Third Grade - ELA
1: Environment
Unit 1: Tornado
Lesson 1
Weather on the Farm
The introduction asks the student to predict book titles from the cover and then read the real title, prompting comparison between their predictions and the text. Activities ask the student to describe a tornado, draw it, and write three factual sentences about tornadoes, and the Wrapping Up directs the student to describe a tornado and why it can be dangerous. The Skills list explicitly includes "Read expository materials for answers to specific questions" and "Make predictions about events in a story," which involve asking and answering questions about texts.
Lesson 2
The Storm
Students are asked to read Chapter 1 and then answer a set of guided comprehension questions (e.g., summarize Chapter 1; identify the problem; name who is in the cellar), which require information drawn directly from the text. Activity 4 requires students to write a 3–4 sentence chapter summary and compare it to a provided text-based summary. Day 2 Main Idea activities ask students to read short passages and choose or write main-idea statements that depend on passage content.
Lesson 3
The Tornado
Students are asked to listen to Chapter 2 and verbally summarize the chapter, and to answer five specific comprehension questions (Q1–Q5) about events and details from the text. The lesson provides question-and-answer prompts (e.g., describing the yard after the tornado, comparing tornadoes) that require students to refer to events in the chapter. In Activity 2 students read the author's description and the simple description, underline the descriptive words in the author's text, and write their own description based on those textual details.
Lesson 4
A Card Trick
Students read Chapter 3 independently and then answer seven guided comprehension questions about what happens and why (for example, Question #1 asks students to describe events and Question #5 asks why Tornado obeyed Pete's dad). Students are asked to produce a summary of the chapter in a journal (Activity 1) and the Skills list explicitly includes "Produce a summary of a text." Students also locate and discuss sentence types by looking back through Chapter 3 to record examples, which requires returning to the text for specific lines.
Lesson 5
Turtles
Students read Chapter 4 and answer a set of specific comprehension questions (e.g., Where does Tornado get the turtle?; Why does Tornado not listen to Emma Lou?), practicing answering in complete sentences. Students retell myths from How the Turtle Got Its Shell and answer comparative questions (favorite myth, most believable, similarities/differences). Students complete a Story Map Graphic Organizer (setting, characters, problem, events, solution) and write a chapter summary in their journal, extracting story elements and sequencing events.
Lesson 6
The Best Pet Award
Students are asked to read Chapter 5 aloud and answer explicit comprehension questions (Questions #1–#7) that require story details (e.g., how Five-Thirty got his name; why Tornado dug a hole). Students are directed to write a chapter summary in a journal, which requires them to restate and synthesize text information. Activity 3 (Option 2) explicitly asks students to give specific examples from the story to justify why Tornado is a good pet, and class discussions prompt students to explain behaviors based on events in the text.
Lesson 7
Conflict
Students are asked to read Chapter 6 and answer a sequence of comprehension questions (Question #1–#6), including Q1 which requires describing the saddest day of Pete's life using events from the text. Students are asked to produce a chapter summary and draw an event illustration in the journal, which requires them to restate and organize information from the text. In Activity 2 students must describe two specific conflicts from the book, label each type (e.g., character vs. nature, character vs. character), and write a sentence describing each conflict based on story events.
Lesson 8
The End of the Storm
Students are asked to read Chapter 7 aloud and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., "How did Pete feel... How do you know?"). Students are directed to reread the passage describing Pete's sadness and to record the exact words and phrases the author uses, linking their answers explicitly to text (pp. 42-43). Students complete activities that require summarizing chapters in a journal and describing differences in mood and environment by rereading Chapter 1 and Chapter 7.
Lesson 9
Plot
Students are asked to identify the problem, major events, climax, and resolution of a story using the Story Plot Diagram (Activity 1). In Activity 2 students are directed to reread chapter summaries and place event strips on a Tornado Plot Diagram, requiring them to use the book/summaries to determine event order. The Wrapping Up and Life Application sections prompt students to describe plot elements and discuss the introduction, rising action, falling action, and resolution of stories they read.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students are asked oral comprehension questions in the Wrapping Up section (e.g., whether they enjoyed the book, whether they would recommend it, and to explain what they learned), which requires them to answer questions about the text. Several Think-Tac-Toe mini-projects require students to produce text-based responses about events and characters (write a letter as Pete, a journal entry, describe a favorite event and its alternative outcome, and write a paragraph about how the environment/weather affects characters). The Hamburger Paragraph Organizer is provided to help students plan a coherent paragraph (topic sentence, supporting details, conclusion) for written responses.
Unit 2: Sarah, Plain and Tall
Lesson 1
Getting Started
Students are asked to read expository materials about Kansas and Maine and to "list six facts about each state," which requires locating information in a text. The Skills section explicitly includes "Read expository materials to answer questions and locate information" and "Demonstrate understanding of informational text." Activities prompt students to answer questions and discuss differences between Maine and Kansas and to describe what it would be like to live in each place.
Lesson 2
Story Elements
Students are asked to write sentences describing a favorite character and setting, state the most important lesson learned from a book, and describe the plot (problem/conflict, important events, solution) on the activity sheet. Students read a picture book and then create a Story Pyramid that requires them to produce words/phrases describing the main character, setting, problem, events, and solution. Students are prompted before reading to think about story elements (characters, setting, theme, plot) as they read Sarah, Plain and Tall and to share examples from books they have read.
Lesson 3
The News
Students read Chapter 1 and answer specific comprehension questions (QUESTION #1–#6) in complete sentences, with provided answers to guide correct responses. Students are asked to explain inferences using text-based clues (for example, QUESTION #3: 'Where do Caleb and Anna live? What clues do you have?'). Students write journal or discussion responses about the chapter and discuss reasons Anna's father might need help, using story details as the basis for answers.
Lesson 4
The Letters
Students listen to Chapter 2 read aloud and then summarize the chapter verbally. Students read and answer specific comprehension questions (#1-4) in a journal or discussion, with answers that reference story details (e.g., Sarah loves the sea; there are seals, fish, whales, and birds). Students write a journal entry from Anna's point of view and complete activities that require referring to events and descriptions in the text.
Lesson 5
The Arrival
Students are asked to read Chapter 3 and then answer a set of comprehension questions in a journal or discussion (Questions #1–#4), practicing answering in complete sentences. The questions require locating details (e.g., what Papa does to get ready, what Sarah brought for the children) and inferring from clues (e.g., how old Caleb might be and what clues support that). Activity 2 explicitly instructs students to "look for examples in the book" about geography, plants, animals, and transportation when completing a Venn diagram, and the Skills list includes "Locate specific information within text."
Lesson 6
Life on the Prairie
Students are asked to read Chapter 4 and answer a set of specific text-based questions in a journal or discussion (Questions #1–#5). Sample answers given (e.g., Q2 cites Sarah saying "we" and Q3 lists activities described in the book) show students locating details in the text. Students are instructed to record the names of wildflowers mentioned in the book and to retell or write Anna's thoughts about events, which requires referring to book details.
