Activity 1 directs students to research the life of John Steinbeck using three explicit web links and to answer a set of questions on the "John Steinbeck" student page. Students read multiple biography sources (nobelprize.org, notablebiographies.com, steinbeck.org) and write answers to factual and thematic prompts such as where he grew up, college history, common themes in his novels, and how his experiences influenced his work. The student activity provides space for written responses, requiring students to locate and record information from several sources.

Students select and complete a short research project on either La Paz or the history of pearl diving, taking notes and producing a brochure or an oral presentation. The materials require students to use multiple sources (several websites are provided and students are told to use at least one book as a reference) and to collect substantial notes (at least 15 note cards for the pearl-diving option). Students organize information into graphic organizers and prepare visual aids and a one-page script or brochure that synthesize their findings.

Students read the novel chapters and serve as a Cultural Commentator, using a journal to record cultural information (customs, homes, clothing, beliefs, food) from the text. Students are asked to peruse two external websites about Mozambique for about ten minutes to "learn even more," and to complete multi-day projects (a Mozambique Quilt or Mozambique Trivia) that require collecting information about geography, traditions, economy, health, and education. The Southeastern Africa map activity has students locate and label Mozambique and geographic features, connecting textual knowledge to geographic sources.

Students are assigned the role of Investigator to "dig up some background information" on topics related to the book (geography, weather, culture, history, author, pictures, materials, or word derivations). Students are instructed to record the information they gather in their journal and to collect four or five bits of information. The lesson points students to the back of the novel as a place to find some of this information.

Students are instructed to read the book's back-matter section titled "The History and Peoples of Mozambique and Zimbabwe" and then complete the "A History of Zimbabwe and Mozambique" activity pages. Students answer targeted factual questions on the activity pages (e.g., "What country fought the war against the Frelimo?", "What tribe took over the government in Zimbabwe?", "Where did many of the Portuguese move to?") and perform related tasks such as coloring and drawing flags. Students also read Chapters 11–14 and gather contextual information from the novel to inform their answers.

Students are asked to "research baboons, looking closely at the social dynamics in a baboon troop" and to design an exhibit plaque that includes 8-10 sentences of important information, which requires gathering information. Students choosing the guidebook option are instructed to "select five of the animals... to learn more about and include in your book" and to "print a picture from the Internet," indicating they will seek information from external sources. The activities require students to produce a short product (plaque or guidebook) that synthesizes information they find.

Students are directed to read biographical articles from two external web sources about J.R.R. Tolkien (the Tolkien Society page and Britannica Kids). In Option 1, students generate five interview questions for Tolkien and explain why each question is important, which requires them to use information from the readings to formulate focused questions. In Option 2, students collect images from magazines or the Internet and arrange them into a collage representing specific aspects of Tolkien's life (early life, interests, accomplishments, etc.), which requires gathering and selecting information from sources.

Students are asked to conduct focused investigations in Activity 2 Option 1 and Option 2, locating examples from multiple sources (Internet, newspapers, magazines, community artifacts, books) and recording them in a journal. Option 1 requires at least two community examples, three online examples, and two print examples, and asks students to classify how ads prey on greed. Option 2 requires at least two current-event examples and three historical examples, with two- to three-sentence descriptions and a ranked ordering by impact.

Students are asked in Activity 1 to read a couple of early reviews/responses to The Hobbit (including a linked C.S. Lewis review and Rayner Unwin's letter) and to write a two- to three-sentence journal summary identifying whether the response is positive or negative and explaining major points. Students must describe any literary elements the reviewer alludes to, which requires using multiple source texts to support their summary. The activity directs students to compare at least two reviewers and note themes, character variety, and plot focus.

Students are directed to locate maps and online resources (Activity 2: "Find a map of Asia in an atlas or online") and to read from multiple web links about ancient and modern Korea (Activity 3 lists several specific websites). Students record information from those different sources on the provided "Elements of Korean Culture" charts, deciding whether facts belong in the "Today" or "Centuries Past" columns. The Parent Plan lists the skill "Evaluate information from different sources about the same topic," and the lesson offers guiding questions about geography and cultural change to focus inquiry.

Students are asked to explore an aspect of Korean culture presented in the book and to add new information to an "Elements of Korean Culture" page, which directs them to use the book as a source. In the pottery option students conduct a hands-on investigation (digging soil, sieving, adding water, molding, drying) and are given a web link about types of clay to consult. The kimchi option provides a recipe students can follow, giving them another informational source related to culture and food.

