Students are given a focused vocabulary activity that lists challenging words with definitions and includes the original example sentences from The Pearl. Students are instructed to write their own sentences using each vocabulary word and to pay careful attention to the word's part of speech. Students are directed to review the words daily and their sentences are to be checked for correct usage.

Students are asked to analyze Steinbeck's phrases such as vagueness of a dream, things of the imagination, and more illusions than realities and explain the effect these phrases have on the reader. Students respond to a discussion prompt interpreting the metaphor minds of people are as unsubstantial as the mirage of the gulf, which requires determining figurative meaning. Students identify strong verbs and vivid adjectives in the second paragraph of Chapter 2 and then create a drawing or poem that reflects how those word choices shape imagery and reader response.

Students are asked to "Review the definitions of the vocabulary words taken from the novel," directing them to identify word meanings. The Parent Plan explicitly lists the skill to "Choose language that is precise, engaging, and well suited to the topic and audience," which requires students to select words when composing presentations and brochures. Students are required to write a one-page script for an oral presentation and create brochure text, tasks that involve making deliberate word choices in their own writing and speaking.

Students are asked directly to interpret figurative language in Question #1 where they describe what Steinbeck means by a town simile. Activity 3 requires students to locate at least three examples of stylistic devices (similes, metaphors, imagery, irony) and defines those device types. The Skills section and Things to Review prompt students to analyze the effects of the author's craft and to think about how each example affects the reader, and the lesson includes a vocabulary review item.

The Parent Plan Skills explicitly tell students to "determine the figurative meaning of phrases" and to "analyze how an author's use of language creates imagery, appeals to the senses, and suggests mood." The reading directions ask students to "be on the lookout for any effective stylistic devices and list them in your journal," prompting students to identify language features. Activity 2 asks students to brainstorm at least five ideas for what the pearl symbolizes, which requires students to interpret figurative meaning and how language conveys broader meaning.

Students are asked to record and share stylistic devices in a log ("Ask your child to share some of the stylistic devices he recorded in his log"). Students are directed to "Add sentences and phrases to your stylistic device log" and to "consider how each one affects the reader," which asks them to analyze effects of word/phrase choices. Students also complete an editing activity where they correct word choice, spelling, and punctuation in sentences and are told to review vocabulary words for the unit.

Students are asked to interpret Kino's line "The pearl has become my soul...if I give it up I shall lose my soul," which requires explaining a figurative meaning. Students are prompted to explain what the pearl symbolizes and to add examples of effective stylistic devices from the final chapter to a log. Discussion questions ask students to describe Kino and Juana's emotional states (e.g., regretful, mournful), which requires attending to word choices that convey tone.

The Skills list directs students to "experiment with figurative language and speech patterns," and the rubric explicitly asks for "evidence of a variety of stylistic devices (Similes and metaphors, figurative language, lively verbs)." The lesson also tells students to "review the vocabulary words" while preparing for the unit test. Students are required to make word-choice and voice decisions when composing and revising their parables (Voice/Word Choice rubric criteria).

Students complete a Part A vocabulary activity where they fill in missing words from a provided bank (e.g., incandescent, consecrated, almsgiver, petulant, clamber) in context sentences, requiring them to apply word meanings. Students answer Part D question 3 asking them to identify stylistic devices Steinbeck uses (vivid descriptions, strong verbs, imagery, irony) and support answers with evidence from the text, prompting analysis of how language creates meaning. Students read and discuss the poem "Money" and relate its themes to the novel, which invites consideration of connotative or thematic language use.

Students are asked to determine meanings using context clues (Parent Plan Skills: "Determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words using context clues"). Students create a Vocabulary Picture Dictionary where they paste each vocabulary word, draw a visual symbol, glue the actual definition and the sentence from the book, and write their own sentence using the word. The Investigator task asks students to dig up the history and derivation of words or names used in the book, and the lesson supplies a technical definition of "cholera."

Students are asked to be a Line Locator while reading chapters 17–20, copying lines or passages they think reflect good writing and explaining in their journals why those lines are examples of good writing or important to the story. The Personal Narrative Rubric explicitly requires vivid words and phrases, interesting adjectives and strong verbs, and a variety of figurative language techniques, and it assesses Word Choice and Voice. The activities prompt students to explain why selected lines are effective, which can involve attention to word choice and tone.

