Ninth Grade - ELA
• Literacy
1: Semester 1
Unit 1: Early Civilizations and Migration (600 BCE)
Lesson 2
Early Agriculture
Students are directed to use the Internet and an atlas in Activity 2 (The Fertile Crescent) to identify three cities near the Tigris/Euphrates and three far from the rivers, record average rainfall and images, and then answer trend and geography questions. The Mapping Early Farming Civilizations homework asks students to consult maps and an optional Big History video to locate and chronologically order early farming regions and to shade those regions on a world map. Option 2 (Domesticated Animals) explicitly permits use of Internet sources or outside reading for students to analyze uses, benefits, and challenges of domesticating different animals.
Lesson 3
Early Civilizations
Students are asked to read pp. 44-49 of the National Geographic Almanac and answer comprehension questions, showing guided use of a source. Activity 1 instructs students to "explore" cultural hearths and explicitly allows them to "use an atlas or Internet research" and provides web links, requiring students to gather geographic information and fill a chart. Activity 2 and several homework options require students to combine information from the reading and an assigned Khan Academy video to complete comparative charts and to create a flowchart or visual map that explains development over time.
Lesson 4
Mesopotamia
Students are assigned a two-day mini-project (Option 1 booklet or Option 2 report/podcast/video) that requires them to use the National Geographic reading and "additional online or library research" to fill six topic areas (Geography, Economic Development, Political Development, Social Distinctions, Cultural Characteristics, Religious Beliefs). The Political Development task directs students to read examples from the Code of Hammurabi and infer societal features, and the activity pages ask students to combine map work, written responses, and images into a single finished product. The directions for Option 2 ask students to draft ideas on Day 1 and produce a finished written or recorded report on Day 2, requiring students to gather information and compile it into a cohesive report.
Lesson 5
Egypt
Students undertake a two-day mini-project (booklet or WebQuest) that requires them to research six topics about ancient Egypt and to complete and assemble work across Day 1 and Day 2. The materials direct students to use the National Geographic reading and "may need to do some additional online or library research," and the WebQuest option specifically asks students to identify an important idea for each topic, find a website for each, and explain why they selected it. The answer key and activity pages require students to locate facts (maps, trade goods, government structure, gods, etc.) and fill in synthesized responses on the booklet or WebQuest pages.
Lesson 6
Trade and Empire Building
Students read assigned pages (pp. 56-59) and answer specific content questions about the Harappan civilization, trade partners, and social structure. Students watch short videos (Big History Project / Khan Academy) and are prompted to review earlier readings, then complete activity pages that ask them to use what they learned from readings and videos to fill in prompts and a chart. The activities require students to combine information from the readings and videos to explain trade goods, technological impacts on trade, and reasons for imperial expansion.
Lesson 7
New Beliefs and Technologies
Students are assigned targeted readings (National Geographic Almanac pp. 60-62 and selections from The One-Stop Guide to World Religions) and then asked to use those sources to complete a comparative chart or write a voice-over script, which requires combining information from multiple texts. The homework 'Inventions' asks students to draw on past readings or do internet research and to consider an invention's impacts over the next several weeks, indicating a more sustained inquiry. The wrap-up also directs students to prepare a paper in the next lesson and invites them to choose a civilization to focus on, suggesting an upcoming extended research product.
Lesson 8
Historical Essay
Students are instructed to "go back to the readings from earlier lessons to look for specific evidence to support [their] main points," and to provide parenthetical citations for quotations and specific evidence (with an example citation). The rubric explicitly requires accurate parenthetical citations and, for Option 2, asks students to show similarities and differences between two civilizations, which requires comparing and combining information from multiple sources. Students must decide on an essay topic, outline main points, and identify evidence before drafting, which structures a multi-step research and writing process.
Final Project
Flow Chart
Students are asked to create a multi-day final project (flowchart) that uses readings from earlier lessons and an online resource link to assemble information about hunter-gatherers, pastoralism, agriculture, migrations, and three civilizations. The project requires each element to include an image, an approximate date, and a 2–3 sentence description, and students must plan and complete parts of the flowchart across two days. Students choose a third region of their own choice for one civilization, and they may use either physical or digital tools to gather and present information. A rubric and explicit headings (food production, government, technology, specialization, religion) guide students to combine information about multiple topics into a single synthesized product.
Unit 1: Lord of the Flies
Lesson 1
The Call
Students are asked in Option 1 to list titles of two or more dystopian novels and films they have experienced and to answer guided questions about settings, plot ideas, central struggles, and common elements. The Student Activity Page prompts students to compare those works and to anticipate which elements they might see in Lord of the Flies, which requires synthesizing information across multiple sources. Option 2 has students generate utopia/dystopia characteristic lists and compare them with another person's list, prompting synthesis of perspectives.