Students are instructed to research Linda Sue Park using three provided web sources (the author's biography page, a Reading Rockets interview with transcript, and a 2002 author interview), to take notes from the videos and bios, and to answer a ten-question worksheet about her life and work. Students are then asked to write a short paragraph explaining how the author's experiences and relationships influenced her writing. The activity requires students to gather information from multiple sources and produce a written summary of findings.

Students are directed in Activity 2 to visit several specified web sites (Metropolitan Museum of Art, Asia Society Museum, Wikipedia, and Korean-Arts) to view images and read information about celadon and Korean pottery. The lesson asks students to "consider how the artwork reflects the Korean culture and geography of the region" and includes discussion questions that ask "How did Korean pottery reflect the environment and culture of the region?" Students are then asked to use what they viewed as inspiration to design and color a kimchi pot.

Students are directed to visit three external websites and read folktales with a fox as a central character, with explicit instruction to "read each story and think about the purpose of the story and what it teaches." Students are then asked to type their own short story and to keep the fox true to the nature of foxes as represented in the literature, which requires using details from multiple sources to inform their writing.

Students are prompted to select a topic and "develop research questions related to your topic" and to "find sources of information to answer your research questions" and "record information to answer your research questions." Students are directed to read and analyze a specific source (the CNN Dakota Access Pipeline article) and complete a Point of View chart, and a parent note requires using at least four different types of resources (6–10 total). The Independent Study Rubric includes a Research Process section with questions about selecting a controversial topic, a "big question," and use of a note-taking method.

Students read a guidance article on detecting bias and two contrasting news articles ("Sir Sam Steps Down!" and "Hughes Fired from Cabinet") and record how Sam Hughes is portrayed on a Detecting Bias handout, comparing techniques across sources. Students read a Propaganda Techniques overview and the "U.S. Steps Up Leaflets to Sway Afghans" article and answer focused journal questions about techniques, purpose, and effectiveness. Students watch two advertisement videos and are asked to find two additional advertisements from other media, identify propaganda techniques, intended audiences, and evaluate effectiveness on a handout.

Students brainstorm controversial topics and use the KWM chart to record "What I Want to Know," which prompts them to generate research questions. Students complete the "Just Right Questions" and "Focusing Your Topic" activities to form, assess, and refine focused, open-ended, and important essay questions. The Parent Plan Skills list explicitly asks students to generate a research plan, pose tightly drawn questions, refine the major question guided by secondary questions, and include evidence from a variety of resources (print, Internet, interviews, video, magazines, newspapers, dictionaries).

Students are asked to develop 4–5 research questions for their position and add 2–3 questions for the opposing argument, directly instructing question generation. Students must use at least four different types of resources (reference books, websites, audio/video, periodicals) and are guided to record information using a gathering grid or note cards and to create a Works Cited page. Students practice evaluating websites with a four-criteria rubric (purpose, authority, currency, objectivity) and are asked to find at least three opinions from different stakeholders with supporting details.

Students are instructed to support their arguments with facts, statistics, research, expert opinions, quotes, and other evidence (Activity 1 body paragraphs). The Parent Plan lists that students should "Support the main idea or ideas of a paper with facts, details, examples, and explanations from multiple authoritative sources" and to "Synthesize research into a written or an oral presentation". The activities require students to prepare an outline, draft, revise, and produce a final essay that uses evidence and quotations and to consult a rubric while revising.

The Parent Plan explicitly states students will "write research reports that pose relevant questions... and support the main idea with facts, details, examples, and explanations from multiple authoritative sources." It also states students will "synthesize research into a written or an oral presentation that compiles important information from multiple sources... and uses an appropriate form of documentation (e.g., bibliography, works cited)." The lesson text indicates students have "completed the argumentative essay" and later reflects on "researching, writing, and presenting your topic," linking research and presentation activities.

Students are assigned the role of "Researcher," which directs them to dig up related information on a topic related to the book (e.g., geography, culture, or history) and to print off the information they gather. The instructions tell students to read through the gathered information to better understand the context of the story. The task explicitly asks students to find information related to topics or events in the story.

Students are given several web links to medieval recipes and instructed to select one or more recipes to prepare, which requires consulting multiple sources (Medieval Cookery, Gode Cookery, specific recipe pages). The lesson asks students to consider how the recipes are similar to and different from their family meals and includes an open prompt ("What can be learned about a time period by studying the cultural elements...") that frames an investigable question. The Life Application section directs students to consider the cost and availability of foods today and provides a CDC link for further information.