Lesson 7
The Dune
Students are asked to read Chapter 5 and then answer five specific comprehension questions in their journal or discuss them aloud (e.g., Why do you think Sarah names the sheep after her aunts? What does Sarah enjoy doing on the farm?). Students complete a journal reflection (Activity 1) about the chapter and are prompted to predict and explain Sarah's future feelings in the Wrapping Up section. The lesson also directs discussion of the environment and an illustrated/written follow-up activity that requires students to record ideas related to what they experienced or read.
Lesson 8
Work and Play
Students are asked to read Chapter 6 and then answer a set of comprehension questions in their journal or in discussion (for example, "Why does Sarah ask about winter?" and "How do Caleb and Anna describe the winter to Sarah?"). Activity 2 asks students to list three things from the book they believe are facts and three things that are not factual, which requires students to refer to the book's content. The reading of the winter description and the follow-up discussion and journal entry activities prompt students to use information from the text to respond.
Lesson 9
Writing
The introduction prompts students to identify the problem of the story and answer questions about what Caleb and Anna have been worried about, requiring answers grounded in the text. Activity 2 instructs students to record three reasons Sarah should stay and to support each reason with examples from the book, and provides a sample text-based support (the family started singing when Sarah arrived). The self-editing checklist specifically asks students to confirm they have three reasons and that each reason is supported, reinforcing use of textual evidence.
Lesson 10
Neighbors
Students are asked to read Chapter 7 aloud and then answer a set of comprehension questions (e.g., Why do Maggie and Matthew come to visit?; Why do Sarah's eyes fill with tears?) that require referring to events and details in the chapter. Activity 2 directs students to draw the story setting using details from the text, explicitly telling them to use textual details such as a house, barn, fields, and period farm equipment. Wrapping up prompts ask students to explain why Sarah might be happier in Maine and to discuss what makes a place home, which asks for explanations grounded in the story.
Lesson 11
Squall
Students are asked to read Chapter 8 and then answer four specific comprehension questions (e.g., Why does Sarah want to learn how to drive the wagon and ride a horse?; What clues do we have that Anna misses her mother?). Students are prompted to discuss what they have learned about the weather in Kansas from reading the story. Students complete activities that require describing characters in their own words (Character Line-Up) and writing a journal entry from a character's perspective, which draws on details from the text.
Lesson 12
The End of the Storm
Students are asked to read Chapter 9 and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., what damage the storm does; what Sarah purchases and why), which require recalling explicit events and details from the text. Activity 2 has students create a plot diagram, encouraging them to reread chapter journal entries to locate main events and character feelings. Activity 3 directs students to write a central theme and record examples of how the author supports that theme through characters' actions, words, thoughts, and events, linking claims to textual examples. The Getting Started and Wrapping Up prompts ask students to make and evaluate predictions and explain their recommendations, engaging them in question-and-answer discussion about the text.
Final Project
Welcome To Kansas
The lesson lists literacy skills including "Make inferences and draw conclusions" and "Recall main ideas, facts, and details from a text," and it directs the student to plan a party "keeping in mind the setting of the story -- a Kansas farm over 100 years ago." The unit opens with "Questions to Explore" that prompt investigation, and the self-editing checklist asks students to support reasons and revise their drafts. Students are asked to write a card as Anna to Sarah and to locate sources about pioneer activities and foods as they complete party planning tasks.
Unit 3: Who Was Helen Keller?
Lesson 1
Helen's Early Years
Students are asked to read Chapter 1 and then answer specific chapter questions either orally or in writing, with suggested journal recording and complete-sentence responses. The lesson provides a set of text-based comprehension questions (with answers) about Helen's early life and instructions to discuss or record answers for odd/even numbered questions. The lesson also instructs students to generate their own questions about the book as they read, fostering question-asking about the text.
Lesson 2
Helen's Childhood
Students are asked to read Chapter 2 and answer five comprehension questions (e.g., why Helen threw tantrums, how she communicated), which requires them to demonstrate understanding of the text. Students are encouraged to think of their own questions after reading, supporting the ‘ask' portion of the standard. In the vocabulary activity, students must locate each target word in the book and read aloud and write down the sentence that contains the word, thereby referring explicitly to the text as the basis for those responses.
Lesson 3
Helen's Challenges
Students are asked to read Chapter 3 and then answer four explicit comprehension questions (e.g., what dangerous things happened, how Helen got information, what Helen learned, where her parents took her) that require answers drawn from the chapter. The lesson provides model answers that reference specific events from the text (apron on fire, locked mother in pantry, feeling and smelling, folding clothes, visiting a specialist). An activity asks students to add an event from the chapter to a timeline, which requires selecting and citing a text-based event.
Lesson 4
Inventors
Students are asked to read Chapter 4 and then answer five specific comprehension questions (e.g., Why did Helen love Alexander Graham Bell right away? How did Alexander Graham Bell feel about Helen?). The Skills section explicitly states students should "Read expository materials for answers to specific questions," and Activity 2 asks students to read a biography and identify what they learned that matched Chapter 4. Students also write ten facts about Bell and complete invention-description prompts that require locating and recording information from texts.
Lesson 5
Annie
Students are asked to read Chapter 5 and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., how Helen felt about Annie, why the doll caused problems, why Helen's family let her eat off their plates). Skills list explicitly includes recalling main ideas, facts, and details from a text, and Activity 1 asks students to add events from the chapter to a timeline, requiring retrieval of text details. Wrapping Up asks students to describe the relationship between Annie and Helen and predict future events, which prompts text-based understanding.
Lesson 6
Helen Leaves Home
Students read Chapter 6 aloud and then answer six explicit comprehension questions (Q1–Q6) about what happened to Helen, her reactions, and consequences, requiring recall from the text. The lesson begins with asking students to recount Chapter 5 and make/check predictions about Chapter 6, prompting them to ask and answer questions before and after reading. Activity 2 asks students to look for sentences that contain lists on specified pages (67 and 70) and to copy those sentences into their journals, which requires locating and using exact text passages as the basis for the task.
Lesson 7
More Learning
Students read Chapters 7 and 8 and answer five specific comprehension questions (e.g., why the interviewer was surprised; how Helen knew life was different for immigrants; how Helen did at Cambridge), practicing retrieval of facts and details. Students create a timeline by adding one event from each chapter, which requires identifying and extracting events from the text. Students use the "Helen's Journey" mapping activity and are asked to locate information in the chapters that describe events and places, practicing finding textual details. The wrapping-up prompts ask students to name important events in Helen's life and explain why they were important, which asks for explanation grounded in the chapters.
