Students are directed to read specified poems in R is for Rhyme (E, G, I, M, Q, W) and to choose at least three additional poems, then record titles and examples from those poems. Students complete tasks that require comparing features across multiple poems: identifying three poems that contain quatrains, determining the rhyming pattern for three different poems, and noting meter differences between "Two Chains" and "Bluebird." Students also locate examples of onomatopoeia, alliteration, metaphors/similes, and synonyms from poems across the book and record those examples.

Students read multiple poems about the Northeastern U.S. and Washington, D.C. ("Read poems about the Northeastern U.S. and the Capital"). Students are asked to synthesize impressions across those poems (e.g., Question #4: "After reading the poems in this section, what words come to mind that describe the Northeast?") and to "think about what you learned about the Northeast from reading these poems" in the Wrapping Up. Students also reread two poems to compare end rhymes (Activity 3), showing they work with more than one text on a similar topic.

Students read the section of poems about the Southeast U.S. from My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States. In Activity 1 students label the states, cities, and bodies of water that are mentioned in the poems on a blank map, which requires extracting place information from the poems. The lesson prompts students to answer "What did you learn today about the Southeast region of the U.S.?" and to review and discuss the subjects found in the Southeast poems, which elicits spoken responses about the topic.

Students are asked to read multiple poems in the sections "The Great Lakes States" and "The Plains States" and answer comprehension questions about them. Question #4 asks students to state what they learned about the geography and culture of the Midwest after reading these poems, which requires drawing on information across the set of poems. Activity 3 asks students to record the titles of two quatrain poems and identify their rhyming patterns, which has students locate and compare features across more than one text.

Students read multiple poems in the "Southwest" section of My America and answer comprehension questions that draw on the set (e.g., Question #3 asks what they learned about the culture and geography of the Southwest). Students gather details across poems by listing plants and animals mentioned in the section (Question #4) and by creating a two-column chart of each poem title and its point of view (Activity 2). Students compare figurative language across poems by identifying metaphors in "March in New Mexico" (Activity 1) and noting lines of personification in "Desert" and "Cactus" (Activity 3).

Students read multiple poems grouped under "The Mountain States" and "The Pacific Coast States," exposing them to several texts on the same topic (the West). Students are asked in Question #2, "What did you learn about the culture and geography of the West after reading the poems?", which prompts them to synthesize information from those poems. The introductory prompt asks students to explore poems that reflect culture and geography, focusing attention on cross-text themes.

Students are directed to read multiple biographical web pages about Robert Frost (three links are provided) and to "record ten clues about the man and his life" on the Who Is Robert Frost? page, which requires pulling facts from those sources. Students analyze two Robert Frost poems and complete comparison tasks (questions about setting, person, stanzas) and are asked to use a Venn diagram to compare two poems from different books, which requires drawing information from both texts. The Parent Plan prompts students to discuss what they learned about Frost, reinforcing spoken synthesis of information gathered from the texts.

Students read and analyze multiple poems and passages (for example, "The Red Wheelbarrow," "The Pasture" by Robert Frost, "The Apple," and Jack's "My Yellow Dog"). Question #3 asks students to identify where Jack got the title "YOU COME TOO," requiring them to connect Jack's text to Frost's poem. Question #2 directs students to use the letter "N is for Narrative" in R is for Rhyme to determine whether Jack's poems are narrative, which requires comparing information from that explanatory text with Jack's poems.

Students are asked to visit the library and look through a variety of poetry collections, using R is for Rhyme as a reference, and to record discoveries (title, words, figurative language phrases, and information about poetry types/tools) on the "Book of Poetry" pages. The directions ask students to read books and identify how many types of poems and poetry tools from R is for Rhyme they can find, and to read through the ideas, poems, and tools they discovered during wrapping up.

Students compare Jack's poem "Love That Dog" with Walter Dean Myers's poem "Love That Boy" using a graphic organizer that asks them to record similarities in center boxes and differences in outer boxes. Students are prompted to finish reading the book and read the original poem in the back, then complete the Student Activity Page to note specific shared lines, structure, and thematic similarities. The Parent Plan asks students to share the similarities and differences they found, prompting spoken comparison.

Students read the chapter titled "Nadia Tells of Turtle Love" as part of the reading and questions, exposing them to a narrative about turtles. In Activity 3, students are asked to create a zoo plaque about loggerhead sea turtles and to "use an encyclopedia or the following link" (National Geographic) to find information and include 4–6 important details.

