Novel Companion Course 2 Tg

Novel Companion

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain

Catherine, Called Birdy Karen Cushman

Dandelion Wine Ray Bradbury

Dragonwings Laurence Yep

I Am Mordred: A Tale from Camelot Nancy Springer

The Time Machine The War of the Worlds H. G. Wells

Teacher Guide

A7_Nat_Anc_NovComp_TG_TP_RD10.in1 1A7_Nat_Anc_NovComp_TG_TP_RD10.in1 1 1/29/08 9:19:28 AM1/29/08 9:19:28 AM

Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior permission of the publisher.

Send all inquiries to:Glencoe/McGraw-Hill8787 Orion PlaceColumbus, OH 43240-4027

ISBN 13: 978-0-07-889159-5ISBN 10: 0-07-889159-0

Printed in the United States of America.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 047 14 13 12 11 10 09 08

AcknowledgmentsGrateful acknowledgment is given to authors, publishers, photographers, museums, and agents for permission to reprint the following copyrighted material. Every effort has been made to determine copyright owners. In case of any omissions, the Publisher will be pleased to make suitable acknowledgments in future editions.

Photo Credits10 CORBIS; 20 Bettmann/CORBIS; 30 Ted Streshinsky/CORBIS; 40 CORBIS; 50 IT Stock/PunchStock; 60 Bettmann/CORBIS.

_i-09_NC_889159.indd ii_i-09_NC_889159.indd ii 1/29/08 12:25:20 PM1/29/08 12:25:20 PM

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the Novel Companion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Connection to the Glencoe Literature Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Connection to Glencoe’s Literature Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Overview of the Structure of the Novel Companion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Interacting with Excerpts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Using Excerpts to Compare and Contrast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Interactive Reading Lessons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Note-Taking Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Note-Taking Lessons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Outline of the Novel Companion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Unit 1

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

About the Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Options for Motivating Students . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Options for Using Related Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Unit 2

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

About the Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21



Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

About the Novel Companion iii

_i-09_NC_TG_TOC_G7.indd iii_i-09_NC_TG_TOC_G7.indd iii 1/23/08 12:30:41 PM1/23/08 12:30:41 PM

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Unit 3

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

About the Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31



Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Unit 4

Dragonwings by Laurence Yep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

About the Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41



Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Unit 5

I Am Mordred: A Tale from Camelot by Nancy Springer . . . . 50

About the Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51



Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Unit 6

The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. . . 60

About the Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61



Answer Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

iv

_i-09_NC_TG_TOC_G7.indd iv_i-09_NC_TG_TOC_G7.indd iv 1/23/08 12:30:41 PM1/23/08 12:30:41 PM

ABOUT THE NOVEL COMPANION

The Novel Companion is the advanced

level of Glencoe’s interactive reading

workbooks, Interactive Read and Write,

which accompany the literature program,

Glencoe Literature. Students will study six

novels, autobiographies, and plays as they

complete the Novel Companion workbook.

Each title they study is paired with one

unit of Glencoe Literature. The titles, chosen

from those offered in Glencoe’s Literature Library, represent well-known and much-

loved literature both from the literary

canon and from award-winning modern

works. They challenge advanced students

by offering readabilities that are either at

grade level or one grade above level.

The Novel Companion workbook does not

include the full text of the novels (and the

other longer works). Each student should

have easy access to their own copies of

the novels. The Novel Companion does

include numerous excerpts from the

novels. These excerpts allow students to

do close readings of the text as they study

key aspects of the novel that reflect

important concepts already covered in

Glencoe Literature.

Connection to the Glencoe Literature ProgramThe major themes and concepts represented

by the literary works featured in the Novel Companion have been carefully matched to

Glencoe Literature’s Big Questions, the

major themes and concepts that appear in

each unit of the Glencoe Literature program.

The Novel Companion’s approach to

teaching literature and reading is also

modeled after that of Glencoe Literature:

students study literary elements, apply

reading skills and strategies, learn new

vocabulary, write about literature, and

engage in other activities related to the

literature. The Novel Companion, however,

additionally teaches students note-taking

techniques to help them make connections

between the Novel Companion’s longer

works and Glencoe Literature’s shorter

works.

Although the Novel Companion is

designed to be used in conjunction with

Glencoe Literature, it can easily be used

independently. For example, students

may wish to delay beginning their novels

until after they’ve finished their unit work

in Glencoe Literature. (Note that the

literary elements paired with a novel

draw from literary elements taught in

units up to and including the unit to

which the novel has been assigned,

whereas the Big Questions and

reading skills and strategies draw

only from the unit to which the

novel has been assigned.)

Connection to Glencoe’s Literature LibraryStudents may use any published version

of the novel in their work with the Novel Companion. Library editions of the titles are

offered by Glencoe in its Literature Library series. These editions include related

readings, for which the Novel Companion

offers activities that give students the

opportunity to relate themes and concepts

from the novel to other types of literature.

About the Novel Companion 1

_i-09_NC_TG_TOC_G7.indd 1_i-09_NC_TG_TOC_G7.indd 1 1/23/08 12:30:41 PM1/23/08 12:30:41 PM


Overview of the Structure of the Novel CompanionThe Novel Companion has students practice

applying advanced-level skills, first taught

in Glencoe Literature, to excerpts from novels

and other longer works. The workbook

begins by introducing each novel and its

author. It then breaks down the literary

work into sets consisting of several chapters

each. The teaching apparatus for the

chapter sets mirrors that for the literature

selections in Glencoe Literature: each has an

assigned literary element, a reading strategy

or skill, accompanying vocabulary words,

and writing and extension activities.

Students study the literary element, reading

strategy and skill, and the Big Question as

reflected in the excerpts.

The Novel Companion includes two general

types of lessons:

• Interactive Reading Lessons are lessons

based on the sequential chapter

groupings (chapter sets) in each novel.

In this part of the workbook, students

practice identifying important ideas and

themes, analyzing literary elements,

applying reading strategies, completing

graphic organizers, and mastering

vocabulary—all skills that expert readers

use to help them comprehend novels

and other lengthy works of literature.

(See pages 4–5.)

• Note-Taking Lessons present two

methods of note-taking to help students

connect the major themes in Glencoe Literature to the novels and other works

they will be reading. Learning these

valuable methods will help students take

effective notes whenever they study. (See

pages 6–7.)

For an annotated outline of the Novel Companion structure, see pages 8–9.

Interacting with ExcerptsFor each novel, students interact with 9–15

excerpts, each one or two pages long. The

excerpts allow students to use targeted

skills to work with targeted text. These

targeted skills include 1) analyzing and

evaluating literary elements inherent in

the text, 2) applying advanced-level reading

skills and strategies, and 3) utilizing

specialized methods of note-taking.

Interacting with Excerpts: Literary Elements

Great works of literature are ideal for

studying the application of literary

techniques, such as satire, and literary

devices, such as hyperbole, as well as

for identifying literary elements, such

as diction. In both Glencoe Literature and

the Novel Companion, literary techniques,

devices, and elements are all referred to

as literary elements because they are present

in the literature and help to define the

literature and create effects. In the Novel Companion, students study the particular

literary elements of an excerpt by

answering two literary element questions

that address specific highlighted sections

of that excerpt. (See page 4.)

Interacting with Excerpts: Reading Skills

and Strategies Literary works are sometimes

difficult to read and understand, even for

advanced-level students. To help students

read such works more easily and effectively,

the Novel Companion re-teaches certain

reading skills and strategies already taught

in Glencoe Literature. The specific skills and

strategies are determined by the complexity

of the literature as well as by whether the

literary elements require a review of certain

2


reading skills and strategies. For example, to

help students understand an author’s style,

it may be necessary to first teach how to

recognize and analyze an author’s style as you read. Just as with the literary elements

lessons, students study and apply particular

reading skills and strategies to an excerpt

by answering two questions that address

specific highlighted sections of that excerpt.

(See page 4.)

Interacting with Excerpts: Note-Taking To

help students retain what they have read,

the Novel Companion introduces two note-

taking systems and demonstrates the value

of these systems by applying them to

targeted areas of literary study: the study

of themes and concepts. These themes and

concepts appear in the form of Big

Questions that occur in each unit of

Glencoe Literature. By applying both note-

taking approaches to a specific excerpt,

students get the most out of what they’ve

read. (See pages 6–9).

Using Excerpts to Compare and Contrast In addition to including excerpts from

novels and other longer works, the Novel Companion also includes excerpts from

selections that appear in Glencoe Literature.

Students compare and contrast three or

four of the longer work’s literary elements

with those of the Glencoe Literature excerpt.




Interactive Reading LessonsThe questions that appear in the interactive reading lessons help direct

students through the process of reading and extracting meaning from the

excerpts. The diagrams on the following pages also appear on pages 2–3 of the

Novel Companion’s student edition and serve to introduce students to these

types of lessons. You may wish to review that section of the student edition

with your students before having them work on the Novel Companion.


ACTIVE READING: September–December

Catherine’s conflict with society is revealed through the customs and issues that she does not understand or with which she does not agree. Through her experiences and analyses of her culture, she develops independent opinions as she

matures and learns about herself. Some of her ideas seem valid; others seem naïve. Use the organizer below to chart the ways in which Catherine’s opinions differ from those generally held by her parents and society.

Social Issue Society’s View Catherine’s View

behavior of young ladies Lady-tasks are pointless. If ladies can “pick maggots from the salt meat,” why can’t they climb trees or throw stones in the river?

Crusades

treatment of Jewish people

privacy

marriage Marriage is a business arrangement. A daughter must marry according to her father’s wishes.

Catherine, Called Birdy: September–December 57

55-98_NC_889151.indd 57 1/22/08 9:03:54 PM

NOVEL EXCERPT: DECEMBER9th day of December, Feast of Saint Wolfeius, first hermit in Norfolk

God’s knees! A person can only wear one gown and one

kirtle at a time, so why are my mother and her ladies making such a fuss about my covering the bird cages with

their spare ones! I cannot believe they would want my

poor birds to freeze to death.I will have plenty of time to think on this, for I am imprisoned in the solar, brushing feathers and seed and

bird dung off of what seems enough clothing for the French army. I see no deliverance. Perkin is busy with his

grandmother. Aelis is in London with the king. George and

Thomas are from home much these days, riding and drinking and amusing other people and not me. God’s

knees, I might as well be an orphan. . . .14th day of December, Feast of Saint Hybald, abbot of our own Lincolnshire. I wonder if he is a relativeI am in disgrace today. Grown quite weary with my

embroidery, with my pricked fingers and tired eyes and

sore back, I kicked it down the stairs to the hall, where the

dogs fought and slobbered over it, so I took the soggy

mess and threw it to the pigs.Morwenna grabbed me by the ear and pinched my face.

My mother gave me a gentle but stern lecture about behaving like a lady. Ladies, it seems, seldom have strong

feelings and, if they do, never never let them show. God’s

thumbs! I always have strong feelings and they are quite

painful until I let them out, like a cow who needs to give

milk and bellows with the pain in her teats. So I am in

disgrace in my chamber. I pray Morwenna never discovers

that being enchambered is no punishment for me. She

would find some new torture, like sending me to listen to

the ladies in the solar.

15th day of December, Feast of Saint Offa, king of the East Saxons, who left his wife, his lands, his family, and his country to become a monk in Rome and die

Reading StrategyEvaluate Characterization What methods of indirect characterization are used here? How well do they show Catherine’s conflict with society? Support your evaluation with evidence.

INTERACTIVE READING: Reading Strategy

60 NOVEL COMPANION: Unit 2

55-98_NC_889151.indd 6055-98_NC_889151.indd 60

1/22/08 9:03:54 PM

INTERACTIVE READING: L i terar y Element

Literary Element

Conflict Name the external

conflicts that Catherine writes

about.

NOVEL EXCERPT: SEPTEMBER

12th day of September

I am commanded to write an account of my days: I am

bit by fleas and plagued by family. That is all there is to say.


My father must suffer from ale head this day, for he

cracked me twice before dinner instead of once. I hope his

angry liver bursts.


Tangled my spinning again. Corpus bones, what a torture.


Today the sun shone and the villagers sowed hay,

gathered apples, and pulled fish from the stream. I,

trapped inside, spent two hours embroidering a cloth for

the church and three hours picking out my stitches after

my mother saw it. I wish I were a villager.


Spinning. Tangled.


Untangled.


If my brother Edward thinks that writing this account of

my days will help me grow less childish and more learned,

he will have to write it. I will do this no longer. And I will

not spin. And I will not eat. Less childish indeed.


I am delivered! My mother and I have made a bargain.

I may forgo spinning as long as I write this account for

Edward. My mother is not much for writing but has it in

her heart to please Edward, especially now he is gone to be

a monk, and I would do worse things to escape the foolish

boredom of spinning. So I will write.


55-98_NC_889151.indd 58

1/22/08 9:03:54 PMPM

BEFORE YOU READ: September–December

Connect to the Literature

Recall a time when you (or someone you know) felt pressured to do

something you didn’t want to. How did you feel? What was your reaction?

Write a Journal Entry

Sometimes social customs or traditions suggest that people think or

behave in ways that may conflict with their personal feelings or wishes. In

your journal, explore some of your thoughts or beliefs that may be contrary

to what most of society thinks.

Build Background

Class and Privilege in the Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, the majority of people lived in simple huts, but

Catherine’s family lives in a manor house. Manor houses were usually a

collection of buildings. They included the family’s living quarters as well as

other buildings such as stables for the horses; a gatehouse; a privy, or

outhouse; and a cowshed. In this novel, Catherine spends much of her

time in the solar, a large room in the family’s living quarters. It is a

combination of living room and bedroom that serves as a private retreat

for the family members. Catherine spends some of her time in the solar

spinning, or twisting yarn into fiber or thread. All cloth was handmade at

this time, and even someone of Catherine’s class had to work to make it.

Although the conditions at the manor house may not seem all that

appealing to a modern reader, they were actually quite comfortable by the

standards of the time. The only thing better was a castle, which reflected

an even higher status in society.

Another sign of Catherine’s privileged status is her use of paper. Paper

was not widely used during the Middle Ages, and the printing press was

not developed until the mid-fifteenth century. Consequently, most

documents produced during the Middle Ages were painstakingly written

or copied by hand onto a substance called vellum or parchment, which

was made from the skins of cattle, sheep or goats. This thick, precious

paper was used by the rich, the powerful, and—as in the case of the

monks Catherine visits—the religious elite.

NOVEL NOTEBOOK

Keep a special notebook to record

entries about the novels that you

read this year.

SUMMARIZE

Summarize in one sentence the

most important idea(s) in Build

Background.


55-98_NC_889151.indd 55

1/22/08 9:03:54 PM

betrothal [bi tro � � thəl] n. a promise or a contract for a future marriageThe king announced the betrothal of his daughter to the prince.

docile [dos�� əl] adj. easily led or managedBecause Tim was docile, he did what he was told.

dowry [dour � �e ] n. money or property that a woman brings to her husband in marriageThe dowry included a sheep pasture, household goods, and money.

impudence [im� pyə dəns] n. disregard for others; willful disobedienceMaking insults and other impudence caused people to dislike T ina.

swagger [swa � �ər] v. to act superior or overwhelmingly self-confidentFull of confidence, Elena would swagger as she walked down the hall.

BEFORE YOU READ: September–DecemberSet Purposes for Reading� BIG Question Why Do You Read?How big a role does reading play in your life? Think about it. You probably

read many times throughout the day. As you read this novel, think about how reading helps you understand different people, times, and places.Literary Element ConflictConflict is the central struggle between opposing forces in a story. An

external conflict is the struggle of a character against an outside force, such as nature, society, fate, or another character. An internal conflict takes place within a character’s mind. For example, he or she might have to make a difficult choice. The events in most stories revolve around conflict. As a reader, you can learn a lot about life by seeing how people and characters confront and resolve conflicts.

As you read, ask yourself, what internal and external conflicts does Catherine face? Use the graphic organizer on the following page to help you record the information.

Reading Strategy Evaluate CharacterizationCharacterization refers to the methods that an author uses to develop the personality of characters. When authors tell you exactly what a character is like, it is called direct characterization. When authors show a character’s personality through his or her words and actions and through what other characters think and say about him or her, it is called indirect characterization. When you evaluate characterization, you think critically about the details the author used to reveal character.Evaluating characterization will help you to deepen your appreciation both

of characters and of the author’s technique. To evaluate characterization in this novel, ask yourself how Catherine’s conflict with society helps reveal who she is. You may find it helpful to use a graphic organizer like the one at the right.

Vocabulary

“What Catherine

Wants.”“What Others

Want.”


55-98_NC_889151.indd 5655-98_NC_889151.indd 56

1/22/08 9:03:54 PM

Get Set to Read

After reading about the novel and the author, you will begin to read the novel. You will study it in groupings of chapters, or chapter sets, in the Novel Companion. Each chapter set begins with an activity to connect your personal experience to the literature. You will also read background material to provide context for the chapter set content.

You’re invited to interact with the information in Build Background by summarizing content or writing a caption for an image related to the content.

You are then introduced to the targeted skills for the chapter set: the Big Question, the literary element, and the reading skill or strategy. You will also get vocabulary for the chapter set.

Read, Respond, Interpret

Every lesson includes an active reading graphic organizer to fill in as you read. This graphic organizer is related to either the literary element or the reading skill or strategy for the chapter set.

Interactive reading pages include text excerpts from the novels that emphasize a literary element or a reading skill or strategy. Questions in the margin help you interact with highlighted portions of the text.

4



Respond and Think Critically

1. What sort of lady-tasks must Catherine master as a young lady in

medieval society? How does she protest against learning these skills?

[Paraphrase]

2. What are Catherine’s ideas about the Crusades? Why does George

laugh at Catherine’s ideas? [Analyze]

3. What are some of Catherine’s major character traits, or distinguishing

qualities? In what ways or circumstances does Catherine reveal these

traits? [Interpret]

4. Describe Catherine’s responses to the demands placed on her by her

family and by society. Are her reactions reasonable and justified? Why

or why not? In what ways do your own experiences help you relate to

Catherine? [Evaluate]

5. Why Do You Read? What main ideas have you learned about the place

where Catherine lives—an English manor in 1290? [Synthesize]

APPLY BACKGROUND

Reread Introduction to the Novel

on pages 52–53. How did that

information help you understand

or appreciate what you read in

the novel?

AFTER YOU READ: September–December


55-98_NC_889151.indd 64

1/22/08 9:03:54 PM1/22/08 9:03:54 PM

Respond to these questions.1. Whom would you expect a betrothal to involve—two merchants or two young people?

2. Which would you expect to be more docile—a bull or a sheep?

3. What would you expect to do with a dowry—spend and trade it, or eat and drink it?

4. How would you expect to respond to impudence—with a smile or a frown?

5. Whom would you expect to swagger—a proud politician or a humble servant?

Literary Element Conflict1. Catherine is in conflict with her father and with brother Robert. Why? Do you think her father and Robert think the conflict is as great as Catherine thinks it is? [Evaluate]

2. What qualities does Catherine have that cause her to be in conflict with her world? Explain why each quality causes conflict. [Synthesize]

Reading Strategy Evaluate CharacterizationIs most of the characterization in this novel direct or indirect? Explain, using evidence from the novel. [Conclude]

Vocabulary Practice

Academic VocabularyOne of Catherine’s principal occupations is the chore of spinning yarn or thread. In the preceding sentence, principal means “main or major.” Think about a principal use you make of your time. Explain why it takes up so much of your time.


Catherine, Called Birdy: September–December 6555-98_NC_889151.indd 6555-98_NC_889151.indd 65

1/22/08 9:03:54 PM

Writing

Write a Song

Catherine enjoys making up songs. What kind of

song do you think she might write about herself and

her situation? Write the song for her. If you want,

set it to a popular tune.

Jot down some ideas here first.

Connect to Content Areas

Science

Assignment Catherine uses different plants and

other natural substances to treat various ailments

and complaints. Find out whether any of these

remedies was actually effective, and whether any

are still in use today.

