This lesson includes scaffolded analytical writing tasks that provide examples for teaching Common Core writing.

In this historical fiction excerpt, Mary and Laura are left to look after their home while Ma and Pa go into town to get supplies for the winter. The girls hear the run-away wagon heading for the creek and see Pa chasing after the wagon, and just as the wagon nears the bank, Pa causes the oxen to swerve, saving Ma and Carrie from plummeting over the bank. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt StoryTown, 2008)

This lesson was created as part of the Basal Alignment Project, during which teachers created CCSS-aligned lessons for existing literary and information texts in basal readers. All page numbers and unit/week designations found in this lesson relate to the edition of the basal reader named above. If you are using a trade book or different edition of this title, the page/unit/week references in this lesson will not match. Consult the content referenced in the body of the lesson to determine appropriate page numbers for your text.