Eighth Grade - ELA
1: Semester 1
Unit 1: Abigail Adams
Lesson 1
Getting to Know Abigail Adams
The lesson provides a clear vocabulary list with definitions and example sentences for seven target words (confidences, lucrative, wistfully, foreboding, affliction, fortitude, entail). Activity 2 asks students to circle words they already know or could use and then plan and write a letter that incorporates either five or all seven vocabulary terms in context, with instructions to use each term correctly and to mark each term in the finished letter. The parent/teacher review steps require checking that each vocabulary term was used accurately in the student's writing.
Lesson 2
John and Abigail Adams
The lesson explicitly defines academic and domain-specific terms in the "Things to Know" section (topic sentence, transition, supporting sentences, concluding observation, citations, plagiarism, endnote reference numbers). Students are asked to identify sentence functions using those terms in the Paragraph Analysis activities (e.g., label sentences as topic sentence, background information, example, transition). The reading questions require students to locate and record bibliographic information and interpret endnote reference numbers, which asks them to work with domain-specific vocabulary related to citations and bibliographies.
Lesson 3
Unrest and War
Students are taught and practice domain-specific grammatical terms such as "active voice," "passive voice," "subject," "verb/verb phrase," and "past participle" through explicit definitions and examples. Students identify subjects and verb phrases in numbered clauses, label each clause as active or passive, and rewrite passive clauses in active voice. Students are instructed to write paragraphs using primarily active voice and to explain why an author might choose passive voice, applying the vocabulary in writing and analysis.
Lesson 4
Continental Congress
The Vocabulary Review activity directs students to mark each target word as CONFIDENT, MAYBE, or ? and then either write sentences, look up definitions in Lesson 1, or consult a dictionary and write a definition and sentence in their own words. The Student Activity Page lists specific target words (confidences, lucrative, wistfully, foreboding, affliction, fortitude, entail) for students to practice using in context. The Parent Plan Skills and activity instructions explicitly require students to gather vocabulary knowledge and produce written sentences showing use of the words.
Lesson 6
Separation
Students are given a targeted list of grade-appropriate academic and domain-specific words (protocol, abolish, destitute, sedition, apprehension, abhorrence, disconsolate, impudence) with brief definitions. Students complete a vocabulary crossword that requires them to match words to definitions using a provided word bank. The activity page explicitly tells students to look up unfamiliar words, encouraging them to gather vocabulary knowledge.
Lesson 7
Education
The lesson defines and uses domain-specific grammatical terms (verbals, gerunds, participles, infinitives) in the "Things to Know" and Activity 1 sections. Students are asked to identify gerunds, circle participles and show which nouns they modify, and underline infinitives and indicate their functions, providing direct practice using those terms. Activity 2 has students read news articles about girls' education and complete a paragraph analysis, which requires reading grade-level text and encountering topical vocabulary in context.
Lesson 8
Genre
Students read the "Things to Know" section that explicitly defines genre-related terms (adventure, historical fiction, mystery, myth, science fiction, realistic fiction, satire, parody, graphic novel, allegory). Students use those definitions to complete the "Matching Genres" activity, matching book descriptions to the correct genre labels. Students apply and use genre vocabulary when they rewrite a scene in a chosen genre (Option 1) or retell the scene as a graphic novel (Option 2), potentially combining genre terms.
Lesson 10
Presidential Politics
Students are asked to compare and contrast Federalists and Republicans using a three-column chart that requires naming leaders, positions on federal vs. state power, and views on the French Revolution, which prompts use of domain-specific political vocabulary. Reading questions and answers reference content-specific terms (e.g., "Minister to the Netherlands," "palsy," "French Revolution") that students must read and understand to answer comprehension questions. The Parent Plan explicitly lists as a year-end skill the acquisition and accurate use of grade-appropriate general, academic, and domain-specific words and phrases.
Lesson 12
Remembering Abigail Adams
Students review and practice domain-specific grammatical vocabulary such as indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, subjunctive, active voice, and passive voice on the "Voice and Mood Summary" and the "Identifying Mood and Voice" activity pages. Students identify and label examples of these terms in a paragraph (including color-coding or circling), and they complete questions that ask them to choose which sentences exemplify particular moods or voices. Students are asked to apply grammatical concepts when writing a eulogy or obituary, which requires using the grammar terms correctly in their own writing.
Final Project
A One-Person Play
Students are prompted to review "all of the vocabulary terms covered in previous lessons" on the Student Activity Page and to make personal notes for test preparation. The unit test includes a dedicated vocabulary section with a provided word list (abolish, disconsolate, destitute, etc.) where students must fill in blanks using those words. An answer key for the vocabulary section is provided, and the study guide explicitly directs students to review vocabulary as part of preparing for the assessment.
Unit 2: Animal Farm
Lesson 1
What Is a Theme?
Students are given explicit definitions of the domain-specific terms topic, plot, and theme. Students complete sorting activities that require them to label phrases as topics, plots, or themes and to provide their own examples. Students read and respond to introductory materials and theme examples that include vocabulary such as perseverance, arrogance, and critique of new technology.
Lesson 2
Major's Dream
Students practice identifying and labeling parts of speech in sentences from Chapter 1 (Activity 1), including marking subjects, verb phrases, nouns/pronouns in prepositional phrases, and other categories. Students choose an adjective for each main character and provide textual examples that justify that word choice (Activity 2), requiring them to select and use descriptive vocabulary for expression. The activity pages and answer keys show students applying grammatical categories to specific words and phrases from the text.
Lesson 3
The Rebellion
The lesson defines and uses domain-specific grammatical terms (Things to Know: pronouns, antecedent, interrogative and relative pronouns) and provides explicit explanations and examples of pronoun use and antecedents in Activity 1. Students complete exercises that require replacing repeated nouns with appropriate pronouns, underlining pronouns, and drawing arrows to their antecedents, and the answer key shows corrected sentences using pronouns accurately. The Characters/Seven Commandments activities also require students to use terms like "Animalism" and to compare documents, exposing them to some domain-specific vocabulary in context.
Lesson 4
Work on the Farm
Students encounter and work with domain-specific vocabulary for correspondence: the Student Activity Pages explicitly label and define parts of friendly and business letters (sender's address, date, greeting/salutation, body, closing, signature, enclosure). Students practice using those terms by arranging parts in the "Jumbled Business Letter" activity, correcting errors in the "Fixing a Business Letter" activity, and composing friendly or business letters in the writing options. The "Things to Know" and activity instructions reinforce distinctions between "business letter" and "friendly letter," providing contextualized use of those terms.
