Students are asked to read a literary nonfiction article and identify the author's thesis and supporting points (Activity 1; Student Activity Page asks for "Author's main argument/thesis" and "Key points that support the thesis"). Students annotate the article, mark doubts or questions, and record reactions and a final evaluation of the writer's view (instructions to annotate, record reactions, and "evaluate the writer's view and decide their final opinion"). The Parent Plan lists a related skill: "Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text."

Students are asked to read two opinion articles (one supportive and one critical) about Bob Dylan's 2016 Nobel Prize and to read Dylan's lyrics or view performances. They are instructed to "consider both sides of the debate" and then write at least a one-page, typed, double-spaced response arguing whether Dylan deserved the prize and to "explain your reasons." The lesson provides links to nonfiction articles for students to use as sources in developing their argument.

Students examine front matter, back matter, and catalog records to gather "evidence about the book's accuracy" and are asked to "support your comparison with specific examples." Students read part of an interview with Patricia McCormick and are asked to consider what role she had in writing I Am Malala and whether that role affects the book's classification. The Student Activity Page prompts students to compare themes, viewpoints, and evidence about a book's accuracy when deciding if a title is biography, autobiography, or memoir.

Students are asked to use the APE strategy (Answer, Prove, Extend) to analyze decisions made by Malala or her father, requiring them to provide quotations or specific examples as proof. The Parent Plan specifies that the "prove" section should include a quotation with a page number and the "extend" section should explain how the quote supports the answer. Students must discuss whether they think the decision was correct and explain their opinion, which prompts them to justify claims with textual evidence.

Students are asked to compare Malala's book account with a filmmaker's video, taking notes on differences in focus, portrayal of her father, and the media's role (Activity 1 prompts students to consider whether the book and video differ on the father's role and how the filmmaker frames media influence). The Parent Plan skills list 'integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats' and 'analyze various accounts...determining which details are emphasized,' which directs students to evaluate differing claims across texts. The wrap-up/discussion questions ask students to consider whether Malala's father or the media bear responsibility for making her a target, prompting assessment of competing claims and interpretations.

Students read substantial portions of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and answer focused questions about its arguments (e.g., listing the four steps to a nonviolent campaign and identifying the most persuasive argument and why). Students complete a "Just and Unjust Laws -- Double Entry Diary" in which they underline excerpts of King's letter, state whether they agree with his reasoning, and describe their own opinions. Students also complete a "People of the Past" activity that requires identifying historical figures King references, which supports analysis of his rhetorical comparisons.

Students compare and annotate paired excerpts from Thoreau and King in the "MLK and 'Civil Disobedience'" activity, highlighting similar claims and writing overlapping ideas. In Activity 2 students read opposing quotes on America, government, and voting, decide which author they agree with, and explain how their views align using the provided quotations. Homework and wrap-up questions ask students to read excerpts from "Civil Disobedience" and cite textual evidence to answer questions such as why Thoreau lacks confidence in government and whether he advocates overthrow, prompting students to draw evidence from the texts.

Students read and annotate Elie Wiesel's speech and complete short-answer questions that ask them to find and cite specific quotes that support claims (for example, finding a quote that supports Wiesel advising students to pay attention in history). Students analyze Wiesel's rhetorical choices by identifying metaphors and explaining why he mentions that some perpetrators were "lovers of art and poetry," and they paraphrase key claims in their own words. Students also locate a statement Wiesel makes that could be a "universal truth" and write paragraphs comparing that claim with quotations from other human-rights advocates (Malala, MLK, or Thoreau).

Students are asked to use the APE strategy (Answer, Prove, Extend) on homework, which requires them to Prove their claim by selecting and integrating a quotation from the text. Activity 1 explicitly teaches methods for blending quotations and the Student Activity Page asks students to introduce a specific quotation from Chapter 5 and to practice citing it in context. Discussion and wrap-up prompts ask students to judge whether the author's explanation of his memory is believable and to consider how accurate the author's memories might be, prompting evaluation of a claim in the nonfiction narrative.

The Parent Plan Skills section explicitly lists: "Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning." Activity 1 (The Truth about Memoirs) asks students to write a journal response weighing supporters' and detractors' claims about Beah's accuracy and to consider specific factual discrepancies (e.g., the timeline of the Mattru Jong attack). Activity 2 (Different Accounts) directs students to record and compare claims and supporting details from the book and from a video, citing examples or quotes for discussion.