Students are given a technical definition of calabash in the "Things to Know" and Activity 1 sections, which identifies a word from the text and explains its practical meaning. The lesson also prompts students to use figurative language and a thesaurus when drafting their personal narratives, exposing them to figurative and connotative choices in writing.

Students are assigned the role of "Figurative Language Finder" and must identify at least three examples of simile, metaphor, hyperbole, imagery, personification, or alliteration in Chapters 28–30 and record/read them aloud. In the "Why Proofread?" activity, students explain how punctuation changes sentence meaning by choosing and analyzing three sentence pairs. The revision checklist and parent notes ask students to focus on word choice, figurative language, and strong verbs when revising their own personal narratives.

The lesson explicitly instructs students to "Review the vocabulary words from the book," which requires students to attend to word meanings. The lesson also asks students to "develop an interpretive response to literature exhibiting careful reading, understanding, and insight," and to recreate character interactions through written dialogue, which requires attention to language in the text.

Students read Chapters 34–38 and respond to comprehension questions that include vocabulary; for example, they are asked what the author means by saying Nhamo "imprinted" on Dr. Masuku and are given a definition to consider. The Real-life Connector role asks students to find connections between the book and their life/world, which requires understanding word meanings well enough to make textual connections. These items show students engage with word meaning in the context of the text.

The Student Activity Page (Part II: Vocabulary) gives a Word Box and asks students to fill three sentences using words such as belligerently, profound, and riveted, requiring students to choose words that fit the sentence context. The lesson also instructs students to "review all the vocabulary words... making sure you know their definitions and that you can use them effectively in a sentence," which directs students to recall and apply word meanings.

Students are asked to "determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words using context clues" (Skills) and to "clarify word meanings through the use of definition, example, restatement, or contrast." Students create and use vocabulary cards that include definitions, parts of speech, synonyms, and antonyms, and they play a vocabulary cube game with tasks such as "Recite the definition," "Name the part of speech," "Name a synonym or antonym," and "Use correctly in a sentence." The parent notes also guide providing synonyms/antonyms or sentence clues to support word understanding.

Students are asked to interpret a narrator's passage: they must explain the meaning of the quoted narrator line and discuss whether they agree, which requires determining meaning of a phrase in context. Students evaluate conjunction choice in sentence-combining exercises (e.g., explain why "for" rather than "but" works in a sentence) and consider the effectiveness of beginning a sentence with "But," asking them to analyze how that word and punctuation affect rhythm and emphasis. Students are prompted to explain why Tolkien placed a comma in a sentence, which asks them to reason about how a specific punctuation choice changes the pacing and effect of the wording.

The Skills list explicitly asks students to "Analyze the effects of figurative language" and to "Determine the figurative meaning of phrases and analyze how an author's use of language creates imagery, appeals to the senses, and suggests mood," which directs students to work with figurative meanings. Multiple student pages guide students to produce and revise similes, metaphors, hyperbole, and personification and to write five "I"-statement clues, so students practice identifying and creating figurative language. Activities require students to use a thesaurus to find synonyms and antonyms and to "alternate word choices," and a runes activity has students map Anglo-Saxon runes to Latin letters, introducing a technical writing system connection.

Students are asked to "use figurative language in own writing" and to "be sure to use figurative language techniques" when writing a descriptive paragraph about a new fantastical creature, which gives practice producing and recognizing figurative language. The lesson also directs students to "review the vocabulary words for the book," and includes an Editing Sentences activity that has students correct word choice, spelling, and punctuation in context. The Parent Plan notes analyzing characterization through narrator description, which involves attending to descriptive language about characters.

Students are asked to edit sentences that require choosing correct word forms and spellings (e.g., lightning vs. lightening; heavyweight vs. heavy weight; pretense vs. pretence), which requires attention to precise word meaning and usage. The lesson directs students to "Review vocabulary words" and includes a defined term "Consumerism" in the Things to Know section, prompting students to learn specific word meanings. Activity 2 includes quoted phrases about Smaug's rage and dragons' relationship to wealth and asks students to analyze greed and power, which invites interpretation of chosen language in context.

