Eighth Grade - ELA
1: Semester 1
Unit 1: Abigail Adams
Lesson 2
John and Abigail Adams
Students are asked to use the book's reference notes to determine the source for quotations (Question #1), which requires locating and identifying citations for text excerpts. The "Things to Know" and reading sections explain why authors provide citations and warn about plagiarism, so students learn about citing sources. In Activity 2 (John Adams the Suitor) and the paragraph-analysis activities, students must draw conclusions about characters and sentence functions based on the chapters they read, practicing inference and text-based analysis.
Lesson 3
Unrest and War
Students must examine Paul Revere's engraving and write a paragraph that supports an argument about the artist's perspective with 2–3 specific examples from the image. Students must read an entry from John Adams's diary and chapters from Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution and then compose a first-person paragraph based on those sources. Students respond to comprehension questions about the reading (one answer even quotes a phrase and gives a page number: "lead, glass, paper, paints, and tea" (p. 36)).
Lesson 5
Remember the Ladies
Students are instructed to read the full text of Abigail and John Adams's letters and to "look for specific places in the letter that will provide the evidence you need" to answer analytic questions (Option 2). The Exploring Primary Sources activity asks students to summarize main topics, note interesting points, and answer questions about how the biographer used quotations from the letter, including how much of the letter was quoted and what point the author was conveying. Activity prompts ask students to identify content, context, and point of view/bias in the letters, which requires locating textual details to support answers.
Lesson 6
Separation
The reading questions include prompts that require students to identify what the text says explicitly (QUESTION #1 asks how people reacted and the answer supplies a direct quotation and page reference). Several questions (QUESTION #3 and QUESTION #4) ask students to infer Abigail Adams's thoughts and the role of letter-writing, which asks for inferential reasoning based on the chapters read. The provided answer to QUESTION #1 models citing a line from the text as support.
Lesson 8
Genre
Students are asked to read Chapters 15 and 16 and answer comprehension questions (e.g., "Why might John and Abigail Adams have had reservations..." and "What was Abigail Adams's first impression of Paris?"). Activity 2 (Experimenting with Genre) directs students to "summarize the scene you chose based solely on known facts," which requires referring back to the text. The comprehension questions and the summary task require students to base responses on textual information and to draw inferences from the chapters.
Final Project
A One-Person Play
Students are asked to analyze a paragraph about Abigail Adams on the unit test (Part 2: Paragraph Analysis) with questions that require selecting supporting evidence and interpreting the role of a quoted sentence; the answer key explicitly labels one response as "supporting evidence." Students must include at least one direct quotation from a primary source in their one-person play (Day 2 instructions and rubric criterion: "Includes reading from at least one primary source"). The rubric and planning pages require students to provide accurate dates and historical information, and planning pages ask them to list "Relevant primary sources cited," prompting students to locate and record textual sources.
Unit 2: Animal Farm
Lesson 2
Major's Dream
Students are asked in Activity 2 to choose an adjective for each character and "provide an example of something that happened in the book or a description offered by the author that led you to choose your adjective," which requires locating supporting text. The guided reading questions (e.g., how Major characterizes life on the farm; where Major places the blame) require students to answer questions based on Chapter 1. Several sentence-level activities use specific sentences from Chapter 1 for analysis, prompting students to attend to textual wording while labeling parts of speech.
Lesson 3
The Rebellion
Students are asked in Option 1 to list specific examples from the novel to support assertions about each character's leadership, requiring them to draw on text-based details. Students are prompted in Option 2 to review the Seven Commandments and the Bill of Rights and to provide evidence to support their comparisons and answers to questions. Students answer reading questions that include an inference (e.g., "What do you think happened to the milk?"), which asks them to form interpretations based on the chapter.
Lesson 4
Work on the Farm
The Activity 1 prompt asks students to compare Manor Farm and Animal Farm and explicitly instructs them to "write out your thoughts... using specific examples from the text to support your points," requiring students to locate and use textual details. The parent notes and answer key reiterate that students should "cite specific examples" when completing the Farm Work after the Rebellion organizer. The comprehension questions (e.g., what work did the pigs do, Boxer's motto, flag symbolism, milk/apples justification) require students to refer to text-based details to answer.
Lesson 5
The Battle of the Cowshed
Students are asked to read Chapter 4 and answer specific comprehension questions about events of the Battle of the Cowshed, which requires them to use details from the text. In Option 1 students must "create a map of the physical location of the battle based on specific evidence in the book," re-reading the battle passage and placing individuals and movements according to what the text describes. In Option 2 students must write a speech that "explains the role that the individual played in the battle" and draws a lesson from that example, which asks them to interpret events and character actions from the chapter.
Lesson 6
Comrade Napoleon
Students are prompted on the Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution activity pages to provide a "Specific evidence that leads to that connection" for each historical figure, and the answer key repeatedly reminds students to ensure that the evidence they provide supports their connections. The reading questions ask students to recount specific events from Chapter 5 (e.g., Mollie leaving, Snowball being chased off), and the pronoun activity includes quoted lines from the novel for students to analyze pronoun case within the text.
Lesson 7
Changes on the Farm
Students read Chapter 6 of Animal Farm and answer specific comprehension questions that require recalling explicit details (e.g., hours worked, Boxer's slogan, goods the farm needed). Students respond to a question that asks for an explanation of Squealer's use of dogs, which requires making an inference about character behavior and motive. In Activity 1 students complete a graphic organizer and answer prompts asking them to describe leadership styles and interpret Orwell's intentions, engaging in analysis of text-based themes.
Lesson 8
The End of the Rebellion
Students read Chapter 7 and answer specific comprehension questions (Questions #1-#3) that ask for explicit explanations of events and motivations. Question #4 asks students to evaluate whether Snowball's visits were real or fabricated, which asks them to make an inference based on the chapter. Activity 1 directs students to summarize Napoleon's leadership and to be "forceful and persuasive," noting that persuasive writing uses examples to illustrate key points.