Lesson 6
Comrade Napoleon
The lesson defines the domain-specific term 'satire' and asks students to connect historical figures and events from the Russian Revolution to characters and events in Animal Farm, which requires use of history-specific vocabulary. The lesson explicitly teaches grammatical vocabulary (subjective, objective, possessive) with a pronoun case chart and asks students to circle pronouns and identify their case in sentences. Students are directed to research roles and provide specific evidence, which may require locating and using domain-specific terms about revolution and leadership.
Lesson 9
The Battle of the Windmill
The lesson explicitly defines the literary term personification and asks students to identify and re-imagine scenes using that device (Activity 1), which exposes students to a domain-specific term and asks them to use it in writing or description. Activity 2 requires students to produce a formal business letter using conventions (salutation, closing, enclosure) and a professional tone, prompting use of register-appropriate vocabulary and formulaic phrases. The Parent Plan lists skills such as applying parts of speech and using pronouns correctly, which directs students to attend to precise word choice and grammatical forms.
Unit 3: Einstein Adds a New Dimension
Lesson 1
Expository Writing
Students practice selecting search terms and evaluating their usefulness in the Part II Index activity (e.g., choosing words to look up for "weak nuclear forces," testing terms like "forces" vs. "atoms," and inferring which terms worked best). The materials identify and have students locate reference features that provide definitions or vocabulary help (glossary, sidebar definitions, and back matter), and the sidebar-matching task explicitly teaches that some sidebars "define terms in the text."
Lesson 2
Descriptive Writing
Students are directed to read margin definitions and text boxes and to use one of two reading strategies that include attending to sidebar definitions. The Parent Plan lists the skill of determining the meaning of key terms and domain-specific words in scientific contexts. Student activities prompt students to choose precise adjectives and verbs (with a suggestion to use a thesaurus) and to practice descriptive phrases that appeal to senses.
Lesson 3
The Curies' Discoveries
Students complete explicit vocabulary activities that ask them to define words, provide synonyms/similes, and write example sentences (e.g., tasks for luminous, incongruity, cogitate, cathode ray, radioactivity, crystal). The Parent Plan explicitly instructs students to write definitions in their own words and to use a dictionary or thesaurus as needed. Note-taking instructions tell students to add definitions/explanations to their notes and the sample notes and answer key model use of domain-specific terms such as "radioactivity," "pitchblende," "photon," and "radioactive decay."
Lesson 4
Process Writing
The Skills and Parent Plan sections explicitly tell students to "Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain a topic." The student activity pages ask students to list "Terms or concepts that need explanation" and to include vocabulary-related planning when choosing a topic. The reading and questions include domain-specific terms (e.g., "quantum mechanics," "subatomic particles," "E=mc²") and ask students to define at least one term (Question #1: "What is quantum mechanics?").
Lesson 5
Envisioning Fission
Students are asked to take notes on what E=mc² means and to take notes on what a nuclear chain reaction is, so they encounter and record domain-specific terms. The Chapter 23 timeline and answer key list many scientific terms (neutron, particle accelerator, radioactive isotopes, positron, fusion, etc.) that students must identify and place in context. Internet-research tips instruct students to choose specific search terms (e.g., "nuclear fusion" instead of "fusion") and to try synonyms, which guides students in gathering vocabulary knowledge when a word is important to comprehension.
Lesson 6
Cause and Effect Writing
Students are given a Cause/Effect Writing Transition chart and are instructed to use transition words and phrases (because, therefore, consequently, if...then, one cause, one effect) to express relationships in their writing. The reading and questions require students to read and respond using domain-specific terms such as "nuclear fission bomb" and "U-235," and students answer questions that use and reinforce those technical terms. The planning and organization pages require students to write a clear thesis and topic sentences, encouraging precise language when naming causes or effects.
Lesson 7
Relativity
Students are asked to look up a list of domain-specific terms on the "Domain-Specific Vocabulary" activity page and write definitions in their own words, with examples or illustrations (fissile material, uniform motion, frame of reference, relativity, invariant). The parent plan and skills list explicitly require students to "acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases" and to "determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases." In Activity 2 students must design a poster that uses at least three domain-specific terms, define unfamiliar terminology for an audience, and choose precise language for clear technical writing.
Lesson 8
Comparison and Contrast Writing
The lesson provides a chart of comparison/contrast transition words and instructs students to use transition words to link thoughts, which gives students practice using general academic phrases in their writing. The Parent Plan lists a skill to "determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context," and the reading tasks direct students to reread bold text and analogies to aid comprehension of scientific concepts. The writing activities require students to use specific examples and details from the book and to include page numbers or quotations when using text phrases.
Lesson 9
Avoiding Plagiarism
Students read and answer questions that define and use domain-specific terms such as "redshift," "Cepheid stars," and "white dwarf," demonstrating direct exposure to astronomy vocabulary. The Paraphrasing activity asks students to read a definition of "luminosity" and choose the best paraphrase, and it gives explicit guidance about keeping technical terminology while rewording surrounding language. The lesson defines academic terms (plagiarism, summarizing, paraphrasing) and requires students to write summaries and paraphrases, which asks them to use vocabulary in context.
Lesson 10
Problem and Solution Writing
Students encounter and are asked about domain-specific terms in the reading: questions and answers define supernova, event horizon, supermassive black hole, and Type 1a supernova. The lesson tells students they will "find out what they mean" for terms such as supernova, pulsar, quasar, and black hole. The Problem/Solution Writing Transition chart lists general academic transition phrases (therefore, consequently, because, furthermore, etc.) and students are instructed to use these transitions in their writing.
Lesson 11
Citing Sources
Students encounter and are asked to use domain-specific and academic terms such as "parenthetical citation," "Works Cited page," "MLA," and "caption" (Things to Know). Students define and explain technical vocabulary from the reading (questions asking what a bit and a qubit are and how Boolean AND/OR affect searches). Students practice using those terms in context by identifying and correcting parenthetical citations in Part I, creating a Works Cited entry in Part II, and composing captions and graphics in Activity 2.
