4 th – 5 th grades Lexile range: 645-845
Anchor Text Unit 1 Anchor Text Unit 2 Anchor Text Unit 3 Anchor Text Unit 4
1.
How do our surroundings affect us? How do we come to understand our natural world and our place in it? a.
Harcourt: Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful
investigations pp. 2-50
2.
How does culture affect us? a.
Vistas: A Diverse People pp. 28-29 b.
Vistas: History and Culture pp.42-43 c.
Vistas: Native Peoples and Their Cultures pp. 74-107 d.
A Boy Called Slow (Theme 5, p. 470) 760L e.
Three Poems by Joseph Bruchac (Theme 6, p. 620) f.
Drawn from History (Theme 5, p. 488) g.
Vistas: Two Worlds Meet pp. 148-181 h.
Vistas: Europeans in North America pp. 184-203 i.
Vistas: The English Establish 13 Colonies pp. 210-318 j.
The Princess and the Warrior (Theme 1, p. 102) k.
Yang the Second and Her Secret Admirers (Theme 4) 620L l.
“La Bamba” (Theme 2, p. 162) 830L
3.
What does it mean to be American? a.
Vistas: Early Peoples pp. 54-71 b.
Games of Young America (Theme 3, P. 330) c.
Yankee Doodle (Theme 3, p. 282) d.
Vistas: America’s Many Beliefs pp. 30-31 e.
Vistas: Our Government pp. 34-36 f.
The Constitution: Bill of Rights
4.
What is our place in the universe? a.
Harcourt: The Solar system consists of planets and other bodies that orbit the Sun in
predictable paths Unit 5 pp. 326-371
1.
What happens when humans interact with wild animals? What relationships exist between people and wild creatures? How do human interactions impact nature? a.
The Golden Lion Tamarin Comes Home (Theme 6, p. 629) 1030L b.
My Side of the Mountain (Theme 6) 700L
2.
What is energy, where do we find it, how does it change from one to another, and how does it affect our everyday lives?
3.
What are the impacts of nature? a.
Buildup to a Shakeup (Theme 1, p. 26) b.
Earthquake Terror (Theme 1, p. 28) 590L

c.
El Nino (Theme 1, p. 48) d.
Eye of the Storm (Theme 1, p. 56) 910L e.
Volcanoes (Theme 1, p. 84) 850L f.
The Princess and the Warrior (Theme 1, p. 102)
4.
How do systems interact? a.
Harcourt: Plants and animals have structures for respiration, digestion, waste disposal,
and transport of materials pp. 136-215 b.
Harcourt: The Solar system consists of planets and other bodies that orbit the Sun in
predictable paths Unit 5 pp. 326-371
5.
What is matter and how does it behave? How do elements react with one another? How do substances react with one another? a.
Elements and their combinations account for all the varied types of matter in the world
(Harcourt Unit I, pp. 56-131)
6.
How do our interactions with others help us better understand ourselves? a.
Mariah Keeps Cool(Theme 4) 540L b.
Mom’s Best Friend (Theme 4) 670L c.
Yang the Second and Her Secret Admirers (Theme 4) 620L d.
Dear Mr. Henshaw (Theme 4) 900L
7.
How do different places affect the way people live? a.
Vistas: Native Peoples and Their Cultures pp. 74-107 b.
Pioneer Girl (Theme 5, p. 499) 960L c.
Nicodemus Stakes a Claim in History (Theme 5, p. 516) d.
8.
How does exploration impact people’s world-view? a.
Vistas: Two Worlds Meet pp. 148-181 b.
Vistas: Europeans in North America pp. 184-203 c.
The Fear Place (Theme 2, p. 184) 740L d.
Into the Deep (Theme 2, p. 226)
9.
How does one’s perspective affect the choices they make? –OR--What happens when different cultures meet? a.
Vistas: The English Establish 13 Colonies pp. 210-318 b.
Vistas: Equal Rights for All p. 642 c.
10.
What are the impacts of immigration? a.
Vistas: A Diverse People p. 28 b.
Vistas: America’s Many Beliefs p. 30 c.
Vistas: Immigrants and Ideas p. 536
11.
What influences one’s perspective?
12.
What impacts peoples lives?
13.
To what extent do people impact history?