The Parent Plan lists the skill "Connect, compare, and contrast ideas, themes, and issues across text," and the Introducing the Lesson directs students to "briefly discuss some differences between Nadia's voice and Noah's voice." Activity 2 asks students to write three things they notice or learn about Nadia after hearing her story and to fill in the storyline for "Nadia's Story" from Lesson 1, which requires using information from at least two character texts.

Students are directed to "find information on websites or in books" and the parent plan lists the skill "Use multiple sources to locate relevant information." Students are asked to gather information for each point in a provided outline (Option 1) or create an outline from main ideas (Option 2) and then write a rough draft and a final report based on that research. The writing rubric and steps (prewriting, draft, revision, editing, final copy) require students to organize and present researched information in a report.

The Life Application asks students to "Watch Alice in Wonderland, and see if you can make any comparisons between the movie and the party at Julian's house," which prompts students to consult a second text (a film) in relation to the book. Students are asked to write a storyline for "Ethan's Story" and to write a paragraph about a friend, providing opportunities to produce spoken or written responses after considering content. Several activities ask students to find examples in the novel and in "any other book," which could lead students to look across texts for examples (e.g., identify five sentences with linking verbs in the novel or any other book).

Students read multiple folktales ("Star Maiden," "Bess Call," "Drop Star") and complete Activity 2 by recording words and phrases on character webs that describe the three main women characters, requiring comparison across texts. Students research John Chapman using several provided web sources (Activity 4) and then create a bio-poem synthesizing details from those sources. Students also complete Activity 5 by making a Venn diagram that compares the legend of Johnny Appleseed with the real man, which requires integrating information from both the tall tale and biographical texts, and retellings to family provide a speaking component.

Students are asked to read multiple related texts (two Brer Rabbit stories, Anansi tales, and other Southern tales such as "Annie Christmas," "Susanna and Simon," and "Molly Cottontail"). The Parent Plan skills explicitly instruct students to "compare and contrast tales from different cultures by tracing the exploits of one character" and to "develop theories to account for similar tales in diverse cultures (e.g., trickster tales)," which requires using information across texts. Activity 3 provides links to several Anansi stories and Day 2 directs students to read two Brer Rabbit stories, giving students multiple sources on the trickster-tale topic.

Students are asked to read another version of the story of John Henry and "in your journal, record five ways the two versions of the story are different and three ways they are similar," which requires integrating information from multiple texts. The Parent Plan skills explicitly list "Compare and contrast information on the same topic after reading several passages or articles." Students also read multiple Midwest folktales and are prompted to "Review some of the themes your child found in the stories she read," supporting cross-text comparison.

Students read multiple folktales ("Pale-Faced Lightning," "Sister Fox and Brother Coyote," and "Pecos Bill") and are asked to compare trickster tales explicitly in Activity 1 by completing a graphic organizer comparing "Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby" with "Sister Fox and Brother Coyote." Students are asked in Option 2 of Activity 1 to show at least three ways the stories are similar and different, which requires integrating information across texts. Students also outline a new trickster tale (Activity 3) that applies shared themes and settings from the readings and are prompted in the wrap-up to think about what they learned about Southwest culture from the mix of stories.

Students read multiple texts on Western themes, including "Hekeke," "Hiiaka," and "Paul Bunyan," and they answer comprehension questions for each text. Students prepare spoken and written products: they practice retelling a selected legend aloud (Activity 5) and create a book jacket summary for "Paul Bunyan" (Activity 4). Students also explore Hawaiian cultural information (lei-making, volcanoes) and may create a model or lei, which builds background knowledge related to one of the texts.

Students are asked to research Curaçao using books or Internet resources (Activity 2) and then write a paragraph for a travel brochure or complete a Venn diagram and journal entries. Students are directed to find material about World War II from reference sites (Activity 4) and answer specific journal questions about causes, participants, locations, and outcomes. Students are also asked to look online or in other resources to find reasons both the Axis and Allied powers were fighting and to write three goals or missions for each side (Activity 5).

Students are asked to read Chapters 1 and 2 of The Cay and answer comprehension questions in complete sentences, showing use of the novel as a source. Activity 3 explicitly directs students to "Based on the novel and your research on the Caribbean, draw pictures" of imports and exports, which asks students to use the novel plus outside research together. Activity 2 asks students to read first lines in other novels and record examples of effective hooks, requiring students to consult multiple texts about the same writing feature.

Students are asked in the Shark Research activity to "Find information about the shark in books or on websites" and to list three important pieces of information and two related ideas on a web diagram. The Parent Plan and Skills section identify that students will "use mapping and webbing to organize ideas," and the Wrapping Up prompts a discussion asking the child to explain what she learned about sharks.

