Fourth Grade - ELA
1: Interdependence
Unit 1: Little House in the Big Woods
Lesson 2
Little House in the Big Woods
Students are asked explicitly to identify setting details: QUESTION #1 asks what the girl's house was made from and why, and QUESTION #3 asks how Laura describes the attic (including that it is filled with pumpkins, peppers, onions, meat, and herbs). Activity 3 asks students to list natural resources from the chapter and describe how the family used each one, with an answer key listing deer, trees, salt, fish, and garden uses. Activity 1 directs students to record ways life in the woods differs from life today based on chapter details.
Lesson 3
Winter Days and Winter Nights
Students are asked to identify chores and preferences for Laura (QUESTION #1 and the Chores and Family Roles activities), which requires linking characters to actions. Students are asked to locate and name vivid words and phrases the author used about the panther (QUESTION #4), drawing directly on textual language such as verbs like "screamed" and "leaped". Students reread a specific paragraph describing Laura's home, illustrate it, and list similarities and differences with their own home (Activity 3 and Wrapping Up), which requires describing setting details from the text.
Lesson 4
The Long Rifle
Students are asked to retell aloud the story Pa told about looking for the cows (Question #2), which has them recall and recount an event from the text. Question #1 asks students to explain why Pa made his own bullets, prompting them to infer a character's circumstance and actions. The storytelling activity asks students to practice adding vivid details and giving characters different voices, which touches on describing characters and events for an audience.
Lesson 5
Christmas
Students are asked explicitly to describe the snow (QUESTION #1) and given specific textual details (cabin almost buried, huge drifts, wall of snow as high as Laura's head, snow described as "glittering" and "sparkled"). QUESTION #4 asks students to explain a character's action (why Prince growl at Aunt Eliza) with a direct answer tied to the text (protecting her from a panther). The Skills section requires students to "identify and discuss similarities and differences in events, characters, and concepts... and support them by referencing the text," prompting students to cite text details when discussing characters or events.
Lesson 6
Sundays and Two Big Bears
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that require citing story details (e.g., explaining why Laura and Mary disliked Sundays, identifying Laura's favorite Bible picture and why it appealed to her, and describing what happened when Ma and Laura checked on the cow). Students complete a "Life in the Big Woods vs. Life Today" page recording differences about the setting. Students write a five-senses poem from Laura's point of view and are asked to locate factual statements in the book, which ask them to draw on text content and character experience.
Lesson 7
The Sugar Snow
Students read the chapter "The Sugar Snow" and answer targeted comprehension questions such as whether Laura was happy to see the new snow and why, which asks them to cite reasons from the text. Students answer questions about Pa's wording (e.g., calling sap the "blood of the tree") and Grandpa's actions with maple sugar, drawing on characters' words and actions. In Activity 3 Option 2, students are asked to record the steps Grandpa took to make maple syrup while referring to the text, requiring them to sequence and describe an event using textual details. The wrapping-up prompt asks students to summarize what happened in the chapter, prompting students to recount events from the text.
Lesson 8
Dance at Grandpa's
Students are asked to draw a diagram of Grandma's house based on Laura's description (Question #1), which requires using specific textual details about rooms, the fireplace, bed, and cookstove. The skills list explicitly includes "gather support by referencing the text" and "relate plot, setting, and characters to own experiences and ideas," and several questions (e.g., why Laura enjoyed visiting, what role extended family plays, what everyone did with the maple syrup) direct students to explain events and settings using the chapter. Activities also require students to compare "Life in the Big Woods vs. Life Today" (setting) and to describe the moods Pa's fiddle produced (character action/effect), prompting textual-based descriptions.
Lesson 9
Going to Town
Students answer direct comprehension questions that require describing setting and character (QUESTION #1 asks how the author describes the woods in spring; QUESTION #5 asks how Laura was different from Mary). Students list five adjectives for each sister and draw pictures of them (Activity 3), and they act out what each sister would do in specified situations, practicing description of behavior. Students compare life in the Big Woods to life today (Activity 1) and make lists of items bought on the trip to town, which engages them in describing setting and events.
Lesson 10
Summertime and Harvest
Students read the chapters "Summertime" and "Harvest" and answer targeted comprehension questions that ask about character actions and events (e.g., how Pa got the honey, how Mary and Laura played, what Charley did in the fields, and what happened when Charley was stung). In Activity 2 students are instructed to record the words and phrases the author uses to describe the environment and the people in each season and to illustrate those settings. Activity 4 asks students to compare Pa's story about Charley to "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," prompting analysis of events and character behavior.
Lesson 11
Finishing the Book
Students read the last two chapters of Little House in the Big Woods and answer targeted comprehension questions about events and the environment. Students explain why Pa did not shoot the deer or the bear and why Mary and Laura held hands, which asks them to describe characters' actions and reactions. Students compare a dramatic performance with the print version and answer questions about the wonderful machine and what Ma made from the grain, involving description of events and setting details.
Final Project
Pioneer Family Night
Students are asked to choose two to three favorite sections from Little House in the Big Woods, practice reading them aloud, and be ready to explain why they are their favorites. Students are instructed to tell family about the importance of stories in Laura's family and to prepare and tell a story. The Pioneer Family Night checklist asks students to read favorite parts of the book to their family and explain their choices, and to describe the significance of music, dance, and storytelling.
Unit 2: The Sign of the Beaver
Lesson 1
Background Information
Students are asked to analyze the book cover and identify the story's setting, then record the year 1768 and note that Matt befriended Attean, tying the text to a timeline. Students locate Maine on a U.S. map, discuss its climate and geography, and complete activity pages that ask "What was happening in Maine around 1768?" and to list habitats, plants, and animals. Students write a paragraph taking the perspective of either a settler or a Native American and discuss reasons for tensions, and they design or describe a homestead including environmental details that would meet needs.
Lesson 2
Alone
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that ask them to describe Matt's home using specific textual details (one room, shelves along a wall, chimney of logs and clay, no windows). Students explain events from the text such as why Matt was left alone and list Matt's chores and fears, drawing on actions and circumstances in the chapters. Students complete a Character Timelines activity in which they record words or phrases about each character's feelings, attitudes, and actions across numbered page ranges to track changes over time.
Lesson 3
A Stranger
Students are asked to complete a Character Timelines activity in which they record words or phrases describing Matt's feelings, attitudes, and actions from Chapters 3–5. Question prompts ask students to describe how the author describes Ben (physical details) and to explain why Matt lied to Ben (inferring motivation from behavior). Several writing activities ask students to write sentences about characters, events, and settings, reinforcing attention to specific story elements.
Lesson 4
A Treaty
Students are asked to read Chapter 6 and answer text-dependent questions such as "How would you describe Attean?" and "How do you think Attean felt about Matt? What evidence do you have?" which require citing details. Activity 1 directs students to fill in Character Timelines for Attean and Matt, prompting them to collect and sequence character details and events. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to describe the treaty between Matt and Saknis, asking them to describe an event, and the Skills section explicitly lists relating plot, character, and setting to personal experience.
Lesson 5
A Story
Students read Chapters 7–9 and answer specific comprehension questions about characters' actions and motivations (e.g., How did Matt prepare for Attean's arrival? Why did Attean react strongly to Friday's portrayal?). Students complete Character Timelines for Matt and Attean, which requires them to track and describe characters across events. Students write journal responses asking why Matt identifies with Robinson Crusoe and why Attean reacts to Friday, prompting them to reference words, actions, and perspectives from the text.
Lesson 6
The Beaver
Students are asked to answer text-based questions that require description of characters and events (e.g., how Attean fished vs. Matt, what Matt is learning from Attean, description of Attean's dog, how Matt and Attean's relationship is changing). The lesson includes a Character Timelines activity for Matt and Attean and a Venn diagram comparison that ask students to reference the text when identifying similarities and differences. The Skills section explicitly states students should "identify and discuss similarities and differences in events, characters, and ideas among selections and support them by referencing the text."
