explanations.

Students are asked to find paintings online with a dominant color, print small images, and paste them on an activity sheet where they record the feeling associated with each color, which requires interpreting visual media. The Colors & Feelings student page asks students to shade color boxes and write descriptive feelings, and to evaluate whether a selected painting "causes" the feeling they identified. The Parent Plan and Wrapping Up prompt students to discuss their emotional responses to pictures and to connect the experience of color and feeling back to Jonas's experience in the text.

Students are asked to select five pieces of music and "explain why" each would be shared with Jonas' community (Musical Selection and Student Activity Page), and parents are prompted to have the student play selections aloud while describing reasons. The Music Collage option asks students to use words and pictures to describe the concept of music to someone who has never heard it and to use descriptive language, requiring them to convey meaning via visual elements. The instructions require students to listen to different types of music and justify their choices, which has them interpret auditory media and explain its contribution to the topic of introducing music to the community.

Students read and listen to Lois Lowry's Newbery acceptance speech and are prompted to discuss how the memories she shares relate to The Giver, which requires interpreting oral/textual material and explaining its contribution to the novel's themes. Students analyze and add to a "Character Timeline," examining how Jonas changed over the course of the novel, which asks them to interpret a visual/chronological representation and relate it to character development. In Option 1 students create a storyboard by selecting or drawing images and writing descriptions that explain how specific memories changed them, explicitly combining visual media and written explanation; in Option 2 students use a plot flowchart (graphic organizer) and write a final chapter, interpreting and organizing information in a visual format before explaining its contribution in prose.

Students read firsthand accounts and are instructed to choose two accounts and find photographs that correspond, paste them together, and credit sources in the Great Depression Photo Journal activity. The lesson directs students to look through the pictures at the back of the nonfiction book and asks, "How were the photos of the Great Depression (primary source documents) and the book about the Great Depression (secondary source document) both useful in helping you understand this time period?" Students also locate and label places on a Map of Mexico, interpreting geographic (visual) information to support understanding of the novel's setting.

Students are asked in the Wordsmith role to select passages worth reading aloud and then read them to a parent and discuss why they chose them, which requires oral interpretation and explanation of how those passages contribute to the story. The lesson provides a visual image of the Phoenix, a linked web article about the phoenix, and a printed poem about the phoenix; students are instructed to "pay close attention to what the author tells us about the phoenix." Option 1 asks students to describe how the phoenix might serve as a symbol for Esperanza's circumstances and to illustrate it, directly requiring interpretation of visual/textual media and explanation of its contribution to understanding the character and theme.

Students are asked to interpret textual descriptions of the train cars and translate them into drawings for the wealthy car and the car for the poor (Option 1), which requires converting written description into a visual representation. Option 2 directs students to read two web articles and complete Venn diagrams comparing social and political systems in Mexico and the U.S., requiring students to interpret information from online sources and organize it visually. The Discussion Director activity and the parent prompt to read the four discussion questions aloud provide an oral component in which students formulate and present interpretive questions about the text.

Students take on a Travel Tracer role to map where characters move, provide page locations, and explain what role each setting plays in the story's conflict (textual and visual/map formats). In Activity 2 students use a U.S. map with scale to estimate migration distance (quantitative/visual) from Oklahoma City to Los Angeles and watch documentary video clips, pausing to record quotes and observations (oral/visual). Students synthesize photos and recorded quotes into a poster titled "The Dust Bowl" and share it, connecting images and eyewitness words to the historical topic. The wrapping-up and review prompts ask students to describe the Dust Bowl and how it affected farming families, prompting explanation of media-based findings.

Students are asked to serve as a Literary Luminary by choosing two or three passages, reading them aloud to a parent, and explaining their reasons for selection, which requires oral interpretation and explanation of how those passages matter to the text. Students complete a Comparison Chart with labeled sections for 'Life at Rancho de las Rosas' and 'Life in California' and are instructed to use words and illustrations to record similarities and differences, which engages a visual format. Students use a graphic organizer (Problem-Solution Paragraph page) to organize and explain causes and solutions, working with a structured visual organizer to present ideas.

Students are asked to take on the role of an Illustrator and draw a picture related to the chapter, connecting visual representation to the text. In Activity 1 students match Spanish vocabulary to items and speech bubbles in a detailed house illustration, interpreting visual elements and language together. In Activity 2 students draw a shrine and write an explanation of each element, describing what the elements represent about their life and why they are important. Parent prompts ask students to share and describe their illustrations and shrines orally.

Students take on the role of Connector: they read the chapter "Las Ciruelas," find connections between the book and their life or history, and record those connections in a journal. Parent prompts ask students to share their connections aloud and to read the "I Am" poem about Esperanza aloud, requiring oral explanation of character and events. Discussion questions prompt students to explain events (e.g., how the dust storm affected Mama) and to use transition words to organize and present their ideas in writing and speech.