Lesson 3
Paths in the Jungle
Students are asked to read and annotate a linked article about why dystopian fiction appeals to young adults, identify the author's thesis and supporting points, and record those in a graphic organizer. The activity prompts students to form and write their own opinion in response to the author's argument and offers an optional second article to provide additional input. The Student Activity Page includes spaces for the author's main argument, key supporting points, and the student's reaction, which guides students to use texts to answer the question 'Why do you think dystopian literature is popular?'
Lesson 11
The Film
Students are asked to watch the 1963 film adaptation of Lord of the Flies and compare it to the novel, using a "Movie vs. Book" chart to record similarities and differences in characters, setting, theme, and plot. Students must answer journal questions that require evaluating omitted scenes' importance to the novel's major themes and describing how film visuals differ from their mental images. An answer key models how students can synthesize evidence from both the novel and the film to draw conclusions about character development, thematic parallels, and plot changes.
Final Project
Now You Have the Conch
Students choose an essay prompt (or develop an opinion to respond to) and complete a sustained five-paragraph essay, moving through prewriting, outlining, drafting, revising, and proofreading. Students locate and record passages and quotes from Lord of the Flies on the Brainstorming and Outline pages and use the Essay Checklist and Rubric to guide thesis development, support, and organization. The lesson provides links to Purdue OWL pages for invention/prewriting and other writing resources that students can consult while composing.
Unit 2: World Religions (600 BCE - 600 CE)
Lesson 1
Rise of Religions
Students generate their own questions in Activity 1 by free-writing at least five questions an imagined ancient person might have, and then write a paragraph answering how religion served ancient people. The homework on religion and government directs students to skim multiple sections of the National Geographic Almanac (Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Indian, Chinese, Olmec) and record at least two examples per civilization, requiring students to gather evidence across several sources. Activity 3 asks students to locate a modern news article from specified outlets, summarize it on an activity page, and reflect on the role religion plays in the conflict. The Hatshepsut option asks students to read a Smithsonian article and textbook passages and respond to targeted questions, prompting students to use and integrate multiple sources to draw conclusions about gender, religion, and power.
Lesson 2
Shamanism, Animism, Ancestor Veneration
Students are asked to read a textbook selection and then conduct independent research: Option 1 directs students to visit the public library or explore online to find two or three folktales and then compare them on an activity page. Option 2 directs students to research Chinese New Year and Día de los Muertos using provided links or other sources and complete a chart about ancestor veneration. The homework and booklet tasks ask students to use online research as needed to fill in the Dimensions of World Religions pages, synthesizing findings across sources.
Lesson 3
Hinduism
Students are assigned focused readings (One-Stop Guide to World Religions, pp. 22-23, 34-43) that provide source material for investigation. Option 3 explicitly directs students to "do some research about [a festival] on the Internet" and then produce a four-page storyboard section, which requires gathering information beyond the base text. The homework asks students to "do a bit of online research to help you fill in the map or one or more of the dimensions" of their Dimensions of World Religions booklet and to save that booklet for a World Religions project in lesson 8, indicating an ongoing collection of information across lessons.
Lesson 4
Buddhism
Students are asked to read pages 44–53 of The One-Stop Guide to World Religions and answer guided questions, which requires extracting information from a provided source. Activity 1 has students fill out a chart comparing Theraveda, Mahayana, and Vajrayana, which has students synthesize information from the reading into a comparative organizer. Activity 2 tells students they "may need to do a bit of online research" to complete the map or dimensions in their booklet, and the booklet is to be used as a jumping-off point for a later World Religions project. Homework options ask students to write a short reaction paper or create a timeline, which require summarizing and organizing information from the reading (and possibly other sources).
Lesson 5
Daoism and Confucianism
Students are asked in Activity 2 to do a bit of online research to help fill in the Daoism and Confucianism sections of their "Dimensions of World Religions" booklet. The booklet is to be completed throughout the next several lessons and used as the jumping-off point for a World Religions final project, implying ongoing work across lessons. Homework Option 2 requires students to find at least three other quotations or proverbs related to a chosen Confucian saying and to write 1–2 paragraphs analyzing similarities or differences, which requires locating and comparing multiple sources.
Lesson 6
Judaism
Students are assigned a focused reading (The One-Stop Guide, pp.66-75 and 120) and must answer specific content questions, requiring them to extract information from a text. Students are asked to fill the Judaism section of a "Dimensions of World Religions" booklet and are instructed that they "may need to do a bit of online research" to complete the map and booklet entries. Students must complete a map of the Jewish diaspora using atlases or online sources and a homework research task to learn about a Jewish holiday (library or online) and then produce either a narrative or a multi-slide presentation, with a citation for images.
