Fourth Grade - ELA
1: Interdependence
Unit 1: Little House in the Big Woods
Lesson 1
Introducing the Story
Students record and use facts and definitions in the "Facts and Definitions" section (definition of historical fiction and setting). Students add dates and biographical details to a timeline (1871 story date; Laura Ingalls Wilder born 1867), locate Wisconsin on a map, and list family members. Students research Wisconsin and record concrete details about plants and animals on the "Setting: Wisconsin" chart and use a pre-writing organizer that prompts specific details (who was involved, feelings, what was learned) for a written memory.
Lesson 2
Little House in the Big Woods
Students answer focused chapter questions in a journal (e.g., what the house was made from and how the family depended on trees and animals), which requires citing facts and concrete details. Students complete the "Natural Resources and Survival" chart by listing resources (deer, tree, salt, fish, garden) and describing how each aided the family's survival, using specific examples. Students look up and record vocabulary definitions, identify suffixes/root words, and fill vocabulary words into a contextual story, practicing use of definitions and concrete word-level details.
Lesson 3
Winter Days and Winter Nights
Students are asked to answer two questions in a journal (e.g., explain why the family made their own butter and hunted), which requires using facts from the chapter. In Activity 2 students write specific chores and responsibilities next to character names and then record similar information about their own family, organizing concrete details and examples. In Activity 3 students list two similarities and two differences between Laura's house and their own, and illustrate both homes, which asks them to record and compare concrete details.
Lesson 4
The Long Rifle
Students are asked in Activity 1 to record one thing they learned about how life in the Big Woods differs from life today, which requires identifying and writing a factual difference. Activity 2 asks students to tell or invent a story and specifically discusses using vivid details, exciting language, and character voices, so students practice adding concrete details and examples when speaking. The reading questions require students to retell Pa's story including plot points, so students practice identifying and recounting specific events and details.
Lesson 5
Christmas
Students are asked to compose three short paragraphs with a main idea and supporting ideas (Activity 3) and are given a graphic organizer that explicitly prompts Topic Sentence, Detail 1–3, and Concluding Sentence for each paragraph. The skills list requires students to "Compose two or more paragraphs with topic sentences, supporting details, and a logical sequence," and the instructions model that supporting ideas might be examples or descriptions (for example, food paragraph supporting ideas). Reading tasks also require students to write questions about the text and, if unanswered, research online or in reference books to gather facts.
Lesson 6
Sundays and Two Big Bears
Students are given an explicit definition of a fact versus an opinion and are asked to distinguish and create factual and opinion statements. Students are directed to conduct bear research using provided web links and to record factual information in labeled sections of a bear paw graphic (Bear Habitats, Types of Bears, Bear Foods, Exact enemies, Other facts) and to answer factual questions such as "Why do bears hibernate?" and "How are bears dependent on the environment?". Students are prompted to record one thing learned on the "Life in the Big Woods vs. Life Today" page and to locate factual statements in the book.
Lesson 7
The Sugar Snow
Students locate and write dictionary-style definitions and example sentences in the Vocabulary Mini-Book (e.g., they write the sentence from the book, record the word's definition, and compose a new sentence). Students sequence and record the concrete steps Grandpa used to make maple syrup in the Maple Sugar Farming activity (Option 1: ordering steps; Option 2: listing steps from the text). Students write and follow a Maple Sugar Recipe and are prompted to create a recipe card with step-by-step directions, demonstrating use of concrete procedural details.
Lesson 8
Dance at Grandpa's
Students are asked to gather support by referencing the text (Skills: "Draw conclusions, make generalizations, and gather support by referencing the text") and answer detail-oriented questions such as drawing a diagram of Grandma's house from Laura's description and explaining how maple syrup was used, which requires using concrete details from the chapter. Activity 1 asks students to record things they learned comparing life in the Big Woods to life today, and Activity 2 prompts discussion of the definition-level idea that "music plays an important role in culture." Activity 4 Option 2 (Song Graphing) has students list music genres, classify songs, and create a labeled bar graph, which requires organizing examples and information.
Lesson 9
Going to Town
Students are asked to record one thing they learned about how life in the woods differed from life today (Activity 1), which requires extracting and writing a factual difference from the reading. Students make a list of items the family bought at the store (Question #4), producing concrete details related to the topic. The Life Application asks students to research Pepin, Wisconsin and then write about their visit and describe why the place is important to community history, which asks students to gather and use factual information to explain a topic.
Lesson 10
Summertime and Harvest
Students are asked to read informational passages and web resources about bees and seasons (Activity 3 links and the Facts and Definitions section) and to explore how bees use nectar and pollinate flowers. Students are prompted to record words and phrases the author uses to describe each season and to organize information using notes, charts, and labels (Activity 2 and Skills). Students are required to produce written work about the topic, including Option 2 which asks them to write a paragraph describing the interdependence of bees and flowers and a second paragraph describing the effects if bees disappeared.
Lesson 11
Finishing the Book
Students are guided to plan and write a multi-paragraph letter using an organizer that requires specific topic-focused content (who you are; jobs and roles; entertainment and hobbies; environment and dependence on it). Students are asked to record factual comparisons on the 'Life in the Big Woods vs. Life Today' page and to read an author letter as a model of content about life experience. Revision and drafting steps instruct students to clarify ideas, add descriptive words and phrases, sequence events and ideas, and strengthen word choice, which supports adding concrete details and examples.
Final Project
Pioneer Family Night
Students are asked to explain how pioneers were dependent on natural resources when they lead the orange clove craft and discuss how pioneers used natural resources on the checklist. Students must list foods to prepare from scratch, choose two to three favorite book sections and explain why, and select and explain the significance of pioneer songs and storytelling. The activity pages provide space for students to write notes, list materials, and record explanations for each part of the Pioneer Family Night.
Unit 2: The Sign of the Beaver
Lesson 1
Background Information
Students are asked to research and record factual information about Maine on activity pages (location, climate, average temperatures, landforms, historical facts, plants, animals, habitats, and Native American tribes). They are directed to list ten facts about Maine worded as clues, to record the year 1768 on a timeline, and to use web resources to gather information. Activity 3 requires students to include details of the environment in a drawing or poem to show resources that meet needs, and Activity 2 asks students to write a paragraph explaining whether they would rather be a settler or a Native American, prompting use of historical facts and reasons.
Lesson 2
Alone
Students answer chapter questions in a journal that require factual responses (e.g., why Matt was alone, description of his home, chores, dependence on the environment). Students complete vocabulary webs where they look up words, write definitions, parts of speech, synonyms/antonyms, and use the words in sentences. Students create character timelines recording concrete details, feelings, attitudes, and actions across the text, tracking examples that illustrate character development.
Lesson 3
A Stranger
Students are given a definition of "natural remedies" in the Facts and Definitions section. In Activity 3 (Natural Remedies) students are asked to research natural remedies, describe a natural remedy for each listed condition (bee stings, snake bite, poison ivy, sunburn), and discuss which ingredients can be found in their environment, recording responses on a two-column table.
Lesson 4
A Treaty
The Facts and Definitions section gives students a clear definition of interdependence that they can use in responses. The Interdependence in Relationships activity asks students to name who the person is, how they give and take, and to draw a symbol—requiring concrete examples and details from their own experience. Question 4 asks students to explain how Attean felt about Matt and to provide evidence, prompting students to cite details from the text.
Lesson 5
A Story
The Skills section asks students to "identify and discuss similarities and differences... and support them by referencing the text," which directs students to use textual evidence. Activity 2 (A Desert Island) asks students to "describe the natural resources you would use" and to record and illustrate how they would use resources, prompting concrete details and examples. Activity 3 asks students in a journal to explain why characters react a certain way and to reflect on different perspectives, which requires students to develop ideas with examples drawn from the story.
