Activity 1 directs students to watch a local forecast, note what information the meteorologist included for specific events or audiences, brainstorm five purposes/specific audiences for forecasts, and then choose one audience and rewrite the forecast to be most useful for that audience. The reading introduces explanatory material (difference between weather and climate) and the Weather Words activity has students copy definitions, reinforcing comprehension of explanatory content.

Students read specified pages of Prisoners of Geography and answer targeted questions that ask them to interpret the author's claims (for example, "The author says that Europe is ‘blessed by geography.' What does he mean?" and "Why does the author say that Europe has a violent history?"). Students also answer causal questions about author explanations of geographic effects (for example, why Moscow was hard to defend and which resources bring wealth to Russia). These tasks require students to extract and restate the author's explanations and reasons from the text.

Students are asked in Activity 3 to list details in the novel related to science (energy/electricity and plants) and to consider how new knowledge could change characters' lives. Option 2 of Activity 3 asks students to write directions for an experiment including a materials list and step-by-step directions, which has students describe a procedure. The reading notes also mention that Doon discovers a science book that explains how to use a light bulb, which is an instance of an explanation in the text that students identify.

The lesson defines and contrasts a demonstration and an experiment and tells students to "notice which steps of the scientific method are used" and to "notice how the experiment procedure is designed to test the hypothesis," which asks students to consider the purpose of procedures and demonstrations. Activity 2 has students carry out a hands-on demonstration, follow a written procedure, record results, and "relate the cooling method to the type of igneous rock," prompting students to connect procedure and outcome. The parent/closing sections prompt students to review definitions (lithosphere, asthenosphere, plate tectonics) and discuss why scientists divided Earth's layers, which requires reasoning about purpose behind explanations.

Students follow explicit procedural texts: they read and carry out the "Writing Kit" directions to make berry ink and follow the Molasses Ginger Cookies recipe, both of which are step-by-step procedures. Students also read explanatory/descriptive text about camp life and battle conditions (pages 76–85) and are asked to "pay attention to the descriptions" to imagine a soldier's experience. The Pack Your Haversack and diary-writing tasks require students to use author-provided explanations and descriptions to make choices and create an imagined primary-source style diary.

The Parent Plan skills explicitly list "Summarize the author's purpose and stance," "Determine the importance of author's word choice and focus," and "Explore any bias, apparent or hidden messages, or emotional factors." Activity 4 directs students to read two primary-source journals and the Parent Plan instructs asking the child to "explain the two perspectives" and to "identify facts and opinions in both letters." The wrap-up Questions to Discuss ask students to compare points of view of diary and journal accounts and to consider how primary and secondary sources helped them understand events.

Students read a Civil War speech and are asked to record three factual statements and three opinion statements, and to identify at least two statements that could be propaganda. Students examine Civil War images and are asked to explain how each picture could have been used as propaganda to sway Northerners' attitudes. Parent discussion prompts ask why the author chose to tell the story from many different perspectives, which asks students to consider authorial intent.

Students read an explanatory passage about why soldiers used singing and storytelling to lift morale and are asked, "Why do you think soldiers need to keep up their morale? How could low morale affect an army?" Students are also prompted in the Parent Plan to discuss why the author made the entries shorter during the battle section, with suggested answers linking short entries to pacing and the writers being "out of sorts." These prompts require students to consider reasons and authorial choices tied to explanations and narrative effect.

Students conduct the "Bending Light" demonstration (follow a procedure with materials and steps) and answer observation questions, then read a written "What's happening?" explanation about light refraction. Students watch videos about Einstein, take notes, and are asked to distinguish factual statements from the narrator's opinions. Students are prompted to compare the book and video accounts (How are the two accounts similar? In what ways do they differ? Did one give you a better understanding than the other?).

Students read and annotate President Roosevelt's December 8, 1941 speech and are asked to underline powerful words and to answer questions such as why Roosevelt explained the diplomatic situation with Japan prior to the attack. Students analyze World War II posters using prompts that ask what the artist wants viewers to do, which emotions the poster invokes, and what makes the poster effective. Students also plan a persuasive poster by identifying audience, objectives, emotions/ideals, colors/images, and powerful words or slogans.

Students are directed to read the "A Feast for Yeast" experiment and "formulate a question that you think the experiment is designed to answer," then fill in the question, materials, and procedure sections on the activity page. Students conduct the experiment, record observations, and write conclusions, and they are pointed to the "Curious Minds Want to Know" explanation for what should have happened. The activity therefore has students identify the experiment's intended question and restate/perform the described procedure.

Students read an explanatory passage about groundwater and watch a linked video that describes groundwater and its movement. Students follow a step-by-step procedure in the "Investigating Groundwater" activity to simulate groundwater flow and make observations. Parent prompts and wrap-up questions ask students to explain what is happening beneath the surface and to relate the spring to the story's events.

