Third Grade - ELA
1: Environment
Unit 1: Tornado
Lesson 1
Weather on the Farm
Students read a nonfiction book about a tornado and are asked to write three factual sentences about tornadoes (Activity 1), which requires locating and recounting key facts. Students label and color a map of Tornado Alley and are asked to explain how meeting air masses can form a tornado (Activity 2), which has them connect details about causes. Students identify the setting as a farm, write a paragraph about farm life (Option 1), or complete a Venn diagram comparing farm life to their own (Option 2), which asks them to summarize and recount important details about the topic.
Lesson 2
The Storm
Students are explicitly taught what a main idea is (Day 2 Activity 2) and are given a 'Main Idea' activity where they circle the main idea for two paragraphs and write main ideas for two more. Students are asked to summarize Chapter 1 (Reading and Questions Q1) and to write three or four-sentence chapter summaries in a daily journal (Activity 4). Several comprehension questions ask students to recall key details (who is in the cellar, description of the cellar, the problem), which requires recounting important events and facts.
Lesson 3
The Tornado
Students are asked to listen to Chapter 2 and then verbally summarize the chapter, and "Produce a summary of a text" is listed under Skills. Students write and illustrate a chapter summary in a journal (Activity 1) and use paragraph organizers (Hamburger and Paragraph Organizer) that require a topic sentence and supporting details. Option 2 explicitly tells students that "all his details stay focused on the main idea of the paragraph," directing students to connect details to a central idea when composing.
Lesson 4
A Card Trick
The Skills list includes "Produce a summary of a text," and Activity 1 asks the child to write and illustrate her chapter summary, which requires students to recount what happens. Question #1 asks students to "Describe what happens in this chapter" with an example answer recounting Pete and Tornado's card trick. Students are also prompted to read Chapter 3 independently, which provides the text they will summarize.
Lesson 5
Turtles
Students are asked to produce a chapter summary in their journal and the lesson lists "Produce a summary of a text" as a skill. Students use a Story Map Graphic Organizer to retell myths by identifying setting, characters, problem, events, and solution, which requires recounting key story details. The My Own Myth activity directs students to create a piece with a clear main idea/theme and to support that main idea with relevant details. The Turtle Research page has students locate and record factual information about turtles.
Lesson 6
The Best Pet Award
The Skills list explicitly includes "Recall main ideas, facts, and details from a text," and the Reading and Questions section asks students specific comprehension questions about events and reasons (e.g., why Tornado digs a hole, how Five-Thirty got his name). The Activities require students to write and illustrate a chapter summary in a journal, and the wrapping-up prompts ask students to describe ways living things change their environments. The Option 2 activity asks students to give specific examples from the story to justify claims about Tornado's traits.
Lesson 8
The End of the Storm
Students are asked to produce a chapter summary (Skills: "Produce a summary of a text") and to write and illustrate a chapter summary in Activity 1, which requires identifying the main point of the chapter. In Activity 5 students use a "Happy or Sad Fishbone" organizer to write a central sentence (topic/main idea) and list four supporting details, then turn those into a paragraph. The reading questions (e.g., how Pete felt, who knocked on the door, what the father did) require students to recount key details from the text.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students use the Hamburger Paragraph Organizer to plan a paragraph with a topic sentence, three supporting details, and a conclusion. In the paper-bag activity students select five objects that represent major events and write a sentence describing how each object relates to the book, which has them recount key details. The center-square mini-project asks students to write a paragraph explaining how the environment or weather affected characters' feelings or actions, and the wrap-up prompts students to explain what they learned from the story.
Unit 2: Sarah, Plain and Tall
Lesson 1
Getting Started
Students are asked to read expository material about Kansas and Maine and to list six facts about each state, which requires locating and recounting informational details. Activities prompt students to discuss differences between Maine and Kansas and to describe each state using five senses poems, which has students gather and restate supporting details. The skills list includes "Read expository materials to answer questions and locate information" and "Demonstrate understanding of informational text," indicating practice with informational texts and key details.
Lesson 2
Story Elements
The lesson's Skills section explicitly lists 'Recall main ideas, facts, and details from a text.' The activity sheet asks students to 'write about the most important lesson you have learned from a book,' which asks them to identify a book's central message or theme. The Story Pyramid and plot description tasks require students to recount problem, important events, and the solution, prompting students to identify key details of a narrative.
Lesson 3
The News
The lesson asks students to read Chapter 1 and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., repeated question Caleb asks, what happened to the mother, where they live, who tells the story), which requires recounting key details. The Skills list includes "Retell written messages by clarifying or summarizing," and Activity 1 asks students to write a first-person journal entry as Anna, which asks students to recount events and infer feelings from the chapter. The parent guidance that answers should "reflect an understanding of the story" supports students practicing summary and comprehension.
Lesson 4
The Letters
Students are asked to summarize Chapter 2 verbally after it is read aloud, which requires them to identify and recount the chapter's main points. Question 3 asks students to list what Sarah tells Caleb and Anna about Maine (seals, fish, whales, birds), prompting students to recount key details from the text. Activity 3 and the Hamburger Paragraph Organizer require students to write a paragraph with a topic sentence, three supporting details, and a conclusion, practicing organization of a main idea with supporting details.
Lesson 5
The Arrival
Students answer specific comprehension questions that require recounting key details from Chapter 3 (e.g., what Papa does to prepare, what Sarah brought for Caleb and Anna, and how Anna thought Sarah felt). Students are asked to retell or summarize in complete sentences and to write a journal entry from Anna's point of view, practicing retelling the arrival event. The Venn diagram activity directs students to locate and record examples from the book about geography, plants, animals, and transportation to compare the coast and the prairie.
Lesson 6
Life on the Prairie
The Skills section lists "Retell written messages by clarifying or summarizing," and students are asked to read Chapter 4 and answer comprehension questions that require recounting details (e.g., Question #3 asks what activities Sarah and the family do together; Question #5 asks how life on the prairie differs from life today). Activity 1 asks students to write a journal entry that describes Anna's thoughts about the day, which requires summarizing events and perspectives from the text.