Lesson 6
The Beaver
The lesson includes a Facts and Definitions section that defines the beaver as a woodland animal that chews trees and builds dams. In Activity 3 (Beaver Research) students are directed to use the internet or books to locate information and to record facts about habitat, food, adaptations, predators, and to answer why beavers use trees to make dams. Skills and wrap-up prompts ask students to explain what people can learn from observing animals and to verify facts using text and experience.
Lesson 7
Real Life Learning
Students are asked to write definitions for vocabulary words on the "Vocabulary Memory Game" page and to use the words in sentences when they make matches. Students answer factual reading questions (e.g., why there were fewer beaver and moose; how Attean taught Matt to make a bow) that require citing events and concrete details from the text. Students record descriptions on a "Character Timelines" page and create a "Rules of the Forest" book in which they list rules and illustrate them, tying examples and practical details to topic ideas.
Lesson 8
The Bear
Students are asked to record information on Character Timelines, which requires them to identify and organize facts about the characters. Students complete a Cause and Effect activity in which they write effects based on story events, practicing use of specific story details. Students use a double-bubble map to compare the Bible's Noah story and Attean's flood story, which has them list and organize concrete details and similarities/differences from each account. The Skills section asks students to identify purpose, audience, and appropriate form and to share written and oral products, implying practice in assembling information for communication.
Lesson 9
Attean's Past
The lesson provides a clear definition of "stereotype" in the Facts and Definitions section and asks students to read Chapters 17–18 and answer journal questions about characters and events. The Stereotypes activity directs students to explain how characters break stereotypes and to describe a stereotype they have observed or held, with blank lines for written responses. The Skills section explicitly asks students to support interpretations or conclusions with examples from text, and Activity 2 asks students to describe and illustrate a method (requiring concrete details).
Lesson 10
Manitou
Students are given explicit definitions ("Values" and "imagery") in the Facts and Definitions section. In Activity 2 (Word Pictures) students record three passages from the story (quotations) and write text for each passage while illustrating the images. In Activity 3 (Values) students record three values for Matt and three for Attean and describe what each character did or said to demonstrate those values (concrete details and examples). Journal questions ask students to answer in writing and to support answers (e.g., "How have Attean's grandmother's feelings toward Matt changed? How do you know?"), prompting use of evidence.
Lesson 11
A Choice
The Skills list explicitly tells students to "Support interpretations or conclusions with examples from text," which requires using textual evidence. Journal questions ask students to answer specific, text-based questions (e.g., how Attean looked different; what each character gave the other), requiring students to cite details. Activities ask students to add information to character timelines and to develop and answer interview questions that "should relate to what has happened in the story," prompting use of story details and examples.
Lesson 12
Persuasive Writing
Activity 1 directs students to record all advantages of Matt going with Attean on one side and advantages of Matt staying on the other, prompting them to gather reasons and details. Activity 2 requires students to write a letter or speech that includes the three best reasons for their decision and to provide support for each reason. The included rubric explicitly asks whether students provide three reasons, whether they provide support for all three reasons, and whether the letter/speech is convincing.
Lesson 13
The Return
Students are given a Facts and Definitions list (setting, theme, characters, plot, problem, resolution) to use when describing the story. Students fill in a Story Elements activity page, writing the main problem, resolution, theme, characters, and setting with specific details. In the Solving Problems activity, students write how Matt solved specific problems using natural resources and advice from Attean (book's solution) and then generate their own alternative solutions, providing concrete examples and explanations. The Introduction asks students to finish the novel and write in a journal whether they would recommend it and to explain why or why not.
Final Project
The Sign of the Beaver Movie
The Movie Synopsis activity asks students to write a 6–8 sentence synopsis and the rubric specifically asks whether the synopsis "accurately describe[s] the setting" and "accurately describe[s] the main characters," which requires students to include descriptive details. The Costumes page requires students to design Attean's costumes so they "must reflect resources in the environment," prompting students to identify and use concrete environmental details. The Design a Set page asks students to include any props and indicate where a scene will be shot, prompting students to specify concrete details and examples related to the scene.
Unit 3: Native American Animal Stories
Lesson 1
Myths, Legends, and Folktales
Students are asked to record explicit definitions of legend, folktale, and myth in their journals, providing direct practice with facts and definitions. Students read myths and folktales and identify names of stories and cultural information, gathering concrete details and examples. Students complete an "Elements of Culture" chart that requires them to record specific cultural elements (transportation, housing, food, activities, religion, customs) found in each story.
Lesson 2
People and Animal Stories
Students research and record factual information about tribes on the "Map of Native American Tribes" activity, gathering concrete geographic and historical details. Students fill the "Elements of Culture" chart and the "An Animal Tale" page, listing facts, cultural elements, and specific information about animals. Students complete story maps and journal entries that require naming main characters, settings, story events, problems, resolutions, and explaining an animal's importance and lessons, using concrete details and examples from the texts. Students compare stories with a Venn diagram and other comparison activities, identifying examples and similarities across texts.
Lesson 3
The Natural World
Students read and discuss explicit definitions (adaptation, camouflage) and are asked to compare mythical and scientific explanations of how the fawn got its spots (Activity 6). Students are asked to list three camouflaged animals and describe how Native Americans might have explained their characteristics, and they record cultural elements from the legends on an "Elements of Culture" chart. Students write in a journal to record each story's problem and solution and complete activity pages that require selecting facts (e.g., ingredients Elder Brother used) and using those details in sentences.
Lesson 4
Survival Stories
Students answer specific comprehension questions in their journals about each survival story, providing factual responses (e.g., why the whale was important, how the alligator helped the hunter). Students are asked to write a sentence about each story explaining why the Indians hunted and to describe where people get food today. Students are directed to research the history of the buffalo and list ways Native Americans depended on particular animals (bison, seal, caribou) on an Animals and Survival activity page and to fill an Elements of Culture chart with concrete cultural details from the myths.
Lesson 5
Legends from Other Cultures
Students read a Facts and Definitions section that explicitly states general definitions (e.g., "In many folktales, animals are used to teach lessons" and "A creation story is one that explains the beginning of the world"). Students record and illustrate what each object in the Pan Gu myth becomes, providing concrete details linking story elements to world elements. Students complete the Animal Tales activity by selecting animals, drawing them in ecosystems, and writing the lesson each animal teaches, and they fill a Creation Stories double-bubble map comparing details from two myths.
Final Project
My Own Myth
Students are instructed to read about their chosen natural occurrence online or in an encyclopedia to learn more, which prompts research. Students complete an "Organizing the Myth" page that asks them to describe the natural phenomenon and record characters, setting, the problem, and how the problem is solved. The Rough Draft Rubric's Content section specifically checks for explanations of natural phenomena and descriptive details in the story.
2: Force and Power
Unit 1: Ben and Me
Lesson 1
Ben Franklin and the Colonies
Students are asked to locate and record factual information about Benjamin Franklin on an activity page (kite diagram) that prompts dates of birth/death, places he lived, physical appearance, scientific contributions, and contributions to his country. The lesson lists explicit facts and definitions (e.g., "There were 13 original colonies," "Ben Franklin was an inventor and a statesman") and directs students to label and color the thirteen colonies on a map. Students are prompted to conduct research and to list 'instead of' ideas in a journal about life in the 1700s, which asks them to produce concrete details about historical living conditions.