Lesson 7
Real Life Learning
Students are asked to complete a "Character Timelines" page to record descriptions of what they learned about Matt and Attean, which requires describing characters over time. The guided questions ask students to explain how Attean taught Matt to make a bow and why Matt was upset, prompting students to cite specific actions and events from Chapters 12 and 13. The Skills section instructs students to "support [similarities and differences] by referencing the text," which directs students to draw on textual details when describing characters and events.
Lesson 8
The Bear
Students are asked to read Chapters 14–16 and answer specific questions about events and character details (e.g., how Attean and Matt killed the bear; why Attean felt bad; how Attean looked when he returned to invite Matt to the feast). Activity 1 directs students to record information on "Character Timelines" for the two main characters, and Activity 2 asks students to describe the dance Matt participated in. Activity 3 has students map cause-and-effect relationships showing how characters' actions affected events and other characters.
Lesson 9
Attean's Past
Students read Chapters 17–18 and answer focused comprehension questions that ask them to describe the Indian village (Q1) and how the forest changed in autumn (Q4), requiring identification of setting details. Students answer Q3 about Attean's parents and use those events to explain Attean's attitude toward Matt, which asks them to draw on character-related events. Students complete a "Character Timelines" sheet for Matt and Attean and respond to the "Stereotypes" activity asking how characters break stereotypes, which requires tracking character actions and changes over time.
Lesson 10
Manitou
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that ask about character change and require textual evidence (e.g., QUESTION #1 asks how Attean's grandmother's feelings changed and 'How do you know?'). Activity 3 asks students to record three values for Matt and three for Attean and to describe what the character did or said to demonstrate each value, which requires citing character actions or words from the text. Activity 2 (Word Pictures) asks students to record and illustrate three passages where the author creates vivid images, prompting students to draw on specific textual details.
Lesson 11
A Choice
The skills list instructs students to analyze characters, including traits, feelings, relationships, and changes, and to support interpretations with examples from the text. Guided comprehension questions ask students to describe Attean's changed appearance (Q1), explain why Matt would not go with Attean (Q2), and identify actions that earned respect (Q5), all requiring text-based detail. Activities ask students to add information to character timelines, reflect on specific events (favorite, scariest, saddest, happiest), and write and answer interview questions as the characters, which requires drawing on character words, actions, and events.
Lesson 13
The Return
Students answer specific comprehension questions about Matt's preparations for winter, how he made warm clothing, why he dreamed of his mother, what gifts he made, how snowshoes helped him, and why his family was delayed. Students complete a "Character Timelines" entry that records character actions over time and fill a "Story Elements" page identifying setting, characters, problem, and resolution. In the "Solving Problems" activity students describe how Matt used resources and advice from Attean to solve listed problems and create alternative solutions.
Final Project
The Sign of the Beaver Movie
Students are asked to write a movie synopsis and use a rubric that explicitly asks whether the synopsis accurately described the setting and the main characters. Students write a script for a scene between Attean and Matt, composing dialogue that requires them to represent character interaction. Students design costumes and a set that require them to depict characters and the story's environment and props from chosen scenes.
Unit 3: Native American Animal Stories
Lesson 1
Myths, Legends, and Folktales
Activity 3 asks the student to reread a myth or folktale and identify elements of culture, recording information on an "Elements of Culture" page that includes columns for Transportation, Housing, Food, Activities/Entertainment, Music/Dance/Art, Religion, Stories, and Customs. The Student Activity Page explicitly directs students to find and record cultural details from myths, which requires locating setting- and culture-related details in the text. Activity 2 asks the student to retell the story and discuss which parts were interesting or exciting, giving students practice recounting events and audience reactions.
Lesson 2
People and Animal Stories
Students complete a Story Map that asks them to identify main characters, setting, the problem, story events, how the problem is solved, and the ending for "The Dogs Who Saved Their Master." Students answer guided comprehension questions that ask about characters' feelings and actions (e.g., how the woman felt about frogs, how the frogs and people acted, how the dogs protected the hunter). Students complete the Animal Characters activity where they select an animal character and write five human characteristics to describe that character and Activity 7 where they record each story's animal, its importance, and what people learned from it.
Lesson 3
The Natural World
Students are asked directly to describe a character (QUESTION for "Why Possum Has a Naked Tail": "How would you describe Possum?" with expected traits given). Students retell a story using props and add ingredients as they narrate (Activity 3), and they write short scripts and perform a puppet show for characters (Activity 8), which requires them to create and speak characters' lines and actions. Multiple reading questions ask students to identify actions and changes in characters or events (e.g., what Elder Brother placed in his bag; how Possum's tail and face changed), prompting use of textual details.
Lesson 4
Survival Stories
Students answer targeted comprehension questions about characters and events (e.g., questions for "The Alligator and the Hunter" ask what the man's problem was and how the alligator helped him). Students are asked to "Describe the relationship between the Kiowa Indians and the buffalo" and to explain why the whale was important to the Inupiaq, which require describing setting/relationships from the text. The "Ecosystems" activity has students draw each animal in its natural environment and write a sentence describing the animal's role in the survival story, and the skills list includes making inferences and drawing conclusions based on events in the story.
Lesson 5
Legends from Other Cultures
Students answer targeted comprehension questions about characters and events (Questions #1-#4 ask who characters are, what Polo discovered, how Kalulu tricked the animals, and what lesson Kalulu learned). Activity 1 asks students to describe the lesson Kalulu learned and to draw animals and describe lessons they teach humans. Activity 2 asks students to record and illustrate what each object in the Pan Gu myth becomes and to sketch a portrait of Pan Gu, and Activity 3 has students complete a double-bubble map comparing two creation stories. The Grammar Practice asks students to locate examples of different sentence types from the stories, requiring them to return to the text for examples.
Final Project
My Own Myth
The Organizing the Myth student page asks students to record the Natural Phenomenon, Characters, Setting, Problem in the story, and How the problem is solved, which directs students to describe character and setting elements. The skills list explicitly includes "Identify the importance of the setting to a story's meaning," and the rubric's Content section asks about "character interest" and "descriptive settings," prompting students to create and refine descriptions. The editing and rubric-guided revision steps require students to reread for organization and content, encouraging them to revise descriptions of characters and settings.
2: Force and Power
Unit 1: Ben and Me
Lesson 1
Ben Franklin and the Colonies
Students locate and record biographical details about Benjamin Franklin (date/place of birth, physical appearance, personality, scientific and civic contributions) in Activity 1. Students identify and analyze elements of historical fiction—characters, setting, plot, theme, and descriptions—from a novel they have read in Activity 2. Students locate and label Philadelphia and the thirteen colonies, compare Philadelphia yesterday and today, and write a poem that contrasts setting details in Activity 3 and Activity 6.
Lesson 2
Setting the Record Straight
Students are asked to read Chapters 1 and 2 and answer journal questions that require describing characters and events (e.g., "How would you describe the family in which Amos grew up?" and "Why did Amos decide to write his account of Ben Franklin's life?"). The Fact and Fiction activity requires students to record a factual and a fictional event from each chapter, prompting identification of events. The vocabulary activity asks students to copy a sentence from the book for each unfamiliar word, which requires locating specific textual sentences.