Lesson 9
The Battle of the Windmill
Students read Chapter 8 and answer targeted comprehension questions that require identifying explicit details (QUESTION #1 asks them to list how animals close to Napoleon reinforced his leadership, including protection, announcements, new titles, speeches, attributed successes, and a heroic poem). QUESTION #2 asks students to evaluate how often claims (e.g., the farm numbers, stories about Frederick, Snowball's role) are backed by credible evidence and to infer reasons behind possible misinformation. Discussion prompts ask students to analyze motives and methods of power (for example, why Frederick tricked the animals and how Napoleon maintains power).
Lesson 10
Boxer's Fate
Students read Chapter 9 and answer comprehension questions that require naming specific events (e.g., rules singled out for pigs, the Spontaneous Demonstration, the method of elections, Boxer's fate). Students are asked to list and order key plot events and to "point to particular parts of the story where that theme is evident," explicitly linking incidents to thematic claims. In Activity 2 (both options) students must identify two or more incidents from the novel that illustrate given themes or choose their own theme and provide several supporting examples, explaining how each example connects to the theme.
Lesson 11
The Farmers Pay a Visit
The lesson's Skills list explicitly names citing textual evidence as a target skill: "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis..." Students read Chapter 10 and answer comprehension questions that require drawing on the text (e.g., comparing pigs/dogs to other animals and noting changes in slogans). Activity 1 directs students to document how the Seven Commandments changed over the course of the book, and Activity 2 asks students to identify at least two specific incidents from the book when connecting themes to history or the present day.
Final Project
Animal Farm Letter
The Skills list explicitly names the standard: students are expected to "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis..." The project asks students to write letters that explain themes and provide examples (Sample Outline lists specific textual examples of Napoleon's actions), and the rubric's "Ideas" category evaluates use of appropriate evidence. The editing checklist asks students to consider whether each paragraph's main idea "is well-supported by evidence" and to add examples that might strengthen an argument.
Unit 3: Einstein Adds a New Dimension
Lesson 1
Expository Writing
Students are asked to underline narrative indicators and circle expository indicators on the book cover and to read the last paragraph of the book jacket and mark phrases that indicate narrative or expository writing (Activity 3, Part II). Students skim pages of the book and explain whether it appears more narrative or expository and why, which requires pointing to features such as sidebars and graphics. In the index activity students select search terms and infer which terms worked best to find information, practicing text-based inference and use of book features; the front-matter activity also directs students to the copyright page and notes that quoted material will require proper credit.
Lesson 2
Descriptive Writing
Students are asked in Activity 1 to lightly underline or copy words and phrases from the italic paragraph on p. 36 and explain what makes them effective, which requires locating and reproducing textual details. The Reading and Questions section asks students to answer specific text-based questions (e.g., dedication, Einstein's teenage question, Thomson's announcement), requiring students to find explicit information in the text. The Student Activity Page has students select and produce descriptive phrases tied to given nouns, which practices extracting and using specific language from prompts or models.
Lesson 5
Envisioning Fission
Students are asked to read Chapters 22–24 and take notes on explicit concepts such as what E=mc² means and how Einstein changed ideas about conservation of mass and energy, which requires locating explicit information in the text. Students complete Activity 1 by recording scientific and world events from Chapter 23 on a timeline, which requires extracting and organizing text-based details by year. The Questions to Discuss ask students to explain Rutherford's view of the atom and how Germany's actions affected science, which invites students to draw inferences from the chapters and recall supporting details.
Lesson 6
Cause and Effect Writing
The lesson instructs students to use specific information from the book with page numbers in parentheses and to quote exact wording with quotation marks and a page number when they cannot paraphrase. Students are told to provide examples from the book to support each point in their cause/effect essay and to include page numbers for details obtained from the text. The planning and organizing worksheets require students to list supporting details or examples from the book for each point.
Lesson 8
Comparison and Contrast Writing
Students are asked in Option 2 to use examples from the book and to "include page numbers" when they use specific information, and to put quotation marks around any brief phrases or sentences copied from the book. The reading questions include answers with page references (e.g., "See pp. 297-299"), demonstrating expectation that students locate and note textual locations. The Parent Plan lists skills including determining central ideas and providing accurate summaries, which supports close reading of text.
Lesson 9
Avoiding Plagiarism
Students are instructed to quote short phrases exactly and provide page numbers (example in the Paraphrasing/Summarizing section and the sample chapter summary that includes a short quoted phrase with a page citation). The reading questions reference specific pages (e.g., "See p. 331") and students answer text-based comprehension questions drawn directly from those pages. The Understanding Plagiarism activity and answer key require students to mark statements as needing quotation (GCQ) or paraphrase with credit (GC) and to explain their choices, which prompts use of source wording and page references.
Lesson 10
Problem and Solution Writing
Students are assigned specific pages to read from the book and answer comprehension questions (e.g., questions about supernovas and black holes), which requires them to refer to the text. The activity instructions tell students they may "use examples you find there" from the book in their writing, and the sample paragraph includes a parenthetical page reference (p. 90), modeling use of book material. The problem/solution planning sheet asks students to evaluate solutions using pros and cons based on information they gather, encouraging use of textual content.
Lesson 11
Citing Sources
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts (LA)," stating the intended student ability. Activity 1 and the Student Activity Page require students to place and evaluate parenthetical citations for quotations and paraphrases (e.g., examples showing "According to Newton... (Hakim 303)" and exercises asking students to identify correct/incorrect parenthetical citations). The lesson has students read Chapters 47 and 49 and answer text-based questions, linking reading passages to citation practice.