Students read Chapters 7 and 8 of The Cay (fiction) and are instructed to read the nonfiction book Coral Reef Food Chains (Activity 2). In Activity 3 (SURVIVAL) students are asked to illustrate resources from the coral reef and describe how each resource could be used to help Timothy and Phillip survive, linking information about the reef to the characters' needs. The skills list also lists reading a variety of texts and conducting research using a variety of sources.

Students are asked in Activity 2 to refer to books or websites about coral reefs if they are not sure about an organism, and Option 2 explicitly tells students they may need to research information to decide on groups for a classification chart. Students also are directed to look through the book Coral Reef Food Chains to identify classes of organisms. Students create a chart or organize organisms under vertebrate/invertebrate headings and glue labeled organisms into their classifications.

Students read Chapters 13 and 14 of The Cay, which depict preparing for a hurricane and describe characters' actions and observations. Students also read an informational passage and conduct a hands-on simulation that contrasts hurricanes and tornadoes, providing factual details about storm size, duration, and effects. Students are asked to create a Hurricane Survival Kit (list five items and explain why) and to discuss family preparations, which connects story context to practical hurricane information.

Students read the novel The Cay and are asked to finish the final chapter and complete activities about Phillip and Timothy. Students read or listen to Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and discuss its meaning. Students must write and orally present a eulogy that explicitly requires a description of King's dream and an explanation of how the Phillip/Timothy experience helped accomplish that dream, and the project rubric evaluates the eulogy's relation to King's dream.

Students are directed to use multiple resources (library, online websites listed in Activity 1, and interviews noted in the Parent Plan Skills) to find information about Germany and immigration. Students record facts across five labeled categories on the Student Activity Page and synthesize those findings when they list five things German immigrants should know about America in Activity 2. Students also gather oral family information in Activity 3 and then share what they learned in a spoken wrap-up with a parent or sibling.

Students are asked to "reread some of the author's descriptions and find information in other books or online," and to "locate information in books and online about New York city today and in the late 1800s." They are directed to "record important information and vivid words and phrases" on a chart titled "New York Today and Yesterday." Students must then write poems about New York (today and the late 1800s) that include fact-based information and ideas on how immigration shaped the city, and share those poems orally with an audience, which is reinforced by rubric criteria evaluating research-based notes, inclusion of factual information, and presentation clarity.

Students are directed to "Find information about the Catskill Mountains in New York at the following websites," with four separate web links provided for research. The Parent Plan lists the skill "Use technology as a tool to gather information" and "Present information on graphic organizers," and activities ask students to complete season pages or describe tourist activities in a journal. Activities also ask students to research the author using an official website and complete an "About the Author" activity page.

Students read pages 1–20 of My Side of the Mountain and also read the "Building a Campfire" page (information from smokeybear.com). Students are asked to summarize major points and create a poster that paraphrases and highlights the most important fire-safety rules. The Skills list asks students to quote or paraphrase information sources and to identify and interpret elements of nonfiction by referencing the text to find main ideas.

Students read pages 58–85 of My Side of the Mountain and are explicitly asked in Activity 2 to read Walking with Henry: Based on the Life and Works of Henry David Thoreau. Students are prompted to "think about why Bando would have called Sam 'Thoreau'" and to discuss similarities between Sam and Thoreau. The parent plan asks students to summarize the book they read about Thoreau's life and to place Thoreau's card on a timeline, which requires bringing information from the Thoreau text into other classroom activities.

Students are directed in Activity 1 to find Barbados on an atlas or world map and to read linked web articles (Britannica and Visit Barbados) and take notes in a journal about important things they learn. The student activity page includes a map and the instructions prompt students to review geographic and cultural information and discuss what life would be like on the island. The parent plan asks the student to show and discuss his painting of a Barbados beach, and the wrapping up section asks to review information learned about Barbados.

Students are directed to read about the Connecticut Colony using four separate web links and to take notes in a journal about important things they learn. Students create paintings of the Connecticut coast and complete a "Barbados vs. Connecticut" comparison chart that asks them to record information and contrasts. Discussion prompts ask students to review their chart and discuss how geographic and cultural differences will affect the character Kit, inviting spoken reflection.

Students read Chapters 5 and 6 and answer content questions about the Meeting House and political arguments, providing evidence from the text. Students compare a provided map of the Connecticut Colony with a current map of Connecticut, record three ideas in their journal about how geography and climate affected colonists, and discuss those differences with a parent or teacher. Students read personal narratives aloud and discuss word choices, giving opportunities to speak about events related to the topic.