Lesson 3
Swimming
Students are asked to "learn more about the personalities of Ben and Amos" and to answer targeted journal questions that require recalling specific events and actions (e.g., the agreement between Amos and Ben, how Ben modified his hat, why Amos did not like Ben to swim, and what happened when a dog ran off with the hat). Activity 2 directs students to copy the author's sentences that describe the hat, circle the adjectives, and illustrate and label the hat based on those textual descriptions. The reading questions and the wrap-up prompt students to state what they learned about Ben Franklin and to explain whether he would have been fun to be around, encouraging use of text details to support answers. Activity 3 recounts Ben's swimming actions (paddles, kite) and asks students to list and invent water inventions, connecting observed actions in the text to explanations.
Lesson 4
Electricity
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that ask them to explain character motivations and actions (e.g., Question #1 asks why Ben was so interested in printing; Question #2 asks what Amos did while the almanac was printing and whether it was right or wrong). Students infer a character's unfinished thought (Question #7 asks how Ben might have finished his sentence), and students identify events (Question #9 asks what happened to the governor). Students also record factual and fictional events from each chapter and verbally summarize chapter events.
Lesson 5
Electrifying
Students are asked to read Chapters 7 and 8 and respond to targeted journal questions that require describing story elements (e.g., Question #1 asks what Ben told Amos he was wondering about; Question #3 asks what happened when the lightning struck; Question #4 asks students to describe the kite; Question #5 asks what happened to Amos during the thunderstorm). The Wrapping Up prompts ask students to explain how Franklin exerted power over Amos and to discuss fairness, which requires referencing characters' actions. The Fact and Fiction activity has students record a factual and a fictional event from each chapter, prompting identification of events in the text.
Lesson 6
War
Students read Chapters 9 and 10 and answer directed comprehension questions about characters and events (e.g., Who was Red? Which man most impressed Amos? Why did Ben travel to France?). Students record a factual and a fictional event from each chapter and mark statements as fact or opinion, then write two facts and two opinions that Amos shares. Students are also asked to explain why the colonists went to war and to discuss the problems the colonists had.
Lesson 7
France
Students answer text-dependent comprehension questions (e.g., "How did the French feel about Ben Franklin? How do you know?") that require citing reasons from Chapters 11–12. Students identify and describe characters (Sophia, Amos) and how Amos characterizes mice from different countries (Question #6). Students describe the rescue event and setting when asked to devise a step-by-step rescue plan that locates the mouse children beneath the queen's throne and explains when force and power should be used.
Lesson 8
Amos's Account
Students list ten facts about a chosen Ben Franklin event and five thoughts, opinions, and feelings Amos would have had, requiring them to draw on specific details about the event and the character's perspective. Students record the sequence of events and are prompted to use transitional words (first, then, after that, finally) to clarify order and develop a coherent, in-depth description of the event. Students write a three-paragraph, first-person account from Amos's point of view and use a rubric that checks for factual information, Amos's ideas and feelings, vocabulary from the story, and use of descriptive language.
Lesson 9
The Rescue
Students read Chapters 13 and 14 and answer targeted questions about events and character outcomes (e.g., how the mice planned to get into Versailles; why the French snubbed Franklin; what Amos accomplished), requiring recall of actions and events. Students complete the "Ben and Amos Bags" organizer by listing traits (appearance, uses of power, likes/dislikes, personality), decorating bags, placing representative items, and explaining each item's significance based on Amos's account. Students summarize the chapters, describe how Amos and Ben felt after the rescue, and write a new verse from Amos's perspective about the mice and their rescue efforts, practicing portrayal of character viewpoint and events.
Lesson 10
Back Home
The "Elements of Historical Fiction" activity asks students to fill in examples of characters, setting, and plot events from the book, prompting them to identify text-based examples. The "Ben's Maxims" activity requires students to locate each maxim in the book "in context" and provide an interpretation, which has students find and use specific words from the text. The discussion questions (e.g., whether Amos has shown vision, and asking the child to describe main events) prompt students to explain character behavior and events.
Final Project
An Interview or Party for Ben
Students are asked to write ten interview questions and answer them as Ben Franklin, which requires them to adopt the character's perspective and respond based on his life and actions. Students practice acting out the interview and sharing two of Ben's maxims, explaining their importance, which engages them in using the character's words and guiding principles. The lesson's skills explicitly include drawing conclusions and gathering support by referencing the text, and the interview prompts specify topics tied to Ben's events and accomplishments (inventions, electricity, founding father role, Philadelphia).
Unit 2: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Lesson 1
The Professor's House
Students read Chapters 1–2 and answer directed comprehension questions that ask them to describe characters and events (e.g., "How would you describe Edmund?" and "What happened when Lucy went inside the wardrobe?"). Students analyze a character's motives and actions through questions about Mr. Tumnus (e.g., why he was crying, why he agreed to do bad things for the White Witch) and the White Witch's power. Students summarize events and create an illustration of a scene that demonstrates the struggle for power, connecting setting and events to meaning.
Lesson 2
Edmund Discovers Narnia
Students answer targeted comprehension questions about characters and events (e.g., how Edmund treated Lucy, what Edmund heard, the White Witch's attitude and motives). Students describe setting by locating Narnia and Cair Paravel on the map and by creating their own fantasy map. Students record chapter-by-chapter examples of the struggle between good and evil and write descriptive paragraphs about the taste of Turkish Delight or how the witch would persuade them, which requires using characters' words and actions from the text.
Lesson 3
Always Winter and Never Christmas
Questions ask students to explain character motives (e.g., "Why do you think Edmund lied…"), to identify character behavior and justify claims (e.g., "Is the woman…a queen or a witch? How do you know?"), and to describe events and settings (e.g., "What did you learn about the house…?" and "Describe the encounter the children had with the Robin."). Wrapping-up prompts ask students to discuss what the children discover in Narnia and what can be assumed about the witch based on events, and Activity 4 asks students to discuss the role of snow and weather in the setting.
Lesson 4
The Lion
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that require citing character thoughts and feelings (Question #5 asks what each child felt on hearing the name "Aslan"; Question #6 asks what Edmund saw and what thoughts ran through his head). Students describe characters and setting details (Question #7 asks how to describe Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and their home). Students record words and phrases that describe a lion from another text and complete a Venn diagram comparing that lion to Aslan, and they write a descriptive paragraph or song about an animal character (Activities 2 and 3).
Lesson 5
A Disappointment
Students read Chapters 9 and 10 and answer journal questions about Edmund's reasons, plans, and actions (Questions 1–4). Students record examples of good vs. evil and use the "Villains" activity page to describe the White Witch's appearance, actions, and the effects she has on others, writing several phrases or sentences and illustrating villains. Students are asked to describe the White Witch's castle and recall Father Christmas's gifts and how they were to be used, connecting setting and events to character details.
Lesson 6
A Gift from Father Christmas
Students are asked to write three paragraphs that describe a problem in a story, how they received a gift, and how the gift can be used for good. The Student Activity Page and rubric prompt students to produce "interesting and descriptive" ideas, use "verbs that show action," and include descriptive adjectives. Activities require students to draft, revise, and edit their descriptions, focusing on clarity, vocabulary use, and descriptive language.
Lesson 7
Spring
Students are asked to read Chapters 11 and 12 and answer journal questions that require describing events and actions (e.g., how the White Witch treats Edmund, how the environment changes in the sledge, what Peter does). The skills list explicitly names analyzing characters, including traits, feelings, relationships, and changes. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to describe how the environment in Narnia is changing and how Edmund is changing, and Activity 2 asks students to discuss what makes Aslan a hero and to give examples of heroic deeds.
Lesson 8
Deep Magic
The introduction and wrapping-up prompts ask the child to describe Aslan and to describe what Aslan had to endure and why he allowed the witch and her followers to do this, prompting students to recount character actions and events. The Four Siblings activity asks students to list five words or phrases that describe each character and to explain which character they are most like, requiring students to identify character traits. The Imagery activity directs students to record words and phrases from the text that appeal to the senses for the scene of the animals capturing and killing Aslan, encouraging students to locate and use specific textual details about an event.
