Investigates conceptual and formal issues in different media or between media such as sculpture, photography, and video. Explores issues of representation, interpretation, and meaning, and how they relate to historical, social and cultural context.

The story is about a little boy who tries in vain to save, but unfortunately makes poor decisions and squanders his money.

Allie has a new basketball. She has a hard time finding someone to play with her because they believe basketball is a boys game. Allie continues to practice and play, despite their opinions.

The author, Helen Lester, traces her writing career from the age of three to adulthood. She shares her struggles with writing in elementary school and even later as a successful writer. Helens story demonstrates that even the most challenging struggles can be overcome with persistence and a good sense of humor.

This historical fiction story takes place in 1932 in the midst of the Great Depression in New York City. Baseball was king and Babe Ruth was at the top of his game. In this story, a young boy and his father become a team as they both work to support their family.

This lesson provides teachers with support for using text-dependent questions to help students derive big ideas and key understandings while developing vocabulary from the modern fable and play, The Baker's Neighbor. In this play, the neighborhood baker Manuel bakes delicious smelling pastries and puts them out for sale each morning, but his neighbor, Pablo, loves to smell the fresh bakery every morning without purchasing any pastries. This irritates Manuel to the point where he feels Pable should pay to smell his baked goods, and Manuel takes his complain to the town judge who eventually offers a ruling that allows Manuel to get the pleasure of "touching" Pablo's gold coins in return for Pable "smelling" the bakery.

This lesson provides teachers with support for using text-dependent questions to help students derive big ideas and key understandings while developing vocabulary from the text Blue Willow. Janey's father is an immigrant worker and this forces Janey and her family to move around every few months, but Janey finds a friend named Lupe and a place she would like to call home permanently. Janey has to go to Camp Miller School for immigrant children like herself and she finds once again she must learn whether the new teacher will be a friend or just another teacher like the ones before her.

In Cold Blood Body Biographies (begins on page 23) Statement of Purpose: Body Biographies can help students to explore the complexity of character within a novel. This activity will allow students to explore personality, physical appearance, motivation, etc. of various characters during reading. Because In Cold Blood has such
interesting and varied characters this activity will be particularly engaging for students. It
will also provide an opportunity for them to share the things that they are learning with
their peers.

This lesson provides teachers with support for using text-dependent questions to help students derive big ideas and key understandings while developing vocabulary from the biographical text, Boss of the Plains. This biography relates the life of John Batterson Stetson as a hatting apprentice until he was diagnosed with tuberculosis and decided to explore the American West. During his time with the people of the West, he invents a better hat, nicknamed "Boss of the Plains," - the first real cowboy hat.

This lesson provides teachers with support for using text-dependent questions to help students derive big ideas and key understandings while developing vocabulary using the fictional text The Bridge Dancers. In this book, two sisters, Maisie and Callie, are faced with a challenging situation. Callie gets hurt while their mother is away and Maisie must decide if she can rely on her knowledge of herbal medicine to save her sister's life.

In this segment from Curious, Mark Davis is motivated to develop a new, less debilitating treatment for his wife's cancer.

This lesson provides teachers with support for using text-dependent questions to help students derive big ideas and key understandings while developing vocabulary using the modern fairytale, Cendrillon. In this Caribbean Cinderella story, Cendrillon is treated as a servant by her step-mother and half-sister. Nannin, the gogmother, uses a magic wand to ready Cendrillon for a ball, where Cendrillon meets a rich man's son, Paul, who falls in love with her and finds her when she is lost to him.

Young Jose Mendez is a terrific centerfielder but a weak hitter. Jose wants his father to be proud of him. When his father calls him a "Born Outfielder," Jose realizes that his father is proud of his abilities on and off the field.

This lesson provides teachers with support for using text-dependent questions to help students derive big ideas and key understandings while developing vocabulary using the children's novel, Charlotte's Web. A story of friendship and loyalty between Wilbur, a spring pic and a grey spider named Charlotte. Wilbur learns that he is being fattened for slaughter in the fall. Wilbur is at first disgusted by the fact that charlotte eats flies, but comes to both appreciate and love her.

Students explore the connotations of the colors associated with the characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby."

This is an activity to help students create characters for narrative writing or creative writing. Some students struggle to develop a character for a story and therefore creative writing becomes frustrating for them. This is a great way to help students think about their character with more depth.

In this video segment from Africa, Flora explains why she is content to return to the bush.

Beverly Cleary tells the story of a family on a rainy Sunday in a household full of bad moods. Ramonas father suggests they all go out to dinner. While out, an old man pays for their dinner because he believes they are a nice family and he misses his own family.

Learn about what motivated Flora, a woman from the city, to move to the African bush in this video segment from Africa.

In this tall tale story, deadbeat Shorty Long has to avoid the people to whom he owes money. He tries to trick Widow Macrae out of $4.50, but actually created more problems for himself.