Eighth Grade - ELA
1: Semester 1
Unit 1: Abigail Adams
Lesson 1
Getting to Know Abigail Adams
The lesson provides a targeted vocabulary list with definitions and example sentences (confidences, lucrative, wistfully, foreboding, affliction, fortitude, entail) and asks students to incorporate five or all seven words into a letter, requiring correct contextual use. Activity 2 instructs students to plan and write a coherent, real-feeling letter (200–300 words for Option 2) on an intellectual topic or an experience, and to pay attention to word choice, spelling, grammar, and punctuation. The example sentences (e.g., "sick to his stomach, feverish, and numb with horror and foreboding") model expressive wording that students can emulate in their writing.
Lesson 2
John and Abigail Adams
The lesson explains paragraph parts (topic sentence, supporting sentences, concluding observation) and shows how supporting sentences "deepen the reader's understanding" and "provide examples," which highlights use of descriptive details. The platypus sample paragraph includes specific descriptive phrases ("feet of an otter, the snout of a duck, and the tail of a beaver") that model sensory/detail-rich description. Several activities ask students to analyze sentence functions and to identify and replace sentences that don't fit, giving students opportunities to revise wording and detail.
Lesson 3
Unrest and War
Students are asked to rewrite passive-voice clauses in active voice, identifying subjects and verbs and producing clearer, more specific constructions (Option 1 and 2 activities). In Activity 2 (Option 1) students analyze Paul Revere's engraving and must write a paragraph supported by 2–3 specific examples, and they are told to use primarily active voice. In Activity 2 (Option 2) students must compose a first-person eyewitness paragraph and are explicitly instructed to "be descriptive in your account."
Lesson 4
Continental Congress
Students practice word choice by completing the Vocabulary Review activity in which they must mark familiarity with listed words, write two sentences for words they know well, and look up and define unfamiliar words before using them in sentences. Students also correct and revise verb forms and moods in the Verb Mood paragraph (Part 2), which requires them to select more precise verb forms (e.g., change "continued" to "continue" and "is" to "was"). The parent plan explicitly lists acquiring and using grade-appropriate words and phrases as a skill target, supporting focused practice with vocabulary and verb selection.
Lesson 6
Separation
Students complete a vocabulary activity (crossword and word bank) that asks them to learn and use precise terms such as "protocol," "abolish," and "apprehension," and they are given definitions to apply. Students perform paragraph editing using a proofreading-symbol chart that highlights word choice, verb mood, and other mechanics, and they correct specific errors (including a listed word-choice/apostrophe issues). Students answer reading questions that require them to infer Abigail Adams's feelings and reactions, asking them to describe how people reacted and what Abigail may have been thinking.
Lesson 8
Genre
Students are asked to rewrite a selected scene in a chosen genre (Option 1) and the provided example rewrite includes sensory language and descriptive details ("The aromas of sage and thyme filled the air, and bees buzzed..."; "a deep, muddy hole... bruised and broken sprigs"). Option 2 invites students to retell the scene as a graphic novel, which requires selecting images and words to convey action and experience. The activities therefore require students to produce embellished, genre-based versions of scenes where descriptive detail and sensory description would be used to convey events.
Lesson 9
The Vice Presidency
Students are asked to read original letters and then write a diary entry from Abigail Adams's point of view that describes the influence of Thomas Jefferson and includes prompts for descriptive phrases (e.g., "I find him to be _______" and "His friendship fills an important role in my life: _______"). Students also must write short book descriptions and blurbs when reimagining the book in different genres, with an explicit example horror blurb that uses evocative language such as "hair-raising terror" and "monster-fighting colonists." These activities require students to produce descriptive language to convey impressions, roles, and events.
Lesson 11
Later Life
Students are asked in Option 1 to create two pencil sketches and to "try to capture the feel of each place" and "bring out particular details from the websites and the readings," which prompts selection of descriptive details. In Option 2 students complete a Venn diagram labeled for Peacefield and the President's House and are instructed to "write details and impressions" and to "use words or phrases to convey their ideas," encouraging descriptive phrasing. The "Ideas to Think About" and activity prompts ask students to consider how authors make choices about what to include and how different verbs and verb forms influence the power and clarity of writing, which invites attention to word choice.
Final Project
A One-Person Play
Students are asked to write short scripts for three scenes, including lines that explain events, state dates, and explain unfamiliar context, which requires careful choice of language. Planning pages prompt students to include stage notes and ideas for props, costuming, and scenery, encouraging them to plan actions and sensory details to convey events. The unit includes a sample play with dialogue and stage directions and a prompt about how different verbs and verb forms influence the power and clarity of writing, which relates to word choice.
Unit 2: Animal Farm
Lesson 2
Major's Dream
Students identify and label parts of speech (including adjectives and adverbs) in multiple sentences from Animal Farm, practicing how descriptive words function in context. In Activity 2, students select one adjective for each character and provide textual examples that illustrate those traits, which requires choosing descriptive words and citing relevant details. The optional extension asks students to draw characters and to "convey the personality" in artwork, encouraging attention to descriptive qualities.
