The materials tell students that the story is told through the journal entries of two different characters and instruct students to compare how both characters view different events and what they learn. The skills list explicitly names evaluating the author's use of techniques, such as point of view, to influence readers' perspectives. The Character Development activity asks students to record words or phrases that describe each character across chapters, supporting comparison of differing narrative viewpoints.

Students are prompted to determine why the author chose two narrators (QUESTION #1) and to read sample passages aloud to identify which character is telling the story. Students are asked to use examples from the book to support answers about Cody's feelings (QUESTION #3) and to record descriptive words and phrases on a Character Timeline. Activities ask students to compare two sample paragraphs and discuss which is better and why, and to explain how voice (tone, style, passion) makes writing convey personality.

Students match quotes to characters and write character-specific quotes and thoughts in the "Identifying Voice" activity, practicing how voice is conveyed through words and actions. Students identify similes and personification in text and create their own figurative language, and they are asked to discuss the effect of literary devices and analyze word choice (per the skills list). The activities require students to explain how figurative language creates images and affects the reader, which involves explaining how language conveys meaning.

Students answer interpretive questions (e.g., whether Lina should have thrown the egg and what the doctor means by her comment) that require them to infer meaning and theme. Students are prompted to develop an interpretation and organize it around clear ideas (Parent Plan skills) and to reflect on whether a disaster like this could happen today. Students create a ballad or monument that summarizes the Disaster and urges peace, which asks them to express the text's purpose for an audience.

Students are asked to explain character motivations and themes (e.g., Question #1 asks how people go from "angry and scared" to evil; discussion prompts ask how the cycle of revenge can be reversed and whether "violence just leads to more violence"). Sequencing Events and the wrap-up questions require students to order plot events and reflect on how escalating events lead to conflict, which prompts reasoning about the author's depiction of causes and consequences. Several prompts ask students to infer what Lina learns and to evaluate characters' choices (e.g., Would you follow Tick? Why or why not?), encouraging students to interpret the narrative's message.

The Parent Plan skills list explicitly includes "Interpret text by explaining point of view," and a discussion question states that the author "had to reveal Pompeii from [Tito's] point of view." Activity 3 directs students to locate phrases that describe Pompeii through Tito's "eyes" and to note how those observations change before and after the eruption, which asks students to link textual details to the narrator's perspective. Activities asking students to read aloud and analyze characters' actions and to reflect on the ironic ending also prompt consideration of how the author shapes readers' responses.

Students are asked to locate and record words and phrases the author uses to describe the Catskill Mountains (Activity 1), which requires attention to authorial description. Students compare the short story and a poem retelling and answer how they are similar and different and which they enjoyed (Activity 4), which prompts attention to differences in form and presentation. Characterization and discussion questions (e.g., how to characterize Rip, how his actions support that characterization, and whether readers feel sorry for him) ask students to cite actions and details from the text.

The lesson provides explicit definitions of narrator types (first person, third person, omniscient, detached observer) in the "Things to Know" section and asks students to identify the point of view of sentences and short stories in Activity 2. Student tasks require reading story openings and deciding if a story is first- or third-person and whether the narrator is omniscient or a detached observer (Option 1 and Option 2). The answer key and review prompts label "Zlateh the Goat" as third person omniscient and prompt discussion about how point of view affects the reader.

The critique activity asks students to "discuss what you think the author was trying to communicate" and to include specific references to the story, requiring students to state an author's purpose and support it. Wrapping-up prompts ask students to "consider how authors develop characters for whom the reader feels sympathy" and to explain "How did the natural environment change the lives of both female characters?", prompting students to link author choices to conveyed meaning. The Parent Plan skills include "Make reasonable assertions about a text through accurate, supporting citations," indicating students are expected to explain their interpretations with textual support.

Students are instructed to identify the narrator's point of view on the Plot Diagram page and to answer the discussion question, "How did you identify the point of view of the narrator?" The Parent Plan skills explicitly include "Explain different forms of third-person points of view in stories," and it notes which stories are first person versus third person omniscient. Students are also asked to cite "words and phrases the author uses to describe the setting," which gives practice locating textual evidence that could support point-of-view analysis.

The Parent Plan lists skills that directly target the standard: "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 has students read two primary-source journals and the Parent Plan instructs parents to "Discuss the perspective of both authors' journals" and to have the child "identify facts and opinions in both letters." The wrap-up discussion question explicitly asks, "How did the points of view of the diary and journal accounts differ?"

