Grade 6 Unit 1 - Student

Unit Overview
Unit 1 introduces the idea of change as the

conceptual focus for the year. By reading,
analyzing, and creating texts, you will examine
changes that happen in your life as well as in
the world around you. Through your responses
to texts, you will better understand that
change is threaded through all of our lives and
is something we can tell stories about.
Visual Prompt: A butterfly goes through several changes
in its life. It starts as an egg, becomes a caterpillar, then a
chrysalis, and finally emerges as a beautiful butterfly. In what
ways do people change as they move through the stages of
their lives?
Stories of Change
UNIT
1
Unit 1 Stories of Change 1

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Contents
Activities
1.1 Previewing the Unit ..................................................................... 4
Introducing the Strategy: QHT
1.2 Understanding Change ................................................................ 5
Poetry: Imperfect Me from Hormone Jungle: Coming of Age in
Middle School, by BrodBagert
1.3 Planning for Independent Reading .............................................10
1.4 What Makes a Good Narrative? ..................................................11
*Film: The Lion King directed by Roger Allers andRobMinkoff
1.5 Personal Narrative: Incident-Response-Reflection ....................13
Introducing the Strategy: Close Reading and Marking theText
Personal Narrative: My Superpowers, by Dan Greenburg
1.6 He Said, She Said: Characterization ...........................................17
Novel: Excerpt from Flipped, by Wendelin Van Draanen
1.7 Analyzing Narratives ..................................................................26
Personal Narrative: The Jacket, by Gary Soto
Novel: Excerpt from Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata
1.8 Creating a Narrative .................................................................. 34
1.9 Creating a Narrative: Prewriting and Drafting ........................... 36
1.10 Creating a Narrative: Revising ....................................................41
Introducing the Strategy: Adding
Embedded Assessment 1: Writing a Personal Narrative .....................45
1.11 Previewing Embedded Assessment 2 and
Preparing to Write a Short Story ................................................47
1.12 Whats in a Short Story? .............................................................49
Short Story: Thank You, Mam, by Langston Hughes
1.13 Revisiting Simbas Story ........................................................... 54
*Film: The Lion King, directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
1.14 Thinking Figuratively ................................................................ 58
Novel: Excerpts from Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech
1.15 In the Beginning ........................................................................ 60
Myth: Pandora and the Whispering Box, from Enid Blytons
Tales of Ancient Greece
Literary Terms
genre
point of view
diction
narrative
characterization
conflict (internal/external)
personal narrative
connotation
denotation
simile
metaphor
sensory language
short story
theme
plot
figurative language
personification
foreshadowing
science fiction
GOALS:
To understand how change
can be significant
To analyze key ideas and
details in addition to craft
and structure in print and
non-print texts
To use narrative techniques
such as sequencing,
dialogue, and descriptive
language
To write narratives to
develop real or imagined
events
To understand pronouns
and the conventions of
punctuating dialogue
Stories of Change UNIT
1
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
paraphrase
summarize
synonym
antonym
sequence
cause-effect
analyze
transitions
coherence
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English Language Arts Grade 6

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Language and Writers
Craft
Transitions (1.9)
Revising for Transitions
(1.10)
Vivid Verbs (1.14)
Varied Sentence Patterns
(1.15)
1.16 A Day of Change: Developing the Story ......................................65
Short Story: Eleven, from Woman Hollering Creek and Other
Stories by Sandra Cisneros
1.17 In the End ................................................................................. 70
Short Story: The Treasure of Lemon Brown, by Walter Dean
Myers
1.18 Analyzing a Story ...................................................................... 79
Short Story: The Fun They Had, by Isaac Asimov
1.19 Sparking Ideas .......................................................................... 83
*Picture Book: The Mysteries of Harris Burdick or other picture
books by Chris Van Allsburg
Embedded Assessment 2: Writing a Short Story ................................85
*Texts not included in these materials.

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ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
When you paraphrase, you
reword written or spoken text
using words that help you clarify
and understand the text. When
you summarize, you create a
statement of the main ideas or
essential information in the text.
My Notes

LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Activating Prior Knowledge,
Skimming/Scanning, QHT,
Marking the Text, Summarizing/
Paraphrasing
Learning Targets
Preview the big ideas and vocabulary for the unit.
Identify and analyze the skills and knowledge needed to complete Embedded
Assessment 1 successfully.
Making Connections
When you think about change, what thoughts come to your mind? Have you
perhaps changed schools? Have you made new friends? Has an old friend moved
away? Change is a part of life. In this unit, you will examine stories and poems
about change, as well as write your own ideas and stories about change.
Essential Questions
Based on your current knowledge, how would you answer these questions?
1. How can change be significant?
2. What makes a good story?
Introducing the Strategy: QHT
QHT is a strategy for thinking about your own understanding of vocabulary words.
The letters stand for Questions, Heard, and Teach:
Q: words you may have seen but you are not sure about their meaning
H: words you have heard before but may not know them well
T: words you know so well you could teach them to someone else
To use QHT, think about how well you know each term, and label each term
with a letter.
Developing Vocabulary
Look at the Academic Vocabulary and Literary Terms on the Contents page. Apply
the QHT strategy to see which words you may already know and which you will
need to learn more about.
Unpacking Embedded Assessment 1
Read the assignment for Embedded Assessment 1: Writing a Personal Narrative.
Your assignment is to write a personal narrative that includes a well-told
incident, a response to the incident, and a reflection about the significance of
the incident.
In your own words, paraphrase the assignment and then summarize what you will
need to know to complete this assessment successfully. With your class, create a
graphic organizer to represent the skills and knowledge you will need to complete
the tasks identified in the embedded assessment.
Previewing the Unit

ACTIVITY
1.1
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Freewriting, Graphic
Organizer, Brainstorming,
Prewriting, Sketching
Understanding Change ACTIVITY
1.2
Learning Targets
Define the concept of change.
Write about changes using a graphic organizer and a frame poem.
Before Reading
1. Select one quote, explain what it means, and discuss its connections to your life.
Change in all things is sweet.
Aristotle, Greek philosopher
If we dont change, we dont grow. If we dont grow, we arent really living.
Gail Sheehy, American author
Just when I think I have learned the way to live, life changes.
Hugh Prather, American writer
Poetry is written in lines and stanzas, whereas prose is written in sentences and
paragraphs. Notice also that this poem rhymes. What is the pattern of the rhyme?
Show this by writing a letter of the alphabet after the last word in each line for each
new rhyme in a stanza. The first stanza has been done for you.
During Reading
2. Listen to the poem on the next page being read aloud. As you listen, think about
the change in the speaker. Summarize each stanza in one sentence, and write
your summary beside the stanza in the My Notes space.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Brod Bagert (1947) was born in Louisiana. He worked as a lawyer for many
years but found his early interest in poetry calling him to change his lifes
work and become a poet. He has written numerous books of poetry for
both children and adults. Much of his time is spent traveling the country
performing his poems in schools and helping children learn to perform
poems themselves. Bagert comments that poetry is an oral art, and, for
children, a poem comes alive when they perform it.
My Notes
Literary Terms
Poetry is a genre, or style,
of literature. Within the
poetry genre are different
types of poems that can
have different rhyme
schemes or no rhyming
atall.

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ACTIVITY 1.2
continued
Understanding Change
Poetry
from Hormone Jungle: Coming of Age in Middle School
by Brod Bagert
I used to try to be perfect: a
Perfect height, perfect weight, b
A perfect friend, the perfect date. b
Perfect makeup on my face c
5 Every hair in perfect place. c
Te perfect mask for all to see, d
I tried to be a perfect me. d
But I couldnt do it:
Im short and just a little plump,
10 My nose has got a tiny bump,
My teeth? Too big. My ears? Too long.
Te me I see is always wrong.
I felt such animosity,
My life was an atrocity.
15 But then I wised up:
Perfect looks? A total scam!
Perfection lies in who I am.
Tis girl has got one life to live
And who I am is what I give,
20 And if I give with all my might
Te me I give will be just right.
And suddenly my heart broke free
So here I amImperfect Me.
After Reading
3. Is the change the speaker of the poem experiences internal or external?
Explain.
My Notes

Literary Terms
Point of view is the
perspective from which a story
or poem is told. In first-person
point of view, the narrator is
a character in the story using
first-person pronouns such
as I and we to tell what he
or she sees and knows. In
third-person point of view, the
narrator is someone outside
the story using third-person
pronouns such as he, she,
or they to tell the story.
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ACTIVITY 1.2
continued
4. What point of view is being used in this poem? How can you tell?
5. Use a word map graphic organizer to explore the concept of change. Brainstorm
words that are related to change or are synonyms or antonyms for change.
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
You may already know that
antonyms are words that
have opposite meanings,
while synonyms are words
that mean the same thing.
If you say that something
is synonymous, you are
saying that it means the
same thing. For instance,
Some people say that
good sleeping habits are
synonymous with good
health.
Synonym Synonym Antonym
Example Example Word in Context Example
Word Map
What the Word Means A Picture
Word

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6. Prewriting: Write about changes that have happened in your life and changes
that could occur in the future.
In what ways has your life changed
since firstgrade?
In what ways has your life changed
since last year?
How might your life change
during the current school year?
What types of changes might occur
when you become a teenager?
7. What words, phrases, and images show the kinds of changes you and your
classmates have faced? Interview your classmates, and make a list for each of
the five areas shown below.
Hobbies Beliefs Appearance School Responsibilities
Understanding Change
ACTIVITY 1.2
continued
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My Notes

ACTIVITY 1.2
continued
Writing a Frame Poem
Write a poem about changes you have experienced. Finish the sentences with ideas
and thoughts about changes in your life. You do not need to make the lines rhyme,
but pay attention to your diction, so you choose just the right word. Make every
word count! Be sure to remain focused on you: your experience and your feelings.
1. That was me then; this is me now.
2. Last year I was ;
now I am .
3. I used to enjoy ;
now I .
4. I used to believe ;
now I .
5. I used to be confused by ;
now I .
6. Last year I felt ;
now I .
7. Last year I hoped :
now I .
8. Last year I wanted to be ;
now I .
9. This year I am ;
10. That was me then; this is me now.
Creating a Reader/Writer Notebook and Portfolio
With your teachers guidance, create a Reader/Writer Notebook and a Portfolio.
You will add artifacts, or examples of your work, to your portfolio throughout the
year. When you see Academic Vocabulary, Literary Terms, or Language and Writers
Craft boxes, record the words in your Reader/Writer Notebook. You may want to
use a graphic organizer such as a word map to explore the meaning of the new
words and how they are used.
GRAMMAR USAGE
Semicolons
Notice the use of semicolons
in the poem. A semicolon is
most commonly used to link
two complete thoughts into
a complex sentence. Use a
semicolon to add interest
to your writing by linking
balanced, short statements
that have a powerful effect.
Literary Terms
Diction refers to a writers
or speakers word choice.

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Learning Targets
Examine ways to choose a text for independent reading.
Set goals in an independent reading plan.
Planning Independent Reading
The focus of this unit is on narratives. In previewing Embedded Assessment 1, you
have seen that you will be writing your own narrative about a change in your life.
Reading other types of narrativea fictional novel, a memoir, a graphic novel, a
biography, or a collection of short storieswill help you see how writers create
narratives. Think about these questions to help you choose books to read outside
of class.
1. What have you enjoyed reading in the past? What is your favorite book or
favorite type of book? Who is your favorite author?
2. Preview the book you have selected: What do the front and back covers show
you? What type of visual is shown? What types of fonts and colors are used? Are
there awards or brags that tell you about the book?
3. Read the first few pages. Are they interesting? How does the author try to
hook you to keep reading? What can you tell about the characters and setting
(location and time) so far? Does this seem too hard, too easy, or just right?
Reading Discussion Groups
Your teacher will guide you in a book pass. Practice previewing each book, looking
at the covers and reading the first few pages.
4. In your Reader/Writer Notebook, record each books title and author, something
from your previewing that stands out to you, and your rating of the book.
5. After previewing each book and thinking about the goals of this unit, do
you want to continue reading the book you brought to the group or choose
something else?
6. Create an Independent Reading Plan to help you set personal reading goals.
Keep this plan in your Reader/Writer Notebook.
I have chosen to read
by (author)
because (reason from previewing)
I will set aside time to read at (time, place)
I should finish this text by (date)
Planning for Independent Reading ACTIVITY
1.3
INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
As you read, think like a writer
by noticing the way writers
create characters, construct
plots, use details to create a
setting, include transitions
to move the story forward
and indicate a change in time
or place, and use dialogue
to enhance the readers
understanding of what is
happening. Use your Reader/
Writer Notebook to create your
reading plan and respond to
any questions, comments, or
reactions you might have to
your reading. Your teacher
may ask questions about your
text, and making notes in your
Reader/Writer Notebook will
help you answer them.
My Notes

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Learning Targets
Identify elements of a narrative by recording evidence of setting,
characterization, dialogue, and conflict.
Sequence a texts events chronologically in an outline.
A narrative can be a made-up story (fiction) or one that is based on real events.
A narrative has characters, actions or events, a setting, and conflict. An incident
is a distinct piece of action, such as an episode or a scene in a play. A narrative
generally includes characters, a setting, and conflict.
1. To help you recognize narrative elements, your teacher will show you a scene
from The Lion King or another film. As you watch, take notes in the spaces
provided.
Descriptions of Setting
(give specific details)
Characterization
(use adjectives or nouns
to describe how the
characters are feeling)
Important Dialogue
(try to copy words and
phrases)
Conflict
(give specific details)
2. Think back to the film. What external conflicts did you see between characters?
3. What internal conflict did you see within a character?
What Makes a Good Narrative? ACTIVITY
1.4
Graphic Organizer, Note-
taking
Literary Terms
A narrative tells a story
or describes a sequence
of events. The act of
creating characters is
characterization. The
setting is the time and place
where the story takes place,
while conflict is a struggle
between characters or
opposing forces.
Literary Terms
In an external conflict, the
character struggles with an
outside force. In an internal
conflict, the character
struggles with his or her
own needs or emotions.

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4. Write the sequence of events in this scene (in chronological order).
First event:
Second event:
Third event:
Fourth event:
Fifth event:
Check Your Understanding
Think of a story you know well. Describe the story using the language you have just
learned: characters, setting, sequence of events, and conflict.
Narrative Writing Prompt: Imagine that you are Nala or Simba and you want to
tell a friend the story of going to the graveyard. Write a narrative of what happened
there, from your point of view.
Use pronouns correctly as you write using first-person point of view.
Describe the conflict, setting, and sequence of events of the incident.
Include details of your characters feelings and dialogue.
Keep this writing piece in your Portfolio.
What Makes a Good Narrative?
ACTIVITY 1.4
continued
INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
Where is the concept of change
in the book you are reading on
your own? What is happening
to the characters that is causing
them to change, or what can
you predict will happen? Add
your notes to an Independent
Reading section of your
Reader/Writer Notebook.
My Notes

ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
To sequence something is to
put things in an order, so a
sequence of events is a set of
events that follows one after
another in a sequential or orderly
presentation of steps or events.
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Anticipation Guide,
Predicting, Close Reading,
Marking the Text, Graphic
Organizer, Visualizing
Personal Narrative:
Incident-Response-Reection
ACTIVITY
1.5
Learning Target
Identify and use the incident-response-reflection organizational structure in a
personal narrative.
Before Reading
A personal narrative can be defined as a first-person autobiographical story.
Personal narratives usually include a significant incident, the writers response to
the incident, and a reflection on the meaning of the incident.
A personal narrative may follow this structure:
Incident: The central piece of action that is the focus of the narrative. It may
include the setting and dialogue
Response: The immediate emotions and actions associated with the incident
Reflection: A description that explores the significance of the incident
Introducing the Strategy: Close Reading and Marking the Text
This strategy involves reading a text word by word, sentence by sentence,
and line by line to develop a complete understanding of it. Close reading is
characterized by marking the text as a way of reading actively. Marking the text
means to make notes or write questions that help you to understand the text.
During Reading
1. As you read the following personal narrative, use close reading and mark the
text for the setting, the major incident of the story, the narrators response to
the incident, and the reflection about the incident.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Greenburg is a novelist, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, and
humorist who has also done stand-up comedy. He has written for both adults
and children. His successful series The Zack Files was inspired by his own
son Zack. Greenburg wanted to write books that his son would like to read.
My Notes

Literary Terms
A personal narrative is a
story based on ones own
life and told in the first
person.