Lesson 5
The Battle of the Cowshed
Students are asked to reread the chapter and create a detailed map of the Battle of the Cowshed that is based on specific evidence, showing the order of events, locations, landmarks, and movements of individuals. Students are asked to write a short (2-minute) speech that explains an individual's role in the battle, highlights admirable characteristics reflected by that character's actions, and provides a lesson for the audience. Students must show and explain their map or read their speech aloud to a parent, which requires them to organize and convey the sequence and details of events.
Lesson 9
The Battle of the Windmill
Students are asked in Activity 1 (Option 2) to write two paragraphs describing an original human scene and then explain which animals represent each character and why, which requires naming character qualities and supplying relevant descriptive details. Option 1 asks students to draw a re-imagined scene and "write 2-3 sentences describing the recreated scene," prompting concise description of changes. Activity 2 requires students to compose a concise, professional business letter with attention to tone and clear wording, and the Student Activity Page provides structured lines for the letter body, encouraging students to choose words that clearly state proposals or expectations.
Unit 3: Einstein Adds a New Dimension
Lesson 2
Descriptive Writing
Students are taught that descriptive writing uses details from one or more of the five senses (Things to Know) and are asked to identify and underline effective words and phrases in a model paragraph (Activity 1). Students complete a "Descriptive Phrases" activity that requires adding sensory adjectives/phrases for listed nouns (Student Activity Page Part I) and combining senses for items (Part II). Students are instructed to write a descriptive paragraph about a picture that must include sight and at least one other sense and to use strong verbs, precise adjectives, similes, and a thesaurus to choose words.
Lesson 3
The Curies' Discoveries
The Parent Plan lists as a skill that students should "use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain a topic," and the vocabulary activities ask students to write a definition, a synonym/simile, and an example sentence for each word. Students are instructed to put notes "in your own words" and to use "short words and phrases instead of sentences," and a sample set of notes shows concise definitions and technical terms (e.g., "radioactivity," "pitchblende"). The highlighting/annotation option directs students to mark key words and phrases rather than whole sentences, reinforcing precise word choice.
Lesson 4
Process Writing
The Parent Plan Skills list explicitly states students will "Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain a topic." The process-writing guidance asks writers to match word choice to the reader's needs and to include concrete details and clear steps, and the Planning and Organization pages include boxes for "Steps" and "Details" and for "Terms or concepts that need explanation." Option 2 also asks students to record "People involved," "Important dates," and "Terms or concepts" and to summarize highlights of a sequence of events.
Lesson 6
Cause and Effect Writing
Students are instructed to support each point with "specific details and examples" and are shown a concrete example that models descriptive detail (the park location example includes sensory description: "Some days the smell there is terrible due to the park's location next to a large cattle farm"). The Planning and Organization pages prompt students to list "specific descriptions or examples to support their points" and provide spaces for supporting details in each point. The sample planning uses concrete, book-based details (with page citations) to illustrate how to develop points with factual and descriptive support.
Lesson 7
Relativity
Students look up and write definitions for domain-specific vocabulary and provide examples or drawings (Activity 1), which practices choosing precise scientific terms. Students compare two versions of a procedural passage and identify weaknesses in vague wording versus the concise, named terminology of Version 2, which practices selecting precise words and clear descriptions. Students design a poster that must use and define at least three domain-specific terms and use concise, clear text and graphics to communicate a concept (Activity 2).
Lesson 8
Comparison and Contrast Writing
Students are instructed to use "specific details and examples" to support each point and to "record any specific descriptions or examples you can use" on the planning page. The Part III Organizing page prompts students to list details/examples for each point of comparison/contrast and to write topic sentences that include those details. The sample contrast paragraph models the use of concrete descriptive words (e.g., "boxy look," "sleek, fast look," "ample leg room") to describe items.
Lesson 9
Avoiding Plagiarism
Students are given explicit paraphrasing guidance (read the passage, cover it, rewrite in your own words; keep technical terms but rewrite sentence structure) and asked to choose the best paraphrase in an example about luminosity. Students complete activities that require them to rewrite captions, create paraphrases, and write summaries in their own words (Part I and Part II of the student activity pages). The lesson explains why a paraphrase should be accurate, concise, and avoid copying phrasing from the original.
Final Project
Research Paper
The rubric and parent plan explicitly require students to "Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary" and to develop their topic with "relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples." Activities ask students to identify and use domain-specific vocabulary from The Story of Science and to integrate quotations and paraphrases smoothly into their writing. The Unit Test Review and lesson prompts direct students to study and use technical terms (e.g., ether, wave-particle duality, quantum mechanics).
Unit 4: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Lesson 1
Introduction to Mark Twain and the Novel
Students complete targeted vocabulary exercises (Chapters 1-21 Vocabulary) in which they determine meanings from context and select precise definitions. The Parent Plan Skills list asks students to "determine the meaning of words and phrases" and "analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone," and students are asked to use vocabulary in sentences and record journal responses. Students also analyze dialect through journal questions and activities that require them to consider how word choice and regional speech convey character and social judgment.
Lesson 3
What is Narrative Writing I
Students are directed to consider word choice and how words reveal mood (the discussion of Pap's word choices and how word choice impacts the reader). Students analyze quotes in the "And You Can Quote Me on That" activity to explain what the dialogue and diction reveal about characters. Students practice "show, don't tell" by writing 3–4 sentences that show a character's emotion and by composing a half-page narrative with dialogue and descriptive writing that reveal characters' feelings without naming the emotion.