The lesson explicitly asks students to analyze point of view in Activity 2 by noting that the story is told from Say's first-person perspective and by asking students to rewrite a short passage from Pink's point of view or from an omniscient third-person narrator. The Parent Plan for Activity 2 instructs students to include what Pink is seeing and thinking or what an omniscient narrator would know about characters' thoughts and feelings. Activity 5 directs students to read Civil War letters, identify the writer and recipient, determine which side they are on, and state the opinions they express about the enemy, which requires interpreting author perspective.

Students are asked to read a Civil War speech and record three factual statements and three opinion statements, including at least two statements that could be propaganda, which addresses author purpose as persuasion. Students are asked to examine period pictures and explain how each could have been used as propaganda to sway Northern attitudes, prompting them to explain how persuasive effects are conveyed. Discussion prompts ask why the author chose to tell the story from many perspectives and ask students to summarize accounts and explain each character's perspective, engaging students with questions about perspective and authorial choice.

The Parent Plan lists skills that ask students to explore bias, propaganda techniques, and the underlying assumptions of the author/creator, and to draw conclusions based on evidence. Activity 2 asks students to design a Civil War propaganda poster, decide its purpose (North or South), and then explain the message the poster conveys and how it would influence a reader's thinking. The "Ideas to Think About" questions prompt students to consider how and why propaganda is used and how the Civil War was a battle over power, which orients students toward author/creator purpose and perspective.

The parent discussion prompt asks, "Why do you think the author made the entries shorter during this section of the book?" and supplies possible answers linking short entries to pacing and the writers' disturbed states, which asks students to explain an authorial choice and how it conveys meaning. A follow-up discussion question asks whether witnessing battle can change a person's perspective, prompting students to infer how events shape viewpoint in the text. Option 2 asks students to write a fictional story from a character's point of view, which engages students in perspective-taking related to characters and narrative voice.

Students are instructed to present both points of view and to end introductions with a clear position and reasons, and the rubric and outline require a strong statement defining position and appeal to reader's logic and emotion. The parent-plan skills list includes "Analyze the characteristics of argumentative works" and students must anticipate and address reader concerns and counterarguments. Students must organize claims, provide support from their reading about the Civil War, and explicitly state and refute an opposing position in paragraph 4.

The Parent Plan asks the child to listen for statements that are facts and those that are the narrator's opinions while watching the videos, and it explicitly suggests discussing those differences. A discussion prompt asks how the book and video accounts are similar and different, which asks students to compare perspectives across sources. The skills list includes "Listen to and interpret a speaker's messages... and ask questions to clarify the speaker's purpose or perspective," indicating practice with identifying a speaker's purpose or perspective.

The Forms of Media activity asks students to compare the purpose of an encyclopedia entry to that of the biography (Question 1) and to explain how videos, reference material, and the biography each contributed to their understanding of Einstein. The skills list includes "Explain messages conveyed in various forms of media" and "Recognize how various techniques influence viewers' emotions," which students are directed to consider when comparing media. The activity also asks students to describe benefits and limitations of each source and to identify which medium produced the greatest emotional response.

Students are asked directly what the author believes drove Einstein his entire life (Question #3) and to explain how this is evidenced in his life. Option 2 prompts students to provide examples from the book that demonstrate how the author fulfilled biography elements, including one idea of how the author feels about the person and to describe ways the author accomplished each element. The Skills section instructs students to identify language devices in biographies and explain how authors create meaning through stylistic elements, which supports explaining how an author's point of view is conveyed.

Students are asked to write a letter "from Einstein" and a journal entry "from his point of view," requiring them to adopt and express a specific perspective and voice. The student checklist and rubric mention personal connections and perspectives, and the Parent Plan lists integrating main ideas and supporting details from multiple sources. The project asks students to present quotes and consider questions like "How can words be powerful?", which engages students with language choices and intended effects.

Students analyze multiple propaganda posters and are instructed to "pay attention to the techniques used and the message each poster is presenting," then summarize the message each poster is trying to convey. The activity asks students to interpret posters (including translations and intended meanings), reflect on why symbols impact readers, and discuss the messages and intentions behind each poster. Students also create their own propaganda poster, choosing images and text to influence attitudes, which requires them to apply how messages are conveyed through design and wording.