Students are asked to become a "Line Locator," finding three to five lines or short passages, copying them, and explaining in their journal why those passages are examples of good writing or important to the story. Students choose a Cesar Chavez quote, write it down, explain its meaning in their own words, and relate it to Esperanza's story on the activity page. Parents are encouraged to have students read recorded lines and quotes aloud and explain their selections, supporting oral interpretation and explanation of how the quotes connect to the text.

Students are directed to listen to two oral interviews via provided web links about life in FSA camps and migrant labor conditions. Students are asked to use the "On Strike!" graphic organizer (a visual format) to record and summarize examples from the book that support reasons workers might strike and to provide page numbers. Students are prompted to summarize events in a four- or five-sentence written summary, demonstrating interpretation of written text.

Students are asked to discuss what a reader can learn about character through the dialogue the author presents and to discuss what they have learned about Mexican-American culture from the book. The lesson prompts students to share and read aloud the conversations they recorded and to compare Esperanza Rising with What Was the Great Depression, including how each text helped them better understand the time period. The activities require students to read, rewrite scenes as dialogue, and perform their dialogue aloud, which involves interpreting spoken and written language.

Students create a movie poster and are asked to share the ideas behind their design, requiring them to explain how visual choices will contribute to audience understanding of the book. Students draw sets that must reflect the environment and culture of Mexico and California, linking visual elements to setting and cultural context. Students write a movie trailer that highlights main events, characters, obstacles, and major themes and are encouraged to listen to trailers and focus on the words; they also read and perform a readers' theatre script and are prompted to discuss how the dramatic interpretation is similar to and different from the book.

Students are asked to read poems aloud and consider how oral reading reveals different meanings, compare three versions of a poem and justify which version they prefer, and answer questions about how the structure of specific poems (e.g., "Tunnels") differs from others. Students label stanzas and end-rhyme patterns on the Student Activity Page, and analyze punctuation, capitalization, and sentence structure to see how those visual/typographic choices affect meaning. Students read an encyclopedia entry about Charles Darwin and formulate questions and explanations about what they would show or tell him, connecting informational text to the topic of science and observation.

Students read the poems in "The Sea is Our Mother" and answer comprehension questions (e.g., identifying rhyme scheme and discussing why poets focus on certain sea animals). Students use the Personification & Metaphor activity page to find examples of metaphors and to record words and phrases poets attribute to objects, and they match objects with human traits. Students compose their own sea poems that must include at least one metaphor and one example of personification and review definitions of these figurative devices.

Students are asked to watch video clips from BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs and a National Geographic video (Activity 1), which presents information visually and orally. Students perform a hands-on fossil excavation (Activity 3), engaging with tactile/visual evidence of prehistoric life. Students research an animal's habitat and life to write an obituary (Activity 2) and are prompted in discussion questions to explain how their perspective on prehistoric life changed after reading the poems.

Students read a range of poems and answer questions that require them to identify literary elements (e.g., identifying a metaphor in "The Dandelion" and the rhyme scheme in "Cross-Purposes"). In Activity 2 students brainstorm and write explanations of how humans and animals depend on plants and vice versa, articulating how plant-related information contributes to understanding natural systems. In Activity 3 students observe and trace a leaf (a visual task) and then compose a shape poem that uses visual form to reflect subject matter; students also practice reading a selected poem aloud with appropriate tone, mood, and emotion.

Students conduct a quantitative camouflage experiment (Option 2) in which they record how many black and white dots they pick up, draw conclusions, and answer a follow-up question about what the results reinforce about animal camouflage. Students read poems aloud and identify poetic devices (imagery, metaphors, rhyme, alliteration) and discuss how language makes them feel or contributes to meaning (e.g., prompts asking how language creates emotion in "Early Walk" and what "The Iguanas of Santiago" means). Students create a visual representation of camouflage (Option 1) by drawing an animal in its habitat and explain how the visual choices show camouflage, and they analyze punctuation and dashes in poems to explain how formatting contributes to meaning.

Students are asked to record a line from a poem that creates a vivid image and describe the words the author uses, which requires interpreting textual/visual imagery. Students find the haiku and count syllables, which requires interpreting quantitative structure of the poem. Students are prompted to read or present poems aloud and discuss feelings toward insects, requiring oral expression and some oral interpretation. Students examine parentheses in poems and explain how the punctuation affects meaning, interpreting how a formatting choice contributes to the text.

Students read multiple poems (text) and answer analysis questions about poetic devices, tone, rhythm, and theme, including an explicit prompt: "How does [rhythm/rhyme] affect the tone and meaning of the poem?" Students draw an image the poem creates and list words/phrases that helped create that image (translating text into visual representation). Students memorize and recite a poem for family, practicing oral presentation of content about birds.