Students are asked to reread the lieutenant's speech (p. 123) and the RUF child's conversation (p. 134) and to consider whether the lieutenant's analysis of the two sides is accurate. In Activity 1 (Option 1) students compare listed war crimes and mark whether the government army committed each crime, providing supporting examples or quotations from the text. In Activity 1 (Option 2) students must state a conclusion about the conduct of the two sides and provide examples or quotations from the book to support that conclusion.

Students are asked to compare the authors' use of rhetoric and to consider how an author's style can persuade readers, and they answer directed questions about each memoir's purpose and what the author wants to persuade readers to believe. The activity page and wrap-up prompt students to judge whether each writer was effective in persuading the reader and to analyze how rhetoric advances the author's point of view. The Parent Plan skills explicitly list "Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis" and "Determine an author's point of view or purpose...and analyze how an author uses rhetoric."

Students are instructed to choose one of the unit texts as a possible research source and to develop a thesis supported by three key facts drawn from researched sources. The lesson requires students to evaluate sources for credibility and timeliness (e.g., favoring .edu/.gov, warning about Wikipedia, and advising assessment of when statistics were gathered). The rubric and activities require students to present facts as quotes, paraphrases, or summaries with appropriate citations and to ensure facts are presented correctly to support the thesis.

Students are directed to review the Nonfiction unit and to understand various types of nonfiction texts and the differences between quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. Students are asked to explain relationships among nonfiction authors and texts (for example, how Malala Yousafzai and Ishmael Beah used their experiences) and to discuss the controversy about accuracy in A Long Way Gone and how memoir genre affects that debate. Part V gives students explicit practice introducing and correctly quoting text and paraphrasing passages from Wordsworth.

The "Questions to Discuss" section presents Graff's pronouncements and asks students how they would react, prompting students to note that Graff's statements are oversimplified or manipulative. Teacher notes model identifying misinformation (e.g., that no single person invented the wheel, Graff's "for all we know" claim about enemy numbers) and suggest students may accuse Graff of lying or manipulation. The discussion prompts thus engage students in spotting false statements and evaluating the reasoning behind character assertions.

Students read informational resources about John Locke and Demosthenes and watch a short presentation, then write a journal entry linking those nonfiction personalities to the novel characters. The lesson asks students to consider questions such as "How can you determine whether the things authority figures tell you are true?" and to match and apply famous quotable claims about leadership to characters, requiring students to interpret claims from historical figures.

Students read a Forbes article (literary nonfiction) for homework and complete the "Leadership Lessons: Forbes Four" activity by labeling and writing one- to two-sentence summaries of four leadership lessons from the article. Students choose one lesson and describe how they would apply it to their own life, showing engagement with the article's claims. The lesson also asks students to consider questions about authority, truth, and whether fear can be used to gain power, prompting reflection on credibility and persuasive claims.

The Parent Plan lists skills asking students to determine an author's point of view or purpose and to analyze how an author uses rhetoric, and to analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas. Activity 1 directs students to explore the Introduction's purpose, identify Gladwell's use of analogy (the Roseto study), and answer questions about how these strategies help define 'outlier.' The homework questions ask students to explain causal claims from the chapter (e.g., why the birthday cutoff date affects success) and to apply the chapter's principle to education, which requires drawing evidence from the text.

Students are asked to translate and re-present quantitative information from the text (Option 1 asks students to recreate birth-month charts; Option 2 asks students to sketch a graphic representing TIMSS findings). Students answer questions that require identifying and summarizing claims from the text (homework Q2 asks them to explain the claim 'Achievement is talent plus preparation'; Q4 asks them to connect the 10,000-hour rule to sports examples). The Parent Plan explicitly states that students should cite strong textual evidence and determine central ideas, which indicates practice locating supporting evidence.

Students are asked to summarize and analyze Sections 1–3 with the "Looking Closely" page, including questions about how Gladwell introduces Bill Joy, why Joy is omitted from Section 2, and how the sections are structured. The Parent Plan lists skills students will practice: citing strong textual evidence, analyzing how an author unfolds ideas, determining an author's point of view or purpose, and analyzing how an author's claims are developed and refined. The Wrapping Up and Discussion questions ask students to judge whether Gladwell credits talent, opportunity, or luck, prompting students to use text-based reasoning.

Students are asked to read the chapter closely (including footnotes) and answer specific comprehension questions about the chapter's claims (e.g., the pattern of violence, the definition of a "culture of honor," and the Michigan experiment). The Parent Plan explicit skills list instructs students to "cite strong and thorough textual evidence" and to "draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research." The homework asks students to do brief research about local settlers and to write an informal journal reflection, which requires drawing on informational sources and reflecting on influences.