Final Project
Research Paper
The Skills list explicitly includes "Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts," and activities require students to record page numbers, put direct quotes in quotation marks, and use a citation builder for Works Cited entries. Activity 9 gives explicit examples of how to integrate quotations and paraphrases into a paper and instructs students to give credit to sources. The unit test and its answer key include questions about correct parenthetical citation format, and Activity 1 has students identify whether a sample paper uses quotations or paraphrases.
Unit 4: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Lesson 1
Introduction to Mark Twain and the Novel
Students are instructed to keep a journal to "collect information and quotes" and to analyze the story, characters, plot, and theme, which requires locating textual passages. Day 2 question #2 asks students to "Locate specific examples in the novel" and to "Find one quote" that demonstrates Widow Douglas's view on being civilized, prompting citation of text to support analysis. The lesson directs students to "record the following quote in your journal (you will analyze the quote after you finish the novel)" and includes other prompts that require extracting and noting quotations from the novel.
Lesson 2
Point of View
Students read Chapters 3–7 of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and answer specific comprehension questions about explicit events (e.g., Huck's relationship with Pap, what Huck does with the money, where Pap takes Huck). Students identify the author's point of view by observing pronouns and complete practice pages that ask them to determine first, second, third-person (limited/omniscient/objective) narration. In Activity 2 students compare perspectives (sketch exercise) and answer questions that prompt them to infer characters' points of view (e.g., how do we know Huck and Jim are superstitious?).
Lesson 3
What is Narrative Writing I
Students are asked to read a set of quoted passages on the "And You Can Quote Me on That" page and write what each quote reveals about the characters, which requires using specific textual lines as evidence. The lesson repeatedly tells students they can "draw conclusions about Huck and Jim based on what they do and how they speak" and asks students to analyze word choice and dialogue to infer feelings. The student activity pages provide space for students to record responses directly under each quote, prompting direct interaction with textual evidence.
Lesson 4
What is Narrative Writing II
Students are asked to read specific chapters (Chapters 12-15) and answer comprehension questions that require referring to the text. In Activity 1 students examine named passages and "several lines of dialogue" and respond to explicit analysis questions: "What does the dialogue reveal about the characters?" and "How does the dialogue propel the action?" The wrapping-up task asks students to scan parts of the novel and identify places where the author shows themes (e.g., luck) and to point out examples when dialogue moves the action.
Lesson 5
Expository Writing
Students are asked multiple times to support their ideas with evidence from the novel (Activity 2: "Remember to support your ideas with evidence from the text"). The lesson gives a concrete example requiring textual support: if a student claims both characters are superstitious they "must include information from the novel... It could be a piece of dialogue or an event from the story." Reading questions (e.g., Q2 and Q3) require students to draw inferences about character and compare explicit descriptions of life on the raft with other settings.
Lesson 6
The Power of Persuasion
Students read Chapters 19–21 of the novel and answer comprehension questions that require explicit understanding and inference (e.g., why Huck keeps the Duke and King a secret; why Sherburn kills Boggs and goes unpunished). Students analyze a model persuasive essay and are asked to identify the thesis, reasons, and types of evidence the writer uses. Students also practice supporting claims by listing evidence types (facts, statistics, quotations, anecdotes) in the persuasive-writing activities.
Lesson 7
Persuasive Writing
Students read Chapters 22–25 and answer guided questions, including Question #2 which asks them to explain how Huck's view of Jim changes and explicitly directs them to "Support your answer with a quote." The persuasive writing activity also requires students to gather and use "a combination of types of evidence" to back their two reasons, and the "Things to Know" and Parent Plan sections emphasize gathering evidence and supporting claims with relevant evidence.
Lesson 9
Irony
Students read Chapters 29–32 and answer specific text-based questions about character identity and motives (e.g., who Aunt Sally thinks Huck is; why Huck doesn't write the letter). Students locate, cut out, and categorize examples of irony from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Option 1) and are asked to find and list one example of each type of irony from the novel (Option 2). Students are asked to analyze the irony examples to ensure they match the definitions, and they record examples on activity charts.
Lesson 10
Figures of Speech
Students read Chapters 33–36 and answer comprehension questions about Huck and Tom, demonstrating engagement with specific passages. In Activity 1 students complete a "Figurative Language in the Novel" table by reading expressions from Huck Finn and labeling the type of figurative language. In Activity 2 students underline phrases in "Fred's Letter" using color codes for different figurative devices, identifying and interpreting text-based examples.
Final Project
Cultural Biography
Students are asked to include direct quotations from the novel in multiple places: Option 1 requires including "a quote from the character that shows something about his or her character" and copying a sentence or two from a persuasive paragraph. Option 2's Block 1 asks students to include important quotes/dialogue from the story, and Block 5 allows examples of irony "taken straight from the text." The project rubrics explicitly list including a quote that gives insight into the character as an assessed criterion.
Unit 5: Elijah of Buxton
Lesson 1
Introduction to the Novel
Students read Chapters 1–2 and answer questions that require interpretation (e.g., inferring what Elijah's mother means by "fra-gile" and what the flashback reveals about the narrator). Students are instructed to highlight the flashback passage and answer analytical questions about its effectiveness and what it reveals about character and history. Discussion prompts ask students to explain examples from the story and to give reasons (for example, writing a persuasive speech about Buxton that uses story details).
Lesson 2
The Preacher
Students are asked to read two contrasting passages on the "Slavery: Two Views" page and answer questions that ask which account is more persuasive and whose voice seems more authentic. Students are directed to re-read the Frederick Douglass passage and circle vivid adjectives and underline the verb used most frequently, noting how repetition contributes to persuasiveness. The reading questions for Elijah (including an inference question about where the Preacher got the pistol) require students to produce answers based on the chapters they read.
