Understanding by Design

Unit 3 – Personal Challenges

Unit Title: Personal Challenges Grade Level(s): 8th

grade

Subject/Topic Area(s): Reading and Language Arts

Key Words: point of view, drama, theme

Designed By: Jenny Bernardi, Julie

Giordano, Michele Jones, Jay

Waggoner, Hanna Poist, Catherine

Jackson, Lindsay Heatwole, Karen

Carroll

Time Frame: 9 weeks

School District: Wicomico

Unit Description (including curricular context and unit goals):

This unit introduces students to the idea of personal challenges. Students will begin

to understand that personal challenges can be influenced through different factors

such as environment, culture, gender, age, race, etc. Skills in this unit include

dramatic elements, point of view, theme, and text features.

Materials and Resources:

Short Works from Elements of Literature

“Stop the Sun” p. 268 (short story)

“from Alice and Wonderland” p. 806 (drama)

“Flowers for Algernon” p. 52 (diary)

“The Gentleman of Rio en Medio p.297 (short story)

“Pyramus & Thisbe” p. 818 (graphic play)

Reading Consumer Documents p. 624 (variety)

Skateboard Park Documents p. 612 (variety)

“A Retrieved Reformation” p. 178 (short story)

“Mrs. Flowers” p. 213 (autobiography)

“from The Glass Menagerie” p. 966 (drama)

“Theater in Shakespeare’s Day” p. 815 (article)

“The Medicine Bag” p. 281 (short story)

“A Shot At It” p. 309 (autobiography)

“How I Learned English” p. 319 (poem)

“The Circuit” p. 404 (short story)

Extended Works Options

Uglies

Red Badge of Courage

Strays Like Us

Understanding by Design

Stage 1: Desired Results

What content standards are addressed?

1.D.3.a Use context to determine the meanings of words

1.E.4.a Identify and explain the main idea (of the text or a portion of the text)

1.E.4.b Identify and explain information directly stated in the text (in the text or a

portion of the text)

1.E.4.c Draw inferences and/or conclusions and make generalizations (from the text or a

portion of the text)

1.E.4.d Confirm, refute, or make predictions

1.E.4.e Summarize or paraphrase (the text or a portion of the text)

1.E.4.f Connect the text to prior knowledge or personal experience

2.A.1.b Read, use, and identify the characteristics of workplace and other real-world

documents such as sets of directions, science investigations, atlases, posters, flyers, forms,

instructional manuals, menus, pamphlets, rules, invitations, recipes, advertisements,

other functional documents.

2.A.2.a Analyze print features that contribute to meaning

2.A.2.b Analyze graphic aids that contribute to meaning

2.A.2.c Analyze informational aids that contribute to meaning

2.A.2.d Analyze organizational aids that contribute to meaning

2.A.2.e Analyze online features that contribute to meaning

2.A.2.f Analyze the relationship between the text features and the content of the text as a

whole

2.A.3.a Analyze the organizational patterns of texts such as sequential and/or

chronological order, cause/effect, problem/solution, similarities/differences, description,

main idea and supporting details, order of importance, transition or signal words and

phrases that indicate the organizational pattern.

2.A.3.b Analyze the contribution of the organizational pattern to clarify or reinforce

meaning and support the author’s purpose and/or argument

2.A.3.c Analyze shifts in organizational patterns

2.A.4.a Analyze the author’s/text’s purpose and intended audience

2.A.4.b Analyze the author’s argument, viewpoint, or perspective

2.A.4.c State and support main ideas and messages

2.A.4.d Summarize and paraphrase

2.A.4.e Analyze information or ideas peripheral to the main idea or message

2.A.4.f Analyze relationships between and among ideas

2.A.4.g Synthesize ideas from text

2.A.4.h Explain the implications of the text or how someone might use the text

2.A.4.i Connect the text to prior knowledge or experience

2.A.5.d Analyze repetition and variation of specific words and phrases that contribute to

meaning

2.A.6.a Analyze the extent to which the text or texts fulfill the reading purpose