Lesson 8
All Grown Up
Students read Chapters 9 and 10 and answer five explicit comprehension questions (e.g., What was college like for Helen? What was the name of Helen's first book?). Students read Helen Keller quotes on the "Helen's Voice" page, underline parts they think are very good, and answer follow-up questions such as "What words or phrases create images in your mind?". In Wrapping Up students are asked to describe Helen's voice in her writing, which requires referring to her quoted text.
Final Project
Scrapbook or Interview
Students are asked to develop five interview questions and to write Helen Keller's answers, with guidance to draft and revise each question and answer. The Scrapbook option directs students to use the book they have just finished reading (or other sources) to find information for each scrapbook page and to record those ideas. Both the Interview and Scrapbook include rubrics that evaluate the quality of questions and answers and whether Helen's voice and relevant information are present.
2: Change
Unit 1: Morning Girl
Lesson 1
Background Information
The lesson includes a Skills statement that students should "Read expository materials for answers to specific questions." Activities ask students to locate information about the Bahamas and Taino and to "summarize the information by creating a short report," which requires answering questions from texts. The "Archaeologists and Artifacts" pages prompt students to write the materials and a sentence describing each artifact's use based on provided images or researched sources. The Getting Started section and several activities prompt adults to ask the child questions about Columbus and the Bahamas, initiating oral question-and-answer exchanges.
Lesson 2
Point of View
Students read specific chapters and answer a set of text-based comprehension questions (Questions 1–6 for each book) in writing or discussion. The Skills list and activities ask students to record three thoughts/phrases a character uses and two important events from the chapter, and to identify words, phrases, and sentences that reveal personality. Students reread Voices in the Park, compare four narrators using a four-part Venn diagram, and circle words that rhyme, all requiring them to refer back to the text to find evidence.
Lesson 3
The News
Students are asked to read Chapter 3 and answer specific comprehension questions aloud and in their journals (Questions #1–#6), requiring answers about resources, character feelings, and plot events drawn from the text. Activity 3 directs students to record three phrases or sentences that Morning Girl uses to describe Star Boy, which requires students to locate and reproduce explicit text evidence. The journal activity asks students to record Morning Girl's feelings and events from the chapter, which has students extract and write text-based information.
Lesson 4
The Rock
Students are asked to read Chapters 4 and 5 of Morning Girl and then answer a series of comprehension questions aloud or in a journal (e.g., Why do you think Star Boy pretends to be a rock?; How does the environment around Star Boy change?). Activity prompts require students to retell events and record feelings, phrases, and events from the chapters in character voices, and Activity 4 asks students to explain how Star Boy changed and what caused that change. The pronoun activity directs students to identify pronouns the author uses in the text and to read those pronouns in context to determine which noun was replaced.
Lesson 5
Let's Write
The lesson prompts students to discuss the points of view of Morning Girl and Star Boy and asks them to describe differences in the characters' voices. Students are asked aloud how they would describe each character's voice and personality and to use that thinking to write two first-person paragraphs in each character's voice. The wrapping-up prompts ask students to explain how they made the voice obvious and to describe steps of the writing process.
Lesson 6
The Storm
Students read Chapters 6 and 7 and are instructed to answer a set of explicit comprehension questions in complete sentences, either in a journal or in discussion. The lesson provides seven text-based questions (e.g., What happens to Star Boy? How does Star Boy describe the weather?) with answers that require recalling specific events and descriptions from the chapters. Activities ask students to look through the book and record words or phrases that describe the setting before and after the storm and to record characters' feelings, thoughts, words, and events in a journal, which requires referring to the text.
Lesson 7
Visitors
Students are asked to read Chapters 8 and 9 and answer a list of specific comprehension questions in their journals or in discussion, with prompts like "What does Star Boy lose in the storm?" and "Why does Star Boy not come back home?". Activity 1 directs students to record Star Boy's feelings, actions, and words from his chapter and do the same for Morning Girl, requiring them to use events and descriptions from the text. Activity 3 asks students to read the epilogue and write journal entries from Morning Girl's and an explorer's point of view including descriptions, thoughts, and feelings about the arrival, which draws on textual events and character details.
Final Project
Poetry Night
Students are prompted to read Encounter aloud and to use a set of provided discussion questions (Questions #1–#7) to answer comprehension questions about the text (for example, why the boy is worried, what the strangers give, and how the encounter compares to Morning Girl). Students are directed to "read through the activity page and look through Encounter to find examples that fit each category" when creating a mini-fold book of positive, negative, and mixed effects, and to use details from Encounter when writing before-and-after poems from different perspectives.
Unit 2: Communities and Culture
Lesson 1
Getting Started
Students are prompted to generate questions in the "What I Want to Learn" box and later return to the chart to see if their questions were answered, which requires asking and then answering based on reading. Students are asked to look through the unit books and list proper nouns and setting details (Activity 3 and Activity 6), which requires locating information in the text and illustrations. The wrapping-up prompts ask students to name the two historical time periods and to name three proper nouns related to each time period, requiring answers drawn from the texts.
Lesson 2
Where Are We?
Students read pages 4–15 of the text and are asked a series of specific comprehension questions (e.g., why the twins are bored, how the Nile affected life, how people used natural resources) and required to answer in complete sentences both orally and in writing. Students complete Activity 2 by listing three factual details and three fictional details from the story, and Activity 1 and the 'Life in Egypt' page require students to record information from the book about homes, food, drink, and resources. The Skills section explicitly lists reading expository materials for answers to specific questions and recalling main ideas, facts, and details from a text.
Lesson 3
The King
Students read pp. 16-27 and then answer five specific comprehension questions (Where does Emma go to find Josh? How does the author describe an Egyptian town? Why do Emma and Libby have to work? How were Egyptian schools different? Why did the Egyptians build pyramids?), with model answers tied to the text. Students are prompted at the end to tell what they learned about Ancient Egypt and to predict whether Libby and Emma will rescue Josh, encouraging oral answers based on the reading. The Government Venn diagram activity asks students to compare a king and a president using the diagram of the Egyptian monarchy, which requires using information from the text to complete the comparison.
Lesson 4
Back Home
Students are asked to finish reading Hot on the Trail in Ancient Egypt and then answer five specific comprehension questions (e.g., How do Emma and Libby rescue Josh?; Look at the diagram of a pyramid on page 33: What happened in the mortuary temple?). The introduction prompts students to predict the ending and then compare their prediction to the actual ending after reading. The Plot Pyramid activity requires students to record five events before the climax and three events after, explicitly drawing events from the text and specified pages (pp. 28–29 and p. 33).
Lesson 5
A Day in Egypt
The lesson asks the student to pose questions about what ancient Egyptian people did for work, food, entertainment, housing, and clothing. It tells the student to read through the "What I have learned" section and to refer to the book as needed. The lesson explicitly encourages the student to see if the questions she posed at the beginning were answered in the story.