Students read the "Cycles and Change" quotes in which a character explains why change and cycles are necessary, and they are asked to consider how nature is always changing and what might happen if a cycle were interrupted. Students are asked to collect natural items and explain the significance of each item, connecting those items to the explanation about cycles. The wrapping up question asks students to evaluate Tuck's explanation that living forever is unnatural and to defend their position.

Students are asked to "Read the pages 'Integrated Bus Suggestions'" and to "Consider how the statements promote peace yet encourage strength and pride in the black community," which directs them to think about the purpose of the flyer. They are instructed to "Underline the three suggestions you think were most important" and to "Explain to your parent why you selected them," requiring students to justify which parts of the procedure/explanation they view as most effective. The lesson also links the boycott in the story to real historical procedure (the Montgomery Bus Boycott) and asks students to explain what they learned about the boycott and discuss its effects.

The Parent Plan skills list explicitly includes "Analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts." The lesson contains an explanatory passage about the sharecropping system (Activity 1) that students read and are asked to represent (draw a diagram, write a quote, or explain the system to a sibling or parent). The reading questions and the wrap-up prompt ask students to explain the agricultural production system, which engages them with explanatory text.

A Parent Plan question explicitly asks students, "What do you think the author's purpose was in writing this historical fiction novel? (Answers will vary.)," prompting students to state author intent. The Wrapping Up section asks students to summarize the chapter and predict the next events, activities that support reasoning about why events were included. Parent discussion prompts ask students to explain how T.J. is being discriminated against and to consider fairness, which directs students to consider the author's reasons for including those scenes.

Students read the informational book What Was the Great Depression (pp. 1–81) and answer specific questions about causes, effects, and Roosevelt's policies, which requires interpreting explanatory content. Question #5 explicitly asks students to identify the author's purpose in writing the book and to compare that purpose to the historical fiction novel Esperanza Rising. Students also examine primary-source photos and firsthand accounts and answer a discussion question comparing how photos (primary sources) and the book (a secondary source) help them understand the time period.

Students read four parables and are asked to explain the lesson each parable teaches (e.g., "Ask him to explain the lesson that each parable teaches"). The Parent Plan explicitly lists "Analyze the purpose of the author or creator by understanding the effects of the author's craft on the reader." Activities require students to compare the parable of the pearl to Steinbeck's novel and to retell stories and ask listeners to explain the lesson, prompting discussion of author intent and effect.

Students follow a detailed procedure for the collapsing-can experiment and are prompted to record observations and answer questions about what happened, how heating and condensation changed internal pressure, and why the can collapsed. The activity includes the prompt "Why does this experiment help us understand how air pressure works in Earth's atmosphere?" and a ‘Before you begin' explanation that explicitly states what the experiment is demonstrating. In the Air Masses Move activity, students explain cause-and-effect from data and are asked to ‘Explain What's Happening' and ‘Explain Your Model,' linking explanations and procedures to their purpose in showing pressure-driven weather changes.

Students are asked to copy a passage from the Tao Te Ching, illustrate each section, and write a short explanation of what the Tao Te Ching is and why it is significant (Activity 5). Students also must write on the back cover what they think the passage is trying to tell people about wealth and may compare its ideas to other philosophers or religious texts in the optional extension. Discussion prompts ask students to compare the Tao Te Ching's description of wealth to their own ideas, encouraging interpretation of authorial message.

Students are asked to describe the pottery-making process on the end-of-unit test (Part A question 2), which requires them to identify and recount a procedure presented in the text. Students are prompted to think about what they learned and "what the author wanted to teach the reader" in the Wrapping Up discussion questions. The organizer and rubric require students to provide support from the text for their claims, so students practice citing textual evidence when explaining events or processes.

Students read pages 202-203 of Geography of the World that explain how coral islands are formed and are asked to "Explain how coral islands are formed." Students are given a step-by-step procedural task in "Make Your Own Atoll," including a salt dough recipe and numbered instructions to create a model. Students are directed to refer to page 202 for details on coral atoll formation while completing the hands-on procedure.

Students follow a step-by-step procedure to build a solar still and are explicitly told to ‘‘remember that the water cycle is being modeled in the solar still.'' The student questions ask ‘‘How is the solar still a model of the water cycle?'' and ‘‘What is the importance of the sun and what processes are occurring in the solar still?,'' which require students to state the purpose of the procedure. The Parent Plan also prompts review questions and answers that frame the still as a model of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

The Parent Plan explicitly lists as a skill that students will "summarize the author's purpose and stance" when exploring and analyzing argumentative works. Students are instructed to read the CNN article about the Dakota Access Pipeline and use the Point of View handout to list how each stakeholder would view the pipeline and note reasons for supporting or opposing it. The unit states students will "learn different techniques that writers use to communicate their point of view," which supports work on identifying author purpose and stance.

