The document provides a 7-part text set on the concept of exploration. It includes literary and informational texts about topics like Lewis and Clark, pirates, slavery, astronauts, and pioneers. Each text is summarized and includes questions for comprehension as well as suggestions for classroom use. The document also outlines 3 essential questions that could be revisited throughout the text set to help students think deeply about exploration: 1) What kind of setting does exploration take place in? 2) How does having a community affect exploration? 3) What is the impact of exploration?

1. Farah Taha
Part 1: Text Set Concept: Exploration
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Bibliographic Information
1. Literary Picture Book to Introduce Concept:Fiction
The Man Who Walked Between The Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
Lexile level: 480L
Summary: This fictional book is about a young man who works to
tightrope between the twin towers. Although he's told that it is
impossible, Philippe, with the help of his friends, they make it
possible. They set up the wire cable and Philippe walks back and forth
for about an hour until he decides that he has fulfilled his dream.
Connection to Concept: Philippe is very adventurous when he
decides to carry out his dream of walking between the towers.
Philippe is originally from Paris, so just like other explorers, he sets
out to unfamiliar territory with a goal in mind. Philippe explores the
idea of walking between the towers when him and his friends sneak in
disguised as construction workers.
Comprehension Questions:
• Literal: What does Philippe love to do?
• Inferential: When Philippe was tightroping back and forth
between the towers, how did he feel?
• Evaluative: Why do you think people risk doing
something dangerous or borderline impossible?
Classroom Uses:
• Read Aloud at the beginning of the unit as an introduction to
begin discussing what Exploration means to the students and
what different forms of exploration are.
Writing Mentor Text
• Use this story as an example of imagery. Philipe describes how
he felt when he walked between the tower. Uses words such
as: winds whirled, swayed and towers breathing
• Uses excellent use of pictures to convey information
!

2. Farah Taha
2. Informational Text
How we Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis and Clark by
Rosalyn Schanzer
Lexile level: 890L
Summary: This book introduces the exploration of Lewis and Clark.
It shows the reader actual documents sent from the President. It also
gives facts about how the journey begins and ends with a list of
accomplishments.
Connection to concept: This book teaches children the different
ways of navigating or ‘exploring”: through land or water. It also
introduces the classic exploration story of two white Europeans
discovering new land, people and culture through exploration. It
shows the readers the positive and negative side of exploration and
how it affected the new people they have met.
Comprehension Questions:
• Literal: Why did President Thomas Jefferson call Captain
Meriwether Lewis into his office?
• Inferential: Was this exploration simple or hard? Use
examples from the text to support your answer.
• Evaluative: How would you feel if you were an explorer
discovering land for the first time?
Classroom Uses:
• Can do a curriculum overlap with Social Studies and introduce
the historic exploration of Lewis and Clark
• Use content to show students that there are more than one way
to explore land: land and water.
• Show students how explorers affect the community and world
around them, positively and negatively.
• Show students how explorers are affected by their exploring.
An example is diffusion of culture, food and language.
Writing Mentor Text
• Use this text as an example for students to caption detailed
drawings for their projects or research papers (cite sources)
• Actual documents in text are good examples of primary
sources

3. Farah Taha
3. Literary Text: Historical Fiction
Weetamoo by Patricia Clark Smith
Lexile level: 1050L
Summary: This historical fiction book is narrated by Weetamoo, the
daughter from the Wampanoag Nation. She discusses her daughter
duties in the tribe and their lifestyle before the arrival of the white
Europeans. Their lives are filled with happiness and beauty until
Explorers discover their land and attempt to take over. Now her tribe
is fighting for survival.
Connection to concept: This book will help students see the effects
of exploration from a different point of view, the Native Americans.
As readers, we are so used to reading from Explorers or Conquerers
points of view, that we forget there are two sides to every story.
Students will make the connection of positive and negative outcomes
from the Indian’s perspective.
Comprehension Questions:
• Literal: What were desirable trade items between the
Native Americans and Europeans?
• Inferential: How do the Native Americans feel about
starting a friendship with the “Coat-men”?
• Evaluative: What would you do if people were secretly
stealing your land from you and forcing you to live
somewhere else?
Classroom Uses:
• Make wampum beads in class and start a trading system/game
mimicking the Native Americans and Europeans
• Create peace agreements for both the Native Americans and
Europeans that prevents war and death
• Research different tribes and look at similarity and differences
Writing Mentor Text
• Use this story to start research about an issue. Teaches them to
research data and look at both sides of the argument to prevent
bias
• Use this chapter book as an example of how to write in the
first person