Lesson 4
What is Narrative Writing II
Students are asked to write a one-page narrative that includes "vivid descriptions of the event and people involved" and to "compose a list of feeling/emotion words" and adjectives to show rather than tell. Students complete charts labeled "Dialogue and Descriptions" and "Character's Feeling(s) / Dialogue/Descriptions," which prompt them to choose words and describe characters' feelings. The skills section and parent directions explicitly list "description" and "using dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection" as narrative techniques for students to apply.
Lesson 6
The Power of Persuasion
The lesson asks students to "Tell a quick story about an experience" and to use anecdotes as evidence, which gives practice in brief narrative description. It explicitly teaches use of similes, metaphors, and analogies (for example, "Owning a dog is like living with your best friend") and asks students to write sentences that appeal to emotions and provide explanations. Students also practice choosing persuasive language (reason, emotion, beliefs) and creating descriptive examples in the "Powers of Persuasion" activity pages.
Lesson 7
Persuasive Writing
The lesson includes a vocabulary activity that requires students to read definitions and write sentences using each word, including a challenge to relate sentences to the novel, which practices precise word choice. The Parent Plan skills explicitly list analyzing the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone and determining the meaning of words and phrases as learning goals. The persuasive paragraph task asks students to choose evidence and reasons and to craft a thesis, which can involve selecting language to support claims.
Lesson 10
Figures of Speech
The lesson defines figurative language and specifically teaches simile, hyperbole, idiom, pun, and oxymoron. Students complete exercises that require them to create their own similes and hyperboles, fill in types of figurative language from passages of Huckleberry Finn, and mark instances of figurative language in "Fred's Letter." Students are also prompted to identify how Mark Twain used figurative language and to make journal notes of other examples they find.
Lesson 11
Mark Twain's Influence
Students are asked in Activity 3 to write a one-page narrative and to "try to emulate Twain's style by using engaging language," including specific figurative devices (irony, pun, oxymoron, idiom, hyperbole). The Story Map student page prompts students to plan Setting, Plot, Characters, and a box for "Figurative Language Techniques," which guides students to think about language choices and descriptive elements. Activity 2 directs students to listen to slave narratives and "Make note of any figurative language" and to compare/contrast dialects, prompting analysis of word choice and language features in real narratives.
Final Project
Cultural Biography
Students are asked to use three vocabulary words in sentences related to a character and to include vocabulary sentences on the unit test, which requires selecting precise words for meaning. Students develop figurative language (simile, idiom, hyperbole, pun) in the story blocks and in poster items, and they are prompted to create a simile and think of an idiom that represents the character. Students complete a bio poem template that asks them to list feelings and descriptive traits and to include quotes and a favorite narrative sentence about the character, prompting descriptive detail about experiences and emotions.
Unit 5: Elijah of Buxton
Lesson 2
The Preacher
The Parent Plan explicitly states that students should "use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences in events." Activity 2 (Showing Your Emotion) has students complete a senses web, select effective adjectives and at least two verbs, and write a 4–5 sentence paragraph that shows a negative emotion through sensory detail and repeated powerful verbs. The Frederick Douglass activity has students circle vivid adjectives and underline repeated verbs ("whip/whipped"), directing students to analyze how those word choices make the passage persuasive.
Lesson 3
Creating a Character
Students analyze and record physical appearance, character traits, character thoughts, character quotes, and others' actions toward Elijah in the "Getting to Know Elijah" activity, which asks them to find and record textual evidence for these descriptive categories. The Parent Plan skills explicitly tell students to "employ narrative and descriptive strategies that use relevant dialogue, specific action, physical description, background description, comparison or contrast of characters." Students also create an original character by filling detailed fields (physical appearance, jobs/daily activities, likes/dislikes, goals, impactful events) and assemble a booklet, and an optional monologue activity asks students to speak as their character.
Lesson 4
Tone and Mood
The lesson teaches that tone is communicated largely by an author's choice of words and gives explicit examples (e.g., "damp and dreary" vs. "misty and overcast"). Students are given lists of tone and mood words and asked to identify specific words or phrases in Elijah of Buxton that create tone or mood for particular events. Students practice writing sentences that describe the same scenario in two different tones and complete activities that ask them to cite words or images that produced their reader-response mood. An optional task asks students to write a poem or create art from the perspective of a slave, prompting expressive composition.
Lesson 5
Colorful Language
Students are asked to identify sensory language in passages from Elijah of Buxton and to name which senses the passages invoke, demonstrating explicit practice with sensory detail. Students analyze precise words and verbs in example sentences (e.g., slapped, grabbed, mashed, peering) and discuss why those verbs were chosen. Students are instructed to notice descriptive details in passages and then to write a 6–8 sentence narrative using precise words and phrases, descriptive details, and sensory language. The figures-of-speech activities and options (visual display or carnival ad) require students to produce language choices that create vivid imagery.
Lesson 6
Symbolism
Students read explicit definitions and examples explaining precise language and how specific word choices create clearer images (e.g., comparisons of general vs. precise sentences). Students are asked to use a thesaurus and to write 2–3 sentence descriptions of two household items and a feeling using precise words and at least one simile or metaphor. Students are also asked to revise a children's song by replacing vague words with more precise choices and then perform the revised lyrics.