Lesson 3
Creating a Character
Students are asked to "skim back through the first six chapters to find evidence for each category" and to "Record textual evidence from the novel for each category," directing them to locate supporting lines for physical appearance, thoughts, quotes, and others' actions. The student activity page explicitly includes a section titled "Quotes from Elijah" where students must note direct quotations and a section for "Thoughts and actions of others towards Elijah," prompting students to cite passages that show how others react to him. Reading and short-answer questions require students to describe characters and events (e.g., Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Holton, Mr. Leroy) which requires finding supporting textual details from the chapters.
Lesson 4
Tone and Mood
Students are asked to identify specific words or sentences from Elijah of Buxton that create tone (the "Tone in Elijah of Buxton" chart asks for "Words that created that tone" and gives quoted examples). The mood activity asks students to note "Words or images that made you feel that way," requiring them to point to textual phrases that support their reader-response. The "Accounts of Slavery" activity directs students to read quoted passages and images and write what they learned about slavery from those texts and images, which requires using textual or visual evidence to support inferences.
Lesson 5
Colorful Language
Students read Chapters 9 and 10 and answer comprehension questions (Questions #1-#4) that require explaining motives and events, which invites using text to support those answers. Students are explicitly asked in the discussion prompt "What evidence supports your opinion?" to cite evidence for the claim that the conjurer's act was a flimflam. Students identify figurative language examples from the text and match them to definitions, which requires locating specific lines or passages as support.
Lesson 7
The Importance of Education
Students read Chapters 13 and 14 of Elijah of Buxton and answer specific comprehension questions that require citing what the text says explicitly (e.g., describe the bad news Elijah delivers; summarize Mrs. Holton's story). One question asks for an inference about character development (QUESTION #3: How does Elijah show his growing maturity?), which requires students to draw conclusions from the text. The activities ask students to summarize and discuss textual events and to write/play scenes based on historical texts, engaging with explicit details and implied motivations.
Lesson 8
Transitions and Characters
Students read Chapters 15–17 and answer specific comprehension questions that require recalling explicit events (e.g., what Mrs. Holton paid, what happened to Theodore Highgate, and how Mr. Leroy reacted). One question asks students to evaluate whether Mr. Leroy made a good choice and notes that students should "note the evidence of the Preacher's past faults," prompting use of text-based reasons. The character comparison activity asks students to identify similarities and differences between characters, which requires students to draw on textual details about character traits.
Lesson 10
Allusions and Authors
Students read Chapters 20 and 21 and answer directed comprehension questions (e.g., What happened to Mr. Leroy? What promise did Elijah make?), requiring them to identify explicit events and character responses. Students use the Allusions activities and Student Activity Pages to analyze connections between scenes in Elijah of Buxton and external texts (biblical passages are provided) and are asked to write 2–3 sentence explanations linking the allusion's origin to the book. The Parent Plan lists skills to "discuss the effects of literary devices" and "analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes...", which frames analytical work and inference-making.
Lesson 11
Story Reflections
Students are asked to record instances from different parts of the story to complete a theme web for 'freedom,' which requires them to locate and note evidence from the text. Activity 2 directs students to "use specific examples from the book" and explain the impact of those incidents in a personal reflection paragraph. The short-answer questions (Questions #1-#4) require students to refer to plot events and character actions from the text when answering.
Final Project
Personal Narrative
Students answer short-response questions asking for the main conflict and the climax of Elijah of Buxton, which requires them to identify events from the text. Students must name a theme and give two examples of how that theme was developed in the story, which asks them to support a thematic analysis with specific instances. Students complete questions asking for definitions and purposes of devices (e.g., flashback, transitions) that require them to connect textual features to meaning.
2: Semester 2
Unit 1: The House of the Scorpion
Lesson 1
Cloning
Students read Chapters 1-4 of The House of the Scorpion and answer targeted questions that require them to identify clues and make inferences (e.g., QUESTION #1: "What do you think Eduardo is trying to do? What clues make you think that?"). The Reading and Questions section asks students to describe explicit elements of the text (Matt's life, reactions of others) and to identify the unusual characteristic revealed about Matt (explicitly stated that Matt is a clone). The Persuasive Essay activities require students to support claims with evidence from research sources and instruct students on parenthetical citation and creating a Works Cited page.
Lesson 3
Cast of Characters
Students read Chapters 7–9 and answer specific comprehension questions that ask for what compels Matt to speak and what he learns about his origins and abilities, requiring them to refer to the text for answers. The Skills section lists that students will "analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events" and will "support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence," which connects to using text-based evidence. The persuasive essay final-draft task asks students to support claims and arrange reasons and evidence effectively, implying use of textual or other evidence to back arguments.
Lesson 4
Rhetorical and Logical Fallacies
Students read Chapters 10–12 of The House of the Scorpion and answer specific questions that require recalling explicit details and drawing simple inferences (e.g., noticing Tom's behavior when Furball is missing; identifying El Patrón's fetal brain implants; describing the disturbing clone scene). In the fallacies activity, students are directed to read a persuasive essay and underline specific phrases that exemplify loaded terms, caricatures, leading questions, false assumptions, and incorrect premises, which requires locating textual instances as evidence. The Parent Plan also instructs students to analyze how persuasive texts reach conclusions by analyzing the evidence each presents.
Lesson 5
Arguing the Issue
Students read Chapters 13–15 and answer directed comprehension questions (e.g., Why does Matt take Maria's dog?; What does Tam Lim leave?) that require locating events and details in the text. Students are asked in the Parent Plan discussion to identify "What evidence of this does she present?" about Celia's claim, which prompts them to point to evidence supporting an inference about El Patrón's behavior. Students analyze two essays on cloning and are directed to "record each author's main arguments" and note logical/rhetorical fallacies, requiring them to reference claims and supporting material in source texts.
Lesson 6
Societal Comparisons
The Parent Plan explicitly lists the skill: "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text." Students are asked to read Chapters 16–18 and answer specific text-based questions (e.g., what Maria learns about Furball's death, what Matt discovers about the eejits), which require referring to events and character reactions in the text. Activities ask students to compare Opium to the United States and to identify the warning the book offers, which require students to draw inferences from the chapters read.
