HOMESCHOOL AND DISTANCE LEARNING
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1: Environment and Cycles

Unit 1

Unit 1: The Wanderer

Students are directed to use the provided web links to research either Ireland or England and to locate the countries on a map, indicating use of the Internet for information gathering. Students are asked to write a message on a postcard, address it, and mail it to a friend or relative, showing production of written work and interaction with others (via physical mail). Parents are encouraged to help students locate additional websites after the student selects a country, reinforcing student use of online resources.
Students are instructed to type their final copy on the computer, double-space the text, and indent paragraphs. Students are prompted to share their personal narrative with their family and to meet with a parent for a conference about their writing, providing an element of interaction. The Parent Plan includes a web link to online typing/keyboard resources and encourages students to use online keyboarding tools and games to strengthen typing skills.
Unit 2

Unit 2: The People of Sparks

Students are asked to watch The City of Ember via streaming or an online rental service and parents are directed to locate the movie on services such as Google Play or Amazon, showing use of the Internet for media access. Students are instructed to read and/or watch movie reviews online to better understand what to include in their review, and two web links (Scholastic News Review and Rotten Tomatoes) are provided as Internet resources. Students are asked to write or perform a movie review, which involves producing a written response after using online materials.
Students are invited to create a short performance that "can be live or can be recorded and shown to an audience," indicating they may use recording technology. The Parent Plan notes that a technically savvy child "may choose to splice together different scenes from movies or short cartoons... You can often find short cartoons on YouTube," which references using the Internet and basic media editing.
Students are prompted to use web sites as research sources: instructions say to "visit a variety of websites" and to "use web sites, books from your local library, or other research sources" when gathering information. Students are also allowed to "copy from the Internet and paste" images into their newspaper report, and parent notes repeatedly encourage helping the child locate information online.
Unit 3

Unit 3: Short Stories

Students are instructed to use provided web links (NASA and ESA pages) to research Mars and to record facts in their journal, showing explicit use of the Internet for gathering information. The activity asks students to use online resources and to write an acrostic poem about Mars, connecting web-based research to a written product.

2: Force and Power

Unit 1

Unit 1: Bull Run

Students are directed to use specific web links in Activity 2 and Activity 5 to research the statehood process and the Battle of Bull Run, indicating Internet use for gathering information. The lesson instructs students to record findings in a journal and on color-coded note cards, showing they use online sources as references for written work. Multiple web URLs are provided explicitly for student reference.
Unit 2

Unit 2: Albert Einstein

The activity instructions tell students to "Research the life of Isaac Newton online or in an encyclopedia" and provide two web links (gardenofpraise.com and BBC) for that research. The parent notes also explicitly state the child can "find information online" and encourages recording important information on note cards to support writing a bio-poem.
Students are directed to use the Beyond Roots website (https://www.movingbeyondthepage.com/roots/) to play online games (Memory, Root Recall, Go Root!) and to access quiz links. Students are explicitly told to take the Beyond Roots Set 2 A quiz and, after scoring 80% or higher, take the Set 2 B quiz; they are instructed to review and retake the A quiz if they score below 80%. The parent plan also suggests that a parent or older sibling can play the Root Recall or Go Root! game with the child, indicating web-based interaction for practice.
Unit 3

Unit 3: Number the Stars

The activity asks students to "use the Internet or other resources to find information about the Jewish people and the Jewish religion," and to fill in information on a menorah graphic organizer, which requires students to record researched information. The Reading and Questions section requires students to write four discussion questions about Chapters 5 and 6 and then go over the questions with a parent, showing explicit instruction to produce written questions. These items explicitly direct students to gather information online and to produce written responses.
Students are directed to use specific websites (National Museum of Denmark and BBC) and other trusted online sources to research Denmark's role in World War II. Students are instructed to print pictures from the Internet, look for memorable quotations, and include web links or source titles/authors to credit used quotations and images. Students are warned to put information in their own words to avoid plagiarism and to record sources for quotations and pictures.
Students are directed to an "Online Holocaust Museum Center" square (with a laptop image) that implies use of the Internet. Students are assigned written tasks in several squares (e.g., researching and writing an essay, writing an article, creating a book jacket) and are asked to "present findings in a specified format" and to "analyze various media venues." Students are also asked to share products with family, which could involve presenting or publishing their work.