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My Notes

Personal Narrative
by Dan Greenburg
1 Do you ever wish you had superpowers?
2 When I was a kid, growing up on the North Side of Chicago and being picked on
by bullies, I prayed for superpowers. Like Superman, I wanted to be able to fy faster
than speeding bullets, to be more powerful than locomotives, to leap tall buildings at
a single bound. Mainly, I wanted to punch bullies in the stomach so hard that my fst
came out of their backs.
3 Winters in Chicago are so cold that frost forms leafy patterns on your bedroom
window and stays there for months. Te wind howls of Lake Michigan, and a thick
shell of pitted black ice covers the streets and sidewalks from December to April. To
keep warm in winter, I wore a heavy wool coat, a wool muf er, wool mittens, furry
earmufs andone of my most treasured possessionsa Chicago Cubs baseball cap
autographed by a player named Big Bill Nicholson.
4 On the coldest days of winter, three bullies waited for me afer school, just for the
fun of terrorizing me. Te biggest one was a fat ugly kid named Vernon Manteufel.
Vernon and his two buddies would pull of my Cubs cap and tease me with it. Teyd
pretend to give it back, then toss it around in a game of keep-away.
5 One day in February when the temperature was so low I felt my eyeballs cracking,
Vernon and his friends caught up with me on my way home. As usual, they tore of my
Cubs cap and started playing catch with it. What made it worse than usual was that on
this particular day I happened to be walking home with a pretty girl named Ann Cohn,
who lived across the street from me. Ann Cohn had green eyes and shiny black hair and
I had a goofy crush on her. As if it wasnt bad enough that these guys humiliated me
when I was alone, now they were doing it in front of Ann Cohn.
6 I was so embarrassed, I began to cry. Crying in front of Ann Cohn made me even
more embarrassed. I was speechless with shame and anger. Driven by rage, I did what
only an insane person would do: I attacked Vernon Manteufel. I punched him in the
chest and grabbed back my Cubs cap.
7 Vernon saw that I had become a madman. People dont know what to do with
madmen. Vernon looked shocked and even a little afraid. He backed away from me. I
attacked the second boy, who also backed away from me. Encouraged by their backing
away, I ran afer them, screaming, punching, failing at them with both fsts. I chased
them for two blocks before they fnally pulled ahead and disappeared. Breathing hard,
tears streaming down my face, I felt I had regained my honor, at least temporarily.
Personal Narrative:
ACTIVITY 1.5
continued
KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS
In what significant ways is
the incident of bullying that
the narrator describes in
paragraph 5 different from
theusual bullying?
GRAMMAR USAGE
Commas
When listing three or more
things in a series, separate
them with commas: I
ran after them, screaming,
punching, flailing at them
with both fists.
You can also create longer
sentences by linking
descriptive phrases with
commas: Breathing hard,
tears streaming down my
face, I felt I had regained my
honor
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My Notes

Where does Greenburgs
reflection on the
importance of this incident
begin? Summarize in the
My Notes space what he
says is the impact of that
incident in his later life.
ACTIVITY 1.5
continued
8 Tat weekend, perhaps made braver by my triumph over the three bullies, I kissed
Ann Cohn on her sofa. I cant tell you exactly why I did that. Maybe because it was
a cold, cloudy Saturday and there was nothing else to do. Maybe because we both
wondered what it would feel like. In any case, I could now brag that, at age eight, I had
personally kissed an actual girl who wasnt related to me.
9 I never did get those superpowers. Not as a kid, at least.
10 When I grew up, I became a writer. I discovered a particular pleasure in going on
risky adventures. I wrote about my real-life adventures for national magazines: I spent
four months riding with New York frefghters and running into burning buildings
with them. I spent six months riding with New York homicide cops as they chased and
captured drug dealers and murderers. I few upside-down over the Pacifc Ocean with a
stunt pilot in an open-cockpit airplane. I took part in dangerous voodoo ceremonies in
Haiti. I spent time on a tiger ranch in Texas and learned to tame two-hundred-pound
tigers by yelling No! and smacking them hard on the nose. I found that tigers were not
much diferent from the bullies of my childhood in Chicago.
11 I also wrote fction. I created entire worlds and flled them with people I wanted to
put in there. I made these people do and say whatever it pleased me to have them do
and say. In the worlds I made up, I was all-powerfulI had superpowers.
12 I began writing a series of childrens books called Te Zack Files, about a boy named
Zack who keeps stumbling into the supernatural. In many of these books I gave Zack
temporary powersto read minds, to travel outside his body, to travel back into the
past, to triumph over ghosts and monsters. I created another series called Maximum
Boy, about a boy named Max who accidentally touches radioactive rocks that just came
back from outer space and who suddenly develops superpowers. Maximum Boy is me
as a kid in Chicago, but with superpowers.
13 Oh yeah, I almost forgot. In Te Zack Files, I created a fat, stupid kid who sweats a
lot and thinks hes cool, but who everyone laughs at behind his back. You know what I
named this fool? Vernon Manteufel. I do hope the real Vernon knows.

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After Reading
2. Identify five events in My Superpowers. Sequence them in chronological
order:
First:
Then:
Next:
Afterwards:
Finally:
3. Often, cause and effect play an important part in a narrative. Give examples of
acause and an effect from My Superpowers. There may be more than one.
Narrative Writing Prompt: Return to the narrative you wrote in the voice of
Simba or Nala. Revise it to follow an incident-response-reflection organization.
Personal Narrative:
ACTIVITY 1.5
continued
WORD
CONNECTIONS
Roots and Affixes
The Greek root -chron- in
chronological means time.
Chronological means ordered
by time. Other English words
having to do with time also
contain this root: chronic,
chronicle, chronology,
synchronize, and anachronism.
My Notes

Cause
Effect
INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
Explore how the author of
your independent reading
book develops setting. Record
your thoughts in your Reader/
Writer Notebook.
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
Cause and effect describes a
relationship in which an action
or event will produce or cause
a certain response or effect in
the form of another event. It is
important to show that a specific
effect is directly related to a
cause. For example, the effect
of a flat tire is caused by driving
over a sharp object.
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Collaborative Discussion,
Predicting, Close Reading,
Organizer
ACTIVITY
1.6
He Said, She Said: Characterization
Learning Targets
Make inferences about a character and provide textual evidence in a short,
written response.
Practice the use and conventions of pronouns and dialogue.
Before Reading
1. Collaborative discussion: Discuss the following prompt:
Describe a time when you and another person (a friend, an adult, a teacher,
a sibling) saw the same incident differently. Explain both how you saw the
incident and how the other person viewed it.
2. In Flipped, Wendelin Van Draanen tells a story from two alternating first-person
points of view. Based on the title, predict what you think the selection will be
about. Explain your prediction.
During Reading
3 What do you know about how an author develops characters? When looking for
evidence of characterization, four things to look for are
The characters appearance
What the character says (dialogue)
What others say about the character
The characters actions
As you read the excerpt from Flipped, look for evidence to show how author
Wendelin Van Draanan develops her characters. Mark the text by underlining
details of appearance, words, and actions that develop the characters of
Julianna Baker and Bryce Loski.
4. A writers diction, or word choices, often uses connotation to create an effect or
meaning. For example, what do the verbs barged, shoved, and wedged
say about how a character is moving? What image of the character do you get
based on these words?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wendelin Van Draanen started writing for adults but discovered that she
much preferred writing for children. She has had much success with her
Sammy Keyes mystery series, several of which have won the Edgar Allan
Poe Award for best childrens mystery. She lives with her family in California.
Literary Terms
Connotation refers to
the suggested or implied
meaning or emotion
associated with a word.
Incontrast, denotation
refers to the literal meaning
of a word.
Literary Terms
Dialogue is conversation
between people. In a
story, itis the words that
characters say.

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GRAMMAR USAGE
Reflexive and Intensive
Pronouns
Words like myself, yourself,
itself, ourselves, yourselves,
and themselves can be used
as reflexive or intensive
pronouns, depending on how
they are used in a sentence.
A reflexive pronoun is used as
an object and refers back to
the subject of the sentence.
Example: . . . as shes
catapulting herself on board.
An intensive pronoun adds
emphasis to a noun in the
sentence. It can be removed
without changing the
meaning of the sentence.
Example: I sent my complaint
to the president of the
company himself.
Novel Excerpt
from

Fl
i p
p
e
d
by Wendelin Van Draanen
From the chapter Divi ng Under
1 All Ive ever wanted is for Juli Baker to leave me alone. For her to back ofyou
know, just give me some space.
2 It all started the summer before second grade when our moving van pulled into her
neighborhood. And since were now about done with the eighth grade, that, my friend,
makes more than half a decade of strategic avoidance and social discomfort.
3 She didnt just barge into my life. She barged and shoved and wedged her way into
my life. Did we invite her to get into our moving van and start climbing all over boxes?
No! But thats exactly what she did, taking over and showing of like only Juli Baker can.
4 My dad tried to stop her. Hey! he says as shes catapulting herself on board.
What are you doing? Youre getting mud everywhere! So true, too. Her shoes were,
like, caked with the stuf.
5 She didnt hop out, though. Instead, she planted her rear end on the foor and
started pushing a big box with her feet. Dont you want some help? She glanced my
way. It sure looks like you need it.
6 I didnt like the implication. And even though my dad had been tossing me the
same sort of look all week, I could tellhe didnt like this girl either. Hey! Dont do
that, he warned her. Tere are some really valuable things in that box.
7 Oh. Well, how about this one? She scoots over to a box labeled LENOX and looks
my way again. We should push it together!
8 No, no, no! my dad says, then pulls her up by the arm. Why dont you run along
home? Your mothers probably wondering where you are.
9 Tis was the beginning of my soon-to-become-acute awareness that the girl cannot
take a hint. Of any kind. Does she zip on home like a kid should when theyve been
invited to leave? No. She says, Oh, my mom knows where I am. She said it was fne.
Ten she points across the street and says, We just live right over there.
10 My father looks to where shes pointing and mutters, Oh boy. Ten he looks at me
and winks as he says, Bryce, isnt it time for you to go inside and help your mother?
11 I knew right of that this was a ditch play. And I didnt think about it until later, but
ditch wasnt a play Id run with my dad before. Face it, pulling a ditch is not something
discussed with dads. Its like, against parental law to tell your kid its okay to ditch
someone, no matter how annoying or muddy they might be.
12 But there he was, putting the play in motion, and man, he didnt have to wink
twice. I smiled and said, Sure thing! then jumped of the lifgate and headed for my
new front door.
ACTIVITY 1.6
continued
My Notes
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My Notes

13 I heard her coming afer me but I couldnt believe it. Maybe it just sounded like she
was chasing me; maybe she was really going the other way. But before I got up the nerve
to look, she blasted right past me, grabbing my arm yanking me along.
14 Tis was too much. I planted myself and was about to tell her to get lost when the
weirdest thing happened. I was making this big windmill motion to break away from
her, but somehow on the downswing my hand wound up tangling into hers. I couldnt
believe it. Tere I was, holding the mud monkeys hand!
15 I tried to shake her of, but she just clamped on tight and yanked me along, saying,
Cmon!
16 My mom came out of the house and immediately got the worlds sappiest look on
her face. Well, hello, she says to Juli.
17 Hi!
18 Im still trying to pull free, but the girls got me in a death grip. My moms grinning,
looking at our hands and my fery red face. And whats your name, honey?
19 Julianna Baker. I live right over there, she says, pointing with her unoccupied
hand.
20 Well, I see youve met my son, she says, still grinning away.
21 Uh-huh!
22 Finally I break free and do the only manly thing available when youre seven years
oldI dive behind my mother.
23 Mom puts her arm around me and says, Bryce, honey, why dont you show
Julianna around the house?
24 I fash her help and warning signals with every part of my body, but shes not
receiving. Ten she shakes me of and says, Go on.
25 Juli wouldve tramped right in if my mother hadnt noticed her shoes and told her
to take them of. And afer those were of, my mom told her that her dirty socks had to
go, too. Juli wasnt embarrassed. Not a bit. She just peeled them of and lef them in a
crusty heap on our porch.
26 I didnt exactly give her a tour. I locked myself in the bathroom instead. And afer
about ten minutes of yelling back at her that no, I wasnt coming out anytime soon,
things got quiet out in the hall. Another ten minutes went by before I got the nerve to
peek out the door.
27 No Juli.
28 I snuck out and looked around, and yes! She was gone.
29 Not a very sophisticated ditch, but hey, I was only seven.
30 My troubles were far from over, though. Every day she came back, over and over
again. Can Bryce play? I could hear her asking from my hiding place behind the
couch. Is he ready yet? One time she even cut across the yard and looked through
my window. I spotted her in the nick of time and dove under my bed, but man, that
right there tells you something about Juli Baker. Shes got no concept of personal space.
Norespect for privacy. Te world is her playground, and watch out belowJulis on
theslide!
ACTIVITY 1.6
continued
GRAMMAR USAGE
Punctuating Dialogue
Look at how the writer uses
dialogue in paragraphs
1621. What do you notice
about the use of quotation
marks? How does the writer
indicate who is speaking?
When writing dialogue,
remember these points:
Place a persons spoken
words inside quotation
marks (beginning and
ending).
Place the period, comma,
exclamation mark, or
question mark inside the
ending quotation mark.
Capitalize the first word
ofdialogue.
Start a new paragraph
when a different character
speaks.
In the My Notes space,
summarize the first meeting
between Juli and Bryce,
from Bryces point of view.
Use details from the story
to describe what Bryce says
and does.

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GRAMMAR USAGE
Sentences and Fragments
Authors often use simple
sentences or fragments in
dialogue. Simple sentences
contain an independent
clause with a single subject
and a verb.
Example: I live right over
there.
Fragments are not complete
sentences, as they do not
have both a subject and
averb.
Example: Sure thing!
Authors may use fragments
intentionally in dialogue
and for stylistic reasons, but
fragments used by mistake
take away from the authors
credibility.
From the chapter Fli pped
1 Te frst day I met Bryce Loski, I fipped. Honestly, one look at him and I became a
lunatic. Its his eyes. Something in his eyes. Teyre blue, and framed in the blackness of
his lashes, theyre dazzling. Absolutely breathtaking.
2 Its been over six years now, and I learned long ago to hide my feelings, but oh,
those frst days. Tose frst years! I thought I would die for wanting to be with him.
3 Two days before the second grade is when it started, although the anticipation
began weeks beforeever since my mother had told me that there was a family with a
boy my age moving into the new house right across the street.
4 Soccer camp had ended, and Id been so bored because there was nobody,
absolutely nobody, in the neighborhood to play with. Oh, there were kids, but every one
of them was older. Tat was dandy for my brothers, but what it lef me was home alone.
5 My mother was there, but she had better things to do than kick a soccer ball
around. So she said, anyway. At the time I didnt think there was anything better than
kicking a soccer ball around, especially not the likes of laundry or dishes or vacuuming,
but my mother didnt agree. And the danger of being home alone with her was that shed
recruit me to help her wash or dust or vacuum, and she wouldnt tolerate the dribbling
of a soccer ball around the house as I moved from chore to chore.
6 To play it safe, I waited outside for weeks, just in case the new neighbors moved
in early. Literally, it was weeks. I entertained myself by playing soccer with our dog,
Champ. Mostly hed just block because a dog cant exactly kick and score, but once in
a while hed dribble with his nose. Te scent of a ball must overwhelm a dog, though,
because Champ would eventually try to chomp it, then lose the ball to me.
7 When the Loskis moving van fnally arrived, everyone in my family was happy.
Little Julianna was fnally going to have a playmate.
8 My mother, being the truly sensible adult that she is, made me wait more than an
hour before going over to meet him. Give them a chance to stretch their legs, Julianna,
she said. Teyll want some time to adjust. She wouldnt even let me watch from the
yard. I know you, sweetheart. Somehow that ball will wind up in their yard and youll
just have to go retrieve it.
9 So I watched from the window, and every few minutes Id ask, Now? and shed
say, Give them a little while longer, would you?
10 Ten the phone rang. And the minute I was sure she was good and preoccupied, I
tugged on her sleeve and asked, Now?
11 She nodded and whispered, Okay, but take it easy! Ill be over there in a minute.
12 I was too excited not to charge across the street, but I did try very hard to be
civilized once I got to the moving van. I stood outside looking in for a record-breaking
length of time, which was hard because there he was! About halfway back! My new
sure-to-be best friend, Bryce Loski.
ACTIVITY 1.6
continued
My Notes

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13 Bryce wasnt really doing much of anything. He was more hanging back, watching
his father move boxes onto the lifgate. I remember feeling sorry for Mr. Loski because
he looked worn out, moving boxes all by himself. I also remember that he and Bryce
were wearing matching turquoise polo shirts, which I thought was really cute. Really
nice.
14 When I couldnt stand it any longer, I called, Hi! into the van, which made Bryce
jump, and then quick as a cricket, he started pushing a box like hed been working all
along.
15 I could tell from the way Bryce was acting so guilty that he was supposed to be
moving boxes, but he was sick of it. Hed probably been moving things for days! It was
easy to see that he needed a rest. He needed some juice! Something.
16 It was also easy to see that Mr. Loski wasnt about to let him quit. He was going to
keep on moving boxes around until he collapsed, and by then Bryce might be dead.
Dead before hed had the chance to move in!
17 Te tragedy of it catapulted me into the moving van. I had to help! I had to save
him!
18 When I got to his side to help him shove a box forward, the poor boy was so
exhausted that he just moved aside and let me take over. Mr. Loski didnt want me to
help, but at least I saved Bryce. Id been in the moving van all of three minutes when his
dad sent him of to help his mother unpack things inside the house.
19 I chased Bryce up the walkway, and thats when everything changed. You see, I
caught up to him and grabbed his arm, trying to stop him so maybe we could play a
little before he got trapped inside, and the next thing I know hes holding my hand,
looking right into my eyes.
20 My heart stopped. It just stopped beating. And for the frst time in my life, I had
that feeling. You know, like the world is moving all around you, all beneath you, all
inside you, and youre foating. Floating in midair. And the only thing keeping you from
drifing away is the other persons eyes. Teyre connected to yours by some invisible
physical force, and they hold you fast while the rest of the world swirls and twirls and
falls completely away.
21 I almost got my frst kiss that day. Im sure of it. But then his mother came out the
front door and he was so embarrassed that his cheeks turned completely red, and the
next thing you know hes hiding in the bathroom.
22 I was waiting for him to come out when his sister, Lynetta, saw me in the hallway.
She seemed big and mature to me, and since she wanted to know what was going on, I
told her a little bit about it. I shouldnt have, though, because she wiggled the bathroom
doorknob and started teasing Bryce something ferce. Hey, baby brother! she called
through the door. Teres a hot chick out here waiting for you! Whatsa matter? Afraid
shes got cooties?
ACTIVITY 1.6
continued
My Notes
How does the author pace
the narrative? What words
or phrases does the author
use as transitions?
After reading Bryces
first-person telling of this
incident, find the part of
Julis story that recounts
the exact same part of the
incident. Mark the text by
highlighting words and
phrases in Julis retelling
of the incident that show
her attitude toward and
her feelings about what is
happening.
Notice that Juli uses
the verbs charge and
catapult to describe how
she moves. These verbs
mean more than simply
to walk or run; they have
strong connotations. How
does the connotative effect
of these words describe
Julis attitude toward her
friendship with Bryce?