Investigate Follow these steps:

✔ Make a list of substances Catherine uses to treat

illnesses or complaints.

✔ Locate reliable sources of information about

herbal and medieval medicine. Try a variety of

search terms in a library catalog or search

engine. A reference librarian may also be able to

recommend reference works with information on

herbal and other natural remedies.

✔ Research the substances on your list to learn

about them and their effectiveness in treating

ailments.

Create Make an illustrated list, chart, or poster

showing and explaining the remedies. Note

which ones are still in use and what they are

used for today.

Report Display your list, chart, or poster and

explain what it shows. Be sure to explain any

technical or scientific terms you use.



55-98_NC_889151.indd 66

1/22/08 9:03:54 PM1/22/08 9:03:54 PM

Show What You Know

After you read the chapters in the chapter set, you will answer questions about the content, including how the background information helped you as you read.

You will then demonstrate what you learned from your interactive reading of the excerpts. You will also practice using the vocabulary words you were introduced to and learn a new vocabulary word that can be used in your academic writing.

In addition, you will complete a short writing assignment and other activities related to what you read in the chapter set content. These activities will draw on what you studied in your interactive work on the excerpts from the chapters.

After you read the entire novel, you will work with related readings, connect the novel to an excerpt from Glencoe Literature, and finally, write an essay or story that draws upon what you learned by reading.

WORK WITH RELATED READINGS

Catherine, Called Birdy

The following questions refer to the Related Readings in Glencoe’s

Literature Library edition of this novel. Write your answers on a

separate sheet of paper, but jot down some notes on the lines

provided. Support your answers with details from the texts.

Author’s Note to Catherine, Called Birdy

Karen Cushman

Make Connections What qualities or problems

does Catherine share with teenagers of today?

Caged Bird

Maya Angelou

Make Connections Compare the birds described in

the poem to Catherine. How is Catherine like both

the free bird and the caged bird?

Newbery Medal Acceptance

(for The Midwife’s Apprentice)

Karen Cushman

Make Connections In the novel, Catherine writes,

composes songs, and paints. How does Catherine

use her interests in writing, song making, and

painting as a means of emotional expression?

The Knight of the Honest Heart

Christina Hamlet

Make Connections What motivates Crispin and

Celia to act deceptively? How do their desires

parallel those of Catherine?

Becky and the Wheels-and-Brakes Boys

James Berry

Make Connections How is Becky’s situation similar

to Catherine’s?

Catherine, Called Birdy 91

55-98_NC_889151.indd 91

1/22/08 9:03:58 PM1/22/08 9:03:58 PM

CONNECT TO OTHER LITERATURE

The day my son Laurie started

kindergarten he renounced corduroy

overalls with bibs and began wearing

blue jeans with a belt; I watched him go

off the first morning with the older girl

next door, seeing clearly that an era of my

life was ended, my sweet-voiced nursery-

school tot replaced by a long-trousered,

swaggering character who forgot to stop

at the corner and wave good-bye to me.

He came home the same way, the front

door slamming open, his cap on the

floor, and the voice suddenly become

raucous shouting, “Isn’t anybody here?”

At lunch he spoke insolently to his

father, spilled his baby sister’s milk, and

remarked that his teacher said we were

not to take the name of the Lord in vain.

“How was school today?” I asked,

elaborately casual.

“All right,” he said.

“Did you learn anything?” his father

asked.

Laurie regarded his father coldly.

“I didn’t learn nothing,” he said.

“Anything,” I said. “Didn’t learn

anything.”

“The teacher spanked a boy, though,”

Laurie said, addressing his bread and

butter. “For being fresh,” he added, with

his mouth full.

“What did he do?” I asked. “Who

was it?”

Laurie thought. “It was Charles,” he

said. “He was fresh. The teacher spanked

him and made him stand in a corner. He

was awfully fresh.”

“What did he do?” I asked again, but

Laurie slid off his chair, took a cookie,

and left, while his father was still saying,

“See here, young man.”

The next day Laurie remarked at

lunch, as soon as he sat down, “Well,

Charles was bad again today.” He

grinned enormously and said, “Today

Charles hit the teacher.”

LITERATURE EXCERPT: Charles


55-98_NC_889151.indd 92

1/22/08 9:03:58 PM1/22/08 9:03:58 PM


Compare the novel you have just read to the literature selection at the right, which is excerpted from “Charles” by Shirley Jackson in Glencoe Literature. Then answer the questions below. Use the exact words of the text or explain events and ideas in the text to support your answer.Compare & Contrast1. Conflict How are Laurie’s conflicts the same or different from

Catherine’s conflicts? Are they internal or external?

2. Text Structure How is the text structure of “Charles” the same and different from the text structure of Catherine, Called Birdy?

3. Diction In Catherine, Called Birdy, word choice helps the reader understand Catherine’s conflicts. Is the same true in this excerpt from “Charles”? Explain your answer.

WRITE ABOUT IT Write a comparison-contrast paragraph that makes at least one main point about how Charles and Catherine are alike and/or different.

Catherine, Called Birdy 9355-98_NC_889151.indd 9355-98_NC_889151.indd 93

1/22/08 9:03:58 PM

RESPOND THROUGH WRITING

InterjectionsUse interjections to show emotion, or feeling. Interjections may come before or after a complete sentence. When they express strong feeling and stand on their own, begin them with a capital letter and follow them with an exclamation point:Corpus bones! God’s thumbs!

When an interjection does not express strong feeling or has a quieter tone, follow it with a comma:

Dear god, I can do no more for either of them.

Persuasive EssayArgue a Position Arranged marriages have been a part of some cultures

for centuries. Do you think they are ever a good idea? Are there any

political, cultural, economic, or other reasons why arranged marriages

should exist? Decide on your position.Prewrite Make a list of reasons for your opinion or position. Select your

three best reasons. Use your reasons to write your thesis or opinion

statement:

Arranged marriages (should/should not) exist because_____________ , _____________ , and _____________.

Draft State your thesis or opinion statement near the beginning of your

paper. Present each of your reasons in separate body paragraphs. Fully

explain each reason you give. As part of your explanation, think about

what people with the opposite opinion might think or say. Address those

counterarguments. End with a strong concluding statement.Revise Exchange papers with a classmate. Complete a revision chart like

this one for each other’s work:Your thesis is _________________________________________.

Why thesis needs/does not need revision: ___________________

_____________________________________________________.Your reasons are 1. ___________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________Why reasons need/do not need revision ____________________.

Why explanation needs/does not need revision _______________

_____________________________________________________.Edit and Proofread Edit your writing so that it expresses your thoughts

effectively and is well organized. Carefully proofread for grammar,

punctuation, and spelling errors.

(reason 1) (reason 2)(reason 3)

UNDERSTAND THE TASK• To argue is to use reason or logic to try to influence a reader’s ideas or actions.• A position is an opinion. It is usually stated in a thesis, position statement, or opinion statement.

Grammar Tip


55-98_NC_889151.indd 94

55-98_NC_889151.indd 94

1/22/08 9:03:58 PM

About The Novel Companion 5


Note-Taking SystemsPages 4–5 of the Novel Companion’s student edition introduce students to the

two note-taking systems (described below) taught in the workbook. You may

wish to review those pages of the student edition with your students before

having them having them complete lessons in the workbook.

On-Page Note-Taking To help students connect to the Big Question, the On-Page

Note-Taking lessons have students use symbols to mark up an excerpt directly

on the page.

The Cornell Note-Taking System The Novel Companion also trains students on the

Cornell Note-Taking System, developed at Cornell University to help students

take more effective notes. In this system, the page is divided into two

columns, one wide and one narrow. This format allows students to effectively

organize their thinking by having them record, reduce, and then recap their

notes. Students take notes on excerpts from the novels and relate the excerpts

to the Big Question The following summarizes the steps of the system:

Record First, students will record notes in the wide column as they read.

Their notes may include summaries, bulleted lists, and graphic organizers.

Reduce Next, students will reduce, or condense, their notes into key words,

phrases, questions, and comments in the narrow column. This step will help

them clarify meaning, find information within their notes, and trigger their

memories when they study.

Recap Finally, students use the bottom portion of the page to recap,

or summarize, what they have learned from their notes. This step helps

strengthen their grasp of what they just read before they move on to the

next section of text.


6


Note-Taking LessonsThe Novel Companion’s note-taking lessons teach students how to record important

information in their own words, reduce the information to key words they will

remember, and recap their notes in a summary. Questions and activities in pages

that follow allow students to apply the information from their notes.

The information below also appears on page 6 of the Novel Companion’s student edition and serves to introduce students to these types of lesson

pages. You may wish to review that page of the student edition with your

students before having them complete lessons in the workbook.


ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING: BIG Quest ion

NOVEL EXCERPT: OCTOBER

1st day of October

My father’s clerk suffers today from an inflammation of

his eyes, caused, no doubt, by his spying on our serving

maids as they wash under their arms at the millpond. I did

not have the mother’s milk necessary for an ointment for

the eyes, so I used garlic and goose fat left from doctoring

Morwenna’s boils yesterweek. No matter how he bellowed,

it will do him no harm.

I can stand no more of lady-tasks, endless mindless

sewing, hemming, brewing, doctoring, and counting linen!

Why is a lady too gentle to climb a tree or throw stones

into the river when it is lady’s work to pick maggots from

the salt meat? Why must I learn to walk with a lady’s tiny

steps one day and sweat over great steaming kettles of

dung and nettle for remedies the next? Why must the lady

of the manor do all the least lovable tasks? I’d rather be

the pig boy.

3rd day of October

There are Jews in our hall tonight! On their way to

London, they sought shelter from the rain. My father being

away, my mother let them in. She is not afraid of Jews, but

the cook and the kitchen boys have all fled to the barn, so

no one will have supper tonight. I plan to hide in the

shadows of the hall in order to see their horns and tails.

Wait until Perkin hears of this.

The hour of vespers, later this day: Bones! The Jews

have no horns and no tails, just wet clothes and ragged

children. They are leaving England by order of the king,

who says Jews are Hell-born, wicked, and dangerous. He

must know some others than the scared and scrawny ones

who are here this night.

I hid in the hall to watch them, hoping to see them talk

to the Devil or perform evil deeds. But the men just drank

and sang and argued and waved their arms about while

the women chattered among themselves. Much like

Christians. The children mostly snuffled and whined until

one woman with a face like a withered apple gathered

them about her. . . .

MARK IT UP

Are you allowed to write in your novel? If so, then mark up the pages as you read, or reread, to help with your note-taking. Develop a shorthand system, including symbols, that works for you. Here are some ideas:

Underline = important idea

Bracket = text to quote

Asterisk = just what you were looking for

Checkmark = might be useful

Circle = unfamiliar word or phrase to look up

� BIG QuestionWhy Do You Read? How does the information on this page help you understand the world in which Catherine lives?

Mark up the excerpt, looking for evidence of how it expresses or answers the Big Question.


55-98_NC_889151.indd 62 1/22/08 9:03:54 PM

Reduce

Try the following approach as you reduce your notes.

Use the Cornell Note-Taking system to take notes on the excerpt at the left. Record your notes, Reduce them, and then Recap (summarize) them.

Record

Recap

TO THE POINT

Write a few key ideas.

CORNELL NOTE-TAKING: BIG Quest ion


55-98_NC_889151.indd 63 1/22/08 9:03:54 PM

Read, Question, and Mark-Up

Not only will you be interacting with excerpts from the novels as you work with the literary elements and reading skills or strategies assigned to a chapter set, but you will also be working with excerpts that relate to the Big Question assigned to each chapter set.

You will take notes on the excerpt—right on the page. With practice, you will devise a short-hand system that works for you. In the meantime, you can use the suggested on-page mark-up system.

Record, Reduce, and Recap

You will also learn the Cornell Note-Taking System, described on the previous page. Here you will take notes on the excerpt you marked-up on the On-Page Note-Taking page.



Outline of the Novel CompanionThe following is an annotated outline of the lesson structure of the Novel Companion:

Novel Title Page

I. Introduction to the NovelStudents read about the novel and its place in literary history, including details about its themes and how and when it was written and published.

II. Meet the AuthorStudents read about the author’s background and the historical, cultural, and literary context of his or her work.

III. Chapter Set A. Before You Read

1. Connect to the Literature Students identify with the selection in a brief activity that links the novel with the student’s own experience.

2. Build Background Students are provided with any context they will need to fully understand and appreciate the chapter set content. An accompanying activity asks students either to summarize the ideas in the background text or write a caption for a related image.

3. Big Question This links the chapter set content to the Big Question that appears in the unit the novel accompanies.

4. Literary ElementStudents are introduced to the targeted literary element for the chapter set.

5. Reading Skill or Strategy This introduces students to the targeted reading skill or strategy for the chapter set and also includes a model of a graphic organizer that students might re-create for themselves as they read.

6. Vocabulary Students are introduced to the targeted vocabulary for the chapter. A sample sentence shows use of each word.

7. Active Reading Graphic Organizer A graphic organizer shows students how to record literary element or reading skill or strategy information as they read.

B. Interactive Reading

1. Literary Element excerptStudents interact with an excerpt that relates to the targeted literary element.

2. Reading Skill or Strategy excerpt Students interact with an excerpt that relates to the targeted reading skill or strategy.


8


C. Note-Taking Systems

3. Big Question excerpt Students interact with an excerpt that relates to the targeted Big Question.

D. After You Read

1. Respond and Think Critically Students answer questions about the chapter set content; at least one item addresses the Big Question.

2. Literary Element Students answer questions that review the targeted literary element for the chapter set.

3. Reading Skill or Strategy Students answer questions that review the targeted reading skill or strategy for the chapter set.

4. Vocabulary Students review the targeted vocabulary for the chapter, using exercises that test their comprehension of the words.

5. Academic Vocabulary Students learn a new academic vocabulary word and apply it, using an activity related to the chapter set content.

6. Writing: Personal Response, Write with Style, Write a … Students write in a variety of modes and produce a range of writing products as they address the content of the chapter set. In some exercises, they try out literary techniques demonstrated by the author in the chapter set.

7. Connect to Content Areas, Research and Report, Speaking and Listening Students respond to the chapter set content through speeches, oral interpretation, research presentations, and other activities that often extend their knowledge beyond the novel itself.

IV. Work with Related ReadingsStudents answer questions that connect the novel with the related readings that appear in Glencoe’s Literature Library edition of the novel.

V. Connect to Other Literature Students answer questions that connect the novel with an excerpt from another Glencoe Literature title.

VI. Respond Through Writing Students write a longer piece—either narrative, persuasive, or expository—in response to the novel. The assignment guides students through the writing process, and at least one assignment in the Novel Companion will have students directly compare and contrast the novel to a selection in Glencoe Literature.




The Adventures of

Tom SawyerMark Twain

10

NC_G7_TE_Tom Sawyer.indd 10NC_G7_TE_Tom Sawyer.indd 10 1/22/08 9:13:38 PM1/22/08 9:13:38 PM

ABOUT THE WORK

Begun in early 1873, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was written over the next two years

and the first authorized version was

published in December 1876. Although

scholars have found echoes of other

literary works in Tom Sawyer—including

Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities and

Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote—the

true inspiration of the novel is Twain’s

childhood. Second in popularity only to

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn among

Twain’s novels, the book is one of

America’s favorite portrayals of childhood.

As students read the novel, they will

encounter issues of sensitivity such as

dialect. One especially sensitive issue is the

use of the word nigger. Today the word is

considered a racial slur. However, it was

commonly used by people of Tom and

Huck’s background and time.

SynopsisThe novel opens in the Mississippi River

town of St. Petersburg in the mid-1840s.

Tom Sawyer, whose mother is dead, lives

with his Aunt Polly, cousin Mary, and half-

brother Sidney. Tom is an imaginative boy

who dislikes the confines of school. One of

his friends is Huckleberry Finn, the son of

the town drunkard. In the town’s

graveyard late one night, Tom and Huck

witness the murder of Dr. Robinson by the

evil Injun Joe. The two boys take an oath

never to reveal what they have seen in the

graveyard. After Dr. Robinson’s body is

discovered, Injun Joe pins the killing on

another town drunk, Muff Porter.

Tom, Huck, and Joe Harper decide to run

away from home and become pirates.

After discovering that they are presumed

drowned, Tom returns home to leave

Aunt Polly a note explaining that the boys

are safe. He changes his mind after

hearing plans of a memorial service for

the three boys. On the day of the service,

the boys return home and casually stroll

down the aisle of the church. Upon their

return, Tom continues to court Becky

Thatcher, the new girl in town who has

stolen his heart.

After much soul searching, Tom testifies at

the trial of Muff Porter and reveals what

really happened to Dr. Robinson. Injun Joe

escapes through a window and goes into

hiding. Later, Tom and Huck discover

Injun Joe’s secret hiding spot in an

abandoned house and find some treasure

that he has hidden there. The two

narrowly escape detection by Injun Joe

after hearing him tell somebody of a

second hiding spot.

The two boys discover that Injun Joe’s

second hiding spot is a room at one of the

local taverns. Before they begin to search,

however, Becky returns from her summer

vacation. Tom forgets about Injun Joe and

the treasure once he is in Becky’s

company. The two attend a picnic where

they explore a cave. They become lost in

the cave and, at one point, Tom sees Injun

Joe in one of the cave’s passages. After

being lost for three days, Tom finds an

opening and he and Becky return to town.

A search party finds Injun Joe’s lifeless

body inside the cave. Tom and Huck

search the cave and discover $12,000

worth of hidden treasure.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 11


Say What You MeanMark Twain is one of the most frequently

quoted American authors. Students may

already be familiar with some of his

remarks. Write these quotations on the

board, and ask students to explain what

point Twain is making with his humor.

“ ‘• Classic.’ A book which people praise

and don’t read.”

“If you pick up a starving dog and make •

him prosperous, he will not bite you.

This is the principal difference between

a dog and a man.”

“One of the most striking differences •

between a cat and a lie is that a cat has

only nine lives.”

“Nothing so needs reforming as other •

people’s habits.”

“The difference between the • almost-right

word and the right word is really a large

matter—it’s the difference between the

lightning bug and the lightning.”

“Put all your eggs in the one basket •

and—WATCH THAT BASKET.”

“Training is everything. The peach was •

once a bitter almond; cauliflower is

nothing but cabbage with a college

education.”

Remember WhenPrepare students for the nature of this

novel and its unique place in American

culture.

Write the word • nostalgia on the board.

Define it as a sentimental longing for a

past time or situation. Have students

think of a situation or a place in their own

past about which they feel nostalgic, such

as a particularly enjoyable summer

vacation spot, a holiday spent with

favorite relatives, or a former hometown.

As a class, discuss how nostalgia colors

our views of past experiences and how

too much nostalgia can be harmful. End

the discussion by explaining that the book

they are about to read is marked by the

author’s nostalgia for his boyhood and

his hometown. Remind students to be on

the lookout for this aspect of Tom Sawyer.

Help students understand that nostalgia •

is evident in some popular entertain-

ment today. Ask students to think of

television programs and movies that

present a period in the past as a more

desirable or more interesting time to live

in than the present. Have them discuss

whether or not these programs and

movies present a realistic picture of life

in the time and place depicted.

Explain that one episode in this novel •

has become part of our cultural heritage.

In that episode, Tom manipulates his

friends into painting a fence for him by

making them pay for the privilege of

painting. Provide students with the

following quotation from Tom Sawyer:

“Work consists of whatever a body is

obliged to do, and . . . play consists of

whatever a body is not obliged to do.”

Invite students to think of situations in

their own lives where they willingly

spend more time and physical energy

than they would choose to expend on

physical work or studying. Remind

them that sports and hobby interests

should be considered. Ask if they can

think of examples in school or in our

society in which making something hard

to attain makes it more desirable.

