Fourth Grade - ELA
1: Interdependence
Unit 1: Little House in the Big Woods
Lesson 1
Introducing the Story
Students examine the book cover and point out clues that indicate the historical setting and add the story start date (1871) and Laura Ingalls Wilder's birth (1867) to a timeline. Students identify the setting by defining the word and researching Wisconsin's vegetation, animals, and temperature, recording plants and animals on a chart. Students recount basic information about the author and her family (older sister Mary, younger sister Carrie) and describe what they learned about the author and the state.
Lesson 2
Little House in the Big Woods
Students are asked to answer specific chapter questions that require describing setting and events (e.g., Question #1 asks what the girl's house was made from and why; Question #3 asks how Laura describes the attic, including its contents). Students complete Activity 1 comparing "Life in the Big Woods" to "Life Today," recording concrete details from each chapter. Students complete the "Natural Resources and Survival" organizer listing resources from the text and describing how the family used them, and are instructed to keep chapter questions in front of them as they read and to answer in a journal.
Lesson 3
Winter Days and Winter Nights
Students are asked to identify specific chores and match them to characters (Ma, Pa, Mary, Laura), requiring them to draw on actions in the text. Students are instructed to reread a specific paragraph (page 4, paragraph 2) and then illustrate Laura's house and list similarities and differences, which requires using textual description of setting. A question asks students what words or phrases the author used to make the panther story exciting, prompting them to cite verbs and descriptive language from the text.
Lesson 4
The Long Rifle
Students read the chapter and orally retell Pa's story about looking for the cows, recounting specific plot events (pretending to be a hunter, it getting dark, hearing a voice, running home, being punished). Students answer an inference question asking "Why do you think Pa made his own bullets?", which requires them to draw on textual context about frontier life and scarcity. Students record differences between life in the Big Woods and life today and practice storytelling techniques that encourage using vivid details, character voices, and actions.
Lesson 5
Christmas
Students are prompted before reading to write three questions and check whether the text answers them, which requires drawing evidence from the chapter. Question #1 asks how the author describes the snow and lists several specific textual details; Question #4 asks why Prince growled, linking action to motive. The Skills section instructs students to identify and discuss similarities and differences in events and characters and to support those discussions by referencing the text, and the wrap-up asks students to explain how gifts reflect the family's environment using evidence from the story.
Lesson 6
Sundays and Two Big Bears
Students answer comprehension questions that require them to explain characters' feelings and events from the chapters (e.g., "Why did Laura and Mary dislike Sundays?" with an answer about having to be very quiet and few activities). Students identify a character detail and its appeal (e.g., Laura's favorite Bible picture of Adam naming the animals and why it appealed to her) and explain the moral of Pa's story. Students describe life in the Big Woods versus life today and write a five-senses poem from Laura's point of view, connecting character perspective to sensory details.
Lesson 7
The Sugar Snow
Students answer comprehension questions that require explanation, such as whether Laura was happy to see the new snow and why, and why Pa calls the sap the "blood of the tree," which asks for interpretation from the text. Students summarize what happened in the chapter and respond to a question about how people in the book are dependent on trees, listing specific uses (building, drying meat, fuel, maple sugar). Students sequence the steps Grandpa took to make maple syrup, ordering events from the text in a logical sequence.
Lesson 8
Dance at Grandpa's
Students are asked in Question #1 to draw a diagram of Grandma's house based on Laura's description, requiring them to use specific textual details about the setting (rooms, fireplace, cookstove, polished floor). The skills list explicitly instructs students to "draw conclusions, make generalizations, and gather support by referencing the text," which directs students to cite text-based evidence. Questions about the role of the extended family and why Laura enjoyed visiting encourage students to refer to events and details in the chapter when answering.
Lesson 9
Going to Town
Students are asked to describe the woods in spring (Question #1), requiring specific text details such as birds singing, green grass, and wildflowers. Question #5 and Activity 3 ask students to identify differences between Laura and Mary and to list five adjectives for each, using details like age, hair color, cleanliness, and manners. The lesson's skills list explicitly includes analyzing characters' traits, feelings, relationships, and changes, and activities ask students to act out how each sister would behave in specific situations.
Lesson 10
Summertime and Harvest
Students read the chapters "Summertime" and "Harvest" and answer questions that ask them to explain setting-related reasons (e.g., why people visited the Big Woods more in summer) and to describe specific events (e.g., what Pa brought home and how he got it). Students identify and compare character behaviors (how Mary played with Eva vs. how Laura played with Clarence; what Charley did in the fields and what happened when he was stung). Students are asked to record the words and phrases the author uses to describe each season and to compare Pa's story about Charley to "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," prompting comparison of characters and events.
Lesson 11
Finishing the Book
Students answer comprehension and inferential questions about events and characters (e.g., questions asking why Pa did not shoot the deer and why Mary and Laura held hands). Students compare settings by completing the "Life in the Big Woods vs. Life Today" activity and are prompted to compare characters in the book to characters in the TV show. The skills list explicitly includes comparing a dramatic performance with a print version of the same story, which asks students to analyze differences between representations.
Unit 2: The Sign of the Beaver
Lesson 1
Background Information
Students are asked to analyze the book cover and predict the story, and Activity 1 directs them to identify the setting (1768 in the woods of Maine), record that year on a timeline, and locate Maine on a U.S. map. The materials prompt students to gather and organize information about Maine's climate, landforms, habitats, plants, animals, and Native American tribes using student activity pages. Activity 3 asks students to depict a settler's homestead (drawing) or write a poem that includes details of the environment and how resources meet needs, and Activity 2 asks students to write a paragraph choosing whether they would have been a settler or a Native American during the period.
Lesson 2
Alone
Students are asked to read Chapters 1–2 and answer chapter questions in a journal, including describing Matt's home and explaining why he was standing in the woods alone, which requires drawing on text details. The Character Timelines activity directs students to record words or phrases that describe each character's feelings, attitudes, or actions as they read, tracking changes over time. Several comprehension questions (e.g., chores Matt did, how he depended on the environment, his greatest fear) prompt students to cite concrete events and actions from the chapters.
Lesson 3
A Stranger
The Character Timelines activity asks students to record words or phrases describing Matt's feelings, attitudes, and actions, prompting them to attend to character details. Question prompts ask students to describe how the author describes Ben and to explain why Matt lied to Ben, requiring students to refer to descriptions and motives in the text. Question #5 asks students to recount what happened when Matt tried to get honey and who saved him and how, asking for specific event details drawn from the chapters.
Lesson 4
A Treaty
Students read Chapter 6 and answer three or four journal questions that ask them to describe characters and events (e.g., "How would you describe Attean?" and "How do you think Attean felt about Matt? What evidence do you have?"). Students complete a Character Timelines activity to record information learned about Attean and Matt. The question that asks for "evidence" prompts students to support their responses from the text.
Lesson 5
A Story
Students are asked to complete Character Timelines for Matt and Attean and to answer comprehension questions (e.g., why Matt prepared for Attean's arrival, why Attean disliked being taught to read, what upset Attean about the captive kneeling) that require referring to events and character motivations in Chapters 7–9. Activity 3 prompts students to write in a journal about why Matt identifies with Robinson Crusoe and why Attean reacts strongly to Friday's portrayal, encouraging comparison of perspectives and citing story connections. Several questions (Q1, Q3, Q5, Q7) require students to reference specific plot details or character actions from the text.