Lesson 7
Christianity
Students are instructed to read assigned textbook pages and answer specific questions, requiring them to gather information from multiple written sources. In Option 1, students must read at least two secular historical/archaeological articles (with links provided), summarize each source, and reflect on their significance, which requires short research and source evaluation. Activity 2 asks students to research online to complete the Christianity section of a Dimensions of World Religions booklet that will be continued across several lessons and used for a culminating project, indicating a more sustained inquiry. Homework directs students to watch a Crash Course video and read a Pew report and then reflect on causes and distribution, adding additional sources for synthesis.
Lesson 8
Islam
Students are assigned targeted readings and a short comparative research task: they choose a story that appears in both the Bible and the Qur'an, read both versions, and complete a comparative "Two Versions" activity that requires synthesizing those sources. Students create a timeline of Muhammad's life (570–632 CE), using readings and optional online tools, and must write explanatory paragraphs for each date, which is a sustained research/writing task. Students are instructed to fill in the Islam section of a Dimensions of World Religions booklet across several lessons and to use online research as needed, supporting an ongoing research project that feeds into a larger end-of-unit world religions project.
Final Project
Dimensions of World Religions
Students are asked to complete their "Dimensions of World Religions" booklet, locating information they were previously unable to find and adding illustrations or images found online. Students are instructed to refer to a rubric to ensure each category of the booklet is successfully completed, including accurate information for multiple belief systems. Homework guidance tells students to review unit readings, notes, activity pages, and to brainstorm possible questions about important topics, which directs them to gather and review multiple unit sources. The unit essay and identification test require students to describe origins, tenets, practices, and to compare religions, requiring students to bring together knowledge from the unit.
Unit 2: Short Stories
Lesson 1
The Gift of the Magi
Students are assigned a homework research task to go online and research the Magi, the Queen of Sheba, and King Solomon using multiple provided links. Students are instructed to take notes, write a couple of sentences describing the historical significance of these figures, explain why the author alludes to them, and explain how that knowledge contributes to their understanding of the short story. The assignment directs students to specific sources (Bible passages and a PBS page) and asks them to use those sources to support their written reflections.
Lesson 6
The Lottery
Students are asked in Activity 2 to choose a book or movie and compare it with "The Lottery," and the directions explicitly tell students they "can do a web search on the title and the word 'controversy'" to find information. The Controversy student activity page prompts students to answer specific research-style questions (e.g., "Did the book/movie cause any controversy? If so, what?") and to use that information to compare themes and public reactions. These tasks require students to locate external information and use it to support their comparative answers.
Lesson 7
Everyday Use
Students are asked to conduct research on Alice Walker using two provided web links and record findings on an "Author's Biographical Data Sheet," explicitly connecting biographical information to the short story. For homework, students are directed to browse multiple online quilt galleries (three links) and complete the "Quilted Heritage" activity page describing and analyzing a specific quilt. Students must write parallels between Walker's life and "Everyday Use" and respond to reflective prompts that require integrating information from the provided sources.
Lesson 8
Harrison Bergeron
Students read Kurt Vonnegut's short story and watch two film/video versions (a discussion video and the 2081 film) and are asked to take notes, complete an activity page comparing the printed word to the movie, and respond to journal questions. The activity page and class discussion prompts require students to identify scenes/character changes and explain why those changes were made, which requires students to draw on and combine information from the written text and the film. Students are prompted to discuss differences in emphasis, theme, and medium and to explain their own viewpoints in writing.
Unit 3: Rise of the Empires (600 BCE - 600 CE)
Lesson 1
Persian Empire
Students read assigned pages (pp. 72-73 of the National Geographic Almanac) and answer specific guided questions about Persia, demonstrating short research and comprehension. Students are instructed to return to readings or "do a bit of online research" to complete the Politics, Religion, and Culture chart, and links to possible sources are provided. Students begin a multi-lesson project (map, timeline, and a saved collection of empire pages) that they will add to throughout the unit, indicating a more sustained investigatory task across lessons. Students are told they will need to synthesize understanding of factors causing rise and decline of empires for the unit test, and they are asked to compare and contrast across empires as they progress.
Lesson 2
Greek Empire
Students are instructed to read assigned pages in two sources (National Geographic Almanac of World History and AP World History: An Essential Coursebook) and answer guided reading questions, showing use of multiple sources. Students build and save a map and add the Greek empire to a unit timeline, continuing an ongoing collection of information across lessons. Students complete a color-coded activity page that requires pulling political, religious, and cultural details from the readings and saving those notes for later comparative analysis.
