Unit consisting of four lessons which provide opportunities for students to problem solve, role play and work cooperatively while examining how nations with different economic systems specialize and become interdependent through trade and how government policies allow either free or restricted trade.

In this 3 day, 3 activity lesson, students will learn the characteristics of an effective text-based discussion and demonstrate skills in leading and participating in one. Students will discuss their analysis in groups and independently prepare for leading a text-centered discussion by crafting a comparative text-dependent question.

This poetry lesson uses hip hop and karaoke to inspire students to write and engage with poetry.

Explore the traditions and conventions of haiku and compare this classic form of Japanese poetry to a related genre of Japanese visual art.

In this lesson, students visit library websites from a variety of places, including Hong Kong, Kenya, and Scotland, to develop a global perspective and a broader understanding of the types of library services available throughout the world. They discuss services offered in their community and then form questions regarding the availability of library services in other parts of the world. Working in groups, students access library websites to answer teacher- and student-generated questions. When they have completed their research, students share their findings with classmates and compare the services available in distant libraries to their local services.

This lesson plan, which is adaptable for use in middle school as well, introduces students to a wide world of writing. Students begin by brainstorming a list of the types of writing people do on a daily basis. Then, students work together to classify those writing genres in various categories, such as formal and informal, public and private, and digital writing. Students then invite people into the classroom to talk about what, why, and how they write in real life. As a culminating activity, students reflect on how these varying purposes and processes can apply to their own lives.

In this lesson, students take on the role of the director of a movie. After exploring cinematic terms, students read a literary work with director's eyes. This lesson uses Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl as an example; however, the activities can be completed with any matched movie and piece of literature (e.g., any of the Harry Potter books, A Series of Unfortunate Events, or The Polar Express).

Zlata's Diary chronicles the daily life of Zlata, an eleven year-old girl during wartime in Sarajevo, and the war's increasing impact on her hometown of Sarajevo and her family. This courageous, intelligent young woman has been called "the Anne Frank of Sarajevo" for her searing account of war's effects, but her story has had a happier ending. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this story through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

During the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, Reuven is forced to sell Zlateh, the family goat, because business has been bad. On his way to the butcher, Aaron (Reuven's son) and Zlateh get caught in a terrible snowstorm, and after finding shelter in a haystack, they develop a deeper bond and interdependence. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this story through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.