4. Farah Taha
4. Interactive Online Resource
The Oregon Trail Interactive Game
https://archive.org/details/msdos_Oregon_Trail_The_1990
Summary: This interactive game helps students experience what it
was like to be a pioneer. It gives students options in which they have
to create different family members. The goal of the game is to get
from point A to point B on the Oregon trail. It is up to students to
select what they do on their journey. They have the choice to hunt,
trade, rest and eat. If mistakes are made, family members will die.
Connection to concept: This game gives students the outlook of what
it was like to be a pioneer, who are essentially explorers as well. It will
show students first-hand the sacrifices that have to be made when
people are traveling over land for the first time.
How this digital resource offers value that goes beyond what the
“paper” books offer:
This interactive game is fun for students because they get to pretend to
be explorers themselves. By choosing the fate of the pioneers, students
get to learn through trial and error of what the best chances of survival
are. Students can easily read how to survive in the wilderness, but this
game relies on student’s knowledge for survival.
Classroom Uses
• Students can compete for the highest score of the game.
Whoever has the best score will be named the best pioneer.
• Students can collect data regarding what they found to be the
best tactic for survival. Then students can use that information
to do research to prove their data true.
Writing Mentor Text:
• Teaches students to pay attention to setting

5. Farah Taha
5. Literary Picture book:Non Fiction
How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long and David Shannon
Lexile level: 470L
Summary: This non-fictional story is about a little boy named Jeremy
Jacob who stumbles upon pirates at the beach. He is seen as a valuable
person because he can dig very well. Jeremy decides to go on the ship
to help the pirates bury treasure. While he is there, Jeremy adopts the
lingo, habits, and rules of the pirates. After a storm hits their ship,
Jeremy decides that he no longer wants to be a pirate. He returns home
after he helps the pirates bury their treasure.
Connection to concept: This book helps students understand that
anyone can be an explorer, including them. It develops the
understanding that people do not have to be well known to be
explorers. I also want the students to see how going on explorations
can positively and negatively change people.
Comprehension Questions:
• Literal: What are a few traits Jeremy adopts from the
pirates?
• Inferential: Is pirate life easier than the life Jeremy is used
to living?
• Evaluative: How would you feel if you went on a pirate
ship for the first time?
Classroom Uses:
• Read text aloud with whole class and discuss the different
traits between Pirates and Jeremy’s life
• Use the book as an example to ask students to create their
own fictional settings of them being explorers
Writing Mentor Text:
• Use this text to teach students how to compare and contrast
• Use this text to teach students about character traits
!

6. Farah Taha
6. Literary Picture book: Historical Fiction
Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson
Lexile level: 380L
Summary: This historical fiction story takes place in a time where
slavery was still prevalent. Henry is born into slavery and
acknowledges that he is luckier than most slaves because his master
was friendly. As Henry gets older, he is forced to separate from his
family, but eventually marries and starts a family of his own. Like a
vicious cycle, Henry's family gets separated as well. Out of
desperation, Henry ships himself to a free state as an attempt to rejoin
his family.
Connection to concept: This book will help students understand how
slavery is a negative result of European exploration. This will require
them to have prior knowledge of slavery in other states (and countries)
and how slaves were shipped to America. Students will develop a brief
understanding of how slaves were seen as inferior because they were
“discovered” and brought over to foreign land. Henry can be seen as
an explorer because he travels in a box to Philadelphia to experience a
better lifestyle.
Comprehension Questions:
• Literal: Why was Henry luckier than most slaves?
• Inferential: Do slaves have rights?
• Evaluative: What do you think your life would be like if
you were a slave?
Classroom Uses:
• Read text aloud with the whole class and discuss how slaves
first arrived to America (effects of European explorers)
• Use this text to discuss slavery, their living conditions and
lifestyle
Writing Mentor Text:
• Use this text as a class example for writing or acknowledging
internal conflict
• Use this text as an example for settings that shape actions later on in
the story
!