The lesson explains that "when an author parallels two ideas or events, she draws a connection between their parts," and students are asked to read two versions of Little Red Riding Hood and decide which version is most similar to Annemarie's story. Students complete a graphic organizer to show similarities and differences between Annemarie's story and Little Red Riding Hood, and the Parent Plan lists the skill: "Recognize underlying messages in order to identify theme/s within and across works." The wrap-up and discussion questions ask students to consider motives and the moral of actions (e.g., bravery, why Annemarie acted silly) which prompt inference about meaning.

Students are asked to identify and create personification (Activity 2) and to underline and circle human-like characteristics in author-provided sentences, which asks them to consider language choices. The Parent Plan and review prompts explicitly ask students to explain how the author uses personification to shape the reader's feelings or perspective and to evaluate figurative language to influence the reader's perspective. Discussion questions ask students to analyze characters and how language affects their impressions (e.g., thoughts about the man in the yellow suit).

Students are asked to analyze the author's craft (listed in Skills) and to identify words and phrases the author uses to juxtapose the Fosters' home and the Tucks' home (Activity 2, Option 2). Students must write short paragraphs using the author's descriptions and place quotation marks around direct text, and they locate and record text-based language that creates the contrast (Option 1 and Option 2). Discussion prompts ask students to consider how Winnie will be changed by interactions with the Tucks, which engages consideration of authorial effect on the reader.

Activity 2 explicitly asks students to read quoted passages that state the book's themes and even says, "The author clearly wants the reader to understand that in nature things grow, change, and move through cycles." Students are asked to consider specific questions about how nature changes, to collect items representing cycles, and to explain the significance of each item. The Wrapping Up and Things to Review sections ask students to evaluate Tuck's explanation about living forever and to explain one or two themes found in the novel.

Students are asked to consider how events lead to changes in characters and to reflect on the effects of those changes, which prompts analysis of authorial choices. A discussion question asks students to explain why the author uses only the man in the yellow suit's words and omits dialogue for the Fosters, directly prompting students to think about an author's narrative choices. The wrap-up includes reviewing why the author might choose particular words or devices, linking to how meaning is conveyed.

The discussion prompts ask students to explain authorial choices directly, for example: "Why do you think the author chooses not to give the man in the yellow suit a name?" and ask students to evaluate character actions and motivations (e.g., why Mae hit the man). The wrapping-up questions ask students to explain how Winnie's feelings and character have changed, which requires interpreting author-constructed events and characterization. The creative activity to design a print ad or commercial has students practice persuasive purpose by composing messaging to convince an audience to buy the spring water.

The Parent Plan lists a learning goal that students should "analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author's purpose... and provide evidence from the text," which directly names author purpose. Students are asked to recommend the book and explain why, which requires stating and justifying an evaluative position. Students also read an author interview (Meet the Author) and select a meaningful quote to analyze and represent, which involves interpreting author intent or significance.

Students are prompted to discuss reasons for racial violence and lack of prosecution (Questions to Discuss) and to reflect that Papa's boycott is a peaceful opposition to injustice (Wrapping Up). The Parent Plan and Activity 3 ask students to recognize dialect and explain how authors use dialect to convey character, and the lesson includes a Dialect Guide students use to interpret the author's conversational voice.

The Introducing the Lesson section states that "The author attempts to paint an accurate picture of what life would have been like for a black family in rural Mississippi in the 1930s," which names an authorial purpose. The "Ideas to Think About" prompts ask students to consider how people of different racial backgrounds interacted and how society changed, which can guide consideration of perspective. The Parent Plan lists a skill to "Critique the credibility of characterization and the degree to which a plot is contrived or realistic," which invites evaluation of author choices.

Students are asked to read the "Integrated Bus Suggestions" flyer, underline the three suggestions they think were most important, and "consider how the statements promote peace yet encourage strength and pride in the black community," which asks them to identify the document's purpose and tone. The Boycotts section explains why boycotts are started and asks students to consider whether the Logans' boycott will pressure the Wallaces to change their practices, prompting consideration of purpose and intended effect. Students are instructed to "keep track of instances of discrimination on the 'Recognizing Discrimination' pages," which encourages noting patterns that could reveal perspective on social issues.

The Parent Plan explicitly lists the skill: "Analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in cultural, historical, and contemporary contexts." The Introducing the Lesson text directs the child to read about conflict over change and frames the Logans' boycott, prompting consideration of perspective. The Discussion Questions ask students to explain Papa's motives and how the power system breaks down, which asks students to infer purposes and perspectives from events in the text.