Lesson 3
Qin and Han Empires
Students are assigned to read specific sections from two sources (National Geographic Almanac of World History and AP World History: An Essential Coursebook) and answer focused questions about Qin and Han governments, inventions, and Confucian influence. Students are instructed to use a modern map or atlas as a reference to draw modern boundaries and to add the Qin and Han empires to a timeline, requiring them to integrate geographic and chronological information. Students complete Activity 2 by filling a chart on politics, religion, and culture using different colored pens to indicate Qin-only, Han-only, or both, which requires compiling information from multiple texts into organized notes.
Lesson 4
Roman Empire
Students are assigned a focused reading (pp. 80–85) and must answer specific content questions, which requires locating and using information from the text. Activity 1 asks students to use the National Geographic maps and a modern atlas to add and label Roman territory, requiring them to consult multiple geographic sources. Activity 2 tells students they "may need to do a bit of online research" to complete a comparative chart about Roman politics, religion, and culture, which prompts students to gather additional sources and combine information into a single product.
Unit 3: Grammar, Part I
Lesson 3
Pronoun Problems
Activity 2 directs students to read specific pages in the course book (pp. 90–94), review information in the lesson, and optionally consult online sources. Students must choose a topic (vague pronoun references or shifts in point of view), then create a poster or a short slideshow that explains the topic in their own words and provides two example error sentences and strategies for fixing them. The Parent Plan and activity instructions explicitly allow students to refer to multiple sources (lesson, book, optional web links) while producing an original explanatory product.
Final Project
Wrapping Up
Students are asked in Option 1 to use information "in the book, the lessons of this unit, or other resources" and an Online Resources link to find tips and create a visual aid, which requires gathering information from sources. In Option 2 students must refer to their "Commonly Confused Words" pages and create a quiz, then have someone take it and explain missed items, which requires using existing resources and organizing content for others. The mini-project instructions require students to produce a synthesized product (visual aid or quiz and answer key) that draws on multiple instructional materials.
Unit 4: Poetry
Lesson 5
What Does It Mean?
Students are asked to look up background information and unfamiliar words (e.g., author background for Whitman and locations in Sandburg's poem) and to use web links provided to read full texts of poems. The lesson explicitly tells students they will "research the allusions" in "Old Christmas Morning" and notes that "the ease of research on the internet helps in finding the meaning of allusions." Homework directs students to read additional poems at linked sources and answer guided questions in their journals.
Lesson 6
Fooling with Words
Students are assigned homework to "research your poet online and learn more about him or her and other poetry they have written" and to record findings on a provided "Poet Profile" worksheet. The Poet Profile prompts students to identify other poems, biographical details (where the poet is from, age, current activities, publications/awards), and to write a personal reflection explaining why they chose the poet. The lesson provides starting research sites (Poetry Foundation, Poets.org) and timestamps to revisit poets in the video, which students can use to locate sources and texts.
Lesson 8
Types of Poems
Students are asked to find reliable images of artworks (e.g., Brueghel's The Kermesse, a Grecian urn) and "synthesize your findings with your understanding of the poem," requiring them to combine visual sources with poetic texts. Students read multiple poems and view related videos (Billy Collins, Whitman animations) and are prompted to compare interpretations, note similarities/differences, and draw evidence from texts when answering questions. The ekphrasis activity requires students to fill a chart comparing poem content, emotions, and what the poet says about the artwork, which asks for integration of at least two kinds of sources (visual art and poem).
Lesson 10
Poems and Poets
Students are assigned multi-day research tasks: they research the poet whose poem they analyzed using the Poet Biography Boxes (Day 1 and Day 2 homework) and prepare a one-page biographical presentation about a world poet (Day 3). Students are given web links (Poetry Foundation, Poets.org, MyLifeElsewhere, poem pages) and instructed to take notes on biographical and culture-specific information, including language, dates, influences, and country statistics. In Activity 4 students synthesize biographical/cultural research with close reading of a poem by writing a journal response that summarizes the poem and explains how cultural references enrich meaning.
Final Project
Poetry
Students are asked to consult multiple external sources for some projects (e.g., links to articles and lyrics for the Bob Dylan opinion task, resource lists for animation and director notebook tools). The ekphrastic-poem choice directs students to study a work of art and review example ekphrastic poems, and the poetry explication choice links to a guide ("How to Explicate a Poem") and asks students to document features across slides. Several choices require students to gather information (poem texts, artwork images, examples, and readings) and incorporate those materials into a final product.
Unit 5: Nonfiction
Lesson 1
Types of Nonfiction
Students examine catalog records, front matter, and back matter on the "All About a Person" activity page to determine whether a book is a biography, autobiography, or memoir and to support classifications with specific examples. Students read an interview with Patricia McCormick and use that source to evaluate the author's role and whether it affects the book's classification. Students read a Guardian article and write a short response, and they compare multiple books by noting themes, viewpoints, and evidence about accuracy.
