Sixth Grade - ELA
• Literacy
1: Environment and Cycles
Unit 1: Weather and Climate
Lesson 1
Weather and Climate
Students read specified pages of the text and answer guided comprehension questions (Questions #1-4), including a question that asks them to state the difference between weather and climate. Students practice rewriting a weather forecast for a specific audience in Activity 1, which requires condensing and tailoring information from forecast sources. The Wrapping Up and Things to Review sections prompt students to restate and review key ideas such as the difference between weather and climate.
Lesson 5
Precipitation
Students read pages 35-45 in Weather and Climate and answer directed questions about causes and outcomes (e.g., what happens when water is heated; what causes clouds; what happens when drops become too heavy). Students are asked to "Describe the stages in the water cycle," to outline the water cycle using details/labels on activity pages, and to fill a chart identifying components of the water cycle in their local environment. Students also create a diagram of "My Environment's Water Cycle," labeling evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff, and storage.
Lesson 7
Wild Weather
Students read pages 62–68 and fill in the "Weather Words" booklet, practicing writing definitions of key terms (thunderstorm, blizzard, tornado, hurricanes). Students answer focused comprehension questions that require identifying causes and conclusions from the text (e.g., what causes thunderstorms, lightning, hurricanes). The Wild Weather Search activity asks students to write a description, identify causes, and summarize results and survival tips for a chosen type of wild weather.
Lesson 9
Climate Change
Students read specific pages (75-80) in a science text and fill in vocabulary, then answer targeted comprehension questions about how climate changes over different time scales, natural causes, human causes, and mitigation. Students complete the Climate Time Machine activity where they record observations from data visualizations, label maps showing changes over time, and write a short sentence predicting future changes. Students also perform a hands-on greenhouse effect experiment and are asked to explain what they learned to a family member.
Final Project
Presenting My Weather and Climate
The Weather Journal Presentation Planning page asks students to state what information is on their chart, how they gathered the information, what patterns they observed, and how global weather patterns impact their region, which requires students to synthesize and summarize their journal data. The final project rubric includes criteria such as "Explained the information included in journal," "Described patterns I found in journal," and "Described how I made weather predictions," which directs students to produce concise explanations of their findings. The unit review and test preparation direct students to review compiled "Things to Know" and definitions, encouraging condensation of key content for recall and explanation.
Unit 1: The Wanderer
Lesson 3
Juggling
Students are asked to "Summarize the Bompie story Sophie told in Chapter 14," and to "Read Chapters 8-14 and answer the following questions in complete sentences," which requires condensing narrative content. Several questions prompt students to analyze author choices (e.g., "Why do you think the author chose to have two narrators?") and to support answers with examples from the book (e.g., "Use examples from the book to support your answer"). Students are also directed to record descriptive words and phrases on a "Character Timeline," which asks them to synthesize character information across readings.
Lesson 4
Grand Manan
The Parent Plan skills explicitly ask students to "make and evaluate inferences and conclusions about characters, events, and themes," which requires students to draw conclusions from the text. Activity 2 directs students to describe relationships among characters and explain how those relationships change, a task that asks for thematic interpretation across chapters. The Reading and Questions section asks inferential questions (e.g., why they threw the lobster; why Sophie is interested in her environment) that require students to cite text-based reasons and draw conclusions.
Lesson 6
Marine Life
Students are asked to "Summarize Bompie's story in Chapter 32" in the Parent Plan discussion questions, which requires producing a concise account of events. The reading task directs students to "Read Chapters 31-35 and then answer the following questions in complete sentences," prompting factual and inferential responses about characters and events. Students are also asked to fill out "Character Timelines," an activity that has them identify and record key events across chapters, and to explain "How do the sightings of the animals in the environment affect the emotions of the crewmembers?", which asks them to infer broader meanings from the text.
Lesson 7
The Storm
Students are asked to "describe the voyage up to this point and the relationships among the characters," which requires recounting key events and character relationships. Students read Chapters 36-50 and answer direct comprehension questions about how the environment outside the boat changed and how conditions on the boat changed, requiring them to identify major events and outcomes. Students complete a "Character Timelines" sheet and answer questions about character actions and reactions, supporting summary of character development across chapters.
Lesson 8
Changes
The Parent Plan Skills section explicitly states students will practice "restating and summarizing information" from informational materials, which indicates an expectation to summarize content. Activity 2 asks students to research Ireland or England, locate the countries on a map, and create a postcard describing what they might see and do, requiring students to condense researched information into a short written summary. The Reading and Questions section asks students to answer questions about how the storm changed Cody and how relationships changed, which has students identify and restate key changes from the text.
Lesson 9
Land Ho!
The lesson explicitly defines theme as "the main idea, underlying meaning, or lesson" and directs students to "list a way each character has changed as a result of the challenging voyage," which requires identifying central ideas about character growth. Multiple activity pages ask students to "Provide evidence from the book to support both themes" and to "Think of two themes in the story," which requires students to determine central ideas and cite textual support. The reading questions and parent-plan sample answers focus students on key events and character developments that feed into thematic conclusions.
Final Project
Character Lapbook and Test
Students are asked to "Describe a theme of the book. Use examples from the story to support your theme," which requires identifying a central idea and citing story examples. Students summarize characters in the "Character's Changes" three-flap book by writing sentences describing the character at the beginning, middle, and end. Students select and sequence the four most important events for their character in the "Important Events" accordion and explain or illustrate those events, and they record a character quote with a page number and explain its meaning.
Unit 2: Geography and Landforms
Lesson 1
Maps of All Kinds
Students are asked to label maps and "explain what each map shows" (Activity 1), which requires them to identify the main information each map conveys. In Activity 3 students must select which of five maps fits given scenarios and write at least two uses for each map, requiring them to state the maps' central purposes. In Activity 4 students complete a Photo vs. Map Venn diagram, where they compare and summarize what is present on the map versus in photos.
Lesson 2
What Is Geography?
Students are assigned to read specific pages of The Geography Book (page 1 and pp. 5–7) and then answer focused comprehension questions. Question #1 asks "What is geography?" and expects a concise definition; Question #2 asks how physical geography differs from human geography, requiring students to extract and state central ideas from the text. The lesson also asks students to review and use vocabulary (matching game) which reinforces understanding of key ideas from the reading.
Lesson 3
Landforms
Students read sections of The Geography Book and watch videos, then answer focused questions such as "How is a delta formed? What does a delta look like? How does a delta affect human activities?" (Activity 6) and "What is erosion? Describe the results of your own activity with sand and water. How do human activities influence erosion?" (Activity 4). Students also define and describe landform terms (island, isthmus, peninsula, strait, bay, fjord) and write sentences or examples (Activity 2), and answer synthesis questions about the Mississippi River's importance for trade and settlement (Activity 5). These tasks require students to extract key information and explain causes, effects, and features from the assigned texts and videos.
Lesson 5
Human Geography
Students read an online United Nations article and answer direct questions asking how the world's population is changing and which countries are most populous, requiring them to identify key conclusions from the text. Students use Prisoners of Geography readings to complete graphic organizers that ask for Weather & Climate, Natural Resources, Major Landforms, Benefits, Challenges, and Ways people alter the environment, which requires extracting and recording main ideas from the text. Students compare two places by listing pros and cons and must explain which place they would prefer to live using information from the assigned readings, prompting use of text-based information to support conclusions.
Lesson 8
World Map - Part I
Students read specified pages of Prisoners of Geography and answer targeted text-based questions (e.g., how geography has shaped nations; what the author means by Europe being "blessed by geography"). The lesson asks students to identify specific conclusions in the text (reasons Moscow was hard to defend, resources that bring Russia wealth) and to locate and label geographic features referenced in the reading. The activities require students to use details from the reading to choose a geographical feature for a postcard and to explain its significance.
Lesson 9
World Map - Part II
Students read assigned pages of Prisoners of Geography and answer targeted comprehension questions that ask for main ideas and conclusions (e.g., disadvantages Africa has faced, colonization, natural resources of the Middle East). Day 2 questions require students to state conclusions about political systems and causes (e.g., North vs South Korea, shrinking Antarctic ice), which asks them to interpret and draw conclusions from the text. Students create a 4–6 sentence postcard about a geographic feature and explain why the feature is important, requiring them to summarize information about that feature from sources.
Final Project
Local Geography Book
Students are asked to "write brief summaries of key concepts in your own words to reinforce understanding," which directs them to summarize content from unit readings and the Unit Review Sheet. The final project and activity pages require written descriptions of landforms, waterforms, climate, and human interactions, and the unit test includes an open-ended question asking what students learned that they did not know before. The parent plan also instructs discussing what the child discovered and reviewing test answers, which encourages distinguishing new information from prior knowledge.
Unit 2: The People of Sparks
Lesson 1
The City of Ember
Students are asked to watch The City of Ember and then write or perform a movie review in which they describe the characters, setting, and plot of the movie. Guiding questions such as "How does the environment influence individuals and communities?" and "How do people adapt to the environment in which they live?" prompt students to consider how setting contributes to meaning. The review activity also directs students to read/watch other movie reviews to understand what to include, which supports producing a summary of the film content.
Lesson 4
The Disaster
Students read chapters 6–7 and answer comprehension questions that ask for interpretation (Q2 asks what the doctor means about revenge and ruin) and factual central details (Q4 asks what the Disaster was). Students are prompted to reflect on theme via the 'Ideas to Think About' question about misunderstanding and revenge. In Activity 1 students must produce a monument or write a ballad that summarizes the Disaster and communicates the lesson of peace to others.
Lesson 5
Roamers
Students are asked to "summarize what happened in the chapters she read yesterday," which directly prompts them to produce a summary of text events. Students answer focused comprehension questions (Q1–Q5) that require extracting key information and causes from chapters 8–10. Students also identify which statements in their debate arguments are facts versus opinions, practicing separation of opinion from evidence-based statements.
Lesson 6
Flags
Students are asked to read chapters 11–13 and answer comprehension questions that probe story conclusions (e.g., "What does Lina think the people of Ember might be destined to do?" and "Are Tick's ideas good ideas? Why or why not?"). The lesson includes a Comparing Ember & Sparks activity that asks students to create a Venn diagram and illustrate both cities, which requires students to synthesize information and identify similarities and differences. The "Ideas to Think About" and "Wrapping Up" prompts ask students to consider thematic conclusions (how differences lead to conflict; how limited resources affect a community), encouraging students to form broader conclusions from the text.
Lesson 8
Unfairness
Students are asked to read Chapters 17-19 and answer comprehension questions that require identifying relationships and conclusions, e.g., Question #1 asks them to describe relations between the people of Ember and the people of Sparks. Question #2 asks students to judge which leader is more effective and justify why, which asks for a supported conclusion about leadership. The government comparison and Option 2 activities ask students to compare systems and decide which is more effective, requiring synthesis of information about governance from the text and discussion.
Lesson 9
Conflict
Students are asked to "summarize some of the most important events in the story to this point," which directs them to identify and retell key plot events. The Sequencing Events activity requires students to order major events and "note the quick progression that has led nonviolent people to violence," prompting students to identify central causal threads. Reading questions and the Combining Sentences activity require students to restate characters' realizations and plot points (for example, what Lina realized about the songs and legends), which practices producing concise statements about the text.
Lesson 10
The Decision
Students are prompted to summarize what happened in yesterday's chapters and to review plot, characters, and setting (Introducing the Lesson; Activity 4). The Skills and activities ask students to identify the main problem or conflict and explain how it is resolved and to provide evidence from the text in a bubble map (Skills; Story Conflict activity). Students write a 6–8 sentence speech selecting and explaining a solution to the central problem, which requires summarizing conclusions drawn from the text (Activity 1).
Final Project
Wars and Plagues or A New Environment
Students are asked to describe the conflict in the novel (Test Question 6), which requires identifying a central problem between groups. Students complete a Venn diagram comparing Ember and Sparks and answer questions about characters and genre, which requires selecting and organizing key ideas and details from the text. Final-project tasks ask students to compare settings (Venn diagram in Option 2) and to explain how people adapt, encouraging analysis of important elements of the story.
Unit 3: Our Changing Earth
Lesson 1
The Rock Cycle
Students watch a 'Rock Cycle' video and read specific pages (pp. 90-91) and then answer targeted comprehension questions such as "What is the rock cycle?" and "Explain how igneous rocks are formed." Students also categorize rocks into igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary using the kit and later share what they know about a chosen rock when presenting artwork or a poem. The Wrapping Up step asks students to explain what they know about the rock and to discuss how much of their poem or artwork is guesswork versus something they know.
Lesson 4
Earthquakes and Moving Plates
Students are assigned specific pages to read (pp. 34-39 and 42-43) and answer targeted comprehension questions that require extracting key information (e.g., causes of earthquakes, which seismic waves cause the most damage, what a seismograph measures). Students also discuss and share observations from experiments and complete a map activity identifying earthquake hazard levels, which asks them to identify the hazard level for their state and nearby states.
Lesson 5
Metamorphic and Sedimentary Rocks
Students are asked to read specific pages of Dirtmeister (pp. 66–67, 62, and 84–89) and answer focused questions that require extracting main points (e.g., "What is lithification?", "What are strata?", "How are many mountains formed?"). Students must explain processes (e.g., ways metamorphic rocks form) and compare parent and metamorphic rocks, which requires identifying central ideas and key conclusions from the text. Several short-answer tasks prompt students to state definitions and causes based directly on their reading.
Unit 3: Short Stories
Lesson 1
The Good Deed
Students are asked to answer directed comprehension questions (e.g., why Heather was going to visit Miss Benson, why Heather hid the book) that require locating and stating story facts. The Student Activity Page asks students to identify main characters, the main setting, the primary incident, how much time passes, and the lesson learned, which asks them to identify central elements of the text. The Parent Plan states students should "support by referencing the text to determine the plot development," indicating students must use text-based evidence.
Lesson 2
Short Story Genre
Students answer direct comprehension questions that ask them to identify the main character's primary problem (QUESTION #1) and key story details (other numbered questions) for both the fantasy and science fiction texts. Students analyze how the setting and natural environment shape each story (Activity 4 and related questions) and collect textual phrases and sentences in their journals to support that analysis. Students complete targeted tasks about story events (e.g., why Georgie lives on Mars, why she is examined by doctors) that require determining central conflicts or conclusions in the texts.
Lesson 3
The Dog of Pompeii
Students read the story and answer specific comprehension questions about plot details (Questions 1–7), which require recalling events and key facts. Students analyze characters by listing actions and inferred traits (Activity 1) and examine irony and the role of setting (Activities 2 and 5), which build understanding of meaning. The skills section and wrapping up prompt students to "review the events that occurred in Pompeii" and to "interpret text by explaining point of view," linking reading to interpretation of meaning.
Lesson 4
Rip Van Winkle
Students are asked specific comprehension questions that require identifying key events and character traits (e.g., Question #3 asks for "two or three major changes that occurred while Rip was asleep," and Questions #1–2 ask students to characterize Rip and cite supporting actions). Activity 5 asks students to rewrite a returning-to-village episode as a script, requiring them to retell and organize narrative events. Activity 4 asks students to compare the poem excerpt to the short story and note similarities and differences, which prompts students to identify gist-level elements across forms.
Lesson 5
Zlateh the Goat
Students read the full text of "Zlateh the Goat" and answer directed comprehension questions that ask for reasons the family sold the goat and how Zlateh saved Aaron, which requires identifying important events and implied conclusions. Wrapping-up discussion prompts ask students to explain the role of the natural setting in the conflict and how the family treated Zlateh afterward, which asks for thematic inference about cause/effect and character change. The point-of-view activities require students to identify narrator perspective, which supports understanding how central ideas are presented.
Lesson 6
Women in Short Stories
Students are asked in the Short Story Critique to discuss what they think the author was trying to communicate, which requires identifying an author's message or central idea. Students complete a Venn diagram in Activity 4 comparing the two female characters and their themes, which asks them to find similarities and differences across texts. The parent discussion questions prompt students to explain the role of the natural environment in each story, requiring synthesis about how that idea shapes characters and outcomes. The skills list includes making reasonable assertions about a text with accurate, supporting citations, which supports deriving conclusions from textual evidence.
Lesson 7
Your Choice
Students identify the story's main events, problem, climax, falling action, and solution on the Plot Diagram, which asks them to note three main events and the narrator's point of view. Students use the Story Conflict & Theme bubble map to determine a major theme and record specific examples from the text that support that theme. Students complete the Elements of a Short Story organizer by listing actions that show character traits and writing words and phrases the author uses to describe setting, directing them to reference the text.
Final Project
Writing a Short Story
Activity 2 (Plot Diagram) directs students to identify the three most important events, the central problem or conflict, the climax, and the resolution of a story, which requires identifying central ideas or conclusions. Activity 4 (Theme & Conflict) asks students to identify a major theme and to provide examples from the text that support that theme, prompting students to determine a text's main message and cite evidence. The Student Activity Pages and rubric also ask students to state the major conflict and to keep the story focused on a single incident and main events, reinforcing analysis of central elements.
2: Force and Power
Unit 1: Slavery and the Civil War
Lesson 1
Antebellum America
Students are instructed to read specific pages (pages 9–22 and 162–163 of A History of US) and to answer guided questions (Q1–Q4) that ask them to describe work, machines, and the biggest differences between the North and South based on the map and text. Students must produce written summaries in the travel-brochure activity (writing a short general description, 2–3 sentences about the economy, and listing five descriptive words for each region) and in map and timeline activities that require pulling key events and data from the text. The 'Things to Review' and discussion questions ask students to state and explain the main differences and to use readings to support their ideas.
Lesson 2
Slavery
Students begin by recording prior knowledge and questions in the K (Already Know) and W (Want to Know) columns of a KWL chart and later complete the What You Learned column to separate prior beliefs from new learning. In Activity 1 students take notes on targeted categories while watching a video and reading secondary sources to collect important information and details. In Activity 3 students synthesize their gathered information by choosing key ideas and events to illustrate on quilt squares or a mural; Activity 2 also asks students to consider differences between primary and secondary sources.
Lesson 3
Disunion and the Start of the Civil War
Students are assigned targeted pages of a historical text and asked text-based comprehension questions (Question #1 asks what Lincoln meant by "A house divided..." and Question #2 asks why Southern states seceded), which require identifying central ideas and conclusions. The Parent Plan skills list explicitly tells students to practice finding the main idea and summarizing, and activities ask students to sequence events on a timeline and write out arguments in the Debate on the Expansion of Slavery, which require synthesis of the text. Activity 3 asks students to list potential positive and negative consequences of civil war, prompting students to draw conclusions from the reading.
Lesson 4
Leadership and the Civil War
Students are assigned to read chapters 12–14 of A History of US: War, Terrible War 1855–1865 and answer guided questions about the text. Question 1 explicitly directs students to explain why Lincoln appointed many commanders using the text (citing page 66). Activities require students to create Civil War leader cards in which they fill in background, roles, and notable events from the reading. The timeline activity asks students to add important dates based on their reading.
Lesson 5
The Wartime Experience
Students are asked to read A History of US: War, Terrible War 1855-1865 (chapters 15–16) and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., QUESTION #1 asks how the Southern way of life differed from the Northern way of life; QUESTION #4 asks students to describe a battlefield using details from pages 83–84). Activity 4 instructs students to read an online article about daily life of a Civil War soldier and to "pay attention to the descriptions of camp life, daily routines, and leisure activities," which directs students to extract key information from a text. The Pack Your Haversack activity and related prompts require students to weigh evidence from readings to decide which items to include and to reflect on how those choices reflect values, encouraging synthesis of textual details.
Lesson 6
Major Battles of the Civil War
Students are asked to review Chapters 18–20 and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., what was surprising about Bull Run; what went wrong with McClellan), which requires extracting key ideas from the text. Students add major battles to a timeline and write short explanations of why each battle was important, practicing identification of central events and their significance. On the Civil War Map and Civil War Monument pages, students must label dates/locations, record important details, state who won, and write why a battle was a turning point, which directs them to articulate main ideas from the readings.
Lesson 7
The Homefront Experience
Students are directed to read Chapters 22–24 and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., describing what might happen if an army passed through a yard, explaining the Confederate advance at Gettysburg, and why Vicksburg was important), which requires extracting key information from the text. Students are asked to add important events and dates from the readings to a Civil War timeline and complete a Civil War map, which asks them to identify and record central events. Discussion prompts (e.g., "How was life different for people on the Civil War homefront?") ask students to describe main differences and support them with examples from the readings.
Lesson 8
Gettysburg and Beyond
Students read primary texts (the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Gettysburg Address) and are instructed to highlight important ideas and powerful phrases in each document. Students use a three-way Venn diagram to organize and note similarities and common ideas among the three texts. Students also read chapters 25–27 of a textbook and are prompted to consider questions in the text boxes, providing additional opportunities to identify important ideas related to the Civil War.
Lesson 9
End of War and Reconstruction
Students read chapters 28–31 and linked web pages about freed people, the Freedmen's Bureau, and the Black Codes and answer comprehension questions that require extracting main events (e.g., Lee's surrender, terms of surrender, challenges faced by former slaves). On the "Reconstruction Amendments" activity students read the full texts of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments and are prompted to "determine their meaning" and to "restate this amendment in your own words." In Activities 1 and 3 students add major events to a timeline and compare/contrast life before and after emancipation, which requires identifying key ideas across source texts.
Final Project
Remembering the Civil War
The Parent Plan skills list explicitly includes "finding the main idea, summarizing," and other analytic tasks. Students must write 2–3 sentence "Exhibit Cards" explanations for multiple topics, plan narration for a documentary that "provides accurate, interesting information," and prepare a 30–60 second living-wax-speaker speech that states who they are, when they lived, and their Civil War experience. The unit test asks students to describe differences between North and South, list five important details about slavery, explain reasons for the war, and answer open-ended questions that require summarizing information learned from the unit.
Unit 1: Bull Run
Lesson 1
Background on the Civil War
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Summarize the author's purpose and stance" and "Distinguish between fact and opinion," which ask students to analyze and condense author intent and claims. Activity 4 has students read two primary-source journals, discuss each author's perspective, and identify facts and opinions in the texts. Activity 5 directs students to research the Battle of Bull Run using secondary sources and record important information on color-coded note cards, and Activity 2/Parent notes instruct students to put information in their own words in a journal.
Lesson 2
Pink and Say
Students read Pink and Say and answer targeted comprehension questions about plot events (what Pink did, why Say fled, what happened to Moe Moe Bay, where the boys were taken). Students record factual information about the Civil War from the book in a journal (Activity 1) and analyze primary-source Civil War letters to identify writers, recipients, sides, and expressed opinions (Activity 5). Discussion prompts and Activity 2 require students to compare points of view and consider how narrator perspective changes what is conveyed.
Lesson 3
Joining the Ranks
Students read pages 1–20 and answer comprehension questions that ask for reasons behind characters' actions (e.g., why Vernon was afraid, why Gideon faced a challenge). Activity 2 requires students to record three factual statements and three opinion statements from a Civil War speech and to identify at least two statements that could be propaganda. The Things to Review/Parent Plan sections ask students to summarize the accounts they read and explain each character's perspective, and the Parent Plan lists skills including drawing conclusions from evidence and exploring bias and underlying assumptions.
Lesson 4
Ready for Battle
Students read pages 21–40 of Bull Run and answer comprehension questions that ask for interpretation (e.g., Q2 asks what the doctor meant and Q3 asks students to describe Lily and Patrick's relationship). Parent-plan discussion prompts ask students to analyze themes and conclusions (e.g., "In what way was the Civil War a battle over power?" and questions about leaders' preparedness and Gideon's experience). The propaganda poster activity requires students to decide on a message and explain how the poster would influence readers, which asks them to identify persuasive central messages and draw conclusions.
Lesson 7
Fleeing and Death
Students finish reading the novel and answer comprehension questions (Q1–Q3) that ask them to identify characters' reactions and to interpret a line about victory and death, prompting attention to the consequences of the battle. Students are directed in Activity 1 to reread specified pages and describe Toby's feelings before and after Bull Run, citing evidence from the text to support their ideas. The Wrapping Up prompts ask students to note the different points of view and the variety of people whose lives were affected by the Civil War, which connects to identifying broad conclusions about the war's impact.
Unit 2: Force and Motion
Lesson 2
Forces
Students are asked to read Chapter 1 and answer guided questions, including QUESTION #3 which prompts them to "List three general things about forces and motion that you have learned in this chapter," with example answers that synthesize main ideas (e.g., forces act in pairs; balanced forces result in no motion). The activities ask students to identify and describe types of forces (scavenger hunt) and to explain outcomes of experiments (Book Buddies, Building Bridges), requiring them to extract and state key conclusions from text and hands-on results. The "Things to Review" section and parent discussion prompts reinforce summarizing definitions and main ideas about forces.
Lesson 3
Gravity
Students are asked to read Chapter 2 (pages 19-25) and answer targeted comprehension questions about mass vs. weight, why Earth's pull is felt but not the pull between small objects, and how the Moon stays in orbit, which requires extracting factual conclusions from the text. Multiple activities require students to write "Results" and "Conclusion" responses (e.g., parachute tests, paper-drop rounds, and the Weightless Water experiments) and to explain what happened based on readings or a video, prompting students to state conclusions drawn from text and observations.
Lesson 4
Laws of Motion
Students are directed to read Chapter 3 and answer comprehension questions, including Question #1 which asks them to explain Newton's first law in their own words. In Activity 1, students must create a poster that states each of Newton's three laws using wording from the book or their own words and illustrate each law. In the Force Experiment and wrapping-up sections, students write results and conclusions, summarizing what they observed and learned from the investigation.
Lesson 6
Buoyancy
Students are asked to read Chapter 5 and answer specific comprehension questions about Archimedes' use of displacement, why humans float, and differences in sinking vs. floating (Reading And Questions). The lesson provides a "Things to Know" list and review items that state central concepts (buoyancy, density, displacement, pressure) which students must use in activities and answer-key explanations. Lab activities require students to record volume, mass, and calculate density and to explain how they determined densities, which asks students to restate procedures and conclusions from the text.
Unit 2: Albert Einstein
Lesson 1
Who Is Albert Einstein?
Students read the introduction to Kathleen Krull's biography and answer four comprehension questions in complete sentences targeting key points from the text. The Wrapping Up instruction asks students to "summarize some of the major events that occurred in Einstein's life as described in the introduction," prompting a written summary of the text. Activities ask students to generate questions about Einstein and later look for answers in the book, encouraging text-based retrieval of information.
Lesson 2
Einstein, The Boy
Students are asked to record the important events they learned in Chapters 1–2 on a timeline and to "focus on the most important events, not on every detail," which requires selecting main ideas from the text. Students answer specific comprehension questions in complete sentences (e.g., describe how Einstein's interest in science began and his views on education), which asks them to extract key points. Students identify positive and negative traits of Einstein and explain consequences or outcomes, which requires synthesizing character-driven conclusions from the text.
Lesson 3
University Days and Beyond
The Parent Plan lists the skill to "read independently... and summarize or paraphrase what the reading was about, maintaining meaning and logical order," and the lesson introduction instructs the student to summarize the first two chapters. The Reading and Questions section directs students to read Chapters 3 and 4, answer comprehension questions in complete sentences, and add two to four of the most important events from the chapters to Einstein's timeline. Activity 1 (Biography Web) asks students to locate and place events from Einstein's childhood and young adult life onto a web, requiring students to select and organize central events from the text.
Lesson 4
Research and Discovery
Students are asked to write a Video Summary (Activity 5) that requires them to record major topics, themes, or events from a video using notes. Students complete a Biography Web (Activity 1) and add events to a timeline, identifying four major events from Einstein's "miracle year." The Parent Plan lists the skill "Summarize significant events and details" and instructs students to listen for statements that are facts versus the narrator's opinions while watching videos.
Lesson 5
The Professor
Students read Chapters 7 and 8 and answer directed comprehension questions in complete sentences, including questions about how the scientific community responded to Einstein's papers and how Einstein described gravity. Students add events to an Einstein timeline and complete a Biography Web by selecting four major events from 'The Professor' period. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to state what they learned about Einstein's years after his 'miracle year.'
Lesson 6
Fame
The Parent Plan lists skills that ask students to "synthesize and make logical connections between ideas within a text and across two or three texts" and to "understand, make inferences, and draw conclusions," indicating practice with inference and cross-text synthesis. The "Forms of Media" activity requires students to read an encyclopedia entry, compare it to a biography and videos, and explain how each source contributed to their understanding, which asks students to integrate information across texts. The reading questions (e.g., how Einstein felt about war, why he was passed over for the Nobel Prize, meaning of "lone traveler") require students to extract conclusions and infer key points from chapters 9 and 10.
Lesson 7
War
Students read Chapters 11 and 12 and answer comprehension questions that require recalling key points (e.g., Einstein's disagreement with quantum mechanics, reasons for moving to America, and his changing feelings about the war). Students add events to a timeline and fill in four major events for the "The War" section on a biography web, which asks them to select and record major occurrences from the text. Students watch a biography video and record at least three statements that are facts and at least two that are opinions, practicing separation of factual content from opinion.
Lesson 8
Peace
Students read the final chapter and answer text-based questions such as "What makes Einstein's work in science some of the least understood?" and "What does the author believe drove Einstein his entire life? How is this evidenced in his life?", which require identifying central ideas and supporting them with text. Students add events to a timeline and revisit earlier questions, synthesizing information from the biography. In Option 2, students locate one or two examples from the book for each common element of a biography, explicitly using text evidence to explain author choices.
Final Project
Biography Scrapbook
The Parent Plan lists the skill "Integrate main idea and supporting details from multiple sources to expand understanding of texts," and the project asks students to use a biography web and timeline to decide what to include. Students are directed to conduct research from a variety of sources and to gather photographs and information for the scrapbook. The project requires assembling information in a logical way and producing several written pieces (letter, journal entry) that draw on researched material.
Unit 3: World Wars I and II
Lesson 1
World War I Begins
Students read Where Poppies Grow (pages 4–21) and respond to questions that ask them to interpret author meaning (e.g., what the author means by the Archduke's murder being "the spark"), identify hardships soldiers faced in the trenches, and explain how technologies influenced the war. Students complete activities that require choosing a wartime technology, describing its impact, and analyzing trench photographs to describe conditions and soldiers' experiences. Students compare a 1914 New York Times front page to a modern newspaper, which asks them to extract salient differences from a historical text.
Lesson 2
In the Trenches and on the Homefront
Students answer targeted comprehension questions (Questions #1–#4) that require extracting key information from the assigned pages (e.g., identifying examples of propaganda and ways children supported the war). Students discuss and reflect on the poem "In Flanders Fields" through an activity that asks them to choose, memorize or illustrate a stanza and consider its emotional impact. Discussion prompts and the wrapping-up section ask students to describe how people on the homefront supported the war and to identify kinds of primary sources historians use, which requires pulling main ideas from the readings.
Lesson 3
The End of World War I
Students are assigned specific pages from two informational texts (Where Poppies Grow and A History of US) to read, providing source material for extracting main ideas. Students answer directed comprehension questions (e.g., why leaders pressed for a "hard peace," why soldiers could not describe locations) that require identifying key conclusions from the texts. Students complete a comparison table that asks them to list key parts of Wilson's Fourteen Points, state Wilson's reasons, and note how the Treaty of Versailles was similar or different, which requires summarizing and comparing central ideas from the readings.
Lesson 4
World War II Before U.S. Involvement
Students read assigned chapters (Hakim, ch. 26-29) and answer targeted comprehension questions that require extracting main ideas (e.g., why Hitler appealed to Germans; what anti-Semitism led to; why some Americans hesitated to enter the war). Students complete "World Leaders" activity pages by filling in "Important Actions" and "Goals," which asks them to identify and record central information about each leader. The "Things to Know" list highlights key concepts (blitzkrieg; differences among democracy, fascism, communism) that students are expected to understand from the text.
Lesson 5
Mobilizing for War
Students read and annotate Franklin Roosevelt's December 8, 1941 speech, underlining or highlighting powerful words and phrases and answering targeted questions about meaning (e.g., what Roosevelt meant by "a date which will live in infamy," why he explained the diplomatic situation, and what he wanted Americans to understand). Students answer comprehension questions about the assigned reading (Joy Hakim pages 129-138) that require identifying facts and sequences (e.g., timing of declarations of war, which countries were Axis/Allies). In poster activities, students analyze two WWII posters by listing words, images, colors, emotions, and the action the artist wanted viewers to take, then plan and create their own persuasive poster based on that analysis.
Lesson 7
War in the Pacific and North Africa
Students are assigned to read A History of US: War, Peace, and All That Jazz (pages 153-162) and then answer directed comprehension questions (e.g., significance of Guadalcanal; why production/labs mattered; purpose of Operation Torch; how Overlord misled the Axis) that require identifying conclusions and key ideas from the text. In Activity 2 (Weapons of War) students must describe historical examples of weapons, explain how they differed from earlier versions, and evaluate their impact—tasks that ask students to extract and state central information from sources. The Wrapping Up and Parent Plan discussion prompts ask students to explain why the Pacific war turned in favor of the Allies, which asks for synthesis of central ideas from the reading.
Lesson 8
War in Europe
Students are assigned to read pages 163-179 of A History of US and answer comprehension questions about key events (Rommel's belief about the weather, D-Day beach code names, a quoted line during Normandy), showing engagement with main factual content. Students must add relevant details about President Truman to a "World Leaders" activity page, which asks them to extract and record information from the text. In Activity 3 students must write a radio script using vocabulary terms and at least two events from the reading and are instructed to consult the book for accuracy, requiring them to synthesize information about events.
Lesson 9
The End of World War II
Students are asked to read specified chapters and then take objective reporter notes answering who, what, when, where, and why for the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Activity 2), with explicit instructions that journalists try to present facts without personal feelings and put the most important information first. The Parent Plan directs adults to check the student's "Daily News" page or recording for accuracy and to ask which details from the readings led to the student's conclusions. The Wrapping Up and parent discussion questions ask students to explain how the war ended in Europe and Japan and why the United States decided to drop the atomic bombs, focusing on central events and explanations.
Final Project
A World War II Board Game
Students are asked to review unit readings and "Things to Know" sections and to use those sources to create 36 question-and-answer cards about Europe, the Pacific, and the U.S. homefront, which requires selecting important information from texts. Students must answer short-answer test prompts (e.g., "Why did the United States enter World War I?", "Describe trench warfare", "How were Japanese Americans treated during World War II?") that require explaining key ideas from the materials. Students are scored on whether their trivia answers are correct and whether the game "conveys important information about World War II," which requires identifying and using central facts from the unit.
Unit 3: Number the Stars
Lesson 2
Soldiers on Every Corner
Students are assigned the role of summarizer and instructed to read Chapters 1 and 2 and write a four- or five-sentence summary of what happened. The instructions state "a summary is a short description that contains the main events that occurred," and students are given space to write their summaries. The task requires students to identify and record the main events from the text in a concise form.
Lesson 3
The Button Shop
Students are asked in Activity 2 to analyze multiple propaganda posters and to "summarize the message each poster is trying to convey" in a sentence, which requires extracting the main message from a text/image. The reading task asks students to locate and mark passages from Chapters 3 and 4 that are "interesting, powerful, funny, puzzling, or important" and then read them aloud and discuss them with a parent, which asks students to identify salient sections of a text.
Lesson 4
In Hiding
Students are instructed to read Chapters 5 and 6 and take on the role of discussion director, writing four discussion questions designed to cover the big ideas of the text and then discuss their answers with a parent. The Parent Plan prompts students to explain what happened at the end of Chapter 4, asking them to recall and describe events. The Problem and Solution activity asks students to describe three problem/solution situations from the chapters, explaining each problem and how characters solved it.
Lesson 5
In the Country
The lesson tells students up front that during the chapters they will see that war forces people to take risks and make sacrifices, and it asks students to read Chapters 7 and 8 and describe where characters move and what each setting is (including page locations). Students are asked to "explain what role the setting plays in the conflict," to record ideas in a journal, and to "consider the sacrifices the characters are called upon to make." Discussion questions probe comprehension of plot points (e.g., why Mama kept the girls from seeing anyone, why food was short).
Lesson 6
Aunt Birte is Dead
Students are directed to paraphrase major ideas and supporting evidence (Parent Plan skills) and to respond to literary texts with evidence. Students must retell Barbara Rodbell's biography to a parent, which requires summarizing a text in their own words. Students choose two or three passages from Chapters 9–10 and explain why they picked them, practicing identification of important text elements.
Lesson 7
Run!
Students are asked to read Chapters 11–13 and create an illustration related to plot, character, or setting, which requires identifying important story elements. Students brainstorm historical figures who made sacrifices and complete a Venn diagram comparing Annemarie's sacrifice to another person's, which engages them in extracting and comparing thematic elements. Discussion prompts and comprehension questions ask students to identify specific plot details (e.g., what was in Aunt Birte's coffin, what dangerous task Mama sent Annemarie to do), supporting identification of key ideas.
Lesson 8
Little Red Riding Hood
Students are explicitly asked to "summarize the plan that Peter and Annemarie's mother have for helping the Jewish families escape," which requires producing a concise restatement of a text-based plan. Students must also "describe the problem Annemarie faced and how her character traits helped her solve it," which asks them to identify a central conflict and summarize how it is resolved. The Little Red Riding Hood comparison asks students to use a graphic organizer to show similarities and differences, requiring students to extract and state key points from two texts.
Lesson 9
A Magazine Article
Students are directed to read the book's Afterword to discover which parts of the story were based on historic fact, which requires comparing text details to factual information. Students use a bubble map organizer to identify a central topic ('Denmark in World War II'), three subtopics (big ideas), and supporting details for each, explicitly focusing on main ideas and supporting evidence. Students must write an introductory paragraph that describes the topic and main ideas, three body paragraphs that follow the bubble map, and a concluding paragraph that restates main ideas; the rubric specifically assesses focus on a main idea, introduction, supporting details, and an effective conclusion.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students are asked to write a back cover summary that requires naming the main character, setting, and the beginning, middle, and end of the book. The "Number the Stars" test asks students to describe how the Danish people felt about King Christian, explain how Annemarie showed bravery, and to explain the plan Uncle Henrik and Mrs. Johansen carried out — tasks that require identifying main events and lessons. The Parent Plan lists a skill to "Paraphrase major ideas and supporting evidence in formal and informal presentations," which signals practice in summarizing key ideas.
3: Change
Unit 1: Matter
Lesson 2
Introduction to Metals
Students read specified pages and answer direct comprehension questions that ask for main categories and properties (e.g., name the three element categories; list properties of metal groups). Students record and synthesize observations into a chart and Venn diagram for the three metals and fill the 'Metals' column of a comparison chart. Students create an informational poster or collage that requires them to gather and present an element's name, symbol, group, characteristics, uses, and facts.