OPTIONS FOR MOTIVATING STUDENTS

12


RELATED READINGS MAKING CONNECTIONS TO The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Boy’s Manuscript”

by Mark Twain(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 25)

Mark Twain based The Adventures of Tom Sawyer on his own childhood, which he wrote about in “Boy’s Manuscript.”

Before students read, explain to them that Mark Twain used the name Billy Rogers • when writing about himself in this reading.Lead a discussion on what is known about Mark Twain’s life.• After students read, ask them to compare what they do for fun with what Billy • and his friends did.

A Rescue from an

Underground Mine!

by Deborah Morris(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 26)

Josh Dennis, like Tom and Becky in the main novel, is trapped for days in an underground mine.

Ask students if they have ever gotten lost. Ask volunteers to share their stories • with the class.Lead students in a discussion about what they would do if they were in Josh • Dennis’s position.Have students write on the chalkboard a list of things that they would bring with • them if they were to go camping for three or four days.

Getting the Bugs Out

of Tom Sawyer: An

Entomologist’s View

of a Classic

by John D. Evans(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 27)

This reading examines The Adventures of Tom Sawyer from an insect lover’s point of view.

Before students read, ask them if they can remember the mention of any animals • or insects in the main novel.Define • entomologist for the students, and then ask students to discuss how an entomologist’s work helps people.

Sometimes I Feel

This Way

by John Ciardi(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 28)

Even Aunt Polly knows that the temptations for Tom to misbehave are often overwhelming. This poem puts the reader inside a child’s head when deciding whether to behave or misbehave.

On the chalkboard, make two columns, one with the heading • Good and one with the heading Bad. Have students list under each category the Good/Bad things that Tom Sawyer does in the main novel.Have students rank the good/bad behaviors.•

from Ethicsby Susan Neiburg Terkel(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 29)

A strong sense of ethics brings out the best in people. This reading offers reasons why Tom Sawyer is ethically bound to reveal the name of the doctor’s real killer.

Help students see the thematic connection between the reading and the • main novel.Ask students to define • ethics in their own words.Discuss with students the different times in • Tom Sawyer where a character lets ethics guide him or her to the “good life.”

OPTIONS FOR USING RELATED READINGS



All answers are sample answers except those for Vocabulary Practice.

CHAPTERS 1–10

BEFORE YOU READ

Summarize

Mark Twain put his own opinions into his novel, but he also created distinctive characters whose speech and actions were like those of people from his childhood.

ACTIVE READING

Sid: Tom’s half-brother; Ben Rogers: Tom’s friend; Joe Harper: Tom’s friend; Mary: Tom’s cousin (connect also to Polly and Sid); Becky: Tom’s new love; Judge Thatcher: Becky’s father; Huckleberry Finn: Tom’s friend; Muff Potter: town drunk; Injun Joe: town undesirable; Dr. Robinson: town doctor

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: Narrator and Point of View

Tom hates to wash. When he is made to do it, he finishes as quickly as possible. The narrator describes this with much humor, referring to Tom’s neck as “an expanse of unirrigated soil.” He also makes fun of the finished effect by referring to Tom’s “dainty curls.”

Literary Element: Narrator and Point of ViewStudents will likely say that the narrator and author intersect here. The phrase “my readers” could be Twain’s own voice and not the persona’s voice.

Reading Strategy: Make Inferences About CharactersTom is jealous of the new boy’s fancy clothes. He feels badly dressed and poor by comparison. Anger over the thought that he is in some way inferior to this stranger makes him pick a fight.

Reading Strategy: Make Inferences About CharactersThe two boys would probably much rather exchange insults and try to intimidate each other than actually hit each other.

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: Whom Can You Count On?Tom feels he should care about and depend on no one but himself. This is clear as he considers leaving home to take on the dangerous lifestyle of a soldier or a pirate. He is feeling this way because things went badly with Becky Thatcher earlier.

AFTER YOU READ


Tom makes them think it’s so much fun that they 1. “pay” him to be allowed to whitewash the fence. To make someone want something, it is only necessary to make it hard to get.Huck is the son of the town vagrant. He has 2. complete freedom because he has no parents to control him.Students may say the narrator doesn’t want to show 3. Tom being punished because it might not interest readers who are more attracted by Tom’s capers.Positive: Having an active imagination can be fun 4. and exciting, can lead to interesting consequences, and can result in a person’s never being bored. Negative: An active imagination can cause problems for other people and can keep a person from fully participating in real life.Tom depends on Aunt Polly for food and a place to 5. live; he depends on Huckleberry and his other playmates for adventure and a good time; he at first depends on Becky Thatcher as his new love interest, but soon he finds himself disappointed and persuades himself not to count on her after all.

Apply Background

Students may say that they were less offended by Tom and Huck’s racist language when the students learned that author Mark Twain supported equal rights for African Americans.

Literary Element: Narrator and Point of ViewIt is clear from his narrator’s language and the 1. description of the events that he is dealing with a very serious subject. Students may point out that in

ANSWER KEY

14


addition to using descriptive language, he refrains from his usual humorous commentary about the characters and their actions.

Reading Strategy: Make Inferences About Characters

The stray dog howling is most likely an omen of death. 1. Details include the boys’ fear of the howling, their 2. questions about which one of them the dog means, their relief when they think it is a dog they know as opposed to a stray, and their renewed terror when they find that it is a stray after all.

Vocabulary Practice

1. g, 2. d, 3. f, 4. b, 5. e

Academic Vocabulary: acquiredefinition: To gain possession as one’s ownsynonyms: obtain, get hold ofantonyms: lose sentence: My uncle was able to acquire great wealth, but he gave it away to charity.

Writing

Personal Response

Students may say that Tom is a mischievous boy who believes having a good time is the most important thing in life. Words and phrases that describe Tom might include overly dramatic, clever, emotional, fun-loving, and adventurous.

Speaking and Listening

Literature Groups

Members of each literature group should reference their ideas and opinions using their notes and charts. In addition, they should

interpret the author’s opinion of Tom • merge information from three or more areas of • the textpresent their ideas clearly to the class• write an effective self-evaluation•

CHAPTERS 11–24

BEFORE YOU READ

Write the Caption

Mark Twain blended fact and fiction with his experiences in Hannibal, Missouri, to create his unforgettable characters.

ACTIVE READING

Nature shaking off sleep and going to work/compared to a person; little green worm crawling over a dewy leaf/close-up of nature shows fine observation; ants appeared/more close observation of nature, described in human terms; ladybug/linking of nature with superstition; catbird and jay/appeals to eye and ear; squirrels inspect and chatter at boys/innocence of animals described; long lances of sunlight/leads to description of pirates to come.

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: DescriptionAnswers may include the faint moan sighing through the branches; a fleeting breath upon their cheeks; a flash turned night into day; the boys’ white startled faces; thunder tumbling down from the heavens; sullen rumblings; a sweep of chilly air; snowing the flaky ashes; big raindrops fell pattering.

Literary Element: Description Twain compares the diminishing storm to the end of a great battle, in which the enemies give up the struggle and peace comes once again. Details include the threatening and grumbling of the receding thunder; the ruined sycamore tree in the boys’ drenched campsite; the tedious rebuilding of their campfire; and the boys’ exaggerated retelling of the evening’s exploits.

Reading Skill: Analyze SettingThe town has gone silent as all the townspeople are in mourning. Some feel guilty over the way they treated the boys before their disappearance. The whole town is focused on its connections with the three missing children.

ANSWER KEY



Reading Skill: Analyze SettingBy using the church as a setting, Twain points up the hypocrisy of some of those who thought very little of Tom, Huck, and Joe while they were alive but remember them lovingly now that they assume the boys are dead.

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: Whom Can You Count On?Tom remembers only his adoration of Becky and not the conflicts they have been experiencing. He takes the blame because he feels sorry for her and he has been in the same situation himself many times.

AFTER YOU READ


They take small “comforts” to him. Tom and Huck 1. feel guilty about not telling what they know and clearing him.He decides to tell Potter’s lawyer what he and Huck 2. saw. Potter is freed, Injun Joe escapes, and Tom and Huck live in fear of Joe.Students may say he is a cartoonish villain, all evil 3. with no redeeming traits, unlike a real person.Most students will say he thoughtlessly hurts people 4. he cares about. Students may have different responses but most will mention being embarrassed or annoyed.Students may note that the whole town knows Tom 5. and there are many people (teachers, friends, relatives) he counts on every day. On the other hand, the townspeople have already made many judgments about Tom, and it would be hard for him to change their perceptions.

Apply Background

Students may wonder whether Twain’s friends and neighbors in Hannibal recognized themselves as models for some of the characters.

Literary Element: DescriptionStudents may mention the cat’s jumping in the air, 1. letting out a war whoop, banging against furniture, prancing and tearing around, doing summersets, and

sailing out an open window knocking over flowerpots as it went. Twain clearly intended to make readers laugh. 2.

Reading Strategy: Analyze SettingThe solitary life on the island helps them realize that 1. they are homesick and crave the comforts of the more structured life they lead at home. The townspeople are at church; they are caught up 2. in their grief at the funeral and are astonished by the appearance of the three “drowned” boys. Their astonishment and relief keep them from getting angry.

Vocabulary Practice

1. conspicuous2. vindictive3. chronic4. frivolous5. ominous

Academic Vocabulary

The word means “carry out” or “manage.” The first use of the word is as a noun. The second is as a verb.

Write with Style

Apply Description

Students’ paragraphs shouldfocus on a single incident or moment • be organized in a logical progression• use imagery to help readers fully imagine the • experience


Art

Students’ courtroom sketches should depict a single incident or moment from Chapter 24• feature one of more characters from the novel• include physical details of character traits described • in the novel

ANSWER KEY

16


CHAPTERS 25–36

BEFORE YOU READ

Write the Caption

Mark Twain followed up The Adventures of Tom Sawyer with his 1885 masterpiece, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

ACTIVE READING

Boys see Injun Joe find treasure; Tom decides to watch room 2 in tavern; boys decide to follow Joe; Becky returns to town and plans picnic; children explore the cave; Huck follows Injun Joe to the Widow Douglas’s; Joe explains his revenge on the widow; Huck warns the Welshman; villagers search for Tom and Becky; Huck gets sick; Tom and Becky found; cave is sealed and Joe dies; Tom and Huck find the treasure and attend Widow Douglas’s party.

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: ThemeHuck is dragged kicking and screaming into society in the same way many people feel they are forced to leave childhood behind when they become adults.

Literary Element: Theme He misses fishing, playing and exploring in the woods, and sleeping outside. All these things represent freedom and/or happiness to him.

Reading Skill: Analyze PlotIt is part of the rising action. The exposition set up the boys’ relationship to Injun Joe. While this excerpt is not the highest point of the action, the suspense is definitely building.

Reading Skill: Analyze PlotStudents may predict that Injun Joe and his companion will hear Huck and Tom and come after them or that Huck and Tom will take the buried treasure with them when the two men leave.

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: Whom Can You Count On?The whole town finds out at about the same time and most of the people go out searching for the missing children. This reveals that the people of St. Petersburg come together and are able to count on each other during the hard times.

AFTER YOU READ


Uncle Jake is an enslaved man. Huck does not act 1. as if he is better than Uncle Jake. The well-to-do think they are better than others.He warns the Welshman about the threat to his life. 2. He fears Injun Joe and wants to be inconspicuous.Money drives many of the characters in different 3. ways: the villains are willing to commit evil to get it, Tom and Huck are anxious to find treasure, other men unsuccessfully copy the boys’ actions after they find the treasure. Examples include: Injun Joe explains that Douglas’s 4. husband had him horsewhipped as if he were a slave. The Welshman exclaims that white men, in contrast to Indians, do not perform acts of extreme physical cruelty on other people. Joe says that ruining a woman’s appearance is the best way to gain revenge on her because women are vain.He is calm, brave, comforting, resourceful under 5. pressure, and takes the responsibility for their dangerous situation.

Apply Background

Students may be reminded of Twain’s dislike of “good boy” novels when, at the end of the novel, “bad boys” Tom and Huck are rewarded with wealth and admiration.

Literary Element: ThemeTom’s career goal to become a robber is based more 1. on youth than on a criminal mind. Most students will feel that Tom is likely to outgrow this desire.

ANSWER KEY



The statement embodies the idea of “Boys will be 2. boys.” Huck is talking about becoming a famous robber so the Widow Douglas will be proud of him. This statement also suggests, from the narrator’s point of view, a sense of nostalgia for the innocence of youth.

Reading Strategy: Analyze PlotTom developed strong feelings for another (Becky), 1. came to understand his friends and community in new ways (Huck Finn, Muff Potter, Aunt Polly), and even developed empathy for someone he fearedand disliked (Injun Joe). Students may feel that as they came to know and understand Tom, they liked him more.Students should identify the falling action as the 2. events that follows Tom and Becky’s escape from the cave.

Vocabulary Practice

1. same2. opposite3. opposite4. same5. same

Academic Vocabulary

Students’ examples will vary but should reflect their understanding of the word potential.

Writing

Write an Argument

Students’ arguments should be well supported with specific examples from the novel.


Performance

Students shouldwork cooperatively to present their work clearly to the • classmaintain good posture and vocal volume while • performingoperate music and sound effects with sensitivity• evaluate themselves and fellow group members with • sensitivity and honesty

NOVEL AFTER YOU READ


Boy’s ManuscriptStudents may cite Billy’s infatuation with Amy as being similar to Tom’s love of Becky.

A Rescue from an Underground Mine!Tom and Becky have light and a little bit of food. Additionally, they have each other’s company. Josh is by himself with no light and only a small piece of licorice. Tom and Becky wander around until they are found. Josh puts his faith in the angels that he thinks are near him. He stays where he is in order to be found.

Getting the Bugs Out of Tom SawyerThe entomologist identifies the “death-watch beetle” by the ticking sound it makes as it bores into the wood.

Sometimes I Feel This WayTom mainly chooses to be bad, though the things he does aren’t necessarily bad, only mischievous, as Aunt Polly says. Students should offer their own opinions of Tom’s behavior.

EthicsAnswers will vary, but most students will probably say that Tom’s decision was the morally just and fair thing to do in order to save the innocent man.


Narrator and Point of View: Both narrators are outside the story and therefore use the third-person point of view. The narrator of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is omniscient, meaning he reveals the thoughts of several of the story’s characters. The narrator in “We Are All One” reveals only the old peddler’s inner thoughts, which means the story’s point of view is limited third person.

Description: Parts of both works are set in the forest. In “We Are All One,” Laurence Yep uses description of the natural world to convey a sense of the connection between all living things. In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain uses descriptive language to convey a place of great beauty, one that offers peace and freedom.

ANSWER KEY

18


Theme: Like the forest creatures and the peddler in “We Are All One,” the townspeople of St. Petersburg in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer take care of each other and their community. This is especially clear when the whole town turns out to mourn, to celebrate, or to search for a member of their community who is missing.

Write About It

Students may choose either option but should defend their choice with reasons.


Students’ research reports should use multiple sources• write a cogent topic sentence • use a logical progression to support the topic • sentenceuse graphic aids if relevant•

ANSWER KEY



Catherine, Called Birdy

Karen Cushman

20

55-98_NC_889151_TG.indd 2055-98_NC_889151_TG.indd 20 1/23/08 5:01:07 PM1/23/08 5:01:07 PM

ABOUT THE WORK

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

tells of a year in the life of Catherine, a

thirteenth-century young woman whose

father plans to marry her to the highest

bidder. A rebellious and strong-willed

character, Catherine concocts various

schemes to discourage potential suitors.

The story, told through her diary entries, is

set in England in 1290. The novel explores

the complexities of coming of age and the

struggle to find one’s place in society.

Catherine, Called Birdy was named a 1995

Newbery Honor Book.

Note that the novel contains some

language that may be considered crude.

Before having your class read the novel,

you may wish to explain that Karen

Cushman’s intention was to create

characters who are as authentic as possible.

Though some of the words may seem

inappropriate today, Cushman explains

that they were in general use in the

thirteenth century and were not considered

crude at the time.

SynopsisA young woman of fourteen in the late

Middle Ages, Catherine is of a

marriageable age. Marriages during this

time are more business transaction than

romantic union, and Catherine’s father

seeks suitors of wealth and consequence

for his daughter. Meanwhile, Catherine

must master the skills required of a lady of

her time, such as spinning, sewing,

doctoring, and behaving modestly.

Catherine’s brother Edward, a monk-in-

training, has encouraged her to write a

diary so that she might mature and become

more learned. Her diary reveals her

rebellious nature as she thwarts her

father’s efforts at every turn and tries to

escape the tedious lady-tasks that demand

so much of her time. In many ways,

Catherine is still a child. She participates in

activities with the village children and with

her friend Aelis, whose father negotiates a

marriage for her as well.

Although many of Catherine’s schemes

to frighten away suitors succeed, Lord

Murgaw of Lithgow, a man with crude

manners whom Catherine calls Shaggy

Beard, will not be dissuaded. Negotiations

between Lord Rollo and Shaggy Beard

proceed, and Catherine is promised to the

repulsive lord. She vows never to marry

him.

As the dreaded day for the marriage

approaches, Catherine travels to a fair

where she finds a helpless bear that is

destined for a bearbaiting, a cruel and

abusive practice of setting dogs on a

chained bear. Catherine’s sympathies

overwhelm her, and she ultimately offers

to buy the bear with silver given to her by

Lord Murgaw, thus sealing her fate of

becoming his bride.

After Catherine has finally resigned

herself to the prospect of marrying Shaggy

Beard, she learns that he has been killed in

a tavern brawl and that his son Stephen,

who has inherited his father’s title and

wealth, has agreed to honor the marriage

contract. Catherine is optimistic about her

future with Stephen and prepares to leave

the following month.




A Different Time and PlaceHelp students identify with everyday life

in the Middle Ages.

Have students discuss what modern •

conveniences are available today that

were not available 700 years ago. How

have these conveniences changed the

ways in which people conduct their

everyday lives? Have they affected

people’s values in any way? Ask

students to think about what their lives

would be like without these

conveniences.

Ask students to imagine that they are •

able to travel back in time to the

thirteenth century. Tell them that they

can take one item with them from the

present. What would they take? Why?

Before beginning the novel, invite •

students to list their perceptions about

the Middle Ages, describing what they

think life might have been like in the

thirteenth century. Explain that they will

return to their lists after they have

finished the novel to determine whether

their perceptions have changed.

The Marriage ContractPrepare students for the concept of

marriage as a business arrangement.

Ask students to discuss what issues a •

person might consider before entering

into a marriage. Then, ask them to

discuss how these issues might be

affected if the two people entering into

the marriage have never met or do not

know each other well. Explain that

many marriages in the Middle Ages

(and even later) resulted from business

arrangements designed to profit the

families of both parties through the

exchange of land, titles, or both.

Explain to students that for centuries, •

women were expected to marry

according to the wishes of their fathers.

Discuss how women’s roles in society

and in the family have changed. Do

family members in the United States

today have any influence over their

relatives’ life decisions, such as whom a

person will marry?

The Process of Self-DiscoveryHelp students to observe the ways in which Catherine learns about herself.

Explain that, in many ways, • Catherine, Called Birdy is a coming-of-age novel.

Discuss what is meant by the term

coming of age. Encourage students to

observe Catherine’s process of

maturation as they read the novel.

Before students read the novel, point out •

that one way in which Catherine learns

about herself is through her general

observations about people. At one point,

for example, she explains, “I think

sometimes that people are like onions.

On the outside smooth and whole and

simple but inside ring upon ring,

complex and deep.” Ask students to

discuss Catherine’s analogy. In what

ways are people like onions? Invite

students to think of their own analogies

about people based on their

observations.

22



RELATED READINGS MAKING CONNECTIONS TO Catherine, Called Birdy

Author’s Note to

Catherine, Called Birdyby Karen Cushman(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 24)

This note to the original publication of the novel offers practical insight into the attitudes and lifestyles of typical thirteenth-century Europeans.

