WJCC Middle School Learning Plan – Grade 6 Reading

Dear WJCC Families,

This packet contains activities, resources and information to extend learning for your child during this
extended school closure.
Additional resources may be posted on Student VUE for this course and other classes on your child’s
schedule. Students are encouraged to check Student VUE during this time.
Thank you for your partnership and support of WJCC Schools.
Sincerely,
WJCC Staff
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Read the excerpt View the vocabulary Closely reread the Read the excerpt View the vocabulary
from The Lightning words (terms) in excerpt from The from “I, Too” words (terms) in
Thief (fictional context from the Lightning Thief to (poetry). context from the
narrative). provided glossary. complete the Deeper Complete the provided glossary.
Complete the Main Use the glossary to Read Practice (10 Visualizing/Summary Use the glossary to
idea/ Relevant complete the multiple choice Chart. complete the
Details Summary Expanding Your questions). Expanding Your
Chart. Vocabulary Chart. Vocabulary Chart.
Use the story, to Closely reread the
complete the excerpt from “I, Too”
Elements of Fiction to complete the
Chart. Make sure to Deeper Read
include specific Practice (5 multiple
details from the story choice questions).
in your chart.
Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10

Read “Everybody View the vocabulary Closely reread Read “Elena” View the vocabulary
Jump” (informational words (terms) in “Everybody Jump” to (poetry). words (terms) in
text). context from the complete the Deeper context from the
provided glossary. Read Practice (10 Complete the Main provided glossary.
Complete the Main multiple choice Idea/Relevant Details
idea/ Relevant Use the glossary to questions). Summary Chart. Use the glossary to
Details Summary complete the complete the
Chart. Expanding Your Expanding Your
Vocabulary Chart. Vocabulary Chart.

Use the text to Closely read“Elena”

complete the to complete the
Organizational Deeper Read
Patterns Chart. Practice (5 multiple
Make sure to include choice questions).
specific details from
the text in your chart.

Secondary Online Programs Available at Home

• ExactPath - https://login.edmentum.com/

Account Login: WJCCSD Used primarily by grades 3-8 for reading and mathematics. Learning Paths aligned to NWEA data.
For this time period – all students allowed at no additional cost

• Discovery Education - CONNECT VIA OFFICE 365

Content by standard/subject. Includes virtual experiences and instructional strategies We fully license Essentials and K-8
Science plus Streaming for K-8

• Office 365 - https://www.office.com/

Online tools for WORD, EXCEL, POWERPOINT, ONENOTE with heavy emphasis on TEAMS. We are fully licensed

• EMediaVA - https://www.emediava.org/

Online educational service offering media resources appropriate for PreK-14 All students and teachers. Students use
computer login for username and last five digits of student ID for password curriculum, for use in classrooms, home schools,
and informal educational environments, such as after-school, community facilities, and museums (the "Service").

• Imagine Learning - https://www.imaginelearning.com/login

This program is designed to support the language, literacy, and early reading skills of certain English Learners. Cannot use
on a cell phone. Recommendation is 20 minutes a day Licensed for our ELL students

• VUE - https://www.office.com/

Student access: https://va-wjccp-psv.edupoint.com/PXP2_Login.aspx Primary communication and grading tool

• Culture Grams - http://online.culturegrams.com/

• Explora - *Online Database that students should access from school webpage
• World Book Online - https://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/products?ed=all&gr=Welcome+WJCC+Public+Schools
Day 1 The Lightening Thief
From Chapter 3

1Our rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a little pastel
box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There was always sand in the sheets and
spiders in the cabinets, and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in.

2I loved the place.

3We'd been going there since I was a baby. My mom had been going even longer. She never
exactly said, but I knew why the beach was special to her. It was the place where she'd met my
dad.

4As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work
disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea.

5We got there at sunset, opened all the cabin's windows, and went through our usual cleaning
routine. We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly
beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work.

6I guess I should explain about the blue food.

7See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed
like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, my mom went out of her way to eat blue. She
baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue-corn tortilla chips
and brought home blue candy from the shop. This—along with keeping her maiden name,
Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano—was proof that she wasn't totally suckered by
Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like me.

8When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told me stories
about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. She told me about the
books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop.

9Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind whenever we came to
Montauk—my father. Mom's eyes went all misty. I figured she would tell me the same things she
always did, but I never got tired of hearing them.

10"He was kind, Percy," she said. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his
black hair, you know, and his green eyes."

11Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish he could see you, Percy. He would
be so proud."

12I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy
with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years.
13"How old was I?" I asked. "I mean ...when he left?"

14She watched the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach.
This cabin."

15"But ...he knew me as a baby."

16"No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you
were born."

17I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember ...something about my father. A
warm glow. A smile.

18I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My mom had never said it outright, but still, I'd
felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen me ...

19I felt angry at my father. Maybe it was stupid, but I resented him for going on that ocean
voyage, for not having the guts to marry my mom. He'd left us, and now we were stuck
with Smelly Gabe.

20"Are you going to send me away again?" I asked her. "To another boarding school?"

21She pulled a marshmallow from the fire.

22"I don't know, honey." Her voice was heavy. "I think ...I think we'll have to do something."

23"Because you don't want me around?" I regretted the words as soon as they were out.

24My mom's eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezed it tight. "Oh, Percy, no. I—
I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away."

25Her words reminded me of what Mr. Brunner had said—that it was best for me to leave Yancy.

26"Because I'm not normal," I said.

27"You say that as if it's a bad thing, Percy. But you don't realize how important you are. I
thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you'd finally be safe."

28"Safe from what?"

29She met my eyes, and a flood of memories came back to me—all the weird, scary things that
had ever happened to me, some of which I'd tried to forget.

30During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked me on the playground. When the
teachers threatened to call the police, he went away growling, but no one believed me when I told
them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had one eye, right in the middle of his
head.
31Before that—a really early memory. I was in preschool, and a teacher accidentally put me down
for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into. My mom screamed when she came to pick me up
and found me playing with a limp, scaly rope I'd somehow managed to strangle to death with my
meaty toddler hands.

32In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was forced to
move.

33I knew I should tell my mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds at the art
museum, about my weird hallucination that I had sliced my math teacher into dust with a sword.
But I couldn't make myself tell her. I had a strange feeling the news would end our trip to
Montauk, and I didn't want that.

34"I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could," my mom said. "They told me that was a
mistake. But there's only one other option, Percy—the place your father wanted to send you. And
I just ...I just can't stand to do it."

35"My father wanted me to go to a special school?"

36"Not a school," she said softly. "A summer camp."

37My head was spinning. Why would my dad—who hadn't even stayed around long enough to
see me born—talk to my mom about a summer camp? And if it was so important, why hadn't she
ever mentioned it before?

38"I'm sorry, Percy," she said, seeing the look in my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I—I couldn't
send you to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you for good."

39"For good? But if it's only a summer camp ..."

40She turned toward the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more
questions she would start to cry.

Excerpted from The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, published by Miramax Books /Hyperion
Books for Children.
 Day 1 “The Lightening Thief”
Main Idea/Relevant Details/ Summary

After reading “The Lightening Thief” what is the main idea of this fictional narrative?
Main
Idea:__________________________________________________________________________
____________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________
Complete the Summary Chart with 3 key details and a summary of selected paragraphs
Paragraphs Three Key Details Summary
Be sure these are the MOST Include your three key
important details within the details within your
paragraphs. summary
•
Paragraphs •
1-8
•

•
Paragraphs •
9-18
•

•
Paragraphs •
19-29
•

•
Paragraphs
30-40
•
•
Day 2: from The Lightning Thief
Words in Context: Expanding Your Vocabulary
Directions: Look at the vocabulary words from the glossary that goes with your text. Choose any four words to complete the following Expanding
Your Vocabulary Chart.
Expanding Your Vocabulary
Word (Term) Definition Word in Context Original Sentence
What sentence from the text uses the word? Compose your own sentence using each word.
1.

2.

3.

4.
Fiction: from “The Lightening Thief” Day 2: Close Read Skill: The Elements of Fiction
Element of Fiction Supporting Detail from the Text Drawing a Conclusion
Choose a detail that you copy word for word from the text
that shows the element of fiction from column 1.
Point of view: Circle the correct response What detail focuses on the narrator? Explain how the detail from column two shows Percy
as an outsider.
First person

Third person, limited

Third person, omniscient

Main What detail reveals how Percy feels about himself? Explain how the detail from column two shows Percy
Character as an outsider.
Percy Jackson
1.