2.A.6.b Analyze the extent to which the structure and text features clarify the purpose

and the information

2.A.6.c Analyze the text and its information for reliability

2.A.6.f Analyze the effectiveness of persuasive techniques to sway the reader to a

particular point of view

2.A.6.g Analyze the effect of elements of style on meaning

3.A.2.a Analyze text features that contribute to meaning

3.A.3.a Distinguish among types of grade-appropriate narrative such as short stories,

folklore, realistic fiction, science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, essays, biographies,

autobiographies, personal narratives, plays, and lyric and narrative poetry

3.A.3.d Analyze characterization (character’s personal growth and development)

3.A.3.h Analyze the author’s approach to issues of time in a narrative

3.A.3.i Analyze the point of view (connections between point of view and meaning)

3.A.3.j Analyze the interactions among narrative elements and their contribution to

meaning

3.A.5.a Use structural features to distinguish among types of plays

3.A.5.b Analyze structural features of drama that contribute to meaning

3.A.5.c Analyze how dialogue and stage directions work together to create characters

and plot

3.A.6.a Analyze main ideas and universal themes

3.A.6.b Analyze similar themes across multiple texts (experiences, emotions, issues, and

ideas across texts that give rise to universal themes)

3.A.6.c Summarize or paraphrase

3.A.6.d Reflect on and explain personal connections to the text

3.A.6.e Explain the implications of the text for the reader and/or society

3.A.7.a Analyze and evaluate how specific language choices contribute to meaning

3.A.7.b Analyze and evaluate language choices that create tone

3.A.7.c Analyze the appropriateness of a particular tone

3.A.7.d Analyze and evaluate figurative language that contributes to meaning and/or

creates style

3.A.7.e Analyze imagery that contributes to meaning and/or creates style

3.A.7.f Analyze elements of style and their contribution to meaning

3.A.8.b Analyze and evaluate the extent to which the text contains ambiguities,

subtleties, or contradictions

3.A.8.c Analyze and evaluate the relationship between a literary text and its historical,

social, and/or political context

3.A.8d Analyze the relationship between the structure and the purpose of the text

What enduring understandings are desired

(and what misunderstandings will be addressed)? The choices that individuals make affect how they live their lives.

Reading is a way to explore personal challenges and build understanding of the many

dimensions of human experience.

The author makes intentional word choices that are designed to produce a desired effect on the

reader.

Elements such as environment, religion, age, gender, race, occupation, etc. impact the challenges

that one may face.

The consequences of past decisions help you learn from your mistakes.

Determining the usefulness of text for a specific purpose, evaluating language and textual

elements, and analyzing the author’s style are all ways to critically examine texts.

What essential questions will guide this unit and focus teaching/learning? How can a person’s decisions or actions change his or her life?

How does reading influence the way we face future challenges?

What importance does word choice play on an author’s work?

Why are we held accountable for the decisions we make?

How do readers critically examine texts?

What topical questions will guide this unit and focus teaching/learning?

How do I know if I understand what I read? What do I do if I didn’t understand what I

read?

How does analyzing similar themes across multiple texts help the reader relate to universal

themes?

How does the author’s word choice influence the reader?

How do text features give the reader a better understanding of the text?

Why does background information help a reader make inferences?

How does the narrator’s point of view connect to the meaning of the text?

How does summarizing/paraphrasing the text or portion of the text aid to understanding?

What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit? Knowledge of:

Theme

Main Idea

Details of the text (directly stated)

Inferences

Generalizations

Summarizing

Paraphrasing

Word Choice

Point of View

Text Features

Skills:

Analyze theme

Identify main idea

Identify and explain information directly stated in the text

Make inferences

Analyzing text features

Summarize or paraphrase the text or a portion of the text

Analyze point of view

Making generalizations

Understanding by Design

Stage 2: Acceptable Evidence of Understanding

Title: Theme Collage Poster Time Frame: 1-2 weeks

What evidence will show that students understand?