Final Project
Research Paper
Students are required to use domain-specific vocabulary in their final research paper and the Research Rubric explicitly evaluates "Word Choice - Use of domain-specific vocabulary." The Unit Test Review pages list specific science terms and instruct students to use the book index to look up unfamiliar terms, and the Unit Test includes an item asking students to explain the importance of domain-specific vocabulary with an answer key. The Parent Plan Skills list also states students should "use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary" and "determine the meaning of ... domain-specific words and phrases."
Unit 4: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Lesson 1
Introduction to Mark Twain and the Novel
Students complete Activity 3 which presents 10 vocabulary words from Chapters 1–21 and asks them to read each word in context and select the best definition, with an explicit suggestion to use a dictionary if needed. The Parent Plan and Skills list explicitly state that students will "determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text" and "analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone." Activity 4 (Option 2) directs students to a PBS site to gather regional expressions and grammatical features, and the lesson asks students to record vocabulary and dialect observations in a journal.
Lesson 2
Point of View
Students are presented with explicit definitions and examples of domain-specific terms (1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person limited, 3rd person omniscient, 3rd person objective) on the Points of View activity page. Students practice using those terms by reading passages and selecting the correct point of view, and by recording titles in the "What's the Point" table to label each text with a POV category. Parent/teacher guidance instructs students to review the definitions and to note pronouns that signal point of view.
Lesson 3
What is Narrative Writing I
Students analyze author word choice and connotation (for example, comparing the nuances of "clever" vs. "smart" and discussing the negative connotation of Twain's use of the "n word"). Students examine quotes and explain what the language reveals about characters in the "And You Can Quote Me on That" activity. Students choose emotion words from the "Show, Don't Tell" list and write narratives or short responses that demonstrate those emotions without naming them, using vocabulary to express character feeling.
Lesson 4
What is Narrative Writing II
Students are prompted to "compose a list of feeling/emotion words" and to choose adjectives that describe events and people for their narratives (Option 1). The "Character Feelings" student page asks students to circle the feeling word that best describes a character and to fill a chart linking events, character feelings, and dialogue/descriptions. The wrap-up asks students to point out two examples where they used dialogue to show (rather than tell) character personality, encouraging use of precise emotion words in writing.
Lesson 5
Expository Writing
Students are asked to view the "Types of Writing" slideshow and take notes recording each type of writing, its definition, and an example, which requires them to learn labels like "expository," "narrative," and "persuasive." In Activity 1 students practice identifying passages as expository, narrative, or persuasive, and Activity 2 has students use the terms compare/contrast (and other expository organization types listed) while completing a Venn diagram and writing an expository paragraph. The parent plan and wrap-up prompt students to discuss the difference between expository and narrative writing and to present the "Types of Writing" slideshow, reinforcing use of those domain-specific terms.
Lesson 6
The Power of Persuasion
Students are introduced to and use domain-specific terms such as "thesis statement," "evidence," "anecdotes," "similes, metaphors, or analogies," and persuasive techniques (reason, emotion, beliefs). Students identify the thesis and types of evidence in a model persuasive essay and answer questions about how the writer begins the essay and what evidence is used. Students write persuasive sentences using specified techniques (logic/reasoning, emotional appeal, problem/solution, similes/metaphors) and produce thesis statements and reasons in their own persuasive writing.
Lesson 7
Persuasive Writing
Students are given a Vocabulary Words list with nine grade-level words (acquit, indifferent, ingenious, penitentiary, mesmerizing, insurrection, remiss, sultry, lingo), each defined "based on how they are used in the story," and are asked to write a sentence using each word. The lesson text tells students they can use context clues or a dictionary to figure out new words, and the Parent Plan explicitly lists "Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text." Students are also encouraged to relate their sentences to the novel, connecting word use to comprehension.
Lesson 9
Irony
Students view videos that define the term irony and its three types and take notes, recording examples in an Irony Chart. Students identify and categorize examples of verbal, situational, and dramatic irony from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and from videos, and they create their own original examples for each type. Students sort provided novel examples into columns and analyze whether given situations are truly ironic, demonstrating use of the domain-specific vocabulary in context.
Lesson 10
Figures of Speech
Students read explicit definitions of five domain-specific vocabulary terms (pun, hyperbole, oxymoron, simile, idiom) in the "Things to Know" and activity pages. Students identify and label instances of those terms in passages from Huckleberry Finn and in "Fred's Letter," and they create their own examples on activity sheets. Students use color-coding and fill-in tasks to classify expressions, demonstrating application of the vocabulary to comprehension and expression.
Lesson 11
Mark Twain's Influence
Students listen to and take notes on slave narratives and specifically "make notes about the dialect used" and "make note of any figurative language you hear." Students are asked to include and label idiom, hyperbole, a pun, an oxymoron, and an example of irony in their one-page narrative. The Story Map graphic organizer includes a box for "Figurative Language Techniques," and the lesson references a Handy Guide to Writing (p. 54) for more information about figures of speech.
Final Project
Cultural Biography
Students are asked to use three vocabulary words in sentences on the Cultural Biography poster and to write six vocabulary-word sentences on a Story Blocks vocabulary face. The Unit Test asks students to pick three vocabulary words learned in the unit and use each one in a sentence. The study instructions repeatedly tell students to review the unit's vocabulary words as part of test preparation.
Unit 5: Elijah of Buxton
Lesson 1
Introduction to the Novel
Students are given a specific vocabulary list (commence, daft, truck patch, vile, smarting, brogans, flimflam, plaits) and instructed to study meanings and illustrate each word on an index card. Students are asked to explain and give examples of the academic term "flashback" and to describe what the Underground Railroad was and how it worked. Students also complete expressive tasks (a poem/song, a journal entry, and a persuasive speech) that could require using relevant domain-specific and academic vocabulary in context.
Lesson 2
The Preacher
Students analyze Frederick Douglass's passage by circling vivid adjectives and underlining the repeatedly used verb, identifying words that make the writing persuasive. Students use a senses web to brainstorm effective descriptive words and are instructed to choose at least two verbs and repeat powerful verbs in a short paragraph, practicing word choice for expression. A footnote defines the word "despotism," giving an explicit vocabulary definition within the texts students read.
Lesson 3
Creating a Character
The lesson explicitly defines an idiom or proverb in the "Things to Know" section: "An idiom or a proverb is a saying that expresses something..." and directs students in the "Questions to Discuss" to explain the meaning of the proverb "familiarity breeds contempt" and give examples. Students are asked to interpret Mr. Leroy's saying and discuss its meaning, which requires them to analyze figurative language in context.