7. Farah Taha
7. Literary Picture book: Realistic Fiction
If you Decide to Go to the Moon by Faith McNulty
Lexile level: 690L
Summary: This realistic fictional story is about a little boy going to
space in his spaceship. He is the narrator and tells the reader exactly
what to expect when he is flying to the moon. He lists what we will
need, how we will feel, and explains what we will see. The reader
goes on an adventure with the reader and explains everything on the
moon. When the adventure is over, the boy returns to planet Earth.
Connection to concept: This book will help students see that anyone
can be an adventurer. Astronauts are just one type, there are many
more such as: firefighters, policemen, sailors and many more. The
adventure from Earth to Space and back again is enough to engage
students in envisioning their own adventure. They will understand that
an adventure can happen anywhere at any time, even in your backyard
or just from reading a story.
Comprehension Questions:
• Literal: What are some things you will need if you decide
to go to the moon?
• Inferential: Does going to space excite the boy?
• Evaluative: What would you have done differently if you
were going to the moon?
Classroom Uses:
• Read text aloud with the whole class and discuss who the first
person was to land on the moon
• Use this text as a guide to look for more facts regarding
astronauts, the moon, and space in general
Writing Mentor Text
• Refer to this book because of authors use of imagery or descriptive
words
• Use this book as an example of descriptively listing steps
!

8. Farah Taha
Name ___Farah Taha___________________
Part 1 Continued: Text Set Essential Questions
Text Set Concept Exploration Text Set Topics -Native Americans
-Lewis and Clark
-Pirates
-Slavery
-Astronauts
-Pioneers
-A Trapeze artist
Three Essential
Questions
that could be revisited
throughout the reading of
the text set to help students
think deeply about the
concept. The questions
must work with all of your
texts.
1. What kind of setting does exploration take place in?
2. How does having a community affect exploration?
3. What is the impact of exploration?
Essential Question Text Chart for: Exploration
What kind of setting does
exploration take place in?
How does having a
c o m m u n i t y a f f e c t
exploration?
What is the impact of
exploration?
The Man Who Walked
Between the Towers
In this text, exploration
takes place in New York
City; specifically, the Twin
Towers.
Without a community of
friends, the trapeze artist
would not have been able
to carry out his dangerous
mission. With the help of
his friends, he was able to
assemble the wire to both
towers.
Because the trapeze artist
was exploring and made it
his mission to tightrope
between the towers, he has
now made history and
satisfied his aching dream.
How we Crossed the West:
The Adventures of Lewis
and Clark
This text takes place in the
West. The western rivers
and western ocean are
explored too.
If Thomas Jefferson and
the Congress did not have
a community, they would
have never been able to
contact Lewis and Clark to
explore North America for
them. Lewis and Clark
would not have been able
to explore without the help
of their crew.
Now that Lewis and Clark
have explored and created
maps, the lands are well
known. People have
inhibited the land and
continue to explore
uncharted territory.
Weetamoo Exploration takes place in
the Wampanoag Nation in
Native American territory.
The Native American
community made it
difficult for the Europeans
to settle on Native soil.
European exploration had
a negative impact on the
Native community. Their
clash of ideas resulted in
death and war.

9. Farah Taha
The Oregon Trail In the game, the setting is
placed on the Oregon trail
in the West.
A majority of the pioneer
community had to travel
using the Oregon trail to
get to their desired
destination.
Now that the pioneers
traveled using the Oregon
trail, they have been able
to settle down in the West,
farm, and raise their
children. Because of their
exploration, the land is
declared inhabitable and
people are living there
now today.
How I Became a Pirate This text begins on the
beach and continues into
the ocean.
The Pirates and their crew
are all a community of
explorers who help each
other to survive and
discover new land.
Without the crew,
exploration would be very
limited and borderline
impossible.
By trial and error, the
Pirates know that they
have reached the wrong
destination. The young
boy, Jeremy Jacob, has
now been able to briefly
experience the life of a
pirate.
Henry’s Freedom Box This text takes place in the
South.
The anti-slavery
community helped Henry
free himself from the
South. Without them
working together, Henry
would have died a slave.
Henry took a huge risk to
leave the South. He
decided the only way to
leave is to mail himself to
a free state. His successful
exploration made it
possible for Henry to free
and reunite his family.
If you Decide to Go to the
Moon
The setting in this text
takes place in Space.
Without the community of
astronauts, space would
have never been explored.
Humans would not know
what space looks or
consists of. We also would
not know that other
planets exist.
Now that we know what
space looks like, scientists
have been able to research
and discover everything
on the moon, space, and
other planets. Currently,
they are testing which
planets are inhabitable.