Lesson 2
Pakistan
Students are directed to use I Am Malala, the book's timeline, a world map, and two web links to find answers on a Student Activity Page about Pakistan. The activity asks specific research questions (e.g., history, languages, geography, reasons for wars) that require students to consult and combine information from the book and online sources. The Parent Plan notes that students used information from the book and online sources to answer the activity questions, and the Wrapping Up section asks students what they learned in their research.
Lesson 3
The Taliban
Students are asked in Activity 1 to read a provided PBS article and may consult other web sources to answer focused questions about who the Taliban are. Students must take gathered information and either write an informational paragraph in their journal or create slides that combine text and images, with instructions to put all text in their own words and note image sources. The Parent Plan explicitly lists as a skill: "Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation."
Lesson 5
Displacement
The Parent Plan explicitly lists "Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation." Option 1 asks students to choose photos, "do some brief research about school conditions and educational opportunities in that city or country," and suggests search terms. The Student Activity Page instructs students to "Research a school in another part of the world" and to use library resources or interviews if possible. Option 2 directs students to read an article and create a mini-book using information and images from that article and other online sources.
Lesson 6
A Day Like Any Other
Students are asked to read specific chapters of I Am Malala and answer focused questions, which requires short, text-based inquiry and evidence gathering. The Decisions, Decisions activity lets students choose a scenario or formulate their own decision question (a self-generated question) and directs them to use the APE strategy. The APE 'Prove' step requires students to provide quotations or specific examples from the text and the 'Extend' step requires explanation or connection, prompting students to support and explain their answers.
Lesson 7
Life in England
Students watch an 11-minute documentary and take notes comparing the filmmaker's account with Malala's memoir, answering specific prompts about differences in focus, the father's influence, portrayal of the mother, and the media's effect. Students discuss their notes and reflect on which medium emphasizes which details, effectively synthesizing information from the book and the film. The unit also asks students to journal about a world issue they care about and later write a paper about an important issue as a final project.
Lesson 8
Civil Rights
Students watch multiple video clips and read several linked texts (Freedom Riders videos, excerpts of Douglass, poems by Hughes and Angelou, and King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail"). Students arrange timeline excerpts chronologically and read them to understand progress and setbacks, and they complete an "African-American Authors" page that asks them to read biographies/works and write sentences about each author's contribution. The "People of the Past" activity includes an Option 2 that explicitly asks students to supply information either from prior knowledge or through brief research.
Lesson 9
Civil Disobedience
Students read and analyze multiple primary-source excerpts from Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr., using activity pages to compare passages and identify overlapping ideas. Students highlight similar phrases, explain areas of agreement and disagreement, and answer comprehension and interpretive questions about the excerpts. The Parent Plan skills list asks students to draw evidence from texts to support analysis and to develop topics using quotations and concrete details, which students practice in the comparison and written-response activities.
Lesson 10
Learning from the Past
Students read primary texts (the two halves of Elie Wiesel's "Hope, Despair, and Memory") and view related videos and websites, and they are asked to look up vocabulary and complete activity sheets. Students skim Wiesel and draft a paragraph identifying a universal truth and compare it with one or two other human-rights advocates (Malala, MLK, or Thoreau), using quotes from each person. Students create a model museum wall that combines images and formal written descriptions to represent progress made by multiple activists, requiring them to bring together information from several sources.
Lesson 11
A Boy's Story
Students are directed to read the book's Chronology entries (pp. 222-224) and to watch a short author interview, then answer specific questions about the RUF, the war's duration, and the author's aims. Students locate Sierra Leone on a map and are asked to track the author's movements in the book. Several comprehension questions (e.g., Q2 and Q3) require students to combine information from the chronology and the interview to explain causes and consequences of the conflict.
Lesson 13
Child Soldier
Students complete Activity 2 ("Different Accounts") by filling in parallel "Book" and "Video" columns after reading chapters and watching a six-minute interview, requiring them to compare and synthesize information from the print and multimedia sources. Homework asks students to use what they read and what Beah said in the video, plus their own thoughts, to record advantages and disadvantages of using child soldiers, which requires combining multiple sources. Students also write a journal response about the memoir controversy, engaging with conflicting accounts and weighing perspectives.
Lesson 14
Rehabilitation
Students are asked to gather examples and quotations from A Long Way Gone to decide whether government soldiers committed war crimes (Option 1 and Option 2), and to complete a comparative activity page labeling actions as belonging to the RUF, government soldiers, or both. The lesson introduces the Geneva Conventions as a criterion for evaluating alleged war crimes and asks students to apply those standards to evidence from the book. Students re-watch a short author video and choose among Elie Wiesel quotations, then explain how that quotation relates to the memoir using specific examples from the book and video.