Have students read this selection after they finish the novel. Discuss how the • society depicted in the novel reflects the reality of medieval life. Invite students to compare medieval society with current American society. Why • might it be difficult for modern people to relate to people of the thirteenth century? Ask students to imagine how someone living 700 years from now might view life in • industrialized nations today. What are its distinguishing characteristics?

Caged Bird

by Maya Angelou(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 25)

This poem relates the cry for freedom to the song of a caged bird. In the novel, Catherine is compared to a caged bird.

Have students read the poem after they read the first third of the novel (September–• December) and develop a sense of Catherine’s personality. Invite students to discuss the images in the poem. What do these suggest about • freedom or the lack of it? How do they relate to Catherine? Remind students that the caged bird metaphor can apply to different situations. • Discuss how Angelou’s poem applies to American society now or to the society just before the American Revolution. Ask students to draw conclusions about the challenges that people have faced throughout history.

Newbery Medal

Acceptance (for The Midwife’s Apprentice)

by Karen Cushman(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 26)

In this speech, Cushman describes her challenges in becoming a writer and her efforts to develop characters to whom her readers can relate.

Have students read this speech after they finish reading the novel. Invite them to • discuss why Cushman’s writing is so important to her.In 1995, • Catherine, Called Birdy was chosen as a Newbery Honor Book. The next year, Cushman’s novel The Midwife’s Apprentice won the Newbery Medal. Ask students to discuss why they think Catherine, Called Birdy was honored. What makes this book outstanding?Explain to students that some critics argue that Catherine is more of a • twentieth-century character than a thirteenth-century character. Have students discuss whether they think this assertion is valid.

The Knight of the

Honest Heart

by Christina Hamlett (Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 27)

This play gives a comic overview of medieval arranged marriage.

Have students read the play before they begin the novel. Explain the medieval view • of marriage as an arrangement for financial or social gain.Invite students to discuss the significance of the play’s title. How is Sir Crispin’s heart • honest? What does the play suggest about medieval society? Ask some of the students to act out the roles of the characters in the play. Discuss • how they might have acted had they been in a similar situation.

Becky and the Wheels-

and-Brake Boys

by James Berry (Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 28)

This story portrays a young girl’s desire for something she cannot have.

You may wish to have students read this story at the point in the novel when • Catherine becomes betrothed to Shaggy Beard. Have students discuss how personal desires sometimes conflict with the views of society.Ask students to identify passages in the novel that parallel elements of the short • story. Suggest that students look for passages about Catherine’s feelings for her mother, her determination to achieve her goals, or her rejection of accepted views.




SEPTEMBER–DECEMBER

BEFORE YOU READ

Summarize

A medieval manor house was a comfortable place to live for those from a high, though not the highest, level of medieval society.

ACTIVE READING

Society’s view: Young ladies should learn to embroider, behave moderately, and master domestic responsi-bilities; Crusades are brutal bloodbaths, and crusaders live in deplorable conditions; Jews are wicked and dangerous and should be driven out of the country; young ladies should not have a room to themselves, nor do they need time alone. Catherine’s view: Crusades are glorious, heavenly adventures; Jews are just like everyone else, with families and stories and a religion that is important to them; everyone needs privacy, and too many people crowd her chamber; young ladies should be able to choose their own mates or at least have a say in the matter.

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: Conflict She is in conflict with fleas, her family, her father, her job of spinning, her task of writing her diary, Morwenna, and anyone who gives her jobs she does not want to do.

Literary Element: Conflict She is in conflict with herself: she does not want to be a child or treated like a child. Yet, she is childish.

Reading Strategy: Evaluate CharacterizationCatherine is characterized through her written words or thoughts (in her diary), which also tell her action of using other people’s clothes to cover her birdcages. Catherine’s thoughts and actions clearly and effectively show that she is stubborn, rebellious, and resentful. She can’t see others’ point of view.

Reading Strategy: Evaluate CharacterizationThese entries show many sides of Catherine through her thoughts, her actions, and her words. Her actions show her childishness (when she throws away her embroidery), cleverness (when she gets rid of her suitor), and her sense of humor (her joke about her dowry). Her words (such as “pfgh”) show her bad manners.

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: Why Do You Read?Answers will vary. The page tells that people wash in ponds; use combinations of organic matter to “cure” illnesses and ailments; pick maggots out of meat, which is salted to preserve it; are bred, in some cases, to be “ladies”; and fear, misjudge, and persecute Jews.

AFTER YOU READ


Catherine must spin, embroider, hem sheets, give 1. medical advice, and learn manners. She protests by throwing her sewing into the privy and finding ways to avoid her chores.Catherine imagines the crusaders dressed in finery 2. and riding back to London victorious. George laughs because the crusaders suffered deplorable conditions.Catherine describes herself as “some good and some 3. bad.” She is clever and witty; she is also childish, naïve, and idealistic. Her schemes to discourage suitors and her fantasies reveal these traits. Catherine rebels by avoiding lady-tasks and by 4. discouraging suitors. Twenty-first-century readers might find her reactions justified, since individuality is highly valued. Catherine’s contemporaries probably would not have agreed because the values of that time emphasized one’s place in society. Students’ answers will vary based on their own values.Students may mention details of housing, dress, 5. domestic life, social status and conventions, religion, family, health, and medicine.

Apply Background

Students may say that knowing that marriage for “upper-class” girls like Catherine was more of a business transaction made them more sympathietic to her situation.

Literary Element: ConflictStudents may say the conflict is, in fact, great: Catherine’s father has struck her, and Robert has said something tasteless about women. Students may also say that it is common for children to resent or misunderstand older family members, perhaps especially fathers and older brothers. They may mention not judging people of the past by the standards of our own times.

ANSWER KEY

24

20-29_NC_889159.indd 2420-29_NC_889159.indd 24 1/29/08 10:49:00 AM1/29/08 10:49:00 AM

ANSWER KEY

Literary Element: ConflictCatherine’s qualities include independence (if she doesn’t want to embroider, for example, she throws it away); compassion (she cares about what happens to the Jews and at the hanging); immaturity (she can’t understand how she, too, has a role in society); and cleverness (she paints, writes, and plays jokes). Her independence causes conflict in a world where she is supposed to be dependent—or at least obedient; her compassion is out of line with the thoughts and actions of most people around her; her immaturity keeps her from understanding how others might care for her and have her interests at heart; and some people then, as now, resent cleverness in others.

Reading Strategy: Evaluate CharacterizationThe characterization is indirect: the reader reads Catherine’s thoughts, and through those thoughts learns about her actions, as well as Catherine’s exact words. Furthermore, characterization is achieved through the words and actions of others in response to her. Both show very well how much older adults are upset by Catherine; they also show Catherine’s cleverness and sense of humor.

Vocabulary Practice

two young people1. sheep2. spend it and trade it3. a frown4. a proud politician5.

Academic Vocabulary

Answers will vary, but may include going to school or studying and learning as principal uses of time.

Writing

Write a Song

Students’ songs should express a theme that Catherine would express, such as not wanting to marry, not wanting to be limited by lady tasks and roles, and not wanting others to tell her what to do.


Science

Students’ lists, charts, or posters shouldshow plants and other natural substances used as • cures in the Middle Agesexplain their uses as remedies• note which cures are in use today• explain any scientific or technical terms•

JANUARY–APRIL

BEFORE YOU READ

Write the Caption

In the Middle Ages masked performers, called mummers, entertained at Christmas festivities.

ACTIVE READING

Positive or humorous events: Edgar is found after being stranded for four days; Catherine sets the privy on fire; Catherine enjoys her visit to Aelis; Odd William arrives to celebrate Easter with the family; Catherine meets her aunt Ethelfritha. Negative or tragic events: Roger Moreton sustains an injury during a fight and dies; villagers near the castle where Aelis now lives freeze to death; Robert must marry a 12-year-old girl who is with child; Catherine worries for her mother, who is expecting again; Catherine’s father negotiates an undesirable marriage for her.

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: Text Structure Each entry is dated. The dates are in time order, often one day after the next as they are here.

Literary Element: Text Structure Signal words and phrases include today, supper, later, last night, and tomorrow.

Reading Strategy: Make Predictions About PlotRobert shows concern for and helps others here, so he may help Catherine in the future.

Reading Strategy: Make Predictions About PlotCatherine will not learn to like it: so far, she has been mean and discourteous to suitors. Also, she calls this suitor a pig, which is not positive.

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: Why Do You Read?Answers will vary. Students may comment on how the English’s Christian beliefs and ritual, such as the Passion, Good Friday, and the resurrection; or about their familiarity with Biblical figures such as Herod, Pontius Pilate, and Saint Peter.



ANSWER KEY

AFTER YOU READ


Catherine fantasizes that Madame Joanna is clever 1. and will take Catherine back to the king’s palace to have adventures. Madame Joanna responds that duties come before pleasure; only now and then is she able to enjoy her life.Shaggy Beard is Catherine’s name for Lord Murgaw, 2. a man who wishes to marry her. Catherine finds him repulsive. He is old enough to be her father and has crude manners.Characters have more freedom to move about the 3. country. Catherine, however, is increasingly confined. Apart from her visit to Aelis, she spends more time in her chamber and must deal with the prospect of a marriage to Shaggy Beard.Catherine is clever, and her actions are often 4. humorous. Her efforts to push the limits of her parents’ patience reveal her independence. Her flaws and her idealism add to her charm. Students may say that people’s religious faith is of 5. greatest importance to them; they may also say that people value their place in society and their material goods.

Apply Background

Students may say that they are not surprised Catherine has such sour feelings about feasts and entertainment because they seem quite frequent and she has to take care of the revelers.

Literary Element: Text StructureCatherine writes almost every day. She is not just writing about the big events of life. Instead, she is giving a picture of how people live day to day.

Literary Element: Text StructureAelis had feelings for George, so instead of meeting Catherine, she never came. As a result, Catherine put a toad in George’s bed.

Reading Strategy: Make Predictions About PlotShe will marry because everyone around her expects it. Or she will not marry because she scares off or tricks every suitor.

Reading Strategy: Make Predictions About PlotAnswers will vary, but should cite evidence based on previous events.

Vocabulary Practice

1. g, 2. f, 3. e, 4. a, 5. c

Academic Vocabulary

definition: relating to just one personsynonyms: single, sole, separateantonyms: multiple, sharedsentence: The food was divided into individual servings.

Writing

Personal Response

Students may say they like Catherine’s independence or find her funny and full of life. They may relate to having to answer to their parents or to society rather than making all their decisions on their own.


Speech

Students’ speeches shouldbegin with a hook• clearly state the opinion• present reasons for the opinion in order of importance• incorporate effective verbal and nonverbal • techniques

26


ANSWER KEY

MAY–SEPTEMBER

BEFORE YOU READ

Summarize

Medieval medicine was very different from medicine today and included the use of superstitions and unusual herbal and other cures.

ACTIVE READING

Catherine’s acts of kindness and her feelings: persuades her father to give Meg and Alf Perkin’s granny’s cottage—feels that Perkin’s granny would be pleased; paints a picture for Perkin to ease his grief—has a warm feeling; rescues the bear at the fair—feels relieved that the bear is safe; strews flowers on the bed for Morwenna on her saint’s day—is reminded of her love for Morwenna; cares for her mother during labor and delivery—feels gratitude for the baby’s and her mother’s safety and feels protective of her mother and the baby.

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: DictionPossible answers for denotation include courtyard, orchard, walls, trees, kettles, dairy, and pigs: these are all exact places or things. Possible answers for connotation include bubbled, because it suggests a happy feeling of activity; puny, because it shows that Alf does not match Meg in Catherine’s regard; and desolate, because it shows great sadness and aloneness.Literary Element: Diction

Choices that show the personal pain of arranged marriages, perhaps especially for young women, include “smelly, broken-toothed old man who drinks too much”; word such as bind, ropes, and force; the simile “sold like a cheese for your profit”; and “the pig.”

Reading Strategy: Identify Cause-and-Effect RelationshipsCatherine comes to realize that she cannot be someone other than the person she is, she cannot survive on her own, and her family is part of her and she is part of it. She accepts that she will marry Shaggy Bird, although she will still be who she is.

Reading Strategy: Identify Cause-and-Effect RelationshipsShaggy Beard has died.

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: Why Do You Read?Answers will vary. Students’ key words may include fair, spending, pork and pastries, tumblers, magicians, puppets, giants, minstrel, dancing bear, bearbaiting, and wagering.

AFTER YOU READ


Catherine persuades her father to let Meg and Alf 1. have Perkin’s granny’s cottage. Catherine knows that her father expects her to repay him by considering marriage to Shaggy Beard and will be angry when she refuses.Though Catherine consents to an arranged marriage 2. with his son, she is happy because the son appeals to her more. She has also come to accept her place in the world.Catherine becomes more accepting of her 3. circumstances, finding peace within herself rather than fighting against everything around her. At first, she is belligerent and unyielding; now she is more compassionate.Catherine is beginning to recognize others’ suffering 4. and is starting to show compassion. She becomes less selfish and more willing to help others.Students may say that growing up now involves 5. many of the same things that growing up then involved: finding one’s relationship to one’s family and society while still maintaining one’s self.

Apply Background

Students may say that knowing how strange some of the medieval medicine was makes them appreciate more the skill of Catherine in applying remedies.

Literary Element: DictionDoomed carries the strongest connotations and suggests a fate that is like death or eternal imprisonment. It carries associations with darkness, gloom, and the end of the world.

Literary Element: DictionShe can express herself well in other ways. She feels less anger and more acceptance.

Reading Strategy: Identify Cause-and-Effect RelationshipsStudents may suggest that at the beginning, Catherine is more childish and lacks understanding; they may also say that no man appeals to her. At the end, Catherine is



ANSWER KEY

more mature, has come to understand her place in the world, and is attracted to her husband-to-be, Stephen.

Vocabulary Practice

force1. desolate2. harrowing3. remains4. ignorant5.

Academic Vocabulary

Answers will vary but most accurately cite a technique.

Write With Style

Apply Diction

Students’ diary entries shoulddescribe a place in the students’ world• include precise words chosen for their denotation• include words chosen for their connotations• use spatial order•


Interview

Students’ interviews shouldpresent clear, accurate information about Catherine’s • worldvary the tone as questions and answers vary• use body language appropriately• include frequent eye contact• be paced effectively• be accompanied by a written summary and evaluation•



Author’s Note to Catherine, Called Birdy

Like many teenagers today, Catherine faces conflicts with her parents over making personal decisions for her life. She struggles to establish a personal identity and value system that reflects her own opinions and feelings.

Caged Bird

Like the free bird, Catherine has adventures and thinks of future possibilities. Like the caged bird, Catherine yearns for freedom from her oppressive father and society.

Newbery Medal Acceptance (for The Midwife’s Apprentice)

Catherine sometimes uses her diary to vent her emotions, creating songs that reflect her feelings, express hope, or protest what she does not like. In her murals, she depicts her subjects the way she would like them to be.

The Knight of the Honest Heart

Celia is bored with her life and wants excitement. Crispin wants to meet a princess. Like Catherine, they imagine something better for themselves and go to great lengths to achieve it, but ultimately they accept themselves as they are.

Becky and the Wheels-and-Brake Boys

Like Catherine, Becky wants to break out of the traditional role of a young woman in her society. She pursues her dream, planning a strategy for achieving what she wants.

28


ANSWER KEY


Conflict: Like Catherine, Laurie is in conflict mainly with his outside world: he is in conflict with his teacher, with other students, and with his parents. Like Catherine, Laurie is also in conflict with himself, as shown most clearly through his two identities and two worlds.

Text Structure: Both works use mainly chronological order, but Catherine, Called Birdy takes the form of diary entries and “Charles” does not.

Diction: Students may say it does, citing examples such as slamming, raucous, and insolently.

Write About It

Main comparisons might include both characters being at odds with society, both characters acting out inappropriately, and both characters using inappropriate language. Contrasts might include the different settings in which the characters act out their conflicts; Catherine’s having a more serious or valid reason for being in conflict; and the attitudes of both sets of parents.


Persuasive Essay

Students’ persuasive essays shouldstate a clear thesis or opinion statement• present each reason that supports the thesis in • separate body paragraphfully explain and support each reason• conclude with a strong statement•



30

DandelionWineRay Bradbury

NC_GC_TE_DandelionWine.indd 30NC_GC_TE_DandelionWine.indd 30 1/22/08 9:00:26 PM1/22/08 9:00:26 PM

ABOUT THE WORKABOUT THE WORK

First published in 1957, Dandelion Wine is

the novel that clearly established Bradbury

as a versatile novelist, as opposed to a

writer only of science fiction. Bradbury’s

work prior to this book had dealt with odd

occurrences, weird creatures, and events of

the future. One of the characters in an

earlier book, for example, was a skeleton

that took over a body. Dandelion Wine,

however, is clearly set in a recognizable

United States, one that Bradbury

remembers from his own youth. In an

introduction that he wrote in 1974, the

author says that the book is “a gathering of

dandelions” from his youth, a collection of

images that he had stored away and later

recalled, rearranged, and embellished.

Most critics of the time loved the book and

the nostalgic picture of summer that it

depicted. Set in 1928, the book deals with a

young boy’s dawning awareness that he is

gloriously alive. As he recognizes this,

however, he also becomes aware of death

and loss. Although the episodes in the

book range from the zany to the seemingly

ordinary, they all are poignant. Perhaps

this is because the narrator understands

that he is capturing fleeting moments.

Bradbury has won numerous awards for

his works, but no major literary awards for

this particular book. However, Dandelion Wine did gain a certain immortality when

an astronaut honored it by naming a crater

on the moon “Dandelion Crater.”

SynopsisDandelion Wine is a novel that uses the

technique of a frame story. The frame of

the novel is the summer of 1928. Within

that frame are numerous episodes, all

joined because they have some connection

to the main character, Douglas.

It is 1928 in Green Town, Illinois, when

Douglas Spaulding climbs to the cupola of

his grandparents’ house and awakens his

family. The summer has begun, and a series

of events unfolds: Douglas and his brother

Tom pick grapes with their father and make

dandelion wine with their grandfather;

Douglas convinces a shopkeeper to give him

new sneakers in exchange for work; Leo

Auffmann, a happily married husband and

father, almost loses his family when he tries

to create a Happiness Machine; the boys

meet Colonel Freeleigh, whom Charlie

Woodman calls a Time Machine because

Colonel Freeleigh remembers and recounts

all the decades of his life in minute detail;

the boys climb aboard the local trolley for its

last run; Clara Goodwater and Elmira Brown

get into a spat about spells; young Bill

Forrester falls in love with ninety-five-year-

old Helen Loomis; Lavinia Nebbs has a

run-in with the murderous Lonely One;

Great-grandma dies a natural death; Douglas

rescues a mechanical witch; Douglas almost

dies from the heated piling up of events and

insights over the course of the summer; and

Grandma almost forgets how to cook. Then

summer ends, leaving behind the bottles of

dandelion wine to remind the boy of each

and every day.

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

Dandelion Wine 31



Imagine That!Encourage students to speculate about

life in 1928.

Tell students that • Dandelion Wine takes

place during the summer of 1928.

Share with the class books about the •

1920s. Then have students discuss what

they think life might have been like at

that time. Encourage them to be specific

about what people did for fun, how they

traveled, and what their concerns might

have been.

As they read, encourage students to look •

for ways in which summers in the 1920s

were similar to and different from

summers now.

SnapshotsPrepare students for the individual

stories within a story.

Point out that • Dandelion Wine is like a

photograph album in some ways. It

shows a series of events from one

particular period.

Ask students to imagine that they are •

making a photo album about their own

lives. What snapshots would they want

to include in it?

Encourage students to discuss the types •

of pictures they would want to include.

For example, they might mention

pictures of their rooms, favorite pets, or

events that were significant for them.

Local CharactersIntroduce students to a variety of

character types that Bradbury includes.