Lesson 7
One-Act Play
Students read Chapters 19–21 and answer directed comprehension questions (Q1–Q4), including Q1 which asks both what the text says and why Matt believes something, requiring them to draw an inference. Students turn selected scenes into one-act plays and must use characters, dialogue, setting, and action from the text, selecting textual details to shape stage directions and dialogue. The student activity scripts require students to track interactions and communication (e.g., Matt's silence and others' reactions), which engages students with explicit events and implied motives in the text.
Lesson 9
Science Fiction
Students read Chapters 25–27 and answer guided comprehension questions about Matt's impressions, location, and the Keepers' values, demonstrating engagement with specific text details. Students complete a Student Activity Page that asks them to fill in "Evidence From The House of the Scorpion" next to each listed characteristic of science fiction. The Parent Plan/answer key lists concrete examples from the text (setting in the future, cloning, hovercrafts, dystopian society) that students can use as textual support.
Lesson 11
Wisdom and Love
Students read Chapters 31–33 and answer targeted questions about character changes, actions, and revealed information (e.g., how Matt's view of Ton-Ton changes; the tattoo revelation and assumptions about Matt). In Activity 1 students are given specific textual excerpts (Celia's lullaby and Tam Lin's sayings) and are asked to use those excerpts and their memory of the book to write journal responses about religious symbols, messages, and how teachings shape Matt. Discussion prompts ask students to explain how events and voices shape characters' choices, encouraging use of textual details in responses.
Lesson 13
Unit Test and Essay Reflections
Students read Chapters 37 and 38 and answer comprehension and analytical questions (e.g., how Matt's status changed; why Tam Lin drank the wine). Students complete short-answer unit test questions that ask them to explain how characters attain and use power and to analyze the author's choice to kill Tam Lin. The unit includes reflective essay prompts asking students to reconsider their position on cloning and to evaluate the arguments and fallacies used in their essays, which requires drawing inferences from the text and prior analysis.
Unit 2: Watership Down
Lesson 1
Preparing to Read
Students use sentences taken directly from the novel in the vocabulary activity to choose the definition and part of speech that best fits each context, so they work with textual excerpts to determine meaning. Students examine and record numbered locations from a provided map tied to the story and are prompted in discussion to use vocabulary terms and map observations to predict what the book will be about, which requires making inferences from provided text-based clues.
Lesson 2
Foreshadowing
The Parent Plan Skills section explicitly lists: "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis..." which tells students to locate evidence. Students are asked to read Chapters 1–8 and use character cards that include a dedicated "Quotes:" field for recording textual lines about characters. In the Foreshadowing and Symbolism activity, students read provided passages and describe what is being foreshadowed and what symbols are present, requiring them to draw inferences from specific text passages.
Lesson 3
An Epic Journey
Students are asked to record examples of fantasy and epic characteristics in the Student Activity Page (directions: "Record an example of the use of each characteristic in Watership Down"), which requires pulling evidence from Chapters 9–13. Discussion questions ask students to analyze Fiver's premonition and to evaluate whether events match that sense, prompting students to refer to the text to support their answers. The lesson also directs students to add information to character cards as they read, requiring them to note textual details about characters and events.
Lesson 4
Comparing Rabbits
The lesson's Skills section explicitly lists the standard: "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text." The Connection Commander reading role asks students to find connections between the book and themselves/the world and then "write several sentences explaining the connections," which requires using the text to support ideas. The Venn diagram activity (Option 2) directs students to "Using information from the text, list some characteristics" for each group, prompting students to locate and use textual information to support comparative analysis.
Lesson 5
Quotes and Creatures
Students are told to add memorable quotes to character cards as they read Chapters 18–21 and to record quotes, actions, and reactions, which requires locating and noting textual passages. Activity 1 directs students to research the epigraphs and then explain how each quote relates to the events and theme of the corresponding chapter, requiring students to connect text details to thematic inferences. The discussion prompts ask students to explain character changes and Holly's comments, prompting students to draw inferences from chapter events and dialogue.
Lesson 6
Dramatic Irony
Students read Chapters 22 and 23 and are given passages from Watership Down to analyze. In Activity 2 they complete prompts for each passage asking "What the reader knows," "What the characters believe," and "Effect on the reader," which requires students to draw explicit meaning and make inferences from the text. The Questioner role asks students to develop 3–5 big-picture discussion questions based on their reading, encouraging textual analysis and inference.
Lesson 7
Rabbit Societies
Students are asked to act as a "Passage Practitioner" and "locate two special sections or quotations in the text to discuss with a parent," record the page number and the reason they chose each passage, and then discuss each passage with a parent. The Rabbit Societies activity directs students to gather information about each group and record positive and negative traits, which requires drawing on text details from the chapters. Parent-plan discussion prompts ask students to explain Hazel's motivations and narrator comparisons, prompting students to refer to specific scenes and examples from Chapters 24–27.
Lesson 8
Folktales and Fantasy
The lesson's Skills list explicitly names the targeted ability: "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis..." Students are assigned the Summarizer role to write a summary of Chapter 31 and are told to "review the complete story from the text" if needed. Students are also asked to update character cards with "memorable quotes" and the reactions of others, and to "record your thoughts" about the meaning and lessons of the folktales on the activity pages.
Lesson 10
Setting
Students are asked to compare and contrast Efafra and Watership Down and to "pay attention to how the physical spaces help communicate" deeper meanings, which requires using details from Chapters 35–37. Option 1 asks students to create a Venn diagram and then write a 2–4 sentence reflection explaining how details of the two physical spaces give clues about the kinds of places they are. Option 2 instructs students to refer back to the text when creating artwork of the settings, and the Questioner role asks students to develop 3–5 big-picture questions based on their reading and reactions.