Students are asked to read an informational page about the Quaker faith and then compare it to the Puritan faith using a Venn diagram (Activity 2). The lesson's Skills statement explicitly tells students to "Compare and contrast information on a topic after reading several passages." Parent/teacher prompts ask students to discuss discoveries, explain which are most important, and consider how differences could lead to disagreements, encouraging spoken integration of ideas.

Students read Chapters 12 and 13 and also read the separate short passage "An Island Bird" on the Student Activity Page. In Activity 2 they are asked to identify a metaphor, judge its effectiveness, and list three ways Kit's time in Wethersfield parallels the Jamaican bird — requiring them to draw comparisons between the passage and Kit's experiences. The Parent Plan lists skills including "Understand the major ideas and supporting evidence in text" and "Draw conclusions or generalizations and support them with textual evidence," which frames tasks that ask students to use evidence from texts.

Students read Chapters 17–18 of the novel and then review a separate activity page titled "Theories for Why the Salem Witch Trials Occurred" that lists multiple explanations. Students are instructed to brainstorm their own reasons before reading the provided explanations, compare their ideas to the list, and then select three reasons and explain their selections on the activity sheet. The activities require students to write explanations for their chosen reasons, linking their prior ideas to the information on the explanatory page.

Students read Chapters 1–3 of The Invention of Hugo Cabret and answer comprehension questions about characters, setting, and events. Students are asked to "spend some time learning about Paris online or in books" and then produce either an acrostic poem or a three-day travel itinerary describing places and why they are important. Students are given links to and instructed to listen to or read interviews with the author, providing additional informational texts related to the book and its context.

Students listen to or read the original Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale and are directed to compare it to a different version or a movie (Activity 2 and parent instructions). Students complete a "Two Versions" graphic organizer that asks them to analyze characters, setting, events, message/moral, and mood/tone across the original and revised versions (Activity 3). Students are also prompted to discuss parallels between Andersen's life and Hugo's in the wrapping-up questions, providing an opportunity to speak knowledgeably about the topic.

Students are instructed to read about Georges Méliès online or in other reference materials and to take notes on note cards, creating around 20 cards with facts and dates. Students are told to reread and put their cards in chronological order and to compare the factual information they collected with the information presented in the book. Parents are prompted to have students share their research note cards and to discuss how the story's information is similar to and different from their research.

Students read Chapters 5-8 of the novel and also listen to or read the myth "Prometheus and the Story of Fire" (Activity 4). Students are asked to retell the myth and to complete the "Two Thieves?" page, which directs them to look back at the book and write about similarities between Hugo and Prometheus, requiring use of information from the novel and the myth. Students also brainstorm about fire (Activity 5) and write about characters' purposes (Activity 3), connecting ideas across texts and activities.

Activity 1 asks students to create a movie poster and write a synopsis based on the book and then compare their ideas to the actual 2011 movie trailer (link provided), which requires students to use information from the book and the trailer. Activity 2 provides a list of recent Caldecott winners and explicit criteria for the award and asks students to evaluate a favorite picture book and record information and reasons it deserves an award, encouraging use of comparison with other books and stated criteria.

Students are instructed to "collect cards for individuals involved in early cinema, detailing their roles using books and the internet," and to "locate the books and websites you will use for your research," which directs them to use multiple texts. They are told to "record important information on note cards" and to write the source name at the top of each card, and the parent plan lists "quote or paraphrase information sources, citing them appropriately." Students must "create an informative card about an actor's early career" and "investigate and explain how automatons operate," which require composing written explanations based on gathered sources and later displaying or sharing their mini-projects with family.

Students read Chapters 1 and 2 of The Ballad of Lucy Whipple and are prompted to research the California Gold Rush using encyclopedias or online resources. The What's the Rush in California activity directs students to answer specific research questions and provides two external web links (History.com and PBS) to consult. The Parent Plan lists skills for students to conduct research, take notes from relevant sources, and frame questions to direct research.

Students are told to use what they learned from the novel and their research on the California Gold Rush and the time period to write the persuasive essay. Students complete graphic organizers and paragraph templates that prompt them to list arguments and supporting evidence and to use examples to support each reason. Students are asked to write a final persuasive essay and to read it aloud, demonstrating knowledge about the topic.