Lesson 3
Introduction to Metalloids
Students are instructed to read specific pages (41-42, 44, 45, 47-49 and insets) and then answer targeted comprehension questions about why metalloids are called metalloids, which is radioactive, what radioactivity means, and which metalloid is added to glass. Students are asked to "fill in what you have learned about metalloids" on the "Metals, Metalloids, and Nonmetals" activity page and to create a poem or mini-book presenting information about a chosen metalloid. Discussion prompts ask students to explain what the metalloid family's location on the periodic table tells them about its properties, prompting students to draw conclusions from the text and the table.
Lesson 4
Introduction to Nonmetals
Students are asked to "fill in what you have learned about nonmetals" on the Metals/Nonmetals activity page and to "tell your parent three things you learned" after researching a gaseous nonmetal, which asks them to extract and report key information. Students must write the question, observations, and conclusions on the "Test Your Nonmetal!" sheet after conducting the yeast experiment, requiring them to state an evidence-based conclusion. The closing prompts ask students to "compare the nonmetals you have looked at to the metals and metalloids" and to consider commonalities, which asks for synthesis of ideas across categories.
Lesson 6
Classifying by Density
Students are asked to read "Don't Be Dense" and "A Density Riddle" and answer guided comprehension questions (e.g., definitions of volume and effects of denser liquids), which requires extracting key information from the texts. In Activity 2 students must rewrite the density riddle using two chosen objects and present a physical model, explaining why the larger object is not heavier, which asks them to restate and explain ideas from the text. In Activity 3 students examine a density periodic table, identify patterns across rows and columns, and solve puzzles that require drawing conclusions from the provided technical information.
Unit 1: Tuck Everlasting
Lesson 1
Getting Ready
Students are prompted to think about a major theme with the question "How do our interactions and experiences shape who we are?" and the introduction instructs them to prepare to read by thinking about that theme. In Activity 2 students must contemplate the consequences of drinking ‘Everlasting Life' and either list pros and cons or write a future-tense paragraph reflecting how life would change, which asks them to reason about thematic consequences. The Wrapping Up section explicitly states that students explored a major theme when they considered whether living forever would be good or bad.
Lesson 4
The Tucks
The Parent Plan directs the child to "summarize what happened in the chapters she read yesterday" and to "retell the story the Tucks told to Winnie," which require students to produce summaries of events. The Reading and Questions ask students to answer interpretive prompts (e.g., whether the Tucks seem like kidnappers, whether their secret is dangerous, how Winnie feels) that require students to draw conclusions about characters and plot. The Wrapping Up asks students to consider how the book's fantasy elements affect natural cycles, prompting synthesis of thematic ideas.
Lesson 5
At Home with the Tucks
Students are asked to locate words and phrases the author uses to juxtapose the Fosters' home and the Tucks' home (Option 2) and to write short paragraphs describing each home using the author's descriptions and direct quotations (Option 1). Students make predictions before reading and then check whether their predictions were correct, and they answer comprehension questions that require inferring motives (e.g., why the Tucks were excited to have Winnie). Students are prompted to discuss how Winnie's interactions with the Tucks will change her, which asks them to draw conclusions from the text.
Lesson 6
The Man in the Yellow Suit
Students are asked to identify and explain themes: the Skills section lists "Interpret text by recognizing and explaining theme," and the Review prompts students to "explain one or two themes found in the novel." Activity 2 (Cycles and Change) has students read thematic quotes and answer guided questions about how nature changes and what happens when cycles are interrupted, requiring synthesis of central ideas. The Reading and Questions include comprehension prompts (e.g., Questions #1–#3) that ask students to state what happened and why characters feel as they do, which elicits summary of text events and conclusions.
Lesson 7
Fishing
The Parent Plan lists the skill "Summarize the main ideas and supporting details in text," and Activity 1 directs students to "write a summary of the chapters you read today that includes all the vocabulary words." The Getting Started prompt asks students to "consider how the events lead to these changes," which asks students to connect events to outcomes. Reading questions ask students to explain character motives and reactions, requiring text-based explanation.
Lesson 9
The Plan
Students read Chapters 21–23 and answer comprehension questions that require interpretation (e.g., explaining what a quoted passage means). In Activity 1 students identify three examples of cause and effect from the novel, fill a graphic organizer, and use it to write a cause-and-effect paragraph; a sample paragraph summarizes the man in the yellow suit's actions. In Activity 2 students read myths and write three similarities and three differences between those stories and the novel, practicing synthesis across texts.
Lesson 10
The Water and the Toad
Students are asked to read the last two chapters and the epilogue and answer comprehension questions (e.g., Q2 asks what the Tucks felt at Winnie's grave; Q3 asks how Treegap had changed), which requires drawing conclusions from the text. Activities ask students to select a meaningful book quote and to record differences between the movie and the book, which requires referring to textual details. The Parent Plan lists skills that include analyzing, making inferences, drawing conclusions, and providing evidence from the text.
Final Project
A Debate
Students are asked to record three quotes or actions from the book that describe how characters feel about living forever, which requires pulling textual evidence and noting the speaker. Students complete a Pros/Cons graphic organizer and a "Your Own Words" section where they summarize considerations about immortality and consider the theme of change. The activities also require students to prepare opening and closing statements and answer opponent questions, which draws on their analysis of the text and its implications.
Unit 2: Civil Rights
Lesson 1
Life Under Segregation
Students are assigned to read pages 4–7 of Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round and to watch images of segregation, then answer comprehension questions that ask them to explain what race segregation is (Question #2) and to list places and activities that were segregated (Question #3). In Activity 1 students must write definitions in their own words for prejudice, discrimination, racism, and segregation and classify scenarios as examples of those terms. In Activity 2 students list locations they visit and explain how those places might have been segregated, which requires extracting and restating key ideas about segregation and its impacts.
Lesson 2
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
Students read pages 14–19 of Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round and answer direct comprehension questions asking what the bus driver expected (behavioral expectation), what Rosa Parks did and why (motivation and cause), and how the boycott ended (outcome/conclusion). In Activity 1 students must decide what information about the boycott to include on a persuasive flyer or in a speech, requiring them to select and state key facts and reasons from the reading. In Activity 2 students complete a Research Workshop that asks them to list what they already know about the Civil Rights Movement and to generate questions they want answered, linking prior knowledge with the new text.
Lesson 3
School Desegregation
Students are assigned pages from Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round and must answer a direct question asking what the Supreme Court decided in Brown v. Board of Education, which requires stating the central conclusion of that text. In Activity 1 students prepare a radio broadcast that must summarize the Brown decision (date, what was decided, who was affected) and explain how schools would change, requiring them to produce an accurate summary. Option 2 of the broadcast asks students to discuss how schools were supposed to be different and to expand coverage by discussing responses or individual experiences, which requires identifying and summarizing main ideas and conclusions from the readings.
Lesson 4
Sit-Ins and Freedom Rides
Students are directed to read specific pages of Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., "How did segregationists respond to sit-ins?" and "What were the Freedom Rides?"), which requires them to extract key information from the text. The provided answers model concise, text-based summaries (for example, the Freedom Rides answer summarizes purpose, legal context, and outcomes). Activity pages (Nonviolence & Direct Action) prompt students to define concepts and provide examples, which requires synthesizing central ideas about nonviolent protest.
Lesson 5
Music and Youth in the Movement
Students are assigned specific pages of Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round and are asked comprehension questions such as QUESTION #1 (Why were children marching... What happened to them?) and QUESTION #2 (Why do you think people sang special protest songs?), which require identifying reasons and main events. Activity 3 asks students to list five ways young people made a difference in the Civil Rights Movement, which asks them to extract key ideas from the reading. The "Things to Know" and Wrapping Up sections state learning goals about being familiar with protest songs and the role of young people, reinforcing focus on central events and themes.
Lesson 6
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Students are assigned to read pages 40–43 of Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round and the linked text of King's speech, and they answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., describe the March on Washington; what is the "dream"; what else did King fight for). Option prompts ask students to "think about what King means" in the speech and to identify the most powerful or moving parts for dramatic reading or memorization. The Things to Know note asks students to "be able to explain how Dr. King's work drew on" non-violence, direct action, and civil disobedience, which requires extracting key ideas from the readings.
Lesson 7
Freedom Summer
Students are assigned to read pages 44–55 of Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round and then answer four targeted comprehension questions asking how segregationists blocked voting, what happened to Fannie Lou Hamer, who was blamed for murders of civil rights workers, and what the freedom schools were. The Student Activity Page directs students to interview an adult about voting and to "summarize responses" from that interview. Activity 2 asks students to draw on what they learned about the importance of voting to create a persuasive magazine advertisement, which requires synthesizing information about voting from the reading and interview.
Lesson 8
Conducting Your Research
Students use the Post-Interview Field Notes page to record "Important Topics Covered" and "My Thoughts on the Interview," which asks them to summarize key subjects discussed and reflect on the content. Students identify research questions, read sources, and write information that helps answer each question on dedicated note pages, explicitly recording the source (e.g., "Source #5, pages 26-27"). Students also record bibliographic details for books and internet sites on the Research Sources pages, supporting evidence-based note taking.
Lesson 9
Legacies of the Movement
Students read pages 56–58 of Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round and answer questions that require them to identify how activists continued to create change (Question 2) and to consider the implications of the Voting Rights Act (Question 1). Activity 1 asks students to identify specific changes the Civil Rights Movement made in America by writing a before-and-after poem or presenting object analogies. The "Things to Review" section explicitly lists concrete changes students might include (elimination of segregation in various settings, passage of key legislation, voter registration, integration of colleges), which guides students to extract central changes and consequences from the text.
Final Project
Presenting Your Research
Students are asked on the unit test to answer summarizing questions such as "What did the Civil Rights Movement accomplish?" and "What did you learn about the Civil Rights Movement during this unit that you did not know before you started?" which require identifying main ideas and conclusions. Students must write an introductory paragraph for a learning station that explains who they studied, what was interesting, and why that person is important, which asks for a concise summary of key information. The book review and reflection journal prompts ask students to state what they learned from a book or interview and to compare sources, and the rubric explicitly requires that presentations "convey accurate and important historical information."
Unit 2: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Lesson 1
School's In
Students answer text-dependent questions (e.g., why African-American children have a shorter school year; why Little Man refused the book), which asks them to identify causes and conclusions from the chapter. Students use the "Recognizing Discrimination" graphic organizers to record who was involved, what happened, and explain how events are examples of discrimination, prompting them to gather and cite text evidence. After viewing primary-source video, students write a three- or four-sentence response explaining what they learned, which requires summarizing information from that non-fiction source.
Lesson 2
A Visitor
Students read Chapter 2 and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., how Papa knew Mr. Morrison; why Papa brought Mr. Morrison home; consequences if the Black community boycotts the Wallace store), which requires recalling details and making a simple inference about economic consequences. Students participate in discussion prompts about why white men mistreated African Americans and why prosecutions were rare, which asks students to state conclusions about causes and societal effects. A wrap-up statement presents a conclusion about Papa's choice as a peaceful opposition to injustice, which students could use as a model for drawing conclusions from the text.
Lesson 3
The Bus
Students answer literal comprehension questions about Chapter 3 (e.g., why Little Man was upset, how the Logans stopped the bus, and why the family was afraid), which requires recalling key events. Students are asked to "explain what the book says about how schools were run in Mississippi" before reading and to write sentences or a paragraph about the book's setting, plot, or main characters, which asks them to describe content from the text. In the School activity, students must identify at least two problems the county is creating for children and explain why they are wrong, which requires extracting and reporting issues depicted in the text.
Lesson 4
T.J.
Students are asked to read Chapter 4 and answer comprehension questions that require extracting reasons and conclusions from the text (for example, QUESTION #1 asks why Stacey is upset). The 'Ideas to Think About' prompts ask students to consider how racial interactions and societal treatment have changed, which can lead students to identify themes. The Parent Plan's skills include critiquing characterization and realism, which asks students to analyze text-based evidence about characters and plot.
Lesson 5
The Market
The Parent Plan lists the skill "Connect and clarify main ideas by identifying their relationships to other sources and related topics," and students are instructed to read Chapter 5 and answer questions about events and characters. The Wrapping Up and Questions to Discuss prompt students to review Jim Crow laws and to explain why Cassie felt a day was "as cruel as this one," which asks students to reflect on themes and causes in the text. Activity 2 asks students to watch a video about Jim Crow and discuss it, linking the chapter's content to historical context.
Lesson 6
Uncle Hammer
Students are instructed to read Chapter 6 and discuss specific comprehension questions (e.g., why Uncle Hammer bought the car; what Mama means by her quote), which requires identifying motives and textual conclusions. Parents are prompted to ask the child what happened to Cassie and to discuss Cassie's changed attitude, which asks students to recount and interpret events. The "Ideas to Think About" and "Things to Know" sections highlight central topics (racial interactions, causes of racism) that students are asked to consider.
Lesson 8
Taking a Stand
Students are instructed to read Chapter 8 and answer comprehension questions about characters and events (e.g., whether Lillian Jean was worth Cassie's taking a stand and why T.J. told Mr. Wallace a lie). Students are asked to "Explain to your parent what you learned about the Montgomery Bus Boycott" and to discuss the boycott described in the story. Students also keep track of instances of discrimination on the "Recognizing Discrimination" pages as they read, and they analyze the "Integrated Bus Suggestions" flyer by underlining and explaining important suggestions.
Lesson 9
Papa's Accident
Students read Chapter 9 and answer targeted comprehension questions that require extracting key events and causal reasons (e.g., why T.J. associates with R.W. and Melvin, why families stopped shopping in Vicksburg, and what happened to Papa). Students create a diagram or find an image and write a quote to explain the sharecropping system, and they are asked to explain that system to a sibling or parent using their product. The Parent Plan lists skills such as analyzing, making inferences, and drawing conclusions about the author's purpose, which frames student activities around understanding historical context.
Lesson 10
Revival
Students are asked to read Chapter 10 and answer content questions about events and character actions, which requires recalling key events and details. The lesson defines a book report as a short summary of the setting, characters, and events and asks students to organize paragraph ideas for setting, main characters, the major problem, and important events. Students are directed to write two paragraphs (5–8 sentences each) focusing on topic sentences and body sentences, which practices summarizing story elements in coherent paragraphs.
Lesson 11
Trouble
Students are prompted to "summarize what happened in today's chapter" in the Things to Review section and to finish a book report rough draft (Activity 1), both of which require producing a summary of the text. The Reading And Questions section asks students to answer Q1 and Q2 about how and why key events occurred (how T.J. was hurt and why R.W. and Melvin brought everyone out), which asks students to identify causes and central events in the chapter.
Final Project
Unit Test and Presentation for Change
Students answer end-of-unit test questions that ask for factual explanations (for example, "What was the Civil Rights Movement and why did it occur?" and questions about Jim Crow laws and treatment of black school children). Students plan and create a four-slide/poster presentation in which Slide 1 asks them to present the problem (central idea) and Slide 2 asks for examples from the story and unit resources, and Slide 4 asks them to describe how the community will change (conclusions). The rubric and parent plan explicitly call for students to deliver oral responses that summarize significant events and details and to emphasize main ideas to help listeners follow the presentation.
Unit 3: Chemical Change
Lesson 2
Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures
Students are assigned to read pages 22-28 of Kitchen Chemistry and answer specific comprehension questions about whether ocean water is a pure substance, how mixtures and compounds differ, and ways to separate materials. Students are asked to "Explain to your parent how a mixture and a compound are different," and to answer reflection questions after hands-on activities that require describing observations and conclusions about mixtures versus compounds. Several worksheet questions prompt students to compare combined materials with original components and to state whether combinations are mixtures or compounds.
Lesson 3
Physical Changes
Students are assigned specific textbook readings (Chapters 4–6 and pages 83–92) and directed to use those readings to complete Activity 1 (fill in a table about solids, liquids, and gases). Parent notes state students will "practice finding information in a text and taking notes," and Day 2 requires students to answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., "What is a phase change?" and "Describe the motion of particles in a solid, a liquid, and a gas"). Several activities ask students to define terms and draw or label diagrams based on the reading, which requires extracting key information from the text.
Unit 3: The Giver
Lesson 1
The Community
The Parent Plan Skills explicitly tell students to "Draw inferences, conclusions, or generalizations about text and support them with textual evidence and prior knowledge," and to "Write responses to literary or expository texts that demonstrate an understanding of a literary work." Students keep a "Character Timeline" and record words or phrases that describe Jonas after each reading, and they answer focused comprehension questions about Chapters 1–2 (e.g., why the community reacted to the aircraft; what happens at the Ceremony of Twelve). Discussion prompts (Life Application and Parent Plan Questions) ask students to evaluate societal changes and identify positive and negative outcomes.
Lesson 2
Baby Gabriel
Students answer directed comprehension questions about Chapters 3 and 4 and record words or phrases to describe Jonas on a timeline, which requires identifying important details. The Skills section asks students to infer implicit theme, analyze and draw conclusions about the author's purpose, and provide evidence from the text to support understanding. The wrap-up and discussion prompts ask students to describe what they learned about the community and compare community laws to real laws, prompting synthesis of chapter ideas.
Lesson 3
The Ceremony of Twelve
The Parent Plan's Skills section explicitly instructs students to "Summarize the main ideas and supporting details in text, demonstrating an understanding that a summary does not include opinions." The Introducing the Lesson directs students to summarize the chapters they read and reminds them that a summary recounts main events in order and should not reflect personal opinions. The Stages of Life timeline and the Read-and-Questions tasks require students to record key events, describe ceremonies, and answer focused comprehension questions about what the Elders decide, which ask students to identify and organize central information from the chapters.
Lesson 8
Love
The lesson's skills list explicitly asks students to "Interpret text by explaining theme" and to "Recognize underlying messages in order to identify theme(s) within and across works." Students are directed to read Chapters 15 and 16, record descriptive words on a "Character Timeline," and answer comprehension questions about events and characters. Activities ask students to analyze the theme of freedom (A Call to Freedom) and to produce written responses (letters, poems, bio-poem) that explain freedom and relate textual memories to community understanding.
Lesson 9
Rosemary
Students read Chapters 17 and 18 and answer directed comprehension questions (e.g., how Jonas' vision changed; what happened during the game; what happened to Rosemary). Students are asked to record on a timeline words or phrases that describe Jonas in the chapters, and the lesson includes discussion prompts ("How can one person create change?", "How do people's interactions within a society reflect the values of the society?") that ask students to think about themes and societal conclusions.
Lesson 10
The Plan
Students are asked to provide a verbal summary of what happened in the previous chapters and to read Chapters 19–20 and answer text-based questions in complete sentences (e.g., what happens when someone is released; whether the community knows). Students record words or phrases on a timeline that describe Jonas in these chapters and answer questions about key conclusions (e.g., the plan Jonas and The Giver devised). The skills list also includes "Write responses to literary or expository texts that demonstrate an understanding of a literary work," which implies practice summarizing text content.
Final Project
The Final Chapter
Students are instructed to finish reading the story, answer comprehension questions in complete sentences, and "Analyze how Jonas changed as the book progressed" by adding final thoughts to a Character Timeline. The comprehension questions ask students to identify key plot events (e.g., Gabriel's release, the plan falling apart, the threat of planes), which requires extracting important information from the text. The final-chapter project asks students to "remember" Jonas' changes and "stay true to his character," prompting students to use their understanding of the story's developments and character arc when composing new text.
4: Systems and Interaction
Unit 1: North and South America
Lesson 3
The Cultures of North America
Students watch videos about Mexican and Canadian culture and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., religion of most Mexicans; main languages spoken in Canada), which requires extracting information from texts/media. Students complete a three-ring Venn diagram, listing unique and shared cultural features of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, which asks them to synthesize and compare information across sources. In Activity 3, students research an American holiday, fill out sections about its date, meaning, history, symbols, foods, and traditions, and present their findings to family, which requires them to gather and condense information into a coherent report.
Lesson 4
Geography of Central America, The Caribbean, and South America
Students read pages 64–69 of Prisoners of Geography and answer targeted comprehension questions that ask them to explain how geographic isolation might impact culture and why major cities are on the coastline. Students watch videos and answer questions identifying the three Caribbean island chains and the European explorer who discovered the Caribbean, showing they extract conclusions and key facts from texts/media. The map and research activities require students to locate and record significant geographical features and human-environment interactions drawn from sources.
Lesson 5
Governments in Latin America
Students watch informational videos and complete guided comprehension tasks that ask them to identify definitions (types of government), list functions of government, and name reasons for Latin American revolutions. Students complete matching and fill-in-the-blank activities that require extracting key ideas (e.g., causes of revolution, roles of Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin) and answer a prompt comparing and contrasting multiparty democracies with one-party states. The compare/contrast and short-answer prompts require students to state differences and consequences for citizens, which involves synthesizing central points from the texts/videos.
Lesson 6
Economic Systems of Central and South America
Students watch a video about the South American economy and answer direct comprehension questions, including one asking which factors should be considered when examining a region's economy (natural resources, imports/exports, agriculture, and industry). Students research a selected country's economy in Activity 4 and fill an "Economy of _____" page with information on imports/exports, industry, natural resources, and agriculture. Several activities require students to collect and organize information in charts (Activity 1, student activity pages) and to record findings from research or scavenger hunts about economic products.
Final Project
Embassy Reception or Trivia Game
Students are prompted to write brief summaries on the Embassy Presentation Research pages (e.g., a brief paragraph describing the country's economic status) and to include text describing what they learned on each section of their 3-part display. The unit test includes a Summary section that asks students to answer "What did you learn about North America that you did not know before?" and a parallel question for South America, which asks students to distinguish new learning from prior knowledge. For the trivia option, students must research and write forty questions and answers and are assessed on whether their questions and answers show depth of knowledge, which requires identifying and condensing central facts from sources.
Unit 1: Esperanza Rising
Lesson 1
Tragedy in Mexico
Students read pages 1–81 of an informational text about the Great Depression and answer targeted questions that require identifying central ideas (e.g., listing three reasons for the Depression, explaining what shantytowns were, and explaining why the Depression was hard for farmers). Students answer a question about Roosevelt's three "R"s and explain one, which asks them to extract a main idea and supporting detail. Students synthesize across firsthand accounts by creating a photo journal using two primary-source narratives, and the parent-plan skills explicitly direct students to "integrate the main idea and supporting details from multiple sources."
Lesson 2
Escape
The Parent Plan asks the child to "summarize the main events that occurred in the chapters she read yesterday," which requires producing a concise account of text events. The skills list directs students to "analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions...and provide evidence from the text," and the discussion questions ask students to explain what happened to Papa and why, prompting evidence-based conclusions. The Wordsmith activity has students identify and explain passages they consider important, supporting practice in identifying central ideas and selecting supporting text.
Lesson 3
Train Ride
Students are asked to take the role of a Discussion Director and write four discussion questions that "cover the big ideas" found in the book, which requires identifying central themes. Activity 2 directs students to reread the train description and to compare class and political systems using Venn diagrams, which asks students to extract and organize main ideas about social and governmental structure. The Wrapping Up discussion prompts (e.g., "What do these quotes tell us about the social system in Mexico during this time in history?") require students to draw conclusions from textual quotes.
Lesson 4
Los Angeles
Students read nonfiction pages about the Dust Bowl (pages 82–89 of What Was the Great Depression?) and are asked to record quotes and make a poster titled "The Dust Bowl," which requires collecting key information from the text. Students are asked to describe the Dust Bowl and how it affected farming families in the Great Plains and to explain the role of setting in the story's conflict when mapping scenes from the chapter "Los Melones." The Parent Plan lists the skill "Determine both main and supporting ideas in the speaker's message," indicating practice with identifying central ideas in oral presentations.
Lesson 5
Home Sweet Home
Students are asked to choose two or three passages from the chapter, read them aloud, and explain why they selected those passages, which requires identifying important parts of the text. Students plan and write a problem-solution paragraph that requires them to state a problem, explain why it exists, and provide a solution and concluding benefit, which practices summarizing a key idea. Students complete a comparison chart describing similarities and differences between life at Rancho de las Rosas and life in California, which asks them to extract and record central contrasts from the text.
Lesson 6
Papa's Roses
The lesson asks students to describe what Esperanza encountered on arrival and to predict what her new home will be like, prompting recall of key events. The Questions to Discuss ask students to "Describe the agricultural labor system in California," which requires extracting main informational points from the text. The Wrapping Up section and parent prompts ask students to review vocabulary and recount that Miguel and Alfonso brought a cutting of Papa's rose bush, which asks for a brief recounting of central plot elements.
Lesson 8
Christmas
Students are asked to be a "Line Locator," finding three to five lines or passages that they think are key to the story and to explain in their journals why those lines are important and to record a thinking question that prompts deeper thought. Students choose a Cesar Chavez quote, write it down, explain its meaning in their own words, and relate it to Esperanza's story, which asks them to identify and explain connections between text ideas. The wrap-up and parent-plan questions prompt students to describe plot events and who Cesar Chavez was, requiring recall of main points.
Lesson 9
The Strike
The Parent Plan lists the skill "Summarize the main ideas and supporting details in text," explicitly targeting summary skills. Students are assigned the role of Summarizer and instructed to write a four- to five-sentence summary of the two chapters, with guidance that a summary should contain the main events. The "On Strike!" activity asks students to examine reasons for striking, record examples from the book, summarize those examples, and provide page numbers, which requires locating and using textual evidence to support central ideas.
Lesson 10
Together
Students are prompted to consider how Esperanza's life has changed over the course of the novel and how those changes altered her as a person, which asks them to identify developments across the text. Students are asked to discuss what a reader can learn about character through dialogue and what they have learned about Mexican-American culture, which requires extracting ideas from the text. Students are also asked to compare Esperanza Rising with What Was the Great Depression and explain how each text helped them understand the time period, which asks them to draw conclusions from textual information.
Final Project
A Dramatization
Students are asked to write a movie trailer that "should highlight some of the main events from the story, talk about the characters and the obstacles they face," and to "include lines related to some of the major themes like adjusting to a new culture or navigating social class systems." Students choose an event from the story and write a 12–15 line readers' theatre script, which requires them to select and condense events and dialogue. Students are prompted to compare how dramatic adaptations are similar to and different from the book, and to explain differences between a novel and a play.
Unit 2: Cells
Lesson 2
Animal Cells
Students read specified pages of an informational text (pages 8–13 of The Basics of Cell Life) and answer targeted comprehension questions about key ideas (mitochondrion function, nucleus role, organelles that move proteins). Students create a written report or oral presentation that requires them to list at least three facts about cheek cells and three facts about paramecia and to identify similarities and differences using a comparison chart. Students organize observations from microscope activities and the provided diagrams into labeled diagrams and drawings that synthesize learned content.
Lesson 3
Plant Cells
Students read specific pages (The Basics of Cell Life, pp. 14-15) and answer targeted comprehension questions about how plant and animal cells differ, shared organelles, and the process of photosynthesis. Students label or draw a plant cell diagram identifying major organelles and create a 3D model, then explain similarities and differences between the 2D diagram and the 3D model.
Lesson 5
Large Systems of Life: Ecosystems
Students read informational passages (about grasslands and planktonic/benthic habitats) and answer targeted questions that ask them to identify common features (e.g., grassland characteristics) and explain relationships between parts of the text (e.g., where the two ecosystems are located and how they are related). Students complete activities that require synthesizing information into diagrams (labeling organisms, populations, communities, biotic and abiotic factors) which requires extracting main ideas and key relationships from the readings. Students also record hypotheses, observations, and conclusions from experiments that require summarizing experimental findings over multiple days.
Unit 2: The Tree That Time Built
Lesson 7
Birds
Students complete an "Analyzing a Poem" activity that asks them to identify poetic devices, tone, rhythm, and explicitly asks, "What do you think the theme of the poem is?" Students answer interpretive questions such as explaining what D.H. Lawrence meant in a line, which requires drawing conclusions from the text. Students also list words/phrases that create images and analyze how rhythm and word choice affect tone and meaning, tying textual evidence to central ideas.
Lesson 9
Preservation
Students are asked to identify the poet's message in "Landscape" (question: "What message is the poet trying to convey in the poem, 'Landscape' (p. 163)?"), which asks them to determine a central idea of that poem. Students compare and contrast two buffalo poems using a Venn diagram (Activity 4), which requires them to identify similarities and differences in purpose and content across texts. The Parent Plan skills list instructs students to "Compare and contrast the stated or implied purposes of different authors writing on the same topic," which directs students to analyze central ideas across works.
Unit 3: Incas, Aztecs, and Maya
Lesson 1
Incas, Aztecs, and Maya History and Geography
Students are asked to read DKfindout! Maya, Incas and Aztecs (pp. 4-11) and answer focused questions about that reading. Question #2 asks, "What do you notice the three cultures have in common?" with suggested answers (they fought in wars; they had leaders; they recorded information; they built cities), which prompts students to identify shared ideas across the text. The Wrapping Up section restates that students learned about locations and aspects of culture, reinforcing comprehension of main topics.
Lesson 2
Daily Life of the Incas, Aztecs, and Maya
Students read pp. 12-21 and answer specific comprehension questions that require extracting key information (e.g., differences in leadership, gender roles, foods, and farming methods). In Activity 1 students use their readings to fill in structured prompts about daily life and must describe scenes and facts from the text. In Activity 2 students label and match descriptions on an "Incan Society Pyramid," organizing social information into hierarchical categories.
Lesson 3
Three Cities
Students read specified pages about Tenochtitlan, Chichén Itzá, and Machu Picchu and answer directed comprehension questions (Questions #1–#4) that require identifying main factual points (e.g., why Tenochtitlan was a "floating city" and how Machu Picchu used water). In Question #5 students synthesize information by comparing similarities and differences among the three cities. In Activity 3 students match cities and write three words or phrases that describe each city, which asks them to condense information into brief summaries.
Lesson 5
Religion and Celebration
Students are directed to read specific pages (pp. 26-31 and 48-51) and answer comprehension questions that identify key ideas such as names and significance of gods, Incan origin myth details, and resources used for crafts. Students are asked to "Describe the religious systems of the people of Mesoamerica" in the discussion prompts, and the wrapping-up text prompts students to explain how religion shaped ceremonies, art, and architecture. Students complete compare-and-contrast activities (Ceremonies in the Past and Today) that require synthesizing information across the text about ceremonies and their meanings.
Lesson 6
Warfare and Gold
Students are assigned pages about the Maya, Incas, and Aztecs and answer directed comprehension questions about warfare and Incan gold (e.g., "What did gold mean to the Incas?", "What did the Spanish do with Incan gold?"). In Option 2 students must "consider the meaning of gold to the Incas and to the Spanish" and complete related short-answer prompts about uses and significance. Students also must explain to a parent how they ordered warfare items by importance and discuss what they learned about how warfare influenced society.
Lesson 7
The Incas
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that ask for key facts (e.g., main social classes, why food was freeze-dried, definition of a specialized worker). Students write a short explanation in the textile activity asking them to "Explain the significance of fiber work for the Inca people." Students create and then explain a quipu, describing how their system records numbers and what categories it tracks.
Lesson 8
The Maya and the Aztecs
Students watch informational videos (How They Did It - Growing Up Aztec; Mayan Civilization for Kids) and then organize and record information: they create an "Aztec Children Timeline" by pausing the video and pasting events into life-stage sections, and they answer the "Decline of the Empire" prompt about reasons historians give for the Mayan decline. Students also complete vocabulary and matching tasks about key Mayan concepts and are prompted in the wrapping up section to think about social systems, family life, and environmental interactions from the materials they viewed.
Lesson 9
History and Archaeology
Students watch two informational videos about the Spanish conquest and take notes, then write two paragraph summaries (one for the Aztec Empire and one for the Incan Empire) with a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence (Activity 2 and Activity 3). The reading-and-questions section asks students to answer comprehension questions (e.g., why the Spanish were able to defeat the Aztec and Inca), which requires extracting key ideas from text. The Incan Archaeology activity asks students to describe what an artifact can tell us about Incan culture, prompting synthesis of central ideas from evidence.
Final Project
Time Machine
Students are instructed to review the "Things to Know" sections, timelines, maps, and earlier activity pages and to use those sources to study for the unit test. Option 2 of the unit test asks open-ended prompts (e.g., describe a ceremony, describe Mesoamerican systems of writing, name and describe an important city, describe the impact of Spanish conquest) that require students to extract and write information from texts. The final project requires students to write and edit a time‑travel journal using DKfindout! and previous lessons and to revise entries for accuracy to meet rubric criteria.
Unit 3: Secret of the Andes
Lesson 2
The Valley
Students are asked to explore Incan culture using several web sources and to record information on an "Elements of Incan Culture" chart, with explicit guidance to "focus on the most important information" and to "give an overall picture of the culture, rather than a detailed description." The Skills section instructs students to "locate and explore the full range of relevant sources addressing a research question and systematically record the gathered information," which requires selecting and recording main ideas from informational texts. The student activity pages prompt students to "record important information" about labeled categories (Government, Technology, Family Roles, etc.), which directs them to extract and organize central information from multiple texts.
Lesson 3
People Below
Students are asked to reread the minstrel's songs in Chapters 3 and 4 and to use the "Writing a Lyric Poem for a Minstrel" organizer which includes a space labeled "Story you are retelling (one sentence)." The organizer instructs students to divide the story into 3–4 events (highlights) to form stanzas, and Option 2 explicitly tells students to "stick to the highlights" when retelling a historical event. Discussion prompts ask students to consider how past belief systems influence the present, which could guide thinking about overarching ideas.
Lesson 4
The Journey
Students read Chapters 5 and 6 and answer comprehension questions asking why Cusi thinks Chuto is troubled, how Cusi feels about the journey, how the landscape changed, and what the Indians called their home and why. The parent/skills section explicitly lists that students will "analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author's purpose," and discussion prompts ask students to explain meanings (e.g., what the author means by "two bloods").
Lesson 5
New Sights
Students are prompted to consider how Cusi's life and experiences differ from other children and to think about thematic questions such as cultural identity, change, and the influence of location, which ask for interpretation of central ideas. Reading questions ask students to explain why Cusi is fascinated (Q1) and to interpret a line about belief and understanding (Q3), requiring students to identify character reasons and implied meanings. Discussion prompts in the Wrapping Up and Parent Plan ask students to explain Chuto's motives and what Cusi might long for, which engage students in drawing conclusions from the text.
Lesson 6
Llama Training
Students are asked to answer comprehension questions after reading Chapters 9 and 10 (e.g., how the Indians depend on llamas and who the visiting stranger is), which requires extracting information from the text. Students are prompted to "describe the plot of the story to this point," an activity that asks them to produce a summary of the narrative. In the Guide to Incan Landmarks activity students synthesize information from provided websites and write descriptions of historical sites, which involves summarizing source material into a written presentation.
Lesson 8
The City
Students read Chapters 13 and 14 and answer comprehension questions that require recalling plot details and making an inference about Cusi's loneliness. In Activity 1 students are asked to write a short book review that must include a brief summary of the plot and link paragraphs with transitions. In Activity 2 students research the Spanish conquest and either brainstorm cultural elements to preserve or write a poem focused on how the conquest affected the culture, which requires synthesizing historical information.
Lesson 9
Belonging
The Wrapping Up section states that Cusi discovers where he belongs and what his destiny is and that his journey taught him the truth about family, which names a central conclusion of the story. The Parent Plan includes discussion prompts asking "What does this story teach us about family?" and asks what the old man meant when he said Cusi had "learned to read his own heart?", prompting students to articulate a theme or central idea. Students are asked to finish reading the book and answer questions in complete sentences, giving them an opportunity to respond in writing about the text.
1: Semester 1
Unit 1: Egypt and Mesopotamia
Lesson 1
Civilizations
Students read pages 6-7 that describe common features of ancient civilizations and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., how agriculture aids development, why civilizations form along rivers, benefits of a shared writing system), requiring them to identify central ideas and conclusions from the text. Students complete a Social Structure activity by placing class labels on a pyramid and answering interpretive questions, which asks them to organize and explain key hierarchical ideas from the reading. The Brainstorming activity has students record what they already know about ancient Egypt, which sets up comparison between prior ideas and textual information.
Lesson 2
Archaeology
Students read specified pages (pages 8–9 of Ancient Civilizations) and answer text-based comprehension questions, including QUESTION #1 which asks, "Based on what you read, how would you describe the work of archaeologists?" Students complete artifact-analysis pages that include a conclusion prompt: "Based on these three artifacts, what conclusions can you reach about the people who once owned or created them?" The Wrap Up and review sections ask students to support their analyses with evidence recorded on maps and artifact pages.
Lesson 3
Mesopotamia
Students are explicitly asked in Activity 6 to read specified pages and write 2–3 sentence summaries in their own words for each page, with guidance to focus on the most important ideas rather than copying details. Earlier pre-reading tasks (Questions 1–3) require students to review headings and images and predict main topics, which practices identifying central ideas before reading. The Wrapping Up and review checklist ask caregivers to check that students have summarized each page accurately and concisely, reinforcing the summarization task.
Lesson 4
Ancient Egypt
Students are asked to pre-read the selection and answer questions 1–3 that prompt them to predict topics and record what they already know (Questions #1–#3). The lesson explicitly tells students to "write a short summary of each 2-page section as you read" and to then answer Question #4 about whether their pre-reading questions were answered. These tasks require students to read the text closely and produce written summaries tied to specific 2-page sections.
Lesson 5
Egyptian Religion and Myths
Students are asked to pre-read the selection and "write down a short summary after each 2-page section," which requires producing concise summaries of text sections. In Activity 3 students read myths and either retell a chosen myth orally (Option 1) or create a picture-book retelling in their own words (Option 2), both requiring them to condense and restate the story's main events. Activity 4 asks students to place steps in order and create a flowchart of mummification, which has students identify and summarize the central sequence of a procedural text.
Lesson 6
Daily Life in Egypt
Students are asked to reread pages 14-15 and answer direct comprehension questions (e.g., Why was the Nile River so important?) that require pulling key points from the text. In Activity 1 students complete a graphic organizer listing the Nile's uses as water, food, resources, and transportation, which organizes central information from the reading. In Activity 3 students fill tables summarizing the work, tools, resources, and status of different groups, which requires synthesizing textual details into organized summaries.
Final Project
Expedition or Web-based Tour
Students are asked to read and evaluate websites and then write short introductory remarks (2–3 sentences) for each chosen site that explain what a reader will learn and why the content is important (Web-based Tour instructions). The Web-based Review Pages provide spaces for a website "Description" and reflections on "What do you like most about this site?", requiring students to summarize site content. The Web-based Tour Cards ask students to write brief introductions to guide others through each bookmarked website, which involves condensing website information into concise statements.