Tell students that Bradbury includes a •

variety of characters in this book. They

range from young to old, from

conventional to a little odd.

Ask students to make a list of the •

various character types that they might

include in a story about their summers.

Encourage students to be both playful

and thoughtful.

Martians and CityscapesInvite students to compare this book to

Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles.

Although the setting of • The Martian Chronicles is Mars, in some ways the

book is similar to Dandelion Wine. The

books, for example, contain similar

themes. In addition, both novels are

frame stories, a technique Bradbury

frequently employs in his writing.

Encourage students to read • The Martian Chronicles and to explain either orally or

in writing how the books are similar.

Ask students to consider the similarities

of style and subject matter in art and in

writing. (Interdisciplinary: Art)

Artist Norman Rockwell created many •

images of town and city life in the

United States. Like Bradbury, many of

his scenes combine elements of realism

with an idealized vision of everyday life.

Have students do research to find •

pictures of Rockwell’s scenes of life in

the United States. Have them compare

and contrast his artistic style with

Bradbury’s writing style. For example,

students should note how realistic each

Rockwell painting is and whether the

overall mood is light or dark. Invite

students to select one work by Rockwell

that could serve as an illustration for

Dandelion Wine.

32



RELATED READINGS MAKING CONNECTIONS TO Dandelion Wine

Just This Side of

Byzantium

by Ray Bradbury(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 24)

This reading explains the method that Bradbury uses to write, and it explores the connection between his life and his work.

You may wish to use this as a prereading activity. Have students predict details they • may find in the novel.After students read • Dandelion Wine, have them explore reasons a writer might rearrange facts (for example, details of John Huff’s leaving).Ask students what elements of their own communities have affected their lives • the most. Have them speculate as to whether these elements affect others in the same way.

Mango Juice

by Pat MoraandKnoxville, Tennessee

by Nikki Giovanni(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 26)

Like the novel, these poems recall sensory details of summertime.

These poems would work well as either prereading or postreading activities.• After students read the poems, have them discuss the reasons summertime so • often is associated with specific childhood memories. How does summer differ from the rest of the year?

Homesickness

by Brent Ashabranner(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 26)

This article shows that people do not forget the places of their youth.

This article would work well as a postreading activity. Before students read the • article, ask how many have ever felt homesick. Allow students to give examples, if they wish.Discuss why people in new surroundings may be frightened by strange noises or • unfamiliar clothes.

Dandelions: Survivors

in a Challenging World

from Hands-On Nature

edited by Jenepher Lingelback(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 27)

This article looks at dandelions scientifically rather than metaphorically.

Before students read the article, ask them what words and images they associate • with dandelions. You may wish to create a word web of terms on the board.This reading could be the basis for a discussion that contrasts how scientists and • artists differ in their approach to subjects. After reading this article, have students suggest how an artist might describe dandelions.

Searching for Summer

by Joan Aiken(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 28)

Like the main character in Dandelion Wine, these characters also remember one special summer.

Before students read the story, have them predict what life might be like in the • future.After students read, have them discuss what makes the summer in this story so • memorable and how this summer is different from Douglas Spaulding’s summer.Both the novel and story are set in places that have changing seasons. Have • students speculate whether people who live in climates that are usually warm would feel the same way toward summer and sunshine.

Dandelion Wine 33


ANSWER KEY


CHAPTERS 1–16

BEFORE YOU READ

Write the Caption

The lowly dandelion has many uses—from medicine to tea to wine.

ACTIVE READING

Answers will vary. Sample answers: Wine: put away until January; word; Sneakers: soft, springy when new, dead when old; feel as if you could run faster and jump higher; Ravine: dark smelly, wide, jungle; meant death and danger, loneliness; Lawnmower: clatter of metal, spray of grass; fountain of youth, sign of summer; Machine: sights, sounds, smells, unchanging; makes wife unhappy, misses true happiness; Photo: shows seven-year-old girl in yellow dress; proof of Mrs. Bentley’s youth; just a picture to kids.

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: Figurative LanguageBradbury is comparing dandelion wine to summertime. Students may say that he uses metaphor in order to highlight the importance Douglas and his family place on the making of the wine, which has many uses including as a cold and flu medicine.

Literary Element: Figurative Language

Continents are large and butterflies flutter. The simile creates a comparison between blossoms and a huge collection of fluttering butterflies. An appropriate paraphrase might be: “blossoms like waving handkerchiefs by a crowd of people.”

Reading Strategy: Interpret ImageryBradbury uses images of light and darkness as a way to convey life (light) and death (dark). He mentions all forms of light—car lights, faint squares of light in a few windows—and surrounds it with darkness. The image of this shadowy world helps readers experience the dangers of the ravine at night.

Reading Strategy: Interpret ImageryThe imagery appeals to readers’ senses of sight and smell. The place is a “pit of . . . blackness,” with shadows and the “odor of decay.” The path it cuts across town is twisted. The overall impression is that of a dark and dangerous place.

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: What Makes Life Good?By having Mr. Sanderson try on the shoes, Douglas is able to take him back to the carefree comfort of what it’s like to be a child.

Apply Background

Students may say that the information showed them that the dandelion is a medicinal herb, which helped them understand the importance the Spauldings place on making dandelion wine.

AFTER YOU READ


Evil is in the world, and people must face it 1. essentially alone.She doesn’t like it, because it makes her wistful for 2. what she doesn’t have and because it never changes. He realizes that he already has happiness in his family.She is trying to capture and control time. She gives 3. them away or burns them. After she gets rid of them, she feels freer.Students should give reasons for their comparisons. 4. For example, they may say that Grandpa reminds them of a grandparent, because he likes things the old way.Answers will vary, but examples include waking up 5. on the first day of summer, sitting on the porch at night, getting new sneakers, and beating the rugs.

34


ANSWER KEY

Literary Element: Figurative Language

Some students may say they visualize a monster or 1. an alien. He compares it to New Year’s Day. Images include: 2. horns and yelling, a symphony of lawn mowers, confetti, and people throwing grass at one another.

Reading Strategy: Interpret ImageryThe simile refers to the tinny music that comes from 1. an ice cream truck; the imagery appeals to the sense of hearing.Sensory details include: hummings, low and high, 2. steady and then changing; a giant’s kitchen, a face like a huge peach-colored moon; golden bees as big as teacups; shivering quietly like a huge dog dreaming in its sleep.

Vocabulary Practice

A1. B2. B3. A 4. B5.

Academic Vocabulary

Affect in this context means “a visible manifestation of emotion.”

Write with Style

Apply Figurative Language

Students’ paragraphs should:• be well written and logically organized.• include at least one metaphor and two similes.• provide details that describe an aspect of summer.


Social Studies

Group members should work together, using good collaboration and communication techniques to select which events to include in their time line. They should reference their ideas and opinions using their notes and charts.

CHAPTERS 17–29

BEFORE YOU READ

Write the Caption

The coming of cars and airplanes in the 1920s signaled a gradual end for the trolley.

ACTIVE READING

Answers will vary. Sample answers:Row 1: Word choice and imagery appeals to sense of hearing.Row 2: Author uses rhythm and punctuation to build a sense of excitement and impending disaster. Row 3: Word choices and imagery appeal to sense of hearing.Row 4: Word choices and imagery appeal to sense of sight.Row 5: Word choices and imagery appeal to sense of hearing, sight, and touch.

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: Sound Devices

The parallelism is the repetition of the name of a person and his or her machine. The repetition creates an expectation about the next kind of machine that will appear in the story.

Literary Element: Sound Devices

The author is using repetition to make readers hear the danger of this moment. The verb that follows Mr. Quartermain’s exclamation is cried, not screamed. The change in vowel sounds gives the exchange a more definite ending.

Reading Skill: Analyze StyleWilliam speaks only in short, declarative sentences, using fairly simple language. Helen speaks in complicated sentence patterns filled of metaphors. William is a listener and Helen is a talker. There is a great deal of love and respect between them.

Reading Skill: Analyze StyleThe sentences vary between longer, more descriptive forms and short sentences that get right to the point. Students may say that Bradbury more often uses longer sentences throughout the novel.

Dandelion Wine 35


ANSWER KEY

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: What Makes Life Good?Colonel Freeleigh’s ability to remember the sights and sounds of a long ago time and place in his life is more important to him than being careful about his health.

AFTER YOU READ


He means that Mr. Quartermain is not dead. They will 1. never drive the machine again.He admires him. Douglas is angry and says he hates 2. John. He is hurt that his friend left.She is referring to the fact that she met Mr. Forrester 3. when he was too young and she was too old. Some students will agree it is terrible, others will think the timing was nice, because it gave them both pleasure.Students may focus on the sadness of the many 4. deaths, or the heartwarming aspects of the good relationships. Some may find the multiple stories confusing. Students may say that memories allow people to 5. relive pleasant or dramatic times, learn from the mistakes of the past, and share with friends and loved ones. All of these are aspects of what makes life good.

Apply Author Information

Students may mention that it helped them to know that Bradbury wrote science fiction for publications such as Weird Tales, as there are strong elements of science fiction in this novel.

Literary Element: Sound DevicesThe phrase 1. soft sigh is an example of alliteration. The s sounds at the beginning of both words create a sound like a soft sigh. Answers will vary. Sample answer: “Tom was sitting 2. on the cannon calling to his brother Douglas, “Boom, boom, boom!”

Reading Strategy: Analyze Style

Douglas is angry and upset about the loss of his 1. friend. As he comes to understand he is losing the battle to keep his friend in Green Town, and he hears the slamming of the screen doors as enemy fire.blazing cotton—sight, touch; tongue/dust mop—2. taste; ears belling and ringing—hearing

Vocabulary Practice

concoction1. infinitesimal2. dessication3. ricochet4. calamities5.

Academic Vocabulary

definition: to treat or represent as equal or comparablesynonym: liken, associateantonyms: contrast sentence: You cannot equate laughter with happiness because there are many different kinds of laughter.

Write with Style

Apply Sound Devices

Students’ paragraphs shouldinclude examples of repetition, alliteration, and • onomatopoeia be organized in a logical progression• use vivid description and interesting word choices •


Performance

Students’ presentations should focus on a single scene or event from the novel• begin with an effective stage picture• include an attempt to create distinct characters, using • voice and body languageinclude physical staging elements•

36


ANSWER KEY

CHAPTERS 30–40

BEFORE YOU READ

Write the Caption

Today, as in the early part of the twentieth century, people enjoy the amusements offered by arcades.

ACTIVE READING

Answers will vary. Sample answers:Row 1: I went into an abandoned building to play with friends.Row 2: My aunt died last year. I didn’t know her well, but I couldn’t stop crying. Row 3: Yes, I think everyone has questions about what it’s like to die and most people are at least a little afraid.Row 4: I got a great fortune cookie that I decided was true because it said what I wanted it to say.Row 5: I had viral pneumonia when I was eight, and I was very sick for three weeks.Row 6: It feels as if everything in life is good and nothing can go wrong again. Row 7: Family dinners at my house are huge and everyone cracks jokes and talks with their mouth full.

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: SettingThe community cares about and watches out for one another. Helen and Lavinia have known each other long enough and well enough that Helen knows Lavinia will leave to cross the ravine.

Literary Element: Setting

The ravine emphasizes the themes of life and death and time passing. Students may say that the theme of life and death is represented by the knowledge of what has happened in the ravine and by Lavinia’s terror as she makes her way through it. The theme of time is referenced by Lavinia’s counting the number of steps, yards, minutes, and seconds she must live through before she gets safely to her front door.

Reading Strategy: Connect to Personal ExperienceMost students will agree that to some extent people keep their loved ones alive in memory.

Reading Strategy: Connect to Personal ExperienceGreat-grandma sees her death as a normal part of life. She does not struggle or become upset. Answers should include examples of students’ experiences with people whose outlook on life and death is similar or very different.

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: What Makes Life Good?Douglas’s recent illness makes him appreciate tiny things in a way he did not before, such as words like relish and the whole world of experience the word brings with it.

Dandelion Wine 37


ANSWER KEY

AFTER YOU READ


Mr. Jonas thinks that Douglas is overwhelmed by the 1. summer’s events. The boy’s recovery shows that Mr. Jonas may have been correct.Aunt Rose thinks Grandma’s kitchen methods are old-2. fashioned. By changing the kitchen and Grandma’s methods, she ruins Grandma’s cooking. The narrator probably thinks that cooks work best by instinct.There were ninety-odd bottles, one for every day of 3. summer. Tom thinks it is a way of saving summer forever; Grandfather thinks you can relive the events only for a moment or so.Some students may side with Tom and point out that 4. the narrator claims to have remembered everything. Others may think that no one remembers everything, so the older man is correct.They are sad because the excitement and mystique 5. of the Lonely One will now be gone. Students may say that all the people of Green Town bonded over the idea of the Lonely One in one way or another; in that way they shared with each other as a community.

Apply Background

Answers will vary but students may mention the similarities between the author and the central character of Douglas Spaulding including the fact that Bradbury claims to be curious, energetic, and always full of ideas.

Literary Element: SettingAnswers will vary. Students may say that the 1. episodic structure works well because the setting and characters are viewed from a number of different perspectives. It is counted out in bottles of dandelion wine. 2.

Reading Strategy: Connect to Personal ExperienceStudents may mention kidnappings, mysterious 1. disappearances, or any ongoing situation that throws a community into fear and panic. Students may say that people behave in similar 2. ways. Alternatively they may mention instances in which communities take action in such situations—for example, neighborhood watch groups and community policing.

Vocabulary Practice

commotion1. overwrought2. apparition3. equilibrium4. exhalation5.

Academic Vocabulary

Students’ examples will vary but should provide an example of a family or community tradition that reflects their understanding of the word.

Writing

Personal Response

Answers will vary. Students should support their opinions with examples from the novel.

Research and Report

Literary Criticism

Students’ reports should use multiple sources• show clear pattern of organization• include a list of sources• use proper spelling, grammar, and mechanics.•

38


ANSWER KEY



Just This Side of Byzantium

Students may mention that Bradbury makes stories out of details, changes facts to suit his purpose, and makes up details that seem suitable.

Mango Juice/Knoxville, Tennessee

The poets captured only highlights, whereas Douglas Spaulding tries to recall everything.

Homesickness

He recalls specific details, such as the people, places, and sounds. Ya Thong cannot return, while Spaulding could.

Dandelions: Survivors in a Challenging World

The color of the flowers; their beauty; the fact that they grow in summer. The scientific details are not what gives the metaphor its power. Also, he may not have cared about the science.

Searching for Summer

Both writers see sunshine as a gift, as a positive force. Both writers describe sunny moments as joyful, memorable ones.


Figurative Language: Bradbury uses many metaphors and similes to describe the ravine as a vast expanse of ocean and a kind of monster—a living, breathing, thing. By contrast, Dillard tells her story in a simpler, more straightforward style, relying on the situation and the excitement of the chase to draw readers in.Sound Devices: Annie Dillard uses far fewer sound devices than Bradbury. They both use distinctive language and strong storytelling.Setting: For both characters the setting is familiar—it is their home. They know the landscape and the buildings. The stories play out during different seasons, but each reveals the central character’s love of place.

Dandelion Wine 39


40

DragonwingsLawrence Yep

NC_GC_TE_Dragonwings.indd 40NC_GC_TE_Dragonwings.indd 40 1/22/08 8:03:20 PM1/22/08 8:03:20 PM

ABOUT THE WORKABOUT THE WORK

Dragonwings is about the experiences of

Moon Shadow, a Chinese boy in San

Francisco in the early 1900s. In this 1975

novel, Laurence Yep describes the cultural

collision that occurs after Moon Shadow

leaves his homeland to join his father in the

United States. Dragonwings is a Newbery

Honor book and has won numerous other

awards. Please note that in their reading,

students will encounter issues of violence,

prejudice, and drug abuse.

SynopsisIn 1903 eight-year-old Moon Shadow

leaves his mother and his home in China

to join his father, whom he has never

before seen. The only thing that Moon

Shadow knows about his father is that he

was a kite maker before moving to the

United States.

Upon arriving in San Francisco, Moon

Shadow meets his father and “the

Company,” a group of Chinese men who

are working to support their relatives in

China. The Company, headed by Uncle

Bright Star, own and operate a laundry

and live and work together.

Moon Shadow learns that his father, Mr.

Lee, is often referred to as Windrider. Lee

recounts a dream involving a dragon called

the Dragon King, who tells Lee that in a

former life Lee had been a dragon known

as Windrider and that if Lee passes certain

tests, he would be allowed to return to the

world of dragons in his next life. This

dream explains Lee’s passion for kites and

fuels his desire to build a flying machine.

Moon Shadow and his father deliver

laundry for the Company. One day, Uncle

Bright Star’s son, Black Dog, disappears,

and Lee rescues him from an opium den.

Later, Black Dog beats and robs Moon

Shadow. Lee finds Black Dog; in the ensuing

fight, Black Dog’s accomplice is killed.

Moon Shadow and his father leave the

Company and go to work for Miss

Whitlaw, who, with her niece Robin, runs

a boarding house. Although the father

and son are wary of the customs of their

new employers, soon they all become

friends. In time, Moon Shadow reveals

to Miss Whitlaw his father’s dream of

learning to fly. She helps the boy write

a letter to the Wright brothers asking

for advice.

In the San Francisco earthquake of 1906,

the Whitlaws lose their house in a fire.

After helping the Whitlaws relocate, Lee

refuses an invitation to rejoin the

Company. He and his son move into an

old barn and support themselves with odd

jobs. The joy of building an airplane is

what gets them through the tough times.

When Black Dog robs them again and they

face eviction, Miss Whitlaw and the

Company come to their aid.

With help from family and friends,

Moon Shadow and Lee finally take their

plane for a test flight. The plane crashes,

but Lee believes he has passed the Dragon

King’s test. He rejoins the Company and

brings Moon Shadow’s mother to the

United States.

Dragonwings by Laurence Yep

Dragonwings 41


Dragons as SymbolsExamine the different ways in which

dragons are characterized in Eastern and

Western cultures.

Tell students that dragon figures •

emerged in many cultures throughout

the world before there was any

knowledge of prehistoric dinosaurs.

Have students draw a picture of a •

dragon and then discuss their drawings

with the class. Ask students to make a

list of dragon characteristics. Write the

list on the board.

Explain that the word • dragon comes

from the Greek word drakon, for any

large serpent. Jewish and Christian

traditions, in which the snake is

associated with evil, have created a

negative perception of dragons in Western

cultures.

In Eastern cultures, the dragon has a far •

different significance. The majestic

dragon lung, living in rivers, lakes, and

air, was originally a rain god and thus a

source of fertility and plenty. Scholars

from ancient China defined four types of

dragons: T’ien Lung, which guarded the

home of the gods; Fu Tsang Lung, which

represented hidden treasure and thus

good fortune; Ti Lung, the Earth Dragon,

which ruled the waterways and earth;

and Shen Lung, which controlled the

wind and rain. Eventually, the latter two

were thought of as dragon kings, gods

who lived in the oceans and protected

seafarers. Emperors used dragon images

as symbols of generosity and power.

Ask students to review their list of •

dragon characteristics. Have students

collect a variety of dragon images as

they read Dragonwings.

The Roots of PrejudiceHelp students recognize prejudice in the

novel.

Explain the definition of the word •

prejudice through its etymology, noting

that the prefix pre means “before” and

that judice comes from the Latin word

meaning “judgment.” Prejudice is

prejudgment—making a decision before

facts are known.

Ask students to name different types of •

prejudice. Then conduct a class discussion

to consider the following questions:

Where does prejudice come from? –

How does prejudice affect its targets? –

How does prejudice affect those who –

display it?

How can a person overcome prejudice? –

Ask students to consider these questions •

as they look for evidence of prejudice in

Dragonwings.

Shaky GroundThe characters in Dragonwings are not

prepared for the earthquake that occurs

in 1906. Discuss with students what they

might do to prepare for an earthquake

today.