Lesson 4
Tone and Mood
Students are provided with explicit lists of sample tone and mood words and a "Tone and Mood" activity page that asks them to pick words describing Elijah's tone and to identify mood words for specific events. Students are asked to "experiment with tone" by writing sentences in two different tones, which requires them to choose and use descriptive vocabulary. The lesson includes a linked "Tone Words and Mood Words" handout and activities that ask students to identify words or images from the text that create a particular mood.
Lesson 5
Colorful Language
Students identify and label idiom, simile, metaphor, personification, pun, and hyperbole using examples from Elijah of Buxton and an activity page. Students write a 6-8 sentence narrative and an advertisement or visual display that requires using precise words, sensory language, descriptive details, and each of the six figures of speech. The Parent Plan and activities ask students to determine meanings of words and phrases in context and to notice how specific word choices (precise verbs, descriptive details) impact imagery.
Lesson 6
Symbolism
Students are instructed to use a thesaurus to choose precise descriptive words and to replace general words with more specific choices (Option 1 and Option 2 activities). The Parent Plan explicitly lists consulting dictionaries, glossaries, and thesauruses to determine pronunciation, clarify meaning, or part of speech. Students practice writing precise phrases and revising song lyrics, which requires selecting and using more specific vocabulary in their own speaking and writing.
Lesson 7
The Importance of Education
Students read Chapters 13–14 and are prompted to consider new vocabulary from the novel and to determine meanings from context. In Activity 1 students write definitions for italicized words from passages, then compare their definitions to the provided definitions and discuss them with a parent. The Student Activity Page asks students to categorize the vocabulary (e.g., parts of speech, everyday objects) and the review asks students to define words in their own words and/or give examples of use. The Parent Plan repeatedly instructs students to use context clues (including a word's position/function) and to use the words in other situations.
Lesson 8
Transitions and Characters
Students are given extensive lists of transition words and phrases organized by function (time/sequence, clarification, comparison/contrast, emphasis, conclusion). Students complete exercises that ask them to identify transition words in passages, circle transitions, and insert appropriate transition words into sentences (Activity 1, Exercise 1–2 and the fill-in-the-blank sentences A–H). The lesson asks students to explain what a transition word or phrase is and to use examples in sentences (Things to Review).
Lesson 9
Transitions and Humor
The lesson explicitly teaches categories of transition words (time/sequence, comparison, contrast, clarification, emphasis, conclude) and gives examples of each, and students are directed to choose and use transitions in sentences on the Transitions Part 2 activity page. The lesson also lists and defines several humor techniques (understatement, hyperbole, comic irony, dialect, satire) and requires students to use at least three of those techniques when writing a humorous paragraph or newscast. The Parent Plan and activities prompt students to apply those labeled terms in their writing and oral work.
Lesson 10
Allusions and Authors
The lesson explicitly defines the term "allusion" in the Things to Know section and lists literary-device vocabulary (flashback, allusion, irony, symbolism) in the Skills. Students are directed to use the Allusions pages and a Student Activity Page to write 2–3 sentences explaining an allusion's origin and its connection to Elijah of Buxton. Students are also instructed to research unfamiliar allusions (including supplied biblical passages) to understand their meaning and importance to the story.
Lesson 11
Story Reflections
Students are given explicit definitions for the literary terms "conflict," "climax," and "theme" in the "Things to Know" section. Students are asked to identify and label those terms on a Plot Diagram and to record examples in a Theme Web, requiring them to use those domain-specific words in their responses. The Parent Plan and activities prompt students to choose events that develop the main conflict and to explain how the conflict was resolved, tasks that require applying the provided literary vocabulary.
Final Project
Personal Narrative
Students are prompted to study vocabulary using the review sheet and suggested strategies (make index cards, talk through terms, create their own test). On the unit test students choose 7 vocabulary terms from a provided list and define them in their own words. In the personal narrative task students must use two vocabulary words from the unit correctly, and the rubric explicitly evaluates use of those vocabulary words.
2: Semester 2
Unit 1: The House of the Scorpion
Lesson 1
Cloning
The lesson provides explicit definitions for domain-specific terms (Things to Know lists pathos, ethos, kairos, counterargument, thesis, parenthetical citation, Works Cited, MLA) and requires students to create MLA source cards and parenthetical citations. Students are asked to identify and label persuasive strategies in Activity 3 and to write sentences using each persuasive strategy in Activity 4, applying terms such as ethos, pathos, kairos, thesis, counterargument, and rebuttal. The rubric and activities require students to use those terms when planning and writing their five-paragraph persuasive essay.
Lesson 2
Revising and Editing
Students are given a list of vocabulary terms with definitions and are asked to study them. In Activity 1 students choose between creating posed scenes with a toy (labeling each scene with the target word and optionally photographing the result) or writing analogies for each word, using a dictionary or thesaurus as needed. The materials instruct students to review and discuss the vocabulary with a parent and to select the option that best helps them learn the meanings.
Lesson 3
Cast of Characters
Students read Chapters 7–9 and answer questions that require them to identify and explain the domain-specific term "eejits," providing its definition from the text. Students create a family tree and write brief descriptions of characters, which requires selecting and using words and phrases to convey character traits. Students are prompted to use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion as part of writing and presentation skills, so they practice choosing language to clarify relationships among ideas.
Lesson 4
Rhetorical and Logical Fallacies
Students are given a "Things to Know" list that defines domain-specific vocabulary (fallacy, loaded terms, caricature, leading questions, false assumption, incorrect premise). Students read a short persuasive essay and are instructed to identify and underline each type of fallacy using a color code on the Student Activity Page. In Activity 2, students create advertisements that purposefully employ at least three of the listed fallacies, and parent keys require naming and reviewing specific example phrases from the essay.
Lesson 5
Arguing the Issue
Students are prompted to identify and record logical and rhetorical fallacies when summarizing two essays about cloning (Activity 1). The student activity pages list fallacy terms (Loaded Terms, Caricatures, Leading Questions, False Assumptions, Incorrect Premises) and ask students to note those fallacies. In Activity 2, students draw fallacy cards and apply those specific terms to given arguments, practicing using the domain-specific vocabulary in context.
Lesson 6
Societal Comparisons
Students are given explicit definitions for key domain-specific terms: the text defines "utopia" and "dystopia" and directs students to review those definitions and characteristics. Students are asked to use terms related to societal structure (e.g., who holds power, legal/illegal, human rights) while completing a graphic organizer comparing societies. Students are asked to write or verbally discuss the warnings of a dystopian society and may write a descriptive paragraph about an imagined dystopia, providing opportunities to use domain-specific vocabulary in context.