Lesson 6
Middle Ages
Students are asked to read pages 1–15 and to answer a set of text-based comprehension questions (Q1–Q5) in complete sentences, with answers that directly reflect events and details from the reading. Students are instructed to reread pages 12–15 and use the "Being Poor" activity page to record at least three similarities and three differences drawn from the texts. Students are asked to write a first-person journal entry as a peasant and to draw social-class diagrams using information found in the books, requiring them to use details from the text to support their responses.
Lesson 7
Off to the Castle
Students are asked to read pages 16–31 in Adventures in the Middle Ages and then answer a set of specific comprehension questions (e.g., what is happening in the village, whom the Binkertons find, what activities occurred in castles). The lesson provides sample question-and-answer pairs that require students to use information from the assigned pages. Getting Started and the wrap-up prompt students to discuss similarities and differences between castle life and other representations, which prompts question-and-answer interaction about the text.
Lesson 8
Return Home
Students are asked to finish reading the book and answer a set of specific comprehension questions (e.g., characteristics of chivalry, castle features, how the Binkertons retrieve the book) that require locating information from the text. The Skills section explicitly states that students will "Read text to locate information and answer specific questions." Activity 3 asks students to record adjectives for characters and "explain how the text and illustrations support the adjectives," which requires referring to the text as evidence.
Lesson 9
Writing About History
Students are instructed to read pages from the unit books and discuss the difference between factual and fictional text, including reading the "Fact or Fantasy?" section. Students are asked to collect information from books or online about the chosen time period and complete the "Getting Started" organizer and the Rough Draft: Fact and Fantasy page, producing one factual paragraph based on gathered information. The Getting Started page also prompts a question about which activity/place/system would be most exciting to write about, guiding students to choose a text-based topic.
Unit 3: American Heroes
Lesson 2
Early American Heroes
After students read the pages on Franklin, Jefferson, and Washington, they are asked specific comprehension questions tied to page numbers and encouraged to answer aloud or in a journal. The Skills list tells students to "read and comprehend text by locating information for specific purposes," "read expository materials for answers to specific questions," and "recall main idea, facts, and details from a text." Student activities require recording factual details (years lived, inventions, interests), writing sentences about how each hero changed the world, and placing heroes on a timeline.
Lesson 3
Heroes of Freedom
Students read specific chapters on Abraham Lincoln and Harriet Tubman and then answer teacher-provided comprehension questions (e.g., "How did Harriet help to change the world?" and "How did Abraham Lincoln change the world?"). Students are prompted to describe characters (e.g., describe Lincoln or Tubman) and to give reasons or examples (answers for Tubman include that she led about 300 slaves to freedom). The activities require students to discuss facts from texts (e.g., identify slave and free states on a map after reading) and to respond in writing (poem and hero cards).
Lesson 4
Hard Times
Students are asked to answer specific comprehension questions after reading chapters on Eleanor Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt (for example: How did Eleanor change from child to adult? What challenges did the nation face during FDR's presidency?). The lesson includes starter "Questions to Explore" prompts and directs discussion about the racial climate and why Eleanor's activism could be controversial, which require students to respond based on the reading. Multiple provided question–answer pairs model text-based answers that students are expected to produce.
Lesson 5
Recent Heroes
Students are instructed to answer specific comprehension questions after reading the chapters on Walt Disney and Jesse Owens; those questions ask about characteristics, achievements, and effects (e.g., "What characteristics of a hero...", "How did Disney change the world?", "What were some of Jesse Owens's amazing achievements?") and the lesson supplies text-based answers. Students complete guided activities that require them to locate information for specific purposes and read expository materials for answers to specific questions, indicating practice in answering questions grounded in the readings. The Life Application asks students to think of questions to ask a local hero, giving additional practice in question formulation (though not explicitly tied to text evidence).
Lesson 6
African-American Heroes
Students are prompted to read chapters on Mary McLeod Bethune, Frederick Douglass, and George Washington Carver and then answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., "What did Mary McLeod Bethune believe about education?", "What made Frederick Douglass different from other African Americans of his time?"). The lesson's Skills list includes "Read and comprehend text by locating information for specific purposes" and directs students to locate answers after reading each chapter. The lesson also opens with "Questions to Explore," which frames inquiry about how citizens change their communities and characteristics that help people make positive changes.
Lesson 7
Female Heroes
Students read chapters on Susan B. Anthony and Sandra Day O'Connor and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., why Anthony was arrested; what O'Connor was the first to do). Students are asked to write two interrogative sentences about what they have learned and questions they still have, and blanks are provided on the Student Activity Page for those questions. Students also produce written responses (declarative and exclamatory sentences) about the texts, showing they must use information from the readings to create answers and questions.
Lesson 8
Heroes of Science and Invention
Students read expository chapters on Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, and the Wright brothers and then answer a set of specific comprehension questions provided after each chapter (e.g., questions about Einstein's feelings on weapons and the Hiroshima bombing). The lesson's Skills section explicitly lists 'Read expository materials for answers to specific questions,' and the activities prompt students to describe ways the heroes persevered, linking answers to the biographical text.
Lesson 9
Book of Heroes
Students are instructed to reread the pages about chosen heroes in the 60 American Heroes book and then compare the three favorite heroes using a three-ring Venn diagram, listing names, dates, and relevant events. Students are asked to recall main ideas, facts, and details from texts as part of the Skills list and are prompted to write three sentences about why a chosen person is their favorite on the "My Favorite Hero" page. In the Wrapping Up section, students are asked orally what they remember about each hero and to explain how each hero changed the world.
3: Cycles
Unit 1: Poppy
Lesson 1
Preparing for Poppy
The lesson asks students to locate vocabulary words in each chapter and write the sentence that contains the word in context on note cards, which requires referring explicitly to the text. It directs students to copy the map from the front pages and to label major events and trace Poppy's journey as they read, which asks students to record textual events. It asks students to list possible human characteristics for the mouse and owl and, as they read, circle those that apply or cross off those that do not, requiring students to check their answers against the text.
Lesson 2
Mr. Ocax
Students read Chapters 1 and 2 and answer a set of chapter questions used for discussion or journal responses, showing practice in answering text-based questions. Students are instructed to write a paragraph about similarities with a character and are encouraged to support that opinion with evidence from the story. Students are directed to answer in complete sentences for both verbal and written answers, reinforcing answering questions about the text.
Lesson 3
The Emergency Meeting
After reading Chapters 3 and 4, students are asked to answer a set of eight comprehension questions in complete sentences, both verbally and in writing. The lesson instructs students to write a short journal summary of what occurred in the chapters. Activity 1 asks students to draw and label Poppy's escape path as described on page 28, and Activity 2 directs students to look at pages 20–22 to identify paragraph divisions and central ideas.