Students complete a vocabulary-in-context exercise (Part III) where they choose and insert words such as flummoxed, ominous, and recompense into sentences drawn from the book, demonstrating attention to word meaning in context. The literature response instructions ask students to support opinions with "examples of figurative language, direct quotes, events from the story, etc.," and the rubric scores "Textual Evidence" and "Interpretation," which require students to locate and use language from the text. Prewriting and outline activities prompt students to identify evidence and support for their claims, encouraging engagement with words and phrases from the novel.

Students are given a targeted vocabulary list with definitions and directed to "read over the definition of each word three or four times" and then insert the words to complete a paragraph, requiring them to use context to select appropriate terms. The parent plan explicitly lists the skill "Determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words using context clues" and "Extend vocabulary knowledge by learning and using new words." The activity asks students to place words like "noxious," "connoisseur," and "trepidation" into a narrative paragraph, providing practice with contextual usage and sentence-level meaning.

Students are asked to interpret a figurative passage when prompted to explain what Tree-ear means by "The work of a human, the work of nature; clay from the earth, a branch from the sky" and why that image gives him peace, which targets figurative meaning and tone. Students sequence and describe the pottery-making process using terms such as "glaze" and "kiln," requiring them to use and apply technical vocabulary from the text. The sentence-correcting activity has students choose correct word forms (e.g., too/too, Min's) which gives limited practice with precise word choice.

Students are given an explicit definition of the word "opportunity" in the "Things to Know" section and are asked to review vocabulary words from Lesson 1 and use them correctly in sentences. The Sentence Correcting activity has students identify and correct word-level errors (e.g., "iritable" to "irritable," "emisarys" to "emissary's"), practicing word forms and usage. Question #1 asks students to explain why Min laughs when Tree-ear calls Kang's inlays "ugly," which prompts consideration of the effect of a specific word choice.

Students are asked to interpret five of Crane-man's quotes in their own words, including metaphoric phrases such as "the same wind that blows one door shut often blows another open" and "read the world itself." "Things to Know" provides a definition of "wisdom," and discussion questions prompt students to explain phrases like "pride and foolishness were so often close companions." Sentence-correction and quote-interpretation activities require students to restate meanings and explain the truths behind figurative language.

Students are asked to use vocabulary words (insolence, connoisseur, skepticism) in sentences related to the novel on the end-of-unit test, which requires correct usage. The parent plan and skills list tell students to "revise writing to improve ... the precision of the vocabulary," and the editing symbols page includes a "wrong word (ww)" marker that directs students to correct inappropriate word choices. The essay organizer and rubric require students to provide "support from the text" for similarities and differences, encouraging text-based language use.

Students are asked to read two contrasting articles about Sir Sam Hughes and to "write down the type of bias and write down an example of it from the article," with teacher/parent notes explicitly calling out "Word choice and tone" as a bias technique to identify. The parent plan and activity directions tell students to "examine the effectiveness of style, tone, and use of language" and to identify propaganda techniques (e.g., glittering generalities, name calling) which require recognizing connotative language. Activity 3 asks students to identify techniques used in advertisements and to explain effectiveness, which requires noticing specific word choices and persuasive language.

Students are given a list of vocabulary words and definitions (crone, indomitable, cavorted, prattled, draught, flitting, furrows, oracle) and are instructed to locate each word in the text and read it in context. In Activity 3 students cut out vocabulary, match each word with its correct definition and a motion, and make vocabulary strips that pair word, definition, and contextual motion to memorize meanings. The Parent Plan Skills explicitly ask students to use Greek and Latin roots to understand content-area vocabulary and to clarify word meanings through definition, example, restatement, or contrast.

Students practice word meaning through the Beyond Roots II activities (games and a Set 2 A quiz) and are instructed to review Set 2 roots and their meanings. Students perform a Sentence Editing activity that asks them to correct word forms and usage (for example, deciding between "shone" and "shined" and correcting nouns and verbs). Students write a descriptive paragraph about life without fire, which asks them to select words to convey description and meaning.