Lesson 7
The Importance of Education
Students practice determining precise word meanings from context by reading passages with italicized vocabulary, writing definitions, and comparing them to provided definitions. Students discuss vocabulary with a parent and categorize words, which focuses attention on word choice and shades of meaning. Students are asked to write an imagined interview (Option 1) or to write the remainder of a play scene about secret schools for slaves (Option 2), both of which require them to convey experiences and events in writing.
Lesson 8
Transitions and Characters
Students are asked to correct and edit sentences for grammar and word forms in the Sentence Editing activity, which requires attention to word choice (e.g., correcting "every thing" to "everything" and possessives). Students complete fill-in-the-blank sentences that require selecting appropriate transition words or phrases to create smooth connections between ideas (Activity 1, Part 1 and the Transitions student pages). Discussion prompts ask students to reflect that Elijah "learned to craft words carefully" and to use example transitions in sentences, which prompts attention to selecting particular words or phrases.
Lesson 9
Transitions and Humor
Students read examples of humor in the text that include vivid phrasing and sensory reactions (for example, "made my blood run cold and my legs get shake-ity") and examples of hyperbole and understatement that show deliberate word choice. Students are asked to write a 5–7 sentence humorous news paragraph or a 1–2 minute mock newscast using at least three humor techniques, which requires choosing language and details to create tone and effect. The sentence-editing activity asks students to correct wording and punctuation, which involves attention to precise phrasing.
Lesson 10
Allusions and Authors
Students are asked in Option 2 to "write a descriptive paragraph or create a book cover that explains or shows the setting and character of your story," which requires them to produce descriptive writing. Students complete a Sentence Editing activity where they copy and correct sentences (e.g., changing "flyed" to "flew" and fixing agreement and punctuation), engaging in word-choice and grammar revision. Students also analyze allusions and explain connections in 2–3 sentence responses, practicing concise explanatory phrasing.
Lesson 11
Story Reflections
Students are asked to "write a paragraph that explains your personal connection" and to "use specific examples from the book," which requires selecting relevant descriptive details. The Parent Plan skills explicitly tell students to "use remembered feelings, select details that best illuminate the topic," and to write narratives that "use well-chosen details" to reveal significance. Discussion prompts note that the author used "descriptive language, powerful action," encouraging students to consider how language creates emotional response.
Final Project
Personal Narrative
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the action and convey experiences and events." The Word Choice rubric asks students to use "specific, strong verbs and adjectives" and to employ at least two unit vocabulary words correctly. Composing directions require students to ensure tone with strong verbs/adjectives, describe characters with clear details, and include a figure of speech (supported by the Figures of Speech activity that practices simile, metaphor, and personification).
2: Semester 2
Unit 1: The House of the Scorpion
Lesson 2
Revising and Editing
Students practice vocabulary by creating posed scenes with a toy or figurine that represent word meanings and by writing analogies that link vocabulary words to synonyms or antonyms. Students answer reading questions that require them to describe Matt's living conditions and impressions of characters, which elicits use of descriptive wording. The Parent Plan lists skills about acquiring and using grade-appropriate words and using knowledge of language and conventions when writing.
Lesson 3
Cast of Characters
Students are asked to create a family tree and "write a brief description of each character" next to names, which requires them to select descriptive details about characters. Students read Chapters 7–9 and answer questions about character actions and discoveries (e.g., Matt's abilities and the house), which asks them to recall and describe events. Students are directed in the skills list to "use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion," which asks them to attend to word and phrase choices when composing.
Lesson 6
Societal Comparisons
Students are asked in Option 2 to imagine a dystopian society and write a descriptive paragraph to accompany a visual representation of the environment, which requires them to describe settings and how the environment reflects societal function. Students are prompted to consider specific sensory and environmental questions (e.g., "What does the environment look like?" and "How does the environment reflect the way society functions?") when planning their descriptions. Activity prompts and the Comparing Societies organizer require students to record observations and differences that could be expressed with descriptive detail.
Lesson 7
One-Act Play
Students are instructed to make their dialogue "communicate to the audience" and to "encourage [a] mood through your dialogue," which directs them to use words and phrasing to convey emotion and action. The lesson asks students to include stage directions, props, lighting cues, and physical cues (for example, the shattering glass) that enhance dialogue and plot, which prompts use of sensory and descriptive elements in performance. The sample scenes show emphasis on characters' emotional reactions and contrasts (e.g., Matt's silence vs. the others' chatter), modeling how wording and action convey experience.
Lesson 8
Family Crest
Students look up vocabulary words in a dictionary and record parts of speech and definitions, and they create index-card sentences (Option 1) or illustrations (Option 2) to practice using those precise words. The vocabulary list includes context sentences from the text that model descriptive and sensory language (e.g., "welter of fine dust," "the heavy green of creosote," "coated his mouth like rancid glue"). Students also choose a motto and symbols for El Patrón's family crest, requiring them to select words and design choices that communicate a specific character trait.