Lesson 4
Standing Before Mr. Ocax
Students are prompted to generate three or four discussion questions as they read and then ask and discuss those questions after reading. The lesson provides explicit question-and-answer pairs that refer to specific text details (for example, identifying Mr. Ocax's pellets and Ragweed's earring and reasons Basil gave for disliking Ragweed). Students are asked to reread specific pages (52–53) and to chart the characters' journey on a Setting Map, requiring them to locate and use textual details. The Wrap-Up directs students to explain why the mice must ask Mr. Ocax for permission and why he denied them, encouraging text-based explanations.
Lesson 5
Poppy and Poppa
Students are asked to read Chapters 7 and 8 and answer a set of comprehension questions in complete sentences, including literal and inferential items (e.g., Why did Poppy tell the mice Mr. Ocax's reason?). One question explicitly asks for justification ("Did Lungwort give Poppy permission to go to New House? How do you know?"), requiring students to refer to story events. The cause-and-effect activity directs students to read listed causes from the novel and write the effects that occurred in the story, linking answers directly to text events.
Lesson 6
Dimwood Forest
Students are asked to read Chapters 9 and 10 and then respond to specific comprehension questions (Questions #1-#4) about Poppy's secret desire, Mr. Ocax's actions, Poppy's feelings, and Mr. Ocax's fear. Students are prompted to write in a journal describing a decision Poppy made, the effects of that decision, and why it was good or bad, which requires referring to events in the text. Students are instructed to reread the author's description of the forest on pages 83 and 85 and point out the words and phrases that make the place feel bad or good, explicitly linking answers to textual evidence.
Lesson 7
Ereth
The Skills list explicitly includes "Ask and answer relevant questions," and the Reading And Questions section provides multiple comprehension questions (e.g., Who did Poppy discover in the log? What does Poppy learn from Ereth?) with prompts to answer verbally and in writing in complete sentences. The Journal Entry activity requires students to select three Poppy quotes from Chapters 11–12 and record why each quote is important, which makes students locate and cite text evidence. The Circle Map and other comprehension activities ask students to describe Ereth using words and phrases drawn from the chapters, reinforcing text-based responses.
Lesson 8
On the Way to New House
Students are asked to read Chapters 13 and 14 and write a summary of those chapters in their journal, which requires demonstrating understanding of the text. The materials include a series of specific comprehension questions (e.g., changes in feeling for Dimwood Forest, how the author describes the forest, why the mice believe Mr. Ocax) that students are expected to answer in complete sentences. Students are instructed to copy the dialogue from pages 112–113 and use the exact quotes when they act out the scene, which requires referring explicitly to the text.
Lesson 9
The Truth at Last
Students are given explicit comprehension questions (Questions #1–#7) about Chapters 15–16 that they are instructed to answer in complete sentences, addressing facts and inferences from the text. Activity 3 directs students to record two examples from the text that show Mr. Ocax losing power and two pieces of evidence that Poppy is gaining hers, requiring them to refer to the chapters. The prefixes/suffixes activity asks students to locate completed words in the chapters and provides page numbers so students can verify answers directly in the text.
Lesson 10
The Battle
Students are prompted to answer specific, text-dependent comprehension questions for Chapters 17 and 18 (e.g., why Poppy felt powerful, how she escaped Mr. Ocax) and to answer these questions verbally and in writing in complete sentences. The lesson asks students to predict events (how Poppy will get the salt) and to describe how Poppy defeated Mr. Ocax during the wrapping-up activity. Sample answers and guided questions are provided that focus students on events, motivations, and outcomes in the text.
Lesson 11
Writing Project
The lesson prompts an adult to ask the student to explain specific story elements: the cycle of power between the mice and Mr. Ocax, how Poppy broke the cycle, and how life will be different for the mice. Students are directed to plan three paragraphs (one on each prompt) using a Paragraph Organizer and to turn those ideas into a First Draft. The Paragraph Rubric asks students to confirm they "provide supporting evidence for each idea," which prompts use of evidence in their answers.
Lesson 12
A New Beginning
Students are given specific chapter-based questions (Questions #1–#5) to answer verbally or in writing about Chapters 19–20, including fact-based items (e.g., where Poppy's family was gathered and how her life changed 13 moons later). Students are asked to trace Poppy's journey on a setting map using a specific page reference (page 156) and to complete a Story Tree that records setting, theme, protagonist, antagonist, conflict, solution, and resolution from the book. Students also write epitaphs for characters and explain author choices (e.g., time jump), which require using details from the text as the basis for responses.
Final Project
Poppy
The lesson gives students specific comprehension tasks that require using text events as answers: the required Plot Diagram asks students to identify the problem, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution using story events. The Poppy Think-Tac-Toe includes prompts that ask students to write a journal entry as Poppy, create a maze drawing obstacles from the story, and "describe how one of the characters... and explain the story elements and plot supporting that theme," all of which require referring to events in the text. The "Questions to Explore" (e.g., "How can power be abused?") provide discussion prompts students can answer based on the book.
Unit 2: Charlotte's Web
Lesson 1
Getting Started
Students are prompted to answer a set of written comprehension questions (QUESTION #1–#8) in their journals and to answer verbal and written questions in complete sentences. The materials state that answers should "come directly from the book" and provide model answers for reference. Students are instructed to locate and highlight vocabulary in the text with page numbers and to write a major event for each chapter on a plot flow chart and character descriptions based on each chapter.
Lesson 2
Charlotte
Students are asked to read Chapters 4–6 and to use a set of specific discussion and journal questions (for example, Question #1 asks how to describe Wilbur's day in Chapter 4, Question #3 asks what is unusual about Charlotte, and Question #7 asks what the goose said would happen to Wilbur). Students complete a Plot Flow Chart by highlighting a major event that occurred in each chapter and fill Character Descriptions by writing how each character acted or felt during the chapter. The Spider Research poem activity explicitly allows students to use information learned in the story as part of their responses.
Lesson 3
Bad News
Students read Chapters 7–9 and answer seven specific comprehension questions about events (for example, the sheep telling Wilbur he will be killed and Charlotte's promise). Students complete a Plot Flow Chart by highlighting a major event in each chapter and write Character Descriptions that require recalling actions and feelings from the text. Students locate and record sensory descriptions of Zuckerman's barn on specified pages and use those textual descriptions to draw and write about what they hear, see, smell, and feel.
Lesson 4
Some Pig
Students are prompted to read Chapters 10–12 and use a set of discussion/journal questions (QUESTION #1–#7) that require answers based on events in the text. Activities ask students to fill a Plot Flow Chart and write Character Descriptions by highlighting major events and character actions from the chapters. The adverb activity instructs students to locate three adverbs in Charlotte's Web and read the sentence where each one is found aloud, and the Wrapping Up prompts ask students to explain whether Charlotte's plan will keep Wilbur alive and why.
Lesson 5
Progress
Students are asked to read Chapters 13-15 and answer a series of specific comprehension questions in discussion or in a journal (Reading And Questions). Students complete a Plot Flow Chart by highlighting a major event from each chapter and write Character Descriptions about how characters acted or felt during the chapters (Activity 1). In the vocabulary activity students locate each target word in the book, write the sentence from the text that contains the word, and then make up their own sentence (Activity 3).