Students are asked to evaluate websites by answering purpose-focused questions (e.g., What is the purpose of this website? Why was it created? Who is it targeted towards?) and to classify a website's purpose into categories such as Education, Information, Opinion, Advertising, etc. In Activity 4 students practice applying a four-point rubric (Purpose, Authority, Currency, Objectivity) to two sample websites and then evaluate two websites they select, recording scores and notes for purpose. The lesson directs students to consider how a site's sponsorship or domain (.edu, .org, .gov, .com) and stated goals affect the site's purpose and potential bias.

Students compare and contrast two versions of Rome's founding (Romulus and Remus vs. People from Troy vs. archaeological account) by filling in a chart that asks who founded Rome, how it got its name, and how likely each theory is. The activity asks students to evaluate the plausibility of different explanations and to think of other examples of exaggerated or embellished historical stories. A discussion question explicitly asks students to consider why people of Rome used the Romulus and Remus story to explain the city's origins.

Students read explanatory articles about the fall of Rome and answer questions about causes (e.g., whether barbarian attacks caused Rome's downfall) that require interpreting the authors' explanations. In Option 2, students read three New Testament passages and are asked to analyze "what message the Christian leader who wrote the passage was trying to send" and whether persecution was expected, which asks them to identify author intent. In Activity 3 and the diary-entry option, students take different perspectives (poor Roman vs. Roman official) and consider how authors' or groups' messages might be perceived, which engages students in thinking about purpose and viewpoint.

Students answer direct questions asking how the Greeks explained natural phenomena (e.g., Question #2 on volcanoes, Question #3 on storms at sea, Question #4 on winter and spring), which requires them to identify the explanatory content the text provides. The 'Ideas to Think About' prompt and the Wrapping Up discussion question ('Why do you think myths were told in the past?') ask students to consider the purpose of myths as explanations. Several activities require students to locate and summarize descriptive explanations about gods (character card descriptions and family-tree activity).

Students are prompted to consider what people in the past were trying to convey when they passed down myths ("Consider what people in the past were trying to convey to society when they passed down the myths you have read about"). The Parent Plan explicitly lists as a skill that students will "analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts and provide evidence from the text." Students are asked discussion questions that require thinking about how myths teach us about ancient Greek people and what questions those stories might have been trying to answer.

Students are prompted to 'remember that the Greeks used mythology to explain natural phenomena' and to brainstorm five uses for fire on the "Fire Web" and write a descriptive paragraph about life without fire, which asks them to consider explanation as a function of myth. The 'Ideas to Think About' and 'Things to Know' sections ask students to consider how stories and beliefs explain consequences and cultural values, linking myths to explanatory purpose.

The Parent Plan lists the skill "Analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts," which explicitly names analysis of author purpose. Students are directed to examine the map in Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! and record observations about jobs, clothing, homes, inventions, and defenses, engaging with explanatory historical text and illustrations. An optional Illuminated Letter activity provides a linked set of directions (a procedure) that students can read and then follow to create an illuminated initial.

Question #1 asks students to explain why the authors sometimes say they are unsure about details like Columbus's birthplace and to explain why historical knowledge changes; students are directed to read pages 4–13 and to explain that historians re-examine evidence and revise interpretations. Activity 2 asks students to explore the motivations (religion, competition, wealth, glory, knowledge) that the authors present for European exploration, including options that require writing explanations, giving a speech, or drawing connections among reasons. The wrap-up and discussion questions prompt students to state which motivations the reading identified and to reflect on those reasons.

In Activity 3, Option 2 students read translated primary-source letters and documents (Kepler, Galileo, Church statements) and answer focused questions such as "Why does Kepler think that Galileo should be open about his findings?" and "In his letter to Castelli, how does Galileo describe his view of the relationship between faith and science?" These questions require students to identify authors' reasons and the aims of their explanations and arguments in the texts. The activity also asks students to compare differing views (e.g., Church vs. Galileo), which involves inferring authors' purposes behind their statements.

Students are asked to read the Foreword by Dr. Owen Gingerich (pages 9-11 and 56) and to "discover how beliefs about our solar system have changed throughout human history." Question 2 asks students to explain what Dr. Gingerich means when he says Copernicus "invented the solar system," prompting students to interpret an author's explanatory claim. The reading and that question require students to explain the author's claim about Copernicus rather than simply recalling facts.

Students answer direct why-questions (e.g., why the little prince wants the sheep to eat baobabs and why he wants a drawing of a baobab-covered planet), which asks them to identify characters' reasons and the purpose of those actions. Students analyze authorial choices in the parentheses activity by explaining why the author interrupts or asides, connecting punctuation to authorial intent. Students create and discuss a Venn diagram comparing what adults and children want to know, and are prompted to "look beyond the text to the main messages and ideas the author is trying to convey," encouraging analysis of author purpose in narrative passages.