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23 It was so embarrassing! I yanked on her arm and told her to stop it, but she
wouldnt, so fnally I just lef.
24 I found my mother outside talking to Mrs. Loski. Mom had given her the beautiful
lemon Bundt cake that was supposed to be our dessert that night. Te powdered sugar
looked sof and white, and the cake was still warm, sending sweet lemon smells into the
air.
25 My mouth was watering just looking at it! But it was in Mrs. Loskis hands, and I
knew there was no getting it back. All I could do was try to eat up the smells while I
listened to the two of them discuss grocery stores and the weather forecast.
26 Afer that Mom and I went home. It was very strange. I hadnt gotten to play with
Bryce at all. All I knew was that his eyes were a dizzying blue, that he had a sister who
was not to be trusted, and that hed almost kissed me.
After Reading
5. Record the textual evidence of the authors characterization in the following
graphic organizer.
What Bryce/Juli says: What Bryce/Juli does:
What others say about
Bryce/Juli:
How Bryce/Juli appears:
ACTIVITY 1.6
continued
My Notes

How does the authors use of
different chapters to represent
each character contribute to
the development of the plot
and the different perspectives
of the characters?
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6. Make an inference about the characters attitudes in Flipped. To support your
thinking, include textual evidence about what the characters say and do.
I know Bryce thinks Juli is

because he says,

I know Juli thinks Bryce is

because she says

7. Use evidence from the text to show the differences in Bryces and Julis
perspective about an incident and how each character responded to it.
Bryces Point of View Julis Point of View
Incident
Response
ACTIVITY 1.6
continued

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ACTIVITY 1.6
continued
Language and Writers Craft: Pronouns
Pronouns can be used as both subjects and objects. Look at the graphic organizer
below and write in the pronouns of each type.
Subjective (Subject) Objective (Object)
Singular Plural Singular Plural
First person
Second person
Third person
When would you use a subjective pronoun and an objective pronoun?

Think about how writers use pronouns. Reread paragraphs 1314 of the chapter
Flipped. Read the paragraphs using only pronouns and not the names of the
characters? Why might this be confusing for readers?
Reread paragraphs 1314 aloud to a partner, using only proper names and no
pronouns. How does this usage affect the flow of writing?

Possessive Pronouns
The possessive pronouns show ownership. Complete the chart below by writing
the possessive pronouns that correspond to the pronouns in the left column. Find
examples of how these pronouns are used in Flipped and discuss with a partner.
I
you
he/she/they
My Notes

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ACTIVITY 1.6
continued
My Notes

4. Look back at your brainstorming about changes from Activity 1.2. Think about
an incident from your life that involved someone else or was witnessed by
someone else. It does not necessarily have to be someone with whom you had
adisagreement, as in Flipped.
Use the graphic organizer to prewrite about how that persons viewpoint about
theincident would be different from yours.
I Say . . . __________________ Says . . .
Narrative Writing Prompt: Write about the incident in a way that shows the
differing attitudes about what happened. Be sure to:
Establish the incident (setting, conflict, character) and describe the response to
the incident.
Create dialogue that incorporates the characters feelings and punctuate it
correctly.
Use descriptive language: connotative diction and vivid verbs.
Use proper names and pronouns (including subjective, objective, intensive, and
possessive) appropriately; punctuate your narrative correctly.
INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
Investigate and record
in your Reader/Writer
Notebook how the author
of the book you are reading
independently is developing
character.

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My Notes
Paraphrasing, Close Reading,
Organizer, Note-taking
ACTIVITY
1.7
Analyzing Narratives
Learning Targets
Analyze the elements of a personal narrative.
Identify the sequence of events in a narrative.
Compare narratives to analyze effective beginnings and endings.
Before Reading
1. Think of articles of clothing that you remember because you especially liked
or disliked them. In the personal essay you will read, author Gary Soto uses a
simile to compare a hated jacket to an enemy. In a quickwrite, describe your
article of clothing. Remember to use descriptive words to capture the image you
are trying to portray and a simile to make a comparison.
During Reading
2. In this activity, you will read three examples of personal narrative. Before
reading the first piece, your teacher will assign you to an expert group. Do
a close reading of The Jacket to find the elements of an effective narrative
according to your expert assignment.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gary Soto grew up in Fresno, California, and now lives in Berkeley, California.
In high school, he discovered a love of reading and knew he wanted to be
a writer. Soto started writing while in college. He has written poems, short
stories, and novels, which capture the vivid details of everyday life and which
have won numerous awards and prizes. Of Mexican-American heritage, Soto
speaks Spanish as well as English.
Personal Narrative
T
h
e
J
a
c
k
e
t
by Gary Soto
1 My clothes have failed me. I remember the green coat that I wore in ffh and sixth
grades when you either danced like a champ or pressed yourself against a greasy wall,
bitter as a penny toward the happy couples.
2 When I needed a new jacket and my mother asked what kind I wanted, I described
something like bikers wear: black leather and silver studs, with enough belts to hold
down a small town. We were in the kitchen, steam on the windows from her cooking.
She listened so long while stirring dinner that I thought she understood for sure the
kind I wanted. Te next day when I got home from school, I discovered draped on
my bedpost a jacket the color of day-old guacamole. I threw my books on the bed
Literary Terms
A simile compares two unlike
things using the words like
or as. For example, I
stared at the jacket, like an
enemy. . . .
Look at the opening sentence.
How is it a strong hook for the
narrative?
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
When you analyze, you separate
something into parts and study
how the parts are related. This
analytical approach allows you
to understand how the parts
work together so you can better
understand them. For example,
an analysis of a patients
symptoms will help a doctor
understand a patients illness.
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and approached the jacket slowly, as if it were a stranger whose hand I had to shake.
Itouched the vinyl sleeve, the collar, and peeked at the mustard-colored lining.
3 From the kitchen mother yelled that my jacket was in the closet. I closed the door
to her voice and pulled at the rack of clothes in the closet, hoping the jacket on the
bedpost wasnt for me but my mean brother. No luck. I gave up. From my bed, I stared
at the jacket. I wanted to cry because it was so ugly and so big that I knew Id have to
wear it a long time. I was a small kid, thin as a young tree, and it would be years before
Id have a new one. I stared at the jacket, like an enemy, thinking bad things before I
took of my old jacket, whose sleeves climbed halfway to my elbow.
4 I put the big jacket on. I zipped it up and down several times, and rolled the cufs
up so they didnt cover my hands. I put my hands in the pockets and fapped the jacket
like a birds wings. I stood in front of the mirror, full face, then profle, and then looked
over my shoulder as if someone had called me. I sat on the bed, stood against the bed,
and combed my hair to see what I would look like doing something natural. I looked
ugly. I threw it on my brothers bed and looked at it for a long time before I slipped it
on and went out to the backyard, smiling a thank you to my mom as I passed her in
the kitchen. With my hands in my pockets I kicked a ball against the fence, and then
climbed it to sit looking into the alley. I hurled orange peels at the mouth of an open
garbage can, and when the peels were gone I watched the white pufs of my breath thin
to nothing.
5 I jumped down, hands in my pockets, and in the backyard, on my knees, I teased
my dog, Brownie, by swooping my arms while making birdcalls. He jumped at me and
missed. He jumped again and again, until a tooth sunk deep, ripping an L-shaped tear
on my lef sleeve. I pushed Brownie away to study the tear as I would a cut on my arm.
Tere was no blood, only a few loose pieces of fuzz. Damn dog, I thought, and pushed
him away hard when he tried to bite again. I got up from my knees and went to my
bedroom to sit with my jacket on my lap, with the lights out.
6 Tat was the frst afernoon with my new jacket. Te next day I wore it to
sixth grade and got a D on a math quiz. During the morning recess Frankie T., the
playground terrorist, pushed me to the ground and told me to stay there until recess
was over. My best friend, Steve Negrete, ate an apple while looking at me, and the girls
turned away to whisper on the monkey bars. Te teachers were no help: they looked my
way and talked about how foolish I looked in my new jacket. I saw their heads bob with
laughter, their hands half covering their mouths.
7 Even though it was cold, I took of the jacket during lunch and played kickball in
a thin shirt, my arms feeling like braille from goose bumps. But when I returned to
class I slipped the jacket on and shivered until I was warm. I sat on my hands, heating
them up, while my teeth chattered like a cup of crooked dice. Finally warm, I slid out
of the jacket but put it back on a few minutes later when the fre bell rang. We paraded
out into the yard where we, the sixth graders, walked past all the other grades to stand
against the back fence. Everybody saw me. Although they didnt say out loud, Man,
thats ugly, I heard the buzz-buzz of gossip and even laughter that I knew was meant
forme.
8 And so I went, in my guacamole-colored jacket. So embarrassed, so hurt, I couldnt
even do my homework. I received Cs on quizzes and forgot the state capitals and the
rivers of South America, our friendly neighbor. Even the girls who had been friendly
blew away like loose fowers to follow the boys in neat jackets.
ACTIVITY 1.7
continued
My Notes
What is the point of view
of this text? From whose
perspective is it written?
To show his hatred of his
jacket, Soto exaggerates
the effect of the jacket on
his life. List some effects
of the jacket by copying
phrases directly from the
story onto the My Notes
space.
Paragraphs 7, 8 and 9 have
especially vivid examples
of similes that describe
how the narrator is feeling.
Underline examples.
Choose one that you
consider especially vivid,
write it in the My Notes
section, and explain its
effect.

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My Notes

9 I wore that thing for three years until the sleeves grew short and my forearms stuck
out like the necks of turtles. All during that time no love came to meno little dark girl
in a Sunday dress she wore on Monday. At lunchtime I stayed with the ugly boys who
leaned against the chainlink fence and looked around with propellers of grass spinning
in our mouths. We saw girls walk by alone, saw couples, hand in hand, their heads like
bookends pressing air together. We saw them and spun our propellers so fast our faces
were blurs.
10 I blame that jacket for those bad years. I blame my mother for her bad taste and
her cheap ways. It was a sad time for the heart. With a friend I spent my sixth-grade
year in a tree in the alley, waiting for something good to happen to me in that jacket,
which had become the ugly brother who tagged along wherever I went. And it was
about that time that I began to grow. My chest pufed up with muscle and, strangely, a
few more ribs. Even my hands, those feshy hammers, showed bravely through the cufs,
the fngers already hardening for the coming fghts. But that L-shaped rip on the lef
sleeve got bigger; bits of stuf ng coughed out from its wound afer a hard day of play. I
fnally Scotch-taped it closed, but in rain or cold weather the tape peeled of like a scab
and more stuf ng fell out until that sleeve shriveled into a palsied arm. Tat winter the
elbows began to crack and whole chunks of green began to fall of. I showed the cracks
to my mother, who always seemed to be at the stove with steamed-up glasses, and she
said that there were children in Mexico who would love that jacket. I told her that this
was America and yelled that Debbie, my sister, didnt have a jacket like mine. I ran
outside, ready to cry, and climbed the tree by the alley to think bad thoughts and watch
my breath puf white and disappear.
11 But whole pieces still casually few of my jacket when I played hard, read quietly,
or took vicious spelling tests at school. When it became so spotted that my brother
began to call me camoufage, I fung it over the fence into the alley. Later, however, I
swiped the jacket of the ground and went inside to drape it across my lap and mope.
12 I was called to dinner: steam silvered my mothers glasses as she said grace; my
brother and sister with their heads bowed made ugly faces at their glasses of powdered
milk. I gagged too, but eagerly ate big rips of buttered tortilla that held scooped-up
beans. Finished, I went outside with my jacket across my arm. It was a cold sky. Te
faces of clouds were piled up, hurting. I climbed the fence, jumping down with a grunt.
I started up the alley and soon slipped into my jacket, that green ugly brother who
breathed over my shoulder that day and ever since.
ACTIVITY 1.7
continued
Based on your close
reading and your skills at
making inferences, what
can you conclude about the
significance of the jacket in
Sotos life?
Literary Terms
A metaphor compares two
unlike things without using
the words like or as. For
examples, in . . .that jacket,
which had become the ugly
brother. . .. the ugly brother
is a metaphor for the jacket.
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My Notes

After Reading
3. Use the graphic organizer to take notes on your analysis of The Jacket.
Ideas Organization Use of Language and
Conventions
The incident that affected the
narrator:

Major conflict:
Setting:
Feelings of characters:
Incident:
Response:
Reflection:
Important dialogue:
Descriptive language (e.g.,
connotative diction, vivid
verbs,similes):
Pronoun use:
4. You will next read an excerpt from the novel Kira-Kira. As you read, look
closelyat the opening. How does it set the time, place, and point of view for
thestory? Also make notes and mark the text for the sequence of events,
sensory language, vivid verbs, and descriptive details.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cynthia Kadohata had published two novels for adults before she wrote
Kira-Kira, which won the Newbery Medal in 2005. Kira-Kira and her next
novel, Weedower, explore the experiences of Japanese American families
in the United States from a childs viewpoint. In her book Cracker!: The Best
Dog in Vietnam, Ms. Kadohata shares her love of dogs. Ms. Kadohata earned
a degree in journalism from the University of Southern California.
ACTIVITY 1.7
continued
Literary Terms
Sensory language refers
to words that appeal to
the five senses. Writers
use sensory language to
help readers create mental
images of the characters
and story details.

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My Notes

Novel
From
Kira-Kira
by Cynthia Kadohata
1 My sister, Lynn, taught me my frst word: kira-kira. I pronounced it ka-a-ahhh,
but she knew what I meant. Kira-kira means glittering in Japanese. Lynn told me that
when I was a baby, she used to take me onto our empty road at night, where we would
lie on our backs and look at the stars while she said over and over, Katie, say kira-kira,
kira-kira. I loved that word! When I grew older, I used kira-kira to describe everything
I liked: the beautiful blue sky, puppies, kittens, butterfies, colored Kleenex.
2 My mother said we were misusing the word; you could not call a Kleenex kira-kira.
She was dismayed over how un-Japanese we were and vowed to send us to Japan one
day. I didnt care where she sent me, so long as Lynn came along.
3 I was born in Iowa in 1951. I know a lot about when I was a little girl, because my
sister used to keep a diary. Today I keep her diary in a drawer next to my bed.
4 I like to see how her memories were the same as mine, but also diferent. For
instance, one of my earliest memories is of the day Lynn saved my life. I was almost fve,
and she was almost nine. We were playing on the empty road near our house. Fields
of tall corn stretched into the distance wherever you looked. A dirty gray dog ran out
of the feld near us, and then he ran back in. Lynn loved animals. Her long black hair
disappeared into the corn as she chased the dog. Te summer sky was clear and blue.
I felt a brief fear as Lynn disappeared into the cornstalks. When she wasnt in school, she
stayed with me constantly. Both our parents worked. Of cially, I stayed all day with a
lady from down the road, but unof cially, Lynn was the one who took care of me.
5 Afer Lynn ran into the feld, I couldnt see anything but corn.
6 Lynnie! I shouted. We werent that far from our house, but I felt scared. I burst
into tears.
7 Somehow or other, Lynn got behind me and said, Boo! and I cried some more.
She just laughed and hugged me and said, Youre the best little sister in the world!
I liked it when she said that, so I stopped crying.
8 Te dog ran of. We lay on our backs in the middle of the road and stared at the
blue sky. Some days nobody at all drove down our little road. We could have lain on our
backs all day and never got hit.
9 Lynn said, Te blue of the sky is one of the most special colors in the world,
because the color is deep but see-through both at the same time. What did I just say?
10 Te sky is special.
11 Te ocean is like that too, and peoples eyes.
12 She turned her head toward me and waited. I said, Te ocean and peoples eyes are
special too.
ACTIVITY 1.7
continued
How do the opening three
paragraphs of the narrative
give the reader a context for
the character, settings, and
possible conflicts?
Think about how the author
paces her narrative. What do
you notice about how much
of the story is the beginning,
how much is the middle,
and how much is the end?
Evaluate the effectiveness
ofeach section.
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The incident is described in
a very dramatic and sensory
way. Examine paragraphs 14
and 15 and highlight the
verbs. How do these verbs
appeal to the senses and
add to the visual effect of
the incident?
13 Tats how I learned about eyes, sky, and ocean: the three special, deep, colored,
see-through things. I turned to Lynnie. Her eyes were deep and black, like mine.
14 Te dog burst from the feld suddenly, growling and snarling. Its teeth were long
and yellow. We screamed and jumped up. Te dog grabbed at my pants. As I pulled
away, the dog ripped my pants and his cold teeth touched my skin. Aaahhhhh!
I screamed.
15 Lynn pulled at the dogs tail and shouted at me, Run, Katie, run! I ran, hearing the
dog growling and Lynnie grunting. When I got to the house, I turned around and saw
the dog tearing at Lynns pants as she huddled over into a ball. I ran inside and looked
for a weapon. I couldnt think straight. I got a milk bottle out of the fridge and ran
toward Lynn and threw the bottle at the dog. Te bottle missed the dog and broke on
the street. Te dog rushed to lap up the milk.
16 Lynn and I ran toward the house, but she stopped on the porch. I pulled at her.
Come on!
17 She looked worried. Hes going to cut his tongue on the glass.
18 Who cares?
19 But she got the water hose and chased the dog away with the water, so it wouldnt
hurt its tongue. Tats the way Lynn was. Even if you tried to kill her and bite of her leg,
she still forgave you.
20 Tis is what Lynn said in her diary from that day:
21 Te corn was so pretty. When it was all around me, I felt like I wanted to stay there
forever. Ten I heard Katie crying, and I ran out as fast as I could. I was so scared.
Ithought something had happened to her!
22 Later, when the dog attacked me, Katie saved my life.
23 I didnt really see things that way. If she hadnt saved my life frst, I wouldnt have
been able to save her life. So, really, shes the one who saved a life.
After Reading
5. How do the opening paragraphs describe the relationship between the two
sisters? Write a sentence using an appropriate adjective that describes this
relationship.
ACTIVITY 1.7
continued
INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
After reading this excerpt
from Kira-Kira, access
the YouTube audio for
Chapter1. Listen to the
reading, and then respond
tothese questions:
1. How are the images you
see when you read the
story different or similar to
the images you hear when
you listen to the story?
2. Did your understanding of
any part of the story change
as a result of also listening
to the story being read?
GRAMMAR USAGE
Vivid Verbs
A verb is the part of speech
that expresses existence,
action, or occurrence. Vivid
verbs provide a very specific
description of an action. For
example:
Not vivid: The dog barked
and ran after the cat.
Vivid: The dog growled and
sprang after the cat.