Lesson 2
Setting the Record Straight
Students identify and record definitions and use vocabulary words in new sentences in the "Finding Vocabulary Words" activity, directly practicing definitions. Students list specific materials Ben used for the Franklin stove and answer journal questions about why Amos wrote his account and how the stove changed colonists' lives, using concrete facts and details. Students record factual events (and contrast them with fictional events) in the "Fact and Fiction" chart and are prompted to research Franklin's life to confirm actual events.
Lesson 3
Swimming
In Activity 3 students are asked to list modern inventions that aid swimming (motor boats, flippers, snorkels, etc.), which asks them to generate examples and factual items related to the topic. The same activity asks students to create a new invention that requires less work in the water and then either write a descriptive advertisement paragraph or write a commercial script, which directs students to describe and promote their invention using descriptive detail. In Activity 2 students copy the author's sentences that describe the hat, circle the adjectives, illustrate and label parts of the hat, practicing use of concrete descriptive details and labels.
Lesson 4
Electricity
Students answer targeted reading and journal questions that require factual responses (for example, questions about why Ben was interested in printing, what initiated his interest in electricity, and what the Philosophical Society was). Students complete Activity 1 (Fact and Fiction) by recording a factual and a fictional event from each chapter, which practices identifying and stating facts. Students discuss Facts and Definitions and the printing press in Activity 2, where they explain what a printing press is and consider meanings of phrases like "knowledge is power," engaging with definitions and examples in discussion.
Lesson 5
Electrifying
Students read chapters and answer specific journal questions that require factual responses about Benjamin Franklin's experiments (e.g., what Ben wondered about lightning, what happened when lightning struck, and details about the kite). The lesson provides an explicit definition under Facts and Definitions: "An electrical charge occurs when electrons are transferred from one item to another." In the Experiment with Lightning activity, students perform an observable experiment and are asked to "Describe what happened" and "Why do you think this happened?", prompting students to use observations and explanations. Activity 1 (Fact and Fiction) asks students to record a factual and a fictional event from each chapter, requiring them to distinguish and note factual details.
Lesson 7
France
Students are asked to record a factual and a fictional event from each chapter on the "Fact and Fiction" page, which requires identifying and writing facts. Students answer comprehension questions that prompt evidence-based responses (for example, "How did the French feel about Ben Franklin? How do you know?"), asking them to support answers with information from the chapters. Students are instructed in Activity 2 to write a step-by-step plan describing actions and to "explain when force and power should be used," which requires including concrete procedural details and examples.
Lesson 8
Amos's Account
Students are asked to list an event and to record ten facts about that event and five ideas/opinions/feelings from Amos's point of view on the "Organizing My Writing" page. Students are instructed to record the sequence of events using transitional words and then to write a three-paragraph first-person account based on the information recorded. The writing rubric explicitly checks whether factual information, vocabulary from the story, descriptive language, and clarity of paragraph descriptions were included.
Lesson 9
The Rescue
Students are asked to choose a factual event and a fictional event from the chapters and record them on the "Fact and Fiction" page, which requires identifying and recording facts. In the "Ben and Amos Bags" activity, students list characteristics (appearance, uses of power, likes/dislikes, personality) and place 3–5 symbolic items in bags, then explain the significance of each item, which requires providing concrete details and examples about each character. Students also answer selected comprehension questions in a journal (e.g., accomplishments, how characters progressed), producing written responses about events and facts from the text.
Lesson 10
Back Home
Students are asked to list a factual and a fictional detail from the chapter on the "Fact and Fiction" page, which requires identifying facts from text. The lesson provides a definition of "maxim" and has students locate each maxim in context, interpret it, and record adult interpretations—an activity that elicits quotations and explanations. On the "Elements of Historical Fiction" page, students must record examples of characters, settings, plot events, themes, and descriptive details from the book to support each element.
Final Project
An Interview or Party for Ben
Students write ten interview questions about Ben Franklin and answer them "according to what [they] know" about his life and accomplishments, which requires recalling and conveying relevant information. Students write two of Ben's maxims and explain why each is important, which asks for explanation and use of concrete examples. In the birthday-party option, students write a card thanking Ben for ways he used his power and intelligence, explain why a chosen gift would suit him, and write a song about how his knowledge and influence improved his community, all prompting students to provide supporting details and examples.
Unit 2: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Lesson 1
The Professor's House
Students are asked in Activity 3 (Option 2) to brainstorm five or six important details and write a short newspaper article about C.S. Lewis, which requires gathering and using factual information to inform readers. Activity 3 (Option 1) provides a "Meet the Author" worksheet that has students fill in biographical facts about C.S. Lewis. Activity 2 directs students to look up vocabulary words and record definitions on note cards using an online dictionary.
Lesson 2
Edmund Discovers Narnia
Activity 3 (Good vs. Evil) requires students to record an example from each chapter and to illustrate it, so students locate and record concrete examples from the text. The Turkish Delight activity asks students to write a paragraph describing how the food tastes or how the witch would persuade them, prompting use of sensory details and descriptive language. The chapter questions and journal prompts require students to answer specific factual questions about events, characters, and motivations from the chapters.
Lesson 3
Always Winter and Never Christmas
Students are asked to answer journal and discussion questions (e.g., Why did Edmund lie? Is the woman a queen or a witch? How do you know?), which require them to use reasons and details from the chapters. Activity 1 asks students to list and illustrate examples of good vs. evil from the chapters, prompting them to identify concrete examples. Activity 3 asks students to list one example from the book that fits each plural rule, which requires locating and recording textual examples.
Lesson 4
The Lion
Activity 3 asks students to write a paragraph or song that describes an animal and to answer specific questions about its human characteristics, moral alignment, and role in a story, which requires students to provide concrete details about the topic. Activity 2 directs students to find a short story about a lion, record words and phrases that describe the lion, and use a Venn diagram to compare that lion to Aslan, which has students gather facts/examples and descriptive details from texts. The Student Activity Page supplies factual and definitional material (griffin, sphinx, Acker, lion symbolism) that students can use as information and examples when developing their own descriptions.
Lesson 5
A Disappointment
Students record a definition of a villain in the Facts and Definitions section and use vocabulary activities to write word definitions (Picture Dictionary and Vocabulary Cube). In Activity 2 students write phrases and sentences describing how the White Witch uses her power, list other villains, and write three descriptive words plus a sentence about sinister ways each villain uses power. Reading questions ask students to answer in a journal, citing facts from Chapters 9–10 (e.g., Edmund's motives, what he saw at the castle, gifts given).
Lesson 6
A Gift from Father Christmas
Students are instructed to write three paragraphs that require them to describe the problem, explain how they received a gift, and describe the gift and how it can be used for good, which prompts topical development. The rubric asks whether ideas are "interesting and descriptive," whether paragraphs stay focused on main ideas, and whether students use vocabulary words, encouraging students to add descriptive detail. Activity 3 asks students to revise for stronger verbs and descriptive adjectives, guiding students to make their explanations more concrete and vivid.
Lesson 7
Spring
Students are asked to write a letter to a real-life hero that must "tell the person why he or she is a hero and give examples of heroic deeds," requiring them to supply examples and supporting details. Journal prompts for the hero activity ask students to describe what the person does daily and what makes the person a hero, prompting concrete details and examples. Activities also ask students to record examples of good vs. evil from the chapters and to write a paragraph describing a personal decision, which requires students to develop a topic with specific details and examples.
Lesson 8
Deep Magic
Activity 4, "A Powerful Leader," directs students to research a listed ruler, record "10 Facts about" the leader, and answer how the leader used power and whether the leader was more similar to Aslan or the White Witch, requiring students to collect facts and examples. Activity 3, "Imagery," asks students to record words and phrases from the text that appeal to the senses (sight, touch, hearing), prompting students to extract concrete textual details and quotations to support interpretation. "The Four Siblings" and the Good vs. Evil activity require students to list five words or phrases describing characters and explain which character they resemble, having students develop character descriptions with concrete details and examples.