Lesson 6
The Beaver
Students are asked to complete Character Timelines for Matt and Attean and to answer guided comprehension questions (e.g., how Attean fished differently, what Attean told the fish, how the boys' relationship is changing) that require referencing events and actions in Chapters 10–11. The lesson's skills statements direct students to "use text...to verify facts" and to "support [similarities and differences] by referencing the text," and Activity 2 asks students to compare characters/stories using a Venn diagram. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to explain what Matt learned from Attean about the beaver, encouraging students to draw on the reading.
Lesson 7
Real Life Learning
Students are asked to record descriptions of what they learned about Matt and Attean on a "Character Timelines" page, which prompts them to describe characters and events from Chapters 12 and 13. The skills list tells students to "identify and discuss similarities and differences in events, characters, and ideas... and support them by referencing the text," directing students to use textual evidence. Reading questions require students to cite specific actions and events (e.g., how Attean taught Matt to make a bow, why Matt was upset, what they discovered in the woods), prompting attention to characters' actions. Activity 3 asks students to create a "Rules of the Forest" book based on what Matt is learning from Attean, requiring students to draw conclusions from events and actions in the text.
Lesson 8
The Bear
Students read Chapters 14–16 and answer targeted text-based questions that require identifying character actions, feelings, and appearance (e.g., how Matt and Attean killed the bear; why Attean felt bad; how Attean looked different when he returned for the feast). Students create Character Timelines to record information about the two main characters and complete a Cause-and-Effect activity that links characters' words and actions to consequences in the story.
Lesson 9
Attean's Past
Students are asked to answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., describe the Indian village, explain Attean's family history and attitude toward Matt, and identify what Matt found in the trap), which require referencing text details. Students complete "Character Timelines" for Matt and Attean, an activity that requires tracking events and character development over chapters. The Skills section explicitly lists "Support interpretations or conclusions with examples from text," and the Stereotypes activity asks students to explain how characters break stereotypes using examples from the book and to describe a stereotype they have observed.
Lesson 10
Manitou
Students are asked to answer focused comprehension questions that require drawing on text details (e.g., Question #1: "How have Attean's grandmother's feelings toward Matt changed? How do you know?"). Students complete a "Values" activity in which they record three values for each character and describe what the character did or said to demonstrate each value, requiring use of specific words/actions from the text. Students fill out a "Character Timelines" page and answer event-focused questions (e.g., Attean's journey to find his manitou), which ask them to describe events and character responses across chapters.
Lesson 11
A Choice
The Skills section asks students to "Analyze characters, including their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes" and to "Support interpretations or conclusions with examples from text." Question 1 asks students to describe how Attean looked different after a specific event, and several other questions require students to explain characters' motivations and actions using story details. Activities ask students to add to Character Timelines and to develop and answer interview questions that must "relate to what has happened in the story," which requires drawing on textual evidence.
Lesson 12
Persuasive Writing
The lesson asks students to consider the question, "How are Matt and Attean dependent on each other?" and to record advantages of Matt going with Attean or staying at the cabin (Activity 1). Students must write a persuasive letter that includes three reasons and "support for each reason" (Activity 2), and the rubric explicitly asks "Do you provide support for all three reasons?" indicating students must back up their claims.
Lesson 13
The Return
Students are asked to complete a Character Timelines entry and to fill in a Story Elements page that labels setting, theme, characters, problem, and resolution. Students answer targeted reading questions that require citing specific events and actions from the text (e.g., how Matt prepared for winter, how he made warm clothing, what gifts he made, and how snowshoes helped him). The Solving Problems activity asks students to describe how Matt solved specific problems using resources and advice from Attean and to provide alternative solutions based on story details.
Final Project
The Sign of the Beaver Movie
Students are asked to write a movie synopsis and use a rubric that specifically asks whether the synopsis "accurately describe[s] the setting" and "accurately describe[s] the main characters." Students write a script for a scene between Attean and Matt, producing dialogue that requires them to represent character interaction. Students design costumes (with prompts referencing specific pages) and design a set that requires them to depict the scene location and props, which engages them in describing setting and character appearance based on the book.
Unit 3: Native American Animal Stories
Lesson 1
Myths, Legends, and Folktales
Students are asked to read myths and folktales from their library and to retell stories after listening to or reading them, which engages them with characters, settings, and events. Students complete an "Elements of Culture" chart where they identify story details such as Transportation, Housing, Food, Activities/Entertainment, Religion, and Customs, tying story content to specific cultural and setting elements. Students are prompted to discuss what they can learn about the culture from each story and to name examples of myths, legends, and folktales, which requires attending to story details.
Lesson 2
People and Animal Stories
Students complete a story map with sections for main characters, setting, problem, events, resolution, and ending, which prompts identification and description of story elements. Guided comprehension questions ask students to explain how characters felt and acted (e.g., how the woman felt about frogs, how the dogs protected the hunter, why the boy did not listen to his family). Activity 6 has students select an animal character and write five human characteristics, and Activity 7 asks students to record why each animal was important and what people learned, requiring analysis of character roles and effects.
Lesson 3
The Natural World
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that require describing characters and events (e.g., "How would you describe Possum?"; "What made Elder Brother sad?"; questions about what items Elder Brother placed in his bag and why he took songs away). Students retell the butterfly story using props and list problem-and-solution pairs for each myth in a journal (Activity 3 and Activity 7). Several short-answer items require students to identify actions of characters and sequence events (e.g., which animals received the poison and how they warned people).
Lesson 4
Survival Stories
The lesson's skill list explicitly asks students to "Locate information from text for specific purposes" and to "Make inferences and draw conclusions based on events in the story," and students are instructed to answer guided comprehension questions in their journals. Several story question prompts require descriptive responses (e.g., "Describe the relationship between the Kiowa Indians and the buffalo," "What was the man's problem? Why would this be a big problem in Native American culture?"). Activities ask students to write sentences describing an animal's role in a survival story and to fill an "Elements of Culture" chart based on the myths they read.
Lesson 5
Legends from Other Cultures
Students answer specific comprehension questions (Questions #1–#4) that ask them to identify characters (Polo, Ntambo, Kalulu), describe events (what Polo discovered and his solution; how Kalulu tricked the animals), and state the lesson Kalulu learned. Activity 1 asks students to describe the lesson Kalulu learned and to generate lessons from other animals, drawing connections between animal actions and human lessons. The Pan Gu activity has students record and illustrate what each object in the story becomes, and the Creation Stories double-bubble map asks students to compare details from Pan Gu and a Native American creation story. The Brazilian story questions ask students to describe the character Uaica and summarize the story using text details.
2: Force and Power
Unit 1: Ben and Me
Lesson 1
Ben Franklin and the Colonies
Activity 2 (Elements of Historical Fiction) asks students to think about a historical fiction novel they have read and to fill in examples of characters, setting, plot, theme, and descriptions from that book. Activity 1 prompts students to locate information and write descriptions about Ben Franklin's appearance and personality. Activity 6 asks students to compare Philadelphia yesterday and today and to write a poem that contrasts historical and modern settings.
Lesson 2
Setting the Record Straight
Students are asked to read Chapters 1 and 2 and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., Why did Amos decide to write his account?; How would you describe the family in which Amos grew up?; Where did Amos sleep when he met Ben Franklin?). The Fact and Fiction activity directs students to record a factual and a fictional event from each chapter, and the vocabulary activity has students copy a sentence from the book for each unfamiliar word. These tasks require students to locate and refer to specific text passages and events.