Performance Tasks*

Wicomico County Public Library has asked 8th grade students to create collages

based on themes found in the various stories from your anthology. These collages

will be displayed throughout the library to promote the stories. Before you begin

your poster, you must read a selection from the unit that has not been discussed

or read in class. After reading the story and determining the intended theme, you

will select pictures that represent that theme based on the events from the story.

The pictures can be drawn, printed, cutout, etc. or a combination. Your poster

must include the title, author, and theme displayed, the pictures displayed in a

creative but organized manner, and captions with the pictures explaining how

they connect to the theme.

*Complete a Performance Task Blueprint for each task (next page).

Other Evidence (quizzes, tests, prompts, observations, dialogues, work samples, etc.):

See Standardized Test Preparation Workbook to select appropriate selections and

questions relating to the knowledge and skills of the unit

See Collection Resource workbooks to identify appropriate selection assessments

Use questions in the textbook.

See journal suggestions offered for each selection.

See side margins for good discussions of the skills that have been taught.

Story Maps

Graphic Organizers

Student Self-Assessment:

In a warm-up or for a journal topic, have the kids write about the performance task. Have

them explain what they liked about the task, didn’t like about the task, how it could be

changed.

Performance Task Blueprint

Task Title: Theme Collage Poster Approximate Time Frame: 1-2 weeks

What desired understandings/content standards will be assessed through this task?

Analyze the theme of the story

Justify

Paraphrase

What criteria are implied in the standard(s) understanding(s) regardless of the task

specifics?

In order to complete this task, students will need to know:

how to paraphrase

how to analyze

higher order thinking

Through what authentic performance task will students demonstrate understanding?

Wicomico County Public Library has asked 8th grade students to create collages

based on themes found in the various stories from your anthology. These collages

will be displayed throughout the library to promote the stories. Before you begin

your poster, you must read a selection from the unit that has not been discussed

or read in class. After reading the story and determining the intended theme, you

will select pictures that represent that theme based on the events from the story.

The pictures can be drawn, printed, cutout, etc or a combination. Your poster

must include the title, author, and theme displayed, the pictures displayed in a

creative but organized manner, and captions with the pictures explaining how

they connect to the theme.

What student products/performances will provide evidence of desired understandings?

Product: Theme Collage Poster

Performance: To display the theme of a story using

pictures and captions in the form of a collage

poster.

Understanding by Design

Stage 3: Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

Suggested Learning Plan ~ Unit 3

1. Introduce/define the core vocabulary words to be used throughout the unit as the story is

read. These words can be found at the beginning of each story under “Academic

Vocabulary”.

2. Use questions from each text (Literary Perspective, Literary Focus, etc) to assess students

on information that is directly stated from the text.

a. All text can be used

3. As an opening for the unit, Personal Challenges, have students fold a piece of blank paper

into four squares and write an occupation in each square. Have students write the top five

challenges in that occupation that a person would face. Have students discuss the

challenges that they listed with the class. Pass out the Give One Get One (see Appendix

A) worksheet to each student and have them fill in the topic challenges of middle school

students. Have students fill in five boxes with the top five challenges that a middle school

student would face. Then have students fill in the remaining boxes by traveling around

the classroom and sharing their ideas with classmates. Students should give one idea from

a classmate and get one from a classmate and then move on.

4. The unit will begin with an introductory lesson to see what background knowledge

students possess about dramatic elements. Think, Pair, Share can be used to get students

thinking and talking with their classmates. As students are sharing, create a class-

generated list of “What We Know About Drama” on a piece of chart paper or a spot on

the board that can remain there until unit is complete. Keep this list posted throughout

the unit, and as elements are introduced, added, edited, or deleted from the list.

5. Hook- Video Google provides a video that relates to the dramatic elements by going

backstage with the well-known musical “Wicked”. The video is titled Wicked on Tour:

Behind the Scenes Documentary. The video, about 25 minutes long, refers to many

aspects of the theater. It is up to teacher discretion to have students view the entire video

or just a portion (depending on time). If a portion is chosen, it is recommended to begin

video at time marked 14:30, section titled Behind the Scenes.