Lesson 10
Opium and Aztlán
Students are instructed in Activity 1 to list words and phrases that describe the physical places Opium and Aztlán and to use a Venn diagram to compare Matt's life in the two places, which requires producing descriptive language. The Parent Plan and sample responses supply concrete sensory and descriptive details (e.g., "odor in air," "pools stained red," "hot, humid air," "tasteless, insufficient food") that students are expected to notice and record. The reading questions and discussion prompts ask students to consider how Matt's experiences differ and what comforts him, which leads students to attend to relevant descriptive details about feelings and circumstances.
Unit 2: Watership Down
Lesson 1
Preparing to Read
Students complete a Vocabulary Cube activity in which they write the word, definition, alternate definition, part of speech, a synonym, and use the word in a sentence, and then practice the words in a game that requires matching definitions, parts of speech, and synonyms to words. The Parent Plan and Skills list explicitly state that students will "analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone" and "acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases." The Directions ask students to choose the definition and part of speech that best fits the context from sentences taken from the novel, requiring contextual selection of precise word meanings.
Lesson 3
An Epic Journey
Students are asked in Activity 1 to write several sentences or a short poem using at least 10 invented Lapine words or English words borrowed from other languages, which requires conscious word choice and vocabulary selection. The Travel Tracker role asks students to record settings by drawing picture postcards of each setting the rabbits pass through, prompting attention to place and sensory elements of setting. Discussion questions ask students to describe Fiver's premonition and feelings and to relate personally to moments of relief, inviting expression of emotion and experiential detail.
Lesson 4
Comparing Rabbits
Students are asked, as Connection Commander, to write several sentences explaining connections between the reading and their own experience, the world, or other works, which requires composing written responses. Students complete a Latin Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes worksheet where they write definitions for italicized words based on roots and context, analyzing precise meanings of words like "indolence," "prudence," and "undulated." Students add information to character cards and complete a Venn diagram comparing Hazel's group and Cowslip's group, identifying and classifying descriptive characteristics for each group.
Lesson 6
Dramatic Irony
Students analyze Latin roots and affixes by hypothesizing word meanings and recording dictionary definitions in the "Latin Roots and Affixes" activity, which requires attention to precise vocabulary. Students are asked in Option 1 to write a brief postcard to a character explaining what that character needs to know and the emotion the writer felt, which requires selecting language to convey meaning and feeling. Students also update character cards and serve as the "Questioner," producing discussion questions about big ideas that demand attention to wording about characters and events.
Lesson 7
Rabbit Societies
Students complete a "Vocabulary: Multiple Meanings" activity in which they read passages from Watership Down, write a definition from context, and look up and record at least two dictionary meanings, starring the one that matches the passage. The Passage Practitioner role asks students to locate two special sections or quotations to discuss, prompting close reading of specific passages and selection of powerful or interesting language. The Rabbit Societies and creative options (Hazel campaign slogan/logo or community flags) ask students to choose words, symbols, and colors to represent ideas, which requires selecting language and imagery deliberately.
Lesson 8
Folktales and Fantasy
Students update character cards by adding descriptions, traits, actions, memorable quotes, and others' reactions, which asks them to record descriptive details about characters. Students complete an "Animal Research" page that prompts them to record physical appearance, habitat, diet, lifespan, predators and defense—information that can be used as relevant descriptive detail in writing. Students plan and write their own animal fantasy story, which provides an opportunity to apply descriptive information in narrative context.
Lesson 9
Characters
Students complete a Denotations and Connotations activity in which they analyze pairs of words (e.g., run/bolt, strange/marvelous, wild/savage) and write the different connotative meanings, practicing nuanced word choice. Students plan 2–3 characters on the Character Planning pages by naming, drawing, and describing personality traits (strengths and weaknesses) and composing sample quotes for each character. Students adopt the Graphic Artist reading role and create illustrations or sketches of scenes or feelings from the chapters, which requires attending to sensory and imagistic aspects of the text.
Lesson 10
Setting
Students are asked to compare and contrast the physical settings of Efafra and Watership Down using words in a Venn diagram and to write a 2–4 sentence reflection explaining how details of the physical spaces give clues about the nature of each place. Students can create artwork of both settings and accompany it with a short written reflection linking visual details to setting qualities. In Activity 2, students draw a labeled map of a setting, name landforms and important places, and consider events that could occur there, tying setting details to characters and plot; the wrap-up discussion also asks students to explain how the distant storm affects mood.
Lesson 11
Conflict and Escape
The Parent Plan Skills explicitly state students should write narratives "using ... relevant descriptive details." Students are prompted to "add details to your character cards" as they read and to make a simple map of settings, which requires attention to descriptive features. The discussion questions call attention to the author's descriptive work, noting that the author "takes time to describe the plants and the animals of the countryside with appealing descriptive details."
Lesson 12
Dramatic Enactment
Students update character cards by adding each character's physical description, traits, important actions, memorable quotes, and reactions of other characters, which requires noting relevant descriptive details. Students write a 3–5 minute script for a dramatized scene and are asked to consider the actions the characters take as well as the words they speak and to include ideas for music or lighting to bring the scene to life. Students practice enacting and performing the scene for family or friends, providing an opportunity to convey action and events through dialogue and staging.