Lesson 3
Swimming
Students read Chapters 3 and 4 and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., what agreement Amos and Ben made, how Ben modified his hat, why Amos disliked Ben's swimming), which requires recalling specific details from the text. Activity 2 directs students to copy the author's sentences that describe the hat, circle the adjectives used, and then illustrate and label the hat based on those textual descriptions. Students are also asked to record factual and fictional events from each chapter and to reflect on the personalities of Ben and Amos, encouraging use of text-based details.
Lesson 4
Electricity
Students read Chapters 5 and 6 and answer specific comprehension questions about characters and events (e.g., why Ben was interested in printing, what Amos did while the almanac was printing, how Franklin calmed the mob, what happened to the governor). Question #7 asks students to infer how Ben would finish an interrupted sentence, prompting them to consider a character's thought. Activities ask students to summarize events verbally and to record factual and fictional events from each chapter, and the skills list includes responding to stories in ways that reflect understanding and interpretation.
Lesson 5
Electrifying
Students read Chapters 7 and 8 and answer targeted journal questions that require recall from the text. Question 1 asks what Ben told Amos he was wondering about, prompting students to identify a character's words/thoughts. Questions 3 and 5 ask students to describe events (what happened when lightning struck; what happened to Amos), which require students to cite specific actions from the story. The Fact and Fiction activity requires students to record a factual and a fictional event from each chapter, encouraging attention to text details.
Lesson 7
France
Students are asked to answer comprehension questions after reading Chapters 11 and 12, including "How did the French feel about Ben Franklin? How do you know?" which prompts students to cite textual support. Another question asks "How does Amos describe the mice from the different countries?" which requires students to draw on specific descriptive details from the text. In Activity 2 students describe the force Amos was enlisting and write a step-by-step plan for the rescue, applying details about events and characters to create their plan.
Lesson 8
Amos's Account
Students are asked to list ten facts about a chosen Ben Franklin event and five thoughts, opinions, and feelings Amos would have had, which requires gathering and recording text-based information. Students are prompted to read a short biography or review information from Lesson 1, providing sources to draw from. Students must write a three-paragraph, first-person account that describes the event and Amos's feelings and opinions, and the rubric checks for inclusion of factual information, ideas and feelings from Amos's point of view, and vocabulary from the story.
Lesson 9
The Rescue
Students complete the "Ben and Amos Bags" organizer by listing characteristics (likes, dislikes, appearance, uses of power, personality) for both Amos and Ben Franklin and decorate bags with items that represent each character. Students answer guided questions about Chapters 13–14 (e.g., how the mice planned to get into Versailles, what happened when the mice scampered from Ben's clothing, whether Amos proved he had vision) and provide journal responses or discussion. The skills section directs students to make inferences, draw conclusions about characters and events, and identify similarities and differences among characters.
Lesson 10
Back Home
Students are asked to list a factual and fictional detail from the chapter and to summarize main events, which requires identifying details from the text. On the "Ben's Maxims" page, students must locate each maxim in the book in context and provide an interpretation, requiring them to find and use specific lines. On the "Elements of Historical Fiction" page, students fill in examples of characters, settings, and events from the book that support each element, prompting them to cite textual examples.
Final Project
An Interview or Party for Ben
The materials ask students to write ten interview questions about Ben Franklin and answer them "according to what [they] know about Ben Franklin and the event," and to act out the interview as Ben. The Skills list explicitly includes "Draw conclusions, make generalizations, and gather support by referencing the text," and students must write two of Ben's maxims and explain their importance. The birthday-card option asks students to thank Ben for ways he used his power and intelligence, which directs students to reference his accomplishments and actions.
Unit 2: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Lesson 1
The Professor's House
The lesson asks students to read Chapters 1–2 and answer targeted questions such as "How would you describe Edmund?," "What happened when Lucy went inside the wardrobe?," and questions about Mr. Tumnus's actions and motivations (Questions 2–9). Activity 1 asks students to describe a battle between good and evil from a novel or movie and to illustrate a scene that demonstrates the struggle for power. The wrapping up step asks students to summarize events from the reading and discuss the genre, prompting textual recall and interpretation.
Lesson 2
Edmund Discovers Narnia
The lesson asks students to describe setting and characters (Skills: Describe the setting of a book; Wrapping Up: Ask your child to describe the characters of Edmund and the White Witch). The chapter questions require students to recount events and character actions (e.g., what happened when Lucy returned, how Edmund treated Lucy, the queen's attitude and change in tone, the enchanted Turkish Delight). Activity 1 has students use the book map to identify and describe geographical setting, and Activity 3 directs students to record chapter-by-chapter examples of the struggle between good and evil, tying events and character behavior to specific chapters.
Lesson 3
Always Winter and Never Christmas
Multiple comprehension questions ask students to describe characters, settings, and events using text details (e.g., Q1 asks why Edmund lied; Q5 asks whether the woman is a queen or a witch and how the student knows; Q7 asks students to describe the encounter with the robin). Activity 1 asks students to list and illustrate examples of good vs. evil from the chapters, tying moral characterization to textual events. The Professor's quoted logical reasoning and Q2 (how the Professor responded) prompt students to reference characters' words and actions as evidence.
Lesson 4
The Lion
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that ask them to describe characters' feelings and thoughts (e.g., What did each child feel upon hearing the name of Aslan?; What thoughts ran through Edmund's head?). Students describe characters and settings (e.g., How would you describe Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and their home?) and recount events (e.g., What happened to Edmund?). Students record words and phrases that describe a lion in a separate myth and complete a Venn diagram comparing that lion to Aslan, using those textual descriptors.
Lesson 5
A Disappointment
Students answer targeted comprehension questions about character motivations and actions (e.g., Question 1 asks why Edmund fled and Question 4 asks what Edmund did to the stone lion). Students record examples of good vs. evil from the chapters and complete a Villains activity that asks them to describe the White Witch's appearance, actions, and how she uses her power, and to list and describe other villains. Students are asked to describe the White Witch's castle and recall specific events and gifts from the text in the Wrapping Up and journal activities.
Lesson 7
Spring
Students are asked to analyze characters and events through guided reading questions (e.g., Question 1 asks how the White Witch treats Edmund, Question 4 asks how the environment changes and what Edmund hears, Question 6 asks how the author describes the pavilion). The Skills section explicitly instructs students to "Analyze characters, including their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes." Activities require students to record examples of good vs. evil from the chapters, discuss what makes Aslan a hero with examples of heroic deeds, and describe how Edmund and Narnia are changing in written journal responses.
Lesson 8
Deep Magic
Students are prompted to describe Aslan and to answer comprehension questions about events (e.g., why the witch killed Aslan, how Edmund was rescued), requiring them to refer to plot actions. In the Imagery activity, students record words and phrases from the chapter that appeal to the senses, explicitly drawing language from the text. In the Four Siblings activity and the final wrap-up, students list descriptive words/phrases for characters and describe what Aslan endured and why he allowed it, connecting character description to specific events and actions.
Lesson 9
Back to Life
Students are asked to summarize what Lucy and Susan observed when they followed Aslan and to answer focused, text-based comprehension questions (e.g., What did Aslan do to the stone creatures? What happened to Aslan in the morning?), which require citing events and actions from Chapters 15–16. Activity 2 asks students to describe three ways Aslan resembles a Christ-like figure using a provided list of traits (healing, sacrificing, coming back to life) and any other similarities they notice. Activity 1 and the journal prompts ask students to record examples of good vs. evil from the chapters, encouraging them to connect events and character actions across the text.