Students are asked to create an illustration that reflects a poem and to explain which words and phrases influenced their picture (Activity 3, Option 1 and Parent Plan prompts). Students compare an edited paragraph to its original and insert ellipses and choose poems to explain why poets used ellipses, explaining how that punctuation affects meaning (Activity 2, Student Activity Page and Answer Key). Students write and then read or sing their lyric poem for family, providing an oral presentation of their work (Activity 1 and Wrapping Up).

Students identify poetic devices and cite words/phrases that convey tone and meaning (Activity 1), and they compare and contrast two poems using a Venn diagram (Activity 4). Students research an endangered/extinct species, write a poem about it, and create a visual model and display pairing the poem with the model (Activities 2 and 3). Students are asked to read poems aloud to family and discuss responses with a parent, providing oral interpretation opportunities (multiple sections).

Students are directed to view online examples of lapbooks and a YouTube video to learn how to assemble their projects, and they are instructed to cut or print pictures from magazines or the Internet to decorate their lapbooks. The rubric and parent discussion prompts ask students to consider whether their lapbook design reflects the natural-world theme and to answer questions such as "How do the poems in your lapbook reflect systems, cycles, and patterns in nature?" Students are asked to share their lapbook with family and friends, which encourages some verbal explanation of their work.

Students draw and label the Andes on a South America map and shade the countries the range crosses, which requires interpreting a visual geographic representation. The lesson provides a video link titled "Environmental and Cultural Influence of the Andes" and directs students to "think about how the environment (clothing, food, shelter, etc.) shapes the culture," which asks students to interpret audiovisual information. Discussion prompts and the life-application task ask students to consider how climate and geography impact people, prompting students to relate information from the map and video to cultural issues.

Students are directed to explore multiple websites (Britannica, Ducksters, PBS) and record findings on an "Elements of Incan Culture" chart, using words and pictures. The activity pages include graphic organizers with labeled sections (Holidays, Clothing, Government, Technology, Family Roles) and images (llama, quipu, artifacts) that students fill in. The introduction and discussion prompts (e.g., "How do belief systems of the past influence the present?" and asking how Incan history plays a role in characters' lives) encourage connecting cultural information to the story.

Students are asked to reread the minstrel's songs in Chapters 3 and 4 and to retell events as a lyric poem they can read or sing, which engages with oral/textual storytelling. The Wrap Up and discussion prompts ask students to explain why minstrels faded and how technological advances changed traditions, prompting explanation of how media (songs vs. TV/internet) contributes to cultural transmission. The lesson provides a "Writing a Lyric Poem for a Minstrel" graphic organizer and activity pages with illustrations, which students use to organize and produce a multimodal (written + oral) response.

Students are asked to create a Peru photo collage or a wildflowers photo journal, locating and selecting pictures of the Andes/Peru or researching and drawing wildflowers and using a guidebook to identify them. The Parent Plan and Skills sections state that students should "analyze media for transmission of culture" and that the collage should include different cultural elements researched in Lesson 2. The wildflower activity asks students to use visual templates (frames) to organize images and labels for a guidebook.

Students reread Chuto's description of the truck (question #2) and explain how Chuto characterizes it, which requires interpreting a textual description. Students draw three animals and personify them, then write complete-sentence descriptions using personification on the Personification student pages. Students use a graphic organizer that includes illustrated animals and are asked to record and label personifying words and phrases in writing.

Students are asked to use the "Guide to Incan Landmarks" pages and provided web links and images to create a book, color pictures based on source images, and write descriptions that explain each site's historical significance. Several Student Activity Pages (Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley, Cuzco, Temple of the Sun, Maras Salt Mines) include illustrations with lined spaces for students to record observations or analysis of the images. The Parent Plan skills list instructs students to locate and explore sources and to synthesize research into a written or oral presentation, indicating students will interpret information from online and visual sources.

Students watch an animated retelling of the Incan creation myth via the provided video link and are instructed to retell the myth orally to family, practicing storyteller voice. Students are asked to use two visual aids to enhance their retelling, and parents are prompted to discuss how the visual aids enhanced the presentation as well as tone, pitch, and body language. Students also read written myth passages (Aztec/Incan) and mark time/sequence transition words, engaging with printed text.

Students read Chapters 13–14 and answer interpretive questions (e.g., explaining why Cusi felt alone), which requires interpreting text-based information. The lesson provides multiple external resources in different formats (a YouTube video and several web articles) that students are invited to consult for Activity 2. The activities ask students to synthesize what they learn into a poem or a brainstorm about preserving culture, which could draw on information from those links.

Students are asked to read information from online reference sites about llamas and then create a five-slide slideshow summarizing that information for young children, which requires selecting and condensing information from web (digital text) sources. The slideshow directions specifically tell students to make slides visually engaging and include a lot of pictures to reinforce the information, and the About the Author page includes a photograph and additional images that students use to create an informative paragraph. Craft pages include step-by-step illustrated instructions that students follow, which requires using visual directions to produce a physical model.