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ACTIVITY 1.7
continued
6. Use the following graphic organizer to identify the scenes in the order in which
they happened in the incident. Write a sentence that explains what Katie may
have been feeling.
Event Number Explanation of the Event Katies Feelings About the Event
Event 1 A gray dog runs out of the field. Katie
watches Lynn chase the dog into the
cornstalks.
FearKatie is fearful that her sister has
disappeared forever.
Event 2
Event 3
Event 4
Event 5
Event 6
Event 7
Event 8
Event 9
Event 10
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ACTIVITY 1.7
continued
My Notes

7. Write a short summary of the main idea in this text.
8. Including My Superpowers, you have now read three different personal
narratives. Reread the openings for each of the narratives. Choose the opening
that you think is the most interesting and effective, and explain why.
9. Now look at the endings. Which ending is most effective at closing the story?
Explain why.
With your group, choose one of the narratives you have read and make a
posterthat demonstrates your analysis of the story by creatively incorporating
thefollowing:
Title and author of text.
An ending to the sentence: This narrative is effective because . . .
Examples of textual evidence that support the sentence.
Pictures/symbols/color that illustrate the elements of a narrative.
As you complete your poster, think about the answer to the essential question:
What makes a good story?

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Graphic Organizer, Visualizing,
Prewriting
My Notes

Learning Targets
Visualize a personal incident about change.
Sequence details in a narrative.
Write dialogue and commentary about an incident.
1. Think about the narratives you have read and how the writers created a story
around an incident. List some of the incidents that resulted in some kind of
change to your life. An example might be events that happened when changing
from elementary school to middle school.
2. Choose one memorable incident that you would be willing to share as a visual
memory map. Think back to that incident and determine what happened at the
beginning, in the middle, and at the end. Try to come up with at least eight to
ten events for the entire incident, at least three to four for each part. Use the
graphic organizer to list the events of the incident.
ACTIVITY
1.8
Creating a Narrative
My Incident:
Events at the Beginning Events in the Middle Events at the End
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ACTIVITY 1.8
continued
3. Next, brainstorm details of the events. Record descriptive language
(connotativediction, sensory details, vivid verbs) and dialogue. Use
thequestions in the boxes to guide your thoughts.
Structure of a Personal Narrative
Ending Details
How did it end?
What did you learn,
discover, or realize? How
did you grow?
Middle Details
Describe events in
chronological order.
Include dialogue.
What happened? (conflict)
What were you and others
doing?
What were you thinking
and feeling?
Beginning Details
What was the time and
place? (setting)
Who was there?
(characters)
What were you (the
narrator) doing, thinking,
and feeling?
Incident Response Reflection
Creating a Memory Map
For each event you have listed, you will create one panel or page and include
thefollowing:
Write a sentence that gives specific details about the event. Then, write
commentary using a different-colored pen. Your commentary should explain
theimportance of the event or explain your feelings and emotions at the
time.Be sure to include transitions.
Using a third color, provide one sentence of dialogue for the scene.
Create a drawing or graphic representation for each event.
Give your Memory Map a title that will intrigue the reader and represent
thenarrative.
Be prepared to present your Memory Map, telling your story to either a small
group or the whole class.
You will use your Memory Map in the next activities as you write a narrative.

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Prewriting, Rereading, Drafting,
Graphic Organizer
Creating a Narrative: Prewriting
and Drafting
ACTIVITY
1.9
Learning Targets
Demonstrate an understanding of narrative elements by drafting a narrative.
Apply the writing process while drafting a personal narrative.
1. Prewriting: Using the topic from your Memory Map or another topic of your
choice, think about whether there are additional questions you might ask.
Use the reporters questions (who, what, when, where, why, and how) to fill in
details of the narrative plan.
2. Planning: Organize the answers to your questions in a graphic organizer such
as the one below (see the Resources for a full-page version).

Cause
Incident
Effect
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ACTIVITY 1.9
continued
3. Characterization: Plan the characters by deciding what they say and do.
What the Character Says: What Others Say:
What the Character Does: Descriptions of the Characters Appearance:
What the Character Thinks: Language Techniques:
Writing the Beginning
How have you seen authors interest, or hook, their audiences? What types of
beginnings do you enjoy? Narratives must begin in a way that grabs the readers
attention and interests him or her enough to continue reading.
Some authors use the AQQS strategy to hook their readers. AQQS is an
acronymfor:
Anecdote: a short sketch or account of a biographical incident
Question: a question that focuses the readers attention on the subject of the
writing
Quote: a line of dialogue or a famous quotation that points to the idea of the
narrative
Statement of intrigue: a statement designed to capture the readers interest and
compel him or her to read more
WORD
CONNECTIONS
Acronyms
An acronym is an abbreviation
usually created from the first
letter of each word in a phrase,
such as scuba (self-
contained underwater
breathing apparatus).

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4. Reread the openings of the narratives in Activities 1.5, 1.6, and 1.7. Inthe last
column of the graphic organizer, describe the type of hook each authoruses.
and Drafting
ACTIVITY 1.9
continued
Text What choice did the author make to hook
the reader?
Does the author use one of the AQQS
strategies?
My Superpowers Do you ever wish you had superpowers?
Flipped
From the chapter
Diving Under
All Ive ever wanted is for Juli Baker to
leave me alone. For her to back offyou
know, just give me some space.
The Jacket My clothes have failed me. I remember
the green coat that I wore in fifth and
sixth grades when you either danced like
a champ or pressed yourself against a
greasy wall, bitter as a penny toward the
happy couples.
Kira-Kira My sister, Lynn, taught me my first word:
kira-kira. I pronounced it ka-a-ahhh, but
she knew what I meant. Kira-kira means
glittering in Japanese. Lynn told me
that when I was a baby, she used to take
me onto our empty road at night, where
we would lie on our backs and look at the
stars while she said over and over, Katie,
say kira-kira, kira-kira. I loved that
word! When I grew older, I used kira-kira
to describe everything I liked: the beautiful
blue sky, puppies, kittens, butterflies,
colored Kleenex.
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ACTIVITY 1.9
continued
5. Which narrative opening do you believe is most effective? Why?
Writing an Ending
6. Reread the endings in the narratives in Activities 1.5, 1.6, and 1.7. Then
complete the graphic organizer.
Title of Text Describe how the narrator ends the
story.
Summarize how the narrator changes
because of the incident.
Consider what the narrator learns and
how he/she has grown as a person.
My Superpowers Greenburg explains how he never got
those superpowers as a kid, in two
sentences (paragraph #9) and then
reflects on how he gained superpowers
in adult life in the last four paragraphs. He
makes sure he ties the ending to the title
of his narrative.
The ending shows that Greenburg learned he
could be strong and get back at the childhood
bullies by writing interesting, funny stories as
an adult. This shows how he learned that he
has power through words/writing. His power
is nonviolent and entertaining.
Flipped (page 28)
From the chapter
Diving Under
Van Draanen explains The ending shows that
The Jacket (page 26) Soto explains The ending shows that
Kira-Kira (page 30) Kadohata explains The ending shows that

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7. Which narrative ending do you believe is most effective? Why?
Language and Writers Craft: Transitions
The use of transitions makes an essay or other writing easy for the reader to follow.
Transitions are words and phrases that link ideas, sentences, and paragraphs.
Transitions help you create coherence in your writing.
Transitional words help you move from one sentence or thought to another.
Transitions that show examples: that is, such as, for example, in other words,
for instance
Transitions that show time: first, next, after, finally, then, at the same time
Transitions that show importance: second, more importantly, most important,
most of all, least, last but not least
Narrative Writing Prompt: Write a draft of your narrative about a change that is
significant to you. Remember to refer to your Memory Map, questions and answers
about details, and your characterization graphic organizer to help guide you as you
write. Be sure to:
Establish the incident (setting, conflict, character), describe the response
(events), and include a reflection.
Write from the first-person point of view and include details of the characters
feelings; use dialogue to develop the characters and the incident.
Use descriptive language, such as connotative diction, sensory details, and vivid
verbs.
Use transitions, apply correct punctuation, and use different types of pronouns
correctly.
and Drafting
ACTIVITY 1.9
continued
My Notes
ACADEMIC VOCABULARY
When you use transitions to link
or connect ideas, you are helping
to create coherence or the clear
and orderly presentation of ideas
in your writing or speaking. This
ability to make your thinking
cohere, or stick together, is an
important skill in writing and
thinking in any subject.
Think about how you can
generalize the term transition:
The transition from childhood to
adulthood is full of false starts.
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Creating a Narrative: Revising ACTIVITY
1.10
Learning Targets
Examine and use revision strategies to enhance narrative writing.
Incorporate transitions and sensory details into a final draft.
No one ever creates a perfect piece of writing with just one try. Revision gives you
the chance to look at your writing critically and decide how to improve it.
Introducing the Strategy: Adding
The adding strategy is a revision strategy. With this strategy, you make conscious
choices to enhance a piece of your writing by adding words, phrases, sentences, or
ideas. For example, characters and incidents should be fully developed in narrative
writing. Adding details as you revise can make a character come alive for the reader
or make the story more appealing.
Adding Dialogue
Adding dialogue is one way to enhance narrative writing. When adding dialogue, it
is important to vary your use of dialogue tags. Dialogue tags are phrases used to
explain who is speaking. For example, look at this line from Flipped:
No, no, no! my dad says, then pulls her up by the arm.
The dialogue tag is the phrase my dad says.
1. Brainstorm words other than says that you could use in dialogue tags,
categorizing them by beginning letter. These verbs should be vivid and more
descriptive than said.
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A-D E-K L-P Q-Z
Revising, Adding, Drafting,
Sharing and Responding

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2. Your teacher will share with you a sample of a comic strip, or you might bring
in one of your favorite comic strips. Mark the text with different colors for each
character in the comic strip. Then transform the conversation in the comic strip
into written dialogue in paragraph form. Remember to punctuate the dialogue
correctly and use a variety of dialogue tags.
3. Share your dialogue with a partner and compare how you each wrote the words
of the characters in the comic strip. How were your paragraphs alike? How were
they different?
Create a Writers Checklist for using dialogue. Then use the checklist to revise your
narrative to include dialogue.
Creating a Narrative: Revising
ACTIVITY 1.10
continued
My Notes

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Language and Writers Craft: Revising for Transitions
Another way of revising your writing is to add transitions. Transitions help the
reader follow a narrative by showing how ideas are related. The following words and
phrases are examples of common transitions.
again also in addition too but
still however because then so
first second next before afterward
yet finally at last to begin later
as soon as not long after instead at the last moment in the end
4. The following student narrative does not include any transitional words or
phrases. It also lacks details to help the reader imagine the scene. Highlight
each place where a transition might fit. Underline sentences that would benefit
from sensory details and vivid verbs. Circle or draw a box around the pronouns.
Nala and Simba turned around. They discovered they were in a scary place. Nala
and Simba were excited. They didnt know how dangerous it could be. Simba
ran to explore the huge elephant skull in front of them. Three hyenas came out of
the skull. The hyenas attacked Nala and Simba, but they ran away, so the hyenas
attacked Zazu. Simba ran back to save him, but the hyenas turned on them. Nala
fell and he turned around to save her. Simba and Nala dropped into the ribcage
of a dead elephant. The hyenas trapped them. They were saved by Mufasa.
5. Rewrite the paragraph above, adding transitions, sensory details, and vivid
verbs.
ACTIVITY 1.10
continued
My Notes

INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
Outline the sequence
of events from your
independent reading
book. What has happened
so far? In your Reader/
Writer Notebook, include
major events, examples of
important dialogue, and
transitional words and
phrases.

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Revising Your Opening
6. Reread the opening of your narrative. Does it have a hook that grabs the
readers attention? Review the AQQS strategy:
Anecdote: a short sketch or account of a biographical incident
Question: a question that focuses the readers attention on the subject of the
writing
Quote: a line of dialogue or a famous quotation that points to the idea of the
narrative
Statement of intrigue: a statement designed to capture the readers interest and
compel him or her to read more
If needed, revise your narrative opening to use one of these techniques.
Revising the Ending
7. Reread your ending. Does it have a reflection on the incident, following the
incident-response-reflection pattern? How can you make your ending stronger?
Do you need to add sensory language or transitions? Revise the ending to your
narrative.
Creating a Finished Document
8. Among the steps to finishing your narrative is writing a title. To find ideas for
thetitle:
Skim the narrative for a word or phrase that captures the big idea or theme of
the narrative. Use interesting, descriptive words for your title.
State the change the narrator experienced, in a clever way.
Make your title unique; an effective title is not just a labeling of the genre or
type of text (e.g., Personal Narrative).
9. The last step to creating a final draft is to check that it is correct and as good as
you can make it. To prepare your document for publication, do the following:
Proofread it to ensure that you have caught and fixed any spelling errors. If
you are using word processing software, use its spell-check feature.
Check that you have used correct grammar and punctuation.
Use available resources, such as a dictionary and thesaurus, as you edit your
narrative and prepare it for publication.
Creating a Narrative: Revising
ACTIVITY 1.10
continued
My Notes

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Assignment
Your assignment is to write a personal narrative that includes a well-told incident,
aresponse to the incident, and a reflection about the significance of the incident.
Planning and Prewriting: Take time to make a plan for your personal
narrative.
What activities have you completed or ideas have you brainstormed that will
help you as you think of an appropriate incident to write about?
How will you make sure you understand all that needs to be part of your
personal narrative?
What prewriting strategies can you use to help you create ideas? Will you work
from your Memory Map?
Drafting: Determine the structure of your personal narrative.
What will you include in the beginning, the middle, and the end of your
narrative?
How will you introduce your incident?
How will you be sure to write about the significance of the incident in a way that
conveys importance?
Evaluating and Revising the Draft: Create opportunities to review and
revise in order to make your work the best it can be.
During the process of writing, have you paused at points to share and respond
with others how well you are following the structure of a narrative?
Are you considering revising your draft to add transitions and additional details
to the incident? Once you get suggestions, are you creating a plan to include
revision ideas in your draft?
Have you used the Scoring Guide to help you evaluate how well your draft
included the requirements of the assignment?
Checking and Editing for Publication: Confirm that your final draft is ready
for publication.
How will you check for grammatical and technical accuracy?
How will you make sure that everything is spelled correctly?
Reflection
After completing this Embedded Assessment, think about how you went about
accomplishing this assignment, and answer the questions below:
How did the activities leading up to this Embedded Assessment help you to be
successful?
What activities were especially helpful, and why?
Writing a Personal Narrative EMBEDDED
ASSESSMENT 1
My Notes

Technology TIP:
As you prepare for
publication, dont forget to
use spelling and grammar
tools provided by your word-
processing program to ensure
that your final version is as
clean as possible.