Conflict What detail shows a challenge Percy is facing? Explain how the detail from column two shows Percy
as an outsider.
 Element of Fiction Supporting Detail from the Text Drawing a Conclusion
Choose a detail that you copy word for word from the text that
shows the element of fiction from column 1.
Flashback Explain how the detail from column two shows Percy as
an outsider.

1. Which phrase from paragraph 29 best signals the author’s use of flashback?
Answer choices for the above question

A. she met my eyes

B. flood of memories came back to me

C. weird, scary things

D. had ever happened to me

2. Why might the author choose to use the flashbacks in paragraphs 30 and 31?
Answer choices for the above question

A. to explain Percy’s earlier anger toward his missing father

B. to describe Percy’s mother’s irrational fear that Percy isn’t safe

C. to support Mr. Brunner’s earlier claim that it’s best for Percy to leave Yancy

D. to reinforce the idea that Percy is different and unique

Day 3 The Lightening Thief Deeper Reading Practice

Read all questions carefully and select the best answer

1. What is most closely the meaning of the word hallucination in the following passage
(paragraph 33)?

I knew I should tell my mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds at the
art museum, about my weird hallucination that I had sliced my math teacher into dust
with a sword.
A. scary dream
B. concerning desire
C. false vision
D. violent idea

2. What does the following passage reveal about Percy’s mom?

“I’m sorry, Percy,” she said, seeing the look in my eyes. “But I can’t talk about it. I--I couldn’t
send you to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you for good.”
“For good? But if it’s only a summer camp…”
She turned toward the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more questions she
would start to cry.

A. She wants to send him to summer camp.

B. She is afraid sending Percy to summer camp means she won’t see him again.
C. She is referring to Gabe.
D. She doesn’t want Percy to have fun at camp.

3. What mainly do the following lines reveal about Percy’s mother?

Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind whenever we came to
Montauk—my father. Mom’s eyes went all misty. I figured she would tell me the same things
she always did, but I never got tired of hearing them.
Answer choices for the above question
A. She remembers Percy’s father fondly and is nostalgic.
B. She feels anxious about telling Percy about his father.
C. She becomes depressed when looking back on her life.
D. She doesn’t want Percy to get hurt by old memories.

4. What is the purpose of the ellipses (the three dots) at the end of these sentences?
I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My mom had never said it outright, but still, I’d
felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he’d never even seen me… “For good? But if it’s
only a summer camp…”
Answer choices for the above question
A. The ellipsis indicates Percy hand wrote the story.
B. The ellipsis indicates that Percy lost his voice.
C. The ellipsis indicates that Percy doesn’t finish his sentence or thought.
D. The ellipsis indicates Percy is angry at the reader.

5. Which inference about Percy’s relationship with Gabe is best supported by the
excerpt? Answer choices for the above question
A. Percy and Gabe are very close-knit and depend on one another.
B. Percy dislikes Gabe and doesn’t view him as his father.
C. Percy is pleased his mother has Gabe, and he enjoys Gabe’s company.
D. Percy ignores Gabe altogether and rarely, if ever, thinks of him.

6. Which of the following sentences from the text best supports the correct answer to
Question 5?
Answer choices for the above question
A. “I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember...something about my
father. A warm glow. A smile.”
B. “This—along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs.
Ugliano—was proof that she wasn’t totally suckered by Gabe.”
C. “She never exactly said, but I knew why the beach was special to her. I was the place
where she’d met my dad.”
D. “See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed
like a really small thing at the time.”

7. Which selection best describes how Percy feels about the new information his mother
tells him?
Answer choices for the above question
A. Percy is eagerly anticipating going to summer camp for a change.
B. Percy is concerned about his mother’s safety and well-being.
C. Percy is extremely confused about his past and wants answers.
D. Percy is incredibly fearful of the future and for his life.