Lesson 13
A Fantasy Story
The lesson explicitly instructs students to "select powerful, specific words" and to "pay special attention to the words you choose," and the Fantasy Short Story Rubric includes a Word Choice criterion that asks for strong, specific words and a consistent mood. Students are directed to read a sample story and "note how it uses strong, specific words and effectively uses dialogue," and parents are prompted to encourage the child to focus on specific word choice and voice. The planning steps ask students to include additional details and particular words they'd like to include when preparing to write.
Unit 3: The Book Thief
Lesson 1
The Author and Narrator
Students analyze and practice figurative language and imagery when they study definitions of figurative language and tone and read the author interview about figurative language. Students create a color-based collage and then write three sentences that use colors to explain feelings, practicing color imagery and sensory-based description (Activity 4). Students write detailed descriptions or optional lines of imagined story for personified abstractions (Activity 3 Option 1) and compose promotional copy for a poster or radio spot (Activity 2), which asks them to consider word choice and presentation.
Lesson 2
Similes and Metaphors
Students analyze multiple similes and metaphors from the text (Part A–C) by identifying the two things being compared and explaining why a phrase is a simile or metaphor. Students write their own simile or metaphor based on a picture or a detail from the reading (Part D/Part III). Students look up six vocabulary words, write definitions in their own words, and create symbols in a mini picture dictionary to remember precise word meanings.
Lesson 4
The Value of Books
Students are asked to identify examples that appeal to each of the five senses in the reading and to record effective sensory images (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell). Activity 2 directs students through a step-by-step sensory experience with a wrapped piece of candy—holding, unwrapping, examining, sucking, biting, and chewing—and then to write a short paragraph that uses those sensory notes. The lesson explicitly encourages stronger word choice by advising students to use a thesaurus and to craft vivid adjectives, similes, and unexpected descriptions to make images effective.
Lesson 5
The Accordion Player
Students are explicitly instructed to practice being specific and detailed in descriptive writing ("Good descriptive writing is detailed and specific; it shows readers instead of just telling them"). Activity 2: "Be Specific" asks students to replace vague words with strong, specific descriptive words, gives examples (e.g., changing "his hair had dirt in it" to "stringy, matted hair was caked with mud"), and includes sentence-improvement and phrase-enhancement tasks. The activity asks students to choose precise verbs (stroll, trudge, stomp) and to modify passages from the book to make descriptions more vivid and memorable.
Lesson 8
The Thief Strikes Again
Activity 2 (Making the Ordinary Extraordinary) asks students to write short descriptions of objects, emotions, and actions and explicitly invites them to use similes or metaphors. The lesson includes three vivid textual examples (visions pouring and limping; trees like emaciated statues; guilt as a moist, dark-leafed flower) for students to analyze and emulate. The Student Activity Page directs students to produce six descriptive entries (three provided prompts and three original prompts) to practice creative word choice and imagery.
Lesson 9
Close Calls
Students are instructed in Activity 2 to expand basic sentences by adding how, when, and where details, to "paint" the subject and to pick one word to elaborate (e.g., turning "basement" into "the dark, dank basement" and adding "glistening snow"). Activity 1 asks students to find and record examples of personification, simile, metaphor, and onomatopoeia in the text, which directs attention to sensory language and precise figurative wording. The lesson's wrap-up and parent notes explicitly say students practiced making their writing more descriptive and becoming aware of the author's artistry and word choice.
Lesson 10
The Trilogy of Happiness
Students are asked to analyze language that creates vivid impressions (e.g., the War Journalism page asks how correspondents were able to bring Americans such vivid descriptions and asks for an example of Ernie Pyle's "living pictures"). Students interpret sensory or figurative phrasing from the text (the question about Max saying the stars "burned" asks students to consider possible meanings of that sensory image). The Relationship Web and discussion prompts require students to describe the significance of relationships, which may involve citing relevant descriptive details from the narrative.
Lesson 11
The Word Shaker
Students are prompted to locate 2–3 examples of effective adverbs, adjectives, and strong verbs in Part Eight and to explain why each example is effective (Activity 2: Descriptive Examples). The lesson reviews "sentence painting" (telling how, when, or where) and explicitly tells students to "use specific words that paint a picture and have the connotation you're looking for," with model examples such as "Their voices kneaded methodically." The "Ideas to Think About" section asks how good writers use figurative language and word choice to create tone and emotionally engage the reader, which directs students to consider word-level choices and descriptive detail.
Lesson 12
The Teddy Bear
Students are asked to jot down especially effective instances of figurative language (personification, simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, allegory, and symbolism) as they read and to save those notes for a final project. Students conduct interviews (Option 1) using guided questions that ask them to describe what a journey was like, including highlights, challenges, and important events. Students create maps or diagrams (Option 2 and both project options) and are instructed to choose the most important details that communicate the significance of stops and what the person or character learned.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students are asked to write a descriptive paragraph (Descriptive Character/Setting/Event) and are explicitly told that "good descriptive writing appeals to the senses, is detailed and specific, employs strong verbs, uses powerful adjectives and adverbs, and often includes the use of figurative language." The Descriptive Event task requires students to incorporate sensory details and figurative language, and the Figuratively Writing task requires transforming sentences to include at least one figurative device in their paragraphs. Day 3 revision directs students to strengthen weak sentences using the "Painting Sentences" routine, and parent instructions emphasize checking for sensory appeal, strong verbs, and effective adjectives/adverbs.