Lesson 11
Conflict and Escape
The lesson asks students to answer discussion questions that prompt them to identify "evidence" (e.g., "What evidence of the theme of environmentalism have you encountered?" and "How did Woundwort show evidence of his strong leadership skills?"). The Parent Plan lists skills to "determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text," which requires students to connect plot, characters, and setting to thematic ideas. Activity prompts (Activity 1 and Activity 2) require students to analyze conflict and theme through creation of a plot diagram or expressive responses, encouraging use of textual details to support their choices.
Lesson 12
Dramatic Enactment
Students read Chapters 41–45 and are instructed to update character cards with physical descriptions, traits, important actions, memorable quotes, and reactions of other characters, which requires locating and recording textual details. Students are asked to answer discussion questions that prompt them to provide examples (e.g., examples of the fruits of Hazel's leadership and moments that show character decisions), which encourages use of text-based examples. Students collect memorable quotes on their character cards, creating a record of explicit textual material they could use to support analysis.
Lesson 13
A Fantasy Story
Students finish reading Watership Down and are instructed to add memorable quotes and character details to their character cards, which requires locating and recording textual details. Students answer study-guide and unit-test questions that ask for examples of foreshadowing, dramatic irony, and leadership, and they must provide examples from the book to support those answers. Students are asked to describe how characters changed and how conflicts were resolved, which prompts them to draw inferences from the text and refer to specific events or quotes.
Unit 3: The Book Thief
Lesson 2
Similes and Metaphors
Students read Part One, Chapters 4-8 and answer comprehension questions that require understanding of characters and events (e.g., "What is Rudy like?" and describing Rudy's father's feelings). Students identify and analyze specific similes and metaphors by locating quoted phrases from the book, explaining whether they are similes or metaphors, and describing their effects (Parts A–C). Students are instructed to choose two quotes and explain why they are similes or metaphors, which requires referencing specific textual lines.
Lesson 3
Burning Books
Students answer targeted reading questions that reference specific lines and ideas from the text (for example, noting Liesel's phrase 'no real desire' and explanations tied to page references). Students complete a Historical References page that directs them to passages (pages 83-84, 50, 110) to connect textual references to historical facts. Students record examples of propaganda from the day's reading on an activity chart and identify specific events and excerpts (e.g., the article in the Molching Express, the speech before the book burning) as evidence.
Lesson 4
The Value of Books
Students are asked to mark descriptions in the text and to record examples of effective imagery along with page numbers, which requires locating and noting textual passages. They are directed to complete the Part Three section of the "Propaganda" activity page and may record specific examples from the novel (for example, ownership/reading of Mein Kampf and the greeting "Heil Hitler"). Activity 2 provides quoted lines from the novel as models and asks students to explain what made each example effective.
Lesson 5
The Accordion Player
Students read Part Four and answer explicit comprehension questions (e.g., who taught Hans the accordion; how Erik saved Hans), which requires locating information in the text. Students are asked to "record any examples of propaganda" from the reading on the Propaganda activity page and to justify whether characters' actions may have been influenced by propaganda. Students read excerpts of the Nuremberg Laws and answer applied questions about how those laws would affect characters (e.g., whether Hans would have citizenship), which requires connecting text to inferences about character situations.
Lesson 7
The Seven-Sided Die
The Parent Plan Skills section explicitly lists "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text," indicating students are expected to practice this skill. The Reading and Questions tasks (Right There and Think and Search) require students to locate answers in the text and consult multiple pages to support responses. The Analyzing Propaganda activities ask students to analyze quoted passages and identify arguments and fallacies, which requires referring to specific textual excerpts.
Lesson 8
The Thief Strikes Again
Students are prompted to explain interpretations of the text (e.g., QUESTION #1 asks students to explain what Max was trying to communicate in his two drawings, with a page reference to p. 280). QUESTION #2 includes a direct line from the book in the model answer ("given to her by a lonely, pathetic old woman"), showing an instance where students are expected to refer to specific wording. Students are also asked to record examples of propaganda on the "Propaganda" page and to take notes on speech/rally clips, which requires locating and noting textual or multimedia details.
Lesson 9
Close Calls
Students are asked in Activity 1 to look for and record instances of personification, simile, metaphor, and onomatopoeia as they read, with the Student Activity Page providing spaces for examples. The parent plan and answer key give specific quoted examples with page numbers, indicating students are expected to extract textual phrases (e.g., "chitchat of faraway guns" p.308). Question #4 asks students to explain why Death describes so much death and what it has to do with Liesel's story, requiring students to make an inference from the text.
Lesson 10
The Trilogy of Happiness
Students answer specific comprehension questions that require citing explicit plot details (e.g., Question 1 asks what Liesel's "trilogy of happiness" was) and making inferences (e.g., Question 4 asks for possible meanings of Max's phrase about the stars). Students are asked to record examples of propaganda from the reading (the Propaganda page, Part Seven), which requires locating text-based instances. The Relationship Web activity directs students to research and write about the significance of relationships between characters, prompting text-based analysis of character interactions.
Lesson 11
The Word Shaker
Students are asked to record examples and phrases from the text (e.g., ‘‘record any examples of propaganda you noticed'' and the Descriptive Examples page asking for specific adverbs, adjectives, and verbs). In Activity 1 Part II students must choose three ideas and provide specific examples from either the day's primary source reading or The Book Thief. The allegory questions and comprehension questions (e.g., about Rudy, Hans, and the ‘‘nation of farmed thoughts'') require students to refer to text details when explaining meanings.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students are asked to locate and document examples from the book for figurative language devices (e.g., 'identify and illustrate a figurative language example' and 'provide examples from a book for four devices'). The oxymoron example includes a direct quotation with a page reference, showing that students will work with specific textual excerpts. Students are also asked to compare the movie to the book and to analyze scenes and posters, which requires referring to elements of the original text and media.