8. Which of the following passages from the excerpt best supports the correct answer to
Question 7?
Answer choices for the above question
A. “My head was spinning. Why would my dad—who hadn’t even stayed around long
enough to see me born—talk to my mom about a summer camp?”
 B. “In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was
forced to move.”
C. “My mom’s eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezed it tight. ‘Oh Percy, no.
I—I have to honey. For your own good.’”
D. “She turned toward the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more
questions she would start to cry.”

9. Which meaning of outright most closely matches its meaning in the following excerpt?

I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My mom never said it outright, but still, I’d felt it
must be true. Now, to be told that he’d never even seen me...
Answer choices for the above question
A. adjective | open and direct, not concealed
B. adverb | altogether, completely
C. adverb | immediately
D. adjective | correct

10. Place the following events in the order that they occur.

Options ( 4 of 4 )
• Percy learns his father never met him.
• Percy recalls strange events in his childhood.
• Percy realizes attending summer camp might mean losing his mother forever.
• Percy learns his father wanted him to go to summer camp.
Interactive Chart
FIRST SECOND THIRD FOURTH
 Day 4

I, Too
from THE COLLECTED POEMS OF LANGSTON HUGHES by Langston Hughes

1I, too, sing America.

2I am the darker brother.

3They send me to eat in the kitchen
4When company comes,
5But I laugh,
6And eat well, 7And
grow strong.

8Tomorrow,
9I'll be at the table
10When company comes.
11Nobody'll dare
12Say to me,
13"Eat in the kitchen," 14Then.

15Besides,
16They'll see how beautiful I am
17And be ashamed –

18I, too, am America.

“I, Too” from THE COLLECTED POEMS OF LANGSTON HUGHES by

Langston Hughes, edited by Arnold Rampersad with David Roessel, Associate
Editor, copyright ©1994 by the Estate of Langston Hughes. Used by permission of
Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of
Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

By permission of Harold Ober Associates Incorporated.

Copyright ©1994 by The Estate of Langston Hughes.

Day 4 from “I, Too” Visualizing/Summary

Complete the Visualizing Chart
 Lines Visualizing: Create an image that captures the details in the lines.
Lines 8-10

Line 11-14

Lines 15-17

Line 18

Summary: Compose a one sentence summary that explains what happens in the poem.
Summary: __________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Day 5: “I, Too”
Words in Context: Expanding Your Vocabulary
Directions: Look at the vocabulary words from the glossary that goes with your text. Choose any four words to complete the following Expanding
Your Vocabulary Chart.
Expanding Your Vocabulary
Word (Term) Definition Word in Context Original Sentence
What sentence from the text uses the word? Compose your own sentence using each word.
1.

2.

3.

4.
 Day 5 from “I, Too” Deeper Reading Practice
1. Arrange the events in the poem in the order they occur :

Options ( 4 of 4 )
• The speaker is sent away to eat in the kitchen when company arrives.
• The speaker believes that the people who sent him to the kitchen will one day feel shame
for doing so.
• The speaker doesn’t seem to care that he has to eat in the kitchen, and says he laughs,
eats, and grows strong.
• The speaker feels confident that one day he will sit at the table and not in the kitchen.
First Event Second Event Third Event Fourth Event

Question 4. Which line from the poem most

strongly supports the answer to
2. Which of the following lines from Question 3?
the poem best shows a distinction the
speaker makes between himself and his Answer choices for the above question
audience? A. “They send me to eat in the
Answer choices for the above question kitchen”
A. “I am the darker brother.” B. “And eat well,”
B. “When company comes,” C. “They’ll see how beautiful I am”
C. “Nobody’ll dare” D. “And be ashamed”
D. “I, too, am America.”

5. How does the stanza from lines

3. Which inference about the 8-14 convey a message to the
speaker of thepoem is most likely true? reader?
Answer choices for the above Answer choices for the above question
question A. He feels A. It suggests that what the speaker hopes
for will never happen.
sympathy.
B. It sends a message of hope for equality
B. He is confident. in America.
C. He feels generous. C. It implies that the speaker will
D. He is fearful. continue to wait.
D. It suggests that the speaker has given
up.
Everybody Jump (from “What If?”)