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Activity Title Activity Title
Activity Title
Writing a Personal Narrative
SCORING GUIDE
Scoring
Criteria
Exemplary Proficient Emerging Incomplete
Ideas The narrative
presents a clearly
focused and
significant incident
develops
experiences, events,
and/or characters
through thorough
and effective use of
dialogue, pacing, and
descriptive details.
The narrative
presents a focused
and significant
incident
develops
and/or characters
through techniques
such as dialogue,
pacing, and
descriptive details.
The narrative
Presents an
inconsistently
focused incident
Begins to develop
and/or characters
through some use
of dialogue, pacing,
and/or descriptive
details.
The narrative
presents an
unfocused or unclear
incident
fails to develop
experiences,
events, and/or
characters; minimal
use of elaborative
techniques.
Structure The narrative
engages and orients
the reader in an
introduction
sequences events
in the incident and
response logically
and naturally
uses a variety
of transitional
strategies effectively
provides an insightful
reflective conclusion.
The narrative
orients the reader
with an adequate
introduction
sequences events
in the incident and
response logically
uses transitional
words, phrases, and
clauses to link events
and signal shifts
provides a reflective
conclusion.
The narrative
provides a weak
or unrelated
introduction
sequences events
unevenly
uses inconsistent,
repetitive, or basic
transitional words,
phrases, and clauses
provides a weak
or disconnected
conclusion.
The narrative
lacks an introduction
sequences events
illogically
uses few or no
transitional
strategies
lacks a conclusion.
Use of
Language
The narrative
uses precise words
and sensory language
effectively to convey
the experience
demonstrates
command of the
conventions of
standard English
capitalization,
punctuation, spelling,
grammar, and usage
(including pronoun
use, sentence variety,
dialogue tags, and
punctuation).
The narrative
uses generally
precise words and
sensory language
to convey the
experience
demonstrates
adequate command
of the conventions
of standard English
capitalization,
grammar, and usage
(including pronoun
dialogue tags, and
punctuation).
The narrative
uses few precise
words and little
sensory language
demonstrates partial
or inconsistent
command of the
conventions of
standard English
capitalization,
grammar, and usage
(including pronoun
dialogue tags, and
punctuation).
The narrative
uses limited, vague,
and unclear words
and language
lacks command of
the conventions of
standard English
capitalization,
grammar, and usage;
frequent errors
obscure meaning.
EMBEDDED
ASSESSMENT 1
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Learning Targets
Reflect on prior learning and connect to learning necessary to complete
Embedded Assessment 2 successfully.
Compare and contrast writing a personal narrative and writing a short story.
Making Connections
In the first part of this unit, you thought about changes in your life and learned how
to write a personal narrative. In the second part of the unit, you will expand on your
writing skills by learning to write a short story that will appeal to an audience.
Essential Questions
1. Reflect on your understanding of the first Essential Question: How can change
be significant?
2. Have your ideas about what makes a good story changed?
Developing Vocabulary
Create a graphic organizer with three columns, one each for Q, H, and T.
Re-sort the following words from the first half of the unit using the QHT strategy.
Compare this sort with your original sort. Where has it changed most? Where has it
changed least?
Literary Terms Academic Vocabulary
genre
point of view
diction
narrative
characterization
conflict (internal/external)
connotation
denotation
simile
metaphor
sensory language
personal narrative
paraphrase
summarize
synonym
antonym
sequence
cause-effect
analyze
transitions
coherence
Unpacking Embedded Assessment 2
Closely read the assignment for Embedded Assessment 2: Writing a Short Story.
Write a story using dialogue, vivid verbs, and figurative language that captures
a real or imagined experience and includes characters, conflict, and a plot with
exposition, climax, and resolution.
Also read the Scoring Guide for Embedded Assessment 2 on page 86. With your
class, create a graphic organizer to use as a visual reminder of the required
knowledge (what you need to know) and skills (what you need to do). Copy the
graphic organizer for future reference. After each activity, use this graphic to guide
reflection about what you have learned and what you still need to learn in order to
be successful on the Embedded Assessment.
Previewing Embedded Assessment 2
and Preparing to Write a Short Story
ACTIVITY
1.11
QHT, Close Reading,
Paraphrasing, Graphic
Organizer
My Notes


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3. Based on your current understanding, how do you think writing a personal
narrative and a short story are similar? How are they different? Fill in the chart
below with your ideas for each genre.
Personal Narrative Short Story
Topics
Setting
Plot
Characters
Dialogue
4. With a group, discuss your ideas about how personal narratives and short
stories may be similar or different. Write down the conclusions you can draw,
based on your discussion.
5. What do these similarities and differences mean for you as a writer? Do you
think writing a short story will be more or less challenging than writing a
personal narrative?
ACTIVITY 1.11
continued
Previewing Embedded Assessment 2
and Preparing to Write a Short Story
INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
To support your learning in
the second half of the unit,
you might think about reading
a collection of short stories
by different authors or a
collection of short stories by a
single author.
My Notes

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Whats in a Short Story? ACTIVITY
1.12
Learning Targets
Analyze the elements of plot and characterization.
Use narrative writing to create a new resolution to a story.
Before Reading
1. You have read many short stories in your life. Unlike a personal narrative, a
short story is a work of fiction, which means that it is made up by the writer. Do
a quickwrite on what you think makes a good short story.
During Reading
2. Many short stories contain dialogue. In the next story, the dialogue takes
place between the two characters. As you read the story, make connections
to elements of a personal narrative that you have studied: characters, point of
view, dialogue, and incidents. Take notes in the graphic organizer.
Elements of a Personal Narrative
Examples from the Story
Characters:
Point of View:
Dialogue:
Structure:
Incidents:
Collaborative Discussion,
Note-taking, Drafting
My Notes

Literary Terms
A short story is a fictional
narrative that presents a
sequence of events, or plot,
that include a conflict.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Langston Hughes (19021967) began his writing career early. By 8th grade,
he was named the class poet. He regularly wrote verse for his high school
magazine. Hughes entered Columbia University in 1921 and discovered
the arts scene in Harlem. He became a prominent gure in the Harlem
Renaissance. His poetry, plays, and stories frequently focus on the African
American experience, particularly on the struggles and feelings of people
in a segregated society. His poetry was especially informed by the jazz and
blues rhythms of African American music.
Thank You, Mam
by Langston Hughes
1 She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hammer
and nails. It had a long strap, and she carried it slung across her shoulder. It was about
eleven oclock at night, and she was walking alone, when a boy ran up behind her and
tried to snatch her purse. Te strap broke with the single tug the boy gave it from
behind. But the boys weight and the weight of the purse combined caused him to lose
his balance so, instead of taking of full blast as he had hoped, the boy fell on his back
on the sidewalk, and his legs few up. Te large woman simply turned around and
kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned sitter. Ten she reached down, picked the
boy up by his shirt front, and shook him until his teeth rattled.
2 Afer that the woman said, Pick up my pocketbook, boy, and give it here.
3 She still held him. But she bent down enough to permit him to stoop and pick up
her purse. Ten she said, Now aint you ashamed of yourself?
4 Firmly gripped by his shirt front, the boy said, Yesm.
5 Te woman said, What did you want to do it for?
6 Te boy said, I didnt aim to.
7 She said, You a lie!
8 By that time two or three people passed, stopped, turned to look, and some stood
watching.
9 If I turn you loose, will you run? asked the woman.
10 Yesm, said the boy.
11 Ten I wont turn you loose, said the woman. She did not release him.
12 Im very sorry, lady, Im sorry, whispered the boy.
13 Um-hum! And your face is dirty. I got a great mind to wash your face for you.
Aint you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?
14 Nom, said the boy.
Whats in a Short Story?
ACTIVITY 1.12
continued
My Notes

In the opening, how do
the details of setting and
character set up the conflict of
this story?
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ACTIVITY 1.12
continued
15 Ten it will get washed this evening, said the large woman starting up the street,
dragging the frightened boy behind her.
16 He looked as if he were fourteen or ffeen, frail and willow-wild, in tennis shoes
and blue jeans.
17 Te woman said, You ought to be my son. I would teach you right from wrong.
Least I can do right now is to wash your face. Are you hungry?
18 Nom, said the being-dragged boy. I just want you to turn me loose.
19 Was I bothering you when I turned that corner? asked the woman.
20 Nom.
21 But you put yourself in contact with me, said the woman. If you think that that
contact is not going to last awhile, you got another thought coming. When I get through
with you, sir, you are going to remember Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones.
22 Sweat popped out on the boys face and he began to struggle. Mrs. Jones stopped,
jerked him around in front of her, put a half-nelson about his neck, and continued to
drag him up the street. When she got to her door, she dragged the boy inside, down a
hall, and into a large kitchenette-furnished room at the rear of the house. She switched
on the light and lef the door open. Te boy could hear other roomers laughing and
talking in the large house. Some of their doors were open, too, so he knew he and the
woman were not alone. Te woman still had him by the neck in the middle of her room.
23 She said, What is your name?
24 Roger, answered the boy.
25 Ten, Roger, you go to that sink and wash your face, said the woman, whereupon
she turned him looseat last. Roger looked at the doorlooked at the womanlooked
at the doorand went to the sink.
26 Let the water run until it gets warm, she said. Heres a clean towel.
27 You gonna take me to jail? asked the boy, bending over the sink.
28 Not with that face, I would not take you nowhere, said the woman. Here I am
trying to get home to cook me a bite to eat and you snatch my pocketbook! Maybe, you
aint been to your supper either, late as it be. Have you?
29 Teres nobody home at my house, said the boy.
30 Ten well eat, said the woman, I believe youre hungryor been hungryto try
to snatch my pocketbook.
31 I wanted a pair of blue suede shoes, said the boy.
32 Well, you didnt have to snatch my pocketbook to get some suede shoes, said Mrs.
Luella Bates Washington Jones. You could of asked me.
33 Mam?
My Notes

How does Mrs. Luella
Bates Washington Joness
comment, I got a great
mind to wash your face for
you define how she treats
Roger? Find other textual
evidence based on things
Mrs. Jones says to support
your answer.
Look at paragraph 25. Why
does Roger not try to run
away?

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ACTIVITY 1.12
continued
Whats in a Short Story?
34 Te water dripping from his face, the boy looked at her. Tere was a long pause. A
very long pause. Afer he had dried his face and not knowing what else to do, dried it
again, the boy turned around, wondering what next. Te door was open. He could make
a dash for it down the hall. He could run, run, run, run, run!
35 Te woman was sitting on the day-bed. Afer a while she said, I were young once
and I wanted things I could not get.
36 Tere was another long pause. Te boys mouth opened. Ten he frowned, but not
knowing he frowned.
37 Te woman said, Um-hum! You thought I was going to say but, didnt you? You
thought I was going to say, but I didnt snatch peoples pocketbooks. Well, I wasnt going
to say that. Pause. Silence. I have done things, too, which I would not tell you, son
neither tell God, if he didnt already know. So you set down while I fx us something to
eat. You might run that comb through your hair so you will look presentable.
38 In another corner of the room behind a screen was a gas plate and an icebox.
Mrs.Jones got up and went behind the screen. Te woman did not watch the boy to see
if he was going to run now, nor did she watch her purse which she lef behind her on
the day-bed. But the boy took care to sit on the far side of the room where he thought
she could easily see him out of the corner other eye, if she wanted to. He did not trust
the woman not to trust him. And he did not want to be mistrusted now.
39 Do you need somebody to go to the store, asked the boy, maybe to get some milk
or something?
40 Dont believe I do, said the woman, unless you just want sweet milk yourself. I
was going to make cocoa out of this canned milk I got here.
41 Tat will be fne, said the boy.
42 She heated some lima beans and ham she had in the icebox, made the cocoa, and
set the table. Te woman did not ask the boy anything about where he lived, or his folks,
or anything else that would embarrass him. Instead, as they ate, she told him about her
job in a hotel beauty-shop that stayed open late, what the work was like, and how all
kinds of women came in and out, blondes, red-heads, and Spanish. Ten she cut him a
half of her ten-cent cake.
43 Eat some more, son, she said.
44 When they were fnished eating she got up and said, Now, here, take this ten
dollars and buy yourself some blue suede shoes. And next time, do not make the
mistake of latching onto my pocketbook nor nobody elsesbecause shoes come by
devilish like that will burn your feet. I got to get my rest now. But I wish you would
behave yourself, son, from here on in.
45 She led him down the hall to the front door and opened it. Goodnight! Behave
yourself, boy! she said, looking out into the street.
46 Te boy wanted to say something else other than Tank you, maam to Mrs.
Luella Bates Washington Jones, but he couldnt do so as he turned at the barren stoop
and looked back at the large woman in the door. He barely managed to say Tank you
before she shut the door. And he never saw her again.
My Notes

The conflict in this story
seems to be external. How
can it also be described as an
internal conflict?
Summarize the main incident
of this story. Then, list three or
four events that lead up to the
incident.
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ACTIVITY 1.12
continued
After Reading
3. What is the actual length of the action of this story? How do you know?
4. What is the storys theme? Write a sentence describing what the reader
learns about life through the interaction between Roger and Mrs. Luella Bates
Washington Jones.
Writing Prompt: This story is told from the third-person point of view. Choose a
scene or event in the incident and imagine Rogers thoughts and feelings about
what is happening. Draft a first-person narrative of his thinking at that point in
thestory. Be sure to:
Use first-person point of view.
Maintain the character of Roger as the author presents him.
Show how Rogers thoughts and feelings fit the theme of the story.
Save this writing response so that you can revisit it when generating ideas for the
original short story you will create for Embedded Assessment 2.
My Notes

Literary Terms
Theme is the central idea,
message, or purpose of a
literary work.

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Learning Targets
Explain how a character responds to change.
Describe how a storys plot develops.
Elements of Storytelling
Storytellers use the following elements of plot to develop and organize ideas.
Exposition: The events that give the reader background information needed to
understand the story. The introduction to the story usually reveals the setting, the
major characters, and the conflict.
Rising Action: The major events that develop the plot and lead to the climax
Climax: The event that is the turning point in the story, at which the conflict could
be resolved in different ways
Falling Action: The events that begin to conclude the story and lead to the ending
Resolution: The events that conclude the story and reveal the theme
Types of Conflict
You learned in the first part of the unit that conflict is an important part of a story.
Writers reveal conflict through the dialogue and events of a story. Conflict is used
to move the action forward, reveal information about characters, and create a
decision or change.
The two main types of conflict are internal conflict and external conflict.
Internal conflict occurs when a character struggles with his or her own needs,
desires, or emotions.
External conflict occurs when a character struggles with an outside force, such
as another character or something in nature.
Reviewing and Analyzing The Lion King
1. What do you remember about the graveyard scene from The Lion King?
2. As you watch scenes from The Lion King, focus on the conflicts that Simba faces
in his world and the way he reacts to them. Make notes in the graphic organizer
on the next page.
Revisiting Simbas Story ACTIVITY
1.13
Note-taking, Graphic Organizer
WORD
CONNECTIONS
Roots and Affixes
Resolution is the noun form of
resolve. The root -sol- or -solve-
means to set loose or free.
This root occurs in solution,
absolution, and resolute.
The Latin prefix re- means
back or again.
My Notes
Literary Terms
Plot is the sequence of related
events that make up a story.
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ACTIVITY 1.13
continued
Clip 1: Describe the setting of this
opening section. What does it look
like? How does everyone get along
with everyone else? What is Simbas
place in this world?
Clip 2: What conflicts do you notice
in this scene? How does Simbas
world change in this section? How
does he feel about this change?
Why?
Clip 3: Simba is living in a new
setting. How is this world different
from his original home? How does he
feel about his new home? How has
Simba changed?
Clip 4: What does this scene reveal
about the way Simbas world has
changed since Scar has taken over?
Clip 5: What are Simbas options at
this point? What is Simbas internal
conflict in this scene?
Clip 6: Describe the external conflict
between Simba and Scar.
What is Simbas world like at the end
of the film?