Students are assigned to read pages 114-122 about Perseus, providing a specific text for study. Activity 2 (Beyond Roots II) has students play games and take quizzes focused on word roots and meanings. The Skills section explicitly lists 'extended simile' among conventions students should be able to describe, which references figurative language.

Students are asked to "review the vocabulary words" and character cards, and the lesson includes a Beyond Roots II Set 3 activity with root-recall games and two online quizzes that require students to work with word roots and meanings. Activity 5 (Sentence Editing) has students copy and correct sentences, which requires noticing correct word forms and spellings. The Beyond Roots activities explicitly ask students to find roots and take quizzes, providing practice with morphological meaning.

Students review word roots and root meanings by combining Beyond Roots II card sets and taking the "Beyond Roots II, All Sets" quizzes (A and B) to determine meanings of words built from known roots. Students are asked to continue to review vocabulary words and character cards, reinforcing word-meaning knowledge. Students may quote from the text and are instructed to use engaging language when they retell the story, which gives them an opportunity to select words purposefully for oral presentation.

Students practice word meaning by matching root words to definitions in the Part III Roots activities and by using vocabulary words in original sentences on the unit test. Students are instructed to "select your words carefully" and to use imagery and other figurative language devices when drafting their myths, and they revise drafts to ensure precise word choice and vivid images. Students are evaluated with a rubric that rewards creative language, voice, and effective word choice.

Students read an explicit definition of the term "manor" in the "Things to Know" section and use that technical term when locating roles and places on the manor map. Students write 3–4 sentence commentaries from the perspectives of a knight, a lord, and a peasant and are instructed to "use an appropriate tone" and read them aloud, which requires selecting words to convey character and tone. The Student Activity Pages prompt students to record observations using labeled categories (Jobs, Clothing, Homes, Inventions & Technological Advancements), engaging them with domain-specific vocabulary.

Students are instructed to "read the sentences on the first 'Vocabulary' page to help you better understand the vocabulary words in context" and to "solve the crossword puzzle using the vocabulary words," which requires using contextual cues. The Parent Plan explicitly lists as a skill: "Determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words using context clues." Students are also told they "can consult a dictionary if needed," supporting word-meaning determination practice.

Students are asked to "review the vocabulary words" by reading definitions and providing the correct definitions, so students practice identifying word meanings. The lesson gives a technical definition explicitly: "A ballad is a narrative set to music," which requires students to learn a technical meaning. As a Line Locator, students find three to five lines that reflect good writing and explain why they selected them, which asks students to comment on language choices in passages.

Students are asked to find sentences in the novel that use passive voice and explain why the author used passive constructions (e.g., "The boys were too startled by her outburst to move," p. 55) and to rewrite passive sentences in active voice. The lesson explains how passive constructions can shift emphasis (e.g., to the action or the receiver) and gives students practice converting between active and passive and judging whether active voice would work better.

Students complete a "More Homophones" activity in which they choose homophone pairs, write definitions, identify parts of speech, and compose sentences showing usage. Students also complete a "Spotting Errors" task in which they read a paragraph describing a medieval festival and correct homophone errors and other word-choice errors in context.

Students are instructed to "pick a word to paint" and to transform words (example: changing "morning" to "bright new morning") to enrich meaning and tone. Students practice "painting" predicates and subjects by adding descriptive modifiers and rearranging parts of sentences to affect imagery. The activity directs students to refine wording and to consider how word choices make the reader "see, hear, and feel" what is happening.

Students are given a vocabulary list (pockmarked, gluttony, casks, etc.) and are asked to use the correct vocabulary word to fill in blanks in context in Part I of the unit test. The materials instruct students to "review the vocabulary words" while studying for the unit test. The "Story Cube" activity requires students to use six Middle Ages–related vocabulary words to generate a creative story, putting words into contextual use.

Students are given a definition of the word "prestigious" in the "Things to Know" section and are asked QUESTION #1 to explain why the biographer used "prestigious" repeatedly, prompting analysis of word choice. In the Media Awareness activity, students identify persuasion techniques and collect advertisements, locating specific words (e.g., glittering generalities like "great," "valuable") and write their own ads, which requires recognizing connotative word choices. The Parent Plan and answer key explicitly list and model the kinds of persuasive words students should notice and produce.