What would happen if everyone on earth stood as close to each other as they could and jumped, everyone
landing on the ground at the same instant?
—Thomas Bennett (and many others)

This is one of the most popular questions submitted to this blog. It’s been examined before, including by a
ScienceBlogs post and a Straight Dope article. They cover the kinematics pretty well. However, they don’t tell
the whole story.

Let’s take a closer look.

At the start of the scenario, the entire Earth’s population has been magically transported together into one
place.

This crowd takes up an area the size of Rhode Island. But there’s no reason to use the vague phrase “an area
the size of Rhode Island”. This is our scenario; we can be specific. They’re actually in Rhode Island.

At the stroke of noon, everyone jumps.

As discussed elsewhere, it doesn’t really affect the planet. Earth outweighs us by a factor of over ten trillion.
On average, we humans can vertically jump maybe half a meter on a good day. Even if the Earth were rigid
and responded instantly, it would be pushed down by less than an atom’s width.

Next, everyone falls back to the ground.

Technically, this delivers a lot of energy into the Earth, but it’s spread out over a large enough area that it
doesn’t do much more than leave footprints in a lot of gardens. A slight pulse of pressure spreads through the
North American continental crust and dissipates with little effect. The sound of all those feet hitting the
ground creates a loud, drawn-out roar
which lasts many seconds.

Eventually, the air grows quiet.

Seconds pass. Everyone looks

around.

There are a lot of uncomfortable glances. Someone coughs.

A cell phone comes out of a pocket. Within seconds,

the rest of the world’s five billion phones follow.
All of them—even those compatible with the region’s
towers—are displaying some version of “NO SIGNAL”.
The cell networks have all collapsed under the
unprecedented load.
The T. F. Green airport in Warwick, Rhode Island handles a few thousand passengers a day. Assuming they got
things organized (including sending out scouting missions to retrieve fuel), they could run at 500% capacity
for years without making a dent in the crowd.
The addition of all the nearby airports doesn’t change the equation much. Nor does the region’s light rail
system. Crowds climb on board container ships in the deepwater port of Providence, but stocking sufficient
food and water for a long sea voyage proves a challenge.

Rhode Island’s half-million cars are commandeered. Moments later, I-95, I-195, and I-295 become the sites of
the largest traffic jam in the history of the planet. Most of the cars are engulfed by the crowds, but a lucky
few get out and begin wandering the abandoned road network.

Some make it past New York or Boston before running out of fuel. Since the electricity is probably not on at
this point, rather than find a working gas pump, it’s easier to just abandon the car and steal the new one.Who
can stop you? All the cops are in Rhode Island.

The edge of the crowd spreads outward into southern Massachusetts and Connecticut. Any two people who
meet are unlikely to have a language in common, and almost nobody knows the area. The state becomes a
patchwork chaos of coalescing and collapsing social hierarchies.
Violence is common. Everybody is hungry and thirsty. Grocery stores are emptied. Fresh water is hard to
come by and there’s no efficient system for distributing it.

Within weeks, Rhode Island is a graveyard of billions.

The survivors spread out across the face of the world and struggle to build a new civilization atop the pristine
ruins of the old. Our species staggers on, but our population has been greatly reduced. Earth’s orbit is
completely unaffected—it spins along exactly as it did before our species-wide jump.

But at least now we know.

Day 6 “Everybody Jump” Main Idea/Relative Details/ Summary

After reading “Everybody Jump” what is the main idea of this information text?
Main Idea:______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Complete the Summary Chart with 3 key details and a summary of selected paragraphs
Paragraphs Three Key Details Summary
Be sure these are the MOST important details within the Include your three key details within your summary
paragraphs.
Paragraphs 1-5 •
•
•

Paragraphs 5-10 •
•
•

Paragraphs 11-15 •
•
•

Paragraphs 16-20 •
•
•
Day 7: Everybody Jump
Words in Context: Expanding Your Vocabulary
Directions: Look at the vocabulary words from the glossary that goes with your text. Choose any four words to complete the following Expanding
Your Vocabulary Chart.
Expanding Your Vocabulary
Word (Term) Definition Word in Context Original Sentence
What sentence from the text uses the word? Compose your own sentence using each word.
1.

2.

3.