Students are directly asked, "What do you think the author's purpose was in writing this historical fiction novel?" in the parent discussion questions, which prompts identification of author purpose. Students are asked to explain how T.J. is being discriminated against and to discuss why people might believe certain characters, which requires recognizing the author's depiction of events and perspective. The "Ideas to Think About" prompts ask students to consider historical interactions and the Civil Rights Movement, supporting consideration of author viewpoint and purpose within historical context.

The lesson asks students to read the final chapter and to discuss what they thought about the end of the book, prompting students to interpret the text. The Parent Plan lists the skill to "deliver oral responses to literature that summarize significant events and details and articulate an understanding of several ideas or images communicated by the literary work," which requires students to explain ideas from the text. The presentation and rubric require students to articulate important ideas communicated by the novel and to support opinions with evidence and visuals during an oral presentation.

The Skills section explicitly tells students to "analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author's purpose... and provide evidence from the text to support understanding," which directly names author's purpose as a target. Discussion prompts ask students to explain whether the community is a utopia and to justify their answers, and Activity 2 asks students to consider and list criteria for laws and rules—tasks that prompt analysis of the text's societal portrayal. Parent prompts also ask students to explain messages and techniques used to appeal to emotions, connecting to authorial choices.

The Parent Plan lists skills that ask students to "interpret text by explaining theme" and to "recognize underlying messages in order to identify theme(s) within and across works." Students are prompted to compare Jonas' community to U.S. communities, to analyze the theme of freedom, and to write letters or poems that explain freedom to Jonas' community, which asks them to articulate underlying messages and purposes. Reading questions ask students to record words and phrases that describe Jonas and to reflect on how the memories change him, supporting interpretation of authorial intent about the story's themes.

The Skills section asks students to "write responses to literary or expository texts that demonstrate an understanding of a literary work," which asks for interpretive response. Discussion questions ask students to explain what The Giver means by "they live the life that was created for them" and whether Jonas and The Giver can change the community, requiring students to infer meaning and authorial critique of society. The timeline and wrapping-up prompts ask students to record words/phrases that describe Jonas and to consider how people's interactions reflect societal values, which elicits analysis of theme and message.

Students read Lois Lowry's Newbery Acceptance Speech and are prompted to discuss the memories she shares and how they relate to The Giver. The Parent Plan lists skills that require students to "respond to fiction, nonfiction... using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes" and to "determine the impact of word choice on written and spoken language." Students also must produce a personal-response final project (storyboard or final chapter) that connects author memories and themes to their own work.

The lesson explicitly asks students to state an author's purpose in QUESTION #5, asking "What do you think the author's purpose was in writing this book?" and to compare that book's viewpoint with the novel's viewpoint; the answer key models an informative purpose for the nonfiction and a personal/emotional viewpoint for the novel. Activity 1 directs students to "consider the perspective of each one" when working with first‑hand accounts and to choose two accounts for a photo journal, prompting attention to authors' perspectives. Discussion prompts ask students to compare primary source photos and a secondary source book for understanding the time period, which engages thinking about different viewpoints.

The Parent Plan lists the skill: "Analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author's purpose ... and provide evidence from the text to support understanding," which explicitly directs students to work on author purpose. The Wordsmith activity has students select important passages, record page numbers, read them aloud, and discuss why they chose them, prompting textual analysis. Option 1 asks students to describe how the phoenix might serve as a symbol for Esperanza, which asks students to interpret how an authorial element conveys meaning.

Students are asked to reread the section describing the train and to "pay close attention to the description of the train and the people on the train," then choose an activity (draw the wealthy car and the poor car) based on the author's description. The Discussion Director task requires students to write four open-ended questions that cover the big ideas in the chapters, encouraging them to think about themes and the author's portrayal. The wrapping-up discussion prompts ask students to interpret quoted lines (e.g., "Full bellies and Spanish blood go hand in hand") and explain what those quotes reveal about the social system in Mexico. The Venn-diagram activity asks students to compare social and political systems using informational sources, which requires them to infer reasons and effects tied to the text's depiction of oppression and revolution.

The Parent Plan states, "The author uses many Spanish words in the text to remind the reader of the culture," and Activity 1 has students identify and match Spanish words with their meanings, which makes the author's language choices explicit. The listed skill asks students to "Recognize dialect and conversational voice and explain how authors use dialect to convey character," which asks students to analyze an author's language choices and their effects.