Students are given two vocabulary items (apparition and edification) in the "Things to Know" and asked to review their definitions. In Activity 1 students are asked to examine two sentences containing parentheses and write why the author uses them or what effect the parentheses create. The parent notes model answers that explain how the parenthetical phrases interrupt the sentence and call attention to the narrator's annoyance or serve as an aside directed to the reader.

Students locate and count ellipses in specified chapters and are asked to find two examples where ellipses are used, write the sentence, and explain the use or effect of the ellipses. Students cut, reconstruct, and replace parts of paragraphs with ellipses in a hands-on activity, and are given explicit explanations that ellipses can cause a pause, trailing-off, or signal strangeness in speech. Students are also provided a short definition of the word "acclamations."

Students are asked to define what it means to be "tamed" according to the little prince and the fox (Question #1), requiring them to determine a word's meaning from context. Students must interpret the fox's secret, "Anything essential is invisible to the eyes," which asks them to determine figurative meaning. The Things to Know section gives a direct definition of "monotonous," and Part III of the activity asks students to write sentences using italics to emphasize a word or phrase and to show how emphasis changes meaning.

Students are instructed to restate confusing Shakespearean lines in today's English to focus on overall meaning, and to identify meanings of Early Modern English words such as "thou" and "thy." Students complete bracket-usage exercises that require them to insert definitions or clarifications for underlined words in original excerpts from A Midsummer Night's Dream. Students investigate the notation "[sic]" and research why foreign words and certain notations are italicized, and they are asked to mark up sections with brackets to show what complicated words or phrases mean.

Students read Act 2, Scene 2 to Act 3, Scene 2 in a modern translation while optionally comparing original wording on the left-hand side, providing direct exposure to Shakespearean phrasing. Students are asked to read a PDF about Shakespeare's expressions and write a poem or short story using at least four famous phrases. Students are prompted to review what an expression is and to read their poem or story aloud so a parent can identify the Shakespearean phrases they used.

Students are given explicit vocabulary definitions (e.g., pestilence and presage in "Things to Know" and the vocabulary list in Activity 2) so they learn specific word meanings. Students are asked to choose 2–3 vocabulary words to use in a persuasive message and to explain why they chose those words, which requires them to consider word choice in crafting tone. The Quotable activity has students locate and transcribe quotes from the play, requiring attention to original wording and use of quotation conventions.

Students are asked in Part B to use the vocabulary words presage, acclamation, and ephemeral in sentences related to The Little Prince, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Romeo and Juliet, which requires knowing and applying word meanings. Students are also asked to note and include "important quotes" for their essay and to answer questions about quotation conventions (ellipses and brackets) and how stage directions are indicated, which engages with technical aspects of text features.

The lesson provides explicit vocabulary instruction in the "Things to Know" section where students are given meanings for words such as eccentric (both the technical sense about ellipses and the odd/unusual person), obstinate, hokum, feign (with an etymology note), and annus mirabilis. Students are instructed to note unfamiliar words with page numbers as they read and to review definitions ("Things to Review" and repeated prompts to record unfamiliar words). The "Graphics and Summaries" activity asks students to note italicized words and what they convey, which directs students to attend to specific word choices and textual features.

Students are asked to note unfamiliar words and take notes with page numbers while reading pages 164–171, which requires them to identify and record vocabulary encountered. The lesson explicitly provides a technical definition for "corpuscles" in the "Things to Know" section and asks to review that definition in "Things to Review." The skills list includes monitoring comprehension and determining the importance of information, which directs students to attend to word meanings as part of understanding the text.

The "Things to Know" section gives explicit, technical definitions for words (inertia, force, nemesis) and restates Newton's three laws, providing direct technical meanings students can learn. The reading directions ask students to highlight or take notes on unfamiliar words and include page numbers, prompting students to identify words in context. The "Extra! Extra!" headline activity has students write headlines from two perspectives, which requires them to choose words to convey differing viewpoints and tone.