6.

a. A PowerPoint from Holt Power Notes can be used to introduce students to the various

types of drama along with the elements of drama. PowerPoint can be found in

Collection 8: What Do You Need to Know About Drama? Students can take notes

based on teacher discretion. If PowerPoint is not accessible, the same information

can be found on p.800-801 in Elements of Literature.

b. Have students turn to p.802-803 in Elements of Literature. Have students work in

pairs to analyze the photos on both pages, and complete questions 1-2 (p.802) and

questions 1-3 (p.803).

7. Students will have an opportunity to read a portion of a play. Have students read “from

Alice in Wonderland” independently first, making note of the various dramatic elements

being used on the What I Know/Partner Know Worksheet (see Appendix B). Then, have

students partner read the script taking turns as the various characters. Have students

compare notes as to what dramatic elements were identified in the play and fill in any

new information provided from partner.

a. “from the Glass Menagerie” p. 966 (optional text)

8. In order to build background and become familiarized with characters for the next

dramatic selection, have students read “Theater in Shakespeare’s Day” p. 815 in

Elements of Literature. This selection not only provides the students with information,

but also serves as an excellent review of main idea and details. Pass out Main Idea &

Details worksheet to students (see Appendix C). As students read the selection, have

them create new subheadings for each section as their main idea (p.815-816). In

addition to new subheadings (main idea), have them support their new subheading with

details from each section.

9. To introduce elements of humor have teacher explain the difference between wordplay,

misstatements and exaggerations to students using 1-2 examples for each (refer to pages

802-803 in Elements of Literature if needed). To introduce elements of humor you may

give students sentences strips and have them write an example of either a misstatement,

wordplay or an exaggeration. Collect strips from students and pass them back to the

students randomly. Have students identify and then place their statement under the

correct column to identify and explain why their statement is a misstatement, wordplay or

an exaggeration.

10. Explain that the play, Pyramus & Thisbe, has many examples of archaic language (old-

fashioned or used in a different way-p.824 EOL). Have students individually read

Pyramus and Thisbe p.818. While reading, have them think about the elements of humor

that are portrayed throughout the play. After a complete read through, pass out

Visualizing Chart worksheet (see Appendix D). Students fill in the two-columned chart

by writing lines from the play in the left column and an explanation of what they

visualize in the right column. Bring class together, and discuss play from beginning to

end while students check their work.

11. The activity is to introduce point of view. To begin this activity you need to first divide

the class into two groups. Explain that they are going to be reading a short piece of text

and their task is to remember as many details as possible from the text. Tell one half of

the class that they are burglars and the other half of the class that they are real estate

agents, without divulging the roles to the opposite groups. Display the story The House

(see Appendix E) and read it aloud to your students. While you are reading, students

should not be taking notes. Once the reading is complete, remove the story and ask

students to list as many details as they can remember about the house from the text (e.g.,

descriptions of rooms, items located in the house, layout of house). This part of the

activity should be limited to 2-3 minutes. Students then share their lists within their

group. (For larger classes, students can be broken into 4 groups, 2 for each prescribed

role.) Distribute chart paper to each group so that students can record their lists. Hang

both sheets of chart paper on the front wall of the classroom. Discuss the similarities and

differences between the two lists, and allow students to guess the viewpoint of the other

group. Discuss whether the lists would be different from another viewpoint (e.g., child,

interior decorator, pet dog).

12. Before students read the next selection, review the concept of point of view and the

different types of point of view that an author may use in their writing. (see Appendix F )

Then as a class activity have students determine the point of view by reading various

novel selections. (See Appendix G)

13. a. The story, Flowers for Algernon, is told through the point of view of a man

named Charlie whose perception of the world is very different from those of the

average person. Have students determine from what point of view this story is

told. Make sure to emphasize that readers learn about the character and events

from the story from a journal.

b. After students have read the story, a suggestion for assessment of point of view is

to have them reread journal entry March 6th

(p. 55 in EOL). Have students rewrite

that journal entry through the test giver’s point of view. Be sure to have students

include what the test giver is experiencing, such as what he sees, his thoughts, and

his feelings. You may have the students write the journal entry inside the shape of

an eye or in a picture of eyeglasses to enforce that the story is told through that

person’s point of view.

c. This story is also an excellent example to review inferencing with students. The

reader has to make inferences while reading Charlie’s journal diaries in order to

understand what is really happening to him. While reading the story, have

students list several inferences that they make and then have them compare with a

peer after reading.