Students are asked to read specific pages of the resource book and "familiarize yourself with the innovations presented and how they solved a particular problem or challenge," which requires examining the explanations and procedures that produced solutions. In Option 2 students create a diagram and a "brief but thorough set of directions for the procedure," and they are asked to note any changes they make to the procedure from the book. In Option 3 students are instructed to build one of two anemometer designs from the book and use it to collect evidence about wind speed, engaging with the book's procedural descriptions.

Students watch the video "The Earthquake Machine" and are explicitly prompted to answer why the instructor uses a model and how the model helps explain the science. Students read and follow a written procedure (Step 1–5) to build and test a model and are asked to describe results and modifications, which involves engaging with procedural and experiment-related text.

Students practice identifying and naming non-fiction features by highlighting main ideas and the names of features, then writing definitions for page layout, table of contents, index, headings, graphics, sidebars, bold words, and highlights. Students are asked to explain the function of graphical components (captions, charts, diagrams) and to describe how sidebars and bold text communicate extra information. Students also read explanatory text about Newton and answer comprehension questions about what Newton called himself and Francis Bacon's view on scientific method.

Students summarize and restate the procedure for drawing ellipses by writing ordered steps and by giving oral directions to a parent, and they answer the reflective question, "How would the diagram help?" Students complete a "Graphics and Summaries" activity in which they identify the title, topic sentence, what the graphic shows, whether the graphic is part of the main idea or a detail, and what details support the main idea. Students are also asked to identify characteristics of informational works (chapter headings, bolded words, index, table of contents) and to prepare a 2-minute oral summary that includes the main idea and what the graph shows.

Students are directed to read chapter 18 and the sidebar "Turning on the Light," which contains explanations about the speed of light and historical experiments. Students answer a question (Q4) that requires describing Sir Thomas Young's experiment to show that light behaves as waves. The parent/teacher prompts include a discussion question asking "What does the author mean when she says, 'We are seeing ancient history when we look at the sky'?" which asks students to interpret an author's statement.

Students re-read the explanatory text "Why Do Planes Stay in the Sky?" and a NASA explanatory webpage, then choose and follow a demonstration procedure (cookie sheet or floating ball). Students take notes from diagrams, captions, and text and create their own numbered list of instructions on the Student Activity Page. The Activity Page asks for "Conclusions/Inferences" and the wrap-up asks students to "summarize for your parent how an airplane wing works," and the skills list includes delivering an oral summary with inferences and conclusions.

Students are directed to read specific pages that include explanations and procedures (for example, the Oil Spill Experiment on p. 42 and Simple Natural Gas on p. 47). In Option 1 students complete a demonstration from the book and are asked to "share your experiment with a parent and explain how it illustrates or helps you better understand the fuel source you chose," which requires them to reflect on the role of the experiment in conveying concepts.

Students are asked to reread and analyze the Mayflower Compact: the word-cloud activity (Questions 2-4) prompts students to identify which words stand out and to interpret which ideas were most important to the men who signed it. The "Our Compact" activity asks students to answer what the purpose of the Mayflower voyage was (Question 1) and what the signers agreed to do (Question 2), then to write their own compact stating purpose and actions. The word-cloud reflection (Question 4) asks students to evaluate whether a visual representation helped them analyze the document.

Students are asked to use endnote reference numbers and the Reference Notes to determine the source for quotations (Question #1) and to report what information the author provides in correspondence notes (Question #2). The Things to Know and discussion prompts explicitly explain and ask students to consider why authors provide citations and how primary sources influence historical writing. Activities include tasks where students identify sentence functions and analyze paragraph components, which requires them to consider why the author included particular explanatory sentences and background information.

Students are asked in Option 2, Part II to choose two passive-voice clauses from the reading and explain why they believe the author used the passive voice, including whether active voice would have been more effective. In Activity 1 students identify passive constructions and rewrite them in active voice, practicing analysis of sentence-level author choices. In Activity 2 Option 1 students examine Paul Revere's engraving and write an argument about what the artist might have thought, supporting that claim with specific examples, which asks students to infer the creator's purpose.

In Activity 1 (Option 1) students read the full text of Abigail's letter and complete questions that ask, "What point or idea was the author attempting to convey using selections from this letter?" and how much of the letter the author quoted. The student activity and parent guidance prompt students to compare their own reading of the primary source with how the biographer used it and to think about other ways the letter might have been used. Option 2 and the Analysis guide ask students to consider the creator, date, purpose, and audience of a source, prompting explicit attention to authorial purpose.

Students are asked to select a paragraph from a news article about girls' education and use the Paragraph Analysis page to determine the role of each sentence and the connections between sentences. The Paragraph Analysis page provides suggested statements such as "States the main point" and "Explains...", which prompt students to identify explanatory sentences and how they function within a paragraph. The reading questions and activities require students to read explanatory historical text (Chapters 13–14 of Abigail Adams) and answer comprehension questions about events and causes.