Students are asked to read the chapter and highlight or take notes on unfamiliar words and important information, which prompts them to notice word usage and meaning in context. Students answer a discussion question that asks what the author means by "We are seeing ancient history when we look at the sky," requiring them to interpret a phrase used in the text. The parent-plan skills list includes "Monitor comprehension" and "Summarize and determine the importance of information," which directs students to engage with word and phrase meanings while reading.

The lesson explicitly defines a technical term ("Bernoulli's principle says, 'When the speed of a moving fluid increases, pressure in the fluid decreases, and vice versa.'") and gives a direct vocabulary definition ("Ingenious means inventive and clever"). Students are instructed to highlight or take notes on unfamiliar words as they read Chapter 21 and to "monitor comprehension for understanding of what is read, heard, and/or viewed." The wrap-up asks students to "summarize for your parent how an airplane wing works," which requires use of technical vocabulary in explanation.

Students are prompted to note unfamiliar words as they read and to review definitions listed in the "Things to Know" section (e.g., temperature, element, prescient, E=mv²). Students use the Simple Machines Vocabulary cards and discussion questions to test understanding of technical vocabulary. The Parent Plan lists skills such as monitoring comprehension and summarizing information, which asks students to identify and understand important words in context.

Students are asked to choose three vocabulary words and use them in a single sentence about Newton on the unit test (Part B). They are also instructed to use at least two vocabulary words from the unit in their essay and to consult a master vocabulary list (answer key) to ensure correct use. Vocabulary review and explicit prompts to include vocabulary in writing appear throughout Activities 4 and the test pages.

Students are given technical definitions and context for poetic terms: the lesson defines a sonnet (fourteen lines, iambic pentameter, rhyme scheme) and reviews the structure and purpose of a sonnet. Students are given a direct vocabulary cue: "Munificence is a synonym for generosity," which links a specific word to its meaning. Students read commentary about poets' capitalization choices (Emily Dickinson, E. E. Cummings) and are asked to consider capitalization as a way poets emphasize words.

Students are given direct definitions for words in the "Things to Know" section (mete, azure) and a definition of blank verse, so they determine literal meanings of those terms. In Activity 2 students choose a favorite poetic line and pair it with a prose statement that expresses the same idea, asking them to compare poetic and prose expression. In Activity 1 students identify graphic elements (capitalization, punctuation, line length) that call attention to particular words or phrases and record lines that exemplify those elements.

Students are given direct definitions of words and phrases (for example, 'turbid' and 'cloying') and explicit explanations of figurative terms including metaphor, simile, idiom, personification, onomatopoeia, and connotation. In reading tasks, students identify similes in 'Dover Beach,' note personification in 'Winter: My Secret,' and determine the tone of Rossetti's 'Sappho.' Activity 2 asks students to consider connotation as they compose a poem using figurative language drawn from their photographs.

Students are given definitions for words such as facade and armistice and a description of how poets use allusion, which asks them to attend to word/phrase meaning and references. Students answer comprehension questions that require identifying mythological and biblical images Yeats alludes to in "The Second Coming," showing practice with recognizing figurative references. Students explain the effect of repeating the line "Still falls the rain," describing how repetition makes the reader think of an unending storm and the constant bombing of London, which analyzes the impact of a repeated phrase on meaning and tone.

Students learn explicit technical meanings for terms (juxtapose, villanelle, elegy) in the 'Things to Know' section. Students analyze punctuation use in poetry excerpts (identifying why a colon or hyphen is used) on the Hyphens, Dashes, and Colons activity pages. Students practice oral interpretation and tone by choosing, memorizing, and reciting a poem with emotion.

Students answer test questions that ask for definitions and applications of figurative and technical terms (e.g., personification, differences between metaphors and similes, and explanation of iambic pentameter). Students complete a vocabulary task requiring them to use advanced words (munificence, mete, azure, turbid, cloying, façade, armistice, juxtapose) in original lines of poetry. Students write two-paragraph analyses of their own poems using guidance from model 'Summary and Explication' and 'Techniques and Devices' sections that identify devices such as repetition, blank verse, imagery, and structure.