Students are instructed to research baboons and write an 8–10 sentence museum plaque or create a guidebook with 1–2 sentence descriptions for selected animals, which requires gathering informational (nonfiction) evidence about animal behavior and social dynamics. The Skills section explicitly asks students to "synthesize and make logical connections between ideas within a text and across two or three texts... and support those findings with textual evidence," which directs students to use textual evidence to support their conclusions. Parent prompts ask caregivers to check that students included information about social dynamics, indicating students must select and record relevant factual claims about baboons.

Students read two informational biographies about J.R.R. Tolkien from linked sources and are asked to generate five interview questions with reasons for each, and to record three future facts they would share with Tolkien along with explanations. Students can create a collage selecting images that represent specific factual categories (early life, interests, accomplishments, family, change, interesting fact) and then explain each choice. The Parent/Teacher prompts instruct students to explain their reasoning for questions, pieces of future information, and collage images, and the skills list includes summarizing, determining importance, and drawing inferences from informational materials.

Students are asked in Activity 2 to collect examples from media, newspapers, magazines, and history books about greed and power (Option 1 and Option 2) and to record two- or three-sentence descriptions of those examples. The Parent Plan and Skills section instruct students to identify, analyze, and critique persuasive techniques and to explain how examples appeal to consumer greed, which requires examining claims in advertisements and media. Students also classify and rank examples (e.g., how much an ad preys on greed; ranking events by devastation), which involves comparing claims across nonfiction sources.

Students read early literary reviews of The Hobbit (literary nonfiction) and are asked to summarize the critic's response in two to three sentences. Students identify whether the response is positive or negative and explain the major points the critic makes. Students are asked to describe any literary elements the reviewer alludes to and to read aloud and discuss the reviews with a parent, noting themes and character/plot focus.

Students research Linda Sue Park by reading biographies and watching interview videos, taking notes and answering specific comprehension and analysis questions on the "Linda Sue Park" page. Students write a short paragraph explaining how the author's experiences and relationships influenced her writing, and they answer inferential questions (e.g., why she chose to write fictional books about Korean culture, what she is trying to teach readers). These activities require students to draw information from literary nonfiction sources to support their responses and claims about the author.

Students are instructed to read a literary nonfiction article (the CNN piece on the Dakota Access Pipeline) and use a "Point of View" handout to list how each stakeholder would view the pipeline and their reasons for support or opposition. The unit tasks students with finding sources, recording information to answer research questions, and writing an argumentative essay, and the rubrics require a research process and use of multiple resource types. The rubric and activity checklist prompt students to summarize author's purpose and stance and examine importance and impact of establishing a position.

Students read two contrasting news articles ("Sir Sam Steps Down!" and "Hughes Fired from Cabinet") and complete a Detecting Bias handout asking how Sam Hughes is portrayed and to identify bias techniques and textual examples. Students read the U.S. leaflets article and answer journal questions about which propaganda techniques were used, the government's purpose, and whether the leaflets likely changed Afghans' views. Students watch advertisements and use a Propaganda in Advertisements handout to identify the intended audience, the idea or product promoted, and to judge whether each ad is effective, explaining their reasoning.

Students are asked to find at least three opinions from different stakeholders and record at least three supporting details for each (Activity 5 and the Stakeholders Chart), which requires locating claims and gathering evidence tied to those claims. Students practice evaluating sources using a rubric that asks about purpose, authority, currency, and objectivity, and they rate websites on these criteria (Activity 4). Students also collect and organize evidence using a gathering grid or note cards and document sources on a Works Cited page, which supports assembling evidence from multiple texts.

Students are directed to support their position with credible evidence (facts, statistics, research, expert opinions, examples, quotes, text details) and to synthesize research from multiple authoritative sources into their essay. The activities require students to outline arguments, include a counterarguments paragraph where they acknowledge and rebut opposing views, and to revise using transitions that link research to claims. The Parent Plan skills also tell students to support main ideas with facts and to synthesize research into a written presentation.

Students are asked to read the biography of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (a piece of literary nonfiction) and answer comprehension questions such as why the biographer repeats the word "prestigious." The Skills and Activities require students to distinguish fact from opinion and to identify, analyze, and critique persuasive techniques (promises, dares, flattery, glittering generalities) in media. In Activity 2 students collect advertisements, label techniques, produce examples, and write their own persuasive copy, practicing analysis of claims in informational texts.

Students are asked to list two ways the narrator says he knows the little prince made it home and to explain why they agree or disagree with that claim, which requires identifying the narrator's claims and supporting details. The "Persuading the Fox" activity asks students to create a poem or drawing with a written explanation that persuades the fox the prince made it home, prompting students to use evidence from the text to support a claim. Guided questions (e.g., "What else could the narrator say to persuade the fox?") prompt students to consider additional evidence or reasoning to bolster the narrator's argument.

Students read Chapter 21 of The Story of Science and a NASA webpage about aerodynamics and are asked to highlight or take notes (including page numbers) on information they find important or unfamiliar. Students complete comprehension questions and a "Demonstrating Lift" activity page that requires listing materials, a numbered procedure, and writing "Conclusions/Inferences" about how the demonstration explains airplane flight. The Parent Plan and skills list indicate that students will deliver an oral summary with inferences and conclusions and monitor comprehension of what is read.

Students review highlights and notes from the book and summarize key points from each chapter, comparing their summaries to the "Things to Know" and "Readings and Questions" sections to identify main ideas and key facts. Students gather observations, examples, quotations, and personal experiences to support three areas of expertise and transfer those into a structured outline (I, II, III) to use as support for their essay. The rubric and parent plan ask students to "accurately synthesize ideas from several sources" and to explain how 2-3 relevant areas of Newton's studies relate to current industries.