Students answer paragraph-analysis questions that ask them to identify Abigail Adams's stance and evaluate the role of a quoted sentence, requiring them to consider why an author includes particular evidence. Students are instructed to state dates and explain unfamiliar events in their play scenes, which requires them to explain historical material and select what background to provide to an audience. Students must quote at least one primary source and cite relevant primary sources on planning pages, which requires them to choose and use source material for explanatory purposes.

Students are asked explicitly to identify purpose in Activity 2: the note-taking template asks, for each section of the Articles of Confederation, '1. What purpose does this part of the document serve?'. In Activity 1 students sort phrases from the Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, and English Bill of Rights into columns labeled Limits, Rights, and Responsibilities and must write whose limits/rights/responsibilities are being defined. Option 2 requires students to highlight passages as limits/rights/responsibilities and to be prepared to explain why they made each highlighting choice.

Students read and answer questions about primary and secondary texts (the National Archives article and Federalist No. 10) and complete Activity 3, which presents Federalist No. 10's definition of faction and its argument that a large republic reduces factional harm. Students research Federalist and Anti-Federalist writings (Activities 2 and 4) and summarize opposing arguments, and they apply Federalist No. 10's explanation by brainstorming modern factions and the policies they would support.

Students are asked in Activity 1 to determine the purpose of each section of the Constitution and to cut out and paste boxes with labels such as "the introduction to the Constitution," "explains the legislative branch," and "explains the process of amending the Constitution." The Things to Know section explicitly tells students that "The Preamble states the purpose of the Constitution," directing students to identify an authorial purpose. Students must take notes (at least two key points per section) and either record important voter-related takeaways or questions, which requires interpreting why each part was written and what function it serves.

Students read George Washington's First Inaugural and Farewell Addresses and answer interpretive questions such as "What do you think Washington meant when he wrote…?" and "Why did Washington say that he had decided not to retire in 1792?", which requires inferring Washington's intent. Students are also asked to identify Washington's messages (what they find most important) and to summarize constitutional duties (e.g., "What is the State of the Union address?"), prompting them to articulate the purpose of specific presidential communications and duties. These tasks require students to explain why an author (or constitutional text) made particular statements.

Students sort 15 written statements into categories of claim, evidence, or justification in Activity 1, which requires them to read explanatory statements (e.g., diffusion of CO2), procedural steps (e.g., placing bottles, checking after three days), and experimental results (e.g., tasting sodas). Students read and follow step-by-step procedures in Activity 2 for mixing Tums, vinegar, and baking soda, recording observations and writing justifications that link observed data to their initial claim. Students also answer wrap-up and parent-plan questions that ask them to identify observable evidence of chemical reactions and to explain why reactions occur (acid-base explanation).

Students read explicit statements that "George Orwell intended Animal Farm to be a satire" and answer discussion questions asking "What do you think Orwell is trying to say about the leaders of the Russian Revolution?" Students research historical figures and complete activity pages linking characters (e.g., Napoleon, Snowball) to real leaders and provide specific evidence for those connections. Reading comprehension questions require students to explain characters' actions (e.g., how Napoleon used force and propaganda), which supports interpreting author intent.

Students answer Question #2 asking how often claims are backed up with credible evidence and why misinformation is presented, which asks them to consider the author's motives for presenting explanations and reassurances. Students respond to discussion prompts asking how Napoleon maintains power (misinformation and intimidation) and what Orwell might be saying about abuse of power, which requires inferring authorial purpose. Students analyze examples in the text (propaganda, forged banknotes, the windmill's destruction) to explain characters' actions and the effects of those actions on the audience of animals.

Students read Thomas Jefferson's First Inaugural Address and either select provided sentence summaries for each paragraph or write their own paragraph-by-paragraph summaries (Activity 3, Options 1 and 2). Students answer written questions that ask why Jefferson emphasized healing political divisions and what he meant by statements like 'We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists.' Students compare Jefferson's speech with John Quincy Adams's Independence Day speech by identifying the occasion, words the authors use to describe the nation, and whether each speech is persuasive (Activity 4).

Students read Daniel Boone's first-person account and answer guided questions asking what kind of person Boone presents himself as, what dangers he faced, and which adjectives describe him. Students visit sources about the Northwest Ordinance (including an optional link to the full text) and answer factual questions about the ordinance's title, date, population requirements for territories and states, and what it allowed or forbade.

Students are asked to read four short essays representing American, British, Canadian, and Native Nations perspectives and to complete either a movie review that asks "How well did the film represent the chosen perspective?" and "Was the film biased towards any perspective?" or a chart comparing what each group was fighting for and how they responded. Students also read bold passages of the Monroe Doctrine and are directed to summarize those explanatory passages in their own words. The comparing-perspectives activity and the film review require students to consider viewpoint, representation, and possible bias in explanatory and interpretive texts.