Lesson 10
Back Through the Wardrobe
The lesson asks students to answer specific comprehension questions about characters and events (e.g., Question 1 asks what bravery Edmund showed in the battle, Question 6 asks what type of adult each child grew up to be). Several prompts require students to give reasons (e.g., Why do you think Mr. Beaver said that Aslan was wild, not tame? Do you think Lucy and Susan should have told Edmund... Why or why not?). Activity 1 asks students to describe and illustrate a new route and to act out the situation as one of the siblings, and Activity 2 asks students to compare the book and movie and explain similarities or differences in characters and setting.
Final Project
Narnia Think-Tac-Toe
Students are asked to write journal entries as characters (one while lost and one after return) and to 'pretend that you are Edmund' and reflect on reputation, which requires adopting a character's perspective. The Think-Tac-Toe also asks students to design character-representative crowns and flags and to write six text messages between main characters, tasks that require attention to characters' traits and interactions. The skills list explicitly includes making inferences and drawing conclusions about characters and events and having students summarize the book before presentation.
Unit 3: The BFG
Lesson 1
In the Middle of the Night
Students read the List of Characters and the first two chapters and then answer guided journal questions that require text-based support (e.g., Question #1 asks, "Where do you think Sophie lives? What clues from the text support your guess?"). Students identify author language and details in Question #4 ("What words and phrases does the author use to describe the giant?") and recount actions in Question #5 ("What did the giant do? Why would the giant do this?"). Multiple questions (Q2, Q6, Q7) ask students to describe settings, characters, or events using details from the chapters.
Lesson 2
Snatched
Students read two chapters of The BFG and answer targeted comprehension questions that ask what happened to Sophie, how she felt, whether the giant is powerful, and how the author describes the environment (Question #5 quotes the setting description). In Activity 1 (both options) students are instructed to copy or use the author's description of the giant's setting and to illustrate it, and to write their own description of a setting suitable for giants. Activity 2 has students locate London on a map and gather information about that real setting, recording details under labeled categories (Location, Language, People, Homes, Buildings, etc.).
Lesson 3
The BFG
Students read the chapters "The BFG" and "The Giants" and answer targeted comprehension questions asking what Sophie learns about the other giants (Q1), how the giants use size and power and how the BFG is different (Q3), why the BFG took Sophie (Q4), and why he felt unable to stop the giants (Q7). The Quotable Quotes activity requires students to identify and record exact quotes from Sophie and the BFG for each chapter, and the journal/discussion prompts ask students to explain differences between the BFG and the other giants and reason about his choices.
Lesson 4
Ears and Snozzcumbers
The lesson asks the child to describe the BFG (Wrapping Up) and to compare how he is different from other giants (Introduction), prompting character description. The "Quotable Quotes" activity has students identify and record a quote from Sophie and a quote from the BFG, which requires using the character's words as textual evidence. Multiple guided questions (e.g., Why did the BFG cry? How does the BFG use his power?) require students to draw facts and motivations from the chapters they read. The Skills section explicitly lists using text to verify facts and identifying similarities and differences in characters and events.
Lesson 5
Time with the BFG
Students are asked to identify and record Quotable Quotes from Sophie and the BFG, which requires selecting specific lines from the text. Reading questions ask students to explain events and character behavior (e.g., how the BFG got the Bloodbottler to eat the snozzcumber and differences between the giants), prompting use of character actions and words. Activity 2 directs students to compare the BFG and the Bloodbottler across appearance, personality, and power, listing similarities and differences, and the skills list explicitly includes making inferences and drawing conclusions about characters.
Lesson 6
Catching People and Dreams
Students answer specific comprehension questions about characters and events (e.g., how the giants catch people, how they avoid an outcry, what upset the BFG) that require drawing on text details. Students identify quotable quotes from Sophie and the BFG, recording the characters' exact words. Students describe how the BFG captures dreams in writing and complete an activity that asks them to read a passage and describe a new giant's methods, linking their description to the text.
Lesson 7
A Nightmare for Fleshlumpeater
Students are asked to complete a "Quotable Quotes" activity in which they identify and record direct quotes from Sophie and the BFG, requiring them to locate words and dialogue in the text. Several journal questions ask students to explain beliefs and actions (e.g., "What does the BFG believe is the problem that humans have? Do you think that this is true? Why or why not?"), prompting students to use textual details to support their answers. Comparison questions (e.g., "How is the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk similar to and different from the giants in the BFG?" and "Who is more powerful, the giant or Jack? How do you know?") require students to cite specifics from two texts to justify their analyses.
Lesson 8
A Dreamy Plan
Students are asked to describe Sophie's plan (Question #3) and to evaluate whether it will work, which requires recounting an event and its specific elements (mixing a dream that places Sophie on the queen's windowsill). Students answer how Sophie convinced the BFG (Question #4) and what kind of dream the BFG mixed (Question #5), drawing on plot details and character actions. Activity 1 directs students to identify and record quotes from Sophie and the BFG, requiring them to locate and use specific words from the text.
Lesson 9
The Palace
Students are asked to identify and record quotes from Sophie and the BFG (Activity 1), which requires citing characters' words. The lesson's skills list includes analyzing characters (traits, feelings, relationships, changes) and identifying the importance of setting, prompting students to work with character and setting details. Reading questions (e.g., why no one could see the BFG) and the Cause and Effect activities ask students to link characters' actions to plot outcomes, which requires using actions from the text as evidence.
Lesson 10
A Breakfast Fit for a Queen
Students brainstorm adjectives that describe the queen based on her actions, attitude, thoughts, words, and interactions and then select five adjectives to record on the activity page. For each adjective students must support it with at least one example from the text showing how the queen displays that trait. Students write responses in their journal, answer chapter questions about the queen's reactions and motivations, and identify quotable dialogue from characters. The activity also asks students to compare themselves to the queen and to role-play responses as the queen, reinforcing use of textual details to characterize her.
Lesson 11
Fighting Giants
Several comprehension questions (for example #4, #5, #6, and #7) ask students to state what characters did and how actions led to outcomes, which requires referring to specific events in the chapters. Activity 1 asks students to identify and record direct quotes from Sophie and the BFG, requiring students to locate textual evidence. The journal prompt to answer three or four questions asks students to write responses based on the assigned chapters.
Lesson 12
Snozzcumbers
Students collect and record direct quotations from the BFG and Sophie in the "Quotable Quotes" activity. Students complete a theme graphic organizer that directs them to record events, quotes, and characters' actions to support each theme. Students answer interpretive journal questions (e.g., the queen's remark about the BFG, whether the BFG had more power) and justify casting choices in the "Directing the BFG" activity, which asks for reasons tied to character traits.
Final Project
Recipe for a Dream or Newspaper Report
The introduction tells students this final project wraps up the novel The BFG, linking the task explicitly to that text. The London Times option directs students to "write a detailed description of the event in three paragraphs" including what happened to the disappeared children, how the Queen found out and responded, and "how the Queen, BFG, and Sophie used their power." The directions require an "interview with the BFG using three quotes that reflect his speech," and the rubric explicitly requires inclusion of at least three of the giant's quotes.
3: Similarities and Differences
Unit 1: Stories from Africa and Asia
Lesson 2
Meeting Precious
Students are asked to describe the setting in Question #1 by explaining how the narrator describes Botswana (wide plains, hills like islands, high empty sky), which targets describing setting using text details. Questions #2 and #4 require students to recount a specific event and character traits (how Precious's father's hat saved him; Precious's detective skills such as watching carefully, curiosity, and asking questions), which asks students to draw on incidents and actions from the text. Activity 3 and the Wrapping Up prompt students to compare Precious's life and personality with their own, encouraging analysis of character across chapters.