14. Remind students that many texts include various features that make the text easier to

understand. Have students think, pair, share, about what an author may include in an

informational text to make it easier for the reader to understand. (Features such as

pictures, diagrams, maps, etc should be mentioned) In order to review text features, have

students become familiar with “Reading Consumer Documents” p. 625 in EOL. Once

students have skimmed over the documents, pass out Text Feature Worksheet (see

Appendix H) to each student. Have students complete the text feature chart based on the

documents in the book.

a. Copies of local newspaper (optional text)

b. Magazines such a National Geographic or Time for Kids (optional text)

c. Skateboard Park Documents p. 612 (optional text)

15. As text features are being reviewed, it is suggested to review author’s purpose. “The

Skateboard Park” provides various examples that could be analyzed to determine the

author’s purpose. What Do You Think Now prompt on p. 617 provides a great

opportunity for students to write down their thoughts as to why the author wrote the text,

the intended audience, and the viewpoint.

16. a. This activity is to introduce the skill “theme”. First, remind students that the

theme of the story is the lesson or the message that they author wants the readers

to take away from the story.

b. First, you need to have several of Aesop’s fables where the theme is easily found.

(Appendix I) Have the fables posted around the classroom along with a piece of

chart paper. Divide students into groups based on the number of themes posted

around the room, and assign each group to a fable. Pass out a different color

marker to each group. Explain to the groups that they will need to read the fable

and discuss with one another the fable’s intended theme. Once a consensus is

reached, have the groups write what they think the theme of the story is leaving

enough room for the other groups to write their thoughts. Then have the groups

rotate to the next fable and complete the same task. Continue rotating until all

groups have visited each fable. Then, as class, review the thoughts of each group

comparing ideas.

17. A good story for students to read that is a good example of theme is “Stop the Sun”. As

students read, have them think about main ideas or topics that are continually emphasized

throughout the story. Once the story has been read, have students complete Theme

Worksheet (see Appendix J).

a. “The Gentleman of Rio en Medio” p. 297 (optional text)

b. “The Medicine Bag” p. 281 (optional text)

A

Name:_______________________________________ Date:_________________ Period:____________

What I Know What My Partner Knows

Name:____________________________________ Date:__________________________ Period:___________ B

Name:________________________________ Date: _______________________ Period:_____________ C

Main Idea and Details Graphic Organizer

Dialectical Journal

Directions: Write quotes or lines from the play in the left column. In the right column, write a

brief explanation of what you, as reader, visualize to be going on in the story/play.

Quotation/Line What I Visualize

Name:___________________________________Date:__________________________Period:___________ D

The House E

By Laurie Henry

As I entered the front door, the marble floor glistened before me. The entryway opened to a grand staircase, which wound its way to the second level. My heels clicked across the cold, white floor as I proceeded to the living room on my left. A giant fireplace stretched across one end of the room. The impressive mantelpiece showcased a golden egg and porcelain figurines. A painting of sunflowers hung on the center of the wall. The white carpeting looked as if it had never been stepped on, and the entertainment center sprawled across the back wall. I turned around to face the dining room. A golden chandelier hung above a great mahogany table. A bank of French doors opened to a wrap-around deck at the back of the house. A lighted hutch contained crystal goblets and gold-edged dinnerware. Proceeding down the hallway, I discovered a custom kitchen on my left, opposite the far end of the dining room. The sleek counters were free of clutter. Cabinets hung on every inch of wall space. A breakfast nook looked out over the back garden. I soon retraced my steps to the entryway and ascended the stairs. A short hallway welcomed me to the second level of the house. To my left and at the front of the house was a small bedroom set up as a home office. The remainder of the upstairs consisted of a master bedroom suite. Two walk-in closets flanked the entrance to the master bedroom. No doubt, one closet was for him and the other one was for her. The matching bedroom furniture consisted of two dressers and night stands on either side of a four-poster bed. A wooden chest sat atop each dresser. A large bathroom sat off to the right side with double sinks inside. A whirlpool tub and shower stall lined the far wall. I slowly retreated and returned to the lower level and out the front door. I shall return to this exquisite abode. Copyright 2002 IRA/NCTE. All rights reserved. ReadWriteThink materials may be reproduced for educational purposes. http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=23