Lesson 7
One-Act Play
Students are given an explicit definition of the term "cliffhanger" ("a dramatic moment that leaves the reader wanting to know what will happen next"), and are prompted to identify and discuss cliffhangers in their reading. Students are also prompted to consider the meaning of the name Esperanza (noting it means "hope" in Spanish) in the Parent Plan discussion questions. Students are asked to discuss and explain literary terms such as character, setting, and dialogue when reviewing their work.
Lesson 8
Family Crest
Students are instructed to create an index card for each vocabulary word, find each word in the dictionary, write the part of speech, and use the book sentences to determine meanings. The Parent Plan and Skills sections direct students to consult general and specialized reference materials (dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses) and to verify inferred meanings in context or with a dictionary. Students must choose to either write an original sentence using the word or create an illustration that captures the word's meaning, providing practice using the words for comprehension and expression.
Lesson 9
Science Fiction
Students read a "Things to Know" section that defines "irrelevant evidence" and lists specific characteristics and vocabulary for "science fiction" (e.g., setting, utopian/dystopian, technology). Students complete a Student Activity Page that asks them to match those science-fiction characteristics to evidence from The House of the Scorpion. In the Irrelevant Evidence activity, students identify and highlight instances of irrelevant evidence in passages and write a 5–6 sentence persuasive paragraph that purposely uses irrelevant evidence.
Lesson 10
Opium and Aztlán
Students are asked to list words and phrases that describe the physical places Opium and Aztlán and to place those words in a Venn diagram comparing the two settings, which requires them to identify and use descriptive language from Chapters 28–30 (examples in the Parent Plan include words like "white poppy fields," "brine tanks," "plankton," and "pools stained red"). The Student Activity Page and sample responses show students selecting domain-specific terms (plankton, brine tanks) and general academic descriptive phrases to characterize setting and compare contexts.
Lesson 12
El Día de los Muertos
Students are asked to study "the vocabulary terms from Lessons 2 and 8" as part of unit test preparation. Students are given study strategies such as making index cards with terms on one side and definitions/information on the other and creating their own practice tests to quiz themselves. The activities also prompt students to review recommended persuasive techniques and terms tied to earlier lessons, which directs attention to specific vocabulary items.
Lesson 13
Unit Test and Essay Reflections
Students are asked to define four words from a provided list (disconsolately, furtively, harangued, rite, welter, creosote, aristocrat, purgatory, brine) in their own words on a Student Activity Page. Additional vocabulary items (fidelito, eejits, etc.) appear in short-answer questions where students must supply meanings or show understanding. The Skills section explicitly lists "Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text," linking classroom tasks to vocabulary meaning.
Unit 2: Watership Down
Lesson 1
Preparing to Read
Students fill out Vocabulary Cubes by writing each target word, its definition, an alternate definition, part of speech, a synonym, and a sentence using the word. Students use sentences taken from the novel to select the definition and part of speech that best fits the context, and then assemble and use cubes in a game to practice recalling definitions, synonyms, and parts of speech. Parent directions ask students to review the vocabulary and discuss how these words inform understanding of the story's setting and events.
Lesson 2
Foreshadowing
The lesson defines the domain-specific terms foreshadowing and symbol in the "Things to Know" section and tells students to "review the definitions of foreshadowing and symbolism." Students are asked to read passages and "describe what you think is being foreshadowed" and "identify any symbols," which requires using those terms in analysis. The Rabbit Research activity directs students to a scientific web source and a graphic organizer (scientific name, behavior, communication, reproduction), requiring students to gather domain-specific vocabulary and facts from a reference.
Lesson 3
An Epic Journey
Students are asked to use the Lapine Glossary and a provided list of English words borrowed from other languages to write several sentences or a short poem that includes at least 10 borrowed or Lapine words, and to underline those words. The Skills section explicitly directs students to "Identify common words or word parts from other languages that are used in written English" with examples. The activity also provides definitions and origins for many borrowed words (e.g., faux pas, algebra, tycoon), which students can use when composing their writing.
Lesson 4
Comparing Rabbits
The lesson provides a labeled list of Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes (e.g., dolere, ducere, -itude, -able) and directs students to use those parts plus sentence context to write definitions for italicized words on the "Latin Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes" activity page. Students are asked to determine meanings of unfamiliar words (e.g., indolence, prudence, precipitious) using roots and context and to discuss their determined meanings with a parent. The Parent Plan reiterates that students are to determine meanings from roots/prefixes/suffixes and context and to review those roots after the activity.
Lesson 5
Quotes and Creatures
Students research the list of plants and animals and record whether each is a producer or a consumer and its diet, using terms such as producer, consumer, herbivore, omnivore, and carnivore. Students create a food web diagram or poster using those domain-specific terms and connections. The parent/skills notes also instruct students to determine meanings of words and phrases, including technical meanings, and to analyze word choices in quotations.
Lesson 6
Dramatic Irony
Students review previously taught Latin and Greek roots and affixes and use those morphemes plus sentence context to hypothesize the meanings of unfamiliar words (Activity 1). Students then look up and record dictionary definitions to confirm their hypotheses, and the Skills section explicitly directs them to use roots as clues to word meaning. Student activity pages prompt students to write "Hypothesis" and "Definition" for multiple words, and parent notes instruct discussion of how root meanings appear in the English words.
Lesson 7
Rabbit Societies
Students read passages with italicized words and write brief definitions from context (Activity 1 Student Activity Pages). Students look up each target word in a dictionary and record at least two meanings, then star the definition that matches the passage (Activity directions and Parent Plan). The Parent Plan explicitly lists skills students will practice: using context as a clue, consulting reference materials, and verifying a preliminary determination of a word's meaning.
Lesson 8
Folktales and Fantasy
The lesson explicitly defines domain-specific terms: the "Things to Know" and "Things to Review" sections provide definitions of myth, legend, and folktale. Activity prompts ask students to read summaries, write a summary of "El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inle," and record the importance of those stories using those terms. The Animal Research activity requires students to consult sources and record domain-related information (habitat, diet, predators), which exposes them to and requires use of domain-specific vocabulary.