Lesson 9
Back to Life
Students read Chapters 15 and 16 and answer targeted comprehension questions that ask about Aslan's actions and events (e.g., the mice nibbling cords, the Stone Table breaking, Aslan coming back to life, and Aslan breathing life into stone creatures). Students are asked to summarize what Lucy and Susan observed when they followed Aslan. In Activity 2 students are asked to describe three ways Aslan resembles a Christ-like figure using a provided list of traits (healing, using power to help others, sacrificing himself, coming back to life).
Lesson 10
Back Through the Wardrobe
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that ask them to describe character actions and events (e.g., QUESTION #1 asks what bravery Edmund showed and records the specific action of striking the witch's wand). Other questions prompt students to explain character traits and development (QUESTION #6 asks what type of adult each child grew up to be) and to analyze character nature (QUESTION #3 asks why Mr. Beaver said Aslan was wild). Activities ask students to act out a sibling, compare book and movie portrayals of characters and setting, and justify casting choices, all of which require describing characters, creatures, or events.
Final Project
Narnia Think-Tac-Toe
The lesson's skills list explicitly includes "Make inferences and draw conclusions about characters and events," signaling student work on character analysis. Multiple Think-Tac-Toe tasks require students to take on character perspectives (e.g., "Write a journal entry as one of the characters that was lost and searching for a way out," "Write a journal entry as that same character after making his return to Narnia the second time," and "Pretend that you are Edmund. How do you think you would want your reputation to be?"). Other activities (write six text messages between characters; design a crown or flag that represents a character; create a model of a creature) require students to represent and describe character traits or attributes in various formats.
Unit 3: The BFG
Lesson 1
In the Middle of the Night
Students read the List of Characters and the first two chapters and answer guided questions that require text-based description. Question 1 asks students to infer Sophie's home using textual clues; Question 2 asks students to describe how Sophie says the street looks in moonlight; Question 4 asks students to point to the words and phrases the author uses to describe the giant. Activity 2 Option 2 asks students to write a poem or song about the "witching hour" based on Sophie's quoted description.
Lesson 2
Snatched
Students read two chapters, answer direct comprehension questions about what happened to Sophie and how she felt, and identify the giant's home and the environment using quoted textual details (e.g., "the ground was flat and pall yellow...dead trees stood everywhere like skeletons"). Students are asked to copy the author's description of the setting and to illustrate that setting (Option 2). Students are also prompted to describe what happened in the chapters and to predict what will happen next during the wrap-up.
Lesson 3
The BFG
Students read the chapters "The BFG" and "The Giants" and answer journal questions that ask for specific textual details (e.g., what Sophie learns about other giants, how the giants use size and power, why the BFG took Sophie, and what the other giants looked like). The "Quotable Quotes" activity requires students to identify and record exact words spoken by Sophie and the BFG. The wrap-up prompts ask students to explain how the BFG is different from the other giants and why he refused to exert power, drawing on characters' actions and motivations from the text.
Lesson 4
Ears and Snozzcumbers
Students are asked to identify and record specific quotes from Sophie and the BFG in the "Quotable Quotes" activity, which requires locating characters' words in the text. The provided comprehension questions ask students to explain character actions and feelings (e.g., why the BFG cried, how he helps children, how he knew Sophie was watching), so students must use textual details. The wrap-up prompt asks students to describe the BFG and what they would enjoy most about him, prompting character description drawn from reading.
Lesson 5
Time with the BFG
Students are prompted to record direct quotes from Sophie and the BFG (Activity 1), which requires them to identify characters' words from the text. Journal questions (e.g., How did the BFG get the Bloodbottler to eat the snozzcumber? How are Bloodbottler and the BFG different?) ask students to explain characters' actions and motivations. Activity 2 directs students to compare the BFG and the Bloodbottler in appearance, personality, and power, listing similarities and differences based on the story. The skills list explicitly includes making inferences and drawing conclusions about characters.
Lesson 6
Catching People and Dreams
Students are asked to identify quotes from Sophie and the BFG (Activity 1), which makes them locate and use characters' actual words. The reading questions require students to describe how giants catch people, how the giants hurt the BFG, and what upset the BFG when catching dreams, directing students to recount characters' actions and events. Activity 4 asks students to interpret and correct the BFG's wording, prompting them to restate meaning drawn from the character's speech. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to describe how the BFG captures dreams, asking for a textual description of an event.
Lesson 7
A Nightmare for Fleshlumpeater
Students are asked to identify and record quotes from Sophie and the BFG (Quotable Quotes), which requires locating characters' words in the text. Multiple comprehension questions prompt students to describe characters and events (e.g., "What did the BFG do to the Fleshlumpeater's face?", "How would you describe Jack?", and "How is the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk similar to and different from the giants in the BFG?"), which asks students to refer to actions and traits. The skills list explicitly includes identifying and discussing similarities and differences in events and characters and using oral or written language to recount or narrate.
Lesson 8
A Dreamy Plan
Students are asked to describe Sophie's plan (Question #3) and to explain who Sophie thought was a good human being and why (Question #1), which require citing events and character reasoning from the chapters. Activity 1 (Quotable Quotes) directs students to identify and record quotes from Sophie and the BFG, prompting them to draw on specific words the characters say. Questions about how Sophie convinced the BFG (Question #4) and what happened when the BFG mixed the dream (Question #5) ask students to recount character actions and events from the text.
Lesson 9
The Palace
The Skills section explicitly directs students to "Analyze characters, including their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes," which targets character study. Activity 1 (Quotable Quotes) has students identify and record quotes from Sophie and the BFG, so students work with characters' words as textual evidence. Activity 2 asks students to rewrite events in a different setting and to research location details, so students consider the importance of setting to story meaning. Activity 3 (Cause and Effect) has students identify character actions and their effects using events from the chapters, so students use characters' actions as evidence.
Lesson 10
A Breakfast Fit for a Queen
The Characterizing the Queen activity asks students to list five adjectives describing the queen and to support each adjective with at least one example from the text, explicitly asking them to base descriptions on the queen's actions, attitude, thoughts, words, and interactions. Activity 1 directs students to identify and record quotes from Sophie and the BFG, prompting use of specific textual details (words) as evidence. The wrapping-up prompts ask students to describe how the queen received Sophie and the Giant and to evaluate believability, which requires citing text-based behavior and reactions.
Lesson 11
Fighting Giants
Students read two chapters ("The Plan" and "Capture!") and answer targeted journal questions asking about characters' actions (e.g., what Sophie did to Fleshlumpeater, how the BFG tied him, and what the BFG thought soldiers should do). Students identify and record direct quotes from Sophie and the BFG in the Quotable Quotes activity, requiring them to draw on the characters' words. Students take notes and write reflections as part of the skills, which supports locating and recording textual details.
Lesson 12
Snozzcumbers
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes 'Reference the text to support the theme of a story' and 'Identify and discuss similarities and differences in events, characters, concepts, and ideas,' which require using textual details. Activity 3 (Theme) directs students to 'record events, quotes, and characters' actions that support each theme,' prompting students to cite words and actions from the text. Activity 1 asks students to record quotes from the BFG and Sophie, and several comprehension questions (e.g., Q3, Q4) ask students to interpret characters' meaning and compare power, which elicit character analysis.
Final Project
Recipe for a Dream or Newspaper Report
Option 2 directs students to write a three-paragraph newspaper article that describes what happened to the disappeared children and how the Queen found out and responded. It requires students to explain how the Queen, BFG, and Sophie used their power and to include an interview with the BFG using at least three of the giant's quotes. The rubric specifies paragraph length (5-8 sentences) and explicitly requires inclusion of at least three of the giant's quotes.