Lesson 9
Back to Life
Students write answers to selected reading questions in a journal, producing factual responses about plot events (e.g., mice nibbling cords, the Stone Table breaking, Aslan coming back to life). Students are asked in Activity 2 to describe three ways Aslan resembles a Christ-like figure using the provided list of traits (healing, sacrifice, using power to help others) and any other similarities they identify. Students can research lion habitats in Activity 3 Option 2 and gather factual information to create a shoebox diorama.
Lesson 10
Back Through the Wardrobe
Students answer journal questions about specific events (for example, identifying Edmund's action against the witch and the discovery of the lamppost), which requires recalling concrete story details. Students are asked to describe and illustrate a new route to Narnia and to act out a scene, which asks them to develop and expand an idea with descriptive detail. Students may write a movie review that highlights what they enjoyed and what could be better, and/or create casting lists with brief explanations for each choice, which requires providing reasons and examples to support their points.
Final Project
Narnia Think-Tac-Toe
The Think-Tac-Toe grid contains multiple explicit writing tasks (e.g., write journal entries as characters, write a paragraph describing the tension between struggles and loyalty, write about three books/movies and explain why) that require students to produce explanatory/informative text about the story and related topics. Directions ask students to summarize the book before their presentation and list a skill of using oral and written language to share information and ideas, so students are asked to create and present developed written products.
Unit 3: The BFG
Lesson 1
In the Middle of the Night
The Vocabulary Giant activity requires students to match words to their definitions and to reread sentences to use context clues to determine meaning. Several journal questions ask students to cite clues from the text to support answers (for example, asking where Sophie lives and what clues support that guess). Activity 2 Option 1 asks students to write a paragraph describing how the street looks different at night, prompting use of concrete sensory details.
Lesson 2
Snatched
Students are asked to copy the author's description of the giant's environment and illustrate it, which requires them to reproduce a quotation and attend to the author's concrete details. Students are asked to write their own description of a suitable giant home and illustrate it, which prompts them to generate concrete details and examples related to a topic. Students are directed to locate information about London in books and online and to record facts under labeled categories (Location, Language, People, Homes, Buildings, Similarities, Differences), which asks them to gather and organize factual information. The skills list explicitly includes using text to locate information for specific purposes and responding in writing, indicating practice with finding and recording information and details.
Lesson 3
The BFG
Students identify and record exact quotations from chapters in the "Quotable Quotes" activity, practicing locating and copying quoted text. Students locate countries on a map and illustrate/write descriptions in the "Giant Geography" activity, producing concrete details and examples related to a given topic. Students answer guided comprehension questions in a journal and correct quoted speech in the "Giant Talk" worksheet, practicing use of quotation marks and working with definitions of linking verbs and helping verbs.
Lesson 4
Ears and Snozzcumbers
Students are asked to identify and record Quotable Quotes from Sophie and the BFG, giving practice selecting and using quotations as support. In the "The Dream" activity students write about a vivid dream, justify why it would be good for the giant to capture it, and choose color symbolism (definitions) to explain emotions, providing facts and concrete details. In "The Better to Hear With" students collect and describe sounds on a nature walk and then write a paragraph explaining how they would use a powerful sense of hearing to help others, using concrete sensory details and examples.
Lesson 5
Time with the BFG
Students are asked to record quotations on the "Quotable Quotes" page, which requires them to find and use direct quotations from Sophie and the BFG. In Activity 2 students list similarities and differences in appearance, personality, and power, using concrete details from the text. The Reading and Questions section asks students to answer journal prompts (e.g., how the BFG tricked the Bloodbottler, how frobscottle tastes), which requires use of facts and concrete details from the chapters. The Facts and Definitions section defines carbonation and Activity 3 has students follow a recipe with specific measurements, providing concrete factual information and examples.
Lesson 6
Catching People and Dreams
Students answer selected comprehension questions in a journal that require recalling facts from the text (for example, how giants catch people and how they avoid an outcry). Students identify and record quotations from Sophie and the BFG in the "Quotable Quotes" activity. Students describe and draw a new giant and write how that giant catches human beans, and they label and describe dreams on the "Sweet Dream or Nightmare" page; the lesson also provides a definition for interpreter.
Lesson 7
A Nightmare for Fleshlumpeater
Students are given a Facts and Definitions section that defines tangible and intangible, and are asked to list tangible and intangible items and to think of tangible examples that demonstrate each intangible (Option 1 and Option 2). Students are asked to record quotes from Sophie and the BFG on the "Quotable Quotes" page, and to answer journal questions (selected questions) that require explanation and reasoning (e.g., Was it right for the BFG to blow the nightmare? Why or why not?). Activities also prompt students to compare similarities and differences between texts, which can require citing concrete details from the stories.
Lesson 8
A Dreamy Plan
Students are asked to identify and record 'Quotable Quotes' from Sophie and the BFG, which requires locating and using direct quotations. Students are directed to locate information about the Queen of England, look at pictures, read about her roles and responsibilities, and complete comparison prompts, which requires gathering and using factual information. Students match vocabulary words to definitions and then use those words in fill-in-the-blank or paragraph-writing options, which engages them with definitions and concrete word-meaning details.
Lesson 9
The Palace
Students identify and record exact quotations from Sophie and the BFG in Activity 1, which engages them in collecting textual evidence. In Activity 2, students research a U.S. city and write a plan that requires including information about buildings, important places, and people to describe how the BFG and Sophie could rescue children. In Activity 3 and the life application, students generate and classify cause-and-effect examples and list decisions and their positive and negative outcomes, practicing inclusion of concrete details and examples to explain events.
Lesson 10
A Breakfast Fit for a Queen
Students identify and record quotations from Sophie and the BFG in Activity 1 (Quotable Quotes). In Activity 3 (Characterizing the Queen) students select five adjectives and provide at least one example from the text to support each adjective. In Activity 2 (Hosting a Giant) students use the provided definition of ratio and perform concrete calculations and capacity estimates to determine sizes and amounts for the giant, then describe or illustrate their solutions.
Lesson 11
Fighting Giants
Students are asked to take notes from multiple sources and "write to record ideas and reflections," which directs them to gather facts and definitions (Skills). Activity 2 has students read about the four branches of the U.S. armed forces, take notes on labeled papers for Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, and collect information about each branch. Activity 1 asks students to identify and record quotations from characters, and the reading questions require students to answer factual prompts in a journal.
Lesson 12
Snozzcumbers
Students record one final quote from the BFG and one from Sophie on the Quotable Quotes page, directly working with quotations. Students complete a theme graphic organizer by recording events, quotes, and characters' actions that support each theme, which requires gathering concrete details and examples. Students answer journal comprehension questions about plot facts (for example, what the BFG brought in his sack) and read about the author then write five interview questions, engaging with facts and biographical information.
Final Project
Recipe for a Dream or Newspaper Report
Students are directed to write a recipe card with ingredients and directions and a three-paragraph description that details the recipe, the beginning/middle/end of the dream, who would receive it and why, and why the dream is powerful, using at least three vocabulary words. For the newspaper option, students must write three paragraphs describing what happened to the disappeared children, how the Queen found out and responded, how characters used power, and include an interview with the BFG using three direct quotes. Both activity rubrics assess description detail, sequence, paragraph development, and the inclusion of required quotations and vocabulary, requiring students to provide concrete details and quoted material related to their topic.