Lesson 9
Characters
Students are given explicit definitions of denotation and connotation and are asked to distinguish connotations of words with similar denotations (e.g., run/bolt, strange/marvelous) using a student activity page. Students read passages with italicized words and write their sense of each word's connotative meaning, and then discuss responses with a parent. Students also create character profiles and record personality descriptions and quotes, which requires choosing words to express traits and voice.
Lesson 10
Setting
The Parent Plan lists as a skill: "Understand the most important points in the history of the English language and use common word origins to determine the historical influences on English word meanings," which asks students to consider word origins. There is also general guidance to "add to your character cards as you read," which could involve noting words, but no explicit vocabulary tasks are provided elsewhere in the student activities.
Lesson 11
Conflict and Escape
Students are given explicit domain-specific literary terms in the "Things to Know" section that lists the four common types of conflict (man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. society, man vs. self). Activity 1 asks students to consider which type of conflict their characters could face and to create a plot diagram that outlines that conflict, requiring students to apply those terms. The sample plot diagram labels the conflict (Man vs Self), showing an expectation that students will use the domain-specific vocabulary when planning and discussing plot.
Lesson 12
Dramatic Enactment
Students play a Root Charade game in which they choose Latin roots (dolere, ducere, etc.), act them out, and have partners guess the root. Students can earn an additional point by naming an English word that uses the chosen root, prompting them to identify vocabulary derived from those roots. The Parent Plan and the lesson's Ideas to Think About explicitly prompt students to use knowledge of word parts to determine meanings of new or unfamiliar words.
Lesson 13
A Fantasy Story
Students are instructed to create flash cards with Latin roots, prefixes, or suffixes on one side and meanings on the other and to use them to study Latin roots and affixes. The study guide and student pages ask students to explain how English words connect to Latin roots and include matching and fill-in-the-blank vocabulary exercises and a unit test that requires applying vocabulary. The rubric and multiple writing prompts repeatedly direct students to select strong, specific words and to consider word choice that supports mood and clarity in their short story.
Unit 3: The Book Thief
Lesson 1
The Author and Narrator
The Parent Plan lists the skill "Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone," which directs students to work with word meanings and word choice. Activity 4 asks students to identify color imagery and then write three sentences using those colors to explain feelings, giving students practice using descriptive vocabulary to express tone. Activity 1 requires students to research World War II terms (e.g., "Who was Hitler?" "What was the Holocaust?"), exposing students to domain-specific vocabulary and asking them to record definitions.
Lesson 2
Similes and Metaphors
Students are directed to read each vocabulary word in context and use a dictionary to look up meanings, then write the definitions in their own words. Students create a mini picture dictionary/flashcards and a vocabulary diary, putting the word and a symbol on one side and the definition on the other. The Parent Plan and activity pages list six target words (misogynistic, nefarious, rationing, ferocity, infamy, melancholic) and explicitly instruct students to record definitions and ideas for symbols to aid memory.
Lesson 3
Burning Books
Students are directed to research specific domain-specific terms (e.g., Kommunist, Aryan, Mein Kampf, anti-Semitism, yellow stars) using linked resources and to complete a "Historical References" activity page to explain their meanings. The "Things to Know" section defines key terms such as "historical fiction" and "propaganda," which students can use to comprehend the text. In the Propaganda activity, students analyze three Nazi posters and must identify target groups, goals, and what makes each poster effective, requiring them to engage with and describe domain-specific vocabulary related to propaganda.
Lesson 4
The Value of Books
Students are asked to identify and record examples of effective images and vivid adjectives from the text (e.g., "murky," "foul," "rotting," "flaking") and to analyze what makes those word choices effective. Students are instructed to write descriptive paragraphs that appeal to the five senses, selecting adjectives and figurative language to convey tone and sensory detail. Students are encouraged to "look over the descriptions" and use a thesaurus to find stronger, more descriptive synonyms for adjectives they recorded.
Lesson 5
The Accordion Player
Students practice word choice and connotation in the "Be Specific" activity by replacing vague phrases with stronger, more specific words and are encouraged to use a dictionary or thesaurus. Students analyze denotation vs. connotation with examples (stroll, trudge, stomp) and examine author word choices from the text (e.g., "He unleashed his quietest words so far"). The Parent Plan Skills list instructs students to determine the meaning of words and phrases in context and analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
Lesson 6
The Standover Man
Students are asked to record examples of propaganda from the reading (Part Four) and are given an explicit prompt to note obvious examples such as the presence of Mein Kampf. Discussion questions ask students to analyze how the meaning of the phrase "standover man" changes from the beginning to the end of Max's book, which requires students to consider word/phrase meaning in context. Students are also instructed to write and illustrate a short story, which requires them to choose words to express ideas in writing.
Lesson 7
The Seven-Sided Die
Students are given a explicit list of domain-specific vocabulary (Slippery Slope, Bandwagon Appeal, Genetic Fallacy, Hasty Generalization, Post Hoc, Appeal to Improper Authority) with definitions in the "Things to Know" and Activity 1 sections. Students practice identifying those terms on the "Understanding Logical Fallacies" page by labeling fallacies in sample ads and scenarios. Students also produce language using those terms in Part II (writing ad lines that employ specific fallacies) and identify fallacies when analyzing Nazi propaganda in Activity 2.
Lesson 8
The Thief Strikes Again
The Parent Plan explicitly asks students to "determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text" and to "analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone," which requires students to consider vocabulary in context. In Activity 2, students are prompted to craft original descriptive phrases (using similes or metaphors) for objects, emotions, and actions, requiring them to select and use precise, evocative words. The wrap-up and Things to Review sections ask students to review the definition of "propaganda" and its forms, prompting attention to a domain-specific term.
Lesson 9
Close Calls
Activity 1 asks students to locate and record examples of personification, simile, metaphor, and onomatopoeia in the text, requiring them to identify word and phrase meanings in context. Activity 2 (Painting Sentences) has students pick a word to "paint," expand predicates and subjects, and refine wording, which requires choosing and using more descriptive vocabulary. The Parent Plan explicitly states students will "determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text" and "analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone."
Lesson 11
The Word Shaker
Students are given explicit definitions for domain-specific terms ("primary source," "ghetto," "allegory") in the Things to Know and Parent Plan sections. Students are directed to identify and record examples of adverbs, adjectives, and strong verbs and to explain why those words are effective on the "Descriptive Examples" page. Students interpret figurative language and vocabulary in Max's story (e.g., analyzing what Hitler is "planting") and record examples of propaganda from the reading.
