HOMESCHOOL AND DISTANCE LEARNING
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1: Semester 1

Unit 1

Unit 1: The Pearl

Students are directed to research the life of John Steinbeck using the three provided website links (nobelprize.org, notablebiographies.com, steinbeck.org) and to read those online biographies. Students then answer specific biographical and thematic questions on the "John Steinbeck" activity page based on their online reading.
The lesson explicitly directs students to use specific websites (e.g., Britannica, golapaz.com, and several pearl-diving links) and an encyclopedia to locate information, and it tells students to use at least one book as a reference. Students are asked to take notes on note cards, organize information, and produce a travel brochure or a one-page scripted oral presentation with visual aids. Students are also instructed to give their presentation to their family, practicing delivery and use of visual supports.
Students are instructed to "type the final copy of your parable," which requires use of a computer or word processor. The skills list includes "Produce final drafts/presentations that demonstrate accurate spelling and the correct use of punctuation, capitalization, and format," indicating students will create a polished digital final product.
Unit 2

Unit 2: A Girl Named Disaster

Students are directed to peruse specific web links (a Mozambique country report, BBC News country profile, and a satellite map) for about ten minutes to learn more about Mozambique. Students click and examine the online map link to locate Mozambique and geographic features such as Lake Cabora Bassa and the Zambezi River. Students use a journal role (Cultural Commentator) to record observations after reading, drawing on the information they gather.
The lesson asks students to try "invisible writing" by creating a new document in a word processing program, using a bulleted list, typing for a timed period, and printing what they wrote. It provides an online link to a Cluster Diagram PDF and tells students they can type in the ovals, save, and/or print the completed diagram. Students are encouraged to use a computer and word processing software when generating and recording ideas for their personal narrative.
Students are asked to produce a written product (an 8–10 sentence museum plaque or a multi-page guidebook with 1–2 sentences per animal). The guidebook option explicitly instructs students to "print a picture from the Internet to paste on each page," and the plaque option directs students to "glue printed pictures or draw pictures" in the provided spaces. Students therefore use the Internet to obtain images and create a tangible published product (a plaque or stapled/assembled book).
The lesson explicitly tells students to "consider recording yourself talking about what you want to say" and to play back the recording, which directs students to use audio-recording technology while drafting. The lesson includes two Internet Web Links (African Calabash Collection and Joy in Ghana) that students can access for background information or inspiration about calabash art.
Students are instructed to create a new document in a word processing program, save the file with a clear name, set double-spacing, indent paragraphs, save periodically, and print the document (Activity 2 and Day 2). Students are guided to use the word processor's spelling checker and to make corrections in the electronic file, saving new versions after revision (Activity 4 and Day 2). The lesson provides a web link to the Purdue OWL proofreading page as an online resource to consult while checking errors (Activity 6).
The lesson's skills list explicitly asks students to "support opinions in verbal presentations with detailed evidence and with visual or media displays that use appropriate technology," and Part 1 asks students to gather materials and design visual aids or props (which could include media). The parent checklist also notes the speaker should use visual aids or props at appropriate times, implying students create and use technological media to enhance a presentation.
Unit 3

Unit 3: The Hobbit

Students are directed to two specific web links (tolkiensociety.org and kids.britannica.com) to read biographies of J.R.R. Tolkien. In Option 2 students are asked to "print images from the Internet" to include on a collage. Option 1 asks students to read online articles and write five interview questions and three items to share about the future based on those sources.
The lesson's Option 2 asks students to create a quiz on a sheet of paper or on the computer and explicitly suggests using free online quiz makers such as Sporcle, Quizlet, or Typeform. The option requires the quiz taker to decide whether each sentence is a fragment, so students can publish their quiz online and have others take it; the parent notes also instruct assisting the child in setting up a free online account.
The activities ask students to look through a variety of sources "on the Internet and in newspapers and magazines" and to use a camera to take pictures of community examples (Option 1). Option 2 instructs students to look online, in books, and in newspapers or magazines and to record examples in a journal. Students are asked to collect specific numbers of online and print examples and to share findings with a parent.
Students are given a specific web link to C.S. Lewis's 1937 review and instructed to read early reviews/responses to The Hobbit. Students summarize the literary critics' responses in their journals and identify whether responses are positive or negative, describing literary elements the reviewers mention.
Students are explicitly instructed to "Type the final copy of your paper," which requires using technology to produce writing. The unit includes steps for editing, revising, and using templates and outlines that students could complete before typing the final version.
Unit 4