Lesson 15
A New Life
Students are asked in Activity 2 to review information on the provided organization websites (Human Rights Watch and Malala Fund) and then create a flyer or a webpage using that information. The Parent Plan skills list explicitly includes using technology and the Internet to produce and publish writing products, and the webpage option tells students they may use information and images from the organizations' current websites while writing much of the text themselves. These directions require students to gather information from online sources and incorporate that information into a new, publishable product.
Final Project
Expository Essay
Students choose a topic inspired by unit texts and develop a specific research question using the "What's My Question?" activity, and they complete a K-N-S chart to plan research. They locate and evaluate multiple credible online sources (at least three), take notes on supporting facts, and are instructed to use quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing to incorporate evidence. Students synthesize the gathered information into a thesis that answers their question and organize three body paragraphs that use those sourced facts, then create in-text citations and a Works Cited page.
Semester Exam
Semester Exam
Students are asked in Part IV (Discussion E) to use essays, speeches, and other texts from the Nonfiction unit to discuss the importance of writing about the horrors of war, which requires bringing multiple sources to bear on a question. The Nonfiction review and exam items explicitly address differences among quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing and include Part V practice that asks students to correctly quote and paraphrase a Wordsworth passage. The Skills list and multiple references to completing or revising an informative essay indicate students may spend extended time on writing tasks that involve research, reflection, and revision.
2: Semester 2
Unit 1: Ender's Game
Lesson 1
Born to Genius
Activity 1 directs students to read pp. xi–xiii of the book's introduction and to "use Internet search tools to fill out the 'About the Author' activity page," requiring students to look up historical facts and author background. The Parent Plan repeats that students will read the introduction and look up information online to answer five specific research questions (e.g., historical events from 1957–1963, sources of Card's military ideas). These tasks require students to locate and record information from the introduction plus online sources to answer targeted questions.
Lesson 2
We're People, Not Thirds
The lesson's Activity 2 (Option 2) explicitly asks students to "research eugenics and record ten facts" and to "briefly research historic reasons why children have been limited and then record facts." The Planned Procreation activity page instructs students to brainstorm reasons across four categories and suggests using Internet searches (with suggested search terms) as a starting point. These items require students to gather information from external sources for a focused task.
Lesson 3
Science Fiction
Students are asked to read the lesson introduction and an external article (linked URL) and use both sources to fill out a graphic organizer about the features of science fiction. Student pages require them to define science fiction, list common themes, name historical eras and authors, and classify examples as hard or soft science fiction based on provided descriptions. The Quiz Prep and activity sheets require students to apply information from the reading to identify genre elements and match examples to terms like anachronism and romanticization.
Lesson 7
Leaders Motivate
Activity 1 directs students to read about John Locke and Demosthenes using multiple provided web resources and to watch a short presentation, then to reflect and write a journal entry describing links between the two sets of personalities. The activity asks students to use the listed reference material (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, HISTORY.com, Ancient History Encyclopedia, and a video) and to produce a written explanation connecting those sources to a question about why Peter chose the pen names.
Lesson 8
Flies and Self-Loathing
Activity 1 explicitly tells students that before finalizing their army logo they "could research the symbolism or significance of the animals in cultures around the world," prompting students to gather information to support a design. Activity 2 asks students to compare and contrast Ender's Game and Lord of the Flies using a graphic organizer focused on setting, leadership, themes, fears, responsibilities, and consequences, requiring students to synthesize ideas from two literary sources.
Lesson 11
Thud, Whump, Huut
Students are asked in Activity 1 to explore either the movie or comic-book adaptation of Ender's Game: they choose a scene or pages, re-read the book version and re-watch or re-read the adaptation, and take notes on differences and omissions. The Student Activity Page directs students to list narration or dialogue that was omitted or changed and to judge whether the comic communicated the omitted material through pictures, requiring them to compare and synthesize the book text and the adaptation.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students are asked in Box 8 (Historical References) to "look up NATO and the Warsaw Pact," color and sort countries, and in their journal "list two key similarities" and "two key differences" and explain why the author used the historical reference, which requires consulting historical information and comparing it to the novel. The Hero's Journey task directs students to use a video and the novel to choose six steps and create a storyboard, which requires using at least the video and the text as sources and drawing parallels between them. The Think-Tac-Toe final project spans multiple days, giving students time to complete multi-step activities that can function as short sustained projects.