Unit 1: The Hydrosphere
Lesson 1
The Hydrosphere and the Nature of Water
Students read Chapter 1 and a video and then answer targeted questions (Q1–Q3) that require identifying what the hydrosphere is and explaining how water properties support life. Students complete "Think Like a Scientist" prompts and a life-application task that ask them to explain observations and hypothetical consequences using evidence from the readings and activities. The parent plan and skills list expect students to use oral and written language to communicate findings and to analyze evidence to explain observations, which requires pulling main ideas from the text and evidence.
Lesson 2
Density, Salinity, and Water Behavior
Students are asked to read Chapter 2 and answer targeted comprehension questions (QUESTION #1-#3) that identify key ideas — for example, naming temperature and salinity as the main factors affecting water density and explaining how density differences drive large-scale water movement. Students make predictions before measuring and then collect mass and density data for 0%, 25%, 50%, and 100% solutions, and are prompted to "use evidence from your measurements to explain your answer." Several activity prompts (e.g., "Compare the masses... What pattern do you notice... Use evidence...") and the "Wrapping Up" section require students to state conclusions about density and salinity based on text and experimental results.
Lesson 3
Oceans and Ocean Currents
Students are asked to read Chapter 3 and answer targeted comprehension questions that require identifying key concepts (e.g., "What is thermohaline circulation?", "How does upwelling help support ocean life?", and "Why are ocean currents important even for people who live far from the ocean?"). Multiple activities and reflection questions ask students to explain how temperature and salinity affect density and drive currents, and multiple-choice items ask students to select the central causal relationships (e.g., temperature differences cause warm water to rise and cold water to sink). Modeling tasks require students to connect particle-level observations to large-scale conclusions about ocean circulation, reinforcing central ideas from the reading.
Lesson 4
Freshwater and Groundwater
Students read Chapter 4 and answer direct text-based questions (e.g., defining groundwater, explaining how aquifers form, and why protecting groundwater matters), which requires identifying key ideas from the text. Students analyze a chart and an article in the Freshwater Withdrawals activity, answering questions such as "What pattern do you notice?" and "According to the article, what is a drought-tolerant crop?", which asks them to extract conclusions from provided sources. In the model-building activity students use observations to explain how water moves and is stored, and they respond to guided explanation prompts that require citing model-based evidence (e.g., how gravity and the Sun drive movement).
Lesson 5
Aquatic Ecosystems
Students are asked to read Chapter 5 in Water: The Story of the Hydrosphere and then answer focused questions (e.g., define biodiversity, explain effects of decreased fish populations, and why estuaries are nurseries), which requires extracting key ideas from a text. After activities and the estuary game, students must explain what happened, describe which resources changed, and report cause-and-effect relationships, which asks them to state conclusions based on their observations. Activity prompts also ask students to "Make a claim about what happens in the ecosystem and support it with evidence (from your model)," requiring students to state conclusions tied to evidence.
Lesson 6
The Water Cycle
Students are instructed to read Chapter 6 of Water: The Story of the Hydrosphere and then answer targeted comprehension questions that ask for definitions and explanations (e.g., "What is evaporation?" and "How do the Sun and gravity work together…"). The Student Activity Page explicitly asks students to "Explain how water moves through the water cycle. Include evaporation, condensation, and precipitation," and to explain why the water cycle is a continuous system, which requires synthesizing central ideas into an accurate summary. The Build It and Speed It Up activity and wrap-up prompts require students to describe and compare their model results and to explain how energy and gravity drive the cycle, reinforcing text-based conclusions.
Lesson 7
Weathering and Erosion
Students are asked to read Chapter 7 of a science text and answer specific comprehension questions, including QUESTION #3 which asks, "How do weathering, erosion, and deposition work together to shape Earth's surface?" The Investigating River activity asks students to analyze a river diagram and answer Part 3 questions such as where erosion and deposition are happening and how water speed affects those processes. The Modeling Earth's Changing Surface task requires students to draw and label a diagram showing the cycle (rock → weathering → erosion → deposition → new land) and to construct explanations based on observations and evidence (Skills section).
Lesson 8
Water Pollution
Students are instructed to read Chapter 8 of Water: The Story of the Hydrosphere and then answer focused comprehension questions (e.g., define hypoxia, explain how agricultural runoff leads to eutrophication, and why pollution can affect distant ecosystems). Students analyze Graph 1 and Graph 2 and answer prompts using evidence from the graphs to explain relationships between temperature, pollutants, and dissolved oxygen. Multiple activities ask students to "use evidence to explain" impacts on aquatic ecosystems and to communicate findings in writing or discussion.
Lesson 9
Water Treatment, Conservation, and Clean Water
Students are asked to read Chapter 9 and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., define chlorination; explain why wastewater is treated; describe how engineers and citizens protect freshwater). Students conduct experiments and answer analysis questions that ask them to draw conclusions from data (e.g., "What conclusions can you draw about the quality of your tap water compared to distilled water?"). Students complete reflection prompts that require summarizing experimental results and explaining how their filter removed particles and which materials were most effective.
Final Project
Local Water Investigation
Students are asked to "explain each concept in your own words" while studying for the unit test and to use the Review Page to quiz themselves on key terms, which practices restating ideas. The unit test contains open-response items that require students to describe how the water cycle works, define eutrophication and estuaries, and explain factors influencing water quality, which ask for concise expository answers. In Part 4, students must present their investigation by explaining three main parts (ecosystem description, human impact/water quality, and food web), which requires them to summarize their findings for an audience.
Unit 1: The Pearl
Lesson 2
The Scorpion
Students read Chapter 1 and answer comprehension questions that ask them to characterize Kino's life (Question #1) and to explain how Kino's life changes from the beginning to the end of the chapter (Question #4). Students engage in discussion prompts about how social classes are portrayed and how Kino's feelings and control affect his perspective. The wrapping-up prompt asks students to review descriptive words and phrases they recorded from the text, linking textual details to larger observations about change and social/economic divides.
Lesson 3
The Pearl
Students answer specific comprehension and inferential questions (Question #1 and #2) about Kino's canoe and what it reveals about his circumstances, and they analyze language effects in Question #3 by explaining how phrases like "vagueness of a dream" shape reader interpretation. Students practice drawing inferences and identifying literary effects as listed in the Parent Plan skills ("Draw inferences and/or conclusions"; "Determine the importance of literary effects"). Students also discuss interpretive prompts that ask them to interpret quotes and predict how Kino's life will change, which requires using text evidence to support conclusions.
Lesson 5
Songs
Students are asked to read Chapter 3 and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., explaining Steinbeck's simile, why Kino became "every man's enemy," why people become interested in Kino, and what Kino plans to do with the money), which requires citing text details and making inferences. Students are asked to keep a learning log or journal and to compile a "Stylistic Devices" log, selecting meaningful phrases and reflecting on how language choices affect the reader. The "Wrapping Up" paragraph and the Discussion questions prompt students to consider overall effects (irony, change in Kino's life) and to discuss reasons and implications with guidance from parent prompts.
Lesson 6
For Sale
Students read Chapter 4 and answer specific comprehension questions in complete sentences (e.g., what pearl divers do not know; past villagers' actions; dealers' responses). Students complete a symbolism web listing at least five ideas for what the pearl symbolizes and respond to wrap-up/discussion prompts about how characters and meaning change. The lesson also asks students to identify stylistic devices and themes, prompting them to explain ideas such as wealth, power, and change.
Lesson 7
The Attack
Students are asked to analyze theme in Activity 2 by recording what each character wants, drawing symbols for those wants, and answering a culminating question about greed and contentment, which requires deriving a thematic conclusion from the text. The Think and Search example question (How is Kino and Juana's relationship different now than it was at the beginning of the story?) asks students to gather information across the chapter to support a conclusion. Discussion prompts ask students to explain changes in relationships and cultural values using textual details, which requires identifying conclusions supported by the text.
Lesson 8
Escape
Students are asked to read the final chapter and answer interpretive questions such as whether Kino "loses his soul" (QUESTION #1) and what the pearl symbolizes or what the moral of the parable is (Questions to Discuss). The wrapping up paragraph explicitly states conclusions about Kino losing everything and the pearl not empowering him, giving students textual claims to consider. Option 2 of the student activity asks students to "write a few sentences of their own about what happened in the chapter," which requires students to produce a brief summary of chapter events.
Lesson 9
Parables
Students read four parables and are repeatedly asked to explain the moral or lesson of each story to a parent or audience (e.g., "Ask him to explain the lesson that each parable teaches," and "Ask your child what the lesson of the story is"). Students practice oral retelling of a selected parable without reading it and then solicit the audience to explain the lesson the story teaches. Students are directed to "decide on one of the important lessons" and to relate it to another story, which requires identifying central ideas.
Lesson 10
Writing a Parable
Students are asked to think about and list the different moral lessons taught in The Pearl (Activity 1) and to decide on a single lesson that will be the heart of their parable. Students complete a story map that includes a specific "Themes" box to identify the central story idea and are asked to consider how place and time influence the theme (Activity 3). The parable rubric explicitly asks whether the theme (lesson) is clearly portrayed, and a parent prompt asks students to support their chosen lesson with evidence from the text.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students are asked to create a 2-minute Quick Script summarizing the book that focuses on key events, characters, and the book's message. Students must include a written summary when designing a new Book Cover. Part D short-answer questions ask students to explain how Kino is changed and what the pearl symbolizes, requiring them to state central ideas and conclusions. Several activities (Kino trial, persuasive speech) require students to use evidence from the text to support claims.
Unit 2: Africa Today
Lesson 1
Overview of Africa
Students are assigned a short reading (pages 204-207) and must answer explicit comprehension questions about that text. Question 1 asks students to explain what the authors mean by calling Africa "a land of contrasts," which requires students to interpret a central idea or author claim. Questions 2 and 3 ask for specific factual information and for students to describe problems people in Africa face, requiring extraction of key ideas and supporting details from the text.
Lesson 2
Northwestern Africa
Students are asked to read Geography of the World (pages 208-213) and extract information into a four-country table that asks for climate, major crops, how environment influences farming, and major exports — requiring them to identify and record main ideas. The Current Events Report page requires students to write a brief (2-3 sentence) summary of a news story and separately record a personal reaction, forcing a concise, objective summary distinct from opinion. The brochure option asks students to write 1-2 sentences about environment and a short paragraph explaining how the environment influences a country's economy, which requires synthesizing central ideas from source text.
Lesson 3
Northeastern Africa
Students are assigned to read pages 214–219 of Geography of the World and then answer guided questions that require extracting key information (e.g., smallest country by area, impact of the Nile, primary occupations in Ethiopia). Students complete the "Cultures of Sudan" activity page by filling a comparison table (climate/terrain, languages, religions, houses) that requires summarizing textual details about northern and southern Sudan. Students must also produce a comparison poem or illustrated maps contrasting ancient and modern Egypt using the lesson readings as their sources.
Lesson 4
West Africa
Students read pages 220-231 and answer targeted comprehension questions (Q1-Q3) that require extracting main information about changing climates, the role of musical storytelling, and historical connections. Students complete Activity 4 Option 1 by summarizing climate, landscape, natural resources, agricultural crops, and examples of human-environment interaction for northern versus southern West Africa in a two-column chart. Students complete Activity 4 Option 2 by writing a letter that synthesizes and describes two countries' climate, terrain, natural resources, adaptations, and economies based on the readings.
Lesson 5
Central Africa
Students read specified pages (pages 232-237) and answer targeted comprehension questions asking them to describe landscapes, explain why Cameroon is a "success story," and why drought is a major problem in Chad, which requires identifying central ideas in the text. In Activity 2 students must research two countries and write brief summaries of colonial history, resources, languages, religions, and the current state of government and economy, recording sources for their information. In Activity 4 Option 2 students are asked to "write a well-organized paragraph summarizing some of the challenges that the government faces," which explicitly requires summarizing textual information about natural environment, human needs, and conflicts.
Lesson 6
Central East Africa
Students are directed to read pages 238-245 and answer specific comprehension questions (Questions 1-3) that require extracting key information about how people use natural resources and components of Kenya's economy. Students are asked to gather facts from the reading for a tourism brochure, selecting landscapes and wildlife and writing descriptive blurbs that rely on the text. In the research/poster activity students must read sources and answer guided questions (What should people know? Why is it a problem? What is being done? How can people help?), then create a poster and a 2-minute spoken announcement summarizing that information.
Lesson 7
Southern Africa
Students read Geography of the World pages 246-253 and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., QUESTION #1 asks what the eight countries of southern Africa have in common; QUESTION #2 asks what apartheid was; QUESTION #3 asks why Angola struggles with poverty), requiring them to state central ideas from the text. In Activity 4 students are instructed to use definitions on pages 270-271 to define each form of government "in your own words" and to list which southern African countries fit each system, which asks students to extract and restate key information from the source text. Activity 2 asks students to fill a Venn diagram comparing apartheid and U.S. segregation, prompting them to identify similarities and differences based on the reading and other information.
Final Project
African News Report
Students are instructed to find current events stories and "use your own words" to write news stories or scripts, and Mini-book #6 directs students to "write a brief summary of the current event." Rubrics for the printed newspaper and news broadcast evaluate "accurate reporting of recent news" and require citation information, which prompts students to extract and condense source content. The unit test includes short-answer prompts asking students to "describe the relationship between the environment... and the economy" and to "describe at least two differences" between ancient and modern Egypt, which require students to summarize information from the unit.
Unit 2: The Atmosphere
Lesson 1
What Is the Atmosphere?
Students are asked to read Chapter 1 and answer direct comprehension questions (e.g., "What is the atmosphere, and what force keeps it surrounding Earth?" and "Explain why scientists say that air is matter"), which requires pulling central ideas and supporting evidence from the text. Activity prompts such as "Explain Your Thinking," "Record Your Observations," and the cause-and-effect questions ask students to restate and explain key concepts in their own words. The "Wrapping Up" and "Things to Review" sections summarize central ideas that students are expected to recognize (e.g., that the atmosphere is matter, is a system, and interacts with the Sun's energy).
Lesson 2
Layers of the Atmosphere
Students are asked to answer text-based questions (e.g., identify which layer contains nearly all weather and describe characteristics) and to imagine consequences (how life would differ without the ozone layer), which requires drawing conclusions from the chapter. Activity prompts require students to "use evidence from Chapter 2" to explain three placements in the Layer Sorting Challenge and to "describe the pattern you observe" for temperature across all layers (Part 4). Part 6 asks students to use their model to explain why the atmosphere is best thought of as a system, prompting synthesis of central ideas across the text.
Lesson 3
Air Pressure and Density
Students read Chapter 3 and watch a video and then answer directed comprehension questions (e.g., explain why air pressure decreases with altitude and why falling pressure predicts stormy weather). Students write a step-by-step description of the collapsing-can experiment ("Describe what happened during the experiment from start to finish") and answer follow-up questions that require summarizing causes and effects. In the data-analysis activity students identify patterns across five days and are asked to "Use evidence from the data" to explain how changing air pressure affects weather and to "Explain Your Model" linking pressure, air movement, and weather.
Lesson 4
Energy from the Sun
Students are asked to read Chapter 4 and answer targeted questions (e.g., QUESTION #3 asks for two reasons from the chapter why Earth heats unevenly), which requires extracting central ideas from the text. Multiple prompts ask students to "use evidence" from their model and readings to explain patterns (Steps 4–7, "Analyze and Explain Your Model," and the "Final Explanation" prompt using terms like absorption, reflection, uneven heating, atmosphere). The activity worksheets require students to record observations, identify patterns, and write conclusions that synthesize information from the reading and investigations.
Lesson 5
Heat Transfer in the Atmosphere
Students are directed to "Read Chapter 5 in Air: The Story of the Atmosphere" and answer focused comprehension questions that ask for the three main ways heat energy moves, why warm air rises, and how energy from the Sun can create wind. Multiple activity pages and challenge questions require students to explain processes (e.g., identify radiation, conduction, convection; explain how convection creates wind; explain how sea/land breezes form) using evidence from readings, diagrams, and experiments. Several tasks ask students to explain cause-and-effect chains (Sun → surface heating → air movement) which require extracting central ideas and presenting them in a concise answer.
Lesson 6
Wind and Global Circulation
Students are asked to read Chapter 6 and answer focused comprehension questions such as "What is the main reason that wind forms?" and "Explain how uneven heating by the Sun helps create global circulation," which require identifying central ideas. Students build and label a global air movement model (Steps 1–3) and complete Part 4 and Part 5 prompts that ask them to describe patterns and explain how global wind patterns affect weather and climate. In Activity 2 students answer direct summary questions about the Coriolis effect (e.g., "What is the Coriolis effect, and why does it occur?") that ask them to restate key conclusions from the reading and their investigation.
Lesson 7
Air Masses and Weather Systems
Students read Chapter 7 and answer focused comprehension questions asking them to identify how air masses and fronts cause weather changes, which requires extracting key ideas from the text. In the Weather Front Investigation, students use a weather map and guided questions to identify fronts, describe air-mass interactions, and predict likely weather—tasks that ask them to pull main ideas and conclusions from provided sources. In the Severe Storms Case Study and the snow-data activity, students analyze case-study narratives and data and answer synthesis questions comparing tornadoes and hurricanes or explaining snowfall patterns, which requires identifying central points from those texts and data.
Lesson 8
Human Impact on the Atmosphere
Students are directed to read Chapter 8 (Part I and II) and then answer targeted questions about the text and data. In the Climate Data Analysis activity, students identify overall patterns and trends in atmospheric CO2 and global temperature and are asked to use evidence from graphs to explain causes (e.g., links to fossil fuel use). Reflection and Part 3 questions explicitly prompt students to cite evidence that human activities are increasing emissions and to explain how scientists use data to understand atmospheric changes.
Unit 2: A Girl Named Disaster
Lesson 1
Nhamo
Students are asked to provide a brief verbal summary of the chapters they read today, which asks them to condense chapter content. As Cultural Commentators, students journal what they learn about the culture and characters in each chapter, recording customs, homes, clothing, beliefs, food, or other cultural elements. Discussion prompts ask students to describe Nhamo's relationships, what happened to her parents, and how villagers depend on the natural environment, which require students to synthesize information from the text.
Lesson 2
Sickness
Students read Chapters 5–7 and answer guided discussion questions that ask them to explain why the villagers thought cholera had come (they thought a witch brought the disease) and why survival would be harder in the village than in a city. The wrapping-up prompt asks students to consider why survival rates would be lower in an African village, which requires identifying conclusions about causes and consequences described in the text. Students also record Investigator findings in a journal, gathering background information related to the book's setting and culture that connects to the chapters they read.
Lesson 3
A Visit with the Muvuki
Students read Chapters 8–10 and take the role of a Discussion Director, which requires them to write four discussion questions that "cover the big ideas" of the book. The task requires at least one open-ended question and one inference question, prompting students to identify overarching ideas and infer conclusions from text events. The "Ideas to Think About" prompts ask students to consider Western influence and cultural traditions, which steers student attention to central themes.
Lesson 4
Escape
Students are asked to act as a Literary Luminary by selecting two or three passages that spotlight interesting, powerful, puzzling, or important parts of Chapters 11–14 and to read them aloud and explain their reasons for picking them. Students are prompted to answer discussion questions such as why Ambuya told Nhamo to run away and whether Nhamo should have listened, which asks them to identify causes and draw conclusions from the text. The lesson asks students to "describe some things she learned about the history of Mozambique and Zimbabwe," prompting them to state what they learned from informational pages in the book.
Lesson 6
Abandoned Farm
Students are asked to be a "Line Locator" as they read chapters 17–20, copying three to five lines or passages and explaining in their journals why those passages are important or examples of good writing. The 5 W's activity requires students to answer "What?" by summarizing the obstacle or challenge and how they responded, and the Personal Narrative Story Elements page asks students to note "Themes" (central story ideas). Parent questions prompt students to describe Nhamo's journey start and to explain how her outlook has changed, which asks for interpretation of character perspective and outcomes.
Lesson 7
Baboons
The Skills section explicitly states students will "use different organizational patterns as guides for summarizing and forming an overview of different kinds of expository text" and to "synthesize and make logical connections... and support those findings with textual evidence." In Option 1 students research baboons and write an 8–10 sentence exhibit plaque presenting important information about baboon social dynamics. In Option 2 students create a guidebook with 1–2 sentence summaries for five animals, requiring them to condense information from sources into brief expository entries.
Lesson 8
Survival
Students are assigned to "take on the role of a Summarizer" for Chapters 24-27 and to write a four- or five-sentence summary of what happened, which directs them to identify main events. The Skills list explicitly includes "Summarize information from text" and "Include the main ideas and most significant details in summary of text," reinforcing that students must extract key ideas and significant details. The Parent Plan reiterates that students should write a short description containing the main events and share it, indicating an expectation for students to produce a concise, text-based summary.
Lesson 9
The Leopard
Students are asked to explain how Nhamo has changed (Compare the young girl introduced in Chapter 1 to the strong, determined young woman), which requires identifying character development across the text. The Questions to Discuss ask factual and inferential questions (e.g., what killed the kudu, why Rumpy treats Nhamo as a troop member) that direct students to identify key events and conclusions. The Wrapping Up section states a clear conclusion about the text (the natural environment affects her survival and timing of departure), which models a central idea students could identify.
Lesson 10
A Rude Awakening
Students are asked to create a storyboard of 6 important scenes and to write a sentence describing the action and Nhamo's character development, which requires selecting and condensing major events from the chapters. Students must write a 4–6 sentence postcard from Nhamo describing what she endured, how she survived, and how she has changed, which asks them to summarize key outcomes of the story. The Dialogue Designer task asks students to recreate interactions centered on one or more events from Chapters 31–34, encouraging focus on central events and their implications.
Lesson 12
A New Beginning
Students are asked in Part IV to write about the theme of the book and to describe Nhamo's biggest problem and how it was solved. The Student Activity Page prompts students to characterize Nhamo using text evidence and several short-answer questions require students to identify plot events, settings, and outcomes. The unit test items and answer key reinforce identifying central story elements and supporting answers with textual evidence.
Unit 3: Australia and Oceania
Lesson 1
The Rainbow Serpent
Students read the Rainbow Serpent text (pages 8-11 and 56) and answer focused comprehension questions (e.g., how animals and humans came to live on Earth; what the Rainbow Serpent taught; the story's warning). Students are asked to make a list of the key parts of the story and either retell it creatively (Option 1) or complete a structured Comparing Creation Stories worksheet (Option 2) that asks for beginning conditions, how the world was made, the order of creation, how humans were made, and similarities/differences with another creation story.
Lesson 2
Overview of Australia and Oceania
Students read pages 254-257 and answer focused comprehension questions (e.g., groups that make up Oceania; changes in treatment of Aboriginal Australians and Maoris), which require pulling key ideas from the text. Students are required to write a "Brief summary (2-3 sentences) of the news story" on the Current Events Report page and then separately record their reactions, explicitly separating summary from opinion. In Activity 4 (Option 1) students are asked to "summarize information about the governments and economies" of the countries, and in Activity 2 students add concise timeline cards that capture central conclusions about arrival dates of peoples.
Lesson 3
Australia and Papua New Guinea
Students are assigned to read pages 258-261 and answer questions that require extracting key factual information about Australia and Papua New Guinea. In the Reporter's Notebook activity, students must identify a current concern, list three relevant facts, and note possible solutions from sources, which requires synthesizing information from texts. In Activity 4, students must decide what is most important about the Australian economy and produce a poster or a 20–30 second radio ad, requiring them to condense and present main points from their research.
Lesson 4
Stories of the Yorta-Yorta People
The Current Events Report template explicitly asks students to write a "Brief summary (2-3 sentences) of the news story" and then, in a separate prompt, to record "What do you think about this story?" which requires separating summary from opinion. The reading questions ask students to report "what did you learn" about animals and plants and to explain how scientific explanations of Uluru differ from Aboriginal explanations, which asks students to identify conclusions from factual text. The Amazing Australian Animals activity directs students to gather and organize factual information (habitat, foods, five facts, and adaptations), which requires synthesizing central information into a concise activity page.
Lesson 6
Peoples of the Pacific Ocean
Students complete a "Current Events Report" page that requires a "Brief summary (2-3 sentences) of the news story" and a separate box for "What do you think about this story?", prompting them to produce a concise summary distinct from personal reaction. Students answer reading comprehension questions such as how Galápagos wildlife influenced Charles Darwin, which asks them to state the central conclusion Darwin drew about evolution. Students create a Galápagos field guide or diagram in which they must write a description, habitat, key features, and explain how the animal is adapted to its environment, practicing concise summarization of researched information.
Lesson 7
Polar Regions
Students are asked to write a "Brief summary (2-3 sentences) of the news story" on the Current Events Report page and then separately answer "What do you think about this story?" which separates summary from opinion. Reading questions and the "Life in the Arctic" activity prompt students to describe climate, challenges, and resources, requiring them to synthesize information from the assigned pages. The map and labeling activities require students to identify and represent key geographic information from the text.
Final Project
Celebrating Australia and Oceania
Students are asked to "Summarize a story told by Aboriginal Australians and explain how it shows the relationship between the natural world and Aboriginal culture" on the unit test (written response question 3). Planning pages for Parts I–III and the three-column history organizer require students to list important details about arrival of first peoples, European arrival, changes over time, government, economy, natural environment, and cultures. Brochure and museum planning pages ask students to identify and list at least three important things visitors should learn about natural environments and cultures, and reflective test items (Questions 9 and 10) ask students to state what they learned that was new.
Unit 3: The Lithosphere
Lesson 2
Plate Interactions
Students read Chapter 1 - Part III and answer focused comprehension questions about divergent, convergent, and fold mountain formation. Students are asked to "explain in your own words" what happens at each type of plate interaction (Option 1) and to draw or illustrate those interactions. Students build clay models and are asked to demonstrate and explain how plate motions produce mountains (Option 2) and to explain how observed features show specific formation processes.
Lesson 3
Rocks and Minerals
Students are asked to "Summarize the rock cycle" in the Skills section and complete Activity 1 by labeling and drawing arrows on a rock-cycle diagram, which requires condensing processes into a coherent model. Students read Chapter 2 (Parts I and II) and answer focused reading questions about key ideas (e.g., definitions of minerals and the three rock types), which requires extracting information from the text. Students may also create their own rock cycle diagram (Option 2) and write labels for collected samples, tasks that require synthesis of information into concise representations.
Lesson 5
Earthquake and Volcano Research
Students read Chapter 4 and answer comprehension questions about volcanoes (e.g., magma vs. lava) and how volcanoes create landforms. Students collect information from provided websites or news articles using guided research sheets (Find Out! or Real-Life Research) that ask for key facts such as date, location, causes, effects, and precautions. Students synthesize those facts into a coherent product by creating a slideshow, poster with summaries, or a written report that organizes information into paragraphs and includes an example summary of the Mount St. Helens eruption.
Lesson 6
Geologic Time
Students read Chapter 5 and answer targeted comprehension questions that require identifying key ideas (e.g., difference between relative and absolute age, factors that complicate age determinations, and why fossils are unlikely in igneous/metamorphic rock). In Activity 1 students construct or describe a rock-layer model and then explain what the remaining parts can tell a scientist about the sequence of events, which requires synthesizing information from the reading. The Parent Plan asks students to construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from rock strata, prompting them to draw conclusions from textual and model-based evidence.
Lesson 7
Pedosphere and Soil
Students read an informational webpage about the 12 soil orders and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., which order occurs in Alaska, which orders are most prevalent), requiring them to extract key factual ideas from the text. Students complete Venn-diagram activities comparing their state's official soil with another state's soil and fill a "Difference Statement" box, requiring them to synthesize and summarize characteristics from the readings and research. Students also record and explain soil-test results (texture, pH, nutrients) on the "My Local Soil" page, using evidence to state conclusions about local soil properties.
Final Project
Our Lithosphere and Pedosphere
Students are asked to write explanatory pages in a final booklet (e.g., "Explain what the inside of the Earth is made of. Define the lithosphere," "Write a few sentences about how rocks move through the rock cycle," and prompts for tectonic plates, mountains/volcanoes/earthquakes, rocks and minerals, and soil). The unit includes a "Unit Review" and instructions to review the "Reading and Questions" sections and "Things to Know," and a Lithosphere Test with short-answer questions that require students to explain concepts (e.g., differences between lithosphere and asthenosphere, sea-floor spreading).
Unit 3: The Hobbit
Lesson 1
Bilbo Baggins
Students read Chapter 1 and write a short sentence describing what happened at Bilbo's home, using the "Events of the Journey" organizer. Students answer direct questions that require summarizing and interpretation (e.g., "How does Tolkien characterize Bilbo..." and "In your own words, summarize the reason for the mission according to Thorin's explanation"). Students trace and record key events on a setting map and record chapter numbers next to events, practicing selection of important ideas from the text.
Lesson 2
Trolls
The Parent Plan lists as a skill: "Respond to informational materials by summarizing information and determining the importance of information," which explicitly references summarizing and identifying important information. Students are asked to "describe in a simple sentence the first night's camp," which requires condensing an event into a brief summary. Comprehension questions ask students to identify key events and character traits (Bilbo's feelings, what Bilbo discovers, who saves them, characterize Gandalf), which has students extract important details from the text.
Lesson 3
The Elves
Students answer specific comprehension questions about Chapters 3 and 4 (e.g., identifying moon letters, how Gandalf is separated, how goblins/trolls are scared off), which requires recalling and describing key events. Students chart the journey on a Setting Map and record descriptions on an "Events of the Journey" page, producing concise descriptions of what happens at locations. Students identify examples of foreshadowing and flashbacks and record chapter and page numbers, which requires locating and restating textual clues.
Lesson 4
Gollum
Students read Chapter 5 and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., what Bilbo discovered, what magic the ring possesses, how Gollum feels about the ring), which target key events and conclusions from the text. Students are asked to "write a brief description of what happens in this chapter" on the "Events of the Journey" page, which requires summarizing chapter events. Students also record examples of foreshadowing from Chapter 5 on a chart, linking textual evidence to implied future outcomes.
Lesson 5
Wolves, Goblins, and Eagles
Students are asked to read Chapter 6 and answer specific comprehension questions in complete sentences about how the wolves and goblins cooperate, what Gandalf does, and how the eagles help. Students are instructed to "Write a brief description of what happens in this chapter" on the "Events of the Journey" page and to draw the path from the Goblin Gate to the Eyrie, which requires summarizing chapter events. Students are also asked to record examples of foreshadowing, which requires citing textual evidence and noticing implications in the text.
Lesson 6
Skin-Changer
Students are asked to verbally summarize what happened after Bilbo escaped from Gollum, practicing retelling key events. Students read Chapter 7 and answer comprehension questions in complete sentences about who Beorn is, why Gandalf introduces the dwarves gradually, and where Beorn and the bears went. Students are instructed to draw travel paths, circle locations, note chapter numbers, and briefly describe what happened in this chapter on the "Events of the Journey" page, recording examples of foreshadowing or flashback.
Lesson 7
Spiders
Students are asked to write a short sentence about this chapter's events on the "Events of the Journey" page, which requires producing a brief summary of the chapter. The Reading and Questions section asks students to answer explicit comprehension questions about key events (Bombur falling asleep, how Bilbo saves the dwarves, Bilbo's feelings, Thorin's fate). Students are also asked to draw a path from the Forest Gate to the spiderwebs and to record an example of foreshadowing found in the chapter, which requires locating and citing text details.
Lesson 8
Elvenking
Students are asked to explain how Bilbo has changed from the beginning of the story up to Chapter 9, prompting them to identify a character-based central idea. Students must write a simple sentence or two describing what happened at the Elvenking's Hall and how the escape occurred, which asks them to produce a brief summary of chapter events. The curriculum lists the skill 'Identify events that advance the plot and determine how each event explains past or present actions or foreshadows future action,' which directs students to determine outcomes or conclusions drawn from text events.
Lesson 9
Men of the Lake
Students are asked to write a short description of the events in Chapters 10 and 11 on the "Events of the Journey" page and to record chapter numbers, which requires summarizing the text. Students answer comprehension questions (e.g., how the Master and Men of the Lake feel; why Bilbo has more spirit) that require extracting information and drawing conclusions from the chapters. The mapping activity (tracing the journey and recording chapters) asks students to synthesize textual details into a coherent sequence of events.
Lesson 10
The Dragon
Students are asked to "Briefly summarize these chapters on the 'Events of the Journey' page" after reading Chapters 12 and 13, requiring them to produce a concise account of the text. Activity 2 directs students to analyze greed and power as central themes by collecting examples and relating those examples to the narrative and to society. Question 3 and the wrapping-up prompts ask students to identify how Bilbo becomes the leader and to articulate how power and wealth motivate characters, which requires drawing conclusions from the text.
Lesson 11
Bard
Students read Chapters 14 and 15 and answer directed comprehension questions in complete sentences that require them to identify key events (e.g., Smaug burning Esgaroth, townspeople blaming the dwarves, Bard killing Smaug, the townspeople's plan). Students record examples of foreshadowing and flashback on a chart, which asks them to identify narrative elements across the chapters. Students respond to discussion prompts about themes such as power and greed and how those forces affect characters, which engages them in identifying larger ideas in the text.
Lesson 12
The Arkenstone
Students are asked to discuss major themes and to describe how change plays a role in the story (e.g., Bilbo's transformation and Thorin's change when he sees the treasure). Students are directed to consider how quest elements contribute to a central theme and to explain how each element affects the theme and mood of the story (Quest Cube activity). The Parent Plan lists skills that students practice, including analyzing plot, theme, characterization, and identifying and describing multiple themes.
Lesson 13
The Battle
Activity 1 asks students to read early reviews and write a two- or three-sentence summary of the literary critic's response, identify whether the response is positive or negative, and explain major points and literary elements the reviewer mentions. The Parent Plan directs the student to read aloud their summary of the early reviews and to identify any literary elements and themes the reviewer discusses. The Reading Questions and Wrapping Up sections require students to answer comprehension questions about plot and to consider themes such as greed, power, and personal change.
Final Project
Responding to Literature
Students are asked to include a brief summary in their introduction (author, title, main characters, setting, and a two-sentence summary) and are given a definition that a summary ‘‘describes what happens in a story and provides facts . . . while avoiding personal reflection.'' Students use prewriting webs and outline prompts that ask them to identify "an important lesson learned" and "how the characters changed," which target central ideas and conclusions. The rubric explicitly assesses comprehension of complex themes and the use of textual evidence, reinforcing practice in identifying and supporting ideas from the text.
Unit 4: Ancient Asia
Lesson 1
The Caste System of Ancient India
Students read pages 1-21 of Life in the Ancient Indus River Valley and answer directed comprehension questions (e.g., achievements of the Harappans, who the Aryans were, how reincarnation and karma work), requiring them to extract main ideas from the text. Students complete a structured comparison (Option 1) that asks them to identify core principles, expected rewards, views on predestination, and the role of priests for Hinduism and Buddhism, synthesizing information from multiple reading sections. Students also synthesize key events for a timeline and identify important geographic and historical information on a map, selecting central facts and dates from the readings.
Lesson 2
Life and Culture in Ancient India
Students read specified pages (22-25 and 26-32) and answer comprehension questions that require summarizing factual content (e.g., "How was India organized after the Gupta empire?" and identification of Vedas and the Mahabharata). Students complete a Website Review that asks for a brief (one-sentence) description of the site and a short (2-3 sentence) review, which requires condensing site content into a concise statement. In the play activity, students speak as Sudra and Outcaste characters, describing daily lives and social status, which requires summarizing roles and differences in their own words.
Lesson 3
Life in Ancient China
Students are asked to copy and illustrate a passage from the Tao Te Ching and "write in your own words what the Tao Te Ching is trying to tell people about wealth" (Activity 5), which requires identifying the passage's main idea and summarizing it. In Activity 2, students must "summarize some of the accomplishments of seven different Chinese dynasties," explicitly asking for summaries of informational texts. Reading-and-questions items ask students to "describe life for a peasant farmer" and to explain concepts like the Mandate of Heaven and Han dynasty contributions, which require extracting central points from assigned pages.
Lesson 5
Life in Ancient Japan
Students are assigned to read pages 1–17 of Life in Ancient Japan and answer specific comprehension questions about creation myths, the Jomon, and the uji. In Activity 2 Option 1, students must write about four groups (uji, emperors, noble families, shogun) using pages 10–17, explaining who they were, when they held power, and what they did. In Activity 2 Option 2, students are asked to create a flow chart or graphic organizer showing changes in rule over time, including approximate dates and descriptions of who was in power and key details of their influence.
Lesson 6
Culture in Ancient Japan
Students are asked to provide brief descriptions of Shinto, Buddhism, and Confucianism using a table (Option 1) or to compare and contrast them in a three-circle Venn diagram (Option 2), which requires identifying key beliefs and practices from the assigned pages. Activity 3 asks students to write down cultural components, ideas, and technologies that traveled from China to Japan using information on specific pages, requiring extraction of main ideas about cultural exchange. Activity 4 and Activity 5 require students to synthesize information from the readings to create a classified ad about warriors and to summarize the Mongol invasions via a labeled map or artwork, which ask students to condense and represent text information.
Final Project
Puppet Show or Presentation
Students are asked to summarize texts in multiple places: the Puppet Show Planning pages include a "Story summary" box for each country's story, and the Multimedia Slide Planning pages ask students to list two "Main Points" and provide "Additional Information for the Script." Students write retellings when they "write up your own retelling of each of the three stories" for the puppet show and must produce a written script for the slide presentation that elaborates main points. The unit test includes a Summary section asking students to write one thing learned about each civilization that was unknown before the unit, and the rubrics require that stories are retold and scripts are clear and well-written.
Unit 4: Ecosystems and Ecology
Lesson 1
What Is in an Ecosystem?
Students are asked to read pages 1-6 of Changing Ecosystems and then answer focused comprehension questions (e.g., Question #1 asks for the difference between an ecosystem and a biome; Questions #2 and #3 ask about necessary components and whether sunlight is required). Students use information from readings to complete a "Survey Table" listing biotic and abiotic components and to create diagrams that represent relationships and flow of matter and energy among components. The Skills section also directs students to "analyze and evaluate information from a scientifically literate viewpoint by reading...scientific texts and articles," which students enact when they extract facts to classify components and build relationship diagrams.