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My Notes

3. Write the events you have listed from The Lion King in the appropriate places on
the plot diagram.
4. After analyzing plot, character, conflict, and setting, what would you conclude is
the theme of this story?
Revisiting Simbas Story
ACTIVITY 1.13
continued
Exposition
Resolution
Plot Diagram
Climax
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Conflict
WORD
CONNECTIONS
Multiple Meaning Words
A single word sometimes
has several meanings. For
example, the word exposition
refers to the plot of a short
story. It also describes a type
of writing. It may also describe
a fair or public exhibit.
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ACTIVITY 1.13
continued
Writing Prompt: Sometimes writers use a known story as inspiration for a new
story of their own; for example, The Lion King may have been inspired by a play
by William Shakespeare called Hamlet. In this play, a young prince struggles with
difficult choices after his uncle kills his father, the king.
Choose one of the following plot lines from plays by Shakespeare. Imagine how a
new plot might develop. Make up and write at least seven events on the provided
plot diagram.
A boy and girl like each other very much but their families are enemies (Romeo
and Juliet).
Twins are separated at birth but reunited later (The Comedy of Errors).
A magic potion makes a sleeping person fall in love with the first living thing
seen when he or she awakens (A Midsummer Nights Dream).
A parent plays favorites, making the two older children jealous of the youngest
child (King Lear).
My Notes

Exposition
Resolution
Plot Diagram
Climax
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Thinking Figuratively
Learning Target
Identify types of figurative language and how to use it to create mental images.
Write narrative pieces using figurative language.
Figurative Language
Writers use figurative language, such as similes, metaphors, and personification,
to add interest, detail, and voice to writing.
1. What are similes, metaphors, and personification? What do they have in
common, and how are they different?
2. These are phrases from a novel you may read in Unit 2, Walk Two Moons, by
Sharon Creech. Mark them using two colors, symbols or codes; use one mark for
similes and a different mark for metaphors.
Sometimes I am as ornery and
stubborn as an old donkey. page 6
When my mother had been there, I was
like a mirror. page38
I told you she was strong as an ox,
Phoebe said. page 85
My father hated the whole idea of
putting cars out to pasture. page 108
It was nearly heaven, with that cool
water rippling and a high, clear sky
all around us, and trees waving along
the banks. page 92
The hot air pressed against my face,
and my hair was like a hot, heavy
blanket draped on my neck and back.
page 91
For weeks, my father and I fumbled
around like ducks in a fit. page 133
Her voice is like dead leaves blowing
around, and her hair is spooky. page
115
He let me behave like a wild boar.
page 112
Those are fishes in the air. page 137
It was as if someone had ironed
out all the rest of South Dakota and
smooshed all the hills and valleys
and rocks into this spot. page 143
Long ago the sky was so low that
you might bump your head on it if you
werent careful page 144
Revisiting Verbs
3. Read this passage from pages 257258 of Walk Two Moons and mark the verbs.
This beagle in my lap was just like our Moody Blue. I rubbed her head and
prayed for Gram. I thought about Moody Blues litter of puppies. For the first
week, Moody Blue wouldnt let anyone come anywhere near those puppies. She
licked them clean and nuzzled them. They squealed and pawed their way up to
her with their eyes still sealed.
ACTIVITY
1.14
Literary Terms
Figurative language
is language used in an
imaginative way to express
ideas that are not literally true.
The most common examples
of figurative language are
metaphor and simile.
A simile compares two unlike
things using words such as
like or as.
His music is like a fast trip on a
roller coaster.
A metaphor compares two
unlike things without using the
words like or as. Often a form
of to be is used.
Her music is a trip to the
streets of Memphis.
Personification is a type of
metaphor that gives objects
or abstract ideas human
characteristics.
The songs upbeat melody
danced across the evening air.
My Notes

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ACTIVITY 1.14
continued
Language and Writers Craft: Vivid Verbs
A verb is the part of speech that expresses existence, action, or occurrence.
Example: They walked to school.
Vivid verbs describe an action in ways that help the reader create a mental image of
the action. How does the action from the sentence above change in your mind when
you replace the verb walked with one of these verbs?
scrambled, skipped, marched, strode, sauntered
4. Look back at the verbs you highlighted in the paragraph from Walk Two Moons.
What did you notice?
5. Using the image as insipiration, practice writing descriptions using figurative
language and vivid verbs. Include examples of a simile, a metaphor, and
personification.
Revisit the draft of a text you have written so far in this part of the unit. Mark the
text to evaluate your use of vivid verbs, sensory language, figurative language, and
dialogue conventions.
Revise to improve your use of these elements. To practice revising by adding,
underline three sentences that could use more information or details. Add sensory
language or a type of figurative language: simile, metaphor, or personification. Put
a label in the margin to tell what you have added.
Circle your verbs, and write a more descriptive or exciting choice for each verb.
My Notes


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Learning Target
Identify the elements of the exposition of a story by accurately recording textual
evidence that supports interpretation.
Before Reading
1. Read the following sentence and try to interpret what it means:
Spreading rumors is like opening a Pandoras Box.
During Reading
2. As you read the following story, look for and mark the different events in the
plot. Visualize the event by drawing a quick representation of it in the margin.
Remember, marking the text involves highlighting, underlining, using symbols
or drawings, or making notes about something you read. As you read, select
text for a specific purpose (in this case, events in the plot). Marking makes you
focus your reading and makes it easier to find textual evidence you have noted.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Enid Blyton (18971968) was born in London. She began writing at an early
age and was first published in 1917. Blyton studied to be a teacher and
taught for several years. She continued writing, publishing both poetry and
novels. She is believed to have written over 700 books, many of them stories
for children.
Myth
Pandora
and the

Whispering Box

From Enid Blytons Tales of Ancient Greece
1 Long, long ago, when the world was new, and no pain or sorrow was known,
Epimetheus lived with his beautiful young wife Pandora. Tey dwelt in a house made of
branches and leaves, for the sun shone always, and the wind was nevercold.
2 Everyone was happy. Merry voices came on the breeze, and laughter was heard
everywhere. Epimetheus and Pandora were happiest of all, for they loved one another
very dearly, and were never apart.
3 One day, as they were dancing beneath the trees, they saw the god Mercury coming
towards them. He carried a wooden box on his shoulder, and looked tired and hot.
4 Ask him what he has in that box, said Pandora to Epimetheus. But Mercury would
not tell them.
5 Tat is not for you to know, he answered. Will you permit me to put my box in
your dwelling and leave it there for a while? I have far to go, and the weight of it makes
my steps slow. I will call for it on my way back.
In the Beginning
Graphic Organizer, Marking the
Text, Rereading, Brainstorming,
Skimming/Scanning
ACTIVITY
1.15
WORD
CONNECTIONS
Roots and Affixes
The suffix -logy- is from Greek
and means the study of. This
much-used word part appears
in many words in English,
such as mythology, biology,
bacteriology, criminology,
ecology.
My Notes

What aspects of the setting
and characterization
are included to give the
impression of perfection?
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ACTIVITY 1.15
continued
6 We will take care of it for you, said Epimetheus. Put it in a corner of our house. It
will be safe there.
7 Do not open it, said Mercury warningly. You will never cease to regret it, if
youdo.
8 We shall not even look at it, said Epimetheus. You need not fear, Mercury.
9 So the god placed his box on the ground in a corner of Pandoras dwelling. Ten,
bidding the two farewell, he set of again through the forest.
10 Pandora was flled with curiosity to know what was in the box. She lef Epimetheus
to dance with his companions and stole into the house alone. She looked at the box for a
long time, and then her eyes opened in astonishment.
11 Te box was whispering! Little sighs and tiny sounds came from it. Pandora
felt more curious than ever. Tere must be something alive inside to make that
whisperingnoise.
12 She ran to the box and knelt down by it. It was very beautiful, made of fnely-
wrought dark wood, and on the top was a prettily carved head that seemed to smile
atPandora. Round the box was a strong golden cord, tied in a tight knot.
13 Te whispering went on and on. Pandora listened, but she could not hear what was
said. Her fngers trembled to undo the cordbut just then Epimetheus came in to beg
her to come and play with him.
14 Oh, Epimetheus, I wish I knew what was in this box, Pandora said longingly. Do
you think I might just peep?
15 Epimetheus was shocked.
16 Mercury said that we were not to know, he said. Come away, Pandora. Come and
play with me in the sunshine, where everyone is happy.
17 But Pandora would not go. Epimetheus looked at her in surprise, and then,
thinking that she would surely come if lef her alone, he ran out to his comrades.
18 Pandora heard the laughter and shouts of her friends, but she thought of nothing
but the whispering box. Would it matter if she just undid the golden cord? Surely she
could do that without harm.
19 She looked round to see if Epimetheus was really gone, then she turned eagerly to
the box. Her clever fngers worked at the golden cord, but it was so tight that she could
not loosen it for a long time.
20 Pandora, Pandora, come and dance! cried her companions outside. But the
maiden would not answer. She must undo the cord; she could not be happy until
shehad.
21 She pulled and shook it. Te cord was tight and dif cult to untie. Pandora almost
gave it up. Ten suddenly it loosened, and swifly she undid it. Te golden cord slid to
the foorand there lay the box, ready to open at a touch.
My Notes

What can you infer
about the character of
Epimetheus? Support your
answer with an element
of characterization (what
he says, what he does,
what others say, and his
appearance).
What can you infer
about the character of
Pandora? Support your
answer with an element
of characterization (what
she says, what she does,
what others say, and her
appearance).

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ACTIVITY 1.15
continued
In the Beginning
22 Now that I have undone the cord, it is stupid not to open the box, thought the
maiden. Shall I just lif up the lid, peep inside, and then let it drop? What harm could
that do to any one? I really must fnd out what makes the whispering noise.
23 She put her ear to the lid, and listened. Ten, quite clearly, she heard tiny voices.
24 Pandora, sweet Pandora! they said. Let us out, we pray you! Our prison is so
dark and gloomy, will you not free us?
25 Te maiden was astonished. Should she free whatever was inside? As she was trying
to make up her mind, she heard Epimetheus coming again. She knew he would not
let her peep, but would tie up the box, so she hurriedly lifed up the lid to look inside
before he came.
26 Alas! Within the box were crammed all the sorrows, pains, and evils of the world!
As soon as Pandora lifed the lid, out they few, tiny brown-winged creatures like moths.
Tey few to Pandora and the surprised Epimetheus, and stung them. At once the two
felt pain and anger for the frst time. Ten the brown-winged creatures few out into the
forest, and fastening themselves on to the merry-makers there, changed their cries of
happiness to pain and dismay.
27 Epimetheus and Pandora began to quarrel. Pandora wept bitterly, and Epimetheus
scolded her angrily for opening the box. In the midst of their quarrel, they suddenly
heard a sweet voice calling to them. Tey stopped their angry words to listen.
28 Te voice came from the box, which Pandora had hurriedly shut as soon as the
brown-winged creatures had fown out. It was a high voice, sweet and loving.
29 Let me out, let me out! it cried. I will heal your sorrows, and bring you peace!
Only let me out!
30 Shall I open the box again? said Pandora.
31 Since you cannot do much more mischief than you have done already, you may as
well see what is lef, said Epimetheus gloomily.
32 So for the second time Pandora opened the box, and this time out few, not a
brown-winged creature, but a little snowy-winged spirit. She was called Hope, and
had been crammed in at the bottom of all the evil creatures. It was her duty to heal the
wounds made by them, and to cheer up those whom they had visited.
33 She few at once to Pandora and Epimetheus and, brushing the wounds on their
skin with her snowy wings, she healed them. Ten of she few to do the same for their
unhappy companions outside.
34 And thus because of Pandoras foolish curiosity, sorrow, pain, and evil entered the
world, and have been with us ever since. But Hope stayed too, and while we have her,
we are content.
My Notes

What are the effects of
Pandoras curiosity?
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ACTIVITY 1.15
continued
After Reading
3. Use the graphic organizer to analyze the beginning of the storyits exposition.
The exposition of a story introduces the setting, characters, and conflict.
In addition, skim the story to find examples of foreshadowing. Authors use
foreshadowing to add suspense and expectation about what will happen in
a story.
Exposition Details from the Text
Graphic Representation What is foreshadowed?
Setting
Character(s)
Conflict
Literary Terms
Foreshadowing refers to
clues or hints signaling
events that will occur later
in the plot of a story.

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4. What techniques does the author use to create the exposition?
5. Myths often try to explain natural phenomenon (such as earthquakes and
volcanos) or teach a lesson (such as respect your elders). While this myth
attempts to explain the origin of hope in human beings, it also has a lesson for
the reader. What is its lesson or theme?
Language and Writers Craft: Varied Sentence Patterns
Why is it important to vary your sentence patterns? Adding sentence variety gives
life and rhythm to writing. Too many sentences with the same structure and length
can become boring for readers. Varying sentence style and structure can also reduce
repetition and add emphasis. Long sentences work well for incorporating a lot of
information, and short sentences can often emphasize crucial points.
Dialogue most often consists of short sentences in a simple pattern, usually
questions, comments, exclamations, or commands.
The use of and as a coordinating conjunction creates longer sentences.
6. Return to the myth of Pandoras Box. Choose a section of text to reread and
examine the sentences. Mark a variety of sentence patterns, and analyze the
beginnings of sentences. Take notes in the My Notes margin.
Highlight a short sentence. What was the effect of the sentence length or
pattern?
Underline a long sentence, and note when the coordinating conjunction and
is used. What is the effect of the sentence length or pattern?
Identify a sentence that stands out to you. Is it long or short, and what is
itseffect?
Writing Prompt: Think of another natural phenomenon or lesson people should
learn. Write the beginning or exposition to your own unique myth. Be sure to:
Establish the storys context by introducing the setting, characters, and conflict
of the story.
Use figurative language.
Use a variety of sentence lengths and patterns.
In the Beginning
ACTIVITY 1.15
continued
My Notes

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Learning Targets
Analyze how conflicts in a story advance the plots rising action and climax.
Before Reading
1. Quickwrite: In the My Notes space, write about a best (or worst) birthday or
other special occasion. Include a description of what happened as well as how
you felt at the time.
During Reading
2. As you read this short story, mark the elements of exposition (setting, character,
and initial conflict) and the major events in the story.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sandra Cisneros grew up in Chicago and now lives in San Antonio, Texas.
One of her best-known novels, The House on Mango Street, reveals the life
of a young girl growing up in the Latino section of Chicago. In talking about
her writing, Cisneros says she creates stories from things that have touched
her deeply; . . . in real life a story doesnt have shape, and its the writer
that gives it a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Short Story
Eleven
from Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories, by Sandra Cisneros
1 What they dont understand about birthdays and what they never tell you is
that when youre eleven, youre also ten, and nine, and eight, and seven, and six, and
fve, and four, and three, and two, and one. And when you wake up on your eleventh
birthday you expect to feel eleven, but you dont. You open your eyes and everythings
just like yesterday, only its today. And you dont feel eleven at all. You feel like youre
still ten. And you areunderneath the year that makes you eleven.
2 Like some days you might say something stupid, and thats the part of you thats
still ten. Or maybe some days you might need to sit on your mamas lap because youre
scared, and thats the part of you thats fve. And maybe one day when youre all grown
up maybe you will need to cry like if youre three, and thats okay. Tats what I tell
Mama when shes sad and needs to cry. Maybe shes feeling three.
3 Because the way you grow old is kind of like an onion or like the rings inside a tree
trunk or like my little wooden dolls that ft one inside the other, each year inside the
next one. Tats how being eleven years old is.
4 You dont feel eleven. Not right away. It takes a few days, weeks even, sometimes
even months before you say Eleven when they ask you. And you dont feel smart eleven,
not until youre almost twelve. Tats the way it is.
A Day of Change: Developing
the Story
ACTIVITY
1.16
My Notes

GRAMMAR USAGE
Pronouns
Indefinite pronouns refer
to nonspecific persons
or things. In this excerpt,
Rachel mentions everybody,
somebody, nobody. These
indefinite pronouns refer
to people who are not
specifically named.

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5 Only today I wish I didnt have only eleven years rattling inside me like pennies in
a tin Band-Aid box. Today I wish I was one hundred and two instead of eleven because
if I was one hundred and two Id have known what to say when Mrs. Price put the red
sweater on my desk. I wouldve known how to tell her it wasnt mine instead of just
sitting there with that look on my face and nothing coming out of my mouth.
6 Whose is this? Mrs. Price says, and she holds the red sweater up in the air for all
the class to see. Whose? Its been sitting in the coatroom for a month.
7 Not mine, says everybody. Not me.
8 It has to belong to somebody, Mrs. Price keeps saying, but nobody can remember.
Its an ugly sweater with red plastic buttons and a collar and sleeves all stretched out like
you could use it for a jump rope. Its maybe a thousand years old and even if it belonged
to me I wouldnt say so.
9 Maybe because Im skinny, maybe because she doesnt like me, that stupid Sylvia
Saldvar says, I think it belongs to Rachel. An ugly sweater like that, all raggedy and
old, but Mrs. Price believes her. Mrs. Price takes the sweater and puts it right on my
desk, but when I open my mouth nothing comes out.
10 Tats not, I dont, youre not . . . Not mine, I fnally say in a little voice that was
maybe me when I was four.
11 Of course its yours, Mrs. Price says. I remember you wearing it once. Because
shes older and the teacher, shes right and Im not.
12 Not mine, not mine, not mine, but Mrs. Price is already turning to page thirty-
two, and math problem number four. I dont know why but all of a sudden Im feeling
sick inside, like the part of me thats three wants to come out of my eyes, only I squeeze
them shut tight and bite down on my teeth real hard and try to remember today I am
eleven, eleven. Mama is making a cake for me for tonight, and when Papa comes home
everybody will sing Happy birthday, happy birthday to you.
13 But when the sick feeling goes away and I open my eyes, the red sweaters still
sitting there like a big red mountain. I move the red sweater to the corner of my desk
with my ruler. I move my pencil and books and eraser as far from it as possible. I even
move my chair a little to the right. Not mine, not mine, not mine.
14 In my head Im thinking how long till lunchtime, how long till I can take the red
sweater and throw it over the schoolyard fence, or leave it hanging on a parking meter,
or bunch it up into a little ball and toss it in the alley. Except when math period ends,
Mrs. Price says loud and in front of everybody, Now, Rachel, thats enough, because
she sees Ive shoved the red sweater to the tippy-tip corner of my desk and its hanging
all over the edge like a waterfall, but I dont care.
15 Rachel, Mrs. Price says. She says it like shes getting mad. You put that sweater on
right now and no more nonsense.
16 But its not
17 Now! Mrs. Price says.
18 Tis is when I wish I wasnt eleven, because all the years inside of meten, nine,
eight, seven, six, fve, four, three, two, and oneare pushing at the back of my eyes
when I put one arm through one sleeve of the sweater that smells like cottage cheese,
and then the other arm through the other and stand there with my arms apart like if the
sweater hurts me and it does, all itchy and full of germs that arent even mine.
A Day of Change: Developing
the Story
ACTIVITY 1.16
continued
My Notes

What can you infer about the
conflict of the story? How is it
both internal and external?
How does Cisneros show the
transition from one event to
another?
What is the effect of a
sentence that repeats short
phrases such as Not mine,
not mine, not mine? How
does this sentence type help
develop the story?
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ACTIVITY 1.16
continued
19 Tats when everything Ive been holding in since this morning, since when Mrs.
Price put the sweater on my desk, fnally lets go, and all of a sudden Im crying in front
of everybody. I wish I was invisible but Im not. Im eleven and its my birthday today
and Im crying like Im three in front of everybody. I put my head down on the desk
and bury my face in my stupid clown-sweater arms. My face all hot and spit coming out
of my mouth because I cant stop the little animal noises from coming out of me, until
there arent any more tears lef in my eyes, and its just my body shaking like when you
have the hiccups, and my whole head hurts like when you drink milk too fast.
20 But the worst part is right before the bell rings for lunch. Tat stupid Phyllis Lopez,
who is even dumber than Sylvia Saldvar, says she remembers the red sweater is hers! I
take it of right away and give it to her, only Mrs. Price pretends like everythings okay.
21 Today Im eleven. Teres a cake Mamas making for tonight, and when Papa comes
home from work well eat it. Terell be candles and presents, and everybody will sing
Happy birthday, happy birthday to you, Rachel, only its too late.
22 Im eleven today. Im eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, fve, four, three, two, and
one, but I wish I was one hundred and two. I wish I was anything but eleven, because I
want today to be far away already, far away like a runaway balloon, like a tiny o in the
sky, so tiny-tiny you have to close your eyes to see it.
After Reading
3. What can you infer about Rachels teacher, Mrs. Price, based on her dialogue
with Rachel?
My Notes
Summarize how the conflict
is resolved. What is the
effect of this incident on
Rachel?
How does Cisneros use
of figurative language and
sensory detail demonstrate
Rachels emotions?