Lesson 3
The Surprise
Multiple comprehension questions ask students to describe characters and support answers with text details (e.g., Question #1 asks how Precious responded to Teb and Pontsho's home, why she responded that way, and what that reveals about her). Question #3 and Question #4 ask students to identify specific, text-based details about Kosi's appearance and actions (standing on hind legs, sniffing, diet) and to distinguish fictional traits from those shown by his actions. Activity 1 prompts students to record similarities and differences with Precious based on what they learned in the chapters, requiring use of textual information to support their comparisons.
Lesson 4
A Missing Cow
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that ask them to identify events (what Pontsho brought, what happened when Kosi escaped) and to explain characters' reactions (how the principal normally reacted and why he reacted differently), requiring drawing on details from the chapters. Students complete a "Precious and Me" chart in which they describe similarities and differences between themselves and the character Precious, prompting them to describe a character using textual traits. Students write a script for the scene where Pontsho brings Kosi to school, composing dialogue and stage directions that recreate characters' words and actions from the text.
Lesson 5
A Good Idea
Students read Chapters 7 and 8 and answer specific comprehension questions that ask them to recount events and character actions (e.g., where the cows' tracks ended, Precious's idea, how the men reacted). Students complete a "Precious and Me" chart that asks them to describe ways their life and personality are similar to and different from Precious's. Students discuss the moment the children found the herd and write a paragraph about a similar challenging situation, connecting their experience to the characters' problem-solving.
Lesson 6
African Bush Diorama
Students are prompted by the Book Report Rubric to describe the main characters and the setting and to summarize the main events (plot). Students use the Organizing My Report pages that require Paragraph 1 to address characters and setting and Paragraph 2 to address plot, and Paragraph 3 to compare Precious's life with that of a child in the United States. Students are asked to use descriptions of the book's setting to design the diorama, which reinforces locating setting details in the text.
Lesson 8
Peace Day
Students are asked to read the prologue and the first two chapters and to answer three or four comprehension questions in a journal, including "Describe Sadako" (Question #4) and "What did the family do on Peace Day?" (Question #5). The vocabulary activity requires students to record the sentence from the book that contains each Japanese word. The wrapping-up prompt asks students to describe Sadako's family and what they learned about Japanese culture in the first two chapters.
Lesson 9
The Secret is Out
Students are asked to analyze characters as a listed skill: "Analyze characters, including their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes." Students answer targeted comprehension questions in a journal (e.g., What special talent did Sadako have? How did Sadako feel on the day of the race? How did her parents learn her secret?), which require them to identify character traits, feelings, and events from the text. Students complete activities that compare their lives with Sadako's (Venn diagram or chart) and explain Sadako's secret and how her family learned it, prompting use of text details to describe character and events.
Lesson 10
Kenji
Students answer targeted comprehension questions (Q1–Q7) that ask about a character's feelings, actions, background, and relationships (e.g., what Sadako did to stay busy, how Kenji and Sadako are similar/different). The skills section directs students to "identify and discuss similarities and differences in events, characters... and support them by referencing the text." The wrap-up asks students to summarize events and reflect on Sadako's situation and her family's response, prompting text-based description and analysis.
Lesson 11
O Bon
Students read chapters aloud and answer specific comprehension questions that ask them to identify how the author describes the weather, what Sadako's mother brought, and how the family celebrated O Bon. Students record cultural information on a "Japanese Cultural Elements" chart and choose journal or song options that require them to write from the perspective of an American child and a Japanese child after O Bon. Students complete verb-tense exercises using sentences about Sadako and the family's actions, which requires attention to actions described in the text.
Lesson 12
Racing the Wind
Students are asked to answer journal questions after reading "Racing the Wind," including questions that probe a character's internal thoughts (e.g., "What did Sadako keep thinking about? Why do you think she couldn't stop?") and a question about Sadako's final words and the author's choice to end the story that way. After the Epilogue students answer questions about specific events (e.g., classmates making 350 cranes, building a monument) that require recalling textual details. The instructions direct students to write responses in a journal and discuss remaining questions, providing written and oral opportunities to respond to the text.
Lesson 13
Precious and Sadako
Students are asked to record a character description, a character's quote, a character's action, a phrase another character uses, and two personality traits for both Precious and Sadako (Activity 1), which requires drawing on specific text details. Students are prompted to explain three or four important events in each story and may write a first-person letter from one character to another describing an important event, its circumstances, and how the character felt (Activity 3 Option 2). Skills and definitions explicitly reference characterization developed through descriptions, thoughts, feelings, actions, and quotes and instruct students to gather support by referencing the text.
Unit 2: Holes
Lesson 2
Camp Green Lake
Students read Chapters 1–4 and answer guided comprehension questions that ask them to describe the setting (Q2: How does the author describe Camp Green Lake?) and characterize people (Q7: How would you describe Mr. Sir?). Activity 4, "The Happy Campers," directs students to record things they learn about each boy and to illustrate each boy's physical appearance, prompting focused character observation. The wrapping-up prompts ask students to describe what they learned about Camp Green Lake and what they think about the main character.
Lesson 3
Digging
Students read Chapters 5–7 and answer targeted comprehension and inference questions (e.g., describe Mr. Pendanski; explain what Stanley told the boys versus what actually happened; how Stanley felt after digging his first hole). The Skills section explicitly lists "Make inferences and draw conclusions about characters." Students record information about the boys on the "Happy Campers" pages and complete a "Nicknames" activity linking character names to their nicknames. Wrapping Up asks students to state what they learned about Stanley and Camp Green Lake, prompting description of characters and setting.
Lesson 4
Caveman
Students are asked to analyze characters (skills list: "Analyze characters, including their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes") and answer targeted questions about characters and roles (e.g., asking who the Warden and Mr. Pendanski are, Q3 about Stanley's nickname and why, Q5 about X-Ray's leadership, Q8 about liking Mr. Pendanski). Activity 1 directs students to record information about the boys, and Activity 3 asks students to write a response in role as a camper, which requires using information about characters and their situations.
Lesson 5
KB
The lesson explicitly lists the skill "Analyze characters, including their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes" and instructs students to read Chapters 13–16 and answer journal questions about events and characters. Guided questions ask students to describe the Warden (Q2), infer what the Warden is looking for (Q3), explain Stanley's predicament (Q6), and interpret what Zero's reaction reveals about his background (Q7). The activities prompt students to record information on a "Happy Campers" page and to identify and explain ironic statements from the book, encouraging textual reflection and discussion.
Lesson 6
Sunflower Seeds
Students are asked to summarize Chapters 17–20 and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., why the Warden poked Armpit, what Zigzag did to Stanley, what Stanley learned about Zero), which require referencing events and character actions. Activity 1 directs students to record information learned about characters on the "Happy Campers" pages. The Wrapping Up prompts students to describe how Camp Green Lake is changing Stanley and to discuss the irony that his heart is hardening, explicitly asking for interpretation of a character's internal change.
Lesson 7
Zero
Students are asked to identify and describe characters (Activity 1: record information about characters on the "Happy Campers" pages; Question #7 asks how the author describes Miss Katherine Barlow). Students locate and use the author's description of Green Lake to produce two drawings (Activity 3 asks the child to "find the author's description" and draw Green Lake then and now). Students answer comprehension questions that require noting characters' actions and abilities (Question #1: Zero dug Stanley's hole; Question #3: Zero is good at math and Stanley infers this from Zero's behavior).