Lesson 2
Diversity within Ecosystems
Students are assigned to read pages 1–7 of Exploring Ecology and review biome graphics, then use web resources to research two ecosystems, which provides text and source material for summarizing. Students complete survey tables and two ecosystem tables to record location, major characteristics, biotic and abiotic factors, and roles (producer/consumer/decomposer). Students are explicitly instructed in Activity 3 to "write a short paragraph summarizing what you found" for each ecosystem, including biome, location, notable biotic/abiotic factors, and major characteristics.
Lesson 3
Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
Students are assigned specific reading sections and are prompted to "keep in mind the role of sunlight in photosynthesis" and the flow of energy, directing them to extract key ideas from the text. The lesson includes direct comprehension questions (QUESTION #1–#4) that require students to state central conclusions (e.g., percent energy loss, reasons deserts have less energy, role of decomposers, differences among producers/consumers). The "Things to Review" and "Wrapping Up" sections list main points that reinforce the central ideas for students to identify.
Lesson 4
Ecosystem Relationships
Students are assigned specific readings (pages in Exploring Ecology and Changing Ecosystems and linked web pages) and then asked targeted questions such as "What are niches and why are they important?" and "What happens when two species directly compete?" that require extracting and restating main ideas. Students answer definition and explanation prompts (e.g., differences between parasitism and mutualism) that ask them to summarize key concepts from the texts. Students use information from readings to complete activity sheets describing organisms' roles, interactions, and environments, which requires synthesizing text information into concise responses.
Lesson 5
Ecological Succession
Students are assigned to read specific pages and watch a video about ecological succession and then answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., what makes the stages of succession necessary; difference between primary and secondary succession). The lesson provides a 'Things to Know' list and review items that state central ideas (definitions of primary/secondary succession, pioneer species, climax community) that students can extract. Students must create captions, descriptions, and organized slideshow/portfolio pages that require them to summarize stages of succession in their own words and put stages in order.
Lesson 6
Natural Hazards and Natural Disasters
Students are instructed to "Read pages 6-15 in Changing Ecosystems" and to "pay attention to reasons for change in ancient and recent times," directing them to identify causes such as climate change, natural disasters, and succession. Students answer focused comprehension questions (Questions #1-#4) that require explaining central causal relationships (e.g., CO2 and temperature, El Niño effects, how catastrophes change ecosystems). In Activity 1, students must "Explain in a paragraph how this island might gradually be repopulated" and create image captions that synthesize stages of primary succession.
Lesson 7
Succession and Natural Disasters
Students are asked to collect images before, immediately after, and of the contemporary site, write captions that describe what is happening in each picture in terms of stages of succession, and write a paragraph explaining why changes have occurred and predicting the ecosystem in 20–30 years. The parent/skills sections state that students will "analyze evidence to explain observations, make inferences and predictions," and students must identify the type of succession (primary or secondary) and match descriptions of stages to their graphics.
Lesson 8
A Carbon Journey
Students read specified pages in Exploring Ecology and watch the "Carbon Cycle Song," then answer directed comprehension questions (Questions #1-#5) that ask them to identify processes that cycle carbon, where carbon is stored, and why decomposition is important. In Activity 1 students must produce a short story, poem, or comic that follows a carbon atom through the cycle and include specific components (photosynthesis/absorption, formation of glucose/cellulose, consumption by consumers, respiration, decomposition, and trapping after death). The student comic template and panel descriptions require students to state scenes and captions that summarize carbon moving from atmosphere to plants to consumers and back to the environment.
Lesson 10
Cause and Effect in the Ecosystem
Students are asked to "Review the information in this lesson's introduction and on page 15 in Changing Ecosystems... Then watch the video... and answer the following questions," which prompts them to extract key ideas from source texts. Specific comprehension questions (e.g., Question #1 about what sets humans apart, Question #2 about how biomagnification reveals the importance of the food chain, and Question #3 about human activities that change air/soil/water) require students to identify central ideas and conclusions from the reading. The Student Activity Page and "Questions to Ponder" also ask students to explain the significance of concepts (e.g., what the vinegar represents, significance to producers, and how toxicants harm ecosystems), which requires synthesizing information from the materials.
Lesson 11
Matter and the Food Web
Students are instructed to review specific pages of the texts and then answer focused questions (e.g., "How does the carbon cycle illustrate the Law of Conservation of Matter and Energy?" and "Does that mean energy is destroyed? If not, where does the lost energy go?"). These questions require students to identify key conclusions from the reading and explain them in their own words. The Wrapping Up and Discussion prompts ask students to state main ideas such as that matter and energy are neither created nor destroyed and that not all energy is passed between trophic levels.
Lesson 12
Adaptability and Survival
The Skills section instructs students to "analyze and evaluate information from a scientifically literate viewpoint by reading, hearing, and/or viewing scientific texts and articles." The activity requires students to research an extinct organism using Internet and library sources, record details about its ecosystem, food chain, and reasons for extinction, and save supporting images. Students must produce a paragraph describing how the extinction could have been prevented and assemble a presentation or portfolio that synthesizes their findings.
Lesson 13
Invasive Species
Students are directed to read pages 16-17 and watch a video about invasive species and then answer targeted comprehension questions (Question #1 asks for the impact of invasive plants; Question #2 asks why a species is balanced in one ecosystem but disruptive in another). Students are asked to use provided websites to gather information about specific invasive species and to write a brief description of the plant's impact on other plants (name, areas where it occurs, and impact). The unit test and activities require students to explain what happens when a new organism is introduced and to describe ecological consequences, which asks them to draw conclusions from reading and investigation.
Unit 4: A Single Shard
Lesson 1
Korea
Students are asked to read multiple informational websites about ancient and modern Korea and "record information you learn about Korea on the 'Elements of Korean Culture' pages," deciding whether each item belongs in the "Today" or "Centuries Past" column. The lesson's stated skills include "Evaluate information from different sources about the same topic," and the activities require students to locate, color, label, and annotate maps and culture charts based on their reading. These tasks require students to identify and extract relevant information from texts and organize it into categories.
Lesson 2
Tree-Ear
Students are asked to read the first two chapters and give a brief oral summary highlighting the main events, and the Parent Plan lists "Deliver oral summaries of books" as a skill. Students answer directed comprehension questions in complete sentences about events, character motives, and cultural details, which requires recalling and recounting text content. The activity instructions repeatedly prompt students to add details to their "Elements of Korean Culture" pages based on the reading, reinforcing pulling information from the text.
Lesson 3
Hard Work
The lesson repeatedly instructs students to write a summary of the chapters they read and to underline the most important information while reading. It defines a summary and explicitly tells students not to include personal interpretations or too many details, and it provides strategies for summarizing (skim first sentences, restate in own words, follow sequence of events). The lesson gives guiding questions (Who did what? What events contribute to plot/character?) and asks students to produce a one-page summary and to read it aloud, reinforcing identification of central ideas and producing an accurate summary separate from opinion.
Lesson 5
The Royal Emissary
Students are asked to read Chapters 5 and 6 and write four thoughtful questions, including a fact-based question whose answer can be taken straight from the book, which requires locating and citing text details. Students sequence the steps for making pottery using information from Chapters 4-6, arranging and describing the main stages of the process and connecting those steps to environmental resources. Parent/teacher prompts ask students to explain what Tree-ear means by a quoted idea and to describe who is coming to town and why, which prompts students to identify and discuss important points from the chapters.
Lesson 6
Village Life
Students are instructed to read bios and watch interviews about Linda Sue Park, take notes, and answer specific comprehension and analysis questions on the "Linda Sue Park" page. Question 9 asks students to state what they think Linda is trying to teach readers in A Single Shard, and students must write a short paragraph about how the author's experiences and relationships influenced her writing. The activities require extracting information from biographical texts and composing written responses based on that information.
Lesson 7
Opportunity
The lesson's Skills section explicitly names analyzing themes and central ideas in literature. The Tree-Ear mini-book activity directs students to identify four key "opportunities," record how each benefited Tree-ear, and support those explanations (Parent Plan notes ask for evidence from the text). The reading questions require students to answer in complete sentences about plot events and character conclusions (e.g., what the commissioner tells Min).
Lesson 8
Korean Pottery
Students are directed to visit multiple informational websites (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Asia Society, Wikipedia, and Korean-arts.com) to read about and view examples of celadon pottery. The lesson asks students to "consider how the artwork reflects the Korean culture and geography of the region" and includes discussion questions about what was learned about celadon. The lesson's skill list includes "Interpret both explicit and implicit messages in various forms of media," which implies work with meaning in informational texts.
Lesson 9
Words of Wisdom
Students are asked to "explain what happened in the last two chapters he read," which prompts them to produce a summary of Chapters 9 and 10. The guided questions (e.g., Why does Tree-ear decide to go on the journey? What does Tree-ear learn from the fox?) require students to identify motivations and conclusions drawn from the text. The Student Activity Page directs students to "In your own words, explain each of Crane-man's quotes," and the Parent Plan lists skills such as writing responses to literature, organizing interpretations around clear ideas, and justifying interpretations with examples.
Lesson 10
The Fox
Students are asked to summarize what happened in the two chapters they were assigned to read yesterday, which requires recalling and condensing text content. Students read multiple folktales about foxes and are prompted to "think about the purpose of the story and what it teaches," which directs them to identify central ideas or conclusions. Parents are instructed to ask the child to explain the purpose of her own fox story and the lesson that can be learned, prompting students to articulate main ideas and themes.
Lesson 11
Relationships
Students are asked to make a prediction about what will happen to Tree-ear and then discuss after reading whether that prediction was correct, requiring comparison of prior opinion with text events. Students answer specific comprehension questions about who Tree-ear meets, the origin of the book's title, Emissary Kim's actions, and concrete plot details, which requires identifying key events and conclusions from the chapters. Students complete relationship activities in which they write at least two sentences describing Tree-ear's relationships with other characters and must support those descriptions with examples from the text.
Final Project
Comparison and Contrast Writing
Students are asked to think about what they learned and what the author wanted to teach in the wrapping-up discussion questions, which targets identifying author intent. The conclusion-paragraph organizer instructs students to "summarize the paper" and "think about what the reader should remember and learn," prompting students to produce a concise takeaway. The essay organizers and rubric require students to provide specific examples and support from the text when describing similarities and differences, which asks students to extract and cite key ideas from A Single Shard.
Unit 5: Asia Today
Lesson 1
Russia East of the Ural Mountains
Students are asked to answer broad questions from the reading such as why the Ural Mountains are a significant boundary and to describe differences between western and eastern Russia, which requires synthesizing regional information. In Option 1 students must use the reading to distinguish traditional economic activities from those tied to mineral and fuel discovery, connecting text details to larger economic conclusions. In Option 2 students compare how basic needs are met in eastern Siberia versus their hometown and may write a short story or draw a picture that integrates at least three needs, requiring them to pull together key information from the text.
Lesson 3
The Middle East
Students are directed to read pages 146-159 of a geography text and to explore news stories about the Middle East as sources of information. Students must complete a "Brief Summary" field (2-3 sentences) for each news article in the Current Events Report and record the news source, countries, and significant people. Students answer focused questions about government, economy, culture, and environment for each story, which requires extracting key information from the texts they read. Students also complete short-answer questions about features of Middle Eastern cities and the influence of climate and resources, demonstrating practice in summarizing factual content.
Lesson 4
Central Asia
Students are directed to read pages 160-165 of Geography of the World and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., factors giving Kazakhstan potential wealth; changes in Turkmenistan after 1991; reasons countries fought over Afghanistan), which require extracting main ideas and conclusions from the text. In Activity 3, students must identify environmental issues from the reading (Aral Sea irrigation, Caspian Sea pollution, industrial/agricultural pollution in Kazakhstan) and explain what is happening and why it is a problem when creating a poster or a 30-second advertisement. The storyboard/script task asks students to write a concise script that explains the environmental situation, its problems, and recommended actions, which requires condensing information from the readings into a clear presentation.
Lesson 6
East Asia and Japan
Students are asked to read pages 174–187 of Geography of the World and answer targeted questions that require pulling facts from the text (e.g., why Tibet is called "the roof of the world" and which crops China produces). In Activity 4 students complete comparison charts for "Ancient and Modern China" (and optionally Japan), recording details for government, economy, and culture from the text and answering whether Japan and China had more in common in ancient times than today. In the "Growing Rice" activity students create an illustrated flow chart or poem that requires them to extract and sequence the steps of rice cultivation as described in the reading.
Lesson 7
Mainland Southeast Asia
The lesson assigns a specific reading (Geography of the World, pp. 188-195) and then asks students to complete tasks that require extracting main information: the Farming in Mainland Southeast Asia activity directs students to describe and sketch the lifestyle and farming methods of river valleys versus uplands. The Resources and Economies activities (chart or flapbook) require students to identify and record the main economic activities of three countries and to classify those activities as natural-resource-based or based on human/capital resources. Several short-answer questions and the parent discussion prompts ask students to state reasons (e.g., why people settled near rivers, how economies have changed) that require synthesizing text information.
Lesson 8
Maritime Southeast Asia
Students are assigned to read pages 196-201 of Geography of the World and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., which areas are most at risk from typhoons; what is Wallace's Line; how East Timor became independent). Students complete the "Cultures of Indonesia and the Philippines" activity by cutting/pasting facts and recording what they have learned about history, languages, religions, ethnic identities, and connections between culture and environment. The measuring activity and map task require students to extract geographic facts (length of Indonesia, locations, capitals) from the text and resources.
Lesson 9
The Indian Ocean
Students are directed to read pages 202–203 of Geography of the World and answer Question #1 asking them to "Explain how coral islands are formed," which requires extracting and restating a key explanatory idea from the text. In Activity 2 students are asked to "record the threats" from the text and the activity page for pollution, monsoon rains/tropical storms, and tourism and then create a poster showing the impact of a selected threat, which requires summarizing text information about environmental issues. The "Student Activity Page" explicitly instructs students to "Describe the threat posed by each of the following to the ecosystems of the Indian Ocean," prompting students to identify central ideas about threats and write concise descriptions.
Final Project
A Tour of Asia
Students are asked to write one well-organized paragraph for two geographic areas explaining how natural environments influence cultures (Unit Test written response). Students must summarize current events and history in short sections labeled "In the News" and "A Note about History" for each country in their tour book. The final project requires students to produce concise summaries of government, economy, natural environment and population information for each country and the rubric evaluates accuracy and relevance of those summaries.
Unit 5: Earth Cycles and Systems
Lesson 3
Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Students are assigned to read pp. 8-10 of Exploring Ecology and are told to "pay attention to how energy is transferred through an ecosystem," prompting identification of main ideas. Four guided questions ask students to state how producers get energy, explain why an energy pyramid is shaped like a pyramid, discuss limitations of energy-pyramid diagrams, and explain why decomposers are usually not included, which requires extracting key conclusions from the text. Activity 1 asks students to draw an "Ecosystem Energy Diagram" that models the flow of energy and matter, requiring synthesis of the central idea about unidirectional energy flow and cyclical matter.
Lesson 4
Matter and Plants
Students are asked to read pp. 8-11 and watch a video and then answer targeted questions (#1-5) about energy transfer, matter transfer, recycling, and trophic levels, which require identifying key conclusions from the texts. The parent and introduction sections ask students to organize basic facts into topics and generalizations and to produce a diagram that represents their understanding of relationships (e.g., lifecycle stages, reservoirs, trophic levels). The activities require students to synthesize information (trace growth, label components, sequence life-cycle panels) which draws out central ideas about matter and energy flow.
Lesson 5
Carbohydrates, Plants, and Energy
Students are asked to review specified pages and answer five content questions (#1-#5) that require identifying core ideas such as why plants are primary producers, how energy moves in ecosystems, and the importance of carbon cycling. Wrapping-up prompts ask students to consider the role of photosynthesis and the function of carbohydrates in producers and consumers, encouraging synthesis of key conclusions. The student activity and parent plan ask students to analyze evidence from an experiment and to make explanations based on that evidence, which requires drawing conclusions from text and data.
Lesson 6
Intro to Earth's Cycles
Students are asked to read specified pages of Exploring Ecology and to "pay attention to information about the cycling of water, nitrogen, and carbon," which directs them to identify key information. Students answer focused comprehension questions that require stating central roles and conclusions (e.g., why the water cycle might be considered Earth's circulatory system; the Sun's significance; the role of bacteria in the nitrogen cycle). Students create a Venn diagram that requires synthesizing and comparing main characteristics across the three cycles, identifying shared processes and unique features.
Lesson 7
Oxygen Production and Life
Students are directed to review the Exploring Ecology text (pp. 8-10) and answer targeted comprehension questions that ask them to explain relationships (e.g., how photosynthesis and respiration are interdependent) and consequences (e.g., what would happen if photosynthesis stopped). The "Questions to Consider" and activity prompts require students to organize information (option 2: cut-and-paste drawings) and to answer scenario-response prompts that ask them to identify the two biggest concerns if autotrophs stop producing oxygen. The wrap-up asks students to review equations and consider the importance of components, reinforcing identification of central ideas about oxygen production and use.
Lesson 8
The Carbon Cycle
Students read specified pages in the textbook and answer direct comprehension questions (e.g., explain why decomposers are important, give examples of decomposers, and explain whether consumers produce carbon). Students record daily observations in a week-long decomposition experiment, complete prediction and results tables, and write a brief paragraph explaining experimental outcomes. The activities require students to extract and state information from the text and observations to support answers.
Lesson 9
The Water Cycle
Students are directed to read specific pages in Exploring Ecology about the water cycle and then answer targeted comprehension questions (Question #1–#3) that ask them to explain evaporation/evapotranspiration/sublimation, define condensation and its role, and describe storage of water. Students build and observe a solar still and complete a "Questions to Consider" activity that asks them to explain the importance of the Sun, what processes occur in the still, and how the still models the water cycle. The Wrapping Up and Things to Review sections state central ideas (e.g., the Sun fuels the cycle; water changes state and is stored), which students can use to support their answers.
Lesson 10
Energy, Food Chains, and Food Webs
Students are asked to review specific pages of the textbook (pp. 9-11/9-12) and to "consider the role of energy as it passes through the ecosystem," which directs them to extract key ideas from the text. The lesson includes targeted comprehension questions (Questions #1-3) that require students to explain why consumers eat multiple organisms, to distinguish a food web from a food chain, and to explain why a web is a more accurate representation—tasks that ask students to identify central ideas and conclusions. Students must synthesize reading content into a graphic food web and write out processes (photosynthesis, respiration, energy transfer), which requires them to organize and represent main concepts from the text.
Lesson 11
The Nitrogen Cycle
Students read the "Nitrogen Cycle" section and use an interactive web activity to track the journey of a nitrogen atom, filling in stages and labeling forms of nitrogen. Students answer targeted comprehension questions (Q1–Q3) asking them to explain why fertilizer is necessary, what happens when there is too much nitrogen, and how eutrophication demonstrates an ecosystem restoring equilibrium. In the Plant Food activity students identify how N, P, and K help plant parts and use numerical reasoning to interpret fertilizer labels and nutrient ratios.
Final Project
A Sustainable Farm
Students are asked to research two or more sustainable farming techniques and to include labels explaining those techniques on their farm display, which requires extracting and reporting key information from sources. Students must create diagrams of the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles and write explanations of how their farm incorporates each cycle, which requires synthesizing information into concise explanations. The Parent Plan lists "Communicate scientific information in a clear, concise manner" and the project asks students to "briefly explain why you chose each" crop and its nutrient or care requirements, prompting students to condense research into summary statements.
Unit 5: Independent Study
Lesson 1
Independent Study Introduction
Students are asked to read the CNN article "Dakota Access Pipeline: What's at Stake" and complete a Point of View chart that requires them to list how different stakeholders view the pipeline, which asks them to extract and record each group's reasons for supporting or opposing the project. The Parent Plan explicitly states that students will "summariz[e] the author's purpose and stance" and that they should "record information to answer your research questions," which points to practice in identifying key ideas from sources. The rubric and steps require students to find and use multiple sources (4–10) and to use note-taking methods, supporting synthesis of text information for later use.
Lesson 2
Bias and Propaganda
Students read two contrasting news articles about Sir Sam Hughes and answer the question "How is Sam Hughes portrayed in each article?," recording findings on a Detecting Bias handout. Students identify specific bias techniques and provide examples from each article, and they answer focused questions about a propaganda article (what techniques were used, why leaflets were distributed, and whether they were effective). Students also watch advertisements, identify propaganda techniques, determine intended audiences, and evaluate effectiveness, documenting their analyses on handouts.
Lesson 4
Finding Information
Students are directed to use a gathering grid to record specific information from multiple sources (e.g., effects on the environment, economic impact, prevention strategies), which requires extracting key points from texts. Students complete a Stakeholders chart where they find at least three opinions and three supporting details for each stakeholder, which has them identify claims and supporting evidence across sources. The Evaluating Websites rubric has students judge purpose, authority, currency, and objectivity, which supports identifying what a text is trying to convey and its reliability.
Lesson 5
Writing the Essay
The Parent Plan skills explicitly ask students to "synthesize research into a written or an oral presentation that compiles important information from multiple sources, develops a topic sentence, summarizes findings, and uses evidence to support conclusions," and to "support the main idea or ideas of a paper with facts, details, examples, and explanations from multiple authoritative sources." Students are directed to prepare outlines that include a clear position statement, supporting reasons with labeled evidence, and a conclusion that "briefly, sum[s] up the main arguments that support your position." The wrap-up questions prompt students to reflect on what they learned and which points of view were new, implying synthesis of information from sources.
Lesson 6
Presentation
Students are asked to synthesize research into a written or oral presentation that compiles important information from multiple sources, develops a topic sentence, summarizes findings, and uses evidence to support conclusions (Parent Plan skills). Students plan and write outlines for their presentations and create products (tri-board, brochure, PowerPoint) that require explaining points of view and summarizing information to inform or persuade an audience. The rubric and planning pages prompt students to list materials, steps, and to check off completion, which supports organizing and presenting summarized findings.
2: Semester 2
Unit 1: Greece and Rome
Lesson 1
Early Greece
Students are asked to read pages 22-23 and answer specific comprehension questions that require extracting key information (e.g., identify the Minoan civilization as Europe's first civilization, list Minoan accomplishments, describe Mycenaean rule, and name Mycenaean craft items). The timeline activity asks students to select and add important dates and significant achievements (First Settlement of Greece, Beginning of the Bronze Age, The Minoans, Mycenaeans), which requires identifying central events and their relative importance. The wrapping up section and discussion questions prompt students to think about broad developments (e.g., a Dark Age and later revival; why trade was important), which relates to grasping larger conclusions from the reading.
Lesson 2
Ancient Greece
Students are directed to read specified pages about Ancient Greece and the Persian Empire and then answer four targeted comprehension questions that ask for the main ideas (e.g., what city-states were, how Sparta differed, why the Immortals were so called, and whether Persia conquered Greece). Students complete a Venn diagram comparing Athens and Sparta, add events and places to a map, and place key events on a timeline, all activities that require pulling key information and organizing central facts from the readings. The democracy activity asks students to compare Athenian direct democracy with modern representative democracy, which requires identifying core ideas about forms of government.
Lesson 3
Everyday Life in Ancient Greece
Students read assigned pages and web material and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., how education would differ, role of women, similarities/differences of homes), which requires extracting key information about those topics. In Activity 3, students read summaries of 5–6 famous Greeks and complete an activity page asking for "Best Known For" and "Why the Person Was Important," which asks students to condense biographical information. In Activity 1, students write a monologue that includes a brief retelling of a god or goddess's story, requiring them to summarize a narrative in their own words.
Lesson 4
The Hellenistic World
Students are directed to read pages 46-47 and answer four specific questions that ask for the location of Macedonia, how Alexander became king, why Greek culture spread in his empire, and why the post-Alexander period is called the Hellenistic Age. Students are asked to design a monument and "explain why" they included elements that represent Alexander's qualities and achievements, which requires them to identify important aspects of his life. Students add dated timeline cards for Phillip II, Alexander's rule, and the Hellenistic Age, requiring them to organize and connect key events chronologically.
Lesson 5
Ancient Rome and the Roman Republic
Students read designated pages and a linked web article and answer specific questions that ask for the key facts (e.g., how Rome was ruled, the role of the Senate, what the Punic Wars were, and how the Republic ended). Students complete a compare-and-contrast chart ("The Founding of Rome") that requires them to extract main claims from two narratives and archaeological evidence and judge how likely each theory is. Students place events on timeline cards and must identify and sequence central events (dates and brief descriptions) such as the Twelve Tables and Caesar crossing the Rubicon.
Lesson 6
The Roman Empire
Students read assigned pages and web sections about Augustus, the Pax Romana, and imperial expansion and answer targeted comprehension questions (Q1–Q5) that require extracting key facts. In Option 1 students write a brief diary entry recounting how Augustus became emperor, which requires summarizing events from the readings. In Option 2 students read about multiple emperors and complete a comparison chart listing accomplishments, challenges, and leadership qualities, which requires synthesizing information from texts.
Lesson 7
Everyday Life in Ancient Rome
Students are instructed to "underline or star important ideas" and mark surprising or unclear information as they read, which asks them to identify key points. Question #1 and Question #2 ask students to describe what education was like and what Roman houses were like, requiring students to summarize specific sections of the text. The "Religion in Rome" activity asks students to fill a chart with "key features" and who practiced each religion, and the "Famous Ancient Roman" page asks students to record what a person was best known for and why they were important, both requiring students to extract and record main ideas from reading.
Lesson 8
The End of the Empire
Students are asked to read the Khan Academy article "The Fall of the Roman Empire" and the "External Causes," "Internal Causes," and "Conclusion" sections of a second article, then answer specific comprehension questions about causes of the fall, Constantine's new capital, and the fate of the Eastern Empire. In Activity 2 students cut out listed factors and categorize them as internal or external causes, requiring them to identify and organize central ideas about Rome's decline. In Activity 3 Option 2 students read three New Testament passages and are asked to identify the authors' messages and whether persecution was expected, prompting them to determine the central ideas of those texts.
Unit 1: Force and Motion
Lesson 2
Newton's Laws of Motion
Students are asked to read pages 5-11 of Why Things Move and to use that reading to answer specific questions about Newton's three laws, which requires extracting key ideas from the text. Students create a Newton's Laws mini-book by matching law numbers, descriptions, and definitions and by drawing illustrations, an activity that asks them to condense and record the laws in their own words. Several questions and activities (Coin Challenge, Rubber Ball Ramp, Balloon Rocket) require students to explain observed results using Newton's laws, which reinforces identifying the laws' central concepts.
Lesson 5
Centripetal Force and Terminal Velocity
Students are directed to read pages 20-24 and watch two videos, then answer specific content questions (Q1-Q3) that require identifying conclusions about gravity, air resistance, and centripetal vs. centrifugal forces. Several activity 'Explain' prompts ask students to read about how accelerometers work and to record explanations relating observations to Newton's laws. The 'Things to Review' and answer keys highlight central ideas (e.g., gravity as a constant near Earth's surface, forces balanced at terminal velocity) that students must use to respond to questions and explain phenomena.
Lesson 7
Newton in the Milky Way
Students are asked to review a web page and video on Kepler's laws and to "briefly list Kepler's three laws," which requires identifying the central ideas of that text. The "Analyzing the Data" and "Analysis" pages ask students to record observations, identify forces, and explain how path changes relate to Newton's second law, which requires extracting conclusions from experimental data. Activity prompts ask students to apply what they learned in Activity 1 to answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., why closer planets orbit faster), prompting students to state key conclusions from the instructional materials.
Final Project
Demonstrating Newton's Laws
Students are prompted to write explanatory narratives on the 'Newton's First Law' activity page (labeled "Newton's First Law Story") and to create three comic strips that illustrate and explain Newton's First, Second, and Third Laws, which asks them to represent scientific principles through storytelling. The unit includes short-answer questions that require students to explain differences (e.g., speed vs. velocity, mass vs. weight) and to answer how force affects motion, asking students to articulate key concepts in their own words. The unit review and directions to study the unit's "Things to Know" and "Reading and Questions" sections direct students to engage with the core content prior to assessment and project work.
Unit 1: Greek Myths
Lesson 1
Ancient Greece
Students read pages 9–15 of D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, which present the Greek creation story. Question #2 asks students to "Summarize the Greek creation story in two sentences" and the provided answer guidance specifies central ideas (Gaea emerging from darkness, union with Uranus, birth of the Titans, and the origin of living things). The Wrapping Up section and discussion prompts highlight recurring central themes (power, deceit, revenge) for students to identify.
Lesson 2
The Gods and Goddesses
Students read specified pages about Zeus and his family and answer focused comprehension questions (e.g., how the Greeks explained volcanoes, storms at sea, and the seasons), which requires extracting central explanatory ideas from the text. In Option 2 of the character-card activity, students write short descriptions explaining what each god or goddess rules over and what they are known for, which asks students to condense informational content into brief summaries. The family-tree activity asks students to place gods and goddesses in relational groupings, requiring synthesis of information across multiple pages.
Lesson 3
The Stories
The lesson asks students to "consider what people in the past were trying to convey" and prompts questions about how myths could bring order and what questions people were trying to answer, which directs students to infer central messages from the texts. The Parent Plan Skills statement instructs students to "analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author's purpose... and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding." The Go Greek cards and flashcards require students to identify and recall each god's roles and attributes, supporting extraction of main ideas about characters and their cultural significance.
Lesson 4
Minor Gods, Nymphs, Satyrs, and Centaurs
Students are asked while reading to "consider how greed and the desire for power lead to devastating consequences" and to be "on the lookout for how good deeds are rewarded and bad deeds are punished," which directs them to identify recurring themes or central ideas. Several comprehension questions ask students to provide examples of consequences from the myths (e.g., Prometheus, Pandora, Asclepius), requiring them to cite text-based conclusions. Activity 4 asks students to pick a story and write an 18–25 line skit that tells the story through dialogue and stage directions, which requires students to retell and condense a text into a coherent summary for performance.
Lesson 5
Mortal Descendants of Zeus
Students are asked to read the Perseus passage and answer specific comprehension questions about key events (e.g., why Acrisius locked his daughter, what the king asked Perseus to do). Students complete an activity labeling myth conventions (hero, gods, monster, problem) and are prompted to "verbally summarize the story of Perseus" with main points provided in the parent plan. The wrap-up explicitly identifies themes (desire for power, fate) and asks students to "be on the lookout" for lessons and conventions in the stories they encounter.
Lesson 6
Vainglorious Kings
Students read multiple myths and answer guided comprehension questions that ask for reasons and interpretations (e.g., why Heracles was sent to the mountains; the irony of Oedipus). Students complete a comparison chart for Daedalus and Icarus that requires them to state the theme/lesson, setting, method of flight, and other core story elements. The listed skills explicitly ask students to synthesize ideas across texts and support findings with textual evidence.
Lesson 7
The Trojan War
Students read a defined section of the text (pp. 180–184) and are instructed to "pick out the most important events" and "summarize/retell the story." The Skills list explicitly requires students to "deliver oral summaries...that include the main ideas of the event or article and the most significant details," to "use own words in oral summaries," and to "convey a comprehensive understanding of sources, not just superficial details." The activity requires students to prepare and practice a focused retelling using props and to start and end at specified paragraphs, tying the summary directly to the text.
Final Project
A New Twist on an Ancient Myth
Students are prompted to identify the conventions and theme of original myths during Prewriting using the "Conventions of a Myth" pages to organize ideas. Students are required to write two- to three-sentence synopses of famous myths in Part V of the unit test and to provide short summaries in other activities. The Skills list and parent guidance ask students to analyze, make inferences, draw conclusions, and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding. The rubric and writing tasks require students to produce a clear beginning, middle, and end with a problem and solution, guiding organized, text-based summaries.
Unit 2: The Middle Ages
Lesson 1
Introduction to Medieval Europe
Students are assigned to read pages 1-14 and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., why the Middle Ages are so named; the division into Early/High/Late periods; how violence relates to the rise of feudalism; how government instability increased church power). Students create a timeline and map from details in the reading, placing events and groups on dated timeline pages and labeling geographic locations based on the text. Students complete a feudalism pyramid organizer or write diary/letter entries that require identifying relationships, roles, and exchanges described in the reading.
Lesson 2
Monarchs
Students read pages 15–23 and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., how royal marriage differed, why a king needed a son, who could poke fun at the king), requiring them to extract key ideas from the text. Students add timeline cards for major monarch-related events, identifying which events are central to the chapter's narrative. In Option 1 students complete a two-column comparison of England "Before the Magna Carta" and "After the Magna Carta," directly comparing who held power, who made laws, whether the king obeyed laws, and available recourse. In Option 2 students create and analyze a Magna Carta word cloud, identifying prominent words, the groups the document focuses on, and the main ideas and issues it addresses.
Lesson 3
Knights and Warfare in the Middle Ages
Students are assigned to read pages 24–48 and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., why stirrups were important; why castles were hard to attack; how to prevent a siege tower attack), which requires extracting key factual information from the text. Students are also asked to write a diary entry that should "reflect the details on pages 24–28" and to write a well-organized paragraph describing a siege plan that references descriptions of weapons and defenses from the reading. The castle-defense game and timeline activity require students to match or place information drawn from the readings into organized formats.
Lesson 5
Village and City Life
Students read pages 65–90 and answer four focused comprehension questions asking them to explain how women were treated, the role of the church in a village, how a town differed from a village, and how the bubonic plague was spread. In Activity 2 (Personal Hygiene) students write comparative summaries of medieval versus modern practices. In the plague activity students roll dice, record numbers before/after, and analyze the community-level impacts of population loss, drawing conclusions about labor, defense, and societal change.
Lesson 6
Religion in Medieval Life
Students read pages 91-104 and answer focused questions about key ideas (e.g., why relics mattered, which faiths claimed Jerusalem, and how pagan practices influenced Christian traditions). Students complete synthesis tasks such as the Reconquista cube, which explicitly asks them to "Summarize the Reconquista in a phrase 7 words or less." Students complete activity pages that require them to state benefits of pilgrimage for different groups and to explain motivations and viewpoints in the Crusades activity, which asks for concise, text-based explanations.
Lesson 7
Monasteries
Students are assigned a focused reading (pages 105-114) about monks and monasteries and answer specific comprehension questions asking them to describe the Divine Office and the role monasteries played in their communities. Questions also ask students to describe Gothic architecture and to compare the guild apprenticeship stages with monastic novitiate stages, which requires identifying central features and drawing conclusions. The wrapping-up statement and discussion prompts ask students to consider the role monks played in preserving medieval culture, reinforcing a central conclusion from the text.
Lesson 8
The End of the Medieval Era
Students are asked to read pages 115-116 that "discusses the end of the Middle Ages and the impact that this period in history has had on modern life," which provides source text for comprehension. QUESTION #1 asks what "Renaissance" means and why that name was given to the period following the Middle Ages, requiring students to identify a central explanation from the text. The wrapping-up paragraph describes medieval hierarchies and prompts students to compare those conclusions about social power to modern life, engaging students with the text's conclusions.
Final Project
A Medieval Fair or Map
Students plan and write 2-3 paragraph scripts for three historical characters and must orally present those scripts, which requires condensing information about medieval life. Students must also create a map or model and verbally walk parents through each feature, explaining its connection to what they learned. The unit test includes short-answer items (e.g., define feudalism, describe becoming a craftsman or monk) and an open response asking students to describe something new they learned, which asks students to summarize learned content.
Unit 2: Light and the Eye
Lesson 4
How Human Eyes Work
Students read specified pages and an online article and answer comprehension questions that identify key conclusions (for example, that the iris adjusts pupil size and that the retina contains photoreceptors). Students watch the camera obscura explanation and are asked to explain why images on the retina are upside down and how the brain flips them, synthesizing information from the reading and video. Students also are prompted to 'explain how the retina works,' which asks for a concise account of the mechanism described in the texts.
Lesson 5
Animal Eyes
Students are instructed to read an article about animal eyesight and answer comprehension questions (QUESTION #1 and QUESTION #2) that require extracting key information. Activity 2 asks students to categorize animals' eye types and to answer why predators and prey have different types of eyes, which asks for an explanation or conclusion based on the text. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to "Share with your parent what you have learned about the eyes of one of the animals you listed," which asks students to state learned information from the reading.
Lesson 6
Color and Perception
Students are asked to re-read specified pages and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., explain how different rocks can appear different colors; define the visible spectrum; state what color is seen if all wavelengths are emitted). After watching a video, students answer questions about conclusions (e.g., why the sky is blue, why the Sun would look white without an atmosphere). Several activities require students to record observations and draw conclusions (e.g., Ink Blots conclusions, Spectrum Peek observations, Why Is the Sky Blue? observations) and to explain the color of the sky in a painting or photograph to a parent.
Unit 2: Tales from the Middle Ages
Lesson 1
Medieval Times
Students are asked to examine the map of a medieval manor and record observations in specific categories (Jobs, Clothing, Homes, Inventions & Technological Advancements, Military Defense, Comparisons to Neighborhoods Today), which requires synthesizing information from a visual text. Students must write 3–4 sentence commentaries about feudalism from the perspective of a knight, a lord, and a peasant, which asks them to state key features and relationships of the feudal system in concise prose. The Parent Plan skill list also identifies that students will "analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author's purpose," indicating engagement with extracting meaning from historical text.
Lesson 2
Beetle
Students read a poem and answer specific questions asking them to describe the narrator's outlook on life, to compare the narrator's situation to Brat's (Beetle), and to identify what the narrator lacks physically and emotionally, which requires extracting central ideas and conclusions from the poem. The activity asks students to consider how Beetle could relate to the poem and the message the narrator conveys, prompting synthesis of main ideas across texts. Discussion prompts ask students to explain how Beetle's situation resembles the poem's narrator and to interpret a quoted passage about hunger and cold, both requiring identification of central themes and supporting details.
Lesson 3
Summer
Students read Chapters 4 and 5 and take the role of Discussion Director, writing four discussion questions designed to cover the big ideas of the chapters (including at least one open-ended question and questions focused on relationship and survival) and providing answers to those questions. Students are also asked to write a paragraph about what they've read that may include a character description, living conditions, or a summary of the story. The Getting Started and Wrapping Up prompts direct students to consider Beetle's changing relationships and how those relationships shape her, which frames attention on central ideas.
Lesson 4
Special Delivery
Students read Chapters 6-8 and take on the role of a Line Locator, finding three to five lines or short passages that are "key to the story" and recording page/paragraph numbers and explanations of their importance. Students complete a Venn diagram comparing a memorable event in their life to Alyce's delivering of the calves, listing similarities and differences that require identifying how Alyce changes. Discussion questions prompt students to explain how Alyce's relationship with Will changes and why helping deliver the calves makes her proud, which asks students to draw conclusions about character development.