Have students brainstorm and make a •

list of items that they would include in

an earthquake survival kit. Remind

students that medical aid, transporta-

tion, water, electricity, and communi-

cation may not be available for many

days following an earthquake.

Have students compare their lists with •

any found on the Internet.


42



RELATED READINGS MAKING CONNECTIONS TO Dragonwings

Writing Dragonwingsby Laurence Yep(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 25)

Laurence Yep discusses his motivation and inspiration for Dragonwings. Ask students what questions they might have for Laurence Yep after reading • Dragonwings. List their questions on the board. After students have read this selection, you may want to discuss any questions not • addressed by the reading.

from Chinese Kitesby Wang Hongxun(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 26)

This selection provides students with an overview of the history and construction of Chinese kites.

Before students read, ask them to list what they already know, or think they know, • about kites. After students read, have them add facts to their lists.•

Some Personal

Recollections

by Gerstle Mack(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 27)

This reading examines the devastation caused by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

Have students imagine that a natural disaster has occurred in your community. • Homes are without water, electricity, and natural gas. What would students do? How would they feel?Have students brainstorm ideas for bringing relief to those who suffered from the • disaster.

Success at Kill

Devil Hills

by Becky Welch(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 28)

The Wright brothers were the first to fly an airplane successfully. Their achievement inspired others to try to build airplanes of their own.

Ask students to list some of the difficulties that inventors have to face. If students • have a hard time starting a list, help them by suggesting that a lack of funding can slow down an inventor’s work.Have students discuss the satisfaction that someone might feel when an invention • is successful and the disappointment the inventor would feel when something does not work as planned.Discuss with students different ways of offering proof that an invention is • successful.

from The Case of the Goblin Pearlsby Laurence Yep(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 29)

This story, by the author of Dragonwings, examines the life of a Chinese American family.

Discuss with students how appearances can be deceiving. Have students offer • examples of actors who are different from the characters they play on television or in movies.Ask students why it is wrong to judge someone based on the way he or she looks or • acts.Have students share with the class personal experiences in which they, or • someone they know, have been treated like outsiders.Have students discuss the meaning of the saying “A stranger in a strange land.”•

Dragonwings 43



CHAPTERS 1–4

BEFORE YOU READ

Summarize

Despite anti–Chinese laws, Chinatown in San Francisco has been home to Chinese immigrants since the time of the 1849 Gold Rush, and though destroyed during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fires, it has been rebuilt to become a popular tourist attraction.

ACTIVE READING

Uncle Bright Star: a strong, special man; “They don’t make men like Uncle Bright Star anymore”; narrator’s words, direct characterizationWhite Deer: kind and helpful; cooks the meal, gives Moon Shadow clothes; character’s actions, indirect characterizationLefty: misses home; a poem hangs over his ironing board that shows longing for home; character’s actions, indirect characterizationBlack Dog: drug addict; “Black Dog had taken to opium”; narrator’s words; direct characterization

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: Characterization He loves machines. He is aware of the latest technology. He says he doesn’t know much about being a father but he acts with kindness. He believes in the Dragon King and a special destiny for himself. Indirect characterization is achieved through Windrider’s words and actions.

Literary Element: Characterization Moon Shadow looks to his father for all answers. Still, as Moon Shadow’s words reveal, through indirect characterization, he asks questions and can show he disagrees.

Reading Strategy: Analyze Cultural ContextThere is Chinese writing. The name of the company, even in English, sounds foreign and unusual. There are poems, written in Chinese, hanging on the walls on strips of bright red paper.

Reading Strategy: Analyze Cultural ContextPoetry and religious or inspirational sayings decorate a laundry; people play Mah-Jongg; there is a reference to Buddhism and vegetarianism; the foods are prepared with soy sauce and include some unusual things such as shark’s fin soup.

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: What Influences You?Moon Shadow believes what his father tells him. His father, not Uncle Bright Star, influences him.

AFTER YOU READ


The U.S. government will not allow non-property 1. holders to bring their families, and Moon Shadow’s father does not yet own enough property to qualify.Black Dog steals money from the owners of an 2. opium den. He is a drug addict.The italics emphasize how strange English sounds 3. to Moon Shadow. They also suggest a difference between internal thought and external behavior when the Chinese characters are dealing with people who are not Chinese.White people had lynched Moon Shadow’s 4. grandfather shortly after the grandfather arrived in the United States. Moon Shadow thinks all Americans are like the ones that killed his grandfather. Based upon his early impressions of white people, there is no reason to believe that Moon Shadow won’t stop thinking of them as demons.Perhaps the two greatest influences on Moon 5. Shadow are his loving and intelligent father, from whom Moon Shadow learns about the world beyond Chinatown, and his Chinese family and heritage, which determine where he lives and with whom he lives.

Apply Background

Students may say that knowing that Yep’s father was a kite maker and a model for Windrider made them appreciate the realism of the kite-making details.

ANSWER KEY

44


Literary Element: CharacterizationMoon Shadow is a child who is curious about the 1. world and trusts in his father. He sees most things from the point of view of his Chinese heritage. He is the narrator of the story and tells about himself. His words and actions also characterize him.Other characters, including Moon Shadow, say 2. things and think things that help reveal Windrider.

Reading Skill: Analyze Cultural ContextMoon Shadow is a Chinese immigrant, a member of 1. an unwelcome ethnic group. He is the object of discrimination. He has trouble with English. He has different values and beliefs.Windrider believes he will became a dragon, a great 2. and important power in Chinese culture. At the same time, Windrider has dreams of flying. He will become a kind of dragon with wings—that is, a very special, very powerful creature who can fly.

Vocabulary Practice

none1. heirlooms2. insolent3. none4. amiably5. intuitive6. dynasty7.

Academic Vocabulary

Here, invest means to put money into something in order to make more money from it.

Writing

Write a Letter

Students should use Moon Shadow’s voice and details from the novel to explain to a relative what the United States is actually like.


Oral Report

Students’ oral reports shouldinclude a visual that shows the members of the • pecking order and how decision making filters downbe presented with effective verbal and nonverbal • techniquesbe accompanied by a paragraph that assesses both • the visual and the oral report

CHAPTERS 5–8

BEFORE YOU READ

Summarize

The highly addictive drug opium became a problem in China and caused wars between China and Great Britain.

ACTIVE READING

Students’ sketches should show a kitchen with a stove, icebox, and table, as well as three characters—Miss Whitlaw, Windrider, and Moon Shadow. Sketches might also show the doorway to the kitchen, as well as miscellaneous details such as the checkered tablecloth, the copper teakettle, and the plate of cookies.

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: Allusion The Listener hears prayers. The Listener is also a good person who does not allow for her own salvation before the salvation of her brothers and sisters. Miss Whitlaw is not a huge monster with blue skin and warts but more like a kindly goddess.

Literary Element: Allusion St. George killed dragons. In Chinese culture, a dragon is a great being, and someone who killed one—if it were even possible—would be a terrible person and not a saint.

Reading Strategy: VisualizeIt is possible to see the alley; the trash and trash barrels; the boy’s clothes, hair, and freckles; the narrator hitting his head on the ground; the trash spilling out of the pails; the boy looking down at Moon Shadow; others looking down from the back landing; and the tomato, other garbage, and stones flying at and hitting Moon Shadow.

Reading Strategy: VisualizeIt is possible to visualize the glider leaping out of Moon Shadow’s hands and hovering; Robin running parallel to the surf with her pigtails flying; the winds catching the glider and lifting it high until it is soaring; Robin still on the beach, giving the glider more string; the glider dipping and rising; Father’s rolled-up pants as he high-steps through the surf; Father stumbling and falling in the surf.

ANSWER KEY

Dragonwings 45


ANSWER KEY

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: What Influences You?Moon Shadow’s culture has taught him to revere rather than to fear dragons, so he naturally takes that perspective in this encounter with those who don’t share that view.

AFTER YOU READ


Moon Shadow’s father seeks to punish Black Dog for 1. beating and robbing the boy. When Mr. Lee finds Black Dog, Mr. Lee kills an accomplice of Black Dog’s who is about to shoot Moon Shadow. The father and son leave because they fear that others in Black Dog’s gang will seek revenge for their loss.The growing closeness between Moon Shadow and 2. Miss Whitlaw allows him to feel safe in sharing Windrider’s dream. The Whitlaws take an interest in gliders and help fly them, and Miss Whitlaw helps Moon Shadow write a letter to Wilbur and Orville Wright. Yep humanizes the “demons” by instilling them with 3. admirable qualities such as kindness (the cookies); courtesy and respect (manners and speech); openness (willingness to learn); helpfulness (Robin’s suggestion on how to handle bullies and Miss Whitlaw’s help with the letter). Moon Shadow sees few of these virtues in other white people in the book.Students will probably agree that the friendship is 4. true to life, because it occurs gradually, in stages, just as real-life friendships do. Students may suggest that Moon Shadow follows 5. his father’s role modeling: only shortly before, Windrider stood up to Black Dog. Students may also say more generally that Moon Shadow is being raised to do what a “superior man” would do, and a superior man would, perhaps, not let himself be bullied.

Apply Background

Students may say that the information helps explain why Uncle Bright Star refers to the British when talking about addiction.

Literary Element: AllusionMoon Shadow’s father wants to be a superior man. 1. The concept of a superior man is part of his culture and belief system. He has held onto the idea of a superior man from the teachings of his past in China.

Allusions to Buddhism help show religious beliefs. 2. Allusions to various Chinese Buddhist gods, such as the Stove God, help show beliefs, ways of life, and traditions, as well as why people of such different cultures might have trouble understanding each other.

Reading Strategy: VisualizeIt is possible to visualize the two characters talking; 1. then Black Dog grabbing Moon Shadow’s arm (with, perhaps, a look of aggression or menace on his face and a look of fear on Moon Shadow’s, as well as accompanying body language that shows these emotions). Other details that can be visualized are Moon Shadow’s kicking, running, flying hat, and falling; and Black Dog’s twisting Moon Shadow’s arm, grabbing his queue, tearing his money bag, and kicking him with his heavy boots.It is possible to visualize the backyard, with the 2. shadows of the house and stable, as well as features of the night sky that include the Milky Way (or the Silver River), as well as constellations such as Aquila, the Lyre, and the Twins (or the Cowherd and the Spinning Maid).

Vocabulary Practice

opposite1. opposite2. same3. same4. opposite5.

Academic Vocabulary

They are kind and welcoming. They see past differences in appearance and culture.

Writing

Personal Response

Students’ responses should make reasonable predictions based on actual novel details.


Speech

Students’ speeches shouldaddress a specific audience• provide specific bits of advice• use ethical, emotional, or logical appeals• use verbal and nonverbal techniques effectively• be accompanied by an evaluative paragraph•

46


ANSWER KEY

CHAPTERS 9–12

BEFORE YOU READ

Write the Caption

Early gliders, like the ones the Wright Brothers flew, were lightweight flying machines.

ACTIVE READING

Resolution: Windrider flies and ends his obsession with flight; he then sails for the Middle Kingdom to get Moon Shadow’s mother.Conflicts: between Uncle Bright Star and Windrider over flying (resolved); between Black Dog and Windrider (not resolved); between following the dream of flight and following a course that would bring Moon Shadow’s mother over sooner (resolved); between Chinese immigrants and the dominant culture (unresolved); between Moon Shadow and his father over pursuing the dream of flying (resolved)

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: Conflict and ResolutionMoon Shadow does not understand his father’s dream.

Literary Element: Conflict and Resolution Moon Shadow says he wants to fly, too; he takes his father’s side and ends their conflict. There is conflict, however, between Uncle Bright Star and Windrider over Windrider’s wanting to pursue his dream of flying.

Reading Skill: Analyze ThemeOne of the themes shown here and elsewhere is that discrimination such as that against early Chinese immigrants to America may be common, but is not universal.

Reading Skill: Analyze ThemeYep uses the events of the San Francisco earthquake and what followed to show discrimination, mistreatment, and a level of prejudice worse than that received by any other ethnic group.

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: What Influences You?Answers will vary. Students may express thoughts about the importance of family bonds and loyalty and how they make people who they are.

AFTER YOU READ


The Company and other Chinese people own 1. property and control a considerable amount of money. The city’s economy would suffer without their economic activity.Black Dog returns to rob and beat Moon Shadow. 2. Without money, Moon Shadow dare not dream of flight until the Company and the Whitlaws come to the rescue.This question is intended to get students thinking 3. about behavior under pressure. Most will probably hope that they would respond calmly and be able to help themselves and other people survive the disaster.Some students may be disappointed that Mr. Lee 4. would abandon his efforts after all this labor. This is Mr. Lee’s last flight. He tells Moon Shadow that his family means more to him than does flying.Many answers are possible. Uncle Bright Star is 5. influenced by his strong feelings of family and sticking together in America. He is also, perhaps, influenced by the hard life he has had and proving over and over again that he can meet every obstacle, solve every problem.

APPLY BACKGROUND

Students may say that it helped show how the flying episodes had a historical basis.

Literary Element: Conflict and ResolutionOne of the most important conflicts is Windrider’s 1. conflict over being the man the Company wants him to be, a laundry worker, and the being the man he wants to be, a dragon man and a pilot.When Windrider succeeds, his internal conflict is 2. resolved. Conflict between him and the Company, especially Uncle, is also softened or lessened or forgotten.

Reading Skill: Analyze ThemeThere are several key themes, including the 1. importance of living your dreams, the value of family, the value of open acceptance of those of different cultures (as shown by the Whitlaws), and the problems that can exist when one culture is ignorant of or suspicious of the ways of another culture.

Dragonwings 47


Students may name any other theme not mentioned 2. in the previous question.

Vocabulary Practice

throwing eggs at the old man’s house [example]1. after the hurricane hit [cause and effect; general 2. context]people were cold and hungry, ruler did not take 3. action [general context]the discussion while all the others are silent 4. [contrast/opposites]because of her wisdom and generosity [example]5.

Academic Vocabulary

Factor means “a quantity by which another quantity is multiplied.” Both meanings suggest something that contributes to a result, but one meaning is strictly mathematical while the other can apply to a broad range of variables that affect events.

Writing

Write Storyboard Text

Answers will vary but should include key events such as the move to the barn, the building of the glider, the robbery, the arrival of the Company, and the flight.


Math

Students’ computer-slide presentations shouldbe based on research in multiple sources• include slides showing and explaining technical terms• include one or more examples of earthquake graphs• correctly credit all sources• employ effective verbal and nonverbal techniques, • including pacing



Writing DragonwingsYep wrote the book for children. That helped him to look at things through the eyes of a child, with a sense of wonder and new experience.

Chinese Kites

Kites may have helped the characters to become interested in aviation, and a knowledge of kite construction would have helped the characters effectively design their own airplane.

Some Personal Recollections

Mack is able to leave San Francisco and go to Europe while things are repaired at home. Moon Shadow stays in a tent. The Chinese have to fight to regain their property and work to rebuild the company store.

Success at Kill Devil Hills

Students should conclude that achieving greatness takes hard work. Windrider and the Wright brothers faced enormous difficulties along the way.

The Case of the Goblin Pearls

Lily enjoys the company of her Auntie but does not have the same relationship with her as she does with her parents. Windrider and Moon Shadow are as much friends as father and son. Both of the children enjoy hearing their elders tell stories.


Characterization: This narrator tells thoughts, words, and actions, just as the narrator of Dragonwings sometimes does.Allusion: There are allusions to famous African American leaders from the Civil Rights movement. They are like the allusions in Dragonwings because they are allusions to a specific culture.

ANSWER KEY

48


Conflict and Resolution: The conflict in this story is over painting a wall; it arises because the narrator and the narrator’s cousin do not understand the painter’s intent. It is resolved when the wall is finished and the intent is clear. The conflict in Dragonwings is between cultures, as well as, at times, between family members. Only part of the conflict is resolved.

Write About It

Advice should be addressed to the children in “War of the Walls,” should explain why people should not jump to conclusions about others, and should support ideas with examples from Dragonwings.


Expository Essay

Students’ essays shouldopen by creating interest in • Dragonwingspresent a clear thesis near the beginning• present and support three reasons for reading • Dragonwingsuse precise evidence or explanations•

ANSWER KEY

Dragonwings 49


I Am Mordred:A Tale from Camelot

Nancy Springer

50

50-59_NC_889159.indd 5050-59_NC_889159.indd 50 1/29/08 12:56:16 PM1/29/08 12:56:16 PM

ABOUT THE WORK

Novelist Nancy Springer recognized an

untold story in the character of Mordred,

who from his birth until his entry into

Arthur’s court is absent in most versions

of the Arthurian tales. Springer first

imagined his life in a short story called

“The Raven,” later developing the story

into a novel. I Am Mordred, published in

1998, was named an ALA Best Book for

Young Adults, Voya’s Outstanding Title

of 1998, and winner of the 1999 Carolyn S.

Field Award. Springer has recently written

a companion volume, I Am Morgan le Fay: A Tale from Camelot.

Teachers should be aware that the novel

deals with sensitive issues such as incest,

rape, infanticide, and adultery. It depicts

accurately the violence to both people

and animals that marked early medieval

England. Teachers need to prepare

themselves and their students to discuss

these subjects.

SynopsisAfter being seduced into an incestuous

relationship, the young Arthur is advised

by Merlin to kill forty baby boys so that

his son of that union, fated to kill him, will

not live to do so. That son, Mordred,

survives and is fostered by a fishing

couple. His happy childhood is cut short,

however, when the sorceress Nyneve

fosters him in Lothian. There Mordred

learns what it means to be a prince in the

household of Lothe and Morgause, and

from his half-brothers, Gawain and Garet,

he learns what it means to be the cursed

son of Arthur. Mordred has only one friend

in his loneliness: Nyneve conjures a dog,

whom Mordred names Gull, to be his

companion and to be a magical link

through which Mordred and Nyneve

communicate.

At fifteen, Mordred journeys to Camelot to

offer his services to Arthur. Mordred places

all his hope in Arthur’s publicly recognizing

him as his son, but Gawain tells Mordred

that if Arthur acknowledges his incestuous

child, disasters will occur. Though he knows

he is destined to kill Arthur, Mordred has

no desire to do so. He leaves on a quest to

save his soul and Arthur’s life.

Mordred returns to his first home to seek

answers but learns that Fishermother has

long since died. He finds Morgan le Fay

and the Ladywater but still receives no

answers. In despair, Mordred finally seeks

Merlin, whom Nyneve has imprisoned.

Hearing a caged hawk play enchanting

music, he frees the hawk and then

discovers that he has freed Merlin, who

kills Nyneve. From Merlin, Mordred learns

the details of his and Arthur’s deaths and,

devastated, gives up his quest.

Mordred returns to Arthur and asks him

to take his soul so that he can fulfill his

destiny painlessly. Arthur is appalled

but agrees, and they attempt the transfer

with the help of a druidic harper. At the

last second, the harper’s raven snatches

Mordred’s soul away. Time passes until

what is left of Mordred attempts his

destruction of Arthur. Arthur does not die

but is taken to Avalon, where he is reunited

with the raven that holds Mordred’s soul.

Weeping, he acknowledges Mordred as

his son.

I Am Mordred: A Tale from Camelot by Nancy Springer

I Am Mordred: A Tale from Camelot 51

NC_GC_TE_Mordred.indd 51NC_GC_TE_Mordred.indd 51 1/23/08 11:29:33 AM1/23/08 11:29:33 AM


Life Within Castle WallsPrepare students for the double standards

of the medieval world.

Have students discuss what a double •

standard is and brainstorm for double

standards that apply today, whether they

are applied between the sexes or among

classes or ethnic groups. Let them

consider how such double standards

arise and perpetuate themselves.

Explain to students that the medieval •

world was strict in its separation of

classes and sexes and that to question the

social arrangement was considered sinful.