Point of View F

An automobile accident occurs. Two drivers are involved. Witnesses include four sidewalk spectators, a

policeman, a man with a video camera who happened to be shooting the scene, and the pilot of a helicopter that

was flying overhead. Here we have nine different points of view and, most likely, nine different descriptions of

the accident.

In short fiction, who tells the story and how it is told are critical issues for an author to decide. The tone and feel

of the story, and even its meaning, can change radically depending on who is telling the story.

Remember, someone is always between the reader and the action of the story. That someone is telling the story

from his or her own point of view. This angle of vision, the point of view from which the people, events, and

details of a story are viewed, is important to consider when reading a story.

What is the point of view in "A Jury of Her Peers?" Is it fixed or does it change? Does it stay the same distance

from the events of the story, or does it zoom in and zoom out, like a camera lens? Who is telling the story?

Types of Point of View

Objective Point of View With the objective point of view, the writer tells what happens without stating more than can be inferred from

the story's action and dialogue. The narrator never discloses anything about what the characters think or feel,

remaining a detached observer.

Third Person Point of View Here the narrator does not participate in the action of the story as one of the characters, but lets us know exactly

how the characters feel. We learn about the characters through this outside voice.

First Person Point of View In the first person point of view, the narrator does participate in the action of the story. When reading stories in

the first person, we need to realize that what the narrator is recounting might not be the objective truth. We

should question the trustworthiness of the accounting.

Omniscient and Limited Omniscient Points of View A narrator who knows everything about all the characters is all knowing, or omniscient.

A narrator whose knowledge is limited to one character, either major or minor, has a limited omniscient point of

view.

As you read a piece of fiction think about these things:

How does the point of view affect your responses to the characters? How is your response influenced by how

much the narrator knows and how objective he or she is? First person narrators are not always trustworthy. It is

up to you to determine what is the truth and what is not.

Think about the ways that point of view is used to help you solve the murder in "A Jury of Her Peers."

POINT OF VIEW Name ____________________ G

Date ________ Period ______

Choose from these points of view: first person, third person omniscient, third person limited 1. From Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli So he turned and started walking north on Hector, right down the middle of the street, right down the invisible chalk line that divided East End from West End. Cars beeped at him, drivers hollered, but he never flinched. The Cobras kept right along with him on their side of the street. So did a bunch of East Enders on their side. One of them was Mars Bar. Both sides were calling for him to come over. Point of view? _________________________________ 2. From From the Mixed-Up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E. L. Konigsburg Claudia was furious . . . She refused to look at Jamie again and instead stared at the statue. The sound of footsteps broke the silence and her concentration. Footsteps from the Italian Renaissance were descending upon them! The guard was coming down the steps. There was just too much time before the museum opened on Sundays. They should have been in hiding already. Here they were out in the open witha light on! Point of View? _________________________________ 3. From The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois It is funny that my trip has ended by being such a fast trip around the world. I find myself referred to now as one of the speediest travelers of all times. Speed wasn’t at all what I had in mind when I started out. On the contrary, if all had gone the way I had hoped, I would still be happily floating around in my balloon, drifting anywhere the wind cared to carry me – East, West, North, or South. Point of View? _________________________________ 4. From Number the Stars by Lois Lowry One of the soldiers, the taller one, moved toward her. Annemarie recognized him as the one she and Ellen always called, in whispers, ―the Giraffe‖ because of his height and the long neck that extended from his stiff collar. He and his partner were always on this corner. He prodded the corner of her backpack with the stock of his rifle. Annemarie trembled. ―What is in here?‖ he asked loudly. ―Schoolbooks,‖ she answered truthfully. Point of View? _________________________________ 5. From Missing May by Cynthia Rylant The day after May didn’t come to us, Ob didn’t get out of bed. He didn’t get me up either, and from a bad dream I woke with a start, knowing things were wrong, knowing that I had missed something vitally important. Among these, of course, was the school bus. It was Monday, and OB should have called me out of bed at five-thirty, but he didn’t, and when I finally woke at seven o’clock, it was too late to set the day straight. Point of View? _________________________________ 6. From The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis He himself was a very old man with shaggy white hair which grew over most of his face as well as on his head, and they liked him almost at once. But on the first evening when he came to meet them at the front door he was so odd-looking that Lucy (who was the youngest) was a little afraid of him, and Edmund (who was the next youngest) wanted to laugh and had to keep on pretending he was blowing his nose to hide it.