Lesson 7
The Dune
The lesson includes a Skills statement that students will "Retell written messages by clarifying or summarizing," which directs students to practice summarizing. The Reading and Questions section asks targeted comprehension questions (e.g., why Sarah names the sheep, what Sarah enjoys, what we learn about her personality) that require students to recount key details from Chapter 5. Activity 1 asks students to write a journal entry reflecting the fun day, prompting students to retell events and details from the chapter.
Lesson 8
Work and Play
The lesson lists the skill "Retell written messages by clarifying or summarizing," and asks students to read Chapter 6 and answer specific comprehension questions about why characters act and how they describe winter. Activity 1 directs students to write Anna's journal entry, which requires them to recount conversations and events from the chapter. Activity 2 asks students to list three things from the book they believe are factual and three that are not, prompting students to identify and cite specific details from the text.
Lesson 9
Writing
Students are asked to identify the problem of the story and what Caleb and Anna worry about, which requires picking out central concerns from the text. Students record three reasons and are instructed to support each reason with examples from the book using a graphic organizer. The lesson models and discusses examples that show the difference between stating reasons and providing supporting details, and the self-editing checklist asks students to confirm that each reason is supported.
Lesson 10
Neighbors
The Skills list explicitly includes "Discuss main ideas, facts, and details from a text," and students are asked to read Chapter 7 aloud and answer eight comprehension questions that require them to recount specific events (e.g., why Maggie and Matthew visit, chores the family does, what Sarah misses). The Wrapping Up section asks students to explain whether Sarah would be happier in Maine and to justify their opinion, which asks for reasoning based on story details. Activity 1 has students write Anna's journal entry about the visit, which requires recounting and synthesizing chapter events.
Lesson 12
The End of the Storm
The Skills section explicitly lists "Locate main ideas, facts, and details in a text," and Activity 3 directs students to write the theme in the center and record examples of how the author supports the theme through characters' actions, words, thoughts, and events. The Theme student page provides a central oval and surrounding example ovals for students to record supporting details, prompting them to identify and recount key details. The Plot activity and chapter comprehension questions require students to recount events and specific details (e.g., storm damage, Sarah's purchases) that can be used to support the central message.
Final Project
Welcome To Kansas
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Recall main ideas, facts, and details from a text," and students are directed to "locate sources to read about activities and foods that pioneers enjoyed," which requires extracting information from texts. The Student Activity Pages ask students to write a paragraph about decorating, record a recipe with ingredients and directions, and list activities and materials, which requires recounting factual details. The Self-Editing Checklist asks students to check "Do you have three reasons?" and "Do you support each reason?", prompting students to provide supporting details for their own written points.
Unit 3: Who Was Helen Keller?
Lesson 1
Helen's Early Years
Students are asked to read Chapter 1 and answer specific comprehension questions that require recounting details (e.g., Describe Helen in her first two years of life; What caused Helen to lose her sight and hearing?; How did her mother discover that Helen was deaf and blind?). Students complete a timeline activity that requires identifying and recording important events from Helen's life. The wrapping-up prompts ask students to describe Helen's early life and to name senses, which asks for summarizing and recalling key information.
Lesson 2
Helen's Childhood
Students read Chapter 2 and answer targeted comprehension questions that require recalling key details (e.g., why Helen threw tantrums, ways she communicated, why her mother kept her). Students complete a timeline activity by filling in one or two important events from Chapter 2, which asks them to identify important details and sequence events. In the wrap-up students describe how deaf people communicate and reason about how Helen's life might differ if she were deaf but not blind, which asks for explanation tied to details.
Lesson 3
Helen's Challenges
Students are asked in the Introduction and Wrapping Up to describe why Helen's environment was frustrating or dangerous and why she was a challenging child, prompting them to summarize causes and effects from the chapter. The Reading and Questions require students to recount key details (specific dangerous incidents, how Helen gathered information, skills she learned, and where her parents took her). Activity 1 asks students to add a chapter event to a timeline, reinforcing recall of key details. The Hamburger Paragraph Organizer and the writing options (song or gift paragraph) require students to produce a topic sentence and supporting details in a written paragraph.
Lesson 4
Inventors
Students are asked to read Chapter 4 and answer specific comprehension questions that require recalling facts (e.g., why Helen loved Bell, what we know about Annie Sullivan). The skills list explicitly includes 'Recall main ideas, facts, and details from a text.' Students write ten facts about Alexander Graham Bell in the "Bell Riddle" activity and add events to a timeline, which practices identifying and recounting key details. In the "Famous Inventors and Inventions" activity, students write sentences describing each invention, how it helped people, and what changed, linking details to broader effects.
Lesson 5
Annie
The Skills section explicitly lists "Recall main ideas, facts, and details from a text." The Reading and Questions require students to read Chapter 5 and answer comprehension questions about Helen's feelings, actions, and events, which asks students to identify key details. Activity 1 (timeline) asks students to add events from the chapter, and Activity 2 asks students to write adjectives, sentences, and to discuss why Helen changed and how her environment influenced her behavior, connecting details to a larger idea about change.
Lesson 6
Helen Leaves Home
Students read Chapter 6 aloud and answer targeted comprehension questions that require recalling specific details (e.g., what Helen enjoyed at Cape Cod, what she was accused of at Perkins, and what happened after that experience). Students add one or two events from the chapter to a timeline and discuss how Helen's life and environment changed over time. Students also respond to reflective prompts about feelings and consequences (e.g., how Helen felt after being accused and how events influenced her behavior).
Lesson 7
More Learning
The Skills section explicitly states students will "Recall main ideas, facts, and details from a text," and students are asked to read Chapters 7 and 8 and answer specific comprehension questions about key details (e.g., why the interviewer was surprised; how Helen experienced immigrant life; how she did at Cambridge). Activity 1 asks students to add one event from each chapter to a timeline and Activity 2 asks students to locate and paste events next to places on a map, which requires selecting and recounting important events. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to name important events in Helen's life and to "explain why the events were important."
Final Project
Scrapbook or Interview
Students are asked to find information in the book they finished reading and in other sources, and to "record ideas for each page in the book," which requires selecting important events and details about Helen Keller's life. They write focused pages (birth, how she learned, family, school, proudest moment) and compose journal entries and interview answers that summarize aspects of her life. The interview option asks students to develop questions about childhood, family, environment, and achievements and then write Helen's answers, and the rubrics evaluate whether answers are well thought out and informative.