Lesson 6
The Fair
Students are asked to read Chapters 16–18 and use the provided questions in a discussion or journal. Several comprehension items require text-based answers: Q1 asks why Mrs. Zuckerman wanted to give Wilbur a bath, Q3 explicitly asks for evidence that Fern is growing up, and Q6 asks students to interpret Charlotte's quoted line. The lesson includes suggested answers that refer to events and quotations from the story as the basis for responses.
Lesson 7
The End
Students answer a set of nine text-based comprehension questions (Reading And Questions Q1–Q9) about Chapters 19–22 that require recalling events (e.g., how Charlotte tells Wilbur she will die, what happened to Wilbur on stage). The Skills section explicitly lists "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," and activities ask students to use information from the story (e.g., "use your 'Character Timeline' and information from the story" for Characters Change). Students complete graphic organizers (Plot Flow Chart, Character Descriptions, Life Cycles Chart) and a Venn diagram comparing book and movie, which require drawing on details from the text.
Final Project
Charlotte's Web
The lesson includes a "Questions to Explore" section with specific questions (e.g., How do cycles on the farm affect the characters?) that students can answer. In both project options students must describe the setting, major events, the problem, and main characters, and the rubrics/checklists require students to indicate whether their paragraphs or advertisement parts include setting, events, problem, characters, and two cycles. The lesson directs students to "look back" at their Plot Flow Chart, Character Descriptions, and Character Timelines when composing responses.
Unit 3: The Family Under the Bridge
Lesson 1
Pre-Reading
The Skills list tells students to "Locate information in text for specific purposes" and to "Read expository materials for answers to specific questions," which directs students to find answers in texts. Activities ask students to explain how the economic cycle would be disrupted by a character not having a job and to discuss themes (poverty, caring for others) that will be found in the novel. The wrapping up prompt asks students what they learned about Paris and to review themes tied to the upcoming book.
Lesson 2
The French Man
Students read Chapter 1 and answer five explicit comprehension questions (e.g., "Was Armand hungry? How do you know?") that prompt them to explain how they know their answers. Students complete a 'Meeting Characters' organizer by recording what the author reveals through dialogue, actions, thoughts, and descriptions, using the text as the source. Students complete Vocabulary Webs that require writing a "Sentence from the book" and use context to select word meanings, reinforcing reference to the text.
Lesson 3
A Discovery
Students are asked to read Chapter 2 and to answer a set of comprehension questions (Questions #1–#8) in discussion or journal writing, with reminders to answer in complete sentences. Several provided questions and answers (for example, why the children were under the bridge and why Armand shared his food) require students to recall facts and details from the text. Activity 1 asks students to fill in new information they learned about characters, and the Skills section explicitly lists recalling main idea, facts, and details from a text. Activity 3 has students write questions and exclamations that characters might say, which prompts students to generate text-based questions and responses.
Lesson 4
A Day in the City
Students are prompted to read Chapter 3 and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., about Armand's comments on pigeons, the Christmas log, and what the children asked from Father Christmas). The lesson includes explicit question-and-answer items with model answers and instructs students to answer verbal and written questions in complete sentences. Skills listed include recalling main idea, facts, and details from a text and discussing similarities and differences in events and characters, and students complete activities that require filling in character information and answering text-based questions.
Lesson 5
Singing
Students are given specific comprehension questions (QUESTION #1–#5) to answer in discussion and journaling and are reminded to answer verbal and written questions in complete sentences. Students are instructed to reread page 27 and list goods mentioned, to copy sentences containing character quotes from the book, and to review the "Meeting Characters" page to gather what the author tells about characters for a persuasive letter or speech. The activities require students to locate and record text details (goods, quoted sentences, character information) to support their responses and writing.
Lesson 6
The Shoe
Students are asked to read Chapter 5 and answer seven specific comprehension questions (with prompts like "Why do you think finding the shoe signified...?") and are reminded to answer verbal and written questions in complete sentences. Students are instructed to locate punctuation examples in the actual text (dashes, hyphens, ellipses) and to compare an original sentence with a version that omits a phrase using an ellipsis, requiring them to refer to the book. Students complete a "Meeting Characters" sheet and a double-bubble map comparing the Calcets and the Gypsies, writing words and phrases based on the chapter they read.
Lesson 7
Among Friends
The lesson directs the child to read Chapter 6 and then use a provided set of discussion and journaling questions (e.g., Q2 on Suzy's reasons, Q3 on Madame Calcet's behavior, Q4 on disapproval of the Gypsies, Q6 on what Suzy and Tinka learned), which require answers based on the chapter's events and character interactions. The lesson also asks the child to make a prediction before reading and then check whether the prediction was correct after reading. The activities require students to explain reasons for choices (e.g., justify items in the Pack a Bag activity by linking them to characters' needs).
Lesson 8
Christmas Eve
Students read Chapter 7 and are asked to answer eight specific comprehension questions in discussion or in a journal, with directions to answer verbal and written questions in complete sentences. Several questions (e.g., where did the children go, what did each notice, what did Armand do in the church) require students to recall specific events and details from the chapter. Students can add information to a "Meeting Characters" chart and are told to read over that chart to remember what they have learned about each character when completing related activities.
Lesson 9
Saying Goodbye
Students are asked to read Chapter 8 and answer a set of eight discussion/journal questions about events and characters, with an explicit reminder to answer verbal and written questions in complete sentences. Activity 4 directs students to "look back at Chapters 1-5 and describe aspects of the French culture depicted in the book," and Option 1 even cites page ranges where information can be found to help students locate text evidence. The Meeting Characters chart and the discussion prompts require students to identify information about characters and events from the text.
Lesson 10
A Home at Last
Students answer a set of teacher-provided comprehension questions (QUESTION #1–#5) and are reminded to answer verbal and written questions in complete sentences. Students fill in a "Meeting Characters" chart with new information learned about Armand and reread the book descriptions to draw the rooms for the Calcets, using text details to guide their drawings. Students are asked to use information the author shares when writing a singing telegram or a paragraph about the new home and to discuss what Armand discovered at the end of the story in relation to the characters' needs.
Final Project
Reader's Theater
Students are instructed to reread specific pages (pages 60-64) that describe the Calcets meeting the Gypsies and to follow along with a printed script as the adult reads aloud, which requires referring to the text. Students are asked to use some lines directly from the dialogue in the book and to review the "Meeting Characters" page to recall what they know about characters, encouraging reference to textual details when writing their scripts. The rubric and activities require students to identify props and stage directions tied to scenes from the novel, linking their script choices to events in the text.