Lesson 8
Sam the Onion Man
Students answer targeted journal questions after reading Chapters 25–28 that ask them to identify who Sam was, what he did for Kate, how Sam and Kate felt about each other, how the town treated them, and what events occurred (e.g., school burning, Sam being shot). Students are asked to summarize the story and consider characters' point of view, and the lesson lists skills including drawing conclusions and gathering support by referencing the text. Students complete discussion and short-answer tasks that require referencing specific actions and events from the text.
Lesson 9
Driving a Truck
Students are asked to answer comprehension questions about characters and events (e.g., "What happened between Stanley, Zigzag, and Zero?" and "What did Zero do to Mr. Pendanski? Why did he do it?"), which requires recalling character actions. Activity 2 offers a Character Comparisons graphic organizer where students write similarities and differences among five characters and may note shared experiences or traits. The Happy Campers pages and the Wanted Poster option prompt students to record information about and describe characters such as the Warden, Mr. Sir, Stanley, and Zero.
Lesson 10
The Mary Lou
Students read Chapters 33–36 and are asked to answer three chapter questions in a journal, choosing which to answer. The provided questions ask about character actions and motivations (e.g., why Stanley looked in every hole, how Zero survived, why Zero would rather die), and the wrapping-up prompt asks the student to describe what happens to Stanley as he leaves to find Zero. Students are also asked to read aloud a chapter with expression, which engages close reading of the text.
Lesson 11
The Thumb of God
Multiple comprehension questions ask students to identify and explain events and character actions (e.g., questions about what Stanley found under his feet, what Zero told Stanley, why Zero was arrested, and why Zero waited to tell the truth). Activity 3 asks students to compare Kate and Sam's story with Stanley and Zero's story by listing specific similarities and differences (Venn diagram or alternate record of at least three similarities and four differences). The wrap-up prompts ask students to explain what Stanley learned about Zero and what they would have done in Stanley's position, prompting students to use story details in explanations.
Lesson 12
Treasure and Lizards
Students are asked to summarize chapters and answer comprehension questions such as "How had Stanley's feelings about himself changed? Why do you think they changed?", prompting them to describe a character and explain reasons. Activity 1 ('Conflict in Holes') directs students to choose three types of conflict from the novel, describe each conflict from the book, and illustrate it; the Student Activity Page provides space for written descriptions. Several reading questions ask students to explain events (e.g., what happened to Zero's mother, why the Warden didn't take the suitcase), which requires recalling and describing story events.
Lesson 13
Innocent
Students answer comprehension questions that ask them to explain characters' motives and events (e.g., why the Warden decided not to shoot Stanley and Zero, why lizards did not bite them). Students sequence events and identify the problem, climax, and solution for two interwoven plots in the Multiple Story Plots activity. Students compare character development and plot differences between the book and the movie and predict the ending and identify irony in the final chapters.
Final Project
Welcome to Camp
Students are asked to write two paragraphs that describe a camp's geography, sleeping and eating quarters, and staff, which requires in-depth description of a setting. Students are asked to describe how their camp differs from Camp Green Lake and to note specific features such as the Camp Green Lake uniform, prompting comparison to a literary setting. Students also create detailed artifacts (uniform design, welcome pack, exercise routine) that require elaboration of setting and routines.
Unit 3: Stories from Europe
Lesson 2
Fiona's Luck
Students are asked directly: "How would you describe Fiona? What evidence from the story supports your opinion of Fiona?", which prompts them to describe a character and cite textual evidence. The Story Elements activity has students record and describe characters, setting, plot, conflict, resolution, and theme and asks for a verbal summary and descriptions of those elements. The Fact and Fantasy activity asks students to list factual story details versus fantasy details, which requires identifying specific details in the text about setting and events.
Lesson 3
The Sea King's Daughter
The lesson asks students to answer comprehension questions (e.g., Q2: "How do you know he felt this way?") that require citing reasons from the text. The Skills list explicitly includes "Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text." Activity 3 provides a Story Elements organizer where students identify characters, setting, conflict, resolution, and theme, and Activity 2 has students sort factual story details from fantasy using text-based examples.
Lesson 4
The Snow Queen
Students are asked to identify story elements (Characters, Setting, Theme, Conflict, Resolution) on the "The Snow Queen Story Elements" page and to fill those sections with information from the text. Day 4 Question #1 asks students to describe the robber girl when Gerda first meets her and to explain how Gerda's perception changes, citing the robber girl's action of setting the reindeer free. Activity 6 directs students to select a scene and create a script, requiring them to take the most important words spoken between characters and preserve the characters' interactions.
Lesson 5
Comparing and Contrasting Stories
Students are asked to identify point of view in each story and label the point of view found in The Snow Queen, which requires them to refer to text passages. Students must choose events from a story and retell them in 8–10 first-person sentences as the main character, practicing rephrasing events from a character's perspective. Students complete a "Comparing Story Elements" page in which they list similarities and differences and explain which stories are most similar or different, requiring them to refer to story elements (characters, setting, plot).
Final Project
Writing Your Own Story
Students are asked to develop characters by naming them, listing five adjectives for each, and writing three sentences that explain each character's role. Students must illustrate and write descriptive words and phrases about a specific setting on the Setting page. The Plot Organizer and Rough Draft pages require students to describe beginning, conflict, events, and resolution, and the Story Checklist asks that characters' actions help reinforce the theme.
4: Exploration and Survival
Unit 1: Abel's Island
Lesson 1
Survival
Activity 2 asks students to read the book and look for the names of river plants and animals found in the story, directing them to identify setting details. Activity 3 instructs students to list ways river resources are used for survival and to add examples of how the main character uses river resources to a chart, tying actions in the text to survival uses. Activity 4 asks students to list things they would miss and then compare their list to things Abel says he misses, prompting students to reference the character's statements.
Lesson 2
The Storm
Students are asked to describe Abel's personality directly (Question #2) and to describe setting and events such as the weather (Question #3), the shelter (Question #4), and the boat he held onto (Question #7). Students complete a "Using Natural Resources" chart that requires them to record which natural resources Abel uses and how he uses them, tying observations to specific chapters. The skills list and activities ask students to support interpretations with examples drawn from text and to make inferences and predictions based on provided passages, prompting use of textual details.
Lesson 3
Where Am I?
Students answer targeted comprehension questions (Questions #1–#7) that ask about Abel's location, worries, actions (e.g., carving a rudder, eating bark), and how he adapts to the setting. Question #8 explicitly asks students to "support interpretations or conclusions with examples drawn from text." Activities require students to fill a chart using information from Chapters 3 and 4, describe the boats Abel built (resources used and outcomes), and summarize what happened to Abel, all of which require locating and using specific textual details.
Lesson 4
Who Is Abel?
Students are asked in Activity 2 ("Who Is Abel?") to provide evidence from the story that supports character traits and to record words and phrases describing Abel's physical appearance and personality with corresponding evidence from the text. The Skills list explicitly includes "Analyze characters, including their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes," "Make inferences and draw conclusions about characters and events," and "Draw conclusions, make generalizations, and gather support by referencing the text." Reading questions (e.g., how Abel knew which foods to eat, how his opinion of himself is changing) require students to refer to specific details in Chapters 5 and 6 when answering.