2: Change
Unit 1: Morning Girl
Lesson 2
Point of View
Students identify who is narrating each chapter (Questions #1 and #2) and describe differences in perspectives and voices (Questions #3–#5, Day 2 questions). Students record three thoughts/feelings/phrases used by the narrator and two important events in a journal entry, forcing them to recount key details from each chapter. Students compare multiple accounts using a four-part Venn diagram and write short descriptions of each character, which asks them to find common and unique details across texts.
Lesson 3
The News
Students answer specific comprehension questions about events, character feelings, and resources (Questions 1–6) and record answers in writing. In Activity 1 students record three feelings/words/thoughts Morning Girl has and two events that happen to her, which requires recounting key details. The Skills list includes retelling by summarizing or clarifying and asks students to discuss similarities and differences (Activity 3 asks students to record phrases Morning Girl uses to describe Star Boy and to describe how family members change the family).
Lesson 4
The Rock
Students answer specific comprehension questions (Questions #1-#7) that require recalling plot points, character observations, and changes in the setting. Activity 1 has students record three feelings, three phrases, and two events from each chapter, which asks them to summarize and recount key details. The Skills section lists retelling/summarizing and analyzing characters and changes, and the Wrapping Up prompt asks students what they learned about Star Boy and Morning Girl.
Lesson 6
The Storm
Students read Chapters 6 and 7 and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., what happens to Star Boy, how he stays safe, how Morning Girl explains storm damage) that require recounting key events and details. Activity 1 directs students to record feelings, thoughts, words, and events for Morning Girl and Star Boy, prompting them to summarize chapter content. Activity 2 has students find and record words/phrases describing the setting before and after the storm, draw before/after pictures, and list two positive and two negative effects on people, which connects details to the story's meaning. The skills list includes identifying the importance of the setting to a story's meaning, encouraging discussion of how details relate to meaning.
Lesson 7
Visitors
Students read Chapters 8 and 9 and answer specific comprehension questions that require recalling key story details (e.g., what Star Boy loses, why he is upset, what Morning Girl hears and sees, and how the visitors look). Students record Star Boy's feelings, actions, and words in a journal and write journal entries from Morning Girl's and an explorer's points of view, describing each person's thoughts, feelings, and descriptions of the event. The Student Activity Pages guide students to recount events and describe changes in the character.
Final Project
Poetry Night
Students read Encounter aloud and answer focused comprehension questions about key events and perceptions (e.g., why the boy is worried, what the natives and strangers give each other). Students create a mini-fold book that asks them to summarize positive, negative, and mixed effects of European contact by locating and recording examples from both the Encounter text and the "European Explorers and Native Americans" activity page. Students write two before-and-after poems (native perspective and Columbus perspective) that require listing five before/after phrases describing how environment, communities, health, and lives changed.
Unit 2: Communities and Culture
Lesson 2
Where Are We?
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," and reading questions ask students to answer specific comprehension questions about the text (e.g., how the Nile affected people, what people ate, and why the twins are bored). Activity 2 asks students to list three factual details and three fictional details from the story, and the Wrapping Up prompt asks students to say what they learned about ancient Egypt and the Binkerton kids. The Student Activity Page has students describe and compare resources, shelter, food, and drink in Egypt and their own community, which requires recounting key details from the text.
Lesson 3
The King
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that require them to recount specific details (e.g., where Emma goes, how the town is described, why Libby and Emma must work, how schools differed, and why pyramids were built). Students are asked at the end to "tell what she learned about Ancient Egypt," which prompts a summary of learned facts. Students complete a Venn diagram and write a paragraph comparing a king and a president, which requires organizing and recounting comparative details.
Lesson 4
Back Home
The lesson's Skills list explicitly states that students should "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text." The Reading and Questions section asks students to answer factual questions about pyramids, mummies, and events in the story (Questions #1-#5), which requires recounting key details. Activity 2 has students create a Plot Pyramid that asks them to record important events, the problem, the climax, and the solution, reinforcing identification of central story events.
Lesson 5
A Day in Egypt
Students are asked to refer back to Hot on the Trail in Ancient Egypt and the "What I have learned" section to see if questions posed at the beginning were answered, which requires finding information in the text. Students create a detailed daily schedule of ancient Egyptian life, listing events and providing descriptions (meals, work, entertainment), which requires recounting specific details. Students write a comparative paragraph using a Hamburger Paragraph Organizer that asks for a topic sentence and three supporting details, which practices stating a main idea and supplying supporting details.
Lesson 6
Middle Ages
Students read specified pages (Adventures in the Middle Ages, pp. 1-15) and answer guided comprehension questions that ask for specific story details (e.g., why the Binkertons returned, Josh's expectations, descriptions of peasant homes). Students record new information about the Middle Ages on a Historical Time Periods page and write two sentences using concrete and abstract nouns about the topic. Students also write a first-person journal entry as a peasant and complete a compare-and-contrast activity listing at least three similarities and differences between peasants and Egyptian laborers.
Lesson 7
Off to the Castle
Students answer specific comprehension questions (Questions #1-#6) that require them to recount key details from pages 16-31, such as what happens in the village, beliefs of people in the Middle Ages, whom the Binkertons find, and activities that occurred in castles. Activity 1 asks students to record new information learned about the Middle Ages, and Activity 2 has students list similarities between castle life and modern community life, which requires selecting and organizing textual details. The wrapping-up prompt asks students to compare castle life as described in the book to fairy tales and movies, encouraging attention to specific details in the text.
Lesson 9
Writing About History
Students are prompted to collect information about a chosen time period and list 'Interesting Things' (homes, clothing, religion, food and drink, education, entertainment, and jobs) and to explain 'Details' about the chosen element of culture on the Getting Started organizer. The Factual Paragraph page asks students to write sentences such as "In the year _____, you would find _____" and "One thing you should know about _____ is _____," which directs students to include details and examples. Students are asked to read pages in the unit books and discuss differences between factual and fictional text, and an editing rubric asks students to evaluate 'ideas' and 'overall structure' of their paragraphs.