Unit 4: A Single Shard

Students are asked to add any new information they learn to their "Elements of Korean Culture" page, indicating a place to record findings. The pottery activity includes an explicit web link (Types of Clay for Pottery - The Main Clay Types) and directs students to follow that link to investigate clay, showing use of the Internet for research. The kimchi recipe and activity pages provide step-by-step digital-style instructions that students can follow, implying use of online activity pages.
Students are instructed to research Linda Sue Park using provided web links and to watch video interviews, taking notes in their journal. After researching, students answer questions on a printed "Linda Sue Park" page and write a short paragraph about how the author's experiences influenced her writing. The lesson explicitly provides Internet URLs for students to use during their research.
The lesson asks students to "type your own short story" (about 1/2 to 1 typed page), which requires producing writing via a computer. The lesson provides explicit web links (three URLs) and directs students to "visit the following websites" and read folktales online, which involves using the Internet as a source. Option 2 asks students to devise a quiz and have a friend or family member take it, which involves interacting with another person around their writing product.
Students are instructed to type the final draft of their essay (Activity 8), which requires using word-processing software. The Parent Plan skills explicitly state that students should "create documents by using word-processing skills and publishing programs; develop simple databases and spreadsheets to manage information and prepare reports." A web link is provided that students can use to create online flashcards, indicating students may use the Internet for study and to create digital content.
Unit 5

Unit 5: Independent Study

Students are directed to find sources and answer research questions (Steps to Independent Study: "Find sources of information to answer your research questions" and "Record information to answer your research questions"). The lesson provides an explicit Internet source for students to read (the CNN Dakota Access Pipeline link) and the Parent Plan requires students to use at least four different types of resources and suggests searching news sites for current information. The rubrics ask students to demonstrate a research process and use a note-taking method.
Students are prompted to search a variety of resources including the Internet (e.g., "Which topic will be easiest to find information from various sources (print, video, Internet, etc.)?" and "one of the features of the project is to search a variety of resources…such as print, Internet, interview, and video"). The skills list explicitly includes use of a computer catalog as part of the formal research process. Students complete KWM and question-refinement activities that direct them to gather information from multiple sources.
Students are instructed to bookmark webpages and copy/paste URLs into a Works Cited page and to create a gathering grid or note-card template on the computer to organize research. Students practice formatting MLA citations, complete sample Works Cited entries (including an online article with URL and access date), and are given a Purdue OWL link for MLA guidance. Students evaluate websites for purpose, authority, currency, and objectivity and record sources on a Blank Works Cited page while researching.
Students are instructed to type their final copy on the computer, use spell-check, choose appropriate fonts and formatting, and print a final copy, showing use of technology to produce writing. The Parent Plan cites using "online information searches" as sources and directs students to compile research and use an appropriate form of documentation (e.g., bibliography, works cited). Students are told to ask another person to proofread their essay and give feedback, indicating an expectation of interaction or collaboration on their writing.
Students are asked to create technology-based presentation products such as a movie ("Using moviemaker software or a video camera, create a film"), a slideshow or digital story, and a PowerPoint presentation. Students plan and produce these digital artifacts using the provided "Plan for Creating Visual Aid" template and are instructed to practice referencing the visual aid during an oral presentation. The Parent Plan skills list also states that students should synthesize research into an oral presentation and use an appropriate form of documentation (e.g., bibliography, works cited).

2: Semester 2

Unit 1

Unit 1: Greek Myths

Students are given web links (Beyond Roots II, playwriting format PDF, and an Orpheus adaptation) and are told to print out the script-format document, which requires them to access the Internet. Students are instructed that they can type their skit or handwrite it, and they are directed to online games and quizzes via a provided URL. These elements show students accessing technology and online resources to support their writing tasks.
Students are instructed to type the final copy of their myth, which requires using a computer. The skills list tells students to revise final drafts in response to feedback from peers and teacher and to publish written work for appropriate audiences. A web link to the Unit Review Sheet and the suggestion to retake online quizzes indicate students may access resources on the Internet.
Unit 2