Unit 4: To Kill a Mockingbird
Lesson 1
Historical Context
Students are instructed to read the first two chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird and answer specific comprehension questions about Scout, Jem, Dill, and the Radleys, which requires them to refer to the text for details. A discussion prompt explicitly asks students, "What evidence of the historical period did you observe in the first two chapters?" prompting students to identify textual evidence of setting and social conditions. Several comprehension questions require students to describe events and circumstances from the chapters, which involves extracting information stated in the text.
Lesson 2
Home and School
The Parent Plan Skills section explicitly lists "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis..." as a targeted skill. The literature response prompt tells students to "Refer to specific examples from the book in your discussion," requiring them to use textual details when reflecting on chapters 3–4. The discussion questions ask students to explain how Atticus and Calpurnia treat Walter Cunningham and what those attitudes reveal, which prompts students to use passages (e.g., Atticus discussing farming with Walter; Calpurnia treating him as a guest) as support.
Lesson 3
The Mystery of Boo
The Parent Plan lists the skill explicitly: "Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis..." Activity 1 (The Mysterious Boo Radley) directs students to list five things Jem and Scout think about Boo and five things they know from personal experience using chapters 1 and 5, and to develop a hypothesis about who Boo really is. Question 4 and the wrapping-up discussion ask students to make inferences (who mended Jem's pants; what Miss Maudie means) based on quoted text and chapter events.
Lesson 4
Snow and Fire
Students are asked to include at least one quotation from chapters 8–9 and explain its meaning and importance in a literature response. Students record textual details on a Character Line-Up chart, including columns for "Quotes of or about the character" and "Memorable descriptions from the text." Discussion questions prompt students to explain Atticus's statements and to infer what events are being foreshadowed, requiring students to connect text details to interpretive answers.
Lesson 5
Surprising Talent
Students read chapters 10–11 of To Kill a Mockingbird and answer specific comprehension questions that require referencing explicit events (e.g., why Scout and Jem changed their minds when they discovered Atticus was an incredible marksman). Students add information to character Line-Up charts as they learn more, recording textual details about characters. Students respond to discussion prompts asking for explanations (e.g., why Miss Maudie says it is a "sin" to kill a mockingbird, and whether Mrs. Dubose is an example of courage), which asks them to support interpretations with events from the text.
Lesson 6
Separate
Students are instructed in Activity 1 Part II to record a direct quotation and a paraphrase from chapter 12 and to include the page number, and the Answer Key expects a quoted passage with citation. The Parent Plan and the literary response prompt ask students to "refer to specific examples from the text to support their ideas" and the Skills section includes drawing "supported inferences" and connecting responses to "specific textual references." Students complete an exercise identifying whether passages are quotations, paraphrases, or summaries, reinforcing attention to how textual material is cited or represented.
Lesson 7
A Moral Dilemma
Students read chapters 14–15 and answer comprehension questions that require them to explain explicit events (for example, how the lynch mob was persuaded and how Aunt Alexandra reacts to the children's church visit). Discussion prompts ask students to identify "evidence of Jem's growing maturity" and to explain how "mob mentality" is at work in the section, which asks them to point to parts of the text to support their ideas. Comprehension questions and the wrap-up require students to interpret characters' actions and infer motives from the narrative.
Lesson 9
Order in the Court
Students read chapters 18–20 and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., details from Mayella's testimony, Tom Robinson's version of events, and Atticus's explanation) that require identifying what the text says explicitly. The lesson includes discussion prompts asking students to evaluate whether the jury will believe Atticus and why, which requires students to draw inferences from the text. Activities ask students to consider legal proceedings and apply courtroom terms to the case, linking textual events to broader analysis.
Lesson 10
Equal Rights?
Students read chapters 21–23 of To Kill a Mockingbird and respond to guided questions that ask them to analyze the jury's decision, characters' reactions, and community divisions. Students are asked to write a 7–9 sentence summary that requires revisiting the text for accuracy and to practice close reading. Discussion prompts (e.g., whether the jury's decision was inevitable, why Reverend Sykes told Scout to stand) require students to draw inferences from the text.
Lesson 11
The Mockingbird
Students are instructed to read chapters 24–26 and answer specific comprehension and inference questions (e.g., what happened to Tom Robinson; Scout's comparison to Hitler), which requires them to refer to text events. Students are asked to identify examples of innocence being destroyed and complete a graphic organizer connecting symbols and instances from the novel. Students are prompted to discuss and explain a quoted line about Atticus and to compare historical treatment of groups, which asks them to analyze explicit statements and draw inferences.
Lesson 12
Wise Words
Students are asked to choose five quotes from the novel, explain each in their own words, and create an artistic display of one quote (including citing the source), which requires close reading and interpretation of specific lines. Students answer targeted questions that ask them to identify foreshadowing and summarize events, prompting them to draw inferences about sinister events and characters' actions. Students complete perspective-taking activities (diary entry or Venn diagram) that require them to infer how characters saw and felt about events and to articulate those inferences in writing.
Final Project
Oral Book Presentation
Students are instructed to connect responses to specific textual references and to draw supported inferences (Parent Plan skills list). The unit test asks students to read a passage, choose the most powerful quotation from it, paraphrase an underlined sentence, summarize the passage, and answer inference questions about Scout's identity (Unit Test Part IV). The presentation and rubric require students to display relevant, powerful quotations on slides and to support judgments through references to the text when explaining themes and historical-context examples.
Unit 5: Great American Poets
Lesson 1
Poetry Basics
Students are asked to annotate poems, underlining examples of alliteration, circling unfamiliar words and recording definitions, and underlining phrases that create vivid images, which requires them to mark textual details. Activities ask students to identify rhyme scheme, line breaks, stanzas, refrains, and repeating couplets, and to explain why a poet breaks a line in the middle, prompting close reading and textual analysis. The lesson also prompts students to infer meaning (for example, identifying the animal in D.H. Lawrence's poem) and to read multiple times to deepen understanding.