Unit 2: Grammar, Part II
Lesson 7
Verb Voice and Mood
Students are asked to create a subjunctive-mood project (poster, slideshow, comic strip, or card game) that explains the subjunctive and provides examples. The lesson provides web links (Carson-Newman, Grammarly, OWL Purdue) and instructs students to refer to them for explanations and examples. The project rubric requires that students show what the subjunctive mood is using definitions, examples, and/or context and provide strategies that demonstrate understanding.
Lesson 8
Parallelism
Students are directed to read an online explanation of parallelism and information from the course book and to use both sources to complete the Parallelism activity page. The student activity page explicitly instructs students to "Use the information from the webpage (link provided in the lesson) and the book to complete the following pages," which requires consulting multiple sources and recording synthesized notes. The lesson also invites students to try linked online exercises and a post-test to apply what they read.
Final Project
Wrapping Up
Students are asked to plan and create mini-projects (slideshow, poster, explanatory guide, or song/skit) that explain specific grammar topics and to consult online examples (e.g., search for "elementary grammar posters") and tool lists linked in the lesson. The Explanatory Guide option explicitly tells students they may "consult outside sources as needed" and to give credit when they quote them, and the rubric requires that work "demonstrates that the student understands the topic."
Unit 3: Informational Texts
Lesson 3
The Matthew Effect
Students are asked in Activity 2 to brainstorm factors affecting athletic success and are invited to "look online at the biographies of a few of your favorite players," which requires brief internet research to gather examples. In Activity 1 (Options 1 and 2) students extract numerical and descriptive information from the book (the roster chart and the TIMSS paragraph) and translate that information into new visual representations, demonstrating use of source information to answer a prompt. The homework asks students to read sections of Outliers and answer focused questions, requiring students to use the text to respond to specific questions.
Lesson 5
Harlan, Kentucky
Students are asked to do brief internet research about who originally settled their area (e.g., an Internet search like "[city] settlers"), take notes on stereotypes and settler groups, and share findings with their family. Students are directed to record what they know about those settlers and any influence they think the settlers had, and to write an informal journal reflection based on their notes. The homework explicitly requires students to gather information from external sources and produce written notes/reflection from that inquiry.
Lesson 6
The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes
Students read Chapter 7 of Outliers and an external blog critique, then identify the blog author's primary objections (Activity 4). They read Malcolm Gladwell's response and complete an analysis chart comparing criticisms, responses, and effectiveness (Activity 5 Option 2). Students prepare an oral summary or written analysis of the blog's objections and Gladwell's replies (Activity 5 Option 1) and reflect in journals by comparing Hofstede scores with examples from another book, drawing connections across texts.
Lesson 7
Rice Paddies and Math Tests
Students are asked to conduct a two-day mini-project turning a concept from the reading into a diagram or infographic, with work begun on Day 1 and finished on Day 2. The assignment allows students to use information from the book or to locate and include outside sources ("You can complete the project using just the information found in the book, although you can use other sources if you'd like") and instructs them to give credit to any outside sources. The skills list and project description encourage use of digital media to enhance presentation (e.g., embedding audio or images) and permit students to propose their own topic with parental approval.
Lesson 9
Writing about History
Students read multiple secondary-source summaries and three linked web summaries, and they read and analyze primary-source testimonies (John S. Smith, Robert Brent, Chivington) as part of class activities. Students complete a graphic organizer that explicitly links secondary-source claims to supporting primary-source evidence and answer guided questions about organization and types of primary evidence in a research-focused article. Students compare points of view, evaluate testimony accuracy in the "Primary Falsehoods" activity, and synthesize information when writing an editorial supporting the Indians' side or creating a split-perspective magazine cover.
Lesson 10
Science Writing
Students read specified sections of an online science booklet (pp. 3–5 and pp. 15–17) and answer targeted questions about equilibrium, centrifugal and centripetal force, demonstrating extraction of factual and conceptual information. Students complete an "Investigating Claims in Science Writing" activity in which they evaluate how the author supports specific claims and identify methods the author uses to explain terms, requiring them to cite and interpret textual evidence. For homework, students watch a video on centrifugal force and compare the written explanation with the visual one, requiring students to draw on and compare two different sources.
Lesson 11
Technical Writing
Students are asked to find information online to back up the introduction to their how-to guide and to record where they got the information, including placing quoted information in quotation marks. The Guide Checklist explicitly requires that the benefit in the introduction be supported by an outside source and that a "Works Cited" section be included. Activity 6 directs students to add a "Works Cited" section and provides an MLA citation example, and homework asks students to have someone test their guide and then revise based on observations and interview feedback.
Lesson 12
Logical Fallacies
Students are instructed in Option 1 to look up two fallacies online (hasty generalization and false dilemma) and record their meanings, which requires conducting a short research task. Students are directed in Option 2 to print or read Andrew Jackson's speech and identify at least three fallacies, using a primary source for analysis. Students also watch four videos and complete activity pages and a Fallacy Bank, so they consult multiple materials to identify and classify examples of fallacious reasoning.