Final Project
Elements of Change
Students select three cultural elements and write sentences describing each element for Ancient Egypt, the Middle Ages, and Today using the "Book of Change" and "Through the Ages" pages. Students provide illustrations and list descriptive details for each time period. Students are asked to "describe some reasons for the changes" and to "explain how cultures and communities have changed over the ages" when they share the finished book.
Unit 3: American Heroes
Lesson 2
Early American Heroes
The Skills section explicitly lists "Recall main idea, facts, and details from a text," indicating students are expected to identify main ideas and details. Students read short passages about Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington and answer targeted comprehension questions that ask for talents, inventions, interests, and greatest deeds, which require recounting key details. Students complete Hero Cards by writing a sentence that states how each hero "changed the world" and complete a Wrapping Up prompt asking them to describe how the three men changed America.
Lesson 3
Heroes of Freedom
Students read informational chapters on Abraham Lincoln and Harriet Tubman and answer targeted comprehension questions such as "How did Abraham Lincoln change the world?" and "How did Harriet help to change the world for African-American people?," which prompt recounting of key facts (e.g., freeing slaves, leading about 300 slaves to freedom). The Underground Railroad activity has students read and use specific historical "signs" (North Star, lanterns, quilt patterns) and then create their own signs and a map, requiring them to identify and use concrete details from the text. The hero cards and timeline activity ask students to record names and dates and summarize each hero's role, encouraging students to extract and recount important details about each figure.
Lesson 4
Hard Times
The lesson's skills list includes "Read and comprehend text by locating information for specific purposes" and the reading questions require students to recount concrete details (e.g., Eleanor: how she changed from child to adult; FDR: challenges the nation faced). Students are asked to list characteristics of a hero and to answer specific factual questions (e.g., FDR led the country through the Great Depression and World War II). Activities ask students to record heroes' names and dates on a timeline, which requires extracting and recounting key facts from the text.
Lesson 5
Recent Heroes
Students answer targeted comprehension questions after reading chapters on Walt Disney and Jesse Owens that require them to recount specific details (e.g., Owens's world records and Olympic medals; Disney's contributions to moviemaking and theme parks). Students respond to prompts that ask how Disney changed the world and which traits Owens demonstrated, which asks them to link details to an effect or characterization. The skills list states students will "read and comprehend text by locating information for specific purposes" and "read expository materials for answers to specific questions," supporting detail-finding practice.
Lesson 6
African-American Heroes
Students answer specific comprehension questions after reading each biographical chapter (e.g., asking what Mary McLeod Bethune believed about education; what Frederick Douglass did; what George Washington Carver spent his life learning), which requires them to locate and recount key details. The Skills section explicitly lists reading to locate information and reading expository materials for answers to specific questions. The Scientific Discovery page asks students to read about a natural product and record three details, which practices identifying supporting details from a text.
Lesson 7
Female Heroes
Students answer specific comprehension questions after reading chapters on Susan B. Anthony and Sandra Day O'Connor (e.g., Why was Susan B. Anthony arrested? What changed for women after her death? What was O'Connor the first to do?). Students create hero cards and place birth dates on a timeline, and they write sentences and an acrostic poem that recount accomplishments and facts about each woman.
Lesson 8
Heroes of Science and Invention
Students answer targeted comprehension questions after reading chapters on Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, and the Wright brothers that ask them to describe how these figures changed life (e.g., how inventions changed the way the world lived, how flight affected transportation) and to recount specific events (e.g., the Hiroshima bombing date, examples of Edison's inventions). Students create hero cards and place birthdates on a timeline, which requires them to synthesize basic information about each figure. Students complete a Perseverance activity that asks them to list reasons they kept trying and to back those reasons up with supporting details.
Lesson 9
Book of Heroes
The lesson's Skills list explicitly tells students to "Recall main idea, facts, and details from a text." Activity 3 asks students to write three sentences explaining why a chosen person is their favorite and what can be learned from them, which prompts students to state reasons about the hero. The Wrapping Up section asks students to remember details about each hero, identify character traits, and "explain how each hero changed the world," prompting students to connect details to an overall idea about the person's impact.
3: Cycles
Unit 1: Poppy
Lesson 1
Preparing for Poppy
Students are asked to summarize Avi's idea of Poppy (Activity 5) and to identify the main characters and the cycle of power in the Wrapping Up section. Students trace Poppy's journey and label major events on a setting map (Activity 4), which requires recounting key story details. Students also circle, cross off, and add character traits from their research as they read (Activity 2), connecting textual details to character understanding.
Lesson 2
Mr. Ocax
The lesson lists the skill "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," and has students read Chapters 1 and 2 of Poppy and answer guided comprehension questions. Several questions (for example #1, #7, and #5) ask students to recount events and explain reasons (why Mr. Ocax terrifies the mice, what is wrong with the cycle of control), and the wrapping-up prompts ask students to discuss the relationship between the mice and Mr. Ocax. The paragraph task asks students to write about similarities with a character and to "support her opinion with evidence from the story," requiring students to cite details to back a central claim.
Lesson 3
The Emergency Meeting
The Skills section explicitly lists "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text" and "Summarize events in a passage," which directs students to identify main ideas and key details. Activity 2 asks students to read a passage, decide paragraph boundaries, and "identify the central idea of each paragraph," and provides Main Idea answers for each paragraph. The Reading and Questions ask students to write a short summary of Chapters 3 and 4 and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., how Poppy escaped, what the emergency meeting was about), which require recounting key details.
Lesson 4
Standing Before Mr. Ocax
Students are prompted to recount plot events ("Ask your child to explain what happened to Poppy") and answer specific comprehension questions that ask for reasons and details (Question #1 asks why the family disliked Ragweed; Question #2 asks what Poppy saw). Question #4 and the Wrapping Up prompts ask students to explain Mr. Ocax's reason for denying the mice and how that refusal continues his "cycle of power," which asks students to connect details to a larger idea. Activity 3 asks students to support a speech with evidence, examples, or reasons, reinforcing use of details to support a claim.