Activity 2 asks students to think of a science fiction book or movie and record examples for the elements of science fiction in ovals, and to fill in evidence from A Wrinkle in Time on a second page as they read. The student activity pages explicitly direct students to provide examples from a book or movie and to record elements of science fiction from A Wrinkle in Time. Parent prompts ask the child to describe the elements recorded for a movie and to record elements from the novel as they read, implying cross-text comparison and discussion.

Students read Chapter 4 of the novel and are told they "may be able to add information to [their] 'Elements of Science Fiction' page from Lesson 1," which prompts linking information across lessons. The lesson's skills list and parent plan ask students to "analyze published examples as models for writing" and to evaluate how well writing achieves its purposes, which implies examining multiple texts or examples. Students also create a Story Map and Protagonist pages, tasks that require using information from the novel to plan writing.

Students read Chapters 8 and 9 of the book and answer comprehension questions about events and ideas in those chapters. In Activity 2, students are instructed to "read about the parts of the brain online or in another reference source," label diagrams of the brain, and include a few words describing each part's function, drawing from that reference. Students also add to an "Elements of Science Fiction" page, connecting features from the primary text to a written organizer.

Students read A Picture Book of Frederick Douglass and information about Douglass in Lincoln: A Photobiography and record important events on note cards (Activity 4). Students are instructed to use the information gathered from the two texts to write a Frederick Douglass biopoem (Activity 5). Students create a Venn diagram comparing Lincoln and Douglass (Activity 6) and read their biopoem aloud to family, demonstrating both written and oral presentation of integrated information.

Students are asked in Activity 1 to list reasons found in the chapter and may include ideas learned from other books, explicitly allowing use of multiple sources. Activities 5–7 require students to develop interview questions, conduct an interview with a Civil War expert (an oral source), and rewrite each question with a summary of the expert's answers. The Parent Plan skills also instruct students to use oral, written, and visual information to research and understand individuals and events related to the Civil War.

Activity 2 asks students to select a historic Lincoln site from the book's "In Lincoln's Footsteps" section, locate a website for that location, and create a flyer highlighting what visitors will find; this requires using information from the book and an external website. Activity 1 has students copy a quote from "A Lincoln Sampler" and answer questions about its meaning and effectiveness, and Activity 3 has students refer to a separate timeline to select six important events in Lincoln's life. The wrapping up instructions tell students to add dates to a separate "Timeline of American History" and to save their train and quote for a final project, implying collection of multiple items of information.

Students gather multiple products they created across the unit (speech, Lincoln assassination newspaper article, interview Q&A, letter from a slave, Frederick Douglass biopoem, train timeline, flyer, portraits) and arrange them into a single tri-fold showcase. Students are instructed to review a rubric that asks whether they included all required products and pictures and to create a title so observers know what the display is about. Students are encouraged to display the showcase publicly (museum or library), implying an opportunity to share their collected information with others.

Students are directed to 'find sources of information' (Step 3), 'take notes' (Step 4), 'write a report' (Step 5), and 'develop a product' to share their learning. The Independent Study Rubric explicitly checks 'using a variety of sources' and creating a bibliography. Parent guidance and special notes instruct students to spend time at the library locating sources and to record what they discover in research.

Students are asked to consider which topics they will be able to locate multiple sources of information on when discussing their brainstormed ideas. The "My Topic" page prompts students to list ways they "may be able to find more information about my topic" and to record specific sources or methods. The KWL chart directs students to record what they learned in the final column "when you finish your research," implying that students will gather information and note new learning from their investigations.

Students are guided to develop three big research questions and identify three supporting details for each question. Students are instructed to use Research Chart pages where they copy a big question, list subtopics across columns, and record notes; the charts include a Bibliography column for listing sources. The lesson tells students they will use these charts to record notes as they do their research, implying they will collect information from sources.

Students are required to locate at least four sources (Activity 3), including at least two print sources, one website, and one non-print source. Students practice note-taking by reading a short lemur article and adding important information from that article and an encyclopedia to a chart (Activity 4). Students record sources and authors in a bibliography column on their Research Chart and create a formal bibliography using provided citation formats (Activity 5 and Bibliography section). The Parent Plan lists skills that include drawing from more than one source when writing a report and analyzing and integrating information from one or more sources.

The Parent Plan skills list explicitly tells students to "draw from more than one source of information when writing a report (e.g., speakers, books, newspapers, other media sources)." Students are instructed to use their "Research Chart" pages as the basis for the outline and to use those charted ideas beneath each Roman numeral when composing body paragraphs. The directions require students to create a thesis that summarizes the report and to build three body paragraphs that synthesize points from their research charts into coherent paragraphs.