3: Similarities and Differences
Unit 1: Stories from Africa and Asia
Lesson 5
A Good Idea
Students answer specific text-based comprehension questions (Questions #1–#4) that ask them to identify where the cows' tracks ended, what Precious's idea was, how the men reacted, and how the family responded, requiring them to refer to characters' actions and events. Students complete a "Precious and Me" chart in which they describe ways their life and personality are similar to and different from Precious, which asks them to characterize a main character. Students are asked to describe their favorite part of the book and what they learned about the geography and people of Botswana, prompting description of setting and events.
Lesson 6
African Bush Diorama
The book report rubric asks students to "describe the main characters" and "describe the setting," and the organizer directs students to write a four-paragraph report with Paragraph 1 focused on "Characters and Setting" and Paragraph 2 on "Plot." The rubric also asks students to "summarize the main events (plot) of the story" and to use "interesting adjectives and adverbs," and the activities instruct students to find descriptions of the book's setting to help design the diorama. The lesson requires students to draft, revise, and produce a final book report and includes conferencing and rubric review to improve content and organization.
Lesson 7
Japan
The reading questions ask students to report specific details from the text about setting elements (QUESTION #1 asks for Japan's climate; QUESTION #2 asks what kinds of food people eat; QUESTION #3 asks about traditions), which requires students to draw on text information. Activity 4 has students locate and label places such as Hiroshima, Kyoto, Tokyo, and Mt. Fuji on a map, which reinforces understanding of setting from the text. The introduction mentions that the child will begin reading a novel about a young girl who lives in Japan, providing a potential narrative context.
Lesson 8
Peace Day
Students read the prologue and the first two chapters and are asked to answer guided questions in a journal, including QUESTION #4: "Describe Sadako," with suggested descriptive words (impatient, full of energy, optimistic, dutiful). QUESTION #5 and the activity directions ask students to describe what the family did on Peace Day (e.g., visited the Peace Park, listened to speeches, released doves, lit paper lanterns). The student activity pages ask students to record the sentence from the book for vocabulary words, which requires locating and copying specific text excerpts.
Lesson 9
The Secret is Out
The skills list explicitly tells students to "Analyze characters, including their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes," which targets character description. Guided reading questions ask students to identify Sadako's special talent, how she felt before and after the race, why she kept her secret, and how her parents learned the secret, requiring students to describe Sadako's actions and feelings. Activities ask students to compare their lives with Sadako's (finding at least three similarities and differences) and to identify and describe a personal gift, reinforcing character traits and events analysis.
Lesson 10
Kenji
The lesson includes a skills statement that asks students to identify and discuss similarities and differences in events and characters and to support those points by referencing the text. Guided questions prompt students to describe events and character actions and feelings (e.g., Q1 asks what Chizuko brought and the story behind it; Q2 and Q3 ask how Sadako felt and what she did to stay busy). The wrapping up task asks students to summarize events and reflect on Sadako's situation and family response.
Lesson 11
O Bon
Students read the chapters "Hundreds of Wishes" and "Last Days" and are asked to answer three of the comprehension questions in their journal, which include describing the weather, Sadako's actions (pushing food away), and events such as the doctor's decision to let Sadako go home. Question prompts ask what O Bon is and how the family celebrated it, eliciting specific textual details (lanterns, bean cakes, rice balls). Activity 2 offers a journal option in which students write as a Japanese child after celebrating O Bon, prompting them to describe an event from the story in writing.
Lesson 12
Racing the Wind
Students are asked directly about Sadako's thoughts in Question #1: "What did Sadako keep thinking about? Why do you think she couldn't stop?", which requires referring to a character's internal thoughts. Question #3 asks about Sadako's words before she died and why the author ends the story that way, prompting students to use a character's words and authorial choice. Epilogue questions ask students to recount specific events (e.g., the class made 350 more cranes; they built a monument), which requires citing textual events.
Lesson 13
Precious and Sadako
Activity 1 directs students to illustrate each character and to record a character description, a quotation from the character, a significant action, a phrase another character uses, and two personality traits, which requires using specific textual details. The skills list and directions ask students to consider a character's point of view and to gather support by referencing the text. Activity 3 asks students to explain three or four important events and offers a first-person letter option in which students must describe an event, its circumstances, and how the character felt, drawing on text details.
Unit 2: Holes
Lesson 2
Camp Green Lake
Students are asked to read Chapters 1–4 and answer specific comprehension questions that require recalling text details (e.g., Stanley's father's job and the description of Camp Green Lake). Question prompts ask students to describe characters and events (e.g., "How does the author describe Camp Green Lake?" and "How would you describe Mr. Sir?"). Activity 4, "The Happy Campers," directs students to record things they learn about each boy and to illustrate their physical appearance, and the Wrapping Up prompts ask students to describe what they learned about the setting and the main character.
Lesson 3
Digging
Students read Chapters 5–7 and answer comprehension questions that ask them to describe characters and events (for example, Question #2 asks "How would you describe Mr. Pendanski?" and Question #9 asks how Stanley felt after he dug his first hole). The Skills section explicitly lists 'Relate plot, setting, and characters to personal experiences' and 'Make inferences and draw conclusions about characters.' Activity 1 directs students to record information about the boys, and Activity 3 has students match characters to nicknames and write about nicknames for themselves or family members.
Lesson 4
Caveman
The lesson's skills list explicitly includes "Analyze characters, including their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes," and students are asked to record information about the boys on the "Happy Campers" pages. Multiple reading questions (for example, questions about Stanley's nickname, why the other boys follow X-Ray, and whether students like Mr. Pendanski) require students to refer to characters and events from Chapters 8–12. Activity 2 directs students to "record the author's description" of the yellow-spotted lizard and to illustrate or model it based on those textual details.
Lesson 5
KB
The lesson's Skills section explicitly asks students to analyze characters, including their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes. The Reading and Questions section asks students to describe what Stanley found, characterize the Warden, explain what the Warden might be looking for, and explain Stanley's predicament and Zero's background, which require students to refer to events and character details from Chapters 13–16. Activity prompts (e.g., recording on "Happy Campers" pages and answering the provided questions) require students to reflect on characters and events from the text.
Lesson 6
Sunflower Seeds
Students read Chapters 17–20 and answer specific comprehension questions that ask about characters' actions and motivations (e.g., what the Warden did to Armpit, why Zigzag hit Stanley, why Stanley lied about the sunflower seeds). Activity 1 directs students to record information they learned about the characters on the "Happy Campers" pages. The wrap-up prompt explicitly asks students to describe how Camp Green Lake is changing Stanley and to discuss the irony, which requires using details from the text (e.g., his "hardened" muscles and heart).
Lesson 7
Zero
Students answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., Q1, Q3, Q7) that ask them to identify what a character did, how he knew something, and how the author describes Miss Katherine Barlow, requiring use of specific actions and descriptions from the text. Activity 1 asks students to record information they learn about characters on the "Happy Campers" pages, prompting detailed character description. Activity 3 directs students to find the author's description of Green Lake and to draw the lake as it looked 100 years ago and as it is now, explicitly requiring students to use textual details about setting and compare how the setting changed.
Lesson 8
Sam the Onion Man
Students answer targeted text-dependent questions asking who Sam was, what he did for Kate, how Sam and Kate felt about each other, how the town treated them, and how the experience changed Kate; several questions prompt students to explain reasons (e.g., Why might this be a problem?). The Skills list instructs students to "draw conclusions, make generalizations, and gather support by referencing the text" and to "consider a character's point of view." The wrapping-up task asks students to summarize the story of Kate Barlow and Sam the Onion Man and to discuss the dual plots.