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Day of Change: Developing
the Story
ACTIVITY 1.16
continued
4. Use the graphic organizer below to list the conflicts Rachel faces in Eleven.
Be sure to consider both Rachels external and internal conflicts.
Conflicts (problems) Rachel faces Is the conflict resolved?
5. What is the theme of this story?
My Notes

WORD
CONNECTIONS
Roots and Affixes
Internal and external derive
from the Latin interus (placed
on the inside) and exterus
(placed on the outside). The
word part inter-, meaning in
between, is found in such
words as interior, interface,
and intermission.
The word part exter- (also
spelled extra- and extro-)
means outside or
beyond. It appears in
words like extreme, extrovert,
extracurricular, and extract.
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My Notes

ACTIVITY 1.16
continued
6. Focusing on the rising action and climax of the story, list events in the
appropriate places on the plot diagram.
Writing Prompt: Make up a brief dialogue between Rachel and another person
in the story, focusing on one conflict from the text. Use the same exposition, but
change the rising action and climax. Consider having Rachel talk to her teacher
about the misunderstanding or having Rachel confront Phyllis about not claiming
the red sweater. Be sure to:
To sequence events logically focus on a conflict to develop the rising action and
climax.
Use dialogue and dialogue tags.
Use figurative language and varied syntax.
Save this writing prompt response so that you can revisit it when generating ideas
for the original short story you will create for Embedded Assessment 2.
Exposition
Resolution
Plot Diagram
Climax
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Learning Targets
Analyze the resolution to a short story.
Create a thematic statement about the story, using textual evidence.
Before Reading
1. Quickwrite: What does the idea of treasure bring to mind? How can a treasure
be something abstract rather than an object to be touched and handled?
During Reading
2. To make meaning of the text, do a close reading in which you mark the text
(highlight, underline, circle, take notes) to indicate the setting, important
aspects of characterization, the action of the plot, and ideas you might have
about the theme of the story.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Walter Dean Myers (1937 ) has been writing since he was a child. He
published his rst book, Where Does the Day Go?, in 1969. He has since
written many books for children and young adults, two of whichScorpions
and Somewhere in the Darknesshave received Newbery Honors. His
stories focus on the challenges and triumphs of growing up in a difcult
environment. His memoir, Bad Boy, reveals how he overcame racial
challenges and his own shortcomings to become a very successful author.
Short Story
The
Treasure
of Lemon Brwn
by Walter Dean Myers
1 Te dark sky, flled with angry, swirling clouds, refected Greg Ridleys mood as
he sat on the stoop of his building. His fathers voice came to him again, frst reading
the letter the principal had sent to the house, then lecturing endlessly about his poor
efortsin math.
2 I had to leave school when I was thirteen, his father had said, thats a year
younger than you are now. If Id had half the chances you have, Id . . .
3 Greg sat in the small, pale green kitchen listening, knowing the lecture would end
with his father saying he couldnt play ball with the Scorpions. He had asked his father
the week before, and his father had said it depended on his next report card. It wasnt
In the End ACTIVITY
1.17
My Notes

Activating Prior Knowledge,
Graphic Organizer, Brainstorming,
Marking the Text
Explain how specific aspects
of the setting create an
atmosphere that fits the
action at the beginning of the
story.
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ACTIVITY 1.17
continued
ofen the Scorpions took on new players, especially fourteen-year-olds, and this was a
chance of a lifetime for Greg. He hadnt been allowed to play high school ball, which
he had really wanted to do, but playing for the Community Center team was the next
best thing. Report cards were due in a week, and Greg had been hoping for the best. But
the principal had ended the suspense early when she sent the letter saying Greg would
probably fail math if he didnt spend more time studying.
4 And you want to play basketball? His fathers brows knitted over deep brown
eyes. Tat must be some kind of a joke. Now you just get into your room and hit
thosebooks.
5 Tat had been two nights before. His fathers words, like the distant thunder that
now echoed through the streets of Harlem, still rumbled sofly in his ears.
6 It was beginning to cool. Gusts of wind made bits of paper dance between the
parked cars. Tere was a fash of nearby lightning, and soon large drops of rain splashed
onto his jeans. He stood to go upstairs, thought of the lecture that probably awaited
him if he did anything except shut himself in his room with his math book, and started
walking down the street instead. Down the block there was an old tenement that had
been abandoned for some months. Some of the guys had held an impromptu checker
tournament there the week before, and Greg had noticed that the door, once boarded
over, had been slightly ajar.
7 Pulling his collar up as high as he could, he checked for traf c and made a dash
across the street. He reached the house just as another fash of lightning changed the
night to day for an instant, then returned the graf ti-scarred building to the grim
shadows. He vaulted over the outer stairs and pushed tentatively on the door. It was
open, and he let himself in.
8 Te inside of the building was dark except for the dim light that fltered through
the dirty windows from the streetlamps. Tere was a room a few feet from the door, and
from where he stood in the entrance, Greg could see a squarish patch of light on the
foor. He entered the room, frowning at the musty smell. It was a large room that might
have been someones parlor at one time. Squinting, Greg could see an old table on its
side against one wall, what looked like a pile of rags or a torn mattress in the corner, and
a couch, with one side broken, in front of the window.
9 He went to the couch. Te side that wasnt broken was comfortable enough, though
a little creaky. From the spot he could see the blinking neon sign over the bodega on the
corner. He sat awhile, watching the sign blink frst green then red, allowing his mind
to drif to the Scorpions, then to his father. His father had been a postal worker for all
Gregs life, and was proud of it, ofen telling Greg how hard he had worked to pass the
test. Greg had heard the story too many times to be interested now.
10 For a moment Greg thought he heard something that sounded like a scraping
against the wall. He listened carefully, but it was gone.
11 Outside the wind had picked up, sending the rain against the window with a force
that shook the glass in its frame. A car passed, its tires hissing over the wet street and its
red taillights glowing in the darkness.
GRAMMAR USAGE
Possessive Pronouns
In addition to being subjects
and objects, pronouns can
also be possessive, meaning
that they show possession.
Possessive pronouns include
mine, hers, his, theirs, ours,
and its. Note the possessive
pronouns the author uses in
this text.
My Notes

What sensory details can
you find in paragraphs
812? If possible, name one
for each sense: taste, smell,
touch, sight, and hearing.

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ACTIVITY 1.17
continued
In the End
12 Greg thought he heard the noise again. His stomach tightened as he held himself
still and listened intently. Tere werent any more scraping noises, but he was sure he
had heard something in the darknesssomething breathing!
13 He tried to fgure out just where the breathing was coming from; he knew it was in
the room with him. Slowly he stood, tensing. As he turned, a fash of lightning lit up the
room, frightening him with its sudden brilliance. He saw nothing, just the overturned
table, the pile of rags and an old newspaper on the foor. Could he have been imagining
the sounds? He continued listening, but heard nothing and thought that it might have
just been rats. Still, he thought, as soon as the rain let up he would leave. He went to the
window and was about to look when he heard a voice behind him.
14 Dont try nothin cause I got a razor sharp enough to cut a week into nine days!
15 Greg, except for an involuntary tremor in his knees, stood stock still. Te voice was
high and brittle, like dry twigs being broken, surely not one he had ever heard before.
Tere was a shuf ing sound as the person who had been speaking moved a step closer.
Greg turned, holding his breath, his eyes straining to see in the dark room.
16 Te upper part of the fgure before him was still in darkness. Te lower half was in
the dim rectangle of light that fell unevenly from the window. Tere were two feet, in
cracked, dirty shoes from which rose legs that were wrapped in rags.
17 Who are you? Greg hardly recognized his own voice.
18 Im Lemon Brown, came the answer. Whore you?
19 Greg Ridley.
20 What you doing here? Te fgure shuf ed forward again, and Greg took a small
step backward.
21 Its raining, Greg said.
22 I can see that, the fgure said.
23 Te person who called himself Lemon Brown peered forward, and Greg could see
him clearly. He was an old man. His black, heavily wrinkled face was surrounded by a
halo of crinkly white hair and whiskers that seemed to separate his head from the layers
of dirty coats piled on his smallish frame. His pants were bagged to the knee, where
they were met with rags that went down to the old shoes. Te rags were held on with
strings, and there was a rope around his middle. Greg relaxed. He had seen the man
before, picking through the trash on the corner and pulling clothes out of a Salvation
Army box. Tere was no sign of a razor that could cut a week into nine days.
24 What are you doing here? Greg asked.
25 Tis is where Im staying, Lemon Brown said. What you here for? Told you
it was raining out, Greg said, leaning against the back of the couch until he felt it
giveslightly.
26 Aint you got no home?
27 I got a home, Greg answered.
28 You aint one of them bad boys looking for my treasure, is you? Lemon Brown
cocked his head to one side and squinted one eye. Because I told you I got me a razor.
My Notes

The author distinguishes
Greg from Lemon by the way
they speak. How would you
describe Lemon Brown, based
on what he says? How would
you describe Greg?
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My Notes

ACTIVITY 1.17
continued
29 Im not looking for your treasure, Greg answered, smiling. If you have one.
30 What you mean, if I have one. Lemon Brown said. Every man got a treasure. You
dont know that, you must be a fool!
31 Sure, Greg said as he sat on the sofa and put one leg over the back. What do you
have, gold coins?
32 Dont worry none about what I got, Lemon Brown said. You know who I am?
33 You told me your name was orange or lemon or something like that.
34 Lemon Brown, the old man said, pulling back his shoulders as he did so, they
used to call me Sweet Lemon Brown.
35 Sweet Lemon? Greg asked.
36 Yessir. Sweet Lemon Brown. Tey used to say I sung the blues so sweet that if I
sang at a funeral, the dead would commence to rocking with the beat. Used to travel all
over Mississippi and as far as Monroe, Louisiana, and east on over to Macon, Georgia.
You mean you aint never heard of Sweet Lemon Brown?
37 Afraid not, Greg said. What . . . happened to you?
38 Hard times, boy. Hard times always afer a poor man. One day I got tired, sat
down to rest a spell and felt a tap on my shoulder. Hard times caught up with me.
39 Sorry about that.
40 What you doing here? How come you dont go in home when the rain come? Rain
dont bother you young folks none.
41 Just didnt. Greg looked away.
42 I used to have a knotty-headed boy just like you. Lemon Brown had half walked,
half shuf ed back to the corner and sat down against the wall. Had them big eyes like
you got. I used to call them moon eyes. Look into them moon eyes and see anything
you want.
43 How come you gave up singing the blues? Greg asked.
44 Didnt give it up, Lemon Brown said. You dont give up the blues; they give you
up. Afer a while you do good for yourself, and it aint nothing but foolishness singing
about how hard you got it. Aint that right?
45 I guess so.
46 Whats that noise? Lemon Brown asked, suddenly sitting upright. Greg listened,
and he heard a noise outside. He looked at Lemon Brown and saw the old man pointing
toward the window.
47 Greg went to the window and saw three men, neighborhood thugs, on the stoop.
One was carrying a length of pipe. Greg looked back toward Lemon Brown, who
moved quietly across the room to the window. Te old man looked out, then beckoned
frantically for Greg to follow him. For a moment Greg couldnt move.
Ten he found himself following Lemon Brown into the hallway and up the
darkened stairs. Greg followed as closely as he could. Tey reached the top of the stairs,
and Greg felt Lemon Browns hand frst lying on his shoulder, then probing down his
arm until he took Gregs hand into his own as they crouched in the darkness.

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ACTIVITY 1.17
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In the End
48 Teys bad men, Lemon Brown whispered. His breath was warm against
Gregsskin.
49 Hey! Rag man! A voice called. We know you in here. What you got up under
them rags? You got any money?
50 Silence.
51 We dont want to have to come in and hurt you, old man, but we dont mind if we
have to.
52 Lemon Brown squeezed Gregs hand in his own hard, gnarled fst. Tere was a
banging downstairs and a light as the men entered.
53 Tey banged around noisily, calling for the rag man.
54 We heard you talking about your treasure. Te voice was slurred. We just want to
see it, thats all.
55 You sure hes here? One voice seemed to come from the room with the sofa.
56 Yeah, he stays here every night.
57 Teres another room over there; Im going to take a look. You got that fashlight?
58 Yeah, here, take the pipe too.
59 Greg opened his mouth to quiet the sound of his breath as he sucked it in uneasily.
A beam of light hit the wall a few feet opposite him, then went out.
60 Aint nobody in that room, a voice said. You think he gone or something?
61 I dont know, came the answer. All I know is that I heard him talking about some
kind of treasure. You know they found that shopping bag lady with that load of money
in her bags.
62 Yeah. You think hes upstairs?
63 HEY, OLD MAN, ARE YOU UP THERE? Silence.
64 Watch my back. Im going up.
65 Tere was a footstep on the stairs, and the beam from the fashlight danced crazily
along the peeling wallpaper. Greg held his breath. Tere was another step and a loud
crashing noise as the man banged the pipe against the wooden banister. Greg could
feel his temples throb as the man slowly neared them. Greg thought about the pipe,
wondering what he would do when the man reached themwhat he could do.
66 Ten Lemon Brown released his hand and moved toward the top of the stairs. Greg
looked around and saw stairs going up to the next foor. He tried waving to Lemon
Brown, hoping the old man would see him in the dim light and follow him to the next
foor. Maybe, Greg thought, the men wouldnt follow them up there. Suddenly, though,
Lemon Brown stood at the top of the stairs, both arms raised high above his head.
67 Tere he is! A voice cried from below.
68 Trow down your money, old man, so I wont have to bash your head in!
My Notes

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My Notes

ACTIVITY 1.17
continued
69 Lemon Brown didnt move. Greg felt himself near panic. Te steps came closer, and
still Lemon Brown didnt move. He was an eerie sight, a bundle of rags standing at the
top of the stairs, his shadow on the wall looming over him. Maybe, the thought came to
Greg, the scene could be even eerier.
70 Greg wet his lips, put his hands to his mouth and tried to make a sound. Nothing
came out. He swallowed hard, wet his lips once more and howled as evenly as he could.
71 Whats that?
72 As Greg howled, the light moved away from Lemon Brown, but not before Greg
saw him hurl his body down the stairs at the men who had come to take his treasure.
Tere was a crashing noise, and then footsteps. A rush of warm air came in as the
downstairs door opened, then there was only an ominous silence. Greg stood on the
landing. He listened, and afer a while there was another sound on the staircase.
73 Mr. Brown? he called.
74 Yeah, its me, came the answer. I got their fashlight.
75 Greg exhaled in relief as Lemon Brown made his way slowly back up the stairs.
76 You OK?
77 Few bumps and bruises, Lemon Brown said.
78 I think Id better be going, Greg said, his breath returning to normal. Youd
better leave, too, before they come back.
79 Tey may hang around for a while, Lemon Brown said, but they aint getting
their nerve up to come in here again. Not with crazy rag men and howling spooks.
Best you stay a while till the coast is clear. Im heading out west tomorrow, out to
EastSt.Louis.
80 Tey were talking about treasures, Greg said. You really have a treasure?
81 What I tell you? Didnt I tell you every man got a treasure? Lemon Brown said.
You want to see mine?
82 If you want to show it to me, Greg shrugged.
83 Lets look out the window frst, see what them scoundrels be doing, Lemon
Brownsaid.
84 Tey followed the oval beam of the fashlight into one of the rooms and looked out
the window. Tey saw the men who had tried to take the treasure sitting on the curb
near the corner. One of them had his pants leg up, looking at his knee.
85 You sure youre not hurt? Greg asked Lemon Brown.
86 Nothing that aint been hurt before, Lemon Brown said. When you get as old as
me all you say when something hurts is, Howdy, Mr. Pain, sees you back again. Ten
when Mr. Pain see he cant worry you none, he go on mess with somebody else.
87 Greg smiled.
88 Here, you hold this. Lemon Brown gave Greg the fashlight.
In what ways does the
introduction of the
scalawags or the
bad men change the
relationship between
Lemon Brown and Greg?
What is the effect of
the short sentences of
dialogue? What does
it show about how the
characters are feeling at
this point in the story?