Ask them to predict what the double

standards will be before they read.

As they read, have students note •

examples of double standards, such as

when Fisherfather assumes that the

nobility may take what it pleases, or

how turning a blind eye to Pellinore’s

rapes contrasts with the dire punishment

for Morgause’s dalliances. More

important, have students note how

Mordred’s acceptance of the double

standards shapes the plot.

That’s My Story, and I’m Sticking to ItHave students consider the structure of

the novel and the points of view from

which it is told.

Prompt students to recall the definitions •

of first- and third-person narration. Ask

them to discuss the two approaches and

how they differ.

Have students write brief stories of recent •

events in their lives. Students should

write the stories in third person, then

rewrite them in first person. Have

student volunteers read their stories

aloud and poll classmates on which

version is more compelling and why.

Prepare students for the shift from third •

person to first person and back. As they

read, have them discuss why Springer

made this choice.

Magic in the AirHelp students imagine a world in which

magical events are taken for granted.

The world of • I Am Mordred is a fairy-tale

world in one sense—it is full of magical

beings both benign and evil. Explain

that medieval people saw the world as

being very much inhabited by spirits.

Tell them that a man at that time might

curse at a rock that he tripped over,

thinking the rock was to blame. Help

students think of times when they have

behaved in similar ways toward

inanimate objects, such as kicking a

bicycle when the tire went flat. Prepare

them to accept the idea of a magical

world as true for the novel.

As they read, have students compare •

and contrast the magical world Springer

creates with other fantasy worlds they

know from fairy tales, movies, or books.

What do these worlds have in common?

How do they differ? Encourage students

to dream up their own fantastic realms.

52



RELATED READINGS MAKING CONNECTIONS TO I Am Mordred, A Tale from Camelot

Boudicca

by Milton Meltzer(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 24)

Help students understand the Britain that produced the Arthuriad.

Before students read, explain that the historical queen Boudicca lived about four • centuries before the mythical rule of Arthur.After they read, have students discuss Roman rule in Britain and how colonists in • what is now the United States responded to rule by England.Guide students to discuss why Arthur’s ideal kingdom was such a comforting and • appealing story for the Britons after they had experienced harsh foreign rule by the Romans. They may then consider whether their comments apply to the continuing popularity of the Arthurian legend today.

Eldorado

by Edgar Allan Poe(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 25)

Encourage students to think about goals and their worth.

Before they read, ask students to list some of their goals in life. On the board, • categorize goals as probable, possible, and unlikely. Remind students that all dreams can inspire and uplift, even when they seem unattainable.After they read, prompt students to discuss the knight’s goals. They can hypothesize • about why the knight seeks Eldorado (wealth, fame, beauty). Are his motivations good, bad, or both?Challenge students to write a definition of good goals—those that help them grow • and achieve rather than those that bring disillusionment. Ask students how they would value Mordred’s goals.

from The Legend of Tarik

by Walter Dean Myers(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 26)

Encourage students to look for stories of knights from other cultures.

Before students read, have them share what they know about other cultures’ • traditions of knighthood, such as the samurai of Japan. They may mention specific stories from these traditions.After they read, have them discuss Tarik as a knight, comparing and contrasting him • with Mordred and the other knights in the novel. Ask students to write in their journals what a true knight should be, in their opinion, • in any culture and time. They may wish to share their responses.

A Call to Armor

by Robert K. Elder(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 27)

Use the article to increase students’ appreciation of the challenges of being a knight.

Before they read, have students discuss the idea of a “knight in shining armor.” • Discuss the ways people mythologize the past and forget its inconveniences.After they read, ask students to imagine the weight of the armor. Have them list the • practical difficulties of wearing such heavy, complex gear.Have students describe the role that armor plays in the novel and in other stories of • knights. Does it have a symbolic as well as a practical value?

from Camelot 3000

by Mike W. Barr and Brian Bolland(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 28)

Use this selection to discuss the enduring idea of heroism.

Before they read, ask students to list favorite movies and television shows involving • heroes and superheroes. What draws them to these characters? Why are so many movies and shows made about them?Have students discuss the genre of comic books and graphic novels. What kinds of • humor, characterization, and stories are suited to this genre?After they read, have students guess what might happen next, based on what they • know of the Arthurian tales.



ANSWER KEY


PROLOGUE–CHAPTER 4

BEFORE YOU READ

Write a Caption

Medieval households were made up of a number of social classes, and each class had its own duties and functions.

ACTIVE READING

Arthur—Mordred both loves and hates him; Fisherfather—rescues him, cares for him, welcomes him home: Mordred respects but cannot really understand him; Lothe—despises him as a bastard child, beats him or simply ignores him: Mordred fears him and despises him; Morgause—is ashamed of him but treats him courteously if coldly: Mordred longs for her love but gives up; Fishermother—treats him as a gift of the god Lyr, loves him with all her heart, makes him happy: Mordred loves and misses her, tries to return to her; Nyneve—teaches him a little magic, protects him and watches over him from afar, always welcomes him: Mordred loves her but refuses to trust her wholly.

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: Narrator and Point of View He is both honest about his lack of skills and would in many way prefer the simpler life of a fisherman or a poet, but he believes that his bloodline gives him both the potential and the obligation to be a great warrior knight.

Literary Element: Narrator and Point of View Although he never fights back against Garet, he can’t stand for Garet to kick his dog. This reveals that Mordred is loyal and cares deeply about those he loves and who love him.

Reading Skill: Make Generalizations About CharactersAnswers will vary, but students may say that Morgan le Fay is evil and has dark motives for everything she does.

Reading Skill: Make Generalizations About CharactersScrying is less about magic than it is about Mordred’s allowing himself to see and understand certain things.

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: How Can You Become Who You Want to Be?Mordred feels very conflicted. He hates “good” King Arthur, so he feels that he must be evil. If he is indeed the child of the king and his sister, Mordred feels even worse about himself.

AFTER YOU READ


He is impressed by Nyneve’s horse, clothing, regal 1. bearing, and weaponry. He also does not understand what is happening. After a night in the forest, he longs to be back home.Gull cringes and cowers in Morgan’s presence. Her 2. reaction tells readers that Morgan is untrustworthy.They are at times helpful and affectionate, but usually 3. rough and disdainful of him. Beyond sibling rivalry, Mordred is Gawain’s rival for the throne. Mordred is never loved by his mother or Lothe, while Gawain and Garet are.Mordred, furious because Garet kicked Gull, defends 4. his dog by beating Garet. Garet then resorts to the cruelest attack he knows. Student responses to the second part of the prompt will vary, showing agreement or disagreement.Mordred begins to dream about riding into Camelot 5. where his father, King Arthur, will claim him as a son. His attitude changes from hatred to curiosity based on his mistrust of Morgan le Fay and his inability to see his father’s face while crying in the mirror.

Apply Background

Students may say that author Nancy Springer’s assertion that, in her opinion, earlier presentations of Mordred’s story had not been fair to his character helped them take a more sympathetic view of Mordred.

Literary Element: Narrator and Point of ViewIt is in some ways a confession—as if being 1. Mordred is in some way wrong. In other ways it is a proud proclamation, showing he is true to himself no matter what happens. Students will likely say that a different narrator point 2. of view would be colored by his or her own experiences and opinions. They should provide specific details related to the character they choose.

54


ANSWER KEY

Reading Skill: Make Generalizations About Characters

Both women are kind to Mordred and take care of 1. him and serve as substitute mothers to him. One generalization students might make about Mordred is that, like many people, he is drawn to those who are kind to him. One group is made up of those who love Mordred 2. and want what’s best for him (Nyneve, Fishermother, and Gull). The other group is made up of those who either don’t care about Mordred or wish him ill (Lothe, Morgause, Garet, Morgan le Fay).

Vocabulary Practice

deceive1. fidelity 2. ploy3. captivated 4. mysterious5.

Academic Vocabulary

Answers will vary, but many students will say that time and experience of the world or education have changed the way they interpret many things.

Writing

Write a Letter

Students’ letters should express two distinctive point of view• reference plot and character details from the novel• attempt to use vocabulary and sentence structures • from the text use proper spelling and punctuation•

Research and Report

Visual/Media Presentation

Students’ presentations should: reflect details from the novel • reflect their intentional use of design and layout to • illustrate their points be neatly labeled and use proper terminology• be presented using performance techniques such as • modulated voice, good posture, and eye contact

CHAPTERS 5–10

BEFORE YOU READ

Write the Caption

People in medieval England believed that the Grail, a goblet or bowl, was used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper.

ACTIVE READING

The sea; description; sometimes gentle, sometimes violent, home of beloved Fishermother and Fisherfather; symbolizes for Mordred: youth and innocence, later his heritage and curse. Lothian; description: cold and forbidding, a fortress; symbolizes for Mordred: unhappiness, loneliness, loss of innocence. Camelot: beautiful white castle that glows in the sun; symbolizes for Mordred: all that is noble, the key to his greatest hopes. Forest Perilous: dense forest with gnarled trees; symbolizes for Mordred: a place of dread and darkness. Caer Morgana: symbolizes for Mordred: a prison, a place of confusion and hopelessness.

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: Symbol Mordred feels that he is inherently evil. The image of Camelot is presented as glowing brilliant white (a symbol of purity and good).

Literary Element: Symbol The raven symbolizes death or doom. Students may mention clues such as the accusation the raven makes about Mordred or the fact that Mordred imagines the bird’s beak as an executioner’s axe. Some students may say that prior knowledge of the use of the raven as a symbol in literature helped them recognize it.

Reading Skill: Analyze Historical ContextFair combat means the sons have no right to seek vengeance. But Gawain is incensed over the indignity of Pellinore’s riding back with Lothe’s head tied to his saddle and later feeding it to the dogs. Gawain’s response proves that although knights lived for and by their honor code, they were still human.

Reading Skill: Analyze Historical ContextStudents may say that the queen was pampered and protected and that there were many people both inside and outside of the court that might wish her harm. Nyneve and Mordred are court favorites, which means they are trusted by the king and queen.



ANSWER KEY

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: How Can You Become Who You Want to Be?Students will likely say that saying no to pressure shows how Mordred is determined to become who he wants to be, not who others want him to be.

AFTER YOU READ


He fears that other men will look down on him if he 1. listens too much to women’s advice. He is adopting the manners and beliefs of the knights and wants to be like them.Obstacles include finding his way, overcoming 2. challenges from other knights, braving the odd creatures, and escaping Morgan. The last sight in the Forest of mother, maiden, and crone spinning his life frightens him with his mortality.Arthur tries to tell Mordred that he cannot 3. acknowledge him as his son because of his position. Because he is insecure about being a knight, Mordred thinks Arthur is knighting him against his better judgment. He seeks the peace and happiness that he knew as 4. a child. It symbolizes his chance to escape fate.He prefers being without a name because he doesn’t 5. feel any of the names truly fit him. He does not feel worthy to be a knight, he is no longer Tad, and he is uncomfortable with his true name, Mordred.

Apply Background

Students may mention that Springer described buying her own horse, an act that set her writing on a new path. They may mention the particularly vivid imagery of the war horses in this section of the novel: the slaying of the knight’s horse in the Forest Perilous, Lothe’s head hanging from Pellinore’s saddle.

Literary Element: SymbolMordred knows he should hate the sea and fear it, 1. but instead he loves it. These feelings are similar to his feelings about his father, King Arthur. As Mordred tried to escape from her castle, Morgan 2. le Fay used sorcery to turn every door he opened into the door to his bedchamber. In this way she

showed him that fate is inescapable—it is like a single door leading to the inevitable.

Reading Skill: Analyze Historical ContextMany students will feel that it would not be 1. comfortable because of the cold, the stone walls that smelled of moss, the darkness, and so on. Many students will say that he has become more like 2. a knight because he has learned how to defend himself. Others may say that he is less like a knight because he steals a man’s possessions and then kills him without conscience.

VOCABULARY PRACTICE

paragon1. boon2. expediency3. sumptuous 4. cosset5.

Academic Vocabulary

The context (battle, foe) makes it clear that there is a struggle for power or control. Dominate means “to control.”

Write with Style

Apply Figurative Language

Students’ paragraphs shouldbe based on an incident from their own lives • use symbols to reflect a challenge they faced and • how they met or did not meet ituse diction that adequately reflects the meaning of • their chosen symbols


Debate

Students should work together to create logical and well-supported arguments. They should participate fully in the debate, maintain both their concentration and their calm, and be polite to members of the opposing team. Their evaluations of their own team’s and the opposing team’s performances should be supported with specific criticisms and praise.

56


ANSWER KEY

CHAPTER 11–EPILOGUE

BEFORE YOU READ

Write a Caption

In Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, the knights of Camelot sat at a round table so no one would be at the head of the table.

ACTIVE READING

A life spent in love with Lynette: fails because Lynette learns who and what he is, Mordred despairs and seeks his enemy, Merlin; a simple life as a woodcutter or hunter: fails because Mordred is too proud to take Nyneve’s advice, he spurns his chance at freedom; simply doing good: fails because he unwittingly releases Merlin, he loses Gull and Nyneve and gives up his quest; giving his soul to Arthur for safekeeping: fails because the harper’s raven snatches it away, he no longer cares because he is now without a soul, without a conscience

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: Legend Women did not have social status equal to men’s. Nyneve knows she is powerful and that Mordred needs her if he is to reach his goal. Yes, this is verisimilitude.

Literary Element: Legend She wants him to understand that war and fighting are not the only ways to achieve a goal. She admits that she was responsible for the “loss” of Mordred’s armor and weapons in the river outside Morgan le Fay’s castle.

Reading Skill: Interpret Plot EventsStudents may say that Mordred feels that, like the bird, if he is trapped by the fate that has befallen him, a fate he longs to escape.

Reading Skill: Interpret Plot EventsMany students will make the association with the story of Merlin, who has been locked away forever, and the magical harper hawk Mordred encounters.

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: How Can You Become Who You Want to Be?Even as he takes Mordred’s soul, King Arthur is acknowledging their connection. As a result, Mordred feels his father is someone he can trust with his fate.

AFTER YOU READ


He ignores them to get more quickly to Lynette. 1. Nothing matters to him now but the possibility of her love, especially not the fleeting praise or scorn of men-at-arms.He will no longer suffer the torment of his own 2. hatred. Snuffing the candle symbolizes the cutting off of Mordred’s affections.As in most tales of magic, it both came true and did 3. not come true, because in some way and in some place Arthur still lives. There appears to be some possibility that Mordred in fact could have escaped fate had he kept fighting it.Everyone knows who he is: the bastard child who will 4. destroy the kingdom. Only Gawain, Arthur, and Nyneve try to see beyond his evil reputation. He hides his name from Lynette so that she will not judge him based on rumors.Most students will say that Mordred did manage to 5. escape his fate in a way. He did not kill Arthur as the prophecy had forewarned. Instead, he went to his own death, but his soul, thereafter in the body of the raven, lived on.

Apply Background

Students may say that the information helped them to see that the inconclusive ending of the Mallory version is in some ways similar to the ending of Springer’s tale. In both stories, Arthur’s final fate is not clear. And his ability to call Mordred his son is bittersweet given the fact that Mordred’s soul now exists inside a raven.

Literary Element: LegendMordred carries out larger-than-life deeds such as 1. escaping by jumping out of a high window into a



raging river down which he is carried on the back of a small dog. There are elements of magic, as when Morgan le Fay turns every door into the door to Mordred’s chamber, when the harper hawk plays beautiful music on the bars of its cage, and when Mordred has his soul removed so that he will no longer feel pain and darkness.Answers will vary. Students should note that other 2. legends in feature many of the same elements, such as larger-than-life deeds, magic, and the fight of good against evil. Some may mention that I Am Mordred takes readers more deeply inside the mind of the central character.

Reading Skill: Interpret Plot Events The one thing that conquers all is love. Mordred has 1. escaped his fate through love. Many students will feel that the end of the novel 2. makes a positive statement about humanity because Mordred both fulfills and escapes his fate through love and sacrifice for another person. Others will feel that the death of Mordred makes the ending depressing and not hopeful.

Vocabulary Practice

opposite1. same2. opposite3. same4. opposite5.

Academic Vocabulary

Answers will vary, but students’ personal philosophies need not take on the subjects of love versus war.

Writing

Personal Response

Students’ paragraphs should express a clear point of view citing examples from their personal experience.


Literature Groups

Students’ discussions should reflect both individual and group experiences from a contemporary standpoint as well as moments and ideas from the novel.



Boudicca

Both inspired loyalty and courage, experienced victory in battle, and defended their people. But Arthur seems to have been a temperate man, slow to do battle; and he protected civilians, whereas the fiery Boudicca allowed Roman civilians to be slaughtered.

Eldorado

Mordred’s quest fails perhaps because of his personal weakness—he gives in to hatred, he is tired of fighting—or because of fate, depending on one’s perspective. The knight’s quest fails because his object does not exist. Students may also theorize that greed keeps the knight on his fruitless journey.

from The Legend of Tarik

For Mordred, black symbolizes his hatred for Arthur. Black also reflects Mordred’s growing depression. At the end, it represents his soullessness. For Tarik, black is a color of nobility, honor, and accomplishment, much as black is sometimes used today in courts, at ceremonies, and for solemn occasions.

A Call to Armor

An armored knight requires help to mount because of the weight and rigidity of the armor. When Sir Dalbert will not help him, Mordred kills Sir Dalbert and then must discard most of the armor in order to mount.

from Camelot 3000

In I Am Mordred, Arthur is always kind to his knights, even to Mordred. He holds them to his own high standards but knows their limitations. In Camelot 3000, Arthur treats Tom as an equal and thanks him for his help. Merlin, more powerful than Arthur, is his companion and equal.


Narrator and Point of View Both go through great changes at a very early age. Both are separated from others because of who they are and where they came from. Both find mentors that guide them (Nyneve and Miss Hurd). Both have personal heroes who become widely known and help create social change (King Arthur, Nick’s mother).

ANSWER KEY

58


ANSWER KEY

Symbol Students may say that a pen would make a good symbol for Nick because that is the instrument he uses to write his mother’s story. One symbol for Mordred is his lance, which both saves his life and brings about the end of it. The raven is also Mordred’s symbol.

Legend The early lives of both characters are influenced by violent or dangerous circumstances caused by forces outside their control. Some of the people around Nick and Mordred performed amazing feats to keep them alive and safe: Nick’s mother gave up her life to help her children escape to freedom, and Nyneve saw to it that Mordred not only survived but thrived during his dangerous youth. Both stories resonate with people—the tales of King Arthur have been passed down through centuries while the story of Nick’s mother’s sacrifice served as a monument and inspiration in the movement against war.

Write About It

While both Mordred and Nick are aided by people who make great sacrifices for them, the stories are very different in terms of outcome. Nicholas Gage claims his happy and fulfilled life was forged in part by a teacher he had in grade school. Mordred’s outcome was not nearly so positive. Although in the end Nyneve and others help him become a better person, he gives up his soul in the process and regains it only in death.


Expository Essay

Students’ expository essays should reflect the use of their charts and notes. • focus on their own opinions and points of view.• be strongly supported by incidents and ideas in • the textuse a logical progression to support the topic • sentence or guiding idea.



The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds

H. G. Wells

60

1_9_NC_G7_TE_TimeMachine.indd 601_9_NC_G7_TE_TimeMachine.indd 60 1/23/08 5:47:51 PM1/23/08 5:47:51 PM

The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells

The Time Machine was first published in

book form in 1895, immediately bringing

H. G. Wells widespread recognition. The

story chronicles the Time Traveller’s visit

to a grim future with two races of humans.

He speculates about whether his own

capitalistic society has evolved into the

society he finds in the year 802,701.

The War of the Worlds was published in

1898. The book became more popular than

Wells’s previous novels and was serialized

in newspapers and published around the

world. Like The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds examines humanity and what it

might become if it is not reformed.