Lesson 5
Poppy and Poppa
Students read Chapters 7 and 8 and answer directed comprehension questions that ask for reasons, motivations, and consequences (e.g., why Poppy wanted Ragweed's earring, why she told the mice Mr. Ocax's reason). The wrapping-up prompt asks students to discuss how Poppy is looking for a way to break the cycle of power and to write ideas in their journals. The cause-and-effect activity requires students to identify effects that follow specific events in the story, which makes them recount story details tied to particular causes.
Lesson 6
Dimwood Forest
Students are asked to read Chapters 9 and 10 and, in a journal, describe a decision Poppy made, recount the effects of that decision, and explain why it was good or bad. The wrapping up activity asks students to review the theme of good vs. evil, reread the author's description of Dimwood Forest, and point out the words and phrases that make the place feel more bad than good. The Skills section includes "Retell a spoken message by summarizing or clarifying," which prompts summarizing and recounting details.
Lesson 7
Ereth
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that ask who Poppy met, how to describe Ereth, and what Poppy learns from Ereth (Questions #1–#3). Students select three important Poppy quotes and write why each quote is important (Activity 1), and they complete a circle map to list words and phrases that describe Ereth (Activity 4). Students discuss the porcupine's role in the food chain and are asked how Poppy's new knowledge might help her break Mr. Ocax's cycle of power (Activity 3), which asks them to connect details to a larger conclusion.
Lesson 8
On the Way to New House
The Skills section explicitly states that students will "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," and students are asked to write a summary of Chapters 13 and 14, which requires identifying the major ideas. Several comprehension questions (e.g., Q2, Q3, Q5) prompt students to use details to explain changes in description and point of view and to provide reasons for characters' beliefs. Activities require students to recount events (trace Poppy's journey on a Setting Map) and to copy and use dialogue from pages 112–113, which engages them in citing specific details from the text.
Lesson 9
The Truth at Last
Students answer comprehension questions that ask them to identify key events and truths (e.g., questions about what Poppy discovered, that the owl was fake, and Mr. Ocax's motives). The journal prompt (In Chapters 15-16, Poppy wanted...But...So...) requires students to summarize character goals, events, and outcomes. Activity 3 asks students to record two examples that Mr. Ocax is losing power and two that Poppy is gaining power, and Activity 4/Wrapping Up ask students to recap the cycle of power and explain how it is beginning to break down.
Lesson 10
The Battle
Students are asked comprehension questions (e.g., Questions #1, #3, #5) that require them to recount events and explain reasons such as why humiliating Mr. Ocax gave Poppy a feeling of power and how Poppy gained power through new knowledge. The wrap-up prompt asks students to describe how Poppy defeated Mr. Ocax and broke the cycle of power, prompting them to recount key details and explain their significance. Activity 1 (designing a victory flag) and Activity 2 (writing about a personal example of bravery) ask students to explain the meaning of symbols or causes and outcomes, which practices linking details to an idea.
Lesson 11
Writing Project
Students are prompted to explain the cycle of power between the mice and Mr. Ocax, how Poppy broke the cycle, and how life will be different, which requires recounting key events. Students use a Paragraph Organizer to record an introductory sentence and multiple supporting ideas for each of three paragraph topics. The Paragraph Rubric asks students to confirm that paragraphs follow a central idea and to provide supporting evidence for each idea.
Lesson 12
A New Beginning
Students complete a Story Tree where they record the theme, setting, protagonist, antagonist, conflict, problem, solution, and resolution, which requires identifying central ideas and story details. Students trace Poppy's journey on a setting map and answer comprehension questions (e.g., how Poppy's life changed, where her family gathered), which has them recount specific plot details. Students discuss the theme of cycles, explain why the author jumps forward in time, and compare character relationships (why Poppy and Ereth become close), connecting details to larger ideas.
Final Project
Poppy
The lesson's Skills list explicitly states that students will "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text." The required center activity is a plot diagram in which students identify the problem, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution, and the lesson provides example plot points for students to record. One Think-Tac-Toe prompt asks students to "describe how one of the characters of the book (cycle of life or power, death means new beginnings, etc.) and explain the story elements and plot supporting that theme," which directs students to connect details to a central idea.
Unit 2: Charlotte's Web
Lesson 1
Getting Started
The Skills section explicitly lists "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," and students are directed to write answers in their journals to comprehension questions about events and relationships. The Plot Flow Chart activity has students write a major event for each chapter and the Character Descriptions pages ask students to record descriptive words/phrases as they finish chapters. The Friendship bubble map and related discussion ask students to list characteristics of a good friend and then compare those words to characters in the story.
Lesson 2
Charlotte
The lesson's Skills section explicitly lists "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," and reading questions ask students to describe Wilbur's day and character traits (e.g., questions about Charlotte, Templeton, and the goose). Activity 1 asks students to fill a Plot Flow Chart by highlighting a major event in each chapter and to write character descriptions, which requires students to identify key details and events from the text.
Lesson 3
Bad News
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," and students are asked to read Chapters 7–9 and answer specific comprehension questions that require recounting chapter events (e.g., the bad news Wilbur learned, Charlotte's promise, characters' reactions). Activity 1 asks students to complete a Plot Flow Chart by highlighting a major event in each chapter, and Activity 3 has students locate and record sensory descriptions from specified pages — all tasks that require identifying and recounting key details.
Lesson 4
Some Pig
The lesson's Skills section explicitly lists "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," which asks students to identify central ideas and supporting details. Activity 1 asks students to fill in a Plot Flow Chart by highlighting a major event in each chapter and to write character descriptions, which has students recount key details from the chapters. Several guided questions (e.g., why Charlotte weaves words, why people think Wilbur is special) and the Wrapping Up prompt ask students to explain why events happen, requiring students to use details to support an explanation about Charlotte's purpose to save Wilbur.
Lesson 5
Progress
Students are asked to read Chapters 13–15 and answer comprehension questions that require recounting specific plot points and character actions (e.g., why Farmer Zuckerman treated Wilbur differently, why Charlotte chose certain words). Activity 1 has students fill in a Plot Flow Chart by highlighting a major event in each chapter and complete Character Descriptions by writing words or phrases about how characters acted or felt. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students what they have learned about Wilbur and Charlotte, which asks for a summary of understanding.