Point of View? _________________________________ 7. From I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou For one whole semester the streetcars and I shimmied up and scooted down the sheer hills of San Francisco. I lost some of my need for the Black ghetto’s shielding-sponge quality, as I clanged and cleared my way down Market Street, with its honky-tonk homes from homeless sailors, past the quiet retreat of Golden Gate Park and along closed undwelled-in-looking dwellings of the Sunset District. Point of View? _________________________________ 8. From The Olympic Games by Theodore Knight While still a teenager, Lee met and began to train with some of the best divers in the country, among them several former Olympians. One former champion – Farid Simaika the Egyptian 1928 silver medalist who had moved to this country—gave Lee a piece of advice that he took to heart. He told the young diver that he might encounter prejudice in competition because he was of Korean descent. Simaika told Lee he would simply have to work twice as hard as other athletes. ―You’ve go to be so much better that they have to give you the medal,‖ Simaika said. Point of View? _________________________________ 9. From “Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing He was an only child, eleven years old. She was a widow. She was determined to be neither possessive nor lacking in devotion. She went worrying off to her beach. As for Jerry, once he saw that his mother had gained her beach, he began the steep descent to the bay. From where he was, high up among red-brown rocks, it was a scoop of moving bluish green fringed with white. As he went lower, he saw that it spread among small promontories and inlets of rough, sharp rock, and the crisping, lapping surface showed stains of purple and darker blue. Point of View? _________________________________ 10. From “Pictures on a Rock” by Brent Ashabranner One spring day a few years before the Rough Rock Demonstration School was opened, a five-yearold Navajo boy named Fred Bia was watching the family sheep flock in the arid countryside near the little town. It was his daily chore to follow the sheep as they drifted over the red, rocky earth in their endless search for grass and leaves of semi-desert plants. Point of View? _________________________________

H

Text Features

Complete the following chart by stating the type of document, two text features that are used within each

document, the purpose of each text feature, and what other text feature could be added or substituted to

improve the document with an explanation.

Type of Document 2 Text Features

Used

Purpose of Text

Feature

What Could Be

Added & Why?

The Ant and the Grasshopper I

In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant walked by, grunting as he carried a plump kernel of corn.

"Where are you off to with that heavy thing?" asked the Grasshopper.

Without stopping, the Ant replied, "To our ant hill. This is the third kernel I've delivered today."

"Why not come and sing with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of working so hard?" "I am helping to store food for the winter," said the Ant, "and think you should do the same."

"Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; "we have plenty of food right now."

But the Ant went on its way and continued its work. The weather soon turned cold. All the food lying in the field was covered with a thick white blanket of snow that even the grasshopper could not dig through. Soon the Grasshopper found itself dying of hunger.

He staggered to the ants' hill and saw them handing out corn from the stores they had collected in the summer.