Lesson 9
Driving a Truck
Students answer targeted comprehension questions about specific events and character actions (for example, identifying that Zero strangled Zigzag, that Zero hit Mr. Pendanski, and that Stanley drove off with Mr. Sir's truck). Students complete a "Character Comparisons" activity in which they write similarities and differences (traits or experiences) between pairs of characters and record information about the boys on the "Happy Campers" pages. Students may also create a Wanted Poster for a character, describing that character's crimes and appearance, which requires them to describe a character based on the story.
Lesson 10
The Mary Lou
Students are assigned to read Chapters 33–36 and to answer three chapter questions in a journal, including questions about Stanley's actions (e.g., why he looked in every hole) and events (e.g., what object he found and how Zero survived). The wrap-up prompt asks students to "describe what happens to Stanley as he leaves to find Zero." Several comprehension questions ask about character actions and plot obstacles.
Lesson 11
The Thumb of God
The lesson includes targeted comprehension questions that require students to recall specific details (e.g., what Stanley found beneath his feet, where the onions came from, where Stanley found the shovel). Several questions prompt students to refer to character actions and words (e.g., What did Zero tell Stanley as he was sick? Why do you think he decided to tell him?). Activity 3 asks students to compare Kate and Sam's story with Stanley and Zero's story using a Venn diagram, requiring identification of similarities and differences in characters and events. The wrap-up prompts students to describe what Stanley learned about Zero and to reflect on how they would have responded.
Lesson 12
Treasure and Lizards
Students are asked to summarize Chapters 42–45 and answer questions that require describing character change (e.g., QUESTION #1 asks how Stanley's feelings about himself changed and why). In Activity 1 (Conflict in Holes) students choose three types of conflict found in Holes, describe each conflict from the book, and illustrate it. The Wrapping Up prompts ask students to describe what happened to Stanley and Zero and to explain which character they enjoy most and why.
Lesson 13
Innocent
Students answer targeted comprehension questions (e.g., Why do you think the Warden decided not to shoot Stanley and Zero?; Why did the lizards not bite Stanley or Zero?), requiring them to explain motives and causes using details from Chapters 46–50. Activity 3 asks students to sequence events and identify the problem, climax, and solution for Stanley's story and Katherine Barlow's story, which has students describe events and plot development. Activity 1 asks students to write a business letter reporting conditions at Camp Green Lake, which requires describing setting/conditions with supporting details.
Final Project
Welcome to Camp
Students are asked to write two paragraphs that describe the camp's name, geography (physical environment), sleeping and eating quarters, and staff, and to describe the activities, how activities build character, and how staff will interact with campers. Additional tasks ask students to design a uniform appropriate to the environment, create a welcome pack, write a camp song or chant, and list five ways the new camp differs from Camp Green Lake. Students also present their ideas to the family, reinforcing descriptive explanation of setting and interpersonal interactions.
Unit 3: Stories from Europe
Lesson 2
Fiona's Luck
Students are asked directly to describe Fiona and provide evidence from the story (QUESTION #1: "How would you describe Fiona? What evidence from the story supports your opinion of Fiona?"). Students complete a 'Fiona's Luck Story Elements' activity where they record characters, setting, plot, conflict, and resolution and review answers such as setting = countryside of Ireland and characters = leprechauns, Fiona, the leprechaun king. Students are prompted at the end to give a verbal summary and to name and describe the story elements they identified.
Lesson 3
The Sea King's Daughter
Students answer targeted reading questions (e.g., What was Sadko's job? How did Sadko feel about the city and how do you know?) that require them to refer to the text when explaining feelings and motivations. Activity 3 asks students to describe story elements (Characters, Setting, Conflict, Resolution) and provides an answer key listing Sadko, the Sea King and Queen, Princess Volkhova, Novgorod, and the sea floor. The Fact and Fantasy activity requires students to list three factual details and three fantasy elements from the story, prompting them to draw on specific details from the text. Reader's Theater and the Wrapping Up step ask students to act out parts and verbally summarize the story, connecting characters and events to textual descriptions.
Lesson 4
The Snow Queen
Students answer specific reading-comprehension questions about events and actions in the text (e.g., what the goblin's mirror does, what gets in Kay's eye and heart, what Gerda does at the river). Students complete a "The Snow Queen Story Elements" organizer asking them to record characters, setting, conflict, and resolution with an answer key that cites story details. Students create a script from selected scenes, which requires them to select and reproduce characters' words and interactions from the text.
Lesson 5
Comparing and Contrasting Stories
Students are asked to reread selected pages and retell a few events from a chosen story in first person, writing 8–10 sentences and explaining how the new point of view changes the story. Students complete a "Comparing Story Elements" activity that requires listing similarities and differences between stories and explaining which stories are most similar or different. The wrap-up questions ask students to consider which elements (plot, characters, theme, setting) are most important and to explain their thinking.
Final Project
Writing Your Own Story
Students complete a "Story Characters" page where they name each character, list five adjectives, and write three sentences describing the character's role. Students use a "Setting" page to illustrate a specific place and record descriptive words and phrases, and a "Plot Organizer" to describe beginning, conflict, events, and resolution. The skills and directions explicitly prompt students to use dialogue, description, concrete words, sensory details, and characters' actions to develop experiences and show responses.
4: Exploration and Survival
Unit 1: Abel's Island
Lesson 1
Survival
Students are asked to look for and record how the main character uses river resources (Activity 3), which requires noting the character's actions in the text. Students compare three things they would miss to the things Abel says he misses most about his home (Activity 4), which directs attention to the character's words and feelings. The lesson's skills include relating plot, characters, and setting to personal experience and interacting with the text before, during, and after reading, which prompts students to attend to setting details and character information.
Lesson 2
The Storm
Students are asked to describe Abel's personality directly (Question #2) and to describe elements of setting and events such as the weather (Q3), the shelter (Q4), how the wind carried Abel (Q6), and the boat (Q7). Students record how Abel uses natural resources across chapters in the "Using Natural Resources" activity, which requires noting actions and uses drawn from the text. The skills list and the Predictions and Inferences activity prompt students to support interpretations with examples from the text and to make inferences about character actions and feelings.
Lesson 3
Where Am I?
Multiple comprehension questions require students to identify and describe setting and events (Question #1 asks where the tree was and why that was a problem; Question #7 asks what happened to each of Abel's boats). Several items ask students to draw on character thoughts, words, or actions (Question #2 asks why Abel worried about his clothes; Question #6 asks why it bothered him to use his teeth; Question #5 asks how he made a steerable boat). Activities ask students to locate information from the chapters and describe or illustrate Abel's boats and resources (Activity 1 chart, Activity 2 description and labeling, Activity 3 boat model or song reflecting Abel's experiences), and Question #8 explicitly asks students to support interpretations or conclusions with examples drawn from the text.
Lesson 4
Who Is Abel?
Students are asked to illustrate Abel and record words/phrases describing his physical appearance and personality with corresponding evidence from the text in the "Who Is Abel?" activity. The skills list directs students to analyze characters, their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes, and to make inferences and draw conclusions about characters and events. Reading questions ask students to explain how Abel knows which foods to eat, how he is adapting, how his self-opinion is changing, and to describe his new home, which require citing Abel's actions, thoughts, and circumstances from Chapters 5 and 6.
Lesson 5
Perseverance
Students are prompted to describe the story's problem (conflict) and to answer targeted comprehension questions about Abel's actions and motivations (e.g., the river-crossing plan, how he made and used fire, what he loved about Amanda, and what he dreamed). The reading questions require students to identify specific events and character details drawn from Chapters 7 and 8. The writing organizer and rubric ask students to provide supporting details and use descriptive words when composing paragraphs.
