The unit sparks written and oral student responses through high-interest reading selections. Students work independently and in small groups to brainstorm and present reactions to novels, poems, biographies, and news articles. Four high-interest themes are used for activities—relationships, choices, journeys, and visions. Works studied include Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl; The Cay, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry; When the Legends Die; The Hobbit; Where the Red Fern Grows, and poems by Sara Teasdale, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, and Carl Sandburg.

Academic activities integrate key critical thinking skills such as drawing inferences, comparing, distinguishing fact from opinion, and predicting outcomes. Students write sentences, paragraphs, and essays/articles and use prewriting, conferencing, rewriting, and publishing strategies.