Key Ideas and Details

RL.4.1 / RL.5.1 / RL.6.1 – Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

• Application: Students can cite evidence from the story to support inferences about Aidan’s character, especially his compassion or choices in difficult situations.

RL.4.2 / RL.5.2 / RL.6.2 – Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.

• Application: Identify and analyze major themes such as loyalty, friendship, courage, and compassion. Students can track how these themes are developed and how Aidan's actions reflect them.

RL.4.3 / RL.5.3 / RL.6.3 – Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story, drawing on specific details in the text.

• Application: Analyze Aidan’s development, motivations, and conflicts with both friends and enemies.

 

Craft and Structure

RL.4.4 / RL.5.4 / RL.6.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language.

• Application: Examine fantasy vocabulary and any figurative language used in the novel to convey mood or character traits.

RL.4.5 / RL.5.5 / RL.6.5 – Explain how chapters, scenes, or stanzas fit together to provide the overall structure of a story.

• Application: Analyze how the plot develops across chapters, especially pivotal moments where Aidan faces moral choices.

RL.4.6 / RL.5.6 / RL.6.6 – Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated, including how that point of view affects the story.

• Application: Discuss how the narrative point of view influences our understanding of Aidan and his moral decisions.

 

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

RL.4.7 / RL.5.7 / RL.6.7 – Make connections between the text of a story and visual or oral presentations of the text.

• Application: If available, compare the novel to any illustrations, dramatizations, or read-alouds that might highlight character relationships or themes.

RL.4.9 / RL.5.9 / RL.6.9 – Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., fantasy) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.

• Application: Compare Aidan of Oren to other fantasy novels with themes of loyalty, such as The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or The Hobbit.

 

Writing & Speaking/Listening Extensions

Even though these aren’t reading standards, many teachers tie in:

• W.4-6.1 & W.4-6.3 – Opinion and narrative writing, where students can write essays about Aidan’s character or retell scenes from another point of view.

• SL.4-6.1 – Collaborative discussions, ideal for literature circles or Socratic seminars on the book's moral dilemmas.