Students read Chapter 7 of Outliers and a critical blog post (Activity 4) and are asked to identify the blog author's primary objections to Gladwell's claims. In Activity 5 students either (Option 1) prepare and orally present the blog's main objections and evaluate which are strongest or weakest and whether the author's information is trustworthy, or (Option 2) complete a chart that lists each criticism, Gladwell's response, and an evaluation of the response's effectiveness. The unit explicitly asks students to note which criticisms Gladwell did not address and to judge whether his responses adequately defend his claims.

Students read multiple sections of Outliers and answer comprehension questions that require summarizing the author's claims (e.g., why Asian students learn counting/fractions faster, the role of rice farming, and the 10,000-hour idea). Students are asked in the Wrapping Up and Homework prompts to consider whether Gladwell's goal was to inform or persuade and to respond to prompts about Gladwell's arguments (e.g., the role of talent, preparation, opportunity, and the 10,000-hour rule). The Parent Plan and project directions ask students to 'draw evidence from literary or informational texts' and to produce an infographic that condenses or clarifies information from the text, which requires selecting supporting material from the reading.

Students read Lincoln's "Second Inaugural Address" and identify rhetorical strategies such as tone, organization of ideas, and word choice. Students complete an activity chart requiring them to quote the speech, name literary devices (parallelism, antithesis, allusion), and explain the intended effect on the audience. The Parent Plan lists skills students will practice including determining an author's point of view/purpose, analyzing how ideas or claims are developed, and citing strong textual evidence.

Students compare secondary-source claims to primary-source testimony by completing a graphic organizer that links specific secondary claims (e.g., flags signifying peace, numbers and demographics of the dead) to supporting excerpts from eyewitness testimony (John S. Smith, Robert Brent). Students analyze Col. Chivington's sworn testimony in the "Primary Falsehoods" activity, extracting quotes and evaluating their truthfulness and motives. Students read pro-Chivington editorials and are asked to write an editorial using facts from the sources to challenge those arguments, which requires identifying and countering claims and supporting evidence.

Students are asked to cite specific textual evidence and to explain how the author supports two explicit claims (noncontact forces are invisible; centripetal force is often called a fictitious force) on the Investigating Claims page. The Parent Plan skills list requires students to "assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence an author presents supports his or her scientific analysis" and to "assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author's claim." Students also evaluate methods the author uses to explain terms and judge audience appropriateness, which requires examining relevance and sufficiency of supporting details.

Students identify and label specific informal fallacies (ad hominem, slippery slope, bandwagon, straw man, non-sequitur, hasty generalization, false dilemma) using examples from videos, a Fallacy Bank activity, and short text examples. Students read and annotate Andrew Jackson's speech (or other political statements) to highlight at least three weak arguments and defend which fallacies they associate with each selection. Students analyze Lou Gehrig's speech and other short speeches to identify ethos, pathos, and logos and to explain how specific examples and statements support or fail to support the speaker's thesis.

Students are prompted to locate and analyze at least five high-quality sources (Part 3) and to record quotes/ideas from those sources and reflect on how each piece of evidence influences their thinking using the "Present the Evidence" activity (Part 6). The lesson explicitly instructs students to note when sources contradict one another and to treat those contradictions as arguments and counterarguments to be evaluated (Part 4). The Credibility and Content section (Part 5) directs students to evaluate author qualifications, publisher, purpose, bias, accuracy, relevance, and currency of online sources, and homework includes videos on misleading statistics and graphs to help students identify fallacious or misleading reasoning. The classical argument and concession/refutation activities require students to state opposing claims and then rebut them, and the rubric assesses content development including counterargument and use of evidence.

Students read excerpts from Lorraine Hansberry's autobiographical collection To Be Young, Gifted and Black and answer guided questions that ask them to relate those nonfiction passages to characters and themes in A Raisin in the Sun. One question asks students to evaluate how a Hansberry quotation applies to the play and whether the playwright succeeds at her own artistic claim, prompting evaluative writing about a nonfiction passage. The Reader Response Paragraph task requires students to provide evidence and use the APE (Answer, Prove, Extend) method, which directs students to cite textual evidence to support analytical points.

The lesson directs students to review the Informational Texts unit, explicitly stating they must understand ideas in Outliers, how writers persuade using logos, pathos, and ethos, and what logical fallacies are. Multiple assessment items ask students to identify fallacies (e.g., an ad-hominem attack), explain straw man and bandwagon arguments, and explain mitigated speech. Discussion prompt F asks students to evaluate whether Outliers is informational or persuasive and to consider criticisms of the chapter "The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes," requiring analysis of the author's reasoning and use of evidence. The exam also asks students to evaluate source credibility for research purposes, which relates to judging evidence relevance and reliability.