Lesson 5
A Baby
Students read Chapters 9–11 and are asked to create a conversation that must center around one or more events from those chapters, which requires recalling and focusing on key events. The Wrapping Up paragraph states a clear conclusion about Alyce's choice to leave after failing to deliver a baby, and Questions to Discuss prompt students to explain why relationships change and how Alyce delivers babies differently, asking for cause-effect explanations tied to the text. The discussion prompts require students to identify text-based reasons (e.g., respect from the community, differences in midwifery) that point to central ideas about relationships and character decisions.
Lesson 7
An Angel or a Saint
Students are asked to serve as a Literary Luminary by locating and recording passages that are "interesting, powerful, funny, puzzling, or important," then read them aloud and discuss them. In Activity 2 (Farm Animals) students are instructed to "analyze the importance of domesticated animals in medieval culture" and either write three sentences explaining the relationship between peasants and their animals or draw three animals and write examples of how each influenced medieval economics. The parent plan repeatedly directs students to explain how animals influenced peasants' economic situations and what would happen if an animal or serf died.
Lesson 8
Newborn Hope
The Parent Plan lists as a skill to "Analyze themes and central ideas in literature and other texts in relation to personal issues/experiences," explicitly targeting central-idea work. The Relationships activity asks students to describe Alyce's relationships at the beginning and end of the book and to "Provide details from the book to support your answers," which requires students to identify changes and supporting evidence. Discussion questions ask students to explain "How does Alyce's life change over the course of the story," prompting students to synthesize events into a broader conclusion about Alyce's development.
Lesson 9
Cast of Characters
Students are asked to read monologues and fill out a Cast of Characters chart that requires a 1–2 sentence summary of each character's monologue and a short summary of the character's role in the story. Multiple graphic organizers prompt students to write summaries of characters' actions and roles (e.g., "Summary of Character's Role in the Story (7–15 Sentences)", "Summary of their Key Role (5 sentences)"). The Parent Plan includes an answer key that models concise, accurate 1–2 sentence summaries for many characters.
Lesson 11
Village Life
Students read specified monologues (pages 42–65) and complete a "Cast of Characters" chart to track who is speaking and their roles. Students answer directed questions that require them to describe differences in perspectives (Isobel vs. Barbary) and to explain the relationship between Jews and Christians as described by the author. Students are also asked what Petronella and Jacob learn about relationships and to imagine how children's responsibilities change after losing a parent, which asks them to extract and explain thematic conclusions from the text.
Final Project
Life in the Middle Ages Think-Tac-Toe
Students are asked to write summaries in multiple places: Part V essay prompts require a brief overview of feudalism and a summary of a monologue from Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!. The Think-Tac-Toe board includes a "European Transformations" square asking students to summarize three important changes and their impact and a "Book" square asking for a book review discussing themes and historical accuracy. The unit test and study tasks ask students to review "Things to Know" and answer short essay questions that require condensing information from the texts.
Unit 3: The Age of Discovery
Lesson 1
Why Was There an Age of Discovery?
Students read pages 4–13 and answer targeted questions asking them to explain why the Age of Discovery happened (e.g., Q2 asks how religion inspired exploration, Q3 asks why monarchs were interested, Q4 asks about Prince Henry's school). Students complete Activity 1 by using the reading to add voyages and cities to a map and timeline, requiring them to extract key conclusions from the text. In Activity 2 (Options 1–3) students write 1–2 sentence rationales for each motivation, prepare and deliver a speech using text-based notes, or create a graphic organizer linking motivations—all tasks that require identifying and restating central ideas from the reading.
Lesson 2
New World Empires
Students answer four reading comprehension questions about the assigned pages (e.g., causes of Cahokia's decline, how corn spread, relationships of conquerors and conquered), which requires extracting information from the text. In Option 2, students are instructed to take notes while watching the Cahokia film and are explicitly told to "write down summaries of important ideas" rather than transcribe everything. In Option 1, students synthesize information from readings into a chart or Venn diagrams comparing European kingdoms and American empires, which requires selecting and organizing key ideas from texts.
Lesson 3
European Explorers
Students read pages 20–35 of a nonfiction text and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., why Columbus called peoples "Indians," causes of Inca vulnerability). Students create timeline and map entries and fill in explorer trading cards that require noting what each explorer sought and what they found. In Activity 4, students record factors explaining Spanish conquest and "describe the significance" of those events, and the discussion prompts ask students to state reasons Europeans embarked on voyages.
Lesson 4
The Consequences of Contact
Students read pages 36–51 and answer focused comprehension questions (e.g., causes of epidemics, items exchanged, and economic impacts), which requires extracting main ideas and conclusions from the text. In Activity 1 students draw arrows showing major categories of exchange (beliefs, diseases, foods, animals, wealth), synthesizing and organizing the text's central content. In Activities 2 and 3 students write brief opening and closing statements for a debate, which requires them to condense and present key arguments drawn from the readings.
Lesson 5
Copernicus and Changes in Science
Students read Newton at the Center and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., how Bacon's idea differed from prior models; name beliefs about Earth and heavenly bodies), which requires extracting central ideas from the text. Activity 2 asks students to list characteristics of medieval and modern thinking and to identify factors that led to the shift, requiring synthesis of main arguments across the reading. Option 1 has students prepare a 2–3 minute introductory speech as Copernicus summarizing his background and scientific findings, and Activity 4 asks students to diagram geocentric and heliocentric models, both tasks that ask students to represent central conclusions from the text.
Lesson 6
Galileo
Students are asked to read Chapters 5-7 of Newton at the Center and answer directed comprehension questions (e.g., what Galileo found about falling objects, definition of inertia, trajectory shape), which requires extracting key conclusions from the text. In Activity 3 Option 2, students read primary-source documents about Galileo's trial and answer specific questions (e.g., why Kepler thought Galileo should be open about his findings; how Galileo described the relationship between faith and science), requiring them to identify central ideas in those documents. In Activity 3 Option 1, students research a modern scientific controversy, synthesize information from multiple sources and interviews, and then write a 200-word letter to the editor that addresses the central issue and provides supporting arguments.
Lesson 7
Isaac Newton
Students read specified chapters of Newton at the Center and answer directed questions (Q1–Q4) that require extracting key ideas such as Descartes' machine metaphor influencing Newton and what Newton was working on in 1666. Question 4 asks students to explain how Enlightenment thinkers connected scientific ideas to human activity, which asks for identifying a broader conclusion drawn from the text. The final project asks students to choose a scientific idea or invention and explain why it was important, requiring students to synthesize information and explain significance.
Final Project
Discovery Research Project
The Option 2 unit test asks students to write essays that describe the role of religion in the Age of Discovery and the Scientific Revolution or to explain how those periods ushered in the modern world, which requires stating main ideas and supporting them with evidence from readings. The parent guidance and scoring rubric instruct students to write a strong introductory paragraph that emphasizes the main point, organize focused paragraphs, and include specific examples as evidence. Essay-taking tips also tell students to read prompts carefully, outline their ideas, and plan an introduction and conclusion, which supports composing concise main ideas and summaries in their responses.
Unit 3: The Solar System
Lesson 1
The Latest View of Our Solar System
Students read specified pages and answer comprehension questions, including identifying who Dr. Gingerich says "invented the solar system" and explaining what that phrase means (Questions 1 and 2). Students identify the three criteria—size, density, and composition—that scientists use to divide planets into terrestrial, gas giant, and dwarf (Question 3). Students sort 13 planets into the three categories and complete a "What Kind of Planet Am I?" activity, using descriptions from the text to place and sketch planets.
Lesson 6
Other Terrestrial Planets
Students are directed to read specific pages (17-19 and 27) about Mercury, Venus, and Mars and answer focused comprehension questions (Questions #1-4) that require citing reasons and comparisons. Students complete a "Planetary Passport" table that asks them to record diameter, density, distance from the Sun, orbital/rotational periods, temperatures, moons, apparent color, and unique features, and to shade boxes that these planets have in common with Earth. Students also create and answer question cards for each planet in the "From Earth to Eris" board game, which requires them to extract and record factual information about each planet.
Lesson 7
Gas Giants
Students read assigned pages about the gas giants and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., why Jupiter smells like rotten eggs; how Saturn's rings are divided; which moon is most heavily cratered), which requires extracting key factual information from the text. Students complete the "Planetary Passport" table and "From Earth to Eris" cards, recording attributes such as diameter, distance from the Sun, rotation/orbital periods, moons, temperatures, rings, and appearance, and are asked to circle shared features, which requires synthesizing information across the readings. Students also must include information from the book about atmospheric composition and geographic features when creating a vacation poster or writing a short story, which prompts them to pull text-based details into a product.
Lesson 8
Dwarf Planets and Asteroids
Students read specified pages about dwarf planets (pages 31 and 45-51) and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., which dwarf planets were once major planets; unique features of Haumea; how Ceres differs). Students record and organize factual details on the "Planetary Passport" worksheet (diameter, distance, discovery, rotation/orbit periods, moons, etc.). Students create and answer content cards for each dwarf planet in the "From Earth to Eris Board Game," requiring them to locate and report specific information about each body.
Lesson 9
Men on the Moon and Beyond
Students read linked webpages and watch videos about space milestones and technologies, then answer comprehension questions that require extracting key facts (e.g., what happened July 20, 1969; launch of the space shuttle; Cassini-Huygens orbit). Students complete research activities and short reports (Option 1 or 2) in which they record a technology's year, innovators, what it was built to explore or do, the technologies/skills from the space program used, how it improved on previous technologies, and why it is important. The Parent Plan lists skills for students to "describe space explorations" and "analyze the spin-off benefits," which involves synthesizing information from sources.
Unit 3: The Prince and the Bard
Lesson 2
Meeting the Little Prince
The parent notes explicitly tell the student to "look beyond the text to the main messages and ideas the author is trying to convey," and the Skills section names "Organize an interpretation around several clear ideas." The reading questions require students to explain central elements and motivations (e.g., why the prince wants sheep to eat baobabs; why the narrator shows drawing #1) which asks them to infer authorial meaning. The Venn diagram activity has students extract and compare what children and adults want to know about a friend based on the narrator's statements, requiring synthesis of the text's perspective differences.
Lesson 4
Earth and Other Planets
Students read Chapters XIII-XX and answer comprehension questions that ask them to identify which inhabitant the little prince could befriend and explain why (Question #1) and to identify and evaluate the businessman's character (Question #2). Students use the Student Activity Page to describe a planet, list what is on it, and outline problems faced by its inhabitant, which requires pulling information from the text. Students also write letters to an inhabitant using details about the planet and its problems to propose solutions, referencing story details to support their proposals.
Lesson 5
Making Friends on Earth
Students read Chapters XXI-XXV and answer comprehension questions that ask them to explain what it means to be "tamed," why the prince says his rose has tamed him, and the fox's secret—tasks that ask students to identify central ideas and conclusions from the text. The wrapping-up prompt asks students to explain why friendship prevents activities from becoming monotonous, requiring them to state and support a conclusion drawn from the chapters. The Parent Plan lists the skill to "Paraphrase the major ideas and supporting evidence," which directs students to restate main ideas.
Lesson 6
Saying Goodbye
Students are asked to finish the text and discuss "what she thinks the main messages from the book are," prompting identification of central ideas. The Parent Plan lists the skill to "Paraphrase the major ideas and supporting evidence," and the Student Activity Page asks students to "describe in your own words the little prince's departure" and to "list two ways the narrator says he knows the little prince made it home," requiring evidence-based conclusions. Multiple comprehension questions require students to state why the little prince left and how the narrator perceived events, which asks students to determine conclusions from the text.
Lesson 8
Beginning A Midsummer Night's Dream
Students read Act 1, Scene 1 through Act 2, Scene 1 and answer targeted comprehension questions that require extracting key events (e.g., Theseus's choices, identification of main couples, and fairy mischief). The parent-plan discussion explicitly asks students to name the three main plot lines so far and to review what plot, setting, and characters tell about a play. The wrapping-up task asks students to explain who a chosen character is and what he or she has done so far, prompting a focused summary of character actions.
Lesson 9
Puck's Pranks
Students read Act 2, Scene 2 to Act 3, Scene 2 (modern translation) and answer four focused comprehension questions about plot events, motivations, and consequences (what Oberon does to Titania and why; why the actors rehearse in the woods; Puck's mistake and feelings; Oberon's plan to fix the problem). The parent-plan skill statement asks students to "write responses to literature, developing an interpretation exhibiting careful reading, understanding, and insight," which implies practice in interpreting text evidence and explaining character actions.
Lesson 10
Dreams
Students answer specific comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) that ask them to describe what happens after Demetrius falls in love with Helena, who believes events were real, which characters feel differently, and what Bottom plans to do—requiring students to state events and outcomes. In Activity 2 options, students are asked to write a short paragraph: Option 2 explicitly asks for a paragraph that summarizes what happens in the passage and how it deals with persuasion, and Option 1 asks for a paragraph about what the section says about love or friendship, prompting synthesis of central themes.
Lesson 11
Watching the Play
Students read Act 4, Scene 2 through the end of the play and answer text-based questions asking what the wedding guests think about the play (QUESTION #1) and what Robin says at the end (QUESTION #2). Students are asked to judge whether the play is a comedy or a tragedy and explain why (QUESTION #3), and the lesson includes explicit definitions of comedies and tragedies in the "Things to Know" section. Students watch an animated adaptation and discuss which key scenes were included or omitted, which requires referencing the play's events.
Lesson 12
Tragic Love
Students read an abridged Romeo and Juliet and answer text-based questions that require identifying outcomes and conclusions (e.g., Day 2 Q2 asks how the families "make sense of the tragedy" with the answer that they reconcile). Students also answer causal-conclusion questions (Day 2 Q3 asks what happens to Friar John and how that causes the final scene) and locate quotations to support character responses in Activity 1.
Final Project
Love Letters
Students are asked on the unit test to identify central story elements (e.g., Part A question 6: "What are the three main storylines in A Midsummer Night's Dream?") and to state a conclusion about a character (question 7: "What is Romeo's moral flaw? How does it bring about the tragic ending?"). The Outlining activity directs students to state the thesis, list supporting reasons, and use quotations and evidence for each reason. Activity 3 requires students to "Summarize in your conclusion why their love was the strongest," prompting them to produce a summary of their argument and textual evidence.
Unit 4: Elizabethan Europe
Lesson 1
Europe at the Time of Elizabeth's Birth
Students read focused pages about the Reformation and answer specific comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) that require them to state reasons and conclusions from the text (e.g., why Henry VIII formed the Church of England, how Luther and the Church differed). In Activity 2 students must write Martin Luther's objections to listed Church practices, which asks them to restate central ideas in Luther's perspective. In Activity 4 students are prompted to write a biographical poem and a six-line summary that includes a line summarizing Luther's impact on the world, requiring condensation of key information from the readings.
Lesson 2
The Renaissance and Elizabeth's Childhood
Students read specified pages about Elizabeth's education and the Renaissance and answer focused comprehension questions (Questions #1-4) that require extracting main points about subjects taught, differences in education, and connections between ancient ideas and Renaissance study. In Activity 3 students synthesize information by adding events to a timeline and marking causes/influences on a map, requiring them to select and represent significant ideas that explain the Renaissance. In Activity 4 students write a 2-3 sentence gallery introduction describing why they chose works and the connections among pieces, which asks them to produce a short, text-based explanation of central themes in Renaissance art.
Lesson 3
Becoming Queen
Students are assigned specific pages from Elizabeth I, The People's Queen and asked to answer four comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) that require pulling key information and ideas from the text (e.g., persecution under Mary Tudor, public doubts about a woman ruling, and how Elizabeth managed her image). Students are directed to reread coronation passages, note symbolism, and plan a symbolic gift, then draw and write the meaning of that gift on the activity page, which requires summarizing textual symbolism in their own words. The student activity pages prompt students to explain the message their gift is intended to convey, asking them to use information from the reading rather than prior opinion.
Lesson 4
Religious Turmoil
Students read Chapter 5 and answer explicit comprehension questions that ask them to identify central conclusions (e.g., why Elizabeth I worried about a Catholic takeover of Scotland, what the Act of Uniformity did, Puritan beliefs about the elect, and the significance of the 1570 papal bull). Students also create a color-coded map showing which regions were Protestant or Catholic and add key Reformation figures and events to a timeline, which requires synthesizing the text's main conclusions about religious division in Europe.
Lesson 5
International Affairs
Students read Chapter 6 and pages 85–95 of Chapter 7 and answer four comprehension questions (Questions 1–4) that require them to explain how literacy changed English life, why Elizabeth I supported persecution of Catholics, what privateers did, and how the Triangular Trade worked. Students complete synthesis activities (timeline card placement, mapping Hawkins' or Drake's voyages, and diary/monologue tasks) that ask them to identify causes, consequences, and key ideas from the readings. The "Wrapping Up" and "Questions to Discuss" sections prompt students to restate major conclusions about the Reformation, colonization, and England's tensions with Spain.
Lesson 6
Defeating the Spanish Armada
Students are asked to read Chapter 8 of Elizabeth I, The People's Queen and answer specific comprehension questions, including Question #3 which asks them to explain how the English defeated the Spanish Armada. Students add a timeline card for the Defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588), requiring them to condense the event into a concise entry. The simulation activity asks students to reflect on how tactics and weather changed the odds, prompting them to draw conclusions from the modeled events.
Lesson 7
The End of Elizabeth I's Era
Students are assigned to read Chapter 9 about the end of Elizabeth I's life and answer focused comprehension questions (e.g., describing economic problems, explaining who succeeded Elizabeth, and how her reign was remembered). In Activity 1 Option 1, students must select three significant accomplishments and write a short summary statement of her leadership as an epitaph. In Activity 1 Option 2, students must choose adjectives that describe Elizabeth and provide a concrete example from her life that supports each adjective and be prepared to defend those choices, explicitly linking conclusions to textual evidence.
Lesson 8
The Making of the Modern World
Students are instructed to review prior readings and then brainstorm or place summarized idea boxes into a "Medieval vs. Modern" chart, which requires them to extract and record key points about science, culture, religion, and geography. In Option 2 students are told to read the idea boxes, highlight important words, cut them out, and paste them on the chart, which asks them to identify and organize main points from source material. In Activity 2 students draw lines between themes and Elizabeth I and write brief explanations of each connection, which asks them to state conclusions based on the texts they reviewed.
Final Project
An Elizabethan Lapbook
Students are asked to write 1–2 sentence summaries for the Historical Events mini-book, explicitly instructing them to summarize each event and note its importance to Elizabeth I. The Timeline mini-book requires students to select 7–10 important dates and write a brief description for each, which practices condensing information into short summaries. The Art & Culture and Triangular Trade mini-books ask students to define the Renaissance and write brief descriptions of cultural topics and trade flows, providing additional opportunities to summarize content drawn from unit readings.
Unit 4: Technological Design
Lesson 2
Technological Innovator
Students read specified pages from Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions and answer directed comprehension questions asking for key factors (e.g., factors influencing culture, how da Vinci was supported, whether his designs worked). In Activity 1 students categorize inventions, analyze trends, and answer comparative questions about differences in technological design across centuries, which requires drawing conclusions from the texts and chart. In Day 2 students explain how da Vinci's understanding of proportion influenced his art, identifying central ideas about proportion and perspective from the reading.
Lesson 3
Meaningful Technological Designs
Students are asked to research a historical technology and write Part 1 as a paragraph about the inventor and date of invention, which requires extracting and summarizing key factual information. In Part 3 students may write a paragraph about the device's rationale, tests and trials, or patents, which asks them to synthesize information about purpose, development, and conclusions. The "Wrapping Up" and "Things to Review" sections prompt students to state conclusions about whether technologies are beneficial or harmful and to consider how need and context influenced design, requiring students to articulate central ideas about technological change.
Lesson 4
Necessity vs. Luxury
Students are asked to research 20th- and 21st-century technological advances using specified reliable sources and to answer focused questions about each device (Did it solve a societal problem? Why did it become important? Explain necessity vs. luxury). Students must label the type of technology and determine whether each item was a necessity or a luxury, and the parent guide emphasizes that claims should be backed up with evidence. The activities require students to extract the purpose and effects of an invention and to justify their classification with information from texts and websites.
Lesson 6
Da Vinci's Inventions
Students are assigned to read pages 77–91 and then complete rating charts for the parachute, ornithopter, and helical air screw that include 'Rating' and 'Evidence' columns. Students are instructed to use information given in the text to provide evidence for their evaluations and to use the provided 'STANDARDS' rubric to identify scientific principles, risks, benefits, constraints, and testing protocols. Activity 2 requires students to build a chosen design and then review and revise their evaluations based on what they learned from the reading and hands-on work.
Final Project
Final Exam and Model Bridge
Students are asked to read and evaluate an informational text about da Vinci's camera obscura (Unit Test Focus 4) and to record scientific principles, risks, benefits, constraints, and testing protocols, which requires extracting key ideas from that text. Students must research bridge design using provided websites and jot down possible solutions, then develop and present a rationale and history during an engineering presentation, which requires synthesizing information from multiple texts. The unit asks students to describe how their definition of technology changed after the unit, prompting comparison of prior beliefs with evidence gathered during study.
Unit 4: Newton at the Center
Lesson 2
Newton and Math
Students are asked to identify the topic sentence, main idea, what a graphic shows, and the relevant details on page 163 (Graphics and Summaries page) and then give a 2-minute or less oral summary that includes the main idea and what the graph shows. The Skills list explicitly includes "Summarize and determine the importance of information" and "Deliver oral summaries of articles and books: include the main ideas of the event or article and the most significant details." Students also practice summarizing procedural text by writing ordered steps for drawing an ellipse and by preparing notes to explain the procedure orally.
Lesson 3
Newton and Light
Students read specified pages (164–171) and are instructed to take notes on information they think is important and unfamiliar vocabulary, which directs them to identify key ideas in the text. The Parent Plan and Skills section explicitly list "Summarize and determine the importance of information," and students must answer focused comprehension questions (e.g., "What was revolutionary about how Newton studied rainbows?") in complete sentences. The reading questions require students to state conclusions drawn from the text (e.g., how spectroscopy determines elements), which asks them to extract central ideas and explanations.
Lesson 4
Newton and Motion
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Summarize and determine the importance of information" and "Monitor comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard, and/or viewed," directing students to practice summarizing. Students are instructed to read specified pages, take notes on information they think is important, and to write an "Event as described in the book" in the Student Activity Page, which requires producing an accurate account of the text. The Headliners activity then asks students to produce and contrast two perspectives, which separates the objective description of the event from subjective viewpoints.
Lesson 6
Math and Science Take Flight
Students are asked to read Chapter 21 and a NASA webpage, take notes on important information and unfamiliar words, and answer comprehension questions (e.g., explain why a roof blows off in a hurricane; compare Bernoulli and Newton). The wrap-up requires students to summarize for a parent how an airplane wing works, and the Student Activity Page prompts students to write conclusions/inferences about how the demonstration explains flight. The Parent Plan lists the skill "Deliver an oral summary with inferences and conclusions," indicating students must produce summaries based on the texts and demonstrations.
Lesson 7
Using Newton's Work
Students complete a K-W-L chart (What I Know, What I Want to Know, What I've Learned) as they research an artist, which requires noting prior knowledge and recording conclusions from the research. Students give an oral summary of what they learned about the artist using the K-W-L chart and a printed painting, and then write a 1–2 paragraph sidebar that describes the artist's life and work. The Parent Plan and Skills list explicitly identify "Summarize and determine the importance of information" and ask students to research and give an oral summary, providing opportunities to practice summarizing text-based information.
Final Project
Lobby for Newton
Students are asked in Activity 1 to review their highlights/notes and "summarize the key points," then compare those summaries to the "Things to Know" and "Readings and Questions" sections to check whether they identified main ideas and key facts. The Newton Test (Part A, question 1) asks students about the role of headings and subheadings, prompting students to identify how text structure signals main ideas. The Outlining and Essay activities require students to create a thesis, select three supporting areas, and transfer those into a structured outline and multi-paragraph essay, which practices extracting and organizing central ideas from the readings.
Unit 5: Modern Europe
Lesson 1
Introduction to Europe
Students read pages 78-81 of Geography of the World and complete activities that require extracting information (for example, the European Union scavenger hunt asks for facts such as which countries use the euro, the number of EU members, and what the EU flag stars represent). Students are asked to describe two different kinds of terrain and climate in Europe and to answer "What is the European Union?" in the "Questions to Discuss," which asks them to state core information from the text. Students also create pages for a "Quick Guide to Europe" for each country they learn about, using information from the readings.
Lesson 2
Scandinavia and Finland
Students are directed to read pages 82–86 and to "read through the information on the page to determine information about geography, climate, how the geography and natural resources influence the economy, and culture," then fill out the 'Quick Guide to Europe' country pages for Norway and Denmark. Students complete activity pages that ask them to connect geographic features (fjords, forests, lakes/coastal areas) to specific economic activities (shipping, fishing, lumber, tourism) and to write examples of material and non-material culture. The wrap-up summarizes a central idea explicitly (that economies are closely tied to geographical features), reinforcing the connection students are asked to identify and record.
Lesson 3
The British Isles
Students are directed to read pages 87-90 and to fill out "Quick Guide to Europe" pages for the U.K. and Ireland, recording population, language, form of government, geography, and cultural examples. Students complete activity pages that require note-taking about the UK Parliament (roles of MPs, the three parts of Parliament, how a bill becomes law) and answer focused questions drawn from the text or video. Students also analyze how geography and natural resources influence the economy and identify cultural changes, which requires extracting key ideas from the readings.
Lesson 4
The Low Countries, Germany, and France
The lesson's Option 2 requires students to find three news articles about European environmental issues and write a 2–3 sentence summary for each, including a headline and source. The student activity pages and Quick Guide require students to read pages 91–99 and fill in focused fields (population, government, geography, how geography influences the economy), which asks students to extract and record key information from a text. The newspaper activity also asks one article to be illustrated and the source/URL to be recorded, reinforcing attention to source content.
Lesson 5
Spain, Portugal, and Italy
Students are assigned to read pages 100–105 and to complete "Quick Guide" pages for Portugal and Italy, requiring them to record population, official language(s), form of government, geography and climate, material and non-material culture, and cultural groups. Students must label and color countries and capitals on a map, which asks them to identify and summarize geographic information. Students are prompted to identify a cultural change from the readings and indicate whether it resulted from diffusion or invention/innovation, which requires extracting conclusions from the text.
Lesson 6
Switzerland and Austria
Students are asked to read pages 106-108 for an overview of Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Austria and to fill out 'Quick Guide' pages that require listing population, official languages, form of government, and geography/climate. The Student Activity Pages for Switzerland and Austria ask students to explain how geography and natural resources influence the economy and to identify material and non-material culture, which requires extracting key information from the reading. The Alps activity asks students to explain how people addressed specific challenges (farming, communication, transportation, lack of resources), and the International Scenarios/Dealing with Global Issues tasks require students to identify the roles and main functions of international organizations based on provided descriptions.
Lesson 7
Slovenia, Croatia, Belarus, Baltic States
Students are asked to read pages 109-113 of Geography of the World and fill out the "Quick Guide to Europe," which requires extracting key information about Belarus and another country. In Activity 2 (Soviet History) students locate index entries, read referenced pages, and answer three focused questions about pre-USSR control, how the USSR created a uniform culture, and challenges after the breakup — tasks that require identifying central ideas. In Activity 3 (Current News) students locate three news articles and write 2-3 sentence summaries of each article and cite the source. In Activity 6 and the government comparison options students record governmental details and complete a Venn diagram, which requires synthesizing and summarizing information across texts.
Lesson 9
Ukraine, Moldova, Caucasian Republics
Students are assigned to read pp. 120–123 of Geography of the World and then fill in a "Quick Guide to Europe" page for Ukraine and another country, requiring them to record population, official languages, form of government, geography and climate, and examples of material and non-material culture. Activity 2 asks students to "briefly describe the climates, natural resources, and geographical features" and to "show the connections between those things and economic activities," which requires extracting and writing key ideas from the text. The wrap-up and discussion prompts ask students to compare landscapes and climates to other countries and to answer focused questions (e.g., why Ukraine was called the "bread basket"), which requires pulling central geographic/economic details from the reading.
Lesson 10
Southeast Europe
Students are instructed to read news articles for Activity 2, skim three stories, select one for an in-depth report, and then create a 2–3 sentence written summary of the chosen article (Option 1). In Option 2 students prepare a 2–3 minute newscast that requires them to state what happened, when, where, and who was involved, which requires extracting central facts from the text. The parent plan asks that the written summary be checked against the original source to ensure the main ideas are correctly summarized.
Final Project
A Quick Guide to Europe
Students are asked to write a one-paragraph (5–6 sentence) introduction that summarizes the diversity of Europe and states what readers will learn from the guide (Activity 5). The final-project rubric evaluates "Introduction Effectiveness" and "Accuracy of Information," requiring students to introduce main ideas about geographies, governments, economies, and cultures. The unit test includes an open-response item asking students to name something they learned that they did not know before (Question 10), which asks students to distinguish new learning from prior knowledge.
Unit 5: Energy
Lesson 4
Radiant Energy
Students are directed to read Chapter 10 and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., how the Sun makes energy; how solar cells produce electricity), which requires extracting key information and conclusions from the text. Students complete an activity that asks them to order and label boxes about the electromagnetic spectrum, an exercise in organizing central concepts. The lesson also provides a concise "Things to Review"/"Wrapping Up" list of core ideas that summarizes the major conclusions about radiant energy and solar power.
Lesson 5
More Renewable Power Sources
Students are assigned specific chapters to read about wind power, hydropower, and geothermal energy and then answer directed comprehension questions about locations for wind farms, how dams create electricity, and the source of geothermal heat. Students build and demonstrate a pinwheel and a water wheel and are asked to explain what is happening as the turbines turn. Discussion prompts and "Things to Review" ask students to review how wind, water, and geothermal energy can be used to generate electricity and to consider benefits and challenges.
Lesson 7
Fossil Fuels and Biomass
Students are assigned specific excerpts to read about petroleum, natural gas, coal, and biomass and must answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., "What are fossil fuels made from?" and "What are the main differences between fossil fuels and biomass?") that ask for concise, text-based answers. In Activity Option 2 students must create a poster that includes how the fuel source was formed, how it is extracted/mined, how it is used, and its advantages and disadvantages, requiring them to compile and present the text information. Creative presentation and demonstration options also require students to explain how the fuel source works and summarize evidence from readings when they share or present their work to others.
Lesson 8
Powering Our World
Students are asked to re-read "Harnessing Wind" and Chapter 13 and then answer two focused questions (Why replace fossil fuels? What problems must be solved?), which requires extracting central reasons and conclusions from the text. In Activity 2 students research state-level electricity data, create a pie chart, and compare and contrast five energy sources using advantages and disadvantages drawn from specific book pages, which requires synthesizing text-based information. In Activity 3 students must record information on a field-trip page or research other countries and then produce a map, poster, or presentation, which asks students to gather and report the main findings from texts and sources.
Unit 5: British Poetry
Lesson 1
Rhythm and Meter
Students are instructed to read the introduction (pages 5–15) and answer three comprehension questions in complete sentences asking about major societal influences during Queen Victoria's reign, what happened to art and literature between the World Wars, and how poems from the two eras might differ. The activities ask students to identify influences (e.g., Industrial Revolution, science, urban growth) and to state that modernism changed poetic form; the Parent Plan and Questions to Discuss prompt students to explain terms like modernism, meter, and iambic pentameter and to discuss era differences.
Lesson 2
Voice and Rhyme
Students read Chapters 1 and 2 about Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning and answer specific comprehension questions in complete sentences (e.g., identifying the rhyme scheme, explaining why Browning writing a sonnet was unusual, and listing ways she differed from other women of her era). Students respond to a question that asks them to consider how "My Last Duchess" might change if it included both sides of the conversation, requiring inference about perspective and conclusions. Students also explain how their own poem reflects their time period, which asks them to connect textual or historical details to meaning.
Lesson 3
Graphic Elements
Students answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., why Ulysses decides not to stay in his kingdom) that require drawing conclusions about a text. Students are prompted to identify the main topic of the poems (noted in the parent plan as "Memories of those who have died"). Students compare a poetic line to a prose statement that expresses the same idea, writing both the poetic and prose expressions to show understanding of central ideas across genres.
Lesson 4
Figurative Language
Students read Chapters 4 and 5 about Matthew Arnold and Christina Rossetti and answer directed questions that require identifying thematic elements (e.g., Arnold's use of the tide to represent passage of time) and poetic devices (similes, personification). Students are asked to identify tone in Rossetti's "Sappho" and to discuss key natural themes in Arnold's poetry during parent-student discussions. The Walk Like a Poet activity asks students to record observations about natural scenes and connect those observations to metaphor, simile, and personification, which involves extracting ideas from text and nature examples.
Lesson 5
Allusions
Students read chapters on W.B. Yeats, Edith Sitwell, and Wilfred Owen and answer comprehension questions that ask for main ideas (e.g., whether Owen's poems are positive about war and what they show instead). Students complete News Watch!/Today's News Hunt pages by recording each article's topic, location, and three interesting facts, and by writing a short phrase about each article. Students are asked to write a repetition poem based on a chosen article phrase and to create an image representing the poem, requiring them to distill the article's key details into a concise creative phrase.
Lesson 7
Themes
Students read Chapters 10 and 11 and answer specific comprehension questions that ask about authors' actions and the message of poems (for example, asking why Auden married Erika Mann and whether "The Unknown Citizen" is about a real person and what its message is). Students are asked to analyze changes in a poem's speaker (Fern Hill) and to identify the role of Wales in Thomas' poetry, which require identifying central ideas or conclusions. The wrap-up and parent discussion prompts ask students to identify common themes in Auden's and Thomas' poems and to explain what the poems communicate about their era.
Final Project
Autobiography of a Poet
Students are directed in Activity 6 to review model "Summary and Explication" and "Techniques and Devices" sections that explain the main topic of poems and specific images/events, and then to write a two-paragraph analysis of one of their own poems—one paragraph on images/events (with a topic sentence and supporting sentences) and one on structure/techniques. The rubric and Activity 6 require a two-paragraph poem analysis and the portfolio scoring lists a 2-paragraph analysis as a supporting-materials requirement. The unit test and Part A/Part C questions ask students to define literary concepts and compare expectations across eras, reinforcing identification of main ideas and textual features.
1: Semester 1
Unit 1: Revolution
Lesson 1
Founding of the Colonies
Students read Chapter 1 of Great Colonial Projects and answer targeted comprehension questions about colonists' goals (Questions 1–4). While watching the documentary episode, students are instructed to take notes on new information and to 'keep a running list of new information' and to pause and discuss items with a parent. Parent prompts explicitly suggest pausing the video and asking the child to summarize the segment just viewed and to discuss why events turned out as they did.
Lesson 2
Southern Colonies
Students read specified chapters and answer direct comprehension questions (e.g., why Pocahontas withheld her true name; what circumstances brought children to Virginia; how Equiano became free), which requires extracting central information from texts. Students create a timeline by selecting and placing cards #1-10, which requires identifying main events and their significance. Students complete comparative activities (a Venn diagram comparing Equiano's voyage and the Mayflower; a pros/cons chart comparing tobacco with silk or flax) that ask them to synthesize and summarize key points from source texts.
Lesson 3
The Middle and Northern Colonies
Students create and interpret a word cloud of the Mayflower Compact and answer an interpretation question about which ideas were most important to the signers, requiring them to identify central ideas from the document. Students review a table of reasons for the founding of each colony and complete a Venn diagram comparing colonies founded for profit versus religious freedom, which asks them to synthesize main reasons and overarching patterns. Reading comprehension questions ask students to state key conclusions from the texts (e.g., how Europeans viewed American Indians, changes caused by colonists, and how Separatists financed their voyage).
Lesson 5
Town and Country
Students read Chapters 5 and 6 and answer targeted comprehension questions about uses of milk, food storage, shop signage, and colonial punishments, which requires extracting key information from the text. In Option 1 students must write a list of steps, labor, problems, and benefits for growing a cash crop, synthesizing procedural and thematic information from the chapters. In Option 2 students must describe each occupation's function and give reasons for ranked importance, requiring them to combine information across the reading to justify conclusions about value to a town.
Lesson 6
Leading Up to Revolution
Students watch Episode 2 and are asked to write a short 1-2 sentence summary of the main topics as part of the Movie Review activity. Students answer specific comprehension questions about the episode (e.g., troop problems, French navy involvement, Von Steuben's influence) that require extracting main points. In Activity 2, students complete a table listing what each act or policy did and why colonists might have objected, which asks them to state central information and causes/consequences from a provided timeline/text.
Lesson 7
Independence
The Parent Plan discussion explicitly asks students to answer "What was the First Great Awakening?" and states that students should understand it as a revival emphasizing personal conversion, which requires identifying the central idea of that text. Option 2 asks students to read Patrick Henry's speech, choose the paragraph they find most powerful, and perform a dramatic reading, which requires students to identify and justify key ideas or passages. Activity 2 directs students to compare Jefferson's rough draft and the final Declaration, choose 3–5 sections with the biggest revisions, and explain edits, requiring analysis of which parts carry important arguments or conclusions.
Lesson 8
Fighting the War
Students read multiple first-person and biographical texts (Sybil Ludington; Joseph Plumb Martin; Deborah Sampson; Joseph Forten) and answer focused comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) about reasons and actions in the texts. In Option 2 students must write a letter from a soldier that explains why they signed up, daily life, a battle scene, and hopes for the future—tasks that require synthesizing text information into a coherent account. Activity 4 asks students to visit National Park pages and answer brochure questions about causes, impacts, and factors (e.g., Saratoga factors, Valley Forge impact, Yorktown role of French forces), which prompts drawing conclusions from texts and sources.
Lesson 9
A New Nation
Students are asked to research 3–5 Revolutionary figures and create index cards that note several interesting facts on one side and three questions on the other, which requires condensing biographical information into brief summaries. In Activity 2, students must use prior unit readings and a miniseries to brainstorm what different social groups hoped for and then create a short slogan that summarizes each group's hopes for the new nation. The Student Activity Page explicitly prompts students to produce concise statements (slogans) that capture the main aspirations of each listed group.
Final Project
Living History
Students must prepare and present a multi-part living history presentation that includes a brief history of a specific colony and an overview of daily life, requiring them to condense and communicate key information. Students must state at least three specific reasons for colonial discontent with Great Britain and explain whether their character would support independence, which asks them to identify and explain central causes or conclusions from the unit. The unit test asks students to describe specific British acts that were objectionable, to order major events chronologically, and to write short answers and an essay describing life as a Revolutionary soldier, all tasks that require extracting and summarizing main ideas from the unit content.