4.
Day 7 “Everybody Jump” Organizational Patterns

Finding Text Structures

Using the text, fill in the chart focusing on the following text structures: chronological or sequential, compare and contrast,
cause and effect, or problem and solution.
Paragraphs Text Structure Evidence Author’s Purpose

14 and 15

16

17
Day 8 “Everybody Jump” Deeper Reading Practice

1. In this essay, the Earth’s population ends up in the state of Rhode Island mainly because of
_________________________________.
A. alien technology
B. magic
C. long patterns of migration
D. a natural disaster

2. “Everybody Jump” is written in the__________ tense, from a ____________point of view.

A. past; first-person
B. past; third-person
C. present; first-person
D. present; third-person

3. Reread the following excerpt (paragraph 9).

Technically, this delivers a lot of energy into the Earth, but it’s spread out over a large enough area that it
doesn’t do much more than leave footprints in a lot of gardens. A slight pulse of pressure spreads through the
North American continental crust and dissipates with little effect. The sound of all those feet hitting the ground
creates a loud, drawn-out roar which lasts many seconds.
The above paragraph adds to the development of the entire article mainly by ____________

A. explaining why all the people landing at the same time has little effect
B. suggesting that the people are all jumping in gardens
C. describing the sights and sounds that accompany such a massive, coordinated jump
D. suggesting that the jump would have had a greater effect if the people had gathered more closely
together

4. Reread the following excerpt (paragraph 13)

A. cell phone comes out of a pocket. Within seconds, the rest of the world’s five billion phones follow. All of
them—even those compatible with the region’s towers—are displaying some version of “NO SIGNAL”.
The cell networks have all collapsed under the unprecedented load.

Cell phones don’t work in the following passage (paragraph 13) mainly because .

A. international phones don’t work with the region’s cell towers

 B. the networks can’t support the number of people trying to get a signal
C. service has been interrupted by the force of the coordinated jump
D. the region’s cell towers are outdated and in need of repair

5. Reread the excerpt (paragraphs 17 and 18).

Some make it past New York or Boston before running out of fuel. Since the electricity is probably not on at
this point, rather than find a working gas pump, it’s easier to just abandon the car and steal the new one.
Who can stop you? All the cops are in Rhode Island.

The edge of the crowd spreads outward into southern Massachusetts and Connecticut. Any two people who
meet are unlikely to have a language in common, and almost nobody knows the area. The state becomes a
patchwork chaos of coalescing and collapsing social hierarchies. Violence is common. Everybody is
hungry and thirsty. Grocery stores are emptied. Fresh water is hard to come by and there’s no efficient
system for distributing it.

Based on the above passage, what is most likely one of the author’s opinions?

A. It is easy to steal a car if one is desperate enough.

B. Putting the entire world’s population in such a small area would create deadly chaos.
C. A tank of gas will likely get you from Rhode Island to New York or Boston.
D. Knowledge is the key to getting out of any bad situation.

6. Which sentence from the text most strongly supports the correct answer to Question 5?
A. “Who can stop you? All the cops are in Rhode Island.”
B. “The state becomes a patchwork chaos of coalescing and collapsing social hierarchies.”
C. “The edge of the crowd spreads outward into southern Massachusetts and Connecticut.”
D. “Violence is common.”

7. Reread the excerpt (paragraphs 19-21).

Within weeks, Rhode Island is a graveyard of billions.

The survivors spread out across the face of the world and struggle to build a new civilization atop the pristine
ruins of the old. Our species staggers on, but our population has been greatly reduced. Earth’s orbit is
completely unaffected—it spins along exactly as it did before our species-wide jump.

But at least now we know.

Which conclusion about human beings is most strongly supported by the above passage?
A. Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state in land area, but it is still large enough to contain billions of
graves.
B. Organizers of any future “species-wide jump” should consider potential outcomes of such an event.
 C. Human beings cannot strongly affect the Earth’s orbit, but they can affect one another a great deal.
D. It would be important to learn the outcome of this experiment, no matter the cost.

8. Which detail from the text best supports the correct answer to Question 7?

A. “Within weeks, Rhode Island is a graveyard of billions.”

B. “The survivors spread out across the face of the world and struggle to build a new civilization atop the
pristine ruins of the old.”
C. “Our species staggers on, but our population has been greatly reduced. Earth’s orbit is completely
unaffected—it spins along exactly as it did before our species-wide jump.”
D. “But at least now we know.”