Lesson 6
Surprises
The guided questions ask students to identify Abel's feelings and supports (Q1), explain his worries about winter with reasons from the text (Q2), and recount specific actions Abel took (diving between rocks in Q6; slashing the owl's toes in Q7). Activities ask students to extract details to complete a "Using Natural Resources" chart and to order and write Abel's daily routines on the "Abel's Daily Schedule" pages, requiring them to reference events and actions from Chapters 9 and 10. The skills list explicitly instructs students to draw conclusions and gather support by referencing the text.
Lesson 7
Threats
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that ask how Abel is beginning to feel about the environment and why (Q1), what question Abel asked God and why that is notable (Q2), why Abel talks aloud to himself (Q3), and how Abel protects himself from the owl (Q4) including the spear he made. Students explain how the environment is changing and how Abel adapts (Q5) and complete an activity that requires listing three adaptations for Abel and describing how each aids his survival. A wrap-up prompt asks students to describe the threats Abel faces and how he is adapting and surviving, and vocabulary tasks require recording sentences from the text for specific words.
Lesson 8
The Dead of Winter
Students are asked to answer text-based questions about Abel's actions and adaptations (e.g., stuffing holes with book pages, making a quilt from mats/clothes/paper, burying his face in Amanda's scarf). Students are asked to describe Gower and explain Abel's changing attitude as the earth warmed, and they are directed to find information in the chapters that explains Abel's hibernation/torpor (p. 74–75). The Skills section explicitly instructs students to identify and discuss similarities and differences in characters and events and to support them by referencing the text.
Lesson 9
The Newcomer
Students are asked to compare Gower and Abel by creating a Venn diagram that compares their physical attributes, attitudes, and personalities. Guided questions prompt students to identify characters' feelings, actions, and motivations (e.g., why Gower thought Abel should be an artist; how Abel felt when Gower left; how Abel was dependent on Gower). Students are asked to reread pages 93–96, discuss the action and dialogue there, and prepare a script with lines, stage directions, a set description, and props to reenact a scene.
Lesson 10
Escape
Activity 3 asks students to describe Abel before and after the island, explain what caused his change, and write acrostic descriptions that characterize him. The Skills section explicitly lists that students will "Analyze characters, including their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes." Activity 1 asks students to write "big" questions about chapters as they read, encouraging deeper thinking about character development and events.
Lesson 11
Home at Last
Students answer specific comprehension questions that require citing textual details (e.g., QUESTION #1 asks how Abel got off the island and the answer is "He swam from rock to rock when he noticed the river was low," and QUESTION #4 records Abel's exact words: "I've brought you back your scarf."). Activity 1 directs students to fill a chart ("Using Natural Resources") drawing information from Chapters 19 and 20, which requires extracting setting and event details. Activity 3 (Theme Bubble Map) and the listed Skills explicitly ask students to support interpretations with examples drawn from the text and to identify/interpret elements of fiction such as plot and events.
Final Project
Your Own Deserted Island
Students write a paragraph that describes the island environment (Part 1) and create a labeled map with a scale and key, demonstrating attention to specific setting details. Students make lists of items and resources and write a paragraph about how they landed and how they use resources to survive (Part 2), which develops description of events and actions. Students write a letter describing feelings and what they miss, using specified adjectives and adverbs (Part 3), which elicits description of emotional states and reactions.
Unit 2: Pedro's Journal
Lesson 1
Exploring with Columbus
Students research Columbus using biographies and historical accounts and use the "Columbus, The Man" organizer to list positive and negative characteristics and actions. Students complete a "Historical Fiction" bubble map by listing two factual descriptions of characters, two examples of fiction, two historical events, and two authentic descriptions of setting and decide whether the book is more fact or fiction. Students trace Columbus' route on a map and record dates and important events along the voyage. Students are prompted to identify and interpret elements of fiction and nonfiction and to distinguish fact from opinion by referencing texts.
Lesson 2
August
Students read Pedro's journal entries and answer assigned questions about character behavior and motives (e.g., Why was Pedro hired? Why would Pedro turn away from his mother?). Students are asked to describe characters directly (e.g., How does Pedro describe Columbus? — fiery temper, lack of patience, but smart). Students complete a multi-month chart recording Columbus' attitude, Pedro's attitude, the crew's attitude, important events, and geographic location, and they discuss crew members' feelings about the ocean.
Lesson 3
September
Students are prompted to describe how Pedro's journey began and to discuss the characters introduced and important events, which requires them to recount plot and character information. The guided questions ask students to cite specific text details (e.g., Pedro's job calling out the time and turning the sandglass; Pedro seeing Columbus alter recorded miles as evidence the men distrust him). Other questions require students to compare interpretations of a meteor (sailors' omen vs. Columbus' view) and to list signs of land observed (seaweed, crab, terns, petrels, frigate birds). Students are also asked to summarize what happened to Columbus and the crew for the month of September, reinforcing use of textual details.
Lesson 4
October
Students answer focused comprehension questions (e.g., Why does Pedro enjoy the night watch?; What did the sailors notice when they landed?) that require them to describe characters and events using details from the journal entries. Students complete a bubble-map activity titled "The Natives and the White Men," recording words or phrases the crew and the natives might use to describe one another, which prompts description of people based on text impressions. Students read and practice dialogue in quotes and fill-in exercises with direct lines from the text, drawing on characters' words and actions as evidence.
Lesson 5
Journal Writing
The introduction asks students to identify three events Pedro writes about and three places where Pedro records his feelings about a person or event, which asks students to locate events and a character's expressed thoughts/feelings in a text. The lesson models that Pedro's journal includes actual events and his feelings and thoughts, and students are prompted to discuss those reasons. Activity 2 asks students to generate facts, feelings, and quotes to include in a journal entry, and Activity 3 asks students to write and revise an entry to communicate the importance of the event and their feelings.
Lesson 6
November
The lesson explicitly lists the skill "Analyze characters, including their traits, feelings, relationships, and changes," and asks students to explain interactions among the crew and the natives using Pedro's journal entries. Multiple comprehension questions require students to identify Pedro's feelings, motivations, and related past experiences (e.g., questions about why Columbus wanted to take natives, why Pedro felt shame, and how Pedro felt about the natives' treatment of soldiers). Activities ask students to list disadvantages "from Pedro's perspective" and to summarize what Pedro is learning about the natives and Columbus, which requires drawing on details in the text.
Lesson 7
December
Students read the December journal entries and are instructed to answer three or four questions in their journals, requiring them to refer to the text. Question #1 asks students to "Describe the encounter the sailors had with the natives on December 3rd," prompting use of specific actions and speech from the text (e.g., trading attempts, interpreter's warning, Columbus showing weapons). Questions #4 and #5 ask students to evaluate characters' actions (whether Ruiz should have let Pedro steer; whether Pedro was at fault for sinking the Santa Maria) and to support their answers. Activity 2 asks students to compare the treasures Columbus expected with those actually found, which requires describing setting-related details and events from the text.
Lesson 8
The Island of the Skog
The guided questions ask students to explain characters' motivations and actions (e.g., why the mice set off, who became captain, how the mice responded to the Skog, and what happened in the end), which prompts description of characters and events. Activity 2 asks students to write three ways the mice showed prejudice and three ways Columbus showed prejudice, requiring students to cite behaviors and attitudes from the texts. The skills statement explicitly tells students to identify and discuss similarities and differences in events and characters and to support them by referencing the text, and Activity 1 asks students to record characteristics unique to each story in a compare/contrast organizer.
Lesson 9
January
Students read Pedro's journal entry and answer comprehension questions (e.g., Question #3 asks how the author describes the manatees, requiring students to draw on text details). Students write a five-line dialogue between Pedro and Columbus using alternative tags to 'said,' which has them produce character speech and practice representing character words and actions. The wrapping-up prompt asks students to discuss the new environment Columbus and his men are exploring, prompting description of setting.