Unit 1: Atoms
Lesson 1
Invisible Matter
Students read specified pages of a science text and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., Dalton's atomic theory, definition of element) that require extracting key factual information. Students perform an observational activity, record data (mass, sketches at intervals), and respond to wrap-up prompts that ask them to state evidence that matter is made of particles. Vocabulary and reflection tasks ask students to explain terms and transfer understanding to different contexts, reinforcing extraction of main ideas from readings and observations.
Lesson 2
Atomic Structure
Students are asked in Activity 3 (Option 2) to use provided links to research each scientist and "write a brief summary of the discoveries" for each scientist and attach the card to a timeline. The timeline organizer asks students to record what each discovery was and place it in chronological boxes (1870s, 1909, 1913, 1920s), which requires synthesizing information from source texts. The Reading and Questions section also asks students to answer direct comprehension questions about the video, prompting students to extract key factual information from a text.
Lesson 3
Properties of Matter I
Students are directed to read pp. 22-26 and answer specific comprehension questions about Mendeleyev and the characteristics of metals and nonmetals, which requires identifying key factual ideas from the text. The 'Wrapping Up' and 'Things to Review' sections explicitly state the main concepts (malleability, ductility, conductivity, luster), giving students a clear model of central ideas. The Student Activity Page asks students to record predictions, observations, and similarities/differences, prompting them to extract and organize important information from their investigations.
Lesson 6
The Recurring (Periodic) Table of Elements
Students are instructed to read the linked "Periodic Table" webpage and answer direct comprehension questions (e.g., naming periods and groups) in the "Reading And Questions" section. In Activity 2 and its answer keys, students fill in tables of atomic numbers, masses, and electron shell configurations, requiring them to extract and record key information from the text and table. Activity 3 asks students to "see patterns in the periodic table," identify inert gases, and note trends in outer shells based on their completed tables. Activity 4 requires students to create a visual aid (e.g., Venn diagram) comparing a metal and a nonmetal and to "show how these trends are common on the periodic table," which asks students to synthesize and present conclusions drawn from the material.
Unit 1: Abigail Adams
Lesson 2
John and Abigail Adams
Students are directed to identify topic sentences, supporting sentences, transitions, and concluding observations in the "Things to Know" section and in Activity 1, where they analyze paragraph sentence functions (e.g., labeling the topic sentence and supporting details in a sample paragraph). The sample and Option 1/2 Paragraph Analysis tasks require students to state the main point of a paragraph, provide background, and explain how sentences deepen understanding or transition to the next paragraph. Discussion prompts ask students to consider what a biographer would include about daily life and political events, which requires selecting important ideas from the reading.
Lesson 3
Unrest and War
Students read Chapters 5 and 6 of Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution and answer focused comprehension questions (e.g., about the Townsend Acts, the British response to the Boston Tea Party, and Fordyce's view of children). Students also must produce written paragraphs: an evidence-based interpretation of Paul Revere's engraving or a first-person account of the Boston Tea Party using the Adams diary and the textbook reading.
Lesson 4
Continental Congress
Students read Chapters 7 and 8 of Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution and answer directed comprehension questions (e.g., Q1–Q4) asking why John wanted Abigail to save correspondence, what challenges Abigail faced, what role faith played, and how she supported the patriot effort. These questions require students to locate and state specific conclusions or main points from the chapters (for example, listing Abigail's duties and actions while John was away). The lesson's closing sentence explicitly states a concluding idea — that Abigail adapted and often took over John's roles — which provides a textual conclusion students can cite.
Lesson 5
Remember the Ladies
Students read Chapters 9 and 10 and answer questions that require identifying main ideas and conclusions (e.g., effects of dysentery, influences of earlier generations, Abigail's changing sense of responsibility, and women's legal status). Students summarize the main topics of a primary letter in Activity 1's Summary Section and compare their reading notes with how the biographer used the letter. Students analyze documents in Option 2 by identifying content, main ideas/details, context, and point of view, which requires determining central ideas from the text.
Lesson 6
Separation
Students read Chapters 11 and 12 and answer focused comprehension questions that require extracting key points (e.g., Question 1 asks how people reacted to the Declaration; Question 2 asks for Abigail Adams' argument for educating women). Questions 3 and 4 ask students to infer Abigail's feelings and the role of letter-writing, which requires identifying implications and significance in the text. The Parent Plan lists a skill to "analyze in detail the structure of a specific paragraph... including the role of particular sentences in developing and refining a key concept," which engages students in identifying central ideas at the paragraph level.
Lesson 7
Education
Students are asked to choose a 4–6 sentence paragraph from a news article about girls' education and use the Paragraph Analysis page to determine the role of each sentence and the connections between sentences. The suggested statements for analysis include identifying the sentence that "States the main point of the paragraph" and items such as "Summarizes...," which directs students to find central ideas at the paragraph level. Students also read chapters of Abigail Adams and answer comprehension questions that require identifying key events and details from the text.
Lesson 8
Genre
Students are asked to read Chapters 15 and 16 and answer comprehension questions about events and character actions, which requires extracting information from the text. In Activity 2 students are instructed to "write a paragraph that summarizes the scene you chose based solely on known facts -- do not add any details or make up any additions," explicitly directing students to produce an accurate text-based summary. The Parent Plan reiterates that students will "summarize an event from the day's reading in her own words," showing repeated practice in creating summaries distinct from invented details.
Lesson 9
The Vice Presidency
Students read Chapters 17 and 18 and answer specific comprehension questions (Questions 1–4) that require extracting information from the text. In Activity 1 students read original letters between Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson and respond to prompts about what the letters discuss and impressions of the writers. In Activity 2 students are asked to "write a short description of a current book" and to create new titles and descriptions for the book in at least two other genres, which requires composing brief summaries (blurbs).
Lesson 10
Presidential Politics
Students read Chapters 19 and 20 of the Abigail Adams biography and answered targeted comprehension questions (e.g., what John and Abigail thought about the French Revolution, roles and limitations of John Adams), which requires identifying key ideas and conclusions from the text. Students completed a three-column chart comparing Federalists and Republicans (leaders, role of federal government, views of the French Revolution, endorsements), which requires synthesizing information across the reading to determine central positions of each party. Students are prompted by an "Ideas to Think About" question to consider how individual lives interact with historical events, encouraging thematic thinking about causes and effects in the text.
Lesson 12
Remembering Abigail Adams
Students read Chapters 23 and 24 and answer specific comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) that ask them to identify key events, relationships, and Abigail Adams's late-life views, which require extracting central information from the text. Students are asked to produce a 6–8 sentence written memorial (eulogy or obituary) that must draw on important themes in her life, requiring them to summarize her life in a concise written form. The wrapping-up paragraph and the final project prompt require students to present how Abigail was influenced by and influenced others, which asks students to synthesize and express central ideas about her life.
Final Project
A One-Person Play
Students answer a Paragraph Analysis section on the unit test that asks them to identify Abigail Adams's stance and supporting evidence, requiring comprehension of central ideas. Students complete 'Summary' boxes on multiple Plan Your Play pages where they must summarize historical events and people and cite primary sources. Students write scripts that explain what happened in Abigail Adams's life, state dates, and explain unfamiliar context for an audience.
Unit 2: Civics
Lesson 1
The Origins of American Government
Students are asked to read primary texts (Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, English Bill of Rights, Articles of Confederation) and to identify themes by sorting phrases into categories of limits, rights, and responsibilities (Activity 1). In Activity 2 students complete a note-taking template that explicitly asks them to state the purpose of each part and to "Summarize key ideas in your own words in one sentence." Option 2 and the parent discussion prompts require students to highlight/underline passages and to explain why they chose them and whose powers or rights are being defined.
Lesson 2
The Constitutional Convention
Students are asked to read the article "A More Perfect Union: The Creation of the U.S. Constitution" and then answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., "What were some of the perceived problems with the Articles of Confederation?"), which requires identifying central ideas from the text. Activity 1 directs students to fill in a table relating modern problems to specific weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, asking them to summarize how the text's conclusions apply to new scenarios. Activity 3 asks students to learn Federalist No. 10 (via video or text) and use a graphic organizer to identify factions, their policies, and opposing interests, which requires extracting the central argument about factions and summarizing it in their own words.
Lesson 3
The Constitution of the United States
Students are instructed to read the Constitution thoroughly (including the amendments) and determine the purpose of each section by cutting and pasting labeled boxes into the appropriate sections. Students must take notes on important points from each section and are told to record at least two key points per section (Activity 1, Page 3). In Activity 2, students match real-world scenarios to specific amendments and/or take notes on the origins of the amendments, which requires identifying the main idea of each amendment.
Lesson 4
The Executive Branch
Students read George Washington's inaugural and farewell addresses and answer directed questions (Q1–Q3) that require identifying Washington's intentions and key points (e.g., his aim to serve the national interest, his stance on compensation, and reasons for not seeking a third term). Students are asked to name the most important message they found (Q4), and they create a mini-book by reviewing Article II and Amendments XII, XX, and XXII–XXV and answering focused questions about presidential eligibility, oath, terms, pardons, the State of the Union, and succession. Activity 2 asks students to take notes on presidential schedules and to produce a sample presidential agenda that reflects actual presidential duties.
Lesson 5
The Legislative Branch
Students read Article I of the Constitution and a White House overview of the legislative branch and answer focused comprehension questions about representation, bill passage, and pocket vetoes. Students must create a visual or musical explanation of the legislative process that requires them to identify and present the key steps (e.g., committee referral, votes in both chambers, presidential sign/veto/pocket veto). In Activity 2 students locate a bill sponsored by their representative, read its text, and are explicitly asked to "Summarize, in your own words, what this bill is designed to do."
Lesson 6
The Judicial Branch
Students are instructed to read Article III of the Constitution and a White House webpage about the judicial branch as part of the lesson. In Activity 2 and on the Student Activity Page, students identify the case name and year, state the basis for the case, answer 'What did the court decide?', and describe the legal precedent and why that precedent matters in modern American life. The Parent Plan explicitly lists summarizing the issues, decisions, and significance of landmark Supreme Court cases as a targeted skill.
Lesson 7
State Government
Students are asked to do online or library research about their state government and to complete fields that require concise reporting (e.g., "State Information" prompts, a "Brief biography" of the governor, and "Briefly describe your state's judicial branch"). The activities require students to gather and record main facts (state capital, population, names of representatives, how many justices serve on the state Supreme Court) and to assemble those findings into a booklet and cover summary page.
Lesson 8
Local Government
Students are prompted to "briefly describe your local government" on the "Our Local Government" activity page and to create a brochure that summarizes local government structure and services. Students are asked to "briefly summarize the issue" on the "Change in Your Community" sheet after researching a past or present community campaign. Students must use local government websites, library sources, or interviews to find information and then condense that information into the brochure and activity responses.
Lesson 9
Citizenship
Students are asked to read primary informational texts (party platforms, USCIS pages, news sources) and to "summarize or write down 2-3 short points" for each party's position on selected issues. The Action Plan includes explicit prompts for a "Summary of the issue," "Four facts people should know about this issue," and to "Summarize the president's position" and the positions of senators or representatives. In Activity 1 Option 2 and Activity 2 students must review government-provided civics materials and party websites and then report main ideas or stances in writing.
Final Project
Government Lapbook
Students are asked to "Summarize the issues surrounding the ratification of the U.S. Constitution" in the Skills list and to "identify the main documents that influenced early American government" in Activity 1, which require distilling central points from historical sources. The unit test contains open-ended questions that ask students to "explain the main weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation" and to describe checks Congress has on other branches, prompting written summaries of key ideas. The rubric and Activity 4 require students to explain their mini-books' contents and answer questions accurately, which expects students to present concise accounts of content they have learned.
Unit 2: Chemical Reactions
Lesson 2
Chemistry and Patterns
Students are asked to read pages 34-37 in Eyewitness Chemistry and answer specific comprehension questions that require recalling central facts (questions about reactants, products, and what happens during a chemical reaction). The lesson's "Ideas to Think About" and "Wrapping Up" sections prompt students to identify patterns and consider whether changes are chemical or physical, which asks them to draw conclusions from the text and activities. The Student Activity Page requires students to make predictions and record observations, connecting text information to evidence from experiments.
Lesson 4
Combustion and Extinguishers
Students are instructed to read specified pages in Eyewitness Chemistry and then answer targeted questions about combustion, phlogiston, oxidation, and antioxidants, requiring them to extract core facts from the text. The Student Activity Page and activity questions ask students to record observations, decide whether the vinegar–baking soda reaction is endothermic or exothermic, and explain the temperature change, which asks them to draw conclusions from experimental data. The Wrapping Up section restates central ideas (combustion requires heat, fuel, and oxygen; reactions rearrange atoms; reactions can absorb or release heat), providing an explicit concise summary of key content students have encountered.
Lesson 6
Physical and Chemical Properties, Part I
Students are asked to identify key concepts and differences throughout the lesson (e.g., Activity 1 requires deciding whether listed processes are physical or chemical changes; Activity 2 has students infer states of matter for reaction products from provided equations). The Wrapping Up and "Things to Review" sections list central ideas (differences between physical and chemical changes, definitions of specific heat and chemical reactivity) that students are prompted to explain in discussion questions. Several activities require students to extract and record the main outcomes of experiments (e.g., noting signs of chemical reactions in Activity 4 and summarizing the role of a catalyst).
Lesson 7
Physical and Chemical Properties, Part II
Students read assigned pages (pp. 46–47) and answer specific comprehension questions about authorship of the first battery, electrolysis, and why pure water conducts poorly. Students complete review sections and 'Things to Review' that list key ideas (electrical conductivity, electrolysis, magnetism, solubility) and respond to discussion questions that ask them to reflect on what would happen without salt or why solubility matters. Students compare predictions with results in the solubility activity, which prompts them to separate prior guesses from observed outcomes.
Final Project
Chemistry in Action
Students are asked to review a Unit Study Guide and create cue cards and highlight important ideas, which requires identifying key ideas from instructional text. In the final project students research a medicine using prompts (chemical name, function, benefits, side effects, mechanisms, natural occurrence) and create PowerPoint slides that summarize what the substance does and present a Claim, Evidence, and Justification. The unit test items require students to explain scientific ideas in prose (e.g., conservation of mass, why a soaked match does not light), which asks students to state central scientific conclusions in their own words.
Unit 2: Animal Farm
Lesson 1
What Is a Theme?
Students are given explicit definitions and practice distinguishing topic, plot, and theme (Activity 2) by sorting phrases and creating their own examples, which requires them to identify main ideas in short texts. Students are asked to pre-read the book's surrounding materials (title pages, table of contents, preface/intro) and answer questions such as "What did you learn from the preface, introduction, and/or foreword?" that prompt extracting information from text. The Parent Plan section explicitly lists the skill to "Determine a theme or central idea of a text … provide an objective summary of the text," indicating an intended focus on identifying central ideas and summarizing.
Lesson 2
Major's Dream
The Parent Plan explicitly lists the skill to "Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development...; provide an objective summary of the text." Students are asked to read Chapter 1 and answer focused comprehension questions about Major's characterization, the cause of the animals' situation, and Major's proposed solution (rebellion). Students complete Activity 2 by choosing adjectives for characters and providing examples from the text that reveal those traits.
Lesson 3
The Rebellion
The Parent Plan explicitly lists the skill: "Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text." In Activity 2 Option 1, students are instructed to evaluate specific characters as leaders and "list specific examples" to support assertions, which asks students to analyze how characters contribute to themes. In Activity 2 Option 2, students compare the Seven Commandments to the Bill of Rights and answer questions about which document places more restrictions on leaders or citizens, engaging students in analysis of central ideas about government and power.
Lesson 4
Work on the Farm
The Parent Plan lists as a skill: "Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development...; provide an objective summary of the text." The "Ideas to Think About" prompts ask students to consider how characters, settings, and plots develop themes, and the comprehension questions (e.g., flag symbolism, pigs' justification for milk) require students to identify thematic elements and supporting details. Activity 1 asks students to compare farm work before and after the rebellion using specific examples from the text, which requires analysis of text details over time.
Lesson 5
The Battle of the Cowshed
Students read Chapter 4 and answer specific comprehension questions about how the rebellion spread, neighboring farmers' reactions, Snowball's response, and the gun commemoration, which requires extracting key events and details. In Option 1 students must reread the battle section, sequence events, and map where everyone was at the beginning, middle, and end, then orally explain what happened to a parent. In Option 2 students must explain an individual's role in the battle and provide the audience with a lesson drawn from that character and from the Battle of the Cowshed.
Lesson 6
Comrade Napoleon
Students answer targeted comprehension questions about Chapter 5 (e.g., what happened to Mollie, how Snowball and Napoleon differed, how Napoleon gained power), which requires identifying key events and character actions. In Activity 1 students research historical figures and fill sections on 'Role in the Russian Revolution' and 'Connection to Animal Farm,' providing specific evidence to support literary-historical connections. The wrap-up and parent discussion prompts ask students to state what Orwell is trying to say about the leaders, prompting identification of the author's critical stance and central message.
Lesson 7
Changes on the Farm
Students read Chapter 6 and answer comprehension questions that require extracting key ideas and conclusions (e.g., how the animals' work changed under Napoleon and why Squealer used dogs as a physical threat). The Leadership on the Farm graphic organizer asks students to record observations about work, sacrifice, productivity, happiness, power, and fairness for each leader and to describe each leader's style. Activity questions ask students to interpret Orwell's intentions and connect leadership portrayals to broader themes, prompting synthesis of central ideas.
Lesson 8
The End of the Rebellion
Students answer specific comprehension questions about Chapter 7 that require identifying motivations and causes (e.g., why animals wanted to give the impression of no food shortage, what caused the hens' protest, why animals were killed). Students synthesize Napoleon's leadership by writing advice from his perspective in Activity 1, which asks them to summarize what Napoleon might tell another leader about running a farm. The wrapping-up prompts and discussion questions ask students to consider Napoleon's use of power, prompting inference about the text's themes.
Lesson 9
The Battle of the Windmill
Students answer text-dependent questions asking how animals close to Napoleon reinforced his leadership (Question #1) and evaluate how often claims about Frederick and Snowball are backed up with credible evidence and why misinformation is spread (Question #2). The wrap-up discussion prompts students to explain how Napoleon continues to maintain power (misinformation and intimidation). These items require students to identify and analyze key ideas about leadership, propaganda, and the reliability of claims in the chapter.
Lesson 10
Boxer's Fate
Students are asked to diagram the plot (Setting the Stage, Rising Action, Climax, etc.), listing key events in order and highlighting the most important moments, which requires summarizing the text's events. Students must write 1-2 sentences stating the main theme below their plot diagram and identify specific incidents that support themes in the "Developing a Theme" and "Analyzing Theme" activities. Student tasks require citing textual evidence and explaining how incidents support a theme, as shown in the activity pages and the repeated emphasis on providing evidence for thematic claims.
Lesson 11
The Farmers Pay a Visit
The Parent Plan Skills explicitly instruct students to "Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text." Students are directed to finish the novel, go back to their Plot Diagram to complete and revise it, and to think about theme, which requires identifying central ideas. The lesson requires students to cite textual evidence and to document changes to the Seven Commandments, which asks students to support conclusions about the text with specific evidence.
Final Project
Animal Farm Letter
The Parent Plan skills explicitly state that students will "Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text." In STEP ONE students are asked to write a letter that "sharing your insights about a central theme of the novel" or to write from one character to another addressing a theme, which requires identifying central ideas and supporting them with examples. The rubric's "Ideas" category assesses understanding of plot and themes and the use of appropriate evidence, requiring students to support their theme analysis with textual evidence.
Unit 3: The Antebellum West
Lesson 2
The Early Presidents
Students read Thomas Jefferson's First Inaugural Address and either select provided summary sentences for each paragraph (Option 1) or write their own paragraph-by-paragraph summaries (Option 2). The student activity pages require students to summarize each of six paragraphs in their own words and answer comprehension questions about themes such as unity and majority/minority rights. In the comparing-speeches activity, students identify the occasion, words used to describe the nation, similarities and differences, and evaluate persuasiveness—tasks that require determining central ideas and conclusions of each speech.
Lesson 3
The Beginnings of Westward Expansion
Students read linked primary and secondary texts about the Northwest Ordinance and Daniel Boone and answer five focused reading questions that ask for key facts (e.g., official title and date, population requirements for territory/statehood, states created, rights allowed/not allowed, and Native American responses). Students also read Daniel Boone's account and respond to interpretive prompts (identify dangers, what was exciting or hard, adjectives to describe Boone) and create a movie poster that must reflect what they learned from the account. Parent/teacher guidance asks caregivers to review students' answers and discuss the Boone activities, prompting students to explain why they created their poster images and how Boone's account might present a particular perspective.
Lesson 4
The Louisiana Purchase
Students read Chapter 1 and web sections and answer targeted reading questions that ask for reasons, character roles, and expedition details (Questions #1-#6). Students create a timeline or a top-10 list in which they must choose the 10 most important places or moments and include dates, descriptions, and (for Option 2) "summarize the moment in your own words." These tasks require students to identify important information and restate events from the texts.
Lesson 5
The War of 1812
Students are directed to read bolded passages of the Monroe Doctrine and "summarize each of those bold-type sections in your own words," which requires identifying main ideas and producing concise summaries. In Option 2, students read four short essays and complete a chart that asks them to state what each group was fighting for, how they responded, and the outcome — tasks that require extracting central ideas from texts. The Comparing Perspectives activity includes an answer key with explicit summaries of outcomes and causes that students can model or reproduce.
Lesson 6
The Trail of Tears
Students answer focused reading questions (Q1–Q4) that require identifying key outcomes and central points from the texts. In Activity 1 and Activity 2 students record at least four arguments in support of and at least four objections to Indian Removal in their own words, drawing directly from primary-source documents. In Activity 3 students read personal narratives and write a brief summary of a chosen event and explain what the account helped them understand about the Trail of Tears.
Lesson 7
Border Conflict and the Mexican War
Students are asked to write a "Summary Sentence" about Enrique Esparza's experience at the Alamo and to include a direct quote and an explanatory sentence, which requires condensing a firsthand account into a concise statement. Reading questions ask students to identify what "manifest destiny" meant and what was at stake in the Mexican War, which requires naming central ideas or conclusions from the assigned chapters. Activity 2 asks students to state what the artist was trying to say about Manifest Destiny, which asks for identification of the main message of a visual text.
Lesson 8
The Gold Rush and Further Expansion
Students read Chapters 12-14 and first-person accounts and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., the relevance of supply and demand to the Gold Rush), which requires extracting key ideas from informational text. Students complete a "Why Head West?" chart recording reasons different groups emigrated, capturing central ideas across texts. Students synthesize information into product(s) that summarize content—preparing a 3-5 minute monologue, writing a letter from a miner, or creating an acrostic poem that requires describing hopes, hardships, and mining processes from the readings.
Lesson 9
Life in the Mid-Nineteenth Century West
Students read Chapters 4–7 of A History of Us and answer explicit comprehension questions that ask for conclusions drawn from the text (e.g., whether U.S. control caused dramatic changes in New Mexico and what challenges people experienced on the Oregon Trail). Students add events to a timeline (cards #51-52), which requires selecting and condensing key information from the readings. Discussion prompts and wrap-up questions ask students to state hardships and what photographs or texts tell about the West, encouraging identification of main ideas from sources.
Final Project
A Westward Migration Story
The unit test includes short-answer prompts asking students to briefly describe the Pony Express, hardships of overland travel, and the concept of Manifest Destiny, requiring concise summaries of those topics. The final project rubrics and planning pages ask students to write 1-2 sentences describing the significance of gallery images and to create storyboard panels that integrate historical context and federal actions, which requires students to synthesize information from the unit into concise explanations. The storyboard planning page and activity directions ask students to identify what else was going on in U.S. history when their character moved west and to explain how expectations matched realities, prompting students to extract and present central ideas from their accumulated materials.
Unit 3: Energy and Matter
Lesson 1
Introducing Energy
Students are asked to read Sections 1 and 2 and to keep in mind core ideas such as energy storage and energy transfer, and the lesson provides a concise "Things to Know" list that highlights central concepts (conduction, convection, radiation, energy storage/transfer). The reading includes explicit comprehension questions (e.g., name types of energy; is energy transfer efficient?) that require students to identify main ideas and conclusions about energy. In Activity 2 students must restate their hypothesis and write a 3–5 sentence justification that uses their experimental evidence to support or refute their prediction.
Lesson 2
Convection and Conduction
Students are asked to read Sections 3 and 4 and answer focused comprehension questions (Q1–Q5) that require identifying key ideas such as the Law of Conservation of Energy, thermal equilibrium, conduction, convection, and dissipation. Students perform activities (Conduction Parts I & II and Convection activity) and record predictions and observations, and they answer synthesis prompts such as "What do both Parts I and II of this activity illustrate about conduction?" The Wrapping Up section presents concise statements that distill central ideas (differences between conduction, convection, and radiation) which students can use to check their understanding.
Lesson 3
Energy Transfers
Students are asked to re-read pages 6–8 and to "pay careful attention to the role of matter in energy," directing them to extract a central idea about matter and energy. The comprehension questions require students to name five sources of chemical energy and to explain how each source enables work, which asks students to pull key ideas from the text and restate them. In Activity 2 (Option 2) students are asked to write brief atomic-level descriptions for a sequence of images, which requires synthesizing information from the reading into ordered explanations.
Lesson 5
Kinetic and Potential Energy
Students are instructed to re-read specified pages and then answer four directed comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) that ask them to explain whether all energy is useful, define the difference between kinetic and potential energy, describe their relationship (using the roller coaster example), and explain how height influences potential energy. The activities (rubber-band car and Diet Coke/Mentos) require students to make predictions, observe, and then compare observations to explanations in the text, reinforcing text-based conclusions. Vocabulary review asks students to match terms, definitions, and images, requiring extraction of central definitions from the reading.
Lesson 8
Energy Sources and Sustainability
Students are instructed to read the Forbes "Solar Energy: Pros and Cons" article and complete an advantages/disadvantages chart, selecting the three most important points from that text. Students sort cue cards in Activity 1 into renewable, non-renewable, and inexhaustible piles, identifying key categorical features of short informational items. Students gather information from Project Sunroof and calculators and are asked to "summarize your final recommendations" and share findings, which requires synthesizing information gathered from multiple texts and tools.
Final Project
Harnessing the Wind
Students read informational webpages about turbines, coal plants, and hydroelectric power and are instructed to "summarize your understanding" in their own words or with a diagram on the "Turbines and Electricity" page. Students research wind energy using provided sources and are asked to prepare a presentation that explains how wind energy is transformed, describes how turbines work, and gives a conclusion about whether wind power is practical in their area. Students build a wind-turbine model, use it to do work, and are prompted to explain or demonstrate how their model relates to generating electricity.
Unit 3: Einstein Adds a New Dimension
Lesson 3
The Curies' Discoveries
The Parent Plan explicitly lists the skill "Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text" as a target. Activity 2 directs students to take notes in their own words, suggests covering a section and seeing if you can describe or summarize it, and provides sample notes that model extracting main points (e.g., radioactivity, scientists, key discoveries). The reading questions ask students to read chapters and answer focused questions about key facts and discoveries, which requires locating central information in the text.
Lesson 4
Process Writing
Students are asked in Option 2 to write 1-2 paragraphs that summarize a sequence of events from the book "for a reader who has not read the book," which requires condensing and presenting central ideas. The planning and organization pages prompt students to list their topic, people involved, important dates, terms or concepts that need explanation, and to organize Event 1–Event 4 and a conclusion, guiding selection and organization of key ideas. The parent/teacher guidance and wrapping-up activity ask students to produce a summary that highlights the important steps and to check whether a peer can understand what happened and why it was important.
Lesson 5
Envisioning Fission
Students are instructed to read Chapters 22–24 and "take notes on the important concepts," including what E=mc² means and how Einstein's discoveries changed conservation laws. In Activity 1 students must complete a Chapter 23 timeline, recording one or two key scientific and world events for each year from 1932–1939. Discussion prompts ask students to explain Rutherford's view of the atom and how 1930s German actions affected science, and the Parent Plan lists the skill of distinguishing facts, reasoned judgment, and speculation.
Lesson 6
Cause and Effect Writing
Students answer targeted reading questions that ask them to explain significance (Question #1) and to explain a series of events leading to a conclusion (Question #2), requiring them to extract key ideas from the text. The planning and organization pages require students to write a thesis that states the topic and two points and to write a conclusion that restates the thesis, which guides students to condense ideas into a brief summary form. The assignment explicitly instructs students to use their own words for information from the book and to include page numbers for text-based details, prompting reliance on the text rather than personal opinion.
Lesson 7
Relativity
Students answer specific comprehension questions that require identifying key conclusions: they state Galileo's principle of relativity (Question 1), Einstein's claim that there is no center of the universe (Question 2), and that the speed of light is invariant for all observers (Question 3). Students complete a domain-specific vocabulary activity in which they define terms like 'uniform motion', 'frame of reference', 'relativity', and 'invariant', supporting their ability to recognize central ideas. In Activity 2 students create a concise poster explaining a complex scientific concept, which requires them to distill and communicate main ideas using domain-specific terms.
Lesson 8
Comparison and Contrast Writing
The Parent Plan lists the skill "Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions," explicitly naming the target standard. The Reading and Questions section asks students to read Chapters 33–35 and answer focused questions (e.g., the twins paradox, why Einstein rejected instantaneous gravity, how scientists proved gravitation) that require students to identify key ideas and restate them. Wrapping Up and the discussion prompts ask students to re-read bold text and analogies and to discuss when Newton's laws fail and how Einstein tested ideas, which guides students to pull out main conclusions from the text.
Lesson 9
Avoiding Plagiarism
The lesson defines summarizing and gives explicit tips for creating summaries (e.g., summarize large chunks, highlight main points, write in your own words). Activity 2 asks students to read Chapter 36 and write a chapter summary beginning with "Chapter 36 is about ..." and provides an example summary of Chapter 39 that models identifying central ideas and excluding extraneous detail. The Parent Plan lists the specific skill "Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text...", and the student activity requires students to produce their own summaries in response to a text.
Lesson 10
Problem and Solution Writing
Students read specified chapters and answer focused questions about causes and characteristics of phenomena (e.g., what causes a supernova; why you can't see beyond a black hole's event horizon), which requires extracting key information from the text. Students study and model a one-paragraph and mini-paragraph sample that summarizes historical scientific debate (ether vs. Einstein) and states the accepted conclusion. Students plan and write a problem/solution paragraph that asks them to describe a problem, present two solutions with pros and cons, and explain which solution is best, which requires composing a concise explanatory summary of the situation and chosen conclusion.
Final Project
Research Paper
Students read a student model (Activity 1) and explicitly identify its thesis, topic sentences, transitions, and the problem and solutions, which requires determining the paper's central idea and conclusions. The KWS chart activity has students record 'What I know' versus 'What I want to know,' and research/note-taking pages plus Activity 9 instruct students to paraphrase or summarize explanations from sources and to record page numbers, supporting practice in producing accurate summaries. The Parent Plan Skills list explicitly names the standard, and the Research Rubric requires a clear thesis and a conclusion that restates the thesis differently, reinforcing identification and summary of central ideas.
Unit 4: Antebellum America
Lesson 1
North and South, 1820
Students are asked to watch Episode 4 and answer focused questions about main developments (Erie Canal, the cotton gin, cotton mills, punishments for runaway slaves) that require extracting central ideas and causes/effects. Students complete Activity 1 by filling a Venn diagram "as you view the film" to identify what is unique to the North, unique to the South, and what the regions share. Question #5 explicitly asks students to state the key differences between North and South, prompting a concise comparison based on the film.
Lesson 2
The Rise of Capitalism
Students read assigned pages of a historical text and answer targeted comprehension questions (Questions 1–3) that ask about how the Industrial Revolution changed the economy, how established elites reacted to new entrepreneurs, and why Andrew Jackson objected to the Bank. Students analyze Jackson's veto message by creating a word cloud or by reading the Miller Center essay and the full veto text to identify prominent words and themes. Students sort statements into columns of supporters and opponents of the national bank and are asked to summarize arguments regarding tariffs, taxation, and the banking system in the Parent Plan skills section.
Lesson 3
Technology and Infrastructure
Students read Chapter 18 of a history text and answer focused questions (e.g., problems of 19th-century cities, how newspapers spread democracy) that require extracting information from the text. Students add cards #60-63 to a timeline, identifying and recording key events. Students synthesize text details into written products (a letter to a relative, a mill girl's diary, or an Erie Canal advertisement) that require selecting and organizing information from their readings.
Lesson 4
Immigration and Migration
Students are assigned Chapter 19 of a history text and asked to read first-person accounts in We Were There, Too!, which they then use to plan a short dramatic oral presentation retelling a person's story. The activity directs students to "jot down an important event," think about the importance of that event, reread the story to avoid missing anything, and practice retelling the story in the person's own words. The wrapping-up discussion prompts students to describe their performance and what was hard or inspiring about telling the story.
Lesson 5
Education and Women's Rights
Students are asked to read Chapters 21–24 and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., Question 1 asks how Sarah Pierce's idea of schooling for girls differed from most people's ideas). Question 2 asks students to describe three ways women in the antebellum period had fewer rights, requiring students to extract and summarize key conclusions from the text. Question 3 asks what the Seneca Falls Declaration described, prompting students to state the central ideas the authors presented. Question 4 asks students to interpret Sojourner Truth's repeated question, which requires students to infer the author/speaker's central point from the text.
Lesson 6
Art and Literature
Students are asked to read Chapters 29-31 and answer comprehension questions that require identifying meanings and main points (e.g., Q1 asks what Melville meant by a quoted line; Q2 asks how Whitman and Dickinson differed from other poets; Q3 asks what made Audubon's drawings unique). In Activity 1, Option 1 students must state Emerson's ideas, list two things Thoreau valued and wrote about, and provide three examples from poems that illustrate Transcendentalist values. The activities require students to cite examples from assigned texts and poems to support their responses.
Lesson 7
The Agrarian Economy and Slavery
Students read primary and secondary texts (slave narratives; chapters on slavery; Hammond and Douglass excerpts) and are asked to summarize and compare them (Activity 3: "The View from the Slave Quarters" directs students to list three details, state what they learned, and compare similarities/differences). Students identify authors' arguments and central points in Activity 5 by writing down Hammond's reasons for defending slavery and then planning a speech that refutes at least two of his points and presents at least three reasons slavery is intolerable. The parent plan and activity instructions explicitly ask students to "summarize and compare two of the narratives" and to "explain how the cotton gin changed the lives" of various groups, requiring synthesis of central ideas across texts.
Lesson 8
Building Tensions
Students read assigned chapters and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., explain the Republican Party's opposition, define popular sovereignty, describe the Dred Scott decision, and state the paradox of America in 1860), which require identifying central ideas and conclusions from the text. Students complete Activity 2 by summarizing the arguments for and against the expansion of slavery on a two-column activity page, explicitly writing main arguments and identifying who might have held each position. Students also create a sign or flyer that must summarize at least one main argument, requiring them to condense a central idea into a concise slogan.
Final Project
A Poster Session
Students are asked to create a poster that includes summaries of economic, cultural, and political differences and a summary of events leading to tensions by 1860. Students must prepare a brief (2–5 minute) spoken summary of the main differences and be ready to answer questions using information from unit readings. The unit test contains short-answer prompts asking students to describe daily life, explain technologies and their effects, and list ways slavery was unfair, requiring synthesis of content into concise responses.
Unit 4: Biochemistry
Lesson 1
Introduction to Biological Chemistry
Students are asked to extract key characteristics from the carbon excerpt and write them on the "Characteristics of Carbon" activity page, which requires pulling main points from the text. In the Graphite vs. Diamond and Carbon Allotropes activities, students compare images and answer directed questions that ask them to identify which images show bonded carbon, sheets, compounds, and physical properties, requiring synthesis of textual and visual information. In the carbon cycle activity, students must create a flow chart that traces the path of a carbon molecule and "describe what is happening at each step," which asks them to condense process information into a sequential summary.
Lesson 4
Feedback
Students are asked to read linked informational material and answer three specific comprehension questions about why water is essential, sources/amounts needed, and how the body signals thirst. Students fill tables and activity pages that require them to identify hormone causes and physiological responses (hunger/fullness) and to label tonic states, solute concentrations, water flow, and cell shape changes. The scientific argumentation activity asks students to make claims, record experimental evidence, and write justifications, which requires drawing conclusions from provided text and observed data.
Lesson 5
Exposure and Feedback
Students read an assigned article and answer specific comprehension questions (Question #1-#3) that require extracting central facts and recommendations from the text (e.g., obesity statistic, problematic foods, foods to eat more of). Students research chemical agents in Activity 2 and answer reflective questions (e.g., "Why are responses to chemical agents considered feedback?" and comparing dosages), requiring them to draw conclusions from multiple texts and data. In Activity 3 students synthesize case file descriptions (symptoms) and use that information to diagnose the type of agent and propose treatments, which requires summarizing key evidence to reach a conclusion.
Lesson 7
Immune Response, Part II
Students are asked to "summarize the immune process in your own words" (Option 2) by making a numbered list or flow chart, and to "use information from the video and vocabulary from the lesson to answer the following questions" (Activity 1). The Mystery Ailment activity requires students to read interviews and analyze details to identify the source of an illness, which asks them to determine a conclusion from text-based evidence. The true/false items and rewrite task ask students to correct false statements using lesson content, reinforcing extraction of factual ideas from the provided material.
Lesson 8
Intake and Health
Students read informational passages and complete targeted tasks that require extracting main points: the Alcohol Research page asks students to list immediate health risks, groups who should not drink, long-term health risks, and factors affecting blood alcohol level. The Nutrient Amounts activity requires students to record uses/benefits, recommended intake, natural sources, and effects of deficiency and excess for each substance. The Alcohol and Advertising activity asks students to identify themes and trends in ads, which prompts synthesis of recurring ideas across texts/media.
Final Project
Analyzing Your Food Journal
Students are asked to create a presentation that includes "a brief summary of the purpose of each biomolecule" and to "write about what you learned about nutrition in the unit that was new to them," which requires summarizing unit content. Part 8 directs students to analyze their compiled data and answer questions about which meal had the most calories and which biomolecules were most common at each meal, requiring students to draw conclusions from text/data. The final project and rubric require students to organize findings and make recommendations, which involves synthesizing information into a concise summary for an audience (parents).
Unit 4: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Lesson 1
Introduction to Mark Twain and the Novel
The Parent Plan explicitly lists the skill: "Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text." Students are instructed to keep a journal "to collect information and quotes and to analyze the story, characters, plot, and theme of the novel," and to answer text-based questions (e.g., what Huck is trying to escape, examples of being 'civilized'). Students are also asked to summarize web articles (e.g., how the slave trade arrived) and to list rules for slaves, which requires condensing informational texts into a brief summary.