Lesson 12
The Teddy Bear
Students are asked to consider how writers use figurative language and word choice to create tone and engage the reader, prompting attention to vocabulary choices. The reading directions explicitly tell students to "jot down especially effective instances of figurative language (personification, simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, allegory, and symbolism)," which names domain-specific vocabulary and asks students to identify examples. The activities require students to explain significance of stops on a journey and to present ideas using words and images, encouraging use of descriptive language in context.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students are asked to identify and document examples of figurative language from the text and to define six figurative devices (personification, simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, allegory, symbolism). Students must create original examples, illustrate figurative language, and design a mini-lesson ('Teaching Figuratively') that defines devices and provides examples. The lesson directs students to use a unit review sheet to review concepts and vocabulary and asks them to employ strong verbs, effective adjectives, and sensory details in descriptive writing.
Unit 4: To Kill a Mockingbird
Lesson 1
Historical Context
Students are instructed to create a mind map titled "Alabama in the 1930s," adding branches with words and connections as information is presented, which requires them to note and organize domain-specific terms. The Parent Plan explicitly lists vocabulary students should have included on their mind maps (WPA, Dust Bowl, The Grapes of Wrath, President Roosevelt, Jim Crow, segregation examples, lynchings, Civil Rights, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks). Students also answer a journal question and discuss observations, which prompts use of those historical words in written and oral response.
Lesson 2
Home and School
Students are given a targeted vocabulary list (assuaged, predilection, sojourn, disapprobation, asinine, peril, antagonize, formidable, elusive, curtness) and are directed to "review vocabulary words and definitions." Students complete a Student Activity Page that requires them to determine word meanings from passages (context) in the book and then record a "my definition" and a "dictionary definition." The activity explicitly asks students to use context clues and then verify meanings with a dictionary.
Lesson 3
The Mystery of Boo
The lesson explicitly defines the word "hearsay" in the "Things to Know" section and asks students to "Review the meaning of hearsay," giving students direct exposure to a domain-specific term. The Student Activity Page directs students to list five things under "Hearsay and Gossip" and five under "Personal Experience and Reliable Sources," requiring students to apply the term in classification and discussion. Activity directions also define or explain a few other vocabulary items (for example, "re-purpose" and "disposable income"), and parent notes provide example uses of these words from the text.
Lesson 4
Snow and Fire
Students are given explicit definitions of the domain-specific terms "run-on sentence" and "sentence fragment" in the "Things to Know" section and then complete Activity 2, where they identify and correct run-ons and fragments. Students are prompted to discuss and analyze the derogatory "n" word (why Atticus discourages its use), considering its meaning and historical associations. Students must include a quotation in their literature response and explain its meaning and importance, requiring them to gather meaning from context.
Lesson 5
Surprising Talent
Students are taught and asked to use domain-specific grammatical terms: the lesson defines direct object, predicate noun, and predicate adjective and shows diagram examples. Part II instructs students to underline simple subjects, double-underline simple predicates, bracket prepositional phrases, and label nouns/pronouns by function (d.o., i.o., p.n., p.a., o.p.). The Student Activity answer key shows students labeling sentences with these grammatical abbreviations and diagramming sentences using those terms.
Lesson 6
Separate
Students are given explicit definitions of quotation, paraphrase, and summary in the "Things to Know" section and are asked to identify examples of each in Activity 1 Part I. In Activity 1 Part II students must produce a direct quotation and a paraphrase from chapter 12, practicing accurate use of those domain-specific terms. In Activity 2 students engage with the domain-specific term "segregation" by selecting an image, writing a caption, and composing two or three sentences that connect the image to the book.
Lesson 7
A Moral Dilemma
The lesson provides a list of grade-appropriate vocabulary words with definitions (e.g., elucidate, amiably, mollified, volition, indicted) and example sentences drawn from the text. Students are asked to complete a Student Activity Page that requires them to write their own sentences using each word. The Parent Plan explicitly states the skill: "Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text," and asks parents to review the child's sentences to ensure correct usage.
Lesson 8
Identity
Students are asked to cut words and phrases from magazines or write their own words and phrases to represent aspects of their identity in the collage activity, and to explain why they chose those words and phrases. The identity grab-bag option requires students to select objects and verbally discuss how those items and associated words represent their values and roles. The lesson also labels parts of speech (adjective, adverb, direct/indirect object) in diagramming examples, which has students identify how specific words function in sentences.
Lesson 9
Order in the Court
Students read a student activity page titled "Order in the Court" that defines legal roles and trial terms (defendant, prosecution, jury, judge, evidence, cross-examine, verdict, sentencing, appeal). Students complete a fill-in-the-blank page "The Trial" using the bolded terms from that handout and use an answer key listing target vocabulary (witness, prosecution, cross-examine, jury, objected, rested, defense, judge, closing argument, deliberate, verdict). Students also order and sequence trial steps in a cut-and-paste flowchart activity that requires applying domain-specific terms in the correct procedural order.
Lesson 10
Equal Rights?
Students read multiple historical examples of Jim Crow laws, exposing them to domain-specific vocabulary related to segregation and legal language. Students are asked to create a found poem using words and phrases from those Jim Crow law texts, which requires selecting and reusing domain-specific terms for expressive writing. The diagramming activity also directs students to consult an online dictionary if unsure of a word's part of speech, which prompts them to gather vocabulary information from a reference source.
Lesson 11
The Mockingbird
The lesson defines key domain-specific terms (e.g., "A symbol is a concrete object used to represent an abstract idea" and definitions for compound and complex sentences) and asks students to identify and discuss the mockingbird as a symbol, prompting them to use that literary vocabulary in analysis. In the diagramming activities, students are instructed to identify and label independent and dependent clauses, subjects, predicates, direct objects, conjunctions, and linking verbs and to mark them (underline, box, circle), which requires using and applying grammatical terms. The student activity pages and answer key show examples and diagrams that require students to name and apply these academic and domain-specific words when analyzing sentences.
Final Project
Oral Book Presentation
Students are given a focused vocabulary list in the study guide with word-definition pairs (e.g., assuaged, predilection, sojourn, plus a 20-word list with definitions). The unit test contains a 20-item vocabulary matching section that requires students to identify definitions for those words. The study guide and test require students to review and recall domain-specific words related to the novel and to use vocabulary knowledge in assessment contexts.