Lesson 5
Perseverance
Students are prompted to describe the problem/conflict in the story (Introduction and Wrapping Up) and to answer specific comprehension questions about Chapters 7 and 8 (e.g., Q1 asks what plan Abel devised for crossing the river and why it failed; Q3 asks what Abel loved about Amanda). The reading questions require students to identify events and a character's traits or actions (making fire, using smoke signals, reading about plants). The organizer and rubric ask students to write paragraphs with topic sentences and supporting details, which directs students to provide details and examples in their descriptions.
Lesson 6
Surprises
Multiple comprehension questions (Questions #1–#7) ask students to explain Abel's feelings, worries about winter, actions during the owl encounter, and how objects (book, watch) helped him, which requires using details from Chapters 9 and 10. Activity 1 directs students to fill in a chart using information from the chapters, and Activity 2 asks students to order or create Abel's daily schedule and to explain how they decided the order, requiring reference to specific events and routines in the text. The prompt asking students to explain why Abel dove between rocks and how he knew to do so asks them to draw on character behavior and inferred drives (actions/instinct) from the text.
Lesson 7
Threats
Students read Chapters 11–12 and answer specific comprehension questions that ask them to describe Abel's feelings toward the environment (Q1), the question Abel asked God (Q2), why Abel spoke aloud (Q3), how Abel protected himself (an action in Q4), and how the environment is changing and how Abel adapts (Q5). Activity 3 asks students to list three adaptations for Abel and describe how each will aid his survival, and the wrapping-up prompt asks students to describe threats Abel faces and how he is adapting and surviving. Several prompts require students to use details about Abel's thoughts, words, actions, and the setting to support their responses.
Lesson 8
The Dead of Winter
Students read Chapters 13 and 14 and answer targeted questions that require drawing on text details (e.g., Q2 asks how Abel adapted to the cold and lists actions: stuffing holes with book pages, gathering mats/clothes/paper to make a quilt, burying his face in Amanda's scarf). Questions ask students to explain changes in Abel's attitude as the earth warmed (Q5) and to describe Gower (Q6), prompting use of specific textual details about character traits and feelings. Activities ask students to fill a "Using Natural Resources" chart from the chapters and to find information in the chapters that explains Abel's hibernation/torpor, directing students to cite evidence from the text.
Lesson 9
The Newcomer
Students are asked to reread Chapters 15–16 and specific pages (93–96) and discuss the action and dialogue, prompting use of textual details. They answer targeted questions about characters' actions, feelings, and motivations (e.g., why Gower left, why Gower thought Abel should be an artist). Students create a Venn diagram comparing Gower and Abel by physical attributes, attitudes, and personalities and prepare a script that relies on characters' lines and stage directions.
Lesson 10
Escape
Students are asked to describe Abel before and after his time on the island and to explain what caused his change (Activity 3), including writing acrostic descriptions that contrast Abel's traits. Students create three big and three little questions about Chapters 17–18 as they read, which requires them to generate higher-order questions about characters, events, or setting (Activity 1). Students identify parts of speech in sentences drawn from the text (Activity 2), attending to verbs and actions in sentences such as "Abel swam __________ across the river."
Lesson 11
Home at Last
The Theme Bubble Map activity requires students to "cite evidence from the text to support the theme" and to provide examples of how characters and events reinforce that theme. Multiple comprehension questions ask students to reference events and character actions (e.g., how Abel got off the island; why Abel did not approach Amanda). Activity 1 asks students to take information from Chapters 19 and 20, which requires extracting details from the text.
Unit 2: Pedro's Journal
Lesson 1
Exploring with Columbus
Students are asked to read Pedro's Journal and check whether their prewritten questions are answered, prompting them to use the text as a source. In Activity 3 (Historical Fiction) students fill a bubble map listing two factual descriptions of characters, two examples of fiction, two historical events, and two authentic descriptions of setting from the story. In Activity 1 students research Columbus and use a two-column organizer to list positive and negative characteristics, and Activity 4 asks students to record dates and important events from the story on a map.
Lesson 2
August
Students read Pedro's journal entries and answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., "Why was Pedro hired?" and "How does Pedro describe Columbus?") that require identifying character traits, motivations, and reactions. Students complete a multi-month chart ('The Journey') in which they record Columbus' attitude, Pedro's attitude, the crew's attitude, important events, and geographic location, requiring them to extract information about characters, settings, and events. Activity 3 asks students to write descriptive paragraphs about the ocean or recount personal experiences, reinforcing descriptive writing and attention to detail.
Lesson 3
September
Students are asked to describe how Pedro's journey began and to discuss the characters introduced and the important events, prompting narrative description. Several targeted questions require students to cite specific text details (e.g., Pedro's job during his watch, why the men do not trust Columbus including his action of changing recorded miles, and the sailors' sighting of a meteor and differing interpretations). Students are directed to summarize what happened to Columbus and the crew in September and to complete a "The Journey" sheet, which ask for textual recall and description.
Lesson 4
October
Students answer targeted comprehension questions about characters, events, and setting (e.g., Questions #1–#9 ask why Pedro enjoys the night watch, what sailors noticed on the island, where Columbus thought they landed, and why Columbus enjoys the natives' praise). Students record descriptive words or phrases in a two-bubble graphic organizer for "Native People" and "White Men." Students draw the island and include animals in Activity 4 and are asked to describe how the book portrays the native people during the wrapping-up discussion.
Lesson 5
Journal Writing
The introduction asks students to identify three events Pedro writes about and three places where Pedro records his feelings, prompting students to locate events and instances of a character's thoughts or feelings in a text. The discussion notes that Pedro's journal includes actual events and his feelings and thoughts about events and people, directing students to attend to a character's internal responses. The pre-reading prompts (Questions to Explore) orient students to consider how explorers survived and how lives changed, which focuses attention on events in the narrative.
Lesson 6
November
Students read Pedro's journal entries and answer targeted comprehension and discussion questions about his feelings, actions, and past experiences (e.g., why Pedro felt shame, how he felt about natives' treatment of soldiers, what past experience he relates to Columbus's actions). Students are asked to explain interactions among crew and natives and to analyze Pedro's perspective by listing disadvantages of life at sea versus life on land from his point of view. The curriculum explicitly lists the skill "Analyze characters, including their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes," and students complete activities that prompt character-focused explanations.
Lesson 7
December
Students read December journal entries and are asked to answer three or four questions in their journals, including prompts that require description (e.g., "Describe the encounter the sailors had with the natives on December 3rd"). Students complete activities that ask them to identify and compare details from the text (e.g., illustrating and labeling treasures Columbus expected versus treasures actually found on pages 52-53). Several questions prompt analysis of events and character actions (e.g., what Pedro did on Christmas Eve, whether Ruiz should have let Pedro steer).
Lesson 8
The Island of the Skog
The lesson includes comprehension questions (Q1–Q7) that ask students to explain characters' motives, compare the captain Bouncer to Columbus, describe threats to survival, and recount how the mice acted toward the Skog. Activity 2 asks students to write three ways the mice showed prejudice and three ways Columbus was prejudiced, requiring students to cite examples from the texts. The "Comparing Stories" graphic organizer and the listed skill "Identify and discuss similarities and differences... and support them by referencing the text" explicitly direct students to reference text evidence when comparing characters and events.
Lesson 9
January
Students answer comprehension questions that require drawing details from the text (for example, Question 3 asks, "How does the author describe the manatees?" with the text details "as gray as slate with webbed hands" and "big and brawny"). Question 1 and Question 2 ask students to state reasons and locations based on the journal entry, requiring extraction of textual information. The wrapping-up prompt asks students to discuss the new environment Columbus and his men are exploring, which engages students with the story's setting.