3: Similarities and Differences
Unit 1: Stories from Africa and Asia
Lesson 1
Meerkats in Botswana
Students are asked to locate and record factual information about Botswana using a research website and a graphic organizer with labeled categories (Land, Language, Animals, People). The lesson includes a Facts and Definitions section that names Botswana and describes the meerkat, and Activity 2 requires students to write a descriptive paragraph or a short story that explicitly includes at least five facts about meerkats. Activity 3 has students discuss specific adaptations of meerkats and the functions of those features, prompting students to use concrete details and examples in their explanations.
Lesson 2
Meeting Precious
Students are asked to research and list five facts about ostriches and cobras (Activity 2, Option 1), and to use provided websites as sources. Students fill a chart comparing ostrich, cobra, and meerkat across categories such as Diet, Predators, Defense, Habitat, and Special Characteristics (Activity 2, Option 2), which requires recording factual details. Students also practice using dictionary definitions in the vocabulary activity, matching words to definitions and filling a crossword.
Lesson 3
The Surprise
Activity 3 asks students to pretend to be a zoologist, find names of African animals, choose one to research, and write a paragraph describing why they would want to study that animal, with an option to illustrate or model it. Question #3 asks students to identify scientifically accurate information about meerkats from the story (e.g., posture, fur, family groups, diet). The Life Application directs students to watch a documentary and discuss how the meerkats in film are similar to and different from the book, providing a source of factual information to use.
Lesson 4
A Missing Cow
The lesson includes a Facts and Definitions section that defines story conflict types (man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. self), giving students explicit definitions to use. Multiple comprehension questions ask students to write answers that use information from the text (for example, describing what happened when Kosi got out and explaining why losing the cow was a big problem). Activity 2 asks students to write man vs. nature conflicts for several settings, prompting them to generate concrete examples related to a given topic.
Lesson 5
A Good Idea
Students are asked in Activity 2 to write a paragraph describing a challenging experience and to consider what others could learn from their account, which prompts inclusion of examples and descriptive detail. In Activity 4 students must read information on the African Wildlife Foundation website, choose an animal, and then either write sentences that describe the animal (Option 1) or write a short story that may include factual information about the animal (Option 2). The "Precious and Me" chart (Activity 1) asks students to describe similarities and differences, prompting them to record specific details about themselves and the character.
Lesson 6
African Bush Diorama
The Book Report Rubric asks students to summarize main events, describe main characters, and describe the setting, and it directs a four-paragraph report with paragraph 1 on characters/setting, paragraph 2 on plot, paragraph 3 comparing lives, and paragraph 4 giving an opinion. The Organizing My Report pages give structured spaces for students to draft those four focused paragraphs. The activities tell students to find descriptions of the book's setting to help design the diorama and to revise drafts in a conference to improve content and organization.
Lesson 7
Japan
Students read A Kids Guide to Japan and answer specific factual questions about climate, food, and traditions, practicing retrieval of facts and definitions. Students label places on a Map of Japan and complete a Venn diagram comparing Japan and America, using words and pictures to organize concrete details. Students are asked to explain why Japan and America were at war and to create a travel poster that must include major sights and cultural elements, which requires reporting information in writing.
Lesson 8
Peace Day
Students find and write definitions for Japanese vocabulary words and record the sentence from the book that contains each word, providing definitions and direct quotations. Students describe why the Japanese celebrate Peace Day and compare Peace Day to an American holiday, explaining similarities and differences with concrete examples. Students record cultural elements (food, clothing, school, family life, celebrations, similarities to America) from each chapter, collecting facts and concrete details to support understanding.
Lesson 9
The Secret is Out
The "Facts and Definitions" section gives students explicit definitions of "cancer" and "leukemia" they can use as factual information. Activity 4 asks students to read about cancer prevention online and make a list of ways their family could live a healthier lifestyle, which requires gathering factual information and examples. Activity 2 asks students to create a chart or Venn diagram listing at least three similarities and three differences between their life and Sadako's, and Option 2 asks students to write a paragraph about a personal gift, both of which prompt students to collect and organize concrete details.
Lesson 10
Kenji
Students are asked to fill in information about Japanese culture (Activity 1), which requires them to identify and record facts and definitions. The lesson provides a "Facts and Definitions" section (e.g., the crane is a symbol of luck) that students can use as factual details. Students answer comprehension questions that require citing factual information from the chapters and discuss the symbolism of the golden crane while making an origami crane (Activity 3). The get-well card task asks students to include Japanese cultural elements and to draft and edit at least eight sentences, encouraging inclusion of information in their writing.
Lesson 11
O Bon
Students are asked to record information on a "Japanese Cultural Elements" chart, which has them collect facts about the topic. Students must answer three reading questions in a journal and respond to questions that ask for factual details (for example, what O Bon is and how the family celebrated it). Students are asked to write two pieces (a journal entry as an American child and one as a Japanese child) or to write songs that describe ways people remember ancestors, requiring them to produce written explanations about the topic.
Lesson 12
Racing the Wind
Students are asked to record information on a "Japanese Cultural Elements" chart, which prompts them to gather and write facts about Japanese culture. Students answer factual reading questions in journals (for example, identifying that Sadako's class made 350 more cranes, that they built a monument, and that the Folded Crane Club places thousands of cranes), showing practice extracting concrete details from text. The materials include a explicit definition under "Facts and Definitions" (e.g., "Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry") and list "Write to record ideas and reflections" as a skill.
Lesson 13
Precious and Sadako
Students are asked to record a description, a quotation, a phrase another character uses, and personality traits for each character in the "Precious and Sadako: Similarities and Differences" activity, which requires locating concrete details and quotations in the text. In Activity 3 Option 2, students must write an eight-sentence first-person letter in which the character explains an important event, its circumstances, and feelings, prompting them to provide details and examples. Activity 2 has students brainstorm and list specific ways to help characters, encouraging generation of concrete ideas and examples related to a topic.
Unit 2: Holes
Lesson 1
Texas and Desert Biomes
Students are asked to record names of desert animals and plants and write about two special adaptations (Desert Biome Option 1). Students are asked to write a paragraph describing a U.S. desert's geographic location, rainfall, indigenous plants and animals, and adaptations (Desert Biome Option 2). The skills list requires students to compile notes into outlines, reports, or summaries and to use oral and written language to report information on a topic, and an explicit definition of "biome" is provided.
Lesson 2
Camp Green Lake
Students complete the "An Inventor" activity where they name an invention, list materials, outline numbered steps for how it will be made, and explain how the invention solves a problem and will change lives, requiring concrete details and examples. Students complete the "Legal Terms" matching activity, connecting legal vocabulary to precise definitions. Students use the "The Happy Campers" organizer to record factual information and descriptive details about characters from the chapters they read.
Lesson 3
Digging
Students are asked to answer selected reading questions in a journal (e.g., explain what actually happened with the stolen shoes, describe how life was different in an earlier generation). Activity 2 (Dirt) has students match and glue explicit definitions of soil layers and arrange layers in the correct order. Activity 3 asks students to list nicknames for family and friends, record and describe their own nickname, and explain why they like or dislike it, which requires providing concrete examples and reasons.
Lesson 4
Caveman
Students are given a definition under Facts and Definitions (fossil) that they can use as factual information. Students are asked to record the author's descriptive details about the yellow-spotted lizard and illustrate it, which requires collecting concrete sensory details. Students are prompted to write journal responses (e.g., "Your Future" and answers to comprehension questions) and to discuss what archaeologists can learn from fossils, which invites use of examples and informational content.
Lesson 5
KB
Students are given a clear definition of irony and are asked to identify and explain ironic statements and to produce two ironic sentences, which requires using a definition and examples. Students rewrite sentences with elaborated subjects by adding adjectives and descriptive information, practicing how to expand a subject with concrete details. Students record information in the "Happy Campers" pages and answer comprehension questions, which prompts them to collect and state details from the text.