It was then that the Grasshopper learned: ____________________________________________________

The Tortoise and the Hare I There once was a speedy hare who bragged about how fast he could run. Tired of hearing him boast, Slow and Steady, the tortoise, challenged him to a race. All the animals in the forest gathered to watch. Hare ran down the road for a while and then and paused to rest. He looked back at Slow and Steady and cried out, "How do you expect to win this race when you are walking along at your slow, slow pace?" Hare stretched himself out alongside the road and fell asleep, thinking, "There is plenty of time to relax." Slow and Steady walked and walked. He never, ever stopped until he came to the finish line. The animals who were watching cheered so loudly for Tortoise, they woke up Hare. Hare stretched and yawned and began to run again, but it was too late. Tortoise was over the line. After that, Hare always reminded himself, "Don't brag about your lightning pace, for Slow and Steady won the race!" It was then that the Hare learned: _______________________________________________________

The Lion and the Mouse I Once when a Lion was asleep a little Mouse began running up and down upon him; this soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him, and opened his big jaws to swallow him. "Pardon, O King," cried the little Mouse: "forgive me this time, I shall never forget it: who knows but what I may be able to do you a turn some of these days?" The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let him go. Sometime after the Lion was caught in a trap, and the hunters who desired to carry him alive to the King, tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on. Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, went up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. "Was I not right?" said the little Mouse. It was then that the lion learned: ________________________________________

The Boy Who Cried Wolf I There was a Shepherd Boy who tended his sheep at the foot of a mountain near a dark forest. It was lonely for him, so he devised a plan to get a little company. He rushed down towards the village calling out "Wolf, Wolf," and the villagers came out to meet him. This pleased the boy so much that a few days after he tried the same trick, and again the villagers came to his help. Shortly after this a Wolf actually did come out from the forest. The boy cried out "Wolf, Wolf," still louder than before. But this time the villagers, who had been fooled twice before, thought the boy was again lying, and nobody came to his aid. So the Wolf made a good meal off the boy's flock. It was then that the Shepherd Boy learned: __________________________________________

The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse I A Town Mouse and a Country Mouse were acquaintances, and the Country Mouse one day invited his friend to come and see him at his home in the fields. The Town Mouse came, and they sat down to a dinner of barleycorns and roots, the latter of which had a distinctly earthy flavor. The fare was not much to the taste of the guest, and presently he broke out with "My poor dear friend, you live here no better than the ants. Now, you should just see how I fare! You must come and stay with me, and I promise you shall live on the fat of the land." So when he returned to town he took the Country Mouse with him, and showed him into a larder containing flour and oatmeal and figs and honey and dates. The Country Mouse had never seen anything like it, and sat down to enjoy the luxuries his friend provided: but before they had well begun, the door of the larder opened and someone came in. The two Mice scampered off and hid themselves in a narrow and exceedingly uncomfortable hole. Presently, when all was quiet, they ventured out again; but someone else came in, and off they scuttled again. This was too much for the visitor. "Good-bye," said he, "I'm off. It was then that the Country Mouse realized: ______________________________________________

The Fox and the Grapes I One hot summer's day a certain fox saw a juicy bunch of grapes hanging from a vine. It certainly was very hot, and the fox was thirsting for something to drink. ―These grapes are just what I need to quench my thirst!‖ said the fox. But the vine on which the grapes hung was too high for him to reach even with his longest stretch. So he decided to jump. Drawing back a few paces, he ran towards the vine and took a great big leap, but missed the grapes. Turning around, he jumped again. This time too, with no success. The fox tried to jump for the grapes again and again and yet again, to no avail. Since he could not reach the delicious looking grapes, the fox finally concluded, ―These grapes must be sour!‖ and walked away with his nose in the air, though hotter and even thirstier than before! The theme of the story is ______________________________________________

THEME Worksheet J

Name: ____________________ Date: ___________ Class: ____________________ Story Title: ______________________________ Directions: Name two main topics that are discussed throughout the story. Explain each topic as clearly as you can in the boxes below. Then, based on the information in the boxes, determine the theme of the story.

Main Topic #2: Main Topic #1:

Theme: What message or lesson does the author want the readers to take away from the story?