Lesson 10
February
Students answer focused journal questions (e.g., Q1 asks whether Pedro enjoyed the voyage and why; Q6 and Q7 ask why Pedro never returned to sea and what qualities helped him survive), which require describing a character and events using details from the story. Activity 3 directs students to write a firsthand report as Pedro explaining the crew's survival, discoveries, and what it was like to sail, and tells them to look back at their "The Journey" pages for information. The Skills section explicitly lists responding to fiction by considering the main character's point of view.
Final Project
Story Blocks
Students will illustrate each face of a Setting Cube to reflect different aspects of the story's setting. Students will write the names of six characters and two or three words or phrases describing each on the Characters Cube, and they will record three sentences with direct quotes from the text on the Quotes Cube. Students will record specific events and details on the Survival, Historical Fiction, and Exploration cubes (threats to sailors, survival actions, factual vs. fictional elements, discoveries and cultural impacts).
Unit 3: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Lesson 1
Sickness
Students are asked to read the first two chapters and answer descriptive journal questions such as "Describe Mrs. Frisby and her family" and "How would you describe the environment in which the mice live? How does their environment meet their needs for survival?", which require describing character and setting. Activity 1 (Fantasy Genre) directs students to record examples of characterization, setting, plot, theme, and style and tone from a fantasy novel on an activity sheet. The Plot Flowchart asks students to record a major event for each chapter they read, and vocabulary pages require students to copy or locate sentences from the book illustrating word use.
Lesson 2
Spring is Coming
Students are asked to answer text-based questions such as "How does the author describe the cat? Based on the author's description, illustrate the cat," which requires using the author's description to depict a character. Students complete a Plot Flowchart to record an event from each chapter and answer questions like what happens in the garden and how that threatens the mice, connecting events to consequences. Activity 2 asks students to illustrate the setting and describe how the survival of Mrs. Frisby's family is being threatened, tying setting description to story events.
Lesson 3
A Visit to an Owl
The lesson asks students specific comprehension questions that require description of characters and settings (e.g., "How does Jeremy describe the owl?" and "How does the author describe the owl's home?") and asks students to explain Mrs. Frisby's fears and actions (Questions 1, 3, and 5). Activity 1 asks students to fill out a Plot Flowchart with an event from the chapters, and the Wrapping Up prompt asks the child to describe what happened to Mrs. Frisby, prompting retelling and description.
Lesson 4
Rats in the Rosebush
Students are asked to describe Mrs. Frisby by drawing her and listing five ways she has shown bravery using a bubble map labeled "Bravery," which asks for specific examples of her actions. Students will answer journal questions about the chapters they read, including why Mrs. Frisby explored the rosebush and what she might discover, requiring them to refer to plot events. Students complete a plot flowchart and answer comprehension questions about the owl's advice and Timothy's condition, practicing identification of characters, events, and actions from the text.
Lesson 5
Meeting the Rats
Students are asked to describe characters directly through journal questions such as "How would you describe Brutus?" and "How would you describe Nicodemus?" and to explain actions in questions like "How did Brutus respond to Mrs. Frisby?" Students complete a Plot Flowchart to describe important events from the chapters and make predictions about characters that they then check against the text.
Lesson 6
A Plan for Mrs. Frisby
Students read the chapters Isabella and A Powder for Dragon and answer directed comprehension questions about characters (Who is Isabella? Who did she suspect?), events (How did Mrs. Frisby's husband die?), and the rats' plan for moving the house. Students complete a Plot Flowchart that requires them to describe important events from both chapters and are asked to describe the rats' plan to move Mrs. Frisby's home. Students also illustrate the garden, rock, and house location and devise a plan for moving the house, which engages them with the setting and sequence of events.
Lesson 7
The Capture
Students read two chapters ("The Marketplace" and "In the Cage") and answer targeted comprehension questions about events (e.g., where rats lived, how they were captured, where they were taken). Students complete a Plot Flowchart to describe important events and write a summary of Nicodemus's story, listing and synthesizing key events. Question #7 explicitly asks students to determine whether scientists mistreated the rats and to "Use evidence from the book" to support their answer.
Lesson 8
Life at NIMH
Students answer focused comprehension questions about characters and events (e.g., Justin's escape plan, how scientists responded, how the scientists taught the rats to read, and changes to the rats at NIMH). Students describe an important event on a Plot Flowchart and are asked to describe what life was like for the rats at NIMH and to argue whether the scientists were doing a good or bad thing. The vocabulary/dialogue and journal prompts require students to refer to concrete actions and processes described in the chapters.
Lesson 9
The Escape
Students are prompted to use text to verify facts and to locate information for specific purposes (Skills). They answer directed comprehension questions about characters and events (e.g., tools mice used, how Nicodemus helped, why rats delayed escape). The "More than Survival, More than Rats" activity and the student worksheet require students to explain what Nicodemus was like before NIMH and after, and to write examples of how the rats are becoming more like humans.
Lesson 10
Amazing Rats
Students answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., What was the plan for moving Mrs. Frisby's home? What did Mrs. Frisby see when she entered the main hall?), record an important event from each chapter on a Plot Flowchart, and are asked to describe the Main Hall, the rats' plan, and why they devised it. The skills list explicitly includes "Support interpretations or conclusions with examples drawn from text," and Activity 4 asks students to write a paragraph about how their opinion of rats changed, supporting their opinion with reasons drawn from reading.
Lesson 11
The Plan
Students answer chapter-specific reading questions that require recall of textual details (e.g., what the rats found in the Toy Tinker truck, how they got electrical power, why the rats planned to destroy tools). Students record an important event from each chapter on a Plot Flowchart, prompting them to identify and summarize events from the text. Students create a pop-up of Thorn Valley and write a paragraph describing the place and why it would be perfect, and the wrap-up asks them to describe the new home the rats hope to make, directing attention to setting and supporting details.
Lesson 12
Working in the Night
Students answer specific comprehension questions that require referencing events and actions from the chapters (e.g., Q1 asks what happened to Jenner and the rats; Q4 asks who rescued Mrs. Frisby and how). Several questions ask for justification using the text (Q2: Did Billy treat Mrs. Frisby badly? How do you know?; Q6: Why was the shrew trying to keep the rats from moving the home? Was she doing a good thing? Why or why not?). Activity 2 asks students to draw how the rats moved the house based on the author's description and to label simple machines, and the wrapping-up prompt asks students to discuss ways the rats were inventive using examples from the text.
Lesson 13
A New Home
Students read specific chapters and answer comprehension questions that require them to explain events and motives (e.g., Question 1 asks why Nicodemus wanted Mrs. Frisby at the meeting; Questions 3–5 ask how the rats escaped and how Brutus was freed). Students complete a Plot Flowchart and Plot Diagram that require listing the problem, rising actions, climax, falling action, and solution. In Activity 2 (Elements of Fantasy) students are asked to record examples from the book for Setting and Characterization, which asks them to identify instances of animals with human characteristics and other character-related examples.
Final Project
The Next Chapter or Book Float
Students are asked to write a description of each character and a description of Thorn Valley, with explicit direction to look at the chapter "Thorn Valley" for the author's description. Students must outline four major events tied to the rats' goals and themes and write a chapter that describes characters' actions, thoughts, and interactions with the environment. Students must create realistic dialogue that "represent[s] the way the characters spoke to one another in the book," and the rubric asks whether characters act and talk in ways appropriate to their personalities and whether the setting reflects the book's description.