The Parent Plan lists the skill to "discuss and analyze the effects on texts of such literary devices as figurative language and dialogue," and the lesson asks students to consider what a reader can learn about character through the dialogue the author presents. Discussion questions prompt students to explain symbolism (knitting), the significance of the name Esperanza, and how Miguel defends the social system—tasks that ask students to interpret author-created elements and themes. The lesson also asks students to compare Esperanza Rising with an informational text about the Great Depression to consider how each text helps readers understand the time period.

Students are prompted to "read the poems slowly and think about what the author of each poem is trying to communicate," and questions ask interpretive responses (e.g., Q3 asks why the author says it seems impossible to write a simple poem about the world). The Parent Plan skills explicitly list: "Recognize how tone or meaning is conveyed in poetry through word choice, figurative language, sentence structure, line length, punctuation, rhythm, repetition, and rhyme" and "Analyze the use of rhetorical devices for intent and effect." Activity 2 asks students to choose the emotion/tone they want to convey and identify words or phrases that create that tone, which requires connecting language to intent.

Students are asked to explain why poets focus on obscure animals (Question #3), which prompts inference about author choices and possible purposes. Students practice identifying metaphors and personification on the Personification & Metaphor activity page by recording phrases attributed to objects and matching human traits to objects. Students are asked to write their own poems including metaphor and personification, and the parent plan explicitly states a skill to "explain how authors create meaning through stylistic elements and figurative language," emphasizing analysis of authorial choices.

The Parent Plan Skills explicitly instruct students to "Make inferences and draw conclusions about the author's purpose" and to "Evaluate the author's use of various techniques to influence the reader's perspective." Question 2 asks students to "Explain how the author uses personification in 'Dinosaur Bone,'" and Question 3 asks students to identify and explain the irony in "206." The discussion prompt asks students to explain how their perspective on prehistoric life has changed, which requires explaining how the poets conveyed that perspective.

The lesson explicitly asks students to analyze how poets convey meaning through word choice, figurative language, sentence structure, line length, rhythm, repetition, and rhyme (Things to Know; Skills). Activity 2 directs students to identify the tone of a poem and to name the specific words/phrases the author uses to convey that tone (Analyzing a Poem Question 4). The Skills section also lists "Analyze the use of rhetorical devices for intent and effect," which invites students to consider authorial intent.

Students are asked explicitly to identify a poet's observations and feelings in Activity 1 ("What are the poet's observations? What are his feelings?"). Question 4 directs students to record words and phrases the author uses to appeal to emotions, prompting them to explain how tone and diction convey meaning. Question 2 asks students to identify and explain the irony in a poem, which requires interpreting the author's attitude and how that attitude is shown. The parent-plan discussion question asks why poets chose their themes and suggests purpose-related answers (e.g., to get attention or make readers aware).

Students are asked directly to identify the message of a poem: Question #3 asks, "What message is the poet trying to convey in the poem, 'Landscape'?" Activity 1 requires students to list words/phrases and describe how poetic devices and figurative language convey tone and meaning. The skills section instructs students to "compare and contrast the stated or implied purposes of different authors writing on the same topic," and Activity 4 has students compare two buffalo poems for similarities and differences in content and focus.

The Parent Plan lists the skill to "Analyze, make inferences, and draw conclusions about the author's purpose in cultural, historical, and contemporary context," which directly names author's purpose as a target. The discussion prompts ask students to explain what the author means by phrases such as "the people are of two bloods" and to describe what they have learned about Incan culture, which requires interpreting authorial content. The Parent Plan also suggests asking the child why Cusi will or will not enjoy the journey, prompting consideration of perspective and motive.

Students are asked directly, in Question #3, to explain what the author means by the line "Cusi is not one to believe merely because he saw it. He must understand." The personification activity asks students to reread Chuto's description of the car and to characterize animals and objects using human traits, requiring them to interpret how characters (and by extension narration) present ideas. Discussion prompts ask students to interpret Cusi's and Chuto's feelings and motivations, which involves inferring meaning from the text.

Students are instructed to write the essay in first person as Cusi, using "I" and to reflect Cusi's voice and personality. The rubric explicitly evaluates "Point of view consistency," "Narrator's perspectives," and "Representation of personality." Organizers prompt students to describe how Cusi felt in events using the first person and to craft a thesis and message tied to the narrator's viewpoint.