Students read primary-source texts (Andrew Jackson's Second Annual Message and General Winfield Scott's ultimatum) and are instructed to "record the reasons given to justify Indian Removal" in their own words, which requires identifying an author's claims and rationale. Students read Chief John Ross's letter and other opposition texts and are asked to "record, in your own words, at least four of the objections," which requires summarizing the authors' arguments. Activity 4 asks students to adopt historical perspectives and justify support or opposition, prompting consideration of why authors or historical actors advocated particular positions.

Students are asked in the Manifest Destiny Paintings activity to answer "What do you think the artist was trying to say about Manifest Destiny? How can you tell?," which requires identifying an author/artist's intent and citing evidence. In the Alamo activity students must write an "Explanatory Sentence" about what Esparza's memories convey and include a direct quote, which asks them to interpret the purpose or meaning of a firsthand account. The reading questions ask students to explain how John C. Frémont described California, prompting students to analyze the tone and persuasive language used in a historical description.

Students read explanatory texts about how coal plants, hydroelectric dams, and wind turbines produce electricity and are asked to "summarize your understanding" in their own words or with a diagram (Turbines and Electricity). Students follow a detailed, numbered procedure to build a wind turbine model (Make a Wind Turbine) and experiment with variables to see how well it lifts objects. Students research and prepare a presentation that requires them to explain how wind energy is transformed, how turbines work, and to evaluate benefits and practical considerations for their area.

Students identify the main goal of expository writing (to inform or explain) and learn five modes of expository writing by sketching a graphic that represents them. In Activity 2 students decide which expository type fits given scenarios, including a blog with directions for a baking soda/vinegar volcano (a procedural/experiment type), and choose Process/Sequence. In Activity 3 students examine the book jacket and skim pages to circle or underline indicators of expository writing versus narrative writing, linking textual features to author purpose of informing.

Students answer a direct question about the author's purpose when Question #2 asks, "According to the introduction, why does the author say she wrote the book?" (answer: She wanted to find out what a quark was). Students read chapters and passages that describe discoveries and experiments (e.g., Chapter 5 material about Roentgen and J. J. Thomson) and answer factual questions such as Question #6 about Thomson's announcement regarding electrical charge. The Parent Plan and discussion prompts ask students to compare how Roentgen and Thomson made discoveries, noting Thomson's formulation of hypotheses and systematic experiments.

The lesson prompts students to consider "What is the purpose of expository writing?" and asks them to read and summarize chapters, which supports thinking about author intent. The highlighting and annotation option instructs students to add comments explaining why they tagged sections and to note definitions and explanations in the margins. The note-taking activity directs students to determine major points and to create summaries in their own words, focusing attention on explanations and key ideas in the text.

Students read chapters that contain scientific explanations (Special Theory of Relativity) and answer comprehension questions about those explanations. In Activity 2, students compare two written versions of an experiment description and are asked to identify problems with the less-effective version, noting issues of clarity, conciseness, and terminology. Students are also instructed to design a poster explaining a scientific concept for a specific audience, determining what terms need definition and using at least three domain-specific words.

Students read and analyze a student research paper (Activity 1) by underlining the thesis, double-underlining topic sentences, and identifying the paper's problem and the three solutions the author explores. Students use The Story of Science as a source for their research and are directed to collect explanations of concepts and information about experiments or discoveries (Activity 5). The Skills list in the Parent Plan also requires students to cite specific textual evidence, determine central ideas or conclusions of science/technical texts, and distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment, and speculation.

Students read Andrew Jackson's veto message (primary source) and a short explanatory essay from the Miller Center and are asked to identify Jackson's concerns about the National Bank. Students use a word-cloud activity to determine which words are most prominent in Jackson's message and answer questions about the "big issues" in Jackson's mind. Students complete a sorting activity that requires them to classify statements as coming from supporters or opponents of the national bank, comparing arguments for and against it.

Students read John Henry Hammond's defense of slavery and are asked to "write down some of Hammond's reasons for defending slavery," choose two of his points to refute, and prepare a 2–3 minute speech responding to his arguments (Activity 5). Students read descriptive passages about cotton production (Option 2) and complete a "Stages of Cotton Production" table that requires them to identify steps in the procedure of planting, harvesting, ginning, and textile production across eras. Students also compare primary-source slave narratives (Activity 3) and summarize details, which requires interpreting authors' perspectives and purposes in personal testimony.

Students complete an "Alcohol and Advertising" chart in which they identify the "Target Audience" and "Ad Strategy" and describe the ad content, with an example row provided (Bud Light) that prompts judgments about persuasive intent. Students are asked to note themes and trends at the bottom of the advertising activity, which directs them to infer how ads encourage consumption and portray drinkers (e.g., sophisticated, fun-loving).