Lesson 6
The Fair
Students are asked to fill in a Plot Flow Chart by highlighting a major event in each chapter, which has them identify central events. Students complete Character Descriptions by writing words or phrases about how characters acted or felt, which requires noting key details. Question #3 explicitly asks students to give evidence that Fern is growing up and provides specific supporting details (e.g., going off by herself, not spending all her time with animals, spending time with Henry).
Lesson 7
The End
The lesson lists as a skill: "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text." Students complete a Plot Flow Chart and Character Descriptions pages, which ask them to organize events and describe characters at the beginning and end of the story. The comprehension questions for Chapters 19–22 require students to recount specific key details (for example, how Charlotte told Wilbur she would die, what happened to Wilbur on the stage, and what happened to Charlotte's babies).
Unit 3: The Family Under the Bridge
Lesson 1
Pre-Reading
Activity 3 explicitly asks students to define "theme" as a lesson or main idea and names two themes in the novel (poverty disrupting the economic cycle and caring for others). Students are directed to discuss ways people can be in need, make a list of ways to care for others, and circle items their family has done. The Skills section includes "Locate information in text for specific purposes" and "Read expository materials for answers to specific questions," which support locating main ideas.
Lesson 2
The French Man
The Skills section explicitly lists "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," and the Reading and Questions include direct comprehension prompts (e.g., "How would you describe the way Armand lives?", "Was Armand hungry? How do you know?", "What does Armand discover at the end of the chapter?") that require students to identify and recount key details. The Meeting Characters activity asks students to record characters' thoughts, words, and physical traits based on dialogue and actions, which has students extract supporting details about characters. The Wrapping Up prompts ask students to explain why Armand is unusual and to describe the community, which can guide summary or synthesis work about the chapter.
Lesson 3
A Discovery
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes 'Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text,' which directs students to identify central ideas and supporting information. The Reading and Questions section asks students specific comprehension questions (for example, why Armand was upset and why the children were under the bridge), prompting students to recount key details from Chapter 2. The Meeting Characters activity and the Dear Diary writing tasks require students to summarize what they learned about characters and to write about events and feelings from two perspectives, encouraging retelling of important events and facts.
Lesson 4
A Day in the City
The Skills section explicitly lists "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," signaling that students are expected to work with main ideas and details. Students read Chapter 3 and answer targeted comprehension questions that require them to recount specific details (e.g., what Armand says about pigeons, why the Christmas log tasted like medicine, what the children asked Father Christmas, and the shopkeeper's reaction). The wrapping-up discussion asks students to identify needs versus wants and to focus on the Calcet children's need for shelter, which engages students with the text's central concerns.
Lesson 5
Singing
The Skills section explicitly lists: "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text." The Reading and Questions section asks students to answer comprehension questions (Questions #1-#5) that require recounting reasons and events from the chapter. The "Working for Money" activity asks students to list the Calcet children's wants and needs, what they did to make money, and how they spent money, which requires recalling key details from the text.
Lesson 6
The Shoe
The Skills section explicitly states that students will 'Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text.' The Reading and Questions section requires students to answer comprehension questions (for example, Q1 asks why finding the shoe signified hope), which asks students to connect a detail to its meaning. Activities ask students to fill in character information and to complete a double-bubble map comparing Calcets and Gypsies, which requires recalling and organizing key details from the chapter.
Lesson 7
Among Friends
Students are asked discussion questions that require recalling story events and character actions (e.g., why Madame Calcet followed Armand, what the children thought of the Gypsies, what Suzy and Tinka learned from each other). Activity 1 asks students to record new information about characters, which prompts them to recount details. Activity 2 and the Wrapping Up discussion ask students to identify a theme (helping people in need; learning from those who are different) and to explain the meaning of Armand's quote, connecting it to community and needs/wants.
Lesson 8
Christmas Eve
Students answer specific comprehension questions that require them to recount events and details (for example: where they went for Christmas Eve, what each character noticed, what Armand did in the church). Students complete a "Meeting Characters" chart and a "Gifts" drawing that require recalling and using character details. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to describe and compare the Calcets' Christmas Eve celebration with their own, which involves summarizing events.
Lesson 9
Saying Goodbye
Students answer eight targeted comprehension questions (e.g., why Suzy was upset, why the Gypsies packed up, where Paul was when he went missing) that require them to recount key events and character motivations from Chapter 8. Students complete a "Meeting Characters" activity and a quinzaine poem about a character or homelessness, which asks them to summarize character experience in a concise form. Students complete a "Culture Commentary" page where they locate and record details about time period, people, language, and traditions and compare economic situations in Paris.
Lesson 10
A Home at Last
Students answer comprehension questions (e.g., Question #1 and #5) that require recounting key details about how Armand solved the children's problem and why his job was a good fit. In Activity 3 (Flip Book) students create labeled summary sections (Best Part, Saddest Part, Summary Part/Most Exciting Part) and illustrate events, which asks them to identify and recount important events. In Activity 4 Option 1 students draw rooms from the book and write a paragraph describing why having a home is important and what families can do when they have a home, which asks for a central idea about the importance of a home and supporting details.
Final Project
Reader's Theater
Students are asked to reread selected scenes and retell events by turning them into Reader's Theater scripts, and the Skills list explicitly includes "Retell or act out the order of important events in stories." Activities direct students to reread scenes aloud, give characters words to say, and use a narrator to tell audience details about what is happening. The rubric and writing pages prompt students to pick an important part of a scene and to review what they know about the characters before writing.
4: Relationships
Unit 1: One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest
Lesson 1
The Rain Forests
The lesson asks the child to read a book about a boy's day in the rain forest and explicitly notes that one theme is relationships, and Activity 2 asks the child to describe and illustrate relationships found in the story. The Wrapping Up section asks the child to tell what he learned about the rain forest and to explain the difference between temperate and tropical rain forests. The Skills list includes reading expository materials for answers to specific questions and using text for informational purposes.
Lesson 2
Morning in the Rain Forest
The Skills section explicitly lists "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," asking students to identify main ideas and details. Question #2 asks students to explain the meaning of a line about parts acting on each other, prompting students to explain how interactions (details) support the forest's life, and Question #5 asks why rain forests are important with supporting details (oxygen, CO2 removal, biodiversity). Activity 3 directs students to record the most important event for each time frame and compare those events, which requires recounting key details that support understanding of the day's main events.