3: Change

Unit 1

Unit 1: Tuck Everlasting

Students are asked to produce a multimedia presentation as noted in the Parent Plan Skills and to create either a two-page print ad (with the option to create some text on the computer) or a 30-second commercial that they film and edit with a video camera. The commercial option directs students to write a script, gather props, rehearse, and have someone record and edit the video, showing use of recording and editing technology.
Unit 2

Unit 2: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Activity 2 explicitly tells students they may "write your letter in your journal or type it on the computer to make it more authentic," and provides a formal letter template that students can follow when composing that letter. The parent plan and activity instructions prompt students to produce a 6–10 sentence formal letter and mention typing as an option.
Students are directed to use the Puzzlemaker website to create a vocabulary crossword by selecting words, locating definitions, and entering each word and its definition in Step 4. Students are instructed to print the crossword and solve it from memory, which requires entering text into an online tool and producing a digital artifact.
Students are instructed to make four slides using PowerPoint or an online slideshow tool and are given a web link to online slideshow resources. Students use a PowerPoint Organizer to plan slide content, include bullet points, charts/diagrams, and graphics, and are asked to develop visuals that support their presentation. Students practice and deliver the presentation to family members and receive feedback using a provided Presentation Rubric.
Unit 3

Unit 3: The Giver

The Parent Plan Skills section explicitly tells students to use a dictionary, glossary, or thesaurus (printed or electronic) to determine meanings, syllabication, pronunciations, alternate word choices, and parts of speech. Students are also asked to write sentences, vocabulary webs, and multi-sentence historical explanations on the provided activity pages, which are explicit writing tasks.
The lesson tells students to "Pick four of the acronyms listed and, using a dictionary or the Internet, write out what each acronym stands for," and earlier instructs students to "look up their meaning to see if you were right!" Students are also asked to write letters, poems, and journal entries as part of activities.
Activity 2 asks students to find an online art gallery, locate paintings with dominant colors, and right-click to copy images and paste them into a Word document for printing. The lesson includes specific web links and instructs students to use the Internet and a word processor to collect and assemble images.
The lesson provides a web link to storyboard examples (https://boords.com/storyboard-examples) and explicitly tells students they "might print a painting you find on the Internet" to represent a memory, showing use of the Internet and printing. The final-chapter option requires students to produce a written chapter of 3-5 pages, which aligns with the quantity expectation in the standard.

4: Systems and Interaction

Unit 1

Unit 1: Esperanza Rising

Students are directed to use provided web links to find Great Depression photos and instructed to "right-click, choose 'Copy Image,' and then paste the image into a word processing or presentation/slideshow software" so they can resize and print images for a photo journal. Students are also told to use an online atlas or web map links to locate and label geographic places for the Setting Map activity. The photo journal requires students to assemble pages, create a cover, and staple the sheets together after incorporating images sourced from the Internet.
Unit 2

Unit 2: The Tree That Time Built

Students are directed to use Internet resources: two web links (Dinosaur Videos and a National Geographic video) are provided for students to watch. Students are also instructed to "read examples of obituaries in your local newspaper or online" as part of researching their chosen prehistoric animal for Activity 2. The Student Activity Page asks students to fill in details and save their obituary for a final project.
Students are asked to "find the hyphen on a computer keyboard" in the Things to Review section, which requires them to locate a specific key. The lesson also asks students to "record your poem on a blank sheet of paper," but contains no other explicit directions to use computers, the Internet, or digital tools for composing, publishing, or collaborating.
Unit 3

Unit 3: Secret of the Andes

Students are asked to locate pictures of the Andes and Peru and "You can print pictures from the Internet to use on your collage," which requires them to use the Internet to find and print images. Students are also directed to "research some of the wildflowers in your state" and the Parent Plan notes that the child may need help locating websites/books, indicating use of online research. These tasks require students to use technology for locating and retrieving content.
The lesson asks students to read web links about llamas and to make a five-slide slideshow presentation to "share with young children," and it includes a link to online presentation and slideshow tools. The Parent Plan explicitly notes that if students are not familiar with slideshow programs, an adult may help them through the first slides, implying use of presentation software. The llama slideshow requirement asks for 2–3 sentences or bullet points per slide and emphasizes visual engagement and use of pictures.