Lesson 6
Sunflower Seeds
Students are asked to complete a "Rattlesnake Research" page where they write three research questions and use books and/or the Internet to find and record answers, which requires gathering facts and details about rattlesnakes. Students record information about characters on the "Happy Campers" pages, summarizing and noting details from Chapters 17–20. The lesson provides explicit definitions (e.g., shape poem, alliteration) that students can use as informational elements when composing responses.
Lesson 7
Zero
Students are asked to record information about characters on the "Happy Campers" pages and answer comprehension questions that require factual recall (e.g., how Green Lake was different 100 years ago, character descriptions, and events involving Zero). In Activity 2 students must write a paragraph or letter describing their experiences, occupation, journey, and hardships in the Old West, which requires including concrete details about that topic. In Activity 3 students locate the author's description of Green Lake from the text, draw its past and present appearances, and discuss similarities and differences, using textual details as evidence.
Lesson 8
Sam the Onion Man
Students are asked to write a speech or poem in Activity 1 that requires them to explain why racism is wrong and why the town should not punish Kate and Sam, which is an informative/explanatory task. The lesson provides a definition of discrimination under Facts and Definitions that students can reference. Reading comprehension questions and answers (Questions #1–#5 and others) supply concrete story details about Sam and Kate that students can use as information in their writing.
Lesson 9
Driving a Truck
Students are asked to record information about the boys on the "Happy Campers" pages, gathering facts about characters. In the Character Comparisons activity, students write similarities and differences between five named characters, producing concrete details about traits and experiences. In the Wanted Poster option, students describe crimes and create a poster that requires descriptive information about a character (the Warden or Mr. Sir).
Lesson 10
The Mary Lou
Students read a "Facts and Definitions" section that explicitly defines simile and metaphor. Students complete the "Simile or Metaphor" activity in which they identify whether sentences contain similes or metaphors, name what is being compared, and describe the meaning of each example. Students write answers to chapter questions in their journal, composing factual responses about events from the text (for example, why Zero survived and what Stanley found).
Lesson 11
The Thumb of God
Students learn a definition (an index) and practice using an index to locate onion recipes, which requires them to find and use concrete information from a reference. Students answer guided comprehension questions in a journal that require citing events and details from Chapters 37–41 (for example, identifying what Stanley found and where the onions came from). Students create a Venn diagram or another organizer to record at least three similarities and four differences between two storylines, which asks them to collect and record supporting details.
Lesson 12
Treasure and Lizards
Students are asked to answer three or four journal questions after reading Chapters 42–45, requiring written responses about characters' feelings, motivations, and events. In the "Conflict in Holes" activity, students choose three types of conflict and are instructed to describe each conflict from the novel and illustrate it, prompting use of examples and concrete details from the text. The Facts and Definitions section provides explicit definitions (types of conflict, homophones), and the Homophone Bingo activity directs students to consult the dictionary for correct spellings and definitions.
Lesson 13
Innocent
Students are asked to write a business letter as Stanley's lawyer to inform the state department about conditions at Camp Green Lake, using an organizer that lists letter parts and provides lines for the body. The lesson asks students to answer specific comprehension questions about Chapters 46–50 that require recalling facts (e.g., what was in the suitcase, why the lizards did not bite them). Activity 3 has students sort and sequence story events and identify the problem, climax, and solution, and Activity 2 asks students to compare the book and movie and give reasons for similarities and differences.
Final Project
Welcome to Camp
Students are asked to write two paragraphs that require naming the camp and describing its geography, sleeping and eating quarters, and staff, which prompts concrete descriptive detail. They must also describe camp activities, how activities build character and help boys become productive members of society, and how staff interact with campers, prompting development with examples and explanations. Additional tasks—designing a uniform and explaining design choices, creating a five-item Welcome Pack based on geography and activities, and listing five differences from Camp Green Lake with explanations—require students to provide specific facts, details, and examples related to the topic.
Unit 3: Stories from Europe
Lesson 1
Tradition Stories
Students are given a Facts and Definitions section that defines fable, folktale, fairy tale, myth, and legend and provides examples for each type. In Activity 1 students discuss those definitions and examples (e.g., "The Hare and the Tortoise," "Jack and the Beanstalk") and watch a video about myths, fables, legends, and fairy tales. Activity 2 asks students to brainstorm stories they remember and sort them into categories, and the Skills statement asks students to gather relevant information, take notes, and categorize information.
Lesson 2
Fiona's Luck
Students are asked to record three fact items about Ireland on the "Fiona's Luck: Fact and Fantasy" page, distinguishing story-based facts from fantasy. Students complete a story-elements organizer (setting, characters, plot, conflict, resolution, theme) that requires them to state concrete details from the story. Day 2 question prompts ask students to report factual information learned about Ireland (e.g., historical facts about invasion and independence).
Lesson 3
The Sea King's Daughter
Students are asked to record three factual details from the story on the "The Sea King's Daughter: Fact and Fantasy" page and to categorize fantasy elements, which requires locating and noting story-based facts. Students read factual information about Russia (Day 2) and answer explicit content questions (capital city, land area, animals), practicing use of factual details. Students complete a "Story Elements" organizer where they list characters, setting, conflict, resolution, and theme, using concrete details from the text.
Lesson 4
The Snow Queen
Students read an informational text about Denmark and are instructed to create a small nonfiction book with labeled pages (Geography, History, Transportation, Food, Economy) based on what they read, with explicit direction to "convey the information concisely" and use accurate, precise wording. Students complete vocabulary activities that require matching words to definitions and selecting synonyms and antonyms, practicing use of definitions as part of their work. Students also complete a "The Snow Queen Story Elements" organizer where they record characters, setting, theme, conflict, and resolution—activities that require extracting concrete facts and details from texts.
Lesson 5
Comparing and Contrasting Stories
The lesson provides a "Facts and Definitions" section that defines point of view and distinguishes first- and third-person narration, which gives students factual definitions to use. Students are asked to identify and label the point of view in each story and to explain how first- and third-person tellings differ, requiring them to reference story elements. The Comparing Story Elements activity directs students to list three similarities and three differences and to explain which stories are most similar or different, prompting use of concrete examples from the texts.
Final Project
Writing Your Own Story
Students are asked to generate and expand story ideas, recording adjectives and three sentences for each character and listing words and phrases that describe a specific setting. Students use a plot organizer to outline beginning, conflict, events, and resolution and are instructed to use creative descriptions, interesting verbs, and sensory details when writing the rough draft. Students complete a 'Theme' organizer and a 'Story Checklist' that emphasize concrete descriptions and examples that support characters, setting, and plot.
4: Exploration and Survival
Unit 1: Abel's Island
Lesson 1
Survival
Students read river-habitat texts and are asked to identify plants and animals and discuss their special adaptations (Activity 2), which requires locating factual information and examples. In Activity 3 students complete a "Natural River Resources" graphic organizer listing river resources and two or three ways those resources can be used for clothing, shelter, food, and water. The Skills list includes "Use oral and written language to report on a topic," and students are prompted to add examples from the story to the chart as they read.
Lesson 2
The Storm
Students record the natural resources Abel uses and describe how he uses them on the "Using Natural Resources" pages, which requires citing concrete details and examples from the text. Students write vocabulary entries with the word and its definition and draw illustrations, which has them work explicitly with definitions. Students answer journal questions and are asked to "support interpretations or conclusions with examples drawn from text," prompting them to use facts and text-based details in written responses.
Lesson 3
Where Am I?