Lesson 3
The Tree
The Skills section explicitly lists "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text." The reading questions require students to recount specific details (e.g., how plants depend on water, description of army ants, and listing plants and animals dependent on tall trees). Activity 1 asks students to record major events and add animals to a chart, and Activity 2 directs students to discuss the theme of relationships/interconnectedness and place animals around Tepui's tree based on the author's descriptions.
Lesson 4
Butterfly Search
The Skills section explicitly instructs students to "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," and students are directed to read Chapter 3 and respond to selected journal questions. Activity 1 has students record major events on a "Daily Activities" sheet, which requires recounting key details and sequencing. Wrapping Up asks the child to explain why it is important for scientists to learn more about plants and animals, prompting an explanatory response linking details to a broader idea.
Lesson 5
Rain Forest Relationships
The lesson's Skills section explicitly lists "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," and the Reading and Questions provide multiple comprehension questions that require students to recount specific details (e.g., descriptions of the butterfly, how plants battle, sloth–moth relationship). The Relationships activity asks students to describe pairs of organisms and explain how they help or harm one another, and the Plot Timelines activity has students place and summarize events to see how earlier events affect later ones. Students also are prompted to add animals and relationships to a chart and to answer reflective questions about connections they notice, which elicits recounting of details tied to broad relationship ideas.
Lesson 6
Law of the Jungle
Students are asked directly "What was the Law of the Jungle? What does it mean?" (Question #4), which prompts identification and interpretation of the chapter's central idea. Students record major events and animals/relationships on a "Rain Forest Animals Chart" and "Daily Activities" sheet, which requires recounting key details from the text. In Activity 3 students reread the page about the Law of the Jungle, illustrate or describe three examples from the story (or other animals), and are asked to explain why the law exists, linking specific details to the main idea.
Lesson 7
Helping a Friend
Students read Chapter 7 and answer focused comprehension questions that require recalling specific details (e.g., how leaf cutter ants work, why Dr. Rivero feared climbing, how Tepui and Dr. Rivero got up the tree). Students are asked to record major events on a "Daily Activities" page and add animals/relationships to a "Rain Forest Animals Chart," which prompts them to recount events and relationships. Students dramatize the tree-climbing scene, write or arrange script lines, and include stage directions, which requires them to retell the sequence of important events and reflect character actions and feelings.
Lesson 8
Persuasive Writing
Students are prompted to write organized paragraphs with explicit topic sentences and supporting reasons (Paragraph 1: topic sentence + Reason 1–3; Paragraph 2: relationships + details; Paragraph 3: treasures + details). Option 2 requires students to write a sentence that supports each idea and to add details for each reason, prompting practice in pairing main ideas with supporting details. The Editing and Revising Rubric asks students to check that paragraphs begin with an opening sentence, have supporting details, and that the opening/closing sentences state what the writer is trying to convince the reader of.
Lesson 9
A Close Call
Students are asked to read Chapters 8–10 and answer specific comprehension questions that require recounting facts and events (e.g., why Dr. Rivero climbed the tree, how Tepui stopped the bulldozers, the name of the rain forest). Students select the events they believe are most important from their "Daily Activities" page and place them on a Plot Diagram, labeling the problem, climax, falling action, and resolution. Students also record major events and categorize animals, then create a bar graph showing which groups of animals occurred most and least often in the text.
Unit 2: The Whipping Boy
Lesson 1
Medieval Times
Students are asked to explore the theme of relationships by listing people they know and comparing those relationships to the prince-and-servant relationship in the story (Activity 3). Students create a comic strip that tells the story of The Whipping Boy, illustrating a major event from each chapter as they read (Activity 6), which requires them to recount key events. Students are asked to refer back to factual information they learned about the Middle Ages and "identify information in the story that is based on historical facts" (Activity 5), which prompts connecting details to context.
Lesson 2
Jemmy and Prince Brat
Students are asked directly to identify main ideas in Question #10 (What are the main ideas of Chapters 1 and 2?) and to summarize Chapter 3 in Question #11, which requires stating central points. Students create a comic strip that requires them to illustrate and write a sentence about important events from each chapter, providing practice in recounting key details. Students write diary entries from Jemmy's and the prince's points of view using events from the story, which requires recall and selection of supporting details.
Lesson 3
The Plot Thickens
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text." After reading Chapters 4-6, students answer guided comprehension questions that require them to recount specific events and character details (for example, where Jemmy planned to hide, what happened in the foggy woods, and how the kidnappers recognized the prince). Activities ask students to sequence and retell chapter events by drawing a comic strip and to describe and represent character traits and relationships through the crest activity.
Lesson 4
A Note to the King
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," indicating students are expected to work with main ideas and details. Students read Chapters 7–9 and answer specific comprehension questions that require them to recount key events and character actions (e.g., why characters assumed Prince Brat could write, how Jemmy convinced the men). The comic-strip activity and the wrapping-up prompt ask students to summarize chapters and explain relationships in the feudal system, which require students to organize and recount information from the text.
Lesson 5
Disagreements
Students read Chapters 10–12 and answer targeted comprehension questions that ask them to recount events and character actions (e.g., how Jemmy convinced Cutwater and Hold-Your-Nose Billy, why the prince refused to go to the castle, who was sent back and why). Students complete a comic strip activity that requires summarizing each chapter's events. The wrapping-up prompts ask students to state what they learned about the two characters and to explain why their relationship is poor, encouraging explanation of reasons.
Lesson 6
In the Woods
The Skills section explicitly lists "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," indicating students are expected to identify main ideas and details. Multiple comprehension questions ask students to recount specific events and details (e.g., how Jemmy escaped, what beast he found, how they planned to make money). Activity 3 asks students to name main and supporting characters and to describe differences between Jemmy and Prince Brat, and the Wrapping Up prompts students to retell what happened and consider whether the relationship is changing.