The Parent Plan skills list explicitly includes: "Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats ... and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation." Activity 4 (Dialect) asks students to watch a video and answer questions about how society forms judgments and whether Twain's use of dialect promotes stereotypes, prompting analysis of authorial motive and purpose. Multiple discussion prompts ask students to consider "What attitudes toward society does Mark Twain reveal through the characters and themes in the novel?" which asks students to infer author intent from text and context.

Students review a "Types of Writing" slideshow and sort collected texts into narrative, persuasive, and expository categories, explaining the purpose and style of each. Students create collages that require them to identify examples of expository writing (which typically provide explanations) and persuasive/narrative writing. Students follow step-by-step raft construction instructions and watch a procedural video, engaging directly with a written procedure and its steps.

Students read primary and secondary texts (an excerpt of Lincoln's "House Divided" speech and Douglas's statements) and complete a chart comparing each speaker's views, which requires identifying the purpose and claims of each speech. Students summarize the positions of four congressional leaders (Adams, Calhoun, Clay, Webster) and then write a letter either supporting or opposing a leader's actions, which asks them to state what the leader argued and to justify agreement or disagreement. Discussion questions and map/timeline activities prompt students to explain causes and consequences of compromises, requiring students to identify explanatory information in the texts.

Students read and follow a clear procedure when they play the Civil War Card Game (Activity 1), including step-by-step instructions for dealing, playing cards, using bonus cards, and determining a winner. Students read explanatory passages in the Getting Started and Wrapping Up sections that describe causes, effects, and outcomes of the Civil War. Students read cards aloud during gameplay and are prompted (in the Parent Plan) to explain why they assigned different numerical values to battles, which asks for some reasoning about text content.

Students read paired passages by Frederick Douglass and George Fitzhugh and answer questions comparing the two perspectives, including whether Douglass's account is persuasive. Students are asked to identify vivid adjectives and to underline the repeated verb "whip/whipped," and to explain which features make Douglass's writing persuasive. The parent notes and activity instructions explicitly state that Douglass wrote to contradict false ideas about slavery and that students should note his use of strong, specific words, repetition, and personal examples.

Students read an explanatory paragraph (Activity 2) that describes why slaves were denied education and the effects of illiteracy, including a historical example (Frederick Douglass). Students read an external informational webpage option about a secret school for slave children and then write a scene in which characters explain why they risked punishment to learn. Students discuss and respond to prompts about the importance and implications of education for citizens and complete an interview activity imagining life without literacy.

Students are asked to follow a detailed procedure for extracting strawberry DNA and to read the italicized explanations that justify steps (e.g., soap breaks down membranes; cold alcohol precipitates DNA). The Questions to Consider explicitly ask students to explain why they had to squeeze the strawberries for 3 minutes, what would happen without soap, and why the DNA became visible, prompting students to identify the purpose of specific procedural steps. The activity directions and parent notes connect observable results to the explanatory statements about DNA presence, asking students to cite evidence beyond the extraction itself.

The Parent Plan skills explicitly state that students will "analyze works written on the same topic and compare how the authors achieved similar or different purposes." Students read multiple informational web articles about cloning (e.g., "What Is Cloning?", ‘‘Why Clone?", NHGRI Fact Sheet) and create note cards answering factual questions like "What is cloning?" and "What are the two different ways to clone?" Students also collect arguments FOR and AGAINST human cloning from several sources and are asked to compare and contrast persuasive texts that reach different conclusions.

Students read Captain Richard H. Pratt's article (focused on two key paragraphs) and are asked to consider what Pratt meant by "killing the Indian to save the man." Students compare before-and-after photographs and answer interpretive questions about why changes were made and how people felt. The parent discussion prompts explicitly ask students to explain Pratt's intention to assimilate native people and to summarize key ideas from the readings and film.

Students are asked to identify the "goal of the poster" and complete an appeals checklist for multiple World War I propaganda posters, requiring them to state the poster's persuasive purpose and strategies. In the U.S. Entry activity, students evaluate and rank various "reasons for the U.S. entering World War I," explaining the reasoning behind their order, which asks them to analyze explanatory claims and the authorial intent behind them. In the Lusitania activity students summarize a contemporary newspaper article and write reactions from both American and German perspectives, prompting them to infer the article's viewpoint and persuasive effect on readers.

The Parent Plan discussion question asks students to consider that "the narrator uses examples to explain a character's feeling or situation" and asks, "Why do you think Richard Adams chooses to include these comparisons? What effect do they have?" This prompt requires students to analyze the author's purpose in using explanatory comparisons and to explain their effect on the reader. The wrapping-up questions ask students to explain specific narrative choices (comparisons) and their impact, which asks for purposeful analysis of an explanatory device.