Unit 4: To Kill a Mockingbird
Lesson 2
Home and School
Students complete a vocabulary activity in which they determine word meanings from context and verify dictionary definitions for words such as "assuaged," "predilection," and "elusive," which draws attention to precise word meanings. Students write a 6–8 sentence literature response that requires referencing specific examples from the text and a journal task that asks them to record three personal events and explain how those details could make a novel impactful. The lesson text explicitly tells students that writing from personal experience allows them to "include details and connections that make the experience come alive for your reader," encouraging use of descriptive detail.
Lesson 5
Surprising Talent
Students are asked to produce a 4-square comic strip or a 30–60 second skit that tells a surprising personal revelation, which requires them to choose words and dialogue to convey events. Part II of the diagramming activity has students label adjectives and adverbs and identify predicate adjectives and predicate nouns, which gives practice recognizing descriptive language. Sentence diagramming and the focused practice sentences (e.g., "Miss Maudie grinned wickedly.") draw attention to word choice and adverb/adjective use in context.
Lesson 6
Separate
Students are asked to write a 6–8 sentence literary response that refers to specific examples from chapters 12–13, prompting them to describe feelings, surprises, and connections to the text. In Activity 2, students create a printed image with a "gripping caption" and write two or three sentences explaining how the image relates to the story, which asks them to choose words that evoke the historical scene. The parent/teacher discussion prompts ask students to describe contrasts and differences (for example, lack of resources in Calpurnia's church), which invites attention to relevant descriptive details.
Lesson 7
A Moral Dilemma
Students complete a vocabulary activity that provides example sentences from the novel and asks them to write their own sentences using words such as elucidate, amiably, mollified, volition, indicted, acquit, furtive, notoriety, irascible, and connived. Students answer comprehension questions that require them to describe characters and actions (for example, how Scout characterizes Dill and how the lynch mob was persuaded to disband). Students role-play chosen moral-dilemma scenarios, developing and enacting two possible solutions.
Lesson 9
Order in the Court
The Skills section asks students to determine the meaning of words and phrases as used in a text and to analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, which requires attention to precise vocabulary. Reading questions require students to identify concrete details from Mayella's testimony and Tom Robinson's account, asking them to extract relevant descriptive details. The diagramming activities ask students to analyze prepositional phrases and modifiers, having students identify how phrases modify nouns and verbs.
Lesson 10
Equal Rights?
Students read chapters 21–23 of To Kill a Mockingbird, exposing them to narrative language and events. Students are asked to create a "Found Poem" using words and phrases taken from the provided Jim Crow law texts, selecting and arranging language to capture injustice and human impact. Students must also write a 7–9 sentence summary of the chapters, practicing selection of words to convey main events concisely.
Lesson 12
Wise Words
Students are asked to write a 6-8 sentence diary entry from a chosen character's point of view, requiring them to express that character's thoughts, feelings, and reactions to events. Students complete a Venn diagram comparing two characters' perceptions, listing how each perceived, felt, and reacted to a shared scene (the Venn example includes descriptive words like "shabbier" and "dim"). Students explain five quotes in their own words and select one quote to memorize and display creatively, which asks them to choose and reproduce concise wording for emphasis.
Lesson 13
Text and Film
Students are asked in Option 2 to write a short 2–3 minute movie script and to include stage directions such as lighting, props, and music directions, which requires them to specify sensory and production details that convey action. The film analysis questions prompt students to identify special effects (lighting, music, camera angle) and explain how the director used those effects to help tell the story, engaging them in noticing sensory choices. The poster option requires students to create a concise summary sentence and select imagery that encapsulates themes, which encourages some practice in choosing words to convey meaning.
Final Project
Oral Book Presentation
Students plan and deliver an oral book presentation that requires a "Characters" slide where they must choose a compelling main character, describe them, and explain their development, and a "Plot" slide that asks them to summarize important events. Slides are to include text that highlights important terms or displays relevant, powerful quotations, and students are instructed to record key points and transfer key words to index cards for oral use. The unit test and study guide require students to paraphrase and summarize passages and study specific vocabulary, which engages them in selecting words and restating ideas.
Unit 5: Great American Poets
Lesson 1
Poetry Basics
Students are asked in Activity 1 to transform plain prose sentences (e.g., "The sun was setting") into poetic lines that create imagery or evoke feelings, and they analyze Robert Frost's line-by-line word choices (e.g., "dimpled spider, fat and white" and the simile "like a white piece of rigid satin cloth") to see how specific words change effect. Part II directs students to use devices such as alliteration and onomatopoeia to enhance descriptions, explicitly focusing on sound and sensory language. The Active Reading activity has students underline phrases that create vivid images or evoke feelings and record definitions of unfamiliar words, which practices selecting precise words and descriptive details.
Lesson 2
Early American Poetry
Students analyze word choice by comparing synonyms for key words (for example, examining alternatives for "acquainted" in Frost's "Acquainted with the Night") and use a thesaurus/rhyming dictionary to find better-fitting words. The Word Choice Activity directs students to list synonyms for "noiseless," choose which fit a poem's title best, and justify their choices. Students are asked to mark striking images in poems and to consider how word sound, rhythm, and tone affect meaning and mood.