Lesson 3
What is Narrative Writing I
Students read Chapters 8–11 and answer comprehension questions about plot events (e.g., why Jim runs away, what Judith Loftus reveals, how Mrs. Loftus uncovers Huck's disguise). The lesson repeatedly tells students that they can "draw conclusions about Huck and Jim based on what they do and how they speak" and asks students to analyze quotes to explain what they reveal about characters. Activities require students to infer characters' feelings from dialogue and actions (Show, Don't Tell) and to cite textual details when explaining character perspective.
Lesson 4
What is Narrative Writing II
Students read Chapters 12–15 and answer specific questions about key events (how Huck and Jim avoid being seen, what they discover on the steamboat, and how they escape), which requires recounting main plot details. Students analyze multiple dialogue passages and answer guided questions about what the dialogue reveals about characters and how it propels action. Parent notes prompt students to notice recurring themes (for example, that civility appears throughout the novel) and to "identify places" where the author shows that luck is important.
Lesson 5
Expository Writing
Students read Chapters 16-18 and answer guided questions that require recalling events and analyzing character behavior (e.g., how Huck convinces the men, Huck's response to Jim's plan). In Activity 2 students complete a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting Huck and Jim and are instructed to write a paragraph with a clear topic/main idea (a hook) and to support claims with evidence from the novel. The lesson repeatedly asks students to provide text-based support for claims and to organize information into a coherent expository paragraph.
Lesson 6
The Power of Persuasion
Students are asked to read a student persuasive essay and explicitly identify the thesis statement and the three reasons that support it (Option 1 and Part I of Option 2). Students list the types of evidence the writer provides and note whether the conclusion restates the thesis, which requires identifying the central claim and supporting structure. Students also answer questions about Chapters 19–21 (e.g., how characters enter the story, motives, outcomes), which asks them to extract key plot points and conclusions from the text.
Lesson 8
Hiding the Money
Students read Chapters 26–28 and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., why Huck decides to hide the money), which requires them to infer character motives and conclusions from the text. Students are asked to consider and explain what the raft and the Mississippi River symbolize for Huck and Jim and to discuss those symbols, which engages them in identifying central ideas or themes. The wrapping-up discussion prompts ask students to give examples of each type of writing and to explain what the river represents, reinforcing interpretation of central meanings in the novel.
Lesson 11
Mark Twain's Influence
Students are asked to write a 3-4 sentence explanation of what Hemingway meant by his quote (Activity 1), which requires them to interpret and summarize an author's central claim. In Activity 2 students take notes and draw conclusions about the lives described in two slave narratives and compare those conclusions to the character of Jim, which asks them to determine ideas and make textual comparisons. The Reading and Questions section asks students to identify key events and details from Chapters 37–40, which requires extracting important information from the text.
Lesson 12
The Movie Adaptation
Students finish reading Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and answer targeted comprehension questions asking what happened to Huck's father, whether Huck is civilized, and what is ironic about Jim's freedom, which requires extracting key events and character conclusions. Students are instructed to take notes while watching the film adaptation, observing changes to character, plot, language, setting, or dialect, which supports identifying important ideas and differences. Students are prompted to compare and contrast the novel and movie and to discuss how directors or actors strayed from the book and whether those changes impacted the story.
Final Project
Cultural Biography
Students are prompted to respond to reflective questions on the unit test such as, "What did you learn about life during this time in America's history by following the adventure of Huck and Jim?" and "How are Huck and Jim similar? How are they different?" Students must write an expository sentence about something they learned about slavery or dialect on the poster and write 2-3 sentences describing a character's point of view. Story blocks require students to represent the text's point of view (one side reflecting the text's POV, one Huck's, one Jim's) and to select important quotes and examples of irony and characterization.
Unit 5: Civil War
Lesson 1
Sectional Differences
Students read assigned text (Fields of Fury, pp. 1–13) and answer direct questions that ask for central facts (e.g., QUESTION #1 asks students to identify the single most pressing issue that led to the Civil War). In Activity 4 students read Lincoln's "House Divided" excerpt and Douglas's statement and fill in a chart comparing each man's main claims, which requires extracting central ideas from texts. In Activity 3 and the timeline activity students synthesize information from the readings into a map and timeline, summarizing territorial and chronological conclusions about slavery's expansion.
Lesson 2
Moving Toward War
Students are asked to reread a specific text (pages 8-11 of Fields of Fury) and answer direct comprehension questions about why southerners opposed Lincoln, Lincoln's view of secession, and the name of the seceding states, which requires identifying central ideas and conclusions from that text. In Activity 1 students must summarize Daniel Webster's and John C. Calhoun's views of federal versus state power, explicitly requiring students to restate the authors' positions. In Activity 4 students list reasons on both sides (Slavery vs. States' Rights) and evaluate which argument is more convincing, which engages them in synthesizing evidence about causes of the war.
Lesson 3
The Start of the War
Students are asked to read Jefferson Davis's inaugural address and, after each paragraph, "write the meaning of the paragraph in their own words," practicing paragraph-by-paragraph summarizing (Activity 1 Student Activity Page). The note-taking guidance instructs students to "highlight the most important information and ideas" and to put information into their own words to ensure understanding. Students read excerpts of Lincoln's first inaugural and complete a comparing activity that requires them to state which speech would appeal to various people and "write a brief explanation" for each choice. The Fort Sumter timeline asks students to write one sentence beneath each image summarizing the event it represents, requiring concise summary of key events.
Lesson 4
Early Days of the War
Students read pages 18–29 of Fields of Fury and answer direct comprehension questions that require identifying main conclusions (e.g., Question 1 asks whether most people expected a short war; Question 4 asks how Shiloh changed Grant's view). Students must briefly describe factual content from the text (Question 2 asks them to describe the Anaconda Plan). The Student Activity Page and battle-card task ask students to note outcomes and the significance of each battle, and the provided answer key models concise summaries of those outcomes and significances.
Lesson 5
Wartime Strategies
Students read pages 30–43 and answer targeted questions that ask for the goal of the Peninsular Campaign, the meaning of Jackson's Shenandoah actions, which side had better generals, and why Antietam was a Union victory. In the Civil War Battle Cards activity, students record important people, the outcome, the purpose/significance, advantages gained, and lessons learned for multiple campaigns and battles (e.g., Peninsular Campaign, Shenandoah Campaign, Seven Days' Battles, Antietam). The answer key and prompts require students to extract outcomes and significance directly from the text.
Lesson 6
The Emancipation Proclamation
Students read pages 44–53 of a history text that cover the Emancipation Proclamation and the experiences of African American troops. They answer a direct comprehension question asking, "What changes did the Emancipation Proclamation create?" which requires listing the Proclamation's effects (freed slaves in Confederate states, allowed enlistment, encouraged escape to Union lines). Activity 1 asks students to identify important people, outcomes, and why specific battles were important, requiring students to state central outcomes and significance. Activity 2 asks students to synthesize readings to write a letter from a recruit or a thank-you note to Susie King Taylor, drawing on information from the texts.
Lesson 7
Gettysburg and Beyond
Students read pages 53-73 of Fields of Fury and answer targeted comprehension questions about roles of women, Minie balls, and social consequences. Students complete Civil War battle cards that ask for the outcome and "Why was this battle important?", and they add events to a timeline. Students watch the Civil War episode and are prompted to remain an active viewer and discuss broad questions (e.g., how the Emancipation Proclamation changed northerners' views and how the telegraph changed communication).
Lesson 8
The War's End
Students read specified pages (74-89) and answer targeted comprehension questions that require extracting key facts (e.g., Sherman's estimated $100 million damage, Lee's withdrawal reasoning, the role of the Freedmen's Bureau, and the Black Codes). Students complete Civil War battle cards that ask for the outcome of each battle and why each battle was important, requiring them to identify central conclusions about those events. In the Reconstruction activity, students write 1-2 sentences for different perspectives explaining how each person might want the South treated, which asks them to synthesize information into concise explanations.
Final Project
Civil War Card Game
The unit test asks students to "describe at least three differences between the North and South prior to the Civil War and identify the most significant cause of the war," which requires students to select and state central causes and differences. Several constructed-response items (including a 5–6 sentence prompt asking for the most interesting thing learned) require students to write multi-sentence answers summarizing knowledge. The Getting Started and Wrapping Up paragraphs present summary-style conclusions about the Civil War and its aftermath that students could use as source material for identifying central ideas.
Unit 5: Microbiology and Cell Theory
Lesson 1
Cell Theory
Students read designated pages of What Is Cell Theory and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., where new cells come from, examples of cell types, whether cells are found only in plants and animals, and difference between theory and hypothesis), which requires identifying key ideas from the text. Students are prompted to consider "What are cells and why are they important?," and to complete Activity 2 by classifying household objects as cellular or non-cellular and providing supporting evidence, which asks them to use text-based ideas to justify conclusions. Labeling the cell diagram and referencing the book (Activity 1) asks students to identify and match named parts and functions from the reading.
Lesson 2
Introduction to Plant and Animal Cells
Students are asked to read pages 22-25 of What Is Cell Theory? and answer four directed comprehension questions about differences between plant and animal cells, the role of vacuoles, connections between mitochondria and chloroplasts, and organelle purposes. Students complete activities (coloring, cutting/pasting, and labeling cell parts) that require them to identify and organize key information from the reading. The Wrapping Up and Things to Review sections present concise central points (e.g., cells carry on major functions; plant and animal cells differ in structure) that students compare to their activity work.
Lesson 4
Protists
Students are directed to read three articles and "use the information from all three articles to answer the following questions," which requires extracting key ideas across texts. The five explicit comprehension questions (e.g., classifying protozoa, differences among algae and plants, differences between slime and water molds) ask students to state central characteristics and conclusions. Activity 2 asks students to compare organisms, complete a chart of shared structures, and "identify the significance" of organelles, which requires synthesizing information about core ideas.
Lesson 5
Prokaryotes
Students are directed to read multiple texts (video, What is Cell Theory? pages, articles on bacteria and archaea) and to "look for distinctions" regarding prokaryotes as they read. Students are asked to use the information they collected to "write a paragraph describing similarities and differences" between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells on the Recognizing Prokaryotes page. The Culturing Bacteria activity asks students to "Draw Conclusions" from experimental observations, prompting students to state the hypothesis outcome based on evidence.
Lesson 6
Understanding Microbes
Students are directed to investigate specified web resources (the "Viral Attack" article, videos, and "Inside Viruses") and answer focused comprehension questions that require extracting key information (e.g., virus structure, transmission, how viruses infect cells). Activity 2 asks students to use Internet research from well-respected sources to decide whether viruses meet criteria for life and to give their reasoning, and the Student Activity Page requires students to state a conclusion (living / nonliving) and provide reasons. The Parent Plan and wrapping up sections emphasize that students should support their conclusion with evidence and logic and reflect on whether their idea of living vs. nonliving has changed.
Lesson 9
Biological Hazards and Infectious Disease
Students analyze a patient scenario in Activity 3 by comparing provided symptoms to a table of illnesses and answering questions that ask for a diagnosis and the evidence that supports it. Students design hypotheses in the Antimicrobial Properties activity and are instructed to evaluate which hypotheses about substances hindering or promoting bacterial growth are true or false and to cite evidence for their conclusions. Students match images to vocabulary terms in the Doctor, Doctor activity, reinforcing comprehension of key ideas (parasite, contagion, mutagen, carrier, vector) used when drawing conclusions about causes of illness.
Lesson 10
On Their Shoulders
Students are assigned specific pages of a nonfiction text (What Is Cell Theory?) to read and answer directed questions (Q1–Q3) that require extracting key factual information (e.g., how cells got their name, invention of the microscope). In Activity 1 students cut out, read, and arrange historical event cards from the coloring book and recall facts associated with each picture to put events in order. In Activity 2 students draw observations for five agar samples and are asked to complete a Conclusion section giving a rationale using collected evidence.
Final Project
Outbreak Prevention
Students are asked to research respiratory infections using the Internet (Activity 2) and fill a comparison table of illnesses, symptoms, and visibility under a microscope, which requires extracting main points from sources. In Activity 3 students examine microscope images and use observable features and prior research to identify the cause of the illness, drawing conclusions from provided texts and images. Activity 5 directs students to consult WHO, Mayo Clinic, and Cleveland Clinic pages and then explain how SARS spreads and how to limit its spread, requiring students to synthesize information from authoritative texts. The unit test asks students to "explain, using evidence," whether a virus is a living organism, prompting students to form conclusions based on textual evidence rather than opinion.
Unit 5: Elijah of Buxton
Lesson 1
Introduction to the Novel
Students read Chapters 1 and 2 and answer directed comprehension questions about characters and events (QUESTION #1-#4). Students research the Underground Railroad using linked informational sites and are asked to explain what the Underground Railroad was and how it worked. Students complete a flashback activity that asks them to highlight the flashback, explain what it reveals about the narrator, and judge its effectiveness.
Lesson 2
The Preacher
Students are asked to read two contrasting primary passages (Fitzhugh and Frederick Douglass) and answer questions that require comparing the authors' views, which asks students to identify and contrast central claims. Students are directed to re-read the Douglass passage, circle vivid adjectives, and underline the repeated verb, which supports identifying the main ideas and how the passage develops them. The lesson also asks students to summarize a flashback from Chapter 4 and to answer comprehension questions about chapters 3 and 4, which requires extracting important information from the text.
Lesson 3
Creating a Character
Students answer specific comprehension questions (Q1–Q3) that require them to describe characters, summarize life circumstances, and list settlement rules from Chapters 5 and 6. Question #4 asks students to state what Elijah and Cooter believed and what Mr. Travis actually meant, requiring students to draw a conclusion from the text. The "Getting to Know Elijah" activity instructs students to skim chapters and record textual evidence for categories such as thoughts, quotes, and actions, which requires extracting information directly from the text.
Lesson 4
Tone and Mood
Students are asked in the "Accounts of Slavery" activity to read quotes and view images and then write words or brief phrases explaining what they learned about the experience of being a slave from each source. The lesson asks students to identify and cite words or images that contributed to their mood and to describe the tone Elijah uses in specific events, requiring students to cite text-based evidence. The wrapping up prompts ask students to describe what they have learned about the life of a slave from the novel and the pictures they explored.
Lesson 6
Symbolism
Students read Chapters 11 and 12 and answer specific comprehension questions about why newcomers hid, how they were coaxed out, the Buxton welcoming tradition, and a character discovery, which requires extracting information from the text. Students analyze symbolism in the novel (e.g., Elijah as a symbol of hope, Liberty Bell, Emma's doll, Mr. Taylor's dagger) and explain symbolic meanings, which engages with thematic elements. Discussion prompts ask students to explain Douglass's quoted idea and how characters show kindness, which prompts consideration of broader ideas and effects in the text.
Lesson 7
The Importance of Education
Students are asked to read Chapters 13 and 14 and then answer comprehension questions that require summarizing text events (e.g., Question 1 asks students to describe the bad news Elijah delivers; Question 4 explicitly asks students to "Summarize the story" from Elijah's mother's life). Other questions require determining a conclusion about character development (Question 3 asks how Elijah shows his growing maturity). The activities require students to produce written responses based on the text, demonstrating extraction of central events and ideas.
Lesson 8
Transitions and Characters
Students read Chapters 15–17 and answer direct comprehension questions that require summarizing events (e.g., Q1 asks what Mrs. Holton paid and what it would allow; Q3 asks what happened to Theodore Highgate). Students identify character qualities and assign two words to each main character in discussion prompts. Students complete a compare-and-contrast graphic organizer for two characters (Elijah and Huck or Cooter), which requires extracting and recording important character information from the text.
Lesson 9
Transitions and Humor
Students read Chapters 18 and 19 and answer comprehension questions (Questions #1-#3) that require them to identify events and characters' actions. Discussion prompts and parent-plan questions ask students to compare and contrast the responses of the community, Mr. Leroy, and Elijah and to explain why certain advice is good, which requires identifying central ideas or conclusions about characters' reactions. The transitions section explicitly teaches summarizing transition words (e.g., "overall," "consequently," "in conclusion") and asks students to practice using a concluding/summary transition in Activity 1.
Lesson 10
Allusions and Authors
Students read Chapters 20–21 and answer focused comprehension questions that ask about key events (e.g., what happened to Mr. Leroy, Elijah's actions, and what he plans to do next). Parent/teacher discussion prompts ask students to describe Elijah's courage and their responses to the slaves' conditions, which leads students to identify themes such as bravery, dignity, and tragedy. The Q&A and activity prompts (e.g., explaining allusions and connecting biblical references) require students to connect textual details to larger meanings.
Lesson 11
Story Reflections
Students are asked to create a plot diagram that requires identifying the main conflict, the climax, seven rising-action events, three falling-action events, and the resolution, which guides them to identify central events and conclusions of the book. Students must complete a theme web for the central theme of freedom by recording textual examples that develop that theme. Guided questions and short-answer items (e.g., why Elijah gave up his plans, how the book ends) require students to state key events and outcomes of the story.
Final Project
Personal Narrative
Students are asked directly to identify the main conflict and the climax of Elijah of Buxton in the Story Structure section, with space for 1-2 sentence answers. Students are also asked to "Name one theme the author considered and give two examples of how this theme was developed in the story," which requires locating and citing central ideas and supporting evidence from the text. The unit test and parent answer key explicitly frame correct responses about the main conflict, climax, and themes, indicating those central elements are to be determined by students.
2: Semester 2
Unit 1: History of Your State
Lesson 1
Your State's Natural History
Students are instructed to read web pages (for example, the Geologic Province page and National Geographic's biomes overview) and to record information such as the geologic province name, its location, and interesting features and facts from the introduction. Students complete prompts that ask them to "Describe the location of this region" and "Based on the introduction (first paragraph or two) ... what are some interesting features and facts about the province," requiring them to extract information from texts. Students identify major biomes covering their state and note biome characteristics from assigned readings, then label those biomes on a map.
Lesson 3
Native Populations
Students are asked to research a named indigenous group using library or web sources and to record historical information (where they lived, community organization, housing, clothing, food traditions) on the Research on Native Populations activity pages. The activity directs students to use information from specified historical periods (colonial period up to about the 1830s) and to answer the prompts on the activity pages. Students also complete a Modern Information section asking them to report factual details (recognition, lands, leaders, issues) based on contemporary sources.
Lesson 4
The History of Your State
Students are instructed in Activity 1 to take notes that allow them to "write a few sentences about the event and convey important information about the date, location, key participants, issues at stake, and historical significance." Activity 5 requires students to write 3–4 well-crafted sentences explaining each event and its significance and to include a short 2–3 sentence description for each timeline entry. The lesson also directs students to take organized, clear notes and to save source URLs so they can refer back to original texts when composing their explanations.
Lesson 5
State Leaders
Students research a state leader and complete activity pages that ask them to record the leader's career path, notable achievements, and the person's impact on the state, which requires extracting main ideas from source material. Students write a 6–10 sentence dedication speech that summarizes key information about the leader and explains qualities relevant to the named public space. The activity also asks students to list sources and to predict answers to questions based on their research, encouraging synthesis of information from texts.
Lesson 6
Your State by the Numbers
Students use primary source tables and charts (Activity 1 uses historical population tables; Activity 2 uses Census QuickFacts; Activity 4 uses the NASBO Fiscal Survey) to extract and report key facts. Students plot data on graphs and answer questions about trends (e.g., which decades show the greatest population growth) and record demographic and budget figures. Students are also asked to write a paragraph comparing budget information from two other states and to discuss surprising or interesting facts they found.
Lesson 7
Your State's Economy
Students are instructed to use online sources to complete a mini-book that asks them to list and describe at least three natural resources and to explain their economic roles. Students are directed to conduct Internet searches to identify and list at least three top industries and to use a provided web link to find and record their state's GSP, percentage of national GDP, and rank. Students must identify three top non-government employers, describe the kind of business each runs, notice trends among employers, and write a thank-you letter after a field trip that includes at least two new things they learned.
Final Project
A Warm Welcome
Students are asked to review all of the work and research from the unit and use that research as the basis for a final product (mural or video) that highlights key features of the state. Students must write a 10-question quiz with an answer key, which requires selecting important facts about geography, history, government, economy, and the arts. The mural and video options require students to present at least three key historical points (including indigenous populations), descriptions of geographic and natural features, and 2–3 ideas for places to visit, which asks students to condense information into a concise presentation.
Unit 1: Genetics and DNA
Lesson 1
The Importance of DNA
Students are assigned to read specific pages of a nonfiction text about genetics and are told to "pay attention to specific terms associated with genetic material and the role of the genetic code." Students answer directed comprehension questions (Q1–Q5) that ask them to state the shape and structure of DNA, explain how base sequences create variety, describe how DNA forms chromosomes, define alleles, and identify stimuli that turn genes on or off. Students also perform a hands-on DNA extraction and answer reflective questions that require them to cite evidence that DNA is present in cells and to explain procedural steps.
Lesson 2
Inheritance
Students are instructed to read pages 6-11 of the assigned book and then answer targeted comprehension questions (Question #1–#3). Question #2 explicitly asks students to state what Mendel concluded about inheritance, and Question #3 asks students to apply that conclusion to predict offspring outcomes for homozygous parents. The Reading and Questions section thus requires students to extract conclusions and factual central ideas from the text.
Lesson 4
Reproduction and Change
Students read assigned textbook pages and online materials (e.g., pp. 58–60, 61–63 and linked videos) and answer directed questions about key ideas such as haploid vs. diploid, mitosis vs. meiosis, and crossing over. Students complete open-ended prompts and "Questions to Consider" that require them to explain why offspring do not have the same traits as their parents and to explain how crossing over contributes to genetic diversity. Students also answer activity pages (e.g., Genetic Material) asking them to state how DNA makes proteins and to define genes and chromosomes, which requires extracting central scientific ideas from texts and media.
Lesson 5
From Generation to Generation
Students read the linked informational page in Activity 1 and use it to fill an "Investigating Genealogy Chart," describing each trait and indicating whether it is dominant or recessive. Students complete a "Family Survey" in Activity 2, record observed traits across relatives, and answer questions that require them to explain why traits are passed and why an allele is dominant or recessive. These tasks require students to identify and record the key ideas from the provided text and from the sample/family data.
Lesson 7
Inheritance and Environment
Students are asked to read pages 88-93 of a textbook and answer comprehension questions that require extracting key information (e.g., two ways mutations happen; whether mutations have noticeable effects; difference between single-gene and multifactor disorders). In Activity 1 students research diseases using provided websites and complete a chart describing what each disease is, who it affects, and physical examination results. The Parent Plan lists the skill "Summarize the genetic transmittance of disease," indicating students are expected to produce summaries of genetic transmission.
Lesson 8
Cloning
Students read pages 98–107 of Genetics: Breaking the Code of Your DNA and answer targeted comprehension questions about genetic testing, gene therapy challenges, and potential applications of cloning. Students create a brochure that requires them to explain what an animal cloning company does and to include a brief explanation of how the cloning process works. Students make lists of pros and cons and discuss whether animal (and possibly human) cloning should be legal, forming and explaining conclusions based on evidence from readings and linked resources.
Final Project
A New Organism
Students are asked to review vocabulary cards and the "Study Guide" and "Review Sheet" and to "review the key ideas associated with each lesson," which requires identifying important points from unit materials. The unit exam includes short-answer questions (e.g., "Why do you think genetic variation is important?" and "What are some things you learned in this unit that you didn't know before?") that ask students to state conclusions and summarize what they learned. Several assessment items (pedigree questions, Punnett square questions, and items asking for explanations of dominance/recessiveness) require students to interpret information and draw conclusions from provided diagrams and data.
Unit 1: The House of the Scorpion
Lesson 1
Cloning
Students are asked to read multiple informational webpages about cloning and to create note cards that answer focused questions (e.g., "What is cloning?", "What are the benefits?", "What are possible problems?", and "Arguments FOR/AGAINST human cloning"), which requires identifying central ideas in each source. Activity 3 directs students to highlight thesis statements and identify the author's position, counterargument, and rebuttal in persuasive paragraphs, an explicit task to determine central conclusions. The reading questions for Chapters 1–4 ask students to infer Eduardo's goal and identify that Matt is a clone, prompting students to draw conclusions from textual evidence.
Lesson 2
Revising and Editing
Students read Chapters 5 and 6 and answer focused comprehension questions that require them to describe Matt's living conditions, his reactions to Celia and Maria, his impression of El Patrón, and the provisions El Patrón makes for him. Students respond to discussion prompts that ask them to identify El Patrón's position and how others respond, and to cite examples of love, loyalty, corruption, and betrayal. The wrapping-up statement and questions prompt students to reflect on dramatic changes in Matt's life and how he copes, which asks for identification of overarching developments in the text.
Lesson 3
Cast of Characters
Students read Chapters 7-9 and answer explicit comprehension questions that require extracting key events and facts (e.g., what finally compels Matt to talk; what he learns about his origins as a clone and about eejits; descriptions of Matt's relationships and discoveries). Students create a family tree and write brief descriptions for each Alacrán family member, compiling and organizing information about characters and their relationships. The Wrapping Up and discussion prompts ask students to think about broader themes (e.g., human existence, effects of changing human function), which directs students to consider central ideas across the chapters.
Lesson 4
Rhetorical and Logical Fallacies
Students read Chapters 10-12 of The House of the Scorpion and answer targeted comprehension questions about characters and events (e.g., what Tom does when Furball is missing, the clone in the hospital). Students are prompted to discuss and explain thematic ideas about power and ethical choices (questions ask how Matt uses power, the result, and what he learns). Students analyze an argumentative essay on human cloning by identifying rhetorical and logical fallacies, which involves locating authors' claims and evidence.
Lesson 5
Arguing the Issue
Students are asked to read two persuasive essays about human cloning and to "Record each author's main arguments," which requires identifying the central ideas or conclusions of each text. The Parent Plan explicitly directs students to "compare and contrast persuasive texts that reached different conclusions" and to "explain how the authors reached their conclusions through analyzing the evidence each presents," prompting text-based summaries. The student activity page also asks students to note logical and rhetorical fallacies, which directs them to base their summaries on textual evidence rather than on opinion.
Lesson 6
Societal Comparisons
Students read Chapters 16–18 and answer targeted comprehension questions that require recalling and summarizing key events (e.g., Furball's death, discovery of spying cameras, the eejits' living conditions, Tam Lin's past). Students complete Activity 1 by recording similarities and differences between Opium and the United States, which asks them to analyze societal features and draw conclusions about power and rights. Activity 2 asks students to identify the warning the book offers and to create a visual and descriptive paragraph for a dystopian society, prompting students to articulate thematic conclusions.
Lesson 8
Family Crest
Students read Chapters 22–24 and answer focused comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) that require them to state Maria's rescue plan and why it failed, explain El Patrón's justification for using Matt, describe Celia's actions to save Matt, and explain how Tam Lin helps Matt. Students are prompted to consider thematic ideas in the "Ideas to Think About" section (e.g., how power is used) and to discuss identity and power in the Parent Plan discussion questions (e.g., how Matt is "Mi Vida" and how power is exercised by characters).
Lesson 9
Science Fiction
Students read specified chapters and answer directed comprehension questions asking about Matt's impressions, where he is brought, how advice helps him, and the Keepers' values. Students complete a Science Fiction activity page in which they match explicit genre characteristics (setting, technology based on present science, impact on people, utopian/dystopian view, social commentary) to evidence from The House of the Scorpion. The Parent Plan Skills statement asks students to cite textual evidence that supports analysis of explicit text and inferences.
Lesson 10
Opium and Aztlán
Students read Chapters 28–30 and answer targeted comprehension questions about plot and character actions (Questions #1–#4). Students complete a Venn diagram activity listing words and phrases that describe Opium and Aztlán and comparing Matt's life in the two places. Discussion prompts ask students to identify what comment the author intends about human treatment of the environment, which asks for an inferred authorial message or conclusion.
Lesson 11
Wisdom and Love
Students are asked to consider high-level themes in the "Ideas to Think About" section (e.g., how childhood love and wisdom affect later decisions) and to reflect on religious symbols and Tam Lin's teachings in Activity 1 using quoted passages from the text. Students must write journal reflections about how Celia's and Tam Lin's teachings shaped Matt and create a poster that captures those ideas, and the "Wrapping Up" statement summarizes a central conclusion about loving influences providing Matt strength. The Parent Plan lists a related skill: analyzing how a modern work draws on themes and character types, which directs students to identify thematic material.
Lesson 12
El Día de los Muertos
Students read Chapters 34–36 and answer directed comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) that require them to recount plot events and explanations (e.g., Ton-Ton's rescue plan, how the truth is revealed). The lesson includes thematic prompts under "Ideas to Think About" (people coping with loss; power not tied to size) and discussion questions that ask students to consider the meaning of El Día de Los Muertos and how Esperanza exercises power. The student activity page includes a critical-thinking prompt asking how holidays like El Día de Los Muertos might appear in future storytelling, prompting inference about cultural themes.
Lesson 13
Unit Test and Essay Reflections
The Parent Plan explicitly states students will "determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development...; provide an objective summary of the text." The lesson's "Ideas to Think About" defines theme and directs students to read Chapters 37–38 and answer comprehension questions (e.g., how Matt's status changed and why Tam Lin died), and unit test items ask students to explain characters' power, analyze Tam Lin's death, and discuss genre and dystopia, all requiring identification of central ideas and conclusions.
Unit 2: Industrialization, Urbanization, and Immigration
Lesson 1
Urbanization and Migration
Students read the first-person account "Charles Denby: Bound North" and answer focused comprehension questions asking why Denby wanted to move, whether he met his goals, why Chicago was a destination, and how education differed between North and South. In Activity 1 students plot city population data, answer questions about which city grew most, percent growth, and note observational trends from their graphs. In Activity 2 students synthesize information about the Great Migration by writing a two-paragraph letter from a migrant's point of view or by writing commentary on Jacob Lawrence paintings that explain what each image shows about migration.
Lesson 2
Indian Wars in the West
Students are asked to pause the documentary and "write down the things you learned in that section that you found most interesting or important," using structured note-taking pages that focus attention on main topics (Railroads, Settlement of the Great Plains, etc.). In Activity 2 students must design an informational sign about Wounded Knee that answers "What is important to know about Wounded Knee?" and "What happened there and why did it happen?", requiring synthesis of central facts from sources. The Day 2 reading and questions (e.g., Q1–Q4) and the boarding-school photo comparisons ask students to extract key points from texts and images and to write observations and explanations about causes and consequences.
Lesson 3
New Technologies
Students read short informational texts (the Jackie Cooper excerpt and online biographies of Edison, Bell, and the Wright Brothers) and answer comprehension questions (QUESTION #1-#4) that require extracting key facts. Students are asked to summarize biographical information by preparing a 60–90 second first-person speech as Alexander Graham Bell and to condense Edison film content into short advertisement descriptions. Students complete 'Changing Technologies' pages that require writing descriptions comparing how needs were met in 1850 and 1920, synthesizing information across sources.
Lesson 5
Immigration
Students read a short article (with emphasis on the section "A Wave Becomes a Flood") and answer specific comprehension questions about causes, origins, and settlement patterns, requiring them to extract key ideas from the text. In Activity 1 students read immigrant letters and use an activity page to list evidence of push and pull factors, naming letter writers/recipients and supporting details. In Option 2 students watch a video and record 8–10 facts and statistics, and in Activity 2 students read sources about nativism/KKK and complete a Reasons-for-Joining activity that asks them to identify purposes and motivations from the texts.
Lesson 6
Social Problems
Students read specified short texts from We Were There, Too! and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., outcomes of the Pullman strike, reasons the newsies struck, and what the 19th Amendment changed), which requires extracting key conclusions from those readings. In Activity 3, students research a reformer and create a poster that explains why an issue is a problem and what the leader proposes, which asks students to summarize a reformer's position. The photo-analysis pages prompt students to record prior knowledge and to describe what they see, asking them to separate what they knew before from observable details.
Lesson 7
Politics
Students are asked to identify and explain main ideas in the discussion questions and wrap-up (e.g., "What was Grangerism?" and "Name two important planks of the Populist Party platform"), which requires extracting central ideas. In Activity 2 students read the Populist platform and write sentences explaining which groups might support it, requiring them to pick out key positions from the text. The Grangerism activity asks students to consider the impact of railroad and storage rates on farm profits, which requires recognizing the central economic conclusion linking costs and farmer interests.
Lesson 8
World War I
Students are asked to "Summarize the article in 3-4 sentences" on the Lusitania activity page, requiring them to state the main points of a primary-source newspaper article. In the Propaganda Posters activities students must identify the "Goal of the poster" and check which persuasive appeals are used, which asks them to determine a text's central purpose. In the U.S. Entry activity students evaluate and rank reasons for entering the war and "explain the reasoning behind their order," which asks them to identify and prioritize central conclusions from a text and sources.
Unit 2: Living Organisms
Lesson 3
Plant Reproduction
Students are asked to read pages 32–35 of an informational text and answer comprehension questions (Q1–Q3) that require stating differences between sexual and asexual reproduction and whether plants use each method. The Skills section explicitly lists "Summarize the basic structures and functions of flowering plants," and Option 2 asks students to produce a mostly visual presentation that explains fertilization, including the flower parts involved and where they are located, based on the linked webpage and video. Multiple activities require students to identify, label, and sketch seed and flower parts, which asks students to extract and represent core content from the texts and resources.
Lesson 4
Biotic and Abiotic Factors
In Activity 2 students read a short selection about life in the rainforest and fill a two-column chart labeling three biotic and three abiotic factors and describing their impacts. The student pages ask students to answer which abiotic and biotic factors will have the most or least impact and to explain how abiotic and biotic factors work together. The chart and questions require students to extract information from a text and draw conclusions about factors affecting a macaranga tree.
Lesson 5
Nutrition
Students are asked to read assigned pages and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., how amoebas intake food, how fungi digest food), which requires extracting information from an informational text. In Activity 2 students must research an animal's digestive system and either create a brochure describing the journey of food through major parts or write a brief report that summarizes the animal's digestive process in their own words. The parent notes explicitly instruct students to take notes, paraphrase rather than copy, and consult more than one source to ensure their summary is thorough and accurate.
Lesson 6
Respiration
Students are assigned to read pages 12–15 in Life Processes and answer targeted questions (e.g., difference between respiration and breathing, how plants intake oxygen) that require extracting key information from the text. In Activity 1 students explain their observations of the yeast experiment, which asks them to summarize what happened and why the balloon inflated. In Activity 2 students arrange images or create diagrams that represent the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration, requiring them to synthesize and represent the main components and outcomes of those processes.
Lesson 7
Stimulus and Response
Students are assigned to read pages 16–19 in Life Processes and then answer three content questions that require describing senses, explaining what sensing allows organisms to do, and defining reflex responses. The Parent Plan skills list includes an objective to "Compare and contrast the information gained from experiments, simulations, video, or multimedia sources with that gained from reading a text on the same topic," which asks students to relate and evaluate information from a text. Several activity pages prompt students to answer comprehension and analysis questions after observations or readings (for example, questions about geotropism and plant responses) that require extracting information from sources.
Lesson 8
Behavior
Students are assigned specific pages to read (pp. 6-11 and 14-15) and then answer targeted comprehension questions that require identifying main ideas (e.g., whether migration is instinctive or learned, what imprinting is, examples of trial-and-error). Students are asked to write a 1–2 paragraph summary of research in Option 1 and to put information in their own words, which practices producing accurate summaries. The Parent Plan explicitly lists "Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text" as a skill students will learn.
Final Project
Exploring Living Organisms
Students are instructed to take research notes and "remember that information should be in your own words," and to complete Overview and Description sections that require condensing information about an organism. Students must create slides or booklet pages that communicate key ideas with concise text and graphics so that a viewer can understand each slide without narration. The project requires students to synthesize information across categories (nutrition, reproduction, ecological relationships, etc.), which asks them to select and present main points from their research.
Unit 2: Watership Down
Lesson 2
Foreshadowing
The Parent Plan Skills section explicitly states that students will "Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text." The Reading and Questions asks students to read Chapters 1–8 and to record character information on character cards, which has students identify elements of the text. The Wrapping Up states that students have "discovered the initial problem of the novel," indicating students identify a central problem or idea from the opening chapters.
Lesson 4
Comparing Rabbits
The lesson asks students to add information to character cards and to perform the role of Connection Commander, asking them to read Chapters 14–17 and "write several sentences explaining the connections" they made between the reading and their experience or other works. The Skills section explicitly lists "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text." The Strange Rabbits Venn-diagram activity requires students to list characteristics from the text that belong to Hazel's group, Cowslip's group, or both groups, using information from the chapters.
Lesson 5
Quotes and Creatures
Students are asked to research the works cited in chapter quotations and "record a couple of sentences" describing the work's culture, time period, important themes, and why it is well known, then explain how the quote relates to chapter events and theme. Students research plants and animals from Chapter 18 to identify producers and consumers and then create a visual food web, integrating factual information into a diagram. These tasks require students to identify themes of texts and extract factual information from informational sources.
Lesson 6
Dramatic Irony
Students are assigned the literary role of Questioner and asked to develop 3–5 questions about the big ideas in Chapters 22 and 23, which requires them to think about overarching themes rather than small details. Discussion prompts in the Parent Plan ask students to explain how the narrator shows rabbits moving on from trauma and to explain Hazel's leadership decision — tasks that require identifying central ideas or conclusions from the text. The Wrapping Up paragraph summarizes key points (how rabbits coped, Hazel's plan), which students are prompted to discuss and review.
Lesson 7
Rabbit Societies
The Parent Plan explicitly lists the skill: "Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text...; provide an objective summary of the text." The Rabbit Societies activity has students record strengths and weaknesses of each group and compare Hazel's leadership to other leaders, requiring analysis of themes of society and leadership. The Passage Practitioner role asks students to select two important quotations and discuss their significance, prompting students to identify key ideas and explain their importance.
Lesson 8
Folktales and Fantasy
The Parent Plan Skills explicitly state that students will "Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development...; provide an objective summary of the text." Activity 1 assigns students the literary role Summarizer and directs them to write a summary of Chapter 31, "The Story of El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inle," identifying key events and ideas. The Skills list also instructs students to "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis," which supports producing an accurate, text-based summary.
Lesson 10
Setting
Students are assigned Chapters 35–37 and given the literary role of Questioner, where they must develop 3–5 questions about the "big ideas" of the reading rather than small details. In Activity 1 students compare and contrast two settings and write a 2–4 sentence reflection explaining how textual details give clues about the nature of each place. The wrap-up prompts include reviewing the connection between setting and plot, which directs students to think about overarching elements of the text.