Students are asked to fill in a "Using Natural Resources" chart taking information from Chapters 3 and 4, which requires extracting facts and concrete details. Question #8 explicitly asks students to "Support interpretations or conclusions with examples drawn from text," prompting use of textual evidence. The lesson lists and teaches definitions for parts of a boat (mast, rudder, sails, deck, oars) and has students label and describe Abel's boats, which requires using definitions and concrete details.
Lesson 4
Who Is Abel?
Students are prompted to gather and record evidence from Chapters 5 and 6 when they answer three to four journal questions and when they fill in the "Using Natural Resources" chart, requiring them to pull facts and details from the text. The "Who Is Abel?" activity explicitly asks students to provide textual evidence for character traits and to record words and phrases with corresponding evidence on the Student Activity Page. The skills list directs students to "draw conclusions, make generalizations, and gather support by referencing the text," and to "use text and personal experience to verify facts, concepts, and ideas," which guides students to develop topics with supporting information.
Lesson 5
Perseverance
Students are asked to write a three-paragraph reflective essay using a graphic organizer that includes explicit spaces labeled for "Support" where they are to present details, facts, examples, quotes, and arguments. The Reflective Writing Organizer defines that supporting sentences should present details, facts, examples, and quotations, and each paragraph box prompts students to add those supports for the goal/problem, obstacles, and how they persevered. Students also extract concrete information from Chapters 7 and 8 in Activity 1 (fill in the "Using Natural Resources" chart) and use the Reflective Writing Rubric to evaluate whether their paragraphs include supporting details and clear ideas.
Lesson 6
Surprises
Students are asked to fill in the "Using Natural Resources" chart by taking information from Chapters 9 and 10, which requires them to identify and record facts and concrete details from the text. In Activity 3, students choose five items to take to a deserted island and must pull out each item and describe why they selected it and how they will use it, providing concrete examples and reasons. In Activity 2 students write a daily schedule for themselves and for Abel and compare/contrast the two, practicing explanatory writing that uses specific examples from the story and personal experience.
Lesson 7
Threats
Students are given a "Facts and Definitions" section that defines behavioral and physical adaptations, providing explicit definitions they can use. Activity 1 asks students to fill a chart using information from Chapters 11 and 12, so students gather facts and concrete details from the text. Activity 3 directs students to list three adaptations for Abel and describe how each aids his survival, requiring students to develop a topic with examples and concrete details. The vocabulary activity asks students to record the sentence from the book for each word, which requires students to use quotations or textual examples.
Lesson 8
The Dead of Winter
Students are prompted to research information about hibernation and to answer specific questions on the Hibernation activity page in complete sentences, using facts and definitions provided in the lesson. Students are asked to fill in a "Using Natural Resources" chart with information taken from Chapters 13 and 14 and to find text evidence that explains Abel's hibernation/torpor. Students complete a Hibernation Experiment collecting pulse, breath, and temperature data and answer follow-up questions that connect physiological data to the concept of energy conservation in hibernation.
Lesson 9
The Newcomer
Students are asked to fill in a chart ("Using Natural Resources") taking information from Chapters 15 and 16, which requires extracting facts and concrete details from the text. The lesson provides explicit definitions (script, set, prop, stage directions) and asks students to describe those theatrical terms, which gives practice with using definitions. Students answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., Gower's job, why he left) that require citing factual details from the reading. Students prepare a script with lines, stage directions, a set description, and props, and are asked to reread pages 93–96 to discuss action and dialogue, which prompts use of concrete details and quoted dialogue in a written product.
Lesson 10
Escape
Students are asked to describe Abel before and after the island and to explain what caused his change (Activity 3), which requires them to develop an explanation about a topic. The skills list includes "Use text and personal experience to verify facts, concepts, and ideas," and the wrapping up prompts ask students to explain how and why a personal situation changed them. The Big and Little Questions activity has students generate questions that can guide gathering specific versus broad information about the chapters.
Lesson 11
Home at Last
Students are asked to fill in a "Using Natural Resources" chart taking information from Chapters 19 and 20, which requires them to extract facts and concrete details from the text. Activity 3 asks students to identify the theme and "cite evidence from the text" on a Theme Bubble Map, prompting them to provide examples that support a central idea. The Skills section explicitly lists that students should "support interpretations or conclusions with examples drawn from text," and the Facts and Definitions section defines "theme," giving a definitional element for student use.
Final Project
Your Own Deserted Island
Students write a paragraph describing the island environment and create a scaled map with symbols and a key (Part 1), which requires them to include concrete descriptive details and spatial information. Students make lists of items they have and resources discovered, and then write a paragraph explaining how they landed, what they have, and how they use natural resources (Part 2), which asks for examples of tools, resource use, and adaptations as noted on the rubric. Students plan a step-by-step escape (Part 4) and the rubric asks for realistic, logically ordered steps, all of which prompt students to develop their topic with specific examples and concrete steps.
Unit 2: Pedro's Journal
Lesson 1
Exploring with Columbus
Students research Columbus and use the "Columbus, The Man" activity sheet to list positive and negative characteristics, explicitly distinguishing fact from opinion. On the "Reasons for Exploration" page students write possible benefits and possible downsides for each listed reason, producing concrete examples and consequences. The "Historical Fiction" bubble map asks students to list two factual descriptions, two fictional examples, two historical events, and two authentic setting descriptions. On the "Columbus' Route" map students trace the voyage and record dates and important events, gathering factual details tied to locations.
Lesson 2
August
Students are asked in Activity 3 (Option 2) to record ten factual statements about oceans, draw illustrations for each fact, and then write a descriptive paragraph based on those facts. In Activity 2 students match navigation instruments with illustrations and descriptions and are encouraged to look up unfamiliar instruments online, which exposes them to facts and definitions. The Journey chart requires students to record geographic location, attitudes, and important events from Pedro's journal entries, prompting them to collect concrete details from the text.
Lesson 3
September
Students receive an explicit definition of a meteor in the 'Facts and Definitions' section and are directed to read additional factual material via the NASA web link about meteors and meteorites. Students answer comprehension questions about Pedro's journal (e.g., signs of land, crew provisions) and fill out 'The Journey' sheet, requiring them to identify and restate concrete details from the text. In the Meteors activity students read cultural beliefs about meteors on the 'Meteors as Signs' page and are asked to discuss origins and historical reactions, connecting facts and definitions to interpretation.
Lesson 4
October
Students answer reading questions that require recalling facts (for example, animals seen, what sailors noticed, and Columbus's beliefs) and record knowledge on "The Journey" sheet and in journals. Students complete two bubble maps titled "Native People" and "White Men" to record words or phrases—collecting concrete details and examples from perspectives in the text. Students learn the definition of quotation marks, practice inserting quotation punctuation in sample sentences, and write original quoted lines for characters.
Lesson 5
Journal Writing
The Pre-Writing activity directs students to write ten facts about their chosen event and to think of three quotes they can include in their journal entry. The lesson includes a "Facts and Definitions" section defining a journal and Activity 3 tells students to use the Pre-Writing organizer as a guide when writing their entry. The Selecting an Event page prompts students to identify what they could teach others by sharing the event, encouraging inclusion of concrete details and examples.
Lesson 6
November
Students read Pedro's journal entries and answer guided questions that ask them to cite reasons and facts (for example, why Columbus wanted to take natives to Spain and what happened to the Pinta). The lesson includes a Facts and Definitions section that presents explicit facts (e.g., Columbus captured natives; masks were used ceremonially) that students can use as supporting information. In Activity 2 students list disadvantages of life at sea versus life on land from Pedro's perspective and complete a written prompt "I would rather be ___ because ___," requiring them to use details from the text to justify their choice.