Lesson 3
Figurative Language
Students are asked to observe a scene and "jot down things that you see, things that you hear, things that you smell, and things you taste," then use those notes to write a two-paragraph description that must include imagery appealing to two or more senses. Part II also requires students to write lines containing simile/metaphor, personification, and a line that describes two or more senses. Examples and analysis prompts (e.g., identifying imagery in Longfellow and personification in Poe) direct students to recognize and produce sensory and descriptive language.
Lesson 4
Poetic Forms
Students are asked to read and concentrate on haiku nature imagery and then write two haiku poems, revising lines to fit the 5-7-5 syllable rule. The limerick activity pages prompt students to use vivid imagery and lively language, to edit their work, and to consult a thesaurus when improving word choice. The parent/skills section directs students to write poems using figurative language (e.g., personification, hyperbole) and poetic techniques, implying practice with descriptive language and word choice.
Lesson 5
Edgar Allan Poe
Students are asked to write a poem about loss or death (Activity 3) and to "use Poe's poems as a guide for how to structure" their poem, which invites imitation of Poe's descriptive style. The Parent Plan skills list explicitly includes writing a poem using poetic techniques and figurative language (e.g., personification, idioms, hyperbole). Option 2 asks students to listen to a reading of "The Bells" and sketch a response while focusing on audio, engaging students' sensory perception of a poem.
Lesson 6
Meaning in Poetry
Students are asked to analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone and to determine figurative and connotative meanings (Skills section). Students are directed to look for imagery, figurative language, and sound-related devices (alliteration, onomatopoeia) in Whitman's free-verse poems and to consider how poets create unique images and patterns. The free-verse writing activity instructs students to write their own free verse poem and to "focus on creating unique images that help communicate your meaning." The lesson also explicitly teaches denotation vs. connotation and asks students to identify literal and symbolic meanings, which involves attending to precise language and descriptive detail.
Lesson 7
Poetry Analysis
Students analyze word choice and its effects: the Skills section asks them to "determine the meaning of words and phrases...; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone," and the "Ideas to Think About" asks, "Why is word choice key to creating effective poems?" Students practice identifying figurative language and imagery on the Poem Analysis page (Parts II and III) where they locate similes, metaphors, personification, and evaluate the effectiveness and memorability of imagery. Students also write their own narrative poem in Activity 2 and are asked in Skills to "write a poem using poetic techniques... figurative language," which gives them an opportunity to apply descriptive devices.
Lesson 8
Robert Frost
Students are instructed in Activity 1 to go outside (or bring in natural materials), jot down words and phrases about smell, feel, and sounds, and write a nature poem using descriptive words and at least one simile or metaphor. The Parent Plan restates that images should appeal to more than one of the five senses and that the poem should contain a simile or metaphor. The lesson models descriptive and sensory language by analyzing Frost's imagery, noting sound words, alliteration, assonance, and an original simile that helps readers see and hear the scene.
Lesson 9
Memorizing Poetry
The lesson explicitly prompts students to consider "Why is word choice key to creating effective poems?" and asks them to select poems with "imagery" and elements like rhythm and rhyme for memorization. In Activity 2 (Headline Poem) students cut out headline words, choose at least 25 words including articles/prepositions, and experiment with arranging them into an original poem, practicing deliberate selection and placement of words. Activity 3 describes lyric poetry as expressing feelings and discusses imagery and emotional sections in elegies, which requires students to notice descriptive details when answering questions.
Lesson 10
Poems about Poetry
The lesson prompts students to consider "Why is word choice key to creating effective poems?" and to reread poems looking up key words and underlining phrases or images that strike them. Activity 1 asks students to choose one phrase or image in "Ars Poetica" that they marked as effective and explain why, which requires attention to descriptive language and imagery. Activity 2 asks students to write their own poem about poetry, giving them a direct opportunity to select words and craft imagery in their writing.
Lesson 11
Editing Your Work
Students are asked to edit a poem they previously wrote and specifically told they may want to improve its imagery and its use of figurative language (Activity 2). The parent plan and editing guidance prompt students to make changes for "more detailed imagery, clearer wording, or a small change in rhythm or rhyme." Activity 1 asks students to jot down emotions, images, and colors that came to mind to guide their presentation, prompting attention to evocative language. The lesson also asks "Why is word choice key to creating effective poems?" and includes skills about analyzing the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
Lesson 12
Reciting Poetry
Students use a Five Senses Web to brainstorm sensory descriptions for their poem topic and are directed to use that web and a detailed drawing as inspiration for lines of their final poem. The lesson asks "Why is word choice key to creating effective poems?" and lists a skill to "Write a poem using poetic techniques ... figurative language," linking word-level choices to composition. Activity instructions ask students to help readers "understand the significance of the object, scene, or event," which requires relevant descriptive details and sensory language to convey experience.
Final Project
Poetry Journal
Students are asked to consider "Why is word choice key to creating effective poems?" and "How is the natural world conveyed through poetry?" which directs attention to diction and imagery. The lesson's Skills list requires students to "determine the meaning of words and phrases ... analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone," and the unit test and activities include items asking students to identify figurative language, tone, and imagery. Students compose a variety of poems (nature poem, narrative poem, "making the ordinary extraordinary" poem, etc.) for the poetry journal, which requires original word choice and descriptive detail in their own writing.