4: Relationships
Unit 1: One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest
Lesson 1
The Rain Forests
The lesson asks students to read about Venezuela and rain forests (Activity 1) and lists the skill "Read expository materials for answers to specific questions." Activity 2 asks students to describe relationships they observe in the book and to illustrate and describe those relationships. The Wrapping Up section directs students to tell what they learned about the rain forest and to explain differences between temperate and tropical rain forests.
Lesson 2
Morning in the Rain Forest
Students are prompted to answer chapter-specific comprehension questions (Question #1–#5) that ask about characters, events, and meanings, with page references provided for some items (e.g., p.2, p.9, p.10). Students are directed to fill out the Rain Forest Animals Chart by classifying animals mentioned in each chapter and to describe relationships among animals based on the text. Students are asked to record the most important event for each time frame in the Daily Activities chart and to locate vocabulary words on the given pages and read them in context.
Lesson 3
The Tree
Students are given four specific comprehension questions (QUESTION #1–#4) to answer after reading Chapter 2, with model answers that reference events and details from the text (e.g., how water enables roots to absorb nutrients; description of army ants). Activity 2 asks students to place animals around Tepui's favorite tree "based on the author's description," requiring students to use textual descriptions to justify placement. Option 2 of the Nouns and Adjectives activity directs students to locate each noun in the text and record the adjective the author used, explicitly having students refer to the text as the basis for their answers.
Lesson 4
Butterfly Search
Students are prompted to read Chapter 3 and to "select three of the following questions as journal questions" and use the others in discussion, which requires them to ask and answer comprehension questions about the text. A list of specific text-based questions (with answers) is provided, so students practice answering who/what/why questions based on the chapter. The skills section explicitly lists "Ask and answer questions about organisms, objects, and events," and activities instruct students they "can refer to the book for assistance" when matching scientist types and when completing journal or paragraph tasks.
Lesson 5
Rain Forest Relationships
Students answer specific text-based questions (e.g., Question #1 asks them to sketch the butterfly 'according to the author's description on pages 25 and 26') and respond to factual comprehension questions with answers drawn from Chapters 4 and 5. The Skills section explicitly lists 'Ask and answer questions about organisms, objects, and events,' and the Reading and Questions section provides multiple Q&A prompts with page references. In Activity 3 students place events from the chapters onto Plot Timelines, identifying simultaneous events and using chapter details as the basis for their placements.
Lesson 6
Law of the Jungle
Students are asked seven specific comprehension questions (e.g., Why are the army ants so dangerous? How did Tepui know that the army ants were nearby?) and are expected to answer them after reading Chapter 6. Students are instructed to reread page 40 and to illustrate or describe three examples of "The Law of the Jungle" from the story, which directs them to use story content. The vocabulary activity tells students to look up words in the book for context clues before using a dictionary, requiring them to refer to text passages.
Lesson 7
Helping a Friend
Students read Chapter 7 and answer seven comprehension questions (with answer prompts) that require them to identify how ants work, why characters feel fear, and how events unfolded. Students discuss and journal responses to those questions and are asked at the end to describe the relationship between Tepui and Dr. Rivero. Students also rehearse and write scripts that must "reflect the events in the story," may use direct quotes from the book, and must base stage directions and character actions on what the author describes.
Lesson 8
Persuasive Writing
The introduction asks the child to identify the problem in the story and how the characters tried to solve the problem, which requires students to answer comprehension questions about a text. The introduction also prompts students to answer a follow-up question about what would have happened if the problem was not solved, asking students to use story events to support their answer.
Lesson 9
A Close Call
Students read Chapters 8–10 and answer six specific comprehension questions (e.g., Why did Dr. Rivero have to climb to the top of the tree?) with answers rooted in story details. Students are prompted to discuss and journal about these questions, add animals introduced in the chapters to a chart, and total occurrences to create a bar graph based on the text. Students select and order major events on a plot diagram, identify the problem and climax, and describe how the problem was solved using events from the story.
Final Project
Field Guide or Documentary
Students are given 'Questions to Explore' and are directed to use multiple sources including print and online to locate answers to those questions. Students record information from books or websites on Field Guide and Documentary organizer pages that prompt for name, habitat, food, predators, interesting facts, and relationships. Students write scripts or complete organizer entries that summarize information they found and present those answers in a field guide or documentary format.
Unit 2: The Whipping Boy
Lesson 1
Medieval Times
Students are prompted to look at the book cover and answer questions about the setting by citing clues from the illustration (Introduction). As students read The Whipping Boy they are asked to identify places in the story that reflect factual information learned about the Middle Ages and to compare the prince-servant relationship to relationships in their own lives (Activity 3 and Activity 5). Students are asked to illustrate a major event from each chapter for a comic strip, which requires them to identify and represent events and details from the text (Activity 6).
Lesson 2
Jemmy and Prince Brat
Students are given a set of chapter questions to answer after reading Chapters 1–3 and are instructed to answer some in a journal and discuss others, which practices answering questions about the text. Students are asked to copy the sentence from the book where each vocabulary word appears and then write a new sentence using the word, which requires locating and referring to specific text passages. Students create a comic strip of important events and write diary entries "using events from the story," which requires selecting and representing textual details.
Lesson 3
The Plot Thickens
After reading Chapters 4–6, students are directed to answer specific comprehension questions in a journal and discuss some aloud (e.g., Why did Jemmy change his mind about running away? Where did Jemmy plan to hide? What happened to Jemmy and the prince?). Several questions require students to locate and restate textual details or author descriptions (for example, identifying the sewers as Jemmy's hiding place, describing the kidnappers' appearance, and noting the king's crest on the saddle). The idioms activity asks students to match idioms from the book with their meanings and to translate and use those idioms in new sentences, tying answers back to phrases used in the text.
Lesson 4
A Note to the King
Students read Chapters 7–9 aloud and are instructed to answer a set of comprehension questions (QUESTION #1–#7) in their journals or in discussion, which require recalling plot details (e.g., why Cutwater assumed the prince could write; how Jemmy convinced the men). Students are asked to identify idioms and similes from the chapters and to "read each simile in context" and record the two things being compared, which directs them to refer back to specific lines of the text.
Lesson 5
Disagreements
Students read Chapters 10–12 and are instructed to answer specific comprehension questions in a journal or discussion, such as how Jemmy convinced Cutwater and why the prince refused to go to the castle. The provided questions require students to use details from the chapters (for example, answers reference the boiling oil threat, the horse being sent back, and the prince's refusal to take commands from commoners). Vocabulary and hyperbole activities direct students to locate words and phrases in context (with page numbers) and to read hyperboles from the book, which requires returning to the text for evidence.
Lesson 6
In the Woods
Students are asked to answer specific comprehension questions in a journal and to discuss the remaining questions, including factual prompts such as "How did Jemmy get away from Cutwater?" and inferential prompts such as "How do you know?" and "What clues in the book suggest that this might be true?". Students are directed to identify two similes from the chapters and explain their meaning, and to retell what happened in the reading. An activity has students list traits of friendship and circle which statements apply to Jemmy or the prince, requiring them to match claims to story details.