Lesson 10
February
Students answer text-based comprehension questions that ask about Pedro's feelings (Q1), changes in sea conditions (Q2), events such as losing sight of the Pinta (Q3), and why Pedro never returned to sea (Q6), requiring them to refer to story details. Students complete 'The Journey' journal pages and then write and deliver a firsthand report as Pedro that must explain the crew's survival, discoveries, and what it was like to sail with Columbus, using information they recorded from the book. Skills listed include responding to fiction by considering the main character's point of view and using oral or written language to recount or narrate, which guide students to describe characters and events.
Final Project
Story Blocks
Students create a Characters Cube where they write six character names and two or three words or phrases describing each character. Students make a Setting Cube by illustrating faces to reflect different aspects of the story's setting. Students complete a Quotes Cube by recording three sentences with quotes from the text and writing sentences that describe those quotes; they also complete a Survival Cube and Exploration Cube that ask them to record events, threats to survival, survival actions, discoveries, and cultural impacts from the voyage. The lesson's skills list explicitly includes analyzing characters (traits, feelings, relationships, changes) and using oral or written language to recount or narrate.
Unit 3: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Lesson 1
Sickness
Students are asked directly to "Describe Mrs. Frisby and her family" (Question #1) and to describe the mice's environment and how it meets their survival needs (Question #2). Students keep a Plot Flowchart and record a major event for each chapter, which has them identify and retell events and sequence of the story. Activity 1 asks students to record events, characters, and descriptions from a fantasy novel and Activity wrap-up asks students to "describe the characters he met today," prompting character and setting description.
Lesson 2
Spring is Coming
Students are asked to describe a character using the author's description (Question #1 asks how the author describes the cat and directs the student to illustrate based on that description). Students record events from chapters on a Plot Flowchart (Activity 1) and answer what happens in the garden and how that event threatens the mice (Question #2). Activity 2 asks students to describe and illustrate the story's setting and then explain how the setting threatens Mrs. Frisby's family's survival, connecting setting details to story events.
Lesson 3
A Visit to an Owl
Students answer specific text-based questions that ask for details about characters and setting (e.g., Question #2 asks how Jeremy describes the owl; Question #4 asks how the author describes the owl's home; Question #5 asks why Mrs. Frisby was afraid). Students complete a Plot Flowchart with an event from the chapters and are prompted at the end to "describe what happened to Mrs. Frisby". Activity 2 asks students to draw the neighborhood from a bird's-eye view, connecting perspective to setting.
Lesson 4
Rats in the Rosebush
Students are asked to describe Mrs. Frisby and to list five ways she has shown bravery using a bubble map labeled 'Bravery,' which requires identifying character traits and related actions. Students fill in a Plot Flowchart for the chapters read, which has them identify events and sequence of actions. Reading comprehension questions ask about specific events and motivations (e.g., the owl's advice, why Mrs. Frisby explores the rosebush, what Timothy tells his mother), prompting students to refer to parts of the text.
Lesson 5
Meeting the Rats
Students read the chapters "Brutus" and "In the Library" and are asked journal questions that directly prompt character description (QUESTION #1: How would you describe Brutus? and QUESTION #5: How would you describe Nicodemus?). Other comprehension questions ask about characters' actions and reactions (QUESTION #2: How did Brutus respond to Mrs. Frisby? and QUESTION #6: How did the rats respond to Mrs. Frisby?). Activity 1 asks students to describe an important event on a Plot Flowchart and Activity 2 has students list specific examples of how the rats functioned beyond normal rats (inventions, machines, signs of education), which requires referring to details from the chapters.
Lesson 6
A Plan for Mrs. Frisby
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that identify characters and events (e.g., Who is Isabella? What did Mrs. Frisby learn about the rats? Where did the rats want to move Mrs. Frisby's home?). Students complete a Plot Flowchart activity that asks them to describe an important event from the chapters. Students are asked to describe the rats' plan to move Mrs. Frisby's home and to argue whether the rats' plan will work, prompting explanation and reasoning about events and actions.
Lesson 7
The Capture
Students are asked to describe an important event on a Plot Flowchart and to write a summary in a journal of Nicodemus' story about life at the farmers' market, the capture, and life at NIMH. Guided questions ask students to identify specific details (e.g., where the rats lived, how they got caught, what tools were needed) and prompt students to use evidence from the book to answer whether scientists mistreated the rats. The Skills section explicitly references gathering support by referencing the text and summarizing main ideas.
Lesson 8
Life at NIMH
Students read the chapters "The Maze" and "A Lesson in Reading" and answer targeted journal questions asking what Justin tried to do, his plan for escape, how the scientists responded, and what was happening to the rats (increased intelligence and stopped aging). Students complete a Plot Flowchart where they describe an important event from both chapters. The Wrapping Up prompts ask students to describe what life was like for the rats at NIMH and to evaluate whether the scientists were doing a good or bad thing.
Lesson 9
The Escape
Students answer targeted comprehension questions about why the rats delayed escape, what they learned exploring the building, the tools they used (spool of thread, screwdriver), and how Nicodemus physically helped another character. Students complete a Plot Flowchart recording important events from each chapter and respond to prompts comparing "Nicodemus Before NIMH" and "Nicodemus After NIMH." The skills list explicitly tells students to make inferences, draw conclusions about characters and events, and consider a character's point of view.
Lesson 10
Amazing Rats
Students answer comprehension questions asking what Mrs. Frisby saw in the Main Hall, what the rats' plan was for moving her home, and what inventions the rats built, which require describing setting and events. Activity 1 asks students to record an important event from each chapter on a Plot Flowchart, prompting event description and sequencing. Activity 4 asks students to list things the rats learned and write a paragraph explaining how their opinion about rats changed, supporting their opinion with reasons. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to describe the Main Hall, the rats' plan, and why they devised it, directly targeting description of setting and events.
Lesson 11
The Plan
The lesson asks students to answer specific comprehension questions about events and setting (e.g., what the rats discovered, how they got power, why they moved), and it has a Plot Flowchart activity for recording an important event from each chapter. Activity 2 asks students to create a pop-up picture of Thorn Valley and to accompany it with a paragraph that describes the place and why it would be perfect to live. The Wrapping Up prompt asks students to describe the new home the rats hope to make for themselves.
Lesson 12
Working in the Night
Students answer targeted comprehension questions that require citing events and actions (e.g., identifying that Jenner and the rats were electrocuted, explaining how Justin rescued Mrs. Frisby, and listing the equipment rats used to move the house). Students complete a Plot Flowchart to record chapter events and draw/label how the rats moved the house "based on the author's description," which asks them to use textual details to represent an event. Wrapping-up prompts ask students to "discuss ways the rats were inventive and resourceful, using examples from the text," and some questions ask "How do you know?" to elicit text-based evidence.
Lesson 13
A New Home
Students answer targeted comprehension questions about specific events (e.g., why Nicodemus wanted Mrs. Frisby at the meeting; how the rats escaped; how Brutus got out), which requires them to identify and recount actions from the text. Students complete a Plot Flowchart and a Plot Diagram by listing the problem, rising actions, climax, falling action, and solution, which has them organize and describe events from the story. In Activity 2, students are asked to record examples from the book for elements of fantasy (including Characterization: animals have human characteristics), prompting them to cite textual examples of characters behaving or speaking like humans.
Final Project
The Next Chapter or Book Float
Students are instructed to write a description of each character, including their actions and thoughts, to help decide dialogue and behavior in a new chapter. Students are directed to write a description of Thorn Valley using the chapter "Thorn Valley" to find the author's description and to ensure the setting reflects the book. Students must outline four major events, create realistic dialogue that matches how characters spoke in the book, and finally write a chapter that describes the events, includes dialogue, and explains how characters are surviving and interacting with their environment.