1.
Why do people seek change? a.
Hurricanes: Weather at its Wildest (Theme 1) b.
On the Brink of War (Theme 3, p. 260) c.
And Then What Happened, Paul Revere (Theme 3, p. 262) 790L d.
Katie’s Trunk (Theme 3, p. 293) 590L e.
In Their Own Words (Theme 3, p. 306) f.
Coming to Golden Mountain (Theme 5, p. 566) g.
Elena (Theme 5) 610L h.
Two Worlds Meet (Vistas pp. 148-181) i.
Europeans in North America (Vistas pp. 184-203) j.
The English Establish 13 Colonies (Vistas pp. 210-318) k.
The Colonists Rebel (Vistas pp. 356-385) l.
The Declaration of Independence (Vistas p. R26) m.
Settling the West (Vistas pp. 546-567)
2.
What are the effects of innovation? a.
History of Recorded Sound (Theme 2 Technology Link) b.
Tuning in on Animals (Theme 6 Technology Link)
3.
What are the effects of change? a.
Buildup to a Shakeup (Theme 1, p. 26) b.
Earthquake Terror (Theme 1, p. 28) 590L c.
El Nino (Theme 1, p. 48) d.
Eye of the Storm (Theme 1, p. 56) 910L e.
Volcanoes (Theme 1, p. 84) 850L f.
Europe Faces Change (Vistas p. 128) g.
Early Years of the United States (Vistas pp. 472-495) h.
New Ideas Bring Change (Vistas pp. 510-539) i.
POEM: Change by Kathleen Raine Retrieved from All Poetry
4.
In what ways do organisms adapt to survive in harsh or changing environments?
5.
How do species change through time? a.
The Grizzly Bear Family Book (Theme 6, p. 602) 910L b.
The Golden Lion Tamarin Comes Home (Theme 6, p. 629) 1030L c.
A Thousand Geese (Theme 6 poem, p. 623)
6.
How do ecosystems respond to change?
7.
How does matter move and change in the environment? a.
Elements and their combinations account for all the varied types of matter in the world
(Harcourt Unit I, pp. 56-131)
8.
What are the causes and effects of changing weather? a.
“What are the Causes and Effects of Severe Weather?” (Harcourt pp. 308-321)

b.
Water on Earth moves between the oceans and land through the processes of
evaporation and condensation (Harcourt Unit 3, pp. 220-261 c.
Energy from the Sun heats Earth unevenly, causing air movements that result in
changing weather patterns. (Harcourt Unit 4, pp. 266-320)
1.
Courage a.
Elena (Theme 5) 610L b.
Maya Angelou poem http://www.poetrysoup.com/famous/poems/best/maya_angelou c.
“If” by Kipling http://www.gradesaver.com/rudyard-kipling-poems/studyguide/section2/ d.
2.
How do people meet their needs? a.
Plants and animals have structures for respiration, digestion, waste disposal, and
transport of materials (Harcourt Unit 2, pp. 138-215)
3.
What can we learn from the past?
4.
What are things people are willing to fight for? a.
In Their Own Words (Theme 3, p. 306) b.
Fighting for Freedom (Theme 3, p. 310) c.
“James Forten” (Theme 3, p. 312) 850L d.
Vistas: The Struggle for North America pp. 327-419 e.
And Then What Happened, Paul Revere (Theme 3, p. 262) 790L f.
The Colonists Rebel (Vistas pp. 356-385) g.
The Declaration of Independence (Vistas p. R26) h.
Nicodemus Stakes a Claim in History (Theme 5, p. 516) i.
Vistas: Slavery Is Ended pp. 586-605 j.
Vistas: The Promise of Democracy pp. 634-653
5.
Overcoming adversity requires perseverance. a.
Vistas: The Struggle for North America pp. 327-419 b.
Michelle Kwan (Theme 2, p. 138) 740L c.
Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad by Emma Rose d.
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell e.
“La Bamba” (Theme 2, p. 162) 830L f.
The Fear Place (Theme 2, p. 184) 740L The quantitative measure of this text falls within the 4-5
Lexile range. The qualitative analysis determines this to be moderately complex in levels of meaning, structure, and knowledge demands. While the narrative structure has few shifts in point of view and occasional use of flashback, readers must rely heavily on making inferences to determine meaning. Most challenging is the use of unfamiliar vocabulary.
g.
Mae Jamison (Theme 2, p. 210) 880L h.
Vistas: Newcomers Help Build a Nation pp. 608-629 i.
Black Cowboy, Wild Horses (Theme 5, p. 523) 660L j.
Elena (Theme 5, p. 550) 610L

k.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O’Brien
6.
Is this a healthy place? What’s the evidence?
7.
How do we keep our bodies healthy? a.
Harcourt: Plants and animals have structures for respiration, digestion, waste disposal,
and transport of materials pp. 136-215