Unit 2: Tales from the Middle Ages

The lesson provides a Web Link to Purdue OWL's 'Sentence Punctuation Patterns' and instructs students to read that webpage to review punctuation and sentence forms. The lesson lists the link URL and description, indicating that students are expected to use the Internet as a resource for their writing-related work.
Students are directed to two web resources (Purdue OWL "Changing Passive to Active Voice" and an online passive/active quiz) and, in Option 1, are instructed to type their revised sentences into the quiz site and compare their answers to the site's responses. Students are asked to locate sentences in the book and use the online exercises to practice converting passive constructions to active voice. The activity page also asks students to create and convert sentences, which can be checked against online examples.
Unit 3

Unit 3: The Prince and the Bard

Students are given explicit computer guidance for producing ellipses (e.g., typing dot-space-dot-space-dot, PC shortcut Ctrl-Alt-period, Mac option-semicolon), which requires use of a word processor or computer input. Students are asked to imagine and create a very short (30-second or less) video message from the flower to the little prince and to perform that message, indicating production of a digital media artifact.
Students are asked to use italics and underlining when typing and are told to get help with formatting in the word-processing program they use. The student activity asks students to complete an 'Italics' page that requires them to format titles and emphasize words in typed responses. Examples in the lesson reference an online source (No Fear Shakespeare website), showing familiarity with web-based works.
Students are instructed to "copy the section from the website, paste it into a document, and then print it out," which requires them to use the Internet and a word processor. Students are asked to make notes on the printed document and to write a short paragraph about the scene, demonstrating use of technology to produce a written draft. Students are also directed to perform the scene for a parent or family and to discuss the performance, showing interaction related to the activity (though not explicitly via technology).
Unit 4

Unit 4: Newton at the Center

Students are given the option to create a slideshow using PowerPoint for their oral presentation, which requires producing a digital presentation product. The Parent Plan includes a specific web link (Diagrammer Guide) that students or parents can use online to check sentence diagrams, showing an Internet resource is provided. Students are instructed to take notes including page numbers as they read, which records source locations for their answers and examples.
Students are directed to read a NASA webpage (link provided) and to view online videos on the floating ball experiment, and to use the 'Demonstrating Lift' page to take notes. Students are asked to create a numbered list of instructions for a demonstration and to complete a Student Activity Page with sections for Materials, Procedure, and Conclusions. The lesson provides explicit web links and asks students to use those online resources as part of their work.
Students are directed to use Internet resources for research (links to Britannica, WikiArt, the Met, GenerationGenius, and a Diagrammer Guide) and to print images from the Metropolitan Museum site. The lesson explicitly suggests using a word-processing program or a slideshow program to create a timeline or chart for the tense graphic. Students are also asked to use an online tool (Yeschat.ai) to check a sentence diagram, and to share the sidebar they created with a parent.
The Parent Plan instructs: "If she is familiar with outlining, encourage her to create her outline on blank paper or a computer," which explicitly lets students use a computer to produce an outline. The instructions also tell students to "make a final copy of your essay" after revising, which directs students to produce a finished written product.
Unit 5

Unit 5: British Poetry

Students are instructed to review a specific web page (Purdue OWL: https://owl.purdue.edu/...) to check capitalization rules, which requires using the Internet to gather writing guidance. Students are also told to print their finished poem and paste it into the "Sonnets and Rhymes" page or write it neatly by hand, which involves using a printer to produce a published copy of their writing.
Activity 2 provides a web link (https://www.royal.uk/prince-albert) and directs students to read an online biography of Prince Albert. Students are asked to choose a line from Tennyson and a prose statement from that website and write the two statements on the "Prince Albert Remembered" page, using the online material as a source. The Wrapping Up section tells students they may 'reprint your poem' or change a handwritten copy, indicating some interaction with printed output.
Students are instructed to take photographs with a camera on a nature walk and to review and use those photos as inspiration for a poem, and they are given the option to type their poem before printing and pasting it into the Figurative Language page. The lesson includes Internet links for a comma quiz and an OWL Purdue page, and students are told to take the online quiz and skim the webpage as resources. Students are directed to save their poem for a final project and to print the photograph used for inspiration.
Students are directed to use an online news site (Time for Kids with a provided URL) to find three contemporary events and complete the "News Watch!" activity. The lesson tells students they may type their poem on a computer and print it out to paste on the "Repetition Poem" page. Students are asked to read online articles and record titles, topics, locations, and phrases from those articles on structured activity pages.
Students are instructed to add their poem to the "Conversation" page and are given the option to type the poem, print it out, and paste it into the open space or write it by hand. The directions also tell students to "Remember to save your poem for the final project," indicating they will use technology to create and store their writing.