Lesson 7
December
Students read the December journal entries and are assigned three or four questions to answer in their journals, with provided factual answers (e.g., the sailors' encounter with natives, whether the crew believed they were in Asia). In the "Treasures" activity students illustrate and label treasures Columbus expected and treasures actually found (using pages 52-53) and then compare the two lists and explain differences. The lesson also includes an explicit "Facts and Definitions" note (e.g., Columbus thought he was in Asia) that students use while filling "The Journey" page and answering comprehension questions.
Lesson 8
The Island of the Skog
Students are asked to write in a journal three ways the mice showed prejudice and three ways Columbus showed prejudice, which requires generating examples related to a topic. Students are provided a definition of prejudice to use when explaining those examples. Students complete a Comparing Stories graphic organizer to record similarities and unique characteristics from two texts and are prompted to use text and personal experiences to verify facts and ideas.
Lesson 9
January
Students are given explicit facts and definitions about manatees (e.g., that manatees are an endangered aquatic mammal and have flipper-like digits) and answer questions that require recalling those details (Question #3). Students are asked to conduct research, find pictures online, and discuss the manatee's ecosystem and threats to its survival (Activity 3). The skills list includes conducting research and demonstrating understanding through writing and illustrating, and the student activity page asks students to write dialogue and fill in journey information that uses given factual prompts.
Lesson 10
February
The A Firsthand Report activity asks the student to write a report as Pedro that must explain how the crew survived, what they discovered, and what it was like to sail with Columbus, and tells the student to look back at information recorded on the "The Journey" pages. Activity 1 and the guided reading questions provide specific factual details students can record and use (e.g., length of voyage, storms, loss of the Pinta, Pedro's feelings). The lesson also includes a Facts and Definitions section (about figures of speech) and explicit journal prompts that direct students to recount events and qualities that helped survival.
Final Project
Story Blocks
Students are directed to record facts on the Historical Fiction Cube (three historical facts) and to record concrete survival details and responses on the Survival Cube (three threats and three survival actions). Students must write sentences using vocabulary words on the Vocabulary Cube and must write sentences that contain quotations on the Quotes Cube. The Exploration Cube asks students to describe discoveries and impacts on lives and cultures, and the Simile and Characters cubes require collecting and composing descriptive language and examples.
Unit 3: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Lesson 1
Sickness
Students are asked to answer journal questions (e.g., Describe Mrs. Frisby and her family; How does their environment meet their needs for survival?) which prompt them to explain a topic using details from the text. Students complete a Plot Flowchart in which they record chapter titles and brief retells of major events, which requires recounting concrete story details and examples. Students complete vocabulary pages that require identifying definitions, roots/prefixes/suffixes, and using words in sentences, which practices using definitions and textual quotations as evidence.
Lesson 2
Spring is Coming
Students are directed to conduct research on rats and mice using books and technology and then compare the two in their journal using a Venn diagram, which requires collecting and recording factual information. Students are asked to describe three or four ways an animal's survival may be threatened and to explain how Mrs. Frisby's family is threatened, writing a description beneath an illustrated setting. Students answer reading-comprehension questions in their journal about events and character/setting details (e.g., the plow destroying animal homes, the cat's appearance), which asks them to record concrete details from the text.
Lesson 4
Rats in the Rosebush
Students are asked to answer three or four journal questions about the chapters, which requires them to provide explanations and reasons for events and character actions. Students complete a bubble map centered on 'Bravery' and list five ways Mrs. Frisby has shown bravery, supplying concrete examples related to that topic. Students are asked to research owls' homes and design a new home, which prompts gathering facts and information about a topic.
Lesson 5
Meeting the Rats
Students are asked to answer journal questions that require describing characters and events (e.g., "How would you describe Brutus?" and "How did the rats respond to Mrs. Frisby?"). Students complete a "Plot Flowchart" describing important events from the chapters and fill the "Beyond Needs" organizer by listing examples of how the rats advanced beyond basic survival and by identifying machines and inventions. Students are given definitions and rules for irregular plurals and practice using those plural forms in sentences, applying definitions to concrete examples.
Lesson 6
A Plan for Mrs. Frisby
Students are given a clear definition of a bushel and use that factual definition in Activity 2 to calculate pounds for different produce, applying factual information to answer questions. The lesson asks students to answer comprehension questions in their journal about characters, events, and motivations, requiring factual recall (e.g., where the rats want to move the house, what Mrs. Frisby learned about the rats). Activity 3 asks students to devise and then describe a plan for moving the house, which asks for a concrete plan and invites use of knowledge about simple machines and concrete details when illustrating and explaining the solution.
Lesson 7
The Capture
Students are asked to write a summary of Nicodemus' story after making a list of important events, which requires them to select and organize facts and concrete details. The Reading and Questions section prompts students to record specific facts (e.g., tools needed, where rats lived, how they were captured, where they were taken, how they survived). A skills statement and Question #7 ask students to gather support by referencing the text and to use evidence from the book. The Facts and Definitions section and the Acronyms activity provide explicit practice with definitions and examples.
Lesson 8
Life at NIMH
Students answer targeted comprehension questions in a journal (e.g., why Justin tried to escape, how scientists taught the rats to read), which requires recalling facts and concrete details from the text. Students create vocabulary note cards by looking up and recording definitions for scientific terms (DNA, steroids, injections, mutation, control, inspecting, breakthrough, laboratory). Students are asked to describe what life was like for the rats at NIMH and explain whether the scientists were doing a good or bad thing, which prompts explanatory writing using evidence from the chapters.
Lesson 9
The Escape
Students read two chapters and answer targeted comprehension questions that require locating and using specific facts (e.g., tools used, escape route, what the rats discovered in the mansion). Students are asked to write journal entries explaining how Nicodemus was before and after NIMH and to write examples of how the rats are becoming more like humans, which requires developing ideas with concrete details from the text. The Skills section explicitly asks students to use text and personal experiences to verify facts and to locate information in text for specific purposes.
Lesson 10
Amazing Rats
Students are asked to write at least one way the rats could have used each tool on the "Tools and Machines" activity, recording concrete examples for items such as lathe, electric motors, drills, and plow. Students are prompted to research unfamiliar tools or machines online or in an encyclopedia and to brainstorm ways the mice could have generated electricity, which requires gathering facts and definitions about conductors and circuits. Students are asked to write a paragraph describing how their opinion about rats changed and to support that opinion with reasons and linking phrases, which encourages use of supporting information and examples.
Lesson 11
The Plan
In Activity 3 students are asked to read online arguments and interview people, record positives and negatives about animal research, and then write a speech that includes three reasons and transitional phrases. In the Reading and Questions section students answer factual journal questions about plot events (e.g., what the rats discovered, how they got electrical power), requiring them to identify and record concrete details from the text. In Activity 2 students write a paragraph to accompany a pop-up or compose a poem/song describing a chosen environment, which asks them to describe the place and explain why it would be perfect to live.
Lesson 13
A New Home
Students are asked to record examples from the book for each element on the "Elements of Fantasy" activity page, requiring them to identify concrete examples and details. The Facts and Definitions section explicitly defines 'plot' as involving problem, events, climax, and solution, giving students a definition to use. Students complete a Plot Flowchart and Plot Diagram by listing the problem, major events, climax, falling action, and solution, which requires extracting factual plot details.
Final Project
The Next Chapter or Book Float
Students are asked to write descriptions of each character and a description of Thorn Valley to guide their chapter planning, which requires concrete sensory and descriptive detail. Students must list four major events and write a summary of the chapter, reinforcing selection and sequencing of specific supporting details. Students are instructed to write a chapter that describes how characters are surviving in and interacting with their environment, and the rubric asks whether the setting, characters, events, and focus on survival/inventiveness are well developed.