Lesson 2
Early American Poetry
Students are asked to read poems slowly and mark any images or lines that strike them, and Question #1 asks for an effect of a break in rhyme pattern, which requires making an inference from the text. Activity 3 directs students to reread Longfellow's "Paul Revere's Ride" and Paul Revere's first-person account, mark sections they find interesting or significant, and complete a Venn diagram comparing content, use of literary language, and details. The answer keys and parent notes model comparing unique details and differences in form and content between the poem and the historical account.
Lesson 3
Figurative Language
Students are directed to look up specific poems and answer questions about comparisons, imagery, and personification (e.g., comparing lines in "Hope is the thing with feathers" and "There is no frigate like a book" and identifying personification in "Paul Revere's Ride"). The student activity asks for brief examples from poems where imagery was effective and for examples of figurative language found in the texts. The answer key and activity pages require students to refer to lines or stanzas from poems to support their responses.
Lesson 4
Poetic Forms
The Student Activity Page asks students to mark the pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables in "To My Dear and Loving Husband" and to conclude whether it is iambic pentameter and a sonnet, which requires referring to the poem's lines. Questions ask students to explore qualities of Longfellow's "The Sound of the Sea," compare its structure and iambic pentameter to a Shakespearean sonnet, and analyze why "John Henry" is a ballad — all tasks that require students to reference features in the texts. The activity also directs students to read specific poems (Longfellow, "John Henry", "Snow-storm") and answer targeted analytic questions about form and features based on those readings.
Lesson 5
Edgar Allan Poe
Several questions require students to refer directly to the poems: Question #1 asks students to explain the irony at the end of "Alone" using imagery from the last half of the poem and the final line. Question #3 asks students to reread the first two stanzas of "The Raven," mark the end-rhyme scheme, and describe the internal rhyme pattern, directing attention to specific lines on p.16. Option 1 asks students to record at least one line from two different Poe poems that demonstrate his stated focus, requiring selection of textual lines as support.
Lesson 6
Meaning in Poetry
Students are asked to analyze poems and explain how language creates mood and meaning (e.g., question answers refer to imagery, specific words like "horror," "crashing," and punctuation such as exclamation points). The Literal and Symbolic Meaning activity directs students to summarize stanza-by-stanza and to interpret metaphorical references (for example, identifying the captain as Lincoln in "O Captain! My Captain!"). The Commas activity requires students to locate line numbers, identify specific commas in a named poem, and explain the poet's use, which asks students to point to specific textual locations and features.
Lesson 7
Poetry Analysis
Students are directed to read a chosen poem several times (including twice aloud) and complete a Poem Analysis page that asks for the poem's literal meaning, symbolic meaning, and favorite image or line. The analysis page has sections requiring students to identify sound devices and figurative language with space for examples, and a Tone and Mood section asking for speaker attitude and reader emotions. Vocabulary activities include matching quoted lines and excerpts to terms (e.g., personification, alliteration), which requires students to locate lines that illustrate devices.
Lesson 8
Robert Frost
Students read poems on pages 41–52 and answer targeted questions that require reference to the text: Question 2 asks students to identify two images in "After Apple-Picking" that suggest a drowsy or dream-like state, Question 3 asks for the poem's symbolic meaning in "The Road Not Taken," and Question 4 asks students to figure out and explain the rhyme scheme of "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." Activity 3 asks students to analyze the effect of specific hyphens and dashes in named poems (including Emily Dickinson's Poem 632) and to explain those effects using the poem lines as evidence.
Lesson 9
Memorizing Poetry
Students are asked to reread specific poems and compare them (e.g., Question #1 asks how Sandburg's "Chicago" is similar to Whitman's poems, and Question #2 directs students to reread "Euclid" and compare it to Whitman's "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer"). Question #3 asks students to apply an external word meaning to the speaker of "Gubbinal" and evaluate whether that changes their understanding, which requires making inferences about narrator reliability. The Student Activity Page asks students to analyze villanelle features and to identify the action urged by the speaker in "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," prompting analysis of explicit content and implied speaker intent.
Lesson 10
Poems about Poetry
Students are asked to read specific poems and answer text-based questions such as "Based on details in the poem 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,' what are some adjectives you'd use," which directs them to use poem details. Activity 1 tells students to underline phrases or images that strike them and to read and respond to particular stanzas (e.g., the last stanza of "Poetry" and the last two lines of "Ars Poetica"). The student activity page asks learners to choose a marked phrase or image and explain why it is effective and to compare the two poems, requiring reference to specific textual elements.
Lesson 11
Editing Your Work
Students are asked to reread specific poems and answer analytical questions (e.g., Q1 asks how E.E. Cummings's capitalization is unique and what effect it has, and Q2 directs students to look up 'deferred' and reread 'Dream Deferred' to interpret the last line). Questions ask students to identify techniques (Q3 asks what techniques Countee Cullen uses to make a poem memorable) and to compare and contrast structure and meaning (Q4 compares 'Sympathy' and 'Caged Bird'). The lesson directions and model answers reference specific textual features (capitalization, rhythm, rhyme, imagery) that students must notice and discuss.
Lesson 12
Reciting Poetry
Students read multiple poems provided by web links and answer comprehension and analysis questions (e.g., Question #1 asks why Ginsberg's setting is an odd way to honor Whitman; Question #3 asks students to describe what poems communicate about family relationships). The sample answer for Question #1 includes a direct quotation from the poem, showing an expectation that students refer to lines of text when explaining. Activities ask students to compare poems and describe effectiveness, which requires students to analyze what the text says explicitly and make inferences about meaning.