Unit 5: Great American Poets
Lesson 1
Poetry Basics
Students are asked to revise prose into poetic lines and deliberately choose words and devices (simile, alliteration, onomatopoeia) in Activity 1, practicing expressive use of vocabulary. Activity 2 directs students to circle unfamiliar words, look them up, record definitions in a "Definitions" section, and annotate poems for figurative language and sound devices. Activity 3 and the "Things to Know" section present and require use of domain-specific terms (line break, stanza, couplet, refrain, rhyme scheme, assonance, rhythm/meter) through labeling and analysis tasks.
Lesson 2
Early American Poetry
Students are instructed to look up synonyms (e.g., for "acquainted") and to test those synonyms in the context of Robert Frost's poem, explicitly evaluating which words "work as well" and why. The Word Choice Activity asks students to list at least five synonyms for "noiseless," choose the best-fitting and less-fitting options, and to rewrite poem titles with chosen words, requiring them to use words in context. Guidance highlights considering meaning, tone, mood, sound (alliteration, assonance, rhyme), and rhythm when selecting words, and a rhyming-dictionary link is provided for vocabulary gathering.
Lesson 3
Figurative Language
The lesson explicitly defines domain-specific vocabulary (metaphor, hyperbole, irony, idiom, personification, concrete poem, imagery, alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, simile) and models examples from poems. Students are asked to look up poems and answer questions identifying those figurative devices and to write their own lines using simile/metaphor, alliteration/assonance/onomatopoeia, personification, and sensory imagery. The student directions tell students to "use a dictionary to look up any words you don't understand" and to look online for additional poet facts (e.g., to look up what "frigate" means). Students are required to research poets (dates, facts, favorite poems) which involves gathering vocabulary/information from texts and online sources.
Lesson 4
Poetic Forms
Students reread explicit definitions of domain-specific poetic terms (lyric poetry, sonnet, ballad, blank verse, iambic pentameter, haiku, limerick) in the "Things to Know" and activity text. Student Activity Pages ask students to mark patterns of stressed/unstressed syllables, identify rhyme schemes, and determine whether poems are sonnets or blank verse, requiring use of those terms. The lesson directs students to use a rhyming dictionary and suggests using a thesaurus when editing poems, giving tools for finding and choosing words.
Lesson 5
Edgar Allan Poe
The lesson defines and has students apply several domain-specific terms related to grammar and poetry: it explains nonessential information, coordinate adjectives, and direct address and asks students to add commas and explain their reasoning on the "Using Commas, Part II" activity page. Students are asked to mark end rhyme and describe internal rhyme patterns in "The Raven," which requires them to recognize and use the poetic terms "rhyme scheme" and "internal rhyme." The "Poetry and Edgar Allan Poe" activity asks students to record lines that demonstrate Poe's focus and to write a brief definition of poetry, prompting them to define a domain-specific concept in their own words.
Lesson 6
Meaning in Poetry
Students are directed to determine the denotation, connotation, and symbolic meanings of words (Things to Know) and to analyze figurative language and allusions (Activity 1 and Skills list). The Student Activity Page explicitly tells students to "look up unfamiliar words." The Skills list also includes determining the meaning of words and phrases as used in a text and analyzing the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
Lesson 7
Poetry Analysis
Students cut out and match poetry terms with definitions and examples in the Poetry Vocabulary Game, and Option 2 requires students to write their own examples or definitions for terms. The Poem Analysis page asks students to identify figurative language, sound devices, and examples from a chosen poem, prompting them to label and use domain-specific vocabulary. The Parent Plan and activity instructions explicitly tell students to look up unfamiliar words and to save and study the vocabulary cards for later use.
Lesson 8
Robert Frost
Students are asked to jot down words and phrases about a nature scene and then write a poem using descriptive words and at least one simile or metaphor, which requires gathering vocabulary for expression. The lesson defines and uses domain-specific terms (e.g., hyphens, dashes, Cubism, assonance, alliteration, simile, metaphor, psyche) and asks students to analyze hyphens and dashes in poems on a dedicated activity page. Questions require students to identify poem types and rhyme schemes and to explain literal versus symbolic meanings, prompting use of academic vocabulary for analysis.
Lesson 9
Memorizing Poetry
Students are explicitly told to "look up any word you're not familiar with or aren't sure how to pronounce," and to look up the reference "Euclid" when rereading a poem, which requires them to gather vocabulary knowledge. The lesson defines domain-specific terms (elegy; villanelle) and lists technical features of a villanelle (tercets, quatrain, refrains, rhyme patterns), giving students direct exposure to poetic vocabulary. The Student Activity Page asks students to identify and explain whether a poem is an elegy and to compare how two poems adhere to villanelle rules, prompting application of those domain-specific terms.
Lesson 10
Poems about Poetry
Students are explicitly asked in Activity 1 to "look up key words you don't understand," and to underline phrases or images that strike them, which requires gathering vocabulary knowledge. The Skills list and Parent Plan note that students will "analyze idioms, analogies, metaphors, and similes to infer the literal and figurative meanings of phrases," showing practice with domain-specific figurative language. Activity 3 teaches the ellipsis (a domain-specific punctuation term), explains its uses, and asks students to analyze and apply ellipses in specific poem excerpts.
Lesson 11
Editing Your Work
Students are explicitly prompted to look up the word "deferred" if they do not know it and then reread the poem to interpret meaning. Students are asked to consider why word choice is key to creating effective poems and to analyze specific poets' word and capitalization choices in guided questions. Students revise their own poems and are directed to improve imagery, figurative language, or clearer wording, which requires selecting and applying vocabulary choices.
Lesson 12
Reciting Poetry
Students are prompted to consider "Why is word choice key to creating effective poems?" and to brainstorm descriptive language on a Five Senses Web to generate lines for their poems. Students read multiple poems and research poets, then use their web and drawing "as inspiration for lines of your poem," which requires selecting descriptive words for expression. Students also prepare recitations, which involves choosing wording and phrasing to convey meaning and tone.
Final Project
Poetry Journal
Students are asked to use the Review Sheet to remember poetry terms and concepts and to study poetry cards and poet biographies, which requires recalling domain-specific vocabulary. The skill list explicitly instructs students to determine the meaning of words and phrases in text, including figurative and connotative meanings, and to analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone. The unit test and review activities ask students to define denotation vs. connotation and to identify figurative language and poetic forms, requiring recognition and use of academic and domain-specific terms.