Students are asked to read Chapter 4 aloud and independently, which exposes them to text and song lyrics (for example, the printed lyrics to "Home on the Range" and the song "Summer Is Icumen In"). Students also identify and write names of wildflowers (Indian paintbrush, prairie violet, wild rose, woolly ragwort, sunflower) and create a field guide, requiring them to read and reproduce these vocabulary words. The skills list explicitly includes "Read independently for extended periods of time," indicating opportunities for reading connected text.

Students are asked to write the listed spelling words (environment, wildflowers, sea, lonely, perfect, plain, prairie) five times each and to practice correct spelling over several days. Students are asked to spell the words independently when they are dictated. Students also read Chapter 5 independently, which may give contextual exposure to grade-level words.

Students are asked to write the plural form of listed words in Activity 5 (Plural Nouns). The answer key explicitly shows irregular plural forms (ox → oxen, sheep → sheep, goose → geese, mouse → mice). Directions note that some words do not fit the regular "s/es" rule and ask students to look up those plural forms in the dictionary. Vocabulary pages include irregular forms such as "lice" (plural) which students must use in sentences.

Students are asked to edit and revise their rough drafts and to attend to spelling, mechanics, and format in their final products. Students are encouraged to use a beginning dictionary and/or other reference materials to check and correct spelling errors. The rubrics explicitly ask that common words be spelled correctly and include self-check items for spelling and conventions.

Students read Chapter 1 of The Family Under the Bridge and complete vocabulary webs for words from Chapters 1–5. The vocabulary list explicitly includes irregularly spelled words such as "quay," with a sentence from the book and a definition provided. Students are instructed to read the word in context, look up definitions using the Merriam-Webster Learner's Dictionary link, and fill in bubbles (definition, base word, synonyms/antonyms, sentence, and a new sentence).

Students read Chapter 3 and answer comprehension questions, which requires reading text aloud or silently. Students encounter and must read and match multisyllabic scientist names (Herpetologist, Ornithologist, Botanist, Mammalogist, Lepidopterist) in Activity 2 and on the Student Activity Page. Students also write those scientist names and use them in a paragraph, providing repeated exposure to these complex words.

The Vocabulary Chapters 1-9 activity asks students to write each target word, copy the sentence from the book where the word appears (with page numbers), and then write a new sentence using the word, which requires students to read and use those words in context. The Skills section lists "Discuss meanings of words and develop vocabulary," indicating students will work on word meaning and usage. Students also read Chapters 1-3 and answer comprehension questions, which requires encountering and reading the vocabulary words in the text.

Students are given an explicit vocabulary list (fuming, imposter, glaring, fend, coach, betray, fathom, fret) and directed to fill blanks in a paragraph using those words. Students are instructed to locate the words in context in the book and read them aloud after completing the paragraph. The activities require students to read and pronounce the target words and to circle or fill in word choices in context.

Activity 4 (Irregular Verbs) directs students to read sentences that include pairs of verb forms and to circle the correct past-tense irregular form (e.g., flyed vs. flew). An answer key lists grade-appropriate irregular past-tense words (flew, ate, drove, ran, etc.), and students are asked to write two sentences using past-tense forms from a provided verb list. The Student Activity Page explicitly requires students to read and choose the correct irregularly spelled past-tense words in context.

The lesson explicitly discusses that some past-tense verbs are different words than their present-tense forms and gives examples (e.g., run/ran and sing/sang). Students are asked to read Chapter 4 and to complete verb-tense worksheets that require filling in verb forms and writing sentences in past, present, and future tense. The wrap-up asks students to say sentences in present, past, and future tense, which includes using verb forms aloud.

Students are asked to review and memorize a list of verbs that includes irregular forms (singular: has, was, does; plural: have, were, do) and to make up sentences using each verb. The Subject/Verb Agreement activity requires students to cut out subject and verb segments, align them on wheels, write sentences, circle the subject, and underline the verb, which causes them to read and use those verb forms. Students are also asked to read aloud an excerpt of the "I Have a Dream" speech, giving additional opportunities to encounter and read irregularly spelled words in context.