Final Project
Argumentative Research Essay
Students generate a self-selected research question and carry out a seven-day argumentative research project to answer it, including guidance to narrow (and to reconsider/refine) their focus. Students locate at least five high-quality sources using library databases and web searches, evaluate source credibility and content, take notes linking evidence to ideas (Present the Evidence sheet), and incorporate quotations and in-text MLA citations into their writing. Students organize and synthesize source material into a five-paragraph classical argument, produce a Works Cited page, and create a slideshow and oral presentation that use and credit multiple sources.
Unit 4: Drama
Lesson 2
How to Read Drama
Students are directed to read background material on Aristotle's Poetics and the provided "Aristotle's Six Elements of Tragedy" activity page and then to watch the Trifles performance and/or read the script (video and Project Gutenberg links are provided). Students answer guided journal questions about the play and complete the "Applying Aristotle's Six Elements of Tragedy" activity page that asks them to relate plot, character, diction, theme, melody, and spectacle to the play. These tasks require students to bring together the theoretical material (Aristotle) and textual/performance evidence (script and video).
Lesson 5
Act II
Students are assigned a homework task to listen to Johnny Cash's "Bound for the Promised Land" and choose three additional songs from provided links, recording each song's title/year and answering what each song says about the American Dream and why it was written. The lesson asks students to read excerpts from Hansberry's To Be Young, Gifted and Black and respond to analytic questions, and to use the play text as evidence in a multi-sentence reader-response paragraph (APE method). The Parent Plan skills list also explicitly includes "Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats," indicating students will work with multiple media sources.
Lesson 7
Fences
Students watch the movie Fences, compare it directly to the play A Raisin in the Sun using a structured comparison chart, and write journal paragraphs summarizing similarities, differences, and insights. Students also watch an interview with Denzel Washington and Viola Davis and write at least three insights about character portrayals, which requires integrating information from the film, the play, and the interview. The comparison activity asks students to synthesize theme, character, plot, and setting across the two works.
Lesson 8
Shakespeare
Students are assigned a homework project to use the book, a mini‑biography video, and other web resources to create a timeline of Shakespeare's life, explicitly instructing them to look up and include specific dates and facts. The lesson provides two web links (Folger and Shakespeare-online) and directs students to determine the proper order of events and paste corresponding boxes onto a timeline graphic organizer. The instructions allow students to optionally include additional events from Shakespeare's life, which lets them expand the scope of their inquiry.
Lesson 9
Romeo and Juliet
Students read Act I scenes and answer specific comprehension questions and journal summaries, requiring them to gather information from the play. Students watch a video of the Globe Theatre and take a virtual tour, and they read an external article on Renaissance weddings/dowries, then answer guided questions about those sources. Students record observations (costumes, props, theatrical conventions) and respond to prompts that require looking for information across a video, virtual tour, and an article.
Lesson 13
Tragic Hero
Students read Act V of Romeo and Juliet and complete questions and a journal summary, showing close engagement with the primary text. Students read an excerpt of Ovid's Pyramus and Thisbe and complete a comparison activity to find similarities between that source and Romeo and Juliet, requiring them to synthesize information across the two texts. Students watch a TedEd video about types of heroes and answer prompts that ask them to apply the video's criteria to Romeo and Juliet, combining video content with play evidence.
Lesson 14
Modern Retelling
Students watch two different productions of Romeo and Juliet and take structured notes on a "Two Versions" activity page that prompts comparison of character portrayals, major changes, use of setting, and use of color. They choose three areas of difference, form a thesis, and write an informal three-paragraph analysis using the APE method to answer a focused question, provide specific examples from both productions, and explain the significance of those differences. The work occurs over multiple days (watching, note-taking, finishing writing as homework), requiring students to synthesize information from the two sources in their written analysis.
Final Project
Drama
Students are explicitly asked to "research costumes from the Renaissance era" and to "use information from your research" when designing costumes. The project directions require students to cite any outside information and to "attach a Works Cited page" when sources are used. The Skills section tells students to "draw evidence from literary or informational texts" and to "write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames," and the project rubric includes a "Sources" category that evaluates use of resources and citing.
Semester Exam
Semester Exam
Students are asked to evaluate source credibility in Discussion question B, including criteria such as author qualifications, publisher trustworthiness, and purpose. Several items require students to identify primary vs. secondary sources and to explain source-based concepts (e.g., the short-answer question about primary/secondary sources and the Outliers discussion). The Parent Plan skills list also references drawing evidence from texts for research and writing over extended time frames for research and revision.