Students read an explanatory text about convergent evolution (pages 26–35) and answer guided questions. One question asks students to "Explain why the author uses the phrase 'survival of the adequate' instead of 'survival of the fittest,'" which requires students to analyze the author's word choice and purpose. Discussion prompts (e.g., "Why do sharks and dolphins have similar body styles?") ask students to consider why the author presents particular explanations and examples.

Students read an author interview (Activity 3 and Activity 4) that asks them to read the author's explanation for choosing Death as narrator and his use of figurative language. Students identify the narrator as Death in the Day 2 reading questions and explain how that narration is unique. Students consider the author's choices by thinking about the effect of personifying abstract concepts and by using the author's comments about color imagery and tone as they create a collage and write about color choices.

Students are asked in the Propaganda activity (Part A) to choose three Nazi propaganda posters, identify which group each poster targets, note the goal of each poster, and describe what makes each poster effective. The Student Activity Pages and Parent Plan direct students to record examples of propaganda from the reading and to evaluate motives behind the presentation (social, political). The infographic "Understanding Nazi Ideology" and its "Think about it" prompts ask students to consider why the ideas were important to Hitler, encouraging analysis of purpose behind explanatory text and images.

Students are instructed to read excerpts from the Nuremberg Laws and answer questions about their content and purpose (Activity 1). The Parent Plan and Skills list explicitly ask students to "analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats" and to "evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation." Students are also asked to record examples of propaganda and consider whether characters' actions were influenced by propaganda.

Students read wartime news articles, view newsreel footage, and read an Ernie Pyle column, then answer questions that ask them to identify how newsreels were informational vs. propagandistic and how Pyle's column differs from regular news reporting. The Student Activity Page asks students to explain how correspondents brought vivid descriptions to Americans and to evaluate the informational and propaganda aspects of newsreel footage. The Parent Plan skills explicitly note analyzing the purpose of information presented in diverse media and evaluating the motives behind its presentation.

Students read short historical articles and primary sources (the Truman Doctrine speech and Wallace's letter) and answer comprehension questions that require summarizing the explanations of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan. Students are explicitly prompted to view political cartoons and "think about what the cartoonist was trying to say," and to view Marshall Plan posters and consider the symbols and words artists used to make points. Students create their own political cartoon or poster that reflects an interpreted purpose or message about U.S. policy, applying their analysis of intent and symbolism.

Students read and analyze President Kennedy's October 22, 1962 speech using specific prompts that ask them to list facts JFK provided, explain how he used the past to justify his decisions, and consider why he addressed the Cuban people. In Option 1 students read Theodore Sorensen's memorandum and other advisers' options and complete a decision-making page that asks them to evaluate advantages and disadvantages and explain their rationale. The Red Scare activity asks students to adopt perspectives for and against investigations and write journal entries, prompting consideration of author/speaker intent and viewpoint.

Students complete artifact description slips that ask, "What is this artifact/document?" and "What will it help future archaeologists understand about this time period?", which requires them to state the informational purpose of documents and artifacts. Students plan and create written projects (fake letters, speeches, political platforms) and attach description slips, prompting them to explain the intended message and audience of those documents. Students prepare and present brief remarks in a dedication ceremony explaining why they chose each item, which has them articulate the communicative intent of selected texts and objects.

Students read explanatory historical texts about immigration (an NPR piece on the 1965 law and a CFR backgrounder) and are asked to take notes on differing viewpoints. Students complete an Immigration Act activity that asks them to reflect on how different stakeholders might react, requiring them to interpret explanatory content. Students write a short letter to the editor taking a side after reading the backgrounder, which has them engage with arguments and explanations in the texts.

Students are directed to read the webpage "Conflict Resolution for Teens" and to "summarize what you have read by creating a list, in your own words, of steps for resolving conflict," which requires them to identify and restate a procedure or explanatory content. They then apply those steps to a past conflict and plan to use them in a future conflict, showing engagement with procedural/explanatory material and its application.

Students read Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "Paul Revere's Ride" and a first-person historical excerpt "Paul Revere's Ride in His Own Words," mark notable phrases, and complete a Venn diagram comparing the two texts. The answer key and parent notes explicitly identify Revere's purpose as providing accurate testimony and Longfellow's purpose as telling a dramatic, entertaining story, and students are prompted to consider how the differing forms influence the reader. Discussion prompts ask students to judge which version is more effective and to consider how form and rhetorical features (rhythm, rhyme, figurative language) affect meaning and memorability.

Students read an excerpt from Poe's essay "The Poetic Principle" on the Student Activity Page and answer questions such as "According to Poe, what should poetry focus on?" Students are asked to record lines from two different poems that demonstrate Poe's stated focus and to paraphrase Poe's definition of poetry in their own words.