Lesson 11
Conflict and Escape
The Parent Plan Skills explicitly instruct students to "determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text." The Introducing the Lesson and discussion prompts ask students to consider the theme of caring for the environment and to identify evidence of that theme through characters, setting, and plot. Activities ask students to outline conflict and create a plot diagram, which requires identifying central conflicts and key plot elements that contribute to central ideas.
Lesson 12
Dramatic Enactment
Students read Chapters 41–45 and are asked to update character cards with physical descriptions, traits, important actions, memorable quotes, and reactions of other characters, which requires extracting key information from the text. Students answer discussion questions that ask them to provide examples of Hazel's leadership and to describe why a critical moment is important, asking them to explain what is at stake and what the choices reveal about characters. Students write a 3–5 minute script and choose what to include or omit when dramatizing scenes, which requires distilling events and character motivations into a concise dramatized form.
Lesson 13
A Fantasy Story
Students finish reading Watership Down and are asked to discuss the ending, including how characters have changed, how major conflicts were resolved, and what themes or messages were most meaningful. Students complete study-guide and test questions that ask them to explain literary terms, identify types of conflict, describe a rabbit leader's leadership style with two examples, and focus on how the theme of leadership is developed. Students are prompted to "reflect on its meaning" and consider the author's intended commentary, which requires extracting central ideas or conclusions from the text.
Unit 3: The Great Depression and World War II
Lesson 1
The 1920s
Students are asked to read specific pages (v-vii and 1-2) from a nonfiction text and answer comprehension questions that require identifying key information (e.g., QUESTION #1 asks what problems Germany faced after World War I; QUESTION #3 asks for a definition of isolationism). In Activity 1 students research biographies on the Kennedy Center site, chart connections among individuals of the Harlem Renaissance, and give their chart a title that expresses what they learned. The timeline activity asks students to place historical cards, reinforcing identification of main events and chronology.
Lesson 2
The Great Depression
Students read assigned sections from two historical books and answer focused comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) that ask them to identify causes and effects such as the stock market crash triggering the Depression and the agricultural practices that led to the Dust Bowl. Students take structured notes while watching the "Bust" episode, recording social impacts, costs/benefits, and leading people/events, which requires extracting main points from a multimedia text. Students analyze Library of Congress photographs and write short descriptions explaining what each photo shows about the Depression, which asks them to draw conclusions from primary-source materials.
Lesson 3
The Start of World War II
Students read specified sections of World War II for Kids and answer comprehension questions that ask them to identify causes and conclusions (for example, how the Nazi government defied the Treaty of Versailles, what action caused France and Britain to declare war, and what led the United States to enter World War II). Students add cards #124-126 to a timeline of U.S. history, selecting and organizing key events from the readings. Students discuss wrap-up questions that compare causes and consequences of the war, which prompts them to extract important information from the text.
Lesson 4
1942
Students read specific selections from a chapter on World War II and answer targeted reading questions (Questions 1–3) that ask them to explain the significance of the Battles of Coral Sea and Midway, why Hitler pushed toward key Soviet cities, and the Allies' goals for 1943. The lesson also asks students to review their responses to those reading questions and includes a short wrapping-up statement that summarizes Allied plans by early 1943, which students can use to check their understanding.
Lesson 5
The Homefront
Students are assigned specific textbook and primary-source readings (selections from World War II for Kids and We Were There, Too!) and asked targeted comprehension questions (Questions #1-#4) that require explaining causes and consequences (e.g., why items were rationed, how women supported the war effort, why families were interned). The parent/teacher prompts instruct reviewing students' answers to the reading questions and discussing key facts listed in the "Things to Know" section, which highlights central ideas such as rationing, internment, and youth contributions. The "Making a Difference" activity asks students to extract and apply information from the readings to brainstorm concrete contributions kids could make.
Lesson 6
1943
Students are assigned specific sections of Chapter 4 of World War II for Kids to read and answer guided comprehension questions. Question #1 asks students to state how the balance shifted between the Axis and Allies by 1943, which targets a central idea of the text. The lesson's discussion prompts and the Wrapping Up statement ask students to explain strategic shifts and consequences, requiring them to identify conclusions drawn from the reading.
Lesson 7
Victory in Europe
Students are instructed to use a note-taking page while watching the "World War II" video and to write down thoughts about each section, pausing as needed, which requires them to record main ideas from each segment. The reading selection includes targeted comprehension questions (e.g., why June 5 or 6 was chosen for D‑Day; Hitler's goal in the Battle of the Bulge) that ask students to identify causes and conclusions from the text. Activity 2 asks students to synthesize information about individuals (what life was like before the war, roles in the war, and how the war affected them), which requires students to extract and organize key ideas across readings and media.
Lesson 8
The Holocaust
Students are asked to read Chapter 6 and use guided note-taking pages to "write down important details and your thoughts on what you are learning," including prompts to define anti-Semitic terms, list ways Jews escaped, identify goals of ghettos, and record facts about concentration and death camps. Students complete focused items such as fill-in-the-blank prompts about Schindler, the Sonderkommando, and the Terezin "paradise camp," and they reflect on how a museum visit or artworks "enhance their understanding" of the Holocaust. These activities require students to extract and record key information and to reflect on what specific texts or images show about the events.
Lesson 9
Victory in the Pacific
Students read specified selections from World War II for Kids and answer four targeted reading questions that ask about the Allies' goal in the Pacific, the outcome of Okinawa, leaders' concerns about invading Japan, and Truman's hoped-for outcome. Students complete an activity chart titled "The Atomic Bomb" where they fill in facts and advice/estimates and judge whether those facts support dropping the bomb, which requires them to identify relevant conclusions drawn from the historical information. Students add events to a Timeline of U.S. History, which requires extracting key events and outcomes from the readings.
Final Project
Before and After World War II
The project directions for Option 2 require students to write a 2–4 sentence summary for each poster section (Politics, Economics, Society & Culture) for Before, During, and After the war, and instruct students to use readings and online resources to create those summaries. The rubric explicitly evaluates inclusion of a well-written 2–4 sentence summary on each poster (criterion 5). Option 1 also asks students to write a short paragraph explaining one big event or theme in each individual's During section and to include written content and primary sources in their exhibits, which requires synthesizing information from texts.
Unit 3: A Dynamic Planet
Lesson 2
Plate Tectonics
Students are assigned to read Chapter 2 of The Field Guide to Geology and answer specific content questions (e.g., age of oldest ocean floors, where trenches form, clues to continental drift), which requires extracting information from a text. Students create and present a "Deep Time" timeline and "Plate Tectonic Timeline Cards," and are asked to "present your timeline to another student or group," which requires them to organize and communicate key information from readings and activities. Parent prompts ask students to "provide a brief explanation of tectonic plates and how they have shaped the world," which asks for a short verbal synthesis of content.
Lesson 3
The First Four Billion Years
Students read assigned pages (pp. 180-185) and answer specific comprehension questions that require identifying key facts about each eon (e.g., why no Hadean rocks exist, when life first appeared). Students create and place timeline cards that condense billions of years of information into labeled events (3.5 BYA prokaryotes, 2.4 BYA oxygen increase, 1.5 BYA multicellular life, etc.), practicing synthesis of central events. Students write a journal paragraph describing a time-lapse video and reflecting on what surprised them, which asks them to summarize observed changes over time.
Lesson 4
The Age of Visible Life
Students read assigned pages from The Field Guide to Geology and answer specific comprehension questions about periods and life forms (e.g., identifying the Cambrian, where Cambrian life is found). Students construct a detailed Geologic Column timeline and add Paleozoic/Mesozoic/Cenozoic timeline cards, organizing and sequencing major events and developments. Parents are prompted to ask students to describe what the geologic column is and to explain what they have learned about the history of life by filling out the timelines.
Lesson 5
Digging for Clues
Students read specified pages of an informational text and answer focused comprehension questions (e.g., what scientists found in deeper rock layers). Activity pages ask students to describe how fossils change from older to younger layers and to answer, "How do paleontologists use this progression to support the theory of evolution?" The wrapping-up statements and Parent Plan skills repeatedly state that students should explain that the fossil record shows change over time and summarize lines of evidence (geology, fossils, comparative anatomy).
Lesson 6
Natural Selection
Students are asked to read pages 12–17 and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., identify Darwin's theory about Galapagos finches, define species, and describe natural selection), which requires extracting central ideas from the text. The wrapping up and discussion prompts ask students to state "What is a species?" and "What is natural selection?" reinforcing identification of key conclusions. The Parent Plan lists a skill to "Summarize the use of evidence drawn from geology, fossils, and comparative anatomy," indicating an expectation that students will articulate evidence-based conclusions.
Lesson 7
Survival of the Fittest
Students read specified pages of an informational text (pages 18-25) and answer direct comprehension questions about key concepts such as DNA as instructions, the definition and effects of mutations, and how species separation leads to speciation. Students complete an activity that requires recording observations about genetic variation across generations and answering questions that require extracting the main idea that genetic variation enables populations to adapt. The wrapping-up and parent-plan prompts ask students to articulate what they learned about mutation and genetic variation.
Lesson 8
Convergent Evolution
Students read pages 26–35 of the book and answer comprehension questions such as "What is convergent evolution?" and "Explain why the author uses the phrase 'survival of the adequate'," which requires identifying central ideas and conclusions. Students complete Activity 1 by researching a convergent-evolution example and either writing a paragraph that describes the environmental challenge and similarities/differences or creating a poster with brief descriptions, both tasks requiring them to summarize information from sources. The Wrapping Up and discussion prompts ask students to state what convergent evolution is and explain why sharks and dolphins have similar body styles, reinforcing extraction of central ideas from the text and media.
Final Project
Fast Forward
Students must condense the entire 4.5 billion–year history of the Earth into a five‑minute dramatization, using timeline sheets to organize and summarize major events. In Option 2, students research a chosen religion's stance on evolution, document religious and scientific evidence side‑by‑side on provided activity pages, conduct interviews using guided question pages, and prepare a 5–10 minute presentation that clearly states the religion's viewpoint and differences in perspective. Rubrics require that the student's introduction clearly state the viewpoint, that differences in viewpoint be communicated, and that conclusions follow from the research presented.
Unit 3: The Book Thief
Lesson 6
The Standover Man
Students are asked to reread "The Standover Man" and may retell an event from the book in their own words as an option for the Illustrated Story activity, which requires composing a short, sequential account. Students answer focused comprehension questions about character similarities, changes, motivations, and symbolism (Questions #1-#4), requiring them to extract key ideas and details from the text. Discussion prompts ask students to consider how meanings change (e.g., the standover man concept) and to reflect on the effects of sharing nightmares, which asks students to identify thematic shifts and conclusions.
Lesson 7
The Seven-Sided Die
Students read Part Five and write question-and-answer items that require locating and synthesizing information (Right There and Think and Search questions). Students identify persuasive claims in Nazi propaganda excerpts by naming three specific arguments and by identifying logical fallacies and the emotions those arguments appeal to. Students analyze quoted passages by identifying fallacies, explaining why arguments may have been effective, and citing examples from the provided propaganda texts and ads.
Lesson 10
The Trilogy of Happiness
Students complete a Relationship Web that asks them to identify and describe the significance of relationships and themes (e.g., what constitutes "family"), which requires identifying central ideas in the narrative. Comprehension questions ask students to state Liesel's "trilogy of happiness" and interpret Max's description of the stars, prompting extraction of key points and meanings from the text. In the War Journalism activity, students read informational paragraphs and answer questions that ask them to identify main ways Americans received news and to distinguish informational content from propaganda, requiring identification of main ideas in an informational text.
Lesson 11
The Word Shaker
Students answer specific comprehension questions about Part Eight (e.g., why the Gestapo were interested in Rudy; why Alex Steiner and Hans were conscripted), which requires extracting key facts and reasons from the text. In the 'Descriptive Examples' activity students interpret Max's allegory by explaining what Hitler is "planting" and what the conveyor-belt scene represents, which asks them to determine symbolic central meanings. In the 'Primary Sources vs. Historical Fiction' activity students choose three ideas from a brainstorm and provide specific examples from the day's primary source readings or The Book Thief, requiring them to identify and cite main ideas or illustrative points from the texts.
Lesson 12
The Teddy Bear
Students are asked to analyze characters' journeys (Activity 1) and to create a map or diagram that explains the significance of each stop and how a character's physical and/or emotional state changed (Option 2). The instructions tell students to "choose the most important details that communicate the importance of the journey and what the person learned or achieved along the way," which requires selecting central events and meanings. Discussion questions ask students to explain Death's statement and Michael Holtzapfel's actions, prompting students to draw conclusions about character motivations and thematic elements.
Unit 4: Global Conflict and Civil Rights
Lesson 1
The Post-War World
Students are asked to describe photographs and explain what each image helped them understand, requiring them to extract meaning from visual texts. Students complete a data chart and graphing activity where they calculate deaths as a percentage of pre-war populations and identify which countries had the largest gains or losses in GDP, requiring them to draw conclusions from quantitative information. Students analyze advertisements and are explicitly asked to "sum up the ad in one sentence" and to compare and contrast historical and modern ads, which directs them to produce concise summaries of persuasive messages.
Lesson 2
The Cold War and Communism
Students read short historical articles from the U.S. State Department and answer specific comprehension questions (QUESTION #3: "Summarize the Truman Doctrine" and QUESTION #4: "Summarize the Marshall Plan"). Students take notes while viewing the "Superpower" video and complete note-taking pages that require them to record key ideas. The parent plan also provides a concise "Summary" of the video content that students could use as a model or reference.
Lesson 3
The Cold War
Students read primary-source and explanatory texts (Office of the Historian links, JFK speech transcript) and answer focused comprehension questions (Questions 1–4) that require identifying key facts and outcomes (e.g., why Kennedy was concerned, the outcome of Bay of Pigs, what missiles were being built, and how the crisis ended). In the Speech Analysis activity, students list three facts JFK provided and explain how he used the past to justify decisions, which asks them to extract central claims and supporting evidence. In the Decision Making activity, students research options, evaluate advantages and disadvantages, and explain their chosen course of action, practicing analysis of conclusions drawn from texts.
Lesson 4
Civil Rights
Students are assigned to read specific texts (Claudette Colvin: The First to Keep Her Seat; Elizabeth Eckford: Facing a Mob on the First Day of School; Sections 1 and 2 of Free at Last) and answer focused comprehension questions (e.g., Q1–Q4) that require reporting key ideas and events from the readings. In Activity 1 students complete a graphic organizer comparing Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks, filling in squares with full-sentence descriptions of personality traits, actions during arrest, and possible reasons for impact, which asks them to synthesize information from the texts. In Activity 2 Option 2 students must write a newspaper clipping with a headline and two paragraphs: the first paragraph must explain how the person died and the second must tell about his life and activism, requiring students to summarize information from their readings.
Lesson 5
Sit-Ins and Freedom Rides
Students read multiple primary and secondary texts (Carolyn McKinstry: On the Firing Line; Section 3 of Free At Last; Dr. King's "I Have a Dream") and answer directed comprehension questions that require extracting concrete information (e.g., how McKinstry's parents shielded their children; reactions to sit-ins). Students reread and listen to the "I Have a Dream" speech and are instructed to highlight or underline particularly powerful phrases, which engages them in identifying key ideas. Students may complete a graphic organizer that prompts them to note similarities, differences, and suggested points of comparison such as dates, audiences, key ideas, themes, occasions, or goals between two speeches.
Lesson 6
The Ballot
Students are asked to read Part 4 of Free at Last and answer four focused comprehension questions that require extracting main points (e.g., why Hartman Turnbow's home was firebombed, tactics used to prevent African Americans from voting, why COFO used white college students, and what the Voting Rights Act did). The lesson includes a "Things to Know" list and a "Wrapping Up" paragraph that state central conclusions about Freedom Summer, backlash, and the Voting Rights Act, which students review. Discussion prompts (e.g., interpreting Martin Luther King Jr.'s quote) and the reading-review instruction ask students to identify and explain the significance of key ideas from the text.
Lesson 7
New Directions and Other Social Movements
Students are asked to read Section 5 of Free at Last and an excerpt about Jessica Govea and then answer focused comprehension questions (e.g., causes of tensions in the Civil Rights Movement; Stokely Carmichael's role; working conditions for migrant grape pickers; what the Community Service Organization did). Students complete a Venn diagram comparing the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Black Panthers, recording similarities and differences in goals, principles, strategies, and membership. In Option 2, students write a 2–3 minute speech that must include information about the treatment of farm workers and at least two reasons to support a boycott, requiring them to extract and restate key information from the readings.
Lesson 8
Korea
Students read a webpage about the Korean War and answer four specific comprehension questions asking for key events and conclusions (e.g., what started the war, why it was both a civil and proxy war, global influences, and how it ended). Students take notes on veterans' memories while watching videos and are asked to add cards #152-157 to a timeline of U.S. history, which requires condensing events into brief entries. The "A Proposal to Remember" activity asks students to respond to prompts such as "Why was the U.S. involved in the Korean War? What was the goal?" which requires identifying central causes and goals.
Lesson 9
Vietnam
Students read U.S. Department of State webpages about the Vietnam War (The Gulf of Tonkin, The Tet Offensive, Ending the Vietnam War) and answer targeted Reading and Questions items asking what the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution authorized, what Tet is, and the impact of the Tet Offensive. The lesson also provides a "Things to Know" list (Domino Effect, Agent Orange, Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Tet Offensive) that summarizes central conclusions about key events. Students review veteran accounts and add timeline cards, which require extracting main factual points from sources.
Lesson 10
The Culture of the 1960s
Students are asked to watch a 1960s television episode and complete an activity page that asks for "What is this show about?" and a "Brief summary of the plot of the episode you watched," which requires identifying central ideas and summarizing. Students are also asked to listen to at least two protest songs and complete an activity page that asks "What is the song's message about the war?" and to compare how the two songs are similar or different, which requires determining central messages or conclusions from the texts (songs).
Final Project
A Time Capsule
Students complete an artifact worksheet that asks, for each item, "What is this artifact/document?" and "What will it help future archaeologists understand about this time period?," requiring them to state the purpose and significance of documents. Students prepare and deliver brief remarks in a dedication ceremony explaining why they chose each time capsule object and the importance of the period, which involves summarizing key ideas about the era. Students also answer short-answer unit test questions (e.g., why leaders rallied behind Rosa Parks, how marchers were treated, and to describe a concept or event learned) that require them to identify and explain central ideas from the unit.
Unit 4: Human Body Systems
Lesson 1
Our Bodies
Students are instructed to read pp. 14–17 and "take notes on what each system does and which body systems interact with or are dependent upon other systems," which requires extracting key information from the text. Option 2 asks students to "briefly describe the main function of each system" and match words from a word bank to systems, which has students restate text information in their own words. Activity 1 asks students to draw arrows and write how one system benefits another, requiring synthesis of relationships described in the reading.
Lesson 5
Respiratory System
Students are instructed to read pages 160–170 and "be sure you understand the major function of the respiratory system and how the body uses oxygen," which directs them to identify central ideas. Students label and place respiratory structures (nasal cavity, trachea, bronchioles, alveoli, diaphragm) and explain their functions in Activity 1, which requires extracting main points about structure-function. Students build a respiration flowchart (Activity 2), perform an experiment to compare inhaled and exhaled air (Activity 3), and calculate oxygen/CO2 proportions (Activity 4), all of which require summarizing processes and conclusions from the content they read or observed.
Lesson 6
Digestive System
Students are assigned to read pages 210–231 and then answer direct comprehension questions such as "What is the primary function of the digestive system?" and "What are the primary organs in the digestive system?", which require identifying central ideas. In Activity 1 students must retell the sequence of digestion by creating a comic strip that describes what happens to a food particle at each major step, which asks them to condense and convey the main processes. In Activity 2 students label and place major organs on a body outline, reinforcing identification of key components and their roles drawn from the text.
Lesson 7
Urinary System
Students are directed to read specific pages (240-247) and answer targeted comprehension questions about blood flow, hormones, nephrons, and filtration, which requires extracting key information from the text. The "Things to Know" section explicitly states the primary functions of the urinary system (filter wastes and maintain fluid/blood balance), giving a clear statement of central ideas to be learned. In Activity 1 students must retell the journey of a water droplet through the urinary system by creating a comic strip, which requires them to summarize and sequence the text's procedural content in their own words and images.
Lesson 8
Endocrine System
Students are assigned to read pages 130–137 and answer targeted comprehension questions (Questions 1–4) that ask them to explain how hormones travel, compare the speed/duration of the nervous and endocrine systems, and identify the role of the pituitary gland. Students complete a matching activity where they match hormones to their functions and producing glands, requiring them to gather and synthesize information from the text and an external chart. Students draw and label an endocrine system diagram and optionally sort organs into systems in the Systems Review, which requires integrating details across the reading.
Lesson 9
Reproductive System
Students are assigned to read specific pages (pp. 260-265) and external web pages about male and female reproduction and then to research functions of listed organs. Activity 1 requires students to write a one-paragraph summary or prepare a two-minute oral presentation describing the major functions of reproductive organs in their own words and explicitly instructs them not to copy directly. Activity 2 has students order and describe stages of prenatal development on cards, and Questions #1 and #2 ask for concise factual summaries (embryo/fetus timing; role of the placenta).
Lesson 12
Balance in the Body
Students are assigned to read pages 21-23 and online resources about homeostasis and the hypothalamus, then use that information to complete the "Homeostasis" activity. Students match organs to regulatory functions and identify the organ systems for each organ, showing they extract key informational points from text and resources. Students answer explanatory questions (e.g., which situation represents homeostasis, which systems restore homeostasis, and how the body restores balance) and record/graph experimental data from the Hands-On Homeostasis activity.
Final Project
Body Systems Presentation
Students are instructed to create slide or poster summaries for each body system that include the system's function and at least two interdependencies, requiring them to condense information into 2–4 slides per system. The directions explicitly tell students to "be concise," "avoid copying sentences directly from the unit or book," and "try to put things in your own words," which directs students to produce original summaries. The project rubric evaluates clarity and comprehensibility of the presented information, so students must organize and express core ideas about each system clearly.
Unit 4: To Kill a Mockingbird
Lesson 1
Historical Context
Students watch a video about "Alabama in the 1930s" and create a mind map to organize and connect key historical information, which requires them to identify and record main ideas from that source. After reading the first two chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird, students answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., what you learn about Scout's family; describe the Radley house) and respond to a prompt asking what evidence of the historical period they observed, which asks them to extract and state key information from the text.
Lesson 2
Home and School
The Parent Plan lists the skill: "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text," which asks students to locate and use evidence. Discussion questions ask students to explain how Atticus and Calpurnia treat Walter Cunningham and what that reveals about values, prompting analysis supported by text. The Wrapping Up paragraph and teacher-provided example responses model central elements of the chapters that students can discuss and reference.
Lesson 3
The Mystery of Boo
Students read chapters 5–7 and answer specific comprehension questions that require recalling events and reasons (e.g., Scout's reasons for liking Miss Maudie; how the children try to contact Boo). In Activity 1, students list five items based on hearsay and five items based on personal experience or reliable sources from chapters 1 and 5, compare the two columns, and then develop a hypothesis about who Boo really is. The parent plan notes the skill of citing textual evidence to support analysis of explicit text and inferences.
Lesson 4
Snow and Fire
Students are asked to read Chapters 8–9 and "fill in information about the characters on the Character Line-Up chart," which requires collecting and organizing key details about characters. Students must "complete a literature response" that includes at least one quotation from the section and "explain the meaning and importance of the quotation," asking them to interpret textual evidence. The discussion questions ask students to explain why Atticus must defend Tom Robinson and to predict events foreshadowed by his comment, which requires students to draw conclusions from the text.
Lesson 5
Surprising Talent
Students read chapters 10–11 and add information to character Line-Up charts, which asks them to track character traits and changes. Comprehension questions (Questions #1–#3) require students to identify causes and conclusions from the text (e.g., why Scout and Jem changed their minds about Atticus; Miss Maudie's explanation about killing mockingbirds; why Jem lost his temper with Mrs. Dubose). Discussion prompts ask students to explain Atticus's conscience statement and to evaluate whether Mrs. Dubose exemplified courage, prompting inference from text evidence.
Lesson 6
Separate
The lesson defines a summary as "a statement of the main points" and includes a "Things to Review" prompt to review differences between quotation, paraphrase, and summary. Activity 1 asks students to identify whether given passages are quotations, paraphrases, or summaries, and Part II of that activity directs students to "summarize the changes in the relationship between Jem and Scout." The answer key models a concise summary of that relationship, showing expected student output.
Lesson 7
A Moral Dilemma
Students read chapters 14–15 and answer focused comprehension questions that require them to identify key events and character responses (e.g., Aunt Alexandra's reaction to Calpurnia, Dill's return, the men's intentions toward Atticus, and how the lynch mob disbands). Students respond to discussion prompts that ask them to identify evidence of Jem's growing maturity and to analyze the operation of "mob mentality," which asks them to draw conclusions about character behavior and community tension. The Wrapping Up and Things to Review sections highlight the tense atmosphere and moral dilemmas, providing material students can use to infer larger ideas about the section's themes.
Lesson 8
Identity
The Parent Plan Skills section explicitly instructs students to "determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development...; provide an objective summary of the text." Students are assigned to read chapters 16–17 and to "consider the theme of identity," including activities that ask them to connect theme to characters and community. The reading questions require students to describe events and character attitudes (e.g., courtroom atmosphere, where the children sat, how Atticus questioned Mr. Ewell), which asks for factual summaries of the text.
Lesson 9
Order in the Court
Students read chapters 18–20 and answer targeted comprehension questions that require them to report key events and perspectives (e.g., details about Mayella's life, Tom Robinson's version of events, Mr. Dolphus Raymond, and Atticus's explanation). Students complete activities that require them to identify trial roles and sequence trial events (The Trial fill-in and cut-and-paste flowchart), which asks them to represent the case facts and courtroom outcomes. Students also engage in discussion prompts that ask them to consider whether the jury will believe Atticus and why, encouraging consideration of evidence and outcomes.
Lesson 10
Equal Rights?
Students are assigned to read chapters 21–23 of To Kill a Mockingbird and to write a 7–9 sentence summary that ‘‘include[s] the most important events and omit[s] small details'' and be ‘‘different from a literature response.'' The Parent Plan explicitly lists the skill: determine a theme or central idea and analyze its development across the text and provide an objective summary. A sample summary is provided that models identifying central events and excluding personal opinion.
Lesson 11
The Mockingbird
Students read chapters 24–26 and answer comprehension questions that ask them to identify key events and conclusions (for example, what happened to Tom Robinson, how Maycomb reacted, and Scout's important comparison to Hitler). Students complete a graphic organizer titled "the Mockingbird" in which they list symbols and examples from the story showing innocence being threatened or destroyed, connecting instances across the text. The Parent Plan explicitly states that students will "determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development...; provide an objective summary of the text," indicating an intended student task to identify central ideas.
Lesson 12
Wise Words
Students are asked to choose five quotes and "explain each quote in your own words," which requires them to identify and restate key ideas from passages. Students complete activities that require adopting a character's perspective (diary entry or Venn diagram) and answering comprehension questions about chapters 27–28, including identifying foreshadowing and events. The "Ideas to Think About" and wrapping-up prompts ask students to consider big ideas and lasting truths in the novel.
Lesson 13
Text and Film
Students read the end of To Kill a Mockingbird and answer comprehension questions about key events and characters (e.g., who saved the children, why Sheriff Tate lied). Students respond to discussion prompts that ask them to explain what Scout has learned and interpret the mockingbird symbol, which requires identifying a theme or conclusion from the text. Students create a film poster that must include "a sentence of summary," and they complete compare-and-contrast and guided questions that require synthesizing differences and similarities between book and film.
Final Project
Oral Book Presentation
Students plan a Plot slide and are explicitly instructed to "Summarize the most important events in the story concisely." Students prepare a Themes slide and must "Explain at least two central themes, detailing how they are presented," and the unit test asks students to identify a compelling theme and give three examples of its development. Students practice summary skills on the unit test by being asked to "Please summarize the passage in 2 sentences or less," and the study guide defines "Summary: A statement of main text points." Students are also directed to support judgments with specific textual references in the skills/rubric statements.
Unit 5: Technology Explosion
Lesson 1
Overview of Modern America
Students watch the final documentary episode and pause to record answers to focused comprehension questions (e.g., "What issues became important…," "How did television influence popular opinion…," "What happened on September 11, 2001?"), which requires extracting main ideas from the video. Students complete a Brainstorming/Choosing a Topic page where they write "What I learned from the video," prompting them to summarize content in their own words. Students planning the illustrated essay must write 1–2 sentence overviews for each subtopic and explain how each technology changed America, which requires producing concise summaries of central ideas.
Lesson 2
Demographics and Immigration
Students read a first-person historical account (Arn Chorn "Starting All Over") and answer specific comprehension questions about events and outcomes. Students read or listen to an NPR piece on the 1965 Immigration Act and complete an activity reflecting how different stakeholders might react. Students read the CFR backgrounder on modern immigration and are instructed to take notes on the differing viewpoints represented (writing arguments for and against easier immigration).
Lesson 3
The End of the Cold War
Students read U.S. State Department articles on Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and the Berlin Wall and answer targeted comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) that require extracting main foreign-policy actions and events. In Activity 1, students complete a structured table titled "American Presidents and Foreign Policy — Nixon to Reagan," writing summaries of each president's foreign policy, major challenges, and successes. In Activity 4, students must write a 1–2 sentence overview and explain how a technology changed America, practicing concise summary of information drawn from sources.
Lesson 4
Leadership and Domestic Policy
The Landmark Court Cases activity asks students to write a "Short Summary of the Case" and to describe "What did the court decide?", which requires identifying central ideas and conclusions of a legal text. The Presidential Speeches analysis table asks students to note the "Major topics covered by the speech" for two speeches and to compare which was most persuasive, prompting students to identify main points from primary-source speeches. The Leadership in Crisis activity asks students to state what each president was accused of and how the president addressed those accusations, requiring students to extract the key claims and conclusions from resignation and response speeches.
Lesson 7
Modern American Culture
Students are asked to read a historical account ('Judi Warren and the Warsaw Tigers') and answer specific comprehension questions about Title IX, the change in female athlete percentages, the coach's response, and the team's championship, which requires extracting key information from the text. The Popular Music activity explicitly asks students to state the theme or main idea of each song and to reflect on whether themes changed over time, prompting identification of central ideas across multiple texts (songs). The final project (Illustrated Essay) requires students to write a 1–2 sentence overview of a technology's development and explain how that technology changed America, which asks students to condense information into a brief summary.
Final Project
Illustrated Essay or National History Day
Students are asked to write an introductory paragraph that explains which three technologies they will discuss and why those technologies are important, and a conclusion paragraph that "sums up the changes in technology" and helps the reader understand their importance. The instructions require students to include appropriate citations for each paragraph, and the unit test includes short-answer questions asking students to describe an important technology learned in the unit and its impact (Question 9) and to state what they learned that was previously unknown (Question 10).
Unit 5: Health and Nutrition
Lesson 1
Feelings
Students are assigned specific pages to read in Boys' and Girls' Guide to Becoming a Teen and then answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., Question #1 asks for reasons moods and feelings change during the teen years), which requires extracting main ideas from the text. The lesson's question set (Questions #2 and #3) asks students to identify healthy ways to handle emotions and to recognize signs of depression, prompting students to pull key conclusions from the reading. Student activity pages ask learners to identify causes of stress in scenarios and judge responses as healthy or unhealthy, which practices locating central causes and conclusions in a text or vignette.
Lesson 3
Healthy Body
Students read assigned articles and answer targeted questions (e.g., difference between infectious and non-communicable disease; which type causes more deaths; ways to reduce contracting infectious disease), requiring them to extract main facts from texts. In Activity 1 students sort disease names into Communicable vs. Chronic categories, which asks them to identify and apply a central organizing concept from the readings. In Activity 4 and the chronic-disease research task students condense information into a public awareness poster or PSA, which requires synthesizing information from sources.
Lesson 4
Healthy Relationships
Students are asked in Activity 1 to read a conflict-resolution webpage and "Summarize what you have read by creating a list, in your own words, of steps for resolving conflict," which requires extracting and restating the text's main ideas. The Reading And Questions section assigns pages in two guides and asks students to answer specific text-based questions (e.g., qualities of a friend, issues affecting friendships, defining bullying), requiring identification of central ideas or conclusions from those readings. Student Activity Pages (e.g., "A Good Friend" and "Questions to Ask About a Potential Date") ask students to list and evaluate criteria drawn from the texts, reinforcing practice in identifying and summarizing key information.
Lesson 5
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Drugs
Students answer specific comprehension questions (Questions #1-3) that ask them to identify reasons teens try drugs, explain why trying drugs is unsafe, and list consequences, which requires extracting main ideas from the assigned reading. Students are instructed to take notes on a Student Activity Page that asks them to record 'What is it?' and 'Effects of Abusing it' for each drug, which requires summarizing key informational points from videos and a booklet. Students are asked to make a list of five reasons teens should not experiment with alcohol and to create an acrostic, PSA, email, or poster that expresses the dangers of substance use, which requires synthesizing information into concise messages.
Lesson 6
Nutrition and Exercise
Students are directed to read Chapter 2 of the assigned guide and then answer explicit comprehension questions (e.g., QUESTION #1 asks for the important principles of healthy eating; QUESTION #2 asks students to describe the importance and types of exercise). Activity 8 asks students to create a 10-12 minute lesson that explains the food pyramid, the meaning and calculation of BMI, and how to interpret food labels, requiring them to synthesize and present the material. The food-label and BMI activities require students to extract specific conclusions and facts from provided texts and data (e.g., calculating BMI, interpreting % Daily Value).
Unit 5: Great American Poets
Lesson 2
Early American Poetry
Students are asked to identify what the poet is celebrating in "The Day Is Done," which requires determining a poem's central idea. In the Comparing Texts activity students read Longfellow's poem and Paul Revere's first-person account, mark significant details, and complete a Venn diagram noting similarities and differences in content, purpose, and literary language. The lesson's answer key and parent notes model summarizing differences (e.g., Revere's account is factual and first-person; Longfellow's is dramatic, third-person, and uses figurative language).
Lesson 4
Poetic Forms
Students read multiple poems (e.g., "To My Dear and Loving Husband," Longfellow's "The Sound of the Sea," and "John Henry") and answer guided questions about them. Students are asked to analyze poetic features and make judgments (e.g., mark stressed/unstressed syllables, determine if a poem uses iambic pentameter and whether it is a sonnet, and explain what makes "John Henry" a ballad). Students compare poems (question 3) and discuss qualities of lyric poetry (question 2), which requires extracting key information from the texts.
Lesson 5
Edgar Allan Poe
Students are asked in Option 1 to read an excerpt from Poe's essay "The Poetic Principle" and answer "According to Poe, what should poetry focus on?", which requires identifying the author's main claim. Students must also "record at least one line from two different poems" that demonstrate that focus, requiring them to cite textual evidence. Additionally, reading pages 13–19 and answering questions about irony in "Alone" and the mood of "The Conqueror Worm" asks students to analyze central themes and interpretive conclusions from the poems.
Lesson 6
Meaning in Poetry
Students are directed to "express the literal meaning of a poem, try summarizing it" and to summarize stanza by stanza (example given for "O Captain! My Captain!"). The student activity page requires students to write a poem's literal meaning and its symbolic meaning, and Reading and Questions items ask students to explain how knowing the allusion (who the "Captain" is) changes understanding. The lesson explicitly tells students that the literal meaning applies to a reader with no outside knowledge and that the symbolic meaning emerges once the poet's purpose or references are known.
Lesson 7
Poetry Analysis
Students are asked to analyze a chosen poem using a Poem Analysis page that explicitly asks "What is the poem's literal meaning?" and "Does the poem have a symbolic meaning?" Students are instructed to read the poem several times (including aloud) and to apply analysis of tone, mood, figurative language, imagery, and sound devices to reach meaning. The lesson also includes comprehension questions (e.g., identifying poem type and who the speaker refers to) that require extracting central information from the texts.
Lesson 8
Robert Frost
Students are asked to analyze and interpret poems: Question #3 asks for the poem's symbolic meaning in "The Road Not Taken," requiring students to draw a conclusion about the poem's deeper meaning. The Parent Plan and Skills list include "Read and analyze poetry," and Activities ask students to identify effective images (Question #2) and explain rhyme and form (Questions #1 and #4), which involve extracting meaning from text. The discussion prompts ask students to explain how "Susie Asado" relates to Cubist artwork, prompting interpretive reasoning about the poem's presentation of ideas.
Lesson 9
Memorizing Poetry
Students are asked to restate plot and meaning in Q2: "Reread 'Euclid'... What is happening in this poem?" which requires identifying the poem's central action and idea. Questions 1 and 4 ask students to compare poems and evaluate whether a very short piece "qualifies as a poem," which asks them to identify key features and summarize differences. The Student Activity Page asks whether "Abraham Lincoln Walks At Midnight" is an elegy and to explain, prompting students to state the poem's purpose and main idea.
Lesson 10
Poems about Poetry
Students reread and annotate two poems about poetry and answer targeted comprehension questions asking them to interpret specific stanzas and lines (e.g., "Read the last stanza of 'Poetry'… What do you think the author means?" and "Read the last two lines of 'Ars Poetica.' What do you think the author means?"). Students use textual details to describe a character by answering questions such as which adjectives fit J. Alfred Prufrock and why the title might be ironic, requiring conclusions drawn from the poem. Students connect author background to text meaning when asked how Claude McKay's background helps the reader understand "The Tropics in New York."
Lesson 11
Editing Your Work
Students read multiple poems and answer targeted comprehension questions that require interpretation: Question 2 asks students to look up "deferred" and explain the meaning of the poem's final line, Question 3 asks students to identify techniques that make a poem memorable and shocking, and Question 4 asks students to compare similarities and differences in theme and structure between two poems. The Skills list also instructs students to determine the meaning of words and phrases and to analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
Lesson 12
Reciting Poetry
The lesson asks students to read multiple poems (via the provided web links) and answer comprehension questions that require interpretation, including Question #1 (interpreting Ginsberg's odd setting) and Question #3, which explicitly asks students to "describe what the poem was about and what the poet was trying to communicate about family relationships." The Parent Plan and Skills list state that students will "read and analyze poetry," and Activity 3 requires students to explain why they chose a poem or what they like about it after reciting it. The Five Senses Web and writing activity also require students to capture and convey the central experience or idea of an ordinary topic in their final poem.