These novels contain graphic scenes that

depict injury, death, and social ills. You

may wish to explain to your class that

Wells’s intention was to present realistic

characters who respond to circumstances

in believable, if not always socially

acceptable, ways.

The Time Machine SynopsisA Time Traveller travels to the year 802,701,

where he finds the sharply divided society

of the Eloi and the Morlocks. During his

eight-day stay, the Time Traveller discovers

that the Morlocks provide the Eloi with

food and clothing but also prey on them.

He rescues a drowning Eloi, Weena, who

becomes his companion.

In the hopes of finding a safe haven from

the Morlocks, the Time Traveller and Weena

hike to the Palace of Green Porcelain. That

night the Morlocks attack. Weena is killed,

but the Time Traveller escapes.

The Time Traveller then travels farther into

the future and witnesses the universe

aging until Earth grows dark, cold, and

desolate. Finally, he returns home —only to

embark on another mysterious journey.

The War of the Worlds SynopsisMartians begin an invasion of Earth in

England. As people gradually realize the

danger, mass panic sets in.

The narrator travels for a time with an

artilleryman and later hides in an empty

house with a curate. He sees the Martians

set up an encampment, work busily, and

drink human blood. The curate, who has

gradually gone insane, is dragged from the

house by a Martian. Later, the narrator

meets the artilleryman again. He is at first

heartened by the man’s seemingly brilliant

plans to undermine the invasion but soon

decides that the artilleryman, too, has

become delusional. In London, the

narrator discovers that the Martians are

dying from Earth-born bacteria. He is

temporarily insane but recovers and

returns home, reuniting with his wife.

ABOUT THE WORKS

The T ime Machine and The War of the Worlds 61



The Science of Science FictionFamiliarize students with the elements of

science fiction.

Ask students to share what they know •

about science fiction. Tell them to think

about novels, comic books, TV shows,

and films they are familiar with.

Have students brainstorm for an idea •

web about science fiction. Have them

contribute words and phrases that

describe typical characters, plots, and

themes.

Have students compare and contrast •

science fiction with another fictional

subcategory such as mystery, fantasy, or

horror. Why do they suppose science

fiction is so popular today?

Frame It!Help students understand the structure

of a frame story.

Draw a stick figure on the blackboard. •

Draw a large speech bubble above it.

Inside the bubble, draw another figure

who also has a speech bubble.

Tell students that • The Time Machine

contains a frame story, a secondary outer

story that sets up and contains the

telling of a more important inner story.

Label the first stick figure • Unnamed Narrator, and explain that he narrates the

outer story. Label the figure inside the

speech bubble Time Traveller, and explain

that he tells a story that is then

recounted to readers by the unnamed

narrator. The Time Traveller’s story is

framed by the narrator’s account of the

story he heard from the Time Traveller.

Land of OpportunityExplain the concept of capitalism to

students.

Have students brainstorm for examples •

of competition in the production and sale

of goods and services. List their responses

on the board. Ask them what purpose

they think competition serves in society.

Explain the general principles of a •

capitalistic society: the means of

production and distribution of goods and

services are generally privately owned

and are operated for a profit. This results

in competition. However, eventually a

concentration of wealth can occur, along

with the growth of huge corporations

and increased governmental control. Ask

students to consider what problems this

might cause in a society.

As students read • The Time Machine, have

them look for the narrator’s ideas of what

unchecked capitalism might lead to.

The Way I See ItDiscuss the advantages and limitations of

first-person point of view.

Ask students whether they would rather •

watch a basketball game in person or

listen to one being announced on the

radio. Ask them to explain why. Point

out that a game described by a radio

announcer would be told from the first-

person point of view.

Have students discuss advantages and •

limitations of the first-person perspective.

Explain that • The War of the Worlds is told

from a first-person perspective. As they

read, have students consider how a

third-person perspective would change

the story.

62



RELATED READINGS MAKING CONNECTIONS TO The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds

The Disintegration

Machine

by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 24)

Like the Time Traveller, a scientist in this tale has invented a strange new machine.

As a prereading selection, have students name modern machines that are • dangerous to humans. Ask them how the world would be different had those machines been destroyed as soon as the dangers were discovered.As a postreading selection, point out that this story is narrated by a secondary • character. Ask students how the stories would change if the main characters narrated them.

Rip Van Winkle

by Washington Irving(Glencoe’s Literature Library, (BLM page 25)

Like the Time Traveller, Rip Van Winkle suddenly finds himself in the future.

As a prereading selection, ask students to consider the differences between a story • that involves a character who inadvertently finds himself in the future and one that involves a character who purposely sets out to discover the future.As a postreading selection, have students identify the outer story and the inner story • of Rip Van Winkle. Why might Irving have included the outer story?

The Night Martians

Came to New Jersey

by Michelle Green, Andrea Fine, and Suzanne Adelson(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 26)

This article provides a behind-the-scenes look at the radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds.

As a pre- or postreading selection, ask students to discuss the effects of radio and • TV on listeners’ perceptions of reality. Do listeners respond differently to news broadcasts than to entertainment programs? Do listeners believe everything they hear?As a pre- or postreading selection, ask students why people might be quick to • believe that aliens who come to Earth intend to destroy humankind.

In Communication with

a UFO

by Helen Chasin(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 27)

The alien speaker in this poem provides a contrasting perspective on extraterrestrials to that of the Martians in The War of the Worlds.

As a prereading selection, ask what effect the first-person perspective has and • how a third-person perspective would affect readers’ attitudes toward UFOs or aliens. As a postreading selection, ask students to describe or to enact a conversation • between Chasin and Wells about their views on aliens.

Bringing Life to Mars

by Christopher P. McKay(Glencoe’s Literature Library, BLM page 28)

Like The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, this article explores the concept of planetary evolution.

As a prereading selection, ask students to imagine that some form of intelligent life • exists beneath Mars’ surface. Given the condition of the planet, how understandable would it be if those intelligent beings looked elsewhere for resources to sustain life?As a postreading selection, ask students to compare the future of Earth as the Time • Traveller sees it in Chapter 11 with current-day Mars as described in this article.As a postreading selection, have students relate the conditions on Mars to Wells’s • description of and explanation for a Martian. If scientists succeed in terraforming Mars, do students see humans utilizing any resources Mars might have? Why or why not?



ANSWER KEY


THE TIME MACHINE

BEFORE YOU READ

Write the Caption

Although many utopian societies have existed, including the Shakers and the Harmonists, none has managed to survive over the long term.

ACTIVE READING

Eloi: gentle; delicate; soft-spoken; vegetarian; afraid of the dark; live above groundMorlocks: hairy; nocturnal; live below ground; carnivorous; mechanically inclined

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: Flashback

Answers will vary but students may say that the flashback structure allows a more objective, scientific view of the events. It also uses the idea of time as a part of the structure of the narrative.

Literary Element: Flashback

Students may say that there is slightly less tension because they already know that the narrator has survived his journey. On the other hand, the flashback structure allows the narrator to tell the story with some distance and not as much emotion.

Reading Strategy: Activate Prior KnowledgeAnswers will vary but students’ responses may be based on environmental studies and/or science fiction films and novels.

Reading Strategy: Activate Prior KnowledgeStudents might mention the end of the world, the final poisoning of the planet, and so on.

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: Why Share Stories?The Time Traveller most likely knew he could not resist taking another trip into the future or the past and he wanted his story to be known by others—even if they did not believe him.

AFTER YOU READ


The Palace is an ancient museum that might provide 1. protection. He finds matches and camphor and is able to fight the Morlocks with fire in order to return to his machine.He sees the earth’s rotation slowing, the earth 2. cooling, and life dying off. The author may want to show the long-term course of the planet’s evolution, thereby emphasizing the temporal nature of humanity’s current existence.He has the flowers from Weena, is dirty, and suffers 3. from injuries he sustained in the future. Students may say that the men cannot separate themselves from their occupations long enough to be sympathetic; they see things objectively and cannot accept time travel or a warning of what is in store for capitalistic societies such as theirs. Wells may be saying that a true utopia is not 4. possible. Students may say that a utopia would fail because imperfect human beings cannot expect to create a perfect world.Students may say that the Time Traveller may have 5. felt lonely or misunderstood after having gone through such a difficult experience only to come home and have his story doubted.

Apply Background

Students may say that the information helped them to understand the ideas that fueled the development of science fiction.

Literary Element: FlashbackStudents may say that all the action takes place 1. within one week, or they may say that while the action takes place in one week of contemporary time, the Time Traveller is gone for many days on his journey to other time periods. The surprise is that the narrator has kept the two 2. small dried flowers that the Time Traveller brought back from the future. They remind him of the tenderness the Time Traveller described in Weena and reveal the narrator’s belief in the possibility that the Time Traveller was telling the truth.

64


ANSWER KEY

Reading Strategy: Activate Prior KnowledgeStudents may say that human beings are often 1. skeptical when it comes to taking in information that is unfamiliar or strange. Students may mention 2. Star Wars, Star Trek, X-Men, Gulliver’s Travels, or any of a number of films, TV shows, and literary works that feature similar characters.

Vocabulary Practice

B1. B 2. A3. A 4. A5.

Academic Vocabulary

Students may or may not agree with Wells’s assessment. They may cite examples of their own laziness during downtime or vacation; alternatively, they may mention an increase in productivity when they are free from the rigors of study or work.

Writing

Write a New Ending

Students’ alternative endings should use information from the novel, combined with their own interpretation of the events and character of the Time Traveller.

Research and Report

Literary Criticism

Students’ reports should:argue for or against the critical quote. • support their point of view with details from the • novella. be presented using performance techniques such as • modulated voice, good posture, and eye contact.

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: BOOK ONE

BEFORE YOU READ

Write a Caption

An Italian scientific report of canneli, or channels, on Mars led to fear that the planet was inhabited with people who could build canals.

ACTIVE READING

Spacecraft: cylindrical; metal; top screws off. Physical Appearance: huge brains; V-shaped mouth; tentacles; oily brown skin. Weapons: Heat-Ray, Black Smoke, fighting-machines; Actions: use machines for manual labor; attack and kill humans; travel in fighting-machines

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: Description

Sensory details: decapitated colossus, drunken giant, drove along a straight line, with the impact of a battering ram, a spout of water, mud and shattered metal shot far into the sky, water flashed into stead, a muddy tidal bore, seething and roar.

Literary Element: Description

Concrete details: (sample examples from first two paragraphs only) Half a dozen, The fallen Martian, downstream, lying across the river, intermittently and vaguely, limbs churning the water, mud and froth, fluid spurting.

Reading Strategy: Interpret Author’s MeaningStudents may say that the author is saying humans have a strong ability to go into denial. Even though the narrator saw the events with his own eyes and has been running in terror, he suddenly has a change of heart and doesn’t believe what he’s seen.

Reading Strategy: Interpret Author’s MeaningHe doesn’t know it, but he has heard this from the scientists of his day. He is in denial about the danger of the Martians, and he is trying to calm his wife. He sees things in a more positive light now that he is away from the common.



ANSWER KEY

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: Why Share Stories?The author implies that the people in London were not as interested in events that did not immediately concern them, and they only became interested when the danger approached their own city.

AFTER YOU READ


He describes events from his younger brother’s 1. perspective. Students may say that this allows for two perspectives and settings in the description of the invasion or that the shift in focus creates suspense about the narrator’s fate.At first, Londoners are curious about the news of the 2. distant attacks; later, they become concerned but are sure that the military can effect a defense; finally, they flee in mass panic. The panic causes people to become barbarous.They kill some of the population but concentrate on 3. disabling transportation and communication systems and destroying powerful weapons, taking away any hope the humans have.Students may say that the English had never faced 4. such an enemy and had no concept of the Martians’ powers; others, that people tend to deny bad news. Students may say that Americans would be complacent because of their powerful military. Possible evidence: Americans are somewhat complacent about other crises, such as energy and the environment. Bad things that happen in one place can happen in 5. other places as well. Sharing stories is one way to keep history from repeating itself when the consequences are dire.

Apply Background

Students may note that the author’s background as a historian, scientist, and philosopher gave them insights into the writing of the novel, which increased their understanding or appreciation of it.

Literary Element: DescriptionStudents may note the mindless killing, the 1. mechanized movements, the seemingly unstoppable force, and so on. They may also mention the size, the terror the machines bring out in the people, and so on. Answers will vary. Examples should show 2. description.

Reading Skill: Interpret Author’s MeaningStudents may say that the author implies the humans 1. are complacent and too willing to see themselves as the smartest and most powerful beings in the universe. They make assumptions about the Martians that are based on very little evidence, and they find it difficult to adjust to more realistic thinking when the Martians arrive. The humans are unprepared but they are also too 2. proud. Humans have also been warlike and pitiless with one another. There is an implied accusation in Wells’s tale.

Vocabulary Practice

Gorgon1. indefatigable2. complacency 3. common4. conflagration5.

Academic Vocabulary

The word research contains the word search. The context makes it clear that research has to do with gaining information. Research means “investigate, study, or explore.”

Write with Style

Apply Description

Students’ paragraphs should be based on a single incident from Book One of The War of the Worlds and should use a series of concrete details.


Art

Students’ renderings shouldinclude details from the novel. • include details from their imagination.• be clearly and neatly labeled.•

66


ANSWER KEY

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS: BOOK TWO

BEFORE YOU READ

Summarize

Robots were virtually unknown during Wells’s time, but today they can be built and programmed to perform a variety of tasks.

ACTIVE READING

Suspense: narrator is trapped in house; Martians are in pit outside house; curate begins to go insane; red weed proliferates; London is void of life; narrator hears eerie sound.

INTERACTIVE READING

Literary Element: Suspense

The conflict foreshadows the curate’s death at the hands of the narrator. Students may say that the conflict builds suspense by creating anticipation about an escalation that might alert the Martians that the narrator and the curate are in the house.

Literary Element: Suspense

The short sentences build suspense by mimicking the rhythm of quick breathing or a pounding heartbeat.

Reading Skill: Identify Problems and SolutionsThe narrator is afraid he will die of dehydration. At last he risks discovery by the Martians and drinks from the rain barrel.

Reading Strategy: Identify Problems and SolutionsHe feels elated because the day is bright and sunny, he sees no enemies but sees living things like crows and a cat, and he has escaped his prison, if only for a little while.

ON-PAGE NOTE-TAKING

BIG Question: Why Share Stories?The narrator is trying to see both the good and the bad that came from the invasion. He is trying to warn others

and to keep a sense of hope for the planet, even though a nagging sense of fear and insecurity persists.

AFTER YOU READ


London is desolate; many shops have been 1. ransacked for food. The narrator hears the sound of a dying Martian and eventually realizes that the aliens are dying of disease for which their bodies have no immunity.The narrator goes temporarily insane from the stress 2. of what he has experienced. The paper is one he had been writing about the future of civilization; he did not anticipate the pending Martian invasion in it and now, as a result of the invasion, everything has changed.Students may say that disasters unify people by 3. giving them common goals. They may mention various natural and human-made events that have unified people.Some students may see his actions as justified and 4. believable given the situation. They may think they would react similarly. Others may believe he is too quick to protect himself at the expense of others. They may think they would want to do more for the common good.The ending is happy in one sense—the narrator is 5. reunited with his wife. And the author indicates that humankind learned some valuable lessons from the Martian invasion. But the planet has sacrificed the ease with which they once occupied the planet. They know they are never again going to feel completely safe. This is both the tragedy and the lesson learned.

Apply Background

Students may say that the information about how robots operate gave them added insight into the war machines the Martians used against the humans.



ANSWER KEY

Literary Element: SuspenseThey were involved in a nearly constant 1. interpersonal struggle during which the narrator did not trust the curate to remain quiet, stay inside the house, and avoid attracting attention. The curate’s talking, drinking, and fighting increased the sense that something terrible was going to happen if the Martians discovered them.The dead bodies remind the narrator of the Martians 2. that may or may not still be lurking. They also remind him of those he’s lost and of his wife whose fate at the time is still unknown to him. The stillness and bright sky are strange and foreign to him. All of these factors play a role in the building of suspense.

Reading Strategy: Identify Problems and Solutions

He believes that only the strongest and smartest 1. men and women should be spared. They will live wild and make themselves stronger, smarter, and more versed in science. Meanwhile, he suggests they will give the Martians no trouble, which will allow the Martians to become complacent, much like the humans themselves were when the Martians arrived. Student’s responses to the potential of this plan will vary. They worked together, talked, and played many 2. games of cards. It took their minds off the horror of the invasion and the destruction around them.

Vocabulary Practice

same1. opposite2. same3. opposite4. opposite5.

Academic Vocabulary

Students will likely mention computers, cell phones, digital and cable television, automobiles and so on as technologies that have an impact upon their daily lives.

Writing

Write an Incident Report

Students may have very strong feelings about the moral implications of committing a murder and so may suggest that the narrator be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Others may feel that the circumstances dictated

the narrator’s behavior—that in some ways the murder was an act of self-preservation.

Research and Report

Visual/Media Presentation

Students’ presentations shoulduse their question-and-answer charts.• take a stance on the possibility of life on Mars.• use visual aids effectively.• use effective public-speaking techniques. •



The Disintegration Machine

Travel to the past might change the future; travel to the future might cause people to change their present actions, which would also change the future. Students’ responses as to whether such changes would be dangerous may vary. Most students will probably agree that anything that has the capacity to change the natural order is unethical.

Rip Van Winkle

Sample answer: The Time Traveller travels into the future intentionally. Once there, he studies the world he finds and forms theories about the evolution of humanity; then he wants to return to the present. At first Rip is confused at finding himself twenty years in the future and misses his old friends, but he soon adapts to and enjoys his new life.

The Night Martians Came to New Jersey

The local settings might have made the stories more realistic. A nondescript, quiet, small-town setting may have conveyed the idea that it could happen anywhere.

In Communication with a UFO

The aliens in the poem are playful, graceful, and interested in human reactions. Wells’s Martians are clumsy on Earth, focused on invasion, and interested in humans only as food.

Bringing Life to Mars

Scientists must determine if life exists there and, if so, it must be protected, even if organisms from Earth are also sent there. The Martians wanted to dominate life on Earth; Earth’s scientists want to maintain and/or create it on Mars.

68


ANSWER KEY


Flashback In The Time Machine, the first dinner the Time Traveller has with his colleagues is a moment of stasis before the action shifts. By the second dinner, the Time Traveller has been to the future and his life, and the lives of some of his friends, will never be the same. In “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” the Maple Street neighborhood is experiencing a typical early evening when there is a roar and a flash of light. The mystery of what caused this event throws the neighborhood into a panic that steadily increases until people begin to turn on each other with suspicion and violence. Description The people of Maple Street react at first with annoyance and disbelief over the breakdown of their telephone, lighting, and automobile technologies. The people in Woking first respond to the cylinder in the pit by trying to figure out what it is—they are more curious than afraid. Unlike the people of Maple Street, they do not fear what’s inside the cylinder until the Martians emerge and begin to kill them. The Maple Street neighbors, by contrast, turn on each other, neighbor against neighbor, assuming that one of them is an extraterrestrial in disguise. Suspense Both works are very suspenseful in that there is a significant threat—either real or imagined. In the Serling teleplay the people themselves become

monsters, turning on each other out of terror and suspicions about differences between them. In the Wells novel, the people are terrified because of the overwhelming and ever escalating force of the Martian invasion.

Write About It

Both sets of characters should tell the story about what has happened to them in an attempt to learn the lessons of the future. The people of Maple Street need to understand their own tendency to panic and the destruction and violence it brings on. The people in the invaded land of The War of the Worlds need to become aware of how their own complacency and prideful view of the rest of the universe led to the destruction of part of the planet and many lives.


Short Story

Students’ short stories should use a real event as the basis for a short story • use suspense by providing hints about what will • happen. use proper spelling and mechanics. • have a beginning, middle, and end.•



Novel Companion Course 2 Tg

Documents

Transcript of Novel Companion Course 2 Tg