9. What is most closely the meaning of scenario as it is used in the sentence below (paragraphs
3-4)?

At the start of the scenario, the entire Earth’s population has been magically transported together
into one place.

A. noun | a written outline

B. noun | the setting or background of a work of art or literature
C. noun | the script of a film or television program
D. noun | an imagined sequence of events

10. Place the events in sequential order.

Options ( 4 of 4 )
• Everybody checks their phone, but there is no reception.
• Everybody appears in Rhode Island at the same time.
• Everybody jumps at the same time.
• The scene descends into violence and chaos.

First Second Third Fourth

Day 9

Elena
from "Chants" by Pat Mora

1My Spanish isn’t good enough.

2I remember how I’d smile
3listening to my little ones,
4understanding every word they’d say, 5their
jokes, their songs, their plots.
6Vamos a pedirle dulces a mamá. Vamos.
7But that was in Mexico.
8Now my children go to American high schools.
9They speak English. At night they sit around 10the
kitchen table, laugh with one another.
11I stand at the stove and feel dumb, alone.
12I bought a book to learn English.
13My husband frowned, drank more beer.
14My oldest said, “Mamá, he doesn’t want you
15to be smarter than he is.” I’m forty,
16embarrassed at mispronouncing words,
17embarrassed at the laughter of my children,
18the grocer, the mailman. Sometimes I take
19my English book and lock myself in the bathroom,
20say the thick words softly,
21for if I stop trying, I will be deaf
22when my children need my help.

"Elena" from "Chants" by Pat Mora (©1994 Arte Público Press -University of
Houston)
Day 9 Elena from “Chants” Main Idea/Relative Details/ Summary

After reading Elena what is the main idea of this poem?

Main Idea:______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Complete the Summary Chart with 3 key details and a summary of selected paragraphs
Paragraphs Three Key Details Summary
Be sure these are the MOST important details within the Include your three key details within your summary
paragraphs.
Paragraphs 1-5 •
•
•

Paragraphs 6-10 •
•
•

Paragraphs11-16 •
•
•

Paragraphs 17-22 •
•
•
Day 10: “Elena”
Words in Context: Expanding Your Vocabulary
Directions: Look at the vocabulary words from the glossary that goes with your text. Choose any four words to complete the following Expanding
Your Vocabulary Chart.
Expanding Your Vocabulary
Word (Term) Definition Word in Context Original Sentence
What sentence from the text uses the word? Compose your own sentence using each word.
1.

2.

3.

4.
Day 10 Elena from “Chants” Deeper Reading Practice

Read the questions carefully and select the best answer

1. The speaker believes that her Spanish “isn’t good enough” (line 1) most likely
because .
A. she began learning Spanish not very long ago
B. her kids speak a modern style of Spanish that she is unfamiliar with
C. she can no longer communicate effectively with her children
D. she never received an education of her own when she was younger

2. The following passage (lines 12–13) mainly suggests that the speaker’s husband .

I bought a book to learn English.

My husband frowned, drank more beer.

A. doesn’t care as much about learning to speak English

B. wishes the family still lived in Mexico
C. thinks she spends too much money on unnecessary items
D. already speaks English well enough

3. The speaker locks herself in the bathroom to practice English mainly

because . A. she wants to escape any possible distractions from her husband
and their children
B. she is embarrassed by her lack of English even in front of her own family
C. her husband and children are very critical of her desire to learn English
D. all the other rooms in their house are being used

4. Which of the following lines best supports the answer to Question 3?

A. “My oldest said, ‘Mamá, he doesn’t want you / to be smarter than he is.’”
B. “I’m forty, / embarrassed at mispronouncing words, / embarrassed at the
laughter of my children,”
C. “Sometimes I take / my English book and lock myself in the bathroom,”
D. “for if I stop trying, I will be deaf / when my children need my help”

5. Match each vocabulary word with its corresponding definition:

Word
 Options ( 5 of 5 )
• plots
• deaf
• mispronouncing
• embarrassed
• frowned

Definition Word
ashamed or uncomfortably self-conscious

scowled, glared

unable to hear

secret plans or schemes

saying something the wrong way