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ACTIVITY 1.17
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In the End
89 He sat on the foor near Greg and carefully untied the strings that held the rags
on his right leg. When he took the rags away, Greg saw a piece of plastic. Te old man
carefully took of the plastic and unfolded it. He revealed some yellowed newspaper
clippings and a battered harmonica.
90 Tere it be, he said, nodding his head. Tere it be.
91 Greg looked at the old man, saw the distant look in his eye, then turned to the
clippings. Tey told of Sweet Lemon Brown, a blues singer and harmonica player
who was appearing at diferent theaters in the South. One of the clippings said he had
been the hit of the show, although not the headliner. All of the clippings were reviews
of shows Lemon Brown had been in more than ffy years ago. Greg looked at the
harmonica. It was dented badly on one side, with the reed holes on one end nearly
closed.
92 I used to travel around and make money to feed my wife and Jessethats my
boys name. Used to feed them good, too. Ten his mama died, and he stayed with his
mamas sister. He growed up to be a man, and when the war come he saw ft to go of
and fght in it. I didnt have nothing to give him except these things that told him who
I was, and what he come from. If you know your pappy did something, you know you
can do something too.
93 Anyway, he went of to war, and I went of still playing and singing. Course by
then I wasnt as much as I used to be, not without somebody to make it worth the while.
You know what I mean?
94 Yeah. Greg nodded, not quite really knowing.
95 I traveled around, and one time I come home, and there was this letter saying Jesse
got killed in the war. Broke my heart, it truly did.
96 Tey sent back what he had with him over there, and what it was is this old mouth
fddle and these clippings. Him carrying it around with him like that told me it meant
something to him. Tat was my treasure, and when I give it to him he treated it just like
that, a treasure. Aint that something?
97 Yeah, I guess so, Greg said.
98 You guess so? Lemon Browns voice rose an octave as he started to put his
treasure back into the plastic. Well, you got to guess cause you sure dont know
nothing. Dont know enough to get home when its raining.
99 I guess . . . I mean, youre right.
100 You OK for a youngster, the old man said as he tied the strings around his leg,
better than those scalawags what come here looking for my treasure. Tats for sure.
101 You really think that treasure of yours was worth fghting for? Greg asked.
Against a pipe?
102 What else a man got cepting what he can pass on to his son, or his daughter, if she
be his oldest? Lemon Brown said. For a big-headed boy you sure do ask the foolishest
questions.
My Notes

Literally, what is Lemon
Browns treasure? Why does it
mean so much to him?
Why is the third-person point
of view an effective way to
tell this story? What would
happen if it were told in first-
person point of view? How
would the story change?
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ACTIVITY 1.17
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103 Lemon Brown got up afer patting his rags in place and looked out the window
again. Looks like theyre gone. You get on out of here and get yourself home. Ill be
watching from the window so youll be all right.
104 Lemon Brown went down the stairs behind Greg. When they reached the front
door the old man looked out frst, saw the street was clear and told Greg to scoot on
home.
105 You sure youll be OK? Greg asked.
106 Now didnt I tell you I was going to East St. Louis in the morning? Lemon Brown
asked. Dont that sound OK to you?
107 Sure it does, Greg said. Sure it does. And you take care of that treasure of yours.
108 Tat Ill do, Lemon said, the wrinkles around his eyes suggesting a smile.
TatIll do.
109 Te night had warmed and the rain had stopped, leaving puddles at the curbs. Greg
didnt even want to think how late it was. He thought ahead of what his father would say
and wondered if he should tell him about Lemon Brown. He thought about it until he
reached his stoop, and decided against it. Lemon Brown would be OK, Greg thought,
with his memories and his treasure.
110 Greg pushed the button over the bell marked Ridley, thought of the lecture he knew
his father would give him, and smiled.
My Notes


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After Reading
3. Collaborative Discussion: What are your initial reactions to the ending of this
story? Were you surprised? If so, what surprised you?
4. What is the theme of The Treasure of Lemon Brown? Complete this sentence:
The Treasure of Lemon Brown is a story about
5. Write a theme statement, a sentence, using the theme you described.
6. Now, transform your theme statement into a question to use in a collaborative
discussion.
7. Return to the story and mark the text to answer the following question:
What is the portion of the story that makes up the falling action and resolution?
Writing Prompt: Think of an extension to the ending of this story. What could
have happened differently to resolve the conflict? What will be different when Greg
returns home? Transform the original ending of the story by writing a new ending.
Be sure to:
Focus on resolving the conflict in the falling action and resolution in order to
convey a theme.
Use dialogue and dialogue tags.
Use figurative language and varied sentence structure.
In the End
ACTIVITY 1.17
continued
My Notes

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Analyzing a Story ACTIVITY
1.18
Learning Targets
Analyze how objects change over time.
Interpret text passages and create images to represent meaning.
Before Reading
1. Quickwrite: How has technology changed just since you were born?
During Reading
2. The short story you are about to read was written in 1951. Think about the
developments in technology since that time. IBM introduced the personal
computer in August of 198130 years after this story was written. As your
teacher first reads the story aloud, listen for clues about the setting of the story.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Isaac Asimov (19201992) was a very prolic writer. He wrote nearly ve
hundred books on a variety of subjectsscience, history, literature, medicine,
but mainly science ction. He started writing science ction stories as a
teenager. Always interested in robots, he anticipated the many uses they have
today. The movie I, Robot was based on Asimovs writings about robots and
technology. I, Robot was also the title of Asimovs rst book of short stories.
Short Story
The Fun They Had

by Isaac Asimov
1 Margie even wrote about it that night in her diary. On the page headed May 17,
2157, she wrote, Today, Tommy found a real book!
2 It was a very old book. Margies grandfather once said that when he was a little
boyhis grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed
onpaper.
3 Tey turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly, and it was awfully funny
to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed toon a
screen, you know. And then, when they turned back to the page before, it had the same
words on it that it had had when they read it the frst time.
4 Gee, said Tommy, what a waste. When youre through with the book, you just
throw it away, I guess. Our television screen must have had a million books on it and its
good for plenty more. I wouldnt throw it away.
Close Reading, Marking
the Text, Rereading, Think
Aloud, Visualizing, Sketching
My Notes
Literary Terms
Science fiction is a genre
in which the imaginary
elements of the story could
be scientifically possible.
It differs from fantasy in
that it is possible that the
story could happen. Stories
that are fantasy are based
on things that could not
happen in real life.
What details of the
exposition make the time
of the story specific? Notice
that the author has made a
point of creating a specific
setting and has made the
main characters children.
How does this help you
predict the conflict?

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ACTIVITY 1.18
continued
Analyzing a Story
5 Same with mine, said Margie. She was eleven and hadnt seen as many telebooks
as Tommy had. He was thirteen. She said, Where did you fnd it?
6 In my house. He pointed without looking, because he was busy reading. In the
attic. Whats it about? School.
7 Margie was scornful. School? Whats there to write about school? I hate school.
8 Margie always hated school, but now she hated it more than ever. Te mechanical
teacher had been giving her test afer test in geography and she had been doing worse
and worse until her mother had shaken her head sorrowfully and sent for the County
Inspector.
9 He was a round little man with a red face and a whole box of tools with dials and
wires. He smiled at Margie and gave her an apple, then took the teacher apart. Margie
had hoped he wouldnt know how to put it together again, but he knew how all right,
and, afer an hour or so, there it was again, large and black and ugly, with a big screen
on which all the lessons were shown and the questions were asked. Tat wasnt so bad.
Te part Margie hated most was the slot where she had to put homework and test
papers. She always had to write them out in a punch code they made her learn when she
was six years old, and the mechanical teacher calculated the mark in no time.
10 Te Inspector had smiled afer he was fnished and patted Margies head. He said
to her mother, Its not the little girls fault, Mrs. Jones. I think the geography sector was
geared a little too quick. Tose things happen sometimes. Ive slowed it up to an average
ten-year level. Actually, the over-all pattern of her progress is quite satisfactory. And he
patted Margies head again.
11 Margie was disappointed. She had been hoping they would take the teacher away
altogether. Tey had once taken Tommys teacher away for nearly a month because the
history sector had blanked out completely.
12 So she said to Tommy, Why would anyone write about school?
13 Tommy looked at her with very superior eyes. Because its not our kind of school,
stupid. Tis is the old kind of school that they had hundreds and hundreds of years ago.
He added lofily, pronouncing the word carefully, Centuries ago.
14 Margie was hurt. Well, I dont know what kind of school they had all that time
ago. She read the book over his shoulder for a while, then said, Anyway, they had a
teacher.
15 Sure they had a teacher, but it wasnt a regular teacher. It was a man. A man?
How could a man be a teacher? Well, he just told the boys and girls things and gave
them homework and asked them questions. A man isnt smart enough. Sure he is.
My father knows as much as my teacher. He cant. A man cant know as much as a
teacher. He knows almost as much, I betcha.
16 Margie wasnt prepared to dispute that. She said, I wouldnt want a strange man in
my house to teach me.
17 Tommy screamed with laughter. You dont know much, Margie. Te teachers
didnt live in the house. Tey had a special building and all the kids went there. And all
the kids learned the same thing? Sure, if they were the same age.
18 But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to ft the mind of each boy and
girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught diferently.
19 Just the same, they didnt do it that way then. If you dont like it, you dont have to
read the book.
My Notes

Part of this story tells of an
incident in a different time,
which is called a flashback.
Mark the part of the story
that occurs at another time
in Margies life. What is the
purpose of this flashback?
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ACTIVITY 1.18
continued
20 I didnt say I didnt like it, Margie said quickly. She wanted to read about those
funny schools.
21 Tey werent even half-fnished when Margies mother called, Margie! School!
Margie looked up. Not yet, Mamma.
22 Now! said Mrs. Jones. And its probably time for Tommy, too.
23 Margie said to Tommy, Can I read the book some more with you afer school?
24 Maybe, he said nonchalantly. He walked away whistling, the dusty old book
tucked beneath his arm.
25 Margie went into the schoolroom. It was right next to her bedroom, and the
mechanical teacher was on and waiting for her. It was always on at the same time every
day except Saturday and Sunday, because her mother said little girls learned better if
they learned at regular hours.
26 Te screen was lit up, and it said: Todays arithmetic lesson is on the addition of
proper fractions. Please insert yesterdays homework in the proper slot.
27 Margie did so with a sigh. She was thinking about the old schools they had when
her grandfathers grandfather was a little boy. All the kids from the whole neighborhood
came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom,
going home together at the end of the day. Tey learned the same things, so they could
help one another on the homework and talk about it.
28 And the teachers were people...
29 Te mechanical teacher was fashing on the screen: When we add the fractions 1/2
and 1/4...
30 Margie was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old days. She was
thinking about the fun they had.
My Notes

Did the author intend
the last sentence to be
humorous or serious?
Explain your answer.
Does Margies attitude
toward school change
by the end of the story?
Explain.

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After Reading
3. Reread the text and mark it for the following:
Exposition
Rising action
Climax
Falling action
Resolution
Share your marked passages with a partner. With your partner, create a story
board to demonstrate your understanding of the text. For each panel, include a
drawing that symbolizes a key moment for that part in the plot, and include textual
evidence to support the drawing.
The theme or main idea of this story is about our relationship to technology. What
is Asimov suggesting about technology? Include your interpretation of Asimovs
choice of title for the short story.
Analyzing a Story
ACTIVITY 1.18
continued
My Notes

INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
What sorts of conflicts have
occurred in the book you
are reading independently?
What problems, struggles, or
obstacles have the characters
faced?
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ACTIVITY
1.19
Sparking Ideas
Learning Targets
Analyze picture books for images that spark writing ideas.
Write a short story with characters, conflict, plot, and sensory details.
1. When you hear the word mystery, what do you think of? What do you think
makes a good mystery?
2. Chris Van Allsburg has written several books that are mysteries. Among some of
his best-known books are the following:
The Polar Express Jumanji
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick The Stranger
The Wreck of the Zephyr The Garden of Abdul Gasazi
Find copies of these or other picture books and write questions about particular
pictures that intrigue you. Using one or more of the images as your inspiration,
write freely to draft a story.
3. Select one of your freewrites to develop further. Before you continue to draft,
plan your story. Think about your main character, such as a name, age, favorite
hobby, behaviors and actions, accomplishments. Use a graphic organizer like
the one below to plan your characters.
Characterization
Describe your main characters appearance. What does this appearance say about
yourcharacter?
Describe some of your main characters actions. What do these actions say about your character?
Other Characters Details About These Characters
Predicting, Previewing, Visual
Prompt, Graphic Organizer,
Brainstorming, Mapping,
Prewriting, Drafting
My Notes


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4. What words or phrases could you include from each sense (taste, touch, sight,
smell, hearing) in your story? What vivid verbs and connotative diction help
show that sense? What figurative language could you use?
5. Consider your plot. What is the main conflict or problem? How will it be solved?
How can you add a twist? How will you introduce the setting and characters?
How can you build to the climax?
Writing Prompt: Draft a short story, adding the elements youve brainstormed as
you write. Be sure to:
Sequence events logically using elements of plot.
Use characterization and dialogue to develop conflict.
Use language purposefully (e.g., figurative and/or sensory details and a variety
of sentences).
Save this writing prompt response so that you can revisit it when generating ideas
for the original short story you will create for Embedded Assessment 2.
Sparking Ideas
ACTIVITY 1.19
continued
My Notes

INDEPENDENT
READING LINK
Investigate how the author
of your independent reading
book uses sensory details.
Record your favorite sensory
words, phrases, and sentences
from this book in your Reader/
Writer Notebook.
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Assignment
Write a story using dialogue, vivid verbs, and figurative language that captures
a real or imagined experience and includes characters, conflict, and a plot with
exposition, climax, and resolution.
Planning and Prewriting: Take time to make a plan for your short story.
Review the unit activities and your Reader/Writer Notebook for ideas. What
activities have you completed that will help you as you create a short story with
the required elements?
What would you like your short story to be about? What prewriting strategies
can you use to help you create ideas?
Drafting: Decide the structure of your story and how you will incorporate
the elements of a short story.
How will you make use of the story starters in the unit to help you create and
develop a short story?
Will you work from a plot diagram or an outline of a story idea? Is there another
way you can create a structure that develops the characters and plot of your
story?
Evaluating and Revising: Create opportunities to review and revise in
order to make your work the best it can be.
During the process of drafting, have you paused at points to share and respond
with others to learn how well you are integrating the necessary narrative
techniques into your short story?
Is your story developing as you want it to? Are you willing to change your story if
you must? Once you get suggestions, are you creating a plan to include revision
ideas in your draft?
Have you used the Scoring Guide to help you evaluate how well your draft
includes the requirements of the assignment?
Checking and Editing for Publication: Confirm your final draft is ready for
publication.
How will you check for grammatical and technical accuracy?
Have you verified spelling?
Reflection
After completing this Embedded Assessment, think about how you went about
accomplishing this assignment, and answer this question: How did you make sure
your final draft was the best it could be in terms of spelling, vocabulary use, and
conventions for punctuating and writing dialogue?
Writing a Short Story EMBEDDED
ASSESSMENT 2
My Notes

Technology TIP:
Use online dictionaries,
thesauruses, or other
resources for checking
spelling and grammar in
your short story.

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Activity Title Activity Title
Activity Title
Writing a Short Story
SCORING GUIDE
Scoring
Criteria
Exemplary Proficient Emerging Incomplete
Ideas The short story
develops a focused
and compelling
conflict
establishes an
interesting setting,
character(s), and
point of view
uses a variety of
narrative techniques
effectively to advance
the plot.
The short story
presents and
develops a focused
conflict
establishes a setting,
character(s), and
point of view
uses sufficient
to advance the plot,
such as dialogue and
descriptive detail.
The short story
presents an
undeveloped or
unclear conflict
establishes setting,
character(s), and
point of view
unevenly
uses partial or weak
to advance the plot.
The short story
lacks a conflict
does not establish
setting, character(s),
and/or point of view
uses minimal
narrative techniques.
Structure The short story
engages and orients
the reader with
exposition
sequences events
in the plot logically
and naturally to add
interest or suspense
uses a variety
of transitional
strategies effectively
and purposefully
provides a thoughtful
resolution.
The short story
orients the reader
with adequate
exposition
sequences events
in the plot logically
(rising action, climax,
falling action)
uses transitional
words, phrases, and
clauses to link events
and signal shifts
provides a logical
resolution.
The short story
provides weak or
vague exposition
sequences events in
the plot unevenly
uses inconsistent,
repetitive, or basic
transitional words,
phrases, and clauses
provides a weak
or disconnected
resolution.
The short story
lacks exposition
sequences events in
the plot illogically or
incompletely
uses few or no
transitional
strategies
lacks a resolution.
Use of
Language
The short story
uses connotative
diction, vivid verbs,
figurative language,
and sensory
language effectively
demonstrates
command of the
conventions of
standard English
capitalization,
grammar, and usage
(including pronouns,
sentence patterns,
and dialogue).
The short story
uses adequate
connotative diction,
vivid verbs, figurative
language, and
sensory language
demonstrates
adequate command
of the conventions
of standard English
capitalization,
grammar, and usage
sentence patterns,
and dialogue).
The short story
uses weak or
inconsistent diction,
verbs, figurative
language, and
sensory language
demonstrates partial
or inconsistent
command of the
conventions of
standard English
capitalization,
grammar, and usage
sentence patterns,
and dialogue).
The short story
uses limited, vague,
and unclear diction
and language
lacks command of
the conventions of
standard English
capitalization,
punctuation,
spelling, grammar,
and usage; frequent
errors interfere with
meaning.
EMBEDDED
ASSESSMENT 2
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Unit Overview

Unit 1 introduces the idea of change as the

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The Fun They Had

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