Lesson 7
The Rescue
Students are asked, "what he learned about life in a town during medieval times," which prompts them to identify the main idea of the informational pages. As students read pages 63-65 they stop and discuss the different sites and performers in the town, which requires recounting key details. The "At Home" paragraph activity and its outline ask students to state a central idea (place where they feel comfortable) and provide three reasons and supporting details, practicing linking details to a main idea in writing.
Lesson 8
Friends
Students answer Question #7 asking how Jemmy and Prince Horace's relationship has changed, which asks them to state the central change in the story. The "Changes" activity has students list four behaviors from chapters 1-2 that show Prince Brat is mean/stubborn/selfish and four behaviors from chapters 19-20 that show he is a good person and friend, which prompts recounting of key details. The poem and "A Day in the Castle" journal entries ask students to describe and reflect on the changes, encouraging them to explain the meaning of those details in relation to the characters.
Final Project
A Monologue
Students are asked to reread specific pages (68–70 for Prince Brat; 65–66 and 79 for Jemmy) and to write monologues that reflect the characters' feelings and how relationships changed. The rubrics and content prompts require students to include specific ideas about the character's background, difficulties, and the "main message." Structured sentence starters prompt students to state beliefs, wishes, and how relationships have changed, which directs them to use details from the text.
Unit 3: Iggie's House
Lesson 1
The Move
The skills list explicitly includes "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," and the wrapping up step asks the child to "summarize the important events that happened in Chapter 1." Activity 1 has students discuss the theme of friendship, list five important characteristics of a good friend, and write a sentence explaining why each characteristic is important. The Reading Questions and the Reactions Chart require students to recount events and characters' reactions from specific chapters.
Lesson 2
Meeting the Neighbors
Students are asked to "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text" in the Skills section, signaling an expectation to identify main ideas. Students read Chapter 2 and answer guided comprehension questions (Questions #1–#9) that require recounting reasons and specific details from the chapter. Students complete a Reactions Chart and respond to Wrapping Up prompts that ask them to describe Winnie's actions and explain why those actions were rude or inconsiderate, which practices recounting key details.
Lesson 3
The Softball Game
The Skills section explicitly lists "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," indicating students are asked to identify important ideas and details. The introduction asks students to think about what Winnie does to be a good friend, and Question #7 asks, "Is Winnie being a good friend? Why or why not?", prompting students to recount details and give reasons. The Wrap-Up and Activities (Reactions Chart, reading questions, and the prompt to describe the softball game) require students to retell events and cite specifics from the chapter.
Lesson 4
A New Dog
Students answer targeted comprehension questions about Chapter 4 that require them to recount events and reasons (for example, why Winnie tears up letters, why Mrs. Landon came, and what surprise the Garbers had). Students are asked to summarize the events of Chapter 4, fill in a Reactions Chart, and write a paragraph about a pet, all of which involve recalling and describing key details from the chapter.
Lesson 5
A Visit from Germs
The lesson explicitly lists the skill "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text." Multiple comprehension questions (e.g., Questions #1, #3, #4, #7) ask students to recount specific events and details from Chapter 5. The wrapping-up prompts ask students to describe what Winnie did to be a good friend and to discuss reactions to Mrs. Landon's actions, which invites summarizing central events and possible central messages.
Lesson 6
A New Petition
The lesson's Skills list explicitly tells students to "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," and opening and wrapping-up prompts ask students to "summarize the important events" and "summarize what happened in the chapter." Guided questions require students to recount specific details (for example, why Winnie thought the Garbers would hate her, why she went to the pool, and to describe the petition). The Character Circle Maps ask students to select descriptive words for characters and to "support his ideas with evidence from the text (events, character's actions, and words)."
Lesson 7
The Swim Club
Students answer specific comprehension questions about characters (e.g., how Big Red felt about the Garbers, why Mr. Berger did or did not sign the petition) and are asked in Wrapping Up to "describe what happened to Winnie at her aunt's Swim Club," which requires recounting events. Students complete a Reactions Chart recording how characters responded to events and write sentences in the Friendship House activity describing friendships, providing practice in identifying and recounting key details. The lesson also prompts discussion questions about how relationships and personalities affect people, which can focus students on central ideas about character interactions.
Lesson 8
Moving
The lesson's Skills section explicitly states that students should "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text." Several guided comprehension questions require students to recount specific events and reasons (e.g., how Winnie felt and why, why Herbie was rude, what Winnie did to Herbie), which asks students to retrieve key details. The wrapping-up discussion prompt about how people who are different can have things in common invites students to talk about a central idea or theme of the chapter.
Lesson 9
A Letter
Students are given a "Planning My Letter" organizer that labels the main idea for each paragraph and asks them to write a topic sentence, multiple supporting details, and a concluding sentence. Directions tell students to "use events that occurred in the story" when composing their topic and support sentences, and Paragraph 2 and Paragraph 3 prompts require students to recount specific story details (Glenn, Herbie, Tina; the petition, parents' response, actions to help). The letter rubric asks students to include examples and descriptive words, which encourages use of concrete supporting details.
Lesson 10
I Have a Dream
Students read an excerpt of "I Have a Dream" and are asked direct comprehension questions such as "What was Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream?" and "What does 'all men are created equal' mean?". After reading Chapter 9 students are prompted to answer journal questions about plot details (e.g., why Winnie would run to Iggie, what Glenn and Herbie told Winnie). The wrapping-up prompts ask students to state what they learned about Martin Luther King Jr. and how Winnie might help King's dream come true.
Lesson 11
The End
The Facts and Definitions section defines theme as the main idea/author's message and the Introduction prompts the child to name and describe the main characters and the problem, supporting identification of main idea. Question #10 explicitly asks the child to state what they think the author's message was, and the Reactions Chart activity asks the child to remember major events, prompting recounting of key details. The Book in a Bag activity asks the child to select items to represent the main idea (theme) and to pull out each item and describe why she selected it, requiring explanation of how chosen details represent the theme.
Final Project
Character Interviews
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," which directs students to identify central ideas and supporting facts. Students are instructed to "include events in the story in his answers" and to "use events in the story as you developed your questions and answers," which asks students to select details from the text when responding. The rubric asks whether students "develop good interview questions" and whether "one of your questions ask about a relationship" and whether they "use events in the story," tying student-produced questions and answers to story content and theme.