Lesson 7
The Rescue
The Reading and Questions section instructs students to read Chapters 16–18 and to answer selected questions in their journal, providing multiple specific comprehension questions (e.g., Why did Prince Brat decide not to betray Jemmy again?). The lesson includes model answers for each question and one answer explicitly points to the author's wording as evidence (Question #7: "You know because the author says the moment he felt the cobbled streets…"). The Wrapping Up prompts and selected discussion questions ask students to explain what they learned about the town and character changes, which requires referencing the text.
Lesson 8
Friends
Students are prompted to read Chapters 19–20 and to answer a set of nine specific text-based questions in their journals and in discussion, directly requiring them to refer to events (for example, why the prince was afraid to follow Jemmy and how their relationship changed). The "Changes" activity directs students to reread Chapters 1–2 and the final chapters and to list four behaviors from each section that show the prince's character change, which requires using the text as the basis for answers. The "A Day in the Castle" journal entries ask students to review the prince's promises and Jemmy's realizations and to write from characters' perspectives grounded in story events.
Final Project
A Monologue
The lesson opens with three "Questions to Explore" about relationships that students are prompted to consider. Students are instructed to reread specific pages (Prince: pages 68-70; Jemmy: pages 65-66 and 79) and to write monologues that reflect characters' feelings and changing relationships. Students are also asked to locate and may reuse the author's figurative language, and the rubric requires inclusion of specific ideas and explanations about character background, difficulties, and the main message.
Unit 3: Iggie's House
Lesson 1
The Move
Students read Chapter 1 and answer selected comprehension questions in their journals (e.g., Why was Winnie upset?; Why did Winnie like going to Iggie's house?), with model answers tied to events in the text. Students complete a Reactions Chart that requires them to write characters' reactions to named events from specific chapters and to record their own personal reactions to those same events. Students are asked to summarize the important events that happened in Chapter 1, which requires referring to the chapter's content.
Lesson 2
Meeting the Neighbors
Students are asked to read Chapter 2 and to answer a set of specific comprehension questions (Questions #1–#9) in a journal and in discussion, with provided answers that refer to events in the chapter. The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," and activities (Reactions Chart, Fact or Opinion) require students to use details from Chapter 2. The Reading and Questions section directs an adult to "select a few of the questions for him to answer," which structures students' practice in answering text-based questions.
Lesson 3
The Softball Game
Students read Chapter 3 and answer seven guided comprehension questions (e.g., why Winnie lied, how Winnie tries to start a relationship with the Garbers, and whether Winnie is a good friend). Students are prompted to discuss and journal responses and to fill in a Reactions Chart, which asks them to respond to events and characters. The skills list explicitly includes 'Respond to events and characters in stories' and 'Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text,' and the Reading and Questions section directs use of the listed questions for discussion and journal work.
Lesson 4
A New Dog
Students are asked to read Chapter 4 and to answer specific comprehension questions (Questions #1–#6) in a journal or in discussion, including inquiries about character actions and events (e.g., why Winnie tears up letters, what surprise the Garbers had). Students are asked to summarize the events that occurred in Chapter 4 and to complete a "Reactions Chart," which elicits written and oral responses about the text. The lesson directs students to produce written answers and discuss their responses with an adult.
Lesson 5
A Visit from Germs
Students are asked to read Chapter 5 and answer a series of specific comprehension questions (e.g., Why were the Garbers so glum? Did Winnie's parents sign the petition? What did Mrs. Landon put in the Garbers yard?). The questions are presented as journal and discussion prompts that require students to refer to events and actions in the chapter when answering. Activities ask students to record problems between named characters and suggest solutions, which requires using story details about characters and their interactions.
Lesson 6
A New Petition
Students are asked to summarize the chapter and to answer a set of comprehension questions in a journal or discussion (e.g., Q2, Q7, Q8) that require text-based answers about Winnie's actions and motivations. The Character Circle Maps activity directs students to write descriptive words for characters and to support their selections with evidence from the text (events, character actions, and words). The lesson includes prompts to ask the child which character's personality is most similar to his own and to explain how, encouraging explanation based on the reading.
Lesson 7
The Swim Club
Students are prompted to read Chapter 7 aloud and answer a set of specific comprehension questions provided (e.g., How did Big Red feel about the Garbers?; What did Mr. Berger write on Winnie's petition?), with model answers keyed to the text. Students are invited to use the questions as journal and discussion prompts and to describe what happened to Winnie at her aunt's Swim Club. Activities such as the Reactions Chart and the Friendship House ask students to record how characters responded to events and to write sentences describing friendships based on characters and events from the book.
Lesson 8
Moving
Students are given seven text-based comprehension questions for Chapter 8 that they are asked to answer as journal or discussion prompts, with sample answers that refer to events in the chapter (e.g., Winnie's feelings entering the Garbers' house, Herbie's behavior, the peanut butter detail). The Skills section explicitly lists that students will "Recall the main idea, facts, and details from a text," supporting practice in using text details to answer questions. Activities (Reactions Chart and the Similarities and Differences double bubble maps) require students to identify character traits, similarities, and differences based on chapter events.
Lesson 9
A Letter
Students are prompted to discuss the relationship between Iggie and Winnie and are specifically asked "why she thinks Winnie keeps doing this," which asks students to answer a question about the text. The lesson tells students to "use events that occurred in the story in her writing," and the planning pages require students to record topic sentences and supporting details drawn from story events (characters, petition, actions). The "Questions to Explore" and the example letter model refer to specific story events that students are to use when composing their own responses.
Lesson 10
I Have a Dream
Students read Chapter 9 and are instructed to answer specific comprehension questions in their journal (e.g., why Winnie said her mother was acting like Herbie Garber; what Winnie would do if her parents moved). Students read an excerpt of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and are asked text-based questions (e.g., What was Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream? What does "all men are created equal" mean?). The lesson includes oral discussion prompts and journal writing that require students to use the text to respond to questions about characters' actions and ideas.
Lesson 11
The End
Students answer a set of explicit comprehension questions about Iggie's House (for example, Why did Winnie say she wanted Herbie and Glenn 'to remember her like this'?) with given answers that refer to story events and character actions. Students complete a Reactions Chart to recall major events and how characters responded, which requires referring to specific incidents in the text. Students use the Book in a Bag activity and journal prompts to select and describe items that represent story elements (protagonist, antagonist, problem, theme, setting, relationships), explaining their choices with reference to the story.
Final Project
Character Interviews
Students write open-ended interview questions for each character and are instructed to avoid yes/no questions and include at least one question about relationships. Students create answers in role for each character and are told to include events from the story in those answers, using a Reactions Chart or journal as reference. The rubric explicitly asks whether students used events in the story to develop their questions and answers and whether one question asked about a character relationship.