Students locate and read multiple texts (pages 24-41 of Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!, other books from their bookcase, and a linked video) to identify narrative point of view. Students are instructed to find two first-person and two third-person books and decide whether third-person narrators are limited or omniscient and where they fall on the objective/subjective spectrum. Students read passages from different novels, compare points of view, and share their findings with a parent, which requires drawing on several sources to support their identifications.

Students are asked to "Research the clothing styles of the Middle Ages and create illustrations or a description" (Dress Code square). Other tasks require information-gathering such as "Summarize three important changes that took place during the Middle Ages" (European Transformations) and "Choose a book about the Middle Ages and write a review," which require locating and using informational or literary sources. The Think-Tac-Toe structure requires students to complete project-style activities that involve collecting and organizing information (e.g., Castle Blueprint, Jobs/Responsibilities, Shelter, Village Life).

Students are directed to read the biography of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in the back of the book or via a provided web link, and they answer specific comprehension questions about that biography. Students are asked to collect advertisements from TV and magazines and to paste real-world examples of persuasion techniques on a worksheet, and are explicitly told they may look up definitions on the internet if needed. The activities require students to find and use examples from multiple advertisements and to write their own persuasive copy, which involves consulting and synthesizing real-world sources.

Students read Chapters I–VI of The Little Prince and answer comprehension questions in complete sentences, which requires locating information in the text. Students create a Friend Venn Diagram and are explicitly asked to "think of another two questions a child would want answered and another two an adult would want answered" and include these on their diagram, which has them generate additional related questions. Students share and discuss their diagram with a parent, answering the questions they listed about a friend.

Students are directed to read a linked article on Early Modern English and a SparkNotes character list and then answer comprehension questions, which has them draw information from those sources. The Student Activity Page Part II asks students to look up "[sic]" online to verify their guess and to research why "sic" is italicized, requiring brief online investigation. The brackets activities ask students to look up unfamiliar words in a dictionary to clarify meanings and to use those findings in written bracketed clarifications.

Students are given a web link to a downloadable PDF of A Midsummer Night's Dream and are told they may look at both the modern translation and the original Shakespearean text, which provides multiple textual sources to consult. In the collage option, students are asked to gather images from magazines or the Internet that represent the character, which requires locating and drawing on external sources. The student activity page includes an open question prompt (Q/A) where students can generate their own question about the character.

Students read Chapter 21 of The Story of Science and a NASA webpage and are asked to decide between two demonstrations, take notes on a "Demonstrating Lift" page, and produce a numbered set of instructions from diagrams and captions. Students gather information from the book, the NASA page, and an online floating-ball experiment page and then summarize how an airplane wing works for a parent. Students plan and carry out a demonstration and record materials, procedure steps, and conclusions on the Student Activity Page.

Students choose an artist (Jacques-Louis David or J.M.W. Turner), write 3–5 questions in the K–W–L chart under "What I Want to Know," and then use multiple provided sources (book chapters plus links to Britannica, WikiArt, Jacques-Louis David site, and the Met) to research answers. Students are asked to print a painting from the Met (not in the book), fill the K–W–L "What I've Learned" column, give an oral summary using their notes, and write a 1–2 paragraph sidebar synthesizing what they found. The lesson instructs students to keep the K–W–L chart for the next day and to use parent feedback to refine their sidebar.

Students are asked to use highlighted passages and notes from their book and to compare those summaries to the "Things to Know" and "Readings and Questions" sections to identify main ideas. The Parent Plan Skills explicitly state that students will "accurately synthesizes ideas from several sources" and will write a multi-paragraph expository essay as a final project. Students answer focused content questions about Newton, create an outline using I, II, III with supporting details, and write and revise an essay that draws on their prior readings and notes.

Students read an external non-fiction biography about Prince Albert via the provided web link and select a prose statement from that site to compare with a line from Tennyson's "Dedication." Students record the poetic line and the prose statement on the "Prince Albert Remembered" page and illustrate the event or emotion, demonstrating use of at least one outside source alongside the poem. Students also read Chapter 3 about Tennyson and answer comprehension questions, engaging with informational text about the poet and his context.

Students read chapters on three British poets (three separate textbook chapters) and answer comprehension questions, showing engagement with multiple informational texts. Students search three contemporary news articles (Time for Kids or local newspaper), record title, topic, location, and three interesting facts for each, and write a phrase drawn from each article. Students select one article-derived phrase to develop into a repetition poem and create a staged image, demonstrating synthesis of information from those sources into a creative product.